Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills

Gold *'n* Glitz

H O L L Y W O O D !

~ H o l l y w o o d ~
A State of Mind

Venice Beach

I went back to LA for a visit last August. I got up very early one morning, before the people came out to play, (6am) and walked along the Venice Beach Boardwalk ~ Ocean Front Walk. Besides the bliss of just being there, I was thrilled to come across some beautiful art I'd not seen before because I'm usually there when it's crowded. It was really incredible being almost the only one there as Venice Beach slowly awakened from a cool, quiet day bathed in a lingering fog, to a beautifully warm sunny blue sky day bustling with an eclectic mix of beings!

A beautiful tile mural in the entryway of Venice Suites at 417 Ocean Front Walk, surprised me as I began my walk from the Santa Monica side of Venice Beach to the far side near the Pier (with cool restaurants nearby on ..... street) which I can't believe I'd never walked to in the many years I'd lived in LA!





Mermaids

& a Merman










I was also very excited to gaze upon wonderful murals painted on Venice Horizon Suites (15 Horizon Ave & Speedway).
A Magical Masquerade Party Happening!

Visit my Venice Beach gallery, which I keep uploading with the photos I shot from the two days I visited during my recent too-short stay in the area. My gallery also has some images taken when I lived there, but most of those (late 80's) were shot with film, and are sitting in boxes waiting for that one day when I'll scan them in . . . maybe

I Love LA!

Listen to I Love LA by Randy Newman!


Venice Beach, Hollywood, Malibu, Santa Monica, Los Angeles!

Malibu

Far Away Dreaming

Dolphins joyfully play,
as the Sun
slowly melts the day away

"Malibu was originally settled by the Chumash Native American Indians whose territory extended loosely from the San Joaquin Valley to San Luis Obispo to Malibu, as well as several islands off the southern coast of California. They named it Humaliwo or the surf sounds loudly. The city's name derives from this, as the Hu syllable isn't stressed."

Thoughts of days long ago mingle with the delight of being in Malibu today, as you walk barefoot on the beach sands of Malibu. Paradise then and now . . . where the mountains meet the sea and the surf sounds loudly.

Malibu Lagoon Chumash-Polynesian Connection

There's a beautifully wide stretch of of sand in Malibu ~ Zuma and adjacent Westward Beach ~ MY favorite beach, where I'd walk in the deep sand almost everyday back then.

Malibu, California

"The city of Malibu is a 21-mile (33.5 km) strip of Pacific coastline;
a beachfront community famous for its warm, sandy beaches,
and for being the home of countless movie stars."

The PCH ~ Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1), runs along the "city," with some residents living up narrow canyons." (In 2001 I rented a room in a great home in Los Flores Canyon, about 5 houses from Dukes on the PCH.)

The Malibu coastline actually runs east and west. It's surrounded by Topanga Canyon to the east, the Santa Monica Mountains to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the south, and Ventura County to the west.

"Its most famous beaches include Surfrider Beach, (next to the Malibu Pier), further up the coast, Zuma & Westward Beach, (my favorite). Further north along the coastline, you'll find El Pescador, El Matador and Piedra Beaches (for more solitude). There are quite a few State Beach/Parks in Malibu.

Point Dume is on the northern end of the Santa Monica Bay. It's an invigorating hike up Point Dume Headlands Park where you'll gaze upon a breathtaking view of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Santa Catalina Island.

This plaque is up on the top of Point Dume Headlands Park.

Looking toward Topanga and Santa Monica, on the western side of the point, is Pirates Cove, named after rumrunners during the prohibition era, who used the secluded beach for offloading their cargo.

On the eastern side of the point is Little Dume, known as a great surf spot.

Quite a few times, I'd happen upon location-filming going on - movies, TV, commercials, weddings - near Point Dume. As a kid, I loved watching Gidget, which was filmed at Surfrider's Beach - probably one of the reasons I always dreamed of living in California - far from the Midwest - although I do have many fond memories of growing up in Des Plaines, IL.

Life is an Adventure!

Adventure adds Spice to Your Life

Originally from the Chicagoland area, I moved to Los Angeles in the late 80's.

One day I woke up with a foreboding premonition that a bad earthquake was imminent, a couple of weeks before the Northridge Quake hit, so leaving the land I loved, I headed for Arizona, then went on to New Mexico. The ocean was strongly pulling me once again, so after a decade away, I headed back to LA -
Yes, I LOVE LA!


I have boxes of photographs (pre-digital age) that need to be scanned in one day. A few are on my website.

I went back to LA last September, and took quite a few photos. Some are up - many are waiting.

a hui ho!