Rain - a still life

I have no problem leaving the house on a rainy day. Our plans for a quick trip to the park were cancelled as soon as the raindrops started to fall, so we jumped in the car to hang out at the mall instead. We spent the afternoon snacking on coffee and cookies, browsing the bookstore, and doing some window-shopping. All in all, quite a lovely day!

Clear blue skies

We finally got some sun today, but it was too wet to go to the park. So I took my son to the observation deck at the Santa Monica Airport to watch the planes taking off and landing. It was really windy and cold and we weren't dressed properly, but he had a fantastic time.

A nice day for a run

We had some terrible rainstorms today that flooded streets all across the city. It would've been a great day to stay home and watch movies and drink hot cocoa.

But almost 20,000 people woke up early, braved the storms and ran 26.2 miles from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica. Those poor marathoners! We walked only 5 blocks to watch the Elite finishers - I was freezing and soaked to the bone. In this photo, you can see the winner of the Male division, Markos Geneti, about 30 yards from the finish line. His official time was 2:06:35.

Congrats to all!

Good enough to eat

This house was just down the road from our B&B. The smooth walls and rounded corners remind me of a fondant-covered cake.

You could eat off the floors....

The aforementioned ladies' facilities at the stadium. See the flash reflecting off the doors? You have to agree that this is ridiculously clean!

A little taste of home

We're in Arizona at Camelback Stadium to see a couple of Spring Training games. The baseball stadium is really gorgeous! Everything is new and shiny, every seat has a good view of the field, and the tickets are plentiful and inexpensive. I even took a picture of the restroom facilities (they were empty!) because they were so clean.

The best seats were here under the scoreboard, in the shade. It was pretty hot out there for March.

Guess that interchange

Oh geez...I thought this would be a fun trivia question. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I took this picture!

I know we were definitely on the 60 Fwy heading east. Does this look familiar to you? I could really use a hint.

Banana heart

Today, in our neighborhood, I passed by three fruiting banana plants. I guess we have good banana-growing weather here in Santa Monica.

Did you know that bananas grow up, not down? And the cluster of fruit is called a hand. Thanks, Wikipedia!

Great. Now I'm craving some Filipino turon (banana spring rolls).

Z3Y

We enjoyed a late breakfast at Bistro Laurent in Culver City. Yum to my veggie omelette and the simple (but delicious!) bread basket.

This isn't the first YES I've seen posted in a restaurant window, but I don't know what it means. Pitfire Pizza had one too. Anyone?

Avoid traffic - use the Airport!

The one thing that I really hate about this side of town is the traffic. At certain times of the day, it's better to stay home or walk if you have to go anywhere. Otherwise, it's likely that you'll be stuck in the massive Westside clusterf*¢k called rush hour.

Yesterday, we had to run some errands, but we couldn't manage to get out of the house before 5:15. I thought we were in for a long drive, it being Friday and all. But my husband (the superhero) made a right turn and a left and found a shortcut that spit us out right where we needed to go. Lovely!

We passed by this monument on our travels. The plane is a Douglas DC-3 named "The Spirit of Santa Monica." The Museum of Flying, which has been closed since 2002, will be relocated adjacent to this site.

Reflection - Huntington Library, Pasadena

Before my family moved to Santa Monica last year, we lived in the San Gabriel Valley. I'd lived in that area for so long and loved it so much that I was upset when my husband suggested moving to the beach. (Yes, I know I'm crazy.)

Yet I'd spent more than half my life living within a stone's throw from the Huntington Library and I'd never set foot in the gardens until yesterday. I'm so glad we went! The cherry trees were in full bloom in the Japanese gardens. I took pictures of all the orchids I could find to show my mom, who used to have an impressive garden full of cymbidiums.

My favorite photo of the afternoon is this self-portrait in a window framed by tangled vines. I think it's an accurate representation of my last couple of days.

Textured sky

I was taking a walk with my son the other day and I looked up to see this interesting cloud formation. It feels like I'm underwater looking at the rippling waves overhead.

Where all the chefs shop

We were at the Farmers Market today. I wanted to avoid the ubiquitous close-up produce shot, even more so after I saw a lady with her macro lens studying the broccoli at one stall. Luckily, I looked up and saw an open balcony. I thought the vantage point would make for a unique photo.

I was so focused on sneaking into the building and up the staircase that I forgot I'm TOTALLY afraid of heights. I took one step onto the balcony and froze. It took me a few minutes to shuffle close enough to the railing to take a couple of pictures, framing and composition be damned! When I got back down to the street, my heart was fluttering and my knees continued knocking for about 10 minutes.

Photographic evidence: not as I envisioned, but then again, I'm proud of myself for getting the shot.

Santa Monica - welcome!





The first post, where you set the stage for what's to come. No pressure or anything, right?

I'm going to post one photo here every single day. There, I said it and now you can hold me to it.

My family and I just moved to Santa Monica, so I'll be taking a lot of pictures as we explore our new hometown. But I don't want to limit myself to a 3-mile radius of our home, so I'll have photos of other cities and places we visit throughout the year.

This sign is posted above the Community Garden at Broadway and Park Drive.