Tag: irvine

Woodbridge Snow View 1

Woodbridge Snow View 1 on Flickr.

Today’s flashback from my archives for Flickr’s Twitter Tuesday theme: Lake.

Woodbridge Lake is an artificial lake in Irvine, California, surrounded by suburbs. On this occasion in 2008, the mountains in the distance were covered with snow – highly unusual since they’re all less than a mile high! Normally, the two highest peaks in this range, known collectively as Saddleback, get a light dusting once or twice each winter, but that year an unusual snowstorm covered the entire range.

Barn After the Storm

Old Town Irvine After the Storm

Well, technically, it’s Old Town Irvine during a lull in a storm last December. The clouds were moving very fast, with light and shadow moving over the empty fields and office parks, and I waited several minutes for the sun to play over this scene.

I particularly liked the contrast of the dead brown tumbleweeds scattered around the bright green meadow.

My one regret with this photo is not being able to capture the steep drop-off into a wash right below the frame. I could get the wash, or the sky, but not both.

UCI Student Center: Then and Now

UC Irvine Student Center: Then and Now

Composite of two photos of the University of California, Irvine Student Center: One taken in 1997, the other in 2007.

The biggest difference (aside from the time of day) is that the Student Center itself was torn down and replaced with a new complex, which is why I focused on the center area for the cut-out. The Irvine Barclay Theatre, Administration Building and Student Services II, ring road, and the office building in the distance are all still there.

See also my write-up about taking the second photo.

At least 100 squirrels

I must have seen at least 100 squirrels just walking down one block in Irvine. That’s the EDGE of the lot. There must be even more inside.

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Observations uploaded to iNaturalist in 2019:

There were a *lot* of squirrels in the hedge and lawn between an empty lot and the street. I posted on Twitter at the time that I’d seen at least 100 along the edge of the block.

Santa Ana Mountains Snow II

Santa Ana Mountains Snow from Irvine

According to Flickr, this is my most interesting* photo that isn’t someone in costume at a fan convention. It’s #68 on the list!

The photo was taken December 18, 2008, after a storm passed through Orange County and did something unusual: it blanketed the Santa Ana Mountains with snow. Saddleback typically gets a light dusting a couple of times a year, and the next peak down sometimes gets a little snow that melts by noon, but it’s rare for the snow to reach any lower.

The vantage point is a housing development on Quail Hill, looking southeast over the Irvine Spectrum area. You can see the Great Park Balloon near the left. Saddleback itself is out of frame to the right, but you can see its base (the peaks are covered in clouds) in the panorama I shot at the same time.

*Flickr’s “interestingness” is a measure that combines a count of views, comments, and “favorites.” The exact balance is secret, but from what I can tell, comments outweigh favorites, which outweigh views.

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.