Looking at the extensive exhibit last weekend, I learned how Donald Takayama at the age of twelve moved from Hawaii to Southern California, having been invited to work at a Venice Beach surf shop, shaping boards. He was paid to wear a company logo on his shirt while surfing. Wikipedia states he may have been the world’s first professional surfer.
Takayama would move to Encinitas and then Oceanside, and continue to gain international fame shaping boards. He also would win many surfing competitions, including three consecutive Masters titles in the US Surfing Championships.
More impressively, he would win the hearts of many in the community. He was beloved by friends and family and surfers all over; he mentored future champions; and he even taught his friend, San Diego Chargers legend Junior Seau–also an Oceanside resident–how to surf.
Surfer Magazine named Donald Takayama one of 25 surfers who changed the sport. He has been inducted into the International Surfboard Builder Hall of Fame.
Visitors to the California Surf Museum will observe how one person changed the world around him in so many positive ways. They will see the enduring achievements of a great man.
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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!
There’s a big party today in downtown San Diego. It’s home Opening Day for the San Diego Padres!
(As I type this the Padres lead the World Champion Braves 9-0!)
I walked through the Gaslamp Quarter and East Village in the early morning, and again after work while the game was already underway.
In addition to some cool lowriders, I saw fans hanging around Petco Park, coming together to watch the game around food and drink, enjoying the early evening, and anticipating a big 2022 baseball season!
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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!
Lots of excited San Diego baseball fans were converging on Petco Park to watch the first Padres game (which is being played in Arizona) on the big screen at Gallagher Square. Before the game began, some favorite Padres legends–including Hoffy, Randy Jones and Uncle Teddy–were talking baseball and the new season.
I walked randomly around to capture a little bit of the excitement. After checking out the ballpark, and parts of East Village and the Gaslamp, I headed home. But I did capture a few fun photographs!
(As I post these photos, Pads have taken a 1-0 lead over the D-Backs! Go Padres!)
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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!
There are many reasons for optimism this year when it comes to our San Diego Padres baseball team. The potential is there for a very successful 2022 season.
And Opening Day is only a couple weeks away!
I walked around Petco Park this morning and in the early evening, just to see what preparations might be underway.
From Gallagher Square I noticed the bright green field looks immaculate. Walking around the ballpark, I saw that many new signs and graphics are coming.
What I also discovered was the Padres plan to shine!
Because it’s now TIME TO SHINE!
UPDATE!
I saw a huge, very cool Time to Shine mural on Petco Park after the season had begun.
As I finally get around to posting this newer photo in mid-June, the Padres are in first place, half a game ahead of the Dodgers!
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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!
Last year, an incredible mural debuted outside the House of Boxing Training Center in Paradise Hills. Ground Floor Murals painted legendary boxers Canelo Álvarez and Manny Pacquiao on the building’s north wall, by a small parking lot.
I took these photos a couple weekends ago when I walked through the neighborhood.
Parked cars and bright sun shining down directly above the roofline made photography difficult, so I captured the spray painted artwork up close. I’ve added contrast with my graphics editor.
Check it out!
Mexican boxer Canelo Álvarez art by Ground Floor Murals at the House of Boxing in Paradise Hills, San Diego.Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao art by Ground Floor Murals at the House of Boxing in Paradise Hills, San Diego.
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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!
It’s a brand new month! Time to look back five years!
In February 2017, Cool San Diego Sights featured a variety of interesting photographs. Looking back, I see that my first old (now retired) PowerShot camera was particularly busy at several sports related events.
There was the 2nd Annual Ocean Beach Pier Surf Classic, the big Celebrate San Diego event at Petco Park that promoted many of our city’s sports teams, and the Celebration of Champions at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista.
I’ve assembled the following blog posts from February 2017. Some of my photography wasn’t the greatest years ago, but you still might enjoy traveling back in time!
To enjoy photographs from five years ago, click the following links…
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.
Have you seen the cool Trevor Hoffman mural painted on the rear wall of Hansen Surfboards in Encinitas?
I finally did!
Ground Floor Murals painted this San Diego Padres mural last November.
So far, I’ve photographed their Tony Gwynn, Fernando Tatis, Jr., Manny Machado and Yu Darvish murals. Click the links to see the photos and learn more about these talented artists. Their awesome Padres baseball player murals are located all around San Diego!
For many years, Trevor Hoffman held the all-time pitching saves record in Major League Baseball. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Go Pads!
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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!
Very strangely, football goal posts rise in Petco Park near first base. (So reaching first must now mean three points!)
As I walked through Gallagher Square this morning, I saw this peculiar remnant from a football game that was never played. When UCLA backed out of the 2021 Holiday Bowl a few hours before the game, many were shocked and extremely disappointed.
I suppose we’ll soon see Petco Park back in its usual configuration.
An interesting experiment–playing a football game in this baseball ballpark–will now most likely never occur. SnapDragon Stadium in Mission Valley should be completed and ready for football by next holiday season.
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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!
Does anybody know the history of this old mural in Escondido? It decorates the east side of the Conrad Prebys Escondido Branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego.
During a walk through Escondido last weekend, I photographed this colorful mural from the distant sidewalk. It appears to be a mosaic made of small tiles. Youth are depicted reading, playing basketball, and engaged in other activity. The artwork is dated 1976. Tiles spell out two clear signatures: A. Dluhos and T. Pardue.
After some internet searching, I believe the first artist is Andre Dluhos, and the second is Terry Pardue. I’m pretty sure about the second name, because I read this article.
Andre Dluhos was born in 1940 in eastern Czechoslovakia and moved to the United States in 1969.
If anyone out there knows anything about this nearly half century old mural, please leave a comment.
It would be fascinating to learn more about it, and the artists, too!
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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!
Cool San Diego Sights! 