Perspective

We're standing on what the Thomas Guide calls the "Mount Lowe Mtwy." I don't honestly know what a Mtwy is. Mountainway? Sure, why not?

It's almost sunset. We're looking south and slightly west. Directly beneath us is Altadena; beyond that, the Glendale hills. Downtown Los Angeles rises in the distance (click on the photo to enlarge it).

Electrical towers carry their gracile cables across miles of these mountains. Our local trails meet up with them from time to time. Maybe the Mtwy is there so the towers can be serviced. In turn, it serves an uplifting purpose for a hiker who needs peaceful break from town.

The Rose Lady

I met this lady today while I was poking around the Tournament House taking pictures. She didn't want me to publish her name, but didn't mind her photo being taken. And she was proud of the garden. Tournament House, once the mansion of chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr., is Tournament of Roses HQ.

Roses aren't in season, but they need year 'round care. (At the Tournament House, they must look their best!) Today the Rose Lady was pruning the tree roses under the pergola. She said they were a bit ragged, but I couldn't tell.

The Rose Lady told me it's the job of the Pacific Rose Society to care for the Wrigley garden. As a member of the Society, she has worked in the garden for 21 years. It's a volunteer position, but the person in charge has to be a knowledgeable pro. The Rose Lady is the go-to gal.

City Hall

Pasadena's City Hall has been impressive for over 80 years (it opened in December of 1927). Since its recent retrofit and clean-up job, it positively sparkles.

$3.5 million bought some fancy materials in 1927. They used Alaskan marble to make the stairway treads, wrought iron for the balustrades and cast stone for the wall ornaments. And did you know that the dome, which is red fish-scale tile, was originally multicolored? I learned that from reading this. Oh yes—and within City Hall is a cloistered courtyard garden with a baroque fountain. You can bet there'll be more pictures to come.

Throughout history, edifices such as this one have been built to impress—perhaps even to frighten. When you approach an entrance like this one, you know you'd best behave.

Known for Our Architecture

It might surprise you to learn that across the street from this gem is a lovely, new-looking church. You might also be surprised that this "building" is on the main drag, Colorado Blvd. Yep. Rose Parade route. Bet the TV cameras missed this view. (Double-click to look at the posters close-up. Cigarette packs with sharks!)

From the looks of the lot, soon this will all be a memory. The empty house behind it is enclosed by the same chain-link. It appears a tear-down's a-comin'.

Pasadenans would say this photo's not fair. They'd be right. In recompense, I promise to put up a shot of at least one gorgeous local building this week.

Chess in the Park

A perfect day for a book and a fireplace.

This checkerboard table and chairs sits in the Lower Arroyo Park, across the wash from the parking lot.

I didn't take the photo today. I'd say I didn't want to get my camera wet, but the truth is I didn't want to get me wet. I haven't seen rain like that in a long time! Good for us!

Mars Rover Testing Grounds?

The rain returned this evening, but we had a sunny reprieve today so I took Boz for a run at Hahamongna Watershed Park. We shared the trails with other stir-crazy Pasadenans in need of a dose of sun (double-click on the photo to see a couple of bikers on the left). NASA's (or is it Cal Tech's?) Jet Propulsion Lab positively glistened. Snow topped the highest peaks of the San Gabriels.

I've heard the JPL guys tested the Mars Rover here. Maybe on this very terrain, maybe not. I haven't verified the story. This is one of the catch-basins that occasionally floods when we have rain. Today the water flowed further west (toward the left of this photo), in a river running fast toward the Devil's Gate Dam.

There will be no water at Hahamongna this summer. Nor will there be green. We enjoy it while we can.

Sparkle House

I wonder if there's a rule in the etiquette books about how long one is allowed to display one's holiday decorations. Not that it matters.

This sparkly house was a beacon of charm in yesterday's rain. The peacock munching bugs at the curb added to the pleasing eccentricity of the place.

Storm Clouds Over the Pacific Asia Museum

The Pacific Asia Museum was closed today, as were the LA County Museum of Art and other area art institutions. The New York Times said these museums (major ones) were raided by Federal agents looking for Southeast Asian antiquities thought to have been obtained illegally (i.e., looted) and smuggled into the U.S. in an alleged donation scheme that involved defrauding the IRS.

It was noon when I got to the museum. A few agents stood shivering outside. They were friendly, but didn't say much except the museum was closed for the investigation.

"Western" looting of "eastern" artifacts isn't new. Think of LA's Getty Musem and New York's Metropolitan Museum, both of which have recently been caught with the goods and forced to return them. Hell, think of the Elgin Marbles (which won't likely be returning to Greece any time soon). What's new is the crackdown.

