Did you miss the spectacular fire-red sunset last night in Southern California!? Among the dozens and dozens of photos posted to Facebook, this one, posted by the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, really stood out! It was taken from the Chart House restaurant in Malibu on PCH by Christopher C. Webb. Thanks for sharing! Learn more about Four Seasons Westlake Village at www.fourseasons.com/westlakevillage or call 818.575.3000. Locals...think about a relaxing weekend staycation at Four Seasons Westlake Village!
OK not quite mid-winter yet but we're several weeks into it. But we've seen nothing but clear, sunny skies most of this winter 2011-2012 so far. Just another sunny, perfect day in Southern California. We enjoyed outdoor activities all around town this weekend, culminating at the beach adjacent to the Mugu Rock. As we hiked and played around the rocks and beach, I'm thinking, did winter decide to take a break this year?
I was impressed by the two fishermen shown above. They were in the same spot on the beach for several hours. I never saw them move, nor did I see them catch a fish in the time we were there. And they were still there when we left. Patience is a virtue.
Ride to the Flags is an annual event that started in 1998 that takes hundreds of bikers on a ride to the 9/11 Flag Display Memorial Service at Pepperdine University's Alumni Park. The event is an all-volunteer charity ride that donates 100% of proceeds to charity. This year's event raised over $25,000.
This year's 4th annual event started at Naval Base Ventura County and rode through Potrero Road through Hidden Valley on its way to Malibu. We were able to watch the display of over 800 bikes at the intersection of Potrero Road and Westlake Boulevard as they made their way over to Kanan Road. Was a lot of fun seeing the different bikes and waving to the riders! For more information about the event and to make donations, visit www.ridetotheflags.com.
Once again this year, Pepperdine University will honor the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks with nearly 3,000 flags. This stunning tribute will be located at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu Canyon Road from September 9th through September 19th.
Pepperdine University is presenting a special 9/11 remembrance on Pepperdine's Malibu campus on Sunday, September 11, 2011 commemorating the 10th anniversary of the attacks on America. Amid a breathtaking display of 2,977 flags on the University's expansive lawn – honoring the victims and emergency responders who died on 9/11 – Pepperdine will present a reading of the victims' names beginning at 11:00 a.m. A total of 20 readers from service, charitable, religious, and professional organizations will join 15 individuals from the Pepperdine community in reading the names.
View of the flags at 6 p.m. on 9/10/11, the eve of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11:
At 4:00 p.m., Pepperdine will hold an hour-long memorial service commemorating the lives of our fallen heroes. The program will include remarks by Pepperdine President Andrew K. Benton, California Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, and Deena Burnett Bailey, whose husband, alumnus Thomas E. Burnett, Jr., was one of the heroes who perished on Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.
In February we stopped by the boat and pretty much everything previously attached to the boat was pilfered.
Well the other day, photographer Craig Barry took this dramatic shot of the Zeus surrounded by the tide coming in. Yes, the Zeus is still there! Notice the lovely grafitti on the boat. Sheesh, why can't people just leave things alone. In any case, this is a great shot.
John B. Mueller is a Camarillo based photographer whose work I have admired for several years. Here he has captured some beautiful images at a local spot he refers to as 42 Step Beach (in reference to the number of stairs it takes to get there). Check out his website at www.johnbmueller.com and his Facebook page to see more of his work.
A friend of mine, Conejo Valley resident and executive coach Scott Leese of Dynamic Coaching Strategies, visited this sailboat that was washed ashore in Point Dume over the weekend with his kids, Fletcher and Jenay.
According to this Malibu Times article, the 37 foot boat washed ashore the morning of December 22nd between Big Dume and Little Dume beaches when the captain fell asleep at the helm. He had been sailing from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles. According to the article, the captain and his two cats were unharmed and the boat will be salvaged.
It appears the boat's name is Zeus, which is slightly ironic in that Zeus is a Greek god of mythology who has a brother named Poseidon, god of the sea.
The same day I ran the Malibu Marathon last Sunday, November 14th, Personal Trainer BB of B Fit By BB took this neat picture of the sun setting in Malibu while traveling on PCH. Kind of looks like a big shiny star. To contact BB, call 805.607.7194.
Ventura County is so close to the ocean, yet most of us don't usually get down to the beach often enough. Now, with winter bearing down on us, we surely won't make it down to the beach. That's too bad, because winter sunsets are the best according to local photographer Greg Clure.
Why winter? Ventura County beaches are mostly south facing, which means during the summer when we are more likely to be at the beach, the sun is difficult, if not impossible, to include in your sunset photos. The sun is too far north.
With the approaching Winter Solstice (December 21st) the sun's path across the sky travels a more southerly route. As each day goes by up to this date as it reaches its southern most path and then begins to move north each day thereafter. As a result, you will be much more likely to capturing a beautiful sunset photo during the winter. Winter also means fewer people at the beach, so you'll likely have your favorite beach all to yourself.
Clure shares three of his local sunset images taken during winter below. Greg adds, "When taking sunset images that include the sun, be sure to meter the bright sky near the sun but don't include the sun and you will generally get the best exposure for the entire scene." If you would like to see larger versions of the images below or other fine art images of nature, visit Greg's website at www.gregclurephotography.com.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 12:49PM 
