I stumbled across this unexpected industrial landscape in my own
neighborhood here in Los Angeles. I love the lime-green and mocha
punctuated by that splash of blue.
Some of my very favorite places in Los Angeles are the driveways
between buildings. People dump all sorts of stuff in these spaces and I’m
always on the lookout for old signs and mirrors. Here, I struck gold.
Oh, a word of caution for those who might try to follow in my footsteps:
bums, junkies and winos are also fond of these driveways. Beware.
Just down the block from Casa Avrech, a neighbor propped a
mirror on their front lawn. O-kay, that’s a cooperative, if eccentric
neighbor. I snapped countless exposures. Bliss.
Who says LA doesn’t have architecture? Who says LA is cheesy
and vulgar? Not your faithful shutterbug. This charming burger stand
is what happens when classic LA moderne meets the final bloody
gunfight in Scarface, (1983). The only improvement would be a Kosher
certification so I could patronize this American landmark. As Kierkegaard says:
“We are born to suffer.”
Spectacular storefront on Olympic Blvd. Looks like it stepped right out
of post war Los Angeles when men donned snappy fedoras, women wore
stylish snoods and Benny Goodman’s swing music made it necessary for
shoes to be resoled on a regular basis. I’ve driven past this store
hundreds of times and it is never open.
I was transfixed by the red line leading to the red posts
in the parking lot of a hardware store, B&B, in Culver City. The blue
sky pulls it all together. B&B Hardware, is, by the way, the best
hardware store in the known universe.
Okay, so Karen’s newest footwear does not exactly fall into the
category of My Beautiful Neighborhood, but you know what, footwear
has become part of my landscape. Anyhoo. After a grueling day at work
and a lightning shopping sortie, Karen drops her bags on the floor and announces:
“I got new shoes, but I’m not sure you’ll like them.”
I go:“Only one way to find out.”
As Karen slips into her latest purchase I grab my trusty Canon.
“Well, what do you think?”
I’m like: “Cute. Seriously.”
Memo to guys: ‘cute’ is the highest compliment one can pay to new footwear.
“Is the color okay?”
“Better than okay.”
In fact, Karen’s new shoes are the offspring of Dorothy’s Ruby Red Slippers and
Greta Garbo’s sexy spy footwear in Mata Hari, (1931). Now Karen has but to
click her heels together and say: “There’s no place like Loehmann’s, there’s
no place like Loehmann’s…”
Karen and I wish all our friends and relatives a lovely and meaningful Shabbat.
Ariel Chaim Avrech, ZT'L, May His Righteous Memory be a Blessing.
16 Comments
Bill:
Thanks so much for the kind words. Yes, the Carole Landis story is very sad, but not unusual.
Seraphic Secret welcomes support from our Christian friends and we thank them for their rock-solid support of Israel.
It would be nice if secular-liberal Jews supported Israel with equal fervor.
Do stay in touch.
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Dr. Carole:
The Red Shoes are beautifully engineered. Karen says they are really comfy.
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Robert – a good friend of mine – a conservative devout Jew – turned me on to your web site. I think that you not only have a great eye for color and photography – years ago a German teacher told me that framing is half the battle – beautiful framing and composition – but your insight into the movie industry is enlightening. I am sure that you have read William Goldman’s book on Hollywood – that too is interesting.
And to learn about Carole Landis – what a sad story. I remembered the name but didn’t know her history.
Larry told me of another early Hollywood star who was successful on the stage but never made it to the movies – despondent she jumped off the “H” on the Hollywood sign (was it Hollywoodland then?) and died – a few days later people going through her mail found an unopened letter giving her a leading part in a new movie – you never know what is around the corner…
I think there is some nasty stuff ahead for us with Iran – I wonder how the film industry Jews who zealously supported Obama will feel if Israel is put to the test and Obama does nothing?
But we did what we could do.
Larry and I have many good hearted theological discussions – neither of us try to convert the other – I am wondering if this is “end times” stuff with the predicted fire in the Mideast – of course from my perspective God will not let Israel die.
Time will tell what we are living in.
Anyway I felt that your site deserved a bookmark. I too like to shoot but every time I have joined the NRA get disgusted with the weekly appeals for money. But maybe it is time to join again. I like to take neophyte shooters out to our nice range and see them eventually grinning at how fun it is – after hearing how “bad” shooting is. I feel like I am converting them to the “dark side”
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Even *I* like those shoes. Could never wear them, but they certainly are fetching.
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Batya:
Greatly appreciate the compliment. The ordinary is always, to me, quite extraordinary, which is why I’d rather blissfully cruise the aisles of B&B Hardware than go to a museum.
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Sara:
So glad you like the pics. Karen is thrilled that you like her shoes. Proudly, Karen wore them to shul this Shabbos with a crisp, Chanel-style black and white dress. If looks could kill I’d be so dead.
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Thud:
I’m soooo exhausted from the presidential race I can hardly breathe.
Definitely time for some levity.
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Sarah:
Thanks so much. Seriously cute blue shoes on your blog. Definitely something my girlses would wear:-)
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Maura:
Thanks so much for your kind words. The mirror on the front lawn was really mesmerizing. So many angles, so many odd reflections. I was crushed when my neighbor removed it.
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Great pictures. It’s amazing how the “ordinary” can sometimes be the most beautiful.
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Robert, I love all the pics. Karen, I love the shoes.
Thanks!
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Thanks for the cheering post in these rather dark and gloomy times!
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lovely pictures as usual!
shavua tov
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Robert, not only can you write dazzling prose, but also your eye for the snapped shot is unerring. You are gifted, and thank you for sharing with us.
For some reason the Mirror in the Front Yard is the one which catches my eye the most at this time.
I’m never disappointed in coming to read your blog
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Pearl:
Glad you like the pictures. Karen will have to answer your query regarding outfits. That’s above my paygrade. Patterned/textured pantyhose, hmmm, could be a very cool look. I’ll run it past mi amore.
Have a great Shabbos.
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Great pics, great shoes.
Does Karen have a particular outfit to wear them with? She should wear some patterned/textured pantyhose with those shoes and she’ll stand out even more. “Teetchadshee, Karen.”
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