Tag: kites

Trees cut down by Seaport Village, kites fly.

Many of those big, beautiful old coral trees at Embarcadero Marina Park North near Seaport Village have been cut down. I was startled to see this development today during a sunny afternoon walk.

According to Rockman, the street performer who stacks rocks near Seaport Village, the Port of San Diego cut them down on February 25th.

According to this article, coral trees are not well-suited for the marine environment. That’s because the soil in the area around the bayfront is high in salt content, which causes the trees to dry out and potentially fall… The article also states new trees will be planted in the Fall.

Well, if there’s any positive side to be found, perhaps it’s that kite-flyers no longer have large hungry kite-eating trees to deal with. I saw many colorful kites today flying above the grass and the sad, strange sawdusty stumps.

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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!

Beautiful tile murals at Vons in Coronado.

I love these three tile mosaic murals decorating the front of Vons in Coronado! You can spot them as you head down Orange Avenue.

I believe this artwork appeared in conjunction with the recent Vons remodel. The grocery store expanded into the old Cora Mart building space next door.

Several colorful scenes include an abstract Hotel del Coronado and kites in the blue sky, presumably pulling unseen kiteboarders across the ocean.

Who out there knows more about these murals?

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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!

Colorful kites above Coronado Cays!

Colorful kites were filling the blue sky today above Coronado Cays Park!

I almost got a kink in my neck staring up at them!

They seemed like a flock of tropical birds taking flight above the palm trees. I walked along a winding pathway then over the grass, circling around the many kites and passing underneath them.

They were alive up there in the sunlight.

Many others had gathered in the park to observe the magic. And to fly their own kite.

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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!

Sunday afternoon’s bright sails and kites!

Many bright dreams took flight this Sunday afternoon. I saw them in the sky above San Diego Bay.

The sails of tacking boats were flapping in the breeze.

Colorful kites were swaying back and forth, tugging eagerly at their strings high above Embarcadero Marina Park North.

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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!

Amazing sculptures around downtown Vista!

There’s so much art to discover around downtown Vista it makes one’s head spin! I don’t think I’ve observed a greater concentration of public art anywhere else in San Diego County.

In addition to many murals (I’ll share photos of those shortly), there are fun, super creative sculptures almost everywhere one turns: on sidewalks, on street corners, on walls, rising from pedestals into the sky!

There are crazy steampunk sculptures, abstract sculptures, healing sculptures along Veterans Memorial Park, joyful sculptures based on the theme Kites Over Vista.

There are so many public sculptures that I only photographed a fraction of them last weekend as I enjoyed a semi-random walk around downtown Vista.

If you follow Cool San Diego Sights, you probably noticed I already posted photographs of two of these sculptures. Wild Horses here, and Love Locks here. (I’ll soon be sharing photos of one additional very special sculpture.)

To discover much more of this amazing public art, visit the City of Vista Public Art Map by clicking here.

Big Blue Kite, by artist Robert Rochin, 2008.
Big Blue Kite, by artist Robert Rochin, 2008.

Into the Current, by artist Janis Selby Jones, 2017.
Into the Current, by artist Janis Selby Jones, 2017. (Represents the swirling Great Pacific Garbage Patch.)

Joy Figure, by artist Josh Bowman, 2008.
Joy Figure, by artist Josh Bowman, 2008.

Healing, by artist Vicki Leon, 2016.
Healing, by artist Vicki Leon, 2016.

Freedom, by artists Jaydon Sterling Randall and Rick Randall, 2016.
Freedom, by artists Jaydon Sterling Randall and Rick Randall, 2016.

Remembrance, by artist Buddy Smith, 2016.
Remembrance, by artist Buddy Smith, 2016.

Plaques set in the Paseo Santa Fe sidewalk contain sculpted avocados.
Plaques set in the Paseo Santa Fe sidewalk contain sculpted avocados.

Prima Vista, by artist Michael Angelo Venturello, 2016.
Prima Vista, by artist Michael Angelo Venturello, 2016.

