Category Archives: Los Angeles

September 10, 2026 · 22:12

Bottleneck

One serious disadvantage to living in the High Desert is that there’s only one real reasonable route to get “down the hill” to the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles – the I-15 freeway.

If that’s got an accident or a brush fire or construction or just heavy traffic going to or from Las Vegas, you’re screwed. That 35-minute trip to Ontario International Airport can turn into 1:45+ in a heartbeat.

Yes, in theory, there are alternate routes. You can head west toward Antelope Valley on a (mostly) two-lane state highway, complete with stoplights, crossings, driveways, small towns with 35 mph speed traps, and after about 45 miles get on the 14 Freeway south, which in another 45 miles will get you to the San Fernando Valley, which in another 15 to 45 miles will get you to Downtown LA or Orange County. Of course, if 100,000 or so of your closest friends are also trying to squeeze into that alternate route, it might slow things down even more, as difficult as that might be to believe.

If that’s not your style for an alternative, head west toward Big Bear or Wrightwood and try to get down the hill on some of the two-lane mountain roads, twisting and turning for mile after mile after mile, stuck doing walking speed with no option to turn back or pull over if you need gas, coffee, or a bathroom. Good times!

It did occur to me at one point that, since I was picking someone up at Ontario Airport, it might just be faster to find a way to turn around, go north to Apple Valley Airport, spend a couple hours with the flight school there, get my bi-annual review done and get current on my pilot’s license, rent a plane from them, and fly the fifteen or twenty minutes down to Ontario. The question wasn’t whether the idea was crazy, it was if it was crazy enough!

Soooooo much red ahead… An extra ten minutes, my ass! Try an extra 20-25 from this point, and I was barely a dozen miles from home after more than an hour on the road already.

You can’t get there from here.

And let’s hope there’s an extra special place in Hell reserved for the self-centered, narcissistic assholes (ALL driving Mercedes, BMWs, or Teslas) who think it’s okay to cruise down the shoulder or the center divider to pass everyone, because of course when Karma rears her ugly head and wipes them out, they’ll take some innocent folks with them and make the backup EVEN WORSE for the rest of us.

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Filed under Los Angeles, Photography

July 10, 2026 · 23:54

Summit Fire

It’s hot, it’s dry, and there are brush fires everywhere. We currently don’t have anything like the MASSIVE fires going on in Colorado, but we have “smaller” ones by the dozen every day. Anything in city limits gets pounced on pretty fast and gets limited to just a handful of acres. Anything out in the boonies can get a lot bigger fast.

I get notices all day long on the Watch Duty app, so that in and of itself isn’t terribly noticeable. SoCal is a BIG area so 99% of the fires are way off yonder.

But one popped up today that was closer, almost due west of us about 20 miles (so no danger to us), and the notices I was seeing were warning that it was growing fast. So I went out the front door to peek.

Yep, that would be it. Lots of smoke, but the winds were carrying it off to our north, up toward Victorville and Barstow.

300 acres. 600 acres. 1,300 acres. Almost due west, so I knew that sunset would be good.

I wasn’t wrong!

The C-130s, the water bombers, and the firefighting helicopters were all active. It looks like the helicopters were going to the nearby California Aqueduct to dip their buckets and refill fast, staying close to the fire’s location.

Sunset came, and as predicted, it was smoky and colorful.

At 20:05 there was supposed to be a SpaceX launch from Vandenberg, but I thought it was still too light to see from here, and I thought that the orange & brown clouds of smoke would be an additional hazard.

Nope! Blind luck was on my side. I was taking pictures of the C-130 which had just refilled its water tanks at San Berardino Airport and was headed back to make two more drops on the fire. It wasn’t until just now that I noticed that sharp, white streak on the left side. Falcon 9, with the planet in its rearview mirror!! Some days it’s better to be lucky than good.

 

 

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Filed under Los Angeles, Panorama, Photography, Space, Weather

May 15, 2026 · 23:25

Into The Twilight Zone

One deadline met, barely, by the skin of my teeth, and it was the really, REALLY, hard, drop dead, serious consequences, everyone’s really, REALLY pissed at me one – the “slightly softer” one that everyone wanted was two days ago. See the Douglas Adams quote for refereAfter the long dnce.

But once again the hare has been extracted from the chapeau and the water has been turned into wine. Tomorrow we’re going to volunteer and participate at a local event for work (the same one I damn near killed myself at last year) and since that’s a three hour drive from home and we’re supposed to be there only slightly after sunrise (I know, RIGHT??!), we’re down in the charming and lovely suburb of Newbury Park. The local Courtyard by Marriott wanted over $300 a night, but for half of that we’re in a La Quinta that’s remodeling and desperately holding onto its status as “shabby,” trying to not slip over the edge into “sleazy.” It may or may not be winning that battle.

After this whole week, the long hours, the stress, the deadlines, then the three hour drive, we needed dinner. Little did we know that something (my money is on the stress from the deadlines and workload) had ripped a hole in the spacetime continum and deposited us deep in the Twilight Zone.

