Thematic Photographic - Big

Carmi at Written, Inc., posts a photographic challenge each week called Thematic Photographic - this week's theme is "BIG."

The Shard seen from the Thames River

This gleaming glass tower rising up over the Southwark in London is called The Shard London Bridge. When it's finished in 2012, it will be the tallest building in the European Union.

The ancient and the modern - the medieval Southwark Cathedral and its neighbor, the Shard

It's called "The Shard" because its architect, Renzo Piano, likened it to a shard of glass. Rising up in the sky like a splinter, its glass facade and panels will reflect back the sky so that the massive tower changes as the weather changes.

Sometimes you can only get an idea of "Big" by pulling back. Here The Shard is seen from the Tower Bridge, where it rises up over London's egg-shaped City Hall.

Or back even more. From the Limehouse section of East London, The Shard is the most prominent landmark on the skyline.

Distance lends perspective. Seen here from a high building in New Cross in Southeast London, the London skyline shows The Shard and other prominent skyscrapers like The Gherkin. The still unfinished Shard tops them all - and it's still rising.

Off again

We're off again! This time to Chicago!

The view from the Pagoda

If you take a right turn at Sycamore Street, off Franklin Boulevard in the heart of touristy Hollywood, you'll find yourself on a narrow road that winds up into the hills. Pass through the gate and follow the directions of the attendant, and you'll find yourself pulling up at a valet stand in front of an amazing Japanese palace, with one of the best views in town.

Drinking in the Library

Cocktail made with ripe tomatoes and marjoram

Cicero once said "If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."

I'm sure that Cicero was thinking about books, not cocktails. But even Cicero would have loved the Library Bar at the historic Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood.

Pink Saturday - Here's Jack!

Pink Saturday - Beverly at the blog "How Sweet the Sound" hosts Pink Saturday. Let the color pink inspire you!

I ran out of time to finish my Pink Saturday post, so all I've got are some pink angel-wing begonias....and Jack. Happy Pink Saturday, everyone!

Staying cool

6:57 pm

 I realize there's a terrible heat wave over most of the country.

7:00pm

But here in coastal Los Angeles County, we're having a cooler than usual time. In a way, it's an extension of our usual June Gloom. Mornings are cool enough to need a sweater to walk the dog. When I drive to work down the canyon, I descend into fog and sometimes even have to use the wipers to clear the mist from my windshield.

7:03pm

Evening brings the coastal fog up through the canyon. Last night I captured its movement with my camera.

7:05pm

It rushes up the canyon till it hits the Ridge, then it piles up and spills uphill into our neighborhood.

You can watch it in real time.

A real treat

Last night I had an unexpected treat. My department at work had been offered free tickets to the final dress rehearsal of the new Cirque du Soleil production, "Iris."

I carpooled with a co-worker, and it took us 2 hours to get from Santa Monica to the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland. It was five minutes till curtain by the time we parked. We dashed up the escalators from the huge parking garage, hoping to get to the Will Call for our tickets before the show started - and then we rushed inside through the first set of doors.

How lucky we were! We found seats in the lower orchestra section, only six rows from the front! As we watched, the aerialists soared directly over our heads!

"Iris" is subtitled "A Journey Through the World of Cinema" - and it evokes the history of movies. It dazzles with a fast-paced blend of live action, video projection, and amazing feats of circus skill. What better place to see it than on Hollywood Boulevard?

The show started off strongly, with an aerial duet that took my breath away.



Photos were not allowed, so I only snuck a few before the show started. But here is the Cirque's own highlight video to give you an idea.

"Iris" is supposed to play a long run at the Kodak. If you visit Los Angeles, check it out. There's nothing more fun than having trapeze flyers bungee cord above your head!

Take Courage

Seen in the Southwark neighborhood of London. I should enlarge this photo and frame it and put it up on my cubicle wall.

(Courage is a brewery, This is an old advertisement for ale!)

Pub in New Cross

Also, too.

Thanks for Sharing!!

Cast bronze cell phone by Rick Oginz

 It's 8:15 on a Monday morning and I'm in the express line at the supermarket at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Boulevard, picking up some quick lunch things for the office.

The man in front of me has a knit cap pulled down over his greying hair. His casual clothes, his full beard and a tan mark him as one of the early morning surfers I see in the water during my morning commute - or at least I assume that. He's got a package of blueberries and a tall plastic water bottle in front of him on the moving belt. He's holding his cell phone up to his ear and talking, loud.

"Well, babe, see the thing is you want to live in West Hollywood, but I don't...No, babe, it's just that you're into one thing and I'm not. You're not into what I'm into, so that's the way it goes.....well, I don't want to live in Florida, either...."

The cashier scans his items, and he swipes his card and inputs his numbers into the pad while he keeps talking. He never looks at her, not once.

"I'm not going to live my life doing something I'm not into....Well, if it's like that, you should just go ahead and file the divorce proceedings. No, I don't want to go into counseling - we did that last year and look what good it did....well, babe, I don't know what to tell you."

He grabs the handles of the plastic bag, and walks out of the store, still talking. "You do what you need to do...."

The cashier glances at his back, shrugs and then says hello to me and scans my groceries.

It's a peculiar thing. Someone just aired his intimate domestic quarrel with a half a dozen fellow human beings, all the while failing to acknowledge the existence of the person right in front of him.

"Thanks for sharing, huh?" I murmur to the cashier, and she smiles. "Thank you," she says. "Have a good day."

"You too," I say.

When I get out in the parking lot, I see him drive off in a Lexus SUV, phone still held to his ear, still talking.