It never rains in Southern California

My friend (a pianist) told me the song "It never rains in Southern California" (written and sung by Albert Hammond) was originally "It never rains in Indianapolis". I didn't check further with some other sources. Simply in my mind I don't find the rhythmic sound right with "Indianapolis". There should be some story for my friend with his home town - Indianapolis.

He has spent over 50 years in Palm Springs, Southern California. A happy guy. A professional pianist. A devoted artistic typist - yes, he cared so much with his typewriter and insist to type instead of using a computer. He served in the Korean war (in the 50's) for typing to deliver accurate messages for the American navy. He kept on sending me typed letters. Not a single word of correction until the last one he fell. He made some typo error. He stopped typing. He went to a retirement home in Palm Springs.

In February, 2006, I went to see him together with some other good friends. Spent just 3 days there without stopping by LA for the first time. On the last day, that late afternoon, I was at the parking lot at Walmart. A layer of rainy cloud was on the Mount San Jacinto. It told LA was raining already. This was the last scene I saw Palm Springs. All along the way to LAX, it rained heavy as something in an attempt to washing out my last memory. It didn't.

The rain actually brought him away on a flight long delayed for 5 years to Feb. 2011. Got on board a 747, with your beloved dog Jake, flying out of Southern California. Flying out of Indianapolis.

Jumping to Yosemite National Park

After getting a new DSLR, my friend pixmation has spent a photography camp tour to Yosemite National Park lately. The photos and the scenery are awesome! Below is the link:

http://pixmation.wordpress.com/

Also in this new link, there are photos showing his jumping project and various professional photography (serious one) with some lighting effect.

Invitation to Pixmation's first trial of Canon Rebel T2i

May I invite you to view some of the photos taken by my best friend in LA pixmation in the below link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/pixmation/ShootingAroundTheHouseWithNewCamera08212010?feat=directlink#

See how the composition of photos is. Contrast of the background and also the gradual color/shadow/light on the photo. Angle of the view and the expression of the object. :)

29 Palms, CA, USA

I was so happy to find this photo taken on the freeway 62 on a car ride from Palm Springs, north to Yucca Valley and all the way eastward passing thru' 29 Palms. This area is an important area of the States as there are many secret military experiments. Of course, those bases wouldn't be along on this freeway 62. Then about an hour something drive, you would hit freeway 95. Turn north and there is a nice town Laughlin and Bullhead City where the 3 states touch each other (AZ, NV and CA). One more hour drive to the north is Las Vegas!

1. What a view and the road seems to be endless.

updates on LA by Pixmation

Hello, my best friend in LA has just made his picasa albums showing some food review on LA and other places in the States. So seeing those photos would quench my thirst of going to LA. :)

http://picasaweb.google.com/pixmation

Cherry Pie by Billy's Reed, North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, Southern California, USA

I can't believe I found out this photo taken a long long time ago. I didn't take photos much back then. This photo meant so much to me as Billy's Reed in Palm Springs is my most favourite restaurant in Palm Springs. Their cakes and pies are awesome! I used to order a half tuna melt sandwich (a full portion at SE Asian standard), coleslaw and a cup of clam chowder, followed by either a pumpkin pie or cherry pie.

Lemon tree, Glendora, California

Whenever I rode on the freeway from LA towards the east on I-10 freeway, the song "It never rained in Southern California" (by Albert Hammond) would somehow rang up in my ears. Southern California is almost 3/4th of the year with abundant sun shine. In taking such an advantage, the locally grown fruits are really special. When I first visited my friend's apt. in Glendora, I was puzzled at an orange size lemon and asked if that was a lemon. My friend immediately got one and cut it in pieces and put in a sunny iced tea. The strong "melon" aromatic lemon is so pleasant during a hot sunny day. I have never tried lemon with a melon aroma. Besides, freshly picked from the tree is superb. So then I checked around the backyard. There were grapefruit, orange, tangerine, plum, blue berry, apple, apricot.... So just pick some of those freshly picked fruits to go with some crackers and cheese and you would have a very nice lunch, followed with a sunny iced tea. My friend put some tea bags in a glass jar with room temperature water and put it in the sun for an hour. At first I wondered how would the tea aroma will be released without hot water, but somehow it has! Then take it with some ice cubes and freshly cut lemon. No need to put sugar. There went the sunny iced tea.

1. the lemon tree and I was given plenty of them on my way back to Hong Kong. They still tasted so good even after a 15 hour flight. 2. the tangerine tree.
3. the flower gardening.

