Happy Reusable Bag Day

I spotted this while I was Christmas shopping tonight. Maybe I'm just out of step with how the kids are spelling "bag" these days.

Bless Macy's for trying...at least all of the "bog" money was going to Heal the Bay.

Why Web News Should Never Fully Replace Newspapers

I have this nifty little news widget on my Yahoo page that constantly updates with interesting news stories. I laughed out loud when I opened it up this morning.



I can honestly say that I have never actually wondered why pregnant women don't randomly topple over. Have you?

Writers make for entertaining picket lines.

The WGA strike has been all the buzz around town. You can't drive anywhere near a studio these days without spotting a picket line.

These two clips pretty much sum up why I support the writers in this fight...and also why I never miss The Daily Show or The Colbert Report.

http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/

Random Things That Make Me Happy.

Hot air balloons always make me smile...especially when they sneak up on me.

I wonder why.

One man's trash...

Helping out with my Mom's garage sale. It's probably a bad sign when your goal mid-day is to cover the cost of the ads.

Is it just me or do you smell smoke?

I'm starting to think that the only time I get around to posting these days is when something irritates me or when something is burning down. What can I say, I guess I get easily distracted... oooh look something shiny.

As with everyone in Southern California (or perhaps the country) I have been a bit focused on the fires over the last few days. Nothing is burning near me so all I am really suffering from is itchy eyes from the smoke in the air and sore thumbs from constant texting to various friends in the truly affected areas. Poor me.

I did start a group over on Flickr a few days ago to try to start aggregating the many pictures that were coming in from all over the area. If you have a second, you really ought to check it out. Some of the pictures these people are taking are amazing. You will find the group here.



I have stumbed across something interesting over the course of running the group, though. Over the last few days, I've done a lot of searching for fire pictures to encourage people to post them to the group and I have been noticing the saddest phenomenon.

I would come across a bunch of pictures of people's random things...a box of DVDs, a chair, a child's bedroom...all tagged with the word fire so they would pop up in my search.

It wasn't until yesterday that I finally figured out what it was. People were quickly taking pictures to inventory their houses for insurance purposes and then uploading them to Flickr before they evacuate. Some were even tagging them as such.

I just have the saddest image of somebody scared walking around their house taking pictures wondering if the images will be all they have left once they leave.

It's also a really interesting reflection of how technology changes how we do everything...to the point that people even turn to it instinctually during times of panic and great stress.

I won't link directly to any of these as it felt too personal to even look at them once I realized what they were...but I'm sure you can find them if you try.

Are you kidding me???

The last thing we want is to pay $.05 more for a can of soup at Walmart...and for what? Just so it isn't poisoned! What are we thinking?

Comic Con

I don't think I've ever seen as many people at the same place at the same time. This is insane.


For the rest of the pictures of the day, visit the Flickr Set.

The Beginning of the End

I'm off to read until my eyes cross.

WooHoo

Tell me you don't have the theme song for the Simpsons running through your head right about now. I know you do...at least you do now!

The movie is a week away and the marketing push is in full swing. One of the elusive Kwik-E-Mart 7-11's is right by my office and I am such a geek that I have no shame admitting how cool I think that is. I finally stopped by today to take a few pictures.





There was quite a line outside, in fact there has been every time I've driven by. That's why it's taken me until now to stop.

I always get a kick out of Simpson's humor which is why these were my favorite touches from the inside:





There was also a little art on the side wall for folks who were paying attention.



There were all out of Krustee-O's so I may have to stop by a few more times to try and luck into some before it transforms back into a 7-11.

You can check out the rest of the pictures in my Flickr album.

Just Looking For A Little Shade

As I was driving out of Griffith Park after dropping some equipment off at the Zoo for work, I spotted this guy:



Horrible picture, I know, but it is a coyote resting in the shade right by the road. In a very busy green park area too!

