Dave Dean has been adding painted stones to the new rock garden in front of American Legion San Dieguito Post 416 in Encinitas. I spoke to him today when I happened to walk down the sidewalk. He was working in what he calls the Veterans Rock Garden.
Many more stones will be painted with patriotic designs at future events. Dave hopes that the garden will one day contain thousands of colorful additions!
Yes, this is the same Dave responsible for Dave’s Rock Garden on B Street, a few blocks east of Moonlight Beach!
UPDATE!
In early 2025 I walked past the garden again and noticed it has grown!
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A week ago, I posted photographs of 27 very beautiful mosaic panels in Encinitas. Those were only half of Encinitas Up Close, a permanent public art installation that can be enjoyed under Interstate 5 at Santa Fe Drive.
The 3′ by 5′ panels that I already shared are on the south side of the Santa Fe Drive. There are 26 more mosaics on the north side! These were also created by local students and artists. I’ll share them right now.
Enjoy!
Pacific Flyway, by Jennifer Hewitson.3 Birds of Paradise, by Kathryn Weiss.Hands and Acorns, by Isla Rindt.Egret in Flight, by Sholeh Ashtiani.Fish Under the Sea, by Micah and Crystal Sandoval.Yellow Orchid, by Gary Timinsky, Debe Hersey.Halibut Catch, by Luke Sansone.Beach-Goers, by Mauricio Domingues, Ruby Geisler.Carpool, by Jerm, Pollyanna, Henry Soda Pop, Leucadia Jane and Olive Grace Wright.Del Sol, by Tatum Jamison Bless, NCL Del Sol Class of 2020.The Path to Our Future, by Marina Alberti, Kiki Driver, Sofia Sanchez, Sathu Jois, Ryan Adams, Eric Salvador, Alee Saneff, Catherine, Oliver and Ava Blakespear.Owl, Moon, Sun, by David Ulm.Swami Garibaldi, by Carol Wolf.Beach Bus, by Sydney Evans.Red Tail Hawk, by Timothy J Lueker.Pumpkins at Temple, by Al and Debbie Finocchio.7 Day Weekend 2, by Tyler Adams Hawkins.Nai’a, by Cheryl Tall, Elizabeth Joy Mueller, Anila Saier, Mary F McCarthy.Moonlight Boat Home, by Kendall Landwehr.Sea Goddess, by Anna Luna Engel, Tony Kranz, Kiki Driver, Sofia Sanchez, Sathu Jois, Ryan Adams, Eric Salvador, Alee Saneff, Jake Griffin.Littlest Locals, by Haley, Patty and Alec MacKenzie.Folklorico Dancer, by Naimeh Woodward, Suzie Sherwin.Sinya, by Laurie Switzer.Poinsettias, by Julie Hampton.Girls Who Kick-Flip, by Lynn Adams.Wise Tilted Tikis, by Fred, Yvette and Marty Hamud.
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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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In Encinitas, incredibly beautiful public art decorates the underpass of Interstate 5 at Santa Fe Drive. The project is called Encinitas Up Close. Fifty three colorful mosaics, created by local students and professional artists, greet those who pass under the freeway.
I photographed these 3′ by 5′ mosaic panels the other day during my walk in Encinitas. The joyful images reflect themes that are popular in this beach community. The ocean, nature, sunsets, people, surfing, pets, skateboarding, sunshine, history, places…
In this blog post I’ll share photos of the 27 mosaics that line the sidewalk and bike lane on the south side of Santa Fe Drive. I’ll share the north side mosaics in a second, upcoming post.
My photographs are raw and unedited–many taken in the dim light of an underpass shadow.
