Fields of Dreams

John and I love to take Boz for long walks in the (relatively) wild fields north of the Devil's Gate Dam, an area locally known as "JPL." (We don't actually walk the dog at the Jet Propulsion Lab. As much fun as the lab might be for us I don't think the scientists would appreciate the intrusion and I'm sure it would all be lost on Boz.)

Many people use the area, properly named Hahamongna Watershed Park. I often see horseback riders, runners, bikers and hikers, plus ground squirrels, lizards, rabbits and all kinds of birds I couldn't begin to name. But I hadn't seen a guitarist until the other day.

I'm usually shy about photographing people but this was an opportunity not to be missed, so I approached the man and asked if I could take his picture. He said, "Shoot away, have fun." He began to play and I began to shoot, and it was fun (though it was still lost on Boz). The al fresco musician's name is Ronnie Ray Fields; he practices in the park because he loves it there and dreams of getting better. I thought he sounded pretty good. John and I noticed he was being a good neighbor, too; his amplifier was turned down low and as we stepped away the sound faded quickly.

The experience was encouraging. Maybe I'll be bold enough to ask for a photo of a human again soon. Folks can always say no but they might say yes, and I might meet more interesting Pasadenyites like Ronnie Ray Fields.