rose parade anticipation

pasadena, are you ready for the masses to decend upon our lovely town? are you ready for the streets filled with people and garbage? for shoving, elbowing, and jockeying for prime curb positions?

i'm going to head out tonight on my bicycle to document the masses, and then i'll be out tomorrow morning for the parade. this is what puts pasadena on the map, right? - should be a fun time.

more skywatch friday photos can, of course, be found at this link.

lake avenue metro stop

an off-balance shot of pasadena's lake avenue metro station make-over. this station is apparently utilizing solar panels in the finished product, as i recently learned from brigham yen's blog.

(the clock tower is new for those who are wondering)

snow-capped mt. baldy

while our weather has hovered in the 60s and 70s lately, snow is still visible from pasadena. how many cities are within an hour of both ski slopes and beaches? we may never be able to pull ourselves away from this wonderful place.

eagle rock brewery!

while eagle rock is technically not pasadena, i'm going to adopt it for the purpose of proclaiming that we have one more microbrewery on the local landscape! we recently visited as a part of their opening weekend and were extremely excited to be shown the facility by jeremy - the head brewer and co-owner, and his wife ting - marketing extraordinaire and perfect pint pourer. you can tell that they are extremely passionate about their beer, and are working at making their brewery one of a kind.


eagle rock brewery has done an amazing job of documenting their hard work at reaching this stage in their business. they have updated almost every moment in the process through their fantastic blog.

if you are interested in visiting, they are open by appointment this coming weekend from 4pm-10pm on saturday and sunday. give them a call at 323.257.7866 with your name, date, time and number of guests, and have a great time!


oh ya, i need to give a shout out to my friend ryan who took these pictures for me because i forgot my camera! what was i thinking???

christmas in holmes county

meredith and i traveled to visit family in holmes county, ohio for a few days this past week. we spent time with my grandparents and family on my mom's side of the family. we had a great time exploring walnut creek where my grandparents currently reside. as you can see from the above photo, this rural farming community is somewhat different than pasadena.


a week filled with plenty of good food, family, and fun. the above photo is from our christmas dinner that we enjoyed at an amish homestead.

christmas morning at all saints episcopal church

i ventured out on christmas morning and visited all saints for their christmas service. the church was beautifully decked out in its christmas best. it was a church experience that was pretty different than pasadena mennonite church (where i normally attend), but i really enjoyed it. i spent the rest of my day with my wife until she left for work :( and then just relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the day.

how did you spend your holiday?

merry christmas!

i spotted this illuminated cyclist while driving down green street the other day. while this image is slightly blurry, I like the way it came out.

have a blessed day.

twas the day before christmas

the tree at one colorado plaza, all decked out in its christmas glory. whether you celebrate christmas or not, i hope you can find a moment in the next few days to enjoy the holidays!

earth harp at one colorado

it is a little hard to tell, but the image above is of an earth harp played by a group called m.a.s.s. we stumbled upon this outdoor concert while walking around old town a little while ago. interesting stuff.

giant snowflakes!

another example of the "snow" we get here in pasadena.

snowflakes fall on old town pasadena

this is as close as we get to seeing snow in town.

we're heading east today to spend time with family in ohio. we may get to see some actual snow there, as well as a few family members. we'll be back for christmas day.

fountain in central park

this curious fountain reads:

1905
presented by
the national
humane alliance
hermon lee ensign
founder

gus's barbeque

by far, my favorite restaurant in south pasadena. although it can be a little pricey, they have some fantastic ribs, pulled pork, and barbecued chicken. the atmosphere is nice, and the service has been great on the two occasions we've been there.

oh ya, and it doesn't hurt to have a classy neon sign.

winter citrus

a photograph of an orange tree-filled sky taken at our thanksgiving celebration.

more friday skywatch found right here.

the rialto theater

i may be stepping on laurie's toes here - after all, she is our south pasadena daily photo blogger, and does have a soft spot for this beautiful old building(click on that link to get her take on this place). i hope she doesn't mind!

the pasadena trolley

i might need some help on this one. every once in a while I see trolleys shuttling people around old town pasadena, but i don't know how frequently this happens. is it just during special occasions? on weekends? help me out here people.

walking the red carpet to gold class cinemas

pasadena's newest movie theater is actually more of a lavish movie-going experience. gold class cinemas just opened their doors to movie goers looking for cushy seating, plenty of legroom, and the chance to order food right from your seat. of course luxury like this comes at a price - over $25 per ticket.

we don't have plans to go any time soon, but i'm interested if any pasadenians experienced this yet...

beyond the olive

beyond the olive is one of old town pasadena's newest shops. they specialize in - you guessed it - olive oil! most of their product is made right here in the state of california. best of all, you can sample anything in the store before you buy it. the metal containers on the left side of the photo are from the wide selection of oils that are available to be filled and re-filled from one of their house bottles. they also sell a wide variety of balsamic vinegars too. check them out!

castle green profile

one of pasadena's most eye-catching buildings. certainly not the first time that it has been featured on this blog.

lonely man

the single person walking through this image really stood out to me. and then it made me think of empty la. click on that link to check out some seriously spooky images of los angeles.

