Photo: Echo Park Lake, June 23, 2007, by Martin Cox
My friend Martin checked in with photos of the lake and some thoughts on the threat of their closing.
Jenny: No happier place on earth! June 23, 2007. Taking advantage of what could be the last boating Saturday, my partner and I took the full hour to tour the lake, it's islands, fountains and vistas this afternoon.
Maria, the lady who takes the money at the Echo Park boat house sadly informed us that it was the end of the line for boating. We told her there was rumour afoot that Councilman Eric Garcetti may have prevented the axe falling completely, that there may be weekend and holiday boating to come. Maria was so delighted she shook our hands and shed a tear. I hope we are correct, the signs about the closure vanished from the front of the boat house yesterday in the middle of the day.
One of the oddest things I heard was a peculiar distinction made that there is no chance the boat house will close, just the boats - what? How is that any kind of solution, what function would the boat house have without the boats, a useful dock to look at where one used to be able to rent boats? Madness. These boat rentals are one of the few wholesome family and fun things to do at the park, and good exercise. Weekends especially are very popular, I live opposite the lake and the squeaking of the boat pedal mechanisms is a constant feature of crowded weekend afternoons.
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Sunday barbecue in Montecito Heights at the home of some friends: One of those hidden hamlets in Los Angeles. One of the guests said the scene reminds him of homes in Guanajuato and other hilly places in Mexico: winding, dusty roads lead up steep hills to a cluster of houses, gardens and greenery surrounded by partially open country. It's almost astonishing to see the many acres of undeveloped land -- I think of it as land where there are no buildings, or few -- in the middle of L.A. Our host Josh explained that the open hillsides we faced to the south were the site of the original Ambassador Hotel. The site is now owned by the Foursquare Church, which of course owns the Angelus Temple in Echo Park. The church's property is closed behind chain link. Inside, there are radio towers -- suitably, as the church's superstar historic founder Aimee Semple McPherson was a radio star in her day. I'd love to know which stations use the towers now. KBIG? Suitable, too, as McPherson was something of a rock star. Josh said other parts of the hill were owned by a patchwork of individuals who found it cost prohibitive to build on the sandy hillsides. Local lore has it that Josh and Ceci's house once was the hotel restaurant. Presumably, the church has no plans to build a parking structure on the remote lots.
From the top of the hill, the northern ridgelines of Elysian Park were visible in the afternoon haze. (My almost three-year-old daughter, just back from ten days of intermittent thunderstorms on the east coast, insisted it was going to rain as she refused to believe that haze and clouds are not the same thing.) There's a valley between Echo Park and Montecito Heights, but they're close enough that we have had several friends in the last few years chose Montecito Heights as housing prices rose in EP. So it feels close -- and far away at the same time.
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Dogs in trouble: Several months ago, a beloved, elderly neighbor, Mr. Nash (whom I did not personally know), died at his home. He was an animal lover -- guardian to several dogs and cats -- and an orchid cultivator, as well as a Korean War vet, bartender and longtime Echo Park resident. Friends placed some of Mr. Nash's pets in new homes, but there still are two who live on the property. Apparently, a nephew and heir of Mr. Nash wants to get rid of the friendly dogs, ages 10 and 12, who need to live outdoors. Echo Park Animal Alliance is looking for someone in the neighborhood who can give the dogs a home. 
