Bathing Optional

Starting at 4:30am, we drove down to Los Angeles and made it there by 9:30.  Heres the smoggy skyline view we were greeted with as we began our 5-day trip in southern Cali.

Hollywood sign -- cant leave L.A. without a picture of this one...

Hollywood Boulevard.

Hollywood Boulevard walk of fame stars!

Jacks star.

Bruce Lees star.

Donald Ducks imprints.

The famous Graumans Chinese Theater.

The Flash and Superman vie for tourist dollars outside Graumans Theater.

Superman and Flash -- not quite what they look like in the comic books...

Its a bird, its a plane, its...

No photos or shooting a webline?

Zorro and Gandolf were also hanging out...

The famous Kodak Theater -- annual home of the Oscars.

Rodeo Drive, shopping street of the stars.

Beverly Hills.

The Beverly Hill Hotel -- a Beverly Hills landmark.

Bel Air, from the homes we saw, even more richies live here than in Beverly Hills!

Venice Beach boardwalk, a welcome escape from congested L.A.

The infamous outdoor weight area along Venice Beach.

Beach cut-outs.

Maciej showing off his stuff along the boardwalk.

Boardwalk riders.

Surfers.

Ode to Van Gogh -- along the Venice Beach boardwalk.

Venice Beach is named so for good reason -- there actually are canals here!

Heading south to the beachy towns just south of L.A.

Pier at Manhattan Beach.

Surfers at Manhattan Beach.

Just down the road from downtown L.A. is Santa Monica and THIS is its beach.

Seniors at Santa Monica beach.

The amusement park at Santa Monica beach.

Ferris wheel and rods.

Bikini salesmen at Santa Monica beach.

Pose with the stars on the Santa Monica beach pier.

Further inland from L.A. is the properous and clean city of Pasadena.  This is Pasadenas City Hall.

The Pasadena Library.

Typical Pasadena home.

The Gamble House, the most famous of several fantastic craftsmen homes in Pasadena.

Gamble House porch.

Malibu Beach homes.

More homes at Malibu Beach.

This is why we dont really appreciate the suburbs.  Check out this cookie cutter village just outside L.A.

Bridge at Rincon Island.

Restaurant at Buena Ventura Beach.

Ruins of Knapps Castle in the hills above Malibu.

The reason we took this trip down to the L.A. area -- the wedding of Ashes friends Katie and Mike.

Katie and Ashe.

Solvang -- a little piece of Denmark in southern California!

Windmill in Solvang.

A block of buildings in Solvang.

Santa Barbara, a picturesque small city halfway north to San Francisco from Los Angeles.

Crosses in memory of dead soldiers in Iraq on Santa Barbaras beach.

Vehicles for rent at the Santa Barbara beach boardwalk.

Historic building at the Presidio of Santa Barbara.

Presidio church.

Presidio church.

Santa Barbara building.  Some city by-law requires that buildings have red tile roofs and be painted white.  This makes for the citys picturesque quality.

Santa Barbaras historic Courthouse and clocktower.

Inside the courthouse.

Courthouse staircase.

Courthouse lamp.

Courthouse fresco.

Courthouse lamp.

Courthouse hall.