Monday, December 4, 2017

We flew back to Minneapolis, stayed overnight, and caught a flight to San Diego on the 3rd. We are staying at a vacation timeshare in Carlsbad, California. It looked like a good place to visit, with lots of touring opportunities both north and south of here, and we booked the trip this past spring.

A few years ago, I submitted a sample to AncestryDNA. If you allow it, the Ancestry site will make your information public to other members who share your DNA. It’s been fun to review the information, but there were no surprises. Until a few months ago, that is, and after we had already planned this trip.

This summer, I heard from someone whose test indicated a relationship, someone I had not heard of before. He was born not far from me in Iowa, and was adopted as an infant. He never knew who his father was, and still doesn’t know for sure, but we’ve been able to narrow it down to his being either a first or a second cousin of mine. He lives in San Diego, so this trip provided an opportunity to meet him and his wife. We spent an enjoyable day with them, and will be spending some more time with them while we are here.

He looks like family! Similar coloring and similar profile, even his voice sounds somewhat familiar.

Dave and his wife took us to lunch at a lovely restaurant in Oceanside, Ruby’s Diner, then did a bit of exploring. They have plans to show us around San Diego, visiting some of their favorite sites. We’re looking forward to it.

We stopped in Cardiff-by-the-Sea to see the Cardiff Kook (not an official name,) a surfer statue on the beach. The locals enjoy sneaking over there at night to dress the surfer, even though it’s illegal. Currently, the Kook is celebrating someone’s birthday.