An event in downtown San Diego called Towerthon raised money for Father Joe’s Villages Toussaint Academy, which educates and assists homeless youth.
We all have the opportunity to help homeless kids in San Diego ascend to new heights–even if you didn’t participate in today’s Towerthon, where generous neighbors raised money for Father Joe’s Villages Toussaint Academy by climbing the stairs of the 20-story tall 550 Corporate Center building in downtown San Diego.
During my absolutely incredible morning walk (stay tuned–you’ll see why), I paused for a couple minutes to absorb the humanity of the charitable event and snap some photos.
Would you like to help homeless kids in San Diego? I don’t need to tell you how horrible life on the street can be. Being homeless can be depressing, highly stressful, dangerous–eventually breaking both body and spirit. Many youth became homeless because of unspeakable physical abuse and emotional pain.
Toussaint Academy has been providing homeless youth with a high quality education and other services since 1992. Please click the link above to learn more, about how Toussaint Academy not only save lives, but enables young people to heal, flourish and finally experience true happiness. You might feel inspired to make a donation or provide help in your own special fashion!
(I challenge other bloggers reading this to find charities in your own neighborhood, and help them out! Â Your efforts add up and actually help!)
Participants in the charitable stair climb check the standings board in the plaza in front of 550 Corporate Center.
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Just inside the O’Brien Gate at the 2016 San Diego County Fair. This year’s theme is Alice in Wonderland.
I have photographic proof that Alice has popped back out of the rabbit hole. In fact, she has emerged from Wonderland only to find herself smack dab in the middle of the San Diego County Fair!
Yes, the slogan this year is “Mad About the Fair.” And should you head up to Del Mar and purchase a ticket, you’ll find yourself among thousands of San Diegans enjoying scenes and characters from the classic children’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by the immortal author Lewis Carroll.
The San Diego County Fair is a wonderful place to enjoy a lazy summer’s day no matter what the theme. You can eat deep fried Twinkies, take a ride in the Fun Zone, toss a ring at a bottle, and see all sorts of cool performances, craft exhibits and livestock. But this year it might be better than ever. Alice in Wonderland is just too much fun.
Walking down the good old midway. Once known as the Del Mar Fair, the county fair is a wildly popular summer attraction in Southern California.There’s a White Rabbit walking along! Don’t follow him! You don’t know where he might lead!Alice falls down the rabbit hole. One of many outstanding works of art by high school students displayed at the San Diego County Fair.A high school pencil drawing of an imaginative Wonderland.A first place winner at the San Diego County Fair. This student created a very nice visual composition.More fantastic art. Alice tries to make her way through endless weirdness and absurdity.One of many fun displays outside at the Paul Ecke Jr. Garden Show. I see the grinning Cheshire Cat and all sorts of other Alice in Wonderland stuff.Some steampunk contraptions at the outdoor garden show. I see a cool steampunk washing machine and a weird metal Mad Hatter taking a shower.Another fun entry at the garden show. These gardens seem to contain many teacups and mushrooms.Flowers, butterflies and trees shaped like hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs.The Queen of Hearts wants people to have their photo taken here. Or it’s off with their heads, I suppose.It’s Tweedledum and Tweedledee. They’re from the sequel to Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the equally classic Through the Looking-Glass.Some more fun Alice in Wonderland pottery characters created by The Madd Potter.A long colorful mural above some fair vendors depicts beloved characters created by Lewis Carroll. Their appearance has evolved due to popular culture and now incorporate steampunk elements like goggles.Alice plays flamingo croquet in a fantasy world full of rampant irrationality and nonsense.Even the Cheshire Cat has gone steampunk!Get ready to enter the Mad About the Fair exhibit. It’s dark inside, so many photos didn’t turn out so good.I’ve spotted Alice! She’s passing a huge hat possibly worn by The Hatter. He must have one huge head.One display highlights differently illustrated Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland books over the years. Some are imaginative adaptations or interpretations.A super long table in the exhibit was set for an epic tea party!A whole variety of displays paid homage to the Steampunk genre. Here are some Victorian ladies in cool steampunk top hats.A very cool steampunk mechanical man made of brass gears, with a glass globe for its head.Clocks seem to be a common Wonderland motif. All sorts of fun old clocks were displayed on this wall. I didn’t see the White Rabbit’s pocket watch.The cool artwork of singing legend Grace Slick was on display! You might remember the Jefferson Airplane smash hit White Rabbit.The White Rabbit represents curiosity–always in a hurry and just out of reach. He is a moving mystery.Alice awaits at the 2016 San Diego County Fair. Follow her back down into the rabbit hole, if you dare!
