Photographer Joshua Kline

09/21/2025

Weekend in SoCal with an electric rental take 4. First of all my “elite electric rental” from Avis smelled of pot and driving for hours with the windows down has only improved it slightly. Its steering wheel is falling apart and the key is mangled. Not quite the elite experience. I’ve mostly been out in the west valley and Malibu and the charging has been easy. I am a bit frustrated that all superchargers seem to have fines for charging past 80% even in the early morning. Overall though it has been very workable even with quite a bit of driving. I wanted to see the fire damage and drove down PCH from Malibu colony and then up Sunset. 8 months later and there are still burned out cars and rubble. Pacific Palisades already has some rebuilds going up. I am not following the politics closely enough to comment fully but I would only encourage everyone to keep an eye on it and think as a “Yimby” (Yes in my backyard) But electric rentals are getting better and they are priced below the gas vehicles. In terms of energy cost- with public charging they certainly are vastly cheaper with California gas prices. In Texas or Florida though an efficient gas car might be cheaper per mile.

06/17/2025

One of the most unique Marriott properties I have seen anywhere. The JW Savannah houses the vast collection of its’ owner. A very eclectic mix of minerals, fossils, models, and random artifacts. The lobby space is open to the public and there are videos explaining what things are. The property used to be a coal fire power plant on the river. There are many unique bars, restaurants and galleries throughout the buildings as well.

04/18/2025

The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal. It became the necropolis of the Portuguese royal dynasty of Aviz in the 16th century but was secularized on 28 December 1833 by state decree and its ownership transferred to the charitable institution, Real Casa Pia de Lisboa. The Jerónimos Monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the late Portuguese Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon. - Wikipedia

04/18/2025

Lisbon, Portugal. A city older than Rome although largely rebuilt after a horrific earthquake and tsunami in the 1700s.

04/17/2025

When we went to Toledo Spain we heard and read that if you think Toledo is beautiful you have to see Granada and the Alhambra. So last week we managed to see the Alhambra. It does not disappoint. It is also basically a scalped ticket from the tour groups. If you plan many months out you can get an official ticket, if not plan to pay 150-300 per ticket from an official tour. We went with Viator after reading that many of the others were not repudiable and sometimes would cancel or reschedule.

The Alhambra is actually an entire complex of buildings, the most prized is the Nasrid Palace.

"The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world. Additionally, the palace contains notable examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture. The complex was begun in 1238 by Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir and founder of the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim state of Al-Andalus." -Wikipedia

04/14/2025

Details from the Alhambra in Granada Spain. This fortress was perfected by the moors who took over from the Romans and Visigoths. Granada was the last Muslim dynasty and city to fall to the Christians in Iberia.

04/14/2025

Al fresco dining in Sevilla means sharing your dining room with busy traffic. The diners seemed unafraid.

04/14/2025

Evora, Portugal is another town known for some Roman ruins and a medieval center. Also notable is the Chapel of Bones which was built in the 1600s with bones. It is meant to remind the worshipper of their own mortality.

04/14/2025

We almost passed on Mérida because it wasn’t on our original route covering Lisbon to Granada and back. However some construction or traffic changed the suggested route and Mérida was a short detour. I was not expecting such an array of Roman ruins in the city. Mérida is the closest thing to Rome I have seen. You can walk all the ruins in a couple hours as well. It is worth a big detour if necessary.

01/22/2025

01/21/2025

Lake Como. It was a hazy, cold day but the lake is majestic indeed.

01/21/2025

Da Vinci spent many years in Milan. In addition to the world famous Last Supper there is also an unfinished painting and his largest notebook/codex at Pinacoteca Ambrosiana.