The Week in Pictures

A Pakistani Christian woman prays during an Easter Mass at a church in a Christian neighborhood of Islamabad. Christians account for less than 2% of Pakistan’s population.  (Muhammed Muheisen / Associated Press)

Driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany is doused in champagne as he and his teammates celebrate his victory in the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia.  (Lai Seng Sin / Associated Press)

Hundreds of people gather for Easter sunrise services at the Huntington Beach Pier Plaza, an annual tradition in the city.  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Colette Goehring, right, holds daughter Kendra, 11, during a prayer at the Easter sunrise service at the Huntington Beach Pier Plaza.  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Haitian Roman Catholics attend Mass on Easter near the destroyed cathedral in Port-au-Prince.  (Thony Belizaire / AFP / Getty Images)

U.S. Army Capt. Ryan Kenny of Billings, Mont., left, holds a light for Chaplain William Kneemiller as Staff Sgt. Richard Webb of Donna, Texas, prepares to light a candle during an Easter vigil service at a forward operating base in the Arghandab Valley in southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar province.  (Julie Jacobson / Associated Press)

Pakistani Christian girls paint their hands with henna paste in preparation for Easter at a church in Islamabad, Pakistan.  (Muhammed Muheisen / Associated Press)

Christian Orthodox worshipers hold candles lighted from the “holy fire” as thousands gather at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City on the eve of Easter Sunday. The ceremony, celebrated in the same way for 11 centuries, is marked by the appearance of “sacred fire” in the two cavities on either side of the church, which according to Christian tradition is the site of the final resting place of Jesus Christ.  (Menahem Kahana / AFP/Getty Images)

A fan of the gothic metal Japanese musical project Moi dix Mois poses in Lausanne, Switzerland, after her “cosplay” (costume play) competition during the Polymanga show, the major Swiss convention on manga, video games and Japanese contemporary culture. The show’s first year drew just 6,000 enthusiasts, but organizers are expecting this year to pull in 16,000 people, ranging from children to adults in their 30s.  (Fabrice Coffrini / AFP/Getty Images)

Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia, left, competes for the ball with Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel during their English Premier League soccer match at Old Trafford Stadium on Saturday.  (Tim Hales / Associated Press)

Brian Hobbs, left, accompanied by his friend Nicholas Bryant, dances down the stairs after getting his iPad from the Apple store at the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles. It was the first day the device went on sale.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

A seal pup relaxes on a beach on Helgoland island, in northern Germany.  (Axel Heimken / Associated Press)

During Holy Week, a man builds a sand sculpture in the image of Jesus.  (Juan Karita / Associated Press)

Paradise Bound, with Kent Desormeaux riding, crosses the finish line to win a race at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. Blushing Dixie, with Corey Nakatani aboard, is second; and Magic Broomstick, with Robby Albarado riding--and reflected in the finish line mirror--follows in third.  (Ed Reinke / Associated Press)

A sculpture made of 3,000 painted wooden Easter eggs adorns the 1,000-year-old Monastery of the Caves.  (Sergei Chuzavkov / Associated Press)

Ospreys mind their nest near Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building.  (Bruce Weaver / AFP / Getty Images)

Dean Arsene, left, and goaltender Devan Dubnyk of the Edmonton Oilers battle Loui Eriksson of the Dallas Stars for the puck in an NHL contest at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.  (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

A lobster boat passes Ram Island Ledge Light at dawn Friday off Cape Elizabeth. A forecast for several days of warm, dry weather will bring relief to New England, which received record rainfall in March.  (Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press)

Visitors walk along the Tidal Basin near the National Mall in Washington, on Friday as the cherry trees blossom.  (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press)

A photo made available Friday shows the eruption of Fimmvoerduhals volcano on Thursday. The volcano, which had been lying dormant for 200 years, has been attracting scientists, tourists and photographers from all over the world since it started erupting on March 21.  (Halldor Kolbeins / EPA)

Two women lie on the beach as the Good Friday procession of the Christ of the Cabanyal brotherhood passes by on Malvarrosa beach.  (Juan Carlos Cardenas / EPA)

An Indian penitent dressed as Jesus Christ takes part in a reenactment of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. Good Friday is the culmination of Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday, and takes place two days before Easter Sunday.  (Divyakant Solanki / EPA)

Pilgrims walk with crosses as the Northern Cross pilgrimage makes its final leg of the journey to Holy Island on Good Friday in Berwick-upon-Tweed, England. More than 60 people, young and old, marked Holy Week by crossing the tidal causeway during the annual Christian pilgrimage. Every year people of all ages, from all over the world and from all realms of Christian life walk together at Easter to Holy Island.  (Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images)

TV host and entertainer George Lopez poses with his wax figure at Madame Tussauds in Hollywood.  (Gabriel Bouys / AFP/Getty Images)

Visitors to Washington enjoy cherry trees in full bloom. The Jefferson Memorial is in the background. Travel tips from The Times’ deal blog  (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

