Take That

by Laurie Allee

I wouldn't mess with these two.

South Pasadena Family Tree

Ever wonder about the history of the majestic Moreton Bay fig tree outside the South Pasadena Public Library? It certainly seems primordial -- like a remnant of our earth's distant past. My daughter  once said that she thought the tree surely must have been around when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Even though I could imagine generations of pterodactyls making nests in that beautiful tree, I knew it wasn't that ancient. But I was genuinely surprised when it was revealed a few years ago that the tree is barely 100 years old...

South Pasadena Family Tree

Ever wonder about the history of the majestic Moreton Bay fig tree outside the South Pasadena Public Library? It certainly seems primordial -- like a remnant of our earth's distant past. Little Bit once said that she thought the tree surely must have been around when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Even though I could imagine generations of pterodactyls making nests in that beautiful tree, I knew it wasn't that ancient. But I was genuinely surprised when it was revealed last year that the tree is barely 100 years old.

For years, nobody knew the story behind the beloved tree. I've heard all kinds of rumors, though. One guy told me it had been a sacred worship spot for the Gabriolino/Tongva tribes. I always liked that idea, and could imagine remnants of pottery resting just underneath those gnarled roots.

But that guy was wrong.

I also heard that it was the tree chosen to gather and declare the incorporation of South Pasadena as an independent city. I liked that story, too. Can't you just see a bunch of Victorians celebrating their new town at the dawn of the 20th Century beneath those branches?

Nope. That story is completely wrong, too.

As it turns out, lifetime South Pasadena resident Bill Kloezeman cleared up the mystery last year. The tree was planted in 1930 by Bill's father Willem Garret Andries Kloezeman (also known as Bill) when South Pasadena's Carnegie Library was being moved from Diamond Street to the center of town. City Librarian Steve Fjeldsted wrote about it on the library website:

"Many years ago while driving around town, the elder Bill Kloezeman used to tell his son about all the work he’d done around town, including his planting of the Moreton Bay Fig. Another well-known project of Kloezeman was the annual placement of a lighted star on the top of the water storage tower atop Bilicke Hill in the Altos de Monterey.

At the time of the planting the Moreton Bay Fig was a young potted tree and about 6 inches in diameter. When he planted it, the senior Kloezeman was working for the City’s Street Department. Bill (Sr.) worked for the City of South Pasadena from 1926 until he retired in 1972, a remarkable stretch of more than 45 years. While working for the Street Department in the 20’s and 30’s, Kloezeman planted many other large trees in town that are still around as well. Later he also worked for the Fire Department in the 40’s and the Water Department in the 50’s, 60’s, and early 70’s, until he retired as a Water Service Foreman on January 15, 1972. Willem “Bill” Kloezeman passed away on September 7, 1981."

It might not have a history of pterodactyls, tribal rituals or city incorporation, but who cares? At merely 100 years young, that just means our beautiful fig tree will be around even longer for us to make more memories, and maybe even come up with a few more mysterious stories about it.

Now That's a Big Balloon

Is this the coolest balloon you've ever seen in your entire life? Just when I thought I'd seen everything I could see at a kids' balloon show, the South Pasadena Public Library brought Buster Balloon to perform his awesome act as part of the summer Wonderful Wednesdays series, a segment of Dream Big, Read! Summer Reading Program.

And it blew my mind!

Buster was eventually engulfed by this large, pink monster making the Blue Man Group look like a bunch of amateurs. The kids loved it, the parents loved it and I was reminded all over again of how much I love our thriving library and all of its programs.

Today's Wonderful Wednesday presents storyteller Padraic Keohane weaving folk and fairy tales with his own observations in Once Upon A Time, and Happily Ever After. (2:00PM in the Community Room. It's free! With great air conditioning!)

Find out more about our library's inspirational summer series for kids of all ages right here.

Duel

Look out for that one on the left. He's little, but quick...

Look Up: (#7)

Next time you are in the library community room, look up. Seriously, LOOK UP AT THAT AMAZING CEILING AND DRAMATIC PENDANT LAMP! (The flowers on the beams get me every single time. I just dare you not to sigh or smile when you see them.)

