Night Sky

I had a good moon out last night.

Tree Tunnel

There are many roads that are covered completely by trees making tree tunnels.

Palm

Palm against the night sky. See the star? Make a wish.

Streetlight

One of very few streetlights in my neighborhood.

Green

Another dirt road in my neighborhood. I love the green light cutting a green swath through the night and across the road.

2 Lights

I was able to get two lights in one photo. I am proud of myself. Lights are few and far between in my neighborhood.

Not A Through Street

Almost every street around here has a similar sign at it's start. Not all have the moon hiding behind palm trees in the background though.

Open 24 Hours

There is a Mexican joint near my place that is open 24 hours. Which is a good thing, because I needed a burrito at 3:00am.

Christmas lights in June.

Found these hanging on the side of the Mexican joint.

Mural

This is a mural on the Mexican joint.

Sleeping bum #1 (December 25th's first photo)

I found this fine fellow sleeping upright on a bench next to his worldly possessions. I have taken a few pictures of the homeless this night and I hope when you read this you don't think I was trying to be exploitative, as that was not my intention. I have a great deal of respect for the homeless, and I was just documenting. I even had a few conversations with some very nice homeless people this night (I have no photos, because I used thirty second exposures for most of these pictures, and people that were awake didn't photograph very well), one guy even offered me his shoes when he saw that I didn't have any. Lots of people offered me things. I take these photos because I think they're beautiful. I hope you do as well.

USA?

This was spray painted on the ground in front of the first nativity scene.

Nativity #1

All along Ocean Avenue various churches in Santa Monica constructed this series of full sized nativity scenes. I took a photo of every singe one. These are all scenes from a book, and I have never read the book in question, but judging by the pictures alone, I can tell the book is just as fantastic as The Tommyknockers (and just as factual as well). I will try to tell you what's happening in each photo judging by what I see in each scene. This one has a little boy drawing on a table with a giant crayon, his dad's like, "that's your kid Helen." She's picking up a chair to smack him with. "How many times have I told you not to draw on the damned table, you little fucker!"

Nativity #2

It looks like the woman on the mule with the baby is blind, and the man is asking for change. Not from me, buddy.

Nativity #3

The lights in this one was busted. Now I'll never figure out how the story goes!

Nativity #4

The couple on the right are desperate, see they can't conceive a baby on their own, so they have come to the black market where they meet the scary guy on the left with the beard (everybody has a beard in this story). The guy on the left is willing to sell the baby that he just stole from the bazaar while the parents were haggling over the price of oranges. And how these people are haggling over the price of a baby.

Nativity #5

We three kings be stealing the gold!

Nativity #6

A meeting of kings. That's Marky Mark on the right. George Clooney is pushing Ice Cube out of the way so he can see Spike Jonze to tell him that no, in fact the bullion that they're talking about is not the little squares you put in hot water to make soup.

Nativity #7

Everybody here is super white. Maybe they're at a clan meeting. They're about to sacrifice all of those little lambs for some dumb reason they believe is the only logical solution. Mary's gonna be pissed when she finds out what happened to them all. "I told you fucking idiots to look after them! I was gone for three hours! What the fuck!"

Nativity #8

The wife here is trying not to lose her shit. She's trying to calmly ask her husband why he keeps letting all of the animals in the house. He knows that she just cleaned, plus there's the baby. It's not very hygienic, I mean just look at all of this sheep hair everywhere. He's trying very hard not to fly off the handle and smack her across the face. The only thing keeping himself from smacking her is that he's already got two strikes and he does not want to go back to those damned anger management courses, and if he has to spend one more damned Thursday in couples therapy, he's going to kill her. She knows how much he loves the animals. Of course none of this is said out loud. The whole conversation takes place in cold steely glances.

Nativity #9

"...9 mississippi ....10 mississippi, ready or not here I come. Oh look, Vlad is behind the doors that don't go anywhere again, how original." "Marcus, this room is only so big, where else would you have me hide?" *sigh* How did we end up here like this?

Nativity #10

This one's tough to make out. The light was moved aside, but I think they're doing something not very nice or legal to that mule, and I think maybe the light was diverted on purpose.

Nativity #11

"Spare a dime, Mister?" "It's after curfew, back inside." "But we are so hungry." "You should have thought of that before your people were conquered by my people. Back inside."

Nativity #12

"Yeah, you're definitely showing." "Shit. What am I gonna do? Fred can't find out." "You can come stay at my place up in the hills until this all blows over." "Oh, thank you Leslie, you're a real friend."

Nativity #13

These two are obviously in jail, and the one on the left there couldn't take the indignity of it and has hanged him/herself in the night while his/her cellmate sleeps.

Nativity #14

"Trick or Treat!" "Great, another angel. Are you guys just sharing those wings or something?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "Well, I'm all out of candy and I'm tired. Go home."

Me and street light

I found a cool streetlight to sit under for a neat long exposure night shot.

Then I turn into a ghost.

Jungle gym

This is a jungle gym I found out in the middle of the dunes. I think it looks like the skeleton of some extinct animal that has been uncovered by the retreating sea.

Beach bathroom

Standing alone in the dark like an oasis

Locker rentals

With bum asleep on bench.

