Happy Halloween!

Lone Pumpkin

Cute Scarecrow & Ghosts

Lots of Inflatables

Skeletons & Witch

Levitating Plastic Pumpkins

Life-Sized Extra Scary

What is your holiday decorating style?
Mine is definitely the lone pumpkin!

Happy Halloween!
Lori Lynn & Wilson

Skywatch Friday - Brigantine Irving Johnson

In sailing, a brigantine is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.

The twin brigantines Irving Johnson and Exy Johnson are the flagships of the Los Angeles Maritime Institute's (LAMI) TopSail Youth program, a non-profit organization created as a character building organization to help at risk youth prepare for life through the discipline and teamwork required to safely handle a tall ship. They join LAMI's topsail schooners the Swift of Ipswich and the Bill of Rights in introducing youths to the subtle but profound influence presented by the sea.

Named for sail training pioneers Irving and Electa "Exy" Johnson, the brigantines take on a proud history initiated by their namesakes. Seven time veteran circumnavigators of the world on board two different boats both named Yankee, each trip with a new crew of boys and girls armed only with a sense of adventure and curiosity. For 25 years beginning in the late 1930s, Irving and Exy did what was thought impossible, and lived a life now legendary. (more from wikipedia here)

Visit blue skies around the world here.

Pelicans & Fishing Nets

Sea Gulls & Fishing Nets

Across from Ports O' Call Village.

L U D MAT

Corner of Alma and 23rd Street.

Walking to School

17th Street

Friendship Park Road

Double Delight

'Tis indeed!

The Double Delight Hybrid Tea Rose.

Skywatch Friday - from the deck

Visit other Skywatch friends here.

In Memory of My Little Mally

Mrs. O'Mally

November 28, 1998 - October 22, 2008

Today is the one year anniversary of the passing of My Little Mally. I still miss her terribly. She was my sweet companion for almost 9 years. I rescued her when she was one year old.

Mally with my brother and nephews, Stone and Jett, in 2004.

Mally and Homer in 2005.

Mally and Wilson

We got Wilson in 2006.

Mally and Stone in 2007

Last year when she passed away, I wrote about her and Wilson and Homer and the Southern California Boston Terrier Rescue here.

Dear Sweet Mally - 

Thanks for being such a wonderful companion, we miss you girl.

Scary Neighborhood!

Brandy

Brandy Hybrid Tea Rose

Deep golden bronze buds gracefully unfold top a warm golden apricot with a pleasing tea-rose scent. Isn't that a pretty Fall color?

Downtown Los Angeles

Downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains seen from San Pedro.

Just behind those tall buildings is the city of Pasadena. Visit Pasadena Daily Photo here!

Shell Ginger Flowers

The shell ginger posted last Monday here is now flowering!

Coffee & Bougainvillea

My backyard this morning. 80°

Now that's quite a change from our recent stormy weather!

Skywatch Friday - soccer field after the storm

At Friendship Park

Visit other clear and stormy skies here.

Tail End of the Storm

Yesterday 5:48 PM

From Friendship Park

One Pumpkin

There are lots of halloween decorations popping up all over town. I'm partial to this one.

White Point Park

Shell Ginger

Alpinia zerumbet 

Common names: Light galangal, Pink porcelain lily, Shell flower, Shell ginger, Variegated ginger, Butterfly ginger.

Each pod will open to unveil  a pretty yellow flower with a red striped throat.

Native to eastern Asia, this plant is a rhizomatous, ever green tropical perennial that grows in upright clumps 8-10 feet tall in tropical climates. In more typical conditions, it reaches 4-8 feet tall in the green house, and 3-4 feet tall, as a house plant. It is called a shell ginger or shell flower most commonly, because its individual pink flowers, especially when in bud, resemble sea shells. (more from wikipedia here)

Anchovy Avenue

25th Street

Skywatch Friday - Toto, I have the feeling we're not in Kansas

Can you spot the cruise ship in all three photos?

Happy Skywatching. Please visit my Skywatch friends here!

Harbor Walkway

Can you see Santa Catalina Island on the horizon?

Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is an island off the coast of Southern California. Just 22 miles (35 km) south-southwest of Los Angeles. The east end of the island is located at 33 degrees, 18'10"N, 118 degrees, 18'58"W.

Hanging Basket

A nice touch.

another dryer fire

In July one of my neighbors had a devastating dryer fire. At the time, it was thought that the home was habitable after the fire but sadly that was not the case. The other evening, there was another dryer fire just around the corner from the one in July. 

Thanks to the efficient expert work by the LAFD, there seems to be no major damage.

I am posting this information again as a reminder:

Fires can occur when lint builds up in the dryer or in the exhaust duct. Lint can block the flow of air, cause excessive heat build-up, and result in a fire in some dryers.

To help prevent fires:

Clean the lint screen/filter before or after drying each load of clothes. If clothing is still damp at the end of a typical drying cycle or drying requires longer times than normal, this may be a sign that the lint screen or the exhaust duct is blocked.

Clean the dryer vent and exhaust duct periodically. Check the outside dryer vent while the dryer is operating to make sure exhaust air is escaping. If it is not, the vent or the exhaust duct may be blocked. To remove a blockage in the exhaust path, it may be necessary to disconnect the exhaust duct from the dryer. Remember to reconnect the ducting to the dryer and outside vent before using the dryer again.

Clean behind the dryer, where lint can build up. Have a qualified service person clean the interior of the dryer chassis periodically to minimize the amount of lint accumulation. Keep the area around the dryer clean and free of clutter.

Replace plastic or foil, accordion-type ducting material with rigid or corrugated semi-rigid metal duct. Most manufacturers specify the use of a rigid or corrugated semi-rigid metal duct, which provides maximum airflow. The flexible plastic or foil type duct can more easily trap lint and is more susceptible to kinks or crushing, which can greatly reduce the airflow.

Take special care when drying clothes that have been soiled with volatile chemicals such as gasoline, cooking oils, cleaning agents, or finishing oils and stains. If possible, wash the clothing more than once to minimize the amount of volatile chemicals on the clothes and, preferably, hang the clothes to dry. If using a dryer, use the lowest heat setting and a drying cycle that has a cool-down period at the end of the cycle. To prevent clothes from igniting after drying, do not leave the dried clothes in the dryer or piled in a laundry basket. (from Consumer Product Safety Commission)

Gazebo at Sunset

that's pretty

relaxing on the deck

Wilson finds the perfect spot.

The SP Slip

The Southern Pacific (SP) Slip, off the Main Channel, is an historical waterfront site, one of few working fish harbors in Los Angeles.

Skywatch Friday - sunrise with pine tree

Have a nice weekend!
Visit other skies here.

Theme Day: CONTRAST

CROW & HUMMINGBIRD

Same dead tree. 

Big and little. Black and white. Life and death. Fauna and flora.

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