SELLING MY MAMIYA CAMERA AND RECONNECTING WITH NATURE IN LA JOLLA

So I finally had to part ways with my wonderful Mamiya camera a couple weeks ago, but fortunately it has a good home with a good friend. Plus I made a little money, still have my awesome digital camera, and I got to go to La Jolla/San Diego. As my friends and blog followers know, this is my favorite area of So. Cal so far. Below are some photos of friends enjoying nature at Torrey Pines.

This is actually from my friend's window in Los Angeles, but it was a nice nature moment and similar time of day.

IN THE WARM CALIFORNIA SUN

I have had an amazing summer so far. I have actually had time to relax and enjoy Southern California in ways that I had forgotten. I rekindled my affection for some of the things I often neglected while working like reading, baking, looking at art, going to the beach, and taking photos. This is why I moved to Southern California--to experience all it has to offer in culture and landscape.

Laguna Beach

One of my favorite places to get away from the Los Angeles chaos, is San Diego. The weather is usually cooler, the beaches usually a bit cleaner, people take it a little bit slower, and there are some great restaurants and museums. San Diego is just a beautiful and relaxing place to be. I love going to the Harbor and eating at Point Loma Seafoods, and with the many museums in Balboa Park, there is always something fun going on. San Diego has a plethora of things to do, and I will have to write a whole other blog about them later.

Point Loma

Relaxing by the pool at the Marriott Mission Valley.

ARUBA

I was incredibly fortunate to visit Aruba this March. My boyfriend's dad has a time share and has been inviting us the past 3 years. Finally, we caved in. Not that Aruba needs much of a sell! We were just working so hard, but this time we took our much needed vacation!

Aruba is off the coast of Venezuela, and was originally colonized by the Dutch. Today it is it's own island, and a destination for many different cultures. The native language is Papiamiento, which is a mixture creole, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English. Since it is a popular tourist destination, most people there speak Spanish and English too.

Below is a view from the hotel we stayed at, called Paradise Beach. Paradise indeed! I woke up later than everyone else because that is how I roll on days I have the option. We would eat a nice brunch or lunch, sat by the beach, then by the pool, had an afternoon piña colada or coffee and then Marc's dad would treat us to different top of the line international cuisines for dinner. One day we did take a little island exploration and visited the bird sanctuary and the Californian lighthouse. After dinner casino hopping was usually the chosen activity by Marc's aunt. Although, we only played slots. We won about $2 out of $5 played on the nickel slots! Then we finished the day with a nice romantic stroll by the beach before drifting off to a stress free slumber. Mmmm. How nice!

I had a great time in Aruba, but I have to say I still prefer Hawaii to Aruba as my island getaway. It is probably because my family went there on some of our treasured vacations where as Marc's family built their memories in Aruba. I only spent 4 days here so it was a fast vacation, where as I have had the luxury of spending about 2 weeks in Hawaii upon 4 different occasions so my preference is most assuredly biased.

Disclaimer: This is not to say Aruba is not amazing and relaxing, and it definitely does not disappoint in providing tropical island fun for all. I just wanted to say if I could only pick one of these places to return to in the future, I prefer Hawaii (specifically Maui or Kuai). However, one cannot complain or turn down an invitation with free stay and meals, to any tropical island. I hope everyone can experience the island breeze at least once in their life. It really is magical.