Bill of Rights tall ship would love your love!

The beautiful Bill of Rights tall ship, based in the Chula Vista Marina, would love to have some of your love!

I visited the historic ship today for the first time since I sailed on her during America’s Schooner Cup.

The good news: Bill of Rights remains based in Chula Vista, thanks to the advocacy of many. The schooner will continue to train Sea Scouts and Boy Scouts and serve as an educational platform. Hooray!

However, I could see how the wooden ship still needs help with its redecking. I also learned the ship is due for its periodic haul out for hull inspection and maintenance. Of course, all of this takes money.

Interested in lending a hand?

Click this webpage to learn various ways you can keep this unique and important tall ship going strong!

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New playground for new Harbor Park in Chula Vista!

Look what I spied today! A big new playground is being installed between the Chula Vista Marina and the new Gaylord Pacific Resort.

The playground will occupy a small space in the new Harbor Park, which will expand on present-day Chula Vista Bayside Park.

Kids are gonna love it!

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A late summer walk in Sweetwater Park.

It was the perfect day for a nature walk in Sweetwater Park beside San Diego Bay.

The beautiful, spacious park on Chula Vista’s bayfront opened just last year. I noticed today that the native vegetation has filled out a bit more.

A weekday hike is perfect if you want to feel and observe nature. I saw many late summer blooms, and birds in the distance.

Some photos as I strolled along several trails…

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Supernatural yōkai exhibit in Balboa Park!

Red Namahage, by artist Alex Wu.

Yōkai are supernatural beings and spirits from Japanese folklore, and they’ve gathered in San Diego’s Balboa Park!

Yōkai: Stories and Imagination is a community art exhibit now showing at the Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum.

Artists were invited to submit their interpretation of Japanese yokai for this exhibition. These original works can be viewed in both the Upper Garden Gallery and the Lower Garden’s Inamori Pavilion.

Yōkai include shapeshifters, ghosts, demons, and tricksters. They can be mischievous, helpful, or malevolent, often appearing as animal-like figures, possessed objects, or humanoids. They embody the mysterious and uncanny aspects of nature and human emotions.

Check out a few examples that I photographed.

I’ve always enjoyed this type of artwork. It can be wild, weird, fierce and unsettling. Mysterious forces in our world are often portrayed in human or animal form–familiar figures that we emotionally understand.

It would be interesting to compare yokai to deities and characters from the mythologies of other cultures.

The Spider’s Thread, by artist Joshua Benz.
Oiwa, by artist Tomi Tate.
Hōnengame, by artist Hunter/Moon Hunter Tattoo.
You Can’t Escape Gashadokuro, by artist Chris Rogers.

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Beautiful heron at Japanese Friendship Garden!

Was it a good omen?

A Great Blue Heron was visiting Balboa Park’s amazing Japanese Friendship Garden today.

The graceful bird stood patiently on a rock in the Lower Garden, above silvery water filled with colorful koi, the subject of countless photographs.

As I departed, I asked a friendly person who works at the garden if the heron might be a good omen.

“It’s eating our fish!” he replied.

But hunting so beautifully…

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Pigs, duck and hamburger at old Navy base!

At old Naval Training Center San Diego, you might not expect to see pigs, a duck and a hamburger placed on a fountain. Well, that’s what you’ll find at Liberty Station in Point Loma!

The old Navy base is now home to many artist studios and tons of public art. I found this rather unusual public art while walking around the other day!

The fountain is titled Fuente Fantasma. It was created last year by Ensenada artist Beliz Iristay.

According to a nearby sign, the fantastic fountain showcases the complex layering of the region that is Tijuana and San Diego with the juxtaposition of the traditional border craft industry in rich layering along with an architectural element, the fountain, a fitting symbol for San Diego’s Spanish heritage.

Well, that may be, but I simply like the fun, whimsical quality of the thing!

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Moments That Made US exhibit in Coronado.

Moments That Made US. That’s the title of a special exhibition now at the Coronado Historical Association museum.

The word US is capitalized for a reason. On this 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, US can stand for both us and the U.S. Unique moments in history help to explain our present-day life.

The exhibition concerns a variety of past events in the United States and Coronado. They are often tied together.

History tends to be created through turbulence. A new country’s revolution and its founding documents, the Mexican-American War, gold rushes, voting rights with the Fifteenth and Nineteenth Amendments, World War II…

Moments That Made US also includes history of the Hotel del Coronado, North Island as the birthplace of naval aviation, the ferry, notable residents…

All of these pieces of history–large and small–have helped make us what we are today.

My favorite part of the exhibition is a silent video loop showing footage of Coronado’s traditional Independence Day parades in the mid 1950s to early 1970s.

There are marching bands, patriotic floats–everything you’d expect on the Fourth of July. Every year: enthusiasm and an appreciation of liberty, but evolving uniquely over the years.

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Coronado mural celebrates America 250!

This amazing community mural is now being displayed in the museum of the Coronado Historical Association!

The patriotic mural, depicting a U.S. flag and bald eagle, is composed of tiles hand-painted by Coronado residents. It’s a colorful part of the exhibit titled Moments That Made Us. A variety of displays in the museum celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding.

Images painted on the tiles include American presidents, historic figures, and symbols that represent our nation’s ideals and culture. Other images simply show an appreciation for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, particularly in beautiful Coronado.

Just look at it. The extraordinary mural deserves a permanent home. I presented the thought to a museum docent and she agreed.

Why not install it at Coronado’s civic center?

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Enjoy a Gulls hockey game and support literacy!

Would you like to go to the San Diego Gulls hockey team’s home opener game at Pechanga Arena . . . and promote literacy at the same time? Easy!

Simply purchase a game ticket via the Char Car #ReadingOnFire FUNraiser and you’ll get to go watch an exciting game and support literacy in San Diego!

All the information you need is in the above graphic. If you don’t have the Venmo app or have trouble using it, see the contact information for Ron Valles and give him a call.

You might remember how the good people of Char Car supported kids at Ronald McDonald House during Star Wars Book Night. See those fun photographs by clicking here! Dr. Elizabeth and Ron Valles have dedicated themselves to promoting literacy and spreading happiness by distributing and reading books to kids!

The home opener for the San Diego Gulls is Saturday, October 10, 2026. Get your tickets now using the information in the above graphic. You’ll benefit local youth. You’ll help ignite their love for reading!

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Painting murals on Imperial Avenue under Interstate 15.

Colorful new murals are now being painted on either side of Imperial Avenue beneath Interstate 15.

This public art beautifying the freeway underpass is the first part of a larger multi-location project, organized by Logan Heights CDC, Caltrans, SANDAG, Team Lewis, the Urban Collaborative Project, and local artists. This first group of murals is scheduled to be completed next month.

I swung by today to check out the progress!

One of the artists, Romeo, was up on the scaffolding spray painting his beautiful creation. His mural, like others being painted nearby, has a universally loved theme: music.

Some of the columns supporting Interstate 15 will have several sides painted. Those riding the Orange Line of the San Diego Trolley will be able to view a portion of the art.

You might enjoy seeing what I discovered.

Once the murals are completed and the scaffolding is removed, I hope to return for another batch of photographs…

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