Graffiti in the Desert

Today I would like to ask you all for your opinion, below are two photographs of the same thing except one is black and white and the other color. Let me know which one you prefer as I am not sure which I prefer.

This photograph was taken in Rice, California, a vacant town site in the Mojave Desert. The town of Rice was built around the railway that still runs through there, but the town is now all gone except for one structure that I will show you a photograph of later in the week. I love seeing places like this, it's like the ruins that are in every other part of the world except they are less that 50 years old. What's funny about it is that there is graffiti everywhere in Rice, but generally it's about a persons love for someone else. Even along the side of the railway line people have used different colored rocks to mark their name as a permanent record in the desert. Click on either image for a larger version.

You Want To Jump Out of A Plane?

The conversation went something like this: Janet (my wife) "I want to do a parachute jump". Me: "Why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?" So last Monday Janet and her brother Russ did just that, they both jump out of a perfectly good airplane. After they both effectively signed their lives away in waivers, they dressed in jump suits and met their tandem jump instructors, Janet's happened to be a Brit called Adi from Cornwall, and off they went to 12500ft. This is a photo of the last turn before Janet and Adi landed on their feet I might add. Before you ask, yes she really enjoyed it very much and no I have no plans to do it. Click on the photo for a larger version.

Where Was I?

Another September 11th has arrived and after 8 years the memories of that sad day still make me think back and remember everything about it. I was trying to find a photograph that I had taken that I thought would be appropriate, but I just could not find one. Then the memory of where I was when I first heard of the attacks on the World Trade Center reminded me that I had a photograph that was appropriate. That morning for me had started like any other, I got up, showered and headed out the door of my house in Big Bear to start my morning commute down the mountain to work in Riverside. It was 6:15 and I was driving around the North Shore of Big Bear Lake, just east of the houses photographed above, listening to the radio. I was having a hard time trying to understand what was being said by the hosts, something about a plane hitting the WTC and then another one not far behind. Then they mentioned that two airliners had gone missing and in that moment for me everything clicked "It must be a terrorist attack!" Those moments have stayed with me as I watched peoples lives and this country changed forever due to that day, the aftermath of it and the wars that followed because of it.

Prevailing Winds

Just a quick entry today as I'm leaving at 5am to drive to five of our furthest flung radio sites in the desert. Hopefully I'll get some interesting photographs, especially at the first one, Joshua Tree National Park. I took this photograph at the top of the Palm Springs Tramway. We've all heard of prevailing winds, but how hard must the wind blow to shape a tree like this? One thing I do know is, I would not like to be in one of the cable cars when this kind of wind is blowing!

Henry VIII I am, I am.....

I just had to post this photograph for purely comical reasons. This is a replica of Henry VIII's suit of armour from his younger days and I'm sure you'll agree he apears to be a very modest King. Actually thinking about it I should have taken a profile shot to show you just how modest he was. The Tower of London has a great exhibition about Henry VIII, but you cannot take photographs inside it, but I managed to find this suit of armour in the Tower of London shop outside. During his younger days Henry was a very fit young king but as he grew older so that fitness was replaced by more than a middle age spread. There are some images showing how he grew in size every decade and by the time he was 50 it was not a pretty site. Click on the photo for a larger version.

Evolution of a Radio Site Week 4

It's Tuesday and week 4 in my series about the building of one of the new radio sites for the County of Riverside's public safety radio system. As you can see one week can change a whole lot of things. Concrete was poured over reinforcing bar (rebar) in the 12ft deep holes for the tower foundations. A couple of days later the 100ft tower was constructed by tower climbers who bolted the 20ft sections together with the help of a crane. Then later that same day the prefabricated building was brought in by truck from Arizona. A crane lifted the building onto it's foundation pad, which it was then bolted to. Out of view in this photograph the propane gas tank, which is used for emergency back up generators has been set and bolted onto it's concrete pad.

