A Day At the Los Angeles Botanical Gardens

Note the tongue!

A day of birds, trees and flowers.  Beauty and wonder everywhere we turned.

I came up with a new thought, to be added to the short list of quotes by Ron:

"Life is a surprise. No one ever expects it."

We come up with some good thoughts when we're traveling, but upon later review, decide they're not that great after all.

Maybe we'll start an online store for all our good ideas. If we ever get enough of them.

Best wishes to all.

Ron and Mari

PS: Here is our first selfie of the trip:

And some other sights at the gardens:

Mountain Top Labryinth

Up and out early (for us) this morning to hike the trails around Tuna Canyon road above Malibu. The prize at the top of one of the trails is a very nice Labyrinth made out of rocks. Many personal trinkets and natural objects, such as sea shells, have been left in the center as well as along the path.

While we expected the labyrinth, I didn't expect to be so touched by some of the items left behind: Talismans, bracelets, painted rocks and even calling cards. I had myself a good looking over and couldn't find a thing to contribute. I wasn't ready to leave a sock or sandal :)

What we also didn't expect was what we found on our way down Tuna Canyon Road. Its a favorite spot among longboarders (skateboarders who rider special long skateboards). Check out this video, or others you can find about Tuna Canyon Road:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv9lg1g6VW4

After a most-satisfying lunch at an Indian restaurant in Pacific Pallasades, we decided to check out the Will Rogers State Historical Park. According to Wikipedia:

William Penn Adair "Will" Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American cowboy, vaudeville performer, humorist, newspaper columnist, social commentator, and stage and motion picture actor. He became one of the most famous American media stars during the 1920s and 1930s.

Known as "Oklahoma's Favorite Son",^[1] Rogers was born to a prominent Cherokee Nation family in Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma). He traveled around the world three times, made 71 movies (50 silent films and 21 "talkies"),^[2] wrote more than 4,000 nationally syndicated newspaper columns,^[3] and became a world-famous figure. By the mid-1930s, the American people adored Rogers. He was the leading political wit of his time, and was the top-paid Hollywood movie star. Rogers died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post, when their small airplane crashed in northern Alaska.^[4]

Rogers's vaudeville rope act led to success in the Ziegfeld Follies, which in turn led to the first of his many movie contracts. His 1920s syndicated newspaper column and his radio appearances increased his visibility and popularity. Rogers crusaded for aviation expansion, and provided Americans with first-hand accounts of his world travels. His earthy anecdotes and folksy style allowed him to poke fun at gangsters, prohibition, politicians, government programs, and a host of other controversial topics in a way that was appreciated by a national audience, with no one offended. His aphorisms, couched in humorous terms, were widely quoted: "I am not a member of an organized political party. I am a Democrat." Another widely quoted Will Rogers comment was "I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."

http://www.cmgww.com/historic/rogers/  (The official Site of Will Rogers)

In 1944 his wife contributed their 160-acre ranch to the State of California. We took the most popular 1.5 mile hike to "Inspiration Point", which provides a great overlook of L.A.

Tomorrow is our last full day before we say good bye to our great hosts Fran and Brian Hartshorn and board our flight to Hawaii. We're going to double-check our bags and then take in a nearby botanical garden. Take care all!

Ron and Mari

California Drivin'

After a post-Thanksgiving rest and lots of time hanging out, we decided it was time to take a day trip and see the beautiful area we had heard about near Malibu -  the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Heading through LA on the way to Santa Monica

A drive out towards Santa Monica, then up the coast to Malibu led us to Casa Escobar Mexican Restaurant on Malibu Beach. We ate some delicious, authentic Mexican food while gazing at the beach and ocean across the street.

The view from the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu

At the end of our meal, we discussed hiking options in the area with our waiter, and were advised to go see the "Jim Morrison" caves at the end of the road up Corral Canyon. We don't know why they are called the Jim Morrison caves, and they are really just holes in a large sandstone formation. But the views----!!!!

The holes in this sandstone might be the "caves" we were told about

Someone made a rock-lined labyrinth in front of the sandstone

We followed a graded dirt road for about an hour, taking in one breathtaking view of the ocean after another. We could see islands out in the ocean. One was probably Catalina Island, the other may have been Santa Barbara Island. At the ridge where we were hiking, you could also look to the north, east and west, and see mountains, valleys, houses, and a lake or two. 360-degree views. Really spectacular.

Downtown LA as seen from Corral Canyon

Hard to capture all the beauty visible from any given spot...this was the drive up Corral Canyon

An interesting flower on a ground vine

Giving Thanks

We had a superb dinner, and excellent company while being hosted by Fran and Brain in their "new" home in LA. I didn't think to take photos, but Fran got some, and tagged me on a post on Facebook, so you can see all the guests and some of the scrumptious dishes she and Brian whipped up for us over a 2-day cooking frenzy. The roasted corn+roasted poblanos dish called Rajas was probably my favorite new thing to try, and the chocolate-pecan pie that Fran made could win a baking award!

We enjoyed meeting and visiting with a number of Fran and Brian's friends, and hearing about life in LA, how the weather seems to be changing, the oncoming El Nino rain that is being predicted for this area, and also stories about what's going on in our lives.

Prior to dinner, Ron and I took a walk around Fran's northern LA neighborhood and saw a couple of vintage sports cars; houses with tiny front yards, if you could call them that, and, as you wind your way to the top of the hill, larger houses with larger driveways - one house even had a 3-car garage!

Nice whitewalls, by the way!

Anyone remember the Signet?

Slug-bug!

Anyone recognize the year of this Mustang?

We loved having hills to climb right outside the door, and there are lots of views of the surrounding area: Griffith Park Observatory; one of the freeways; lots more houses on the hillsides; and the San Gabriel mountains to the north.

These Los Angelenos love their plants!

Aloe vera in bloom

Agave patch with one flowering stalk

White Bird-of-Paradise

Bougainvillea

Here are some interesting details I observed in the neighborhood:

And, for a bonus - here's an illustration of the difference between xeriscaping (xeric=arid) versus zero-scaping:

A brand-new planting of drought-tolerant plants

From the side

Maybe they just gave up on plants during the drought....

We hope everyone is safe and warm, as we know that snow swept across Nebraska yesterday, and the same storm system that brought that is heading towards our friends and family in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.

We love hearing back from those of you that have sent emails or have commented on this blog. Thanks for staying in touch with us as we travel across this land on our "Big Adventure"!