Shoppers at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market learn about whelks and other food from the sea.
Late yesterday morning I revisited the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market. It’s a place whirling with human activity, fascinating sights, and fishy, oceany smells. The fresh seafood market spontaneously appears on the pier between Seaport Village and Tuna Harbor every Saturday morning. It features the catch of local fishermen. And lots of shoppers, should you arrive early.
During my casual visit I noticed some interesting information on a table that described what our local fishermen catch. So I took some pics. I also enjoyed being shown various species of edible sea creatures by a few of the friendly vendors, though I’m afraid I purchased nothing. My cooking skills amount to pushing buttons on the microwave. I admit it.
If you’d like to read some of the literature I spotted on a table, click the images.
Sidewalk signs try to lure people out onto a pier near Seaport Village. Fresh seafood caught by local fishermen is sold here every Saturday morning.I arrived at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market at about eleven o’clock, after the usual early morning crowd of fresh fish shoppers had departed.Some freshly caught silvery Pacific bluefin tuna on ice for sale. That’s a lot of eating!I noticed people by the edge of the pier looking across the water toward downtown San Diego.Something below in the water has caught their attention…It’s a sea lion just hanging out, probably hoping for a handout!The Mary Beth docked nearby appears equipped and ready to go out for more fish.Some colorful artwork at the fresh fish market depicts a fisherman and scenes from above and beneath the ocean.Meet your meal! At one table I discovered some interesting photos and literature, including a diagram of deep-set buoy gear used to catch swordfish.This poster shows the most common seafood commercially harvested in California. Many of these species can be purchased at Tuna Harbor Dockside Market.More info on the table describes the wavy turban snail and Kellet’s whelk, which I’m told make for good eating.I believe I’ve seen brown box crabs, Pacific rock crabs, and red sea urchins at this very market! The latter can live up to 200 years, and is considered a delicacy.Some guys cut up a huge fish, making steaks. Customers can have their purchase cleaned on the pier.A big pile of whelks. To cook these, boil!Look at all the seafood one can choose from at this one tent. The Tuna Harbor Dockside Market continues to grow and now occupies about half of the pier.Fresh fish! Lots of tuna!I’m shown a spiky sea urchin. The kelp and starfish are just for show–they aren’t normally eaten!
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A walk through Liberty Station in Point Loma is always pleasurable. A photographer can find scenes of art, fun and life!
My walk yesterday took me to one of my favorite places in San Diego . . . Liberty Station! The historic old Naval Training Center San Diego in Point Loma has been converted into beautiful courtyards, shops, museums, art studios and more. It’s a lively but leisurely place where one can simply sit on a bench in a park and enjoy people, fountains, flowers and sunshine. It’s also a perfect place to walk randomly about to make new discoveries.
Here are a few fun photos my camera captured!
Two people on the North Promenade in the middle of the Arts District at Liberty Station learn how to take great photos from a personal instructor.These Star Wars stormtroopers were caught near a parking lot without their helmets. They appear to be quite human and friendly! I believe they were getting ready to provide entertainment for a special event in the big grassy NTC Park.Colorful banner outside the San Diego Watercolor Society Gallery. Their amazing International Exhibition is underway and will be open to the public through October 31.A small collection of paintings can be enjoyed inside the entrance to the old Naval Training Center San Diego’s command building.Art displayed in the NTC Command Center was created by artists who have studios inside several old barracks at Liberty Station.Window into one artist’s studio. Artists, museums and cultural attractions now occupy many of the historic Navy barracks at Liberty Station.A fun sculpture graces the North Promenade at Liberty Station. Flowers, by John Dupree.Families and kids love the small USS Brave boat bench at Liberty Station. Wood art by Jonathan Allen.Photo of entrance to the Dorothea Laub Dance Place building in Liberty Station.Lavendar Ballerina by Jori Owens, one of many paintings on display in the main hallway of the Dance Place San Diego at Liberty Station.Blue Ballerina, a painting by Jori Owens.Red Ballerina, a painting by Jori Owens.A busy Saturday at the new and very popular indoor Liberty Public Market.Flowers add color and life to Liberty Public Market, one of many places to visit at Liberty Station.
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Help us Save the Vaquita display at the east gazebo of Seaport Village in San Diego. The band Insect Surfers was providing some music!
The Vaquita is the world’s most endangered marine mammal. It is thought that about 60 of the animals exist in the ocean today. This small species of porpoise (Phocoena sinus) lives in the warm waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean–specifically in the northern Gulf of California, in a small region east of Baja California not too distant from San Diego. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the Vaquita is classified as Critically Endangered.
