On June 10 of 1999 I received an e-mail from Chief Steven Bowlin of the San Diego Fire Department. He stated that they were in the process of building a very special courtyard for their new training center. What followed floored me. With my permission, Guardians would be laser etched into a slab of granite and would serve as the centerpiece of their project. I was speechless.

Over the course of the next few months, as the project progressed, we occasionally wrote back and forth. The exact date was not yet set but it looked like it might fall during a break I had set up earlier in the year. Finally, it was set to launch on July 26, 1999. And, yes it was during my break. A few days before the event a phone call from Steven informed me that the date would be moved one last time to July 28, my birthday. I sat with the dignitaries and accepted the thanks of Department members and civilians alike. The courtyard was the end result of much hard work by many people and turned out beautifully. I'm just glad that my artwork is part of such a fine effort. My personal thanks goes out to Chief Bowlin, all of the members of the San Diego Fire Department and to the friends and families who donated their time and energy to make the vision a reality.

Thank you one and all for a most unforgettable birthday.