Once Upon a Dime, A Miracle in Balboa City Park July 7, 2012

After finishing my painting standing near the reflecting pond at Balboa City Park in San Diego I took a walk to explore some of the other architectual motifs. I was fresh out of aligning with the spirit of the Master Artist Colin Campbell Cooper who had painted near me in the same spot a hundred years ago, or more.

I walked up to a fountain which looked like it hadn't worked in years; (the tile were chiped and broken). I thought to myself, "nobody throws coins into fountains which have no water". But I looked at this as an opportunity to do something non-sensical. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a dime , made a wish, and then tossed it into the fountain.

I saw the dime hit, bounce, and then roll. then I saw it come to rest, vertically, in between two tile where the grout had worn off. All I could think was, "OMG, Extraordinary!!" It was miraculous! There was a European couple standing near the fountain who had witnessed this event, and were taking pictures of the upright dime.  I asked them if they'd seen what just happened and the man grinned at me said, "Where's the Casino!"

Sometimes, as a risk taking artist, I wonder if I'm on the right track; doing what I do, making the choices I make. This event served not only as evidence that I am making the right decisions in life, but to added confidence to my prayer that some day the art I produce will be deemed timeless. But it was time to leave, so should I leave the dime there or take it with me as a keepsake for the rest of my life?

I jumped into the fountain and grabbed that dime, dated 1999; (the same year I received my Master's Degree from CSUN). I decided to do this because I didn't want to leave that state of euphoria, dimeless!.