Home Again

What is it about the sound, the smell, the taste of home, that softens the heart and pulls memories into the present as if those times had never passed. I've traveled a lot and for long periods of time, but even a short four days and only a few hundred miles make home more of a haven than a shelter.



And I don't care how beautiful the place I've visited is, my place is even better. It's not as cultured. It doesn't offer the perfect climate. It isn't where tourists pay to visit. But it's where my heart resides. It's where I fit. It's a part of me and I of it. Yet, it takes leaving once in a while to remind me of how wonderful my spot on the planet really is.





But I have to admit San Diego is a beautiful city on the Pacific. I spent one day at ALA but the rest of my time revisiting a place I used to live. Here's the artist's center in Balboa Park. Walking across the colored tiles was like a trip through Wonderland. 



I couldn't miss the world famous zoo either. Not many cages here and they do so much conservation of endangered species.  One of my favorites was this guy. Right after I snapped this picture he decided he'd had enough of us peering at him and turned his back. I think my photo was the last straw. After all he was trying to eat lunch.

Here's my two headed camel photo.  

These were temporary buildings built in 1915 and were saved when people recognized how beautiful the  Moorish architecture was. Walking through these corridors I felt as if I were at the Alhambra in Spain.







There was whimsy along the way too.



And even some philosophy. I loved this. 





Please take this thought from Edmund Burke and leave a few words for others to think about and enjoy.Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09