April 12 - United States: San Diego, CA (Cardiff-By-the-Sea)

Mike and Lynn both went to work this morning, and Jon and I slept in.  Mid-morning, Mike came back and he and Jon went to drop of the BMW at the mechanic's.

Morning Run

While they were gone, I went for a run along the beach.  It was a cloudy morning, and nice a cool for a relatively lengthy run.  Apparently, Cardiff-By-the-Sea is well known among surfers for its waves.  So there were heaps of surfers hanging about in the water waiting to catch the perfect waves.  I ran in the bike lane of the two-lane road along the beach for about twenty minutes.  Then I ended up in the next town: Solana.  I ran through a little neighborhood on cliff overlooking the water, and then ran back into Cardiff.  There was an Avon-Three-Day-Walkathon going on, and some of the walkers had just began to pass me as I ran in the opposite direction.

Day Of Rest

Back at Lynn and Mike's, Jon returned from dropping the car off, and we spent the rest of the day updating journal entries and watching "The Godfather" on TV.  It was nice to chill out in a house without having to worry about psycho roommates.  (I realize that I didn't mention anything in the journals about Ketron's moody roommate, but let's just say it was really awkward for a good week or so.  I'm going to miss Ketty, but not her roommate.)

Mike and Lynn got home about 5:00, and we made quesidillas and had some beer.  Later, we headed off to the much-anticipated ball game.

LA Dodgers vs. SD Padres at Qualcomm Stadium

It was free "refrigerator magnet night" at Qualcomm Stadium.  While Jon and I were thrilled with the free-bee, Mike and Lynn said that "floppy hat night" sells out immediately here.  Pretty funny.

The game started around 7:00ish, and we settled into our great seats on the field level.  Jon loyally wore his bright blue LA cap to show his allegiance as a die-hard fan.  And - surprisingly - the Dodgers actually won 3-0.  Jon would like me to mention that Ishii threw a two-hitter, but got in trouble in the sixth. 

Jon During Warm-Up

Regardless, it was a fun game.  The excitement came during the seventh-inning stretch when the stadium actually played "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" instead of "God Bless America", which has been played since September.  So the fans were thrilled that a sense of normalcy was returning to America's pasttime.  Doesn't matter to me.  I get emotional either way.  I'm such a sap.

Dodgers vs. Padres

Jon, Mike, and Lynn at the End of the Game

After the game, the stadium was still packed because of the promise of the fireworks show after the game.  And it was quite the show.  Very nice way to end a fun game.

Fireworks At Qualcomm Stadium

Back at the house, Lynn and I decided to stay behind while the guys went out to hit some local bars.  Apparently, they tried to get into a favorite biker bar, but it was packed.  So they ended up staying at another bar until around 1:30.  Nutty boys.