St. John Fisher Catholic Church

Last Sunset

My father passed away on 29th August from Alzheimer's at 79, in his ancestral Croatia. He was the kindest, gentlest of men; he is very much loved and I will miss him so.Moj predragi tata, zelim ti lagan ovaj zadnji put.

Walking & Reflecting

Snowy egret (I think) at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach, CA

http://www.bolsachica.org/

While walking on Saturday morning ... 1, 2

with our dog Amy, on Highridge Road, we saw others walking (but not many)...
and we saw outrageous color ...

F is for ... (abc Wednesday)

...FATBURGER - OK, you will have to trust me on this one, the sign does start with an "F". Would you eat at a place that is called that? This one has been in business for a long time & is located in Hollywood Riviera (how's that for a promising name?) neighborhood of Redondo Beach on PV Blvd & Pacific Coast Hwy.

... frou-frou n. Etymology: French, of imitative origin Date: 1870
1 : a rustling especially of a woman's skirts 2 : showy or frilly ornamentation

A good name for a women's clothes store in Peninsula Center shopping area.

<== Click on "abc Wednesday" blog link for more posts from around the world, hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt.

Oldies but Definite Goodies

I've wanted to take a photo of the Red Onion restaurant which opened its PV location in 1963 for Margy of http://powellriverbooks.blogspot.com/ who used to eat here with her parents when she was little. I took some photos over the past few weeks but did not think them very interesting. Last evening, I got the real photo opportunity.

The car is a Stutz Bearcat according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stutz_Bearcat.

Art on Monday: View (Redux) with Artist

A repeat view of my 1st post, 102 days ago. This time I've included someone who also thinks the view is worth preserving.
I've also posted Odd Shots on Monday on my other blog.

Street Median with Yucca - @ Home

Where I make a left turn every day - Highridge Rd @ Hawthorned Blvd, Rancho PV.
This time I made a U-turn back to take a picture of the blooming yucca.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge

For a structures engineer, a visit to Tacoma is not complete without seeing & crossing the suspension bridge. The original bridge callapsed in 1940 due to wind-induced oscillation. The event was captured on film and has entertained/amazed engineering students ever since. (For more info & the video, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galloping_Gertie).

Sky in a Vase & in Flowers 2 (SkyWatchFriday)

Seattle sky (to be exact) from Eastlake Bar and Grill on Lake Union - good food at reasonable prices with a great view. (I did like the flowers against the black table top too.)

Sky thru the glass flower window in Tacoma's Union Station at sunrise. The shape at the base of the window is a clock. Update: the building is a restored space for events now, and the glass art is by the famous artist Dale Chihuly. More at: http://www.chihuly.com/installations/unionstation/index.html

See Tom's Sky Watch Friday for many more sky photos.

Sunrise at Old Town Tacoma Waterfront

We stayed over the water at the Silver Cloud Inn on Ruston Way, Tacoma, and this was the view from the hotel pier. While the road & adjacent walking path is quite busy during the day, in the early morning, it was calm, quiet & peaceful.

E is for Extremes in Tacoma (abc Wednesday)

A very "touristy" photo but it was extermely scenic. Taken while wondering around in the early morning.
The extreme heat of the cone (Museum of Glass Hot Shop with furnace & theatre),
the extreme tension of the cables on the SR509 cable stay bridge, and
the extreme height of Mt. Rainier at 14,410 ft (4,392 m).
(Missing is the extreme roundness of the Tacoma ___?___.)
Join other "E"xtremely interesting posts at Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday

Tower of the Old City Hall - Tacoma

Tacoma has numerous grand old buidings, but the nicest is the Old City Hall (the link has a paper cutout model of the building!) The photo was taken with the early morning sun on the clock tower.

Art on Monday: Glass in Tacoma

Quote from the Museum of Glass web site: "Living Legacies: Homage to a Maestro presents a selection of sculptural work in glass by fifteen distinguished contemporary artists who have an historic and enduring association with glass master Lino Tagliapietra. Artists represented in the exhibition include Nancy Callan, Dale Chihuly, Paul Cunningham, Dan Dailey, Jen Elek, Flora C. Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick, Dante Marioni, Richard Marquis, Benjamin P. Moore, James Mongrain, Janusz Pozniak, Richard Royal, Preston Singletary, and David Walters."
(http://museumofglass.org/exhibitions/living-legacies/)

Window / Shop

Much appreciation to DC Confidential for hosting 2 Things Challenge at http://2thingsphotochallenge.blogspot.com/. In an office window (of a fitness center) at Golden Cove shopping center - fake flowers but the colors were eye-catching.
Abercrombie & Fitch store window at the PV mall. I still remember when A&B was a conservative, preppy store. There is definitely nothing in there I can wear, and I'm glad my 13-yr-old has not discovered it yet (he's sticking to the somewhat cheaper PacSun & Hollister for now).
Back at Golden Cove Shopping Center, promises for a more creative life was posted at a music school window.

