A Heartwarming Story of Adversity

I read an article in the Coast News for August 10 and wanted to share it in case you did not see it. Perhaps you have even heard of this 17-year-old from Del Mar.

ROY PERKINS is an amazing young man and a tremendous swimmer. He has several world records and a bunch of American and Pan-American records as well. And he has set his sights on winning GOLD in Beijing at the Paralympics.

What makes his especially impressive is that he was born without hands or feet. I can't even imagine...

Here's the link to the on-line story. Read it - it will make you feel good! And you'll be pretty impressed.

The Del Mar Race Track

I attended my first races at the Del Mar Race Track yesterday. I haven't been to the races for many years, and never to the Del Mar track, so it was great fun to see this landmark, also the site of the San Diego County Fair and many other expositions. We got to enjoy the Stretch Run/Infield area, as I was there for a real estate networking event with ActiveRain folks and the Sellsius Blog Tour USA.

There are a number of choices of where to sit, depending on whether you want a seat or not, would like to dine, and where. Admission ranges from $5 to $25 - you can buy tickets at the track or on-line.

Parking seemed pretty adequate (although I understand that Opening Day on the 18th was mobbed). Parking is $8 but you can also Valet Park for $20.

Racing season this year (with the new PolyTrack to provide increased safety for the horses and riders) runs from July 18 through September 5. It's worth the trip if you have not been before.

North County, San Diego? Or San Diego North

So which is it? North County? Or San Diego North?

It was really confusing to me when we moved here in 2005 and settled in Carlsbad. Everyone referred to the area as North County, and until I looked into it I thought it was a separate county. I know it's not. So what does North County refer to?? What towns are included and which ones are not? I think this is still a confusing issue. But I have a general idea.

I understand where it developed from. With the rapid growth of towns like Oceanside, Encinitas, Cardiff, Carlsbad, Escondido and other "suburbs" of San Diego following the 5 being built, and with many towns (also including Del Mar, Solana Beach) becoming incorporated beginning in the 50s, it became common to refer to the northern reaches of the county as North County.

I recently read an article in the San Diego Magazine that talked quite a bit about this area and its growth. There is now a push to refer to the area as San Diego North to better link the region to the rest of the county. This push is coming from Cami Mattson Director of the San Diego North Convention and Visitors Bureau. The article talks about her branding of our region as an area for resorts such as those found in Santa Barbara and Laguna Beach (guess they are referring to places like Aviara and La Costa, to name a few). So the pressure for referring to the area as San Diego North is part of this branding effort, as I understand it.

I don't know that it makes a difference. And it really doesn't matter to me. I am just getting used to calling the area North County so I'm not sure I can change that readily. And I'm not convinced it really will make a difference to the economics of the area - perhaps in the advertising. We'll see.

So what do you think? Does the name North County confuse you? What about renaming the area? Do you even care? I'd love to hear what you think.