Category: Life Events

Here are some short articles recently published about Ocean Beach and its denizens.

Ron – the Rock Stacker

Dave Rice, at the San Diego Reader tells us about Ron, the OBcean who stacks rocks in his “spare” time. …

Two Women Seriously Injured in Fall from Sunset Cliffs

Two women were seriously injured Saturday when they fell off Sunset Cliffs near Ladera Street in South OB (haha – Point Loma).

Raccoons Give OB Tenant and Property Manager Headache – Was it the Cat?

The raccoon noise at the Maggards’ Narragansett Avenue apartment in Ocean Beach began in early May. They were often awakened around three in the morning to a racket above their bedroom.

We’re Reminded Why OB Has Lifeguards – OB’s Deadliest Day at the Beach

The Voice of San Diego reminds us in an older post of theirs why we have lifeguards at all.

We have just learned yesterday, that one of greatest friends of Ocean Beach has passed. Mike Berrill – who lived for decades with his wife Sue and daughter Amanda on Saratoga Avenue in Casa Berrill – had been in poor health recently. We are deeply saddened for the Berrill family and for Ocean Beach.

Mike Berrill was one of the original founders of that quirky – but oh-so-OB group – the Ocean Beach Geriatric Surf Club– also known by its much longer, original handle, the Ocean Beach Geriatric Surf Club Precision Marching Surfboard Drill Team and Gidget Patrol.

Originally posted at San Diego Free Press

San Diego seems to be in love with dogs. We have dog parks for big dogs and dog parks for small dogs. Dog owners, complete strangers to each other, stand on street corners in North Park with their pets and discuss the details of life with a shar pei or bichon frise while said animals enthusiastically explore each others nether portions.

Here at OB Rag central, there’s no one left as we’ve all gone camping.

But we’ve left an OPEN THREAD – so readers can speak their minds and express their thoughts – someone will be monitoring comments to let newbies in. Just add your comments at the bottom here and we’ll see you next week.

And don’t forget – the good folks over at San Diego Free Press are still in town, so use this weekend to check them out.

Doug Porter wandered through the OB Street Fair yesterday, Saturday, June 23rd, and took dozens of random photos of the people, the kids, the bands, the vendors and their booths.

Here they are, randomly.

The Shingle Chronicles

This is the fourth and final installment of a series about my recent run-in with a most unpleasant malady, Shingles. I hope it will encourage those who have not had the vaccination to set aside all your acrimony and distrust toward “Big Pharm,” and get vaccinated. It is also a lesson learned and an acquisition of empathy for all those who suffer from disabilities and illness we cannot “see.” (Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.)

Part Four: Emergence, False Starts and Realizations

Sitting in an AA meeting somewhere years ago, I remember the talk turned to what is referred to as “the moment of clarity.” Not quite on par with an epiphany, which is more of a mystical experience, a moment of clarity occurs when you realize you have had enough of a certain behavior; it is counterproductive at best, and self-destructive on the other end of the spectrum.

Chuck Schiele to Perform Once Again in OB

Singer-songwriter-promoter Chuck Schiele – having relocated to the East Coast two years ago – is returning to OB and will perform at the Farmers Market Showcase on June 20 and at the OB Street Fair itself. See here for more.

Surfrider Foundation Holding Ocean Friendly Garden Party in Ocean Beach – June 28th

Homeowners are invited to Surfrider Foundation’s upcoming Ocean Friendly Garden Party on Thursday, June 28th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Open to the general public, attendees will learn more about the CPR principles behind Ocean Friendly Gardens, and other chapter programs and events in a fun, informal setting at the Ocean Beach Hotel. Those interested in attending should RSVP at info@surfridersd.org and include “Garden Party” in the subject heading.

Editor: “City Heights – Up Close & Personal” is a weekly column by Anna Daniels at the San Diego Free Press, our own upstart launched last week. One of the aims of the SD Free Press is to cover long-ignored and forgotten communities around San Diego.

The home my husband and I bought in City Heights over two decades ago is a four mile straight shot along University Avenue from the little house we had rented in North Park for six years. Despite the short distance, the trips east to our new home were initially disorienting.

The Shingle Chronicles

This is the third in a series about my recent run-in with a most unpleasant malady, Shingles. I hope it will encourage those who have not had the vaccination to set aside all your acrimony and distrust toward “Big Pharm,” and get vaccinated. It is also a lesson learned and an acquisition of empathy for all those who suffer from disabilities and illness we cannot “see.” Here is Part 1, and Part 2.

Part Three: The Compassion of Others

During the first full week of my Shingles, the only way to describe me, other than particularly high, was miserable. And to those who were around me, I most sincerely apologize. But as I wrote in Part One, I do not do sick well. Rather than shy away (“Ewwww! Gross!”) or find something better to do (“Sorry Jack, I’d like to help but I have to (fill in the blank i.e. weed the garden, stare mindlessly into space, wash the cat, etc.).”), my friends and family did what they could to make me more comfortable. And sometimes, compassionate aid came from unexpected corners.

The Shingle Chronicles – Part Two

This is the second in a series about my recent run-in with a most unpleasant malady, Shingles. I hope it will encourage those who have not had the vaccination to set aside all your acrimony and distrust toward “Big Pharm,” and get vaccinated. It is also a lesson learned and an acquisition of empathy for all those who suffer from disabilities and illness we cannot “see.” Here’s Part One.

Descent into Shingles Hell

After a night of vivid dreams which rivaled Alice’s trip through the Looking Glass, I awoke to sunny May morning. Normally this would have been the start of good day. I was on leave from University and as I recall, there was nice little bump in the surf and Our Mother Ocean was starting warm up. Light, off shore winds marked the end of Winter’s chill and an approach of balmy Summer days. There would, however, be no surfin’ for a while and the previous night’s medications were beginning to wear off. I found myself a bit out of sorts and “scratchy.” Surprisingly, the pain was not yet particularly bad. So I just took the anti-inflammatory, with a sort of wait-and-see attitude toward the pain medications. It was now a full week from the initial symptoms showing up. Only eight more to go….

Walk, Ride or Roll to your Next Destination

By Nicole Burgess

Have you seen this biking crew? These students from Dana Middle School and others are becoming active and riding to and from school on a daily basis. They have fun, explore their neighborhoods, and are becoming less reliable on the normal means of transportation, the car. They have traveled to local distances such as Shelter Island and around Mission Bay as well as a few making the trek to Knott’s Berry Farm for spring break. These kids know how to ride.

Having just attended a pagan ritualistic ceremony uniting two very special people, I am now more inspired to find a soulmate of my own that is willing to bind our hands together for life. What I witnessed was very inspiring.

Those of you that have been following my saga of “on-line” dating are probably not aware that even though I stopped my “subscriptions”, there was no refund and so I have been getting “winks” for what seems to be months, on a regular basis.

And…I have enlarged my groupings. My name is now listed as wanting to find a “companion” on the following websites: “SeniorPeopleMeet”; “BB (the Big and Beautiful Network)”; “Match.com”; “EHarmony”; “Speed Dating”; “Zoosk” and “Chemistry.com”.

After all, I don’t want to leave this great experiment to small chances. Of course, I am finding that I am not the only person that has signed up with more than one on-line service. No… so are the many of the men whose names keep popping up on my computer screen. That would not be a problem if they used the same name, for, believe it or not, I have an “a-z” spreadsheet (s) of 11 pages. I kid you not! Not all of the slots on all of the pages are filled in, but I have attempted to make contact with 344 (!) men since I began keeping the spread sheets.