Tag: del mar

Design In Wood at San Diego County Fair!

I must confess that my favorite part of the San Diego County Fair every year is the Design In Wood exhibition of fine woodworking. The amazing creations of woodworkers around the San Diego region always blow my mind!

Check out some of the creations you will see. You’ll find beautifully crafted furniture such as chairs, tables and cabinets. There are extraordinary carved sculptures. There are imaginative works of art made of wood that you can hang on the wall. There are surfboards. There are clocks. There are fantastic guitars. There are elaborate, very detailed model ships. There are wooden toys. There’s even an Addams Family pinball machine made almost entirely of wood!

What’s really cool is that several woodworking organizations from around San Diego County provide expert demonstrations, too. Small items that you can buy for a donation such as spinning tops and writing pens are fashioned while you watch.

Design In Wood is presented in association with the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association. You can find this awesome exhibition at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the Mission Tower next to the Gems and Minerals exhibit.

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A fun Garden Show at the County Fair!

This year the theme at the San Diego County Fair is Get Out There! Throughout the Del Mar Fairgrounds visitors encounter displays that celebrate recreation in the Great Outdoors.

This theme works perfectly with one of the most popular attractions at the San Diego County Fair: the outdoor Paul Ecke Jr. Garden Show!

Gardening clubs, local students and civic organizations have created their own themed landscape displays. In the spirit of Get Out There, many of the small gardens that I saw during my visit include camping tents and lawn chairs, nestled among native Southern California plants. There is also a fun potted garden competition.

I also found a gigantic animatronic snail. And model trains running through a representation of Yellowstone National Park. And a display that pays tribute to Route 66. And there are old wagons filled with flowers. And a plant sale. And art, too!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

Bold art at the San Diego County Fair!

Wonder Woman, by artist Yhoshua Gutierrez.

Should you wander into Grandstand East at the San Diego County Fair, you’ll find yourself surrounded by great paintings and other works of art. There are literally hundreds of pieces in the fair’s Fine Art Exhibit.

Because artists are competing for ribbons, the exhibition has been divided into various categories. One category which really caught my attention is titled Be Bold!

Comic-Con is less than a month away, so an awesome painting of Wonder Woman caught my eye. A nearby representation of the iconic Euclid Tower in City Heights then convinced me to blog a few photos of these Be Bold creations!

Creation, by artist Lydia Twigg.

Celtic Horse, by artist Michael Markopoulos.

Tower Bar, by artist Sarah Conley.

Banje Beach, by artist Rick Lepire.

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I’ll be covering Comic-Con again this year. It’s almost here! To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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!

Deep fried EVERYTHING at the County Fair?

Is there anything edible not deep fried at the San Diego County Fair? Walk past the endless food stands and it might seem that way!

Of course, there are many non-deep fried offerings everywhere you turn at the fair, like burritos, hot dogs, hamburgers, barbeque, turkey legs, cinnamon rolls or ice cream. But who hasn’t made a joke about the numerous, sometimes bizarre deep fried treats that might tempt curious fairgoers?

Deep fried pizza.

Deep fried decadence: Mexican funnel cakes.

Totally fried Oreo.

Fried s’mores on a stick.

Fried shrimp with French fries.

Totally fried avocados.

Totally fried Twinkies.

Fried chicken, of course.

Fried veggies. (Is that more healthy?)

Bacon wrapped pickle totally fried!

Deep fried pork sandwich.

Yum!

Lip smacking good!

Where’s my bottle of antacid?

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

Flower Show at San Diego County Fair!

Every year the San Diego County Fair attracts a good crowd to its Flower Show. This year was no exception.

Today I meandered past tables of beautiful floral displays at the Paul Ecke Jr. Flower Show inside the fairground’s spacious O’Brien Hall. Don’t ask me how ribbons are awarded in a competitive show such as this. The flowers all appeared perfectly amazing to me.

I saw different types of flowers and some carefully assembled floral arrangements. I took these photos as I walked along.

I spent several hours at the 2023 San Diego County Fair today and now have a boatload of fun and interesting photos coming up! Stay tuned in the next few days!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

Walking along Salt Marsh Bird View Trail.

A short, easy side trail can be enjoyed north of the San Dieguito Lagoon near Del Mar. It’s called the Salt Marsh Bird View Trail.