He was pretty skinny and rough looking. A good reminder that the animals in the area are still adjusting to all of the burned out areas. I'm betting there isn't much shade in the hills, very little water (if any) and food is probably still a bit scarce. Poor guy was just looking for a little relief from the heat. I know how miserable I am already this summer, I can only imagine what life is like in the burn area.

He was a good sport about me stopping my car in the middle of the road to take a few cameraphone pictures ( I know, I'm an idiot). After a minute though he let me know it was time to move along.

Happy 4th of July

So I went to the firework show at Chase Park in Marina Del Rey this year, mainly because it's 135 degrees out and the beach sounded so much better than home. Also in case you hadn't heard, simply thinking about fireworks in the valley this year will cause the dry hills to explode into a massive ball of fire.

Well it was certainly cooler than the valley. Just a heads up...fireworks and fog don't mix. Who knew!



At first they were just a little dulled by the fog, but after a few went off the smoke seemed to stick in the moist air. Really bizarre.



I did still get a few good shots though:





Fun side effect of the fog...red fireworks make the sky look very cool!

No More Paris

This news anchor absolutely embodies how I feel about all of the coverage of this story. I love this...

Take me to the Zoo

I love the LA Zoo for so many reasons.

For one, zoos are just fun. It is a whole place dedicated to learning and play...what could be cooler than that. I so enjoy science, especially behavioral sciences that I could spend hours watching the animals interact with each other and trying to figure out what it all means.

The LA Zoo is extra special for me, though. I feel like I grew up there. I can remember visiting as a kid and loving it. As a teenager, I went to high school there and trust me...it was absolutely as fun as it sounds. We took classes and did research in front of animal exhibits, we got into areas that weren't open to the public, and I even got to touch a giraffe once.

As an adult, I am of course a member. If you find me bored on a Saturday afternoon, odds are I will head out to the zoo to take pictures. I was even able to do a programming project for work in one of the new buildings...talk about coming full circle. I love that as a grown-up, I can still have such a fun kid-like time there. As the responsibilities and problems of the world press down on us, everyone needs a place they can go to be a kid again.

Now I only wish they still sold those great animal shaped french fries! On a hot summer day I can still taste them...dipped in a cherry icee of course.

The Hills Still Aren't The Same

As many of my friends know, I was very sad about the Griffith Park fire.

Don't get me wrong. I fully appreciate how lucky everyone is that no one was hurt and I think the firemen were amazing to save all of the historic structures and homes. I just love the park and I hated to see it scarred.

Staying out of the park the last month has been difficult. It is my favorite regular hiking spot. I am the first to tell people how wrong I think it is to try and sneak into the burn areas as the land needs to heal...and it doesn't need us stomping all over it while it does. I also share in the frustrations held by many that we are be kept out of large portions of the hills where there has been no fire.

Conspiracy theories abound that the reason the majority of the park is closed is to make it easier for the powers-that-be to push through a new master plan allowing for more paving and deveoloping of the land. It is getting harder to call these theories crazy. There is definitely a group of people that would like to see Griffith Park opened up for more commercial uses. Parking lots, restauraunts, paved roads...the list goes on and on. All of these plans backed by arguments that talk about opening the park up for everyone and helping it to pay for itself. The problem is, of course, that the plan calls for a destruction of the very thing it is "developing".

Things change, time marches on, but sometimes you have to let things remain. Not everything should change. Not everything has to be fully accessible to everyone. Not everything has to be able to generate money for the city. When you are blessed with an urban wilderness as special as Griffith Park, it is the responsibility of the City of Los Angeles and the residents of the city to protect it.

http://savegriffithpark.org/

How Many Do You Count

This is very tricky. Give it a try and let me know how you did.

