watch out girls - here comes clinton

palm envy!

the one thing that's difficult though in los angeles is not to totally give in to weather envy, house envy and - of course -
garden envy! 

the sheer number of beautifully kept huge gardens and even the roadside planting being exotic and lush means it is truly difficult not wanting to move here in an instant 









 

somewhat luckily it took us so long to find huntington gardens in pasadena ("no, I don't need a map - I've been there before 20 years ago, trust me")
that they were about to close when we finally arrived - poor old anette would have had a nervous breakdown had she seen more than the very entry to the park

so it was over to the museums again and we saw moca, lacma, the new broad gallery (serra!), page and the tarpits, and getty, and that is just about as much art as rike could stand...

one more museum and I scream from the top of my lung, mom

so the last day we spent on the beach in santa monica with waves that reminded us of sylt weren't it not for the palms (or the heat indeed!) before we drove to beautiful pacific palisades where we had a great dinner and one of the nicest evenings of all with julie, george, jonah and their two cheeky little cats

summer holidays, part one

summer holidays should always start with a big city - later on you just don't have the energy to cope with all the hustle, and los angeles is of course a great starting point 






 
best of all have a friend whose house in silver lake oversees the entire city and who also knows the most interesting new (and old) restaurants in town

















 




and who happens to be such a lovely person as barry that everything else simply falls into place, the museums, downtown, the beach, beverly, bel air, yes, and even hollywood boulevard (hi katrin!), where there was still a vigil for michael held by some little girl (not katrin!) 

and as you can see the whole party is happy because there was something for everybody, from ice cream to neutra (and a treat for alli)

and palms, of course, endlessly! (check the picasa pics on the left for more)

it's cowgirl time again!

check out for yourself if the young lady is even faster this year!

Yippy ti yi yo!

While I was walkin' one mornin' for pleasure
I spied a young cowboy just ridin' along
His hat was throwed back and his spurs were a jinglin'
And as he approached he was singin' this song
Yippy ti yi yo get along little doggies it's your misfortune and none of my own
Yippy ti yi yo get along little doggies you know that Wyoming will be your new home
Now, early in spring we'll round up the doggies
Mark 'em and brand 'em and bob off their tails
Round up the horses load up the check wagons
And follow the doggies on the lonesome old trail
Yippy ti yi yo get along little doggies...




and another great version here:

STATISTICAL BRIEF: SIXTY-FIVE PLUS IN THE UNITED STATES

america's elderly population is now growing at a moderate pace, the statistical brief writes. and continues: but not too far into the future, the growth will become rapid. so rapid, in fact, that by the middle of the century, it might be completely inaccurate to think of ourselves as a nation of the young: there could be more persons who are elderly (65 or over) than young (14 or younger)! the elderly population has grown substantially in this century ....













happy birthday, darling!!!

school's out for the summer!

school's out for the summer and our favorite patrol pup gets a well deserved rest. we just wish it could be with us - she is soo cute!!!