Favorite Glimpses of South Pasadena Posts (4)

by Laurie Allee

In the early morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Within hours they had also attacked the U.S. forces stationed in the Philippine Islands. Five days later, the South Pasadena Review reported that Lieut. Henry G. Lee of South Pasadena was safe in Manila. Henry was a member of the 31st US Infantry Regiment, and had been posted to the Philippines in 1940.

At the time of the surprise attack, The United States was unprepared to defend the Philippines. Henry was captured when the Japanese overran the Bataan peninsula. In February of 1942, he wrote his family this letter from Bataan:

Favorite South Pasadena Shots (3)...by the Details

It's the little things!

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Favorite South Pasadena Shots 2

by Laurie Allee

I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats, spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In their freckles live our savours.
I must go seek some dew-drops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.

--William Shakespeare
Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, Scene i

Favorite South Pasadena Shots 1

by Laurie Allee

This shot combines several things I love about shooting pictures in South Pasadena. First of all, it's Kaldi. The historical building originally served as early South Pasadena's bank building but now offers a prime, central spot for satisfying a coffee jones while taking in a great view of the South Pasadena Public Library and Morrow Bay Fig tree. Second, it's one of those night shots that allows me to pretend I'm really a film noir cinematographer. Third, there's an old car. Even in this shot. See it?

Originally published December 26, 2008.

I'm spending this week with some of my favorite Glimpses photos. Some things deserve a second (or even a third) look!

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Clouds and Golden Light Above South Pasadena

by Laurie Allee

I can't resist sharing another moody, magical November sky...

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Thanksgiving Sky

by Laurie Allee
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South Pasadena skies have been ridiculously dramatic lately!  (I have another one here, too.)

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Black (and White) Friday

by Laurie Allee 

The autumn clouds have been great lately for some serious sky drama.

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Talking Turkey

by Laurie Allee

It's funny to think about the things that end up as traditions. I seriously doubt the Pilgrims put little marshmallows on top of their yams but a Thanksgiving table today hardly seems right without them, right? They flavor our memories, along with green bean casserole, pumpkin pie and the never ending argument about which is better -- cornbread dressing or breadcrumb stuffing. And at our house, no Thanksgiving would be complete without hand-shaped turkey cookies.


In fact, making and decorating sugar cookies spans all holidays around here...

Lovely Decay

by Laurie Allee

"The Buddha knew one thing science didn't prove for millennia after his death: Entropy increases.  Things fall apart."  --John Green, Looking for Alaska

Have something to add?  Go here.

Palm Fronds Noir?

Why not?

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South Pasadena: Movie Backlot

I remember watching movies set in neighborhoods with Craftsman houses nestled into tree-lined streets and wondering where IS that?

Turns out, a lot of those films were shot in South Pas.  While some people might be annoyed living among so many film and TV productions, I think it's fun to be a small part of the dream factory.  (Plus, it's kind of exciting to see your street in a Steve Carrell movie...)

I've only gotten a few checks from a studio in the almost ten years I've lived here.  One was merely for using my driveway to stage equipment for a CSI shoot down the street.  Thanks, Hollywood!

I put together the above video a few years ago, so it is missing quite a few productions.  (In fact, I've barely scratched the surface of South Pas film and television history.)   I think I might need to make a Part 2.  

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South Pasadena Retro

Music:  Days by Bears

No matter how I shoot South Pasadena, my photos always look nostalgic.  So why fight it?

Here are a few of my favorite views from over the past (almost) ten years -- all dressed up in a digital photo album.  

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Art in Unusual Places

Whoever did this must have been inspired by the official South Pasadena Utility Box Art project!  I think this is fantastic.  Let's turn all utilitarian objects into works of public art!

By the way, the South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC) is hosting a box art artists and sponsors party tomorrow, November 18th.  Learn more and purchase tickets here.

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Wild Neighbors

Just a few of the wild creatures we share space with in South Pas.  Here are a few more.  And even more here.  And, heck, this from nearby.  (And this guy who just thinks he's wild.)

Got a wild story of your own?  Tell me here.

Self Portrait... Noir

I'm back on the prowl for night shots.  Stay tuned.

(For more of my dark prowling, check out the video below...)

