hiking sticks, dinosaurs, and rocks

Ahoy,

My brother, forevermore the proponent of all things free, is an excellent hiker. Griffith Park, which is free, has some excellent 50+ miles of trails. It was extra sunny on our side of the mountain. We scrambled down the mountain to get to the Observatory, which was free, because we didn't see a trail that would take us directly there. From there we scittered through a tunnel that didn't have a bike/ped path where inconsiderate LA drivers honked at us despite there being a sign to watch out for bike/ped individuals. I was taught share as a child. Clearly LA drivers feel otherwise.

We went bowling later that night, not free, but "extreme." We did get a free game for next time thanks very much to L's skills. They played Michael Jackson and other videos on the projectors and flashed lights everywhere.

The following day we watched dinosaurs on the big screen, free. K really liked dinosaurs as a kid. Translated from Chinese, he called them 'bite bite.' We have this picture of him in a toy store standing next to a line of dinosaurs he arranged. My grandma is sitting with him. She had to make herself comfortable as the dinosaurs needed to all be in a single file straight line. It looked like they had been there for awhile. The museum showed Jurassic Park at their park and had a paleontologist tell us about all the bad science in it. It was like Movies in the Park in Chicago. Except in Chicago, we don't need to bundle up and we don't leave with our stuff all wet. Pluses across the board for Chicago.

We got to take K rock climbing. I'm pretty sure of all the ways I scared him throughout his life, and all his phobias I was probably the root cause of - heights is not one of them. Being my little brother, he's been dragged on many outings. I'm always delighted at his willingness and company any day of the week. It's surprising the things you can make your brother do. It's always fun to share something new with him. Many thanks to A for taking us and teaching K. Apparently K rocked the wall. My brother's so silly, and boss. Don't you forget it.

beamingly lofty,
JT