International Save the Vaquita Day was observed today in San Diego and many other cities around the world. I swung by Seaport Village to see what efforts are underway to save Mexico’s “Panda of the Sea” and to learn a little about the Vaquita.
I learned that the Vaquita, thankfully, enjoys clean waters. Their big threat is being entangled in the gillnets of fishermen. A major effort is underway to eliminate these nets from the Vaquita’s natural habitat. But some fishermen, seeking to provide a living for themselves, use them anyway.
I learned there’s also an effort to inform consumers that some shrimp and fish that one finds in the grocery store is caught with gillnets. It is hoped enlightened shoppers will seek out and purchase seafood that isn’t caught with this type of net.
I learned that Vaquitas have never been held in aquariums, and has only been known to science since 1958.
If this species goes extinct, it will be gone forever.
These nice ladies are working hard to save the Vaquita. It is hoped many others will join the effort, in any way possible. Time is very limited–perhaps a year or two–before the species might go extinct.Kids make art and learn about the critically endangered Vaquita, a marine mammal that clings to a tenuous existence not far from San Diego.
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There are many ways to help others in need this holiday season, in San Diego and around the world.
Tomorrow is “Giving Tuesday”. This special day, celebrated worldwide, is all about generosity and people coming together to help others who are in need.
There are countless ways to give back during the holiday season. Here are 3 opportunities that you might consider…
The Toys for Tots Program collects toys nationwide for children who could use a happy surprise during the holidays.
Provide a toy for a grateful child through the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots Program. Toys for Tots works with non-profit organizations nationwide. You can find a nearby toy donation drop site or create your own by visiting their website.
The Jeffrey Modell Foundation helps those born with Primary Immunodeficiency. The disease is often fatal.
Make a donation to the Jeffrey Modell Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to fight Primary Immunodeficiency, a genetic condition that is chronic, serious, and often fatal. Donations help provide early diagnosis, treatment, and hopefully, an eventual cure for this devastating disease. About 1 in 500 people are born with Primary Immunodeficiency.
Donate to the Salvation Army. Or be an angel to a child this Christmas, by dropping off a gift at the Salvation Army’s location in San Diego’s popular Fashion Valley shopping mall.
Assist others who need a helping hand by donating to the Salvation Army! Even better, create your own online red kettle, and ask friends and family to help spread the word to fill it!
If you live in San Diego and plan to shop at Fashion Valley, you can be an angel to a child by purchasing a present, and dropping it off by December 13 at the mall. Look for the Salvation Army at the center of Fashion Valley near the Christmas tree and gingerbread house!
Are you a blogger who’d like to help build a better world?
You can learn more about Bloggers Lifting Others Generously by clicking here.
Please help Stuff the Bus to fight hunger in San Diego!
San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is getting ready for their 8th Annual Stuff the Bus Food Drive!
You can help fight hunger in San Diego by collecting non-perishable food and by spreading the word in advance!
On December 5, between 9 am and 2 pm, MTS buses will be parked in front of Albertsons and VONS stores throughout San Diego County. The objective will be to fill the buses with food to aid the hungry! Your friends, business or organization can collect canned goods and other nonperishables and help stuff a bus, or you can purchase preselected grocery items inside the stores. When the event ends, the food will be transported to the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, which is the largest hunger-relief organization in San Diego County.
Click here for store locations, the food items needed, and other important details!
Come on San Diego! Let’s jam those buses with love!
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Public art on display in downtown San Diego’s dynamic Horton Plaza shopping mall.
I made a cool discovery today! I was walking through Horton Plaza, downtown’s extremely unique shopping mall and popular tourist destination, when I noticed that some art was being displayed on a lower level. A sign indicated that Horton Plaza is showcasing the work of local San Diego artists. Great idea! Here are some pics!
The San Diego artist Beau Carney was born and raised in Southern California. He works with a variety of mediums.Some very colorful painted work by Beau Carney.Public art and other unexpected discoveries add character to a very unique shopping mall.Westfield Horton Plaza supports local artists. For information on how to showcase your art, contact hortonplaza@westfield.comA few early evening visitors to Horton Plaza mall in downtown San Diego walk past cool artwork created by a local artist!One last photo of eye-catching panels by local San Diego artist Beau Carney!
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People view photos and memorabilia in corridor of the old San Diego Police Headquarters located near Seaport Village.
In downtown San Diego, one can enter a highly secure jail cell, then turn around and easily walk right out! How? Simply visit the old police headquarters!
The Headquarters at Seaport is the official name of a relatively new shopping center on Harbor Drive, located right next to Seaport Village. The unique complex features several fine restaurants and specialty shops, housed in a restored building that was originally built in 1939. For almost half a century–until its closure in 1987–the fortress-like building with its large courtyard was home to San Diego’s police headquarters.
