Coronado's Naval Aviation Exhibits Prepare for Take-Off

Coronado is the proud "birthplace of naval aviation," and the quaint islander bedroom community is celebrating 100 years of flight. Guess what? You're invited to the party. Here's a list of aviation events for you and your family to enjoy, most of which are FREE. Hop on the ferry, bike the Silver Strand, or drive over a blue ribbon bridge and enjoy an aviator's paradise. Coronado welcomes you.

Hollywood and North Island
North Island has served as a shooting location for many Hollywood films. On February 5 from 2:00-4:00 p.m., attend the Hollywood and North Island program at the Naval Air Station (Lowry) Theater and learn more about Coronado's relation to Tinseltown. The program is FREE and open to the general public. Be sure to register your vehicle to gain access to the base by calling (619) 545-0046. For more information, click here.

Walk an Island Airstrip
Coronado's North Island will be open to the general public on Saturday, February 12 for a spectacular aviation exhibition. Admission and parking are FREE, and guests can walk the airfield runways, view historic aircraft, and take tours of the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier. View vintage airplanes, fighter jets, amphibious assault ships, and more. Entertainment, vendors, and food will be available. This is a kid-friendly event, so bring your Littles and let their dreams take flight. For more information, click here.

Attend the Parade of Flight
Grab your picnic blankets, sunglasses, and cameras and head bayside for a FREE "flying parade" on Saturday, February 12. Watch as Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard aircraft fly in stunning formation over San Diego Bay. Aircraft will include experimental pre-WW1 planes, F/A-18 Blue Angel jets and more. (If you missed my dreamy encounter with the Blue Angels this past summer--be still my beating heart--click here.)

Aviation Exhibits at the Coronado Public Library
The Coronado Public Library features FREE exhibits on the history of naval aviation. Don't miss it. For more information, click here.

View the Wings of Gold Exhibit at the Coronado Historical Association
Take a look at a pilot's license signed by Orville Wright and view a model of an original seaplane flown offshore. Marvel at Coronado resident profiles, including Admiral James B. Stockdale, former prisoner of war and Vice Presidential candidate. The fascinating exhibit includes resident memorabilia as well as items on loan from the San Diego Air and Space Museum, Flying Leatherneck Museum, San Diego Maritime Museum, and the Naval Helicopter Historical Society. Wings of Gold opens February 4 and runs through September. For more information, click here.

Take a Walking Tour of Former Aviator Homes
Stop in the Coronado Visitor Center or check out their website for a map and accompanying biographical information. Take a self-guided "Home of a Naval Aviator" tour. I'm proud to say my home is featured on the tour!

Hundreds of These Signs Adorn Coronado Homefronts
(Awesomely amateur iPhone photo credit: Carrie Keyes)

Mothers Day Naval Aviator Home Tour
I attend Coronado's home tour each year, and it never disappoints. This year's event includes homes of varied architectural interest, lived in by early naval aviators including Admiral James Stockdale, Vice Admiral John Sidney McCain, former Blue Angel Captain William Rennie, and more. Navy Pilot #11 Captain Henry Mustin's former residence (approximately 100 years old) is also featured. You may purchase tickets beginning in April at (619) 435-7242. Don't miss the opportunity to see where Mrs. Stockdale rallied P.O.W. wives during the Vietnam War. For more information, click here.

Attend a Curator Lecture
On March 19 at 2:00 p.m., the Coronado Historical Association welcomes Mark Aldrich, author of San Diego's North Island, 1911-1941. For ticket information, please call 619-435-7242 or click here.

Bonfire on Coronado Beach
Go ahead. Come in for a landing on the beach. Bring some s'mores and enjoy a bonfire on the shores of Coronado. Nothing beats paradise underneath the flight path of heroes. Click here to watch footage of a bonfire the kids will love. Relax under that palm tree. Look up at the passing planes. Come to Coronado and revel in the centennial celebration of naval aviation. You'll be glad you penciled in paradise.

Friendly Skies Above Coronado
(Awesomely amateur iPhone photo credit: Carrie Keyes)

* The You Tube song of the week is Highway to the Danger Zone, Top Gun style.
* The Blue Angels rock my world. Click here to read about my dreamy encounter with them.
* Read about the Top Ten Lessons to Learn from a Navy Spouse.

