Arroyo Seco Walk

Our past life here included numerous long distance runs up, down and around the Arroyo Seco, which was our destination of choice for a sunny morning walk with Lusso, Ariel, Sylvie, Elliott R and Nick yesterday.

Ariel and Sylvie

Elliott R, Sylvie, Ariel, and Nick

Although it was a national holiday, and therefore more heavily frequented by other people and dogs than usual on a Monday, the trail we took easily allowed for the heavy traffic -- it was wide, well-kept, and featured little side trails you could take to avoid collisions with large groups and leashless doggies.

Street bridges above the Arroyo Seco

The parking area near the casting pond, where we started our walk, has been expanded and also renovated in such a way that it blends with the environment: No concrete or asphalt! We walked both sides of the stream, which is all concrete, and admired the crumbling but beautiful street bridges above.

Elliott A told us some of the history of Busch Gardens while we walked past some of the old stone walls and walkways of the area that once featured a beautiful, rustic arboretum (and free beer). Ah. Those were the days....

Ariel, Elliott R, Jill, Sylvie, Elliott A

Urban garden, or shoveling shite in paradise

Having just extricated ourselves from the hellish winter still playing itself out back home in Michigan, I have to gloat just a little over how we spent part of our day today. Why shovel snow in Chelsea when we could be managing manure in Altadena? Because in Altadena, friends, it was 80 degrees today, and sunny. In Chelsea? I don't know for sure but I think they had a heat wave today--it got all the way up to just below freezing.

Back to lovely Altadena. This morning, Elliott drove over to Sylvie and Nick's little urban farmhouse to help out with fixing their lawnmower. I decided to walk Lusso, and because it was so darn gorgeous outside, I dragged the furry furtwangler the whole 2 miles and paid them all a little visit. And we all got to play in the processed poop!!

Truth be told, I sat and watched, and so did Lusso. We ain't dumb. We stared at the blue sky, picked at the grass, and heckled the others as they toiled away with their pitchforks and shovels. I suspect our rewards are in heaven: mine and the dog's will definitely be pitchforks and brimstone, while Sylvie, Nick and Elliott will receive golden crowns on their pointy heads and stars on their sweaty foreheads.