bullet the blue sky

the day after thanksgiving we took a trip to joshua tree national park. it was my first visit to god's country, and we had a great time bouldering and hiking around where the streets have no name. i also made sure to take the time to sit back and listen to u2's the joshua tree album on my ipod.

for those southern california bloggers looking for a place to take some pictures, head to joshua tree and just point and shoot. it's almost impossible to take a bad shot here.

oh what a thanksgiving!

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from plates piled high with food, to hanging out with old friends, it was quite an amazing day. sky watching took priority yesterday, so that means you get thanksgiving images two days after the event.

most of the people around our table were fellow emu alums - some from the local area, and others who were visiting from other parts of the world. isn't that what thanksgiving is all about? spending time with loved ones and eating great food.

sky watch friday (take 3)

pasadena isn't known for it's vivid sunsets, but lately we've been getting some incredible ones! this was right at the tale end of one the other week as it set on holly street and first baptist church.

check out sky watch friday today for more views of the sky from around the world!

another picture of my new friend

boy, do i ever love my new bike. i know being a show off isn't exactly a desirable quality, but i can't help myself! not sure if i've ever listed the specifics of this bike, but they can be found right here. this image is on the los robles overpass which is on top of the 210.

just one of the many things in my life i am thankful for. happy thanksgiving everyone!

goose island bourbon county brand stout

okay, i know a pasadena blog should be showcasing pasadena's beer. maybe a pint of something awesome from craftsman brewing. but i don't have the ability to have kegged beer in my fridge (craftsman doesn't bottle their beer yet), so i have to buy from out of town. this recent selection from goose island (chicago) was so impressive i had to pull out my camera and take a picture. if you like big dark stouts, this one should be on the top of your must have list. those who are curious can ask me where i found it.

oh, and if you are wondering how a seminary student thinks he can mix beer and theology, it is quite simple. i think they mix quite well! did you know that one of the highest rated beers on ratebeer.com is made by trappist monks in belgium?

a pandemonium of parrots!

i've posted about pasadena's green parrots before, but until a few days ago i had never seen a flock as big as the one i found on sunday. i found them while riding my bike north of orange grove on los robles.

the first image seems like that parrot was almost posing for me. second was part of the flock in flight, and the third is a good example of how packed together they were in those trees!

oh, and did you know that a flock of parrots is called a pandemonium?

city hall in twilight

it's been a while since i featured an image of our beloved city hall (you can see some past images here). the other night the sky was vibrant as the sun was setting, unfortunately i was out on my bike without a camera. i raced home and got it, but the sun was mostly gone by the time i started snapping pictures. this was one of the last i took. i thought it might turn out too dark, but in the end i think it turned out really nicely.

my new blog title banner is from the same photo shoot, a little earlier in the evening.

crime scene at lucky baldwin's

lucky baldwin's is an english pub just down the street from the castle green (with one of the best beer selections in pasadena i might add). which is why i was surprised to see a van with ncis printed on the side. the crowd of people and trucks full of equipment confirmed that the tv show ncis was filming an episode in pasadena.

a cool aspect of living in pasadena is that the city posts any filming activity on their website. so if you want to do some star searching, you just figure out what is filming, and where it's filming at.

hanging out with our friends in nickel creek

i'm on an amazing streak of great concerts right now. on thursday we went down to l.a. to check out the watkin's family hour. those nickel creek fans out there may recognize sara and sean watkins - two of the three members of the band. they put on an amazing show most thursday nights when they aren't out there touring the country. a little bit folk, a bit rock, a bit blue grass, and a lot of awesome! largo at the coronet has a tiny back room that holds about 5o people when they pack in tight. the band when we were there consisted of sara on fiddle and vocals, sean on guitar and vocals, a piano player, upright bass player, and steel guitar player. i only recognized 3 songs, but had a big grin on my face the entire time.

the above picture is of (from left to right) our neighbor alan, sara watkins, sean watkins, and our neighbor jon.

say goodbye to the castle green (day 5)

one final image from the castle green. no friday neon today, or even friday sky watch (you can see past entries by clicking on the posted links). we'll take a break from those things to give one final look at the castle green.

you can learn more about this building by checking out the website and wikipedia entry.

keep those photo requests coming!

introducting castle green (day 4)

for those fortunate enough to visit the castle green, the architecture stretches all the way out to the street to greet your arrival. this gazebo like structure showcases the castle green name, and gives a great lookout post for those wanting to do a little people watching.

for more info on the castle green, check out the website and wikipedia entry.

update: thanks to mr. earl for pointing out that this used to stretch across the road to a second building!

introducing the castle green (day 3)

the building is different from almost every angle including this corner that looks almost like a castle turret. as you can see from the hanging palm branches, it's almost impossible to get a good glimpse of the hotel without some of the gardens creeping in.

for more info on the castle green, check out the website and wikipedia entry.

introducing the castle green (day 2)

much of the exterior of the castle green is hidden by massive trees and hedges. the picturesque architecture peeks between the greenery from perspectives like this one.

for more on the castle green, visit the website and wikipedia entry.

photo request #12: the same thing posted from several different perspectives (take 2)

some of you may remember my first attempt at photo request #12. well, it turns out the requester (my good friend deb) wasn't entirely satisfied with an event being the used as the subject for their photo request. something about that not being what she had in mind.

needless to say, i cannot leave a loyal reader unsatisfied, so we'll try again. i decided to pick a subject that would give me a variety of photo options and ended up deciding to take a closer look at the castle green. one of pasadena's iconic landmarks - and somewhat surprisingly, a building that has never been featured on the sky is big in pasadena.

