Chinese Culture Weekend

This past weekend we got a good dose of Chinese culture... and loved every minute of it! On Saturday we went to see our friends Allison and Alex again. Allison is Chinese. Alex is Romanian. They are getting married next year. Allison has become one of our best Chinese tutors.

The agenda for Saturday night included learning how to make dumplings and learning how to play mah-jong. The dumplings were a lot of fun. Allison showed us how to best fold the dough wrappers so that they don't fall apart when you cook them. The best part of the dumplings was getting to eat them! They were delicious. We made so many that Allison sent us home with a plate of dumplings and instructions on how to cook them.

Mah-jong was an adventure. The rules resemble rummy, so I caught on quick enough. I just still don't understand some of the strategy of the game. The different tiles have different catagories, like a deck of cards. One of the categories had the Chinese character for the numbers 1-9. Luckily, I've learned these, so I was able to play okay. Brian and I were on a team. We lost consistently, but we had a great time. Some of Allison and Alex's friends from work joined us. Around the table were three Americans (two of those were us), two Romanians and three Chinese. It was a lot of fun listening as people switched between languages. Brian and I are slowly starting to pick up some of the Chinese.

Sunday night we continued our Chinese culture weekend by watching "The House of Flying Daggers." We watched it in Chinese with English subtitles, so we could test what we knew and learn a few new words. "The House of Flying Daggers" is a Chinese film by the popular Chinese director, Zhang YiMou. The epic story takes place in ancient China. There was a lot of kung fu action as two men battle evil empires, each other and the beautiful kung fu warrior, Mei. Kung fu martial arts are very much a part of Chinese culture and history. A friend once told me that there are stories from hundreds of years ago of kung fu masters who were so well developed that they could fly and run through the trees. This is why you often see this in kung fu fights in the Chinese movies. Brian hates this. During a scene in the movie where all the warriors were running through the tops of bamboo trees Brian said, "I just don't like this stupid crap." To which I replied, "It's not crap, it's culture!" We've learned that in a marriage we both don't always have to like all the same things.

L.A. t.v. c'est loco!

On Sunday evening I was enjoying some downtime flipping through the t.v. stations to see what was on. We recently got a digital convertor box, so we have all of the extra digital channels. For example, NBC4 has three stations: 4-1, 4-2 & 4-4. We don't have cable, so it is extra exciting to have so many new channels.

I watched some of the Chinese station trying to understand a little of what they said. I didn't get very far, so I flipped to PBS (we have about 8 channels of PBS now) where I found the crazy French teacher. I quickly called Brian in. He loves opportunities to test his French skills. I took two semesters in college, but Brian minored in French. The crazy French teacher set up different scenarios where the viewer should watch to learn more French vocabulary. After about 10 minutes I'd only caught about a dozen words I understood, so I retired to the bedroom to read. Brian continued watching and was excited to have learned a few new words.

As I was sitting in bed I reflected in just how many languages I'd watched on t.v. that night. Of course, we have a lot of Spanish language channels. Then, there was the crazy French teacher on PBS. But, I hit the jackpot on the Asian station. There I saw programming in Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Armenian. So, in the end, I watched t.v. in eight different languages! Considering that we are leaving the country next year to move overseas, I giggle at ways that Father is preparing us for living in a different culture... even if that is just watching t.v. and understanding only 5% of what was said.

Merry Thanks-mas! Happy Christ-giving!

Me and Brian at the top of the mountain over Albuquerque.

The city lights of Albuquerque.

We hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We were thrilled to leave L.A. for a solid five days to spend time with Brian's family in Albuquerque. We had a lot of fun, adventures and some great time of rest. Here are some of the memorable moments:

-- Thanks-mas! This was our first celebration of Thanks-mas or Christ-giving. Because we will be visiting my family in Missouri for Christmas, we decided to celebrate Christmas on Thanksgiving with Brian's family. His dad enjoyed wishing everyone a happy Christ-giving! It rained on Thanksgiving morning, which was a treat for me and Brian. We stayed cozy in the house. As Brian's mom finished the holiday cooking we all attacked a jigsaw puzzle. Everyone in Brian's family is really smart, so we finished that puzzle in lightening speed! It was really fun! We ate our delicious Thanksgiving meal and shared what we are thankful for. Next we needed time for our bellies to rest. We passed the afternoon with a walk (the rain had stopped) and a movie. Then it was time to open presents! It was so fun to see all of the traditions that Brian's family has and to become a part of them. And, what was the best present I got? A lazy Susan-style spice rack! Brian had become aggravated with my spices diving kamikaze-style at him every time he opened the cabinet, so he was even more excited about this than me.

