Many animals were blessed today in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
The animals were blessed today in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
Dozens of beloved pets received a sprinkling of holy water at the annual Benediction of the Beasts, a long-time local tradition.
Monsignor Mark Campbell, Catholic priest of Our Mother of Confidence Parish in University City, administered the blessings. The traditional church ritual, which dates back to ancient times, invokes St. Anthony of the Desert, the Patron Saint of Animals. In the very early years of San Diego, livestock were blessed for an abundant harvest.
I watched for livestock but, alas, didn’t see any.
After today’s blessings, the fun event included a mid-afternoon costume and animal trick contest, which I missed. The male human ritual of watching football could not be violated.
Front row dogs wait patiently for the religious ceremony to begin.Monsignor Mark Campbell reads from Genesis and praises faithful pets.Holy water is cast by the Catholic priest upon animals to bestow health and blessings.Animals lined up for blessings included dogs, cats and rabbits.These two guys seemed to enjoy the proceedings.Cute, furry bunny rabbits need blessings as much as any other creature.Here comes Chopper, the motorcycle-riding dog, a big time celebrity.
Chopper, the canine motorcyclist, is quite the sensation in San Diego. I must’ve seen him on local television news a dozen times. He’s even made a cameo appearance on TMZ!
Chopper rides his motorcycle up to the priest for a sprinkling of holy water.This dog was a bit spooked and didn’t know what to make of this craziness.A cat is fascinated by the shiny aspergillum waving about.One dog seems bored while the other appears suspicious!A long line of pet owners waited in Old Town during the Benediction of the Beasts.
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People gaze at Monster Jam’s Party in the Pits in the Petco stadium parking lot.
I was heading back home today after walking for a couple hours along San Diego Bay. Crossing the bridge over Harbor Drive, I suddenly heard some sort of loud event over by Petco Park. I turned my head, and a big crowd of people came into view…
Crossing over Harbor Drive bridge, I heard and spied something big going on!Look at all the monster truck enthusiasts checking out cool stuff.Guys on bikes and motorcycles perform huge jumps for crowd.
After descending from the bridge, I walked around the monster truck event and took a few pics over the fence!
I don’t know the name of this monster truck, but it was definitely large!Mechanic guy near a couple of gigantic spare tires.I guess this is a driver. He was signing autographs for lots of fans.A display I could barely glimpse over the surrounding fence.A couple of vendors head from Petco Park to the Monster Jam Party in the Pits.
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Japanese drummers add rhythm to the San Diego Multicultural Festival.
Today I directed my feet toward the Embarcadero, where the 17th Annual San Diego Sheila Hardin Multicultural Festival took place.
In partnership with the Port of San Diego, the World Beat Cultural Center, and other community organizations, the Multicultural Festival featured lots of diverse music, culture and perfect Southern California sunshine.
This annual festival used to take place along the narrow Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade, which is dedicated to the great civil rights leader. This year it was moved to Ruocco Park to provide more space. The relatively new park, just north of Seaport Village, seems like an ideal location, with lots of grass for kids to play on, throw a ball and just have fun. Personally, I love this park and often sit on one of the benches near the water to read and watch people.
Here are a few photos that I captured…
The annual festival took place this year in Ruocco Park, just north of Seaport Village.Lots of local organizations and vendors had cool stuff on display and for sale.Young lady with awesome smiling painted face was decorating other folks!A bubble blower floated globes of color across the grass, all the way to the stage!This nice lady from nearby USS Midway Museum helped me sit in this ejection seat!Among cool things on display were two gravity cars from the Soap Box Derby.A big pile of drums wait to make music in the waterfront park!Serviceman with child enjoys a sunny day at the Multicultural Festival in San Diego.
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DecoBike bikeshare station on Broadway between Santa Fe Depot and America Plaza.
During my walks around San Diego in the past few months, I’ve noticed new bike sharing stations popping up at various locations. The green-signed docks still contain no bikes, but according to articles I’ve read the program is supposed to finally begin this month, after many delays.
Bike sharing in San Diego will be facilitated by DecoBike, a company based in Miami, where a similar system has been installed. They plan to eventually have around 180 electronic rental stations and 1,800 standardized bicycles.
San Diegans and city visitors will be able to rent bicycles for one-time use, or purchase a monthly or annual membership. The number of bikes available at any station will be visible in real time on DecoBike’s online station map.
According to signs at each bikeshare station, renting a bike will cost $5 per half hour, $7 per hour, or $12 for two hours. Memberships will cost $15 for one day, $35 for one week, or $50 for one month.
Looks interesting. Perhaps I’ll do a little more bicycling!
More locking bicycle docks in East Village, just north of Petco Park.DecoBike bikeshare stations feature a touchscreen, instructions and a row of bike docks.Sign shows rental and membership rates.Another bike sharing station on El Prado near the west end of Balboa Park.
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Lanefield Park under construction at corner of Broadway and Harbor Drive.
This morning I walked past a huge project under construction at the corner of Broadway and Harbor Drive. I’m a tall guy, so I could easily peer over the surrounding fence.
The site of historic Lane Field is green with beautiful new grass!
