Nighttime Fair From Above

OC Fair from Above at Night
OC Fair from Above at Night, originally uploaded by Kelson.

Looking down at the carnival area of the 2009 Orange County Fair from the top of the Ferris wheel. This was the end of a busy afternoon and evening at the fair that encompassed “Weird Al” Yankovic’s 3-D brain, a concert, and the horrifying realization that at the fair, people will fry anything. Is the world ready for the Zucchini Weenie?

Santa Ana Mountains Snow

Saddleback Snow Quail Hill View
Santa Ana Mountains Snow – Quail Hill View, originally uploaded by Kelson.

Monday’s storm didn’t leave much snow on Saddleback (though the San Gabriel Mountains were pretty well covered), but it’s been cold enough that I half-suspect this weekend’s storm will leave a bit more.

So here are a couple of views of the Santa Ana Mountains and the Irvine Spectrum from last December, seen from Quail Hill. The first was taken the morning after the storm ended. The second was taken the following day at lunchtime. I’ve also got a full panorama taken at the same time as the first photo.

Santa Ana Mountains Snow - Quail Hill Revisited
Santa Ana Mountains Snow – Quail Hill Revisited, originally uploaded by Kelson.

Neptune Pool (Hearst Castle)

Neptune Pool

The main outdoor swimming pool at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. Taken on a tour last February.

This was at least the third time I’ve been to Hearst Castle, and the second time as an adult. I vaguely remember visiting when I was eight, or ten, or somewhere around that age. Years later, in 2008, my wife and I planned a trip to San Francisco and decided to do it in stages, including a stopover at Hearst Castle. We only had time for one of the four tours, so when we planned another trip this year, we made sure to include another stop in San Simeon. This time we had a little more sense of how much time was involved, and managed to fit in two of the remaining tours.

At some point, we need to head back during spring or summer when they’re running the garden tour.

Morning Glories

Morning Glories
Morning Glories, originally uploaded by Kelson.

Last year my wife and I found some morning glories growing in our backyard, and decided to train them with twine to grow along the back wall. They did phenomenally well…and then produced a zillion seed pods, reminding us that they’re often classified as weeds.

They’re gone now.