tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73543526278483074672024-03-13T07:53:03.383-07:00Coccinelle in Los AngelesShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-48062133641347774892013-02-20T01:24:00.000-08:002013-02-20T01:24:23.486-08:00Space Shuttle Endeavor - January 31<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last September the Space Shuttle Endeavour had its final
flight, atop a 747, and made a farewell tour of California.<span> </span>The building where I work allowed people up
to the 57<sup>th</sup> floor to observe the flyover of Los Angeles, a thrilling
opportunity for a lifelong follower of the space program like me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That, of course, was before Coccinelle’s time with me, but
Endeavour’s permanent home is now at the California Science Center right here
in LA, so we had to go and see her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Science Center is just past the southern end of
downtown, so we decided to take the Metro, a light rail system that travels
both above and below ground.<span> </span>The
station we left from is underneath an office building, and if you look up as
you go down the escalator, you’ll see the work of a fantastic muralist called
Terry Schoonhoven which depicts what you might see from that same vantage point
if the building overhead weren’t in the way:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xCv4NqYBNr8/USSF-KTb4kI/AAAAAAAAAlg/3jVrTzO8_ck/s1600/Terry+Schoonhoven+Overhead+Mural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xCv4NqYBNr8/USSF-KTb4kI/AAAAAAAAAlg/3jVrTzO8_ck/s1600/Terry+Schoonhoven+Overhead+Mural.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We got off one stop too soon and had to walk a bit to get to
the Science Center, which is in Exposition Park and part of a complex of
museums.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K-cRaljpZ18/USSFw8bVUOI/AAAAAAAAAjs/x1E7zJ1bUS8/s1600/California+Science+Center.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K-cRaljpZ18/USSFw8bVUOI/AAAAAAAAAjs/x1E7zJ1bUS8/s640/California+Science+Center.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is a lot to see at the Science Center on a wide range
of subjects.<span> </span>We concentrated on the
ones related to flight and aeronautics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gvmhIBvD408/USSN1aJjv6I/AAAAAAAAAmI/shlL71FIF3Y/s1600/Jet+welcome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gvmhIBvD408/USSN1aJjv6I/AAAAAAAAAmI/shlL71FIF3Y/s640/Jet+welcome.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are real used-in-space capsules from the Mercury,
Gemini, and Apollo programs (which preceded the shuttles).<span> </span>They’re encapsulated in form-fitting
plexiglas, but the hatches are open so you can peek inside.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4--BVVT-Mis/USSF2b_a2kI/AAAAAAAAAkg/WB_53jk1lDs/s1600/Mercury+Capsule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4--BVVT-Mis/USSF2b_a2kI/AAAAAAAAAkg/WB_53jk1lDs/s640/Mercury+Capsule.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Mercury capsule - one astronaut</i></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w-7zaTBOKNA/USSF1zLeEvI/AAAAAAAAAkU/wtIi3hLzxQM/s1600/Gemini+Capsule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w-7zaTBOKNA/USSF1zLeEvI/AAAAAAAAAkU/wtIi3hLzxQM/s640/Gemini+Capsule.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Gemini capsule - two astronauts</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IX1FJRxEwnU/USSFu_x4PJI/AAAAAAAAAjg/qtb3QSf2D9Q/s1600/Apollo+Capsule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IX1FJRxEwnU/USSFu_x4PJI/AAAAAAAAAjg/qtb3QSf2D9Q/s640/Apollo+Capsule.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Apollo capsule - three astronauts</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This replica of a
Wright Brothers glider gives a perspective on how far manned flight has come in just a little more than 100 years:
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<span style="font-size: large;">An entire section is devoted to Endeavour with displays and
artifacts from missions, lots of information, and a short film.<span> </span>One of the first things you see you can also
touch: tires from the vehicle:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KbifEremQN0/USSFyRyGSoI/AAAAAAAAAj4/kIVfgazaUqY/s1600/Endeavour+Tires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KbifEremQN0/USSFyRyGSoI/AAAAAAAAAj4/kIVfgazaUqY/s640/Endeavour+Tires.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is part of a small recreation of Mission Control Center:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XnxEddSDumE/USSFthRm3lI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/Uf_rSlZ_hJQ/s1600/%2527Mission+Control%2527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XnxEddSDumE/USSFthRm3lI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/Uf_rSlZ_hJQ/s640/%2527Mission+Control%2527.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And we took a ride in a shuttle flight simulator!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aNv6DWlH38k/USSF7AHVSBI/AAAAAAAAAlI/jTa78kCCoMc/s1600/Simulator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aNv6DWlH38k/USSF7AHVSBI/AAAAAAAAAlI/jTa78kCCoMc/s640/Simulator.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iwUeVsGOl3U/USSF5Nhw4lI/AAAAAAAAAko/wS5eykX-NU0/s1600/Simulator+%2527cockpit%2527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iwUeVsGOl3U/USSF5Nhw4lI/AAAAAAAAAko/wS5eykX-NU0/s640/Simulator+%2527cockpit%2527.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bGHdNCTy78Q/USSF6q8DPSI/AAAAAAAAAlA/x9Hng3xWGhk/s1600/Simulator+%2527liftoff%2527+through+cockpit+windows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bGHdNCTy78Q/USSF6q8DPSI/AAAAAAAAAlA/x9Hng3xWGhk/s640/Simulator+%2527liftoff%2527+through+cockpit+windows.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Liftoff!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But of course, our reason for coming was to see Endeavour,
which is in a building of its own.<span> </span>This
is what you see when you first walk in:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sQAw8U7kNBU/USSFzCscPNI/AAAAAAAAAkA/k80b-CA3krI/s1600/Endeavour+first+look.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sQAw8U7kNBU/USSFzCscPNI/AAAAAAAAAkA/k80b-CA3krI/s640/Endeavour+first+look.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are lots of informational panels and a number of
secondary displays:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yHGfEsZcPDg/USSRKozjGtI/AAAAAAAAAmw/Qfp3kCFSeDE/s1600/Endeavour+info+display.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yHGfEsZcPDg/USSRKozjGtI/AAAAAAAAAmw/Qfp3kCFSeDE/s640/Endeavour+info+display.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w15Tphf-sG8/USSRLaMi0_I/AAAAAAAAAm4/aeNA5AJWqUM/s1600/SpaceHab+-+popup+to+extend+usuable+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w15Tphf-sG8/USSRLaMi0_I/AAAAAAAAAm4/aeNA5AJWqUM/s640/SpaceHab+-+popup+to+extend+usuable+room.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>SpaceHab - a sort of popup tent for use inside the cargo bay which could provide additional working room for the crew</i></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the shuttle is the star of the show:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5OYUvV-eRVI/USSFw2fgPSI/AAAAAAAAAjo/YodtigIS6s8/s1600/Crew+Hatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5OYUvV-eRVI/USSFw2fgPSI/AAAAAAAAAjo/YodtigIS6s8/s640/Crew+Hatch.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Crew Hatch</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N82oV_SP_dQ/USSF12-CEBI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/k9DjKT7YXV0/s1600/Heat+Shield+Tiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N82oV_SP_dQ/USSF12-CEBI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/k9DjKT7YXV0/s640/Heat+Shield+Tiles.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Heat tiles - each one is numbered for placement</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Cz7081mIx4/USSF5HyNSCI/AAAAAAAAAkw/m4WbxWa8u24/s1600/Shuttle+Main+Engines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Cz7081mIx4/USSF5HyNSCI/AAAAAAAAAkw/m4WbxWa8u24/s640/Shuttle+Main+Engines.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Engines</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w1pIVGoIRdM/USSViK2LV5I/AAAAAAAAAoI/-rPaIFX1k0M/s1600/Nose+to+Tail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w1pIVGoIRdM/USSViK2LV5I/AAAAAAAAAoI/-rPaIFX1k0M/s640/Nose+to+Tail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Nose to tail panorama shot</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was hard to leave, but the time had come…although not
before spying more of Coccinelle’s cousins in a display for the gift shop!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pB2YRpB3CAU/USSF5P-VfGI/AAAAAAAAAks/80kJI6SGEYE/s1600/Seeing+more+cousins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pB2YRpB3CAU/USSF5P-VfGI/AAAAAAAAAks/80kJI6SGEYE/s1600/Seeing+more+cousins.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the park area across from the Science Center, Coccinelle
was fascinated by some of our city dwellers:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C4dlctnn6tY/USSFuQq8ZUI/AAAAAAAAAjY/Sfz7V0pInn8/s1600/Birds+%2526+Squirrel+%2526+Coccinelle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C4dlctnn6tY/USSFuQq8ZUI/AAAAAAAAAjY/Sfz7V0pInn8/s640/Birds+%2526+Squirrel+%2526+Coccinelle.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then it was onto the Metro and the end of another great
outing:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ztz4CtS2shE/USSS46YbHsI/AAAAAAAAAng/0GYkCe71AIc/s1600/Metro+Stop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ztz4CtS2shE/USSS46YbHsI/AAAAAAAAAng/0GYkCe71AIc/s640/Metro+Stop.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HhiYFTDX490/USSF8wGF7LI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/bPQ7oeUakUw/s1600/Subway+ride+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HhiYFTDX490/USSF8wGF7LI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/bPQ7oeUakUw/s640/Subway+ride+back.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-64684575447377330712013-02-14T22:16:00.000-08:002013-02-14T22:16:08.815-08:00Olvera Street and Union Station – January 30<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Coccinelle and I visited Olvera Street (physically more of a
short lane), which is often referred to as the oldest street in Los Angeles,
and is certainly in the oldest part of the what is now downtown LA and the area
where the city began.<span> </span>Since 1930 Olvera
Street has been a colorful Mexican-themed marketplace and that continues to
draw both tourists and residents alike.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Olvera Street is part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles, which
encompasses a number of historic buildings, a church, and a large plaza where
you can find a wide variety performances almost any time you visit.<span> </span>When we arrived there was a small dance
troupe in native dress at one side of the plaza:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7NIdaTeuzWQ/UR3MdGf0vvI/AAAAAAAAAd4/0GzTZckU1zw/s1600/Olvera+-+Performance+on+the+Plaza.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7NIdaTeuzWQ/UR3MdGf0vvI/AAAAAAAAAd4/0GzTZckU1zw/s640/Olvera+-+Performance+on+the+Plaza.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For decades at the main entry end of the street you could
have your picture taken while sitting in a cart that was hitched to a live
burro.<span> </span>Today, the cart is gone and the
