The Power Walk

This is one American habit that I have really taken on board.  The art of power walking.  Of course if I was a really serious power walker I would be out at 5.00 am every morning, baseball cap on head, earphones in, pedometer taped in place.  I'd be setting off at a vast rate of knots, measuring the number of calories burned and my heart rate.  Alas, I am not a serious power walker.  I'm a nosey power walker, so I have to go a bit slower than everyone else, otherwise I might miss something.  I have discovered power walking presents an excellent opportunity to study the architecture, horticulture, and general charm of the American front yard.  I love it!

When we lived in the suburbs I just walked out of my front door and headed off around the surrounding streets.  Being an affluent area the scenery was delightful - lush grassy front lawns; a huge variety of exotic plants - cacti, fragrant roses, palms, ferns, citrus trees, birds of paradise, bougainvillea, all lovingly tendered by an assortment of Mexican gardeners.The houses were all similar in age and style to our "ranch" and it was rather noticeable how many of them were being "re-modelled".  One day the house would be there, the next it would be bulldozed to the ground apart from a couple of stud walls, and then a few days later the building would re-emerge around the two walls left standing (presumably this has something to do with American planning permission laws).  Either way the end result was always twice as big as the original property.

Moving into town made power walking harder because you can't walk for more than 50 yards in the center of Pasadena without having to stop at a crosswalk, and of course you daren't cross if the sign says not too! So a 40 minute walk becomes a 20 minute walk and a 20 minute wait at the traffic signals. Yes I could walk on the spot whilst I wait at a crossing, but I prefer not to.  Instead I take advantage of having to get up early and do the school run, and park up just around the corner from the High School.  This is a very pleasant neighbourhood in the foothills of the mountains - the terrain is a bit steep but good for the calf muscles and the scenery is lovely! There are the usual suburban hazards of yapping dogs and water sprinklers - Americans are obsessed with keeping the concrete moist and it really isn't necessary, but if I time my walk just right, I can normally avoid getting too wet.

My new pounding ground presents an eclectic mix of house styles, age and sizes - there really is everything here - Colonial, Spanish, palatial! Traditional log cabins nestle besides mansions; old and new juxtaposed. One house I particularly love is a single storey uber modernist property, totally out of sync with its surroundings - flat roof, lots of glass, Scandanavian wood cladding - just like something out of Grand Designs.  In fact everytime I walk past it I can picture Kevin McCloud in his hard hat, standing in the shell of the building during the construction phase, speculating on the improbability that it will ever get finished on time. Across the road from this is fine example of 21st century modernism is a an old timber bungalow surrounded by white picket fencing with a large pig living in its front garden..and I mean a real pig. Of course most of the houses don't have live animals in their front yard - but there is a huge array of stone  and bronze imitations - ducks, squirrels, birds, deer, racehorses - yes racehorses (I'm serious here!)

The great thing about these homes is that they nearly all have a larger front garden than back which means all the pretty stuff is out front.  This really is the land of the rocking chair on the front porch, the swing seat on the veranda, all manner of garden furniture, table, chairs, sunloungers, BBQ's, plant pots, ornaments, all out on public view.  These things wouldn't last five minutes back home unless they were firmly chained and nailed down....

Americans are so honest! And so patriotic. Flags, now that's another thing they have in abundance outside their homes, and not just the Stars and Stripes, there are flags for everything - college flags; Thanksgiving flags; holiday flags; St Patrick Day flags; Easter bunny flags, and of course, now, Halloween flags....You think we've gone a bit over the over the top with Trick or Treating in the UK, trust me, that's nothing!  Pumpkin lantern on your doorstep positively tasteful: whole house dressed from top to toe in fake spider web, complete with several very large fake spiders, ghosties and ghoulies emerging from mock graves on the front lawn; skeletons on the porch; scarecrows, black cats, witches - they're all here! We even drive past a house on  the way to school that has a very realistic looking corpse hanging from a tree in their front garden....well at least I assume it's just there for Halloween.....

So, the power walk is not so much a quest for health and fitness, it's a source of inspiration - I have so many ideas now about what I can do when I return back home.  Okay the wicker chairs and brightly coloured cushions might not weather quite so well back in England - a layer of mould and mildew might lessen their appeal, but with a little imagination, I can take a  bit of California back home with me. And the most impressive house on my walk? The "eco" house - this environmentally friendly homeowner has seen the light and has just ripped up his high maintenance front lawn and replaced it with a collection of succulents and native drought resistant plants.  But the most exciting thing about this home?  Over the side gate I have caught a glimpse of rotary clothes dryer in the back yard - that's almost unheard of over here!  We just need a few more million Americans to follow suit and there might be hope for the planet yet!!