North San Diego County––not only a nice place to live, but a great place to vacation too. On a recent visit, our son introduced us to a couple of gems that we would never have found on our own. “Do you know the difference between a model and a miniature?” 
Hidden away in a business park near the Palomar Airport is the Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum, filled with tiny machines that actually work.
Volunteer guides provide commentary if you want, and demonstrate concepts in their machine shop displays.
A fun field trip for kids and adults interested in how things work. We found the whole place fascinating.
If you can’t get there in person, the Craftsmanship Museum’s website has plenty of information and demonstration videos, and is worth a visit too.
Tucked away in the rolling hills close by is the Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park, the country retreat of actor Leo Carrillo. 
Carrillo played Pancho in the old TV series The Cisco Kid and served as Goodwill Ambassador for California, too. 
The restored 27-acre park, owned by the City of Carlsbad, is promoted as a wedding venue and offers free tours on weekends.
See a short video about the ranch.
North County is the land of surf and sun. Nearby activities include a walk on the Oceanside Pier, where we saw egrets and pelicans waiting for tidbits from fishermen.
Just south of Carlsbad, visit Encinitas. On Sunday mornings, eat and stroll through the popular Leucadia Farmers Market at the Paul Ecke Elementary School just off North Vulcan Avenue in Encinitas. We had a beignet, or two, and bought a bag of sweet navel oranges.
At the south end of Encinitas, stop by famous Swami’s Beach,
We visited late in the afternoon, at low tide. 
A great place to watch the surfers and enjoy the sunset.
Even the library in Encinitas has a view.
Date of visit: January 2019. 
Travel Tales amongst my Ramblings 