A Winter Sunset In North Hollywood

This was Tuesday evening, at North Hollywood Station.

I mentioned that the sun is setting later and later.

Well, it looks like it is setting, when I get to North Hollywood.

These were a fast grab, from my cell phone. If I had the time, I would have taken them with my digital camera.

I didn't have time at all, as it ended up. The bus was coming and the sun was disappearing, as I walked to the band shell by the subway entrance.

The colors were wonderful and the colors of the "band shell" roof and mosaic tiles of the station, contrasted well with them.

Soon the sun will be still up, when I arrive here at 5:30PM.

Which means...spring will be here, before you know it.

Another 2 months folks. I can't wait.

The Burbank Studios?

Look what turned up on the corner of my building? Actually across Bob Hope Drive from my building.

They took down the NBC sign that has directed guests to the Main Gate, for decades (or at least for the past few years, since they built Stage 11).

I know the company that owns my building, Worthe Real Estate Group, has owned the NBC property since 2008. The Tonight Show has a rental contract until 2018, which is 5 years from now. What's the hurry to change the signage?

Adding insult to injury, they named the lot, The Burbank Studios! Seriously folks? You did know that the Warner Brothers Lot used to be called the same thing. You couldn't come up with anything more unique?

We shall see what happens on the next chapter, of "The Changing Of The Guard".

A Polar Bear Sleeping In The Sun

I was checking out some of my photos from the San Diego Zoo, the other day.

When I found this one, I just had to show if off.

A polar bear just sleeping, high up on a rock formation.

Getting his warmth from the California sun.

I wonder if he misses the cold? Nah...

By the way, he has a pool of water down below, if he wants to cool off.

Harbor Light In Oswego, NY

My Water Post For Today.

In honor of the fact that I begin my first class (online) at Oswego, today...I bring you one more water post from Oswego. This post got booted out during Christmas week, so I held it a few weeks.

Trust me, this is probably not the view that residents of Oswego, NY are looking at right now, being it is the middle of winter. Winter has arrived and I am sure snow, if not there yet, will be there soon.

I had never been to this area of the harbor. Don't ask me why I never went. Probably because I didn't have a car, back in school. :-)

I had seen many photos from friends who visit the area and this harbor light kept turning up. So on my final day on Lake Ontario, I decided to find it and visit. I could not have picked a finer day. Look at all that blue water!

They have a parking area, which overlooks the harbor and you can sit in your car and eat your lunch. There were several people surrounding my car, who did exactly that.

Nice and serene and oh so blue.

I hope you enjoy.

A Lazy Sunday And Some Stained Glass At Frank's House

Sunday is one of my favorite days of the week. Well, minus the days I work audio in the early morning, which takes away the sleeping late part. I find it a very relaxing day, all in all.

In honor of that fact, I thought I would post a little bit of beauty, via Frank Lloyd Wright.

Technically, I photographed this window from the inside of Frank's home In Chicago, but I figure I could have just as easily taken this photo from outside.

Seeing the photo again, made me wish I could have some of the stained glass that Frank designed. Unfortunately, even reproductions are way beyond my means.

Enjoy the genius of Frank Lloyd Wright, on a lazy Sunday.

The Plaza Fire House

The new pueblo of Los Angeles started in an area called Olvera Street. Right there at the plaza, is the area's first fire station. It is now a museum called The Plaza Fire House. My Husband and I actually found it open, on the day we were visiting the area, so we took a look around the museum.

It was originally all volunteer and did not actually serve as a fire station for more then a few years, in the 1800's. 13 years, to be exact.

What I found fascinating, is what shows up in the second photo.

This is a pumper that was brought to Los Angeles by boat, sailing from Boston, via the bottom of South America. Remember, there was no Panama Canal at that time.

An apprentice to Paul Revere, built this pumper and they have kept it, all these years.

A little piece of Revolutionary history, saved on the West Coast.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Old Plaza Firehouse

The Old Plaza Firehouse is the oldest firehouse in Los Angeles. Built in 1884, it operated as a firehouse until 1897.

