Toyon and Bees

The Toyon is blooming.

And the bees know it

Whew! Lakers Win. Channel 7 Ruins Postgame

Chick Hearn called it "nervous time" -- those last minutes of a game where tensions are high and either team could win. Last night, the whole game was nervous time. The Lakers trailed by double digits in the second half and somehow turned it around for a come from behind championship win over the dreaded Celitcs.

My Laker allegiance goes back to when the Laker big men were named Rudy and Mel instead of Shaq or Pau. For me, the finals against the Celtics have been equal parts joy and fear. Joy of the thought of another championship. And fear of yet another loss to Boston.

Yesterday's Times captured my mood. Heisler wrote about the Lakers' '69 loss to the Celtics in game seven. Plaschke couldn't get away from "nagging twinges of doom." Me too.

I got those twinges of doom even in the first minute when Kobe drove the lane, was mugged, and no foul was called. It was clear the refs would only call the most egregious fouls and that favored the Celtics. It also promised an ugly low scoring game, which is what we got.

Kobe never got on track, made just 6 of 24 shots, and missed free throws to boot. The rest of Lakers team were the heroes -- Fisher, Gasol, Odom, Sasha. The enigmatic Ron Artest played an incredible game. And, right after the game, Artest made NBA finals history by becoming the first player to thank his psychiatrist on national TV.

*************************

Local postgame coverage on KABC Channel 7 was absolutely terrible.

Instead of reporting on the celebration inside the Laker locker room, KABC focused on the crowd outside of Staples Center and on a few stupid incidents. There was helicopter coverage of the foolishness and several reporters on the street. They trumped up as much unrest as they could, glorified the drunken fools and repeatedly interviewed the police. About the last things I wanted to see after an historic Laker win.

Remembering John Wooden

John Wooden's Pyramid of Success

Recently the "toy department of human life," has offered up a lot to ponder. That's especially true for this lifelong LA sports fan. We've got the Lakers-Celtics again in the NBA finals and the NCAA's ridiculous sanctions against USC football. We've got the US tying England in soccer.

Then, in a whole different category, there's the passing of John Wooden.

Coach Wooden

I grew up a Laker, Dodger, Ram and Bruin basketball fan. Back then, UCLA basketball was just amazing to watch -- the stifling full court press, Kareem, Walton, and the rest. Ten NCAA championships in a dozen years. Nothing like it before or since. But, as dominant as UCLA was in the 60's and 70's, you always knew there was more to those teams than just basketball. There was the person and the teaching of John Wooden.

Coach John Wooden died June 4 at the age of 99. He coached his last game in 1975, yet what the man taught was so enduring and so compelling that 35 years after his retirement his death was front page news across the nation. By "the numbers," he ranks as one of the greatest coaches of all time -- regardless of sport. But, remarkably, almost all of the buzz (and there's been a lot of it) is not about basketball. The Internet is filled with story upon story of Wooden's teaching, his upright life and his devotion to his wife, Nell.

Wooden's life began in 1910 in a house with no indoor plumbing and it ended this month with his life and his teaching splashed across the World Wide Web. Through it all, he was guided by a seven part creed given him by his father, an Indiana farmer. Kind of bedrock rules for living, the creed stood the tests of time and place -- from Wooden's schoolboy days in Martinsville, IN to Westwood in the tumultuous 60's and they anchor his legacy today.

I've enjoyed the celebration of Wooden's life and reconnecting with Wooden's teaching. Now, make today your masterpiece... and be quick, but don't hurry....

Memorial Day at Victory Park

East Pasadena's largest and most used park, Victory Park, was dedicated by the Pasadena War Memorial Committee on May 25, 1952, "as a living memorial to those who fell in World War II." This "V" shaped rose garden is at the corner of Paloma St. and Altadena Dr.

The boulder at the top of the "V" is the Joe Hayashi Memorial. A Medal of Honor winner and running mate of the Robinson boys, Hayashi died in WW II. There's more on Hayashi at this post a few months back from Pasadena PIO.

Red and white roses from someone who remembers this Memorial Day. This plaque is at the base of the Gold Star Mothers flag pole. Gold Star Mothers are moms who have lost a son or daughter in service to our country.

The Wall is also well worth a visit today.

Titley Ave. -- RIP

The Day of Reckoning for Titley Avenue is here. Tonight, without any fanfare, Pasasdena City Council will hold a public hearing to change the name of Titley Avenue to Kinneloa Avenue.

We rarely give street names their due. That's understandable. Most are named for a developer's distant cousin, or letters of the alphabet, or any number of things not related to the community or place.

But, sometimes street names are repositories of local history; markers of people or places that are important parts of a community's story. That's the case with Titley Avenue. In fact, there's a whole lot of East Pasadena history all rolled into that little soon-to-be no more street sign.

Last Fall, I ran a post about Titleyville (also commonly called "Chihuahuita"). I also ran posts on J.F.T. Titley, who built a small town of low cost cottages as a "benefactor" to the poor and called the place "Titleyville," and the drama that ensued when Mr. Titley seemingly bilked the families who bought his homes.

The renaming is part of the extension of Kinneloa Avenue under the 210 freeway, which is a positive thing. But, I didn't want the moment to go by without at least some nod to Mr. Titley and Titleyville.

Scout Jamboree at Bonelli Park

This weekend a swarm of San Gabriel Valley boy scouts (the SGV Trib story said it would be thousands) converged on Frank G. Bonelli Park. The park is home to Puddingstone Reservoir and is in San Dimas, which is East of Allen.

First, a little history about the park and that funny name "puddingstone."

In 1928, Puddingstone Dam was built and a reservoir was created from water from a stream that flows through San Dimas Canyon. According to the San Dimas Community News site, the dam and reservoir were named "Puddingstone" after rocks in the area that looked like raisins in pudding. In the 1950's the reservoir was stocked with fish and Los Angeles County began adding purchased water to the reservoir to keep the water at a consistent level. Somewhere along the way the park was named for Frank Bonelli, who was a county supervisor.

Back to the jamboree, which is why we were at Puddingstone. My son had a great time. I did too.

The jamboree's main event was the Plywood Regatta -- with dozens of homemade plywood and canvas kayaks. This picture was taken early Saturday morning as kayaks started arriving at Puddingstone Reservoir. A couple of scouts are already in their kayaks ready to get out on the water.

Making the kayak was a memorable experience. Fortunately our troop has some folks who know their way around a shop and helped the rest of us put these together. Basically, the kayaks are four sheets of shaped plywood held together by strips of canvas and lots of contact cement. Our kayak worked well and weathered more than a few collisions.

The park has some beautiful scenery. I had a chance to walk around late Friday and caught some hillside color as the sun set.

Anticipation-- May Garden News

Wild Grapes on their way. Started from cuttings from Earthside Nature Center.

Either raspberries or blackberries. Second season.

Peaches. Second season.