Griffith Observatory

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to be an astronomer. The study of the universe was always the most fascinating subject for me in school. I can recall at the age of 5 sitting out in the yard and staring at the night's sky for what seemed like hours, wondering about all of the possibilities offered by the infinite beyond.

Even though I have always loved looking at the sky, now, I kind of have to. With approximately a year left before completing my master's degree, I still have an undergraduate class to complete required for my degree in education (Astronomy). Hence why Scottie and I just recently took a trip to Los Angeles to visit the Griffith Observatory, a destination recommended for anyone visiting L.A.

The Griffith Observatory is about 3 hours from our home in Yucca Valley. Of course the duration might be slightly less if the city traffic was less chaotic. I really do not know how people live in L.A. I told Scottie someone would have to pay me a lot of money to live there, and a personal helicopter in our backyard would be mandatory, because there is no way I would drive anywhere in the area.


The infamous Hollywood sign which is viewable from the grounds of the observatory.


The Griffith Observatory

We arrived at the observatory at 6pm and stayed until 9pm. The main point of the experience serving as a class assignment was to view the telescopes after dark. Before dark, we toured the inside of the observatory. The interior is full of pictures, videos, and crafted models dedicated to astronomy education. Also inside, we manage to see a planetarium show (one of our favorite parts of the trip).


Contemplating with Albert. I thought we should continue our tour to the right, but he was leaning more toward the left.


Waiting for the planetarium show, we toured the outside levels of the building. We managed to capture a nice view of the city. Just look at the smog in the background.

After the planetarium show, the sun had finally set and it was time for us to look through the telescopes. We saw a close up shot of the moon through one telescope and the beautiful rings of Saturn through another.


Here is a picture of me in front of the entrance of the observatory. Scottie is taking the picture as opposed to being in it because no one around us spoke any English (can you believe that), and I was apprehensive about crossing the communication barrier just to have a picture of the two of us.



Overall, the trip was a success. We had a wonderful time and walked away from the experience a little smarter.

San Diego

It has been quite awhile since we have updated due to the fast pace and tight schedules we have endured. Ali has been working on completing her certification to be a personal trainer, as well as, finishing up the school year at 29 Palms High School. Scottie has been working many long hours and completing a class towards his degree. In order to decompress, we decided to take a mini vacation to San Diego.

We reserved a cottage on the beach aboard Camp Pendleton. Throughout the four day weekend, we enjoyed the beautiful San Diego weather, spending time at the beach, delicious Italian cuisine, tourist attractions such as the USS Midway, a harbor cruise, and the Air and Space Museum, as well as the company of good friends.



Here we are sitting on the patio of Sonny’s Pizza and Pasta in San Clemente. The homemade gnocchi was out of this world!



Most of Saturday was spent relaxing on the beach. We also ventured out onto the sea wall which turned out to be quite a hike.



This is another view from the sea wall overlooking the Del Mar Beach. This was Ali’s first trip to the Pacific Ocean.



Saturday evening, we visited some friends of the Fenenoz family and enjoyed great company and a variety of food. This picture was taken before the barbeque on the patio behind our cottage.



Aboard the flight deck of the USS Midway. The gentleman who took our picture was a sailor on the historic aircraft carrier many years ago. We had the privilege of his conversation.



The USS Midway and Downtown San Diego.



The Sea Lions sunbathing on a beautiful Southern California day.



On the stern of the harbor cruise.



The Coronado Bridge



Sunset on the beach