Rainy Day in Venice

It doesn't happen very often - I think it was the first time in 3 months that it rained, but it was beautiful! Venice looks so clean and fresh after the rain!


The succulents are happy :)

I am not planning on going swimming in the next little while. A lot of the trash from the streets ends up in the ocean.


Bella Pacifica

Rainbow over Venice

Leonardo

"Art is never finished, only abandoned. "

says Leonardo da Vinci. I heard Fritjof Capra speak about his latest book "The Science of Leonardo" and I'd say I consider both of them, Fritjof and Leonardo, accepted in my club of heroes. 

In the presentation I learned that Leonardo was left handed, wrote from the right to the left side on the pages in his many sketch books - in mirrored letters, just so that he wouldn't get bored.

He was also vegetarian - I am guessing there were not too many vegetarians by choice 500 years ago. He loved animals so much and he didn't want to hurt them, so he wouldn't eat them. When he was asked, how he knew that plants wouldn't feel pain too, he even came up with an evolutionary theory.  He would argue that animals move, so they could bump into things, and therefore they would be able to feel pain, as a way of navigating safely through the world. Plants on the other hand, are stationary, so wouldn't require pain sensors.

Leonardo filled thousands of pages with concepts, drawings, experiments related to the natural world, which Fritjof Capra studied and he concludes: "Only now, five centuries later, as the limits of the Newtonian science are becoming all too apparent and the mechanistic Cartesian worldview is giving way to a holistic and ecological view not unlike Leonardo's, can we begin to appreciate the full power of his science and its great relevance for our modern era.

Fritjof Capra at Symbiosis in Yosemite

I am definitely inspired to read his book.

For more, check out this link.

Introducing the new addition to the family

Here he is: Mr. Fit. Honda Fit. An ULEV. According to the California Air Resource Board an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle. So far it's averaging a 33 miles per gallon, which according to this website corresponds to 7 liters per 100 km. Mine is the silverbullet in the front, hanging out with his black buddy from Pasadena.


This is in the Mojave Desert - close to Kramer Junction. The rock formations in the distance allegedly are among the oldest rock in the world.

Since my move has cost some money, visits to the hairdresser have not been in the budget. Here I am, with long hair, trying to survive the heat of the desert, and happy to report that I have managed to stay "sunkissed" - not "sunburnt"! Best wishes - and remember to enjoy whatever you are doing!

Station Fire - near Los Angeles

The mountains are on fire!

I am not kidding!
One minute I am relaxing at Peet's on Main, the next day I find out the mountains are on fire!
This view is from Venice beach, the mountains are about 30 miles in land and the forest on the mountains is on fire. The News was telling me that the fire is 5% contained; does that mean that it is 95% completely out of control? Let's be optimistic and be happy that by now it is 30% containt and it looks like Mt Wilson's observatory and the radio signals (read more here)


America - the land of basketball!


New meets old
Gehry's Beach House
Venice Pier
Beach houses during the golden hour
Seagulls
on a yacht, which is an office, looking at Marina del Rey
Smoke makes nice sunsets! (so does smog pollution for that matter) The closer you get to the mountains, the smokier it gets, and the harder it is to breathe. I also hear it's raining ash!

Hiking in the Santa Monica Mountain

The Santa Monica Mountains are just North of Santa Monica. A ride in the Honda Fit - along the coast on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) through Malibu, then up the mountains at Yerba Buena Rd. took Rebecca and myself to Circle X Ranch. A few miles after Circle X Ranch starts the Mishe Mokwa Trail at the Sandstone Peak trailhead. Circle X Ranch is a great place to stop for water, a restroom, and a map though.

The Road from Circle X to Sandstone Peak Trailhead

Manzanita...with the peeling red bark

Here I am holding a pebble and...
voila! I placed it on the mountain in the distant! I tricked you, didn't I? ;)

Mishe Mokwa means Great Bear in Native American. To be specific "Grizzly" and he is the spirit keeper of West.

Funnel Web Spiders? Fortunately we only saw there beautiful structures, no encounters with the home owner.

Volcanic Rock near Inspiration Point


Mt. Allen also known as Sandstone Peak, which is ironically made from volcanic rock, not from Sandstone.

On the peak we were welcomed by circling vultures and a raven. The photo credit of the vulture on the picture below goes to Numoon, but the birds we saw sure looked like him.

After the heat on the mountain and a 4 hour hike, we needed some ocean breeze. Photos below from El Matador Beach - just north of Malibu.


More beautiful land creations...and the million dollar home in the back. The owner didn't think there was sufficient water in the pacific - the deck comes with a pool ;)

Deep Creek

Enjoying the heat, coffee and view of the desert last weekend.

Deep Creek Hotsprings don't only offer awesome hotsprings, but also a refreshing cool creek. A 2-mile-hike through desert landscape leads to the springs.

At night I heard the coyotes howling in the distance, an owl and during the day we saw the biggest humming bird ever. He was the size of a robin! well almost..

See more here: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/recreation/deepcreek/

LA Update - July

Life has been busy. I forgot how much energy it takes to settle in a new country. Everything is new. From finding your way to the grocery store, to work, getting a bank account. Unpacking. And then there is the phenomenon - that you know exactly where a certain thing was in the old place and in the new place its location is a mystery. Have you experienced this before? I am glad the move went fairly smooth and am grateful for all the friends and family, who helped with the (mas o menos) perfect execution. Muchas gracias!

Last weekend a mini vacation in the Huntington Gardens. I must say definitely in the top 3 list of the best parks ever. Californian climate allows pretty much anything to grow, so here are Asian gardens, English gardens full of Hummingbirds, and a conservatory.

Turtle Norton and curious Annie

Britta and Bones - hosts and tour guides :)

...definitily up to something...but what???

Warrior Goddess

This leaf is in the rain forest conservatory. If I was a volunteer at Huntington gardens, that's where I would hang out on a hot summer day - loved the mist!

Until soon. Best wishes.