They don't make 'em like that anymore.

For more on the art and architecture of the South Pasadena Public Library, check out my column from last year at Patch. Coming soon: details on the history of the majestic library fig tree -- another great South Pas object begging for you to look up.

With this, I wrap up Look Up Week. It was fun taking a closer look at things above us. Several readers have wondered if I take requests for theme weeks. You bet! Just leave a comment or send me an email. (My email address is linked on the right side of the blog.) Just know that if you guys want a Craftsman week, I (and a whole lot of talented San Gabriel bloggers) have already pointed out what a challenge that can be...

Author Night With Dr. Kevin Starr Tonight

Calling all history buffs!

Tonight, the Annual Meeting of the Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library will feature an Author Night with Dr. Kevin Starr, California's favorite historian. Dr. Starr is best known for his brilliant 7 volume series, Americans and the California Dream. His latest book is called Clio on the Coast: The Writing of California History, 1845-1945. The event will also serve as the SoCal Centennial Celebration of the Book Club of California.

South Pasadena's own singer/songwriter Brad Colerick will open the program with classic songs of the Golden State, as well as a few surprises.

Festivities start at 7:00PM in the library Community Room. The event is free, and no tickets or reservations are required. You can read more about the event here, and read my gushing fangirl praise of Dr. Starr here.

Library at Night

One of my favorite subjects. (In any light.)

Starr Gazing

I know it's rather early to mention this, but history lovers need to mark their calendars now for an upcoming library event. On January 19 at 7:00 PM, the Friends of the South Pasadena Library will host Author Night with historian Kevin Starr at the library Community Room.

Those of you who know me well have undoubtedly listened to me wax with rhapsodic wonder about Dr. Starr's incredible books on California. Seriously, this man makes California's wild, mythical and outrageous past come alive in ways that most novelists can only dream of.

His Americans and the California Dream series is like a time machine ride through the grand-sweeping saga that created our state. (Embattled Dreams is my favorite in the series, covering the tumultuous 1940s.) Dr. Starr leaves nothing out of his narrative -- from big ideas to the smallest details of California's epic story. He's a scholarly historian to be sure, but he has the heart of a poet, not to mention the literary chops of a master storyteller. (Can you tell I'm a gushing fan?)

I'll mention this again as the date approaches, but make a note now! And for those of you who haven't already done so: go out and buy Dr. Starr's books. You'll thank me when I see you at the event.

You can read more about Author Night with Kevin Starr right here.

Caption This Photo (#75)

I really need help with this one...

Author Night Tonight with Steve Hodel

Is it possible that South Pasadena was home to one of the most infamous killers of the 20th Century? Retired LAPD Homicide Detective and New York Times bestselling author Steve Hodel thinks so ... and his evidence is extremely compelling.

Tonight at 7:00PM, the South Pasadena Public Library Community Room hosts an encore Author Night with Hodel, author of Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder. Hodel captivated a library audience back in 2008 when he revealed evidence that his very own father Dr. George Hodel was the 1947 Black Dahlia murderer.

On January 15, 1947, the body of 22 year old Elizabeth Short -- later nicknamed the Black Dahlia -- was found mutilated, bisected at the waist, drained of all blood and posed in a Los Angeles vacant lot. The crime made headlines for months as the killer taunted the police with numerous phone calls and cryptic notes. Despite a huge manhunt, the Black Dahlia case remained one of the most notorious and high-profile unsolved crimes of the 20th century.

Tonight, Hodel returns with his follow-up book Most Evil: Avenger, Zodiac, and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hodel. Hodel has uncovered stunning forensic, visual and circumstantial evidence that his father was most likely "The Zodiac" serial killer who terrorized California in the late 60s and 70s with a bizarre series of murders.

George Hodel was born in 1907 and grew up in a house on South Pasadena's Monterey Road. As a child musical prodigy he was visited by Rachmaninoff. He was declared a child genius after scoring 186 on an IQ test. (Einstein himself scored 185.) At 14, George graduated from South Pasadena High School. He breezed through Cal Tech and became a notable Hollywood physician -- hobnobbing with the glitterati and making a name for himself among Los Angeles' upper crust.

