Category Archives: Uncategorized

September 22, 2021 Unlike many visitors to the Napa and Sonoma valleys, neither of us are wine lovers. But we still had a great time exploring the two valleys. We were staying in Sonoma but made the short drive to nearby Napa to have a look around. There was a devastating earthquake in Napa inContinue reading “Napa, California, USA”

September 19, 2021 The Melrose Trading Post is LA’s favorite flea market. Held every Sunday on the grounds of Fairfax High School, it is one of the largest markets we have visited, selling everything from jewelry to furniture. Mostly, however, it is a prime spot to pick up vintage clothing, attracting large numbers of teensContinue reading “Melrose Trading Post, Los Angeles, USA”

September 18, 2021 The Huntington is a beautiful place to spend a lazy day. Established in 1919 by Henry and Arabella Huntington, it contains a library, art museum and approximately 120 acres of gardens. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit the library or museum this time around but we have visited them in theContinue reading “The Huntington, San Marino, California, USA”

September 17, 2021 Today, we visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. LACMA, as it is more commonly known, is the largest art gallery on the West Coast. The museum complex was originally designed by William Pereira in 1965 with six separate pavilions. Recently, four of the original buildings have been, controversially, demolished toContinue reading “LACMA, Los Angeles, California, USA”

September 15-16, 2021 We continued to explore West Hollywood and neighboring Fairfax and La Brea on another sparkling day. Here in Southern California, where water is a precious commodity, many of the local residents have transformed their front lawns into desert gardens. Another reasonably common option is very realistic fake grass, although this perhaps isContinue reading “West Hollywood / Fairfax / La Brea, Los Angeles, California, USA”

September 13, 2021 We are currently staying in an Airbnb in West Hollywood, so went out for an explore through the surrounding neighborhoods. In a way it was similar to the neighborhood we stayed at in Long Beach but without the California bungalows. Most of the homes were small Spanish style houses, although there wereContinue reading “West Hollywood / Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA”

September 9, 2021 Sedona is a very pretty town, famous for its red sandstone formations. It is named for Sedona Schnebly, the wife of the city’s first postmaster. It has now become a center for natural healing. The following sign pretty much summed up the general feel of the place. It’s easy to see howContinue reading “Sedona, Arizona, USA”

September 10, 2021 It’s easy to see why the Grand Canyon has been named one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The name doesn’t do it justice. Something like “Awesomely Majestic Canyon” would be more apt. If it’s not on your bucket list then it should be. In America, everything is usually fencedContinue reading “Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA”

September 6, 2021 Fifty four years ago on this date, Mal was sailing across the Atlantic on board the RMS Queen Mary from New York to Southampton, England. It was the ship’s second to last voyage. A month later, on October 31, 1967, she would depart on her final voyage, arriving in Long Beach onContinue reading “Long Beach, California, USA”

September 5, 2021 In the morning we visited the Long Beach Museum of Art where we caught an amazing retrospective of the works of Tristan Eaton. Eaton is an LA native who started life doing street art before turning to toy design. Now he is a much sought after designer doing work for Nike andContinue reading “Long Beach and Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California, USA”