20120122

Spirit of Cabrillo


12 X 16", oil/canvas panel.

Visitors enjoy a clear view south toward Mexico, as a military transport plane (probably a C-130) comes in for a landing at North Island Naval Air Station.  North Island is a stone’s throw from Ballast Point, probably the site where Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo made landfall in 1542.  The commemorative statue of Cabrillo was donated by the Portuguese government (Cabrillo was Portuguese).  The original statue, created in 1939, eroded over time and was replaced in 1988 with this exact replica, made in Portugal.