The Newtown bee., 1899-03-24
Pasadena, CAL, February s, 1899.


enough to find an ideal place here, or
elsewhere. Meantime, [ wanted to see
certain places that [ could best reach
from Los Angeles, and 40 | continued to
stay on and on till the 10Th of January,
when moved to La Corona, Mr. Axtell's,
Pasadena. From Los Angeles | visited
Santa Monica, San Pedro, Catalina Island,
Baldwin's Ranch, and San Gabriel Mis-,
| sions besides taking several trips by the
Electric railway tU Pasadena, only nine
miles distant.
| The three weeks and more that [ spent
at Los Angeles were not days of Southern
| CALIFORNIA; best weather. Those most
| interested in the country and climate,
| as in part their pr perty, did not at
tempt to defend the weather, but ex-
cused it as exceptional. | was told several
| things by several persons. One said
| there had been no rain in q year; anoth.
er, that there had been no rain in eight
months. These were the extremes; and.
from what was said by everybody, as
| we'll as By the dust everywhere in evil
| dence, it was quite apparent that this
part of the state had greatly suffered
| from thirst. The d day of January
there was just enough rain to spoil the
| Annual Tournament of Roses that all the
country round about was coming to
Pasadena to see !; and on the 10th of JAN
uary there was an all day down-pour
| when the streets were brooks. Since
! then not drop. Every day, except two
| grey days." the sun has marched his
| course-the King of blazes. In midday
| the pedestrian carried an umbrella or
sought the shady side of the street. At
4.30 p. N. he put on his overcoat, if it
| was not on before, and between mid
| night and morning, If like me, he drew
| on the extra bed covering, and used his
| rug and overcoat beside. There were
! days when | put on my overcoat when |
| got up and did not take it off till ready
| for retiring. | have been studying the
| climate for six weeks. From the open
window at which | now write, at 2
p. M, lcok upon as pure mid
summer scene as the world affords. A
| half dozen cottages stand against an un-
| broken mass OF dense, green foliage,
made of the pine, the eucalyptus, and
| the pepper tree. The scene is as bright,
as still, and as lazy as an August noon
| at NewtOwn. But looking down upon
| the street | see two men in their "shirt
| sleeves" theirs walking briskly in over
| coats, ladies in wraps and others in trim,
| slight dresses. A man whieks by on a
| bicycle in a heavy overcoat while Others
are clothed to suit summer day. Look
| ing over, and beyond the scene just
| mentioned, see mountains, the top of
| the most distant covered with snow.
| Looking down from a side window, | see
a garden of palme, perennial shrubbery
and flowers.
February II, 1S99
Well, we'll! The telegraph reports Of
| the blizzard in Connecticut and else
where North, and of the raid of the Ice
| King South, make another storv for
Southern California in order. While
your mercury seemed making its home
at zero, and you were terrified by the
idea that the Arctic Circle was falling
| down upon New England the thermom-
eters here couldn't do better than 3S
| above nothing. For the three blizzard
days beycn nd the Rockies, Saturday, Sun
| day and Monday last, the weather bureau
| of this Paradise made the following re-
| port of maximum and minimum temper
atures: Ga, 3S; II, 46; 81, 80. For the
| three days since Monday the tempera
| lures have been: rs, AZ; 6S, AZ; 76, 40
A per reports in the Los Angeles Times,
| | cannot find hat the mercury has been
| below 33 since January /, while for a
| week it was not below so, though it has
done better here.
| Every morning | look out to see if thi'
| GLORIOUS weather. $50 known and
claimed here) has ended, and am sgair
and again surprised to see the delicatelv
| tinted horizon where the sun is to make
his entrance for another journey. All
| day he sails the azure ocean withou
meeting a cloud or f1eck to dim his su-
preme brightness, and again sinks from
sight at evening through border of
| faultless colOring. Only once have |
seen white, chariot clouds in this sky,
| and am told that they are somewhat
rare phenomenon, coming if at all,
after a sum mer. like shower.
This is the third year of drouth in this
region and it is much the eeveTeet Of the
| three. These dry seasons have given 8
| good deal Of concern ard short crops to
ranch men and fruit-grOwere, and now
the condition is becoming serious. In
stead of these weeks of uninterrupted
| sunshine there should have been days of
generous showers, for these are the
months when the circle of great noun
| tain springs with their LEAKAGE Of Gen.
| tures and their chasms and canOns take
in the annual supply for the valleys. The
| Southern California climate Is like some
| people, they say. To fully understand
| it. YOU must GUNNER and winter with it.
| AS rule, the citizen will give you very
| bright pictures of the state and its cii
mate, and ignore the idea Of return to
! the vast and indefinite "East" from
| which almost every body of mature age
| at some time emigrated. | have, however,
| found those who are still treasur1ng II
| their hearts the march OF seasons and
| who would again rejoice in the new life
| OF spring, the glories of summer. the
| wealth of autumn, and even the rigors
! of winter with Its peculiar pleasures.
| Aside from the happiness given by the
| changing year, they say the East gives
q method of measuring time and fixing
in the memory the events OF their lives
Here they are often puzzled to remember
| when things of the past happened. The
til A. nfnFnQi n
shine, like the ocean, present few prom
| inent landmarks to the memory as il
goes back through the departed days and
yeare. They feel the need Of change
and contrasts that they experienced and
enioyed in their earlier lives. Variety
is the spice of life, is an old and homely
adage, but like other sayings il has
grown out of universal fact.
find the residents here are nearly
unanimous in telling tourists that theii
summer is more enjoyable than the win
ter, that the temperature rarely gets
above 90, that they have delicious
breeZes, that the nights are uniformly
| cool. that the days are always bright,
| and that engagements for the future
may be made for any time without fear
of unfair weather. Winter tourists VINO
I have spent seasons here receive these
statements as facts though they can not
quite appreciate them, and they admit
That the climate is glorious, perfectly
lovely, the solsce and comfort of the
I invalid, and the Joy of the pleasure seek
!. er. They have learned, too, that while
8 the sun is kindly the atmosphere and its
currents are often treacherous, that it is
well to keep in mind the difference be
tween midday and midnight and TO looi
= out for the approach of sunset. While
sitting on the piazza, il you do not move
as the earth moves and are left but {
ahort hiros in the shade and the breeze