Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to conquer it.
Walk up Fifth Avenue in Bankers Hill and you’re likely to see some inspiring chalk art. Words of wisdom prompt those passing by to think about courage, wishes and hope. Here are some photos.
Two of the life affirming messages adorn a community library box located next to the front entrance of a safe haven for the homeless. A brave lion roars nearby. Uptown Safe Haven features transitional housing, supportive services, and hope. It is the project of Episcopal Community Services. The chalk art speaks of their mission.
If you’d like to learn more, or if you’d like to consider volunteering through this program to serve those in need, please click here.
Never stop making wishes. Life affirming chalk art in San Diego’s Bankers Hill neighborhood.The only thing stronger than fear is hope.
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People walk through the breezeway between MCASD and the Santa Fe Depot. Three large portraits address the theme of political and domestic violence.
Unusual, thought-provoking works of art are currently on public display in the outdoor breezeway between the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and the Santa Fe Depot. I happened to see them the other day while walking through downtown to catch the trolley.
Close family members who have survived domestic and political violence appear in three large photographic portraits. The photos have been boldly augmented with paint to highlight human resilience and courage. According to a nearby description, these works are part of the FOCUS Binational Exhibition and were created by MCASD’s Teen Advisory Group. The artwork reflects an exploration of strategies for coping with violence and trauma.
This thought-provoking work of art suggests an older gentleman has a complex, deeply personal story to be told.A proud portrait augmented with laurels suggests one woman’s story ends in triumph.An arresting work of art glimpsed in downtown San Diego near the Santa Fe Depot. A strong woman rises from the turbulent ocean. Part of MCASD’s FOCUS Binational Exhibition.
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Flags and flowers are placed where the fallen now rest.
Today there was a moving Memorial Day ceremony at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. I attended.
Here are some photos. Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, located on Point Loma high above the Pacific Ocean and San Diego Bay, is the final resting place of thousands of American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, and their families, who served their country with courage and honor. Many who are buried in this hallowed place fought in different conflicts spanning our nation’s history, right up to the present-day War on Terrorism. Because of its amazing natural setting, many say Fort Rosecrans is more beautiful than even Arlington or Normandy. As you can see, it’s a special place.
A Memorial Day rose adorns a solemn grave marker at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.American flags at the grave markers around the USS Bennington Monument. The granite obelisk remembers those sailors who lost their lives when the warship’s boiler exploded in San Diego Bay in 1905.Love and respect are shown for those in the military who pledged to protect their countrymen, and defend freedom. They are honored on Memorial Day.Walking among silent rows of white. Many gave the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.Many old granite markers at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery recall decades and centuries of history.A marker reads: “Lydia Hunter died from complications resulting from the birth of her only child, a son named Diego Hunter, the first American born in San Diego. Diego was born 20 April 1847, Lydia died 6 days later. May we honor her and each of those women who served with the Mormon Battalion.” Members of the Mormon Battalion made the longest military march in U.S. history. They marched over 2000 miles from Iowa to San Diego in 1847.People assemble in front of the rostrum where the Memorial Day service will be conducted at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.People from all walks of life have gathered together to honor those who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.While people take their seats before the opening and introduction, Marine Band San Diego provides music.The color guard comes forward. Those attending the ceremony sing the Star Spangled Banner and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.Some patriots in the crowd wave small flags.Veterans salute. Respect is shown for the flag.The color guard exited along the side where I sat, allowing me to take a couple of good photographs.Members of a high school ROTC program carry the United States and California flags.Folded flags are presented to families of fallen heroes. Everyone watching was very attentive and quiet.An address about different forms of love during Memorial Day. The moving speech was given by Major General O’Donohue of the 1st Marine Division in Camp Pendleton.Ceremonial wreaths approach the rostrum. Many organizations presented wreaths, including the Knights of Columbus shown here.Various ceremonial wreaths are displayed in front of the assembled people. Tokens of love, gratitude and respect.Finally, taps is played while the cemetery flag is lowered to half staff. Salutes included three rifle