Mills Place Gates

These gates at the south end of Mills Place open onto a parking lot across from the Burke-Williams Spa. (That's B-W's shadow in the foreground.) You can easily walk around them to the parking lot. I wonder what they used to open onto? They're not the gates to the alley, but some gates. Others just like them mark the entrance to a bar/restaurant further north. I don't know how old they are but they look pretty old. The building peeking from beyond is the quirky Castle Green. I've given you only one picture of it. Must do more.

One last shot of Mills Place tomorrow, then onward.

Detail of the gate:

Crown City Mattress Works

Walking south of yesterday's post in Mills Place, you'll pass three restaurants, a bar and a couple of clothing and accessory boutiques. Then you'll come upon this building. A bit of web searching tells me it's about a hundred years old. The most recent tenant was a gallery that seems to have moved on to eBay sales. With the exception of a broken window, the building looks to be in pretty good shape.

My web searches don't tell me why Pasadena is called "the Crown City." I'll bet someone out there knows. Anybody?

A couple of extra shots: dead vines on the upper corner (it's a two-story building), and detail of the door.

Mills Place Tour: South of Colorado

If you read yesterday's post, you know we're on a tour of Mills Place. We've just turned south of yesterday's photo and we're looking at the same building. On one of last week's very hot days, I stood in the shade and photographed the sunny side of the alley. We'll head further south tomorrow.

Mills Place

Colorado Boulevard in Old Town Pasadena is lined with great shops. My favorite places to explore, though, are the nooks and crannies—the alleys off the Boulevard. But don't think dark and dangerous. If these shoppers had turned right they'd have found clothing boutiques, two restaurants and a spa.

The historical marker on the right edge of this picture says, "Mills Place: Named for Alexander Fraser Mills, a nurseryman who planted a citrus grove on 7 1/2 acres at the northwest corner of Colorado Boulevard and Fair Oaks Avenue in 1878. Mills Place was originally named 'Ward Alley.' In 1885, a fire at this site destroyed a laundry establishment owned by Chinese settlers." (The plaque was donated by Pasadena Heritage.)

I took a few pictures in Mills Place the other day. We'll do a little series over the next few days.

Hungry for Change

As did many Americans, these Altadena citizens spent last Sunday raising money for Barack Obama's campaign as part of a nationwide bake sale. I heard about it through MoveOn.org and went to check it out.

It was over 100 degrees out, but that didn't dampen the spirits of these neighbors. You could pay what you wanted to, and I got chocolate chip cookies, cranberry bread and a bumper sticker for $40. I call it a bargain.

Small groups and small donations like mine have put Obama where he is. This bunch started at high noon and planned to stay until 4:00. By the time I got there at about 1:15 they'd already collected a fat wad of money. Hope was high and there was talk of Obama as "our president."

*****
In posting this I devoured the last chocolate chip cookie and thought, "maybe I should give equal time, go find a McCain event to post about." And it struck me that if you read Pasadena Daily Photo, by the very nature of blogging you're going to get my view and only my view of Pasadena.

There are a lot of blogs in Pasadena. They cover all kinds of subjects: food, politics, homemaking, the arts, you name it. I hope if you want to know about Pasadena you'll read them. But I suggest you begin with Pasadena's other daily photo blog, Ben Wideman's The Sky is Big in Pasadena. I don't know Ben's politics, but he and I are different people. He's relatively new to southern California, he sometimes posts from far afield, he's younger than I am, and he's a guy, so right off the bat you're going to get a different point of view. Plus it's a darned good blog. So there ya go.

Zen Monday: 68 Degrees Celsius

The heat wave broke last night.

(Thanks to Tony for the tip-off on this shot.)

Crane Shot

There's some construction going on down at the corner of Lake and San Pasqual. Anybody out there know what it's going to be? Right now it's all colorful cranes, hot sun and noise. (Though it's probably quiet today.) Near shopping and CalTech, it could end up being part of either one, or neither. You can awfully get close-up to it if you want to.

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.

The Gardener

My friend Ken is quite the gardener. He must be feeding his entire neighborhood with what he grows: nectarines, oranges, grapefruit, peaches, lemons, squash, beans, tomatoes, eggplant, basil, oregano, more basil...

But the hedge. I've never seen a hedge like it on private property. And Ken trims it himself, about three times a year. He's created an efficient contraption with painters' ladders, chains, boards and a frame. His trimming shears are sharp. He's fast.