Now one of the most important parts of a radio site gets installed and the trench you see here is part of that. That work is GROUNDING (or earthing to the Brit's reading this). Because radio towers sit high up in the air above everything else and are made from steel they have a habit of being struck by lightening. I never had any idea about the amount of time, effort and engineering that goes into the grounding system to deal with lightening strikes. Without an effective grounding system one lightening strike could destroy every piece of equipment inside the radio site. A lightening strike is so powerful it can take many different routes into the equipment building and the grounding system has to deal with every one of those possible routes to dissipate the electrical charge effectively. Click on the photograph for a larger version.

Terrace of the Jade Mirror

This is a photograph taken from inside the Terrace of the Jade Mirror at Huntington Gardens Chinese Garden. This little Chinese style villa is perfectly set up for framed photographs. According to an article I read in the LA Times, the Chinese Garden was built by workmen from China, who worked for six months to create the Garden of Flowing Fragrance. This style of garden is based on the Ming era garden from about the 16th century, with buildings that have openings to look a specific view. A lot of thought went into this and made it a lot easier for me to come along and get a great photograph. Like I said before, go and visit Huntington Gardens, it's a beautiful and peaceful place, right in the middle of Pasadena. Click on the photograph for a larger version.

St Clement's Church

During our recent trip to England, me being me and having a fascination with trains I wanted to take a trip on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. In the past when I have taken trips on this miniature railway I have started the journeys in Hythe. Fortunately for me the RH&DR timetable worked out that it would be best to begin the journey in the small town of New Romney. Just before we arrived in New Romney we passed through the village of Old Romney and there off to one side is one of the strangest looking, most picturesque churches I have ever seen. After our trip on the RH&DR I drove back to the church to photograph it. The light was a bit harsh, with the unusual English clear blue skys, but I was there and would do the best I could. St Clement's church dates back to at least the 12th century and the yew tree next to it is at least that old. This area of Kent is famous for the smugglers that used to dominate the local villages and rumour has it that the clergy and the church were also involved. Click on the image for a larger version.

The Beach Huts

"What's a beach hut?" I hear all my American friends ask and from all my English friends "Oh I remember my summer days spent by the seaside in a beach hut". A beach hut for all those asking is a garden shed (for want of a better term) that's built on the promenade by sea. People own these sheds and spend their summer days by the beach in this shed, that allows them to cook and get changed before and after a dip in the sea. You are not allowed to sleep in them, although I'm sure some people do and really they only work for people that can make a day trip to the seaside from their homes. When I was growing up instead of going away some summers, we would rent a beach hut for the week at Frinton-on-Sea (once a very posh town). It was about a 20 minute drive from home and we would spend a family vacation everyday driving down to the beach. The day would be filled with swimming, building sand castles, flying kites and kicking a football (soccer ball) around. Then at the end of the day we would head home to get ready to do it all over again the next day. It's funny when you think about how as a kid you could make your own entertainment, there was no video games, DVD's, iPods (even the walkman didn't exist) or Internet but we could always find things to do and have fun with.

This photograph is of the beach huts near Bateman Tower in Brightlingsea. It was taken late at night with no wind and a calm sea. To the left of the beach huts the rocky shore that stretches into the distance used to be the embankment for the railway branch line that used to run to Brightlingsea from Wivenhoe. It was closed in 1964 and today is used as a footpath and makes for a very pleasent walk along the Colne estuary. Click on the photo for a larger version.

Happy Birthday Janet!

50 years ago today Janet Elaine Anderson came into the world, probably kicking and screaming. She was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and then got to travel and live in many different parts of the country as an Air Force Brat with her brother Russ. She has a great 30 year old daughter called Heather and has worked for the County of Riverside for 24 years, where she got to meet me. Luckily for me during her 46th year (I'd have thought at 46 she would be wiser) Janet accepted my proposal of a date and then a while later of marriage. We have now been married for 3 years and I feel very lucky to call her my wife. Happy Birthday Janet, I love you!!!

This photograph of Janet was taken at Huntington Gardens overlooking the pool in the Chinese Garden.