The generous people of WE EMPOWER HER offered free food today to anyone passing by. Their mission is to help create a compassionate world.
Please give these good people a moment of your time. I learned about the WE EMPOWER HER effort during my walk this morning along San Diego’s Embarcadero. The organization fights domestic violence and sex trafficking by planting seeds of kindness and compassion in the world. They also offer free mentoring and counseling. As their literature states: You have the Right to be treated with Respect.
Unfortunately, San Diego has a very big human trafficking problem. I suppose it’s our proximity to the world’s busiest border crossing.
The modest event today near Seaport Village had the theme of feeding the hungry. Their Facebook event description states: Let us inspire each other and create a compassionate world.
Sounds wise to me!
Please check out the WE EMPOWER HER Facebook page, and possibly help these people in your own way to do good and help others!
Together we can create a world full of love–a world without violence.Human generosity, inspiring courage and confidence. The good people of WE EMPOWER HER, setting a wonderful example for us all.
Glorious sun and clouds through trees high above Mission Valley.
I’m going through thousands of photographs stored in my computer this morning. I’ve found a number of beautiful nature shots taken over the past year or so.
Sometimes I can be in a hurry (or feeling a bit lazy) and I don’t properly label or categorize my images. I’m not sure exactly where I captured a couple of these. Somewhere around San Diego . . .
I’d like to thank those of you who follow this blog. I know there’s loads of stuff on the internet, and a whole lot of San Diego websites that are slicker and more professional. I’m just a regular guy and my amateur photo blog is nothing more than a work of joy. And a way for me to see this complex world more closely as I walk around the city. I hope that together, in the weeks and months ahead, we experience even more beauty and many more Cool San Diego Sights!
Now I’m off on a leisurely Sunday walk. Where will I go? I haven’t decided yet! I guess I’ll begin by stepping out the door . . .
One tiny part of a vast, intricate, simply wonderful world.Dazzling bits of stone (and a couple pieces of broken glass) in the water of Mission Bay.Colorful leaves inside Balboa Park’s Botanical Building.Complex, dramatic clouds above our fair city.Delicate natural beauty seen during a hike in Mission Trails Regional Park.A pure white egret on a branch by the shining San Diego River.Crashing water meets wet, smooth stones on the ocean shore in La Jolla.A shapely succulent in Balboa Park. Nature produces another marvel.Beautiful clouds and blue sky above San Diego Bay.I took this photo yesterday walking along Friars Road as I approached the San Diego River estuary. A few droplets cling to green leaves.Photo of a beautiful pink rose taken during a walk somewhere in San Diego.
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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!
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Many ordinary people came out today to help clean up the San Diego River Estuary.
Lots of good people volunteered to clean up the San Diego River Estuary today. Some took to kayaks, others walked along the shoreline, filling bags with nasty litter and debris. The river estuary, emptying into the Pacific Ocean between Mission Bay and Ocean Beach, is a very important wetland in this region, and millions of birds rely on it during their migrations. Small bits of trash ingested by birds and other wildlife can be fatal.
The estuary cleanup was organized by The San Diego River Park Foundation. Kayakers are permitted to enter the San Diego River Estuary only one time every year–during this special event. I walked along the river and saw what ordinary people can achieve when working unselfishly for the good of our world.
A sign directs people to the river cleanup.Beautiful white clouds are reflected in the calm water of the San Diego River as it approaches the ocean.Many birds make the river and its mud flats their home, including ducks, herons and egrets.A photographer captures images of waterfowl swimming through grass down the river.My camera isn’t quite so fancy, but I did get an okay photo of this snowy egret!As I walked west along the San Diego River, I noticed a number of kayaks out on the water.A sign by the river describes the problem of stormwater pollution. During rains, a good deal of runoff enters the estuary, carrying all sorts of pollutants and trash. (I had to really alter this photograph so we could make out what the old sign says. Click the image to enlarge it.)A cleanup volunteer with a kayak is arriving!Plastic bags in these kayaks have been filled with garbage found in the river. I learned much of it was snagged in the grass.Dozens of caring people were on the rocky river shore, looking for trash.San Diego is fortunate to have many thoughtful people, concerned about our environment.Volunteering is often a family affair, teaching the next generation about generosity and responsibility.This guy was carrying his kayak back to his car.Another guy showed me the trash he collected. He said he found a variety of garbage. Some flows downstream. Some of it is windblown. Some comes from Interstate 5 and other bridges which cross the river nearby.A tent where people can sign up to volunteer and learn more about The San Diego River Park Foundation.From the mountains to the ocean, we care for the San Diego River!Sadly, the river isn’t healthy. A grade is assigned each year based upon trash, water quality and the extent of invasive plants.Sign shows volunteering possibilities. (Click these sign images to read–they will enlarge.)Picking up garbage and readying kayaks underneath the West Mission Bay Bridge.Collected trash was placed in a nearby dumpster.Smiles in the San Diego sunlight. A perfect day to make our world cleaner, healthier and more beautiful.Kayakers launch into the San Diego River during a special event to clean the estuary.
