Made It!

We got to Topanga Canyon on Saturday afternoon and wound our way to Matt and Jenni’s place. It was no longer 104 degrees. It is much cooler here in the mountains, a pleasant 71 degrees. We have visited our son, Marcus, in Burbank a number of times, so that is our experience of California living.

These mountain canyon communities are a whole new deal. The houses are tucked willy nilly, along narrow, twisting roads. Some homes are visible from the road, many are not. The hills are ever present in the background, sometimes hazy sometimes clear. At night random lights identify houses here and there, but the general sense is of privacy (or isolation, depending on how you view it.) It seems strange to know that just below this quiet community throbs the restless beat of the greater Los Angeles area. The grandkids have a swing that soars out over the hillside, lizards in a plastic bin that they handle with comfortable familiarity, and they run barefoot with all the abandon of children that live close to nature, and far from city life.

Did you know that Los Angeles County is full of horses? (There are even bridle paths right in Burbank.) Now, really, if you loved horses would your first thought be, “I should move to Los Angeles”?

Tonight we took a walk along the canyon road, then sat on Matt’s deck and looked out over the peaceful hills and valleys. We listened to the chorus of frogs chirping away and thought, this is LA?

Katherine