Nothing is more iconic to California than the Poppy. This cheerful spring icon is plastered on a local hotel and I love it. Many of the murals which are part of the Wide Open Walls 916 festival are dark, funny, political, unusual, etc. But, sometimes just a cheerful bright and iconic mural is just what the doctor ordered.
#WORDLESSWEDNESDAY
I’ve been on the hunt for this mural as part of Sacramento’s Wide Open Walls 916 festival for a while and it has eluded me until now. After driving down a few alleyways I at last found this cheerful little gem. Simple and lovely! What a joy it must be to drive by and see this every day for those who live in the area! Who else is humming to the Beatles?
Someone is a fan of Johnny Cash. So much so they dedicated the side of an entire hotel to him! Well, my parents were in need of a trip out of the house so I took them on a mural tour of downtown Sacramento. It was a fun idea because we didn’t even need to get out of the car. My Dad wanted to see Johnny so Johnny it was. It’s pretty amazing to think someone painted a mural this large. The logistics of it alone are mindboggling. If you are a fan and are interested in seeing a trail dedicated to the Man in black check out an older post of mine related to the Johnny Cash Trail in Folsom, California.
Years ago the Sacramento area was powered by nuclear. From off in the distance you could always see the twin cones. As a kid I was sure if you got too close your face would melt off like the bad guy in Indiana Jones. Well, the days of nuclear are gone and solar has moved in. What seems like hundreds and hundreds of acres of solar panels now surround the power plant. (They own the property so why not!?) And also the power company hosts a beautiful little campground where campers can enjoy a lovely tree surrounded man-made lake. (I have to assume this lake was built for the purposes of melt down but what do I know.) Anyway, I digress. I’ve always found the smoke stacks interesting looking and thought I would finally stop in for a quick visit and a few photos. Hopefully I am none the more radioactive for it. Cheers!
With COVID and the California fires it was time to flee the city. We went up to the family cabin and took a short drive to visit the beautiful Loon Lake. This lake is magnificent and on this day it was showing off. Sadly, a large fire broke out nearby yesterday which has me nervous for the emergency personnel, our cabin, anyone still in the area, and of course the wildlife. It seems California is on fire again and our friends to the north in Oregon are burning up too. Fire season likely won’t be over until December… Send any spare good vibes to the West Coast please. We could use them. #2020
This mural is at the top of an escalator outside the new Golden One Center. It is vivid and bright and cheerful and I love it. It’s more polished than some and my OCD side super appreciates the perfect lines. It is protected under cover and likely will be with us for some time which is great. Click here and let me know how it stands up to some of the other street art from this summer and previous years of the Wide Open Walls 916 street art festival.
These Sacramento walls have BIG going for them. I can’t decide if I like them or not. They are colorful and interesting no doubt. But, I can’t really make heads or tails what the art is about. I suppose I don’t really need to know. What do you think? Any ideas? Click here if you wanna check out more interesting street art in advance of the September 2020 festival!
“Snakes! Why’d it have to be snakes?” These massive snakes are down at the bottom of an alleyway. As great as the art is it makes walking down the dark smelly alleyway a little more intimidating than normal. I’ve been meaning to capture this one for a while now but traffic never allowed for it until now. I snapped this and got the heck out of there! For more less scary walls click here and tell me your favorites.