-- Stranded! The day before Thanksgiving Brian's family and I went to take the tram up to the very top of the mountains above Albuquerque. The tram takes you from an elevation of 6,000 feet up to just over 10,000 feet. From the peak to one side you have a view over all of Albuquerque and to the other side you can see Santa Fe off in the distance. It is quite beautiful. Brian's family made reservations at the restaurant that is at the top of the tramway. We enjoyed eating as we looked out over the city. About halfway through the meal our waiter came over and told us that we should take our time because the tram just got stuck. What?? We ended up waiting at the restaurant for almost six hours! Our waiter brought us free cups of tea, coffee and deserts. In the end, we had a great time just sitting around and talking. But, we were glad to get back down once the tram was fixed. And we were able to tell people that we were "stranded at 10,000 feet!" Sounds like a Lifetime movie, huh?

-- Ni hao! We took the train to Albuquerque. It takes as long as driving, but it's much safer when you fall asleep! On the way out of L.A. an elderly Asian couple was seated behind us. We found out that they were Chinese, and we were able to practice a little of our Chinese skills. We quickly realized how little we know! On our language lesson CDs we've learned how to say things like, "Where would you like to eat dinner?," "Is the shop closed?," and our favorite "Can you buy a lot of beer?" These didn't prove very useful with our new friends.

--Kitty! We enjoyed playing with the two kitties that Brian's family has. One of them, Jasmine, is a huge poof ball who will almost always let you pet her. The other, Jinx, is an actual "'fraidy cat." She only lets you pet her if she really, really wants to be pet... and no one else is free. Brian has a mild allergy to the cats. This doesn't prevent him from gently rubbing his face in Jasmine's soft, fluffy fur. Then, he quickly runs to take a shower before his face swells.

-- Family! It's always a joy to spend time with our families. Sometimes we are sad that we've been called to live so far away. But we realize how fortunate we are to be surrounded with a huge group of supportive friends in California. We often miss our families and greatly look forward to seeing them, yet we are comforted in between by the love of those Father has put in our lives here. Now we only have 3 1/2 weeks until we get to go to Missouri for Christmas!

A night at the aundry mat.

Last night Brian and I loaded up almost all the clothes, sheets and towels we own and headed off to the "Coin Op aundry." Somewhere along the way the "L" fell off the sign. Normally, we'd do our laundry at the apartment. But the communal one washer and one dryer were no match for our large mound of dirty laundry.

Laundry mats are always an interesting place. It was quite hopping last night. We had to wait a few minutes before we could acquire the four washing machines we needed to fit all of our dirties. We began our washes as we listened to the oldies station play over the speakers. Others whirled around us with their laundry carts. One Asian girl had more loads than we did! She must wash people's laundry professionally. There was also a guy who I swear had to have been in a rock band and another guy who looked like a construction worker.

While the washing machines worked their magic Brian and I sat on the bench and reviewed some Chinese. There was an Asian guy sitting next to us. Was he Chinese? I don't know. But, soon he got up and left for another corner of the Coin Op aundry. I almost wonder if he was Chinese and was just that offended by our poor attempt to speak his language.

Dryer time! After all the clothes had been transferred from the washers to the dryers Brian and I sat down again, this time to read quietly. All was peaceful in the Coin Op aundry. Then in came Old Drunk Guy. He was wearing his Army jacket and holding a bottle who's contents were hidden by the paper bag it was in. Old Drunk Guy's first order of business was to inspect the garbage bin. There he found a pillow that had been discarded by some other patron of the Coin Op aundry. He plopped it onto the bench not far from us and sat down. He began mumbling about the surroundings and taking slurps from his mystery bottle.

Shortly after Old Drunk Guy got there I caught Brian laughing at his book. I asked him what was funny, and he read me a short passage. In it the author referred to Fort Bragg. Old Drunk Guy overheard us and began mumbling about Fort Bragg. I took this as a sign to not say anything else, so as not to encourage our bench-mate. Old Drunk Guy continued to mumble about the songs playing over the speakers and the people passing by.