A looted item loses its historical and archaeological context. For months now, I've been following a discussion about the importance of of provenance in Archaeology Magazine, which puts it in layman's terms I can appreciate.

Bad Stunt Weather

I wish I could say I took this photo, but alas, I did not. It was taken by David Thomson of Sun Valley, who emailed it to me today along with this message:

"Attached telephoto I took of a movie crew working on top of the Colorado Street bridge yesterday, so the bridge was closed. I think they've been there for several days now. They removed sections of the fence to set up their shot. The fellow in the yellow jacket may be an actor or stunt man being photographed by the camera suspended overhead by 2 cranes - one on the bridge and the other below. All the harnesses etc. that have him strapped "safely" in place could be removed in "CGI" - post production digital work - if they want him in the shot. They were making lots of takes with just the camera being lowered into the Arroyo and back again...I assumed the camera was supposed to be seeing the point of view of someone jumping off the bridge."

David's an award-winning photographer and a member of the Cinematographer's Guild. He knows what he's talking about. Honestly, when I drove by I thought it was just construction.

David went on to say that a woman he spoke to said she thought the shot was for a Jim Carrey movie. In the Lower Arroyo Park today I spoke to a security guard protecting the film equipment. Indeed, the stunt (which the guard said isn't finished yet because of rain) is for Carrey's upcoming film, "Yes Man."

Mmm...Cupcakes

It was cold and rainy again today. The mountains looked like big, brown cupcakes, frosted with puffy clouds.

Mmm....cupcakes.

The other day, I passed right by Mrs. Beasley's on Fair Oaks Avenue and didn't go in. I resisted temptation. I was nowhere near Fair Oaks Avenue today, and I wistfully regretted that decision.

Storm Light

It was cold today! Well...I'm an acclimated Midwesterner. It wasn't that cold. But wind, drizzle and clouds with temperatures in the low 40's is a blustery day for Pasadena. Good thing this weather skipped yesterday's parade.

The sun decided to show up just before it went down. How the light managed to find this telephone pole and leave out everything around it is beyond me. But thanks to Caltech and JPL this town's full of scientists (including meteorologists), and I'll bet they know all about it.

(Double-click on the photo to enlarge it.)

I received this lovely award from two (count 'em, two!) sources: Jim of Terrell, Texas, and Kim of Celine, Texas (apparently I'm okay in the Lone Star State). You're supposed to pass it on to ten bloggers who make your day, and they pass it on to ten more, and so on.

I'm grateful for this award! But it has taken me three days to get to posting it, and I suspect some other bloggers might feel the pressure as much as I do. So first I'm going to thank Jim and Kim, because I'm new at this and they've been so generous. Then I'm going to bend/break the rules a little. Kind of like breaking a chain letter. (I'm the worst person to send one to, I guarantee I'll break it.)

Lots of blogs would take up my entire day if only I had that much time to surf the web! So check out these wonderful photo blogs and see the world! These bloggers make my day. I hope they make yours.

Eric at Paris Daily Photo
Monoblog at Izmir Daily Photoblog
Lynn at Cheltenham Daily Photo
Jules at Vietnam, Same But Different
Vlada and Igor at Belgrade Daily Photo (Jena Fotka Na Dan)
Gerald at Hyde Daily Photo
Dina at Daily Photo Niger
Jilly at Menton Daily Photo
and of course Kim at Celina Daily Photo
and the ever-lovin' Jim at Terrell Texas in Pictures
and many, many more. Use the City Daily Photo search at the left side of this page to find a city.

Many thanks to Kim and Jim for their extra encouragement.

And I'll be watching for Tehran Daily Photo by Farnoosh! Hope it happens soon.

Gettin' Our Doo Dahs Out

Hmmm, what to post, what to post? A photo of the Sperm Donors of South Pasadena as they squirt free "samples"? Maybe the Men of Leisure Drill Team, napping in the middle of Colorado Blvd. The picture of the L.A. French Quarter Synchronized Baguette Brigade routine came out blurry. Very-close-to-naked ladies carrying a mattress on their heads? Nah, everybody's going to post that one.

Today the 31st Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade made its merry way down Colorado Blvd. Or maybe up. Tourists camp out over night in the cold for the "other parade." But this one's for us locals--well, for some of us--so we brought our lawn chairs about an hour before the parade to get a good spot in the sun.

I had a hard time deciding what to post. I wanted to capture the parade's silliness as well as its exuberance. Exuberance won out.

Fraser Alley Art

Along about World War II, downtown Pasadena wasn't looking so good. By the late 1940's, nobody was much interested in opening new businesses there, and things deteriorated. This might have been a good thing for Old Town Pasadena, because nobody bothered to renovate the buildings and they retained their historic character.

