Twilight

Twilight in the islands is "Magic Hour." It is my favorite time of the day.

“Twilight fell: The sky turned to a light, dusky purple littered with tiny silver stars.”
~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Big and little

A big tree. A little boy. A study in contrast at Furman Park.

Humans of Downey - Julio

"The e-recycle idea came up because a lot of my clients were asking me, 'Hey Julio, can you help me get rid of these old electronic items?' I told them that I was having the same problem. I didn't know where to dispose of my own stuff. So I came up with the idea, 'What can I do for my community?' There was no one local to collect this stuff, but I did find someone out of the area. I made a deal with them that I would be a drop-off point with my bins and they would come and pick up the items once a week.

"I am very big on being ecologically friendly. My business is to re-manufacture printer toner cartridges so that the used cartridges aren't thrown into the landfills. This also saves my clients 40% on each re-manufactured cartridge. We reuse the hardware of the cartridge by taking it apart, cleaning it, and putting it back together. Then we put new toner inside and it works like new. We know which kind of toner works best depending on the printer the cartridge is going into.

"Before I moved here to Downey I had a warehouse in East LA. A neighbor company had a fire start in their section of the building, which spread to my part and destroyed my inventory. When I came to Downey to rebuild my business, I decided I would offer something for free to show my customers what I could do for them. I am very good at fixing things. I went to businesses and told them that if they had a broken printer, I would fix it for them free of charge. I just wanted them to give me a chance to show them the value and service I could provide them. Once I got some capital, I invested it by buying broken or unwanted printers. I repaired them to like new. Then I offered them to companies for free if they would buy some of my re-manufactured toner cartridges. You can read about it on my website here."

~ Julio

Vazza Cafe

Vazza Cafe is located just outside the north entrance of the Downey Library. With plenty of outdoor seating and our recent pleasant weather, it seems the perfect place to read a good book while enjoying your favorite latte. You can check out their Facebook page here.

They also deliver in this cute little golf cart. Give them a call and support a local Downey business.

“I don't really like coffee, she said, but I don't really like it when my head hits my desk when I fall asleep either. ”
~ Brian Andreas

The beginning and the end

I am in Hawaii for the week and was struck  by the symmetry of the sunrise and the sunset. The beginning and the end of the day. Each has its magic and allure.


"If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with God."
~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

The golden poppy

Poppies abound in Downey this spring! (See Local wildflowers for more.) This time, it's the California Poppy, our state flower since 1903. April 6 is California Poppy Day.

Safe and secure

The signs at this house made me chuckle the other day. The house is not just protected—it's protected by two different security systems!

"I have six locks on my door, all in a row. When I go out, I lock every other one. No matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three."
~ Anonymous

Going green

This vine-covered house made me wonder if the owners started with just a few plants here and there and then one day looked up and realized the entire front was covered. Either way, the result was beautiful.

"It's not easy being green."
 ~ Kermit the Frog