Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, July 14, 2018

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Mountain View News Saturday, July 14, 2018 


KATIE Tse ...........This and That

WALKING SIERRA MADRE... The Social Side By Deanne Davis

THE STONE MENAGERIE


I love Sierra Madre! I’ve lived 
here my whole life and I cannot 
imagine calling anywhere else 
home. One thing of my favorite 
things about Sierra Madre is its quirkiness. If you 
watched the Fourth of July parade, you know what 
I’m talking about. *Shout out to Barry Schwam and 
the musical dill pickles!* Sierra Madre strikes the 
perfect balance of quaint foothill community and 
aging hippy art colony. Take a drive around the 
canyon for an example of this.

 Another perk of living in this town is all the 
great hiking opportunities. 
Even if you don’t actually 
“hike,” trekking up the 
sharp inclines on streets 
like Auburn and Oak Crest 
will certainly get your heart 
rate going. It was at the 
intersection of North Lima, 
Carter, and Oak Crest that I 
first spotted what I call “The 
Stone Menagerie.”

 The Stone Menagerie 
started when someone put a 
large white pelican on one of 
the rocks by the “Oak Crest” 
sign. He (I assume it’s a he) 
looked kind of regal, and he 
seemed to really “fit” there. 
For a while the pelican was 
alone, but then a white rabbit 
appeared on a rock beneath 
him, positioned so that the 
rabbit was looking up at 
him. This gave the impression that the pelican was 
teaching the rabbit something really important, like 
how to file his taxes or put together a winning pick 
6 ticket at the races.

 After the rabbit came a white duck. At first he (I 
guess most animals are male in my imagination) was 
turned the wrong way, looking at the pedestrians 
instead of paying attention to the pelican’s tax and 
handicapping tips. One day I took the liberty of 
adjusting him back the way I felt he was supposed 
to be facing.

 After the second identical white stone duck 
appeared, there was a proverbial explosion of stone 
lawn decorations. Instead of a new one appearing 
every couple of days, a bunch started popping up 
overnight like mushrooms. I think the first statue to 
break the all-white theme was a gray turtle, followed 
by a gray frog. There was also a yellow duck, and 
a bearded man holding a bowl that is probably 
supposed to be a bird feeder. 

 The weird thing about this collection is that 
occasionally someone removes one or two of the 
statues. This happened with the big red rooster and 
a little gray gnome. I can understand leaving things 
there, but taking stuff that 
other people have left away 
seems odd.

 The last time I counted, 
there were 13 items gathered 
around the original pelican. 
I think the red USC gnome 
might be from my neighbors. 
At this point, the items are 
definitely made out of a wider 
variety of materials than 
stone or plaster. But calling 
it “The Plastic Menagerie” 
sounds cheesy.

 Also, the sheer number of 
figurines has detracted from 
the original vision of a simple 
lesson in taxes and gambling 
advice. Like any gathering of 
individuals, the event starts 
to feel strained once the 
group grows too large (The 
words of an introvert. If you 
can’t relate, it’s because you’re more outgoing than I 
am –congratulations.)

 But that’s the beauty of our community. Just 
because the lawn decoration party at N. Lima/
Carter/Oak Crest got overcrowded doesn’t mean 
there aren’t a dozen other options available for new 
stone menageries to spring up elsewhere around 
town. “Turtle Park” at the top of Mountain Trail 
seems ideal, as does the canyon or any shady corner 
of the “Pool Park.” Can’t wait to see what creative 
collections my fellow Sierra Madreans will come up 
with next! 


“Rockin’ Rollers (Rock for music and Rollers 
for hair) began with the vision of delightful and 
talented married couple, Joe and Gigi Hutchinson, 
to combine their two passions: “Music Enrichment 
and Hairdressing in a creative atmosphere that 
brings together Music and Image.”

 And I have to say they’ve succeeded! Gigi and Joe 
have been beautifying Sierra Madre’s hair and teaching 
music to all sorts of folks for the last two and a half 
years at their charming salon/studio in Suite 10 at the 
38 E. Montecito center. That’s the center where the RT 
Rogers Brewing Company has set up shop, providing 
one of the more delightful places to sit and enjoy a 
glass of something exquisitely tasty Ryan Rogers has 
brewed right there on the premises and listen to a little 
music. Joe, and occasionally, his band – Joe Normal & 
The Anytown’rs appear every first Friday at RT Rogers 
Brewing Company. Mark your calendar!