Migrant laborers work at a construction site near Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. India kicked off its national census with a 2.5 million cadre of census-takers fanning out across the country to conduct what has been billed the world’s largest administrative exercise.  (Gurinder Osan / Associated Press)

Ethnic Russians attend the Maundy Thursday religious service in Sarichioi, eastern Romania. The Russian minority, based in the regions near the Danube Delta consists mostly of fishermen, will celebrate Easter on April 4 along with the country’s Roman Catholics and the Orthodox majority.  (Vadim Ghirda / Associated Press)

Israeli youths dance together along the Mediterranean shore at sundown during a three-day cultural festival held over the Passover holiday at Nitzanim beach. Rock concerts, meditation and yoga sessions and nudist camps are among the attractions.  (David Buimovitch / AFP / Getty Images)

Firemen work at the site of a gas explosion at the Guomin coal mine in Yichuan county in central China’s Henan province. The previous night’s explosion killed eight miners and trapped over 30. The number of miners who are missing is yet to be confirmed by authorities.  (Zhang Xiaoli / EPA)

A woman with her son looks out of the window of a train at New Delhi railway station. India kicks off the national census of its billion-plus population with a 2.5 million-strong army of census-takers fanning out across the country to conduct what has been billed the world’s largest administrative exercise.  (Manish Swarup / Associated Press)

The black-headed spider monkey baby Azusa looks at a video camera at the zoo in Wuppertal, Germany. The baby was born on Oct. 31 but was raised by hand after integration problems with the monkey group.  (Volker Hartmann AFP / Getty Images)

Riot police use pepper spray to disperse Turkish workers of the state tobacco company TEKEL, who were protesting layoffs and the government’s labor policy. The workers say they will start a new strike if the government continues to refuse to grant them labor rights.  (Burhan Ozbilici / Associated Press)

Tom Durbridge takes part in a rodeo at the Royal Easter Show, an annual agricultural event that brings aspects of the country to the city.  (Paul Miller / EPA)

A Romanian woman lights a fire at her family’s grave during the Great Thursday memorial for departed ones at a cemetery. Orthodox Christians in the village gather early in the morning to light fires and spread fresh water at the graves and share food in the memory of their dead relatives.  (Robert Ghement / EPA)

Turkish people play among the pink balloons during April Fool’s Day celebrations. Roughly 100,000 pink balloons are released as part of the celebration by the Beyoglu municipality.  (Mustafa Ozer AFP / Getty Images)

Clowns fool around during a celebration of Laughter Day downtown.  (Sergey Dolzhenko / EPA)

With the Washington Monument in the background, cherry blossoms bloom in Washington, where the National Cherry Blossom Festival runs through April 11.  (Win McNamee / Getty Images)

Indian government workers remove Islamic religious flags in Hyderabad, where authorities imposed a curfew after days of religious clashes. At least one man died as Hindus and Muslims clashed over decorations put up for a religious festival, police said.  (Noah Seelam / AFP/Getty Images)

The town of Penicuik, Scotland, south of Edinburgh, is blanketed in white on the last day of March after a powerful snowstorm.  (Derek Blair / AFP/Getty Images)

Barbara Jones, a senior warden at the Tower of London, discusses a suit of armor made for King Charles II in a new exhibition titled “Fit for a King.” The Royal Armouries and Historic Royal Palaces have collaborated on the exhibition, which covers 500 years of arms and armor.  (Oli Scarff / Getty Images)

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s shadow is cast upon a projected display during an immigration speech he gives in East London.  (Peter MacDiarmid / AFP/Getty Images)

Hindus perform evening rituals on the banks of the Ganges River during the Kumbh Mela festival. During the months-long festival, devout Hindus bathe in the Ganges in the belief it will cleanse them of their sins and free them from the cycle of life and rebirth.  (Rajesh Kumar Singh / Associated Press)

Penitents of the Cofradia del Silencio take part in a Holy Week procession. Processions are common in most Spanish towns in the days leading up to Easter.  (Jasper Juinen / Getty Images)

A sailor looks toward the Guantanamo Bay detention center. President Obama pledged to close the prison by early 2010 but has struggled to transfer, try or release the remaining detainees from the facility.  (John Moore / Getty Images)

A Russian man lays a bouquet of flowers for the victims of a terrorist bomb attack inside a subway station. A suicide blast at another station and two other blasts in the region of Dagestan killed 51 this week, a Russian news agency said  (Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP / Getty Images)

Christian women enter the small Tomb of Chirst in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City. Christians flock to the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection during Holy Week.  (Jim Hollander / EPA)

Kite-builder Kirstin Boese, a nine-time world champion, gets ready for the third annual Kite Jamboree in May.  (Kristin Boese / EPA)

A Blue Morpho Butterfly sits on the nose of Lucia Wagstaff, 8. It was one of many species of butterflies released into a new “Butterfly Explorers Exhibition” at the Natural History Museum on Wednesday The new exhibition features.  (Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)

Heavily armed members of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Emergency Service Unit patrol Grand Central Station during the morning rush hour on Wednesday. Commuters saw a larger police and National Guard presence at New York City transit hubs as part of a three-hour exercise that was planned before the recent bombings in Moscow that killed dozens.  (Louis Lanzano / Associated Press)

