Whatever it is, ultra-marathoners — runners who laugh at the length of a mere marathon, running for 100 miles or more — are a special breed.

Photographer Larry Gassan has been capturing that look with a series of photos of ultramarathoners who’ve crossed the finish line. 

• Some lucky shopper found a jar of classic Zorthian Ranch honey at the Altadena Urban Farmer’s Market Sunday.  Larry Wilson says: “mmm — tastes like Altadena.”
• Speaking of which, Bulgarini Gelato will be offering pumpkin pie gelato, served or packed to go, over the holiday. It’s open today from 12-9 PM, and Thanksgiving from 11 AM-6 PM.
• The Altadena Rotary Club awarded scholarships to seven Pasadena City College student veterans on Veterans’

Frequent corresondent Steve Gerow shares this dramatic photo of Altadena in the storm last night.  Between the rain and the helicopter, it was an active evening.  Should be clear for Thanksgiving weekend, tho’.

Until Dec. 3, bring new toys or non-perishable food items to the main library, 600 E. Mariposa, or the Bob Lucas Branch Library, 2659 Lincoln Ave., and get your library fines waived. Check the flyer to see how much you can give to get your fines forgiven.  A great way to start the year and eliminate some guilt as 2011 starts!

• The skeletonized body recovered from the Cobb Estate Monday belongs to a male, the county coroner tells PSN, but his identity — and how he died — remain a yet mystery.

… and the Christmas Tree Lane Assn. is asking for your help this weekend:

This year because of the weather we are behind and need all the help we can get. We will be working if the weather is with us this coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, November 26th though the 28th. Because we are behind unlike other work days we will be starting at 8am instead of 9am.

We will be engrossed in family activities thru the weekend, so entries will be light.  May you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving season.

What are you thankful for?

Come for a dicussion that will prepare you for the season: nourish your mind, body, and spirit in this informative and entertaining evening.

Speakers include:

Gina Haber, Licensed Acupuncturist – “Demystifying Energy Medicine”

Maggie Bryant, MFT – “Healthy Relationships for the Holidays”

Are you Helen?

… maybe you are, or maybe you aren't, but our friends at Prospect Park Media are celebrating the publication of their new book, Helen of Pasadena by LIan Dolan.

Part of that celebration in includes a contest, "Win a Weekend in Helen's Pasadena."  Two nights at the Langham Huntington,

• The dangers of social media:  Glendora PD Sgt. Matt Williams read the San Gabriel Valley Tribune’s Twitter feed, describing a woman being sought in a Covina carjacking, and recognized her as somebody already in custody in Glendora on a shoplifting charge. Maria Rosas had been sought  as an accomplice in the carjacking that led to the arrest of Kyle Traub of Altadena (Traub was shot at but not hit by an Altadena deputy Oct.

Featured wines (priced per taste/per bottle) are after the jump:

Keep coming back as new stuff keeps getting added!

Thurs., Nov. 4

• Town Hall meeting at Jackson Elementary School, 593 W. Woodbury, 6 PM, sponsored by the Windsor-Arroyo Neighborhood Association (WANA).  Join westside Altadena Town Council members and Altadena Sheriff Capt. Steve McLean. You will have the opportunity to address any questions with Capt. McLean and get his perspective on our community.

On Sun., November 7 at 2 PM, The Sophie Miller Foundation will unveil “Art from the Heart,” a community project in which artists and non-artists from age five to 100 have painted 350 canvases depicting the theme of “Home.”  The finished works will hang on the fence surrounding MonteCedro,

• For our skywatchers out there, there will be a Veterans’ Day commemoration at Pasadena’s Memorial Park that will include a flyover of vintage aircraft, starting at about 10:30.
• One of our current must-reads is the Sierra Madre Tattler, the gadfly site of our neighbor to the east (find their take on the Patch questionnaire.)  The Tattler alerts us to www.speedtrap.org, the National Speed Trap Exchange (who’da thunk it?)  The Exchange has a list of speed traps everywhere —

Brian Charles at PSN covered last night's town hall at Jackson Elementary with Sheriff Capt. Steven McLean and town council members (we had staffing and personal issues and unfortunately couldn't attend).  Charles reports a "contentious" meeting about use of force by deputies.  Read it.

