Citizenship

This morning I had the privilege of attending a swearing-in ceremony in downtown San Diego.

There were 724 people from 77 countries.

Stand up if you are from Afghanistan and on and on …... Sweden and Syria and the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan.

The largest groups represented Iraq and Mexico.

They all took the pledge and became U.S. Citizens.

Then we stood up (hundreds of family members and friends in the balcony) and all the proud new Americans in the Grand Hall below.

With our right hand over our heart.

And even for those of us who have repeated these words over and over since grade school, it meant something, it really meant something.

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all."


During the ceremony, there was a taped message from President Barack Obama welcoming the new Americans. We all chanted about the importance of registering to vote and then actually voting.

But what touched me the most was the speaker from the Department of Labor who reminded us that the group in front of us was what made America great and he went on to describe his own Thanksgiving tradition that was a mix of turkey and Chinese dumplings that reflect his heritage.

Reminding the crowd (and I am paraphrasing here) that although there is a lot of divisive talk and political speeches regarding immigrants right now, we are a country of immigrants and that is what makes us special and great.

Let us not forget that.

Splish Splash at Waterfront Park

This is the front of the County Administration Center on 1600 Pacific Highway.

Head right and out back to get to the Waterfront Park.

Where you will see lots and lots of fountains.

And shallow water.

Perfect for splashing around on a hot day.

Ahhhhhh!

San Diego Central Library

It opened at the end of September.

The new downtown library near Petco Park.

Shiny and massive and modern and a bit concrete-y (but in a good way).

Lego model of the library!

Self checkout stations.

Terrace outside the entrance.

Renewed my library card.

Asked some questions at the reference desk.

"No, we do not have audiotapes to learn Finnish. That would be like learning Swahili. And we don't have that either." 

Checked out some new bestsellers at the kiosk...

Wish they had more than two elevators as the wait was forever so never made it past the 4th floor.

Good enough reason for a return visit!

Side Note:  The gentleman at the reference desk downtown was able to track down two sets of Beginning Finnish audiotapes at my local branch library. Go figure. Stopped there on my way home and the librarian said they have been out of circulation, as in not checked out, for two years and she wasn't able to find them on the shelves. She will call me back when she is able to locate. Probably shouldn't hold my breath.

Fire Escape

Along 9th Street in downtown San Diego.

Would have been easy to walk right by this building.

Had it not been for the fire escape.

Dressing up a rather ordinary building.

From many different angles.

Cafe Chloe

Have you ever received a present that was wrapped exquisitely but once opened it was rather disappointing?

A bit of a letdown.

The opposite is true of this 'where east village meets Paris chic' cafe.

The outside is lovely but does not begin to do justice to the treat that awaits you inside (and that is before you even get to the tres magnifique French food).

We sat in the loft.

Up the short staircase, in a tiny, cozy section of the cafe.

Tucked behind a short wall.

Light streaming in from the full length patio window below.

There was an array of tantalizing dishes on the menu and a charming server.

Ice tea came with simple syrup for sweetening.

Bacon, bacon, bacon - dressed up in a tart.

Pomme frites with a trio of dips - all delicious.

Crepes - filled with vegetables.

Cream and sugar presentation.

 Cafe Chloe is a treat for your eyes and your tastebuds!

Birds on a Wire