Would you like to read a short Christmas story?
It’s based loosely on a real experience. The story wrote itself today, while I was sitting out in the San Diego sunshine.
The title is A Christmas Secret.
Christmas is about generosity, compassion and good cheer. And that’s what this story is about, too.
To read it, click here!
Q: Why is there no star on this Christmas tree?
A: Because this Christmas tree is on top of the star!
On top of the Star of India!
A small laugh and smile for this Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas!
Richard
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In 2019, this sculpture of Penelope, from Greek mythology, was placed beside the boardwalk in Coronado Tidelands Park.
The bronze head of Penelope gazes across the water toward the Coronado Bridge and South Bay, as if awaiting the return of her husband Odysseus. Odysseus (the Romans called him Ulysses) was fated to wander from adventure to adventure after the Trojan War.
I guess I hadn’t walked this way for over three years, because I didn’t notice Penelope here before. But I did see this same sculpture many years ago. It stood for a while just north of Seaport Village, where Ruocco Park was eventually developed.
The amazing work of public art was created by artist Michael Stutz in 2009. (Looking at his website, I note he also created the Flame Flower in front of the Westin Gaslamp, which you can see here.)
I love the artist’s representation of Penelope. The mask-like face, gazing out over San Diego Bay, appears windblown but firm. The sculpture evokes human patience, anticipation, nobility…
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
Plans are underway to create a landmark sign in La Mesa’s downtown Village!
La Mesa families are preparing painted tiles that will decorate the columns of the archway sign!
The “La Mesa Village District Sign” will span La Mesa Boulevard at Palm Avenue. It will resemble the distinctive gateway signs in other San Diego neighborhoods and cities in the county.
I knew nothing about this project until I walked past a banner and posters in windows at the intersection where the sign will be erected.
The ongoing “Leave a Legacy Tile” fundraiser will eventually produce a “Community Quilt” installed on the base of each column!
If you’d like to participate, here’s the website!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
Check out this very cool new mural, painted in Encanto just a couple months ago! It’s by artist Irieanna Sesma (@SD_IRIE).
The mural very effectively attracts attention to the newly opened The Mental Bar!
The Mental Bar- Coffee, Tea & Wellness, at 6325 Imperial Avenue, is a welcoming place run by two very nice people who greeted me with big smiles.
They offer all sorts of healthy things to eat and drink. I’m afraid all I asked for was a bottle of water. (Walking around in the San Diego sunshine is thirsty business!)
They asked what I liked about the mural. I said I really liked the cool neon vibe!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
Words of wisdom can be found up and down Imperial Avenue in San Diego’s Encanto neighborhood.
LETS LIVE LETS LOVE has been painted on several different electrical boxes, along with a variety of beautiful designs.
I photographed one of these boxes a couple years ago when I posted great examples of street art in Encanto. (You can see all that street art here.)
Let’s Live. Let’s Love.
These words might seem simple, but you know what? The very peak of wisdom might be contained in those few small words.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
At Cardiff State Beach, in San Diego’s North County, restored coastal dunes are roped off, protecting fragile habitat from human feet.
Signs posted on the perimeter explain the “constructed dunes” and Our Living Shoreline.
One sign explains that coastal dunes provide a natural buffer against waves, tides and storms in winter.
Made resilient with native vegetation, the dunes provide important wildlife habitat and protect San Elijo Lagoon from flooding.
The roped dunes at Cardiff State Beach constitute a snowy plover and least tern preserve. These birds have decreasing populations, largely due to development, recreation and other human activity. The birds nest in vulnerable bowl-like depressions in the sand.
A second Our Living Shoreline sign concerns native coastal scrub and dune plants. Among these are sand-verbena, beach evening-primrose and woolly-heads.
The plants provide cover and food for native and migrating birds.
This colorful information sign, near the entrance to South Cardiff State Beach, concerns California’s kelp forests.
The underwater “Hidden Forest, Rich with Life” can be viewed from the shoreline as floating brown-green patches of seaweed.
The kelp plants hold to the ocean floor and stretch up 100 feet or more. They support an unseen world teeming with life, including diverse fish, marine mammals, sea slugs, sea stars, sea anemones and spiny sea urchins.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
Today I sat on one of the benches in Ruocco Park reading a book. As I stood up and looked around, I discovered a plaque in nearby greenery that I’d never noticed before. It reads:
In loving memory of Deborah Hoffman, of The San Diego Foundation.
Instrumental in bringing together private philanthropy and the public sector to create a park for future generations.
Here’s an article that explains how the idea of Ruocco Park originated in the minds of architect Lloyd Ruocco and his wife, Ilse, art professor at San Diego State University. It then explains how Deborah Hoffman, senior vice president for the San Diego Foundation, worked continuously for five years to meld the Ruocco fund with assistance from local governments, particularly the Unified Port of San Diego, which controls the land.
I’ve spent many hours over many years sitting in this fine park, reading, writing, listening to street musicians, gazing at people walking down the boardwalk past Tuna Harbor and its picturesque fishing boats.
All I can say is thank you.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
Early last year, the artists of the Greetings Tour (@GreetingsTour) painted this mural in Seaport Village. I finally got around to photographing it!
If the style seems somewhat familiar, this same artist couple has painted three other postcard-like murals in San Diego: in Little Saigon, North Park, and Liberty Station!
The traveling artists Lisa and Victor have created dozens of “postcard murals” all around the country, but San Diego boasts more of them than any other city!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
Today is the Winter Solstice. The shortest day and longest night. The first day of winter.
I’ve taken many winter photographs around San Diego over the years. My camera has captured wild storms and their aftermath, high winds and crashing waves, snow in the mountains, umbrellas in the city, and the unique beauty of winter in nature.
Would you like to see some of these photos? Click the upcoming links and you’ll be transported back in time…
Click the following links to explore past winters…
Winter beauty by the San Diego River.
Snowing in Balboa Park?
A hike in Tecolote Canyon near Genesee.
Walking through Little Italy in morning rain.
Photos of high winds downtown.
Balboa Park’s magical winter garden.
A city reflected from puddles.
Early winter and three Santee bridges.
Snow and winter beauty at Cuyamaca.
Boats destroyed by El Nino winds in San Diego.
Los Peñasquitos Lagoon between winter storms.
Glimpses of nature’s beauty after a storm.
Storm brings huge surf to Ocean Beach Pier.
Morning rain and umbrellas downtown.
Photos of San Diego River, after three storms.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
Cool San Diego Sights! 