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Do you like to read short pieces of very imaginative, thought-provoking fiction? You might enjoy checking out Short Stories by Richard.
Peer into the rippling water. You’ll be astonished at what you see.
Do you often think about life?
If you’d like to read a short story that I published on my Short Stories By Richard blog about time and memory, light and reflection–in other words about life–then click here.
Kid pulls a Radio Flyer during Floral Wagon Parade. The fun family event was part of Balboa Park’s big 2016 Garden Party!
I took more fun photos! They capture a bit of the cheerful color from this morning’s Floral Wagon Parade in Balboa Park! The unique flower-themed parade kicked off the park’s Second Annual Garden Party!
I’ve got even more pics of the 2016 Garden Party, which I’ll post later tonight on my new Beautiful Balboa Park blog! The event included dancing, butterfly releases, and all sorts of delightful stuff. You might enjoy checking it out!
Here comes the Floral Wagon Parade down El Prado. Lots of colorful blooms have been arranged to delight onlookers!An elaborate Friends of Balboa Park display near the front of the parade. Today was the park’s Second Annual Garden Party!Here comes more of the morning parade! The Garden Party was just getting underway at nine o’clock, and the later crowds hadn’t quite materialized yet.This cool musician was playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow on a ukulele!Towed by young people, floral displays head down Balboa Park’s central El Prado.Even though the sky was gray and overcast, these flowers brightened the day like small suns.A terrible disaster! A basket-trailer containing fruit overturned during the parade!Here comes Botany for Kids! (It seems the adults were having the most fun.)These young ladies informed me that they were dressed as garden fairies.Is that a digital Sheldon Cooper on the screen? No! It’s a funny remote-control parade “float” created by the Balboa Park Online Collaborative.The colorful Floral Wagon Parade enters the Plaza de Panama, where speeches will kick off the day’s big 2016 Garden Party.Looks like parade participants had lots of fun decorating their flower-laden wagons!
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
A mad scientist at the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering shows a kid how to have some fun with magnets!
Here are 14 different simple science and engineering projects that kids are sure to love! I’ve included lots of instructions and photographs–courtesy of many exhibitors at this year’s San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering Expo, held yesterday at Petco Park. I also blogged about the event last year.
Check out this fun stuff! Feel free to share! First up . . . how to make slime!
HOW TO MAKE SLIME
Who doesn’t love slime? Slime is fun! And making it is easy! These instructions are courtesy of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, who had a fascinating exhibit at the big STEM education event held at Petco Park.
Just click the image with easy directions to enlarge it! You can enlarge the other images on my blog in the same way, if you want a closer look. Feel free to share these useful how-to photos on Pinterest or with your friends, if you’d like!
How to make slime. You need borax powder, water, white glue and food coloring. Click each image to enlarge instructions.
HOW TO MAKE A FUN PAPER ROCKET
Follow the diagram to cut and fold a simple paper rocket with paper clip! These instructions are courtesy of the San Diego Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park. Kids love the world-class museum. It’s one of the coolest places in San Diego!
How to make a cool paper rocket, using a rectangular piece of paper, scissors and a paper clip.
HOW TO FOLD AN ORIGAMI BOAT
Look at these instructions on how to fold your very own origami boat! My friends at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park provided this information! I even once made one! (And if I can succeed, believe me–anyone can do it!)
How to fold an easy origami boat that really floats!
HOW TO MAKE MATCHBOX ROCKETS THAT REALLY WORK!
Here’s how you can make a tiny rocket that actually works in much the same way as a real solid-fuel rocket. Wrap a single matchstick in a small strip of tin foil, then crimp one end. Look at my photos to get an idea of what to do. Be careful! You know what they say about playing with matches! Have an adult help out!
Oh, I forgot to mention. This cool experiment is courtesy of the Magnolia Science Academy!
