People arrive at San Diego’s 2014 Festival of Sail on the Embarcadero.
I began a description of the 2014 Festival of Sail in the previous blog post, where I showed photos of the brig Pilgrim docked on San Diego’s Embarcadero. The big Labor Day weekend event features 21 different vessels, so now I’ll provide a quick tour of the other beautiful tall ships that can be seen on sparkling San Diego Bay! I have so many pics that I’ve broken them up into two separate parts.
The sails of the historic Star of India rise beyond a kettle corn sign!The many ships of the San Diego Maritime Museum took part, including HMS Surprise.
You might remember having seen HMS Surprise in the Academy Award winning movie Master and Commander, starring Russell Crowe!
One of several pirates walking about the annual event, thrilling lots of kids.Three temporary floating docks are surrounded by visiting tall ships.
The nearest ship is the Pilgrim, a replica of the historic ship described by Richard Henry Dana in Two Years Before the Mast.
Gaff-rigged schooner Spirit of Dana Point was tied up next to the Pilgrim.Early morning festival visitors check out the Spirit of Dana Point.One of several photographers looking for cool shots on the beautiful ships.This large bell was donated by famous actor John Wayne from his own ranch!
That is one loud bell!
Ship’s compass is another typical nautical sight.Looking across the picturesque deck of the Spirit of Dana Point.Golden female figurehead gazes out across San Diego Bay.Three-masted schooner American Pride awaits across the dock.American Pride and paddleboarder seen from bayside walkway.View of American Pride’s elegant stern from nearby Curlew.Photographer on American Pride takes aim at a cannon!American Pride, built in 1941, calls Long Beach home.People prepare to board the small staysail schooner CurlewThis sailing ship won many East Coast races in the 1920’s and 1930’s.Visitors check out the beautiful sailing vessel.Curlew served as a training ship and submarine patrol boat in World War II.Kayakers were out cruising among the assembled tall ships.The Tole Mour awaits at the second floating dock, my next stop!
Stay tuned! There’s more to come!
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Solitary figure in morning sun on Torrey Pines State Beach.
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.
Tall palms reach toward a glowing cloud on San Diego’s Embarcadero.Bright morning color frames my Cortez Hill neighborhood.Brilliant, fiery sunrise illuminates the horizon east of San Diego.Touching sculpture offers a helping hand at the Toussaint Teen Center.Children walk around beautiful Balboa Park fountain as evening descends.Morning sun and reflection in downtown San Diego.
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Beginning my walk south from Crystal Pier along the boardwalk.
Now please walk with me as I head south down the Pacific Beach boardwalk. We’re starting at Crystal Pier and going all the way to Hamel’s down in Mission Beach. It’s one of the most amazing walks (or bike rides) in all of the world!
Cool octopus art made of tile, stones and shells.
This bit of artwork was next to the walkway right by the pier.
Folks head toward a hungry shark and big ice cream cone!Youth hostel by Pacific Beach boardwalk has a sunny mural.A small backyard is paradise on the beach!Colorful surfboards by beach contain happy messages.Fish tacos are a San Diego specialty!Shells and boogie boards line the boardwalk for passing tourists.Just a sample of what you’d see while walking along the beach.Looking out toward umbrellas and the blue Pacific Ocean.Several camps on the sand teach people to surf.Kids learning to surf file along carrying surfboards.People chat as a lifeguard watches the beach from a tower.Colorful beach toys left forgotten on the concrete sea wall.Beautiful and unusual houses line the boardwalk.The Surf Rider building includes a huge surfboard!Bicycles are a very popular mode of transportation.I reached the Hamel’s castle surf shop in Mission Beach!Lady looks through a high stack of surfboards.Cool mural in alley shows a roller coaster.
This mural in the alley behind Hamel’s shows a roller coaster. Is there a roller coaster nearby in Mission Beach? Yes, indeed! We’ll visit Belmont Park in my next blog post!
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R. Jelani Eddington rehearses on the Spreckels Organ.
Take an amble through San Diego’s amazing Balboa Park and you never know what interesting or beautiful thing you might randomly stumble upon. Early this afternoon I was extremely fortunate!
It isn’t uncommon to hear the music of amateur street musicians throughout the gigantic urban park. Performers of all ages can be found in every nook and cranny playing a harp, a guitar, a violin, drums–you name it–hoping for a tip from generous visitors. Professional musicians, however, play in concerts that are scheduled, publicized, and attended by large, expectant audiences. Usually.
