Glorious sun and clouds through trees high above Mission Valley.
I’m going through thousands of photographs stored in my computer this morning. I’ve found a number of beautiful nature shots taken over the past year or so.
Sometimes I can be in a hurry (or feeling a bit lazy) and I don’t properly label or categorize my images. I’m not sure exactly where I captured a couple of these. Somewhere around San Diego . . .
I’d like to thank those of you who follow this blog. I know there’s loads of stuff on the internet, and a whole lot of San Diego websites that are slicker and more professional. I’m just a regular guy and my amateur photo blog is nothing more than a work of joy. And a way for me to see this complex world more closely as I walk around the city. I hope that together, in the weeks and months ahead, we experience even more beauty and many more Cool San Diego Sights!
Now I’m off on a leisurely Sunday walk. Where will I go? I haven’t decided yet! I guess I’ll begin by stepping out the door . . .
One tiny part of a vast, intricate, simply wonderful world.Dazzling bits of stone (and a couple pieces of broken glass) in the water of Mission Bay.Colorful leaves inside Balboa Park’s Botanical Building.Complex, dramatic clouds above our fair city.Delicate natural beauty seen during a hike in Mission Trails Regional Park.A pure white egret on a branch by the shining San Diego River.Crashing water meets wet, smooth stones on the ocean shore in La Jolla.A shapely succulent in Balboa Park. Nature produces another marvel.Beautiful clouds and blue sky above San Diego Bay.I took this photo yesterday walking along Friars Road as I approached the San Diego River estuary. A few droplets cling to green leaves.Photo of a beautiful pink rose taken during a walk somewhere in San Diego.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Do you enjoy beautiful things? Please visit my other fun photography blog which I call A Small World Full of Beauty.
Sunflowers appear next to a Barrio Logan sidewalk.
Sometimes flowers appear in unexpected places. In San Diego, as in any big city, they seem to sprout like small miracles. Here are a few glimpses…
A flower blooms in the window of a downtown San Diego tattoo parlor.A beautiful bouquet of flowers at an outdoor Little Italy cafe.Bronze statue of Kate Sessions in Balboa Park’s Sefton Plaza holds a few white flowers. Kate planted many seeds a century ago.Red bougainvillea poke through a white lath fence in North Park.Beautiful flowers in planters at Lou and Mickey’s in the Gaslamp Quarter.Chalk flowers on a playground’s concrete wall, near The New Children’s Museum in San Diego.A San Diego trolley runs along the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade near The New Children’s Museum’s Garden Project.As I sat at the Seaport Village trolley station this morning, a homeless person with a bouquet of flowers passed between fences in the distance.Flowers and elegance near front door of the Tim Cantor gallery.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Have you ever witnessed a small miracle? You might enjoy reading my story An Unexpected Sunflower.
Paraglider high above the Pacific Ocean catches a warm summer updraft created by sandstone cliffs at San Diego’s famous Torrey Pines Gliderport.
The world-famous Torrey Pines Gliderport is possibly the coolest, most awesome place in all of San Diego. Hang gliders and paragliders float silently in the sky above rugged sandstone cliffs and the blue Pacific Ocean, painting a rare scene that few will ever forget. Here are some photos that I took this morning.
I arrived too early–the wind necessary to sustain gliders, I learned, doesn’t usually kick in until about 11:30. No worries. There were so many interesting things to photograph, and the weather and scenery were so pleasant, I just moseyed around and sat here and there and let each moment unfold.
Please enjoy the following photos and make sure to read the captions for more detailed explanations!
