Fifth of July

looking out the fishbowl
at this beethoven bust
ever since the canine
no one's looking at us
but i bet with a running start
we could leap out of the water
a two foot drop to the oriental rug
and no one would be bothered
we could flip and flop across the hardwood floor
hold our breath through the lawn
the bust now sits where a globe used to be
canada should be at the end of this street
and lake louise is where i want to be

it's the fifth of july
feeling independent
please step aside
the celebration's over
we're now on our own for the first of our lives
on the fifth of july
now what

looking out the kennel
at the dying oak tree
ever since the newborn
no one's looking at me
but i bet with these incisors
i could gnaw through this lead
a two mile run to the county line
a two state run to the sea
i could run through the briars and the brambles
where a rabbit wouldn't go
so fast the hounds couldn't catch me
like a johnny horton show
and anywhere is where i wanna be

it's the fifth of july
feeling independent
please step aside
the celebration's over
we're now on our own for the first of our lives
on the fifth of july
now what

one if by land
two if by sea
three if by phone or facsimile
four if by plane
five if by boat
six if bilingual
seven by goat
eight by ten glossies of me

looking out the bedroom
at the snowy tv
ever since commencement
no one's asking 'bout me
but i bet before the night falls
i could catch the late bus
take small provisions and this beethoven bust
i could find work in the outskirts of the city
eat some fish on the way
befriend an old dog for a roadside pal
find a nice couch to stay
a pull sofa, if you please

it's the fifth of july
feeling independent
please step aside
the celebration's over
we're now on our own for the first of our lives
on the fifth of july
now what

FIFTH OF JULY

by Eddie from Ohio - A folk-rock band from Virginia

Artwork by Suzanne Thiel, Lansing, Michigan

Fourth of July

Comerica Bank Restoration Update

The bank as it looked from circa 1960 to 2009. The clock, over what once was and is now again the main entrance, continued to operate. This was a branch of Security Pacific Bank at some point, but I don't recall that it was used for anything but a furniture store since I arrived in South Pasadena in 1981.

In this photo, taken June 20, 2010, the restoration is complete, and the palm trees have been planted. The one thing they didn't get right in the restoration is the ATM machine, which was much more understated in the 1920s.

In 1920, the First National Bank building on the corner of Fair Oaks and Mission in South Pasadena looked like this. Notice the streetcar tracks in the middle of Fair Oaks:

A careful examination of the back of the building reveals that the stonework is a facade. I presume the original stonework was a facade as well. The folks at the bank say they will display a photo of the 1920 bank on their wall soon. Comerica is only using the front portion of the building. They plan to lease out the rear portion, although from the looks of the raised concrete slab and the concrete room in the center of the rear space, the lessee will have a lot of jack-hammering to do.

Restoration

In 1920, the First National Bank building on the corner of Fair Oaks and Mission in South Pasadena looked like this. Notice the streetcar tracks in the middle of Fair Oaks:

Today, almost completely restored and about to open as a branch of Comerica Bank, it looks like this:

For more information, including a glimpse at what the building looked like in the interim, see today's post on Laurie Allee's wonderful blog Glimpses of South Pasadena.

A careful examination of the back of the building reveals that the stonework is a facade. I presume the original stonework was a facade as well. To see what the building looked like before this restoration, go to Google Maps and look at the street view of Fair Oaks and Mission.

Pasadena City Hall

These photos were taken during Pasadena Public Information Officer Ann Erdman's tour of city hall for several local bloggers. I especially loved hearing about the history of the building, which only cost a little more than a million dollars when it was built in the 1920s.

La Super Rica Taqueria

The Santa Barbara taqueria that Julia Childs made famous. It's at the corner of Milpas and Alphonse. Exit the 101 at Milpas and head toward the mountains. It's tasty, unique, and funky. Most of the time there's a line, but this day it was not as busy as usual.

Twyla