July 14

It was a day of delicious outings. In the morning Evie and I explored Upper Beachwood Canyon, right under the landmark Hollywood sign. I know I keep mentioning the staircases on these walks (who knew LA has so many?), but these ones are extra special. When S.H. Woodruff created Hollywoodland in 1923, he had European stonemasons construct six long stairways of wrought iron and stone to connect the winding, steep streets. Our walk today included all six of them, which have been preserved as historical monuments. It was quite a workout. You can see all the photos here.


Then in the afternoon Josh, Lauren and I went to The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon to see A Midsummer Night's Dream. What a magical few hours! The play was wonderfully staged, costumed, and acted, and this outdoor amphitheatre in canyon woodland is the perfect setting for Shakespeare's very funny and engaging piece of theatre. Lauren was a little reluctant to go, fearing she'd have trouble with the language, but we read a synopsis together beforehand and drew a little flow chart of the characters and their relationships, which really helped. Even if she couldn't understand all the dialogue, she knew the gist of what was happening, and she only squirmed a little. We headed home feeling refreshed and light hearted. Truly wonderful.