Saddle Branch

When I was a kid, this tree at Eagle Rock Park was my favorite climbing tree.  If I made it up to this branch (about 4' above the ground!) I could hang my legs off of both sides and pretend I was riding a horse.  I love that the tree is still there, bark polished smooth by the sliding kids! I bet children are still playing the same games on it!

Waiting for my Burger

I'm back under the shiny red roof of Tommy's drive-thru, waiting for my chili burger! What a delicious mess!

In Hiding?

I found this old limo hiding behind some bushes in a front yard. It seemed out of place yet vaguely familiar,  like a retired James Bond on a stake-out!

WCTU+TERA=GLAD!

This detail is at the top of one of the exterior stairways of a peculiar building I have always wondered about.  When I was growing up this was a mystery.  I had no idea what the "W.C.T.U." sign stood for, and I never saw anyone go in or out.  In the 1980s it started getting pretty run down,  then after The Eagle Rock Association got involved it was bought (with help from a Los Angeles City Grant) by GLAD and restored in the 1990s.  It looks great now, thanks to GLAD and the preservation actions of TERA!

Eagle Rock Women's Christian Temperance Union Home For Women 
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 562 
A three and four-story Mediterranean style structure built in 1927 and designed by A. Godfrey Bailey. It includes a cruciform plan sited at a forty-five degree angle to the street. The building has social significance as the sole physical reminder in Los Angeles of the Temperance and Women's Suffrage Movements active in the United States at the Turn of the Century. Declared: 5/26/92

Quiet Walk

It is a hot one in Eagle Rock today,  so it is nice to find a quiet, shady sidewalk like this!

Bloomin' Arch

This lovely flowery arch is the entrance is to the front yard of a home south of Yosemite.  I thought the pink stroller was the perfect touch!

Hot Tin Roof

Does this roof look familiar?  There are very few foods that I will go out of my way to pick up late at night, but a Tommy's burger is one of them!  I just went this morning to get a breakfast burrito,  a definite guilty pleasure for me!

On the Loose!

This very happy dog was just let off his leash at the top of OXY hill.  I loved watching him run down the path and through the grass! It's a Dog's Life!

Trip to Tritch - Part 3

You can find anything at Tritch Hardware!  For those old Eagle Rock houses that still have louvered windows,  where else could you find such a great selection?

Summer Grasses

Today is the beginning of Summer!  Eagle Rock is in the middle of a great metropolis,  yet in the middle of our busy streets, nature seems to be taking over this fire hydrant!

A Strange Flower

These Bottle Brush trees hang over the side of the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock.  Great color, but what a strange looking flower!

Father's Day Weekend 2

Yesterday in honor of Father's Day Weekend I featured the first home that my Dad designed and built in Eagle Rock.  Today I present his last Eagle Rock house.  It was built in the early 1980s,  and was the first home where my siblings and I were really able to help in the construction!  This home was a departure from his previous 4 E.R. homes,  which were all wood framed. This one-of-a-kind home was built using masonry blocks and had poured concrete slabs for all floors. He still did a lot of his trademark custom woodwork on both interior and exterior, and some incredible built-ins, including a giant lazy-susan hidden in the kitchen paneling that provided over 100' of shelf space in a 6' wide wall! I have lots of great memories in this beautiful home!

Thank you dad, for raising us in such exciting and unique homes, and Happy Fathers Day!!  

I created a book that features all of my father's Eagle Rock homes.   Click here to see a book preview.  

Father's Day Weekend 1

It's Father's Day Weekend so I thought I'd feature the first and last homes that my Dad designed and built in Eagle Rock.  His first house was built in 1962,  when my parents were newlyweds.  My mom was pregnant with me when they moved into the house while it was still under construction!  This beautiful home features custom built cabinetry and built-ins, stained wood paneling on most of the walls and ceilings,  and valley views from every room!

Tomorrow, the last home he built in Eagle Rock!  

I created a book that features all of my father's Eagle Rock homes.   Click here to see a book preview.  

T.G.I.F.!

To celebrate the end of the week, here is my favorite childhood tree,  still just as inviting and beautiful as it was 40 years ago when I used to climb up and sit in it's branches! It is located right next to the playground at Eagle Rock Park.  I love that my boys enjoyed climbing on it when they were little as much as I did!  

Have a great weekend!

