Beach Yoga With Brad

Posted on April 22, 2013 by LifeAbsorbed

This past weekend two friends and I decided to check out beach yoga in Santa Monica. We decided to take a Saturday morning class through Beach Yoga with Brad. There’s no pre-registering necessary, so we carpooled down to Santa Monica together and went to Marine Street and followed it out to the ocean edge were Brad was preparing for the day.

When we arrived there were only a handful of people which eventually filled out into a large (but un-intimidatingly large) group. Brad is very nice and offered up sunscreen to people who forgot theirs. He’s a music conductor too, so he has a booming voice and excellent rhythm.

Since his “yoga studio” is relatively endless on the beach, he can support a lot of people and we could also really spread out. The class we attended is from 10:30-Noon on Saturday and is a $10 donation. Being extra long meant that the last series of restful poses were held longer than in an average hour long class. These poses are my favorite so I was glad we spent so much time doing them and meditating. With the waves crashing and the light breeze it was a perfect day.

We ended up extending our stay long after class finished. It was a glorious way to spend a Saturday. I’m hoping the zen feeling lasts all week.

(Image taken from Yoga With Brad’s facebook page)

Here you can see I made Brad’s facebook page for the day (it’s not flattering, so don’t look too closely). If you’re interested in trying beach yoga, definitely friend “Beach Yoga With Brad” on facebook to learn more about his class. It’s great for all levels of yoga and there’s no need to be intimidated. You should do it!

Rosenthal Estate Winery

Posted on April 16, 2013 by LifeAbsorbed

Do you like wine tasting? A few friends and I made the drive up the PCH into Malibu to visit Rosenthal Estate Winery where we had a fabulous Saturday.

The weather was fantistic and this gem of a tasting spot is located right off the PCH (not up in the winding hills like the other wineries) which means it’s got ocean views.

The tasting room has some indoor seating, but it’s best to pack a picnic and layout in the back of the property.

While we were there, a group setup an engagement party in the back with flowers, homemade signs… the works! It’s looked like a pinterest board!

There’s the ocean, just yonder. The heat lamps outdoors makes it so you can hang out on the patio long into the night (although they close at 8pm). We started our day with the $12 wine taster (which included 4 wines) and then purchased bottles to share among our group.

Be sure to bring plenty of snacks and boardgames!

Oh, and they have goofy surfboards you can pose with. Here is me and my friend Grace being silly.

Add this to your Los Angeles to-do list. In fact, stop at Trader Joes (load up on snacks), hit the beach and then around 3pm mosey on over to the Rosenthal Estate Winery. Doesn’t that sound like a fabulous Saturday?

San Clemente + Dunkin’ Donuts

Posted on April 3, 2013 by LifeAbsorbed

This past Friday (Good Friday) was a holiday for me and several friends. We decided to hop in the car and head south of Los Angeles for a beach road trip to San Clemente!

We had really great intensions, but the weather was just not on board. It was gray the entire day. But we didn’t let it bring us down!

We started by walking around their cute little downtown strip and hoped that by the afternoon the sun would come out. Around 1pm we decided it was time for lunch and had previously read about The Fisherman’s Restaurant and Bar along the pier. The meal was delicious and I highly recommend this place.

We hoped that after lunch the sun would be out, but alas it stayed hidden behind the clouds. That didn’t stop us from walking the pier and along the beachside path.

I put my foot in the water and it wasn’t as chilly as it looked, although you still couldn’t pay me to go for a dip in the water.

As we finished our walk, we realized that a different adventure awaited us. We are from the East Coast where Dunkin’ Donuts are on every corner and yet there’s no Dunkin’ Donuts in LA. Not too long ago they opened up a Dunkin’ Donuts on Camp Pendelton’s base. This is the closest DD to Los Angeles and it also happens to be a short drive from San Clemente.