The building was thereafter used as a saloon, cigar store, poolroom, "seedy hotel", Chinese market, "flop house", and drugstore. The building was restored in the 1950s and opened as a firefighting museum in 1960.

Another Year Older And Deeper In Debt

Here I am, another Birthday has come along.

I get 25 days into the new year, before this happens...but still it feels way too fast.

In a good thing, I begin my first class at my old school next Monday. Thankfully for this L.A. girl, it's an Online class.

I have a school email address and a school bill to pay. Unfortunately for me, they did not give me the in-State tuition discount because (heaven forbid) I don't live in New York anymore. ACK!

In good news for me, I get to pay it off in installments. My son does not get that good a deal at his school, so I was quite surprised.

So here I go, hoping my mind can wrap itself around studying again. :-)

Happy Birthday dear angel...Happy Birthday to you...

Terminal Annex, Los Angeles

Back in the 80/'s, when I was a young employee at KCET, I would sometimes have to bring mail to Terminal Annex. It was an interesting building, but very old and not well taken care of.

Shortly after that time, in the mid 90's, the Post Office sold the building to a developer, who thankfully, restored the historic structure back to it's glory days. I saw the building, when I rode the trains, but didn't realize that part of the structure is still used by the U.S. Postal Service, as a walk up window.

It always amazes me how much I learn, when I do a Google search for research.

In this case, I see that the initial sale brought in a group called The Ratkovich Company, who bought the building and 18 acre parcel and sold it at a huge profit.

This company, John Ash Group Architects, seems to have actually done the beautiful restoration of the building, though I am confused as to who they did it for. No matter what, the restoration is stunning!

These are 2 of the 11 panels that grace the Post Office area of the Terminal Annex. They were obviously done during the 40's and have a real depression era WPA feel to them.

I am still confused about the status of the building, but so happy to hear that it all worked out so well, in the way of saving a building with so much art and history. I plan to take a trip to the Post Office one day and see it's status and artwork, for myself.

A Sunset At The Pointe

I posted this photo on Facebook last night, literally as it happened. As a matter of fact, my bus came, as I was trying to upload it.

Just before I grabbed my cell phone camera, I realized that I no longer wait in the dark, for the 1st bus I take in the afternoon. I still have darkness at North Hollywood, but hey, one less is good. :-)

I love the bus stop signage, the golden glow on everything and, of course, The Pointe.

My floor is the top of the lighted ones. Most of our 6th floor offices are on the other side of the building, so you can't see them in this photo.

Enjoy.

The First Lady, 2013 Edition

Since I was at home for MLK Day, I actually got to watch parts of the Inauguration of President Obama.

My Husband is the big Live TV event man, who watches for hours on end, but I did catch enough to get the gist of the day. I thought it went quite well, all in all.

Finally the Inaugural Ball arrived and Michelle Obama came out and showed us her dress. OMG, What a beautiful shade of red it was!

I was impressed, if not with the chiffon itself, but the color and the style on top. I liked the straps held in place with the ring, too.

I also think I like this dress, better then the one Michelle wore for the first Inauguration. Not like white is a bad choice, but the red was truly a stunner.

On a personal note, I just LOVE the bangs!!!!! :-)

Palentine Bridge and Canajoharie

My Water Post For Today.

I was going to just ignore the water in these photos, but since I am writing this on a Sunday and I actually don't have a post scheduled for Monday yet, here you go.

I have shown this area of the world in a water post about the Mohawk River and Erie Canal. You can see it, HERE.

I mentioned in the post that I did not get a photo of the actual bridge where the elevation change occurs on the Mohawk River. Obviously, I was mistaken. You can see the bridge, in the back of the second photo.

