Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Into the future

Though San Marino and South Pasadena do not seem a bit different from before, York Boulevard in Highland Park has changed dramatically since the first seeding in 2007. New businesses line the streets. A newly striped half-of-a-bikelane and our famous local bike corral are a civilizing influence. 16 street trees were planted last spring and more will be planted next winter. Huizar's New York initiative has the community discussing ways to improve the pedestrian streetscape. Farmer Dave's guerilla garden continues to thrive and looks better every year. We are expecting an expensive French restaurant to open a stone's throw away.... and in a few scattered Highland Park locations, poppies' nodding orange heads have become part of the York Boulevard streetscape from winter til spring.

The poppies that remain in South Pasadena are less conspicuous. But every day I drive to work I pass by a small dry median scattered with tiny poppies no more than 4" tall. Even now, in the heat of late July, when poppies elsewhere have long finished their cycle, the plants on this inhospitable median manage to bloom. Most cars whizzing by probably do not notice these tiny spots of orange, a fraction of the height of ordinary poppies. They have endured in this hostile spot for three years, despite an active weed maintenance schedule.

But there additional is good news from afar. I was very happy to hear of this anonymous report of poppies in Los Feliz.