Saturday, November 21, 2009

Autumn in Orange Heights

I snapped this just because the light's pretty. Sometimes that's all I need.

If you enlarge the photo you can see the stone pillar on the right and the stone wall at center. Both are typical of Craftsman architecture in Pasadena. In this case I'd guess the pillar at right (part of a gate) is a recent addition and the wall is original to the house. These stones (locally called "river rocks") are everywhere you turn around here.

I've got a busy weekend getting ready for more than one celebration this week. What's to celebrate? So, so much. It has been a hard year for many--including some of my loved ones. Some of it's been tough for me, too. But as a friend told me today, it's easy to look at what's going wrong; she finds it healthier to look at what's going right.

It's blessing-counting time. Can you look around yourself and find the good things? Once I start counting blessings I can't stop.

21 comments:

Bellis said...

I'm counting my blessing that I was briefly able to peek into the future and see tomorrow's post. Or maybe I'm clairvoyant? It's a beautiful photo, the height of orange.

Desiree said...

Gorgeous! I love the autumn light--

Petrea Burchard said...

Well, it went up a little early I guess. I'm not going to take it down. Good night and good morning!

Vanda said...

It is pretty, and the light is great. I like the accent of red flowers on the shrubbery to the left. Makes me think of a hot cup of earl grey.

John Sandel said...

Good seeing. Nice to have a tool that does justice to your eye, ennit?

Shell Sherree said...

That light is pretty, Petrea ~ and your gratitude for such simple things is a lovely reminder. By the way, I look at the stonework there and visions of the Brady Bunch house dance in my head.

Dina said...

Beautiful color.
Long live our attitude of gratitude.

Italo said...

NIce photo. Yes, the light!!! Today I wanted to take a picture of the panorama in my village. Fog and black trees (well, dark not black :D)

Sahildeki Ev said...

Wonderful photo.. Shadows give such a great touch.

Virginia said...

Most of the time, the light is all I need too. I would have been all over that shot just like you were and you captured it perfectly. We have similar rock here but not as large on the old houses in my neighborhood. Beautiful Petrea and i count you as one of my blessings!
V

Anonymous said...

I second and third all the compliments.

Trish said...

a beautiful shot and house indeed, I once knew it well.

riverrock is amazingly available---yet over the years, many architects and designers have removed it. Drive out the 210 near Claremont and bingo, you have a field of rock for as far as the eye can see---that could supply just about every house in the LA area several times over. I never get tired of it, but I'm a little biased.

am glad you are celebrating, even in these tough times. my sister says a little thank you to G-d or whomever every day when little things go right, along with the big things too. Someone pulls out RIGHT in front of the shop you get your nails done? Thank you! Find a nickle on the ground? Thank you! The light turns green and you hesitate just a moment to change the radio dial and ergo, miss getting creamed by a semi? Thank you! It certainly makes the day easier to handle---even the cr@ppier things, when you realize how much you DO have to be thankful for!

Petrea Burchard said...

Good morning, everyone, happy Saturday!

Vanda, now that I've got my coffee, Earl Grey sounds kind of nice.

J: Yes it is, sweetie, especially since I'm starting to learn the knobs and buttons (but now I'm getting technical).

Shell, I used to live a couple of blocks from the Brady Bunch house in North Hollywood. I could go take a photo of it for you, but you can find it on Google images. Funny thing: when you see it, you recognize it. You know it's the house. But there's no way there could be stairs where they were in the sit-com of memory.

Thanks, Dina. It helps and I wish I had it every day.

Italo, I hope you took the picture!

Aysegul, thank you.

Thank you, Virginia. I feel the same way about you. Now you've gotten me started counting blessings--each and every blog visitor, whether they comment or not, and the blog, and my camera, and my ability to communicate, and so on...

Merci Hiker, much appreciated.

You're so right, Trish. Gratitude can also lift your spirits when everything's going wrong. If you look around for something to be grateful for you can always find it.

John Sandel said...

"The Sit-Com of Memory" … a trenchant memoir of life in 20th-century America.

Every chapter would have a snappy intro, a comic twist & a tidy conclusion. No Dealey Plazas, Vietnams, Watergates, Iran-Contras or Hanging Chads need apply. Every house would remind every other house of itself; every family would face their trivial travails with cocked heads and crooked smiles.

How better to have this "bright, guilty world"* with its compromises and horrors, if only for the days when we can walk down a street and see light like this fall on a house so doughty.




___________________________________________
* Orson Welles, "Lady From Shanghai" (1948)

pasadenapio said...

I'm thankful for healthy and happy daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.

Ms M said...

The dappled light is so beautiful! I love taking photos like this too, when they present themselves.
Thank you for sharing yours :)

Petrea Burchard said...

Thanks, Ann, for sharing your gratitude.

Thank you, Ms. M. They do have to present themselves, don't they?

J: the "sit-com of memory" phrase reminds me: when I moved to Los Angeles and started exploring I found myself feeling constantly nostalgic for my childhood, always sad for long lost times. Yet I'd never been here before. I didn't know why LA made me feel that way until I realized I'd been watching it on TV all my life. Los Angeles had stood in for every city in every movie and TV show I'd watched growing up.

-K- said...

As hokey as it may be, a gratitude list rarely fails to calm me down. And sometimes I actually write one down, if only mentally, for no reason at all, a habit I should really try to develop.

WV Snagboo

Petrea Burchard said...

It always works on me, too, -K-, if I remember to do it.

Amy said...

Ooh, gorgeous dappled light! Perfect reason to take a photo.

Danial Bigham said...

It's raining leaves! Fantastic Autumn color photos!