STOP!

I thought I would check out the Eagle Rock Plaza,  give them a little friendly exposure on this blog,  however,  as I took this picture and was about to take a picture of a little flower in the parking lot,  A security truck screeched up and told me I couldn't take pictures.  When I told him what I was doing,  he rudely told me to leave. Oh well, Eagle Rock Plaza, no nice publicity for you! Fitting that the only picture I managed to take was of a STOP sign!  (I still like how the sunset light looks on the paint!)

Farmers Market Friday 1

The Eagle Rock Farmers Market takes place on Friday afternoons just one block South and East of Ealge Rock and Colorado.  When I took these pictures you could smell the strawberries and oranges from yards away!  Families, teens, and seniors were walking around,  trying samples, listening to the live music, and buying the fresh produce.  The little kids even have a "bounce house" to play in! 

 

Reading Light

This is why I make a habit of looking up when I walk around! I've spent countless hours in the old Eagle Rock Library (now Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock),  but until I went to the recent Art Auction I never noticed the octagonal column details and these great chandeliers!  Next time you are somewhere new,  look up! (just be careful not to run into anything!)

Little Turret

I've always loved castles,  so I enjoy finding little details like this turret on an otherwise simple old apartment building in Eagle Rock!  

My Walk to School - Part 12

Eagle Rock Elementary School is really a beautifully detailed building,  I didn't notice these brackets until recently!  This is on the west side of the building,  in a grassy and tree-covered area where I would sometimes play after school.  My most recent fond memory of this part of the school was about 15 years ago when I took my young son to meet my kindergarten teacher, Miss Ishida at her retirement party. Miss Ishida had not changed at all,  she remembered me from 20 years earlier,  and it was neat to introduce her to my son who was about kindergarten age at the time! 

My Walk to School - Part 11

    I finally made it to School!  I went to Eagle Rock Elementary School for Kindergarten through 3rd or 4th grade, and have fond and detailed memories of my time there.  I have gone back to visit a few times since then, and the old buildings are in amazingly original shape! These are the tall windows in the stairwell on the southeast corner of the original building.  Right across the hall from this stairwell was the cafeteria. I remember my parents letting me buy lunch on Macaroni and Cheese days,  Thursdays, I think.  I loved the smell of the food being cooked on site, and waiting in line to have the old ladies in hairnets serve me the steaming mac and cheese and the little milk boxes!

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!   

How High Are You?

Have you ever wondered how high Eagle Rock is?  Sure, you could look at a map or go online,  but I found something more fun, this official survey marker in front of the Eagle Rock City Hall! It shows an elevation of 578 feet above sea level!   

Details Scavenger Hunt - Part 2

This little hidden piece of art is on private property but is open to the public and accessible every day of the week.  For years it was under glass, now it is on the wall.  Does anyone know where it is?  

My Walk to School - Part 10

At the very top of Yosemite Park is the Sylvan Amphitheater.  I have always wondered about it's history, it's pretty much in the same condition it was in when we did our little school shows here.  I wonder when it was built and what it was originally used for? There doesn't seem to be any history on line.  Do any of you know any tidbits?  

My Walk to School - Part 9

Part of my walk took me through this remote back part of Yosemite Park.  This area looks exactly the same as it did 40 years ago!  Sometimes I would walk in the drainage ditch, or balance on the little wall as it got higher and higher.  Sometimes I would go "off road" and climb up on the hill to the right.  Later, after leaving Eagle Rock Elementary School and starting at Area H Alternative School we used these picnic areas for all school parties, shows, and graduations.  When I went there on a recent afternoon it was filled with high school kids socializing, playing games and practicing drill team moves.  It's nice to see it well used!  

Blooming Eagle Rock 2

I just loved this old fence and the delicate blossoms,  found on a little walk after one of our recent storms - it's been a nice wet winter!

Tax Day Memories

As I finish preparing my taxes today I'm reminded of my first memories of money.  When I was a kid my first bank account was at this building on Eagle Rock Blvd.  As I remember it was called California Federal at the time.  I had a little book that I would bring in to the teller when I wanted to make a little deposit, and they would stamp it and hand write the amount in the little book.  I probably still have that book somewhere! 

I didn't appreciate it at the time,  but this building has some really nice lines.  I do remember noticing that the huge tower wall is covered with mosaic tiles and thinking that must have taken a while to lay! Other than adding some new signage and updating the bank branch itself, a lot of the building is original!  

Old Pillers Roof Sign

I love my home town!  I have explored Eagle Rock for more than 40 years and there are still new old things to discover!  I love old signs, and I'm always on the lookout for these forgotten pieces of advertising art.  While shooting pictures for this blog I found this great roof sign,  only visible from the side street. 

If you like old signs I have assembled some of the pictures I've taken over the years and put them together on a Facebook page called Old Sign Art.  Check it out!  

Story Time/Art Time!

A few days ago I went to the artists preview for the Art Auction.  I was excited to be in the Old Library again, a place with so many fond childhood memories! The first room I went into was the smaller room to the East,  this is where I spent Saturday mornings listening to story time.  I remember sitting on the floor next to the wooden bookcases filed with kids books.  It was nice to see the old bookcases still there,  and what a thrill to see my photographs hung in this special room!  

