Upon arriving at the Les Artistes Hotel, we walked up stairs to this ocean view from our front patio.
Inside was a single room, very eclectic.
The bathroom occupied one wall, with toilet and bath/shower partitioned off to the right.
On the opposite wall, behind the bed, was this porthole view of the roof, street, and houses next door.
We came back out of the room to wander the city and saw a covered,
outdoor bar area in the middle of our second floor.
We set out to walk Del Mar's main street and here we see Patty coming down our stairs.
Here Patty is walking away from the restaurant we chose for dinner.
Ok, so it isn't the same walk, or the same blouse - the story flows better this way.
Here we see Craig & Patty having drinks at the L'Auberge Hotel.
We visited a number of places in our 'day ++' in Del Mar - food and drink were not shorted on this excursion.
Our second day started out with a pre-planned appointment at the 'Exotic Bird Sanctuary'.
Both Craig & Patty got to feed parrots, but - due to COVID - visitors were not allowed to handle the birds.
Here is one of the few places in the U.S. that people can place parrots they may have owned for many years, but can no longer take care of - parrots not only live a long time, but have very particular personalities and bond with their owners much like children.
It takes a minimum of one year for any parrot to become comfortable in this environment with other birds and people. People who want to adopt a parrot must go through several months of interviews with the staff and the bird they would like - all to determine if the match is going to work for both the people and the birds.
Some birds come to enjoy the variety and don't want to leave here - they don't have to. Some birds come and retire here - they just won't be able to adjust to another family and they may be too old. The oldest parrot living here at this time is 72 years old.
The African Grey Parrot is considered the smartest parrot in the world. The one here - below - has the intelligence of a 3-5 year-old.
Often a blood test is needed to tell the difference between males and females, but with the species below the female is a bright red and the male is green.
Following the bird sanctuary, we headed over to lunch at the Pony Room on Rancho Valencia - we were told the food was particularly good. Here we see our meals - and were glad we came, both for the food and the country club atmosphere.
The coastline was beautiful and the first picture shows the route Sunliner takes from San Diego to Seattle. This trip is still on our bucket list. Next we see the surfers taking advantage of some beautiful waves.
Our final night we slept in, then drove leisurely up the coast to Oceanside, before taking the 5 fwy home.