Today I headed over to Mission Bay’s large model yacht pond, located near the center of Vacation Isle Park, to watch gasoline-powered high speed RC boats race for the San Diego Cup!
The exciting annual event is hosted by the San Diego Argonauts, who sail and race a variety of model boats on the saltwater pond. I blogged about the San Diego Argonauts and hobbyists maneuvering remote control sailboats out on the pond here.
San Diego Cup weekend features over 160 RC powerboats in dozens of classes, brought in by groups from all over Southern California and Arizona. The local group is called SD Gassers.
I spoke to a few people and watched several races. I learned that the model speedboats are built from kits, and that the different classes are determined by the size of the boat. I observed that after contestants are told to start their engines (which at times is problematic) there is a countdown to the beginning of the race. After tossing their boats into the water, it appeared that getting in optimal position for the start was an important aspect of the strategy.
These amazing little powerboats can go over 60 miles per hour! Boats are readied and repaired on the shore and good times are had by all contestants.
It definitely appears to be a fun hobby!
The racing continues through Sunday and anybody can watch from the grassy shore. If you’re in San Diego, head over to the model yacht pond in Mission Bay and check it out!
I took some photos of the action…
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
A giant smiling lemon greets me at the 22nd Annual Lemon Festival in Chula Vista!
I’ve never been to Chula Vista’s Lemon Festival before. So this year I thought I’d take the trolley down to the South Bay to experience this big annual event!
Not only is the Lemon Festival, which takes place along a stretch of Third Avenue, a whole lot of fun, but visitors have the opportunity to learn about the history of Chula Vista and how it once was a major center of the Southern California citrus industry.
With construction of the Sweetwater Dam completed in 1888, and the arrival of the railroad in the South Bay, Chula Vista became the perfect place to grow sun-loving lemons. At one point in the early 20th century there were nearly two thousand acres of lemon groves in the area. Chula Vista even called itself the Lemon Capital of the World.
Today lemon trees are chiefly found in backyards. After World War II, the large groves began to make way for houses. Some of the developers would leave one lemon tree in the backyard of new homes.
I did see loads of lemons during the 22nd Annual Lemon Festival: lemon art, lemon costumes, lemons in treats, lemonade . . . Lemon yellow everywhere!
See for yourself!
About 50,000 people would turn out for the yearly lemon-themed event.These ladies had all sorts of sweet lemon treats for sale.Some friendly people from the Restored Church posed so that a blogger could take a funny photo at their Lemon Festival booth.Artists at the Lemon Festival had all sorts of colorful artwork for sale that contained bright yellow.This lady registering people to vote had a cool lemon slice umbrella hat and smile.More ice cold lemonade! Sounds good on a hot summer day in San Diego’s South Bay.Even this funny pooch in a wagon was selling lemonade!The Chula Vista Historical Society had a booth with books and fascinating information.Their display showed Chula Vista’s agricultural past. Many growers and packing companies once exported lemons around the world. Some of the beautiful old crate labels have become valuable collectibles.The display explains different grades of lemons, including culls, which were blemished, and used to make juice, furniture polish, and other lemon by-products.The festival had just started and these ladies with the Third Avenue Village Association, that puts on the popular event, were almost done decorating their booth.Another booth at the Chula Vista Lemon Festival featured lots of interesting historical photographs.Someone points to a photo of workers in a lemon grove at the Higgins Ranch in Keen Valley, 1901.Aerial photo of the Boltz lemon ranch in the mid 1920’s.Typical Chula Vista lemon packing plant, circa 1920’s.Old photos of Chula Vista streetcar and train at Third Avenue.Bonita lemon pickers, 1913.Meanwhile, people spin a lemon-themed prize wheel at the festival.At the Lemonade Bandstand, entertainment included live music, a largest lemon and lemon peel contest, a lemon costume contest, and lemon pie eating contest.People watch the Lemon Squeezers play rock and roll music with a twist!Cool local band, the Lemon Squeezers, at the Chula Vista Lemon Festival.That great music has people smiling and dancing!Batman and Wonder Woman dropped on by and posed for a photo by the Lemon Bar sign.All that fun has made me thirsty for some lemonade!
…
This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool stuff to check out!
Here’s the Cool San Diego Sights main page, where you can read the most current blog posts. If you’re using a phone or small mobile device, click those three parallel lines up at the top–that opens up my website’s sidebar, where you’ll see the most popular posts, a search box, and more!
To enjoy future posts, you can also “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
These guys with The Miracle League of San Diego help make dreams come true for special needs kids who love baseball!
I met some inspirational people today.
