Category Archives: Los Angeles & Environs

Stand Up Paddleboarding in Malibu

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Earlier this month I got to try something for the first time that I’ve had my eye on for a long time… stand up paddleboarding! Doobie and I were invited to join friends at their beach house in Malibu. Sonny was off to an event with his dad so we seized the opportunity, especially given that it was supposed to be a beautiful summerlike day… in November!

And it was a gorgeous beach day. It felt like we were on vacation at some faraway vacation destination. We had clear blue skies, warm sun with temperatures in the 80s, no wind, a totally still ocean. We wore sun block and beach hats. It was the middle of fall and it was nothing like any beach day we had experienced during the summer when I was usually huddled under a towel trying to enjoy myself. Continue reading →

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  1. 12th Annual Los Angeles River Ride (2012)

Our Halloween Season

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Halloween is no longer a one-night event that occurs on the last evening of October. It now seems to last all of October with the grand finale happening on October 31. The list of possible things to do in LA in the month leading up to the big night is endless. There are all sorts of possibilities for all ages, such as Halloween-themed events at theme parks, zoos, aquariums, and museums; haunted houses; carnivals and festivals; pumpkin patches, just to name a few. But with full days of school and sports on the weekends, I find it’s hard to find time to do much of it! We still managed to do a few special things this year, though nothing too out of the ordinary. Continue reading →

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Space Shuttle Endeavour Flies Over Los Angeles

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Photo credit: NASA

It was a day with much anticipation… On Friday, September 21, 2012, the space shuttle Endeavour was scheduled to fly over numerous places in Los Angeles on its way from Edwards Air Force Base to Los Angeles International Airport during its final journey to its new home at the California Science Center here in Los Angeles. Perched atop a modified Boeing 747, it was supposed to arrive in the area at about 10:30am and fly at an altitude of 1,500 feet over several LA landmarks — the Getty Center, Griffith Observatory, Universal Studios, Disneyland, the Queen Mary, Long Beach Aquarium, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the California Science Center. I had my hopes up, way up, that I would be able to catch a glimpse of it.

Then I realized I had a hair appointment and would be stuck in a salon chair at that time. The morning of its arrival I learned that it wouldn’t arrive in the area until 11:30am and it seemed it would be doing a couple of loops around the city. I was optimistic that I might be able to see it, especially when I heard its route and I was going to be right along it as it made its way from the beach to the Getty Center. It turns out my hair stylist and other clients and stylists in the salon were equally interested in seeing it so we were on a quest not to miss it. Someone was stationed outside the salon to keep us posted. Continue reading →

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Beach Days

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We live in a city with beaches envied and visited by people around the world.  Yet it’s taken me 18 years to finally begin to have a desire and willingness to go to these beaches that have always been so close to us.  We’ve taken visiting family and friends to the beach, but those have been short visits either for lunch at a beach cafe or just to get a glimpse of the ocean or to feel the sand, not to hang out and play and swim.

Visits to the beach with out-of-town family often resulted in unplanned sand and water play.

We live only 10 minutes from the closest beach and it’s a super easy drive, too.  But I’ve always considered it too much of a chore to go—all the toys to bring, snacks and drinks to prepare, sunblock to slather on, towels and hats to pack.  And then we have to park and lug all this stuff to a spot.  And then of course, at the end of the day, we have to pack it all up and trudge back to the car with tired kids, wet towels, and toys full of sand.

It seems the tide is beginning to turn, however.  The other weekend we went to the beach for Father’s Day, and we are already planning our next trip to the beach.  It was Daddy’s wish to go. He was at an event at the beach not long ago and had the chance to body surf and boogie board again.  He remembered how much he enjoys the beach.  He’s always loved the beach.  He grew up in a house right on the beach in Santa Monica.  He wants his sons to become confident and competent in the waves.  So we went to the beach. Continue reading →

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12th Annual Los Angeles River Ride (2012)

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Los Angeles River Ride logoThis past weekend, our family did something totally new for us. We participated in the 12th annual Los Angeles River Ride presented by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. I have become increasingly interested in the Los Angeles River. It used to be that I associated the term “Los Angeles River” with an image of a practically empty river bed with wide concrete banks. You often see that image in movies that take place in Los Angeles. Lately, though, I’ve learned more about its history and followed attempts to revitalize and restore interest in it. What better way to gain a better appreciation of the LA River than to do a bike ride along part of it!

Unfortunately, I didn’t actually get a chance to ride along it. While Sonny and Daddy participated in the 15-Mile Family Ride, I stayed back at the start with Doobie who was too young to ride it. Kids had to be 7 years old in order to participate in the family ride. The Family Ride started at the Autry National Center in Griffith Park, crossed the freeway and then continued south on a bike path along the LA River until they arrived in the Elysian Park area (near Dodger Stadium) where they turned around after some refreshments.