Horse Watching at San Pascual Stables

I'll admit it: sometimes I pull into the San Pascual Stables parking lot just to look at the horses.  Can you blame me? 

I've taken a lot of photographs at the stables over the last ten years.  Take a look at the video compilation below...

Messages (1)

Thanks for the reminder, South Pas wall!

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Charlie's Coffee House

I came across this photo on an SD card in a camera bag I'd forgotten about.  It's from Charlie's Coffee House -- my absolute favorite place to get coffee in town, and not just because of this.  I've taken a lot of pictures in and around Charlie's over the years!  I think this one, however, is my favorite one:

South Pasadena: Classic Car Heaven

You guys know I can never resist an old car.  Don't believe me?  Just look at how many I've found:

The Rite Aid Mural: Another Great Example of South Pasadena Public Art

Walking into Rite Aid is great.  For the last few years, patrons of the drug store have been greeted with this gorgeous mural painted by Carolee Merrill.

I still remember when the dark walkway felt distinctly more noir:

Concrete Ideas

This is my second favorite concrete doodle in South Pasadena.  My first?

Working it Out...

These two South Pasadena parrots had been having quite a squabble.  The one on the right had been chasing after the one on the left for most of the morning.  The one on the left had no problem divebombing and pecking the one on the right.

After about twenty minutes of talking it out on this palm frond, they seemed to patch things up.  Whew!  I hate it when the neighbors fight.


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A Treehugger's Paradise in South Pasadena

Trees, trees and more South Pasadena trees!

We all know that South Pasadena has a lot of gorgeous old-growth and heritage trees.  But did you know that our city is part of Tree City USA?  South Pas meets the program's four requirements:

1. A tree board or department 

2. A tree care ordinance

3. An annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita

and...

4. An Arbor Day observance and proclamation.  (I'll admit, I've never officially observed Arbor Day.)

Tree cities not only look better than their more sparse cousins, they enjoy things like better storm water management, energy savings and increased property values.  As an unabashed treehugger, I agree that these are all good things.  But I think I'd love trees even if they offered nothing of tangible value.  Come on... they're beautiful, lush trees! What more do you want?

Before you click on the above video compilation of South Pas trees, I am reminded of my very favorite South Pasadena tree story.  I've told this one before, but it's worth a repeat:

South Pasadena Abstract #7

"The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and, ironically, the more real." -- Lucien Freud

(Or, the more drinks you have on Mission Street, the more artistic each venue becomes...)


Feel like getting real?  Talk to me.

South Pasadena Abstract #6

Zoom into the puddle near Trader Joes ... tune in to a parallel universe!  The last few days have been all about finding abstract art in unlikely places.  (Like the gutter.)

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South Pasadena Abstract #5

"Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see physically with his eyes."  --Arshile Gorky

With your eyes you see autumn leaves from a tree on the Arroyo Seco.  What does your mind see?

(Tell me here!)

South Pasadena Abstract #4

Yesterday I found optimism in a door.  Today, I find an abstract image in my own vintage lace curtains.

What did you find?  Tell me about it here.

South Pasadena Abstract #3

Okay, so this might not be technically abstract, but file it under modern, which is close.

I love the South Pasadena Craftsmans and Victorians ... but the mid-century modern homes in Monterey Hills are also wonderful.  These ginormous doors really sum up that middle of the 20th Century optimism, don't they?

I'm all about finding art in the ordinary, people.  (And optimism in doors.)

Feel free to leave a comment here.

South Pasadena Abstract #2

River rock as modern art?  Yes!  At least that's what I see when I focus closely.

Everyone who lives here knows that the San Gabriel Valley it is (literally) built on river rock.  Here, we have a detail of my almost 118 year old home's original river rock foundation, built with stones dragged from the nearby Arroyo Seco.  There are hundreds of similar river rock foundations holding up my friends' and neighbors' houses, but no two are exactly alike. 

Stones as foundation, shapes as foundation of art, art as foundation for expansive thought... now you see it too, right? 


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South Pasadena Abstract #1

I feel like looking at things in the abstract this week.  Art is everywhere if you just know how to frame it.

(I found this as an entryway to a house in Monterey Hills.)

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