Back to Basics - Vista, CA, USA

Back to Basics, a sculpture by Daniel Perez, is a part of the fourth exhibit of Vista's public art display, Kites Over Vista.  It is on display in downtown Vista from 2011 to 2012.

Hatch House - Escondido, CA, USA

This Victorian style house was built circa 1892 for the Hatch family.  Edward J. and Matilda Hatch raised six children here.

Located at 128 East 5th Avenue (formerly Dakota Avenue) in the Old Escondido Historic District.

Surf Shop and Beach Mural - Oceanside, CA, USA

This mural of a surf shop on the beach covers the back exterior wall of an auto body shop.  The mural is located on South Tremont Street but the business itself is accessed through the alley and has a South Coast Highway address.

Located at 520 South Tremont Street on the back wall of a business at 515 South Coast Highway.

Building Pride Through Beautification - Fallbrook, CA, USA

Building Pride Through Beautification, a mural painted in 2001 by artist Clayton Parker, is part of Fallbrook Art in Public Places.  Donated by the Fallbrook Rotary Club, it was dedicated on February 19, 2002.

Located on the east exterior wall of Fallbrook School of the Arts at 310 East Alvarado Street.

Radcliff Service Station - Rainbow, CA, USA

This building was once the Radcliff Service Station, located along an alignment of U.S. Highway 395.  It featured two gas pumps at the front of the overhang.

This photo was taken in March 2009.

This photo was taken in August 2009.

By July of 2011, when this photo was taken, the front overhang and support columns had been removed.

Located on the west side of Rainbow Valley Boulevard, just inside the San Diego County line.

Charles Ledgerwood Residence and Seed Store - Carlsbad, CA, USA

This Spanish Revival style house is situated on a bluff facing the Pacific Ocean.  It was the home of Charles B. Ledgerwood, Carlsbad's famous "seed man."  He operated a seed store here for decades out of a room at the front of the house.

This plaque is located in the retaining wall at the front corner of the property.
"Charles Ledgerwood
Carlsbad's Seed Man (1906-1999)
Charles Ledgerwood came to Carlsbad in 1933 and built his home on this site.  His home was a store from which he dispensed seeds and gardening wisdom for 67 years.  He served this community on the Board of Directors of the Sanitation District; on the City Planning Commission; on the City Council from 1956-58; and was Carlsbad's 7th Mayor from 1958-60.  Charles Ledgerwood was loved and respected for his community service, integrity, and caring for others."

 
For additional information and photos on Charles Ledgerwood's seed store, see this article from the February 1981 issue of San Diego Home/Garden Magazine:
A visit with Charles Legerwood The Seed Man of Carlsbad by Kathy Griffith
http://www.agriserviceinc.citymax.com/f/The_Seed_Man.pdf

I have a memory of visiting this seed store once with my parents, probably about the time Mr. Ledgerwood was Carlsbad's Mayor.  My mother purchased seeds from him and sought his advice on garden pest control.

Located at 3862 Carlsbad Boulevard, one block north of Tamarack Avenue.

Blessing Tree - Encinitas, CA, USA

Blessing Tree, a powder coated steel sculpture by artist Melissa Ralston, was on display in San Diego Botanic Garden (formerly Quail Botanical Gardens) from September 12, 2009 through March 1, 2010.  The 12-foot sculpture was part of the second annual Sculpture in the Garden exhibit, a collaboration between San Diego Botanic Garden and the San Diego Fine Art Society.

San Diego Botanic Garden is located at 230 Quail Gardens Drive.

Melchior Pieper Residence - Oceanside, CA, USA

This beachfront Victorian house, built in 1889, is situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific ocean.  It was once the home of Oceanside pioneer, Melchior Pieper.  He was the proprietor of the South Pacific Hotel, as well as the owner of the bathhouse on the beach and the St. Cloud Hotel, all of which were located in the vicinity of Third Street (now Pierview Way).
When Oceanside's first pier, located at the end of Wisconsin Street, was destroyed by a storm in 1890, Pieper campaigned vigorously to have a new pier built at the end of Third Street.  After several years it was agreed to and Oceanside's second pier was built there.  Completed in 1894, and built using iron pipe, it was 400 feet in length and known as the "iron wharf."  As predicted, it helped make Oceanside a resort destination.

Located at 601 North Pacific Street, on the northwest corner of North Pacific Street and Surfrider Way (formerly Fifth Street).