Chargers football players helping to raise money for kids today included Sean Lissemore, nose tackle, and Tyreek Burwell, tackle. Everyone was having a great time!
Today was Union-Tribune Kids’ News Day in San Diego! I can’t believe this is the third year I’ve blogged about the special day. Time flies!
Every October, smiling Chargers football players and cheerleaders, kids and volunteers station themselves at busy intersections around San Diego. Waving at folks in cars, they hold up special edition newspapers, printed just for this day, which motorists eagerly purchase. The proceeds go to help our local Rady Children’s Hospital.
In the morning I happen to walk through one of the key intersections while heading to work, so I had to take a few photos. This year I’d like to say thank you to the San Diego Chargers, Union Tribune and all the volunteers who make this possible. Over many years, millions of dollars have been raised by Kids’ News Day for Rady Children’s Hospital, helping to save thousands of young lives.
Do you want to donate? There’s no better cause. I urge you to click here!
A generous motorist at a Mission Valley intersection donates money for a special edition newspaper containing articles about kids, written by kids!Two cool volunteers raise money for Rady Children’s Hospital by selling special newspapers during Union-Tribune Kids’ News Day in San Diego.
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A kicked football flies into the stands during the 2015 Chargers FanFest.
Today I took the trolley over to Qualcomm Stadium to check out the 2015 Chargers FanFest. San Diego’s NFL team is getting ready for the regular season, and during the popular FanFest a practice session was held in the presence of thousands of fans. Veteran players and those who are striving to make the team demonstrated their skills for coaches and fans alike!
In addition to action on the field, the annual FanFest also included a performance by the San Diego Charger Girls cheerleaders, and autograph sessions with many past and current players.
I didn’t want to miss this event. It’s possible the Chargers might soon leave San Diego and move to Los Angeles. I hope not.
Thousands line up outside San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium to enjoy this year’s Chargers FanFest. I saw many Seau jerseys being worn today.Save Our Bolts advocate holds up a San Diego Chargers banner for my camera. There’s a chance the NFL team will soon leave San Diego.San Diego Charger Girls cheerleaders smile as fans enter Qualcomm Stadium for FanFest.Chargers faithful line up at a concession stand to get ready for an enjoyable FanFest.Crowd fills field level seats, anticipating a good team practice on a perfect August summer day.The old Jumbotron reads Welcome to Chargers FanFest 2015.As Chargers fans watch football action on the field, vendors circulate with cotton candy, lemonade and other treats.Today NFL legend Junior Seau was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A banner honoring number 55 hangs high and proudly in Qualcomm Stadium.Players on offense, defense and special teams were practicing all over the field, getting ready for the regular season.Cornerback Richard Crawford on the Chargers practice squad catches a kicked ball.Footballs were flying everywhere, including through the goal posts. Rookie kicker Josh Lambo nailed it.Awesome field goal wizard Nick Novak limbers up his leg with some easy kicks.Stretching out this valuable player’s leg muscles involves professional sports medicine expertise.Shirt declares that all grandmas are created equal, but only the coolest wear blue and gold!Superstar quarterback Philip Rivers provides leadership for the team during stretching exercises.Here comes a line of Chargers stepping high during the warm up routine.Some scrimmaging begins as players face each other and test their skills on the field.The pigskin bounces crazily on the grass as Chargers vie for possession.An animated fan in the stands gestures during the preseason practice session.An exciting play near the end zone has players scrambling at full speed.After a good workout, players offer some mutual congrats and encouragement.Practice is over, and King Dunlap signs autographs for thrilled fans in the stands.Chargers FanFest 2015 was a whole lot of fun. I hope San Diego’s NFL team has a great season!
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San Diego County Credit Union and Shred-it team up to attempt a new world record for paper collection and shredding!
The huge SDCCU Super Shred Event is underway right now as I type! The event is an attempt to break the world record for paper collection in a single location during a 24 hour period!
San Diego County Credit Union already holds the official Guinness World Record. Today they’re trying to break it. So why was I there taking photos? I collect my old records in a box at home, and whenever SDCCU offers free shredding, I head on down to take advantage of the service which is available to anyone. This morning the annual event, taking place in Mission Valley’s gigantic Qualcomm Stadium parking lot, is bigger than ever. So I brought my camera!
Not only does shredding paper documents protect against identity theft, but recycling paper is good for our environment. So this event is pretty cool for a whole variety of reasons!
The SDCCU Super Shred Event held in the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot. Unlimited free shredding helps fight identity theft!As cars queue, volunteers collect donations for the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA.SDCCU already holds the world record for most paper collected in a single location in a 24 hour period.Shred-it, a document destruction and recycling company, had a whole fleet of trucks ready for the big event!A super nice volunteer smiles for my unexpected camera. Thank you!
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Five church bells hang in the distinctive facade of the historic Mission San Diego de Alcalá, founded by Junipero Serra.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that our lives will soon become history. And that the lives of people, no matter how imperfect, create a rich, varied tapestry that reaches centuries back in time, and forward into the future.
