Love and War

California Dreaming Part 3: Midway and Oceanside

Seams Like a Story is taking a break from sewing to go on some summer adventures. My “California Dreaming” series features three posts from a recent trip to Southern California. Post one featured the Pacific Ocean.http://seamslikeastory.com/the-pacific-ocean/ Our second stop was Balboa Park in San Diego. http://seamslikeastory.com/balboa-park/

In the final “California Dreaming” post, we visit the Midway Battleship Museum in San Diego, and Oceanside, California.

This larger than life rendition of “Unconditional Surrender” stands next to the Midway Battleship Museum.

Battleships in the “Peaceful Sea”

San Diego is the site of an active Naval Base. We saw several ships docked in the bay and sailors in crisp white dress uniforms enjoying time with friends and family members while on leave in town. San Diego is also home to the Midway Battle Ship Museum where we spent an interesting morning.

The navy commissioned this massive aircraft carrier in 1945, eight days after WWII ended, and named it for the climactic battle of Midway. Though it was not part of that mission, it saw action in the Vietnam War, Persian Gulf, and Desert Storm. Decommissioned in 1992, it now serves as a museum.

The ocean Magellan named Mar Pacifico (Peaceful Sea) has wartime ties. Just up the coast in Oceanside is a Marine base that has personal significance for my husband. 

Oceanside: In Search of a Birthplace

 According to Ed’s birth certificate, he was born in Oceanside, California, in the Naval hospital at Camp Pendleton. He has no memories of Oceanside as he only lived there a few months, but it has always been a source of pride for him, something that sets him apart from the rest of his Indiana family. He’d always wanted to visit Oceanside.  How he arrived into the world in this place is an interesting story…

Balboa Park

California Dreaming: Part 2

Seams Like a Story is taking a break from sewing to go on some summer adventures. My “California Dreaming” series features three posts from a recent trip to Southern California. Post one featured the Pacific Ocean. http://seamslikeastory.com/the-pacific-ocean/

The second post takes me to historic Balboa Park in San Diego.

Urban Oaisis

“If you go to San Diego, you must visit Balboa Park,” friends said. This iconic urban oasis hosted the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition and the 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition. Both events left buildings that are now registered as historic landmarks. Here you will find walking paths, museums, theaters, restaurants and the San Diego Zoo.  

A Witness to History

As we strolled around the beautiful park waiting for the Natural History Museum to open, we came across this Moreton Bay Fig tree. Planted in the formal gardens created for the 1915 Exposition, the tree has seen many changes to its surroundings as the park has developed. Its longevity is remarkable in light of the fast changing, throwaway world we live in. A fitting guardian to treasures in the beautiful Natural History Museum just steps away.