35 south raymond building

a building from another era that is in bad need of a new tenant and a face lift. this building reminded me of a project that my friend matt just completed - rephotographing philadelphia. you should all check it out - and i think someone should pick up that idea for pasadena or los angeles county.

more skywatch friday can be found right here.

busking in pasadena

i overheard this guy playing while parking my car in a garage last weekend. i looked down from my perch and snapped off this photo. i felt a bit like a spy. then i noticed his massive bottle of cola keeping him company and a smile crossed my face.

snow on our mountains

a cold snap and some heavy precipitation means that we have a lovely dusting of snow on our mountains right now. the first moment this happens every winter is always a fun time for me - someone who never imagined that pasadena was so close to the mountains, nor that they would ever be cold enough or high enough to have fluffy white stuff on top.

ten thousand villages

i'm ashamed it took me so long to post about pasadena's lovely little fair trade store. not only is this a fantastic little place to shop that is filled with fair trade artwork and handicrafts from around the globe, it is connected to me through my church tradition - yup, the pasadena location of ten thousand villages is actually part of a larger chain of stores that is operated by mennonite central committee, the mission arm of the mennonite church.

check out this not-so-recent la times article on the ten thousand villages movement.

brian mclaren at fuller seminary

i had a full weekend. after the wedding which i posted about yesterday, i dropped in on the last few minutes of a conversation on the future of the church in the united states between mclaren and fuller professors, barry taylor and ryan bolger. a really provocative event

congrats to adrianne and nathan!

i had the privilege of attending the wedding of some friends who i've known from both church and fuller seminary. i think those who attended will agree that it was one of the most beautiful and sacred weddings of all time.

blessings to both of you. congrats on this next stage of your life.

dive! - living off america's waste

i had the privilege of attending a screening of jeremy seifert's fantastic movie "dive!" last night at my church. it is a compelling film about dumpster diving and the food we waste in our culture. you can check out the excellent review of the film by my friend wess daniels. i enjoyed the film so much that i picked up a copy.

you may also be interested in visiting the film's website to find a screening near you (such as the one in glendale tonight!)

christmas in southern california

i'm not sure about you, but adding holiday decorations to sunny palm-lined streets doesn't really make me feel like christmas is just around the corner... do you see the green reindeer sitting on the red tree ornament?

more skywatch friday from bloggers around the world can be found right here.

finally some pictures of kogi bbq

the korean taco truck that started the foodie truck craze in los angeles was in our area last night, just up the hill in altadena, in the parking lot behind the coffee gallery. the above picture features their black jack spicy pork quesadilla with salsa verde, and both the short rib tacos and the chicken tacos.


i know, i know... i've had a lot of recent food-related photos... i'll try and bring you back to some non-food reality in the next few days.

dona rosa burrito friday

the tinfoil wrapped burrito is nothing new to southern california - you can get them just about anywhere, even if that place isn't known for their mexican food.

have a ton of great photos in the pipeline, so it seems a little random to show something like a burrito on this daily photo blog. however, the reason this photo is posted it to try and spread the world about dona rosa's friday burrito special. ALL DAY on friday, customers can purchase a small burrito for only $1.25. this isn't a typo, and it gets better. domestic beer is only $1.50 all day long. for under $5, you can get two small burritos and a cold beer - which in my books is a pretty spectacular thing. oh, and the tortilla chips are on the house of course. what a world we live in!

december theme day: waiting

first ultrasound picture from a few months ago. we're anxiously waiting for our first child in may! crazy, right?

this theme is being explored by hundreds of other daily photo bloggers...

