Kellers visit

This week we have had a fun visit from our friends the Kellers. Carlin brought Grant down to attend EFY with Davis at UC Santa Barbara (Mon - Sat) then she and Morgan stayed to play with Nathaniel and me. We took them to our favorite sites - Lacy Park, Santa Barbara Zoo, Huntington Gardens, Getty Center, beach camping, the farmers market... What a fun week!
Morgan and Nathaniel at Huntington Gardens.

Dragonfly that is glad the koi can't reach him.

Nathaniel is standing in for a missing river rock.

Morgan and Nathaniel in the Japanese Garden at Huntington Gardens.

The kids are sliding down an astroturf hill on cardboard at Santa Barbara Zoo.

Nathaniel and dragonfly sculptures at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

Nathaniel and a bird he thought was cool over his right shoulder.

Nathaniel and Morgan with parrots in Santa Barbara.

Entrance to the snake and spider house at the zoo.

Nathaniel and Morgan sampling the fruit at the farmer's market Thursday.

McGrath State Beach has a wetland area where snake grass grows. The kids used segments of snake grass to make pan flutes.

Nathaniel lay down in the sand to warm up after splashing in the water at McGrath State Beach in Ventura.

This water race is one of our favorite fountain features at the Getty.

Nathaniel and Morgan in front of the Getty Center

We ended the visit by going to dinner in Old Pasadena (just the grownups).

Davis and Grant dug in the sand and found sand crabs at Carpinteria State Beach.

Look! We are standing on a ridge of asphalt on the beach. It's all natural. This is why you get tar on your foot at the beach - it doesn't come from the oil drilling platforms or any oil tanker you might see. It seeps naturally from the ocean floor.

EFY ended at 7am on Saturday morning. We picked the boys up and took them to breakfast at D'Angelo's in Santa Barbara. Even with the awesome hot cocoa, Davis is still having a hard time waking up.

Mike and Mary Ann go to the Getty

My brother Mike and his family were visiting L.A. from Hong Kong (They used to live here. Their kids were born here. His job took him there a few years ago. We are accepting donations for airfare so we can visit them.) We all went (with Mary Ann's niece and nephew too) to the Getty Center. It was a unusually clear day in L.A. for August. After a fun lunch in the cafe (Thanks Mike!), we toured the galleries and the grounds.
Here are the Johansens: Mike, Sammy, Wesley, and Mary Ann.

All of us (except Chris) on a bridge over the little landscaped stream.

Click on this picture to see it bigger - the boys are climbing up the rock walls in the gardens. Travertine is good for something.

The museum is worth visiting just for the grounds.

And here we are - I'm so cool I didn't take off my sunglasses.