Jeff the mechanic and his pit bull Roy, 1, sit on the Santa Monica Pier while waiting for Patty Smith to perform during   the  Twilight Dance Series on Thursday, September 3, 2009.

Fisherman Charlie Graham sells live Rock Crab at the Santa Monica Farmers Market on Sunday, Aug 30, 2009. Charlie caught the rock crabs on Friday near Santa Cruz Island. The crabs sell for $3.95 per pound.

Children watch as the Swell Sharks get fed at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium (SMPA) during  Heal the Bay's  Ocean Appreciation Celebration on Sunday, Aug 9, 2009.

With about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface covered with water, the ocean plays an integral role in our lives in a myriad ways. Special presentations and activities illustrating the ocean’s affect on our lives - and our impact on the ocean was the focus of the weekend.

About the SMPA:
The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is Heal the Bay’s marine education facility located beach-level, just below the Carousel, at the Santa Monica Pier. The Aquarium is open to the general public  and attracts more than 85,000 visitors per year. Since Heal the Bay acquired the Aquarium in 2003 from UCLA, more than 300,000 visitors have been welcomed during public hours and approximately 80,000 students have been educated during in-house education programs.

Blues-inflected Louisiana singer-songwriter  John West performs during the Fourth Annual 'Jazz on the Lawn' at  the lawn of Santa Monica City Hall on Sunday, Aug 9, 2009.  His musical influences range from Otis Redding, Cat Stevens, Jill Scott, and Jack Johnson, and fold together jazz and soul with a bluesy undercurrent. 

The Los Angeles Fire Department lands a helicopter on Santa Monica High School's baseball field during an Air Operations Mutual Aid Training session on Saturday, Aug 29, 2009. The Mutual Aid Training between the Santa Monica Fire Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department is in preparing for the Santa Monica Pier's Centennial Celebration on September 9, 2009.