The Dog Days of Summer *People Notes*

The summer winds down - here is the past few weeks in review:

* We were told that Venice Beach was a fun place to check out. Yes indeed - it was! And I plan on going back and checking it out some more! Truly a California experience.




* Hollywood is only a couple of miles from our apartment. Apparently it is someplace that we are supposed to check out so we did a quick 'drive by' one afternoon. Then Paul jogged to Hollywood Blvd and the 'walk of fame' on one of his morning runs. What a strange thing to do - run all over those stars.



*There were fires. Big fires. You probably heard about them because it was all over the news for days and days and days. They are still burning, but thankfully heading away from the city. This is what the fires looked like from our apartment on days 2 and 4:




* Labor Day weekend provided a great opportunity for a road trip out of the city. It took a really long time to get 'out of the city', and even longer to get to another city. LA to Sacramento is looked as as a 'weekend trip' in California - anywhere else it would be a multi-state adventure. Thankfully we have the nicest, most accommodating, welcoming and gracious people to visit - thanks Bill & Tricia! So much fun - worth every mile and then some



* We took the scenic route back to LA including both Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, as well as San Andreas (we were hoping for an earthquake!) and Selma - the raisin capital of the world (I guess that is important?). It was fun, and at times disturbingly quiet after being in the city for a while. The air smelled good and the open spaces were much appreciated.




* The new Jay Leno Show began this week and we were in the audience for the taping of the second show. Hilarious. Loved it.


* Erik (the son who lives in Manhattan) was in California on business and was able to swing a stop in LA! Interesting that two of our four boys have had business dealings in LA since we have been here. We had an awesome evening and feasted on the world's best tamales and some tasty mojitos. Booyah - can't get that in New York!


That is our California update. The weather is still spectacular, the So Cal Taco Tour '09 is still on, there is so much more to explore and we will keep you posted. Happy Trails!