Devil's Gate Dam

I've driven past the dam, built in 1920, about a billion times and always wanted to take some pix. During the Station Fire I took one, but it was dark and I didn't really get to explore. I finally got the chance last Saturday when I walked around the park a but in the rain. Apparently there's a lot more to explore however, and I'm already antsy to go back.

I shot a roll of film while I was there as well, but I think it will be a while before that's developed. Will just have to wait and see on those.

A walk in the rain: The Hahamongna Watershed

I took a walk Saturday in the Hahamongna Watershed and around Devil's Gate Dam. The park sits at the top of the Arroyo, just beneath JPL. Though it was empty except for a few joggers while I was there it's apparently a popular place for horseback riding and dog walking. I only saw a fraction of the park because of the rain and am looking forward to checking it out again. Some of the pix I took:

Looking through old pix tonight...

and came across this portrait of my grandmother.

Walking along early one morning...

I never get the chance to walk around and shoot these days. Keeping up with a speeding toddler takes way more attention than I ever thought, lift the camera and focus and the boy is taking off through a parking lot or hailing a taxi to take him to the airport. So it was kind of a treat the other day when I had to drop off my wife's car at the break of dawn and found myself alone with some nice light. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera, just my phone.

I liked this yard though, or whatever it is. And the enormous AC. 

A few pix from Palm Springs...

Finally got my film developed. There were several rolls from our trip to Palm Springs in May (so long ago, what happened to the summer?).

This one is my favorite. It looks so stark. The strange texture along the top is something that happened during processing, maybe from the film being out of date. A happy accident I think. 

Officially Cabazon I think. Continuing my love affair with chain link fences.

And dinosaurs. 

There was some color as well but it is not I have a harder time digitizing that with my camera. The colors turn out all wonky. I may post it later though.

B & W

Jasmine outside our bedroom window. 

Variations on a theme, from Palm Springs.

Clifton's Cafeteria...

A Los Angeles landmark, Clifton's has been downtown for seventy years. I finally got my chance to visit on my last day of my internship in May. The food is questionable, but the atmosphere is outstanding.

Waiting in line. I didn't take any interior shots because I was in a hurry and I'm not sure how well they would have come out on my phone anyway. It's a must see though, at least once.

Cherry Picker

More Backlight...

One of the benefits of living in Southern California is year round grilling. This is appropriate for today, but I think I took it in mid-May.

*

The Oinkster

Backlight

From the Archive -- BSA

My brother on his bike in TX. This was before he lovingly restored it. Also before a woman in a Buick drove into me while I was riding it.

Finally, pix not taken with a phone.

I finally got around to "digitizing"* some old film. One is from my Zeiss shot early last year some time, with pix from the roadtrip I took to pick up Charlie when he moved out and a few shots around Venice, CA while I waited for a singer I was photographing to get her makeup done. Then there were a couple rolls from my lomo, random shots around town. You can check them all out on my flickr site if you're so inclined.

From my road trip. I was having an issue with the camera so I unloaded the film and put it back in, this is a double exposure.

Venice, CA.

Chinatown.

Hhmmmm, donuts.

Mysterious tanks.

The Arboretum.

F-104, March Air Museum. 

Abandoned garage, Glendale.

I have six more rolls to process, plus the one in my camera. I'm trying to get away from the phone a bit, just for kicks.

*I don't have a scanner really. I can occasionally use my wife's work scanner but I tend to not get enlargements made, just contact sheets. This has led to a sort of lo-fi, hi-tech solution to digitizing my negs. I put them on a light box and shoot them with my digital camera. People have copied photos this way since the beginning (I've read of daguerreotypes of other daguerreotypes) and it does lend a sort of vintage look to the final result (especially with color, which is tough to balance this way). 

Silverlake

Disneyland

Pix from Disneyland a few weeks ago.

Charlie wrangling toddlers. T had gotten soaked in a fountain and was stripped to the waist almost immediately. 

 

Castle. You have to take this pic.

It's a Small World. Still the creepiest ride in the park, though it's been updated since last I was there. It's also always good for the awesome A/C and short lines. It's pretty much the only ride we went on, unless you count lines in restaurants as rides, which I kind of do.