volleys, a musket volley, and a cannon.A bagpiper, after playing Lament for a Soldier, exits across the green grass, where the fallen lie eternally.The ceremony is over, and those visiting the cemetery fan out to pay their respects. The Marine Band remained seated for a bit of concluding music.A Navy officer walks down a cemetery driveway, which overlooks the channel entrance to San Diego Bay.Walls around the cemetery contain columbarium niches for cremated remains. Naval Air Station North Island and downtown San Diego are visible in the background.Walking along the columbarium. Its plaques identify loved ones.These two guys had bouquets in their backpacks. They are gazing along the Point Loma peninsula in the direction of Cabrillo National Monument.A deeply moving sight. Solemn rows of white on rolling green hills. Volunteers have provided every grave with an American flag and rose.Member of the next generation among those who came before.The living walk thoughtfully through Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.More grave markers and a small plaque nearby.The markers in this memorial area honor veterans whose remains have not been recovered or identified, were buried at sea, donated to science, or cremated and the ashes scattered.After the Memorial Day ceremony, some people linger to view the floral tributes and the flag-draped Casket of the Unknown Soldier. The plaque behind the rostrum contains President Lincoln’s famed Gettysburg Address.And now almost everyone has departed.Plaque near Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery entrance has lines from The Bivouac of the Dead, a poem by Theodore O’Hara.The main entrance plaque at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. The flag flies at half staff.Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is also a California Registered Historical Landmark.Several monuments near the cemetery entrance memorialize tragic events in U.S. military history, including ships lost in action.Flags in the breeze. A cloudy day. People atop the hill gaze down at the eternal ocean.Looking beyond grave markers toward a hazy blue horizon.A beautiful old tree rises from the Earth. Life persists.A slow, thoughtful walk.Youth replaces a red rose that was blown by the wind to the ground. He doesn’t realize that someone is watching.
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Do you like to read short pieces of thought-provoking fiction? You might enjoy checking out Short Stories by Richard.
One of the San Diego Fire Department’s two firefighting helicopters fills its water tank using a hose lowered into the San Diego River in Mission Valley.
I was lucky late this afternoon to capture some cool action pics! After work, I was eating at Jack in the Box in Hazard Center when I saw a helicopter swooping rapidly down toward the nearby San Diego River. A hose was dangling underneath, so I knew it was a firefighting helicopter arriving to suck up some river water!
I hurried down to the center of the action to watch and snap a few photographs. It’s the first time I’ve witnessed this activity up close.
Someone on the river path said there was a fire to the northwest in Linda Vista, but I couldn’t see any smoke. I watched five different instances of helicopters filling their tanks, then the action ceased. The fire must’ve been quickly contained.
A wildfire must be nearby because here comes a firefighting helicopter swooping rapidly down over Mission Center Road and the raised trolley tracks toward a wide spot in the San Diego River!The chopper slows and carefully makes its descent in order to suck water into its belly tank to eventually drop on a wildfire.The air from the rotor blades causes spray to fly up from the surface of the San Diego River. Several joggers and walkers on the nearby paths stopped to watch.The long hose quickly sucks a good quantity of water from the river. The pilot is highly skilled, hovering the helicopter close above the water, steady as a rock.A couple minutes later one of the San Diego County Sheriff’s three firefighting helicopters arrives! You can see the external belly tank underneath the chopper’s body!This firefighting helicopter got so close to the water I had to hold my breath. These brave hero pilots are amazingly precise.ASTREA is the Sheriff’s Department aviation unit. Up their aircraft goes, quickly swinging overhead and heading to the northwest. Someone thought there was a fire in Linda Vista, but I didn’t see smoke from the bottom of Mission Valley in any direction.A San Diego Fire Department chopper has sucked up more water from the river and flies in a big hurry again toward the northwest! The fire must have been small, because the action above the river didn’t seem to last for more than 15 minutes.
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Three bronze fishermen on Shelter Island together reel in a large tuna.
A monumental bronze sculpture in Shoreline Park on Shelter Island has become an iconic image. The Tunaman’s Memorial, by artist Franco Vianello, dedicated in 1988, honors the courage and hard work of generations of tuna fishermen in San Diego. The 9,000 pound sculpture depicts three individuals pole fishing from a boat of the once-large tuna fleet out on the Pacific Ocean. The history of San Diego’s tuna fishing industry contains generations of life stories. These unwritten stories involve fishermen who immigrated from many different nations, including Italy, Portugal and Japan.