The hedge plant, in case you're wondering, is Eugenia. It can grow as high as 20 feet. Ken's about 6 feet tall. Yesterday we figured the hedge is more than twice as tall as Ken, maybe 14 feet (14 and a half when it's not trimmed). Los Angeles County has laws about fence height at street-side, but as long as your neighbors like it, (and his do), hedges between neighbors can be high.

I'd talk to my neighbors about sharing a Eugenia hedge, but right now I'm having trouble keeping my grass alive so I'm taking things a step at a time.

Watcher Among the Rocks

It's not yet officially summer, but you don't need a calendar to tell you it's hot. I spied this family cooling off yesterday in the stream beyond the bridge north of the JPL parking lot. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)

The stream's a safe place for a family during daylight hours, even considering the fact that a mountain lion was photographed mere yards from this spot in January. In drought time, deer and small animals come farther downhill for water, and predators come after them. But it's rare for mountain lions (aka cougars) to attack humans. They don't like to mess with people. As one person said in an online discussion about going for a run near where the JPL cougar was sighted, "Some folks take pepper spray...but that is as much for roaming big dogs and looney people as cougars or bears."

I think I was very close to a cougar once. High on the Sam Merrill Trail I came upon a dead fawn. I stopped to examine it; there was no visible wound and the animal was newly dead. I wondered about that until my brain said, "Ack!"—meaning the fawn was prey, and the predator was most likely watching in the nearby brush for me to move on—which I did. When I passed again on my way down twenty minutes later the path was clear, but the underbrush was disturbed where the carcass had been dragged up the hillside.

It's good to be vigilant. Sometimes when I'm walking with Boz, I wonder who's watching us from high among the rocks.

News Hounds

Everyone loves firefighters, but in southern California we revere ours maybe a little extra, probably because we need them extra much and they work extra hard.

Sirens on one's very own street bring out the neighborhood. Even a false alarm gives the fire department paramedics an opportunity to show their stuff, and newshounds of all ages a chance to admire them.

Zen Tuesday: Moth

Light is drawn to a moth.

Father's Day Classic

Yesterday was Father's Day, and the Pasadena Police Department hosted a Classic Car Show on Colorado Blvd. I posted a few more shots on Overdog.

As with any antique, the item itself is enriched with the provenance. I like the story on Mark's 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.

1972 was the last year Oldsmobile made a convertible. This car belonged to Mark's dad, who handed it down to Mark. The upholstery (with bucket seats) is in perfect condition, and it's the same buttery white as the fenders. The car's original color was the intense orange/rust of the mag wheels. If you click on this photo to enlarge it, you'll even discern a pinstripe to match, running the length of the car.

Mark's not an antique car aficionado. He's an aficionado of this car. It's part of the family. He told me he'd once thought of selling it, and his wife said, "Over my dead body."

I probably could have gotten a better picture of the car. But this is really a picture of Mark's pride and joy.

Tomorrow will be Zen Tuesday. Mark your calendars.

Pasadena Casting

Until I got onto Google this morning, I thought the Casting Pond in the Lower Arroyo Park was unique to Pasadena. Nope. It's the location of the Pasadena Casting Club, a founding charter member of the Federation of Fly Fishers, "a 43 year old international non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of the sport of fly fishing through Conservation, Restoration and Education."

Our local club was established in 1947 with 33 members. Now there are 300, but I've never seen anyone casting there. Don't tell the fishermen, but the only people I've seen using this pond are dogs chasing sticks.

I must not have been there on a Sunday. The website says, "The Clubhouse is open Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., under the supervision of a Board Member. This is the time and place to sit around and talk fishing, to practice casting in the Club's Casting Pool or to browse in the Library with its large collection of fishing related books and videotapes available for members use."

It can't be easy to be a fisherman/person in Pasadena. It's not like we're the land of many lakes. But we've got a casting pond, and Sunday's the day.

It's noon and I just remembered: Father's Day! I remember it late, with a pang. I've made no plans with my father today, who is long gone. The casting pond would be a good place to go with a dad, I think.

Market Day

We're off to the Farmers' Market this morning. In the Los Angeles area we have them year 'round, and they're hugely popular. There are three Certified Farmers' Markets in the Pasadena area alone: Saturday at Pasadena High School, Tuesday at Villa Park, and Thursday evenings in South Pasadena.

