Shameless and a lot of fun. The Echo Park Historical Society silent auction was noisy enough that M.C. Christine Peters, a skilled orator, could barely be heard over the P.A. system in the back room of Metro Gallery and couldn’t be heard at all in the front. About 3/4s of the 60-some art pieces sold. There is no accounting for taste. A number of lotus photographs and other lotus imagery were redistributed around the neighborhood.

I thought I knew enough people but not until the auction did I realize that there were some holes in the friend-acquaintance-neighbors fabric of my life. In the midst of helping organize the event I have met some remarkable people who live in the neighborhood and seemed – from my perspective to be hiding. Never mind that they have been busy teaching and writing and making art. I guess I have been wearing rose-speckled glasses.

From poet and journalist Aleida Rodriguez I learned that the hill I descend regularly – where the Baxter Stairs are situated (see the photo of the dog in the chicken Corner box, above) – is named Kite Hill. According to Aleida, it got its name in the late 19th century, when local children used to climb it to fly kites. I googled around this morning and found an Echo Park Historical Society website reference to Kite Hill. Who knew? I also found a short story called Kite Hill, by Jordan Elgrably, a writer who used to live in Echo Park and whom I met once at a going-away party for a friend who was moving to Beirut.

While putting together the auction I had the pleasure of meeting Karen Frimkess Wolff, an artist and Los Angeles native who moved from Venice to Echo Park. Karen does sound sculpture as well as painting and drawing, and has for many years taught art at the Braille Institute for the Blind. She and her husband live on a dusty cul de sac -- very Echo Park -- from which they have a broad view of Kite Hill. I hope to talk Karen into sharing her thoughts on art and teaching with Chicken Corner in the near future.