Vintage Palos Verdes, California

For the past year, Palos Verdes, California (and the South Bay area in general) has been recurring theme on this blog (the most recent post was this one). PV was my family's home from 1960 to 1973. When my great-grandmother Elsie passed away in 1973, she asked that the house be sold and that her ashes be spread over the Pacific Ocean near PV. Her three children respected those wishes. Both of her daughters remained in California, but neither one lived in Palos Verdes again. As a child, I don't remember visiting PV very much. I think the first trip we made up the peninsula was in 1994, but I remember that it had a huge impact on me. I wanted to visit PV during every vacation, but I think we only visited one or two other times before Joan's death in 2003. After our first California vacation together in 2005, Jonathan and I began spending more time in the South Bay area, and our day trips to PV became highlights. The combination of the natural beauty of the coastline and the pristine mid-century California homes captured our hearts. After scanning so many film slides over the past few months, it became clear to me that we are drawn there for other reasons as well. It is part of our history and our family's story.

La Venta Inn in Palos Verdes, California around 1960.

Palos Verdes, California circa 1960.

Elsie's home in Palos Verdes, circa 1960.

A view of the South Bay - Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan Beaches -- from Palos Verdes, circa 1960.

Elsie at the beach, circa 1960.

Looking up the hill from Elsie's backyard, circa 1960.

Beautiful mid-century Palos Verdes homes, circa 1960.

A view of Elsie's backyard in Palos Verdes, taken around 1960.

Another view of the South Bay, taken around 1960.

Malaga Cove Plaza, circa 1960.

And just for fun...a recent shot of the same fountain!

Also in Malaga Cove Plaza was the Palos Verdes General Store, circa 1960.

Here's the same building in recent years.

A view of La Venta Inn, looking down over Elsie's house, circa 1960.

Me and Jonathan in that same spot on our first trip to PV together in 2005. Elsie's house is to our right with the skylight.

All of the above images from 1960 are from our family's film archives and were scanned and converted to digital images by Gerald and Joan. If you are interested in having us scan and preserve your family's film slides or images, contact us here. The recent images of California were taken by my mother.

Beach Inspiration on a Winter Day

While the majority of the country is suffering through weather conditions that only a polar bear would appreciate, Southern Californians are enjoying their shorts and flip flops. While this hardly seems fair, at least we can enjoy these photographs and pretend that we can feel the sun's warmth on our legs and sand between our toes.... Oh spring, you can't get here fast enough. Stay warm, my friends!

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Photos taken by my mother during a visit to her childhood home of Palos Verdes, California.

On the Road: Christmas at the Beach

Today we're sharing some photos of our favorite place at Christmastime. The South Bay at Christmas isn't your typical Christmas setting, but it's still very charming. Here's the Manhattan Beach Pier all decorated for the holidays:

Manhattan's neighbor, Hermosa Beach, has a large Christmas tree on their pier.

I love the shell ornament!

It always surprises me to see roses blooming in December. Here's one in Joan's backyard in 2010:

Also, in Joan's backyard, oranges...

And flowering Jade...

The views from Palos Verdes are spectacular all year round, but they are serene in December:

La Venta Inn, which is located next door to Elsie's old home:

The sunsets are always showstoppers:

It is far from traditional, but California isn't a bad place to be at Christmastime!

All photos taken in 2010 during this trip.

Family Stories: Julie Faye's Birthday

My mother might be celebrating a birthday this weekend, although I've been forbidden to bake a cake...and what is a birthday without cake?!? In lieu of cake, here are some sweet photos of a young Julie Faye that I found while recently digging through family slides....As you can see, my family could have easily starred in a 1960s television sitcom...

Look at those presents -- very 1962! The little girl beside my mother in these photos is her cousin Cheri. Aren't their dresses adorable? I still dream about that couch. It stayed in our family until the late '80s. It definitely had a good run!

Every little girl's birthday wish - a pink doll cake! That's Joan standing next to my mother. Joan's sister Betty and Cheri (Betty's daughter) are also pictured.

Coordinating with Cheri! I don't think this is a birthday photo, but it was too fun not to include.

As you can see, they liked driveway photos!

More candle blowing...

There are birthday streamers wrapped around the tablecloth and on the table. Very fun. And yes, in case you're wondering, some of these slides are backwards...I'm still getting the hang of nighttime slide scanning! It's too dark in my studio now that the time has changed!

Posing with birthday gifts. I bet that parasol came from somewhere in the Orient. My great-grandmother made several trips there during her lifetime. I have those slides as well!

This shot was too precious not to include. As you can tell from the turkey and turkey plates, it's from Thanksgiving.

Those pheasants on the table live at my house these days, and that is my dining room table! My mom still has the wooden bird, leather chairs, turkey dishes and emerald glass server. She is definitely her mother's daughter -- very sentimental and doesn't part with anything unless it is handed off to my sister and me. I consider that trait one of the best ones to have -- plus it means the treasures in your home are one-of-a-kind, environmentally friendly and good on the wallet. You can't beat that.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful mom! :)