Mabel Featured on 500PX
I snapped a shot of Mabel looking adorable and submitted it a weekly contest on 500px, an awesome photography site. It was featured this week on their blog. Mabel is a star.
You’ll Never Guess Who I am
That’s what she said when she put the hat on that I gave her. She repeated it, “You’ll never know who I am when I wear this hat”, as she pulled the hat down over her eyes.
She is my Aunt Ann and after living on the streets of New York for the past 50 years she is staying in San Diego with my dad for awhile. You know you have to be pretty creative, resourceful and smart to live on the streets of New York as a Bag Lady for 50 years and still survive. I am not sure that many people have done that but Ann did.
The stories that Ann could tell if she wanted to. I am sure that she has seen a lot on those streets, but she never really tells the story.
I took this picture of her tonight, I think it shows her personality.
Aunt Ann smiles with her new hat.
Aunt Ann and Dad share a funny moment as she hits him over the head with a bouquet of flowers.
Darla is. Part 2
You might remember a quite poop-poopidoo set of Darla pictures that we put up about a year ago. You can check it out here – Darla is. Well here is some more.
Darla is lovely.
Darla is curious.
Darla is hilarious.
Darla is a Karate Master.
Darla is a Super Model.
Darla is a Poop Poopidoo Cute little gal.
Beautiful Torrey Pines
One of the best places to take sunset pictures in San Diego is along the beaches of Torrey Pines below the cliffs. This is a place that glows golden and during low tides the gold cliffs will reflect against the wet sand.
It is extraordinary.
Beautiful Sunset La Jolla
Beautiful sunsets in La Jolla are common. Here is another night of beautiful sunsets here.
Windansea Beach Scenes
I love heading down the street from my house to one of the most beautiful surf beaches in the world. A palm-covered shack was originally constructed at Windansea Beach in 1946 by Woody Ekstrom, Fred Kenyon and Don Okey.
That shack still stands today and it is designated a historical landmark to the city. The palm fronds on the shack are replaced by locals when they fall off during storms.
Here are some scenes from Windansea today. It’s a beautiful place to catch all the warmth and beauty of San Diego.
Beautiful Joshua Tree National Park
I live in San Diego and Joshua Tree National Park is less than 3 hours away. I like it so much that I put it on my list of the Best Day Trips from San Diego. You can check that list out here. Best RoadTrips from San Diego. It’s a fairly easy day trip where you can end up in one of the most mystical places on the earth.
What makes it So Special?
The first thing you notice when you are driving to Joshua Tree is that you start to drive up. You’re going from low desert into higher desert. And when you reach a certain elevation, the famous trees that inspired Dr Seuss – The Yucca Brevifolia, or the Joshua Tree start to appear. The climate here is hot in August (it was over 100 degrees) but in many places in Joshua Tree it seems like a serene oasis in the desert. There is literally a forest of Joshua Trees that sit amidst very cool rock formations. Joshua Tree is out of this world.
The Lorax Tree’s that inspired Dr Seuss. They are quite appealing.
Cool and mysterious rock formations like Skull Rock are all over the landscape.
Because it is so unique. There are literally a ton of different things that people do here. Camping, Bird Watching, Hiking, Rock Climbing, Motorcycling, Astronomy, Photography, Movie Making, Geology. I got a chance to do many of the smaller hikes. The best locations are typically only about a mile from parking.
Everyone comes here and it is only about 100 miles from Los Angeles and just 45 minutes from Palm Springs.
Made Famous by U2
Back in the 80’s, Joshua Tree was the go to cool place after U2 Shot the cover of their album Joshua Tree here.
Mysterious Place
Joshua Tree is a mysterious place with a long history. It was a place where miners and cattleman gathered due to the geology and the fact that there was water here in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The miners were searching for Gold and the Cowboys were hiding their cattle in hidden valleys here. In 1994, the location was elevated to a National Park Status and tourist from all over the world come to visit. There are sightings of an old miner ghost out here. Apparently he haunts the place at night so you have to be careful.
There are miles and miles of roads like this. Its a motorcyclist dream. As long as you don’t get caught speeding.
Beautiful Sunsets at Joshua Tree
I would have to say the best time to plan your trip to Joshua Tree (like any other desert location) is around sunset. The colors and the contrast really kicks up and the place is truly out of this world. This is a place I will come to many times in my life if I am lucky.
