Saturday, November 25, 2006

The Ahmanson

It’s rare that Don and I get out to any theater other than film, but late July & early August saw us bouncing from the afore mentioned “Celtic Woman” concert, to a play at the Ahmanson, called “Curtains” starring David Hyde Pierce (Frasier: Niles Crane) and Debra Monk (NYPD Blue: Katie Sipowiczv).

The evening was pleasant, cool but not cold, and the play was entertaining. Photographs were not allowed---so no blurred, over exposed pictures of the stage this time, but I did take a few outside the theater.










The view from the second floor inside the Ahmanson.

The second floor of the Ahmanson Theater

OK, I lied. There's got to be at least ONE blurry shot of the stage. When I said you'd be spared, I meant spared of attempts at shots of the play in progress.






Saturday, November 18, 2006

Technorati

Technorati Profile

Don't mind this particular little post. I'm not sure what I'm doing with it. I'd tried to link my European Adventure Blog too Technorati once and wasn't to successful. The above link was another method of making my blog accessible to Technorati searches. I'd call it an experiment.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Orange County Performing Arts Center

As you may, or may not, have noticed, after the last post here of some of Chapman University’s highlights, I decided to create a separate blog just for Chapman. I’m frequently taking photographs there and in the surrounding area when I’m at lunch, so I decided the Chapman neighborhood needed its own page. So for more of Chapman life, see “All in the Name of Work

On a roll, I decided to create yet another blog for the home and backyard shots in Westminster and Running Springs. I’d been meaning to start this page for a long time to accommodate Jasper, Simba, Archimedes, and Mr. Bunny stories/photos—so now that we’ve acquired a new family member, I was anxious to get it started.

What new family member? I don't want to give it away. Go ahead and take a peek at “Home Home on the Range” and you’ll figure it out (in a couple of weeks). Since the page opened with Araneidae (Orb Weaver Spiders) and an Odonata (dragonflies), I’ll provide a hint here that the newest member of our family is a …. Oh, let’s not make it too easy….let's just say, “mammal”. I've included the links to each blog in the right column of each page.

OK, back to Day-Trippin’, or in this next case, “Night-Trippin’”. Going back to July again, Don and I went to the Orange County Performing Arts Center to see a group called “Celtic Woman”. We had a fabulous time. The pictures inside the theater did not turn out so great. I forgot to speed up the ASA and, too, I didn’t realize my little automatic camera would try so hard to expose the dim areas, totally over exposing the subjects within the spotlights. I’ll toss in a few of these just for a sense of the thing though. I have not decided whether I’ll throw in the picture of Don and I that we asked someone to take. The gentleman we recruited pressed down on the shutter and nothing happened. I started to explain that the camera is slow to respond in the dark when the darn thing flashed, catching me mid word.
The concert was fabulous! The music was pleasant on the ears and the ladies were lovely and entertaining. Besides the lilting voices of the four primary ladies, one of them dances about playing her fiddle and another plays a harp. With equal stage presence and aplomb, backup singers and musicians complete the ensemble. If you haven’t heard Celtic Woman, and you like Celtic music that's a bit remeniscent of Enya, you really should find the "Celtic Woman" CD, and if you can catch them in concert, all the better!

On approach.

Outside the theater
(Maybe over exposed and a little blurry is a better look for me--my age is less obvious. The big black purse has got to go though.)

And this is the one I told you about--just when I started to explain to the photographer about the delay, the pesky thing finally worked...but isn't Don handsome?!

Here he is again. Now we're inside.

The theater with the lights up, before the concert started.

The concert.

The concert.

The concert.

The concert.

Looking back at the entrance as we're leaving.

OK, and could we have a vertical shot of that?

Monday, October 23, 2006

More Chpaman, July 19

And a few more photographs of the Chapman University campus....
A plaque beneath this bronze statue of a seated man says:
"Charles C. Chapman 1853-1944
The major patron of California Christian College, known today as Chapman University. Sculpture by Raymond Persinger. Commissioned by the Charles C. Chapman Memorial Foundation to ensure that the image and the words of Charles C. Chapman will forever survive to greet all who enter this campus.
dedicated September 10, 2001."

And the "words" refferred to in the above dedication? They are on the wall behind the seated man. They say:
"I can liken life before you . . .
to that of a ship with it's prow pointed toward the great ocean as it leaves the harbor for the distant shore. Storms may come, and they will, for no ship ever sailed the seas but had to face the storm. If it is strong, from keel to top, from bow to stern, well maintained and intellegently directed, it rides the storm and goes on its way. So you will meet obstacles, storms. If you are strong in faith, clear headed, honest, trusting for divine guidance and with a character built on the solid rock, you will meet all troubles in life victoriously."

And a plaque before the wall says:
"The passage inscribed on this wall is from a letter written by Charles C. Chapman to his 8-year old grandson, Stan Chapman, Jr. on January 3, 1941."

The banners on the light posts say:
"Chapman
Established
1861"




Friday, October 13, 2006

July 19th 2006 Chapman University

Leatherby Library touched by a little lens flare.

As I’ve mentioned before, I take my camera everywhere. I will often spend a break at work taking pictures. Fortunately, the Chapman campus is photogenic—at least in my opinion it is.

The law school is on the West side of Glassel and the main campus is (primarily) on the East side of the street. I say primarily because Chapman owns many buildings in the area on both sides of the street and on cross streets.

These are a few images I took, while on a morning break, of the Leatherby Library on the main campus. (You can tell it's morning because with these first images I'm facing East into the sun. Sorry about the lens flare, but personally I'm fond of rainbows and kinda like it.)

Leatherby Library West Entrance

Still Leatherby's West Entrance after I moved South a bit.

West face and I'm still moving South

Yep. Same subject still moving South

When I got to the far South end, I turned Left. This is the South face of the building at the East corner. The fountain bares upon its plaque these words:

"Gentle Spring
by Norm Hines
Presented by Town & Gown
1984"

Same subject from greater distance.

Same subject, I'm still moving away and a little farther East.

Are you bored? O.K. The next one will be a new angle.

New angle as promissed. East face of Leatherby Library.

One more of East face at North East corner.

And, not to be left out, here's one of the North face (still at North East corner).

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Sunday, July 16th, 2006

Bolsa Chica State Beach

33◦ 41’ 14” N.

118◦ 02’ 08” W.

Ooops, sorry. I skipped a week last time. I guess that makes this a flash-back, of sorts.

Two years ago this day we bought my PT Cruiser at the Irvine Car Faire and she became Gandolfa. Does that make this her birthday?

Eighty-eight years ago this day my Dad became Stewart Douglas (Burtt) in Brockton MA. That definitely makes this his birthday.

So how did we celebrate this day?

Well, it started out with an urge for exercise.

This happens to Don and I periodically, and when it does, we usually set out to find a trail. Sometimes, however, what actually happens is that I get so enthralled with the scenery that what takes place isn’t anything near hiking. It’s not even walking so much as, step-step aim-click, step-step, aim, click. “Oh wow!” Aim, click. Step step step, turn, aim, click-click-click-click. You get the picture. Or, you will if you look below.

(By the way, in case you were not aware of it, if you click on any of the photos on this blog you will see a larger version of them. Sometimes that is good. Sometimes [when they are not sharp, or they are of me] that is bad.)

Great Egret

Great Egret

Caspian Tern (I think)

Dowitcher

Dowitcher

Black Necked Stilt

Black Necked Stilt

Black Necked Stilt

Black Necked Stilt

Black Necked Stilt

Black Necked Stilt

Black Necked Stilt Adult and Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile
(Check out his little foot-prints!)

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile

Black Necked Stilt Juvenile