Bobcat

There was a bobcat on our roof! Stuck around long enough for some photos!

Urban carnivores

One of the great things about living in this great big park are the lectures that the Friends of Griffith Park host periodically.

Tonight a researcher from UCLA discussed her research about rodenticides and their impact on bobcats. We have a bunch of bobcats here in gp, which was one of the areas she studied. It's a pretty clear correlation now between when these poisons are introduced into the environment and the fatalities of the urban carnivores,  with enough of an increase in deaths due to mange that that became a focal point of her study. Recently, Griffith Park's famous mountain lion P22 was found to have mange, most likely due to the correlation between the rodenticides he is exposed to amd the inflammation to the immune system it causes.

Interesting information,  and there's a lot more at urbancarnivores.com and on the facebook page of the same name.

#200happydays day 17

Neighbors

Today a neighbor took me on a tour of their backyard, so that I can come swim whenever I want. They've rescued dogs, rabbits, and a goat from the park (my husband actually rescued the goat and gave it to the neighbor). All the houses in our neighborhood are built into the hills, so their Jacuzzi is up some beautiful mosaic toled steps and has a great view. Pictures will come, I am sure.

The happiness here...a husband who talked up how much I love to swim, a neighbor who offered.

#200happydays day 10

Griffith J Griffith

It's been a while since I've posted anything about this fantastic park I live in. It's been so hot the last few days that I have either hidden myself and baby away behind dark shades, or gone down to my family's houses for swimming pools. So, time to revisit!

This popped up on my facebook feed today -- Griffith J Griffith, well known as being the man who donated the money to build Griffith Park... is also known for Shooting His Wife In The Head (through an eye, actually). It is HIS statue I drive by every day to get home!

So, he makes her get on bended knee, shoots her in the eye, she *survives*, and jumps off a balcony to escape.

That's not why I am choosing this as one of my #200happydays posts. The happiness for me comes by way of the fact that we have a diagram of this event, and that we have the right combination of archiving and technology that I can share it with you now.

#200happydays day 8

Delightful summer day

Right now I couldn't be happier. I have a burbling little 6-week-old-tomorrow baby asleep next to me, a husband playing a computer game behind me, a brand new computer-set-up, and I just spent a few hours in the park with husband and friend watching them play with a new toy (drone for go pro camera, very cool) - while I walked and walked with the stroller.

I also just bought a Lodge enamel covered cast iron dutch oven online, and I can't wait for it to get here.

I am not the world's best housekeeper, but I like the idea of it. I really love to cook, when I love it. I realized at some point that the secret is to surround myself with things I like -- hate washing dishes? Buy dishes you love. Dislike cooking? Use utensils and ingredients that speak to you. I love feeding people, and there is something about making food beautiful that matters. I have the ingredients for a baked ziti dish that I am waiting to use until my Caribbean blue dutch oven gets here, because I can't wait to stir the beautiful red sauce in that color pot. Its the little things, you know?

I have a lot of hand-me-down dishes, broken things, and mass-produced stuff in my kitchen. My goal is to replace them all with higher-quality beautiful items that I love, one piece at a time. 

#100happydays day 12

Took a quick walk down the street before it got dark. It feels like it might rain. I didn't take my phone with me, went back after to take the photo.

So grateful I live here. That I have 5000 acres of wilderness behind me, and trees and green and beautiful homes in front.

And then this big dog who welcomes me home.

The stuff that happens on my lawn

I love what random things happen on my front lawn.

Today I looked out and there's a small film crew and an...ice cream truck.

They are filming a promo for samsung, so if you see it... that's my house!

Picnic on my front lawn

My front lawn is surrounded on three sides by Griffith Park, is owned by the city, and is a fascinating cross section of urban hollywood meets wilderness area.

Today I brought my knitting and tablet out front to have a picnic in this amazing spring weather. I am looking up at redwoods and pines and alders and at least four other types of trees I don't know. There are lizards basking on the walkway to my house. There are squirrels darting from tree to fence behind me. There are hummingbirds swooping low over the grass. There are a lot of people driving up to the observatory,  walking dogs, and pushing strollers.

I am watching West Wing, knitting christmas presents,  and eating egg salad and carrot sticks. Maybe I will take a nap.

unicorns playing accordions.

So I am sitting inside, knitting, listening to The Office on in the background, when I look up and see this happening...

It's sorta hard to see, but they are all either in pajamas or straight jackets.

Then they broke out the accordions.

And they started singing.

And swaying. Accordions, singing, and swaying. While someone records them.

And then, without any warning - they break out the full costumes.

I don't know what the blue thing is, but the other one is clearly a unicorn.

