Category :: oh, california

Best Palm Tree in Seal Beach
Photo by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Indie Rich and Jeremy
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

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Daffodils Exposed metal pylons at Dog Beach
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Keep Clear
Photo taken by Ms. Jen on Thurs 03.03.10 with a Nokia N97.

Fading Camellias
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

The last of the pear blossoms as the tree leafs out Argula | Rocket Flower Scruffy McDoglet staring intently at the lens
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nikon D70s.

Pigeons sipping shower water at the Seal Beach Pier
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.


Tues 03.02.10 - Photo taken on my morning walk with Scruffy McDoglet, the sky was heavy with storm clouds over the land, but clearing up out near Catalina Island, so if you look closely the big, tall automobile carrier ship out in the bay has sunlight glinting off of it.

Pigeons, Part II, plus the Auto Carrier in the Bay
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The Roses: 1 front & 1 back Mom's Nasturiums Tammy through the Screen, Bird's arm

Post Lake Seal Beach Sludge Beach, Sky, and Pier Scruffy trotting along on the San Gabriel River Bike Path

California Pelican gliding over the San Gabriel River Fire-y Sunset Mr. McDoglet to You


Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.


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Tulip Tree Flower Tulip Tree Flower Coral Tree with Water Running Down the Trunk
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Through the Looking Screen Break in the Big, Fluffy, Omnious Clouds Scruffy and Bruiser Greeting Seal Beach Pier and the Sky
Photos of today by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Winter Sledding in Seal Beach, Calif. Tulip Tree Blooming Winter rains equal Green Green Grass

Morning Walk Visual Opening in the Fence Variegated Camelia and Bee

Photos taken by Ms. Jen with Nokia N97.



Pear Blossoms
Photo by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Sun 02.07.10 - For some folks this may have been the day of men in lots of plastic armor running up against each other in some sort of bowl type object, for other folks, particularly the ones in Southern California today was a truly lovely, sunny, clear day after another good rain storm.

As the first Sunday in February, today did a very good job in the sunny, kinda warm, but lots of flowers department. The local ornamental pear trees have been blooming for the last week and they are in full bloom now.

As for the men in plastic armor assaulting each other today for some sort of trophy, well, I am sure some of them won and others did not. I didn't watch them. Instead, I walked the dogs, went to the Long Beach Marina farmers market, took photos, baked a chicken and some root vegetables, and otherwise enjoyed a fine fine Sunday.

I owe y'all my wrap up post about the Nokia Booklet 3G, which I can summarize here: Ubuntu works as a dual book when installed via Wubi, although as of right now, the proper screen resolution does not work reliably; I tried to install Jolicloud last week but it would never download all the way but would stall about 1/4 into the download; and last but not least, I actually found a use for the Windows side of the Booklet, which was to update various Nokia devices with Ovi Suite, until Ovi Suite decided to go dicey on me and stop.

Tomorrow is a big work day but after I have tied up all the little code ends for the final client wrap up on Tuesday, I hope to do a proper write up about the Booklet Day 14.

Ornamental Pear Blossom Time Ryan Using Illustrator on my Computer
Photos by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

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Waiting in line outside of Alex's Bar The oligatory self-portrait with friends, aka Paige, Ms. Jen, & Paige's friend Throw Rag Throw Rag The best seats in the house Throw Rag Throw Rag Greg Utter and Friend Stacey and Alex
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

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Alex and Diego Alex's Face after Diego Breaks Wind Sunset, Tonight, Yes, it was that Vivid Tonight's sunset in black and white
Photos by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Rose
Photo by Ms. Jen taken with a Nokia N97.

Davy Jones' Monitor
Photo of the storm debris on the beach at Seal Beach by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Crisscrossing waves Storm Debris Seal Beach looking towards the Pier Boom! California Pelican flying over the storm debris California Pelican flying higher Furrows Davy Jones' monitor Davy Jones' monitor Lake Seal Beach The Pier near sunset Good stiff wind to fly a kite in Flying a lovely kite
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nikon D70s - 50mm 1.8 lens.

Caterpiller Earthmovers Added More to the Winter Storm Berm Seal Beach US Navy Beach Area in the Wind Esther the Oil Platform Alight Waves, Stormy Sky, and the Seal Beach Pier all lit up The Beefed or Sanded Up Winter Storm Berm The Maw of the Caterpiller
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Fallen, Waterlogged Camellias Wed Jan 20, 2010, around 8am, watching the Pacific Ocean from Seal Beach
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.