so hang on to your hats, because this week i will take you on a tour of the exterior of this impressive building. you can read all about it at the castle green website, and it's own wikipedia entry.

ironically god is love

my fellow blogger petrea over at pasadena daily photo, tipped me off to a huge rally happening yesterday in opposition to the recently passed proposition 8 (details on the proposition can be found here). to me, it is fascinating that people protest a democratic decision that has already been made, but when political decisions happen about human rights, people need to speak out. for those who are interested, pasadena's voting public did not vote in favor of prop 8.

the homosexuality debate was not decided on november 4th, and yesterday's protest did not solve the issue either. regardless of your stance (and i'm continually shaping and reshaping my opinion), it seems that dialog is the most important thing to do. eliminating constitutional rights in california seems to do more harm than good - at least in my humble opinion. i attend a school and a church that are both "officially" opposed to practicing homosexual lifestyles, yet healthy creative debates are happening between the members of both organizations. it's small, but i like that.

for those interested in getting a taste of two contrasting theologicial positions on the issue (and more specifically from a mennonite church perspective), this book co-authored by one of my former professors is a fantastic place to start.

pasadena - original home of trader joe's

as this wikipedia article notes, the first trader joe's store was on arroyo parkway in pasadena. it is still in operation today, and coincidentally is featured in today's post. we like trader joe's a lot! we just wish there was one located a little closer that we could walk or ride our bikes to. oh, we also don't like that most of their "fresh" produce is wrapped in plastic.

but all in all, a great store. and really something we have grown to love about living in pasadena.

sky watch friday (take 2)

due to overwhelming response last week, i'm going to give sky watch friday another try. this image is looking up los robles toward the mountains. a few traffic lights, a few palm trees, and the lovely pasadena sky.

corner mini mart

located along orange grove blvd. it's not often you see a hand painted sign. i like it!

no little kindness

i had the chance to catch a performance of no little kindness a few weeks ago and haven't got around to posting this picture until now. no little kindness is made up of several talented musicians, some of whom i've gotten to know from attending pasadena mennonite church. they were playing at this event hosted by salvation army alegra. an enjoyable evening of great music.

hollywood hill haze and the pacific

took this at the griffith park observatory. you can see the pollution and the beauty of los angeles county in this image.

today is remembrance day (or veterans day) for most people in the world. my hope is that as we remember we work for peace and long for a time that is free from warfare.

introducing timmy morgan!

tim is a great friend of mine. like me, he's also a new pasadena resident. he's out here in california trying to make it big in the entertainment industry. last night i got to see him perform at a comedy benefit for the midnight mission at room 5 lounge in los angeles.

i knew this already, but last night re-affirmed how funny this guy really is! you can check out his website right here. or you can check out some of his superb material here or here. enjoy!

david bazan

david bazan (formerly of pedro the lion and headphones) played at fuller seminary last night. i don't want to brag, but it was AWESOME! (and i never use caps on this blog!). i've been listening to bazan on and off since high school, so it was a dream come true to finally get to see him live. he played a great mix of his old stuff, more recent stuff, and unreleased songs. it was intimate - just him and a guitar and a room packed with a few hundred people. he spoke candidly between songs about politics, religion, recording music, and his favorite bands. all in all, a fantastic night.

update: just noticed that wess daniels posted a fantastic review of the show over at his wonderful blog, gathering in light.

we also recieved word that over the rhine will be playing at fuller in december... can't wait!

randy's pick

not sure who randy is, but at whole foods he puts his name on certain beer in the display case. this image is just part of their massive shelf and features two breweries from southern california - the bruery in orange county, and the lost abbey in san diego.

sky watch friday

we're taking a break from friday neon to try out sky watch friday. i love the concept of a day to honor the sky. in fact a blog called the sky is big in pasadena should have participated in this a long time ago! my own theme day prevented me from joining so i'm going to try it out this week and see how it goes.

the other problem is that i don't have any unused pictures of pasadena neon currently on my computer. and i've heard from a few of my readers that they wish more of my neon would be taken at night... a good critique. so neon will be on hiatus for a little while until i decide if i want it to resume - or if people complain loud enough. maybe shifting it to another day?

all that to say that this shot was taken of the setting sun the other night. you may not believe me but this is actually looking west from the los robles overpass over the 210. enjoy!

through the mist

snapped this off on the weekend while we were up in the mountains for our annual church retreat. i like the eerie feel of this photo.

jet propulsion laboratory

...or jpl as it's known around here. similar to another image i've featured before, but this one seems to be a little sharper. less smog that day i guess.

villa parke voting

rain was falling today but that didn't stop people from lining up to vote outside the villa parke location. if you live in the usa, i hope you got a chance to do the same today.

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like

meet the jones'

our good friends are in town to visit. mike and nora jones (yes those are their real names) and their beautiful baby lily have brightened our lives for the last little while. it's not often you get to see friends from canada. we're so glad to have them here.

mike's ridiculous face is offset by how cute lily looks in her sun hat. cheesy and classic tourist photo. gotta love it!

ha ha ha haaaaaaaa ha

caught this woodpecker hammering away on a branch the other day at griffith park. can you see him?

sorry this is posted so late today. i had the am/pm mixed up on the post date and time.

november theme day: books

this is a shot of the three floors of fuller seminary's library taken at night. even after classes are done for the day, there are people in here browsing the library's more than 500,000 books. if you've driven along union street lately, you've noticed the massive new addition being built for our new library on campus.


178 other people participating in today's theme day. check them out!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants