San Diego County Supervisor Dave Roberts begins the Moby Dick Marathon Reading on the poop deck of the Star of India.
The Star of India is the world’s oldest ship that sails. It’s docked in San Diego Bay. Yesterday, from the barque’s 150 year old deck, a rare white whale was glimpsed like a snowy hill in the air, far, far away. The whale was just visible, a dim revelation, at the edge of human sight.
Mysterious and sublime, the elusive Moby Dick was seen by a fortunate few in the imagination’s eye, as readers took turns speaking words on pages that were written over a century ago by the great American author Herman Melville.
The wonderful Moby Dick Marathon Reading commenced at noon, and continued far into the dark night. The event was put on by the Maritime Museum of San Diego and Write Out Loud. I swung on by a few times, breathed in the mood, the salt air. I love the novel. It might be my favorite. I love the idea of reading atop the swelling sea, about a bright phantom moving darkly below, down in the unfathomable depths.
The Maritime Museum of San Diego and Write Out Loud created a cool event that hopefully becomes a yearly tradition.Diagram of Bark Star of India, launched as Euterpe on November 14, 1863 at Ramsey, Isle of Man. The world’s oldest active sailing ship and oldest merchantman afloat.An ageless volume of classic literature, published in 1851, shortly before the construction of this ship, was brought to life by many readers.Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail…Listeners follow Melville’s words with their own beloved books, or gaze out at the water on a fine summer day on San Diego’s Embarcadero.Kids walk up onto Star of India’s high poop deck. Perhaps the eyes of youth, probing the horizon, can discern the strange wonder of Moby Dick.Or age with its collected wisdom, staring into thin pages, might glimpse the white whale.White sails, yards, shrouds, ropes and open blue sky.Illustration on plaque found on main deck, showing a Pull on the Lee ForeBraces. The sails must be kept to the wind.Passionate reader turns the pages of Moby Dick. Melville describes many large cetaceans in the oceans of the world, but only one great white whale, nemesis of Captain Ahab.Painting of Star of India under sail by marine artist Frederick Wetzel. The historic three-masted bark is shown clearing Point Loma during a festive event back in 1984.Steering wheel and binnacle, instruments of navigation used by generations of restless, active seafaring men.The stern of our beautiful Star of India. A gigantic American flag billows in the sea breeze.A reader awaits his turn. Ishmael recalls his strange voyage side by side with varied characters, representatives of the human race, including a humane cannibal and a tyrannical captain.The sun’s horizontal rays splash sails with gold as another day nears an end.Ahab addresses Starbuck and crew: …it was Moby Dick that dismasted me…I’ll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn..and round perdition’s flames before I give him up…Vengeance on a dumb brute! cried Starbuck, that simply smote thee from blindest instinct! Madness! To be enraged with a dumb thing, Captain Ahab, seems blasphemous…Photo taken from wooden bench, over a skylight which provides filtered daylight for the ship’s elegant saloon below.Reading on into the twilight. Once begun, the great novel drives forward, pulling readers into its tragic quest for an unpredictable, dangerous unknown.Shadow moves across the deep.As the sun sets, by sheer chance it seems, Chapter 37 of Moby Dick is begun, titled Sunset.Light shines from behind the figurehead of the beautiful Star of India, a favorite attraction on San Diego Bay.Is that lone bird an albatross flown from Melville’s great novel? No, just a common gull in the dying light.The sky through ship’s rigging is tinged orange, red, purple and gold.Night comes on. Melville has already referenced the blackness of darkness. He now speaks about the whiteness of the whale, and the majestic, pure, terrifying color white.It was the whiteness of the whale that above all things appalled me.Before inevitable night falls and stars emerge, glowing color paints the world.Masts of tall ship Californian, of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, and a brilliant sunset. Unlike a fictional whale, these profoundly beautiful things are quite easily seen.
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A pleasure boat, two sailboats, one catamaran–everyone is out on glorious, blue San Diego Bay.
Here are some photos taken today during my walk. Nothing too earth-shattering. Just sunshine, birds, people, water, boats, music, love, life . . . and Chewbacca, Tom Cruise and Captain Ahab. Ordinary stuff.
