On A Mission

Last weekend we decided to take a drive on the freeways that form a perimeter around greater LA. We started from home where the 405 and 710 freeways cross, heading north on the 405. We took that up to where the 405 and 5 rejoin north of downtown LA. This is at San Fernando. We stopped there and visited the mission of San Fernando. The following photos are from the visit:A beautiful garden gate inside the mission complex

Among the buildings

We didn't know until we were inside that Bob Hope is buried here in the "Bob Hope Memorial Gardens". There is an identical space with his wife's name to the right of his, but she is evidently still living.

This is just a nice garden area in the middle of several buildings. If you are interested in learning more about this or other missions around California, follow this link:

California Missions

We continued our trip after a nice lunch in San Fernando by traveling East on the 210, which is called the foothills freeway. It runs along the mountains and there were great views of the city from a bit of elevation. We took this to the 605 freeway south and back down to our neck of the woods. It gave us some perspective on the scale of the area, so we would know how long it should take to get from one place to another.

As for today, I worked a bit this morning to meet all of our partner families and do some training with them on construction. Afterwards, we stopped at a restaurant just down from our house that serves Salvadoran, Honduran and Mexican food. We ate Tamales and Pupusas which were both delicious. Now we are relaxing with the newspaper, and thinking of going over to Hermosa Beach this evening for a walk at sunset. Hermosa is directly west of us, and has a long concrete pathway running along the beach for walking. There is a seperate "strand" as they call it next to the walking path for bikes, rollerblades, skateboards, etc. It's nice to have seperation so walkers don't have to worry about wheeled travelers.

I'll add another post soon about our trip to Japan Town last night, otherwise known as Little Tokyo. I have pictures to post as well. Ta Ta for now.

Inside and Out

Laurie and I continue to settle into, and fall in love with, LA. We wake up every morning to a cool mid-sixties. Sometimes there is a marine layer of clouds for the first couple of hours, but because we live in Long Beach, we are not as affected as some places. By mid-morning the sun is bright and the temps are in the mid 70's. Early afternoon, just as you might be feeling a little warm with low 80's, the ocean breeze starts up like clockwork and keeps you cool until dusk.
Paradise!
We have more to explore just within Long Beach than we could see in a year, and it is but a tiny part of the greater LA area. Within a 2 hour drive is every kind of climate, terrain and amenity you can dream up.
We have found a very nice 2 bedroom/2 bath place in a wonderful neighborhood (think Twyckenham Hills with palm trees). A guest room just waiting for you! (yes, you).
I have a 20 minute drive to work with minimal traffic hassles, and anything we could want is within a couple of miles of our house.
Every beach has a concrete pathway, including a walking lane and bike/rollerblade/skate lanes. You can stroll or roll for miles with the Pacific on one side and beautiful homes, shops, and restaurants on the other.
Now, for some pics:

This is a front view of our house: 3660 Cedar Ave. Long Beach, Ca. 90807


A view from just inside the front door across the living room

From the living room through the dining area to the kitchen
Our bedroom and door to the master bath

This is Ocean Drive through part of downtown Long Beach

A "small" stretch of the beach and pathway running past Long Beach

Laurie near the water. . .notice how wide the beach is. This is 10am on Saturday 9/15After a very long walk today, we went to an area on the water called "The Pike" where there is a huge yacht basin and tons of shops and restaurants. We had lunch at a Mexican place, drove the 3 miles back to our neighborhood, picked up a steak for the grill tonight and an LA Times to read while napping the afternoon away. Wish you were here :)

Settling In

We have arrived safely in Los Angeles, and have now moved in to our house in Long Beach. Our new address is: 3660 Cedar Ave. Long Beach, Ca 90807.

Here is a photo of our house

And another view

A look down the street

And around the corner

I will include some pictures of the interior as soon as we get things straightened up a bit more. Once again we really lucked out and found a nice house in a beautiful neighborhood. The house is a 2 bedroom (yes-plenty of room for guests) and has 2 baths. It has a place for our washer and dryer, and a little patio area. If you look on a map, we are a little northeast of the intersection of the 405 and 710 freeways, in the Bixby Knolls area of Long Beach.

My job is going well, though I am still getting up to speed. It is nice to be closer to the work again. I even get to venture out to the jobsites a couple of times a week.

We are absolutely loving LA. I will post again soon!