The Sign Says: Don’t Even Think About It!

Don't Even Think About It!

I couldn’t decide between these two photos for the latest photo challenge. The first is a warning sign at the edge of Del Cerro Park in Rancho Palos Verdes. It’s a part up at the top of the hill, ending in if not exactly cliffs, a steep drop hundreds of feet down as the hills roll toward the ocean.

“Danger” signs are a dime a dozen. It’s the “Don’t even think about it!” that struck me as photo-worthy.

As for this second one, it’s not so much the sign that I found interesting as the fact that the bird looks like it’s staring at it, dismayed.

“Gee, I hope this doesn’t apply to seagulls, too!”

No Fishing Allowed

I collect pictures of funny/odd/interesting signs at K-Squared Ramblings, so if you’re interested in more, head over there for a look.

Party like it’s 1977…

Comments on Facebook:

Brion Vibber: I assume that’s playing the disco version of the Star Wars theme…
May 27, 2013, 12:00 AM
Kelson Vibber: Or the Cantina song.
May 27, 2013, 12:10 AM
Lia Brown: Oh man, those record players were the best. Does it still work?
May 27, 2013, 9:36 PM
Kelson Vibber: Believe it or not, it’s new. It turns out there’s a whole subset of the toy market for retro toys.It’s a bit different under the hood – I’ve had to fix it once already, and it’s actually chip-driven, not classic music box works. I figure it’s probably cheaper these days to make it with fewer moving parts.
May 28, 2013, 8:34 AM
Marisa Saam: I had one of those! 🙂
May 29, 2013, 12:58 PM

Manhattan Beach at Night

Manhattan Beach at Night on Flickr.

My first attempt to spot Comet Pan-Starrs on Monday evening didn’t work out, but I got to look back at the coast from the end of the pier, which was nice. You can see the Palos Verdes hills/peninsula in the background to the right.

Read about my comet-watching experience.

Looking for comet Pan-STARRS last night. A lot of people had chosen the same hillside park…

Looking for #comet Pan-STARRS last night. A lot of people had chosen the same hillside park and were sharing their telescopes and binoculars as we watched the #sunset over the clouds, then the barely crescent #moon coming into view, and finally the comet itself. More at K2R: Comet Watch

Downtown San Diego’s nighttime skyline, seen from Harbor Island across the bay…

Downtown San Diego’s nighttime skyline, seen from Harbor Island across the bay to the west. You can see the light trails from a couple of boats. The yellowish sky is the reflection of street lights on low-lying clouds. I have a wider shot that shows how much darker the sky is away from the city.

This was taken during last year’s Comic-Con. I figured I’d post it this week because the first round of hotel rooms go on sale this Wednesday. These are non-refundable, outside of downtown, and in some cases specific packages with minimum stays, but if you already have tickets and want to avoid the “Hoteloween” rush when the rest of the rooms go on sale, it might be worth taking a look.

Either way, you might be interested in my collection of Tips for Comic-Con.

“We’ll turn you from other craft stores.”

ashamanhannigan:

kelsonv:

Little-known fact: in the First Age, Mazrim Taim sought power by running a craft store, rather than becoming head of the Asha’man.

Where did you think they got their supplies for making sword and dragon pins?

On a more serious note, I’m currently reading A Memory of Light, the long-awaited final volume of The Wheel of Time. I’m about 80 pages into “The Last Battle.” This chapter isn’t just longer than a Robert Jordan prologue, it’s longer than some novels I’ve read.

“We’ll turn you from other craft stores.”

I love it! I’d been trying to think of a punchline that had something to do with that, but just couldn’t come up with anything good.

Also, seeing “ ishamael likes this” on this post made my day.

OK, back to reading…

On Tumblr

Sun viewed through eclipse glasses

Sun viewed through eclipse glasses on Flickr.

Of the various ways I looked at the solar eclipse, my favorite was a set of “eclipse glasses” made from exposed photographic film. Everything else felt like I was looking at a picture of the sun, rather than watching something here and how, except for this and the welding helmet. And the welding helmet turned everything green.

After looking at the sun for a few seconds through the glasses, I stuck one in front of the camera and took this shot.

» Full blog post & more photos.

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.

Palm Tree Alley

Palm Tree Alley

The walkway between the Hilton Anaheim and the Anaheim Convention Center. The blocky wall to the right is a large area full of staircases at one end of the convention center.

Taken this past April, during Anaheim Comic Con. The convention center was also host to a much larger coffee convention.

Yerba Buena Gardens

Yerba Buena Gardens

Looking north across the park on a spring afternoon during WonderCon 2010. It rained most of the weekend, but the one day we were (mostly) indoors was the one day that the sun came out.

The tiered building to the left is the Marriott Marquis, the convention hotel. The church across the way is St. Patrick’s. The tall building behind it is the Four Seasons hotel.

Photo: Yerba Buena Gardens

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?

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.