Orange Sky Watch Friday

This one is straight from the camera (taken yesterday morning). The sky was not quite that orange all the way up but the sun over the misty trees of the Green Hills Cemetery came out as I remembered it.

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...
Looking East from top of Hawthorne Blvd.

Ready for Halloween?

... somebody's ready for you!

New construction in Valmonte area of PV Estates.

'O' is for Out-of-focus / Orange (abc Wednesday)

An old '60s car wash at the bottom of the hill, with only the exterior walls remaining, transforms seasonally into a Pumpkin Patch or a Christmas Tree lot. The fuzzy shot makes the place look more interesting than it actually is.

'Tis the color of this season. Cana lily adorning the front yard on Via Rincon.

Thank you Mrs. Nesbitt for ABC Wednesday.

St. Andrew's Catholic Church ... (PVDP in Pasadena, CA)

This post is inspired by Katney (click on her name to see photos from 1927!) who has family ties to St. Andrew's. Taken on January 26, 2008, while I was in Pasadena for a Society of Women Engineers conference, and decided to visit some of my old haunts in Pasadena and Highland Park (where I lived during my teens). As I drove down Raymond Street, I spotted this beautiful campanile and had to stop to admire.

From Wikipedia: "St. Andrew's Catholic Church ... was founded in the 1880s, it is the oldest Catholic parish in Pasadena and one of the oldest in Los Angeles County. Its Romanesque campanile bell tower is visible for miles and is one of the landmarks of Pasadena. The current church, built in 1927, was modeled after the Basilica of St. Sabina in Rome."
The interior is adorned with mural above the altar and this one in the chapel in the north nave, which were painted from 1930 to 1935 by Carlo Wostry, an accomplished Italian painter from Trieste. What caught my eye were the four saints (in the middle, at ground level), depicted in vivid colors and with golden halos: St. Cecilia, St. Barbara, St. ?, and St. Agnes.

New Houses on Via Rincon

Along the northern hillside of the peninsula, many of the '60s homes are being replaces by beautifully built new ones - at a very steep price. This one is on Via Rincon with the view of the South Bay beaches and more.

Haggerty Mansion (now Neighborhood Church) - 1

1928, Armand Monaco; Olmsted and Olmsted, landscape architects

415 Paseo del Mar

"An extensive seaside villa, more Italian than Spanish. The house is impressively detailed, especially in its ironwork. If Pliny the Younger could have owned this villa and its gardens, we feel he would have been very happy." from An Architectrual Guidebook to Los Angeles by David Gebhard & Robert Winter (#15).

There are 25 entries in the book on buildings in Palos Verdes, North. I will attempt to share all of them with you.

Not "Lost in Translation"

Driver's ed manuals in many languages at the PV main library.

Street Corner with a View - PVDP in NYC (9) - Sky Watch Friday

This photo is best viewed if clicked-on to enlarge.

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:) :) :)

It's time to celebrate with a photo taken at the Town of Mammoth Lakes last summer (a Saturday fireworks show with orchestral music at the high school). I've been honored by Marley of Cheltenham (or maybe by the REAL Marley) with the "Blogging Friends Forever" award. I am so delighted, especially since Marley was among the first to leave comments on my blog. But that's not all! I also received the same award from Marie-Noyale of Larchmont DP. Wow!

Now I have a chance to pass on the award following these rules:
1. Only five people are allowed.
2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.
3. One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whoever gave you the award.

I'd like to extend this award go to these wonderful contributors to the blogging community
Birmingham Alabama Daily Photo (Virginia)
Maya Photography - A Day in the Life (Maya)
Pasadena Adjacent (Palm Axis)
Glimpses of South Pasadena Daily Photo (Laurie)
Sofia Daily Photo (Antonia)

'N' is for Nostalgia

Sometimes, after all the hustle & bustle, we just need a bit of simplicity of home.

Nostalgia - Etymology from Wiktionary:
From Late Latin nostalgia from Ancient Greek *νοσταλγία (nostalgia), from νόστος (nostos), “‘a return home’”) + ἄλγος (algos), “‘pain, suffering’”).

Thank you Mrs. Nesbitt for ABC Wednesday.

The Stage - LA & NYC (2)

At the Music Center, we saw a strikingly staged "minimalist production by Robert Wilson" of Madama Butterfly . The soprano Michèle Crider was superb. The scene is from Act II with Suzuki where Butterfly is waiting & waiting for Pinkerton. One more of Oliver Dragojevic at Carnegie Hall. The orchestral accompaniment was by students of Juliard. Sorry about the quality of the photos - no tripods allowed (& no photos allowed either).

Music Center - LA / Carnegie Hall - NYC

Last Saturday's LA destination was the Music Center/Dorothy Chandler's Pavilion for a night-at-the-opera with my friend P.J.
Two weeks ago, the destination was Carnegie Hall to see the Croatian/Dalmatian pop singer Oliver Dragojevic. And here is the man himself with my friend Lj.

Downtown - East Coast & West Coast

Downtown Manhattan with Trinity Episcopal church in the foreground (two Saturdays ago).
Downtown Los Angeles from the 110 freeway (last Saturday afternoon).

At Torrance Beach in the Fall

I interupt the regularly scheduled NYC trip photos for a view of a Saturday at the beach that is a 15 minute drive from our house right next to PV. The weather is warm enough and the crowds are non-existant. The first photo is for my friend from work, R, who said that if I want visitors on my blog, I just have to post women in bikinis.

Ladies & Gentlemen of the Rock Plaza - PVDP in NYC (6)

What we did right in our tour of Manhattan - Day 1:
1. Walked up Broadway from Times Sq. to Central Park & down 5th Ave.
2. Stopped @ Tiffany's & did not buy a thing.
3. Had lunch outside at the Rock Cafe (with the view shown in 1st photo)
4. Went up to Top of the Rock
5. Walked, walked & shopped on 5th Ave
6. Went to cheap comedy show ('HA!')

