Bridge and Water

A foot bridge across a creek in a residential area in Texas.

View of the Pacific Ocean in California

Golden Gate Bridge, San Franscisco

I visited San Franscisco, California few years ago. This was my first experience of traveling alone in the US. I took a local train from San Jose to San Francisco, then took buses from the train station to see the sights of the city. The most famous landmark in San Franscisco is the Golden Gate Bridge, an architectural marvel, and perhaps one of the few such bridges in the whole world. Both the federal and state government is so considerate for people's travel interests that they have created a pedestrian lane in the Bridege using which people walk, bicycle, roller blade across the bridge. Now this of course helps the government achieve the full commercial potential of this landmark. I wish Indian governments taught in this way and attracted more tourists to our wonderful landmarks.

Bridges that Link Places - 1

Life on earth has come a long way since the first human being walked on the planet. Human beings have been able to link land masses divided by natural obstructions such as rivers, lakes, canyons, valleys, etc by building bridges. These vital links have been used by governments and corporations as revenue generation tools. Armies have used the bridges as means of control by destroying vital links and cutting off the land area from outside world. It is interesting to note the different kinds, purposes, and varieties of bridges that are used by people across the world. In my limited travel experience I have shot some pictures of bridges and here they are for your viewing pleasure.

A Bridge built for hikers/ walkers to walk through the forest across a deep creek

A Bridge built for walkers and motorists in touristy San Antonio. This is the first bridge I have seen with a traffic signal... technology changes things...

I will continue with more pictures of bridges in the following posts...

Images of the Past

The Past.....

.... and the Past Marred by modernity

These pictures were shot near the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Franscisco. Ever curious about the historical monuments I ventured into the back trails of the Golden Gate Bridge Historical Park to see what secrets it holds. And here is what I found.... several old buildings, and most of them splattered by graffiti. I wonder why humans are so bent upon spoiling/ modifying/ altering/ whatever you call it... the existing.

Health Insurance Helper

Living in America is impossible if one doesn't have health insurance, especially if you were living in a high-cost state like California. When there are millions of people seeking insurance there are an equal number of companies offering it. Now How could one get the best California Health Insurance Quote? It is easy first of all check out for companies that offer good packages for families or if you are a small business owner you might want to look for California Group Health Insurance packages. If you are a family person you might be interested in California Kids Health Insurance plans. Whatever it maybe you need to find the right company to get the right coverage.

Pictures of American Waterfronts - III

Continuing from where I left off...
I was posting pictures of my visit to California's water front areas, the Big Basin National Park which presents some of the most stunning view of the ocean. While at Big Basin we also took time off to hike on the Cypress Groove Trail which traverses the cliffs along the ocean. It is a great feeling to watch the waves thunder and collide with the rocky cliffs. The sound of water hitting the rocks and receding back appears like the drum beats of a rock concert. Along the trail there are places where the ocean is completely hidden behind a curtain of trees and suddenly comes into view between rock formations or between two cliffs. There is abundance of wildlife such as deer, seagulls and other herbivores. At least during the day we didn't see any carnivores like the Cayote or Hyena or Mountain Lion. I guess hikers are safe in this region because the deer and rabbits wouldn't harm us.

Ocean views along the Cypress Groove Trail at Point Lobos

Stunning Scenery....

Waves crashing into the rocks along the coast

The surf comes in....

Waterfront Pictures - II

I was blogging about my love for waterfront getaways and was posting pictures of the various beautiful waterfronts I have visited during the past 2 years in the US. There are so many pictures that I had split the post into several instalments to be able to do justice to them. The vast azure oceans in California, frothy beaches of Santa Cruz, calm coves of Big Basin National Park, the numerous community lakes and small water bodies all provide great picture opportunities. Here are some of those pictures... would love to hear whether you like them or not.

Frothy oceanfront at Santa Cruz, CA

Big Basin coves, waters appear calm... but beware

The true vista of the ocean

Beautiful picture postcard scenery...

Waterfronts - my favorite getaways

Perhaps because I am a piscean... I am simply enamored by large water bodies; lakes, rivers, dams, and of course the mighty oceans attract me like iron to a magnet. Standing and staring at the vast azure expanses soothes my soul. Of course I love to take a dip wherever possible... When I was in Bangalore, India weekends I'd head out to Manchinbelle dam, Kanva dam or YG Gudda dam and take a refreshing dip. Here in the US that is one thing which is possible only for the rich. All the dams and public water bodies are fenced up and the water front lands have been sold to private entrepreneurs who charge an arm and a leg to enter and access the water. The only ocean front I have visited is California where waters are so cold that it is impossible to get in without a wet suit. So here I content myself by taking pictures of lakes, rivers, dams etc... Here are some of my favorite water fronts in the US.

