Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery - Montreal, QC

For the next several months (until TW and I take another trip), I’ve decided to go back through my archives and do a retrospect of my cemetery images. This first batch is from Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in Montreal, which was first opened in 1854. It is the largest cemetery in Canada and the third-largest in North America. The date was October 28-29, 2000…the 28th was a cold fall day, returning the next day it was freezing and I found a light coating of snow on everything. Unfortunately, these were taken with my first digital camera that took small files with a low resolution, so they are not printable. However, the statues were so beautiful, I plan to revisit this location.

To view more of my cemetery images: EnfocusGallery.com

Farewell 2008

There was local digital photo contest taking place in Long Beach this month. The photos needed to be untouched, taken in Long Beach in December between the 1 and the 28th. I showed my images to a friend who wanted me to share them with others. So, as a fitting farewell to 2008, I present my Sunnyside Cemetery images taken on the 22nd:

Los Angeles Zoo – 23 DEC 2008

We went to the Zoo today to see the new baby Koala. 

Koalas are not bears as they belong to the marsupial family, the same as kangaroos and opossums. 

Since they sleep for 18-20 hours a day, I consider it a real thrill to find one awake when I visit the zoo. 

When Kirrhi was born on April 3rd, she was only ¾ of an inch long. Climbing into her mothers pouch she spent 9 months growing to become large enough to come out for a visit. 

We enjoyed checking out several animals.

We went looking for the Siamang gibbon (the largest of the lesser Apes). They were making lots of noise the night we slept at the zoo (see LA Zoo Summer Slumber – July 26&27, 2008). They have a unique large “gular sac” (throat pouch) that inflates to the size of their head, allowing them to make a very loud sound. We spent 10 minuets waiting for them to squawk but they didn’t start barking until we walked around the corner. Found some lovely plants:

It was so cold, the morning dew was still visible at noon.

Julian - 10 DEC 2008

Took a day trip to Julian, a historic gold rush, mountain town, an hour from San Diego. Turns out we pick the wrong time of year since the Julian Pioneer Museum was closed and we couldn’t get into the CA Wolf Center without a reservation…better planning next time. We did visit the Pioneer Cemetery circa 1870:

Found some interesting markers:

This unique marker has a 2001 date:

On the way home we saw a sign telling us a section of the road was being kept free from litter by Oasis Camel Dairy. Eve says to me, “You ever milked a Camel?” I reply, “No, and I’m not sure what you even do with Camel milk. Can’t say I’ve every heard about it being used for anything.” I was thinking maybe it’s not really a camel dairy but just a name like Camel cigarettes, and then I look to my left and off in the distance I see camels. I scream to Eve, “Look, Camels!!” but we had already passed another hill and they were gone. Eve gave me a look like I was making it all up, so I made a U-turn and headed back. Passing them again, I scream and Eve’s still not sure if she saw anything. So, I stop to turn around in a drive way and find the street name is “Camel Drive”. Returning for the third drive by, I pull off the road, there wasn’t much of a shoulder so I had to make sure there was no traffic behind us and I point out the Camels and babies to Eve. As we pull away, I say, “I know! I bet they use it in tea.” Eve, “Tea?” “Sure” I explain, “Haven’t you ever heard of camel-mil-tea?” 

The mystery was later solved: Oasis Camel Dairy

Getty Villa – 20 NOV 2008

We took a couple of friends and went to see the newly renovated Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades.

The original entrance was through this Outer Peristyle.

The Malibu location was the original museum for the Getty collection which was moved to the Getty Center in Brentwood in 1997. 

 

The Getty Villa is a re-creation of the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum. This is the new entrance.

Which gives you a view of the new Greek Amphitheatre.

Although it is the home to an extensive collection of Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities, we spent most of your time taking guided tours of the grounds.

Los Angeles Fires – 15 NOV 2008

Last night I was talking to my sister and her husband, in Minnesota and they asked if fire was close to LA. I assured them the fire wasn’t bothering us as Santa Barbara is 2 hours northwest of us. A few hours after our conversation, things changed drastically. 

Forrest Fire 40 Miles Darkens Sky

The next morning I awoke to fire in the Angeles National Forrest. We were just up there a couple of months ago (see blog entry: Sacred Ground – September 13, 2008). At 3:30 PM when I went to leave the house, I found my car covered in soot and the sky grey with smoke. Above was the view looking North up Centre Street towards Los Angeles. It just looked like a dark overcast day, but…

Smoke Cloud Descending

When I turned around to look South towards the Ocean, it was obvious that the dark sky was from a cloud of smoke descending upon the Port. We drove up to Gaffey Street lookout, to get a view of the Port.

Then we went to the Korean Bell to view the Ocean. It was (or would have been) one of those unusually clear days were you could see the entire Catalina Island (23 miles away), but today the sky was filled with smoke.

At dinner, I found there were also fires in Orange & Riverside County. With 2,000 acres destroyed in OC and 8,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest this is turning out to be our worst fire ever. The smoke was so thick, this 4:00 PM shot with the sun still an hour from setting, looks like the pretty sunsets shots I used to get in the 60’s when the smog was bad.