squawk squawk!

it was only a little while ago that i posted a blog wondering where the green parrots had gone. well that has dramatically changed, and we hear them and see them almost daily. and for whatever reason their numbers seem especially high this year.

from the city of pasadena website:

Naturalized parrots are frequently seen and heard around Pasadena. According to local legend, many were released during a 1959 fire which destroyed Simpson's Gardenland and Bird Farm in Pasadena. Some of the parrots were probably pets that escaped or were set free. Some may have been released by smugglers attempting to avoid arrest. One common breed is the Red-crowned parrot.

the zataar factory

the other day while out on a bike ride through burbank, we discovered the zataar factory - a fantastic little bakery that specializes in lebanese flat bread and savory middle-eastern treats. the above picture is of "the zataar special" - zataar spice, cheese, egg, olives, tomatoes, and fresh mint. oh my!

palm sunday peace parade

we made a joyful noise, and had quite a good time celebrating as part of the palm sunday peace parade. over 120 people came out to make a public statement about peace on the streets of pasadena. if you didn't make it, we'll see you next year!

philippe's french dip sandwiches

a los angeles icon to say the least.

i'm ashamed to say i've never been, but someday i hope that will be remedied...


a reminder that today is the annual palm sunday peace parade.

can't wait for baseball to begin!

on a recent bike ride we ventured up to dodger stadium hoping for a glimpse of the historic field. major league baseball season is just around the corner, and i can't wait! today i am participating in the tradition of drafting a fantasy baseball team in a rotisserie league that i have been a part of for ten plus years.

don't worry if you don't understand most of what i just said. this just has to do with the baseball nerd in me coming to the surface.

palm sunday peace parade

an annual tradition at our church is to celebrate palm sunday with a peaceful protest march. the palm sunday peace parade has been happening for 8 years - ever since the start of the iraq war. it is an easy way to display an outward appreciation for those who are working for peace.

all are welcome to attend tomorrow's event. it will start at 3:00 p.m. in the sanctuary of Messiah Lutheran Church, 570 E. Orange Grove Blvd, and after a short opening message, we will walk down to the paseo mall. click on the image below for further details.



more skywatch friday action can be found right here.

pcc baseball

another photo from the pasadena city college baseball game i went to a few weeks ago.

brookside park

every single park space in pasadena has one of these colorful signs denoting the name of the park, a tile mosaic picture, and the city of pasadena. i've recently been thinking that it might be a fun goal to try and capture a picture of each and every one... hmm...

naga naga ramen

i've been wanting to check this place out since reading this review done by another area blogger. it didn't help that many of my friends had been, and gave rave reviews of that new restaurant with the big fish tank.

how good can ramen be? doesn't it cost about 7 cents for a pack in the grocery store? well, naga naga has figured it out. these people know how to make some tasty noodles! as there slogan says - slurpin' good!

two seventy nine building

my wife meredith took a few photos recently, and graciously allowed me to post them on my blog. i've been featuring her work over the last few days.

we've always admired this quaint looking apartment building. has anyone ever been inside?

westin hotel and hutch's bbq

my wife meredith took a few photos recently, and graciously allowed me to post them on my blog. i'll be featuring her work over the next few days.

i've always admired this tiny little building for remaining in its location even though a massive hotel once threatened to push it out of the way. today both exist, side by side. i wonder if there are any hard feelings...

preparation

my wife meredith took a few photos recently, and graciously allowed me to post them on my blog. i'll be featuring her work over the next few days.

today's photo is of our clothesline filled with some baby clothes hung out to dry. our home is slowly filling with all we need to survive the arrival of our new baby in may!


ps - rumor has it there is a blogger picnic happening today! wish i could attend.

friday commute

my wife meredith took a few photos recently, and graciously allowed me to post them on my blog. i'll be featuring her work over the next few days.

today's photo is a pictorial example of why we don't drive on the highway on friday afternoons.

heading north of the boarder

i'm heading out of town to visit my family in ontario, canada. spring break for fuller students means i've got a bit of time off - perfect because my parents are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and i get a chance to spend some time with them. sadly, meredith will not be joining me this time.

i'll be back in pasadena before long, but in the meantime i've got some excellent photos lined up to share with you.

see you soon.

UPDATE: see you sooner than later! due to some pre-term labor issues, i've decided to postpone the trip and stay here with my wife. she is doing fine, but we think it is best if I stay put. your prayers and thoughts are appreciated.

lucky baldwin's propaganda

this is the barrage of signage at pasadena's brittish pub. i count at least a dozen different brands posted in various shapes and forms. and surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be any discrepancy over what is posted - everything from the cheap macro beer, miller lite, to the belgian trappist monk brewery, chimay.

distant lands

this image is of pasadena's fantastic travel store - distant lands. the store is part book store, part clothing store, part traveler supply store, part map store, and part awesome. it is a dangerous store if you aren't really planning a trip, but have money to spend - the perfect place for the wannabe world traveler.

perdue's bbq & catering

sigh.

i'm not sure why it has taken me so long to get to this place. friends have told me i would enjoy it. bloggers have told me they make excellent southern barbecue. heck, even their yelp reviews are solid. and the worst part, i live less than half a block away.