Received a press release from Pasadena Public Information Officer Ann Erdman about an upcoming workshop Nov. 9 on the city's resource plan, which we are passing on as many Altadena residents are served by Pasadena Water & Power:

PASADENA COMMUNITY INVITED TO NOV. 9 WORKSHOP ON CRITICAL WATER RESOURCE PLAN

With so much concern about current shortfalls in the water supply and predictions of long-term drought,

• Altadena diver Felicitas Lenz, a sophomore at Northwestern U. in Illinois, continues to impress at a recent matchup with Purdue, where she won the 3-meter springboard with a 301.35, cracking the 300-point barrier in a dual meet for the second straight time this year and the fourth time in her career.
• Our Skywatcher, Chris Considine, has a review of jazz legend Ornette Coleman’s recent concert at UCLA’s Royce Hall on Goldstar’s site (bonus: Goldstar is an Altadena firm!)

Yes, it's sunny and 70 degrees at about noon, but that's what the National Weather Service is saying: the wind is going to bring clouds overnight and a 30% chance of precipitation starting late this afternoon.  Just warning you now!

Thank you to our West Side readers for alerting us to helicopter/sheriff activity last night around 10 PM.  Sheriffs said it was a call on a burglary that amounted to nothing, but we're not sure we buy that from Crescenta Valley Station.  We'll keep looking into it.

Per the Altadena Sheriff station, the rescue squad is getting a workout tonight.

Altadena Search and Rescue successfully brought down two hikers earlier tonight from the Millard Canyon/Chaney Trail area, who were caught without flashlights as it got dark. 

And, about 10 PM, the watch commander tells us that they're preparing for a rescue of a hiker in Eaton Canyon who has not returned. 

Chanel Boutakidis, Pasadena Mental Health Center Executive Director and Director of Permanency Programs at Five Acres, wants to tell us of their upcoming fundraiser:

For the past two years we have started an annual Rummage Sale Event at Pasadena Mental Health Center. The sale of all the items benefits the families we serve. Last year we had many community members come out and leave with bags of clothes,

All day, there will be games available — play an old classic, or try a new one.  Come by any time, it will be going on all day.

——
(Pictured: Ben McGinty inside the indoor/outdoor Gallery)

The Gallery at the End of the World not only displays art, it’s a work of art in itself.  Yes, there’s an actual gallery building,

The meeting will feature presentations by two Block Captains, Sandy DeJardin of the La Vina Neighborhood Association, and Nina Ehlig of the SENCH Neighborhood Association, who will talk about what has made their Neighborhood Associations/ Neighborhood Watches successful.

Specific Needs Awareness Planning (S.N.A.P)- voluntary disaster registry website for Los Angeles County

For millions of Los Angeles County residents who have access and functional needs including those relating to physical,

An alert reader has let us know that the Altadena Town Council website is down today.

Webmaster Bill Westphal returned our message — there's a billing glitch, and he says he hopes it will be resolved and be back up within a day or two.

The Altadena Chamber of Commerce coupons for November/December are now available — two pages worth, from:

• Altadena Golf Course
• Kat Scrap Studio
• Amy's Patio Cafe
• Altadena Animal Hospital
• Photography by Walt
• Altadena Realty
• Steve's Pets
• Butler & Carey Organization
• Merit Cleaners
• Health Advantage
• Webster's Fine Stationers
• …and a holiday advertising special from Altadenablog!

… 7 PM at the Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

This month, at the first meeting Nov. 17, pick up a copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins for next month’s discussion.  Space is limited!

In addition to shopping at a wonderful Silent Auction, attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy great food, refreshments and music, as well as the company of Soroptimist members and friends.

•  Assemblyman Anthony Portantino will hold his annual Holiday Open House on Tues., Dec. 7, 6-8 PM at the Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond, Pasadena. Please RSVP to 626-577-9944.

Jacob Maarse Florists and St. Mark’s School are teaming up to present Christmas in Altadena, a walking tour of five exceptional historic homes, all painstakingly restored to their original condition and specially decorated for the holidays.

This two-day event, a benefit for St. Mark’s School, kicks off with a preview party in the early evening of Fri., Dec, 3 (6- 9:30 PM.) and continues through Sat.,

The Watershed Council, the University of California Cooperative Extension and the US Forest Service will hold a symposium on post-fire recovery at the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr., on Thurs., Dec. 16, from 9 AM-4:30 PM.  The daylong discussion of ecology, conservation and recovery lessons from the 2009 San Gabriel Mountains Station and Morris Fires costs $25,

Hall and Quinones were killed when their vehicle rolled off the road as they were fighting the Station Fire in 2009.  The two firefighters were the only fatalities in the fire.

Click on the flyer for more information.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
      Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn,