Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Bluster

It was sunny in Pasadena yesterday, but clouds loomed over the mountains all day, threatening a storm. It was blustery and beautiful.

I look forward to a time when wiring is underground. I've complained about telephone wires in the way when I want to enjoy the scenery. But something about the Eaton Wash corridor and its colony of cables fascinates me. Maybe it's the danger. I don't think I'd want to grab hold of one of those wires, surely not during a storm. Not that we get much lightning around here even when we get rain.

Alas, there was no storm yesterday. Not a drop that I know of. Just a lot of bluster from on high.

23 comments:

John Sandel said...

March of the titans! When they bury all those powerlines, will nightcrawlers absorb the weird energy and develop … an attitude?

"Honey, I think someone's scratching at the door …"

Cafe Pasadena said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cafe Pasadena said...

Hey, will you guys open the door! It's freezing out here tonite. Don't make me bark & agitate your neighbors!

Btw, is this North East Pasadena, near Sierra Madre Blvd? Is there an old nursery around those parts?
Refreshing shot!
Now, where's the food??

Skrip said...

This reminds me of my Spring & Fall treks to Perrsons Nursery. Is this the location? I'll be out there very soon!

Vanda said...

I was up there in Altadena, and saw those high tension wires on the mountain. I wonder how they put them up there. Did they drop the workers and materials in by helicopter? It's not like there were any roads going up there.

cieldequimper said...

You know I would never have thought of taking a picture of electricity poles (is that what you call them) but it works really, really well! Raining cats and dogs here...

Shell Sherree said...

Though your photo makes them look quite impressive, Petrea, I'm happy to say our suburb doesn't have any above ground power or phone lines. It's all underground. I'm also happy to report that there's nothing unexpected scratching at the AAAAaaaaaaaaarghhhh...

Petrea Burchard said...

J+P that's a tad creepy. Or a creepy tad.

Cafe, you've got it. Skrip, too. It's near Perrson's on Sierra Madre, east of the high school.

These are the same cables that go up into the footills, Vanda; they're almost as graceful as the slopes. I've often wondered the same thing: how was the work done? They practically fly across the mountains.

Cieldequimper, you don't need to take photos of electrical poles when you have Versailles!

Hee hee, Shell Sherree!

Keith said...

Love this kind of weather, very invigorating! Those towers / power lines on the mountains are dropped in by helicopter.

Anonymous said...

yes, it looked very dramatic yesterday. All bark, but that was ok w/me. Vanda -- good question. I know some of those gigantors are located next to narrow trails.

Margaret said...

I like this weather too. I try and enjoy every bit of it because once it turns hot I know we'll be broiling until October.

ben wideman said...

You nailed the feeling yesterday. Wasn't that odd to have bright sunshine in one direction, and dark clouds in another? I was trying to figure out how to take a picture of something with bright sky on one side, and darkness on the other, but it never materialized.

Petrea Burchard said...

I should've known you'd know, Keith.

Hiker, a leisurely hour to "the towers" and back on the Sam Merrill Trail. Faster when I'm in shape.

I don't broil as much as others do, Margaret, but I appreciate this weather.

Gorgeous light, wasn't it, Ben?

pasadenapio said...

Those are extremely high-voltage transmission lines owned by Southern California Edison. Power transmission lines may never go underground.

They're transmitting energy from the point of generation to a number of electricity sub-stations, where the voltage is lowered to make it safe for distribution to homes and businesses.

In Pasadena, it's those power distribution lines (along with cable, phone, etc.) that are slowly but surely being put underground.

With hundreds of miles of streets, it will be many, many years before the project will be complete.

Probably your grandchildren's grandchildren will have a view with zero above-ground utility wires.

Unknown said...

You managed to do a great photo of the most common undesirable thing to be shown in any picture! Well done, Petrea! :-)

Katie said...

Don't you wish that every once in a while these kinds of dramatic clouds would produce a really good Midwest-style thunderstorm? I do miss those. Great photo!

Ms M said...

When I was a kid, I used to imagine them as giants marching across the hillsides, stringing electric danger along the way.
This photo's very dramatic with the storm clouds and the "marching giants".

Julie said...

The saddest thing to me is the two magnificent tree trunks who spend their old age holding up wires ... sad ...

T Thompson said...

Makes me think of the Ents in Lord of the Rings for some reason...

I doubt that high tension (IE high voltage) wires will ever be underground, they need that distance away from everything to keep from arcing (IE shooting lightning bolts to nearby objects)

Petrea Burchard said...

Thank you, PIO. That's a great link! Fascinating.

Thanks JM, I appreciate that.

Katie, I do miss those storms. I love it when we have rain, but lightning and thunder are so rare here they make headlines.

I like the fantasy, Ms M.

Julie, seems the metal ones could do it just as well, but what do I know?

Ted: I think the wooden one looks like it's striding, Ent-wise, because of the different shading on its "legs." Ahem. That's what I think.

John Sandel said...

You owe me for that one.

Dina said...

Ents, good one. In any case, I like to see there are still some old wooden poles.
Down in the valley here below us you can hear the wires hum sometimes. Which is kinda scarey.
But when the big wires are stretched up over the hills I like to imagine them as a ski lift in Switzerland.

Petrea Burchard said...

All right, I have to come clean. John told me the shading made it look like it was walking. I stole that.

Up in the hills they look like ski lifts here, too, Dina. Especially on a foggy day.