Happy Halloween

Have a Happy & Safe Halloween!

Your soaring mama,

Mandy

Soaring on a Sunday

From San Diego Safari Park

With Halloween almost behind us there's lots more Fall/Winter activities coming up over the next 2 months. Holiday Craft Fairs, Holiday Open Houses, Fall Festivals. Now, go out there and have some fun!

Coming up in November we have:

November 10th, 5-8pm, Holiday Open House at Summer's Past Farms. Beautifully decorated in an old-fashioned Christmas theme there will be special holdiay soaps and other gifts available for purchase. Bring your favorite homemade cookies to share and there will be Christmas music and hot wassail to enjoy. See website for more details.

Sunday, November 6th, 8am-4pm, Carlsbad Village Street Faire. Exhibitors, international food, live entertainment, and children's rides.

Sunday, November 6th, 11am-4pm, Gaslamp Quarters "Fall Back, The Children's Historic Street Faire". Free admission, some fees for some activities. Old Fashioned festivities such as ice cream and pie eating contests, pony and wagon rides, historical recreations and demos with 19th century blacksmith, prospectors teaching kids to pan for gold, butter churning and candle dipping and a Wild West Shoot out. Sounds like so much fun!!! See website for more details.

Saturday & Sunday, November 5th & 6th, 9-430 & 9-330pm, Christmas on the Farm, 2011 Arts 'n Craft Fair at Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center.

Saturday, November 5th, 9am-4pm, Taste the Coast, Oceanside Pier. Eat and Browse at Taste the Coast. Great local food, sports and service booths and music. Will be the finish line for Bike the Coast bike tour. Event is free.

Thursday, November 3rd, 430-730pm. Reach the Peak, run or walk at Black Mountain Open Space Park in San Diego. Different races to pick from including trail races, endurance race, adventure race, king or queen of the hill or JUST for fun! Register day of and recieve lots of great SWAG!

Friday & Saturday, November 4-5th, Mira Costa's Stargazing Party, Mira Costa College. See hundreds of stars through telescopes at the baseball fields at Mira Costa College. 8pm-10pm.

Saturday, November 5th, 12pm, Heritage Park Fall Festival, Oceanside Heritage Park. Children's games, chili cook-off, live music. 12-3pm.

Have a great week and....

Keep Soaring and landing safely

in beautiful, sunny San Diego!

Your Soaring Mama,

Mandy

Friday's "Soar & Explore"

Blue Bird in Aviary at SD Zoo Safari Park by Mandy Sicard

I've decided to create a new meme here at Soaring over San Diego, "Soar & Explore"! If you'd like to participate, please send me a photo of a fun place in San Diego that you've been to during the week with your family, or just with the kids, with a caption indicating where it was taken. I'll post the photos here on Fridays with your photo credit and feel welcome to link to your blog if you like. You can post your photo on our Facebook page or email it to me at at mandaroo63@yahoo.com. I've started it off this week with a photo I took at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido taken this week and I look forward to seeing where you've 'soared and explored' to and share it in next week's post!

Your Soaring Mama,

Mandy

Oma's Pumpkin Patch in Lakeside

From SDFS Oma's Pumpkin Patch, Lakeside

If you're still looking for a great place to pick pumpkins and have some family fun go check out Oma's Pumpkin Patch in Lakeside. Just 35 minutes away from San Diego, this beautiful dairy farm has an annual pumpkin picking and lots of other fun stuff for kids to do through November 5th. Their hours are Tuesday-Sunday 10am-7pm, (closed on Sundays & Mondays).

From SDFS Oma's Pumpkin Patch, Lakeside

An admission fee of $7 for children, and one adult free per paid child, includes a hayride through the farm, a water bottle, Jack Patch Pumpkin and participation in all activities. Activities include a hay bale maze, a petting corral, the very popular (with our group that went) Cottonseed Mountain, playground, and lots of fun games like magnetic darts, shooting hoops, & tetherball. There's also a snack bar available with reasonably prices snacks.

Lots of great fall decorations as well as many pumpkins to choose from; Indian corn, corn stalks, gourds, and hay bales. There's also a lovely little gift shop with souvenirs, crafts, honey and more.

My girls had a fantastic time and we'll be sure to go again next year. The farm also has other seasonal events; Christmas Tree Patch, Spring Dairy Tours, Birthday parties and special events. See their website for more details.

