Tag: trees

Sculptures at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas.

Several notable works of public art welcome visitors to Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas.

During my walk yesterday I noticed five different sculptures near the hospital entrance. One sculpture was unreachable behind a construction fence, so I was able to photograph four of them.

Each had a plaque at its base.

The first reads:

THE MAYPOLE TREE BY FRITZIE URQUHART – DEDICATED BY RALYN & NATE WOLFSTEIN 2008 – IN HONOR OF NATE’S 80TH BIRTHDAY

The second reads:

THE CALDERBERRY TREE BY AMOS ROBINSON – DEDICATED BY RALYN & NATE WOLFSTEIN 2008 WITH THANKS TO GERRIT GREVE, JEFFERY LAUDENSLAGER & COOP COOPRIDER – WITHOUT WHOSE IDEAS & SUPPORT OUR SCRIPPS ARTS FOR HEALING PROGRAM WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.

The third reads:

MIKOSHI BY JEFFERY LAUDENSLAGER – DEDICATED BY RALYN AND NATE WOLFSTEIN IN HONOR OF THEIR 60TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY 2008

The fourth reads:

FAMILY TREE BY THE SEA BY CAROLYN GUERRA – AS PART OF THE ARTS FOR HEALING PROGRAM AT SCRIPPS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL ENCINITAS

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Folk dancing under the Moreton Bay Fig!

As always, Balboa Park was alive today!

Look what I stumbled upon while walking past the gigantic old Moreton Bay Fig tree, by the San Diego Natural History Museum. Folk dancing!

The Cabrillo International Folk Dancers had made the wooden platform under the massive tree their dance floor. That’s because, I was told, the Balboa Park Club ballroom, where they usually dance, was being used for another event.

Learn more about the Cabrillo International Folk Dancers and consider joining the fun group 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 Twitter!

Garden removed from San Diego’s Waterfront Park.

Much of the garden at Waterfront Park on the north side of the County Administration Building has been removed. I noticed the orange construction fencing today during my walk along San Diego’s Embarcadero.

A worker told me they’re installing new pipes. As I understand it, much of this area will then be converted into basketball and pickleball courts and other outdoor recreational facilities, which can be enjoyed by downtown residents.

I noticed the fencing protects several trees. It’s also around world-famous artist Niki de Saint Phalle’s colorful Serpent Tree sculpture. I suspect these will not be moved.

How sad the beautiful garden is going away. I took photos of the lush garden one bright morning several years ago and posted them here.

I also went on an architectural tour of Waterfront Park and learned more about the garden’s design here.

If you know more, leave a comment!

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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 Twitter!

Nature’s beauty observed above Lake Hodges.

I took this series of photographs while walking on the David Kreitzer Lake Hodges Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge. They show the beauty of nature in Spring after a winter that brought much needed rain to San Diego.

The trees in and around the lake were bright green with new spring leaves. This part of Lake Hodges had been dry for many years during a long drought, but as you can see water fed by the San Dieguito River now lingers below the bridge.

The 990 foot long bicycle and pedestrian bridge has some benches for sitting and is a great place for birdwatching. I observed egrets, crows and swallows during my short visit.

The bridge is also notable because it’s the longest stress ribbon bridge in the world! You can learn more about that 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 Twitter!

Spring green next to Interstate 15!

If you’re ever a passenger in a vehicle heading north on Interstate 15, between West Bernardo Drive and Via Rancho Parkway, look to your right and down. You might see the heads of nearby walkers and bicyclists!

A stretch of the Coast to Crest Trail follows the busy freeway right next to and about ten feet below it. On the opposite side of the trail, not far away, stand beautiful trees that line the San Dieguito River and Lake Hodges.

During the Spring these river trees turn bright green!

Today I walked from the trailhead at the south end of Sunset Drive to the place where the Coast to Crest Trail passes under Interstate 15. (And I continued on, as you’ll see in upcoming blog posts.)

The roar of freeway traffic above me to the right . . . tranquil trees, green grasses and wildflowers of the San Dieguito River Park to my left . . . and an occasional bike or two passing by . . .

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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 Twitter!

Plant trees in Balboa Park on Arbor Day!

Are you in San Diego? Do you love Balboa Park?

Do you want to plant a living legacy that generations will enjoy far into the future?

You can volunteer to help plant new trees in Balboa Park on Arbor Day! The planting event is this coming April 28th!

No special skills required. Simply sign up here.

I helped to plant a pair of young trees in Balboa Park’s USS Bennington Memorial Oak Grove earlier this year. It was a wonderful, satisfying experience. I met cool people, too!

Planting new trees is an ongoing project of Forever Balboa Park.

Sign up 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 Twitter!

Trees cut down by Seaport Village, kites fly.

Many of those big, beautiful old coral trees at Embarcadero Marina Park North near Seaport Village have been cut down. I was startled to see this development today during a sunny afternoon walk.

According to Rockman, the street performer who stacks rocks near Seaport Village, the Port of San Diego cut them down on February 25th.

According to this article, coral trees are not well-suited for the marine environment. That’s because the soil in the area around the bayfront is high in salt content, which causes the trees to dry out and potentially fall… The article also states new trees will be planted in the Fall.

Well, if there’s any positive side to be found, perhaps it’s that kite-flyers no longer have large hungry kite-eating trees to deal with. I saw many colorful kites today flying above the grass and the sad, strange sawdusty stumps.

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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 Twitter!

Lakeside’s beautiful Lindo Lake east basin!

Lindo Lake in Lakeside is a beautiful, peaceful retreat in San Diego’s East County.

Recently the lake has become even more beautiful!

A year ago when I took a walk at Lindo Lake County Park, the east basin was fenced off and closed to the public. That’s because numerous major improvements were then being made.

Today the paths around the large east basin are wide open!

Improvements include new plants and trees, wide ADA accessible pathways, scenic viewing platforms and a couple of bird-watching stations with blinds facing the water.

If I lived nearby, I’d be walking here often. There are native flowers, birds, shady trees, sunshine and the tranquil, shining water. Nearby mountains rise into blue sky.

Even on this winter’s day the lake was filled with life. (I’ll be blogging about the many birds coming up!)

I took the following photographs as I walked around Lindo Lake’s newly improved east basin…

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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 Twitter!

Balboa Park’s ornamental pear trees in bloom!

It’s late January. Balboa Park’s ornamental pear trees are in full bloom!

Like a dream, or an Impressionist painting, clouds of white flowers now fill El Prado. The ornamental pears in both Plaza de Panama and Plaza de Balboa are putting on their winter show!

Delicate blossoms fluttering down from the trees appeared to me like gently falling snowflakes…

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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 Twitter!

A short story about planting a tree.

Looking up through the leaves of the live oak trees at blue sky and clouds.

Have you ever planted a tree and realized it will probably outlive you?

That thought occurred to me a couple days ago as I helped to plant a few young oak trees in Balboa Park.

Yesterday, as I sat gazing out at San Diego Bay, I recalled how the larger oak trees in the grove had seemed so very . . . old. How they were bent and cast dark, spidery shadows. And a bittersweet story came to me.

It’s titled Dale’s Tree. There aren’t many words. I published it here.