In 2019, about one week after its installation, I posted a blog concerning this amazing, stainless steel, sea snail sculpture, which is called Growing Home. It rises near Petco Park in East Village, in front of the Park 12 – The Collection luxury apartments.
You can read more about this phenomenal public art and see my original photographs by clicking here.
Last night I walked past Growing Home. Wow. I was so struck by its glowing brilliance that I had to take more photos.
And here they are!
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You might have heard that the Artemis II moon mission will be splashing down off the San Diego coast on Friday shortly after 5 pm. But did you know you can be watching the mission live during its lunar flyby?
This afternoon I’ve been watching live video from NASA as Artemis II has begun passing around the far side of the moon! It’s the farthest humans have ever flown from planet Earth. Over 250,000 miles!
Right now as I type this they cannot contact Earth due to loss of signal, but as soon as they come around the opposite side of the moon, we’ll hear from them again and see new views! From over a quarter million miles away!
I urge everyone to watch the live feed from NASA as this historic mission progresses. Human eyes are seeing what they have never seen before. You can watch the live feed from the NASA website. Click here!
All my photos are screenshots taken from the live video feed.
Here’s one look inside the Orion manned capsule:
And here’s the Earth–that tiny bright sliver–about to pass behind the moon as the Artemis II mission moves around the moon:
UPDATE!
Later, the crew of Artemis II would watch a solar eclipse–one never seen before! From a point near the moon!
Yes, the moon at their position appeared much larger than the sun. That tiny dot is Venus.
Science will benefit from this unique observation of the sun’s corona.
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Next time you enter the Balboa Park Visitors Center, move to the left side of the front counter and look up. You’ll see an amazing quilt on the wall!
The quilt, titled THE BOTANICAL GARDENS OF BALBOA PARK, depicts the Botanical Building and Lily Pond. It’s so detailed and exquisite that it won a prestigious national award. It took First Place in the Group Quilts category at the American Quilter’s Society 32nd National QuiltWeek competition in 2016! Here’s the AQS website with all the winners.
Who created this fantastic work of art? The eight members of San Diego quilting group Bobbin Buddies! The quilt was made to celebrate Balboa Park’s centennial.
The award-winning quilt would go on to be included in the Brigham City Museum’s 46th International Quilt Invitational Exhibit in 2018.
This webpage describes how the beautiful quilt was created, and how it was purchased by the Balboa Park Conservancy and has been on display in its Visitors Center. (Today the Visitors Center is operated by Forever Balboa Park.)
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Artist and architectural designer Millard Owen Sheets earned international fame for his work around Southern California. Perhaps you’ve seen his gorgeous mosaic murals on the exteriors of buildings that were originally Home Savings Bank branches.
One of those mosaics still exists in La Mesa. People heading down Jackson Drive might notice it above the front entrance of JCS Manzanita Elementary school, on a building that began as Home Savings.
The colorful artwork depicts friars and vaqueros. It was created back in 1976. According to this website, the mosaic was worked on by Millard Sheets and assisting artists Denis O’Connor and Susan Lautmann Hertel.
These photographs were taken this morning. I found myself at the Cliffhanger Café and Bar, overlooking the ocean at the Torrey Pines Gliderport in La Jolla.
It was cloudy but predictably beautiful. The wide Pacific Ocean and sky above was painted with complex light and subtle variations of color. Green grass in the foreground, below the deck of the café, produced a stunning contrast. No gliders were up yet. A happy dog was running about.
In all of San Diego, is there a more amazing place to sit outdoors, eating a bite? Take a look at the scenery! Imagine a typically sunny day.
I posted an elaborate blog concerning the Torrey Pines Gliderport almost ten years ago. (Time flies.) From what I observed today, not a whole lot has changed. Just as amazing. See those many past photographs here.
After finishing a snack on the deck, I wandered down to the bench you see in the above photo…
This bench with an amazing view beyond many potted plants has a plaque…
Morgan Meredith Rohde… Drawn to the ocean and kissed by the sun, radiant, exuberant, always smiling, Morgan lives in our hearts forever.
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To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
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Amazing wildlife murals are now being painted at the Oceanside Transit Center! Passengers walking under the tracks to catch a train are in for a big, wonderful surprise!
