Awesome vintage apartment complex sign. Bonus points for the generous use of rocks. I wish they still did this kind of thing.
I can hear the music now…
Needs more flags.
Sights from a drive around town…
Category: architecture
I like an old church…
…and around these parts, 102 years old is a big deal. This is Saint Mary’s-by-the-Sea in Huntington Beach.
A beautiful day at the Great Race Place…
Oh, that Art Deco glory…
They’re at your service!
This oddly perspective-d mural has been there as long as I can remember…
Behold, the scorched earth of the Eaton Canyon Fire.
In the shadow of the burned hills, the races go on!
Lead ponies…
The beautiful Clubhouse…
Johnny Longden, Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay, and Chris McCarron. The greats. I was privileged to see them all. Well, I saw Longden present a trophy, so that counts.
The statuary is just one of the elements that makes this place such a treasure…
An olive tree that’s probably original to the place…
Zenyatta, the Queen of Racing…
Carriage horse Sally getting a foot bath…
Palm Springs: Let’s Try This Again
For realz!
This is the Palm Springs Tourist Office. But it used to be a gas station. I mean, look at it. It’s a hell of a thing.
“Hyperbolic paraboloid” seems an appropriately grand description.
This is the view from the parking lot. How beautiful is that? Look at the colors!
Yeah, we’ll be going up to the top of one of those peaks on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which I remembered being insanely steep and close to some craggy cliff faces. I remembered correctly.
The crazy-beautiful Mission Inn…
On our way to a quick getaway to Palm Springs, we stopped in Riverside to have a look at the glorious Mission Inn.
Some of the Christmas decorations were still up.
The William Howard Taft chair, because he was a large guy and needed a tad more room.
Stained glass windows abound throughout the hotel.
The beautiful courtyard (taken up by an insanely overpriced Mexican restaurant).
It has loads of flying buttresses!
The “Anton clock.” It rotates through a series of five figures: a California Indian and grizzly (shown), St. Francis of Assisi, explorer Juan Batista de Anza, and Father Junipero Serra. No, we did not see it in action. It stayed on the Indian and grizzly the whole time we were there.
The outside of the St. Francis of Assisi chapel. I was hoping it would be open when we were there, but it was not. I played a wedding there once, and it was quite a sight, with its Tiffany stained glass, immense, 18th century gold-leafed altar, and enormous wood beams.
A portion of the Flyers Wall, which commemorates the visits of famous aviators.
The creche was still up.
Lots of lovely plaster-work throughout.
It’s a really spectacular place, with endless nooks and crannies full of surprising , quirky, and delightful details.
Highly recommended if you’re in the area.
The gargoyles of the Villa Riviera…
One of my favorite local buildings. There aren’t enough Southern California buildings that feature gargoyles.
Brunch on the Queen…
The ongoing renovations on the Queen Mary have really improved the place. This room looked spectacular.
So much beautiful woodwork everywhere, and nary a squared off corner in sight.
Art deco at its finest.
The Queen Mary is really a very special place. It’s like a real-life time travel.
The food was great and the price included ship admission and parking, so we had the run of the place after.
There were plenty of holiday photo ops!
Beautiful art deco frosted glass panels. Glorious.
It was a nice, atmospheric, foggy day. You could almost imagine you were on a voyage.
Messiah sing-along!
My favorite Christmas event of the year!
Little Bridges Auditorium looking good. I loved playing here so much. Now I get to sing here!
We later moved to the upper section because the person sitting behind us decided to show up with a cold.
Using my mom’s copy.
It was *so* much fun.
Unexpected treasures…
The lovely city gym/pool building in Huntington Beach.
And this awesome tree in the parking lot.
It’s like a work of art.
Amazing.
At the Great Race Place…
The place looks great with the new paint job.
It’s an art deco palace.
The entry to the saddling enclosure and jockey’s room.
George “The Iceman” Woolf, an all-time great, and rider of Seabiscuit in his match race with War Admiral.
This guy’s name is Montana, and he got me a nice payday. Thanks, Montana!
…and down the stretch they come!