“What’s the point of living in San Diego if all you kids do is sit inside and stare at screens?” It’s a frequent refrain in my house. I was dumb enough to buy all those …

Our son heads off into the Wind River Range of Wyoming on a three-week backpacking trek this August, the beginning of his school year at a liberal arts college with an outdoor leadership program. My …

It seems like every year, I buy a new round of beach equipment: flip-flops, bags for carrying stuff, folding chairs — even new covers for the collapsible awning. This year, I’m looking for stuff that …

Climb the California Tower in Balboa Park Balboa Park’s California Tower at the San Diego Museum of Man was closed to the public in 1935, but after extensive construction and safety renovations it reopened for …

God bless, John Adams. You can thank him for all the firework displays around the Fourth of July. In Philadelphia, July 4, 1777, 13 fireworks were set off to commemorate the 13 colonies. The colors …

Dads and grads, dads and grads, dads and grads. What to give them? Food, preferably pizza. Where to go? “Pieology,” said my friend Janice. Four locations in San Diego: Hillcrest (619-241-2881), Clairemont Mesa (858-565-0600), Sports …

Air travel has lost the glamour it embodied in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. Gone are the days of smoked salmon, caviar, and champagne on Pan Am flights. These are the days of complimentary tiny …

Mom is coming for Mother’s Day, so I need to find things we’ll both enjoy. The Rose Wine Bar and Bottle Shop in South Park (619-281-0718) will be offering a mother-daughter flower-crown workshop on May …

It’s the little things. A freshly laundered bath towel, a muffin still warm from the oven, a handwritten note from a loved one — these add sweetness to life. I would file a decent writing …

The kids get Easter baskets every year. This year, I told them I want one, too, and I want it to be stuffed with chicks. Not the marshmallow kind, either. The real deal. Chick days …

My friend Marie is headed to the Emerald Isle in May. “My husband’s brother is taking us,” she explained over brunch last week, “and we will be staying one week in Killarney. Passports are in, …

“I like this new trend of Saint Patrick’s week instead of just one day,” says Patrick as he prepares to haul the Kelly clan to the 37th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Irish Festival …

Snow fever, it comes regularly to this East Coast transplant. The relatives back there chuckle at me when I mention “going to the snow” — those poor folks don’t have the luxury of escaping it …

If You’re Making Art and Getting Paid for It... “People used to say, ‘Oh, I love your music; I put it on when I go to sleep.’ At first, I was insulted: ‘Thanks a lot. …

How to celebrate Valentine’s Day out beyond dinner and jewelry? Does your pudding like plays? Mystery Café dinner theater in Bankers Hill (619-460-2200) has a Valentine’s Day murder-mystery show on February 14 entitled I Do, …

The great weather. The beaches. The Navy and Marines. The zoo and SeaWorld. Bad to mediocre (and exiting) sports teams. Comic-Con. Free associations on San Diego call up these images. But, “Oh me, the gods,” …

“It’s a new year, I need a new ’do,” I told Patrick. “A new what?” He looked up from his book. “A new ’do, doofus. You know, a hairdo.” “Well,” his eyes got that sexy …

“I feel like that Onion headline,” moaned Patrick. “Man who stopped dieting two weeks ago can already see results.” We were doing so well, and then the holidays came. Exercise time. “Fitness boot camps are …

A few new years have dawned since we had a New Year’s party in our own home. But 12 a.m., January 1, 2017, will be different. The bubbly will be bubbling, the streamers will be …

My second daughter has one of those dreaded late-December birthdays, the kind that make both the birthday and Christmas feel a little less special because of their proximities. I confess that last year, budget and …

I read somewhere that the reason you’re sad around Christmastime is because it’s a reminder of what you’ve lost since childhood: the belief that the world is a magical place that is interested in your …

This year, I plan to add some snow fun into the holiday season. But waiting for snow to dump on a nearby mountain on a day that the family can get up there can get …

“We soak cashews, swell them, and cream them down so that they act like a kind of cream cheese.”

Cocktails that honor and shame your fave candidate.

The largest corn maze in Southern California is in Temecula. The Big Horse Corn Maze (951-389-4621) covers a whopping 11 acres and takes one to two hours to navigate at an easy pace (45 minutes …

The first step toward texting underwater.

My kids love visiting Starbucks for their cold-coffee sweet treats, but I’ve found myself preferring the bitter side of things as I get older. When a friend praised local roaster Dark Horse Coffee’s cold brew, …

My ten-year-old has birds on the brain ever since she got a pet parakeet, and she’s eager to see some that don’t live in cages. Natalie at Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary in Del Mar …

Bills need to be paid, the kids need to eat, and the bank account is light after a round of expensive dentistry for the family. (If booze is the number-one curse of the Irish, bad …

Where did the summer go? I blinked and it was suddenly August. Another blink, and August was gone too. As I shared a cocktail last night with a couple friends at Polite Provisions — I …

Genesis 30:6, Rachel Gets Her Wish A man, a woman, another woman, and then the child who belongs to all three of them, come screaming and beautiful into the world… — John Darnielle The night …

It’s hot: time to gather the family and taste limeade. We started with the straight stuff. Simply Limeade ($2.99 for 59 oz. at Sprouts) can be found in most grocery stores. “It smells like lime …

The leisure days of summer make my mind wander to all the extras I can’t find time to do the rest of the year. One such activity is bowling. The whole family enjoys it but …

My friend Sophie’s eyeliner is permanently perfect — because it’s permanent. “Permanent makeup is a tattoo,” explained Jeanee Lusby, owner of Natural Look of Permanent Cosmetics in La Jolla (866-550-LOOK), “but it isn’t really permanent …

Sometimes, there’s no homemade chicken stock in the freezer. So I zipped around San Diego and gathered up a bunch of chicken juice — mostly broths, but also a few boxed stocks — from the …

There's no gloom in June anymore.

Uncle Max wants to go swimming with sharks when he visits this year. “It’s a metaphor made literal!” he marvels. Shark Diver (855-987-4275) runs several adventures, including a five-day trip to Guadalupe Island, about 175 …

On the hottest day of last summer, we hosted a wedding reception in our backyard. The thermometer hit 103 degrees as the guests arrived at 2:30 in the afternoon. Our guests clustered in the shady …

My daughter likes to bake at home, so when her birthday comes along, she likes to make it special by bringing in professional confections. But this year, she has begged off cake — including cake …

Which one comes out on top?

“It is not mandatory to give or receive a hug, but we have not had any recipients deny one yet.”

My teens participated in the Color in Motion 5K chalk run last month with a bunch of their friends. They returned triumphant after the jaunt around Qualcomm Stadium, looking as if they had returned from …

“Our big, gentle bunny will provide a great photo op and hand out small bubble bottles.”

Our backyard’s prima donna moment comes in late March and early April. The wild lilac’s violet blue flowers complement the rose bushes’ magenta blooms. Orange and lime tree blossoms compete with the tiny pink blooms …

“Sometimes the kids have to solve a puzzle, and sometimes they have to take a quiz.”

Sitting in the sun, dreaming up Valentine’s Day for my man... Spoiled much, San Diego? I was thinking. Our problem here isn’t finding something to do, it’s choosing from so many options. Where I grew …

Cocoas with chemicals and some that prompt squeals

“The temperature heat followed by the spice heat...I like it.”

"New Year, new perspective,” I told Patrick. “You’ve never seen your city from above, except through some scratched-up plastic window in coach. What about a hot-air balloon? No windows, scratched or otherwise. Just a balloon, …

“I wrapped one with the Sunday comics, one in an old map, one in a beautiful silk scarf...”