In Flight

Untitled/San Fernando Valley; from Los Angeles 07.27.05 

Golden State Freeway/San Fernando Pass; from Los Angeles 02.12.04

I am loving these photographs by Michael Light. Aren't they extraordinary? The light pouring from the horizon in each shot is just breathtaking. Both are of my fair city Los Angeles. I'm claiming it for the moment because these were actually taken above the San Fernando Valley, which is just a hop skip and a jump from my home. What a beautiful perspective of a town that, in all honesty, isn't necessarily known for its beauty.

This is what the 20x200 newsletter that introduced the editions had to say about the sister prints:

A pilot himself with a lifelong love of flight, Light hired a helicopter pilot to lift and roam with him above Los Angeles so he could hover over a rare sort of 4x5 camera—a Linhof Aero Technika—which uses roll film, allowing Light to shoot continuously without constantly reloading single sheets. Over the course of the project, he shot 900-some photos of the lights, the buildings, the streets, the trees and river below. On the ground—in the darkroom and on the computer—Light combined traditional film processing techniques with post-production work. Turning his negatives into digital files, Light smoothed out the film grain, moderating its interference with the haze and particles of light that you see glowing around the horizon.

If you don't already, I highly recommend signing up for the 20x200 emails... It is like getting a mini art tour in your inbox a couple times a week! Even though I can't buy all the prints that capture my heart, like these ones-- I simply don't have the space!-- I love being introduced to new art and new artists, and stealing away a few minutes from work to see the world through someone else's eyes, lens or paintbrush.

Hope you are having a wonderful Friday! The sun is shining and it has felt like summer the past few days... I can just taste the weekend!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone! This afternoon, Hazel and I took part in the second annual Howl-O-Ween Pooch Parade at Lemon Park in Simi. (Hazel was a princess at last year's inaugural event, remember?) It is a warm, beautiful fall day here-- the perfect day for a parade.

Hazel had tons of fun sniffing around, making new friends and making people smile. She did the sweetest thing: As we were walking the route, Hazel veered off the path and made a beeline for a woman in a wheelchair who was watching the parade go by. Hazel jumped up and said hi. It made the little old lady so happy. I have the kindest dog, I must say.

We later went around the vendor booths, which included one from our own vet, and Hazel got a few treats out of the deal. And isn't she just the cutest in her pumpkin dress? Not exactly frightening, but adorable, yes! (At least, in my biased opinion.) There were some great costumes this year, and lots of owners matching their four-legged friends. (Unfortunately, I don't have a pumpkin shirt in my closet.)

A few more pictures from the parade because I'm a proud mama and I can't help myself:

On the route around the civic center

 

Cooling off in the shade after the walk 

 My mom came at the beginning of the march to keep us company

Treat? Did someone say treat?

Hazel is thoroughly exhausted now, passed out in my bed as I type.

I hope you are having a wonderful day, whether you are painting the town orange tonight or getting ready for an evening at home passing out candy. I'm still not sure which one I am doing! Maybe I'll make some cookies until I figure out exactly what it is I'm going to do. :)

Have fun and be safe!

xo,

Bad to the bone

If you don't know my last name, this picture might confuse you...

Hello world! I'm back. Sorry for the being all quiet on the western front. Did I really leave you with a Twilight post for two weeks? Bad blogger! Unfortunately, work took over my life, as it always does, but that isn't the whole story. See, the longer I went not blogging, the harder it was to get back into it. Has that ever happened to you?

Anyway, I'm back. (Even though I should be working right now but whatev. I worked all day and I'll probably stay up late working, too.) And I have been meaning for weeks now to share some photos with you that I took at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles. No time like the present!

It's not often that my job takes me out of Simi Valley. And while my story on the Simi Valley Mastodon taking center stage at the new "Age of Mammals" exhibit at NHM didn't necessitate me driving out to the museum to see it in person, I used it as a good excuse to do so anyway.

Though I can't be certain, I have a vague memory of going to the museum as a child. But since my recollection is more than a little foggy, I was dying to go back and see it as an adult, especially since I had read that the old historic 1913 building had been beautifully restored. My editor came along for the ride, too.

The "Age of Mammals" exhibit itself was phenomenal. The two-story exhibition hall was chock full of mesmerizing fossilized remains and interesting information. Of course the showstopper was the Simi Valley Mastodon, the partial remains of which were found in the hills of my hometown in 2001. It was definitely a sight to be seen and my editor and I couldn't help but snap photos of ourselves in front of the giant, curving tusks of "The Original Valley Girl."

Me with the Simi Valley Mastodon in all her glory!

