Maybe being a CA girl IS cool....

So after a tough few weeks I am back onto a "America is kinda cool..." kick.  I am definitely NOT saying that it is my favorite country or a place I want to live forever but it is growing on me... from an objective point of view I can understand why people get cocky about America, especially if they are from CA and *gasp* dare I say it... Los Angeles? Now you all have to know that I am not the biggest fan of LA.  In fact, if you asked me a few months ago I definitely would have listed it in my top 3 least favorite cities.  Lately, however, I have had some friends show me the nuances of this area and I have to say that this city may actually make it into my top 50 favorite cities.  Probably number 50. But still. It's a start! :-)

Some of the things I have been doing to budge my thinking:
1) Even though it is a city of a badgillion people, it can still seem small at times.  A few weekends ago I had plans with friends to go out in the city and we decided on the Silver Lake Area.  I had another friend text me to tell me that he was headed to Silver Lake and that I should join.  Low and behold, we ended up at the same bar.  Pretty cool huh? It was an awesome bar too.  Very low key with awesome live music and super friendly people to talk to.

2) After the night out in Silver Lake my friend Ali and I decided to go for a hike in the Hollywood Hills.  Apparently this is THE place to go on a Saturday morning.  The trail was packed and I can definitely understand why.  From our perch we could see all the way to Catalina Island.  The LA skyline set against the ocean was really quite beautiful.  Of course, I still prefer hiking in an area where you don't see someone new every 2 feet but it actually became a kind of people watching experience.  I have never seen so many people who looked like their dogs.  Small little yappy dogs with their blinging collars and women attached to them trying to fit their bodies into tiny little jumpsuits.  Tall, tan, chiseled, men (aspiring actors, I bet) with their black labs and Australian Shepards.  In any case, Ali and I had fun contributing to the swirl of people as we hauled ourselves up the trail.

3) Live Music. LA is truly a musician's haven.  One of my friends from Berkeley, Noah, is a fantastic musician and he practically breaths the LA music scene.  For example, last week he saw three concerts, in the space of four nights.  On his night off we went to this awesome Mexican restaurant on Beverly that was populated with... any guesses? Musicians :) In any case, I am not complaining, he has an amazing taste in music and I a great deal of my new love for LA is due to him.

4) Disneyland.  Always a childhood favorite but let me explain.  This past weekend I went to Disneyland and California Adventure with Liz and Ali.  There is one ride that takes you on a "trip" through CA. Basically it is a ride where you are a swing and you "soar" through video footage of CA.  They have made it as interactive as possible by shifting your seat as you fly and spraying scent into the air that corresponds with the footage (ie. orange smell through an orange grove, pine through trees, etc).  Pretty darn cool in itself but it was amazing to see all these parts of CA that are so unique and undiscovered for me! California really does have an incredible breadth of experiences, cultures, landscapes, people etc...

Ali would kill me if she saw this but I think it's cute! :) 

Such is the randomness of life.  Weird things like amusement park rides make me appreciate one of my identifying labels: a born and bred CA girl.  Just like the Beach Boys said, "I wish they all could be California girls..."  Yah, I guess we are pretty cool ;-)

In honor of Grandpa Joe 1912-2011

Richard, Bard, Grandpa, KT, Dad and I - Christmas 2010

I would like to dedicate this post to my beloved Grandpa Joe Smith who died yesterday at the age of 98 and a half.  He had such an amazing life and I am sure my Grandma Win and the rest of our family who has already passed is welcoming him with open arms.

There is nothing more important to me than family and friends.  I am so glad I went to Virginia over the holidays to visit my Grandpa, Aunt Barb, and cousins Richard and Kyle.  Our time is so precious and I felt/ feel that it was so necessary to reconnect with them.  I hadn't seen my dad's family in four years or so and yet it seemed like no time had passed at all.  We stepped right back into the Smith family traditions: card games in front of a roaring fire, praying before all meals, fresh strawberries + vanilla ice cream + angel food cake (Grandma's old specialty),  lighting sparklers for fourth of July, and most importantly reconnecting with family and the nature all around us.

The main cabin at the lake

My most consistent memories from my dad's family take place at hand lake, a small lake in Minnesota.  Our family has owned a cabin (now 3) there for the past 50 years or so.  At the lake I learned how to dig for worms and other bait, fish, play barnyard, capsize canoes, observe beavers build their dams and most importantly: try to protect myself from the flocks of mosquitoes that would be my companions on those weeks by the lake.  My dad's family is definitely rooted to the earth and more country mouse than city mouse.  Looking back, I appreciate so much the refuge that this family and that place gave me from the craziness of the world.

While I was in Virginia, Richard was talking about how he wants to get a boat up at the lake so he could teach his future kids how to water ski and wake board.  As we tossed around ideas and old memories I felt so comforted by the presence of the Smith family retreat.  It is a place of escape and rediscovery and I am so proud that that place, and these people, are, and always will be, apart of me.

My Grandma and Grandpa raised three amazing children: my dad, my Aunt Barb, and my Uncle Fred, and I know that they, and the rest of the family will carry Grandpa Joe (and Grandma Win) in their hearts forever.  Love to all,
xxx

Grandpa's birthday '08 (at the lake) 

Playing blitz; grandpa called it "the bean game" 

Christmas decorations

Grandpa and the cat resting their eyes 

More bean game

Sunset at the lake

Our fishing dock

Dad, me, Grandpa, Barb and Richard; after church lunch

Pictures!

Since I have abstained from facebook for the moment I wanted to share some pictures on here instead....

Human print and deer print

Playing trivial pursuit with the family- YAY Kt for beating dad!

Our own blue mountains... or hills...

Statue of Liberty from the air 

NYC from the air 

NYC 

My zen through snow

I am not a patient person.  I definitely think I am one of those insane people that thrive on chaos and more activities than I can handle.  When I was in Australia a very important person taught me to slow down and balance out my crazy planning with the cruzy Australian lifestyle.

Snow is another calming agent for me.  It seems almost counter intuitive because when you are standing in 30 degree temperatures the one way you can fight off the cold is by speeding up and exerting yourself in some way. Maybe it has to do with the way the snow makes everything seems quieter, softer.  Maybe it is that the snow can shut down entire cities, forcing families to spend time together under one, snow laden roof.  And maybe it is just the fact that I don't get to see snow that often, and so when I do I try to slow down and appreciate its beauty as best as possible.

I spent the last week in Blacksburg, VA with my dad's family and a post about my experiences there is in the works but my day today and a story my grandma told me this morning got my creative juices flowing early.  My grandparents headed to NYC for the night because of a dr appointment and so I headed to North Hampton, MA to visit a friend that I went to Israel with.  As I left West Hartford it started to snow.  The beauty and the quiet settled in around me and I watched dirty snow from the week before become covered by a fresh blanket.

Many years ago, my mom, jan, step-sis sarah and abba were in Connecticut for a few weeks.  There is a slight (and I mean slight) hill behind my grandparent's house and my sis and I wanted to go sledding.  There was not nearly enough snow to make the hill any bigger so my mom and I went and collected snow from around the house in plastic bins to aid this feeble hill.  We started walking around the neighborhood collecting snow from other people's yards.  Apparently, I turned to my mom and said "Mommy, don't we have to ring the doorbell and ask permission to take these people's snow?".  I am sure my mom stated laughing hysterically just as my grandma started laughing this morning when she retold the story of my naivety.

I may not be as cute as I was then, but I still love the snow and the peace that it offers.

The backyard this morning

All bundled up against the chill