Koi With Lotus, by Lucy Stefanko.Nautilus, by Joyce Schleiniger.Woody At The Beach, by Kathryn Weiss.Unleashed, by KAROB, Katherine and Robert Bender.Swami’s Sunrise, by Liz and Luke Hoffmann.Bird Of Paradise, by Gary Timinsky, Debe Hersey.7 Day Weekend 1, by Tyler Adams Hawkins.Asintmah, Native American Earth And Nature Goddess, by Silvia Wiedmann.Face Of Existence, by Joyce Schleiniger.Spiny Lobster In Tide Pool At Swami’s, by Timothy J Lueker.Sea Lavender Above The Tracks, by Layla M Gunn, Deana Coveney.Koi In Shimmering Waters, by Jessica Imaz Horton.Bullet In The Back Country, by Timothy J Lueker.Memorial, by Mike Upton, Jerm Wright, Erin Grady, Karl Ensberg.Ruby The Shark, by Pietro Martinez.Skateboarding Into The Sunset, by Lynn Adams.Blooming Encounter, by Macall Deaver, Papa Faj.Sun, Sea And Lotus, by Bereket Denslow, Isabella Parrales.Carla The Poinsettia Calavera, by Morgaine McGrath, Julia Miller, Ariella Pacheco, Daniel McGrath.Seagull And Moonlight Palm, by Todd Anderson.Daisy The Whale, by Pietro Martinez.Oceanna, by Cheryl Tall, Anila Saier, Elizabeth Joy Mueller, Mary F McCarthy.Aquascape, by KAROB, Katherine and Robert Bender.Golden Hour, by Liz and Luke Hoffmann.Octopus, by Crystal and Evan Sandoval.A Shard Of Whimsical Music, by Gillian Shaver.Hummingbird With Hibiscus, by Lucy Stefanko.
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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 Twitter!
Several notable works of public art welcome visitors to Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas.
During my walk yesterday I noticed five different sculptures near the hospital entrance. One sculpture was unreachable behind a construction fence, so I was able to photograph four of them.
Each had a plaque at its base.
The first reads:
THE MAYPOLE TREE BY FRITZIE URQUHART – DEDICATED BY RALYN & NATE WOLFSTEIN 2008 – IN HONOR OF NATE’S 80TH BIRTHDAY
The second reads:
THE CALDERBERRY TREE BY AMOS ROBINSON – DEDICATED BY RALYN & NATE WOLFSTEIN 2008 WITH THANKS TO GERRIT GREVE, JEFFERY LAUDENSLAGER & COOP COOPRIDER – WITHOUT WHOSE IDEAS & SUPPORT OUR SCRIPPS ARTS FOR HEALING PROGRAM WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.
The third reads:
MIKOSHI BY JEFFERY LAUDENSLAGER – DEDICATED BY RALYN AND NATE WOLFSTEIN IN HONOR OF THEIR 60TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY 2008
The fourth reads:
FAMILY TREE BY THE SEA BY CAROLYN GUERRA – AS PART OF THE ARTS FOR HEALING PROGRAM AT SCRIPPS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL ENCINITAS
UPDATE!
I’ve learned there are actually six sculptures around the hospital. According to this web page: Beginning in 2008, the Wolfsteins continued their support of Scripps Memorial Hospital’s Arts for Healing Program with the addition of five pieces to the Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas campus.
What I had discovered during my Encinitas walk is one of several Wolfstein Sculpture Parks. Another much larger group of sculptures can be found around Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla.
Nathan Wolfstein is the man who developed the process for purifying the life-saving drug, Heparin.
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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!
I walked though Encinitas Community Park today. It was my first ever visit.
I was surprised at how large and how wonderful this park is! There’s a big skatepark (called Poods Park), a big, colorful children’s playground, multiple sports fields (that can be seen from Interstate 5 just south of Santa Fe Drive), long meandering pathways, and flowers and picnic benches shaded by trees.
Lots of people were out this morning walking dogs.
Enjoy my photos…
Beautiful sign welcomes the public to Encinitas Community Park.A big, wonderful, shaded playground.Put your head in the lion’s mouth to get a drink of water.More fun tomorrow!Flowers by a soccer field.Heading down landscaped paths feels like a nature walk.Dogs like walking here, too!A fun smiley on a gate.Your laugh will forever be in our hearts.Guys fly radio controlled airplanes at a ballfield.Performing a trick at the Encinitas skate park.Best friends.
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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!
I headed back to North County today. During my walk through Encinitas, along Coast Highway 101, I noticed many signs of the Holiday Season!
Not only did I spy workers hanging holiday lights on the Golden Lotus Tower of the Self-Realization Fellowship ashram, I saw the marquee of La Paloma Theatre features Elf and Die Hard XMAS.
Along the sidewalks and in shop windows I noticed poinsettias, wreaths, Christmas trees, and even ugly sweaters!
Enjoy a few fun photos!
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
It’s easy to explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on this website’s sidebar. Or click a tag. There’s a lot of stuff to share and enjoy!
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An amazing 15 feet high Christmas tree made of 390 poinsettia plants now stands in Balboa Park!
The Christmas tree was installed at the San Diego History Center on Monday. I saw it today, and it’s impressive!
On a wall near the festive red “tree” is a display explaining San Diego’s historical connection to the poinsettia, the World’s Favorite Holiday Flower.
As many San Diego residents know, Paul Ecke’s famous ranch in Encinitas cultivated and hybridized poinsettias for much of the 20th century, producing different colors and variations that have become popular around the world. At one time, the Ecke Ranch sold nearly 90 percent of the holiday plants in the United States.
Flowers and other nursery plants remain a very important part our local economy. As a matter of fact, the poinsettias in the San Diego History Center’s beautiful Christmas tree were grown by Weidners Gardens in Encinitas.
If you visit Balboa Park for the holiday season, especially during December Nights, be sure to step into the San Diego History Center, which is located inside the Casa de Balboa!
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Thank you for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you’d like, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and check back from time to time.
It’s easy to explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on this website’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There’s a lot of stuff to share and enjoy!
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!
Check out this fun artwork on trashcans at the J Street Viewpoint in Encinitas!
I saw this public art during my last walk in Encinitas.
While enjoying the J Street Viewpoint park that overlooks the ocean, I also photographed a plaque remembering John Denver, which you can see here, and an extraordinary sculpture titled Humanity, which you can see here.
I don’t know anything about these trashcans. It appears the tiles were painted by community members, including lots of kids. If you know anything, please leave a comment!
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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!
There’s an extraordinary bronze sculpture in Encinitas at a place that overlooks the wide blue Pacific Ocean. It’s titled Humanity.
Head west on J Street until you can go no farther, then up the steps to the J Street Viewpoint. Keep your eyes open.
The beautiful sculpture was created in 2013 by Del Mar artist Maidy Morhous. It was installed in the park in 2018. The sculpture was commissioned by local filmmaker Sue Vicory of Heartland Films, whose film “One” explores human connectivity.
You can read more about this artwork’s inspiration here.
Humanity is part of the Encinitas Public Art Collection.
Look at these photos. Touch them with your eyes.
One touch forever connects us with Humanity.
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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!
Travel down the coast highway in Encinitas and you might never know you’re a very short distance from an amazing “hidden” art alley!
Colorful murals fill the alley just west of South Coast Highway 101 between D Street and E Street.
I captured photographs of all the artwork as I walked south down the alley, from a spot behind 7-Eleven.
I noticed several artist signatures and have included that info in my captions.
Enjoy!
A blonde in blue. The one mural you might glimpse from Coast Highway 101.Mural by CJTROXELLART.Cool street art depicts Prince.If you know who this might be, leave a comment! UPDATE! I’ve been informed this is from David Bowie’s album Hunky Dory!Beautifully painted bouquet.Words describe a morally blind society and its consequences.Dog running in a field.Mandala-like design and elephant.Walking south down the alley.Mural by @debisdoodles and @mayranavarroart painted in 2015.I added contrast and sharpness to this photo to pop the Day of the Dead imagery.Mural possibly depicts Mount Fuji in Japan.Bees and flowers!Art around the back door of Better Buzz Coffee Encinitas.Seawalls mural by Aaron Glasson and Celeste Byers, 2016.
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