Chevron Station, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

One of my favorite artists (whom I recently discovered thru the artist and blogger at PasadenaAdjacent) is Edward Ruscha. He painted Standard Stations in the early '60s and also produced a book of B&W photographs «Twentysix Gasoline Stations» with one-line references stating the stations’ name and location. I also like that the "Chevron Corporation was originally known as Standard Oil of California, or SoCal, and was formed amid the antitrust breakup of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company in 1911." [Wikipedia article]

Saddleback Butte State Park, Antelope Valley

"Saddleback Butte, elevation 3,651 feet, is a granite mountaintop that towers some thousand feet above the broad alluvial bottom land of the Antelope Valley about fifteen miles east of Lancaster, on the western edge of the Mojave Desert. The state park surrounding Saddleback Butte was created in 1960 to protect the butte (one of many similar land features in the Antelope Valley) and examples of native Joshua Tree woodlands and other plants and animals that were once common throughout this high desert area." - www.parks.ca.govPhotos from Saturday afternoon at about 4:30 pm. I was the only person around (the ranger station closed at 3 pm). Definitely a deserted desert landscape.

All lit up and nowhere to go ... Communications Tower in Rancho Palos Verdes

5741 Crestridge Rd (Lat: 33.768333 Lon: -118.376667), Type: Tower, Structure height: 54 m
Update: Photo was taken Sunday evening, on a tripod, from Indian Peak Rd. which leads past the entrance to the mall parking lot. I think the little while dots/lines are stars...the exposure was for about 20 seconds.

Hot Wheels in Palos Verdes (2 things challenge)

This challenge was easy since we still have a large collection of Hot Wheels and Matchbox toy cars from when my son was little ... this is my photo...
... and this one is my son's.
Join the 2 Things Photo Challenge.

Lavender Sunset

From Highridge Rd. overlooking Highridge Park, which is the same spot as this foggy morning shot from last May.

Mirlo Tower & Mini-Tee

Mirlo Gate Lodge Tower and its mail box tower.
I wish I could visit inside sometime.

"The 'Stone Tower' was bt by the Palos Verdes Homes Association in 1926 from the plans of the architect Clarence E. Howard submitted in Nov. 1925. Intended for a gated entrance located on Parkland, it was deeded to Palos Verdes Estates in 1939 and has been occupied by various tenants to maintain and preserve the tower." - RPV Historical Society plaque

Waiting (with Palms)

In Trader Joe's parking lot this morning in Hollywood Riviera neighborhood of Redondo Beach. We are having another heat wave (90 deg F by the beach is really high) but the heat wave is standard for this time of the year. Time to take this Honda Scooter (I don't remember the model) and hit the beach.

'J' is for Joshua Tree (abc Wednesday)

This Yucca brevifolia is by the Crystalair Soaring Field in Llano. It's my calendar shot of a less then attractive yucca species. However, the Joshua tree is one way to know that you are in a Southern California desert.
Join the bloggers at Mrs. Nesbitt's abc Wednesday.

Waiting (by Truck Lines)

A snapshot from the car on the commute home.

Big, REALLY BIG Fog Bank

Sunday evening, along PV Drive South, with Marlyn Ryan Sunset Point Park. The fog bank stretched out along as far as I could see, staying about 10 miles off the coastline.

Waiting (in Red)

Morning on Hawthorne Blvd.

Sometimes it's foggy...

Fishing & Waiting - Cliffs by Bluff Cove

Lighthouse with Palms - Pt. Vicente

It must be time for another view of the Pt. Vicente Lighthouse.

From PalosVerdes.com-PV Light

"Today Point Vicence Light still sends out its beacon across the Catalina Channel. Electronic sensors and automated controls have replaced the lighthouse keeper and activate the fog horn. Far from abandoned, the housing facility is home to regular Coast Guard personnel assigned to nearby ships, stations and offices. The former radio center is now manned by volunteer civilian members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary who are responsible for the lighthouse in addition to tracking distress calls from boaters in the Catalina Channel. The radio center also tracks Auxiliary aircraft patrolling offshore waters on weekends."