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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!
Mural depicting three lumberjacks and one enormous tree on the wall of Made Lumber Supply in San Diego.
After snapping some photos of this morning’s San Diego River Estuary cleanup (which I’ll blog about tonight), I decided to take a short stroll through a small part of the city that I’ve never thoroughly explored: the few blocks around Sherman Street, near Morena Boulevard.
When I ride to work on the trolley’s Green Line, I often gaze out at a mural of lumberjacks near the old location of the San Diego Humane Society. This morning, as I investigated the mural and surrounding area, look what else I discovered!
Underneath the trolley bridge over Friars Road. Images of animals used to be on the side of this building, Perhaps they were removed when the San Diego Humane Society moved to nearby Gaines Street.Another photo of the lumberjack mural, just beyond some real lumber!A fourth lumberjack holds a long saw on the side of Made Lumber Supply.Gigantic ants crawl in a line along the wall of Lloyd Pest Control.A cool decorative bicycle suspended from a wall. I spotted this at the Reusable Finds resale and repurpose store, near their entrance.Another old bike hanging above a trunk full of flowers.Mural of a fashionable lady on the wall behind the Leatherock leather goods store.Mysterious wooden tombstone with name of Juan Mendoza, who was shot by Cave Couts in the back with a double-barreled shotgun in Old Town San Diego, February 6, 1865.
Look what I stumbled upon at the west end of the old San Diego Humane Society’s parking lot! What appears to be a historic wooden grave marker! Is it real? Why is it here?
You might remember my recent blog post about the Wells Fargo Museum in Old Town. Cave Couts built the wood-frame hotel called the Colorado House in 1851 and became an influential resident of early San Diego. But by some accounts he was a sketchy character. On February 6, 1865 he shot a disgruntled former employee (who worked on one of Cave Couts’ ranches) in the back with a shotgun. This violated the unspoken “Code of the West”. The unfortunate victim who died was Juan Mendoza.
A couple years ago I photographed a cross with Juan Mendoza’s name on it at the El Campo Santo cemetery located in Old Town, and I blogged about that here.
So why is there a mysterious wooden tombstone at this location? This marker doesn’t appear a century and a half old. Was it a prop? Is it a prank? Is Mendoza actually buried here? The spot isn’t far from Old Town. Perhaps someone knows the full story about this completely unexpected discovery. If you do, leave a comment!
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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 strange liquid falls from the sky in San Diego. What is it?
Umbrellas! In San Diego! My eyes must be deceiving me!
Who said it never rains in Southern California? Whoever that was, they must not have been downtown this morning!
It’s only water. Perhaps those of us who live in sunny San Diego can cope. Most of these smart convention center visitors brought umbrellas!Honest-to-goodness rain has returned this winter, hopefully putting an end to our ongoing drought.Umbrellas have sprouted like colorful flowers in the rain!
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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!
Golden morning light near Horton Plaza creates a cool sight in downtown San Diego.
It’s raining right now in downtown San Diego. I hear the patter outside my window.
The antidote to gloom? Some warm, beautiful photos of golden morning light!
I took these photographs a couple months ago during a pleasant walk to the Convention Center trolley station. The sky was clear. Slanting light touched high buildings.
Photo of early sunlight slanting onto a few Broadway buildings in the heart of San Diego.The historic U.S. Grant Hotel with splashes of morning light.Bright morning reflection in windows.Light shines on the Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter building.Peering at reflections on the AT&T building and beyond.Looking skyward along a path of light.Turning to look north along Front Street early one clear morning.East side of the New Children’s Museum. Glass and interesting architecture in the morning light.The beautiful Horizons Condos San Diego towers catch light from the rising sun.Palms along Harbor Drive, and morning light and shadow on the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel.
