Granite

To anyone reading the real estate ads in recent years, it could seem that granite was the only material worth using for a kitchen counter, as important as updated electrical or a reliable roof. Granite isn't going anywhere. But many designers and homeowners are turning to glass, manufactured stone, metal and other materials to create counters that work for people who actually cook as well for those who see the kitchen as a decorative accessory. "What consumers now have seen is there is kind of this granite fatigue.

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK — On a bright Saturday morning, Nathan Huerta is struggling to keep his balance as he walks slowly across an inch-wide length of nylon line suspended some 200 feet above a heap of granite boulders in a rugged patch of desert terrain known as the "Hall of Horrors. " With the line oscillating beneath his bare feet and strong gusts of wind hitting him on all sides, Huerta's lofty goal is to reach the other side of the precipice without falling. Huerta is halfway across the 70-foot-long line when he misses a step and tumbles over into the void.

The view from atop the three outcroppings of granite for which this village is named stretches 100 miles across a wind-swept plain, past the Rio Grande Gorge and along the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan mountain ranges. Climbers admiring the panorama might not realize they could be stepping on some of the rarest plants in the world.

After an arduous, 105-mile journey from a dusty, remote Riverside quarry to the cultural heart of the Mid-Wilshire district, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's now-famous 340-ton granite boulder arrived safely at its new home before dawn Saturday. It took 11 cold and grueling nights on the road navigating tight corners, "crabbing" across bridges and narrowly avoiding collisions with towering utility poles, but LACMA's monolith arrived at exactly 4:25 a.m., illuminated by string lights and resting in a steel sling on its custom transporter.

The Raiders are getting ready to re-stack their seven blocks of granite, which is what another offensive line was called in another time, not to mention another mood. The Raiders' big problem is what their offensive line has been called this season. But now, warming up for his belated season opener, is Curt Marsh. Two weeks from his return, he spends afternoons crashing into teammate Jerry Robinson, who shares his problem: Getting into "football shape." They're lucky they have each other.

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK — On a bright Saturday morning, Nathan Huerta is struggling to keep his balance as he walks slowly across an inch-wide length of nylon line suspended some 200 feet above a heap of granite boulders in a rugged patch of desert terrain known as the "Hall of Horrors. " With the line oscillating beneath his bare feet and strong gusts of wind hitting him on all sides, Huerta's lofty goal is to reach the other side of the precipice without falling. Huerta is halfway across the 70-foot-long line when he misses a step and tumbles over into the void.

A critically acclaimed contemporary home designed by Eric Owen Moss has come on the market for the first time in Brentwood. Featured in books, magazines and television shows, the Lawson/Westen House is a geometric amalgamation of concrete, steel, glass and wood highlighted by a three-story truncated cone that rises over the kitchen. Moss, director of the Southern California Institute of Architecture, conceived the cylindrical Gateway Art Tower and other structures in Culver City's Hayden Tract, and his Los Angeles firm has designed museums, theaters and commercial buildings across the globe.

Address: 46 Sorbonne St., Westminster 92683 Listed for: $749,000 Size: Four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,400 square feet Lot size: 0.09 acre Features: The 2002 contemporary has granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and maple cabinets in the kitchen. MLS ID: S646459 Address: 15372 Maryknoll St., Westminster 92683 Listed for: $659,000 Size: Four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,306 square feet Lot size: 0.14 acre Features: Built in 1969, the single-family home has remodeled bathrooms, a family room fireplace and granite counters in the kitchen and bathrooms.

