Clockers' Corner

I don't know a darned thing about horse racing. I just know that Clockers' Corner at the Santa Anita Racetrack is one of my favorite restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley. I like it so much I shouldn't even tell you about it. In fact, nevermind. It's awful. The setting is a dirty old racetrack with these big, green, lumpy mountains in the background. Plus palm trees! I mean, palm trees are not indigenous to southern California! And the food--well, the food might be tasty and fresh, but they don't charge much for it! What kind of place is that? And what kind of place makes you sit outside in the sunshine and watch magnificent horses work out while you relax and eat?

I'm telling you, don't go. They're only open from 7am-10am so forget it. It's too much trouble.

A Fantasy Novel

My favorite sights at last year's Renaissance Pleasure Faire were the behind-the-scenes campsites. Many Faire workers live in these tents (maybe only on weekends?), living out a mediaeval fantasy.

I have my own fantasies. One has become a completed novel called Camelot & Vine. It's about Casey Clemens, a minor Hollywood actress who falls through a gap in time, accidentally saves King Arthur's life, lies to him about magical powers she doesn't have and must face death and forgiveness to redeem herself.

I loved the process of writing the book. Now it's time to get it published. I'm not going to post about it every day (how many suits of armor and Avalon Funeral Homes can there be in the Dena, anyway?) but I might ask your indulgence from time to time and of course I'll update you when there's news. Today's post is by way of warning: next Thursday, May 3rd, my blog post will be a contest entry. I'll be posting my query letter (a sales pitch to potential literary agents) and the first 250 words of my novel as part of "The Writer's Voice" contest. There won't be any other explanation, so I hope you'll play along and not just say, "WTF?"

The contest is sponsored by four different book bloggers. Have a look:
Cupid's Literary Connection
Brenda Drake Writes
Love YA
Mother. Write. (Repeat.)
Nose around their fine blogs and see what's what. They've all got a lot going on. Maybe you've got a potential contest entry, too.

So this is a heads up. Next Thursday I'll be my own Guest Author. Feel free to comment and we'll see how it goes. And wish me luck! Some fantasies do become reality.

Commute, 1

Last week folks reacted positively to the Anawalt elephant. I see a lot of interesting things on my Wednesday commute to Hollywood. I don't get to photograph all of them because I'm driving, but if and when traffic stops (and it does, oh yes it does), I pass my wait time taking pictures of the good stuff. So perhaps Thursday is a good time to post the shots I get on the Wednesday drive.

I took this one on Santa Monica Blvd. somewhere around the junction of Hollywood and Silverlake (the areas, not the boulevards). I haven't been down Santa Monica Blvd. lately so I'm not sure if it's still there. I'm glad I got it when I did.

I had this photo for a while before I noticed what was extra special about this artwork.

The Bridge Endures

It can't hurt to post a photo of the Colorado Street Bridge, can it? This one's not perfectly framed, but I wanted a shot of that climbing, clinging vine. I don't know if the vine's still there; I took this shot quite a while ago. But we've had cloudy days of late, so it's a fitting picture.

There will be a Bridge party this year, on July 14th. Watch the Pasadena Heritage website for information. If you haven't attended one of these parties, give it a try. Though it gets crowded there's something magical about being able to hang out on a major thoroughfare while you drink a locally-brewed beer and listen to music. They close the road to vehicles and you can walk across, gaze out over the Arroyo and enjoy one of Pasadena's loveliest landmarks.

If I'm not mistaken, one of the reasons for the founding of Pasadena Heritage was to preserve this very bridge. Thanks to them, the bridge will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2013. This year, we're going to party like it's 99.

Titania's Bench

William Shakespeare's presumed 448th birthday (and the 396th anniversary of his death) landed on Zen Monday, so I saved this picture for today.

On a stroll through South Pasadena I saw this bench, a perfect spot for faeries. I don't recommend it as a chair for bards, though, unless they wear rubber pantaloons, because that bright green seat color is moss. But it's fine for faeries and other woodland creatures. It might even be a nice place for Bottom to rest his a**.

Zen Monday: #193

photo by John Sandel

 Zen Monday is the day you experience the photo and tell us what it means. I suggest you leave your ideas in the comments, because we can't all hear you from there.

Many thanks to my husband, John Sandel, for spotting this one.

Downstairs Downtown

I went out the other night!

After dark and everything!

I know!

Old Town Pasadena has nooks and crannies, too many to count. I like to wander there any time, to peek into places that appear to be secrets. But after dark an intrigue is added, perhaps imagined, perhaps real. Alleys, stairwells, doorways--everything looks different in artificial light and the shadows it throws. At night, I notice things I've never seen during the day. And they become stories in my head, or thoughts I shouldn't be thinking.