Spiderwebs

A little bored so I've been playing around with this. Reminds me of that bubble wrap site that popped up a few years ago.

Soulful Strut

I'm always excited when I'm introduced to little pockets of life and culture anywhere between the 60 and 15 freeways. I briefly blogged some photos of Euclid Street last summer and I often pass through the area while out doing "fieldwork" for my job. I was most recently there yesterday and decided to take a detour through Historic Downtown Upland. For anyone whose lived in or even heard of the Inland Empire, you know there really isn't much going on here (unless you're into mega-shopping centers and miles of tract houses). I may be biased, but Chino Hills is on the upper echelon of IE towns (if there is such a thing). It's closer to the beach and LA than the others, there are less bros and lifted trucks, sliiiightly more diversity, but it still isn't much more than a nice suburb. Downtown Upland was very 1950s Americana to me, and not just because I got a scoop of ice cream at a place called "Pop's Cafe & Creamery". The buildings were very old but well maintained, some stores were decorated with cheesy, patriotic American flags, the sidewalks were canopied by old trees, cute bikes littered every street sign...it's one of those places where you walk around and feel like saying "hello" to any and every person you make eye contact with. OH! And there is an old red brick firehouse they are in the middle of restoring. I tried to snap a picture but the construction fences were blocking my view. Also not pictured: a store called "Garden of Beaden" that I can't wait to visit next time. I doubt you'd ever be in the area, but if you do find yourself just north of the 10 on Euclid Street, follow the signs to Historic Downtown Upland.


George Chaffey Jr. stands outside the Upland Public Library and City Hall


I think this is where the school board meets? Not entirely sure...


Old school law office..I feel like the constitution is probably framed somewhere inside.






Neighborhood restaurant, literally. This place is surrounded by houses and is also across the street from the public library. I met a very nice waiter while attempting to take pictures.

I'm noticing a trend here and here and here, so I'm thinking of adding a "Hidden Gems of the IE" feature to the blog. Haha, what do you think?

Happy 1st Birthday Bloggie! A year ago today, I started this blog and I'm glad I've stuck with it so far. Thanks to all those who read!

The first photo I ever posted, followed by the most recent:

Kinda weak post...I'll try to jazz it up next week with something interesting.

xoxo from the other side of the camera!

Pepto Bismol Pink

Long Beach Harbor; Creepy Ice Cream Girl located on the pier

Mitsymoto

RAW: Natural Born Artists is a showcase that displays different musicians, designers, artists, directors, etc. every Thursday night in Southern California. This past week, my friend Lauren's jewelry line Mitsymoto Designs was shown at the Hotel Angeleno in Los Angeles. Lauren has been creatively driven for as long as I can remember, so it's no surprise how professional and neat her line was. With that said, I was still really impressed by the variety and uniqueness of her work. Here are some pictures from the event, but if you'd like to know more, check out the website for Mitsymoto.

I loved this rocking chair necklace

My friend Ashley modeling the iPod knuckle ring...

...and also a cuff

The artiste herself, Lauren Matsumoto

Through the Looking Glass

I spontaneously ordered a new lens last week. I wasn't prepared to spend hundreds of dollars so I opted for a generic brand. A few negatives from buying a generic brand: the auto-focus is a smidge noisier than that of my other canon lenses, it's heavier despite being advertised as light-weight (but it has a crazy zoom so that might account for the extra weight), and there isn't any image-stabilization which makes it a little difficult when fully zoomed out, but as a beginner not willing to invest megabucks into a new lens, so far so good. Lately, I've been shooting everything with my 50mm lens because the colors are much more vibrant and clear than the kit lens. Since it's a prime lens, that presents some obstacles but for the most part, I'm pretty satisfied with it. I was getting a little tired of it though, so I wanted a better day-to-day lens. The lens I ordered turned out to be a macro lens (I'm not sure how I missed that when I was buying it...). I'm not really interested in macro photography or super detailed close up shots, not right now anyway, but after playing around with the lens today, I think I'm going to keep it. It still works great for normal framed shots. I did some shooting around the house and I'm pretty pleased with the color and clarity. Maybe you don't need a macro lens for everyday shooting but the quality is pretty impressive, and I can't deny the great price tag on this lens...I think I'll keep it!

Top of the World

Pacific Ocean on one side, view of Irvine on the other.

Irvine in the foreground, Mt. Baldy in the distance

You can't really tell where the ocean ends and the sky begins

I went to the Top of the World (it's actually called that...creative name, right?) with a friend early Saturday morning in hopes of catching the sunrise. I had no idea you could see as far as Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and Mt. Baldy from Laguna. Needless to say, we woke up a little late and caught a nice sunrise on the 91 Freeway instead as we trekked to the beach. It was still a great place for an early morning hike (beware of mountain lions, rattle snakes and dogs that have escaped their owners). If you aren't an early bird, head up there in the evening for one of the best views of the sun setting over the ocean.