Arroyo Monthly Magazine

FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA AUGUST 2012

TechObsessed Kids SHOULD PARENTS WORRY?

LEARNING BY DOING PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION IN PASADENA

WALDEN SCHOOL’S MATT ALLIO FINDING THE “GENIUS” IN EVERY CHILD

GOLDEN GEEKS SAVVY SENIORS GO DIGITAL

arroyo VOLUME 8 | NUMBER 8 | AUGUST 2012

12 25 53 55 PARENTING AND EDUCATION 12 LEARNING EXPERIENCES Pasadena’s progressive schools let kids take the lead.

—By Ilsa Setziol

25 CASTLES IN THE AIR Matt Allio finds the “genius” in every child at Walden School.

—By Ilsa Setziol

37 WIRED WORRIES Are hyper-connected kids facing digital disorders?

—By Kathleen Kelleher

47 SENIORS WHO ARE VIRTUAL VIRTUOSOS? You bet. Older adults are learning digital skills from grandkids and student volunteers.

—Kathleen Kelleher

DEPARTMENTS 11

FESTIVITIES Kidspace Children’s Museum opens The Galvin Physics Forest

17

ARROYO HOME SALES INDEX

53

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS Humans may be cutting back these days, but some dogs are living high off the hog.

55

WINING AND DINING Al fresco in Arroyoland

58

THE LIST Planetfest comes to Pasadena,“Designing Women” at the Autry and more

ABOUT THE COVER: Photo by Stefano Lunardi, iStockphoto.com

08.12 | ARROYO | 7

EDITOR’S NOTE

ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT BEING A JOURNALIST IS THE TRAINING GIVES you the tools to investigate your own landscape, which can be vital in making life choices. So when it came time for Arroyo contributor Ilsa Setziol to find the best school for her 5-year-old son, Mateo, she went into action mode, exploring local progressive schools to see which had the philosophy and leadership that would be the best fit for her family.

And we’re the wiser for it. For our Parenting and Education issue, Setziol examines private progressive education in the Pasadena area and makes the case for its emphasis on learning by doing. She also introduces us to Matt Allio, the charismatic head of the Walden School, which Mateo will be entering in September. Of course, not all parents will be comfortable with schools that depart from conventional academics; and some parents who rated Walden at greatschools.org complained that Walden wasn’t progressive enough. But for Setziol, the choice was clear. “We could envision our son racing out the door weekday mornings, eager for another learning adventure,” she says.

One aspect of contemporary parenting no one can escape is living with ultra-wired kids who seem to juggle devices with the ease of a high-wire circus performer. The impact on kids’ psyches from all this digital clutter is only now being studied by experts and, as Kathy Kelleher discovered, there’s cause for concern.

See her advice for parenting in the digital age in “Wired Worries” on page 37.

Meanwhile, seniors who’ve been struggling with new technology are making surprising breakthroughs, thanks to a little help from their much younger friends— i.e. grandkids and student volunteers. Kelleher found that such cross-generational pollination is helping produce a new breed of tech-savvy seniors—and young people who’ve sampled the rewards of helping others.

—Irene Lacher

EDITOR IN CHIEF Irene Lacher ART DIRECTOR Kent Bancroft JUNIOR DESIGNER Carla Cortez PRODUCTION Richard Garcia, Rochelle Bassarear

arroyo FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA

COPY EDITOR John Seeley

SOUTHLAND PUBLISHING

CONTRIBUTORS Leslie Bilderback, Michael Cervin, Scarlet Carole Jacobs, Kathy Kelleher, Carl Kozlowski, Bettijane

V.P. OF FINANCE Michael Nagami V.P. OF OPERATIONS David Comden PRESIDENT Bruce Bolkin

Levine, Brenda Rees, Margery L. Schwartz, Kirk Silsbee,

CONTACT US

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ADVERTISING dinas@pasadenaweekly.com

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ACCOUNTING Alysia Chavez, Monica MacCree OFFICE ASSISTANT Gina Giovacchini PUBLISHER Jon Guynn 8 | ARROYO | 08.12

©2012 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

FESTIVITIES

Kidspace Children's Museum celebrated the opening of the Robert & Mary Galvin Physics Forest—two years in the making—at a grand opening on July 12. After remarks from Kidspace CEO Michael Shanklin, Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, Kidspace board President Kris Popovich and Kidspace board member Dr. Mike Brown of Caltech, the museum presented a birthday cake to philanthropist Mary Galvin and opened the doors for some 160 eager summer campers from the Pasadena area.

PHOTOS: Courtesy Kidspace Children’s Museum

Gail Ellis, Mary Galvin, Dawn Meiners

08.12 | ARROYO | 11

LEARNING EXPERIENCES

Pasadena’s progressive schools let kids take the lead.

BY ILSA SETZIOL

IT’S NEAR THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR AT SEQUOYAH SCHOOL in Pasadena, and strains of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” played on recorders, waft out of a Craftsman house near the heart of the campus. The thwack and splat of basketballs being dribbled and dunked is punctuated with peals of laughter. Upstairs in a 1950s modernist building, a diverse group of fourth and fifth graders is compiling work samples into portfolios they’ll present at upcoming parent-teacher-student conferences, which the school uses to evaluate students instead of letter grades.

“The students are in charge of finding examples of their progress,” says teacher Ann Liashkov. “They’ll say, ‘I think my sentence syntax improved.’ Or, ‘Look at this math that I didn’t know before.’” As well as assessing their own performance, the kids are encouraged to take the lead in setting goals. It’s an approach that distinguishes progressive schools like Sequoyah, according to the school’s director, Josh Brody. “Students take responsibility for the learning instead of having a bunch of adults say, ‘This is what you should be doing,’” he explains.

A pre-K class at Walden School

12 | ARROYO | 08.12

Students are shown a model of the expansion of Sequoyah School.

PHOTOS: Left, courtesy of Walden School; Top left and right, courtesy of Sequoyah School

Students work together in the garden at Sequoyah School.

A group of Pasadena parents who wanted a more innovative approach to education founded Sequoyah in 1958, making it the Pasadena area’s first progressive school. Today the region is home to four elementary, K-8 or K-12 schools that embrace the progressive label, also including Walden School, Pasadena Waldorf School and The Waverly School.

Pacific Oaks College, which trains some of their teachers, and its affiliated preschool have been at the cutting edge of early childhood education for decades.

Once commonly dismissed as hippie schools where kids supposedly ran amok, learning little more than macramé, Pasadena’s progressive schools have not only expanded their campuses in recent years but also grown in prestige. In Sequoyah’s playfully named Bamboo Forest classroom, kindergarteners and first graders are preparing a play that explores how animals on the school’s campus might be affected by upcoming construction.

The set includes a replica of a beloved climbing tree that was damaged in fall windstorms.

Teacher Lauren Arroyo says the production grew out of students’ interest in animals and offered a way for them to process changes at the school. “We have such freedom to be creative within our curriculum,” says Arroyo, “and really allow it to be emergent.”

At the most fundamental level, Pasadena’s progressive schools are small pricey private schools, with annual tuition tabs ranging from $14,000 to $18,000 in the elementary years.

Each has its own distinct character, but they tend to share a set of approaches and values.

Margo Pensavalle, professor at USC’s Rossier School of Education, says they are childcentered and developmentally appropriate—“which means we don’t try to teach kids what they’re not ready to learn.” The schools emphasize project-based learning, collaboration over competition and children learning from each other. Pensavalle praises this approach as more holistic, benefiting students socially as well as academically. “Kids feel like they own the education,” she says. “And [when that happens] you have a much greater chance of them doing better in school, valuing what they learn and integrating what they learn.”

Most educators credit philosopher and psychologist John Dewey with launching pro-

gressive education in America. At the turn of the 20th century, Dewey envisioned schools that would inspire students to better the world, not merely sustain the status quo. He tested his many ideas at the University of Chicago’s Laboratory School, and some of his disciples went on to train thousands of teachers at Teachers College, Columbia University, in New York.

Educator Marilyn Nikimaa had the nonconformist poet-philosopher Henry David Thoreau in mind when she and Pasadena parents founded the Montessori-based Walden School in 1970. Cofounder Ted Calleton says the framework wasn’t as radical as outsiders thought: “We were enamored of the idea of liberty within limits and freedom with responsibility.” The Pasadena Waldorf School (actually in Altadena) was established in 1979, following an approach originated by the Austrian social reformer Rudolf Steiner.

(America’s 160 Waldorf schools are known for promoting arts and crafts, and the curriculum differs significantly from the schools detailed here.) In 1993, another adventurous group of parents founded The Waverly School, now a pre-kindergarten through 12thgrade school on three campuses near Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena.

Walden is no longer a Montessori school, although the youngest kids work with Montessori materials. Some of the curriculum is based on established programs such as Columbia’s Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Singapore Math and the Orff Approach to music. (Disclosure: My son will start kindergarten at Walden this fall.)

The buzz on the Walden playground on a sunny May day is about an orange juice taste test. Between swinging on monkey bars, digging for “Indian gold” and building with blocks, 6- and 7-year-olds zip over to sample three different kinds. Director Matt Allio says the comparison came about because some of the older kids thought the school’s juice could be better. So students did a cost analysis, met with a nutritionist, discussed the issues at an assembly and set up the taste test.

–continued on page 14 08.12 | ARROYO | 13

Walden School Director Matt Allio reads to students.

–continued from page 13

Indoors, classrooms are brimming with dioramas—blue plastic colonists advance over clay hills toward the red-coated guys, while a plaster Mount Olympus awaits its Greek gods. It’s the culmination of weeks-long “learning adventures.” Eight-year-old Zelia is so enamored of her mining trivia game that she’s toting it around the playground, looking for contestants. “What was President Herbert Hoover’s mining technique?” she quizzes a visitor. Allio says the students were told, “We want you to become an expert in something you have an affinity for, something you care about, and here are the parameters. We’ll give you the framework and work with you.”

Writing for the National Association of Independent Schools, Alfie Kohn, a prominent education reformer, explains that progressive schools tend to organize learning around projects, problems and questions rather than “lists of facts, skills and separate disciplines,” because “facts and skills do matter but only in a context and for a purpose.”

One way both Walden and Sequoyah accomplish this is by taking kids camping. Indeed, such “field studies” are central to the Sequoyah curriculum. This year, Sequoyah students studying California water issues toured residential gardens that keep water from running into the street, then met with elected officials and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power staffers to discuss city ordinances.

Walden and Sequoyah pass out tests, but not nearly as often as conventional schools.

They’re also light on homework, especially for younger kids. “The idea of doing 21⁄2 hours of homework a night as a fourth grader is senseless,” says Allio. “It’s actually counterproductive, because homework may reiterate, but it often doesn’t expand the work they’re doing in school.” He believes kids can miss out on other valuable experiences, such as family conversation, sports, pursuing their own interests or just time to decompress.

14 | ARROYO | 08.12

Sequoyah School students work on projects.

Because progressive schools pride themselves on considering the individual child’s interests and understanding each one’s readiness for learning various skills, they rely on talented teachers. “A teacher has to do more work,” says Brody, “because you’re giving students more room and it can easily unravel.” He says Sequoyah teachers strive to keep students in what’s called the “zone of proximal development.” That’s the sweet spot where kids are challenged, but not overwhelmed.

It’s a compelling vision, which raises the question: Why aren’t there more of these schools? Mary Fauvre, director of accreditation for the California Association of Independent Schools and a Walden board member, thinks that’s partly because progressive schools appeal to a relatively small group of parents. “It’s a very liberal, democratic approach,” she points out. “And it takes a leap of faith, because these schools don’t promise that in December of first grade every child will be reading.” She adds the kids don’t always score as high on standardized tests as “intense” parents and educators want, but they “tend to be the most independent thinkers and kind people.”

And students from Walden and Sequoyah do transfer into the same prestigious middle and high schools as kids from other private schools. “Different schools work well for different kids,” says Brody, “but our students are often not burned out. Often they’re very excited about their learning.”

That excitement is evident at Sequoyah as a group of second and third graders show me the pond they created to harbor endangered fish. Finn starts to explain the process, then recruits two older boys to elaborate. They discuss the causes of and solutions for algae in the pond. Soon Ileia and other girls join in, describing attempts to locate missing fish with an underwater camera: “So, we were wondering if an animal dipped in its head and ate them all…” And the discussion continued, even after Brody and I left the scene. ||||

PHOTOS: Left, courtesy of Walden School; Right, courtesy of Sequoyah School

Matt Allio with library aide Jason Carter

arroyo HOME & DESIGN SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

THE SILVER LINING DOWNSIZING AND THE JOYS OF A SIMPLER LIFESTYLE

BY JOANNA DEHN BERESFORD

THE CONTINUUM OF LIFE, OUR STORIES AS THEY UNFOLD, INVOLVE SO MANY CHANGES AND PHASES THAT RELATE TO TIME, PLACE, ACTIVITY AND RELATIONSHIP. EACH PHASE WARRANTS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SCRUTINY FOR THOSE WHO PURSUE AN EXAMINED LIFE. SO, HOW SHOULD WE CONSIDER THE CONCEPT OR PHASE OF ‘DOWNSIZING,’ PARTICULARLY AS WE AGE? THE TERM ITSELF INSPIRES A SORT OF SLOUCHING-TOWARDS-DEATH INTERPRETATION, AND THE EMOTIONAL AND SYMBOLIC RELEVANCE OF THIS TRANSITION TOO OFTEN GENERATES CRINGES AND EQUIVOCATION AMONG THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO DOWNSIZE IN LATER YEARS, AND AMONG THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. BUT I THINK WE OUGHT TO SAY, ‘AU CONTRERE!’ ON THE CONTRARY! DOWNSIZING – OR RECONFIGURING LIFE INTO A SIMPLER, MORE PRACTICAL AND PURIFIED MODEL – SHOULD BE CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION. DOWNSIZING IS THE ULTIMATE ACT OF LIBERATION, THE ULTIMATE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE FROM A MATERIAL STRANGLEHOLD, AND A VAGUE ASSUMPTION THAT THE MEANING OF LIFE CAN BE EXPRESSED IN SQUARE FOOTAGE AND THE NET WEIGHT OF ACQUISITIONS. ABOVE ALL, DOWNSIZING SHOULD EMBODY THE NOTION THAT WE ARE, IN CONJUNCTION WITH LOVED ONES, THE AUTHORS OF OUR OWN LIVES. –continued on page 21

08.12 | ARROYO | 15

16 | ARROYO | 08.12

™

arroyo ~HOME SALES INDEX~ MAY 2012

-2.5% ALTADENA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. ARCADIA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. EAGLE ROCK HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. GLENDALE HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. LA CANADA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. PASADENA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. SAN MARINO HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. SIERRA MADRE HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. SOUTH PASADENA HOMES SOLD MEDIAN PRICE MEDIAN SQ. FT. TOTAL HOMES SOLD AVG PRICE/SQ. FT.

