Echo Echo Echo, Mountain Mountain Mountain

Busy weekend, but unlike last Sunday (spent at work), I'm here with my baby hanging around the house, our family of animals in some state of proximity. Shadow curled up on the rug in the library. She follows me around as I go from here to there and outside to take a look at the condition of my garden. It could use some tending, and I sigh, wishing I had more time to linger there.
Yesterday we went back to the San Gabriel's. This time taking the Sam Merrill Trail that winds and switches its way back and forth and up and around the mountainside to the ruins of the White City on Echo Mountain. We got a late start and the coolness that the overcast mornings would have provided burned off early. The trek was hot. But it was worth it.We explored the mountain that was once a destination in the late 1800's and early 1900's and which remains a destination to hikers and bikers (and birds?) today. A beautifully maintained trail leads to beautiful views and shady groves. On the outskirts of the rubble we discovered the Echo Phone, so we bounced our voices off the mountainside.
I packed us a little lunch of Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, raisins and Sunkist oranges (making Will nearly cry with joy) which we enjoyed at the old picnic area.We continued to pass hikers on their way up, seeing the exhaustion from the heat in their flushed and sweaty faces, but knowing they would be greeted by a little oasis at the top.Later today we'll be taking Will's mother, Casey, to Castaway's for a Mother's Day Brunch. I'm looking forward to seeing her and hearing the latest predicament she's gotten herself into and what outrageousness she may be up to.

And to my Mom, Happy Mother's Day!!!! I love you. XXOO. I think of you every day and I can't wait to see you.

What I had intended to do today and what I had to do today were completely different in every way possible. I'm lucky I got a cup of coffee in before I had to go in to the office to monitor/manage the progress of a project that kept me there until after 6:00 pm.

So, I did NOT get to enjoy a lazy breakfast with my husband. Didn't get to go for a walk anywhere. Didn't get the laundry done. Didn't get to do anything. But at the end of the day the client was happy and reassured that we could get the job done.

When I did get home I took a few moments to decompress (thank you sweetie-pie) and feed the animals before starting dinner. I came across a recipe a couple of weeks ago for a Tomato Garlic & Mussel soup that I have been wanting to try, put the mollusks on my grocery list, but the supermarket wasn't carrying any. Yesterday we decided to walked on down to the A Grocery Warehouse to score some of the mollusks. Rather than make the tomato soup part of the soup from scratch I used a carton of the Campbells Select Tomato Basil & Garlic soup and enhanced it with some Seasoned Pepper and garlic'd it up some more with a generous shake of Garlic Salt. Then I got to cleaning, scrubbing and de-bearding the Mussels, and while sipping a glass of red wine, tossed them in to a steaming pan a seasoned chicken broth and sliced garlic cloves. I didn't take any photos, but it was YUM. The soup had an underlying spiciness, the Mussels tender and the garlic infused throughout.

May Day's Great American Boycott

From my office building on the 3300 block of the Wilshire corridor I went down to the street to see the march. The subject for which they march is complicated. It's unfortunate, and it seems that the good, hard-working people are the one's who suffer for those who aren't. I respect all who respect me in return.

A Slice of Life and Golden Orbs

It's strange having Katie here with us. Different. I imagine if it were all the time it would be different too. Now, it feels like we have to, not so much entertain her, but consider her. I don't know what she likes to eat. I don't know what she likes to do. So I think, well, she'll eat what we eat and she'll do what we do. So, Saturday morning we take a walk around the 'hood, followed by (what is a rarity these "fit" days) breakfast at Millie's, then a stroll over to the Farmer's Market before trekking on home.

As they don't allow dogs in the market, Will took Shadow and headed over to the slice of park to sit and wait at the fountain, while Katie hesitated, not knowing which direction she wanted to go. With Dad and Shadow to sit in the grass? Or into the market with me? She came with me. I was glad. We strolled and I asked her if she wanted some juice. She answered shyly and very politely "No thank you". Cute. She tagged along as I handled and bagged some produce.