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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 sleepy face of Morning, a sculpture by renowned San Diego artist Donal Hord.
Many who walk along the waterfront pause to enjoy a beautiful sculpture near Seaport Village. Morning, sculpted from black diorite by internationally renowned San Diego artist Donal Hord, stands atop a low grassy hill at the edge of Embarcadero Marina Park North. Should curious eyes watching the colorful, sunlit kites flying high above the park descend to Earth, they will fall upon Morning.
Donal Hord sculpted Morning between 1951 and 1956. His works around San Diego include Woman of Tehuantepec, at Balboa Park’s House of Hospitality; Aztec, at San Diego State University; Guardian of Water, in front of the San Diego County Administration Center; and Literature West and Literature East, at the old, now vacant San Diego Central Library on E Street.
As a young man Hord was influenced by what he saw at Balboa Park’s 1915 Panama-California Exposition, particularly the architecture of Bertram Goodhue and the sculptural work of the Piccirilli Brothers. Later in life he was influenced by Scottish sculptor, Archibald Dawson, and Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera.
Morning. Donal Hord, 1902-1966. Presented to the citizens of the State of California by the San Diego Unified Port District. August 1983.The Morning sculpture by Donal Hord stands on the grass at Embarcadero Marina Park North. Thousands of people pass it every day as they walk near Seaport Village.Morning, sometimes referred to as Morning Statue, shows a man waking, stretching, preparing for another day. At the base are various symbols, including representations of the sun and the moon.Morning was acquired by the Port of San Diego in 1983 and installed on the waterfront. Until then, the sculpture was located at Donal Hord’s residence.A gull and its sculpted human perch together greet a sunny morning beside San Diego Bay.
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A broken chain at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
These photos taken at the Maritime Museum of San Diego tell a story. It’s that never-ending tale of human struggle against the elements.
Rope and chain. Ancient inventions.A tale of human struggle against the elements.Waiting for an outstretched hand, a critical moment.An anchor above calm water.Instruments of control in a stormy world. Rope, chain and anchor.Life clings to chains. Rust devours chains.A strained connection.Necessary chains. Rusty chains large and small.Human endeavor.Ropes cast aside, perhaps hurriedly.Ordered ropes, to harness gusts above.New strength.Bent steel, neat coils, in a tangle of untouchable dark shadows.Worm, Parcel and Serve! A never-ending story of human ambition, battling water, sun, salt and wind.Tarring at the museum.New bonds, prepared.A strange sculpture, or a potent symbol.A wrestle.
This is a story of struggle with many pages. The unconquerable antagonist in every chapter is Time.
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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 wide-eyed face on a building wall in North Park, surrounded by cosmic imagery.
Here’s even more North Park street art! Check out these photos!
This spray painted mural was signed by the artists DEXR, ARMOR, EYEMAX and SADE. Full of cosmic imagery, the panoply of swirling forms and symbols evokes wonder. The universe it seems to depict is vast and mysterious. All I know for sure is that the artwork is really cool!
You can find this colorful street art on El Cajon Boulevard, just east of 30th Street.
I first spied this street art from the intersection at 30th Street and El Cajon Boulevard.The mural on the Supercuts building contains many complex, colorful elements. Like a magnet it drew me in.Two fused female faces, or one seen in two glances. I get the impression that time, space and information are being affected by that shining object on the left.Whether that’s a black hole, the origin of the universe, a star, or something else–the theme seems to be the mystery of Creation. And I see a dragon at the fractured boundary, a symbol of Chaos.A face seems to gaze from another place behind a transparent window at the unspeakably vast and wonderful cosmos.
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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!
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Vernell Jones III, also known as Machinecore, creates a very cool, completely new Star Wars character in Balboa Park.
I was walking through Balboa Park’s lively Plaza de Balboa, not far from the Bea Evenson Fountain, when my eyes suddenly fell upon a truly fantastic work of art.
I learned from the artist, Vernell Jones III, also known as Machinecore, that the unusual Star Wars character he’d created was some sort of futuristic Stormtrooper. My first thought was that the helmet kind of resembled General Grievous. My second thought was that this great artwork should be on the cover of a graphic novel. It’s that good.
Cool San Diego Sights! 