MAY ’12 29 $482,000 1534 MAY ’12 27 $745,000 1802 MAY ’12 14 $475,500 1412 MAY ’12 102 $448,500 1460.5 MAY ’12 35 $1,200,000 2011 MAY ’12 139 $495,000 1441 MAY ’12 13 $1,530,000 2420 MAY ’12 16 $650,000 1721 MAY ’12 14 $735,000 1778 MAY ’12 389 $396

RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE ARROYO FOOTPRINT CLOSE DATE PRICE

BDRMS.

SOURCE: CalREsource SQ. FT.

YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE

PREV. SOLD

ALTADENA

389 445

AVG. PRICE/SQ. FT.

HOME SALES ABOVE $750,000 ADDRESS

HOMES SOLD

+14.4%

JUNE 2012 HOMES SOLD

HOME SALES

SPONSORED BY

JUNE ’12 47 $385,000 1464 JUNE ’12 33 $680,000 1801 JUNE ’12 18 $552,500 1649 JUNE ’12 114 $462,500 1470 JUNE ’12 24 $950,000 2067 JUNE ’12 177 $566,500 1574 JUNE ’12 11 $1,813,500 2837 JUNE ’12 10 $508,750 1454 JUNE ’12 11 $593,000 1418 JUNE ‘12 445 $386

2165 Grand Oaks Avenue

06/08/12

$800,000

3

1928

1938

$760,000

06/01/2005

1973 Maiden Lane

06/27/12

$820,000

3

2736

2002

$815,000

09/23/2004

2386 Allen Avenue

06/22/12

$851,500

6

$649,000

09/20/2002

4226 Canyon Crest Road

06/27/12

$865,000

2

1722

1951

2050 Midwick Drive

06/21/12

$925,000

7

1992 Mar Vista Avenue

06/29/12

$1,025,000

4

3244

816 Millard Canyon Road

06/27/12

$1,068,000

5

3650

559 Chaparral Court

06/04/12

$1,155,000

5

2051 Midlothian Drive

06/20/12

$1,350,000

1910 Braeburn Road

06/01/12

534 East Norman Avenue 1727 South Santa Anita Avenue

$450,000

02/21/2001

$965,000

03/11/2011

1915

$100,000

10/06/1986

1998

$495,000

11/24/1998

3881

1999

$540,000

12/02/1999

4

3236

1926

$1,669,000

4

3480

1949

$1,700,000

10/24/2006

06/01/12

$765,000

3

2558

1946

$883,000

07/27/2005

06/21/12

$788,000

3

2446

1926

$380,000

03/26/1999

330 East Winnie Way

06/05/12

$790,000

3

1889

1958

318 East Winnie Way

06/13/12

$811,000

3

1760

1957

$738,000

07/15/2009

1120 East Camino Real Avenue

06/29/12

$890,000

4

2293

1951

$290,000

06/13/2001

2025 South 2nd Avenue

06/19/12

$940,000

3

1832

1947

327 East Las Flores Avenue

06/29/12

$940,000

6

2739

1950

$385,000

10/01/1996

1343 Highland Oaks Drive

06/08/12

$980,000

3

2177

1953

ARCADIA

149 East Sycamore Avenue

06/26/12

$1,055,000

4

2553

1983

$1,100,000

07/26/2005

522 Connie Rae Way

06/29/12

$1,280,000

4

4229

1989

$715,000

02/23/2000

$928,000

04/07/2000

$439,000

09/19/2002

800 Hampton Road

06/01/12

$1,800,000

7

5813

1955

1225 Ramona Road

06/18/12

$2,058,000

5

3264

1938

06/22/12

$865,000

6

1630 Puebla Drive

06/05/12

$750,000

4

2423

1959

$1,135,000

04/20/2007

1840 Sherer Lane

06/05/12

$760,000

3

1775

1951

$490,000

04/24/1992

1930 Maginn Drive

06/29/12

$765,000

7

1740 Opechee Way

06/15/12

$780,000

3

2412

1951

1666 Santa Maria Avenue

06/22/12

$799,000

3

1542

1941

$429,000

10/18/2011

554 Arch Place

06/12/12

$800,000

3

3310

1990

EAGLE ROCK 1403 Linda Rosa Avenue GLENDALE

3146 Hollyburne Court

06/05/12

$845,000

4

3070

1986

$1,100,000

03/19/2007

1516 Irving Avenue

06/07/12

$850,000

4

2474

1939

$450,000

03/27/1992

2559

1964 $520,000

11/13/2002

$384,500

04/21/1995

901 Rasic Ridge Road

06/12/12

$850,000

4

3061 Hollywell Place

06/22/12

$850,000

6

2228 Flintridge Drive

06/25/12

$850,000

5

2634

1979

1420 Beaudry Boulevard

06/22/12

$890,000

3

2400

1951

3000 Edmonton Road

06/06/12

$900,000

9

1710 Ridgeway Drive

06/26/12

$1,000,000

5

3602

1949

$520,000

04/08/1998

1149 Avonoak Terrace

06/27/12

$1,050,000

4

2744

1963

$945,000

10/19/2010

142 Cumberland Road

06/01/12

$1,100,000

4

2899

1958

$750,000

08/17/2005

1715 Hillside Drive

06/15/12

$1,350,000

5

3480

1932

$894,000

05/02/2002

1620 Lamego Drive

06/15/12

$1,485,000

7

$1,480,000

07/01/2005

$478,000

02/19/2002

$380,000

03/30/1993

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE 781 Starlight Heights Drive

06/01/12

$780,000

3

1974

1976

310 Knight Way

06/19/12

$800,000

2

1566

1951

5391 Godbey Drive

06/21/12

$830,000

2

1784

1973

5633 Stardust Road

06/22/12

$835,000

4

1944

1958

1419 Sugar Loaf Drive

06/21/12

$860,000

5

$1,140,000

10/10/2006

5256 Gould Avenue

06/01/12

$870,000

3

1996

1959

$529,000

06/16/2000

5453 Ocean View Boulevard

06/05/12

$885,000

3

1727

1958

$339,000

06/30/1994

4021 Robin Hill Road

06/08/12

$905,000

4

2370

1958

368 Noren Street

06/25/12

$925,000

7

continued on page 18

The Arroyo Home Sales Index is calculated from residential home sales in Pasadena and the surrounding communities of South Pasadena, San Marino, La Canada Flintridge, Eagle Rock, Glendale (including Montrose), Altadena, Sierra Madre and Arcadia. Individual home sales data provided by CalREsource. Arroyo Home Sales Index © Arroyo 2012.

08.12 | ARROYO | 17

continued from page 17

HOME SALES ABOVE $750,000 RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE ARROYO FOOTPRINT ADDRESS

CLOSE DATE PRICE

BDRMS.

SOURCE: CalREsource SQ. FT.

YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE

PREV. SOLD

LA CAĂ‘ADA FLINTRIDGE 4919 Crown Avenue

06/13/12

$950,000

3

5160 Solliden Lane

06/20/12

$950,000

7

2097

1229 Flanders Road

06/20/12

$1,195,000

3

2703

5256 La Canada Boulevard

06/26/12

$1,200,000

3

2041

4942 Hillard Avenue

06/18/12

$1,235,000

6

4019 Hampstead Road

06/27/12

$1,250,000

3

2237

5535 Burning Tree Drive

06/01/12

$1,275,000

4

2251 Richey Drive

06/08/12

$1,289,000

846 Wiladonda Drive

06/01/12

331 Baptiste Way

06/08/12

510 Starlight Crest Drive

1947

$600,000

10/19/2011

$255,000

02/14/1986

1936

$785,000

11/15/2002

1954

$1,050,000

01/11/2011

$837,000

05/20/2011

1950

$1,240,000

04/24/2009

2785

1962

$1,628,000

03/28/2006

4

3036

1955

$1,425,000

4

3172

1951

$760,000

07/15/1994

$1,530,000

4

3534

1942

$629,000

06/12/2001

06/20/12

$1,736,500

4

3644

1962

$1,530,000

11/19/2010

619 Meadow Grove Street

06/11/12

$1,850,000

5

5527

1922

$795,000

07/26/1994

4357 Encinas Drive

06/28/12

$2,030,000

4

3746

1947

$500,000

09/30/1996

1035 North Hill Avenue

06/01/12

$760,000

4

4144

1962

$146,000

10/01/1986

1127 South Orange Grove Blvd

06/01/12

$778,000

2

1905

1964

$1,089,000

03/08/2007

309 Patrician Way

06/12/12

$814,500

5

PASADENA

117 Brocadero Place

06/15/12

$819,500

2

1079

1925

$411,000

12/15/2009

1375 Wicks Road

06/15/12

$835,000

3

1500

1951

$630,000

07/22/2002

1305 Cresthaven Drive

06/27/12

$850,000

4

1836

1958

1631 Paloma Street

06/28/12

$863,000

3

1976

1921

$970,000

02/14/2006

960 Ellington Lane

06/21/12

$865,000

3

2664

1964

$525,000

06/01/2001

3320 Yorkshire Road

06/21/12

$867,000

3

2376

1935

$375,000

07/18/1997

1210 Brookmere Road

06/20/12

$890,000

2

1928

1949

$400,000

06/26/1997

235 Annandale Road

06/25/12

$925,000

3

1984

1937

$775,000

01/23/2007

84 Club Road

06/29/12

$925,000

4

2825

1937

3785 New Haven Road

06/05/12

$929,000

3

2291

1948

$749,000

09/16/2004

800 Woodward Boulevard

06/26/12

$948,000

3

1885

1948

1260 Sierra Madre Villa Avenue

06/28/12

$950,000

4

2264

1953

600 South Orange Grove Blvd #4

06/27/12

$970,000

3

2340

2003

$1,043,000

02/18/2005

1050 Stoneridge Drive

06/07/12

$975,000

2

1700

1954

$925,000

07/27/2011

1339 La Loma Road

06/29/12

$1,010,000

3

1624

1937

60 Club Road

06/21/12

$1,059,000

4

2512

1967

$1,256,000

10/18/2005

630 South Orange Grove Blvd #5

06/12/12

$1,060,000

3

2407

1964

875 Laguna Road

06/06/12

$1,090,000

6

$610,000

03/28/2001

1420 East Mountain Street

06/26/12

$1,100,000

7

4100

1922

3572 Yorkshire Road

06/28/12

$1,100,000

3

2672

1936

$530,000

01/21/2003

377 West Bellevue Drive #3

06/21/12

$1,200,000

2

2480

1979

$615,000

12/15/2000

680 Prospect Boulevard

06/07/12

$1,210,000

4

2841

1928

1849 North Michigan Avenue

06/08/12

$1,210,000

4

3305

1913

$1,075,000

12/09/2009

1203 East Elizabeth Street

06/26/12

$1,225,000

5

3364

1922

$365,000

05/06/1992

787 Fairfield Circle

06/01/12

$1,250,000

5

200 South Oakland Avenue

06/01/12

$1,300,000

2

1338

1902

1350 Ontario Avenue

06/25/12

$1,372,000

4

2881

1990

$1,250,000

03/16/2004

1049 La Loma Road

06/01/12

$1,472,500

3

3043

1952

100 North San Rafael Avenue

06/22/12

$1,500,000

4

2609

1922

$160,000

04/27/1978

1400 Cresthaven Drive

06/05/12

$1,600,000

5

4083

1958

$1,995,000

08/09/2005

1267 South Los Robles Avenue

06/13/12

$1,660,000

4

3120

1941

1390 El Mirador Drive

06/27/12

$1,750,000

4

3288

1988

817 South Madison Avenue

06/12/12

$1,810,000

4

3402

1914

$975,000

01/10/1990

1801 Devon Road

06/21/12

$1,930,000

4

3270

1927

$2,400,000

12/01/2006

621 South Sierra Bonita Avenue

06/27/12

$1,940,000

5

2996

1924

$900,000

06/07/1999

111 Linda Vista Avenue

06/12/12

$2,072,000

5

4541

1926

$865,000

06/18/1999

1199 Yocum Street

06/26/12

$2,100,000

4

3476

1940

$2,115,000

08/03/2006

1151 Kewen Drive

06/08/12

$2,410,000

4

2288

1932

$1,657,000

08/13/2007

210 South San Rafael Avenue

06/26/12

$2,465,000

3

3803

1962

905 Hillcrest Place

06/15/12

$2,660,000

5

5148

1949

$3,125,000

03/23/2006

925 Hillcrest Place

06/21/12

$2,688,000

6

4235

1955

$2,048,000

09/30/2011

1196 Arden Road

06/13/12

$3,025,000

4

3665

1930

$1,425,000

06/18/1999

1347 South El Molino Avenue

06/11/12

$3,200,000

8

8612

1989

2975 Lombardy Road

06/15/12

$3,930,000

7

5809

1928

$2,475,000

08/19/2003

$1,067,500

03/24/2006

SAN MARINO 1945 Sycamore Drive

06/05/12

$750,000

1

2007

1937

1490 Rubio Drive

06/05/12

$859,000

4

2566

1949

2085 South Los Robles Avenue

06/14/12

$939,000

4

1585

1924

$365,000

07/02/1998

1740 Banning Way

06/21/12

$1,145,000

4

2235

1926

$555,000

01/04/1989

1225 Oakwood Drive

06/27/12

$1,625,000

3

3107

1951

1165 Oakwood Drive

06/26/12

$1,813,500

4

2282

1950

2812 Cumberland Road

06/08/12

$1,910,000

4

3774

1939

1475 Wembley Road

06/29/12

$2,210,000

6

3535

1950

$1,455,000

06/28/2002

1234 Rosalind Road

06/25/12

$2,701,000

8

1335 Virginia Road

06/21/12

$3,250,000

4

3933

1926

$3,050,000

05/23/2008

1331 Oak View Avenue

06/08/12

$3,490,000

5

4598

1977

$2,225,000

10/18/1990

SIERRA MADRE 473 East Montecito Avenue

06/29/12

$830,000

3

2168

1935

$785,000

04/06/2005

320 Wisteria Way

06/22/12

$1,398,000

6

4491

1959

$1,180,000

04/15/2010

SOUTH PASADENA

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551 Alta Vista Avenue

06/07/12

$950,000

3

1462

1959

$775,000

04/10/2008

2055 Milan Avenue

06/29/12

$1,200,000

3

2638

1910

$632,000

03/22/2001

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—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

–continued from page 15 WHO DOWNSIZES? Many people choose to alter their domestic environments at certain points in their lives. In terms of downsizing as it relates to middle aged and senior citizens, there’s no standard of behavior; you don’t need a club membership and you need not demonstrate any particular statistical or demographic norms to participate in the movement towards a more streamlined lifestyle.