These photos were taken from the steps descending to either side of the train tracks, and inside the tunnel that connects platforms.
I see the artists are JustJon Art (@just_jon1), Ground Floor Murals (@groundfloormurals), Victor Rodriguez (@tone_dog), Maxx Moses (@maxxmoses777), and Signe Montefalcon Ditona (@signeditona).
Unfortunately, none of the artists were working on the mural when I happened by.
It appears as if this fantastic project is approaching completion. One guy who works at the Oceanside Transit Center told me the artists have been at it for a couple months.
Feast your eyes on this!
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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.
Have you seen the enormous sailboat Persévérance docked in San Diego?
I saw the amazing boat this morning. It was a little north of the Maritime Museum of San Diego. I was told it has been in San Diego the past few days.
The Persévérance is a research vessel operated by world-renowned French explorer and polar expedition pioneer Jean-Louis Étienne.
According to a map displayed on the boat, the 2025-2026 Jean-Louis Étienne and Elsa Pény-Étienne’s Expedition has has already visited Greenland and the Arctic region via the Northwest Passage. After leaving the West Coast it will cross the Pacific Ocean and head south to study Antarctica!
The unique oceanographic schooner gathers data on climate and ocean currents, visits Marine Protected Areas, and seeks to analyze human impact on the oceans. Marine Protected Areas on the itinerary include Clipperton, French Polynesia, Ross Sea, and the proposed Dumon d’Urville MPA in East Antarctica.
I asked whether there will be public tours of this remarkable sailboat, but was told, unfortunately, no.
People in downtown San Diego have a special treat this weekend! Four metal sculptures by Ricardo Breceda (whose famous landmark sculptures can be seen around Borrego Springs) are on display in front of the San Diego County Administration Building!
Check it out!
There are two bighorn sheep about to butt horns, a giant coiling rattlesnake, and a fierce dinosaur on a flatbed! They’re on display in the sunshine on the grass near Harbor Drive. You can’t miss them!
Ricardo Breceda’s sculptures in Borrego Springs have won the artist international renown. He brought these four pieces here so residents of San Diego can enjoy some of his work, and so everyone is hopefully inspired to head out to the desert where over 130 of his incredible sculptures can be viewed. Here’s his website.
(Five years ago I photographed his Wild Horses public art installation in Vista, California. You can see those photos 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.
Imagine owning a table umbrella that’s also a work of fine art!
No need to imagine. Look for Studio 26 in Balboa Park’s amazing Spanish Village Art Center. That’s where you’ll find Edward Juarez, the friendly artist who you see in these photographs!
He was painting away when I walked through Spanish Village yesterday. I asked him about the umbrella. When finished, it will have multiple coatings and will be absolutely waterproof. The finished carousel umbrella on the patio nearby has been outdoors for a good while and still looks great.
It was incredible how the cowboy image he was painting came to life and acquired depth as he continued to apply color. This umbrella will be as vibrant as an oil painted framed canvas! He kindly took me into his studio and showed me other Western paintings perfect for this umbrella.
It would be super cool to own one of these table umbrellas, don’t you think? Good news! Edward told me he does commissions! Step into his studio and you’ll notice he paints every kind of subject matter.
Today Alex “Teddy” Blanco pulled a 7,000 pound truck over 2 miles through Liberty Station in San Diego. His strenuous physical effort would raise money for the EOD Warrior Foundation.
I happened to stumble upon this amazing 12th Annual Truck Pull as it progressed down Cushing Road. Teddy Blanco has been doing this every year!
EOD stands for Explosive Ordnance Disposal. The EOD Warrior Foundation website explains: EOD technicians are highly-trained military members serving in the Army, Marines, Navy, and Air Force who are responsible for disarming, rendering safe, and disposing of explosive hazards.
The EOD Warrior Foundation (EODWF) serves the EOD community by providing financial assistance and support to Active-Duty, Guard, Reserve, Retired, and Veteran EOD technicians and their families.
Additional info importantly explains: This event is to raise awareness and funds for injured service members and their families.
To learn more about the organization, visit the EOD Warrior Foundation website by clicking here. (You can find a donation button on their website, 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.
Cool San Diego Sights! 