Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, October 12, 2019

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Mountain View News Saturday, October 12, 2019 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

 by Deanne Davis

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com


“The best things in life are unexpected because 
there were no expectations.” 

Eli Khamarov

“A gift consists not in what is done or given, but 
in the intention of the giver or doer.”

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“The key to a woman’s heart is an unexpected gift 
at an unexpected time.”

Sean Connery

I received a small box in the mail earlier this 
week. This was an occasion for celebration as, 
probably just like you, what I mostly get in the 
mail is bills, catalogs – how is it possible for me 
to receive catalogs from all over the world from 
companies I’ve never heard of where I’ve never 
bought anything – political materials, guilt-
inducing letters from every charity known to 
man, frequently including a dime or a nickel that 
I must pry out, rather than just tossing it, which 
then exposes me to pathetic pleadings to save 
it, whatever it is. No, I’m not a heartless, selfish 
person who doesn’t do anything to help the world 
be a better place. I’m just selective about where I 
send my checks. John, my best friend and husband 
of fifty years – who has been dancing with the 
angels for two years now as of October 9th – was 
an ardent supporter of clean water for people all over the world. He supported World Vision’s clean 
water program and I have continued to walk in his footsteps to provide clean water. It mattered to him 
and it matters to me.

But I digress! I was talking about the small box I received. It was a totally unexpected gift from my 
friend, Darren Pollock, who is the father of two of the most adorable children, an Adjunct Professor 
at Fuller Seminary, a Pastor at Panorama Presbyterian Church, a theologian, and a great singer. What 
was the totally unexpected gift? The picture shows it all, well, almost all. Inside were six Cadbury 
caramel filled chocolate eggs. These things are a particular addiction of mine and I was whining about 
how I couldn’t seem to find any of them at Easter time. Hence, Darren’s generous gift. I am rationing 
them and not sharing with anyone, I don’t care how closely related we are.

The best unexpected gifts, for me, would be a letter or a card which arrives at the exact moment one 
needs a word of encouragement. Texts are in that group also, especially texts with pictures attached. 
Also for me, every day God sends me an unexpected gift in a sunrise and a sunset which are beyond 
beautiful. They are different every day and I send them to friends and family as an unexpected gift and 
occasionally put a bunch of them up on Facebook. I’m not the world’s greatest photographer, but it’s 
hard to mess up a picture of a sunset that takes your breath away.

Christmas is coming when gifts are pretty much expected, but I thought I’d tell you about some of the 
most expensive and possibly unexpected gifts ever given:

1. Mike Tyson gave then-wife Robin Givens a 24-carat gold bathtub costing, at that time, a mere $2.3 
million. (Seriously? A gold bathtub? What do you clean it with?)

2. David Beckham gave his wife, Victoria, a $100,000 diamond-encrusted handbag, a custom-built 
$500,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom, and a $2.4 million Boucheron ruby and diamond necklace.

3. As a Christmas present in 1968, Richard Burton made good on a promise he made to his then-wife, 
Liz Taylor, of a perfect ruby ring, an 8.24 karat Van Cleef & Arpels diamond and ruby ring, a bauble 
costing a mere $4.2 million. (Too much responsibility! I’d lose it, I’m afraid.)

Personally, those unexpected gifts aren’t anything I’d ever want. A box of Cadbury caramel chocolate 
eggs, on the other hand, are a fabulous gift. God has given me so many gifts that I am grateful for: 
pretty good health, an amazing loving family, a beautiful home, friends, and a 50 year marriage to a 
wonderful man. What gifts have you received that were unexpected and absolutely delightful? Maybe 
think about surprising someone this week with an unexpected gift.

Watch for scarecrows! They’re everywhere and so clever. They are where you least expect them to be! 
Have a great week, dear friends and neighbors and treat yourself to a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and maybe 
go wild and have a pumpkin muffin, too.

“Sunrises & Sunflowers Speak Hope” 

is a great gift for yourself or someone you love! 

Look for it on my book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 

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

 “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter”

is also available on my Amazon book page.

