Jacaranda Maxima

Ben and I have been photographing jacarandas. We can't help it.

I found this tree at 300 W. Green Street, just south of the Ralph's parking lot. Well, I didn't find the tree. If you're anywhere in the vicinity of this block of Green you can't miss it. The building behind it is marked "Hall of Administration." It could either be administration for the Ambassador Auditorium or for Marantha High School, both of which are south of (behind) this structure. Ambassador kind of matches it, though.

But back to the tree. Have you downloaded Google Earth? Oh, you should. It's a fun program anyway. I learned my way around Paris with it before I even went there. You can explore the world, or just Pasadena. Check out your house, the mountain trails, or the great aerial view of City Hall. And if you type in the address above (300 W. Green St. Pasadena, CA), you'll see the most prominent feature at that address: the huge, purple jacaranda tree, photographed by satellite.

Chantry Flat

John and I both had the afternoon free yesterday, and since Boz had the day off too we decided to try a new trail. We drove through neighboring Sierra Madre and up to Chantry Flat in Big Santa Anita Canyon.

It was extra cool and cloudy, driving off casual hikers. Not much goes on there on a Wednesday anyway, which suits us. Instead of the popular Sturtevant Falls trail, we opted for the trail to Hermit Falls simply because it's not paved. It took us deep down into the shady canyon, where we came upon the small waterfall and three cabins, at least one of which was occupied and marked "private." The noisiest thing there was the water.

I think it's good for us humans to spend time surrounded by nature's disorderly shapes, to get away from computer screens, office cubicles, shiny kitchens and soft sofas, and to get out among rocks, trees and leaves for a while. It reorders our brains, sets us right again.

This is a post I wish you could smell. Damp, fresh sage, still rooted in the ground: there's no aroma like it.

My Vote

Apparently not too many people knew about it, but there was a primary in California yesterday. Not as exciting as the presidential primary, but there was balloting for statewide offices, local judges, and a couple of measures about eminent domain that were hotly contested (at least on the radio).

I like to vote and I had time in my schedule, so I was one of the 16.48% who turned out in Los Angeles County. It was a low-stress kind of voting situation, and I got to vote for my favorite congressman and have my say about the issues. I hope the rest of you agree with what we decided for you yesterday, because you're going to have to live with it.

Brainy Cooking

Cook Books, the one-of-a-kind cookbooks store on Washington Blvd. in Pasadena, is like a complete brain, with left and right hemispheres.

The left hemisphere would be the store's well-organized website. Faced with what seems an endless mound of books, you might think the right hemisphere is the store itself. But owner Janet Jarvits (whose brain contains all of Cook Books) or Webmaster Richard can point you directly to what you're looking for. In fact, the store is as organized as the website, with a selection so vast you'll find all you want and then some. As Jarvits says, Cook Books is the largest out-of-print cookbook store open to the public. But if you get lost browsing, don't worry. The cats will come and find you.

I bought a vegetarian cookbook. But if you want a recipe for brains, I'll bet you a dollar Cook Books has what you're looking for, and it won't take but a minute to find it.

Zen Monday: Intersection

Your thoughts on a road?

I almost forgot Zen Monday was today. Thanks for the reminder, Lydia. The Cook Books post will appear tomorrow, on a day when they're open!

Theme Day: My Favorite Local Shop

The City Daily Photo blog community shares a theme day the first of each month. This month's theme asks, "What is your favorite corner store or local shop in your city?"

The first time I walked into Penny for Your Thoughts at 1365 N. Hill Avenue, it seemed someone had gone into my brain to find out what I liked, and put all those things into one store. Vintage books, cute fashions, unique gifts, unusual purses and shoes, antiques and classy junque are all so charmingly arranged I wanted to just sit and appreciate it. Which I did, while enjoying a cup of fresh-brewed coffee and a locally-baked gourmet cookie, at one of the shop's funky café tables.

This eclectic place came not from my brain but from that (those) of two sisters, Liz and Millie, who grew up in Pasadena and opened the store in November of 2003. They run the place with a staff member or two, and occasionally a bubbly baby to brighten the mix.

