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The lads came up from San Diego yesterday, looking well and nicely tanned. They seemed pretty happy to eat home-made burgers, marinated chicken and pork chops all BBQ'd by Aidan. And followed by a pretty mean apple and blackberry pie, if I say so myself ;-)
As you can see, we took them down to look at the beach today before heading off to Hollywood, Beverly HIlls, Santa Monica and Venice Beach. It as a whistle-stop tour, but we only had them for a day before we had to deliver them back into the clutches of their buddies who were already installed in Huntington Beach ;- ))
In Hollywood they were getting ready for the premier of Campaign and the red carpet was in abundance along Hollywood Boulevard, awaiting the arrival of the limos and the VIPs including Will Ferrell and Zach G... However, we couldn't hang around, as we had a tour to complete!!

I insisted on driving down Santa Monica Boulevard to get to Santa Monica Pier, despite the awful traffic and the competition between me and Garmina! Eventually, I gave in and we got redirected to the street leading to our destination - but not before I had time to catch a photo of the Route 66 sign. Yes, we did the last bit of Route 66 - I guess it equates with doing the last 50m of the Camino, but I don't care - I have been on Route 66, that's what counts!!!!

The lads  had a quick sconce at Sta Monica Pier, Muscle Beach etc before we moved on to Venice Beach. That is such an experience!! All the weirdos and whackos of LA and beyond can feel at home there doing whatever takes their fancy - and if they can cadge a dollar out of a passer-by, all the better.
Here are a few more photos of Hollywood:

Hummer to bike, anything is possible:

My beloved HRC:

The TV crew on Hollywood Boulevard, preparing for the premier

Our boys, with the Hollywood sign, WAY in the distance, But don't the lads look great!!

                                                       

Until they were arrested!!!!

Priorities

On Monday we went for a walk down by the beach. It's really beautiful. It's still as nature intended, with cliffs, inlets and very little added by way of boardwalk. The cliff top walks are great though, with paths, seats and picnic areas, all very well maintained. The view from the cliff back over Laguna is spectacular. All along the walk at the various entry points to the coves there are signs reminding you not to remove or disturb any wildlife on beach, not to turn over rocks or remove anything. Fair play to them for protecting their natural environment. It looks like everyone takes it seriously.
On a walk along the cliff path, your eye is drawn to the mansions, and some smaller but beautiful homes that perch on the cliffs and whose gardens sweep down to the beach. These homes would fetch $28million on the market. We kep an eye on the property section of the local paper, in case we spot anything that takes our fancy!!
As we walked along, we saw one of the houses that was having its roof dismantled, probably as part of a complete overhaul. Two white men in hi-viz vests and helmets were on the roof supervising 6 or 7 Hispanic men with absolutely no safety equipment. I couldn't help thinking that a county which puts so much emphasis on protecting its coastal wildlife should give some thought to enforcing safety procedures for the humans working on its private homes.

Showers!!

Aidan is spending ages in the shower!
He says he misses the rain in Ireland!!!

Garmina - where would I be without you?

We were so impressed by Garmin last year that we invested in our own. Needed to download North America maps though, so went on-line to do it. Paid my money, clicked 'download' only to be told that there wasn't enough space on my unit. Panic!! Check the forums. Cleared some files. Still not enough space. Tried to gte my money back!! Thanks, Siobhán, for suggesting an extra SD card. Duh! Got it, and problem sorted. (Those of you who think that's all very high tech will be very impressed. Tecchies will know what an airhead I am!!)
First test of 'Garmina' failed miserably yesterday, as we tried to get to Huntington Beach to visit Cathy & Kevin. A 30 minute trip took about an hour and a half. I'll have to admit I missed a digit in the address line ;-(  but why did 'she' trick us into thinking 'she' knew the way, sending us south instead of north??
All's well now, we have made our peace.
Great evening at C & K's with Mary & Lauren too. Mighty burgers and pie, mmmm....We're still a bit out of synch though, so maybe we weren't the best of company. Well, there will be lots more opportunities to get together, no doubt.

LHR to LAX

When we realised that we would be travelling through LHR on the opening day of the Olympics we were glad that we had a 3 hour slot in which to transfer between terminals!! We needn't have worried. The organisation at Heathrow was outstanding. Obviously extra staff were drafted in to ensure that people moved along at the fastest rate possible, and every staff memeber was so polite and helpful that you almost felt privileged to play your part in this well-orchestrated 'production'!!
Hats off to Mary Foyle for getting us an upgrade to premium seats for the transatlantic flight! As we boarded the plane, with everyone else turning right for the economy seats, we were directed left, to our 24-seat cabin. Things were looking up and we hadn't even found our seats. The leg-room was so wide that I had to stretch to reach the footrest! But not to worry - my seat had a built-in footrest which unfolded at the touch of a button! Welcome aboard snacks and drinks were served, followed a short time later by hot towels. We were served by someone who looked like Kate Middleton, and might have been in school with her! Soon after we were presented with the in-filght meal menu. Choice of steak or hake. We both went for steak and it was really excellent. Free drinks and snacks thougout the flight too. And - the in-flight entertainment worked - for both of us - not like last year. Mary probably warned them in advance ;-)
Immigration in LAX was a bit of a pain, especially when we knew that Cathy & Kevin were outside waiting for us and we had a drive of over an hour ahead of us.
When we got to Laguna Beach, all our memories came rushing back, and it was great to be able to find the house even without the Garmin!
Kim and Mandi were waiting for us to show us around, which was great. After they left we watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics (while everyone in London was gone home!) and then hit the bed for a great sleep!

2012 visit...

Just testing to see if I remember how to do this...
...can't wait for Friday!!