Weekly Photo Challenge – Solitude

This week, Jen H. asks us to show what being alone means to us. Nothing is more soothing to me than a walk on the beach. In the image above, a lone pelican appears to be relaxing and enjoying the view of the islands in the Pacific Ocean just off shore at Ixtapa, Mexico.

Weekly Photo Challenge – State of Mind

 

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.

San Diego, California

This week, Ben Huberman asks us to share a photo that reflects our state of mind at the time the photo was taken. From his challenge post, “You can often tell my mood state just by looking at an image I took during that period of time.” You can read the entire challenge post here. 

La Jolla Cove – San Diego’s Most Photographed Beach

 La Jolla, California.

Pronounced La Hoy-ah, this photographer who grew up in California was at least a dozen years old when I realized that La Jolla and La Hoya were the same place. OK, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much.

On the day we visited the Cove at La Jolla, I don’t know who had the greater population, the people or the birds.

Point Loma – Cabrillo’s Discovery

San Diego, California.

In 1542, the Spanish Galleon San Salvador left Mexico to explore the western edge of the continent. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s exploration along what is now the United States shoreline traveled as far north as Oregon. Cabrillo himself, though didn’t complete the voyage. He died on San Miguel Island, off the coast of Santa Barbara, from complications of a broken leg.

Coronado Island – Iconic Resort Retreat

San Diego, California.

Four rocky islands attracted Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino in 1602. He named them Las Yslas Coronadas, then, despite an earlier explorer’s discovery named the bay on the main continent San Diego de Alcala. His discovery would become a major tourist attraction. Over a mile of pristine beach on the island attracted developers by the mid-1800s. Lots were sold and cottages and houses were built.

Balboa Park – Centennial of the Panama-California Exposition

San Diego, California.

Last week we visited some of the gardens in San Diego’s famed Balboa Park. This week we celebrate the architecture and history of the area originally known as City Park. With the completion of the Panama Canal, San Diego would be the first United States port of call for ships travelling westbound, and the last U. S. port of call for eastbound ships.

Balboa Park – San Diego’s Landscape of Arts and Culture

San Diego, California.

Visitors to San Diego often know of the San Diego Zoo, but many don’t realize the zoo is just one component of a 1200-acre city park that is one of the oldest public-use recreation areas in the United States. On our one-day visit, we couldn’t begin to visit the entire park, nor could I feature photographs from every area we visited in a single blog post and expect to do it justice. In addition to the zoo, which we saved for another visit some day, the park is home to gardens, theaters, museums, sports and recreation facilities, shops, and restaurants. In this post, we focus on three of the over a dozen gardens in the park. The opening photo features the indoor botanical garden’s building and pond.