Evacuation links & resources + a tiny art lesson
Posted on 20. Jan, 2010 by kchristieh in art, local news
Here are more evacuation links and resources, courtesy of Kelly M. at JPL:
Evacuation centers have been set up at La Cañada High School, the Glendale Civic Auditorium and the Sunland Recreation Center.
Website Resources for most current evacuation centers:
- LA County: http://fire.lacounty.gov/default.asp
- Red Cross: http://redcrossla.org/news/redcross-los-angeles-evacuation-centers
Animals:
- Animal Shelter Locations
- Also, the Pasadena Humane Society will be at La Cañada High School to receive and care for evacuated pets.
Helpful Websites and Resources:
- Guide for Flash Flood Preparation
- C.A.R.E. – Coordinated agency Recovery Effort – website includes evacuation areas and safety preparedness
- City of La Canada website
- City of Sierra Madre
Hotels Offering Discount Rates for Individual Evacuated:
Pasadena Courtyard by Marriott (king or double queen rooms)
$99/night
180 N. Fair Oak Avenue, Old Town Pasadena
Ask for the “Weather Evacuation Group Rate”
Burbank Residence Inn by Marriott (all suites with kitchen) $199/Wednesday, or $149/night (Thursday – Saturday)
321 S. First Street, Downtown Burbank
, or
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I’ve always loved Behind the Gare St. Lazare, the Henri Cartier-Bresson photo pictured above. When I studied in France, I purchased an oversized poster of it and actually schlepped it back home with me. Here’s what IconicPhotos says about it:
Gare St. Lazare has been portrayed by many artists (Monet, Manet, et al) but Henri Cartier-Bresson’s 1932 take on the station was totally different. Derrière la gare de Saint-Lazare is not a photo noted for its historicity, but it is a photo that represented the entire life’s works of Cartier-Bresson. Throughout his life, Cartier-Bresson had been a champion of the Decisive Moment, and a seeker of the unexplored–Derrière la gare de Saint-Lazare represents both, and defined his career.
However, Cartier-Bresson didn’t intend this to gain such an iconicity. ”There was a plank fence around some repairs behind the Gare St. Lazare and I was peeking through the space with my camera at my eye. This is what I saw. The space between the planks was not entirely wide enough for my lens, which is the reason the picture is cut off on the left.” Again he proved he was the right man at the right moment
Click to see a LEGO re-creation of the photo on Flickr. :)
Transform your pictures into stories by inserting them into templates
Posted on 08. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, cool websites, quotes
If a picture speaks 1,000 words, what do these have to tell? Many thanks to Photofunia and FunPhotoBox for their free photo insertion sites.
“If you can look at a dog and not feel vicarious excitement and affection, you must be a cat.”
~Author Unknown
“When a man’s best friend is his dog, that dog has a problem.”
~Edward Abbey
“You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us.”
~Robert Louis Stevenson
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.”
~Josh Billings
My newest addiction: iPhoto ‘09 “Faces” feature
Posted on 01. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in technical
Even though I bought my iMac at the end of 2008, I purchased iLife ‘09 because the reviews I read all said it was a great improvement over my “old” version. The only program in the package I’ve tried so far is iPhoto ‘09, and I’m completely addicted to the “Faces” feature, which uses facial recognition to organize my photos.
Here’s how it works: you “tag” a photo, much like you do on Facebook. Then, that person’s name shows up on your list of Faces, much like the one on the right.
This is my cousin Diana. She was on the cover of Town & Country awhile back, so I recently scanned the pages she appeared on. Note: she got her height from her mom’s side of the family, not the side we’re related on.
When you double-click on her picture, it takes you to a page where you can name more pictures she’s in. The top part of it shows which pictures she’s already been tagged in.
The next part of the page shows pictures the program thinks might be of her. The program nailed it perfectly, and put the pictures of her at the top.
When it’s all done, I can see all the pictures she’s in.
I think this appeals to both my social side and my quest for order. Love it!!
