Tag: news

Balboa Park art exhibit celebrates Logan Heights.

This weekend you have one last chance to experience a very special exhibition of art in Balboa Park. Members of the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild are exhibiting work that celebrates the history and culture of Logan Heights and other neighborhoods along Imperial Avenue east of downtown San Diego.

One Day in the Life on Imperial is the title of the exhibition, now on display in Gallery 21 of Balboa Park’s Village Arts Center (still known widely as Spanish Village).

Last month, at the TULAROSA gallery, I visited the first version of this exhibition. It has greatly expanded and moved since then, and many more diverse artworks are now collected together for visitors to enjoy!

The art you’ll encounter shows what life is like along historic Imperial Avenue. Families and shopkeepers, happiness and struggles–every aspect of a community is the subject matter of local artists who walked the street, absorbing all they experienced. Many of the resulting pieces are energetic and colorful.

One Day in the Live on Imperial continues through Monday, April 20th, 2026. If you’re heading to Balboa Park this weekend, you ought to swing by!

A few examples…

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Warhammer 40k cosplay at Comic-Con Museum!

Some of the most jaw-dropping Warhammer 40k cosplay creations are now on display in San Diego’s Comic-Con Museum! They’re gigantic and amazing in their detail! For an idea of scale, see my first photo.

Head downstairs and walk into the gallery devoted to costumes created for Comic-Con’s world-famous Masquerade. Among other fantastic creations, you’ll see these Warhammer 40k character suits that can actually be worn. They are made out of EVA foam sheets by Joe Ramirez.

Not surprisingly, Joe has won multiple awards for his cosplay productions. His handle is @Beyonderjoe.

The costumes in this gallery change from time to time, so make sure to have a new look every time you visit the museum.

Join the Arbor Day Tree Planting in Balboa Park!

Join friends, neighbors and others in the San Diego community this Arbor Day for a tree planting in Balboa Park!

On Friday, April 24th, between 9 and 11 am, volunteers will help plant new trees in Balboa Park.

Help the environment and add even more beauty to our beloved park! Have a fun time! No experience necessary!

You can learn more about this event and sign up (by April 19) by clicking this link.

Scrolls of wisdom unroll in downtown San Diego!

In downtown San Diego, numerous scrolls of wisdom are waiting to be unrolled. If you step into the studio of artist James Watts (@jewattso), you can easily attain that wisdom!

James was at work in his studio this morning, and I said hello. He showed me one of the projects he’s now working on. There on one table were a bunch of new scrolls!

Last year I posted a blog about his ambitious scroll project. I explained his handmade scrolls are painted on fabric and utilize wood sticks he’s found, cut to size and sanded smooth. He loves philosophy, religion and literature, and bits of inspired thought make their way into his work.

Yes, indeed, it is what it is!

And more!

He accompanies the wise sayings with still life paintings. Such as an egg and swiss cheese. Interpret as you may!

I don’t know whether you had a chance to see James Watts’ exhibition at the Oceanside Museum of Art four years ago. If you didn’t, click here and check it out!

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Brilliant Lady arrives in San Diego!

Brilliant Lady has made her debut in San Diego!

The impressive 17 deck, 2770 passenger cruise ship, which launched in September last year, arrived in San Diego this month to begin operations on the West Coast. The adults only Virgin Voyages ship will be cruising down to Mexico and up to Alaska. It’s the fourth ship in the Virgin Voyages fleet.

I saw the new cruise ship this morning docked at San Diego’s Broadway Pier.

Baseball is Inside/Out at San Diego History Center.

Baseball is being celebrated at the San Diego History Center. While the 2026 season gets underway, the Inside/Out exhibit in the museum’s atrium summons happy baseball memories.

Artifacts and ephemera from the San Diego History Center’s collection are front and center. Most of the memorabilia on display concern the San Diego Padres and professional baseball in our city. Tony Gwynn, Jerry Coleman, the San Diego Chicken and others are lovingly remembered.

There are multiple objects from the 1978 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at San Diego Stadium (pre-Jack Murphy Stadium). Padres players Dave Winfield and Rollie Fingers contributed to the National League victory.

I noticed one shelf celebrates Alice “Lefty” Hohlmayer, a longtime Bonita resident who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1946 to 1951. She was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame in 2005.

