Clan Logan’s crest is a pierced human heart. HOC MAJORUM VIRTUS, translated from Latin is Valor of My Ancestors.
I’d read that the 12th Annual San Diego Tartan Day being held in Balboa Park would end at four o’clock this afternoon. So I arrived during my walk with a good hour to spare. Or so I thought! At three o’clock, the event was already drawing to a close!
I did manage to get some interesting photos. A number of tents and folks in costume were scattered about the lawn of the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages. Unfortunately, I missed the dancing and music. Maybe next year…
A robed Highlander with walking stick strides across the lawn at Balboa Park’s International Cottages. Historical dresses, kilts and distinctive tartans were abundant.The House of Scotland in Balboa Park was the center of today’s 12th Annual San Diego Tartan Day.Some leftover treats in the House of Scotland cottage as the event draws to a close.Displays in Scotland’s small cottage celebrate rich history, art and culture.The crests of many diverse clans hang on one wall.This merry fellow was looking down at cottage visitors from a spot near the ceiling.The Scottish Clan and Tartan Information Center was attracting a great deal of interest.Exhibit on one outdoor table helps identify many differently patterned tartans.Participants from The Stewart Society of Edinburgh celebrate Scotland’s rich heritage.
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LOVE spelled out in chalk in the grassy park near the WorldBeat Center.
Today has been designated World Water Day. The essential message is that we should use our often limited water resources carefully and engage in water conservation.
I read that a World Water Day Celebration was to be held in Balboa Park at the WorldBeat Center, so I headed from downtown up Park Boulevard to see what was going on.
What I discovered was a lot of interesting knowledge and very cool fun!
World Water Day in Balboa Park included a kids poster contest, painting, music, dance, a water blessing, and a global meditation.Kids listen to stories out in a patch of shade on a warm Spring day in San Diego.This board included many great ideas on how to save water. This is unusually important in Southern California because of our ongoing drought.Lots of creativity was being unleashed during World Water Day.A talented artist named Alexander had his work on display.A smile and unique self-portrait by Alexander.
This super friendly, cool artist was working with Live Art by Davina Mendoza.Inside the popular World Beat Center dance and music awaited.Poster inside shows how water is harvested from the air in Ethiopia!Watair creates atmospheric water generators (called air juicers). These devices produce pure drinking water while cleaning the air!The colorful interior of the WorldBeat Cultural Center is alive with dancers and a line of drummers!
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Beautiful cherry blossoms have opened at the Japanese Friendship Garden!
Because a big storm is on its way into Southern California, I got my weekend walk in this morning. I didn’t want to venture too far and get caught in the rain, so I decided to head up to Balboa Park to check out the cherry blossoms at the Japanese Friendship Garden!
Next weekend is the big, super popular Cherry Blossom Festival. I don’t like crowds generally, so my small adventure today was just perfect! Relatively few people were visiting the quiet Friendship Garden. I guess other folks, like me, were worried about getting caught in a chilly shower. Turns out most of my walk was in sunshine!
Not long ago the Japanese Friendship Garden occupied just a small narrow spot in Balboa Park, and visitors could see and enjoy everything with a very short visit. No longer! The spectacular expansion into the canyon and additional coming expansions promise to make this a truly world-class garden.
In addition to traditional Japanese garden features and the cherry blossoms, one can walk among many beautiful trees and down shady hillsides of flowers, which include azaleas, camellias and hydrangeas. Anyone with an interest in gardening must go see this incredible place!
A shout out to the friendly folks at the garden!
View of the Japanese Friendship Garden expansion in Balboa Park canyon.
The above pic was taken from a viewing deck between the House of Hospitality and the Tea Pavilion. We’ll be heading down there in a bit!
Sign near entrance explains history of the garden. In 1915 a Japanese tea house was built at another location in Balboa Park for the Panama-California Exposition.Today’s Japanese Tea Pavilion is next to the Friendship Garden and offers many choices of tea and great food.
If you’ve ever been to the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, you’ve surely seen the Japanese Tea Pavilion right next door. Next time you enjoy a concert, grab a bite here!
