What are some of the things you always take with you when heading out for the day?
We don’t leave the house without a cooler full of water, some snacks, extra shoes, extra clothes, blanket, and our camera.
I seriously don’t know how people can leave their house without bringing water with them. Water is something we can’t live without so we always have water with us. Now as our children have gotten older we don’t always need extra clothes because they get dirty less but if it is a wet day or we are going hiking and know that it will be muddy having extra clothes sure does come in handy. I personally don’t like going anywhere after a long hike unless I have changed. I feel dirty and am worried there is a possibility a tic has decided to hitch hike on me.
Oceanside Fishing Pier
The Oceanside Fishing Pier is a place that has changed over time. It was originally built in 1888 and over the next century it was destroyed by storms multiple times. What we see today is the version of this pier that was built in 1987. The current pier here is 1,954 feet long and cost 5 million dollars to build. This is a place where you can fish, there is also a restaurant on the pier which is at the end of the pier. We saw a lot of pelicans, pigeons, and seagulls on this pier. The pelicans in particular were strangely used to being around people. We saw two that were just sitting on the sides of the pier simply hanging out. This is the sixth version of the pier because all the others were destroyed by storms and that alone makes this a very interesting place.
Located at Oceanside Pier, Oceanside, CA 92054.
Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park
Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park is a place that celebrates Leo Carrillo and his legacy. He is most known for being an actor. He was also a rancher during his acting career. He had 4,500 acres of land in Carlsbad where he had a ranch, entertained guests, and spent time with his family. In the visitor center they show a short video which was informative. Even more informative were the tours through the buildings in this park. Getting into these buildings will only happen if there are enough people working at this park because the doors to the buildings are opened and closed when people walk past the buildings. Today this park is on 27 acres of the land he owned. Most of what is here is just the buildings which were on the property. There are 17 building in this park from the barn to the stable and from Leo’s place his wife’s art studio and even the pool. We didn’t know who Leo Carrillo was before visiting Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park but afterward we were very fascinated.
Located at 6200 Flying Leo Carrillo Ln, Carlsbad, CA 92009.
Museum of Making Music
Museum of Making Music is a place that focuses on the history of modern advancements in instruments. It has a couple of areas which show what changes were being made during certain time periods as well as kiosks with songs from that era to let you have a bit of an idea on how these instruments were used. Also there are instruments throughout which you can try and in the end there is a room full of instruments to play. There were some truly awesome instruments inside of this museum. There is a harp guitar as well as this cool piano which has two sets of keys. There were unfamiliar and familiar instruments here as well as interesting information and a true passion for the history of the development of instruments. It is like nothing we’ve ever experienced before.
Located at 5790 Armada Dr, Carlsbad, CA 92008.
Legoland
This will probably be our last time coming to Legoland as a family. Our children have enjoyed Legoland for many years and have actually preferred Legoland over Disneyland. However, Legoland is perfect for younger children and as our children are getting older and braver we will be taking them to amusement parks that are geared towards older children.
If your children love Legos then they will love this park. It is also less crowded which is perfect for those little feet that tend to get tired quickly.
Located at 870 Great Mall Dr, Milpitas, CA 95035.
Mission San Luis Rey
Mission San Luis Rey is a very important Californian mission. Particularly because it was once the mission with the most land (950,400 acres). Currently this mission is much smaller then it was before. The current church was built in 1815 in the place where two previous churches were. Today it can be found as a place for prayer and mass as well as a location for a museum. The museum has a section on how it was abandoned for awhile and after it was destroyed and vandalized it was taken back by the Catholic church and was restored. There is actually a document here signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1865, returning this church to the Catholic’s. There was also a scene for the Zorro television series which was filmed here and you can see the door prop from the film here. The oldest pepper tree in California is in the garden of this mission site which is really neat.
Located at 4050 Mission Ave, Oceanside, CA 92057.
Hands on Cochineal Bugs Dye
Wait don’t eat that because the dye to make your yogurt, skittles, ocean spray juice, or Starbucks (which is no longer being used) drinks red may be made from cochineal bugs!
You also might be smothering your lips with these bugs when you put on your hot red lipstick on.
Did that get your attention?
The Cochineal bugs are actually a parasite because they are sap-sucking insects and they live on the prickly pear cacti. People collect them by brushing them off the plants, they are put in boiling water and then exposed to sunlight or heat to dry.
Now females are the ones that produce carminic acid. The females swell twice their original size due to the developing larvae and this is where that red color appears.
You can dye your yarn with cochineal dye.
On the back of labels if you see written: carminic acid or carmine then you’ll know that it is a natural dye and not some artificial dye.
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