Capitol Records Building Hollywood

I am sure you have all seen this building. It's the Capitol Records building on Vine Street in Hollywood. Of all the buildings that Los Angeles has, it has to be my personal favorite. I have seen it from a distance many times, but yesterday I had the time to actually make a right turn off of Hollywood Blvd and drive up Vine for about a half block and there it was.

Proudly screaming to me that it was built at the very time I was born, it wears it's 50's Architecture well. It is truly a giant of a building.

I stopped right in front of the building and got out to take a closer look. Unfortunately, getting a closer look, gave me very interesting pictures, but none of it from a distance. So you dear readers, get the long shot from someone else. :-)







My pictures are from the front door. The bottom picture in particular explains what it was designed to look like...duh, it looks like a stack of 45 rpm records.

Well, I guess to this generation, they haven't a clue, but to us who remember something of the 50's or 60's, a 45 record was a big deal.

The top of the building has a large piece of metal in the shape of a stylus, again giving a nod to the business that occurs in this building, every day.








There is so much that is being torn down and revitalized, right now, even just down the block. There have even been rumors that they might eventually get rid of this building, or build things nearby. Ruining the recording studio sonics of the Capitol Records Building is one of the possibilities, so I definitely wanted to make my pilgrimage to it, before anything like that takes place.

A really cool piece of history, all wrapped up in a 45.

===============
Photo #2 is
right out front
of the building.


Photo #3 Is a
sign explaining
the building for
tourists and others
who stop by to see
it.

Thank God For Amazon

Being I dropped my Hubby off at work at 4:45AM yesterday, I did spend 90 minutes in his store trying to find a flash drive for my son. This is the absolute LAST time I do any shopping for him, on Black Friday. Sheesh!
Thankfully, the crowds weren't too bad this year, behavior wise, and I did find a nice mixer for $15 (my 30 year old hand mixer has just about had it, so that was a good thing to trip over).
When I left the store, I went home and did almost all of my shopping over on the Black Friday sale at Amazon. If I did not already have The Unit DVD's from the first 3 seasons, this was the weekend to buy them. Majorly on sale and if you have not bought them, this might be the time to do so. :-)
I got some stuff for both my guys, so my shopping is basically done, without being run over by the crowds. Yay!

Rolls

A post holiday recipe:

My Hubby's friend in Phoenix bakes rolls at the holiday. It doesn't matter what holiday, they work for just about any of them. I made them this Thanksgiving and wanted to post the recipe, for any who are into an easy baking project.

Rolls
______

2 Cups Warm Water
2 Pkg Active Dry Yeast
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Soft Shortening or Oil
1 Egg
6 1/2 to 7 Cups of Flour

Mix all ingredients and knead. Place in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and place in the refrigerator. 1 to 2 hours before you want to bake them, take them out and roll into balls and place into a pan. Let them rise for that 1 to 2 hours and then place into a 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Take out and break into individual rolls and serve immediately.


You can also do this in your bread machine.



Rolls for Bread Machine (2 to 3 cup capacity machine)
________________________

1 Cup Warm Water
1 Pkg Yeast
1 Egg White
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
1/8 Cup Shortening or Oil
3 Cups Flour (if you have a 2 cup bread machine, put the final cup in slowly as it is mixing the dough.)

I make 2 batches and follow the instructions above.

Thanksgiving Today...Black Friday Tomorrow

Been a busy week here at the angel house.

On Tuesday, my guys boxed up my "Other" son #1's computer and shipped it to his duty station of Pensacola, Florida. He is taking advanced training in his field of study there. His field of study, brings him to the very location that my Dad served his time in the Navy at. That makes me happy in a strange way. Sort of that things have come full circle, at least in "my" mind. :-)

On Wednesday, we had rain and the last thing I wanted to do was drive in to work, so I did take the train. Hubby brings my son to college and finds out that his car has no water. He immedately stops by the dealer and has to have the water pump replaced. So he goes to the train station and gets my car. Good thing this happened yesterday, rather then today, a holiday.

My week finally sees the fourth member of our department return to the fold. He's been out due to surgery for over a month and we welcomed him back, by totally decorating his office for Christmas. He was touched by our happiness to see him back. :-)
Unfortunately, we are so behind, that long hours at work were the norm again. I will probably go in on Saturday, too, to finish some of the work that just did not get done in 3 days...but at least there are days off in between to enjoy.

So being I have not been home much, my house does not look as nice as this picture, at least not yet. I came home last night and prepared the dough for the rolls and I baked the pumpkin pie. Today, it's a fresh turkey (yay, not a frozen one), Cornbread stuffing, Cranberry Sauce that I made on Sunday, Sweet potatoes, and frozen corn. The Pumpkin pie and a store bought peach pie are desert.
My brother in law and his girlfriend are the guests for today. I just could not deal with more then family for this holiday.