Hope you're enjoying this Fall and all the wonderful activities happening this time of year!

Keep Soaring (and landing safely)

in Beautiful, Sunny

San Diego!

Your Soaring Mama,

Mandy

Soaring on a Sunday

Lots of great family friendly Halloween Fun happening this week. There's many carnivals, Boo Bashes, Trick or Treating, Haunted Spots, Dia de los Muertos events, and more. Here are just a few that I think look like great fun!

Saturday, October 29th, 330-9pm, Halloween Bash at Seaport Village. There will be a pet costume contest, live music, photo ops, and more.

Sunday, October 30th, 10am-4pm, Dia de los Muertos, Old Mission San Luis Rey. Honoring the deceased with mariachi bands, folklorico dancing, Aztec entertainers, altars, and more. Free.

Sunday, October 30th, 5pm-8pm, Once Upon a Hallowe'en, Old Poway Park. Carved pumpkin contest, costume parade, children's games, Edgar Allen Poe reading, ride the Halloween Express, treats. Some fees.

Saturday, October 29th, 1-5pm, Halloween Carnival in Grape Day Park in Escondido. Haunted house, costume contest, bounce houses, art displays, live music, and carnival games (small fee).

Saturday, October 29th, 2-7pm, Halloween on Elm, Carlsbad Village. Carnival games, costume contests, pirate show, farmers market.

Saturday, October 29th, 9am-11am, Trek 'n' Treat Walkathon, Oceanside Harbor. Walk for developmental disabilities.

And, if you're looking for some safe, family friendly trick or treating spots in San Diego, here's just a few that are all happening on October 31st, Halloween!


530pm-730pm, Trick or Treat on India Street, Littly Italy in San Diego.
During Trick-or-Treat on India Street, Little Italy businesses open their doors to make Halloween a safe and special night for our urban-neighborhood children.

530pm-8pm, Encinitas DownTown on South Coast Hwy 101, from Encinitas Blvd to K St is converted to Pumpkin Lane, featuring elaborately carved pumpkins at different viewing locations and the Queen's Court at the Self Realization Fellowship Bookstore, where the queen will be granting wishes! Kids Zone with games, music and activities.

5pm-9pm, Otay Ranch Town Center, Trick or Treating on Magic Street, Halloween Pet Costume contest, "Thrill the World" Performance, Costume Contest Parade!

330pm-530pm, Downtown Goes Ghostly, Trick or Treating on Orange Avenue 800 Block to Adella, Coronado. Merchants will be handing out treats and a Ghostly Goodies Give-away of $5 gift certificate to 15 lucky ghildren in the Rotary Plaza.

3-5pm, Trick or Treat at Carmel Mountain Plaza, Trick or Treating at participating stores, live music, balloons.

3-6pm, Pillage the Village, La Jolla Village, Girard Avenue at participating merchants. Will have a "Pillage the Village" poster identifying participating merchants.

3-6pm, Main Street Trick or Treating in Ramona. Main St (Hwy 67).

Please share your favorite places to Trick or Treat in your area of San Diego, be it the local neighborhood or merchant trick or treating!

Happy Haunting and be safe,

and,

Keep Soaring and landing safely

in beautiful Sunny San Diego

Your soaring mama,

Mandy

Destination Cozy Cone

This week at Soaring over San Diego, I'm happy to present to you a guest post from one of my favorite people and good friend, Erika Perkins.

Destination Cozy Cone
By Erika B. Perkins


“If you’re going my way, I wanna drive it All night long…”

Road Trips have been a way of experiencing the American Dream, one gas station and multiple bug splats at a time, since Henry Ford first introduced his novel little horseless carriage in 1908. Our family loves the road trip experience, we have our rituals for these long rides, for instance it’s the only time we buy beef jerky, and we love to listen to a good book or to blast some great tunes and it seems the random search on the iPod always brings us the best and most perfectly apropos road tunes.

