A Visit Back in Time

Sunday afternoon we went to Old Town State Park. We had intended to just run in an buy something I had seen the week before, but got pulled in by all there was to see. We ended up spending a few hours there, engrossed in the history of San Diego. When the girls and I went with my parents, we were there more in the evening and just checked out some of the gift shops and had dinner. The place really came to life during the day though!

Our first stop was the Mason Street School - the first public school in San Diego county.

Eliza and Audrey were excited to try out some of the desks. Eliza was curious about the hole in the top corner, so I explained about the ink well and pen that was used in the old days. Luckily there were some on display so I could show her exactly what I was talking about.

We checked out the front of the classroom and the girls liked the long bench in the corner.

Coming out of the schoolhouse, the girls were off and running to see what was next.

The well in the school yard.

Next we went to see La Casa de Estudillo.

The fountain in the courtyard was the first thing the girls ran to see when we came through the entry. It was surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Eliza was surprised when we told her this was their oven!

The whole house was set up to where every room opened up to the courtyard. The hallways were outdoors with a roof over them and beautiful gardens spilling over onto them. It would be a really cool place to live - with some modern upgrades.

Following the paths through the garden.

Stopping to smell the flowers.

Such beautiful colors!

The girls checking out the children's bedroom

The dolls in the children's room remind me of some of the antique dolls my grandma has.

The master bedroom.

When we left the house, we let the girls climb into the covered wagon to take some pictures.

The Johnson House advertised "Foreign and domestic finery, fancy goods, haberdashery, and millinery." The dress on display out front was pretty, and the store clerk wore a similar one.

The Grocery and Provision store had some old red long johns hanging out front!

Then the girls ran out to the middle of the square to check out the cannon.

Eliza

We moved on to the Fiesta de Reyes and watched some of the folklorico dancing.

Dominic and Eliza

Audrey and I

Some of the dancers. The girls loved the colorful dresses and the music.

Audrey found a chair that was just her size.

My pretty girls.

Audrey kicked Eliza off the bench so that she could walk on it.

We let them throw a penny in the fountain and make a wish.

There was still lots more to see, but we rushed through the rest since the girls were tired and hungry. There was an old time restaurant, a boot and shoe store, a smoke shop, courthouse and much more. We walked down the main street with all the restaurants on the way back to our car. The Cafe Coyote had women making tortillas right by the sidewalk, so we stopped and tried some of the strawberry and the cinnamon ones. They were delicious!