Arroyo August 2015

FINE FI NE LI LIVING IN THE G GREATER REA REATER ATER PASADENA PASA PA SAD ADEN ENA AREA

AUGUST 2015

TIGER

PARENTING SHOULD YOU PUSH KIDS TO THE TOP?

LEARNING TO SEE Vision Problems That Hold Back Kids at School

FROM A DISTANCE Caring for Elderly Parents Who Live Far Away

WHO WERE THE GAMBLES? THE FAMILY BEHIND THE MASTERPIECE

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Photo by Bria Brian nM Meyers ers Š HartmanBaldwin, Inc. Lic.653340

A R C H I T E CT U R E . C O N S T R U CT I O N . I N T E R I O R S .

626.486.0510

HartmanBaldwin.com

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arroyo

VOLUME 11 | NUMBER 8 | AUGUST 2015

13

49

56

PHOTOS: (top) Courtesy of Amy Chua, (bottom left) Alexander Vertifkoff, (bottom right) Leslie Bilderback

PARENTS AND EDUCATION 2015 13 TIGER PARENTING: THE YIN AND YANG OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT A Pasadena-based educator and a mother of three consider the costs of fierce parental pressure on kids of all ethnicities.

—By Diana Palmer and Patt Diroll

18 THE EYES HAVE IT Eye specialists are finding that some children’s learning troubles are caused by correctable vision problems.

—By Ilsa Setziol

21 SO FAR AWAY Long-distance caregiving strategies for your elderly parents —By Rebecca Kuzins

49 WHO WERE THE GAMBLES? The Gamble House curator brings the family to life in a new book.

—By Anne E. Mallek

DEPARTMENTS 11

FESTIVITIES The Beastly Ball at the L.A. Zoo, the Concern Foundation’s Block Party

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KITCHEN CONFESSIONS You should be outraged by companies bottling California water — but not for the reason you think.

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THE LIST A fruit jam competition at One Colorado, the Pasadena Pops does Sinatra and more

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EDITOR’S NOTE I don’t remember a lot of parental pressure when I was growing up. My mom was too busy with her own life to live through me — she was Peggy, the female advertising pioneer in Mad Men, only she had a family, for which she received endless grief.

(Working moms were bêtes noires in those days.) My parents’ high expectations must have come through, though, because I managed to get into pretty good schools. Of course, in those days, college applicants were mainly competing with the rest of the country. Now they’re competing with the world.

Enter tiger parents — the term coined by Yale Law’s Amy Chua in a controversial 2011 book. She wrote that she demanded that her daughters earn all A’s, and she maximized their chances by forbidding them to watch TV, play computer games or have play dates. Back in Arroyoland, one San Marino High student who was overwhelmed by academic pressure grabbed headlines in June when she ran away. (She resurfaced two days later and asked her parents to pick her up at the public library.)

Certainly Chinese parents are not alone in pushing their kids hard. Moms and dads of all ethnicities pressure their children to get into the “right” schools. They believe they’re doing what’s necessary to help their kids succeed in a tough world. But are they really doing what’s best for their children? Diana Palmer, an educational consultant and former teacher for LAUSD, and Patt Diroll, who raised three fine adults, consider the complex question in this issue.

Ilsa Setziol has a fascinating story about the recently discovered link between some children’s difficulties learning and vision problems. The new field of behavioral optometry is finding ways to correct those problems with eye exercises and lenses, which are putting kids back on track at school.

On another front, a lavishly illustrated new book, The Gamble House: Building Paradise in California, documents the history and aesthetics of the Pasadena landmark. In an excerpt, Curator Anne E. Mallek explores the lives of the family behind the Arts and Crafts palace — the heirs to the Procter & Gamble fortune.

—Irene Lacher

EDITOR IN CHIEF Irene Lacher ART DIRECTOR Carla Cortez ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Stephanie Torres PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Tim Oliver, Rochelle Bassarear EDITOR-AT-LARGE Bettijane Levine COPY EDITOR John Seeley CONTRIBUTORS Leslie Bilderback, Martin Booe, Michael Cervin, Scarlet Cheng, Patt Diroll, Carole Dixon, Kathleen Kelleher, Rebecca Kuzins, Diana Palmer, Ilsa Setziol, John Sollenberger, Nancy Spiller ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Dina Stegon ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Lisa Chase, Brenda Clarke, Leslie Lamm ADVERTORIAL CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Bruce Haring ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Tim Oliver, Stephanie Torres HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Andrea Baker PAYROLL Linda Lam ACCOUNTING Alysia Chavez, Kacie Cobian OFFICE ASSISTANT Ann Weathersbee PUBLISHER Jon Guynn 8 | ARROYO | 08.15

arroyo FINE LIVING IN THE GREATER PASADENA AREA

SOUTHLAND PUBLISHING V.P. OF FINANCE Michael Nagami V.P. OF OPERATIONS David Comden PRESIDENT Bruce Bolkin CONTACT US ADVERTISING dinas@pasadenaweekly.com EDITORIAL editor@arroyomonthly.com PHONE (626) 584-1500 FAX (626) 795-0149 MAILING ADDRESS 50 S. De Lacey Ave., Ste. 200, Pasadena, CA 91105 ArroyoMonthly.com ©2015 Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

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FESTIVITIES

Los Angeles Zoo Director John Lewis with Sarah Michelle Gellar

PHOTOS: Jamie Pham for Beastly Ball, Danielle Spencer and Rhona Watts for Concern Foundation

Carolyn Hennesy, GLAZA Co-Chairman Richard Lichtenstein and his wife, Melanie Cotton

Tom LaBonge, GLAZA Co-Chairman Betty White and Jason Kidd

The 45th annual Beastly Ball drew a big crowd on June 20, raising $1.04 million for the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park. More than 800 animal lovers came out for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s (GLAZA) popular after-hours event, where they gazed at rare white tigers and Chutti the baby rhino while cruising open bars and food stations (including Pasadena landmarks Celestino and El Cholo) amid the enclosures. Later in the evening, the party moved to the entry plaza to honor supporters L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge, singer/ philanthropist Lance Bass and 99 Cents Only Stores.

Guests included former honorees Pauley Perrette and Sarah Michelle Gellar, Paramount Pictures COO Frederick Huntsberry, GLAZA President Connie Morgan, L.A. First Lady Amy Wakeland and five of LaBonge’s fellow city councilmen...Another huge charity bash last month was Concern Foundation’s 41st annual Block Party at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, where some 4,000 guests cruised the studio’s city backlot for the tropical-themed “Evening in Paradise.” The streets were paved with bars and food stations — hosts included Glendale’s Bourbon Steak and Slater’s 50/50 in Pasadena — and live entertainment took over four stages. The event raised more than $1.5 million for cancer research.

Millicent Martin and Marc Alexander

Tom Vitale and Valerie Bertinelli

Pauley Perrette, Lance Bass and zookeeper Jennifer Kuypers

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TIGER PARENTING: THE YIN AND YANG OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT A Pasadena-based educator and a mother of three consider the costs of fierce parental pressure on kids of all ethnicities.

BY DIANA PALMER AND PATT DIROLL

A SAN MARINO TEENAGER HOPPED ON A BUS IN JUNE AND

CONSTANTLY PUSHING STUDENTS TOWARD HIGH SCHOLASTIC

RAN AWAY RATHER THAN FACE HER SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE

ACHIEVEMENT.

TEST. SHE RETURNED HOME SAFELY, BUT THE MEDIA ATTENTION

Ethan sat at the piano playing Chopin’s Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, sounding for all the world like a musical prodigy. Except he wasn’t — he was 9 years old and tears were streaming down his cheeks. When his mother asked him why he was crying, he told her he hated the piano; he hated practicing, and he’d rather be outside playing Little League with

HAS SHED LIGHT ON THE YIN AND YANG OF ATTAINING ACADEMIC SUPERSTARDOM, UNDERSCORING THE DARK SIDE OF

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his friends in his Palos Verdes neighborhood. She said playing the piano would help him get into college, and he had to practice every day for two hours. She added that he could quit when he was 18.

For some students, such intense parental pressure can simply be too much. At 9 there are tears; at 16 some run away — or worse. Annette Ermshar, a clinical neuropsychologist based in San Marino, believes that the problem starts with parents’ values — there’s too much focus on competition and achievement, and the dire consequences are spreading. “I am seeing a rise in mental health symptoms — test-taking anxiety, social anxiety, depression and cutting behaviors,” she told Arroyo Monthly, referring to the practice of cutting one’s arms, legs, etc., to look “terrific on the outside but literally and metaphorically [be] bleeding on the inside.”

“Seven percent of high-schoolers are engaged in cutting — more girls than boys,” Dr. Ermshar continues. “Twenty-four to 50 percent of high school students who report depression blame it on stress, claiming academic pressure as the major cause. The perception of others is extremely critical, and recent studies reveal that 95 percent of high school students have admitted to cheating and that the fear of failure is more motivating than a commitment to achievement. It is common to hear kids say they are abusing substances as a great escape from pressures.”

In the San Gabriel Valley, academic achievement is often the most important status symbol for families, who arrange their lives, both geographically and professionally, around their children’s education. They move to the best school districts or pay for private schools, tutoring and admissions counseling. “An acceptance letter from a prestigious college can feel like a reward for a job well done and is often the only acceptable return on an investment that stretches over decades,” says Ann Lee, co-founder of HS2 Academy, a college-prep business with offices in San Marino and Arcadia. It also allows parents to savor well-earned bragging rights. Whether we admit it or not, we see ourselves in our children. But it pays to remember that when a child doesn’t turn out well, parents shouldn’t get all the blame — at the same time, when he or she does, parents shouldn’t get all the credit. A loving and nurturing relationship with your child is more important than any grade. However, it’s really hard to convince parents of this when their only goal is to get their son or daughter into Harvard, especially when they have success stories to point to like Amy Chua, who eventually parlayed her Harvard College credential into a Yale Law School professorship and bestselling memoir, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (Penguin Books; 2011), which introduced the controversial concept of extreme parenting to the public.

One prominent feature of tiger parents is they have enormously high — and often unreasonable — expectations for their offspring, especially when it comes to academic achievement. But, in fact, UC Berkeley psychologists were already studying three kinds of child-rearing — authoritarian (too strict), permissive (too lenient) and authoritative (a combination) — as Dr. Annette Ermshar far back as the 1960s.

Research suggests, and Dr. Ermshar confirms, that authoritarian parenting, which includes tough academic pressure, can lead to poor mental health outcomes for kids and teenagers. Authoritarian parents tend to be inflexible, accepting only A’s. If students receive a B, tiger parents want to know what went wrong. They drill their child until the grade goes up, and if they don’t see enough progress, they often question the ability of their child’s teacher. When all else fails, they may transfer their child to another school. They tend not to encourage typical adolescent activities: having a boyfriend or girlfriend, sleepovers or play dates, watching TV or playing computer games regularly, participating in team sports, acting in school plays, choosing their own extracurricular activities or playing any musical instrument other than the violin, cello or piano.

Socializing is irrelevant to tiger parents. Not surprisingly, recent research shows that their children often have poor social skills from spending too much time working in isolation. Such parents can also be verbally abusive, controlling their youngsters by calling them names or otherwise shaming them, and corporal punishment isn’t an anomaly.

But authoritative parents are usually supportive of a student’s performance.

They are warm and understanding, and a B, or even a C, is acceptable if it was the “best you could do.” They set boundaries, and they explain their reasoning. They might ask, “How can we solve this?,” understanding that problem-solving is more effective if the child has a voice. They forgive mistakes and failures. They encourage their children to work hard and emphasize the importance of learning, not just the final grade. (Many students who don’t learn that lesson and just cram for tests and grades don’t retain the information and end up in remedial math or English when they get to college.)

The same week the San Marino student ran away, the Pasadena Star-News ran a front-page story about William Hua, a 16-year-old Cal State L.A. grad heading for his doctorate in applied math and statistics at Johns Hopkins University. His pressure, however, was largely self-imposed. His mother, Linna Hua, told the newspaper she would have liked her son to become a doctor, but she considered it important for him to enjoy his life’s work. “I don’t think people can do a good job if they don’t like” their career choice, she said. “Let them make their own decisions. I can help, but I cannot force.” She’s a great example of an authoritative parent.

Most parents fall into that category. They want the best for their children and pressure them out of love and because they think they know best where they should go to school and what they should become. But the insistence on better grades, higher test scores and more activities can be a formula for disasters so devastating that even suicide can result. And when all a child ever hears is how important it is to get into the right college, he or she can effectively skip childhood and turn into a little professional way too early.

So how do parents and students find balance, and what are the ramifications if they don’t? “We need

Amy Chua (right) and daughters –continued on page 16 14 | ARROYO | 08.15

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–continued from page 14

to figure out a better recipe for the greatest chance for the success of the child,” Dr. Ermshar says.

There’s a lot of data about teenagers’ stress, depression and suicide that should spur schools to examine how they measure achievement, how they pressure teens to succeed and how teens pressure themselves. Unfortunately, federal education policies that require high marks on mandated tests — No Child Left Behind (instituted in 2002) and Common Core (since 2008) — are the driving forces behind most schools’ curriculums. The pressure to score well is coming not only from parents, but also from school district, state and federal policies, all of which trump decision-making by individual schools. Teaching to the test is the norm rather than the exception.