On Sunday, went to mass at St. Patrick's - 3rd photo is of leaving the cathedral.

People Watching - PVDP in NYC (4)

For our first morning in NYC, we were so hungry & stopped at the 1st place we passed that was serving breakfast. The waiters (of undefined ethnicity - we thought Hispanic) lived up to their NY reputation for standoffish "politeness" - until we persevered and made them all smile - after all, we are from California! The food was decent and we'd go back again. I snapped this series of people watching photos while sitting one table away from the window.

Trattoria Daniela
Neighborhoods: Manhattan/Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan/Theater District
728 8th Avenue, New York, NY

Blog Action Day 2008 - Poverty

A very sad site to see anywhere but even more so in the midst of the opulance of Manhattan.

Times Square with Tourists - PVDP in NYC (2)

On a warm October Friday evening, many tourists and New Yorkers are to be found at Times Square -- where The City really never sleeps.

At Times Square - PVDP in New York City (1)

Here is the 1st of the 1300+ photos I took of this absolutely amazing, totally unique city...that I will be posting.

(Just kidding. I will be sharing a few of my favorites. I don't know if digital photography is a curse or blessing, but it sure is fun.)

Yellow Flowers with Parking Lot

These yellow flowers, that just refuse to quit flowering, are above the Peninsula Center parking lot.

Gotta Luv a Yellow Lamborghini ... & Others

Lots of boys (young & old) were admiring the beauties at last month's car show at Trump's National Golf Club.

Fall

Last Saturday morning there was a bit of rain.

We are starting to get some fall color even with weeks of really warm weather.

WEST / EAST (2 things challenge) - "Start spreading the news ..."

"... I'm leaving today ..." from the Golden California coast and going ... to NYC for a few days, as my 50th birthday present. As I'll be devoting ALL my time to being a tourist in Manhattan, I will catch up with return visits next week. <:)

--.O.--
Thursday evening will be spend at Carnegie Hall listening to a still very popular Croatian pop singer, Oliver Dragojevic (See his concert in Pula, Croatia).

The upper photo is of a California golden sunset reflected on a building in Long Beach, CA.
The somewhat contrived lower photo is my entry in this week's 2 Things Challenge hosted by D.C. Confidential (... inspired by Virginia's lovely photo of books on Paris).

"L" is for Los Angeles Basin (ABC Wednesday)

It's been an "as good as it gets" couple of weeks in the LA basin. Tuesday morning was especially clear, with the hot and dry weather being good for views of LA from PV. The photo shows the South Bay beaches and cities, with the Manhattan Beach pier, then West LA and Westwood with UCLA and Getty Center on the hill, and Santa Monica & San Gabriel Mts.

See more terrific "L" posts on http://wednesdayabc.blogspot.com/ conceived by Mrs. Nesbitt.

Artist John Divola or Treasure Hunt at PV Library Book Sale

PV library holds a monthly book sale and going there is like being at a great treasure hunt. This month I brought home only 8 more books. But my best find was this photo of John Divola's work while browsing thru a book on Security Pacific Bank art collection.

John Divola
Untitled, 1982
Dye transfer print from Zuma I suite, edition 19/30
16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 com)

From http://www.divola.com/
"Dialog with John Divola by Dinah Portner
Q. Do you think of photography as a concrete way of dealing with ideas?
A. No, it's not that they are ideas, per se. I see art as a dialogue ... I am dealing with is visual experience.
Q. So the dialogue is between you and the environment?
A. No, the dialogue is between me and whoever sees my pictures."

Gotta love this man. He also recently exhibited at the Huntington Library in San Marino in the "Body & Landscape in LA Photographs" show that Pasadena Adjacent recommended. (I got there pretty late, so I saw only a small portion of the exhibit & I think I missed seeing Divola's work.)

Anasazi Modern with Ladder

The building I posted back in May (see earlier construction progress) is nearing completion. It reminded me of the cliff dwellings that Anasazi built in the American Southwest such as at Mesa Verde in Arizona.

Dim Illumination

Today is Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk® in Downtown Los Angeles. Memory Walk is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research – and it calls on volunteers of all ages to become champions in the fight against this fatal disease. Since 1989, Memory Walk has raised more than $230 million for our cause.

My dad died recently from last stages of Alzheimer's disease. There is no known cure and the current medication only eases the symptoms - sometimes. As with any disease, it is very hard on both the person & the family. My dad's widow is my hero for taking such excellent care of him for as long as she possibly could.



10 warning signs of Alzheimer's:
1. Memory loss.
2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks.
3. Problems with language.
4. Disorientation to time and place.
5. Poor or decreased judgment.
6. Problems with abstract thinking.
7. Misplacing things.
8. Changes in mood or behavior.
9. Dramatic changes in personality.
10. Loss of initiative.

Eddie Bertrand - A Real Showman

While admiring Thursday evening's sunset, I met Eddie, a legendary surf rock guitarist/composer extrordinarie. Eddie is an unassuming PV native and walks an elderly couple's dog along the coastal access spots. More on Eddie and the Showmen on http://www.eddiebertrand.com/
and to sample his legendary playing click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US4dSbnwOfk


Eddie pointed out "his" seal step at the Whale Watching Station.

Pacific afternoon (Sky Watch Friday)

Catalina Island and Pacific Ocean from end of Pacific St., San Pedro.
Views of the Pacific Ocean from the park by the Whale Watching Station, in Rancho PV.

Visit the Sky Watch Friday Home Page and see the other participants from around the globe.