Chula Vista Olympic Training Center

Our search for more free activities in the greater San Diego area led us to the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center for a guided tour, which began in the visitor's center with a short movie about American Olympic athletes.

The tour itself followed "Olympic Trail" past all of the training fields for archery, beach volleyball, BMX, canoe/kayak, cycling, field hockey, rowing, rugby, soccer, tennis, and track and field.  While we were there, we got to watch as some of the up and coming stars of BMX trained on their track.

On the other side of "Olympic Trail" were things like athlete housing, the athlete recreation center, and the dining hall.

My big kids (14 and 11 at the time of the trip) and I found this tour fascinating.  My 4 year-old was less impressed, more concerned with her "starving" tummy and her "tired" feet.  I personally would not recommend this for families with young children.  I would have enjoyed myself more and learned more if I hadn't been dealing with a complaining preschooler.

South Ponto Beach - Carlsbad, California

No trip to Southern California is complete (especially for a landlocked Arizonan) without a trip to the beach. I packed up some sand toys, sunscreen, snacks, waters and beach towels (I forgot the baby powder that makes getting sand off of skin a breeze) and I headed to South Ponto Beach with my kids.

Parking is a nightmare.  The lot right there at South Ponto wanted $15 for "peak" parking.  Free spaces that lined the road were full.  I ended up driving past the beach and up a big hill, where we were able to park for free.

This is a fabulous beach.  Bathrooms and showers were right next to the parking lot.  From there, the sand and the ocean were just a short walk.

Two of my kids went straight for the water....

One, who had declared that she hated the beach, stayed up with me and her sand toys until her curiosity got the better of her.

It was a slow process from beach-hater to beach lover.  It began with some anxiety-laden jaunts to water's edge.  Incoming waves sent her fleeing further back on the sand.  Some TLC from her sister broke that fear.

And turned fear into pure joy....

From there, she became an active participant in the rest of the beach play with her siblings.  They buried each other...

They turned into architects and worked steadily on a massive undertaking...

This certainly was one of the nicest beaches we've been to in California, and deserves a return trip the next time we're in the San Diego area.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

My 14-year-old has been vacillating between wanting a commission in the Marine Corps and a commission in the Coast Guard.  Fortunately, San Diego has bases for both.  So, a few weeks before we left for San Diego, I contacted the Public Affairs Office at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar about the possibility of having a tour of the base while we were there.  I was able to get it arranged without difficulty.

We were met at the gate by one of the Public Affairs officers.  We got loaded into one of the government's SUVs, and spent the next hour being shown around the base.  Since Miramar (yes, this is the base of Top Gun glory, but it has been taken over by the Marines) is an air station, most of the action takes place in the air, so the Marines don't take up much land space.  To compare, our tour guide said that 10 Miramars could easily fit within the confines of Camp Pendleton.

Our guide was able to access the flight line.  We got to see the hangars.  My son was even more excited about seeing the Osprey up close and personal.  He peppered our guide with questions, and loved the tour.  My 4-year-old, on the other hand, was bored out of her mind. 

Since it was just the three of us, we were only able to do the driving tour.  For larger groups, the Public Affairs Office will arrange cool extras, like a demo from the K-9 unit there on base and a walking tour inside one of the hangars.  We were able to do something like that with a homeschool group up in Washington a number of years ago at Fort Lewis, and it was spectacular.  Definitely worth doing.

Shrek at the Herberger Theater

 My kids and I recently joined a group of other homeschoolers to go see a production of "Shrek" at the Herberger Theater.

The theater is in downtown Phoenix.  I was able to get street parking, but since there is a two hour time limit, I had to leave right at the end of the play.

We were ushered into the theater.  The seats are a little small.  Not much leg room.  My knees were touching the back of the seat in front of me.

The lights dimmed, and the play started.

What I liked about this production was that it was totally low-tech and whimsical.  The costumes were quirky and cute. For example, when we met the dragon, it turned out to be a giant puppet controlled by actors donned in all black.  

We will go back in the future for other productions.

Celebration of Freedom

The annual Celebration of Freedom was on June 29, 2013 in Mesa, Arizona.  I went to drop off my oldest two children, who were participating in the honor guard for the Fallen Heroes Memorial alongside other members of the Veteran's Pride Battalion of the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps.  After I left them with the officer in charge, I decided to scope out the event.

Because I am so tremendously proud of my own children and all of the other children affiliated with the Sea Cadet Corps, I'm including the "changing of the guard"...

The event concluded with a fireworks display...

Memorial for the Fallen Hotshot Firefighters

This is the first time I am profiling an event I went to with one of my children that my readers will not be able to go partake in themselves.  I'm writing about it anyway, because it was an amazing display of community amidst tragedy.  For those who don't know, 19 of a 20 member team of "Hotshot" firefighters died on June 30th, 2013 when the Yarnell Fire overtook them.  

Originally, my 14-year-old son and I were heading up to Prescott to observe a Congressional field hearing and meet Congressman Paul Gosar.  My son has a blog of his own, called XY Politics.  Jarrod had done a phone interview with Congressman Gosar, and when we heard that he'd be in Prescott for this hearing, we decided to make the trip to Prescott to meet him.

When we got to Embry Riddle Aeronautical College, where the hearing was supposed to be taking place, we discovered that Congressman Gosar had begun working with the mayor of Prescott and others that morning to set aside politics for the evening and turn the event into a memorial for 19 young men.  We decided to stay.

It was a packed house.  Standing room only.  People crowded around the entrance to the gymnasium because there wasn't any more room.  Armed security guards refusing entry because of fire codes.  Over 1000 people showed up.

Congressman Gosar played emcee.  Congressmen Trent Franks and David Schweikert, and Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick were in attendance and spoke.  So did Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne.  

As I'm writing this, the Yarnell Fire is still burning and has not been contained.

If you are interested, I was able to capture most of the memorial from my iPod....