Thursday, July 9, 2009

Pole Position

Something strange has been going on at Orange Grove Park. First, this really ginormous pole went up. See how it dwarfs the light post? Then city workers dug, as my daughter pointed out, "the biggest hole in the whole wide world" in the field right underneath the pole. Next, they reinforced the hole with steel and turned it into some kind of hatch before covering it up again. (A hatch! Just like LOST! I knew South Pasadena was a portal to some otherworldly dimension ... and now I have proof!)

So, the other day this guy up there was tinkering with something at the top of the pole. I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable cover story explanation. But if I were to guess? I'm betting on a strategic message broadcast to intelligent life forms across the galaxy. Or maybe it's a cloaking device, something to preserve South Pasadena's small-town vibe. Or a necessary prong, constructed to keep the universe from collapsing. And why not? After all, JPL is just a few miles away...

20 comments:

Judy Williams said...

I'm the type of person who would yell "Heh, whacha doin' up there?" It is curious when you see all of that work going on and have no idea what it is. Maybe as you are lurking around taking night shots one of these days, you'll see Benjamin Linus peer out from behind the catcher's mound. :~)

wv: unctale - urban legends only uncles can understand

Virginia said...

LA, Gotta quit sniffing that glue or whatever !HA
Great shot and I love your yarn today as always.
V

Jean Spitzer said...

Lost and South Pasadena connected in your story--I love it. It's the story that should be true.

TheChieftess said...

I think it's time to break out the tin foil and make those hats that keep the government from being able to read our thoughts...

dbdubya said...

Being curious as a result of Laurie's hypothesis, I did a little digging around to find out what this mysterious object is. The official word is that it's nothing more than a cell tower. But, Laurie may be on to something here. Is this simply a cover for some other purpose? What do you think it is?

Anonymous said...

If it is a cell tower I hope they disguise it as a palm.

TheChieftess said...

Yup...now I'm sure of it...where's the tin foil???

Vanda said...

I think it's an alien communication device. Or maybe a beacon.

TheChieftess said...

Aliens??? That requires a whole different thought blocking hat... cling wrap and wax paper with funnels so the thought blocking process doesn't contaminate the thoughts being blocked....

Anonymous said...

The biggest hole in the whole wide world and you didn't photograph it? There's an argument in Altadena whether to turn new cell phone tower into fake palm or fake pine. Why not a totem pole? That would be cool.

(Susan left a message explaining broken face.)

Petrea Burchard said...

This is how conspiracy theories get started. Watch, someone's going to quote you as an authority, I just know it.

San Diego Farmgirl said...

I thought it looked like one of those tsunami warning sirens. But that would be one hell of a wave to reach South Pas! Yowza!

Altadenahiker: I've always wondered if other parts of the country disguise their towers are palm trees, too? Or do they have oak or poplar or magnolia versions, in addition to fake evergreens? I suppose that would be a problem in the winter. This has actually kept me awake at night!

dbdubya said...

Farmgirl - I would suspect, and hope, that cell towers aren't disguised as palm trees in places where palm trees don't grow. But, who knows?

Does anyone else besides me think it's silly to try to disquise these towers as plastic palm or pine trees? I don't think they're fooling anyone. They don't try to mask power poles and most people don't even notice them. But I always can spot a disquised cell tower.

Shanna said...

At first glance, I thought sculpture - sort of a mix of George Rickey and Mark di Suvero. Mark makes ginormous sculptures out of H beams. Some times they have hanging parts that swing around. I watched him working on one on the grounds of the Pasadena Art Museum, which is now the Norton Simon. Looked kind of like this.

Yakpate said...

All I can say is... if I climb that tower with my brand new hip, will it be high enough for me to get off a good rifle shot at the 7th floor nursing station at Cedars Sinai? I'll make them SORRY they gave me that enema!

pasadenapio said...

Aliens -- they're everywhere...

Petrea Burchard said...

Yak! I'm screamin' over here!

Laurie Allee said...

Thanks, everyone. And everyone please welcome back our beloved Yakpate!!!!! Here's to healthier days ahead and a quick recovery, my dear friend.

Until tomorrow, people...

Yakpate said...

AWWW...

Anonymous said...

Check with the City Planning Dept., but that's probably a cell tower going in, usually the City doesn't have much jurisdiction - they're FCC regulated. Pictures and info at

http://samanathon.com/crazy-job-cell-tower-technician/