PB Phone Home

First picture taken with my new iPhone. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks it's Christmas.

So my brother called yesterday while J. and I were hiking out of cell phone range. When we got back into range and I saw the message I thought, "I know! I'll call him back!"

Yeah. I'm crazy that way.

You've got to have a phone--or at least I do. Yet since last year, when my phone began its downhill slide to iHell, I've put off buying a new one. We're having a recession over here and I'd rather save money for a vacation than spend it on a phone.

But it was getting ridiculous. John's tired of hearing about how slow the phone is, how bad the service is, how I can't download new apps because the operating system is too old. There's a tiny pocket of space in my office where I could make a phone call if I leaned sideways and didn't move my head, but mostly I've been going out to the median to make calls.

Yesterday, even that option was no longer available. When I stood by the road and tried to return my brother's call, my poor old iPhone decided not to be a phone anymore.

So I got a new one. And a new carrier (yahooey! that's a biggie). Then I called my brother. (The smiley face goes here.)

Maybe I'll Keep It

Last night my family and I took a walk at Hahamongna as dusk began to infiltrate the park. I decided not to bring a camera but of course I didn't leave my phone behind and Hello, my name is Petrea and I am a photography addict.

I'll soon be trading in my primeval iPhone for a new model. But I kind of like these photos of the women runners from (I assume) Occidental College, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in the background.

As thy sky darkened, the poor old phone camera kept its (digital) shutter open longer. That made the runners more blurry and JPL more glowy.

Happy New Year, the Pasadena Way

photo by John Sandel

Please do click on this panorama to enlarge it. John took it with his iPhone inside the Rosemont Pavilion last night, while volunteers and professionals worked feverishly to finish a dozen Tournament of Roses parade floats.

Actually, not feverishly. Fever implies heat and it was chilly in there. But they were working hard. It is estimated that 80,000 volunteer hours will go into this year's Tournament of Roses parade and festival.

Thanks to our friend Terry Griest, a white-suiter and sometime PDP guest photographer, we were treated to a VIP tour. We didn't have to wait in long lines and were were able to get down on the main floor of the pavilion to see the floats up close.

The panorama gives you an idea of the enormity of the place and the work going on there, but it's only an idea. The Rosemont Pavilion houses 12 floats; there will be 47 floats in Saturday's parade. Every surface of the floats is decorated with organic matter, from flowers to coffee beans to kidney beans to carrots. I was intrigued by a plant called "silver leaf," used to decorate the shining armor of a knight on the Bayer company's "Camelot" float.

Here's our tour guide David (thus the term, "white-suiter"). When you see this eagle in the parade it will be at the head of a float ridden by Native American singers and dancers of tribes from all over the United States. And it won't be wearing that plastic shower cap.

If you're camping out on Colorado Blvd. tonight, stay safe and warm, ya nuts!

Here's a photo of how things looked at about 2:00 this afternoon along Colorado Blvd. John was driving and I shot this out his window. Things were just beginning to get a little insane.

Happy New Year from Pasadena!

Zen Monday: #122

Well.

It's Zen Monday, and I'm kind of tired of the old patter I usually give here. If this is your first Monday visit, the idea is this: I keep quiet while you let the photo speak to you.

Tell us what you think in the comments. There's no right or wrong, we're here to have fun.

PDP/PPM Books Contest, week 3

At the new Technique Restaurant on Colorado Blvd., depending on which side of the table you choose you may gaze at the ceiling...

...or at what is perhaps a more dramatic view: the kitchen and some quirky, food-related films.

Technique is the new "classroom" kitchen of the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena. John and I had a lovely meal there the other night. We began with Grilled Haloumi Cheese with compressed watermelon and pickled rind, plus Roasted Bone Marrow with French radishes and toast with house-churned butter (I had to try it). For his meal John had fried, free range Jadori chicken, braised cavolo nero, pommes puree and a biscuit. I couldn't resist trying the Coffee Braised Short Ribs, parsnip puree and house made apple chips, which also came with some delectable root vegetables.

