all is calm, all is bright

here's to hoping your shopping is done and you can relax on this day before christmas!

also, i've put up a poll for the finalists for photo of the year. you can vote on the right side of the blog, and you can see the photos here.

trapped in suspension

do you ever have that dream where you're falling? i bet this guy has that one a lot. the civic center metro stop has several of these characters - all part of an artwork entitled "i dreamed i could fly". you can learn more about it right here. public transportation in los angeles has lots of room for improvement, but the metro train system is pretty good.

green street illuminated

the trees lining pasadena's green street are currently wrapped in christmas lights. it makes for a very mystical effect while you drive along, or in my case, ride your bike. this image doesn't quite capture the beauty the way i hoped - i may have to go out in pursuit of a better one...

huntington hospital

pasadena's massive hospital is quite an interesting piece of architecture. not only does it have a lovely palm tree lined entryway, it also has a bridge connecting the two wings. oh, and our good friend deb works there!

photo request #15: can you shoot rain falling?

a few days ago altadena hiker asked if i could photograph the rain we've been experiencing here in town. this is my attempt - you may not be able to see the rain, but you can see that the parking lot is wet, and the precipitation is visible in the mountains. this is about as close as we get to having snow on the ground in pasadena. gem city images had a great photo of the snow tipped mountains the other day as seen from neighboring monrovia, and two other photos of this phenomenon appeared over at mixed meters and glimpses of south pasadena.

i really like seeing palm trees and snow in the same image. as usual, photo requests are always welcome!

kaleidoscope of color

sometimes i can't believe the images that come off my camera. this is one of them, and today's entry in sky watch friday.

if you know what you're looking for, you can make out the top of the castle green on the horizon.

for other sky watch friday images, check this out!

disney concert hall interior

on tuesday night we went to see chanticleer perform their annual christmas concert at the disney concert hall. it really was a fantastic concert. just like last week, no photography was allowed during the concert (and in fact i'm not sure i was allowed to take this picture!). the hall was pretty fantastic in terms of the design, accoustics, and just the overall layout.

friday sky watch preview

the sky has been incredibly vibrant in pasadena lately. some cool weather has come with moisture in the air making some incredible cloud patterns and vibrant sunsets. i thought this row of palms needed their picture taken.

storm's a comin'

it is always a troubling feeling to be out on your bike and be racing nature to get back to some kind of shelter. a photo taken in the opposite direction would have shown a bright sunny sky, but these clouds at the mountains were looming. fortunately we made it back home last saturday before this one hit (ryan and meredith know how to pedal hard).

the stuffed sandwich

located just south of pasadena in san gabriel, this little unassuming building happens to be the 9th best place in the nation to go have a beer. the stuffed sandwich has decent food, but most people go there for one reason, and one reason only - the massive selection of bottled beer.

the service can be slow, and the owner is often referred to as the beer nazi, but it is worth checking it out, simply for the experience. it is unlike any beer bar or restaurant i've ever been to.

one final thing - their bottled beer is served with a paper cup. bring your own glassware or pick something from their massive glassware selection to buy and take home.

st. andrews clock tower in a new light

i've featured this tower before on the blog, but this is a new twist.

have i mentioned that the sky in pasadena these days has been incredibly vibrant around 5:00? i don't remember this about the sky last fall. sorry if you are getting sky overload, but afterall sky is in the title of this blog, so i guess it's fitting.

watkin's family hour christmas concert

oh man. every once in a while you feel like you really got to witness something truly special and unique. on thursday we went down to the largo at the coronet for the watkin's family hour's annual christmas concert. it was pretty fantastic. not only did sara and sean watkins have some of their regulars from the watkin's family hour sessions (including benmont tench), but they also had several very interesting special guests like david rawlings, jackson browne, molly jenson, glen philips, and get this - john c. reilly (who read his christmas wish list while the band played charlie brown christmas music) and minnie driver!

just an incredible night of music - and all to benefit st. jude's children's hospital here in los angeles.

the photo featured today is of the stage before it all began. photography of any kind was not allowed during the concert. such a shame!

and finally, if you haven't done so already, please vote for your favorite photo of the year. it is a close race between to walk or ride and bridge from the arroyo seco. sorry about the insane amount of links included in today's post!

sunset over pasadena

took this one from above the city, up lake avenue in altadena.

for more friday sky watch photos, click here!

it's all about framing

sorry south pasadena, here's another image of the dreaded 710 highway. another classic example of a picture i almost deleted before getting home and realizing it actually had some potential.

climbing holly street

holly street bridge is one of the many connecting points for the two banks of the arroyo seco. if you choose to bike on this road, come from the opposite direction. it's more fun to go down hill!

empty highways

you don't see this too often in los angeles county. a highway with zero cars on it. this is the 710, a little highway that never quite turned into what it was supposed to be. you can read more about that controversy on the wikipedia page for the 710.

over the rhine plays fuller seminary

touting last night's concert as "the first time we've ever played at a seminary", over the rhine took the stage to a packed house. playing a mix of old songs and new (and even a couple of original christmas tunes thrown in for good measure), they really captivated the crowd from the beginning of the set, to the end of their encore. another fantastic concert experience in what is becoming a string of really great shows for me. up next on our musical journey is the watkin's family christmas concert on thursday (providing we can get tickets!), followed by chanticleer at the disney concert hall next week.

if you haven't done so, be sure to vote for your favorite photo of the year right here! this photo is out to an early lead.

another side note - i'm happy to see that east of allen snagged a picture of the stealth bomber fly over that happened in pasadena yesterday!

too cute

i love that this little girl wants to help push the stroller.

tournament house

it has taken me a long time to post a picture of this pasadena landmark. this white mansion is the current home of the pasadena tournament of roses. it is also a former home of william wrigley (the chewing gum man). all of which can be read about in this wikipedia article.

be sure to vote for your favorite photo of the year!

sunset sky at joshua tree national park

here is another one from our trip to joshua tree national park last weekend. this is actually looking east, the opposite direction of the setting sun. i couldn't believe the color in the sky!

this is my forth attempt at sky watch friday. you can enjoy the sky from around the world by visiting the website.