This afternoon we went to the Redondo Beach Pier to walk around, have some snacks, and enjoy the outdoors. Even though it was chilly out, the kids got ice cream and funnel cakes, and Mariko and I enjoyed some oysters on the half-shell. As the sun went down, we got sat down for a cocktail and then took photos of the sunset. It was a good day! Please enjoy the photos.
またね～
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO400 “Sunset Silhouette” Redondo Beach, 2019Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO640 “Oysters” Redondo Beach, 2019Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/90 sec, ISO3200 “Seafood Snacks” Redondo Beach, 2019Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/100 sec, ISO400 “All Signs” Redondo Beach, 2019Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/100 sec, ISO400 “Tony’s” Redondo Beach, 2019Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4.5, 1/160 sec, ISO200 “The Horseshoe” Redondo Beach, 2019Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/16, 1/220 sec, ISO200 “Black and White Pacific” Redondo Beach, 2019Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/16, 1/100 sec, ISO1250 “Bye-bye Sun” Redondo Beach, 2019
Today we took a day-trip up to the town of Ojai, California. It was about a two-hour drive, and when we arrived it was time for lunch so we headed straight for our first destination, The Nest. The food was a delicious mix of vegan and non-vegan foods, and the coffee was also yummy. We shared cauliflower tacos, brisket sandwiches, and sangria.
After lunch, we visited The Ojai Olive Oil Company, where we took a short tour and learned a lot about their olive oil operation, and olive oil in general. Very enlightening and educational! I didn’t know that the time from picking the olives to producing the actual oil happens within the span of only a few hours to retain the most flavor.
Next we made a stop at Topa Mountain Winery for a wine tasting, and then it was onto a really cool bookstore, Bart’s Books. What’s special about Bart’s is that it is the largest independently owned outdoor bookstore in the U.S.! There are so many cool books to browse through, and I found myself exploring a lot of the books from the early 1900s. How cool to read from a book that is over 100 years old!
Today I visited The Getty Center for the first time, which is kind of surprising since it has been around for over 20 years. I was blown away by the architecture, and also the paintings from their permanent collection. Seeing more paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, and Cezanne was pretty mind-blowing. I loved it.
We were fortunate to visit on a super-clear day (due to the gusty winds) so the already-amazing views were absolutely breath-taking. You could see downtown, the San Bernardino Mountains, Long Beach, Palos Verdes, and Catalina. It was awesome!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/6.4, 1/600 sec, ISO200 “Los Angeles Panorama” Los Angeles, 2018
Admission to the Getty Museum is free, but parking in the lot is $15. I recommend arriving early at the lot because it gets super-crowded. We got there at about 9:45 am (the museum opened at 10 am) and we were able to go right to our parking space, then hop on the tram that took us up the hill to the museum. But when we left at around 1 pm there was a huge line of cars trying to get into the lot. It looked like a nightmare. So go early!
Here are a few more photos from the grounds. The Getty Center is a definite must-do if you visit Los Angeles for a few days.
Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/12 sec, ISO3425 “Stowaway” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。Today was a travel day, but I’m happy to report the flight from Austin to Long Beach went smoothly and we made it to my parents’ house in Torrance. Let the holidays begin!!!
Photo info: SONY NEX-6, 16mm, f/11, 1/100 sec, ISO100 “Monument Sun” La Porte, 2018
こんばんは。
Today Koa and I were down in Baytown where he was attending a band camp. So after dropping him off in the morning, I had the day to explore the area. I decided to check out the San Jacinto Museum of History which seemed to be the biggest place of interest and very highly rated on TripAdvisor and Google.
When you drive up to the museum, the first thing you’ll notice (from quite a distance) is the monument with star on top. It’s an impressive 570 feet tall and was completed in 1939. It commemorates the Battle of San Jacinto, which was the decisive battle for Texas independence and happened on this location. Housed inside the monument is the museum itself, with an impressive display collection and theater where you can view a short movie that describes the battle. While it’s free to view the permanent museum display, there’s a charge to watch the movie, but it is worth it because the movie describes in detail the events leading up to the battle, and you can learn a lot about the main figures in Texas history, such as Sam Houston, Stephen Austin, and General Santa Anna.
There’s also a separate charge to go up to the observation level at the top of the monument where you can see views of the shipping lane, and the city of Houston in the distance. There’s not too much more than that though, so if you want to save a few dollars, you can skip this part.
Outside of the monument is the reflecting pool which is near the area where the Texas soldiers were camped. On the other side of the monument is where the Mexican army was camped. This kind of blew my mind because they were camped so close together before the battle, which the Texans won decisively in a rout. I’d estimate that you could walk from one camp to the other in just a few minutes, although I guess at the time there were more trees covering the area.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/900 sec, ISO200 “Monument” La Porte, 2018Photo info: SONY NEX-6, 16mm, f/9, 1/400 sec, ISO100 “Reflecting Pool” La Porte, 2018Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/40 sec, ISO3200 “Museum” La Porte, 2018
After visiting the museum, I drove over to the Battleship Texas Historic Site to see the World War I era ship. It was smaller than I thought it would be and very industrial-looking. But I guess the sole purpose of the warship was to sink other ships so it’s basically a metal platform for huge guns. Interestingly, the USS Texas fought both in both World Wars.
And that was the highlight of my day in La Porte, Texas. It was actually pretty cool to learn more about Texas History. I grew up in California, and we didn’t have much state history in our curriculum so it was surprising to me that my kids were being taught so much Texas history here. But honestly, the Lone Star State has a ton of history and I can now understand where “Texas pride” comes from.
I hope you had a nice Saturday!
またね～
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