Coffee and free wifi with fun, fashion, funk and fabulousness. What could be better? I don't know another shop like it.

174 City Daily Photo blogs are participating in today's theme. Check them out here.

Loading Dot

This might be the cleanest loading dock I've ever seen. It faces the alley behind Cook Books and The Archives Bookstore on Washington Blvd. at Hill. (The mind-boggling Cook Books store will be featured here Monday.)

I think this is an early 20th century building, say, before about 1940. It's easy to make such a guess, as Pasadena was incorporated in 1886.

The "dots" on the upper part of the building are washers or plates that anchor reinforcing bolts, or tie rods, to protect the building from bowing. Some plates are even designed to prevent bolt heads from pulling through the brick. You can tell by the relatively random pattern that the tie rods were added later and not part of the original design. You'll see a lot of these around Pasadena in older buildings, because tie rods are popular (if sometimes futile) in earthquake zones.

Pasadena has a lot of these old brick buildings, well-preserved and put to good use. They feel Midwestern to me, and since I grew up in Illinois, it's one reason I feel so at home here. You can't beat it—a bit of Midwest, with California weather.

The Awareness Center

The first thing you remove at The Awareness Center is your shoes. After that: stress of the day, weeks of worry, years of hard living—what you remove is up to you. If you need more you can sign up for a private session or a healing. It's a pretty place, with soft light and a serene feel to it. I'll post more photos in the future.

The Awareness Center specializes in Kundalini yoga but they also have Hatha for all levels taught by Bindu, who has a loyal following and also teaches private students. (I practice Hatha with Bindu, pretty much at the "stress of the day" level.)

I've studied yoga off and on for years at lots of different places. They all attempt to create a happy atmosphere and some achieve it. The feeling of goodwill at the Awareness Center is genuine. This probably begins with owner Gisela Powell (Wahe Guru Kaur), then trickles through the teachers and staff to the clients. When you enter and remove thy shoes, you feel all that goodwill right down to your toes.

Window

A shop window on Fair Oaks in South Pasadena. When I took the photo it looked like no one had been inside for a long time. It's next to the Rialto Theatre. I imagine when the Rialto gets revived, this shop will wake up, too.

Algae Season

It's algae season! Woohoo! Bring the kids!

Alga gets bad reputation. Icky. But I think it's beautiful. And come to find out, it could be a natural resource. I just read this article that says algae are rich in oil, and a potential biofuel. (Of course it's going to take extensive research to work out the bugs.)

I took this picture in the Lower Arroyo a couple of weeks ago, so I don't know if the algae are still flowing there, but they're prolific at Hahamongna. Hey! This could be a real resource for Pasadena!

Zen Tuesday: Nature Calls

Because yesterday was a holiday we didn't have Zen Monday. Zen Tuesday's in order this week.

For us city folk who hear the call of the wild and sort of want to heed it: a phone. Just in case.

Memorial

Memorial Day was once called "Decoration Day." Loved ones gathered to decorate the graves of those who had fought for their country.

When I arrived at Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena Saturday, someone had already been decorating the graves with small, identical American flags. A local veterans organization? Anyone know?

The soldier graves at Mountain View go back to the Civil War. The history contained in the place must be amazing. But this recent grave brought me to tears. It's not a blank stone; I photographed it from behind so as not to invade the family's privacy. This soldier's been in the ground three years. He was 22 when he died in Iraq.

When his family arrives at his grave today, they'll see that flag and know that others care. They won't know about my tears, but I hope they'll know that the loss of their "beloved son and brother"— as an individual and as a symbol of other individuals—is felt by other citizens of the world. Some of us feel he died for a cause. Some of us feel he died in vain. And in America, we still have a right to say so.

I live in California and my father, who was a Marine in World War II, is buried in Illinois. I hope someone decorated his grave with a flag today.

Quiet View

I visited Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena yesterday. I don't have loved ones buried there. My plan was to get a photo for Memorial Day, and I got plenty. I'll post one tomorrow, and perhaps more in the future.

