Walking the George F. Canyon

Native and non-native plants.
The Canyon and the Stein/Hale Nature Trail is located at the intersection of PV Drive N. and PV Drive E.
The Stein and Hale families generously contributing the 36 acre park to the City of Rolling Hills Estates. The trail was dedicated in May of 1993. [Ref. - the trail map.]

Chapel at St. Francis Episcopal Chapel

Built in "Anno Domini MCMLII" -Walter Swindel Davis, architect.

Bougainvillea in Bloom

Variety on the Howlett trail.

Unlike our dog, these pups do just fine walking along with the horse...maybe because it is THEIR horse.

Riding High ... (100 Strangers Series)

These riders and their beutiful horses were very nice to pose for me on another section of Ernie Howlett park trail. Amy (our dog) and I were behind a gate, letting them go by.

'S' is for Son Soaring ... (abc Wednesday)

...in the sky as Southern California Soaring Academy at Llano, Ca.
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Riders of the Howlett Trail

The girl in the lead was just darling. She tried to calm a very concerned Amy, our dog, who was pulled a few feet off the path. The path leads up to Ernie Howlett Park.

Well Preserved (Monochorme Monday)

My son's photo of his new car...1968 Karmann Ghia. Not a bad rear for 42-year-old.

(Photo by I.C.B.)

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At Aviation & Rosecrants (Sunday Bridges)

Here are two train bridges, one for the Metro Green Line light rail, over Rosecrants Ave. and Aviation Blvd. in Hawthorne, about 12 miles due north from Palos Verdes. I lived near by when my partents and I first moved to the US, and then when I started working in aviation after college. I remember the other (proper) train bridge as being the first one I saw in the New World.

See bridges from around the world at Sunday Bridges.

Anita & a Kantale - Pasadena, CA

Anita with a sunny smile played the Finnish kantele - a lap harp - at the Pasadena Museum of History in the Finnish Folk Art Museum - 16 May 2010

I've been inspired by many bloggers to join the 100 Strangers series.

Skywatch from Pt. Vicente Upper Park

Looking at PV Drive South, which follows the coastline south to San Pedro, and a tip of Long Point.

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PVDP is Two ...

...and I'm celebrating with a DOUBLE Bird of Paradise.

The two years have gone by so fast. Thank you ALL for your encouragement and on-going comments that have kept me going when the daily routine got a bit ... routine. I'm so glad to have made the connections and friendships through this blog... As some of these friends have said..."Ain't blogging grand!"

... and now, let's continue with the game.

'R' is for Reflection on the Road...

...rolling along the edge of Rolling Hills Estates.

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Sunny Side Up

From the San Juan Capistrano Mission garden, 17 May 2005

It's been gloomy in Palos Verdes (either very foggy or overcast) so I needed a bit of sunshine. Wanda of water colors by wanda blog  reminded me of the 4th grade Mission project done in California schools. The 4th graders build a mission model and if possible, visit a local mission. My son's school was lucky to take a trip to the beautiful San Jaun Capistrano Mission when the gardens were in full bloom. That was 5 years ago!

Pansies at the Mall

On the wall of the Marmelade Cafe at PV Mall, Spring 2010

According to Wikipedia, "the name 'pansy' is derived from the French word pensée meaning "thought", and was so named because the flower resembles a human face." This bunch seemed to be observing and commenting on the passers by.

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Bridge to Promenade (Sunday Bridges)

Bridges from the parking structure to the PV mall (Promenade at the Peninsula) with the hill of wild mustard that's part of the nature preserve.

See many bridges at Louis La Vache's Sunday Bridges.

Saturday Outing - Santa Barbara

A family visiting the Santa Barbara Mission (May 1, 2010).

Controlled Burn (Skywatch)

A refinery in Torrance, LA basin and San Gabriel Mountains as viewed from top of Palos Verdes. I saw the flame on my drive home...it looked alarmingly large but it was thankfully a routine burnoff from the refinery.

View from the Courthouse Tower - Santa Barbara Mission

The Courthouse building and tower tour is a must do in Santa Barbara.

'Q' is for Quadrangle (abc Wednesday)

quad·ran·gle n. 1. Mathematics Quadrilateral. 2. A rectangular area surrounded on all four sides by buildings.

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Untitled, 1992 by Matt Mullican (1 May 2010)
"Commisioned by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art Women's Board, this large-scale, contemporary art installation by Mullican represents a complex array of signs, symbols, and patterns. Incorporated into the Museum's architecture, its centerpiece is two oversized canvas rubbings (acrylic and oil pencil) that are mounted, facing one another, in a light-filled atrium. Painted in black and the primary colors red and yellow, each panel is divided into two halves: the top portions present a constellation of symbols, many based upon international sign language, while the bottom parts refer to Santa Barbara, identified by its city grid and by images of its recognizable landscape."Guarding art, SBMA (1 May 2010)

Initial / Impression (2 things challenge)

The initial impression I had was of an unusually feminine tatoo impressed on a pretty young woman. When I asked if I could take her photo, she was very sweet and somewhat surprised that I thought her pretty.

Dam at Ballard Locks in Seattle (Monochrome Monday)

Seattle - May 5, 2010
"The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks located in Ballard provide a link for boats between the saltwater of the Puget Sound and the fresh water of the Ship Canal connecting to Lake Union and Lake Washington. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, often called the Ballard Locks, link salty Puget Sound with the fresh waters of Salmon Bay, Lake Union, Portage Bay and Lake Washington." (Ref. Seattle.gov_tour_locks)

Borrowing from Seattle for Sunday Bridge Series

Palos Verdes has many pretty sights but very few bridges. So I've scanned my archives for this aerial view of the Ballard Railway bridge in Seattle. Check out Chuck's wonderful photo and caption of the same bridge at Almost One a Day Seattle. I made a quick visit to the locks last week.

My contribution to Louis La Vache's Sunday Bridge Series.

Los Angeles Skyline from Altadena & ...

I drove up as high as I could into the hills of Altadena and saw this view, looking at LA and beyond to Palos Verdes. And then as I stepped back, the real visual treat came into view, right above me.

Peaks in Palos Verdes (Skywatch)

Palos Verdes Golf Course - County Club is one of the earliest buildings in PV. Last week was the 1st time I realized that Mt. Baldy can be seen from Via Campesina street skirting the south side of the golf course.

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Afternoon at Historic Ballard Neighborhood - Seattle, WA

A model, a photographer & a side-kick, Ballard, WA

On my way to Ballard Locks, I got sidetracked by a sign leading to Historic Ballard and found many splendid late 1800's and early 1900's buildings. (I could not resist snapping a photo of this interesting group.)

Hansen Building, built ca. 1905, 5101 Ballard Ave.

The sign on the side of the building is posted by The Ballard Historical Society with the following description: "Built by Swan Hansen, the president of the Horse Shoe Mining Co., this elegant brick structure was home to the Henry Brothers Saloon. By 1908 the Pederson & Olsen Bar took up residence on the ground floor and stayed until Prohibition. during the dry years, Walter Forrester operated the Ballard Hand Laundry, which was reputedly a speakeasy. The laundry remained in business until the '50s. In 1971 the owners began restoring the building, which sparked the preservation movement on Ballard Avenue."

Yarn store, Ballard Ave.

The area has very interesting stores, many restaurants, and more bars that I've ever seen on a three block stretch.

'P' is for Pretty People at the Public Library (abc Wednesday)

Snapshot of the RED floor, Seattle Central Library, 4 May 2010
I'm away again, this time for a really quick business trip to Seattle...but I did have a chance to see one of my favorite buildings - Seattle Central Library. The whole structure is visually interesting and well worth a visit.

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A Prickly Situation?

At the Huntington Cactus Gardens, San Marino, CA, from last Thursday's outing.

I bet the wonderful photographer & dear blogger friend from Birmingham, Alabama DP has a matching photo.

Neptune in Malaga Plaza (Monochrome Monday)

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One of the most notable Palos Verdes landmarks is the Neptune fountain - a 3/4 scale replica of the one in Bologna, Italy. Here is what Walter Swindell Davis (an notable Los Angeles architect - 1887-1973) said about the aquisition of the fountain in the "oral history" interview by Florence Sullivan (spring of 1969):
Sullivan: When was the statue of Neptune erected? There were only a few buildings there [at the plaza] when that was done.
Davis: Cheney was responsible for the fountain. There was an antique dealer down on Figueroa between Wilshire Blvd. and 7th Street. The depression had caught him with the fountain of Neptune. Cheney made him a propostion to trade it for some lots down on Paseo del Mar that runs along the ocean... Cheney traded three or four lots for the fountain. It was a wonderful bargain... To erect the fountain cost 50 to 75 thousand, they got the statue and its base of four Nereids. The steps and pavement had to be carved in Italy and shipped here. [Source: Palos Verdes Library - Local History Collection]

Granada in Santa Barbara, CA

My friend L. and I took a quick day trip up the coast to the really beautiful city of Santa Barbara, full of Spanish influence architecture. Granada is a concert theatre.

May Theme Day: Statues

In a secret garden of a 1930's home in Miraleste, one of the four early developments in Palos Verdes, on the east side of the peninsula, facing LA Harbor and San Pedro.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants for City Daily Photo Theme Day.