Very cool!

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Over 250,000 miles from San Diego!

You might have heard that the Artemis II moon mission will be splashing down off the San Diego coast on Friday shortly after 5 pm. But did you know you can be watching the mission live during its lunar flyby?

This afternoon I’ve been watching live video from NASA as Artemis II has begun passing around the far side of the moon! It’s the farthest humans have ever flown from planet Earth. Over 250,000 miles!

Right now as I type this they cannot contact Earth due to loss of signal, but as soon as they come around the opposite side of the moon, we’ll hear from them again and see new views! From over a quarter million miles away!

I urge everyone to watch the live feed from NASA as this historic mission progresses. Human eyes are seeing what they have never seen before. You can watch the live feed from the NASA website. Click here!

All my photos are screenshots taken from the live video feed.

Here’s one look inside the Orion manned capsule:

And here’s the Earth–that tiny bright sliver–about to pass behind the moon as the Artemis II mission moves around the moon:

UPDATE!

Later, the crew of Artemis II would watch a solar eclipse–one never seen before! From a point near the moon!

Yes, the moon at their position appeared much larger than the sun. That tiny dot is Venus.

Science will benefit from this unique observation of the sun’s corona.

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Enjoy a stimulating Sound Shower in Escondido!

A couple weeks ago this interesting sculpture was installed on the grass near the box office of the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. It’s titled Sound Shower.

Artist and neurobiologist Victor Hugo Minces created this immersive sound sculpture. He’s a research scientist at UC San Diego and has published work about how neural networks in the brain represent the sensory world.

The webpage concerning Sound Shower features a video that shows how the sculpture can stimulate the senses of those who stand within it. Using a hammer, a subject strikes the large chime-like pipes and experiences sound as it “showers” all around!

I wish I’d understood the sculpture’s function while gazing at it a few days ago. If by chance Sound Shower is still there when I return to Escondido, I’ll try it out.

(Different sculptures have temporarily appeared in this same place. You might recall how I blogged about a star-like sculpture a year ago.)

(While reading through Victor Minces’ website, I’ve noticed he has another sensory sculpture installed near the WorldBeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park. I think that today I’ll go experience that one!)

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Mexican mummies arrive in Balboa Park!

Several human mummies from Mexico have arrived in San Diego’s Balboa Park!

Okay–they’re replica mummies to be exact. Visitors to the House of Mexico cottage can now view them as well as other artifacts from Guanajuato, a state in central Mexico.

The House of Mexico opened this exhibit a day or two ago. Every three months they celebrate one of Mexico’s many states with a new exhibition.

Not only is Guanajuato famous for its mummies, but the mountainous region is known for mining, its unique culture, and colorful architecture that includes many tunnels. Displays in the cottage include photographs, historical information and crafts from this Mexican tourist destination.

Today I enjoyed a free sample of ice cream unique to Guanajuato! I received a beautiful bilingual magazine titled Roads of Guanajuato, too!

Between the mummies and the ice cream, and all the colorful sights inside the House of Mexico cottage, your family will be sure to enjoy a visit!

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A sunny Easter walk through Balboa Park!

Today is Easter. It’s spring. The sun is out in San Diego. A perfect day for a leisurely walk through Balboa Park!

What did I encounter?

Second day of the Makers Arcade on Balboa Park’s West Mesa.
People enjoying yoga near the lawn bowling green.
Flowers are in full bloom at the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden.
Vendors at the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society’s Annual Show and Plant Sale.
A tortoise in Room 101 of the Casa del Prado.
The Spring Exhibition of Art inside the Village Arts Outreach Gallery.
Here comes the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad!
Many native flowers are showing color along the San Diego Natural History Museum’s Nature Trail.
Beautiful butterflies and a ladybug inside the San Diego Sculptors Guild courtyard.
A small bird enjoys the green grass growing near the Botanical Building.
It’s busy inside the Botanical Building on a sunny Easter day.
The new pergola west of the Botanical Building is looking good!
Uh, oh! Somebody forgot their bunny ears!
Free roses made of corn husks offered by a street performer.
Happy Easter in a window at the International Cottages.
Looks like Quinceañera photos are being taken at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.
Some cool cars and lowriders have arrived in the park.
Spring beauty at the Alcazar Garden in Balboa Park.

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