Reading at the Beach

We are having some warm weather today. It can't get much better than this; spending the day in front of the ocean with a good book.

Enjoy your weekend. I hope you spend it doing something you enjoy.

Nose to Nose

Welcome to San Diego International Airport. Here we have a US Airways Airbus 320 and a Southwest Boeing 737 preparing to take off.

I remember as a little child going to the SD airport to watch the airplanes take-off and land. I still get excited watching these big birds.

Founded in 1928, San Diego International Airport is the 30th busiest airport in the country in terms of passengers and the busiest single-runway commercial service airport in the nation. Here are the facts about San Diego's unique airport.

San Diego is responsible for setting more than 42 historical "firsts" in aviation. These include records for altitude, distance, speed, duration, in-flight refueling and aerial photography. Others include the first aviation radio and the first night flight.

(photo credit goes to my husband for taking another great photo from the cockpit of his plane)

Consignment

My sweet husband has been wanting to convert an extra bedroom into my very own office so we went in search of a desk. I want an old desk - nothing fancy. We searched the consignment shop downtown but came up short. Maybe I'll have better luck on craigs list. What do you suppose happened to the "N" on the sign?



Français:
n. - expédition, livraison, lot
adj. - expédié

Kayaks

This photo was taken at the Marina Cortez landing on Harbor Island. San Diego is a wonderful place for sailing and fishing and can be done year round due to our climate. I enjoy both and plan on doing a lot more of it. Life is too short!

I've always wanted to buy some kayaks - do I buy a single one or a tandem? Above water or below?

Frogs

Over the weekend, my husband and I headed for downtown to visit a furniture consignment shop (photos tomorrow). Since we were in the area, we dropped off bags of old clothing at the local Am Vets. This is where many people shop for second hand clothing and home furnishings. It's become a necessity for many to buy second-hand but can me shabby chic for others.

ANYHOW, as I was waiting to have the truck unloaded I looked up and saw this billboard. A little intimidting don't you think? If I joined Frog's Fitness, do you think they could teach me how to hold this pose? I MUST get to my yoga class tomorrow...

Have a fit week :)

Sunset

We had a lot of unusual cloud cover last night so I raced to the beach just in time to catch this lovely sunset. This beach in La Jolla is known to us locals as simply Marine Street. This was "our" beach in High School. The photo is untouched; aren't the colors amazing? I love nature...



I was surprised to see these children playing in the cold water with no jackets. Yes this is sunny San Diego but it does get chilly and the water is only 59(f) and 15(c)!!

I was not, however, surprised to see lovers on a sunset stroll as I was doing the same thing!

AMERICA'S SONG

Sorry this is not a picture of San Diego but I think you will enjoy this better. In our home, we are overflowing with joy over the changes the recent election has brought to our county. My husband, who became an American citizen after moving here from France, is so proud to be a part of this. No matter where you are in the world or where you are from, we would like you to join us in hope for a better future. May God keep us together...

turn up the volume and click on the bottom right icon for a full screen - playlist2 is my fav

Aerial - Downtown #2

Here is another shot my husband took from his airplane. He loves taking off in the morning just as the sun is rising. I like the way the sun reflects on the buildings downtown.

Just behind the buildings of downtown, is Balboa Park where we frequent often.

Have an awesome weekend bloggers!!

Coronado Bridge - Looking UP

Here's a different take on the bridge from yesterday.

Aerial - Downtown

My husband is a pilot and flies out of San Diego International Airport (located in the top left corner). He took this photo for me from his cockpit! The bridge below is the Coronado bridge connecting downtown San Diego to Coronado Island. You can drive to Cornonado Island or take the ferry. I prefer to take the sweet ferry ride...

Tomorrow I'll have another shot of the bridge from the sailboat looking up at the bridge.

Have a beautiful day.

God Bless America!

"There is not a liberal America and a conservative America - there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and latino America and asian America - there's the United States of America."

He had a dream...

Key excerpts From Martin Luther King's I HAVE A DREAM speech. 1963

"In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men - yes, black men as well as white men - would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds.'"

"It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual."

"The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people. For many of our white brothers as evidenced by their presence here today have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We can not walk alone."

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood."

"This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day."

"Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children."

"Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring—when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Sea Fig - Torrey Pines State Beach

This is a seafig (Carpobrotus chilenses) overhanging the cliff at Torrey Pines State Beach. Torrey Pines is my favorite beach - you can walk for miles and it's not to0 crowded. The cliffs are masterpieces and they seem to change every time I visit which is often.





I could look at the cliffs all day. They change color throughout the day as the sun changes direction.







This is a shot of the hill at Torrey Pines which takes you into the reseve. It's a hot spot for bike riders.

On this particular November day, myself, along with 5000 others walked the Breast Cancer - 3day. This was our first big hill which I had trained on for months. We walked over 60 miles in 3 days!

Balboa Park

I love the old buildings in Balboa Park - the nation's largest urban cultural park.

Resting Place

There is nothing like seeing a Grandfather holding his Grandchild.

Notice the lone person sitting in the **cold** waves to the left and the people on the sea-wall watching the seals to the right.

Don't forget to visit La Jolla Cove on your next visit to San Diego!