Video captured by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97 at the south side of Seal Beach.

1.43 inches of rain in less than half a day. Tornado warning. Sirens, emergency announcements. Flooding of Electric Ave. Tornado touches down 1 mile south at PCH and Anderson Street. Storm moves southeast quickly. Big winds, waves, and sun in wake.

I will let the video I took with the Nokia N97 tell the story. The first two were taken around 8am this morning on the berm in the southern most part of the Seal Beach. The second two while the emergency sirens were going off at 12:52 - 1:02pm, Electric Ave was flooding, and the tornado/waterspout was coming ashore. The thrid two were in the 3pm hour after the crazy clouds had moved out.













The Last of the Sunflowers
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

The Super Sunny Calm Before the Big Storm
Photo taken by Ms. Jen on Sun 01.17.10 with a Nokia N97.

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Subtle Layers of Sky, Water, and Sand
Photo taken today by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97 at Dog Beach.

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This Morning, Surf Photographer This Evening, Lake Seal Beach is Dwindling
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

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The Late Bloomer, Giant Sunflower in January
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

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Calla Lily F*cking Cold is relative, in Long Beach it means 52F/11C at night Fog rolling in at Alamitos Bay | Seal Beach at Sunset
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

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Nokia N97 - This Morning, The Sky
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Wed 01.06.09 - Merry Christmas to the folks who celebrate it today as a apart of the Orthodox tradition. Happy Epiphany to others. Happy I am Overwhelmed with Work Day to me.

The Week 1 of the Project52 post coming tomorrow, still doing a bit of research to make sure my info is correct.

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Nikon D70s - Erika Nikon D70s - Julie Wanda Nikon D70s - Sky and Orange-Red Succulent Flowers Nikon D70s - Cacti | Succulent Forest Nikon D70s - Mammalaria A' Bloomin' Nikon D70s - Siliconia Busting Out All Over Nikon D70s - Delicate ruby flowers Nikon D70s - A Magnolia tree starting to flower Nikon D70s - A Magnolia tree starting to flower Nikon D70s - Old Fashioned Roses Nikon D70s - Japanese Koi Nikon D70s - Julie Wanda & Erika on a bridge over the coy pond Nikon D70s - Gingko canopy Nikon D70s - E & JW in the Bamboo stand Nikon D70s - Gateway Guardian Nikon D70s - Tree Nikon D70s - Tossing Gingko leaves Nikon D70s - Yellow & White Koi Nikon D70s - Shrine Nikon D70s - The Camellias are starting to flower Nikon D70s - The new Chinese Gardens and lake Nikon D70s - The new Chinese Gardens and lake Nikon D70s - Erika Nikon D70s - Julie Wanda Nikon D70s - Super clear early January day looking up at the San Gabriel Mountains Nikon D70s - Artemis Nikon D70s - North Vista Lawn Fountain Nikon D70s - North Vista Lawn Palm Trees Nikon D70s - Family Photos at the North Vista Lawn Fountain Nikon D70s - Poseidon and the Pergola Nikon D70s - Grape Leaves Nikon D70s - Monks and a digital camera Nikon D70s - Exiting the Huntington at Dusk
Photos taken by Ms. Jen on Sat 01.02.10 with a Nokia N97.


Sat 01.02.09 - The thing that is either most wonderful or most baffling about Southern California, 32º to 35º latitude north, is that we don't really have a real winter, but in the time period of December and January when the rest of the northern hemisphere is socked in with snow and cold, we are having a mixed fall | spring.

January in SoCal has some trees are still shedding their yellow and red leaves just as some trees, bushes and flowers are just starting their spring blooming cycle. For years, I found this maddening, as I wanted a real fall with a real winter and then after time a real spring, not all three mashed up layered over each other in a course of 4-6 weeks.

This day after New Years Day trip to the Huntington with Erika and Julie Wanda showed me again, through the lens of the Nikon, how delightful the overlapping of autumn and spring can be when experienced in California's mixed up mediterranean climate.

Nokia N97 - Walking up to the Huntington Nokia N97 - January in SoCal, blue skies & 81F Nokia N97 - Succulents and Cacti Nokia N97 - Cactus Tree Nokia N97 - Furry Cacti Nokia N97 - Erika named them "Siliconia" Nokia N97 - Extra Large Nokia N97 - Pups of future flowers Nokia N97 - Drooping Cypress Nokia N97 - Cobwebs Nokia N97 -  Magnolia Flower Nokia N97 - Erika Nokia N97 - Coy Nokia N97 - Gingko canopy Nokia N97 - Bamboo Stand Nokia N97 - Yellow & White Coy Nokia N97 - Shrine amongst the fallen gingko leaves Nokia N97 - Big California Oak tree Nokia N97 - Winter sunset hour on the North Vista Lawn Nokia N97 - Pergola, fiery grape leaves
Photos taken by Ms. Jen on Sat 01.02.10 with a Nokia N97.

