Category Archives: News and Serious Stuff

Star of India Sails

Posted on by
2

Every so often the Star of India sails in San Diego Bay. I was clearing out some old photos and discovered this one from a few years ago. If you have seen this ship at all, it was probably lining the dock in downtown San Diego, but in case you didn’t know, this is the world’s oldest active sailing ship and still sails a few times a year with an all volunteer crew.

The Star of India was built on the Isle of Man in 1863. Iron ships were experimental at that time with most vessels still being built out of wood. Within five months of laying her keel, the ship was launched. She was originally named Euterpe after the Greek muse of music and poetry.

Euterpe was a full-rigged ship and would remain so until 1901, when the Alaska Packers Association rigged her down to a barque, her present rig.

She began her sailing life with two near-disastrous voyages to India. On her first trip she suffered a collision and a mutiny. On her second trip, a cyclone caught Euterpe in the Bay of Bengal, and with her topmasts cut away, she barely made port. Shortly afterward, her first captain died on board and was buried at sea.

After such a hard luck beginning, Euterpe made four more voyages to India as a cargo ship. In 1871 she was purchased by the Shaw Savill Line of London.

Subsequently sold to the Alaska Packer Fleet, her name was changed in 1906 to the Star of India to match the other vessels in their fleet. The Star of India made over 22 Alaskan voyages before becoming obsolete in the 1920s as steam power propulsion became more reliable than wind.

The Zoological Society of San Diego purchased the ship in 1926 for use as the centerpiece of a planned maritime museum and aquarium. The Great Depression in the 30s and World War II caused those plans to be put on hold and the Star of India lay idle until she was restored in the late 50s and early 60s.

Fully restored by 1976, the Star of India set sail as part of the United States’ Bicentennial celebration. 

Interesting Facts:

  • Launched five days before Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
  • Sailed twenty-one times around the world
  • Never fitted with auxiliary power
  • Went aground in Hawaii
  • Became an “American” ship by Act of Congress
  • Trapped in ice in Alaska
LOA212′
Sparred Length280′
Beam35′
Maximum Draft21.5′
Gross Tonnage1318
RigBark
View post on imgur.com

H-O-T

Posted on by
2

It’s hot and windy and very dry. I hear sirens and hope there isn’t a fire, but it’s fire weather for sure.

We have a heat advisory for the coast, and that’s crazy because the forecasted temperature is higher than for the local desert.

Check this out: 92+ degrees today at the beach. It’s a good day to drink lots of water.

From the National Weather Service:
“Another warm day is in store, especially west of the mountains. Many daily high temp records will likely be broken today. “

I figure it’s a perfect time to take advantage of all the solar and wind energy and do a few loads of laundry to hang outdoors.

Climate change?

2-2-22

Posted on by
13

This is supposed to be a special day, opening intense portals, but I don’t feel more glamorous or angelic or perceptive, so maybe I’m not aligned properly.

‘2222 PORTAL and 2222 is made up of the energies of number 22, the Master Builder Number that resonates with ancient wisdom, vision, idealism, and transformation”. From Healing Energy Tools.

We also have the energies of the new moon in Aquarius.

Last night I woke up at 2:23 a.m (!) I don’t know if it was a lucid dream or reality, but either way, I heard loud pounding on my side garage door. In that inbetween state before I fully awoke, I counted approximately ten loud booms like someone was kicking at it.

I never again heard that distinctive sound after I was fully and completely awake, heart rate elevated to about 1000, so I guess it was a dream, but how ODD.

If someone was really trying to break in (there have been a lot of robberies around here) it wouldn’t do them any good because that door is thankfully sealed completely shut and can’t be opened at all. Just to be sure, I checked, and everything looks untouched.

Maybe it was someone trying to break through my portal doors?

According to Magical Recipes Online, “Tonight opens the portal of the High Priestess. It’s the second day of the second month of 2022: 2/2/22. This is very intense portal which leads to the wisdom and the inner mysteries of the High Priestess, the one who can channel the Moon! This portal will stay open until 22nd of February; 22/2/22. DO NOT attempt to open doors you are not ready for. Secrets can be liberating but also deadly! Magic is very very intense! TONIGHT, BE READY TO MOVE FORWARD. REMEMBER: DO NOT ‘UNLOCK DOORS’ IF YOU ARE NOT READY.”