Two recent documentaries demonstrate the stress students endure when there’s too much or not enough pressure on success. Race to Nowhere (2010) shows the problems parents and students face in the current academic culture, where the only thing that matters is “painting” oneself to look good for college, with an attractive grade point average, SAT score and extracurricular activities. The fi lm suggests that we’re not focused enough on critical thinking and questions whether memorization for the sake of a test is really learning. Waiting for Superman (2010) illustrates the problems endemic to our failing inner-city schools and suggests their culture is to blame. What both fi lms ultimately reveal is that the quality of the teaching is what matters most in a child’s education.

Who is going to Harvard by the way? Too many parents feel they’ve failed if their son or daughter isn’t accepted by Harvard or Stanford.

(Don’t misunderstand, we’ve nothing personal against either university — Patt’s late husband was a Harvard grad, and Diana’s ex-husband went to Stanford.) But consider this: Why would you want to be another big fish in a pond of other big fish? It’s likely that most students accepted by either institution are in the top 1 percent of their class. Doesn’t logic suggest that they can’t all stay in the top 1 percent? Aren’t many of them going to end up going from big fish to bottom fish, because even at Harvard and Stanford there’s such a thing as a bell curve? They can’t all get A’s like they used to.

According to theivycoach.com, the Harvard Class of 2018 is among the most ethnically diverse in the school’s history. Its 1,667 students, who surfed an acceptance rate of 5.9 percent, were drawn from a global pool that included 3,400 students ranked first in their class. More than a third of all applicants scored 700 or above on the critical reading and writing sections of the SAT, and nearly half scored that high in math. As a group, applicants who identified themselves as Indian (2,312) or East Asian (2,304) earned higher SAT scores than all other ethnicities. Legacies scored 59 points higher on combined scores than non-legacies. However, SAT scores for recruited athletes were 188 points below the class average.

The average unweighted (that is, not counting extra credit for AP classes) GPA for an incoming freshman was 3.93 out of 4 (one student was admitted with a 3.3 or B average). Harvard freshmen reported taking the SAT an average 2.14 times and scored an average composite score of 2,237 out of 2,400, placing the average Harvard student in the top 1 percent of all SAT test-takers.

About 8 percent of the students earned perfect scores.

Such an exacting fi lter screens out a lot of excellent candidates. So guess what? We can’t all go to a top college, much less Harvard or Stanford. (Frank Lloyd Wright was a high-school dropout and so was Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s.) We’re all good at different things.

So what should kids aim for? The famous University of Kentucky basketball coach, John Calipari, offers a good strategy that applies to life as well as it does to sports — all he insists on is maximum effort. As Calipari recently told The Wall Street Journal, “Sweat in practice so you don’t bleed in the game.” ||| Diana Palmer is a Pasadena–based educational consultant and former K–12 teacher for LAUSD, and newspaper columnist Patt Diroll is the proud mother of three adult children 16 | ARROYO | 08.15

raised in San Marino and Arcadia.

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THE EYES HAVE IT

Optometrists are finding that some children's learning troubles are caused by correctable vision problems.

BY ILSA SETZIOL

IN HIS EARLY YEARS, IT WAS APPARENT THAT CONRAD JENSEN WAS A VERY BRIGHT CHILD. HE WAS ALSO HAPPY AND EASYGOING. SURE, HE HAD SOME TROUBLE LEARNING TO READ, BUT SO DO A LOT OF 5-YEAR-OLDS. “SO WE JUST FIGURED HE WASN’T DEVELOPMENTALLY READY TO READ,” SAYS HIS MOTHER, THERESE HERZOG OF ALTADENA. In first grade, reading was still a struggle and Conrad was becoming irritable. “He was not a slow learner,” says Herzog. “It wasn’t making a lot of sense to us.” Conrad’s secondgrade teacher at Crestview Preparatory School in La Cañada Flintridge suggested he might have vision problems. His eyes seemed fine; he had sailed through his eye-chart exam. But an optometrist discovered he was having problems not detected with this standard test, which evaluates how clearly people see from a distance of 20 feet.

When it comes to seeing things at close range, however, there are several ways in which the eyes and brain need to coordinate. These include several eye movement skills: the smooth movement of eyes along a text (tracking), the ability of both eyes to work together as a synchronized team (teaming) and the focusing and refocusing of the eyes. Also needed are visual processing skills such as eye-hand coordination (visual-motor integration), finding a specific bit of information on a printed page full of text (figure-ground discrimination) and the ability to remember what you’ve seen (visual memory). “Most of a student’s time is spent writing, reading,” says Dr. Derek Tong, who heads the Center for Vision Development in Pasadena. “It’s all within arm’s length” — a lot closer than 20 feet away.

Conrad’s optometrist was able to correct his focusing problems and improve his 18 | ARROYO | 08.15

peripheral vision, which had been so limited he’d avoided playing sports. But when his workload increased in fourth grade, Conrad became overwhelmed, despite herculean perseverance. “He was taking four hours to do homework,” Herzog recalls. “He would do it all, but we kept thinking, ‘Why is this taking so long?’”

The Crestview teacher suggested they visit Dr. Tong, who specializes in behavioral optometry. Behavioral optometrists — also called developmental optometrists — receive additional training in learning-related vision problems and vision therapy to fi x them. At Dr. Tong’s office, Conrad put on a pair of Visagraph goggles, which use infrared optics to follow and record the eyes as they move. “They showed me his eye movements when he was reading, and I burst into tears,” recalls Herzog. “His eyes were not tracking from left to right, then going to the next line; they were jumping back to the same line, to words he’d already read.” Conrad’s eyes also weren’t teaming well. “Essentially, he was speed reading and picking up important words, and his brain had to work so hard to understand what the paragraph was about,” Herzog says.

It’s not clear why some kids have these problems. “Certainly there are risk factors like head trauma or birth complications,” says optometrist Dr. Eric Bosting, “but oftentimes, we can’t find an exact reason or etiology.”

Some vision problems are thought to stem from missed steps in the development of gross and fine motor skills. The gaps might contribute to eye-hand coordination problems, as well as tracking and teaming issues, which are not uncommon. Dr. Borsting, a researcher and professor at Marshall B. Ketchum University's optometry school in Fullerton, estimates that 10 to 15 percent of children experience some kind of eye coordination problem.

How can you tell if your child is at risk? Some of the signs of vision problems — headaches, blurred vision, eye-rubbing or squinting — are obvious. Others are subtler or easy to misdiagnose, such as poor concentration when reading, low reading comprehension, skipping words when reading, poor spelling, sloppy handwriting, trouble learning right and left directions and difficulty with mathematical concepts. (For more signs and symptoms, go to covd.org.)

Vision therapist Beckie Sweeney with a client

PHOTOS: Ilsa Setziol

Conrad was fortunate that his teacher flagged his vision problem. “Most teachers do not get background on how important vision is to learning,” says Bev Ehlers, administrator and spokesperson for San Diego–based Parents Active for Vision Education (PAVE). And vision problems may more often go undiagnosed with boys, according to Trina Morello, a former special education teacher who lives in Temple City and raised four children who needed vision therapy. “[Teachers] say, ‘Oh, boys are later readers, boys are later at wanting to draw pictures,’ so they excuse all the red flags; they explain it away by saying it’s developmental. But I think parents a lot of times just have an instinct — a sense that something is wrong.”

Ehlers says she gets a lot of calls from parents of second- and third-graders who seemed proficient earlier but are now struggling. “In kindergarten and even in first grade, the letters are big, the numbers are big and the separation is greater on the page,” she explains, “but very quickly the print becomes much smaller and closer together.”

And yet it is only recently that growing numbers of parents and health-care practitioners have looked to optometry for answers. That's partly because the field is not widely understood — even by the medical profession — even though optometry has been around for more than a century. “There are tons of studies that have been done [on vision therapy], but they’re not very well known,” Ehlers says. Among the recent clinical trials: a 2008 National Eye Institute–funded study which found that 75 percent of participants with a type of teaming problem known as convergence insufficiency (CI) were able to improve their vision with a combination of in-office and at-home vision therapy.

But the acceptance of vision therapy has perhaps suffered from a turf war between optometrists and ophthalmologists, who treat eye diseases and correct some eye-teaming problems with surgery. Opthalmologists point out that optometrists are not M.D.s and dispute the efficacy of vision therapy. (Optometrists receive at least four years of postgraduate professional training and earn a doctor of optometry degree.) Even so, Ehlers says, more physicians are “coming to realize that behavioral optometrists have very specialized skills.”

In his office on Foothill Boulevard, Dr. Tong deploys a variety of high- and low-tech equipment. A large touch screen runs several programs, including one called rotator, which helps develop eye-tracking and eye-hand coordination. Large blue dots on the screen rotate and beep when the child successfully taps them. Another program trains visual memory by flashing a sequence of letters that need to be remembered when they reappear in a different order.

“So vision therapy is just like physical therapy, especially in teaching the eyes to

Dr. Derek Tong at the Center for Vision Development in Pasadena

coordinate, to process information properly,” says Dr. Tong. The optometrist grew up in Canada, where his first jobs included camp counseling and tutoring. “I always enjoyed working with children and seeing how they grow and develop confidence over time,” he notes, “so vision therapy, to see the growth and how much better they can do in school, is very rewarding.” Dr. Tong’s patients — mostly children, but also adults — work with a therapist once a week and practice exercises at home daily for about 20 minutes.

A patient might train her eyes to coordinate by focusing them on colored beads on a string (called a Brock String) or practice eye-hand coordination and tracking by taping a series of shapes on paper.

Dr. Tong’s waiting room is filled with testimonials from the grateful parents of kids who were falling behind in school and exhausted by their efforts to read and write. Morello says all her kids benefited from vision therapy, but she noticed a “dramatic change” in her third son. Prior to therapy, she had to sit with him at homework time to keep him focused, “because with his frustration, he’d just give up after a very short time,” she says.

Dr. Borsting says research by optometrists indicates that visual processing improves for many children when their eye-movement issues are resolved. “If your eyes are more comfortable and moving more efficiently,” he explains, “it will make it easier to process visual information.”

That’s one reason learning specialist Joyce Inouye, founder of the Orange County–based Christian Help In Learning Disabilities Differences (childd.org), frequently recommends that clients start with vision therapy. “What I usually do before I do an attention-deficit diagnostic test,” she says, “I say we take care of the physical first — let’s do vision, because that may be why he cannot [pay attention], because he is getting tired. He’s exerting 50 percent more energy just to see.”

Of course, it all starts with the correct diagnosis, and many pediatricians are failing to flag many of these up-close vision problems. Dr. Borsting says pediatricians do refer kids to specialists when the signs, such as headaches, are pretty obvious, but they often miss subtler symptoms and “don’t always refer for a comprehensive eye exam.” And while psychologists who test kids for learning disabilities screen kids for visual processing problems, testing eye movement requires training in optometry and special equipment, including lenses.

Another hurdle to proper diagnoses: Some children with vision problems are mistaken for kids with ADHD because some of the symptoms can be the same — failing to complete assignments and having trouble concentrating in class. Researchers at UC San Diego’s Ratner Children’s Eye Center studied children with convergence insufficiency (CI) and –continued on page 20 08.15 ARROYO | 19

Sweeney works with a vision–impaired client.

–continued from page 19

found they were three times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as kids without that problem.

Similarly, Dr. Borsting and his colleagues have found that the parents of kids with CI are more likely to report that their child has ADHD-type symptoms than the parents of children with normal vision. What’s more, the researchers found that giving the children vision therapy reduced ADHD-type symptoms such as loss of concentration when reading or reading slowly.

That doesn’t mean vision therapy cures genuine cases of ADHD. But Dr. Tong says that for kids who have both vision and attention problems — which is not uncommon — it can help. “We isolate and address the vision component, so that the attention symptoms become lessened afterwards,” he says.

Optometrists say kids with vision problems can also be misdiagnosed as having dyslexia. But vision therapy does not cure dyslexia, which involves the brain's ability to “sound out” letters. “If you take children who have very severe reading disabilities, then there’s usually something more going on,” says Dr. Borsting. “There’s something in their decoding, their storing of sight words.” That “something” won’t be fixed by vision therapy.

But when vision therapy is properly administered, the results can be life-changing.

Herzog shudders to think about Conrad’s life without vision therapy. “I believe he would be struggling still,” she says. By sixth grade Conrad had made the honor roll — and he has never left it. He is ranked among the top four students at Saint Francis High School. “His GPA is a 4.3,” boasts Herzog. “It’s phenomenal what Dr. Tong did for him.” ||||

THE NEXT STEPS • To find an optometrist specializing in learning-related vision problems, look for one who is a member of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD).

• Recommended Reading:

The Mislabeled Child: How Understanding Your Child’s Unique Learning Style Can Open the Door to Success by Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide (Hachette Books; 2006) See It. Say It. Do It! The Parent’s & Teacher’s Action Guide to Creating Successful Students & Confident Kids by Dr. Lynn Hellerstein (HiClear Publishing; 2012)

• Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University in Fullerton is currently enrolling children in its ongoing study on vision and attention problems. Participants receive free treatment. Visit citt-art.com.

— IS 20 | ARROYO | 08.15

PHOTO: Ilsa Setziol

• Connect with other parents on Facebook's Vision Therapy Parents Unite page.