Lake Travis, Austin, Tx

Grapevine Reservoir, Texas

A large dam on the highway which links San Jose with Los Angeles

The Ocean at Santa Cruz

Personal Accident/ Injury Attorney

One of the most popular professions in the United States is that of an attorney. Why? Simply because so many people need their services for so many reasons. Well have you ever thought that you could use a specialized lawyer to get money when you experience an accident and personal injury? Well out there in California, Riverside County Attorney will help you with a free consultation if you have been injured. Now which attorney would give you any of his time free? None who are only money minded. But Sweeney, Sweeney and Sweeney who are experienced in accident and personal injury care for your relief as much as their fees and hence are more keen to help you first.

Concrete can be decorative and artistic!!!

One of the fantastic inventions of the modern world is concrete, which has a multitude of applications in construction of pretty much everything. Homes, offices, roads, sidewalks, etc are all either built or strengthened with concrete. But I have seen that few companies have innovated and gone further from plain concrete to creating attractive and decorative works with concrete. These companies use vivid colors and myriad patterns to create Decorative Concrete acid staining concepts which give an additional allure to the building.

When I visited California last year I saw that San Diego area has some fantastically designed concrete structures. It made me wonder whether concrete has become the new medium for artists in San Diego. It seemed that everything built of concrete in San Diego had an artistic touch to it. I now understand that there are different applications to concrete. It can be structural giving strength to buildings, roads, walls, etc; concrete can be used in streets for paving, landscaping and other purposes too. Then there is of course the new concept of concrete design San Diego which includes reactive coloration, micro toppings, grinding, polishing and other treatments to make buildings, walls and other structures look beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

One thing becoming aware of the possibilities in concrete changed my opinion about concrete.

Paintings and Art Works

I have always been a great fan of fine arts such as paintings, sculpture, drawing, etching, sketches, etc. I have spent hours and sometimes days in museums and art galleries admiring the creations of artists who seem to possess some special gift from the creator.

Recently I came across the works of Vladamir Kush, an artist whose career started when he was a toddler. When I saw some of his recent works exhibited at an art gallery in Los Angeles I was awe struck. The artist who started commercial painting only in 1987 has come a long way both in terms of geographically and artistically.
I simply loved his painting series Metaphorical journey of which only one has not been sold yet. Here is a picture of that fantastic painting. This is renowned as Vladimir Kush's signature series of paintings which is also the name of his book in which he writes about creation of the universe and inner workings of man.

Along with Kush's creations there are the seminal works of several other artists such as Stephanie Clair, Tim Rogerson, Elena Bond and Elaine Murphy. The creations carved a niche for themselves in my heart. I currently can't afford to own any of these fantastic pieces of art but once it becomes financially viable for me I will definitely invest in one of these works. I sure hope that it will be soon.

Vistas of California

These are pictures from my visit to California last year. I had thought about posting them here but never got around to doing it. Now that I remembered I thought I'd post them and talk a little about my trip too. The reason for the visit to California was to participate in the volunteer meeting of Sankara Eye Foundation, a non-profit working to raise funds to set up FREE eye hospitals and perform FREE cataract and glaucoma surgeries for poor people in India.

We flew to Los Angeles and then from there drove to San Jose where the meeting was held. The road winds its way through beautiful and lush green mountains and provided enormous amount of photography opportunities. These are some pictures shot during the return journey from San Jose to Los Angeles. Your feedback will be appreciated.

Remembering San Franscisco

Last year I had been to California and that was perhaps the first time that I set out to explore US on my own. My first stop was at San Franscisco, the city with the Golden Gate. The moment I stepped out of the train I was in for a shock, San Franscisco was pretty much like Delhi, with two differences. Streets that are a shade cleaner and loads and loads of Chinese people. Otherwise San Francisco's narrow roads with choc-a-block traffic and people milling around reminded me of any large Indian city.

Not wanting to be in the city's shopping areas, I made a beeline to the bus station to go to famed Golden Gate bridge. That is really something that I would not see elsewhere in the world. The azure ocean, brown mountains and clear blue sky set an ethereal backdrop for the red metallic bridge.

Plumbing Solutions for LA Residents

One of the most vital necessities for life is water. But like every other good thing, water too can cause enormous damage to the house if not managed properly. When I talk about managing water, I am talking about Plumbing in homes and buildings. A small leak or drip can go unnoticed and cause enormous amount of harm, not only to the building but to people living inside too.