Hope

Artists: Eugene Daub & Steven Whyte

In celebration of my birthday, we went to The Fish Market at the harbor last night. I think it's our favorite place. Next to the restaurant, there is a Bob Hope Memorial with fantastic bronzed staues. (note - be sure to look at the last "hope" photo)



BYE BYE GEORGE W - HOPE IS ON THE WAY!!!

Lavender

My lavender is taking off - with the recent warm weather, it thinks it's summer. I almost feel guilty while so much of the country is under snow and ice.

ps: Merci Bergson for your technical advice. Today is my birthday and his help was a gift! Check out his fantastic photos http://chateaubriant-daily-photo.blogspot.com/
Merci Bergson!!!

Star Trek - The Exhibition

Who is this blue-eyed beauty?

Are you a true trekky? Find out here.

I work in IT and there are many Star Trek followers. I wonder why? I'm not one of them but thought the posters were great.

The exhibition will soon be leaving San Diego. Next stop: Arizona.

The Jogger

It's like summer here in San Diego. As of this writing it's 80 degrees outside (26 Celsius)! I'd rather be jogging along beautiful San Diego Bay than sitting at my desk, would'nt you?

Last Mango in Paris

Clever name. I met my husband in Paris while on vacation so the name "jumped" out at me.

What name would you give your boat if you had one?

Jalapeño

San Diego is only 30 miles from the Mexican border. We have many Mexicans living here and Mexican food is certainly a favorite among many.

Jalapeños peppers are used a lot in Mexican dishes and I grow them in my garden. I was lazy and let them turn red which I read is inferior in markets compared to the green.

The jalapeño rates between 2,500 and 10,000 Scoville units in heat. In comparison with other chili peppers, the jalapeño has a heat level that varies from mild to hot depending on cultivation and preparation. The heat, which is caused by capsaicin and related compounds, is concentrated in the veins (placenta) surrounding the seeds, which are called picante. — deseeding and deveining can reduce the heat imparted to a recipe that includes jalapeños. They also have a distinct acidic taste. Handling fresh jalapeños may cause mild skin irritation in some individuals. Some handlers choose to wear latex or vinyl gloves while cutting, skinning, or seeding jalapeños. (thank you wikpedia.com)

San Diego Hall of Champions

I went to a plant class on california natives this morning that was hosted by the City of San Diego's water dept. San Diego will soon be in a stage 2 drought so they are trying to educate people about planting drought tolerant plants. The class was held in Balboa Park. If you travel to San Diego, be sure to visit Balboa Park; it's my favorite place in San Diego.

After the class was over, I walked around and shot a few pictures. I love this statue outside The San Diego Hall of Champions. I remember seeing the same type of art in Paris and loved it.

The Hall of Champions is the nation’s largest multi-sport museum. It has three levels of memorabilia, a state-of-the-art theatre, an interactive media center and displays on the nation’s favorite sports.

Grace

Fishing in San Diego Bay

Today
I am living inside
My heart's rapturous divinity-ocean.
This is what my Lord's
Unconditional Grace
Has done for me.

- Sri Chinmoy

USS Midway

USS Midway is a museum now. She served 47 years. The Fish Market is in the foreground. We love having a drink on the back patio and watching the activity in the bay.

Coronado Boat

My husband and I love taking the ferry over to Coronado Island from downtown. This is a shot from Peohe's restauant with the San Diego Bay and Downtown San Diego in the background. This is hot spot for tourists in the summer so I like to visit in the winter when there are less people around.

Lifegaurd Lockbox

Lifegaurd Lockbox at La Jolla Cove

I love lifeguards. San Diego lifeguard history dates back to 1917. Today there are over 230 San Diego lifeguards, making this one of the largest professional lifeguard services in the United States. Of these, 70 work full time, year round. The San Diego Lifeguard Service provides excellent employment opportunities. In addition, our Junior Lifeguard Program, aimed at youths from 9 to 17 years of age, is an extremely popular program conducted each summer with an attendance exceeding 500.

Pleasure Point

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego commissioned Los Angles-based sculptor Nancy Rubins to create a permanent, large-scale work on the west side of the museum, which was completed on January 17, 2006. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Pleasure Point is an accumulation of rowboats, canoes, jet skies, and surfboards. Attached to the roof of the museum and cantilevered above the oceanview terrace, Rubins gravity-defying sculpture is held together under tension through welds and wire. It's quite amazing!

Happy New Year

Welcome to my new blog!

We spent New Years Day in Downtown La Jolla and then made our way over to Children's Pool and La Jolla Cove. What a beautiful way to start the New Year and what a beautiful city we live in.

In 1931 the sea wall was built from Seal Rock Point across the channel and onto Seal Rock, closing off the channel and the natural flow of water to the south in order to leave an enclosed pool area. The project was conceived and funded by local benefactress Ellen Browning Scripps and was dedicated as the Children's Pool. At that time there were no lifeguards in the area, and modern swimming pools were just beginning to develop. Today many children enjoy seeing the seals and benefit from learning about them. It is still "The Children's Pool." see http://www.lajollaseals.com for more info.

The brown pelican is the smallest member of seven species of pelicans. There are four subspecies of brown pelicans, two of which reside in the United States, the eastern brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis carolinensis) and the California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus). The California brown pelican, as of October 13, 1970 was listed as endangered on both the Federal and State level.