Please welcome Lisa Newton. I gave her the wheel for the day. Take it away, Lisa!
I’m humbled to be following the great guest post by Tracey last Tuesday, but I’ll give it the old college try. Whereas Tracey lives in a rural area, I live in one the largest cities in the USA, Los Angeles. When I accepted Lisa’s gracious offer to guest blog, I wasn’t sure what my topic was going to be, but as the weeks unfolded, I discovered my subject matter while on a bike ride bordering the Los Angeles River.
Although, I grew up in the Midwest and lived for 20+ years on the East Coast, and have only lived in LA for two years, I now call it home, and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Indeed we have our fair share of urban problems and then some, but if you look, you’ll see the beauty in everyday life.
Admittedly, when I initially saw the Los Angeles River, I didn’t really think it had too much going for it. Due to past flooding issues, the river itself was in cased in concrete, with barely a trickle of water remaining in the middle.
The River meanders its way through the entire city, so it has many of the same issues any normal city has:
Garbage, litter, and other forms of urban decay do, at times, make the center river bed look like clothes flying on the clothes line.
But, among the shadow of our human frailties, nature has emerged:
Although this noise and distraction was on my right:
And promise of more congestion was straight in front of me:
I was able to relax, ride my bike, and take a few pictures, while seeing a more beautiful side of life in the city:
Do you find beauty in the sights and sounds of your everyday surrounding?
Travelin’ Local was created by me to do just that.
I would like to thank Lisa for giving me the opportunity to share a little of my world with her audience, and if you’d like to see more of my world, feel free to stop by Travelin’ Local at any time.
lisa said,
Thank you, Lisa! I enjoy coming to your blog and seeing a different side of LA. Being a Midwest girl myself I view LA as a huge, scary place I have never been. You make it regular city, and less scary – maybe I’ll visit there someday after all.
I know this is only the second guest post but I am really enjoying this! I feel like I am getting to know you guys better this way and I hope others are getting to know you too. Tuesdays in March are full, but if anyone’s interested in April please drop me a line, or a comment and we’ll make it happen.
margaret (the misanthrope) said,
Hello, “guest Lisa”! What a neat post!! This is not what I think of when I think “Los Angeles” either. Now, that said, I have always dreamed of living in southern California (I’m on the East Coast right now). I’ll be stopping by to visit!
TJ said,
Your photos are amazing journalism captures for the area. I loved the times I have spent in southern California. It is a state totally independent in character. I am a Michigander so the possibilities we seen in California was very interesting. So nice to meet you. Happy St. Pattys.
TJ
jill said,
my life is all about seeing the joy in small things around me
Jan said,
What a great post. I grew up next to the LA River, in Long Beach. I remember when it flooded over the banks; I was in grade school. It does go all through LA, and many other cities, to the ocean, in Long Beach.
Kath said,
This is great! I feel inspired to take a little tour ’round home now.
Kath
Dan said,
Nice post, I love the California coast, altho I only lived there a short while. While I grew up in large urban centers, I now live rurally, and yes, I find lots of natural beauty all around each day! : )
Tracey said,
Nice to meet you! I love all the varieties of birds you’ve captured! It is a very different picture from where I live, but beautiful all the same!
SandyCarlson said,
What an awesome view! Thanks for the tour.
debbie said,
Wow. You are wonderful to see the beauty in the concrete. It might take me a while to do that.
Pamela said,
I see Stilts, Mallards, Cinnamon Teal, and Coots (Mudhens)
Wild life in the city. heh hehe.
david mcmahon said,
Here in Melbourne, we also have great bike paths besie the river.
Mojo said,
I thought that looked more like L.A. than Wisconsin! Didn’t realize we had a different Lisa in the driver’s seat until after I got to the bottom of the post. Those guys in the third photo look like a chorus of dancers in tuxes waiting for the big production number from some noire classic. (Only in color. Or colorized maybe.)
Great collection!
Jientje said,
I loved the bird shots!! Thanks for guest posting and showing us a different part of the world!
TJ said,
I really like the size of these photos.
How do I post from Flicker into my blog?
Can ya help?
Thanks
TJ
LisaNewton said,
Thank you all for your lovely comments. I’ve fallen in love with LA and sharing it makes it even more special.
@ TJ I didn’t post these via flickr, but I optimize them in a large size with I then download into my posts on WordPress. Lisa, do you do this too?
Jenners said,
Another great guest post! I’m shaking in my shoes … I’m still scrambling to figure out what I’ll be doing next week! ARGH!!!!! I should have something to you by this weekend.
This was so interesting to see such manmade mess made beautiful and used by nature.
Cookie said,
That was really neat. It’s amazing how nature prevails despite the odds!
Lance said,
Hi Lisa and Lisa!
These are great – and they are because they show the “real” LA. In fact, I thought of you today, as I rode my bike to work – and paid extra attention to the sights around me. There is indeed much there, if we just really take the time to look.
Nicole said,
I loved this tour
!
I like to walk around and embrace Beauty.
Like you I show the not so beautiful faces of my surroundings as well though.
Lovely post!
Jettied said,
Greatly done!! so sad for all the garbage!! As a kid a commercial has been forever burned in my brain that Iam horrified at the garbage people just throw out and it lays everywhere! The commercial was where a native American is walking and a car goes by and throws out garbage and it hits him…I cried the first time I seen it it was so sad. And I have never forgotten it.
Dawn said,
Well that was a refreshing other look at a city I only see on TV and in movies and usually it isn’t the best part of town when it is a crime show. You did great guest post.
Jeanna said,
Good post, I didn’t know LA had a river and I guess nature can prevail anywhere.