A Moment in Time

A moment in time from the movie "American Graffiti" to honor movie director/producer George Lucas in his hometown of Modesto, CA.
Two teenagers sitting on a 1957 Chevy on a warm summer day.

City Wall

This looks like an timeworn brick road, but in actuality, it is part of a huge dense wall designed to fortify the city of Xian, China during ancient times.

Looking over the edge, I see the street 40 feet (12 meters) below.

Old relic armaments are displayed along the wall, but these days instead of invaders penetrating through into the city, modern high-rise buildings take over.

On a warm day, the wall is cluttered with tourists where soldiers once stood.
Last year was the 15th Xian City Wall International Marathon where people from all over the world came to run on the wall.
But, on the day I visited, only a few tourists braved the cold and rain.

- Karen

Fancy Water Tower

Many of you might be familiar with the Libby Fruit Cocktail. Not sure if it is categorized as fruit, dessert, or salad, but diced fruit covered by a sweet sugary syrup in a tin can was definitely a treat.
The water tower label reads...
Libby's
Fancy Quality
Fancy Fruits for Salads

The Libby Cannery opened in 1902 might be long gone, but the tower that supplied the water to the factory and its workers still stands in the middle of Silicon Valley surrounded by high-tech companies.

Thanks to the Sunnyvale Historical Society, this is the picture of the original water tower before it was replaced by the one above in 1965.

Wordless Wednesday

More stained glass ceilings from the San Mateo County History Museum.

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- Karen

Museum Discovery

Right across the street from the theatre that none of us can afford to buy is the San Mateo County History Museum.
I pass this building a number of times when commuting on the train and I have always been intrigued with its design. Little did I know this was an old courthouse turned historical museum and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
The other day, I went in for a look...

After paying my $4 admission fee, I see this lobby.

From the second floor, I look up and see the stained glass dome.

From the second floor, I look down to the lobby and see the California State Seal.
I was pleasantly surprised what a great museum this is to learn about local history. I had never heard of this place until I accidentally discovered it on the internet on the morning prior to my visit.

- Karen

Theatre for Sale

Interested in buying a theatre? A historical theatre at that.
Opened in 1929 in Redwood City, California (30 minutes south of San Francisco), the movie and live entertainment Fox Theatre is currently in foreclosure proceedings and will be put up for sale at an auction.

In 1993, the Fox Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Interested?

Wordless Wednesday

Stanford University building taken with a wide-angle lens.
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Closed For ???

I got home to look at my pictures taken at the Mission San Juan Bautista historical park and noticed this curious sign outside an office.
I have been pondering to what it might mean.
Does it simply mean they are closed, no horse riding, no riding into the sunset, or...?
There are no horses in the park as far as I know.
What do you think?

Dwarfed by Giants

Rising to 14 feet (4.5 meters) high, the girl befriends a 23 feet (7.2 meters) tall terra-cotta warrior in a fantasy presentation during the 2008 Olympic Games.
Click here if you haven't seen the very unique marionette performance.

After the Olympics was over, both of these giants were housed at the Terra-Cotta Army Museum in Xian.
In the first picture, you can see how they dwarf all the visitors below.

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Wordless Wednesday!
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Getting Wide

Other than perspective distortions, I love wide-angle lenses.
With my standard lens, I would only be able to capture a portion of the lobby entrance to the California Academy of Sciences Museum in San Francisco. I could not show you the "whole picture" or its enormity.
As a newly remodeled building, the floor-to-ceiling windows allows in more natural lighting for energy efficiency.

Looking into the piazza where people are having their lunch in a bright and airy environment.
In general, I think people prefer luminous surroundings than a dreary and dark setting.
What do you think?

- Karen

Such Characters!

On a recent trip to the science museum, I saw this Waxy Monkey Tree Frog who seems to be sulking and ignoring the world.

Or, this proud gecko showing off its underside.

And, this Isabella Longwing Butterfly enjoying with quad-fisted gusto a "bottle" of nectar.

What do you think? Do you have another humorous story to describe these creatures' behaviors?

- Karen

Wordless Wednesday

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- Karen

Misleading Fence

This dilapidated fence looks isolated deep in the wilderness. But, if the truth be told, it is right by the ocean and a few hundred yards from the highway.
Looks are deceiving...

Wordless Wednesday

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Inside the Nest

Do all these twisted steel beams look familiar to you? You might have seen them on tv during the 2008 Summer Olympics Games.

If you guessed the Beijing National Stadium or "Bird's Nest", you are correct.
On my trip, I got a chance to visit the Nest, but on a day when I, along with all these tourists, were pelted with hail. If you look closely at the ground, you can see all the white pebbles.

The 80,000 seat interior is quite impressive and you can almost imagine the thunderous applause and the beating of the drums during the Opening Ceremonies. But unfortunately these days, it stands fairly quiet and used mainly as a tourist attraction.

- Karen

Odd Angles

Interior architecture of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
There is much more to see there than just the exhibits.

Have a nice weekend!

- Karen

Great Stoneface Park

Can you see it?
One of the many well-hidden parks great for rock climbing in the hills of Berkeley, California. I recently discovered it during a photo walk with some local photographers.

Feeding the Fishes

During a recent trip to the aquarium, a diver feeds the fishes inside the huge tank and answers questions from the audience.
I don't know what was more interesting to watch, the diver inside the tank or him watching the people outside.

- Karen

Signs on the Great Wall

Here are some signs I noticed during my trek on the Great Wall of China.