Today is Easter. It’s spring. The sun is out in San Diego. A perfect day for a leisurely walk through Balboa Park!
What did I encounter?
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The coming of Spring was celebrated at the Old Globe today in Balboa Park!
AXIS, a community engagement program of the Old Globe, presented Celebration of Spring. The free, family-friendly event celebrated and honored local indigenous culture, their language and traditions. Front and center in the Old Globe’s outdoor Copley Plaza there was dance, singing, poetry and storytelling!
After wandering past the canopies of several vendors and organizations, I enjoyed the first part of the program, which featured dance performances by Bearpaw Native Dancers and Talent.
The above photo is of a fancy shawl butterfly dance!
A friendly greeting from folks representing AXIS!
Youthful smiles at a table featuring Our Past, Present, and Future comic books.
These optimistic, inspiring comic books were co-written by San Diego State University professor Ethan Banegas (@Ethan-Banegas), a member of the Barona Band of Mission Indians. Several creators helped to put it together!
The House of Mexico was at the event, too. I purchased a bottle of cold water. Hot again today!
An audience filled the tables at Copley Plaza as the cultural performances continued.
Those present were invited to join a Round Dance honoring mothers. The percussion simulated the heartbeat you heard before birth inside your mother.
In spring the life of the world is reborn.
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San Diego Pysanka Festival 2026 was held today in Balboa Park. The event was hosted by the House of Ukraine. Participants gathered in the Santa Fe Room at the Balboa Park Club building.
What is Pysanka? It the tradition of egg decoration in Slavic cultures. You’ve no doubt observed beautifully, intricately decorated eggs in museums or elsewhere. The San Diego Pysanka Festival allowed visitors to view the craft up close, learn its history, purchase finished eggs, and even participate in pysanka creation workshops!
As this Wikipedia article explains: The pysanka (Ukrainian: писанка, писанки (pl.)) itself, a wax-resist type egg, is one of Ukraine’s national symbols, and is known throughout the world.
Why the festival now? It’s almost spring and Easter is coming. These are the original Easter eggs!
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We might be in the middle of winter, but spring will be here before you know it, and birds will be looking to build their nests.
If you’d like to construct a nesting box for your yard or as a community project, how can you make one that bird’s will like, choose and use?
Some useful information is posted in downtown San Diego at the Tweet Street linear park atop Cortez Hill. If you’re into DIY and like to use saw, hammer and nails, here goes:
The wood should not be painted. If you use a nontoxic stain, use lighter colors–sun on dark colors might make the box too hot. Natural wood is excellent.
The entry hole must be sized for the bird you wish to attract, and raised from the nesting box floor to accommodate a nest. Small ventilation holes at the top keep the inside of the nesting box cool.
A slanted roof will allow water to run off, keeping the birds living inside the nesting box dry.
Have a side panel that opens for monitoring and cleaning when the box is not in use.
Put up your box before birds begin to look for suitable nesting sites. (And put it well above the ground somewhere the birds feel safe.)
After the nesting season, use the side panel to clean out the old nest. Ready your nesting box for birds to roost in during the fall and winter, or the following spring.
If you’d like to see photographs of the many cleverly designed birdhouses in Tweet Street Park (and they’re pretty amazing), click here!
As you build your own unique bird house, have fun and be safe!
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A beautiful native plant garden can be enjoyed at the Sikes Adobe Farmhouse in Escondido. The garden is on the grounds of the historic farmstead, directly next to the San Dieguito River Park’s long Coast to Crest Trail.
I visited the native plant garden during a walk today and took these photographs. I noticed a sign indicating it was an Eagle Scout Service Project, undertaken in 2021 by Matthew VanderVorst of Escondido Troop 668.
It’s late Spring, so many flowers are in bloom. Signs identify the plants, which include Monkey Flower, Deerweed, Bladder Pod, Black Sage, White Sage, California Buckwheat, Shaw’s Agave, Coastal Prickly Pear, and others.
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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.
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It’s Memorial Day weekend in San Diego. As one might expect, the crowds in Balboa Park are large. Today the late spring weather was perfect for a sunny Sunday walk through our beautiful park.
As I wandered about, I discovered several signs that Memorial Day has arrived.