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

nom nom truck

the foodie truck revolution has hit los angeles county hard. starting with the legendary kogi korean taco truck, things have progressed to all sorts of wonderful meals on wheels. one recent addition is the fabulous vietnamese fusion creations of the nom nom truck. through a fellow blogger i discovered that they would be making their first visit to pasadena this past weekend. i quickly decided i had to check it out in person.

now i don't admit to know very much about vietnamese cuisine, but the lemongrass chicken taco and grilled pork banh mi sandwich i tried were fantastic! my meal was an explosion of savory meats, pickled vegetables, cilantro, and peppers, layered with tasty sauces and chewy/crusty breads. it was sweet, spicy, sour, savory, and all things a meal on the go should be. you can bet i'll be returning to the nom nom truck in the future.

largo at the coronet

largo at the coronet is one of my favorite music venues in los angeles. we attended recently to revisit the watkins family hour - an incredible evening of music based around siblings sean and sara watkins of nickel creek fame. we were treated to a spell-binding set of folk/bluegrass/gospel fusion that even included a guest appearance by fiona apple. if this sounds appealing, i'd strongly recommend checking out their upcoming christmas show on december 16th.

thanksgiving wrap-up

thursday was a wonderful day. a bike ride in the morning followed by a turkey frying experience and then capped off with a fantastic afternoon and evening of food, friends, and fellowship.

rosslyn hotel

a skywatch photo of the old rosslyn hotel (now housing upscale lofts) in downtown los angeles, taken on the recent tweed, mustache, and moxie ride.

more skywatch friday can be found here.

happy turkey day!

i hope you all have plenty to be thankful for this year.

tweed, mustache, and moxie ride #3

i like this photo for many of the reasons i mentioned yesterday, but what stands out is the old insignia on the buildings. the fashionably dressed cyclists almost blend right in with their surroundings. and a brick crosswalk? were we really in los angeles? wonderful.

the growing series of photos from this ride can be found together right here.

tweed, mustache, and moxie ride #2

oh my, what a fun ride. i love this picture for so many reasons - the clothes, bikes with fenders (purely added just for show in southern california!), the fact that the group is keeping pace with a bus, the way the buildings frame the shot,... so much to like.

check out monday's post for more on the ride and the link to the flickr page with more shots from the ride.

update: some photos from another area blogger.

tweed, mustache, and moxie ride.

cicle.org jumped on the growing trend of tweed rides happening across the country and kicked things off in los angeles this weekend with the first los angeles tweed, mustache, and moxie ride. a jolly good time was had by all - fine people decked out in their vintage clothing, fabulous facial hair, and beautiful bicycles. i'll be posting more photos from the ride all week long, but if you're interested in seeing more right now, you can check out my facebook album from the ride, or the growing flickr photo album for the event.

the place, los angeles

the food truck craze has hit pasadena in the form of "the place" - a virtual diner on wheels currently committed to serving only the good people of pasadena. the place offers a variety of food options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including unique items like a pastrami quesadilla or asian style dumplings. i ordered the cheeseburger and fries and was very impressed with both the flavor, quality of food, and price. as i placed my order they mentioned that they just started an all-you-can-eat option for $10. i didn't have time to take them up on that offer, but it seems like a pretty good deal to me. they have been open for about a month and business seems to be pretty good so far. i don't think they have a website set up yet, but you can follow their twitter feed to find out where they are parked in town.

remember the fork?

the infamous pasadena fork is back in the news. i'll let the fork in the road gang explain in their own words...

"Saturday and Sunday from 8 to 4 P.M. Bob Stane, Ken Marshall (The Coffee Gallery Backstage) and Philip Coombes(AgentPhil.com) will be launching Pasadena's largest food drive ever! benefiting Union Station Homeless services. Union Station Homeless Services will be feeding more than 5,000 people in the park on Thanksgiving Day and any non-perishables you can drop off at the fork this weekend will be greatly appreciated and much needed.

The food drive will be taking place at The infamous "Fork" located at the "fork in the road" where St. John and Pasadena Ave. meet. (or divide depending if your cup is half full or half empty) This is just South of Huntington Hospital and Bellfontaine. (From now on, this piece of dirt is dubbed, "Fork Plaza"). Please look for the volunteers wearing bright Orange shirts. Simply go slow, roll down your window and give your non-perishable food items to the volunteers with outreach bags."


thanks to petrea for the heads up that this was happening.

andre agassi at vroman's

thanks to hometown pasadena, i found out about andre agassi's book signing appearance at vroman's bookstore and so i decided to stop by yesterday. the line was pretty massive (as seen in the photo below), and i had no interest in buying his book simply to get an autograph. however i was very happy to snap off a few pictures of the tennis star before security kindly asked me to remove my camera from their store. he seemed genuinely happy with the people he spoke to. were any of you able to meet him yesterday?


no skywatch this friday, but i'm sure i'll be back with more pasadena sky next week.

balance

one of the great perks of riding your bicycle in the hills around pasadena means you get some interesting intersections like the one pictured above. when we moved to california i had no idea how cycling would change. when we would go for rides back in virginia, most routes would be rolling hills. here you have the choice of flat, or straight up and straight down.