Blog: Departing November Rain Creates Lovely Display of Light, Texture, Color

Just another late afternoon in the Valley of Sand, not exactly. The lingering gray brought on by the two most recent rains also brought an excellent display of light, color and texture to the L.A. skies.  And a nice moon, just two days past full added to the party.

I happened to be outside when the half-hour nature display went down, and I also happened to have my camera nearby. It was an impromptu moment, and a sudden change from the gray skies dominating the heaven-scape earlier. It was quick, but it was beautiful.

Afterward, everything was peaceful and relaxed until four news helicopters arrived overhead to cover the car-to-car drive-by shooting of a female victim on the Hollywood Freeway between Roscoe Blvd. and Sherman Way.

The calm of a spectacular L.A. sunset and a pleasant, balmy evening was suddenly interrupted by the whirling rotors and clapping blades of the ever curious newsmen. They reminded me of several wasps trying to land simultaneously upon their nests. The inversion layer created by the departing storm, and the continual arrival of even more helicopters, created a "Perfect Storm" of Chopper noise.

According to later accounts, the incident was apparently long over when the other helicopters arrived and took up station. The victim was quickly transported to the hospital, and the freeway lanes efficiently reopened; but, that sure didn't stop the fellows hovering above from disturbing the folks lingering below for another solid hour. In fact, they spent a considerable amount of time jockeying each other for position as they also dodged the intermittent airplanes flying just under the clouds and landing at nearby Burbank Airport. As they say, "It must have been a slow news day in the city."

Oh well, such is life in the noisy urban jungle. So, I suppose, when given the chance, one should look skyward and at least enjoy the spectacular beauty provided by nature, as God surely knows somebody will soon find a way to disturb it before very long.