FrogBlog | Translating Los Angeles – Page 29 – We like it here! One Germerican and one American translating Los Angeles for the World.

The Raven

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door –
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door –
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Edgar Allan Poe ‘The Raven” 1845

Perched he was, together with his raven feathered mistress, high above me on top of the Wrigley Memorial on Catalina Island.

Ravens mate for life, but comes mating season the male has to bring the female presents of twigs and branches to repair last year’s nest. These two were apparently in the midst of preparing to raise a new family, because that was how I discovered them – the male came flying in with a particularly nice small branch. Once he sat on the ledge I noticed that it was indeed a raven; when sitting still their long throat feathers flutter in the wind, which makes these birds easily distinguishable from crows.

After some arranging of the new addition to the abode, high up on the memorial, the male raven took off again; maybe Madame was not yet satisfied.

Apparently the time of perching and sitting and saying nothing more is still a way off for this particular member of the species; his mate seems to keep him busy.

Etched In Gold By Lizard People

An old Hopi legend I always liked is the one about the underground cities built by the lizard people along the Pacific Coast. Apparently those cities were constructed after a catastrophic meteor shower destroyed large areas and much of the population at around 3,000 BC. The lizard people not only seemed to be quite adapt at building subterranean cities; according to the legend they also possessed the first history books, detailing the history of the Earth since creation. How much they valued those books can be assumed from the fact that they were etched on golden tablets.

Such precious materials are no longer en vogue for books, but the Los Angeles Central Library sits – if one can believe the Hopi legend – on top of the site of one of those ancient cities, which incidentally was built in the form of a lizard. A quirky humor that lot had.

Is it sheer coincidence that some gold tones went into the decoration of the roof of the library?

Maybe there is no connection – but what a wonderful thought that there might be one.

That Perfect Moment

Coming out of the scrum, going for it.

Such Fleeting Beauty

Living in the city we are not starved for the sight of flowers. Actually, due to the mild climate (in Winter) and diligent watering (during the remainder of the year) one sees blooming plants and flowers the year around.

The story in regions with less water is completely different. In the desert, on the hills and at the foot of the mountains the wildflowers bloom only once a year, in Spring; but then otherwise brown and barren looking landscapes are transformed into areas covered with an abundance of flowers, ranging from the quietly pleasant to the spectacular. In fact, the deeper one drives into the desert, the more flamboyant the display becomes.

Not in the desert, but in the San Gabriel Mountains the view is this:

… for about three weeks.

Bliss Is… Not Being Lunch

“What’s for lunch?” said the California King Snake (Lampropeltis getulus).

“Not me,” answered the Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis).

Well, good luck. California Kings Snakes do not only like lizards, rodents and birds, they also do not mind having a Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) now and then; it’s good that they are immune to the toxins of venomous snakes.

Zut Alors!

I knew it, the day would come, and today it happened. The cats have hogged the trackball.

What’s next? Online orders at “Chez Chat” – the place which advertises with the slogan ‘We spoil the coolest cats in town with purrrfect service?”

Are they going to have Finch a l’Orange and Buffalo Mice delivered?

One thing is certain; I will keep a close eye on the credit card statements.

Reflexions

“Architecture is form placed between the ground and the sky.”

(Eero Saarinen)

Buildings at Grand Avenue near 3rd Street

Cute With An Attitude

Even though most hummingbirds in SoCal wing it over to Mexico to spend the winter there, some stay, so that one can watch them all year long. In Spring, however, the main flock returns and one can see them everywhere.

Apart from their amazing flight abilities they also have a major attitude – they fiercely defend their territories and their feeding sources. Watching a full-blown hummer battle is quite a sight; these tiny birds really have a go at it. They do not hurt each other, but if the intruder does not fly away after an initial bluffing charge, occasionally one can see a feather or two fly.

This little member of the species however had nothing to fear. Either no other hummingbirds had discovered its feeding source – or it was replenishing spent energy after driving away all rivals.

Petals & Metal

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles is not a building easily overlooked. Opinions about it vary, but can be basically divided into two camps – “love it” and “hate it.” That goes for the exterior. As far as the interior is concerned, the acoustics, the verdict is a unanimous “exceptionally fabulous.”

And then there is the roof garden, another one of those little secrets known only to those who like sticking their noses behind the scenes. When one goes to the web site of the concert hall, one has to poke around a bit to find the garden mentioned at all; even then one is left with the impression that one has to take a tour to be able to go there.

Well, that is slightly misleading. The garden is public, open all day, no tour is needed and there is no entry fee.

Best of all – the garden is beautiful. The contrast between the plants and the trees and the metal exterior of the hall is striking. Light, shadows, reflexions, striking angles and nature’s beauty combine in a way one does not see very often.

The garden is an oasis of deep serenity against a backdrop of steel. Oh, and by the way – going up don’t touch the handrails or lean against any panels unprotected from the sun. They get hot; frying egg temperature hot.

Locations, Locations, Locations

Go just about anywhere in Los Angeles and you will find a location used for filming, although the location used might look a bit different when one sees it later in the movie.

The Cedar Grove is a good example – it is a pretty spot, a miniature forest, green and peaceful and pleasantly cool in summer. In the movie “Van Helsing” it probably looks more like this:

van helsingII.jpg

Which means, yes, one of these days I will have to watch “Van Helsing”.