Glorious sun and clouds through trees high above Mission Valley.
I’m going through thousands of photographs stored in my computer this morning. I’ve found a number of beautiful nature shots taken over the past year or so.
Sometimes I can be in a hurry (or feeling a bit lazy) and I don’t properly label or categorize my images. I’m not sure exactly where I captured a couple of these. Somewhere around San Diego . . .
I’d like to thank those of you who follow this blog. I know there’s loads of stuff on the internet, and a whole lot of San Diego websites that are slicker and more professional. I’m just a regular guy and my amateur photo blog is nothing more than a work of joy. And a way for me to see this complex world more closely as I walk around the city. I hope that together, in the weeks and months ahead, we experience even more beauty and many more Cool San Diego Sights!
Now I’m off on a leisurely Sunday walk. Where will I go? I haven’t decided yet! I guess I’ll begin by stepping out the door . . .
One tiny part of a vast, intricate, simply wonderful world.Dazzling bits of stone (and a couple pieces of broken glass) in the water of Mission Bay.Colorful leaves inside Balboa Park’s Botanical Building.Complex, dramatic clouds above our fair city.Delicate natural beauty seen during a hike in Mission Trails Regional Park.A pure white egret on a branch by the shining San Diego River.Crashing water meets wet, smooth stones on the ocean shore in La Jolla.A shapely succulent in Balboa Park. Nature produces another marvel.Beautiful clouds and blue sky above San Diego Bay.I took this photo yesterday walking along Friars Road as I approached the San Diego River estuary. A few droplets cling to green leaves.Photo of a beautiful pink rose taken during a walk somewhere in 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!
Do you enjoy beautiful things? Please visit my other fun photography blog which I call A Small World Full of Beauty.
Many ordinary people came out today to help clean up the San Diego River Estuary.
Lots of good people volunteered to clean up the San Diego River Estuary today. Some took to kayaks, others walked along the shoreline, filling bags with nasty litter and debris. The river estuary, emptying into the Pacific Ocean between Mission Bay and Ocean Beach, is a very important wetland in this region, and millions of birds rely on it during their migrations. Small bits of trash ingested by birds and other wildlife can be fatal.
The estuary cleanup was organized by The San Diego River Park Foundation. Kayakers are permitted to enter the San Diego River Estuary only one time every year–during this special event. I walked along the river and saw what ordinary people can achieve when working unselfishly for the good of our world.
A sign directs people to the river cleanup.Beautiful white clouds are reflected in the calm water of the San Diego River as it approaches the ocean.Many birds make the river and its mud flats their home, including ducks, herons and egrets.A photographer captures images of waterfowl swimming through grass down the river.My camera isn’t quite so fancy, but I did get an okay photo of this snowy egret!As I walked west along the San Diego River, I noticed a number of kayaks out on the water.A sign by the river describes the problem of stormwater pollution. During rains, a good deal of runoff enters the estuary, carrying all sorts of pollutants and trash. (I had to really alter this photograph so we could make out what the old sign says. Click the image to enlarge it.)A cleanup volunteer with a kayak is arriving!Plastic bags in these kayaks have been filled with garbage found in the river. I learned much of it was snagged in the grass.Dozens of caring people were on the rocky river shore, looking for trash.San Diego is fortunate to have many thoughtful people, concerned about our environment.Volunteering is often a family affair, teaching the next generation about generosity and responsibility.This guy was carrying his kayak back to his car.Another guy showed me the trash he collected. He said he found a variety of garbage. Some flows downstream. Some of it is windblown. Some comes from Interstate 5 and other bridges which cross the river nearby.A tent where people can sign up to volunteer and learn more about The San Diego River Park Foundation.From the mountains to the ocean, we care for the San Diego River!Sadly, the river isn’t healthy. A grade is assigned each year based upon trash, water quality and the extent of invasive plants.Sign shows volunteering possibilities. (Click these sign images to read–they will enlarge.)Picking up garbage and readying kayaks underneath the West Mission Bay Bridge.Collected trash was placed in a nearby dumpster.Smiles in the San Diego sunlight. A perfect day to make our world cleaner, healthier and more beautiful.Kayakers launch into the San Diego River during a special event to clean the estuary.