J raved about the cavolo nero all through dinner, of which he ate every bite. I didn't need a knife to cut my short ribs and I can't even begin to define the succulent flavor of that sauce. The parsnip puree alone is worth going back for. I did not eat every bite, I snarfed every bite.

We were too full for dessert. The room is a bit of an echo cavern, but that's the only drawback I can see.

An elegant, fantastic meal, cooked and served by Le Cordon Bleu students, and you won't believe the price. Go ahead, guess. (Liquor license is being applied for, so no wine.)

No prizes for getting that one right, but there is a prize today. We're supposed to be having a contest and indeed we are.

What historic building is now occupied by Technique Restaurant? That's today's contest question.

I've given you all the information you need to Google the answer. As a matter of fact, I've linked you to it.

A quick review of the contest rules:

1. Email the answer to me. There's a link to my email in my profile at the upper left. You have until midnight tonight, Pasadena (Pacific) time. Answers in the comments section will be rudely ignored.

2. That's all you have to do.

3. This weekend I'll ask my cutest, most innocent neighbor child to draw the winning name from a hat. I'll announce the winner in Sunday's post.

4. PRIZES! Once again, this week's prize will be a brand new copy of Hometown Pasadena 2009-2010, thanks to Colleen Dunn Bates and Prospect Park Media. I'm down to two copies after today, so the contest will continue for two more Fridays--plus an additional week when Colleen and I will give away a copy of At Home Pasadena, the lovely, hardcover coffee table book about beautiful living in our beautiful town.

Stick around, because one lucky winner will receive a copy of the brand new novel, Helen of Pasadena, by Pasadanish Lian Dolan. The book is now available on Amazon, at Vroman's and at bookstores everywhere. Whet your Helen appetite by reading chapter one here.

Many thanks to Colleen, Lian and everyone at Prospect Park Media.

Artistic Partner

Because I like to take pictures you might think I choose some amazing shots for my screensaver and desktop photos, and I do. They're not pictures of Paris, or the Great Wall of China, or the wild scenery of Patagonia. They're not my own photos, either. They're pictures my husband takes.

John has become a pro at making detailed, unconventional shots with his iPhone. He photographs leaves and objects and whatnot in just the right light, then processes the photos in software and pushes them to their artistic edges. I like looking at his artwork on a regular basis, and since I stare at the computer a lot a screensaver's a no-brainer.

This photo, however, is one of mine. I took it in an attempt to emulate John's style. It doesn't quite make it. The difference may be that John works alone. I have a collaborator.

Paper Trees

I've heard of paper being made from trees. These trees turn things around; they look like they're made of paper. The bark peels off them in great sheets, each tree is like a writing tablet.

What would I use to write with on such paper? Perhaps a bird would deign to perch on my finger and allow me to use its talon to scratch out a poem. A mockingbird if I'm feeling snarky. A crow if my mood is mean.

This is a great fantasy until I start thinking about how to make copies.

Not the Ideal Spot

I get over to Hahamongna Watershed Park about three times a week and I've been taking pictures there for two and a half years. You'd think I'd have enough photos of the place. But it's different every time I go, with new colors, new angles or, right now, a new family of ducks. I tried going without my camera one day last week, but when I saw JPL and the mountains sandwiched between the expressive sky and this field of wild yellow, I ended up taking out my iPhone and shooting away. I couldn't help myself.

In case you were planning on attending the City Council meeting this coming Monday to help defend Hahamongna from soccer fields, it looks like the issue's been put off until the July 12th meeting. Sure enough, I don't see it on the June 7th City Council Agenda. I was feeling optimistic about preventing soccer fields in Hahamongna, but apparently the City Council is under some pressure. Find out more and sign the Save Hahamongna petition at savehahamongna.org.

By the way, the spring flood waters have diminished to small streams, but they're still flowing.

Soccer fields on a flood plain. Call me crazy, but I'm thinking it's not the ideal spot.

iPhone Wednesday #7 - Shovel

John got this close-up of a shovel near the Devil's Gate Dam not long ago.

