My brother Mike came to town for a visit this week and we’re taking advantage of that to do some touristy things. Touristy isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a description of things that we typically do to show off our hometown (county) to visitors.

The first thing I did for the visit was break in the new smoker and cook a prime brisket. Thanks and kudos to my friend Terry for tips on pro-level brisket smoking with a Traeger smoker. My first effort turned out great – very rich, tasty brisket.

Mike and I took a classic touristy trip to the La Jolla area one day, visiting his happy place, the Torrey Pines Gliderport (which is coincidentally right next to my happy place, the famous Torrey Pines golf course). The gliderport is a unique spot and was a great place to get some practice in with the new camera. I’m happy with the results.

From there we went to another picturesque spot, La Jolla Cove. The cove never fails to deliver stunning views of wildlife and the rugged coastline in a mostly-serene setting. We were there on a perfect day – clear skies, cool temperatures, lots of seals, sea lions and birds on display and a crystal clear ocean. It’s pretty much an urban paradise. I was really happy with how the Fuji zoom lens performed here, but you be the judge.

We ended our touristy day with a visit to my favorite Socal taco place, Puesto in La Jolla. The food there is very good, with rich and unique taco creations. The kicker for me is that they have a great wine list full of Guadalupe wines, completely unique in my experience. Having just come from the Valle I couldn’t resist getting a bottle of Lomita Tinto de Hacienda, one of our favorite Guadalupe wines. Both Puesto and the Lomita delivered, comprising a great meal.

We returned home happy with our touristy day. Sometimes I wonder why we bother to travel much, as Socal has so much to see and do. But it’s a big world out there.