Gull takes flight near fishing pier at Embarcadero Marina Park South.Folks relax as they listen to a small concert by a Seaport Village fountain.These talented kids playing classic rock tunes in Seaport Village form the band Gen-X!Chewbacca is hanging out with a Star Wars buddy near the USS Midway Museum.Looks like Tom Cruise has shore leave after landing his Top Gun fighter jet on that big aircraft carrier docked there behind him!Two enjoy the sparkling water beside the Cruise Ship Terminal.Students prepare to board the Star of India. A cool Moby Dick Marathon Reading is coming next weekend to San Diego’s historic tall ship.Throwing a rope as Maritime Museum of San Diego’s restored Swift Boat returns from a harbor cruise.
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Practicing acrobatic skills at the AcroLove Festival in San Diego’s Ruocco Park.
Okay, so I was walking along the Embarcadero this afternoon, among crowds of people who were simply enjoying the summer weekend, when I spied something out of the ordinary. Huh? What is that? I thought maybe my brain had been turned upside-down by the hot sun. No, I really was seeing about a hundred performing acrobats right there on the grass in front of me!
Was this a dance troupe having some sort of unusual party? Were they circus performers? No and no. I soon learned I’d stumbled upon the AcroLove Festival in Ruocco Park! It’s a cool event where people can practice acrobatic skills! Many of the attendees are primarily interested in yoga!
I strolled about the park for a few minutes taking some photos while trying not to be too horribly intrusive…
Both beginning and expert acrobats were linking limbs, lifting, swinging and contorting to create different amazing poses.All sorts of people were trying out different moves that appear to take a lot of strength and athletic ability.These guys told me what the heck was going on. I thought maybe I’d stumbled upon circus performers!Acrobats patiently learn correct technique on the grass of Ruocco Park in downtown San Diego.I don’t know the names of these many poses, but I saw people flying through the air and upside down all over the place.Two graceful acrobats seem to engage in a dance!
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Bronze sculptures of Our Silences, by Mexican artist Rivelino, are loaded onto a truck for transport from San Diego to San Francisco. Each figure weighs about a ton.
Last January I posted the blog: Our Silences and precious freedom of speech. I had walked down to Ruocco Park, just north of Seaport Village, to investigate an eye-popping new installation of public art titled Nuestros Silencios (which translated from Spanish means Our Silences).
The mysterious, monumental bronze sculptures, created by noted Mexican artist José Rivelino Moreno Valle, convey the importance of freedom of speech. The mouths of the huge anthropomorphic figures are each blocked by a metal plate; voices are censored and silenced. The emotional reaction the artwork produces is quite strong. In the past six months millions of San Diegans and visiting tourists have had the opportunity to be directly influenced by Rivelino’s thought-provoking artwork.
This morning I made another discovery! I was walking along San Diego’s waterfront when I noticed a crane lifting large objects near Tuna Harbor. I thought it was some sort of boating equipment being loaded onto a truck. As I approached, I suddenly saw the large objects were Rivelino’s sculptures!
I soon learned that Our Silences is on its way to San Francisco! (The sculptures were supposed to move to Los Angeles in March, but those plans changed.) The amazing public artwork will soon be situated on the north end of Harry Bridges Plaza, on San Francisco’s Embarcadero in front of the Ferry Building! They should arrive in time to take part in San Francisco’s Mex I Am festival, which showcases performing arts, culture, and ideas from Mexico.
Our Silences has been traveling around the world for about 4 years, making its potent statement in San Diego, Mexico City, and in numerous major cities throughout Europe.
But wait! Would you believe it? I was fortunate this morning to meet the artist himself! He was hanging out at Seward Johnson’s famous Unconditional Surrender statue just across the Fish Market’s parking lot, and I was graciously introduced and allowed to take a photograph!
Rivelino, smiling, showed me on his smartphone a new piece of public art that he’s been working on. Called Equality, it’s going to be installed in historic Trafalgar Square, at the center of London, England! Equality will consist of two huge sculpted index fingers, each pointing at the other. It seems that each massive finger is blaming the other. But people can stand in a space between the two sculptures, reach out and touch the tips of each finger, uniting both! I can’t wait to see photos when Equality is finally installed!
Very cool, indeed!
Rivelino smiles broadly as he supervises the movement of his monumental works of art!Our Silences will soon be exhibited at Harry Bridges Plaza, in front of San Francisco’s landmark Ferry Building.
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Flags are already out up and down San Diego’s Embarcadero the day before the Fourth of July. This gentleman was taking a break near the fishing pier behind the convention center.
