An effort at urban revitalization is underway in Mission Hills. The Mission Hills Business Improvement District is beautifying electrical boxes with its Birds of Mission Hills Wayfinding Art Box Project!
Last weekend artist Becca Dwyer painted three utility boxes at the intersection of Goldfinch Street and Fort Stockton Drive. Bright goldfinches now appear on the corner near the Meshuggah Shack!
The Mission Hills Business Improvement District aims to repaint many of the boxes in the community.
Walking around today, I noticed most of the electrical boxes I photographed nine years ago along Washington Street are badly faded and really could use a refresh. The cool thing is, the street art that is coming will reflect Mission Hill’s bird street names. Yes, from Albatross to Dove to Goldfinch and etcetera, birds will be the subject!
I look forward to seeing the new art!
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If you maintain a garden in San Diego, or would love to learn more about plants or gardening, you need to know about a very special library that is open to the public in Balboa Park. The San Diego Floral Association Library, located in Room 105 of the Casa del Prado, contains over 3,500 books filled with horticultural and gardening knowledge!
The San Diego Floral Association Library and Office is located down a short hallway beyond Balboa Park’s Senior Lounge. On a table just outside its entrance, one comes across an informative bulletin board and a table covered with all sorts of free printed material. I once was lucky and found the book-like California Garden Centennial Compilation 1909-2009, which is jam-packed with San Diego history and articles from past decades–a real treasure!
The San Diego Floral Association is home of California Garden magazine. It is the oldest horticulture magazine in continuous publication in the United States!
Inside the library you’ll find shelves full of books and valuable references. You’ll also see walls covered with beautiful paintings!
Looking around, I recognized several images of Kate Sessions, one of the San Diego Floral Association’s founders. Because she was instrumental in making Balboa Park a botanical wonder, she is commonly referred to as Mother of Balboa Park. (The book The Complete Writings of Kate Sessions in California Garden is also available for purchase. It would make a great gift!)
The smiling lady with whom I spoke was so very welcoming. She explained how the San Diego Floral Association hosts many fun and educational events, plus they have a gardening outreach program with San Diego schools.
If you are so inclined, become a member! Perhaps assist their efforts and volunteer! Members have the privilege of checking out library books for home use.
To see everything they have to offer, I encourage you to visit the San Diego Floral Association’s website by clicking here.
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
The San Dieguito River Park’s long Coast to Crest Trail runs through San Pasqual Valley, southeast of Escondido and northwest of Ramona. Much of the San Pasqual Valley is part of an agricultural preserve owned by the City of San Diego, where active farming can be observed.
The San Pasqual Valley Agricultural Preserve Trail is a segment of the Coast to Crest Trail that passes swaths of this farmland.
Yesterday I hiked perhaps a mile of this fascinating trail. As I walked east past an informative sign that I photographed, I observed farm workers planting a new crop to my left, and trees and vegetation along Lake Hodges/San Dieguito River to my right.
You can find a trail map in .pdf form here. You might have to rotate the map clockwise to orient yourself. The trail segment is almost 9 miles, and I explored only the west part of it, starting from the vicinity of Mule Hill. The sign that I photographed is where the wedge-like black arrow is on the map.
Here I am approaching the sign…
The San Dieguito River Park’s information includes:
The San Pasqual Valley Agricultural Preserve Trail runs through what once was called the valley of eagles. The In-ke-pah tribe called this valley Mo-culoch-culoch, which means “one stone on top of another.” In the late 18th century, the Spanish Franciscans renamed the valley for Saint Pascal.
The City of San Diego leases the land for farming, a use that helps the city maintain water supplies and protect water quality while preserving the rural character of the valley and continuing the tradition of agriculture in the San Pasqual Valley.
San Diego County maintains the second highest number of farms in all counties in the United States. It also leads the nation in the production value of nursery crops, floriculture and sod.
To read the above sign, enlarge my photograph.
Now I’m continuing my walk past it, getting my first glimpse of farmland ahead. The weather was pleasantly overcast on this early June morning. I saw several mountain bikers during my walk…
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
A beautiful native plant garden can be enjoyed at the Sikes Adobe Farmhouse in Escondido. The garden is on the grounds of the historic farmstead, directly next to the San Dieguito River Park’s long Coast to Crest Trail.
I visited the native plant garden during a walk today and took these photographs. I noticed a sign indicating it was an Eagle Scout Service Project, undertaken in 2021 by Matthew VanderVorst of Escondido Troop 668.
It’s late Spring, so many flowers are in bloom. Signs identify the plants, which include Monkey Flower, Deerweed, Bladder Pod, Black Sage, White Sage, California Buckwheat, Shaw’s Agave, Coastal Prickly Pear, and others.
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
The Escondido Public Library had their official Grand Opening inside North County Mall this morning! The library has temporarily relocated to the shopping mall as their main downtown building undergoes renovation.
The Library at the Mall is inviting and substantial. Several past store spaces are now filled with shelves, and constitute the General Library, Children’s Library, and a Book Store, which is operated by the Friends of the Escondido Public Library.