burro has been replaced by a life-sized replica:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fpfScDbDIYA/UR3MfUyhviI/AAAAAAAAAeI/bNuLcF1AUvM/s1600/Olvera+-+Photo+Burro.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fpfScDbDIYA/UR3MfUyhviI/AAAAAAAAAeI/bNuLcF1AUvM/s640/Olvera+-+Photo+Burro.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Olvera Street itself consists of historic buildings on
either side that house shops and restaurants, and
wooden stalls lining the middle of the street:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6f_RgOeIwBI/UR3MiEQ9Q-I/AAAAAAAAAeo/XcJ3o6eSLNU/s1600/Olvera+Street+from+Plaza.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6f_RgOeIwBI/UR3MiEQ9Q-I/AAAAAAAAAeo/XcJ3o6eSLNU/s640/Olvera+Street+from+Plaza.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t6InE9tj05k/UR3MhMmWiCI/AAAAAAAAAeY/FQmwJwsY8p4/s1600/Olvera+-+Shops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t6InE9tj05k/UR3MhMmWiCI/AAAAAAAAAeY/FQmwJwsY8p4/s640/Olvera+-+Shops.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although the street is only about as long as one or two city
blocks, it’s packed with charm and color:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L-FtUtYYSpo/UR3McqpR7JI/AAAAAAAAAdw/n5gamX_s9f8/s1600/Olvera+-+Flower+Cart.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L-FtUtYYSpo/UR3McqpR7JI/AAAAAAAAAdw/n5gamX_s9f8/s640/Olvera+-+Flower+Cart.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-heMWtv1H4kc/UR3MgLLtnmI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/brJdvRSUezk/s1600/Olvera+-+Shops+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-heMWtv1H4kc/UR3MgLLtnmI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/brJdvRSUezk/s640/Olvera+-+Shops+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the historic buildings that hasn't been turned into a shop is the Avila Adobe, believed
to be the oldest existing house in the city:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E_Pjaom9lvs/UR3MWjEE2oI/AAAAAAAAAc4/vD-6zIj-7ec/s1600/Olvera+-+Avila+Adobe+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E_Pjaom9lvs/UR3MWjEE2oI/AAAAAAAAAc4/vD-6zIj-7ec/s640/Olvera+-+Avila+Adobe+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The home was built around a central courtyard, and several
of the rooms have been furnished as they might have been in the early 1800s:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jNjaMvZPVsI/UR3MaI9XAVI/AAAAAAAAAdY/V6fjkkjzZxg/s1600/Olvera+-+Avila+Courtyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jNjaMvZPVsI/UR3MaI9XAVI/AAAAAAAAAdY/V6fjkkjzZxg/s640/Olvera+-+Avila+Courtyard.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCziIeOoUpE/UR3MX7g68dI/AAAAAAAAAdA/eJZ5NrnGXXM/s1600/Olvera+-+Avila+Children%2527s+Room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCziIeOoUpE/UR3MX7g68dI/AAAAAAAAAdA/eJZ5NrnGXXM/s640/Olvera+-+Avila+Children%2527s+Room.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Children's Room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W23itAhp910/UR3MZZG-NYI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/Ne7q6qiQAPw/s1600/Olvera+-+Avila+Kitchen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W23itAhp910/UR3MZZG-NYI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/Ne7q6qiQAPw/s640/Olvera+-+Avila+Kitchen.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kitchen</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is Julie, one of the guides:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSSeny7gV9Q/UR3MaTm2moI/AAAAAAAAAdc/lI3_4HsLu0k/s1600/Olvera+-+Avila+w-Julie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="526" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSSeny7gV9Q/UR3MaTm2moI/AAAAAAAAAdc/lI3_4HsLu0k/s640/Olvera+-+Avila+w-Julie.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As we strolled back up the street, we spotted some cousins
of Coccinelle’s in one of the stalls!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aeyBlRSSW-U/UR3Ma4Hd2fI/AAAAAAAAAdo/XPol1LBLXX8/s1600/Olvera+-+Coiccinelle+Cousins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aeyBlRSSW-U/UR3Ma4Hd2fI/AAAAAAAAAdo/XPol1LBLXX8/s640/Olvera+-+Coiccinelle+Cousins.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Across the street from El Pueblo is Union Station, the main
railway station in Los Angeles:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dta4fvWZen8/UR3NVcdAS_I/AAAAAAAAAfo/X2H37Gv5oCA/s1600/Union+Station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dta4fvWZen8/UR3NVcdAS_I/AAAAAAAAAfo/X2H37Gv5oCA/s640/Union+Station.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Opened in 1939, the building combines Spanish Revival and Moderne
architecture and design styles.<span> </span>The
light-filled waiting areas retain all their original tile, marble walls, terra
cotta and inlaid marble floors, oversized seating, and decorative elements:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tf-P7qE3nxs/UR3NUKS4_wI/AAAAAAAAAfg/PqxaC02BIJc/s1600/Union+Station+Waiting+Room.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tf-P7qE3nxs/UR3NUKS4_wI/AAAAAAAAAfg/PqxaC02BIJc/s640/Union+Station+Waiting+Room.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2xXu-Wu7GIU/UR3NTfEtPVI/AAAAAAAAAfY/KCI2M4SR6qU/s1600/Union+Station+Waiting+Room+Chairs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2xXu-Wu7GIU/UR3NTfEtPVI/AAAAAAAAAfY/KCI2M4SR6qU/s640/Union+Station+Waiting+Room+Chairs.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uRXIlnuH1tM/UR3NN-UtwaI/AAAAAAAAAew/sucfqqneDcg/s1600/Union+Station+Clock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uRXIlnuH1tM/UR3NN-UtwaI/AAAAAAAAAew/sucfqqneDcg/s640/Union+Station+Clock.JPG" width="488" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88byK5Z3fmM/UR3NS1tF_5I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/TbVvwLSmPiY/s1600/Union+Station+Original+Tile+%2526+Wall+Decor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88byK5Z3fmM/UR3NS1tF_5I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/TbVvwLSmPiY/s640/Union+Station+Original+Tile+%2526+Wall+Decor.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is a garden on the south side and a large patio with a
fountain on the north:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3MRSoJv-vpw/UR3NSYNFvZI/AAAAAAAAAfI/ATUfvap8Z24/s1600/Union+Station+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3MRSoJv-vpw/UR3NSYNFvZI/AAAAAAAAAfI/ATUfvap8Z24/s640/Union+Station+Garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HhVQby_ZYTI/UR3NSBHEEyI/AAAAAAAAAfA/tHfxFHzGuD0/s1600/Union+Station+Patio+Fountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HhVQby_ZYTI/UR3NSBHEEyI/AAAAAAAAAfA/tHfxFHzGuD0/s640/Union+Station+Patio+Fountain.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In one of the corridors leading to the trains, we met a
woman named Maureen who was on her way to San Diego:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qsL-Giucr0w/UR3NP2xYhMI/AAAAAAAAAe4/xDgvChwNgbE/s1600/Union+Station+Maureen+going+to+San+Diego.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qsL-Giucr0w/UR3NP2xYhMI/AAAAAAAAAe4/xDgvChwNgbE/s640/Union+Station+Maureen+going+to+San+Diego.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Coccinelle and I made this visit one day when I was done with work at my office
job, so rather than driving over there and paying a lot to park, we took
the DASH, a downtown shuttle bus service/ On the way back Coccinelle insisted on wearing her
new Olvera Street mementos:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cB35wyG7Qq0/UR3NZgzdFoI/AAAAAAAAAfw/m_LkTl0vklM/s1600/Olvera-Union+DASH+ride+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cB35wyG7Qq0/UR3NZgzdFoI/AAAAAAAAAfw/m_LkTl0vklM/s640/Olvera-Union+DASH+ride+back.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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</xml><![endif]-->Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-19993997800196470242013-02-12T23:47:00.000-08:002013-02-20T01:29:05.454-08:00Hollywood Boulevard - January 24<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Coccinelle and I made a visit to the heart of Hollywood…well, at least where people like to think it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hollywood is actually a district within the city of Los Angeles<span style="font-size: large;">, a</span>nd as for the movie-making <span style="font-size: large;">part of </span>Hollywood<span style="font-size: large;">...</span>well, the vast majority is elsewhere in the county.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But still, the area labeled Hollywood on a map really is where film-making began in southern California, and much of the public face of both historic and contemporary Hollywood lies within stretch of Hollywood Boulevard between Vine Street and La Brea Boulevard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Don’t know if its reputation still holds, but “Hollywood and Vine” </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">–</span> </span>which is </span>really just a relatively normal intersection, at least nowadays<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">–</span></span></span></span> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">was once world famous<span style="font-size: large;">:</span> </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gOWchbNc-l8/USR4MCrA8aI/AAAAAAAAAhU/Msbg1oGt9QM/s1600/Hollywood+%2526+Vine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gOWchbNc-l8/USR4MCrA8aI/AAAAAAAAAhU/Msbg1oGt9QM/s640/Hollywood+%2526+Vine.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Hollywood and Vine, from the northeast corner to the southwest</span></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Half a block north on Vine is the Capitol Records building, the world’s first circular office building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story goes that when it was built in 1956 it was designed to look like a stack of records albums; however, according to someone on the design team that was not the case as the architecture firm didn’t tell the team who the client was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either way, on purpose or by coincidence, it works for a building where musicians from Frank Sinatra right up to the present have recorded music listened to the world over: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UEcRKJul23I/USR4EsZXK5I/AAAAAAAAAgk/eHF2Gc7r4QQ/s1600/Capitol+Records+Building.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UEcRKJul23I/USR4EsZXK5I/AAAAAAAAAgk/eHF2Gc7r4QQ/s640/Capitol+Records+Building.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All along this part of Hollywood Boulevard (and a few blocks of Vine) is the Walk of Fame – stars embedded in the sidewalk which bear names mostly from the entertainment industry </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: large;">–</span></span></span></span> actors, musicians, directors, producers, writers, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are a few:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o3GCRcq_lDo/USR4LE6VK-I/AAAAAAAAAhM/rx7IDxICegY/s1600/Ingrid+Bergman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o3GCRcq_lDo/USR4LE6VK-I/AAAAAAAAAhM/rx7IDxICegY/s400/Ingrid+Bergman.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0NMs3knrL20/USR4NbIvB1I/AAAAAAAAAhc/qtD0c7oH54o/s1600/Marilyn+Monroe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0NMs3knrL20/USR4NbIvB1I/AAAAAAAAAhc/qtD0c7oH54o/s400/Marilyn+Monroe.jpg" width="400" /></a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MU6Sd4eRulA/USR51vLSyyI/AAAAAAAAAhw/YSnOuenuJbQ/s1600/Jackie+Chan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MU6Sd4eRulA/USR51vLSyyI/AAAAAAAAAhw/YSnOuenuJbQ/s400/Jackie+Chan.