Derek McAlister prepares to open his amazing act with some fire juggling at Seaport Village beside the Marriott Marina.
Rubber chickens were flying this afternoon. There seemed to be a whole flock of them at the Seaport Village Spring Busker Festival! The event continues into this evening, and then more acts follow tomorrow. If you’re in San Diego, check it out!
My favorite performer was Murrugun the Mystic. This is why.
All of the buskers were fantastic! Many of these pics were taken from a bit of a distance, but they provide a taste of the fun…
Derek McAlister climbs a 20-foot Chinese pole and performs fantastic aerial acrobatics at the Spring Busker Festival.Street performers had exciting shows all day at two plazas in Seaport Village. Tomorrow, too!Alex Clark, with training from Cirque Du Soleil, balances atop ladder while juggling knives.Girl throws rubber chicken up to plunger-headed, unicycle-riding “Groovy” Guy Collins, who has starred on the Travel Channel.The Frisbee Show featured juggler and comedian Greg Frisbee.Boy volunteer balances two spinning balls atop two rubber chickens!CREW is a San Diego-based percussion group that creates super cool music with everyday objects.Unusual instruments produce fun beats as busker festival visitors sit in sunshine by San Diego Bay.Some important tools of the busker trade.The Checkerboard Guy David Aiken had everyone laughing with his funny antics!
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At the corner of Ash and Front Street, a San Diego firefighter volunteers to collect donations to assist burn victims.
If you’re driving about San Diego County today and you see a fireman standing at an intersection holding up a boot, throw lots of money in!
Today a small army of San Diego firefighters are volunteering to collect donations for the Burn Institute. The Burn Institute’s mission is to help the victims of severe burns recover from a devastating and very difficult situation. The organization has a strong focus on children. Be generous!
Television reporter and firemen spread the word about today’s Fill the Boot campaign throughout San Diego.Fill the Boot generously to help the Burn Institute help children who’ve suffered from critical burns.
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Thousands of Chargers fans head toward the entrance of Qualcomm Stadium for a special public hearing.
Many San Diegans are passionate about their Chargers. The very real possibility that the much-loved NFL team might leave our city has energized the loyal fan base.
This evening a big rally and special public hearing concerning the possible construction of a new stadium in San Diego took place at venerable but decaying (almost half a century old) Qualcomm Stadium.
I work in Mission Valley very close to The Q, so after I clocked out I headed over to check out what was going on in the parking lot. Loads of fans turned out–thousands! Some arrived early and tailgated as if it were a Sunday football game.
Here are some colorful pics before it got dark outside!
Social media driven Save Our Bolts rally attracted a huge crowd of diehard fans.Rapper led passionate crowd chanting Save Our Bolts for many live news cameras.Legions of local football fans waved banners of blue and gold.Handmade signs express hope that Chargers football remains in San Diego.These mega fans were proudly displaying a unique, patriotic Chargers flag.Check out this super cool Chargers custom pickup truck!A long line of people waited to enter Qualcomm Stadium to attend or watch the public hearing.Lots of kids were excited to be part of the big event.Many fans, with hearts full of hope, would observe the proceedings on the old stadium’s Jumbotron.Ladies thank Mayor Faulconer for expediting the process to hopefully keep our much-loved NFL team in San Diego.
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Two adults in historical costumes at Seaport Village. I don’t know why!
Here are pics of folks simply living life in downtown San Diego. Strangers working, playing, or doing random odd stuff make fascinating subjects. I’ll glance at a photograph downloaded to my computer, and I’ll wonder for a brief moment about the story unfolding in front of me. Is the story happy? Sad? A complicated mixture? Then a curious thought strikes: someone might have taken a secret photograph of me, and they could be wondering the same thing!
Reluctant child, dressed dogs, and unheard words on the Embarcadero.People staring downward, and a street musician near USS Midway.Man cleans sidewalk in early morning at downtown NBC building.A huge iguana takes a curious ride on someone’s shoulders!Tour group on Segways stops in Petco’s Park at the Park to gaze at empty field.I believe those are choir members outside Our Lady of the Rosary in Little Italy.Adults seem preoccupied as balloon twister guy creates colorful fun for kids!Couple takes a selfie on a beautiful day as sailboats glide past USS Ronald Reagan.Man doing a few public push-ups on grass in Embarcadero Marina Park North.Amish tourists taking an odd stroll through a very strange, big city!
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New bride and groom hustle through the heart of Balboa Park.
Please enjoy these random pics of happy visions seen on various occasions in Balboa Park. Every day in this special place is magical!