Many of my clients, after retirement, are still young and want to enjoy being near family and grandchildren,” explains Mikki Porretta, a real estate agent who specializes in assisting homeowners through the downsizing process.“Many have simply outgrown a big house with lots of upkeep, and they want to be free to do other things.”

Lil Montalvo and Mercy Dimitriu, partners at Coldwell Banker, in San Marino, corroborate Ms. Porretta’s description. Many of their clients have raised children and find themselves in a home that provides space and equity that they no longer require. The needs of these clients vary.

“The majority of the seniors we have assisted are in the ‘after retirement stage.’ However, we have also worked with ‘younger’ seniors who want to sell the big house and move to the mountains or to the beach, or to be close to children out-of-state,” says Ms. Montalvo. In any case, downsizing usually means less stress, expense, maintenance and responsibility for the homeowner.

–continued on page 23

08.12 | ARROYO | 21

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

–continued from page 21 What Are the Options?

The options for homeowners who choose to downsize vary as widely as do the homeowners themselves. According to Lin Vlacich, of Sotheby’s International Realty, in Pasadena, “There are numerous options, but much depends on the clients’ financial position, their motivation, and their physical condition.”

Some middle aged and senior residents choose to move into assisted living facilities, seeking the security and care that these environments provide. Some may seek a smaller apartment, single-family home or single-level condominium in an enclosed complex. Others choose to maintain more than one residence – a home in the more urban environment of the San Gabriel Valley/Los Angeles region and another near the ocean, further north or inland, or in a traditional retirement community like Palm Springs. Indeed, some may choose to simplify or downsize their lives within their current homes.

“If my clients are healthy enough to stay home, and want to remain home,” says Mikki Porretta,“I will recommend an Aging in Place contractor.” These professionals can renovate lighting, install grab-bars, incorporate ramps, lower counters, and make other necessary adjustments in existing locations. In these cases downsizing more accurately involves right-sizing an existing residence.

WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES? The Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley offers a tremendous variety of choices for all of its residents, including those who plan to relocate or downsize within the community. Price range, convenient locations, walk ability and transportation alternatives proliferate in this region, so the homeowner’s first resource lies in ability to research options. More specifically, local senior centers provide assistance for those in transition. Real estate professionals like Lil Montalvo, Mercy Dimitriu recommend seminars offered at both the Pasadena and South Pasadena Senior Center, some of which are conducted by local real estate, lifestyle and legal experts.

–continued on page 43

08.12 | ARROYO | 23

CASTLES IN THE AIR Matt Allio finds the “genius” in every kid at Walden School.

BY ILSA SETZIOL

08.12 | ARROYO | 25

26 | ARROYO | 08.12

–continued from page 25

If you have built castles in the air, your work Need not be lost, that is where they should be.

Now put foundations under them.

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Matt Allio and Walden School

– Henry David Thoreau, Walden AS A CHILD, MATT ALLIO WASN’T MUCH OF A STUDENT. ALL HE cared about was playing baseball. Most kids in his South San Francisco neighborhood in the late ’60s and early ’70s didn’t go to college, and he had little expectation of doing so himself.

These days, though, he’s a true believer in the transformative power of education. The 53-year-old director of Pasadena’s Walden School is as intensely focused on education as he was on baseball—often working 12-hour days—and it’s this certainty that his students will thrive that keeps him energized. “When I put my head on the pillow at night,” he says, “there’s a remarkable comfort in knowing I’ve worked with a generation of students who truly set out to make the world a better place.”

Walden is a respected independent school with a progressive approach (see “Learning Experiences” on page 12), which educates 210 pre-kindergarten through sixth-grade kids at its San Gabriel Boulevard campus. Allio’s vision for the place is apparent on a recent day as he makes his rounds. He exits his colorful office—filled with books, two finches, a couple of tiny aquatic frogs and some Lego men, model planes and other toys bestowed by small admirers—cruises past the nearly life-size plush dogs that populate the Walden lobby and heads for the playground. “What’s up, Emmett, my man?” he asks a first grader, offering a fist-bump. Emmett wants to play rock-paper-scissors. As they throw down, Matt (as the kids address him) says he meets with Emmett for a few minutes every day to get “a sense of how it’s going in his class.” Allio surveys his brood several times a day, asking kids for advice and offering meetings in which they discuss everything from hot lunch to whether their math work is challenging enough.

“Emmett’s one of the all-time great guys here,” he says. Actually, to Allio, every kid here is an “all-time great,” and they know it. “He finds something to love about every single student,” says Sarah Lougheed-Gill, the admissions director. While some people give lip service to the idea, Allio really means it when he says he sees “a genius in every child.”

“We work really hard to find that genius and help it emerge,” he says. That’s particularly compelling, given that Walden admits kids with a range of abilities. Unlike some other independent schools, the school doesn’t counsel those with lower academic performance to go elsewhere.

When Allio was growing up, one of eight kids, in a Catholic, working-class ItalianAmerican family in the Bay Area, his hometown was going through a turbulent time, churning with talk of social revolution. As a small boy with a paper route and passion for the Giants, Allio didn’t join the fray. But he read the paper at 4 every morning before get–continued on page 29 08.12 | ARROYO | 27

28 | ARROYO | 08.12

–continued from page 27

ting on his bike, and he was a keen observer. He saw older kids strung out on drugs, remembers vividly the telecast of RFK’s remarks on the night of MLK’s assassination and recalls “a Vietnam vet who came back and set his house on fire while he was in it.”

Allio slid into the University of San Francisco on a full baseball scholarship. A writing professor tutored him, bolstering his belief that he had “more to offer the world beyond throwing a baseball.” After graduation in 1977, Allio needed work, and a local Catholic school needed a math teacher. So he became a teacher, learning on the job. But when he thought he’d gotten pretty good at teaching, Allio was forced to rethink the whole thing.

The “game changer,” he says, was an appointment at Crane Country Day School, a prestigious progressive school in Montecito. “I came home every night, five nights a week, and sobbed,” he recalls, “because it was so hard to aspire to what my colleagues were doing.” Instead of lecturing at the kids and telling them what to do, he was supposed to let them take the initiative. Instead of passing out textbooks, he was supposed to help them learn through experiences, like field trips. He was starting to see that his work with

children could “help them realize their place in the world.”

In 1992, Allio was selected for the Klingenstein Fellowship at Columbia University, where he worked toward an M.A. in education. The fellowship trains promising teachers to become leaders at independent schools. At Columbia, studying the work of John Dewey and other education reformers, Allio sharpened his educational vision. He saw that academic content—knowledge—is important, but it’s just the point of departure.

“Young people have to use that knowledge to act, put it into action,” he explains. Finally, they have to be able to inspire others to act too. “The real power in transformation is to have the skills to organize others.”

That’s what Allio has done at Walden for the past seven years. He takes in a multitude of ideas—from students, teachers, parents—processes them and leads from there.

“He’s a steady hand on the helm,” says board member Mary Fauvre. “He’s organized, thorough.” Allio is also known for respecting and investing in faculty. For example, Walden pays for all teachers to attend a training program at Columbia. “He wants to make the mission alive and vibrant,” adds Fauvre, “and not do things just because that’s the way we always did it.”

Prior to Walden, Allio was head of the Live Oak School in San Francisco and taught for a couple years at The San Francisco School. He says having the latter’s yearbook dedicated to him (by a school known for accomplished teachers) is the highest accolade he has ever received.

–continued on page 31 08.12 | ARROYO | 29

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–continued from page 29

Back making his rounds, Allio turns down one of the school’s hallways, which are lined with photos of its families. A couple of boys approach him. They want permission to hold a bake sale “to try to buy a solar panel for Walden,” says Nicky, a blond 10-year-old. The kids are part of an “energy ponderers” group. “You have to come and talk with me about it,” he says.

“But I think it’s a good idea.”

Walden’s curriculum is strong on environmental sciences, another synergy between the school and its leader. For 25 years, Allio has biked virtually everywhere, including the commute from his home in an adapted-use building in South Pasadena, 16 miles round-trip. (He even spent a year, midcareer, as a bike messenger, hauling up San Francisco’s steep Nob Hill from the financial district more than a dozen times a day. “I loved it,” he recalls.

“I never brought my work home with me.”) His inbound soundtrack is a James Taylor Pandora station; outbound, it’s Eminem. He uses his car when one of his three grown children comes to visit.

Back in his office, he confesses his pet peeve: parents saying, ‘when I was in third grade…’ “That doesn’t count anymore,” he says. “It’s a different world these kids live in, the pressure they feel, the sophistication that’s expected of them.” On a side table there’s a book of poems authored by Walden fourth and fifth graders. Inspired

by Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, each line begins with “I wish.” The kids’ aspirations are both personal (“I wish I could read fast, so I could read all the books I wanted”) and global (“I wish every family had a cozy and warm place to live and sleep”).

Allio says he likes working with elementary school kids because they’re “wide open to learning.” While the job can be exhausting, he says the rewards are worth it—“knowing that I have the potential to make change and seeing that change happen.” ||||

Allio on a Walden School trip to the Grand Tetons 08.12 | ARROYO | 31

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

Education

Aa Bb Cc

& ENRICHMENT AND SUMMER CAMPS Advanced Education Academy

Advanced Education Academy is a small private school in La Canada, CA, which specializes in student paced learning.

Each student does not move forward until full understanding of the materials is achieved. Our student teacher ratio is low, giving each student the individualized help needed to progress swiftly on their personal program. We have an interesting mix of advanced and remedial students who come to us for a more hands on approach to either move up to their grade level or to excel beyond their grade level. The common factor is that both groups require personal programs and enrichment to meet their needs.

4490 Cornishon Avenue, #3, La Canada (818)952-1900 www.aeaschool.com

Altadena Stables Altadena Stables is a full-service facility, offering a safe and friendly environment for your riding enjoyment. Boarded horses are attended to 24/7 by experienced caretakers who live on the property.The location is next to the Arroyo Seco and its beautiful forest trails. Instruction is provided on reliable stable horses by experienced professionals and trainers who offer lessons, camps, clinics and groups for riders of all ages and skill levels.

Visit www.altadenastables.com. (626)797-2012

education for children in kindergarten through 8th grade from the Arcadia, Pasadena, Sierra Madre and other San Gabriel Valley communities. Distinguished programs of Barnhart School are the Writers’ Workshop, the 7th grade Biotech project sponsored by Amgen, Spanish at all grade levels with a conversation club in 8th grade, early literacy emphasis, the Virtues character development program, and continued integration of technology, arts, and physical education.

240 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia. barnhartschool.org (626)446-5588

Child Education Center The Child Educational Center offers a wide variety of summer camp experiences that are sure to meet you and your child's ideas of summer fun! Summer exploration camp has a different theme each week and includes field trips, swimming and special guests. Our partnership with Altadena Stables and Descanso Gardens continues with two weeks of Horse Camp and three weeks of Descanso Discoveries. Adventure Zone will peak your older child's interest with trips to amusement parks, Boomers and more.

140 Foothills Blvd., La Canada Flintridge. (818)354-3418 ceconline.org

Clairbourn School Art Center College of Design Art Center College of Design (artcenter.edu) is a global leader in art and design education and the first design school to receive the United Nations' Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status. Art Center offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide variety of art and design disciplines, as well as public programs geared toward all ages and levels of experience.

For current news and events about the College, visit Art Center’s blog, Dotted Line (blogs.artcenter.edu/dottedline)

Founded in 1926, Clairbourn is an independent school offering a full-spectrum, accredited curriculum from preschool through grade eight. In addition to core subjects, instruction includes computer, art, library, drama, music, physical education (plus swimming), and much more. Clairbourn is known for its friendly atmosphere and its safe and inspiring learning environment. Our graduates move into top area high schools.

To learn more about Clairbourn, visit the website at www.clairbourn.org or call (626)286-3108.

Drucker School of Management Barnhart School Barnhart School offers a private elementary and middle school

32 | ARROYO | 08.12

The Drucker School of Management in Claremont offers a world-class graduate management education through our

MBA, Executive MBA, Financial Engineering, and Arts Management degree programs. Our programs infuse Peter Drucker’s principle of management as a liberal art along with our core strengths in strategy and leadership. We offer individualized, flexible course scheduling, an innovative curriculum focusing on values-based management, and the opportunity to learn from world-renowned faculty.

To learn more, visit us at www.drucker.cgu.edu.

Emmaus Lutheran School Since 1943, Emmaus Lutheran School has nurtured students with rigorous academic standards and Christian-based life skills o produce well-rounded students whose academic careers hold no limits. Our graduates go on to schools including John Hopkins University, West Point and USC. Before- and after-school care, sports, student government. Field trips, music, aer, and SMALL CLASSES and INDIVIDUALISED CARE help students become anything that they want to be. Join the Emmaus family!

Visit our Web site: emmauslutheranchurch.org or visit 840 S. Almansor St., Alhambra 91801. (626)289-3662

Fusion Academy & Learning Center Fusion Academy & Learning Center is a one-to-one, collegeprep private school for grades 6-12 for students who are better suited in an alternative to traditional environment. With the ultimate in flexible scheduling, classes are self-paced and personalized for each student’s individual interests, emotional health, and learning style. Fusion offers enrichment classes for both private lessons and courses for credit, a state-of-the-art recording studio, a full mixed-media art studio, and teacher-assisted Homework Café®.

Learn more: (323)258-2012, www.FusionPasadena.com.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church School Our church welcomes all families and children to share the Word of God. We have a Youth Group and Sunday School. Our preschool and K-6th classes emphasize reading and mathematics in preparation for the annual S.A.T. tests given to each

grade. Computers are used by all the grades. Day Care is also available. Please call (323) 255-2786 to arrange a tour. More details, and the tuition rates are on www.goodshepherdla.org.

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 6338 North Figueroa St. LA 90042, (626)226-6818 www.goodshepherdla.org

Gooden School Every child at the school is known as an individual with unique qualities that are recognized and nurtured within the school program. A strong academic curriculum combined with an emphasis on the arts and a commitment to learning through service to others prepares students to live confidently and competently in the future. You are invited to visit our beautiful campus.