SO FAR AWAY Long-distance caregiving strategies for your elderly parents

BY REBECCA KUZINS

AFTER LIVING WITH MY 90-YEAR-OLD MOTHER FOR THREE YEARS, I HAVE PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES OF CARING FOR AN AGING PARENT. BUT WHILE IT WAS PAINFUL TO WATCH MY MOM’S PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH DECLINE, I WAS ABLE TO TAKE HER TO THE DOCTOR, PAY HER BILLS AND MAKE SURE SHE HAD UPDATED POWER-OF-ATTORNEY AND ADVANCED HEALTH-CARE DIRECTIVE DOCUMENTS.

Caregiving can be a lot tougher for adult children whose parents live far away. The National Institute on Aging estimates that about 7 million Americans are long-distance caregivers. For these people, caregiving can be a time-consuming and expensive process, resulting in lost work days and high travel costs. In a 2007 survey conducted by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the United Health Group, long-distance caregivers’ annual expenses averaged $8,728, far more than those of children who lived near their parents.

Despite these obstacles, there are some things long-distance caregivers can do to make their task easier. The first step is to thoroughly assess your parents’ needs so you can devise a caregiving plan and have all the information you need on hand in case of an emergency.

Jane Wolf Waterman, a Beverly Hills psychotherapist, realized her 85-year-old parents needed help when she made a Christmas visit to their New York home. This experience led her to found Parenting Our Parents, an online community to assist caregivers, and to write her book, Oh My God! We’re Parenting Our Parents. Waterman advises caregivers to learn everything they can about their parents’ physical and mental health, financial condition and estate planning by speaking with their doctors, lawyers, accountants, friends, neighbors and other people who are regularly in contact with them.

Beverly Hills psychotherapist Jane Wolf Waterman You should also ask your parents to assess their own condition and how they want to be cared for — provided they are able to hold this discussion with you. “It is important to have this conversation early — not when they are in the back of an ambulance,” says Brenda Shorkend, who runs an eldercare management company in Pasadena. “They need to be healthy and cognitively with it.”

Caregivers should compile the following information: Health: Keep a list of all your parents’ doctors with contact information. You will also need a list of the medications your parents take, the doses, who prescribed these drugs, the times for medication and the pharmacy’s name and phone number. In addition, find out if your parents are receiving Medicare or other types of health insurance.

Wayne April, a Pasadena-based geriatric-care manager and social worker, advises caregivers to “make sure your parents get regular care through their primary doctor. A lot of them don’t.”

“If you are very worried about living far away, you can always phone your parent’s doctor or speak to their nurse,” says Shorkend. “You can say, ‘I’m really concerned about something. Can you please invite my mom for an appointment to discuss this with her or discuss it with her at her next appointment?’”

Financial: Long-distance caregivers must also determine their parents’ financial condition. Can they afford the costs of an in-home caregiver or an assisted-living facility or nursing home? Do they have long-term–care insurance to help cover their expenses?

Can they write checks and pay their own bills?

If the answer to the latter question is no, you can pay their bills by adding your name to their checking account. You can also consolidate bank and investment accounts to simplify –continued on page 23 08.15 ARROYO | 21

22 | ARROYO | 08.15

–continued from page age 21

your money management. ment.

Legal: Make suree you have an up-to-date power-of-attorney form and an advanced health-caree directive. document handle d dir irec ecti tive ve. The firs rstt do docu cume ment nt enables eena nabl bles es you you to to ha hand ndle le your yyou ourr parents’ financial aff airs; second make health-care decisions ffai airs rs;; th thee se seco cond nd aut aauthorizes utho hori rize zess yo you u to m mak akee he heal alth th-car caree de deci cisi sion onss for your parents when they are incapacitated.

If you need assistance to obtain n y incap pacitated. you or update these documents, uments, hire an attorney who practices in the state in which your parents live.

“Each state is diff erent should least who ffere ntt aand nd d you sh hould ld att llea stt know k h your parents’ parentts’’ attorney is,” explains Alexandra Smyser, an estate-planning specialist at the Pasadena law offices of Donald P. Schweitzer. itzer. In addition, she says, “Itt is always aalw lway ayss good to know if the elder has a trust or a will. Some me older old lder people are very private, ate, even among family members. bers. But Butt if you know where there’s a re’s copy of a trust or a will, it iiss ve very ry helpful.”

If there is a trust, Shorkend S Sho hork rken end d says caregivers should make sure d there is a successor trustee rustee who can represent your parents arents if they are unable to managee their own affairs. “It can be very ry difficult and expensive to bring ng in an attorney,” she adds. “If the family is far away and can’t bee involved, they can appoint a professional sional licensed fiduciary who is nearr their parents.”

Another strategyy for providing longdistance care is to seek ek help from people and institutions in your our parents’ community.

“The local senior center nter is a good place to start,” says Shorkend. d. “It can refer you to other sources of help.”

Online help is also so available. The Eldercare Locator (eldercare.gov), ldercare.gov), created by the U.S. Administration on Aging, enables users sers to find local resources for adult day programs, caregivers, ivers, financial assistance, food and nutrition, health insurance, legal issues es and other services.

Benefi tsCheckUp tscheckup.org), managed by the National Council B enefi fitsCh CheckU kUp (benefi (benefi (b fitsch hecku k on Aging, provides information about state and local benefits that can help seniors medication, healthcare, food, housing and other expenses. seni se nior orss pa payy fo forr me medi dica cati tion on, he You Yo u ca can n also also hire h hir iree a certifi cert ce rtifi ified Aging Life Care professional near your parents to supervise their care p rents sup pa pervise car in your absence. These geriatric-care senior’s condition and devise a plan for providing managers can assess a senior The Aging Life Care Association’s needed assistance. ass website web bsit ite ((aginglifecare.org) lists people who have been certifi cer ed or are in the process of being certified perform these duties. Lorraine Cummings, to perfo principal of Cummings Care Management in principa Sierra and Montrose, says Aging Life Care Sier Si erra ra Madre M managers can “match a caregiver to a client, make manager the doctor knows the reality of a case, get the sure tth he d and perform a number of other right medication” med duties.

“It’s d uti ties. “I “It t somebody being there, being the eyes and ears, w who can give the family peace of mind and streamline stre st ream amli line ne the care,” she adds.

During his assessments of seniors, geriatric-care manager April says he looks at their “functionality and mana ma nage gerr A living envir environment. I give them little medical tests. I information about their medical providers and also get info support system. I serve as the overall supervisor. social suppo month I visit to see if everything is all right.”

Once a mon Even tho though a geriatric-care manager can relieve you performing many long-distance caregiving tasks, from perform you should still st continue to see your parents on a regular basis. “If you speak to them on the phone, they might sound fine,” says Shorkend, “but you must actually be there, asking the right questions.” adult children use Skype or other devices that Many ad allow them to see their parents while speaking with them. How However, Smyser says, many seniors are not “computer savvy and can’t use Skype.” If possible, she adds, “you can get them up and running on a laptop, where you can see each other. This expands their mind and challe challenges them.” these technologies are no substitute for regular But the visits. “You should visit your parents at least lea once a year,” maintains April. “If you don’t eyeball the situation, you can’t really know what’s going on. There can be severe neglect or severe fraud.”

Shorkend maintains that “polite snooping” snoopin is essential to determining your parents’ condition. “When you visit, make sure you go inside the house. Look to see if it is safe the last time you were there. See how they and clean and if it looks better or worse than th drive, if they are still driving, and determine if it’s time for them to get off the road.”||||

08.15 ARROYO | 23

24 | ARROYO | 08.15

arroyo

™

~HOME SALES INDEX~ HOME SALES

june

june

2014

2015

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 CAÑADA 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.

JUNE ‘14 30 $627,000 1635 JUNE ‘14 36 $979,000 1570 JUNE ‘14 18 $632,000 1498 JUNE ‘14 135 $625,000 1522 JUNE ‘14 24 $1,410,500 2222 JUNE ‘14 143 $655,000 1569 JUNE ‘14 11 $1,888,000 2151 JUNE ‘14 9 $788,000 1940 JUNE ‘14 19 $1,082,500 1943 JUNE ‘14 425 $559

HOMES SOLD

493

+1.43%

425

AVG. PRICE/SQ. FT.

HOMES SOLD

+16.00%

JUNE ‘15 49 $672,000 1628 JUNE ‘15 37 $1,140,000 2064 JUNE ‘15 15 $760,000 1694 JUNE ‘15 141 $670,000 1518 JUNE ‘15 38 $1,437,000 2354 JUNE ‘15 166 $645,000 1464 JUNE ‘15 14 $2,090,000 2686 JUNE ‘15 19 $850,000 1595 JUNE ‘15 14 $1,292,500 1895 JUNE ‘15 493 $567

HOME SALES ABOVE RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE PASADENA WEEKLY FOOTPRINT ADDRESS ALTADENA 2725 Visscher Place 3911 Lilac Canyon Lane 3867 Old Toll Road 2060 East Altadena Drive 1945 Grand Oaks Avenue 628 Millard Canyon Road 1260 East Altadena Drive 664 Millard Canyon Road 1985 Roosevelt Avenue 917 Morada Place 648 Chaparral Court ARCADIA 1060 Fallen Leaf Road 241 Whispering Pines 1409 San Carlos Road 5 Woodland Lane 363 Monterey Pines Drive 1225 Rodeo Road 314 Arbolada Drive 310 East Duarte Road 624 East Norman Avenue 1774 Orangewood Lane 2116 Canyon Road 1740 Oakwood Avenue 220 East Longden Avenue 1411 North Baldwin Avenue 509 Alster Avenue 723 East Camino Real Avenue 1619 Oakhaven Drive 1730 Alta Oaks Drive 1637 Mayflower Avenue 1135 Valencia Way 1225 Valencia Way 1101 South 9th Avenue 809 Country Oaks Lane EAGLE ROCK 5335 Mt. Royal Drive 1334 Upton Place 1683 Hill Drive 1715 North Avenue #45 2239 Laverna Avenue GLENDALE 519 Justin Avenue #1 1944 Montecito Drive 851 West Mountain Street 3337 Stephens Circle 1731 North Pacific Avenue 1051 West Mountain Street 1106 Rossmoyne Avenue 1331 Imperial Drive 622 Acorn Place 1847 Arvin Drive 1960 Polaris Drive 1455 Andenes Drive 1354 East Mountain Street 1920 Maginn Drive 2942 Oak Glen Road 891 Calle Canta 3760 Whiting Manor Lane 1355 Cedar Court Road 1618 Ben Lomond Drive 945 Calle Del Pacifico 704 East Acacia Avenue 1624 Thurber Place 1550 Colina Drive 1661 Don Carlos Avenue 1546 Ben Lomond Drive 5011 New York Avenue 1345 Cleveland Road 2605 East Glenoaks Blvd.

1116 Don Jose Drive LA CAÑADA 4407 Shepherds Lane 832 Lynnhaven Lane 5008 La Canada Blvd.

3821 Domal Lane 1905 Orchard Lane 4716 Hillard Avenue

CLOSE DATE

PRICE

BDRMS.

SQ. FT.

source: CalREsource YR. BUILT PREV. PRICE

06/22/15 06/09/15 06/29/15 06/19/15 06/19/15 06/16/15 06/29/15 06/02/15 06/26/15 05/29/15 06/19/15

$2,200,000 $1,575,000 $1,383,000 $1,375,000 $1,250,000 $1,250,000 $1,200,000 $1,130,000 $1,100,000 $1,005,000 $1,000,000

6 4 6 4 4 5 3 4 5 6 3

4960 4453 3881 2940 2846 3348 1728 2507 2230 3614 2132

1913 2001 1998 1959 1947 1998 1923 1998 1941 1928 1999

06/25/15 06/17/15 06/03/15 06/26/15 06/15/15 05/29/15 06/08/15 06/18/15 05/29/15 06/10/15 06/25/15 06/18/15 06/12/15 06/23/15 06/25/15 06/18/15 06/10/15 06/18/15 06/02/15 06/09/15 06/02/15 06/23/15 05/29/15

$8,230,000 $6,700,000 $5,850,000 $5,150,000 $4,410,500 $3,355,000 $3,230,000 $3,180,000 $3,000,000 $2,490,000 $2,153,000 $1,660,000 $1,650,000 $1,610,000 $1,555,000 $1,300,000 $1,155,000 $1,150,000 $1,140,000 $1,110,000 $1,080,000 $991,000 $950,000

7 4 3 5 3 5 2 3 4 3 3 3 3 4 4 3 3 3 2 3 3 4

8066 2845 2207 6785 3493 3921 1316 1913 4327 3003 2573 2148 2605 3661 3006 2636 1992 1956 1536 1802 2190 2348

1981 1951 1949 1996 1939 1948 1940 1948 1955 1961 1949 1947 1954 1990 1978 1973 1951 1947 1945 1974 1959 1992

06/11/15 06/11/15 06/22/15 05/29/15 06/18/15

$1,200,000 $999,000 $950,000 $947,500 $923,000

4 3 3 4 3

2462 2952 1812 2891 1694

1928 1947 1926 1922 1912

06/19/15 06/02/15 06/12/15 06/05/15 06/25/15 06/24/15 06/03/15 06/26/15 06/25/15 06/22/15 06/26/15 06/23/15 06/09/15 06/25/15 06/05/15 06/01/15 06/19/15 06/18/15 06/19/15 06/26/15 05/29/15 06/18/15 06/15/15 06/08/15 06/25/15 05/29/15 06/12/15 06/08/15 06/22/15