I noticed today that folks are already in the Fourth of July spirit. During my walk along the Embarcadero, I saw flags everywhere. Tomorrow the waterfront will be jammed with hundreds of thousands of San Diegans and tourists, especially during the Big Bay Boom fireworks show which takes place at 9 o’clock. I’ll be watching, too! Don’t expect any photos of fireworks, however, because my modest camera isn’t quite up to that task!
Should you happen to stroll through Seaport Village on Saturday, Alamo Flags will be handing out 1000 actual American flags for free! I was once honored to receive one, and they’re great! Giving away flags is a tradition carried on by the owner, Mike Ismail. Because of his personal experiences, he’s very grateful to live in the Land of the Free.
Port of San Diego’s Big Bay Boom, an Independence Day Spectacular, will take place at 9 o’clock July 4. Several barges on the bay will launch synchronized fireworks.American flag on a pedicab. The driver is waiting for passengers on the Embarcadero, near the USS Midway Museum.Flagship’s Patriot speed boat is about to take folks on a thrill ride! Get ready to be splashed!A street performer wears the Stars and Stripes. Looks like he’s ready to go this Fourth of July weekend.Window at Alamo Flags in Seaport Village has a patriotic display. Mike Ismail, the owner, is proud and grateful to be a free American.Banners near front of Alamo Flags. The shop will give away 1000 actual United States flags on the Fourth of July!Tourists wearing Old Glory have disembarked at Seaport Village from a San Diego SEAL Tours cool Hydra-Terra vehicle, after taking a bay cruise.
USS Midway visitor takes photograph with selfie stick next to aircraft-launching Shooter mannequin.
I hope you enjoy a few photos I took recently of planes and people (and helicopters) on the flight deck of San Diego’s USS Midway Museum. The historic aircraft carrier served longer than any other American carrier in the 20th century, spanning five decades from 1945 to 1992. Countless amazing stories have been lived by thousands serving aboard the USS Midway, and many of those stories continue today as docents and volunteers relate their personal shipboard experiences to visitors from around the world. San Diego’s unique aircraft carrier museum, now over ten years old, hosts over a million visitors a year.
Midway’s large flight deck, enlarged from 2.8 to 4 acres in 1966, today features a couple dozen restored aircraft that represent different eras of modern military history. The internet is jammed with pages showing and describing these aircraft in detail, so I thought I’d just provide a quick flavor of what it’s like to walk out on the flight deck on a typical San Diego day. If you’d like to take the cool self-guided tour of the ship, which I highly recommend, plan to spend at least an hour!
Lady walks past F-14 Tomcat fighter jet on USS Midway aircraft carrier’s flight deck.Tourists at USS Midway Museum walk out onto one of the two horns that project over San Diego Bay.Sign describes how to read Navy flag signals.Man lingers near F-8 Crusader, the US Navy’s first supersonic fighter.People sit on benches listening to a docent talk about launching airplanes from Midway’s two steam-powered catapults.Guy checks out A-7 Corsair positioned to be launched from powerful catapult, which accelerated aircraft to 170 mph in about 3 seconds!Young couple takes a look at E-2 Hawkeye, an Airborne Early Warning aircraft.Looking south from atop the flight deck. Seen are the Unconditional Surrender statue, Tuna Harbor, and the Coronado Bay Bridge.USS Midway visitors enjoy a sunny San Diego day near EKA-3 Skywarrior.Visitors find out what it’s like inside a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter.Peering through cockpit of HO3S utility helicopter at the nearby HUP Retriever.This HO3S Dragonfly, first helicopter aboard the USS Midway in 1948, is undergoing restoration.Docent veteran talks about how aircraft landed on the flight deck using a tailhook and multiple arresting cables.Exhibit on Midway’s LSO Platform shows how Navy pilots landed in difficult conditions, relying on optical guidance.Navy pilot mannequin in flight suit stands near FA-18 Hornet, painted as a TOPGUN enemy aircraft.A-6 Intruder bomber on display near USS Midway’s superstructure.Volunteers work to restore SH-2 Seasprite, beyond orange nose of H-34 Seabat.The huge flight deck of the USS Midway Museum hosts visitors from around the world, special military-related events, decades of history, and never-ending activity on San Diego Bay.
Three Japanese warships are visiting downtown San Diego’s waterfront.
This afternoon I spotted three ships of the Japanese Self-Defense Force in San Diego. They were docked at the downtown Cruise Ship Terminal on the busy Embarcadero. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force must be training with the US Navy off our coast, although I find nothing about any joint naval exercises when I do a quick search of Google News.
