Santee Lakes

The Santee Lakes Recreation Area is a group of several lakes just east over some small mountains from San Diego.

For $30 a year I buy a park pass to enter as much as I want. There are 4 or 5 stocked lakes - the one you see here had a freeway built on top of it and in the early morning light the reflection of the water danced on the cement above.

Fishermen use these lakes.

They were setting up their spots when I arrived.I found myself speculating that it's a good thing this man is adding more fish to his diet.

I wonder if these different leaves beneath one tree all have different patterns like our fingerprints?

Mission Beach

I want to show you Mission Beach.

We have a great bay side (not the ocean surf) where you can rent all kinds of water toys on smooth, calm water.

Early this morning I watched some guys set up their business - they carefully set the skis out on the lawn, fired up their boats and in this photo a young girl took a face plant trying to get up the first time.

Then I met Mouse. He saw me taking photos of his unattended cart, walked over from his 'island' in the middle of a busy intersection where he was asking for money and asked me if I thought it was "classy".

Actually all his items were very neatly folded. His cardboard sign said he had heart problems - he told me he has 7 stents in his heart. He added that his grandmother named him Mouse years ago because he used to steal cheese snacks from her house.

As he proudly posed, he told me years ago he was an artist and took photos of the homeless in the early morning hours, still asleep on the old wooden loading docks where vegetables use to be unloaded from trucks