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8sJD35J-xHE/USR4KtqCbcI/AAAAAAAAAhE/T1G90hzIXko/s1600/Lionel+Barrymore+%2528Drew%2527s+Great-Grandfather%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8sJD35J-xHE/USR4KtqCbcI/AAAAAAAAAhE/T1G90hzIXko/s400/Lionel+Barrymore+%2528Drew%2527s+Great-Grandfather%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Lionel Barryore - Drew Barrymore's Grandfather</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The forecourt of the Chinese Theatre is where celebrities have had their hand and footprints immortalized in the cement for many decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, the theatre must have been preparing for a movie premiere as it was completely blocked off beyond the sidewalk and there was a lot of hustle and bustle going on behind the barrier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdsCiIyhXlk/USR4GkfGdpI/AAAAAAAAAg0/BNZTT9-CC5w/s1600/Grauman%2527s+Chinese+Theatre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fdsCiIyhXlk/USR4GkfGdpI/AAAAAAAAAg0/BNZTT9-CC5w/s640/Grauman%2527s+Chinese+Theatre.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The newest landmark on the Boulevard is the shopping-and-theatre complex known at Hollywood and Highland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Academy Awards ceremonies (the Oscars) are held here at the Dolby Theatre, where you might also see a touring musical or other live stage show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to a wing that houses several movie theatres, there’s also a shopping and restaurant area which surrounds an open courtyard:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xm_-76GAH3E/USR7IiHOZ2I/AAAAAAAAAiU/laIvZxdZZbc/s1600/Hollywood+&+Highland+Courtyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xm_-76GAH3E/USR7IiHOZ2I/AAAAAAAAAiU/laIvZxdZZbc/s640/Hollywood+&+Highland+Courtyard.jpg" width="478" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yWl_wI5OFj8/USR4Eru9ahI/AAAAAAAAAgo/x4XyGpdDXJc/s1600/Hollywood+%2526+Highland+Arch+%2526+Elephant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yWl_wI5OFj8/USR4Eru9ahI/AAAAAAAAAgo/x4XyGpdDXJc/s1600/Hollywood+%2526+Highland+Arch+%2526+Elephant.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9hZ4JmDPdeY/USR4CEHU-YI/AAAAAAAAAgU/GEGhGfs8eWg/s1600/Coccinelle+and+Beard+Papa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9hZ4JmDPdeY/USR4CEHU-YI/AAAAAAAAAgU/GEGhGfs8eWg/s320/Coccinelle+and+Beard+Papa.jpg" width="264" /></a>As we were getting ready to head back to the Boulevard we spotted a Beard Papa’s cream puff store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d first read about them before they even started opening stores outside of Japan and didn't know there was one so close by!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were so many delicious looking pastries from which to choose, I asked the counter man for a suggestion and h<span style="font-size: large;">is</span> immediate response was the green tea, which was, indeed, an excellent choice:</span><br />
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-35255685204693836802013-02-11T23:00:00.001-08:002013-02-11T23:01:37.579-08:00More Movie Magic - 15 & 16 January<!--[if !mso]>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A couple more days on the TV show “Justified”
found us on location in Altadena in the foothills of the San Gabriel
mountains. Didn’t get a lot of pictures as I just couldn’t really get a
good perspective for interesting shots. There was a gun battle that would
have been cool to share, but shots are fired only when we’re filming and then
I’m too busy working to take pictures!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the first day, though, Coccinelle did get
her first glimpse at California nature, since we were shooting in a foothills area and
some of the surrounding property was a pretty good example of this natural setting:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJBCI-NUzPU/URnnfrxWsyI/AAAAAAAAAcA/Rv9W322OdKE/s1600/Foothills+Landscape+%2528Altadena%252C+California%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJBCI-NUzPU/URnnfrxWsyI/AAAAAAAAAcA/Rv9W322OdKE/s640/Foothills+Landscape+%2528Altadena%252C+California%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We even spotted some shamrocks:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CRVX89GFdGw/URnnhOJ1h7I/AAAAAAAAAcY/3rsMtRgzjGg/s1600/Shamrocks+aren%2527t+just+in+Ireland%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CRVX89GFdGw/URnnhOJ1h7I/AAAAAAAAAcY/3rsMtRgzjGg/s640/Shamrocks+aren%2527t+just+in+Ireland%2521.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The last few hours of our second day we shot
a scene that takes place between two characters who are driving around in a
truck. The most controllable way to do this is on a soundstage, with
what’s seen out the windows being added in later…but the end result is almost
never going to seem really real. The easiest way to do it “live” is to
put the vehicle being shot on what’s called a process trailer – a flat, open
trailer with railings all around. Cameras can be set up on the deck or
the rails for a wide variety of angles, but most importantly everything is
secured and the actor behind the wheel doesn’t actually have pay attention to
his driving while performing in the scene, but there is actual movement as the
trailer stops and starts and turns, and all the scenery is real. And of
course, you can always shoot from inside the car, too, which is easiest of all,
but also the most limiting in terms of what you can shoot. (There’s also
little room for more than the actors and the camera – often the sound mixer and
director are in the trunk!)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Or you can rig a special camera mount
directly onto the vehicle, which is what we did (the camera was also set up in
the bed of the truck and then filmed the scene through the back window).
Coccinelle was intrigued as the rig was being assembled and the camera secured,
and very pleased to have a chance to check it out for herself:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yiosNJj_XOE/URnnf1F2oAI/AAAAAAAAAcI/rdQn7ACsT4U/s1600/Rigging+the+truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yiosNJj_XOE/URnnf1F2oAI/AAAAAAAAAcI/rdQn7ACsT4U/s640/Rigging+the+truck.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KHlZUf8J4hs/URnneIoKtXI/AAAAAAAAAb4/TrwrSrkIG0E/s1600/On+the+camera+rig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KHlZUf8J4hs/URnneIoKtXI/AAAAAAAAAb4/TrwrSrkIG0E/s640/On+the+camera+rig.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And here we are while waiting for the mount
to be switched from one side of the truck to the other as the sun was lowering
to the hills -- Coccinelle, my shadow, and me:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-npZqVo9LMaI/URnnfxTQdXI/AAAAAAAAAcE/fESjjLXqeI4/s1600/Coccinelle+and+my+shadow+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-npZqVo9LMaI/URnnfxTQdXI/AAAAAAAAAcE/fESjjLXqeI4/s640/Coccinelle+and+my+shadow+and+me.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></span></div>
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-60429785854124284442013-02-11T22:53:00.001-08:002013-02-11T23:00:22.296-08:00The Griffith Observatory - 10 January 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Griffith Park is more than 4200 acre of urban wilderness, relatively smack dab in the middle of our sprawling megalopolis. Spread among the hills (elevations up to 1700 feet) and dales (a mere 384) are miles and miles of hiking trails, an open air theatre, a golf course, carousel, pony rides, bird sanctuary, picnic areas, horseback riding, and much more. Plant life runs the gamut from spare coastal to lush vegetation, and the natural denizens include deer, coyotes, rabbits, snakes, lizards, amphibians, fish, and birds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The crowning jewel is the Griffith Observatory, completed in 1935. The domes on either side of the roof house telescopes which look out to the stars and beyond. Underneath the center dome is the 300<span style="font-size: large;">-</span>seat planetarium, with live-narrated “shows” about the stars and beyond.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4RzgEKj1iI/URnfWOq2coI/AAAAAAAAAZk/LypA0A3ZfCo/s1600/Observatory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4RzgEKj1iI/URnfWOq2coI/AAAAAAAAAZk/LypA0A3ZfCo/s640/Observatory.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The observatory was closed to the public for four years (2002-2006) for an extensive renovation which, among other changes, added an entirely new level below ground allowing for a great deal more exhibit space. One thing that didn’t change is the the entrance area. When you first walk in you see a circular wall, and lots of people looking over it. What they’re watching is a brass ball that hangs at the end of a cable suspended from the ceiling high above down to the area below the floor within that walled circle, swinging slowly back and forth, periodically knocking down small pegs at one side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hIWOwuFcf1k/URnfQvseoPI/AAAAAAAAAYw/-AZb-91bRFM/s1600/Observatory+-+Entrance+Pendulum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hIWOwuFcf1k/URnfQvseoPI/AAAAAAAAAYw/-AZb-91bRFM/s640/Observatory+-+Entrance+Pendulum.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a Foucault pendulum, and demonstrates the rotation of the earth. The pendulum is attached to a bearing in the ceiling which remains stationary as the earth rotates; the knocking down of the pegs is proof of that rotation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Above and around the pendulum in this rotunda are murals depicting classical celestial mythology (the ceiling) and the “Advancement of Science” on the walls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uURTozk-A28/URnfQEnSbjI/AAAAAAAAAYo/73Tzkh8lkiw/s1600/Observatory+-+Entrance+Rotunda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uURTozk-A28/URnfQEnSbjI/AAAAAAAAAYo/73Tzkh8lkiw/s640/Observatory+-+Entrance+Rotunda.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The exhibits are fascinating, and many are interactive, but they can be hard to photograph. Among those we managed to get is this real-time live view of the sun (the dark <span style="font-size: large;">areas are sun spots)</span>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here Coccinelle poses in front of a large globe of the moon, which rotates and is lit as if by the sun exactly like the real thing – and the little glass box she’s sitting on actually contains a bit of the real thing: a rock brought back by one of the Apollo crews:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Among the new galleries in the section downstairs we ran into a famous scientific figure: </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5lgrBaHfYf0/URngiTODB7I/AAAAAAAAAZ8/T9f5b4K8NgM/s1600/Observatory+-+Hangin%27+with+Albert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5lgrBaHfYf0/URngiTODB7I/AAAAAAAAAZ8/T9f5b4K8NgM/s640/Observatory+-+Hangin%27+with+Albert.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Coccinelle and Albert Einstein</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many people go to the observatory more for what can be seen outside. The building itself is beautiful…</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ErfquoDuQM8/URnfS8M2bMI/AAAAAAAAAZA/2UU_qCyPaGc/s1600/Observatory+-+Planetarium+Dome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ErfquoDuQM8/URnfS8M2bMI/AAAAAAAAAZA/2UU_qCyPaGc/s640/Observatory+-+Planetarium+Dome.jpg" width="478" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">…and it’s located high on a hill with a clear view of perhaps 280 degrees from the mountains to the northeast, south to downtown, west to the ocean and a little north again as the <span style="font-size: large;">coast</span> curves west:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GfWHvf1ctBQ/URniBVjPFmI/AAAAAAAAAac/YZiodqOKeEk/s1600/Observatory+-+View+to+the+Mountains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GfWHvf1ctBQ/URniBVjPFmI/AAAAAAAAAac/YZiodqOKeEk/s640/Observatory+-+View+to+the+Mountains.