Portraits of COC

Some folks around COC posing for pictures.

Phallic puddle-sized dry lake.

Fire hydrant, also know as a fire plug.  No, not a spark plug johnny, a fire plug.  And no not a bright red beat up old horse.

Tiddly wink and moon.

Delightful trash can.

Miscellaneous College of the Canyons PAC Area

College of the Canyons, in the vicinity of the PAC.  The first one is a bit blurred, apologies, but I liked the shapes none the less.

Stacked boxes parked in a loading zone.

A crack in the building and a hole in the wall.

A fun shot, though imperfect.

Still Lifes at COC

Some still life shots from around the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at College of the Canyons.  These are with the new camera.  I'm still learning how to use it, and some of these duplicate earlier pictures with the other camera.

Door in wall.

A corner piece holding up the ceiling.

Fire sprinkler riser.  Not sure what that is, but its rising inside this door.  The alarm is up and to the left, and the strobe light to the right.  

Every performing arts center needs a basketball hoop.

This looks like the outside loading dock of a black box theater.

Door to freedom.  Couldn't escape otherwise.

Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area: Veggies

Some of the plant life of the Sepulveda basin wildlife area.  I don't know if its me, the camera or the place, but I didn't get many great tree and plant shots of this area.  Anyway, here are some carrots, reflections and trees for your viewing pleasure.

Carrots anyone?  At least, it looks like carrot greens, a little.

Reflections off the river surface.

Nesting in the trees.  Hierarchical models anyone?

Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area: Signs

A lot of signs from many different eras decorating the Sepulveda basin wildlife area.  Who knew we needed so many signs to keep our lives straight?

Also, along with the new camera, I have to decide on picture sizes.  So let me know (in comments or by email) whether you like the pictures large or medium.  I don't much like the small ones, so that's not really on the table, but the previous post did have some smaller plane shots.

Early neo-paleolithic marker stating that oak leaves and acorns could be found here.  Or maybe they're just warning us about pod people.

My first reaction was to listen to the symphony of sounds from the nearby Burbank boulevard throughway (speeds of 50 mph).  But as I worked my way inland away from the street, the bird and bee sounds picked up.  Also the footsteps of joggers, planes over head, the sounds of photographers and people with their remote operated airplanes.

One of many Stonehenge envy sites dotting the Sepulveda basin plain.  These may have served as early markers of campgrounds for weary trekkers tired from their Enterprise simulation exercises.

Another paleo-monolithic micro-stonehenge site, with trash can and directional marker.  A site for pagan worship and dance-offs.

Directional marker.  Crosscountry skiing to the left and right.  A man and a woman both may be found to the left, and a loud speaker generating standing waves also to the left.

That two year flood occurs in even numbered years.  Presumably the zero point for the twenty and fifty year flood is at shoe leather level, or barefoot if you happen to be going barefoot.  That twenty year flood occurs on February 29th of years ending in 20 40 60 80 or 00.  The fifty year flood hasn't happened since the marker was installed.  But how do you suppose they could tell how tall those floods were if the marker wasn't there?  And if it was, did they ride a boat over to the marker to measure how much higher they were than the marker top?

Habitat for Re-humanity-ization needs to get out here and rebuild this trail.  Seems to me the habitat has triumphed over trail building here.

Ducks: floatable objects or immovable forces?  

Someone had a better idea.

I didn't intend to be patronizing.

Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area: Mad-made Objects

Some of the more industrial artifacts visible from, if not actually always in the Sepulveda basin wildlife area.

The fencing keeping idle wanderers from thrusting themselves off the bridge and into the fast flowing frigid waters of the Haskell Creek, which drains into the Los Angeles river a short distance from here.

Three planes visible after take off presumably from Van Nuys airport.  Will add plane types when I hear back from my plane expert.  Cessna 206.

Plane number 2.  Aerocommander.  Perhaps a 690?

And plane number 3.  Gulfstream G4

Building in the distance over the dam and across the freeway.  The stones form part of the dam.  

Another building peaking over the dam and across the 405 freeway.

Thanks to the neighbor guy for help with airplane identification.  

Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area: Left-Overs

Some of the wasted items lying around the wildlife area.

Someone left a shirt or sweater lying around.  Its been rained upon.  I suppose this could be a nice area for the homeless to pick up used clothing at a fair price.

The last flood left this bait container high and dry.

Look ma, a present.  Can I open it now?  Or should we take it home first?

Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area: Birds

A series of posts from the Sepulveda basin wildlife area.  These are some of the birds I managed to snap using the new camera.  Its fun to use, but I'm still getting used to it.

Do you realize how difficult it is to climb trees when you have webbed feet and wings and no hands?

In the brush very close to me.

Funky colored lizard was playing with a mate, when suddenly the mate zoomed across the path and ran fifty or more feet away, leaving this one high and dry.  We don't have these sorts of colors on our lizards at home.

Pop and Mom resting by the sea shore.

Big duck taking care of cleanliness issues.

Sassy Mom.

Painted water fowl.

I thought this was some brush, but closer look reveals that's a fish in its mouth.  You suppose he picked that fish up at the local fish 'n' chips?  You don't suppose he went fishing???

Uhoh.  Apparently he can't read.  This picture was taken while I was standing in the same place as the above picture.

So how'd that go down?

Throat looking a little lumpy?  At least the evidence isn't visible now.

And a white-plumed egret wandering the fields.  This guy also did some eating, but he ate the shrubbery.