Signs and Bus Benches in Seal Beach

 

Seal Beach is a wonderful community.

A city with "…its quaint small-town atmosphere."

The visual impact of City signs often distracts from "quaintness."

 

And new bus benches with advertisements are on their way. Let's hope the City's "limited authority" over this advertising protects (what's left of) our small-town atmosphere. Review of both content and layout (ratio of image size to advertising space and the size and color of typeface) seems reasonable.

Our City's Green Belt--still (mostly) signage free.

Notes.
Bus bench franchise information based on C. Kelly's story appearing in the 26-January issue of the Seal Beach Sun.

First and last photos captured with an iPhone 4-what an amazing camera!
Historian Art Hansen (Emeritus Professor of History at CSUF) observation via email (1/29/12): Your resourceful visual anthropological exploration of the cultural milieu of Seal Beach clearly articulates an alternative meaning for the term "benchmark." 

Gung Hay Fat Choy

Our House Dragons have been waiting 12 years...

Note.

Gung Hay Fat Choy (Cantonese)

Xin Nian Kuai Le (Mandarin)

Photos in ABA's Birding

The January issue of Birding includes some of my photos--I'm jazzed to be in print.

Note.

Birding is a publication of the American Birding Association.
Photos originally appeared in this Half Moon Bay Birding photo essay.
My last publication?

First Bloom

Early January bloom from my Mom's memorial rose.

My Mom

My Maternal Grandmother

Grandmother and Mother 

Mother and Me

Pau Pau and Grandson

Notes. 

The rose bud bloomed on my Mom's birthday.

Pau Pau is our family's Chinese designation for grandmother.

Photo Details.

First Bloom: Canon 7D, 1/250, f/5.6,100 mm, ISO 100.

Mother and Me photo by Uncle Bue Kee; Kodak Anastigmat, f/6.3, 100 mm.

Pau Pau and Grandson: SX-70 Polaroid.

Homeless in Seal Beach

Notes. City of Seal Beach Wikipedia: Seal Beach Homelessness in America

Coffee Contrivances

What's Old

   Haven't used these in sometime--perhaps it time to give them away.

What's New

My trusty electric burr grinder has been joined by a Hario Skerton

Hand Mill with ceramic conical burrs. The hand mill is peaceful to

use and yields a much better grind than the electric.

The AeroPress is also new and brews a very smooth cup of coffee.

I'm still working on the coffee to water ratios. Brewing a cup with 

the AeroPress takes more time (in comparison to pour-over) and 

clean-up is more involved than simply rising the ceramic dripper.  

 First Cup 2012

Happy New Year!

Notes
Current pour-over filters are from If You Care and coffee from San Francisco's Blue Bottle. Thanks to Judy (Hario Skerton Hand Mill) and Matt (AeroPress) for great Christmas gifts.