By the mid-1990s, however, revitalization was well underway. Now Old Town is known for great shopping and dining. It's also known for its historical buildings. Oh--and did I mention its pretty alleys? I think I must have said something before about pretty alleys.

This garage door is in Fraser Alley, which runs parallel to Colorado Blvd. on the south. Click on the photo to enlarge it and see the stenciled artwork peeking back at you.

Altadena Alley

Pasadena's north side borders on Altadena, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. (Altadena's north side borders on the San Gabriel mountains.) Altadena has its own town council, but has resisted being governed by Pasadena or anybody else.

Altadena's character can't be defined in a word. It's artsy, diverse, old-timey, forward-thinking, stuck in its ways and anti-establishment. It is its own self, one might say, defiantly.

In an alley behind Mariposa Street, I came upon this door. Told you our alleys are pretty.

State of the Arroyo

I'm disappointed because I got home too late to attend the "State of the City" event this evening at the Rose Bowl. Not just at the stadium. Inside the new locker room complex. A female doesn't get a chance to visit those rooms very often unless she's a sportswriter or a cleaning lady.

Mayor Bill Bogaard will be speaking tonight, so I've decided to comfort myself with this photo, which was a contender for yesterday's post. I had the pleasure of being introduced to the mayor at the event for the Central Arroyo Stream Restoration. While Andy Byrne, Program Manager of the Arroyo Seco Foundation, made the introductions, Mayor Bogaard waited to go on and I snapped this picture.

The bridge in the background is not the Colorado Street Bridge. (That's behind the mayor in this photo.) The one you see here is merely an onramp to the westbound 134 freeway. If you think our freeways are pretty, wait until you see our alleys.

Wonder

I attended a civic function today on the Parker-Mayberry Bridge, under the Colorado Street Bridge. I had never been there before.

We were there for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the Central Arroyo Stream Restoration. To quote the press release, "Stream habitat enhancements, runoff treatment and devices that prevent trash from polluting streams are among the components of this exciting $2.5 million project that will turn [the] Central Arroyo into a model of what can be done in urban areas to help clean up waterways." The City of Pasadena loves to partner with organizations like the Arroyo Seco Foundation to do good stuff like this.

After the speeches, the mayor and other dignitaries planted a native oak and posed for photos while everyone cheered. In all the hubbub, I noticed this father and son across the Arroyo, standing under the Colorado Street Bridge and wondering what the heck was going on.

A Bit of Paris

Colorado may be the famous boulevard but Green Street, paralleling Colorado to the south, is its sophisticated cousin. Lined with vine-covered buildings, boutiques and cafés (mon dieu! I had to go seek an accent aigu!), Green Street always has a surprise for you, even if you think you've seen everything it has to offer.

You know the food is good at Il Capo, so you may ask why the tables are empty. I took this photo yesterday at lunch time and there were plenty of people inside. But the southern sun was blazing on those red chairs, and we had the only table in the shade.

Antique Hues

From the Rose Bowl Flea Market to high end antique shops, I can safely brag that Pasadena has it all (and lots of all of it). It can get pricey, too! Pasadena's known for its Craftsman and Arts & Crafts homes, so of course that era is well represented in the shops. But every other era has its dealers here as well. So does every European monarch who ever had furniture named after him. If you like shopping for antiques—or if you just like shopping—Pasadena's a prime spot.

I caught this shot at Antiques on Fair Oaks today, where they gave me a cup of coffee when I walked in the door. Friendly!

Flea Market Ladies

I hear the Rose Bowl Flea Market is world famous. It ought to be, if for no other reason than sheer size. The second Sunday of every month, vendors surround the stadium selling everything new, used, old, horrible, fabulous, grotesque or sublime.

In proving the adage, "One man's trash is another man's treasure," you may have to dig deep--or walk a long way. Use your imagination, wear comfortable shoes, and bring plenty of cash.

Grand Opening

Melody Soul Food Restaurant, on Washington Blvd. at N. Hudson Ave., is having its grand opening. I haven't eaten there yet, but I intend to remedy that situation before the balloons come down.

Balloons make things more festive. It's a proven fact.

Companions

As usually happens, I was on my way to take pictures of something else when this pair of old friends caught my eye in East Washington Village, on Washington near Hill.

Good things come in twos. And in pink!

Out of Line

Built in 1898 as an annex to the long-gone Hotel Green, Castle Green on Raymond Avenue is one of Pasadena's most recognizable buildings. Maybe not from this angle.

You can rent grand, Victorian rooms for filming, weddings or other events. Or if you love the place (and if there's an opening) you can live there. The Castle is normally closed to the public, but at holiday time, tours of the building take you into private apartments.

