Change, change, change...

I've found that change will sneak up on you, no matter whether you're expecting it or not.  Sometimes, when you expect it, it's larger than you think, sometimes when you don't expect it, you'll look at yourself and go, "huh?"

I'm currently on vacation:  as I type this entry I'm at my dad's house in El Cajon.  Talk about change...

Dad decided to renovate the house after 30 years of living here.  It was something that he and Mom always had talked about doing, but they had never gotten to it, for reasons of money or other things.  He finally did it; when I was out here visiting in September, there was plenty of signs of change coming our way:  Dad had a storage pod to put the bulk of the furniture and other stuff in while construction was ongoing, we were cleaning out and removing stuff in this house that probably hadn't been touched in 25 years or more.  This is when I got the stained glass pieces (one of which is hanging at my place in Chicago now, the other I haven't decided what to do with it yet) and the old Seiko wall clock.

Dad has been keeping me up to date with progress, but there's a big difference between pictures being sent to you on the Internet and actually seeing the place for yourself.  DAMN.  They did a fantastic job: the house looks great, beautiful living room, nice floors, comfortable "facilities", and a REAL nice master suite.  Incredible job, they managed to update the house in style 30 years in the space of five months.

As far as vacation goes; the temperature differential between Chicago and San Diego is LARGE.  When I left the house this morning, I became aware of icicles forming on my beard and stache in just the block and a half between my house and the bus stop.  I took the first bus that came; even though I had to get on the Blue Line at Harlem, it meant that I wasn't freezing myself half to death!  It was -5 out, and even though I was wearing jeans, boots, and about four or five layers, I still was fucking COLD.  It was nice to get all that stuff off once I got to Midway and got through security.

Ugh I'm tired, at least I'll be able to sleep in a little tomorrow.  Hopefully being in a different climate will help with my sleeping problems.  That, and I think I'll take the camera and go out and reacquaint myself with San Diego County. :-)s

Day 1: Good morning starshine... the earth says hello!

I did my first round of photography today.  I had resolved on this trip to take a good number of pictures, AND this time, I was going to take them on film as well as on digital.  This way I can get them into albums and have something physical to show off.  That and practice my conservation skills.  :-)

So this morning I slept in a little (well for me, I'm still functioning on Central Time) and spent the morning putzing around the house a little bit.  It was, well, I'll be blunt, a glorious day today.  There were the remnants of a Santa Ana, so the air was clear, so I decided to get dressed, hop in the car, and go out for a drive.  It was warm, but since I figured I was going to go up into the backcountry today, I didn't think I needed it.  I didn't wear shorts either, my GOD my legs are white, I could pass for Anglo in this town right now!

I headed over to the ACSC office (SoCal's AAA) in La Mesa and picked up the San Diego map set.  I then stopped and took some pictures of the old La Mesa SD&SE depot.  I also used the digital and caught a Trolley as it was leaving the La Mesa Blvd station.  Afterwards, I decided to pick up Highway 94 and head east.  (For those of you who don't know San Diego County that well, SR 94 is a mostly windy 2-lane road that connects San Diego and Imperial Counties with the Mexican border town of Tecate.  On its eastern portion past Campo (where I stopped and took some pictures of their restored depot) the route parallels the old San Diego & Arizona rail line.  (I also got a good shot of one of the trestles they built for it.)  I made it as far as the tiny village of Jacumba, where 94 skirts so close to the Mexican border that I could actually see the border fence.  (There's a small Mexican village called Jacúme on the other side of the fence from Jacumba; until Duncan Hunter got his Berlin Wall put through, there was an unoffical hole in the fence where locals from each side of the border would trade through.)  I wanted to get a picture of the old Jacumba SD&A depot, but unfortunately for me it's been turned into a residence, there were a LOT of signs there, and I figured it wasn't advisable to go up and ask.  However, it seems that the same location has offices for the Carrizo Gorge Railway, which is a company that is currently operating the line.  I ended up taking some pictures in the village (I also took a couple in Campo and Potrero) and headed west.

It's funny, though.  San Diego County Library seems to have been on a building programme ever since I left.  There are new libraries in Campo and Potrero, and a recent building in Jacumba.  I'm glad they're keeping the tradition of libraries in small villages alive.