During my visit to the 22nd Annual Lemon Festival in Chula Vista, as I walked down Third Avenue past dozens of booths, my eye was caught by a banner with the words Miracle League. When I asked what that meant, four friendly guys explained how their organization, called The Miracle League of San Diego, provides special needs kids around San Diego County with the opportunity to play baseball!
How cool is this?
Special needs players, with the assistance of volunteer buddies, play on special rubberized baseball fields at Engel Family Field in Del Mar and at Bell Middle School. The unique playing fields accommodate wheelchairs, walkers and the sight-impaired. Players and buddies are matched for an entire Spring or Fall season, and every player scores in fun two inning games that end in a tie. Players are ages five and up. Buddies are kind, patient community volunteers!
According to The Miracle League of San Diego website, announcers are provided with index cards about each player so they have ample material to highlight every at bat. Special needs kids become baseball superstars!
Do you know a special needs kid who’d love to play baseball? Would you like to be a volunteer buddy? Do you want to learn more?
Earthlab, 2017, by artist Eva Struble. Acrylic and oil on canvas. Optimistic and energetic colors depict small San Diego farms.
Today I enjoyed some stimulating artwork at the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park. Their current exhibition is called High-Key: Color in Southern California, and for a very good reason.
Palm greens, desert tans and ocean blues are primary colors in our region’s sunny landscapes.
Additional vibrant colors live in our diverse urban centers. Like neon and surfboards, lowriders and pinatas, our local culture is saturated with bold, bright color.
High-Key: Color in Southern California can be enjoyed at the San Diego Art Institute through August 12, 2018.
If you visit Balboa Park this summer, you might want to check it out!
Visitor to the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park at the exhibition of High-Key: Color in Southern California.Chaparral (II), 2018, by artist Audrey Hope. Canvas and hand wound rope. Swaths of colorful fabric are suggestive of San Diego’s hilly, arid natural landscape.Green, Red-Orange, 2018, by artist Michael James Armstrong. Acrylic sheet, fluorescent light, spray paint.Untitled, 2018, by artist Joshua Moreno. Watercolor, watercolor pencil, gouache, marbling, spray paint.Cleaning Portrait; Whisk #1, 2017, by artist Claudia Cano. Acrylic on paper. A cleaning tool used by a hardworking Mexican immigrant laborer.More artwork splashed with the vibrant colors of Southern California.Rhubarb Moon, 2018, by artist John Oliver Lewis. Porcelain, acrylic.Paradise Prototype, 2018, by artist Allison Wiese. Cast sugar. Patterned concrete blocks were popular in Southern California in the 1950’s and 60’s.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
The 45th Annual San Diego Scottish Highland Games gathers the clans and the public together for a weekend of fun at Brengle Terrace Park in Vista.
This morning I headed to the 45th Annual San Diego Scottish Highland Games and Gathering of the Clans. The big Southern California event is held every year in Vista, in San Diego’s North County, at Brengle Terrace Park.
This was my first visit to any sort of Scottish Highland Games, and I wasn’t sure what to expect.
What an absolutely amazing experience!
How can I adequately explain what I saw? When I arrived I quickly reviewed the thick program, put it in my jeans pocket and just wandered about. The many sights and sounds were almost more than my brain could absorb. There was laughter, smiles and good times in every direction. There were exciting athletic games, traditional Scottish music and, of course, tasty food. And lots of history and culture, too!
I’ll let my many photos do the talking. Read the captions to learn more. If you can, head to Brengle Terrace Park tomorrow, because the weekend event continues through Sunday!
