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Neon Fish
Our destination for lunch in Ensenada on Mexico’s Baja peninsula was Tacos Don Zefe for some excellent fish tacos. A neon swordfish makes a distinctive advertising sign.
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Port of Palms
The cruise ship dock in Ensenada on Mexico’s Baja peninsula is lined by palm trees. An encouraging sight for those of us used to snowy trees on the first of February.
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Conjunction
The Moon and Venus are close together as viewed from the deck of the Carnival Radiance cruise ship one evening while sailing from Catalina Island to Ensenada, Mexico.
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Catalina Puzzle
We enjoy putting together puzzles by artist Eric Dowdle of the cities and parks that we visit. After finding this small puzzle of Avalon’s waterfront in a shop, it was fun to see the different places we passed on our tour.
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Mosaic
This big tile mosaic in the entryway of the Casino rises over 20 feet above the doors. A dramatic, art deco effect as you enter the historic building.
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Casino
Avalon’s Casino, actually a ballroom and theater rather than a gambling location, rises above the harbor. It’s a distinctive structure that anchors the north end of the town.
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Yacht Club
Topped by a golden dome, the century-old Catalina Island Yacht Club sticks out into Avalon’s harbor.
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Via Casino
The walkway along the harbor leads to the Tuna Club (beyond the arch), the birthplace of modern big game fishing and still an exclusive “club”.
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Tent Cabins
This row of little cabins were built over the original canvas tents that early residents erected near the beach. Tiny houses that keep the rustic feel of Avalon’s history.
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Catalina Crafters
The Catalina Crafters have one of the more colorful facades in Avalon, featuring multiple tiles of parrots.
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Whales
Another example of Avalon’s beautiful tiles decorating the Green Pleasure Pier buildings.
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Lookouts
Historic houses climbing the hills above Avalon’s harbor include the Lookout Cottage (conical red roof) and the Wrigley Mansion (top of the ridge). The lady that the Lookout Cottage was built for didn’t like the location and never moved in. Whereas Mrs. Wrigley specifically chose the spot for her house so it would get the first morning light and the last light in the evening.
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Pelican
Avalon is decorated all over with tiles made from the island’s clay. This colorful pelican graced the side of a building on the Green Pleasure Pier.
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Avalon Waterfront
Our walking tour of the town of Avalon included this view of the town’s waterfront with the sun peeking out from behind clouds. The green building on the far right is part of the Green Pleasure Pier that sticks out into the harbor.
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Catalina Welcome
Anchored just off Catalina Island, this member of the island’s welcoming committee posed for our photos in hope of getting paid in french fries. That’s the Casino in the background, which we walked to on our tour.
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Containers
Long Beach has the busiest harbor on the U.S. West Coast, so it’s not a surprise to see mountains of colorful containers ready to be loaded onto cargo ships.
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Long Beach Harbor
Waiting for our cruise to begin, we had this view of Long Beach’s buildings and marina. The concrete pads in the foreground are what the cruise ship is docked to.
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LA Sunset
Driving through the foothills near Pasadena, I caught the setting sun as it descended into a red-orange horizon. That’s the towers of downtown Los Angeles at the left, fading into the haze. We were long enough after the fires of January that it’s dust rather than smoke that gives it this look.
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Desert Blooms
Like fiery tails, these spiky Desert Garden flowers add sparks of color to this busy section of The Huntington’s display of cacti and palms.
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Rich Desert
We only drove past The Huntington’s Desert Garden, but even a quick view revealed an amazing variety of shapes and colors – many of them with sharp edges. This image has a wealth of greens, not what you expect in a desert garden.
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Fox Glove
Pink and purple blooms fill up a flower bed in The Huntington’s gardens.
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Confetti
Sunshine highlights the warm colors of a ‘Confetti’ rose in The Huntington’s gardens.
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Rose Garden
’Julie Andrews’ blooms reach out for the afternoon light in the Huntington’s Rose Garden.
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Bonsai Row
Olive, juniper, and other trees are trained and trimmed to look just like their full-size relatives in this row of bonsai in the Japanese Gardens.
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Bonsai Circle
Miniature trees decorate a corner of the Japanese Garden.
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