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hQImoHjyUA8/URnfWZEEvOI/AAAAAAAAAZo/0urtA414bYE/s1600/Observatory+-+View+to+Downtown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hQImoHjyUA8/URnfWZEEvOI/AAAAAAAAAZo/0urtA414bYE/s640/Observatory+-+View+to+Downtown.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zA6oF3LqqHA/URniBpmOKfI/AAAAAAAAAak/cmDzOPvppZE/s1600/Observatory+-+View+to+the+Ocean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zA6oF3LqqHA/URniBpmOKfI/AAAAAAAAAak/cmDzOPvppZE/s640/Observatory+-+View+to+the+Ocean.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can go on the rooftop as well, where one of the telescopes can be viewed (but not easily photographed) through a glass wall: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ESZP3QjfFNQ/URnfWMuJytI/AAAAAAAAAZg/DSlhRIGi_zQ/s1600/Observatory+-+Telescope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ESZP3QjfFNQ/URnfWMuJytI/AAAAAAAAAZg/DSlhRIGi_zQ/s640/Observatory+-+Telescope.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The roof of the building as well as the telescope and planetarium domes are all covered with copper. During the recent renovation they were all stripped of the gorgeous patina they’d acquired over the decades, and I think the domes were sealed to keep it from occurring again any time soon, but some of the roof detail is starting to green<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>up nicely: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Almost time to head home, we<span style="font-size: large;"> gaze f</span>rom the roofto<span style="font-size: large;">p to the setting sun<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (</span>the tall building<span style="font-size: large;">s</span> are the office towers of </span>Century City, Beverly Hills, and Westwood):</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYxhUw37jRQ/URnjI5qE21I/AAAAAAAAAbE/_QSYySBKTT4/s1600/Observatory+-+Setting+Sun.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYxhUw37jRQ/URnjI5qE21I/AAAAAAAAAbE/_QSYySBKTT4/s640/Observatory+-+Setting+Sun.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-40417950058020309172013-02-09T18:08:00.002-08:002013-02-11T19:50:33.547-08:00A Trip to the Library - 9 January 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My office job is across the street from the main branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, which was built in 1926 and has been a landmark in downtown LA ever since. In the late 1980s the building suffered two arson fires, and there was a lot of talk about tearing it down as it had already been deemed too small for all its resources and holdings. Fortunately, the outcry against destroying this beautiful building was strong, and instead it was restored, renovated, and added onto.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">From my office’s 7<sup>th</sup> floor windows you can’t get a full head-to-toe-shot of the side of the library we face, so here it is in two parts, with a good look at the roof with its tiled pyramid topper:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jiYPwBOAB-c/URb2_2FCubI/AAAAAAAAAU8/qAEtFKwhLAc/s1600/Library+Entrance+5th+St+(tower).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jiYPwBOAB-c/URb2_2FCubI/AAAAAAAAAU8/qAEtFKwhLAc/s640/Library+Entrance+5th+St+(tower).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UujTZ1_KPKA/URb2-0Nz9uI/AAAAAAAAAU0/nH5rTttnZrw/s1600/Library+Entrance+5th+St+(door).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UujTZ1_KPKA/URb2-0Nz9uI/AAAAAAAAAU0/nH5rTttnZrw/s640/Library+Entrance+5th+St+(door).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All around the building are chisled quotations about books; one of my favorites is high up at the roofline: "Books alone are liberal and free: they give to all who ask, they emancipate all who serve them faithfully."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ4lJxajXro/URb6tZXUeJI/AAAAAAAAAVY/qzhCirSNCZc/s1600/%27Books+Alone+Are+Free...%27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ4lJxajXro/URb6tZXUeJI/AAAAAAAAAVY/qzhCirSNCZc/s640/%27Books+Alone+Are+Free...%27.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the tip of the rooftop pyramid is a replica of the Statue of Liberty’s arm that holds the torch; in an alcove of the library is a replica of that replica:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NUdCEt0kdYU/URb7Jm4nnRI/AAAAAAAAAVg/os8fszfhmxI/s1600/Torch+replica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NUdCEt0kdYU/URb7Jm4nnRI/AAAAAAAAAVg/os8fszfhmxI/s640/Torch+replica.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Below the pyramid is the a rotunda on the second floor of the original library building. There is a world globe lighting fixture hanging from the center of the dome, and all around is a mural painted in 1932 depicting early life in California (from the Spanish missionaries perspective) to the founding of the city of Los Angeles:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OLLoiHywwjg/URb7YwNtGRI/AAAAAAAAAVo/savh9Uh2QSE/s1600/Library+Rotunda+Dome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OLLoiHywwjg/URb7YwNtGRI/AAAAAAAAAVo/savh9Uh2QSE/s640/Library+Rotunda+Dome.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qF92M39-tYM/URb7ZlJ310I/AAAAAAAAAVw/hx39-J86tk8/s1600/Library+Rotunda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qF92M39-tYM/URb7ZlJ310I/AAAAAAAAAVw/hx39-J86tk8/s640/Library+Rotunda.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The rotunda was once home to the card catalogs, but they were removed after all the information had been digitized. As a design feature, drawer fronts have been attached to the walls, a nice touch to tie the now online-only information to the history of the library.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VmxTUWt1oVs/URb8S08aDTI/AAAAAAAAAV4/8omOt4-k548/s1600/Library+Card+Catalog+Fronts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VmxTUWt1oVs/URb8S08aDTI/AAAAAAAAAV4/8omOt4-k548/s640/Library+Card+Catalog+Fronts.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They even repurposed a lot of the cards in the elevator shafts of the new part of the building. The car walls are glass so you can watch the catalog cards whiz past as you go up or down:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CWP49QmGqeM/URb8TMgVWDI/AAAAAAAAAWA/HGvC1OBVvRA/s1600/Library+Catlag+Cards+in+Elevator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CWP49QmGqeM/URb8TMgVWDI/AAAAAAAAAWA/HGvC1OBVvRA/s640/Library+Catlag+Cards+in+Elevator.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The children’s section is a terrific space, with more original murals, original and replica furniture:</span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OG99U8UmbxE/URb-p9JYzII/AAAAAAAAAWM/eCtfwiyGIcs/s1600/Library+Children%2527s+Section.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OG99U8UmbxE/URb-p9JYzII/AAAAAAAAAWM/eCtfwiyGIcs/s640/Library+Children%2527s+Section.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are a number of small exhibition spaces which allow the library to display some of its extensive non-book collection, such as photographs, posters, artwork, etc., Currently there are two galleries showing historic maps of Los Angeles:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oF3RYnvKm9U/URb-phjGX-I/AAAAAAAAAWI/O9DT9WFsS9A/s1600/Library+Map+-+Los+Angeles+1909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oF3RYnvKm9U/URb-phjGX-I/AAAAAAAAAWI/O9DT9WFsS9A/s640/Library+Map+-+Los+Angeles+1909.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q8chTTUVJdY/URb-qSDV0hI/AAAAAAAAAWY/_947QkzxosU/s1600/Library+Map+-+Ranchos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q8chTTUVJdY/URb-qSDV0hI/AAAAAAAAAWY/_947QkzxosU/s640/Library+Map+-+Ranchos.jpg" width="564" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The new section is a complete architectural departure from the original building – a contemporary, eight story structure (four floors below ground) that has a central atrium with giant modern art light fixtures:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-luVVXPmFhI4/URb_nmQCsgI/AAAAAAAAAXY/G6qpsT6Z9PY/s1600/Library+New+Wing+Chandeliers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-luVVXPmFhI4/URb_nmQCsgI/AAAAAAAAAXY/G6qpsT6Z9PY/s640/Library+New+Wing+Chandeliers.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oc-yKZ5Tu5Q/URb_lS4tWBI/AAAAAAAAAXA/o1k8iTqwwNw/s1600/Library+New+Wing+Escalators.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oc-yKZ5Tu5Q/URb_lS4tWBI/AAAAAAAAAXA/o1k8iTqwwNw/s640/Library+New+Wing+Escalators.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before the arson fires, the property on one side of the building had been an open, paved parking lot. With the renovations came a lovely little park (much more extensive parking is now underground) with grass, trees, winding paths, benches, and several water features:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WvovuuwmwQk/URb_iuGmgFI/AAAAAAAAAWo/LpSeMttJ6j0/s1600/Library+Maguire+Gardens+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WvovuuwmwQk/URb_iuGmgFI/AAAAAAAAAWo/LpSeMttJ6j0/s640/Library+Maguire+Gardens+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_1DLKBxwzao/URb_kevfHhI/AAAAAAAAAW0/rkbypIMzq2U/s1600/Library+Maguire+Gardens+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_1DLKBxwzao/URb_kevfHhI/AAAAAAAAAW0/rkbypIMzq2U/s640/Library+Maguire+Gardens+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also in the park is a World Peace Bell, “[A]n internationally recognized symbol of world peace. The bell is cast from coins and medals donated by 103 countries and represents a common bond among the nations of the world.” The World Peace Bell Association, working with the United Nations, is working to provide these bells to all nations of the world:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The back of the Central Library is just as attractive as its other faces, even the access tunnel, with more of the elegant statuary and chisled quotations, including my other favorite ("Books invite all, they constrain none"):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--sozWfEDTF8/URb_m-fySBI/AAAAAAAAAXI/7tVnQdapO6w/s1600/Library+Rear+Entrance+Quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--sozWfEDTF8/URb_m-fySBI/AAAAAAAAAXI/7tVnQdapO6w/s640/Library+Rear+Entrance+Quote.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The building I work in is known locally as the Library Tower, not because it’s across the street, but because the builders purchased the library’s “air rights” which allowed them to construct build higher than they otherwise would have been able to do (laws, ordinances, etc.), and with more than 70 stories it’s (currently) the tallest building in American west of the Mississippi River.</span></div>
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-67825090393239081382013-02-03T01:28:00.000-08:002013-02-11T19:53:24.320-08:00Catching Up Part 7 - The Original Farmers Market - 23 December 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">“In July 1934 a contingent of farmers pulled their trucks
onto an expanse of empty land at the property known as Gilmore Island at the
corner of Third and Fairfax in Los Angeles. They displayed their produce on the
tailgates of their vehicles, to their delight, customers quickly arrived … The atmosphere was casual, the open air
commerce enticing, the goods fresh, and the result remarkable. Farmers Market
became an instant institution.”</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">And it remains so today.