That makes it all even more confusing. Oh my…

No, I didn’t burn down the house, not this time…

Posted on by
2

If you saw a fire engine in front of Casa de Enchanted Seashells, it wouldn’t be too surprising because I’ve accidentally almost burned it down a couple of times. Stupid candles…

This time, however, the hook and ladder was here because I spotted smoke off in the distance at the lagoon. There was no way to give dispatch a precise address, so they sent the engine here so the firefighters could see what I had observed and then they’d know where to go.

It turned out that one of the firefighters not only was present at last year’s huge fire a few blocks away, but he knew my son from high school, so we had a lovely chat about that sort of thing.

He taught me how to determine what kind of fire it was by the color of the smoke, which was super interesting. In this case though, they weren’t exactly sure themselves what we were looking at, so they drove away to check it out.

I asked if I could ride along with them, but it wasn’t possible, I’m sorry to say.

I had errands to run and when I returned, the smoke was gone, so I assume whatever it was got resolved. We often have fires from the homeless that live at the lagoon along with hot and dry conditions, ripe for a major incident, so I’m glad I did my civic duty and called.

Here’s a link to the major fire January 2021:
https://enchantedseashells.com/2021/01/20/fire-in-carlsbad/

PS The photo is from yet another fire on the lagoon from a few years ago in pretty much the exact same location as the smoke from yesterday. What I saw was half the size of what’s in the pic, thank goodness.

Rest in Peace, Thich Nhat Hanh

Posted on by
2

Today is a sad day; another truly good human has transitioned…

The International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism announced “our beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh passed away peacefully at Từ Hiếu Temple in Huế, Vietnam, at 00:00hrs on 22nd January, 2022, at the age of 95.”

In honor of his life of kindness, how about we do this:

Practices to help cultivate self-love and loving-kindness from Sister Dang Nghiem (ordained as Dharma teacher by Thich Nhat Hanh).

From her book ‘Flowers in the Dark’ (Parallax 2021)

Update on Saturday to add this from the Dalai Lama:

“In his peaceful opposition to the Vietnam war, his support for Martin Luther King and most of all his dedication to sharing with others not only how mindfulness and compassion contribute to inner peace, but also how individuals cultivating peace of mind contributes to genuine world peace, Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh lived a truly meaningful life. I have no doubt the best way we can pay tribute to him is to continue his work to promote peace in the world.” https://bit.ly/35dUncV

The Longest Night

Posted on by
6

Is this a planetary version of the dark night of the soul?

Photo by Alex Azabache on Pexels.com

The winter solstice marks the shortest day north of the equator and the longest day in the south. The sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. This is the southernmost latitude it reaches during the year. After the solstice, it begins moving north again and the days become longer and brighter until the summer solstice in June.

For us in Southern California, the time of the solstice is 7:59 a.m. about the exact time this will be posted.

Light some candles tonight, think happy thoughts, and hope 2022 is a year of good health, love, and abundance in all forms.

A Winter Solstice Blessing

May you find peace in the promise of the solstice night,
That each day forward is blessed with more light.
That the cycle of nature, unbroken and true,
Brings faith to your soul and well-being to you.
Rejoice in the darkness, in the silence find rest,
And may the days that follow be abundantly blessed.’

(Author unknown – if you know the origin, please share so I can link)

Peaceful Lagoon Views

Posted on by
2

Every single time I walk to the lagoon, I’m continually grateful that we saved its beauty and historical significance from being raped by a disgusting LA developer who wanted to build a shopping mall on the south shore.

Only in Carlsbad would a completely out-of-touch city council support a project so harmful to the community and the environment, totally annihilating the significance of this land.

What a travesty that would have been!

Rancho Agua Hedionda was a 13,000 Mexican land grant given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Juan María Marrón. (Wiki)

Before the Spanish plundered their homeland, Agua Hedionda Lagoon and the surrounding lands were once the sites of two densely populated Luiseño villages. The Luiseño people lived and worked along the shores of the lagoon, making tools, preparing food, engaging in ancient ceremonies and holds possible sacred grave sites.