The first photo is of a tiny town called Canajoharie. It was known over the years for having a huge Beachnut Babyfood factory right there at the Confluence of the two waterways. The Beachnut factory has closed, from what I can see, though it's influence is still felt, by the beautiful museum like building near the factory and right by the bridge and downtown area. The downtown looks just like so much of the Upstate area of New York. Oswego comes to mind. Brick buildings that are linked together, one after the other. Late 1800's look to them, though I hope for the town's sake, that they are newer then that. It was pretty though and as I told the waitress at the pizza parlour I ate dinner at, it gave the town a nice feel.

Right across the Mohawk River was a different town. A quarter mile and a world away, so it seems. It is known as Palentine Bridge and it is a very small rural area. Just a wide spot on the road I took to get to the St. Kateri Shrine. As a matter of fact, it was the only town on that 10 mile stretch of road.

I had seen this park and monument as I drove down to the shrine, so on the way back, I stopped. It was just a piece of grass, some picnic tables along the river...and this structure. It didn't even have a legitimate place to park, but I did so in spite of that. Once I got up to the structure, I saw that it had a water pump inside it. No sign to indicate why the town would go out of its way, to build a castle like structure around a water pump. No searches are coming up with a reason, either. So here I am, showing it to you so that you can see that there is a monument to water, in the tiny town of Palentine Bridge.

I hope you enjoy... :-)

Update: I did a search in 2021 and found out this fountain marks the beginning of the Continental Road. The Continental Road leading from this village to Otsego Lake has been marked at this terminus by a drinking fountain of Vermont granite, by the DAR.

Washington appointed General John Sullivan to lead the expedition with Brigadier General James Clinton second in command. In 1779 Sullivan moved up the Susquehanna River from central Pennsylvania, while Clinton gathered 1,500 men on the Mohawk River in New York. Setting out from Canajoharie, Clinton moved south to Otsego Lake, the headwaters of the Susquehanna, to follow the river and link up with Sullivan near the New York-Pennsylvania border. It took Clinton’s men two weeks to cut a primitive road through the forests from the Mohawk Valley to a location on the Otsego Lake just below the current site of Hyde Hall. The approximate route of Clinton’s road is now known as the Continental Road, named after the Continental Army. You can read more about it, HERE.

A Funeral For A Friend

The man who services our air conditioner, shares the family business with his father. Many times, when we had a problem, our friend's father would take the call and fix our air conditioner. We got used to seeing this older man, bring a chair with him and in his own time, work on our AC. He said that it gave him purpose, in his old age and more power to him. I was quite in awe of him.

We haven't seen him in a few years and I guess he finally got to the point where he couldn't take calls anymore. This week, we found out why. Our friend and air conditioner repairman, Nelson, had passed away. That is the 2nd death I have been involved with, so far this year.

You can read his formal Obituary, HERE.

I swear, you never know the history of a person, until the funeral.

I found out at the service on Saturday, that he was a World War II vet, who took part in the Invasion of Normandy and received a purple heart.

The story goes, that he was not wearing his metal helmet and his buddy was. When a bomb went off, his partner was killed because he was wearing the helmet. I don't quite understand why this is so, but OK.

Nelson, who was not wearing the helmet had it hit his leg and he received a compound fracture from it. So there he is, in the water with a compound fracture. The first boat comes over to pick him up. It was a troop transport, so it had the front of the boat that comes down, so troops could disembark to the shore. Nelson is pulled onto the boat and they gave him 2 shots of brandy, to warm him up. Because of the fact that the boat had the ramp down, the boat ended up sinking and he ended up back in the water. The next troop ship that picked him up did the same thing and gave him 2 more shots of brandy. It had the same result happen to it, as had happened to the first boat and Nelson is back in the water. When he got picked up a THIRD time, Nelson had had enough. He shouts at the crew, "Get me onto this boat and bring up the ramp!" Well, the crew thought this 20 year old was an officer and so they followed his directions and he finally was rescued.

According to him, the month he spent in the hospital, he was treated as an officer and yes, he did receive his purple heart for this.

Godspeed Nelson.

More On Public Art

In my travels recently, I have been exposed to public art. As an artist, myself, I have no problem with that.