Southside of the Seal Beach Pier with high tide water Northside of the Seal Beach Pier with high tide water pond/lake A trashcan and seagulls floating in the 'lake'
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.


Tues 12.29.09 - Otherwise entitled, "The Tide is High, and I'm Gonna...".

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Video captured by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.


Sun 12.27.09 - While I continue to work away in on a web app, I offer to you a video from this morning's walk. Yes, I am as tired and stuffed up as I sound in the video.

Happy end of Christmas weekend, I hope you had a restful and lovely one.

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Sunset and the Streetlamp Xmas Decorated Local House Hibiscus Flower Belle and Her Ears
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nikon D70s.

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Winter Solstice, where the Northern Hemisphere has the longest night and shortest day of the year, happened today at 9:47am PST / 17:47 UTC.

Today ushers in my favorite season of the year: Winter.

I love it. I love the chill. I love being outside at night while snow is falling. I love skiing. I love walking in the winter. I love wearing more clothes. I love the lack of sun and heat. Love it.

My greatest disappointment in living in Southern California is the lack of snow.

I realize that the reason that everyone else, all the other 16-19 million folks who share this metro area with me, lives here is the utter lack of the snow. Saturday's weather is the real reason they live here: 80F at the beach.

I can have my fantasies. Yes, I can. The last few days I have watching my European, British, and East Coast friends' Flickrstreams for photos of snow falling in the night.

Here are a few of the truly lovely winter scenes from various locales that are not SoCal from the last 48 or so hours:

cliché snowing in england shot La neige à Limoges : acte III Big Sky Country What a ride! Blimey Snow baby!, Denmark Street, Bristol
All photos from friends on Flickr, please click on the photo for the larger version.
The Yellow Rose of Seal Beach
Photo taken today by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Wed 12.09.09 - The surf swell that hit Hawaii's north shores early this week has migrated to California beaches today and will be bigger tomorrow. I went out this morning to try and take photos/video, but as you can see, no one should allow me to video before my morning caffeine... ;o)

In case you are wondering, I have had kinetic Essential Tremor since I was 13 and I rarely notice my hands shaking but others do and so does my video camera. Oops.

Seagull, Washed Up by Yesterday's Storm, at Dog Beach
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N900.

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Scruffy made it about 10 feet into the rain before he tried to turn back to home Power outage due to high winds while making dinner A nice stuffed|baked dinner all done for a chilly evening
All photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97 or a Nokia N900, please click on photo to see which.

Second Sunday of Advent
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N900.

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My climbing rose up close, Part I My climbing rose up close, Part II My climbing rose up close, Part III
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nikon D70s.

Tues 11.24.09 - How close can I get to my front stoop climbing rose with Thomas's Nikon D70 with a Nikkor 50mm f1.8 lens set at 1.8 f-stop before I loose all focus? That was today's experiment: how to balance up close while keeping a small area of focus and getting a lovely bokeh in the rest of the frame.

Turned out nice and dreamy.

| | Comments (0) | art + photography , oh, california
Local Plumeria having a Second Season
Photo by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

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Photo of Earl and the wild pig prosciutto taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.


Fri 11.20.09 - Today, neighbor Earl and I decided it was time to take down one of the two pig legs that have been hanging to cure in his garage to see if they were ready to be eaten yet. Earl was the guinea pig to see if it was good and not moldy/botulism-y/etc and he determined it was ready to be eaten without harm, the point that his sister and friend both had slices.

My brother and his friends went hunting up at Tejon Ranch in February of 2009 and bagged two wild pigs*. I requested and received two of the legs so that I could see if I could make prosciutto.

Wild, organic, slow food experiment = successful.

I plan on taking the other leg down around Christmas time.

*****

* Wild pigs or boars in North America are not native, but are escapees from farms. Most of California's boar / wild pig population are domestic pigs that escaped from Central Valley farms from the 1880s -1920s. Unfortunately, they are a menace to wild landscapes and are environmentally unsound to native ecosystems, so California has a 365 day 24/7 hunting season open on wild pigs to help restore the native wild space and keep the pig population down.

