Colorful splash of paint on a wall. THE END IS LATE… (AND I WAS PREPARED)
The other morning I took a stroll down Ninth Avenue in downtown San Diego, from the top of Cortez Hill south to hip East Village. My camera was out and ready. Here are a few fun photos that I took as I sauntered through East Village!
Big fuzzy pink gorilla in the Car2Go window.Art that opens eyes. COFFEE IS FOR CLOSERSMessage shouted from store’s rooftop. JUICE SAVESHiatt House, 1886. A tiny place with ample charm (and history).
The Hiatt House, located in East Village near Petco Park, used to contain a cool little eatery named Café Noir. That was a few years ago. According to an article I read, during the first part of the 20th century it was home to several generations of a Japanese-American family. The grounds have also been the site of horse stables and a blacksmith’s shop, and the Latonia Hotel, a modest room-and-board for colored people back in the days of racial segregation. Today the Hiatt House serves as a psychiatrist’s office.
Humulus lupulus (hops) gracefully drape green utility boxes.
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San Diego Bay scene graces a slowly fading mural in Mission Valley.
When you ride the San Diego Trolley’s Green Line between the Old Town and Linda Vista stations, an interesting mural can be glimpsed for a moment where the tracks span the San Diego River. The public art is best viewed when walking along the San Diego River Trail, between the rail and Pacific Highway bridges. The path down by the river is fairly popular with bicycles; it is also trash-filled and tagged with graffiti. I don’t know anything about this artwork. Faded a little bit by time and the elements, the images still impart a happy glow along the seemingly neglected river trail.
UPDATE!
Turns out this mural is called “On The River Trail” and was completed in 2008. The artist who designed it is Lori Escalera. The public art comes from the San Diego River Park Foundation.
Public art along the San Diego River Trail near Pacific Highway. The Coaster train can be seen passing across one of the rail bridges.Weathered by outdoor elements, artwork still glows like an impressionist painting.Dreamy yellow sunflower painted on old wall seen by those who walk along river.A hummingbird hovers above brightly sunlit vegetation.Happy painted bicyclist greets those who travel down San Diego River Trail.Art shows painter inspired by the river’s natural beauty.This artwork was lovingly planted for future enjoyment.
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Birdwatching on north side of San Diego River, not far from Pacific Ocean.
Today I enjoyed a glorious walk. I hiked along the always life-filled San Diego River Estuary.
Beginning along the north side of the San Diego River from Friars Road, I headed west down the bicycle and jogging trail which parallels Sea World Drive. I then crossed the river over the Sports Arena Boulevard bridge and returned along the San Diego River Trail back east to Morena Boulevard.
I didn’t expect to get any decent shots of birds with my dinky little camera, but as it turned out I got lucky. While the estuary is always teeming with both migrating and native birds, most tend to gather on the small islands and mud flats a fair distance from the path.
The San Diego River Estuary is one of the best birding spots in Southern California.Great egret takes flight from river’s edge, very close to pedestrian and bike path.Hummingbird takes a rest on a twig on a sunny winter afternoon.Plenty of ducks and shore birds dot the living river throughout the year.Black-necked stilt walks through the water, perhaps watching for a meal.Looking north across blue water. Mission Bay and SeaWorld lie beyond the trees.Huge flock of seagulls takes flight from mud flat near mouth of San Diego River.A fish-hunting osprey flies above the San Diego River Estuary.
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Birds take flight above palm trees in downtown San Diego.
This is my 500th post. I can’t believe it.
When I started writing this blog on a lark about a year and a half ago, it was a puny little creation, and I hadn’t a clue where it would take me. Alas, after many hours pounding away at the old keyboard, I haven’t earned one thin dime. But that’s perfectly fine. The riches I’ve received are immaterial, and far greater.
Writing a blog–one that involves photography in particular–opens your eyes, enhances your appreciation of all that is around you. To chronicle a walk through this world, one must carefully experience each step and turn curious eyes everywhere. One must note light, depth, and the color of things. One must listen to others. If I hadn’t begun to meander about San Diego purposefully, searching for “cool” material, I might never have seen some hidden rainbows. Or a small bit of street art. Or dogs surf.
Writing a blog encourages creativity. It’s casual and conversational. There’s no need to fret too much about editing. Readers are just friends. So you can yap freely and let the mind flow. I’ve always been a fan of science fiction writer Ray Bradbury. His great book Zen in the Art of Writing talks about the power of just letting thoughts flow, uninhibited, like gushing water from a wildly whipping dangerously uncontrolled hose. That water will irrigate one’s life, and the lives of others who are splashed.
Writing a blog leads the author to be more honest. More understanding. More compassionate. More vulnerable. Writing a blog, giving birth to a few silly words, expands the soul.
Thanks for coming along on my walks!
Where will I go today? I have a bit of an idea, but I’m not certain. Time propels us forward into the unknown. If you’d like, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr!
Sculptures on display on San Diego’s Embarcadero near Tuna Harbor.
