THURSDAY, APRIL 30
I ride by the bay
and sea then sit and marvel
how blue the sky is.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29
This BLOG entry is dedicated to The San Diego Museum of Art. I took these photographs of a few of my favorite paintings in the Museum. If you haven't visited lately, go soon.Sin Titulo by Yves Tanguy
AFTER A VISIT TO THE SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART... I WROTE:

FOR NEVER WAS A STORY OF MORE WOE

Mad blood boiling,
the boy was in love.
Shakespeare knew but Romeo didn’t
that a romp in the woods
with boys would have been safer.

The Nile floods, engorges,
inflames, incites.
Pluto frowns coldly, old.
Mars and Pleiades tease.
Taurus blusters.
Aires waits.
The Moon is down.

And they told me when I was young
every toadstool has an elf under it.

The Corn-poppies by Georges Braque
The Molo from the Basin of San Marco, Venice by Canaletto
Guardian Angel, an Indian Ivory
Study for Phidias in the Apotheosis of Homer by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Woman Reading by Eastman Johnson
Lady by Diego Rivera
The Blue-eyed Boy by Amedeo Modigliani
White Lily by Georgia O'Keefe
Portrait of a Young Man by John Opie
Still Life with Peaches by Raphael Peale
Young Girl in Front of a Window by Suzanne Valadon
Fishing Village by John Henry Twachtman
Eve of Saint John by Peter Hurd

TUESDAY, APRIL 28
The spider that has taken up residence outside my house reminds me of Walt Whitman's poem which speaks of a spider but is really about the restlessness and fragility of the human soul.
A NOISELESS PATIENT SPIDER
by Walt Whitman

A NOISELESS, patient spider,
I mark’d, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated;
Mark’d how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding,
It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself;
Ever unreeling them--ever tirelessly speeding them.

And you, O my Soul, where you stand,
Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,--seeking the spheres to connect them;
Till the bridge you will need, be form’d--till the ductile anchor hold;
Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.


Click on an image to see it larger.

MONDAY, APRIL 27
TO BE OR NOT TO BE

Hamlet was only half right.
To be or not to be
is the question
not so much about self slaughter
as self revelation.

“Tell them everything you know,
and they’ll know more than you do,”
my Father always said.
“Keep the mystery.
They can’t take that away from you.”

Keep them guessing.
Make them wonder.
Show enough to fascinate.
Tantalize with fleeting glimpses.
Never more than intimate.

My friend Tom Wagner sent me the two turtle pictures which I've posted after the poem. I must also credit the idea for the poem to Tom. Some of the language is from an e-mail he sent to me after I asked about where the turtles spend the winter. I found his answer, like some other conversations he and I have had, to be cast in the language of poetry; so I took it a step further and made the poem. (For you English teachers and other language purists, I know you will understand why I thought twice about the use of further instead of farther in the previous sentence... and then settled comfortably on further.)

MYSTERIES

I have noticed how rocks arrange and rearrange themselves
in places where there is no tide, no strong wind.
Sand slips subtly to reconfigure the landscape.
My own inner space shifts in ways I don’t control.

When spring comes, turtles reappear after hibernating
through the long winter to redecorate northern lake shores.
How do they know to burrow again into the mud and sand
in November to hibernate until the ice goes out?
How do they know when it’s time to resurface?
How do they know when they’ve found the right place
to deposit their eggs so they will hatch under warm summer sun?
How do the hatchlings know about the mud and sand?

My friend says the turtles are one more example of the mysteries
of our creator, so I ask why the creator didn’t get right to the point
and make things easier to understand, simpler to explain to children.
He says he and children like the mystery of sand and rocks and turtles...
Photo by Tom Wagner
Photo by Tom Wagner

SATURDAY APRIL 25The Middle Eastern man and San Diego City Councilwoman Donna Frye were two members of our community at the fair today who are typical of Linda Vista's diversity.I LIVE AT THE EDGE OF LINDA VISTA, ONE OF SAN DIEGO'S MOST DIVERSE AND COLORFUL COMMUNITIES. The annual street fair today was definitely a rainbow coalition. Tuan Phat, a primarily Asian supermarket, anchors one of the oldest shopping centers in America. The highlight of the fair is a parade with all constituents of the community represented by floats, musical groups, and ethnic association marching bands. Guy Henry and his two boys, Miles and Garrett obviously enjoyed rides that would have made me loose my breakfast.





AFTER THE STREET FAIR TODAY, Margaret, Jim and Irene Fudge, and I went to La Mesa to Barbara Vent's Spring Open Garden tea. The Irises are still in bloom, but they will finish soon. The roses are also blooming, and they should be beautiful for the entire summer. We enjoyed a cello duet by Willis and Margerie.



You may want to click on the images to see the flowers bigger.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24
METRO

I was asked to serve as photographer for a very special graduation in San Diego today. All of the individuals receiving certificates completed a life and job training course after having been released from prison. The school is sponsored by METRO SAN DIEGO, a ministry of the United Methodist Church. The people not wearing caps and gowns are presenters or special speakers. The little boy is the son of one of the graduates. I was reminded today of the importance of hope.