People enter Japanese Friendship Garden. The San-Kei-En entrance stone, gift from San Diego’s sister city Yokohama, translates Three Scene Garden–Water, Pastoral and Mountain.Water gently drips from hollow bamboo, inviting meditation.Visitors check out thought-provoking historical and cultural displays in the Exhibit Hall.
The Exhibit Hall includes a room with benches that look out a big window at the Dry Stone Garden. The gravel is raked into simple patterns for meditation. I didn’t want to disturb people, so no photos of that.
Oribe-doro lantern. Exhibit Hall with views of Karesansui (Dry Stone Garden) in background.The amazing Koi Pond is a favorite spot to relax and feel alive.The koi are colorful and curious. They seemed interested in my camera!People stroll along a tranquil path in one of San Diego’s most beautiful gardens.Stepping stones lead toward the Activity Room, where various Japan-related clubs meet.Looking down at a path that leads into canyon. New construction is a large pavilion that will open later this year.A special Bonsai Exhibit area.Perfectly pruned bonsai includes a bright red bougainvillea!That bright tree in the distance is a pink trumpet tree.Light of Friendship.Walking down a path through a scene of carefully maintained beauty.The Charles C. Dail Memorial Gate leads into the canyon, where the Japanese Cherry trees await. That’s another pink trumpet tree!Former San Diego mayor Charles Dail created the Sister City Association with Yokohama.Visitors head down an easy hiking trail to see cherry blossoms and other flowers.Another look at the large canyon pavilion buildings, which will be finished soon.Here are some cherry blossoms! Many are blooming, even though it isn’t spring quite yet!A sparkling man-made river runs through the canyon bottom, surrounded by a gorgeous landscape.A waterfall and gurgling, bubbling water put me in a thoughtful mood.A steady-handed expert gardener tends to one of the many shrubs and plants in the garden. I envy him!Delicate pink cherry blossoms hover over lush green grass.Gauzy pink blooms seem so new and promising.One last photo of the new pavilion under construction. Looks inviting!There are about 160 ornamental cherry trees in this grove. I think I’ll be going here more often!The Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego’s Balboa Park is a place of beauty.
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Colorful tiles around base of Piazza Villaggio fountain in Little Italy.
I frequently walk through Little Italy, a lively neighborhood in the north part of downtown San Diego. Here are some photos of fun, colorful artwork that I’ve taken from the sidewalk during the last few months!
Unusual creation hangs from roof of a building in San Diego’s Little Italy.Fun image on wall of The Good Sounds car stereo installation shop.Eye-catching clock atop tower on a street corner.Lots of whimsical art on the Queenstown Public House restaurant.Painted tiles add zest to a wall by a sidewalk.Base of Little Italy Landmark Sign shows fish netted in the ocean.Two cherubs adorn gate pillars on India Street.Just a fun mailbox with hearts, flower and palm tree.Medallion-like artwork on wall above the Italian Cultural Center sign.Metal fish sculpture seems to leap from Piazza Villaggio fountain.
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One of several friendly guys in a traditional costume worn by ancient warriors.
Here are pics of the 2015 Lunar New Year Tết Festival. The annual event is put on by San Diego’s Little Saigon, and is being held this weekend in a large section of the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot. These photos were taken shortly after the gates opened, and workers were applying some final touches in preparation for later crowds. Because I was so early, I missed afternoon attractions like the traditional Lion Dances and firecrackers. But there was plenty of cool stuff to see!
Tết, or Vietnamese New Year, is celebrated at the same time as Chinese New Year. The event marks the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese variation of the Chinese lunisolar calendar.