Bloom in Time, by artists Thomas and Sylvia King.
A View in Bloom, by artists Thomas and Sylvia King, 2006.

Carnival, by artist Rick Randall, 2019.
Carnival, by artist Rick Randall, 2019.

Alley Cat, by artists Rick and Jaydon Sterling Randall.
Alley Cat, by artists Rick and Jaydon Sterling Randall.

Tortuga de Mar, by artist John Meyer, 2018.
Tortuga de Mar, by artist John Meyer, 2018.

Peace Arrow, by artist Alex Gall, 2019.
Peace Arrow, by artist Alex Gall, 2019.

A Flock of Kites, by artist Robert Rochin, 2008.
A Flock of Kites, by artist Robert Rochin, 2008.

Alley Art Man.
Alley Art Man.

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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!

You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!

Photos at kite festival in Ocean Beach!

Dozens of kites take to the sky at the 70th Annual Kite Festival in Ocean Beach!
Dozens of kites take to the sky at the 70th Annual Kite Festival in Ocean Beach!

The older I get, the more I enjoy watching kites. I like to sit quietly and watch joyful kites flutter and soar like birds. It’s such a simple thing. I must be well into my dotage. Or perhaps I never grew up.

Today I headed down to Ocean Beach’s Robb Field to check out the big 70th Annual Kite Festival. This popular family event is presented by the Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach, who make the world better with their generous, charitable work.

According to the event’s description, The OB Kite Festival is the oldest children’s kite festival in the United States. All I know is, even on an overcast day, those kites made the sun shine throughout Ocean Beach.

A couple has front row seats to a lot of colorful kite action at Robb Field in OB.
A couple has front row seats to a lot of colorful kite action at Robb Field in OB.

Young and old participated in this very cool event.
Young and old participated in this very cool event.

Among a variety of festival participants were some clever vendors who conveniently sold kites!
Among a variety of festival participants were some clever vendors who conveniently sold kites!

Materials at a kite creation and repair station include markers to add color to new kites.
Materials at a kite creation and repair station include markers to add color to new kites.

I saw some four-legged friends on the grass.
I saw some four-legged friends on the grass.

The event was sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach and the Ocean Beach Recreation Center. The Point Loma Kiwanis Club also participated. They distribute cookies to the troops as a comfort and thank you.
The event was sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach and the Ocean Beach Recreation Center. The Point Loma Kiwanis Club also participated. They distribute cookies to the troops as a comfort and thank you.

Bubbles mix well with kites.
Bubbles mix well with kites.

This guy has a cool U.S. Navy Blue Angels kite!
This guy has a cool U.S. Navy Blue Angels kite!

Any day blessed with a breath of wind, even a cloudy one, is a perfect day to go fly a kite!
Any day blessed with a breath of wind, even a cloudy one, is a perfect day to go fly a kite!

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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!

You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!

Another sunny day in beautiful San Diego!

A spring day in San Diego that feels a whole lot like summer.
A spring day in San Diego that feels a whole lot like summer.

Many say San Diego has the best weather in the whole wide world. I can’t disagree. Most days in San Diego are comfortable and sunny.

As I walked along the Embarcadero this fine Sunday afternoon I felt like I was on summer vacation. Even though it’s still spring.

Come along with me…

Working up a sweat at Embarcadero Marina Park South.
Working up a sweat at Embarcadero Marina Park South.

Dancing in some Seaport Village sunshine.
Dancing in some Seaport Village sunshine.

Bubbles and kites at Embarcadero Marina Park North.
Bubbles and kites at Embarcadero Marina Park North.

Pure joy.
Soaring joy.

A didgeridoo like deep magic by the water.
A didgeridoo summons deep magic by the water.

A sun smiles at Alamo Flags.
A friendly sun smiles at Alamo Flags.

Three lazy dogs in hammocks. It's not quite the dog days of summer--not yet!
Three lazy dogs in hammocks. It’s not quite the dog days of summer–not yet!