If you are in the area,  do try to come to the Art Auction,  support the cause, see some great art, and see this old building in person!

Old Library - Flowers

Last night the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock held a preview event for this Sunday's Auction.  The walls were covered with some great art,  everything from lovely ceramics and cement and metal sculpture, to delicate watercolors, photographs and prints. 
I found these flowers on the arbor near the entrance - there is beauty hanging inside and out!  

Old Library-Little Windows

For the rest of this week I will feature details of the Old Library, now known as the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock. Besides being one of my favorite buildings, it is a wonderful example of adaptive reuse. After being vacated when the new library was built,  it was used for storage for a while, before being converted to it's present vibrant use as a community arts center.  Please show your support for their programs by coming to the 9th Annual Art Auction this Sunday and see the Old Library in action!  

Old Library Window

I'm afraid it will always be the "Old Library" to me, but it's now called the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock.  Originally built as one of the old Carnegie Libraries in 1914,  it operated as a library until 1981.  Click this link for more historical information.  
This Sunday the Center for the Arts is holding it's 9th Annual Art Auction.  I was invited to include a couple of my photos,  and while dropping them off I got a preview of the amazing art by local artists on display!  For more information on the Art Auction,  Click Here! This is a chance to support local artists and help raise funds for the Center for the Arts, both good causes!

Simple Details

Most of the customers who buy wire from Tritch Hardware probably don't look closely at the old device they use to measure out the lengths.  This is probably the same machine that was used when my grandpa came here,  and it will probably be used for another 50 years or more. Why change when this simple machine does it just fine? I love the rich color of the metal and wood!  Check it out next time you are in!

On Your Mark, Get Set....

4 decades ago my sister and I would race the length of this walkway in front of the Old Eagle Rock Library on our way to story time. The walkway hasn't changed at all since then but it does seem a little bit shorter! 

Details Scavenger Hunt - Part 1

Who can find this detail?  It is in clear public view and I saw it almost every day as a kid.  Do you know where it is?

Old Adobe Details

The last Eagle Rock house that my dad built was next to an old adobe style home,  one of the oldest on our hill I would imagine.  The nice old lady that lived in it seemed mysterious but friendly,  I have vague recollections that she did something amazing when she was young, climbed Mt. Everest or something.  I wish I had talked to her more!  I never went into her house until after she had passed away but I loved looking at the exterior details, like this little guy on the garage door!

Armon's After Hours

A great hole-in-the-wall place for breakfast,  we used to walk here with the kids when they were young. I took this picture after they were closed for the day,  I like the way the light looked coming in through the front window.

Dentist Office

When I was a kid my first dentist was Dr. Levine.  He opened his practice on Eagle Rock Blvd in the 1960's. I remember being told that he started practicing when I was starting to grow teeth! He was my only dentist for 30 years,  so when he moved his practice to this beautiful brick building on Eagle Rock Blvd and Merton I moved with him.  My young sons even went to him for their early years until he retired.  In later years I used this location for a short movie I made with some other Eagle Rock friends.   Here is a great old photo showing this building in the background with the old streetcar in the foreground.  

Eagle Rock City Hall 1

Eagle Rock was incorporated in 1911 and was then annexed into the City of Los Angeles in 1923.  Just one year before the annexation the City of Eagle Rock built it's own City Hall.  While it didn't serve as City Hall for long, it continues to serve our community 89 years later as an office for our City Councilman, a satellite office for Building and Safety, and a community meeting room.  For more information on our City Hall, this blog has some good pictures and history.

Shadow in the Alley

This little passage just south of Colorado on Eagle Rock Blvd. has always enticed me.  It feels like something from the "mean streets" of a big downtown,  but it's right here in little old Eagle Rock! 

Top of the Hill

At the very top of Oxy Hill there is a detail I bet most people don't notice, unless they accidentally trip over it! Right at the summit there is a concrete block with this survey marker. I thought the remnants of graffiti tags and the light from the setting sun made this boring little marker almost beautiful!

Taking their Owners for a Walk!

Recently I took a walk up OXY Hill.  I always meet nice people, out enjoying this natural oasis right in the middle of our big metropolis! One common thing about many of the people I meet,  there are a lot happy dog owners!  

Blooming Eagle Rock

I noticed people doing some gardening in front of the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock today.  The front landscaping always looks so nice!  Thanks to these fine people for helping make Eagle Rock beautiful!


Here is one of the oddest flowers we have in the area,  a Birds of Paradise. Odd, but beautiful!

April Theme Day!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

This is my first Theme Day post!  As I was shooting pictures at my favorite Eagle Rock hardware store (Tritch, of course!) I chanced to see the sun glinting through a stack of glass louvers outside the back door, and I thought PERFECT! April's theme is "Edges"!   
This also completes the first month of my Daily Photo Blog adventure!  I hope everyone enjoys viewing the blog as much as I enjoy doing it! Thanks for your comments, and tell your friends!