San Diego’s love for Joe Musgrove.

What an incredible moment yesterday.

September 29, 2026. First game of Major League Baseball’s National League Wild Card series. Ninth inning. After two years of surgery and rehab, out of the bullpen strides native San Diegan, Padres hero Joe Musgrove.

Petco Park went absolutely crazy. (My friend who works at Cine Cafe three blocks away could hear it!)

It was a moment, along with an absolutely incredible game by the Padres, that will go down in San Diego history. Decades from now, it will be remembered with goosebumps.

Over the years, I haven’t photographed all the murals around San Diego concerning Joe. But I have captured a couple. The one above is dedicated to his grandmother and can still be found in Little Italy. That’s where she lived. I first blogged about the mural here.

The next sign appeared on the Western Metal Supply Company building’s Padres Team Store five years ago. On April 9, 2021, newly acquired Joe Musgrove pitched a 3–0 no-hitter against the Texas Rangers, the first no-hitter in San Diego Padres history. The no-hitter also broke a streak of having gone 8,205 games without throwing one, a major league record.

The last photo is of the “It’s Our Time” mural painted back in 2022. See my past blog post concerning it here.

Remember how in the 2022 postseason the losing New York Mets accused pitcher Joe Musgrove of using a banned sticky substance because his ears were red? It was a desperation move. Joe was dominating the Mets.

Go Joe!

Go Padres!

World Series or bust!

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A huge United States flag arrives at Petco!

The United States flag arriving at Petco Park before the San Diego Padres Wild Card game this evening was huge.

It will cover much of the field during a pregame ceremony.

Many hands carried the flag up to the ballpark. I saw that U.S. Navy sailors were participating…

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Banners rise for Padres playoffs in San Diego!

Banners are rising throughout downtown San Diego supporting the Padres as they begin what hopefully will be a long playoff run in 2026. This evening the first game of Major League Baseball’s National League Wild Card series will be held at Petco Park!

The excitement is building!

Not only are merchants, bars and restaurants raising Padres flags, but fans, in their state of high anticipation, have already lined up to enter Gallagher Square two hours before the gate opens.

Some photographs from my mid-afternoon walk through the Gaslamp Quarter and East Village…

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Sea lion makes its home in Balboa Park!

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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Getting ready for the MLB Postseason at Petco Park!

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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Sunset mural: sea, land, plants and stained glass!

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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Oceanside Harbor wildlife seen on a walk!

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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The Colors of Carlsbad mural at North Coastal Art Gallery!

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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A sailor’s life back in the Age of Sail.

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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Tony Hawk skateboard exhibit at Oceanside’s Welcome Center!

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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