Science, Statistics, Politics, Current Events, Photos and Life.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Ghost Houses

A quick photo to tide you and me over until I process the next batch of photos. 

Ghost houses from Valencia Bridgeport.  Complete with floral curtain. 

Boo!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Valencia: Fences, Sidewalks and Shadows

The title describes these pictures. We see interplay of sun and fences and concrete. 

Bike path in Valencia Bridgeport. The sun reflects off the sidewalk. 

The fence is fine, but what I like in this picture are the reflections and glare and shadows in the fence slats and posts.  The photographer intruded into the picture. 

Fence up close and personal.  I'm sure there's a further message here about putting our playgrounds behind bars. 

Shadow fencing. 

Sunward view of the sidewalk and fence.  Sign posts shadow the sidewalk. 

Same sidewalk, viewing away from the sun.  Shadows fall. 

Valencia Signs

How do you know you're in Santa Clarita? So many helpful signs!  Here we have driving instructions and detailed use of your school and what to do with various (current or former) animal body parts. 

Those witty metrosexual characters in Valencia have gone way past the traditional symbols for male and female. 

And the abnormal school hours are what?

Don't do this, but do do that. 

I'm sure there is a secret message here, but I can't figure it out.  Are we keeping the gate closed to prevent the marauding hordes of homeless Valenciano dogs from entering the school grounds, or are we locking our children inside so they can't escape and go pet one of those marauding hordes?

Even the trash bins come with helpful documentation.  Who knew?  And for the legal minded, a reference for further details. 

And these can be found all over Santa Clarita.  These signs indicate that you are located in a nice place to walk as long as you watch the ground carefully before you step.  And don't let the children eat the dirt. 

Valenciana Textures

Surface textures from Valencia Bridgeport. 

Tire treads in the sandy soil. 

Tire tread, sand and hair barrette in the gutter.  

Stucco building corner. 

Valencia: Round Things, Holes and Boles

Images of Valencia Bridgeport: tether balls, holes in the curb and tree boles both real and ersatz. 

A lonely trio of tether balls behind a fence. 

Tether ball redux.  Free the tether ball two! 

Drainage holes in the curb.  Must be a lot of area and water that needs to be drained. 

Tree bole 1.  All trees seem to have a circular dirt spot around them.  It is important for trees to have a defensible space around them. 

Tree bole 2.  Complete with weathered dinosaur skeleton beginning to appear from underground. 

Tree bole 3.  Lots of roots visible.  None of these trees have branches or leaves. 

Tree bole 4.  And people love to imitate mother nature.  This fake tree bole sports a metal bole.  A concrete apron replaces the usual circular dirt patch. 

Valencia Structures

A quartet of structures snapped in the Valencia Bridgeport area.  As you'll note, one photo isn't of structures in Bridgeport, but the photographer was there while taking the photo!

Electrical towers and a car dealer's parking structure visible across the Santa Clarita wash.

I associate chlorine with pools, but there are no pools near this Danger Chlorine No Trespassing structure. 

The glories of New England brought to Southern California.  We have our own architecture, but why use that when we can steal someone else's native architecture? 

A closeup of the building in the previous shot.  That's a very large bottle of Pepsi.