The event attracts people from around Southern California. Visitors are immersed in Scotland’s unique and colorful culture.Dozens of Scottish clans participate in the yearly gathering. Their proud history is on display in many tents on the grass.These friendly Celtic beauty queens smiled for a photo at the information tent.Gentlemen in kilts enjoy their Scottish heritage and each other’s company.The Scottish Clan and Tartan Information Center had different tartans on display, many with ancient origins.The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society was present. I forgot to go watch the dancing in the park’s Recreation Center. I’ll remember next time!Sweeney’s was selling some Irish Soda Bread and Scones, freshly baked!These friendly ladies are the Sassenachs of San Diego. They are big Outlander fans and have a cool blog! Check it out at sass3journey.comMusicians performing on the Main Stage include The Ploughboys.Strong athletes compete on the Brengle Terrace Park’s baseball field. The Scottish Heavy Athletics include Weight Toss, Weight Throw, Hammer Throw, Braemar Stone and Caber Toss.Heaving a heavy stone as far as he can!The athletes talk and rest before each takes their turn.Another stone flies! The ancient sport–Braemer Stone Put–was used for challenges of strength by early Highland Chieftains.World Champion and multiple record holder Vern Alexander lets fly! Many champions are participating in the 2018 San Diego Scottish Highland Games.A seal at the Scottish American Athletic Association table. Strive for Perfection. Settle for Excellence.This guy was retrieving a hammer that he’d thrown far across the baseball field.Here comes another attempt at a record!Some of the hammer throws nearly went over the outfield fence!Not far away, someone checks out the tent of Clan MacLellan.The Scottish American Military Society was present for the annual gathering.I saw many maps of historical Scotland, some showing heraldic coats of arms.Many beautiful crafts bore images of Scotland and the Scottish people.Real men wear kilts! Instructions show how you can make your own Scottish style Great Kilt.A Scottish drum major practices on the field, with flags flying in the background.The 42nd Black Watch Color Guard is the official guard for the San Diego Scottish Highland Games.Gentleman at the Scottish Plant Badge Society tents answers the question of a curious visitor.Different native plants are used by the Scottish clans as badges, or emblems.Some rousing entertainment draws an audience to the stage inside the beer garden.Lots of Scottish food could be enjoyed, including authentic meat pies.Two gents stride across the grass to another area of the park, where pipe bands, drummers and bagpipers compete.Different age groups compete in solo piping, drumming, and drum major for trophies.Someone stands in the distance practicing. The distinctive sound of bagpipes could be heard all around the park!The House of Scotland Pipe Band from Balboa Park joined many other groups from around Southern California for the annual competition. (I love it when they perform at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.)Good times everywhere I turn!A small group practices on the green.This larger group has just finished their practice up on the hillside.Elsewhere in Brengle Terrace Park, people were watching Sheep Dog Trials!A shepherd uses a whistle to command a sheep dog to herd four sheep.People sit on the grass and watch the fascinating herding competition. Some dogs were really good; others seemed a bit confused.Four sheep are successfully directed into a pen!Back at the athletics competition, I saw men attempting to toss a 42 pound weight over a pole vault bar, and women doing the Sheaf Toss over a bar with a pitchfork.A female contestant readies to toss the sheaf with a pitchfork.Another lets fly!This tough looking guy is going to try to fling that heavy weight over a bar high above him.I don’t recall if this guy made it!As women compete in the Braemer Stone Put, the Caber Toss competition is beginning!Those big wood poles are called cabers. They’re tossed with the objective of flipping them end-over-end, landing as straight as possible.That looks super heavy. One guy went backwards when he lost his balance.A caber goes flying. I saw one successful flip, but I don’t recall which photo shows it.Guys retrieve the heavy caber after an attempt on the baseball field.There goes another caber!A young generation of Scots keeps history alive at the San Diego Scottish Highland Games.Good memories, conversation and fellowship.Drummer for the Wicked Tinkers gets the crowd enthused as he works his way through the beer garden.A wonderful time is had at the 45th Annual San Diego Scottish Highland Games.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
A woodie with surfboard under palm trees and a shining sun. This mosaic greets people walking down the sidewalk in Solana Beach.
During my visit to Fiesta del Sol in Solana Beach last weekend, I walked around the area of Lomas Santa Fe Drive, South Cedros Avenue and Highway 101 searching for cool sights.
I found some colorful art and images of local history which I’ll now share!
Nearby Fletcher Cove was named after “Colonel” Ed Fletcher, who developed Solana Beach and contributed in the early 20th century to the history of San Diego. As businessman and politician, he was the driving force behind many important accomplishments. He created Lake Hodges and other area reservoirs; he built the plank road through the desert that connected San Diego to Yuma, Arizona; he helped save Balboa Park’s temporary buildings from the 1915 Panama-California Exposition from destruction; he raised money to purchase land for the Naval Training Station on Point Loma; he also acquired a statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo that was a gift to California from Portugal–an iconic sculpture that now stands at Cabrillo National Monument overlooking San Diego Bay.
A fascinating electrical box at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Plaza Street contains photos of Solana Beach’s origin and early history.
Grill in sidewalk marks historic U.S. Route 101 (also known as Pacific Coast Highway) where it passes through Solana Beach.An electrical box celebrates the origin and early history of Solana Beach in San Diego’s North County. Pictured on the right is Ed Fletcher.Fletcher Cove opened on July 4, 1925, giving Solana Beach easy access to the ocean. A celebration was held that included horse races along the sand.Early photo of Solana Beach, which was developed by Ed Fletcher as a commercial center for nearby Rancho Santa Fe and Del Mar.Old photos decorating the electrical box were provided by the Solana Beach Civic and Historical Society.Horses race along the beach as the opening of Fletcher Cove is celebrated.Cool mosaic artwork on Pacific Coast Highway shows marine life in the nearby ocean.An octopus.A graceful fish.Another beautiful fish made of small ceramic tiles.Nostalgic artwork on an electrical transformer on South Cedros Avenue shows people lounging on the deck of a luxurious ship.More cool street art decorates a utility box on Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach.Lose your dreams and you will lose your mind.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
How time flies! Cool San Diego Sights is almost five years old!
