28 Days of Pico — Day 10: The California Building

June 15, 2026  ·  by Stooge

Day 10.

This one is called The California Building.

The California Building was built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition. Its tower is 200 feet tall. The dome is covered in hand-painted Spanish tile. It is one of the most photographed buildings in San Diego, which is a distinction Pico did not care about at all when he landed in front of it.

He had been flying for a long time by now. The crows, the Hotel Del, the lighthouse — none of it had gotten him any closer to the library or his family. But this building was clearly important. Important buildings, in Pico’s experience, knew things.

He found a pigeon.

This was not a promising development, but it was what was available.

The pigeon was, as it turned out, more useful than the lighthouse and more forthcoming than the crows — which is a low bar, but still. He didn’t know where the library was either. He did ask a question that Pico hadn’t considered yet.

That question changes everything. You’ll find out what it was when the book comes out.

The Kickstarter for The Launch Collection — including the California Building print — runs through July 5th. Back the campaign here.

Come back tomorrow for Day 11.

— Stooge