Along the dry wash.
Into the canyon.
Up to the waterfall.
Even though the waterfall carries less water in summer than in winter, it is a delightful spot at the end of a pleasant hike in Eaton Canyon.
Suggestions:
1. No flip flops.
2. Bring a picnic. Everything tastes better after some boulder hopping.
1 plaster cow (life size)
1 white plank fence
Several bushes and trees
Arrange nicely in residential area.
Enjoy the rural feeling of being “out on the range.”
This mockingbird apparently went to Arizona for some weeks to learn from the local cactus wrens how to perch on cactus plants.
Lesson # 1: Watch out for those spikes.
Now, back in SoCal, he is displaying what he learned. He must have had good teachers. The execution still looks the teeniest bit awkward, but maybe that’s something one can work on next summer.
The absolute strangest sight I came across this summer must have been this little family:
May I introduce: Cleistocactus strausii, also known as Silver torch cactus.
What a pretty little group. And yet, don’t come too near – it would be one of those “ouch”-experiences.
When the Registry in a computer is corrupted, it is time for a new one of these:
Then it only takes a few minutes with a screwdriver and quite a few hours of reinstalling software and files and life is good again.
The Computer formerly know as the Ice Cube rose like a phoenix from the ashes. It now has a glistening new installation of Windows XP (formerly Windows 2000) and sports double the RAM and double the hard drive space.
It not only came back, it is much improved, basically rebuilt.
Thank you, William – what would I do without my own personal in-house IT Director? Weep? Probably.
Los Angeles is home to a surprisingly large number of newcomers to the bird world – wild parrots ( parrots and parakeets, to be more precise). According to some ornithologists nearly 5,000 of these birds live in the urban landscape. As parrots do not occur naturally in California, this population arose from birds who either escaped captivity or were thrown out by their owners.
Interestingly enough these parrots are confirmed city dwellers. The reason why they have not (yet) moved out into less populated landscapes is quite simple: Parrots are not native birds, they are used to fruits, trees and shrubs of their native tropical home, which have been planted in large numbers in our urban and residential areas. So they stay where the food is, which is definitely not out there in the countryside.
One tree these birds particularly like is the Floss Silk Tree (Chorisia speciosa):
This tree itself, a native of the tropical forests of South America, is quite a newcomer to the city; it has been planted only since about 30 to 40 years. The flowers are very beautiful, the trunk and branches look a bit forbidding once they reach maturity, because they are covered with thick conical prickles, used to store water. The fruit looks like huge avocados or gigantic pears and the parrots just love them.
A fruit-bearing Floss Silk tree can be detected by the noise of the parrots having a meal, digging into the pods and gobbling up the seeds, while telling each other in between bites in loud parrot screeches: “It’s just like back home, isn’t it?!”
There are certainly many reasons to visit the Getty Center in Los Angeles. For me, however, there is only one draw – the architecture.
My personal take on it: If those guys in Europe who peppered the place with their castles (with the height of activities during the 11th to the 15th century) were to look at the Getty Center, they would probably say “good job.” And it is indeed, for me at least, a castle, perfectly transposed and transformed for our present times.
When one arrives over the freeway, the buildings loom overhead, impregnable and indestructible. Interestingly enough the Getty Foundation and the architect underscored this impression by preventing visitors to drive up to the Center. Cars have to be parked at the foot of the hill, the rest of the way visitors are ferried up with a small tram. Once arrived, the impression is completely different: One sees an ensemble of buildings grouped around several courtyards and gardens and there are amazing views down from the hill over all of Los Angeles.
All buildings are huge and either clad with white enameled aluminum panes or travertine in a slightly less brilliant hue. Depending on the cladding the buildings are either light and elegant (aluminum) with amazing angles and curves or solid and fortress like (travertine). While they complement each other, they are interwoven to form a tapestry which gives new delight to the eyes at every corner one turns.
It is very hard to chose just one photo as an example of what the Getty Center is like. So I decided on four out of 200.
And next time I’ll probably take another 200.
Why should I walk if I can ride?
Why indeed?
Years ago, in Japan, I sat in a bamboo grove by a small pond and marveled at the peacefulness I felt. It only took 14 h flight to get there.
Today the next bamboo grove by a pond is 20 minutes drive away.
Sitting there, in the gardens of the Huntington Library, one feels far removed from all the cares in the world.
Yes, gardens are green therapy for the soul.
I had this image kicking around on my computer for quite a while and today I came across it again. It is just an overhead shot through a skylight (I was experimenting taking the same shots of harsh lighting contrasts with and without a flash).
When one looks more closely, the image changes – suddenly one sees an ottoman, made out of beige and blue suede, sitting on a black floor. Why and how that happens one can read up on here: Figure-Ground (perception).
So I managed to create an optical illusion.
That’s another first in my life.