192 North Baldwin Ave., Sierra Madre 91024.

(626)355-2410

High Point Academy HPA has incorporated efforts to preserve the planet through earth-friendly practices into everyday curriculum.

Students are taught to separate trash and learn how landfills affect the environment. The Lunch Bunch club studied problems created by trash and came up with practical solutions that students could incorporate at school and at home. Lunch Bunch submitted their results to Lexus Eco Challenge 2010-2011 and was awarded a $10,000 grant.

They were also honored with Pasadena’s Outstanding Recycler award.

1720 Kinneloa Canyon R., Pasadena. (626)798-8989 highpointacademy.org

The Institute for the Redesign of Learning With the demand for Non-Public School programming designed to serve the unique needs of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) growing,The Institute for the Redesign of Learning is excited to announce the expansion of its Autism program to a new location, the Westmoreland Academy in Pasadena. Offerings include state of the art motor,

movement, and occupational therapy labs, assistive technology and multi-media lab, CASHA award winning Speech and Language Therapy, regular and adapted PE, resource libraries, small class sizes, and transportation to and from school.

To learn more, please call (626)356-1500, e-mail takingcharge@almansor.org, or visit www.redesignlearning.org

Justine Sherman & Associates Justine Sherman & Associates is a nonpublic agency that serves the speech-language, educational, and orofacial myofunctional needs of clients throughout the San Gabriel Valley and various regions of Los Angeles County. We provide our clients and their families with the therapy and support programs necessary to achieve their maximum potential by designing and carrying out customized treatment plans with specific measurable goals.

These goals are achieved through individual or group therapy sessions conducted by our certified and licensed speech-language pathologists in a warm and caring environment.

Please call (626)355-1729 for a consultation or visit us at www.justineshermanslp.com

Kidspace Children’s Museum “The Robert & Mary Galvin Physics Forest will add 30,000 square feet to the current 3.5-acre facility and feature 13 brand-new, interactive exhibits all specially created for Kidspace and the unique, outdoor setting that The Galvin Physics Forest is designed to be. Each exhibit will display a fundamental principle of physics, providing guests with the opportunity to interact with those principles in a manner that is both educational and fun.”

480 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena 91103 www.kidspacemuseum.org

La Cañada Preparatory La Cañada Preparatory focuses on each student’s needs through an individualized curriculum. Low teacher-to-student ratios have led to outstanding results with students learning at an accelerated pace. Classroom work is accompanied by enrichment programs that include art, music, Spanish, computer science, physical education and the performing arts.

Each campus features a state-of-the-art computer lab along with a fully equipped art room.

La Cañada Preparatory, 4490 Cornishon Ave., La Cañada Flintridge. Visit thelearningcastle.com.

LA Music Academy Founded in 1996, the LA Music Academy College of Music

is regarded as one of the premiere music schools in the world for students who desire an intimate and friendly, yet serious and rigorous contemporary music education. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the school offers AA degrees and diplomas in music production (music producer major) and music performance for drums, bass, vocals or guitar (guitar performance major and artist development emphasis).

LA Music Academy, 370 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena. Visit lamusicacademy.edu or call (626)568-8850 or (800)9604715 (US only).

Lineage Performing Arts Center Lineage Performing Arts Center (LPAC) is a community hub offering specialized dance classes, theatre, music and dance performances, fundraising events, film screening and more.

LPAC is home to the Lineage Dance Company, a contemporary dance company dedicated to raising support and awareness for nonprofit organizations and making the arts accessible to all. Join us all summer for special classes, events and performances for the whole family!

LPAC is at 89 S. Fair Oaks, Pasadena. Call (626) 844-7008 or visit www.lineagedance.org

Lycee International Educators know that bilingual education paves more pathways in the brain resulting in better academic performance. Students at LILA (Lycée International de Los Angeles) a French-American school with four campuses (Pasadena, Los Feliz, Tarzana, Orange) benefit from a bilingual education. The goal of this Preschool–12th school is to create modern “Renaissance Students” who are able to reason clearly, think critically and creatively, and effectively express their knowledge in two languages and through two cultures.

Pasadena Campus:(626)793-0943 www.lilaschool.com

Maranatha High School One summer … 3 great programs! Sharpen your academic or athletic skills, or pursue your dream of performing on Broadway! Maranatha High School is offering 3 diverse programs for students 4th – 12th grade. Summer Academy (grades 7-12) offers a variety of academic courses. Challenge Camps (grades 4-9) help kids develop their athletic skills while training with high school coaches. “So You Wanna Go to Broadway” gives students (grades 7-9) the

continued on page 34

08.12 | ARROYO | 33

Education

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

& ENRICHMENT AND SUMMER CAMPS

continued from page 33 chance to audition and appear in a theatrical performance.

For information, visit www.maranatha-hs.org/summer.

Mathnasium Mathnasium is a highly specialized learning center where kids go year-round to improve their math skills. Students attend as often as they like - for as long as they like. The goal is to enhance your child’s math skills, understanding of math concepts and overall school performance. At the same time, Mathnasium builds your child’s confidence and forges a positive attitude toward the subject, yielding overwhelming results. Independent studies by EyeCues Education Systems found that Mathnasium students’ performance increased more than two letter grades in as little as three to six months.

Visit mathnasium.com to find out more, or call (626)532-7587.

Pasadena Christian School Summer at PCS offers preschool care, sports camps, and an engaging academic approach in the Passport to Adventure Virtual Travel Program. Extended child care is also available.

Our vision is for students to exemplify biblical principles, character and skills necessary to be life-long learners and productive citizens as they serve Christ. Our teachers are qualified and credentialed professionals who embody the qualities that we want to instill in our students.

For more information, please visit our website of pasadenachristian.org or call (626)791-1214.

Pasadena Language Center Learn Arabic, Armenian, ASL, Cantonese, Chinese, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai and Vietnamese. We offer small group classes for beginner, intermediate and advanced students.

Our language programs include weekly and weekend immersion lessons or private instruction. Our classes are affordable so anyone can learn a new language.

Pasadena Language Center, 46 Smith Alley, Suite 240, Pasadena. Call (626)844-5003 or visit pasadenalanguage.com.

Pasadena Waldorf School Pasadena Waldorf offers a developmental, experiential education in which the arts are fully integrated into the curriculum, and intellectual challenge is fostered through

34 | ARROYO | 08.12

human connection and relationship. With programs from Early Childhood through 8th Grade, Pasadena Waldorf draws students from Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silverlake, South Pasadena, Glendale, La Canada, La Crescenta, Monrovia, San Gabriel, Sierra Madre, San Marino, Pasadena, and Altadena. Please look for our new high school campus opening in 2012.

209 E. Mariposa Street, Altadena 91001. (626)794-9564 www.pasadenawaldorf.org

Providence High School Providence High School is located right next door to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center. We offer a full college prep program including, media, medical, and technology focus programs. PHS equips students with the self-confidence and perseverance to succeed academically and socially in college and life. Our superior academics, as well as award winning visual and performing arts and competitive sports, make PHS an excellent choice.

Here at PHS, you will find out what inspires you!

511 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank 91505

Sierra Madre Learning Center SMLC’s mission is to build individualized programs to assist and enrich children’s learning skills. Through our assessment process and ongoing evaluation progress monitoring, we assure educational growth through empirically researched and validated instructional methods. With 20+ years of combined educational practice, credentialed teachers and licensed educational professionals, we work to improve your child’s skills in academics, conceptualization, creativity and comprehension. Through SMLC, you can encourage the development of your child’s achievement.

38 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre 91024

Woodbury University Known for its distinguished role in meeting the educational needs of Southern California since 1884. Woodbury is a destination for students looking for the best education possible on the front edge of creativity and invention. Students benefit from small classes and ready access to professors, with an average class size of 15 students. Our highly credentialed, academically trained professors and “real life” professionals with advanced degrees gives students the best of both worlds. Woodbury students attend class on a 22-acre residential campus nestled in the hills of Burbank, adjacent to the City of Los Angeles.

7500 Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank (818)767-0888 www.woodbury.edu ■

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RESOURCE GUIDE ARCHITECTS HARTMAN BALDWIN DESIGN/BUILD HartmanBaldwin Design/Build is a fully integrated Architecture, Construction and Interior Design Company specializing in upscale remodels, additions, historic restorations and new custom homes for highly discerning individuals that are passionate about their home and lifestyle. We pride ourselves in being chosen by clients who look for a full service firm that will provide them with outstanding design services, cutting-edge materials and products, quality construction that is sustainable and energy-efficient, as well as a relationship that goes beyond the duration of a project. Call (626)486-0510, www.HartmanBaldwin.com.

JAMES COANE & ASSOCIATES Since 1994, James V. Coane, has specialized in: custom residences, estates, historic renovations and expansions, residential and apartment interiors, multi-family residential, corporate interiors, retail and small commercial building design. American Institute of Architects award winners, and named Best Architect by Pasadena Weekly, their projects have been in Architectural Digest and other magazines and used as locations for filming and fashion shoots. Well-versed in historical and modern architecture and design and known for attention to detail on all projects.

Visit jvca.com or call (626)584-6922.

CUSTOM HOME BUILDERS CHELSEA CONSTRUCTION Chelsea Construction is a full service design and construction company, specializing in luxury home remodels, custom homes and commercial construction. Our full time staff provides one stop comprehensive contracting services with cost efficient solutions and quick turnaround for our clients. Since the company’s proud beginnings in finish carpentry, window installations and crown moldings our precision and craftsmanship has evolved into an award winning team that focuses on detail, quality and service. Call us at (818)949-4595 and visit us online at www.chelseaconstructioncorp.com.

DINING & NIGHTLIFE NEW MOON The popular, award-winning New Moon is Zagat listed with locations in Montrose, Downtown L.A., and Valencia. Our families' recipes have been developed over three generations, and continue the philosophy of food as a dynamic and evolving art form. We've updated and re-imagined Chinese classics for contemporary tastes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Nestled in quaint Montrose, we also feature an inviting lounge with a full bar and an extensive wine list. 2138 Verdugo Blvd., Montrose.

(818) 249-4393, newmoonresaurant.com THE VOL. 94 Our goal at Vol. 94 is to make sure your night is memorable we strive to be the best in all of Pasadena with our modern cuisine and eclectic wines. Our menu consists of our variations on familiar dishes such as X.O Risotto, Fauxsagna, Melon & Prosciutto Soup , and SGV Duck. Our forte is our Seoul food since Chef Phil is Korean and most of our kitchen staff. The Food is served in small plate portions to keep the palate excited. Our wines come from all over the world including South America, France, and the Napa Valley. A small number of craft beer is also an option of one does not favor wine. We hope to fulfill and please everyone who walks in our door. 239 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena 91104. (626)356-9494

ZUGO’S CAFÉ Owners, Chez and Sherry Grossi have built their menus and food preparation using Chez's mother Palmira's ethos: fresh, quality ingredients prepared from scratch. All entrees are served with a side salad and fresh bread which is baked throughout the day.

Their wine list is extensive featuring award winning wines from around the world. While dining at Zugo’s you feel like you’re in a café in Italy. Lunch and dinner Tuesday- Sunday and breakfast on the weekends. Zugo’s Café 74 Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024. (626)836-5700 Fax (626)836-5723 www.zugoscafe.com

GIFT BOUTIQUES FANCY THAT! Join the fun and SAVE as Fancy That! celebrates its 5th Anniversary with special events all summer long! Our Summer Bazaar features savings from 25%-75% on select items. Come in, spin the FANCY THAT! Wheel of Savings and shop the Bazaar!

New items added every Tuesday. And then, Vintage Arts & Crafts furniture, lamps and art, plus extraordinary restored 1930’s Zenith Radios. 2575 Mission St., San Marino.

(626)403-2577 www.fancythat.us.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY ARCADIA EYE CENTER Arcadia Eye Center is a practice providing medical and surgical care of the eyes. We emphasize eyelid cosmetic surgery, and facial cosmetic procedures, including facial laser, photoderm treatments, Botox, and facial fillers. An in-office surgical facility provides convenience for our patients. In addition, the practice provides traditional cataract and glaucoma care, as well as refractive care, including lasik, contacts and prescription eyewear. Free Consultation at our Arcadia Office. Call Maria, or office Coordinator for an Appointment. 622 W. Duarte Rd. Suite #103. (626)445-4873 ARCADIA HEALTH CARE CENTER Finding the right skilled nursing community can be a very difficult and sometimes painful experience. The staff at Arcadia Health Care Center works hard to assist in transitioning a patient from hospital to home. We take pride in offering a gentle transitioning program allowing residents the support and assistance they deserve to make the transition as easy and acceptable as possible. AHCC is a 99 bed skilled nursing facility providing both short-term rehabilitation and long-term care. Our beautiful property and caring, professional staff make you feel at home as a resident or a visiting family member. For more information or to schedule a tour, please call 626-445-2170, www.arcadiahealthcarecenter.com AURORA LAS ENCINAS HOSPITAL Behavioral health care treatment options are offered for patients with psychiatric, chemical dependency, or co-occurring disorders. Psychiatric services include inpatient, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs. has remained committed to quality care and service to the community for over 100 years, and grown to include 118 licensed acute care beds, plus 38 residential treatment beds. Please call (626)795-9901 or (800)792-2345 and ask for the Assessment & Referral Department.

BEAUX CONTOURS The future of body sculpting and contouring has arrived at Beaux Contours! Our facilities and staff are geared towards giving you the look you have always wanted. Whether it is a more defined mid section or a tighter jaw line, our physicians are here to help you. With multiple years of combined experience, our physicians will work with you to give you exactly the look that you have been searching for. Call our office today to schedule your complimentary consultation (626)884-0404. You may also visit our website: www.beauxsurgery.com.

Hope to see you in our offices soon!!

CHRISTINE WON, M.D. What is Concierge Medicine? It’s a type of practice that allows you to spend 30 minutes for office visits (rather than 8 minutes in a traditional practice).You’ll be treated like a person instead of a number. We’ll focus on preventive care to maintain your good health through a comprehensive annual physical that includes extensive blood tests, EKG, metabolic test and much more. Call us for info and how to join at (626)793-8455.

DR. MARILYN MEHLMAUER Having smooth, youthful skin is the first step to feeling great about your appearance. Dr. Marilyn Mehlmauer offers a wide variety of solutions for any problem areas on your face.

