A Quiet Thanksgiving Weekend

I've had a couple of bemusing conversations with friends recently who seem vaguely disappointed that M and I haven't spent many weekends sightseeing in Los Angeles. This confuses me, because I can't say that I'm entirely sure what sights we are supposed to be seeing. So help me out a little bit: when you imagine Los Angeles, what landmarks or passtimes do you have in mind? I've been to the beach several times, I even worked a corporate team-building experience there once. I've been to Griffith park, with the famous observatory and the views of the Hollywood sign. I've driven on Sunset Blvd., and I've been to the Getty Villa and the Getty Center. I've strolled the UCLA campus. I drive past the Fox studios on my way home from work everyday. What else did you have in mind? What would you consider the young life in Los Angeles to look like?

Does it look like this?

That's just a little bit of my decorations from Thanksgiving dinner. M and I decided that it just wasn't quite cost effective to try to go home for Thanksgiving, the first time for either of us, and to do it ourselves this year. It was just a *little* chilly in sunny LA, and only slightly fall-ish, but it suited us just fine.

With the help of one of M's teacher friends, we put a turkey breast, greenbean casserole, sweetpotato casserole, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberry Waldorf salad, and a pumpkin pie on the table, and it was all very yummy! I didn't take pictures of the foood, because we were hungry, the natural light had faded by then, and because traditional Thanksgiving recepies are so suprisingly non-stressful that I felt like I was cheating to make a big deal out of it. But let me assure you, it was all yum!

M was quite satisfied with our efforts!


I will say, despite all our self-satisfaction, that it was disappointing to not be able to see our families. There were the pleasant phone calls home, but it's not the same thing as sitting at a table full of people you love. I'm looking forward to Christmas!

But don't worry, we weren't about to mope all weekend! On Friday, M and I took advantage of the non-Novembery weather to wander the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in Pasadena. It was sunny and perfumed with flower blossoms at their 127 acre complex, featuring restored historical homes, a waterfall, greenhouses with one of the country's largest orchid collections, and peacocks. Ironically, none of which are pictured here because of my difficulty with the harsh California late-afternoon sunlight. Ha!:



This is how M and I prefer to handle holidays and weekends. We avoid the touristy famous places in favor of the quiet sanctuaries of peaceful existence. It was an excellent Thanksgiving holiday, where were able to enjoy each other.