Getty Center

One of our new favorite places around here is the Getty Center. This is a ginormous institution devoted to art and archeticture. We went a couple of weeks ago, and went back again today with my Mom and Chuck (These pictures are from the previous trip.) Currently, there is an exhibit of Bernini portraiture: the first ever showing of Bernini's art in North America. We couldn't take pictures at that exhibit due to proprietary rights and blah blah blah, but were able to get up close and personal with gorgeous marble busts, delicately carved into lace garments and the most intricate details of the human face. We also got to poke around within inches of works of art by Van Gough, Monet, Degas, etc.


If I were a better photographer, I would have LOVED to spend all day, pointing my lens at all the amazing little nooks and crannies of the structures that house these priceless works of art. It was creatively inspiring, but alas I have only these pictures to convey my awe at the many lovely things we saw.

A Sight to Behold

First of all, let me just say most enthusiastically that today marks exactly 2 months from graduation. Wayne reminded me today, and I just thought I would begin this post by sharing my sheer joy at such thoughts. YIPPY!!!

Now, on to the meat of this post: Carlsbad, CA erupts in color every year. Not only are the sides of the freeways covered with unbelievable fluorescent purple iceplant, but the hillside behind the Carlsbad Company Stores explodes with the blooming of acres of Ranunculus blossoms. It is impressive from the freeway, but STUNNING up close and personal. We took some time Sunday afternoon to take in the sights.

Caleb was fascinated with the "follurs" (his term for flowers... No worries, though. His mom is a speech pathologist. She's working on it with him, which is even funnier because he just says the same thing slower. "F O L - L U R S.") He was far more impressed, however with the many tractors that transported people up and down the hillside.

The flowers reminded me of the poppies in "Wizard of Oz." So the whole time we kept cackling "Poppies" in our best imitation of the wicked witch of the West.
Jeff, this is what the picture looks like when you alter the aspect ratio.

Here you can see the ocean and the power plant that Wayne's dad used to work for in the background.
Jeff was a trooper. His allergies were on in full force to begin with, and wandering around a pollen paradise sent them into overdrive. By the time we returned to their home in Vista, his nose was running like a faucet. He endured it well.
A beautiful day, a beautiful place and beautiful company. How could you go wrong?

Things are looking up.

As I am so vertically challenged, I am more likely to be looking up your nose than staring at the top of your head. Hence, I have been in the habit of looking skyward more often than not. This has given me a unique perspective on life, both proverbially and literally. Along the more literal lines, I have often found the most unique architectural nuances in ceilings. "CEILINGS?" you say? "She's blogging about ceilings?" Yep. Come walk a mile in my shoes, as I show you my fascination with all the stuff you'd miss if you kept your eyes on the ground.

The first is a picture of the atrium in the Palace Hotel in downtown San Francisco. They serve high tea in the afternoon under this ornate skylight. Little girls wear tiaras and little boys wear crowns as they practice their best table manners and munch on cucumber sandwiches without the crusts. *They also serve truffle fries in the restaurant on the same floor: a surprisingly decadent treat that takes potatoes to a whole new level.


This is the inside of the V.C. Morris store, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. You can find it tucked away on Maiden Lane, just across from Union Square. Opera can often be heard echoing against the buildings lining Maiden Lane, as the acoustics are so superb that many world renowned singers will burst out in song in the small alley just for fun. Another Frank Lloyd Wright creation: This is the view I have partaken of every finals week for the past three years. The civic center library is my favorite study site, and this is what you see as you head there from the main elevator. What is this fascination with Frank Lloyd Wright? He was the architect that designed my Grandma's house in San Anselmo. There is actually a display on the second floor of the civic center with the story of how "The Berger House" came to be.

This was the chandelier inside the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, where many of the dental wives spent a Wicked weekend. Everything about this theater screamed old Hollywood, with its ornate art deco style.
More art deco in the form of mirrored tiles on the ceiling of the Empire State Building. Though I was already 86 floors above street level, it didn't hurt to keep looking heavenward.Okay, so this is not really a ceiling, but a view that I would have missed, had I been overly concerned with the shuffle of my shoes. Everything in New York City pointed skyward. I'm sure anybody looking at me as I walked the streets of Manhattan would be able to pick me out as a tourist by the constant craning of my neck to see all of the skyscrapers.
Also not a ceiling, but this was my favorite shot of the Golden Gate while Hayden and I took a stroll a couple of weeks ago. Look at the color of the sky juxtaposed against the bridge. So cool! So these are the things I see when I'm not looking up somebody's nose. I hope you enjoyed the view down here.

Beautiful Northern California

Wayne and I took the opportunity today to take in some of the beautiful sites we will be missing when we leave No.Cal. Conditions were perfect with the weather being so crisp and the boys in school. Originally, we had hoped to take a little hike in Muir Woods. But when we got there, all the parking was full and cars were milling around, ready to swoop into any spots that were going to open up. (Doesn't anybody around here have a job? They can't ALL be on Spring Break!) So, we decided to head over to Point Bonita instead. The first picture is on the drive back from Muir Woods, overlooking Mill Valley and Tiburon. We could see all the way to the Bay Bridge, it was so clear.

If I hadn't been there in person, I wouldn't have believed such colors to be possible in nature. I kept thinking of a quote from "A Beautiful Mind," when Alicia says, "God must be a painter. Why else would we have so many colors?"

So here are all the colors of the rainbow (and I'm not talking about the infamous San Francisco rainbow culture):

Red--The brilliant hue of the algae on the Northern facing rocks

Orange--The California Poppies blooming all over the hillsides

Yellow--Inside the wild lillies and mustard grass and wild brush that seemed to be blooming EVERYWHERE

Green--The exquisitely verdant hillsides covering the Marin Headlands with Springtime

Blue--The Pacific waters in various turquoise and indigo shades that looked like they could be in the latest fashion magazines

Purple--More wildflowers shading the hillsides

Brown--The rich sands of Rodeo Beach

Black--The volcanic basalt rock that houses the lighthouse

White--The frothy tide as it smashes on the rocky shores.

Yep. We saw it all at Pt. Bonita. Here are a few pictures that pale in comparison to the real thing:

These are shots from Rodeo Beach:

I love the contrast of the lagoon vs. the open Pacific waters.

A shot from the tunnel under the headlands:
No.Cal, we will miss you!

Checking out our new home...

We had a pretty great time in Santa Monica. The weather was gorgeous, and I had NO SCHOOLWORK to think about. Hence the spastic, good fun in the hotel with the boys. We stayed right next to UCLA and took a little journey to the beach and around Westwood. We also went to church on Easter Sunday in a ward that could potentially be home. ...Maybe... They weren't very friendly. As our stake president would say, we sat on the "Bench of the All-Alone." When I told my sister this, she said, "That wasn't very Mormon of them!" That was only a minor detail, though. All told, Santa Monica was SO much fun and so beautiful.

We went to Santa Monica Pier. The beach was HUGE! I can't wait to live just a few minutes from this site in a few months. Maybe I can actually get a tan!


See no evil, Speak no evil, Hear no evil ... or hear anything for that matter.

The boys were fascinated with all the things they could do to make themselves look foolish with this cannon displayed at the boardwalk. Okay...I'm really not one to talk after the "Wondernerds" picture at the hotel!
So many cool sights to see!Are the boys happy to be moving again?
Not entirely, but this was a fun step in the right direction.

Golden Gate Sunset

Couldn't resist going to see the sunset tonight. Now that day light savings has begun, it was a little easier to find the time to enjoy the sights. I will miss going over the bridge each morning. It is one of my favorite parts of the city.