Old Los Angeles

For all the scores of times I've been to Malibu, yesterday was the first time I walked through the grounds of the Adamson House.  Breathtaking doesn't even begin to describe the gardens, house and tile work.  Here are a few pictures:

 I can't get enough of the outdoor fireplace.

A free-form tile mosaic makes a beautiful segue from pathway to patio.

An elaborate built in fountain with a view of the coast behind.

 More stunning tiles.

I can't get enough of the old California architecture.

Looking up the beach from the back yard.  The houses in the far distance are part of the Malibu Colony -- semi-private beach and enclave of the rich and famous.

I LOVE this planter! The landscaping featured a very small mix of plants, all growing in sweeping bands of bold color or cascading from ornate planters.

Vintage Christmas Photos Part VIII: Ansel Adams' 1940 Christmas Show

When one thinks of Ansel Adams, it's usually in the context of his extraordinary pictures of Yosemite Valley and other landscapes in the natural world. In 1940, he turned his lens to 5843 Wilshire Blvd. in downtown Los Angeles to capture this image of the exterior of the Christmas Show. The event ran from Nov. 20th to Dec. 25th, 1940, an effort by the British War Relief Association of Southern California. The Christmas Show included such attractions as a fully decorated and furnished Snowman's Cave, fairyland, gingerbread house, Santa's Castle, magic castle and amusement rides.

Vintage Christmas Photos Part VI: Books on Wheels

In 1949, the city of Los Angeles outfitted 4 large vans with 4,000 books each and sent them into housing developments, shopping centers, parks and schools in low income areas. Each van made twenty-eight 1-3 hour stops a week and between the 4 vans, 250,000 books were checked out per year.

These photographs were taken in 1955 by Joe Friezer, showing the vans fully decorated for Christmas.

Vintage Christmas Photos Part V: Then & Now

In the circa 1940 photograph above, the corner of Grand Avenue and Seventh Street in downtown Los Angeles was a vibrant thoroughfare with numerous pedestrians, automobiles, streetcars and thriving businesses, festooned with Christmas decorations.

Below, the same intersection today, courtesy of Google Earth, looks terribly boring.