January, 2009 - We snuck away from the Arizona Desert and all the
holiday parties and good cheer and took a quick trip back to San
Diego for the annual January sailboat show. We had had such a good
time there in October (Shelter Island and Mission Bay) that we
wondered if it would still be
as nice. Sure enough, as
we pulled onto Shelter
Island, all the warm vibes
we had felt in this spirited
town came back. It was
bright and sunny, warm
enough for shorts, and we
were surprised to recognize
all the RVs lined up on the
waterfront. No one had left!
We took our place among them and quickly hopped on our bikes to check out all our old
favorite haunts. Not too much had changed -- Kona Kai Marina was as graceful as
before, the pelicans still roosted and floated, soared and dove as they had before, and
the Navy jets and cruise ships and people walking their dogs and sailboats criss-crossing
the harbor still provided a kaleidoscopic backdrop to life on the harborfront.
The boat show was way down at the other end of San Diego, and for the
first time we rode our bikes over to Seaport Village. It is a six mile ride
along the bike paths and walking trails, and it brings you all the way
around the harbor through the historic Old Town. This is an outdoor city
that comes alive in the sunshine. There is a series of charming
sculptures along this boardwalk. I liked the bird sculpture and Mark liked
the wild-haired cyclist.
There was a lot of whimsy in
these sculptures, and one was
called "Bottlenose Dolphins" and
featured blue glass bottles on
the noses of the dolphins.
Another was a giant
kaleidoscope that had lots of
hand cranks and beautiful colors
when you peered through it.
There is an extensive historical
maritime museum featuring
several ships of different eras
that are tied up at the docks for
tourists to walk through. A
glistening, iridescent statue of a
marlin appeared to leap out of
the waves across the bow of the
Star of India ship behind.
Street performers and vendors
of all kinds line the boardwalks and grassy
areas, giving the city a friendly, funky air.
One apparently simple silver statue of a
man in a suit suddenly came to life and
made a face at us as we rode by.
The boardwalks and paths are ideal for
biking. To see it all would make for a very
long walk, but taken slowly on a bike you
can enjoy everything that Old Town and
Seaport Village have to offer. Along with
the cycling statue we saw earlier, there
were other sculptural references
to bikes along the boardwalk.
Many tourists opt for a ride in a
pedal-cab, and we passed lots of
these energetic cabbies toting
passengers all over the place.
Around one corner we came face
to face with a sculptural
representation of the famed WWII
photo of a sailor kissing a nurse
upon the victory of the Allies. We
couldn't resist mimicking the
smooch, and found a friendly
fellow to take our picture. He and his large
extended family of wife, kids, parents and others all
got a huge laugh as we tried to get ourselves
situated just right and asked him to re-take the
photo several times.
If you have something to sell or
share with tourists, it seems that
the vending space is available. A
psychic found a lovely spot for her umbrella-shaded table under a tree,
and another man brought out his collection of parrots for people to play
with, in hopes of a donation. I got my bird fix!
I lived on the Boston waterfront in a sailboat for four years, but
beautiful as that city is, there is no comparison to San Diego for
warmth of spirit and oceanside magic. San Diego harbor is
completely accessible to everyone. Simply stroll along the
water's edge and you are thrust into the midst of the harbor's vibrant
energy. There are many marinas, and a boat owner can choose to
be situated right among the sky scraping posh hotels downtown, or
over in the more suburban and natural atmosphere of Shelter Island.
We finally made it to the boat show, our hearts filled with satisfaction
already. As usual, it was a blast. All the boats were beautiful, and it was
easy to dream, along with all the other show-goers, as we waltzed on
and off these lovely yachts. After living in the confines of a trailer for a
20 months, it was amusing to stand in each of the boats' cabins and
compare the layouts.
Back on Shelter Island we heard the strangest sound coming from the trees. I thought it must be a young gull that was sick. It was
an insistent call, higher pitched than a gull, but with a similar volume. We walked around the parking lot craning our necks as we
stared into the trees. Then I spotted it -- an Umbrella Cockatoo! She was clinging to the branches of a palm tree, swinging up and
down, calling out in sheer glee.
I would have been totally stunned to see her there if I hadn't heard
earlier about "The Bird Man" who lived in a motorhome along the street.
We were told he would sometimes free fly his cockatoo in the late
afternoons. At last we would have a chance to meet him! Dave showed
up on his bike, and after a few minutes his cockatoo "Bubbi" flew down
and landed on his shoulder. She
clucked in his ear and walked
down his arm, beak-by-toe as
parrots do, until she was settled
on his bike basket.
I was entranced. I owned two
lesser sulphur crested cockatoos
at one time and would have
loved to have given them the
freedom of outdoor flight, but I
was too afraid. Dave had no
such fear, and his cockatoo
showed off for us for an hour.
She swooped from tree to tree,
making impossible landings on
swaying branches that gave her
quite a ride as she hung on with
beak and claw, pumping the
branches up and down with
powerful flaps of her wings while
she shrieked at the top of the
her lungs. A seagull flew by her
at one point and gave her a
disapproving stare, but she
didn't care, she was free.
Shouldn't we all live that way.
Our three-day visit for the boat show turned into a
10-day stay. Yet again, we couldn't tear
ourselves away from this enchanting place.
Finally our grey and black water tanks told us it
was time to leave, and we ventured back through
Phoenix and on to a cross-country trip to the
Florida Panhandle.
It was only after we had been in Florida for a
month that we discovered San DIego had passed
a law prohibiting RVs from parking overnight on
Shelter Island. I understand their point -- we met
RVers who had lived on those streets for as much
as nine years, and that's not right -- but it is a
shame that such a beautiful city has turned its
back on budget RV travelers who would like to experience its uplifting spirit for a few days
or weeks. It wouldn't have been that hard or that costly to implement a system to monitor
and limit RV stays.