Just some cool pics of colorful urban art on a building wall in downtown San Diego’s East Village.
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Urban art: The Power of Collective Thought.
Glimpsing a secret, bright inner essence.
Here are several lucky photographs that turned out to be emotionally stirring or inspiring. In places light shines out from the images, as if we’re privileged to momentarily glimpse a secret, bright inner essence.
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American heroes honored at Veterans Museum.
Today a special event was held at Balboa Park’s Veterans Museum and Memorial Center. The Spirit of 1945 National Day of Remembrance honored American veterans who defended freedom around the globe during World War II.
The Spirit of ’45 is an annual event held throughout the United States in many cities. It marks the anniversary of V-J Day, the day the Japanese finally surrendered and World War II ended. The special event has become increasingly important, as thousands of heroes from The Greatest Generation now pass away every year.
Many San Diego dignitaries attended today’s ceremony, including an ex-mayor, city council member, district attorney, police chief, plus some very high-ranking military officers. But in my mind, the day was all about ordinary Americans who personally sacrificed to do an extremely difficult and very important thing.
Several of these heroes recalled in short speeches what it was like to hear the news that the war had ended. You could hear the emotion in their voices, almost 70 years later.
After the ceremony, veterans told their personal stories inside the museum, so that memories will continue of those times and their deeds.
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Philippine Cultural Arts Festival in Balboa Park.
I went for a typical weekend walk today. I just headed up to Balboa Park to see what I would see.
And I saw a lot!
My most interesting and enjoyable experience came as I strolled through the 30th Philippine Cultural Arts Festival put on by the Samahan Filipino American Performing Arts and Education Center. The big event was taking place on some grass at the south end of Balboa Park, near Park Boulevard.
Lots of folks were enjoying authentic Filipino food, browsing through many booths, and watching a variety of unique demonstrations and entertainment. Workshops were even available to the public, teaching anyone interested to speak Tagalog, play the Bandurria, Angklung and Kulintang, practice self-defense in the style of Arnis or Eskrima, and dance Tinikling, which is the very colorful national dance of the Philippines.
Here are some pics!
Local artist Scott Lost was showing and selling his work. He has self-published a cool independent comic book series called 2nd Shift. Check it out!
I wouldn’t mess with these dudes!
The festival is also going on Sunday (tomorrow) from 11-5. You’ll find it by the corner of Park Boulevard and Presidents Way. If you’re in San Diego, check it out!
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Photos of San Diego’s Spreckels Theater Building.
I must confess I’ve never seen a show at the historic Spreckels Theatre. I do occasionally sit at a table in the building’s Grand Lobby. On a quiet Saturday I’ll eat lunch and write while watching pedestrians pass down the Broadway sidewalk, just outside the glass doors.
The mixed-use Spreckels Theater Building was built in 1912 and has been a cool sight in downtown San Diego for over a hundred years. While the upper stories are occupied by numerous small offices, the theatre itself was built as a 1,915-seat auditorium with an ornate Baroque interior. Over the decades, the theatre has also served as a vaudeville house and movie palace. Famous performers at the theatre have included Enrico Caruso, John Barrymore, Al Jolson, Will Rogers, and Abbott and Costello. In 1978, when Balboa Park’s famous Old Globe Theatre was destroyed by fire, the Spreckels was used as a temporary stage for the Globe. Today, as a live presentation venue, the Spreckels Theatre attracts many diverse attractions, including concerts, comedy shows, and dance and theatrical productions.
The six-story building, designed by Harrison Albright with influences from the Chicago School style of architecture, was built by philanthropist John D. Spreckels, a name you might have noted elsewhere on my blog. Spreckels was a wealthy sugar heir and leading San Diego entrepreneur. He wanted the building to commemorate the opening of the Panama Canal, much like the Panama-California Exposition, that would be held in Balboa Park in 1915.
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Historic adobe house in San Diego’s Old Town.
It seems most of the tourists who visit Old Town San Diego State Historic Park enjoy the large central grassy plaza and the many interesting buildings immediately around its perimeter. Few, however, go slightly off the beaten track to investigate the several restored old structures that are scattered a few easy steps farther away.
In addition to a very cool one room schoolhouse dating from 1865 (which I remember visiting during a field trip as a child), there is a restored adobe house called Casa de Machado y Stewart which stands as an open museum to any passersby who are curious.
