Today, I have a piece called “Lucky and Unlucky Ducks.” Kind of a strange title. It’s about homelessness in San Diego and the efforts of people — civil-society organizations, volunteers, philanthropists — to combat it. I focus on the Lucky Duck Foundation, which was established by Pat and Stephanie Kilkenny. They are, as the first President Bush would say, a “point of light.” A big point of light.

I don’t have any photos accompanying the piece — except the one above my piece, which is also above this blogpost.

The photo is from the grand opening of Timmy’s Place, in downtown San Diego. The grand opening took place on May 2. Timmy’s Place is an unusual business: a pizzeria and a print shop, both. It is on the ground floor of a youth shelter. The employees are the residents.

Timmy’s Place is named after a son of Rolf and Mary Benirschke, who are on the far left of the photo. Rolf is a favorite son of San Diego, a placekicker for the Chargers in the ’70s and ’80s. He and Mary adopted Timmy from a Russian orphanage when he was three. At 18, he fell into addiction. He was on the streets, homeless, for five years. Finally, he got straight, and is working two jobs. The gratitude of his parents is immense.

The mascot you see in the picture is the Swinging Friar, of the San Diego Padres. That ballclub is owned by Peter Seidler, who is one of the leaders in the overall effort to combat, or alleviate, homelessness. Also present at the grand opening was a Padre player — a pitcher, Nick Martinez, here:

And here is a picture of Rolf Benirschke, outside Timmy’s Place:

Did I take pictures of homeless people while I was in San Diego? I did. Did I intrude on their privacy? Yes. Do I feel guilty about it? Yes and no. I am a journalist. I have filed a report.

Lots of people live, or at least sleep, under bridges. And there are personal touches among their belongings — touches that are touching. Note the red-nosed reindeer:

Here is a man simply — strung out:

Here is a man camped out at a very busy street corner in Little Italy, thronged with tourists:

Here is a man eating and drinking from a garbage bin:

I asked whether I could get him some pizza, at the place across the street (Mr. Moto). He walked away. A while later, he was at a different bin, right in front of the pizza parlor. I tried one more time. Again, he refused me.

“Why” I ask in my piece today. “Mental illness? Distrust or dislike of me? Who knows?” I then say, “Homelessness is a tough nut to crack. Anyone who’s glib about it, should be ignored.”

Yes. In any event, an interesting and important subject — homelessness — and one that is vexing Americans from coast to coast. My piece from San Diego is, again, here.