Hawk Eyed

I occasionally see hawks around Los Angeles. Usually, they just cruise by high overhead. But for the most part the wild parrots rule the San Gabriel Valley -- and they are a territorial crew. That means any tough guy hawk poking his beak around here could be in for the bird equivalent of a street fight out of the movie Colors.

So not only is it unusual to see hawks close up in a residential neighborhood, but I'll wager it's extremely rare to see one fluttering around in various street puddles for days after a rain. Like this little guy, who managed to take three or four baths this week. (You'll just have to take my word for it. By the time I grabbed my camera, he was halfway down the street and up on this branch.)

Caption this photo... (#5)

I have nothing for this one, folks. Anyone want to take a crack at captioning this photo?

Joy on Two Wheels

South Pasadena streets accommodate a fair share of cyclists -- from casual riders pedaling old beach cruisers to competitive athletes whizzing down El Centro toward the Arroyo. (I fall squarely into the former category. My husband is closer to the latter.) H.G. Wells once wrote that after cycling, "One dream is inevitable. A memory of motion lingers in the muscles of your legs, and round and round they seem to go. You ride through Dreamland on wonderful dream bicycles that change and grow." I think he summed it up best when he said, "Cycle tracks will abound in Utopia." Indeed! Think there is no such thing as a free ride? Just hop on a bike. No other form of transportation feels quite as unencumbered. Or liberating.

And on a very personal note: Happy birthday, Groom! Here's to a year of wind at our backs in our own little Utopia...

Eddie Park after dark...

I originally posted about the lovely and magical Eddie Park here. I couldn't resist stopping and grabbing my tripod the other night when I drove past it and saw the old house lit up and glittering. (I know the logical explanation is that it was the setting for a meeting of some sort. But I like to think the ghosts were having a party.)

Acropolis above South Pas?

I never know what I'm going to discover when I wander up and around South Pasadena's winding hills. (Hey, do you think this is where she lost her head?)

House Blend

After my recent focus on Craftsman architecture, I thought I'd break things up with a bit of Victorian. But wouldn't you know it? Arts and Crafts style still managed to sneak in. Look at the geometric positioning of slats in the porch railing, and notice the Craftsman-style windows. I love how these two designs merged a bit in the very early part of the 20th Century before Craftsman became more common.

UPDATE: Mister Earl -- my fabulous reader and researcher supreme -- discovered this great information about the house and a tour of the interior right here. Now I love the place even more!

Big Smile

We should think like a three year old...

My little daughter kept asking me when we were going to drive past "that happy face place" again. I had no idea what she meant until we were driving on El Centro and she pointed at the spartan Dynasty Iron Doors building and exclaimed, "There's that happy face place! See Mommy? That whole place is smiling."

Happy face place, indeed!

Yeah, there's a logical explanation for this sort of thing -- buzzkillers, those neuroscientists -- but I prefer, like my little girl, to assume the world is smiling at me. (And, apparently, so does this guy!)

Night Puddles

It rained yesterday. I just had to go slogging through the soaked grass at Garfield Park last night to capture those wet sidewalks. As usual, the resulting image makes me think of a poem -- this one by Langston Hughes:

Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.

(I also thought of this great one by Bukowski...)

Sidewalk Observation...

Yoga is said to help bring about states of harmony, balance and joy. Well, I'm a believer even without being a practitioner because every time I walk past Mission Street Yoga, I am struck by the pleasing combination of colors and textures -- it's a little bit of a trippy, happy holiday to just pass by.

Today, I noticed this woman in the window. Her shirt matches one column, her purse matches another, and she appears so perfectly placed, it's as if someone sent an art director ahead of me to set up a great shot . Harmony! Balance! Joy!

Remind me to check out the class schedule because I love the vibe of this place.

The Craftsman Challenge: Round 3

Gotcha!

Finally, after months of futile snapping, here is an image that begins to hope to dare to possibly approximate what a Craftsman house actually looks like in person. (Though still not exactly. I am beginning to feel like one of those obsessed types who try to snag a shot of the Loch Ness monster. Or ghosts in The Rialto.)

Isn't it gorgeous? I don't think I'll ever stop marveling at these historical gems. South Pasadena simply glitters with them.

Ocean Liquor Store

I haven't been inside this store. In fact, I haven't been inside any liquor store since I lived in Venice Beach in my 20s and bought Lotto tickets, Marlboro Reds and Pabst Blue Ribbon at a seedy place called Dan's Liquor Locker. (Ah, youth...)

But from all appearances, Ocean Liquor Store is well-stocked!

A New President

A new president takes his oath today ... and I think we owe it to the country to pledge a few things, too. May we demand all that is honorable and investigate that which is questionable. May we expect a little more than is attainable and contribute all that is possible. May we allow for mistakes without making excuses. May we indulge in optimism without losing our critical thought. May we recognize that hope and change are most powerful when used as verbs ... and that each one of us must participate in our own government. May we cling fast to the strengths of our relatively young democracy: reason and lawfulness and fairness and freedom. And humor. And tenacity. May we insist upon accountability. (Ourselves, included.) May we rediscover humility. May we embrace diversity. May we offer the best of our dreams and wishes at a time when the zeitgeist shimmers with possibility.

And may we offer our warmest greetings to the new guy in charge.

Welcome, Mister President. Your country is waiting.