How to make matchbox rockets and why they work. This is for older, supervised kids. Fire can be dangerous.Wrap a match in a small strip of aluminum foil.Crimp the match head end of the tube (the rocket’s nose) so exhaust pressure doesn’t escape in that direction.Prepare for lift-off from a clever, fireproof launching platform! Safely apply flame and let fly!
HOW TO MAKE AN “AIRZOOKA” THAT SHOOTS CO2 RINGS!
Here’s another cool project I discovered at the Magnolia Science Academy booth. A student had created a simple “Airzooka” that shoots perfect white cloudy rings of carbon dioxide!
The trashcan with a hole part looks easy. To create the membrane that launches the CO2 rings, you’ll need to use a somewhat flexible material, like a plastic sheet. Once the can is filled with gas, just slap it with your hand and out comes a “smoke ring”!
How to make an “airzooka” using a plastic trashcan with a hole at one end and a pliable membrane on the other. Fill with carbon dioxide gas and shoot white rings by hitting the membrane!The “airzooka” is loaded with carbon dioxide gas, using either dry ice (be extremely careful) or a fog machine.
HOW TO CRAFT A FUN PAPER BAG HAT
What can you do with a paper grocery bag? Crumple it up a bit and form a Mad Hatter hat! Use your imagination and maybe a bit of glue!
This crafty idea is provided by the San Diego County Fair. This summer’s fair will have an Alice in Wonderland theme! I can’t wait!
How to make a Mad Hatter hat with crumpled paper bags and lots of fun stuff tied and glued on!You can apply ribbons, glitter, feathers, playing cards, whatever you like to fashion your crazy Mad Hatter hat! Okay, I don’t suppose this really is science, but who cares!
HOW TO MAKE A TINY PARACHUTE
I remember creating one of these when I was a kid. I made my parachute for a toy action figure! Just look at the picture and go to work! Pretty simple!
This parachute was put together by to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. The Fleet, located in Balboa Park, is a super cool place with loads and loads of fun hands-on science exhibits for kids, plus an awesome IMAX theater and planetarium!
How to make a simple small parachute with a Dixie cup or object providing weight, string (or similar material) and coffee filter.
HOW TO MAKE A SUPER COOL STAR WARS COSTUME!
Okay. No instructions here. Just imagination. That cool costume is actually made of all sorts of Star Wars toys! Incredible. I’m guessing that wicked-looking dude is on the Dark Side.
I believe this guy was part of the STAR WARS Steampunk Recycled Fashion and Engineering Challenge.
Yeah, making a cool costume out of Star Wars toys might take a bit of glue. But all you really need is determination and imagination! (And maybe a credit card.)
HOW TO USE YOUR IMAGINATION TO BUILD ANYTHING!
What are we building here? Absolutely anything! It just takes some imagination!
Just look at some of the common household items one can use to invent cool things. I’ll bet you have some of this stuff in your own home.
I took this pic at a fun table display in the Qualcomm Thinkabit Lab tent.
What can a person make with this stuff? Anything!Objects you can use creatively include popsicle sticks, plastic spoons, straws, tubes, tape and buttons.
HOW TO MIX UP SOME SNAIL GOOP
Slime…snail goop…boogers…it’s all the same good stuff. At least it’s the same mixture of borax powder, water and white glue. A truly yucky and wonderful substance. Science rocks!
Thanks (maybe) to the Steam Maker Workshop for this gloppy sight.
Okay, snail goop is pretty much the same stuff as slime. But I like the name!If a snail made that much goop, it would be a monster. Fortunately, that monstrous snail would be slow.Kids and curious adults were learning all sorts of cool concepts at the 2016 San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering at Petco Park.
HOW TO CREATE A 3-D OPTICAL ILLUSION WITH STRING
Here’s a cool experiment that demonstrates concepts in math and spatial geometry. Perhaps imagine that the string is a ray of light. From the “tower”, stretch the string so that it touches each of the four top corners of your cube, and plot where the string finally reaches your piece of paper. Connect those points with lines the way my photographs show, then look at the image from the end of the string! It looks like some sort of weird optical illusion, but you’ll see the result actually makes sense!
This exhibit was provided by San Diego State University’s InforMath Collaborative.
By using a string attached to this tower, you can plot the projected corners of a cube or other three dimensional object onto a flat two dimensional surface.After drawing the cube’s base and drawing lines to connect the square with the projected corners, I ended up with this cool figure.When I peered at the image through a hole near the end of the string, I saw a perfect cube! Cool!
