Black & White with Red

A snapshot from Forever 21 store at Del Amo Mall in Torrance (taken before a guard could tell me that no photography is allowed.)

Shopping with Mum ... - Oxford, UK

Oxford, UK - Oct. 2010

...in a bright and cheery shoppe! (My reflection fits right in with a pink gift bag.)

Two of my favorite things... (PVDP on vacation)

Mikado chocolate bars - milk chocolate over puffed rice. Yum!

... to eat in Croatia ... and at home. As you can imagine, I now need a few months at a weight loss spa!

The unauthorized photos are from Plodine super-market in Pula.

Sweetness at First Cut

I remember my son's first official haircut. He was 3 years old and was so scared that he sat completely upright and perfectly still. This haircut scene at the PV mall remineded me of something Norman Rockwell would have painted.

So long, Longs

Ever since I moved to PV in 1986, Longs Drugs has been my favorite store in the neighborhood. It just had more charm than other drug stores close by. The drug store will still be operational under the CVS logo and floor arrangement. Of the 3 stores on the sign, only Bristol Farms Market is still going strong - I guess it's just a sign of the times.

Longs Drugs - Fate: Acquired by CVS Caremark; Founded: 1938 by Longs brothers; Defunct: 2008; Products: Pharmacy, Cosmetics, Health and Beauty Aids, General Merchandise, Snacks, 1 Hour Photo (ref. Wikipedia)

Thacker Berry Farms Stand

In California, we are fortunate to have a great selection of fresh fruit year round but the fruit is not always very flavorful. These strawberries really do live up to the claim of being fresh and sweet, and most of all, full of flavor.
The stand is located at the edge of Palos Verdes in San Pedro, at Western Ave and 9th St. The man running the stand was nice enough to let me take a photo.

Framing & Photography - St. Helena, Napa Valley, CA

St. Helena is a small, charming (if somewhat upscale) town in the middle of Napa Valley. I went specifically to find the house where MFK Fisher lived (which I believe I found and will post later).

The Frame/Photo store didn't make it and is empty, but the beautifully printed name still adorns the entry door.

The Gardner Building

The Gardner Building, 1925
Malaga Cove Plaza, Palos Verdes Drive, between Via Corta and Via Chico
Webber, Staunton, and Spauling
"First strucutre built as part of the arcaded theme at Malaga Cove Plaza. Dedicated on Sept. 13, 1925. It housed the PV Home Association, Art Jury, Building Commission and Mr. Schaffere's Grocery & Meat Market. " (from Rancho Palos Verdes Historical Society plaque.)


In the 60s, the corner store was a wonderful drugstore with a soda fountain. My husband remembers getting great burgers and hashbrowns there as a kid. Now, the space is occupied by a realty office.

Ready for Hibernation

The bear is ready for the winter ... I just wish I wasn't. So I've started to work harder on that New Year's resolution of "more fit, less fat".

The bear is an advertisement for a Candy/Chocolates store in Huntington Beach on Main Street. He sure is noticable, so I bet he draws customers to the store.

New Clock Tower in PV

New times are upon us in the US, and whatever our politics, it is time to celebrate this momentous occasion - the inauguration of our first African American president.

Ralph's Supermarket, 2001

The supermarket is in the city of Santa Monica, about 15 miles north of PV. The building's colors were just wonderful and I snapped the picture you see below from the car. Later, I went back and took more photos.
The building also caught the eye of the authors of An Architectual Guidebook to Los Angeles. "Ralph's Supermarket, 2001. Olympic at Cloverfield. ... impression ... of Charles Moore. ... the colors, ... suggest Ricardo Legoretta. But the provenance is local. Not great architecture, but it doesn't take itself seriously."

Joseph at CORNERS OF THE WORLD

The afternoon sun illuminated the sculpture of Joseph in the window of the charming Corners of the World store in Malaga Cove plaza.

Color at Peninsula Center

As I browsed thru my recent posts, I thought a bit of color was needed. The background is a huge painting at Gilt Edge Framing (and original art) store and the reflection of a bit of the Center.
The sign going up the hill at Hawthorne Blvd. & PV Dr. N. caught my eye - it encourages us to shop, dine, & do business locally. The trail visible is part of many horse trails in Rolling Hills Est.

Is your Chamber of Commerce encouraging shopping locally?

'K' is for Kelly's Korner (ABC Wednesday)

Rolling Hills Est. is horse country, and here you can pull up your ride - motorized or equine - & have a submarine sandwich.

Today I met Mr. Kelly & son - who are the friendly proprietors of the best sandwich place on the hill.

Kelly's Korner
26947 Rolling Hills Rd
Rolling Hills Estates, CA
(310) 541-2234

See many other 'K' posts on ABC Wednesday which is brought to you by Mrs. Nesbitt.

Food for Thought ... with Seagull

The white spec on top is what caught my eye when driving by. The gull had a real "birds-eye view" of the streets and the ocean a few blocks away.

The building, located in Redondo Beach on PV Blvd & Pacific Coast Hwy, had many different uses over the years. In the early '80s, it was a dance club called Annabelle's.

It currently houses an upscale grocery store, Bristol Farms, that opened here in 2000. I appreciate the daily tasting offerings of cheese cubes accompanied by spreads such as Dalmatian fig jam. Of course, the marketing strategy works on me every time.

Isn't it interesting how "Bristol" is a popular name for hotels & stores all over the world? I grew up across from Hotel Bristol in Tuzla, Bosnia. I think the word itself gives a feeling of brilliance and glamor.

Same may be true of Annabelle's for clubs - promise of excitement & fun?

Do you have a Bristol or an Annabelle's close by?

Elwood Nursery

A wonderful, small, family-owned nursery on Silver Spur Road in Rolling Hills Estates. Our patio is full of geraniums, bouganvillias, impatients, and others that we bought there.

Saturday Morning at the Mall

PV Mall is a pleasant, uncrowded place to hang out & shop - the only crowded time is on Friday evenings when it gets taken over by the younger teen set.

But for now it's awaiting customers...

Bakery display ...

... with a small admirer. Meyer's Bakery & Wedding Cake Studio (in Peninsula Center shopping area) changed hands last year, after 40+ years of family ownership. The new baker is Mr. Lenny Rosenburg who still makes the best twist donut around.

Scrumptious Display

... or I could of said "very pretty pots & pans & platters". The pricey store is at the PV Mall (or Promenade at the Peninsula).
(So many P's...my mind must still be on ABC Wednesday.)

Theme Day: My Corner Store

The Corner Store is a true neighborhood store, where people of all ages come for candy, coffee, drinks, sandwiches, desserts, or just to catch up on the neighborhood news. It's located in White Point area of San Pedro, a harbor city just south of Palos Verdes. My friend & I regularly walk there from her house.