My walk early this morning took me down to Ruocco Park, just north of Seaport Village. I wanted to check out something I saw on the news that looked really interesting.
Few people were about. Sunrise was slowly brightening the sky. Ten imposing human-like sculptures rose before me. As I approached, the figures loomed larger, silent, heavy-lidded, facing the fishing boats in Tuna Harbor, and a handful of joggers passing by.
This temporary installation of public art opened yesterday to the public. Our Silences, created by Mexican sculptor Rivelino, is composed of a row of ten massive bronze figures, whose mouths are shut and silenced with a metal plate. The object of the art is to provoke thought, feeling and discussion about freedom of speech. One wonders if the small prison-like black box nearby contains a political prisoner, or someone’s trembling, innermost thoughts. This very jolting artistic statement is on display for the first time in the United States. It will remain in San Diego through March 15.
Our Silences, by Mexican artist Rivelino, concerns freedom of speech.People walk past provocative public art as day dawns near Seaport Village.This harsh black cube appears to be an oppressive prison cell.The steel box might contain someone who would like to speak.Mysterious abstract designs on backs of the human-like sculptures.Here comes the sun and another day of freedom on San Diego’s waterfront.Walking past artwork that reminds us of liberty’s precious gift.
Here’s a pic I took after a sign explaining Our Silences was installed nearby…
Sign explains Our Silences, now in San Diego. (Click to enlarge.)
Where will I walk next? Life is an adventure!
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Scooter with fringed canopy zooms past as I swing my camera to capture a sudden morning photo.
Here are a few interesting photos from another meandering walk downtown. I took these yesterday morning as I headed down from Cortez Hill to catch the trolley at the Santa Fe Depot. I know, there are closer trolley stations, but I was itching to venture outside into the world and got an early start…
Wednesday is trash pick up day in front of the House of Blues in downtown San Diego.Cool mural on a downtown building’s upper patio which, according to a security guard, is inaccessible to the general public.
From a distance that mural looks really awesome. The security guard said perhaps he’d let me onto the patio if I were swing by in the middle of a work day. According to some research on the internet, it was painted fairly recently by Maxx Moses, the same artist who created that super fantastic Ancestors street mural in Barrio Logan.
Mysterious elevated box on the sidewalk is colorfully painted with leaves.Vertically moving words on Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego don’t seem to make sense.Seward Johnson’s ‘That A Way’ sculpture at entrance of The Sofia Hotel.
Yep, that’s the same Seward Johnson who created the huge Unconditional Surrender sculpture by the USS Midway Museum. He’s best known for making life-size pieces like this one, which stands by a doorway on Broadway.
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People gaze at Monster Jam’s Party in the Pits in the Petco stadium parking lot.
I was heading back home today after walking for a couple hours along San Diego Bay. Crossing the bridge over Harbor Drive, I suddenly heard some sort of loud event over by Petco Park. I turned my head, and a big crowd of people came into view…
Crossing over Harbor Drive bridge, I heard and spied something big going on!Look at all the monster truck enthusiasts checking out cool stuff.Guys on bikes and motorcycles perform huge jumps for crowd.
After descending from the bridge, I walked around the monster truck event and took a few pics over the fence!
I don’t know the name of this monster truck, but it was definitely large!Mechanic guy near a couple of gigantic spare tires.I guess this is a driver. He was signing autographs for lots of fans.A display I could barely glimpse over the surrounding fence.A couple of vendors head from Petco Park to the Monster Jam Party in the Pits.
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January sunrise tints smooth water of San Diego Bay.
I feel so fortunate to live where I do. Early this morning I walked from Cortez Hill down to the water just to see, feel and breathe in the sunrise.
Morning light reflected jewel-like from many Point Loma windows across San Diego Bay.Sun is about to rise beyond the sleepy USS Midway. Photo taken from the Broadway Pier.Newborn daylight reflects from silvery skyscraper beyond domes of the Santa Fe Depot.As the sun lifts into the sky, birds take flight above palm trees in downtown San Diego.
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Sea Passage sculpture and fountain between Coronado City Hall and Community Center.
Whenever I walk around Coronado, or bike down the Silver Strand, I like to pass by this graceful work of art. Sea Passage, created by James T. Hubbell, adds gentle sound and sparkling color to a long park which stretches beside Glorietta Bay. The popular linear park can be found between the Hotel del Coronado’s old boathouse and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.
The fountain contains a sinuous mosaic of many small tiles. They appear to me like silvery blue scales, glittering and swimming in the flowing water. The organic form artistically connects two somewhat ordinary-looking buildings: Coronado City Hall and the Community Center.
James T. Hubbell also designed two striking works of public art on Shelter Island, which is located just north of Coronado across San Diego Bay. I’ve already blogged about Pacific Portal. One of these days I’ll write about Pearl of the Pacific.
Sea Passage was created in 2005 by sculptor James T. Hubbell.Artwork adds gentle beauty to Coronado’s park along Glorietta Bay.Seagulls like getting a drink of water from the top of this colorful fountain!
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Cool San Diego Sights! 