Yellow wheels

Last Sunday, I spent an afternoon at Rio San Gabriel Park. With its dog park and adjacent riverbed, there are always lots of things to see.

The first thing that caught my eye was this splash of yellow leaning on the dog park fence. There is a bike and a skateboard, nicely color-coordinated. (Was it intentional?) I hung around long enough to see the owners. More next week...

Watering the lawn

Spring in Downey is so lush and colorful, mostly green with a splash of flower color. Watering the lawn keeps the green in our yards and makes for great photo sessions.



Of course, the insects are in full force also.

What do you like best about spring?

"The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself."
~ Henry Miller

What is age?

I celebrated my birthday this last weekend. That's always a good time to reflect on where you've come from and where you are going.

This is Bill, a member of our church and a Downey resident, who had a stroke a couple of years ago. When he came back to church he immediately took up his position as head usher just like he had been doing for more than 20 years. Always positive and ready to shake your hand, Bill celebrated his 83rd birthday recently. I would like to be that active when I'm 83.

By the way, that's Bill's lovely bride, Pat, in the background.

"Those who love deeply never grow old. They may die of old age but they will die young."
~ Benjamin Franklin

"You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
~ C. S. Lewis

Rooftop garden

I spotted this mini tree along with a few other greens growing on the roof of one of the homes that border the riverbed. While it isn't quite a rooftop garden, it was fun to find.

Now, I have lots of pine trees on my property and I struggle with constantly having pine needles on my roof. However, I've never sprouted plants....at least not that I was aware of. Maybe if I tossed a few seeds up there....

Laundry: Loads of fun

Laundry is a universal task. When I am traveling, I enjoy the picturesque site of clean laundry hanging outside on a line strung from window to window. sometimes across the small alley I'm walking down.

This clothesline next to the Rio Hondo riverbed reminded me of those scenes, as I pictured loads of laundry waiting to be hung.

Gym class

The two main high schools in Downey, Downey High and Warren High, are about an equal distance from Furman Park. So it's not unusual to see groups of students from either school running to the park on a school morning.

At this point in their run, these students from Downey High have come a little over a mile. The students at the head of the group look pretty cheerful and are setting a brisk pace. The students at the end of the group, not yet in sight, are a different matter.

"Slow runners make fast runners look good. Thank you."

Sundowner

Sunset is my favorite time of day. The warm colors that light up the sky are beautiful if you are on a beach far away, or just walking along the river walk.

In Africa, every night we headed out for a night drive around 4 pm. It was called a "sundowner," because you started the night's adventure by heading to a scenic location to watch the sun set, have some snacks, and maybe score animal sightings. Our guide would set up a "tailgate" on the front grill of our vehicle and put out wine, beer, and savory snacks to enjoy while we just absorbed the beauty of our surroundings.

"It's almost impossible to watch a sunset and not dream."

Biking at dusk

In the twilight immediately after sunset, you don't have to ride very fast to make the camera think that you're racing along at high speed.

These bikers were enjoying their leisurely rides along the nearly empty bike path a couple of weeks ago.