You know the holiday season in San Diego is over when the Grinch Tree comes down outside the Old Globe in Balboa Park!
The joyful Christmas tree, with its candelabras, horns, wreaths and happy Whoville characters, was disassembled today and promptly hustled away. The Grinch, that old grouch, would applaud its disappearance!
What’s with that funny monkey mask atop the boxes? I was told by two of the smiling Grinch Tree disassemblers that the monkey face was embedded inside the tree. I don’t know if they were pulling my leg. For real? I asked. Yes, I was assured.
I suppose next holiday season, I’ll have to peer into the tree more closely!
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The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater in Balboa Park hosted Steve Taylor’s funny “Magical Marionettes Show” this weekend. I enjoyed a fun performance this afternoon!
Balboa Park’s historic Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater, which got its start back in 1947, remains a favorite destination for families looking for child-friendly, light-hearted entertainment.
I’m sure Steve Taylor’s puppeteering brought smiles to every face in the audience. Very young kids clapped and danced with the marionettes. Older folks like me were often chuckling at clever bits of gentle humor.
During the 30 minute show, we watched as King Kong’s baby played electric guitar, and as Charlie Chaplin adopted a lovable rescue dog. We watched ventriloquist dummy Rudy O’Reilly engage Steve in humorous dialogue. We saw an elephant take a bubble bath (and squirt the excited audience) and a goofy skeleton dance.
Steve Taylor has been putting on puppet shows for 55 years! He got his start as an apprentice to Marie Hitchcock when he was nine years old!
He’s awesome!
As I exited the theater, I noticed some information on a wall that might interest you. Workshops are offered by the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater where anyone can learn about Hand, Marionette, Shadow and Full Body Puppetry. You can also learn how to write a story, and be wild and crazy!
Read the contact info at the bottom of the next image!
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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!
Here’s a collection of photographs that might make you smile!
Minutes before noon today, participants in the 43th Annual Pacific Beach Holiday Parade were busy around Garnet Avenue, getting ready for the big Christmas parade.
The event’s theme in 2023? Ugly sweaters! I photographed a few!
Groups from all around Pacific Beach had gathered for the occasion. Many were getting their festive floats, golf carts, lowriders, fire engines, buses, canoes, scooters and bikes (!!!) ready by applying tinsel, ornaments, wreaths and bows. And don’t forget all the cheerful inflatables!
Elves and Santas were milling about everywhere. I spotted the Gingerbread Man, too!
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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!
The La Mesa Holiday in the Village event is being held today. I swung by as it opened at noon. The free community festival goes until 9 pm.
I found singing groups, dancers, carolers, Christmas trees, holiday crafts, lots of food, elf hats, and many smiles!
Enjoy these photos…
Young members of Greene Tree Theatre sing together on stage during La Mesa Holiday in the Village.Greene Tree Theatre youth wow the audience with an energetic dance routine!Christmas trees and decorations can be found throughout La Mesa’s holiday festival.Holiday smiles!Plenty of popcorn!The Salvation Army Kroc Center had a booth.The King’s Carolers perform beloved Christmas carols during the holiday event.Snowmen inside wreaths.Beautiful winter scene at a vendor’s table.Caroling on Mt. Helix will take place next Saturday, December 9, beginning at 4 pm.Is that the Polar Express?Sentimental Journey performs on a second stage.Let’s get this party started!The holiday season is about joy!
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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!
Enjoy these photographs of a walk through December Nights 2023 in Balboa Park!
I started east across the Cabrillo Bridge this afternoon, shortly after San Diego’s big holiday festival opened. I visited the Grinch tree at the Old Globe, then entered the Plaza de Panama where there is a stage and small ice skating rink. I strolled down El Prado, took a side trip to Spanish Village, then eventually found myself at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, International Cottages and Palisades area. You can see one fun photo near the end where I peeked inside the Comic-Con Museum.
December Nights is very crowded after dark, with families enjoying colorful lights, live entertainment on multiple stages, many Santa photo ops, a huge number of vendors, and lots and LOTS of food! My old camera doesn’t take good photos at night, unfortunately.
December Nights continues tomorrow–Saturday–from 11 am to 11 pm. At 6:30 there will be a free concert by world-famous local rock band Switchfoot at the organ pavilion. That should draw quite a crowd!
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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!
Would you like to learn the art of Japanese brush painting? Do you live in San Diego? Read on!
Today I enjoyed the 48th Annual Japanese Brush Painting Fall Art Exhibition in Balboa Park. The event was presented by the Friends of Sumi-e. I’ve checked out this fine exhibition several times over the years.
In addition to all the stunning artwork on display, artists were greeting visitors with live demonstrations of this traditional Japanese art.
I watched for a bit. Before my eyes, elegantly applied ink turned magically into stunning, sublimely beautiful images.
