A View Outside

This is a view out of our front door. One of the things that I liked most about this house was the wrought iron fences. Today I liked the way that the light hit it.

Sunset

This is the sun setting over Point Loma. It was kind of a random shot that I didn't think came out very well at the time. After a second look, I kind of liked the effect.

Fisherman's Wharf

This was my view as I ate lunch today. The Berkley in the background is one of the ships in our maritime museum. Behind that is the Monarch of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. These are "regulars" on the harbor. What caught my eye, though, was this gentleman in the foreground. He stopped on the busy boardwalk and cast his fishing line into the water. Looked like he was enjoying himself (didn't see him catch anything though...)!

Memorial Day

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. My grandpa, uncles, father-in-law, brother-in-law and husband all served in the military, and thankfully all came home safely. Today we remember all of those who did not come home, and celebrate with all of those, like the recipient of the sign in today's photo, who did.

Can anyone guess where we were tonight?

County Administration Building

I work near the San Diego County Administration building, and walk past it most days at least twice. I was out with my camera and noticed that it has a lot of interesting architectural features. This eagle caught my eye.

May Gray and June Gloom

In San Diego the months of May and June are often chilly and overcast. This is the time when the desert to our east is heating up the air - that air meets the always-cold water. The cold water helps keep our weather mild, but when it meets that warm air, we get what is called the "marine layer", a thick layer of clouds. We call it "May Gray" or "June Gloom." We look forward to days like today, where the sun comes out in the afternoon. I liked the way the sunset reflected in the car today.

Springtime?

Springtime must have been good to these little guys. All of the sudden, they are everywhere!

Voyage of Discovery

The MV Explorer was in San Diego. This ship also serves as a university campus for the Semester at Sea program. The students get to visit many different countries and study about the cultures. Sounds like a great experience, doesn't it?

USS Reagan

In case I haven't mentioned, San Diego is a military town. We have two (soon to be three) aircraft carriers based here. This one is the newest, the USS Reagan.

By the shore

One of my favorite places to eat along the bay is Anthony's, right next to the Star of India (part of the maritime museum). For those lawyers out there, this Star of India is one you may have read about in a first year contracts class.

Saving Lives

With so much coastline and so many tourists, San Diego needs a lot of lifeguards. They've got a lot of responsibilities - ocean rescues, coastal cliff rescues, marine firefighting, scuba and uderwater search and recovery, river rescues, and law enforcement. We're lucky yo have these talented folks to help keep us safe.

Boats at Mission Bay

This photo of kayaks in a marina in Mission Bay added some color to an otherwise typical grey May day.

(from the City of San Diego website)

Mission Bay boasts 27 miles of shoreline, 19 of which are sandy beaches with
eight locations designated as official swimming areas.

Swimmers and sun
lovers are drawn to the excellent surf conditions and soft sand Mission Bay’s
beaches offer. Mission Bay offers boat docks and launching facilities, sailboat
and motor rentals, bike/walk paths, basketball courts, and playgrounds for
children. It's one of San Diego's most fun-filled spots to visit. Public
restrooms and showers are available and lifeguard stations are located in
designated areas.

Nestled in the west end of the beach is a network of
channels and islands - a perfect spot for everyone from wind surfers to water
skiers. It's your choice to swim, enjoy the sun, rent a boat and explore the
thousands of acres of waterways.

Many people prefer to stay on shore and
spend their leisure picnicking, riding a bike along the paths, playing
volleyball, or flying a kite. There are close to 14 miles of bike paths along
Mission Bay.

Bleak

While out driving near Mission Bay Park, I saw this scene and thought it reflected my mood today - bleak. Still sad from the loss of Gracie, I walked out on the jetty to get a good shot and saw a family of stray cats.

I can be happy that my Gracie, who started life off as a stray, had a loving family and a better place to sleep than these fuzzy little guys.

My Gracie

goodbye my little friend...

It's a sad day in our house. My sweet kitty Gracie had to be put to sleep this afternoon. She was about 10 years old and today we found out that she had an aggressive form of cancer in her jaw. She was in a lot of pain in the last couple of days and had stopped eating. We'll miss her very much. This picture was taken as we were taking down the Christmas decorations this past January. Here's another nice one...

Walking in Balboa Park

You may be able to tell that Balboa Park is one of my favorite places for photography - lots of opporunity.

My six year old son saw this shot while we were walking thorugh the park at lunch. He liked the way the lights looked overhead all in a row. He's got a good eye in general - a future shutterbug?

On a side note - I'll have to get this shot someday in the evening. The lighting looks very cool after dark.

Reflections

This photo could have been taken anywhere... not a great insight into my lovely city... but I liked the way it looked.

PanAmerican Exhibition

Carol (St. Paul Daily Photo) reminded me about Balboa's Park's hisory with the Panama Canal (through which I just cruised). The park was created for the Pan American Exhibition which celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal in 1915.

This carving, above one of the buildings, shows a ship sailing though the Panama Canal and has the date 1915.

Summertime...

We've had unseasonably warm weather here in America's Finest City for the last week. Certainly feels ike summertime! And what feels more like summer than Little League baseball?!

Time for Pizza and Beer

Well, thanks to Kris of Szentes Daily Photo, I've been craving pizza. While Filippi's is my favorite and has, in my opinion, better pizza, BJ's has better beer.

BJ's brews their own ales and lagers. Pictured left are a couple of the fermenting tanks they use to make their ales.

View from a Cruise Ship

At long last, back from our cruise vacation through the Panama Canal. Thanks to nyerinsd for publishing my photos while I was gone!

This is a view from the deck of the MS Zuiderdam. We are watching the sun rise as we sail into San Diego Bay. I expected our usual "May Grey" for our entry back into the real world from vacation-land, and this crystal-clear, warm morning was a real treat.

Balboa Park Sights Day 7

Balboa Park Sights - Day 6

Balboa Park Sights - Day 5

Balboa Park Sights - Day 4

Balboa Park Sights - Day 3

Balboa Park Sights - Day 2

Scene in Balboa Park - Day 1