Unfortunately, buildings that have been built within the past 30 or so years are required to place something "artsy" in front of their building.

Some do it with style and others do it kicking and screaming. You may remember I showcased a few pieces that I have seen around the Burbank area.

If you would like, check it out, HERE.

Here are two different examples, to give you a example of what I am speaking of.

The first piece (or two pieces of stone) is set right in front of the California Science Center. It is called "The California Gate".

If you look at the space between the two stones, it forms a map of the state of California. A very cool way of combining pictures of science on the stone, with the theme that this is not just science that we see in the center, it is our state's heritage that gets celebrated, too.

Nothing brings that to the forefront, then the fact that we now have the Space Shuttle Endeavour (built in Palmdale) living here.

The second piece of artwork is found in front of my brand new medical office. They just opened in September and when I went to an appointment in December, there was this piece of public art.

It is is called, The Well, The Tree and the Pole Star.

It is an interesting piece, that has a stone vessel filled with blue rocks, about baseball size. They are, of course, glued together, to keep people like me from taking them. I found the piece interesting, from that fact alone. A piece of artwork that makes a viewer want to interact with it, is serving a purpose.

I circled the piece and eventually found this sign.

I get the definite feeling that the building's designer or occupants were not as thrilled with the requirement for Public Art, as I am. It almost feels like the wording of the plaque has a subtle message that says, "This was not our idea".

If my feeling is incorrect, so be it, but that is what my take is and I was sorry to see it.

I love Public Art!

The Pointe Bathed In Turquoise

Seriously, this building just amazes me, on a daily basis.

One day it is shades of grey and then the next it shows off these incredible shades of turquoise. What a stunning building!

If I manage to get outside during the afternoon, I love looking up at it. It just never looks the exact same way twice.

Sweetheart Corner, North Syracuse, NY

As my life transitions to that of a student, instead of just a worker bee, I find myself remembering those long ago days...

One of the hardest and not hardest things I did while a student at Oswego, was my Broadcast Internship.

I was on my way out of town, about to fly down to Long Island and I dropped off my rental car right outside Hancock Field, in an area called North Syracuse.

I had an hour or so to kill, so I decided to try to find the school where I used to intern. It was known at that time as North Syracuse High School.

When I did some research, many months earlier, I found out that the school had been converted to a Junior High, shortly after I had been there. So, not only am I going on hazy memories that are 35 years old, the school isn't even the same one!

I sort of remember a street named Taft Road and it has a Rite Aid right at the corner. I decide to park there and take a few photos of the school right across the street.

I am pretty sure that this is the school.

I don't remember so many buildings, when I went there, but seriously, how many schools are a block away from the main road that I would have traveled on.

So after looking at it a few minutes, I go back to my car, which I had left in the Rite Aid parking lot and I eat my dinner. While I am doing so, I notice there is a sign at the corner that says Sweetheart Corner. OMG! The memory is 35 years old, but I remember getting directions to the school and being told to get off the bus at Sweetheart Corner!

I definitely know though that there was not a Rite Aid there at the time I was coming and as I just found out, it was a business called the Sweetheart Market. It also was replaced, shortly after I went to that area of the world. I am totally glad that Rite Aid kept the sign, because it really is a great memory.

Back to why I was there in the first place.

My Intership was supposed to be me going out and shooting women's sports. It was the time when Title IX came into being, so I was to make a video on the subject. Well, they really didn't have the equipment for me to use and so instead, what I ended up doing each time I went, was that I recorded instructional programming to be played back in class rooms around the district. I remember one of the shows was called Cover To Cover (obviously about reading).

Several years and 3,000 miles later, KCET used to air a RETAC (Instructional) show called The Best of Cover To Cover. I laughed, every time I thought of those days and how little things had changed in the 4 years since I had done that Internship.

My Internship was at the height of winter, January to May. Think of the snow drifts!
I would walk from West 8th Street all the way to West 2nd Street before the sun came up, to catch a bus to Syracuse. We would go down to S. Salina Street, where I would then wait for the local bus to North Syracuse. Ride up Route 11, until I got to Sweetheart Corner and walk to the School. In the afternoon, I did the whole thing in reverse.