There are other farmers' markets, not certified. I wondered what the difference was, so I did a little research and found out that a certified farmers' market is part of a statewide program approved by the County Agricultural Commissioner and the Health Department. Farmers selling there must have a Certified Producers Certificate from their local Agricultural Commissioner verifying they grow the items they sell. This means when I buy a basket of strawberries from a booth at the market, the person I pay probably picked them. Or her brother did. Or her dad.

I have my favorites, people I buy from regularly: the middle-aged gent with the elderly hands who sells potatoes, onions, garlic and carrots; the handsomely weathered Frenchman who makes the most delicious organic cookies, granola and scones you ever tasted; the always-smiling, dark-haired lady who sells the freshest fish ever, wielding a knife like the pro that she is. And there's always something new to try, someone new to meet.

Yes, fish and granola at a farmers market. Cheese, too, and bread, and amazing guacamole, and...Oh yeah, vegetables and fruit! It's peach season! I gotta go!

Dogs Dig It

If we weren't such a litigious society, I might have been allowed inside the fence at I Dig My Dog. But I understand. Even if you love dogs as much as I do, feeding-time rush can be intimidating. But I witnessed no dog fights, no biting, nor did I hear a snarl, even when a herd of dogs charged the gate, all ready for dinner.

I Dig My Dog is a cage-free boarding, training and day-care facility for pooches large and small (separated size-wize for safety). Added luxury: the bone-shaped swimming pool (not too deep), so California pooches can splash around to their heart's delight. They can also lie about in the shaded areas, or they can just sunbathe.

Full disclosure: though I had stopped in the adjacent shop to buy treats, Boz is not a customer. He's a fan of water, but not of crowds. But it looked to me like these guys were having a rousing good time, and getting plenty of lovin' in the process. (Click on the photo to enlarge it and catch the love scene in the background.)

Colors: Lincoln Avenue Nursery

My front yard's been looking drab. I wanted some color to punch it up. We've got several good nurseries to choose from in Pasadena. I like every one I've been to, each for different reasons. Here's why I like the Lincoln Avenue Nursery:

First, it's in a house! Well, it's actually bursting out of a house. Plants on the steps, pots on the porch, bags of potting soil stacked up beneath the windows...

Second, it's got history. According to owner Ramon Franco, the original owners were a German family who built the house in 1903 and stayed for twenty years. I'm not clear on whether or not they had a nursery (Franco is, but I didn't write it down), but the family who came next definitely did. They were of Japanese descent, and for two generations they ran a nursery out of the house at 804 Lincoln Avenue until they sold it to Ramon and his wife Teresa five years ago.

Now the Franco family (son Juan works there, too) nurture plants and customers alike. It's a busy, friendly place.

Other reasons to like the Lincoln Avenue Nursery are the huge variety of pots, plants and garden decor scattered about the big lot. It's just plain luscious. (Hmm. Oxymoron.)

I was looking for color for my front garden. I certainly went to the right place.

Remodel

I first photographed this building back in March when it was for sale. It's a simple but pretty structure.

The new owner has set in motion the process of remodeling. I found him there the other day and he allowed me to take photos. He told me it's a bow truss building, which you can see in the photo below (click to enlarge). It was designed in 1947 by architect Kenneth A. Gordon. "The industrial windows, brick facade and character of the building will be maintained as the building is renovated into four private office and retail spaces," he said. The architects are Section F, a New York firm, and DU Architects of Venice, California. It should be all finished by mid August.

I found all that information to be really interesting. I love architecture and construction, even though I don't know much about either subject. Maybe it's because things like flooring go in last, but everything about the building had me looking up.

Burlington Arcade

Pasadena's shopping is world class. I'd like to do more shopping. I really would. I'd like to go out at least once a week and buy stuff, just because. I don't, because I'm what you call a middle-class American. So when I get into the shopping world I take pictures of it, kinda like a tourist. Wow! Will you look at that? They got all kindsa stuff! Jeez Louise!

This is the Burlington Arcade at 380 S. Lake Avenue, which houses varied businesses such as Heavenly Yogurt & Juice Bar, Kimono no Kobeya women's apparel and Dickson Chiropractic. (I was actually shopping at the phone store next door, which isn't as photogenic.)

I like the pink and blue, and the flags are a nice touch. Plus there's another one of those red British phone booths (sans phone). While nosing around on the web, I found mention of this arcade and booth on a blog. Yeah, Pasadena's on TV and in movies from time to time. More reasons to take pictures of it. Kinda like a tourist.

Zen Monday: Park It Here

Good morning. Had your coffee? This is the parking structure on Hudson just south of Walnut.