A Christian Orthodox pilgrim walks with a cross at a baptism ceremony during Holy Week, near the West Bank town of Jericho. This site is traditionally believed by many to be the place where Jesus was baptized.  (Ariel Schalit / Associated Press)

A Los Angeles County fire crew mops up fire that gutted a cabinetry shop early Wednesday.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and President Obama rush to a news conference to be held in the East Room of the White House.  (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images)

Coca-Cola’s mascot roams the floor of the New York Stock Exchange just before the closing bell.  (Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images)

Han Peng, left, of the Chinese soccer club Sandong Luneng FC, vies for the ball against Kim Jung-kyum of South Korea’s Pohang Steelers during a match in Jinan, China. The South Korean club won, 2-1.  (AFP/Getty Images)

A swimmer showers at a public pool in Mexico City.  (Eduardo Verdugo / Associated Press)

Distance: 84 miles one-way.

The best place to start is a picnic table at the end of Linden Avenue, amid the dunes of Carpinteria State Beach. (Note: Tables under the two covered patios are often reserved for groups, so check with a ranger before you settle in.) Bring a picnic basket, fire up a grill or buy take-out cheeseburgers and shakes from the Spot, a longtime favorite.

Spend the day at the beach, where you can sunbathe, jog, build sand castles, gawk at sea lions (bring binoculars), collect shells, scan tide pools for sea anemones and starfish, boogie-board on gentle surf or just do nothing. You can also hike the bluffs.

Info: California State Parks, (805) 968-1033 (Channel Coast District), www.parks.ca.gov; City of Carpinteria, www.carpinteria.ca.us.

-- Jane Engle  (Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)

A pigeon walks near a street musician in a pedestrian subway.  (Sergei Supinsky / AFP/Getty Images)

Lightning strikes twice during a heavy storm in the region.  (Narendra Shrestha / EPA)

A woman struggles with her umbrella in the wind and rain during a storm that is causing flooding in parts of the Northeast.  (Justin Lane / EPA)

A man dressed as a monkey takes part in a procession as part of Hanuman Jayanti celebrations. Hanuman Jayanti marks the birthday of Lord Hanuman, the monkey god.  (Kevin Frayer / Associated Press)

A man walks through the rain in the financial district as the second major storm in less than a month drenches the East Coast, with forecasters predicting “dangerous flooding.”  (Peter Morgan / Associated Press)

A boy takes part in a religious service at Christ the Savior Cathedral for those killed when two subway stations were hit by suicide bomb attacks.  (Alexander Zemlianichenko / Associated Press)

Officials work around the scene of an early-morning crash of an MTA bus, a tanker truck and a passenger vehicle on the westbound lanes of the 210 Freeway. Three drivers injured in the crash were listed in stable condition, according to the California Highway Patrol.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visits a victim of the subway bombings. At least 38 people died in the suicide attacks. Full story  (Alexey Nikolsky / AFP/Getty Images)

Airmen carry the coffin of Air Force Maj. Curtis Daniel Miller, shot down 38 years ago over Laos during the Vietnam War. His recently recovered remains were buried with full military honors in his native Texas.  (Mike Fuentes / Associated Press)

A penitent walks to church before taking part in the procession of the La Amargura brotherhood during Holy Week in southern Spain.  (Miguel Angel Morenatti / Associated Press)

Judena Tal, 10 months, looks out from the entrance of her tent in a camp for Haitians displaced by the January earthquake.  (Jorge Saenz / Associated Press)

Cardinals listen as Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica.  (Fillipo Monteforte / AFP/Getty Images)

Debris litters the site of a building collapse in Brooklyn. A work crew was adding a fourth floor to the building when it fell; three workers and a passerby were injured.  (Bryan Bedder / Getty Images)

A police dog walks through a Metro station in Washington. Authorities conducted random station and rail yard sweeps as part of heightened security after the Moscow subway attacks.  (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

Bayern Munich midfielders Franck Ribery, front, and Martin Demichelis take part in a training session in the southern German city of Munich. Bayern Munich will face Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League first-leg quarterfinal match on Tuesday.  (Oliver Lang / AFP/Getty Images)

An Afghan woman and her daughter walk toward their home on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan.  (Rafiq Maqbool / Associated Press)

A pedestrian makes his way through New York City’s Times Square in the rain.  (Mary Altaffer / Associated Press)

Pope Benedict XVI arrives for a memorial Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.  (Alessandra Tarantino / Associated Press)

An Indian policeman chases a youth after a mob pelted stones at officers in the old city area of Hyderabad, India. Police fired tear gas and swung batons to disperse Hindus and Muslims who have been clashing for three days. More than 60 people have been injured, authorities said.  (Mahesh Kumar A. / Associated Press)

Jamie McCourt, former chief executive of the L.A. Dodgers, appears in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday morning for a hearing in her divorce from Dodgers owners Frank McCourt. Jamie McCourt is asking for $1 million a month in spousal support.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)