RE "Cabinets: Think Redo, Not New" [Sept.6]: I refaced my cabinets about 20-plus years ago, and they are still fine. Now I've added a granite countertop, a process where a thin layer of granite is affixed to the old tile. No tearing the kitchen apart for me. Helen Rogaway via e-mail

Regarding "Did You See That?" [Aug. 23], about small-town kids surfing a large slab of granite, thanks for reminding us that not all fun can be bought in a store and that cuts and stitches are all part of growing up. BILLY MANGE Redlands

The fastest-growing county in California rejected a massive, mountaintop rock quarry Thursday that supporters called an essential source of the ingredients that fed the region's economic ascent. In the end, however, neighborhood objections to increased traffic, possible health hazards and environmental destruction won out, a rare outcome in the pro-development frontier of the Inland Empire. Fierce opposition in Temecula, a city known for its vineyard-covered valley and rock-ribbed conservative politics, persuaded the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to vote down the proposed rock mine by a 3-2 vote, despite the promise of hundreds of new blue-collar jobs to the recession-flattened region.

Consider the cranky New Hampshire voter. "Maybe someone can ask you about being a warmonger and how that reconciles with your faith," Michele Seven demanded at a town hall meeting Rick Santorum held Friday in the auditorium of Dublin School. Her sweet tone belied the hostility behind her question. "Jesus said, 'Love your enemies,' and to feed them. Not blow them up. " "Right," replied the former Pennsylvania senator, whose bellicose language toward Iran is proving less popular here than in Iowa, where he ended in a near dead-heat with Mitt Romney in the first vote of the 2012 presidential campaign.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art will introduce its newest VIP today in a Riverside quarry: the 340-ton, 211/2-foot-high granite boulder that will form the centerpiece of Michael Heizer's massive outdoor sculpture, "Levitated Mass. " When the piece is complete, the rock will sit on steel rails at ground level, north of the Wilshire Boulevard museum's Resnick Pavilion. A 456-foot-long, ramp-like slot in the ground, descending to 15 feet deep, will run beneath it. The rock will appear to levitate above people walking through the underground channel.

To anyone reading the real estate ads in recent years, it could seem that granite was the only material worth using for a kitchen counter, as important as updated electrical or a reliable roof. Granite isn't going anywhere. But many designers and homeowners are turning to glass, manufactured stone, metal and other materials to create counters that work for people who actually cook as well for those who see the kitchen as a decorative accessory. "What consumers now have seen is there is kind of this granite fatigue.

A contentious hearing on Monday over a massive rock quarry proposed near Temecula drew hundreds of people and sparked a heated exchange between mining officials and representative of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians. The Riverside County Planning Commission adjourned the hearing about 8:15 p.m. after a 10-hour session that included a host of speakers from both sides of the debate. A vote is scheduled Aug. 31. Granite Construction of Watsonville has proposed a 414-acre rock quarry operation on a mountain that looms over Interstate 15, a peak the Pechanga say is within one of the most sacred sites for all Luiseno people.

What did one rock say to the other rock? Don't take me for granite. Aimee, 9 Foundation Home School La Mirada Why did the queen cross the road? She wanted to go to Burger King. Siba, 7 Teresa Hughes Elementary Cudahy

One rock to another: Don't take me for granite. Mark, 7 Palos Verdes Elementary, Palos Verdes How does the Cyclops listen to music? On an eye-pod! Chase, 8 Glenoaks Elementary, Glendale Kids, send us your funny jokes and puzzling riddles.

A luxurious fortress of concrete, glass and steel presents an imposing profile near the end of a winding drive high above the Sunset Strip. Designed by Santa Monica architect David Lawrence Gray and completed in 1996, the three-level contemporary home sits along the spine of narrow promontory with unobstructed views that stretch from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Getty Center. Dramatic flourishes abound — nowhere more so than in a jutting backyard that feels as though it is suspended above the city.

Address: 46 Sorbonne St., Westminster 92683 Listed for: $749,000 Size: Four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,400 square feet Lot size: 0.09 acre Features: The 2002 contemporary has granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and maple cabinets in the kitchen. MLS ID: S646459 Address: 15372 Maryknoll St., Westminster 92683 Listed for: $659,000 Size: Four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,306 square feet Lot size: 0.14 acre Features: Built in 1969, the single-family home has remodeled bathrooms, a family room fireplace and granite counters in the kitchen and bathrooms.