Seal Beach, California September 2008

I was driving along PCH on my way to Long Beach when I spotted a long line of cars making their way to the US Navy Weapons Station in Seal Beach. I saw a navy ship at dockside so I figured it was an invitation by the US Navy for the public to tour their ship, a thing they often do at many of their bases. The ship is the guided missile frigate USS McClusky, not as impressive as a battleship or an aircraft carrier, but nevertheless worth a look.

There is a long wait in line to board the ship so I decided to check out their display of war armaments while waiting for the crowd to thin out.

A lightly armored vehicle armed with a machine gun

An armorless version?

These kids wanted their picture taken with a couple of marines, one of which is pregnant. This is probably a problem when you have females in the military service. I am sure they can fight as well as men but when they are pregnant they can't be combat ready or can they?

then...

I scan and digitized this photo which I took during my very first trip to Europe. What caught my attention was the angler. He was well dressed and wearing a tie! I've never seen a fisherman dressed like that in Southern California. Of course, California is a laid back State. People here dress so casually, they even wear cut-off faded jeans with holes and walk barefooted or with flip flops that some restaurants, especially the high end ones refused them service.

On a subsequent trip to UK, I was even more surprised when I saw an English gentleman with an oversized umbrella, fishing along the bank of a river wearing a leisure suite with a matching tie and hat! Isn't travel a real eye opener?


I was aiming my camera to take a photo of the Long Beach skyline when, out of the blue, this bird landed and posed for me LOL.

My wife and I were invited by a friend to have lunch at her apartment. When we got there and I saw the food she prepared, I thought that there were other people coming. But it was just the three of us - the inviter and the two invitees!. I took a picture of the food and if you think that was more than enough for three people, you are wrong LOL. She still had a tray of litsong kawali and a pot of sinigang searching for a spot on the table. Talagang kapag Pinoy ang nang-imbita sa kainan siguradong there is enough food to feed an army LOL. Bakit nga ba?

I asked her, "Did you get carried away cooking or is this invitation good for the next five years?" LOL.

This is the street where a friend and his family live and every time I come over to their house, I can't help but admire their tree lined street. Makalat lang kung nalalagas na ang mga dahon pero cool, shady at magandang tingnan....lalo na kung ang nakatanim ay jaracanda trees.

Yosemite National Park, California August 2008

Last week our family went to Yosemite for a 5 day camping and lodging. Our children stayed at the Housekeeping Camp for a couple of nights and us oldies, stayed at the Yosemite Lodge where the kids joined us for the remainder of our stay inside the park. I love tenting in the great outdoor but my wife hates camping at any level. To entice her to join us, I have to booked us at a lodge where you have the comforts of a hotel and the price that comes with it LOL. Two hundred bucks per night for a room that does not even have air-conditioning! Admittedly the view is great but it is no better than an ordinary roadside motel that costs fifty bucks give or take a few.

Rental units at the Housekeeping Camp which cost $67/day exclusive of taxes

The view infront of our children's Housekeeping campsite

One of the many bridges spanning Merced River

A section of Merced River below the Housekeeping Camp

One of the trees at the Mariposa Grove some of which are several thousand years old.

A view that greeted my eyes in my early morning walk

This chapel is the oldest surviving building in Yosemite

Wooden boardwalk snaking across the meadow to allow visitors to get "close and personal" without damaging the fragile plants.

Monarch butterfly waystation

I revisited a nature center recently and I was surprised to find out that they have added a Monarch butterfly waystation. I lingered at the site a bit and waited to see if an impressive number of butterflies will show up. A few did and I tried to catch them with my point and shoot camera. Maybe the word will get around to the Monarch butterflies that there is a new place for them to hang out and the next time I visit the place there will be a swarm of them around LOL.


This sign attracted my attention

Eyeing a cozy landing spot

The Monarch has landed!

Preparing to take off

A Monarch hanging out

This is not a Monarch but I took a picture of the bug just for the heck of it LOL

Orange County Fair 2008

The Orange County Fair is held annually late July till the first week of August. It is a cheap and interesting way to spend the day. I went there last Thursday and I was surprised that I got in for only four dollars! The general admission is nine, for seniors it is seven and for kids five and under it is free; however each Thursday the rate for those age 60 and above is only four and all the rides for them are free (like they care for them - they already get dizzy just walking around). Parking is five and ten dollars depending on how far from the fair entrance you park. It is free, if you care to park in the street and walk a bit.

I thought the word was mispelled and it should be "buttered" - it was "battered" indeed, the potatoes looked miserably beaten to a delicious end LOL.

I like mine Pinas style, roasted naked over live charcoal.

Smoked turkey legs

Turkey on a spit

Young "sabongeros"?

A 600 pound hog

Wet sand sculpturing

London Eye

The last time I toured United Kingdom and Ireland, the London Eye (the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe) was not even in the drawing board. It has since become the most famous tourist attraction in the UK since it was built. When my wife and I completed our Mediterranean cruise in 2004, we decided to stay a few more days in London to see and experience the Eye and to revisit old haunts in the city.


On a boat along the Thames with the London Eye in the background

One of the capsules of the Eye

A view from one of the capsules at its apex

Missouri, July 2008

My wife and I were set to fly to Kansas City to visit her ailing nephew-in-law and to join up with her sisters for a road trip in Missouri and neighboring states. However, the nephew unexpectedly succumbed to his ailment, the road trip was put on hold and we wound up attending a funeral instead.


I had to take a picture of the vault as it was being mechanically lowered to its final resting place because this is the first time I saw a photo collage (of the deceased and his family) imbedded on the lid. A boxful of butterflies was also released as part of the ritual. I guess different funeral homes have their own ways of doing things subject to changes and approval of the deceased family.


Kansas City skyline as seen from our approaching car

A lady "cochero" minding her horse as she waits for tourists to hire her carriage for a brief spin in the city.

The courtyard of the Harry Truman library in Independence where the President and his wife are buried.

A play at a KC park

Elk meat for sale at this tiny farmer's market

A heavy downpour the like of which we never experienced in sunny Southern California

An empty bench straddling a jogging/walking trail and the Missouri River