DST

(Click on any photo for a larger view)

Daylight Saving Time always seems like a precursor of spring to us, so we started the weekend early at one of the local protoner's house who generously invited us over for drinks with the accompaniment of a guitarist friend of his succeeded by dinner affording a beautiful night view of the entire valley.

Saturday we were off to Big Bear to deliver Marianne's first official print sale to a blacksmith there. She had shot a photo of a the original blacksmith shop at Coloma where gold was discovered in California in 1849 which, incidentally, had taken a third place among 21,000 entries in Costco's International Photo Competition which netted her a $500 gift certificate. Pete, the blacksmith, and his lovely wife, Lana, were most hospitable in providing us lunch and a hike featuring an abandoned gold mine in back of their house. Fortuitously, we found the Big Bear Mountain Brewery on the way home which featured Red Ant Hill Ale and an 8.6% Little Beaver IPA. 

Sunday morning found us on the road, once again, heading towards downtown Los Angeles. On the way we stopped to visit the San Gabriel Mission and continued on surface streets which afforded us an opportunity to witness some neighborhoods ranging from the totally Asian neighborhood in Alhambra through the leafy estates of Pasadena to the barrio and industrial areas leading to the city center. Once there, we set out on foot to see the spectacular Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank Gehry, the historic Union Station, and the Our Lady of the Angles Cathedral where a mass baptism was about to take place.

We also had a Mexican lunch on Olvera Street and checked out the oldest house in LA which was fun, actually walking five miles in the process which is quite unusual in LA. Back on the road, we tried to check out Dodger Stadium but the bumper to bumper traffic made this impractical. A full weekend in our book. 

Just six treatments left!!!