I was pretty happy when our laundry was finally dry. We quickly set to folding it all. Next to us was the construction worker who happened to be wearing an Army jacket similar to Old Drunk Guy's. Old Drunk Guy noticed and began mumbling something about being in the Army and the construction worker not knowing what it was like. Brian and I loaded up our very clean and fresh laundry and made our way to the car. We had to walk past Old Drunk Guy to get there. I think he was talking to us when he said, "Go ahead and leave!" We gladly did.

Next time we'll have to make sure that our laundry isn't so out of control that we have to go to the Coin Op aundry.

A Week of Fun

As they tend to do, Brian's birthday was spread over about a week. We were given tickets to a ballet on his actual birthday. We went with some of our friends to see an odd ballet. One of the four pieces was really beautiful. One was very traditional. One was very 60's and really strange. The last one got mixed reviews. At the end of this final piece I said, "At least it had a story." Brian replied, "It did?!"

We spent the day after Brian's birthday at the Getty Villa and Point Dume. The Getty Villa was built to resemble an Italian villa that was destroyed when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and later excavated. Point Dume is a beautiful point over the beach just north of Malibu. We watched a bunch of surfers get bashed by the waves and even saw a pod of dolphins! Below are some pictures of the adventures. Enjoy!

Brian at his concert band performance the week of his birthday.

Point Dume, so pretty. This is where we saw the dolphins. Isn't Brian cute?

The view of Malibu from Point Dume. Dee the hazy stuff in the distance? That's L.A. Yuck!

Ah, Greek art. The man is kind of funny, but the tile work is amazing.


Fun with Greek columns. Wendy, I can fly!

More fun with Greek columns. Who says that Greek architecture isn't fun?

We've been married exactly 9 months in this photo.

Big Birthday Party

We had a birthday party this past Saturday for Brian and Patrick (our neighbor). Below are some photos of the festivities. We had a great time. Brian really wanted a pinata "to celebrate his New Mexican heritage."

The birthday boys have fun attacking the pinata.

Patrick, dizzy and blind.

Silly, Brian. Eat the cake, not the pinata.

We're so glad our friends could make it!

One of our classic photos. I think we are getting better at these than at regular photos.

A View of the Fires

Here are some pictures that I took from where I work. The smoke is from the fires across the valley. These were taken from Mulholland Drive on the south side of the San Fernando Valley looking at the Porter Ranch area on the north side of the San Fernando Valley about 14 miles away. The fire had been burning for about 24 hours when I took this photo. It has burned over 10,000 acres. This afternoon the smoke is virtually gone. Good job, Firefighters! Still, everytime I step outside I can't help but notice that everywhere smells like a campfire.

P.S. To our moms: This is far away from where we live. We are both quite safe.

The L.A. Landscape

Once again, Los Angeles is on fire. You might see this on your nightly news program. Anytime the strong Santa Ana winds kick up one tiny spark can burn thousands of acres. Considering that it's only rained maybe twice in the past nine months we were expecting this. It is all part of a natural process where the fires burn the brush, and the ashes fertilize the soil for new plant life. There is even a plant out here that thrives on fires. In fact, the seed pods only open after a fire.

The land out here is still quite foreign to me. The soil is very dusty and dry compared to the fertile soils in Missouri. After living here almost five years I've only recently gotten used to things like: being aware of rattlesnakes when hiking, mountains (who'd have thought they'd be in the middle of the city?), dry & brittle brush and virtually no streams. In fact, our apartment is next to the L.A. River, which is basically a cement drainage ditch. Brian and I are amazed to see the ducks who live there playing in the water that is only there because of the run-off from people watering their lawns.

Here are some facts about Los Angeles County:

--Los Angeles County covers 4,084 square miles.

--The population is 10,331,939.

--Los Angeles County is 44% Hispanic, 31% Caucasian, 12% Asian, 9% African American.

--54% of the population speak a language other than English at home.

--70% of the population have a high school diploma.

--25% of the population have a bachelor's degree or higher.

--16.7% of the poplulation of Los Angeles County is below the poverty line.

--The median household income for 2004 was $43,518.

--The median home price is $464,333.

--In 2005 there were 7,514,916 registered vehicles.

This is a very different place than where I was raised!

