Stimpson Family

WILD ANIMAL PARK

I loved the gorillas. They're just so interesting to me. The sign near their dwelling said not to stare at them that it was not polite in Gorilla culture. : ) There were hundreds of people standing around staring and taking pictures. This gorilla was very pregnant, she's resting her arm atop her tummy.

San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park was built originally to breed animals for the zoo. It was opened to the public to make more money. I guess that is why they charge 5 star prices for a hamburger and nuggets. Everything they make goes toward protecting animals.

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Here we are in the larakeek pen. We bought some larakeet nectar and braved all the hungry birds. Julia must be extra sweet since she wasn't even holding the nectar...one just landed on her head.

Catherine was content to play with the sand. She's trying to figure out why she can't hold on to the stuff.

Our Bathing Beauties

It was actually freezing but they had to get in the water anyway. Julia was knocked over in the waves and couldn't get her balance with the water rushing by. She still talks about her scary experience today.

WE LOVE THE BEACH!!!

BALBOA PARK
The Lily pond in front of the botanical house.

Here's a note on the architecture seen throughtout most of the park (you can see some of it in the background of this picture):
First World's Fair: The 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition Art and Culture, Gardens and Spanish-Renaissance Architecture.The 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition commemorated the opening of the Panama Canal and provided a major impetus for the creation of the Park as it appears today—the first of two Expositions that created many of the cultural institutions as well as the stunning architecture in the Park. Most of the arts organizations along Balboa Park's famous El Prado pedestrian walkway are housed in Spanish-Renaissance style buildings constructed for the 1915 Exposition. It was one of the first times that this highly ornamented, flamboyant architectural style had ever been used in the United States.

BALBOA PARK

Brett, Carol and Baby Ashton Stimpson

BALBOA PARK

These "globes" were place all around the fountains representing different ways we can be more earth friendly. Here's Collin in front of veggie guy. Remember to eat your veggies.

Our 3rd day was spent at Balboa Park and the Beach.

Here's a little blurb from the Park Website:

Balboa Park: the nation's largest urban cultural park. Home to 15 major museums, renowned performing arts venues, beautiful gardens and the San Diego Zoo, the Park has an ever-changing calendar of museum exhibitions, plays, musicals, concerts, and classes—all in the beautiful and timeless setting of this must-see San Diego attraction.

SEA WORLD

We ended up eating at a BBQ restaurant in the Park for our Thanksgiving dinner. It actually wasn't half bad. Not quite like a traditional T-dinner but nice...no prep or clean up.

SEA WORLD

Here is one of the many Shamus in the Shamu family at the underwater viewing tank. It took us a while to get shamu in the picture since he was swimming circles in the tank. I think Brett was disappointed to find out that it wasn't the actual shamu. Turns out the original shamu was born in 1960, or something, and is long gone but the shamu family lives on!!!!!

Our next day, also Thanksgiving day, was a visit to SEA WORLD.

LEGOLAND

Collin (5) and Julia (2) enjoying a double scoop of ice-cream in Fantasyland. I think older brother has taken control.

Legoland
We spent our first day at Legoland. Here we are in the Miniland portion of the park in front of the

Golden Gate Lego Bridge. There were many famous cities built out of Lego's in Miniland..including San Francisco, Washington DC, New York City, Vegas, Paris, and more. It was pretty impressive that everything was built out of legos and looked sooooo realistic just mini. Even the tree's and shrubs were mini. When we were looking at San Francisco the gardeners were in manicuring the gardens and they looked like Giants compared to the mini city and shrubs. Fun!!!

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Story from Legoland. We were waiting in line for one of the rides and Collin was stomping around and entertaining himself while waiting. He ended up stomping on a snail. We don't have snails in our part of AZ....and having no idea what the slimey goo was that was produced on the pavement afterwards he just stood staring at it and asked Michael what he had just stepped on. Later, Collin was acting quite somber. I inquired and he said nearly crying, "I killed a snail." I hugged him and assured him that it was in snail heaven and we went on with our day. I never knew he cared about little critters so deeply.

So.... we went to San Diego way back in November during Thanksgiving week. Brett, Carol, and baby Ashton (Michael's brother's family from Highland, Utah) invited us to join them. And we all had such an enjoyable time together.

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Here is the cute little 1960's house that we stayed in while there. It was fun to be in a residential neighborhood in SD verses a hotel. We felt like we were just part of the town!!! Especially after Michael dropped his blackberry in the corner Albertson's grocery store while stopping to buy a new pacifier-- of which they had none--for Catherine. What???? a grocery store with no paci's.... only in California. We later retraced our steps and found the phone. Thank heavens!!!!