ANOTHER NICE DAY IN LA.

Another day in LA, when my daughter Sonya had to go to work, Bernie, the boys and I were invited to a friend's house for a BBQ. The house was in a lovely suburb called Los Feliz. 

 The view from their lounge room looking over LA to the hills was very nice.

 The house was on the border of Griffith Park, a huge green area in LA. Bernie wanted to take the boys for a walk to tire them out so they would go to sleep easily at bed time and he wanted to show me the great views from the top of the hill. There was no path at first just steep, steep sand and bush. I  felt like a mountain goat.

 Finally we emerged from the scrub onto a path but it was still steep. I'm glad 3 year old Banjo was with us because I could at least keep up with him.

 Just before we entered the forest on top of the hill, I turned around and saw this magic view of down town LA.

After an hour it was time to return down the hill to cook the BBQ and get home in time for the little boys bath and bedtime. Banjo was taking his time. He likes to examine everything he passes. So Bernie scooped him up onto his shoulders so we wouldn't be late. Fox was no problem, he's always on the move and he was keeping up with friend, Jacinta. Needless to say we all slept well that night.

ITS FREEZING DOWN UNDER

It is hard to believe but it is very cold here at the moment. The south east of Australia is getting a blast from an Antarctic Vortex. There are snow storms and bad wind in the highlands and the southern cities are very cold. It has even come as far north as southern Queensland. Ouch we are not used to this. The temps are still nothing like down south but we feel cold. 15°C/59°F to 6°C/42°F. The wind chill makes it worse.

To help me warm up I am going to remember my trip to Palm Springs in California when the temperature was in the forties Celsius. I bet it is even hotter there now. 

We drove from LA and it wasn't long before we were in desert country. The mountains were stark and beautiful. There was even a little snow still caught in the ridges on top of the mountains.

It only took 2 hours to get to the town. It was quite amazing driving out of the desert into a flourishing town with greenery, trees and palms. There were lovely houses and buildings too.

It was very hot when we arrived and it didn't take the family long to get into the pool to cool off.

 I enjoyed a wine in the shade. (Boy I wish I felt that warm right now.)

My daughter and family were offered a friend's holiday house to stay in for a few days. It was a lovely big house with lots of bedrooms and relaxing areas. This was the children's playroom overlooking the pool, spa and tennis court.

Despite the heat in the evening, I couldn't resist a game of tennis with the son in law, Bernie.

I had a very comfortable, air conditioned bedroom and en suite.

It was a lovely few days away living it up. It was nice to see Sonya be able to relax and enjoy the children instead of being at work.

PALM SPRINGS AERIAL TRAMWAY

While I was in LA last month my daughter and family took me for a trip to Palm Springs for a few days. It was a great experience. The landscape was amazing; desert, mountains and palm trees. The temperature was 40°C/104°F. It didn't bother me as I prefer hot than cold. We stayed in a lovely house (next post). Sonya packed a picnic snack and we drove up the foothills to the Tramway Valley Station.

 We went into the waiting area where I read information about the Tramway. It has the largest rotating   cabins in the world. 'Rotating!!! eek!' holding up to 80 passengers. It climbs from 2,643ft/806m to 8,516ft/2,596m. Wow! passing through 5 life zones from Mexican Sonoran Desert to an Alpine wilderness.

 I was very happy to read that it was made in Thun, Switzerland, Bill's hometown. So I knew it would be safe. (hee hee)

 Soon we were swinging and rotating up the narrow valley to the mountain top. It was breathtaking.

 The boys enjoyed the view. Only the floor rotated, the walls were stationary so Banjo had to keep letting go of the rail.

 At the top we emptied out into the Mt Jacinto State Park, which has 54 miles of hiking trails and some primitive camping grounds. It is covered in snow in winter. Sonya found it strange to see it without snow.

 We set off down the other side of the mountain. I was thinking umm we have to walk UP here again to catch the tram. It was fairly steep.

 Then we were in a mountain forest it seemed strange after being in a desert.

 We looked for a nice rock to spread out the picnic.

 My cute American family.

 The boys preferred to climb up a big rock with their muffins rather than sit on our nice flat rock. After our snack we went exploring and hiking. The boys loved climbing and balancing on fallen logs. It was a lovely temperature up there, not at all hot nor too cold. All too soon it was time to head back up to the Tramway. By now the boys were worn out and had to be piggy backed up the hill. I managed to huff and puff my way up even though we had to rush at the end as we could hear the call to board the tram.

Boarding the Tramway at the Mountain Station.

 It was an amazing view over Palm Springs and the desert. As the cabin rotates..........

you get a close up look at the walls of the canyon. It was a wonderful experience. In ten minutes we  were back in the desert and the heat.

A CUP OF TEA AND A GOOD SIT DOWN

One of my first Grandma duties while in LA, was to take Banjo for a haircut.

It was more like Banjo taking me to the hairdressers. This little 3 year old took me by the hand and  showed me the way down Melrose Ave to the shop where he has his hair cut.  

 Isn't he an angel?

 Another day we all went down Melrose Ave to the children's shoe shop for new shoes. Banjo soon decided on his new Crocs but Fox took a little longer.

Meanwhile Grandma tried some arty shots.

Nearly everyday we took the children to one of the many playgrounds in LA. This one had pony rides and a little train.

 Fox was proud to go with the older kids and do some trotting.

 Banjo didn't like it when he was younger but he enjoyed it on this day.

 I wonder what he's thinking?

Then it was "all aboard" for a train ride around the park. Fox was allowed to make the announcement over the PA system. After a snack it was time to go home for Banjo's nap and Grandma's cup of tea and a good sit down. It sure is fun but tiring playing with the grandkids.

FUN WITH FLUTTERBIES

While I was in LA we took the children to The Museum of Natural History. There was a Butterfly Pavilion there. We arrived early and got into the first group to go in. Firstly we had to listen to the instructions of the do's and don'ts inside the pavilion. The boys did a good job at listening.

 The family are members of the museum and take the children often to the museum. There are lots of activities for children.

We all enjoyed looking at the butterflies.

 I tried out the automatic macro feature of my new Sony point and shoot camera. 

 I forgot to take a shot of the chart identifying the butterflies so just enjoy their beauty.

I was quite happy with this one for a P&S camera.

Sonya is such a good 'Mom' as she finds time to go to the museum with the children before she goes to work between 12;00pm and 12:00 am at this time of the year. 

 We found a caterpillar and

a chrysalis

Before we left the pavilion we had to make sure there were no hitchhikers trying to escape. This one tried to get a ride on the picnic bag on Bernie's back. We were not allowed to touch them you have to ask an attendant to remove the hitch hikers.

It was an exciting outing for the kids and me. There were other activities we participated in which will be the next post.

VISITING OUR LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Two weeks ago I flew across the Pacific Ocean to visit our family, who live in LA. I was a tad busy helping out so I didn't get to post any of my adventures while I was there, but now I am home again I will retell some of things I did there.

 In the big city of LA there are 3.9 million people and in the Greater LA area there are 18.5 million.

Four of them are my daughter, Sonya, SIL Bernie, and Grandsons, Fox (5) and Banjo (3).

The boys were excited to see me and were happy to see that I had brought some presents.

Most afternoons, I would go to the park with the boys. It is about 2 mins walk from their home.

One day Fox found Elly, one of his school friends there, she was a very pretty girl. Fox announces that he is going to marry her when he grows up. He leads her into the tunnel........

and out the other side. They sure had fun. They are quite a novelty in LA by being blonde and blue eyed. 51% of LA residents are hispanic with dark hair and eyes.

 Papa came to the park after work and pushed the swing, while Elly's mom pushed too.

Love is having a see saw together.