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Local Seal Beach Camellia on Seal Way facing the Alamitos Bay Local White Rose dotted with lovely dark rose pink & dew or sprinkler water.
Photo by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Thur 11.18.09 - Now that the hot, dry SoCal summer (July - Oct) is behind us, the roses are in full busting out all over bloom. Southern California has two good growing seasons, one from February to June and the other from October to December, and if you are within a few miles of the ocean December and January are very kind to one's plants. Go a few miles inland and there will be the occasional frost in December that will piss off the basil and flowers. Go many miles inland and Nov. 15th to Feb. 15th is frost time.

Here in Seal Beach, where we are on the Pacific Ocean, the local roses, camellias, and other spring flowers like pansies, violets, and snap dragons are having their second big bloom of the year after being seared into non-blooming compliance during the hot, dry months.

From now, mid-late November, until April are my favorite months of the year in SoCal. From late April to early November, I would rather live quite a bit north of here, like the 50-54th parallel line. ;o)

Local Roses, this Morning Local Roses, this Morning
Photos taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97

BLKPHBE, Black What?
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.

Sat 11.07.09 - To all of you who know me in person, know that my car's license plate is BLKPHBE and that my Prius' name is 'Black Phoebe'. Not named after this website, but named after the bird that this website is named after.

For those of you who don't know me in person, or who don't know about my lifelong passion for native song birds, here are some reference pages on my all time favorite SoCal bird, the black phoebe:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black_phoebe/id

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Phoebe
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i4580id.html

Why does this come up today? Because recently I had the third comment where someone who doesn't know me or a neighbor who I only know in passing has said, "Black Phobe? What are you racist?"

The first time someone asked this I was so surprised. Each of the three times it has happened I have said, "No, it is black phoebe, it is a local bird." I then go on to describe a black phoebe and its habits, some of which are very unique to flycatchers. The first two inquirers knew exactly what bird it was and were a more than a bit baffled that I would name my car after a bird. The third one, a retired neighbor, asked a couple of days ago and kept asking me to describe the bird, as it was obvious he didn't believe me.

I find this baffling. Why would I have a license plate named 'black phobe'?

| | Comments (2) | ideas + opinions , oh, california
So Begins the Annual Seal Beach Winter Storm Protection Sand Berm Usual worm with a triangle flat head as seen on the Greenbelt sidewalk this morning.
Photos taken today by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97 camera phone.


Wed 11.04.09 - Today I am combining my photo post with my text post, as I have received a trial Nokia N97 from WOM World to be an alpha tester for the new Carl Zeiss mobile application. Given that there is no Lifeblog on the N97 and I have been working deep in the PHP Salt Mines, I have not had time to set up the trial N97 for moblogging, so today's photos were uploaded from my MT install.

As I stated yesterday, I repent of most of what I said in my March & August reviews of the Nokia n97, as the recent October firmware update has solved about 98% of my complaints. It is now a device that is fun to use and is not a struggle, this is the version that should have been released back in July, not three months later as an update.

Upon receiving the Nokia N97 yesterday, I was able to set it up about 80% to my satisfaction within the first 15 minutes. I did not attempt to set up moblogging or email, as setting up a POP email account is what made my blood pressure raise so high in July. Today, I did install the Gmail app very quickly, but have not installed PixelPipe* to Share Online.

What I am most satisfied with the new N97 firmware is the to the responsiveness of the touchscreen - fast scrolling / flicking - w00t!, and more refined camera functionality. Scrolling/flicking aside, it is the ability of the camera to now get clear, sharp shots, close-ups, and good color that makes me happy.

The last two days the inland parts of the greater LA area have been quite warm but at the beach we have had pea soup fog most of the day. When I went to walk the dogs this morning the fog made visibility low and all surfaces wet. Even though the air was gray & murky with water droplets, the Nokia N97 was able to take a good photo of the building of the annual winter sand berm.

As we ended our walk, I noticed an unusual worm with a flat triangle head crossing the sidewalk, I was able to crouch down, set the Nokia N97 to close-up mode and get the camera lens within 5 inches of the worm and still get a good, clear shot of the worm, its colors, and bizarre head. Before the October firmware update, I would not have been able to get the clarity and sharpness of the worm at 5-6 inches away.

More on the Carl Zeiss app tomorrow.

-----
* PixelPipe, please release a stand-alone app for Symbian that is like your delicious PixelPipe Pro for Android.