Wedding party walks down elegant El Prado, a frequent sight in Balboa Park.Getting ready to make a music video near reflecting pool flowers.Classic automobile cruises over San Diego’s scenic Cabrillo Bridge.Someone poses for a photo by Rolls Royce limo standing by in Balboa Park.An enthusiastic greeting from tourist passing in a GoCar rental.Ice cream truck parked by children’s playground on Park Boulevard.Artfully trimmed shrub elephant in front of San Diego Zoo.Taking a floating creation out to the big Balboa Park fountain.Kid tows handmade boat over cloudy water in the circular fountain basin.A caricature artist at work on El Prado as folks watch.Playing a horn, trying to draw a crowd.Musician plays didgeridoo that looks like a snake!This cool didgeridoo guy can also be occasionally seen at Seaport Village.
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Dad and son check out old steam locomotive on display at La Mesa Depot Museum.
I’ve driven past the La Mesa Depot Museum many times over the years, but have never stopped to check it out. Today I remedied that very unfortunate situation!
Here’s a ton of cool pics. The small display train and historic railroad depot are found along Spring Street near the center of La Mesa, in San Diego’s sunny East County. I walked from south to north with my camera.
A friendly volunteer told me a little bit about the locomotive, reefer (refrigerator) car and caboose on exhibit, plus facts about the old La Mesa depot and San Diego and Cuyamaca Eastern Railway line. The depot is La Mesa’s oldest building and the only surviving San Diego and Cuyamaca Railway Station. Over the years it has experienced a colorful history, serving as an antique store and a worm farm! Please refer to the interesting signs, and my captions. Hopefully you get an idea of how awesome this place is!
The La Mesa Depot Museum is operated by the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, which displays many old trains in Campo, an hour’s drive east of San Diego near Mexico. I went there with my family when I was very young and took a fun train ride. I plan on going again one day!
Locomotive was donated after 43 years of service to the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association.Looking up into door of steam locomotive Mojave Northern Railroad #3.Old No. 3 originally hauled lime from a quarry near Victorville, California.Part of the complex machinery and controls in the steam locomotive’s cab.Pacific Fruit Express reefer car on display at old train depot in La Mesa, California.Southern Pacific Railroad caboose can be boarded free by visitors on Saturdays, 1-4 pm.I saw a bunch of people during my short visit. There were many excited kids!Entering the caboose, to check out what life was like working on the railroad.The conductor had high windows to see around the train during operation.A freight train’s conductor or crew could sit up here to see in every direction.That’s quite a climb, even for a tall guy like me!The small La Mesa depot sits near tracks now used by the San Diego Trolley Orange Line.The depot opened in 1894, and this 44-star flag would’ve flown above it.Information sign outlines the early history of La Mesa’s train depot.Historical photograph of a train stopping at La Mesa.In the early 20th century the depot was sold and moved on various occasions.McKeen Car at the La Mesa Depot.This very small building contains lots of cool stuff!City of La Mesa Historic Landmark No. 6 on side of 1894 train depot.Ticket office in depot contains various old telephones and a telegraph.The telegraph key still works!Telegraphic messages were received here!Looking out through ticket window at the tiny train depot waiting room.In one corner of the office is an old-fashioned manual typewriter.This old wood stove still works and provides a lot of heat!Signs bring to life the old train time table and Western Union office.An old railway hand cart for hauling freight or luggage.Sign tells complex story of the San Diego, Cuyamaca and Eastern Railroad.Here comes the San Diego Trolley, approaching the nearby La Mesa Boulevard station.The La Mesa Depot Museum is a fun place to visit on a Saturday afternoon!
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Balloons of every color rise and bob above costumed handlers.
I headed down to the Embarcadero a good hour before the start of today’s 2014 Big Bay Balloon Parade. I hoped to capture some fun balloon pics. I succeeded!
The staging area, where the amazing, colorful balloons were being inflated, appeared like a vision in a wonderful dream, with gigantic faces and forms swaying high in the sky. It seemed as if they’d become magically alive!
These photos were taken in a large parking lot north of the County Administration Building. The Big Bay Balloon Parade, held every year in San Diego shortly before the Holiday Bowl, proceeded south on Harbor Drive and ended at Seaport Village.
Tourists pass staging area for San Diego’s 2014 Big Bay Balloon Parade.This is the nation’s largest balloon parade. The event is held just before the Holiday Bowl.Costumed balloon handlers enter a fantastic world of huge smileys and ice cream cones.A giant traditional Christmas nutcracker tips a bit in the San Diego sea breeze.This big inflatable American flag will be part of the upcoming parade.Cool! A favorite toy when I was a kid! I see Mr. Potato Head!Balloons fill the blue sky, and so does a penguin in a tuxedo.Are those gigantic pinatas? They must contain lots of candy!Preparation for the parade includes unrolling something wrinkly near an octopus.This colorful mess is destined to transform into a delightful big balloon!Happy bumble bee billows as it’s filled with helium in parade staging area.USS Midway Museum had a lighter-than-air jet fighter.Happiness is super-sized like a wonderful waking dream.Fun, happy childhood stuff flying all over the place. Marvelous mayhem!
