watts towers

I've been wanting to go to the Watts Towers ever since I came to LA, and have never quite made it, until today - terrific spiraling structures, begun in 1921, covered in mosaic from broken tiles and plates, and shells, and bottle tops.  Finished in 1954, they were lovingly, obsessively put together by an Italian immigrant, Simon Rodia, one can't help but wonder if he hadn't seen a Sant'Elia drawing or two.  But there really is nothing like them.

So three million thanks to Robin for taking me there as part of a (very very) belated birthday celebration.

We were very lucky with the light;

although it's probably impossible to take a dull picture of the Towers ...

and then we headed off to Hermosa Beach, where just a minute after Robin had befriended some children, a whale started puffing up spouts of water just offshore.

Ah, LA ...