In 1949, as the LAPD began investigating the Black Dahlia murder, Hodel abruptly moved to the Philippines. He returned to the United States in the late 60s, settling down in Northern California. He died in 1999.

Steve Hodel spent 24 years as a homicide detective with the LAPD. He earned one of the highest solve rates in the department. Suffice it to say, his shocking discovery is fascinating as well as horrifying.

Author Night is free to the public, presented by the library and Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library. The Community Room is located at 1115 El Centro Street and no tickets or reservations are necessary. Refreshments will be provided and signed hardback copies of Most Evil will be available for only $10.

(I continue my week of iPhone shots with this spooky one, processed with the Plastic Bullet app.)

Art Auction to Benefit Friends of South Pasadena Library

The Friends of the South Pasadena Public library are presenting an online auction of these three paintings by Zolita Sverdlove, the celebrated South Pas artist who passed away in 2009. The pieces have been donated by her husband to be used as a Friends fundraiser. Two other paintings by Sverdlove now hang in the main reading room of the Library.

The new paintings are:

1. Edible Nasturtium, 12 X 9" framed watercolor
Starting Bid: $150

2. Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, 8.5 X 12" framed watercolor
Starting Bid: $150

3. Pueblo, 11 X 14 framed oil
Starting bid: $450

Email bids to zolitapaintings@yahoo.com and make sure to mention the title of the painting.

You can take a look at the paintings up close in the Community Room tonight for the Artist Night with Diana Bryer and musician David Plenn at 7 PM. You can also check them out during the concert with the LA Clarinet Choir, David Batt, and the Lyric Opera of LA as part of the South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival on May 7th at 5:00 PM. Both events are free.

The deadline for bids is midnight on May 9, 2011 and winners will be notified on or about May 10, 2011. For more about Zolita’s art, please check out more info from the library.

Edgy

Today is the first of the month, and that means it's Theme Day for participating City Daily Photo bloggers. Today's theme is Edges -- which is a perfect excuse to post this picture from the South Pasadena Library. I always marvel at the sharp corners of all those beautiful columns and carvings. (Looking up to the edge of the sky ain't bad either.)

For a world of Theme Day interpretations, be sure to check out my fellow bloggers. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Appropos of Nothing...

To me, this will always look like a one-eyed tree who is singing an aria while doing tai chi.

(Then again, I'm weird.)

A Conversation with Mark Bittner

Tonight at 7:00PM, the South Pasadena Public Library Community Room will screen the award winning 2005 documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. This rich and fascinating film captures several months in the life of Mark Bittner -- a gentle bohemian who in the process of befriending a flock of wild San Francisco parrots discovers his own true path.

Through Mark's narration -- and the brilliant cinematography of filmmaker Judy Irving -- we meet a cast of feathered characters right out of a Hollywood blockbuster. There is Connor the outcast, a lonely outsider whose blue feathered crown sets him apart from the red-headed flock. There is the mischievous homebody Mingus who wants more than anything to hang out inside Mark's apartment -- and under his refrigerator. There is frail, noble Tupulo who ultimately teaches Mark a heartbreaking lesson about connectedness that comes right from the pages of Zen poetry. These birds and many others round out a multifaceted cast in a surprisingly moving story about fitting in, finding yourself and falling in love.

Mark Bittner will introduce the film tonight, conduct a Q&A session and read passages from his bestselling book The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: A Love Story ... With Wings. He will also read a short section from his newest book in progress, Street Song.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Mark on the phone yesterday and came away from the exchange feeling a lot like how I felt when I first saw the movie: inspired. Here are some highlights from our conversation:

LA: When you were approached about this documentary were you excited about the idea or did you think you didn’t want someone intruding on this personal part of your life?

