Flagstaff II, Calabasas I

My last post was the 8th. Today is the 11th. So the end-half of the 8th was filled with buying Pizza.

The 9th was filled, in a serious fashion, by the Gerraannndd Cannyooonnnn. Do you want details and pictures? Probably you do. However, I figured no picture I took would be as good as pictures professional artists took, so just put 'grand canyon' in google and you can see for yourself. Although even being there it doesn't look real, not in the slightest in fact, so that it took me HOURS to start appreciating it, due to the fact that I just couldn't take it seriously for aages. Eventually, after our first view, and then a satisfying and powerfully dehydrating hike down inside the canyon, we visited a point called 'Desert View', which featured a hidden little path our guide (I paid $60 for a budget tour from the hostel), but seemingly no-one else, knew about. I took the opportunity to run down there ('run', that is: fastish walking slowing to an agonising crawl as the path became thinner and eventually just a rock with drops making my hands shake and sweat right now, genuinely, on three sides) before anyone else, and so was alone for five minutes - and suddenly all the beauty of the whole thing finally got through to me, after a dayful of 'this is okay but touristy and overrated'. And it is so far beyond description I'd feel dirty trying to put it into words.

After a short while some people came and talked loudly and took photos which would mean they'd forget the real views and look at photos not a billionth as impressive or expressive or whatever. They concentrated on exxpressing their amazement in loud voices and camara-clicking rather than actually looking at the damn thing. I left in disssgust.

So then we went back and I got a train overnight (the 10th, the first few hours of which were spent trying to sleep but getting terrible vertigo attacks every time I closed my eyes, a remnant of the, obviously very impressed upon me, Grand Canyon experience) to LOS ANGELES, where I was picked up by my AUNTIE PETA, and driven to CALABASAS, where COUSIN ALICE was, and met - is uncle the right word, or half-uncle or uncle-in-law? - I'm not sure, but one of these PAUL for the first time. It's so nice to see them and this house and place after so many years of invitations. Other notable features of this house is THE MOST COMFORTABLE BED IN THE WORLD and a POOL and RELAXATION.

So I did above then me and Alice and Emma went to see tchaikovsky (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky himself, live in concert, rocking out, resurrected especially for this show) which was accompanied by the LA Philamonic and Fireworks. Actually some spectacular fireworks in time which the music, and synching with the vast crowd and the cool night air and the H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D lettersign in the background, aswell as strawberry/nectarine/wine picnic, all coming together to create 'an experience'. Excellent.

Then today I'm updating blog and lazing, I think, lazily. Excuse me.