In the early afternoon I noticed a huge thirteen star Betsy Ross version of the Flag of the United States was being hung from one of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion’s colonnades. The flag was furnished by the San Diego Chapter SAR (Sons of the American Revolution.)
Unfortunately, wind gusts were creating an insurmountable problem and the flag was taken down before the two o’clock organ concert began. I’ve been informed another attempt to use the flag will be made during the upcoming Independence Day organ concert on Sunday, July 6, 2025.
Dale Sorenson, curator of the Spreckels Organ, was wearing a patriotic red, white and blue tie as he introduced the Sunday afternoon concert. Music selected was appropriate for Memorial Day weekend. There were–count them–five John Philip Sousa marches!
During the United States Armed Forces Medley, San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez asked audience members to stand who were Veterans. Those who stood received grateful applause.
Another perfect San Diego day…
Lawn bowlers were active out on Balboa Park’s West Mesa…
The Southern California Plumeria Society had a Cutting Sale inside the Casa del Prado…
Lots of tickets were being sold for the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad!
The San Diego History Center has a pop-up exhibit concerning Memorial Day in San Diego. There are interesting historical photographs to look at, such as:
A couple of cool guys were breakdancing near the Timken Museum of Art!
A Senior Arts Exhibition can be freely enjoyed in Gallery 21 of the Spanish Village Arts Center through June 2, 2025.
Musicians were performing on the grass at one end of the International Cottages…
Memorial Day is the final day of the San Diego International Fringe Festival. One of the festival venues is Balboa Park’s Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater.
A video playing inside the House of USA cottage is about Memorial Day. It honors those in the United States military who made the ultimate sacrifice.
As a writer, I’m very thankful for Liberty, and I have a deep appreciation for those who’ve defended it.
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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.
Feel free to share!
It’s springtime in San Diego, and the Sri Chinmoy Peace Garden in North Park is in full bloom!
Sri Chinmoy was a spiritual leader from India who taught meditation in the United States. What better place to meditate but in a place of tranquil beauty.
The Sri Chimnoy Peace Garden was established in 2013 and includes a statue of the spiritual leader and benches for quiet sitting.
The small garden, located off Adams Avenue just east of Arizona Street, has been maintained by the San Diego Sri Chimnoy Centre, which according to Google is permanently closed. As a sign explains, the natural setting is intended to enhance the beauty of the area and offer the community a place for reflection.
Spring is a time for renewal–perhaps for the soul as well.
Sri Chinmoy – STUDENT OF PEACE – CHAMPION OF THE INDOMITABLE SPIRIT OF MANKIND
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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.
Feel free to share!
Easter Sunday, for many, is a day full of promise, joy, new life.
As I walked through Balboa Park early this afternoon, I could see in many open faces a love of life. Laughter and smiles. Delighting in the sunshine. Soaking in our world’s beauty and the bright colors of spring.
I wandered about without any destination in mind…
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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.
Feel free to share!
You can tell Spring has arrived in and around Seaport Village!
During my walk today, as I enjoyed the warm San Diego sunshine, I found bright flowers, colorful kites flying above Embarcadero Marina Park North, and a huge yellow duck!
I asked a shopkeeper why a giant inflatable duckie has appeared in Seaport Village. She just assumed it was the time of year. Makes sense to me!
I looked for ducklings in the Seaport Village pond, but didn’t find any. I did observe a duck taking a springtime nap.
Shorts and other beach attire have appeared outside shop doors…
Bird poop must be periodically cleaned off Morning, a sculpture created by renowned San Diego artist Donal Hord. Seagulls like perching on the head. (Imagine how the droppings appear. Yuck.)
The Beach Bunny Kite Festival will be taking place at Seaport Village this Saturday, April 12, 2025, from 1 to 4 pm. (I wonder–is the Beach Bunny a friend of Surfing Santa?)
Today was the perfect day to go fly a kite…or many kites!
You know it’s Spring if the American Academy of Neurology is in town for their big convention. Seaport Village, the San Diego Convention Center, and the surrounding area was swarming with attendees.
You can always count on Alamo Flags to have seasonal banners outside on display! Easter Sunday is less than two weeks away.
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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.
Feel free to share!
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.
Feel free to share!
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