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Tuesday 3 April 2012

Manifestations of Lorna and Dave, San Francisco to Los Angeles (part two):

Lorna and Dave as Foot Soldiers

We had already spent an evening at Fran's hideaway condo near Redondo Beach, but we hadn't actually seen anything outside other than her patio, unless you count the trip Dave made to Panda Express for dinner, so we were eager to get out to the beach.  When I say we were near Redondo Beach, I mean we were about 200 steps from a dog-free beach populated by pelicans.  I had never seen a live pelican and was confused about their having no pouch but Dave assured me that these were indeed pelicans and if we waited around long enough we'd see the pouch in actual use.  I never did.  There were plenty of dives, but no successful fishing, on the part of the Redondo Beach pelicans.   That didn't take away from the beauty of the water, the saltiness of the pier and the joy of walking on the sand.  

Fran and I have been reading each other's blogs for 8 years now, and I knew she worked at a private school,so we were delighted when she was able to give us a tour.  I went to a private school for grades 9 to 11 and I thought I knew what to expect, but then, I'd never been in California before.  It was like a small village, with a home for the Headmaster, staff residences, playing fields, theatre, gym, brick walking paths, beautiful treed grounds and a wonderful library, with students' (past and present) art everywhere.  And the view was breathtaking.

Imagine being gifted with these views over the next two days as we visited the school, the Wayfarere's Chapel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Jr and a church tucked away in the grandest seaside venue imaginable.
A memorial to staff members lost on a hiking trip---see the staff?
Art from Fran's school
Lorna and Dave chat with the driver of this humongous limo

The Wayfarers' Chapel

Majestic and frightening view

Fran and Lorna in a ramble through the grounds of the church



the grounds were breathtaking




 
a perfect sunset   



Lorna and Dave as Gourmands

Please don't read too much into that appelation.  We were only wanna-be gourmands.  Our cousins Gail and Del were the real gourmands, showing us how chic LA folk prefer small plate dining, which was fun and incredibly delicious. (the following week, we got a tour of UCLA where Gail works, which was as good as a backstage tour of the set of The Wizard of Oz, and another chance to be gourmands, at which we were getting better).

Lorna and Dave as non-stereotypical Tourists

You know, we drove around and visited beaches and walked around the Redondo Beach Village, looking at books, eating in fascinating little places that were half-restaurant, half something else like flower shops or quasi-museums, but we just weren't drawn to go to downtown LA, except one afternoon when we ended up in LA rush hour traffic and took refuge in a street mall, with singers and lovers and shoppers who looked an awful lot like the people we can see up on the Sparks St Mall.  Of course, it was warmer.


6 comments:

  1. One feature that I like about Blogger is the ability to click and see the pictures larger in what is almost a slideshow. Well it is a slideshow, except you have to do your own clicking to advance.

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  2. Wow!!!! What a lovely collection of photos!!!! I really loved seeing these lovely glimpses of Fran's world!!! She's one of my favorite blogging buddies (as are you) and I envy you the joy of meeting her. Again, this sure looks like a truly memorable vacation!!!! Thanks for taking us along!

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  3. What fun!! beautiful sunset!

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  4. I'm just reading blogs and saw this incredible entry with photos of some of my favorite places--and of us, Lorna. I'm so glad you liked it in Redondo Beach.

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  5. I cannot imagine going to school there as it would be impossible to find time to study. Too beautiful to study.

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  6. Loved seeing these pics and hearing about your meetup with Fran. I've read her blog too; probably found her through you, or you through her.

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