Just another day in my little house in the big park.

nighttime noises

It's been a strange few days -- the weather is warming up, so there are far more people in the park. That also means we have had more visitors to our door -- yesterday one at 5am asking if our house was a "safe" house ??  I have just started to get used to the creaking of this house, the new night noises. We had a lizard in the kitchen a few days ago. Sometimes the noises are just noises... other times I am fairly certain there are animals in the walls.

Caught in the headlights

Husband just called me outside, there was a deer in the back. He shined a flashlight and the deer came down the hill towards us. I didn't want to move to get my phone and take a picture, and pretty soon it ran away.

owl

My aunt and uncle came up for a visit, and brought this new addition to our house. I love this little dude. He sits in the freesia plants on the front porch. 

up on the ridge

Sister-in-Law came up for a visit! We went on a drive through the park so she could see everything -- stopped and walked up to the Old Zoo. We are sad. We are stuck in cages. 

Afterwards we went on a real hike -- parked up near the observatory, and hiked down a ridge down to where the batcave is in Bronson canyon, then back up and over to the car. It was not an easy experience for me -- I felt paralyzed going downhill on these little, rocky footpaths with cliffs falling on either side of me. There were multiple times that I fell or slid down on my butt. My husband and SIL are like mountain goats and did the whole thing easily. It was discouraging for me. I cried. 

But I haven't been able to stop thinking about it -- there was one point up on the ridge where we saw three coyotes. The land was beautiful. And after I got over feeling angry and embarrassed and ashamed for falling apart, I was able to think about how neat it was that I accomplished it, even if it was hard. I'd like to go back. 

My SIL took these photos - and I love them. The hike was hard. It tapped into something deep, this fear of being weak -- and I wasn't proud of how I handled it. But I love these photos and the whole thing was evidence of how much impact outdoor recreation can have.

mt. hollywood at night

Husband and I did a super intense hike up to the top of Mt. Hollywood -- we took the West Trail up to where it meets the road above the observatory  then up to the top of Mt. Hollywood. We then RAN down the entire thing, to our front door. It was about 1 hour, 40 minutes. I have never worked so hard in my life. I got home and my legs were doing that weird twitchy thing. I am going to be so sore.

I really loved running downhill, I have to say. It was a little terrifying -- not being able to see everything...and the ground is really packed, with a little sand on the top so some spots are slippery. But there were some points where I was running, and breathing in the deep dark chaparral smell - and I felt like I could do it forever.

There were other parts where it just hurt and I wanted to die. But you know. I'll try to remember the do-it-forever part.

menagerie

Went to the LA Zoo with husband and friend. We saw EVERY ANIMAL and had shave ice and walked really fast to keep up with my husband...  It was a warm day. Lots of little kids. Glad to explore another piece of the park. Next on my list is Travel Town.

Walking the dog in the Dell

We live right next to a part of the park called "Fern Dell." It's a beautiful little oasis, very different from the rest of the park. It's full of exotic ferns and plants, with bridges and little islands in the middle of natural running water coming from underground springs.. lots of stone retainer walls. There is a lot of history, I'll dig some up later. One thing I know is that people used to come from far and wide to the Dell to drink the water from these underground springs -- they used to say that it was water from the fountain of youth. 

celestial jewelry

Awesome day with soon-to-be cousin-in-law. Hiked up to the observatory -- this bottom part of this picture is from a personal collection at the observatory. It's "celestial jewelry" that a woman collected over 50 years. It's one of my favorite things to look at there. We also watched the current movie, it's all about the reconstruction that they did a few years past -- it's crazy. They lifted the whole observatory up, to build underneath. Worth watching for sure.

After, we went to the Gene Autry farmer's market and had a picnic on the grass. Excellent day. 

fern dell

Sunny day in Fern Dell! I heard that the Friends of Griffith Park are working on getting it restored to it's former glory. They got a grant, and bought a bunch of new plants which are being grown at a nearby college. There have been some cleanup crews on weekends clearing the water of the plants that choke up the flow.

plantlife!

Another nature hike -- there is SO MUCH TO SEE in every step. I think what we have here is... sugar bush, lilac, wild sumac, and wild cucumber.

gooseberry and wild cucumber

Had the best day today. Invited naturalist friend of mine up and she took my mom, dad and I on a "hundred inch hike." We went up to one of the little foot paths in the canyon below the observatory, and took the new plant ID books that she bought me, and I learned me some plant stuff!

This picture has.. (left to right, top to bottom) fuchsia gooseberry, sugarbush, lilac, and wild cucumber. 

Then my dad wandered off and we found him a little while later.....

Then BBQ and sitting around the firepit in the backyard. Deeeeeelightful.