Happy Halloween

Have fun out there.

Girl, Interrupted

 

"Suzie! Time for dinner!"

"Okay!"

Scuffle scuffle run run run blam! In the chair.

"Did you wash your hands?"

"Aw, Mom, I'm hungry!"

"I don't care, wash your hands."

"Mom..."

"Wash."

Chair scooch. Stomp stomp stomp. Splash.

"Good. Did you pick up your toys?"

"........" 

Towel flip. 

"........Yup."

 "Fine. Let's eat."

Altadena Rocks

My friend's foot is in a cast. I went to visit. She gave me coffee and a fresh, homemade scone. Apparently she hasn't been staying off her feet 24/7.

But hobbling around the house is about all she can do, and her sweet, relatively large dog is being patient about it.

"Is he getting walks?" I asked.

"When I have a volunteer," she said.

You know the rest. I enjoyed a walk around a quiet, Altadena neighborhood with a dapper escort in the form of Kirby, the yellow lab. (I'm guessing about the spelling of his name. "Kerby" would be a pun. "Curby" would be a double pun.)

Smart dog. He knew not to pee on these rocks.

Theme Day: Cobblestones

There may be cobblestones in Pasadena. I don't remember any offhand but that doesn't mean they're not here. The city was founded in the late 1800s and vestiges of the early town remain.

But mostly when I think of the stones we walk on I think of what we sometimes call "river rocks." They come from the Arroyo Seco and the mountains as well, and they're everywhere: lining walkways, decorating columns and adorning every other garden. Pasadenish have been building with them for the last century. Entire homes are made of them. They're part of our architectural vernacular.

This path leads off the main road into the Angeles National Forest north of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). I haven't climbed it in quite some time. Boz declines to take it anymore (it's a bit steep) and for now I don't mind, because most of that greenery you see is poison oak. But I think the photo gives you an idea of our rocks. They're embedded in each woodland path, every trail, even in the history of our Pasadena home.

City Daily Photo's website was the victim of -- well, not nice people. So the wonderful Julie of Sydney set up a special page for us to use this time around. I posted a little early this time to make mine work.

If you'd like to see how other CDP bloggers around the world are handling the cobblestones theme, go here. And many thanks to Julie!

Zen Monday: #185

Sometimes I have to look far and wide for our Zen Monday photo. And sometimes, the Zen just calls to me.

Zen Monday is the day you tell us what the photo's about, rather than me telling you.

This shot's for context, in case you'd like to have some.

The Whole Staircase

Of yesterday's photo Dive asked, "So what was around that corner, Petrea? Did you sneak a look?"

I did. Speedway was prescient when she quoted Dr. King, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

I took both photos a couple of years ago. I was pretty mad at myself when I forgot to use yesterday's picture for Martin Luther King Day last year.

I did climb the stairs. They led to private property, which I did not invade.

But I remember where they are.

Baby (pant pant) Steps

Yesterday I did a strange thing. I got up at 6:30 in the morning and went running.

I haven't been running in...ever. I tried once in Chicago when I was in my twenties. I think I did about a mile and decided it wasn't for me.

A mile. I was so ungrateful.

I don't want to tell you how far I didn't make it yesterday morning. The important thing is I went. I'd run a bit then walk until my lungs gave me permission to run again.

Okay. I'll tell you, because it's all right for you to know I'm not an athlete, and because maybe my lack of prowess will inspire you to start your own pathetic regimen. I went around the block. I had to stop running four times and walk. But hey, I started four times! And it's a big block! And I ran in the rain!

It felt good. I plan on doing it again today. I'd be sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens, except my butt kind of hurts for some reason.

Zen Monday: #145

or

It's a Zen Monday twofer!

Today's the day you experience the photo(s) and tell us what you've learned. If you've been lurking, I hope today's the day you'll jump in.

Is this your first Zen Monday? Just say what the pictures make you think of or feel. Usually I post one photo, but today I thought two views of the subject might enlighten you further. There's no right or wrong, no secret, no prize. Just have fun.

Zen Monday: #117

Zen Monday is the day you experience the photo and give us your thoughts rather than me telling you what I think the photo's about.

I look for a photo worth contemplating or, failing that, something odd or silly. And unless I absolutely must say something, I stay out of the comments box until the end of the day to avoid influencing the discussion. You know, because it's so deep and meaningful.

There's no right or wrong. We're here to have fun.

Henry's Back Yard: Part Three

Continued from Tuesday and Wednesday...

Karin the Altadena Hiker is a docent at the Huntington Library and Gardens, which privileges her to explore parts of the grounds that aren't open to the public. Inside Karin beats the heart of an explorer; give her a piece of ground and she will seek out its every corner.

Karin's favorite part of the Huntington Gardens is the Desert Garden, and this part of the Desert Garden is closed to the public. The stairs above and this walkway, both made with river rocks, are in the oldest part of the garden and were probably installed before 1910. Many specimens in the Desert Garden are over 100 years old.

I'm grateful to Henry and Arabella Huntington for having the foresight and generosity to leave their home and collections as a legacy to us. I'm grateful to those who work and volunteer at the Huntington for making it such a magnificent place to visit. I'm grateful to those who contribute financially--donations large and small--so this unique institution can thrive. And I'm especially grateful to Karin, the decent docent, for the unique tour she gave me of the quiet, private places in the gardens.