It’s amazing when it identifies people at various ages, and sobering when it identifies people at different weights. And it’s sometimes illuminating or hilarious when it makes incorrect suggestions.
Too bad my camera doesn’t have a GPS in it, because it would be cool if iPhoto would automatically map where each photo was taken. I’ll survive.
Amazing close-up view of inauguration
Posted on 04. Feb, 2009 by kchristieh in cool websites, history, politics
No matter how you voted, you should check the amazingly detailed Fullscreen Gigapan View photo of the inauguration. You can click on the upper lefthand side to zoom in or zoom out, and then drag the picture as you wish.
What an amazing view of history!
The stitching errors are a bit spooky. It looks like Aretha Franklin has a ghost on her lap. She’s in the upper lefthand corner of the second picture I cropped below. You can get MUCH closer than this picture shows.
Today I saw someone who swore she saw me on television at the Neighborhood Ball. I had a hard time convincing her that it wasn’t me, although I wish it had been. She must have had me confused with Shakira. :)
I’m often confused with other people that look like me. I wish I could meet one of these lookalikes sometime!
Satellite view of the inauguration
Posted on 21. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in cool websites, politics
There’s Malinee, and Joe, and Gaye, and Vickere…don’t you see them?
If you go to the CNN satellite view of the inauguration, you can zoom in and see your friends, too!
Spell a name or a word with photo art
Posted on 21. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in art, politics, shopping
Check out Krista’s Creations. You can choose which photograph you want to represent any letter you choose, and spell out a name or a word. Then, you can customize the shading and the background, and pay to have them print it out for you.
Here’s what I chose for today:
I’ll miss Polaroid, but I haven’t used my camera in years
Posted on 31. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in my life, technical
It’s only fitting that Polaroid would stop producing film today. It was 13 years ago that I purchased a Polaroid OneStep camera to take pictures at my daughter’s 4th birthday party.
I painted a picture of a skateboarding dog from the “” book, and cut out the face. The kids stuck their heads in the hole, and I took their pictures with the camera. I remember how excited the kids were to run around the yard with their pictures and watch them develop. Once they were done, the kids personalized some cheap frames I’d bought. My daughter still keeps hers on her dresser. :)
Today, my daughter convinced my mother and sister to purchase her a . No matter that I’d shown her how to easily convert a digital photo to a fisheye in Photoshop. She’s fascinated with the old school way of taking pictures. We all think she’s shortsighted, as the film and developing will cost her more than she expects and the results may not be that great, but she won’t be swayed.
Perhaps I should keep that old Polaroid after all. Maybe we’ll get some film off of eBay for her.
In the meantime, I’ll appreciate all the websites that use .
Who needs a time machine when you have Photoshop?
Posted on 18. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in art, cool websites, history, my life
When my sister’s mother-in-law died five years ago, my sister assembled a slide show to show at her funeral. She scanned lots of old pictures, but one was problematic: it showed the unwelcome ex-husband of one of the relatives.
I was called in to help. I used either Photoshop or Fireworks to eliminate the man from the picture. It wasn’t a completely professional job, but it did the trick for a fast-moving slide show.
I did the opposite this year when I pasted a few girls into a team picture that they’d missed earlier in the season. We wanted to show the whole team for a schedule poster we distributed to local merchants.
Apparently I’m not the only one who does this. Yesterday’s NY Times article, “I Was There. Just Ask Photoshop.” notes that not only do people delete others from photos, but they create events that never happened by pasting people into photos.
After her father died several years ago, Theresa Newman Rolley, an accountant in Williamsport, Pa., hired Wayne Palmer, a photographic retoucher, to create a composite portrait of the two of them because she had no actual one of them together.
That photograph — of a moment that never happened — now hangs in her living room. It still brings tears to her eyes, she said.
“It’s the only picture of my dad and me together,†Ms. Rolley said, adding, “If the only reason I can get one is cropping it in, it still means the same to me.â€
I read a story once about someone who does this for the families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It gives them a lasting way to remember their loved one.
On a sillier note, you can do this to your own picture via Yearbook Yourself. Just upload a picture and see how you’d look in yearbooks every two years from 1950 – 2000.
My favorite is 1960. I think I look like my mom. (Hey, Mom, are you reading this??)
Getting rid of perfectly fine cameras
Posted on 02. Jul, 2008 by kchristieh in my life, parenting, shopping
I didn’t realize until last week that I’d saved so many old cameras. I knew I had my old Minolta X700 from college, but I had forgotten about four other cameras I’d never parted with.
Here’s a picture of them – taken my my current digital camera:
I think I purchased the Polaroid OneStep in the upper left hand corner for my daughter’s 3rd or 4th birthday in the mid-’90’s. We painted the kids’ faces like dogs and took their pictures. All the little kids oohed and aahed over the self-developing film. The kids decorated picture frames for their photos, and that was their favor.
I barely remember the other cameras. I think the Kodak Ektralite, which used 110 mm film, was from high school or college. It has little stickers with the initials of my maiden name on the back. The Minolta Freedom II was a smaller alternative to the Minolta X700, and it and the Canon Z135 were used for the bulk of the pictures from my kids’ childhoods. Both have film in them with several pictures on it, and it’s spooky that when I turn them on they’re still ready to take pictures.
Believe it or not, I’ve found all of these for sale on the internet. They range from $4.00 for a Kodak Ektralite 10 to $129.00 for the Canon Z135. Sigh. I was just going to give them to Goodwill. I probably still will. Just because they’re for sale doesn’t mean the seller will get that price. Before I give them away, however, I should take the film out and develop it. Maybe I’ll find some new memories. Maybe some day I’ll get rid of the X700 and all of its lenses, but I’m not ready for that yet.
I feel a little guilty getting rid of working cameras. On the other hand, my digital camera is better for the environment, since I don’t use the film, chemicals and paper to get pictures developed. I wonder if anyone will even want them from Goodwill, since they’d have to pay for developing.
Want my cameras? Just let me know quickly, and figure out some creative way to make it worth my while getting it/them to you!
Google Maps includes videos & photos
Posted on 17. May, 2008 by kchristieh in cool websites, travel
I continue to be amazed at how easy it is to discover more about people or destinations via the internet. Today I happened upon a new feature which shows photos and videos that people have taken near a destination. When you type in an address to Google Maps, here’s what you might see. I say “might” because some addresses I type in don’t have photos or videos show up near them. Either Google hasn’t mapped those, or people in those areas don’t take enough pictures or videos.
When you type in an address for a photo or video you upload, you should assume it’ll show up on a public map. I don’t think I’d do that for my daughter’s birthday party, but I don’t regret doing it for the in February:
The more videos and pictures people upload, the more we’ll be able to discover without ever leaving home. Here’s a map of the greater Pasadena area. The blue lines indicate where you can access another favorite feature, Google Street View. The small pictures indicate videos of those places. Notice how La Canada Flintridge is still underrepresented on Google Street View – why is that?
The oldest thing I own: photo book published in 1892
Posted on 20. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in art, books, history, international
Many years ago, my grandfather asked me whether there was anything of his that I’d like when he dies. I told him I’d love to have some photographs, and would be happy to scan them for everyone else. He laughed and said I’m just like my mother.
Perhaps that’s why, despite moving nearly twenty times in my life, I’ve somehow managed to hang on to “Glimpses of the World: My Portfolio of Photographs, Prepared Under the Supervision of John L. Stoddard.” It was published in 1892, and my copy says “Lizzie J. Brown, 1894″ on the cover page. To the best of my knowledge, it’s the oldest thing that I own. What a testimony to the fleeting nature of possessions.
This 549-page book is entrancing. It has photos from all over the world, and under each one there’s a paragraph describing the picture. The explanations are just as fascinating as the photos, as they reflect the author’s perspective and biases.