Anyone visiting The Headquarters can enjoy a free glimpse of San Diego history by checking out a modest exhibit in a corridor that leads to the old cell block and some restrooms. I took photographs during one walk that you might find interesting.
This beautifully restored building now contains shops and restaurants on San Diego’s waterfront. Built in 1939, it served for half a century as the city’s central police station.People amble past a doorway which leads into the past. A bit of San Diego history beckons the curious.Old jail cells and an interesting police department exhibit are inside!Fascinating photographs on one corridor wall show scenes from the old police headquarters.Many operations were under one roof, including administrative offices, jails, a law library, crime lab, pistol range, and even a police car maintenance facility.This photo shows officers posing in front of the iconic tower. The historic building is a mixture of architectural styles often seen in San Diego and Southern California.Display cases in this preserved hallway contain artifacts from local law enforcement decades ago.Vintage police shields and badges are among the interesting items in this museum-like display.Handcuffs, documents and law enforcement equipment educate visitors about police history in San Diego.Some patches that were worn proudly.Image shows original construction of the police headquarters in 1939.I believe someone who was arrested is being photographed. I see a clock, calendar, lights and identifying placard.The door of a holding cell in the old police headquarters corridor.Cells for prisoners and suspects were securely locked and unlocked using this mechanism.A look inside the eight cell, two level jail block. If you want to see what life was like behind bars, that last door is wide open!These jail cells are very simple and primitive. Comfort is not a priority.A few bare essentials and a pretty face.Visitors to The Headquarters old cell block look at mug shots on one wall.Prisoner Information. Personal property is surrendered, necessities are provided, hours for lights out and visitors, and two telephone calls are granted at the time of booking.Kids are photographed at the lineup wall. They look slightly suspicious!
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These cool ladies know all about irises. They had lots of information on display during the rhizome sale in Balboa Park.
As you can see, I saw a lot of fun stuff today in Balboa Park. Included in the mix was the annual rhizome sale put on by the San Diego Iris Society. The folks I met were very friendly and eager to impart information about their fascinating, uniquely fulfilling hobby. After about ten minutes, I’d learned so much about irises my head almost popped!
The Iris Society has many members from around San Diego County, and features loads of fun events throughout the year. If you enjoy gardening, and irises in particular, check out their website! In May they’ll have their big flower exhibition in Balboa Park’s Casa del Prado, where spectacular blooms and arrangements will be on display for the general public. I recall walking through the free event in past years, and it’s spectacular!
Stick these guys in the ground and watch them grow! Irises are often called the poor man’s orchid. They thrive in San Diego’s climate.There are many existing hybrids, with many new types being introduced each year. The San Diego Iris Society is an affiliate of the American Iris Society.This is a four year clump. One can separate root clumps to create multiple individual plants!Visitors to Balboa Park were checking out the annual iris sale and dreaming of beautiful garden flowers!
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Close look at beautiful plarn artwork exhibited on lower level of downtown San Diego’s Horton Plaza.
Should one walk through downtown San Diego’s colorful Horton Plaza shopping mall, one might see an unusual work of art. I took some photos for everyone to enjoy.
This sculpture is called Grow and is made of crocheted plarn. What the heck is plarn? It’s plastic yarn! I once watched a lady making the interesting material at Balboa Park’s annual EarthFair. Plastic bags, once converted into plarn, do in fact resemble yarn!
What a unique and environmentally friendly way to reuse plastic shopping bags!
Grow is an upcycle sculpture depicting a play between natural and synthetic elements. For this project, discarded plastic grocery bags were hand crocheted to form the plarn installation.Plarn is plastic yarn made from recycled plastic bags. It is durable, weather resistant, and can be woven to create various items.The artist Cat Chiu Phillips utilizes found materials and creates displaced juxtapositions. She includes unusual mediums such as recycled objects.Work of art, titled Grow, can be examined up close by visitors and shoppers walking through the Horton Plaza mall.A box by the fantastic plarn sculpture invites passersby to recycle their plastic shopping bags.
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A shopper standing on the asphalt braces against a Horton Plaza parking lot wall. Others have climbed up onto her shoulders.People mount higher and higher like circus performers, trying to get a glimpse over the wall. Something wonderful must await on the other side!This stack of humanity is beginning to resemble the Tower of Babel. I hope they don’t fall!Don’t believe the hype! That’s some mighty tall street art!
This impressive street art is visible on the south side of the Horton Plaza shopping mall, on G Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. It was painted in 2010 by Brazilian graffiti artists Os Gemeos, which is Portuguese for The Twins. The artists, who were breakdancers before they started painting graffiti almost 30 years ago, have become quite a sensation! The project was sponsored and promoted by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. But should we believe the hype?
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