Brick walls

Brick is not the most common building material in southern California. This is partly because of our weather—brick holds in heat, which isn't as useful in our climate as it is elsewhere. But it's also because brick isn't very stable in an earthquake, which we have a lot of. Today's building codes require that brick be reinforced with rebar (whether on new construction or retrofitted), which makes it much more expensive than wood. But...brick is common in this little row of old retail buildings along Firestone Blvd.

So why this picture? I like the look of brick and I like vintage buildings. This also is the back of the old Sears catalog store, where I got my first part-time job years ago, so there's a bit of nostalgia thrown in.

"There's a certain nostalgia and romance in a place you left."
~ David Guterson

A patch of color

Even in the bleakest landscapes, you can often find a patch of color. This bougainvillea reaching over the ugly block wall fence stood out as a little patch of beauty. Even the hazy color of the sky as I walked along the railroad tracks seemed to soften my dreary surroundings.

"Colors are the smiles of nature."
~ Leigh Hunt

Optical illusion

Scouting for a picture this evening, I passed this building on the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center campus and thought, what a cool building, with its unevenly shaped blocks creating curvy lines. Then I took another look, the way you're supposed to from the side, and realized that all the blocks are the same size, and the curves are just an illusion.

This is an example of the café wall illusion, in which the parallel straight dividing lines between staggered rows with alternating black and white blocks appear to be curved. (Wikipedia) The cafe wall illusion is one type of a line illusion, which uses surrounding colors and objects and our experience with perspective to use all our knowledge against us.

Click the image above, and then click again, for a larger version to better see the effect.

Rustic wall

I was surprised to find this neighborhood setting bordering the 105 freeway. This little community was built with nothing but a sound wall, a little land, and a grove of trees separating it from the freeway. But the setting felt almost idyllic to me. The sound of the cars on this Saturday afternoon was a kind of white noise and the overall feel was almost like you were approaching the edge of a forest. It was rustic and a little wild, quite appealing.

"There is beauty in the most common things for those who have eyes to see." 
~ Unknown

Curiosity

Closed doors in big walls always make me wonder what's on the other side. This door would open (if it weren't locked up tight) onto a wide open area of trees and shade—right next to the 105 freeway that cuts through the south part of Downey.

The concrete sound wall effectively blocks most of the freeway noise. In fact, the slight noise that's left sounds like running water, almost like living next to a waterfall.

Cactus wall

Walking home from the farmer's market last week I noticed this wall of cacti. I'm not a big fan of cactus normally, but I really liked the variety of both pots and plants lining the brick wall. The effect was quite charming.

Did you know? Cactus in French is cactus. Cactus in Dutch is cactus, and cactus in Swedish is kaktus.

Brick wall

This brick wall lines the backside of one of the yards that back up to this alley. I have always liked the "feel" of  brick.

“I like talking to a brick wall- it's the only thing in the world that never contradicts me!”
~ Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan

Vessels of clay

I appreciate the variety of "yard art" we have in Downey. This is a wall in our neighborhood that has been decorated in pottery. I think it rocks!

Making a pretty picture

What should one do with a blank wall? There is a vast nothingness hanging along the side of the house... Oh I know! Make a tiny landscape of succulents and desert foliage so that when you forget about them, they can make it on their own. What this homeowner did here was just that.

A single light

A single light in an empty parking lot. What could feel lonelier?

One of my favorite walls (see this post) has an eery feeling late at night.

An old Roman galley

There's a section of Downey that I almost never go through. It's a little residential section that's north of the Santa Ana freeway (the I5). Most of the time I forget that it's even a part of Downey. So the other day I took a drive through its streets.

The beautiful tiled picture of an old Roman galley was the first thing I saw. It made me long for those idyllic days when we could laze around while someone else worked the oars and served the grapes.

Show me something new

Guess what? Downey is a blank wall for artists! This one has been painted over (see my older post with the same wall.) I still love the sign next to it that clearly states no skating, and our artist's rebellious answer.

Garden door

This is another picture from "the island." I love doors, so I couldn't resist.  Somehow doors always represent a kind of mystery to me.

I often just like the look of them. But, I'm also so curious as to what lies behind the door. My guess is that this door leads to a sanctuary, a garden of some kind that is beautiful and serene.

The Wall of (Un)Fame

The Metro Green Line runs through the south side of Downey, with a station at Lakewood Blvd. The station is decorated with the hand and footprints of the area's unfamous residents. At the end of a long day, people disembark from the train to go the rest of the way home by bus, car, bike, or foot.