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We've been in San Diego for a couple days and have been enjoying the beaches (especially the surf). Tom picked me up from the airport yesterday, and after stopping for lunch (Chicago and New York style pizza) and to change at the hotel, we met up with the rest of the family at Torrey Pines State Beach. 

TPSB is a few miles north of UCSD, which is basically where we're staying. We paid the $10 use fee and met Dad in the parking lot, grabbed the cooler, and made our way to the beach. Kelly was already in the water, but Katie was napping, having had a long night. They had boogie boards ready to go, so we dove in. The air temperature was around 70°, and while the water was initially quite cold, we soon acclimated and found it to be very pleasant.

We spent the afternoon on the beach, subtly violating the state's ban on beach-going alcohol, before retiring to the hotel to freshen up. We found a very trendy grocery store and bought some Alaskan Summer and Amber ales, along with a Red Hook Long Hammer IPA. 

Kelly found a seafood place in the Gaslamp District called Escape Fish Bar. It was tiny (they had to rearrange some of their existing patrons to make room for our party of six) and had a limited menu, but the service was great and food even better. I ordered some tempura pickles which were perfectly complemented by a wasabi ranch dipping sauce. The seafood chowder with a cocoanut milk base was tasty, although the consistency needed some work. I think it would have been better puréed, but the base was good and it came with a large chunk of fried fish. The main course consisted of fish tacos with a coconut milk rice side. The tacos included a great slaw and the halibut was well-grilled. 

Today we woke up at a reasonable 11ish, and headed for Mission Beach. After finding a place to park on the bay side of the peninsula, we stopped at the Olive Cafe for breakfast. Tom had a breakfast burrito and I had a scramble with green chiles and bacon, and some of the best hash browns I've had in a while.

Having already eaten, Dad and the girls rented a couple surfboards while we ate. We met them on the beach and Tom, Katie, and Kelly jumped in the water. We had a hard time separating Tom from the surfboard, while Katie wandered the area and I took pictures of the crowd. Kelly showed off her surfing skills, being the only one other than Tom to actually stand up. I rode the board for a while. It was a lot of fun but I was not very good. 

That brings us to now. More updates (and my pictures) to follow!