Lots of sails between blue sky and gentle San Diego Bay.
Lots of sails between blue sky and gentle San Diego Bay.

Walking by Ruocco Park. It's always a good time for ice cream!
Walking by Ruocco Park. It’s always a good time for ice cream!

Beautiful spring blossoms by the USS Midway.
Beautiful spring blossoms by the USS Midway.

Stopping for a moment on bikes at the end of Broadway Pier.
Stopping for a moment on bikes at the end of Broadway Pier.

Disney Wonder cruise ship at dock in its sunny, welcoming home port.
Disney Wonder cruise ship at dock in its happy, welcoming home port.

A smiling sun on one of the tile benches along the Embarcadero.
A smiling sun on one of the tile benches along the Embarcadero.

My goodness! A large lady bug has landed nearby!
A large ladybug has landed nearby! Fun artwork on the Embarcadero.

It must be another summerlike day in beautiful San Diego!
It must be another summerlike day in beautiful San Diego!

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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!

Taming wild colors in the wind.

I didn’t intend to blog today. But when I walked through Embarcadero Marina Park North and saw colors soaring in the wind, my camera came out.

The kites wanted to break free of their harnesses. A skilled handler had to tame them, muscle them back to the grass.

The colorful kites rocketed, circled, pranced, galloped.

A few smiling passersby tried taking the reins.

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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!

Mermaid, binoculars, and a rainbow-making kite.

Mermaid with a megaphone on the bay side of the narrow Canyon Path.
Mermaid with a megaphone on the bay side of the narrow Canyon Path.

A mermaid emerges near the edge of beautiful San Diego Bay. She summons people from the bustling city with her megaphone…

Man with binoculars peers into dark alley between convention center and Marriott.
Man with binoculars peers into dark alley between convention center and Marriott.

A man with binoculars peers between the San Diego Convention Center and the Marriott Marquis hotel. He heard the mermaid’s siren call, and is trying to catch a glimpse.  She seems to be waiting at the end of a long, mysterious passageway…

Unique entrance to hidden walkway that provides bay access.
Unique entrance to partially hidden walkway that provides easy bay access.

Will these people walking along succeed in finding the elusive mermaid?  Turn left!  Turn left!

Walking through narrow Canyon Path between buildings.
Walking through narrow Canyon Path between buildings.

The mermaid seems to be somewhere ahead. The narrow Canyon Path between buildings is shadowy and filled with dark trees and bushes. It’s a bit scary. Where are we going? Are we lost?

Prismatic kite in blue sky above the Canyon Path.
Prismatic kite in blue sky above the Canyon Path.

Look up! It’s a shining kite in the blue sky!

Colorful light like a rainbow cast by prism kite onto building side.
Colorful light like a rainbow is cast by prism kite onto building side.

As we approach the mermaid on the opposite side, a beautiful rainbow-like splash of color appears on the Canyon Path’s vertical side! This secret place seems to be filled with magic!

The mermaid, man with binoculars and prismatic kite are all part of public art called The Benefit of Mr. Kite. This fun artwork was created to draw attention to an easily overlooked 925-foot long  pedestrian accessway between the convention center and Marriott Marquis hotel, leading from Harbor Drive to the Marriott Marina on San Diego Bay. The artists responsible for our magical journey are Mags Harries and Lajos Héder!

UPDATE!

Look what I saw during a later walk through the passageway!

IMG_7205z

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Huge colorful kite in park by Seaport Village.

big colorful kite in park by seaport village

Here’s a fun photo. Check out this super huge kite! Lots of kites were flying at Embarcadero Marina Park North by Seaport Village, but this one dwarfed all others. Various tents and umbrellas added color to the lively scene.

Children play beneath colorful kite near Seaport Village.
Children play beneath colorful kite near Seaport Village.

Man prepares small kite at Embarcadero Marina Park North.
Man prepares small kite at Embarcadero Marina Park North.

Four colorful kites in a clear blue sky.
Four colorful kites in a clear blue sky.