My editor, and friend, Kyle.

We were amazed when we walked out of the exhibit hall, looked at the time and realized we had been browsing for more than two hours already. We had such a good time examining each fossil and skeleton, reading all the plaques, playing educational games on the exhibit's touchscreens-- museums really have come into the 21st century!-- and making (sometimes inappropriate) jokes along the way. (Such as when my editor pretended to walk like a gorilla and I pretended not to know him, or when I sheepishly pointed out the, ahem, "manhood" bone of a Dire wolf.)

Here's a quick "tour" through the rest of the exhibit:

Just a few of the many articulated mammal skeletons, as well as some taxidermy specimens in the background (do you spy the zebra?)

A saber-toothed cat. You can tell it's from the La Brea Tar Pits because of the dark color of its bones. (I noticed that before my editor did. Score one for me!)

There were even human skulls that visitors could touch! (Though honestly, it kind of creeped me out!) The exhibit explored the evolution of mammals, including ourselves, and the impact of global climate change.

While we didn't get to as thoroughly explore the rest of the museum as I would have liked, we did also see...

The Fin Whale Passage, which features a breathtaking 63-foot-long specimen of a fin whale from Humboldt County, Calif.

The gorgeous Haaga Family Rotunda (which includes a fun, mini-exhibition on the lower level and a series of paintings that bring prehistoric animals to life on the top floor). The stained glass is stunning, isn't it?

One of the museum's iconic diorama halls, the African Mammal Hall. The giraffe leaning down for a drink of water is so adorable!

And Dueling Dinos! Located in the Grand Foyer on the ground level, these dinosaurs are actually replicas of the authentic T. rex and Triceratops specimens from the museum's collection.

I can't wait to go back and see everything else the Natural History Museum has to offer, particularly the Pavilion of Wings (read: fluttering butterflies!) and "Dinosaur Mysteries," which will open next summer once the renovations on that part of the museum are complete.

So, have you visited any museums lately?

And more importantly, since I've been so out of the loop, how have you been? :)

Remembering Sept. 12, 2008

This post is a few days late, but I wanted to post about it anyway.

On Saturday, I attended the dedication of the Metrolink Memorial Plaza in Simi Valley. On Sept. 12, 2008, a Metrolink passenger train bound for Simi and Moorpark collided head-on with a Union Pacific freight train in Chatsworth. The crash left 25 dead, including 10 Simi residents, and more than 135 injured. Some of you may remember this as it was all over the news after it happened.

The crash sent shock waves through the community, because even though Simi is a city of more than 125,000 people, it still has a small town feel. I think it's safe to say the tragedy was felt by all. Even if you didn't know someone on the train, you knew someone who knew someone who was on the train.

The accident happened on a Friday meaning that my weekly community newspaper was not able to put out any coverage on the crash until the following Friday. A colleague of mine wrote an overall story about the crash and its effect on the community. I wrote a story about Spree DeSha, an LAPD officer who was killed in the collision-- she always rode in the front car, in uniform. Interviewing her parents and life partner at the North Hollywood police station in the days after the crash and subsequently writing the story was an emotional experience for me. I thought about Spree and her family for a long time after that. Longer than I normally dwell on the subjects of my stories. See, even though I didn't personally know anyone on the Metrolink 111 train that day, in the course of my interviews, the accident became very personal.

It was decided quickly after the crash that the community wanted a memorial to remember those who died. In the months that followed, I attended many workshops and city council meetings related to the construction of this memorial, and wrote many more stories. Despite the (financial) obstacles, the city met its deadline-- one called for by the community-- of completing and dedicating the memorial on the first anniversary of the crash.

Hundreds of people came out for the occasion on Saturday. I attended the event with my editor; we were representing the paper but I was also there to write a story for this week's issue. The memorial plaza looked beautiful, just as it was envisioned. The ceremony was moving, reflective, hopeful. 

While taking notes kept my mind busy, at times I found myself where I was a year ago when talking to Spree's parents-- fighting back tears. I got especially choked up while talking to a girl my age who lost her father in the crash. Seeing her cry and talk about her pain brought tears to my own eyes because, though I didn't tell her this, I know how she feels. And yet, it was comforting to both her and I to see the memorial complete, to see the large number of residents that gathered to support the families of the victims as well as the survivors, and to literally feel the love as the community wrapped its arms around its own.

It's days like Saturday that make me proud to call Simi home.

In reverent memory of those who perished

in the September 12, 2008

Metrolink Train Disaster,

with hope and encouragement

for those who survived,

and with gratitude to the

first responders for their heroism

and compassion