Walk down to the beach in Carlsbad and you might find wisdom.
The walkway at Rue Des Chateaux Beach Access has a bench. Words shine on a plaque above the bench.
Mary Hoffman – In Loving Memory
Listen to the wind, it talks.
Listen to the silence, it speaks.
Listen to your heart, it knows.
The beach is reached in a few steps. The place is beloved by locals, said to offer amazing sunsets.
The Rue Des Chateaux Beach Entrance is located near 2445 Ocean Street, where the street curves inland away from the water. A sign by the sidewalk indicates the public beach entrance.
It’s a beautiful place your heart knows.
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The Loma Alta Creek Nature Trail is a short, easy path in Oceanside where people in the city can see many birds.
Also known as the Loma Alta Marsh Footpath, the urban nature trail extends west from South Coast Highway (just north of Paradise by the Sea Beach RV Resort) to Buccaneer Park. The distance is about one quarter mile.
I walked the nature trail several days ago and took these photographs. I began at South Coast Highway where it passes over Loma Alta Creek. You’ll see the following sign at the trailhead.
As part of the Pacific Flyway bird migration route, the Loma Alta Creek and Watershed makes up part of the northern section of the Carlsbad Hydrologic Unit. Gathering water runoff as far as 7 miles inland and following much of Oceanside Boulevard, this watershed provides a habitat for seabirds, waterfowl, and shorebirds that migrate to its outlet at Buccaneer Beach. A vast array of salt marsh plant species flourish in the tidal area near the coast to provide nesting and foraging for birds.
Following the trailhead from South Coast Highway toward Buccaneer Beach, you will find many wonderful and diverse species that depend on you to keep their Coastal Wetland Habitat clean and free from pollution.
I observed a Great Blue Heron perched in a tree across the water. My camera on its automatic setting didn’t take such a great picture, unfortunately.
An old sign (I increased the image contrast) indicates that bird species one might see while walking along the Loma Alta Nature Trail include Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, American Coot and Black-Necked Stilt.
The trail passes under railroad tracks.
A northbound Coaster train rumbles by…
There are two beautiful murals painted under the railroad bridge. You can glimpse part of one in the next photograph. To see both murals, click here!
In the next photo, I continue to head west toward grassy Buccaneer Park, a popular spot for families. That bridge in the distance is where South Pacific Street passes over the creek. On the other side is Buccaneer Beach.
Lots of birds on the rocks!
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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 X.
“Life’s Rad” proclaims a mural painted outside Carrillo Pottery in Oceanside. This and a mural depicting an Aztec figure drew my curiosity as I walked up South Coast Highway.
Then a guy came out the front door and greeted me. It was Joey Carrillo. Come on in! he said smiling.
What I found inside Carrillo Pottery was beyond cool.
Super colorful, authentic Mexican pottery, and super unique handcrafted decor fill the large shop to overflowing. Bright colors are everywhere. The vibe inside the place is definitely SoCal.
Joey showed me how all sorts of products by local artists are for sale, too, making the place something of an art gallery.
Life’s Rad is a California lifestyle brand featured at Carrillo Pottery. The brand thrives with the help of artist Sean Dominguez (@artbydomo), who created the outdoor Life’s Rad mural, the brand logo, shirt designs and more.
I’m so glad I ventured into Carrillo Pottery. It brightened my walk through Oceanside. Joey Carrillo is the coolest guy you could ever hope to meet–he’s a musician, too!
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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 X.
These two murals in Oceanside are seen by relatively few people. They were painted fifteen years ago along a little used nature trail, under a shadowy bridge that supports train tracks.
One of the murals seems to depict nearby Buccaneer Beach, with a view of Oceanside Pier in the distance. The opposite mural appears to show Loma Alta Creek that the nature trail–Loma Alta Marsh Footpath–follows. (I’ll be blogging about this short trail soon.)
I noticed an artist signature: Betty Gilroy 2010.
I walked under the railroad tracks last Friday. These two murals are like weather-beaten hidden treasures.
The following photos are of the Loma Alta Creek mural. You can see the actual creek beyond it. The artwork is filled with many of the birds one can see from the trail…
The next group of photos show the opposite mural, depicting people at the beach. The art was behind a chain link fence, making photography a challenge…
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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 X.
The big festival is taking place in City Heights at Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park. It’s presented by the Little Saigon SD Foundation.
According to the Vietnamese calendar, the Year of the Snake begins on January 29, 2025.
