Sarah Emery Bunn at The Womens Room

Clients and volunteers gather at The Women's Room, where Sarah Emery Bunn donates massages.

When I heard about Sarah Emery Bunn, I immediately wanted to post about her. She and I have been trying to coordinate our schedules for a while, and I'm glad we got this one in under the (daily blogging) wire.

When Sarah's job at Caltech was downsized and she had some time on her hands, she decided to study massage therapy. With her certificate in hand but no pressing need to make money (her husband's a Caltech physicist), she embarked on a mission to give massages to those who need them most, especially those who can't afford them.

Sarah won't take just any client. At BlissMission, you have to be in great need or at risk. Sarah has given free massages for Union Station (at the old YMCA building across from City Hall), the Pasadena City College Veterans Group, senior citizens and, pictured here, The Women's Room.

I looked all over Sarah's website for a place to donate money. Maybe you can find it, but I don't think it's there. I guess if Sarah were paid, massage wouldn't be the donation she wants it to be. Maybe it wouldn't even be a mission.

At the Women's Room, director Jackie Knowles told me donations of shampoo, creme rinse and body wash tend to show up regularly, but what the clients really need is underwear. Next time I pick up a package of panties at Target, I'll grab an extra package for the Women's Room. Here are some other ways to help.

Homeless and at-risk women gather at the Women's Room to do laundry, grab a shower, and check the latest job listings. They also certainly come to enjoy the camaraderie of the group. If that weren't enough of a draw, once a month there's Sarah Emery Bunn. I went with her yesterday and watched her work. The sense I got was not that she felt she was doing any favors. More, it seemed she was serving her clients. And, like her clients, that blisses her out. Bliss, after all, is her mission.

Commute, Hollywood

Theme Day: People Watching

I don't often photograph people. It's not that people aren't interesting, it's that I'm shy of invading their space. But last spring's LitFest Pasadena was an excellent people-watching opportunity. Folks expected to be photographed. At least the authors did.

I was seated on the ground, getting ready to take pictures of an author panel, when young-and-handsome here popped into my frame. I snapped the shutter. Junior was obviously not watching the same people I was watching.

City Daily Photo, last I checked, is over 1400 blogs worldwide. We will have a new website one of these days, but in the mean time, please visit our Facebook Page to find your favorite blogs around the world. You can also visit Julie's Page to see who's participating in today's theme.

Accompanied

On the sidewalk outside of Tiffany on a Friday night in Old Town, these guys sang a capella harmonies. Song after song, they sounded great and I wasn't the only one who thought so.

The crowd loved them. People put money in their bucket. And this kid could not stop dancing. The more he danced, the more money landed in the bucket.

The kid was with his family. He wasn't a shill.

He'd make a good one, though.

Break Time

We have business to take care of this week on the blog, but first I need a break. I've decided to celebrate my caesura with these gentlemen and get in a few rounds of dominoes out back.

The guys told me they were on their, uh, lacuna from work at The Kitchen for Exploring Foods in west Pasadena. Just thinking about it makes me hungry.

Gut Yontiff

John and I had just finished a late dinner last night when there came a knocking at our door.

Magazine salesmen. I'd seen them in the neighborhood earlier and I wasn't going to answer. But do magazine salesmen giggle?

I opened the door. Four pretty girls stood in a row on our front porch, dressed in bright costumes. I'd make you guess what they did next but we'd be here all day.

They sang "Jingle Bells."

I ran for the camera.

When they finished singing, they shouted, "Trick or Treat!"

They deserved something good. We didn't have candy in the house but the young ladies were willing to accept fruit. I invited them out to the back yard and we picked oranges in the dark.

How did you spend your Friday evening?

Just a Bunch of Guys

Meeting these guys and taking their picture might be a turning point in my blogging career.

They were getting ready to leave just as I pulled into the gas station to fill up. I've been shy about asking people if I can take their photo. I could have let them go.

But I grabbed my camera, jumped out of the car, told them who I was and and asked them to pose. They were most obliging. Admittedly, it's easier to approach a group, even a motorcycle gang. It's a Pasadena motorcycle gang, after all.

I asked if their group had a name and one of them told me they were "just a bunch of guys." What a pleasure it was to meet them. From now on, I think I'll be braver about asking people to pose for the blog.

I asked the guy on the left how we'd know if he was smiling. I think we know.

August Birthday

My friend just turned three. His folks threw a big party with family and friends, and an artist came to draw caricatures of all the kids. I wonder what wonders my buddy contemplated while he sat for his portrait. Perhaps he considered how blessed he is to share his birthday with his baby brother.

Perhaps not.

Meanwhile, baby brother contemplated a completely different set of wonders on his first birthday.

Happy birthday, my friends!

Theme Day: Bright Colors

My two friends had just returned (tired) from a family outing to Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles when they allowed me to take a photo of them in their brightly colored summer dresses. The paper flower they purchased as a souvenir provides extra oomph. And what the heck? I posed them among the neighbor's roses just to get a little more color.

The City Daily Photo blog family does a theme day the first of every month. This time it's "bright colors," which may sound easy, but these bloggers can get creative. Click here to check them out.

