Cameron's Seafood Sign Leaving Pasadena

The familiar Cameron's Seafood sign is on the trailer and leaving town.  

The sign, complete with handmade neon lights that outline the sign lettering, will be preserved at the Museum of Neon Art in Glendale.  Presumably the sign will find a home in the museum's extensive neon sign collection.  

Of course, I have many fond memories of Cameron's -- the lobster tank, a young boy who ordered calamari, graduation and birthday celebrations.  Cameron's was the kind of place you could enjoy a good meal and expect to see a friendly face from the neighborhood.  

On the corner of East Colorado Blvd. and Berkeley Ave., Cameron's was a fixture in East Pasadena for decades.  The restaurant was named after initial owner John Cameron and new ownership took over in the 1980's.  Reportedly, the restaurant closed due to Covid-19 restrictions and never reopened.  

So what will happen to the Cameron's site?  In August 2021, In-N-Out Burger applied to the City for approval to build a new In-N-Out restaurant on the site.  The proposal includes 45 parking spaces, outdoor seating and a two-lane drive through.  However, the plan would require zoning code exceptions, including a variance from current code which requires at least 500 foot separation between drive through uses.   

With the separation requirement, the Taco Bell drive through right across the street would make it difficult for the City to approve any drive through on the former Cameron's site -- even the immensely popular In-N-Out.  Not sure where the In-N-Out proposal stands or what other plans might be in the works for the Cameron's site.  

To round this story out -- Pasadena is, of course, home to the oldest operating In-N-Out restaurant.  The location on East Foothill was established in 1952 and cars still line up daily for the famous burgers and fries.  The location includes, wouldn't you know it, an historic landmark neon sign, which was the subject of this early East of Allen post.      

Garden Update -- Avocado Trees

It is the end of May and our avocado trees have finished with their flowering and fruit has set.  Above is a picture of a Lamb Hass avocado that I took yesterday morning as the sun very conveniently provided me a spotlight right on the young fruit.  A great write up of the history of the Lamb Hass avocado and its bearing patterns are the Yard Posts blog, which I have found to be a good resource on all things avocado. 

Young fruit on our Reed avocado, which is somewhat behind the Lamb Hass.  The sun was not quite so accommodating for my Reed picture.  But, you can already see the round shape of the Reeds as opposed to the more oval or pear shape of the Lamb Hass.  These avocados will be ready to pick in about a year.  I suppose one thing that has surprised me about the mature fruit from these trees is just how big the avocados are.  The Reeds will grow to softball size and the Lamb's are as big or bigger.  Both are excellent eating. 

May Garden Update -- Nectarines Are Ready

 This morning's picture shows nectarines that are just about ready.  This really is a beautiful tree, from the flowers earlier in the year to the bright red fruit. And the fruit is, of course, great to eat -- on par with our peaches, but I think even better. We will have nectarines in abundance for a week or more, depending on how hot the weather gets.  I was surprised to learn that nectarine trees have been around a long time, dating back thousands of years to east Asia.  

2021 California League Tour -- Last Stop -- Fresno Grizzlies

    On September 18, we were in Fresno to see the Fresno Grizzlies take on the San Jose Giants.  The Grizzlies are the low single A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. The players here are looking to move up the Rockies farm system to the high A Spokane Indians, double A Hartford Yard Goats and triple A Albuquerque Isotopes.  

Chukchansi Park is owned by the City of Fresno who sold naming rights to the Chucksansi Resort and Casino. This is by far the most spacious park I visited. Built off of downtown Fresno, the ballpark was designed to jump start development interest in the area. Looked to me like the plan may be working -- we saw some interesting restaurants and shops nearby and a sizeable farmers market/flea market was busy as we made our way to the stadium.  We arrived a bit early for the game and a line had formed at the entrance.

    

Ironman and many of the Avengers were on hand to meet and greet as we walked in the gates. Nice to see Tony Stark made the trip up from Malibu for the game. I suppose flying to Fresno is easier than driving up the 99.     

    This was the view from our seats.  For a larger ballpark, we still had the feel of being close to the game.  There is an excitement about the park the night we were there and fans seemed active and engaged.  Added bonus was that we saw the Giants 2021 first round pick throw some couple of innings.   

    Parker T. Bear is the Grizzly's mascot and here he is leading three of the game's youngest fans, dressed in Parker costumes, on a first to third jog.  Actually, the park is set up well for entertaining kids. They have a cool water feature called splash park down the right field line.

    Here we are, Marcia and I, with the grizzly bear after the game. Overall, we had a great experience at Chuckchansi Park.  We missed pictures with the Avengers. But, I did walk away with a beer bat that formerly held Tioga-Sequoia IPA.   

    While in Fresno, we visited Forestiere Underground Gardens, which is rated by Trip Advisor as the number 1 of 44 things to do in Fresno. The tour was excellent and the grounds really unique and interesting. I don't recall what the other 43 things are you can do in Fresno, but this was a very worthwhile stop and I recommend it. 

2021 California League Tour -- San Jose Giants

    On September 12, I was at Excite Ballpark in San Jose to see the Giants against the Stockton Ports.  Formerly named San Jose Municipal Stadium, the park was built in 1941 as a WPA project.  

    This is the outside of the ballpark as you approach the entrance -- it is a busy hodge-podge of pictures and signs everywhere.  And it is all just a glimpse of what awaits you inside.  Walk inside the park and it is part carnival, part museum, history, humor and outstanding baseball.  Not to take a thing away from the other California League teams -- I truly enjoyed all the stadiums and games -- but San Jose is on another level.  Excite Ballpark is, far and away, the best experience in the California League.  

