Settling in to our new city

We are loving Edinburgh. The first few days we felt like tourist on holiday, but now we are getting into the groove a little- running errands and cooking at home, the sort of thing you don't usually do on vacation. Here's a hodgepodge of our last few days:

Our new * temporary* place-

Matt's takes in the city centre for the first time- (and in case you are wondering about my last questions to Matt, there was a huge group of strangely dressed protesters marching and shouting "Free Pussy Riot!" Check out the link to know more)

Me... eating a pasty

Matt, nervously trying haggis (first meal in Edinburgh! What a champ.)

 We checked out Matt's department-

And wandered around the narrow closes in Old Town-

And got ourselves a few local refreshments-

We checked out Grassmarket-

And the Parliament building-

And posed in front of Arthur's Seat (can't wait to climb up there! Might have to get new shoes first though...)

We walked behind Holyrood Palace-

And admired the castle at dusk-

The inside of our building-

Out running errands in Morningside-

And playing pitch and put on the Bruntsfield Links-

My first time playing golf-

 Fun! (bangs in the wind = ugh!)

Gorgeous day. And look at the form! ;)

Even Sherpa has decided he likes the place!

friends, flowers, festivals and fun-runs!

Lovely. That's the word I'd use to describe this weekend. Friday night, Matt and I went to our newly wedded friends' house for a BBQ- and enjoyed good food, good wine and good company. The following morning, we took a little walk through our sunny neighborhood... 

and saw these blooming beauties...

and ended up at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.  I could have spent days here-- checking out all the booths and seeing the speakers-- but we just did a quick walk though. Surprisingly, we left for home with only two new books (it was a difficult thing to do, as I am a book hoarder, but we are resolved not to add anything to our already overly-stuffed apartment!) We quickly crossed paths with some friends heading to the Festival for the whole day, and I am eager to hear all the good things they got/read/heard/saw...

Love this quote (I think it works equally well if you leave out the word "child's") 

On the walk back home we said hello to this lady, who was perched so daintily upon a gorgeous iris.

and then came the hard part of the weekend... saying goodbye to the boys. We were going to be back within 24 hours, but still... 

Linus got all cute and flopped on the floor...

OB got nervous and darted away from the camera...

...and Sherpa took his exact place, waiting for his picture....

Then, Matt and I headed to San Diego. We stayed the night with our friends, Marisa and Alex. We walked about their beautiful garden (but like a dumbski I didn't take any photos! Seriously, it is such a precious plot of veggies and flowers and sweet peas and strawberries. I kinda wanted to live there... in the garden...). For dinner they took us the the BEST restaurant, Sipz, which was friendly, quick, tasty and vegetarian...just the way I like it! If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it. 

After a bit of wine for us ladies and a few beers for the guys, we called it an early night, because the next morning, we ran the SDSU Greenfest 5K in honor of Earth Day! Here we are getting ready to run-

You'll  have to use your imagination to picture us 37 minutes later, crossing the finish line triumphantly! We looked just the same, just a little sweatier and red in the face.

After the race, we enjoyed a well-earned brunch at Tiger!Tiger! (everything is homemade from scratch!) and Matt and I headed back to LA, stopping at a great asian grocery store to stock up on sauces, noodles and steamed buns. When we got home, we promptly slumped onto the couch and zoned out in front of the TV and loved on the kitties until bed time.

And today is Shakespeare's birthday! Last year, I wrote him his own B-day post, but this year he'll have to do with this measly mention... In his honor, Matt got this book from the Festival... 

How awesome does this look?! And it's the actual text from the play accompanied with illustration. If he doesn't start it in the next couple of days, I might have to read it first ;)

If you're looking for a bit of Bard-related fun, test your knowledge of his opening lines here.

Hope your weekend was full of fun too!

The ones that got left behind...

Linus watches as Matthew opens a Norwegian beer with a Norwegian beer opener and puts it into a Norwegian beer mug.  Its a Juløg from Mack Brewery in Tromsø- the northern most brewery in the world.

I wonder around my hood

Linus shows off his newly cleaned teeth!

Matthew plays in Amhurst, Massachusetts

The Homestead of Emily Dickenson

Morning dew in spiders webs in reedy grass in the petrified forest in Napa California

boy smells girl

Street sign, City of 10,000 Buddhas

We see deer. Deer see us. Lake Mendocino

Bee on herb

Greta pulls, I float

Bud and bloom in my Uncle Pat's flower garden

Pre-show treat at the Castro Theater sing-a-long of the Little Mermaid

Putting together the Knight Bus

OB enjoys the bed all to himself.

This is how Matt watches the game at home...