$2,750,000 $1,725,000 $1,699,000 $1,575,000 $1,485,000 $1,435,000 $1,435,000 $1,400,000 $1,400,000 $1,300,000 $1,300,000 $1,250,000 $1,230,000 $1,210,000 $1,200,000 $1,180,000 $1,175,000 $1,125,000 $1,100,000 $1,077,500 $987,500 $985,500 $980,000 $970,000 $969,000 $960,000 $920,000 $902,000 $900,000

3 3 4 6 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 5 5 4 4 3 4 5 4 4 3 5 4 4 3 4

1301 3849 3042 6291 2944 2852 2937 2863 3358 3406 3018 2410 1357 2462 2132 3272 2784 2618 2850 2528 2619 2082 2362 3075 2379 2643 2140 1961 2508

1990 1924 1903 1990 1955 1933 1935 1930 2001 1995 1992 1930 1929 1961 1945 1995 1970 1927 1927 1989 1948 1937 1969 1951 1932 1986 1939 1928 1933

06/17/15 06/09/15 06/25/15 06/03/15 06/26/15 06/25/15

$3,275,000 $2,905,000 $2,830,000 $2,800,000 $2,685,000 $2,621,000

3 4 5 3 4 6

2159 3289 4869 3809 3500 3058

1955 1949 1951 1980 2006 1977

PREV. SOLD

$595,000

06/12/1998

$1,029,000 $795,000

07/12/2010 03/27/2000

$1,170,000 $830,000 $840,000 $755,000 $917,000 $441,000

07/11/2006 04/13/2012 12/02/2009 11/21/2014 04/16/2013 09/22/1999

$2,160,000

05/22/2013

$1,030,000

04/23/2014

$445,000

04/13/1994

$380,000 $695,000 $390,000

12/30/1999 03/14/2006 09/02/2011

$80,000 $1,476,000

05/11/1983 08/01/2007

$2,000,000 $630,000 $1,190,000 $1,185,000 $771,000 $1,025,000 $975,000 $625,000 $395,000

01/17/2007 09/01/2000 12/19/2003 05/24/2013 05/31/2002 08/17/2010 08/13/2009 08/21/1998 12/30/1996

$1,010,000 $300,000 $620,000

07/18/2014 08/04/1978 06/23/1999

$1,100,000 $430,000 $1,030,000 $325,000

09/11/2014 10/25/2001 08/03/2007 02/24/2003

$865,000 $515,000

02/21/2008 04/26/1990

$2,240,000

03/17/2009

–continued on page 26

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 2015. Complete home sales listings appear each week in Pasadena Weekly.

08.15 ARROYO | 25

–continued from page 25

HOME SALES ABOVE

ADDRESS CLOSE DATE LA CAÑADA 2001 Orchard Lane 06/15/15 06/19/15 4200 Mesa Vista Drive 4407 Beulah Drive 06/08/15 4239 Encinas Drive 05/29/15 1507 Olive Lane 05/29/15 1239 Lanterman Lane 06/09/15 4433 Hobbs Drive 06/22/15 4536 Rockland Place 05/29/15 4806 Grand Avenue 06/26/15 507 Venado Vista Drive 06/24/15 4333 Cobblestone Lane 06/09/15 4737 Alminar Avenue 06/17/15 215 Starlight Crest Drive 06/12/15 351 San Juan Way 06/03/15 1020 Inverness Drive 06/15/15 5809 Briartree Drive 06/19/15 819 Parkman Drive 06/08/15 5540 Vista Canada Place 06/11/15 329 Knight Way 06/26/15 4844 Hampton Road 06/26/15 735 St. Katherine Drive 06/05/15 616 Groveview Lane 06/09/15 5333 La Canada Blvd.

06/25/15 4841 Del Monte Road 05/29/15 4532 Alta Canyada Road 06/01/15 308 Nancy Way 06/16/15 5023 Merita Place 06/15/15 732 Galaxy Heights Drive 06/22/15 4735 La Canada Blvd.

05/29/15 5000 Palm Drive 06/16/15 PASADENA 359 West Del Mar Blvd.

06/09/15 06/08/15 989 Mesa Verde Road 599 Prospect Blvd.

06/15/15 925 South Oakland Avenue 06/16/15 865 Woodward Blvd.

06/26/15 3017 Stoneley Drive 06/10/15 3601 East California Blvd.

06/05/15 3612 East California Blvd.

06/08/15 855 Old Mill Road 06/26/15 196 South Orange Grove Blvd. #103 06/30/15 755 South El Molino Avenue 06/12/15 1615 Knollwood Drive 05/29/15 199 San Miguel Road 05/29/15 1638 East Del Mar Blvd.

06/04/15 1015 Nithsdale Road 06/01/15 3215 George Circle 06/17/15 2044 Cricklewood Path 06/24/15 1092 Pine Oak Lane 06/12/15 525 East California Blvd.

06/08/15 1185 Hastings Ranch Drive 05/29/15 3739 Landfair Road 06/08/15 448 South Oakland Avenue #1 06/15/15 3695 Startouch Drive 06/09/15

26 | ARROYO | 08.15

BDRMS.

SQ. FT.

YR. BUILT

$2,500,000 $2,325,000 $2,200,000 $2,060,000 $1,955,000 $1,950,000 $1,650,000 $1,560,000 $1,536,000 $1,500,000 $1,477,000 $1,475,000 $1,449,000 $1,425,000 $1,410,000 $1,385,000 $1,385,000 $1,381,000 $1,354,500 $1,350,000 $1,350,000 $1,315,000 $1,205,000 $1,195,000 $1,170,000 $1,165,000 $1,119,000 $1,010,000 $995,000 $960,000

PRICE

3 3 4 4 3 4 5 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 2 3 3 3 3 4 3 4 4 3 3 4 3 3 4 3

2622 2817 3378 3081 2896 3168 2544 3382 1343 2265 2438 2303 2535 2818 2018 2352 2162 2520 2196 2267 2863 2355 2170 1819 1890 1945 1747 1932 2335 1452

1936 1969 1999 1951 1938 1960 1947 1948 1940 1959 1959 1946 1966 1947 1951 1966 1948 1957 1952 1931 1963 1950 1967 1942 1926 1962 1951 1974 1952 1930

$3,680,000 $3,388,000 $2,850,000 $2,530,500 $2,180,000 $2,168,000 $2,008,000 $1,910,000 $1,904,000 $1,892,000 $1,817,000 $1,800,000 $1,588,000 $1,560,000 $1,403,000 $1,395,000 $1,392,000 $1,335,000 $1,300,000 $1,250,000 $1,249,000 $1,225,000 $1,220,000

6 3 5 6 5 2 5 5 3

8894 3060 3143 4081 4297 1257 2491 2979 2683

1912 1949 1914 1921 1992 1948 1940 1948 1926

4 2 4 4 3 4 3 4 3 6 5 3 4

2558 2547 2430 2221 1860 2142 3204 2400 2474 3070 2576 2040 2268

1922 1954 1928 1901 1948 1938 1966 1970 1907 1951 1949 2004 1965

PREV. PRICE

PREV. SOLD

$610,000

05/04/1993

$1,055,000

07/09/2009

$1,225,000

$950,000

04/12/2011

02/23/2005

$725,000 $1,448,000

04/25/1997 05/27/2005

$565,000 $850,000

09/08/1993 01/29/2002

$1,250,000

05/17/2005

$940,000 $1,112,500

06/29/2010 05/09/2007

$940,000

09/20/2006

RECENT HOME CLOSINGS IN THE PASADENA WEEKLY FOOTPRINT ADDRESS PASADENA 1355 North Holliston Avenue 1421 North Summit Avenue 386 South Meridith Avenue 510 Michigan Blvd.

731 South Michillinda Avenue 651 North Sunnyslope Avenue 354 West Bellevue Drive #5 1020 Linda Vista Avenue 250 South De Lacey Avenue #303A 1520 South Marengo Avenue 1632 East Orange Grove Blvd.

1720 Loma Vista Street 185 Sequoia Drive 1732 Loma Vista Street 1141 North Chester Avenue 1019 North Holliston Avenue 244 South Meridith Avenue 411 Gordon Terrace #5 444 Sequoia Drive 28 Oak Knoll Gardens Drive SAN MARINO 1100 Kewen Drive 1259 Sherwood Road 1395 Bedford Road 2144 Adair Street 2454 Ridgeway Road 1725 Sharon Place 2385 Coniston Place 2675 Tura Lane 2675 Tura Lane 1480 Avonrea Road 2465 Roanoke Road 440 Winthrop Road 2710 Tura Lane 1900 Montrobles Place SIERRA MADRE 609 West Orange Grove Avenue 1130 Arno Drive 604 Fairview Avenue 162 Webster Way 327 North Lima Street 312 East Grandview Avenue 317 Grove Street 125 Lowell Avenue SOUTH PASADENA 233 Hillside Road 325 Oaklawn Avenue 1002 Palm Avenue 2111 Mission Street 912 Adelaine Avenue 826 Montrose Avenue 2048 Hanscom Drive 1014 Milan Avenue 809 Oneonta Drive

CLOSE DATE

PRICE

source: CalREsource

BDRMS.

SQ. FT.

YR. BUILT

06/12/15 06/19/15 06/01/15 06/11/15 06/11/15 06/05/15 06/22/15 06/02/15 06/18/15 05/29/15 06/15/15 06/05/15 06/25/15 06/02/15 06/23/15 06/24/15 06/19/15 06/17/15 06/16/15 06/02/15

$1,200,000 $1,200,000 $1,200,000 $1,200,000 $1,200,000 $1,150,000 $1,140,000 $1,098,000 $1,098,000 $1,080,000 $1,080,000 $1,055,000 $1,051,500 $1,000,000 $985,000 $950,000 $940,000 $927,500 $926,000 $903,000

7 6 2 3 5 5 2 3 3 3 5 4 3 5 4 2 3 3 2 2

4144 4561 2121 2282 2749 2455 1974 1531 1670 1959 3591 2599 1914 2196 1918 1826 1348 1593 1036 876

1940 1911 1925 1960 1946 1966 1973 1931 2007 1959 1923 1947 1957 1924 1915 1925 1920 1981 1951 1922

PREV. PRICE

PREV. SOLD

$370,000 $1,062,000

09/17/2013 12/02/2004

$745,000 $915,000 $765,000

06/25/2009 11/17/2003 05/27/2005

06/26/15 06/16/15 06/05/15 05/29/15 06/01/15 06/17/15 06/19/15 06/19/15 06/19/15 06/12/15 06/01/15 06/23/15 06/01/15 06/23/15

$3,388,000 $3,095,000 $3,080,000 $2,500,000 $2,375,000 $2,200,000 $2,200,000 $1,980,000 $1,980,000 $1,960,000 $1,940,000 $1,780,000 $1,600,000 $1,090,000

4 5 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 3 3

3655 3600 3211 3084 2898 1963 2730 2686 2686 2523 2496 2367 1982 1662

1927 1927 1951 1929 1930 1941 1926 1957 1957 1952 1948 1960 1956 1925

06/22/15 06/08/15 06/16/15 05/29/15 06/26/15 06/12/15 06/22/15 06/01/15

$1,401,000 $1,275,000 $1,270,000 $1,100,000 $1,025,000 $1,005,000 $1,000,000 $950,000

3 4 3 3 3 5 2 3

2836 2182 2595 2297 2464 2066 1498 2782

1946 1969 1978 1962 1925 1930 1924 1948

$1,089,000

01/09/2007

$940,000 $430,000 $675,000

04/02/2009 06/28/1989 02/26/2004

$725,000 $640,000

10/22/2004 06/02/2003

06/02/15 06/25/15 06/18/15 06/11/15 06/04/15 06/25/15 06/18/15 06/18/15 06/17/15

$2,600,000 $1,989,000 $1,750,000 $1,500,000 $1,410,000 $1,300,000 $1,295,000 $1,290,000 $1,021,000

4 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4108 3450 2376 2324 2084 1401 3255 1421 2070

1929 1908 2000 1936 1987 1913 1990 1896 1988

$1,525,000

01/10/1990

$1,110,000

10/22/2013

$475,000 $777,000 $955,000 $425,000

03/23/2001 02/28/2013 11/25/2009 05/02/2002

$829,000

07/02/2014

$445,000 $799,000

06/12/1998 04/06/2012

$1,000,000 $825,000 $355,000 $465,000 $637,500 $825,000

08/09/2006 06/18/2004 05/24/1989 12/21/1995 02/27/2004 06/06/2007

$940,000

10/29/1997

$1,639,000 $545,000 $2,000,000 $622,500

12/08/2004 05/27/1988 06/08/2006 12/15/1998

$1,563,000 $550,000 $193,000

12/20/2013 08/10/2001 11/14/1980

ARROYO HOME & DESIGN SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

SIMPLIFY LIFE BY SHEDDING STUFF Decluttering can free your life from the burden of possessions

BY BRUCE HARING DO YOU OWN YOUR POSSESSIONS? OR DO THEY OWN YOU? THAT’S A QUESTION MANY SENIORS FACE AS THEY TRANSITION THEIR LIFESTYLES IN THE WAKE OF A SPOUSAL DEATH, AN EMPTY NEST, A MOVE TO ASSISTED LIVING OR SIMPLY A CHANGE OF LOCATION INTO A DIFFERENT HOME. ALL OF THE PROCESSES INVOLVE PACKING AND SHIPPING YOUR ACCUMULATED GOODS. We all know that a lifetime of possessions holds wonderful memories. But carting items that are seldom used or viewed can be a crushing financial and logistical burden, particularly to households that are downsizing.