The Casa de Machado y Stewart dates from 1835. It was built by José Manuel Machado, a Spanish (then later Mexican) officer who served at the nearby presidio. Jack Stewart, an American shipmate of famous author Richard Henry Dana Jr., and a pilot on San Diego Bay, married Machado’s youngest daughter Rosa in 1845 and the two moved into the house. Over their many years of residence they made many improvements, including a clay tile roof and wood-paned windows. What today seems a very simple and almost primitive existence was back in those days living in the lap of luxury.
In 1932, the house became an official California Historic Landmark.
UPDATE!
I visited La Casa de Machado y Stewart again in August, 2018, and noticed the exterior had been painted white. When I looked through the front door into the main living room, I observed that new furnishings and artifacts have been added, and others moved about.
I also peered through a window into what appears to be a bedroom.
Here are photos…
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LEGENDS painted mural: Don’t kill Sean Bean!
A couple blocks from downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter, a huge painted mural on the side of a building depicts actor Sean Bean holding a gun and the Twitter hashtag #DontKillSeanBean. This eye-catching public artwork was created during the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con to promote the upcoming TNT television spy thriller LEGENDS.
Poor Sean Bean never seems to survive his roles. Many of his fans are hoping he makes it through this series. He has died over twenty times onscreen.
Some of his more notable deaths?
Shot through with Uruk-hai orc arrows as Boromir in Lord of the Rings.
Falling from and then crushed by a huge antenna structure as Agent 006 in Goldeneye.
Impaled by an anchor and then blown up during a boat chase in Patriot Games.
Chased off a cliff by a rampaging herd of cows in The Field.
Shot through the neck by a grappling hook and then hung in The Island.
Beheaded as Eddard Stark in the first season of Game of Thrones.
Better luck this time around, Mr. Bean!
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Coronado Public Library’s amazing Oz exhibit!
The Coronado Public Library is featuring a world-class exhibit of Oz art and artifacts this month! Two huge glass cases full of books and collectibles and a large wall display of original graphic art are alive with the beloved characters that populate author L. Frank Baum’s fantasy land of Oz. The artwork, toys, figures and other cool stuff have been assembled from several important Oz collections, and made available to the viewing public during Oz Con International.
I’d like to share a few photos that I took!
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Festival celebrates Wizard of Oz in Coronado!
Today a special event was held in Coronado’s Spreckels Park celebrating The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum’s other popular children’s novels. The family festival was put on to coincide with the 50th annual Winkie Con, a convention for fans of the Land of Oz.
Winkie Con, now also called Oz Con International (I suspect to sound like Comic-Con International), is growing in popularity and will be held next week for the first time in San Diego. This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the classic Wizard of Oz movie, starring Judy Garland!
I strolled through the happy, colorful Coronado festival and got a few pics. According to what I’ve read, there were all sorts of activities during the day, including a children’s parade.
I then sauntered across Orange Avenue and took several photos of the famous Wizard of Oz stained glass wall inside the Coronado Public Library!
I assume these were part of a fun kids activity.
Now I’m visiting the Coronado Library which is located across the street from Spreckels Park.
Author L. Frank Baum spent a good deal of time in Coronado, writing many of his novels in a rented house not far from the Hotel del Coronado. (You might check out my earlier blog post on this subject!) He modeled the Emerald City of Oz after the fantastic, world famous Victorian beach resort hotel.
Because of its strong connection with L. Frank Baum, Coronado today is often referred to as the Emerald City!
These fun Wizard of Oz glass panels in the library were created by artist Brenda Smith.
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Tuna Harbor Dockside Market’s grand opening!
The new Tuna Harbor Dockside Market had its grand opening on the Embarcadero this morning! The fresh seafood market, which will be open Saturdays from 8 to 1 on the pier adjacent to Tuna Harbor (between Seaport Village and the USS Midway Museum), is San Diego’s attempt to recreate Seattle’s famous Pike Place Fish Market and San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. It appeared to be a modest but very popular beginning!
There were tables and tanks of fresh fish and invertebrates caught locally by fishermen from the large fleet of boats docked nearby. The ocean off San Diego offers a bounty of healthy and sustainable food that can now be more affordably purchased by the public, direct from the source.
The catch this morning included stone crab, box crab, sea urchins, top snail, kellet’s whelks, black cod, ling cod, rock fish, sand dabs, bluefin, yellowfin, yellowtail, sheepshead and even octopus!
According to what I read on the internet, Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is the production of the San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group, which was established in 2010 to promote commercial fishing in San Diego. With the assistance of the Port of San Diego, these hard-working fishermen are adding to the vitality of an already extremely active waterfront!
A huge line of customers was still growing well before the market’s morning opening. Looks to me like they’ll need more fish!
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Cool San Diego Sights! 