Halloween was celebrated a bit early today in Balboa Park–if you’re a Pomeranian!
Furry participants in cute and humorous costumes were running about near the Bea Evenson Fountain when I walked through Balboa Park late this afternoon.
I had stumbled upon the 7th Annual Pom Pom Halloween Walk In Balboa Park, a fun event with members of the San Diego Pomeranian Meetup Group.
Which costume do you like best?
(I’m trying to decide: taco or cupcakes.)
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
The 2021 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon is taking place today!
This morning I walked through downtown San Diego to check out the action as a seemingly endless stream of marathon runners approached the finish line.
Many lined the sidewalks cheering on family, friends and complete strangers. Signs filled with encouraging words could be seen everywhere. Bands played music at stations along the race course.
I looked at the faces of the runners and saw dedication, grit, determination. I saw many arms fly upward in triumph when the finish line was only a few strides away.
Enjoy these photos, which show what it’s like to run in and watch the always extremely popular Rock ‘n Roll Marathon!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
A big K-pop dance competition was held today in San Diego, at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. The epic event was part of “Korea Day at Balboa Park” hosted by the Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles and San Diego’s own House of Korea.
I watched the first half of the competition and saw five high energy performances by groups competing in the K-Pop Cover Dance Festival Final. The huge audience was excited, as you can plainly see, and they had good reason! The music and dance was buoyant, fun, infectious, uplifting. It’s no wonder K-pop music has become a worldwide phenomenon!
I resumed my walk through Balboa Park realizing that, even with this world’s endless troubles, there are always reasons for happiness. There is much in life that is good. And what is truly good comes from the heart.
Please enjoy the following photographs!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Walk through beautiful Civita Park in Mission Valley and you’re likely to cross paths with numerous rabbits. Rabbit sculptures, that is!
The bronze bunnies, which are pleasing to children (and the young at heart), can be encountered in surprising places around the spacious public park, which opened in 2017.
The lifelike rabbits were created by Encinitas sculptors T.J. Dixon and James Nelson. Their fantastic work can be viewed all over San Diego. (Click here to see many more of their creations!)
The above photo of a rabbit standing guard by small baby bunnies is located right next to the Civita Park welcome sign. As you can see in the next two photographs, a bronze book containing a story about two rabbits finding their home is perched on another rock nearby.
Finding Home… Once upon a time there were two little bunnies named Franklin and Alta. They were looking for the magic stone that had once covered their little doorway for so long…
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
A community garden at Civita in Mission Valley features beautiful mosaic art and an old tractor at its entrance.
I made this fun discovery during a recent walk through the sprawling Civita residential community.
The agriculture themed mosaics decorate the gated entrance to Civita Gardens. Given the names and dates on the colorful, shaped ceramics, they appear to have been created in 2016.
The nearby tractor has a small sign indicating it’s a 1956 108L Junior Porsche Tractor.
I’ll have more photos taken at Civita coming up shortly.
Enjoy these!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
One of San Diego’s finest murals can be seen in Lemon Grove. Beautifully detailed scenes painted on five large panels represent the history of Lemon Grove.
The impressive 65 by 18 foot mural, which was commissioned by the Lemon Grove Historical Society, was created over the course of several years (2005 to 2013) by artists Kathleen Strzelecki and Janne LaValle. In 2014 the Lemon Grove History Mural won the prestigious Governor’s Historic Preservation Award.
Small plaques indicate the historical period of each panel. From left to right they read: The World of the Kumeyaay 1,000 BCE, The Spanish Conquest 16th Century, The Mexican Empire 1821-1846, The Birth of Lemon Grove 19th century, and Modern Lemon Grove.
If you’d like to experience this remarkable mural with your own eyes, it’s located in Lemon Grove on the south side of the building at 3308 Main Street. The historic building was once home of the Sonka Brothers General Store.
The World of the Kumeyaay 1,000 BCEThe Spanish Conquest 16th CenturyThe Mexican Empire 1821-1846The Birth of Lemon Grove 19th centuryModern Lemon Grove
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I just received the above information. There will be a Grand Opening of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park’s recently completed expansion!