Plumbers are hard to come by, especially in large cities like Los Angeles. A good Los Angeles Plumber is even more difficult to find. Hence most homeowners learn how to fix small plumbing issues such as repairing a leaky faucet or unclogging drains, etc. But when it comes to big jobs they fumble and flounder to find a good plumber. These jobs may not be difficult but may be just time consuming and hassle some. Under such circumstances it is best to call in a trained and experienced plumber to take care of the task.

Getting the right man for the right job is equal to getting a major portion of the task accomplished. This is true of plumbing too. Your home could end up getting wrecked if you chose the wrong plumber for the job. Often homeowners don't bother about preventive maintenance and wait for something to fail to call a plumber and when that happens it is usually the wrong guys that get the calls first.

I think it is a good idea to have contact with at least one good Los Angeles Plumber, just for contingency sake. This will help you save time, money and give you peace of mind.

The next question is how to identify a good plumber and set up contact. Getting referrals from family, friends and colleagues would be a good idea. But a still better idea I have is to visit the A-1 Total Service Plumbing. The company has been in business for the past 60 years and has been serving Los Angeles homeowners excellently.

California - Vibrant West Coast of US

These pictues are random road views shot from inside a moving car while we were driving to California. So I can't really pinpoint the locations.

Wind Farms in California

In response to the worldwide fuel and power crisis, we are inventing newer methods of harnessing available sources of energy. Well one of the newer means of power generation which costs relatively lesser and is more environment friendly is Wind Power. One of the major sources of wind power is at windy regions where corporations install large numbers of windmills which are connected to turbines which help convert the force of wind into electricity and transmit it to the grid for circulation.

During my recent California trip, I saw hundreds of windmills in numerous windfarms along the highway working away silently producing electricity for us.

Here are some pictures of wind farms I noticed while on road to California.

General Patton Museum, California

During our recent road trip to California, I chanced upon this unique Museum on the freeway. Sited in Chiriaco Summit, California this museum has been put in place in association with the bureau of land management. The General Patton Memorial Museum was established in 1988 to honor all Vietnam War veterans. The museum contains two vast indoor exhibit rooms with memorabilia. One dedicated to the US Civil War and the other to the Iraqi Freedom (of course I'd call it US Destruction of Iraq). The museum's media room also shows a 26 minute movie which talks about desert training, General Patton’s life and WWII.

The General Patton Museum

Then there is the tank yard outdoor exhibit which displays several tanks and heavy artillary equipment. Notable among the exhibits are a Sherman Tank and Stuart Tank from WWII. And of course in line with US' commerce orientation the museum has a gift shop which sells books on Patton, T-shirts, caps, hats, coins, toys, magnets, patches, pins and more... all made in China.

Here are some pictures of the Museum:

Another view of the exterior of the museum

Patton Tanks on display

Vistas of Rural Christianity

During my recent visit to Los Angeles, I was surprised to notice that in several places across California, religious symbols of Christianity like the Cross have been installed atop mountains and natural areas. This, according to me is an assertive display of christianity which is required in non-christian countries, where missionaries are still asserting their identities. But I wonder why they have installed so many symbols of religion atop hills.

Olivas Adobe Historic Park, Ventura, California

During our recent visit to Los Angeles we took a day off to look around and explore the beautiful countryside. One of the places we visited was "Olivas Adobe Historic Park". According to the information onsite this is the one of the earliest two-storey Adobe (I guess home or abode) in the Santa Clara river valley. Originally built in 1837 and expanded in 1849 by Don Raimundo Olivas, a prosperous cattle rancher. This is a California registered historical landmark. There is nothing special about the home/ building except that it is built of brick, mortar and mud and not wood, foam and shingles.

Fountain at the Entrance to Olivas Adobe

Entrance to Olivas Adobe

Main entrance to Olivas Adobe - Another view

Main entrance to Olivas Adobe - Close up

Antiquated Machinery at the Olivas Adobe
Fuchsia Plant
The fuchsia was planted by the 21st child of the Olivas in 1899 and is recognised by the British Fuchsia Society as the oldest, still flowering Fuchsia plant in the world. This plant belongs to the "Schiller" variety and has flowers with white petals around magenta sepals.
Grape Arbor
The Grape Arbor was apparently planted in 1860s and still bears bunches of purple grapes and we did pluck and taste a couple. They were sweet and juicy. I am definitely impressed by these plants and the way they have been preserved even after a hundred years. Entrance to a Golf Course adjacent to Olivas Adobe