Today’s Ride to Church hails from Paula in Encinitas, California.
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The LDS Chapel on Lake Street in Encinitas, CA is our destination today. Encinitas is a town of 65,000 or so, 25 miles north of downtown San Diego, on the legendary Highway 101. That sounds much cooler than saying it’s on the 5 Freeway, which is also true. Encinitas was unincorporated farming area until about 1970, when the fields and greenhouses started to be taken over for housing developments. We’re still proud of our flower-growing heritage-the poinsettia, as we know it today, was first hybridized here from scraggly native plants from Mexico. I’ve noticed that my tour is kind of botany-centric, but flowers and trees are part of what I love about Encinitas. I don’t think I’ll need to explain what else I love about Encinitas, but what I don’t like is the traffic jams that look like they were stage for a Cecil B. DeMille movie, the outrageous price of living here, and the lack of autumn leaves, winter or mountains.
Since we are in Southern California we’ll be in a car, none of this running, walking, or biking stuff for us. But it’s a Prius, so we can feel smug as we drive. We’ll be taking the scenic route, since the most direct route leads through a sea of faux Spanish shopping centers, faux Spanish condos, faux Spanish restaurants…
After we leave my neighborhood, we’ll drive through Olivenhain, one of four areas of Encinitas, cross the 101 in downtown Encinitas and then we’ll get to Cardiff where the church is. Olivehain was settled by German immigrants about 1880. It’s mostly houses on large lots now, but you still see amazing gardens and some agricultural crops. Cardiff is down at the beach, and was built by a developer who thought it resembled Cardiff in Wales. So we’ll head out the door. . ..
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Additional Notes about the Photos:
The much-maligned Cardiff Kook, in photo 14, was commissioned by a local booster group and installed there-and almost everyone hated it, immediately. The tradition now is to to dress it up for many occasions. He has his own website:
http://thecardiffkook.org/
The best Kook costume ever made national news in December 2010: http://www.thecardiffkook.org/blog/eaten-by-shark-kook/
The Self Realization Fellowship is a religious retreat. Here’s a bit about it:
http://www.yogananda-srf.org/About_Self-Realization_Fellowship.aspx . The current compound was built in the 30’s as a surprise for the yogi who was in India. Charlie Chaplin owned the oceanfront property just to the north of it.
The La Paloma Theater: the story is that Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks built it so they could watch movies when they came to the area.
Very nice pictures Paula. Were those boats remodeled into houses I saw?
Love this Paula. Makes me want to move to Encinatas!
I mean Encinitas :)
Can’t type.
Paula, the pictures made my life feel so totally UNinteresting and UNglamorous.
I loved your comment re: feeling smug in your Prius.
This is a fun series. I love seeing such interesting photos and church experiences.
Great pictures! Love those old town name signs. Near me is “Redwood City – climate best by government test”. I am hungry for strawberries now too and it’s all your fault.
Marcella, our strawberries just came on a few weeks ago. They’re usually ready about the end of January, so I’ve been missing them too.
Jonathan, the boathouses were built there on the lot. The story is that a local man who had been a boat builder built them, for fun. They are owned by the city now, I think. Someone bought the lot a few years ago and was going to tear them down to build a big house, and there was such a public outcry that they were saved, but I don’t remember the details. They’re rental properties now. One was open in between renters a few years ago, for a fundraiser to save them. The kitchen is in the lower space at the front. There’s a small living area, and some storage and the bathroom on the ground floor, then steep stairs at the back. Upstairs are two bedrooms– no bathroom, and the deck. To move in large furniture, you have to have movers with a crane to get it up on to the deck.
There are brief captions on each photo but in my browser, they don’t appear unless your mouse is in position over the black bar at the bottom of the photo.
Heather, I think I’ve gotten too used to Encinitas. Driving around taking the photos made me appreciate it all over again.
I loved the commentary for each of these photos, and could imagine the crisp, warm air and the sunshine — so refreshing in light of the possible snow warning in effect in the upper midwest for early morning tomorrow. This was a very informed and calming tour. I certainly couldn’t regale anyone on the history of the sights on my way to church: “barn, tree, field, another barn, house, road kill, university, tree.” I liked how Paula included houses of worship from other faiths.
I so miss southern Cal.
So very interesting. My ride to church isn’t nearly as interesting. Would be fun to see all those kinds of things on the way. Great pictures!
Encinitas is beautiful. Believe it from those of us not living there. Great pics.
Sigh. I heart Encinitas. That’s where I dream of retiring. I mean, it’s only 20 minutes away from where I live now, so I can’t complain . . .
Well Joanna, you can come up and visit any time. :) Thanks Sterling for the compliment– but you do live in a very interesting place– I’d be happy to trade you, but probably for only about 6 months or so. :)
I’ve been up in soggy northern Utah for a few days. It’s beautiful there too, but it feels good to be back to the sun.
Made me homesick….I miss North San Diego County…grew up there…drove up and down the coast in the early 70’s looking for the best surf break.
My youngest daughter and her husband moved to Encinitas last August. I spent three weeks with them the end of October when their second child was born, and I fell in love with the town, the beach, and especially the weather. I live in Montana, where it snowed all day today. Can’t think of anything good to say about that. The only thing Montana has over Southern CA is not so many people (an understandment). For that reason alone, I’m not sure I could live there year round, but I’m already planning a long winter sojourn there come next January. Such a beautiful place!
And, more on the eccentricity in Encinitas– this past weekend, someone installed a glass mosaic mural of the Virgin of Guadalupe surfing under one of the railway passes in town. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/27/surfing-madonna-may-be-wiped-out/
It’s very well-done, and I hope the city leaves it there.