To say the least, it was an interesting experience and it also hinted at my future career...so I guess Doc O'Donnell knew what he was doing. :-)

A Public Tribute To Huell

I didn't go to this event, but City Councilman, Tom LaBonge, organized a sunset tribute to our late colleague, Huell Hoswer.

I watched the sun set last night, from my building in Burbank and said another goodbye to Huell, at the same time the crowd who had gathered at the Observatory, sang California Here I Come. This was the theme song of Huell's show, California's Gold, and a fitting tribute on a cold winter afternoon.

Even though I know Huell wouldn't have wanted it, I am sure it brought some closure to some of his many fans who gathered there, including the owner of Pink's Hot Dogs. :-)

Tuesday's news stories bring another, hopefully final, piece of the puzzle. Huell died of prostate cancer.

EcoCar2 Update

A new semester began last week and the EcoCar2 Team is still putting together their redesigned car.

They removed the original engine and replaced it with another one from the Chevy stable of engines and they are now installing the batteries that will be running the car.

There is still much work to do, but it is coming along. Remember, this is year 2 of the competition. The car will be competing on the Yuma Proving Grounds a year from May.

My son has this photo, up on his Facebook page. It is him in the back seat of the car, working on the electrical system. Look at the goggles and heavy gloves! I am glad to see they teach safety to these kids. :-)

More to come, as the competition continues.

Grand Fountain

My Water Post For Today.

I showed you Grand Park about a month ago and promised you a view of their incredible fountain, at a later date. Well that day has arrived.

Here it is, in all it's glory, with City Hall in the background.

It is quite sophisticated, as are so many fountains now days. The water goes up, the water goes down, in rhythmic ways. I always love the contrast, between when the water is down and then when it suddenly rises way up in the air.

An "E" Ticket attraction, that's for sure.

I hope you enjoy it.

A Week Of Tributes And A Toast To A Great Man

It has been a stressful week at work, as I mentioned a few days ago.

With the passing of our co-worker, Huell Howser, our world has turned upside down. Or at least mine has.

On the Monday, we managed to get a show on the air, and one of the segments was an interview with his first cameraman, Luis Fuerte and his long time producer, Phil Noyes. They, were both so shocked and that added to us being shocked. It was a bizarre and surreal day in our lives. In spite of that, the show came out really nice and if you missed it, you can view it HERE.

On Tuesday, amidst tributes pouring in and articles and details of his final days coming out, I decided to try to get a toast to Huell going. My work friend and I discussed it and we came up with going to a nearby restaurant, The Tallyrand. Huell had a Christmas party and a retirement party for another co-worker there and we felt that we would be among friends. They also have a Huell Howser item on their menu. Perfect!

I finally made contact with the person who I needed to talk to, on Wednesday and got it going. I wrote the memos and invites and dealt with getting that all together.

Thursday the invites widened to former staff and got a bit out of my direct control, but that was OK by me. Whoever came, was good.

I called the Tallyrand up and told her we would probably have about 20 people gathering in their bar area and we were both content with that number and location.

Friday comes and on top of all three of us in Operations having colds the entire week, I am dealing with the final details of the Toast event. More people asking if they can come, etc. I finally leave work around 5:15PM and hope that someone is coming and I won't be all alone toasting my friend.

I get there and the first KCET employee, the man who put us on the air, was standing at the door. It was a good sign.

Soon I had people from long ago coming, people I had no idea were coming and then others who I did know of. Many of the ones from work, didn't make it, so the unexpected guests made my count of 20, just about right on. We filled the bar area and talked of many things and of course, of Huell.

