Griffith J. Griffith, a man with the same first and last name, built the observatory for everyone because he believed that anyone who looks through the giant telescope will be forever changed.  Too bad we got there a little bit late and the parking lot was full, so we had to hike up from below and miss the sunset.

The post title is for all you Game of Thrones fans... SoCal residents will have a hard time imagining the harsh winter.  Both my son and my nephew received new bicycles as early Christmas presents this year, so we went out for a ride this past weekend.  We rode to this long green belt under the high voltage power lines and had a fun time.  Carrying the camera while riding is a bit of a chore, but I was glad that I was able to take some shots when we rested and mix two hobbies in one :)

No images to share with this post... because the Rolleiflex SL66 was dropped off with Harry Fleenor of Oceanside Camera Repair.  The camera was last serviced in 1980 :D

I was eager to order a couple boxes of TMAX400 120 films and was in the middle of my first roll when the mirror locked up, preventing me from winding the shutter crank.  It happened once before when I first got it, but I thought it was just me doing something wrong because I didn't know how to work the camera yet.  Somehow I was able to get it to unlock, but not the second time.  After a week of researching online, it appears to be a fairly common problem with these vintage cameras, probably due to some springs losing tension or just needed some lubrication.

While I was examining the camera with a flash light, I noticed a few of pinholes on the shutter curtain as well!  So, now even my half finished first roll is in jeopardy as well... I'm not sure if I should even get it developed with only 8 exposures.  My father-in-law also dropped off a stainless developing canister, so maybe I'd give it a try to develop myself?

Have I gone off the deep end?  It sure is fun, though :)

Now that everyone has gave their thanks, it's time to go back to our regular lives, until Christmas comes.  Dropped off my niece to LAX today for her return flight back to Michigan.  Took advantage of the nice sculpture in the background...