That Vintage Girl

After spending a pleasant afternoon vintage shopping, I was walking back to my car when I saw this charming little 1960s Italian Fiat 500 , in pristine condition, as if it had just time travelled almost sixty years into the future.   Looking at this lovely car conjured so many wonderful memories.  I learned how to drive in my father's 1966 Mustang and I can still remember the sound of the heavy metal door closing, rolling down the windows on a hot summer day, and searching for music on the AM only radio. Driving a vintage car from the 1960s is a unique visceral experience that can never be felt in modern computerized cars that use advanced electronics, autonomous sensors, and the Internet to navigate. It also reminded me of watching 1960s European art house films in college for my aesthetics of film classes,  like Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960). Federico Fellini  was an Italian film director and screenwriter who transformed 1960s Italian cinema by repla...

A serene lake surrounded by mountains covered with pine trees and chaparral is the least likely image conjured when one thinks of Hollywood, California.  But some of Hollywood's most famous neighborhoods, such as Beechwood Canyon and Laurel Canyon, are located in the Hollywood Hills, which are part of the Santa Monica mountain ridge that spans forty miles from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County.  The Hollywood Hills are steep canyons with curvy roads, mature trees and lush foliage, which served as a perfect location to build a lake in the 1920s.  To meet the water needs of a rapidly growing city, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power built a dam in Weid Canyon to serve as a water reservoir for the Los Angeles aqueduct system.  The dam was built during the United States City Beautification movement which advocated for public infrastructure to embody civic pride, beauty and monumental grandeur.  The curved dam features decor...

A spectacular botanical event occurs when the desert regions of California receive the right amount of autumn and winter rains followed by cool and sunny springtime days with just a whisper of wind.  The dormant seeds of wildflowers awaken from a long dream and begin to grow and blossom simultaneously, transforming the barren landscape into a spectacular display of super blooms. Depending on the region, the blooms can peak between February to May.  Some common wildflowers include poppies, daisies, lupine, verbena,  and primrose. However, due to the unique combination of weather events that must occur, the super blooms do not appear every year, but when the do they are a majestic reminder of nature's beauty and resilience.  Popular Super Bloom Locations in California Channel Islands in Ventura County Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in the Antelope Valley Carrizo Plain National Monument in San Luis Obispo Figueroa Mountain in Santa Barbara County Diamond Valle...