Down the bike path

There were runners running down it (I don't know why and didn't ask) but they didn't show up with the long exposure.

Broken bike rack

I found it so elegant and surreal, like an alien caterpillar bending down to smell something on the ground.

Perry's Pizza

Homeless guys under a volleyball nets

See there, in the background? Another guy.

Another homeless guy under a volleyball net

I got a sense that while they had no problem with camping out on the beach, they didn't want to do it just anywhere, they wanted the comfort of some kind of item near them like a volleyball net pole. I suppose the vast openness was a bit too much for them out there. They needed something more tangible than a million grains of sand near them when they woke, to remind them where they are and who they are.

Lifeguard Station

A lone sentinel in the dark standing guard.

Surf

Night waves.

The Santa Monica Pier

It looks so far away and full of life.

Solitary trash can

Alone and forgotten in the deep shadows of memories of warmth.

Side of lifeguard station

Close-up with hotels in background.

Thirsty?

This drinking fountain was one rare one that actually worked. Note to non-LA readers, the 626 area code is far from Santa Monica. It took balls to spray paint that there.

Bridge over the PCH.

Dark scary stairs

Path

Don't climb out and jump!

Geometry

Angles are cool.

PCH full of cars

PCH almost enpty

Out of order

There were stairs down to the East side of the PCH, but the path was closed and locked and the stairs were in serious disrepair.

1935

I'm guessing the pedestrian foot bridge that spans the PCH was built in 1935.

Three layers of light.

M.C. Escher lookout

Topsy-Turvey

My own personal Topsy-Turvey as a sign of respect for S.N.I.D.E.

No Parking

Tow Away City of Santa Monica

Christmas light house

Being a guy who decorates houses professionally I kinda liked this house, what I liked even more was the parking structure behind it (must be nice at parties, everybody can find a place to park) and the fact that it was the only residence surrounded by hotels and restaurants.

The cute winding path next to Ocean Avenue

Over the other side of that fence is a very steep drop down to the PCH.

No Trespassing on Bluffs

Sounds like a dare to me...

Soldier's Memorial

Each one of those columns represented a different branch of the US's armed forces, the Army, Marines, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. The words inscribed were not very poetic, profound or memorable.

Will Rogers Highway

Dedicated 1952 to Will Rogers. Humorist - World Traveler - Good Neighbor. This Main Street of America Highway 66 was the first road he traveled in a career that led him straight to the hearts of his countrymen.

Arbol de Amistad

The little plaque under the tree there reads: A Living Testimonial with Roots in Understanding. Mexico-U.S.A. Sister City 2nd Annual Convention 1969

Cannon

This is just chillin' up on the bluff, pointing out at the ocean. No plaque or anything. Just a cannon on a cliff.

Spy-glass

I guess this'd be useful for looking at sailboats out on the tide. Or girls on the beach.

Another stairway

Leading down to the PCH and the beach beyond.

Another view

Of the cool twisty spiral stairs down to the promise of fun and bikinis.

DANGER Do Not Go Beyond This Point

I love it when signs dare me to do things I wouldn't have thought of doing until I read the sign.

Night sky

Three palms, one moon, and are those stars up there? Yes I believe there are stars in Santa Monica.

Partially transitory man

Waiting for a bus?

Santa Monica - Yacht Harbor, Sport Fishing, Boating, Cafes

I know this is no longer a yacht harbor and there aren't too many boats anywhere near here, but there are many cafes, and a fair amount of fisherman at the end of the pier, but I don't know if they're doing it for the sport of it.

Baker?

Whatever his profession, he's painted on and he never goes back to work from this break and his view never changes.

Alley composition

Dumpster and service door with light and cone.

Pacific Sands Motel

I love the peeled nature of this sign. Among other things.

Homeless on Third Street

He managed to get himself all the way onto that tiny little bench. Respect.

Photo Competition Photo: "Text"

Photo Competition Photo: "Portrait"

Photo Competition Photo: "Black & White"

Photo Competition Photo: "Place Of Business"

Photo Competition Photo: "Corner of Sunland & La Tuna Canyon"

Photo Competition Photo: "Wild Card #1"

Photo Competition Photo: "Wild Card #2"

Photo Competition Photo: "Wild Card #3"

Photo Competition Photo: "Wild Card #4"

Photo Competition Photo: "Wild Card #5"

Photo Competition Night Supplemental

This was a possible Sunland & La Tuna Canyon shot.

Photo Competition Night Supplemental

This was almost going to be my text completion.

Photo Competition Night Supplemental

This was a possible Wild Card shot.

Photo Competition Night Supplemental

This was a possible Wild Card shot.

Photo Competition Night Supplemental

This was a possible Sunland & La Tuna Canyon shot.

Photo Competition Night Supplemental

This was a possible Wild Card shot.

Photo Competition Night Supplemental

This was a possible Wild Card shot.

Photo Competition Night Supplemental

This was a possible Sunland & La Tuna Canyon shot.

Photo Competition Night Supplemental

This was a possible Black & White shot.

Photo Competition Night Supplemental

This was a possible Portrait shot.

Photo Competition Night Supplemental

This was a possible Wild Card shot. It's an alternate take on the photo I did manage to use for Wild Card #4.

Photo Competition Night Supplemental

This was a possible Black & White shot.