Long Beach Fog

I have been taking pictures of my hometown, Long Beach for a while and even though each night we have a beautiful sunset looking over the water, I like to take pictures that might be a little different. I went for a walk on Naples Island in Long Beach around 3pm and the fog rolled in unexpectedly, which I love. If I won the lottery, I wouldn't mind a little shack on this island with my own boat slip through the canals. Ah, it's nice to dream.

There is something about the fog that I love. It comes in when it wants to and doesn't let you see everything as clear as you would on a nice day. It sets the mood nicely for a photograph. Here are a few from my stroll on the "island." You can see more from this day on my Long Beach 2 album on facebook.

Be A Tourist In Your City

Yes, you've heard it before. Of course you know your city, you live there! How dare "they" tell you to tour it some more...

It's easy to get stuck in a rut and not do things that are so close to home. Going to the same restaurants, same places, parks, etc. Yesterday, I spent the day doing something that many tourists do on their trip to Long Beach. I took the Aqualink to the Queen Mary and then to Shoreline Village. I love being on a boat so for me, $5 was fair to spend to have someone take you for a ride across the port without having to clean the boat at the end. If you want to make it really special, they also sell snacks and drinks for the quick 20 minute tour.

As for me, I started snapping away before we even left the harbor. I was so excited to be on a boat! The boat left at noon with me and one other passenger on board (shown above). I stood outside the entire time snapping away at everything...the water, the oil islands, boats, buoys, houses, and the shoreline. It was a bit hazy outside but it didn't take away from my enjoyment.

Once I arrived at my destination, I walked around Shoreline village for over an hour watching people. You can't help but put a smile on your face when you sit in the sun, watching the water and observing people enjoying the day. Even though I have been to this place many times before, I saw it in a different light yesterday. We are lucky to have such nice weather right now so it was a shame not to get outside.

I will be touring different places in the area and sharing it with you. Here are some pictures I took of my afternoon of being a tourist in my hometown. I hope you find something new in your town that you haven't seen before.







Click here for MORE Photographs

Goal Completed: Launch A Site To Sell Photographs

Throughout the year, I will be updating the status of my "39 goals in my 39th year" by posting items that I have completed and telling you a little bit about it.

Today I completed a task! I set up a photograph site to sell my pictures on Etsy.

I have a banner on this blog that will show thumbnails of all the pictures I currently have up for sale. For now, I have one picture of tower #2 listed that I took in Long Beach, California.

I will submit a new photograph each week for a 52 week project of new photographs for sale. Please become a fan on Facebook to see all of the photos in an album as we go along. The picture I decide to put up each week for purchase will have a lot to do with your influence as well. I have many photographs up of my travels on the fan site and if you see one there you would like me to put up for sale, leave me a comment! The more comments I get on a photograph, the more likely it will be a photograph of the week!

I set this goal for myself because you have to start somewhere. I enjoy taking pictures so much and I enjoy it even more when I see a smile on someones face, excited to see it brought to life. Depending on how it's received and how well I can coordinate, I could go beyond the 52 images this year. I hope to do that.

Thank you all so much for your support! Now I am off to complete the other 38 goals on my list!

An Afternoon At The Getty

It's hard to believe that until last Saturday, I have yet to visit the new J. Paul Getty museum. I've been to the villas back in the 90's but never to the new location on the hill.

A beautiful sunny, crisp day on a Saturday would be a wonderful time to go, I thought. Who could be there on a weekend right after the new year? I am sure people are still home recovering from the New Year...right? Well, no...that wasn't the case. The good news was that the freeways were clear. It was unbelievable, really.

I have to say, I was not prepared for what was next.

I've been to local city museums on my travels. Most of the time, they are empty which makes for a pleasant art viewing experience. The Getty was a different story. It took about an hour to park, waiting in line. After that, you wait in another line to get on the tram. Once you are off of the tram at the top, you are FREE!

The property is beautiful, I must say. There are gorgeous views from all sides and you can get lost looking at all of the exhibits, which I did. I particularly liked the Irving Penn: Small Trades gallery.

A little bit about Irving Penn: "Working in Paris, London, and New York in the early 1950s, photographer Irving Penn (American, 1917–2009) created masterful representations of skilled tradespeople dressed in work clothes and carrying the tools of their occupations. A neutral backdrop and natural light provided the stage on which his subjects could present themselves with dignity and pride. Penn revisited his Small Trades series over many decades, producing evermore-exacting prints, including platinum/palladium enlargements. In 2008 the J. Paul Getty Museum acquired the most comprehensive group of these images, carefully selected by the photographer—155 gelatin silver prints and 97 platinum/palladium prints—that are being exhibited in their entirety for the first time."

