So many colorful events today in Balboa Park!

What is a photographer to do? There were so many colorful events going on today in Balboa Park, I drained my camera’s battery trying to capture it all!

I’ve already blogged about the San Diego Heart & Stroke Walk, the Master Gardeners Plant Sale, art activities at the Exchange Pavilion, and a performance by San Diego Yosakoi!

I have yet to share my photos of today’s CleanUp Kitsune event, and classes provided by the San Diego Museum of Art. Stay tuned for that!

But what should I do with various photographs of other events? I’ll share them now!

These first few photos were taken at the International Cottages. Balboa Park’s four Latin Houses (House of Colombia, House of Mexico, House of Panama and House of Spain) would celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a colorful lawn program.

I walked through before the event began in earnest…

When I walked past the Old Globe theatre complex, I noticed people were setting up for this evening’s Globe Gala 2024…

Over at the Municipal Gymnasium, the San Diego Senior Games were underway! Food awaited the athletes outside. Inside, the basketballs were flying!

The weekly Saturday greyhound walk passed by…

Some friendly guys dressed as superheroes were participating in the CleanUp Kitsune parkwide litter pick up activity. I’m hoping to receive additional photographs. I’ll blog about it tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, Balboa Park’s usual cultural wonderfulness was to be seen everywhere!

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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.

San Diego Yosakoi perform in Balboa Park!

San Diego Yosakoi performed today in Balboa Park! They would dance at noon at the Exchange Pavilion in the Plaza de Panama, part of a fun Japanese cultural event.

I spied members of the group in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion earlier in the day. They were rehearsing for the big performance.

Then I and many others enjoyed their show at the World Design Capital Exchange Pavilion. Afterward, the dancers would teach those in the audience how to dance!

Being a bit ignorant, I asked Google what Yosakoi is, and I learned it’s a high-energy, energetic Japanese dance style that combines traditional Japanese dance with modern music and choreography. It’s often performed by large teams at festivals and events throughout Japan.

San Diego Yosakoi formed this year. Visit their Instagram page here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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.

Creating a community mural during San Diego Design Week!

The public was invited to paint color into a community mural in San Diego’s Balboa Park today. Just before noon, paintbrushes were busy in the Plaza de Panama at the Exchange Pavilion!

We are now in the middle of San Diego Design Week (September 19th to 25th), and this Community Mural Project is a creative activity inspired by San Diego/Tijuana’s selection as World Design Capital 2024!

The mural intends to bring diverse communities together–to interact and collaborate. Plus adding all those vibrant colors is fun!

As the mural was painted, an art workshop was also held inside the Exchange Pavilion. Brush & Letter, Painting With Words was a World Design Experience.

According to the event website. students could discover the art of typography and mural creation under the guidance of typographer and mural artist, Itzel Islas… During this workshop, you’ll use the iconic San Diego Tijuana Grafiko logotype to create your own 8×10 art piece.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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.

Master Gardeners of San Diego in Balboa Park!

The Master Gardener Association of San Diego County had their very popular Fall Plant Sale today in Balboa Park!

A small army of smiling Master Gardeners took over the Casa del Prado, both Room 101 and the two courtyard patios. The public could check out thousands of plants for sale, plus an art and crafts marketplace, educational booths and several master gardener speakers.

Plant purchases today would help fund many worthy projects around San Diego, including community gardens, public education and school gardens. Very cool!

I took these photos and have included some captions with a little more information!

Plants and more plants, and beautiful pots, crafts and more!

Kids could learn how to plant seeds.

Educational displays concerning plants and gardens could be found at many tables.

A smile!

The Master Gardener Association of San Diego County has a program for public education with the University of California Cooperative Extension.

A Guide for School Gardens.

Two-time Paralympian Stephen Cantu teaches Friendly Inclusive Gardening. He designs wheelchair accessible gardens. Watch his video here.

Visitors to the Master Gardener Plant Show could check out this Compost Demo.

Rita Perwich presents KISS In Your Rose Garden–Keep It Simple and Sane.

Some bugs are nasty, some are helpful!

Mother Earth among many colorful butterflies!

So many plants for sale in Room 101.

A long line of happy customers!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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.

Photos of 2024 San Diego Heart & Stroke Walk!

The 2024 San Diego Heart & Stroke Walk was held this morning in Balboa Park. Participants raised over one million dollars this year, supporting the American Heart Association and its many important programs!

I visited the event and took these inspiring photographs. Teams walking through the park and past the finish line were being encouraged by students from San Diego State University. There was a fun dog costume contest, a photo booth, roses for participants, a community board showing who walkers walk for, a small farmers market, and more. Heart disease and stroke survivors could ring a bell to celebrate life!

The American Heart Association supports medical research and educational programs. Projects, according to their website, include:

Up-to-the-minute research into doctors’ hands so they can better prevent and treat heart disease among patients. Groundbreaking pediatric heart and stroke research that is key to saving babies’ lives. Providing life-saving information that can save a life – like how to eat better, how to recognize the warning signs of heart attack, and how to talk to a doctor about critical health choices.

If you’d like to support the American Heart Association with a donation, or if you’d like to participate in a future walk, click here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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.

Stargazer at SDSU celebrates Kumeyaay culture.