This gate on the south side of the building guards the castle. Although it looks like one of the guards is breaking ranks.

Peeking Under the Devil

While I show you around Pasadena, I'm learning to use my Olympus SP-350, which I had for a year and a half before I bothered to read the manual.

Under the Devil's Gate Dam I found shadows and light. This relatively simple camera (by today's standards) picked them up pretty well.

That's Boz in the lower right corner of the photo. He often accompanies me when I shoot. He's not particularly interested in photography, so usually he stays out of the frame. But I can't guarantee he won't show up from time to time.

Sign Sign

I wonder how many times I've driven past this. I suppose it's a good thing I never noticed it, because when you're driving you're supposed to watch the road. But lately I've been parking the car and getting out to take photos. When you do that, you see things you never noticed before. Today I parked across the street from this parking garage on Union Street, intent on taking photos of something else.

And there it was.

Water Everywhere

Tucked up above Devil's Gate Dam and below NASA's (or, as we like to think, Pasadena's) Jet Propulsion Lab, is a hiking/biking/dog walking heaven called Hahamongna Watershed Park. Most of the time you'd be hard pressed to find much water there. But after a weekend of rain, boy howdy! Devil's Gate Dam was doing it's job, and the watershed basin lived up to its purpose.

Where did they get that name, Hahamongna? Try saying it five times fast. I shouldn't complain. People have trouble pronouncing my name all the time.

Those river rocks I mentioned before--I believe they're manufactured in places like this.

Ubiquitous

River rocks are everywhere. They seem to have always been basic Pasadena building material. Fences, walls, columns, fountains--all kinds of things are made of them. This retaining wall caught my eye while I stood on the Holly Street Bridge shooting pictures of the Rose Bowl the other day. I had never noticed the wall before.

Farmers Market, Rain or Shine

The rain let up for the Farmers Market, but attendance was slim today on both sides of the counter. Some of the farmers we usually see didn't make the drive. Who can blame them? Many come from surrounding counties, and that can be a long drive when the skies threaten and you know there won't be a lot of buyers. Plus, rain is a mighty good excuse not to get up at 3AM.

Farmers Markets happen every day in SoCal, and many of the same merchants sell at several of them. At the Saturday market in the parking lot of Pasadena High School, we can purchase fresh fish, nuts, artisanal olives, handmade cheeses, flowers, decorative plants, handmade granola and cookies and a variety of breads, as well as the seasonal fruits and vegetables you'd expect. There's another market Tuesday mornings at Villa Parke Center, and one in South Pasadena Thursday evenings.

Besides the fresh, organic food the best perk is getting to know the people who produce it. You can't beat that.

Rain

It's raining in southern California today. It's supposed to rain all weekend. We're not very good at dealing with it. We drive in rain like southerners drive in snow. (Midwesterners make fun of us for this--I know, because I'm a transplanted Midwesterner.)

Even so, we welcome the opportunity to practice our rain coping skills. The weather experts tell us three days of downpour won't solve our drought problems. It's better than no rain at all, though, which is what we've been having for a long time.

It was mid-afternoon when I took this one, but it seemed later because of the cloudy darkness. The location is facing south on San Marino Avenue at California Blvd. (That part's easy enough to figure out.)

Tear-down

This crew was dismantling the Rose Parade bleachers in front of the Vons grocery store on Colorado Blvd. at Sierra Madre Blvd. this afternoon.

When I look at the mountains in the background I think, no matter the job, you can't beat the setting. I grew up in the flat lands of Illinois--a beautiful area, but I'm always amazed when I look up and see mountains. Around here, that means I'm amazed pretty much all the time.

Does the crane get a parking ticket?

Quiet Grandstand

The clean-up crews were already sweeping litter while the game was underway yesterday. The grandstands will be here for a few more days. This is the one that faces west at the northern part of Orange Grove Avenue, between Green Street and Colorado Blvd. The floats make their right turn onto Colorado at the left side of the photo, by the American flag.

The Rose Bowl

Welcome to Pasadena Daily Photo! Of all days, it's most fitting to start on New Year's Day. Pasadena's calm enough throughout the year, but this town throws a new year's party like nobody else, with the colorful Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl football game.

I admit I'm not a fan of crowds, so even though U of I is my alma mater I didn't go to the game today. This photo was taken during the game, looking north from the Holly Street bridge. It gives you an idea of the size of the mob I missed spending my afternoon with. More cars were parked on the golf course north of the stadium, and on front lawns of enterprising citizens living in the surrounding neighborhoods. Nearly every parking lot in town is full, if not with RVs, then with Rose Parade floats. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)