Caption this photo... (#10)

This really needs a good caption...

Anyone?

Jam tomorrow... (Or at least coming soon)

Reflections in a window give the illusion of another world within the frame ... and actually, a new dimension is coming to this empty space on Mission Street. I'll give you a hint with this verse from Through the Looking Glass:

A loaf of bread, the Walrus said,
Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed --
Now if you're ready, Oysters, dear,
We can begin to feed!

That's right, South Pas will soon have a new bakery. (O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!)

Mayberry Nouveau

Fashions change, but things never really change. I'll wager those grocery bags have all the ingredients for an apple pie.

Settings: Part 11

I've noticed several larger-than-usual film crews around town in the last few days ... which, of course, got me thinking about my favorite game. If this were the setting of a scene in a film, what would happen here? No need to be quiet on this set. Let's have some action!

Drive-thru Dream Car

I spotted this beauty in line at the McDonald's drive-thru. See? People don't just park vintage cars around town, they actually drive them!

Good Night, Dog

This is a shot taken around midnight in my garden, with the camera pointed at the back door. What you might not notice is the shadowy figure in the lower right: Misty, my 9 year old Rottweiler-mix rescue doggie.

Misty and her sister Molly are in many of my pictures. Sometimes they ham it up for the camera. Sometimes they acquiesce to my silly need to photograph them in all matter of undignified positions -- belly up napping or wearing one of my daughter's doll hats. Sometimes they sneak into a shot, invariably making it better.

Dogs do that to you. They sneak up on your life and invariably make it better.

My sister Judy lost her beloved dog Summer yesterday. Dog lovers know there are no words to adequately express sympathy for the loss of a furry best friend. When Elizabeth Barrett Browning lost her own dog, she wrote a line that has always summed it up for me:

"His ears were often the first thing to catch my tears."

Why do pets live so few years and how can they manage to pack so much love and joy into such a short period of time? Like Judy said today, if there is a heaven, then it must be filled with dogs.

Chefs in a Row

El Centro really should have a sign that says Chef's Crossing. I see a lot of cooking students crossing the street on the way to daily patisserie practice at the South Pasadena classroom of Southern California School of Culinary Arts. I believe the building is an adjunct to the main campus in Pasadena. The school is one of the few in the country offering the world famous Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Program. (I wonder if they need any guest tasters?)

Too much fun for one day...

The South Pasadena Fun Fair continues today. My family spent most of the afternoon there yesterday -- along with quite a few friends and neighbors. I knew the fair would have fun rides and kid's games, great food and loud music. But what I didn't expect was the treasure trove of books available at the used book sale. For $8 I scored a 1967 hardbound anthology of 45 great modern plays of the first part of the 20th Century, a beautiful 1920s edition of Dumas' The Queen's Necklace, a first edition of Daniel Dennett's Consciousness Explained and a quantum physics reference. (And I only looked through a few stacks...)

Fun for everyone -- from daredevils to bookworms. For more images, take a look at my overflow blog.

Come to the Fair...

This whimsical train chug-chug-chugged along Mission Street during the recent Arts and Crafts Fair. For even more madcap rides and games, just head out today and tomorrow to the 12th annual South Pasadena Fun Fair at the School District parking lot between Mission and El Centro. Hosted by South Pasadena's three elementary schools, the event aims to raise much-needed cash during a state education budget crisis. (Recent state cuts slashed around $1.8 million from the 2009-10 budget projections.)

Don't assume you have to be in elementary school to enjoy the activities. Today I saw crews setting up a Ferris wheel worthy of inducing vertigo in even the hardiest adult. Expect even more huge rides, food booths, balloons, confetti eggs, arts and crafts, silly string, baked goods, a used book sale and a vast array of old fashioned games and prizes. (This time, I swear I'm going to win a stuffed panda.)

Below/Above

The stained glass of Holy Family Catholic Church is magnificent, to be sure. I always slow down and take it in when driving by on a late night milk run. But just look at that velvety sky full of stars!

Old/New

Do you think the people who brought their horses to this watering trough in the early 1900s could have grasped the concept of Blackberries and cell phones? Like so much of South Pasadena, this historical spot has withstood the tests of time -- and found new use in the modern age.

The Craftsman Challenge: Round 5 (Sublime to Ridiculous!)

This has to be my favorite front yard in South Pasadena. I wonder... are contemporary Druids living here? I can think of no better image to revisit my beloved Craftsman Challenge. Here's a review to bring new readers up to speed:

The idea began with my complaint about how it's almost impossible to use a camera to capture the true beauty of a Craftsman home. My blogging pals stepped up to the plate to prove me wrong...

Petrea added her touch here and followed up here, Ben at The Sky is Big in Pasadena joined the fun here, Mister Earl came alonghere and here and started getting silly here, Sarah Jane over at Hatching a Patch jumped in with this , GOSP reader Barbra joined in with this, Keith at Gem City Images added to the collection with this great shot just as Elaine, our Northern California buddy in Willits added this, and fellow San Gabriel Valley blogger Pasadena Adjacent added my favorite hilarious addition to the Challenge canon with this beautifully irreverent (and well-spotted) example of Craftsman architecture.

And a little bit like the architecture itself, my challenge endures! I'm happy to say, yet another contender steps into the ring for a chance at the title of Craftsman Smackdown queen. This is the perfect opportunity for me to introduce a new Los Angeles-area blog, A Photographic Journey, by GOSP reader (and photographer-extraordinaire) The Chieftess. Take a look at her masterful shots of Craftsman homes, and be sure to check out her other photographs. I think you will enjoy the thoughtful, elegant and just plain beautiful images from around Southern California. Welcome to Blogland, Chieftess!