Riding along bike path on Family Ride

Sonny on the bike path along the LA River

For the 6 year olds and under, there was a special course in a parking lot at the Autry Center. Here they practiced their riding techniques. Parents were not allowed on the course. It was perfect for Doobie. He had to do a series of tight turns around cones, stop at a designated spot, start again, ride along a narrow path and turn along this narrow path, stop and start again, and then ride a figure eight. It was all about having control and riding safely, just the right challenge for him, and he eagerly did it several times. Continue reading →

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Farm Fresh Produce to Us!

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I woke up almost as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning.  For a long time, I’ve been intrigued by the idea of having produce delivered directly to me from a local farm.  After seeing an offer on Living Social for $31.50 worth of produce for $15, I bought it without a second thought.  It was a way for me to finally commit to giving it a try.  On Thursday, I woke up to a box of fresh produce outside my front door.  Since I had seen of list of what to expect, I knew what would be in it, but I was still very eager to open it and check it out.

Reactions by family members varied.  Sonny, the oldest, was the first to join me as I started opening it.  When I started telling him what was in it, he said, “Spinach?!  Ew!”  “Do you know what spinach is?  Can you pick it out for me?” I asked.  He started picking through our box, totally overlooking the spinach that was laying on top.  When I explained it was a leaf, like a lettuce, and showed it to him, he was surprised and asked, “Can I taste it?”  Just that moment was worth the $15.

My dear husband wasn’t as excited as me about the delivery.  When he came into the kitchen, he looked in the box and asked, “Does that mean we have to eat all that?” Continue reading →

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Family Hike: Escondido Falls

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Today we set out to check off another of the hikes in Bryn Fox’s Best Easy Day Hikes: West Los Angeles. We’ve set it as a family challenge to complete all the hikes in the book. We have now successfully completed 4 of the 18 hikes described in the book.

Today’s choice was between a beach hike at Point Dume or this hike in Escondido Canyon to a waterfall, both in Malibu. The weather was beautiful but a little cool so we chose to save the beach hike for a warmer day when we could stay and play and possibly swim. We headed out to Escondido Canyon expecting a “delightfully flat” 4-mile hike to a “tranquil travertine rock pool at the base of a 50-foot waterfall,” but what we experienced was something much more arduous and adventurous and stunning.

The hike began with a one-mile trek up along a road. Apparently, the homeowners of the multi-million dollar homes along the road don’t want people driving up and down their road and parking along it near the trailhead. It wasn’t the most exciting start to the hike, but we enjoyed the views of the impressive properties and ocean on this clear day.

Hike along the road to the trailhead

We hiked along the road for a mile before we arrived at the trailhead.

Finally, we saw the trailhead sign; we were happy to reach the beginning of the real hike.  At that point, the hike did become more flat and was pretty straightforward. We crossed a creek a few times and frequently greeted other hikers. We were surprised at how popular this hike was. It seemed to be especially popular with college age kids, maybe from Pepperdine which is nearby.

At one point, Doobie and Daddy ran ahead of Sonny and me. Soon, Sonny declared he was bored. Luckily, before Sonny had a chance to complain too much, he was startled by three horses coming up behind him. We let them pass and it was now kind of fun following right behind the horses. We’d never encountered horses along a trail before! Before we knew it, we were at the waterfall, and it really was a very tranquil setting, especially with the horses lingering in the rock pool at the bottom of the waterfall. It felt a bit like we had been transported out of Los Angeles. Thinking this was our final destination, I brought out my special treat, Norwegian milk chocolate, which was devoured quickly.

First waterfall in Escondido Canyon

At the first waterfall, we enjoyed watching horses and eating chocolate.

But then we noticed people were climbing up and practically tumbling down an area next to us. We decided to see what that was all about. That’s when the real adventure began.  There was no straightforward trail from this point on. We climbed two steps up and often slipped one step back down. We held on to roots, branches, rocks, and rope to keep us from losing our foothold. At one point, we had to wait in line as people took turns using a rope to climb across a steep, slippery slope. We climbed over boulders to cross a now wider, deeper creek. There were ample opportunities to get dirty, muddy, and wet now, just like a muddy lady we had seen and wondered about earlier. And ample opportunities to get injured, just like a lady we’d seen being carried out on a stretcher earlier in our hike.

Hiking to the second waterfall

It wasn’t easygoing to get to the second waterfall!

But it was worth it when we eventually arrived at the top. The waterfall at the top was like nothing we’d seen before and certainly didn’t expect around here. The rock wall was 150 feet high and covered in moss with water running down all over the face. We could feel the coolness and mist from the waterfall as we approached the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. It almost felt like we were in some kind foreign, tropical setting. One day we may return to this hike after some rain. Apparently, the pool at the bottom of the waterfall can become quite large and even be swimmable. That would certainly be a unique LA adventure to experience.

The second waterfall in Escondido Canyon

The second waterfall was so tall that we couldn’t even get the whole thing in the picture!