We drove across the freeway to a really nice Italian restaurant that had good online reviews. They said that without a reservation, they might have a table free in 90 or so minutes. Maybe.

We walked across the parking lot to a small shopping mall diner with generic American food (burgers, salads, sandwiches, various Italian-like entrees. As we approached, we heard music. At first, it seemed there might be (God forbid) karaoke. We should be so lucky.

The place was reasonably crowded, and we might be the youngest folks in the room. On “stage” is a guy dressed up like Willie Nelson, belting out “To All The Girls Who Loved Me.” He’s okay, the guy singing the duet with him needs to improve to merely be terrible. “Nails on a blackboard” level of bad.

Our “star” finally gets rid of his sidekick and does some Louis Armstrong. He’s passable.

Then there’s a quick costume change, and Elvis has entered the building.

Then the 90-year old close-up magician comes to our table and does a card trick for us. Again, he’s passable, likeable enough, but David Copperfield he’s not.

I’m waiting for dinner and watching the crowd. 35, 40, 50 folks, and they’re not eating and watching the show, they’re there for the show. There’s cheering, hooting, hollering, and I hate to be a curmudgeon… Okay, that’s bullshit, I love to be a curmudgeon, but the simple fact is these guys are okay, but they’re a long, long way from great.

I go out to the car for a moment and I notice that next door is an Indian restaurant, with a GINORMOUS big screen TV showing Bollywood musicals. There’s a big crowd in there to, dancing along with the action onscreen.

Taken one element at a time, none of this is too far off of the reservation. Taken as a whole, I expect to see Billy Mumy in the corner, mumbling about sending folks to the cornfield. And Fish Heads.

The food is marginal although the fries are good, which is good because I never got my potato soup. We get our bill and head out, and once the damp, foggy, coastal air hits it’s more than a little bizarre. I was standing by the car, looking into the Indian restaurant on the left and Elvis going for his third or fourth encore to a screaming crowd on the right, and I really do expect to see Rod Sterling (or a Candid Camera film crew) stepping out of the fog.

Tomorrow will be a long (but hopefully fun and not fatal) day, followed by another long drive home in LA traffic. Sunday we’ll do laundry, household chores, and try to find and even footing for next week and the next set of deadlines that are already way too stinking close. But tonight, for just a few moments…

 

 

 

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Filed under Curiosities, Entertainment, Los Angeles

March 15, 2026 · 23:26

Griffith Park Tower

A most very long day, up too early, up too late, way too many hours and miles of driving in the middle. It’s good to be home again. You have no idea what I would give for eight hours of continuous sleep. (I have a better chance of winning the lottery, I fear.)

Mount Sinai Memorial Park is a quiet and beautiful spot, with Griffith Park in the distance. High above there were hawks, screaming, shrieking, and being mobbed by crows.

Big antenna up there, with the Hollywood sign just on the far side of this ridge, facing south. There are plenty of hiking trails up there, but I have yet to participate.

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Filed under Los Angeles, Photography

March 1, 2026 · 22:54

City At Night

These go back to a rainy night in March, 2006. I was in a hotel near LAX and the 405 Freeway, taking long-exposure, hand-held photos of traffic on the freeway to see the visual effects.

I ***STRONGLY*** recommend viewing them while listening to the Doors, “LA Woman!”

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Filed under Art, Los Angeles, Photography

July 31, 2025 · 23:31

Forever Home – July 31st

I moved to Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley (or just “The Valley”) almost 40 years ago, and I’ve lived almost 35 of those 40 years in two houses that are within a mile of each other. I know those areas and streets like the back of my hand, and that’s a long, long time. Today I drove away.

I understand that I’ll be back, occasionally, infrequently, as the desire and requirements arise to visit the office or to visit old friends or collect mail from the PO Box that we’ve had for 35+ years (and still have). But on a daily basis, going to one of those two houses? Nope, today was it. The last of all of the “stuff” is out and at the new Forever Home.

You know, if I didn’t have almost 70 years of accumulated CRAP stored, you could almost fit two cars in there!

In an almost perfectly orchestrated “LA Moment” as I was stuck in horrible, dragging, pathetically slow traffic on the freeway, I was listening to “JACK-FM” on the radio. I used to listen to it all the time, but it’s been years now since I’ve tuned it in since I almost always am listening instead to SiriusXM satellite radio. But the moving vans have only AM or FM, so JACK was the best option. Then, Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom” comes on and I’ve got it cranked to the max. I’ve got the windows rolled up and I’m on the freeway at a standstill so who could it be bothering? 😇Suddenly, as we get to the first chorus, where the countdown comes in, I see the guy in front of me in a covertible Mercedes hold up his arm and in perfect synchronicity, stick up his fingers “FOUR!” “THREE!” “TWO!” “ONE!” “Earth below us / Drifting, falling…” I was doing it too (of course!) but quickly rolled down the window and stuck my arm out for the second chorus. It was perfect!