This book is pretty big – 11.5″ x 14″ – so it was hard to scan without breaking the binding. Here are a few of the most fascinating pictures and descriptions from the book. If you click on them, you’ll see larger versions and be able to read the text.
Here’s the “Royal Palace, Honolulu, Sandwich Islands.” The caption talks about how much progress has been made in the islands since Honolulu harbor was “discovered less than a hundred years ago.” The picture includes King Kalakua, his wife, his daughter, and Col. Judd, his Secretary of State. At the time, Honolulu had a population of 14,000.
Here’s a picture taken in San Francisco’s Chinatown. According to Stoddard, “a trip to Chinatown” was “an essential feature of a visit to the Pacific coast.” Click on the picture to see the caption. It’s completely politically incorrect for our times.
Here are some straw cottages in Salamanca, Mexico. The author was more sympathetic towards these Mexican villagers, though his analysis again errs on the side of political incorrectness. “These Indians are said to be generally happy and contented, but it is hard to believe it in view of their condition. Many of them certainly have a hopeless and even timid look, like that of a well-meaning dog that had been beaten and abused.”
No photo book would be complete without some Yosemite pictures, and Stoddard obliges. It’s mind-boggling to think that these pictures were taken before Ansel Adams was even born! Here’s a horse drawn carriage driving through a tree in Mariposa Grove. I think I’ve seen postcards with cars doing the same thing.
I think this book was pretty popular in its time. My freshman roommate had one at her house, and there are some available for sale on the internet. It’s no wonder people have kept them: it’s a window into another time and many other places.
The three most amazing things I purchased this summer
Posted on 02. Sep, 2007 by kchristieh in shopping
I know that money doesn’t buy happiness. But I must admit, I’m very happy I purchased the following three items this summer:
As a Certified Soccer Mom, I’ve become quite the aficionado of fine beach chairs. Over the years I’ve sat in everything from a humble $4.99 Sports Authority chair purchased when it turned out a baseball field didn’t have bleachers to a fancy schmancy Target lounger with a footrest and attached umbrella.
But nothing even begins to compare with the Renetto Canopy Chair. I first learned about this chair when Tom Bartlett rated it as the best portable beach chair in Slate.com. I’ve got a garage full of chairs, but I was feeling some financial exuberance the day I decided to spend the $49.99 and order my Renetto online. I’ve never regretted it.
This chair doesn’t have a carrying case: all you do is unsnap it, unfold it, and put up the canopy. You can do it all in about as much time as it took you to read this sentence, and it takes not much longer to fold it all up again. It’s incredibly comfortable, and comes in lots of fun colors. Wherever I set it up, I’m asked where I got it. I even set it up in my room at church camp. Seriously.
BioEars Soft Silicone Earplugs
When the 210 Freeway extension to San Bernardino was completed this summer, it became much louder at our house. If the wind is blowing the wrong way, it can be too loud to sleep. (I’m a light sleeper.) Ever since our old neighbors had their evil barking hounds from hell, I’ve tried many different kinds of earplugs. Until now, they’ve all been little foam tubes that need to be rolled in my fingers and then inserted into my ear canal. Unfortunately, they take several times to insert correctly and only provide moderate sound blocking.
So when I saw BioEars at the Longs Drugs in Scotts Valley, I was intrigued. They’re silicone disks about the diameter of a dime that come in a small plastic carrying case. I was desperate for something to block the sound of my son’s snoring (we all shared a room at church camp), so I purchased them. I need to throw out all my other earplugs, because these beat them by a mile. All you need to do to get these to work is mold them into balls and push them into your ears. That’s it. They don’t go into your ear canal, so I’m not worried they’re hurting my hearing. Also, they mold more to the shape of my ear, so they work really well. They’re reusable, and come in a compact plastic carrying case.
I used them last night since I wanted to sleep late this morning, but then I woke up when I had a dream that my son was trying to talk to me but I couldn’t hear him. Duh!