A year ago I spotted three warships belonging to Japan docked in the same spot. I see the big training ship Kashima, of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, has returned. (Last year an article I researched referred to it as a landing ship.) I suspect the other two are destroyers, like last time.
It’s an interesting sight you don’t often see up close, so I took a few pics!
A sailboat on San Diego Bay checks out an unusual sight on a cloudy day.Bow of big training ship Kashima, of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
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Corroded plaque shows tallship, ironclad, early warship, aircraft carrier and jets.
I have received more information about the origin of the Navy Bicentennial plaque situated on San Diego’s Embarcadero near the USS Midway Museum.
Last September, I published the blog Help solve a Navy mystery in San Diego. This fascinating plaque is passed by thousands walking along our waterfront every day. It’s located on the Greatest Generation Walk among other military memorials and monuments, but even today there is no public information about what the plaque is or where it came from.
After emailing the Port of San Diego, last October I published the blog Unknown Navy plaque: Mystery partially solved! I’d been sent information that included a detailed description of the plaque. I also learned that the plaque had been moved from the Broadway Pier. But the exact origin remained unknown.
Then, out of the blue, two amazing things have happened. Cool San Diego Sights has received comments shedding light on the actual people who created this very important, historical plaque.
My name is William Abell and I was an ML3 aboard the USS Ajax AR6 and I helped create this plaque in the ship’s foundry in 1975. I have a certificate from Admiral J L Holloway III commemorating the plaque’s creation and my part in its creation. The date on the certificate is Oct 13, 1975. The plaque was to be a gift to the City of San Diego. I am now a retired police commander living in Monroe WA.
The second comment I received yesterday morning. It directed my attention to this blog post:
I am Molder Chief Petty Officer Jesse G. Lopez USN Ret. The foundry crew from Navy Repair Ship USS Ajax AR-6, created the pattern which was made by Patternmaker Chief Carlos De Santiago USN RET and molded by myself when I was a MLFN. Petty Officer Abell was our Third Class in charge of the molders.
AMAZING UPDATE!
I’ve received detailed information about the plaque, including photographs of its creation and creators! Click here!
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People at the annual Plastic Fantastic check out cars of the North County Corvette Club.
Here are some cool pics!
I was walking along San Diego’s waterfront today, with no destination in mind, when I stumbled upon a huge gathering of car enthusiasts! Members of the North County Corvette Club had come together for a fun day at Embarcadero Marina Park North, right next to Seaport Village. Their annual car show, dubbed the Plastic Fantastic, is said to be the oldest and largest all-Corvette show in the Southwest. There had to be well over a hundred perfectly gorgeous Corvettes gleaming in the San Diego sunshine!
This cool event benefits the club charity, the San Diego USO, an organization that serves active-duty, reserve, guard and military families. If you’d like, you can donate to USO San Diego here!
The San Diego USO benefited from the all-Corvette car show near Seaport Village.The King Lives–but he must be laying off the donuts, because it seems he’s shrunk a bit.Shiny metallic American flag inside the hood of a cool Chevy Corvette.Artwork on this slick sports car includes flames and a checkered flag.A racy paint job and a beautiful downtown San Diego backdrop.Lots of Corvettes were on the grass of Embarcadero Marina Park North, right next to San Diego Bay.Another colorful photo, with the Marriott Marina in the background.Corvette owners wait to hear which cars won show awards.It’s two o’clock and time to head home. Drivers are graciously thanked for attending!
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Summer must almost be here! I saw it on the above sign!
I also noticed lots of happy San Diegans enjoying a sunny day at the big waterfront park that surrounds the County Administration Building. Maybe the families had gathered because today, by sheer coincidence, was Mother’s Day. Seems likely!
Can you believe this popular park is already one year old? I still vividly remember the two ugly old parking lots it replaced! San Diego’s Embarcadero has become much, much more beautiful during the 15 years I’ve lived downtown.
Families just chill and have fun in the San Diego sunshine.It looks like a bunch of kids were put in huge hamster balls.This guy is testing his balance on some sort of board simulator.Kids play on the grass by a flag that flies above the San Diego County Law Enforcement Memorial.I’m approaching a special Mom Zone. Today is Mother’s Day!Free 5 minute massages for moms! That tent seemed the most popular!
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