One of the San Diego Fire Department’s two firefighting helicopters fills its water tank using a hose lowered into the San Diego River in Mission Valley.
I was lucky late this afternoon to capture some cool action pics! After work, I was eating at Jack in the Box in Hazard Center when I saw a helicopter swooping rapidly down toward the nearby San Diego River. A hose was dangling underneath, so I knew it was a firefighting helicopter arriving to suck up some river water!
I hurried down to the center of the action to watch and snap a few photographs. It’s the first time I’ve witnessed this activity up close.
Someone on the river path said there was a fire to the northwest in Linda Vista, but I couldn’t see any smoke. I watched five different instances of helicopters filling their tanks, then the action ceased. The fire must’ve been quickly contained.
A wildfire must be nearby because here comes a firefighting helicopter swooping rapidly down over Mission Center Road and the raised trolley tracks toward a wide spot in the San Diego River!The chopper slows and carefully makes its descent in order to suck water into its belly tank to eventually drop on a wildfire.The air from the rotor blades causes spray to fly up from the surface of the San Diego River. Several joggers and walkers on the nearby paths stopped to watch.The long hose quickly sucks a good quantity of water from the river. The pilot is highly skilled, hovering the helicopter close above the water, steady as a rock.A couple minutes later one of the San Diego County Sheriff’s three firefighting helicopters arrives! You can see the external belly tank underneath the chopper’s body!This firefighting helicopter got so close to the water I had to hold my breath. These brave hero pilots are amazingly precise.ASTREA is the Sheriff’s Department aviation unit. Up their aircraft goes, quickly swinging overhead and heading to the northwest. Someone thought there was a fire in Linda Vista, but I didn’t see smoke from the bottom of Mission Valley in any direction.A San Diego Fire Department chopper has sucked up more water from the river and flies in a big hurry again toward the northwest! The fire must have been small, because the action above the river didn’t seem to last for more than 15 minutes.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! Sometimes I randomly stumble upon fascinating, newsworthy events! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Use cans and old kitchen tools for plant pots! Dryer lint as cotton with nail polish remover to take off polish!
Late this morning, I walked from Cortez Hill to the 2016 EarthFair in Balboa Park. The cool event, corresponding with Earth Day, is the largest annual environmental fair in the world!
Thousands turned out today for the 2016 EarthFair in Balboa Park. San Diego residents celebrated Earth Day and learned how to help protect the environment.
I blogged about EarthFair the last couple of years and showed you a little bit of almost everything–so this time I decided to take a different, more practical approach. As I walked through San Diego’s garden-like Balboa Park, I searched the many exhibits for useful ideas about things we can do in our daily lives to protect the environment.
Here are a few things I found. Please read the captions! And feel free to share!
1. Ideas for creatively repurposing used household items.
One major theme of EarthFair was re-using and repurposing old items that might otherwise be thrown away. I noted some cool ideas and took pics!
Poster shows many creative repurposing ideas! Click photo to enlarge and read some cool, very unusual ideas that you might try!These shiny, colorful handbags were made from recycled Kool-Aid and Capri Sun packets!Take old clothes to make new clothes for homeless and toys for kids.Recycling vintage fabric into baby bibs.Turn old sweaters into beautiful pillows.People check out the world’s largest festival celebrating Earth Day–EarthFair in San Diego’s sunny Balboa Park!
2. Tasty ways to use up excess fruits and vegetables.
One display created by the County of San Diego provided excellent information about how to use leftover or surplus fruits and vegetables, to avoid unnecessary waste. Those pics came out blurry, so here’s what I noted:
Spinach–add to sandwiches, soups, egg dishes, pasta or smoothies.
Bananas–add to cereal, yogurt or smoothies. Blend frozen bananas with milk and vanilla for a healthy dessert.
Citrus–add to green or fruit salads, soups, pasta or sauces. Add peels to vinegar for a simple household cleaner.