There's more to see, so much more. I've got to think of a way to return the favor to Karin so I won't feel guilty begging her for a chance to see it again.

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.

Arf Imitates Art

There's plenty of graffiti around town. Some of it's interesting, even good. I haven't posted much because I think of it as vandalism. No matter how artistic it is, it's still defacement of property and I don't want to promote it. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Boz is an artist. He vandalizes the Arroyo all the time. I found biodegradable/compostable dog waste bags at Whole Foods, so once he's completed an art project we take it to the nearest art receptacle. There are plenty of them, conveniently but discretely placed along the path in the Lower Arroyo Park.

Something Loves a Wall

Just a path for your weekend wanderings. This one's a quiet alternative to the main trails at Hahamongna Watershed Park. I don't know if the path has a name, we just call it "the upper path." It's a good place to be quiet because it travels behind private homes.

All sorts of critters live in the slim space between this path and the lower, busier path—birds, snakes, rabbits—we've even seen a bobcat there, and surely it's good hunting for the coyotes—and it's only about 100 feet wide at its broadest points.

The main reason I photographed the pathway, though, is the stone wall, made of those ubiquitous local river rocks. Something there is that doesn't love a wall, but that something would not be me.

Persist

I heard on the radio that Congressman Adam Schiff of the 29th U.S. District—that is, our Congressman—is responsible for a bill signed by President Bush yesterday. The "Rim of the Valley bill authorizes a study of adding 490,000 acres of public and private land along the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys to the 153,000-acre Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area," according to the Fresno Bee.

I got myself on Adam Schiff's mailing list. He sends emails with questionnaires, asking how I want him to vote on things. It takes about a second so I fill them out. Then I can see results on how other constituents responded (am I in the minority? the majority?). In the follow-up, he tells me how he voted.

I like the guy. He's accountable. And he usually votes the way I tell him to, so what's not to like?

In the radio interview, Representative Schiff said he's been working for years to get this bill passed. It'll be another two or three years before the study's finished, then it'll take more time before any of the lands studied will actually be added to the National Recreation Area. But he's willing to persist.

Thanks, Mr. Schiff. You keep it up and I'll keep voting for you. Heck, maybe I'll vote for you twice next time, just for good measure.

Unsafe House

We heard the sirens at night. The next day my husband found the address in the newspaper. Feeling like a news hound, I took my camera.

I parked on the shady street and began shooting pictures of the old Craftsman home with its typical front porch made of river rocks. The cyclone fence had obviously been put up overnight.

Within moments, the insurance adjusters and contractors approached me one by one. They'd been waiting in their cars. Was I was a family member? Could I give them the business? When I told them I was taking photos for my blog, they gave me their brochures. Legitimate businesses, every one of them. Each of those people was doing their job, just trying to make the deal.

What I learned: be ready for this before it happens. Make sure you have enough coverage. And if it does happen, you might want the help of a licensed claims adjuster. It's not necessarily in the best interest of your insurance company to pay you top dollar. At least it's worth looking into.

I'm not a news hound. It's a shock to see a burned building, especially a home.

Mars Rover Testing Grounds?

The rain returned this evening, but we had a sunny reprieve today so I took Boz for a run at Hahamongna Watershed Park. We shared the trails with other stir-crazy Pasadenans in need of a dose of sun (double-click on the photo to see a couple of bikers on the left). NASA's (or is it Cal Tech's?) Jet Propulsion Lab positively glistened. Snow topped the highest peaks of the San Gabriels.

I've heard the JPL guys tested the Mars Rover here. Maybe on this very terrain, maybe not. I haven't verified the story. This is one of the catch-basins that occasionally floods when we have rain. Today the water flowed further west (toward the left of this photo), in a river running fast toward the Devil's Gate Dam.

There will be no water at Hahamongna this summer. Nor will there be green. We enjoy it while we can.

Wonder

I attended a civic function today on the Parker-Mayberry Bridge, under the Colorado Street Bridge. I had never been there before.

We were there for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the Central Arroyo Stream Restoration. To quote the press release, "Stream habitat enhancements, runoff treatment and devices that prevent trash from polluting streams are among the components of this exciting $2.5 million project that will turn [the] Central Arroyo into a model of what can be done in urban areas to help clean up waterways." The City of Pasadena loves to partner with organizations like the Arroyo Seco Foundation to do good stuff like this.

After the speeches, the mayor and other dignitaries planted a native oak and posed for photos while everyone cheered. In all the hubbub, I noticed this father and son across the Arroyo, standing under the Colorado Street Bridge and wondering what the heck was going on.

Water Everywhere

Tucked up above Devil's Gate Dam and below NASA's (or, as we like to think, Pasadena's) Jet Propulsion Lab, is a hiking/biking/dog walking heaven called Hahamongna Watershed Park. Most of the time you'd be hard pressed to find much water there. But after a weekend of rain, boy howdy! Devil's Gate Dam was doing it's job, and the watershed basin lived up to its purpose.

Where did they get that name, Hahamongna? Try saying it five times fast. I shouldn't complain. People have trouble pronouncing my name all the time.

Those river rocks I mentioned before--I believe they're manufactured in places like this.

Ubiquitous

River rocks are everywhere. They seem to have always been basic Pasadena building material. Fences, walls, columns, fountains--all kinds of things are made of them. This retaining wall caught my eye while I stood on the Holly Street Bridge shooting pictures of the Rose Bowl the other day. I had never noticed the wall before.