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

So Many Parks, So Little Summer...

Kicking it at South Pasadena parks...

When Jon and I moved to South Pas 8 1/2 years ago, our daughter -- who many longtime readers still think of as Little Bit -- was only 2.  That meant many, many, MANY sunkissed afternoons spent in local parks.  

Of all the choices in South Pas -- from the newish playscapes at Lower Arroyo to the vast, green goodness of Garfield -- I was partial to Eddie Park.  Little Bit is 11 now,  and totally over "the park with the outdoor fireplace and the good slide," but occasionally she will still appease her mom and go there to kick around a soccer ball.  (Before wanting to head home to play Minecraft.  Tweens!)

Eddie Park is a quaint, quiet Marengo neighborhood park with a stretch of grass just right for tossing the frisbee or having a picnic.  It rests on the lawn of an elegant, moody old house that looks like it should be inhabited by the ghosts of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.  Go there for a charming little hideaway picnic or, if you have a 2 year old, a good slide.

For a peek at all the other parks in South Pasadena, check out my video above.

Want to leave a comment? Head on over to the new Glimpses of South Pasadena Forum and start a conversation.

Caption This Photo (#92)

Hmmm...

Got Pagans?

No, that's not it.

Joan of Arc fired her realtor when he showed her the home with THIS backyard patio...

Nope, that's not quite right, either.

Anyone?

Noir Week (#5)

The reason I love dark shadows and bright light is not for what we can see there, but for what we imagine is there that we can't see.

Join me for a few more days of Noir Week where I turn South Pas into my own mysterious playground...

Noir Week (#4)

Yeah, South Pasadena's 4th of July Parade is about as homespun as apple pie and Andy Griffeth. But just look at the parade route at night...

I'm having fun with Noir Week this week, everyone. Join me as I go crazy with black and white.

tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm

"A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease."

--John Muir

Park Day

At the turn of the last century, before Garfield Park was a park, it was a brambly-wild patch of land owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad. South Pas leased the seven-acres for a number of years before finally purchasing it in 1920 and transforming it into the jewel in South Pasadena's crown. Even with a modern playground and tennis courts, Garfield Park feels a bit like a garden from a lost era. (All those old-fashioned rosebushes! That wonderful sign!) And although the park suffered significant tree loss from last year's windstorm, the place still beckons with plenty of shady spots to have a picnic or just take in the rolling hills, vintage streetlamps and chattering birds. (I'm particularly fond of that tree in the background, even though it's just about to burst into a giant white puffball and send me for the nearest bottle of allergy medicine. Ah, the price of beauty...) (Read about my favorite Garfield Park story from history. For more on South Pas parks, check out one of the first columns I wrote for Patch.)

play

“Play is the exultation of the possible.”

-- Martin Buber

subtleties of major and minor

"I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe?"

--Kate Chopin

Electrical Storm

Today is the first of the month, and that means it's Theme Day for participating City Daily Photo bloggers. Today's theme is Electricity.

I think Dave Barry said it best:

“Electricity is actually made up of extremely tiny particles called electrons that you cannot see with the naked eye unless you have been drinking.”

Here, it looks like I must have been on a real bender: vintage streetlamps reflected on rainy sidewalks with a sky still illuminated by lightening and whatever that magical thing is filling the world with static after a storm passes through.

On nights like this, you might create a spark when you brush up against a stranger. Don't miss out. (Who needs drinking when the current of the universe can pass right through us?)

For more power shots, check out the other Theme Day contributions by my worldwide photoblogger community. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Metaphor

"Mommy, why do they chop off those roses' heads?"

My 6 year old daughter stopped and looked at these pruned bushes on the way to the playground at Garfield Park.

"Well, I think it's supposed to make them grow," I said.

"But they were growing before just fine," she said.

"I'm not sure what the point is," I said. "It's just something that gardeners do to make the rose bushes look more groomed. They cut off the dead leaves and flowers."

I really didn't have any idea what I was talking about.

"But what if the rose bushes wanted to keep those dead leaves and flowers? It's not like the wind wouldn't knock them off. Or the rain. Who cares if they are a little messy?"

"I guess the gardeners want it to look a certain way."

She lingered for a moment and then sighed.

"I get it, Mommy," she said. "They just want to make them bloom the way they want them to do it. Not the way the bushes want to do it. Grown ups always do crazy stuff like that."

(Yes, yes they do.)

Look Up!

I appreciate the massive trees in Garfield Park all the more now since several were lost in the recent windstorm. This one is downright inspirational, even without most of its leaves.

One of Many

Walking through Garfield Park yesterday was a complete shock. Our shady central oasis is considerably less shady, with at least six trees toppled, awaiting the chainsaw and wood chipper.

Yes, many of the park's trees still stand. (This one is fine.) For that, I am glad. But with each passing day, I find another landscape dramatically changed and it's starting to wear down my nerves. The tree in this picture crashed right on top of the picnic table where Little Bit and I loved to have after school snacks. It's unsettling and creepy and sad.

I think it will take me a while to process the loss of so many San Gabriel Valley trees. (The loss of these were bad enough.) Maybe it will be easier when things get cleaned up. I've never been one for viewing open caskets, and seeing all these fallen trees feels a little bit like staring at corpses. I'd rather remember them as they were, and celebrate the ones still standing.

Our power finally came back on yesterday, but I know many South Pas residents are still hunkered down in the cold. For updates, check the Southern California Edison map here, and Patch updates here.

Keeping Warm

Temps are falling. (Perfect weather for snuggling...)

Details (#2)

I continue with a week of South Pasadena details. Here, cryptic words fade into an old picnic table at Garfield Park. "You and I will always be..."

What do you think? Were they always? (Are they still?)

Join me this week as I take a closer look at objects in our city.

Just a Reminder

South Pasadena kids have to go back to school in less than two weeks. Get out there and grab a little more summer!

Orbs upon the green...

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


(Pretty Things Week wraps up this weekend here at Glimpses. A few more calming shots during hectic times.)

Satellite Office

(There's a netbook in that purse.)

I know I should be more inspired to follow suit...

...but I'm with the dog.

Caption this photo (#54)

I really need help with this one.