I carry my camera in my purse at all times. Moments are fleeting, and it’s best to be prepared! Unfortunately, every once in awhile I wish I had a tripod so I could either include myself in the photo (as if!) or, more likely, make sure to not move the camera while taking the picture. Tripods are big, so until now, I never had the tripod with me. But this summer I discovered the Bottle Cap Tripod. It’s the size of a bottle cap, and fits over the top of most (non-sports top) water bottles and soda bottles. You can see a review of it and the Gorillapod at Photojojo. The Gorillapod looks great, but I wouldn’t want to carry it all the time.
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Today’s Tomorrowland
Posted on 03. Apr, 2007 by kchristieh in cool websites, technical
Older readers may remember how impressive Disney’s Tomorrowland used to be. I especially loved the AT&T speakerphone booth, and how fun it was to call back home to NJ.
NEC’s Resonantware design showcase is like an online Tomorrowland. It features “near-future” devices such as a flexible phone, a computer made up of five pen-like objects, an “emotion communicator”, a lava-lamp-like object with photos floating inside and much more.
My favorite is the Dew Life Recording Interface. It looks like a necklace with a drop of dew at the end, and it automatically takes pictures of your life. It includes a camera and a viewer. Here’s the description of the camera:
Dew camera constantly records your daily experiences. Using emotional recognition through vocal rhythms and gesture recognition by hand motions, the camera catches fun memories and special memories to record. A server saves your viewed scenes in real time through the network.
Someday people reading this blog will wonder what the big deal was about all of these!
“Learning about the world through photography.”
Posted on 20. Oct, 2006 by kchristieh in art, cool websites
That’s the motto of a cool website I found today, TrekEarth. You can either search by keyword or browse by country, region and city, but either way you’re sure to find beautiful photos. Click here to see a larger picture of the boy and the dolphin at right. This picture was taken in Greece, in Korinthia.
Don’t miss its sister site, TrekLens. Its motto is “Learning about photography through our world.” There’s also TrekNature: “Learning about nature through photography.” It has some of the most amazing nature pictures I’ve ever seen.
It’s like having a local Ansel Adams
Posted on 24. Sep, 2006 by kchristieh in art, books, cool websites, education, environment, my life, parenting
Yesterday I went to Ron Dietel’s photography exhibit at the La Canada Flintridge Public Library. I’ve seen his work before at local silent auctions, so I knew it was going to be good. But, I was impressed at HOW good it was! He takes photos with a WWII-vintage box camera, and develops them himself. I’ve always been a fan of Ansel Adams (I even met him after a lecture in college), and though I’m no photography expert, I think Ron’s photos would make Ansel proud. He’s got a great artistic eye, and is very careful in the developing process. Many of his scenes were of local spots such as Descanso Gardens and Eaton Canyon, but there were many from other parts of California also. You can see his Flickr portfolio by clicking . I believe Ron’s exhibit continues at the library until next weekend.
I purchased two prints for my husband for his birthday. (He doesn’t read my blog, so I’m safe saying this.) All purchases benefit the La Canada Flintridge Educational Foundation, but even if they didn’t, I would have purchased them anyway.
Ron is on a roll, by the way. He’s the author of the recently-published book, . I started it the other night, and it has lots of great parenting tips. We’re discussing it at our next .
Culture Shock Photography Contest
Posted on 29. Apr, 2006 by kchristieh in cool websites, international
I stumbled on this site recently: http://csw.cablesource.net/ It shows the winning photographs from a 2004 National Geographic photography contest with the theme of “Culture Shock.” Photos range from a man hanging from hooks in his bare skin to monks playing volleyball.
At right are some girls from the Himba tribe in northern Namibia. Their hairstyles reflect their family structure: two braids means both parents are together, one braid means one parent, and a shaved head means the parents are divorced.
I can’t find any mention of this contest in 2005. If it did take place, please let me know!
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