California's Finest / Date Palm

California's Finest - Los Angeles  2019

Date Palm - Los Angeles  2019

So, most of the L.A. photos were taken with a Canon G5X. After my first G5X went missing in Vancouver I bought another used one on Amazon. So far it's been doing fine! At one point I was afraid that Canon would "update" it and I, of course, would have to spring for the new model.

But no. It's starting to seem likely that the camera is going to be a one of a kind model. Fine.

MOCA

Mike, Joe (MOCA) - Los Angeles  2019

Balloon Dog Plates (MOCA Store) - Los Angeles  2019

While wandering around after taking the Angels Flight ride to the top we visited the Museum of Contemporary Art's gift shop.

Cute balloon dog plates! A steal at $11,000! ($9,900 for members.) And probably quite the investment, 'cause I'm sure that Jeff Koons will someday rank right up there alongside Thomas Kinkade. As for me, I'm gonna hold out for a bunny plate.

Earlier posts: - Joe & Mike reflections at Disney Hall.

- Monday Balloon Dog Blogging.

MOCA Dog Plate Page

Angels Flight

Angels Flight, City Hall - Los Angeles  2019

Angels Flight, Buildings - Los Angeles  2019

"Bosch had ridden the inclined railroad as a kid and had studied how it worked. . . . The two matching cars were counterbalanced. When one went up the side-by-side tracks the other went down. . . . He remembered riding on Angels Flight long before Bunker Hill had been reborn as a slick business center of glass and marble towers, classy condominiums and apartments, museums, and fountains referred to as water gardens."

--Michael Connelly, Angels Flight

We could see Angels Flight from the multi-story parking lot where we found a spot. Of course we had to make our way there, and pay the $2.00 round-trip fare for a ride.

Angels Flight, Interior - Los Angeles  2019

L.A. Downtown

Bus Stop, Mural - Los Angeles  2019

Beethoven, Palm Trees - Los Angeles  2019

We've been wanting to visit the downtown part of L.A. for some time now . . . both of us used to work in the Civic Center area but we knew there has been a lot of new construction in the intervening years. Joe served as our chauffeur . . . after parking we visited Pershing Square (seen above).

L.A. Afternoon

Wash & Dry - Los Angeles  2019

Dior Backstage - Los Angeles  2019

We spent an annoying amount of time trying to find a parking spot in Culver City. So, after trying and failing in the parking quest, we ended up at a random taqueria on Venice Boulevard.

Hali's fish tacos were pretty good, she says. The less said about Mike's quesadilla the better.

iPhone photos.

Taqueria (Venice Boulevard) - Los Angeles  2019

L.A. Morning

Sugar Scrub - Los Angeles  2019

Frank's - Los Angeles  2019

We walked over to the Farmers Market for breakfast, checking out some of the interesting sightems on the non-trendy part of Fairfax Avenue.

Stainless Steel Door (Farmers Market) - Los Angeles  2019

Monday Cat Blogging

Sadie #1 - Los Angeles  2019

Sadie #2 - Los Angeles  2019

Sadie, who lives on Ogden Drive in Hollywood. Last seen in 2018.

Fairfax / Melrose Sightems: Melrose Avenue #64

Embrace Your Genius - Los Angeles  2019

Igor - Los Angeles  2019

If I had any journalistic ambitions, I'd be doing a bunch of Googling to try to decipher the images. Or I would have gone into one of the security-guard adorned stores on Fairfax and interviewed the employees about their ultra-trendy merchandise.

If.

Pink Runtz - Los Angeles  2019

L.A. Landscaping

Plants & Wall - Los Angeles  2019

Hydrangeas - Los Angeles  2019

Some nice stuff seen on Laurel between Beverly and Third.

L.A. Motel

Beverly Laurel - Los Angeles  2019

Flamingo Pool Toys - Los Angeles  2019

Hali found a new motel to stay at this time. Nicer than my regular place, but more expensive, of course.

Grapevine

Highway 5 (Grapevine) - Kern County  2019

Taken from the small Highway 5 off-ramp area of Grapevine. Some restaurants, gas stations, and this view.

Highway 5 South - 2

Highway 5 South - Stanilaus County  2019

Parking Lot - Stanislaus County  2019

Hali managed to take a quick snap of Mike at the viewpoint. Again, lots of rain!

Mike with Olympus E-M1II - Stanislaus County  2019

HIghway 5 South - 1

Aqueduct Viewpoint Parking Lot - Stanislaus County  2019

California Aqueduct - Stanislaus County  2019

On our way driving down to Los Angeles last month. I always like to stop at this particular viewpoint. Much more rain than expected!

