Oktoberfest! Das Gut!

A short post about our visit to Oktoberfest last night. This is an annual tradition in several locations around LA, but we like the one at Alpine Village near our house. They bring in an authentic "Oom Pa Pa" band from Germany, serve the sausage, saurkraut and potato salad dinners and, of course, plenty of beer under a huge tent filled with picnic tables and thousands of people. It is loud, but lots of fun.

Laurie with, from left to right, friends David, Steve and his wife Beth.


Things are now rolling good (around 9pm), and the band members come and play on your table top while ladies stuff dollar bills in their socks and lederhosen. Believe it or not, the girls with him in costume are not workers, but attendees. Lots of people really get into it and dress the part. Steve jumped up and joined the trio, clearly having a good time!

Try as we might, Steve and I just could not beat the young girls back. They were all over us! Actually, this group happened to sit next to us for the evening, and we had a lot of fun. It always facinates me how in a place as big as LA, people create community wherever they are. We were all fast friends for the evening by proximity, and may never cross paths again. It's very cool. We had a single (male) friend who was supposed to come, but didn't make it, so we asked the girls to pose with us so we could show him what he missed. They were happy to oblige, and we were happy to be obliged : )

OK, more soon. Our love to you all. . .Mark

At Long Last. . .

Well, if anyone is still checking this blog after 3 months, finally some new material. It's been a busy summer in SoCal, so I will go through some random photos to catch you up.

I made a trip back to South Bend, Indiana in August to celebrate Mom's birthday and visit family and friends. This is everyone in my immediate family except my brother Walt who didn't make it in. Missing, of course, are my sisters Rosalie and Christine, my brother Brian, and our Dad Barney, who have all passed.
Here is Mom with her birthday cake. We had a great day together! Becky and Jeff are in the background.

Earlier in the summer, from June to August, we had Ryin and Adan out for a visit. They really enjoyed the many things LA has to offer, especially the beach! This is Seal Beach on the south end of LA, in Orange county.

Adan the California beach dude!
Last weekend Laurie and I explored part of the Palos Verdes peninsula where we found this Frank Lloyd Wright building called the Mariner's Cathedral. It is a beautiful glass church with a view of the pacific a few hundred feet below.

We hiked the beach to a rocky point at low tide. It was cool exploring the tidal pools for sea life and enjoying the sun and views.

This shot is of star fish and other creatures in a tidal pool.

That's it for now. I have a trip to Atlanta next week for business, and I think Laurie and I are going to Austin in a few weeks to visit a friend for a long weekend.

I hope you are all well! Mark