MB: I knew I wouldn’t be doing it forever, and I’d hoped that somebody would come along and do some kind of video so that I could have a visual memory later. When Judy first came up to me, her idea wasn’t to make a feature length film at all, it was just to shoot something and see where it went. It sounded fine to me, I thought it was just going to be some kind of collection of memories for me. It just gradually developed into what it became.

LA: When you guys were shooting the film, did you have any idea it would be so special and resonate with people the way it has?

MB: I think by the time the editing was done, yes. You can do something good but that doesn’t mean it’s going to really get out there. I mean, we all have all kinds of books and records that are great that hardly anybody knows about.

LA: And we lend those books and hope people will like them the way we do.

MB: Exactly.

LA: Well this film obviously struck a universal nerve. I was struck by a metaphor -- and I've thought about this with regard to the parrots in South Pasadena, too. You mentioned it in the film that naturalists find these birds to be intruders, to be encroaching on the natural habitat. Bird watchers don’t care much about them. Parrot owners often consider them to be escaped pets. So these birds don't really fit in anywhere. They are, in a way, a metaphor for the black sheep, the rebels and the outsiders of society.

MB: Yes they are.

LA: Do you think that because you were on a kind of outsider path in your own life that they spoke to you on a certain level?

MB: I can't say that exactly, but that is a very interesting idea. You know, it’s important to note that there are a lot of parrot flocks across the United States. All of them are non native, existing in the unnatural environments of suburban planted gardens. That’s the only way they can survive because they come from areas where there is food growing all year round and they don’t have the seasons that we have here. Because people plant gardens and have food, they thrive.

LA: It begs the question of when something actually becomes native. The parrots here love the palm trees…

MB: Non native palm trees!

LA: Right!

MB: But to get back to your question, I don’t know that I felt a connection to them as an outsider but Judy always connected Connor and me. She always said we were connected. I didn’t see it at the time -- I was too close to it, maybe. But I can see it now. I was an outsider and I especially liked Connor for his outsiderness, I guess.

LA: You experienced a "tune in, turn on, drop out" lifestyle for a period of time.

MB: Absolutely.

LA: You mentioned in the film that pursuing a traditional career seemed counter intuitive to your spiritual path. Do you think these birds were the gatekeepers for you to find your true path?

MB: Yes I do. The way I look at it is that I’m still on the same course. When I was 21 I dropped what I was doing. Nothing was working out for me because I was trying to do something I just wasn’t equipped to do -- to be a musician. If I work hard at it, I’m okay, I’m competent, but I’m not a natural musician. But I liked it because that was what was happening at the time. When I was 21, I dropped everything and I just went down this road and I didn’t know where I was going, and I certainly didn’t foresee where it would lead me. There is stuff that’s not included in the film, that’s not even in the book that I’ve discovered recently. I’m convinced that the parrots were what I was supposed to do. I was just meant to do it. I'm on the same path, but they were at the very end of a particular segment and at the doorway of the next segment.

LA: So it's kinda like when Carl Jung and Bruno Bettelheim talked about the archetypes that lead you to your next place, your revelation. The birds served that purpose.

MB: Very much so. Absolutely.

LA: There is a profound and tragic moment in the film where you experience the loss of a parrot you were particularly close to. As an animal lover, I was extremely moved by your transformation after this happened. How did that experience change your opinion of consciousness and life and personality and, I guess, your sense of interconnectedness?

MB: At that point I think I began to look much more seriously at what I was doing. It’s like the pain of her passing made me question some very basic things. What is a personality? What happens when you die? I was forced to tie together a bunch of ideas that had been hanging loose in my brain for a long time and I finally understood something that I didn’t or couldn’t understand before.

LA: And what was that? What did you understand?

MB: Well, we often hear the idea that all life is one, that mind is one. I’d always paid lip service to that but I still sort of thought of it as a metaphor. I don’t think of it as a metaphor anymore. I think of it as an actual living reality.

-----------------------------
Join Mark Bittner tonight at the South Pasadena Library Community Room. It is located at 1115 El Centro Street. No tickets or reservations are necessary and refreshments will be provided. The film is Rated G and doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Check out Mark's website here.