My first lucky discovery was stumbling upon famed theatre organist R. Jelani Eddington in a lengthy rehearsal for Monday night’s International Organ Festival at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Apart from a wedding party taking photographs by the pavilion’s elegant colonnade, and a few passing tourists, I seemed to have the amazing performance all to myself. Wow! The Spreckels Organ was producing pure magic, as the king of instruments was handled with world-class skill. What a privilege to listen!
R. Jelani Eddington was 2001 Theatre Organist Of The Year.The lawn of Balboa Park’s International Cottages is empty.
My second sensational discovery took place at the more modest International Cottages stage not far away. A duet was playing excellent, moving music to an all but nonexistent audience. It seems the performance was very poorly publicized, or not at all.
Reflections: Jerry and Angie, is the name of the very talented group that was being featured by the House of the United States of America. They were playing folk songs and classic American tunes with banjo and simple, heart-stirring vocals. I’m a sucker for this type of music, and I loved listening to She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain, Country Roads, God Bless America and more. I got a kick at how they treated me and the half a dozen others on the lawn like a regular audience, asking us to sing along and providing interesting comments on many songs. I’ve never heard a banjo so well played.
Reflections is Jerry on banjo and Angie with vocals.
Balboa Park contains endless magical surprises!
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Actors rehearse A Nation of Pain in Balboa Park’s small Zoro Garden.
Today during my walk through Balboa Park, I noticed that the small Zoro Garden has become a venue for summer weekend entertainment. Usually the shady, sinuous, amphitheatre-like garden is left to the butterflies, who flutter here and there in sunbeams above ragged beds of colorful flowers.
As I walked down, actors were rehearsing for a comedic play on the bare dirt center of the garden. At two o’clock a musical performance began, and I listened while chowing down on a polish sausage. I love Balboa Park!
Garden Theatre Festival takes place during the summer in Balboa Park.People enter the seldom-used, charming Zoro Garden.This was a nudist colony during the 1935 California-Pacific Exposition!Butterfly among flowers in the small Zoro Garden.Zoro Garden dedicated to butterflies in 2007.Jennie Buss’ Band plays warm-hearted music for onlookers.Folks enjoy an intimate musical performance in Balboa Park.
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A meaningful work of art stands in a small park among trees in downtown San Diego. The park includes a hedge maze and a few benches for sitting, and can be found at the west end of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade, a beautiful walkway that runs along Harbor Drive. At the center of the maze, a shining sculpture awaits like a revelation.
Shedding the Cloak is a work of public art that glows bright gold from within, both day and night. Created in 2001 by Jerry Dumlao, Mary Lynn Dominguez and Tama Dumlao, the sculpture represents a turning point in a person’s view of others. MLK hoped that all people would shed the cloak of hatred and suspicion, and don the cloak of compassion.
A plaque explains: This beacon of light honors the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that with perseverance and hope the human spirit can break the web of ignorance, hatred and injustice.
The shady park is a quiet place to read a book, relax, or reflect upon life and human potential in a turbulent, often unthoughtful world. The golden radiance from within the sculpture shifts beneath swaying green branches as the sun arcs through the sky. A touch of gold is felt by any who pass by.
Beautiful artwork inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.Rough exterior of fear and malice is peeled aside.Trees and sky seen through sculpture on Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade.Shining golden interior of cloak represents human compassion.Trolley passes behind Shedding the Cloak.Park honors an American hero who stood for human dignity.
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Hiking to the beach from a trailhead in Torrey Pines State Reserve.
Today is National Trails Day, so it seems the perfect time to blog about one hike I took recently at Torrey Pines State Reserve! The hike was down the Beach Trail, which is one of the most popular hikes in this beautiful place. The coming photos demonstrate why!
The 3/4 mile downhill Beach Trail begins at the edge of a small parking lot near the Torrey Pines State Reserve’s historic lodge, which serves as the visitor center. On this spring day, many small flowers were blooming along the trail, and lots of hikers were enjoying the sunshine as well. Should you ever go hiking here, make sure you wear good shoes because it can be a bit steep in places and the sand often makes slippery footing.
Hikers take beautiful trail through coastal chaparral.People enjoy vistas from atop sandstone formation.Endangered Torrey pine can be seen beyond fork in the trail.
You can observe many more examples of the endangered Torrey pine tree in the north part of the reserve. See my post about the Guy Fleming Trail!
