Signs of Eagle Rock - 5

This close-up shot of one of our local classic signs really shows it's age,  but to give the owner credit,  this would not be an easy sign to clean and maintain! Still,  I like to imagine what it must have looked like when it was new!

Swan Skeleton

Swan Hall is one of the original Myron Hunt-designed buildings on the OXY campus. Originally it was used for student housing, but for decades it has been used as faculty offices.  Now it is getting a complete renovation and they are going all the way down to the bones!

A Forest in Eagle Rock?

When I was a kid,  this was one of my favorite places to hide out and play with my neighborhood friends.  It has changed since then,  the bushes used to go all the way to the ground which made it sort of spooky and dark.  This area feels a lot safer now,  which is good because it is a major thoroughfare!  If you are not familiar with this beautiful forest it is right in the middle of the OXY Campus!

OXY in the Movies - Part 5

At first glance, I thought this view was almost the same as the screen cap from "Pigskin Parade" 1936, but the more I looked, the more I realized it may be one of the most changed. The stands are new, the light towers are new,  and the current field is artificial turf which is definitely new! If you look very closely,  you will notice in the screen cap that Thorne Hall is missing and there is another building in it's place.  I'm not sure what the old building is, but the beautiful   Thorne Hall was not completed until 1938! The reality is,  the only things in this photo that are still around would be some of the larger trees!

OXY in the Movies - Part 2

Today I move to a different movie,  Pat and Mike (1952).  This charming movie stars Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy as a very talented college gym coach who is coached as a pro by a gruff older trainer. Hepburn is wonderful in this movie, and she was right here in Eagle Rock shooting on campus!   The movie opens when her fiancee, played by William Ching, leaves his office,  located in the Johnson Student Center.  In this view you can see the black pillar holding up the new glass roof ove the courtyard,  other than that it looks pretty similar.   If you look closely at the screen cap below you will see how much the trees have grown! In the background the old library building is visible over the trees, and you can see that the newer Library addition is not there!

As promised,  today I present Judy Garland's first appearance in a feature film!  The screen cap below is from the movie "Pigskin Parade" 1936.  I am pretty sure the building in the background is also the old library!

Eucalyptus Shadows

While exploring the OXY campus for my upcoming series on classic movies shot at OXY,  I noticed these shadows cast on the walls of Herrick Chapel.  Herrick has always been an interesting anomaly for me,  it is so different from the original Occidental College buildings designed by Myron Hunt almost 100 years ago, yet somehow it works!

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!

Close-up Leaves

While exploring on Oxy Hill I found these leaves backlit by the setting sun.  One of my favorite things about doing this blog is that it forces me to stop and look more closely at everyday objects.  Try it,  you will be amazed by the beauty all around!

Eagle Rock Park Trees

Another visit to Eagle Rock Park, this time I noticed my favorite colors in the trees framing the Pavilion overhang.  It's a hot and beautiful 4th of July Weekend!   Enjoy!

July Theme Day - The Colour Green

I have featured so many lovely green nature scenes over the last few months,  so I had to find something new.  How about this old "green"house?  Located on the grounds of one of the largest properties in Eagle Rock,  the Chateau Emanuel.  This house has always been the stuff of legend until recently.  The property was cleaned up and put on the market late in 2010.  Now we can see pictures of what it's like inside,  and if you have close to $6 million,  it can be yours!!  

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

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!

Quiet Walk

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

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!

My Favorite Colors

At least once a year, many of the streets of my home town turn a brilliant purple as the Jacaranda Trees blossom!  The flowers are so thick that they can fall and cover the street, and still leave enough for the trees to look purple!  Could it be that my favorite colors since childhood have been purple and green because of these trees? 

Hill Drive Palms

One of the most beautiful streets in Eagle Rock is Hill Drive, and one of the things making Hill Drive and some of the streets between Colorado and Hill special are the palm trees.  I grew up believeing that most of the palm trees planted along streets around Los Angeles were done as part of a beautification program for the 1932 Olympics,  but I have never seen proof of this.  Whoever planted them, they are iconic symbols of Los Angeles and I'm glad Eagle Rock has it's share!

Billowy

These trees over Escarpa Drive near OXY remind me a bit of cumulus clouds.  The skies today are pretty gray, but Eagle Rock is full of color!