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The New Children’s Museum Garden Project beside Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade.
I can’t stand being cooped up inside, especially on Christmas, so around noon I went out for a short walk around a sunny but very quiet downtown San Diego. I didn’t intend to blog about anything, but here I am posting a few pics anyway. That’s because I was impressed by the beauty of a very small spot along a popular walkway.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade runs along a portion of Harbor Drive, and it passes San Diego’s fun New Children’s Museum. In addition to a playground right next to the pathway, there’s a very small urban garden. The museum’s Garden Project is a demonstration area that allows children to explore a few plants and the basics of gardening. Some art is incorporated into the space, and a surprising poem!
Small garden plot beside children’s play area contains flowers and a few edible plants.Kids can explore gardening and learn with their own hands about our environment.Bicycle wheels and a couple of scarecrows add to the fun in the Garden Project.A few vegetables in plots enjoy the downtown San Diego sunshine!A whimsical poem is inscribed on a long wall enclosing the small garden.
I should’ve photographed this entire poem, but I assumed at the time that it could be found on the internet. I was wrong! The poem seems like a fun, playful bit of writing, and I can’t make heads or tails of it looking at my few photos. Oh, well. I’ll leave it to you to reconstruct the verses I’ve selected!
I did figure out that the poem was written by Quincy Thomas Troupe, Jr., who used to be a professor at the University of California, San Diego, just up the coast in La Jolla. He is known for his biography of Miles Davis, the legendary jazz musician. Quincy also helped to write The Pursuit of Happyness, a true story which was adapted into the popular film starring Will Smith. (I love that movie!)
The poem bounds along with crazy, almost nonsensical words.Hopping frogs seem to be important characters in this silly poem.The poetry was written by local San Diego author Quincy Troupe.A beautiful sight greets pedestrians strolling down Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade.
Here are two photos I took the following spring of flowers in the garden:
Perfect beauty.Bursts of color.
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How The Grinch Stole Christmas banner on the Old Globe Theatre.
I saw on television that the Dr. Seuss Christmas tree in Balboa Park’s theatre complex was officially lighted a few days ago. I missed the event! Darn it! It looked like a whole lot of fun!
During my walk this morning, I decided to swing past San Diego’s famous Old Globe Theatre and check things out. It looks like all the colorful holiday decorations are up, and everything’s ready for the big Balboa Park December Nights festival in a couple weeks.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas has played at the Globe for seventeen consecutive seasons. Theodor Geisel, better known as much-beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss, lived in nearby La Jolla, a beautiful neighborhood just north of downtown San Diego.
Dr. Seuss Christmas tree at the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center.The fun Christmas tree is up again in Theodor Seuss Geisel’s home city!Kids love the whimsical Dr. Seuss displays all around the Old Globe plaza area.Another Who from Whoville hanging out near a bench in the Craig Noel Garden.Fun Grinch shirts for sale at the very cool Old Globe gift shop.Family gets a festive holiday photograph by the Seuss tree in San Diego’s Balboa Park.The grouchy old green Grinch is peering over the gift shop’s roof!How the Grinch Stole Christmas is playing at the Old Globe for its 17th season!
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Blacksmith at Fall Back Festival in San Diego’s Gaslamp works the bellows.
Today I checked out a great event in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. Called the Fall Back Festival: the Children’s Historical and Cultural Street Faire, this historical reenactment places visitors in a magical time machine, transporting them back to the 1880’s.
Three blocks of fun included a blacksmith, old western storefronts, pony rides, candle dipping and other educational activities. Many participants wore costumes and clothing from this early period in San Diego’s history. There was also an exciting High Noon shootout–which I unfortunately missed. But I did capture a few pics…
Lady in old-fashioned dress walks with her umbrella past Horton Grand Hotel.
I snapped the above photo as I headed toward the festival. The lady was just walking along through modern, shiny downtown San Diego like an image from the past.
These cowboys, the Alpine Outlaws, have a jailhouse downtown and a hanging noose!
Yikes! The first thing I saw was a bunch of crafty outlaws!
Festival celebrates the diverse and fascinating early history of San Diego.Wood cabinet at rear of wagon is packed with wares typical in 1880’s.A table full of rusty irons from the Old West!Temecula Valley Prospectors had kids panning for real gold.Realistic replicas of Native American tools and weapons were on display.
An interesting guy named Dave, of San Diego Survival History and Fitness, showed me a very cool display. He made all of the above implements and weapons by hand, using materials and techniques that were used by the Kumeyaay and earlier native peoples in the San Diego area. The Spaniards who built their first California Mission in San Diego feared the throwing sticks which you can see in the above photo. Shaped like a boomerang, they had the power to easily bring down a deer!
Historical exhibit has photos of Japanese settlers and community in San Diego.San Diego Model A Club had a row of old automobiles at the Fall Back Festival.Of course, there was live country western music for the crowd to enjoy!
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