I walked all around Balboa Park today and noticed all sorts of mysterious shadows. I took photographs, then decided to make a game of it! I like having fun! How about you?
Can you identify the actions or things that produce these interesting shadows? Here’s a hint: the people are regular street performers you’ll see almost every weekend along El Prado. What are they doing?
There’s no prize to win here–sorry.
Just fun!
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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 X.
The San Diego Writers Festival was held today in Coronado. Hundreds of writers, podcasters, publishers, aspiring authors and eager readers came together to enjoy inspirational talks, panels and workshops, not to mention book signings, entertainment, tasty food, and a chance to engage with San Diego’s extensive creative community!
The event was held at both the Coronado Public Library and Coronado High School across the street.
I had a great time and learned a whole lot, plus met a variety of interesting people!
A highlight for me was a performance by the Voices of Our City Choir, which is comprised of homeless and formerly homeless singers. Countless unhoused San Diegans have had their lives uplifted by connecting with this group. Their joyful music was possibly the most inspirational part of the whole event!
Here are some of my photographs. Check out the captions and click some of the links and perhaps you’ll be inspired, too!
In the Coronado Library’s Winn Room, an audience listened to a panel of authors and podcasters. They talked about Building a Following: How to Create Meaningful Connections. Some ideas when it comes to social media and marketing: engage with your readers by answering comments, be yourself, be human. Build trust, be persistent, have fun. Participate in book clubs, build email lists, encourage online reviews.Marni Freeman talks about How to Unblock and Become a Creative Force of Nature. She explained that unleashing your creative genius requires mindfulness, being in the moment, quieting a distracted mind. That’s when inspiration mysteriously arrives. Shut down the daily stress, be quiet, be aware of the world around you, be introspective, be self-confident, don’t fear failure or compare yourself to others. Take slow, rhythmic, deep breaths. Find your flow!The Voices Of Our City Choir perform at the 2025 San Diego Writers Festival. They just completed their first ever recording session! Perhaps you’ve seen their incredible, inspirational performance on America’s Got Talent. To view it on YouTube, click here!Lots of tables outside at Coronado High School during the 2025 San Diego Writers Festival!Two of many authors doing book signings.Organizations helpful to writers were present at the festival, including the San Diego Writers and Editors Guild.One of the Lost Boys of Sudan, Mathew Riek, after many difficulties, made his way to San Diego. He has co-written the children’s book At Least I Wasn’t Eaten By A Lion! His book inspires young readers to believe in the power of perseverance and kindness. He was at the Shaping Bright Futures table. They are a charitable organization dedicated to raising awareness of educational disparities found throughout the world. Check out their website here.Jacob Hubbard wrote Sounds of Yesterday, a novel. It concerns love, loss and empathy in a neurodivergent world. Neurodivergent means having a brain that forms or works differently, which Jacob personally understands. He’s a writing teacher who is not afraid to explore challenging, emotionally driven ideas about the human condition.Two big smiles! On the left is Esther Avant, author of To Your Health. To the right is Bookish Flights podcaster Kara Infante, who reviews and recommends books. To your continued success!I listened to this cool guy reading powerful poetry in Balboa Park almost 7 years ago! Chris Vannoy is the US National Beat Poet Laureate! Check out my old blog post concerning that past encounter here.San Diego Poetry Annual is one of the longest running poetry anthologies in the San Diego region. It features renowned poets and artists alongside emerging local voices. Learn more about it here!That’s Heather James Pond, yoga teacher, painter and author, smiling on the right! Her debut novel, MOXY, is about unspeakable pain, fortitude and healing. It’s an incredible true story of resilience and transformation! Thank you for sharing your bright smile and making the world a better place!
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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 X.
What were all those sailboats racing in San Diego Bay this afternoon? I watched them as I rode the ferry from Coronado to downtown San Diego.