Because people can’t bear to part with their perceived “treasured” items

the prevention and treatment of anxiety and mood disorders. The organization states that people hoard because they believe that an item will be useful or valuable in the future; has sentimental value; is unique and irreplaceable; or is perceived as too big a bargain to throw away. They also may keep an item because they believe it will jog their memory, feeling they won’t remember an important person or event.

While “hoarding” is the extreme case for most people, many of its symptoms can be understood by most homeowners. Things just accumulate over time, and we want to retain items that we believe serve a purpose, even if that purpose isn’t

– most of them, frankly, only of sentimental value – they wind up getting storage

immediate. The old saying, “Better to have and not need, than need and not

units or existing with uncomfortable clutter.

have” is a credo many live by.

In extreme cases, we refer to these folks as “hoarders.” The Anxiety and Depression Association of America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to

But today’s lifestyles are different than more formal times. Casual and simple without a lot of clutter is the preferred way to live for many. That means less possessions.

–continued on page 28 08.15 | ARROYO | 27

—ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT—

–continued from page 27

Roberta Lyon is the owner of Style on Green in Pasadena, a consignment store that accepts used quality clothing and accessories for resale. She claims it’s easy to determine what needs to go in your home.

The best advice for shedding possessions (clothes especially) is if you have not used it or worn it in two years, get rid of it,” says Lyon. “Chances are you will never use nor wear it ever again.”

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN America has always been a nation on the move. According to data compiled by the United States Census Bureau on what it terms rates of migration or “geographic mobility,” 12 percent of the people in the country over the age of one moved at least once between 2011 and 2012, the last years studied. That’s a lot of hauling of Aunt Martha’s photo collection and 25-year-old Johnny’s second grade art projects.

Fortunately, there’s a solution and reward for the daunting task of ridding yourself of the accumulated possessions of a lifetime. There are books about the art of letting go, companies that specialize in reselling clothing and other items, and hauling companies that make simply discarding items easy.

Sherry Grossi is the head of PE Deans, a furniture and decorative accessory consignment store. The store offers quality items on consignment, reflecting Grossi’s passion for furniture, architecture and design. The store is named after Sherry’s mother, Patricia Elizabeth Deans.

Grossi understands the fears and concerns of those who are parting with beloved items. “Realize that Mom or Aunt Sally will not come back to haunt you if you get rid of that lamp or dishes,” Grossi says. “It’s OK, really.”

There’s a road map to downsizing success, Grossi claims. “Estimate the space that you have in your new home and start to imagine what items will fit.

Bite the bullet, make a list of the things that you really do have to say goodbye to. Call the children and other family members that might want or could use the items that you know you have to get rid of.”

Surprisingly, there’s a reverse to the old axiom that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, Grossi notes. “Most of my clients are surprised when they find that it is very hard to give away their treasures. “What, Bobby doesn’t want my fine china?!!”

START WITH THE SIMPLE THINGS Author and philosopher William Morris once said, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but presumably you can be honest with yourself. Not everything in your home meets Mr. Morris’s exacting standards.

To begin your winnowing process, find a comfortable chair in the center of your living space and take a look at your surroundings. Will you really miss the souvenirs of your trip to Nova Scotia? How about that lamp someone gifted –continued on page 31 28 | ARROYO | 08.15

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you for your anniversary? Or even those wall mountings?

Although it’s hard, parting with things that remind you of trips won’t erase the memories. It will provide space for you to live the uncluttered life.

Some items may be less obvious candidates for removal. You may always be proud of your record collection and your shelves crammed with books, but honestly, you no longer need to have the physical items to enjoy them. A handheld device can deliver all of them and more to you without the need of shelves or large containers.

Consider, too, whether all of the kitchen items you’ve accumulated over the years are necessary. Are you really cooking for 12 people that often? Do you need a collection of knives that would impress a French chef? Is a microwave really necessary? All of these are candidates to go as you simplify, simplify.

As for larger items, Grossi notes that she stands ready to assist. “Consigning furniture and accessories is actually a great way to alleviate the problem of –continued on page 34

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what to do with good items that definitely have a second life. You do not have to deal with the hassle of disposing it by yourself.”

Let’s assume you’re committed to the process. What’s the next step? “If there are only a few pieces,” they can email me a photo,” says Grossi. “If they have multiple pieces, I am happy to visit their home.” There’s just one main rule: “It must be good furniture in very good condition.”

The consignment for PE Deans is a 50/50 splits. “I provide the client with an estimate of what I feel I can get for the item in my store. I keep the items for three months and create vignettes in the store to highlight the pieces in the best possible setting.” The store will also put photos of the items on its web site, advertise, and put items on Instagram for review.

Ultimately, though, no matter what price your furniture brings, it’s the mental lift that decluttering brings that’s your ultimate reward.

“I find that once my consigners make up their minds to let go, they feel relieved,” says Grossi. “I have never had a consigner call to say, “I changed my mind.” ||||

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Education A DIRECTORY OF LEARNING OPTIONS

A Plus Adventist Children’s Center

plore Arroyo Pacific Academy. APA is a learning institution where academic attainment

(Founded in 1981) is a year-round, non-profit preschool committed to providing a safe,

has the highest priority within a learning environment that is supportive and encouraging.

secure loving environment where children ages 18-months through 5 years of age can

Through small class sizes, a comprehensive curricular and co-curricular program, includ-

learn and explore and we have summer camp for ages 5-9 years old. We believe that a

ing AP classes, technology and the Arts, we provides a distinctive educational program

lower student to teacher ratio provides a better education by allowing more individual

and a special place for students to learn, grow and prepare for life. We invite you to find

attention. As a church-based Christian school, A Plus stresses intellectual, physical, emo-

out for yourself what makes APA’s personal approach to education the place that ignites

tional and spiritual development. We offer a fun, stimulating environment where children

your intellectual curiosity and provides you the skills needed for success in college and

learn through play and hands-on experience. The mission of A Plus Adventist Children’s

life. Robert Nguyen, Director of Admissions admissions@arroyopacific.org 41 W. Santa

Center is to serve the Glendale Community by providing a loving Christian atmosphere

Clara St. Arcadia, CA 91007 (626) 294-0661 www.arroyopacific.org

where our children can be nurtured as they grow. 234 N. Isabel Street, Glendale – (818) 241.9353 – www.aplusadventist.com

Art Center College of Design Art Center College of Design has been a global leader in art and design education for 85

Altadena Christian Childrens Center

years, offering 11 undergraduate and six graduate degrees across a spectrum of visual

At ACCC, the families of the children in our programs who range in age from 2 months to

art and industrial design disciplines. In addition to its top-ranked academic programs,

prekindergarten find programs that meet the needs of the whole child within a develop-

the College also serves members of the Greater Los Angeles region through a highly

mentally appropriate framework. Our family-centered approach helps to nurture healthy

regarded series of open enrollment art and design programs for kids, teens and adults at

partnerships between teachers and parents as we all work together to support the

all skill levels. Degree courses and public programs are offered year round. artcenter.edu/

children. We are eager to help families from diverse backgrounds to discover that ACCC

makeithappen - Hillside Campus (1700 Lida St.) and South Campus (950 .S Raymond Ave.)

is the best place for their child’s early education. Join us for our summer programs which

in Pasadena.

combine fun and learning and nature!

Contact Director Toni Boucher at (626) 797-6142 or visit accc-kids.org.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Distinguished by our next generation technology, robust academics, championship

American University Preparatory School

athletics, Spanish program and strong sense of community, Assumption is a TK – 8 Catho-

American University Preparatory School (AUP) is a boarding high school (grades 9-12)

lic school rooted in the message and mission of a faith based education. This past fall,

located in Downtown Los Angeles. We are a vibrant and visionary school community that

Assumption launched its transitional kindergarten class for our young 4 year old students!

uniquely integrates a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics)

High expectations, coupled with skilled, differentiated instruction across the grade levels,

curriculum, global citizenship, and internship opportunities into a technology-rich learning

are provided by our teachers, many of whom have advanced degrees. Students are

environment. Students are immersed in hands-on, experiential learning as well as collab-

nurtured to be confident, compassionate and well balanced individuals who are sought

orative discourse, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving as they partake in the

after, and accepted to our area’s finest high schools. We are committed to being finan-

many college preparatory courses offered at AUP. Our goal is to prepare students for the

cially accessible and academically exceptional.

independence and responsibility that comes with living in a city center. AUP’s numerous

Visit our website: www.ABVM-school.org or call (626) 793-2089. Come be part of a vibrant,

co-curricular outings and extracurricular clubs are the building blocks of the Student Life

innovative learning community.

experience.

AUP is an exciting and dynamic learning environment where students become scholars

Barnhart School

and global leaders. www.aupschool.org

Accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools and Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Barnhart is distinguished through its focus upon Early

Arroyo Pacific Academy A Personal Approach to Education. . . . . it’s our honor and privilege to welcome you to ex-

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levels, daily PE and a stellar middle school program where students are graduating with acceptance to their top choice high schools. We are dedicated to recognizing that all of us are learners on a continuum of unlimited growth. At Barnhart, we believe that education is a lifelong comprehensive human experience. Therefore, in addition to a robust and rigorous academic base of subjects, we provide a full range of co-curricular programs including music, art, technology, Spanish and PE. In middle school, we further extend learning to include classes in public speaking, life skills, woodshop, theater arts, yearbook production, student leadership and much more. Classroom equipped with SmartBoard technology, accessibility to iPads, laptops and desktops, and allowing students to bring their own devices, Barnhart students stay current in the latest technology.

Barnhart is known as an affordable, “down to earth”, diverse community. We invite you to take a tour and talk with our parents and students. Come meet our dedicated team of professionals, share some time in our community, and watch our students in action!

240 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia. barnhartschool.org (626)446-5588 Bloom School of Music & Dance Bloom School of Music and Dance offers music lessons and dance classes for all ages taught by university trained instructors who are experienced, knowledgeable and who truly care about music and dance education. The environment at Bloom is one in which students are free to express themselves while learning to excel at their own pace as musicians and dancers. This atmosphere fosters creativity, growth and community. We are conveniently located in the heart of Eagle Rock and proudly serve the nearby communities of Pasadena, South Pasadena, Glendale, Highland Park, Glassell Park, Mount Washington, La Canada, and Silverlake and Los Feliz. 2116 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90041 (323) 982.1655 or bloomschoolofmusicanddance.com Child Educational Center The Child Educational Center (CEC) offers innovative, child-centered, nurturing care in a unique play- and nature-based environment at seven sites in Pasadena and La Canada.

Our programs are designed for children ages six weeks to grade six, and provide outdoor learning, highly-qualified teachers, and excellent ratios. The CEC is now offering limited enrollment opportunities at our La Canada Preschool Program (ages 4 & 5) and at the Cooperative Preschool at Caltech (ages 2 1/2 - 5). The Cooperative Preschool Program is now open to community members, as well as the Caltech and JPL families. Learn more at ceconline.org or call (818) 354-3418.

Five Acres The Five Acres Therapeutic School supports all students with behavioral, emotional and learning challenges by building on their strengths and inspiring them to love learning. Our school offers highly specialized instruction to students K-10 eligible for special education services with emotional disturbance, learning disabilities, ADHD, intellectual disability and high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Families can access our program through an IEP recommendation or through private pay. For enrollment, please contact Debi Salas dsalas@5acres.org or (626) 798-6793 ext. 2315.

Glendale Adventist Academy Founded in 1907, Glendale Adventist Academy is a K-12 college preparatory school dedicated to empowering young men and women with spiritual commitment, strong academic preparation, and leadership skills. We provide a Christ-centered learning environment where students, parents, and teachers can experience the presence of God in a spirit of affirmation. Our progressive curriculum challenges and fosters the highest –continued on page 40 38 | ARROYO | 08.15

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academic development, and our values-laden, ethically driven focus involves students in service and a commitment to their local and global communities. The curriculum maintains a rigorous program of college preparatory courses, religious education, community outreach, art, music, athletics, drama, and enrichment opportunities, promoting a lifelong love for learning. The school is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Glendale Community College Glendale Community College is one of the premier institutions in the state of California because our excellent faculty and staff make students their focus. Whether you are interested in a four-year college, attaining an Associate in Arts degree, Associate in Science degree or career technical certificate, we have the program for you. In addition to our stellar academic curriculum, we also offer noncredit programs and classes for life-long learners. Our campus, nestled in the Verdugo Mountains with spectacular views, open spaces and Spanish/Mediterranean style architecture, features state of the art facilities from a world-class planetarium and digital arts program to athletics, performing arts and many academic offerings. If you haven’t been to Glendale College please stop by or take a virtual tour at www.glendale.edu/virtualtour Halstrom Academy Since 1985, Halstrom Academy has been offering students an alternative to the traditional classroom structure by providing quality, full-time and part-time one-to-one education with flexible scheduling and enrollment options. It also focuses on content mastery with a technology-supported curriculum. From aspiring professional athletes and artists to unique learners such as students with social distraction issues or ADHD, students find Halstrom a place where they can reach their full potential in and out of the classroom. 35 N. Lake Ave., Suite 250, Pasadena, California 91101 (866) 590-6579 www.halstromacademy. org<http://www.halstromacademy.org High Point Academy Celebrating its 50th Golden Anniversary, High Point Academy is an independent co-educational kindergarten through eighth grade independent school nestled in the beautiful foothills of Pasadena. High Point Academy provides a strong commitment to academic excellence and innovation and the academic, social, and ethical development of the whole child within a balanced approach to education. Service learning, technology, athletics, arts, vocal and instrumental music, world languages, library, and green sustainable living are embedded in our enriched curriculum. We strive to awaken the joy of learning in each child and are proud to have physical education five days each week, a new iMac technology center, an exquisite and impeccably maintained campus as well as a dedicated faculty and staff.

