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“Pic of the Week”, August 28, 2015: Surf and Turf
I love spending time in Newport Beach, one of the Orange County beaches in Southern California. A major reason for this is beautiful Crystal Cove State Beach, a 3 mile stretch of natural beach just north of Laguna Beach. I’ve walked the length of that beach many times.
One time while walking along the cliffs overlooking the beach we came across this artist who was doing a rather nice job painting the rugged coast. The middle photo below shows his subject matter.
Aug 27, 2015
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.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA
Palm Springs’ Amazing Air Museum!
The Palm Springs Air Museum is located on the north side of the Palm Springs Airport. The Air Museum is housed in an expansive structure that includes the two main display halls and hangars, a theater, gift shop, research library, flight simulator and education center. It’s website indicates it’s been rated by CNN as one of the top 14 Air Museums in the World. The museum provides an up-close look at the legendary fighters and bombers of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. The warm, dry desert climate is ideal for preserving planes, so in this regard the museum is well situated. What’s most amazing is that most of these planes are flight-worthy (27 flyable aircraft), making …
Tagged Air Museum, Airplane, Palm Springs, Palm Springs Air Museum, WWII
“Pic of the Week”. March 20, 2015: Death Valley National Park, California
One of the most unique landscapes in North America is to be found in Death Valley National Park, in eastern California. It’s among the hottest and driest places in USA, but the park has some amazing landscapes ranging from magnificent sand dunes, to salt pans, to colorful mineral deposits. Many areas of the park are actually below sea level.
This is definitely a place to visit in winter (from late fall to early spring). Wild flowers are in bloom. Days are pleasant although nights will be chilly (so bring a warm coat). The terrible heat of summer is extremely unpleasant, even dangerous, and best avoided. A mechanical break down of your car in July could turn into a harrowing experience.
Mar 19, 2015
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.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA
A hike up Tahquitz Canyon, Palm Springs
It’s a great time of year to be visiting the desert regions of the Southwestern USA. The weather is warm and pleasant, the wildflowers are in bloom, and the oppressive heat of summer is a distant memory. This is the time of year to go on a hike in the Mojave and that’s what we’re going to look at today: a walk up tranquil Tahquitz Canyon just outside of Palm Springs, California. This is one of several canyons in the area, each with its own character, each awaiting exploration!
Centuries ago, ancestors of the Agua Caliente Indians settled in the Palm Springs area. They adapted well to life in the desert and developed a complex network of communities …
.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA
California’s 17 Mile Drive: Pacific Grove to Pebble Beach
There are a lot of famous road trips in the USA, like California’s Pacific Coast Highway and Montana’s Going to the Sun Highway. One of the best known drives in America is scenic 17-Mile Drive (actually distance depends on how you enter and leave) which extends from Pacific Grove to Pebble Beach. 17 Mile Drive leads you through a quiet neighborhood, into a forested area (including some rare stands of monterey cypress), along a rugged stretch of the Pacific Ocean and past the notable “Lone Cypress” tree. The drive takes you by some of the best golf courses in the country, including world-renowned Pebble Beach, and some of the views you’ll …
Tagged 17 Mile Drive, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, roadtrip
.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA
John Steinbeck Country: 3) Cannery Row, Monterey, California
“Cannery Row…is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.”
— John Steinbeck, from his novel ‘Cannery Row’
Wow! With a beautifully written introduction like that, who wouldn’t want to visit this place? Cannery Row is my favorite novel by American author John Steinbeck. It may not be his best book, but it’s the first of his I’d read and the one that made me a fan. Published in 1945, Cannery Row is set in Monterey, California during the Great Depression, near a waterfront street lined by sardine canneries. The book’s setting is secondary to the narrative and the many colorful characters Steinbeck develops. Steinbeck wrote a sequel to Cannery Row, called Sweet Thursday, some 10 years later, a much less interesting novel in my opinion (as …
Tagged Aquarium, California, Cannery Row, John Steinbeck, Monterey, Monterey Bay
“Pic of the Week”, October 31, 2014: Disneyland, California
Happy Halloween!
No one does it with more class than Disneyland. The park is extensively and cleverly decorated during October, culminating with a big celebration Halloween. Check it out sometime…see you at the Haunted Mansion.
(Click on the thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance)
Oct 30, 2014
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.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA
The Getty Villa, Malibu, California. Classical Art and Architecture
I’ve previously discussed J.P. Getty and his great museums on this blog and today would like to focus on the first of his museums, the Getty Villa in Malibu.
While he was despised by many during his lifetime, J.P. Getty has left the world a wonderful legacy. Getty was one of the world’s first billionaires who, like Bill Gates, was the richest man in the world during his time. Getty, an unpleasant but highly successful businessman, was a passionate collector of antiquities and art. Collecting art became the center of his life. His view towards his hobby is summarized by his quote, “The beauty one can find in art is one of the pitifully few real and lasting …
Tagged antiquities, art, California, Getty Villa, JP Getty, Malibu, museum
