Thursday, May 15, 2014

Mini Josie Leaves San Diego, CA

My last day here and then I'm off on to my next adventure. It was a low-key morning. Big Lissie took me to the beach. It was so warm outside I just had to take my shoes off and stand in the cool water. It's a good thing Lissie & I run fast, because a wave tried to sneak up on us.




I wondered why no one else wanted to join us but figured it out quickly once we got back to the house - I'd been set up! Some of the other girls had a surprise going away party planned for me. They even made a piñata (yum, candy).




Mini Rebecca told me all about my next host and I can't wait! Talk to you all soon…..


To see all of Josie's adventures from her trips, click here and visit her Travel Log!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Mini Josie Goes to the Zoo in San Diego, CA

Josie had a fabulous weekend checking out the famous San Diego Zoo and their residents! Check out her report below! ^_^

Wow, what a weekend. This past weekend they took me to the zoo. Did you know they have pandas! I LOVE pandas. 



Of course the first thing we went to see were the pandas. On the way down there, I saw the coolest form of transportation. Can we go on that????? Later, they said.


My host said the line gets really long so it's good to be there early. Unfortunately, the pandas thought it was too early and were still snoozing. I saw Bai Yun (which means "White Cloud"). She turns 24 this year and the mom to all the cubs that have been born here. She looked like a cloud - or a rock covered in fur; I'm not sure which. We also saw her almost two year old, Xiao Liwu ("Little Gift"), nicknamed "Mr. Wu". I didn't show you a picture of him because he also looks the same; like a lump of fur. 


Partway through the day I started getting a complex because many of the animals just showed me their backside when I tried to say hi. The camel told me a joke though, and the wombat was active (the hosts said that was the first time they'd seen the wombat up and walking). When we got home, they read me the book, Diary of a Wombat. I laughed a lot!



We also saw koalas and a sleeping tasmanian devil. Isn't this little guy cute!  What's really special is that a few years ago, two of the koalas here were sent to the zoo in Stockholm, Sweden.  I may not be visiting them, but I will be visiting Sweden and will yell "Hallå" very loudly.  I was told that's Swedish for "hello".


Then we went toward big cat canyon to see the amur leopards (the world's most endangered large cat, with less than 40 left in the wild). We didn't take his photo because I ran into a little trouble. Arrrrgh -he's going to eat me!


I should be safe up here...


What do you mean they climb!?!?


Nooooooooooo


Luckily, a nice lady saved me from the mountain lion


After that ordeal, I wanted something a little less "exciting". First though, I needed a snack!


Then, we watched the elephants and polar bears play (no, not together) and finally got to ride the skyfari. I was so lucky, my gondola had a picture of a panda on it!


Hi, ! Hi, Lissie, Sawako Lilly, Samantha, Cécile, Marie Grace and Lydia Charlotte! You can see everything from up here.


On the way out, I said hi to Janey, one of the orangutans here. Did you know she used to live with humans and likes to put on makeup! She just had her 52nd birthday last week.


Then, it was time to shop. I knew just what I wanted.


Hmmpphh! They said I had to be able to carry whatever I bought, drat. Oh well, this one is still cute. Maybe my sisters can help name her for me.  That's all for now; I'm off to nap.



To see all of Josie's adventures from her trips, click here and visit her Travel Log!

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Mini Josie Visits Old Town in San Diego, CA

Josie here again. I felt like I was back home today - not with my current sisters, but back home in New Mexico with my canon family. It started when I saw this road. Just like the road mi abuelito used to drive the caravan to Mexico City (except this one is paved).



Then, I ended up in Old Town. It's considered the birth place of California as it was the where the first permanent Spanish settlement was. Remember the mission that I showed you in a previous post? Father Serra built it here first. By the 1820s, while my sisters and I were living with Papá outside of Santa Fe, a small collection of adobe buildings had formed (including a rancho that made me feel right at home) and by 1835, it was called El Pueblo de San Diego.

This is newer than what mi abuelito used for caravans but it reminded me of him.


My first stop was the rancho. It was built in 1825 for a Spanish aristocrat but also became a safe place for women & children during the American occupation in 1846.


Here is how it looked way back when


I wanted to see how the rooms were all decorated, especially the grand sala but unfortunately, most of the furniture has been temporarily moved out because they are in the middle of a restoration. I did find a spinning wheel and some kitchen tools.



This is a water filter. Since water shortages were a problem here, porous lava rock filters such as this one was used to clear sediment and debris from the water collected either from the well or from the San Diego River.


Here is the inner courtyard, which has a garden. There were many plants we would have used...




...and even a horno .


Nearby, was the sheriff's office and a jail (I snuck in)


Did you know the largest gourd farm in the United States is nearby? Look at how pretty these are.


By then, I was hungry so I had some lunch...


…and finished up with some shopping! I bought a new sarape for the cool evenings, a fancy sombrero (not exactly accurate for me but so fun) and a new box from the local tinsmith.  I'll be back soon with more fun to tell you about.



To see all of Josie's adventures from her trips, click here and visit her Travel Log!

Mini Josie's Weekend in San Diego, CA

This weekend I went to the Girl Scouts Operation Thin Mint sendoff on the Midway aircraft carrier. The Midway (actually, the 3rd ship to be named the Midway) was commissioned from 1945- 1992. It opened up as a museum here in 2004. This event was to celebrate the scouts sending the cookies overseas.



Look at all these cookies!


I started by writing a thank you note.


Said hello to Uncle Sam.


Look at how big this place is (and we only stayed on the flight deck). 



Almost there….



Ready to go.


And a couple of other shots.



We left before the cookies flew away this year, but here is a photo from a previous year.


We also visited a yummy chocolate shop this weekend - my sisters would have loved this!


Look at all that chocolate being made back there, mmmmmmm.


This is just what I needed.


I think a small snack for later is in order.




Celebrating quatro de Mayo night! (The restaurant was too crowded on actual Cinco de Mayo night!) ^_^ 





To see all of Josie's adventures from her trips, click here and visit her Travel Log!