Permanent Vacation

This dog is just having a stressful afternoon waiting for patrons on
Catalina's mini-golf course. Sometimes he has a pal lying up there
with him, and they get loads of attention. Just another day in paradise!

Mermaid Couple

People seem to have a penchant for the whimsical here on Catalina
Island. I spotted this a few blocks from the ocean in front of
someone's house. I love the cat's matching fishtail!

Catalina mermaid

The mermaid mystique is alive and represented here, as you can see by
this lady, though her lower half looks more feather-like than scaly.
Or perhaps this is not it at all. Perhaps she is meant for the prow
of a ship. What strikes me about this place is the hand-painted
nature of things everywhere. I will continue to document this and post.

Hotel Catalina

Well, it's actually Hotel St. Lauren, as you can see on the entry, but it's the most striking hotel here. I thought the architecture would look lovely in Monrovia. Perhaps some developer will see this and get inspired. I know that Monrovia has some plans for hotels in its future!

Blogging from Catalina

One of the reasons I love Monrovia is that it has a small town
ambiance about it. The only thing it is really lacking is the ocean.
Today I am blogging from Avalon, the by-the-sea small town on
Catalina Island. Of course, on my first day, I had to have ice cream.
Thankfully, they didn't make my serving this large.

Tasteful and clean

This beauty stopped me in my tracks. I love the detailing around the
twin window sets, the striping on the posts, the reds accented here
and there. Someone did it right!!

For the love of the fireplace

I spotted this gutted home just north of Foothill. I wish I could
remember what the original house looked like. You can see that there
is brick just underneath the flagsone. Which looks better? I just
hope that they don't build something with vinyl windows. There is a
house up the street from me that was a cute (but small) wooden
affair, and they took it down to studs and put up a quite large and
somewhat generic home in its place. The siding is not wood, and the
window frames aren't either. I call these toxic houses. I suppose
that p.o.v. might bother some builders, but I'm a plastic-phobe. I'm
keeping my fingers crossed on this one.

Remodeled Victorian

I spotted this beauty whilst exploring the neighborhood; I was
surprised to learn that the lovely front porch is an add-on. It looks
small from the front but is quite large inside. I know because it's
for sale!

Lawn jockey on gravel

In my travels around the neighborhood I've noticed that certain
Monrovians have a thing for lawn jockeys. This one has an especially
exalted position right in front of the house. Notice too, that he is
freshly painted and with his lantern can guide visitors in the dark.
Woo hoo!

Wireless hotspot

Kudos to Monrovia coffee company for offering a wireless hotspot to
patrons.... :)

Free internet, YEY

It's nice to see Monrovia's independent coffeehouses taking up the
call to free internet access (see yellow signs)! It's certainly a
nice thing to offer people. Bravo.

The striped pole

I don't know why, but I have a thing for barber shops. They make me
happy. One time I tried to go in and talk the barber into cutting my
hair, but he just smiled a little ruefully and shook his head. "I'm
sorry, but we only have male customers here." So old-fashioned, but I
didn't mind that much. It feels very quaint and reassuring to me
somehow. This is one of two barbershops I know of in the Old Town
area of Monrovia. Looks as if this one allows women!

Jacaranda in bloom

How inviting is this little driveway with the purple "carpet"?

Watching and waiting

I don't have the official word on this building transformation yet,
but rumor has it that this former empty shell of a building on
Foothill will soon become some sort of market--perhaps like a cross
between a Trader Joe's and an ethnic foods store. The photo doesn't
show it clearly, but on the smaller gabled roofs there is a rooster
(on the right), a sun, and on the left garden implements, which makes
me wonder if there won't be some gardening stuff sold as well. Love
the brick!

Adopt Me!

This young cat has beautiful markings and is sweet and on the small side. A precious kitty! Contact Gary White, DVM, if interested.

Adopt Me!

This kitten is both sweet and photogenic! He needs a good home! Contact Gary White, DVM, if interested.

Adopt Us!

These two kittens are about two months old. Gracie, the female, has the blue eyes and George, the male, has gold eyes! Contact Gary White, DVM, if interested.

Tree Beauty

I'm not sure what this tree is, but it's lovely. Very fine pine
needle-type "leaves" with fine grained dark bark. Spotted in Library
Park.

Magnolia in bloom

'tis the season for Magnolia. This one spotted in Library Park.
Gorgeous.

City Hall Annex

Now who can boast a cuter place to go to take care of paperwork?
Well, the main City Hall building isn't bad either, although not in
this style at all. Everyone I've met there is super friendly and
efficient!

Birds on a fence, er, in a fence.

Someone had quite the fanciful imagination when creating this picket
fence. The house is equally lovely but my photo was out-of-focus!
I'll return at a later date to photograph it.

Keeper of the Writing Utensils

He's just daring me to take it away from him...good thing he can't
get the cap off!

Keys Found

Notice the keys with the orange thingie. They were still there as of
this afternoon... Ya think that turtle is real? I just noticed it in
the photo after I got home.

