Eat Your Veggies

Today might be THE time to go to the farmers' market, because we're expecting perfect weather.

December. 75 degrees and sunny. This is why I moved here.

Pasadena has two regular certified farmers' markets: Saturdays 8:30-12:30 at Victory Park, and Tuesdays 8:30-12:30 at Villa Parke Center. There's a third market in the Playhouse District in summer. This doesn't include nearby farmers' markets like Sierra Madre on Wednesday afternoons, Thursday mornings in Glendale or evenings in South Pasadena, Friday evenings in Eagle Rock, and Montrose on Sunday mornings. Not to mention the unique farmers' market in Altadena on Wednesday afternoons. We have every day covered, and then some.

Each of these has its own...is it okay for me to say "vibe"? Each has its own vibe. And I'm pretty sure you can get carrots at all of them, year 'round. Maybe not Altadena. I did say that one's unique.

Check out FarmerNet for an amazing list. Living in the city is no excuse to eat canned vegetables.

Oak Knoll Kinderhaus

You'd think, as many times as I've driven, walked, floated and flown past this imaginatively-painted building I'd have taken note of what goes on there.

Some things you don't get to right away. You get to them eventually. I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

I have finally taken a picture of the Oak Knoll Kinderhaus, and looked it up online. It's a Montessori school on Lake Avenue in Pasadena.

That doesn't mean I know anything. I didn't go to a Montessori school and don't know much about it. Wikipedia has a description.

Do you have experience with Montessori?

I'm going to put up the holiday lights. I'm not saying when, but I'll get to it.

Time Window

I thought I'd post this because there's been so much green on the blog lately due to the rain. We had a long, hot summer this year, which I loved, but after all that brown I become a glutton for green.

This was a hidden, rear window in my neighbors' garage. I say "was," because they've fixed it up and now it's nicer. I'm glad I got a picture of the messy old thing, though I'm not sure my neighbors are. I love this kind of stuff.

I have thousands of pictures I doubt I'll ever post. But taking pictures can be like record-keeping. You never know when you'll want to look up something you almost forgot.

Discoveries

After several days of rain--a lot, for us--sunny skies are predicted for the immediate future. I like rain. I'm a homebody; to cuddle up in a blanket and read, pretending it's actual winter outside, is an old-fashioned pleasure for me.

Boz, our dog, does not like rain. This is a problem, as his bathroom facilities are outside. He won't go. He won't won't won't. He curls up in his towels (he owns a large collection) and it seems like he's pouting. But really, he's listening.

The moment he hears the rain stop he begins to murph. (This is how he expresses himself vocally--we haven't heard him bark since about 2005.) "Murph, murph," he says, repeating himself until we get what he's trying to tell us.

A family walk ensues. And discoveries.

Information

Union Station, Los Angeles

Every once in a while we have business to catch up on. On which to catch up. Straggling details. Fragments.

The annual lighting ceremony on Christmas Tree Lane will be this Saturday at 6pm, preceded by a vendor fair in the Altadena Library parking lot at 2. Altadena craftspeople don't generally try to sell you potholders their kids made at school. We're talking fine stuff. I'm going.

I enjoy the Arroyo Verde Awards, presented each year by the Council of Arroyo Seco Organizations. The Council recognizes the year's heroes in the preservation of the Arroyo. This year the ceremony will be held on December 12th at 7pm, at La Casita del Arroyo. I don't know yet who all the awardees are, but I know that Dianne Patrizzi, Patrizzi Intergarlactica, Mademoiselle Gramophone, our Doo Dah Queen, who marched in the Doo Dah parade as Princess Haha (and I don't know how many other personalities she has but these are all good ones), will receive the award for Best Activist. You can come to the awards! It's low-key fun and I love seeing people recognized for their important work.

Friend and photographer Kevin McCollister has a post up at 591PhotographyBlog. If Kevin isn't the finest photographer working in LA today, it's because Ansel Adams came back to life and moved to a downtown loft.

Did I mention this? I have a new book review up at Hometown Pasadena, of Kim Fay's The Map of Lost Memories. I might have mentioned it. I'm on new migraine pills. They are my current excuse for everything.

