Why is there a sea lion now at the center of the Spanish Village patio in Balboa Park?
I encountered the sea lion today during an afternoon walk!
If you’re curious about the appearance of this life-size sculpture, you can read a previous blog post that explains its creation and its purpose by clicking here!
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With an incredible late season run, the San Diego Padres have captured home field advantage for Major League Baseball’s National League Wild Card series! It begins tomorrow!
Will we beat the Chicago Cubs in the best of three series? I’ve got a good feeling!
Will the Padres advance all the way to the 2026 World Series? Why not?
I walked through San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter and around Petco Park this morning. Local television reporters were already out hunting for comments (I got caught by two) but the coolest thing I found was the red, white and blue playoff bunting being hung up all around the ballpark!
That’s Todd from Channel 7 by the way!
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This mural at Liberty Station in Point Loma is suggestive of many things. Variously shaped and colored cells combine into what appears to me like an organism seen through a microscope, or perhaps a color-coded map, or perhaps a sunset or stained glass seen through an odd lens. What does it look like to you?
The public art is titled Vitral Sunset: A Marine Perspective Across The Border. It was created last year with acrylic paints by Tijuana artist Mischka Ippólita (@mischkaippolita). You can find it at Barracks 19.
A nearby plaque describes the art:
The visual references that inspired this mural are seascapes, landscapes, local plants, and microscopic life.
Components of the mural are a combination of ships at sea aerial views and cross-sections of native plants from California and Baja California. A significant factor that unifies all the elements in the piece references the North Chapel, an aesthetic emulating the stained-glass windows.
Yes, the mural does evoke all of those things. Very cool!
A couple weeks ago I took these photos…
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During my recent walk around Oceanside Harbor, I encountered wildlife that you might expect by the water.
For fun, I took these photographs!
Okay, what animals do you recognize?
In addition to more common seagulls and pigeons, I observed Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, Brewer’s Blackbirds (I think!), and Sea Lions snoozing and hanging out on the docks!
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I love this mural!
It’s painted on a wall outside the North Coastal Art Gallery in Carlsbad. Find it tucked away inside the Village Faire mall. The mural is called The Colors of Carlsbad.
Was the super colorful artwork painted by an octopus? No! This mural that celebrates Carlsbad was created by North Coastal Art Gallery artists.
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During the Age of Sail, many young men dreamt of going to sea. The idea could seem romantic–going to far off places out on the wide wild sea. But the reality was a sailor’s life was extraordinarily difficult. And altogether different than life on shore.
For one thing, ships’ crews were incredibly diverse. There were people of every race, hailing from nations around the globe. Sailors could be boys or older men, could be ignorant or educated, from poor families or families of means. Some sailors had a criminal bent, while others were religiously pious. Motley crews, to say the least!
All relied upon each other for the safe operation of a ship, where in dangerous moments lives could be quickly lost. This harsh reality forged among sailors a common brotherhood.
When not toiling and risking their lives under stern, sometimes abusive captains, sailors had precious time to themselves in the forecastle. There they would sleep to recover from their exertions, and warm themselves after exposure to wind, cold and stormy weather. There they could mend clothes, write journals or letters to home, make simple crafts (like carving scrimshaw), or entertain themselves with song, dance and the telling of stories.
An exhibit at the Maritime Museum of San Diego shows what life as a lowly sailor might have been like.
The displays you see in these photos are from a larger exhibition titled Take Me to the Water: Histories of the Black Pacific.
One sign explains: A sailor’s life was not easy. Seamen faced tight living quarters, risk of disease, unsafe food, hostile weather, and, at times, meager pay. But, despite these hardships, life at sea presented benefits for many early Black mariners. Taking to the water could offer mobility, cultural exposure, and increased social status.
Can you imagine what life as a sailor in the Age of Sail might have been like? Today we have self-driving cars and endless entertainment in our pocket. To think: this was the world less than two centuries ago–that’s only three average lifetimes. Really not that long ago.
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The California Welcome Center in Oceanside is the perfect place to find useful information concerning local attractions and hospitality. It’s also just a fun place to visit!
One reason I enjoyed dropping in yesterday was this cool little exhibit celebrating Tony Hawk, legendary trailblazing skateboarder who grew up in San Diego and continues to reside in Encinitas, just south of Oceanside.
The exhibit includes a short biography of Tony Hawk that lists many of his accomplishments in skateboarding, entertainment, and as an entrepreneur. There’s also a detailed display concerning the Evolution of the Skateboard, from ridiculously primitive 2x4s to present-day sporting equipment made of more advanced, more flexible materials.
I remember how my first skateboard was made of wood and had clay wheels. (It resembled the second skateboard from the bottom in the above photo. Yes, I’m that old.) Skating down our driveway, when I inevitably ran into a pebble or twig, I’d come to an abrupt stop and go flying! Ouch!
Skateboards today are not only designed for maximum performance, but they can be incredible works of art. A far cry from those bygone days of rolling lumber!
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Walk along Oceanside Harbor and you might see these colorfully hand-painted Dock Rocks.
I spied them today!
The Dock Rocks are painted with fun images and inspirational messages.
They’re located along the harbor boardwalk, just south of Oceanside Broiler.
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Several days ago I visited the Nature Center of the Buena Vista Audubon Society. It was my first time stepping through the front door.
The Nature Center is located at the south end of Oceanside, at 2202 South Coast Highway next to Buena Vista Lagoon Ecological Reserve. The building is open daily, from 10 am to 1 pm.
From across the driveway, a short but beautiful trail loops through part of the lagoon. This nature hike is an easy way to see birds and other wildlife that thrive in the wetland. You can enjoy photographs from two of my past hikes here and here.
Inside the Nature Center, visitors learn all about the life of the lagoon. There are lots of great educational displays.
I was most amazed how dozens of examples of native wildlife have been preserved via taxidermy. A super friendly volunteer working the front desk explained that over the years, dead animals that were found were transformed into these educational displays by one individual who loves taxidermy.
The Nature Center also features a meeting and activity room, fascinating rocks and minerals, a microscope through which insects and tiny lagoon organisms can be studied, a long table full of bones and assorted specimens that can be handled, and an upstairs observation balcony. There are works of art and a cool little gift shop that supports the local Audubon Society, too!
If you’re ever in South Oceanside when the center is open, step inside! If the Nature Center is closed, take an easy walk along the hiking trail!
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This exceptional bronze sculpture is titled Contemplation.
The public art stands in a park-like space in front of the Georgina Cole Library in Carlsbad. It’s not far from this bench.
The artist is T.J. Dixon, creator of so many similarly beautiful sculptures in and around San Diego.
Contemplation was dedicated in 2001 as part of the Art in Public Places Program supported by the Carlsbad Arts Commission.
I took these photographs during my visit to the library a couple days ago.
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