Snippets

The end of daylight savings is always depressing but on the upside, I've been able to take advantage of the gorgeous late afternoon light by ditching a weekend gym visit for brisk uphill walks to watch the colours change over the city below - while J wrangles the kids into the bath. I call that winning.

I've had a thing for tulips for most of my adult life - my wedding bouquet consisted of white ones. I've always dreamed of seeing the tulip fields in the Netherlands, and have travelled there several times... but always the wrong time of year. Oh well. I did get lots of good cheese out of those visits. At the moment, I love that I can get bunches of tulips from Trader Joe's for under $3. Since we moved into our current apartment, I've made sure that there's always a mason's jar of flowers on our table - usually tulips or gerberas, as they look so cheerful.

More powerlines. This was taken from the rooftop of the parking structure at J's work, overlooking Griffith Park. Those lucky bastards had the best view of the Endeavour shuttle recently, as it flew right over them on its way to LAX, looping overhead a couple of times (I also got a glimpse, but was at home and had a narrower view of the sky from our balcony).

Last week, J and I attended a crew wrap party and preview screening for Rise of the Guardians. It was fun. Also, it was pretty dark so I didn't bother taking many photos. This time, we were sensible and didn't drive in - no arguments about whose turn it was to be designated driver. Instead, we shared a stretch limo with a group of his colleagues, and used the taxi vouchers provided at the end of the night. Let's just say the cocktails were extra enjoyable.

Rain! Well... some, anyway. The never ending streak of hot weather seems to have finally passed, and the chilly mornings/evenings have arrived. Last week, it poured with rain for a few hours, the temperature dropped dramatically, and then I noticed snow-capped mountains in the distance a few days later. I'm going to start looking into accommodation at one of those mountains for a few days over Christmas, so that the Faery can maybe have her wish for a white Christmas come true.

The day after the heavy rain, the sky was full of beautifully heavy clouds. Ones like these always remind me of the wallpaper in Andy's bedroom, in Toy Story.

For a city that's famed for its freeways, I seem to have very few photos of them. I don't actually spend much time on them (I avoid them at all costs when I'm driving - something I need to get over), so I'm always the passenger. I think I'm getting closer to working up the nerve to drive on them... but sheesh, there are some moronic drivers out there! At such high speeds, I'm intimidated.

What can I say? I'm just a sucker for shining, sparkling water. This was taken at a fountain in a large outdoor mall that's nearby. I take the girls in now and then for a run around the fountain, a play in the outdoor play area, a browse around Barnes & Noble, frozen yoghurt (in summer), and a ride on the touristy 'trolleycar' that does a loop around the mall (I'm sorry, but my brain will always refer to them as trams). It's kind of the Disneyland of upmarket shopping areas, in the over-the-top way that America knows how to do best.

Last, but not least, I had to include a shot of the girls, right? For a laugh, I thought I'd attempt a shot of them standing against a large wall that we walked past yesterday - emulating the hipsters' photos of their kids that seem to dominate my Instagram newsfeed (my fault for following so many damn hipsters in the first place...). Anyhow, the joke was on me because the girls were more interested in facing the wall than looking at me. Still - cute, yes?