The earthquake also caused tsunami warnings around the world. Some beaches in Southern California were closed, and others remained on advisory watch.

Residents of Redondo Beach, California gathered along a small hillside to watch for the tsunami, but so far we have been fortunate that wave levels appeared to remain normal. Even though everything appeared as normal, the National Weather Service expects tsunami wave height amplitudes of 2.1 feet for Redondo Beach, and higher forecasts for other areas of Southern California.  This can result in very strong currents, or waves dangerous to people close to shore, as well as damage to boats moored in harbors.

Redondo Beach, California residents line up to see tsunami

Young girl playing at the water's edge during the tsunami warning. Fortunately, a lifeguard came along and she left the beach with her parents.

Our thoughts go out to the people of Japan during this great tragedy!  Please keep them in your thoughts during this difficult time!

Redondo Beach residents woke up to find the marina covered with the dead Sardines, which were floating on the surface of the water.  Once cleanup efforts began, officials said there were another 2 to 3 feet of the dead Sardines lining the ocean floor.

I spoke with an unidentified harbor official, and he told me that all of the experts that were on the scene agreed that the Sardines entered the shallow marina and couldn’t find their way out.  With so many Sardines concentrated in such a shallow area, they quickly depleted the oxygen in the water which caused their death.

There were various theories as to why they entered the marina, but the two most popular ones seemed to be that they were seeking shelter from the high winds (and rough seas) that hit the area on Monday night, or they entered the marina in an effort to escape a predator.

A third theory is that this is yet another sign of the 2012 prophecy, along with scores of other mass animal deaths that have recently occured around the world.

An accidental occurrence, or 2012…what do you think?  Leave your comments below and tell us what you think about this!

Update: Two days after this, Japan experienced an 8.9 earthquake and a massive tsunami. Southern California also was on tsunami alert, although nothing near the magnitude of Japan’s tsunami. It makes me wonder, is it possible these fish sensed the earthquake and tsunami and somehow affected by that?

The Korean Bell of Friendship is 12 feet tall, with a diameter of 7 1/2.  It’s made of copper and tin, with other metals added for tonal quality.  A large wooden log is used to ring the bell, only five times a year:

• New Year’s Eve
• January 13 – Korean American Day
• Fourth of July
• August 15 – Korean Liberation Day
• Every September in celebration of Constitution Week

Also, the bell was rung on September 11, 2002, commemorating the first anniversary of 911.

Housed in a pagoda-like stone structure with intricate decorations, the Bell Pavilion has unbelievable views of the Southern California coastline, including Catalina Island.  You have to visit to see for yourself, but it’s hard to find a better view anywhere!

There’s a large park, with a huge grassy area, a basketball court, and public restrooms.  It’s a great place to bring children, fly a kite, have a picnic or just sit and enjoy the view.  And the best part of all is it’s free!  It can get windy, which is great for flying kites, but I’d recommend bringing  a coat with you.

The Korean Bell of Friendship, or the Korean Friendship Bell as it’s sometimes called, is located at:

Korean Bell of Friendship and Bell Pavilion
Angels Gate Park
3601 S Gaffey Street
San Pedro, CA 90731
(310) 548-7705

Call ahead to confirm park hours.

Sarr arrived in Hermosa Beach, California in February of 1962.  Hermosa Beach at that time was considered by many to be the center of LA’s art scene, with a thriving community of artists and musicians.  In 2001, he moved to Santa Cruz, and has lived there since.

During his long career as an artist, Sarr has painted  over 5000 works of art.  His style varies wildly, and his paintings have been compared to Picasso, Matisse, and most of all, Van Gogh.  His subjects range from portraits, to landscapes, to koi, to intricate patterns.

Below are some paintings from the opening night of the exhibit.  Cannery Row Studios provided beverages and hors d’oeuvres, music, and the wonderful paintings of Wilfred Sarr.

These pictures were taken at the exhibit, and they give you an idea of the range of subjects that Sarr paints, as well as his varied style of painting.  Many of his paintings are whimsical, some paintings of dancers are so fluid in appearance.  His style is truly unique, and the texture and colors jump right off the canvas.

If you’re in the area, it’s worth a visit to Cannery Row Studios to view this lifetime work!  And maybe one of Wilfred Sarr’s paintings will catch our eye and become a member of your personal collection.

Wilfred Sarr: www.wilfredsarr.com/

Cannery Row Studios:
604 N. Francisca Ave.
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
888-366-1988
Hours: Saturday, Sunday and Weekdays from 4:30pm – 9:00pm
www.canneryrowstudios.com

Shawn Chapman Holley, Lohan’s attorney, filed an appeal later in the day seeking bail. Just before 6 p.m., Judge Patricia Schnegg reversed the decision, ruling that because Lohan was charged with only misdemeanors she was entitled to bail.

