For years, the city’s official Christmas tree was camped out in Alamo Plaza. In more recent years the official tree has been stationed in Travis Park.
The Alamo still has its own Christmas tree and the Riverway, as always, glitters at night with holiday lights.
Muralists took over the old Healy-Murphy Park on Nolan Street in San Antonio on Saturday.
This is just east of where McCullough becomes Nolan as it passes under Interstate 37 near downtown.
Organizers called it the largest outdoor gallery in Texas.
The theme of the art is the history and tradition of the Barrio Logan neighborhood in San Diego.
Most of the murals are painted on the infrastructure of a major highway interchange where Interstate 5 meets the road to the Balboa Bridge. Because of that, many of the surfaces are not proper rectangles. It’s interesting to see how the artists work with some odd angles and bridge supports that often are not exactly vertical or horizontal. Some of the murals are even painted on the bottom of the highway – or the ceiling of the park depending on how you look at it.
There is a parking area at the park, a few places to sit, a fountain, a small playground for kids and restrooms (even the restrooms have murals). There are also some neighborhood restaurants within walking distance.
SanDiego.org article on Chicano Park
chicano-park.com Chicano Park Steering Committee
On one of my recent evenings at Pacific Beach in San Diego, California, there were just enough clouds to make for an interesting sunset.
I realize I get carried away with taking sunrise and sunset photos. But for someone who doesn’t live near the beach, why not make the most of the sun sinking over the waves.
In my younger days, I learned to surf here. Many years ago a surfing instructor told me “we don’t have many sharks this time of year.” Thanks dude.
The Pacific Beach neighborhood north of Mission Bay includes a huge sandy beach and lots of nearby restaurants, bars and of course t-shirt shops.
My chosen destination was Julian, California – a little more than an hour drive northeast of San Diego.
Starting out from my base in Pacific Beach, I headed east on Interstate-8. That part is a pretty routine drive through the suburbs.
The interesting part starts when you head north on Highway 79. You drive through the mountains that are certainly not on par with the Rockies, but the elevation in the Cuyamaca Mountains does rise above 4,000 feet. There are plenty of warning signs of 15- 20- or 25-mile-per-hour curves.
Along the way you pass Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. To the east you can see the Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
The black birds are the Brandt’s Cormorant. The most common seagulls are the Western Gull.
Of course there are plenty of pelicans.
inaturalist.org: Wildlife of La Jolla Cove
You can’t miss the pelicans with their large bodies, long beaks and huge wingspans.
According to Google, La Jolla Cove in San Diego is a regular hangout for California Brown Pelicans. At one time these were endangered, but not anymore.
National Park Service: California Brown Pelican
Seals or sea lions? LaJolla.com
To help out: sealconservancy.org