We are also a car family and have always had cars that seem just perfect for eating up the miles and for cruising in style. We also love animation and even before our kids were born you could find us (perhaps the us was one dragging…encouraging…the other…ahem) in theatres for the newest animated adventure. Now we get to share those same passions with our kids and when a film about cars and road trips from the animation Gods at Pixar was announced you could count that we would see it! I have always had a soft spot for the Michael J. Fox movie Doc Hollywood and Cars most deftly hit those same buttons of learn to love yourself, learning to trust others and learning to work as a team and Cars was an instant hit, and favored tear jerker, in our family. It also sparked so many conversations and so much learning and my youngest son was astonished to learn that the Cozy Cone Motel, “newly renovated,” was actually based on a real roadside hotel located along Route 66, called the Mother Road in the Cars film, and even more astounded to learn that it was only two hours away from home.

Thus a Road Trip was born! It took two years to actually get that two hour Road Trip planned and in that time Cars 2 came out, so who knows maybe our sequel will be a European one too! We started this Road Trip by way of Los Angeles and a great day with our local Unschool group the San Diego FunSchoolers (putting the FUN in UN!) exploring the world renowned Getty Museum (and if you have not experienced the Getty do put it on your Life To Do List!). From Los Angeles we drove down the 101 to the 210 and found our way to the famed Route 66 at the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains on the border of Rialto and San Bernardino and we had finally arrived, after much anticipation, at the Cozy Cone Motel. OK, OK, they call it the Wigwam Motel but this is where the Cozy Cone Motel was born and this is where we had come to make a little boy’s dream come true.

The Cozy Cone Motel as portrayed in the Cars film is actually a blend of the Wigwam Motel, Blue Swallow Inn and Roy's Café and has been a historic Route 66 icon since it was first built in 1949. “The mastermind behind this retro motel was a clever man by the name of Frank Redford, who was heavily influenced by the native Indian culture. A total of only seven Wigwam Motels were built throughout the nation, of which three managed to remain preserved. Two of the last three remaining rest along historic Route 66 in the states of Arizona and California, while the other rests in Redford's home state of Kentucky.” The Wigwam Motel, just like Sally says about her Cozy Cone Motel, is “newly renovated” and has the funky appeal of every great roadside Americana attraction.

We were blessed to make the trip with two other fabulous families that are near and dear to our hearts, the Sicards from Ramona, CA and the Sabos from Corvallis, OR and we rented two Cozy Cones, excuse me Wigwams, and we stayed for two days, enjoying the incredible architecture of the Wigwams and the compact kidney shaped pool with waters as crystal blue as could be in the hot foothill sun. They also have lush grass covered rolling hills on the inner grounds of the Wigwam Motel that make for wonderful running, rolling and role play adventures. The current owners are also capitalizing on the Cars film and have many vintage cars on the property and some wonderful souvenirs in the Wigwam shaped lobby and it looks like more improvements are under way. Even in the individual Wigwam rooms you can see the angles in the walls that make up the unique Wigwam shape and you can choose from a Wigwam with two queen beds or with one queen bed and a loveseat and coffee table. The windows in the room are very low and are dressed with fun curtains and the kids loved looking out of the windows which seemed sized just for them. Rooms also feature flat screen TV’s and free wifi. The bathroom was also a huge hit for our family as the shower, which appears to be a combo of original architecture featuring beautiful colored red and white tile and an odd stepping into a water closet sensation, and a Motel 6 drop in half tub with a little seat. My youngest son took several showers and the fabulous funkiness was just another highlight for this incredible Cozy Cone Adventure.

We found that two Wigwams were perfect for three families and the kids enjoyed having two Wigwams to call their own and to move back and forth from! “Each of the 15 sleeping units is approximately 25 feet in diameter and has two windows. The exterior walls are painted white accented with a bright red jagged lower edge at the top of the cone, a bold zig-zag band encircling the building halfway up the wall, and a narrow zig-zag band with small triangles along the inner edge of the window openings and marks similar to exclamation points at the corners. In the narrow bathrooms created by a partition at the rear of the sleeping units, the floor is covered with red-and-white tiles and the walls and stall shower repeat the zig-zag motif. Four slender metal poles project from the top in imitation of branches of wood.” The owners were also very friendly and helpful, and extremely knowledgeable about the history of Route 66 and their energy and knowledge just added to the great experience. We even had a spontaneous pizza party poolside and the owner came out and sat with us for a bit and seemed genuinely happy to see so much Joy going down Wigwam style. You could feel the history of the place and it is a profoundly pleasurable awareness to know that our stay added to that exceptional history!