I chatted momentarily with a man at a stall selling African carvings. Something in his features and demeanor made me think that he was not American born. There was a soulfulness in the eyes, a gentleness in the smile. I asked him where he was from.

"West Africa" he told me.

I told him I had been to East Africa; Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Zanzibar.

"How many times? Once?" he asked.

"Twice" I said.

"And will you go back again?" he asked.

"Yes. Definitely. It's beautiful country." And I let my fingers trail along a couple of the carving as if to feel the warmth of the African sun on their surface.

I'm enjoying the market with Katie on my heals and Africa at my fingertips. I told Katie we had one more stop at the flower stall and we picked out some blooming stalks of lilies, snap dragons and golden orbs of some sort to adorn the piano.

Inspiration Point, Mt. Lowe

8 hours on the mountain.

11.7 miles. 2600 foot elevation gain. We were way up there and back two canyons. Beautiful trail. Too beat to go on about it tonight.

Duly Blessed and Flower Powered

Our third pilgrimage to the day-before-Easter event at the Olvera Street Plaza that began here in 1930. Buster was flower powered and a big hit as always. The usual suspects were there with any number of shivering Chihuahuas, baskets full o’ pups and exotics of all kinds. I’m a sucker for animals, big and small, and this puppy pit bull was a sweetie-pie. Before we could begin the procession, our Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was introduced and he took the platform speaching away like crazy. Once the politicking was over the Cardinal came on board, said a prayer for all the animals, released a flock of doves into the Southern California skies, then let the holy water fly.

Duly blessed we beelined it over to a patio table at El Paseo Inn for Margaritas and lunch. The sun was out as we ate and drank and listened to Mariachis and watched the procession of the usual suspects pass us by.

Ashes and Snow Exhibit

After breakfast at the Sidewalk Cafe on the waterfront of Venice BeachWill and I walked up to the Santa Monica Pier to see the Ashes and Snow exhibit. The "gallery" is built of shipping containers.

The images by Canadian photographer and film maker, Gregory Colbert, of man and beast define the beauty of art as art exists in nature and all living beings and animals. From the cheetah to the elephant, it's as if they understand that no harm will come to them and respect each other.

A wondrous exhibit and a gorgeous sunny day in Southern California.

Today's Mission

Our walk today had a mission as our good freind Cybele said we could drop by and score a couple of Valomilk's from her. Understanding their delicate constitution, Will gingerly wrapped them in a green bandana and gently stowed them in his oversized pant pocket for the rest of the walk.We walked through the latest art installation on Silver Lake Bloulevard. Then wondered around the Monkeysomething toy shop, which was full of all kinds of neat handmade toys and art.

Why I Love My Husband So

The flowers in my office. My co-workers will periodically stop by and ask "Is this Conrad's?"Why I love my husband so.

@---^---- (a rose)

Actually 2 dozen long stemmed red roses, and lilies and sunflowers, and daisies, and more. Many more.

As I opened the door to my office this morning I was greeted with 4 vases sitting along my desk and credenza brimming with flowers, and a hand made card in front of my monitor and a single red rose next to it. I took it all in and breathed in the heady scent, then called my husband.

"Happy Birthday" he said.

Apparently he, and his accomplice Tigre (my coworker) had a plan. After I left work yesterday, he was on his way to my office when Tigre gave him the call that the coast was clear. A set up. A sting. A surprise. A grand gesture. A gesture of love.

Thank you sweetie. I love you too.

Throughout the day I find it difficult to focus, intoxicated by the scent of roses that fill my office.