The Torrey Pines Gliderport was established in 1928 and is an active aviation facility. It’s also a favorite place to enjoy incredible natural scenery and perhaps get a bite to eat.Looking north along the San Diego coast from a point above Black’s Beach. A solitary figure looks out at the mighty ocean from atop a weathered sandstone cliff.A hang glider is moved on the grassy hill near the Gliderport. Students, instructors and experienced gliders alike must wait for a good, steady wind.While I wandered about I made a cool discovery! Atop the hill beside the Torrey Pines Gliderport, the experts of Sky Falconry were getting ready to teach a morning class. Anyone can fly a bird of prey!Several hawks trained to fly and return on command have a chance to stretch their wings before the class of falconry students arrives.Taking flight indeed! A beautiful raptor flies past its handler. Beyond, the blue Pacific Ocean stretches to the horizon.The Sky Falconry class has begun and I take another photo, then leave these good people in peace. There is much else to see…A view looking south from the Torrey Pines Gliderport. Someone stands on the lifeguard perch that overlooks the beach below. La Jolla Cove and the end of Scripps Pier can be seen in the background.Some activity! Someone wearing a bulky but lightweight paragliding harness sets out across the grass from the patio area at the Torrey Pines Gliderport.Students have begun to learn the basics of paragliding, including how to safely launch. Not enough wind to take to the air yet.A quick photo through the Torrey Pines Gliderport’s casual patio area, with picnic benches. I spotted an outdoor grill and pool table nearby!The Giderport’s well-stocked Cliffhanger Café has yummy hamburgers . . . and jaw-dropping views just steps away!A short hallway that leads into the Torrey Pines Gliderport store features many photos of past hang gliding and paragliding adventures.Just south of the Gliderport’s launch area, a bench makes a perfect place to experience sun, ocean and sea breeze.A forlorn concrete monument stands near the dirt parking lot, south of the Torrey Pines Gliderport. On one side a tile mosaic depicts a sailboat and gliders in the sky.On the opposite side is a corroded historical marker. To honor the spirit, ingenuity, and enthusiasm of the pioneers who flew gliders in the 1930’s at Torrey Pines.Another look north at beautiful high cliffs of eroded sandstone. The coastline melts away into San Diego’s North County. No gliders yet!A couple of surfers prepare to descend the cliff to Black’s Beach far below. For those who don’t follow the established trail, it can be a very treacherous descent, and one occasionally sees rescues on the local news.A raised outdoor eating area at the Torrey Pines Gliderport is the perfect place to watch all the aerial action. But still too early…not enough wind…The Torrey Pines Gliderport bills itself as America’s premier flight school. One can enjoy tandem paraglider and hang glider flights with an expert instructor.The breeze has picked up a bit. More students are trying out their equipment on safe land. A happy dog is loving life.A paragliding student learns the ropes. In the distance you can see the equally famous Torrey Pines Golf Course, which hosted the epic 2008 U.S. Open.More spectators have arrived and the nearby grassy hill has become more active. The falconry class is still underway.Almost enough lift!Carrying all the paragliding gear back up the hill. When actually gliding, if too much elevation is lost, some gliders will land on the beach. Then the climb is much, much worse!Just a cool shot of a paraglider spreading her wings.Finally! The breeze is pretty good now! The first paraglider is ready to launch! Lift is provided by wind that pushes up against the long cliffside.And he’s off, among the birds!A tranquil ride above and through the beautiful blue. Paragliders wind their way back and forth along the cliffs, catching the updraft.A photo that provides a hint of why the Torrey Pines Gliderport is such a special place.A fantastic ride through the sky!Another paraglider has joined the slow aerial dance. The lower part of his body is enclosed in a cool-looking pod harness.Paragliding above Black’s Beach, a favorite destination for surfers and Southern California nudists!Just gliding along.
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Carpenter’s Wheel quilt, Mennonite, about 1890. Made by Mrs. Miller in Easton, Pennsylvania.
My eyes opened wide with amazement last weekend, when my docent friend provided another special tour at the San Diego Museum of Art. This time we had a good look at a surprising exhibition of early American quilts from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
These quilts, which date mostly from the 19th century, created in many instances by lone Amish and Mennonite quiltmakers, are so dazzling with brilliant colors and inventive, abstract designs that they seem thoroughly modern, like hung works of art by the greatest 20th century Abstract Expressionists.
I know relatively little about quiltmaking. All I know is that when I gazed at these vibrant works of art, I felt that I was peering into the inner life of a spiritual people, where joy, memories and dreams are represented with magically combined bits of color. These delights for the eye were created to be a warming family treasure, meant to last for generations.
In this blog post you can see just a few photos of the nearly 50 quilts on display. The craftmanship is intricate. I can’t imagine the many hours of persistent dedication, patience and love a quiltmaker required to create just one of these examples. They lived in a very different time and place. In their world living was more simple, and beauty was quietly formed from single threads.
