July in Arizona is always extremely hot. Every summer my family loads up the car with our bathing suits, boogie boards and sunscreen, then we head to the beautiful beaches of California.
Coronado Island is our first stop on our 10 day San Diego vacation. Since my dad is retired from the Air Force, we are able to enjoy the pristine beach located on the Coronado Island Naval Base. From the moment you step on the beautiful white sand you feel a calming sense of friendship. The military community greets us with friendly smiles and always offers a helping hand. We don’t have to worry about leaving our personal items unattended on the beach. Since everyone looks out for each other, we spent almost every day playing smash ball, Frisbee, volleyball, boogie boarding and building sand castles as well as relaxing in the sand with a good book.
On July 4th we spent the day at the beach, as night was falling we drove to the Coronado Bay on the opposite side of the Navy base. We joined other military families to watch the amazing fireworks display. The night was lit up from every direction as the fireworks exploded from three barges located in the bay. It was the most spectacular display I have ever witnessed. I was honored at the show of patriotism and proud to be an American surrounded by soldiers who spend their days protecting our country.
One of the most exciting excursions we planned while in San Diego was surf lessons at Pacific Beach. The friendly and helpful staff at Pacific Beach Surf Shop, http://www.pacificbeachsurfshop.com, set us up with two amazing surf instructors. After a quick lesson on the history of surfing, we hit the waves. . This was our second time getting surf lessons here and I was feeling much more confident in the water. The big wave is coming I can feel it in my bones… there it is, out on the horizon. Time to paddle… 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3. Now for the scariest part of all standing up, if I stand up it feels like I’m flying over the water, if I wipeout I become a human tumbleweed at the bottom of the ocean floor. I left the beach with sore muscles, a few scrapes and a sense of accomplishment. It was an experience I will remember forever. I can’t wait to go again.
One of our favorite places to visit is Seaport Village, http://www.seaportvillage.com. It has charming little shops filled with unique gifts, a magic show, and delicious food!!! Our favorite store is the Village Hat shop; they have on the best selection of outrageous hats, formal hats, and everyday hats. We love to try on the most outrageous hats and take pictures… needless to say; we have some hysterical family pictures from our visit. For lunch we ate at Asaggio Pizza Pasta Plus, http://www.seaportvillage.com/restaurants/index.php?rid=59#sectionheader, it was delicious! The rest of the day was spent walking around and shopping in all of the quaint little shops.
This is the first time we stayed on a military base while on vacation. The Marine Corp. has a hotel on base called The Miramar Inn, http://www.mccsmiramar.com/miramarinn.html, that cost only $73.00 per night. It had a kitchenette so we could keep food in our room and a very nice complimentary breakfast every morning. What it lacked in frills, it made up for in value.
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