Above

Yesterday, we decided to take advantage of the fact that it wasn't stinking hot first thing in the morning, and went for a hike. The spot we chose is called Wildwood Canyon. How pretty does that sound? There are different routes that vary in difficulty and length, but we chose a short leg - we wanted to avoid having to carry the Faery if possible. We saw some deer before we'd even parked the car, but the only other wildlife we saw during the hike were lizards and birds. Plenty of crows (I've never seen so many crows in my life as I have since coming to LA), but the hawks and eagles were shy. Most of the landscape was just scrub - we passed only one tree for shade.

We had no idea how much smog was around until we reached our looking point. Ugh. It was lovely to be above all of that. Below - in amongst that smog - is part of Burbank, in 'The Valley'. To the south (if this photo was extended to the left), we could make out the tops of the skyscrapers from downtown LA, but they were very hazy. Without the smog, they're easy to see - even in my neighbourhood.

It was a bit of a hard slog for the Faery. By the time we stopped for photos, her face was red and dirt-smudged, whispy golden strands of hair flying around her face. Dishevelled and cute. Next time, though, we might get the babysitter for a couple of hours one late Saturday afternoon. It'd be good to catch a sunset, minus hot complaining children. Oh, and minus the smog.