When I noticed the San Diego County Orchid Society was having their Winter Show and Sale in Balboa Park today, I headed directly to the Casa del Prado. That’s where tables overflowing with colorful, jewel-like blooms awaited the public.
I know next to nothing about orchids. All I know is they affect me in a mysterious way. Like any beautiful thing. Their exquisite forms seem to have sprouted from some perfect, generative, magical place.
Of course, you and I also sprout from that same place.
The San Diego County Orchid Society had their Winter Show and Sale in Balboa Park’s Casa del Prado this weekend!Orchid lovers around San Diego submitted their entries in the hopes of winning Best of Show.
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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!
Community members line a sidewalk in Mission Hills, passing books from old shelves to a brand new branch library!
A very exciting and historic event took place this morning in Mission Hills! Hundreds of people lined the West Washington Street sidewalk to pass books from the old, now closed Mission Hills Branch Library to the beautiful, larger, brand new Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Harley & Bessie Knox Library!
The final 200 books from the old branch library were transferred along the sidewalk, hand-to-hand, by volunteer participants. Some were dressed as favorite book characters. All eyes glanced at the passing titles, and many smiles resulted!
Once every book had been transported to its new home, a Grand Opening ceremony was held in front of the new Mission Hills-Hillcrest Branch Library. When the speeches were complete, community members streamed into the new building!
The very last book to be passed was The Hobbit. It was selected in a poll to make the fantastic journey.
And onward into the future we go!
“Go back?” he thought. “No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!”
–Bilbo Baggins
Volunteers for the Book Pass gather in front of the new Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Harley & Bessie Knox Library.Those who will participate in the historic Book Pass, wearing yellow scarves, fan out along seven blocks of West Washington Street in Mission Hills.Members of the Book Brigade are getting ready on Block 3.Someone reads while waiting for the Book Pass to begin.Look! It’s Balboa Park’s Ranger Kim Duclo, with his cool new children’s book!This person’s favorite book is Peter Benchley’s Jaws!I spotted Cruella de Vil, Maleficent and Captain Hook!Here comes Professor Trelawney!Near the brand new Mission Hills-Hillcrest Branch Library, the Book Pass is almost ready to begin.Volunteers are lined up by the old branch library, awaiting the first book!Cameras ready!A fun moment in history is about to begin…The final 200 books in the now closed branch library will be passed from hand to hand to the brand new Mission Hills-Hillcrest Library.Here they are on a book cart!Empty shelves are all that’s left in the old Mission Hills Branch Library.And here comes the very first book in the Book Pass!Doing the wave! Too much excitement!Library books are transported by the hands of those who love to read to their new home.The books head east through Mission Hills.Here they come!People pause to look at titles as the books are passed along. Most of the books are classic works of World Literature.Very quickly the cart is almost half emptied!The smiling Bike Brigade showed up to transport a few books!There it is! The final book of the Book Pass is waiting at the bottom of this stack. The Hobbit! (It happens to be one of my favorites!)The final 25 books represent the 25 most checked-out books in the history of the old, now closed Mission Hills Branch Library. I noticed several were by Dr. Seuss.Finally, it’s J. R. R. Tolkien’s beloved fantasy novel The Hobbit.It seems Bilbo Baggins has embarked on another journey. The Hobbit makes it’s way to the brand new Mission Hills-Hillcrest Branch Library.Friends and neighbors are excited to be a part of history in San Diego.A happy kid hurries across an intersection with The Hobbit!Everyone holds up The Hobbit as many photographs are taken.One of many wonderful Book Pass memories for hundreds of participants.A huge crowd accompanies The Hobbit across another intersection as the Book Pass approaches the new branch library.The beautiful new Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Harley & Bessie Knox Library is now in sight!San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer poses with some kids for a photo.The Hobbit is approaching its new library home!A favorite book held high for all to see!One last book and the historic Book Pass transfer will be complete.Many have gathered for the Grand Opening ceremony at the new Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Harley & Bessie Knox Branch Library.The Hobbit has reached its new home.Speeches begin. The Mayor of San Diego addresses a large crowd. The beautiful new library, which was built in the Craftsman architectural style, is finally ready to open.People eagerly head into the brand new Mission Hills-Hillcrest Branch Library!On we go!