Whether you have lines, wrinkles or acne, we have a remedy to restore the elasticity and refine the appearance of your skin. Visit us and explore our facial rejuvenation treatment options. Call and schedule your consultation today, (626)585-9474.

DR. JACKLIN POLADIAN, M.D. You don’t have to pay a fortune to receive the medical care that you deserve. With Dr. Jacklin Poladian, your every medical need is thoroughly addressed in a timely manner.

Whether you have a chronic condition that requires continual management or you have an acute illness and want to be seen immediately, you will be taken care of like it should be. Make an appointment and start taking care of your health today. (626) 200-4500.

301 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Suite 403, Pasadena, CA 91214. (626)200-4500 Fax (626)795-0704 healthcare@drjacklinpoladian.com LOS ANGELES CENTER FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH You have unique healthcare concerns, and we have a comprehensive set of services. We offer you world-class treatment and management of health conditions, from the most common to the most complex. Plus screenings, risk assessments, wellness and health education. Timely, thoughtful guidance by our care coordinator – appointment scheduling, follow-up care and help in researching the answers you need – defines our mission of creating healthcare designed with you in mind. Please visit www.lacwh.org or call (213) 742-6400 to schedule an appointment.

MASSAGE ENVY As noteworthy studies continue to demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of massage, more and more people seek the restorative and preventative results of regular massage practice. In the same way that people from all walks of life seek the healthy advantages of routine exercise, proper diet and spiritual or meditative alignment, they also turn to the kinds of treatments offered at Massage Envy, in order to maintain a balanced and productive lifestyle. Massage Envy, 3707 E. Foothill Blvd., Hastings Ranch, Pasadena, CA 91107 (626)351-9100. 333 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale (818)-246-ENVY. 345 S. Lake Ave., #205, Pasadena (626)240-1060.

VANITY MEDICAL AESTHETICS “Thinking about cosmetic surgery, but concerned about the cost and possible complications? Disappointed by expensive department store skin care, touted to eliminate wrinkles and clear blemishes? We at Vanity Medical Aesthetics promise affordable medical aesthetics and great service. As the premier Med Spa, we have the reputation, experience, technology, training, and focus on safety to create the red carpet experience you deserve. Not only will you look your best, you will feel your best.” (626)284-9589 www.vanitydoc.com

HOBBIES & CRAFTS CLAY CASSO Paint Your Story! Explore your inner Picasso at Claycasso: Pottery Painting Studio in Pasadena!! We have hundreds of individual ceramic pieces that you can paint and make your own. Use Claycasso Studio to make decorations or a personal and meaningful gift for loved ones. It's a fun and artistic way to spend time with your family and friends. Claycasso also hosts parties, fundraisers, and other special occasions! Celebrate a special moment in your life by gathering and doing this unique activity together. 450 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena. (626)844-7173 www.claycasso.com

INTERIOR DESIGNERS CYNTHIA BENNETT & ASSOCIATES, INC. Cynthia Bennett & Associates has been a celebrated design and build firm for almost 30 years. They specialize in innovative kitchen and bath design, general construction, historical renovation, project management and interior design. With all areas of residential design and construction being taken care of

by Cynthia Bennett and Associates, Inc., each detail will be thought of and coordinated.

Call for a consultation at (626)799-9701.

INTERIOR SPACES ELEGANT FIREPLACE MANTELS Elegant Fireplace Mantels carry the largest collection of fireplace mantles in North America.

Elegant Fireplace Mantels has the experience of thousands of beautiful completed projects that develop our 3D cad drawing presentation for each mantel in a perfect way. Our expert designers will help you to match any décor period of time and style by using our huge architectural and art historic library that provide us with great knowledge of any décor and style. 800)295-9101 www.Elegantfm.com LBC LIGHTING LBCLighting offers you with the easiest and most convenient way to purchase contemporary lighting for your home or business. Our website is dedicated to assist you with your lighting requirements. We offer you the widest range of contemporary lighting products and we are committed to help you find products that will fit your needs and meet your budget requirement. Celebrating our 21 year in 2012 . LBC lighting continues to offer practical lighting solutions for designers and architects to help accomplish their lighting projects. We carry over 200 brands of lighting products and have been serving the local community for over 21 years. LBCLighting.com LBCmoder.com 18-20 E. Duarte Rd., Arcadia 91006. (626)574-1298 MODERN LIGHTING Modern Lighting has been serving Southern California’s lighting needs since 1946. With all types of fixtures in every price range, you’ll find what you want. If not, we do custom de–continued on page 36 08.12 | ARROYO | 35

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RESOURCE GUIDE –continued from page 35 sign. We have stocks of light bulbs to compliment your fixture and we continually watch the marketplace for the best buys. Our staff has decades of lighting experience. Feel free to contact us if our service is what you are looking for. Call (626)286-3262 RAGERS ABBEY FLOORING If you're looking for the best value on floor and window coverings plus the national buying power of more than 800 stores, look no further! Rager's Abbey Flooring & Window Covering is a locally owned store offering the best personal service and expert installation.

Our friendly staff specializes in residential, commercial, and insurance restoration work.

We are also a proud industry partner of the ASID (American Society of Interior Designers).

Discover our huge selection of top quality and fashionable carpet, hardwood (including bamboo), cork, laminate, sheet vinyl, tile, and window fashions. Don't forget to ask about our environmentally friendly products.

Visit our showroom today!

Monday through Friday: 10:00a.m.-6:00p.m.

Saturday: 10:00a.m.-4:00p.m.

Serving the Southern California area for over 20 years! 52 E. Huntington Drive, Arcadia. (626)446-6753

JEWELRY, ART & ANTIQUES ARNOLD’S FINE JEWELRY It’s a busy time at Arnold’s Fine Jewelry. Bruce Arnold and his seasoned staff work with patrons in choosing just the right gifts from diamond heart pendants to watches and rings.

They also personalize jewelry by engraving graduation gifts sure to please lucky high school and college grads. If you have something special in mind or an estate piece that needs updating, Bruce will custom design a piece of jewelry. 350 S. Lake Avenue. Hours are 10-6 Tuesday-Saturday. (626)795-8647.

BONHAMS AUCTIONEERS & APPRAISERS With resident Specialists well versed in the fields of European and American Furniture and Decorative Arts, 20th Century Design, Hollywood Memorabilia, Jewelry, Books and Manuscripts, Asian Art, California Painting, Prints and Wine, Bonhams Los Angeles is well equipped to appraise individual items, diverse collections and entire estates. To make a private appointment to receive an auction estimate, please call 323-850-7500. Please check our website for forthcoming auctions at www.bonhams.com JOHN MORAN AUCTIONEERS A full-service auction house for over 40 years, John Moran Auctioneers is internationally recognized as a leader in sales of exceptional antiques, fine art, jewelry and eclectic estate items. In addition to monthly Estate Auctions, Moran’s conducts tri-annual California and American Art auctions featuring top 19th and 20th century Impressionist and Western artists. For information about consigning, purchasing at auction, estate services, appraisals, and free walk-in Valuation Days, please call (626)793-1833 or visit johnmoran.com.

WAYNE JASON JEWELRY DESIGNS Wayne Jason Jewelry Designs has been in business since 1987, in the same location in the city of Pasadena, California. Wayne designs most of his own jewelry and manufactures it on the premises, eliminating a middleman. Wayne Jason Jewelry Designs offers unique, often one of a kind, top quality jewelry pieces at a value well below the competition. Most of our designs can be made in any color gold, 18-karat or 14-karat, with any stones. 105 W. California Blvd., Pasadena (626)795-9215 36 | ARROYO | 08.12

OUTDOOR LIVING A. SARIAN POOL CONSTRUCTION A pool builder that stays with you after the pool is built. There are many pool builders; however there is only one that backs up the pool after it is complete. With over 30 years of experience the Sarian brothers know how to construct a pool so it is not only superior in design but will ensure form will follow the function. With the help of their father Gary, Andy and John started a company that is based on three solid principles: high quality product, fair price and they deliver what they say. In the words of one customer,“I had no idea you guys were so good at such a reasonable price.” (818)625-2219 GARDEN VIEW LANDSCAPE Specializing in landscaping, nurseries and pools, Garden View Inc. can take you from a design idea to a finished, detail-oriented garden. Garden View & their clientele are recipients of 60 awards from the California Landscape Contractors Association. The intent of the company is to provide high-quality interrelated outdoor services. The synergy between having their own designer/project managers, in-house crews, their own large nursery, and being a licensed pool builder provides for efficiency, competitive pricing, quality and schedule control. Call (626)303-4043.

HUNTINGTON POOLS & SPAS Huntington Pools & Spas designs and builds custom pools, spas, and outdoor spaces. We create spaces that complement your home’s overall landscape and architecture using a combination of engineering, form, and fit.

Our philosophy is that each project should have a unique balance and connection to the property's overall landscape and architecture. We view each of our waterscapes as a unique work of art and use only top industry professionals, select finish products, and proven technologies. (626)332-1527 www.huntingtonpools.com OLD CALIFORNIA LANTERN Recognized as one of the leading companies in the historical lighting business, Old California Lantern Company’s focus is decorative lighting inspired by the rich history and architecture of California. There are over 1,400 items in the Old California Lantern product line (including mailboxes, portable lamps, desk accessories and garden lighting) with many born through the company’s extensive experience in custom commercial and residential lighting projects. Their goal is to create lighting and accessories that will live for years as family heirlooms. (800)5776679/(714)771-5223 www.ldcalifornia.com TEAK WAREHOUSE Today’s hottest outdoor trend is the outdoor living room ... a favorite for hotels & resorts for years and now available for residential settings. Why go to an expensive resort for the weekend when you can turn your back yard into one? Invest in something that will bring comfort and style for the long run! Teak Warehouse boasts over 16 varied collections of deep seating, offering teak and wicker at the best prices in California. 133 E. Maple Ave., Monrovia. Call (626) 305-8325 or visit www.teakwarehouse.com TOM’S PICTURE PERFECT LANDSCAPE We accommodate all size projects from the small backdoor patio to the estate garden.

Your go to company for all jobs such as construction, water, lighting, stone layout and irrigation. You will receive hands on customer service that includes daily visits to your project by Tom for optimum communication. Our goal is to ensure that the final project is ex-

actly what you expect. No subs ever. All work is done from start to finish by Tom’s certified landscape professionals. Call (626)443-3131 for more information.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BOW HAUS Welcome to the Bowhaus Pet Company! We offer a full service doggy day care, full or selfservice grooming, and a complete line of today's best pet products and foods.

Whether you are dropping Buster off, picking up food, or stopping by for a quick wash, we aim to ensure that you are worry free and confident that Bowhaus will take care of Buster here at our facility or with one of our products back at home. Feel welcomed to come in and enjoy your stay at Bowhaus!"

2472 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena 91107 (626)229-9835. www.bowhauspets.com CHEFELLE, A PERSONAL CHEF SERVICE When you use Chefelle Personal Chef Service, preparing dinner is just one LESS thing you have to think about. We bring the food and equipment, prepare healthy meals and clean up! If you prefer to have prepared meals delivered, we do that too. It's your choice! Thinking of having a party but don't want to do all the work? Let Chefelle make the evening wonderful and delicious. We can even do a drop-off of lunch or dinner items for you to serve, if you prefer. (888)409-CHEF (2433) / (626)303-7117 / Mobile: (626)841-1601 JORDI & CO. Jordan Stringfellow, of Jordi & CO, invents and executes celebrations of all sizes, occasions…and budgets. Parties are invented and executed with reliability, creativity, precision and uncommon detail. Jordi herself will meet with you once, or as often as you like. Be it an intimate dinner party at home, a lavish celebration at a destination, or simply changing the décor of your living space to match the season, Jordi personally wraps her heart around your desire to entertain with style.

Jordi & CO and brings out the soul of events. www.jordiandco.com or call (626)665-4222.

REAL ESTATE/MORTGAGE 1ST REVERSE MORTGAGE 1st Reverse Mortgage USA is one of the top reverse mortgage lenders in the industry. We assist homeowners age 62 and older capitalize on the equity they’ve built in their homes to secure financial independence and peace of mind. 1st Reverse Mortgage USA is dedicated to serving senior homeowners and business professionals in our communities. Our vision is to educate anyone who is sincerely interested in the well-being of seniors. For more information that explains your options, call (626)963-5918. 3500 W. Olive Ave., 3rd Floor Burbank, CA 91505 DICKSON PODLEY Richard Langstaff is an effective Realtor who works hard for his clients. Representing clients in the sale of their Architectural and character homes for over 20 years in the Pasadena area. Richard Langstaff states "The greatest satisfaction in my Business comes from getting results for my clients. I believe that the client’s goals and needs are always the key and the first priority. Podley Properties Richard Langstaff (818)949-5750 PAT LILE, COLDWELL BANKER PREVIEWS Top 2% of all Coldwell Banker Agents in Sales. Previews International. Member President's Elite. 388 South Lake Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. (626) 827-5151.

SOTHEBY’S, LIN VLACICH Lin Vlacich of Sotheby’s, a 25-year veteran in

the real estate profession, is known for her reputation and success as a leader in the San Gabriel Valley brokerage community, as well as for high professional ethics, superior negotiating skills, innovative marketing plans and extensive knowledge of real estate sales.

Committed to excellence in representing buyers and sellers throughout Pasadena, San Marino, South Pasadena and the surrounding communities. Call (626)688-6464 or (626)396-3975 or email vlacichs@aol.com

SENIOR RESOURCES FAIR OAKS BY REGENCY PARK Regency Park Senior Living, with over 40 years’ experience, is renowned in Pasadena for its luxurious, beautifully-appointed senior communities. The Fair Oaks by Regency Park is Pasadena’s most luxurious independent and assisted living senior community. Here residents enjoy a lifestyle of relaxed elegance and the opportunity to select from a broad array of services and activities—from fine dining and daily housekeeping to assistance with any of the activities of daily living. 951 S. Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena. (626)9214108. Visit us at www.regencypk.com for more information PROVIDENCE ST. ELIZABETH (PROVIDENCE ST. JOSEPH’S) Providence St. Elizabeth Care Center is a 52 bed skilled nursing facility. We offer an array of health care services for residents to enjoy themselves with family and friends. To complement our reputation for caring, our specially trained staff works in partnership with residents, families, doctors, referring hospitals, and health professionals to make sure residents' needs are met. As a skilled nursing facility, Providence St. Elizabeth is staffed 24 hours a day by licensed professionals specially trained in geriatric medicine. For more information or to tour Providence St. Elizabeth Care Center, please call (818)980-3872.

