March 1, 2017

Breaking Butterflies: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards & J. Edgar Hoover

"Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?" 50 years ago, William Rees-Mogg appropriated this quote by Alexander Pope from 1735, but I think it's still a timely question.

February 22, 2017

From the Old West to Star Trek - Vasquez Rocks

Vasquez Rocks has been a popular location for shooting westerns since the 1930s, so it seemed appropriate for a man on horseback wearing a cowboy hat to come ambling between the rocks. It’s also popular for shooting science fiction, most famously for the original Star Trek TV series episode where Captain Kirk fights a reptilian alien called the Gorn. So it was funny, but not too out of the ordinary to see a bicyclist at Vasquez Rocks wearing a spacesuit!

February 16, 2017

An LA suburb with small town charm - Montrose, California

Los Angeles, California is not just a city but also a county with a collection of smaller communities. That is especially true for Montrose which is part of the Crescenta Valley sandwiched between the San Fernando Valley and Glendale, California. It is about 15 minutes (unless you’re stuck in traffic) from downtown Los Angeles.

So much of Southern California has become suburban sprawl where one city may seem indistinguishable from the next. It’s rare to find a place that has its own unique character and feel. Montrose is one of those places that does! While there are certainly plenty of tract homes like in every suburb, the Shopping Park area evokes small-town American charm and has its own unique history.

February 9, 2017

We found an abandoned socialist commune - from 100 years ago!

Llano Del Rio was a failed socialist utopian colony that was active from 1914 to 1918 in the California desert and it really intrigued me as to why anyone would attempt to create a living in such a desolate environment. The stone ruins of the buildings and aqueduct are all that is left of an ambitious experiment of a former ordained minister named Job Harriman.

Neek and I have driven past the ruins of this commune during a number of different road trips over the years. So we were very excited to get out of the car and explore it for the first time!

February 1, 2017

Street art and beautiful murals in downtown LA

Neek and I went to downtown LA in search of an area near Little Tokyo filled with murals and other street art. There was some parking on Traction Avenue so we stopped there to take a look around. Lots of murals painted on the sides of buildings were already visible as we walked down the avenue.

We were happily surprised as we approached Third Street to see that part of the street was closed off. There were booths where people were selling arts and crafts and one that was selling different blends of organic juices. We tried one filled with different kinds of citrus fruits that was really tasty. Walking around there, I could see Shepard Fairey’s ‘Peace Goddess’, a mural of a beautifully shrouded woman with an owl resting beneath her chin, which I thought looked fantastic.

&t=306s

There were so many murals and other examples of street art in the area it was impossible to capture it all. Many other people were also taking photographs and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun checking out all the great art!

January 25, 2017

Harsh California rainstorm brings some unexpected beauty

This is a short little video my wife made, but I thought some of you might appreciate viewing the natural beauty an ugly rainstorm can bring!

January 19, 2017

Lost and Abandoned Seaside Resort Casa Sirena and The Lobster Trap

The once elegant and beautiful Lobster Trap Restaurant in Oxnard, California is closed and left abandoned on the Channel Islands Harbor Marina. Next door, its sister building, the Casa Sirena Hotel is also slowly deteriorating.

The dining tables still has white tablecloths and salt and pepper shakers on it. It looks as if everyone had left in a hurry and never came back. Chairs are scattered about with some old festive decorations still hanging from the chandeliers in one of the event rooms. It was such an eerie scene.

January 13, 2017

Our Magical Mystery Winery Tour in Roseburg, Oregon

One of the highlights of our recent Oregon trip was getting together with relatives to go wine tasting! My sister Mac had won a prize at work the previous year for herself and guests to visit three different wineries (all of them a mystery to be revealed when we arrived) in the Umpqua Valley in Oregon for tasting and lunch. So since there were so many relatives coming up to see my other sister (for the record, I have three sisters, all drinking wine in the video!) get married, Mac decided to invite many of us as her guests!

January 5, 2017

410,000 gallons a minute - the natural power & beauty of the Rogue Gorge!

Hidden from the 62 Highway on the way to Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, there is a mighty powerful gorge rushing by.

Even before starting out on the 3.5 mile Rogue Gorge Trail, you could hear the sounds of the river in the distance. You can feel the incredible power of the rushing water and hear it churning through the rocks - enough water to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool each minute!

&t=192s