It turns out these boats were participating in the Cortez Racing Association‘s Tribute Regatta in the north part of San Diego Bay. According to the race page, the event honored the lives of our sailing friends: Lisa Brewer and Ernie Pennell.
I never tire of watching sails that billow and slant across the blue water.
The two-masted vessel in the center of the next photograph is Bill of Rights, based in South Bay in Chula Vista. The beautiful tall ship was passing through…
After the Coronado ferry arrived near the San Diego Convention Center, I walked out to the pier at Embarcadero Marina Park South and took more 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!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.
What is the smallest operating railroad car you’ve ever seen? Have you ever seen a moving train so small that bits of dust on the track can stop it?
Incredibly diminutive trains are coming to the San Diego Model Railroad Museum in Balboa Park! Each car is about two inches long–the size of your finger!
A new Z scale permanent exhibit is being built in the museum and should be completed later his year. As a sign in the museum explains, this cool project is being supported by a grant from The Norris Foundation.
Z scale model trains are so tiny a complete oval layout can fit inside a briefcase. They have a scale ratio of 1:220. They’re even smaller than the N scale trains one can see in the museum’s incredible Pacific Desert Lines layout, which is operated by the San Diego Society of N Scale.
A sample Z scale layout is already on display (above photo). Plans for the not-yet-built layout can also be viewed…
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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 X.
The Coastal Trail provides an incredibly scenic walk at Cabrillo National Monument. It runs for about half a mile along rugged sandstone bluffs beside the Pacific Ocean.
The easy to moderate trail, with occasional steep steps leading up and down, begins by the park’s Tidepool Parking and winds north to Sea Cove Parking.
I asked a park ranger her favorite aspect of this trail. She loved how lines of pelicans soar along the ocean’s edge at eye level. I love that too.
I went for a walk along Coastal Trail the other day and took photos as I proceeded north. One comes to the tidepools very quickly. If you’d like a closer look at the tidepools, you can click here.
Starting north along the Coastal Trail near the Tidepool Parking at Cabrillo National Monument.Map shows the Coast Trail and other parts of Cabrillo National Monument, which is located near the south end of San Diego’s Point Loma.The scenic trail is very popular. Misty fog drifting in from the ocean is common.The tidepools come into view soon.Visitors like to pause and relax in this wide area just north of the tidepools.Continuing north along the Coastal Trail, up then down some narrow steps.Indescribable natural beauty.A climb is coming up…This stretch of steps is fairly long. I took it slow and easy. The steps are uneven in places.Here comes something interesting…This is an underground searchlight shelter from World War II. Visitors must safely stay off the unstable roof.More stunning ocean vistas ahead as walkers proceed through native coastal vegetation.The farther north you go, the fewer walkers you’ll likely encounter.Brown pelicans soar along at eye level. Your spirit might soar, too.Almost to Sea Cove Parking, also called Lot 2.A welcoming bench at Sea Cove Parking overlooks vast beauty.
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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 X.
It’s sad that the Ocean Beach Pier has become so storm damaged that it is now permanently closed and must be rebuilt. If there’s a tiny silver lining to this very dark cloud, it’s that the locked gate at the pier’s foot has become the home of OB LOVE.
Ladies at the Ocean Beach Main Street Association informed me this mosaic art was created by members of the OB community a year ago. A San Diego lifeguard who was watching the pier agreed that it’s really cool!
Each small tile in the mosaic contains a photograph of Ocean Beach. I had to take a closer look…
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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 X.
The arrival of Spring has brought even more color to the Casa de Estudillo. I visited the restored adobe today in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. The trees and grass are green with our recent rains, and many flowers are blooming!
I was told that back in the 19th century, when generations of Estudillos lived in the adobe, the central “courtyard” would have appeared quite different. It would have been entirely packed dirt, with no decorative fountain. There would have been a few fruit trees, vegetables and herbs, and chickens running about.