Tomatoes–add to salads, egg dishes, sandwiches or pasta. Use to make fresh salsa, tomato sauce or bruschetta.
Onions–add to salads, soups, egg dishes, sandwiches or stir-fry. Pickle red onions. Make onion preserves.
Peppers–add to sandwiches, salads, egg dishes or stir-fry. Steam and puree to make soup or a sauce for meat or pasta.
Avocados–add to smoothies, salads, sandwiches, egg dishes or baked goods. Spread on toast. Use in pasta sauce with lemon, garlic, oil and basil.
Beets–add to salads, soups or stir-fry. Use roasted beets in place of meat on sandwiches.
Broccoli and Cauliflower–add to salads, soups, egg dishes or stir-fry. Add finely chopped or grated cauliflower to rice.
Berries–add to fruit or green salads, hot or cold cereals, smoothies or yogurt. Use in a fruit salsa served with bread or chips.
Potatoes–add to salads, soups or egg dishes. Use russet potatoes to make potato skins. Use leftover baked potatoes to make hashbrowns.
Corn–add to soups or salads. Use to make a fresh corn salsa. Bake into cornbread or potato pancakes.
3. Things you can do to help protect the environment–and save money!
Here are a few displays I photographed that contained some great advice! Click the photos to enlarge them!
Compost can be made with shredded paper, grass clippings, wood chips, garden leftovers, leaves, livestock manure, chopped up yard debris and used coffee grounds.To save energy, use efficient lighting, adjust your thermostat, install solar, reduce driving, and keep your car maintained and tires properly inflated.Check to see if your city offers free utility inspections and efficiency analysis. In San Diego, a free water survey program is available.Ride a bicycle to work! In San Diego, Bike to Work Day in 2016 is Friday, May 20. You might consider walking or taking public transit, too!Many San Diegans saved energy, reduced air pollution and stayed healthy by riding their bicycles to EarthFair!
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Use your words to speak in a kind way. Help others as you go throughout your day…
If you didn’t have a chance to visit the International Non-Profits Fair in Balboa Park today, here are some photos that might inspire you. I walked through and met many smiling people, all of whom are working unselfishly to make this world a better place.
The fair, put on by The Worldview Project, is all about people from different cultures coming together for mutual understanding, increased tolerance, education and peace. It’s about positive people working to create a better, more happy world. I just strolled through casually, talking to some exhibitors and learning a little, taking a picture here and there. Perhaps you’ll see something that makes you want to explore further. Click the photos to enlarge them, if you’d like to read a poster or bit of information!
People in San Diego’s Balboa Park have gathered to learn how to make the world a better place. Many non-profits were represented at an annual fair put on by The Worldview Project.Some of the values highlighted at the Kids For Peace table. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.Nice ladies from the United Nations Association of the USA, San Diego Chapter, smile for a roving blogger’s camera!A few musical instruments from around the world were on display at this table.The Center for World Music promotes awareness, skills and knowledge of the rich performing arts traditions of the world in San Diego area schools.The San Diego Asian Film Festival is coming up! It runs April 28 to May 5 at the UltraStar movie theater in Hazard Center.These friendly folks are representing the German American Societies, who host El Cajon’s authentic Oktoberfest!More nice people! These guys tried without success to get me to dance. Sorry! The Cabrillo International Folk Dancers meet at the Balboa Park Club.CRY America has a hopeful vision of the world, where all children, everywhere, have equal opportunities to develop to their full potential and realize their dreams.Survivors of Torture International. Sometimes we might forget how horrible life for some in this world can be, and the unspeakable suffering they experience.One way to help Survivors of Torture International is to enroll in a free community program when you shop at Ralph’s. Please read this poster for more info.Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County needs you! Operation Bigs seeks civilian, retired and active military adult volunteers to serve military children.Map of San Diego County shows hundreds of children ready to be matched with caring adults. They need more “bigs”!Climate Kids educates youth about climate change through art, storytelling and science.The American Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties was represented at the International Non-Profits Fair in Balboa Park.License to Freedom works to stop violence in refugee and immigrant communities in San Diego County.You are loved. Your are so strong. You are worthy. Life is beautiful!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
A challenge for every person, both young and old. It is very simply: Be kind! (Click this image to read the poster!)