One polished side of the sculpture contains names of fishermen who were pioneers in our region, and those who were lost at sea. An inscription reads: Tunaman’s Memorial honoring those that built an industry and remembering those that departed this harbor in the sun and did not return. Anthony Mascarenhas.
The Tunaman’s Memorial on Shelter Island is a 9,000 pound bronze sculpture honoring generations of diverse fishermen.Tuna fishing in local waters was once a major industry in San Diego.Polished side of Tunaman’s Memorial contains names of San Diego fishing pioneers, and those who were lost at sea.This iconic sight on Shelter Island provides a glimpse back in history, at those in our community who worked the sea.
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Walking past a plaque which is engraved with one of many important quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.
I frequently walk along the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade in downtown San Diego. Whenever I do, I like to randomly read some of the historic MLK quotes that are engraved in plaques along the long pathway. I’ve never counted the number of quotes. There are easily dozens. Every quote on every plaque is important and powerful, and reflects the intelligence, energy, optimism and wisdom of America’s great civil rights leader.
Here are photos taken at different times of a few of Dr. King’s quotes…
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed.The deep rumbling of discontent that we hear today is the thunder of disinherited masses, rising from dungeons of oppression to the bright hills of freedom in one majestic chorus.Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can only be done by projecting the ethic of love to the center of our lives.We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the Earth like brothers.Two people walk side-by-side down the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade in downtown San Diego.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.The democratic ideal of freedom and equality will be fulfilled for all–or all human beings will share in the resulting social and spiritual doom…The greatest victory of the civil rights period was something internal…We armed ourselves with dignity and self-respect…We straightened our backs up…The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.Any law that uplifts human personality is just, any law that degrades human personality is unjust.Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.Breaking the Chains sculpture, by Melvin Edwards, reminds people on MLK Promenade of the positive legacy of a great civil rights leader.
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Jeff, a challenged athlete who benefits from Operation Rebound, at a special marathon Spreckels Organ concert.
Right now I’m sitting at my computer on Cortez Hill, not far from Balboa Park. Sometimes I imagine–for a brief moment–that I can hear music drifting in through the window. Whether my ears are deceiving me or not, I do know that the huge Spreckels Organ is booming across the beloved urban park at this very exact moment.
How do I know this? Because San Diego’s own Civic Organist, Dr. Carol Williams, is playing the king of musical instruments today for twelve and a half hours straight! In addition to setting a new official Guinness World Record for organ playing, she’s raising money for Operation Rebound!
Operation Rebound is a division of the Challenged Athletes Foundation. They help American military personnel, veterans and first responders who face permanent disability, but who have a passion to compete in sports. An active lifestyle can help greatly when it comes to both mental and physical health. Here is their website.
The unique event today at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion helps to raise money, so that wounded warriors can obtain expensive prosthetics, specialized equipment, and funds for travel as they compete in sporting tournaments.
It is a most worthy cause.
You can donate right now! Even a few bucks helps! To do so, click here!
Operation Rebound table had images of wounded warriors who have turned or returned to sport. This organization helps challenged athletes with their expenses.Dr. Carol Williams, San Diego’s Civic Organist, is playing for over 12 hours to help raise money, plus to set a new world record!The beautiful Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park is the scene of an important Memorial Day weekend event.Jeff talks movingly about how Operation Rebound has helped him. Wounded warriors who engage in sports often need funds for prosthetics, travel to tournaments, and special equipment.At a table nearby, people were creating greeting cards that thank our troops for sacrificing for our freedom.One handmade heartfelt card reads: You Rock! Thank you for your bravery, dedication, and amazing strength.
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Tinted morning sky above Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial.
Early this morning, just as the sun was beginning to rise, I arrived at the top of a mountain. It had been a long while since I visited the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial.
Located in La Jolla, north of downtown San Diego, Mount Soledad is a place of stunning views and great natural beauty. And a place filled with memory and feeling. Thousands are honored here for unselfishly serving their country.
Plaques on six concentric walls each remember an American hero, some who are living, many who’ve passed away into history. At the center rises a tall white memorial cross, erected in 1954 to honor Korean War veterans. The subject of controversy over many years, the cross will soon stand protected on private land. The National Defense Authorization Act for 2015 contains a provision that will convey the cross to the Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial Association.
