The Back 2.75

Looks like a pro at mowing the lawn.

The garden did pretty good for the first year. Pumpkins, potatoes, peas, carrots, onions, some corn...

Helping with the carrots and potatoes. A beautiful day for harvesting some garden produce.

Fun at Fall on the Farm

The museum kitties are so much fun to play with.

All right - treats from the general store.

Celine did a great job taking all the pictures and keeping the kiddies entertained too.

Fall on the Farm

Stirring the meagrope.

Jonas was helping out by chopping wood to keep the fires going, and had a minor mishap. A paramedic was on hand to help with the situation.

The reactions from the crowd were the usual - from "That's how we did it too", to "That's not how we did it", to "What are you doing?" to "Gross, what's that?". All the sausage, crackles, rebspea, head cheese were auctioned off at the end of the afternoon as a museum fundraiser.

Santa Monica Pier

A view of the pier. After dark we also walked around the shopping district inland to see more buskers and look through the stores. I saw two ladies singing an Italian Opera - that's one act I hadn't seen before.

Yummy - shrimp at Bubba Gump's.

I was trying to take a picture of the trees here and realized there was a homeless man sleeping there. Lots of homeless around L.A.

We got to see and hear Arthur Nakane 1-Man Band on the Pier. He was on America's Got Talent.

More California Pictures

I just loved all the different plant life in L.A. area.

Here we are at a chapel by the ocean where people can get married. There was a wedding going on while we were there. You could put your brick with your names - one said "Surf our Dreams" how romantic.

By Donald Trump's golf course.

Venice Beach. Lots of people, buskers, homeless, unique people, did I say people?

Hollywood

After a concert at the Hollywood Bowl - a piano concerto and the 1812 Symphony by Tchaikovsky with fireworks, we toured around the area where the stars had their stars.

Julie Andrews hand and foot prints.

Lots of lights and people. Some interesting people looking for the night life too.

Redondo Beach

The three ladies had a lovely afternoon of having a petticure and manicure in the most comfy massage chairs I've been in. See the lovely flowers on my toes?

The cute couple waving from one of Charlene and Alvin's balconies.

Redondo Beach.

Anyone want a drink of water?

Dr. Phil

Okay, I admit it. A big highlight for me was to see Dr. Phil shoot one of his shows live. I enjoyed seeing a studio, which looked smaller in real than I imagined it.

A view of the Hollywood sign with Dr. Phil's studio and sign on the left.

The studio was in the Paramount Pictures complex.

Enjoying Italian take-out. We had good food all week. Courtesy of restaurants and also Charlene's kitchen.

Coronado Island

On the bridge to Coronado Island. It seemed to be structurally safe.

We spent some time at the ritzy hotel and beach area there.

Ahh, to feel the sea breeze.

San Diego

We toodled around the Seaport Village in San Diego and enjoyed the beautiful weather and company.

Charlene had a coupon (of course) for this wonderful restaurant where I ate Mahi Mahi. The box of chocolate dessert was also 'to die for'.

Finally!

I'm finally getting some pictures on the blog. I have a new laptop, and a new desk area now, so my usual schedule was off kilter. But, I'll try to be more faithful.
Here is a picture of Jonas' final concert at jazz camp at the U of M. He had a good week with his ensemble shown here and about 14 drummers. Right after their group played, we jumped on a plane to Los Angeles to holiday with my sister Charlene, her husband Alvin who live there, and my brother Cory and his wife Natasha who were visiting there from Pensacola, Florida. Fun times!

Here was our welcoming committee after our late flight arrived.

We saved Cory's shirt that we used for our children. Now his children can wear it.