Obviously I was really excited to go...no surprise there. But in a strange way, going almost made it harder. I don't know if that makes sense. Basically, it's easy to do an out-of-sigh-out-of-mind thing when I'm living here in MN and life is in full swing. But give me a taste of a place dear to my heart, and it causes all these feelings to rise up in me, and it makes me face things that I don't want to face.
It has been around 10 months since I was last there (for our wedding), which was way too long. And we were only there for a short time (Ben for a long weekend, I for a week). It was over Easter, so there were plenty of planned activities. So to be totally honest, I didn't even tell many of my friends I was there. There just wasn't time to get to them all, and I didn't want to have to prioritize. I did end up seeing a few friends, but it was mainly family. I'll split it up into a few blog posts, since there are lots of pictures.
In all, I can say it was so good for my heart to be there. There is something about CA that just fits me like a glove, snug and warm. It was wonderful to show Ben pieces of my life that have shaped and grown me and hold so many memories. One of the projects while I was home was to go through stuff we had boxed up before I moved to MN (thinking I would come back eventually), that my mom wanted gone through and out of her garage. So Ben and I took some time to do that. And let me tell you, I'm a keeper...in the sense that I keep everything. all my notes and homework, papers, text books...from all my classes. notes and cards galore (words mean a lot to me). Pictures up the wazoo. Trinkets, shell collections, postcard collections, stamp collections, coin collections (I fancied myself a collector when I was younger). And just stuff... which gave Ben a pretty good sized glimpse into years of my life gone by. It was really special.
Anyway, on to the first segment of the trip.
Ben and I at the beach after a delicious breakfast at Uncle Bill's Pancake House in Manhattan Beach. All ye californians, I highly recommend it!
Manhattan Pier
Even though it was cloudy, it was still the beach, and still beautiful!
California's state flower: Golden Poppy.
Breakfast on Friday morning with three of my favorite guys (and mumzy, but I think she was putting the finishing touches on a delicious thin-pancake breakfast!)
So every Good Friday, my family has had the tradition of going to Forest Lawn. It is a cemetary that is smack dab in the middle of...well kind of a dirty city. And yet it is so beautiful. The gardens, architecture, statues, artwork...it is a really peaceful place to be. The draw for Easter weekend is that there are three works of art in particular that depict the last days of Jesus. There is a stained glass rendering of Leonardo Da Vinci's "The Last Supper" as well as two HUGE painted pieces of art that are of the crufixion and resurrection. The stories behind all of the paintings are really moving, and coming here never gets old.
Outside the Mausoleum where the stained glass art is, as well as many crypts and statues.
Another picture of the courtyard outside the Mausoleum.
This picture has no editing...the sky is just that blue.
Another of our favorite things to do is to go into the Hall of the Crucifixion/Resurrection (a building made specifically for those paintings), and sing in the massive hallway leading into the main building. It has incredibly tall ceilings and amazing echoing acoustics. We gathered around just 5 of us to sing, and pretty soon some of our other family members came to sing with us...and pretty soon we had a whole crowd either watching or singing with us. It was pretty amazing.
At a little chapel by the Hall, there is this cute statue and poem carved into stone. Try to read it if you can, it is pretty neat.
Or you can look it up: "If" by Rudyard Kipling.
Me and my cousin Seth.
Wee Kirk O' the Heather. That is the name of this chapel. And my dad likes going there just so he can keep saying the name. Because it is fun to say out loud. Feel free to try it =)
It is so beautiful though...
Ben and I outside the chapel. Loved sharing this day with him.
Anyway, so ends part one of the trip! If you are ever in CA visiting, or especially if you live there, Forest Lawn shows those pieces of art every day, not just Easter...so I'd encourage you to go up there. Those works in addition to the gardens, chapels and just overall peace that there is in a cemetary...it is one of my favorite places to visit.
Not to mention Louis L'Amour and other famous people are buried there.
Part 2 to come soon!
2 comments:
Neat post, Suzy. When we were in California in March the Klotzle boys gave me a command performance on the church steps. It was fun hearing them then and a nice little reminder in your video. I love the picture of random people singing with you, also.
Enjoyed. k
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