Tag: blog

Cool photo memories from January 2015.

Many bloggers periodically “reblog” their own material from years gone by. That way new readers have a window into the past.

Now that Cool San Diego Sights is well over six years old, I thought it might be fun to do something similar!

Starting today, once every month I’ll feature photos taken five years in the past. I’ll select material that is particularly interesting, unique or unusual! Keep in mind, some of my photographs from back then are less refined. They weren’t framed quite as carefully, or adjusted for contrast or sharpness.

Following are six links to select blog posts from January 2015…

Click for some fun!

Our Silences and precious freedom of speech.

Priest sprinkles startled pets with holy water!

Grass grows again at historic Lane Field!

1915 Road Race vintage car show in Balboa Park!

Timeline shows history of San Diego’s Embarcadero.

Historic reopening of California Tower in Balboa Park.

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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!

You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!

Nine mysterious shadows in San Diego!

Mystery Shadow #1

Ready to have some fun?

Can you identify the location of each shadow?

Here are nine photos of mysterious shadows that I took in the past couple weeks.

All are from walks through downtown or Balboa Park.

Mystery Shadow #2
Mystery Shadow #3
Mystery Shadow #4
Mystery Shadow #5
Mystery Shadow #6
Mystery Shadow #7
Mystery Shadow #8
Mystery Shadow #9

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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!

A short story about a mysterious artifact.

Have you ever visited a museum and viewed an historical object that seems timeless? An artifact that might still belong in the hands of the living?

I’ve written a short story based on my own strange experiences. It has a surprise ending. It’s titled The Recovered Artifact.

To read it, click here!

I would like to express gratitude to those teachers who’ve introduced my story One Thousand Likes to students recently using Google Classroom. I observe my website stats and am stunned. I never imagined such a small story would be read by so many. It’s a writer’s wildest dream come true!

Now it’s time to start brainstorming again!

There are many more places to walk in San Diego and many more photographs to take. Unexpected new adventures await! Thanks for coming along!

Wishing all my readers a Happy New Year!

Richard

Two fun cool photos!

Cali Cool
Cali Cool

To justify the name of my website, I probably should present some “cool” photos.

I took these two fun pics during recent walks!

(The first is from a downtown sidewalk; the second is from Balboa Park by the San Diego Air and Space Museum.)

Cool Bus
Cool Bus

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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!

Fascinating photos behind the scenes in San Diego.

Over the years I’ve taken photos “behind the scenes” at various interesting and historic places in San Diego. I thought it would be fun to revisit some of those blog posts, in case you’ve missed them.

Here are ten guided tours and curious walks that provided fascinating views of San Diego that many do not see.

Click the following links:

A tour inside the historic Spreckels Theatre.

A very cool tour of Petco Park in San Diego!

Get out of jail free at old police headquarters!

Photos behind the scenes at Copley Symphony Hall!

Photos aboard new Scripps research vessel Sally Ride!

Behind the scenes look at the Spreckels Organ.

Photos from Port of San Diego’s harbor tour.

History comes alive during tour of Spanish Village.

Photos: amazing tour of Spanish galleon build site!

Photos inside a World War II bunker on Point Loma.

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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!

You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!

Remembering the September 11 attacks.

A piece of the fallen World Trade Center.
A piece of the fallen World Trade Center.

It’s hard to believe 18 years has gone by. To me, the morning of September 11, 2001 doesn’t seem that long ago. Even though I observed the horror of 9/11 on television from the other side of the country, it’s one of those life changing memories that will never fade.

I realize the human world is full of tumult and antagonism, but I pray we all might finally learn to live in peace. Life is short enough as it is. Even though our many different ambitions and beliefs might come into conflict, why can’t we simply be kind to one another?

Over the past six years while blogging, I’ve experienced a few respectful moments in San Diego that remember the September 11 attacks. Each was deeply moving. If you want to revisit some of those images, here are the links:

9/11 Firefighter’s legacy: Two Sons and Stickball.

Freedom Bell at Balboa Park’s Veterans Museum. (The bell is cast from metal that includes steel from the World Trade Center towers.)

Photos of cool aviation event at Gillespie Field! (One special airplane on display during this event was painted to honor victims of 9/11.)

Heroes at San Diego 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.

A short story about the mystery of Fate.

Yesterday I published a new work of fiction on my writing website Short Stories by Richard. This morning I made some important changes and now feel satisfied.

The story’s revised title is The Hand of Fate. It’s about things we see and know nothing about.

If you’d like to read the small story, click here.

A final decision to write.

The older I become, the more I understand that life is fleeting.

Because of that, I’ve come to a decision.

I will now dedicate my spare hours to writing fiction.

Why?

While I enjoy walking everywhere and taking photos of San Diego, I feel that my efforts in creative writing might be more important. Apparently some people think my works of fiction have merit.

It doesn’t seem possible, but my website Short Stories by Richard has received visitors from school classrooms in four different countries now. Most of the students are reading the story One Thousand Likes. Many people around the world have also begun to read An Unexpected Sunflower, which is my very first short story and still my favorite.

So now I’m really going to concentrate on writing. Which means Cool San Diego Sights and my other photography blogs will be put on pause.

I’m hoping a few more worthwhile stories will come to me!

If I’m lucky!

If you’d like to read and follow my writing, you can click here!

Thank you for sharing my journey!

UPDATE!

Well, obviously, that wasn’t much of a pause. As I type this update several months later I’m still walking, taking photos and blogging. I can’t seem to stop. Oh, well. Sorry about the misinformation! The best laid plans…

Comic-Con cosplay photos and more on Pinterest!

If you like to use Pinterest, you might enjoy checking out a bunch of pins that I just now added to my San Diego Comic-Con Pinterest page!

The special page now contains almost 450 cosplay and other fun photographs that I’ve taken while walking around Comic-Con during the past five years!

To see all these cool photographs in one place, click here!

Revisiting history on San Diego’s 250th Anniversary.

An event of great historical importance is scheduled for this evening.

At five o’clock, on Presidio Hill near the Serra Museum, a ceremony will be held to mark the 250th Anniversary of San Diego. I plan to be there.

To remember the birth of our city (which began precisely where the above photo was taken), I’ve decided to revisit that history and provide links to various past blog posts.

If you plan to attend today’s event, there’s a trail to the top of Presidio Hill that starts near the small golf course east of Old Town. Today my feet will again follow that path.

The following photo of a display inside the Serra Museum shows the location of the original Spanish presidio, now a ruin hidden beneath grassy mounds.

The following blog posts contain a great deal of information about San Diego’s early history.

Here are the links:

Walk from Old Town to the San Diego Presidio.

Photos of historical plaques on Presidio Hill.

Photos of The Padre sculpture in Presidio Park.

San Diego’s early history at the Serra Museum.

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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!