Sunday, July 18, 2010

Castle Green


Castle Green
Originally uploaded by ronald_hodgman
An interesting old hotel that has been converted into condo in Pasadena CA.

Cowgirls in Claremont CA

Taken during Family Night in Claremont CA when ponies are available for kids to ride.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Hollywood CA


Hollywood CA
Originally uploaded by ronald_hodgman
One way to cool off during this Southern California heat wave.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Comfort Suites - Kissimmee FL

This is the hotel that I stayed at while in Florida.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Claremont Cruise Night 6-12-10

One of many old cars displayed during Cruise Night in Claremont Village during June.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Rabbit @ Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

I went Rabbit hunting in the Claremont California area with a camera and shot his Rabbit inside Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Memorial Day - Flag Runner

The Girl Scouts plant the USA flags on the graves of soldiers in Oak Park Cemetery in Claremont, California on Memorial Day. This girl is running additional flags for her group which is close to running out of flags.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Mission Inn


Mission Inn
Originally uploaded by ronald_hodgman
This is a photo of the Mission Inn in Riverside, California. A very beautiful hotel with very interesting architecture.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

PBY5A Catalina


Catalina
Originally uploaded by ronald_hodgman
A Catalina at the San Diego Aerospace Museum. Cannot see this plane without thinking of the movie "South Pacific".

Friday, May 28, 2010

Cable Airport - Upland CA

Desiring something new, I went to eat breakfast at Manic Mike's Cafe at Cable Airport in Upland, California. I heard that the food is very good and one has a view of planes landing and taking off. The cafe lived up to the good reports I had heard of it.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Marina Del Rey


Marina Del Rey
Originally uploaded by ronald_hodgman
Recently did a small project in Marina Del Rey which is near Santa Monica, California. It involved cathodic projection of the sea wall for the marina. While there a took a few photos of the marina and posted the photos on Flickr.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

LA Live Steamers - Union Pacific

Los Angeles Live Steamers are located in Griffin Park in Los Angeles California next to Travel Town. Riding on their trains is a lot of fun and highly recommended by me.

Travel Town Train


Travel Town Train
Originally uploaded by ronald_hodgman
This is the train that kids of all ages can ride at Travel Town in Griffin Park which is located in Los Angeles, California. The trains next door at Los Angeles Live Steamers are more fun to ride.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

San Gabriel Mission


San Gabriel Mission
Originally uploaded by ronald_hodgman
Yesterday I went to see the San Gabriel Mission for the first time. The photos I took of the mission are on Flickr.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

The Old Spaghetti Factory - Fullerton CA

This is now The Old Spaghetti Factory in Fullerton, California. It use to the Union Pacific Depot in Fullerton, California.

The Old Spaghetti Factory - Riverside CA

A very interesting stained glass window inside The Old Spaghetti Factory in Riverside, California.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Santa Fe Depot - Riverside CA

This is the Santa Fe Depot in Riverside California which has been turned into an office building. It is located near the Riverside Downtown Metrolink Station.

Solana Beach, CA


Solana Beach, CA
Originally uploaded by ronald_hodgman
Nothing like being at the Beach during the hot summer months in Southern California.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Sideshow of Protest Against AZ Emmigration Law in Claremont CA at Pomona College

Students, professors, community protest immigration policies at Pomona College commencement

Students, professors, community protest immigration policies at Pomona College commencement

By Liset Márquez, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/16/2010 07:57:35 PM PDT

CLAREMONT - Nick Gerber wanted to make it clear as he graduated from Pomona College that he opposed commencement speaker Janet Napolitano and her policies on immigration.

Wearing a white sash, Gerber was among 300 people from the May 16 Coalition who protested the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security's appearance at Pomona College on Sunday.

The group was calling for an end to what they claim are discriminatory immigration enforcement policies in her department.

"Wherever (Napolitano) and others who continue to support shameful immigration policies go, we're going to be there demanding change," Gerber told the marchers just before leaving for his graduation Sunday morning.

The coalition, which consists of students, community leaders, immigrant workers, professors, unions and community-based organizations in the Inland Empire, marched through Claremont along Indian Hill Boulevard before stopping at the graduation ceremonies at Pomona College.

While some protesters were beating drums, others passionately chanted "Si se puede (Yes, we can)," and "Hey, hey, what do you say? Immigrants are here to say."

The group also held signs with the messages "Alto (stop) Arizona" and "We are all Arizona."

Showing their support for the coalition, several students and a majority of professors also wore white sashes during the commencement ceremony.

Earlier in the morning, just before Andrew Halladay graduated from Pomona College, he met with the protesters.

"To me, this was far more important than the graduation." the 21-year-old said. "Today is about stopping these policies that have been going on for generations."

