pole


Pole holding wires I presume to be carrying electricity, corner of Long Beach Ave. and Washington Blvd. in Los Angeles.

Clouds, clouds, clouds


Driving south from California's central coast last month, I got this shot out the car window.

You probably thought it was Iowa or someplace that gets tornados, didn't you?

A very merry unbirthday to you

In case you ever wondered what it would look like if one attempted to take a picture while riding in the spinning teacups of the Mad Tea Party ride at Disneyland (at night, with all the overhead lanterns alight), it would be something like this.

I understand if you need to run to the restroom...

The fountain at the end of the universe

The fountain at Cal Plaza (again) and a shot that is only available in the afternoon during these waning days of winter (during the other three seasons the sun is too high in the sky).

Riding off away from the sunset

Sunset from the back of a dual-hull whale-watching boat, off the coast of Santa Barbara. (We were there last month for their whale festival.) Yep, the captain had this baby at full throttle, as you can see from the violent wake. (Apparently, once they've given up on trying to find more whales, they haul ass back to the dock.)

Interestingly, it proves easier to capture this than it is to get a shot of actual whales.

Okay, here you go:
(Take 70 pictures, get one "fluting" shot. There's a reason I don't attempt photography professionally.)

Standing in the shadow of giants

Wells Fargo and KPMG buildings, with the shadow of the US Bank Tower (a.k.a., the Library Tower), the tallest structure between Chicago and Hong Kong (the signs in downtown are remarkably informative).

Oh, and hey, a bunch of bare trees in front of the Y.

Reel around the fountain


Capturing the show of the fountain at Cal Plaza, Downtown L.A. (some time last week, when the days were crisp, not wet). I'm not sure whether the slightly askew angle is artistic or just poor camera work. Possibly both.

(Yes, the title of this post is a reference to a song by the Smiths, you clever 80s hipster you.)

Photo interlude... spoon!

Killing some time waiting for dinner at McCormick & Schmick's in Pasadena, I captured the reflection of the ceiling light in this spoon.

Splendor in the grass, or something

Holy cow! I haven't put up a picture in--what? three days? Allow me to rectify that with this shot taken recently. Where else would it be but Downtown L.A.?

This overlooks the park on the southeast corner of Bunker Hill, with City Hall in the background. (But look how nicely the trees frame it.)

Zeppelin, not Led


Yet another shot including a blimp. This one was circling the Staples Center on the day of the Grammies last week, as seen through the lattice-work atop the 7th & Fig shopping center.

Up and down, with a side of rice


The water flowing down the sculptures in front of 601 South Figueroa Street, looking up at the towering building behind.

I'm not suggesting this is groundbreaking photography here, people. Heck, these are barely noteworthy compared to a great deal of just what's on flickr.com. The digital camera era has taken the difficulty out of taking and sharing one's pictures, allowing us (me) to delude ourselves (myself) into thinking we're (I'm) photographers. But dag nammit, I walked several blocks around downtown L.A. yesterday on my lunch hour, and this makes me feel as though I accomplished more than just eating falafal.


(Why are there never any people in these pictures I post? Buildings and trees and sunsets don't get embarrassed.)


("Dag nammit"? I'm channeling an old prospector apparently.)

I don't care what the groundhog said, it's looking like spring in L.A.

The trees outside the office are blooming.
(What kind of trees? I don't know. Do I sound like a botanist in these posts or something?)

Enjoy the pictures.
(If you know what they are, leave that info in a comment. Thanks.)

[Yes, that's the Bonaventure Hotel in the background.]

[Close-up of the flowers.]



Look, up in the sky...

Sunset over the rooftops (and the hills of Palos Verdes) from my patio, with... a blimp.