Trees of Val Verde: Wanted Dead or Alive

Val Verde park sported a number of interested trees, some living, some dead, some palm, some not, and one pregnant. 

A twisted tree.  That'll happen when planted next to the community center. 

Pregnant tree.  About 8 months.  And you thought trees had seeds.  

Red beard.  No wonder people think trees have souls.  

Woodpecker holes.  There were lots of holes in this tree.  And all had this same pattern, slowly working left to right and dropping lower each hole, with the holes just over an inch apart.  

Conclave of trees . 

Dead heading.  

View from above.  

Last dead tree.  

Val Verde Park Signs

Made a side trip to Val Verde Park and took some pictures.  A casual, elderly, quiet sort of place.  Narrow streets, run down houses.  Seemed rather pleasant.  Had a few kids, but I saw rather way more adults than kids.

These pictures are some of the park signs posted around.

Poor park, getting graded and it's not even in school.  This gate was the best gate I experienced! 

As I looked at the pool building, I was trying to guess if the building had been built in the 1940s or 1960s.  They must have dusted off an old design.  The date is July 1996. 

This sign is quite true.  There is no one flying over water in this picture.  Superman, be alert.  No flying over water in Val Verde park.  

These are better than the things available in my park.  And it's better than a bag, too!  But its degradable, so use it quick.  

Because women still wear A-frame midi hoop skirts.  

Yes, lets just put this sign in amongst this bush of poison oak.  After installing the sign, those guys were really itching.  And our friends the sign taggers know all this already, and figured we didn't need to read the sign.  

The sign size Water Bond 2000, and Governator Schwarzenegger, but he wasn't governator in 2000.  

Its an accessible path for the handicapped unfortunately the gate is closed, and only folks not in wheel chairs can make it around the gate to get to the playground beyond.  This right there is going to make me downgrade my park experience. 

And they pay all their taxes and never write nasty notes to the county commissioners and never step in the poison oak.  

Lets see.  Counter clockwise from upper left.  (1) No jug wine and no martinis, at least none with an olive.  (2) No carts with umbrellas if they only have 2 wheels.  (3) No underarm spray and no styptic pencils.  (4) Men (see above for women) may bring their mastiffs on a leash. 

Trees and plants of COC

And some associated College of the Canyons wildlife too. 

Pretty purple-red leaves. 

Oddly shaped bole there.  

And its neighbor.  I guess they grow together.  

Ent.  It does have a beard.  

blue flowers.  

Wall flower?  Ok.  Wall ivy.  

Darn squirrel ruined my shot of the tree.  

Trash and assorted items at College of the Canyons

Trash cans and drains and such at COC. 

Trash can in the bathroom.  So attractive.  Think of how much time we spend looking at beautiful things like this. 

This is not a dumpster, but got stuck here anyway.  The dumpster is a couple of posts ago in the signs post.  This is next door to the dumpster.  Someone goes and parks their storage bin right there, then puts a "NO PARKING" sign on it.  Hope that's not self-referential. 

Drains to ... somewhere.  I need the blue spray-painted porpoise so I know that it drains to ocean. 

Manhole cover with rat tail.  That's one way to lift it up.  Until the rat tail erodes away from all the people stepping on it.  

Modern convenience trash can.  Brand new and spiffy, hardly ever been used.  This is where I'm throwing my trash out.  

Whimsical stuff at College of the Canyons

Some random things I randomly ran across. 

This is a portrait photograph of a car. 

Self portrait.  You know all those websites featuring folks going into bathrooms taking pictures of themselves?  This is my contribution. 

Maybe I shouldn't have rotated this picture.  Then again.  Which way is up when you're taking a picture of the ceiling?  

Talk about random items.  A birdhouse I assume.  

Table just sitting there.  

Another self-portrait.  Clearly in need of a little trim around the midriff.  

Barrier protection device.  Also known as a railing.  As in skinny as a rail ling.  

College of the Canyon Buildings

More COC (College of the Canyons) pictures.  These are some of the building views I caught.

Camouflage park bench with window.  Check out the tree shadow too. 

Student center entrance with windows.  In a place where the temperature hits 110 in the summer, you'd think you'd need a lot less windows.  

Love the stairs and the handrail shadows going up and down.  

And the weird looking building next to the stairs. 

Reflections in the windows.  

Sometimes the absence of a building is the most important thing about the building.  

One way to make a dodecagon.  Start with a 13 sided polygon and remove one side.  

Windows, doors, supports and a hill.  

Never let it be said that ugly can't be beautiful. Note the "No graffiti" sign erasure. 

College of the Canyons Signs

A series of pictures from the local community college, College of the Canyons, Valencia campus.  This set is actually a later set.  There is an earlier set that had so many wonderful pictures, I haven't gotten around to posting them yet.  This being a smaller set, it's managing to get posted first. 

This particular set are signs posted around campus.  There are lots of more signs, they really have an amazing coterie of signs on this campus. 

I don't care what the sign says.  This is not a fire.  And you can't start one with that gadget either. 

Kind of an art to making STOP signs stand out.  These people obviously failed the course.  

I wasn't going to post this one, till I realized what was so odd about the picture.  That's a picture of a dumpster.  And there's a "NO DUMPING" sign right next to it.  So what are we supposed to do with this dumpster?  Diving anyone?  

Ya think?  So I should leave now.  Some of those other signs though, gotta wonder.  And its a pretty big property.  Suppose someone doesn't happen to notice this particular sign?  

I can DREAM can't I?  Only if you exit through the door sir.  Here's to dreaming of an alcoholic beverage.  

I've known some down-right non-reserved handicapped folks.  Where should they park? 

The phone on the sign is bigger than the little box containing the phone.  I'm guessing its a micro miniaturized cell phone inside. 

Snort.  Sure there's danger.  Or maybe its that DANGER is CLOSED today.  Or there's an extra D on the sign and it should say DANGER CLOSE?  And what if walk around that pretty intimidating looking barrier?