As Napolitano addressed the graduates, she did not ignore the hundreds of chants that were going on 200 feet away.

The former Arizona governor briefly spoke about immigration before imparting some words of encouragement to the 375 graduates.

"You see and you hear here today in this community and nationally, the issue of immigration is part of our national debate," Napolitano told the thousands in attendance.

Too often, Napolitano said, the issue of immigration has been passed off from one Congress to the next and from administration to administration.

"Today is not a day to debate policies, but the status quo is no longer acceptable," she said.

She added, "We are a nation of immigrants, also a nation of laws. We are, I am, committed to comprehensive reform."

Under Napolitano, Homeland Security has strengthened its partnership with local law-enforcement agencies. The department's policies now give local police more authority for immigration enforcement, said Jose Calderon, a Pomona College professor.

The coalition would like for Napolitano to end raids and deportations that separate families, he said.

Calderon also called for a fair path to citizenship.

It is a national issue that has divided many and on Sunday at Marston Square - where the ceremony was being held - it was no different.

As coalition members protested on the west side of College Avenue, the east side was occupied by about a dozen members of We the People, a local chapter of the Minutemen organization.

Raymond Herrera, the founder of the local organization, said he was not concerned about the coalition but also came out to protest against Napolitano.

Herrera said the group felt Napolitano had not done enough to secure the borders. They also wanted to let her know they do not support amnesty, he said.

We the People members held Arizona and American flags as well as signs that read "No amnesty," and "Stop immigration."

Across the street, the protesters filled the steps of the Carnegie Building and the sidewalk in front of the building.

The coalition arrived about 30 minutes into the commencement, and the commotion caused several people to leave their seats and take photos of the protesters.

Korilynn Chapman, who was attending her boyfriend's graduation, felt the march was a distraction and "took away," from those getting their degrees.

But Pomona College grad Karen Ferreira supported the activists.

"It's a beautiful resistance because you see Pomona workers, warehouse workers, and you know it's not just a struggle in Arizona. It's a larger struggle."

liset.marquez@inlandnewspapers.com

Read more: http://www.sbsun.com/breakingnews/ci_15099858?source=rss#ixzz0o9ckNswL

For the record I was one of the photographers and I was on my way to the Farmer's Market. It is normal for me to cross the Pomona College campus and I accidently got in the middle of the protest by pure accident. The impact that the protest had on the graduation event was almost zero as the police and campus security had the protesters well under control. The San Francisco Police couldn't have done a better job in protest control and compared to San Francisco protests this event in Claremont CA was a non-event. There was nothing like storming the Bay Bridge or shutting down traffic. The protesters used the side walk; but protesters in San Francisco shut down streets. Whoever heard of protesters obeying traffic laws and walking on a sidewalk; but that is the kind of very controlled protests that happen in Claremont, CA.

Arizona Protest in Claremont CA

This is not a political blog but I post what I photograph.

Sweet Cherries


Sweet Cherries
Originally uploaded by ronald_hodgman
I got some sweet cherries at the Farmer's Market in Claremont California today and every much enjoyed eating them.

Protest @ Pomona College in Claremont, CA

It appears what happens in Arizona doesn't stay in Arizona. Arizona is not like Las Vegas, Nevada it appears.

Protest Against Arizona

Protesters in Claremont California today to protest the Arizona emigration law and a speaker at Pomona College graduation

Pomona College Museum of Art


5-16-10 014
Originally uploaded by ronald_hodgman
A sample of the art you will currently see at the Pomona College Museum of Art.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Classic Ford Thunderbird Flickr Group



This Flickr Group is run by an Aussie who keeps a close eye on my Flickr photo-stream since I tend to post images of classic Ford Thunderbirds.

Old Courthouse Museum - Santa Ana CA

A very beautiful building housing an interesting museum is the "Old Orange County Courthouse" in Santa Ana, California. It is a short walk from the Amtrak / Metrolink Station in Santa Ana, California.

Petterson Museum


Petterson Museum
Originally uploaded by ronald_hodgman
A very interesting and worthwhile museum to go to is the "Petterson Museum of Intercultural Art" located in Pilgrim Place. The address for the museum is 730 Plymouth Road, Claremont, CA 91711.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Rialto Fire Department Truck

Old fire truck at San Bernardino Railroad Days.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

San Bernardino Railroad Days

One of several model railroad layouts at the San Bernardino Railroad Days.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Santa Fe 3751 in Claremont CA

Video of Santa Fe 3751 on its way to San Bernardino from Los Angeles Union Station taken in Claremont CA.


Saturday, April 17, 2010

Planes of Fame Airshow in Chino, California

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction - Fighter Jet in Cornfield

This was sent to me in an email from a friend in Texas who did serve in the US Air Force for awhile.






