Expedition to the Queen Mary

99.999% of people in LA travel by car everywhere.  Being British and fairly terrified of driving in big cities we have managed to explore large parts of the city by public transport and/ or feet. On Friday we (that's Andrew, Amy and I) set off at 8am and, by getting a bus to Hollywood, then two metro lines to Long Beach and then a transit, managed to get to the Queen Mary just after 11 am.  The ship itself was wonderful - lots of 1930s wood veneer - and very beautiful.  But it's an odd place now - trying to serve as a hotel, events location and the venue for self-guided tours.  Somehow this mixture of uses doesn't quite work.  On the way back, we did a different route, via Santa Monica - same number of buses/ metros and another 3 hours of travel.  Total cost per person $7 for 'transportation' as the Americans call it.  A Billy bargain as we might call it....

The beautiful Queen Mary, launched 1934 (same year as my Dad was born), maiden voyage across the Atlantic to New York in 1936, retired to Long Beach in 1967.

The Great Work...

..is starting to turn into something!  After a lot of faffing around today I finally drafted  a detailed plan for each of the 5 chapters.  I now feel I have a sensible plan and all I have got to do is stick to it.  Perhaps easier said than done, but I am remaining positive (for now at least).  I've read more than enough and now just have to think hard and crank the words out.

Alligator hunting

So, my weekend in Mobile, Alabama was a busy busy one.  I was attending the 42nd Binghamton Geomorphology conference and giving a paper on 'Microbial geomorphology'.  At the start of the conference we went on a great one-day field trip to the coastal area around Mobile, including a stop at Weeks Bay where I took the photos above and below.  The water REALLY was that strange colour - the general consensus was that it is caused by humic acids or tannins coming off the surrounding bog.  I suggested it was Coca Cola.

The Coca Cola infested waters of Mobile Bay.

We also went to Dauphin Island which had been badly affected by Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, but is now being rather more insidiously affected by human developments. Whoever allowed THIS hotel or apartment block to be built?

Beautiful Dauphin Island

Obama-watching

For the second time in 4 weeks we have spotted President Obama out and about in Brentwood, LA. The first time round we saw roughly 12 large police motorbikes followed by lots of blacked out cars rushing past the end of our street.  Later that evening the local news confirmed it was the President on his way to a fund raising event. This afternoon we noticed lots of police and fire brigade activity around the Post Office area, and eventually four helicopters landed on the nearby park, and a cavalcade of cars sped out.  Once more, apparently, he's here fund-raising.  The police operation was very slick, but all the police officers very polite and friendly as they moved the curious onlookers safely out of the way (whilst letting us still get a good view).

President Obama's car as it sped by us... we clapped and waved like idiots.  Hope he appreciated the gesture!

And the words are finally flowing...

I have finally put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard more accurately) and written 2000 words.  Not necessarily the best words, but words nevertheless!  Today I have been wrestling with issues such as 'what is a ruin?'...on which there seems no agreement and an awful lot of waffle.  I hope I have not added to this waffle too much.