Archive for June, 2010

Because I love to Hike and Photograph

Jun 27th, 10 / 27 Comments

A great combination for an outdoor hobby: hiking and photography. I have listed a few of my hiking trails, be it for beginners or intermediate. I stay away from hard core 5/10 difficulty.

From top to bottom:

a) Devil’s Punch Bowl in Pearl Blosson, CA

Spectacular rock formations, lovely pine forests, views of the high desert. The Devil’s Punchbowl is a point where 2 earthquake faults collide, creating upwards jutting vertical walls as high as 300 feet.

b) Fish Canyon Trails and Falls in Azusa, CA

The Fish Canyon Trail, which leads to a three-tiered waterfall, is an easy 5 miles round-trip, with a total elevation gain of approximately 900 feet.

c) Malibu Creek State Park

It was the center of Chumash Native American life for centuries and was once used to film numerous movies and TV shows such as Planet of the Apes and M*A*S*H.

d)Point Dume State Beach, Malibu, CA

A gradual ascending trail leads to an ancient coastal bluff sand dune.  A boardwalk,  just below the summit, leads to a viewing platform. A stairway from the east side of the bluff-top preserve allows access to a more isolated beach and fine tide- pooling opportunities.

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Beach, Devil's Punchbowl, Fish Canyon Falls, Los Angeles, Malibu, Meme, Mosaic Monday, National Parks, Pt Dume

Watts Towers Arts Center

Jun 25th, 10 / 27 Comments

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This past Sunday afternoon brought us to Watts, next to Lynwood, in Los Angeles, to see the famous towers built by one man, Simon Rodia, an Italian, who  immigrated to the US  in 1895. It was built without benefit of machine equipment, scaffolding, bolts, rivets, welds or drawing board designs.

Though this post is not about the Towers, I want to share with you the beautiful mosaic tiled artwork in the Arts Center.

While waiting for the Museum to open, I looked around and found this interesting reflection shot.  The house across the street is owned by a Hispanic family.

At a different angle, I saw this heart shaped mosaic tile reflection.

This is an enlarged version of the red heart.

Here’s a preview of the Towers…..

…..consisting of seventeen major sculptures constructed of structural steel and covered with mortar, are the work of one man – Simon Rodia.

Note:  The tour guide did not show up (Father’s Day festivities?), but we were able to take photos from the outside.  We stayed for a couple of hours, and then left.

Like I did not have enough art photos for the day?   We came home and rested for a bit and then proceeded to Pasadena for the final day festivities at the Chalk Art Festival.  See one post below for some of  the winning entries.

Art, California, Los Angeles, Meme, Watts Towers, Weekend Reflections

Winners: Chalk Festival at Paseo Colorado

Jun 22nd, 10 / 30 Comments

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Claudia at Dipity Road hosts Friday Finding Beauty

June 19 – 20, 2010
Pasadena, California

It was a Guinness World Record of 179 murals of chalk pavement art at Paseo Colorado in Pasadena this past Saturday and Sunday. We went on both days,  and Sunday was the best time when you can see the finished product.  Yet, we did not cover everything.

We have some of the winners but everyone who participated is a winner.
This is one of my favorites and it won!

Sushi Nishimura, Artist

Entry #45
Category: Best Technique
Best of Silent Auction

Best Rendering of a Masterpiece
Entry #69
Ester Petchar

PASEO COLORADO’S PEOPLE’S CHOICE
Entry #60
BRITNEY LEE

I have spoken to the mother and daughter team and a few of the team members, and I told them I will vote for them.

BEST OF FESTIVAL – THIRD PLACE
Entry #104
RANDALL WILLIAMS

BEST 3D EFFECT
DYLAN FERNANDEZ

Very smart and artistic

On the way to MOCA
Entry #113
Sasha Karlova

She’s a very young and talented artist, and we exchanged some pleasantries.

BEST OF FESTIVAL – FIRST PLACE
Entry #168
GUSTAVO LAZAON

I took this early in the morning unfinished, and when we came back the following day, I was not able to go back to his spot because it was across the street.

I missed a few murals, but yet, I did not want an overflow of photos.  I hope you enjoyed my presentation.  Have a great week!

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Art, Festival, Meme, Outdoor Wednesday, Pasadena

Venice Beach Art

Jun 20th, 10 / 20 Comments

Venice, California, not Venice, Italy, is a district west of Los Angeles. Famous for its canals, beaches and oceanfront walk. During the summer months, the boardwalk is filled with  lots of entertainment. Fun filled activities continue through the winter months.

Uh-oh, PAINTING BY PERMIT ONLY

As of June 3, 2007 every person painting in the Venice Art Walls area will be required to have a permit. If you paint or mark any surface in the Venice Art Walls area without a permit you will be given a ticket for vandalism by the LAPD or the Park Rangers.  The physical permit itself will be issued by the On-site Supervisor the day you will be painting. Permits are free of charge, and are issued only by ICU Art. Permits are valid for one day only and must be returned at the end of the day.

Summer Solstice is here (officially starts on Monday, June 21st). Stay cool and enjoy!

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Los Angeles, Meme, Mosaic Monday, Venice Beach

Today’s Flowers: Tansy

Jun 19th, 10 / 12 Comments

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Tanacetum
Species: T. vulgare
Binomial name
Tanacetum vulgare

Tansy is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant of the aster family that is native to temperate Europe and Asia. It is also known as Common Tansy, Bitter Buttons, Cow Bitter, Mugwort, or Golden Buttons. It has finely divided compound leaves and yellow, button-like flowers.

The roundish, flat-topped, button-like, yellow flower heads are produced in terminal clusters.  They bloom  from mid to late summer. The scent is similar to that of camphor with hints of rosemary. The leaves and flowers are said to be poisonous if consumed in large quantities.

Source here:

South Coast Botanical Gardens
Torrance, CA
25 miles south of Los Angeles.

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