Dirt Therapy

Sunday was warm and sunny with warmer temperatures predicted in Los Angeles. It is noticeably cooler, however, along the coast and Santa Monica was pleasantly comfortable. Our first stop was the Santa Monica Pier. The 1600 ft. long pier was first built in 1909 for the city's sanitation needs but it was so popular with local fisherman as well as tourists that it soon became a popular destination. An amusement park was added a few years later as well as arcades, cafes, gift shops and even a grand ballroom. In 1983, a hurricane destroyed one third of the pier and the town rallied to form a task force to rebuild. By 1990, the pier had been restored. Today, the pier attracts over 4 million visitors annually. Artists (both performance and artistic) dot the pier offering to sketch your portrait or just entertain you. Several cafes offer hamburgers and corn dogs. The amusement park was closed for a Special Olympics group. We had so much fun on the Hollywood homes tour that we schedul...

Saturday was an incredible day and one that I'll never forget. We were scheduled to be at the Norton Simon Musuem at noon so we left in plenty of time to get there. I drove, my first experience driving there, and it wasn't bad at all. Along the way, we passed Forest Lawn Cemetery. I would have loved to visit but our time was tight and I knew if I got in there, I wouldn't want to leave (cemeteries fascinate me). The traffic was minimal and we ended up arriving in Pasadena around 11. Pasadena is beautiful and charming, with a totally different vibe than the other areas we had visited. We drove around the historic downtown area where beautiful architecture and roses abound. We stopped at the Wrigley Home but it was closed. Wrigley, the chewing gum magnate, donated his home to Pasadena with the stipulation that it be used as headquarters for the Tournament of Roses. The noon hour approached so we headed to the museum, myself a bundle of nerves. The building its...

The second tour we took on Friday was the Dearly Departed Tour , which had been recommended by a friend. This trek ventures to the dark side of Hollywood, visiting locations where famous celebrities died or were murdered. This tour took about three hours but was wildly fascinating and the tour guide was wonderfully entertaining. Unfortunately, I forgot to take notes and as I was going through my photos, I realized that I had forgotten what some of the places were. Here are some I do recall: First up, this famous house in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles was designed by Lloyd Wright (eldest son of Frank Lloyd Wright). Known for its striking facade, which resembles a Mayan temple or the mouth of a gaping shark, it is also known as the "Jaws house". From 1945 to 1951, it was owned by Dr. George Hodel, a physician who was a suspect in the Black Dahlia murder case. The Chateau Marmont again, popular hangout for celebrities and where John Belushi died of a...