Petal Pushing

One of my favorite Southern California flowers is the Agapanthus. It is commonly called "Lily of the Nile" but the name is misleading -- it's not a lily and all species are native to South Africa, particularly the region of the Limpopo River . (Not a Lily of the Limpopo? Now that's a great name for a flower!) When I first moved to Los Angeles my roommate and I thought the lanky, tufty-headed things looked like magic wands so we called them Wicca Sticks. I overheard my neighbor refer to them as "those feather duster flowers." Little Bit thinks they look like pompoms. Whatever they are, they sure add a festive note to summer gardens. What do you think they should be called?

Synchronized

I wonder if the women noticed the mannequin head in the window copying her pose?

Caption this photo (#36)

I really need help with this one...

In a Minor Key

We didn't have much June Gloom this year, but July seems to be feeling a bit melancholy. While the rest of the country swelters, South Pas chills under heavy morning clouds. When this guy walked by he was humming something plaintive and beautiful. (Sunny days may be great for falling in love, but cloudy days are perfect for writing songs about it...)

Up

Sometimes it only takes a shift in perspective to reveal a whole new view. Here, a row of cypress trees reach for the sky along Arroyo Drive. I usually find these long, skinny things a bit mournful but from this vantage point I think they're full of hope.

Sound the Fairy Call

When I sound the fairy call,
Gather here in silent meeting,
Chin to knee on the orchard wall,
Cooled with dew and cherries eating.
Merry, merry, Take a cherry
Mine are sounder, Mine are rounder
Mine are sweeter, For the eater
When the dews fall. And you'll be fairies all.

--Robert Graves

Color Change

After all the red, white and blue of the holiday weekend, how about a little green?

New Heights

Kids literally jumped for joy at the Fourth of July fun fair at Garfield Park yesterday...

2010 South Pasadena Festival of Balloons

Are you ready for a grand, old-fashioned Fourth of July party? You'll be hard pressed to beat South Pasadena's annual Festival of Balloons. Festivities start at 8:00AM with a Kiwanis Club sponsored pancake breakfast at the Fire Station. (Tickets are $7.00, kids under 6 eat free.) The famous South Pasadena Fourth of July parade starts at noon on the corner of Mission and Meridian, ending around 1:30PM at Garfield Park. (Take a look at some of the highlights from last year's parade here on my overflow blog. I'm particularly fond of these classic cars.) The fun continues in Garfield Park with family games and a smorgasbord of culinary delights from local food vendors. At 5:00PM the gates open at the South Pasadena High School football field for the annual fireworks show hosted by the Rotary Club. (Tickets are $7.00, kids under 2 are admitted free.) The rockets don't start red-glaring until 9:00PM, but there will be plenty of food, fun and music to keep you in the spirit of things until then.

Click here for the complete schedule of events.

Happy Fourth of July, everybody!

Gearing Up

South Pasadena certainly knows how to celebrate the Fourth of July. It's hard to top the pancake breakfast, the parade and the fireworks show but citizens try in the form of elaborate block parties. When we say the city shuts down for this holiday, many streets literally do shut down! (I can smell the barbecue already.)

Settings: Part 29

This house is too good not to use as a setting for a movie, if only for my favorite blog game! So, lets channel our inner Van Sant, Soderbergh and von Trier ... if this were the setting for a scene in a film, what would happen here?

Thank You, Chief Watson

Today is Dan Watson's last day as Chief of the South Pasadena Police Department. It's no mystery how I feel about it, or about the circumstances leading to the Chief's decision to leave. It's also no mystery why Mammoth Lakes jumped at the chance to lure him to the mountains. (His first day as Police Chief of Mammoth Lakes is next week. You can read all about it here.) The powers that be in Mammoth recognized Dan's leadership, experience and wisdom in every way the powers that be in South Pasadena did not.

But the people of South Pas know Dan's worth. We know how lucky Mammoth is to have him. It was evident at yesterday's farewell lunch as hundreds lingered in not one but two thunderous standing ovations. How fitting that the event was held at the War Memorial building, a structure built for the purpose of honoring heroes.

Chief Dan is one of South Pasadena's heroes.

My father used to tell me to make sure I always left a place better than it was when I got there. I don't think I ever really understood what he was talking about until I met the Chief. Dan is much more than just the best police chief our city has ever had. His community involvement reached way beyond official duties. There is a common joke told around town that goes something like this: if you need to find Dan Watson, just go to wherever somebody asked for volunteers.

Chief Dan, you are leaving South Pasadena a better place than it was before you got here. We're a better city because of your guidance, and we are better people because of your fine example. Thank you. I consider myself lucky to call you my friend, and I know I stand with a crowd of others who feel exactly the same way. I think I speak for the entire city when I say that no matter where your adventures take you, we hope that you will always consider South Pasadena home.

We'll leave the light on for you.