A weekend in San Diego

Shawn and I took off for San Diego this weekend. We have annual passes to the SD Zoo and Wild Animal Park, so we decided to take a trip to the zoo this weekend. Of course, we had a great time on Monkey Trail where we got to see a baby gorilla (one of my all-time favorite baby animals). We also love to see the elephants. One thing that is always a bit disheartening when we visit the zoo is when we read the endangered status of many of the animals. I can't imagine why someone would want to shoot an elephant or a rhino. These animals are so amazing to me that I can't imagine bringing harm to them. But to balance out all the bad people out there, it is great to read how many animal populations have been increased because of various efforts from zoos and other organizations. Shawn and I agree that even when we move to Colorado we will continue our annual memberships to the zoo and park as a way to donate to help save endangered animals. For less than $100 a year, it's the least we can do.

This afternoon we decided to take a tour of the USS Midway, a decommissioned aircraft carrier. We had a great time and highly recommend for you to check it out if you're ever in San Diego. Walking aboard this masterpiece is awe-inspiring for it is difficult for us to imagine building something so massive. It is 1001 feet long and 258 feet wide. It was first commissioned in 1945 I believe and was finally decommissioned or retired in 1992, a 47 year service which is an all-time record. It was originally built to house 3600 men, but ended up carrying 4500 instead. I cannot imagine sleeping in such close quarters as these servicemen did. I also can't imagine remembering where everything is on this beast. I would have gotten lost if it weren't for the arrows directing me. We got to see a lot of things like the sick bay, galley, mess deck, laundry room, main engine room, plus we got to see a lot of planes and helicopters they house on board because the Midway is now a museum. Shawn will post the pictures on shawnandmarisa.com so check there in a couple of days. On a personal note, this tour made me think of my Paka (grandpa Tomaselli) because I remember when I used to visit my grandparents when I was younger I always loved looking at the old pictures of Paka when he was on an aircraft carrier. When I talked to my dad today, he said he thought his dad was on the USS Enterprise or the Lexington. I'll have to ask Aunt Jeri if she remembers. It's days like today that make me miss my Nana and Paka so much, but I know they will always be with me.