Tiki Central / Locating Tiki / Islander, Gardena, CA (apartments)
Post #607710 by Sabu The Coconut Boy on Thu, Sep 22, 2011 2:09 PM
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
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Thu, Sep 22, 2011 2:09 PM
Howlinowl - I'm sure you're right. I seem to remember a kitchenette inside the clubhouse last time I explored there. This apartment complex holds a special place for me because it was the first one I "discovered" and explored on my own after joining Tiki Central back in 2002, (though I had photographed a few others back in 1999/2000). I had just bought a rattan sofa at an estate sale 2 blocks away, and loading it into my truck I could hear the faint sound of a babbling brook or a stream, a sound so at odds with the suburban neighborhood around me, that I immediately thought there must be a tiki apartment complex nearby. Sure enough, the slot-waterfall and stream were running in the middle of the day, creating such a pleasing, soothing sound for the surrounding neighborhood. The condition of the complex was so pristine compared to other ones I had seen, that you could tell the owners took pride in the place. I drove home, got my camera, drove back, and took a bunch of photos. Of course when I checked the "Book of Tiki", I could see that Sven had been there before me. Still, it was all new to me, and I definitely felt the thrill of discovery. Some months later, Doctor Z and I did some more exploration and met the manager of the apartments, who gave us a little tour of the gardens and showed us the lava rock nests where previous tikis had stood before before they rotted away. That main tiki in the front is almost completely rotted away in the back. It would be nice if it could be stabilized and preserved. You should also notice that the tiki in the front bears a striking resemblance to the one that used to be in front of the Tiki Tabu in Torrance:
... as well as the ones at the Kala Kai in Lomita:
That's because they're the work of the same mystery artist who carved tikis for dozens of places all over the South Bay. I even know of a few of his tikis at private residences. No one seems to remember who he was. His style is unique, but Bob and Leroy at Oceanic Arts came up empty as well. I'll have to start a thread devoted solely his work, so that maybe someone can I identify him in the future.
[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2011-09-22 14:10 ] |
