The Sluice Box

Mid-Century Tableau, Palm Springs Style

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 06:22:00 +0000

Somehow a few quintessential Palm Springs icons managed to converge, a mid-century modern butterfly house, a 1968 Mercury Montclair, and a few palm trees.

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Sun, 13 May 2012 21:34:00 +0000

Los Angeles suddenly made more sense when I had a chance to view it from a higher perspective. Griffith Observatory provided an unmatched vantage point for seeing the city in its entirety.

Mid-Century Modern, Beverly Hills

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:39:00 +0000

I was captivated by the graphic nature of this early 60s building, located at 9720 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The entry plaza continues the geometric theme with large white circles scattered over a darker surface.

The Spaceship Has Landed

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 23:44:00 +0000

For about two years this retro futuristic spaceship has been located on San Francisco's waterfront, just south of the Ferry Building.

Napa Valley in Winter: Yountville Mustard Field

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 17:25:00 +0000

While driving to Yountville, for lunch at Bistro Jeanty, we passed a field of brilliant yellow mustard. We did a u-turn to go back and have a closer look. The field attracted a number of people, nearly all of whom were busy taking photographs.

After lunch we walked along Washington Street to see The French Laundry. Across the street we noticed the vegetable garden that the restaurant cultivates. Surprisingly, it's completely open, without any fencing or barrier.

The Last Sunset of 2011, Palm Springs

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:08:00 +0000

When I glanced toward the San Jacinto Mountains I realized I was watching the last sunset of 2011. I'm reminded of the question, "What's the best camera?" The usual response is "The one you have with you." In this case, I'm happy I had a phone with a camera.

Between Storms

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:29:00 +0000

The combination of setting sun and dark background clouds gave the city an other-wordly look.

Late Fall in Sonoma County

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 03:02:00 +0000

Came across this scene while wine tasting at the Stuhlmuller winery in Sonoma's beautiful Alexander Valley. Oak barrels are temporarily outside to dry after workers finished cleaning them.

Arizona Biltmore

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:57:00 +0000

For a recent trip to Phoenix I thought the Arizona Biltmore would provide a pleasant place to stay, primarily for its good architecture and striking natural setting.

Although the hotel bears a strong resemblance to the works of Frank Lloyd Wright, it's not one of his buildings. The architect was Albert McArthur, who worked at one time as a draftsman for Wright.

The original portion of the hotel opened in 1929, with many consecutive additions over the years. I stayed in the newest addition, the Ocatilla building. There were a few kinks with the room, but overall the Biltmore served as a comfortable refuge for the few days I was in Phoenix.

Arizona

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 16:04:00 +0000

Every now and then I'll visit a place that manages to mesh exactly with how I envisioned it looking. This saguaro cactus was on a hill just beyond the edge of a Phoenix parking lot.

Giant Dipper

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 04:13:00 +0000

I watched the cars zip up and down the tracks, trying to determine whether my reaction to riding would tend more toward thrilled or terrorized. As fun as it looked, I couldn't quite make the decision to ride San Diego's Giant Dipper Roller Coaster.

Waning Days of Summer

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:55:00 +0000

The view from the San Diego beach house provided a vantage point to watch the ever-changing groups of people playing volleyball, from sunrise to sunset.

Palm Springs Modernism

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 01:47:00 +0000

The cluster of houses at Park Imperial South in Palm Springs serves as a living museum of 1960s modern architecture, with signature visual elements such as the zigzag folds of the roofs and the patterned block walls. The owners have been meticulous about maintaining the original design of the few dozen houses that make up the neighborhood. I'm curious to see what lies behind these largely opaque walls.

Palm Spring's Mesa Gatehouse

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:01:00 +0000

At the entrance to Palm Spring's Mesa neighborhood there's a small masonry structure that looks like it's out of the Wild West. I've heard two stories about it, one that's factual and the other that might be embellished with a bit of romantic embroidery.

The gatehouse was built in the 1920s-1930s as an initial flourish for a housing development situated at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains. This timeframe is also when Prohibition was in force in the US. I've been told by a resident that the gatehouse served as a lookout for a speakeasy located up the street. I'm not sure whether this tale would pass the fact checking department of a newspaper, but I thought it was too charming of a tale not to pass along.

Sunflower Power

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 03:45:00 +0000

The wedding hosts were thoughtful to arrange for a single sunflower to brighten an otherwise generic hotel room in Hopland, California.

Red, White, and Blueberry

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:21:00 +0000

Quite by accident I managed to gather together three of my favorite summer berries during separate trips to the farmers market and the grocery store. I had my first real taste of summer when I discovered the proliferation of fruit in the refrigerator and was able to throw together an assortment of raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. Happy Fourth of July.

Frozen Assets: Hand Cut Ice

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 03:30:00 +0000

I've heard passing mention of hand cut ice but figured it was simply the stuff of mythology. I finally encountered a gorgeous rectangular block of it in a pre-dinner drink at Bar Agricole. There may be practical benefits with manually chiseled ice, but as far as I'm concerned it's all about the clink and dazzle.

Summer Fog

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 03:22:00 +0000

A warm and sunny weekend in the Wine Country rapidly became a memory as we drove through Marin toward the fog-shrouded Golden Gate Bridge.

Russian River Wine Tasting

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:13:00 +0000

The tasting room at the Gary Farrell winery, in western Sonoma County, provides the vantage point for a sweeping look across the Russian River Valley.

Russian River Morning

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:10:00 +0000

Rental kayaks ready for an excursion on the Russian River.

Scary Places

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:24:00 +0000

With San Francisco's hilly topography, the street I wanted to be on turned out to be overhead (Beale under Harrison). I happened to notice a narrow set of stairs that connected to the street above. The stairwell looked like a good place for bad things to happen. Faced with a long detour or a quick ascent up the stairs, I crossed my fingers and took the stairs.

Palm Springs Morning

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Sun, 15 May 2011 21:36:00 +0000

After a long Palm Springs weekend, I was the last one remaining in the house on a Monday morning. I got up around sunrise and headed toward a hill that provided a view from Palm Springs down the Coachella Valley.

Rearview Mirror

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Sun, 01 May 2011 17:00:00 +0000

After discovering Terry Richardson's addicting photo diary I was inspired to start the day with a camera in my pocket. Near San Francisco's Financial District there's a massive construction project underway. For months workers have been demolishing the old bus terminal and the web of elevated ramps that connected it to the Bay Bridge. At the construction site I noticed a pair of mirrors, one of which caught a reflection of the nearby buildings.

On A Clear Day

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 01:33:00 +0000

I dropped by a real estate agent's open house in a high rise building not so much to look at the unit for sale, but for a chance to check out the view of downtown San Francisco. The strong winds today pushed away the clouds and fog, providing a miles wide look around the Bay Area. Hard to believe that about half the buildings pictured were built during the past 10 years or so.

American Conservatory Theater

noreply@blogger.com (The Sluice Box) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:38:00 +0000

After the performance of Jean-Paul Sartre's "No Exit," the audience was invited up to the stage to take a peek in the small sealed room where most of the play occurred. In the audience we viewed the actors via video feeds that were projected onto a series of screens above the stage. Miraculously, the inventive production was able to deliver a remarkable degree of intimacy with the actors, in spite of their being physically hidden from view.

In the photo is a view of the 1910 theater's ornate ceiling.