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Metal artwork at the 25th and Commercial trolley station honors labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez.
While riding the Orange Line of the San Diego Trolley, I noticed several works of cool art in and around the 25th and Commercial station. So I jumped off, walked around and took photos!
The metalwork that honors Cesar Chavez can be found at the westbound platform. The 25th and Commercial trolley station is dedicated to the civil rights leader.
You might recall that both platforms of the split station also feature amazing tile mosaic benches. I posted those photos here.
We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. –Cesar E. ChavezA sign at the trolley station points to various locations of interest, including Villa Montezuma and Chicano Park.A metal Don Quixote stands guard at a nearby muffler shop.Colorful artwork on the back of the San Diego Police Department Central Division parking garage.Mesoamerican iconography becomes street art on a corner utility box.A fun heart in a mural on a nearby wall.A cool car painted on a fence along Commercial Street in Logan Heights.
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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!
All sorts of public art can be enjoyed at trolley stations around San Diego. In my opinion, the most wonderful example is found at the 62nd Street/Encanto station.
Those who take the Orange Line trolley ride pass by a wildly imaginative, dreamlike vision. A 400 foot mural on the long wall of the south platform takes its inspiration from nearby Chollas Creak. The mural is titled Liquid Harmony.
In 2010 local artists Maxx Moses, Miguel Godoy and Todd Stands were commissioned by the Southeastern Economic Development Corporation to paint the mural. What resulted was completely amazing!
Last weekend I walked along the south platform of the 62nd Street/Encanto trolley station and took photos of the mural. Amid swirls of color I found many birds, insects and plants, and the flowing, ever-present, life-giving water.
I also saw the hands and heart of those who make this neighborhood in San Diego their home.
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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 mural painted in San Diego by I AM EELCO for the 2016 PangeaSeed Sea Walls: Murals for Oceans project.
In 2016 a variety of murals were painted around San Diego for the PangeaSeed Sea Walls: Murals for Oceans project. They all concern protecting marine wildlife and caring for the ocean environment. I’ve photographed quite a few of these impressive murals during my walks about town.
Check out this very cool one that was painted by Netherlands artist Eelco van den Berg, who signs his work I AM EELCO. His playful, abstract mural, which depicts people interacting with colorful sea life, can be found on a parking lot wall directly west of Wal-Mart, near 21st and Commercial Street.
It’s on the opposite side of the same building that is painted with another large Sea Walls mural. You can see that one by clicking 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!
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s a day for reflection and hope.
This morning I walked past San Diego’s downtown Edward J. Schwartz United States Courthouse. I paused by several window displays to take photographs of colorful youth art.
The artwork was chosen from many entries to the San Diego County Bar Association’s 2018 Law Week Poster and Video Contest. The theme was: What does Equality and Justice for All mean to students?
Taking sharp photos through the windows was a challenge. I had to increase the contrast for each of these images.
Enjoy a few bits of wisdom from young hearts and minds:
Equal and Free!Respect . . . Fairness . . . Education . . .All should mean Everyone.Equality and Justice for All.Equality and Justice.Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
“Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
Wonder Woman and Batman pose for photos in Balboa Park. It seems these superheroes can never get enough public adulation.
The Justice League was out in force today patrolling Balboa Park!
Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman were leading a team of powerful superheroes and supposedly reformed supervillains down El Prado, keeping an eye out for nefarious doings.
I followed the superhero team in order to capture a bit of the action.
(I learned this cosplay group is called the Science Fiction Coalition. It was cool to see many of these guys later on in the cafe inside the Federal Building, future home of the Comic-Con Museum. It kind of reminded me of that superhero-themed eatery Planet Krypton in the graphic novel Kingdom Come!)