Fire in the Park

As everyone around LA has heard (or smelled, or seen, or wiped the ash off of their car and discovered), Griffith Park is burning away. Makes me a little sad as it is such a fun place to go hiking right in the middle of the city. In fact one of my most rewarding hiking moments was making it to the Hollywood sign from the Observatory. I was determined to figure out the route on my own and it took me a few tries, but it ended up being a great day. All will regrow and nature will recover, but I sure wish I had taken the time to hike up there recently as my favorite trails won't be the same for a very long time.

I headed out to the LA River at Los Feliz after work to watch the water dropping CDF planes do their thing. It was an amazing show. I took a few pictures with my camera phone:


There was a small crowd hanging out. You can't really tell in the picture, but there was also a woman with her 2 horses watching the fire to see if it started heading back towards the equestrian areas of the park.


One of the CDF planes making a drop. That is a tremendous amount of water. I heard that it would do serious damage to a house if they missed their target.


Things started to get much worse as I decided to head home. Power was going out, people were starting to evacuate and I didn't want to be in the way.

It is a bad sign for the fire season this year if a homeless man falling asleep with a lit cigarette on a golf course can cause all of this.

You can check out all of the pictures I took on Flickr.

Life is short.

Well I am back from Nothern California. As some of you know, a Cousin from my Dad's side of the family has suffered a terrible loss. I won't go into it the details as it isn't my story to share...just remember not to waste a day. Life is too short.

I will share a few pictures from the weekend, though. I have discovered that Sea Ranch and the surrounding areas are truly some of the prettiest parts of the state. I never knew the beaches were that beautiful up there.





We were also lucky enough to be there to see the mother seals and their new pups on the beach. This one was my favorite:



I swear he was smiling.

Finally I spotted the most amazing area in the redwood forrest. I keep searching for some faeries or trolls in this shot:



I'm not feeling my usual sarcastic or flip self so pretty pictures is all you get today. Enjoy.

If you would like to see the rest, they are on Flickr

Grand Canyon Skywalk Review

I have read many negative reviews of the new Grand Canyon Skywalk over the last few days by assorted bloggers so I decided to throw mine into the ring as well. We went out there the first Saturday it was opened and had a great time. I'm starting to wonder if some of thes folks just want to be disappointed. Perhaps we are so used to our over-developed world these days that we no longer have any patience for things that are still a little rough around the edges. If you want a paved, sanitized trip to the Grand Canyon - stick with South Rim. If you are up for something a bit more adventurous...read on.

In general, I was pleasantly surprised by the whole Grand Canyon West experience. I was prepared for things to be a little unorganized and rough, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth. The road out there is truly 14 miles of washboard dirt road, however it really wasn't that bad as long as you didn't try to go 40 MPH on it. We had no trouble in our rented sedan...though I'm glad I didn't put the shocks on my own car through the drive. The drive is through a beautiful patch of Joshua Trees which was very cool. The scenery headed out there was really pretty.



When we got there, they had set up a second parking lot as their main lot couldn't accomodate all of the cars. They were shuttling folks from the remote lot to the main welcome center pretty seamlessly. The welcome center is little more than a counter to purchase your package for the day and a gift shop. There was quite a line to buy packages, but it seemed to move very quickly. They also had a cash only line inside the gift shop which hardly anyone knew about and used, so bring cash if you can. We purchased our package within 5 minutes of arriving thanks to the cash only line.



The buses to shuttle you out to the various point were very clean and nice...I was honestly expecting old school buses, not the well kept tour buses that we used. The drivers were very friendly and there was plenty of staff around to help you out, answer questions or just take pictures for you. Our first stop was at the Skywalk at the Eagle Point stop. The whole process of getting from the bus and out to the skywalk was very well organized and easy.

They are checking cameras right before you walk out to the skywalk, but it was done very quickly. I expected to be pretty disappointed that I couldn't take pictures out there, but truthfully I ended up being thankful that I wasn't out there with a bunch of folks taking pictures. I think it really would have muddled things up out there. Also, if I'm honest, there was nothing to really take a picture of
while on the skywalk that you couldn't take from the viewpoint right next to it after I got my camera back. Lastly, I had no trouble keeping my cell phone in my pocket, so I did snap a couple pictures of our feet walking on the glass with that.