One Saturday morning in late December, Coccinelle and I met up with my cousin Kathie and her husband Phil for breakfast there, and after we parted at the restaurant I took
Coccinelle for a tour of the Market.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What started as a “truck farm” eventually blossomed into a
permanent open-air venue with dozens of covered stalls and several enclosed
little shops selling all kinds of food to eat on the premises, meat and produce and pastries to take home, touristy trinkets,
and much more.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9lqCmdLki5Y/UQ4m7PhxnYI/AAAAAAAAASY/QdKd-0qHYPY/s1600/Orig+Farmers+Mkt+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9lqCmdLki5Y/UQ4m7PhxnYI/AAAAAAAAASY/QdKd-0qHYPY/s640/Orig+Farmers+Mkt+11.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ0WZvMEKIY/UQ4nkvONirI/AAAAAAAAASw/o2pyPjEjapI/s1600/Orig+Farmers+Mkt+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ0WZvMEKIY/UQ4nkvONirI/AAAAAAAAASw/o2pyPjEjapI/s640/Orig+Farmers+Mkt+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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shop. Beautiful fruits and vegetables
can be had year-round, and it’s a fantastic place for people watching.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NIsoO-o_T2k/UQ4njxmU8EI/AAAAAAAAASo/oHJ8b6dLsII/s1600/Orig+Farmers+Mkt+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NIsoO-o_T2k/UQ4njxmU8EI/AAAAAAAAASo/oHJ8b6dLsII/s640/Orig+Farmers+Mkt+10.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PYg6fQwEuzE/UQ4nlhATi9I/AAAAAAAAAS4/NtwZO_cCETo/s1600/Orig+Farmers+Mkt+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PYg6fQwEuzE/UQ4nlhATi9I/AAAAAAAAAS4/NtwZO_cCETo/s640/Orig+Farmers+Mkt+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">When we were kids one of our favorite stalls was Magees,
which sells a huge variety of nuts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What really we drew us, though, was the peanut butter machine,
where the freshly ground nut butter would slide down the chute and into the tub
to be mixed and mixed and mixed by a giant paddle:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I think Coccinelle’s favorite might have been Littlejohn’s:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you’re there at the right time, you can watch them make
their delicious English Toffee right there.
We missed it, so had to content ourselves with letting Ian, who was working the counter, help us buy a piece to take home:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We also spotted one of the angels from the Community of
Angels Sculptural Art Project! Between
2000 and 2002, several hundred artist-decorated cast sculptures of angel
figures were displayed all around the Los Angeles basin, most of which were
eventually auctioned off for charity.
Some of them were given permanent homes in public spaces, and this is
one of them. Appropriately for a
tourist mecca like the Farmers Market, this is the Travel Angel:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yU-SAAagmLo/UQ4r67gczfI/AAAAAAAAAUY/Q5d_l93NaXo/s1600/Orig+Farmers+Mkt+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yU-SAAagmLo/UQ4r67gczfI/AAAAAAAAAUY/Q5d_l93NaXo/s640/Orig+Farmers+Mkt+5.jpg" width="472" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SCkHmtBauD8/UQ4r4jADNoI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/3Y8SjNJsMmw/s1600/Orig+Farmers+Mkt+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SCkHmtBauD8/UQ4r4jADNoI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/3Y8SjNJsMmw/s640/Orig+Farmers+Mkt+7.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">(You can find </span>links to pictures of many of the angels<span style="font-size: large;"> at </span><a href="http://www.publicartinla.com/Community_of_Angels/">http://www.publicartinla.com/Community_of_Angels/</a><span style="font-size: large;">)</span></span></span></div>
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-59345703396191541002013-02-03T00:09:00.000-08:002013-02-03T00:13:13.768-08:00Catching Up Part 5 - Happy New Year 2013!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My brother is the bartender at a restaurant, and it has
become our tradition that on New Year’s Eve I go there to ring in the new year,
then when the restaurant closes (usually by 1:00), he and I go somewhere else
for a drink until that place closes at the usual 2:00 AM for bars in
California. Coccinelle, of course, was
part of the celebration, outfitted with party clothes – a silvery ruffled
“dress”, gold beads, and a party hat.
Here she is, all ready to ring in 2013:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Because my brother knew some people who work at the place we
went to after his restaurant closed, we were able to stay after closing and
didn’t end up leaving until about 3
AM. And from there, after bundling
ourselves against the cold (42 degrees), we drove to Pasadena to take a look at
the Rose Parade floats lining up in the very early morning hours before the
parade began. You walk past within just
a few feet of them, some still having finishing touches applied, and can see the
amazing detail and work that goes into their creation. We also saw people camping out along this
pre-parade route, and were especially tickled by this group’s setup:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-heqW6zUQVjw/UQ4T63OvkWI/AAAAAAAAAQU/pD2XqNWia0Q/s1600/Happy+New+Year+Parade+Campers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-heqW6zUQVjw/UQ4T63OvkWI/AAAAAAAAAQU/pD2XqNWia0Q/s640/Happy+New+Year+Parade+Campers.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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only plant material, and flowers, seeds, fruits, vegetables, bark, grasses, and
pretty much anything else that comes up out of the ground is put to wonderful
use. Being so close you can easily see that, for example, the vibrant “trim” on a building is made of yellow bell
peppers!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3KTgzvFq9B0/UQ4Uk1Q7I5I/AAAAAAAAAQc/mX4U0s7NQwI/s1600/Happy+New+Year+float+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3KTgzvFq9B0/UQ4Uk1Q7I5I/AAAAAAAAAQc/mX4U0s7NQwI/s640/Happy+New+Year+float+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rpl0YCeO6R8/UQ4V0dE7TNI/AAAAAAAAAQo/qvSGeH5WUe8/s1600/Happy+New+Year+float+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rpl0YCeO6R8/UQ4V0dE7TNI/AAAAAAAAAQo/qvSGeH5WUe8/s640/Happy+New+Year+float+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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been temporarily installed every few hundred feet or so, casting an uneven and
unnatural lighting on the floats that you're not really aware of until you
watch the parade on TV later in the day.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G22Syn3v7EE/UQ4V_t7DLRI/AAAAAAAAAQw/Mw7RgcY245I/s1600/Happy+New+Year+float+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G22Syn3v7EE/UQ4V_t7DLRI/AAAAAAAAAQw/Mw7RgcY245I/s640/Happy+New+Year+float+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This man in next picture is Kirk, who was working for the Tournament
of Roses (which produces the parade) for the first time this year, although
he’d grown up around it all as his father had spent a couple of decades with
them. Everyone working for the
Tournament wears those spotlessly white suits and red ties; Kirk had on a
helmet because his job as a troubleshooter had him tooling around on a motor
scooter:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, you’re not supposed to touch the floats, but this
particular one...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cnk9qkmwC0s/UQ4YwK1hEyI/AAAAAAAAARc/haTr7HKxf2o/s1600/Happy+New+Year+float+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cnk9qkmwC0s/UQ4YwK1hEyI/AAAAAAAAARc/haTr7HKxf2o/s640/Happy+New+Year+float+6.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">...was not only a perfect setting for Coccinelle, when I saw those spotted mushrooms I knew I had to try and take her picture with them. The woman who was watching over the float very nicely let me get in a
quick shot:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TyGjTO_VK5A/UQ4ZXsYVKYI/AAAAAAAAARk/tgyDP2m8GAI/s1600/Happy+New+Year+float+rider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TyGjTO_VK5A/UQ4ZXsYVKYI/AAAAAAAAARk/tgyDP2m8GAI/s640/Happy+New+Year+float+rider.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All in all, a great way to start the new year!</span></span></div>
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-60242366576557271952013-01-21T02:19:00.000-08:002013-02-11T19:53:04.095-08:00Catching Up Part 4 – Laundry Day - 31 December 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This post is about .some of the less eventful, every day
doings Coccinelle and I have been sharing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Time to go to the laundromat time (past time,
actually). Because it can be a month,
sometimes more, between visits, I always have several loads to do and use the
larger machines:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3qo_3lTijSY/UP0M961VZkI/AAAAAAAAANU/o74SKhSf1Ik/s1600/Laundry+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3qo_3lTijSY/UP0M961VZkI/AAAAAAAAANU/o74SKhSf1Ik/s640/Laundry+1.jpg" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While we were waiting for the wash to be done, Coccinelle’s
eye was caught by the various vending machines which dispense food, laundry
soap, candy, and little toys. She was