The Lone Pine, California, USA

On our first trip to San Francisco in 1991, we took a local tour and one of the tourist points was to visit this Lone Pine. I still remember this name as it's a very cool name.

Santa Barbara, California (Jan. 1994)

In early 90's I have been to the States quite often, especially to California and took quite a long stay in between of my job changes. In each stay, my best friend Edmond and I would drive around in California, either to the East, North East, South or North. We did make quite some trips to a number of places. Below was the trip we took a Pacific Coast highway drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco in January 1994. We made a stop at Santa Barbara (a seaside town 100 miles something north west of Los Angeles) and it is such a nice town! I still remember we had a lunch at a seaside restaurant called Moby Dick on a pier. Thanks Edmond for the long and nice drive!


1. I was so happy in seeing the Pacific Ocean because I was on the far away the other side of Hong Kong. 2. Edmond and I then- almost 15 years ago.
3/4. The first time I stepped on a pier stretched out to the Pacific Ocean, I was much too excited and couldn't help myself.

5. in the downtown of Santa Barbara. 6. Edmond captured a moment of my contemplating over the pier. I was thinking of how my family was on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

San Francisco, USA (1991)

My friend and I made an extension trip from Honolulu to San Francisco in March, 1991. We joined several local tours to Sausalito and the Redwood park, Monterey, Pebble Beach...etc. Worth for a visit and what impressed me was the nice Italian food.
1/2. No need to tell what it is. The Golden Gate Bridge.

3. It's very common to see this type of building in many US cities. 4. Forgot where it was - maybe Monterey.

5/6. The first time we hit the other side of Pacific Ocean.

Idllywild, Southern California

Think I have introduced too much about Bangkok and Asian cities. Now it's time to take a break and go to a very nice place up on the mountain area of Southern California. It's called Idllywild back behind the Mount San Jacinto in between Palm Springs and Riverside County. The elevation is around 4-5,000 feet high and the air is especially cool. The green makes you feel like you are somewhere in the forest. I went there to accompany my friend for checking on houses. So here are the photos of Idyllwild and some nice houses.

1. Suicide Rock - a challenge for the climbers to risk their life.

3. Idllywild downtown - I can barely see people walking around and it's like a town for hermits.

Palm Springs, CA

Spent almost a year in Palm Springs, California in 1994. I recalled I wrote to my friend in Taipei, telling her "seeing the snow up on the Mount San Jacinto but I am on a ground of high heat....". Yes, this is the scene. Also looking at the swaying palm trees. Imagine if they are whispering to you. That's how I came up with my email name whispalms - whispering palms. I treasure this photo so much, witnesses my feeling for Palm Springs.

Suicide Rock, Idyllwild, CA

My best friend brought me to Idyllwild, an hour drive from Palm Desert or from Riverside County, California. It's like another peaceful land somewhere in the Earth. I am very impressed with the smell of the pine trees up there. The Suicide Rock in the photo is a big challenge for the rock climbers, and likely to put someone's life at high risk.

Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles

Rodeo Drive, where most of the up-market boutiques and shops are there.

Los Angeles

The first time when I flew from Honolulu to Los Angeles, it was 8pm. I sat on the window side and saw a spectacular view of a big land of different lights. It looks like a big crystal ball coming from the outer space and crashed into this land. The scattered parts of the crystal ball got spread out in a diameter of 150 miles.

UFO cloud, Palm Springs

On my last trip in Palm Springs in February, 2006, I took a photo of this interesting cloud. In fact, I saw an UFO in September, 1994. At 10pm something I looked up in the sky as usual watching the stars. There it suddenly came. A jelly-fish like machine transparent with some electro light running gently, showed up. I couldn't tell the distance. It might look so big but staying up high. It was like a flying kite size. In just half a second, it ascended vertically and disappeared. Just a night before that sighting, my friend told me "someday we will miss the calmness of today if we look back someday.". Yes, I do miss that now....

Idyllwild, Caflifornia - never thought it is in Southern California

Idyllwild, Caflifornia - never thought it is in Southern California. Within an hour you can go back to either Palm Desert or Riverside County. If you like being secluded, this is the place for you.

on I-10 freeway to Palm Springs

A trip back to Palm Springs in 2006. Interstate freeway 10 is like an old friend of mine on the section from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. The windmills told that it will be another 20 minutes to reach Palm Springs and turn into highway 111 to Palm Canyon Drive.