The town of Rialto/San Bernardino, where the Wigwam Motel is located, is culturally diverse and has tires shops sharing acreage with apartment complexes and every single person we met was kind and wonderful and if the Wigwam is indeed the Cozy Cone Motel than Rialto is indeed Radiator Springs. On the drive in from Los Angeles one of my tires decided to die and we used Latino’s Best Tires, which was recommended by the owner of the Wigwam Motel, and Luigi's Casa Della Tires better watch out because it was one of the best mechanic/tire experiences I have ever had. Latino’s Best Tires was run by two incredible women named Bertha and Linda (Luigi and Guido!) and they were fair, honest and best of all kind and funny. They were also very knowledgeable about the history of their tire shop, the second building constructed after the Wigwam Motel and once a Road House Strip Club and Bar, and it just proves that you are truly learning all the time. They also loved hearing the story of how the Cars movie brought us there and when I picked up my car at the end of the day I brought my son who inspired this great and grand adventure with me and they all came out and high fived him and made him feel so special. We also became regulars at the Coffee Nutzz Coffee House and they had a friendly and helpful staff and great coffee, featuring everything from soy milk to boba balls to fresh made muffins. While there one morning we even met the Chief of Police for Rialto! He was very kind to the kids and he did his department proud with his great energy, friendliness and genuine compassion. Go Radiator Springs…I mean Rialto!

So go make some popcorn, queue up the Cars film and then go fill up the tank, crank up the tunes and hit the road for Destination Cozy Cone! It will be a Road Trip that will be remembered for a lifetime and it is certain that you will make memories that are more colorful than any Pixar film could ever color in!

“If you’re going my way, I wanna drive it All night long…”

(all photos by Erika B. Perkins, all rights reserved)

Guest blogger, Erika B. Perkins, lives in San Diego, CA with her husband, two sons and more than the recommended daily allowance of cats. She owns and operates Entropy Squared Consulting Services, a professional organizing service. She is also the founder and owner of the Unschooling Adventure Group the San Diego Funschoolers (putting the FUN in UN!). A devoted Mom and a self-proclaimed Geek with great Geek offspring, she has more Star Wars knowledge than you can shake a womp rat at, has an enviable collection of cool t-shirts and know all the words to Dr. Horrible’s Sing- Along Blog.

Soaring on a Sunday

Sorry for absence this last week. It's been a busy, busy 2 weeks having fun with friends in addition to several field trips and road adventures! Back to business with providing you with all that San Diego has to offer this week and what's coming up soon!

If you haven't been to Disneyland Resorts Halloween Time fun be sure not to miss it! Wonderful Fall and Halloween time decorations, Halloween villains, the transformed Haunted Mansion which becomes a Holiday Haunted Mansion ala Jack Skellington and friends, more can be found over at my other blog Second to the Right. Many of the local amusement parks also have fun Halloween themed activities going on, see prior week's links for some of that.

On to some more great Fall activities and just plain old fashioned family fun in San Diego!

October 21-23rd, Borrego Springs has it's 46th Annual Borrego Days Desert Festival. This Family friendly weekend includes a parade, artists and vendor booths, live entertainment, food, beer garden, lots of activities for children; mini-carnival, face painting, pony rides, arts & crafts! Sounds like a great time!

October 21-23rd, Del Mar Harvest Festival, Original Art & Craft Show. Thousands of handmade arts and crafts, music, stilt walkers, comedy jugglers, children's art center and more. While there be sure to visit the Greyhound rescue adoption booth, a wonderful non-profit that finds home for retired racing greyhounds!

October 20-28th is the 12th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival, held at the Mission Valley Ultra Star Cinemas.

October 16th, "Sunday, Crafty Sunday" Dia de los Muertos at Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park. DIY crafting table, DJ, food and vendors.

October 15-16th, Fall Tractor Show, Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum in Vista. 50 Acres of ALL DAY fun! Working Antique Farm & Construction Equipment Demonstrations; N' Scale Model Railroad Exhibit; Weaving Exhibit, Demonstrations & Sales; Blacksmithing Demonstrations; Tractor Games: Slow Tractor Race, Pedal Tractors, Potato Race; Train Rides; Wagon Rides; Threshing Demonstrations; Grist Mill; Farmhouse Exhibit; School House Exhibit; Vendor Booths; Food, Drinks & Snacks; Museum Gift Shop and more!