You might not realize it, but Cool San Diego Sights now has hundreds of unique blog posts, and thousands upon thousands of fun photos that you can explore!
One easy way to revisit old blog posts that share a particular theme or subject is to click a tag. You might be surprised by all the diverse, unexpected things you’ll discover!
As you explore my blog, you might notice there’s a whole universe of tags. You can find a handful of pertinent ones located at the bottom of each post. If you’re interested in a particular San Diego neighborhood, those tags exist, too!
There’s also a handy search box that you can use. Look for it in the sidebar.
Make exciting discoveries and have fun with me as I explore San Diego! I’m going somewhere fascinating this Saturday that very few people know about!
If you’d like, you can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Flyer contains details of The Thursday Club’s 2018 Rummage Sale in Balboa Park.
Get ready! The largest rummage sale in Southern California is taking place this weekend! It’s open free to the public and it’s going to be epic!
A simply enormous selection of antiques, clothing, books, housewares, sporting goods and more will be descended upon by eager bargain shoppers once the doors open. The Thursday Club’s annual Rummage Sale will be held March 10 and 11 inside the spacious Balboa Park Activity Center at 2145 Park Boulevard.
Proceeds from this fun event will support a host of local beneficiaries, including Balboa Park, Goodwill, the Ronald McDonald House, the San Diego Youth Symphony and San Diego Zoo Global. Over the years, the Thursday Club rummage sales have raised almost $2 million dollars for Balboa Park and a wide variety of charitable organizations.
To learn more, including the hours of the 2018 Rummage Sale and directions to the Balboa Park Activity Center, check out the flyer. Feel free to share it!
UPDATE!
I ventured up to the Activity Center on Sunday to take a quick look around on the final day and was surprised at all the good stuff still available–all at half price! Make sure you put this on your calendar for next year . . . and the year after that! All proceeds go to charity!
Just for fun, I took some photos while I walked about and browsed the various tables…
…
Are you a blogger? Do you want to help out worthy charities, and make the world a better place? You might want to join Bloggers Lifting Others Generously.
A barely visible SpaceX rocket Falcon 9 rises above Star of India, the world’s oldest active sailing ship!
My plan this cold, partly cloudy morning was to head down to San Diego’s Embarcadero to hopefully photograph today’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch.
I did manage to catch an image of the rocket’s flight, but it’s so tiny you can barely make it out! I suppose I should get a fancier, more powerful camera. Can you see the faint white streak in the above photo?
The Falcon 9 launch was from Vandenberg Air Force Base, northwest of Santa Barbara, about 280 miles from San Diego. To my naked eye, for a few seconds, I could see the minuscule rocket soar into the sky, through the rigging of the world’s oldest active sailing ship, Star of India!
Star of India, originally named Euterpe, is an iron-hulled merchant ship that was built in 1863. Driven by capricious winds, the tall ship circumnavigated the globe 21 times during her storied history.
Falcon 9 is a technologically impressive space launch vehicle. During today’s mission a reused Falcon 9 lifted Spain’s advanced radar satellite Paz into a Sun-synchronous orbit of Earth.
As the satellite effortlessly orbits our planet, it will track ships that ply the ocean–ships that trace their own proud history back to the Age of Sail, when brave vessels like Star of India pushed forward to new horizons.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
People walk past the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s building at America Plaza.
I recently noticed new thought-provoking graphics in the windows of the MCASD building at America Plaza.
Last year, a survey was taken of 100 people passing through America Plaza. Questions were asked about racial and ethnic identity. Today an outdoor display at downtown’s Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego expands on the results and explores the complicated subject.
The window graphics are designed to catch the eye and draw visitors into the nearby gallery.
This project was produced by artists with students from local colleges in San Diego and Tijuana who participated in Transnational Seminar 1, lead by Collective Magpie.
On April 20th, 100 pedestrians took a survey here in America Plaza about race and ethnicity. Self-classification data was compiled.Of the 100 surveyed, 83 answered mixed race; 14 white people; 3 people of color.Feelings about racial identity can differ from person to person.One of two panels containing some of the racial and ethnic categories that a person might choose.A splash of words, asking people walking down Kettner Boulevard what the ultimate definition of race is…People might feel differently about their racial identity depending on a range of factors and circumstances, from their appearance…to their dreams…to their immediate environment…to the way they live.Thought-provoking graphics concerning race in the windows of MCASD’s building at America Plaza.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Cool San Diego Sights! 