Rolling in the Grass

It's been a busy week. I look at my blog and wish I had more time to post. And if the weekends aren't already short enough, I had to go in to the office on Saturday, so to have it cut even shorter doesn't make me happy. It's been raining lately and breezy, but this morning the skies were clear and the air warm. I walked out the back door to see the Lillys blooming, and other plants are budding, soon to be abloom. The spectacular blue flowering shrub above is from a neighboring house. I wanted to take a walk up to Bellevue Park so husband and dog and I headed out this morning after breakfast for a 3-mile walk. Will wanted to check out the avocado tree around the corner to see if any other fruit had fallen from its limbs.

I love walking through the neighborhood, taking paths I haven't taken before, peering through fences to see what I can see. So when I saw the alley across the street I suggested we take it through to Bellevue on the other side. About half way down the pavement ended and nature took over. We were traipsing through dewey wet grass taller than Shadow.

We passed citrus trees, and more avocado trees, and banana trees with clusters of young green fruit, not yet ripe. Definitely have to come back and harvest some of those. Arriving at Bellevue Park we entered and meandered through the picnic area and along the jogging path. It's a really nice park. And I like that they have a few BBQs set up, plenty of grassy knolls and burms for kids to roll down and get all itchy, and big mature trees just right for climbing. When I was a kid I spent a lot of time at the park down the street from our house on Louise Avenue in Lynwood. (Funny, that's about the only street name that I remember growing up. I don't think I can name one other street I've lived on). A neighborhood park like this one with grassy knolls and burms, and we loved to roll down 'em, getting itchy from the grass. One summer my brother and I entered a roller skating race at the park. My brother still had the clamp-on kind of skates that you tightened to the soles of your shoes with a skate key (like thses) and all the other kids had those fancy new shoe skates, and my brother still won the race, and he probably still has the medal.

Say Hello to Knee Braces

The 3rd of three bids came in this week for the paint job. And it's much more than I expected. So I'm considering scaling back the project to just the painting, and take on the rest of the trim and repair work down the road. The thing I wanted to do most was restore the knee braces to the roof overhang. I don't know where they went, but I wish whoever removed them would have just thrown them in the basement or something. All that's left are the horizontal posts.They were there at one time.
I can see where the shingle siding has been patched where the 45 degree angle piece connected to the siding. But the painters don't seem to know where to get them. You would think that someone stocked them. 'Cause they're everywhere, in some form or other, on almost all craftsman homes. Or you would think that some salvage yard would have a mountain of them. It took some research before I found out what they were called. Not corbles. Brackets are kind of correct. They're actually called knee braces. Now when I'm driving down the street all I see are knee braces. Straight cut knee braces, double straight cut knee braces, milled knee braces, notched knee braces, knee braces everywhere. The good thing is Jesus called me and he's coming over tomorrow to take a look at the project and give me a bid. I'll bet he knows what knee braces are. And I bet he knows where to get 'em. And if not I found a solution. Walking with Will last weekend we passed a spectacular house with the most unusual round port windows and lovely knee braces. They were straight cut, but with corble type mill work just at the base. Pretty.
I searched online and found all kinds of corbles and dental molding and Victorian mill work, but NO craftsman knee braces. I did find brackets, but they were solid pieces, not open triangles. Then I found corbles that would create the effect of the one's I like above. So if I order them (I have 15 to be restored) I think I might have a solution. And I think it might work.

Family

In my inbox this morning was an email form my Uncle Jim in Montana with news of what's going on around there. The photo attached to his email (above) is of Shasta Dam, which is where I'm from, just north of Redding CA. I remember one summer when I was in high school I took a job cleaning house boats on Lake Shasta. I'd wear my bathing suit and when I could I'd take a break and jump in the lake to cool off. It can get to be a hundred or so in the summer.

My husband and I will be back in the Cascades this summer on our way to Troy Montana for the 4th of July to visit my family. We're all converging there from various points. I've been routing the roads and places to stay and things to do and see. There's so much country to see. And we'll be packing a lot in this time out.
I get regular updates from Mom as she travels the country with Lorne, and I look forward to these weekly contacts. Now in Myrtle Beach, she's walking the beach regularly and collecting sea shells, and I expect I'll get a hand made card from her embellished with some of her finds for my birthday (hint).