Lots more great activities can be found on our Facebook group. Feel free to share about family-friends activities going on in your area of San Diego this week in the comments or the Facebook page.

Have a great week and go out and have some spooky fun!

Keep Soaring and landing safely

in beautiful, sunny San Diego

Your Soaring Mama,

Mandy

Soaring on a Sunday

Welcome to October! I love October for so many reasons! It's my birthday month, my husband's birthday month, our anniversary month & Halloween! I think Halloween's one of my most favorite holidays of the year. It's just so much fun to dress up, watch your kid's get excited about dressing up, choosing a costume, choosing another costume, and yet....another costume! Ha Ha...if your kids are like mine they go through several choices throughout the entire month!

There's many fun activities during this time of year. Not only Fall Festivals, Harvest festivals, and pumpkin patches, but fun spooky events going on throughout the month (I'll be blogging about our fun visit to Halloween Time at Disneyland Resorts and California Adventure later this week).

In the meantime, here are just a few more fun, family activities as well as some really great, spooky places to visit during this scary time of year! Hope you enjoy it.

Saturday, October 8-9th, 10am-4pm, Vista Fiber Arts Fiesta, Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, Vista. Weavers, basket makers, spinners, gourd artists, knitters, quilters, and felters. Free admission, free parking.

Sunday, October 9th, 10am-6pm, Little Italy Fiesta, San Diego. Food, music, cooking demos, historical installation, chalk art paintings, chalk art for kids, Kid's Fun Zone, Italian Motor Sports Exhibit.

Saturday & Sunday, October 8-9th, Pumpkin Patch Weekend, Summers Past Farms, Finn Springs.

Sunday, October 9th, 9am-5pm, San Marcos Harvest Festival, Old California Restaurant Row, San Marcos. Vendors, Beer & Wine Garden, live entertainment, carnival for kids, vintage car show.

Month of October, Kids Free at the San Diego Zoo & Safari Park.

Halloween Events:

Saturdays, October 8th,22nd, & 29th, 630pm-830pm, Haunted Trail Hike, Dos Picos Park, Ramona. A Spirit Guide will lead you on the haunted trail. This time of year, the woods are filled with spirits and creatures, natural and supernatural. Come join us if you dare! Volunteer ghouls and spirit guides needed! Free admission and free parking in the picnic day use parking lot. Meet at the restroom building where the light is.


Saturdays and Sundays in October, Brick or Treat at Legoland, Carlsbad.

September 16th-October 31st, Halloween Time at Disneyland, Anaheim.

September 23rd-October 31st, Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Studios, Universal City.

September 23rd-October 31st, Haunted Hotel, Gaslamp District, Market Street, San Diego.

September 23rd-October 31st, Haunted Trail, Balboa Park, San Diego.

October (various dates-see website for details), The Scream Zone at Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar.

October (various dates-see website for details), Mira Mesa Monster Manor, Mira Mesa.

Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) events:

Sunday, October 30th, 10am-4pm, Dia de Los Muertos, Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside.

Saturday & Sunday, October 29th & 30th 11am, 1pm & 3pm, Bus Tours of Dia de los Muertos alters in front of historic homes in Sherman Heights.

November 1st & 2nd, Dia De Los Muertos, Old Town & Fiesta de Reyes. The premier Day of the Dead event in San Diego County, Old Town’s Dia de los Muertos is designed to celebrate the history, culture and heritage of the region. Old Town’s predominantly Mexican, Spanish and Native American and legacy makes it the best site in San Diego to hold this special and beloved celebration. There will be a tour of more than 30 altars, a candlelight procession and live music. At Fiesta de Reyes in the state park, five life-sized Katrina dolls in historic dress will delight visitors as well as altars in nearly every store. Face painting and an after party are also planned for Nov. 1. This two-day-long activity will also feature workshops, performances and lectures


Other scary places to visit in San Diego:

Whaley House
El Campo Cemetery
Hotel del Coronado
Old Town

Please feel free to share your favorite haunted spots to visit during Halloween month, in the comments or on our facebook page!

Keep Soaring and landing safely

in beautiful Sunny San Diego

Your soaring mama,

Mandy