Last week was stressful, and I guess I hadn't realized how much until the weekend came. Alone at the cemetery with my camera, late on a cool and cloudy day, my mind goes where it will. And it will go to thoughts of my mortality because I'm surrounded by the dead.

Why is that calming? Because I'm not dead. I'm here. Glad of it, too.

Stress be damned, I don't need it. It's a waste of my precious time.

Giant Asparagus

After rains like the ones we've had over the last couple of days, our crops prosper. Here's some of the giant asparagus that grows here, just beginning to sprout. Soon there will be enough to feed the locals all summer. (See husband for scale.)

Okay, it's called Agave Americana, or Century Plant. It's a succulent that needs very little water. It takes ten years or so to grow very big, bloom once, then die. This one's getting close to blooming. The blooms will come out at the tops and sides of those tall stalks. Eventually the stalks will dry out and fall over, at which time you don't want to be walking along the path.

We're west of the Brookside Golf Course, just north of the Rose Bowl Stadium. If you walk your dog there, keep Fido on a leash. Dogs just love a putting green, and the fence has some intriguing, dog-sized holes in it. People! Balls! Carts to chase! What fun! Fido! Come back!

Weird Weather

Yesterday we had hail in Pasadena, snow in Baldwin Park and a tornado in Riverside. You could say the weather in southern California's a little...off for May.

More rain today (yay!). Drive with care.

City Symmetry

There are more impressive buildings in the world than Pasadena's City Hall—the Taj Mahal, Versailles, and I could go on—but a small building can be an architectural gem.

I can't find a less-than-lovely view of City Hall. At each corner of the courtyard is a stairwell. All four are housed in towers identical to this one, with the same elaborate reliefs, wide open window and belvedere on top. I like climbing up inside (even the stairs are beautiful!) and looking out to the mountains. Looking up from below is nice, too.

The courtyard's a good place to take your book, but you probably won't read it. It's more fun to watch what's doing.

Superfluous Detail

Architectural details like this enchant me. Architecture went through a period in the mid- to late-20th Century where this type of detail was often thought unnecessary. But we're starting to see the return of art for art's sake. This edifice is probably from the early 20th Century. Do you know where it is? Plain sight, busy corner, but who makes a habit of looking up?

The function of this meticulous brickwork is to look good. Is that function enough?

Bungalow in a Box

It's legal to take photos from the street, but I feel awkward taking pictures of peoples' homes. I'd feel weird if I saw someone taking a picture of my house. Go to Google Maps, type in your your address and click on "street view," and you'll know what kind of weird I'm talking about. So I was lucky when I found the owner of this house pulling into his driveway, because I wanted a photo of his home and I wanted his permission to take it.

This house, in Pasadena's Bungalow Heaven, is special because it was made from a kit. Kit houses were popular in the 1920s, and Pasadena sports several good examples. (There's one on my block; according to the owner it was ordered from a Sears catalogue.) The one you see here is from Pacific Ready-Cut Homes. It was built in 1924 and first used as a model by the Gregg and Beaman Company, distributor of the kits in Pasadena.

Here's an article by Rosemary Thornton about kit houses. The first picture looks like the house above. Thornton co-authored a book about kit houses with Dale Patrick Wolicki. (You can try Pasadena Public Library, too.)

When ordering your kit, you could choose from among several home styles. The kit came with everything you needed: doors, windows, wood, cabinets— even light fixtures. And instructions, of course.

The homeowner I spoke to yesterday said he'd had his house bolted to the foundation, and he was going to do some work on the roof. Show me a southern California house where that never happens, kit or no kit.

Zen Monday

This one may be in the eye of the beholder.

Eclectic Avenue

Del Mar Blvd. between Lake Avenue and Arroyo Parkway is purple with the bloom of Jacarandas right now. Ben posted a pretty shot at the sky is big in pasadena. I tried to get the effect of the avenue of trees—bright purple along both sides of the road, as far as the eye can see. But you have to stand in the middle and I didn't want to get arrested. (Letty would call me a piker.)

If you're a local, you need to get on your bike or in your car and take a ride down Del Mar—maybe down and back—while the Jacarandas are in bloom.