Back in the 'Hood

Imperial Beach

We stuck to the local excitement today. A beach hazard statement warning of surf 4 to 6 feet and a high grip current risk has been issued.  A few hardy surfer dudes ignored this.  I can see the temptation to ride those 6 foot waves.  I ventured out near the waves in an attempt to capture the light filtering through.  All I really got was soaked sneakers.  Waves galore at Flickr.

Sketch of the Day: Beach Stones

 

The Jewel

 

Surf, La Jolla

La Jolla has one of the most beautiful coast lines I have seen.  It rivals Maine's and New Zealand's.  I especially like the white foam that remains from the waves.  I want to attempt to paint this. The area known as the Children's Pool, has been the site of years' long local disputes over seals.  One group is adamant to protect the seals; another would like the seals gone.  No disputes were present today.  As we've seen in many explored places, La Jolla was packed, packed, packed with people. Even so, there remained a feeling of small town and easy going attitudes.  We ate at George's at the Cove, a return visit from years ago.  Dining was high on a deck with beautiful views of the Pacific.  We looked in a few of the galleries.  Works were very large and subjects fit for the multi-million dollar homes.  Back in Imperial Beach we were gifted with a great, fiery sunset.  Flickr

Sketch of the Day:  Sea Lion, La Jolla

Ukraine On Our Minds

 

Ukrainian Invasion Protest, Bilbao Park

As we entered Bilbao Park today, there were groups of supporters protesting against the war criminal Putin's invasion of Ukraine.  Meanwhile, in the US, the despicable Trump and his equally despicable minions are praising Putin.  It's so horrible that one little man out of the earth's billions can inflict such misery, death, heartache.  Equally horrible is the US's embrace of white nationalism.

The park was absolutely packed with families, kids on skateboards, old folks like us.  I just love that this venue is a place for such gatherings.  There were many kiosks of hand crafts.  But, our goal was to visit the Natural History Museum, and we did to see a show of plant photos.  Here's to sunny California. 

Sketch of the Day: Pro-Ukrainian Protest, Bilbao Park

Sounds

 

Wayne Walking the Tijuana Estuary

Sounds to which we are unaccustomed are constant here.  The ocean roars continuously with the crashing of the waves.  We believe this is caused by the fist sized stones that come and go along the surf line.  Then there are the ever circling helicopters flying out of the base adjacent to the Estuary.  They are ever vigilantly looking for people coming illegally from Mexico.  They fly over the estuary and the ocean in tangent with osprey, kestrels, and hawks.  Otherwise we hear no neighbors in the condo.  We seem to be the only residents who sit on the deck watching sunsets.   Helicopter at Flickr lol.

Sketch of the Day: American Kestrel

High on a Hill...

...Where Troubles are Few: Presidio Park

Curious about Presidio Park where the first European settlements were established, we came here for our daily walking adventure.  It was so cold and windy that we only stayed long enough to check out the views and drive through the park.  Then it was off to Balboa Park again.  Balboa continues to amaze me.  Every corner, every path, every wild space offers surprises of amazing fauna and architectural structures.  Familiar photos at flickr.

Sketch of the Day:  Wayne at the Presidio 

2/22/22

 

Cloudy, Cold, Captivating

The number and variety of hibiscus plants here make for beautiful sidewalk hedges.  They are high (about 8'), woody and in full bloom.  It remained cold here in the 50's.  But, we bundled up and walked to CVS to inquire about a second Covid booster and a PCR test.  Seems we need to make an online appointment for both.  It poured rain on us as we walked home.  Hibiscus and more at Flickr.

Sketch of the Day in which it becomes evident that water colors are not in my game:  Hibiscus 

Hmmmmm Clouds

 

Crow

I guess even in paradise there are so-so days.  It was cloudy and cool today, not even a sunset to document. We avoided the windy vacant beach and walked the city streets. The only excitement on the walk was my encounter with 2 crows.  They seemed not to care that I was nearby.

Sketch of the Day: Crow

 

Gaslamp Quarter

 

Gaslamp Quarter

The Gaslamp Quarter is one of the many San Diego neighborhoods and was originally known as New Town because it was developed with the idea of creating a new city center near the harbor.  This effort began in the 1860's and has some beautiful Victorian era buildings. Some 50 gas lamps were installed to light the district, hence giving the district its current nomenclature.  As we were there on a Sunday, the area was bustling with people out for brunch.  There was no evidence of a pandemic with crowds packed into restaurants emitting loud laughing and music.  We found the restaurant we dined in some 10 years ago on some of the best calamari we've had.  It was a bit off the beaten track with wide open walls and demure clientele.  Flickr

