Baseball is being celebrated at the San Diego History Center. While the 2026 season gets underway, the Inside/Out exhibit in the museum’s atrium summons happy baseball memories.
Artifacts and ephemera from the San Diego History Center’s collection are front and center. Most of the memorabilia on display concern the San Diego Padres and professional baseball in our city. Tony Gwynn, Jerry Coleman, the San Diego Chicken and others are lovingly remembered.
There are multiple objects from the 1978 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at San Diego Stadium (pre-Jack Murphy Stadium). Padres players Dave Winfield and Rollie Fingers contributed to the National League victory.
I noticed one shelf celebrates Alice “Lefty” Hohlmayer, a longtime Bonita resident who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1946 to 1951. She was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame in 2005.
Very cool!
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Near the corner of La Cima Drive and Ingraham Street, it’s always a Good Day!
This mural is located in the Crown Point neighborhood of Pacific Beach, a couple blocks from Mission Bay. That explains the bicycle, palm trees, surfboards, shore bird and sailboat graphic.
The mural was designed by Channin Fulton (@channinfulton) and painted by various artists on the side of PB Express Market & Liquor. Here’s the webpage concerning the mural, which was commissioned by the Crown Point Neighborhood Association.
Enjoy a few photos.
This sunny San Diego art definitely makes a Good Day!
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A tall metal sculpture stands behind the WorldBeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park. It’s called the Sound Tree.
When I learned about the existence of this sculpture several days ago, I resolved to see it myself. I walked to Balboa Park yesterday and was able to take these photos. A fence and closed gate behind the WorldBeat Cultural Center kept me at a distance.
The WorldBeat Cultural Center is usually open on weekends, so that would be the time to grab the sculpture’s hammer and ring those long tubes, which dangle in the air like sonic fruit!
Sound Tree was created by artist and neurobiologist Victor Hugo Minces. He works as a research scientist at UC San Diego. According to the sculpture’s webpage, the dangling metal pipes produce low soothing vibrations that you can hear and feel. The pipes are tuned to interact acoustically, creating harmonies and rich sonic interference patterns.
The WorldBeat Cultural Center is a treasure trove of multi-cultural art, on display both inside and outside. Go check it out!
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You might have heard that the Artemis II moon mission will be splashing down off the San Diego coast on Friday shortly after 5 pm. But did you know you can be watching the mission live during its lunar flyby?
This afternoon I’ve been watching live video from NASA as Artemis II has begun passing around the far side of the moon! It’s the farthest humans have ever flown from planet Earth. Over 250,000 miles!
Right now as I type this they cannot contact Earth due to loss of signal, but as soon as they come around the opposite side of the moon, we’ll hear from them again and see new views! From over a quarter million miles away!
I urge everyone to watch the live feed from NASA as this historic mission progresses. Human eyes are seeing what they have never seen before. You can watch the live feed from the NASA website. Click here!
All my photos are screenshots taken from the live video feed.
Here’s one look inside the Orion manned capsule:
And here’s the Earth–that tiny bright sliver–about to pass behind the moon as the Artemis II mission moves around the moon:
UPDATE!
Later, the crew of Artemis II would watch a solar eclipse–one never seen before! From a point near the moon!
Yes, the moon at their position appeared much larger than the sun. That tiny dot is Venus.
Science will benefit from this unique observation of the sun’s corona.
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A couple weeks ago this interesting sculpture was installed on the grass near the box office of the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. It’s titled Sound Shower.
Artist and neurobiologist Victor Hugo Minces created this immersive sound sculpture. He’s a research scientist at UC San Diego and has published work about how neural networks in the brain represent the sensory world.
The webpage concerning Sound Shower features a video that shows how the sculpture can stimulate the senses of those who stand within it. Using a hammer, a subject strikes the large chime-like pipes and experiences sound as it “showers” all around!
I wish I’d understood the sculpture’s function while gazing at it a few days ago. If by chance Sound Shower is still there when I return to Escondido, I’ll try it out.
(Different sculptures have temporarily appeared in this same place. You might recall how I blogged about a star-like sculpture a year ago.)
(While reading through Victor Minces’ website, I’ve noticed he has another sensory sculpture installed near the WorldBeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park. I think that today I’ll go experience that one!)
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Several human mummies from Mexico have arrived in San Diego’s Balboa Park!
Okay–they’re replica mummies to be exact. Visitors to the House of Mexico cottage can now view them as well as other artifacts from Guanajuato, a state in central Mexico.
The House of Mexico opened this exhibit a day or two ago. Every three months they celebrate one of Mexico’s many states with a new exhibition.
Not only is Guanajuato famous for its mummies, but the mountainous region is known for mining, its unique culture, and colorful architecture that includes many tunnels. Displays in the cottage include photographs, historical information and crafts from this Mexican tourist destination.
Today I enjoyed a free sample of ice cream unique to Guanajuato! I received a beautiful bilingual magazine titled Roads of Guanajuato, too!