High Point invites you to see our community for yourself at one of our upcoming open houses. www.highpointacademy.org Institute for Educational Advancement IEA is an independent, national non-profit that matches gifted children ages 3-18 with customized educational programs designed to serve their complex intellectual, social, emotional, spiritual and physical needs. These initiatives foster intellectual curiosity, the acquisition of knowledge, confidence, creativity, responsibility and moral decisiveness.

Academy provides year-round, challenging enrichment classes focused on exploration and the application of knowledge. The residential summer Apprenticeship Program links high school students with distinguished professionals who serve as mentors to gain handson, real-world experience. The Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship provides students with a –continued on page 42 40 | ARROYO | 08.15

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four-year scholarship to a high school that fits each Scholar’s individual intellectual and personal needs. Yunasa summer camps unite highly able youngsters and gifted experts to teach campers how to balance all aspects of their lives. Visit www.educationaladvancement.org for more information.

Justine Sherman & Associates Justine Sherman & Associates serves the speech-language and educational needs of individuals throughout the greater San Gabriel Valley community. We design customized treatment plans with personalized measurable goals achieved through individual therapy sessions or classes conducted by our certified and licensed speech-language pathologists and supervised aids. Our collaborative relationship with families, educators and health care professionals ensures the best opportunity for client success and supports our philosophy of holistic treatment. www.justineshermanslp.com or (626)355-1729 Kids Klub Kids Klub’s After School Program offers parents piece of mind all-year round by providing after-school and before-school care and transportation from local schools. At Kids Klub, children engage in structured activities including, cooking, science, arts & crafts, and dramatic play. Plenty of outdoor time and outside games allow your child a chance to unwind from a busy day.

The program also includes a scheduled homework time with the assistance of our teachers. Providing a quiet, comfortable environment where children can focus on their homework and receive help when needed is the centerpiece of our afterschool program. Our program looks to instill children with the study habits necessary to become self-reliant and academically confident. For more information on our schedule and program please call (626) 795-2501 www.kidsklubcdc.com.

Kidspace Children’s Museum Located on nearly three and a half acres in Pasadena, California, adjacent to Rose Bowl Stadium, Kidspace Children’s Museum has more than 40 interactive, hands-on exhibits, like the brand-new Arroyo Adventure opening this Fall, designed to nurture the potential of all children through kid-driven experiences, inspiring them to become joyful, active learners. (626) 449-9144 480 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena - www.kidspacemuseum.org La Salle High School La Salle High School is dedicated to excellent student performance in academics, arts and athletics. La Salle Summer Academic Institute is for 5th to 12th graders. Courses provide opportunities to home skills and learn new concepts in the more relaxed environment of summer. Students earn high school academic credit in some courses, and many courses satisfy UC standards. Sports Camps are available throughout the summer for student athletes. (626) 696-4300 www.lasallehs.org Lycée International de Los Angeles (LILA) Lycée International de Los Angeles (LILA) is an international preschool through 12th grade bilingual school that offers an English and French curriculum. All students study a common bilingual program from preschool through 9th grade after which they have a choice between the rigorous and well-balanced French Baccalauréat and International Baccalaureate Diploma programs. In 2015, The Washington Post listed LILA as the nation’s 12th most challenging private high school. With five Los Angeles-area campuses (Burbank, Los Feliz, Orange County, Pasadena, and West Valley), and over one thousand students, LILA holds triple accreditation from the French Ministry of Education, the Western Association –continued on page 44 42 | ARROYO | 08.15

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of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). LILA is committed to academic excellence in a nurturing and intimate environment that encourages personal initiative, creativity and curiosity, and to preparing students of all backgrounds to excel and contribute to a global world. Since 1978, LILA has been instilling the love of learning in all its students through small classes and low student-toteacher ratios. With over 50 nationalities and 39 spoken languages represented on the campuses, LILA students study and live in a diverse global community every day.

Maranatha High School Celebrates 50 Years! This year, Maranatha celebrates 50 outstanding years of intentionally Christian, college preparatory education. The school not only offers 31 AP and Honors courses and a 1:1 iPad eLearning program, but 18 competitive sports and award-winning performing and visual arts programs as well. At Maranatha, faith is integrated in every aspect of living, learning, and serving, leading to authentic student transformation. Come visit the gorgeous campus near Old Town Pasadena and experience the Maranatha difference! (626) 817-4000 www.maranatha-hs.org Maranatha’s Admissions Open House will be on Saturday, November 10 with the program starting at 10:00 a.m.

Mathnasium Mathnasium is a highly specialized learning center where kids go year-round to improve their math skills. Students attend the center as often as they like, for as long as they like.

The goal is to enhance your child’s math skills, solidify understanding of math concepts and improve 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. Enroll today to get your child started. Centers are located in Eagle Rock, Glendale, La Canada, Montrose, Pasadena and South Pasadena. To find out more, visit www. mathnasium.com.

Mt. Sierra College We prepare students for real world opportunities through the academic learning experience by attracting proven industry professional as faculty and by providing continuous opportunities to engage the community in special projects and internships. The ability to test student skills against actual industry needs helps us to continuously improve our methods, delivery and outcomes. The artistic and imaginative student who has an interest in information security, graphic design, visual effects, computer information systems, or business entrepreneurship will find a home at Mt Sierra College. Mt Sierra College offers year-round enrollment, and applications are accepted for the Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer quarters. From the latest iMac® student stations in our Mac Lab to our fullyfunctional private theatre; we offer advanced hardware and software to give students an edge in their chosen industries. Schedule a campus visit for a tour, discussion with one of our admissions representatives, or attend one of the many campus events scheduled throughout the year to find out how to apply. For your personal questions, call and speak to an admissions representative at (626) 873-2100 to discuss your career options today. www.Mtsierra.edu 101 E. Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016 Music School To Go Music School To Go provides quality in-home private music lessons at your convenience.

At Music School To Go we believe that one-on-one private instruction is the most effective way to enhance a student’s learning experience. Our instructors are professionally

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trained musicians and educators who care about your success and love for music. We pride ourselves in our ability to nurture the talents of children, teens and adults - tailoring the lessons to the individual needs of each student. (818) 914-4950 – (818) 324-1620 www.

MusicSchoolToGo.com National University Virtual High School Now Enrolling for Fall Term. Since 2003, National University Virtual High School (NUVHS) has been a solution for students to earn Advanced Placement (AP®) credits, improve academic performance and strengthen their college applications through a premier accredited online learning experience. Students can enroll full time or part time in online courses throughout the year and complete a high school course online as few as four or as many as 16 weeks. Apply today, call (866) 366-8847 or visit www.learn.nuvhs.org.

NUVHS is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and AdvancED. NUVHS courses are approved by the NCAA and NAIA. NUVHS is also approved by UC “a-g” as an online provider, and all AP® courses have received College Board authorization.

Pacific Oaks Children’s School Igniting curiosity, creativity, and compassion that lasts a lifetime.

Pacific Oaks Children’s School provides spirited education that inspires a love of learning and confidence through an intelligent, imaginative curriculum. A culture of inquiry and innovation is cultivated for children and adults, as we embody the notion that a great school is one in which everybody learns. We deepen parents’ appreciation of early development and their role in supporting their child’s growth. Learn more about Pacific Oaks Children’s School by scheduling your tour today: (626) 529-8011 or pacificoakschildrensschool.org.

Pasadena Civic Ballet Pasadena Civic Ballet is the largest pre-professional ballet company in the San Gabriel Valley training children and adults in the discipline of dance for over 40 years. Students from the Company have been invited to train at prestigious programs including the Kirov Academy, ABT, Boston Ballet, Joffrey and the North Carolina School of the Arts. PCB graduates have danced with San Francisco Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Austin, Dayton Ballet and Texas Ballet Theater. The Company has had the honor of performing with LA Opera, The National Ballet of Spain and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Through scholarships and outreach programs in local schools, PCB aims to share its devotion to artistic expression with the broadest audience possible. Dancers at Pasadena Civic Ballet not only benefit from mastering the art of dance but gaining life skills. www.pcballet.com 253 N Vinedo Ave # 3, Pasadena - (626) 792-0873 Pasadena Language Center We offer over 30 languages for adults and children. Our small group classes are perfect for beginner, intermediate and advanced students. Our language programs include weekly classes, intensive classes, weekend intensive, full immersion classes, kids classes, ESL classes, or private instruction. We keep the rates affordable so that anyone can learn a new language. Pasadena Language Center, 46 Smith Alley, Suite 240, Pasadena. Call (626) 844-5003 or visit www.pasadenalanguage.com Pasadena Waldorf Pasadena Waldorf School, founded in 1979, offers an inspired education to students from Early Childhood (Parent-Child, Preschool, and Kindergarten) through High School. De-

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The Gooden School Celebrates 40th Anniversary The Gooden School, an independent Episcopal School in Sierra Madre, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. In addition to honoring the school’s founding and continu-

veloped by Rudolf Steiner in 1919, Waldorf Education is based on an understanding of hu-

ing excellence in academics and the arts, 2015-16 brings campus upgrades (extensive

man development that addresses the needs of the growing child. Waldorf teachers strive

renovations are underway in the lower school building which will result in new and innova-

to transform education into an art that educates the whole child—the heart and the

tive classrooms) as well as new leadership. The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce

hands, as well as the head. With over ninety years of experience and over 1000 schools

Merrily Dunlap will serve as the interim Head of School. Dunlap brings wide experience as

worldwide, Waldorf Education is one of the world’s leading educational movements. Call

a life-long educator, former school head, and Episcopal diocesan schools administrator.

the Admissions Office (626) 794-9564 to tour the school many a parent has said is “the kind

With Gooden’s reputation for academic excellence, community service and charac-

of school I wish I went to.” 209 E. Mariposa St., Altadena 91001 www.pasadenawaldorf.org

ter building, graduates are accepted by the finest high schools and universities. Open Houses will be held November 7, 2015 and January 9, 2016. Visit www.goodenschool.org or call (626) 355-2410.

Walden School As part of the landscaping re-design of the 1.5-acre campus in Pasadena, Walden School is installing a Little Free Library, where anyone can stop by and pick up or drop off a book to share. Little Free Library promotes literacy and love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide. These core values match Walden’s mission to value and respect diversity; to encourage the spirit of Renaissance learning; and to teach that we all have stewardship for the world in which we live. Stories come from a variety of traditions and cultures, which permit children to understand and enjoy differences, make connections to the real world, and explore the imaginative nature of people. Story choices and activities at Walden are developmentally appropriate and shared as a way forward to be globally united as cultural competency increases. 75 South San Gabriel Boulevard, Pasadena (626) 792-6166 www.waldenschool.net

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Gamble House Exterior

WHO WERE THE GAMBLES? In an upcoming book, Gamble House Curator Anne E. Mallek delves into the lives of the family behind Pasadena’s Greene & Greene masterpiece.

STORY BY ANNE E. MALLEK, PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALEXANDER VERTIFKOFF

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Gamble House dining room

–continued from page 49

A FAMILY HOME AND LEGACY

WHY PASADENA?

David Berry Gamble was the sixth of nine children of James A. Gamble (1803–91) and Elizabeth Ann Norris (1811–88). Like his wife, James emigrated with his family from Ireland [to Cincinnati] in 1819; he began work as a soap-maker at the age of 17. In 1837, he partnered with his brother-in-law, William Procter, to form a soap- and candlemaking fi rm that 20 years later was making $1 million (about $27 million in today’s currency) per year. The award of a contract to supply the Union Army with soap and candles during the Civil War cemented the company’s success, and its production of Ivory soap from 1879 made Procter & Gamble a household name.

Procter & Gamble was a progressively minded, largely family-run fi rm. In 1886 it enacted Saturday half-holidays (at a time when factory workers toiled six-day workweeks of 10 to 12 hours per day). In 1887, the company instituted a profit-sharing plan for employees, the fi rst of its kind in the country.

David’s career with his father’s firm began when he was 24, working his way up from general errand boy to partner. At the time of the fi rm’s incorporation in 1890, Gamble was secretary and treasurer. He eventually served on its board of directors until his retirement in 1920...

[In 1876] David met his future wife, Mary Huggins, at his parents’ summer home on Lake Erie’s Middle Bass Island. At that time Mary was living in Le Roy, New York, where her stepfather, Lucius Chapin, served as chancellor and professor of mental and moral philosophy at Ingham University, the nation’s fi rst chartered university for women.

At age 7, Mary lost her father, the Reverend William Sidney Huggins, and her younger brother Willie. Despite these early tragedies, her descriptions of her childhood with two younger sisters have the ring of a Louisa May Alcott novel, full of the whimsical adventure of a simpler, semirural upbringing — attending maple-sugar parties and church socials as well as ice-skating and nutting with friends...

What exactly drew the Gambles to Pasadena in the early years of the 20th century?

