Sunshine and flowers in Solana Beach!

Here’s a bit of colorful art you might spy while walking down a sidewalk in Solana Beach. You can find it at 129 North Highway 101.

Solana Beach’s coastal sunshine brightens a landscape filled with many different flowers native to California. Flowers include Sea Dahlia, Leafy Daisy, Morning Glory, Fiesta Flower, Prickly Pear, Padre’s Shooting Star, Fiddleneck, Frankenia, Southern Pink, Fuchsia-Flowered Gooseberry, Matilija Poppy, California Rose and California Poppy.

The artist signature indicates this beautifully painted scene was created by Bailey Valdivieso.

To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)

San Diego METRO Modern Quilt exhibit in Mission Valley.

The San Diego METRO Modern Quilt Guild has a great exhibit inside the Mission Valley Library. A colorful array of modern quilts represents the creative work of guild members.

The mission of the San Diego METRO Modern Quilt Guild is to help build and foster community based on the common interest of modern quilting.

What is modern quilting? It is a contemporary approach to quilt-making that favors minimalism, bold colors, and improvisational design over strict symmetry. Heavily inspired by modern art and architecture, it often features expansive negative space, high-contrast palettes, and “modern traditionalism”—the reinterpretation of classic quilt blocks.

The exhibit in Mission Valley features hangable works of art, blankets, handbags and wearable clothing. Check out some photos…

To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)

Fantasy characters roam San Diego County Fair!

Take a look at these very colorful fantasy characters! They were spotted roaming about the San Diego County Fair, thrilling children and adults alike!

The San Diego County Fair’s theme in 2026 is Once Upon a Fair.

The Del Mar Fairgrounds in summer is where San Diegans go for boundless fun. This year the magical place has been infused with fantastic characters from human imagination and the pages of beloved books!

To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)

A huge Padres flag on San Diego Bay!

A very cool sight if you’re a Padres baseball fan! This huge Padres flag flying from the Triton catamaran was out on San Diego Bay yesterday!

I spotted it while riding the Coronado ferry. Coincidentally, Petco Park rises in the background.

The San Diego Padres are up against two of the best Major League Baseball teams this week: the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Let’s get some big victories!

To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)

Signs of NASCAR racing in San Diego!

Walking in downtown and Coronado today, I found many signs that NASCAR is racing in San Diego all weekend!

It’s NASCAR’s first time in San Diego–at Naval Air Station North Island to be exact–and you could tell people were excited.

The Coronado ferry was packed to the gills. Race fans were wearing shirts and gear representing their favorite drivers. The Goodyear blimp was overhead. Shops and bars were welcoming those who’d come to see some of the world’s best drivers race a wild and woolly course on the Navy base!

As the Sunday race action came nearest downtown and Coronado, it almost sounded like an F-18 roaring its high powered takeoff from North Island!

I took these photos while walking around…

To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)

San Diego Scottish Highland Games in Mission Valley!

The 50th San Diego Scottish Highland Games are being held this year in Mission Valley. After making Vista their home for many years, the annual festival has moved to the expansive SDSU Mission Valley river park, conveniently located next to the Stadium trolley station. The games will continue through Sunday. (Check out the above website for all the info.)

A huge crowd came out Saturday to enjoy the traditional games, not to mention the rousing pipe and drum competition, Highland dancing, sheepdog trials and the friendly gathering of several dozen Scottish clans.

During my visit I enjoyed watching amazing men and women compete out on a wide field. They were tossing heavy cabers, throwing hammers, putting braemar stones, and engaged in all sorts of astounding heavy athletics.

I love bagpipe music. So watching and listening to pipe and drum groups from around Southern California as they practiced and competed was quite enjoyable. The sound of bagpipes throughout the grassy park made me wonder if I’d been transported to Scotland!

Adults enjoyed a beer garden, families checked out vendors and watched the colorful Highland dancing, kids loved petting the fluffy heritage cattle. There was tons of fun for everyone!

I took the next photo from atop the elevated Stadium trolley station. You can see how big this event is!

We gather to remember where we came from, celebrate what has been passed down, and welcome those discovering Scottish culture for the first time.

At the Highland Games, heritage is not just something we study. It is something we hear, taste, wear, dance, throw, share, and carry forward.

To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)

Fantasy grows at San Diego County Fair!

Once Upon a Fair is this year’s theme for the San Diego County Fair. Fairy tales, beloved picture books, popular fiction and timeless classics are celebrated in fantastic exhibits throughout the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The ever-popular Garden Show, not surprisingly, has become a place where gardening clubs from around the San Diego region have “hybridized” beautiful flowers and plants with . . . fantasy!

Walk around the Garden Show and you’re likely to discover scenes from wonderfully imaginative works like Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Snow White, The Three Little Pigs, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Little Mermaid, and more.

I always delight in the huge model train layout built by the San Diego Garden Railway Society. Their display this year contains fantasy elements from many well known tales.

Check out the following photographs! What stories can you identify?

To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)

Longfellow quote graces Fletcher Cove Park.

A beautiful poetic quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow graces an ocean overlook at Fletcher Cove Park in Solana Beach.

Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves

that break upon the idle seashore of the mind

Avengers: Doomsday comes to San Diego!

Doomsday has come to San Diego!

Street lamp banners have begun to appear around downtown San Diego promoting Marvel’s upcoming blockbuster movie Avengers: Doomsday. Comic-Con is a little over a month away!

You know the hype will be out of this world for a movie that fans are already excited about. Will Doctor Doom triumph over the multiverse’s mightiest heroes?

Will San Diego be the epicenter of world-shattering superhero action? It sure looks that way!

Stand by for much more Avengers fun in the days ahead!

If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

Another cool Crunchyroll trolley for Comic-Con!

New trolley wraps are appearing almost daily in San Diego for upcoming Comic-Con 2026!

I spotted another one this morning at Santa Fe Depot that promotes multiple anime series offered by the Crunchyroll streaming service.

Shows depicted in the graphics include Chainsaw Man, Black Clover, One Piece…

If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!