Griffith Observatory and Vasquez Rocks County Park

Hi all -- Dianne here.  

Last night we spent a fun evening with our daughter, Robyn.  First, we drove to the Griffith Observatory in the Hollywood Hills.  The view of the city below was AMAZING.  We spent as much time outside taking in the views as we did inside.  I zoomed in on the LA skyline:

 There were very interesting displays inside as well, including a live earthquake seismometer, samples of meteorites from the moon and Mars that we could actually touch, and much more.  We took turns in the observatory looking at Jupiter through the huge telescope.


Robyn couldn't resist posing with the statue of Albert Einstein:  


I shot a short video snippet to try to show the vastness of the city at night.  It was truly awe-inspiring; I doubt that any photo or video can depict what it's like in person.

Robyn and Roger mugged for the camera -- they're both very good at that.

But of course here's my favorite photo (because I love being able to squeeze my girl.)

After the observatory we discussed where to eat supper.  Robyn suggested a restaurant named "Counters" (owned by the actor Daniel Dae Kim who played "Gin" from Lost.)  She had eaten at one in Hawaii, and explained the concept to us:  You get to build your burger, choosing the meat, cheese, toppings, bread type, and sauce by marking your choices on a check list.  Lots of unusual choices, like grilled peperoncinis, just to name one. 

 Here's a photo of Robyn with her chicken sandwich, and the delicious fries (both sweet potato and regular) that we all shared.


After dinner we dropped Robyn off at her apartment.  Roger and I drove back to our camp site, that we jokingly refer to as the "frozen tundra" up in the hills near the Antelope Valley just off of the 14.


Imagine our delight Friday morning when the sun shone brightly and it was actually warm!  We decided to take full advantage of the weather and take the dogs hiking at a county park we pass each  time we drive on "The 14" to and from the city.

Vasquez Rocks County Park did not disappoint!  We hiked and climbed scores of rocks.

Roger was really in his element.  The park is an interesting place.  It is named for a bandit who hid in the crags and caves in the mid-1800s from the law, after robbing trains or stealing cattle in the area.

We found it interesting to learn that many movies and TV series have been filmed here, including: Planet of the Apes, Blazing Saddles, The Flintstones, the TV series 24, Star Trek episodes, and one of Roger's all-time favorites, Roswell.  (He's had a crush on Katherine Heigl ever since).

The boys really enjoyed our hike.




Below is another photo of the interesting rock formations with you-know-who striking a pose:



Roger never met a rock he didn't want to climb.  Of course, what goes up must come carefully back down (especially at our age).

On the way home we stopped at the local Acton Market for milk. 

 We've enjoyed some interesting local grocery stores in our travels.  This one has these signs all the way across the front railing.  (R -- We're in L.A. County, but I don't think we're in the city):

I'll turn this over to Roger now, for his expanded "whippet photo of the day" photo/story:


Roger here...  Our older dog, Jasper, has lately had some problems keeping on weight -- a problem many of us wish we had :-).  However, whippets are skinny anyway -- nothing but bones and muscle.  A skinnier-than-normal whippet looks like it is being starved by its owners.  Think of an image from a Tim Burton movie.  So, we have been trying to fatten Jasper up.  

He always loves treats and begs relentlessly for them, but does not seem to be the least bit tempted by the expensive, high-end, holistic dog food that is always available to him. 

For the last couple of weeks, Dianne has been feeding him "fat burgers" (fatty raw hamburger fortified with eggs, Total cereal, oatmeal, olive oil, unflavored gelatin and wheat germ).  That has been working and he now looks much better. 


However, we really do want him to eat the healthy dog food, which brings me to the story.  


The other day I was rummaging through the fridge and found a container with a clear liquid.  Dianne immediately said, "That is an egg white that I did not use, pour it over the dog food and maybe Jasper will eat it."  So I did.  This is the response Jasper gave:

Oh my gravy, boy!  Since when have you not liked eggs?  Even Chaplin ate the food grudgingly, and he eats anything, including dirt, rocks, flowers and far more disgusting things.  Today on the hike we caught Chaplin trying to eat Coyote poop.  At least that's what we thought it was.  If he starts howling in the middle of the night, we'll know for sure.  


Enough about Chaplin's disgusting habits and back to the story.


A few days later Dianne opened the fridge and... 

--  Dianne said, "Oh, this must be the container with the egg white."  


--  Roger said, "Then what was in the container that I poured on Jasper's food?" 


--   Dianne said, "I think it was lemon juice!"

We now know to skip the lemon garnish if we feed Jasper fish :-).