On Friday, my guy gets to go to work just before 5AM, for what they at Walmart call, Blitz Day. They, as are the rest of the nation, are not sure who and how much stuff will be walking out the door, but they are cautiously optimistic that sales will be good. Some of the staff of the store, actually make breakfast for the associates, a nice tradition. He's not going to be happy...but at least he had 3 days off immediately before Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends on this that we call the Internet. Of the many things I am thankful of, it's my many friends who share parts of their lives, with mine. You are all the best.

Just When Everything Was Going So Well

Actually, I can't take credit for that line. It comes from The Unit, but I felt it sort of expressed my feelings on the subject of this post.

For any who have been reading along with my humble blog, you know that my son has been learning to fly. Things have gotten in the way of that recently, weather, my trip East and a trip to Nellis, but I was sure things would work out shortly. As I found out the week after our Vegas trip, this is not the case. My son announced that he had thought long and hard about this and though he has enjoyed learning the process of flying, he was not enjoying flying and decided not to continue to spend the money to finish getting his private pilot's license.

We had lunch with his instructor last Sunday and though the instructor and I both discussed and tried to figure out exactly why he is stopping, we both told him flat out that we did not want to force anything on him that he did not want to do. We asked if the money was an issue...No. We asked if the 2 leg flight scared him...No. We gave him our opinion that being he is just 2 flights from the license, that he might want to do it just to have it done, but no that is not what he has decided. So we gave the key to the hanger back to his instructor and said our final goodbyes. Though as the instructor mentioned, he is good for another year on his written exam, if he changes his mind and wants to pick up where he left off.

To say the least, my Husband and myself are saddened, but it's not our life. The only thing that bothers me is that I never got a chance to be in the plane when my son was flying, so though I was at the airport more hours then anyone else and listened to him talk about his lessons, I never saw it from inside the plane. I always felt that there would be time after he had his license, to do that. I guess not.

That I will always regret.

Shadow Riders

After the past 2 weeks of intense storylines, I did not expect too much from The Unit this week. Yes, it was definitely less intense, less shooting going on and more storyline, but it was an interesting episode none the less. Just the chance to see the guys on horseback in "Afghanistan" was worth the price of admission...at least according to some of the female viewers of the show. :-)

While the guys are bringing a 12 year old bride to her wedding, Bob and Kim are trying to find out more information on Kim's employer. Bob gets another chance to be a pilot...a skill he is becoming adept at. It's something like the 3rd or 4th time he has had to pilot a plane in the show.

Even the FBI goes after Bob, but after surviving SERE, there is nothing that they can throw at him, that makes him talk to them. :-)

All in all, an interesting episode and a relief after the past 2 weeks.

California Coastline Near Ventura

My Water post for today.

Probably the most visited area of beach, for me, is the Ventura area. I live about an hour away and it's the easiest one to get to. Not a lot of traffic and almost no crowds at all. Serenity abounds.
I happen to like this particular shot because it is a cross between a black and white photo and a color one.

Enjoy.

My Guy - My Best Friend

His birthday comes every year and most times we are dealing with Thanksgiving or the aftermath. This year it's on the Monday before, so we get a break. We can celebrate it in peace.

We've been together for 29 years, so I think this is actually the 30th birthday I have celebrated with him. That's a large chunk of time to be entwined with another and though many of them get ignored, we did have a few memorable ones along the way.

For his 50th birthday I actually had a blow out party, with "Over the Hill" stuff and friends from far distances. It was a good time and he appreciated it and the special presents we bought for the occasion. We did this since he was the front end of us all reaching that milestone (me only 3 years ago...yikes!).

The year our baby was born, we came in to check out our son while he was still living in the Hospital and there was a little sign in the incubator saying "Happy Birthday Dad". My husband's Mom got it put up, but it meant the world to us...who were parents...but not quite yet fully parents. Of course, we made up for that one month that we shared him with a hospital, by having to take extra special care of him, when he finally came home a week later, all of 5 lbs of baby.

I thank him for everything and wish him a very happy birthday. The first one post dependent child.

Hey guy, want to take a trip alone sometime... :-)

Love ya.


==========
Photo: Is at the
Nokia Theatre LA Live
just before the LA
Steely Dan Concert.
The guy puts up with
a lot, just for me
and I appreciate it.

Numb3rs - Thirty Six Hours

I don't normally write about episodes of Numb3rs, but this one ended up being a very emotional one for me. They started the show with the actor who plays Charlie Eppes. He explains that the show had already been written and filmed, on September 12th, which was the day a Metrolink Train and a Union Pacific freight train collided in Chatsworth. He goes on to explain that this show may be difficult for some people to watch and to exercise caution in viewing. As it ended up, the parallels between the the crash and the show, were so very similar in many ways and it must have been very hard on the cast and crew, to see something they had just done, happen in real life.

Even to the engineer getting a phone call from his young son, while driving the train. By the way, I have seen that happen in real life, on my own trains. I am glad that I don't travel with a particular engineer and his wife anymore, because she would be on the phone with him the entire 2 hour ride. I have a feeling that he tuned her out...but what do I know. :-)

Thankfully, things turned out better in their crash, then in the crash of Metrolink 111, but I don't think I will watch that episode again. It just hits too close to home, for this Metrolink commuter.