Ticket booths at Lunar New Year Festival in Qualcomm Stadium parking lot.People check out colorful displays after entering the annual festival on a sunny weekend.In 2015 the Chinese New Year begins the latest Year of the Goat.Model of Chua Mot Cot, or the One Pillar Pagoda, symbol of Vietnam’s rich culture and history. It was built in the reign of king Ly Thai Tong almost a thousand years ago.Model of Bến Thành Market, which was established by French colonial powers in 1859, and developed from early 17th century street vendors near Saigon River.Bridge over pond at Little Saigon’s Tết Festival.Models of two thatch-roofed houses elevated on wood columns at Mai Chau. These are excellent examples of highland village house construction.Art on display near entrance includes water buffalo and flowers.Getting a bamboo cottage house ready for a throng of festival visitors.Decoration near a stage at the Lunar New Year Tết Festival.Guys work to get everything ready shortly after the gates open on Saturday.One of many interesting booths. This one encourages hosting exchange students.There were delectable edibles of all types in a huge food court area.Young man selling treats pumps up a balloon.Lots of tasty barbeque was getting ready on this big grill.Lady demonstrates Chi Gong stretches on a large stage.Many colorful tables contained delights of every sort.A big carnival area includes a Ferris wheel.Just walking along in the morning as the fun event begins.These guys are doing their best to promote the event on Instagram.Adjusting a flag, one final touch at the 2015 Lunar New Year Festival in San Diego.
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Sun shines on dynamic mural at Golden Hill Market and Liquor in Sherman Heights.
Here are two boldly painted murals in Sherman Heights, a neighborhood just east of downtown San Diego. I photographed the first mural at 21st Street and Market Street several few days ago. I took my first picture of the second mural last May as I watched the local All-American Soap Box Derby on hilly 25th Street. Since then, the painted boards seem to have been removed from the market wall, and shifted a bit to the left behind a tree. You can see shadows in the two more recent photos.
According to my research, both of these distinctive works of street art were created under the direction of local artist Mario Torero. His passionate artwork, often depicting political themes and civil rights activists, can also be seen at Chicano Park in Barrio Logan, Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park, and elsewhere around San Diego.
Young residents of Sherman Heights painted this wall in 1980, with help from local artist Mario Torero.Aztec imagery is a colorful part of the artwork.The 35 year old mural is vivid, having been restored several times due to graffiti.Words above people read Barrio Sherman Mural Unidos.Lively images cover pipes, meter box and a door.Latino-themed mural shows respect for education.K St. Market on 25th Street with mural designed by local artist Mario Torero.Face enveloped by color shows confident character.The Barrio is a Garden was painted on wood in 2010 in Sherman Heights.Brightly painted street bench on 25th Avenue in Sherman Heights.
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Japanese drummers add rhythm to the San Diego Multicultural Festival.
Today I directed my feet toward the Embarcadero, where the 17th Annual San Diego Sheila Hardin Multicultural Festival took place.
In partnership with the Port of San Diego, the World Beat Cultural Center, and other community organizations, the Multicultural Festival featured lots of diverse music, culture and perfect Southern California sunshine.
This annual festival used to take place along the narrow Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade, which is dedicated to the great civil rights leader. This year it was moved to Ruocco Park to provide more space. The relatively new park, just north of Seaport Village, seems like an ideal location, with lots of grass for kids to play on, throw a ball and just have fun. Personally, I love this park and often sit on one of the benches near the water to read and watch people.
Here are a few photos that I captured…
The annual festival took place this year in Ruocco Park, just north of Seaport Village.Lots of local organizations and vendors had cool stuff on display and for sale.Young lady with awesome smiling painted face was decorating other folks!A bubble blower floated globes of color across the grass, all the way to the stage!This nice lady from nearby USS Midway Museum helped me sit in this ejection seat!Among cool things on display were two gravity cars from the Soap Box Derby.A big pile of drums wait to make music in the waterfront park!Serviceman with child enjoys a sunny day at the Multicultural Festival in San Diego.
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The colorful new Barrio Logan gateway sign arches over Cesar Chavez Parkway.
A little over a week ago, the new Barrio Logan gateway sign had a dedication ceremony. The welcoming sign, arching over Cesar Chavez Parkway between Harbor Drive and Interstate 5, is similar to others that can be spotted in various communities around San Diego. Its design, however, is notably different. The cornice contains a variety of symbolic elements inspired by this neighborhood’s complex history.
The cornice contains a variety of combined symbols that represent the community.One of two displays on either column that explains the design.
