Looking for Winter

19 12 2011

It’s hard to get into the holiday/Christmasy mood when the sun is shining, the streets are lined with palm trees, the beach is filled with volleyball players, boogie boarders and paddle boarders, and you’re wearing flip flops.  It just doesn’t scream ‘Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland’ or ‘I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…’ does it?

Well you can imagine how excited I was when we planned a trip away from the beach and into the mountains to Big Bear Lake, Southern California’s skiing destination.  WINTER WONDERLAND here we come!!  So for the trip I packed my Canadian snow boots (to mark my territory and leave Canadian maple leaf foot prints everywhere I went), a heavy poncho, my leather coat, my leather gloves, a wool wintercoat (just in case), and my cool winter hat that I wear about 1 week a year.   You can imagine the looks we got as we left the hotel lobby, which was full of flip flop wearing families on their way to Disneyland.  To give you a fair comparison, Nathan was wearing a sweatshirt.

We started the road trip with some Christmas music to get us in the holiday spirit.  As we passed people with the top down on their convertible, it just seemed wrong to be listening to Silver Bells on the radio.  So we decided that we wouldn’t turn on the Christmas music until we saw snow.

So I waited as we wound up the California mountains, and waited some more, and waited a little more.  ‘Is that snow?  No, wait, it’s just the way the sun is hitting those rocks…’  Finally!  We found snow, but only in the areas that the sun couldn’t get to.  One side of the street some snow and ice, and on the other side, dry grass and desert looking dirt.

Coming from Vancouver, Canada I think I expected a snow-covered winter village (like Whistler).  As I was shedding layer after layer of clothing, I realized that perhaps my expectations were too high, but what can you expect 90 minutes from the beach?

We did finally find some snow and a lake with a layer of ice.  I didn’t realize that ice could make so much noise, but it rivaled the quacking ducks.

Icy Big Bear Lake

Big Bear Lake Photo Op

Enjoying the View

And, although I didn’t get to trudge along snow covered trails, marking my territory with maple leaves, we did take advantage of a little lighthearted snow play (no snow angels though).

Snow Ball Fight...Kind Of

Taking Advantage of the Snow

A Little Fun in the Snow


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Categories : California

A Little Sun & Surf

12 12 2011

No trip to California is complete without a trip to the beach.  And, because it is December and the majority of people are bundled up in winter clothes and preparing for hibernation, we didn’t just stop at one beach.  We went to five!  Yes, maybe it is overkill, but can you really blame us?  It’s December.  And I got to break out the flip flops again (I thought I’d packed them away for the next 7 months).

A little trip along the Pacific Coast Highway started off our beach tour with a view of Malibu.

Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway

We took a little detour to Fred Segal in Santa Monica and got the ultimate LA experience.  We got to watch the paparazzi in action!  A photographer with a huge telephoto lens was sneaking amidst the cars in the Fred Segal parking lot.  We followed the path of the camera and it led us to an odd scene of a guy, standing next to his maserati with a woman who had a box full of clothes in her trunk.  She kept taking clothes out of the box and putting them up to him.  Weird, getting fitted for clothes in a parking lot.  Turns out it was the lead guy from Hung.

Up Close and Personal with the Santa Monica Pier

Newport Beach and Huntington Beach were a nice surprise.  It seems it’s too cold for the locals to take a beach day, so we had the beach to ourselves.

Newport Beach

Well…that is except for the birds.  This one was quick-stepping it away as if we were the paparazzi and he was saying, ‘no pictures please.  Can’t a guy take a walk on the beach in peace!?’

Running from the paparazzi

Nathan's Shot of the Day

And of course, there were also the dolphins…

A pod of frolicking dolphins

The last beach that we had a chance to visit lived up to its glamorous reputation.   Laguna Beach sure knows how to take a good photo.

Laguna Beach

Pelican Sunset

Laguna Beach Sunset

 


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Categories : California, Los Angeles

Lights, Camera, Action!

28 11 2011

At the corner of La Brea and Sunset you can find a cute English-Style village; definitely not something that you would expect in the middle of Hollywood.  But, when you see Kermit the Frog looking down at you, you realize where you are.   The birthplace of moving pictures – Charlie Chaplin’s original sound stage, Home of The Muppets, otherwise known as the Jim Henson Company. 

Jim Hensen's Studio

It wasn’t until we had the opportunity to help out at an event designed and produced by our friends at rock and rain, that we realized how cool it was to be in this space.  The moment that made me pause during a very busy set up day was when I saw the “Recording” light and I thought about how many times that light had been turned on, and how many films had taken place in the same room that I was standing in.