particularly interested in this one, so we spent a few extra quarters and were very excited when she got not only a green martian, but then a purple one, two – her favorite color!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w3fohBWyBD4/UP0Tpq4_CoI/AAAAAAAAAPE/RCL-8vVCeKY/s1600/Laundry+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w3fohBWyBD4/UP0Tpq4_CoI/AAAAAAAAAPE/RCL-8vVCeKY/s400/Laundry+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3YljqhE4Jds/UP0Tfjw-slI/AAAAAAAAAO8/CRlKx9gobj8/s1600/Laundry+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3YljqhE4Jds/UP0Tfjw-slI/AAAAAAAAAO8/CRlKx9gobj8/s400/Laundry+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally everything has been washed and dried, and is hung up or folded and ready to be put back into baskets and taken home:</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BqHk_cx9-4Q/UP0M8GicyDI/AAAAAAAAANE/tnAvO26byec/s1600/Laundry+3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BJmTks8GcM4/UP0Uc-GqE9I/AAAAAAAAAPM/a4L_sbmbIO4/s1600/Laundry+4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BJmTks8GcM4/UP0Uc-GqE9I/AAAAAAAAAPM/a4L_sbmbIO4/s640/Laundry+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">(Yes, I agree, that's a lot of laundry for just one person...<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">b</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">ut it's bedding and tow<span style="font-size: large;">els and furniture covers for the dogs, too....</span></span>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the way home, Coccinelle helped me pump gas for the car:</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FF9V_FIiPf4/UP0VpxkYJHI/AAAAAAAAAPk/r6cQIPiF5wc/s1600/At+the+gas+pump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FF9V_FIiPf4/UP0VpxkYJHI/AAAAAAAAAPk/r6cQIPiF5wc/s400/At+the+gas+pump.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-50217872404348167822013-01-21T01:36:00.003-08:002013-02-11T19:52:09.475-08:00Catching Up Part 3 – Movie Magic Part 2 -- 3 & 7 December 2012<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">For the last few years I’ve had the opportunity to work from time on time on an excellent TV series, and fortunately have had several days on the show while Coccinelle’s been with me. The pictures in this post are from her initial visit to the soundstages where the show shoots most of its interior scenes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here she is at video village (the area where I sit along with the director, usually the cinematographer, often the writer, sometimes a producer) which has been set up right by where we'll be shooting the first scene of the day. On the left is a motor home which is actually a set for the show (that is, it, um “plays” the motor home/headquarters of one of the recurring characters):</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TDAuLSO5vkY/UP0FTagidhI/AAAAAAAAALM/vRPw-yzxP60/s1600/Justified+-+Video+Village+on+stage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TDAuLSO5vkY/UP0FTagidhI/AAAAAAAAALM/vRPw-yzxP60/s640/Justified+-+Video+Village+on+stage.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> .…and this is pretty much the same view, just as we’re getting about to shoot the scene; the actors are inside the motor home (along with a lot of crew who are just outside the view of the cameras -- it gets pretty tight in there):</span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hKC2pGHTdJc/UP0GzN-zZDI/AAAAAAAAALk/NfvQejmWLW8/s1600/Justified+-+Video+Village+filming+RV+on+stage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hKC2pGHTdJc/UP0GzN-zZDI/AAAAAAAAALk/NfvQejmWLW8/s640/Justified+-+Video+Village+filming+RV+on+stage.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here we are on another stage; to the left are the backs of flats, the other sides sides of which are the inside "walls" of different various sets:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uz_aPnQhWts/UP0H-gIZGSI/AAAAAAAAALw/YkWVXa2hyJk/s1600/Justified+-+Soundstage+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uz_aPnQhWts/UP0H-gIZGSI/AAAAAAAAALw/YkWVXa2hyJk/s640/Justified+-+Soundstage+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Ubgpot1OJk/UP0I8Rl_mfI/AAAAAAAAAMI/A5UF0tODBYQ/s1600/Justified+-+Really+Behind+the+Scenes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Ubgpot1OJk/UP0I8Rl_mfI/AAAAAAAAAMI/A5UF0tODBYQ/s640/Justified+-+Really+Behind+the+Scenes.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Coccinelle visits movie jail...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d4eYm9RO9AI/UP0JkURASMI/AAAAAAAAAMc/1WoUYz5fits/s1600/Justified+-+Movie+jail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d4eYm9RO9AI/UP0JkURASMI/AAAAAAAAAMc/1WoUYz5fits/s640/Justified+-+Movie+jail.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QOq00yl3zTY/UP0KBGLOvRI/AAAAAAAAAMk/m9mpa1iD8aA/s1600/Justified+-+Lot,+Vegas+cars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QOq00yl3zTY/UP0KBGLOvRI/AAAAAAAAAMk/m9mpa1iD8aA/s640/Justified+-+Lot,+Vegas+cars.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-34768457117931572942013-01-21T01:03:00.000-08:002013-02-03T00:24:03.160-08:00Catching Up Part 2 – Thanksgiving 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This year we had Thanksgiving at my friend Joy’s house, where she hosted about 18 people for dinner, both family and friends. I was asked to bring appetizers, which Coccinelle was helped to prepare. First we made cheese crisps – very easy to do and oh, so delicious to eat: shred some cheese (these were parmesan and cheddar), make little circles on parchment paper, put ‘em in the oven until the cheese melts and starts to bubble, let cool, and eat:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The we added dill to cream cheese which was destined for
endive “spoons” -- half topped with a slice of heart of palm, half mixed with
smoked salmon and topped with capers:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dinner was turkey with all the trimmings, plenty of wonderful
side dishes, and non-meat entrees for the vegetarians, including a really
delicious kale salad. The table was
long, stretching from the dining room into the living room, and I’m afraid this
was the best shot I got of everyone toasting the holiday (and didn't notice that Coccinelle is on the other side of the silver salad bowl):</span></div>
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-54616192543410175832013-01-21T00:27:00.000-08:002013-02-11T19:51:28.058-08:00Catching Up Part 1 – Neighborhood Farmers Market – 11 November 2012<span style="font-size: large;">I am SO-O-O behind in posting to Coccinelle's blog! We have been out and about and lots of pictures have been taken, but rather than doing one enormous post with everything, I'm going to do it as if I've been doing it all along...just getting it all online in the course of a day or two. So here we go....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Over the last several years, weekly “farmers markets” have
flourished all around the Los Angeles area.
The markets vary in size, vendors, and day of the week, but the common
denominator is that the fresh produce suppliers are (or at least are assumed to
be) smaller, often family owned and run, farmers who come from within a few
hundred miles of the LA. Many of them
grow organically (without chemical fertilizers or pesticides), with limited and
more natural pest controls, or are transitioning from chemical to organic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have one every Sunday in my neighborhood. It’s relatively small, but there are still
plenty of stalls selling fruits, vegetables, cheeses, breads, freshly prepared
food, as well as some non-food items like jewelry, art prints, scarves
etc. The main part of the market is set
up in a parking lot where there are a few dozen or so stalls, with maybe
another eight or ten set up along the sidewalk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are two or three where I regularly shop for
veggies. These leafy greens come from a
family farm, and the stall is run by the mom and her kids: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aNLJUfpFx8M/UPz50pJ735I/AAAAAAAAAI0/unU4mwMVQGw/s1600/Farmers+Mkt+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aNLJUfpFx8M/UPz50pJ735I/AAAAAAAAAI0/unU4mwMVQGw/s640/Farmers+Mkt+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here are carrots from a farm that has on-the-farm activities
such as hayrides and pick-your-own-pumpkins in the fall, and pick your own
fruit in the summer:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O4Ci5HxAA7Q/UPz51nNlOaI/AAAAAAAAAJA/XuKF7WDMprw/s1600/Farmers+Mkt+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O4Ci5HxAA7Q/UPz51nNlOaI/AAAAAAAAAJA/XuKF7WDMprw/s640/Farmers+Mkt+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Nicholas Family Farm stall is where I get my fruit. This time of year it’s a variety of apples,
citrus, and grapes, as well pomegranates, persimmons, juices, etc. That’s mom Penny Nicholas posing with
Coccinelle:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XMHC8zFqYt0/UPz51u_wjWI/AAAAAAAAAI8/wnlg_3KH-Bw/s1600/Farmers+Mkt+6.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XMHC8zFqYt0/UPz51u_wjWI/AAAAAAAAAI8/wnlg_3KH-Bw/s400/Farmers+Mkt+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GfF4jVFCRqA/UPz5ySR282I/AAAAAAAAAIk/41u-anlW4aQ/s1600/Farmers+Mkt+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GfF4jVFCRqA/UPz5ySR282I/AAAAAAAAAIk/41u-anlW4aQ/s400/Farmers+Mkt+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Oh, and some months back while coming up from the parking
garage across the street from where the market is held, I spotted what appears
to be an alien instruction message posted on a small electrical junction box
next to the stairwell; sure wish I knew what it said….</span></div>
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<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]-->Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-30559042087969415162012-11-16T00:34:00.000-08:002013-02-03T00:17:33.401-08:00Movie Magic!<span style="font-size: large;">Last week Coccinelle got her first taste of behind-the-scenes Hollywood when I worked on a couple of commercials. The first one is for what's called a test market and will be shown in a very limited area of the US so you most likely will never see it (it's for a new internet-based mobile device insurance company). The spot features a spokesman walking through a variety of humorously exaggerated situations causing damage or loss of a cell phone such as: he's holding a phone which first bursts into flame and then he and the phone are drenched by a fire fighter; a "ninja pickpocket" steals the phone; a giant strongman crushes the phone with one hand. But the most spectacular thing we shot was a piano dropping onto a pedestal displaying the cell phone. Here Coccinelle watches as the first of the two pianos we dropped is getting ready to be hoisted by a crane:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-20uz74CyH6U/UKXfkAWlWLI/AAAAAAAAAE0/Kk3StCXFacM/s1600/Flying+piano+2+w-crane.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-20uz74CyH6U/UKXfkAWlWLI/AAAAAAAAAE0/Kk3StCXFacM/s320/Flying+piano+2+w-crane.