For My Blog’s Anniversary, I Had Lunch Out With George Brich

Tags

blog anniversary, cajon pass, commute, metro link

Who is George Brich?
I will tell you in a minute but first allow me to tell you first the story of how I met him.

A co-worker and I were having lunch out, we decided (last minute) to go to the library as it was the last day, I think, of National Library Week. 

Nearest one from work is the Los Angeles Public Library.

Haven’t been there in ages! With only few minutes left from our lunch, I took some quick pictures, had a quick tour and took home some pamphlets from the library.

One event caught my eye: A lunch out with George Brich. 

Confession: I have no idea who he is.

Flyer from the library. It said to bring lunch. So I did. Sat on the front row where I happily started munching my apple but when I looked around, stealthily while drinking from my inconspicuous gallon of water, nobody was eating! Now, why would they even write that?

I just thought I should do something enriching besides my driving back and forth that seem to have overtaken my life.

Something to boost my outlook.

 

 

The Valley Times says about the event,

The former Valley Times staff photographer will discuss his work exploring the intrigue of automobiles and their placement as objects of art in our environment.

 

Curious, “Hmmm….  Ok, I’ll go.”

 

A week later….

Around twenty minutes past 12, it has just started….

CarScapes

In this series my photography explores the connection between the car and the natural and man-made landscape.

My long experience as a photojournalist documenting the major news events of the day along with the famous, the infamous and the just plain fabric of society has given me the visual fuel and social awareness today to observe the unobserved in life.

My current work embraces color more than ever before.

As Charles Baudelaire stated, “color thinks by itself, independently of the object it clothes”.

I appreciate the encounter of an everyday scene where I sense beauty revealed through these formal elements of structure and substance.

When all this comes together…then I photograph it.

Notice the empty table! Pardon the shaky photo – hungry photographer!

Who is George Brich?, click here.

 

This is George Brich.

 

Not bad, eh?

 

It’s in the plain, simple, ordinary, everyday pieces

his pictures stand out.

And I like it.

 

 

If you’d like to see more of George Brich’s CarScapes collection, click here.

 

 

At the end of the lecture, I felt empowered. Inspired even.

————————–

Motivated with George’s work, I’d like to share and surround you some select pictures I’ve taken while on the road and on the train. I say ‘select’ because it’s hard to choose amongst nearly 2800 pictures I took — in merely a year.

It may not be ‘George Brich’ but it’s my style (dashboard photography –  whatever that is)

 

 

Let’s start off with the ‘burning’ of Ranchero Bridge which, at the same time, I celebrate my blog’s anniversary as well, ignited this blogger into action. 

Interstate 15 was closed for about a couple of days that had me scrambling for alternate routes to get to work…

Ranchero Bridge Burning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, it’s all repaired and ready to serve you.

Ranchero Bridge – a year after the burn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Interstate 15 — before bypass lane… X-over (crossover) lane… move over (and it’s the law) stuff…

July 2014 — Northbound — Back when things weren’t too complicated then

January 2015 — I-15 and I-215 Split Southbound — I-15 on the right, I-215 on the left — see how one can change lanes at the last second. Not recommended.

 

 

Different big, heavy equipment rolling in – getting ready for the ambitious yet promising freeway rehabilitation :

Tractors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trucks

 

 

 

 

 

 

Needing some heavy artillery for those who don’t follow the rules of the road..

 

 

 

 

Some rocket launchers. (Or not.) They just look like launchers to me.

 

 

 

 

 

Calling on some alien help here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course not to forget, our hardworking highway officers! Forever grateful for that one who pushed our MINI with his patrol car all the way to the 138 scales northbound.

 

 

 

 

 

Entrance to the bypass lane

Ugh! Remember this?

The bypass lane on the Interstate 15 South.

We all needed surgeries that time….

 

 

 

 

 

My prayer every time I drive on the Cajon Pass… never mind the Cajon Crawl has concluded… it still feels like it every now and then.

 

 

 

 

Foggy drive

Driving through fog…

Hazy….

one of my favorite foggy shots

 

 

 

 

Scary when fog descends

 

 

 

 

 

Rain! Yes, we need more rain!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard to drive in it at night, though.

 

 

 

 

Snowy… we didn’t really have much snow this year… all were bestowed on the Northeastern US states!

 

 

On an early morning drive under the still visible full moon.

 

 

 

 

This is not my Cajon Pass Ring. It’s actually the I-210 freeway, if I remember correctly. I took this photo night of Feb 13, 2015 on my way home. Traffic was slow and all highways were crowded.

 

 

Highway construction progresses…

February 2015

 

 

 

 

March 2015  at the I-215 and I-15 split….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New traffic configuration starting March 30th…

 

 

 

If you do not know where you’re going, better choose one now. Because you cannot change lanes later on as one could do so before.

 

 

 

Entrance to the now bypass 2-lane

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Question:  If these two wavy arrows mean the crossover lanes and the three straight arrows mean regular lanes, so the sign back in Fontana (see left picture) mean all four lanes are crossover lanes?

 

Or do they just mean they’re wavy lanes?

Or am I just getting my knickers in a twist?

 

 

 

 

I’ve taken loads of pictures of cars stuck in traffic in which I, myself, was stuck in too, so I’m not showing any of those now… I just might have a heart attack overwhelming myself with photos of my nightmare!

 

Instead, allow me to share with you photos I’ve taken along my commute (being on the road, inside the train, or while walking):

 

First of all, pictures taken while I was going to the Los Angeles Public Library:

A snippet on the Los Angeles Public Central Library wrapped around a lamppost.

Welcome to LA! Home of movie shoots.

US Bank Tower

Looks like the Rodeo Drive from here

 

Main floor

Into the children’s wing

Beautiful water fountain

 

Second floor

Seems like the library had some reconditioning done.

 

 

Taken while inside the Metrolink train… with freight containers coming into view as we are pulling into Los Angeles Union Station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taken at Los Angeles Union Station — looking up at the Gold Line train from the Metrolink platform.

 

The Gold Line train

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seat handles inside the Metrolink train — bars to hang on to while inside the train — how convenient!

 

 

 

 

 

Lady with the curling Iron!

 

Speaking of convenience, if you’re running late and just got to catch the train, but haven’t fixed your hair or anything, with electrical sockets sockets provided for your convenience, grab your curling iron and do it inside the Metrolink!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture was taken while walking along Hill St. in downtown Los Angeles.

 

 

Ghost freight train

 

Once in a while, these cars say “Hi!”

 

 

 

 

One fiery night..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Couple having a tender moment at the Montclair Metrolink Station

Must be a full moon….

Or it was just a fiery night like I said?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Union Station hallway

The long and winding road — well not really winding…

just long

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick!

Give me some Red Bull to give me a boost to get to the end of this hallway!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uh-oh only one TAP reader turnstile is working!

 

 

 

Taken while having lunch at the Pershing Square

 

Let me see if I can squeeze my way into finding me a decent seat in the train of people eating here!

 

 

 

The Mission Tower

Passing the historical building Mission Tower. Picture taken while inside the Metrolink train.

 

 

 

 

Unusual to see this scenario on the Cajon Pass… all three train tracks occupied…

 

 

Metrolink Rancho Cucamonga Station

End of the line for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll let you in my Metrolink secret hideaway…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

……If you promise not to drop this helicopter!

 

 

 

 

 

***I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed looking back at all the pictures I’ve taken***