The Long-Awaited Getaway

This is a tree I saw in L.A. over President's weekend. Doesn't it look like someone glued those thorns there? Yeah, they're thorns, not Hershey's kisses. I do not know what kind of tree it was but am guessing Mango or Avocado due to the orbs dangling above our heads.

I really LOVE the smells and foliage of Southern California. So many huge big beautiful trees, so many things growing and emitting lovely blooms, pods, smells, I was in pure heaven. The weather was balmy compared to Oregon. Sun! I saw sun! Blue sky! Both did wonders for me after a few months of Oregon's dark winter. I was so excited to see blue sky I took a ton of pictures of it. Here's an orange tree.


After everything my mom has gone through in the past two months, it was a wonderful treat for us to get away together. We flew in on a Saturday. Burbank's Bob Hope airport is the preferred destination from PDX. It's smaller than LAX, much less crazy and easier for Andy and Meghann to pick us up. When we got in they whisked us off to Pasadena where we walked along the strip. We had some fun in H&M, a store I'd not visited before. I get to be a bridesmaid in Andy and Meghann's wedding this summer and they found our bridesmaids dresses there. Are they cute! After an amazing sushi lunch I tried frozen yogurt at Pinkberry. That night we went to The Edison. It's this really cool bar in downtown LA in a big warehouse. It's decorated in 20's-30's decor, the waitresses dress like flappers, etc. It was such a cool place to just make ourselves at home, chat, munch for a few hours. There we had fancy cocktails and appetizers like sweet potato fries with coconut ranch. There were silent movies playing on huge movie screens, lots of long curtains and little areas of couches, tables and chairs clustered to hang out on. It was my mom's 60th birthday so she had her first round of celebratory dessert....

In the morning we slept in and then took a long walk around Silver Lake's reservoir. My brother made waffles for us for breakfast and I gorged myself on raspberries. My brother's fiance made a terrific red velvet cake for round two of my mom's 60th birthday. Yum! We tried that later when we went out to the ocean to visit Meghann's relatives at a beach house they were renting for a month. They put on a nice spread for us and were really fun to meet.

Monday both Meghann and Andy had to go back to work so my mom and I had a leisurely morning. We took another walk around the reservoir and then stopped for coffee con leche and amazing chocolate croissants at Cafe Tropicale, a Cuban bakery in their neighborhood. I saw Miranda July there and really really wanted to say hello to her and tell her how much I loved her book of short stories I just finished, but I had no nerve. Later that day we got to go to a taping of the Ellen Degeneres show. My brother works there and got us some great seats. That was very very exciting. I loved it. We saw Josiah (American Idol castoff) Giada DeLaurentis (pregnant but with nary a bump) and Ravheem someone...I'm so in the dark about cool hip hop music. We also got to see Reese Witherspoon, a segment they taped that day but won't be showing until next week. Because Giada has new olive oils, herb mixes at Crate and Barrel we got $100 gift cards. WOO HOO! I got to meet Andy's co-workers and see his office, which is adorned with all the crazy stuff fans send Ellen. Lots of freaky paintings. That night we went to Cliff's Edge for a very tasty dinner. They even had my favorite cocktail on the menu: a Cream Soda. (Vanilla Stoli and Ginger Ale). My mom's risotto was TO. Die. For. My pasta had boar in it and was really good.

All in all my trip south was GRAND. Studded with smiles, quality time with family, adventure, and a change of scene, I came home refreshed. Here's a few more pics from the weekend.
The view outside Andy and Meghann's apartment in Silver Lake.

Trying on stuff at H&M with my brother.An evening out at The Edison. Pictured are we three girls: Meghann, Me, My Mom

My mom loves herself some red velvet cake....

Andy and Meghann really clean up nicely.

Did I mention I'm gaga over California's trees?

Here are my mom, me and Andy at Meghann's aunt and uncle's beach house at Capistrano Bay.

See ya next time, California my love!