Mr. C, Mike, and me
San Diego, California
April 23, 2008
Mike and I just spent a fantastic week in California! We flew out to San Diego to visit my fifth grade teacher, Mr. C. He’s Rick Campbell to the rest of the world, but I’ve called him Mr. C for years. Mr. C was the best teacher I’ve ever had, and and several of my classmates have all kept in touch with him over the years. You can read more about our fifth grade class here: http://charlottegeary.livejournal.com/105356.html (and even see our class photo from 1984!)
This spring, Mr C gave me the amazing opportunity to teach photography at his school in San Diego. It was a great honor to be invited, and also a wonderful chance to spend time with him and his wife. Mike and I had never been to San Diego before, and we loved it instantly. I hadn’t expected it to be so lush and green, with flowers everywhere! Mr C showed us around town on Wednesday, and took us on a beautiful walk along the shores in La Jolla. Afterward, we ate lunch on the patio at George’s on the Cape, with an amazing view of the water.
Tomorrow I’ll post photos the next day, when we spent the day at Mr C’s school, and I taught photography to the fourth-graders. Stay tuned!
I was mesmerized by all the flowers!
San Diego might have the prettiest beaches I’ve ever seen.
Mike and Mr C
I loved this family of dozing seals and their young, with one taking a leisurely backstroke in the sun.
Pelicans
Did I mention how much I loved all the flowers?
As a landlocked Coloradoan, I found it thrilling that seals sunbathe on the beaches.
They look like they are smiling while they nap.
Seals have the same faces and body shapes as my cat, Janie.
This one had a cool two-tone coloring.
After lunch, we wandered through the streets of La Jolla. I liked this church.
I’d never seen flowers like these!
Later that afternoon, we went to the launching site for paragliders and hanggliders.
I was enamored with Frosty, the flying dog!
I didn’t have my telephoto lens with me, but here’s a crop for you.
Frosty had his own harness and was strapped in to the parachute. Freaking awesome.
Here’s Hope and Rick Campbell, our wonderful friends and hosts for the trip.
Thanks so much, Mr. and Mrs. C!
*delurk*
i am delurking to say i am glad you had a good time here in San Diego! i just moved back, and am enjoying it 🙂
i got all sorts of excited, since Francis Parker is just down the street from me, but then i realized that you were at the elementary school, and i am near the upper school. regardless, i am glad you had a good time!
*delurk*
i am delurking to say i am glad you had a good time here in San Diego! i just moved back, and am enjoying it 🙂
i got all sorts of excited, since Francis Parker is just down the street from me, but then i realized that you were at the elementary school, and i am near the upper school. regardless, i am glad you had a good time!
Beautiful photos Charlotte!! I love all the color, and the seals are adorable.
That would be great! 🙂
Margaritas at the Cove with you and Mike sounds like fun. First round’s on me!
I would have loved to have finally met you in person! Next time I come out, I’ll plan more time so I can see some of my friends there.
I can see why you like living in that area. It’s magnificent! Next time I should check out Crab Catcher.
Ha! You make a fine point.
Re: WHAT?!
Yeah, if my schedule had been more open, I’d have put more effort into looking you up (and a couple other people in town). Next time!
The iphone experience did make me think that I need to add some HTML contact info to my home page, though!
Sounds like you had a great trip!
… but, but, but…
You came to San Diego and I missed it! 🙁
Isn’t La Jolla Cove beautiful? That’s the area where I got those pelican pictures I posted a while back.
Sometimes, when I just need to relax and mellow out, I’ll go down to the cove, have a margarita at one of the many restaurants along the coastline there (Crab Catcher is one of my favorites) and listen to the crashing surf and watch a sunset.
wouldn’t you be smiling if all you had to do in life was nap on a beach like that? 😉
San Diego Looks Gorgeous!
I’ve never been to San Diego, but I have been to Los Angeles twice.
If you, Mike, and Mr. and Mrs. C do go up together to Los Angeles, you will want to visit the zoo in Griffith Park, the beach and amusement pier in Santa Monica, Olvera Street in downtown L.A., and of course Hollywood.
Speaking of which, you may want to tour the NBC broadcasting complex in Burbank (and maybe see a taping of a TV show there) before NBC closes it and moves their West Coast operations to Universal City.
If any of you are baseball fans, an L.A. Dodgers’ home game at Dodger Stadium is a must; it’s one of the most beautiful ballparks in the league.
And enroute from San Diego up to L.A., be sure to visit Disneyland, the original mega-Theme Park.
Ahh! You got me even more excited for my trip to San Francisco in a month, which I didn’t know was possible! Granted, it’s not the same as San Diego, but we’re taking trips northeast to wine country and southwest to Monterey, so I’m sure there’ll be warmer prettiness packed in there somewhere. 🙂
Ahh! You got me even more excited for my trip to San Francisco in a month, which I didn’t know was possible! Granted, it’s not the same as San Diego, but we’re taking trips northeast to wine country and southwest to Monterey, so I’m sure there’ll be warmer prettiness packed in there somewhere. 🙂
Land of forests and lakes. :))) But a bit cold here, a lot of gray days. Now the weather is fine, but in Autumn it is usually very cold and rainy, no sun most of the days. 🙂
Re: WHAT?!
awww!! its okay, i know how tight trips can be!! maybe your situation is a reason why i need to put my number on my title or something? you could’ve emailed me too! 🙂
anyway, next time! YES hahaha come during SYTYCD and we’ll go to a show! 😀 😀
<3 susan
http://blog.enpointephotography.com
Ahh, gotcha. 🙂
I love all their little faces, so cute!