"Recording"

You saw the “Before” above.  Now, take a look at the “After”.  I wish I would have attended a party that was this cool when I was a kid.  Ice cream sundae bar, candy goodie bags, a mirror surrounded in lights for facepainting and hairstyling, a colouring wall, a workshop to customize your own clothes, asian-style photo booths, tons of food, and a runway show.  What more could a kid want in a party?

The "After"

Best Facepaint Ever

The "Workshop"

Photo Op

The Runway

The Designer Walk

Just a Few Photographers


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Categories : California, Los Angeles

The Joy of a Good Road Trip

20 11 2011

Flying may be the fastest way to travel, a great way to see crop circles, look down on the Rocky Mountains, and offer a few hours of much needed solace from phone calls, text messages and emails (unless of course you’re on a wifi enabled flight), but there’s just something fun and personal about being on a road trip.  The joy of packing a snack bag full of treats that you probably shouldn’t be eating (because how much energy are you really expelling sitting in a car).  But who doesn’t need a block of Tiger Butter fudge for the road?

Hopefully you build in enough time to your road trip that you have the flexibility to make a few unscheduled stops.  Because, isn’t that the best part of road trips?

On a trip from Lake Havasu, AZ to Seattle and Seattle, WA back down to Las Vegas, NV we took a few necessary detours.

Aside from a stop in Berkley, CA to visit friends and pick up some wine, we made a stop at Casa de Fruta, which had a complete Fall set up that can’t help but put you in the Fall mood.

Fall Scenes at Casa de Fruta

We were in a pretty big rush to get up to Seattle and take in the sights there, but on our 2 day, 20 hour road trip back down to the desert, we made sure to stretch our legs in only the most scenic spots….

Wahkeena Falls at the Columbia River Gorge

Catching the Flowing Water

Multnomah Falls

Horsetail Falls Close Up

And…..when you travel with boys, you have to stop and see some fish, so we made a trip out to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery as well.  I admit that even I was fascinated with all of these salmon trying to jump over the wood boards to get back to where they started.

Jumping Salmon

Despite the urgency to take a flight to hurry up and arrive to start your trip, there’s no better way to turn your travel time into a trip itself than with a road trip.


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Categories : California, Oregon

Fig & 9th

24 02 2011

There’s just something about LA that makes you smile when you say, ‘I’m on my way to LA’ or ‘I’m in LA for the week’.  Sunshine, palm trees, great food and celebrity sightings, that’s what you think of when you think about LA.

For one week Fig and 9th was my home, the downtown corridor was my cafeteria, FedEx was my office and people asked me for directions.  And I could actually give people directions, instead of saying, ‘ooooh sorry, I’m not from here’.

During the Grammy’s and NBA All Star Weekend the palm trees were in abundance, it was a different trendy restaurant every night, and the celebrities flocked to town, but unfortunately the sunshine didn’t get the memo or else it had a big case of stage fright.  Not only was there very little sun, but it actually rained.  Rained.  There was drizzle, spitting, misting, rain showers, thunder showers, heavy rain and sprinkling.  (If you’re from Vancouver you know that there are endless types of rain). And people get desperate if they’re out and not expecting rain in LA.  Desperate, like paying $200 for an umbrella, desperate.  It’s a true story.

Despite the temperamental rainy weather, we did see some sunshine and the festivities continued on.  Unsurprisingly the sports enthusiasts were out in full force, rain or shine.  Surprisingly, the number of celebrity/athlete groupies that were hanging around almost matched the sport enthusiasts in number.  Teenage boys wearing basketball jerseys of their favourite team were bouncing off the walls trying to chase after the players.  Girls in short shorts and sleek flat ironed hair would teeter down the streets in their high heels.  I couldn’t help but almost feel the pain in the balls of their feet, and I did notice that although a lot of women were walking towards the stadium in their heels, they were walking away from the stadium in flip flops.

The biggest surprise were the groupies that would hang out in the lobby of the hotel.  Yes, we were staying at one of the official host hotels.  But really?  Walking into the lobby we were greeted by a crowd of girls (and a few guys) all dressed up standing in the foyer.  They weren’t sitting at the bar and casually keeping an eye on the door, they were standing in front of the door, eyes fixated on any movement at the entrance.

If I could have taken a photo without being too obvious I would have, instead, we spent time taking photos during the 1 hour of sunshine on Sunday morning.