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lLATSxkyD8U/UKXfjEnajvI/AAAAAAAAAEs/Dnpbk5EtiPI/s1600/Flying+piano+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lLATSxkyD8U/UKXfjEnajvI/AAAAAAAAAEs/Dnpbk5EtiPI/s320/Flying+piano+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">W</span>e shot everything with two cameras, one getting a wider shot, the other closer. On these monitors you can see what they captured, first before the piano dropping, and then once it had landed:</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I5kVr62bbuM/UKXkNWNf7UI/AAAAAAAAAFc/UbefAvkZ00A/s1600/Piano+drop+monitors+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I5kVr62bbuM/UKXkNWNf7UI/AAAAAAAAAFc/UbefAvkZ00A/s1600/Piano+drop+monitors+1.JPG" /></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> B.P. (Before Piano)</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N4HAHwHxg3s/UKXkN9toeiI/AAAAAAAAAFk/0iFcEK0qvaQ/s1600/Piano+drop+monitors+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N4HAHwHxg3s/UKXkN9toeiI/AAAAAAAAAFk/0iFcEK0qvaQ/s1600/Piano+drop+monitors+2.JPG" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> A.P. (After Piano) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the commercial, the spokesman will be seen walking past the pedestal as the piano falls from the sky, but because anything like this is done with great consideration for the safety of the crew and cast, the actor/spokesman shot his dialogue separately on the same set, and then the editor will combine the two different pieces of footage so it appears that he was there as the piano smashed to the ground behind him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even on a small shoot like this was, there are always lots of people and equipment (in the background on the right you can get a glimpse of the ninja and the strongman):</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MSPJDCRwXK0/UKXuJDKQsWI/AAAAAAAAAGs/jHkCpmQ37zw/s1600/Behind+the+scenes+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MSPJDCRwXK0/UKXuJDKQsWI/AAAAAAAAAGs/jHkCpmQ37zw/s1600/Behind+the+scenes+2.JPG" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few days later I worked on what will be an internet spot for Jell-O. This was another fun project with some good examples of "the magic of the movies". The action takes place in the jungles of Mexico...which we shot in a local botanical garden, both among the foliage and in a large parking area with blue screens and platforms that will be cinematically transformed into the top of an Aztec pyramid.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Traipsing through the "jungle" (the blue screen in the background is where the visual effects editor will make it look like there's an Aztec pyramid in the distance):</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kgFUjiLHtsg/UKXn-nu4XSI/AAAAAAAAAF4/gSbA0QpZ8Zc/s1600/Mexican+jungle+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kgFUjiLHtsg/UKXn-nu4XSI/AAAAAAAAAF4/gSbA0QpZ8Zc/s1600/Mexican+jungle+1.JPG" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our trekkers are hauling a crate with them, and at one point get stuck at a waterfall. In the photo below, the two guys in the water won't be in the final shot, they're rigging the crate so the local "guides" can appear to be hauling it up out of the water; the picture of the monitor shows what the camera would shoot once the riggers were out of the way:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2IGPWWAg7IQ/UKXprdPRDQI/AAAAAAAAAGI/bRHQOAzkfuI/s1600/Mexican+jungle+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2IGPWWAg7IQ/UKXprdPRDQI/AAAAAAAAAGI/bRHQOAzkfuI/s400/Mexican+jungle+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LQLT3G02gyg/UKXpr4J1kOI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/FzJaEPxg4g8/s1600/Mexican+jungle+3+monitor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LQLT3G02gyg/UKXpr4J1kOI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/FzJaEPxg4g8/s400/Mexican+jungle+3+monitor.JPG" width="400" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Later in the day, in a large, open, paved area, we filmed our trekkers climbing to the top of the pyramid, pulling the crate up with them:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is what it looked like in real life:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N8wJvHBeAfY/UKXvfBB6RBI/AAAAAAAAAG0/_KqiTfNGNTU/s1600/Movie+Magic+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N8wJvHBeAfY/UKXvfBB6RBI/AAAAAAAAAG0/_KqiTfNGNTU/s1600/Movie+Magic+1.JPG" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5L_T2o4kHw/UKXvgkIDcwI/AAAAAAAAAG8/FdYO-rFKvmQ/s1600/Movie+Magic+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5L_T2o4kHw/UKXvgkIDcwI/AAAAAAAAAG8/FdYO-rFKvmQ/s1600/Movie+Magic+2.JPG" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In order to make sure that everything we shot would properly integrate with the image that will replace the blue screen, they had the capability of adding the background to the image on the monitor -- this is basically what it will look like once the visual effects wizard has finished his work:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h3MuF10nSrs/UKXwmSGhj5I/AAAAAAAAAHE/6mf22eL-H3w/s1600/Movie+Magic+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h3MuF10nSrs/UKXwmSGhj5I/AAAAAAAAAHE/6mf22eL-H3w/s1600/Movie+Magic+3.JPG" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While we were working on this sequence, it started to rain...and it kept raining until after we finished...at 9 PM. So the grips (they move equipment around, put together things like the platform, generally make sure we have everything we need in the way of a physical foundation) built a couple of large canopies to cover the "set" and to protect the camera, and we continued to shoot into the dark of night what will eventually look like a bright sunrise morning on top of an Aztec pyramid.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QQIIgu2W7SA/UKX2QONTZSI/AAAAAAAAAHg/luDlmGp5JGY/s1600/Movie+Magic+5+-+rain.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QQIIgu2W7SA/UKX2QONTZSI/AAAAAAAAAHg/luDlmGp5JGY/s1600/Movie+Magic+5+-+rain.JPG" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fx7FsEdiMic/UKX2Q8HaA7I/AAAAAAAAAHo/Yc1SWBezQag/s1600/Movie+Magic+6+-+rain+monitor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fx7FsEdiMic/UKX2Q8HaA7I/AAAAAAAAAHo/Yc1SWBezQag/s320/Movie+Magic+6+-+rain+monitor.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like I said, the magic of the movies....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Because of the weather Coccinelle stayed tucked away safe and dry. Even before the downpour, when we were out among the greenery, there really wasn't time to do anything but move from one shooting location to another, so Coccinelle and I will return one day soon and spend some quality time exploring beautiful Descanso Gardens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And I was told that the spots we filmed that day will be on the Jell-O
Facebook page, so if you're an FB-er, be sure to be on the lookout for
them!</span>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-78668007939052948682012-11-05T00:18:00.000-08:002013-02-03T00:10:21.416-08:00Halloween<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Coccinelle's first Halloween in America was very quiet, but we do have a few pictures to share.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This year for my office job's decorate-a-pumpkin-using-things-you-have-at-your-desk contest, I made "Bob Brings the Zombpocalypse to the Company =or= How We Really Recruit Our Staff":</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1zFMuCjWUg/UJdzhSqfi0I/AAAAAAAAAEM/gSL9D7TAhHQ/s1600/Halloween+zombpocalypse+pumpkin+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1zFMuCjWUg/UJdzhSqfi0I/AAAAAAAAAEM/gSL9D7TAhHQ/s400/Halloween+zombpocalypse+pumpkin+2.JPG" width="400" /> </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qnNYt7MSluc/UJdziJ1hdXI/AAAAAAAAAEU/a2m9R-6LQMM/s1600/Halloween+zombpocalypse+pumpkin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qnNYt7MSluc/UJdziJ1hdXI/AAAAAAAAAEU/a2m9R-6LQMM/s400/Halloween+zombpocalypse+pumpkin.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Coccinelle was quite amused, and I won second place (out of about a dozen entries).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">She also made friends with La Llorona, aka Linda, one of only two people who came in costume to work this year. La Llorona ("la yo-ro-na"), or The Weeping Woman, is a Mexican legend which tells of a woman who drowned her children in order to be with a man she loved who then rejected her, and she drowned herself. She wasn't allowed to enter into eternity until she found her children, so now she wanders the earth, weeping constantly as she searches for them. Linda always does a good job with her costumes, and this year was no exception (you can't see it with the shawl covering her, but she's wearing a very long white wig, a black blouse, and a floor-length black skirt):</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S-m3MmreKFk/UJd1yJsdVMI/AAAAAAAAAEc/GEjjIh1iFgQ/s1600/Halloween+with+La+Llorona.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S-m3MmreKFk/UJd1yJsdVMI/AAAAAAAAAEc/GEjjIh1iFgQ/s400/Halloween+with+La+Llorona.JPG" width="299" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Coccinelle is very brave to sit on La Llorona's shoulder!</span></span><br />
<br />Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-35814009900352373702012-11-02T03:31:00.000-07:002013-02-03T00:12:36.862-08:00Larchmont Family Fair!<span style="font-size: large;">Every year in my neighborhood there is a "Family Fair", held (usually) on the last Sunday before Halloween. Lots of fun activities (pony rides, petting zoo, climbing wall, crafts, dunk tank, and much more) and of course plenty of food, all provided by a wide range of social, cultural, and civic organizations (such as Boy Scouts, churches and synagogues, Police and Fire, realtors, local restaurants, etc.). Since becoming a member of the Board of our Neighborhood Association a few years ago, I spend those afternoon helping hand out informational flyers and brochures about neighborhood issues in general and safety and security issues in particular. More importantly (and much more fun), we have also give out homemade cookies and, for the second year in a row, cute Halloween temporary tattoos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Coccinelle and I stayed up very late the night before making three different kinds of cookies -- ginger, chocolate chip, and pumpkin oatmeal. Here, Coccinelle is helping make dough for the latter:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a9KOjUR7cSs/UJOUX1uJuZI/AAAAAAAAACs/gjaQfCKBzXw/s1600/Halloween+cookie+dough.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a9KOjUR7cSs/UJOUX1uJuZI/AAAAAAAAACs/gjaQfCKBzXw/s320/Halloween+cookie+dough.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And here she admires the results:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNPQX3HH1wg/UJOU1k_OexI/AAAAAAAAAC8/yaXyaEBiDEw/s1600/Chocolate+Chip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNPQX3HH1wg/UJOU1k_OexI/AAAAAAAAAC8/yaXyaEBiDEw/s320/Chocolate+Chip.