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Dark Shadows Premiere and After Party

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When people think of Los Angeles, what comes to mind is often movie making and movie stars. Along with that comes premieres and after parties. During my time of living in LA, and due to the fact that I married into a movie-making family, I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to attend a few movie premieres, the most recent of which was Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows, and what an evening it was. Continue reading →

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Kids 4 Kids Run/Walk

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At the start line for the Kids 4 Kids Run/Walk

In the Los Angeles area, there are many opportunities for athletes to participate in races of all kinds, ranging from 5K’s to marathons all for a variety of causes. Until recently, it had never crossed my mind to take part in one.  This past weekend, though, Sonny and I participated in the Kids 4 Kids 5K Run/Walk.  The run/walk and its beneficiary, the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, were both founded by a past parent at Sonny’s school so current families are always strongly encouraged to participate. We seized the opportunity to try something new and at the same time do some good for the community and signed up with other school friends.

I assumed we’d be doing more walking than running during the 5K.  I have been running regularly and knew that I could run 5K without too much of a problem, but we’ve never thought of Sonny as a kid with much endurance.  He’s never run anywhere near 5K.  When Sonny and a friend sprinted off at the beginning, dodging people as they sped ahead, I figured for sure we’d be walking in a few hundred yards.  At one point, they slowed down.  His friend started walking, but Sonny kept running, and running, and running.  I totally lost him ahead of me, despite his bright orange shirt.  He was ahead of me the whole time.  I caught a glimpse of him and cheered him on as he passed me after turning at the half-way point.

That’s Sonny in the orange shirt running by himself!

When we neared the 3-mile mark, I caught up to him.  He thought I had cheated and cut the course.  He was still running but complained his legs hurt.  I said we could walk if he really needed to but that we were really close to the end now.  At this point, though, I didn’t want to walk since I had made it this far, but I had to remember this was supposed to be fun for him and it wasn’t supposed to be about me.  He didn’t start walking.  He said he couldn’t walk because his legs couldn’t stop running.  So we continued running, but he wanted to hold my hand.

As we neared the end, our school’s cheer squad cheered us on.  Then Sonny heard them cheering on a friend and his family right behind us, so Sonny picked up the pace and he and his friend had a race to the end.  Sonny was proud to beat him by 8 seconds.  He deserved that super large Laffy Taffy candy that was in his finish line goody bag.

Relieved and proud to have made it to the finish line

Daddy and Doobie met us at the finish line and joined us for the carnival fun afterwards.  There were games and rides and live music.  In every direction we turned, we saw families from our school, along with many more families from all over the area.  It truly was a kids for kids event.

Leading up to the race, we were able to raise $1015 from friends and family for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.  The money goes to pediatric cancer research and arts and crafts supplies for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camps for children with serious illnesses.  It felt really special to know that so many people were supporting us in this endeavor to help raise money for such a good cause.  It was a very fulfilling and exciting experience and might even have inspired us to participate in other such events.

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Rain, a Rare Treat!

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You can feel the excitement as you read through the news feed on facebook…

“It’s absolutely dumping outside!!! #itsrainingsideways”

“OMG!!! That’s the loudest thunder I’ve EVER heard…it rocked the entire building, but Kiara is still sound asleep!!! #BOOM”

“Grab two of every animal and some lumber, L.A.. Apparently Noah’s flood was just a practice run. #torrentialdownpour #holymoly”

It’s a rare treat when we have a day of rain in Los Angeles.  It doesn’t happen very often.  As a matter of fact, it rains so infrequently that I can promise my kids hot chocolate with marshmallows on rainy days and not worry about them having it too often.  And today there was even thunder and lightning.  All activity stopped inside to marvel at the wonder of the pouring rain, thunder, and lightning.  We were hunkered down inside with a major storm going on outside, according to our LA minds at least.

We had expected this rain.  We’re doing construction outside so we are aware of the lack of gutters and openings to the inside.  Often though, I am caught off guard by the rain.  The weather doesn’t vary much here in Southern California so I don’t look at the weather forecast too often.  I didn’t even have rain boots or a rain jacket until recently.

Today’s downpour produced a minor flood on our street.  Doobie, the 5 year old, got great excitement watching the cars drive through the flood and spray water so high he couldn’t even see the car.  When the rain let up a little, we headed outside with a shovel to do our neighborhood a service and try to clear the drains.  He was thrilled to don his spider rain boots and rain jacket for the job.

Flooded intersection

After surveying the damage, he eagerly got to work trying to remove the debris in the drains that was blocking the water.

Clearing drains

It was hard work digging through to the drain but so much fun to watch the water gush down afterwards.

Slowly, but surely, he made progress.  It was fun to watch the whirlpools form as he was able to clear away some debris.  It was tough work. The debris was heavy in that water but he wanted no help from me.  After clearing drain #1, he worked on drain #2 on the other side of the street.

Putting debris aside

Piling the debris up on the sidewalk so another flood won't happen again if it rains more

Once the debris was piled up on the sidewalk, he was ready to get back inside for a nice, long, hot bath. And then he got back into his pjs which he’d been wearing all day long before that.  He was also quick to remind me of the hot chocolate, but I didn’t have any more mix so I promised him some, with extra marshmallows (which is a real rare treat), at breakfast tomorrow.  Grumpily, he accepted that.

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