Family photographs and newspaper articles suggest that the Gambles began coming to Pasadena as early as 1900, enjoying its resorts and society life, its attractions such as the Mount Lowe scenic railway and its mild winter weather. To attract families like the Gambles, the Pasadena Board of Trade produced brochures touting the notable works of local architecture (including homes designed by Greene & Greene), the city charter’s prohibition of saloons, a flourishing YMCA and the fact that in a given year there were only 45 rainy or cloudy days. Just as important for the Gambles was a substantial Presbyterian congregation doing active missionary work abroad, as well as an attractive variety of cultural offerings (concerts, theater and lectures) and countless social clubs.

The Gambles eventually sited their home on two acres of land at the edge of a picturesque canyon and riverbed. Theirs was one of a group of houses (Charles Greene’s among them) described as commanding “a view of the grassy dotted banks of the Arroyo and the wide bed of the stream. . . . On the other side of the bank winds the Linda Vista road in among the hills, flanked on the west by tall gray-green eucalyptus trees casting deep dark shadows.” This was a majestic landscape, uniquely Western and even exotic.

Here one was at the edge of wilderness as well as on the rim of the Pacific.

Settling in Pasadena was not only about the advantages of location and weather. Its evolution as a city and a community was a reflection of the idealism of the Progressive Era. In its Rose Tournament issue in January 1911, the Pasadena Daily News ran a section entitled “Why I Live in Pasadena.” Una Nixson Hopkins, a local writer who had authored articles for the Ladies’ Home Journal and The Craftsman magazine, wrote, “I live in Pasadena because I believe the conditions for getting the most out of life — broadly speaking — are more favorable here than any place in the world.” Ten years later Mary Gamble echoed this sentiment in a letter to her son Clarence. “You see how large a circle

50 | ARROYO | 08.15

PHOTO: Courtesy of Greene & Greene Archives

The Gambles, circa 1915 Cecil, Sidney, Clarence, David and Mary

we touch here in Pasadena!” she wrote. “It certainly makes life worthwhile to meet so many fine people!”

This was a time of reform — in education, local government, industry, finance, medicine, labor laws, women’s suffrage and Prohibition — much of it a reaction to the effects of the nation’s rapid industrialization. Such change had also spurred a desire, especially in the wealthier class, for a simpler way of life, of uncluttered living, civic virtue and social service.

Pasadena’s development was in part based on these aspirations. The Gambles made significant contributions to the inception and growth of local hospitals, schools and state agencies such as the Commission of Immigration and Housing (created in 1913 with financial assistance from David Gamble, and by which both [sons] Sidney and Clarence were briefly employed).

By June 1907, when the Pasadena News reported David Gamble’s purchase of a lot on Westmoreland Place, Sidney was almost 17 and Clarence was 13. Each completed his last years of school in the area, Sidney at Thacher School in nearby Ojai and Clarence at Occidental Academy and then briefly Occidental College. The Gamble boys had been raised in an environment inspired by German educator Friedrich Froebel and his notion of the “kindergarten” and free play. As Mary Gamble later put it, perhaps recalling her time on her grandmother’s farm, “A child’s character is the main thing. . . . We sometimes think we ought to know what the children are interested in, but we should let the child carry out its own inclinations and desires in its occupation”...

The freedom to pursue their respective interests when young encouraged Sidney and Clarence to explore new areas of study at university and in graduate school. They were also able to take advantage of the new professionalization of the American medical and social sciences, and both went on to do groundbreaking work in their respective fields...

–continued on page 52 08.15 ARROYO | 51

The airy kitchen –continued from page 51

A WINTER RESIDENCE AND HOME The family’s travel experiences were borne with them to their house in Pasadena. It was a new home and a clean slate, but its style and decoration reflected and embodied their personal history. The lanterns emblazoned with their English family’s crest, the wide sleeping porches reminiscent of summers at Harbor Point [Michigan], the great timbers and structural elements that would echo the temples of Kyoto. In a sense the house was designed to feel familiar from the day they stepped over its threshold.

Pasadena was awash with examples of Japanese art, architecture and landscape design — from George Turner Marsh’s Japanese teahouse and garden to the half-dozen or more shops specializing in imported goods from Asia to the famous local artist Toshio Aoki and the huge collection of netsuke amassed by local businessman and bookstore owner Adam Clark Vroman.

By the time the Gambles departed for San Francisco in March 1908 to embark on their trip to Asia, Clarence had already seen Vroman’s collection and visited Aoki at his studio in the Hotel Green. One of the fi rst Kodak agents in Southern California, Vroman was able to satisfy Clarence’s interest in foreign “curiosities” as well as his burgeoning interest in photography. He even recommended a particular photo studio to visit in Tokyo. Both Sidney and Clarence developed their own fi lm on the family’s trips abroad, and this in turn was reflected in the design of their new Pasadena home, which included a basement darkroom. As Mary, David and [Mary's sister] Julia were delayed in their arrival at the 52 | ARROYO | 08.15

new home in 1909, they asked Clarence to send his own photographs of the entry hall and dining room.

It is obvious from letters addressed to Clarence by both of his parents in 1909 that they were extremely concerned about the completion and protection of the house and its furnishings and solicitous about its appearance, warning against the danger of damage from hobnail shoes and prescribing supplies for the maid and cook (including “two large cakes of Ivory soap”). There was also an awareness of their new commitment to the community, with Clarence as their representative. “You are making a reputation for yourself and family and I want it fi rst class,” his mother wrote.

Clarence spent nearly two months in the fall of 1909 as the only family member in Pasadena. He was taken in by family friends while attending Occidental Academy and awaiting the family’s arrival from the East. Despite Mary’s concern for fi rst impressions, it is certain that the Gambles had already made many friends and connections within the community. Their new home at 4 Westmoreland Pl. put them in further good company. Their architect, Charles Greene, had built his house on Arroyo Terrace in 1901, subsequently designing other homes in the area...

The Gambles’ house at 4 Westmoreland Pl. gradually became the center of their social and private lives. Mary Gamble invested a great deal of energy in the early stages of planning the house’s contents. A series of small yellow notes among Charles Greene’s papers show her attention to every detail — whether in how bright or what shape a light fi xture should be or the color of the walls in a room. Her interest in art, encouraged at a

Gamble House Living Room

young age by her mother and developed through study and travel, could only have made her more sympathetic to the ideas of the artistically minded Charles Greene.

Although the house was designed as a winter residence, much like many of the large estates then being built in Pasadena, it is clear that the Gambles were intent on putting down roots of a more permanent kind. When Julia arrived to prepare the house in November 1911, she sent a night letter that captured the essence of their new winter idyll.

“Weather is perfect,” she wrote. “Have two fine helpers. Place is beautiful. Paradise tree blooming. Have strawberries and green corn.” The following year Mary wrote to her son, “It certainly seems more like home here in many ways than it does in Cincinnati.”

Pasadena was something quite apart from Cincinnati and Harbor Point, a sanctuary that was at once both home and paradise.

By 1911, Pasadena was “booming,” as Mary noted in a letter to Clarence. David, Mary and Julia rarely remained still for long and devoted much of their time and resources to the areas of education and religion. Julia was active in the Presbyterian church’s Sunday school, while Mary dedicated herself to the YWCA, delivering frequent lectures about the family’s travels (often accompanied by lantern slides produced from Clarence and Sidney’s photographs). By 1921, at the end of just over a decade at the house, the Gambles were residing in Pasadena for nearly the entire year...

During those fi rst 12 years in California, the family lived through frosts, heat, sandstorms and a number of different servants (a particularly sore point with Mary). The –continued on page 54

The boy's bedroom 08.15 ARROYO | 53

Stained glass filters light in the entry hall.

–continued from page 53

Gambles used the house during this time as a place to entertain, as a haven for visiting missionaries from abroad, as a meeting center for various clubs and as a place of education, where lectures and even tours of the house were offered. In 1915, as part of a progressive party (called “See America First”) in support of the Pasadena YWCA, 4 Westmoreland Pl. was asked to represent Asilomar, a new YWCA conference center near Monterey designed by architect Julia Morgan. In 1922 Mary reported that they had had 115 guests in the house during the month of March alone. This is not to say the Gambles didn’t equally enjoy their home in its more tranquil moments. Mary wrote to Clarence in the summer of 1922, “We have had some glorious sunsets lately and I have wished that you might feast your eyes on them and then enjoy the nights on the porch.” It was the sought-after “simple life” at its best...

By 1912, David was one of the trustees of Occidental College, and its president, John Willis Baer, had become not only a neighbor but close friend (as would his successor, Remsen Du Bois Bird). David served on the board as both vice president and president, overseeing construction of the new college campus (designed by Myron Hunt) in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles. Mary became Occidental’s fi rst female trustee in 1926. Throughout the two decades of their association with the college, David and Mary Gamble gave nearly $300,000 toward the physical and intellectual nourishment of 54 | ARROYO | 08.15

Occidental’s students, supporting a new library and book purchases, a student union and a dining hall.

Between 1919 and 1921 the Gambles were also occupied with the construction of a new YWCA facility in Pasadena, part of its City Beautiful campaign and redesign of the city center. The war held up earlier plans, but the Gambles helped to revive the effort, making significant gifts of land and funding. Plans for the new YWCA building were submitted by Julia Morgan, the architect of YWCAs throughout California, who was then at work on William Randolph Hearst’s “castle” at San Simeon. Mary, an active member of the buildings committee (who later helped manage its interior decoration, from hemming towels to selecting light fi xtures and hardware), approved of “Miss Morgan,” noting she seemed “very capable and pleasant to deal with.” David Gamble broke ground on the new lot with a gilded shovel in 1922, and the building was officially opened later that year. He succumbed to liver cancer just a year later at the age of 76. |||| Reprinted with permission from The Gamble House: Building Paradise in California by Edward Bosley, Anne E. Mallek, Anne Scheid and Robert Winter; photographs by Alexander Vertifkoff (The Gamble House/USC School of Architecture and CityFiles Press; September 2015). The $60 book is available at fine bookstores, including The Gamble House Bookstore, and online.

Visit gamblehouse.org/bookstore.

08.15 ARROYO | 55

KITCHEN CONFESSIONS

H 2 Oh No You should be outraged by companies bottling California water — but not for the reason you think.

STORY AND PHOTO BY LESLIE BILDERBACK

THIS DROUGHT IS A BUMMER. MY YARD IS LESS LUSH, AND MY CAR IS DIRTY. BUT HAVING GROWN UP IN THIS STATE, I LEARNED LONG AGO TO TURN OFF THE TAP WHILE I BRUSH, TAKE QUICK SHOWERS AND PLANT SUCCULENTS. SO, I AM NOT SUFFERING. IN TRUTH, HARDLY ANY OF US ARE.YES, IT’S HOT, AND YES, WE NEED TO CUT BACK. BUT I AM NOT PANICKING, BECAUSE I STILL HAVE FREE CLEAN WATER THAT COMES OUT OF THE WALL OF MY HOUSE 24 HOURS A DAY. But panic has struck, regardless. In the wake of mandatory water restrictions, picket lines and online petitions have formed in response to revelations that more than 100 bottling companies in our state take 3 billion gallons of our water each year and ship it across the country. Although I applaud any activism that champions water conservation, I think this campaign is missing the point.

What the bottled water companies are doing is certainly offensive. But the quantity of water being bottled is relatively small in the scheme of things. Those 3 billion gallons companies bottle per year is only about one-eighth of 1 percent of what urban areas use (they suck up 2.4 trillion — with a “t” — gallons per year), while agriculture uses a whopping 8.6 trillion gallons. Certainly we should conserve. But shouldn’t activism focus on why we are drinking bottled water at all?

Nearly half the bottled water we buy does not come from the pristine landscapes depicted on their labels, but from treated municipal sources. Still, the U.S. consumes 8 billion gallons of bottled water every year even though, thanks to the EPA, this country 56 | ARROYO | 08.15

has some of the safest drinking water on the planet. It seems as though we have fallen for the oldest trick in the book — manufactured demand.

A few decades ago soda companies realized that there was a limit to our consumption of their product. By creating a scary image of tap water and a cool image of bottled water, they hoped we would buy a product we didn’t need. We totally fell for it and now pay 2,000 times more for a packaged product that we can get for almost nothing.

Personally, I find this embarrassing.

The recommended eight glasses of water a day will cost you about 49 cents a year if you drink them from the tap. Drinking them in bottled form will cost you $1,400. But the thievery of the bottling companies — taking our water and selling it back to us at a huge markup — is not the only offense here. Manufacturing the bottles uses 17 million barrels of oil a year, and even more fossil fuels are consumed in the transportation of bottled water to other, wetter states. The incineration of bottling waste releases toxic pollutants.

And despite recycling efforts, 80 percent of water bottles still end up in landfills — often shipped overseas and out of our sight. And there are even health risks from the bottle itself, which can leach toxins from reuse or heating (even if left too long in the cup holder of your hot, fuel-efficient car). Bisphenol-A (BPA), used in plastic packaging, interferes with the body’s hormones and has been linked to cancer and diabetes. But BPA-free is not necessarily safe either, because the outdated Toxic Substance Control Act does not require companies to prove safety, and testing of substitute products still shows chemical hazards.

If these facts still haven’t converted you into a “tapper” (I just made up that word, but I think it’s going to catch on), consider global water use. About 900 million people around the world have no access to clean drinking water. That is nearly three times the population of the U.S. Approximately 2,600 people around the world die each day from diseases directly linked to lack of clean water. And those who aren’t dying are spending 140 million

hours a day collecting water. Imagine if you had to walk five miles to collect and carry a gallon of water for your family. We are not even willing to walk from the far end of a parking lot. Free water from your wall sounds pretty good now, huh? What if we used all the energy and money directed at bottled water and used it, instead, to bring clean water to the rest of the world. Great idea, right? (Sometimes I amaze myself.)