As always, this annual Tết Festival is full of positivity and happiness. There’s plenty of diverse entertainment provided by community groups. There are karate demonstrations, dancers on the main stage, mariachis and the Fern Street Circus. There are several lion dance performances by both Southern Sea Dragon & Lion Dance (they posed for a group photo) and Lucky Lion Dance.
As Lunar New Year traditions demand, there are loads of backdrops providing photo opportunities, and tons of food!
I walked around the festival around noontime today and snapped these colorful photographs.
Today–Saturday–the free, family-friendly event continues into the night. Then there’s more fun on Sunday. For the hours and entertainment lineup and more, check out the event website here!
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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 X.
Two very unique bicycle-driven libraries debuted in San Diego this weekend!
The San Diego Public Library was demonstrating their new “libraries on wheels” for the first time at the San Diego Lunar New Year Festival in City Heights!
Is ice cream in there? No, something better! Books!
I learned these bikes that transport books will be utilized for increased community engagement. All those cool books will also encourage people to sign up for a free library card.
Do you love to create art? The Senior Lounge in Balboa Park should be your destination every other Saturday! You don’t need to be a senior, either. Anyone age 18+ is welcome to take part in a free Intergenerational Artist Workshop!
I poked my nose into the lounge early this afternoon and found a friendly group of people having a lot of fun being creative. I saw a beautifully crafted flower! A greeting card was about to be made!
Some basic art supplies are available, and of course you can bring your own. Not only is the activity free, but the new friendships are free, too!
I was told this artist workshop is now held every other Saturday, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. It and other activities for seniors around San Diego can be found on the City of San Diego’s AgeWell Services quarterly Newsletter (it used to be called The Scroll).
Find all the information you need by clicking here!
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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 X.
There’s an excellent chance you’ve already enjoyed the art of Marshall Toomey. He has worked as a Disney animator, contributing to classic films like The Lion King, Aladdin, Hercules and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Visitors to the Oceanside Museum of Art are in for a real treat. In one of the museum’s upstairs galleries, extraordinary paintings by Marshall Toomey (@marshalltoomey) fill the walls with energy and color.
The artist paints from his own life experience. Perhaps that’s why his works are so engaging, so recognizably human. There are dynamic scenes from a barber shop, a church, a family barbeque, a game of dominoes…
As he explains: “My paintings represent moments in time. I aim for realism with incredible vitality–they feel almost alive. I like to paint portraits, animals and food…”
When I look at his paintings, I feel that life, after all, is good. There’s family, play, worship, being together, a bit of craziness, good humor, and a sense of joy.
In a strange way, his images feel timeless. Timeless–in that magical way certain animated movies remain loved by both young and old for many generations. You can see how his style has been, as he explains: “inspired by the masters and by my history as a Disney animator.”
Marshall Toomey: Black Americana is the name of this great exhibition. It continues at the Oceanside Museum of Art through April 13, 2025.
Uncle Junebug’s Bar B Q, Marshall Toomey, 2024. Oil on canvas. (Painting based on an Auguste Renoir painting, Luncheon of the Boating Party.)A Soothing Game of Dominoes, Marshall Toomey, 2024.
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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 X.
Renowned local artist James Hubbell produced numerous works of public art throughout San Diego County. In Carlsbad, his colorful Bird of Paradise mosaic can be enjoyed at the corner of Carlsbad Boulevard and Carlsbad Village Drive.
Bird of Paradise was commissioned by the City of Carlsbad in 1989 for the Art in Public Places Program. The circular mosaic is composed of small ceramic tiles, which together form an almost 15-foot-diameter medallion.
Those walking past the major intersection near the historic Twin Inns building, at one end of the Carlsbad gateway sign, need merely look down toward their feet.
In years past I had vaguely observed this artwork. Until I noted the nearby plaque yesterday, I hadn’t realized the beautiful mosaic was created by Hubbell. So I paused to take a much closer look!
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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 X.
The many small murals painted on a low wall in Oceanside’s Artist Alley change from time to time. The alley is like a living thing!
I was told by a shopkeeper that some of the murals you see in today’s photos were painted during the recent holidays. Other artwork was created early this year.
Oceanside’s unique Artist Alley is located directly south of the city library and civic center, on the other side of Pier View Way. It’s the home of many cool, artsy specialty shops.
If you’d like to learn more about Artist Alley, and see how this wall of murals appeared four years ago, click here.
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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 X.
Cool San Diego Sights! 