I have heard Sydney described as Los Angeles' east coast. It might have been part of a joke about the number of Australian actors (NIDA graduates at that) who now work in Hollywood. Or Australians in general: it's not just actors. I notice a 'presence'.
Besides which, there are gum trees everywhere. Over the top of my mental map of old ranches, villages, missions, and stars' homes, I could begin to lay a map of Australian regional references based on the Australian native trees that I see: "Oh, look there's a sideroxylon. I haven't seen one of those since Wangaratta."
The other day in Santa Monica I saw what looked like River Red Gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) and was reminded of Adelaide or indeed Alice Springs where they sit in the dry river beds.
I saw this smooth-trunked species Downtown and almost thought of it as another of my "cultural conjunctions". The background is the Standard Oil Company building.
This white-flowering species (Nicholii? Look close) was sighted down near where Topanga Canyon comes out at Malibu.
This specimen was in a suburban garden in Encino.
In Silver Lake, I saw a yellow-flowering eucalypt that I last saw as a street tree in Alice Springs. Its natural habitat is on the West Australian goldfields.
How could I ever be homesick in this inverse of Oz? On the other hand, what if, in some sinister universe, there was a American equivalent of Murray Bail's Mr Holland (the lead character in his novel, Eucalyptus), who wouldn't let me go back to Australia until I could name and map every species in Los Angeles County!? Could be worse fates.
If you liked this blog, others of mine on Los Angeles are:
A daily reminder, 1 April 2011
When you take a closer look, 21 April 2011
The frame (thoughts on the Getty Center), 24 April 2011
A light on the hill (the Reagan Library), 30 April 2011
A couple of snapshots (Malibu and the Valley), 1 May 2011
More to love about LA, 6 Jan 2012
Walking with stars, 10 Apr 2012
En plein air and a little elan, 16 Nov 2012
LA Substantial, 18 Jan 2013
City of Angels, 20 Jan 2013
City of Nets? City of Dreams, 31 Jan 2013
Rounding off - LA vignettes, 2 Feb 2013
Loving the architectural reminders of old Los Angeles, 4 Feb 2013
Cultural conjuntions, 4 Feb 2013
Cultural conjunctions II, 6 Feb 2013
Non-linear lessons, 7 Feb 2013
More than whimsy - Contemporary Art, 8 Feb 2013
Life and movies?, 10 Feb 2013
But, whimsy indeed, 12 Feb 2013
Pockets of charm, 13 Feb 2013
La Reina de los angeles, 18 Feb 2013
Others of mine on Australia are:
Considering the aboriginal land of Altjira, 20 May 2012
Opera in a land of Song, 29 July 2012
Drowned Man in a Dry Creekbed - Happy New Year 1993, 6 August 2012
Virginia in the Desert, 10 Sep 2012
Victory over death and despair in a bygone age (thoughts on John Strehlow's The Tale of Frieda Keysser), 5 Nov 2012
A trip through the yellow inland, 6 Jan 2013
Observations from the Hill, 12 Jan 2013
City of Nets? City of Dreams, 31 Jan 2013
Besides which, there are gum trees everywhere. Over the top of my mental map of old ranches, villages, missions, and stars' homes, I could begin to lay a map of Australian regional references based on the Australian native trees that I see: "Oh, look there's a sideroxylon. I haven't seen one of those since Wangaratta."
The other day in Santa Monica I saw what looked like River Red Gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) and was reminded of Adelaide or indeed Alice Springs where they sit in the dry river beds.
I saw this smooth-trunked species Downtown and almost thought of it as another of my "cultural conjunctions". The background is the Standard Oil Company building.
This white-flowering species (Nicholii? Look close) was sighted down near where Topanga Canyon comes out at Malibu.
This specimen was in a suburban garden in Encino.
In Silver Lake, I saw a yellow-flowering eucalypt that I last saw as a street tree in Alice Springs. Its natural habitat is on the West Australian goldfields.
How could I ever be homesick in this inverse of Oz? On the other hand, what if, in some sinister universe, there was a American equivalent of Murray Bail's Mr Holland (the lead character in his novel, Eucalyptus), who wouldn't let me go back to Australia until I could name and map every species in Los Angeles County!? Could be worse fates.
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| At UCLA |
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| Also, at UCLA. |
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| Outside Royce Hall, scene of Schoenberg premieres. See why UCLA reminds me of ANU? |
If you liked this blog, others of mine on Los Angeles are:
A daily reminder, 1 April 2011
When you take a closer look, 21 April 2011
The frame (thoughts on the Getty Center), 24 April 2011
A light on the hill (the Reagan Library), 30 April 2011
A couple of snapshots (Malibu and the Valley), 1 May 2011
More to love about LA, 6 Jan 2012
Walking with stars, 10 Apr 2012
En plein air and a little elan, 16 Nov 2012
LA Substantial, 18 Jan 2013
City of Angels, 20 Jan 2013
City of Nets? City of Dreams, 31 Jan 2013
Rounding off - LA vignettes, 2 Feb 2013
Loving the architectural reminders of old Los Angeles, 4 Feb 2013
Cultural conjuntions, 4 Feb 2013
Cultural conjunctions II, 6 Feb 2013
Non-linear lessons, 7 Feb 2013
More than whimsy - Contemporary Art, 8 Feb 2013
Life and movies?, 10 Feb 2013
But, whimsy indeed, 12 Feb 2013
Pockets of charm, 13 Feb 2013
La Reina de los angeles, 18 Feb 2013
Others of mine on Australia are:
Considering the aboriginal land of Altjira, 20 May 2012
Opera in a land of Song, 29 July 2012
Drowned Man in a Dry Creekbed - Happy New Year 1993, 6 August 2012
Virginia in the Desert, 10 Sep 2012
Victory over death and despair in a bygone age (thoughts on John Strehlow's The Tale of Frieda Keysser), 5 Nov 2012
A trip through the yellow inland, 6 Jan 2013
Observations from the Hill, 12 Jan 2013
City of Nets? City of Dreams, 31 Jan 2013
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