Eagle Rock Park Pavilion

One of the unique parts of this special building, designed by famed architect Richard Neutra, are these giant moveable walls.  The entire wall on both sides of the building can rise up on a pulley and cable system,  making this space open to the outside park!  I remember these doors up a few times as a kid, and I asked the park manager who told me they are still operable!

The pulley system

strange sign

an old photo with the walls opened

City Hall at night

A detail of our own little City Hall. For more information on this special building, this Blog has some good pictures and history.

Signs of Eagle Rock - 4

Another great sign from the old Route 66 days! While this is not the closest motel to the Rose Bowl (it's not even in the same city!),  that doesn't stop them from capitalizing on the name!  

Banking Day

A visit to my childhood bank,  now renamed but otherwise almost the same as it was in the 1960's. When I was a kid there was a large digital clock on the south side of the tower.  I remember this because I could see it at night from my house with my toy telescope. I thought it was the place that the hourly chimes came from (I later found out the chimes came from a nearby church). 

Now that I think of it,  this may be one of the first digital clocks I was aware of! 

Eagle Rock Park Memories 1

So many memories of this park! I will need to revisit this place many times to share all of them!

The main building was designed by world renowned architect Richard Neutra and opened in 1953. It consists of bathrooms, the park office, a class room, basketball court, and a stage that faces both inside and outside.  This sign is above the outside stage on the north side of the building. Twenty one years ago we used this stage for my high school graduation ceremony! 

Sliding Slope

A lovely Saturday trip to Eagle Rock Park,  one of my favorite parks as a kid,  and a favorite of my own kids when they were young.  This railing is pretty new.  When I was young there was no railing at all, and I could run and slid down the hill!

Sunset Walk

It's Friday afternoon,  a nice time to take a slow hike up old OXY Hill to watch the sunset and relax after a busy week! Have a nice weekend!

The Old Road

Before Townsend was extended through a cut in the back of Mount Fiji (OXY Hill), this narrow windy road was the only way to go from the Eagle Rock Valley to the York Valley.  While I am sorry to see our natural hillside cut up,  it is probably a lot safer!

Lines and Curves

One of the newest major buildings in our area is right on the border of Eagle Rock and Glendale. As a piece of architecture I don't find it that inspiring, but from certain angles there are some interesting lines.  I like how it looks contrasted with the curves of the nearby freeway overpass. 

Signs of Eagle Rock - 4

Another "Sign of the Times"! This building used to house an auto parts store,  as I remember a fairly dirty and unfriendly place. A few years ago it was cleaned up and transformed into a nice coffee house. I doubt there was ever more than 1 or 2 people in the auto parts store at any one time,  the coffee house seems to always have customers!  A nice improvement for Eagle Rock!

Old Tails

I used to live around the corner from these cars.  I never met the owners,  but I like their taste!

From One Amphitheater to Another

Yesterday I was lucky enough to perform at the Hollywood Bowl as part of the Star Wars in Concert. It was an incredible evening,  singing music with a full orchestra in front of 17,000 excited fans!

35 years ago I performed at a different amphitheater,  in front of a much smaller audience! As a kid we did shows at the Sylvan Amphitheater, deep in the back of the Yosemite Park. This is a lovely spot, still surrounded by lush greenery, remarkably unchanged over the decades!

School Steps

These steps are at a corner of the old Eagle Rock Elementary School building. Even when I was a student there I don't think the doors were used as an entrance,  so we just hung out here in the steps.  I remember waiting here to be picked up with my cello after orchestra practice.  I thought of this today as I waited backstage at the Hollywood Bowl. Playing music as a kid was a great thrill, even though I had to carry that huge cello everywhere! Now I have the pleasure to be part of a concert at one of the greatest theaters in the world! Just a few actual miles out of Eagle Rock,  but still "light-years" away!

City Hall Details

Just another view of our classic City Hall building.  As with so many old buildings,  the closer you look, the more interesting and beautiful details you see!

Details Scavenger Hunt - Part 3

Yes, it's a street light,  but where is it?  Does anyone recognize the background?

"Under" Construction

Looking for construction pictures for this months Theme Day,  I came across this closeup of a contractor's stamp in the street near Casa Bianca.  While it is not current construction,  I like that the contractor dated his work,  and it is "under" foot! Does that count?
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