Young and old–representatives from several generations–came together this weekend in San Diego to again celebrate the Festival of the Bells. The annual event is held at Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the first Spanish mission to be built in California. Food, song and dancing accompanied colorful religious rituals such as the Blessing of the Bells and the Blessing of the Animals. Everyone was welcome to enjoy the free festival.
The original San Diego del Alcala was founded in 1769–almost 250 years ago–at the site of the old Spanish presidio, near the edge of San Diego Bay. The current mission building was erected by Father Serra in 1774, a few miles up the San Diego River where the land was more fertile.
The distinctive facade and bells of this historical landmark are often used as a symbol for our city, and the ringing of the bells are like echoes from a complex, often strife-filled, but fascinating past. The youngest generation, seeing this old world with fresh, optimistic eyes, jumping free and loving life in the festival’s bounce house, will remember today decades in the future as just another small moment in the journey of history. Hopefully that memory is good.
The Festival of the Bells is an annual celebration which memorializes the establishment and long history of California’s first Spanish mission.Young people provide family entertainment free to the public at the 2015 Festival of the Bells.A large audience had gathered in the mission’s spacious courtyard-like quadrangle, even as rain threatened on Sunday afternoon.Folks hang out around the central fountain, eating food and taking in sights, smells and sounds during a lively San Diego tradition.Proceeds from sales of food, crafts and gifts benefited Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala, which is an active Catholic church.Who can resist root beer floats?Put a friend in the jailhouse to raise some money!San Diego de Alcalá was the first of 21 Spanish missions in California, established by Father Junipero Serra in 1769.Small statues along walkway at front of San Diego de Alcala depict Saints who inspired California mission names. This is for Mission Santa Clara de Asis, founded 1777.Sign in the mission’s garden explains The Campanario. (Click to enlarge.)
The campanario is 46 feet high and holds the Mission bells. The crown-topped bell on the lower right is named Ave Maria Purisima–Immaculate Mary. It weights 805 pounds and was cast in 1802 . . . The bells played an important role in the everyday life of the Mission . . . They were used to announce times for Mass, work, meals and siestas. The bells signaled danger, rang solemnly to honor the dead, and pealed joyously to celebrate feast days, weddings and fiestas.
Of the five church bells, one original bell dates back to 1802.
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The roots were almost completely torn out of the ground, but the stubborn tree in spring has green leaves!
Perhaps you read my blog post about the violent microburst that tore through San Diego’s Mission Valley on September 16, 2014. Along with photos of the aftermath, I described the tornado-like winds of the freak weather phenomenon.
A microburst is a localized downdraft of wind that can occur under unstable weather conditions. Several areas around San Diego were struck by a microburst that day, and the resulting damage was stunning. Small airplanes at an airport were tossed through the air. Along the banks of the San Diego River, hundreds of trees were torn to shreds and uprooted.
This morning, 7 months later, I walked along the river path where I had scrambled over thickly fallen trees right after the natural disaster.
Many of the uprooted trees were removed by crews with chainsaws in the days that followed the microburst. But some were not. Check out a few pics from my walk this spring morning! Like the famous quote from the movie Jurassic Park, life finds a way!
One of hundreds of trees that were uprooted during the super violent microburst last September. Amazingly, this one still flourishes!This fallen tree is now growing horizontally like a hedge along a Mission Valley sidewalk!Sign beside the San Diego River Trail. Why fallen trees are okay! There are important benefits to the soil, flora and fauna.
The sign reads:
When a tree falls most people want to remove it from where it has fallen. However, sometimes it is best if we urge people not to be too quick to tidy up. It is often very beneficial to leave the tree, mound of soil, rocks and roots lifted by the tree if they aren’t in the way or dangerous.
The soil eventually will settle as the wood rots, and these tree-root soil mounds are the real “windfall” for some plants and animals. Consider these examples: The bare soil on the mound is home for several mosses that prefer a drier spot free of competition. The space under the lifted roots makes a good place for an animal to dig a breeding den. Wet soil left behind can make a temporary pool for amphibians.
Green shoots look unusual on this violently torn tree trunk. I believe this is a Fremont Cottonwood.Life springs forth from a broken stump months after a devastating natural disaster.
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A human heart hovers above the Serra Museum atop nearby Presidio Hill in this extremely unique ceramic artwork.
There’s some fascinating public art in Mission Valley that few people see. It’s located in the deep shadows beneath Interstate 8 where the freeway passes over Hotel Circle. Eyes are adjusting to darkness as motorists, turning a corner, quickly pass five ceramic panels high on drab concrete pillars. The one sidewalk is located on the opposite side of the street. To really appreciate the artwork, you have to cross traffic dangerously and stand in a narrow band of dirt right up close.
Today I walked to work past the darkly obscured art and decided to finally get a closer look.
Vital Parts, installed in 1999, was created by local San Diego artist Joanne Hayakawa. The pieces seem to be stratified, crumbling and sculpted by time and memory. They seem to blend with the dirt beneath the bare bridge.