ZELO PULLS OFF PIZZA WITH REAL ZEAL

If you have been around the Pasadena area long enough, you might remember

The Pasadena Pizza Cook-off, it was an event that I was involved with for many years. In the 
beginning, it was a contest to see who had the best pizza in the area. After a few years we softened 
the rules and tried to give everyone an award. Many restaurants wouldn’t compete if they didn’t 
win. (Unfortunately, many restaurants decided to not participate because not everyone was eligible 
to win an award; we softened the rules and decided everyone gets some type of award.) Imagine 
that, I got so caught up in Pizza that I dubbed by car the Pizazar and even subscribed to Pizza 
Today Magazine.

Yes, I love Pizza, and some of my 
local favorites are Tarnatinos, 
Domenicos and Avanti Café 
(Shoot me a letter if I failed to 
mention yours). However, there 
is this restaurant on Foothill 
Blouvard in the City of Arcadia 
that might just be a contender 
as well. The restaurant Zelo, 
meaning ‘Zeal’ is a definite go 
to. Owner, Mike Freeman hails 
from Northern California and has 
brought his recipe for the pizza pie 
down here to share with us Angelinos. 

For those new to my style, I try to give you four or five dishes at each stop that I enjoyed and 
hopefully you’ll try as well. (My favorite type of restaurant discovery is when you drive by a local 
establishment hundreds of times telling yourself “I need to try that place one of these days.”) I love 
those restaurant discoveries that you and I drive by hundreds of times and you tell yourself I have 
to check that place out one of these days. Well, Zelo is that place!

What do you get when you cross one part cornmeal and four parts flour? I have the answer, it is 
the crust, the heart and soul of the Zelo Pizza. All of the pizza is deep dish meaning there is no way 
to not enjoy a bite of their heavenly crust. On any given day Mike will put together 12 different 
pizza specials. These specials include, a half a pizza (three slices for $13) or a whole pizza (six slices 
for $25). Try and compare that to a medium size that your kids order at…gulp…Dominos. That’s 
right, $21 for a medium Pizza, but there is plenty of toppings and fillings to get you full real quick. 
(Is this the right price? Above says different) 

On to my recommendations! First, on the menu, I love the four-cheese mozzarella, fontina, 
provolone and parmesan. One of my favorite rotating specials is had the Sicilian Pizza. This pizza is 
loaded with pepperoni, tomatoes, and three different cheeses; the Pizzas are truly unique here. Now, 
not to be overshadowed, are the salads. Two in particular are the beet salad ($7.50 and number one 
seller) and their asparagus salad ($7.50) with leaf lettuce topped with stalks of asparagus, balsamic 
vinaigerette, and asparagus creamy dressing. Personally, I would return just for the salads because 
of how tasty they really are. The menu at Zelo is just a guide, try out a special or even go for a pasta 
option! A few of my favorite pastas at Zelo are calzone, and plenty of vegetarian dishes highlighted 
by a Lasagna ($11). Of course, to pair off the delicious meal a nice beer or wine is available or bring 
your own bottle with a small corkage fee ($8). 

What you need to know: Zelo is very laid back with large appeal, patio seating, and is very busy on 
weekend nights. All pizzas are deep dish, parking can be limited (street parking only), and most 
interesting, you can order the pizza half baked to finish at home. They are open Tuesday through 
Sunday, and on the weekends (Friday and Saturdays) open till 10 PM. 

Zelo, 328 E. Foothill Blvd. Arcadia 

(626) 358-8298

Have a favorite pizza place? E mail to thechefknows@yahoo.com , watch Dining with Dills every 
Saturday morning at 8 AM on Go Country 105


KATIE Tse....This and That

DAWN OF REX


Are you thoroughly immersed in fall yet? Mid-
October sees us festooning our lawns with 
inflatable spiders while sipping pumpkin spice 
lattes. Heck, Trader Joe’s is probably selling 
pumpkin spice toilet paper, for that matter. But 
my mom and I are still fooling ourselves that it’s 
summer.

You see, a big part of my mom’s enjoyment of 
summer is the stone fruit. Peaches, in particular. 
But this year just wasn’t a great year for peaches. 

She’d stock up on them at Ralph’s, Trader Joes, 
Smart & Final, and small local stores. She tried 
them all. And still, they either never got ripe, or 
were disappointingly mealy. So sad.