I spotted Penguin and Riddler with members of the Justice League. Fortunately, Batman stood nearby keeping an eye on these two supposedly reformed supervillains.Batman! The Penguin is coming after me with one of his sinister umbrellas! Help!I was subjected to a Burgess Meredith-style quack-laugh from Penguin, but escaped otherwise unscathed. Now it’s time for the heroic Justice League to begin their patrol of Balboa Park.DC superheroes (and villains) in full costume begin down El Prado, looking for some action.Batwoman has a young fan. Yes, another photo.More small fans show up and the JLA gladly poses for even more photos. Watch out! Penguin is lurking nearby again.Batman is tailing that fowl Penguin to make sure there is no more evildoing today.Another typical San Diego afternoon. Super powered folk amble casually into Plaza de Panama. The Justice League patrol of Balboa Park has been a resounding success.Penguin, Clark Kent, Riddler, Wonder Woman and Mera are tired out from all the superhero action and rest on a bench awaiting their trip home.DC comic book characters gather in Balboa Park. Members of San Diego’s Science Fiction Coalition enjoy cosplay as Mera, Batwoman, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Clark Kent, another Wonder Woman, Penguin, Riddler and Superboy!
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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!
Lots of cool sights await visitors to the free San Diego Air and Space Museum’s Gillespie Field Annex!
One of the coolest free attractions in San Diego is located in East County at Gillespie Field. That’s where you’ll find the annex of Balboa Park’s famous Air and Space Museum!
Yesterday morning I ventured east to El Cajon to visit the San Diego Air and Space Museum’s Gillespie Field Annex for the very first time. I’d read that they have a collection of old aircraft, but I really didn’t know what to expect.
I was absolutely blown away!
The annex is a treasure trove of restored and unrestored aircraft, plus old exhibits once housed by the museum in Balboa Park. Volunteers at the Gillespie Field Annex are happy to show families around. Excited kids can sit inside commercial airline cockpits, and adults can marvel at the development of aviation technology over the years.
There are so many amazing displays in the hangar and outside, it’s hard to describe. So I offer you these photos with informative captions!
If you happen to be in San Diego, go check it out for yourself! While admission to the annex is free, they’d appreciate a few bucks in their donation box!
An imposing Atlas missile stands in one corner of the annex’s parking lot!Cockpit exhibits and aircraft in various stages of restoration stand outside the museum annex hangar.Inside the hangar there’s a ton of cool stuff, including many old exhibits from the main San Diego Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park.Replica of the Smithsonian’s original Vin Fiz Flyer dangles from the ceiling. This one-of-a-kind Wright Brothers airplane was the first aircraft to fly coast-to-coast. The journey took almost three months!Ryan X-13 experimental vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) jet created by the Ryan Aeronautical Company of San Diego. This particular aircraft was test flown in 1955 at Edwards Air Force Base.Looking past the Ryan X-13 Vertijet at other exhibits in the annex hangar, including a yellow Ryan Recruit military trainer.This particular Ryan X-13 was the result of a contract with the U.S. Air Force, as you can see by the markings.Ryan ST-3KR (PT-22) Recruit, an aircraft used to train thousands of pilots during World War II.In a glass display case nearby is a small model of a Ryan B-5 Brougham. (You might recall that Charles Lindbergh’s famous Spirit of St. Louis, first plane to cross the Atlantic Ocean solo nonstop, was built in San Diego by Ryan.)Numerous aircraft engines on display at the San Diego Air and Space Museum’s Gillespie Field Annex.Wright R-3350-B Duplex-Cyclone 1939 aircraft power plant, at the time the most powerful radial engine in the world at 2000 HP.Pratt and Whitney 1830-17 Twin Wasp, used in several World War II aircraft.Wright J65 turbojet engine, 1954. This engine powered many military aircraft in the mid 20th century, including the very successful A-4 Skyhawk.Marquardt RJ43-MA-9 ramjet engine used on Boeing CIM-10 Bomarc interceptor missiles during the 1960s. The ramjet produced speeds up to Mach 2.7, or about 1780 miles per hour.Rolls Royce Pegasus F402-RR-401 vectoring turbofan that powers the AV-8A Harrier short take-off and vertical landing aircraft.A long mural in the annex’s hangar shows a variety of modern aircraft.Bleriot XI dangles from the ceiling. The revolutionary 1908 aircraft had a new Anzani engine that could run for one whole hour, allowing it to fly across the English Channel.Sopwith Pup Craftsmen of the San Diego Aerospace Museum, a volunteer aircraft building project back in 2000-2003.Rearwin Cloudster 8135, once displayed on the museum floor in Balboa Park.One more look inside the hangar before I head outside to see lots more cool stuff.The aircraft in the foreground is a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15. Mounted beyond it is a Ryan Model 147 Lightning Bug jet-powered reconnaissance drone.Outside the hangar doors is the nose of an old Northwest Stratocruiser that once flew to Honolulu.Hundreds of switches, dials and gauges inside the amazing cockpit of a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser. One can sit in the pilot’s seat and pretend to fly across the Pacific Ocean!Someone created this silly flying car named the Spirit of San Diego! I kind of doubt they ever got this contraption off the ground.Looking beyond a General Dynamics F-16N at a line of military aircraft displayed outside.North American F-86F Sabre from the Korean War period.Convair F-102A Delta Dagger built in San Diego 1956-1957.An old Neptune Aviation Services P2V-7 aerial firefighting plane–Tanker 43.I learned there are several restoration projects now underway at the museum annex at Gillespie Field. I believe this is an old Piasecki H-21 helicopter. Looks like it needs some work.Next to the San Diego Air and Space Museum’s Gillespie Field Annex parking lot stands a tall Atlas Missile 2-E! This missile was used for a static firing at Sycamore Canyon Test Facility east of MCAS Miramar. It used to stand at the entrance to Missile Park, beside the old General Dynamics complex in Kearny Mesa.National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark Atlas Space Booster Family – San Diego, California – 1957. Developed by General Dynamics Convair and the U.S. Air Force.Visit the free San Diego Air and Space Museum’s Gillespie Field Annex and you’ll learn a whole lot about aviation history!
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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!
At the center of La Mesa’s HYFD Vietnam Memorial Park stands a three-sided monument containing many plaques.
A beautiful memorial in La Mesa remembers Vietnam Veterans who gave their lives for their country. The Heartland Youth for Decency Vietnam Memorial Park was originally built in 1970, then restored and rededicated in 2014. It can be found at the corner of University Avenue and Nebo Drive.
A community group of young people called Heartland Youth for Decency (HYFD) built the monument at a time when there was a great deal of contention about the Vietnam War. Its purpose was to honor veterans from San Diego’s East County who were killed during that horrible war.
Here are photos that I took today. The small Memorial Park can seem lost in the endless hustle and bustle of surrounding streets. But words that speak of courage, grief and honor stand quietly waiting, for any who wish to see.
Read the captions for a bit more description.
Flags fly in the January breeze. A helmet atop a cross, signifying those killed during the Vietnam War.Greater Love Hath No Man… Heartland Area Vietnam DeathsWe of Heartland Youth for Decency dedicate this monument to the young men from our own generation who have given their lives that we might be free.A man died for me today…A colorful tile mosaic bench in the park with American flag and peace sign.A second bench has a star at either end.A bald eagle, symbol of the United States. Freedom Is Not Free.A simple, emotionally powerful letter at the base of the flagpole. …Most of all, Father, I love you.To one side stands the POW/MIA Empty Chair. And the words: Lest We Forget.Powerful symbols in a small La Mesa park.American eagle and flag mosaic art on rear of the POW/MIA Empty Chair is by the Rainforest Art Project.
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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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