California – Page 7 – No Idle hands here

Vista Hermosa Park

During the 90s I remember hearing about the Belmont High School project near downtown that was plagued by many problems, a major one being that the building site was an old oil drilling site as well as a small earthquake fault – so there would be health issues. I really had no idea where this was, in those days, DTLA and the environs were scary and off limits.I’ve heard that an old oil field near Echo Park had been turned into a park, so on a lovely spring day I went to investigate. Only to discover that I was in the middle of the old Belmont controversy. It’s springtime, all these native (or near native, Mediterranean plants) are blooming. I love spring flowers. As the season warms up most of these flowers will die off and we’ll be left with golden brown chaparral.The park covers 10 acres, has wonderful paths around the perimeter as well as a large grassy area, picnic tables, a play ground as well as a water feature. Also, the park is designed to trap rain water as well as run off water, so apparently the irrigation is utilizing that water. We need more projects like this in the southland.The views are amazing. You should know me by now, any time I can get a view of DTLA I will.Orange and purple, what a great color combination. Yes, I’m thinking of my sewing projects here, everything is an inspiration.Like this, the whole image screams modern quilt, not just the building in the foreground. The high school was eventually built and is now the Edward R. Roybal Learning center.For all of you suffering from hay fever this time of year, this is where that yellow pine pollen comes from.

Another wonderful thing about this park is that with all the natural plantings, this has become a stop for migratory birds. Here is a beauty. This is the Western Scrub Jay. He is local and common, I’m sure he loves the new park, since these birds like trees and bushes. Apparently he has a screechy voice, I didn’t hear it, he was silent when I saw him.There is a little man made stream, to my amazement I was actually able to capture this hummingbird as he came to drink. I’m used to the non-descript brown ones, this one is a little jewel.Of course, people and dog sightings as well.A sight we probably won’t see much longer. The park is next to the famous Bob Baker Marionette theater. Bob died last year, the theater was sold and it looks like an apartment building will replace it. There may be a mention of the theater, but with progress, many old buildings go.

From here I went on to Echo Park Lake, subject of a future post.

Leah

More quilts

Anaheim is changing, but more about that in another post. This is about quilts. Old ‘modern’ quilts. A wonderful exhibit at Muzeo in Anaheim. American Quilts in the Modern Age, 1870-1940 was created by the International Quilt Study Center & Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Luckily my friend Becky heard about this and off we went. These quilts are from the early 20th century, but the colors – solids in bright colors, what today we call modern. Of course they predate the tiny calicos that many people grew up with. I must take a moment to thank Becky for showing me how to shoot photos indoors without a flash, I was doing it all wrong despite carefully reading the photography blogs. A close up.This is a traditional log cabin using the pineapple block. Wonderful use of both ‘low volume’ and browns. What an incredible layout, from the 1880’s. Here the quilt maker created standard log cabin blocks but divided each into dark and light. The dark blue, browns and background are all prints, the pink is solid, but what a vibrant pink it is. Also, the layout! Creativity is what drives women to quilt, and here we have a woman who’s graphic sensibilities would put her right at home now. Of course we fool ourselves if we think that 100 or 200 years ago people weren’t as creative as we are today.This is a crazy quilt with some very clear and definite stars.It also is a clear indication that Fussy Cuts aren’t a new invention either. I saw the spider and his web elsewhere on the quilt, but it looks like the red portion of the web is another fabric that was put in place. It may have been another color way or simply the quilter was extremely detail oriented and created this on her own.Of course I’m going to be drawn to hexagons and equatorial triangles. No doubt these were done with the English Paper piecing method. Notice how vibrant the colors are on the quilt on the right, that bright orange border was a sight to be seen.Speaking of tiny detail. This quilt is made up of more than 14,000 tiny yo-yos. Each about the size of a dime, or even smaller.If you look closely you can see the thread poking out of the centers of the yo-yos. And now to a quilt using the fabrics that would define quilting for many years to come. A Dresden plate made in the 1930’s-40 with the popular fabrics of the day. A couple things to note here. The fussy cut center. Also, the black outline in the center is what today modern quilters consider hand quilting. Not the case, the tiny fine almost invisible diamonds are the hand quilting, that thick black thread is a line of embroidery.

This show is small and wonderful. It is only up until Feb 15th, so I highly recommend a trip to Anaheim. Next post will give you other reasons to go down there.

