From the Mountains to the Sea

I had hoped to show a completed sweater and skirt today, but no sewing or knitting got done this weekend. Here are some pretty pictures instead.

Yesterday, Iris and I drove to the Los Angeles Zoo for a behind the scenes tour. (I hope to post about that later.) Iris took this picture from the back seat of the car as I concentrated on driving. Aren't the snow-capped peaks behind the downtown skyscrapers pretty?

Today, while Iris was visiting the Heritage Square Museum with a friend, Bad Dad and I enjoyed lunch and a walk on the pier in Manhattan Beach.  Look at the choppy surf.

We saw two tankers and a very large ship I can't identify.  On the left is a tanker that has finished unloading and is departing.  I can't figure out what the boat on the right is doing.  Is that an empty container ship with nowhere to go?

This tanker is docked at the offshore platform for unloading. 

There is an underwater pipe that leads from the platform to the Chevron refinery in El Segundo.  In fact, the town of El Segundo is named that because it is home to Richmond Oil refinery #2.   (#1 is in Richmond, CA near Berkeley.)

You know the saying about steering a supertanker?  (Make small adjustments, far in advance.)  You really understand it when you see the supertankers slide next to the platform very very very slowly.  When they are done and leaving, they go much faster.  They also ride higher in the water when unladen.