Traveling around in #SanJose and #NearbyToSanJose at 825 mph on our spinning planet.
The predecessor to this mural at Day’s Market in Santa Cruz was the second mural I became aware of and that I would look forward to seeing. This is the third version of the mural that I have enjoyed on this wall over the years.
And this is a recently created new mural with mosaics next to Sea Bright Beach.
I love the color, textures, and lines that presented themselves all within this one little space and time.
Some are closed temporarily with the pandemic, some are closed for good after this pandemic, some are closed in preparation for demolition and new buildings ready to be built. The beauty to appreciate is that with the closed doors, we still have art in our windows thanks to many artists. It is something to appreciate about the spirit here.
What an interesting year. Because of the pandemic, the annual Christmas in the Park event in San Jose could not occur as usual. Instead, for the first time ever, they decided to make it a drive through event and so moved it over to History Park in San Jose so that cars could wind their way through the event. They added more lights to make it more appealing to what you could see from your car and then put up a temporary radio station to tune into so that you could enjoy the light show as lights throughout the entire event were set and timed to the music.
What did my children think about this temporary modified version of an annual tradition? No rides for them to go on. No ice skating out in the open of downtown. No hot chocolate vendors.
They LOVED it! All of us were amazed. It was soooooo well done!! The music, the lights, the novelty… all of the effort really paid off. It was a wonderful experience. The kids loved it so much they spent the drive home suggesting that this be included as part of the annual Christmas in the Park event. They were that impressed. Well done!
The pictures simply do not capture anything of the magic of being there. Still, here are a couple to help communicate the difference.
Welcome to a new year and to San Jose, California.
The mural is attractive, yes. However, to be super impressed, take any opportunity at all to listen and to see the San Jose Taiko drummers in action. That is AMAZING! This is one of the most recognized Taiko groups in the world outside of Japan.