Small displays near the base of each column can be read from either sidewalk. They explain the significance of the cornice design:
“This Barrio Logan sign was created with input from the local community. Their ideas resulted in this unique and relevant design, representative of one of San Diego’s oldest and most culturally rich urban neighborhoods.
The design pays homage to Kumeyaay, Aztec, Mayan and all other cultures, representing many concepts including creation, the cycle of life, and evolution into the modern world. The pyramids symbolize cultures coming together as one society. The fish and corn symbols refer to the reliance on the sea as a food source, and fertility of the lands.
The designs on the columns honor the kiosk in Chicano Park. The columns are also adorned with the Conch, Sky and Earth symbols, which were inspired by indigenous cultures.”
View of the gateway sign as one approaches from the Barrio Logan trolley station.
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Young man with skateboard paints for donations on a San Diego sidewalk.
Once in a while my walks around San Diego take me past artists painting scenes from the big city. The artists might be working outside alone in a scenic or interesting place; or I might stumble upon a small crowd of art students working on many easels in a row. I love to pause and look over a shoulder for a few moments. I’m awed by human creativity.
Here are just a few pics that you might enjoy…
Artist in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village works on a canvas in the colorful courtyard.A painted guitarist seems to emerge from the sunny San Diego dappled brightness.An artist works next to Tuna Harbor as many people stroll past.Painter on the Embarcadero inspired by picturesque boats and reflections.Small painted boat seems to float in the nearby rippled water.
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Photograph of the Panama-California Exposition’s La Puerta del Oeste (west entrance) taken from Cabrillo Bridge. The dome and bell tower of the California State Building rise into the San Diego sky.
Balboa Park’s big Centennial celebration is approaching fast! The year-long event kicks off with the opening of December Nights on Friday, December 5th. Later this month, the celebration will continue with a grand New Year’s Eve procession and concert at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion!
The Balboa Park Centennial marks the hundred years that have passed since the opening of the Panama-California Exposition in 1915. While a large open space park near downtown San Diego (originally named City Park) was established in 1872, Balboa Park didn’t really take shape until many years later. Many of the buildings along El Prado which visitors enjoy today owe their existence to the development of the Panama-California Exposition, which covered 640 acres and promoted San Diego as the first United States port of call after a passage through the newly opened Panama Canal. Other parts of Balboa Park were created twenty years later for the California Pacific International Exposition–but that’s a different story.
In honor of the Centennial–now just two days away–I figured I’d post a bunch of historical photographs of Balboa Park as it appeared a century ago. The following black-and-white photos are from Wikimedia Commons, and provide different views of the amazing Panama-California Exposition. I had to do a little detective work with some of the images. Since I’m by no means an expert, please leave a comment if I’ve written captions that require correction.
Cover of the 1915 Official Guide Book to San Diego’s Panama-California Exposition. The event celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, and lasted through 1916.Aerial view from downtown San Diego of Balboa Park’s 1915 Panama-California Exposition. In 1910 San Diego had a small population of only 39,578.La Laguna Cabrillo lake and Camino Cabrillo road beneath Cabrillo Bridge. California State Route 163, a designated scenic highway, runs beneath the historic bridge today.Detailed 1915 map shows Panama-California Exposition ground plan in Balboa Park (originally named City Park).Photo taken of Balboa Park in 1915 from the California Tower provides panoramic view of many exposition buildings designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style.Looking west along El Prado through the heart of Balboa Park in 1915. At the exposition’s opening ceremony, President Woodrow Wilson activated the electric street lamps with a telegraphic signal.Commerce and Industries Building and Foreign Arts Building stand side-by-side on the south side of tree-lined El Prado. Today, the rebuilt structures are called the Casa de Balboa and House of Hospitality.Commerce and Industries Building. Rebuilt as Casa de Balboa, it’s now home of Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego History Center, and San Diego Model Railroad Museum.View of shady