The Santa Monica bay is very large. At one point that is where people wanted to build the port. Good thing they didn’t for two reasons, it’s actually not deep enough and now it is simply a beautiful bay. Sorry San Pedro and Wilmington, you ended up with the big industrial port.
On Sunday we were invited to a birthday brunch at the Terranea resort. This is the old location of Marineland – a precurser to the many Sea Worlds out there. Although Marineland closed down in 1987, this resort wasn’t completed until 2009. 
Which leads me to think that these tiles were made deliberately to look old and worn. Knowing what I know about tiles, that wasn’t a good choice, it simply makes them look cheap. Since this style of tile would have been with the different colors of clay running through, at least a couple of millimeters. Oh well, how many people really look down at the floor they are walking on?
Or look into a golf cart to see a Harris Hawk, hood on and all waiting to do his job.
If it weren’t for his handler, I wouldn’t have known the breed. But he is there for bird abatement. He will fly over many parts of the resort, keeping the and sea gulls away – just with his presence. I did see the handler pull out a dead bird from the cooler and tear off a chunk. Even hawks don’t work for free. He needs to eat and be rewarded. No pictures of that, some people get very squeamish about real nature at work.
Brunch was lovely, afterward, we changed into walking clothes and shoes and just started walking around. Palos Verdes is on cliffs high above the ocean, there are very few places that actually have a beach. Because of the different directions of wind and such in the bay, Santa Monica and Venice have very wide expanses of sand, Palos Verdes, at the southern tip, has none.
I am no geologist, but this cliff has fascinating stories to tell, of how it was created and now how it is being worn away.
One thing PV has that most of LA doesn’t have, is this marine layer. On a hot July day, the clouds are hanging low in the sky. The piling is one of the few left from the Marineland days.
We walked on, away from the resort and along the bluffs, enjoying the views.
Even looking back down on Terranea.
My love of Light houses was rewarded. Even if I don’t go in, seeing a light house up on a cliff makes me happy. This is Point Vicente Light house, that operated from 1926 until 1939. Today all the duties of a light house are done electronically, so they are historic relics of what boats had to contend with in the past. I still love them and hope that they are kept in good condition for visitors to see.
This one still has the Fresnel lens, which was very powerful at the time it was installed, it could be seen 20 miles out to seeunless the fog got too thick and then the fog horn would blow.
Today the danger is from the land much more than the sea. I love how the sign says: Don’t even think about it! Sadly, every few years, either accidents or stupidity happens and someone gets killed falling down these cliffs to the rocky beach below. Not far from this sign there was one of those shrines, candles and plastic flowers. No name but the relatives of the deceased must still come by.
One last look at the light house and back to our car we went.
Leah
I especially love the fact that they continue to develop and grow. They recently took on a major project, a massive Stain Glass wall in a Church in Leawood Kansas. Here is a s
Leaded glass as door decoration.
The Leawood church forced them into a whole new way of creating stained glass. Working with an expert they moved into the realm of fusing glass, not just painting. This allows for a whole new world of color and vibrancy.
This piece does not need the separation of the lead, but combining the old techniques with the new is part of what Judson is doing today.
This is 100% traditional stained glass technique. Each piece of glass will be separated by lead, first,they draw in the shading with gray or black, they paint in the colors. In some cases, the glass is colored glass upon which they paint in the shading.
Not only are the techniques very old, the subject matter is very traditional. When completed this will be transported to Wyoming and from that point on, only monks in the monestary will be able to enjoy this beauty.
They had a full scale cartoon on the wall, this is a large commision. One piece is already complete and was hanging in their window.
I found out about one happening in South Pasadena, so on a lovely balmy Saturday evening off we went. People used to talk about LA as being a bunch of suburbs in search of a city. Those people were too snobish to actually go and find out that many of these small communities have a lot of civic pride. As you can see in the window, an early ostrich farm was part of the growth of this little town.
A three seater on a merry-go-round? Maybe for three small children.
I love how these small towns have the clock in the center. There was a time when owning a wrist watch was something only wealthy people could afford. So having public time pieces was very important.
Especially next to the train station. In France our group kept pronouncing the word as Garrrrrrr. It’s fun to see a little street named: The street of the Station. What once was part of the vast Trolly car system, is now part of the Metro Gold line. It goes from Boyle Heights all the way to Azusa and is well used.
The local nursery/design studio was offering free wine and music. As well as showing off their wares, such as these wonderful Talavera style ceramics.