You can find details about the library’s temporary mall location, including hours, by clicking here.
Funny thing is, I had no idea this was happening today. I arrived at North County Mall after a nearby hike and learned I’d missed the Grand Opening ceremony, which included Escondido’s mayor, by about an hour!
The Escondido Public Library will be found inside North County Mall until Spring 2026, when they’ll return downtown to their renovated building. I was told there’s a good possibility some sort of library presence will remain at the mall after the move.
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
Another sequel to cult classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is filming today in San Diego. I saw the production crew out on the wooden boardwalk just south of the USS Midway, and the scene was of tomato mayhem!
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence is the name of this latest sequel according to IMDb. It’s described as “Jurassic Park” meets “Dr. Strangelove” which sounds like more campy absurd crazy fun. I did see an alligator on the set, so there’s at least one reptile among the rolling red vegetables!
Are those giant tomatoes co-stars in the film? Who plays Doctor Doom? Oops–wrong franchise.
Is this what tomato Armageddon looks like? You can spy the alligator on the right in the next photo–or is that a crocodile? Must’ve escaped from the San Diego Zoo.
Thank goodness they’ve caged one of the rampant ripe vegetables. Or, wait–is a tomato a fruit?
Man versus an overgrown villainous vegetable. Who is victorious?
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
Carved wooden camel of the Balboa Park Carousel is being lovingly restored.
The restoration of the Balboa Park Carousel’s carved wooden animals is an ongoing project. William “Bill” Brown, who has been operating and tending this historic carousel since 1972, showed me four animals that are being restored in 2025.
The first–a camel–you can see above. Feast your eyes on the amazing sculptural detail!
The Balboa Park Carousel was originally built in 1910 by Herschell-Spillman, whose factory created many of these same animals for different carousels.
Restoring the carved animals involves removing layers of paint, repairing dents and scrapes caused mostly by dangling feet, then returning these true works of art to their former glory. Bill accomplishes this by using images he obtained from the archives of the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, which he once had the opportunity to visit.
Bill was very kind and showed me the animals undergoing restoration during a brief lull in the carousel action.
The Persian Cat, in the next photo, is the animal nearest completion.
Here’s an image of how the Persian Cat might have appeared as it left the Herschell-Spillman factory over a century ago. (Through the years, the basic design would undergo certain changes, including coloration.)
The restoration pays close attention to original details.
Next is the carousel’s War Horse, now stripped of old paint…
Many of the animals have “side images” such as a warrior with shield in this case.
A carousel goat is also being restored!
Bill also showed me several carved animals whose restoration was completed last year! They look absolutely fantastic!
First up, this tiger. Look how bright and colorful it now is! Remember the famous 1882 short story The Lady, or the Tiger? That explains the side image.
Then there’s a beautifully restored stork, with a baby ready for delivery!
And look how amazing this restored stag appears! A hound appears on its side.
Bill, by carefully tending and restoring the Balboa Park carousel, has been bringing joy to generations of San Diegans. Thank you!
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
As their website explains: The USPFC is an Olympic-style competition for athletes representing Law Enforcement, Firefighters, and officers from Corrections, Probation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection from across the country.
There are 38 different sports in which participants can compete. There’s everything from tennis to soccer to bowling to cornhole, and, as I discovered this afternoon, basketball!
Walking through Balboa Park, I noticed spirited basketball play inside the Municipal Gymnasium. The athletes I observed are skilled and very serious about winning!
To learn more about the United States Police & Fire Championships and the various sports being played in venues around San Diego, check out this webpage.
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
The Clairemont Town Council is for the birds . . . in a good way!
This fun street art can be found in Clairemont on electrical boxes at the intersection of Balboa Arms Drive and Mt. Abernathy Avenue. Painted seagulls are shown lounging at the beach, boating, biking, and otherwise enjoying the Southern California lifestyle!
As I looked at this art, I noticed it contains an emblem indicating it’s a project of the Clairemont Town Council.
This web page describes how the Clairemont Town Council Foundation has a Public Art Program, which includes the painting of transformer boxes in San Diego City Council District 2.
One of CTC Foundation’s aims is to encourage the development of vibrant residential communities. This particular neighborhood behind a shopping mall features many apartment complexes and, I’m sure, residents who smile at humorous street art!
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
Jonah Molina, a Senior at Mission Bay High School, wowed an audience in Balboa Park this afternoon during the AGO-Spreckels Honors Concert. Jonah was the Honors Performer, as selected by the San Diego Chapter of the American Guild of Organists!
Jonah played two difficult pieces on the world-famous outdoor Spreckels Organ: Batalla de Torres (which he arranged) and Toccata, from Suite Gothique Opus 25. This wasn’t his first public performance. He has participated in different competitions and events around Southern California.
As one might expect, Jonah was exceptional!
After he completed the two pieces, Jonah received a trophy. He has been awarded the Advanced Division Scholarship by the Spreckels Organ Society!
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
Cool San Diego Sights! 