In 1906, John D. Spreckels acquired the remarkable old Mexican casa and turned it into a tourist attraction, calling it the marriage place of popular fictional character Ramona. The courtyard was planted with greenery and flowers.
It retains a garden appearance today.
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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 X.
In April, 2024, a new trail opened at Cabrillo National Monument. The Oceanside Trail starts at the Kelp Forest and Whale Overlook south of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, and descends via several switchbacks to the Coast Trail, intersecting it a few steps from the main tidepool parking lot.
The Oceanside Trail is fairly steep and rugged, but if you’re in good physical shape, wearing good shoes and carrying plenty of water, the hike is really great!
I enjoyed the hike recently and took photographs as I walked down to the tidepools through incoming wisps of ocean fog!
I’ll provide some description in photo captions…
Here’s where you start, from the looping path south of the lighthouse, just beyond the whale overlook.Map shows the Oceanside Trail. It’s about a 2.5 miles round-trip and can be strenuous.Approaching a World War II observation bunker, which guarded the coast from a potential Japanese invasion.The trail leads around the old military bunker.You can see the New Point Loma Lighthouse in the distance by the water. It’s a residential area for Coast Guard officers.Watch your step!There are several switchbacks. Most feature steps.A walker heading up. You can see how wisps of fog were drifting inland from the Pacific Ocean.There are a couple of benches for resting and viewing the scenery, too.Native coastal plants along the Oceanside Trail provide additional beauty and interest.We’re approaching Cabrillo Road, which descends to the tidepool area from the Cabrillo National Monument entrance gate. Before the Oceanside Trail opened, it was the only way down.The Oceanside Trail crosses Cabrillo Road twice.A park ranger told me the circular platform with a track was used to rotate a gun during World War II.Those people ahead are on the Coast Trail, heading between the nearby parking lot and tidepools.The end of the Oceanside Trail. To reach the tidepools, turn right! You can’t miss them.
I’ll be blogging about the Coast Trail shortly. It extends north from here along the rugged, sandstone bluffs, providing amazing views.
Years ago, I walked down to the water and experienced the Cabrillo National Monument tidepools. I posted photographs here!
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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 X.
This cool street art painted on a long wall is visible from Highland Avenue at the Vision Culture Foundation in National City. When I recently walked by they appeared to be closed. I paused to take these photographs from the sidewalk just outside their gate entrance.
Here’s the Vision Culture Foundation website. The organization focuses on creative arts, and their center strives to empower and uplift youth and the community. They are a safe space that nurtures goals and dreams.
Check it out!
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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 X.
Taiko groups from all around San Diego (and beyond!) came together in Balboa Park today for an epic taiko community performance and jam session! It was incredible!
Taiko is high-energy drumming, Japanese style, where drummers together shake the world all around with booming uninhibited joy!
The event was called Taiko 4.0. It celebrated the 40th birthday of Diana, founder of Naruwan Taiko.
Over the years I’ve been fortunate to experience a number of Naruwan Taiko performances, but today was something extraordinary. Dozens of members were joined by taiko drummers from groups (I hope I’m not missing anyone) San Diego Taiko, Buddhist Temple of San Diego Taiko, Asayake Taiko (UC San Diego students), Makoto Taiko from Pasadena, and even Rocky Mountain Taiko from Utah!
I counted about 50 taiko drums, many of them quite large. Now imagine the thunder!
The House of China of Balboa Park’s International Cottages helped to make this epic event possible. As the joyful, rhythmic drumming began, people from around the park heard and converged. By the time I departed mid-afternoon, a good crowd had gathered.
I hope my still photographs of this amazing event transmit the absolute joy. Taiko, like nothing else, can make one feel fully alive.
Before the start, getting ready…
Here’s Diana!
A group photo!
An introduction…
Drummers take their places…
Here we go!
Between pieces of music, the drums would be carefully lifted and reconfigured…
Here we go again!
A dancing percussive procession surprise!
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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 X.
Cool San Diego Sights! 