Cali-bound, Part One

You have to fly across the surface of the moon to get to California.

Or, as the cartographers call it, New Mexico and Arizona.

Here are some highlights of our recent westward expedition…

Home base: Fullerton, half-way up a mountain at Aunt & Uncle’s fab little mid-century abode, complete with Disneyland fireworks view, gourmet fare and cocktails at the ready. Couldn’t have asked for more gracious hosts: a fantastic cook and an easy-going tour guide/mixologist, to name just a couple of their many talents!
[To R & L: You guys ROCK!!!]

--Downtown L.A. Petersen Automotive Museum—A top-notch attraction for car buffs and design junkies alike (Love those hood ornaments!); Craft and Folk Art Museum—Tiny but I got to see what I came for: an assemblage exhibit featuring works by L.A. artists, including punk scenestress Exene Cervenka. Rich visual constructions elevating ordinary objects and the forgotten detritus of human life into a visual poetry of extraordinary compositions.

--Old Towne Orange. Browsed the antique shops around the Circle. Lunch at Watson Drugs & Soda Fountain (est. 1899 and seen in films like Tom Hanks’ “That Thing You Do”)—had a BLT with avocado...onion rings…and a shared chocolate malt…taste bud heaven and cardiac hell in one sitting. Bought some cool old keys at Muff’s, a crazy, packed-to-the-rafters vintage hardware store.

--Laguna Beach. Waded into the Pacific for the first time. And to this Florida gal, it’s cold. Like fishing beer bottles out of the cooler’s melted ice the morning after a party. But in Florida, you can’t stand in the surf while looking up at the big mountains in the distance. Nice.

--Pasadena. Gorgeous buildings, lovely landscapes. Gamble House: prime example of Arts & Crafts architecture cited prominently during my American art history college courses. Here I was, standing in that very house, marveling at the handiwork—and I do mean HANDIWORK. The craftsmanship in every beam and joint, every fixture, every windowpane, is breathtaking. And the “clinker bricks” on the back patio—so beautiful in their imperfection.
I’m in love with the Greene brothers for details like that.

Friday night’s big thrill: Reading quietly on the couch. A gentle shaking, barely discernible, lasting maybe 10 seconds if that, but nonetheless…kinda freaky.

“Aftershock,” Aunt proclaimed from the kitchen. Yorba Linda’s little quake earlier in the day finally caught up with us. Just a reminder from Mother Nature that humans ain’t as big shot as they think they are.

UP NEXT: More cool Cali excursions…