Fun color!

I give Monrovia Market an "A" for boldness of color. How about that.
I wonder if the beige door was original or intentional. It's no a color scheme I could have imagined would work, but somehow it does. What fun..

Street Light Lust

Monrovia is a city undergoing rennovation: projects are planned all around Old Town and beyond, and I wonder if city officials could be persuaded to start implementing some lovely street lighting on selected residential streets? Pretty Please? Anyone who has visited Monrovia knows how well it's worked for Old Town. You can regularly observe visitors strolling arm-in-arm under the decorative street lights. And, of course, it could only increase the area's desirability. Just drive through San Marino and you will see what I mean. The ambience is lovely. For examples of styles, check out the Fancy Street Light Company, which seems to be capitalizing on the beauty of yesteryear. It would be so welcome—but, if I have to be practical, I suppose we should concentrate on getting our new library first.

Photo via Blogging.la

Lovely garden gate

This gate leads to one of Monrovia's most beloved Victorian homes,
Idlewyld.

How friendly can you get?

Now I thought Monrovia was friendly with its cute red trolly and free
parking, but we've got competition: A town called Cambridgeshire in
the UK is trying out friendly trash bins and benches that talk to you
as well as to each other.

Via BBC News

So what if we don't have ocean breezes...

We have style!

Hammock Time

This year's crop of avocados are going to be spectacular. I like to
lie in the hammock and watch them grow.

Window treatment

Looks like they need some weed whacking and to move this little
sign...but how about that window? Nice!

Daisy Spectacle

The circus performer of flowers!! What a show!

Trail Dog

My Shiba Inu, Sushi, posing next to a daisy. She enjoys the great
outdoors, but got quite covered in mustard flower petals by the end
of the walk!

Thistle & Mustard

Beauty abounds in the local foothills!

Strange Creature

Here's a funny fellow I saw on the hiking trail today. Shaped like an
ant, but he's quite large with a furry red coat of sorts. He was
scurrying like mad to get away from me!

Pugilicious!

Irresistible little fellow spotted on a Monrovia sidewalk!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!

Oh my! Sudsie the beloved teddy is missing!! Oh dear. Keep your eyes
out! Hacienda Heights resident Joan Rudd lost poor Sudsie when her
car was stolen out of her own driveway. She says she'd rather have him
back than to have her car back! Read the whole story here....

[Via Topix News]

Double Chinmey

I rather like the double chimney effect on this house. I also
appreciate the crest over the door. Gives the house a rather noble
look. I wonder what the story is behind this. There's a tiny crest on
the top of the chimney, as well. Perhaps it is the mark of the
chimney maker?

Pierce the sky!

Love the roofline! Also notice how they have mimicked the shape by
pulling the drapes to the side in the right-hand window.

Gorgeous!!

So much to see here. A real beauty of a Victorian flanked by Italian cypresses.

Lucky Horse

Nice folksy horse plaque by the door. Notice the sweet little
frieze under the gabled roof.

Dog Park in Monrovia's Future?

Looks as if the city is finally going to consider the pros and cons of establishing a place where local residents can gather to watch their pooches romp. Some details from City Manager Scott Ochoa's weekly report.

Community Services Commission Subcommittee to Examine the Possibility of a Dog Park in Monrovia

Just a head’s up that, at the Community Services Commission Meeting this past Thursday, the Commission voted to establish a subcommittee to examine the merits of establishing an off-leash dog park in Monrovia. From time to time, we have heard requests for such a park from residents and dog owners. Like every other important issue, this one has two sides. There are those who enjoy their pets and like to have the social interaction with other dog owners that comes along with an off-leash dog park. And on the other hand, there are those that say we don’t have enough “people parks”, much less room for a dog park. The Committee will take all of this information juxtaposed to the challenges of maintaining such a park (given the noise issues, cleanliness, and other environmental matters). I look forward to the Committee’s report, as I am sure it will bring a great discussion.

Personally I feel as if dog parks are people parks, too!

Hedge dwellers ...

To view actual hedge creatures, click here! Aren't they divine?

Hedge House!

What inspired clipping! Looks like a perfect hideout for Edward
Scissorhands. I wonder if some hobbit-like creatures is living in
there. Looks like somebody tried to get in there...

Kudos from Pasadena

Monrovia has been getting more attention as of late, especially in the Star-News. Pasadena has been the trendsetter in mixed-use development, but Monrovia is not far behind, as noted by Star-News editors here.

We applaud Monrovia for being ahead of the curve when it comes to carefully mixing in housing within old-town commercial districts. The idea, often called "mixed use" developments, is to bring more pedestrians to older commercial districts and create a much-needed source of affordable housing in essentially built-out communities.

Sweet porchette!

Don't you just love the old-fashioned screen door? And the porch is
small but welcoming. And where would it be without the decorative
woodwork just under the eaves?

Nap time

I'm telling you, how am I supposed to get any work done with this
guy lying around? It's a perfect day for stressing out in the
backyard hammock.