Children's Pool - La Jolla

LA JOLLA - in spanish it means "the jewel", and it is. Granted, I am a tad biased - I grew up in the area (all over San Diego) and went from 7th to 12th grade in La Jolla. I've always felt that I needed to be near an ocean, eventually. When I drove to the Children's Pool and exited my car I was reminded of that belief, deep in my soul. The first thing is the smell: very salty but there is also something else, something without words. Then there's the sound: it's never ending and yet never boring. Last but not least is the view: not exactly never ending, of course, but with a little bit of imagination, it is... (Okay, back to reality.)

Ellen Browning Scripps, a staple of La Jolla from early/mid 1900s, paid to have a seawall built in a small section of the beaches of La Jolla many years ago, in order to create a 'break' or a small 'cove' of sorts (not the famous La Jolla Cove, however). The wall helped to create a sort of safe haven for children to enjoy the beach, without worrying about tough waves or dangerous ebbs. I remember the wall from my childhood and we used to jump off of it from the ocean side, although looking at it now, I don't know why or how!

Above is the view to the pool, from the very end of the wall. Below is where we used to jump.

Well, over the last few years, you can see what's been happening: seals are enjoying the respite from the heavy waves and tides, the respite that was meant for children. At first, it was cute! But after awhile, they took over and the break created by the wall keeps their feces in the pool area - not so cute!

Okay, so the little guys are so ugly, they're cute, and that last little guy just coasted in while I was standing there...



There's another, smaller part of the 'pool' area where kids can play, but the seals are still close and their stuff is still polluting the water. There's even a sign at the entrance to the area, but the seals don't read or haven't made it to the entrance to read the sign - or they just don't care. There's also a sign down by the seals, warning stupid people not to get too close.

No matter which side you choose (I'm not taking a stand - they're just too cute), some money would have to be pumped into the area to fix the problem: the area would have to be cleaned out first (giant pooper-scooper, anyone?); the wall would have to be extended to the other side, maybe with an chicken wire-style fence; and the seals would have to be re-located, gently. OR, just take the kiddies somewhere down the beach a way!

I stopped for a late lunch at a place on Prospect called "The Living Room". I sat outside, but it was really cute inside, also. In the back (inside) you may sit on a couple of small sofas and actually see the ocean through some of the condos. I had a hot chocolate and a "pumpkin tower" (I know - not exactly lunch), which was basically a pumpkin cheesecake in the round. The salads on other peoples' plates looked pretty good, too. I'm still thinking about the cheesecake, it was so good - I'm just saying!

I went by a few shops and happened into a dream: a gallery filled with Thomas Mangelsen prints of every shape and size. What first caught my attention were photos of the Tetons where I had just visited. Of course, his were a LOT better than mine (well, duh!). If you are not familiar with his work, I strongly suggest you query him - beautiful scenes of nature from all over the world and the animals that inhabit it.

On the way back to the car, along with taking some last, deep breaths of that air I love so much, I got some photos of the sun getting ready to set and leaving some amazing visions:

Thanks, La Jolla, for the beauty and the memories...