So Many Views of Mt. Adams

Took a long drive East/Southeast toward Mt. Adams last week for a few days of [mostly] radio silence, reading, walking, and... not working. Been a while since I've had any real R&R. 

I really dislike the word "glamping" but I very much like the idea of being in a campground setting while staying within four walls, sleeping in a bed, having a bathroom and a kitchen, and gazing through a huge picture window to appreciate the outdoors. I definitely wouldn't call this "camping" but I'm not going to use that other word either. 

There was a town a few minutes down the road (using the word "town" loosely; three streets and a general store) but this felt like the middle of nowhere. I would often drive for 20 minutes without seeing another car. 

all the huts are positioned so windows don't face windows of other huts. 

there's a toilet and a hot shower behind that door!

everything you need to prepare a meal - or you can grill outside. 

one word: cozy. 

there are over 40 huts on this property - all laid out so as not to intrude on anyone's solitude. 

  

Turns out there's an Abbey/Buddhist temple/Druid Sanctuary out in the middle of nowhere/rural Washington so I stopped in for Tuesday services.

Buddhist temple / barn... fine line.

grounds at the abbey.

While driving from the hut outpost to the abbey, I passed a sign for a National Wildlife Refuge, so I drove in one day to see what kind of wildlife might be hanging around. I ended up going for a long walk in the woods. 

this is the only wildlife I saw, a tiny snake near the parking lot. I'm afraid of snakes but this one was more like worm. I'm also afraid of worms. 

A Wedding in the Family

This all took place in August and some of the photos are watermarked, but you get the gist. 

The Stahl House

Took the BEST house tour before I left L.A. The story of the Stahl house began when a small parcel of land was purchased by Buck and Carlotta Stahl in 1954 in the hills above Sunset Boulevard. The house was finished in 1960 and is a glorious example of mid-century modern architecture. The things I love most about the house is that it's small. This is by no means a mansion. There are two bedrooms, three bathrooms, and an open-plan kitchen, dining area, and living room. I think the pool takes up almost as much of the lot as the footprint of the house -- but the view and the access to the view from nearly every spot in the house is what makes this place spectacular. 

very unassuming entrance, but check out the view to the right. Also, my car looks great in the driveway, and I should totally live there. 

every other glass panel slides open almost all the way around the house.

I could be very happy here. 

Three Things in L.A.

When I travel, I usually tell myself I only have to do ONE thing every day. That doesn't mean I will go to all the time and expense of flying around the world only to be done with my day at 10:15 in the morning, it just means that there's only one must-do thing every day; maybe two if they're geographically close, and whatever else happens is serendipity. It works for me and keeps the pressure low, especially if jetlag is a factor. Since jetlag isn't a factor between Sacramento and Los Angeles, I planned THREE things to do today and was able to hit them all, although one landmark was seen only through a crack in the door. 

The first thing was to visit a small, private garden which has no website, very little press, and the owner is so undesirous of publicity that I'm not even going to name it here. It's open to the public once a week for two hours. The gardener/owner/creator was watering the plants when I arrived, but she clearly didn't want to chat so after my greeting and a couple questions which were met with short answers, I left her alone and wandered around. There is a sign asking that the garden be experienced with one's eyes as opposed to with a camera, but I did take just a few pictures. I'm sure she doesn't want her yard turned into an Instagram playground, and I don't blame her.  

After visiting the garden, I went to The Broad which has recently reopened although sadly, the exhibit I really wanted to see, Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirror Rooms is still closed, but there are still a bunch of favorites on view, including a large collections of Lichtensteins, Wharhols, Basquiat's, and even one of Koons' balloon dogs - and who doesn't love a Koons balloon dog??  

I should have put something in for scale, this thing is huge. 

although it's not as huge as this... 

The third thing I was going to do was to go inside the Bradbury Building, a historic landmark built by a gold-mining millionaire in the late 1800s. Sadly, it's still closed to the public, but the building (smack in the middle of DTLA) is so old that the original wood doors have just enough space between them for a camera lens.  

You can sort of get the idea of the intricate ironwork and light-filled atrium. 

The Golden Gate

A beautiful day in San Francisco, learning the history and construction details of one of the world’s most beautiful landmarks. 

Joseph Strauss - Chief Engineer