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Categories : California

Zero Sleeps to Disney

27 07 2010

It seems crazy to think that it’s been twenty years since I went to Disneyland.  How am I that old?

Regardless of how old I am the magic of Disneyland is still alive and well.  Staying at the Hilton that overlooks the park, seeing everyone come back with their mickey ears and stuffed animals, and watching the fireworks every night at 9:30pm sharp, would get anyone in the Disney mood.  So, when the day finally came, when we walked through that park entryway and the path opened up into the perfectly manicured Main Street, needless to say it all came flooding back.  As soon as we walked into the park I saw Goofy. Oh my gosh – now I remember.  I need to get an autograph – I need to chase all of the characters and get a photo taken with them after they sign my autograph book.

Whoa, slow down there.  We’re not 6 anymore.  I will admit that I was tempted when I saw Winnie the Pooh, and I actually went over to get a photo with Eeyore (but he had to get ready for the parade…)

The excitement of everything lasted until the reality of the “Disney line ups” sank in.  We’d been in the park for an hour and a half and succeeded in picking up a fastpass for Space Mountain, watching the Captain EO 3D show and standing in line for the park train ride.  We haven’t done anything!

After a 90 minute wait for the Indiana Jones Ride (which hadn’t been there when I was little) things picked up and we knocked off the Winnie the Pooh Ride, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and Pinnochio’s Daring Ride.  Okay, so they’re not exactly the hot ticket rides, but they were still fun.  I got to show off my crazy driving skills off in Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.   We did take on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which was my favourite then and it may be my favourite now.   And now let’s talk about the Matterhorn.  I may have blocked out that childhood memory entirely but now that I’m grown I think I may be a little too big for the ride.  It was a struggle to keep from knocking my knees into the seat in front of me and whipping my head back to hit Nathan in the face and this ride was fast.

I was sad to hear that there was no longer a light parade, but they do have a light show and of course, the nightly fireworks.  We took advantage of everyone’s distraction by running through the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and Space Mountain.

And with a final look at the Magic Kingdom we started the trek out of the park.

But, wait a minute.  What’s a trip to Disneyland if you don’t get lost.  Dodging through the crowds of tired families and strollers, I managed to dodge so well I got myself lost.  All of my childhood “what to do if you get lost” skills came back.  Stop. Move to the Side.  Scan the Crowd.  Stand in the highest elevation with the most light.  That didn’t work though, so as I let the crowd move me toward the final gates, I peered through the fence, hesitant to leave the park area, until I heard my name.  I’m Found!


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Categories : California

California’s Bread Basket

24 07 2010

Driving through all of the windy roads (away from the coast) in California really opened my eyes up to the different terrain in sunny California.  Here I thought it was all palm trees, sandy beaches and celebrity sightings.   Turns out there’s not much of anything shiny and sparkly away from the water.

But, I do have to admit, I spent a good amount of time with my nose pressed up to the window looking at the scenery.  I’m thinking back to one particular time when a truck with 2 trailers of lemons passed by.  Only in California.  That was the first of many trucks full of lemons, garlic, and onions.  And then there were the trucks full of some sort of red produce.  We watched as truck after truck passed by us.  First we thought cherries. Then strawberries.  Then red onion.  We finally decided that they were ‘not yet ripe tomatoes’.  That’s our final answer.

Then there was the time I was looking at the farm animals:  bulls, cows, horses, mini horses…or baby horses….or ponies, and then all of a sudden, GOOOOOAAAAAATTTTT.  Don’t ask me why I was so excited.  I don’t even think I was, it just came out in this mournful, longing tone.

I was pretty impressed with the variety of scenery.  We saw the infamous California Sand Dunes – it was a quick stop though since it was 112 degrees outside.

And then on our drive through the California breadbasket we saw all of the crops, fruit trees, grape vines, etc.  And all of a sudden it started smelling very savoury, like it was dinner time.  I opened the window and the smell of garlic hit me in the face.  We were in the midst of the garlic fields and the home of Gilroy Garlic.

And where there are fruit trees there are fruit stands.  We just so happened to stop at the most elaborate one there – Casa de Fruta it’s seriously a little village now:  complete with restaurant, winery and deli, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nut and chocolate stand.

Yes.  Those are chocolates that look like martini green olives.

And…..there was an area to pan for gold!  Did I mention I used to have a rock collection?  Let’s just say I could have stayed there for a lot longer if someone hadn’t pulled me away.  I did find a little crystal point and what I swear is a gold flake.

So although there were no celebrity sightings, it was still a pretty sight to see.


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Categories : California

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