It's the law

For a couple of years, the empty lot of the old Gallatin Medical Group site has been surrounded by a netted chain link fence. (See What's coming?) But recently, the fence has come down, revealing the desolate empty lot behind it.

But for some reason, what really caught my attention in this new scene was the address signposts. It's the law that every structure assigned an address must have the address posted in a visible location. So I guess it makes sense that if you don't have a building to put your numbers on, you gotta put up a sign.

Punta Cana beauty

A mere 3,200 miles away from Downey is Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Although Downey and Punta Cana share some similarities (a strong historical Spanish influence and a similar population of around 100,000), the similarity pretty much stops there.

This tropical island is a beautiful vacation destination. The turquoise waters and the white sand beaches draw visitors from all around. It drew us. My daughter and I just got home from a week at a resort on the Bavaro shore and had a great time.

On one of our daily beach walks, we ran into this fisherman cleaning his daily catch. It was fun to watch the activity going on, but I love the sound of the surf, the constant blowing of the wind, and the water as it rushes over my feet.

"My life is like a stroll on the beach....as near to the edge as I can go."
~ Thoreau

I can see for miles

It's incredibly hot in Downey right now. So hot that, to beat the heat, one must jump in their pool (or get to know your neighbors real well real fast if they have one). When even that doesn't work, we go to the beach!

In San Pedro you can see for miles on a good day. All the way from the Long Beach Ports to past Point Loma and inland you can see Big Bear and the Los Angeles skyline. You're at the outermost tip of our crescent here and only about 20 miles from Catalina Island. It is a really great view anywhere you look.

Tree stories

Here's another yard with a story I found. This neighborhood used to be a lemon grove before it was subdivided into single-family homes over 60 years ago. So this tree has seen over 60 years of kids playing football and baseball in the street, maybe a swing or two on that horizontal branch. And how many birds have rested here for awhile?

And just down the street is this old tree that still has its swings.

Two more yard stories

Last week I talked about walking down a neighborhood street and seeing a story at every yard. Today I want to share two more stories. The one above tells me that someone missed the driveway by just a little but not enough to knock down the palm tree. Or maybe the accident happened so long ago that they planted the palm tree after the wall was knocked down.

This one tells me that these owners want to be reminded to keep Christmas in their hearts all year long. It's actually on a post out front and not a door knocker.

"And then let any man explain to me, if he can, how it happened that Scrooge, having his key in the lock of the door, saw in the knocker, without its undergoing any intermediate process of change—not a knocker, but Marley's face."
~A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

Future police in training?

As I've blogged about for the last few days, there was a lot of bustle in downtown Downey on Saturday morning. But this scene, just as I was leaving, was more about hustle.

These kids are members of the Downey Police  Department's Explorer program. The program provides a way for local high school students to contribute to the community while exploring law enforcement as a career. The Explorers typically meet on Saturday mornings. Here, they are wrapping up their morning with some physical training.

Under construction

The front window of the Stay Gallery in downtown Downey reflects the bustle both inside and out. The reflection shows the busy new Downey Gateway food court across the street.

And the words give a hint of the bustle on the inside, where construction is progressing, including a custom-made spiral staircase that leads to the new loft.

Where comfort is king

Have you ever wondered about the small businesses that line Downey Avenue in downtown Downey? With the shopping mall a couple of miles away, and "downtown" no longer the commercial center it once was, how do these small shops stay busy?

Well, all the increased bustle in downtown Downey is benefiting these small businesses. Emery Sipos, owner of the family-owned E & E Orthocraft "The Foot Comfort Center" shoe store, has been in the shoe business since 1985—for 15 years here on Downey Avenue. He says that business has been picking up with the increased foot traffic downtown.

The shoes (men's and women's) are cute—stop by sometime and check them out, and say "hi" to Mr. Sipos.

In the "small world" department, it turns out that Mr. Sipos's daughter and DDP blogger Allison used to sing together in the Downey High School jazz choir.