All of these old quilts were discovered over several decades by collectors Gerald Roy and Paul Pilgrim, who also played an important role in the creation of the The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. Many of these quilts were collected solely for their aesthetic appeal. Paul Pilgrim, now deceased, was also an innovative quiltmaker.
Head to Balboa Park to visit the San Diego Museum of Art and you’ll be astounded by many of these quilts. If you do plan to visit, do so by September 5, 2016, when this very unique exhibition comes to an end.
Quilts and Color from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This special exhibition can be enjoyed at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park.Amazing early American quilts on display at the San Diego Museum of Art feature beautifully contrasted colors and fascinating abstract designs.Spider Web quilt dazzles the eye. Many of the quilts feature unique visual effects or optical illusions.Fans quilt, Amish, 1900-1910. Made in Pennsylvania.Field of Diamonds quilt, about 1860. The design is achieved by creatively combining differently colored hexagons.Close-up photograph of fantastic, radiant Sunburst quilt.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Life can be very busy. Some days go by in a blur. So I often don’t have time to fully appreciate the enormous, wonderful world that surrounds me.
That’s one reason why I love to walk, haul my camera around, and write.
Unfortunately, one must constantly attend to life’s small stuff. You know–daily business, errands, dull routines. But I’ve learned that I can always–no matter where I am or what I’m doing–open myself to new wonder. Here are a few unusual mental exercises. They help to stimulate your mind, so that you can see the world more fully.
1. Name every object you see.
That’s right! As you go about during an ordinary day, find the word or words that describe every object you happen to see. In your mind, name everything that exists in front of your eyes. Add descriptive adjectives and adverbs. You’ll see more than you did before, and perhaps in a new light. You’ll have greater awareness of the world around you, even the small details.
2. Search for objects of a specific color.
Select a random color. Then as you move through your day, consciously search your surroundings for ordinary objects of that color. Do this and you’ll become acutely aware of the appearance of things–not just their color. You’ll appreciate the world’s richness and innate beauty. You’ll see how all things fit together. Try it!
3. Search the horizon, and imagine what’s beyond it.
From time to time, when outdoors, focus your eyes on the horizon. What can you see there? Can you imagine what probably (or possibly) lies just beyond the horizon? What do you think is going on in that unseen place? Or better yet, on a pitch black night look up at the stars. What is going on there?
This exercise broadens your view of the universe and helps you grasp its entirety with your mind. That is–to the extent we humans can grasp such immensity!
4. Examine the world inches from your eyes.
Standing next to something? Put your nose right up close and examine it! Do you find yourself in a boring old office building’s lobby that has a painting on a wall? Look at the brush strokes! Waiting on a sidewalk under an ordinary tree? Look closely at the bark or the leaves!
Closely examine those things that happen to be nearby. Analyze precisely. Renew your wonder. Perhaps pretend you’re a giant, surveying a fascinating, miniature world. Because in a sense, we all ARE giants–when the mind is stimulated, curious and growing.
5. Imagine the world in the future, or in the past.
Where are you? Slowly turn to look all around. Now imagine your immediate surroundings in the near or distant past, or in the near or distant future.
San Diego, the bustling place I call home, is relatively new compared to most cities. A couple hundred years ago–which isn’t long at all–Southern California was essentially a wilderness. So it’s interesting to imagine San Diego with no buildings, no streets, almost no sign of human life. Just canyons and hills, covered with sagebrush and dry chaparral.
How did my growing city appear a hundred years ago? Fifty years ago? And why do things appear as they do today? How might things change tomorrow? A hundred years from now? A thousand years from now? A million years from now?
This unusual mental exercise helps you to appreciate the world’s fullness in both space and time. And it stimulates your imagination!
6. Imagine people around you at different stages in life.
You and I are alike in many ways. Living life, by definition, is all that we can know. By observing the people around you more fully, perhaps you can better understand humanity and yourself.
Imagine how strangers around you might physically appear at different stages of life. Do you see an elderly person? Try to imagine how they looked when they were a child. Do you see a child? Imagine how they’ll appear when they grow old.