Sketch of the Day:  Wayne in the Gaslamp Quarter

Old Town

Old Town, San Diego

Nestled in the heart of San Diego is the Old Town Historic Park. It is the site of the oldest permanent European settlement in California.  (Of course, the native Kumeyaay peoples had already been there for 10,000 years.) The first Spanish mission was built here next to the Spanish fort Presidio.  Today it is a mixture of shopping, restored and historic buildings, and restaurants. We maintained our Covid conventions and did not go into the historic buildings. But it is pleasant to walk around and hear music wafting and kids having fun.  We found a restaurant outside the park with some very good mole dishes and outside dining.  Muy bueno.    Flickr

Sketch of the Day:  Yellow Bells

 

If the Bill Fits

 

Willet (I think)

The long-billed shore birds are so fast, of such similar size and color, and have such similar behaviors that I have trouble telling them apart.  The main distinguishing sign for me is the shape of the bill.  All have long bills for feeding deep into the shore mud.  Some bills curve down, some up, some are straight. I've learned that some of them can dig down to the end of the beak and then open only the end of the bill to catch and eat worms, crabs and more.  On our walk today I found and photographed the whimbrel, willet, and godwit.  See if you can notice any difference at Flickr.

Sketch of the Day:  Whimbrel

Spring's A Comin'

 

California Brown Anole

There are signs of spring all around here.  Snails, beetles, rabbits, lizards are all out and about.  The bushes and grasses are greening up and the flowers budding.  

California ended its indoor mask mandate Feb 16 for vaccinated people. It's recommended to maintain masks indoors when the risk of transmission is high.  We continue to wear masks indoors and to only dine outdoors and notice that the majority of people do the same.  

Sketch of the Day:  California Brown Anole

Bilbao Redux

 

Selfie in the Balboa Park Rose Garden

Returning to Balboa Park we discovered more beauty in the desert and rose gardens.  The desert garden was in its blooming period and just fascinating. It is 2.5 acres and contains more than 1,300 plants from around the world. The rose garden was not yet in bloom. It must be eye and nose candy when it is with some 1,600 bushes.  Tonight we had another awesome sunset.  It and identified areas of Balboa Park can be seen at Flickr.

Sketch o the Day: Dragon Blood Tree

Wherein We See Jack Rabbits

 

Vulture

I have absolutely nothing exciting to report except that we saw 2 Jack Rabbits in the estuary.  They were much too fast for me to photograph, though.  Also a bird of prey was sighted.  A wild guess is it was a Northern Harrier based on its behavior of hovering in flight for minutes. Highlight of the day was a great sunset of which way too many can be seen at Flickr.

Sketch of the Day: Jack Rabbit

Won't You Be Mine

 

Mt. San Miguel across the Tijuana Estuary

It was the coldest and rainiest day yet.  Mt. San Miguel above looks like a giant cloud in the distance.  It is a part of the Leguna mountain range.  One of the neat things about the geography here is the flat coastal beaches on one side and the mountain ranges on the other. 

Our Valentine celebration consisted of driving into Chula Vista for tacos at Taco el Gordo.  This place has been recommended by a few people as having the best Mexican cuisine.  But, we were disappointed.  We also had to wait about 30 minutes in a drive through line which mislead us into thinking they would be the best tacos around.

Today on our estuary walk we some new ducks, the American Wigeon.  A blurry picture is at Flickr. 

Sketch of the Day:  American Wigeon

Super......Day of Rest

 

Lola and Loki Imperial Beach

It was a day of rest spent shopping for a sunset visit from Kathy, Lola and Loki the Alaskan Husky.  We had a nice visit over a charcuterie board, wished Kathy a bon voyage as she prepares to leave for France, and made plans to see Lola and Loki again.  The two blurry figures pictured on the beach photo above are Lola and Loki having a little fun before leaving for San Diego.  

Operculums

 

Operculum

Wayne likes to set goals that make an activity or experience more interesting. His goal on our beach walks is to find the operculum. The operculum is the hinge or lid of the wavy tturban sea shell that closes when the shell is out of water.  Average actual size is about 1-1.5 inches.  Earlier we mistakenly thought the turban shell was called a top shell.  They are the most abundant snail species. The Mexicans harvest them for sale.  

Visit Flickr for many photos of the Godwit and sea reflections for possible future paintings.  LOL

Sketch of the Day:  Operculum

Godwits

 

Godwits on South Beach

Everyday is pretty much routine with us: daily walks, sunset watches, shopping for food.  I do a little drawing each day.  Many of the photos I take are in consideration of future paintings and will be repetitive.  I'm trying to learn to identify shore birds. The long billed shore birds are difficult to distinguish one from the other.  In profile the bill is the give away.  The godwit pictured here has a straight bill. They forage along the edge of the surf by probing that bill into the sand sometimes submerging their head. Marbled Godwits eat aquatic invertebrates, leeches, small fish and more. Just a few photos at Flickr

Sketch of the Day: Marbled Godwid

Communing with Bikers

 

Ice Plant also known as Pigface along the San Diego Bay

The Silver Strand Bike Path is 18.7 miles from Coronado Island to Imperial Beach.   We only walked 3 of those miles that abutted the San Diego Bay.  We came upon everyone from inline skaters and walkers to speedy bikers.  It was very warm today inspiring shorts and t-shirts on the deck for the sunset.  See our journey and more at Flickr.