Ruben McChancey in Dias de Los Muertos costume for Halloween 2009
Photo of taken by Ms. Jen on 10.31.09 with her Nokia N95.

Sun 11.01.09 - Ruben McChancey in his Dias de Los Muertos outfit last night at Alex's Halloween Party.

The Extra-Extra Large Weber Grill Plus a Pink Pig Smoker
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95

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Bubba the Local Pig
Photo by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.


Sat 10.24.09 - The best part of today was hearing the rumor from Terri Callis and Bird that a PIG has moved into the neighborhood and then walking over to meet him. Bubba is amazing. His family is also super cool and talked to us for about 20 minutes answering all of Terri and I's questions about Bubba living at the beach in an apartment with a small yard. Both Terri and I were completely smitten and I think her next pet is a micro-pig*.

Apparently, Bubba's family got him before then moved into their apartment, which is less than a block from the beach, and when they told their future landlord that they had a 120 lb Alastian Shepherd dog and a pig, the landlord was thrilled about a pig.

Bubba is cute, smart, charming, and well-trained. He was apparently very easy to train to a leash & harness, he takes regular baths, sleeps in bed with his family, and came potty trained (has his own spot in the yard). Bubba is a vegetarian and eats sparingly so that he does not get fat or slows down. He also no longer needs his leash and harness but follows his family around town as they walk the dog.

I am also smitten with Bubba.

I love the idea of a pig as a pet and not just a farm animal. I love the idea of nature in the city. I love the fact that we have raccoons, rabbits, and coyotes in our neighborhood, not a neighborhood on the verge of the hills or wild lands, but a neighborhood bounded by a big city to the north (Long Beach and then LA), a big ocean to the west (the Pacific), and a big Naval Station with wetlands and open space to the east and south (Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station). It reminds me of the band that named themselves, "I See Hawks in LA."

If you are also smitten and your landlord doesn't mind a cute, smart, clean small pet, the nice folk at Ham and Eggs Ranch in Norco can possibly help you out with one of Bubba's brothers or sisters.


* Micro pot bellied pigs are less than 35 lbs at full, adult growth.

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Tiny Clams Poking Up at Low Tide
Photo by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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Photo by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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Photo by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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The Descent at Huntington Cliffs
Photo of surfers descending Huntington Cliffs by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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Wave
Photo by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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Blue Skies. Whispy Clouds. Today.
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N95.

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Through Billy's Looking Glass
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.


Wed 09.09.09 - Photo of Billy Burke's barber station taken at Salon Pop and Barber Shop in Long Beach.

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Seal Beach, Labor Day Morning Before Everyone Arrives
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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Seal Beach, End of the Day
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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Seal Beach, Labor Day Weekend
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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Jean-Pierre
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
| | Comments (0) | oh, california , photos + text from the road
Smokey Sunset
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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A Drop of Paradise
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.

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Fire Season Has Started
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.


Mon 08.31.09 - That mushroom cloud is not a thunderhead, nor is it an atomic cloud, but is the singular cloud of the Station Fire as seen from the distance in Huntington Beach.

| | Comments (0) | nature + environment , oh, california
Sunday Tree Flower Photo
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.

| | Comments (0) | nature + environment , oh, california

If anyone needs a really smart, bright, idea factory of a designer/developer and you have a job open in London or North Europe, please let me know.

Really. I don't deal with Southern California late summer / early autumn's well. Too. Damned. Hot.

My ideal temperatures are between -5-15C (25-60F). Please someone help me, I will trade you my spot in all too sunny & hot SoCal for your spot in London or the like.

97F in Tustin on Thursday. 95F at the 405 fwy & Seal Beach Blvd. 88F at the beach near my house. Yesterday and today similar. Also tomorrow.

((o.O))

| | Comments (1) | oh, california
At the Bonfire
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.


Wed 08.26.09 - A fun summer beach bonfire with the Channel Three folk and friends at Bolsa Chica State Beach.

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Low Tide. Foggy. Dog Beach
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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Shell Midden
Photo taken with Ms. Jen's Nokia N95.
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The Interlude
Photo taken with Ms. Jen's Nokia N95.
| | Comments (0) | oh, california , photos + text from the road
Sunshine Rain
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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This Evening's Sky at Dog Beach
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.

Mon 08.03.09 - Also, two sets of Mom and Baby dolphins were seen frolicking in the waves.

| | Comments (0) | nature + environment , oh, california

A few months ago, I was talking to Nicole at Salon Pop about the recession and I asked her what she thought we should be doing.