Progressive Dinner date

My hubby surprised me with a wonderful date night. He took me to a progressive dinner in one of the oldest and most affluent neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Lafayette Square. It was something I mentioned I would love to do back in June, and while I forgot all about it, he remembered. And he got us all signed up. And without even a hint as to what we were doing, last Saturday night he drove me past the iron gates onto a wide boulevard lined with trees and historic mansions- all glittering with holiday lights. And said, "some folks are having us over for dinner!"

The event was organized through WAHA, the West Adams Heritage Association, a group that has welcomed us with open arms since we moved into the neighborhood. West Adams covers a large portion of Los Angeles just west of downtown and while parts of it are in need of some TLC, Lafayette Square is not. It is more glamorous that most of Beverly Hills! Each house is more beautiful than the last and the best thing is that there is a mix of styles that makes the neighborhood look anything but cookie-cutter. Craftsman, Tudor, Modern, Spanish Revival, Mediterranean, Victorian and American Colonial homes sit side by side. And each have unique details that make them stand out even more... Juliet balconies, triple-arched adobe doorways, stained-glass windows, floating staircases, family crests... everything a little girl would want if she were to design her own palace!

"Lafayette Square was the last and greatest of banker George L. Crenshaw’s ten residential developments in the city of Los Angeles. Since Crenshaw wanted this development to have a European flair it was designed as an elegant residential park centered on St. Charles Place, a broad palm-lined avenue with a landscaped median. Early residents of Lafayette Square included the founder of Pepperdine University, George Pepperdine, actors W.C. Fields and Fatty Arbuckle, art collector Norton Simon, boxer Joe Louis, and the Crenshaw family. Houses in Lafayette Square reflect residential styles popular during the 1910s and 1920s. Several houses, such as architect Paul Williams’ own home, were designed in the Modern style, exemplifying an important trend in Los Angeles’ architectural development."

- from LA City Preservation's website 

We went into six separate houses. The first was the Crenshaw house, built in 1912, where we signed in and met up with the others on our tour. Appropriately used as "the Welcome House" this was the first residence erected on the square and was used as a type of model home to attract new development. We wandered around the three-story Arts & Crafts mansion and ooohed and aaahed at all the fine details- the sconces on the staircase finials, the built-in library, the tiled roof. And then we headed off with our guide, David, and walked a few blocks to our first stop for dinner, "the Appetizer House". 

This was the most modern of all the homes we visited, built in 1953 and still used by the same family that commissioned Paul R. Williams to build it. It had a two-story glass wall and an indoor rock garden. Much of the decor was original to the period, including the old time-y TV and the Sputnik-style light fixtures. Here, we ate arancini and caprese bites and drank champagne. And found out that this house was recently used in a Dakota Fanning movie (but nobody knew which one :) Matt and I never get over just how nice everyone is at the WAHA functions- especially the ones involved with the organization, you can tell they really love what the group stands for. 

Then we walked a couple of blocks to "the Salad House", built in 1921, which was one of my favorites. It was so charming and full of little cooky details that I appreciate. The current owners of this property have painstakingly restored it to its original state and from the looks of the before and after photos, they had their work cut out for them. Again, Matt and I wandered around the house and I coveted the antique quilts and the amazing tiled bathroom- until I saw the stove in the kitchen, and it was love at first sight. I still dream of her at night...

Having found some wonderful people to chat with, Matt and I were almost left behind when our group walked on to "the Soup House". This ginormous Mediterranean Revival villa was built in 1924- and with triple arched french doors and an invitingly open floor plan, this place was designed for entertaining. We got our mugs of delicious roasted winter squash and fennel soup and went from room to room (trying to spot all of the family crests as we went). Matt introduced me to a friend of his he meet  participating in the Living History Tour at Angelus Rosedale Cemetery back in September. Another incredibly nice and interesting person... I think we found where all the awesome people in LA hang out. 

The large brick "Dinner House" was built in 1925. Matt and I sat with two other couples and we chatted about the tour, the neighborhood, our pets... all good stuff. We stuffed ourselves with pasta and veggies (and other foods for the non vegetarians)- and wine. I sat right next to one of the four beautiful Christmas trees that decorated the home.

The final house on our tour really takes the cake, no pun intended... In an alternate reality, I would live in "the Dessert House", a jaw-dropping, 6,000 square-foot, Spanish Revival villa built in 1928. I loved the wrought iron banister, the 20-foot-high beamed ceilings, the imposing fireplace... but this place had a Juliet window facing from one bedroom into the foyer. Amazing. And its where we got gooey chocolate brownies with homemade whipped cream and salted caramel. I mean, c'mon. 

Click here for an unrelated site that shows some of the homes in this neighborhood- just to give you a sense of the awesomeness of this neighborhood... 

All in all it was a wonderful night. We got to wander around beautiful homes, converse with friendly people, eat delicious food and enjoy the lights and other such pretties of the holidays. And when it was all over, I got to go home with the best guy in the world. awwwwww.