Celebrating this year’s Christmas holiday, socially distancing with our family, (plus one dog,) in a pleasantly warm and COVID-19 devoid tent, set flush against an open garage, …as gifts and good cheer, (despite masks) were shared, defying the chilly air around and about.
Thanks for viewing. Stay safe as we continue to fight off the evil pathogen, and …comments are always welcome. M 🙂
Thanks for viewing. Comments will be forwarded to Mr. Claus. M 🙂
Family Vacation, 32 years ago. American Airlines 747 from NYC’s Kennedy Airport to LAX. After the image below, is the story of “Early A.M. in L.A. on 11/10/87”
Images: Above: Giant Swiss Army Knive at Museum of Contempoary Art, Downtown L.A. – and L.A. as seen from Griffith Observatory, 11/11/87 with City Hall to left – 5.6 miles (9 km) distant.
Above, the iconic L.A. City Hall, known at the time as “The Dragnet Building.”Twelve hours after landing, I would be exploring Los Angeles by foot before the morning’s rush hour, while the family slept off jet-lag in the Holiday Inn about a mile away. An awesome two hour adventure into an “architectually diverse” downtown, with parks and plazas, and… WHAT??? – a Giant Swiss Army Knife??? Yes indeed!
And, not far away, …Swinging Cars!
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Years later, and of course living 3000 miles away, I wondered exactly where these two photos were taken. I searched maps, and photos where I could, without success – until now. Thanks to the remarkable 3D satellite image and orientation tools available on most any smart phone and/or computer, I “flew” between the buildings and first found the cars: W. Fourth street, and S. Grand Ave. See it below?
The Swiss Army knife was a lot harder. In fact, it’s not there anymore. BUT, by looking at the photo I took in 1987, and specifically for the glass pyramid in its background, I zoomed way in on the “Tom Tom” 3D map, and searched until noticing the glass pyramid structure. Below is from today’s mapping app, zoomed in showing that same glass pyramid. A “new” contempoary display is in the exact place where the knife was 32 years ago.
Above: The Plaza at The Museum of Contemporary Art, on S. Grand Street, L.A. (From Tom Tom Maps, Apple I-Pad)Below, another photo of downtown Los Angeles on that beautiful morning. 
Thanks for viewing. Comments are always welcome, and zoom in for a closer look. M 🙂
Continuing a theme from my last post, once again we have the last quarter moon hanging above a fairly well known landmark – the Griffith Observatory and Science Center overlooking Los Angeles. It was day two of a family vacation with a somewhat newer SLR film camera, early in the morning of November 11th, 1987.
As usual, click on the image for a closer look, and thanks for viewing. Comments are always welcome. M 🙂
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This post contains ten images from “President’s Day” last week, underscoring the dynamics of a magnificently changing Manhattan skyline, driven by decades long, mind-blowing construction.
As Robert Plant once sang: “Ohh, …it makes me wonder…”
Thanks for viewing. Click on or “finger stretch” for a closer look – and comments are certainly welcome. M 🙂
Of late, things just don’t seem to have been as …nice as they may have been around this otherwise beautiful planet. But despite the real, or perceived onslaught of often sobering news, we hope for some positive reflection and prospects for all humans of good will, – and yeah, similarly inclined dogs and cats and others, as well… especially during this and all traditional, thankful holiday seasons.
M (and JHSTDKSJLA and SP 🙂 – our family)
Featured image credited to Disney World Gingerbread House, Grand Floridian Hotel
The Perseid meteor shower occurs around August 12th every year. EVERY YEAR.
Above, a so so “capture” from the NJ Pinelands of a Perseid meteor last year (8/13/15 – 18mm ISO 4000, 15″, f/4, enlarged)
This morning, while watching for and seeing a few impressive Perseid meteors, I tried thinking of the first time I ever saw a meteor. My memory brought me back to a family vacation in Barnegat Light, New Jersey – a rental property near the beach with a flat roof accessible by outside stairs. Years later, while scanning old B&W pictures, I failed to establish an accurate date for that particulal week, but at 4:30 AM this morning, out there in the night, I recalled as a young boy being “scared” at the frequent fast moving streaks in the dark sky during that vacation. Dad was introducing my brother and me to ‘meteors.’
I pondered that memory and the timely annual recurrence of meteor showers… and realized (as an aside,) that I finally had an accurate date frame for that early Jersey Shore vacation! All in all pretty insignificant, but…how neat!
Above, Dad on the roof – town of Barnegat Light, NJ.
Below, my older brother and me on the beach, with Barnegat Lighthouse beyond.
As usual, comments and inquiries are welcomed. Thanks for viewing. M 🙂
Wishing You a Safe, Happy and Peaceful Holiday Season.
M 🙂
Prime Image Credit: 81 Chester Place – Nineteen Seventy One
About three weeks ago Jeanne and I and some friends took a brief break to this tropical island, a mere 18 miles off the Venezuela (S.A) coast.
Short on time?… just view the twelve images, and CLICK ON for higher resolution.
Greeted by these MONSTERS at the resort, whom we quickly grew fond of, the iguanas proved friendly, interesting, and to be all over the place.
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The “Occidental Grand Aruba Resort” featured, among many other amenities, its swim-up pool bar.
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Steps away was the beachfront with thatched-roof covered lounges, and tiki bar. I see a pattern here!
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The soft, sandy beach proved to be a pleasure to walk along, and the leeward shore of the southern Caribbean Sea beckoned as a calm, iridescent water playground.
Above, the California Lighthouse was visible from the beach, looking picturesque enough for me to include it as a photo-op visit for the following day.
But what the short cab ride brought me to was anything but picturesque. In fact, this day, scaffolding was being erected for a long-term restoration project of the admittedly neglected beacon built in 1915 and named for a steamer wrecked off the point 24 years earlier. Note: there was no scaffolding in the previous day’s image!
With camera in hand, my obvious dis-satisfaction apparently proved humorous to the (mockingly) waving workmen, as I hastily retreated to my cab. On the way back, I did manage to get a glimpse (not the kind the Beach Boys were likely implying in their ode to Kokomo,) of the arid, primitive north-east shore of Aruba, seen in the featured image on top of this post.
To ease the disappointment of the lighthouse fiasco, we caught this pretty view of the setting sun behind the beach front tiki hut, back at our resort. (Click for closer look)
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The night-life in this tropical oasis stretches among the numerous resorts, offering great food, tropical drinks, and soft warm breezes on what would normally be a cold December night back home.
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Aruba is located a little less than 2000 miles (3200 km) south of New Jersey, as seen at the lower left in this Google Maps image.
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Thanks for viewing, and comments are always welcome. M 🙂
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This post contains seven images, and two maps.
Exploring by boat off the south-west coast of Capri, Italy 2011, we sighted this territorial confrontation.
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Continuing around the island brought views of rocky shorelines and local boating heritage.
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Below: Returning from our short excursion to Capri, broken clouds enhanced this nice view of Sorrento and its stunning seaside cliffs.
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Below: Not far, on the next day’s bus tour along the Amalfi Coast, was Positano, typical for this region, it being built over centuries on the steep slopes above the sea.
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Below: As seen from off-shore – a view of a few Italians relaxing on a beach along the Almafi Coast.
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Below: As seen from on-shore, a view of a few (thousand) Jersey Girls (and guys) relaxing on the beach along the New Jersey Coast (?!?)
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Thanks for viewing…
and comments are always welcome. M 🙂
Happy Holidays to all!