Outside my Front Door is a series of posts by fellow travel bloggers who share what is … outside of their own front door

Donna Amis Davis, with husband Bill, spent 30+ years living in the Philippines, mostly on the island of Palawan, working with the Palawano people, a minority-language group. They translated and published the New Testament in the Palawano language. Their travels have taken them from the Chaco of Paraguay to the harbors of Sydney, and many points throughout Southeast Asia. Donna is always trying to master a new Asian cuisine, or figure out how to pack light with clothes that don’t need ironing. Follow Donna on her travel blog San Diego & Beyond

San Diego – Outside My Front Door

After 30+ years living abroad, my husband and I recently repatriated ourselves. And lucky us, our home town is San Diego, California. So Outside My Front Door are the places I knew and loved growing up. And we’ve dived into re-exploring them all.

San Diego is the birthplace of California. It was settled by friars from Mexico in 1769. Very close to our house is the first mission, Mission San Diego de Alcala. An interesting museum, and lovely, peaceful grounds with flowers and fountains make it a great place to visit.

San Diego is right on the border with Mexico, and that leads to San Diego’s obsession with Mexican food! We take our visitors over to Casa Guadalajara for a fun night of food, with mariachi music.

San Diego’s location on the west coast of the U.S. means water is a focal point. San Diego is home to a fine, deep harbor, 70 miles of beautiful beaches, and the man-made water playground called Mission Bay. We love to pack picnics and enjoy the views.

Now when we are re-exploring San Diego, we often have our cute little grandkids in tow. Max, age 4, Myri, age 3 are learning to love the places we love, too. We alternate between taking the kiddos to the ocean to play in the waves, and to Mission Bay, where they can splash around safely in still water, or build sandcastles on the shore. Ventura Cove on Mission Bay is a favorite spot.

But all of us love the drama and beauty of ocean waves. La Jolla has several beaches and coves. La Jolla Shores is known for a long shallow beach, great for kids. And the beach called Children’s Pool has been adopted by a colony of California Harbor Seals.

California Harbor Seals in La Jolla

San Diego’s beaches are home to a multitude of bird life. Flocks of pelicans fly over the beach in long lines, then dive for fish. Sea gulls are cheeky, boldly stealing food whenever they can. Cormorants, sand pipers, and an occasional heron all inhabit the beaches.

When we aren’t at the beach or bay, you can find us at the San Diego Zoo or Safari Park. One of the first things we did when we relocated to San Diego was to buy annual memberships for ourselves and the grandkids. We use them all the time! We loved the Zoo growing up, and now, so do our grandkids. We usually pack our own drinks and snacks to keep expenses down. Both the Zoo and Safari Park have gorgeous grounds and landscaping. Plenty of interactive exhibits and children’s play areas are interspersed throughout both parks. With little ones along, we focus on one small area each time we visit.

If you are headed to San Diego, or to Palawan in the Philippines, check out my blog for insider tips. I’d love to hear from you!

You can also follow Donna on Twitter and Google+

See more of the Outside my Front Door posts from all over the world on our site Outside my Front Door