San Diego

Today the weather was almost perfect. Sunny with blue skies, but not too hot. I couldn't bear the idea of wasting such wonderful conditions by sitting around the house. So, I made my brother join me for an afternoon at Balboa Park. San Diego has some truly amazing places, and Balboa Park is one of the best. I've noticed when I mention going to Balboa Park to friends and family who are visiting, they seem pretty reluctant. The name is a bit misleading. It's not a playground, though there are a few playgrounds at the Park.

Balboa Park is a little like Central Park in New York. It was host to the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Some of the prettiest grounds in the county surround most of the major museums, an outdoor organ pavilion, International Houses, a botanical garden, the San Diego Zoo, and the Old Globe Theater. It's a great place to visit, even if you just walk the park to explore. Many of the buildings were built for the Exposition, so the architecture is really quite exquisite.

The Spreckels Organ Pavilion has one of the largest outdoor pipe organs in the world. And on Sundays, they have free concerts performed by area (and out of area) organists. I had forgotten it was Sunday, so when I heard the organist playing my all-time favorite organ piece, I dragged my brother over to watch. Widor's Toccata is one of the most awesome feats of music. At my church in Sacramento, the organist would play it at the end of services frequently. He was a phenomenal organist, so I was spoiled. The person who performed today wasn't quite as good, but it was still incredibly moving. When all the stops are pulled and the last chords are ringing out, it gives me chills. Every time.

We also stopped by the Moreton Fig Tree that is one of the largest (in girth) trees in California. I remember climbing the tree as a kid. It's over 100 years old, so they had to fence it off to protect it, but it's still a gorgeous tree. I need to go through some old pictures to see if I have any of us as kids playing on it. It was also the Earth Day celebration at the park today, so it was a lot more crazy and crowded than usual, but all in all, I took a walk on this lovely sunny day. And I'm really glad I did.

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