It’s been many years since this hallowed spot in downtown San Diego needed a periodic mowing. I don’t recall ever seeing anything here but a large ugly asphalt parking lot. But once upon a time, half a century ago, this corner on San Diego’s waterfront featured a ballpark where the Pacific Coast League Padres played to large, enthusiastic crowds.
In 1925 the site was established as a Navy athletic field; it was also used for motorcycle and auto races. In 1936 the Works Progress Administration rebuilt the field to accommodate baseball. On March 31 of that year the first game was played, and the Padres beat Seattle 6-2. Lane Field would remain open for 22 exciting seasons.
Today, the old location of Lane Field is undergoing another transformation. It soon will feature a new hotel and public park. The 2-acre Lanefield Park includes a small grassy area shaped like a baseball diamond. As I gazed and took photos over the fence, I also noted a monument at home plate and a nearby plaque. Check out the above pic!
Here are two more pics I snapped early this morning…
New grassy park at site of Lane Field, where Pacific Coast League baseball Padres played.Hotel being built next to Lanefield Park on San Diego’s Embarcadero.
Lastly, here’s a pic of a cool mural on 11th Avenue not far from Petco Park, the present home of the Padres. The photo mural shows the construction of Lane Field in 1936. As you can see, the ballfield was located right next to the bay!
East Village street mural shows photo of Lane Field under construction in 1936.
UPDATE! The park, which now seems to be officially called Lane Field Park, is open! Here are some pics…
Lane Field Park is now open on San Diego’s Embarcadero.A small part of the park resembles a baseball diamond with flat pitcher’s mound.Monument and plaque commemorate original Lane Field in downtown San Diego.Legendary player Ted Williams of the Padres advises hitters to get mad.Lane Field Ballpark Site 1936-1957. First home of the PCL San Diego Padres.
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Kid checks engine of vintage car at Balboa Park show commemorating 1915 race.
One hundred years ago a famous road race took place in San Diego. Many of the world’s greatest race drivers took part. The 1915 San Diego Exposition Road Race was a thrilling, dangerous 300 mile race around the streets of Point Loma. Those streets still exist today.
This morning, dozens of vintage cars took part in a rally along the old race route. The event was part of Balboa Park’s Centennial celebration, which is being held all year long to remember the 1915 Panama-California Exposition.
Before the rally, the participating cars gathered in Balboa Park in front of the San Diego Automotive Museum for a special car show. I walked up to the park this morning to check things out.
Wow! Double wow!
Please enjoy these photos. While I love looking at classic cars, I’m very far from being an expert. If you detect an error in the captions, or have something interesting to add, please leave a comment!
Guy drives his classic automobile through Balboa Park, heading to a special car show.Old race car is pushed into position. San Diego Automotive Museum is in the background.Vintage cars from era of Point Loma road race that began 1915 Panama-California Exposition.Someone checks out Fiat racing car at special Balboa Park Centennial event.Wooden dashboard full of knobs looks almost prehistoric compared to modern cars!Engine of 1914 Tahis Special that competed in many races!Collectibles from 1915 road race in Point Loma that kicked off Panama-California Exposition!People can still ride in style in this elegant Pierce-Arrow.Pierce-Arrow luxury automobiles in early 1900s were owned by many movie stars and tycoons.So many amazing cars were lined up in the parking lot it was hard to take it all in!1910 REO Model D Touring car has a very classic look.Check out this awesome vintage Cadillac!1909 Pope Hartford on display at Balboa Park Centennial special car show.This isn’t your father’s Buick. But it might have been driven by your grandparents!Walking around, I felt like I’d stepped back in time one hundred years!Here’s the grill of a cool Ford. License plate is for a Horseless Carriage.Colorful Ford is painted orange and green. Awesome!Red and green signal light near spare tire on back.1910 Velie Model D Touring cars were popular. Velie race cars were also successful.Many of these beautiful old cars contain lots of wood, brass and leather.Dozens of classic cars were out on public display!Inspecting another Velie, made early last century in Moline, Illinois.Very cool 1911 Ono, a vintage chain-driven race car.Someone nearby joked: It’s a motorcycle chain!And here’s a guy checking out the engine of an Italian Isotta Fraschini.Makes my own extremely modest car look downright futuristic!Chests full of tools that car mechanics would use back in the old days.Kid checks out a 1912 Packard race car in Balboa Park.Many refurbished motors were open for people to investigate.A large crowd enjoys many super cool cars in front of San Diego Automotive Museum.News cameraman gets a shot of young girl in pink pretending to race a vintage car.Racing goggles lie ready on leather seat. The road rally will begin in a few minutes!I’ve never seen so many cameras taking so many photographs in one place!Fun historical costumes were everywhere you turned.This fellow is ready to go! It’s a perfect Saturday morning for a road trip!It might have a dent or two, but it still runs!One guy checks out the steering wheel, another the unusual wheels on the asphalt!Getting the engine started with the old hand crank!Gentlemen, take your seats! We’re about to get started!Don’t touch this fancy car unless you are nude! (And showered, presumably.)I love this shiny oval grill on a Pope-Hartford.Not sure how this old horseless carriage would fare in a race.That’s as primitive a motorcar as you’re likely to ever see.Folks are shooting the breeze and having a whole lot of fun!This guy is getting ready to climb aboard a gorgeous classic Hudson.Car show disbands and crowds have scattered to make way.Here they come! That’s the San Diego Air and Space Museum in the background.Many drivers and onlookers wore fashion styles from early 20th century.A long line of beautifully restored hundred-year-old autos rumbles past.Heading out of Balboa Park for Point Loma, where historic 1915 race will be commemorated.