'I' is for Ideal Lunch Spot - Long Beach Art Museum

A friend took me to lunch yesterday at Claire's at the Museum. The lunch was great and I even had a view of PV in the distance.

More Local Flora

Not a cactus tree, but an euphorbia, reaching impressive heights by the Red Onion restaurant.

Ticket to Fly ... Long Beach Airport

The airship was coming in for a landing in the early morning about a week ago at Long Beach Airport.

It was a very strange sight especially from a distance and especially since it was, unlike other blimps, all white.

Born to be Wild - Purpe Raphanus sativus

Wild radish plant is one of the native flowering plants. According to The Handbook of Wildflowers, Weeds, Wildlife, and Weather of the South Bay and PV Peninsula by Donald Moore Gales, "wild radish is of the mustrad family, with colors varying from all-purple to lavender to white. Some are shaded from white on the inner petal to purple outer petal. Young pods are tender and taste like a garden radish, but the root is tough and fiberous." Since I read about the plant after I found it, I did not taste the pods. Next time for sure.

Briefing to Ride - Jetskiing at Catalina Island

Patriot Day 2009

Long Point - 2009 and 1960

New Terranea Resort at Long Point (opened June 2009) - aerial photo from last May's flight with my son and his instructor.
Marineland of the Pacific, circa 1960's. (Curtesy of PV Interpretive Center poster).

'H' is for Historical Harbor - Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro (abc Wednesday)

One of many splendid sights from the Vincent Thomas bridge is this historic landmark that is a former passenger terminal with its distinctive clock tower.
Steppin Back In Time Historical Map

by Port of LA gives an interesting, concise history of the port's landmarks.

Bolts and Suspenders - Vincent Thomas Bridge

For a look at the bridge "conquerers", see San Pedro Daily Photo.

Conquer the (Vincent Thomas) Bridge - Labor Day 2009

Lori Lynn (San Pedro DP) tipped me off on the 5 mile run/walk over our local landmark, the Vincent Thomas Bridge. This was a rare opportunity to take photos of and from the bridge. I walked the up/down/up/down course in decent time (no, I was not the last one!), got lots of photos, including close ups of the bolted joints. In this photo, Palos Verdes peninsula is in the background and you can see my fellow walkers on the return trip.

Station Fire Smoke Cloud over Llano, CA

Crystalaire Airport, on the north side of the San Gabriel Mts at 2:30 pm, on Saturday 9-5-09, looking east. The smoke cloud, moved in over the airport at about 11:00 am, and the soaring had to be cancelled for the rest of the day. Ron, who's been soaring here off and on for 40 years, said this was the first time they had to shut down due to smoke.

This is the same airport looking West. The sun was actually an orange ball which I could not replicate in the photo.

Super Scoopers snuffed out a small brushfire on Palos Verdes Peninsula

As I headed out of our garage on Thursday afternoon at around 5:20, two very low flying Super Scooper airplanes went by directly overhead. It seems that a car accident set off a small brush fire (at Crenshaw near Silver Spur) that was put out very quickly by helicopters and these airplanes which made two water drops.

I took the photo from an empty lot at corner of across from PV Art Center on Crenshaw Blvd, where a group of people gathered and cheered on the firefighters.

Sign Watch on SkyWatch Friday

The Knack for Decorating

I don't have the talent for decorating, but my friend L. certainly does. This is a detail of the dining room in her house in San Pedro, in the southeastern foothills of Palos Verdes peninsula.

The green alcove housed an indoor BBQ when she moved in last January.

'G' is for Girl (abc Wednesday)

I had a chance to spent a day with my new friend from Switzerland. She did a good job teaching me many new words in German. She loved our cats and contrary to his look, Whiskers liked the attention.

September Theme Day: BIG

I join LA basin bloggers in posting the cloud building over the Station Fire, that reached 20,000 feet. I usually post the Good Year blimp under more happy circumstances, but this time, for many, it has been anything but a good year.

Today is City Daily Photo Theme Day
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants