perspective

the goodhue flagpole

i took this photo back in the spring as i was completing my epic pasadena mosaic park sign series.  this one is of a monument flag pole known as goodhue.  it is located at orange grove and colorado, quite close to the norton simon museum.

this photo ended up not being included in the aforementioned park series because it does not include a mosaic tile sign.  it does deserve to be shown on the blog as an element that makes pasadena...  well, pasadena!

cd sunday: the postal service's give up

and so we reach the end.  way back in june i embarked on a quest to share with you my favorite twenty albums.  i hope you've enjoyed the journey as much as i have.  it was tough to select just twenty, and made me realize how diverse my collection is - and the way that my collection has changed over the years.

today's final album is by the postal service - a side project of ben gibbard, lead singer of the band death cab for cutie.  this album is quirky - part indie rock, part electronica, part ear candy pop.  some songs are familiar - you might recognize "such great heights" as the song was featured in us postal service commercials as part of a name copyright settlement, and was covered by the band iron and wine and featured in the indie film garden state.

but the album has even more than that.  some of it is melodic enough to be a lullaby (such as "homage" or "see the light"), while others are uptempo enough to be featured in a play-list for the gym workout.

i cannot remember who introduced me to this album.  it came out while i was in college but i didn't have it during my semester in south africa which occurred at the end of that year (i know this because my cd folder was stolen on that trip, containing hundreds of cds - many in my current collection of around 400 albums are actually burned copies because of this unfortunate incident, give up is not one of them, which means it was not on the trip).  it certainly wasn't very early.  in some kind of odd twist, it made me much more curious about death cab for cutie - i'm not sure how often a side project ends up making people interested in the main event, but that is what happened for me.

so why the photo of the capitol building?  well the opening track always makes me think of washington with the repetitive line from the chorus, "d.c. sleeps, alone tonight".

it is a brilliant album and i'm baffled as to why a follow-up never came forth.  maybe someday my fellow ben will get around to it.


and so, here is the final list.  my twenty favorite albums, in no particular order...

1. u2 - the joshua tree
2. dave matthews band - crash
3. cake - comfort eagle
4. blue rodeo - five days in july
5. the beach boys - pet sounds
6. coldplay - viva la vida
7. weezer - pinkerton
8. mates of state - re-arrange us
9. radiohead - ok computer 
10. nickel creek - this side
11. u2 - how to dismantle an atomic bomb 
12. the beatles - the white album 
13. sloan - one chord to another 
14. o.a.r. - risen
15. paul simon - graceland 
16. jack johnson - brushfire fairytales 
17. led zeppelin - iv
18. belle & sebastian - the life pursuit
19. sara watkins - sara watkins
20. the postal service - give up

first church of christ, scientist

i didn't know much about this church when i took the photo (and i still don't know much), but i was able to track down their website which does have some more detail about what exactly the first church of christ, scientist, pasadena is.

madison elementary

back to school for most. 

i still have a few more days of freedom until the fall quarter begins at fuller seminary.

two downtown buildings

this unassuming shot of two of downtown pasadena's high rise buildings is simple, if not patriotic (see the american flag?).  but it is significant because the taller of these two buildings - the at&t building - apparently is on the market.  brigham yen has an interesting idea for the space.  what do you all think?

fire station 34

one of pasadena's fire stations, #34 is located on the corner of caltech's campus.  i like the low profile, and the scraggly pine tree makes me think this picture was taken in the northwest or something.

roadster at the westin

a classic car hanging out in pasadena's westin hotel.

fifth of july

i found this fishy flag in the window of a pasadena art gallery.  what an interesting symbol.  i wish i knew more about the artist's intention.

i hope you all had a wonderful family and firework filled fourth.  there is so much about this country that i struggle with - yet it is my current home, and it can be a wonderful place to live and learn.

i'm a canadian-american with ties to several african nations, and deep european roots.  i come from a faith tradition that has been persecuted and tormented, and yet in pasadena, a person with such mixed background can find relative freedom to live almost as i wish - especially compared to some other parts of the world.

yet i'm also painfully aware of how frequently our military might, power, political decisions, boundaries, and money have abused and destroyed the fabric of our world.  certainly the usa is not alone its destructive forces - yet it was with mixed feelings that i "celebrated" independence day.  one very touching moment was when our church congregation sang this incredible hymn (audio here).

i hope that wherever you were yesterday, you were blessed with both joy and discomfort.

may theme day: statues

may's theme day coincides with the final installment of my project documenting pasadena's mosaic park signs. this is one of my favorite parks because it is the setting of pasadena's free summer concert series. fortunately, memorial park includes a statue - thus fitting in with this month's city daily photo theme!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

i hope you have enjoyed this lengthy series. if you haven't been following, please scroll down to find the links to pasadena's 19 other public city parks with mosaic park signs. thanks for following along!

from the city website:

"Memorial Park is located at 85 East Holly Street. Hours of operation are from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm. The size of the park is 5.3 acres. One of the older parks in the City, this site is situated near Old Pasadena. The park is characterized by extensive shrubbery, landscaping, large trees and monuments. Other facilities include: band shell and seating capacity of 400: picnic facilities; benches; large open grass area; exercise walk; restrooms; and drinking fountains. Located in the park is the Pasadena Senior Center operated for and by Pasadena’s senior citizen population. The Center’s program of activities is planned, organized, and carried out by its own membership."



and the final run-down of pasadena parks...

1. brookside park
2. singer park
3. central park
4. grant park
5. victory park
6. jefferson park
7. allendale park
8. san rafael park
9. robinson park
10. brenner park
11. washington park
12. villa park
13. mcdonald park
14. la pintoresca park
15. eaton blanche park
16. eaton sunnyslope park
17. gwinn park
18. vina veja park
19. hamilton park

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.

palms and the clock tower from memorial park

the mixture of the silhouettes, trees, the building, and the flags... i really like this one.

alhambra in-n-out

i've posted some images of the pasadena in-n-out, now here are some from the alhambra location - which happens to be much newer, larger, brighter, and busier. i like the above photo because it shows their trademark crossed palm trees, something you'll find at almost every in-n-out location. i guess X marks the spot.

pasadena scottish rite

i must plead ignorance here. i have almost no knowledge of freemasonry, and most of it comes from wikipedia. but this certainly is a striking building, what with the stone, the huge doorway, the egyptian figures out front, and the stained glass windows. the pasadena organization has their own website, right here.

by the way - if you haven't already visited my friend eric's blog to read his comics, you really need to do so. like right now. go. now. do so with this link. i think they are brilliant.

get your kicks - just don't kick me

colorado blvd and the playhouse district are historic for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that they belong to route 66.