Call Me Maybe

Webcam Wednesday - 25july2012

OMG!! Run for your lives!! Godzilla is on the loose above Los Angeles.

LOL!! Not sure why the UCLA astronomy department chose Valentine's Day in 2001 to post this prank image, but it did make me laugh out loud when I first saw it. For those of you who don't already know, Mt. Wilson is one of the peaks above Los Angeles that hosts astronomy towers and an array of TV, cell phone, and other communications towers that serve a large chunk of southern California. Not far from Mt. Wilson is Camp Hi Hill, where I spent a week in 6th grade. Here's another more recent winter image of Mt. Wilson that I particularly love to look at. Click the image to see it at full size.

Webcam Wednesday - 18july2012

I visit several webcams on the Internet each day and often capture some of the more memorable images. I've been collecting them through the years and thought I would start sharing some of my favorites on my blog each Wednesday -- hence, "Webcam Wednesday". This first entry shows the four seasons as captured in the Ahwahnee meadow in Yosemite National Park -- a place I've not visited in far too long. Here's the URL to the webcam if you would like to become a regular visitor. :)

 Fall

 Winter (well, technically Spring, but this was the best snow shot)

 Spring

Summer

Time to Build an Ark

Our summer monsoon season is in full swing now. This afternoon we had torrential rains for over an hour -- the most I've seen in several years. This was the first big rain since I moved into my house and I ended up with a bit of a flood in my backyard. Thank goodness I had a "rock river" built into my landscaping that helped to store some of the water.

The chair to the upper left saved my 8 ft tall cactus, which would have fallen over otherwise. Now I have to figure out how to get it back upright without getting stabbed, or worse, breaking off its arms.

I had to dig a small trench to help drain the water. My yard is graded correctly; however, the common area on the other side of fence has some high spots, which kept the water in my yard. On the positive side, all of this rain brought down the temperature, which is currently 77 degrees. Downright cold for 9:22 pm in summer.

The Science of Swimming

Nice video by Discovery News on the science of swimming. I can never learn enough about my favorite sport.

Ranch of the Little Hills -- Rancho Los Cerritos

My home town of Long Beach, owes it's existence to Rancho Los Cerritos. Nestled in what is now known as the Bixby Knolls region of Long Beach, I hadn't visited the site in almost 40 years and took the opportunity to share it with my oldest daughter while visiting my sister over the July 4th holiday.

A few things have changed over the years, 

but the main house and the gardens are as I remember them.

This tree, which I believe is a type of ficus, was planted in 1873.

It was simply too huge to fit the entire thing in the picture.

Here's my daughter, Cheryl, standing in a fold of the massive trunk. 

Looking toward the Virginia Country Club, which was founded in 1909.

This pond was added in the 1930s.

The woman standing on the left was the docent who led our tour.

She was dressed for the period and played the role of someone who had lived in the rancho as a child, explaining what we were seeing from her perspective. It was rather entertaining, and fun.

  

I about fell over when I saw this cactus. I don't think I have ever seen one this large!!!

Cheryl was absolutely dwarfed by this thing.

I thought Saguaros were big, but this one takes the cake.

This oven dates back to the early days of the rancho.

  

Looking toward the main house from the gardens.

But, it's a WET heat!!

Undeniably, living in Arizona can be hot. But, I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone say "But, it's a DRY heat." Today, I felt vindicated when I saw this related video. I snagged a couple of images that pretty much sum it up.

Penny Palfrey, I am proud of you

Yes, you did not complete your swim from Cuba to Florida, but you did swim a personal best of 80 freakin' miles, non-stop, without a shark cage. You came sooo close to your goal, but the Gulf Stream had other ideas. I know you're disappointed, but I have nothing but respect and admiration for what you accomplished. You're a winner in my book.

Using her GPS track, you can see just how close she came -- just 23 miles short! 

                                  (Actual miles swum)                                             (The original goal)