I told her she should try the Saturday farmer’s market at PHS, because at least you can sample the 
produce before you buy it. Told her I’d take her. Told her it’d be great. 

It was a good idea in theory. But in practice, I love sleeping in like a lazy dog on Saturdays, and my 
parents are committed to their extensive exercise routine which takes up the better part of the morning. 
By the time we’d be ready, the vendors would be down to a couple wilted spinach leaves and a picked 
over apricot.

Long story shorter, the stars aligned one recent weekend, and we were able to go. It was glorious. We 
sampled yellow peaches and took several pounds home. “Luscious” is so overused, but that’s precisely 
what these were. Mom also bought a dill plant.

A couple days later I was visiting and my parents told me to check out the visitor who’d hitched a ride 
on my mom’s dill. A tiny striped caterpillar, maybe a couple centimeters long, was straddling one of the 
stalks. My mom named him Rex.

Rex was sedentary for the most part, but every now and then we’d catch him voraciously devouring leaf 
after leaf. I laughed out loud when I read an email from my mom that she’d gone to Ralph’s to buy more 
dill for him. He decimated the plant he arrived on.

Over the next week Rex grew to the size of a small Cheeto. My dad had been researching caterpillar 
development, and determined he’d be starting to molt soon in preparation for spinning a cocoon. But 
all caterpillars are not created equal, and Rex defied our cocoon expectations.

He anchored himself to a twig we’d put in his box, spun a reclining “harness,” and shed his skin. My dad 
and I happened to be there when he did that, and it was something to watch. Like an armless woman 
shimmying out of a tube dress.

But he was ugly after that. Underneath his cute caterpillar head was some evil-looking thing with horns. 
Warped apendadges like stunted wings went around to meet in front, and the bottom part of him was 
segmented like a wicked green sausage. A washed out, puky sort of green.

“Okay, next he’s going to spin a cocoon,” my dad commented.

“Uh, he looks pretty immobile,” I said. “I don’t think he’s going anywhere or doing anything.”

“But he doesn’t look weather-proof.”

“He doesn’t look moveable, either.”

We debated this for a few days until it became apparent that Rex, in deed, wasn’t going anywhere or 
doing anything until he was ready to emerge as a butterfly.

A black Swallow Tail, we believe, based on our research and observations. However, since it’s late in the 
season, Rex might just ride out the rest of fall and winter in his chrysalis and wait for spring to grace us 
with his presence again.

That’ll mean a long time spent stuck to a twig in a box on my parents’ kitchen counter. But that’s alright. 
By now, we’re committed.

 *Speaking of growth, personal transformation, and spiritual metamorphosis, have you checked out 
my novel, “A Year at Apex?” Ha! Just kidding, it’s not that deep. But it does have humor, romance, the 
human condition, and public education. Look for it in paperback and ebook on Amazon and Barnes & 
Noble.


HALLOWEEN WINDOW PAINTING 

APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE

Sierra Madre Civic Club is calling all Sierra Madre 9 to 
17-year-olds to sign up for the 2019 Halloween Window 
Painting contest. The Halloween Window Painting contest 
is free to participants. The contest is by age group with 
one member being a Sierra Madre resident on a team of up 
to 4 students painting one window per team. 

Painting begins on October 25th at 2:30 p.m. and will wrap 
up October 26th at 10 a.m. Judging will begin at 10 a.m. 
October 26th. Teams will be judged on Cleanliness, Color 
Use, Halloween Theme and Creativity. Once the judging is 
complete awards will be given around noon October 26th 
in Kersting Court. Winning is not the main objective, but having fun and showing 
off your talent is! 

Rules and Applications are now available at local schools, Sierra Madre City Hall, Sierra 
Madre Library as well as Facebook, sierramadrecivicclub.org (click on ‘Upcoming 
Events’), cityofsierramadre.org (click on ‘Residents, Special Events, Halloween 
Happenings, 2019 Halloween Window Painting Application’). The deadline to turn 
in your drawing and Application is October 7. 

For more information contact Sierra Madre Civic Club Halloween Window Painting 
Chair: Virginia Mullaney at virgirl2006@yahoo.com or see our website: sierramadrecivicclub.
org


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