HOLLYWOOD

An un-glam look for sure, off the Hollywood 101 Freeway.

The Oscars are tonight and the only movie I've seen is The Fighter which I thought was excellent. So you know which one I'm pulling for to win.

Been busy with chores...

...only I wish mine are as pleasant as my son's, shown here washing the Karmann Ghia.

Phineas Banning Residence

After all these years of living in Palos Verdes, we finally took a tour of the Banning Residence which is about 5 miles away from us. The building is considered the finest exisitng example of residental Greek Revival architecture in Southern California. (The grounds are being renovated, and an unsightly fence got in the way of showing the whole building.) Banning contributed a lot to development of the LA basin, from seting in motion the creation of Port of Los Angeles, and opening stage coach routes, to (along with other entrepeneurs) creating a railway connection from Los Angeles to San Pedro From the upper deck of the 24-room house, Banning was able to see the Pacific Ocean, ranch lands, and the LA river. Below is a photo of the back stairway (which was taken before I was told that photography is not allowed inside.)

"Wave" at Mammoth (SkyWatch Friday)

Picturesque lenticular (or "wave") clouds formed along the ridges by Hwy 395 at the Mammoth Mountain turnoff last Saturday afternoon. (From Wikipedia: "Where stable moist air flows over a mountain or a range of mountains, a series of large-scale standing waves may form on the downwind side. If the temperature at the crest of the wave drops to the dew point, moisture in the air may condense to form lenticular clouds. As the moist air moves back down into the trough of the wave, the cloud may evaporate back into vapor. Under certain conditions, long strings of lenticular clouds can form near the crest of each successive wave, creating a formation known as a 'wave cloud.' The wave systems cause large vertical air movements and so enough water vapor may condense to produce precipitation. The clouds have been mistaken for UFOs (or "visual cover" for UFOs) because these clouds have a characteristic lens appearance and smooth saucer-like shape. Bright colors (called Irisation) are sometimes seen along the edge of lenticular clouds.")

On the drive home on Sunday, heading south toward Los Angeles, misty clouds spilled over the Sierra Nevada mountains to the Owens Valley.

Pottery for Parking

 Inadvertently, I think I've got a theme going this week on Parking Places. This one in Manhattan Beach close to the pier demonstrates that parking structures don't have to be dreary places. Sadly, I did not find out who the artist is.

"Metlox, although it may not look it now, is actually a city landmark, as it has stood in Manhattan Beach for more than 80 years. For many of those years, it was a pottery manufacturing facility. But not too long ago, Metlox was transformed into an outdoor shopping center that has become a hub in Manhattan Beach for socializing, especially for me and my friends, as well as many other Mira Costa students" -- by Adam Gerard, a freshman at Mira Costa High School.


In 1934 "Poppytrail by Metlox" was used. Shortly after "Poppytrail Made in California, U.S.A." was used on dinnerware and artware.

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Parking Place Pointer

Torrance, CA - off of Hawthorne Blvd.

2 Oct. 2010

(I was saving this one for ABC Wednesday "P" post...and then missed it. I liked the vintage look of the place.)

Theme Day: Fountains

The Neptune fountain, a 3/4 size replica of the fountain in Bologna, Italy was placed in Malaga Cove Plaza in the late 1920's. I just realized that Neptune is facing West.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants of City Daily Photo's February theme day.