Skye and More

Skye Moorhead in her studio

More and more these days you need a professional headshot. That old snapshot of you guzzling a can of PBR in your "Zeppelin Rules!" t-shirt (or was that me?) doesn't cut it for online business networking. You need a pro photographer who's got the studio, equipment, make-up artist, camera, assistant, and all the blah blah blah and dayam! It gets expensive!

Maybe not this time. I was visiting Pasadena photographer Skye Moorhead in her studio the other day and it just so happens that she'll be shooting a special Photo Day this Saturday, May 15th. There are still spaces available. For a discounted rate, you get it all because marketing genius Paula Johnson is putting it together. Paula has produced several of these photo days for Skye (this one's #6) with great results. Check out the links and see all the fantastic faces Skye's photographed.

Skye's passion is photographing people with their pets. Although they won't be there on photo day, a casual visit to Skye's studio can mean a cuddle with Otter and Augustus, her friendly Labrador mixes. Boz doesn't like having his picture taken but Skye makes you feel so comfortable I think he'd enjoy it. And I'd love to have one of her portraits of him and me.

Ooh! I just thought of this:
"More and more these days you need a professional headshot. A Moorhead shot."

Whaddaya think? Think Skye'll use it on her website? Think she'll pay me the big bucks for it? Who's the marketing genius now, huh, Paula? Huh?

Nevermind.

Hungry for Holiday Headgear

At South Lake Avenue's annual Holiday Open House yesterday every other store was giving away food. Sure, you could get discounts. You could also get coffee and cookies with your complimentary chair massage at Touche Salon and Day Spa. You could munch on the free sample appetizers at Cafe 140 South while gossiping about passersby. Maybe you skipped the food and ducked in to Williams-Sonoma to get your picture taken with Santa, but I didn't. I went to Ten Thousand Villages for the refreshments.

Despite near-blizzard conditions with temperatures in the mid-fifties, Lake Avenue was lined with friendly elves who braved the cold to entertain the crowds. It seems some people stayed home by the fire, afraid to drive under cloudy conditions. They missed the fun!

The elves were nice, but no matter how I begged they would not trade hats with me. It was disappointing. The Wikki Stix at Giggle sounded tempting, but you can't eat them and all I really wanted--besides food--was a hat.

(I know you can't eat a hat.)

Olive

It has been a very tough week thanks to the Station Fire. I wanted to post a picture of something beautiful and sweet. Yesterday at dusk we sat on our front curb and visited with our neighbor, Olive. She let me snap photo after photo and I got my wish.

Here she is in color.

Excellent information on the wildfires may be found at
inciweb
altadenablog
altadenahiker
kpcc, our fab local public radio station

District 3 Block Party 2009

I got to the District 3 Block Party as things were winding down. That might have been a good thing. Had I gotten there much earlier, City Councilmember Chris Holden and his son Nick might have been too busy to pose for me.
Holden is mostly but not entirely responsible for the annual party. Above, you see his Field Representative Jackie McIntyre (standing, in the black dress). She had a lot to do with putting the party together. I got to meet her but she'll never remember. I think she was pretty well exhausted by that time.
If I'd gotten there earlier I'd have heard the band. Everyone said they were fantastic. There was even a carnival ride and a huge water slide. I know this is so because I saw the crews packing them up. They'd packed up the food, too. The ice cream man showed up just in time.
Remember Celeste? She's going to be sporting some new teeth soon. That's her brother Cesar behind her. Everybody got a free prize. (I had Cooties when I was a kid. No, I didn't have cooties. It's important to make the distinction.)

I'm not much involved in local politics. Yes, I have opinions. I vote. But I don't visit the local political blogs and I don't go to city council meetings. However, I know this much: I live in District 3 where Chris Holden is not only my City Councilmember but my neighbor. And I can't imagine leaving.

A Mad Tea Party

I had a different post in mind for today, but yesterday afternoon the neighbors gathered in our yard and Marcellina brought storybooks. When spontaneous magic happens, you post about it.

And the kids were into it! Marcellina let me read Rain Makes Applesauce, an imaginative book written with a tad bit of sarcasm by Julian Scheer, with phantastic illustrations by Marvin Bileck.

I loved books when I was a kid, but did I scream and laugh at every page? Was Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland as thrilling as this? Yes, I think it was (and still is--has been for a long time). The original drawings by John Tenniel remain uniquely wonderful, too.

I had other stuff to do yesterday. I forget what it was. Who cares?

Make Lemonade

I'm a fortunate person because the other day, a lemonade stand popped up on my street. When it's almost a hundred degrees out, that's what you do.

I happened to be thirsty. I also happened to have 25 cents. That bought me a glass of cold lemonade, time with my neighbors and some good memories.

When John and I moved onto the block this girl was just a teeny thing. Her mother was pregnant with her little sister and her brother wasn't even an idea yet. If I'm lucky, I'll get to watch these kids grow up. The thought of this is beyond joyful to me. I mean it exactly that way; it's more than joy, it's profound to watch these lives unfold, to observe these small people becoming themselves.

Hey! How long do you think I can keep this blog going? If the kids keep posing, you'll get to watch some growing, too.

