Altadena "Catacombs"

The Altadena Hiker called this waterway "the catacombs." Your dictionary will tell you a catacomb is a subterranean burial chamber.

So where are the dead bodies? Perhaps the Hiker knows. I'm not going to argue with her. Instead, I tried to make it look scary by messing with the picture. But in truth, it's just more beauty. Even the drainage ditches are pretty. That's Altadena for you.

And that's all for Altadena, at least for now.

Bucolic Altadena

There are quite a lot of cabins in our area. You may come across them while hiking in the hills above Pasadena or Sierra Madre. Some are historic and rustic. Many are hard to get to, all are in beautiful places.

This one's in a beautiful place: Altadena. It's easy to get to; the Altadena Hiker and I came across it while hiking on a residential street.

Tomorrow's the last day of our Altadena hike. I've enjoyed this a lot. I thank Karin for showing me so many great places, and especially for being good company.

Altadena Departure

Walking through a residential part of Altadena, the "town of extremes" as the Altadena Hiker put it, we came upon this flight of stairs leading to a modern home. Just to show you how extreme Altadena can be, I turned from the spot where I shot yesterday's photo and shot this one looking in the opposite direction. They're just a few steps apart. Karin and I guessed they're on the same property.

I wasn't going to post this one. I had two more, one for today and one for Friday, then it was going to be "au revoir, Altadena." But there's something about this picture I like. I think it's because it's a departure for me. Not my usual.

So we'll have our Friday Altadena shot and save the kittycombs for Saturday. Then it will indeed be "Altadena, au revoir."

Extreme Altadena

I don't think anyone actually lives here. But in comments the other day on a post about an Altadena mansion, the Hiker herself said "Altadena is a town of extremes" so I couldn't resist.

The Altadena Hiker led me through an almost secret neighborhood I'm not sure I could find again, a place so private we ambled down the street completely undisturbed by people, or by traffic of any kind. We finally came across a man sitting near this trailer and asked if he minded if we took some photos. He didn't.

This week we'll finish our hike with the Hiker, then I'll hand over Altadena to Debbi. I'm loathe to give up Altadena! Well, I can still take pictures there (I don't think I could stop!) , I just won't post them here. It is a pretty, pretty place. It's as close to hillbilly country as you can get and still be in LA. And I mean that in a good way.

Home Shopping #3: Mediterranean Altadena

Karin, the Altadena Hiker, knows where all the good stuff is in her neighborhood. This Mediterranean Mansion looks suitable, doesn't it? When a home goes on the market these days it gets its own website. Take a look at this.

I love all the French doors, the archways, the dark wood. The back yard and patio are fab. I'm just going to mention that I could do without the murals. As for the kitchen, I haven't decided what to do with it yet. Maybe it needs a remodel or maybe there's just too much in there. It's different, I'll give you that. Otherwise, this house is ready for me to move in.

Ah. Then again, there's that staff I mentioned the other day. I'll have to have at least a cleaning lady (or I'd be happy with a cleaning man), a gardener, a cook and a masseuse to keep this place in order.

Zen Monday: #36

Zen Monday is the day you experience the photo and give us your thoughts rather than me telling you what the photo's about.
There's no right or wrong. If the photo evokes something in you, that's all it is.

As each new Zen Monday is posted, a label is added to last week's to identify it (if I know what it is).

Patrician Altadena

We're back on our Altadena walk with the AltadenaHiker. I snapped a shot of this stately home and was gratified when the Hiker told me the people who live there are "so friendly." I don't know why, I just liked hearing that. Maybe it's because I like to think rich folks are people too, and if/when I'm rich, people will still like me.

Not all of Altadena's neighborhoods look like this one, but east of Lake Avenue you'll find many of the sort of homes you wouldn't even want if you couldn't afford the staff to help with the upkeep. I don't mind telling you I've done some fantasizing about these homes. Yes, and about having employees to do the tasks I don't want to do. A cleaning lady! A cleaning lady! My kingdom for a...* Well that doesn't make any sense, does it? Then what would she clean?

I think these folks are conserving water. Rich folks can be decent too.

I promised you an announcement today, and here it is: There's a new blog in town and it's called Altadena Daily Photo! Writer/photographer/Altadena resident Debbi Swanson Patrick has taken up the task. This means that once we've finished our hike with the Hiker, I'm going to officially leave the Altadena turf to Deb. Bonne chance, Debbi!


*Inspiration: The Altadenahiker herself.