Have you heard of the Great Kindness Challenge? I hadn’t, until today.
The Great Kindness Challenge is put on by Kids For Peace, and I learned about it while I walked this morning through the International Non-Profits Fair in Balboa Park. (I’ll blog a little about this inspiring event shortly.) I was really struck by a thoughtful Kids For Peace poster challenging school students to engage in acts of kindness.
What an excellent idea! It seems this reminder to be compassionate, helpful and polite might apply to people of all ages. Sometimes we adults, during our hectic, numbing day-to-day routines, might benefit from a little lesson about the importance of having a warm heart and positive outlook!
Here are just a few of the 50 challenges. These are appropriate for both young and old…
Home Depot brought a bunch of colorful flowers to the Jacaranda Spring Thing community event on Cortez Hill.
On my way home from Balboa Park, I walked through the Jacaranda Spring Thing neighborhood event being held this afternoon on Cortez Hill. I saw a relaxed gathering of people out in the sunshine, enjoying some food, live music and other fun activities. Home Depot was on hand demonstrating some gardening and patio ideas for anyone interested. It’s still going on as I post this–until 4 o’clock!
I saw folks setting up the Jacaranda Spring Thing on Date Street this morning, as I set out on my walk.Purple blooms of jacaranda trees can be seen around downtown San Diego’s Cortez Hill neighborhood.A neighbor learns about outdoor and indoor gardening during the special Cortez Hill event.Someone tries their hand at a fun bean bag toss game.A colorful book truck operated by a Mexican publisher could be found at the Jacaranda Spring Thing.Live music, food and good times in the spring sunshine on a Saturday afternoon.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
One of San Diego’s oldest surviving landmarks, the 1910 Broadway Fountain, designed by Irving Gill, will be an iconic part of the new Horton Plaza Park.
I walked by the Horton Plaza Park construction site this morning. The huge project appears to be almost finished!
Horton Plaza Park’s Grand Opening Celebration will be held on May 4, 2016, from 6:30pm to 10:00pm. Located at the center of downtown San Diego, on the south side of Broadway between the historic U.S. Grant Hotel and the popular Westfield Horton Plaza shopping mall, the park will surely be jammed that evening with people wanting to check things out!
Cool features of the new urban park include a large amphitheater, three pavilions featuring food and beverages, an interactive fountain that folks are welcome to splash in, and some very unique 23-foot high luminaries–cool metal sculptures with lights that change colors!
There are plans to host hundreds of events at this large outdoor venue every year, including concerts, civic celebrations and gatherings, and even special movie screenings.
As a downtown resident, I can’t wait!
The elaborate Horton Plaza Park will celebrate its Grand Opening on the evening of May 4, 2016.Construction of this new downtown San Diego park has been ongoing for a couple years. The original public plaza on this city block dates from 1895.The cool 23-foot tall luminary sculptures are visible rising behind the construction fence. The NBC building reflects the morning sun in the background.Workers are getting the new park ready for its early May opening. There will be an amphitheater, food pavilions and an interactive water fountain that people can splash in!The walkway next to the Balboa Theatre leading from Fourth Avenue to the Westfield Horton Plaza shopping mall is also being improved, with many new trees and benches.Horton Plaza Park in downtown San Diego promises to be a fun and spectacular urban gathering place!
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The sun rises behind trees atop Cortez Hill, the neighborhood where I live in downtown San Diego.
Yesterday morning, just after sunrise, the clouds high above San Diego were absolutely amazing. They were delicate and windswept, like angels’ wings and painted dreams. The clouds were so swirly and curly, it seemed the wind knew not which way to go.
I took these photos during a short walk from Cortez Hill to Bankers Hill.
