Ubiquitous, Too

An article in Pasadena Weekly last fall recounted complaints of Pasadenans plagued by helicopter noise. Indeed, sometimes I think the only thing more ubiquitous here than helicopters is river rocks. Yet the police only admit to 7 copters in the local fleet. It just seems like more because they're LOUD.

Those airborne officers have a job to do, and they've got the stats to prove the copters help them do it. We could get quieter helicopters, but the price tag's pretty hefty.

And even then, there'd still be traffic copters, and the Altadena Mountain Rescue copters (I think those are the orange ones), and the copters that land at the Jet Propulsion Lab from time to time (bringing dignitaries or scientists or whoever gets flown privately to JPL), and the water-dropping copters in fire season, and...

Gold for a Gray Day

It's natural to love green when you live in a dry climate. We gorge on it when we can. We had rain this spring so it's very green around Pasadena right now, and I've posted a lot of green photos lately. But I mustn't overindulge.

Today it's cool outside, and the sky is gray. A little shopping might be in order.

I like Antiques on Fair Oaks: great selection and no snobs. They answer your questions but don't hover. And last time we were there they gave me a cup of coffee to sip while I shopped. (Imagine! I could've spilled on grandmother's velvet!)

When you're finished at Antiques on Fair Oaks you have only to step out the door to continue shopping. The strip along Fair Oaks south of Del Mar has several wonderful antique shops with a wide range of prices. We've seen everything from authentic Craftsman chairs in perfect condition, to smaller items one could call mere second-hand junk. All of it we wanted, some of it we bought (guess which).

Thank You, Virginia

Yesterday's photo was taken at the Cobb Estate, 107 acres at the top of Lake Avenue in Altadena. The land sits across Las Flores Canyon from the beginnings of the Sam Merrill Trail. The best information I've found about the estate is in a book called Altadena's Golden Years, compiled by Robert H. Peterson. You can get it at Webster's, and some online sellers.

There were once gold mines in Las Flores canyon, but by the time Charles H. Cobb came along they'd been "worked out." Cobb purchased the estate 1916, built his home there the following year and raised a family. He was a Mason, and contributed to the building fund for the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Pasadena. When he died in 1939, the home was converted to a Masonic Home. Later the Sisters of St. Joseph used the house as a retreat. The Marx Brothers (yes, honk honk!), Groucho, Harpo and Gummo (Chico was busy?), acquired the property in the late 1950's, but soon vandals ravaged the house and it was torn down in 1959.

Eventually developers got the bright idea that 107 unused wooded acres would look just fabulous once they were paved and covered with houses. The community was up in arms, but who had the money to stop the development? After a fundraising campaign involving conservation clubs, citizens and schools, it was philanthropist Virginia Steele Scott who swooped in late in 1971 and made it possible for the Cobb Estate to become a wildlife sanctuary (see wildlife in yesterday's post).

I wonder if these steps led to the front door of the Cobb house. Perhaps they're modest kitchen steps, or they led to an outbuilding. As you wander the paths and roadways of the estate, you come across several ruins peeking from the weeds, and wonder what they might have been.

Fauna

Proof positive that our young people are not only good looking, they also grow on trees.

More on the Cobb Estate tomorrow.

Vroman's

I realize this doesn't look like your normal bookstore. But Vroman's isn't your normal bookstore. It's Bookseller of the Year.

Yeah, I brag about Pasadena. But in this case I have Publishers Weekly to back me up.

Vroman's is our largest local independent bookseller. Their selection reflects a less homogeneous clientele than that of a chain store. It reflects Pasadena. It's ours, part of the community since 1894. You can study writing or crafts at Vroman's Ed, there's always an interesting author or speaker, and when you buy something, a percentage of your purchase goes to a local charity of your choosing.

Every kind of author from local success stories to past American presidents to international stars appears at Vroman's for book signings. Out front there's a newsstand and Zeli Coffee Bar. Out back is this pretty plaza where you can relax and read if there's nothing official going on. (The wires above are sparkly lights for night-time events.)

Vroman's thrives at a time when other independent bookstores are closing. I don't know enough about the book business to tell you why. But my guess is it's a combination of reasons too many to mention, starting with: it's not your normal bookstore.

Music in the Mansion

The Fenyes Mansion at the Pasadena Museum of History looks so bright in the sun it'll make you squint. I was nosing around on their website, and did you know they're going to have opera singers? In the mansion? That's so intimate. And so—I don't know—rich.

It's called Music in the Mansion: Timeless Treasures, and the first of three concerts is Tuesday, April 8th. (Go here and scroll down.) You still have time to call for reservations at 626-577-1660, ext. 10.

If opera's not your thing, there's other stuff to do at the PM of H: wander the gardens, browse the museum exhibits, tour the Fenyes Mansion.

My favorite thing about the mansion: almost all the furnishings are original, down to the lace curtains imported by the original owner more than 100 years ago. That's not only rich, it's rare. And so—I don't know—intimate.

Theme Day: Water

Water's a big deal in southern California, and getting bigger. Or should I say smaller? We're in the midst of a drought, and the stuff's getting harder to come by. Pasadena's City Council is projecting a water shortage and has implemented a plan. Well—we're all implementing the plan. At least, we'd better be.

The flood control basins at Hahamongna Watershed Park did their job this spring. Above, ducks enjoy the mountain run-off in a basin south of JPL in a photo I took January 11th.

I took the photo below on March 8th. Easy come, easy go.
178 City Daily Photo blogs are participating in theme day this month. Click on a few and have an adventure!

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