SOUTH PASADENA SENIOR CENTER The South Pasadena Senior Center is a fullservice community center available for individuals 55 or older. Maintaining good health is the key to living a long, good life. Our goal is to continually encourage residents to stay healthy through activities. For more information, please call (626) 403-7360. 1102 Oxley Street, South Pasadena. www.cityofsouthpasadena.us/seniorcenter VILLA GARDENS Known as the premier retirement community in Pasadena, is filled with people who share the city’s love of culture, tradition and Southern California style. Our community offers a retirement experience that’s both stimulating and relaxing. Our state of the art fitness center and pool will keep you fit. Try your luck on the putting green or relax with a good book in our exceptional library or in one of our beautiful solariums and courtyards. 842 East Villa Street, Pasadena (626) 796-8162 www.villagardens.org

TRAVEL MONTROSE TRAVEL Celebrating 53 years in business, Montrose Travel, a family-owned travel management company, has grown from 14 employees in 1990 to more than 150 today. Firmly established as a Top 50 Travel Management Company and a Top 5 Host Agency nationwide, Montrose Travel strives to provide the highest quality services and most complete vacation, corporate travel, loyalty and group travel management solutions for its customers and home-based travel agents. 1-800-MONTROSE (800-666-8767), MontroseTravel.com

WIRED WORRIES Are hyper-connected kids facing digital disorders?

BY KATHLEEN KELLEHER WHEN THE FAMILY IPAD DISAPPEARS FROM SIGHT, KELI CHRISTY goes directly to what she and her husband call “the command post.” That's where their daughter Makenzie is often stationed—amidst a technological arsenal that includes a laptop, a desktop, a smartphone, the family iPad and sometimes even an iPod Touch— orchestrating her life at warp speed. “She sits there with her cellphone, her laptop and her desktop [all] going,” says Christy, who lives in South Pasadena with her husband, Sean, and daughters. “One is logged onto Twitter, one is logged onto Facebook and one is getting text messages. It is awful. I don’t have that much time in the day to manage that much media.”

So goes the life of today’s teenager, for whom constant connectivity is the norm.

Like most “digital natives,” Makenzie Christy multitasks seamlessly between homework and a constant stream of digital pings. The 14-year-old South Pasadena High School honor student has her own Twitter feed (her parents are followers) and texts about 10,000 messages a month. Once, when all her technological devices were confiscated for insolence, she demonstrated an impressive technological IQ. “This child figured out a way to text us through my husband’s Xbox somehow,” says her ad exec mom. “There are

so many ways they can engage wireless that they will find a way. So to punish her now, the whole router has to leave the house.”

Makenzie’s digital dexterity is not unusual, as evidenced by a spate of recent studies: Americans between the ages of 8 and 18 spend an average of 71⁄2 hours a day using electronic devices, according to a Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation report. Half of American teenagers ages 12 through 17 send more than 60 text messages a day, the Pew Research Center found, with older teenage girls the most prolific, sending about 100 a day. About 41 percent of teens said they were addicted to their cellphones, according to a June report by Common Sense Media (CSM), a nonprofit that studies technology’s effects on youth. More than half of children under 8 in this country now have access to an iPhone, iPad or touch-screen device, and a majority of teens say social media has a “positive impact on their social and emotional well-being,” CSM found.

Technology has enhanced learning and education in previously unimaginable ways (iPads are used in schools to facilitate learning), but parents, educators, researchers and psychologists are concerned about how all this technology is impacting the psychological –continued on page 39 08.12 | ARROYO | 37

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Parenting Tips for A Digital Age

“Children live in this world where the technology is never off, their [smart]phone is never off and they even sleep with it.”

—author Larry Rosen –continued from page 37

development of children and adolescents. Indeed, the term “Internet Use Disorder” will be included for the first time in the forthcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (or DSM 5), the American Psychiatric Association's list of recognized mental ailments. Larry Rosen, psychology department chair at Cal State Dominguez Hills, argues in a new book that heavy users of digital devices exhibit symptoms that mimic common psychological disorders, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), narcissistic personality disorder, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder.

“Children live in this world where the technology is never off, their [smart]phone is never off and they even sleep with it,” says Rosen, author of iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold on Us (Palgrave/Macmillan; May 2012).

“This fosters a very short attention span, and not just in kids. You can get about three to five minutes of focus before your attention is directed to technology. All the research [findings] are consistent, spanning middle-school students to medical-school students to people in the work world. That is our reality.”

It's a reality some parents address, often in exasperation, by taking away a teenager’s wireless mobile device (what Rosen calls “WMDs”). I, for one, snatched my daughter Maddy’s iPhone away after opening her bedroom door to see how her homework was coming along. She was sitting on her bed in a digital vortex, flanked by her iPhone and iPad, the computer screen open to a couple of windows. Her friend Hannah’s face floated in the screen’s corner in live video chat mode. All the while, her iPhone pinged with text messages and her iPad was open to a Facebook friend’s page.

Yet she was “studying” for an honors biology test.

All this obsessive multitasking is producing what seems aptly described as “popcorn brain” by David Levy, a University of Washington Information School professor. It's a brain hyper-trained for the speed and stimulation of constant electronic multitasking,

1) Create healthy opportunities for your child to interact face-to-face with others (e.g. regular family dinners, volunteering).

2) Persuade your child to study for periods of 15 minutes (gradually lengthening the time to 30 minutes, if possible), before taking a “tech break." ) 3 Ask your child to complete his or her homework within a certain time frame and agree that you will remove a distracting technological device if they cannot.

4) Discuss the perils of social networking with your child, appropriate and inappropriate postings and photos, and emphasize the importance of being wary of potential predators posing as peers, or “friends.” Ask for passwords or to be “friended,” if you feel it is necessary.

5) Declare certain occasions as “device-free zones,” such as family dinner, bedtime and face-to-face conversations. ) 6 Spend time together as a family on outings and leave devices behind.

7) Build trust so your child will speak freely when a social-networking exchange goes awry or another Internet issue comes up. ) 8 Remove your child’s cellphone or laptop at bedtime if he/she is texting or watching videos instead of sleeping.

—K.K.

making the slower, real-time pace of corporeal life—which may include studying for a biology test—far less exciting. Will seizing the iPhone and iPad and limiting her to one screen help?

Rosen is not so sure. “Even if you take away her smartphone and her laptop, she will interrupt from inside of her head,” explains Rosen. “They are constantly wondering if someone texted me, or who called me.” That was the crux of a study on focus conducted

by Rosen and his research team, who observed nearly 300 middle-school, high-school and university students studying in their own home environment for 15 minutes. Students lasted just three minutes before their cellphone or laptop derailed their concentration (as also happened with medical students and computer programmers). Study participants and thousands more students told researchers they could not resist responding to the plethora of beeps, vibrations and flashes pulsing from their digital devices.

The impulse to react immediately to a cellphone ping stems in part from a behavioral addiction to novelty, says Dr. Gary Small, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UCLA. The brain craves immediate gratification, and the stimulation from each digital connection releases a squirt of dopamine, activating the pleasure center, he explains. Even without the devices’ vibrations, lights or pings, students said they were distracted by constantly wondering whether friends had liked a Facebook post or responded to a text message or email. Some even experienced “phantom vibration” when the phone was actually still. Most surprising, says Rosen, was that kids who checked Facebook just once during the 15-minute period studied also had lower overall grades. “There is a lot of anxiety about what they are missing, what MTV has called ‘fear of missing out’ or FOMO,” says Rosen, and that anxiety itself is distracting.

Students who could ignore the digital call for sustained periods had better concentration and higher overall academic achievement.

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–continued from page 39

Rosen found that students can better focus on their work by setting a timer for 15 minutes and placing their smartphones out of reach and upside down. Students focus until the timer rings, then take a “tech break” and check their phones. Gradually, focus time is lengthened between tech breaks, but the longest students could stay focused sans a technology check was about 30 minutes.

While texting in school is generally forbidden and most schools prohibit students from even having their cellphones out of their backpacks, many students boast about being able to text behind their back, through their pockets and under the desk. This happens in class, during reading time and lectures.

More than a few parents check their cellphone records to see if their teenagers are texting during class (or even the middle of the night). “My message is that if you are going to be distracted, then let me teach you when to be distracted and when not to be distracted,” Rosen says.

The overuse of technology is also altering the social behavior of teenagers and young adults, adds Small, author of iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind (HarperCollins; 2008). “I think we have to teach people how to be human,” he says. “Teens are losing their human contact skills and their face-to-face skills.” Some adolescents prefer virtual interactions to in-the-flesh exchanges and may even prefer text messaging to talking on the phone. But communication is more complex and nuanced than what can be expressed in an email or text. Messages can be misconstrued and miscommunication is common. Some studies show a correlation between Internet multitasking and an inability to read human emotions.

“Now when we are communicating through devices, we miss out on emotions as contextual cues,” Rosen says. “All we can do is make a guess, and what we guess often is what we want to be true. The only way to get better [at human interaction] is by getting more practice at it.”

Parents do need to set limits for their children’s use of digital technology. Of course, an idea that’s good in theory doesn’t always work in practice. “I see Paige sleeping in her bed with all that stuff around her and I think of all the light coming from the screen onto her face,” South Pasadena Realtor Drea Valentine says of her 16-year-old daughter. “I tell her not to sleep with her cellphone near her bed. I tell her, ‘Get that laptop off your lap.’ But she doesn’t listen to me.”

With social networking apps making children easy targets and bullying prevalent on social networking sites, it’s certainly reasonable for parents to want more control over their children’s online life. Many parents demand that their children “friend” them on Facebook and divulge passwords to cellphones and Facebook pages. They oversee verbal exchanges and catch inappropriate postings of compromising photos or videos. My son and daughter refused to friend me after we discussed the perils of Facebook. So I am guilty (though not proud) of having looked at their Facebook pages when they walked away from their computer without logging off. I have accepted that they are responsible for their online safety. Mostly they tolerate me talking to them about technological issues, as though I am illiterate and “Oh, isn’t it cute, look at Mom try to engage.” But parents like the Christys are resolute about demanding passwords. “We feel that there are so many ways things could go wrong because she is so social that we have to stay on it,” says Keli Christy, whose younger daughter Kaytlin is 7. “We just do spot checks.”

Parents should stay tuned to what their children are doing on social networking sites, 40 | ARROYO | 08.12

Many students boast about being able to text behind their back, through their pockets and under the desk.

Rosen and Small advise, and build trust so that when there is a problem, children will talk to their parents about it. As for monitoring devices, both Small and Rosen say teens will figure out a way to work around it. Perhaps the best thing parents can do is talk about what is appropriate and inappropriate content. It is also worth discussing people who perhaps should not be connecting to a child or teenager.

The latest trends in technology, applications and websites can be a mystery to parents whose children master them seemingly by instinct. My 19-year-old son chided me like a schoolteacher for “not listening” when he explained how to access notes from an e-book I had read on my iPad. I had to explain to him that it is so foreign to me that I need him to show me more than once, the way one would repeat foreign words to a non-native speaker. His impatience was jolting.

As for the Christys, they are working on helping their daughter lead a balanced life.

Dinnertime is a “no cellphone” zone, and the device is not to be used after 10 p.m. Like many teens who report that Facebook has improved their emotional and social well-being, Makenzie has harnessed social media constructively, posting what inspires her and staying connected to distant family and friends. “I love that she can keep those close bonds with friends and family alive [through social media],” says Keli Christy. “It has been a lot easier for her to cope, knowing that she has face time and can chat with them. ||||

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—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

–continued from page 23 The participation of trusted, loving family and friends represents a tremendous resource for homeowners in the process of downsizing. While advocacy groups, community organizations, current legal provisions and various professionals offer advice and assistance, often the support of family and friends helps senior residents to navigate through the practical and emotional challenges of relocation.

“I really like all family members to be a part of the process,” says Lin Vlacich.“It should be a time here the family can come together to reflect on good times in their family home, and help Mom and Dad move safely into their next stage.”

Ms. Vlacich also advises clients to take advantage of community services available through the senior centers, hospitals, libraries, schools, businesses, churches and organizations like the YMCA. She encourages her older buyers and their families to investigate the local Meals on Wheels program, and transportation services provided by the community for elderly and disabled residents. These resources help to enhance the simplified life sought by those who chose to downsize by offering social, intellectual and pragmatic opportunities to residents.

Perhaps the most essential resource for homeowners in the process of downsizing is real estate agents themselves. Lin Vlacich shares a passion for partnering with these clients, as do Lil Montalvo and Mercy Dimitriu, who are Relocation Specialists at Coldwell Banker – and senior citizens themselves. Mikki Porretta specializes in providing step-by-step, hands-on service for clients who seek downsizing solutions. In fact, she offers a program for seniors called Silver Service.

“I work with the client and help arrange services from room planning, movers, packing, handymen, painters, plumbers, estate sales, etc.,” says Porretta, who also includes staging and notary services in her commission.“My slogan is: To move the memories of a lifetime…you can use my years of experience.”

–continued on page 44

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—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

–continued from page 43 WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DOWNSIZING? “The benefits more often than not outnumber the drawbacks,” Lil Montalvo asserts, and most real estate professionals agree. Homecare responsibilities and safety concerns are greatly reduced when older residents relocate smaller or assisted living facilities. Lin Vlacich agrees, adding that a more manageable space makes for a more manageable life, and she cites financial advantages for downsizing homeowners as well.

The main benefit of downsizing is it is very freeing,” says Ms. Porretta. “You are no longer strapped to more house than you need or want. People spend less time and money on their home and more on doing a lot more pleasurable things than waiting for a plumber or mowing the lawn.”

How Can We Make a Smooth Transition?

In general, the rules for a smooth downsizing transition are pretty much the same as the rules for a smooth voyage through life itself.

• Do your research • Find the right location, resources, activities and environment • Rely upon and engage with loved ones, trusted professionals and your community • Focus on the positive but don’t deny the negative aspects of your experience • Find a reason to celebrate!

The decision to move is rarely made lightly, especially when that decision commands significant changes in our surroundings and routines. But these transitions so often breathe fresh energy and opportunity into our lives. Those of us who live in the Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley region are fortunate because we can continue to take advantage of a breathtaking landscape, climate and community no matter where we lay our heads down at night. And thanks to the individual and organizational resources that surround us, we need never feel alone as we travel through the various passages of our lives. AMHD

44 | ARROYO | 08.12

SENIORS WHO ARE

VIRTUAL VIRTUOSOS?

You bet. More and more older adults are empowering themselves by learning the ABCs of digital life from grandkids and student volunteers.