(Carrie Keyes is the author of Pencil in Paradise. You can find Paradise at home, www.sandiego.com and at www.eCoronado.com. Carrie is also on Twitter @CarrieKeyes and on Facebook (search Pencil in Paradise.)

Top Five Random Facts About Me

This awesomely amateur blogger has posted quirky, light and positive material for about ten months. I've shared dreamy encounters. Published a mission statement like Jerry Maguire. Made fun of myself. Cheered on a local author. Showcased our beautiful city in an illuminating, and (hopefully) entertaining fashion.

Then, last week, I got cranky. I spent five minutes on a bench on Coronado Beach and you agreed to sit with me. Afterward, via social media and email, I received over 45 comments and 23 "likes." Lesson learned? People like a cranky blogger every now and then, even in paradise. Thank you for your inspiring words. I especially liked being compared to Chelsea Handler. Oh, and thanks to the many people who wrote to tell me they would buy my book. So much appreciated. Now I just need to write it.

I'm still preparing for the San Diego State Writer's Conference, so I'm leaving you with the Top Five Random Facts About Me. This is so dorky. Like you care.

Top Five Random Facts About Me

1. I'm fairly certain I can trace my lineage to Reese Witherspoon. I'm related to John Witherspoon, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. I heard Reese interviewed awhile back, and she claimed she is also related to him. She doesn't know about me, and I'm sure if she did she'd be totally humiliated. So sorry to break the news, Reese. I do love everything you wear. Your kids are cute and I love your movies. I'm just sayin'.
2. We have a mastodon molar in our family. (Reese is now even more terrified.) My mom found it while digging a pond on a farm in the Midwest. It has a cavity.
3. My Coronado beach cottage is quirky. It's been renovated many times over the years. Now there's a window in my closet. No joke. There are also a few floral-inspired stained glasses windows visible from the outside of my house, yet concealed with drywall on the inside. Don't ask.
4. My friend Jennifer Lyn King is the reason I decided to start blogging. She's a well-rounded, delightful person, and I'm so proud to call her one of my besties. Be sure to read more about Jen's life in the Czech Republic here. You'll love it.
5. I once achieved a perfect 100/100 oral argument score at a national moot court competition. The topic? A constitutional law issue. I hadn't even taken con law yet. I was rather pleased with my B.S. quotient until the judge confessed she thought I was Rowena (Jean Louisa Kelly) from Mr. Holland's Opus. It was 1995, I think, shortly after the movie debuted. Thanks, Jean.

How painful was that? Sheesh. Now get out there and enjoy another day in paradise. See you next week, my friends. Thanks for getting to know me, quirks and all.

Boat in Sun
(Awesomely amateur iPhone photo credit: Carrie Keyes)

*The YouTube song of the week is Mateo's Get to Know Me.

(Carrie Keyes is the author of the blog Pencil in Paradise. You can find Paradise at home, www.sandiego.com and www.eCoronado.com. Carrie is also on Facebook (search Pencil in Paradise) and Twitter @CarrieKeyes.)

Five Cranky Minutes on Coronado Beach

I'm frustrated this week, so I'm sitting on a bench on Coronado Beach for five minutes. Here's the view.

A Bench With a View
(Awesomely amateur photo credit: Crabby Carrie Keyes)

Despite the gorgeous vista, I'm having a bad day, and I could use a friend. Are you a good listener? Good, because I'm crabby. I'm going to free associate. Here's what I'm thinking about during five minutes on a bench on Coronado Beach. You might not like it, but I'm being honest.

I wonder why everyone is up in arms about the Race to Nowhere and how we can change when I volunteer at Village Elementary a combined 4-6 hours a week and have learned that some parents aren't checking to see if their kids are doing their homework or if they need help. Aren't reviewing tests. Aren't getting them to school on time. And I wonder, isn't this a fundamental parental requirement? That you would facilitate and support your child's growth? And to think we're in a top rated school system. I can only imagine what it's like in ailing schools. We can't start the race if we don't get our kids to the starting line.

I wonder when I can get back to Chez Loma for happy hour. It's so cozy and romantic.

