Most of the “outskirts” stuff has been checked off the list for now.  The next trip down this way should be mostly San Diego focused.

The day started with pea soup fog so I treated the dogs to a leisurely morning at the Del Mar dog beach.  The weather was not much better even by noon but I went ahead and shot some things that I’ll wind up shooting again next time.

From Encinitas.  This was a nationwide self-serve car wash chain established in the 1960s.  However, this is the only sign that I know of that still exists.  The only other still-open location that I know of is in Rochester, NH.  However, that one has a boring, modern box sign.   I assume those balls on top of the sign must have been sequentially lit.  This night-time photo of a later sign (location unknown) shows what that embossed bit on the right next to the name probably looked like:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83307323@N00/3369816318/

 

Also from Encinitas.  This modern 7-Eleven gas station convenience store was based on one of my favorite gas station designs:  the Mobil “drum”.  This Michigan station is gone now but it gives you a reference as to what these stations looked like originally:
http://www.daads.org/preservation/mobil.htm

This tribute station in Encinitas was built in 2007 as a Mobil station originally:
http://www.theleucadiablog.com/2007/04/new-gas-station-question-and-comment.html

 

Thanks to the fog and some pranksters, I didn’t get to shoot the “Cardiff Kook” surfer station in Cardiff like I’d planned.  Next time.  Here’s some info about the statue:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff_Kook

 

I was glad to see this Catalina Pools sign still standing next to I-8 in La Mesa.  The proximity to a building forced this arty angle:

 

Let’s close out with a couple of signs from San Diego.  I had to choose between glare or a tree on this one.  I went with the tree:

 

This sign was built in the 1950s for the Sheng Haw Low Cafe.  It has, thankfully, been declared a San Diego landmark.  The sign has been adapted a little bit by the VIP Restaurant and now for University Square.  The “and Shops” box at the bottom originally read “Fine Chinese American Food.”  I don’t believe the neon is lit anymore:

 

That’ll do it for this trip.  Don’t forget, there are a sampling of some other photos from this weekend over at Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut

The dogs and I will be back on the road this coming weekend (if the weather looks decent).  We’ll be heading up to the San Jose area for that one.