So you’ll stop drinking bottled water now, right? Yeah, I know that, despite the overwhelming evidence against bottled water, and countless blind taste tests that prove tap water tastes just as good, some of you will still turn up your noses at tap water. While it is true that no water is pristine, the EPA has strict testing standards and regulations in place to treat tap water for removal or deactivation of pathogens through disinfection and filtration. The EPA does not monitor bottled water. The FDA handles bottled water, but their guidelines are much less strict. If you are concerned about the quality of your tap water, you can visit your city’s water district website for detailed reports of current water quality. The level of contaminants in my tap water doesn’t concern me — I’m confident that it is at least as safe as the meal I’m eating from trendy food trucks, the pool I’m swimming laps in, the summer fire-season air I’m breathing and hundreds of products I have in my home with ingredients I can't pronounce. (The point being — we do not live in a hermetically sealed world.)

But if you are still tap-shy, there are sensible solutions even easier than remembering your canvas grocery bags. First, you can filter your tap water. Filters are available for pitchers and individual bottles and can even be attached to your tap or plumbing. But an even cheaper and easier way to perk up the flavor of your water is through infusion. A lemon slice or two in a jug of water is delightfully refreshing and could land your kitchen counter on the cover of Sunset Magazine. And for those who are even more daring, recipes that use herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits can help quench that drought-induced thirst in a trendy, food-porny way.

Or, you could become a tap connoisseur. There is actually a contest for the best tap water. It’s the annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting. And you might be surprised to learn that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has repeatedly ranked in the top five. (That’s your tap!)

I still blow a gasket when I see lush green lawns, leaking sprinklers and clean cars.

And I absolutely stalk the neighborhood with my smartphone posting #droughtshame offenses. But more important, I drink water from the wall.

You should too.

INFUSED WATERS

These suggestions are just the tip of the (slowly melting) iceberg. Try them, or create your own. This is not rocket science (or baking), so don’t be concerned with quantity and ratio. Start with a couple of cups of additives to a gallon of water, then go from there, adding as much or as little as you think you’ll like. You can also chop the infusion ingredients and freeze them in ice-cube trays for a flavorful addition to your tap water. Be careful with strong-flavored herbs, but don’t panic if you add too much — just add more water. And if you find citrus rind to be too bitter, cut it off and use only the inner fruit.

Flavors to try Apple with cinnamon, cranberry, grapes, rosemary or prickly pear Peach with basil, cherries, berries, lavender or plums Mint with cherry, cherimoya, citrus, cucumbers, pineapple, melons, mango or ginger Cranberry and pear Cucumber with lemon, mint, strawberries, lavender or jalapeño Berries with figs, citrus, mint, basil, rose petals or cucumbers Grapefruit with mint, ginger or rosemary Lemon with thyme, ginger, mint, berries or cucumber Orange with other citrus, pineapple, ginger, cucumber, mint, basil, cilantro or hibiscus ||||

Leslie Bilderback is a certified master baker and chef and the author of No-Churn Ice Cream (St. Martin’s Griffin). She lives in South Pasadena and teaches her techniques online 08.15 | ARROYO | 57

A SELECTIVE PREVIEW OF UPCOMING EVENTS COMPILED BY JOHN SOLLENBERGER

THE LIST

Pasadena Pops Does Sinatra

to $100.

Aug. 1 — The

live jazz at 5:30 p.m. and concerts start

Pasadena Pops

at 7:30 p.m. at Santa Anita Park, 285

summer season

W. Huntington Dr., Arcadia. Call (626)

Gates open for preconcert dining and

continues at 7:30 p.m. with “The Sinatra

304-0333 or visit calphil.com. Walt Disney

Project” at the Los Angeles County

Concert Hall concerts start at 2 p.m. at

Arboretum. Conductor Michael Feinstein

111 S. Grand Ave., L.A. Call (800) 745-3000

(above) lays down the baton for the

or visit calphil.com.

evening to display his vocal prowess with

“Luck Be a Lady,” “Fly Me to the Moon,”

August Heats Up at the Huntington

“The Lady is a Tramp,” “For Once in My

Aug. 8 — Peter

a program of Frank favorites including

Life” and other hits. Gates open at 5:30

Blodgett, the

p.m. for dining; guests may bring their

Huntington’s H. Russell

own food and drink or purchase from

Smith Foundation Curator of Western

onsite vendors. Ticket prices start at $20.

Historical Manuscripts, discusses his

BREW AT THE ZOO AND ROARING NIGHTS TOO

new book, Motoring West: Automobile

Jazz Reigns at Boston Court

Aug. 7 — Brew at the L.A. Zoo, open to guests 21 and older, offers samples from

enjoy period music. Tickets cost $20, $10

more than 35 local craft and microbreweries, music by local bands, dancing,

for members, free for children under 2.

Aug. 1 — The Boston

pub-style food, zookeeper talks and up-close encounters with some of the zoo’s

Aug. 20, 27 and Sept. 3 — A three-part

Court Performing

smaller residents. Advance tickets for this 7 p.m. event cost $50, $45 for Greater

lecture series on the Magna Carta and

Arts Center presents

Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) members and $25 for designated drivers

the ideology of constitutionalism is led

drummer Joe

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

Pioneers, 1900–1909, a history of the era when Americans started exploring the West by automobile. After the 6:30 p.m. talk, guests can view vintage cars and

(includes free fountain drink refills). Tickets cost $55 at the door, if available.

by Vanessa Wilkie and Mary Robertson,

LaBarbara and the Joe LaBarbara Trio in

Aug. 21 — The Roaring Nights at the L.A. Zoo summer music series continues at

co-curators of the Huntington’s current

an 8 p.m. concert celebrating the legacy

7 p.m. with live music, a DJ dance party, food trucks, full-service bars, zookeeper

exhibition Magna Carta: Law and

of jazz pianist Bill Evans. Tickets cost $25,

talks and animal encounters, Guests can paint a favorite animal on a small

Legend, 1215–2015, continuing through

$20 for seniors.

canvas to keep as a souvenir. Open to visitors 18 and older. Tickets cost $20, $17

Oct. 12. Lectures run from 10 a.m. to noon.

Boston Court Performing Arts Center is

for GLAZA members.

The cost is $75, $60 for members.

located at 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena.

The L.A. Zoo and Botanical Gardens is located at 5333 Zoo Dr., in Griffith Park.

Aug. 22 — Unbound Productions, a

Call (626) 683-6883 or visit bostoncourt.com.

Call (323) 644-6042 or visit lazoo.org.

site-specific theater company known for its Wicked Lit series of plays adapted

Norton Simon Concerts Roam from Rome to Russia

from literary horror stories, comes to through Italy — Naples, Rome, Bologna

7:30 p.m. features soundtrack excerpts

the Huntington at 7 p.m. with staged

and Venice — circa 1760.

from Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Psycho

readings of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young

Aug. 29 — The California String Quartet

and more. The Santa Anita Park

Goodman Brown,” Margaret Oliphant’s

Norton Simon’s

presents “Borodin and Schnittke: Classical

program also includes Korngold’s Violin

“The Open Door” and a third work to be

Summer Concert

Tradition and Modern Classicism,” per–

Concerto performed by violin virtuoso

announced. The evening is recommended

Series continues at 5 p.m. on four select

forming Russian music from the 19th and

Armen Anassian (left), the finale of

for guests age 12 and older. Tickets cost

Saturdays. Concerts are free with

20th centuries.

Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony and the

$40, $30 for Huntington members.

museum admission of $12, $9 for seniors;

The Norton Simon Museum is located at

world premiere of a new symphony by

Aug. 29 — Family Movie Night at 7 p.m.

members, students and youth up to 18

411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call

Composer in Residence Roger Allen

features the Disney animated classic

are admitted free.

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

Ward. The concert repeats Aug. 9 at

Robin Hood under the stars on the

Aug. 1 — The Nick Mancini Collective

Disney Hall.

Huntington lawn. Guests are welcome to

Aug. 22 — Cal Phil’s season closes at

picnic there and enjoy preshow activities.

original and cinematic chamber jazz

Cal Phil Salutes Film Classics

7:30 p.m. with “Postcards from Abroad,”

The cost is $20, $10 for members, free for

selections.

Aug. 2 — The

an eclectic program that includes

children 2 and younger.

Aug. 8 — “Cantare!” features the

California

Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Capriccio Espagnol,”

The Huntington Library, Art Collections

flute and harp duo Arpa y Aulos,

Philharmonic

Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody, selections

and Botanical Gardens is located at 1151

presents “Storyteller,” a collection of

accompanied by a guitarist and solo

performs selections from The Phantom of

from such films as Out of Africa, The

Oxford Rd., San Marino. Call (800) 838-

vocalist, in a concert of Latin melodies.

the Opera, Les Misérables and works by

Hobbit and more. The concert repeats at

3006 or visit brownpapertickets.com for

Aug. 15 — Period instrument ensemble

Berlioz and Fauré in “Phantom/Les Miz” at

2 p.m. Aug. 23 at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

tickets and reservations. For information,

Tesserae presents “Music of the Grand

Walt Disney Concert Hall at 2 p.m.

Tickets for Santa Anita Park performances

call (626) 405-2100 or visit huntington.org.

Tour,” a vocal and instrumental trip

Aug. 8 — “Lights, Camera, Action!” at

cost $20 to $95; Disney Hall seats cost $20

58 | ARROYO | 08.15

–continued on page 61

08.15 ARROYO | 59

60 | ARROYO | 08.15

THE LIST –continued from page 58

Tony Abeyta, Untitled, circa 2007, oil and mixed media on canvas

CIVIL WAR SOUNDS AT THE AUTRY

Aug. 8 — An exhibition of new acquisitions from the collection of Loretta and Victor Kaufman — 49 paintings and sculptures, including bronzes by Frederic Remington and Allan Houser, paintings by Rick Bartow and Eanger Irving Couse, lithographs by Fritz Scholder, watercolors by David Einstein and more — goes on view in the Norman F. Sprague, Jr. Gallery through July 9, 2017.

Aug. 9 — The Band of the California Battalion leads a celebration of Civil War– era martial music, including “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “Dixie,” from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local country blues band Sausage Grinder is also on the musical menu. Admission costs $10, $6 for students and seniors and $4 for children ages 3 to 12; members and children 2 and younger are admitted free.

The Autry National Center is located at 4700 Western Heritage Way in Griffith Park.

Call (323) 495-4259 or visit theautry.org.

ScareLA Haunts Pasadena

located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena.

Visit scarela.com.

Aug. 8 and 9 — Get an early start on Halloween at ScareLA at the Pasadena Convention Center with booths showcasing Halloween-related

Nostalgic Nights at Descanso’s Lakeside Lounge Aug. 12 and 19 — Descanso Gardens

goods, services and job opportunities;

invites guests to Lakeside Lounge for cold

expert and celebrity panels on the haunt

beer and cool music on warm summer

business and horror entertainment; horror-

nights. The event offers Flashdance

themed performances by local theater

spinning vintage vinyl, Golden Road craft

and music artists; and more. The event

beers and Patina food for purchase and

runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and

retro camp crafts for grownups. Guests

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Ticket prices

can also take a guided walk along the

start at $30.

lakeside Oak Woodland. The events from

The Pasadena Convention Center is

–continued on page 62 08.15 | ARROYO | 61

THE LIST –continued from page 61

KCRW SUMMER NIGHTS SIZZLE IN CHINATOWN Aug. 22 — KCRW’s free Summer Nights music series comes to Chinatown’s Central Plaza at 5 p.m. with hands-on Chinese cultural activities, food trucks, the Downtown Flea Craft and Vintage Market and easy access to nearby Chinese restaurants.

KCRW deejays Garth Trinidad and Jason Bentley spin tunes at 8 p.m. and live music continues on another stage until almost midnight.

Chinatown’s Central Plaza is located at Yale and Hill streets, L.A. Visit summernights.kcrw.com.

5 to 8 p.m. are free with regular admission

for reserved table seats.

of $9, $6 for seniors and students and $4

The Pasadena Civic Auditorium Plaza is

for children 5 to 12; members and children

located at 300 E. Green St., Pasadena.

4 and younger are admitted free.

Visit thepasadenacivic.com.

Descanso Gardens is located at 1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge. Call (818) 949-4200 or visit descansogardens.org.

Get in a Jam at One Colorado Aug. 23 — One

A Journey Ends in Pasadena

62 | ARROYO | 08.15

Colorado and the Fallen Fruit arts

Aug. 14 — The annual

organization host a free Sunday Funday

Party on the Plaza

fruit jam competition from 11 a.m. to 2

Summer Concert

p.m. Guests are invited to form teams of

Series wraps up with a 7:30 p.m. show

three to five people to make jam with

at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium Plaza

their own home-grown or self-picked raw

as the rock band DSB – An American

fruit. Fallen Fruit encourages participants

Journey performs under the stars. DSB is

to be creative with jams and notes that

a Journey tribute act that reproduces

nearly all fruit can be made into jam.

the band’s sound when it was a prolific

One Colorado is located at 41 Hugus

hit machine. Gates open at 7 p.m. Tickets

Alley, in Old Pasadena. Call (626) 564-1066

cost $10 for general admission, $20 or $30

or visit onecolorado.com. ||||

08.15 ARROYO | 63

64 | ARROYO | 08.15