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Next day we hung out a lot at the booth...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-orgcp8IZuU4/UJOXlO-VMVI/AAAAAAAAADM/cpvkYiS7IWw/s1600/LVNA+Family+Fair+booth.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-orgcp8IZuU4/UJOXlO-VMVI/AAAAAAAAADM/cpvkYiS7IWw/s400/LVNA+Family+Fair+booth.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...but we also walked around so Coccinelle could take in the fun of the fair One of the first things she did, of course, was make some new friends:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C_24oCYJbtY/UJOYapTuROI/AAAAAAAAADU/rV5wbNpwhgs/s1600/Making+friends+at+the+Family+Fair.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C_24oCYJbtY/UJOYapTuROI/AAAAAAAAADU/rV5wbNpwhgs/s1600/Making+friends+at+the+Family+Fair.JPG" /></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> They looked so cute with their painted faces, we just had to get a picture with them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another new friend was Daniella, who was at a booth where people were decorating trick or treat bags. Here she is with Coccinelle, showing off one side of the bag we made:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was a very hip looking little llama at the petting zoo... </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cljYBe0Btsw/UJOZ37QS_QI/AAAAAAAAADk/qyu8_cjwyPU/s1600/Petting+zoo+llama.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cljYBe0Btsw/UJOZ37QS_QI/AAAAAAAAADk/qyu8_cjwyPU/s400/Petting+zoo+llama.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">...while down at the other end of the fair there were camel rides!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, our very favorite of all was:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jtiOXNSx6mE/UJObbO0T_LI/AAAAAAAAAD8/EII2tP5Dhhk/s1600/Family+Fair+water+fun.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="479" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jtiOXNSx6mE/UJObbO0T_LI/AAAAAAAAAD8/EII2tP5Dhhk/s640/Family+Fair+water+fun.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, the line was never less than 45 minutes long and we had to get back to the booth, but...DOESN'T THAT LOOK LIKE SO MUCH FUN?!?!</span><br />
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-40069027588405066732012-10-30T00:05:00.000-07:002013-02-03T00:12:10.356-08:00Office Visit<span style="font-size: small;">Since Coccinelle travels with me in my backpack, in order to help her stay safe and clean I've given her a travel bag which provides her protection without being claustrophobic:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w5Xcsg_bBZA/UI93suZFUFI/AAAAAAAAACE/TOoU1diZjnI/s1600/Traveling+bag+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w5Xcsg_bBZA/UI93suZFUFI/AAAAAAAAACE/TOoU1diZjnI/s320/Traveling+bag+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Last week, she visited me at my office job in downtown Los Angeles. It is my great good fortune to have a huge window behind my desk, through which she could enjoy the view down to Fifth Street below:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uGXBGNFXgkw/UI927tLul1I/AAAAAAAAAB8/Iq0kDWGOX8c/s1600/Out+my+office+window.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uGXBGNFXgkw/UI927tLul1I/AAAAAAAAAB8/Iq0kDWGOX8c/s640/Out+my+office+window.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">One of the projects I was working on was making 700+ consecutively numbered labels and then affixing them to a stack of documents (not one of the more interesting parts of my office job...):</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9lZL08fV0oo/UI94snV9oGI/AAAAAAAAACM/m_tWkEAaCxI/s1600/That%27s+not+English....jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9lZL08fV0oo/UI94snV9oGI/AAAAAAAAACM/m_tWkEAaCxI/s400/That%27s+not+English....jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hmmm, that doesn't look like English to me....</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Much more fun was getting to hang out with some of my desk mates (you can see that stack of documents in the lower right corner):</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-84f0fgzn6I8/UI95T6bJjnI/AAAAAAAAACU/mdp5z7_XbCk/s1600/Meeting+some+of+my+desk+mates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-84f0fgzn6I8/UI95T6bJjnI/AAAAAAAAACU/mdp5z7_XbCk/s640/Meeting+some+of+my+desk+mates.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wow, so many toys! Are you sure you WORK here?!?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">At one point Coccinelle...um, <i>flew</i> down between the cabinet behind my desk and the window, and when I crawled around to retrieve her, I saw what had gotten her attention -- this guy was hiding back there and was ready to come out and make a new friend:</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5JtTtBilNj0/UI96PYe8WmI/AAAAAAAAACc/dZ_4ASu4NXo/s1600/Making+friends+at+the+office.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5JtTtBilNj0/UI96PYe8WmI/AAAAAAAAACc/dZ_4ASu4NXo/s320/Making+friends+at+the+office.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-53565729436743165922012-10-22T20:49:00.001-07:002013-02-03T00:11:48.880-08:00Meet Coccinelle!<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Coccinelle arrived early this evening. Her companions on the journey halfway around the world were several beautiful cranes -- tiny, perfectly formed origami cranes that is....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T69fw4f34-U/UIYNwRHhvVI/AAAAAAAAAAc/xsXmkpLdt44/s1600/Cocinelle+and+her+traveling+companions.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T69fw4f34-U/UIYNwRHhvVI/AAAAAAAAAAc/xsXmkpLdt44/s1600/Cocinelle+and+her+traveling+companions.JPG" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Coccinelle and her traveling companions looking forward to spending time on the southern California coast.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">She got here just in time for an unexpectedly serious introduction to America: the final debate between our Presidential candidates....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RPD2_qIaeo0/UIYP5Wx9drI/AAAAAAAAAAk/WI0zBNI55tw/s1600/Cocinelle+watches+the+presidential+debate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RPD2_qIaeo0/UIYP5Wx9drI/AAAAAAAAAAk/WI0zBNI55tw/s400/Cocinelle+watches+the+presidential+debate.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">"It's a good thing I studied English before I came."</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> She also met her temporary housemates, Bella and Fred....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vrtd2ZneLOw/UIYQWZXpA2I/AAAAAAAAAAs/pDWQBbnOLXc/s1600/Hanging+with+the+pups.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vrtd2ZneLOw/UIYQWZXpA2I/AAAAAAAAAAs/pDWQBbnOLXc/s400/Hanging+with+the+pups.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bella, Coccinelle, and Fred hang out on the couch</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mqVVh_LDCsI/UIYQ-iB9yeI/AAAAAAAAABE/it3_39G4wEc/s1600/Pals+already.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mqVVh_LDCsI/UIYQ-iB9yeI/AAAAAAAAABE/it3_39G4wEc/s400/Pals+already.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Getting cozy with Bella</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WgCtLTJ3r0Q/UIYQcqaMYrI/AAAAAAAAAA8/HaReHdLA7Ao/s1600/Cocinelle+snuggles+with+Fred.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WgCtLTJ3r0Q/UIYQcqaMYrI/AAAAAAAAAA8/HaReHdLA7Ao/s400/Cocinelle+snuggles+with+Fred.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">A little cuddling with Fred</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lWjfM0Sljj4/UIYSw2fBAFI/AAAAAAAAABc/Jx1VWiuKMIQ/s1600/Cocinelle+and+Bella+share+a+joke.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lWjfM0Sljj4/UIYSw2fBAFI/AAAAAAAAABc/Jx1VWiuKMIQ/s320/Cocinelle+and+Bella+share+a+joke.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">With Bella, sharing a joke...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Skdz0pIypKk/UIYSxoD7m2I/AAAAAAAAABk/FWzDAaz2jqE/s1600/Sharing+secrets...or+a+snog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Skdz0pIypKk/UIYSxoD7m2I/AAAAAAAAABk/FWzDAaz2jqE/s320/Sharing+secrets...or+a+snog.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">...and a smooch</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">And what just happened to be for dinner? Roasted BRUSSELS sprouts! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pIJy1DeicUY/UIYSZjQAGRI/AAAAAAAAABU/wER-OR-HqRg/s1600/First+dinner+-+Brussels+sprouts!.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pIJy1DeicUY/UIYSZjQAGRI/AAAAAAAAABU/wER-OR-HqRg/s320/First+dinner+-+Brussels+sprouts!.JPG" width="241" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yummy!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">We're all looking forward to Coccinelle's visit, and can't wait to start showing her the sights and scenery of southern California!</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7354352627848307467.post-36669349004357663572012-10-22T19:20:00.001-07:002013-02-03T00:11:24.997-08:00First Post....<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is a travel blog for Coccinelle, a ladybird (ladybug) who will be visiting Los Angeles from Brussels, Belgium, from October 2012 through January 2013. While she is here, her "cousin" Alby Edwards will be staying with Coccinelle's family in Brussels. Here is Alby with his travel case (and a new winter scarf) as he got ready to leave on his journey:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S9A-ZpzL0Cc/UIYBw5M73jI/AAAAAAAAAAM/TryiW1GjlAg/s1600/Little+Visitor+16+-+Alby+ready+to+travel+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S9A-ZpzL0Cc/UIYBw5M73jI/AAAAAAAAAAM/TryiW1GjlAg/s320/Little+Visitor+16+-+Alby+ready+to+travel+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Alby's ready for his big European adventure!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Alby's Belgian host has created a Facebook page for him: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AlbysTripToBelgium">https://www.facebook.com/AlbysTripToBelgium</a> if you'd like to follow his trip, too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: large;">But enough about Alby -- this is Coccinelle's blog, and from now on all the pictures found here will be of Coccinelle and her adventures in Southern California!</span><br />
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Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01068540703039962366noreply@blogger.com0