HOW TO ASSEMBLE A COOL TENSEGRITY CONSTRUCT
Oh, man! I think you could construct most of this cool stuff with Tinkertoys. Look at the diagrams and go wild! You’ll need lots of rubber bands!
Tensegrity is another science concept that was being demonstrated at the STEM education event. A friendly gentleman explained that the sticks are like bones and the rubber bands are like muscles. So human beings and other critters are examples of tensegrity!
Oops. I apologize for not knowing who put on this exhibit.
What the heck is tensegrity? A funny word created by Buckminster Fuller. You can use rubber bands to add tension to popsicle sticks and create cool stuff.Check it out! Tensegrity is also sometimes called tensional integrity or floating compression.These guys formed a huge tensegrity thingamajig using pipes and big rubber bands. I suppose one could use bungee cords, too.Look at all the tensegrity objects you can make!
HOW TO MAKE A VORTEX CANNON
Here’s a pic that has exact instructions on how to build a vortex air cannon. Looks really easy! (As usual, click the image to enlarge it.)
Uh, oh. I don’t know who created this exhibit, either. I forgot to take a picture with their name. My research got a bit sloppy. Sorry about that. Whoever had this table–very cool!
The vortex cannon shoots air in–you guessed it–a vortex.To make a vortex cannon, insert a cut narrow water bottle into a larger plastic Solo cup, just like the photo.Then cut off the nozzle of a balloon, and stretch the balloon over the open end of the cup.
HOW TO STIR UP LAVA IN A CUP
Finally, I’ve heard of java in a cup. But lava in a cup? Why not?
Adding salt to the floating oil makes the blob sink. It has become more dense than water. When the salt dissolves, the oil rises again!
Those instructions look super simple!
To make “lava in a cup”, use food coloring, vegetable oil and salt! It’s easy!You can then use that colorful lava in the cup to make some colorful art! Awesome!
That’s it! You now have a whole bunch of cool and creative science projects to try out! Have a blast!
Hey! Are you a kid? (Or even a boring old adult?) Try starting a blog like Cool San Diego Sights! You can blog about anything in the whole wide world. It’s lots of fun! And it’s pretty easy, too!
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can enjoy more Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Kids love the Dr. Seuss displays all around the Old Globe plaza area during December Nights in Balboa Park.
I’m not in the least embarrassed to say I love reading Dr. Seuss. Even as an adult, he remains one of my favorite authors. He created pure joy.
Today is Dr. Seuss’ birthday. He was born March 2, 1904. His actual name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, and he lived in beautiful La Jolla, just a short distance up the coast from where I now sit in downtown San Diego.
I’ve included some Dr. Seuss related photos on my blog over the years, so to remember the immortal children’s book author, I’ll share them once again!
Dr. Seuss seems to be a favorite author of the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department, marching in the Garden Party of the Century event in Balboa Park!Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat walks along a north window of the San Diego Central Library in East Village.The Cat in the Hat on the San Diego Central Library children’s room wall.Front of the Old Globe Theatre features a banner of the Dr. Seuss Grinch during December Nights.It’s Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham! This fun art was photographed outside the Legends Gallery in La Jolla, hometown of popular children’s book author Theodor Geisel.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can enjoy more 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 on a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of fun photos for you to enjoy!
Art is alive (with growing strawberry plants) at The Garden Project!
Whenever I mosey down the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade, I spy something new.
This morning I noticed that some fun art has sprung up near the New Children’s Museum, in both The Garden Project and the playground. Someone created beautiful chalk artwork on the playground’s concrete wall, and strawberries have been planted art-fully in the public garden! It reminds me that spring is coming!
(I increased the contrast of my third photograph so the chalk artwork could be more easily seen.)
Kids created this fun strawberry art.And young people created this chalk drawing on a playground wall. A heart encompasses the Earth and a puppy dog. Love is powerful.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can enjoy more Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
I was walking along the Embarcadero today when I happened upon a super nice lady who was trying to raise support for the Helping Hands Foundation! What is this organization? They help parents and children affected by a very unfortunate circumstance. According to their website, “Every year, 1 out of 2,000 children in the United States is born with an upper limb anomaly. During childhood, many more lose hands and arms to accidents or disease.”
