Man on Rings

I have never actually been out on the Santa Monica pier before, so that's why we went down there.  After coming off the pier we went to this nice beach park that had regular swings, and this great set of rings.  There were about 6 or 7 rings hanging down from a long bar, so you could start at one end and swing from ring to ring.  What I hadn't expected was that some of these guys were really strong, and could swing with enough energy that they would end up way up in the air, as this guy did. He makes it look effortless, but if you have ever hung from these, you know it takes a lot of strength.  I love that this happened at sunset.

I Ate This!

We went to Border Grille in Santa Monica for dinner on the last night.  It is a great Mexican restaurant, and Liz, Amy and Kathy love Mexican food.  I wasn't quite in the mood for some reason, so when I spotted this burger on the menu, I was all in. Here is the description on the menu: CHILE RELLENO BURGER ground black angus brisket • roasted poblano stuffed with manchego, panela, cotija cheeses • brioche bun chipotle aioli • romaine.  Wow!  I think this was the best burger I have ever had! Wow! Confession:  I could not eat the poblano - the girls shared that.

Pretend That I Am Not Home Yet...

We arrived home Sunday night, but I have SO many photographs from Los Angeles that I haven't posted yet.  So please pretend that I am not home yet, and I will continue to show you some more photographs from the trip.  Betsey asked for more photographs from Matador Beach, and this is one of them - a view looking down at people walking on the beach, as seen from the cliff overlooking the water.  I think this one is pretty decent.

The Wedding Photographer

On the way down to Matador Beach from the top of the cliff, I saw a woman in a wedding dress being photographed by a guy in a tee shirt and an expensive camera.  She was sitting in the dirt, in her wedding gown, which seemed strange to me.  Later on I noticed that she was down at the water with her partner, and I watched as the guy in the tee shirt had them run into the water!  What?  In her wedding dress?  I guess.  So I did speak to him, and he said he was their wedding photographer.  I must admit, this is a very cool shot of the couple!  What I didn't ask was "When was the wedding?"  Like last week?  I mean, her gown was in no condition for any kind of reception, after this was over.

Matador Beach

After we had lunch at the seafood restaurant, Amy said that she wanted to show us a beach.  She said "there won't be any surfers there, though."  So she was setting us up, obviously.  THIS is the beach, called Matador Beach and it is absolutely stunning, with tall, steep cliffs going all the way to the beach, and in the water, these huge rock formations!  What an amazing and beautiful place.  This is the view from the top, and we walked down stairs all the way to the beach.  There were people with cameras everywhere and they all seemed to appreciate the beauty here.

"Neptune's Net"

Several days ago Amy took us up to this seafood restaurant on the Pacific Coast Highway up in Malibu.  It is a destination place for everyone, but especially bikers.  There are special parking lots just for the bikes.  There were large groups gathered there that had ridden there together.  I had a lot of technical questions about the motorcycles, and everyone I talked to was really friendly and glad to share their knowledge.  I was talking to one guy who said he was from Bakersfield.  I offered that it seemed a long way to come for fried clams. (Bakersfield is two and a half-hours away.)  He said, "Hey, it is a beautiful day, I am on my bike, and riding with my buddies, and my wife and kids are home.  What's better than that!"

Christmas Joy!

We have had such a nice day today!  After Christmas dinner, and leftovers, and a few games of "Balderdash" and "Catchphrase" the girls sang for us some Christmas carols in lovely and unusual harmonies.  They have been practicing for a couple of weeks now, and it was all acapella! You would not believe how beautiful their voices are together.  Then one of my favorite Christmas songs came on - Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby please come home)" and it is such a rocking tune, that Amy and Liz  and Sarah just had to dance around the living room.  Christmas joy, indeed!