The weather is beyond perfect here. Clear desert sky and air cooled by the sea. Perfect everyday. That's what I'm told and so far I have no reason to doubt it (see below).
The architecture is very fine. Mostly Spanish/Mexican mission style. I like that.
Lots of military and lots of money here. Expensive homes, big boats, ego autos, great shopping and restaurants.
The harbor is beautiful, the water wonderful. Lots of old, tall ships and the aircraft carrier Midway is now a museum. I toured it yesterday. And old ex-pilot who was one of the many docents on board, told me the Navy still owns it but lets a civilian corporation run it as a tourist attraction. He said the Navy inspects it regularly to insure it's being maintained properly. Apparently another museum ship sank.
Because San Diego is perfect, the place is a madhouse--freeways filled with speeding cars, people jostling, running, in a hurry to get some where, jets taking off, jets landing (military, civilian). But everyone seems happy to be here roaring around in the fine desert air. I'm enjoying it, too.
I got my hair cut by a real Valley Girl yesterday. Said she grew up right here. Was dressed for the part, showing off augmented body parts to nice advantage, and her voice was high-pitched and you, know, like, a Valley Girl (she had to be in her late 30's).
If I was young and rich, I'd probably enjoy living here. I'm not, so I'll stay where I am.
Terry is done with her business after lunch today and we'll meet Eli and Bailey for an afternoon stroll along the water front and dinner. Tomorrow we catch the 6:00 AM train up the coast.
Life is good.
Douglas Arvidson is a past winner of the WICE/Paris Transcontinental International Short Story competition. His short fiction has been published in Paris, Prague, and in literary magazines in the United States and he was recently invited to be a staff writer for the Prague Revue, a cutting-edge, online literary journal (http://bit.ly/1mMT6ZC). The novels in his fantasy series, The Eye of the Eye of Stallion, include The Face in Amber, The Mirrors of Castaway Time, and A Drop of Wizard's Blood. His new novel, Brothers of the Fire Star, was selected as a finalist in the ForeWord Reviews 2012 Book of the Year national awards and as a finalist in three categories in the 2013 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards: Action Adventure Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Young Adult Fiction. It has become part of the pantheon of Pacific literature and is now included in school literature programs. Brothers of the Fire Star is an adventure story set in the Pacific during World War II and concerns two boys of different races and cultures who escape the island of Guam in a small sailboat when the Japanese army invades. They must then struggle to survive as they master the secrets of the ancient Pacific navigators. Appropriate for young adults as well as adult readers, Brothers of the Fire Star is available on Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com (http://amzn.to/1j3axVk) and Crossquarter.com. Visit the author's website: douglasarvidson.com
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