Clear Skies Predicted for Our Bloggers Picnic!

Actually the forecast is for cloudy skies during the day with a slight chance of rain in the evening. That means it'll be clear!

Many thanks to the Altadena blogs for organizing the picnic again this year:
Altadenablog
Altadena Hiker
Altadena Above It All
Open Mouth Insert Fork

Bloggers Picnic

The 2011 Bloggers Picnic was yesterday (Saturday) at Farnsworth Park in Altadena. There were about 40 people who came throughout the day, including the merry bunch above.

Enter and sign in, please:


So many of my fellow bloggers have doubled as citizen reporters from time to time via their sites, often about City of Pasadena events, services and issues, which I appreciate.

Here's a closer look at a few local bloggers. You may recognize some of their names or blogs.

Petrea Burchard and Brigham Yen:


Roberta Martinez and Susan Carrier:


Irina Netchaev and Ibarionex Perello:


Lori Webster and Susan Campisi:


This guy (who wishes to remain nameless online) and Tim Rutt:


Ron Carter:


Karin Bugge:


Debbi Swanson Patrick (in red):


In addition to a Mandarin chicken salad, I brought along March/April PIFs and 2010 Annual Reports. I can't help myself -- that's just the kind of PIO I am!

Take a look here at last year's picnic.

It wasn't this kind of picnic. For one thing, we weren't dressed for it.


Many thanks to Tim Rutt for the top photo.

Bloggers Picnic

Pasadena-area bloggers gathered Saturday for one of our occasional picnics, this time at Farnsworth Park in Altadena. Many thanks to the Altadena bloggers for coordinating this great event!

Everybody signed in. That's Deena Willis (left) and Susan Carrier.


People came and went from noon to just after 5 p.m., and the food and camaraderie were plentiful.


This sweet companion of Kathy Christie Hernandez was the first to greet me when I arrived.


Petrea Burchard's pooch Boz:


Last year's queen of the Doo Dah Parade, Michelle Mills (left) and this year's queen, Julie Klima, are bloggers.


Not quite the whole gang:



For the next get-together in late spring, I'm planning a City Hall tour and picnic in the courtyard.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I borrowed the group photo from Karin at Altadena Hiker, and the Boz and cookie photos from Cafe Pasadena.)

Bloggers Picnic

I was in elite company on Saturday afternoon at the San Gabriel Valley Bloggers Picnic, minus the trees and the park and the picnic tables and the ants and the flies and the sun and the dogs.

It was at the Aztec Hotel in Monrovia, which I have passed many times over the years but had never had an occasion to visit.

We were in a private banquet room of sorts, with three or four tables pushed together, and there was plenty of good food and company. I finally met so many of my fellow bloggers whose sites I have admired over the short time since I learned what a blog is, including Dianne, Petrea, Ben, Irina, Ed, Susan, Kelly, Billy, Frank and many others.

I promised Aaron Proctor a very special Christmas present this year: a bar of soap to wash his mouth out with.

Here's most of the gang, with thanks to WCGB:



* * *

I was in San Diego from Saturday evening to Monday morning (I'm usually down there on weekends these days, looking after my dad). I always take the 15 freeway down because it's so easy and usually wide open. Here it was this morning on the way back, about 8 a.m. somewhere between Escondido and Temecula. Way quicker and prettier than the 5, and it leads directly to the 210.



When I got to my office at City Hall and opened my window shade, I was struck by how fortunate I am to be on the second floor on the Garfield side, with beautiful magnolia trees outside in full bloom.