The new outdoor interpretive area, which I visited yesterday and blogged about here, is called Iipay ~ Tipai Kumeyaay Mut Niihepok, Land of the First People. It’s a beautiful place, with winding walkways and public art and displays concerning the history and culture of the Native American Kumeyaay. These First People have lived in our region for thousands of years, long before European explorers arrived.
The big Grand Opening is scheduled for Tuesday, October 26, 2021, and will take place between 1 pm and 4 pm.
Kumeyaay bird singers will perform during the historic Grand Opening ceremony!
If you plan to go, look for the large park-like space full of trees and native greenery, at the corner of Taylor Street and Juan Street!
Extraordinary new public art has been unveiled in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park!
Two benches in the park’s recently opened outdoor expansion, which is called Land of the First People, feature beautiful mosaics that honor the Native American Kumeyaay and the world of nature.
Once you look at the following photographs, you’ll likely agree these ceramic mosaics are exceptional. They were created by local artist Betsy K. Schulz.
The two interpretive benches contain images of the Kumeyaay people in our region, fishing, collecting reeds, paddling boats and living by a river, among birds, fish and other native wildlife.
If you’d like to see more stunning public art around San Diego that was created by Betsy K. Schulz, click here.
These images were captured yesterday evening just before nightfall. I took additional photographs of this newly opened area of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, and posted them here.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park’s major expansion has opened!
The beautiful new outdoor area, situated at the north end of the State Park, near the intersection of Taylor Street and Juan Street where an old Caltrans building used to stand, is called Land of the First People. It honors our region’s Native American Kumeyaay.
Pathways wind through native vegetation, beautiful public artwork, and interpretive displays on stones that describe the history and culture of the Kumeyaay, who lived here for many thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. A Kumeyaay village called Kosa’aay existed where Old Town is now, near the mouth of the San Diego River.
I arrived at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park this evening just before sunset and noticed the construction fence circling this new area had finally come down! So I had to investigate immediately!
Artwork I discovered includes numerous disks along the pathways, showing native animals and the Kumeyaay words for each; a circular plaza with a mosaic depicting stars and constellations recognized by the Kumeyaay; and two benches made extraordinary with mosaics by local artist Betsy K. Schulz. Her amazing mosaics can be found all around San Diego. I’ll provide more photographs of these two benches in my next blog post!
Before it became too dark as night fell, this is what my camera captured…
Iipay ~ Tipai Kumeyaay Mut Niihepok — Land of the First People.Ha silly hatekarr – sea otterThe Kumeyaay created pottery made of local clay for cooking and storage. A large askay or saakay kept water cool…The traditional Kumeyaay diet was highly diverse, but shawii (acorn mush) was eaten daily…The traditional Kumeyaay cosmology of Maay Uuyow (Sky Knowledge) is extensive and elaborate…Hand tools like those shown here are used with the bowl-like hollows and other indentations in xepiicha (grinding stones) to process acorns, seeds, fibers…This ancestral land is respectfully dedicated to the First People, the Kumeyaay.The people of the Kumeyaay Nation have historically lived in and traveled through the Southern California and Northern Baja California region. This area extended from the Pacific Ocean to the desert…
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
I’ve noticed lots of new street art has recently appeared along Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa. So late this afternoon I checked it out!
I began my walk at Clairemont Mesa Boulevard and headed south down Convoy, through the heart of the Convoy District, which is the home of many Asian businesses and eateries. My walk ended just north of Balboa Avenue, where I jumped onto a bus.
Look at the many newly painted electrical boxes!
Two months ago when I walked this way, these particular boxes weren’t decorated. It looks like many talented artists have been very busy!
Words on the other side of this painted box describe: Phayanaak a revered water serpent in Laos.STRONGER TOGETHERProtect our EldersHOPESUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITYAPOYA A TU COMUNIDADFeed the SOULGET JIGAE WITH ITGIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE PHOCHOOSE UNITYTied together with noodles
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
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