BY KATHLEEN KELLEHER

08.12 | ARROYO | 47

Fifty-two percent of American adults 65 and older report using the Internet and email, according to a Pew Research Center survey released in June.

AFTER DOROTHY GRAFF’S HUSBAND DIED 13 YEARS AGO, SHE quickly realized that for the past 52 years of marriage, he had handled most of life’s details—details she would have to manage now. “I had to find my way,” said Graff, now 89. “My kids told me, ‘You have to get a computer.’ But I didn’t know how these things worked. I didn’t know the language. I thought Safari was a trip you took in Africa.”

With the help of her children, their spouses, her grandchildren and free computer classes at the Pasadena Senior Center, Graff overcame a daunting digital deficit. “It isn’t unlearnable,” the Pasadena octogenarian proclaims. “If you stick with it, you will learn it.”

Graff speaks with the conviction of the technologically empowered. She has macular degeneration and cannot drive, yet she pays her bills online, checks the Dow Jones Industrial Average, reads news and weather reports and emails friends and loved ones. She can Google her health conditions —macular degeneration and diabetes —thanks to her grandson, Dr. John Paul Graff, a Long Beach pathologist who taught her how to increase the contrast and font size of text, and zoom in. The virtual connection to her family, friends and the boundless universe of digital information has changed her life. “It has been a blessing,” Graff said.

Fifty-two percent of American adults 65 and older report using the Internet and email, according to a Pew Research Center survey released in June. The report is the first indication that more than half of seniors are online. About 34 percent of adults over 65 say they use social networking sites such as Facebook (18 percent report checking Facebook on a typical day). Almost 70 percent of those 65 and older report that they have cellphones, up from 57 percent a year ago. Many older adults are adopting touch-screen

technology such as iPads and smart tablets because the devices are bigger than phones, so the text is easier to see and they’re easier to use.

But for a great many older adults, especially those who did not use technology on the job, learning how to use computers, digital devices and the plethora of their applications is confusing and overwhelming. Even cellphones can be difficult to master; every device comes with its own manual, and the small type size, tiny keyboards and miniature screens can be difficult to manage for seniors with failing vision, arthritic hands and zero technological intuition. Free computer classes are offered at most public libraries, senior centers and lifelong learning programs designed for older adults at community colleges. But some of the best teachers are even closer—digital natives who can be a daughter, son, grandchild, niece or unrelated high school or college student.

Take Mariah Tomason. The Temple City High School senior volunteered to teach a Skype class at the Pasadena Senior Center over the summer of 2011. She designed the twice-a-week, 90-minute course and bought headphones with microphones and digital cameras for the center’s computers. The classes were very popular, enabling seniors to connect with relatives as far away as Iraq and China. “If it wasn’t for Mariah, I wouldn’t have even tried it,” said Barbara Simon, 62, of Glendale. “You aren’t even sure what to ask until you have tried it. I used it with my pen pal [of 30 years] in England and a friend in Burbank.”

A number of Tomason’s students did not even have email addresses before she helped set them up. Even digitally adept seniors such as Suzanne Barber, who retired in 2005 from her job at JPL in Pasadena, had no idea how to live-video chat. “I knew nothing about Skype,” said Barber, 75, who added that she is currently “addicted” to her iPad. 08.12 | ARROYO | 49

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“There has to be a person who is there to help and support older adults so that they can ask a question when it comes up…” ~ Prof. T.J. McCallum

“Mariah made it very clear and it was good hands-on experience. I found it useful for regular long-distance phone calls because it is cheaper than my prepaid cellphone. I have discontinued long distance on my landline.”

Indeed, the Skype program was so successful that the Pasadena Senior Center, which also offers classes in Facebook, iPads, cellphones and general computer classes, now has open Skyping hours. Seniors who took the class told Tomason they felt they had enough Skype savvy to teach the class themselves. “It is pretty easy to teach an old dog new tricks,” said Tomason with a smile. “It was very, very rewarding. My favorite experience was a woman who connected with her friend in Great Britain. The woman had been in the British Royal Air Force and she held up photos of herself [from that time].”

On teaching days Tomason would hover over her students, ready to support and assist as questions came up. Occasionally, when only one student showed up, she would Skype with that student from another computer in the center. Older adults, who can get easily frustrated, do best when technological support is at the ready. “There has to be a person who is there to help and support older adults so that they can ask a question when it comes up, because there is a fear they won’t be able to use [the technology],” said T.J. McCallum, an associate professor of psychology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, who studies aging. “Like when the computer asks you a question [such as, do you want to check for upgrades or install new software?] and there will be two or three questions that will pop up in boxes and it will just throw them off.”

Three years ago, McCallum created Brain Emporium, a not-for-profit brain fitness program aimed at improving visual-spatial skills, memory, attention, language and abstract thinking in older adults. His mission is encouraging older adults to adopt and use technology that can improve their lives. College students staff the Brain Emporium computer lab in Cleveland to help older adults engage in entertaining, interactive brain-

fitness activities. While the programming is designed to keep the brain in shape (though it won’t prevent Alzheimer’s disease), McCallum said that the real benefit is the social aspect of different generations coming together to engage digitally. “It is a matter of getting older people to believe they can do it,” said McCallum. “They don’t seem to know the capability of the technology, and we can get them to the next level so they are thinking of using the computer to do something creative or more broad.”

And the social benefits go both ways. Some educators embrace the intergenerational connection as an ideal opportunity for adolescents to learn the rewards of empathy, selflessness, patience and service. “Our kids usually work with seniors on using iPhones, and iPads,” said Lauren McCabe, coordinator of the eighth-grade service-learning program at Westridge School For Girls in Pasadena. The students usually work with seniors at the Pasadena Senior Center twice a year. “Some seniors won’t know how to enter a contact into their cellphone and some will come in with new iPads and not be sure how to use them. It is exciting for kids when they get to be the experts.”

Closing the digital gap can have a profound effect on older adults’ lives. A cellphone can be the best alert system for an older person prone to falling or other risks that might require emergency help. Dorothy Graff, who lost her driver license a year ago, refers to her cellphone as “my security blanket.” She has been lucky enough to have her grandson, a.k.a. “the computer whiz,” around to help her learn how to use her cellphone and desktop computer to overcome her disabilities. For his part, he relishes the chance to help his grandmother, whom he describes as “the epitome of ‘the little old lady from Pasadena.’”

“My grandma is almost 90 and she is losing her vision, yet she is as cool as any young kid using an iMac,” said Dr. Graff, as he rushed out the door of his Long Beach apartment to surf. “It is weird getting emails from her. It’s a huge empowerment for her and it maximizes what she can do. And it is a great bonding experience.” ||||

08.12 | ARROYO | 51

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KITCHEN CONFESSIONS

The Pet Set People may be cutting back on dinners out these days, but some dogs are living high off the hog.

STORY BY LESLIE BILDERBACK | PHOTOS BY CLAIRE BILDERBACK

In this economy, jobs are hard to come by, even in the food service industry. One popular solution is to forgo the preparation of human food and put that expensive culinary training to use cooking for pets. That’s right. Americans can’t afford to eat out, but we’ll spend our hard-earned cash on gourmet treats for Fluffy.

Small pet-food businesses are popping up all over the place, with surprisingly successful results. I suppose it was only a matter of time, as pets have become the accessory du jour. A purse just isn’t a purse without a small furry head sticking out of it. Pets are suddenly acceptable everywhere. I recently encountered a lap dog at the theater… in the audience…during a performance! (And no, it was not a service dog. I checked.) My neighborhood grocery store has a doggie water station out front, and many restaurants now allow dogs in their outdoor patio sections. It is only a matter of time until restaurants offer doggie menus. Oh, wait, they already do. In Edmonds, Washington, The Dining Dog Café offers a full menu for dogs, including cocktails, appetizers, –continued on page 54 08.12 | ARROYO | 53

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS

–continued from page 53 entrées, desserts and, by special order, birthday cakes and cupcake trays.

I have trouble wrapping my head around this, as I have seen the things my dogs happily eat, and much of it requires no preparation whatsoever. (Nor is it bought in a store.) They are hardly discriminating.

And yet, gourmet food for Fido is sweeping the nation. I know plenty of bakers and chefs who have entered the lucrative niche market of pet food. One friend worked out a deal with his restaurant’s owner to use the equipment after hours for schmancy dog biscuits, which sell like gangbusters at Christmas. Two of my former students opted out of pastry chef jobs in favor of the Three Dog Bakery, a business that I thought was doomed to fail. I am happy to report that I could have hardly been more wrong; they are going strong in Old Pasadena, the L.A. Farmers Market and more than 20 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Another pair of chefs started Two Brown Dogs Gourmet, making all-natural doggie meatballs out of chicken, beef and pork with brown rice, oats and seasonal vegetables, for a growing customer base of discriminating panting palates.

(You can order them at twobrowndogsgourmet@gmail.com.)

There is nothing wrong with good food for animals. I love giving my pets tasty treats, and they love getting them. There is something a bit off, however, with treating your pet like a person. That America cares more about its pets than its kids is clear to anyone with retired parents. They’re among a growing sector of society that looks to animals for the social and emotional support that, generations ago, was provided by close-knit families and caring neighbors. This shift in family dynamic has boosted pet pampering into a $45 billion--per-year industry. Today you can buy doggy raincoats, boots, ball gowns, tuxedos and perfume. Dog TV is a real network devoted to entertaining your dog while you are at work. Pets no longer stay at a kennel but luxuriate at pet hotels, which offer raised beds, fish tanks for cats and a “bone booth” for receiving calls from human owners. To ease anxiety, there are pet psychotherapists, puppy Prozac and Neuticles—$900 testicular implants to restore your dog’s dignity.

If only we could channel all that time, energy and money into the education system.

It’s not that I am anti-pet. I have owned pets my whole life. My first dog was named Pup-Pup (which I owned as a child, when I lived on Wunderlich Drive—giving me, as you can see, the world's best porn name*). I’ve had rabbits (one named Shoey, which I named after a pair of shoes), several cats (two of which were named C’mon and Cherry, which made calling them in fast and easy) and guinea pigs that preferred eating each other to eating their guinea pig chow. In the back corner of our yard is a hamster shoebox graveyard that rivals Forest Lawn.

Currently we have two dogs, and while I love them, I consider them dogs, not “fur babies” (the insidious term being bandied about lately). They were rescued and added to our family as watchdogs, not siblings for the kids. They do a job and, in return, I feed them, give them water and pet them every night. They do not share our bed or

Canine Cookies Every pet appreciates homemade gifts (?!), so, for the pet that has everything, why not whip up a batch of these meaty treats? Bone-, cat- and fish-shaped cutters are available at all reputable cookware stores. Or you could just make the cookies round and leave them on the counter to see who goes for them first.

wear Halloween costumes. I know this viewpoint is unpopular, but I subscribe to the opinion that animals are not people. We’ve domesticated them already, and I put forth that dressing them like people and bringing them to the dinner table is perhaps a step too far. I doubt the puppy purse set would accept it if the tables were turned, and they were forced to be led around on a leash. If you care so much about your pets, why not consider their doggy dignity? Besides, I see a contradiction in people who dress their dogs like children but have no problem eating other animals and tolerating their abuse. (I’m talking to you, foie gras hoarders.)

I’m just going to respectfully bide my time, because sooner or later, someone will figure out how to make them talk, and then humans will end up as the pets. *To determine your own porn name, combine the names of your first pet and the

INGREDIENTS 1 pound raw chicken livers 2 eggs 1 cup chicken stock 1 cup old-fashioned oats 3 to 4 cups whole wheat flour

METHOD 1. In a food processor, combine liver, egg and stock, and pulse to combine. Add oats and half the flour, and mix. Add remaining flour, pulsing until a firm dough is formed. Remove from processor, wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350˚ and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough until it's a half-inch thick and, using floured cookie cutters, cut into decorative shapes and set on prepared baking sheets, an inch apart.

3. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until dry and golden brown. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, or freeze for several months.

first street you lived on. ||||

Leslie Bilderback is a certified master baker, chef and cookbook author. A South Pasadena resident, she teaches her techniques online at culinarymasterclass.com.

54 | ARROYO | 08.12

Variations: This works just as well with beef, pork or lamb liver and stock; or make it with tuna and fish stock for your favorite cat.

WINING & DINING

Al Fresco in Arroyo AS MIDSUMMER BECKONS, YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO AT ONE OF THESE OUTDOOR DINING DESTINATIONS.

BY BRADLEY TUCK

It’s hard to stroll down Colorado Boulevard without noticing the abundance of sidewalk tables surrounded by chattering shoppers, bags at their feet, sipping wine or pushing a fork around a plate. And that’s a great thing. We have glorious weather to warm the skin and pretty architecture to soothe the eyes. The mercury might climb a little high sometimes, but there’s usually some shade to offer respite, along with iced tea. Dining and drinking outside is one of life’s great pleasures. The Europeans have known this for a very long time, café culture seemingly woven into their DNA.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Sushi Roku

–continued on page 57

“Hanabi” (spicy tuna on crispy rice) from Sushi Roku

08.12 | ARROYO | 55

56 | ARROYO | 08.12

WINING & DINING

–continued from page 55 Even rain-sodden London now has a wealth of pavement tables. And the pleasures of an al fresco meal can be enjoyed in more than just restaurants and cafés. Parks and other public open spaces are ideal venues for breaking out a fresh air feast. So here are a few Pasadena plein air pointers: Breakfast at The Raymond We’re going to say it: The Raymond has our favorite patio. The wisteria-clad space behind the bar is particularly lovely at night—the perfect spot to nurse a meticulously made cocktail. Breakfast, however, belongs to The Raymond’s middle patio. With tables nestled under a timber arbor that affords just the right amount of shade, it’s possible to tuck into a splendid breakfast—not brunch, but actual breakfast—without actually becoming toast. They open at 9 a.m., a time when some civilized folk like to be up and about, and serve breakfast until 2.30 p.m.

Highlights are the blueberry pain perdu, a lovely French toast to which we’d advocate adding some smoked bacon, and the cheddar and herb cakes—a cheese-and-herb pancake with smoked ham, white mushrooms and an egg. Throw in a Raymond bloody Mary to cure what undoubtedly ails you, and you’re good to go.

