I have gone to San Diego, California three times to work short term for the Navy.

The last time was for two weeks in 2013, as a contractor working an exercise on Coronado, an island off the San Diego coast.

Since I joined late, the billeting on the island itself was full. So they got me a hotel in Old Town San Diego. That was a hugely historical part of town, with a little village that modeled the Spanish Catholic mission that had been there several hundred years ago, lots of Mexican shops and restaurants, and a huge display for Dia de los Muertos (like our Halloween only on November 1) in the stall-filled market of Old Town. It felt like being in Mexico (I have been there twice), especially as my wifi roamed onto a free Mexican connection while I was picking up food in one of the restaurants one night. I looked down and was surprised to see I was now "in Mexico" (very close to the border, actually).

I think the most interesting part of San Diego is Balboa Park, where there are lots of museums. I spent half a day there.

However, my pictures are of Coronado. Since there is a causeway between Coronado and downtown San Diego and it gets really backed up at rush hour, I stayed on the island a while after work every night, taking a walk on the beach, then choosing a different little Mom and Pop restaurant every night for dinner. I would drive back over the causeway to my hotel after 7.

The pictures are of the famous Hotel del Coronado and of the glorious sunsets over the Pacific Ocean every night on the island.