Sunset from Monterey Hills...

by Laurie Allee

...up by the water tower.

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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.)

Want to leave a comment?  Feel free.

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.)

Want to say hi?  I'd love to hear from you.

Week of South Pasadena Noir #5

"The two elements the traveler first captures in the big city are extra human architecture and furious rhythm.  Geometry and anguish."  --Federico Garcia Lorca

Feeling dark and mysterious yet?  I'm heading into Halloween with some noirish delights this week.

Have something to add?  Leave a comment here.

And Many More

This is a special birthday wish for the beautiful, effervescent and brilliantly talented Shanna Galloway:

My dearest Shanna, may your year be filled with inspirational views and dreamlike vistas. To heck with silver linings ... here's to gold ones!

(Now, everyone go over to Shanna's blog VIEW and marvel at the most gorgeous sky photographs of all.)

Floor Show in the Sky

Sure, it's pretty, but this daytime moon has nothing on the 2012 Perseid meteor shower. The astronomical event kicked off Friday night but it expected to hit its peak tonight. In fact, NASA says it's supposed to be "the best meteor shower of the year."

Those NASA scientists aren't known for hyperbole, so I say we all look up and watch the show. Depending on sky conditions, we can expect to see 60-100 meteors an hour. Not only that, but the brightest planets Jupiter and Venus are lining up for a center stage position. We will even be able to see the red giant Alderbaron adding a touch of color. (How like a star to wear red to a black tie event...)

It's nice of the solar system to offer some nature-made fireworks after the recent excitement of the Mars rover Curiosity. (Honestly, after Curiosity landed the other night I think I heard the cheers from JPL all the way down here in South Pas!)

Go outside and look up tonight, everyone. If you can get out of the city you'll have a better view. Check out the Dark Sky Finder map for the best spot to avoid light pollution. Bring your smartphone and play Citizen Scientist: NASA wants your help counting meteors!

(With everyone looking up tonight, maybe someone will finally figure out what the heck is going on in the night sky above our neighbors in Studio City...)

Avant Carred

You all know how much I love photographing old cars, but new cars can be pretty fun to snap at, too. Especially if you zoom in on some of the shiny details.

I'm such a lazy modern artist. I just cram pieces of someone else's beautiful, well-planned design into my own haphazard little square.

Hey, whatever works. Right?

Caption This Photo (#90)

Anyone?

Shortcut

(Sometimes the most interesting picture is the one you find around the corner from where you thought you were going.)

Camphor Tree: macro

Ah, beautiful camphor trees. The shade is amazing, the leaves smell like Vicks Vapo Rub, the berries are parrot food and the bark is worthy of a photo. (So here's one.)

Cloud Painting

Have you noticed the skies around here lately? Wow! Mother Nature has been getting her creative freak on with beautiful, ever changing results. For anyone who thinks Southern California skies only offer images of smog and chem trails, here's a little evidence to the contrary.

Everyday Objects: Great Design

You'll find these metal things on concrete benches and curbs all over the San Gabriel Valley. They are placed to discourage skateboarders from using public spaces as ramps. Yeah, the idea is kind of a buzzkiller, but I can see the point. Besides, skateboarding wouldn't be nearly as punk rock if it were accepted everywhere!

I digress.

Establishment-placed anti-skateboard thingiemabobs may serve the purpose of restraining our rambunctious teens, but they also give us an example of lovely design. We're surrounded by elegant, everyday objects like this, but probably don't take much time to notice them.

Larry Wilson wrote a great piece on two South Pasadena designers responsible for some of the objects we use and take for granted every day. I had long known that Henry Dreyfuss -- creator of the iconic Honeywell home thermostat and one of the world's most famous industrial designers -- called South Pasadena home until his tragic death in 1972. Larry points out that another designer, Henry C. Keck of Keck-Craig, also hails from our fair town. Read all about Keck's contributions to utilitarian design, as well as a few tidbits from his self-published memoir, in Larry's column here.

Eggsactly This:

And may your chocolate bunnies be solid, never hollow.

Come for the Breakfast...

Stay and look at that amazing, retro-cool ceiling!

(Shakers, may you never ever change.)

In an Ordinary Place

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

--Elliott Erwitt

Look Up: (#1)

This week, I plan on sticking my nose in the air. Don't worry, I'm not trying to give attitude ... just altering my perspective a bit here at Glimpses.

Ever notice how different your surroundings appear when you study them from a different angle? Let's take a look at some familiar things from bottom to top. Hey, we've all got to find something to look up to!

Here, we see one of the new retro street lamps on Fair Oaks Avenue. Long-time readers know how I feel about the colossal mess that was the Fair Oaks construction project. The bulb-outs are idiotic, the asphalt/concrete/faux brick blend made uneven patchwork of a perfectly fine thoroughfare, the median planters impede traffic and the loss to our business district from months of gridlock is still being felt by local merchants.

And then, there's all that money that was spent on something that, in the end, turned out to be a city embarrassment rather than a city improvement.

But I will give credit where credit is due: the street lamps are really pretty. Especially with a milky blue sky as a backdrop.

Stick around with me for the rest of Look Up Week: a series of familiar things that tower above us.

Caption This Photo (#86)

I really need help with this one...