Between the mummies and the ice cream, and all the colorful sights inside the House of Mexico cottage, your family will be sure to enjoy a visit!
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Today is Easter. It’s spring. The sun is out in San Diego. A perfect day for a leisurely walk through Balboa Park!
What did I encounter?
Second day of the Makers Arcade on Balboa Park’s West Mesa.People enjoying yoga near the lawn bowling green.Flowers are in full bloom at the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden.Vendors at the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society’s Annual Show and Plant Sale.A tortoise in Room 101 of the Casa del Prado.The Spring Exhibition of Art inside the Village Arts Outreach Gallery.Here comes the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad!Many native flowers are showing color along the San Diego Natural History Museum’s Nature Trail.Beautiful butterflies and a ladybug inside the San Diego Sculptors Guild courtyard.A small bird enjoys the green grass growing near the Botanical Building.It’s busy inside the Botanical Building on a sunny Easter day.The new pergola west of the Botanical Building is looking good!Uh, oh! Somebody forgot their bunny ears!Free roses made of corn husks offered by a street performer.Happy Easter in a window at the International Cottages.Looks like Quinceañera photos are being taken at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.Some cool cars and lowriders have arrived in the park.Spring beauty at the Alcazar Garden in Balboa Park.
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Tony Bingham is presently the artist in residence at the California Center for the Arts Museum in Escondido. Visitors to the museum have the opportunity to meet Tony and experience his work when he is present. I was privileged to meet him a couple days ago. He loves to interact with curious people!
Tony told me about his fascination with A. E. “Fred” Coleman, a former slave who discovered gold in Julian back in 1869, launching a gold rush. The gold mining camp Coleman City quickly sprang up by what today is named Coleman Creek, a tributary of the San Diego River. Among other accomplishments, A. E. Coleman created a toll road into Julian.
Short-lived Coleman City is now a vanished ghost town, but the legacy of A. E. Coleman remains an important part of African American history in the San Diego region. Tony Bingham’s art honors that history.
Tony, with his art, also honors two African American trailblazers: Albert Robinson and Margaret Tull Robinson. In 1887 they started the Robinson Restaurant and Bakery in Julian. Today the establishment is called the Julian Gold Rush Hotel.
Tony Bingham loves to create images using pinhole photography.
He went up to the property through which Coleman Creek runs and took a series of pinhole photographs, often experimenting with different exposures. Here are some of the results…
The words you see above are the names of different mines that were established around Julian during the gold rush.
Tony has also created clay plates that recall the historic Robinson Hotel & Restaurant. The earthy plates among them were formed using the actual grassy soil along Coleman Creek.
Tony has conjectured what food items the restaurant might have had on its menu, and if any vegetables were grown on location.
He has produced plant music that reflects different vegetables, resulting from bioelectrical activity within a living plant. It was very cool listening to a plant “symphony” from his laptop! The potatoes were quite lively!
Tony Bingham is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator from Birmingham, Alabama. His very unique work invites contemplation. It honors the life and legacy of African Americans.
Perhaps his most notable work is the Praise House, an open-air sculpture at a former plantation in Harpersville, Alabama.
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The House of Scotland hosted their annual Tartan Day today. They were celebrating their 77th year in Balboa Park!
A good crowd came out to the International Cottages to enjoy cultural entertainment, Scottish food (meat pies!) and a gathering of various clans.
The House of Scotland Pipe Band and the Helix Highlander Pipes & Drums performed rousing music. Traditional dancers took the stage. The Ashworth Academy of Highland Dance and the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society were represented.
The festival atmosphere was also educational. It seemed every sort of organization that promotes Scottish culture in San Diego appeared on the lawn.
What is meant by Tartan Day, you may ask?
A tartan is the patterned cloth, traditionally made of wool, featuring crisscrossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colors, originating from Scotland. Different clans and regions have their own unique tartan. San Diego has a special tartan pattern, too!
One more thing. The epic Scottish Highland Games and Gathering of the Clans is returning after an absence of a couple years. Instead of in Vista, the games will now be held this June 20 and 21, 2026, at the SDSU Mission Valley River Park! Check out the official website here.
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Lots of families came out to A Day at the Park in National City today! The fun waterfront event was held at Pepper Park, thanks to the Port of San Diego.
There was free food, plus live entertainment by the San Diego Symphony, Mariachi Nuevo Aguadulce, and others. For the kids there was face painting and henna tattoos. Many community organizations showed up as well.
The Port of San Diego was demonstrating how they are electrifying their maritime operations to help protect the environment.
I also learned how the National City Historical Society is trying to save Granger Music Hall, an architecturally important building designed by Irving Gill and on the National Register of Historic Places. If you’re curious about their efforts, or would like to help, check out this webpage.
I was eager to see how Pepper Park’s major redevelopment has turned out. I’d seen the new beach during my last visit, but now there’s also the pirate-themed playground and splash pad!
As you can see from my photos, the park has become truly amazing! People who reside in National City and San Diego’s South Bay are very fortunate!
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Cool San Diego Sights! 