At the Point Vicente Interpretive Center, there is a deck where whale-watchers gather to spot the humpbacks and other whales as they migrate. I was standing on the deck a couple of weeks ago and took a couple of shots looking south and southeast. I later merged them onto this composite view of the center, the cliffs and the lighthouse. It was a little too hazy to see Catalina Island on this day, but a pleasant view nonetheless. Click image for bigger.
From an overlook along Hawthorne Boulevard in Rancho Palos Verdes, you get a great view of the Peninsula coastline toward the southeast. Several years ago, however, this view would have been without most of the houses seen in this view. We liked it better then. Click the photo for a bigger view.
This was snapped just before it started to rain here yesterday. These Santana Hibiscus have been prolific in our patio this fall. Very pretty. Click for large size.
This is so easy and so good. Marinate chicken breasts overnight in soy sauce, peanut oil, sliced ginger root and cilantro. Throw in a couple of cloves of chopped garlic if you’re inclined. When ready to cook the meal, prepare the steamer by lining the bottom with some Napa cabbage leaves and place the marinated chicken breasts on top of them.
In the side, start some white rice with ginger slices to give it that oriental flavor. Prepare a dressing with sesame oil and low-sodium soy sauce to top the rice and vegetables when served.
In the top part of the steamer, place some chopped bok choi, savoy cabbage, spinach and (optionally) some cauliflower or broccoli florets. Steam for about 30 minutes. We use an electric steamer, but the traditional bamboo steamers work just as well (we started out using them).
Add a Tsingtao, if desired, and enjoy.
On this Halloween, the spooks and spirits are reaching far into space. This whimsical presentation of the Cassini Saturn mission, with ghost, pumpkin and black cat demonstrates a lighter side of NASA for the Halloween holiday.
In February of 2006, we had a very cold spell where the overnight temperatures dipped below freezing. I went out one morning and read the thermometer at 31° – very unusually cold for this part of California. After that freeze, this Umbrella Plant turned yellow, all the branches fell off and nothing was left but a skinny stump sticking out of the ground. I don’t have a photographic record of that, but it was pathetic.
In the spring of that year, the stump sprouted some new growth, so we decided to let it grow. And grow it did! Now, just 30 months later, the shrub is full and seems to want to take over its little corner of the yard. Verna took this shot today in the back yard. Click the image to enlarge.