after recently discovering a pasadena blogger who appears to be a kindred spirit, (sharing a love of baseball and barbecue) and reading his review of perdue's, i knew i had to take the plunge.


i knew right away i was in for a treat. i had called in my order, so the woman working there called me by name when i walked in the door - wow. I turned to my left and saw a baseball glove hanging on the wall next to some negro baseball league paraphernalia. i was hooked and i hadn't even tasted the food!

well, the food was wonderful. the ribs were moist and delicious, and the spicy sauce was actually spicy. i chose the baked beans and mac and cheese as my side dishes, and both were spot on. the cornbread muffins were a little dry, but dipped in some stray barbeque sauce made them go down easy too. this place took me back to our time in virginia eating meals at wonderful places like bbq ranch, the smokin' pig, or fat boys pork palace.


a little slice of heaven in my own backyard.

pliny the younger at lucky baldwins

pliny the younger is a triple india pale ale made by russian river brewing in santa rosa, ca. for whatever reason, it has been taking the beer world by storm this year. it recently took over top spot as the highest rated beer at beeradvocate.com. production is so limited on this magical elixir that it has caused some havoc in the los angeles beer community.

on saturday we were able to track down the elusive beverage at lucky baldwin's in pasadena. we arrived early and staked out a table. servers started pouring pliny at 2pm, and a short twenty minutes later, their supply was finished. our table was fortunate to land three goblets of the stuff (my friend dave poses with in the above photo), and let me tell you, it was a delicious experience. i'm not sure that it deserves the best beer in the world title, but it certainly ranks right up there in my mind.

tony hale at fuller seminary

i'm a big fan of the short lived tv show, arrested development. so i was quite pleased to hear that tony hale who played buster bluth from the show would be on fuller seminary's campus to talk about the intersection between his faith and working in hollywood as an actor. the event was organized by the brehm center, hence nate risdon is in the above photo, orchestrating the q&a time.


another great example of the interesting programming that happens at fuller - not just a place to learn theology, but a place to interact with the world.

a spring baseball sky

on final photo from tuesday's game.

more friday skywatch photos can be found right here.

pasadena city college lancers

more photos from tuesday's ballgame. those who are interested in supporting the local college team, they have an afternoon game today. i'll have one more tomorrow for skywatch friday.

jackie robinson field at brookside park

after almost three years of living in pasadena, i finally made it to a pasadena city college baseball game at the historic ballpark by the rose bowl. while the crowd was sparse, i was totally in awe of this place - the stonework around the seating bowl, the view of the mountains, the fact that i was watching baseball in the sun, in march, for free!,... the list goes on and on.

the pcc lancers won in a blow-out, 15-13. i'll post more pictures from the game tomorrow. their next home game is thursday.

memorial park station

one of the stops in pasadena along the metro gold line. this station is close enough to be accessible from old town pasadena and provides access to the east, and west to downtown los angeles.

the corner of los robles and orange grove

this mixed use complex has always caught my eye. probably due to the fact that it doesn't really feel like it fits in with the rest of this particular street corner. it is home to several small businesses that continue to open, exist for a few months, and then close.

alma mater

this photo was taken of an eastern mennonite university graduation ceremony a few years ago. why am i posting it today? well, emu's mens basketball team won their second round game last night to advance to the ncaa division iii sweet sixteen! i am extremely proud of my alma mater where basketball has never really been a strong suit. in fact, this is the first season the runnin' royals have been nationally ranked and advanced to the national tournament.

at the point this post was written, the location of their next game had not been decided - although there was an slim chance the game would be played in sunny southern california! that would be awesome.

the slaw dogs

i kept hearing great things about the slaw dogs. even their yelp page has some pretty amazing reviews. living in virginia meant that i was no stranger to putting coleslaw on a hot dog, and after checking out the reviews i discovered that there was more to them than just that.

on thursday we decided we needed to go check it out for ourselves. their menu was incredibly large, and almost overwhelming, but after deciding it took only a few minutes for our order to arrive. the dogs were excellent, and so were the sweet potato fries. at about $20 for two people, it certainly isn't too expensive. although I did find myself still wanting something more after polishing off my "thai slaw dog" and sharing an order of fries. it is worth checking out.


as noted in the comments, the slaw dogs was just selected as a la times "find".

palm tree lined avenue

hundreds of other bloggers use friday as the day to post pictures of the sky from across the globe. more skywatch photos can be found right here.

beckman auditorium at night

this photo needs little explanation. a photo of the beckman auditorium at caltech, taken the other night before the wailin' jennys concert. that fountain just pops, doesn't it?

two months to go!

i have such a wonderful wife. i can't believe she puts up with me so well. i also can't believe i have just two months left before fatherhood arrives!

beckman auditorium ceiling

one of the most captivating things about the beckman auditorium is the magnificent ceiling. if you've been, you understand that this picture doesn't quite do it justice.

march theme day: passageway

i promised to spend this week showing a few pictures from my first experience seeing a concert at beckman auditorium. this image is the passageway into the building with its massive stairways.

as usual on the first of every month, today's theme day is being explored by bloggers around the world.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants




one more thing today,

my home and native land is still celebrating from this moment... oh, canada!