A great event was held today at Liberty Station in San Diego. The San Diego Bird Alliance (formerly the San Diego Audubon Society) celebrated their 75th Anniversary! For 75 years they’ve been working to educate the public, protect birds and restore natural habitat!
The event brought in many community organizations that have worked with the San Diego Bird Alliance to make a brighter and birdier future!
The program began with Kumeyaay traditional Bird Songs performed by youth from the Barona Band of Mission Indians. Their songs were of birds and journeying, and respect for all Creation.
A presentation was then made by San Diego City Council President Pro Tem Joe LaCava.
Young kids in the audience would then became excited as they took center stage. Ms. Smarty Plants had them excitedly learning about the critically endangered California condor, protecting our environment, and singing!
A little later the Accipiter Dance Company performed. I posted photos of their beautiful dance here.
I left before the program was completed, so I missed more dancing and what promised to be a colorful Parade of the Species. But I did walk around, checking out the many participating organizations and learning more about this precious world we all live in.
Enjoy some random photos!
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Yesterday, an educational event was held in San Diego. Visitors to the World Design Capital’s Exchange Pavilion in Balboa Park could watch videos and read information about the mental condition known as psychosis.
As Wikipedia explains: “Psychosis is a condition of the mind or psyche that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations…”
At the event, Serena, representing the organization CALM, encouraged everyone that psychosis when recognized is very treatable.
I was surprised to learn, when I visited the CALM website, that 3 out of 100 people will experience psychosis in their lifetimes. San Diego County has a population of over 3 million people. That means about 100,000 residents will, at some point, experience psychosis.
There’s an online quiz anyone can take that help determine whether you or someone you know may be experiencing psychosis. The quiz can be taken anonymously. If you’d like, you can reach out afterward for support. Find the quiz by going to the CALM website here.
I photographed both sides of an information card that Serena handed out. The card includes resources and phone numbers in San Diego that provide help.
Like everyone, I’ve had my own difficult issues in life. It’s always a good idea to face your troubles and get help if necessary.
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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 X.
The San Diego Natural History Museum celebrated its 150 year anniversary today with a big “block party” in Balboa Park!
Shortly after 9:30, presentations were made on the museum steps by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, California’s Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins, and Judy Gradwohl, President and CEO of the San Diego Natural History Museum. Not to mention a friendly dinosaur! Then everyone watching enjoyed free morning admission to the museum!
Those who ventured into the San Diego Natural History Museum could experience fascinating exhibits and enjoy live entertainment. By heading down into the building’s basement, visitors could see the museum’s amazing new Paleo Center. I did just that, and posted photos of it here!
The big outdoor block party attracted visitors to numerous canopies situated on either side of the museum, which sheltered environmental and educational organizations from throughout San Diego County.
Scientists from the Fleet Science Center were happy to be asked anything! I asked two daunting questions. What is existence? What is consciousness?The San Diego Air and Space Museum showed kids how to make straw gliders and paper helicopters!The Coronado Public Library was showing how to made a newspaper pot for plants!A smile from the Earth Discovery Institute! They are helping with natural habitat restoration and conservation.A kid uses a stamp to print an image using red ink from ground up cochineal, at the Balboa Art Conservation Center table!I correctly answered Balboa Park Facts for 500 at the Forever Balboa Park table and won a cool pin!Inside the San Diego Natural History Museum during their 150 year celebration block party!Great live music inside the museum.Back outside, on the north side of the museum, on the lawn near the Moreton Bay Fig and the Natural History Museum’s new nature trail.The Friends of Famosa Slough in Point Loma were showing award-winning photographs. I need to return to the slough for another bird watching walk.All sorts of great information was available concerning Mission Trails Regional Park.Cans4Books recycles cans and bottles and uses the proceeds to provide books for kids!Reef the Whale is a fun sculpture on a trailer used by Cans4Books to collect recyclables!A wood plaque shows that Reef the Whale was born in Point Loma this summer!So many organizations were present for The NAT’s big block party.Amazing sculpture of a California Red-legged Frog made of unrecyclable plastic collected at the museum. A cool creation of local nonprofit Endangered Concepts.San Diego Botanic Garden had lots of plants to check out.A big, wonderful smile!I learned construction of the San Diego River Park Foundation’s new nature center in Mission Valley is making good progress!Thank you for helping to maintain our beautiful San Diego River!
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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 X.
The new Paleo Center had its soft opening today at the San Diego Natural History Museum!
The Tom Deméré Paleontology Center has opened in the museum’s basement, where visitors can view a huge number of fossils behind glass windows and scientists at work in their processing lab! The new Paleo Center is a state-of-the-art facility that provides adequate room for the museum’s extensive fossil collection and frees up space in the museum for other collections and exhibits.
Visitors this morning could enter The NAT for free as the museum celebrated its 150 year anniversary with a “block party” in Balboa Park. (I’ll be posting a blog about the big event shortly!)
I walked down stairs to the Natural History Museum’s basement not knowing what to expect, and look what I discovered!
In addition to the processing lab and fossil storage space, museum volunteers and scientists had assembled several puzzles and displays for both young and old.
The Paleo Center is still being worked on and is scheduled to fully open in Spring 2025. Visitors were asked for suggestions for the center’s name. I suggested The Paleo Vault!
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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 X.
A big celebration was held yesterday at the San Ysidro Branch Library. It was the San Ysidro Library’s 100th Year Anniversary!
Refreshments, entertainment and plenty of South Bay history greeted those who stepped into the library’s community room or outside onto the patio courtyard. I arrived too late to hear a noon presentation, but I did enjoy a great performance by San Ysidro High School’s mariachi band!
In the library’s Lloyd De Llamas Community Room, the South Bay Historical Society projected images of old San Ysidro onto a wall, and the fourteen historical photographs displayed in the room attracted curious eyes. History was visible wherever one looked.
The original library can be seen in the above photograph. Built in 1924, the small but quite beautiful building became a Teen Center in 2022.
Concerning the above photo, which was taken in 1930, Jack Gechter of the South Bay Historical Society wrote:
In 1924 Frank Beyer donated money for the construction of the San Ysidro Library located at 101 West San Ysidro Blvd. The library was formally opened on October 16, 1924. The building had the unique distinction of being the First Branch Library building owned by the County of San Diego and the only library in the country to have a smoking room for men; Beyers insisting: “that most men wish to smoke while they read.” In 1957 San Ysidro was annexed to the City of San Diego. A remodel of the Historic San Ysidro library in 1983 kept the Historic Facade intact and expanded the building to its current size of 4,089 square feet. On November 11, 2000 the San Ysidro Library was added to the list of Historical Landmarks in the City of San Diego. It is designated as HRB # 451. In October, 2014 we celebrated the 90th birthday of our Historic San Ysidro Library and a Historic Plaque was added near the Easterly entrance to the building. On August 10, 2019 we celebrated again as it was the last day of business for the San Ysidro Library after 95 years of service to the San Ysidro Community. We moved to our New San Ysidro Library at 4235 Beyer Blvd and the Grand Opening was on September 7, 2019.
Five years ago the San Ysidro Library moved to its much larger, modern building on Beyer Boulevard. I’ve posted photos in the past, here and here, that show art inside and outside the beautiful new library.
I enjoyed the 100 years anniversary celebration yesterday and took these photos…
I saw many Friends of the San Ysidro Branch Library helping with the festivities.Lots of treats were enjoyed by those in attendance.The Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park has many educational STEM programs that serve San Diego area communities, including San Ysidro.Kids watch a balloon inflate with carbon dioxide from dry ice.Community organization Casa Familiar was on hand, providing a smile and information about their many quality of life programs for those who might be underserved.Students from San Ysidro High School pose for a photo!A mariachi musical performance at San Ysidro Library by students from San Ysidro High School.Cool cars had gathered in the library parking lot!A fine day to come together and celebrate!
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
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A special exhibition is wrapping up tomorrow in Gallery 21, at Balboa Park’s Spanish Village Art Center. I caught it just in time!
The Friends of the Chinese Brush Annual Art Exhibition features paintings by artist Lucy Wang and a group of her students. Lucy Wang works out of Spanish Village’s Studio 4.
I admired the work of Lucy’s students on the gallery walls. Two students at a table were busy creating beautiful sunflowers!
If you’d like to take Chinese brush painting classes in San Diego, check out this web page. Classes are held on Sundays.
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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 X.
Before today’s free Sunday afternoon concert, I spotted a very young man sitting at the Spreckels Organ in Balboa Park. San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez, one of the world’s finest organists, was teaching young Aaron how to play!
Aaron is a frequent concert goer, I learned, who also likes sketching while sitting in the audience. You can see a pic of him posing with Raúl on the Spreckels Organ Society website here!
Will Aaron grow up to be a future San Diego Civic Organist? It wouldn’t surprise me!
I just want to say how fortunate San Diego is to have Raúl in our midst. Energetic, always smiling, enhancing our city’s culture, bringing beautiful music every week to one and all.
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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 X.
Half a dozen new murals are now being painted in downtown La Mesa!
The fresh new murals are located in The Walkway of the Stars, a pocket park that celebrates La Mesa’s volunteers. I checked out the walkway today and was excited to discover both finished murals and murals in progress, and two artists at work!
Three weeks ago these walls were blank, and I posted a blog concerning the project. See what I wrote here. Two more murals are due to be painted, for a total of eight.
Here’s what I saw today…
Artist Kolten French of Mindful Murals is working on artwork titled Litter Pick Up.A mural in progress. Agents of Change: A Novel Approach is by artist Marc Hedges. One book spine indicates World Design Capital San Diego/ Tijuana.Another beautiful new mural. Basket of Abundance and Sharing by artist Jonny Alexander.Painting a cool mural that concerns volunteerism in local sports. Volunteer Coaching by artist Don Masse.Artist Don Masse of Shine Brite Productions smiles!Helping Hands Make La Mesa Shine is a mural in progress.Grow Love. A very colorful, beautiful mural in downtown La Mesa by Anna Pearson.
UPDATE!
I swung by a couple weeks later…
A beautiful mural in La Mesa, by artist Shannen Mythen.
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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 X.
At the San Diego Museum of Art, you can do more than walk through its amazing galleries. You can create amazing art, too!
Yesterday, during my visit to Balboa Park, I stumbled upon two art-making workshops at the museum.
A table was set up on the grass of the museum’s outdoor sculpture garden. Participants in this Community Art Workshop would use geometry and compass to design their own birthdate star marker. The cool markers have an antique appearance, and depict a person’s birthdate and corresponding constellation.
This workshop will be repeated on Saturday, October 19th.
Next, I was kindly permitted to view a Book Binding activity inside the museum library.
According to the SDMA website, participants explore Islamic book binding techniques and the practices of codex creation by engaging in folding, wrapping, decorating, and binding a book.
The public was invited to paint color into a community mural in San Diego’s Balboa Park today. Just before noon, paintbrushes were busy in the Plaza de Panama at the Exchange Pavilion!
We are now in the middle of San Diego Design Week (September 19th to 25th), and this Community Mural Project is a creative activity inspired by San Diego/Tijuana’s selection as World Design Capital 2024!
The mural intends to bring diverse communities together–to interact and collaborate. Plus adding all those vibrant colors is fun!
As the mural was painted, an art workshop was also held inside the Exchange Pavilion. Brush & Letter, Painting With Words was a World Design Experience.
According to the event website. students could discover the art of typography and mural creation under the guidance of typographer and mural artist, Itzel Islas… During this workshop, you’ll use the iconic San Diego Tijuana Grafiko logotype to create your own 8×10 art piece.
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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 X.
Cool San Diego Sights! 