Listen to South Pasadena's own wild parrots right here.

Illuminated

Ever since we crawled out of that primordial slime, that's been our unifying cry, "More light." Sunlight. Torchlight. Candlelight. Neon, incandescent lights that banish the darkness from our caves to illuminate our roads, the insides of our refrigerators. Big floods for the night games at Soldier's Field. Little tiny flashlights for those books we read under the covers when we're supposed to be asleep. Light is more than watts and footcandles. Light is metaphor. Light is knowledge, light is life, light is light.

--Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

Light is knowledge. True. The light from these lamps have nurtured generations of knowledge, hanging for so many years in the South Pasadena Public Library Community Room. I always feel emotionally illuminated when I see them; I always wish I could channel Brassai when I photograph them.

(And speaking of the library, if you haven't already read my latest column about it at South Pasadena Patch, I'd love it if you'd check it out.)

Calling all Baseball Fans

When Los Angeles Dodgers historian Mark Langhill spoke at the South Pasadena Library a few weeks ago, he brought along a few surprises: three 12X18 historic baseball photos to be auctioned off as a fundraiser for the Friends of South Pasadena Library. I was lucky enough to see these sweet pictures the other day, and as a baseball fan I was prompted to distract head librarian Steve Fjeldsted, grab the pictures and run. Instead, I just grabbed this shot as the photos lay spread out on the library conference room table.

The photos include a beautiful autographed press box shot of Vin Scully, an autographed photo of Duke Snider wearing his classic Brooklyn Dodger uniform and an amazing black and white shot (printed from the original negative!) of Sandy Koufax, John Kennedy and Wes Parker clinching the National League pennant at Dodger Stadium on October 2, 1965. This particular photo is autographed by Parker and former Dodger outfielder Lou Johnson, who would hit the winning home run in the decisive World Series Game 7 at Minnesota, landing the Dodgers a championship. (Go Dodgers!)

The minimum bid for each photo is $75. Bids are currently being accepted by email only and must be received before midnight on March 31, 2011. Just email dodgerposters@yahoo.com . Please refer to the photos in your email as: (1) Scully, (2) Snider, and/or (3) Parker & Johnson. Make sure to include your name, daytime phone number, email address, and your bid(s) for one or more photographs. Winning bidders will be notified around April 1, 2011. A Letter of Authenticity will be provided with every photo.

The Friends of South Pasadena Library is a nonprofit support group whose efforts have helped our library to become our town's artistic and cultural center. Funds raised by the Friends pay for library programs, acquisitions, art, furniture and -- of course -- books. (You can read more about the art and activities at the library by checking out my latest column at South Pasadena Patch.)

UPDATE: Thanks to the several readers who emailed me with the sad news that Duke Snider passed away this past Sunday in Escondido. He was 84.

Personal Favorite

Today is the first day of the month and that means it's Theme Day for participating City Daily Photo bloggers. This month's theme is Your Favorite Part of Town.

Well that's a no-brainer!

Long-time readers of GOSP know I have a love affair with the South Pasadena Public Library. Not only is it one of the most picturesque of our historic buildings, it's one of the most vibrant, energetic, artistic parts of the city. As a matter of fact, I feature the art, architecture and activities of the library in my column this week at South Pasadena Patch. (It should post sometime today before lunchtime.)

Stay tuned for more information on upcoming library events. And to visit my fellow bloggers' favorite local haunts, be sure to take a look at today's Theme Day offerings. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

New Technology -- Old School Image

I've gone crazy. I've spent a fortune on cameras, lenses, editing software, laptops and computer memory. So what do I do? Take pictures with a retro camera app on my iPhone. I'm not the only one bitten by the iPhone camera bug, either. Former Cannes film festival prize winning director Park Chan-Wook shot his latest film Night Fishing with 10 iPhone 4s and no other cameras!

For more nostalgic shots, rhapsodic waxing, and even faux Super 8 video -- I'm kind of fond of my latest column at South Pasadena Patch. It should post sometime before lunch today.

Balancing Act

This little guy made it look so easy!