Summer Solstice

Can you tell which set of weather statistics for June 21 belong to which city? One city is getting an additional 49 minutes of daylight today.

Sunrise: 5:42 a.m.
Sunset: 8:07 p.m.

Normal high: 81
Normal low: 62

______________________

Sunrise: 5:15 a.m.
Sunset: 8:29 p.m.

Normal high: 81
Normal low: 59

Nevada, Baby

On Sunday I did the famous drive between L.A. and Vegas to meet my dad who was there for a seminar. It took about 4 1/2 hours and I drove through the Mojave Desert, which I found absolutely beautiful. I can understand why the drive and the desert has been used a metaphor in movies. Apparently, I'm in the minority to find the beauty in the drive because when I mentioned it to some co-workers the reaction I received ranged from "There's so much traffic" (not when I was driving, in the direction I was driving ) to "It's so boring. Nothing but desert and it's hot." It could be a regional thing because I grew up thinking cornfields and soybean fields were boring to look at. Perhaps native Californians would find beauty in the cornfields if they ever bothered to stop in flyover country?...nah.

I met my dad for a Father's Day dinner and then the next day we drove to Hoover Dam. Since time was limited, we opted to skip the dam tour and drive through the Lake Mead National Recreational Area, on the Nevada side. Now, that drive was gorgeous. I wish I were a poet to describe the vistas and the beauty of the desert. Alas, I am not and took pictures instead.

A picture of the hydro-electrical engineering marvel from the Arizona side.

It's desolate, quiet, rugged, stark but beautiful. Because of the way the mountains were formed, the higher the layer, the newer (in geographical terms) it is. The red is from iron deposits.

Ansel Adams I am not. I was all proud of myself for thinking of this angle to try to capture the vistas and to incorporate the surrounding beauty...until I got home and realized this exact same angle is being used in a car commercial. Guess I am not as creative I thought. I hope that you still get a sense of the area, though.

It was too hot to see any wildlife but I did capture this hawk trying to escape the sun. The themometer on my car said it was 108 but it was still bearable since it was a dry heat (A cliche, but it's true!) and no humidity with which to contend. Imagine the warmth you receive when you put your hand under a lamp, it's the same sort of feeling but with more intensity. My grandma would always tell us that when the winter cold would become too much for her all she needed to do was bake her bones and she would feel better. I kept thinking that I was baking my bones.

Other things to note about the drive. There's an exit for a Zzyzx Road. I thought it was an interesting name. (More information can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zzyzx%2C_California). I also had to pass through an agricultural inspection point upon my return to California. Nothing special happened, just thought it was interesting.

Oh, and one more thing: The thing about the traffic is true, I just happened to go against traffic both ways.

(And, yes, I did take this picture while going 80!)

When I wrote Thursday's post, little did I realize the Paris debacle which would unfold Friday morning, proving that L.A. politics and Chicago politics are on the same side of the coin -- different stories but the same side of the coin.

Showing the better side of humanity, Garrison Keillor is doing his best to keep the art of storytelling alive from being lost in this electronic age. It was wonderful to see/hear a radio variety show live. The show was longer than the allotted two hours. I wonder how they can keep the show its time slot when done live and without the convenience of an edit button.


Speaking of convenience, Casey has discovered something very Californian: bottled water. He loves bottled water. Every time I open the refrigerator door to grab some water, he runs to the fridge and starts meowing for it, something he never does when I take an Orangina or Diet Coke out of the fridge. He will even lick the condensation from the bottle. Oh, he can even tell the difference between tap and bottled. I took an empty bottle and filled it with tap water, refrigerated it, and he turned his little discriminating cat nose up at it. Don't worry, though, bottled water is only for special occasions. If he is thirsty enough, he still lowers his standards to drink good ole L.A. tap water. He's not a spoiled Californian cat, yet.

Etc.

After spending 3 days in the slammer, Paris Hilton is out of jail. L.A. can rest easy. It's hard to keep your perspective here when 15 minutes of a 35 minute newscast is spent on Paris and her jail-time on the local news. L.A. can be too impressed with itself sometimes. I usually listen to NPR for in-depth perspective of the news. Ironically enough, or because of the lack of local coverage, there are two NPR stations here in Los Angeles. Other than having the luxury of switching stations during the other station's pledge drive, I'm not sure why there are two stations. They air the same news programs. One station tends to have more "industry"-related news during the local coverage while the other station covers the local and state political scene. On either station, I am easily reminded that I live in L.A. when I hear "For your consideration" (for the Emmy, Oscar, etc) sponsorships. Right now, HBO is pushing some movie for Emmy consideration.

Tomorrow, I'll see Garrison Keillor record A Prairie Home Companion. Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan but since he's going to be at the Greek Theatre, which is practically next door, I thought why not go. It will mark the first time I'll be back in Griffith Park since the fire. It'll be interesting to see the damage up close.

What is up with Sox? As I write this, the Sox are losing to the Yankees 4-1 in the bottom of the 8th inning. At this point of the season, it seems safe to say that the 2007 World Series Champion will not be a Chicago team.

Over Memorial Day Weekend, I went to Point Dume in Malibu. I'm posting a couple pictures from that day.

Los Feliz Village Street Fair

Don't really have a lot to report. I had a pretty mundane weekend -- errands, laundry, chores, etc.

This afternooon, I went to the Los Feliz Village Street Fair, which was just down the street from me. I didn't bring my camera but there aren't a lot of differences between Chicago neighborhood street fairs and the street fairs in L.A. -- or at least this one. It attracts the same hipper-than-thou patrons, is set in a neighborhood business district which houses several chic clothing boutiques, ethnic restaurants, an independent bookstore, while bars and coffee houses are interspersed throughout the three to four block area. (Think: Andersonville Midsommerfest, which should be occurring in a couple of weeks.) Stages are constructed at either end of the fair, usually showcasing a rock band with a local following. The choice of chow was the usual pizza, tacos, burritos and hot dogs sold by the local restaurants. This fair, being in L.A., had a roach coach selling vegan and raw food but no sausage vendor could be found. You might see a vegan vendor in Chicago but there it's not a street fair without brats, Polish or Italian sausages being sold. One sushi restaurant had a tent but I didn't bother what type of cuisine it was selling. I love sushi and eat it probably once a week but it just seems wrong to eat sushi at a street fair. I'm not even sure if they were selling sushi but I opted for the Mexican fare instead. (I swear on a weekly basis I eat (Americanized versions of) Mexican, Japanese, Indian and Thai food. Currently, Indian is my favorite -- all those spices, lentils and vegatables. Yum! Yum! Thanks to Trader Joe's for keeping me fed.)

Other things to note about the fair: lots of vendors selling baby clothing, a la Alternadad style. If you want to dress your kid in pink tie-dye and not in pink ruffles, this is the place to be. Also, beads have replaced silver as the medium of choice by the artisans who sell jewelry at these fairs. (If there are any jewelry artisans out there reading this (doubtful as it may be): offering rings in sizes smaller than 6 would increase your sales. Your smallest size fits my thumb.)

Before I left the fair, I stopped and watched this band, Until June (www.untiljune.com). They were okay. I thought their music was pretty undiscernable from other popular bands of the moment but I have an untrained ear. While listening to them, I looked three seats to my right and saw a graying-around-the temples Scott Bakula nodding his head to the beat of the music. He appeared to like the band. A celebrity sighting, d-list as it may be, is the ONE big difference between L.A. and Chicago street fairs.

Hope everyone has a good week.

R.