Like a mosaic, eternally shining black granite plaques cover the low, curving walls; they tell the diverse stories of uniformed members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard, plus those who served in the Merchant Marine during World War II. The walls will ultimately hold 3,200 names.
If you have a loved one who is serving, or who has served, you can purchase a plaque. Here is the memorial’s website.
Sun rising on eastern horizon illuminates top of concentric walls of the memorial.The cross is a landmark that can be seen for many miles in every direction. The flagpole is bare at this early hour.Early morning visitors to Mount Soledad take photos of the 29 foot high cross.Looking south over part of La Jolla toward Mission Bay and Point Loma. Downtown San Diego is visible on the far left.Beautiful yellow flowers, grass and benches are found about this mountaintop monument to all veterans.Gazing over curved walls containing memorial plaques toward the Pacific Ocean in morning light.Friendly gentleman keeping the Mt. Soledad Park clean is grateful to work up here surrounded by so much beauty.Photograph of the historic, controversial cross taken from its base.Plaque states the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Cross was dedicated in 1954 as a tribute to those who’ve served in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.Veteran volunteer prepares to proudly raise the American flag.The Stars and Stripes is carefully attached, ready to be lifted into the wide, blue sky.The volunteer momentarily lowered the flag to half-mast, to honor the fallen. He then raised it to the top and showed his respect.Plaque at base of flagpole.The friendly volunteer was happy to show me around the memorial.Names of donors on special bricks.Pointing out notable names and heroic exploits that shine on the walls.Photo plaques honor both living and deceased members of United States uniformed services.These memorialized vets served honorably in eras and conflicts throughout our nation’s history.Jeffrey Scott Taylor of U.S. Navy killed in action in Afghanistan in 2005.Plaque on Mt. Soledad honors and remembers prisoners of war, and those missing in action.Herman Henry Hanneken, Brigadier General of U.S. Marine Corps, served in many wars long ago.Famed band director Glenn Miller was a great morale builder during World War II.General “Black Jack” Pershing fought victoriously, from the late 19th century through World War I.Rear Admiral Thomas William McNamara has a plaque on Mount Soledad.U.S. Army Corporal Alfred W. Stewart helped liberate the Philippine Islands during WWII.Pharmacist’s Mate Third Class Howard Manuel Gonzalez of the U.S. Navy is honored.Harry Herman Heimple was a highly decorated U.S. Air Force Colonel during the Vietnam War and Desert Storm.San Diego local hero Jerry Coleman, a baseball legend who served with great patriotism in two wars.Audie Murphy, one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II.General and President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s plaque is added to a host of other plaques representing those who served with equal honor.Commander in Chief Harry S. Truman began his military career during World War I.Jack Kramer served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Second World War. He helped create modern professional tennis.The four Nicosia brothers fought in different military branches in several theaters of war.Famed Army General George S. Patton is remembered for his storied service to our country.Legendary movie actor James Stewart was promoted to Brigadier General after 27 years of military service.Pappy Boyington was a scrappy fighter pilot ace of the U.S. Marines during World War II.Dedicated to Jewish Chaplains who perished while in service to their country.Sir Winston Churchill, who defended Britain from the Nazis, was made an honorary American citizen.Patrol Bombing Squadron Eighteen. To men like them we owe our freedom.The brave, meritorious Tuskegee Airmen of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.Michael A. Monsoor, a Navy Seal and Medal of Honor recipient who sacrificed his own life to save his comrades in Iraq.I’m shown an often updated book that lists the positions of every plaque by name.The volunteer at the memorial dutifully rings eight bells.The Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial is a place of moving stories, and many heroes.
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Murrugun the Mystic from AMC television hit Freakshow begins his busker festival danger act with fire eating.
Today I witnessed the grittiest performance I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a few.
I went to the Seaport Village Spring Busker Festival today and enjoyed a number of excellent, very entertaining acts. But the one that really stood out was performed by Murrugun the Mystic. He’s one of the stars of the AMC television reality show Freakshow.