The experience of walking on the Skywalk itself was kind of cool. The clear glass runs down the center and there is frosted glass on the sides. Everyone stepped out onto it by avoiding the clear glass and stepping onto the frosted glass. It was funny to watch since it was essentially the same glass. A man came on with a wheelchair and actually made every effort to immediatly wheel himself onto the frosted glass right away. I don't think most people were even aware they were doing it. From there folks would slowly start to let go of the sides and step out into the middle. You do eventually lose all perspective of how high up you really are. It was a pretty view and a fun experience, but the best part was really the experience with all of the other people. There was definitely a camraderie out there. I think that's why the camera thing didn't bum me out much, it would have changed the dynamic and interaction with everyone else. We were allowed to take our time and stay out there as long as we wanted. It was great.



Eagle Point also has a village of recreated Native American structures which was really interesting to see and the views of the canyon from the areas next to the Skywalk were amazing. If you have one person in your group who doesn't want to walk on the Skywalk, they will definitely still have things to see and do at the stop while you walk out there.



From there we hopped the shuttle to Guano Point for lunch and for a different view of the canyon. This area is a truly amazing spot to view the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. We were hungry, so we decided to eat first. They were busy so we had to wait about 20 minutes in line, which didn't seem all that bad to me but the staff was extremely apologetic that we had to wait so long. They said they were streamlining the food service to make things run more quickly in the future. The food was very good too. The meal was barbecued chicken or shredded beef (or both), beans, cole slaw, corn on the cob, tortillas and peach cobbler. I'm a vegetarian so they were happy to give me some extra beans in place of the chicken or beef. They even checked to see if they had any extra fry bread from their own lunch around for me. It was very sweet. In fact all of the staff we encountered were sincerely friendly and helpful. They showed a lot of ownership and pride in the place and really seemed to want us to have a good experience.



They have a permenant tarp in place so there are plenty of tables in the shade to sit and eat. Very nicely done. After we ate, I hiked out to Guano Point which is a peak connected to the main area by a land bridge. You can view the old Guano mine or just enjoy a tremendous feeling of being surrounded by the canyon. The hike to the top was definitely the highlight of my day. It was a bit challenging, but the view was well worth it. Indescribable. The hike back down was harrowing, but fun. Parents, don't let your kids hike out there alone. This is really undeveloped land and they shouldn't be running around unsupervised. If you tripped in the wrong spot on the way back down, you really could go right over the edge. That is true of all of the areas. No guard rails make for a great unspoiled view of the Grand Canyon, but do be smart about it.



We finished up at Guano Point with a little shopping from the many vendors set up next to the bus pick-up. Lots of traditional Native American jewelry and various other small items. When we first arrived there was a bit of a line to catch the shuttle bus, but they were running very regularly (every 15 minutes or so) so it didn't hamper our day at all.



We decided to skip the final stop to the Ranch and Cowboy Village. It seemed a little more touristy than what we were interested in (petting zoo, gunfight recreations, wagon rides...etc.), but if you were traveling with kids I bet they would enjoy it. We headed back to our car and took the bumpy ride back out completely impressed with the day. We heard that there had been around 2,000 - 2,500 people there on Saturday, but you would have never known it. Considering the tribe averaged 700 visitors a day before the Skywalk opened, they are handling the increased traffic remarkably well. I would definitely recommend visiting there, even if you had no interest in walking on the Skywalk. It was just a great way to see the Grand Canyon and not deal with all of the traffic and crowds of South Rim.

If you want to see all the pictures of the day (including the dirt road,
all of the stops, and the sneaky cameraphone Skywalk pictures) I have them on Flickr here:

http://flickr.com/photos/heather_on_the_go/tags/hualapai