Kumeyaay Nation plaque at La Jolla Shores.

This very beautiful plaque near the beach in La Jolla Shores is dedicated to the Kumeyaay Nation, whose people have lived in our region for thousands of years.

I took these photos of the plaque a while back, during my last walk along the boardwalk near Kellogg Park. You can find the plaque inside the Grand Canyons of La Jolla Educational Plaza.

(To learn more about the plaza, check out a blog I posted a few years ago here.)

Text on the plaque includes:

KUMEYAAY NATION

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS WE HAVE LIVED TOGETHER AS A PEOPLE…from the shores of the Pacific Ocean ~ to the mountains and inland valleys ~ down through the deserts of Baja California Norte, Mexico.

Our cultural and historical roots can be traced throughout the greater San Diego region, dating back more than 12,000 years. La Jolla Shores has always been an integral part of our history and was a vital resource for gathering, fishing and hunting well into the early 20th Century. This area was once part of a lagoon offering a variety of plant life used for food, clothing, medicines, baskets and building materials. Our ancestors were exceptional stewards of the environment as demonstrated in their plant husbandry techniques and responsible use of land and water resources. Beginning with the Spanish invasion of 1769, the Kumeyaay were forced off ancestral lands and now live on twelve of the eighteen reservations in San Diego County. Our historical presence is visible along the shoreline as evidenced by unearthed artifacts, burial sites and remnant of ancient villages.

Offshore, submerged sites are protected by State and Federal Laws in order to keep our rich cultural heritage alive for future generations to learn from and enjoy. The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation dedicates this plaque to honor our past and promote preservation of this unique marine environment.

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Community art: One Day in the Life on Imperial.

A special art exhibition will soon be opening in Grant Hill, across Imperial Avenue from neighboring Logan Heights. One Day in the Life on Imperial will feature works by members of the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild. The exhibition will be open to the public beginning March 21, 2026 at the TULAROSA gallery, located at 2602 Imperial Avenue. The Opening Reception is from 4 to 7 pm.

The San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild has initiated an “Atelier” for the purpose of experimentation with conceptual art and community engagement. This exhibition is its inaugural event. The Barrio Artists Partnership is participating, too. The Atelier artists have, for three months, been walking, talking, observing and creating art based on their community centered dialogue.

Seventeen artists from diverse areas of San Diego will present their finished art as well as their concept behind the art.

Everyone is invited to drop by and see their inspired work!

After March 29 the exhibit will be moved to Gallery 21 in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village Art Center, where it will open on April 7.

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Emojis, memes and emotion in Oceanside.

Much of social media is geared toward eliciting an emotional response. Much of art serves the same purpose. An exhibition of art in Oceanside fuses the simple emojis and memes of social media with framed artistic creation.

Neon Afterlife is the title of the exhibition. It can be freely viewed in the Oceanside Museum of Art’s annex gallery inside The Seabird Ocean Resort & Spa, a short walk from the beach and Oceanside Pier.

Pieces by Southern California artists Magz Yang, Jon Savage and Evyn Hewett utilize the “language” of Gen Z and today’s digital pop culture–an increasingly illiterate culture saturated with adrenaline fueled gaming and provocative short videos.

These works of art, like many of the images on one’s phone, might arrest shortened attention spans. They produce an emotional response by using simplistic symbols and bright colors. It’s as if the small screens people endlessly scroll have been splashed onto the gallery walls.

I do love the creativity. And I smiled when I noticed fun is made of the pretentiousness of much social media.

Does an emoji or meme suffice for life’s complexity?

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Skull and crossbones created at Oceanside beach!

A hot day for mid-March. I stayed near the beach–in Oceanside. As I walked out onto the Oceanside Pier, look what I saw! Someone was digging a huge skull and crossbones into the sand!

Turns out the friendly, creative guy was David. He was working on his pirate Jolly Roger flag design in the sunshine, while people strolling along the beach would stop, look and chat.

He’s been making artwork in the sand like this for several months, he told me. He’s created perhaps a dozen such works at the beach.

He told me there’s another guy who makes cool designs using a garden rake. That sounds awesome, too. Perhaps I’ll stumble upon that one day.

Here’s what I saw around noon as I walked out on the pier:

After I ate lunch, I returned to the pier and saw this:

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Protect the Locals mural in Pacific Beach.