Monday Deer Blogging

Deer (Dominican University) - Marin County  2019

Wandering around the Dominican University campus, seen as we were returning to our car.

iPhone photo.

Dominican University - 3

Hydrangeas, Window (Dominican University) - Marin County  2019

Rhododendrons - Marin County  2019

Bottom photo location not on campus . . . private house in the nearby upscale neighborhood.

Dominican University - 2

Ivy, Entrance (Dominican University) - Marin County  2019

Dogwood Tree (Dominican University) - Marin County  2019

There's an interesting link between Ansel Adams and the university:

"Adams began working for Dominican in 1932, only two years after he had decided on a career in photography. He was 30 years old, had just started a family; it was the depth of the Depression and the work must have been welcome.

"He continued to work on commission for the college until 1952.

"His Dominican pictures show a vanished world -- Dominican was a women's college then, and he photographed it as it wanted to see itself, 'a serene, almost sheltered environment for the intellectual development of women,' Roby said."

SF Chronicle

Dominican University - 1

Footbridge (Dominican University) - Marin County  2019

Benches (Dominican University) - Marin County  2019

For some reason I've never explored the grounds of the Dominican University here in Marin County.

Very pretty.

Marin Flowers

Rose - Marin County  2019

Rhododendrons - Marin County  2019

Top: an iPhone shot, using "Portrait Mode."

Bottom: San Geronimo Valley, taken with an Olympus E-M1II, 14-150mm lens.

Marin Scenic

Mt. Tamalpais, Clouds - Marin County  2019

Fence, Roses - Marin County  2019

Top: from the pedestrian bridge at the Larkspur Ferry terminal.

Bottom: San Geronimo Valley.

Convict Lake / Minarets - 2007

Convict Lake - Sierra Nevada  2007

Minarets - Sierra Nevada  2007

8/27/07—Monday

6:45 AM—Up.

7:15—Attempt to find fishermen’s lodge for breakfast. Couldn’t find one. Went therefore to Jack’s in Bishop. Bacon, eggs, and toast . . . wow . . .

10:00—Leave camp. Travel to Galen Rowell gallery in Bishop.

Very sanitized views of wilderness . . . everything perfect: composition (no fallen logs, extraneous undergrowth etc), lighting (the perfect sunrise/sunset etc.) etc etc. Employee states that 16x20 is most popular size sold.

Major clouds developing. Photos of Infiniti & Convict Lake.

Pizza for lunch in Mammoth.

Drive to Minaret Summit. Thunder, lightning, hail. Wow.

3:15—EconoLodge & shower! Slightly cheesy, older place, but I can see the gondola structure on Mammoth Mountain from my window!

**

For some reason, there's no photos of the EconoLodge to be found in the contact sheets. Nor any mention of the drive home in the notes. Oh well.

**

So, for this trip I used an Olympus E-510, my first DSLR. The camera had 10 megapixels (my current Olympus E-M1II has 20). A somewhat low megapixel count, combined with all-jpg files, means that in practice there's a limited amount of Photoshop manipulation / enlarging that can be done. One interesting thing was that as I was hiking the camera kept bumping up against the buckle on my pack's waist belt, scratching the LCD screen. After that I made sure to affix a protective screen thingie to all my cameras.

Olympus E-510 - Marin County  2019

Monday Cat Blogging

Cat on Porch - Marin County  2019

Cat Flopped on Sidewalk - Marin County  2019

iPhone photos. Our neighbor's cat. There are actually two cats, but so far no photos of them together.

The Hike Out 2 - 2007

Bishop Pass Sign - Sierra Nevada  2007

Backpacker - Sierra Nevada  2007

Lake, Storm Clouds - Sierra Nevada  2007

I reached the Bishop Pass sign and then headed down the many switchbacks of the trail.

(BTW, I'm liking the top two photos: for the sign in one, and the backpacker and the faint, meandering trail in the other. Also, nice muted colors. May try to print on the Epson.)

From the notes:

7:30—Leave camp. 51º.

“Fog” over the Inconsolable Range . . . low monsoonal clouds?

9:30—Back at first campsite. Breakfast. Overcast: making good time.

10:40—Bishop Pass.

12:00 PM—Saddlerock Lake outlet bridge. (Site of 1st day’s lunch.) Lunch.

2:30—Trailhead. Thunder on the way down. 9-mile hike out . . . helped by overcast. A personal best, I think.

***

After a beer at the trailhead I camped overnight at one of the campgrounds in the vicinity.

Mike & Beer, Post Backpack - Sierra Nevada  2007