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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!
A strange liquid falls from the sky in San Diego. What is it?
Umbrellas! In San Diego! My eyes must be deceiving me!
Who said it never rains in Southern California? Whoever that was, they must not have been downtown this morning!
It’s only water. Perhaps those of us who live in sunny San Diego can cope. Most of these smart convention center visitors brought umbrellas!Honest-to-goodness rain has returned this winter, hopefully putting an end to our ongoing drought.Umbrellas have sprouted like colorful flowers in the rain!
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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!
A broken chain at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
These photos taken at the Maritime Museum of San Diego tell a story. It’s that never-ending tale of human struggle against the elements.
Rope and chain. Ancient inventions.A tale of human struggle against the elements.Waiting for an outstretched hand, a critical moment.An anchor above calm water.Instruments of control in a stormy world. Rope, chain and anchor.Life clings to chains. Rust devours chains.A strained connection.Necessary chains. Rusty chains large and small.Human endeavor.Ropes cast aside, perhaps hurriedly.Ordered ropes, to harness gusts above.New strength.Bent steel, neat coils, in a tangle of untouchable dark shadows.Worm, Parcel and Serve! A never-ending story of human ambition, battling water, sun, salt and wind.Tarring at the museum.New bonds, prepared.A strange sculpture, or a potent symbol.A wrestle.
This is a story of struggle with many pages. The unconquerable antagonist in every chapter is Time.
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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!
Someone gazes from the Broadway Pier across the water toward Coast Guard Air Station San Diego, whose buildings shine, reflecting early morning sunlight.
I was surprised at the number of beautiful photos I was able to capture this morning during my leisurely walk out on the Broadway Pier. All was quiet. The sun was rising…
The sun is about to rise above a part of the San Diego skyline.A gull glides over still water.Early morning light turns active aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) golden. It is docked at Naval Air Station North Island.Colorful reflection on San Diego Bay of the USS Midway Museum, seen from the Broadway Pier.Bronze plaques create an historical timeline as one walks toward the pier’s end. The construction of the Broadway Pier took place in 1913.An exquisitely beautiful seagull feather on the wet concrete at my feet.Someone rides out to the end of the Broadway Pier early one Friday morning. Few people are about.Water droplets cling to the metal seats and tables at the end of the Broadway Pier.Three large maps on the Broadway Pier show the shape of San Diego Bay in different eras. This outline of the modern bay shows where I now stand on the Embarcadero!Beautiful clouds and morning light on blue water frame a United States Coast Guard Cutter in the middle of San Diego Bay.A dreamlike vision one morning at San Diego’s magical Broadway Pier.
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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!
One of several small waterfalls at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park.
Today I went to the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park. I’m a new member.
After walking along the beautiful stream in the garden’s canyon, and crossing a few bridges, I sat down at a table overlooking the moat and magnificent waterfall near the Inamori Pavilion. And I pulled out my notebook.
A story came to me at once. From where, I don’t know. Perhaps from the falling water. Perhaps from the water’s voice. I really don’t know.
The story is about grieving, the passage of time and release. It’s just a tiny, tiny little story, but I think it might strike deeply. You can read it very quickly on one of my other blogs, Short Stories by Richard, by simply clicking here. If you like it, there are ten other very short stories that you might also enjoy. Just click around.
I’ll be sitting at that table often this year. So I’m positive coming stories will also be filled with beauty, hope and joy. The garden inspires those things, most of all.
Oh–I recently provided a quick photo tour of the Japanese Friendship Garden on my blog Beautiful Balboa Park. You can check out those posts here and here.
Early this morning I took a walk along gentle San Diego Bay. A few birds circled nearby. Light on the water danced, intensified, became blue like the sky…
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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!
Brown pelicans come in for a landing on a cliff near La Jolla Cove.
Yesterday I spent some time at one of the most beautiful places in San Diego. I walked along the cliffs near La Jolla Cove, just taking in the fresh ocean breeze, sunshine and scenery.
I managed to get several fun photographs of pelicans and gulls flying above the water and perched on the rocks.