They obviously keep track of my doings through this, my blog. And I get news of my brother through Mom. Right now I have the Road Atlas open in front of me looking at the Blue Mountain ridge in NE Oregon and the little dots running along the lines that indicate scenic byways, and they're everywhere.

Man, we're gunna see some beautiful country on the road. And the call of my family is getting stronger as the time grows nearer. I hear my family calling me. In my heart and my soul, they're calling me.

PAINTING - EXTERIOR

Since my guy, Jesus, the best do-it-all contractor on earth (painter, plumber, electrician, carpenter, tiler) is sooooo busy he wouldn't be available for my project for 3 months, I had to think about finding someone else.

There are resources online that I thought I'd try, and then I read an article in the Home section of the L. A. Times about a website directory of home and garden services. The headline reads "The Zagat Guide of home improvement" and features www.angieslist.com among others.

I gave it a try and found it had an easy search feature and rating system, including customer comments, good or bad. I selected PAINTER - EXTERIOR from the service search field and a substantial list of companies came up. There's a minimal fee to sign up, but being a homeowner I know it's tough to find good workers and reliable service, so I think it's a small price to pay, if it works out.

I selected three in the area (It'll provide you the distance from the company in relation to your home) and called. The first number said it was "Not a working number", the second one was busy the few times that I dialed it, and the third one got through. I spoke to Jay Hu, the owner, let him know what I wanted and he said he could come over to take a look at the place the next day.

He was here promptly at 2:30. And in my book, promptness gets you big points. Jay walked around the house with Will and I. I showed him the color combination that I put up on the bay window. Showed him the roof brackets I wanted to restore, as well as the trim that wraps around the front of the house.

At the end of the tour, we walked down to look at the garage and I asked him about his availability and how long he thought the job would take. Then I told him I found him on Angies List and asked him if he know about that service. He didn't. I showed him the printout that I had and read to him this comment:

"He painted the exterior of my two story 1905 wood
shingle house, advising me well on choice of color...
very responsive to suggestions and specific requests...
The work was performed at the highest level of skill..."

He smiled and with palms together bowed to me and said "Thank you".

He'll fax us the estimate tomorrow. I have a good feeling about Jay Hu. And I can't wait to see the old girl in her new coat.

Four Jobs I've Had ...

Four Jobs I’ve Had In My Life in LA:
Production Control, ASI Sign Manufacturing
Production Coordinator, Monte Carlo Shirt Company
Operations Manager, Online Advocacy
General Manager, Executive Presentations
Four Movies About LA I Could Watch Over And Over:
Blade Runner
Chinatown
Short Cuts
Double Indemnity
Four Places I’ve Lived All Over L.A. (With Food Memories From Each):
Silver Lake, Pho
Lynwood, Yee Mee Loo in Chinatown (While certainly not IN Lynwood, I remember going there as a kid and watching the cooks through the big plate glass window)
South Pasadena, Gus’s BBQ
Pasadena, Café Santorini
Four LA-Themed Shows I Love(d) To Watch:
Moonlighting
The Monkeys
Brady Bunch
Six Feet Under
Four Places I Would Vacation At In LA:
Downtown
Malibu
Beverly Hills
Santa Monica
Four LA-Based Websites I Visit Daily:
Blogging.la
Wildbell
Candy Blog
Franklin Avenue
Four Of My Favorite Foods Found In LA:
The #17 Bun Cha Gio Tom Thit Nuong at Pho
Slippery Shrimp at Yang Chow
Pureed Tomato Dipping Sauce w/Fresh Baked Baguette at Puran’s
Enchiladas de Queso at Alegria on Sunset
Four Places In LA I Would Rather Be Right Now:
Anywhere with my husband
Top of The Strand
Hiking the trails of Griffith Park
Mugu Peak, Pt. Mugu State Park