This is an old trick many writers use when creating a character sketch. It really makes the observer think. It puts our short lives in perspective!
7. Ask yourself what a nearby person will do next.
Here’s another clever trick. Do you see a stranger nearby? Watch them for a bit from the corner of your eye. What do you think they’ll do next? Then afterward, ask yourself why your guess was right or wrong.
By gaining insights into human behavior, you’ll better appreciate the paths and turns of other minds. And you’ll see why humans have fashioned their world as it is. For better or worse.
And, of course, you’ll learn something about your own inclinations and perceptions.
8. Understand what people are thinking.
One more mental exercise that anyone can try. This is quite possibly the most difficult. Imagine or deduce what a nearby person is thinking. Can you see their thoughts in their eyes? In their gestures? In their actions?
How do you think they see the world?
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Do you like to read short pieces of thought-provoking fiction? You might enjoy checking out Short Stories by Richard.
Carefree kids jump while exploring the tide pools just south of the Ocean Beach Pier.
On Sunday I headed to Ocean Beach, for no particular reason. I like to walk out on the pier.
My visit happened to coincide with low tide, so I took advantage of an opportunity to explore the tide pools near the base of the pier. What did I see? Amazing life. Amazing beauty.
North of the Ocean Beach Pier there is a beautiful, very popular beach. Some rocks are exposed at low tide.Under the Ocean Beach Municipal Pier, which is the second longest pier on the West Coast.Seagulls circle above people who are searching for natural wonders in the intertidal zone.A view of the Ocean Beach Pier and nearby tide pools. An easily accessible place to explore the seashore and make small discoveries.People explore fascinating tide pools near the foot of the OB pier during low tide. The rocks can be very slippery.At low tide, the exposed sandstone rocks south of the pier contain many depressions, the home of algae and small sea creatures.There are many interesting photo opportunities at the tide pools. Down on hands and knees, you’re going to get a little slimy and wet!A complex, natural mosaic in the rock.Hidden channels and eroded surfaces in the irregular, pitted sandstone.Kids stand near the sea wall at the end of one water-sculpted, crevice-like channel.I believe this little guy is a troglodyte chiton. Thousands can be seen in their own tiny sandstone burrows in the intertidal rocks. They can live 20 years in the same spot!Lots of amazing discoveries to be made!One can see pink encrusting coralline algae and surfgrass in this saltwater-filled channel.I can see why this is called sea lettuce! It’s actually a type of green algae.Another view of the tide pools immediately south of the OB pier.Bright green surfgrass, reddish algae and blue ripples of incoming ocean surf make a strangely beautiful photograph.More pink coralline algae and surfgrass at the OB tidepools.A small empty shell among some sea lettuce.An unusual photo at the tide pools. Nature is an infinitely prolific artist.A cool photo composed of accumulated shell pieces.Limpets large and small on one rock form a beautiful pattern.Adventures in progress.Tiny miracles of nature in the soft sandstone.A sample of the surprising beauty you might encounter at these tide pools.A periwinkle, or sea snail.More beautifully patterned limpets, and I think I might see a few barnacles.Right up next to the sea wall. The tide pools continue a good distance to the south.A sea anemone covered with shell fragments, among sand and algae in one tide pool.An aggragating anemone, safely closed up at low tide so that it doesn’t dry out. Many small stones and shell bits have collected upon it.Another watery scene in a life-filled Ocean Beach tide pool.There’s a lot of exploring to do!Looking under the OB pier as I climb up its stairs for an overhead view of the tide pools.Looking down from atop Ocean Beach Pier at the nearby tide pools. People out on the rocks search for wonders in the intertidal zone.
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I live in San Diego and love to walk all over the place! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Do you like to read short pieces of thought-provoking fiction? You might enjoy checking out Short Stories by Richard.
Altered photograph of a Henry Moore sculpture, located in San Diego Museum of Art’s popular sculpture garden.
Oh, no! Here come some “artsy” photos!
Today I walked through Balboa Park’s beautiful May S. Marcy Sculpture Garden. The grassy space, which is free to the public, contains several pieces of artwork belonging to the San Diego Museum of Art’s collection.