I wonder why, when I asked that passing tourist if he would like me to take a picture for him, he looked at me like I was a camera thief. I'm friendly, really. I think he's from New York. I wonder if he knows the iceplant dunes spell out the word 'Coronado.' I wonder, if I tell him this fact, will he give me that look again?

I wonder why it's so hard to write a novel, and whether my strings of words will ever resonate with anyone. And I wonder why I'm writing a novel in the first place. It's frustrating. And I wonder why I'm writing a blog.

I wonder if you're still reading.

I wonder when the grunion will run next. Slippery little suckers.

Sometimes I get frustrated with the San Diego Union Tribune. They wedge the Books section into random places like Dialogue when it should be in Arts and Culture. And why do they place the Weather page on the back of the Sports section when they must know that only women check the weather? We're the ones who dress the kids for school, we're the only ones who seem to get cold, and we're the only ones who worry about rain and what it does to our hair. Sheesh.

I wonder why that lady just jogged past and told her friend that she pees every time she sneezes.

I should have joined the FBI. I'm fairly observant (see above) and I used to be smart.

I wonder if I've found paradise sitting on a beach for five minutes. No, not yet.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

I know what tomorrow will bring. Sun, according to the weather page (I found it). I know tomorrow it will rain sunshine. Our kids will be prepared for school. Mexico will have a peaceful day. I'll go to Chez Loma for happy hour. The FBI will give me an honorary assignment, and it will provide me inspiration to write a really good novel. Tourists will trust me; grunions will flip their silvery skins across Coronado Beach. And women all over America will sneeze without peeing their pants.

Yes, tomorrow will be good. I just found paradise. Thanks for sitting with me.

* The You Tube song of the week is Bad Day.

(Carrie Keyes is the author of the blog Pencil in Paradise. You can find Paradise at home, at www.sandiego.com and www.eCoronado.com. Look for Paradise on Facebook (search Pencil in Paradise) and Twitter (@CarrieKeyes).

Snow Day! You Deserve It, San Diego

Do you need a snow day? I do. I'm headed to the San Diego State Writers Conference January 28-30 to learn from the pros (Sandra Bishop, Jill Marsal and editors Kate Kennedy and Emily Krump to name a few). I'm trying to finish my novel, but it's hard to be disciplined in America's Finest City.

Tough to Lift Pencil in Paradise
(Awesomely amateur photo credit: Carrie Keyes)

We deserve a snow day, San Diego. Take a look at the blistery conditions out there...

Snowy Egret Coastal Shorebird--Chula Vista Nature Center
(Awesomely amateur photo credit: Carrie Keyes)

Brrr! Grab a vibrant winter hat...

Sport a Major Hattitude in this Wintry Accessory
(Awesomely amateur photo credit: Carrie Keyes)

Look! I found snow right here at Petco Park...

Go Ahead, Eat Yellow Snow
(Awesomely amateur photo credit: Carrie Keyes)

Let the "ice crystals" form on your flip flops...

Tommy Bahama Does Winter Right!
(Awesomely amateur photo credit: Carrie Keyes)

Here's a snowman that won't numb your hands.

LEGO Snowman Won't Melt, Might Crumble
(Awesomely amateur photo credit: Carrie Keyes)

Take a snow day, San Diego. You deserve it. Everyone needs a respite now and then, including this awesomely amateur blogger with a fading flip flop tan and a big dream. My nose is pink from the cold, so I'd better head inside to work on my quirky novel.

Snow joke.

*The YouTube song of the week is "Everyday I Write the Book" by Elvis Costello. Theoretically, I write the book. Often, however, I make peanut butter sandwiches and mediate Lego disputes and wander outside in seventy degree temperatures in January and end up at the yacht club on the front deck kicking up my feet and telling friends I should be home writing a book. Oh shoot.

*Are you an aspiring writer? Attend the San Diego State Writer's Conference. Now that's a pencil in paradise!

*Hey San Diego. You deserve a snow day. What will you do? Brrrr. Be careful. It's brutul out there. Sort of like last summer, right?

*Hattitude (kiosk) can be found at Fashion Valley Shopping Center.

(Carrie Keyes is the author of the blog Pencil in Paradise at www.carriekeyes.com. She is also a contributing blogger for www.sandiego.com and www.eCoronado.com. You can find Paradise on Facebook (search Pencil in Paradise) or Twitter (@CarrieKeyes).