Sea birds fly along the water’s edge as the surf breaks. The cliffs of Torrey Pines stretch in the distance.A pelican and gull share a cliff above the turbulent, foaming Pacific Ocean.A seagull descends gracefully with outstretched wings.Photo of pelican standing on a dark rock provides interesting contrast.
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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 chance to enjoy Anthony’s at the waterfront. 70 years of great memories and seafood at Anthony’s Fish Grotto, which will close on January 31, 2017.
Time is running out. Anthony’s Fish Grotto on San Diego’s waterfront will be closing at the end of next January. The restaurant has produced fond memories for millions of people over the course of its 70 year history. You have one last chance to enjoy this wonderful, unique place before it’s torn down.
Next year, the Brigantine will introduce a new restaurant at this scenic location, right next to the Star of India. I was told by a gentleman who sells art on the sidewalk nearby that the new Brigantine building is now under construction, and will be brought in across San Diego Bay on a ship or barge. That would certainly be a sight to behold!
Late yesterday morning I walked down to the Embarcadero to devour some french fries and a yummy tuna melt at Anthony’s outdoor Fishette. I sat on the wood deck dipping my fries in tartar sauce and breathing in the fresh air. I simply gazed out at the water. Pleasant visions floated on the sparkling blue, including a visiting cruise ship and San Diego Yacht Club sailboats. Between licking my fingers, I took a few photos.
Anthony’s has been a fixture on San Diego’s Embarcadero for 70 years. But their lease ran out and the Brigantine will soon build a new restaurant at this location.I’ve stood in this line many times. This is a favorite spot for tourists and locals alike.Eating seafood on benches inside a protected area of the informal outdoor Fishette, over the gently lapping water of San Diego Bay.Funny sign over the Fishette soda machine shows two fish in love.I’ll attest that Mama Ghio’s secret tartar sauce is a tasty concoction!Anthony’s Fish Grotto opened in 1946, right after World War II. I remember eating here many times as a child.Another photo of the small casual Fishette. I prefer dining outside, but many enjoy the more formal Fish Grotto restaurant, which occupies the interior of the building.In my opinion, some of the best seats in San Diego.A gull was patiently watching my fries.Activity on San Diego Bay included a refueling cruise ship. Those guys in the boat fishing were being watched by a circling sea lion.Here comes the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s historic Pilot boat, out on a harbor tour. Those sailboats racing in the distance belong to the San Diego Yacht Club.I love this place. It will be sad to see it go. (In this photo you can see the concrete posts where the Fish Grotto’s boat dock used to be. It was destroyed in that ferocious El Nino windstorm that I blogged about in early February.)Another beautiful day on the Embarcadero. Time marches on.
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A sailor and a sweetheart have a special date ahead. I discovered plenty of life on San Diego’s Embarcadero late this afternoon.
My walk late this afternoon along the Embarcadero was as wonderful as ever. The weather was mild, everyone was enjoying life, and I was fortunate to make a cool discovery or two. As you can see in these photos, romance was in the air. And adventure beckoned. Or at least, it felt that way.
Pedestrians and a flag-draped pedicab approach the famous tall ship Star of India docked at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.A member of the Navy Band enters the Berkeley steam ferry for a special Saturday evening performance at the Maritime Museum.A new exhibit by renowned photographer Kathryn Mussallem opened today at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. It’s a Sailor’s Life for Me – At work, play and homecoming.Visitor atop the Star of India’s forecastle has his picture taken among sails.People enjoy a late afternoon laugh while sitting above the water, feeling free, at the very edge.A group waits for sunset above San Diego Bay. They have gathered on the deck of Anthony’s Fish Grotto.A cruise ship slowly turns, preparing to depart San Diego.Tourists walk along the slowly darkening Embarcadero while a cruise ship moves across the bay, heading into night on the Pacific Ocean.Jet aircraft high up on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum, shortly before dark.Day nears an end. The fishing boats at Tuna Harbor quietly float beneath a painted sky.People stroll out on the pier near Seaport Village while gulls circle overhead and the western sky changes color.Silhouetted diners enjoy early evening at the Pier Cafe.A glorious, glowing sunset turns the clouds orange and red. Visitors linger near the water at Seaport Village in San Diego.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Cool San Diego Sights! 