The garden’s most recognized sculpture is probably Reclining Figure: Arch Leg, which was created in 1969 by renowned British Modernist artist Henry Moore.
As I walked around the curvaceous sculpture, it occurred to me that different interesting photos could be taken depending on the angle and perceived distance. So I engaged in a bit of experimentation!
(Fear not! I didn’t touch the sculpture or step on the flowers! But I did lean over like crazy–and minutely cropped some images– to get the “close-up” images.)
Henry Moore’s 1969 bronze sculpture Reclining Figure: Arch Leg, on the grass in the San Diego Museum of Art’s May S. Marcy Sculpture Garden.Sunlit bronze sculpture photographed from a different angle. I adjusted contrast, brightness and sharpness, and cropped according to my eye.Same sculpture, different frame, different paths of reflected light. The physical object is itself unchanged, but has become something new in the mind of the viewer.The Modernist sculpture’s fluid curves and organic quality is suggestive of human form.Raw nature interacts with human art. A camera focuses on nearby details the casual eye might miss.The form of an abstract sculpture becomes more mysterious when the defining outer edges are eliminated with photo editing.A warmly glowing bronze surface, and a pair of eyes.The sculpture’s red-tinged bronze skin reflects Southern California sunlight.A closer view reveals craters and furrows. Small glimpses of beauty within a larger whole.A strangely perfect, silvery surface.Looking up into the light. Both self-contained art and the outer world are composed of the same elements, and can evoke identical wonder.
Like delicate magic . . . beautifully streaked clouds on a late December day.
Did you see the fantastic clouds above San Diego’s Embarcadero today? They seemed to be made out of fragile, swirling dreams. They magically appeared in our blue sky, painted above tall ships and palm trees.
Just in case you didn’t see, here are two cool pics!
Fantastic clouds above tall ships and palm trees on San Diego’s Embarcadero.
Visitors stroll through endless natural beauty at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park.
Please enjoy the following photographs. They were taken today at the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego’s wonderful Balboa Park. As you can plainly see, natural beauty is abundant in this amazing garden. I hope you have a chance to visit.
Gleaming droplets of water descend from a hollow bamboo kakei into the tranquil, cleansing tsukubai basin.Even age and imperfections in this fallen leaf are beautiful beyond description.A rocky island, seemingly, in the Karesansui Dry Stone Garden, with carefully raked gravel inviting meditation.Looking upward into the sunlit leafy canopy near the koi pond.The day’s light makes striking patterns of living green.Bright red bougainvillea bracts catch the eye of a young person walking through the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego.Bougainvillea red is an especially beautiful sight in the bonsai garden.A yellow day-lily which is growing near the Charles C. Dail Memorial Gate.Bamboo leaves flutter in the gentle San Diego breeze.This small sculpture is a mystery according to one of the groundskeepers. It was placed in the garden by someone unseen. The sculpture might be a young Buddha. It might have been placed here by someone who lost a child. No one seems to know its history.Bright green palm fronds produce instant human delight.Close-up photograph of the amazing, strange seed pod of a sago palm.Delicate white flowers of the star jasmine seem to have descended into this world from a heavenly place.Close-up photo of torn wood fibers where a dead tree limb finally separated from the trunk.Water cascading over stone shines in the sunlight. A small gentle river flows through the bottom of the spacious garden canyon.Looking down through magical, jewel-like water.Jumbled leaves have turned many colors.Nature’s fantastic patterns are evident everywhere you turn in the amazing Japanese Friendship Garden.After being corrected by a great reader, this appears to be a gardenia. I first thought it might be a white azalea! That shows you how much I know!Visitors at the Japanese Friendship Garden stand in the shade of the Inamori Pavilion looking down at a pleasant waterfall.A pink saucer magnolia bloom and buds. In the background you can see the new Inamori Pavilion, which opened this year.Another photographer was recording the carefully arranged natural beauty at the Japanese Friendship Garden.Even dry brown curled leaves can take one’s breath away.Leaves and shadows of leaves.If one small place can contain such abundant wonder, imagine what the vast universe holds.Natural beauty at the amazing Japanese Friendship Garden
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