Encore une promenade sur la High Line

Back on the High Line for a walk early morning on Sunday July 18th. The plants have grown quite a bit since last month.

The High Line, June 20, 2009

The high-line is now open to the public. This new NYC Park is all it promised to be: a beautiful green addition to the neighborbood. Hundreds of plants and grasses have been planted along the walkway. The old structure has been scrubbed and repainted.Five access points have been built. New views of Chelsea have opened up. This is a preview of what you might see if you go there for a walk. Enjoy.

Morbihan, Juin 2009

Il pleut beaucoup ici, depuis notre arrivée vendredi. Ces photos ont été prises pendant de trop rares éclaircies.

Hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains

These are pictures taken during three consecutive hikes in the San Gabriel mountains in the vicinity of Pasadena. The first hike was with our friend Marina. She picked us up at grandma Milica's house on Saturday morning at 6 sharp. It was before daybreak and I felt, as we were driving to Eaton Canyon, still dazed by this early wake-up, as if I was being taken back to the airport...

Marina is an avid hiker. She knows many hiking trails in the area. The landscapes in the San Gabriel mountains remind her of her native Croatia. It was still dark when we arrived at the trail head. Yet, there were other cars already parked there. Other hikers on an early schedule. We then climbed up pretty briskly with Vladimir trailing back a bit. This was a short hike, as we had planned to go to the Pasadena green market on the way back. (That market is well-worth the detour)

The picture of the clearing was taken during the second hike, also in Eaton canyon, where we went with Vlada's uncle Peter on Sunday morning. We had planned to walk to a waterfall but a slide had blocked the way so we had to head back before reaching the falls.

The last two pictures were taken on a longer hike that Vlada and I did on Monday morning: Echo Mountain Trail which climbs up Mount Lowe. Marina had recommended this beautiful trail the day before. The trail starts in land which, according to local lore, used to be the Marx brothers estate. The trail then climbs up quite a bit, going through different micro climates. At times, we could have been in the Alps and at other times in Brittany. There was a great variety of plants and wildflowers growing along the trail. Most impressive were the great bushes of wild sage.

Walks in Monrovia

These pictures were taken during morning walks in Monrovia: downtown Monrovia and along street that go towards the San Gabriel Mountains. I was fascinated by the citrus trees along the way (oranges, mandarines, lemons, grapefruits). The tall lavender plants in people's yard were another source of wonder.

We saw plenty of wildlife during these walks: blue jays, a flock of green parrots, a flock of vultures (or buzzards - scavenger birds of some kind) perched on a tall eucalyptus tree, and plenty of hummingbirds.

Compared to notoriously dirty streets in Manhattan, Monrovia seemed pristine. No litter on the sidewalks. Blue painted signs on the sidewalk (picture on the left) remind people not to dump trash in the sewers.

Los Angeles County Arboretum