It’s a big joke, as we’ve talked about road tripping it down to this DD since it opened but it’s a long drive for coffee. We were all so excited to add this little adventure on to our road trip and happily enjoyed our coffee and donuts

Be Right Back…

Posted on March 29, 2013 by LifeAbsorbed

I’m off from work today and taking a day trip outside Los Angeles, which you’ll hear all about next week. Thank goodness for a day off! Ill be back later tonight (or tomorrow) with your Font Friday and a weekend “do This Today”.

Around The World She Goes!

Posted on March 25, 2013 by LifeAbsorbed

I am not the only blogger in the family, and my travel blogging sister (As Her World Turns) embarked on a long journey at 11pm at LAX last night. Check out the link to her blog and you can follow her journey as she spends the next 10+months traveling the globe. She also worked in television for many years on the soap opera Young and the Restless (she’s an Emmy winner!). She quit her job, sold her condo, her car, and most of her belongings so all she owns are some goods in a storage unit and whatever is in the bag on her back. Is that an adventure or what?!

I will have posts this week showing her bon voyage celebration (great tips for DIY party decorating). Check out the link to her blog and you can follow her journey as she spends the next 10+months traveling the globe.

GIBBONS!

Posted on March 19, 2013 by LifeAbsorbed

This past weekend my sister and I jumped in the car and ran up to Santa Clarita to spend our Saturday morning at…

The Gibbon Conservation Center! They’re open from 9:30 – 1pm (the website says they’re only open until noon, but the sign at the facility says 1pm).

When you arrive they give you a laminated sheet with info about each gibbon on one side. The back side shows a map of the enclosures and feeding times.

The above photo gives you a good taste of how the enclosures are kept. They have shade and sunlight. There are plenty of branches and toys to play with as well as little igloos for privacy. There are metal benches everywhere for viewing pleasure.

This back edge of the property is where tools and even other gibbons are kept.

Feeding time!

So human like.

How cute are mama and baby above? They are my second favorite gibbons. My favorite gibbon is…

Goliath! He’s barely a year old and super adorable.

He played with a blanket in his enclosure.

Here’s Goliath’s mom above.

Just hangin’ out.

This lady came up and posed for me! She heard my feet against the gravel as I walked up and came running and slid onto the ground. So human-like.

I made the above clip to show you how they jump around. Some are docile and others are all over the place. They seem to really enjoy people watching as much as we enjoy watching them. Some seemed to put on a show.

They don’t just jump around, some walk.

Watching them eat was fun. They have a very healthy diet. This gibbon was just fed fruits and veggies. The cost of their groceries must be extensive, so I highly recommend visiting the gibbons, paying the $10 admission fee and even donate more if you can. It’s warm out there and it’s not inclosed so bring sun screen and a hat. It’s also all gravel, so wear sneakers or walking will be uncomfortable. If you stick it out until feeding times, you’ll get to hear their special gibbon “singing”.

Tune In Tomorrow For…

Posted on March 18, 2013 by LifeAbsorbed

GIBBONS! I just finished editing my Gibbon photos from my weekend visit to The Gibbon Conservation Center in Santa Clarita, CA. I can’t wait to tell you about this amazing place and it’s adorable Gibbons. Here’s a teaser of my favorite Gibbon, Goliath. He’s a toddler.

Perch

Posted on March 4, 2013 by LifeAbsorbed

Have you ever been to Perch?
I recently went for Friday night drinks when my uncle was in town visiting. It’s right off of Pershing Square (close the metro stop), and the perfect happy hour spot. The views of the city were incredible. The later you go (especially on a friday) the more of a nightclub it becomes, so expect lines. But if you arrive like we did around 7p-8pm, there was no waiting. We went right to the roof, I ordered a “Penicillin” cocktail and we toasted to the weekend. Put your feet up, enjoy the view on one of their comfy couches and if you’re lucky you’ll snag a spot near one of the fire pits.

Palos Verdes

Posted on February 19, 2013 by LifeAbsorbed

After spending several hours exploring the Nixon Library, it was time to move along to our afternoon destination, Palos Verdes.

We made our way down the 110 and then just drove along the coast on Palos Verdes Drive South (looping up onto Palos Verdes Drive West). We stopped along at several of the little parking overlook areas along the road to take pictures and enjoy the view.

