Indelible

I like to think that Tony and Lisa are still in luv. Maybe they had their first kiss while checking out the view from underneath the water tower. Maybe he proposed to her one sunset along the Arroyo. Maybe they cruised around in something fast before finally settling down. Maybe they still go out for breakfast on Saturday mornings or perhaps ice cream on Sunday afternoons. Maybe he still beats her at mini golf. (Maybe she still lets him win.)

What do you guys think?

Topiary in Monochrome

I've discussed these odd but wonderful Southern California yard creations before. I think they are as much a part of the local landscape as palm trees. They have a certain Dr Seuss quality in their natural green. But don't they look dramatic and surreal in black and white?

Joy Ride

Classic car, heritage trees. (Just another afternoon drive in South Pas.)

Conversation Piece

I pulled over to take a cell phone call and looked out of my window to see these fantastic windows. California's hands free law is great for making you stop and if not smell the roses at least notice the stained glass poinsettias.

Woman's Work

I wasn't sure what it was, exactly. I had never seen any members coming or going. Then, there was that name. I had been searching the internet for"Women's Club of South Pasadena" with few results. (Lessons for living in the now? Federation of Folk Dancing!) Then I looked more closely at the sign. Go ahead and click the picture yourself. I'll wait.

Woman's Club of South Pasadena.

Woman's?

Who is this woman and why does she have her own club?!

I immediately thought of a crazy billionaire heiress sitting alone at a long conference table wearing a tinsel crown and waving a gavel. "It's my organization!" She yells into the empty space. "Mine, all mine!" As it turns out, Woman's Clubs -- ones with informative websites (and many members) -- can be found in many cities across the country. These philanthropic groups have different missions, but all are dedicated to improving their local communities, often through the building of libraries and other forms of public service. You can read a brief Wikipedia entry about the history here.

I should have learned by now not to try and figure out mysterious organizations...

Stairway to Nowhere

A friendly new reader tipped me off to this little bit of South Pas hiking history. It's on Monterey, about a half block east of Foremost Liquor. I couldn't see anything more than overgrown weeds but apparently, somewhere beyond this (blocked!)entrance 272 wooden steps lead all the way up the hill, topping out on Alta Vista. At least at one point they did. The chain link fence renders the whole area off limits now and my reader said the last time he climbed the stairs was back in 1980. Anyone else?

Serenade in Green

I couldn't make out exactly what he was playing, but it was something kind of like this.

Back From Lunch...

...and in my imagination, it included three martinis. Like this other structure, the building in this picture looks too retro to possibly live by today's rules. Voicemail? Nope. Just leave your messages with Velma at the switchboard...

Caption this photo (#37)

I can't wait to see what you guys come up with for this one. Have at it, dear readers...

Raising the Bar...

Reverse Happy Hour? I can imagine it now: you walk in and hear something from a jukebox loaded with Janice Ian, Loretta Lynn and Morrissey. The Karaoke hasn't started up yet, but when it does there is only one song choice. The bar napkins aren't printed with trivia questions, instead you read statistics for things like car crashes, divorces and bed bug infestations. There are no drink specials. There are no cocktail peanuts. There might be, however, a performance artist whose props include stage blood, a painting by Margaret Keane and a powerpoint presentation outlining the effects of global warming...

But what do I know?

Speaking of Birthdays: Glimpses of South Pasadena is 2!

How did I miss it? On July 13, GOSP quietly and uneventfully turned two years old. I'm not sure how it's possible that I have posted 743 photographs of our fair city. (Well, I suppose you can't count this one. Or this one either. But what the heck, that's still 741!)

A big thanks to all of you, my fabulous readers, for your continued collaboration. Your comments give this blog a color and depth I could never achieve on my own. Long-time residents offer an insider's history of South Pasadena. Visitors near and far stretch the boundaries of our San Gabriel Valley neighborhood to span the globe. I may take the pictures and write the posts but you, my readers, make this blog a real community.

Another Shameless Birthday Post

One of these days I'll sleuth around and find out why South Pasadena High School has these numbers in the sidewalk. But for today I'll just use this one to mark my 46th birthday!

I'm hopelessly obnoxious when it comes to birthdays. Everyone's birthdays. Even birthdays of people I don't know. (Yes, I'll sing along in a restaurant when someone is getting serenaded by harried waiters and well-meaning friends. I'll join in from across the room even if I don't know the person. I might even get a little misty-eyed.) That's right, I'm a full-fledged (birthday) card carrying sentimental fool and proud of it.

Birthdays don't always yield the best presents, and sometimes they roll around in the middle of one of those chapters in your life that, if written, might begin with lines like "the primroses were over" or "midway in our life's journey, I went stray from the straight road and woke to find myself alone in a dark wood." or even "as Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."

Life is funny like that.

But birthdays offer a great chance to celebrate, ponder and plan your next big plot line. One with a brand new number on your jersey. So, dear readers, on this day of my birth you are ALL instructed to party hardy and eat cake! I'll be the one in the corner of the restaurant with a silly hat, a "46 is the new 30" T-shirt and an inferno of birthday candles just waiting for a really good wish. (By all means, sing along.)