MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

This Museum is a place that my Grandfather used to take me and my sister when we were small. The architecture has details that are unlike anything you would find in todays structures. The museum contains taxidermy animals which I doubt you would find in any modern museum. The animals look like they are alive and about to step out of each scene. There are Dinosaurs skeletons of  strategically placed throughout the museum. You can even see scientists working on the Dinosaur bones although I am sure the one in the picture was falling asleep. You will either find the exhibits fascinating or boring but I would recommend a visit into history.

EXPOSITION PARK ROSE GARDEN

The top image is Betty enjoy the Rose Garden. Roses are one of our favorite flowers, when we owned a house with a much larger yard than we currently have we had just over 100 rose bushes along with at least that many flowering plants

The Rose Garden was established in 1927, it contains approximately 15,000 bushes of 145 varieties. The building in the background is the Museum of Natural History. The weather was rather gloomy but pleasant.

HUNTINGTON LIBRARY

One of my favorite places to go. The Gardens are beautiful, the Art is amazing and the home is to say the least, very impressive. I have visited the grounds since I was young and visited quite often while I was in college to have a peaceful environment while studying. If you ever get the chance to visit I highly recommend that you do so. Shown here are the Japanese Gardens

"BLUE BOY" AND "PINKIE"

"THE BLUE BOY"

Reside in the Main Gallery of the Huntington Library and is the most famous work of Thomas Gainsborough. It is thought to be a portrait of Jonathan Buttall the son of a wealthy hardware merchant. Gainsborough had already painted something on the canvas before beginning The Blue Boy which he painted over. The painting was purchase by Henry Edwards Huntington in 1921 for $700,000 dollars, a then-record price for the purchase of a painting. 

"PINKIE"

Also in the same gallery "Pinkie" a painting by Thomas Lawrence resides directly across from Blue Boy. They seem to be the perfect pair.

CHINESE GARDENS

One of the newest additions to the Library is the Chinese Gardens. It has only been a couple of years since it opened so the plants have yet to develop but it has already proven to be a very tranquil retreat. The entire property is something of a retreat so this new area fits right in.

CORPSE FLOWER

In the Huntington green house is one of the world's largest flowers called the Corpse Flower. To date there have been only 50 of the flowers in the United States and only three at Huntington Library. The flower can grow up to eleven feet, the one shown here is 5 feet 7 and 3/4 inches. We were told that it is unknown how big this flower will get nor when it will bloom. The flower gets its name from the stench produced when the flower opens.

ROME

The city of Rome is an amazing place to visit and very romantic.  The people here are very friendly. Betty and I had no fears of finding our way back to our Hotel so we just traveled to what ever direction we felt would be a good one. The Food is Fantastic and the prices much more affordable than France. I would highly recommend staying in a small Hotel in the heart of the city so you could really experience what it  is all about.

J.PAUL GETTY MUSEUM
Just came back from the J. Paul Getty Museum, it was even more amazing than I remembered it. There was a wide variety of Art Work and collections such as the manuscript shown above. The museum is rather large and spending a day there is very easily done. I would recommend using the self guided tour using the headsets that you could rent for five dollars, they are well worth the money.

The painting above was painted by Peter Paul Rubens in 1611 and is his earliest hunt scene. This is just one example of the many important pieces in this collection. The Getty also has gardens that you could stroll through and you can bring a picnic lunch to eat in their outdoor dining area. The dining area overlooks the city of Los Angeles and on a clear day you can see the ocean. The Museum closes at nine pm making it possible for you to sit outside and watch the sun set over the city. If you are any where near L.A. you need to put this on your agenda.

VEGAS
No this is not Paris France it is the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. We spent a week there celebrating my birthday. Our Friend James was treating us as a gift and we lived it up. There is a restaurant at the Paris Hotel called the Mon Ami Gabbi that is fantastic. We ate there for breakfast everyday and I became addicted to the Fanny Bay Oysters there. From our table we were able to see the water show at the Belagio across the street. We also discovered quite a few other places to eat on our trip and went to several shows such as Bette Medler and Mamma Mia. I don't think I have ever had more fun at Las Vegas.

This picture is in France. French Onion Soup in France not bad but not the best. I found that I make a killer French Onion Soup but I can't beat the setting.

PARIS

The picture at the top of the page is me and my wife in Paris France. Ah Paris it is as romantic as everyone says but it costs a fortune! We had just begun our two and a half week trip to Paris, Italy and Switzerland. Our Main destination was a Villa in Positano Italy. We were to Celebrate our Friends 50th birthday there but first we were going to spend a week in France.