California

California DMV Rollback

dmv.jpgGovernor Terminator terminates DMV services a couple of days a week to ‘save money.’

All Department of Motor Vehicles offices will close the first and third Fridays of each month by order of the governor.

The action begins this week under the Governor’s Executive order, addressing the state’s $42 billion deficit and ongoing financial crisis, the DMV said today.

DMV officials encouraged customers to schedule advance appointments and use services available on the DMV’s Internet website at www.dmv.ca.gov

Motorists whose registration renewal date falls on a furlough day will have penalties waived until the next business day, officials said.

I can think of a lot of useless state give-aways he could terminate to save money without shutting down public services. Also, the DMV, like the USPS would probably do better if administered by private enterprises that actually make a profit from the businesses.

Hen and Chicks – 2009

The little eschevaria in a hanging basket in the patio has started to bloom in January. It’s a little early this year, but the temperatures here in Southern California have been warmer than normal this week, but last week, they were quite cold. It’s environmental ‘business as usual’ in California, as it has been for years. Click image 4 big.

Hen and Chicks Eschevaria

It Was Chili Today

I went into the garden this morning and took a picture of these jalapeño chili peppers. Our menu this weekend did not include anything that needs chili peppers, so they are still hanging there. We had barbecued chicken for dinner today and juiced some of our citrus (oranges and lemons) to add extra tang to the barbecue sauce.

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Oh, and by the way, it was 75° here today, but before you decide to relocate here consider these things: insane gun laws, worst schools in America, highest taxes west of the Mississippi and last of all, EARTHQUAKES – we had one just the other evening.

On the Road Again

We’re now underway for our winter vacation. First stop is Twentynine Palms, on the high California desert near Joshua Tree National Park. Tomorrow, we will be touring the park before heading off to Arizona.

This picture is of the wind farm near Palm Springs, just off of interstate 10. Yes, that is snow, yes this is near Palm Springs, and yes, there is no global warming.

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First Ride in the Convertible

bear-bertable2.jpgLately, we have been getting ‘Bear’ our G-Shep/Lab mix dog accustomed to riding along with us from time to time. We’re hoping that she will get used to it so when we take our winter cruise in the motor home, she will be mellow and not hyper.

Today, she rode along with me while we were on an errand, and her mood was somewhere between hyper and mellow. She had never been in my Sebring convertible prior to today; she was very good with it and seemed to enjoy it a lot.

Click the thumbnail for a larger image.

Freighter Cruising the Catalina Channel

We took a quick drive to the top of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southwestern Los Angeles County today, despite our busy schedule of chores, errands and shopping. The visibility was pretty good, but the lighting was unusual due to high clouds in the area. I took this photo of a freighter slowly making its way toward the Los Angeles Harbor through the Catalina Channel. You can see the Catalina Island Isthmus and Ship Rock at Two Harbors in the distance. Click for the full-sized image.

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Avalon Art

avalon.pngI took this photo of Avalon Harbor from the hill, south of the bay, near the Wrigley Mansion. We were in a tram getting a tour of the town of Avalon when we saw this spectacular view. At the time I took the picture, I was using 35mm film in my old Canon SLR, so this had to be scanned into electronic format. Since it was sort of grainy, Bob went with the flow and applied a photo shop tool to make it look somewhat like an oil painting. Anyhow, this was the result. Click for a bigger version.

As an interesting aside, visitors on the Avalon tour don’t get to go up to this location these days. There is a problem on Pebbly Beach Road, just below this location, with rock slides. The Island Conservancy is concerned with liabilities associated with injuries to visitors, so neither the tour tram nor those little golf carts are allowed access to this area; this is a unique view of the town these days.