Vacation

Golden Garibaldi

The bright orange fish seen just below the ocean surface are called Garibaldi; they are fish of the damselfish family that are native to the northern subtropical parts of the Pacific Ocean, ranging from Monterey Bay to Guadalupe Island, Baja California. The Garibaldi is the official “marine fish” of the state of California and is protected in California coastal waters.

As we walk along the shoreline in Avalon, we often see Garibaldi just below the surface close to shore or in the waters below the piers and landings. The waters are fairly calm since this part of the island is opposite the prevailing west winds. I took this picture near the Casino point where there were several Garibaldi feeding by the rocks. Click on the image for a larger view.

Basking on a Buoy

Whenever we take the Catalina Express to or from Catalina, we never fail to see several California Sea Lions basking on the harbor navigation buoys. I took this picture as we passed into the harbor returning to the San Pedro Catalina Terminal.

Most pinnipeds are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection act, and organizations such as the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur (we are supporting members) provide rescue, rehab and restoration to the habitat for injured critters.

It’s not uncommon for sea lions to rest on buoys; they will also often gather at marinas and wharves. These man-made environments provide them safety from their natural predators: orcas and white sharks.

You can click on the image for a larger view.

September 19, 2007 by Verna Critters Photography Vacation

The Casino’s Art Deco Mermaid

This beautiful tile mural is over the box office in the foyer of the famous Casino in the City of Avalon on Catalina Island. She has been restored form the dark days of the 60s to the 80’s when this gorgeous structure fell into disrepair. Luckily, the whole place is looking good, although some places around the building could use a power wash. Nonetheless, this is one of the several wonderful aquatic murals in the Casino’s foyer. Click on the thumbnail image to see a close up.

September 18, 2007 by Verna Culture Photography Vacation

Island Patrol

When you are on an island, everything you consume has to be barged over from the mainland. In the case of groceries and gasoline, the entire delivery truck is loaded onto the barge and brought to the island and barged back empty. This causes the prices for such commodities to go way up.

While you can’t cut down on groceries and such, you can do something about fuel consumption. In order to cope with 5-dollar-per-gallon-plus gas prices, most Catalina Island residents drive small golf-cart sized vehicles since the town is rather small. You also see motor scooters and we saw a Segway while we were there.

One interesting vehicle we saw was this electric motorized stand-up three-wheeled solution which the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department uses to patrol the streets of Avalon. Click the image for a very big close-up.

September 17, 2007 by Bob Culture Photography Vacation