Glad I’m Dad At our house, Father’s Day has always been one of those holidays that sneak up on us. That’s because, somewhat like that kid we all knew in school whose birthday happened around Christmas every year, both my and my youngest son’s birthdays are always right smack dab on or near Father’s […]
Sanitariums in La Crescenta In my writings I’ve often referred to sanitariums as being one of the main industries of our early community. Today we generally think of sanitariums as being lockup facilities for the insane, but that was not the case in the early days of sanitariums. They were facilities to care for any […]
Sad Adieu to Dominick’s Yes, Dominick’s is a great loss to our area [“From Sad to Mad in Two Blocks,” My Thoughts Exactly, May 17]. We have lost many good restaurants over the past 10 years. I now have to go to Casa Bianca in Eagle Rock to get good pasta and pizza at a […]
Vicki Draves – How Olympic Gold Came To Montrose Indian Springs Resort was a well-loved recreation area in Montrose from the mid-1920s through the 1960s. It featured picnic areas, snack bars, tennis courts and riding stables, but its main attraction was an Olympic sized swimming pool with a high dive. Before everyone had a pool […]
The Dance of Diversity A church isn’t exactly the first place you think of going to be inspired by dancing – especially dances with names like “the Dougie,” “Cha Cha Slide” or “Cupid Shuffle.” What happened at the church my wife and I attend last Sunday afternoon, however, was inspirational beyond, well … beyond belief. […]
Thanking Her ‘Village’ The old proverb, “It takes a village…,” rings true in my heart. My son will be graduating from Crescenta Valley High School soon and as I reflect on the past few years I have become increasingly aware of all the people who have contributed to his development and maturity. Mountain Avenue Elementary […]
The Horned Toad House Crescenta Valley in its early days, the late 1800s and just after the turn of the century, was a get-away destination for businessmen and workers from the booming city of Los Angeles. Much in the same way as people today own weekend cabins in Big Bear, people had vacation residences in […]
Our Not-So-Small Town Our son has lived in Montana for the past two years and came home for a long-awaited visit this past week. This is a guy who was born and raised right here in the Crescenta Valley, although he has always felt like a misplaced soul – having a personality and passion for […]
Helping State Parks Like many Americans, I enjoy taking my family on the road for vacation. I turn to our state parks and open spaces to educate my daughter about plants and animals, to get back in touch with nature, and to find solace from the stress of modern urban life. To keep our parks […]
The Bandit Vasquez and Dunsmore Canyon: Just Another Legend? The bandit Tiburcio Vasquez raided all over California from the 1850s into the 1870s. Not only did he make a name for himself, but he also left his name on many important landmarks in the Los Angeles area. Most local communities trace some historical connection to […]