"Frequent local businesses," was Nicole's reply. And she is right. So, in the spirit of supporting local small businesses, I am going to start an occasional series here called "Local Places I Like". This will be my opinion about places I frequent. This series will not be supported nor will I receive free goods and services to write about local places, but merely me talking about local businesses I like.

As I have written about before, I have a migraine problem. They are usually triggered by mistaken ingestion of food I am allergic to, or sleeping on my neck wrong, or by fluorescent lights, or a combo thereof. Usually when I migraine arrives, I write a tweet to the effect of "Le Sigh," take some of migraine meds, put myself to bed with my eye mask on and pray that I am not still there two days later.

A few times, after the migraine is over and when my neck/back has seized up, I go and get a massage at Wellsprings to help release the tension and not have a repeat migraine. This usually is a great help.

Last Friday, while at Dog Beach watching the Big Waves, I noticed that my neck was stiff and not really turning well. When I turned it too fast, I would get a shooting headache pain. Oh oh.

I woke up on Saturday morning with the "Oh, shit, not again" feeling as my neck was in a lot of pain, I had a burning sensation on the right side of my throat, and the right side of my face was in pain. I made it to about noon and it became obvious that I really needed to put my self to bed with my eye mask and meds, when my Mom suggested that I go get a massage at my massage place. I didn't think I could get in so fast on a Saturday, but called at my Mom's urging.

Wellsprings was able to fit me in at 2:30pm that day with massage therapist, Sheila Laughlin. What a blessing. Sheila asked some really good questions before she started and I honestly told her that I was trying to fend off the onset of a full migraine due to neck and back stiffness. She did a miracle modified Swedish massage on my face, head, neck and back that loosed up my muscles. By the time I left an hour later, I felt about half way better with much looser muscles, within another hour all the migraine onset pain was gone and I felt almost all the way better.

Big thanks to Sheila and Wellsprings!

Wellsprings
550 Pacific Coast Hwy # 207,
Seal Beach, CA‎90740
562-594-1158‎

Crescent Moon and Denuded Trees
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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Petite Cactus, Huge Flower
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.


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Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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Big Surf and Backwash at Dog Beach Today
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.
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Yellow and Green Dates Red Pre-Dates
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.
071609secretlake.jpg
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Scruffy and Ms. Jen Go Kayaking


Wed 07.15.09 - Photo by Sue Hahn (aka My Mom) with my Nokia N95. It was dreadfully hot in Bishop (97F/36C) and so we went up to about 8,000ft/2,438m to the DWP's Bishop Creek Intake #1 Pond which is used to store water for the hydropower dam. The pond is stocked with trout and there were quite a few fishermen wandering around the lake in their blow up fishing intertubes. We were the only non-fisherfolk enjoying the lake.

Scruffy enjoyed his kayak ride. I was afraid he was going to try and jump out and I would have to capsize the kayak to get him back, but instead he was very calm and seemed to have fun.

Tomorrow starts the Bishop Livestock Fair & Auction, which is why I came. My Mom and I hope to come away with two pigs (organic), 1/2 a grass fed steer, and 2 grass fed lambs to deep freeze and have as our meat for the year. I also plan to make one more prosciutto, some pancetta, and a bit of sausage.

| | Comments (0) | fun stuff , oh, california , photos + text from the road
LACMA Swathed in Color Blue, Blue Sky and LACMA HappyHappy from the outside HappyHappy from the inside

HappyHappy by Choi Jeong-Hwa HappyHappy was a fascinating plastic sea of container 'kelp' Erika immersed in HappyHappy Color!
All photos taken by Ms. Jen at LACMA on 07.14.09 with a Nokia N97.

Bird and Jeremy at Dog Beach
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with a Nokia N97.
| | Comments (0) | fun stuff , oh, california
Ascending the Grapevine, or, On the Way Home
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.

| | Comments (0) | nature + environment , oh, california , photos + text from the road
The Merry Cherry Fruit Stand, Gilroy
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.

| | Comments (0) | oh, california , photos + text from the road
The Golden Gate Bridge
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.

| | Comments (0) | oh, california , photos + text from the road
George!
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.

| | Comments (0) | oh, california , photos + text from the road
Belladonna
Photo taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia N95.

| | Comments (1) | oh, california
Here Comes the Sun
Photo taken with Ms. Jen's Nokia N95.

| | Comments (0) | art + photography , oh, california

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