Looking out over the hazy horizon, I saw the broad view of my home "town", Los Angeles. It's a city with which it is easy to hold a relationship of love/hate. Out there in the middle of those tall buildings there used to be a hospital named, "The Angeles Hospital." My mother gave me birth there in 1934, only those tall buildings were not there at that time. No building was allowed to be taller than the 454 feet of city hall until the 1950s.
We were standing on one of the terraces of the Griffith Observatory yesterday. It was our personal field trip of the day, and we discovered all over again, the wonder of our solar system. Dwarfed by the monster Jupiter, our little blue marble seems relatively insignificant, floating in the vast hollow of space. Then there is tiny Pluto (recently demoted from planet status) that looks like a pea at unimaginable distance. I suppose all this reaffirms the dogma of the atheist, but for me the awe of God's immensity is what impressed me. Once again I was thinking with David, "What is man that thou art mindful of him?"
The incredibly young and energetic take the dirt hiking path up to the entrance. We, on the other hand, found a space to park in the handicap lot. More power to the hikers! I can remember young and energetic years, but I have to reach way back. Oh, yeah, it was on one of those trails in Griffith Park where a human head and the severed hands were found by a hiker's dog just a few weeks ago. Another argument against trail hiking, as if I needed one.
When low blood sugar set in, we ate an energy bar and headed for a restaurant. Just down the hill from the observatory we found Louis' place. In ancient times this was the famous "Brown Derby" restaurant where Hollywood stars would hob nob. Rush hour traffic along Los Feliz Blvd. made it seem that you can't get there from here. But we finally did.
We had eaten here before, but not for some time. It was wonderful food and great service. And the price was so reasonable for all this. I ordered "Chicken Balsamica" from the engaging menu. My plate included braised spinach and roasted vegetables. I had found that wonderful combination of delicious food that was also good for me. Close enough to heaven for now.
Thanks for the little virtual vacation back to what was my birthplace too, Rol. I love the picture. I remember when the sky wouldn't have been so clear and blue, back before smog control. Your folks used to be able to incinerate garbage in the back yard when I was a little girl, remember?
ReplyDeleteOf course I remember. It was my chore to burn the trash there!
Delete