Sea Secrets

     Our month long visit to So. California was a wonderful time of visiting with family. In particular we got to spend more time with our granddaughter, Miranda. We were lucky to be there to see her in the musical "Peter Pan". She had two parts, one as a Neverland bird in a dance number. The other as one of the lost boys.

     One of the days we were there was a school holiday and our daughter took the day off from work. So we decided to do some exploring of the So. California area that was new to us. I discovered not far from where they live was a state park called Abalone Cove where we could view tide pools, see link for more info: Abalone Cove. We checked the time for low tide and headed out on our adventure.

It was a great day for exploring. It's not your typical beach with sand, but rather lots of rocks. So we diffidently had to watch our step.

We made discoveries.

And enjoyed the beautiful day.

This is another shot of the park. There is a large area to explore.

Miranda enjoying the view.

It was a bit of a trek down and back up the trail so Miranda takes a break. After all our exercise we decided it was time for lunch.

A thought to ponder: "You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."

Participating in: Grand Social, Share the Joy, Through my lens, Seasons, Amaze Me Monday, Our World Tuesday, Nature Notes, Wednesday Around the World,Share Your Cup

In Your Own Backyard

     I don't think I'm alone in this, but have you ever noticed that you very seldom see the sites/attractions in your own city or state. The things people from other places come to see. I know people here in Wyoming that have never been to Yellowstone National Park. Maybe it's because something is close so we think we can see it anytime. Mean while off we go on a trip to another state or country to see their attractions.
     I was born and raised in Southern California, lived there for over thirty years. Yet I never knew why Venice Beach was named after Venice, Italy. We visit So. California at least once a year since we moved to Wyoming. We frequently go to Venice Beach because it is a fun place to people watch. What we had never done was see the canals that gave Venice it's name. During our visit in January I decided we needed to rectify that. The Venice beach area was the vision of Abbot Kinney a wealthy tobacco mogul. The project was started in 1905. Originally there were 16 miles of canals. Today there is only one and a half miles. If you're interested in the full history check out this link: Venice history.

     The above photo shows one of the canals, with walking paths along each side. Unfortunately when we went for our visit it was also the week long, once a year maintenance. They lower the water in the canals and do cleaning and repairs. The boats would normally be floating in water. Pretty much every house has a little dock area and boat.

     Even without full canals it was a lovely walk. It was a beautiful day and looking at all the houses was delightful.

     This area wasn't always a nice place to live. After around the 1950's the area and the canals fell into neglect and disrepair. In the early 1990's the city of Los Angeles decided to repair and revive the canals. Since then the area has become a desirable area to live and of course the home prices reflect that.

     We enjoyed seeing the different types of architecture of the homes. You could tell some were from the era when the canals were first built. Others were newer designs. After walking down paths and over bridges we got a little disoriented and it took us a bit to find our way back to our car. All and all it was an enjoyable experience and gave me the opportunity to learn a little more about my home state.

     The following photo is one I found on the internet that shows the annual Christmas boat parade on the canals. I guess the residents really get into the spirit of the season and all the houses are decorated with lights.

A thought to ponder: "When we do not live in the present moment we are thieves. We rob ourselves of the fun of experiencing the delicious delicacies brought to us by life."

Participating in:Grand Social,Mingle Monday, Outdoor Wednesday, Share Your Cup, Share the Joy, Best of the Weekend

Silence is Golden

     The silence I'm talking about in the title is in reference to the silent movie era. Before "talkies" took over, movies were accompanied with live music, frequently with an organ. On our recent visit to California we had an opportunity to experience a trip back in time. Our daughter's mother-in-law, Olga, discovered a jewel near by. The Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo, California.

      The Music Hall was opened in 1968 by two musicians, Bill Field and Bill Coffman, after they bought a 1925 Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ.  To this day the Music Hall continues to entertain with vintage silent and sound movies as well as ragtime, jazz and pipe organ live concerts.

     Since we had never been before and didn't know what to expect, we gasped with delight after entering the theater through the velvet curtained entry. Besides the lovely interior we were serenaded by a player piano. 

     Bill Field, although now in a wheelchair, continues to play the organ at the theater. There is something going on every weekend. We had the opportunity to see the All Star Comedy Festival. It was a selection of silent and early black & white sound comedies. We were first treated to a ragtime selection on the above piano by a talented musician. Then Bill came out and played a medley on this beautiful Wurlitzer organ. There was a sing along also. The theater is small so it made for an intimate gathering with everyone joining the fun. 

     The silent movie shorts came next with Bill accompanying on the organ. I was surprised by how much laughter was evoked by these old movies. Where the majority of the humor is physical. After a short intermission the fun continued with the black & white sound movies. Laurel & Hardy, Our Gang and W.C. Fields were featured. We all left the theater with smiles on our faces. Olga was made aware of the Old Time Music Hall by a friend who doesn't even live in California, isn't that always the way. We are just grateful to have had the opportunity to experience this wonderful slice of history. Maybe next time we visit we'll see one of the live concerts.

A thought to ponder: "Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to your life, but will surely add life to your years."

     

Participating in: Grand Social, Share the Joy, Mingle Monday, Share Your Cup

Coming Up Roses

     Well I have returned from our trip to So. California. We had a wonderful visit with family and I have some fun things to share. The first is the Pasadena Rose Parade. I don't have any statistics but I would think this is one of the better known parades. It's in it's 127th year. It all started with the Pasadena Valley Hunt Club. For more information about it's history check out this link:Tournament of Roses.  
     When I was in high school (many, many years ago) my two best friends and I would spend New Years Eve camped out on Colorado Boulevard. It would get pretty cold and there was a lot of noise with the number of people and the cars driving up and down the street. Needless to say we didn't sleep much, but we did have good seats for the parade. Even if we were almost too tired to watch. 
     I have fond memories of those times. You can buy bleacher seats, but when you're a teenager staying up all night on the street seems like more fun, plus it's free. We even had the opportunity one year to help decorate a float. I haven't seen a Rose Parade since those high school days. Since we were going to be in California at New Years I decided it would be fun to at least see the floats.

     We decided to go to the after viewing which goes from the afternoon of Jan 1st and all day the 2nd & 3rd. It only costs $10 dollars per person and you really get an up close view of the floats.

Look at all the masses of beautiful flowers

     If we ever do this again we will go earlier in the day. We went the afternoon of the 2nd and it was very crowded. I later read it is better first thing in the morning. But in spite of that we enjoyed seeing all the wonderful floats. Here are a few of the photos I took.

     Every inch of a float must be covered with some form of organic material. Besides flowers they use seeds, grasses, bark, spices, etc. 

Look at this bee hive, they used peanuts to represent bees.

When you're a Downton Abbey fan how could I not have my picture taken in front of this float.

     These are just a few of the photos I took. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Pasadena this is something you should definitely put on your bucket list.

A thought to ponder: "When it rains on your parade, look up rather than down.                                             Without the rain there would be no rainbow."

                                                                              Gilbert K. Chesterson

Participating in: Share Your Cup, Grand Social, Share the Joy, Seasons, Our World Tuesday

Winter Wonderland

     We headed south right after Christmas to visit our granddaughter, oh and also the daughter and son-in-law. The weather here in Southern California has been cool, 40's at night to 60's F during the day, with some rain. But not as cold as back in Wyoming where it's hitting single digits at night and 30's during the day. I won't be doing much on my blog while here, too busy with family fun. So I thought I'd share a few favorite winter pictures I've taken over the last few years.

A view from my bedroom window

Our resident pheasant, Morty, in winter

This is our dog Wally, he loves the snow. He'll race around and sometimes hops like a deer through the white stuff. He always looks so happy when he rolls around in it.

These ducks hang out at the creek even in winter. This is near the walking path.     See A Morning Walk

A snowy day in our backyard

Another shot from my bedroom window after a snow. The following photos were taken the same day. Our backyard can really look like a winter wonderland especially right after a snowfall.

A few close up shots.

This was a very cold day last January but our grandson still wanted to go out and build a snow fort.

     Where ever you live, in a cold climate or warm, I hope the new year brings your heart's desire.

A thought to ponder: We are like a snowflake, all different in our own beautiful                                            way.

Participating in: Grand Social, Share the Joy, Share Your Cup