The Raymond Restaurant & 1886 1250 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena (626) 441-3136 • theraymond.com Lunch at Nicole’s Gourmet Foods

Williams-Sonoma Wicker Picnic Basket

Nicole’s is the kind of market/café every town wishes it had. An incredible cheese selection, wonderful sandwiches, house-made desserts and all manner of French gourmet goods are

DIY AL FRESCO

on offer in this little slice of France that lives quite magically in South Pasadena. A seat at

Sometimes you want to enjoy the simple pleasure of a picnic—spreading a blanket on

one of the umbrella-shaded sidewalk tables at lunchtime will make you feel as though

warm grass and breaking out a mobile meal to share with friends. Of course, it can be

you’re on vacation. Another plus is that it’s a minute’s walk to the Mission Gold Line Sta-

as simple or elaborate as you wish. A warm sandwich pulled from a plastic bag is all

tion. So you could go car-free, and enjoy a glass of wine or two with your lunch.

that’s needed sometimes, but if you want to make a festive occasion out of it, here are a few things to help you pack a memorable picnic:

Nicole’s Gourmet foods 921 Meridian Ave., South Pasadena

Williams-Sonoma Wicker Picnic Basket

(626) 403-5751 • nicolesgourmetfoods.com

Beautifully detailed and packed with all the accoutrements of sophisticated outdoor dining, this picnic basket will send any nearby plastic plates scuttling to the dumpster.

Dinner at Sushi Roku’s Red Sun Beer Garden

Porcelain plates, hand-blown wineglasses, napkins and silverware are all nestled snugly

Sushi Roku has been bringing a bit of Hollywood glamour to Pasadena’s One Col-

in an English-style natural willow case lined with cotton. Even PBJs would look sophisti-

orado since 2000. It’s glitzy without being trashy, and the food and service are per-

cated in this.

fectly pitched. Great for dates or for a night out with good friends, it's not cheap, but

$349.95, williams-sonoma.com

PHOTO: Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma

the fish is excellent, as are the cocktails. There’s a small patio in front, but the real al fresco treat is their new Beer Garden Saturdays. Between 5 and 10 p.m., they set up

Hermès Giant Avalon blanket

30-odd tables in the big brick courtyard of One Colorado and serve a menu of appe-

At 87 +by 102 inches, the Giant Avalon is a major piece of fabric real estate. Yes, it’s out-

tizers, sushi, sashimi and robatayaki skewers, grilled over an open flame on binchotan

rageously expensive. But even if it just inspires you to find your own, less expensive Avalon

charcoal from Japan.

equivalent, we’ll have done our job. Imagine the aforementioned wicker basket nestling on this huge sheet of Merino wool and cashmere, while you pop the top of a British Mal-

Sushi Roku

don Water and stroke the sumptuous weave of your blanket, blades of grass tickling

33 Miller Alley, Pasadena

your toes. You get the idea.

(626) 683-3000 • sushiroku.com

$2,800, hermes.com |||| 08.12 | ARROYO | 57

THE LIST

A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER

PLANETFEST CELEBRATES MARS MISSION

DESIGNING WOMEN ON DISPLAY AT THE AUTRY

from the late 19th century and closes with

Painting,” at 2 p.m.

Aug. 4 and 5—The

Aug. 1 —The season’s final installment of

Aug. 10—The Autry National Center

the late 20th century.

Planetary Society cel-

Fusion Fridays starts at 7:30 p.m. Enjoy

presents “California’s Designing Women,

The Autry National Center is located at

ebrates Curiosity, the

music spun by DJs, food truck snacks, a

1896-1986,” honoring 46 women designers

4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park.

latest Mars Science

cash bar, a chance to view the

and exhibiting more than 200 examples of

Call (323) 667-2000 or visit theautry.org.

“Gajin Fujita: Ukiyo-e in Contemporary

the first computer-aided graphics from

Laboratory rover,

A LOCAL NOVELIST'S DEBUT

scheduled to land on the red planet Aug. 5, with “Planetfest”

Aug. 11---Pasadena screenwriter Sandi

at the Pasadena Convention Center. The

Tan reads from her debut novel, The Black

event, running from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Isle, an historical tale of ghosts, war and

Saturday and 2 to 11:30 p.m. Sunday,

survival, at a 4 p.m. booksigning at Vro-

features Planetary Society Chief Executive

man's Bookstore.

Officer Bill Nye,“the Science Guy,” welcom-

Vroman's Bookstore is located at 695 E.

ing Mars scientists, engineers and enter-

Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 449-

tainment industry celebrities, who will

5320 or visit vromansbookstore.com.

share their ideas. The event includes a

SOUTHWEST CHAMBER MUSIC CELEBRATES JULIA CHILD’S CENTENNIAL AT SUMMER FESTIVAL

tribute to recently departed sci-fi icon Ray Bradbury. Ticket prices are available at planetfest.org.

The Pasadena Convention Center is lo-

Southwest Chamber

cated at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena. Call

Music continues its

(626) 793-5100 or visit planetfest.org.

Summer Festival at The Huntington with

FLUTES AND FOOD FOR THOUGHT AT THE HUNTINGTON

four concerts this

Aug. 5—Young musi-

also remembered during what would

cians with the Virtuoso

have been her centennial year with

International Flute En-

menus inspired by her recipes, available

semble and the Cal

to ticket holders at additional charge in

State LA Symphony

the Rose Garden Tea Room.

Orchestra/Olympia

Aug. 11 and 12—Southwest performs

month. Julia Child is

works by Debussy, Pham Minh Thanh,

Youth Orchestra perform classical and contemporary works in a free 2 p.m. concert in Friends’ Hall. Reservations are not required.

Aug. 18—Chef and art instructor Maite Gomez-Rejón leads a session of “A Taste

CELEBRATING FOOD AND WINE

Van Anh Vanessa Vo and Ravel.

Aug. 25 and 26—The program features works by de Falla, Milhaud, Debussy, Ravel and Louiguy-Piaf.

of Art: Summer in the Gilded Age,” as

Aug. 9 through 12—The second annual Los Angeles Food & Wine fest features nu-

All concerts start at 7:30 p.m. Single

guests explore American art from the late

merous fine dining events Thursday through Sunday around the L.A. area, where

tickets cost $45 for loggia seating,

19th century and then prepare and enjoy

more than 100 celebrity chefs and reps from 250 wineries will be on hand. High-

$28 for lawn.

a meal that might have been served to

lights include “Giada [De Laurentiis]’s Festa Italiana” from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday

The Huntington Library, Art Collections

high society of the period. The cost for the

at Nokia Plaza’s L.A. Live. Tickets range from $195 to $250. Before the main events,

and Botanical Gardens is located at

3 1⁄2-hour class from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is

a special Founders’ Dinner runs from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. at a private residence in

1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino. Call (800)

$90 ($80 for members). Call (626) 405-

Bel Air. Tickets cost $2,000.

726-7147 or visit swmusic.org.

2128 to register.

Visit lafw.com/index.cfm/events.htm.

SCULPTURE, NATURE STUDIED AT NORTON SIMON

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens is located at 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino. Call (626) 405-

“Kimono in the 20th Century” exhibition

textiles, ceramics, furniture, lighting, jewelry,

Aug. 11 and 12—Artist/educator Roder-

2100 or visit huntington.org.

and a fashion show and take on a reality

clothing and graphics. While women

ick Smith leads the Teen Arts Academy’s

TV--inspired fashion-design challenge.

have traditionally been recognized for

“Shaping Expression: A Sculpture Work-

Dress code is cocktail or Asian attire.

their contributions in the decorative arts,

shop” from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sun-

Admission costs $15 (free for members).

commercial design and fine crafts were

day. After studying a selection of the

Aug. 5—Curator Bridget Bray leads a con-

Pacific Asia Museum is located at 46 N.

historically the province of men. The exhi-

museum’s 20th-century sculptures to

versation with artist Gajin Fujita about his

Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 449-

bition, which runs through Jan. 6, opens

learn how artists use 3-D forms to express

work, focusing on the current exhibition

2742 or visit pacificasiamuseum.org.

with hand-cut, woodblock-printed posters

CONVERSATION AND KIMONOS AT PACIFIC ASIA MUSEUM

58 | ARROYO | 08.12

–continued on page 61

08.12 | ARROYO | 59

60 | ARROYO | 08.12

THE LIST

Poperazzi

THE SWEET LIFE Aug. 18—The Pasadena Pops Summer Series rolls along at its new home at the L.A. County Arboretum with a 7:30 p.m. performance titled “La Dolce Vita.” Guest conductor Michael Krajewski leads the orchestra in the sounds of Italy, joined by pop-opera group Poperazzi, singing a range of tunes immortalized by masters from Pavarotti to Sinatra. Single tickets cost $10 to $96.

The L.A. County Arboretum is located at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Call (626) 793-7172 or visit pasadenasymphony-pops.org.

–continued from page 58 emotional and aesthetic values, students use symbols and abstract elements to create their own works in clay.

CAL PHIL BRINGS BROADWAY GREATS, BEETHOVEN BLOCKBUSTERS

The program is designed for teens from

The California Philhar-

13 to 17. Admission is free; students must

monic Orchestra’s

register at nortonsi-

Saturday evening

mon.org/education/teens.

“Festival on the

Aug. 12—This month’s Afternoon Salon

Green” series at

from 2 to 3 p.m., “Hallmarks of Nature:

Santa Anita Park in Ar-

From Still Life to Cherry Blossom,” exam-

cadia offers pre-concert dining and live

ines the diversity of expression artists

jazz starting at 5:30 p.m., followed by an

have used to depict the world around

8 p.m. concert. Repeat performances at

them. Guests examine Louise Moillon’s

Walt Disney Concert Hall start at 2 p.m.

realism, the post-impressionist still lifes of

Sundays, with a talk by Maestro Victor Vener

Paul Cézanne and the transitory nature

at 1 p.m. Arcadia tickets range from $20 to

of life in Japanese woodblock prints of

$98; Disney Hall seats go for $25 to $100.

the Edo period. Free with museum ad-

Aug. 11—“Carmen on Broadway” features

mission.

a salute to great musicals, including West

Aug. 17—The Norton

Side Story, Man of La Mancha, Beauty

Simon’s Summer

and the Beast and others. Featured vo-

Concert Series

calists are bass baritone Cedric Berry and

features Maksim

opera stars Sandra Rubalcava and

Velichkin performing

Christopher Bengochea, who perform

contemporary solo

with the Cal Phil Chorale, directed by

cello music from 7 to 8 p.m. Free with mu-

Maestra Marya Basaraba.

seum admission.

Aug. 25—The orchestra’s season finale,

The Norton Simon Museum is located at

“Beethoven and John Williams,” spotlights

411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call

selections from Star Wars, Superman,

(626) 449-6840 or visit nortonsimon.org.

–continued on page 62 08.12 | ARROYO | 61

THE LIST

–continued from page 61

Fremont Centre Theatre is located at 1000

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Beethoven’s Sym-

Fremont Ave., South Pasadena. Call (866)

phony No. 9 and more.

811-4111 or visit

Santa Anita Park is located at 285 W. Hunt-

fremontcentretheatre.com.

ington Dr., Arcadia. Walt Disney Concert Hall is located at 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

Call (626) 300-8200 or visit calphil.org.

MULTI-MEDIA SYNERGY MAPPED AT EAGLE ROCK ARTS CENTER Aug. 20—Center for

DOO DAH PARADE GOES DOWN IN HISTORY

the Arts, Eagle Rock

Aug. 15—Pasadena’s annual exercise in

tion “The Mapping of

open-air eccentricity is the subject of an

Countries Yet to

presents the exhibi-

Come,” a multi-media

exhibition at the Pasadena Museum of History opening today and continuing

collaboration between L.A. animator and

through Jan. 13.“What A Long Strange Trip

multi-media filmmaker Miwa Matreyek

It’s Been: 35 Years of the Pasadena Doo

and experimental electronic musician

Dah Parade” includes a photo wall of pa-

Steven Ellison, known professionally as Fly-

rade and crowd images, vignettes of some

ing Lotus, running through Aug. 29.“Map-

of the parade’s better-known entrants, cos-

ping” is highlighted with a performance

tumes and memorabilia of various past

by the artists at 9 p.m. Aug. 24. Admission

Doo Dah Queens and more. The exhibition

is free, but call or visit the website to RSVP.

is curated by Tom Coston, Patricia Hurley

Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock is located

and Rosalind Schoen of parade sponsor

at 2225 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock.

Light Bringers Project, and private individu-

Call (323) 226-1617 or visit cfaer.org.

als Sue Behrens and Steve Vargas.

The Pasadena Museum of History is

MUSIC RULES AT THE COURT

located at 470 W. Walnut St., Pasadena.

Aug. 24—Boston Court presents “Two

Call (626) 577-1662 or

Sides of Cage’s Coin,” featuring pianist

visit pasadenahistory.org.

Gloria Cheng, in honor of the centennial of composer John Cage’s birth. She’ll per-

62 | ARROYO | 08.12

OBAMA GETS HIS GROOVE BACK AT FREMONT CENTRE THEATRE

form the 1952-vintage “Water Music,”

Aug. 18—City in a Swamp Productions

cards, an analog radio and a duck whis-

which uses a pitcher of water, a deck of

presents the comedy

tle. Also on the program is “Sonatas and

How Obama Got His

Interludes for Prepared Piano,” a collec-

Groove Back at

tion of 20 short pieces inspired by the key-

8 p.m., continuing

board sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti.

through Oct. 7. Re-

Aug. 25—Grant Gershon, music director

calling how audi-

of Los Angeles Master Chorale and L.A.

ences were thrilled when he sang at the

Opera associate conductor and chorus

Apollo Theater and at a White House

master, plays keyboard and conducts the

blues concert, the fictional Obama takes

vocal quartet of Suzanne Waters, Adriana

off on a career as a soul singer and music

Manfredi, Daniel Cheney and Reid Burton

educator, leaving the country in wife

in a performance of international folk

Michelle’s able hands. Mitt Romney de-

songs arranged by a variety of com-

cides to lighten up his persona by taking

posers, including Brahms, Bartok, Cop-

improv classes in order to be funnier and

land and Tormis, with music from France,

relate more to “average” folks. An unex-

England, Estonia, Hungary, Romania and

pected encounter between the two leads

the United States.

to some political jousting. Derek Reid and

Both performances start at 8 p.m. Tickets

Caitlin Hart direct. The play was written by

cost $25, $20 for students and seniors.

Nicholas Zill and Derek Jeremiah Reid.

The Boston Court Performing Arts Center is

Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday

located at 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena.

and 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission costs $30,

Call (626) 683-6883 or visit

$25 for students.

bostoncourt.com.

08.12 | ARROYO | 63