Saturday, March 21, 2009

Rush Hour

I snapped this shot at 5:08PM on a week day, just off the train platform at Mission Station. I still find it beautifully mind-blowing that life in South Pasadena can be a calm, unhurried experience -- when downtown Los Angeles is barely ten minutes away. The term "oasis" is overused. But wait... is that water I see up the street?

24 comments:

Sharon said...

Great photo! I love the warm feel of this one.

Judy Williams said...

stepping past,
the shadow came
I never even knew his name

WOW - so loving this. The rich warmth and the hot white of the late afternoon sky. It has a certain mystery about it with the guy walking out of the frame. What's in his backpack? Where is he going? Worthy of a book jacket.

Virginia said...

Great shot and the title is perfect. Lucky you living in such a peaceful....oasis!!!! :)
V

Susan C said...

South Pasadena does seem to move at a different pace.

dbdubya said...

I like the long line of crooked power poles going off into the distance.

Wayne said...

Laurie, are you sure you weren't mixed up. It looks like 5:08 a.m. on a Sunday.

Yakpate said...

When I clicked to enlarge, I noticed how clean the street and sidewalk are... there's hardly any litter. Even the two white specks in the lower foreground look less like paper, and more like two leaves catching the sunlight.

It makes me realize how special and maybe ephemeral this time in SouthPas really is. You are doing the right thing, Laurie... cherishing it.

Mister Earl said...

Yesterday's Papers: This morning I was kind of looking for yesterday's house. Then I gave up. Then I was running an errand, and without even looking for it, there it was! You never even mentioned the green shutters! ;-)

dbdubya said...

So where is the pale yellow Victorian with the green shutters, Mr. Earl?

Mister Earl said...

dbdub - I'll tell you off blog.

Mister Earl said...

On any given evening, that could be me returning from work!

Ashley said...

What a beautiful photo!

Yes, it kind of amazes me that you can get off the Metro at Mission Station at five on a Thursday evening and find that many other people have the same idea: to pass some time at the farmers' market. I also love that you can see entire families socializing together!

Anonymous said...

I don't see an oasis but I recognize the golden hour approaching. I do like the manhole cover in the shot: can you say that anymore?

Laurie Allee said...

Hi folks,

This is one of my favorite recent shots, so I really appreciate the kind words.

Sharon, thanks! This warm color palette and the high contrast of late afternoon light and dark shadow are some of my favorite photographic elements. I love bright colors, and I love monochrome night shots, but getting a warm toned afternoon study like this is always a treat. With a lot of luck involved since light is temperamental at that time of day, and I'm still not used to all the nuances of the digital sensor...

Judy, I had a feeling you might groove to this one! I had the same questions -- and the gentleman exiting the shot was so interesting to watch. I think he might have seen me stalking him like a papparazzi. Oops.

Virginia, it's an oasis alright. Now when are you coming to visit it and chill with your San Gabriel Valley cadre of fellow bloggers? :-)

Susan, I agree. And I love it. I was wound way too tight after all those years on the west side.

Dbdubya, I noticed those poles right away. I think they're so romantic. (And I am still calling them telephone poles!)

Wayne, I still marvel at the relaxed vibe here. Honestly, downtown LA is 10 minutes away, and not far from here the 110 freeway crawls at a snail's pace but you'd never know it from this vantage point...

Yak, I hear you. And I like to think I'm contributing a little to this people's history that is the blogosphere. What an amazing time capsule, right?

Mister Earl, what a cool coincidence! Those green shutters are pretty nifty, huh?

Ashley, welcome! The Farmer's Market is one of my favorite places on earth. And I agree with you about how charming it is to see so many people enjoying family and friends... and yummy food. BTW, I checked out YOUR very cool blog and I love your fashion interpretations shot around South Pas and the Santa Anita racetrack. (Everyone... quick, go look!)

Pasadena Adjacent, is manhole cover no longer acceptible? What shall we call it? Thanks for noticing it -- that circle in the street always makes me happy when I walk by.

Thanks for being here, everyone. Until tomorrow...

Mister Earl said...

PA: Years ago, Sacramento had a contest to name manholes in a nonsexist way. Radio personality conducted his own survey. The best suggestion can't be repeated here!

Laurie Allee said...

Mister E... hmmm, I can never pass up a challenge...

How about Human Subterranean Workspace Covers?

Street Maintenance Passage Closures?

Below Ground Access Doors?

Anonymous said...

I'm still laughing about manhole cover.

Mister Earl said...

Those are all nice Laurie, but the idea is to make an acronym that is itself a word. For example: "Direct Access Maintenance Nooks" or "Secret Hidden..." You get the idea!

Mister Earl said...

Grace Slick made an album called "Manhole." Enough said!

Mister Earl said...

OK, from Laurie's start I came up with "Street Maintenance Underground Tunnels."

Laurie Allee said...

Deep Underground Maintenance Passage?

Mister Earl said...

There you go, Laurie!

You can imaging that the morning that Robert W. Morgan asked listeners to call in to KRTH with suggestions, was a wonderful time indeed!

Jane Hards Photography said...

Bronzed light neer looked finer.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful photo! I loved reading your post today!..

Thanks for sharing...


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