    As you enter the stadium, you are greeted by a long concourse wall which, like about every wall in the stadium, is covered with signs, sayings, and hand -written notes. As with other stadiums, there are the line-ups for the night's game and league standings all hand-written.  The starting pitchers are listed under the title "On the Bump."   

    An opposing batter is chosen each game as the "Beer Batter" and his name is written on the concourse wall.  When the Beer Batter is up at bat, "Beer Barrel Polka" blares over the PA system and the crowd yells "Beer Batter."  If the Giants pitcher strikes out the Beer Batter, then for the next 15 minutes, Beer is half priced.  I did not see a Beer Batter strike out, but I did see one go to two strikes, which caused fans to get out of their seats and edge toward the aisles hoping to race to the beer line.

    I felt closer to the game than at other stadiums.  Maybe that is because it is an older stadium.  This is the view I had from my seats in the upper level behind home plate. Very pleasant place to see a game. And I do like the advertising on the outfield walls.  

    

    Gigante, the San Jose Giants was on hand to give us a fist bump.

    The BBQ at Turkey Mike's was outstanding for baseball park fare.  I don't know if it is world famous, but it is good.  I got some BBQ right off the grill and then enjoyed it in a seating area along the third base line.  Really good food has a way of elevating the whole experience.

    They don't let any walls go untouched.  Quotes from baseball greats and celebrities on most every otherwise empty wall. There's a Yogi Berra quote: "You better cut the pizza into four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six."  There is a floor to ceiling poster with all the words from "Casey at the Bat, A Ballad of the Republic sung in the Year 1888" by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. There's a Tallulah Bankhead quote comparing Willie Shakespeare to Willie Mays, and on and on. Like other minor league parks, there is a long list of former San Jose players who made it to the major leagues.  San Jose goes a bit extra with this in listing all former San Jose players who are World Series champions. Just walking the stadium concourse was fun in itself.  

    I am sure San Jose has plenty to see. But, I was coming up from LA for the game and driving through the Central Valley, which is John Steinbeck country. So, instead of seeing what San Jose had to offer, I stopped at Salinas to take in the National Steinbeck Center. Revisiting Steinbeck's writing and historic downtown Salinas was the perfect warm up for farm league baseball at a quirky San Jose ballpark built in 1941 as a public works project.  

 

2021 California League Tour - Inland Empire 66'ers

    On September 8 we travelled to San Bernardino to see the Inland Empire 66'ers play the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.  It was Angeles vs. Dodgers with the Dodgers' farm teamers winning 8-7.  My daughter joined me for a trip out to the IE to see the game.  I think we both had a great time.  

    The 66'ers play at San Manuel Stadium.  The stadium opened in 1996 and seats 8,000.  Unlike the Lake Elsinore and Rancho Cucamonga stadiums, San Manuel has a rather tired feel to it.  But it is number 4 of 31 things to do in San Bernardino.  

    Our seats were fantastic --right behind home plate.  This was our view.  A number of scouts sat in the vicinity following the game with their laptops open.  

    We were at the stadium on a Waggin Wednesday promotion and a surprising number of people had brought their dogs.  People and dogs hung out in a designated grassy area down the left field line.  This is the pup shack trailer, which bills itself as a food truck for dogs.  From their website: "We serve doggie style street food, handcrafted treats & made to order dog birthday cakes."  All that and baseball too!

 

    This is Bernie, the Hardest Working Mascot in the California League.  That's my opinion anyway. 

    Bernie has been part of the team since 2000 and appears at all 66'er's home games.  He also does community events throughout the year.   It was sweltering hot during the whole game. But, Bernie was nonstop, leading kids in on-field games between innings, dancing on the dugouts and working the stands.  I caught up with him in the concourse where, after grabbing some water, he was his energetic and engaging self.  
 

2021 California Leage Tour -- Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

    On August 17, I was in Rancho Cucamonga to see the Quakes play the visiting San Jose Giants.  The Quakes are the Dodgers' low A affiliate minor league team.  

    This was the view from my seat on the second level behind home plate.  The scene here is one that has been repeated millions of times across the country and never gets old. Players and fans facing the flag over the outfield fence while a local talent signs the National Anthem.  When she was younger, my favorite photographer was part of a kids' choir that sang the Anthem at Quakes game. In fact, yesterday, the Quakes held auditions for anyone interested in singing the National Anthem before a game.

    I will always think of the stadium as the Epicenter, but was renamed LoanMart Field.  The stadium opened in 1993 and is part of a recreation complex that includes softball diamonds and an enclosed soccer facility named Goals.  The Quakes team is owned by a group that includes Hall of Famer George Brett.  I have been to the stadium many times and it is always a great experience.  

    We got a fist bump from Tremor the Rallysaurus. Tremor and his sometime sidekick Aftershock always put on a good show.  

    The stadium concourse has areas where the team line-ups are posted along with the California league standings.  Here, you can see that the league is split into north and south divisions with the Quakes ahead in the south and the Grizzlies leading the Giants in the northern division.

    

    Hat Connections:  One thing I learned on tour was the power of the hat to engender conversation.  Invariably, if I wore my Durham Bulls hat, people would ask, "Hey is that a Durham Bulls hat?"  Of course, I would say yes, and then ensued a swapping of stories about going to Durham to see a game.  As it happened, while I was in line to get a beer, a guy behind me noticed my hat and then regaled me with his Durham Bulls story.  Seems in college, he and some classmates took a road trip to Durham to see the Bulls.  One of the guys knew the lady who operated the outfield scoreboard and the Bull. According to the guy in the beer line, he got to run the Bull -- to make its eyes light up and smoke come out of its nostrils. Don't know if any of that was true, but it was an interesting way to pass the time in line.