The blue Pacific Ocean comes into view!Typical rugged scenery along trails of Torrey Pines State Reserve.The Beach Trail is often covered in fine sand.Now we’re getting really close to our destination!
It gets much steeper as one approaches the ocean. You can see La Jolla way off in the hazy distance.
Erosion of layered sandstone creates unusual, fluid forms.Flat Rock can be seen below on Torrey Pines State Beach.Steps head steeply down from cliffs.Hikers arrive at the beach!
The transition from the reserve to the beach seems very sudden as you hike down from the cliffs. Suddenly you hear the surf and see many sea birds. It’s an amazing experience!
Down on the sand.People walk north along Torrey Pines State Beach.
A walk north along the beach about a mile or so brings one back to the main Torrey Pines State Reserve parking lot by the Pacific Coast Highway. If you’d like to enjoy a relatively easy nature hike, I’d highly recommend this one! (Going uphill is more difficult!)
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The historic Marston House is nestled among some trees in the seldom-visited northwest corner of Balboa Park. The house museum and its beautiful gardens are truly one of San Diego’s hidden gems.
I strolled about the grounds recently and took a few photos. Roaming about the gardens is free; to take a guided tour of the house’s interior one must pay a small entrance fee.
The house, in the Arts and Crafts architectural style, was built in 1905 by George W. Marston, a wealthy philanthropist who owned a prominent department store. He was also founder of the San Diego Historical Society, and was instrumental in preserving the site of the original San Diego Presidio.
The Marston House was designed by the internationally famous architects William Sterling Hebbard and Irving Gill. Its five acres of lawns and formal gardens have become a very popular wedding location.
Marston House Museum and Gardens in a corner of Balboa Park.Arts and Crafts style house was built in 1905.This beautiful garden is a popular wedding location.Looking from hedge pathway toward Marston House.Small fountain at end of garden.Outdoor archway and oven are part of the delightful scenery.A pic of the lath greenhouse interior.The Marston House is a San Diego hidden gem.
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View of Balboa Park rose garden from nearby bridge.
Mom passed away some years ago. She loved roses. This blog post is dedicated to every precious mom on Mother’s Day.
I took these photos today at Balboa Park’s three-acre Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden. It’s located across Park Boulevard from the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, and features about 1,600 roses of more than 130 varieties. People love to stroll through the lush award-winning displays. Many mothers and families were present today!
Hundreds of roses surround a large, shady gazebo.Path near the edge of rose garden’s gazebo.Plaque on one gazebo bench with romantic sentiment.A fountain among the roses.Looking across colorful blooms toward entrance.Families enjoy a world-class rose garden on Mother’s Day.Looking over white roses at the Natural History Museum.Garden is dedicated to the memory of Inez Grant Parker.Simply beautiful.
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Botanical Building by reflecting pool in Balboa Park.
In Balboa Park you can retreat from life’s turbulence. Simply walk, read a book, or sit quietly and reflect. You can delight your senses with splashing fountains, green lawns, music, museums. Pleasing architecture is on every side. And there are many beautiful gardens.
My favorite garden of all grows in the Botanical Building. Stroll down El Prado and you’ll see an imposing wood lath building at the opposite end of the reflecting pool. That’s the Botanical Building.
Built for the 1915 to 1916 Panama-California Exposition, the beautiful old structure contains a collection of more than 2000 permanent plants. Take a slow walk through it and you’ll discover ferns, palms, orchids and other tropical plants. You’ll hear the soothing bubble of water tumbling into small rocky pools. You’ll smell sweet fragrances and be touched by many colors. You’ll want to linger.
The Botanical Building is open to the public every day except Thursday, from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Admission is free!
People walk through the huge, lush botanical collection.Information and guest book near entrance of historic Botanical Building.Alfred D. Robinson used building to display plants at 1915 Panama-California Exposition.Hundreds of different plants and endless beauty.Visitors walk quietly through the tranquil, cathedral-like space.Some people just sit on benches and absorb the tranquil atmosphere.A section of wall bright with colorful blooms.A sample of the natural beauty found in this special place.Platycerium, commonly known as the Stag Horn Fern.Beautiful orchids and other plants on display in Balboa Park’s Botanical Building.Botanical Building visitors near seasonal display of Easter lilies.Lots of cheerful, colorful Hippeastrum hybrids.The carnivorous plant bog!Delicate beauty on display for anyone to see.
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