Several months ago this beautiful mural was unveiled in Pacific Beach. Featuring marine life such as a sea turtle, leopard shark and gray whale, it promotes the message Protect the Locals.

The organizations WILDCOAST and BeautifulPB teamed up with artists Jon Hamrick (@just_jon1) and Victor Rodriguez (@tone__dog) to celebrate 25 years of marine conservation with this wall. The artwork is painted on Garnet Avenue one block east of Crystal Pier, on the side of Ananas Pacific Beach.

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Fun culture at House of Ireland lawn program!

The House of Ireland in Balboa Park hosted their lawn program today, two days before St. Patrick’s Day.

As usual, there was a lot of green, Irish food, Irish dance and Irish fun!

A big crowd on the lawn enjoyed the sunshine anticipating exciting cultural entertainment. Irish stew was being served at the House of Ireland cottage. Tasty baked goods, too!

The cultural program began in earnest at two o’clock. A festive procession onto the lawn and up to the stage was led by the bagpipers and drummers of The Cameron Highlanders. Several dancing groups in colorful traditional costume would follow them.

Soon thereafter, the Irish dancing would begin!

Dancers young and old, including members of several academies of Irish dance, would kick it up on the stage. Reels, jigs and hornpipes had the performers moving energetically to the rhythm of live music.

Enjoy a few photos…

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House of Syria exhibit at Hall of Nations.

I wandered into Balboa Park’s Hall of Nations today. I was surprised to discover a great small exhibit by one of the newest members of the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages: the House of Syria!

I was given a friendly greeting as I examined various displays. Most prominent was a very beautiful backgammon set. I’ve learned backgammon is derived from games going back to Mesopotamia in ancient times, such as the Royal Game of Ur. I also spotted some tasty Syrian sweet pastries!

Like other International Cottage members, the House of Syria is very welcoming. Their website states: Our members are volunteers passionate about preserving Syrian culture and sharing it through events, exhibitions, traditional music and dance, and authentic Syrian cuisine. Whether you have roots in Syria or simply want to learn more about its culture and history, House of Syria welcomes you as part of our extended family.

Like other nation members who don’t have a cottage yet, that’s a future goal. Get in touch with these good people if you’d like to learn more.

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History resurrected in San Diego’s Balboa Park!

Oh my goodness! What is this impressive new structure being built in Balboa Park? With those elegant columns, is it some sort of ancient Greek temple?

No! It’s the new pergola that will stand west of the Botanical Building!

The Botanical Building Pergola recreates one of twelve pergolas that originally graced Balboa Park during the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. And you can tell already that it’s going to be amazing!

If you’d like, compare today’s photos to some I took almost exactly one month ago. Major progress has been made.

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Beauty created at San Diego Pysanka Festival!

San Diego Pysanka Festival 2026 was held today in Balboa Park. The event was hosted by the House of Ukraine. Participants gathered in the Santa Fe Room at the Balboa Park Club building.

What is Pysanka? It the tradition of egg decoration in Slavic cultures. You’ve no doubt observed beautifully, intricately decorated eggs in museums or elsewhere. The San Diego Pysanka Festival allowed visitors to view the craft up close, learn its history, purchase finished eggs, and even participate in pysanka creation workshops!

As this Wikipedia article explains: The pysanka (Ukrainian: писанка, писанки (pl.)) itself, a wax-resist type egg, is one of Ukraine’s national symbols, and is known throughout the world.

Why the festival now? It’s almost spring and Easter is coming. These are the original Easter eggs!

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Photos of St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2026!

A big San Diego event today! It’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival 2026!

The parade this morning was as epic as ever, lasting well over an hour as it headed through Bankers Hill. The festival is taking place on the west side of Balboa Park, near Laurel Street.

Everyone was wearing green–parade participants and those lining the sidewalks cheering them on.

Irish organizations were front and center, with Irish clubs and societies and dance school students strutting their stuff. Law enforcement and fire fighters were a huge presence, too. There were Shriner clowns, high school marching bands, Irish setters, Irish wolfhounds, roller skaters doing their routine, cars decorated with shamrocks, dignitaries, beauty queens, ballet folklorico dancers, fierce Vikings in their longship, happy leprechauns . . . you name it!

I took many photos before the parade and during it. These are some of my better shots…

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