While in a great deal of pain, Murrugun was first in the world to shoot a flaming arrow out of his throat! Let me describe his entire act…
Unfortunately, I filled up my camera’s memory card midway through his fire eating, just before he got to the really big stuff. At the end of some more conventional (but great) fire eating tricks, he really wowed the crowd. He filled his throat with a large quantity of kerosene combined with light gasoline, then produced two MASSIVE fireballs from his mouth. You had to see it to believe it! These balls of flame must’ve measured 6 feet in diameter. Oh, man! It was a bummer my camera ran out of memory! Afterward, he promptly rinsed his throat out with mouthwash and then water, because the flammable mixture is highly carcinogenic.
Next Murrugun balanced his entire body weight on a demonstrably sharp samurai sword. He leaned over the horizontal blade and supported himself on his stomach, lifting arms and legs from the ground.
Next came the bed of nails. I was volunteered, along with five other guys in the crowd, to help Murrugun wow the gathered audience. Each of us tested the nails, and while they weren’t sharp as pins, they were definitely pointed. Murrugun lay on the bed of nails, placed a board over his torso, and four of the guys, weighing a total of about 910 pounds, stepped up onto the board! I and another fellow helped to balance the four. Ouch! While this sort of thing has been performed for thousands of years, and the many nails effectively support a whole lot of weight, I wouldn’t want to be sandwiched between them and the combined mass of four guys!
Now the show got interesting in an alarming way. Murrugun used a very long pole to support “The Knives of Death”. I believe that’s what he called them. These five long knives faced downward from a ring, and should they topple down from the top of the pole, they’d probably impale poor Murrugun. I’m not sure how his act was supposed to proceed. The knives were balanced atop the pole. Suddenly down came the knives from on high and Murrugun lay flat on his back. The knives mostly missed him. But one sliced his leg. A good three inch gash was visible, and blood. He seemed stunned. He very gingerly hobbled to the back of the stage area, checked himself, and it looked to me like he then decided to tough it out. The audience didn’t seem to know how to react. Like them I just watched, astonished.
He was obviously hesitant and in pain. He told us he’d now perform a world’s first. He’d shoot a flaming arrow from his throat.
I could see his hands visibly trembling while he tried for a few seconds to piece two slender hollow rods together, which formed the shaft of the arrow. He gradually composed himself. He lubricated the long shaft, which was possibly two to three feet long, lit the pointed end, then proceeded to swallow the unique arrow. He bent over, and after attaching the arrow end to a slingshot-like device, shot the arrow out of his throat and through the air! He missed the balloon in the bullseye, perhaps 10 or 15 feet away, but not by much!
I know that street performers–and circus and carnival sideshow performers–have a difficult profession and can endure a lot of hardship. But what I witnessed this afternoon was truly heart-rending and impressive. It seemed no amount of pain could slow down Murrugun’s showmanship and passion for his art.
Murrugun the Mystic noted that because Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus have decided to eliminate elephants from their show (the news just out), perhaps there’s a chance the circus sideshow will make a comeback. That is Murrugun’s wish and personal mission. Can you help make that happen? Here’s his Facebook page.
Thanks, Murrugun, for privileging me to be a tiny part of busker history! Good luck!
Murrugun the Mystic makes his grand entrance near Seaport Village’s gazebo in the Plaza East.Fire eating preceded balancing on a sword, being crushed on a bed of nails, enduring knives of death, and shooting a flaming arrow from his throat!
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Participants in Susan G. Komen three day walk fighting breast cancer.
As usual, I ran into an unexpected cool sight during a walk. I was returning home from Balboa Park early this afternoon when I noticed a bunch of people wearing pink lining Park Boulevard. Sure enough! San Diego’s Susan G. Komen three day walk to raise money to fight breast cancer was underway. It was heading down the homestretch!
I took a bunch of pics as I continued home along the route of the walkers. They had roughly one more mile to go until the finish line at downtown’s Petco Park stadium.
San Diego walkers cheered by pink-wearing supporters on Park Boulevard.Mile 59. Just one mile to go to the Petco Park finish!Lots of fun pink stuff greeted the walkers along their route.Guy helping with traffic wears pink and lots of pins and buttons.Encouraging signs were everywhere along this beautiful section of the San Diego route.Someone stenciled LOVE on the sidewalk.Hydration station awaits some oncoming anti-breast cancer walkers.Cars coming down the street honked and featured optimistic messages.San Diego police officer wears pink for the special occasion.Someone wrote a personal encouraging note in chalk on the sidewalk.This cool bystander guy has a pink mohawk!U GO GIRL
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