Pasadena, CA -- A view from a trail above Pasadena. The yellow strip behind the LA skyscrapers is the sun reflecting off the Pacific Ocean. Old Pasadena and our beloved City Hall is in the foreground.
Los Angeles -- Visitors often criticize cities by what they see from out their car window while driving along highways. I too am guilty of drive-by judgment while passing through a seedy part of town. LA's 710 freeway offers motorist a multitude of interesting sights from overpasses, including graffiti art and rundown buildings from the early 1900s. One cannot appreciate the charm and history of most towns unless you exit the freeway and explore. Of course, judgement still plays an important role in choosing what area to exit.... A blue sky helps take the edge off too.
Colton, CA -- A lesson on spelling: "I before E exept after C..."
Signal Hill, CA -- As a high schooler in the 70s, Citizen Band radios were the craze. I had a CB radio with a towering antenna along side the house. Movies like Smoky and the Bandit, Convoy and Corvette Summer were only a few out of nearly a dozen flicks that featured CB radios with cool truck drivers sporting clever handles and talking in code.
Malibu, CA -- The diversity of Los Angeles never ceases to amaze me. This is the Serrano Canyon Trail at Pt. Mugu State Park. The beach, the sand and surfers were only an hour away.
When I took this photo, there was actually a rainbow in the distance. My camera didn't pick up the colors very well but I thought this 12-month-old photo was appropriate for the day. Today, Southern California has experienced one of the best rain storms in many years; five-days of hard-driving rain. According to my rain gauge, I show about 7-inches accumulated.
Malibu is one of those iconic, Hollywood beaches in California. Minutes from this location, hundreds of Hollywood films were shot on the shore at Leo Carrillo State Beach.
I shot this while driving home. No filter--no special effects. Pure Southern California sunset.
Venice Beach, CA -- A layer of haze obscures the California horizon as a woman reaches for the heavens.
Long Beach, CA -- The Walter Pyramid is one the most recognizable landmarks at California State University, Long Beach, if not the whole city. The 18-story, blue corrugated structure houses three full basketball courts, five volleyball courts and also has a full-service fitness center and an educational conference center.
Palmdale, CA -- Despite the heat and humidity, nothing beats an afternoon drive through California's Mojave Desert in the summer. We parked the car along side the road and walked among the Joshua Trees (featured above), the creosote, pickle weed and Mormon tea, looking for the Thistledown Velvet Ant.
Most of the critters and insects were well-hidden from the summer heat. However, we did find a half-buried Texan Jr cap gun under a tumble weed. The circa 1955 cowboy toy is a fitting artifact for the western desert landscape. Who knows, maybe a Hopalong Cassidy cadet lost it during a shootout with a bad guy? You never know what you will find out West.
What formation do you see in the clouds? Another Skywatch Friday in the desert.
Los Angeles -- Passengers sitting near me must think I am a novice flyer. My face is pasted to either the window or the view finder of my camera focused on the ground during most of the flight. My muse extends beyond beautiful landscapes below; moreover, it's identifying familiar roads, buildings, mountain trails and landmarks I visit regularly.
I shot this photo last year in downtown Los Angeles. While at a stop signal, I looked up through my sunroof of my car and saw what I thought was a great subject. The light turned green about the time I had my camera focused. After a couple friendly honks, I popped of three shots and kept this one.
You see these white behemoths while driving out to Palm Springs, or in recent movies depicting a desert drive to Vegas.
But as the pressure mounts to produce more clean power, I'm afraid more and more of these windmills will pop up. Here's the good news: One of these wind mills can produce enough electricity in one hour to power up an average home for one month. Not bad….