I don’t remember reading this at the time, but in 2005, centuries old remains of two horses and a burro were found on the land on the south side that is now populated by a hotel.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sdut-centuries-old-bones-of-horses-unearthed-in-2005jul17-story.html

Serenity…

Looking up…

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

Posted on by
9

No eclipse viewing for me, the sky was overcast last night!

Let’s all be aware of the signs of pancreatic cancer.

My mom had CA of the pancreas, even though she had very low risk factors. Back when she got it, the only way to know for sure was to open her up for exploratory surgery. After that, it was a brief three months until she died.

I miss her every day. I’m sad she died when the original Angel Boy was only six and never got to see him get his doctorate from Yale, get married, and have his own Angels. She loved him so much and was such a big part of his life that he started calling both of us “Mom” and we’d answer in unison, “Which one do you want?”

We took care of her here at home with hospice support. Although she was able to tolerate high doses of morphine, the pain was overwhelming.

About ten years before an official diagnosis, she was consistently nauseous after eating and started taking papaya enzymes.

With her vast medical knowledge as the head RN at a local hospital, she probably had a really good idea what was wrong with her but did all she could to find any other reason for her symptoms. She had her gall bladder and spleen removed but nothing helped. As it still is, pancreatic cancer is a death sentence.

It’s the same horrible disease that killed Alex Trebek, Steve Jobs, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Patrick Swayze.

The most significant symptom I’d suggest to be aware of is nausea after eating. Start keeping a journal and get to the right doctor as soon as possible.

We need more research to stop this terrible disease.

Image

November Lunar Eclipse | Blood Moon

Posted on by
5

On November 19, 2021 (late evening of the 18th in some time zones), the Moon passes into the shadow of the Earth, creating a partial lunar eclipse so deep that it can reasonably be called almost total.

I love all phases of the moon but a full moon is particularly beautiful, don’t you agree?

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. In this eclipse, up to 99.1% of the Moon’s disk will be within Earth’s umbra.

During the eclipse, the Moon moves through the western part of the constellation Taurus, my own sign, so I’m excited about that!

The same phenomenon that makes our sky blue and our sunsets red causes the Moon to turn red during a lunar eclipse. It’s called Rayleigh scattering.

Light travels in waves, and different colors of light have different physical properties. Blue light has a shorter wavelength and is scattered more easily by particles in Earth’s atmosphere than red light, which has a longer wavelength. Red light, on the other hand, travels more directly through the atmosphere.

When the Sun is overhead, we see blue light throughout the sky. But when the Sun is setting, sunlight must pass through more atmosphere and travel farther before reaching our eyes. The blue light from the Sun scatters away, and longer-wavelength red, orange, and yellow light passes through.

I hope for a clear sky tonight. In Southern California, the eclipse will begin at 10:02 p.m. on Thursday and will last for a little over six hours, the longest one since the 1400s.

Info curated from SciTechDaily

Immediate Help Needed | Emergency Situation!

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve only asked for help one other time for a wolf rescue that was in dire need, now I’m highlighting an absolute earth angel who devotes her life to rescue.

I have vetted Virginia and can vouch for her honesty and passion for helping animals. I donated what I could and asked my son to do the same (and he did.)

If you can spare anything at all, this is a very worthy cause. Thank you.

From the post I received:

This is an emergency situation….

IMMEDIATE NEED: PLEASE SHARE.

Dog found in Mexicali with 2 broken rear legs. Surgery needs to be done ASAP to save the legs and allow him a chance to walk again (he’s just a pup!). With surgery, he has a chance not to be paralyzed, according to vet. He needs all- a rescue, a place to land, a place to recover. He needs surgery, $800 for both legs.

if you can help please contact Virginia Ramirez Wright who never walks past those that need help, but she needs an organization to help this soul. For right now, please consider a donation directly to Virginia, as she has care of him and is working with the vet:

Via Paypal:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/vicky1660

THANK YOU AGAIN and please share.