The man who hired Huell those many, many years ago was one of my unexpected guests. Stephen, who was Station Manager back in the 80's and early 90's, recounted a story about the fact that the station was out of money, when he arrived and so he had to cancel our nightly news show that starred Clete Roberts.
He then decided to use a small amount of money to make little 5 minute daily shows. They were called "Take 5". One was Take 5 Arts, one was Take 5 Science and the other was...amazingly, Take 5 Videolog. He added the Videolog segment, when he hired on a producer/reporter named Huell Howser. He said he interviewed Huell Howser and he swears that Huell (who was working at the time, at KNXT now known as KCBS) brought along the segment on The Elephant Man, to show off. Huell was not happy with the station he was currently at and he wanted a place where he could be himself and do these little short profiles of people. That ended up meshing perfectly with Stephen's idea and on the strength of that one clip, he hired him. Videolog, became a household word and the rest of the Take 5's segments, faded into obscurity.

Huell then approached Stephen in 1992 (after the L.A. riots) and told him that he felt that he could go nightly 5 days a week. Stephen let him do it and Huell did a nightly summer replacement that year, just going out and shooting around town. It was quick production and editing (which was confirmed by his editor at the time, who also happened to be a guest at the party.) He said that Huell didn't do 2 takes...ever. Whatever he did, was basically live on tape. No second chances with Huell.

Stephen looked at the ratings for the summer replacement and saw that he had a winner on his hands. Huell never looked back. He has consistently been the reason that our access hour has achieved the great ratings it has, over the past 20 years.

I asked Stephen if he would do the toast to Huell and like the incredible man he is, he did it. He saluted Huell, said that we were all (everyone in L.A.) better off for having known him.

He was truly Amazing...and so was the evening. I know I say this every time, but I am privileged to have worked with such a fine bunch of professionals.

In case you wondered, I did not take a single photo of the toast, though I know someone else did.

A Tale of Two Presents

I took the tree down on Sunday, so we are at the very end of anything Holiday related.

I did want to point out a few things for my friend, Gina, in Belgium.

Last year she sent me a package with lots of stuff in it, including lots of little miniature bells and 3 dog bone erasers. What to do, what to do...

Well, I got a big bow on my present from my brother, this year. I placed it on the tree, all by itself. When I later saw the things I had from Gina, I decided to sew them onto the bow. I also attached, with ribbons, the three bones. It's not great, but it did come out cute enough. Makenna was fascinated at the sound of the bells, as Mom sewed them on, one by one. :-)

In a not so happy ending...Gina shipped a tube of chocolate stars. Unfortunately, it must have been hot somewhere along the way, because the chocolate melted. As in, totally melted! She says that they still haunt her, a year later. Amazingly, I still had them, though I think I should finally throw them into the trash. :-)

This year, she played it safe and sent me a card.

Gina, it's the thought that counts...

Candles In A Fireplace

I have a work friend, who gives me candles at the holiday season. Each has been a joy, but as the years pass, I wonder what to do with them.

Last year's candles were the most challenging. They were a set of three wooden candle sticks and they were quite striking...but where could I put them?

The answer came to me in a flash. I decided to put them into my fireplace!

They sat there this past year, looking good and then when the holidays came along, I lit the fake candles I had in each holder.

As you can see, they give the fireplace a nice warm feeling, without me having to light the thing.

Thank you so much, my friend. These candles sticks truly rock!

The Donald Turns 65

He is one half of Super group, Steely Dan. He is one third of the touring group, The Dukes of September. He hasn't slowed down much at all and today he turns 65.

Donald Fagen put out his 4th solo album, last October and now he is caught by some of the Dan fans I hang out with, helping a group of young musicians who are in a band called Oh Whitney.

The man amazes me.

Happy Birthday Donald!

And So It Begins...The Start Of A Fruit Cake

For some reason that I can't fathom, my Husband dreams of making a Kahlua basted fruitcake, like he used to make decades ago.

After listening to this for 2 years, I saw some cheap, after Christmas sale fruitcakes and I bought 2 of them. Just enough to make him happy. Cause a little fruitcake, goes a long way.

So here he is, doing the first baste of the fruitcake.

It will sit in my fridge for a year.

See us at the end of the process, when he makes it into a molded fruitcake ring.