Stylin'

My young neighbor and I share a name: Celeste. She has the stronger claim on it, as it's her first name and my second one, so I let her use it.

Celeste has a new bike. Look at those white tires with the pink sidewalls! I like the little clips on the spokes, too. They make a soft buzzing noise as she speeds down the sidewalk. This is a special edition "Slumber Party" bike, with a zipper bag on the front to carry her treasures.

Celeste has been riding that thing up and down the block every chance she gets. Her brother Cesar got a new scooter. He wouldn't pose, which is his prerogative. But I'm grateful to Celeste for letting me take her picture.

A bit of business:
I'd love it if you'd read my story at the Rose City Sisters Flash Fiction Blog. It's short! Leave a comment even if you don't like the story (writers had better have thick skin). Then read the guidelines and submit your own story to the Rose City Sisters.

Did you miss out on the Eateries Handbook? Here's something I can offer all Pasadena Daily Photo visitors: a discount at Whooga.com. Nice boots, $30 off when you enter the code PASADENADA into the box in the cart. I've checked it out and it's legit. Let me know what you think of offers like these. Good? Smarmy? More? Fewer?

Fish Story

So I was standing in line to buy fish at the Farmers' Market yesterday--by the way, if you haven't tried the fish at the Saturday Pasadena Farmers' Market you're missing out. It's the freshest. And we love sisters Marilyn and Eileen and their friend Juan, who sell us delicious fish every week. The halibut is incredible--but I'm getting off track.

Where was I? Yes. So. I was standing in line to buy fish and I heard Pachelbel's Canon in D Major. Pachelbel's Canon is popular. It's not unusual to hear it at the grocery store or on the radio. Everyone's heard it, it's the 17th Century's answer to Stairway to Heaven, or it would be, if such a thing were possible. But I'm not here to talk about time travel. And anyway, I usually hear the banjo guy or the zither man or the man who sings the Mexican folk songs. It is unusual to hear Pachelbel at the Farmers' Market while waiting in line for fish.

So. There were these two guys. Young. Dillon and Graeme. Or Graeme and Dillon, I'm not sure which is which and I didn't interrupt them to ask. They stood in the parking lot playing their violins for a small but rapt audience. I grabbed a business card that said "classical-contemporary-fiddle/violin duet for any occasion....especially YOUR occasion." You can email them at scran7 (at) att (dot) net (I got their permission to post it). 

These enterprising boys sounded pretty good with the Pachelbel and I wouldn't be surprised if they could give you some Page & Plant if you asked for it. (I can't guarantee that and I didn't ask, but Jimmy was known to play his guitar with a bow, so why not?)

I lost my place in line. But I went back and waited. It was worth it. I got the picture, and the last pound of halibut.

The Mother Department

Motherhood was never for me. I knew from a young age that it wasn't my choice. I've known people who were not meant for motherhood but went ahead with it anyway, a sorrow for them and their kids to struggle through.

But I've found something in my neighborhood I never thought I'd find: children who enchant me. Just the other day I came out on my porch to find this batch had lined themselves up to have their picture taken. (Apparently word has gotten around that Petrea likes to take pictures.) I snapped a few before they realized I'd started, so they're just waiting here, not posing yet.

These small individuals are just like every other individual, which is to say not one of them is like anyone else. Each of them is a special heart, a special brain, a unique person preparing to contend with the world.

John and I have always said we "lucked out in the neighbor department" in Pasadena. Good people on all sides. That includes the children. Gee, I wonder where they get that?

Not everyone is meant to be a parent. Some of us are perhaps meant to be those people down the block who let folks act silly at their house.
I don't regret my choice not to have kids. But I hasten to add, I'm thrilled with our choice of neighbors.

I also lucked out in the mother-in-law department. Phyllis welcomed me from day one. I love how she has advice on hand if I need it (and I do need it), but she never forces it on me. She's fearless, too: she forges ahead with projects that interest her, art forms she wants to explore and technology she wants to learn. Nothing stops her. Here's my favorite picture of John's mother Phyllis, aka Diva:
It wasn't taken in Pasadena but on Whidbey Island, Washington. Phyllis had organized a family reunion there to honor her mother. That reunion brought together a family that had been scattered for years. I like this shot for a couple of reasons: partly because John and his father confer in the background, but mostly because Phyllis takes her place in the foreground, and in her family, as matriarch.

Happy Mother's Day.

Norma at Liberty

Today is Norma's last day at Liberty Tax Service on Colorado Blvd. at Sierra Madre Villa/Madre St. Liberty's a franchise business, with 288 offices in California alone.

Norma's wearing her company's uniform, as are hundreds of people like her around the country. Norma, however, is no office drone. With her hip-hop moves and her big smile, she literally stopped traffic (she stopped me, that's for sure).

Her job ends today. Need help bringing in business at your place? I know someone with experience.

Bugs

I took quite a few pictures yesterday. The sky was overcast, the light not so good, but I kept at it. Trees, flowers, a store display, blah blah blah. At the end of the day, while I talked with my neighbors in their driveway, the kids took care of the important business on the block.