pergola and the iconic 208 feet tall California Tower from Los Jardines de Montezuma (Montezuma Gardens) in 1915.Los Jardines de Montezuma (today named Alcazar Garden) at Balboa Park’s Panama-California Exposition.Spacious gardens near California State Building’s landmark dome and bell tower during the Panama-California Exposition.U.S. Navy ambulance parked near entrance of the California State Building, today the Museum of Man.Kids feed pigeons on the central Plaza de Panama. The Indian Arts Building with mission bells on left was renamed House of Charm and reconstructed in 1996. It now contains the Mingei Museum.Expansive gardens near the Food Products Building. Today’s enormous Moreton Fig Tree was planted in 1914 near this location.Elegant facade of Food Products Building, which was eventually reconstructed in 1971 as part of the Casa del Prado. It’s now the entrance to the San Diego Junior Theatre.View of La Laguna de las Flores, the reflecting pool (or lagoon) at the Panama-California Exposition. This area was called the Botanical Court.The Botanical Building, then and now one of the largest lath structures in the world. In 1915 its popular name was Lath Palace.Fountain by Botanical Building at the Panama-California Expositon in Balboa Park. The Botanical Court a hundred years later remains largely unchanged.Gazing over reflecting pool at Commerce and Industries Building and Foreign Arts Building. A favorite photographic spot for a century in San Diego.Food Products Building is reflected in tranquil lily pond directly in front of the large lath Botanical Building.View of tree-lined El Prado from second floor of Varied Industries Building, which is now part of the Casa del Prado.Varied Industries Building seen from the west a short distance. Rebuilt as a part of Casa del Prado, today it houses various art and botanical organizations.Home Economy Building (left of Foreign Arts Building), site of today’s Timken Museum of Art. A wicker Electriquette motor cart is visible among people in the Plaza de Panama.Fine photo across Esplanade of the Indian Arts Building, rebuilt in later years and renamed the House of Charm.One of many popular recitals in the Organ Pavilion at the Panama-California Exposition. (This venue is now called the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.)Organ Pavilion colonnade with California Bell Tower in distance. Trees and a large parking lot exist today on the left, behind the classic structure.View of Spreckels Organ in 1915, from a shady spot in the colonnade. Those wooden benches were replaced many years ago with benches made of steel.The distant Organ Pavilion appears in this photo between the San Joaquin Valley Building and the Kern and Tulare Counties Building.Kansas State Building at Panama-California Exposition. Most of these old state buildings no longer exist today, a hundred years later.Montana State Building, near the site of today’s International Cottages.People take a stroll past a handful of state buildings at the Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park.Utah State Building at the Panama-California Exposition.Washington State Building at the Panama-California Exposition.Artillery practice at the exposition’s U.S. Marine Camp, which was located near the site of today’s Air and Space Museum.Southern California Counties Building, which stood a century ago in Balboa Park at the site of today’s Natural History Museum.Visitors back in 1915 enjoy the Southern California Counties Building’s elegant patio.Large area called the Painted Desert at the Panama-California Exposition. This unique attraction was near the site of today’s Veteran’s Memorial.The elaborate Taos pueblo in the Painted Desert was a fantastic sight at San Diego’s Panama-California Exposition.Realistic exhibit shows Zuni native life at the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego’s Balboa Park.The Pala gem mine was one of the amusements along the Isthmus north of El Prado, near today’s San Diego Zoo parking lot. It featured a 300 foot long tunnel filled with simulated gems.The Cawston Ostrich Farm was an Egyptian pyramid-shaped amusement on the Isthmus, a section of the expo popularly called the fun street.The Japanese Tea Pavilion, northeast of the Botanical Building in 1915. Today, the Tea Pavilion at the Japanese Friendship Garden is located elsewhere and appears entirely different.Citrus and other gardens in a wide north section of the Panama-California Exposition. This is near the entrance of today’s San Diego Zoo.The long Tractor Building was located near a tractor demonstration field, just west of the Painted Desert.California bungalow, surrounded by model farm at the 1915 exposition. Agricultural exhibits and demonstrations were an important part of the event.The Lipton Tea Gardens at the Panama-California Exposition, one more interesting image from San Diego’s rich history.
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Cool San Diego Sights! 