Wednesday Vignette: Night View

The marine layer has deserted us, at least for the time being, and it's too hot to do much of anything outside.  I creep out in the early morning hours and again in the late afternoon to sneak in a little deadheading, supplemental watering, and similarly mundane garden chores.  The Sand Fire 60 miles to the northeast is now 40% contained - not great but a vast improvement from yesterday's 10% figure.  The wind has shifted and our air quality has improved but I still look out on a haze that almost completely obscures the mountains to the east.  At times like this the best view is the one we see at night.

This photo was taken on July 21st, the day following July's full moon.  Beyond the line of shipping cranes, you can see the lights of boats anchored offshore waiting their turn to offload their cargo.

When we where in the process of buying the house, the realtor made a big deal of the night view from the house but it wasn't a material factor in the purchase of the house for me.  My focus was the garden space.  I didn't even see the night view until after we'd moved in.  To this day, it always brings to mind what you see as you fly into Los Angeles (or any big city).  With all the lights from the Los Angeles Harbor and the surrounding cities, it's difficult to see any starlight but I thought the big, almost full, moon in this photo created something of a balance between natural and artificial light sources, if only temporarily.  I offer it as my Wednesday Vignette.  Visit Anna at Flutter & Hum to find other interesting images.


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party