There's still much work to be done over there. After rain last weekend the water has risen again, collecting debris behind the dam. Workers have corralled the debris (everything from driftwood to plastic bottles to stray socks) so when it's time to release the water, the debris won't be released with it.

shovel detail

John took a lot of photos of this medieval-looking thing. I'm fascinated by the irregularity of it, not to mention the colors. As John said, some forms of technology have been with us for a long time, and there's no need to change them.

iPhone Wednesday #6 - iDrool

iTook this photo with John's iPhone on a visit to the Apple Store on Colorado Blvd. A mere two days after the release of the iPad, people were waiting in line just to hold it.

John has always used a Mac. I'm a recent convert. Since leaving my PC behind last summer I have had not one virus, blue screen, inexplicable melt-down or caesura in the use of my computer. I'm in Mac love.

My desktop computer is a Mac Mini, my laptop is a reliable old PowerBook G4 and my phone is an iPhone. My wallet, however, is the old-fashioned kind, meaning it has its limits, and there's no app for that. I can do without an iPad right now.

But John has his needs. He's in the crowd in that photo somewhere, lovingly fondling an iPad for the first time.

Needless to say, we're feeding our iPiggy bank with high hopes.

iPhone Wednesday #5 - Bark

Not, like, as in "woof." Although it's high time for another Boz post.

This is a close-up of a tree (what kind?) shedding its bark in Washington Park.

I've downloaded a bunch of photography apps on the iPhone but I never use them. I'm sure I will sooner or later, but I'm not into messing with photos too much. I like the act of capturing the thing I see. I think "capture" is a good word for it because I see something interesting and I want to take it with me. The photo is a method of doing that inside of the law.

The colors in this bark were intense, but I think the camera gave it some oomph.

iPhone Wednesday #4 - Genius

I've downloaded some iPhone photo apps but haven't used them much. I didn't do anything special. These photos were taken with the iPhone, then uploaded and edited on the computer. These plants have their own genius and don't need much editing.
The apps I've got include: CameraBag, AutoStitch (at which John is a genius), TiltShift (look at this bit of genius from Kim in Seattle), PS Mobile and Best Camera. Anybody out there tried these? Link us to your results if you like.

Unfortunately, iPhoto no longer recognizes my iPhone so I can't upload any more photos right now. Time for a visit to the Genius Bar.

The Best Camera

I never thought I'd leave the house yesterday. We were safe and comfortable.

But during a lull between storms we realized we were out of coffee. At least one person in our household must have coffee at a certain time of day, so a hurried excursion was organized. I grabbed my wallet and iPhone and out we went.

On the way back, because I didn't have my camera, we were treated to the most extraordinary light.

The Canon would have done better. Even the Olympus would have given more clarity. But Chase Jarvis is right. The best camera is the one that's with you.

For information on the soCal flooding and mudslides of the past few days, please check in with Tim at Altadenablog, Debbi at Altadena Above It All and Kathy at KCH blog. This time around I can even recommend a traditional news outlet.

iPhone Wednesday #1 - Panorama, Sam Merrill Towers

Okay, hikers, I'm sure this looks familiar. Click on it to enlarge it. Familiar, but...not.

John's still creating panoramas with his iPhone. I got the app but haven't used it yet. (Sometimes I'm slow to make use of new technology, but once the technology is passe I'm more comfortable.)

A few City Daily Photo bloggers are doing a thing called iPhone Wednesday. It's casual. Kim at Seattle Daily Photo's doing it for sure. Chuck (One a Day - Mostly Seattle) might do it. Ming the Merciless at Bangor Daily Photo might do an iPhone shot today, too. I won't know 'til after I've posted. But whatever they post today I trust you'll find it interesting.

Probably won't be a panorama by my husband, though.

Panoramania

Please enlarge this one.

John got a photo-stitching app for his iPhone and now he's as bad as I am. Everywhere we go, we're both snapping pictures. A couple of addicts.

Me: snap, snap, snap.

John: snap-turn, snap-turn, snap-turn.

We now have panoramas of our house, our street, Hahamongna, the mountains, the dam, the dog, trails, valleys, beautiful things, weird things, dead things.

Yesterday the light was glorious for taking photos, basking or sniffing. Boz is so over photography.

(The app John's using is Autostitch from Cloudburst Research.)