Some Camelot & Vine news:

One:
I said I'd keep the Camelot Where You Are photo contest going until Camelot & Vine is published. As you may know, it's not published yet. Two contest entries wait in my inbox for a third and hopefully a fourth to join them in deadly friendly competition. Take a picture of Camelot Where You Are and send it in (details here). I post it on the blog, everybody votes, and if you win I'll send you a free copy of Camelot & Vine (when it's published, which it will be. See Two).

Two:
Camelot & Vine will be published dammit! (in case you were wondering). I had hoped to have it out in time for Christmas--hell, I had hoped to have it out in October--but obviously, I had no idea how long it would take. January? This is now the plan, and it seems doable (as did October and December, once upon a time). The book has been edited and typeset, the cover's almost ready, and I can't imagine what else will hold it back.

But what the hell, let's come up with some scenarios!

Zen Monday: #223

If you're a Zen Monday regular, I don't need to say anything.

If you're not: Zen Monday is the day you tell us what the photo's about, rather than me telling you. The idea is (very loosely) based on the concept of Zen teaching, where a pupil learns through experience rather than through conventional methods like lectures. So please experience the photo and tell us what you've learned.

Water Walk, 4

Let's finish up our Water Walk with Bellis today, by continuing south along the path below Devil's Gate Dam. There are other wonders to behold, some not easy to see--100-year-old rusted pipes with rivets at their seams, stone walls embedded in the path--but this--what is this?

At last, it doesn't matter that I don't know because Bellis didn't know either, and apparently neither doesPasadena Water & Power.

To give you an idea of size, I'm 5'4" and I'm about as tall as the top of the graffiti on the west side of the tower. You can see a slim window at the top on the south side. It wouldn't be wide enough for an adult to fit through, though maybe a small child could do it.

On the east side of the tower, at the top, there's a sign:

I respect your superior web searching skills. Have at it. I found nothing.

Movie set?

Many thanks to Bellis for a fantastic tour, and to Pasadena Water and Power for the water, and the power.

Update: Here's a nice post on the Zanja walk Bellis took before she took me.

Tomorrow, Zen Monday!
Tuesday, news updates!
After that, I have no idea!

UPDATE: I spoke with Brad Bowman of Pasadena Water and Power, who told me this is a "surge tower." There's a pretty good explanation here. This tower is the "point of release."

Theme Day: My Street

It's the first of the month and time for City Daily Photo's monthly theme day. "My Street" is the theme we selected this time (democratically, as always).

I won't tell you much about my street because it's our private Brigadoon. We love living here. We have the most wonderful neighbors, and we know we're fortunate to have found this quiet, friendly spot to call home.

City Daily Photo has a new website, where you can find daily photo blogs from all over the world. The new site administrators continue to shine it up as a work in progress. Take a look at today's theme participants, or pick a blog in a remote land and explore.

Water Walk, 3

Bellis and I continued south on the path along the east side of Brookside Golf Course. This lovely little entrance to the zanja (water ditch) continues the classical architecture theme from yesterday. To the left and right of the pipeline are the original stone walls. Above it is Rosemont Avenue.

The little green leaves in the foreground are poison oak, upon which I barely escaped rubbing my calves, thanks to Bellis' warning. She knows well enough not to go crawling in ditches wearing shorts.

Water is rushing through there right now. You can go hear it for yourself, but wear long pants.

**********

Tomorrow is City Daily Photo's theme day, in which I'm a participant. We'll do Water Walk 4 on Sunday, then yup! Zen Monday. 

Tomorrow evening, you might want to stop by Webster's Fine Stationers in Altadena at 6:30 pm to hear Margaret Finnegan read from her hilarious novel, The Goddess Lounge. Not every writer is a good reader. Margaret's fab.

Water Walk, 2

Whew! We've just walked through the magical passageway pictured in yesterday's post, just south of the Devil's Gate Dam in the central Arroyo Seco. There's a fresh, cold stream here that flows year 'round from east to west (sometimes it's more full than others). It's in my picture, actually, but so wealthy with reeds at this point that you can't see the water.