Eucalyptus trees at the southwest corner of Balboa Park, beneath glowing, fantastic morning clouds.Mother Nature put on quite a sky show for those who thought to look upward!Swirly, curly, windswept clouds high in the blue San Diego sky, like a delicate dream.Morning clouds above Bankers Hill make for a truly cool sight in San Diego, the beautiful city I call home!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Do you like these photos? I recently wrote an unusual, inspiring story that might touch you called One Strange, Shimmering Dream. Click to read it!
Kids play by fountain in San Diego’s crown jewel, Balboa Park, one of the world’s great cultural treasures.
Hey you guys! Please, please, please–can you all do a super easy favor? You know how awesome Balboa Park is? One of our local casinos (Harrah’s) is giving away $100,000 to non-profit organizations that make our community a better place. The Friends of Balboa Park–the organization that oversees the park’s improvements, coordinates volunteers, supports educational programs and historical preservation and other vital projects–needs our online votes!
All you have to do is visit this webpage, then scroll down to Friends of Balboa Park and cast a vote using your email! I just did it a couple minutes ago! I don’t know if Harrah’s will email you stuff, but under the law there should be a one click unsubscribe option should that happen. That’s all you gotta do! It would be really, really awesome to help out Balboa Park, which provides joy to millions of people!
Many of you know that Balboa Park needs additional funds very badly. So please share this info with other people who have a soft spot for Balboa Park! Let’s get his ball rolling. Let’s try to get thousands of votes!
Making fresh tortillas for people walking down the sidewalk. Eat these hot with melted butter and you’re in heaven.
I enjoyed an exhilarating walk through Old Town today.
Here are some colorful photos of what you might discover while strolling down San Diego Avenue, just south of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
You’ll find all sorts of shops, Mexican restaurants and cantinas, a few historical sights, and sidewalks full of smiling tourists and locals enjoying one of San Diego’s favorite destinations.
A guitarist walks down a sidewalk in Old Town. You’ll find plenty of music and energy up and down San Diego Avenue.There are tantalizing sights everywhere you turn. The commercial part of Old Town is a popular destination for tourists visiting San Diego.Many colorful items for sale at shops up and down San Diego Avenue are from Mexico, or have a Mexican theme.I love rocks and minerals, so of course I had to poke my nose in here.Just a riot of color in one window! Mexican culture adds a great deal of life to San Diego and this region.I blogged about this public art a while back. Beyond the crazy cowboy shootout is the entrance to the Old Town Chamber of Commerce.
I stepped inside the Old Town Chamber of Commerce Information Center and checked out a few cool exhibits. In the event you ever visit Old Town, make sure to stop here to grab a map, brochures, and a bunch of valuable coupons for nearby restaurants and businesses!
A cool model of a Spanish galleon (I believe) and some useful free literature inside the Visitor Information center.Several interesting historical photographs can be found inside the Old Town Chamber of Commerce. This one from 1898 shows tiny Old Town San Diego at the base of Presidio Hill.Vintage photo of the famous Whaley House, the oldest brick house in California, built in 1854. (That’s what it reads. Every source I’ve seen says the house was actually built in 1857.)The Whaley House as it appears today on San Diego Avenue. It’s reputed to be the most haunted place in America! (Just to be careful, I stayed across the street. Those spooks didn’t have a ghost of a chance!)The Sheriff’s Museum on San Diego Avenue. I’ve yet to visit this place! So much still to do!The El Campo Santo Cemetery in Old Town is where many of San Diego’s earliest residents are buried.Many curios and crafts for sale in Old Town shops are related to Mexico’s traditional Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead.A festive banner in a perfect San Diego sky.Rounding a corner, searching for more unique discoveries!This shop contains all sorts of Old West-themed stuff for sale. There’s so much on display, it boggled my mind!A walk down San Diego Avenue in Old Town San Diego is never dull!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! 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 fun photos for you to enjoy!
Cool San Diego Sights! 