About 45 minutes later, while I was still stuck in traffic in a 15′ boat anchor somewhere around Pasadena, we got treated to Genesis’ “In The Air Tonight.” Still on incredibly loud. I’m guessing that my drop-top Mercedes friend was halfway to Las Vegas by that point, but I want to believe (nay, I HAVE TO BELIEVE) that we were still kindred spirits at the 3:40 solo drum break, pounding on our respective steering wheels like brothers from different mothers.

It was an LA sortof thing. Adios!

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Filed under Forever Home, Los Angeles, Photography

June 21, 2025 · 19:56

The Final Play

Tonight we’re back at the Ahmanson Theater, probably for the final time for a while.

This is the last performance in this year’s program, and with the anticipated move to a Forever Home up in Hesperia or Apple Valley, we are not planning on renewing our subscription. If there’s something we absolutely HAVE to see, we can get tickets for a single performance and drive down to the big city for a weekend. (Ditto of course for hockey games, football games, baseball games, concerts, plays at the Pantages, etc.)

The Music Center here is about 2-3 blocks from City Hall and the areas where the ICE protests were earlier in the month. To no one’s surprise, despite the grotesque, horrible, and bald-faced lies being spewed by Faux News and ICE and the lower-than-whale-shit chucklefuck in the White House and all of his evil cult minions, LA did not burn down, there isn’t chaos and warfare in the streets, and the streets are not full of bodies. It was boring, except for the traffic getting into valet parking due to all three theaters being live tonight, along with the Disney Concert Hall across the street.

Enjoy your weekend, stay safe – I peeked at the news and it’s getting insane out there. Literally.

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Filed under Entertainment, Los Angeles, Photography, Politics

May 31, 2025 · 20:00

Some Whacked Out Danish Prince Dude

Our final performance at the Mark Taper Forum this year (one more at the Ahmanson next month):

To recap, “Green Day’s American Idiot” was wonderful and “Fake It Until You Make It” was…not.

This is a “bold new reimagining” and so on, but Gina Torres is in it as Gertrude, so I’m along for the ride. “Depictions of blood and violence, themes of suicide, substance abuse, strong language, simulated sex acts, and nudity.” What’s not to love?!

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Filed under Entertainment, Los Angeles, Photography

May 25, 2025 · 23:41

501′ Overhead

FAA regulations say that over a populated area if you’re not landing or taking off you need to be at least 500 feet high. We had an LAPD helicopter the other day “orbiting” over a spot about two blocks away (never did figure out what the fuss was about) which meant for about 15 minutes, we had him coming back around right overhead every 60 seconds or so. As low as he could get, so, probably about 501 feet overhead.

Here in our neck of the woods in the big city, between fires, crimes, accidents, rescues, and other emergencies, this happens three or four times a year. There are, of course, areas of the city where this happens three or four times a day. Here, not so much. (That’s a good thing!) How often does it happen elsewhere? In Springfield, Vermont in the 1970’s I don’t think I saw a single helicopter anywhere in five years. Your experience is somewhere between those two extremes.

But it’s a good excuse for me to grab the camera and go look at our personal air show.

Sorry about all of the spots – they’re from dust on the sensor of a decades-plus-old camera. Normally I clean up images I post here using Photoshop, but I just realized that I haven’t re-installed it on this new computer after I got it in March. Another task to add to the punch list for finishing up the install.

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Filed under Flying, Los Angeles, Photography

May 19, 2025 · 23:50

Cosmic Rays

Late this afternoon I was struck by a really neat idea that I wanted to ponder and develop a bit and then share with everyone here tonight.

Unfortunately, a billion years ago (give or take) a batch of gamma rays got emitted from the event horizon of a black hole somewhere on the far side of the Andromeda Galaxy, travelled through the cosmos, and then some time in the intervening five or six hours this afternoon they smashed through the handful of neurons that were holding that thought, and it’s GONE! (That might also explain some of the drooling…) The sense of how über cool the idea was is still there, but no trace of the idea.

Oh, well. Maybe a backup neuron will kick in and the thought will return. If so, you’ll be the second to know.

In the meantime, have a couple more cool pictures from a couple of Saturdays ago when we were at the Ahmanson.

Behold the intersection of Temple and Grand. Behind us to the left is the Ahmanson, and stretching off behind us to the behind-right are the Mark Taper Forum, the Music Center Plaza (which, you’ll remember, was full of a gala this night), the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and across 1st Street, the Disney Concert Hall, and across 2nd Street, the Broad Museum. But diagonally across the intersection is this giant tan, sandstone-ish structure, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Time it correctly and get a day when the May Gray or June Gloom clouds are still offshore and you can see the almost full moon rising.

Not a bad spot to sit and eat the sandwiches you’ve brought for the pre-play dinner.

And for those who might still be spouting the right-wing bullshit about what a hellhole California is – I suggest a long walk off of a short pier.

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Filed under Astronomy, Los Angeles, Photography