The Idea Bowl

At the Charles Lummis Home

I've still got a few more things to do to get Camelot & Vine published in all formats, but most of the work is done.

It feels odd to be finished with something I've been working on for so long. With John teaching at the Script Kitchen and working on a couple of film projects, neither of us has had much free time in longer than we care to admit.

So when we take a day off, we don't know what to do with ourselves. Art Museum? (Not in the mood.) Hike? (We always hike, let's do something unusual.) Shopping? (As soon as the book makes enough money!)

There are a million things to do around here, but when the occasion arises, it's hard to think of the right one. So when one of us has an idea ("You'd like the Lummis Home," or "That exhibit at the Huntington sounds interesting"), we write it on a little piece of paper and put it in a bowl. The bowl, made of green glass, sits atop the built-in shelf in the living room.

The bowl is filling up. Soon there will be a day when we're both free. If we can't think of what to do, we'll pull a piece of paper from the bowl.

I don't know if this is going to work, but it's worth a try.

El Alisal

I went to the Lummis House and took about a hundred pictures. Most of them aren't very interesting and it's too bad, because the house and garden are lovely. But I like this shot of the drinking fountain.

Charles Lummis walked to Los Angeles from Ohio, back when there was more than traffic to worry about. Along the way, he filed stories with the Los Angeles Times. When he arrived, he became the paper's first City Editor.

He built his home, El Alisal, with his own hands. It took him twelve years (1898-1910). The house is one of the earliest examples of Craftsman architecture in the U.S. Each door, each window, is different from the last, because they're all made by hand. The house is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12-4, and it's free. You're welcome to make a donation.

And it's okay about the pictures because I intend to go back and take more.

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