September 30, 2010
Two days after temps hit an unheard of 103 here in the 'Bu, it rained. Hard.
And this morning, the coastline is swathed in chilly, shifting fog. Go figure.
September 29, 2010
After the gloom and fog of our alleged summer, these sunrises in which there is actual sun and, thanks to a scrim of clouds, refracted light that shatters and scatters color everywhere, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a while before I can stop shooting the sunrise.
My apologies for being so one-note.
September 28, 2010
So yeah, yesterday. Hot enough that the official thermometer broke. At least 113 in the city, and in Malibu, an unheard of 103.
Here's today's sunrise amid clouds and haze which, so far, are keeping us a bit cooler.
For a second the sun broke through:
But it's gone now, thank god. And here's downtown LA at dawn, braced for another onslaught. Good luck, everyone!
September 27, 2010
We lose open land at an alarming rate here in Malibu, like this lovely knoll.
The new owners fenced in an enormous swath of land, cutting off several wildlife trails in the process, and are building this, um, house. 
There's something Mad Max about the photo above with the brooding clouds, the tiny helicopter and that massive drilling rig flying the flag.
September 26, 2010
This rabbit may have had his back to Maisie on our morning walk, but his ears tracked her ever move. She took her shot but (sorry) quick as a bunny, he was gone. The tiny Labrador never had a chance.
September 25, 2010
Yes, it's true. My house is for sale. And that's as much as I can bear to say about that. Thanks, Sam Zell, you're a real peach.
September 24, 2010
Sometimes I think I must have synesthesia because I can hear the light here.
Maisie and Jake hear something:
What?
Oh! It's our neighbor, headed for his daily paddle at dawn.
September 23, 2010
After sporting colorful story poles for the better part of the spring and (alleged) summer, this little trailer was finally dismantled last week.
And then it vanished.
September 22, 2010
Welcome to the season of slanted light.
September 21, 2010
We would mourn this, the last day of summer, except for the fact that we're still waiting for it to show up.
September 20, 2010
A couple of anglers early to the beach yesterday morning, bringing home something to fry up for breakfast.
September 19, 2010
Ahhh.
September 18, 2010
Not sure when or where I picked up this little cocktail guide, published in 1934 just as prohibition ended, but it makes for a delightful bit of time travel.
September 17, 2010
Pretty quiet here today, except for the surf.
September 16, 2010
You guys, it's cold here today.
September 15, 2010
Even without the shortened days and thinning light, the daily shift of the sunrise, edging ever southward, hammers it home -- it's almost autumn.
September 14, 2010
Because it's been cold here all summer and because this somehow prompts me to bring flowers with warm colors into the house, you're now held prisoner by my fascination with the ROY portion of the visible spectrum.
September 13, 2010
So we're driving along the canyon road and it's sunny, the pavement dappled with that syrupy late summer light, and under the trees there's a hawk. He's bulky, a graceless silhouette, either drinking from or bathing in a puddle.
We get closer and he hops along, bumps along and I worry he's injured but no, he's just young and still gawky. He gets a grip on his wings and makes it to a branch where I try (and fail) to get a decent shot.
But he's beautiful so here he is anyway.
September 11, 2010
It's the third year of Pepperdine's 9/11 memorial, a display of flags that stops traffic.
This year, there's a sign:
September 10, 2010
This is the time between, when summer retreats and fall draws near, and only those with their senses tuned off and out can question whether we in California have seasons.
September 9, 2010
These labs in the vet's office were so well-behaved, Maisie actually took notes.
September 8, 2010
We spent Labor Day in one of my favorite spots, Village Green in the Baldwin Hills.
It's 64 acres of lawns and trees (1,600!) rimmed by modest condos, all facing inward.
Roads and parking spaces are relegated to the outer rim of the property, which makes the heart of the place an oasis.
September 7, 2010
So I baked a cherry pie on Sunday morning:
And brought it to the KCRW pie contest to be judged:
A LOT of people showed up to check out almost 200 entries:
Though I didn't win, these people did. And my pie was gone in minutes:
The end.
September 5, 2010
It was warm on this walk, warm in a summery way, and the fog bank playing cat and mouse with us through all of July and August and now September, was far, far out to sea.
September 4, 2010
And so it's here, the annual Kiwanas Club Chili Cookoff and carnival, moved from the vacant swath of land in the center of town (which is now being manicured into a park) and onto another vacant swath of land, where someone wants to build what Malibu so desperately needs: another shopping mall.
September 3, 2010
The Pier View Diner, before Larry Ellison bought and shuttered it for years and years, was the last of Malibu's cheap and casual seaside spots. Drinks were affordable and, occasionally, even strong. Tables on the deck overlooked the beach. Waiters didn't hover, didn't try to tell you the provenance of your fries.
Now it's gone, something chichi taking its place. Because that's the way of the world here in Malibu, out with the old, in with the expensive and over-done.
September 2, 2010
Maisie. Need I say more?
September 1, 2010
Here's what we saw this morning in Malibu -- not much.
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