Sketch of the Day:  Wayne on the Silver Strand Bike Path

Hola Mexico!

 

Selfie on the Mexican/USA Border

No, I do not have the mumps.  I blame the iPhone for making me appear my age.  Also, yes, we are at the border and walked up to the wall.  We did not try to scale it. Visible beyond the wall are people enjoying the beach and others high on the hill visiting with one another.  No one seems interested in scaling the wall.  There is a bull ring and a light house, too.  To get here we drove to the far side of the Tijuana Reserve for our hike.  On the way are several horse stables.  Later on the trails was a lot of evidence the horses had been out.  There are signs everywhere warning of flooding.  And, the low lying areas have salt deposits where flooding did occur.  Other signs warn of sewage in the water within the reserve and in the ocean.  We're assuming this is coming from Mexico.  See our little adventure at Flickr.

Educating Ourselves

California Buckwheat 

We are a bit fascinated and very interested in the local fauna and flora.  Species unknown to us and not seen where we live are all around.  For example, this California buckwheat led me to discover that buckwheat is NOT a member of the grass family, not related to cereal or wheat.  It is related to the sorrel and rhubarb family.  Who woulda thunk?  The Estuary is filled with such variety as this.  To see flora we collected today, the sighting of an Anna's Hummingbird, and a great sunset, please visit Flickr.

Sketch of the Day: Desert Starvine

 

Mas de la Misma

 

Wayne at the Tijuana River Mouth

Yes, more of the same.  This photo offers a pretty clear picture of the border wall and Tijuana beyond.  The tide was lower today allowing us closer access.  The border fencing extends about 300' into the Pacific,  I've wondered why people don't just swim around this for US entry.  They do.  But, the currents are very strong due to the wall's extension, and most swimmers can't manage this.  More crossings have been attempted since the pandemic began.  This is the heaviest patrolled portion of the 1900 mile fence.  At least 2 helicopters are patrolling constantly.  Photos are at Flickr.

Sketch of the Day: Imperial Beach Sunset with Cruise Ship

Balboa Park

 

Balboa Park

We drove into San Diego and Balboa Park today to hear the weekly free concert on the Spreckles Organ, the largest outdoor organ in the world. Bach, The Sound of Music, Listz and Mussorgsky were the hour's offerings.  The organ and its outdoor pavilion were financed by the Spreckles brothers whose fortune came from sugar.  The day was beautifully sunny and warm.  People swarmed everywhere throughout the park where food, crafts, and entertainers abounded.  What a wonderful spot.  A little video of the Bach can be heard here.

Sketch of the Day: Masked Up in Balboa Park

Un Dia de Nada

 

Imperial Beach Sunset

We drove over to Chula Vista looking for recommended tacos.  Instead, we shopped at a Whole Foods and bought their ready made burritos.  They were quite good.  We did take a short 2 mile walk into the estuary where once again we met up with birders.  They were very excited to share their binoculars so that we could see the Ridgeway Rail they spotted. 

It was warm enough at twilight to sit on the deck and gawk at the sunset.  There were no clouds which gives notice to the tangerine colored sky.  All those moments can be seen at Flickr.

Sketch of the Day: Ridgeway Rail

Maple Canyon

 

Maple Canyon, San Diego

We met Kathy this afternoon to hike Maple Canyon with her.  It sits in the city proper but one would never know that.  The hills are steep and covered with blooming jade plants.  Only the occasional house is visible.  

Jade densely covering the cliffs of the canyon.

At the end of the canyon trail, we came out onto city streets, walked a few blocks and crossed Arroyo Canyon onto the historical Spruce St suspension bridge.  From there was the occasional glimpse of the beautiful setting sun and aircraft landing so close we could seemingly touch them.  

Spruce St Suspension Bridge

Following our walk, we went to Kathy's for dinner. I was in charge of baking the Kathy's home made pita bread on the grill.  I'm definitely going to try this at home.  We were joined by friends of Kathy's and Lola.  Ribs and salad rounded out the pita and humus.  We braved the chilly night dining al fresco.  No other pictures today.  

Sketch of the Day: Jade, Maple Canyon

Walking to Coronado Island (Almost)

 

Wayne on Silver Strand Beach

Our walk was later in the day because the condo owner and her mother asked if an appraiser could come to the condo.  We wanted to be there to meet her and to monitor the activity.  They are both realtors who bought this place about a year and a half ago.  As I suspected there were major renovations done with much improvement.  They were helpful with restaurant suggestions. 

Today we walked north toward Coronado Island along Silver Beach, which was nearly deserted but beautiful.  The photos do not capture the true silver of the water.  We found dozens of sand dollars and more top shells.  On our return we stopped at Mike Hess Brewing to have an early dinner of tacos.  More photos at Flickr.

Sketch of the Day: Top Shell, graphite