Stargazer is the title of a sculpture located in San Diego State University’s Campanile Mall, not far from the Koester Memorial Sundial. Which seems appropriate. Our sun is the nearest star.

The sculpture was created by artist Johnny Bear Contreras, who is a tribal member of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians in northeastern San Diego County. Through his award-winning art he is dedicated to keeping the Kumeyaay heritage alive and thriving. The Kumeyaay people have lived throughout the San Diego region for many thousands of years.

On the Stargazer plaque, Johnny Bear Contreras speaks the words: “Come listen with us, there are stories to be heard. Come and gaze at the stars with me, they are always there.” The word Stargazer, in the Kumeyaay language, is Uwiiu kwellyap kurr.

The public art is part of the SDSU Kumeyaay Living Land Acknowledgment project, which seeks to instill a deeper appreciation and celebration of Kumeyaay history, art and culture.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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.

Gamers Outreach brings play to kids in hospitals!

Are you a gamer with heart? Would you like to improve the lives of hospitalized kids? Gamers Outreach is a charity that would appreciate your help.

The two cool people in the above photo are raising money for Gamers Outreach during TwitchCon in San Diego. I spotted them today grilling hot dogs at a tent on Harbor Drive. Look for them near a dancing hot dog!

Their objective: help fund programs that brighten the day of sick kids in hospitals, including San Diego’s own Rady Children’s Hospital.

Let me share two paragraphs from Gamers Outreach literature:

WHO WE ARE

Gamers Outreach is a charity that empowers hospitalized families through play. Our goal is to build a world where activity is easily prioritized as part of care. Video games are our tools of choice.

WHY WE DO IT

Being in the hospital can be scary and isolating. Games give kids access to adventure and opportunities to socialize. Sometimes healthcare staff even use games to assist with treatment!

Gamers Outreach has several programs. Click here to check out their GO Karts (Gamers Outreach Karts), which are portable video game kiosks built specifically for hospitals. Kids stuck in bed can play!

The Player 2 program encourages volunteers to distribute, manage, and play games with hospitalized kids! This role is particularly great for college gamers!

The Save Point program provides hospitals with high-tech vending machines that distribute items such as toys, game codes, and fun swag to kids receiving care . . . as they progress through treatment. Make getting better a fun goal! Curious hospitals should check this out!

Gamers Outreach helps thousands of children per year in a multitude of hospitals. Interested in learning more, and perhaps helping this effort? Visit their website by clicking here!

If you’re in San Diego for TwitchCon, head over to the fundraising tent on Harbor Drive across from the convention center, near the Gaslamp trolley station. I spun their prize wheel and got a free hot dog!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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.

How the Old Town blacksmiths make a leaf.

Those working inside Old Town San Diego State Historic Park’s blacksmith shop forge all sort of interesting objects: nails, knives, different decorative objects… The other day I and several other visitors learned how leaves like the ones you see above are made!

Old Town’s friendly blacksmiths are always happy to provide demonstrations of what they do. Hopefully my understanding and simplistic description is fairly accurate…

When heated iron turns orange yellow, the perfect temperature is achieved. The metal you are working becomes plastic and shapeable. Too hot, and you will “burn” the metal, making it useless for the purposes of forging.

The following photograph shows the progression of a new leaf.

You begin with the rod-like piece that you see on the right. Next, to its left, you can see how a mass was produced by the smith’s hammer at one end of the iron piece. Next, sharp edges are rounded and the mass is flattened and formed until it assumes the shape of a leaf.

Leaf veins are produced with a chisel-like instrument with a straight edge (see my first photo). A stroke or two with the blacksmith’s hammer and voila!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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.

Treasure Hunt mural at Kobey’s Swap Meet!

Have you seen the Treasure Hunt mural just outside the main entrance of Kobey’s Swap Meet? Not only is the fun artwork full of life, but it operates as a visual puzzle!

Monte Kobey started Kobey’s Swap Meet way back in 1976. Who in San Diego hasn’t swung by the old sports arena parking lot on a weekend looking for treasures and bargains? Next time you go, take a close look at this mural and you might find various objects of interest!

Clever eyes might detect a corn dog; toy car, boom box, treasure chest, roller skate, Kobey’s Hummer, five Kobey’s K’s; a pig; paint brush; six cats; a surfer; and . . . Waldo! My photographs don’t cover the entire mural, so you’ll have to swing by the swap meet for a thorough look.

Searching these photos right now, I see a small image of Jim Coffee and his street organ Misty! Are there any people in the mural that you recognize? Leave a comment!

Artist signatures indicate this very fun mural was created by Mackie Mason (@aquaboogieart) and Jasmin Marlene Mendoza (@jasmin_seeks).

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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.

Visit San Diego’s great outdoors for FREE!

A library card is more valuable than you might realize! You can use your San Diego Public Library card to check out a free vehicle day-use pass for over 200 California State Parks!

I noticed this valuable information last weekend during my visit to the Rancho Bernardo Library. To receive a free pass, head over to your nearest San Diego Public Library branch and speak to the library staff.

The free pass will admit you into so many amazing State Parks, including beautiful Torrey Pines State Nature Preserve, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Silver Strand State Beach…

You don’t have a library card? Get one at your local library! Then grab a free State Parks pass!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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.