According to a report by the Associated Press, early today Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Steve Whitmore confirmed that Lindsay Lohan was released at about 11:40 p.m., after posting $300,000 bail.

Lohan is required to wear a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor (SCRAM) around her ankle, and she is required to stay away from any establishment whose main function is to serve alcohol.

She’s also scheduled to appear in court on October 22, when the judge who’s ruling sent her to jail yesterday will decide her new sentence for failing a drug test.

Stay tuned.

Lohan recently tweeted that she failed her drug test, saying “Regrettably, I did in fact fail my most recent drug test and if I am asked, I am prepared to appear before Judge Fox next week as a result.”  Lohan went on to say that she was taking responsibility for her actions and was prepared to deal with the consequences.

Bailiffs immediately escorted Lohan from the court room in handcuffs, after her hearing, which lasted less than 10 minutes.

I haven’t played volleyball for well over 15 years, but I guess it’s like riding a bicycle (through the sand). It came back pretty quickly, but it’s a workout trying to move in the sand. After a few weeks, I’m finding it much easier to make my way around and almost able to spike the ball now (I feel like I have cement blocks tied to my ankles).

I don’t know if you knew this or not, but volleyball is a fun sport! I forgot how fun it was. Mix that with sun, fresh air and cool breeze, beach, and great people and it doesn’t get much better than that! That combination makes for a truly enjoyable day. Now I understand why I see the same people playing every weekend – it’s addicting!

If you haven’t played beach volleyball, or it’s been a while, I highly recommend getting out there. Because beach volleyball is such a part of the Southern California culture, there’s no shortage of places to play. From Redondo Beach past Santa Monica, pick your beach and you’ll almost certainly find more than enough nets for everyone to play.

Just bring your volleyball, and if you want to get really serious, bring your boundary lines and you’re all set.  If you don’t have anyone to play with, don’t be afraid to ask a group if you can join them.  Or if you’re not comfortable with that, there are groups that you can join that play every week at most of the local beaches.

Meetup.com is a website where people set up groups for all kinds of things, and you can join, post messages, see schedules and “Meet up” with a group to play volleyball.

Some of the active groups (with links to the group page) on Meetup.com are:

• Manhattan Beach – Bump-set-spikers
• Santa Monica – Santa Monica Volleyball Group
• Hunnington Beach – Hunnington beach Volleyball Players
• Long Beach – Long Beach Volleyball Group

And plenty more.  It’s as simple as clicking on the links above, or vising www.meetup.com and looking for a group in your area.  No time like the present to get some fresh air, sunshine, beach and exercise, and it’s a great way to meet people.

Japan has strict laws which allow them to deny entry to anyone convicted of drug charges. Paris Hilton was recently arrested in Las Vegas for possession of drugs when officers found .8 grams of cocaine in her purse. At the time of the arrest, she used the “it wasn’t mine” defense.

After changing her tune on her “not my drugs” arrest, Paris Hilton plead guilty to misdemeanor drug charges for possession of Cocaine and was sentence to one year probation, $2000.00 in fines, 200 hours of community service, and is required to enter a substance abuse program. She was given a suspended sentence, which means she is not required to serve any jail-time unless she is arrested for something other than a minor traffic violation.

Before taking off, Paris tweeted the following message to her fans, with a screenshot of the tweet below:

“Going home now. So disappointed to miss my fans in Asia. I promise to come back soon. I love you all! Love Paris xoxo.”

The local ABC news has an amazing video on their website that shows these magnificent creatures from their chopper, shot with a high-definition camera.

It’s hard to tell from my photos exactly how huge these whales are, but you’ve got to see the ABC video from the air.

From KABC-TV Los Angeles:

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (KABC) — A pod of 20 to 30 blue whales was spotted about 3.5 miles off the coast of Redondo Beach on Wednesday afternoon.

Related Photos

Blue whales enjoy sunny day in SoCal

View all 21 photos

Several whale-watching boats and a few paddle-boarders were nearby to enjoy the amazing sight up close. AIR7 HD caught the whales on camera as they enjoyed the clear, sunny day along the Pacific Ocean.

It’s very rare to see blue whales in these waters; some say it’s been 20 to 30 years since they’ve seen a pod of blue whales in the area. The unique experience made the afternoon adventure on the Voyager Excursion a trip of a lifetime for the more than 140 people on board.  (read entire article →)

and this video taken from the Voyager boat:

If you haven’t yet, take this opportunity to make it to Redondo Beach.  You don’t know if this opportunity will come again!

Click here to visit Voyager Cruises →