Sunset over the library

This picture combines some of my favorite things—books (the Downey City Library was a favorite destination when I was a child), sunsets (our crazy weather these last few days has made for some colorful ones), and wiggy tree branches silhouetted against the sky.

Checkers

This statue was such a pleasant surprise. I was trolling for pictures of something new, and I pulled into the Ralph's Market parking lot to turn around. And there they were. A boy, his dog, and his girl.

It's a small world

And no, I'm not talking about the Small World ride at Disneyland.

I had the opportunity to attend an LA Kings hockey game again this week. But considering that this isn't a Downey event (and that we posted about the previous game here), I wasn't planning on turning this outing into a Downey Daily post—until I looked up and saw Don Lamkin doing pushups on the big screen during a break in the game.

Don is a local Downey resident and the artist responsible for the Downey Doodle-icious mural in downtown Downey. According to Don, the promotion folks grabbed him and his buddy and talked them into a push-up contest for a Golds Gym sponsored in-house "commercial." They both won gift boxes filled with healthy snacks. (By the way, Don won the competition with 36 pushups to his friend's 34.)

A treasure found

Sometimes you can pass a scene dozens of times and not notice it. Then something changes...

That's what happened to me this morning when I turned onto Downey Avenue by the United Methodist Church. Maybe it was because of the rainy, overcast day. These two doors, half hidden behind the garden and wrought-iron gates, suddenly popped out, and I thought, What a beautiful scene! The stained arches, the old stone walls—it felt like it could be a scene from a couple of centuries ago.

Serendipitous art

Sometimes art is hidden away, off the beaten path. This image of two exuberant children is hidden between two garage walls, and further hidden by trash cans waiting for trash pickup.

But when I stumble across it on a morning walk, it makes me smile.

New places

I love being a part of Downey Daily Photos. It creates opportunities for me to see places and people I would not have otherwise seen. When I was taking the pictures of the electrical boxes painted as train engines, I had to park my car in a shopping area I had never parked in before. I never knew this Peruvian restaurant existed, but now I'm intrigued and will have to check it out.

This is Burns Avenue, which runs east to west along the railroad tracks between Paramount Blvd and Old River School Road. It is just behind the shopping area and I've never driven on it before.

Have you ever found a "best place" by accident?

Out of the ordinary

There is a neighborhood just west of Calvary Chapel, Downey, that is made up of some very well-kept houses and some not so well-kept. I was riding through the neighborhood and noticed this house. The bars on the windows certainly drew my attention, but what made me take this picture was the four satellite dishes on the roof. I thought, "Why would someone need four dishes? Even if they had four TVs. Maybe it's a safe house for the CIA?" Anyway, I thought it was interesting.

Does your imagination run wild when you see something out of the ordinary?

Right place, right time

Riverbeds. Graffiti. Train tracks. Puddles. Reflections.Repeating patterns.

Sometimes I just get lucky and find all sorts of things that I like to photograph, all in the same place (the Rio Hondo riverbed), at the same time.

Anti-serendipity moment

Over the years, my wife and I have enjoyed looking at houses in Downey for possible upgrades and to get decorating ideas. There are some houses that look great on the outside and we are very anxious to see the inside. So when one of those houses goes on the market we make time to go visit.

This is one of those houses that has great curb appeal. But when we saw the layout of the inside we kept asking ourselves, "why?" It just wasn't what we had expected after having seen and admired the outside for so many years. I'm sure the current owners found the layout to be advantages and appealing so they bought it. For them, it was serendipity, for us, just the opposite.

Have you had either one of those lately?

Serendipity = Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.
~Lawrence Block

What I didn't know

As I drove around Downey yesterday looking for a picture for my post, I stopped at Downey High School to take a picture of the demolition that is going on as part of a campus renovation project.

I took a few pictures, including this one of the school's mural, but the sunlight was harsh, the fence was in the way, and nothing turned out very well.

Photo by George Redfox

Not being up on the news the last few days, I was shocked to discover this morning that the mural was gone. Demolished. In hundreds of little pieces on the ground. According to various reports, the cost of preserving and moving the mural was too high.

The mural was created in 1973 by local artist, sculptor, and Downey High art teacher Charlotte von Troesch. I lived across the street from Charlotte for almost 20 years. I knew her simply as Charlotte, our eccentric artist neighbor who had a beautiful Dalmatian and who told great stories about our neighborhood in the "old" days, when the neighborhood cows used to get loose and wander through her garden.

In addition to a backyard filled with what were to me somewhat odd sculptures, Charlotte also had a fish pond, whose fish were so used to her daily feedings that they popped up to the surface as soon as she touched the water. This was unfortunate, as I learned when my cat started depositing dead goldfish on my back door mat.

Until today, I never knew that she was a world-famous artist, or that the mural that I used to pass almost daily was her creation.

A part of my day

This weekend I read about a relatively new Mediterranean-style fast food restaurant in Downey called Green Olive. (You can read all about it here from Downey Beat.) So when I went searching for a picture today, I stopped by there.

I met Sam, the owner. I snapped a few pictures. But nothing really caught my eye. This isn't to say that nothing looked good—the menu had my mouth watering and the place was packed!

Then I walked outside and spotted a lone couple eating at one of the outdoor tables. They were dressed for a more elegant dining experience than this, but they didn't look out of place. Maybe they stopped here on their way home from church or something.

So I introduced myself and asked for permission to take their picture, and they graciously agreed. We got to talking. This is their first visit to Green Olive, and they loved the food. They live in nearby Artesia, but Dennis works in Downey and they are thinking of moving here. We talked about how Downey is a nice quiet place to live (but freeway close!). When we finally said our goodbyes, Dennis said, "And now you're a part of our day!"

And now they're an unexpected but delightful part of mine!

Serendipity

ser·en·dip·i·ty
/ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪti/
–noun
1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

As I wandered around Stonewood Mall last Friday looking for photo ops, I happened upon this random line of people and found out that Stonewood gives away $10 gift cards about once a week during the holiday season.

So after I took my pictures, I got in line.