Los Olivos, California Day Trip

Olive Oil in a Bottle
When I was a kid one of the crank calls I made was calling a market and asking if they had Olive Oyl in a bottle. They would say, yes, they do. "You better let her out 'cause Popeye's gonna get real mad!" Click.
My wife, son, niece, sister-in-law and I took a drive up to Santa Ynez and Rancho Olivos, California. It is just north of Santa Barbara and right next to Solvang. This one place we stopped at is Olivos Ranch. They have 3 acres of olive trees - Spanish olives and varieties of Italian olives. They send them to the press and produce very good oils. My favorites are the Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Spanish) and the Garlic Flavored Olive Oil. I got one bottle of the Garlic Flavored - I'll be back for more!

Murphy Eating Maggie Mae
No, not really. These 2 dogs live at Rancho Olivos and are the 2 friendliest of the ranch dogs. They really made our stay at the ranch enjoyable. They followed us around like they were our own dogs. We'll be back for more oil and to visit Murphy and Maggie!






Murphy Eating Horse Poop!
Yep, that's what he's doing. 'Nuf said.












Horse Whiskers













Majestic Oak, Los Olivos
The golden hills of California are dotted with beautiful oak trees. This one, right in the middle of town, was one of the biggest and most majestic oak trees I have seen. I am sure it is at least a couple of hundred years old. I did not think of it on this trip but next time I will ask one of the locals to see how old it is.

Dash the Beggar Dog
We stopped at a little market/deli in town to have lunch and we soon had an uninvited guest. This dog, Dash, as his tag read, was very polite. He did not whine, bark or do anything else that was annoying and I think that is what made him endearing - he just sat there and waited. I liked my tri-tip sandwich and was too hungry to share it with him, but I did offer him some pepperoncini which he declined. I then offered him an onion slice, a piece of tomato and a small piece of sourdough bread. He snubbed them all! Nikki, my niece, was secretly (I was on to her and gave her a wink) dropping small bits of her ham sandwich, Dash obliged. Turns out he likes ham and cheese. He's big enough where you can't not notice him. He's not too big to be intimidating. And he's not so small that a tourist can just pick him up and take him home. He's the perfect size to be begging for food. Yes, other patrons did toss him scraps. After lunch as we walked around town and checked out some of the small shops, we spotted Dash at another sandwich shop with outdoor seating looking for more suckers!




Fat Cat on a Barrel
Dash obviously has not gotten a hold of this one.

Wooden Eye?
Smiley face spotted on one of the planks on the Santa Barbara pier where we topped off our day trip.

Break Time!

Break Time! This factory of a couple thousand workers in Xin Lo, China is letting them out for one of their 15 minute breaks. Many larger factories in China have their own dormitory to house the workers as most are from the countryside or provinces far from the cities. As well as housing them, they also have large cafeterias where the workers are fed. Labor laws in China have started to be strictly enforced as of January 2008 resulting in better working conditions and higher wages. Another result was the closing of thousands of factories that could not keep up with the new laws. I was told by the the owner of this factory that just a very few years ago, where this factory stands was all farmland!

Hong Kong Scenes

Over the Sea of Okhotsk

This is the sea ice breaking up in the Sea of Okhotsk in Late February. On my first flight to Asia I naturally assumed I would be seeing nothing but water beneath. The flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong actually goes all the way up the west coast of the U.S. and then down the east coast of Russia, Japan then to Hong Kong. I was fortunate enough to be sitting on the right side of the plane and enjoyed the beautiful view until I was ordered by the stewardess to close my blind. (She asked me nicely the first time until I told her I prefer to leave it open to look out the window). I flew Cathay Pacific and the service was outstanding. Food and drinks were available during the entire 14 hour flight. You can either ask the stewardess or get up and get it yourself at your leisure. What a great way to fly!

Hong Kong Bay Junk

This Chinese Junk was coming in to port on Hong Kong Bay. All hands on deck.

Street Crossing - Hong Kong

Street scene in the vibrant city of Hong Kong. Walking in this city is a sensory adventure.

Hey Mister, Need a Lighted Toy?Hong Kong Bay waterfront.Window Chef

I'm not sure what he was cooking but it all smelled appealing.

Know what they call Chinese food in China?

......................................Food। ;-)

At the Garden Store

Crocs on a Wall
Armstrong Gardens, Carlsbad, California


Crayola Box Fungi were found in several pots in this one spot. It got me to think that most people would buy one or 3 of these and place them around their garden, but having a whole garden of these would be quite a sight!

Spherical Self Portrait

Jacky and Grubs. Yes, that is a giant menu he is holding. And, yes, those are giant deep-fried grubs on the menu. This was in a popular restaurant in Dong Guan, China.

It was my 1st trip to Asia and I figured "What the hell, I'll give it a try". We ordered the Platter O' Giant Grubs and, as much as I would like to say otherwise, they were delicious. (You really have to know how to handle your chopsticks with these puppies.) I liked them so much I ate 2! These were so big they were two-biters and the one thing I did not do was to look inside after the first bite. I knew that if I did look inside, I would either not continue eating them or blow chunks.