 Joe and Gigi realized that hair and music 
definitely go together some time ago when they met 
on the Sunset Strip in 1986 and operated a salon in 
the mid-90’s in Hollywood. Before opening their 
salon on Montecito, they were both making house 
calls, teaching guitar in somebody’s living room and 
doing a shampoo and blowout in the kitchen. Now 
Gigi, Sabin Parsi and Claire Rodgers do fabulous 
hair and makeup on Montecito, partnering with our 
own Sierra Madre Playhouse where these artists did 
the hair and makeup for “A Christmas Story” and 
are consulting with Alison Kalmus on an upcoming 
junior production of “Babes In Barns’ which is a 
take-off on all those great old Mickey Rooney-Judy 
Garland movies. You remember... “Hey Gang! Let’s 
put on a show!!”

 I first saw Gigi’s work a few weeks ago when she, 
Sabin and Claire did the hair and makeup for the 
Vintage Treasures Fashion Show, held poolside at 
the Double Tree Hotel in Monrovia. The models 
looked spectacular and watching Gigi and her team 
transform ladies of all ages into flat-out gorgeous 
was awesome. This was a huge event and with 
cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, couldn’t have been 
more fun. I remembered seeing my mother wearing 
a trapeze dress, like one that was modeled, back in 
the late 50’s.

 Gigi and Joe feel that hair/image and music 
definitely belong together and they work to help 
clients achieve the look that shows their own 
particular brand and lifestyle. A Mother’s Day 
complete makeover contest with moms nominating 
moms was a huge success, too. You’ll want to check 
out the free monthly Open Mic show on the second 
Sunday of every month from 3:30 to 5:30 there at 
Rockin Rollers and Joe’s starting a songwriter’s 
night, too on the second Wednesday of the month. 
Again, mark your calendar!

 Joe and Gigi have two sons, 16 and 13, one of 
whom is living on the autism spectrum. Needless to 
say, like all parents of special needs kids, Joe and Gigi 
volunteer with several organizations which provide 
help, like Danny’s Farm, which gives special needs 
kids experiences with animals in a farm atmosphere. 
They’ve involved themselves with autism walks and 
as many other events as possible to find answers, 
and good experiences for autistic kids. Watching Joe 
and Gigi relate to each other, talk excitedly about all 
they’re doing and plan to do was such a joy for me. 
I asked them what a few keys to happy marriage are 
for them and they pretty much agreed it was shared 
goals, gratitude and an attitude of humbleness. Yep, 
that’s pretty much it, friends and neighbors.

 Looking around the salon, I noticed the products 
Gigi uses, Loma and Marrakesh. She explained 
they are very particular about what they use and 
these are family companies, using as many natural 
ingredients as possible. As Rockin Rollers is a 
boutique salon, they like to support boutique style 
companies. I left laden down with samples and am 
expecting “significantly improved hair condition 
and texture, silky smooth with glossy shine!”

 Joe, along with fellow teachers Dan Buccat, 
Damien de la Cruz and Barbara Jenice, is planning 
Uke & Rock Summer Camps, a Songwriter’s 
Workshop, more appearances at RT Rogers Brewing 
Company, and other places ‘round the San Gabriel 
Valley. You can buy Joe’s CDs at www.joenormalusa.
com and if you’re contemplating a CD of your own, 
he can help you with your recording, publishing, 
copywriting and just about anything you need. If 
you haven’t checked out Rockin Rollers, go take a 
look! 

 Call 626-355-0101 for an appointment or 
to schedule a lesson on guitar, ukulele, bass, 
drums, piano or even an entire rock band class! 
Appointments definitely appreciated, but Gigi 
strives to be open on Mondays when every other 
salon is closed and she will take walk-in’s if possible. 
You can book online, too: RockinrollersUSA@
gmail.com. These guys are charming, delightful, 
uplifting, inspirational and talented! You’ll agree 
that they bring enjoyment, enrichment and well-
being to their clients and community in a creative 
atmosphere for music exploration and artistic 
discovery. Go in and say hi!

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 

Kindle books of all sorts and hardcover “Tablespoon 
of Love” are on there, as is “Star of Wonder.”

Star of Wonder the CD is now on TuneCore! Take 
a look!

 Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 Follow me on Twitter, too! https://twitter.com/@
playwrightdd


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com