Shamrocks from Los Angeles

I was out in the garden and found some variegated shamrocks.  I thought I'd send you all an early St. Patrick's Day present.

Actually, these are Wood Sorrell, aka clover.  They're so pretty I'm thinking of turning them into greeting cards for my store, what do you think?

Here's some info on shamrocks from my gardening website, theGardenPages:

Oxalis acetosella, or wood sorrel is another plant called shamrock.  Oxalis is a perennial plant that grows about 5 inches high.  They spreads easily by rhizomes and can become invasive. These shamrocks like part shade and moist, woodland conditions.  Oxalis is commonly called clover and has white, five petaled  flowers sometimes tinted with purple or pink.  Oxalis is usually three-leaved. Indoors they like bright, indirect sunlight and somewhat damp soil.

Three leaved clovers are worn as protective amulets.  They were used by St. Patrick to demonstrate the concept of the Holy Trinity while converting the Druids to Christianity.

Four leaved clovers are considered lucky and protective.  They are said to help the wearer find treasure.

Some Irish botanists say the Irish Shamrock only exists on St. Patrick's Day.

Los Encinos State Historical Park

Here's another idillic photo from Los Encinos of the California Bell. It's from a photo series on my AngelCityArt website.

Here's the copy that goes with my photo of the California Bell.

The California Bell denotes this as as stop on Old Spain's King's Road (El Camino Real).  Ventura Blvd. was part of this old indian footpath followed by Portola and other Spanish explorers on their way north. The road starts in San Diego and ends in San Francisco.  I found an interesting site about the California Bells atCAHighways.

The next time you're on a trip along the 101, it might be a fun idea to see how many State Bells you can find along the way!

You know, I recall seeing a story about Los Angeles City having money to buy park space...  I'll have to look for that link for you.   Or, maybe we can rustle up money in a bake sale to save the park.

For a nice article about another threatened California historical landmark check out Justin Hampton's piece on Pio Pico State Historic Park in LA Weekly here...

What can you do to save these beautiful parks?  Call the Governor:

Please support  the park by calling the governor!

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633

or check out the website for California State Parks Foundation, who is fighting to keep these parks open.

Update on 101 / 405 Interchange improvements

Imagine going to your mailbox one day and finding a postcard from The State telling you your home may be purchased and razed.  

Residents notified of plans to raze homes for 405 project

SHERMAN OAKS - Homeowners along the San Diego Freeway are bracing for the possibility that their homes could be bulldozed as Caltrans has begun quietly alerting residents of plans to move forward with a $950 million widening project.

Residents near the Valley Vista Boulevard exit said they received postcards last week from the state agency, alerting them that a plan has been finalized for a 10-mile northbound car-pool lane linking the Santa Monica and Ventura freeways.

The postcards, however, offered little detail on which homes through the Sepulveda Pass would be directly affected.

Caltrans officials on Monday would only say that the agency has chosen a less-severe option that was under consideration, although they said some changes also have been made to that plan. 

Classic Los Angeles Architecture

Here's another beauty from old Van Nuys for you.  

It is the Church of the Valley.

It is such a beautiful day today, I thought the towering white building looked pretty against the deep blue sky.

We try to take care of some of our old buildings.  

The front has a huge round stained glass window, we have a tall tower for the bell and it is topped with copper?  OK, I'll have to do some research on this little gem for you.

Endangered Architecture: LA Ranch House

Here is one of the latest endangered houses in the San Fernando Valley.  The one on the right is for sale, the one on the left is not.  Both are fabulous examples of adobe style houses, with a traditional tile roof.  Both are in the heart of old Van Nuys and were probably built in the 1930's or 40's.

The one on the left has a classic wide front porch, perfect for relaxing in the evening breeze after a long day.  There is the obligatory cactus growing out front, and a few well placed Italian Cyprus trees around the corners.    

The one on the right has a small enclosed front porch, making it more like an outdoor room.  Look at the huge picture window for the living room and I love the little round window on the facade.  The patios are probably paved with old hand made tiles.  And a peek inside will probably reveal a few well placed blue and white glazed tiles around the fireplace, or in the kitchen. 

Why is it endangered?  Because it's for sale.  

Based on my observations when it sells a speculator / developer will tear down the entire house - original hand glazed tile and all - and throw the whole thing in a landfill.  It will be replaced by a gaudy, overbuilt McMansion.  

The irony of course, is that the developer will try to recreate the feel of an old adobe hacienda with cheap tiles from China, bright yellow paint and cheezy, sloppily applied stucco.

I hope my prediction will be wrong.  After the house sells I'll post update photos.

Day Trip: Los Encinos Adobe, California

Here's a photo piece I wrote about a beautiful, hidden gem in Los Angeles, Los Encinos State Historic Park for my website, AngelCityArt.  

The Governor now has it on the chopping block, so expect updates periodically.

LOS ENCINOS

A great place to take your kids in the San Fernando Valley is Los Encinos State Historic Park.  You can feed the ducks at the pond for a quarter.  Lay on the cool grass and listen to the fountain.  If you’re lucky, you may see the Turtle King sunning on the shore.

Los Encinos State Historic Park, in Los Angeles California sits near the intersection of Ventura and Balboa Blvds in the San Fernando Valley.  This buildings have undergone major earthquake restoration and will 'reopen' on Sunday, July 22.  I thought it would be fun to put up a few photos I took on my last visit there.  It is 

small, as State Parks go, but is a beautiful little oasis right off busy Ventura Blvd.

Brief History of Los Encinos

The Park sits on the ancestral lands of the Tongva Nation.  The surrounding area was the site of a huge settlement extending under Ventura Blvd. and the office buildings across and down the street.  The numerous oak trees provided acorns for bread and other food.  A spring on the land was a water source for the village.  Los Encinos is at the northernmost boundary of the Tongva, whose ancestral lands extend south past Laguna Beach. In the lands north of the Tongva lived the Chumash, whose region extends north past Gaviota.

Explorers originally named the village 'Los Encinos' after the numerous oak trees growing in the area.  Later, the area became known as the 'Lost City of Los Encinos'.  The Tongva were split up and renamed the "Fernandenio" and "Gabrielino" Indians after the missions they were sent to by the Spanish.

After the Rain in So Cal

The rain is over, the wildflowers in the canyons have been watered and we're all back to normal (for us).

This is a photo of the clouds turning pink above my yellow acacia tree.  Where is Maxfield Parrish when you need him?

It's raining in LA

It's true. We don't know how to drive in the rain in LA.  We only have 7 inches of rain a year, what do you expect?  

That said, it comes as no surprise that the Encino Trader Joe's parking lot was.... a parking lot today.

 - And Burbank Blvd all the way back to the intersection.  God help you if you're just trying to drive by.  The employees at this store have sweatshirts that reads:

"I survived the Encino Trader Joe's Parking Lot".  They're not kidding!

Traffic Ranting: Photos from the 101 / 405 Interchange

Here are the photos that go with my Sepulveda Pass piece.

At the top of the grade, the 405 freeway north begins the descent to the 101 interchange at the bottom of the hill.  The two lanes on the right will eventually go to the Ventura freeway. The left lanes are continuing north into the Valley.

Typical cracked LA roads on the 405 freeway.  On the right is a sound wall.  On the other side of the wall is Sepulveda Blvd.  In the distance is more signage, but you should have already picked your lane by now!

An orange barrier pole lays on the ground in the lower left of this photo.  Farther down, yellow barrels protect wayward drivers on the 405 freeway.  These barrels are usually filled with water or sand to help stop a car from crashing into the steel barriers behind them -- or anyone else.  Cars on the left have committed to continuing north on the 405.  Cars on the right are going to the 101, or Ventura freeway.

An the improved section of the 405 freeway becomes the familiar LA highway in the sky.   Ventura Blvd. and the Sherman Oaks Galleria are on the right.

Traffic Ranting: 101 / 405 Interchange

OK, let's get right down to it.

The first thing we need to discuss is traffic in Los Angeles.  I look forward to venting about it here.

I wrote a piece about one of the Nation's Worst interchanges for my AngelCityArt site a while back.  Here it is for your perusal. 

Descent Into Madness:
Sport Driving in
Los Angeles
at the 101 / 405 Interchange

Driving in California is always an adventure, in Los Angeles, the sport of driving has been elevated to an art form.  Like qualifying for the Indy 500 pole position, you never know who you will be sharing the road with.  Some drivers are on their cell phones arguing with their agents, boyfriends or psychiatrists.  Others are putting on makeup for that big audition, or suffering from either caffeine overdoses or withdrawal symptoms. Some days it takes a unique mix of passive aggression, anger management and an inner connection with your auto insurance agent to make it safely across our vast freeway expanses. 

On a recent drive, we found ourselves traveling north on the Interstate 405 freeway through the treacherous Sepulveda Pass down into the San Fernando Valley.  Interstate 405, or the San Diego Freeway is the major north / south artery connecting LA's San Fernando Valley with The West Side of Los Angeles.  U.S. 101, or the Ventura Freeway runs east and west along the southern part of The Valley, and connects Los Angeles with Ventura County in the north.  These two arteries intersect at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountain range in a tangle of concrete called the 101 / 405 Interchange. This interchange is rated #1 on the list of America's 24 Worst Highway Bottlenecks. To cross The Pass in the old days you needed to use a dirt road called Sepulveda Boulevard.  At the top of the mountains it ducked into an art deco tunnel under Mulholland Highway.  Today the best route is the 405 Freeway which blasted its way through the rocky mountain pass and now flows over the top of the Santa Monica Mountain range down towards U.S. Route 101.  Mulholland crosses over the 405 on a huge steel bridge flying across the freeway.

 Under optimum conditions, it is a dangerous section of highway.  It has six lanes of cracked and patched asphalt with only painted white lines and Bott's Dots separating you from your fellow drivers.  California is attempting a massive improvement project at the 101 / 405 Interchange which just adds to the challenge by turning it into a huge obstacle course.  Ominous steel cranes loom over the freeway with distracting signs and construction equipment littering the sides of the road.

 The slope on this small stretch of highway is steep, so that just adds to the speeding, careening and screeching. Drivers on the right are frequently stopped or slowing as cars cram into lanes for the Ventura freeway exits.  Drivers on the left are usually speeding up in the thinning traffic as they continue north on the 405 through the Valley.  If everyone stayed in their lanes the arrangement  just might work.  Unfortunately that isn't the case.

 Cars cut across lanes of traffic because they're going to miss the 101 turn-off.  Drivers also slam on their breaks when they realize how steep the grade is and their SUV is picking up too much speed; "Hold the phone honey, I gotta drive".  Irritated drivers in the right hand lanes are sick of everyone cutting in line, so they won't let you in.  There is a lot of sudden braking and jockeying for position, reminiscent of the Indy 500 on the final laps. The middle lane becomes sort of a no-man's land of crisscrossing cars, like a dangerous ballet of flying steel with flying cell phones and travel mugs.

 Until the highway improvements are finished, this interchange raises the thrill level for driving in Los Angeles to an art form.  Don't forget to buckle up and in the words of the immortal traffic guru and punster Bill Keene; "Be alert and you won't get hurt".

City of the Angels Gets a New Blog

Yippee, welcome to my new blog!

I'm in Los Angeles, so expect photos of LA, and little tidbits along my travels.

I've also got a website AngelCityArt, full of little observations and pages on fun places to go. I'll be posting updates on a few of them.

Thanks for dropping by!