Outdoor dining

One of the fun discoveries we made during our visit to Julio and Stella's was the outdoor kitchen. This was not just any outdoor kitchen, this came complete with an oven large enough to cook an entire cow.

I was also significantly impressed by the number of cast iron pots and pans on display.



"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."
~ Harriet Van Horne

Another man's treasure

Julio Machado loves flea markets and yard sales. For him, one man's junk truly is his treasure. He can spot potential in the most mundane or run-down objects, and these items, cleaned up and sometimes transformed, find their way into his house. At DDP, we like to see new uses for old things. Julio is a master at this process. Above, collections of old copper teapots and irons lead the way his  staircases.

You'll nearly always see a crystal (or faux-crystal) vase at a yard sale. I usually pass them by. But collect a mass of them, and display them on a handcrafted wrought iron shelf, and they come to life. A collection of miscellaneous items enhances a hand-carved wall shelf. And leftover scraps of metal and rivets create a map of the USA.

No two sets of lighting are the same. I like finding new uses for Mason jars, so these Mason jar light fixtures were my favorite, along with the use of old piping to conceal the wiring.

Into the wood

Julio, Stella, and I also share a love of wood. Like the metal, wood is everywhere—but more so! The house is framed in wood, and it is all left bare, with the knots and the bark adding to the beauty.

Julio's floors are put together from many kinds and colors of wood—not just because that's what he had on hand, but also because the variations are beautiful and more interesting than a single kind and color of wood. In many places, words that relate to their lives are inlaid into the wood. Some of the wood is highly finished and smooth. Some is textured and dinged in a way that adds a whole nother (yes, Google says it really is a word) dimension to the beauty. Gnarled tree trunks get made into strange but comfortable chairs.



Huge wooden planks become dining room tables that will seat the whole extended family (or into a desk where there's always room to spread out your work). Thick logs get carved into jaguars (above) and eagles.



And Julio doesn't let anything go to waste. The little pieces that most carpenters sweep up and throw away get used to cover up ugly concrete columns. Or as material for an artist's rendition of the house, made entirely from wood.

What Julio has wrought

Wrought iron: iron that has been heated and is then worked with tools to change its form and properties. The term “wrought” comes from the past participle of the word “worked.” Wrought iron literally means "worked iron."

Wrought iron, although prevalent, is just one of many metals found in Julio and Stella's beautiful home. I soon realized that we shared a love of metal. From the three wrought iron staircases, to the numerous custom-made display shelves, to the rows of hanging cast iron and copper pots and pans (not pictured), metal is everywhere, and most of it is handmade by Julio himself.

Here are just a few examples of the artwork that Julio has created from metal.

This old house

I like that Downey still has old homes like this one. Built in 1906, it has such character. It is always my hope that older, historic homes like this one will be maintained. Somehow it feels like it adds dimension to our city to have preserved some of these homes.

The City of Downey website talks about turn-of-the-century Downey as the center of business and social life of the area. I wonder what it would have felt like to walk in the neighborhood back then.

Angeleno Heights

Continuing on our adventure exploring the secret stairs of the Echo Park area, we walked to an area known as Angeleno Heights. Established in 1886, this is a small quarter in the Echo Park region known for its steep streets. As one of the oldest districts of Los Angeles, it is also known for its high concentration of Victorian era homes. Our walk led us to Carroll Avenue, where a high percentage of both Eastlake and Queen Anne style residences can be found.

What a treat it was to find these homes. It was like stepping back in time. And we weren't the only ones. We ran across several other "tourists" admiring the picturesque neighborhood.



In 1984, the City of Los Angeles recognized Angeleno (now spelled Angelino) Heights as a historic district. Under the preservation plan, the zoning prohibits unsympathetic remodeling of historic houses and requires new construction to resemble original architecture in scale, massing, and materials.

It's all in how you look at it

Please tell me I'm not alone in this fantasy of wanting to live downtown in a giant loft apartment with friends. Downstairs is a coffee shop and next door is a bakery. You're walking distance from any restaurant in town. It's a big city dream in a small town setting. This "available" office building would be perfect. Does anyone want to buy it and then rent it out to a dreamer?

Be it ever so humble...

The entry to this house is so charming, I couldn't resist taking a picture.

"The light is what guides you home, the warmth is what keeps you there."  ~Ellie Rodriguez

Orange you glad...

As the sight of a Sunkist packing plant, the downtown area of Downey was once covered in orange groves. Although in the 50s and 60s the orange groves were replaced with homes and businesses, many old orange trees remain. Where I live in Orange Estates, orange trees are still common for many of the properties.

Here is a "taste" of what you might see walking around our neighborhood.

Home is where your dog is...

Yesterday, I was sitting at Pam and Joan's kitchen table editing pictures and I heard a whine somewhere behind me. I turned and saw Ivan, their Siberian Husky, sitting and staring at the back door. A few minutes later, I heard the garage door open and he ran out to greet whoever had come home. I love dogs!