1970, while assigned to the 71st FIS at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, its pilot ejected during an inflight emergency.
The pilot somehow got himself into a flat spin -- considered generally unrecoverable in an F-106 –and he did what the flight handbook said to do -- get out of it, i.e., eject.


After the pilot did just that, 58-0787 recovered itself from this "unrecoverable" situation. In a vain attempt to break the spin, the pilot had lowered half flaps, rolled in takeoff trim, and throttled the engine back to an approach power setting.



After the ejection, the aircraft recovered from the spin on its own, and established a wings level low rate descent under reduced power to the ground. Ground effect broke its rate of descent, and it settled into a near-perfect gentle belly landing in a farmer's snow-covered cornfield.



When the local sheriff came upon the scene, the engine was still running. The aircraft was situated on a slight incline, and was creeping forward slowly under the thrust of its still-running engine, as the snow compressed to ice under it.


The attached photos show pretty much what the sheriff beheld on that fateful day. A depot team from McClellan AFB recovered the aircraft and it was eventually returned to service. When the 71st FIS was disbanded in 1971,

58-0787, now famously known as the "Cornfield Bomber, was transferred to the 49th FIS, where it finished out its operational service life.

Pilots of the 49th FIS would occasionally run into ex-71st FIS guys at William Tell and rag them unmercifully about the "emergency" so dire that the plane landed itself.

58-0787 is now on permanent display in its 49th FIS markings at the USAF Museum at Wright Patterson AFB, where its story is told in the exhibit.

While the 49th FIS Eagle jocks are reportedly glad to see their squadron immortalized in this way for millions to see, they would prefer to see it made more clear that it was the 71st, and not one of theirs, who jumped out of this perfectly good aircraft.

Monday, April 12, 2010

The Problem of Watchblog Popes Both Female & Male

It seems like postings on Biblical Thought about John Piper are becoming more "gossip" and less "fair & balanced".

I miss iMonk as he was a voice of reason in an age that appears to favor burning strawman or posting gossip on those others who are not part of our Christian camp.

Adrian Warnock has become more a person I read and find myself in agreement with than the radical young and restless reformed persons who desire to call down fire from heaven on any group or person who doesn't accept their gospel message.  Frankly, I am becoming scared of so-called Christians with Watchblogs.


The danger is that within the reformed movement we can each set ourselves up as our own pope and be submitted to no one. We might feel so confident of our own judgment that we sit in judgment of other believers. How do so many dare to pronounce so readily against the decisions of a godly man like John Piper? What gives any of us the right to determine with absolute confidence who should be in the “in crowd” and who not? Why do we feel the need to have a list of “acceptable” people to listen to and “unacceptable” and then impose it on everyone else?

Surely what is more important is that we understand the biblical truth for ourselves so we can readily identify error. If we have a firm grasp on what we believe, and we are convinced that we believe that because of what the Bible says, why would we be so threatened by someone who believes the vast majority of what we do but might differ on a few minor points of doctrine and matters of style? Do we think that one or two talks are going to unravel years of faithful study and listening to godly preachers?

Online one of the dangers is that we forget we are dealing with people and turn them into faceless enemies for us to hurl abuse at. I think that many in some of these arguments almost seem to forget that Piper and Warren are human beings, and more than that, our brothers in Christ. We should not wage war against them. Warren has tweeted before about his disappointment and bewilderment that the reformed people “hate” him. He also asked “why to those who love grace so much show so little of it?”

Saturday, April 10, 2010

MRWBBIII - GOD'S NEWEST SELF-APPOINTED WATCHMAN WITH A WATCHBLOG

I suppose I should feel honored that traffic to my WordPress blog called “True Faith Defender” is high enough to get periodic trolls who spam my blog postings with attacks on other Christians in order to get traffic to their Watchblog. The latest pest who has come in the name of the Lord is MRWBBIII (Yes that is the real name he uses and I have no clue why?).

This self-appointed Watchman of God it appears slanders anyone in the name of the Lord including Phil Johnson of “Grace to You”. He has not only spammed my blog with this trash postings advertizing for this blog called “MRWBBIII’s BLOG” on WordPress but other Christian blogs as well.

Beyond question, he is another Stephen Macasil want-to-be except Macasil at least came up with a better blog name like “Biblical Thought”. My impression is that “MRWBBIII” is as stupid has his name implies and his blog name of “MRWBBII’s BLOG” appears to confirm. He is beyond question yet another HSDN (Hyper-Spiritual Discernmentalist Nut) on the internet who Atheist will use as a poster boy as to why Christianity is the disease of the mentally ill. Satan welcomes the new defender of the Faith on the internet who advances the Devil’s agenda at the expense of the LORD’s agenda.