Blue Sky Hiking

Hiking in the mountains of San Diego on a cloud filled day in the Blue Sky Trail was amazing. The hike was not for the weak at heart or spirit. The climb was steep, and the reward spectacular.


Trees burned from the recent fires... surrounded by new life...



Beautiful vistas and, of course, Blue Skies....


Anne Frank:

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.

President and First Lady of the UNITED States of America

"The light of the new age is here"...  (Forrest Whitaker)

After taking the oath of the Presidency with his hand on the Bible last used by Abraham Lincoln, our new President made his way to commune and celebrate this historic moment with the people that helped put him in office

A beautiful couple and family to represent our great country. I am Proud to be an American.

I finally feel that my history will no longer relegated to a few chapters on Slavery, demeaning descriptions of the natives who inhabit the "Dark Continent", or the few larger than life hero's and heroine's assassinated before for their belief in equality and justice, by fear and hate filled white men. I belong here. Just as you belong here with me.

From the Emancipation Proclamation and Abraham Lincoln ~ The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. Adopted December 6, 1865.

To Franklin Delano Roosevelt whose New Deal was extremely helpful to African Americans and other minorities, but who also declined to vote for anti-lynching legislation to preserve his southern voter constituency...

To Martin Luther King, Jr. who saw the vision of equality and justice realized in his dream..but did not live to see it to fruition. Who had great faith in the potential that this nation could transcend its own moral ineptitude..

To John and Robert Kennedy.... to all of the unsung, unspoken and unknown heros who fought and died for the rights of those who had no rights....

To a man, who at one time would have considered worth only 3/4ths of a white person.. sworn into the highest position in the Nation, if not the world (can't be too ethnocentric) taking the oath of the Presidency with his hand on the same bible used by Lincoln...

To each one of us, who are alive to witness this sea change toward hope, empowerment and contribution.

"I am asking you to Believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington... I am asking you to believe in yours"...  ~Obama

She Shows Her Stress In Her Feet

"Is it time to go home yet? I keep clicking these damn shoes, but nothing happens"

I heard my mobile phone ring... (it has the ring of a traditional door bell), but I was tired of de-briefing our day... a few hours spent at my parents home.  I let the phone go, mostly because I had to answer the front door, or at least see if I was going to answer the front door. (Turned out, I was not).  When I called my sister back, we were immediately into our session. 

Today's visit to my Mom & Dad's comes on the heels of the 3rd cancel of her planned knee replacement surgery that began in September 2008. From that point to today, our family has been trying to prepare for her recovery. She has canceled 3 times. This time, because she has a sore throat, the time before that was so she would not ruin Christmas. My sister and I secretly think this sickness was a convenient coincidence with the Inauguration of one President Obama..but I degress.  Though I know and understand this cancel is for the best in terms of her health, it is still frustrating for some reason. She canceled yesterday, after all of us, myself, my sister, my brother in law made plans to be away from work and other obligations in order to be there for her... for the 3rd time. My supervisor at work simply giggled in empathy when I told her the news.. I would be in the office (except for tomorrow..for obvious reasons).

Anyway, today's visit to Grandma's was the first since my niece's birthday on the 17th. When we arrived, her grandmother had nothing for her. Nothing. The card she had was still in the Rite Aid bag that she got when she purchased it. Sitting at the dining table with my niece, grandmother tells her to go get a pen so she can sign the card. She gives the card to the new teenager and then tells her to go find 50 dollars in her purse. Then the grandmother makes a big deal out her extravagant birthday gifts. I could not bear it.

We were there for 3 hours and it was quite difficult for me to remain calm and patient. Between the birthday dismissal and the surrounding clutter, I was near my wits end. The phone call this evening from my sister was to tell me that my niece told her she could tell I was stressed out at grandma's house. When my sister asked her why she thought that, my niece said, "Well when we first got there, Auntie was walking around lightly, but as time went on, she was walking really hard. I think she shows her stress in her feet".

Classic, n'est pas?

Misty morning... don't see no sun

December 30th brought a fog bank into San Diego harbor... it felt like another city. The fog horns blowing, the cold, wet breeze covering the city... misting your skin... fizzing your hair... loving every minute of this unique morning in a city that is usually sunny and 72 degrees of perfection. The pace of everything slowed to accommodate nature.


"Misty morning, don't see no sun, I know you're out there somewhere, having fun. There is one mystery, yes, I just can't express. To give you more... to receive you less. One of my good friend say, in a reggae riddim, "Don't jump in the water, if you can't swim". The power of philosphy, floats through my head, light as a feather, heavy as lead..." Bob Marley







View without the fog

Scenes from December 2008

Fire Goddess Christmas


Dolphin flying to the Star of India