Visiting UCSD’s Outdoor Sculptures

On a recent visit to La Jolla, my friend Penne took me through a part of the UCSD campus I hadn’t seen before. With six undergraduate colleges and five graduate schools spread over 1000 acres, it’s quite easy to miss something. There are nineteen pieces of commissioned art as a result of a partnership between the college and The Stuart... read more

Those Bears

There’s a commercial still playing in my head from the Super Bowl. (Was that even this year?) I’ll give you a hint: it involves singing bears, underwear and toilet paper. Yes, it’s that Charmin commercial. I have lots of questions and rambling thoughts about that commercial. Why did Charmin pick bears? Are bears that cute? If I was in a... read more

2020 Spring Photo Contest Winners

Thanks to everyone who submitted photos to the Val’s Road Spring Photo Contest. Before naming the individual winners, I would like to announce this year’s winning flower. “Representing the State of California: The Poppy.” We were blessed with an abundance of poppies this season. Coincidentally, all the winning photos except... read more

Walking down Inflation Street

No, this isn’t about the economy. It’s just a light post about walking around in my neighborhood. Since I am banned from nature trails now, I am getting to know the streets in my neighborhood better than I ever intended to. The most obvious thing I’ve learned: there are tons of little kids around here. With Easter just behind us, I... read more

Spirit Distancing

While we ride out COVID-19, I am following the rules about social distancing. But a person can only stay indoors so long. Since my neighborhood walks aren’t too exciting, I did a Google search on (you can guess it) “cemeteries near me.” I was completely surprised when the Olivenhain Cemetery popped up – only three miles from my house. I... read more