Arlington Gardens - The Secret Garden Revealed!

As the weather is actually turning cold here I am a little saddened that I have just found this garden and didn't get to enjoy it over the summer. You can bet I will be taking advantage of as many sunny days as possible.

The Garden in Located on Pasadena Avenue South of Huntington Hospital. It was one of the Caltrans Properties that would have been used if the freeway extension had gone in.

The city leases the property from Caltrans and asked a local couple to spear head what to do with the property. Thus the garden was started and built by many volunteers. It is a wonderful jewel and I hope you all come buy sometime and enjoy it.

Here is the official Website

More Secret Garden Clues!

More Pictures of my new knitting place. I was there just yesterday for about an hour in the late afternoon. What a joy!

Shhhh........Don't Tell Anyone!

I have found a most wonderful spot for knitting, reading, contimplating or just for enjoying nature in the middle of the city. It is a wonderful garden that you pass all the time if you live in my area. It is off a very busy street. It was an empty lot for years and years. Then about four years ago landscaping went in. It has been wonderful to drive by it and see a lovely lot with native plantings.

But what I didn't know until this last week is that it is a 2 acre garden that is open to the public!. It is not a park but a garden with all these wonderful seating areas and different zones. I am in love!!

So on this wonderful cool, cloudy, breezy, fall like day I went up to knit, listen to a book on my ipod and take some pictures to share with you.

I am going to keep it a secret for a few more days to see if any of you know about this place. I will add more pictures over the week and then let you in on my new sanctuary at the end of the week.

Do you know where this is??

2008 in Pictures

January ~ Finally the whole family was able to be together after the holidays.

February ~ We lost a long time member of our family. We miss Callie a lot.

March ~ There was much knitting going on during the last few months. Baby sweaters, hats, purses, socks. February and March where the very productive months.

April ~ 5 1/2 weeks of jury duty began on April 7. I spent most of my lunches at the wonderful fountain at the LA courthouse crocheting and listening to a book on my ipod. Crochet kept me sane during this never ending stint.

May ~ As soon as court duty was over I was blessed with being able to watch Miss Claire 4 days a week. She has been such a joy and has brought back the magic that only little ones can bring into our house.

June ~ Josh is home for the summer and Wesley and his girlfriend came down for a visit. The house is full once again!

July ~ Was a wonderful summer month with lots of time for reading, knitting, and enjoying the perfect weather before August comes.

August ~ The olympics and ravelympics. Need I say more.

September ~ Claire is sitting up now. Playing on her own. August was a rather mild month. I know that meant we would be in for it in September.

October ~ I visited my mom and sister in Eden Utah. My first time there during fall. It was beautiful and a great visit.

November ~ Fall seems to not want to come to So Cal. Scott and I spent Thanksgiving in San Diego. It was a beautiful weekend. Scott grew up here so we visited many of his favorite places around La Jolla and Coronado.

December ~ December was all about getting gifts made and mailed in time. Success!! Once again only one of the boys was home for the holidays. It really makes for a quiet time. So we are taking Josh with us to San Francisco mid January to visit Wesley and take one more road trip with the whole family to Utah!! I thought family road trips where done. But we have squeezed one more in. The best present ever!!

Merry Christmas

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.
~Norman Vincent Peale

Mom's Eden

I went to visit my mother and my sister in Eden Utah a couple of weeks ago. I have been going to this part of Utah since my sister moved up there over 20 years ago. Eden is over the mountains east of Ogden.

My mom and dad retired there almost 11 years ago now and my father passed about 5 years ago. My mother moved down the hill to this amazing condo with a million dallor view. It is play land. She is 73 and still snow skies at a slop that is litteraly 20 minuets from her door. Boating, water skiing and golfing are all close at hand.

This last visit was the first time I was there during the fall. My visits have all been either during summer vacation or over christmas break. Inspiring fall colors where to be found at every turn. I made my mom drive me all around so I could take lots of pictures of this place called Eden.

The View From Mom's Balcony
(yes, those are hot-air balloons in the air)

Reflections on the Lake

Road to ???

My Beautiful Mom and her new "Monkey Socks"

Do You Feel it Coming Around the Corner?

School started in South Pasadena yesterday. All of my jobs have revolved around the school year.

Private flute and piano teacher
Director of Handbells at my church
The "Waldorf" inspired pre-school that I had at my house when the boys where young.
Then I became a real Waldorf teacher for 9 years.

June has always meant that my schedule got lighter and I would have free time. We always spent August away somewhere and September meant the beginning of not just the kids schedule filling up but mine too.

Now the boys don't live here most of the year, I have retired from teaching and handbell directing, and my life can often be the same day in and day out.

But yesterday, even though the weather outside is far from "fall like" I sat on my front porch with Miss Claire watching all the kids walking to school with their new backpacks and it just felt like fall.

The start of school gives me the hope that fall really is on it's way. We may have weeks of hot weather ahead but I can smell sweater knitting just around the corner.

I found this on flickr. Waldorf teachers and parents have been "felting" scenes like this for a very long time. Take a look at her other felted dolls they are wonderful.

Nushkie Design's

I want to start needle felting like this again and making
Nature Tables that will celebrate the Seasons once again in style.