I learned from the volunteer that they’re sending 100 kids with developmental disabilities, autism and other very difficult physical problems to our world-famous San Diego Zoo! How cool is that?
Would you like to provide a little support for this worthy cause? You’ll make the lives of children and their families so much better. You will add a little needed sunshine to this sometimes difficult old world. What could be more important?
This wonderful, smiling lady is spreading sunshine. She’s trying to help unfortunate kids live a better life, with days full of joy and happiness. Can you help?
…
If you enjoy my blog, you can follow Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook and Twitter!
There are many ways to help others in need this holiday season, in San Diego and around the world.
Tomorrow is “Giving Tuesday”. This special day, celebrated worldwide, is all about generosity and people coming together to help others who are in need.
There are countless ways to give back during the holiday season. Here are 3 opportunities that you might consider…
The Toys for Tots Program collects toys nationwide for children who could use a happy surprise during the holidays.
Provide a toy for a grateful child through the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots Program. Toys for Tots works with non-profit organizations nationwide. You can find a nearby toy donation drop site or create your own by visiting their website.
The Jeffrey Modell Foundation helps those born with Primary Immunodeficiency. The disease is often fatal.
Make a donation to the Jeffrey Modell Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to fight Primary Immunodeficiency, a genetic condition that is chronic, serious, and often fatal. Donations help provide early diagnosis, treatment, and hopefully, an eventual cure for this devastating disease. About 1 in 500 people are born with Primary Immunodeficiency.
Donate to the Salvation Army. Or be an angel to a child this Christmas, by dropping off a gift at the Salvation Army’s location in San Diego’s popular Fashion Valley shopping mall.
Assist others who need a helping hand by donating to the Salvation Army! Even better, create your own online red kettle, and ask friends and family to help spread the word to fill it!
If you live in San Diego and plan to shop at Fashion Valley, you can be an angel to a child by purchasing a present, and dropping it off by December 13 at the mall. Look for the Salvation Army at the center of Fashion Valley near the Christmas tree and gingerbread house!
Are you a blogger who’d like to help build a better world?
You can learn more about Bloggers Lifting Others Generously by clicking here.
Shriner clown gives high fives to crowd during the 2015 Mother Goose Parade in El Cajon, California.
The 69th Annual Mother Goose Parade was held today in El Cajon, out in San Diego’s East County.  The popular parade, which originated in 1947, is a highly-anticipated local tradition that marks the beginning of the holiday season. This year the theme was super heroes, both fictional and real.
The Mother Goose Parade has become the second largest parade west of the Mississippi . . . and until today I’d never seen it in person! So I figured I had to go check it out! Here are a few fun photos…
Mother Goose Parade, A Celebration of Children, is the second largest parade west of the Mississippi. It’s celebrating its 69th anniversary this year!A young boy hugs Mother Goose before the parade begins.And here comes a live goose! It was honking in a friendly way, much to the delight of everybody.Kids gravitated toward the goose. It gravitated toward some offered food.Dave Scott from KUSI News was introducing television viewers to Mother Goose and “Other Goose”! It was the funniest thing I saw all day!An inflatable Mother Goose balloon floats in the blue sky as the parade is ready to begin.The Mother Goose Parade is underway! The fun annual tradition in San Diego’s East County draws enormous crowds.These friendly guys on horseback are from the El Cajon Mounted Police.Truck 6 of Heartland Fire and Rescue sounds its loud horn and siren as it passes by!A big, patriotic American Legion float in the Mother Goose Parade.The Boy Scouts parade the colors down Main Street in El Cajon.The marching band of Christian High School in El Cajon provides stirring music during the parade.Cal Fire had a huge bulldozer in the parade! Wildfire poses a big threat to San Diego’s East County neighborhoods.Families have gathered on a beautiful Saturday morning. Kids and adults watch the Mother Goose Parade, which this year has a super hero theme.The Lions Club showcased America’s true super heroes–those who serve to defend our freedom.Kids wave from a float dedicated to raising awareness about childhood cancer.A bunch of wacky clowns following the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine made lots of people smile.This equestrian group had superhero horses! Now I’ve seen everything!And at the end of the parade, as always, there was Santa Claus. The jolly old elf and Mrs. Claus seem to be enjoying the sunny Southern California day. Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!