And what's this little house? At 5'4", surely I can lean my elbow on the roof.

I would love to tell you that faeries live here, or that it was built by elves, or even that it was once a folly for a turn-of-the-20th-century Pasadena maiden. But it's a mini water treatment plant, or so I was told by Bellis, my guide. We both think it's still in operation, because it sounded like machines were churning inside.

Water Walk, 1

Recently there was a walking tour of the water history of the Arroyo, which I missed. But Bellis went, and the other day she showed me some of the highlights. I didn't write it all down, but I took pictures, which is almost as good. We're still Celebrating Pasadena's Water Centennial, so for the next few days I'll show you some of what we found.

Just now, we've come down the path at the east side of Devil's Gate Dam, where tomorrow we'll enter the trail of Pasadena's water history.

Plus we'll just walk in the Arroyo which is fun, history or no.

Shopping Mecca

It's one of the streetlamps on Colorado Blvd. near Madison. I don't think this lamp is an antique, or particularly special, though I could be wrong. I just like the shot.

I found a nice picture on Flickr of the buildings in the background, which is a good thing because I didn't have a photo of my own.

Colorado Blvd. is the road to the world class shopping mecca that is Pasadena. You'd think, as many pictures as I've taken of this town, I'd have all the pictures I need. But on the road to this particular mecca I am less pilgrim than infidel.

Zen Monday: #222

Rainy days and Mondays always get Boz down. Even Zen Mondays.

If Boz could sing, I don't think he'd sound like Karen Carpenter. I think he would sound like Robert Plant.

Sorry to go on. Zen Monday is supposed to be the day when you caption the photo instead of me. But feel free to add links to your favorite rain songs, if you're so inclined.

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.

I Got Yer Small Business

I guess when they say "small business" this is not what they mean. Yet this guy is definitely plying his (or her) trade.

Small Business Saturday is a relatively new "holiday," though some of us have been celebrating it year-round for as long as we can remember. It's a good day to explore that little store you've been wondering about, where you've never heard of the brands they carry and half the stuff on the shelves is locally handmade.

You never know. Someone, maybe a neighbor, might have woven something special that just calls to you.

Black Friday

Mueller Tunnel, near Mt. Wilson

Black Friday! Shopping! Deals galore! Everybody's heading to the stores!

Not everybody.

When I was a kid our family used to drive to Chicago on the day after Thanksgiving to see the displays in the windows at Marshall Field's, and to have a chat with Santa. The last time we did that was the last time I went shopping on the day after Thanksgiving.

Is today a shopping day for you? Share your experiences!

Thanksgiving

I think it's a good idea to have a day set aside for thanksgiving. I'm a positive person and I count my blessings more than once a year, but it's good to be reminded. What a great holiday. A whole day set aside for being thankful.

I thought of listing the things I'm thankful for, but you know what happens--the list gets too long. Of course that's why we do it--to remind ourselves how long our list is. My husband, my dog, my home, my friends, my life...how fortunate I am.

Blessings on you!

Arroyo Steps

I thought I might have published a photo of these stairs before. It turns out I have, from a different angle. I've also wondered but never known if they're vestiges of the original Busch Gardens. They're off the main path where you can't easily see them. Watch for side trips.

I do know that's poison oak on the right.

Will you have some time off over the next few days? It looks like we're going to have perfect hiking weather.

Let me know if this picture's too big on your screen. I'm tired of the teeny ones. I like big. But I need some easy watermarking software.

Weather

Heading north on Los Robles. Saw this. Felt lucky.

Does the weather affect your mood? I like a rainy day because I like to stay indoors with the heater on. I like a hot day because I like going without a sweater or even sleeves. I liked yesterday because it was cool without being cold; we'd had rain on Sunday and yesterday the world smelled good.

Zen Monday: #221

guest photographer: Ginab's friend Tom

Weehee! It's Monday! And a Zen Monday photo is just that: a Zen Monday photo. It is what it is. I mean, what is it? You tell us.