Carlsbad Is A Dangerous Place

Posted on August 6, 2026 by Enchanted Seashells

Here’s a message to those of you who are planning summer vacations: You might want to ignore all the feel-good ads and PR campaigns that attempt to lure visitors to this no-longer-little OR charming beach town. Find somewhere else to spend your money.

There are more and more incidents of violent crime.

This one occurred early Sunday evening where an alleged career criminal was arrested for a road-rage stabbing and assault following a minor traffic crash on the northbound Interstate 5 off-ramp to Tamarack Avenue, (this is near me!) The perpetrator allegedly flew into a violent rage after rear-ending their vehicle. The victims were in their twenties and hospitalized.

What exactly is going on here? Here’s a few more from The Coast News:

Carlsbad photographer Robert Koester gets 40 years for sex crimes

CARLSBAD — A professional photographer previously sentenced in San Diego County to 25 years in state prison for sexually assaulting teenage girls during modeling sessions..

Suspect charged in March stabbing near Carlsbad train tracks

CARLSBAD — A 21-year-old Oceanside man has been charged in connection with a March stabbing that left a victim with life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

What will it take for city leaders to have a wake-up call? Hello??? They are head in the sand clueless. Here’s some examples of what council meetings look like while violent crime is on the rise:

-Instead of fixing our crappy roads, the city is asking for ideas about how to decorate a couple of traffic circles and a freeway underpass.

-The city spent I don’t know how many millions for a new park, Veteran’s Park, which. no veteran asked for, because if they were queried, I bet they’d say they preferred the money was used for things like safe housing and FOOD.

–Supervisors are giving away helmets to ebiker kids in Carllsbad. Comments on social media are so apt and awesome, and mostly talk about the reckless driving of these pre/teenagers, and observe (rightly so) that if their parents can easily afford a thousand dollar+ ebike, they can absolutely bear the cost of a helmet, which many of the kids don’t even wear.

These are examples of what our friends and neighbors are concerned about: wasted and misspent money, and the rise in crime. I don’t have any personal complaints about our police force; I think they are doing the best job they can, but the city needs to find a better way to keep us safe.

Daddy Day Lineup, International Surfing Day, and Summer Solstice

Posted on June 20, 2026 by Enchanted Seashells

Surf lineup, that is!

Twenty-four hours early, but Happy Bio/Step/Deadbeat Daddy Day, whichever one applies.

Today, June 20, is International Surfing Day. This global event brings together an estimated thirty-five million surfers and ocean enthusiasts worldwide. It celebrates surf culture while driving awareness for ocean conservation, and highlights the need to protect coastlines, reduce marine pollution, and keep beaches safe and accessible.

Along with International Surfing Day and Father’s Day, it’s pretty cool that June 21 is also the longest day. The Summer Solstice occurs at the moment the earth’s tilt toward from the sun is at a maximum. On this day, the sun appears at its highest elevation.

Spiritually, the summer solstice is a powerful energetic turning point that symbolizes illumination, abundance, and the triumph of light over darkness.

As the longest day of the year, it represents the peak of the sun’s life-giving energy, encouraging us to awaken our inner power, celebrate our growth, and nurture our spirits.

Happy Summer Solstice , International Surfing Day, (and Father’s Day)!

Energy is Powerful

Posted on March 28, 2026 by Enchanted Seashells

There was a mysterious blackout in SoCal Thursday night, from North San Diego County all the way up to Orange County. More than 100,00 people unexpectedly lost power at around 7:40 p.m.

The electric company simply said it was “under investigation” with no reported reason for the outage.

Of course, there are lots of theories floating around on social media, including an attack on our power grid or an EMP (ElectroMagnetic Pulse), which is a sudden burst of energy that disrupts or destroys electronics.

“A high-altitude EMP attack could paralyze the power grid and communications”.

From Reddit: “Most likely someone hacked into the control/management system and brought down the entire system from northern San Diego to South OC.”

State officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom, have not issued any statements regarding the incident, more than 12 hours after two of California's most populous areas lost power - which is home to more than six million people. Moreover, the state's Office of Emergency Services did not even acknowledge a large-scale blackout had taken place, with the agency's website and social media accounts making no mention of the incident as of Friday morning. Despite the complete absence of communication from state officials, residents in the blackout zone captured frightening video of drivers speeding along pitch-black roads with no traffic lights or street lamps working.
'California is having a night straight out of a disaster movie,' one person said on social media. --Daily Mail

It’s a good thing I have so many candles; it was actually quite lovely to sit in silence and flickering candlelight until, suddenly, without warning, the power came back on.

Here’s the meaningless word salad response from the electric company:
“Early information indicates the event originated on the regional transmission system, which serves multiple communities across SDG&E’s service area. In response to grid conditions, built-in safety measures briefly interrupted service to help protect the larger electric grid.

We are supporting the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state’s electric grid, in their review of system performance. We know outages are disruptive, and the safety of our customers, employees, and communities remains our top priority.”

None of that really answers any of our questions, and as I wonder what the REAL story is, I suggest that we all stock up on candles and generators and power banks, just to be prepared for any future eventuality.

Fabulous Freesias

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Enchanted Seashells

I really wish you could close your eyes and inhale the fragrance of these freesias. Our weather’s been hot here in SoCal and all the flowers bloomed at the same time.