My Friend, Huell Howser, Has Died

Huell Howser passed away on Sunday night. We heard the news at work, on Monday morning.

For those who have something they would like to say, there is a memorial page to leave your comments at, HERE.

A few weeks ago, I was allowed to send an email to Huell's assistant, who promised to bring it to Palm Springs, for Huell to read. Huell did not believe in things like email and electronic appointment books. He was a throw back to a different era, so this was the only way I could possibly communicate with him. I don't know if it ever got to him...but I hope it did.

December 20, 2012

Hey Huell,

We go back a LONG way, and nothing brings that to my attention more then the fact that my baby, who is now 22 years old and shared a drink with me last night at the Tiki Ti, wasn't even a gleam in his Dad's eye when we started working together. I know it must have been in the mid 80's somewhere.

I remember so long ago, you were in the elevator with a definitely pregnant me and you said that being in an elevator with pregnant women gave you the heebee jeebies (or words to that effect). I still laugh when I think of that.

Huell, it has been an absolute HONOR to work with you and watch out for your shows, all these many years. Trying so hard to make sure they get to air correctly, for the viewers in Los Angeles. You always trust me to watch your back and I try to live up to that, as I will continue to do, moving forward.

One of my absolute favorite personal stories, is my family watching the show on the Golden Gate Bridge. Justin was all of 3 at the time. After he viewed it from under, over and through, he turns to Mitch and I and says "Why are you keeping me away from The Golden Gate Bridge?" In spite of the distance, we immediately made plans for a 3 day quick vacation, just to introduce the boy to the bridge. I am positive that his love of Engineering, comes from that.
As a matter of fact, when he was 8, we bought the bridge's blueprint (sold at the gift store) and framed it. It is still hanging proudly on his wall.
Currently he is studying Electrical Engineering at Cal State LA. A new generation that you influenced, in a small way.

I know the fame you have is a two edged sword and you are probably dealing with the bad side of it right now, living in Palm Springs...but know that we all are thinking of you and miss you terribly, here at KCET.

Much love from me, Mitch and Justin.

May our paths cross again,

Cathy

Fountain At The Dorothy Chandler

My Water Post For Today.

It has been around since the 60's, bringing joy to patrons of the arts.

The fountain surrounds a statue called Peace on Earth. Sometimes blocking the work totally, with walls of water.

Thankfully, you can sometimes come closer to it, when it keeps the water level low. It also has quads that do not have water, so even when the level is high, you can get a little closer.

It is quite amazing, in that it frames, not only the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and The Mark Taper Forum, but the DWP Building across the street (which is the building in the back of this photo).

Well worth the money spent, in my humble opinion.

I hope you enjoy.

A New Year - A Winter Sunset

Most of the sunsets I shoot, are spring, summer or fall sunsets and they are usually shot from the middle of my street, like THIS one, or THIS one.

Here it is, a few days after the winter solstice and the sun is as far to the south as it is going to get. So this sunset was shot from my lawn looking south and west.

A pretty one. Glad I caught a glimpse of it, as I shut my curtains at sunset.

Because Nobody – Does Me… Better Than Me.

NOTE: For the record. I am a bit behind on this post. This is actually post number 2,043.

Of all the posts I keep an eye on, Earl Pomerantz, is the most eclectic. Long posts, when most write a few lines. I don't always have time to read them all, but find myself doing it, anyway.

On Friday of this week, his subject was about his writing over years. How very little of "His Voice" was allowed into the scripts he wrote. You can find his excellent post, with examples, HERE.

My favorite line in the post, comes at the very end.

"Because nobody – and you can takes this to the bank – does me…Better than me."

Well, that got me thinking. I have been doing this Blog for the past 5 1/2 years. Over that time I have written over 2,000 posts (I hit that milestone, back on Thanksgiving Day). I think it is safe to say, I have a general idea of how I write. Free wheeling and definitely in my "own" voice. This is me, out there for you to read...or not.