The L.A. River near the downtown area...

Stockton Lake in Missouri...

Camping Fun '08!

This past weekend we went on a one-night camping trip with two of our friends. What fun! It was a joy to get out of the city even for a night. Summer still hasn't ended in Los Angeles, so we it was a treat to leave the 100 degree temperature at our home for the cool air at 6,000 feet. The location was beautiful! We spent a good part of the evening around the campfire looking at the stars. We took a hike on Saturday morning and continued to be awed by nature. Other than some noisy neighbors at the campground, it was a perfect trip!

Our campsite.

Campfire cooking.

Brian finds a natural bridge.

Annie takes a break.

Beautiful wildflowers.

I never knew this was only an hour from L.A.

(below) This is why they are called redwood trees. Beautiful!

Good bye, Cricket.

A few weeks ago I saw a cricket in our kitchen. Brian wanted to kill it. In the time it took me to convince Brian that we should try to catch and release the cricket, it smartly hid behind our refrigerator. So, we've been treated to the cricket's song time and again. Having been raised around a lot of crickets I wasn't bothered by it's noise. In fact, ususally I didn't even notice it. This was not the case with Brian. There was a night when we had just settled to go to sleep, and the cricket began it's song. Brian went into the kitchen, shook the fridge a little and said, "You'd better be quiet if you know what's good for you."

--

A few days later we saw the cricket again. This time it had a friend. Brian wasn't quick enough to kill both of them, but one went to meet his maker. The surviving cricket's days were numbered. Last night we were enjoying an episode of "The Office" when I noticed a cricket sitting on the carpet just in front of the t.v. stand. I pointed it out to Brian. He jumped to attention, running to the bathroom for some tissue while singing, "Kill the cricket! Kill the cricket!" in the same vein as Elmer Fud singing about killing Bugs Bunny. I just had to laugh. Brian was determined. Alas, the cricket evaded capture again. After his failed attempt Brian quizzed me on the composer of the song he was singing. I had no idea. It turns out that the piece was written by Wagner and adapted by the Looney Tunes people.

--

Later last night we were getting settled for bed when Brian spotted the cricket in our bedroom. This was one brave cricket! Again, Brian ran for the tissue. He got down on all fours and tried to catch the cricket. Boy, those things can really jump! It took him a few tries, but eventually he prevailed. With the cricket bound on a tissue Brian held up his trophy... and squished it. Yuck! The remains of the cricket were flushed to a watery grave. Rest in peace little friend. You put up a good fight.

--

We'll have to wait and see if there are any more crickets who dare enter our apartment and risk Brian's wrath.

It's been a while...

Did you think we'd dropped off the face of the earth? No, we haven't left for China yet. I got called in for jury duty! What an adventure. I spent seven days on a trial in downtown L.A. It was a law suit because a guy stole another guys recipe for pudding. I kid you not. When you look at the details, it was pretty serious stuff for the original creator of the pudding. In the end he was awarded almost $5 million. (No, I don't get commission.) The legal process was quite fascinating, and in the end I had a great time.

Here's some updates:

---Last Saturday Brian and I ran a race at Big Bear Lake. The elevation was 6,800 feet. I only ran the 5K because of the altitude. Brian was a "big, strong man" and ran the 1/2 marathon. He finished 9th in his age category, I finished 5th in mine. Neither of us finished in our best times, but we did it and had a good time too! Afterwards, we went over to Lake Arrowhead (about 30 minutes away) for lunch. I had to tease Brian as he climbed a staircase. His legs were so sore that he could hardly bend his knees. I thought it was pretty funny to watch. Next on our list, a 10K race at Manhattan Beach in October.

---We've had a big move! Our regular Sunday morning worship moved from a hotel ballroom to an official building. This has been great because the volunteers were getting tired of setting up everything (sound, children's areas, etc.) every week. They'd done this for two years! We are settling nicely into our new building. It has a great grassy play area that the kids enjoy and lots of rooms for meetings and classes.

---Summer still isn't over, dang it! Many people enjoy living in L.A. because of the endless summer. Brian and I are getting quite annoyed. There is absolutely no reason why the temperature should be over 100 degrees in September! But, it is today and will be tomorrow. We were teased with highs of only 88 degrees last week. We were daydreaming the other day about how nice winter will be when we will be able to sleep with layers of blankets. Of course, "winter" here only lasts for two months.... Dang it!