I would love to be able to use some of these tiles around the house. These are quality!
I have to conclude with some arrested decay. There are a number of old brick buildings here, it was fun to see the stucco peeling, just to reveal older stucco.
It really wasn’t very large. Mostly antiques with a very big emphasis on Bower Pottery. I was immediately informed that what I’ve been buying is a new iteration, new owners, even if many of the designs are similar.
I’m not a collector, so although I enjoyed looking, I wasn’t buying.
I’m glad I can share a picture of this rabbit with my friend. She does the rabbit-rabbit thing at the beginning of each month. At $600, a picture will suffice.
For me, an owl, I’m wondering if that deep green turquoise is one of the glazes that is too toxic to make today?
How about this crude unglazed owl?
There were a few contemporary artists, I would have loved to buy this totem pole.
Instead, all I could afford was a nice new coffee mug.
Although it was 90 degrees, all the cyclists were out, Green street was blocked to traffic, clearly, some people came prepared.
I’m amazed that I caught this shot.
Oh, and inside the convention center, there was a girls’ dancecompetitionn. On the convention center floor, where I’m used to seeing vendor booth there was a stage and lights. It was fun seeing the girls in their shiny costumes.
There was construction on Sunset Blvd. so we couldn’t go up Kenter Ave, we went up Mandeville Canyon instead and entered the fire road from here.
Very helpful people on this trail.
Three miles up and we are looking over at the 
Ok, I was using my telephoto lens in the previous picture. It’s not that close. But one of these days it would be worthwhile to hike from the valley to the city and Uber back. The reason I’d go that direction is because it is downhill most of the way.
Here I am, going up Sunswept St. The hills have turned golden, it looks like I’m far from the city.
I’m right above Carney’s on busy Ventura Blvd.
I often wonder if the city would allow these steep winding streets to be built today, probably not. It is fun to see the funky creativity up here.
The more modern gates I see, the less creativity. 
Some carpenter had a lot of fun here.
There were quite a few trucks up here, people are refurbishing their homes. Well not everyone. A doorway to an empty lot.
I always stop for arrested decay, I think this may have been part of a gate mechanism.
Here you can see the slope of the street. I guess you can call this recycling, patching together a car from many parts.
A few days later, I was off to the Northwestern part of the valley. A large lovely park, O’Melveney Park. What used to be a private ranch with a lot of old fruit trees. Many people out hiking and enjoying this park which was gifted to the city years ago.
It’s not quite June, but we are getting the marine inversion layer already. 
An old crabapple tree.
A thistle. A lot of plants are blooming and the poison oak is out in force. That probably has to do with the rains we’ve had.
This is what I call very good design! Water that is reachable by adults, people in wheelchairs, children and dogs!
A number of the gardens had very impressive roses, give them water and they grow extremely well in Southern California.
I really had to edit down my rose pictures, don’t want to bore you to death.
Also, in the case of these flowers, they also had a lovely scent. Something that has been bred out of so many rose hybrids.
People around me knew all the names, there are serious gardening people on these tours.
Me, I love gardens but I’m not a horticulturist.
Sometimes a rose is a very simple thing.
At the Wentworth house, concrete was reporposed back in 1995, long before it was popular to do so. Here, a traditional use as paving stones.
Also used for a patio and pillars. The whole property used to be covered in concrete…. yeah, I don’t understand some people.
I tried to capture other decorative elements from the hardscape.
This reading fellow is part of the house.
The tiles are embedded in the walkways.
Love the lion.
Many of these gardens have outdoor rooms, this must be the original chia pet.
Metal sculpture as a planter…
… as part of the fence…
… or a lamp.
Untreated wood will rot, whether outside or in.
Paint is a barrier, but even it peels and the wood is exposed to the elements.
Creating a whole new beauty.
Tile fairs much better, unless it’s in the ground and the water leaves stains and marks on it.
In the bathrooms the tile is well protected. Tile details from the 1930’s is small yet wonderful. Notice how each little strip is different. The larger color tiles are cheap, it’s that fine detail that pulls it all together.
The metal work, the curves! the detail. The brickwork, also curving. It just makes my soul sing. Hopefully, all of these details helped the women, gave them a sense of peace, regardless of their mental situation.
A little griffin on top of an outdoor light fixture.
A door handle that wasn’t replaced.
Statuary used to abound. The man who created this worked for Gladding McBean, so he knew clay! A woman basking in the sun, I don’t think nude sun bathing was allowed, except in sculpture form. Here as part of a birdbath. Many more sculptures are now in storage, all of this was part of a relaxing southing atmosphere.
Rocks abound and rocks are used. Another birdbath.
A restful retreat all made out of Faux Bois, that Concrete made to look like wood. All the rage in the 1930s. A gardener worked here to make this location a real oasis, I wonder if there was water and a pond. I bet there was.
It is a former sanitarium for women in the Crescenta Valley. We are talking the very northern part of Glendale and Los Angeles, beyond the Verdugo hills. The facility closed in 2006 because it simply couldn’t be brought up to code, being on a hillside, with many stairs, narrow pathways, and decaying buildings.
In the 1920’s, Agnes Richards, a nurse who worked in mental hospitals decided to make a big change. She came to the Crescenta Valley where many sanitariums already existed and created a dignified homelike setting for women with mental illnesses. The whole place was for women and run by women. The Rose cottage was the first of many on the compound.
Early buildings were in the craftsman style, here is one with a screened in rock porch. Rocks being very very plentiful here.
Other buildings were built in the Spanish revival style.
Got to love a docent with a parasol. Joanna heads 
Since 2007 the property has been owned and maintained by the Parks dept. of the City of Glendale. They are now in negotiations to turn this into a park/shopping area. I hope they succeed.
1930’s Spanish revival means tile.
Inside are many objects from the past. The Murphy Beds were not used by the patients, but by the nurses that lived here.
Details on some of the light fixtures.
An old tray that would get a nice price at an antique store.
Crochet doily probably made by one of the women. Handcrafts were a big activity here. Reminds me of a job I had in Israel. It was a day center for seniors – they would come in for activities. One thing we did was have them knit, crochet, and create all kinds of handcrafts that were sold in a shop. The proceeds went to buy more materials. The exact same thing happened here.
Among the objects saved are items owned by the residents, of course, some of the items aren’t that old. Or am I dating myself? That round orange object as a shaver, for legs, from the 80’s. I had one of those!
Many items are in storage, a few are out on display, the hope is to have a museum in one of the buildings and much more will be shared.
First of all I bought new hiking boots, we are going to Switzerland with friends this summer, time to get good boots and break them in.
Getting a different point of view of the Church’s cross, I usually see it while whizzing along on the 118 freeway.
The trail predates the large gated community, so they are obligated to have a right of way for walkers. Oh my, what a community it is.
Just look at this lion head!
The gardeners were working hard, so I got a chance to peak beyond the gates into some of the front yards. Yes, even in a gated community, people put up gates around their own property.
…and have gargoyles protecting the premises.
Up and out beyond the community, a hazy look back at the San Fernando Valley bellow us.
With some obligatory rusted object.
Our original plan was to hike to these old foundations of a house, but time ran short, so I got a picture from afar. Next time.
It is a large property, the entrance looks like it would have been very impressive.
Back to the Church parking lot. You can see why it’s called Rocky Peak. Interesting rock formations here at the Santa Susana Pass.
Since I mentioned Passover, here is an obligatory image of the brisket I cooked in the Instant Pot, and yes, it was moist and delicious. Hardly any leftovers, just enough to send home with the CPA son. Great Seder, good company, two of the guests discovered that their mothers were best friends as children. What a small world.
It is so green this year, the mustard and lupine have started blooming. Not sure there will be any CA poppies here.
The location is the 
Many mermaids are on display.
Using them as lamps seems to be a theme.
Or as fountains in the garden.
Other nautical elements, portholes as windows. There were a few examples around the house.
There were many examples of arrested decay being used both inside and out. 
Anything that can be used as a fountain, is. Water in the mountains is so soothing.
These deadly spikes on the banister going down to the garden. 
The colors and texture here are what I love.
Although I live in a pretty dry part of the country, with a little help, it can be green and lush.
There is a whole story about rebuilding the pool. But how can you have a home named for a mermaid without a body of water?
I wonder, did this old door belong to one of the original iterations of the building or did Bill find it and bring it here?
Just a little longer and the figs will be ripe.
It’s not only mermaids, this garden bench has dog heads. Or is it some other mythical creature?
With my re-ignited interest in mosaic, I find myself drawn to glass.
20 years ago, Staghorn ferns were all the rage. This one looks ancient because of the size of the rootball which is covered with the shield fronds. The garden is not only beautiful and serene, it highlights many local plants as well as attracts butterflies. 
This is the time of year that many of our plants bloom. I can’t resist them, even if they are common around here.