Why do I take the time to write each day? It truly does come down to what Earl says. It is nice to have a record of what I thought on subjects as varied as my life, my families and friends lives and how I see the world we all live in.

Am I going to keep on writing? I think the answer is an obvious, Yes. :-)

The Tallest Building In Los Angeles

It is not a great shot of the US Bank Building, but this is the view you get from right below it. It is the round one over in the left side of the photo.

Considering we are not known for our high buildings, US Bank Building(formally Library Tower and at the beginning, the First Interstate Bank Building) holds some impressive stats.

(From Wikipedia)
54th-tallest building in the world; tallest building in Los Angeles; tallest building in California; tallest building west of the Mississippi River and on the U.S. West Coast; tallest building in the world, with a helipad on the roof.

The thing with the helipad has to do with the way Los Angeles rules are. All buildings, including mine in Burbank, must have a working helipad. That is so that we can easily be evacuated, in case of Earthquake or Fire. It is the reason that the Los Angeles Downtown area, looks the way it does. No spires, for the most part, here. KCET had an extensive and enlightening post on this very subject, HERE.

In a cool thing. Similar to The Empire State Building in New York City, the US Bank Building lights up the top "Crown" with bars of red and green at night, for the Holiday Season.

It truly impresses me. Can you tell that I love my Downtown. :-)

Angels In LA

If there is something that speaks to me about my adopted City of residence, it is the fact that there are so many angels hanging around. Lo those many years ago, when I adopted the Internet name, angel, I knew that it was partially for my City of residence. You can read that post, HERE.

As the years pass though, you tend to forget that and so it is always with wide eyed wonder, that I gaze upon one of them.

I found that happening a few weeks ago, when we took a trip over to the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels.

Yes, I know there are these angels hanging around on the wall that overlooks the Hollywood Freeway, but it's like a new day, as your eyes first see them. I walked over to them and greeted them as friends.

They are a piece of perfection and grace and serenity in the midst of the high speed (well, the cars are not always AT high speed) City that we call our home.

Proud to represent. :-)

Out And About During The Holidays

As you saw, during the week before Christmas, my Husband and I spent an entire day walking around the Downtown area.

I did get a few photos of the two of us, as we went around and I wanted to show them off.

This first photo is of my in front of the outdoor tree on the plaza by the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Not the best photo of me, but good enough to show off.

This second photo is one I really like of my Husband.

He is standing outside the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels.

They have quite an extensive garden area, with waterscapes and statues of animals. This particular waterscape has words in Hebrew next to it.

There are lemon trees above the wall and my Husband kidded that he bet they were Meyer Lemons. :-)

A Holiday Tradition: Hot Buttered Rum

Happy New Year!
May 2013 treat us all well.

Yes, I finally changed the look of my blog. It has been a few years and I felt that with this new year, maybe a change was in order. Let me know if you have serious problems with it.

Now, on to my post for today.

Since the Tiki Ti opens for New Year's Eve, I thought I would honor that fact with a post that happened during the Holiday Season...the week before Christmas, to be exact.

The Tiki Ti bar does a Colonial American tradition, it serves Hot Buttered Rum.

I was reading up on the tradition HERE.

The recipe that the Tiki Ti uses, is their secret alone, of course.

All I can tell you is that they definitely had a container with the butter mixture, which he took two spoons of. He added the hot water and the rum and topped it with whipped cream.

It was truly delicious and I thanked my son for coming along with me to keep me company. There is nothing quite as bad as drinking alone.

Since the day we came to the Tiki was a Wednesday, my son decided to try Ray's Mistake.

A signature drink that is on special on Wednesday.

Only $6, til the toast to Ray at 9PM. It comes in a very slim glass, but it carries quite a punch.

The third photo gives you just a quick look at the atmosphere of the Tiki. Stuff hanging all over the place.

It is also is very tiny. The bar and about 7 tables for guests and that is it.

The place was packed and we considered ourselves quite lucky to snag the last table, by the door.

Maybe I have started a new tradition. :-)