Day 273 - Burton Chace Park

Spectacular. Simply spectacular.

Day 272 - Burton Chace Park

Due east of the sunset was a rainbow, and due north were lightning bolts.

Day 271 - Burton Chace Park

The Helmsman has been a part of every memory I have at Chace; as a hyperactive (correction, Mom says I was "a little boy who liked to climb, run, jump, and then climb some more") child, it was the perfect size to climb on. But I never knew it stood in front of the Helms Bakery in Culver City before the park was built.

Learn something every day . . .

Day 270 - Burton Chace Park

The weather at Chace was unbelievably rare; earlier in the week the temperature was well over 100, setting a new Los Angeles city record. On this day, thunderstorms were rolling across the eastern part of the city, and while the marina stayed dry, the clouds provided a sunset I hadn't seen in a long time.

Day 269 - Burton Chace Park

When I was a child, my mother often took my sister and me to Burton Chace Park, a small chunk of trees and grass in the middle of Marina del Rey. There was room for us to run around, boats to watch, and even celebrities to see. My mother was bold enough to ask for the autographs of Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan when they were filming an episode of Remington Steele there.

In any case, I hadn't been to Burton Chace in at least 20 years when H-Mac and I went shooting there this week. Apparently these four sea lions aren't permanent residents, but visit frequently enough to not attract too much attention.

Day 268 - Snack

Garlic fries with parmesan and rosemary . . . no dipping sauces required.

Day 267 - Lunch

Ate at The Counter with the lovely H-Mac and Mr. Big. And while the grind of the beef was a little compact, it's hard to get a medium rare burger these days.

Day 266 - Breakfast

I've never been afraid of spiders; as a child I read Charlotte's Web and always welcomed their presence . . . as long as it was outside.

Day 265 - Water

I wish I saw more of my backyard during daylight hours

Movie Poster

I saw this ad for MegaMind on a bus shelter driving in this morning; while I'm not a fan of DreamWorks' recent animated offerings (excepting the delightful How to Train Your Dragon) I question the marketing logic of a movie poster for a child's animated film aimed directly at adults.

Day 264 - Ferris Wheel

The Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier almost looks better out of focus.

Day 263 - Santa Monica Pier

:02 exposure at f5.6

Day 262 - Santa Monica

:06 exposure at f16

Day 261 - Nighttime

:20 exposure at f36

Day 260 - Panorama

It's not called "golden time" for nothing . . .

Day 259 - Sunset

Odd, that in Los Angeles, looking 273° West, the sun sets behind land.

Day 258 - Santa Monica

There were still people in the water at 7:00 in the evening, a week after Labor Day . . .

Day 257 - Santa Monica

H-Mac and I recently went shooting down on the Santa Monica Pier.

Day 256 - Water

Odd as it may seem, the City of Los Angeles has increased the number of days that residential watering can take place; in my case, it's now Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Day 255 - Workplace Walls

Never thought a complete Acura exhaust system could be a wall installation, but it works.

Day 254 - Workplace Walls

This whole place should be dripping with this kind of offbeat creativity, and unfortunately, it's not.

Day 253 - People I Dig

Dave is one of those rare people who drips with talent. He's a fabulous musician; if you're ever in the Chicagoland area, check and see if Ted From Accounting is playing a gig somewhere.

He has amazing stories to tell, like how he met his wife Margie at an embassy party in Washington.

But unfortunately, he also roots for the Cubs, and given their 2010 season, I'd have to guess that Dave made this face quite often.

But he's one of my favorite friends, so happy birthday Dave, and may the Cubs win one for you.

Day 252 - AT&T Park

And with this shot, we say farewell to the City by the Bay . . . and there can never be enough neon lights in the city at night.

Day 251 - Bay Bridge

The San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge is visible beyond the left field corner.

Day 250 - AT&T Park

While the palm trees outside the main entrance are pretty and all, they really obscure the aesthetics of the architecture.

Day 249 - Ballpark Food

While it's possible to graze your way through nine innings, it's not advisable . . .

Day 248 - Ballpark Food

If you go hungry while watching the Giants, it's your own fault. These stands are behind the scoreboard in center field.

Day 247 - Ballpark Food

Gilroy, California is unofficially known as the "Garlic Capital of the World;" if you get these fries in AT&T Park, you'd better have some breath mints.

By the way, I didn't buy these - I asked someone walking away from the concession stand if I could take a picture of them.

AT&T Park Panoramas

Day 246 - AT&T Park

With apologies to my brother, the Reds' Joey Votto is seriously challenging the Cardinals' Albert Pujols not only for the National League MVP, but also for the Triple Crown, something that hasn't been done in the Senior Circuit since 1937 (Joe Medwick, also with the Cardinals, if you're keeping score at home.)

Against the Giants last week, Votto blasted an opposite-field homer to left on this swing.

Day 245 - AT&T Park

Say what you will about the Giants, Willie Mays was one of the greatest players to ever play the game, and deserves his statue in front of the stadium.

San Francisco Food Review #2

After such a mediocre experience at Burger Joint, I (A) was still hungry and (B) still had time before the 12:45 p.m. game time, so I walked further down King Street along the stadium and found Pedro's Cantina.



The sandwich board out front was touting street tacos, at $8 for three, which isn't too outrageous.

Street tacos are a small stack of corn tortillas, and filled with carne asada, grilled chicken, or carnitas (a slow-stewed pulled pork), and served with chopped onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Add $4 for a full-sized pint of Sierra Nevada, and my meal was still at least half of what it would have cost inside the stadium. While the tacos weren't the best Mexican food I've ever had, and the boisterous pre-game sports bar atmosphere wasn't the most authentic, it was passable for lunchtime.

A solid B . . .