Another visit to the LA Arboretum

I have to admit, the anxiety is getting to me. Today is Friday, Oct. 30th, 2020, and in four days, we will arrive at election day, Tuesday, Nov. 3rd. It is coming up soon, and as much as I try to run the lyrics of the Bobby McFerrin song of the 1980s, "Don't worry, be happy", I am worrying and I am not happy. I have all this anxiety about how the election will turn out, and while I think, this time, that Trump will lose, I still worry about how gut-wrenching it will be if we have to put up with his resistance. I felt this anxiety last time, in 2016, and it was worse, I had the sinking feeling that he would win against all the calls going out on the media. But now, I feel he will lose but he will try to make it difficult for us. So, I am telling myself, don't worry, don't worry, you will not help yourself if you (that is, myself) go through this agony. The country has seen what a disaster he has been, what an appalling excuse for a leader, and how he has misgoverned us, and how he has in great part created this Covid crisis because he did not prepare us and did not lead us through it. They have to see that, and I know their hatred of brown immigrants is very great, and that is the one thing the president has excelled at, in scapegoating and excluding them, still, they have to see he is a disaster. 

So, today was a warm day. It was warm yesterday too, but I didn't go out yesterday until almost the final hour of daylight, to take my quick 8x10 photo with my new Norwegian camera. Today, I had the day to myself, because even we need to have a day of rest. I chose to return to the LA Arboretum in Arcadia.

I was there in August, and enjoyed it very much. It was warmer last time, but this time was warm enough. We had a cloudless day, and traffic seemed heavier than usual. I was afraid there would be bottlenecks on the 71 freeway due to the Blue Ridge Fire that the Santa Ana Winds spread on Monday, but traffic was the same as usual. I saw no billowing clouds of smoke the way I had seen on Tuesday.

My appointment was for 1 p.m., but I arrived earlier, at 12:45, and they let me right in. This time, I wanted to go in another direction, to circle to my left rather than to my right, but I went right again, because the display was much too compelling in that direction. The desert gardens and the backdrop of the mountains, what is not to like? I was traveling with the same conjunction of cameras as last time, my 4x5 camera, my Fuji GW690ii and my cellphone. 

It was a little fuller than last time, and there were Asian families camped out here and there in the open grassy areas. Arcadia has a big Asian population, so of course they would go to that garden. I would go to Arcadia mainly to see the Arcadia marching band review during the third Saturday of every November. They have not cancelled it this year yet, but every other marching band event has been cancelled, so if courses are online in public schools, how can the students have practiced their marching? If they hold the event, I imagine it will be scaled down considerably to just a properly-monitored socially-distanced performance by small groups in an outdoor high school parking lot. Say, chairs set up six feet apart, small group of 30 students, no marching, but this way they can say they preserved the continuity of the event. Now, how did I get sidetracked into marching bands when this post is about the Arboretum?

The dirty lake with reflections. I know, I know, I should not say dirty, but it looks dirty to me, like Fairmont Park. There are turtles here, however.

There was some fall color, but mostly with the flowers. 

Love these garden displays.

More garden displays, I could walk around and around here if I could. Nice mixture of colors and textures.

Not sure what I saw here.

A Tongva Indian display. There is a similar one at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic garden, and also, at Heritage Park in Santa Fe Springs, CA. I should go to Santa Fe Springs once again and photograph the little lake with my 8x10 camera with the lens, and compare that photo with my 8x10 pinhole image. Good idea.

Love the colors, textures and shapes. 

I had not walked around this area last time. 

The chimney; I wonder if they will have it lit as we go into winter. I can't imagine they will do so, because in our warm climate, even in the chill of winter, there is still the chance of fire.

I took a slide shot of this with one of my cameras, the Fuji. I was a little closer in. I just like the backlit leaves.

And the display with the chimney and the desert plants. Always a favorite.

More cellphone photos coming up. I took about 50 or 60 of them. I also took one 120 roll of slide photos and also one 120 roll of black and white infrared. Also, two sheets of 4x5 Velvia slide film.