Brotherhood Of Warriors

I picked up a copy of a book about a Beverly Hills kid who decides to move to Israel and try out for the most elite Counter Terrorist organization in the world. I was attracted to the book for several reasons. I have read Eric L. Haney's Inside Delta Force book multiple times and enjoyed it. I have also read Douglas Waller's book, Commandos. It's about different Special Forces (including Navy SEALs) selection and training, so I have found that this kind of book actually interests me. (Who Knew?)

The book is very easy to read, very conversational in tone, sort of like you are both sitting down at a table talking about things. I had a bit of trouble with some of the Hebrew terms, but I found that I eventually got most of it.

One of the first things Aaron Cohen explains is how he could join the Israeli Army at all. He, as a Jew, is automatically allowed citizenship, under the Law Of Return. I knew that my husband was probably allowed Israeli citizenship, but didn't know how extensive this Law of Return actually is.

Here's a small piece of the law:

4A. (a) The rights of a Jew under this Law and the rights of an oleh under the Nationality Law, 5712-1952,*** as well as the rights of an oleh under any other enactment, are also vested in a child and a grandchild of a Jew, the spouse of a Jew, the spouse of a child of a Jew and the spouse of a grandchild of a Jew, except for a person who has been a Jew and has voluntarily changed his religion.

So what I learned is that I can immigrate to Israel, with my husband, even though I am not Jewish and so can my son, even though he does not have a Jewish mother. Not like I was planning to do so, but I found it very interesting.


Most of the book explains the unrelenting training that Aaron went through, something like 14 months of extensive training, to get to the point where he could be sent out on missions. I have never heard of a more heartless training regime and he confides in a friend, that it took a great mental toll on him.

The missions he goes out on each seem similar to things I see on The Unit. Small groups of men are given orders from the Command Center and usually are sent to retrieve people who the Jewish State feels are trouble makers and hopefully bring them back alive for questioning. Of course, those people do not want to be taken alive, they want to go out in a blaze of glory...and thus, the trouble with the work.

All in all, it was a good read and I recommend it to any who find Special Forces tactics and training of interest.

Into Hell - Part 2

Episode 8 of season 4 brings us the conclusion of the show that aired last week, Into Hell, Part 1. The Colonel, who is basically a dead man, due to his ongoing affair with Mack's wife Tiffy, manages to get inside the prison where Jonas' daughter is being held. He not only pulls that off, he is instrumental in her rescue. Non stop action and a fabulous story make this a must see episode. So, after all that, does The Colonel get sent to his final reward? At the critical moment, Jonas steps in and spells out the consequences of Mack's actions. Jonas doesn't care about the Colonel...but he cares deeply for Mack and what would happen to him, if he kills his commanding officer.

At that point, Mack backs off and allows the man to live.

Is all forgiven? I am not sure...but hopefully some healing of wounds will occur. The first one being his marriage with Tiffy, because through it all, he STILL loves her.

Hard to believe, but true.

Metropolitan Water District Murals

I was late going home Friday night and didn't have anything else to do, so I took a walk just a bit further afield then I normally do. I went to the building that is the direct neighbor to Los Angeles Union Station, the MWD Building. I have visited their fountains in the past but this time I went in the side entrance (which might be their main entrance) and found these two murals on the walls by the entrance. I was enchanted. The first one has whimsical pumpkins and eggplants on it, among other things and the other is more MWD oriented, that's Parker Dam, that creates Lake Havasu (the lake that London Bridge moved to)




Both are interesting to see and make me glad that new construction is required to add public art to public spaces. :-)

Sayre Fire - The Cascades

The Sayre Fire in Sylmar has burned all weekend. Monday was the first day I traveled through where it had burned. At the very top of the San Fernando Valley, there are 2 water courses with the water from The First and Second Los Angeles Aqueducts. It's the most dramatic thing you see as you enter the Newhall Pass.

Today, as the train came around that area, you could see how black the land was around the cascade and it made for such a dramatic sight.
About a half mile from where this picture was taken, is the Oakridge Mobile Home Park that totally burned to the ground. Thankfully, I could not see the devastation there. I used to live in a Mobile Home Park and seeing this entire park destroyed, is very hard for me.

Monterey California

My water post for today.

With all the fires raging here in Southern California, I thought I would bring us somewhere calm today.

Some of the most beautiful coastline that California has, resides in it's Central to Northern area. This picture is taken just outside beautiful Monterey, the home of Cypress Trees, Pebble Beach Golf Course and 17 Mile Drive.

Reactions

I was about to write a post on the Sayre Fire, but when I logged in, I got distracted by a new gadget featured by Blogger. It's a quick "on the go" way to comment, if you don't have time to post a real comment, or don't have anything to say. I am not sure how it will work out, but I took the time to add it to the bottom of each post. You roll over the word Reactions and the choices appear.

So I added it for now and feel free to use it, if the spirit moves you.