In an artsy area of L.A. known as Silverlake, this Phantom Billboard had been blank for a few weeks. Then one day, just out of the blue, this appeared on it. Was it the work of a rogue artist? As I stopped to take the picture, the owner of the home to the left came out and also commented on how cool and odd the "new" billboard was. I don't know if it's still there as I have not been in that area for a while. But, for that small stretch of my daily commute, it brightened my day just a little more.

Psychedelic Zoo
Stopping at one of my favorite areas in all California, Pacific Grove, we came across this one of a kind little store called Tessuti Zoo. Most of the creatures are original and made in the store! This is a great place to find that unusual and colorful gift for anyone who is hard to shop for. I talked to the owner and told her what a big hit this store would be in the Hollywood area. She said that she and her partner would not be able to keep up with the demand and maintain its originality and uniqueness if they opened other stores. They don't even have a website! So, if you're looking for that unique gift, I guess you'll just have to make a road trip up to beautiful Pacific Grove. Bummer! ;-)

Pinnacles Tree was taken during a road trip to Pinnacles National Monument near Soledad, Callifornia, with my friend, Barney. This was our last stop before heading back home. It was a hot day, as you can see the sun blaring behind this tree. The rangers insisted that all hikers bring water with them due to the heat, desolation and lack of water on the trail. Along the trail I found some of the biggest pine cones I have ever seen and there were a couple of caves that we got to explore.

I Bet He Would Too!

Philippines Leg

Hello Halo Halo. Halo halo is a very popular, refreshing, sweet and delicious dessert/drink in the Philippines. It consists of Jell-O, flan, beans, milk, ice cream and other ingredients that I am not really sure of what they are. It goes down real good in the Manila heat!

Fish and Fruits are sold on just about every roadside in the Philippines. Cars literally stop on the road (you have to be very careful driving there) to buy delicious juicy fresh fruits and, as this boy shows, fish. The fresh fruits there are some of the best I have ever tasted!

Cow Watching Traffic

This is an occassional sight along the roads in the Philippines. This cow was just a couple feet from the road and appeared content just watching the cars whizz by.

Gyne Clean? I was told that the woman in the poster is the daughter of former president Corazon Aquino. She has quite a reputation for being very "sociable" with men, which probably explains her wanting everyone to know how (ahem) clean she is.

Rear View shows some of the many different vehicles all over the Philippines. This is a very convenient and common type of taxi. I did not get the chance to ride on one but they woke me early every morning as these trikes are annoyingly noisy and my sister-in-law's home, where I stayed, is on a fairly busy street.

Surf Meets Sand on the beautiful California coast near San Clemente.
Also near San Clemente is this photo, On Cool Sand. The weather was perfect and the water and sand were cool. California beaches are a great place to relax, read a book, watch the surfers, build castles or just do nothing but enjoy the magnificent Pacific waves crashing.

Sunset Swinging on the highest hill in Turtle Ridge in Irvine, California. My wife Pauline, left, and niece Nikki, right, were enjoying the park until the very last bit of daylight as the sun disappeared over the Pacific Ocean behind them.

High Flyin' Rides was taken at St. Dorothy's yearly fundraiser, the Oak Tree Festival. We've been going to the festival every year since we moved to the area. There's lots of good food, drinks (even ice cold beer on tap), fun rides and games, lots of live performers (dead performers don't do very well) and even a chance to win some $. One year we won one year's tuition!! Here, from left to right, are Rob, Nikki, Marco, Josette and Pauline as they watch the stomach-churning rides above them.

The photo to the right, Spotlight on Hammerhead was in the Maui Ocean Center. I was pointing my camera in the tank looking for a cool shot of the fish and sharks when this magnificent ray of sunlight appeared. It only lasted for about 5 seconds and I never saw it again. I had an awesome time in Maui and would love to go back every year!

Did It Make a Sound? (below) Strolling through the Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia we came across a spectacular sight.

I found this Basking Spider on a sidewalk a block from UC Berkeley. Sidewalk art or a fun way to frighten small children?

Friends on Trikes was taken on my recent trip to Dong Guan, China. Many locals get around either on foot or some sort of cycle. Cars are evidently a fairly new introduction there as there are no old cars, most all the roads look new and driving is a new concept - and the learning curve is steep!

Everglades Grandma was taken in Cooperstown,

Florida. She raises alligators and offers airboat rides through the Everglades, also known as the River of Grass - it is not a swamp as many people believe. She handled this little gator as if it was a kitten. She'll even let you hold it if you dare -I did! The airboat ride is always fun and if you are ever out in that part of the world do not pass up the opportunity to ride one.

I have been there many times for hiking, alligator watching, off-roading, sightseeing, listening to the beautiful sounds of nature, or just plain hangin' out. When the mosquitoes are at a minimum, I would like to go back and do some kayaking or canoeing through there. I love the Everglades.

For more info on this wonderful area go to http://www.everglades.national-park.com/

First Photo on Blog

Welcome to my photo blog. This is essentially a small collection of my photos that I found to be interesting, unusual, funny, thought-provoking, beautiful, strange, inspiring, odd, bizarre, or at the time just plain cool.

If you find that you get any sort of reaction from any of these photos, leave me a comment because I am interested.

I will publish many photos here but please bear with me as this is my first attempt at blogging.

This 1st photo is titled Racing the Waves and was taken at El Matador State Beach in Malibu, California.

Enjoy!