Road Kill

Death Valley, CA -- My buddy, Dean lays on the highway, hoping to get a shot of on-coming traffic. Thankfully, there was virtually no traffic at the time. This was taken in 1986 with a Nikon FE2, Kodak Kodachrome 64.

Baseball Playoffs

Two players from Maranatha High School applying "Eye Black" on each other before the play offs game. Eye black is like a black shoe polish players put under their eyes to help reflect glare from either the sunlight or field lights.

Three

Express Yourself in LA

At first, I debated posting this photo. I have plenty of compromising, perhaps provocative shots depicting life on the streets of Los Angeles but they don't necessarily represent my focus for this site. However, what I did not show was what this woman looked like from the front. I'll just say it is rated "R."

And with that, I leave you with the humor, the reality and the disparate need for attention here in LA.

Feeding Squirrels

I had been in the car for over 90 minutes and had to take a break. Driving from Los Angeles to San Diego--in traffic--will take a toll of your backside as well as your sanity.

Just outside of Camp Pendelton along I-5 is a rest stop with a nice vista of the Pacific Ocean. A huge colony of well-fed squirrels swarm the area begging for handouts and the attention of tourist. I counted more than 50 squirrels, some so fat they could hardly walk. One third of the population were skinny youngsters. They were the brave ones; they would walk up to you, stand on your foot and stretch upward asking for a morsel. Their only competition were the seagulls lurking above the bluff, swooping down at every chance to grab that Pepperidge Farm "Goldfish" or peanuts before the squirrels could. What a show.

Route 66 Through Cucamonga

I used to think Cucamonga was one of those mysterious, far-away city names like Timbuktu or Snake Navel, Wyoming. These are the places we used to describe a place a few miles short from outer space.

It wasn't until I was ten years old that our family was driving along Route 66 that I saw a sign reading, "Welcome To Ranch Cucamonga" that I realized that I only lived 45 minutes from that distant land. All of the sudden, Timbuktu seemed a little closer, but I never did find Snake Navel, WY.

Stop it Already

Foothill Range, CA -- Anyone wear Oakley sunglasses? You may need them when exiting Oakley Headquarters in Foothill Range, about an hour north-east of LA. At the end of their street, locals creatively defaced a stop sign, complete with electronic connectors, wires, lighting tubes as well as plenty of barbed wire.

Public Canvas

Some simply need to be heard.

Random Route 66

Sometimes we "Routers" need to be reminded that we are on the original Route 66. Here, someone stenciled "Route 66" on a sidewalk in Upland, CA--about 1-1/2 hours east of Los Angeles.

Whitewater Preserve

Whitewater, CA -- Not far from Los Angeles is the Colorado Desert, or the "low desert." It's elevation hovers anywhere from below sea level to 2,000 ft. The low desert is known for it's intense heat during the summer with normal temperatures in the 100s. Every once in a while I stumble across a gem and wonder why I haven't heard of, or been to these places. As written in yesterday's post, I wondered off the highway outside of Palm Springs and decided to explore. The photo above is only eight minutes north from Interstate 10 in the middle of the desert.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers! This is my Mom and Dad, by the way.

Desert Walk

Palm Springs, CA -- Not far from Palm Springs is a cut-off road that winds up a canyon called Whitewater. Always up for an adventure, I took the five-mile single-lane and came across a most beautiful oasis (featured tomorrow). Beyond the tall cliffs, crystal-blue pools and nature center, is this quaint trail, begging to be walked. I would have but I was only on a lunch break and wearing loafers, wool trousers and a dress shirt. It was 102 degrees too...

Ports O Call

San Pedro, CA -- Tourists look out onto the shipping channel of the LA Harbor. The Port of Los Angeles is the worlds largest working port. Container ships of all sizes line up at the breakwater waiting their turn to pickup and unload their goods.

Overlooking the port is a New England-style village. Ports O Call was developed (I believe) back in the late 60s. Its host to restaurants, boutiques and curio shops along the stone walk, giving tourists a small taste of the East Coast. Surround the village are private yachts, harbor tour boats as well as scuba diving and charter fishing boats. The harbor is also home to many commercial fishing vessels, which are interesting to browse just after they arrive home from sea.

Smokey LA Skyline

Pasadena, CA -- Spring fever overtook us all as a dry, balmy wind blew through our group and into the valley. This is our weekly Happy Hour hiking group in the foreground. Behind us are the buildings of downtown Los Angeles which, are under a shroud of smoke from the Santa Barbara fire.

Bee Sighting

Living Life in a Sock

Wasps find the most clever places to take up residences. This time, a wind sock at a local airport was the property of choice.

Child Labor for a Good Cause

Sierra Madre, CA -- Last weekend, our church had an all-church work day. We had a good turnout, including a few willing kids who put some of us old folks to shame.

Flashback

Corona, CA -- A few years ago, I heard the distinctive sound of a vintage twin-engine plane fly over me. I was near an airport and saw that the silvery 1940s Douglas was about to land, so I rushed to the terminal and arrived just as the two balloon tires chirped on the El Monte Airport runway.

The plane taxied up to the greeting area and the door flipped open. Long story short, I befriended the owner of the plane, later chartering the DC-3 for 20 of my customers as well as logging a couple hours behind the wheel (every pilot loves to brag about flying a DC-3)!

I took the photo above of my friend "Scout." She loves costumes and thought a period photo in front of "Rose" would make a good Christmas card. Indeed it did.

Our Dog "Chip" Died Today

Two hours ago I received a call that our family dog died from an overdose of chocolate. I ran out to the animal hospital where they had Chip on the table. We all took our turns saying good bye to our friend.

Good ol' Chip consumed 48 chocolate squares, or 1.2 pounds of dark chocolate! I guess he died happy... but we are all very sad.

Thomas' Tower

Pasadena, CA -- A ribbon of electric wires cross the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. I took this photo of the tower during a night-hike on the Sam Merrill Trail Wednesday night.

Some of us call them Edison Towers, high tension wires, etc., while others consider them an eyesore. Nevertheless, they do bring things to light--or is that GE...?

Nap Time

Orange County -- Nothing like a good cat nap after a hardy meal.