Happy Monday.

{Earl Carter}

Slacking

{And a Trip to the Huntington Library}

Welp, I've been a neglectful blogger of late. Between wedding plans and a frustratingly slow recovery from a minor neck sprain, this little blerg has been put on the back burner. I do hate to disappoint my dozens (hah!) of readers out there.

A couple of weeks ago I volunteered to make a work-related Friday errand to Pasadena at a discounted rate under the selfish condition that I could start my weekend early at the Huntington Library. It isn't often that we find ourselves in Pasadena, so when given the opportunity the Huntington Library is a must. True to form I shot only fanciful details that don't quite reveal the overall the beauty of the HL. Oh well, you'll just have to visit it yourself.

{sculpture garden}

{vines}

{hexagonal window, statue - can't take credit for this one though I'd like to}

{fragrant flower}

{flower, branch}

{roof line}

{sculptural wall}

{sun portrait}

{cactus garden}

{cactus garden}

{tiny flowers}

{scale}

{desert tree}

{a flower on one of the most beautiful trees gracing the Library grounds}

Genius.

A wordless look at what we've been up to...

{they're BEADS. Over 2 million of them.}

Halloween Done Right.

Our Halloween costumes were legit. And 100% homemade.

{Pensive Blockhead}

{Sad Blockhead}

{dancing machines}

{nerd love}

*For those of you not fortunate enough to have been exposed to Gumby as children, Francis was one of these. 

Red Tide

{Phenomenon!}

For those of you wondering what all the fuss is about - Francis took these shots a few weekends ago. It was impossible to get good shots with the fog/mist, but you get the idea. It's just a bajillion times better in person. A bajillion. 

weekend.

We really went for it this weekend, we did all the things. Only a smattering of photos taken are interesting enough to post, so they're a tad disjointed - still one of the best weekends in a while. I'll quickly break it down for you so I can spare myself the stress of fluidity.

Friday evening: grabbed dinner in Little Italy with some friends - one of whom was (at the time) very, very pregnant (as in five days past her due date). I'd be lying if I said I wasn't willing her to go into labor the whole evening.

Saturday: after a leisurely morning of breakfast, parts I and II*, we hiked up Cowles Mountain. At the top we had a surprisingly clear (and noise free) view of the Miramar Air Show. A gin and tonic, a cheese binge, and a lot of 30 Rock later we checked out red tide**. By that I mean I walked down a very dark and foggy stretch of beach alone, lit only by light of Droid, looking for Francis. After stepping on at least one dead fish in bare feet I experienced red tide for the first time. Totally worth the scary walk/dead fish. I spent the next hour jazz dancing down the beach watching my footsteps light up in the sand.

Sunday: another leisurely morning, followed by our save-the-date-design-crackdown. The design process got off to a rocky start and I discovered that people outsource their invites because if everyone attempted to design them with their partner, no one would end up getting married. But, alas, we persevered and found some common ground (thanks to my good ideas) and ultimately triumphed together without either of us feeling bamboozled. All told, it took us about 3 hours. Huzzah! We rewarded ourselves with a bike ride to the zoo, and later more red tide jazz dancing.

{mixed bunch}

{view atop Cowles, jets off in the distance}

{Blue Angels (I'm assuming...) in formation}

{attempting to pay homage to daily grace. FAIL}

{mmm zoo pretzel}

{mama and baby hippo napping together}

{close up of mama hippo's whiskers}

{most adorable sleeping hippo baby award goes to this little guy}

{monday morning sunrise photo taken by Fran. Too beautiful not to share.}

*Part I: fresh fruit salad with walnuts and honey drizzle + soy sausage patty
  Part II: Chocolate chip coffee cake from Henry's and bitter coffee.

**It was damn near impossible to photograph red tide. Francis managed to catch a few grainy photos of electric blue waves (I'll post later this week) but we weren't able to photograph the *best* part of red tide: when you step in the sand, or drag your foot in the sand it lights up in this amazing bright blue (hence all the jazz dancing).

***I cant' take credit for most of the photos on this blog - Fran Man took better photos than me this weekend. Can you guess which ones he took? (Hint: I did not take the one of myself)

I Heart Ryan Gosling (weekend).

We saw Drive last weekend with my folks. I found it thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommend it. If you enjoy an artful blend of 80s-inspired electronica and a subdued (almost speechless) Ryan Gosling, with a sprinkling of wanton bloodshed*, then this is your movie (and mine).** 

Fran-man and I spent the weekend at my folk's place, meaning I spent the better part of the weekend in my pajamas. There's an amazing comfort in sitting at the breakfast table until 1pm sipping a cup of coffee and reading outdated issues of the New Yorker, "contributing" to the LA Times Crossword puzzle effort. All other activities involved the television and/or food.

We did manage to leave the house twice, once for a social outing (yes, we're popular, no, it's not a big deal) and once for a gritty game of family bocceballfrisbeesoccer at the park. Both highlights.

{putting to use a wedding card bought in Boulder}

{fountain, candlelight}

{joint-Oktoberfest-themed wedding shower for some friends}

{hors d'oeuvres}

{being chatty with the bride-to-be}

{sunbathing}

{bap!}

{lost in sudoku}

*Like a guy being stabbed in the eye with a fork.
**Should I be concerned that I develop a crush on R.Gosling after a movie like Drive, and not the Notebook? I don't think so either.

Not pictured:
-a going away party for a good friend (Seattle!)
-a bratwurst eating contest from which I was most gladly excluded (vegetarianism has its perks)