October is almost gone; having visitors at the beginning of the month, and then going to California last weekend has made the month fly...
A couple of weeks ago, I drove up to the top of the Santa Catalina Mountains one afternoon after work--the forest was alive with fall color, an unexpected change from the cactus-studded lower slopes around Tucson...These scenes are from 'Bear Wallow,' around mile 22 up the Catalina Highway:
Above 8000 ft., there are a couple of little valleys whose soil and microclimate are just right to support deciduous woods more reminiscent of a Northeastern forest...Drive up high enough in Arizona, and you will find autumn at the top of a 'sky island' in the desert.
Driving back down at sunset, about halfway down,
looking out over Thimble Peak and the Tucson mountains beyond...
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Last weekend, in California...
Some of the underwater faces at the Birch Aquarium in San Diego:
Placing my iPhone right up against aquarium glass
and then waiting for something to swim into view--some fun shots...
clockwise from top left:
weedy seadragon, moray eel,
a shrimp, and then--
can't resist, must say--"found Nemo"
...watching surfers from Crystal Pier:
...dozens and dozens, calmly waiting...meditative...
While in CA, took advantage of the dining possibilities
in one of it's 'Asian ETHNOBURBS,'
a Korean eatery in Chino Hills, east of L.A.:
Inland southern California may lack the glam of the Pacific Coast, but its culinary reality is no less 'Pacific Rim.' No need to venture into urban Los Angeles for a taste of Chinatown or Koreatown--East Asian restaurants full of East Asian families are part of the scene in what have come to be called the 'ethnoburbs' of 21st-century suburbia.
If you find yourself passing through Chino Hills east of
L.A., check out "Young Dong Tofu." Korean BBQ is becoming ubiquitous,
('it's the new Thai'), but "soon-du-bu" is still off most
non-Koreans' radar. Snicker if you must at the restaurant's name, but it's
named after a district in Seoul. And inside this unpretentious
strip-mall-eatery, you can imagine yourself in the Korean capital.
Complimentary pancakes wih soy-scallion sauce greet you as
you contemplate the Eng./Kor./Chinese paper placemat menu. Resist the bbq
temptation and go for one of the boiling red bowls of 'soondubu' tofu
soup--Korean comfort food. (Don't let the color scare you--it's not THAT
spicy.) Your side of rice will arrive in an oven-heated 'dol-soht' stone bowl,
along with a mini-buffet of 'bahn-chahn' side-dishes; the kimchi is awesome.
The bowl of raw eggs is not a mistake, nor is it a health-hazard--they're meant
to be broken into your soup, which will arrive still bubbling--the egg will be
quickly poached in your fiery mini-cauldron.
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A few days ago, after work, I decided to go for a trail-run into Bear Canyon,
at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains--
such a contrast from the evergreen-and-deciduous forest at the top:
About a half-mile in, there's a natural arch up the eastern wall:
Overlooking the entrance of the canyon:
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And, from just a few hours ago, tonight--moonrise over the Santa Catalinas:
