Backing up to the first week of December....
Dad came to visit. This was his first trip out here since I moved to Southern California in 2004, so I was quite excited for him to see Crazy California, Land of Fruit and Nuts, as some like to call it. He had to take some depositions while he was here, but when he wasn't working we packed in a lot of Los Angeles. His first two nights he stayed at a B&B about two miles away from us in West Holllywood. This place is a great find, and we're hoping that future visitors will enjoy it as well.
The next two nights Dad was a good sport and slept on our couch. Also an option for future visitors, but not as grand.
Zach had jury duty for the first two days of Dad's visit, and both nights they discussed the ends and outs of jury selection. They both had some great stories about jurors, and we enjoyed hearing a lawyers take on the jury selection process. There is a lot of strategy involved!
Dad was very interested in driving around and seeing LA. I always enjoy hearing what first timers to LA notice about the city; it's nice to have a fresh pair of eyes on the place. Dad was quite taken with the architecture and the plant life. The buildings were much older than he expected, and he thought the stucco houses (though he was not impressed with some of the pink and peach paint hues) gave the city a charm not unlike Charleston and Savannah. He was also really into checking out the plants. He was quite enamored with one kind of tree that has spikes on its bark, and it is now affectionately referred to as "The T-Rex Tree."
We drove to Santa Monica to see the ocean, and on up into Malibu for some better views. We hit Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and downtown. We made a fascinating trip to the La Brea Tar Pits, which are in walking distance of our apartment. I've been there many times, but had never gone into the museum. We learned all about saber tooth cats, dire wolves, and the thousands of other creatures whose skeletons have been removed from the tar pits. It's really neat to think of all those animals lurking around for thousands of years right where we live.
Another sight we hit was The Getty Museum. I had been here before as well, but had never taken a tour. We took the garden tour, and learned all about "the genius of Mr. Meier," the architect of the museum. We learned that the garden below, done by a different artist, is not really a garden, but a sculpture. Whatever it is, it has a nice view.
When not sight seeing, we ate ice cream, watched Planet Earth dvds and walked in the neighborhood. It was nice to spend time with Dad out here. Now we just need to get Mom and the Hanks out for a visit.
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