The Getty...

We braved the L.A. traffic once again yesterday to visit the incredible Getty Museum. Arriving in the late afternoon, we focused initially on the temporary exhibits, before migrating to the permanent collection. The variety of artwork was astounding, from baroque statues and nature sketches to paintings and photographs. Eventually we found ourselves in the central garden, which was full of colorful flowers, living mazes, and interesting water features. As the day faded into twilight, we marveled at the transformation of the city below. A sea of twinkly lights replaced the hazy horizon. It was stunning, a word that I have never used before to describe L.A. What a wonderful surprise.

A Saturday morning treat...

Our tomato plants have been cranking out the fruit lately, which truly pleases us. Kyle has been artistically integrating them into our somewhat regular gourmet weekend breakfasts. His concoction yesterday was particularly beautiful, accompanied with vibrant grapefruit, creamy eggs, and toast. Delicious!

Musical dreams...

This summer is quickly becoming the season of live music for Kyle and me. A couple weekends ago we experienced a "Prairie Home Companion" at the Santa Barbara Bowl, which was a dream of Kyle's. Most recently, however, I was able to accomplish one of my goals; seeing Jack Johnson and friends perform live! The show was a magical blend of groovy tunes from Jack, soulful lyrics from Paula Fuga, funky musical additions from Zach Gill, a steady beat from Adam Topol, and a surprising break out rap session from the base player Merlo. The crowd, made up of a few kids, lots of teeny-boppers and college students, and some mature professionals, was a fascinating dynamic to behold. As we sat and enjoyed the opening acts in the stadium at UCSB, our blankets and bodies were frequently trampled upon by eager and rather disrespectful youth in search of close proximity to the performance. Random standing masses and lines formed around the seated fans, causing a bit of a conflict. Through it all, I realized that I have definitely grown up! Gone are the days of concert aggression for me. Thankfully, as Jack eventually took the stage and everyone stood up, the pushy forward movement subsided into a sea of happy sing alongers and swayers. Another unforgetable night for us. Hurray for Jack Johnson!

CHARGE!!!

Weary, achy, blistery, and blissful we returned last night from an adventure unlike anything else we have attempted. Along with two friends, Kyle and I hiked to the top of the highest point in the lower 48, Mt. Whitney. Wahoo! The motto of the excursion, especially as we climbed endless passes and steep switchbacks, was CHARGE!!! There were times when the altitude caused our heads to pound and our lungs to pulse with breathlessness. Additionally, the up and downs of the trail through the John Muir wilderness, kept us in a state of both physical and mental challenge. Our rewards were endless. The views were phenomenal and the feeling of accomplishing such an incredible feet was more amazing than I can adequately describe.


The trip was a bit of a loop, starting in the Cottonwood area and ending along the Whitney Portal. We hiked up New Army Pass, connecting up with the PCT, and then with the John Muir Trail. Along the way, we walked through many beautiful meadows and by brilliant blue lakes. Access to water was not an issue at all, as the path often traveled along cool clear streams.

Wildflowers were abundant, as were the cute but disease ridden marmots.


On the day of the actual summit, we started out before dawn, toting our smelly wag bags. (Translation: Wag bags are plastic vessels used for waste disposal and transport. Still confused??? We had to pack out our poop on the last part of our journey. A new experience for us all! Yuck!!!)

As we arrived at the Trail Crest junction, we were able to leave our heavy packs behind for the last 1.9 mile to the top.

At the completion of our ascent, we celebrated with snacks, shared our photo-taking skills with other climbers, and soaked in the vast vista of the surrounding area. The weather was idyllic, blue sky and mild winds. What a blessing, as afternoon thunderstorms had been in the forecast.

Eventually, we made our way back down the mountain and spent our last night camped in view of the incredible peak. Watching other hikers ascend and descend the switchback trail near our camp was a captivating form of evening entertainment for us. Many other people were also realizing one of their life goals.


Now that it is all over, our bodies are truly communicating to us the full extent in which they were abused during the past few days. In many ways, however, I believe that we are all a little stronger and justifiably proud of what we achieved. We climbed up to 14,497 feet. Crazy!

Fiesta, both official and un...

The infamous Fiesta weekend in Santa Barbara is wrapping up. Kyle and I were fortunate enough to celebrate some of the festivities together. There were slews of free outdoor concerts and dance performances, abundant food vendors, and endless confetti filled egg assaults. On Friday, Kyle was a part of the parade. His choice seat beside Smokey the Bear attracted even more attention and cheers from the audience. Apart from the organized events, we had our own fiesta of free time, where we hiked, lazed at the beach, and hung out with friends. As life goes through its waves of intensity, those moments of leisure are the rudders that enable us to remain sanely on course.