---Back to school time! Brian and I have enrolled part-time in community college. He found a wind ensemble that he is joining on Monday nights. He is quite thrilled to be playing his French horn again in a group. I was looking for a class at the same time and found a table tennis class. After attending last week, I'm not sure that I'll keep going. I wasn't too impressed with the class after the first week. If I don't go back, I won't be too heart-broken. The new season of Heroes starts in a few weeks!

Please e-mail us to let us know how you are doing!

Week #7: What we'll miss about L.A.

Great Friends!

When people think of Los Angeles and the people who live here they might think of the surfers or even the gang from 90210. Sure there are people like that out here. There are also the very driven actors who will do almost anything to get work. There are the business people who are commuting back and forth every day. There are pockets of people from almost any nationality you can imagine striving for the American dream.

In the midst of all this it's often difficult to find really good friends. Too often you make a friend right before they decide that they can't make it in the big city and move back East. This is why we really treasure our good friends. They come from all over the country, some from different parts of the world. We know that when we do have to leave it will be difficult to leave these friends behind. We are very fortunate to know so many wonderful people who have supported us during our time here.

To our friends, we love you and we thank you!

Week #6: What We'll Miss About Living in L.A.

The Dodgers!

We joined a group of my friends from work for a game this past Friday night. I just so happened to be a sold out crowd as Angelenos flocked to welcome Manny to the team. It was a lot of fun to be part of the hype. Sadly, the Dodgers lost. But, we had a great time!

Another fun part of our trip to the stadium was taking the subway system. The city now offers a free shuttle to the stadium from Union Station downtown. A group of six of us braved the public tranist system. It was a fun bonding experience.

Vacation Photos Strike Again!

My sis and my newest niece.

Mumsey. We were playing pass the baby.

The older nieces and nephews.

A great friend of many years.

More vacation photos!

Fun at Bass Pro Shops.

Brian's shooting score wasn't too bad.

The question is, does the Indian prefer cheddar or Swiss cheese?

It's going to take a while for this tradition to die down.

Oh yes, the boat that bucked many water skiers and tubers.

A Much Enjoyed Vacation

Brian and I had a wonderful time visiting friends and family in the Midwest. What a joy it was to see everyone again after so much time. I especially enjoyed meeting so many of Brian's relatives whom I'd heard so many great stories about. Our only regret is that our visits had to be so short.

Here are some of our favorite pictures from our vacation!

Brian's parents. Aren't they cute?

Fun at the Ice Cream Capitol of the world.

More fun with ice cream!

The beautiful view over the lake.

Goodbye Darla!

We had to return Darla to her owners just before we left for our vacation. Above are two of our funniest pictures with Darla. The first is of Brian petting her. She always had to put her paws on his chin as she was being pet. The other is proof of Darla's biggest stunt. She figured out how to jump onto the top of the shower door. She thought it was especially fun to do when we were taking a shower. Silly, Darla!

Darla is doing well back at her home. She was quite freaked out by the earthquake, but she's okay.

Week #5: What We'll NOT Miss About Living in L.A.

EARTHQUAKES!!!

Yep, it just hit the news. There was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in the Los Angeles area this morning. The epicenter is quite a ways from where Brian and I live and work. Here at the offices we felt a gentle rumble that picked up a little more before it relaxed. It lasted about 20 or 30 seconds. It was funny to experience the different responses in the office. One of the staffers ran outside as quick as possible. Another staffer yelled, "I'm gettin' under my desk!" I hesitated crawling under my desk for a moment because I actually wore a skirt today. (It's laundry time again.) By the time I'd decided it might be a good idea the whole thing was over. I have talked to Brian, and he's okay. He's working his coffee job this morning about 10 miles from my job. Earthquakes can't stop Angelenos from buying their coffee!

Check out the link below to see all the recent earthquakes in Southern California. The one this morning was the 5.8 at 11:42 a.m.

http://www.data.scec.org/recenteqs/Maps/Los_Angeles.html

Week #4: What We'll Miss About L.A.

LEAVING L.A.! After living in Los Angeles for over four years, one of the greatest pleasures we've found is just the chance to leave the L.A. lifestyle behind. Brian and I were able to do this this past week. We headed East to visit family in Iowa and Missouri. We hope to post some photos soon.

Life in Los Angeles is fast-paced, congested and polluted. I never realized how much my soul needs to see wide open spaces that are lush and green until I moved here. I'm not joking when I say that from our apartment you would have to drive for about 60 miles just to get out of the city. Los Angeles redefines "urban sprawl."

So, now we greatly enjoy any chances we have to get out of town. We've grown to appreciate the open road, vegetation that was planted by someone higher than the local landscaper, and just nice, kind-hearted people. Of course, seeing family is amazing! We are both blessed to have wonderfully supportive and fun families. We miss them often! We look forward to a day when the Father allows us to live closer to them.

All this can be summed up with a statement that Brian made about 10 miles away from the Kansas City International Airport. We were surrounded by farmland and a clear highway. "This is like therapy!"

Week #3: What We'll NOT Miss About L.A.

THE L.A. FREEWAY CAR CHASE!

For some weird reason it's a hot news story when some fool decides to flee the police through the streets and freeways of Los Angeles. The news helicopters follow pursuit trying to get the best shot of the suspect as he dangerously weaves in and out of traffic. Often these chases end in a car accident. Unfortunately, innocent people are injured too. I was watching one on the news a few years ago. When the police got the person to stop, the suspect got out of the car then reached for something in his pocket. The police have to assume that the suspect is reaching for a weapon. So, right then and there on the local news channel I saw a suspect get shot. It was quite shocking.

This morning there was another police chase. The person was running from the police on the L.A. freeways during rush hour. I don't think the suspect thought this one through very well. He soon got bogged down in traffic. After driving down the shoulder for a while he decided to get off the freeway in downtown L.A. Him and his two friends ditched the car. The news helicopter followed the driver, and I watched as he scampered through a rough area of downtown L.A. He was quite athletic. He jumped over fences and climbed walls. He ran really fast when a loose pit bull thought it'd be fun to chase him. I was sure he was in for it then, but the dog quickly lost interest. In the end, he was caught by the LAPD. God bless those men and women who work to keep L.A. safe. I don't envy their job when they are chasing these guys! And I don't think we'll miss this news stories when we leave L.A.

Darla the Destroyer!

Darla's sand art.

Darla's favorite place to sleep.

We took this one as she was "attacking" us and caught her off guard.

Ah, Darla the cat-child. We only have Darla for one more week. It's been fun to cat-sit for these past few months. She has been a great play-mate for us. We have games that she likes to play. One is where she stalks us from the floor while we are on the bed. If we move out of view she pounces at us. She's too timid to really do much and usually only gives us a pat on the arm with her paw. She also likes to chase me through the house attacking my ankles when I'm wearing a dress. (FYI: This is Annie writing. I don't want to start any rumors about Brian!)

While she has been with us, Darla has earned the name "Darla the Destroyer." This is because of her many antics. She loves to get into the window sill and look out into the world. As she has done this she has bent three sets of blinds. Also, for some unknown reason, she enjoys chewing on the blinds. Strange. When she is angry (usually because we've put her in the bathroom too long) she kicks her cat litter all over the bathroom floor, which looks like she is trying her skills at Japanese sand art. She enjoys jumping onto the back of the kitchen chairs and attacking her own tail through the cut outs in the wood.

Darla demonstrated her newest trick last night. We came home from a lovely night of Chinses massages and Vietnamese food with our good friend, Tanya, to find Darla stuck in the shower. She'd managed to jump over the shower door to get to the window in the shower. Then she was stuck. We've decided to just leave the shower door all open so that she doesn't have to do this stunt again! Crazy cat!

Week 2: What We'll Miss About L.A.

The Hollywood Bowl! This past weekend we joined some friends to see the L.A. Philharmonic play the Looney Tunes at the Hollywood Bowl. The orchestra played along with the cartoons on the big screen. I can't take credit for taking the picture above. I found these pictures on the internet from someone who had much better seats than us! I loved how they made the rainbow colors on the shell.

This was our annual trip to the Hollywood Bowl. Last year we saw a concert with fireworks. The Hollywood Bowl is the largest ampitheater in America. While enjoying the concert you have a view of the Hollywood sign, the Griffith Observatory and the few stars you can see in the sky through all the light pollution.

Thanks to our neighbor and good friend, Patrick, for organizing this fun outing!