Although they do allow you to photograph inside of the museum, I enjoyed taking pictures of the cactus and flowers outside of the property the most. I think that was the highlight for me on this day trip. It's the simple things I suppose. I heard a hummingbird so I froze, standing in the same spot motionless (as others walked by me), waiting for it to return. For me, that was an exciting moment.

I would recommend a visit to the Getty if you are in the area. If you can, It's a good idea to arrive early on a weekday so you can take your time strolling the property and soaking up the exhibits. Don't forget your camera!

39 Goals for My 39th Year

We all took the time and recapped what we did in 2009 and thought about what worked and what didn't in our lives, right?

Well, if you strive to better yourself or just want to have some fun in the new year, you might want to consider writing a list of new activity's to accomplsh in 2010.

I came across the yes and yes blog and she did just that. She listed 31 new things she is going to do before her 31st birthday. What a great idea! I have just a stitch more activities to do since I am, ahem...a teensy bit older.

I might do more of these things, or less but it's thinking about what I want to do and the key is putting it down on paper. Some are not new but they can still be considered a goal to achieve during the course of a year. Once it's written on paper, I can't undo it. Does anyone ever use white out anymore?

Once I achieve a goal, I will blog about them and put a link on the right side of my home page to track progress. I am holding myself accountable.

39 things I will do for my 39th year in this world:
-Read 5 books from beginning to end without skipping ahead
- Win one photo contest
- Go skiing at least once this season
- Take a picture of Max in the snow
- Go to a tattoo show
- Publish a travel article
- Sleep on a strangers couch
- Skinny dip in the ocean
- Try indoor skydiving
- Get a photo published somewhere
- Paint with something other than watercolors
- Complete my house project with 5 shots together in a custom frame
- Sell or donate everything in my garage
- Take a photography editing class
- Launch a site to sell photographs
- Host a dinner party
- Take an art class
- See SIA in concert
- Wear a dress and go somewhere fancy
- Spend a weekend without a phone, without texting, watching tv, or any kind of human contact
- Watch a local play production
- Take Max out on a camping trip with "trailie"
- Visit the Salton Sea
- Go to Mexico
- Bake a cake
- Spend a week in a cabin in the woods somewhere
- Run in a 5k race
- Go to a music festival
- Rent my home and live next to the water somewhere
- Spend time on an island
- Take pictures underwater
- Win the lottery (you never know...)
- Volunteer
- View a live show taping (preferably Oprah before she leaves)
- Have my photographs displayed in a cafe'
- Write a book review
- Surf again
- Ride on a train
- Take a long road trip (I think this is becoming a habit)

What do you have planned?

Lifeguard Chairs

I love lifeguard chairs.

Maybe it's because I used to be a lifeguard one summer a long time ago. It's not a glamorous job. You sit there hours on end watching people play in the water. At first it's fun, but after a while it can be a bit boring and annoying.

Perhaps I just didn't master the art of making sure people knew how to swim when they jumped in the pool. I figured that they would have some sort of life preserving skills before they took the leap. Not always the case.

I appreciate the fact that the life guard chair is always on duty even though the season has ended. It reminds me of summer days and gives me hope that the warm weather will come back soon. On most of their off duty days, people climb on them to get a better view of the sunset, relax from a run, do a photo shoot, or snuggle up together for a quiet moment. They serve a purpose even during the off season.

It's no wonder that I enjoy taking pictures of them...just sitting there, waiting for the season to start again.

On the East coast, they put away the chairs after Labor Day, but they are usually out all year long here on the West coast. Here is a collection of chairs I've taken on my travels. For more, click HERE

The New Year

The new year decided to bring some warm weather with her in Southern California.

The past few days have been around 75 degrees so it was perfect time to go to the beach to enjoy the sun. Throughout my travels, being around water brings me the most joy and when I am on a beach or a lake, it's the most calming feeling to have. I am fortunate to live walking distance from the water and I try to enjoy it as much as possible. There is something about it that soothes the soul.

Since it's so warm, it makes me want to get on the road again, but I know that the weather here doesn't represent the entire country so Max and I will take small trips around the area in the next few weeks to share with you. I've only been back for a few days but still long to be on the road, experiencing new places and exploring new paths. Patience is not my strong suit.

I hope the new year brings you joy and happiness. Remember to appreciate the little things that surround you. For me, it's always been nature. I love her so and can't wait to see more of her in the next few months. Here are some pictures I took in the first few days of the new year in Long Beach and Huntington Beach. To see more, click HERE