Those who journey through the San Dieguito River Park along the Coast to Crest Trail might see signs indicating either end of the Salt Marsh Bird View Trail. (No bicycles or horses are allowed on it.)

During my own leisurely walk heading east, I saw one of these signs just beyond the San Dieguito River Park Lagoon Ranger Station, which is located off San Andres Drive and Via de la Valle.

As the trail’s name suggests, those who move along it can observe many birds in the nearby lagoon and its marshy vegetation.

This trail also passes the beautiful Birdwing Open Air Classroom, which I blogged about here. A short path leads up to Birdwing. There hikers will find a shady place to rest and feel alive, surrounded by nature.

Well, here are my photographs. Enjoy!

Over 200 bird species have been observed at the San Dieguito Lagoon.

Its various habitats include fresh water marshes, salt marshes, riparian forests, upland coastal sage scrub and chaparral plant communities.

Four endangered bird species that inhabit this lagoon are the Belding’s subspecies of Savannah Sparrow, Ridgway’s Rail, California Gnatcatcher, and California Least Tern.

Volunteer birders conduct monthly surveys at San Dieguito Lagoon. Learn more about that here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

The beautiful Birdwing Open Air Classroom.

Beside the San Dieguito Lagoon wetland, near the west end of the San Dieguito River Park, you’ll find a beautiful outdoor space where one can learn about nature and soak in its goodness.

The shady, airy Birdwing Open Air Classroom was dedicated in 2014. It does indeed look a bit like a bird’s wing in flight!

Birdwing may be used as a trailside classroom by teachers, scientists and park rangers. It is also a place for walkers and hikers to relax and gaze out the nearby lagoon.

A short looping path and bridge near the structure passes through yellow bush sunflowers and other native plants. From that path I observed an osprey flying high in the sky–too small for a sharp photograph with my little camera.

The Birdwing Open Air Classroom can be accessed from the Coast to Crest Trail perhaps a quarter mile east of San Andres Drive and the ranger station.

You can learn more about the Birdwing Open Air Classroom here.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

Hidden paradise above a Del Mar beach!

Those who visit Dog Beach (also known as North Beach) in Del Mar might wonder about some wooden stairs. They climb up the sandstone bluffs to the north. I ascended them the other day and discovered a hidden paradise!

A sign near the foot of the steps indicates the area above is the James G. Scripps Bluff Preserve. Those who explore the preserve are asked to stay on the paths and carry out trash.

During my adventure, I noticed some of the bottom steps are broken, so one must take care not to stumble.

Here’s a series of photographs that I took as I ascended into the preserve. One can gaze south down upon Dog Beach and east to the Del Mar Racetrack and beyond.

Once I reached the top of the main path, an amazing field of early March flowers and wide views of the Pacific Ocean awaited me.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

Nature’s Light sculpture by the San Dieguito River.

A very beautiful sculpture stands by the San Dieguito River. I discovered it as I walked near the San Dieguito Lagoon along the Coast to Crest Trail.

The rock and tile sculpture is titled Nature’s Light. It was created in 2018 by artists Rude Calderón and Roberto Delgado as a tribute to the founders of the San Dieguito River Park, whose bright vision became a reality.

If you’d like to see this public art for yourself, you can find it about a quarter mile east of the San Dieguito River Park Lagoon Ranger Station, which is located in Del Mar off of San Andres Drive and Via de la Valle .

Enjoy these photos and imagine nature’s surrounding majesty.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!

Tribute to coastal advocate at San Dieguito Lagoon.

As I walked along the Coast to Crest Trail a couple days ago, a bit south of the San Andres Drive trailhead, I came upon a sign that pays tribute to Peter Douglas. He was an important coastal advocate who worked to protect the nearby San Dieguito Lagoon.

I learned that I was walking beside the Peter Douglas Wetlands.

As you gaze at the beauty of the San Dieguito Lagoon, watch birds flying, diving and foraging in the wetlands and wildlife scampering among the scrub and chaparral, you can appreciate the vision that led to the conservation and restoration of this scenic and biologically diverse open space, known as the Peter Douglas Wetlands.

Peter Douglas (1942-2012), one of California’s most visionary and inspirational environmental advocates, led a successful grass roots effort in 1972 that resulted in the creation of the California Coastal Commission…

The support and passion of Peter Douglas significantly influenced the ability…to realize (a) collective dream of preserving these wetlands in perpetuity…

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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!