Leah

The William S. Hart Ranch and Home

For those of us in the LA area, the Santa Clarita valley is simply part of the vast suburban sprawl. Initially there was a route through the San Gabriel mountains either to the Silver mines in Cero Gordo or as a flatter road to Bakersfield and beyond. Eventually the movie industry discovered these hills, and many a western was filmed here. This is commemorated today with

a mural on the newly revamped Main st.And plaques in the sidewalk honoring the many Western Stars who filmed here.

One man has much more than a plaque. William S. Hart , an actor that we have pretty much forgotten. A man who acted in theater and Vaudeville who at the age of 49 comes out to Hollywood and becomes a movie star in the silent movie era. One of the first stars of the gritty Westerns.

What prompted him to establish a working ranch and build a beautiful home out in the middle of nowhere ? My gaydar was clanging. Very handsome man, actor, great taste in design. I looked a little further, was married for a very short time (beard), had a son but no mention of any real relationship with him. Back in the 20s building a home in the San Fernando valley would have put you at the end of the world. So I asked some film buff friends – yeah, you won’t find it in any official biography, but my impression is probably the correct one.

His home La Loma de los Ventos was built in 1924 and he lived there until he died in 1946. At this time even the San Fernando Valley was a distant outpost. When he died at the ripe old age of 80 he bequeathed the home and ranch to the State with the stipulation that the home would become a free museum and that there always be animals on the property. today there is a lovely park and petting zoo right behind Main St. In order to get to the house, one needs to hike up the hill.(There is a road, but it is only available for service vehicles. A beautiful home built in the Spanish revival style that was very popular in the 1920s. Beautiful painted word work.Interesting metal work.And a great weathervane.

Inside the house is very spacious and gracious. Looking back into the entry foyer. A wonderful round area.The stairs and the circular landing are all created out of one block of concrete. The walls of the house are very thick, so that must be part of what supports this stairway. It’s a little hard to see but the circular roof is basically a very large wagon wheel.The stained glass window at the top of the landing is made out of the bottoms of many glass bottles.The large comfortable dining room. The railing was added to keep the visiting public out, that was not an original part of the house.

William LOVED animals, he had his favorite horse Fritz and a few great Danes who had their own bedroom. This wonderful beaded blanket was one of a pair of couch size dog beds. Maybe they didn’t sleep on these beds, since I would have expected most of the beads to be rubbed off.The sign is here along the road, but the area is blocked off.I could never live with this bear rug in my house. Not because I’m upset about hunting bears, I’m not. But the thought that I or anyone would slip and land on those teeth!! How to you explain that awful wound when you rush to the ER!

There are many wonderful examples of Excellent Western art, from Frederick Remington, Charles Russell and Joe de Yong. These names may not be familiar to the average person, but these are the biggest names in Western Art. Which may explain why this house/museum in under the auspices of the Natural History Museum.

No place is too boring or pedestrian. No matter where you are, do a little bit of research, you will be surprised by the hidden treasures that may be hidden in plain sight right behind the average looking suburban housing complex.

Leah

City of San Buenaventura

Black Friday, I had just spent two days cooking and then enjoying the Thanksgiving meal with family and friends. Now it was me time.So we drove up the coast to what we call Ventura, everyone calls this town Ventura, except like Los Angeles, it actually has a much longer name. Summers here can be overcast and gloomy, this time of year is when the sun is out and very very bright.Not everyone was shopping, many were out with us enjoying the day. The pier is old, it is from the late 19th c. when Ventura was fighting to become a large port town, topography and Los Angeles changed all that. So now it is a working class coastal town. A little further north, Santa Barbara takes all the glory.Yes, sea gulls are rats on wings, sort of like pigeons, but they do photograph well.A number of these rock towers decorated the beach.We sat for a while and enjoyed watching the surfers…And got ‘artistic’ images by shooting right into the sun.Back up to Main street, lovely old Beaux Arts building from 1926, this one is special.Who knew, that Perry Mason was born here. These days I find that many a crossword clue is looking for the name Erle, but I forgot that he is the one who wrote the Perry Mason books. I still remember the old TV show with Raymond Burr.The Mission San Buenaventura, what started the community.A wonderful old restored brick and tile building.An Art Deco theater, all lit up.Ahh, but it turns out this is a modern building, built recently as a 10 theater multiplex. I’m willing to accept this as Art Deco, although some purists will say Art Deco ended in the 1940s’, so this is in the style of. I must say, I’ve seen some pretty bad original Art Deco, so I’m happy with the way this one looks.

A fun day trip, so many more little gems like this all around Southern California.

Leah