Sparkletts

I've grown up with Sparkletts being a local institution.  I have seen this building since childhood when I used to ride my bike past it on the way to school. I remember one day, back when the big bottles were made of glass,  I saw a truck take a turn too fast in their parking lot and all the bottles flew out and crashed to the ground!
A few year ago this building was opened up for an architectural tour that the L.A. Conservancy put on. I got to check out the insides, and learned that most of the big building is offices and bottling.  The "source" of the water is actually a small shack in the middle of their parking lot!

Light Speed

As the sun set I thought I would try to capture the silhouettes of the palm trees,  what I ended up with is some cool light streaks from the passing cars!

A Wider Perspective

Most of my photos or Eagle Rock have focused in on the details,  so I thought i would offer a different view of my home town.  This is a view from the mountains north of Eagle Rock Valley,  looking south to Downtown Los Angeles.  The 134 freeway is seen below, and in the middle of the picture is OXY Hill.  One of the things about Eagle Rock that makes it so interesting is the way it is nestled into the rolling hills of Northeast Los Angeles.  Every way you look you have a hill or mountain in the background!

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!

Summit Sunset

One of my favorite places,  the top of OXY Hill at sunset. On this Earth Day weekend try to take some time,  enjoy a walk in the wilderness,  find a rock or an old bench like this,  then sit and enjoy the sunset!   

The Old Library after the Storm

Another storm has passed through,  leaving Eagle Rock clean and green! This is the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock,  but to me it will always be the Eagle Rock Library! This 1914 building was my childhood library,  I remember fondly going to story-time on the weekends just inside this great window.  The bookshelves were all real wood, the nice old librarians kept the place quiet, and there was an actual card catalog!  My image of a traditional library is completely based on my childhood in this building! When the actual library was moved to it's new location  there was a time when I worried this old classic would be lost,  but it is now a thriving community center!  I have been to community meetings, art shows and concerts in here, and when I was shooting these pictures I could hear kids taking music lessons inside.  It is so nice to see my favorite library alive and well and looking better than ever!

After the Storm

The sky after our most recent rain storm was spectacular so I decided to hike up to the top of Oxy Hill to watch the sunset.  I used to come up here all the time as a kid, it was the best place to fly a kite in Eagle Rock!   

Storm Clouds

Great clouds this morning - looks like Eagle Rock will be getting some actual weather this week!