Sacrifice and freedom celebrated in Balboa Park!

A special House of USA lawn program was held today at the International Cottages in Balboa Park. It was a celebration of sacrifice and freedom!

Veterans Day is coming up this week, but that didn’t stop early festivities.

The House of USA lawn program included food (I had two chili cheese dogs), patriotic music and the spoken word. The American Legion was on hand, and kids could enjoy a variety of red, white and blue games.

The sacrifices made by United States veterans in defense of the freedoms we enjoy was the central theme of the lawn program.

The ceremony began with the presentation of colors by two members of the Sons of the American Revolution. They wore colonial uniform.

Following the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance, four young members of the House of USA’s Royal Court recited poems that express gratitude for the sacrifices of veterans.

Singer-songwriter Oceanna, whose father was a survivor of the Bataan Death March, then sang two moving songs that were filled with quiet strength and sadness.

Later, the San Diego City Guard Band entertained those who’d gathered on the lawn with patriotic music.

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Have fun and be inspired by an artist in North Park!

You have the opportunity to be inspired by a cool San Diego artist during a free community event in North Park next Saturday!

My friend and downtown neighbor James Watts will be sharing his artwork at Expressive Arts, and you’ll have the opportunity to create your own art, too!

To experience the liberating joy of your own creativity, come by the Expressive Arts studio at 3201 Thorn Street on Saturday, November 14, 2026 between 5 and 7 pm.

James Watts will share what inspires him. His heartfelt art on display will include pieces from his 100 Portraits project. My photos provide a few examples.

Expressive Arts in North Park is a refuge for the soul. It’s where people are encouraged to simply create and enjoy life. Art is not only fun, but it can be therapeutic and healthy in so many ways.

Why not swing by for the free community event and have a great time?

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King of Hollywood and a Rolls-Royce in San Diego!

The San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park has opened an amazing exhibition of elegant, historical cars. Art Deco: The Machine Age in Motion features some of the most fantastic automobiles your eyes will ever admire.

When I noticed one of the beautiful cars, a 1931 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Sedanca de Ville by Barker, was purchased by Hollywood legend Douglas Fairbanks for his wife Mary Pickford, I was immediately intrigued!

Perhaps you know that Douglas Fairbanks was once called the King of Hollywood. He was the first actor to play Zorro. He was a founding member of United Artists as well as the Motion Picture Academy. He hosted the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929.

Here’s a video that explains how he became cinema’s first action hero.

Do you also know that he and his famous actress wife, Mary Pickford, owned a 1237-acre tract of land east of Del Mar, south of the San Dieguito River? The community is now gated and called Fairbanks Ranch.

Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were divorced in 1936 and their property was abandoned. Their “Casa Zorro” home, an intended refuge from Hollywood, was never built.

The museum’s Rolls-Royce is not only amazing, but two of Hollywood’s greatest stars once rode in it. A museum docent told me the car was named Gladys. Gladys Louise Smith was Mary Pickford’s real name.

The historic vehicle also serves as a reminder that, a century ago, the King of Hollywood intended to build his Casa Zorro in San Diego’s North County.

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Inspirational art painted at Chollas Creekside Park!

Time flies. Hard to believe, but it’s been over five years since I last walked in Chollas Creekside Park. Today I returned and made these discoveries!

At the south end of the main walkway, electrical boxes have been painted with positive messages about nature, life, love and compassion. I also noticed that along the dirt trails on either side of the creek, boulders have been painted with more fun, inspirational art!

I happened to notice this change from across the street, so I hopped on over to investigate. Enjoy my photos.

(To learn more about the Chollas Creekside Park, and see additional photos, check out my past blog post by clicking here.)

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USS Midway Museum prepares for Jingle Jets!

Look what I observed today!

The USS Midway Museum is preparing for their annual Jingle Jets holiday tradition!

Many of the airplanes on the aircraft carrier’s flight deck have already been wrapped with colorful Christmas lights!

I also noticed that the lights strung around one plane (the F-8 fighter jet) were turned on this evening!

Jingle Jets lights up in earnest beginning November 27, 2026 and continues through December 30.

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Sunset photos from flight deck of USS Midway!

Enjoy this collection of photographs. They were taken today around sunset from the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum aircraft carrier.

Yes, the sunset was rather dramatic this evening on San Diego Bay!

Many of these pictures were taken up near the horns of the historic aircraft carrier. You can see North Island and two active carriers across the bay: the Carl Vinson and Abraham Lincoln.

A couple of my photos show aircraft on the flight deck in the foreground.

Here we go…

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Carlsbad mural depicts World’s Fastest 5K race!

Several murals can be found in Carlsbad on a wall in the southeast corner of Carlsbad Boulevard and Grand Avenue. (I shared a photo of one back in 2019. That mural still exists. It shows two tigers and dripping colored paint. See it among other Carlsbad murals by clicking here.)

Here are photographs of a more recent mural on the left end of this wall. It celebrates the Carlsbad 5000 road running event, which has been called the World Fastest 5K since 1986.

From the nearby artist signatures, it appears both the race imagery and the intermingled sailboats were painted by sports muralist Taylor Gallegos.

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Lurch the skeleton conducts concert in San Diego!

Lurch, the gigantic hand-less skeleton, was observed conducting an organ concert today in San Diego’s Balboa Park!

Lurch stood on the stage of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion as San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez played Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor and other musical selections!

Fearless audience members sat near the outdoor organ and the gigantic skeleton to enjoy the free Sunday afternoon concert –and to stay out of possible rain showers!

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Dia de los Muertos at San Diego Museum of Art.

Dia de los Muertos is being celebrated today at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park!

Visitors can view the beautiful Altares Peregrinos (which means Pilgrim Altars) outdoors in Balboa Park’s Plaza de Panama. The sheltered installation includes a large four-sided altar. Everyone is invited to add marigolds or photos of deceased loved ones through November 8th.

I stepped into the San Diego Museum of Art around noontime when an indoor celebration of Dia de los Muertos was beginning.

Artist Betsabeé Romero, who created the altar, was among those who spoke about the meaning of Dia de los Muertos.

Speakers were followed by a great mariachi performance inside the museum’s rotunda!

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Echoes of Time art exhibition opens in San Diego.

A special exhibition by Karisma, a local collective of Korean women artists, has opened at San Diego’s downtown Central Library. Echoes of Time features beautiful artwork that invites quiet introspection.

The artists have created spiritual and philosophical paintings that make the viewer pause and reflect about life, and the nature of this world we share.

Many of the images are warm, tender, filled with light, even dreamlike. I personally prefer works like these over those deliberately soaked with darkness and cynicism.

I like to view the world (and living) with a sense of wonder.

What do you see?

Come visit the exhibition on the first floor of the San Diego Central Library before it vanishes on January 1, 2027!

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