Two Score and Six

The month of April is not usually a warm one in San Diego, California. I suppose that the skies were grey and the nights gloomy with fog and chill.

April nights are often like that there. The cold Alaska current slides unhurriedly South, bringing balance to the otherwise unchecked warmth of California sunshine. On sunny days there, one can often feel the eddies of air warmed over the mesas and in the valleys, mixing with cool breezes coming in off of the water.

The storms there in April can be incredible. Vastly different from the sheer fury of a good Texas thunderstorm, the West's coastal weather system plays a different game. Oozing by slowly, the skies rain down with the unexhaustable outpour of countless days of Pacific vapor, now returned to condensate over the land.

It is the California Monsoon, and it happens almost every spring.

Summer comes late to San Diego. The "June Gloom" there is famous, and I for one always enjoyed it. Waking up every morning with a light overcast, one that burns off usually by noon, softens the harsh start of many a day. I wish we had that here in Galveston, too.

But, back to April in San Diego.

It was probably raining. It was most assuredly cold, and most likely damp with fog.

The faceless grey edifice then stood alone along the highway, looking then futuristic and huge. Today, it's still there, painted white and joined to towers much larger than itself.

Seven stories tall, it was. And, the staff on the fourth floor knew their jobs. This is what they did for a living, and it is what they lived for in so doing. Even so, they knew the rapidity with which things could go awry, and sometimes did.

They expected it to be so that night, as they had cause to bear such concern.

Kearny Mesa was then in the hinterlands, a place seemingly distant from San Diego. Roughly halfway between downtown San Diego and Mirimar Naval Air Station, Sharp Memorial Hospital stood a lonely sentinel along Highway 163.

And it was there, sometime in the small hours of darkness, where I was brought into this world by a very loving, but very, very ill Mom.

I do like to think that I made the most of the nineteen years she had left here on Earth, before she went on to be with the Lord in 1978. I really do. And, I really miss her, too.

The ensuing forty-six years have been tumultous ones. And yes, I would change a thing or two if I could. I do have a few regrets.

I think we all do.

Yet, here today I know I'm on treading the right path for what lies over my horizons. Difficult the past weeks might have been, but rewarding as well.

My friends here in Galveston, and your friendships out there amongst the sea of electrons have been a bulwark against the April storms and floods. Even if the blogosphere shut down tomorrow, I'd know that I have gained many a true friend here. For which, I shall be grateful for all time.

I don't wave stats here very often, but I'd call this a very nice birthday present from all of you:

TypePad Stats:

Posts (including this one): 191
Comments: 814
Total number of hits: 44,527
Average per day: 347.87
Today: 1,826*
In the last hour: 14
This week: 1,826*

* TypePad does screwy things with short term stats, but their total hits seems to track well with SiteMeter's Total Page Views, when added to pre-SiteMeter TypePad hits.

Site Meter Stats:

VISITS

Total 21,320
Average Per Day 203
Average Visit Length 1:26
Last Hour 13
Today 59
This Week 1,422

PAGE VIEWS

Total 39,197
Average Per Day 316
Average Per Visit 1.6
Last Hour 22
Today 114
This Week 2,214

Plus 13,918 visitors before joining Site Meter on December 9, 2003

Now that's the kind of present to burn off any fog or gloom.

So, I took the day off of work today. Yesterday, I went shooting, and did some serious window shopping over at Collector's Firearms. Damn, I could have bought myself so many neat presents there! But, *sigh*, I have to keep things like cat food and marina rent in mind, so I did manage to emerge from that den of temptation, unscathed.

But filled with gun lust, all the same. When I get $350 loose change in my pocket, there's a CZ rifle there with my name on it. One day my sweet....you'll be mine, all mine! MUHAHAHAHAHAH !!!

SLAP!!! okay, I'm all calmed down again, now.

Today, I'll run a few errands. One of which will be to pick up my new/used HP tower for the boat. I'm hoping it'll all work out well, so that I can get back online in the manner to which I'm accustomed. Let me tell ya.....blog-witdrawl sucks, big time.

But mostly, I'm going to relax and enjoy the day. It's windy here, and the next few days are forecast to remind me of April in San Diego. Strong winds, heavy rains and thunderstorms for the next two or three days.

Somehow fitting, I think. And yet, I will enjoy these next days. Every drop of rain, every gust which pulls the boat against taut lines.... I'll appreciate all the more.

And I'll share them with you. I'm looking forward to it.

Comments

[Denita TwoDragons]

Happy Birthday, Jim. Enjoy a good smoke and a glass of Maker's Mark, and visualize me hoisting my iced tea to you and wishing you many more years to come.

I have managed to make peace with most of the regrets I've had--yeah, there's a few that I'll probably never put to rest, but I figure hey, as long as I'm not insomniac with guilt or constantly watching over my shoulder, I'm doing a pretty good job with the life I was given. You should feel the same way too, m'dear! You're an honorable man with a strong sense of Right and Wrong, a heart of gold, and a level of depth most people don't achieve. Not to mention a brilliant knack for writing! :-)

--TwoDragons

[Yellowlegs]

Happy Birthday and this is one friend you've made and can count on.

[dragonfly jenny]

Happy birthday! I'm proud to be part of your blogiverse.

[loiq]

Every-time I read your posts I tend to look inside myself to see if I posess this depth.I do.But, I run into an emotional wall that chokes my words.You're a good read.

-J

[Tina]

Happy Birthday! I enjoy your blogs very much.

[Jack]

Happy birthday, Jim! Now, since I'm in transit to California for a few days I need to go over to the airport bar and buy a drink to celebrate!

[Linda]

Happy B'day "old man" ;)
I hope your celebration was a happy one.
Have many, many more!

[Jaydee]

Happy Birthday.

[Mollbot]

Happy Birthday, Jim. I also went to a gun shop this morning, and managed to get out with only ammo. I was sorely tempted by a set of grips however... and the H&K USP's are still calling my name...

Not to ask you to work on your Birthday, but do you have any recommendations for a good but not-too-expensive set of smooth wood grips for my Model 19? There was a set by a company that starts with "K" already on a gun at the shop, he said they would run me around $80. Can you beat that sir?

Email or comment, I'm looking forward to hearing from ya... but take your time to celebrate first, it's no hurry.

[A Recovering Liberal]

Feliz cumpleanos, you geezer ;^)
To what mailing address can I send some home-baked goodies?

[Raging Dave]

Indeed! Send me an addy so that I can send you a birthday present.

[Rey]

Happy Birthday Jim! You got April in San Diego exactly right I stood a lot of Quarter Deck watches in weather just as you described. I would love to go back for a visit but don't want to live there again. Rey

[Airboss]

Happy birthday

[Da Goddess]

Happy Belated Birthday!

Never knew we were neighbors once upon a time.

Hugs and kisses and many good wishes for you