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January sunrise tints smooth water of San Diego Bay.
I feel so fortunate to live where I do. Early this morning I walked from Cortez Hill down to the water just to see, feel and breathe in the sunrise.
Morning light reflected jewel-like from many Point Loma windows across San Diego Bay.Sun is about to rise beyond the sleepy USS Midway. Photo taken from the Broadway Pier.Newborn daylight reflects from silvery skyscraper beyond domes of the Santa Fe Depot.As the sun lifts into the sky, birds take flight above palm trees in downtown San Diego.
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Several whiskered Western characters pose in a mural on Harney Street in Old Town.
There’s a fairly new street mural in Old Town that I really like. Every time I see it, my imagination travels back in time. Back to the first half of the 19th century.
San Diego for many decades was a tiny town seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Whether it belonged to Spain, or Mexico, or the United States, Old Town San Diego was a place of dusty roads and modest, sun-baked adobe houses, horses and wagons, rugged settlers and ranchers. Characters from that era seem to live again in this mural.
Artist Frank Mando painted this artwork in 2013. I couldn’t capture the entire piece in one shot. Enlivening a building at the corner of San Diego Avenue and Harney Street, the mural is divided in two by a door of the Old Town Saloon. Standing inside that door, as you’ll see, there seems to be a well-known movie star!
Freight wagon hauls a load of barrels in fun art that recalls early San Diego history.John Wayne seems to be coming through a door of the Old Town Saloon.Elegant lady and girl from long ago stroll past Ye Old Curiosity Shoppe.Old Town mural on building wall was painted in 2013 by artist Frank Mando.Kids standing along sidewalk seem to have materialized from San Diego’s past.People walk past nostalgic street mural near side entrance to Old Town Saloon.
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Images around a new pavilion near Broadway Pier show history of the Embarcadero.
San Diego’s Embarcadero has undergone some major renovations. One of the new pavilions still under construction near the Broadway Pier features a large display that provides a timeline of the area’s history. Notable developments along the waterfront through the passing years are documented with historical photographs.
While many of these images concern more recent events, it still makes a fascinating visual time capsule. Here are some pics that I took!
1542: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo claims San Diego Bay for Spain. He named it San Miguel Bay.1913: San Diego’s Broadway Pier makes its debut. It certainly looks different today!1930s: Baseball played across street. Lane Field was home of Pacific Coast League Padres.1962: San Diego Unified Port District is established.1970: Broadway Pier gets a makeover. A cruise ship terminal is added.1976: North and South Embarcadero Marina Parks are dedicated.1980: Seaport Village becomes the newest San Diego attraction.1985: North Embarcadero’s Crescent area renovated.1985: Princess Cruises bases its “Love Boat” in San Diego.1988: San Diego Yacht Club successfully defends America’s Cup.1989: San Diego Convention Center opens.2003: First of six Urban Trees art exhibits along the Embarcadero.2007: Seward Johnson’s Unconditional Surrender statue goes on display near USS Midway.2009: A record-breaking cruise ship season!2010: Port Pavilion opens on Broadway Pier. It’s been over four years already? Time flies!2011: America’s Cup World Series regatta takes place on San Diego Bay.2011: North Embarcadero Project (Phase 1) passes.2012: North Embarcadero Visionary Plan breaks ground nearby.2012: Ruocco Park immediately north of Seaport Village is dedicated.2012: Port of San Diego is 50 years old.2013: San Diego’s historic Star of India tall ship turns 150 years old.2014: Lots of cool waterfront improvements opened, including this pavilion!
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Sea Passage sculpture and fountain between Coronado City Hall and Community Center.
Whenever I walk around Coronado, or bike down the Silver Strand, I like to pass by this graceful work of art. Sea Passage, created by James T. Hubbell, adds gentle sound and sparkling color to a long park which stretches beside Glorietta Bay. The popular linear park can be found between the Hotel del Coronado’s old boathouse and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.
The fountain contains a sinuous mosaic of many small tiles. They appear to me like silvery blue scales, glittering and swimming in the flowing water. The organic form artistically connects two somewhat ordinary-looking buildings: Coronado City Hall and the Community Center.
James T. Hubbell also designed two striking works of public art on Shelter Island, which is located just north of Coronado across San Diego Bay. I’ve already blogged about Pacific Portal. One of these days I’ll write about Pearl of the Pacific.
Sea Passage was created in 2005 by sculptor James T. Hubbell.Artwork adds gentle beauty to Coronado’s park along Glorietta Bay.Seagulls like getting a drink of water from the top of this colorful fountain!
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