Wednesday, July 27, 2016

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

28 comments:

  1. Funny to me is that the view in the same direction from my house shows airplanes lined up to land at LAX about the same distance apart. Is there a special setting on your camera to get such a good night view?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just used my regular point-and-shoot camera, Jane. It's a Canon PowerShot.

      Delete
  2. Nice night scene Kris.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes I wish for views of the stars but the harbor provides a great nightlight!

      Delete
  3. Fabulous view. I never tire of seeing it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The day views are nice when there's not a haze laying over the harbor.

      Delete
  4. I prefer the busy port view to one of endless ocean. You've got a great view. I hope the weather and air quality improve for you soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The air quality has improved quite a lot but the temperatures are still in the stratosphere, Emily. Weather Underground keeps predicting cooler days but they've been wrong thus far.

      Delete
  5. I really love your view - in all the configurations you have ever posted it. What an incredible asset! I keep thinking of your tree-hating neighbor. With a view like that, I would be tempted to plant two sturdy trees, and string up a hammock between them. Then I would spend the rest of my life in the shady hammock, reading fabulous books, and admiring that view. But, your neighbor would probably have a cow if you did that - am I right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I probably could have slung a hammock in the back - before we removed one of the peppermint willows in an effort to appease our tree-hating neighbor. I have to think about the height of everything I plant.

      Delete
  6. I'm so glad that fire is almost under control. As a CA native, fire terrifies me. Beautiful photo. :o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Sand Fire is 65% contained as of this morning. It's going to be a bad fire season I'm afraid.

      Delete
  7. Great photo of a fabulous view!i tried taking a similar one on the 19th as we flew into Santa Barbara, full(ish) moon over the lights on the coast and oil rigs off shore. Sadly there was a huge smudge on the window of the plane so it turned out rather pathetic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those airplane windows are always terrible. I look forward to your photos from Lotusland!

      Delete
  8. You're lucky to have that fabulous night view!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep! You should see the skies on Independence Day. We can see scores of firework displays all around us. Unfortunately, I don't have a camera (nor the skill) to capture those well.

      Delete
  9. That's a great night view, Kris :) It does remind me how long it's been since I've lived around city lights! Hope your air is improving as they get the Sand Fire a bit more under control. I hate thinking what August may be like...!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. August has always been my lowest point with the garden too. Dare we hope for some miraculous rain?

      Delete
  10. A fabulous moon and vista Kris. What is a sand fire?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not a sand fire but rather "the" Sand Fire in this case, Anna. Yes, we name our fires (like our storms), which gives you some indication of how prevalent they are. This one, about 60 miles northeast of us, has consumed some 38,000 acres, destroyed 18 homes and killed one person. At one time 10,000 homes were evacuated but that order has been lifted as the firefighters have gotten closer to having the fire under control.

      Delete
  11. Dreamy photo. The feeling of spaciousness a view provides is what always enchants me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Despite all the lights, that feeling of spaciousness is enhanced at night when you can't see all the shipping cranes!

      Delete
  12. Fabulous. I aleays admire your view, but the night time one is really dramatic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The smoggy haze is also invisible at night, which helps ;)

      Delete
  13. Oh, this is nice, Kris. Do you sit out in the evenings when it has cooled down? Do you get a breeze?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We get wind most afternoons, which generally eases off into the evening hours. Despite the fact that we have a big table out there, we usually only sit and enjoy the view is when we have visitors but we recently got a spa for the side yard patio (my husband's idea) - relaxing there does allow us to also enjoy the night view.

      Delete
  14. What a beautiful night views you have!!!
    Mariana

    ReplyDelete

I enjoy receiving your comments and suggestions! Google has turned on reCAPTCHA affecting some commentator IDs so, if you wish to identify yourself, please add your name to your comment.