That's so last century!

Sometimes you come around a corner in Downey and feel like you've stepped back in time.

This house and its outbuildings were built around 1920. With the old truck parked nearby, it's easy to imagine that you've stepped back into the previous century.

Keeping Downey beautiful

These fire main control valves could have just been an eyesore. But instead, someone has planted geraniums in coordinating colors around their base.

Spring is in the air!

The Iceland poppies are in full bloom in downtown Downey. They actually look like crepe paper, and I love how they seem to reach for the sun.

"No where in nature can you find a purer color than sunlight passing through the petal of a flower" 
~ Larry K. Stephenson

Eagle Scout project

On my way to the Farmers Market this morning, I came across these three volunteers painting a stop sign pole. They were doing this in conjunction with the Eagle Scouts LDS troop. It looked like Carlos Medina, along with Elders Rodriguez and Dunn, had a busy Saturday planned.

It never occurred to me to question who did projects like this around our city. I just assumed it would be the city.

Thanks for making our city a little nicer!

The cost of convenience

One of the businesses that does stay open late in Downey is the convenience store at the local gas station. This store, as is typical of convenience stores, offers a little bit of everything, with the benefit of being open late to suit my whims, with no waiting in line. All it costs me is a little higher price for my late night ice cream snack.

Digging ditches

Downey has been doing a lot of street repair work lately. They repaved Brookshire from Firestone Blvd to Imperial Hwy. They also redid the cement curbs along the same area. Now they are redoing any damaged curbs on the side streets that connect to Brookshire. This is one of them.

It's one of the things I don't mind them spending my tax money on. It makes for a much smoother ride and the water flows better during a rain.

Look for the sunshine

I enjoy passing this home on one of my bike ride routes because it looks like it's always smiling at me.

“As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness -- just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breath it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and a cool breeze when the day is warm.”
~ Laura Ingalls Wilder, Writings to Young Women from Laura Ingalls Wilder - Volume One: On Wisdom and Virtues

Winter nights continued

And in another area of Downey, the corridor is well lit, but empty. Businesses close down early in this part of town.