A disassembled 1927 Boeing FB-5 ended up as a box of parts. Almost one hundred years later, volunteer aviation enthusiasts in San Diego opened the box, then got to work in machine shops to recreate the very rare aircraft.
The reassembled FB-5 made its debut in 2022!
I saw this historical fighter in all its restored glory during my recent visit to Aerofest at the San Diego Air & Space Museum’s Gillespie Field Annex in El Cajon.
I was told that eventually this FB-5 will be exhibited at the world-famous museum in Balboa Park. A sign explained it’s one of about a dozen airplanes “built from scratch” in the museum’s extensive collection.
…
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 people you see in these photographs are extremely fortunate. They are the volunteer crew members of the Star of India, world’s oldest active sailing ship.
Next weekend, after a break of five years, the historic tall ship will be sailing from its home at the Maritime Museum of San Diego and out into the Pacific Ocean.
Today was the crew’s last chance to practice handling the ship before actually putting to sea–they must manipulate yards and sails very quickly and carefully. The iron-hulled Star of India, built in 1863, has no engine. And it’s a world treasure.
I stood on deck this morning, watching the crew members hard at work, feeling very envious.
A docent stood by me and we talked a bit. He gets to go out on the Star of India next weekend along with the many crew members. As he explained, the upcoming journey out of San Diego Bay is truly the world’s rarest, most desired cruise.
Want to go on that rare cruise in the future? You can volunteer at the Maritime Museum of San Diego and become a crew member!
…
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)!
This Saturday, November 4, visitors to Balboa Park can pick up a free tree sapling to plant at home. The distribution of free trees is part of Forever Balboa Park’s two-day event Plant It Forward 2023: Growing Our Urban Forest.
Forever Balboa Park will be handing out 100 tree saplings in the Plaza de Panama from 9 am to noon. (First come first served, one sapling per household.) In the afternoon there will be a park cleanup that you can join, if you’d like.
Learn about the Plant It Forward event, the free trees and park cleanup by visiting this website. (You’ll also find videos about tree planting, choosing the appropriate tree, and more.)
Help grow San Diego’s urban forest! Plant your own shady, beautiful tree!
…
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)!
How much do you know about the history of El Cajon?
Step into the Knox House Museum and you’ll be transported back in time. You’ll experience what life was like for El Cajon’s first settlers and its early residents.
You’ll learn how, in 1876, Amaziah Knox built a residence and hotel in the seeming middle of nowhere. Rising two stories tall, boasting seven rooms, it was the first commercial structure in El Cajon.
You’ll walk through the parlor, kitchen, living room, sewing room, and bedrooms, furnished as they might have been from 1895 to 1912. You’ll see original objects that were owned by the Knox family, plus many old photographs of El Cajon taken during its early years..
The El Cajon Historical Society operates the free Knox House Museum and welcomes visitors with a great tour of the old house. Check out their website for the location, open days and hours.
My own visit last Saturday was an eye-opener. I peered at photos of a very early El Cajon, with its small handful of structures. I learned that the hotel was cleverly built in a popular camping place for teamsters, miners, and drovers traveling to the Julian gold mines after 1870.
I saw how the hotel and the young city expanded, and how agriculture played an important role in the growing prosperity. Grapes covered many acres in one old photo. They were dried and exported as raisins.
I learned how the home’s parlor served as El Cajon’s very first post office, with Mr. Knox the official Postmaster.
Did you know the United States Cavalry was once stationed in El Cajon, and that El Cajon and Lakeside boasted a stagecoach line?
No? You should visit the museum! Or check out their informative website by clicking here.
My tour guide Rick told me the historical society is looking for new volunteers. Do you live in El Cajon or East County? Would you like to help keep this important history alive? Contact the El Cajon Historical Society here.
Or consider a donation. Worthy organizations like this are struggling, especially after the disruptions caused by COVID.
One last thing. The El Cajon Historical Society is eager to teach young people about the fascinating history of this city they call home. They are offering a slide show for local classrooms! Do you know any teachers? Pass the word!
…
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 lighting of the Norfolk Island pine (star pine) at 4th and C Street, an Encinitas Heritage Tree, is anticipated by many families every holiday season. Hundreds turn out and count down to the moment when the tree’s cheerful Christmas lights flick on.
As I walked past the Encinitas Historical Society’s old 1883 Schoolhouse today, I noticed volunteers laying out new strands for the tree’s Christmas lights!
I learned that the enormous pine requires 18 strands, each 110 feet long. The combined strands will support a total of 1600 lights!
The friendly volunteers filled my ears with many old stories, and explained how Louie led the effort to decorate the tree 29 years ago. This Heritage Tree, which they call Louie’s Tree, is a little over 70 years old.
The lighting of the Heritage Tree in 2023, I’m told, will feature four children’s choirs. The program will take place on December 1, from 4 to 6 pm. You can’t miss the beautiful tree. It stands high above Moonlight Beach, a bit south of the main parking lot.
Almost 2000 feet of Christmas lights will be wound around its branches!
…
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!
…
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)!
Crew members of San Diego’s world-famous tall ship Star of India were training today for her upcoming journey into the wide Pacific Ocean!
Accompanied by a fleet of beautiful sailboats and Maritime Museum of San Diego vessels, Star of India will sail out beyond Point Loma on November 11th and 12th, 2023, to celebrate her 160th birthday!
This morning I stood on the Embarcadero watching the sail crew hauling at lines, raising a sail, and practicing the complicated dance that is required to maneuver the world’s oldest active sailing ship. The crew will be training each Sunday up until the big weekend next month.
If you want to buy tickets for Star of India’s historic sail, go to the Maritime Museum website here.
Enjoy my photographs, taken from the nearby boardwalk…
…
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)!
Nearly 5 acres of San Diego River habitat in Mission Valley will be undergoing restoration through 2024. I saw this sign while walking down the San Diego River Trail this afternoon.
Invasive plants will be removed in a stretch north of the river, south of Fashion Valley. According to the sign, non-native species that will removed include the Brazilian pepper tree, Canary Island date palm, Mexican fan palm, eucalyptus and pampas grass.
This is a project of the San Diego River Park Foundation, Urban Corps of San Diego County, and the Fashion Valley mall.
Learn more about this and other river projects, and possibly help out as a volunteer, by clicking here!
…
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 variety of antique wagons that have survived for over a century are being restored in Escondido!
During my walk late this morning through Grape Day Park, I noticed several gentlemen hovering about the wagonworks and wheelwright shop, which is located on the Escondido History Center’s Heritage Walk. They were working with the restored undercarriage of an old delivery wagon, and painting its wagon wheels.
I was informed that, over the years, many different carts and wagons have been restored by skilled volunteers at the Bandy Blacksmith & Wheelwright Shop. Brought in from many places, these horse-drawn vehicles from the Old West have been saved from the decay caused by time and weather.
A friendly gentleman showed me photos of wagons that have been restored. He then opened the nearby Penner Barn to show me the rebuilt body of the old delivery wagon, that will be fitted with the red undercarriage and wheels.
A year ago I peered into the working blacksmith and wheelwright shop and posted that blog here.
As I regarded the interesting operations around me, a pick-up truck approached, hauling an antique spring wagon! The spring wagon will become a new outdoor exhibit, to be enjoyed by visitors exploring the Heritage Walk.
…
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!
Shelter Island is one of the most beautiful spots in sunny San Diego.
Today, as I walked along Shelter Island’s linear Shoreline Park, I noticed two volunteers working around colorful blooms in a flower bed. They were making the bayside park even more beautiful!
Theresa and Steve are both members of the Point Loma Association’s volunteer Mean Green Team. When they saw me taking photographs of the flowers, they immediately greeted me with big smiles.
I learned that they and other Mean Green Team members maintain about ten garden spaces along Shelter Island. They not only work to make this part of Point Loma more beautiful, but they brighten the world that we all live in.
I learned Theresa was born in China, grew up in Taiwan, and is very grateful to live in the United States. She’s an author! One of her books, titled Americans the Beautiful, provides portraits of many wonderful friends. In her book’s Acknowledgments, she writes: Thank you for showing and sharing how you applied yourself to achieve wonderful dreams for humanity, creativity, entrepreneurship, independence and inspiration.
Cool San Diego Sights! 