Speaking to the smiling artists, I learned there are San Diego Community College Continuing Education classes that teach the art of Sumi-e. Naoko, who you see in the next photo, is one of the instructors!
If you’d like to try your hand at creating brush art, check out this webpage for the classes!
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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!
A crowd of thousands gathered this evening in Old Town San Diego for the annual Día de los Muertos procession.
The candlelight procession would begin around sundown in front of the Immaculate Conception Church and move slowly down San Diego Avenue to the historic El Campo Santo cemetery.
I walked from Old Town San Diego State Historic Park to the cemetery and back again as people were still gathering for this very popular event.
What did my camera find?
Face painting at many stations, as living faces were decorated to look like colorful sugar skulls. And beautiful chalk art in the State Park left over from last weekend’s Day of the Dead event. And many costumes, elegant Catrinas and walking skeletons.
An altar was set up in the El Campo Santo cemetery, and there was the old wall and a special board where people could draw hearts and write messages for deceased loved ones. The graves were joyfully decorated, too.
As I returned toward the State Park, people had already begun to line San Diego Avenue to view the coming procession. But it was rapidly becoming too dark for my camera. So this series of photographs ends with a smile at Fiesta de Reyes in the State Park.
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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!
You’ll find many smiles this weekend in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park during their big Día de los Muertos celebration!
I walked through the State Park yesterday as the event was ready to open and found artists painting colorful murals, an arriving chalk artist, a sugar skull creation station and more. I watched as the big Community Altar was set up at one end of Old Town’s historic plaza.
There are forty Day of the Dead altars in all–most inside the State Park. Others can be enjoyed along San Diego Avenue and elsewhere around Old Town. There’s face painting everywhere you turn, live music at several restaurants, and even a 19th century magic lantern show at Seeley Stable!
The big event continues today–Sunday–so head on down to Old Town if you can!
In addition, there will be a candlelit procession this Thursday, November 2, starting at the Immaculate Conception Church just outside the State Park. At 6 pm the procession will head down San Diego Avenue toward El Campo Santo cemetery. That event will include blessings and traditional dances by Danza Azteca Atlachinolli.
Enjoy these photographs taken inside Old Town San Diego State Historic Park yesterday as Día de los Muertos got underway…
Old Town San Diego Boosters raise money by selling gifts in front of the Robinson-Rose House Visitors Center.Canopies set up on the grassy plaza offer several Day of the Dead activities.State Park employees get the big Community Altar ready in Old Town.Spreading marigold petals, to lead departed souls toward the Day of the Dead altar.The beautiful Community Altar.Smiling muralist Belen Islas was working on her beautiful canvas.Artist Juliet Elise Rodriguez paints many colors into her mural.Symbolic marigolds for sale.The San Diego Public Library was there with fun for the family!Color your own skull mask!Kids love painting small sugar skulls.Here are three finished ones!It’s a smiling Isabel Garcia! You’ve seen some of her beautiful murals on Cool San Diego Sights!
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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!
I Love a Clean San Diego is a sentiment shared by many. It’s also a local environmental nonprofit that works to keep our city healthy and beautiful!
The above smiling folks were in Balboa Park today, greeting those passing over the Cabrillo Bridge. They were handing out flyers about preventing pollution, and letting people know of many community clean-ups and other environmental activities that would love your participation!
As I crossed the bridge and proceeded toward the heart of Balboa Park, I saw volunteers walking along picking up trash!
I checked out the I Love a Clean San Diego website and learned about their latest effort. A couple weeks ago, more than 5,000 San Diegans joined I Love A Clean San Diego (ILACSD) for the 39th annual Coastal Cleanup Day. Volunteers across the region restored, beautified, and preserved the health of over 100 local parks, canyons, creeks, and beaches and joined volunteers in 150 countries across the globe. As of 2:30 p.m. and with 85% of sites reporting totals, over 76,800 pounds of litter and debris was diverted from San Diego communities.
Wow!
Did you take part? Would you like to participate in future cleanups and make a definite positive change? Check out the I Love a Clean San Diego event calendar by clicking here!
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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!
Herb “The Mechanic” stands in Escondido by an old-fashioned gas pump gazing out at passing traffic. Herb’s smile is permanent–because it’s made of bronze!
This nostalgic sculpture was a Public Art Project completed in 2007, commissioned by the City of Escondido. The artists are T.J. Dixon and James Nelson. Their extraordinary work seems to be everywhere I walk around San Diego! Find more photographs of sculptures created by T.J. Dixon and James Nelson by clicking here.
Visit the artist website here and see a whole lot more!
Would you like to make an “appointment” with The Mechanic? Drive past 1404 South Escondido Boulevard and keep your eyes open for a friendly smile!
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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!
Cool San Diego Sights! 