Santa Monica

Impermanence

Impermanence is both a process of continual loss,
in which things exist and then disappear.
And it is also a process of continuous rebirth or creativity,
in which things that do not exist suddenly appear.

~ Joseph Goldstein

Memorial Day

Gray Morning, Sunny Afternoon

Afternoon Light

Saturday

Dinner with Friends

Mad Men

Hollywood in B&W

LI

The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.

Robert Frost

The Oasis

Oasis
1. a fertile or green area in an arid region (as a desert)
2. something that provides refuge, relief or a pleasant contrast

Wind Farm

The largest and oldest wind farm in the US is in Palm Springs,

at the San Gorgonio Pass, gateway to the Coachella Valley.

Winds speeds along this route can reach 80 mph,

 only 5 miles faster than a category 1 hurricane.

The perfect environment for a field of 4,000 turbines 

which produce enough energy to power Palm Springs and the entire valley.

Driving on the highway towards PS,

my first glimpse of the windmills rising from the desert floor

always makes me smile.

A swath of white mechanical arms marching in the wind.

From the mountain peaks they dot the landscape in symmetrically rows.

But up close, they take on a different persona.

A futuristic incarnation of Don Quiotes' enemies.

A low hum of the blades accompanies the silence.

The wind blows.

Walking amongst them is like entering another dimension

especially as the sun lowers casting dramatic shades of yellow and orange across the sky.

Pool After a Windy Night

Love Affair

I fall in love with places.

I don't know what comes first;

the pull to go to a certain city or the experiences, once I'm there, that leave an indelible mark.

My heart is lassoed to three locations:

New York City, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs.

Lucky me, this week I was in all three.

New York City was my first love, and it still makes my heart skip a beat.

It was the metropolis that cast the largest shadow on my suburban home town.

Frankie sang about it. Ann Marie inhabited it.  My ancestors settled there.

When I envisioned myself post college, tossing my hat up in the air,
the backdrop was always Manhattan.

My inevitable future.

Los Angeles took me by surprise.

In my late 20s, my unexpected restlessness caught me off guard.

The City of Angels teased me like a siren coaxing a sailor.  I had no choice, but to acquiesce.

I left not knowing if I'd return, but I never truly considered going back.

LA found me.

It gave me mountains to climb, an inspiring career and a home to entertain in.

When I started to shift my life to include Palm Springs

I was unaware the joy it would give me and for how long.

My heart thrives in the desert's glowing light, and arid climate.

There are other places that, every so often, whisper my name.

Perhaps, one day they will take root

and blossom into a love affair.

Twentysomething Boyfriend

Bates Motel

French artist Vincent Lamouroux has turned Silver Lake's

dilapidated old motel at Sunset and Bates

into a temporary public art space called  Projection.

The structure and trees were sprayed bright white with an ecologically safe limewash.

It's intended to both attract attention and disrupt the colorful "commercial landscape" that surrounds it on this part of bustling Sunset Boulevard.

Based on the number of people who are stopping to take in the sight,

it seems to be doing both.

The building has been vacant for decades and will be demolished soon

to make way for a 122-unit building with 5,000 square feet of combined retail and restaurant space,

a 4,519-square-foot gym/recreational space for residents,

and 165 parking spaces in two levels of underground parking.

Read:  more traffic.