Californication.

Vacation? Amazing. One of our best yet, I think. The perfect blend of relaxation and doing stuff (if you know us well, you know we don't do much of the pure sitting around by the pool vacationing, although there is certainly something to be said for that - perhaps we need to do MORE of that one of these days). Of course, there is SO MUCH more we'd still love to see in both cities (Palm Springs and San Diego) because, for once, we did do more pool/beach relaxing than we normally would on a city-type vacation. We never made it into the city of San Diego. No Gaslamp Quarter or Old Town, which would have been cool. We didn't go to the zoo, which I know I would love. We could have explored Palm Springs itself more, for sure - our days there were mostly on the road or at the hotel pool. But for the time we had in each city, I would say we did a darn good job. We saw a lot of beautiful places, ate a lot of delicious food, sipped tasty cocktails and beers, and we even got a little bit of a suntan, which is certainly welcome as the winter ghost face is starting to settle in.

That all being said, being home is good, too. I think it says a lot about where you live, and how your life is going, when you can have a great vacation but still be happy to be home. This time last week, we were driving up the north San Diego coast, through La Jolla and up into Encinitas for lunch, in sunny, 80-degree weather.

Then.

Right now, it's 42 degrees out (although it is sunny). I'm in flannel pj pants and a sweatshirt and I'm bundled up in a fuzzy blanket. I'm working (well, obviously not exactly this second - I decided to take a quick break to at least start this post), on a Saturday (but thankful for the fun freelance project).

Now.

But I'm still smiling. And cozy. I love our house and missed George and Heidi like crazy.

Back to vacation, though...

Our locales -

Talk about two extremes! In Palm Springs we stayed at the Hotel Del Marcos (or Del Marcos Hotel, depending on where you're looking), a hotel built in 1947 and recently renovated and decorated with authentic mid-century modern furniture that I wanted to steal. We had a big suite, with a kitchenette and a giant patio overlooking the pool.

In San Diego, we stayed in what appears to be a nearly brand new beachfront hotel, with trendy, minimalist furnishings and a balcony overlooking the beach and ocean.

Both gave us anniversary champagne, so extra points for that, of course. :) The sun also rises early and bright in both places, so we were up (well, I was up) by 7 am every day, giving us plenty of time to do stuff each day before the sun went down (5 in Palm Springs, 6 in San Diego [no mountain to hide behind!]). Including a handful of runs, walks, and bike rides. Exercise on vacation? We ARE getting old.

In abbreviated form, here's what we saw - Joshua Tree, the Salton Sea, the San Jacinto mountains via the Palm Springs Arial Tram, Point Loma and the tidepools at the Cabrillo National Monument, the coast between San Diego and Mexico (including a drive through Coronado), the coves at La Jolla (and its resident sealife), and the coast north of San Diego up highway 101. In abbreviated form, here's what we ate - sushi, California cuisine, seafood, tacos, and a bevy of cocktails and local beers. Some highlights of it all -

A Joshua Tree at Joshua Tree.

I'm sure there are rattlesnakes hiding in the bushes.

Eerie but beautiful quiet at the Salton Sea.

The San Diego coast.

One of my favorite adventures was taking the beach cruisers out in Palm Springs and tooling through the neighborhoods behind our hotel. Retro fab architecture, desert landscapes, the mountain at dusk as a backdrop, and even a giant but super friendly mastiff pup named Rodney.

Despite nearly crashing us both a few times as I attempted to handle this giant bike and take pictures at the same time, and I'm pretty sure tripping someone's alarm when I got too close to take pictures, this was one of our more perfect moments.

Let us not forget, of course... FISH TACOS.

For our last night, we trekked across town for what felt like miles and miles and miles (we were hungry!) to the Pacific Beach Fish Shop, where you select your filling (fish, lobster, meat), marinade, and how you want it (taco, sandwich, plate) to make your perfect California coast meal. Both of us selected the local halibut and added avocado - corn tortilla and Fish Shop seasoning for me, flour tortilla and melted butter for Brad - and a local San Diego beer. It truly was the perfect way to end our vacation - local, fresh, DELICIOUS, and oh so California.

Can't wait to go back and do and see (and eat!) even more, but for now, the memory of that last bite of fish taco will keep me going until our next vacation to the Pacific coast.