I was at the dentist this morning for cleaning and checkup. I arrived a little early so I sat in the parking lot for a while. A few minutes before my appointment time, a gentleman arrived in this very cherry Ford panel truck - painted bright yellow. I took a couple of photos of it including this pair of pictures merged into a 3D image. You will need red/blue or red/cyan glasses to see the 3D effect. Visit my 3D gallery for this and more.

Actually, I filed our tax returns electronically last week. Today is the day that the small amounts we owe to the Franchise Tax Board and the U.S. Treasury get debited from the checking account. This year, filing the taxes electronically automatically initiates the pending tax rebates which will automatically be credited to the checking account next month.

The tide goes out, the tide comes in - mostly out though.

We passed this interesting building while driving along Anaheim Street in Wilmington last week. It is surprising to see this very European-looking entryway with intricate scroll work and a caprice figurehead.

An internet search on ‘European Architecture” turned up a link to a very interesting website: an Architecture Glossary by Roberta Barresi. The glossary is highly illustrated with photos of many European examples of architecture and has a thorough definition for many esoteric architectural styles and objects.

This very pretty bearded iris is making a reappearance from a year ago. Some quick research brought up this set of facts about this pretty flower.

Bearded iris, Iris germanica, is a hardy, long-lived perennial that require a minimum of maintenance. The flowers have six petals; three upright petals (called standards) and three hanging petals (called falls). A fuzzy line or beard runs down the middle of each fall. Flowers come in many colors including blue, pink, purple, reddish, white, yellow, and bi-colors. Most bearded iris flower in the spring (April to June depending on cultivar), but some of the new cultivars re-flower in the summer and fall. The second flower display is not as showy as the spring display but last into the fall. Many re-blooming iris are fragrant.

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The last couple of days have been quite warm in the South Bay. With such summer-like conditions, who could resist a Barbecue? We went to work with BBQ baby back pork ribs, grilled pineapple, grilled asparagus, roasted corn on the cob and steamed broccoli and cauliflower. We ate out in the patio while the hummingbirds put on a show feeding from the flowers in the yard. What a good day!

While I lived in Long Beach as a child, my parents would often take us kids to the shoreline. At the time, there was a semicircular pier called ‘Rainbow Pier’ in the harbor. Today, the pier is gone and the harbor there is now ‘Rainbow Harbor.’ This is a panoramic view of the harbor taken from Pierpoint Landing where Dad used to take us fishing. Click for a full-sized panoramic view.

I took this photo of this beautiful bed of magenta iceplant flowers growing in the sand next to the rocky shore at Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach Harbor. Click to enlarge the picture.