The very dark Interstate 8 underpass at Hotel Circle features seldom appreciated public art.Vital Parts, by artist Joanne Hayakawa, was installed on five pillars of a Mission Valley freeway bridge in 1999.Mysterious fossil-like hand hovers above nearby San Diego River and what I believe are Native American structures.Human brain, made golden by underpass light, crowns image of old Mission San Diego and the ever-present blue river.Spine rises over what I believe is modern Qualcomm Stadium. This earthy art is very unusual and evocative.Chin and silent mouth seem like a timeless clay mask beside the eternally flowing river.
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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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One of several friendly guys in a traditional costume worn by ancient warriors.
Here are pics of the 2015 Lunar New Year Tết Festival. The annual event is put on by San Diego’s Little Saigon, and is being held this weekend in a large section of the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot. These photos were taken shortly after the gates opened, and workers were applying some final touches in preparation for later crowds. Because I was so early, I missed afternoon attractions like the traditional Lion Dances and firecrackers. But there was plenty of cool stuff to see!
Tết, or Vietnamese New Year, is celebrated at the same time as Chinese New Year. The event marks the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese variation of the Chinese lunisolar calendar.
Ticket booths at Lunar New Year Festival in Qualcomm Stadium parking lot.People check out colorful displays after entering the annual festival on a sunny weekend.In 2015 the Chinese New Year begins the latest Year of the Goat.Model of Chua Mot Cot, or the One Pillar Pagoda, symbol of Vietnam’s rich culture and history. It was built in the reign of king Ly Thai Tong almost a thousand years ago.Model of Bến Thành Market, which was established by French colonial powers in 1859, and developed from early 17th century street vendors near Saigon River.Bridge over pond at Little Saigon’s Tết Festival.Models of two thatch-roofed houses elevated on wood columns at Mai Chau. These are excellent examples of highland village house construction.Art on display near entrance includes water buffalo and flowers.Getting a bamboo cottage house ready for a throng of festival visitors.Decoration near a stage at the Lunar New Year Tết Festival.Guys work to get everything ready shortly after the gates open on Saturday.One of many interesting booths. This one encourages hosting exchange students.There were delectable edibles of all types in a huge food court area.Young man selling treats pumps up a balloon.Lots of tasty barbeque was getting ready on this big grill.Lady demonstrates Chi Gong stretches on a large stage.Many colorful tables contained delights of every sort.A big carnival area includes a Ferris wheel.Just walking along in the morning as the fun event begins.These guys are doing their best to promote the event on Instagram.Adjusting a flag, one final touch at the 2015 Lunar New Year Festival in San Diego.
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San Diego Bay scene graces a slowly fading mural in Mission Valley.
When you ride the San Diego Trolley’s Green Line between the Old Town and Linda Vista stations, an interesting mural can be glimpsed for a moment where the tracks span the San Diego River. The public art is best viewed when walking along the San Diego River Trail, between the rail and Pacific Highway bridges. The path down by the river is fairly popular with bicycles; it is also trash-filled and tagged with graffiti. I don’t know anything about this artwork. Faded a little bit by time and the elements, the images still impart a happy glow along the seemingly neglected river trail.
UPDATE!
Turns out this mural is called “On The River Trail” and was completed in 2008. The artist who designed it is Lori Escalera. The public art comes from the San Diego River Park Foundation.
Public art along the San Diego River Trail near Pacific Highway. The Coaster train can be seen passing across one of the rail bridges.Weathered by outdoor elements, artwork still glows like an impressionist painting.Dreamy yellow sunflower painted on old wall seen by those who walk along river.A hummingbird hovers above brightly sunlit vegetation.Happy painted bicyclist greets those who travel down San Diego River Trail.Art shows painter inspired by the river’s natural beauty.This artwork was lovingly planted for future enjoyment.
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Cars zoom west down Friars Road, beneath the Morena Boulevard bridge.
Should you ever drive west down Friars Road approaching Mission Bay, you might see a collection of native animals gathered under the Morena Boulevard bridge. They seem to like the place, because they never leave!
The west end of Mission Valley contains an open space preserve, where some wild animals live in the midst of a big city. The wildlife mural, designed in 2007 by lead artist Julia C. R. Gray, was a public art project of the San Diego River Park Foundation.
This mural is a project of the San Diego River Park Foundation.A bobcat lurks under the busy city bridge!So does a skunk! I didn’t smell this critter, however.Fish in dry water, painted on a public art mural near the San Diego River.Horned toad and raccoon, samples of wildlife that live in Mission Valley preserve.Frog in a painted mural, created by artist Julia C. R. Gray in 2007.A rabbit that’s still enough to be captured by my camera!It’s very rare to see a fox in the developed parts of San Diego.Second mural painted on south side of Friars Road also shows a river scene.Beyond lies open space. Lush vegetation provides shelter for wildlife near river.
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