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Spotted this little guy on one of my walks. I thought he was fake at first!

Enjoy cocktails and dancing to local band The Delgado Brothers while helping a great cause: Habitat for Humanity. This event will benefit the Monrovia Women’s Build, which is raising money to build a Habitat home for a needy family in Monrovia. All you pay is $25 at the door.

So come join your fellow Monrovians on Sunday, April 27th, from 6–8 p.m. and enjoy some great live music. The Monrovia Historical Museum is located at 742 E. Lemon in Monrovia (at Recreation Park).

For more information, or to purchase pre-sale tickets, contact Rena at 626-215-4211. Hope to see you there!

Latest reports indicated that the fire has now burned more than 490 acres. Only one small structure has been damaged. The fire is more than 20 percent contained and fire officials expect to need 5-7 days for full containment. Approximately 1000 people have been evacuated, and more are scheduled. For a map of the area burned, click here.
Photo by ssladybug

As you may have noticed, there is quite a bit of smoke in the air, and flames are visible on the hills above Santa Anita Canyon Road. According to the City of Sierra Madre’s website, which will be continuing to post the latest information, there is a mandatory evacuation for residents above Grandview. The fire has burned 21 acres and there have been no fire-related injuries as of this writing.

Those evacuating have been directed to go to the Hart Senior Park House at 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. Firefighters expect to have the fire contained within 24 hours. It is spreading north very slowly.

I drove up Santa Anita a little ways to gauge the fire danger, but unfortunately don’t have good enough camera equipment to get a photo. I saw a couple of determined souls with tripods hoping to get a photo of the blaze. I didn’t stay long as lots of other people had the same idea and the traffic was getting heavy on Santa Anita, and I didn’t want to be part of a headache for police and residents. The smoke was thick enough to come through my air conditioner, and I was happy to get down below back to Monrovia.

Fingers crossed that the firefighters have good luck tonight putting out the flames, as tomorrow’s expected 96-degree heat won’t be helping matters.

Photo by el3ctone

I’m a separator. I am the kind of person that believes in recycling, and I do my duty and put all my recyclables in the big blue bin. I also save batteries for the once-a-year Monrovia hazardous drop-off event, and I even recycle my ink cartridges. I’ve also started composting and use biodegradable doggie bags. But hey, this post is not about me.

A couple of very bright and conscientious friends of mine do not separate their recyclables from their trash as they’ve been told that the city puts it all in once place anyway. Ok. I have a hard time believing this. Why would they bother with the blue bins then? Is this all just to make us feel good?

So, I put it to you, dear reader. Do you separate or not separate? Do you have the low-down on this strange bit of goings on? I would very much like to know. Perhaps I will have to take a trip down to the place where the trash goes and see for myself. What do you think?

Can’t stop posting today!

I’m on a history jag at the moment. I hope you enjoy the pictures, courtesy of the Pomona and Anaheim public libraries. Click twice on images to see them larger. For those of you in other cities, the Online Archive of California may have some cool pictures for you as well!

An old blacksmith shop

Foothill and Myrtle looking north

Old Town with strange octagonal building!

I’ve often wondered about the man behind the noble statue that sits in an empty lot on Huntington Drive just over the border of Monrovia. In fact, he’s not even surrounded by grass, but just a flat field of dirt and weeds.

But indeed, it is a lovely statue, as you can see by this silhouette I shot. And who is this man? Well…it’s Andres Duarte, former protector of Mission San Gabriel property from San Gabriel to San Bernardino. And, the irony is, he loved greenery. According to Wikipedia:

He acquired a deep fondness for the lush green lands surrounding the Rio Azusa, today the San Gabriel River. He grew fond of the area adjacent to the San Gabriel River along the foothills of the mountains, and in 1841, on retirement from military service after 20 years, he petitioned Governor Juan Alvarado for a grant of land that was a vacant portion of the Rancho Azusa. Within two weeks he was granted what was later surveyed to be 6,595 acres.

And though he applied as “Citizen” Andres Duarte, the grant quickly made him, now an extensive landowner, “Don” Andres Duarte of the Rancho Azusa de Duarte.

Andres Duarte built an adobe for himself and his family and settled on the land and introduced cattle ranching in the area, and citrus crops gradually became a livelyhood for early settlers.

With the help of local Indians, Duarte planted crops and watched as his flocks and herds multiplied. He and his wife, Gertrudes, and their son, Santiago, lived in a small adobe called “The Homestead” located on what is now Tocino Drive, just east of Royal Oaks Park. He ranched in the conventional manner for years, and like other large landowners, was an outstanding host.

After the Mexican-American War and the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, his claim to the lands granted in 1841 was validated by the commission appointed by the United States after California entered the Union in 1850. But in the mid-1850’s Duarte was unable to pay back taxes levied upon him for his land. He began to sell off his holdings, as his ranching operations failed to raise sufficient cash, a common problem for those who were rich in real estate. The last of his holdings were sold on the auction block. The ranching days of Rancho Azusa de Duarte ended.

And, as it turns out, William N. Monroe, Monrovia’s namesake, ended up with some of his land (along with 240 acres from “Lucky” Baldwin). Kind of a sad ending for Andres Duarte, but at least he got a statue—and, we got Monrovia.

Sure, you’d like to see the train station go in soon…so to help make that happen attend the MTA’s next board meeting on Thursday the 24th at 9:30 a.m. at and show your support. The meeting will be held at MTA Headquarters (board room), One Gateway Plaza in Los Angeles.

Remember, this is not a done deal yet, as the Foothill extension has not been allocated as part of the budgeted 30-year regional plan. It’s currently still floundering in the list of “Strategic Projects” which means that it will likely be built only when “funds become available.”

This will be an opportunity for supporters of the Foohill Extension to speak directly to board members during the public comment period (1 minute maximum). The MTA Building is located adjacent to Union Station downtown, which is reachable from the Sierra Madre station in about 35 minutes. For more information, please call 626-305-7026 or visit the website at and register.

To make your support known through email, send your thoughts to metroplan@metro.net. For more complete information, download the PDF here. You may also sign the “I WILL RIDE” student petition here.

The Relay For Life of Monrovia April 26 11a.m. thru April 27 11a.m. at Recreation Park in Monrovia. The Relay For Life is a 24 hour event where the community celebrates cancer survivors, remembers those we’ve lost to cancer, and continues to fight back for a cure.

Monrovia Relay is a bit different than most other Relays because they not only honor humans effected by cancer, but pets, too. White Luminaria bags are for humans and lavender for pets. Dog survivors will walk during the Survivor’s Victory Lap and they will receive a special gift as will the human survivors.

Two Dogs Petsitting has teamed up with Dog Paddle Wellness, CM Surgical Specialty Group, Eye Care For Animals, Royal Oaks Equestrian Farm, twenty something Magazine, and Carole Anne Kaufman’s Studio C Hair Artistry and raised over $5,000 so far.

If you are available the weekend of April 26th and would like to join in the celebration, remembrance, and fight…Two Dogs Paws Pettsitting would love to have you on their team! The commitment is minimal (only 30-60 minutes!) and you are sure to have a fantastic time. Here is the link to check out the event schedule or sign up for the team.

You do not have to raise money or ask anyone for anything…if your friends or family (dogs included) are interested in hanging out while you walk, sign them up, too, and we’ll make sure you all have a great time! If you do raise or donate $100, you will receive a Relay 08 t-shirt…but definitely not required.

I’d been meaning to take a photo of it. Makes the drive down Mountain just that much prettier…

…Hello new apartments! Was kinda bummed to see the tree torn down. Oh well.

Spotted this new sign in the empty place next to the Monrovia Bakery! Looks promising.