Seattle at Night

I went up the Space Needle 2 evenings in a row, last Saturday & Sunday - and on the 2nd night enjoyed the sunset and the city changing from the sunset glow to the bright city lights. The 1st evening was very windy but the 2nd was calm and had so many people out, snapping pictures, having fun. Maybe some of you where there at the same time too...

Seattle from Above - Sky Watch Friday

View from a sight seeing flight with Kenmore Air Beaver floatplane. It's a very unusual experience to take-off and land on water - made me wonder if I'm on a boat or a plane.

Kenmore Air has an interesting history and a very successful operation flying in the less accessible parts of the Pacific Northwest. http://www.kenmoreair.com/

"Pondering the pontoons."

"Higher, Mom" in Seattle

View of the Pugent Sound from the 73th floor (Sky View) of Columbia Center Tower.

We came upon this adorable little girl on her mom's shoulders.

And she could see way, way down too.

Columbia Center Tower - Seattle

The tallest building in Seattle with 76 floors. We visited the Sky View on 73th floor.

Rainbow Treat - Seattle

Last Saturday afternoon, looking out of our hotel window at south end of Lake Union, we saw a full rainbow. There was even a pot of gold(en) shine at the end.

Double Vision in Seattle

Space Needle, Seattle's famous landmark, is reflected in the adjacent building.
Having a wonderful time and good weather - a bit of rain, a bit of clouds, and lots of clear skies.

Cego's Biergarten

I admit it's tiny, but it's our very own. Mr. Gerhard Moser was kind enough to pose for me on a lazy, early Sunday afternoon.

Leaving on a Jet Plane ...

... going to Seattle for a few days.

Over / Under

My friend's daughters over the San Joaquin river (middle fork) at Devils Postpile NM during our recent trip to Mammoth Lakes.
For other entries in the 2 Things Challenge at http://2thingsphotochallenge.blogspot.com/.

Morning . . . SkyWatchFriday

I know, I know another sunset ... no, no, it's a sunrise this time.

Click Sky Watch Friday for wonderful sky photos.Taken this morning, on the way to work, by quickly pulling off into the parking lot of the Vista Grande elementary school. One thing about Palos Verdes is that majority of schools have the most amazing views of the Los Angeles basin or the Pacific (I'll have to post some when the air is less smoggy/hazy.)

I read a comment today about photographer's eye taking over ... I have a "blogger brain" that switches the posts on me after I have a solid plan on what to post. Anyone else experience this?

Inspired by Virginia (BirminghamDP), I'd like to recommend one of my favorite pieces of music to listen to at sunrise: Mozart's "AVE VERUM CORPUS" KV 618.

Virtual Office & Working Hard

Working hard at Ryan Park...

Tug working hard.

But I was not since I took a day off (last Monday) & stopped by Ryan Park (top photo) on my way to lunch at the Trump's GC Cafe with my aunt. The company and the food was great, the view lovely. The view (bottom photo) is of the public park located between the front & the back 9. The GC used to be more appropriately named Ocean Trails.

C is for ... California Poppy - ABC Wednesday

Just a few that are still blooming at the South Coast Botanical Gardens in Rancho PV. The angle for the photo was inspired by Nathalie of AvignonDP -
Join other "C" posts at Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC WEDNESDAY ... http://abcwednesdayround3.blogspot.com/

Office Building: 734 Silver Spur Rd

This is one of my two favorite office buildings in Rolling Hills Estates business district. I drive by almost daily, but have never gone inside the building. Note to self: check out the inside.

Art on Monday: Portuguese Bend Artist Colony

PVP Land Conservancy Organization (http://www.pvplc.org/) held a "Fine Art Exhibition & Sale" at Malaga Cove Library/Gallery featuring the paintings of PBAC (http://www.pbartistcolony.com/) - seven artists that paint beautiful landscapes of the Peninsula.

The artists are Richard M. Humphrey, Stephen Mirich, Daniel Pinkham, Vicki Pinkham, Kevin Prince, Thomas Redfield, and Amy Sidrane. (As for me, I am partial to Stephen Mirich's work.)

Water Show in San Pedro

San Pedro, the harbor city next to PV, has a spectacular new fountain that is synchornized to music. Hundreds of locals enjoyed the show this evening - including me. The music played represents the diverse population of the city with American, Italian, Hispanic, Hawaiian, and Croatian/ Dalmatian songs & music. For my videos of the fountain see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5922mZ1-9FA "Sound of Music" medley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-p4UHLoEp8 "O Marijana, slatka mala Marijana"

Shadows ...

... on the wall of PV mall (view looking SE on Silver Spur Rd.)

Shadows ...

... #2 ... sans trees.

August 2008 Theme Day: Metal

I discovered these metal doors at the Palos Verdes Art Center while hunting for a metal anything - that would be interesting enough to post and located in PV. I was fortunate that an evening painting class was in progress, thus creating the lighting effect. I could not find any information on the doors' designer but did see a plaque stating:

"These doors are donated by Mr. & Mrs. Russell Dymock Smith

in memory of Shirley May Soergel

June 17, 1982"
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants for "Metal" theme day.

PS - I could not participate in Sky Watch Friday today but I have a wonderful entry to recommend from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/