Isn’t that vase adorable? I found it at a thrift shop and it’s one of my favorite things.

Have You Ever Seen a Hummingbird Moth?

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Enchanted Seashells

This is another post in my continual quest to NOT allow current events to cause mental and emotional distress. I don’t actively ignore the news; instead, I’m trying to manage my visceral reactivity, if that makes sense.

I didn’t get good pics of March’s full blood moon, but look who I discovered on the deck this morning! He didn’t look too perky so I put him near a flower and hope he rallies…

The White-lined Sphinx Moth, Hyles lineata, is a common “hawk moth” (Family Sphingidae) and gigantic at almost four inches! I’ve seen them around here on very rare occasions but have mistaken them for hummingbirds because they’re so big.

Hummingbird moths are excellent, beneficial pollinators, especially for night-blooming flowers, helping gardens and ecosystems thrive, though their caterpillar stage might munch on host plants like tomatoes, a minor trade-off for their adult benefits. They are harmless to humans, mimic hummingbirds, and are crucial for plant reproduction, making them a positive addition to any pollinator-friendly yard.

Hummingbird moth symbolism often centers on luck, transformation, peace, prosperity, and longevity, appearing as a messenger for change or a sign to look closer at life’s illusions, blending butterfly themes (change) with hummingbird traits (joy, flexibility) as they are mimics of hummingbirds and symbolize a spiritual connection to nature’s deeper messages and joyful living.

My Scrub Jay Family Returns! CORRECTION!!!! This is a Western Bluebird!

Posted on January 21, 2026 by Enchanted Seashells

Update: A kind reader commented and asked if this was actually a Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) and after some research, I’m convinced he’s correct! I automatically assumed it was the same scrub jay family that returns every year, but this is a much smaller bird.

I might rewrite this entire post to reflect the correction, but for now, as you’re reading, just replace Scrub Jay with Western Bluebird and it all works out.

My blueblue California Scrub Jay family has returned to build a nest in the tree house. While so much is WRONG in this world right now, the fact that these birds reappeared is heartwarming.

While they don’t use the same nesting material year after year, jays often return to the same location, referred to as site loyalty. They are very attached to their home ranges, and pairs often stay together for multiple years, leading them to build new nests in familiar spots within that territory.

How lucky am I that these guys feel safe here at Casa de Enchanted Seashells!

Welcome home!

I can’t resist a connection to Leon Russell. Although it’s not at all about blue birds, his song, Bluebird, is musical perfection. Sadly, I don’t think there’s a video of a live performance. https://youtu.be/Zhaq-wWykZU?si=6fegLI90ZUqI-N5q

Cloud Art

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Enchanted Seashells

These clouds are works of art.

I like what Bob Ross said about painting clouds: “Let’s build us a happy, little cloud that floats around the sky.”

Clouds of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

(Photo credit to Enchanted Seashells)

Ode To Our Ocean

Posted on December 9, 2025 by Enchanted Seashells

This photo was taken at the beach on a spectacularly warm December afternoon. The sky was blue and the Pacific Ocean was full of sparkles; a magnificent day.

Ode To Our Ocean

The sea sings out to its many saviors:
Teenagers with fists thrust into the air at climate strikes,
Scientists converging around their data,
A child who stoops to scoop up a piece of trash.

The sea sings out for its singular subjects:
Arching whales that wave from their waves,
Turtles that teeter down their shining shores,
Coral reefs shining brightly as cities.

The sea sings out its suffering,
Knowing too much of waste, screeching sounds
And pernicious poison, its depths bruised by
Atrocities in the Atlantic,
Misery in the Mediterranean,
Its tides the preservers of time past.

The story of the ocean and the story of humanity
Are one and the same, a Great River that
Knows no borders and notes no lines,
Only ripples.
While we might call it the Seven Seas,
Today we sing out your true name:
The one ocean.
For no matter how we try to separate your waters,
You are the colossus that connects us.

Water makes up 70% of Earth,
70% of the human heart,
And 70% of the human being,
All of us, bodies of water,
For we, too are oceans,
Or at least beings bobbing in the same boat.
To stand up for for our ocean
Is to stand up for our own ship
The sea is a restless, strong collective of many pieces.
So are we.
The ocean can recover.
And so will we.
Let us not divide the tides,
But discover all they have to teach us–
Green meadows of sea grass that survive pathogens,
Blue-bloodied marine snails that can fight off viruses.
There are more lessons to learn,
Still more work to be done.
So we lift our faces to the sun.
May the seas help us see healing and hope,
May we sing out the ocean’s survival and revival.
Being the people of this blue planet is our most
Profound privilege and power,
For if we be the ocean’s saviors,
Then it is surely ours.

Written by Amanda Gorman for World Oceans Day. Harvard graduate Gorman is an American poet, activist, and model. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora. Gorman was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate.

Winter Sunset

Posted on November 25, 2025 by Enchanted Seashells

No green flash, but a gorgeous sunset after a sunny, warm day in SoCal.

A “green flash” is a rare optical phenomenon seen briefly at sunrise or sunset, where the sun’s upper edge appears to flash green due to atmospheric refraction. This optical effect is caused by the Earth’s atmosphere acting like a prism, separating the sun’s light into different colors, with the green light being the last to be visible as the sun sets or the first as it rises