Naw, the first ones are sea lions for sure. The rest of em are seals. Both types are fatties but the big tell is the coloration (sea lions are brown where as harbor seals are either gray or brown with spots typically) and the fins (sea lions have the long fins and seals have short ones). Like I said, I grew up in LA and I’ve taken several Marine Biology courses… I tend to educate wherever possible 😉
Wow, Estonia! I bet it’s gorgeous there. 🙂
San Diego is amazing! I can see why you want to move there! I was very tempted myself. 😉
middleaged…
Wonderful trip and place! :))) You are so active, I also like to travel very much! :)))))) Unfortunately, we do not have such a beautiful weather and warm beaches… But our iddleaged city is also awesome. 🙂
Ohh, I’m SO jealous that you got to go to SD! I LOVE it there! That is, ideally, where Jon and I will live in a year! I sure hope it all works out! 🙂 It’s the most gorgeous place in the world! 🙂
I think they’re Harbor Seals, actually. That’s what my husband’s aunt (who lives in San Diego) told us while we were there. Could be wrong, though! I’m pretty sure sea lions are skinnier…? Ha, I dunno.
I would have loved to have gotten together with you! Our schedule was definitely busy, but let’s plan to get together the next time I’m in town!
It’s so crazy to me that they are there! I could have spent all day watching their babies. How cool that one walked right up to you!
My parents told me that Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo were their favorite parts of CA. I’ve never been there, but it sounds like I need to go!
They are so bizarre looking! Some of those plants were like a different planet compared to what I see here in CO.
I love all their little faces, so cute!
Naw, the first ones are sea lions for sure. The rest of em are seals. Both types are fatties but the big tell is the coloration (sea lions are brown where as harbor seals are either gray or brown with spots typically) and the fins (sea lions have the long fins and seals have short ones). Like I said, I grew up in LA and I’ve taken several Marine Biology courses… I tend to educate wherever possible 😉
Re: WHAT?!
Susan!! Actually I told Mike and Mr. C about you! I googled you while we were walking around La Jolla, but my iphone wasn’t able to read your Flash. :-\ It turns out that our schedule was really tight anyway, but I would have loved to have gotten together with you. I’ll definitely be coming back sometime, so let’s plan it then!
In my fantasy world, I’ll come hang out with you during SYTYCD season, and we’ll head up to LA to watch a show. 😉
What a great story! I’m sorry to hear that she’s not around anymore, but it sounds like she left a great impression on you.
You and Mr. C are two of the coolest people around, so there might be some truth to your redhead theory!
I bet your teacher would love it if you looked her up to say hi! It’s be wonderful keeping in touch with the Campbells over the years.
That’s great that you still see Mrs. Gordon so often! I’m sure she enjoys that as much as you do. 🙂
Sea lions, good to know! I loved those cuties.
Glad you had a great trip out here. SD is so amazing, and I feel so lucky to live here. Wish I could have met up with you while you were here!!! But I’m sure you were busy. 🙂
What amazing photos! The beaches are so beautiful, and I love those seals!
Yeah those are sea lions, which might be why their faces look like your cat. They like to nap on the wharfs by Pier 39 in San Fran, too.
I had a baby one walk up to me on a beach once.. it was pretty cool.
Yeah those are sea lions, which might be why their faces look like your cat. They like to nap on the wharfs by Pier 39 in San Fran, too.
I had a baby one walk up to me on a beach once.. it was pretty cool.
San Diego is pretty, but it’s got nothin’ on the Central Coast (Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, etc). That’s my hometown pride speaking, if you weren’t sure.
I don’t know what those flowers are actually called, but we called them pipe cleaner flowers, because that’s what they look like.
the flowers you’d never seen anything like before are bottlebrushes. I used to have a bottlebrush tree in my yard as a child and they lined the playground at one elementary school I went to (in southern California).
WHAT?!
um, CHARLOTTE, WHY didn’t you tell me you were in san diego?!! we could’ve totally met up!!! i am now mad at you. 🙂
you totally need to come back now so we can hang out. 🙂
<3 susan
http://blog.enpointephotography.com
That’s great you kept in touch with him. And that’s quite an honor to be invited to teach photography to his class.
I had a teacher like that…Her name was Mrs Crukshanks and she was my 2nd grade teacher which would make it 1975. She was a hippy and taught us how to make batiks with crayons. Unfortunately she died of cancer I believe, but she will always be in my heart
Those photos of Mr. C and his wife are fantastic. I bet they will treasure them forever.
He looks like a super cool guy, how could he not be? He has red hair!! Redheads are always awesome, it’s like a biological rule.
That is amazing that you kept in touch with an old teacher, especially reading your old post and seeing that you knew him all the way from Germany! I have a teacher that had a huge impact on me (thought it was much later, when i was 15), and I hope to teach in touch with her–I’ve done a good job so far, and your story is inspiring!
I’m glad you had such a great time, and Mrs. Campbell looks a lot like a friend of my mothers!
I think it’s great that you keep in touch with Mr. C! I hope I get to keep talking with my favorite teacher, Mrs. Gordon, who I had last year and helped me overcome so much! I still go to her classroom every morning. 🙂
I so miss San Diego! I used to vacation there every summer since it’s only a 7 hour drive from here in Phoenix.
Psst. The first “seals” are actually, in fact, sea lions. The most telling sign are the fins… This coming from a now land-locked northern Nevadan who is missing the beach where she grew up…
Psst. The first “seals” are actually, in fact, sea lions. The most telling sign are the fins… This coming from a now land-locked northern Nevadan who is missing the beach where she grew up…