The above 2 photos were taken above the Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles.

The next place we spent significant time was in Abalone Cove. We had to pay to park ($5?) but it was worth it.

Follow the path down to the rocky beach.

Bring shoes that are comfortable for climbing over these rocks (aka not flip flops).

When we arrived (around 4pm) the sun was already starting to set. Our big regret was not getting here sooner, because it was awesome. Although now we know that we could easily spend a day at this beach. Around 4p surfers were hitting the waves.

Nude Sunbathing Prohibited!

Once we arrived at the tide pools, we didn’t want to leave. At first I thought “What are all these people looking at” and upon closer examination realized almost everything here was living. It made me really think about reach step, as to not hurt the marine life. You would see what looks like a pile of shells and rocks, but if you poke it, it MOVES! So cool! There were plenty of kids and adults.

We were pretty protected near the pools, but if you climbed way out on the rocks (like these fishermen) you would be facing some giant waves.

See? So cool!!

It’s easy to miss all the marine life if you aren’t really focused on it.

So much to explore! Each little pool of water had so much life in it. And experts/volunteers from the Natural History Museum were there to help explain what we were seeing. Everyone is super friendly and wants to show you and share in the enjoyment of marine life.

The sun was setting, so we had to make our exit. The parking lot closed at dusk. We continued along on our Palos Verdes sea-side drive until we hit Point Vicente Lighthouse.

It was so beautiful catching sunset from this spot. The lighthouse was closed, but it was beautiful to walk the paths along here. Many people were doing engagement photos and other photo shoots.

We walked through the outside of the Point Vicente Interpretive Center- which looked like a little maritime center. You can see the people at the far end of the photo had been whale watching, since this is the furthest point which allows you to see south and west.

As the sun fully set we walked back to the car and finished our loop of Palos Verdes. Now we know, plan more time than just an afternoon. There are so many walking/bike paths to explore, that I could spend so much time there. If there are any camping beaches, I should just move there.

The Nixon Library

Posted on February 14, 2013 by LifeAbsorbed

I normally don’t like politics (specifically talking politics), but one of my goals for 2013 is to visit both local presidential libraries (Reagans + Nixons) and this past weekend my sister and I went to the Nixon Presidential Library. This is my first Presidential Library (which is really a museum and not a library).

My sister and I made the early Saturday morning trek out to Yorba Linda. The above photo is the entryway to the museum. It’s only a $12 admittance fee (which is cheaper than most museums). We happened to walk into the musuem the 30 minute introductory video was starting up so we sat in for it. As someone who is pretty dumb when it comes to history, I found it to be very useful. It glosses over a lot, but then the exhibits go into detail about much of the topics. It’s also important to note that this video (and museum) was made with money collected by Nixon and his family, so it’s a bit one-sided. The Watergate wing wasn’t even created until 2007(?) after the museum was taken over by the National Archives and Records Administration.

Above is a model of Nixon’s childhood home, which is also on the museum property.

After taking photos with space suits at the Connecticut Science Center, it’s only fitting that I take one at the Nixon Museum to add to the collection.

So much information. It was fun to explore but did take a lot of reading to get through the museum. Because there was so much reading, the museum is pretty silent even with a lot of people there, because everyone is attentively reading.

I love this section of the museum with life sized sculptures of the famous leaders whom Nixon worked with.

They even have a giant chunk of the Berlin Wall!

Above is the original manuscript for God Bless America.

This is a replication of Nixon’s favorite room in the White House.

I also really enjoyed the collection of memorable dresses.

Nixon’s Limo!

The newly added Watergate wing! This was a lot of reading and VERY informative.

Doesn’t this look like the White House hallways? (Or how I imagine they look)

This is the exterior courtyard of the property. While we were there they were setting up for an outdoor wedding.

Richard and Patricia Nixon are buried on the property.

And further along the path is the actual childhood home that Richard Nixon grew up in. They bought the property up around it to build this museum. You can even tour this house!

Last along the path is the presidential helicopter! We couldn’t take photos inside, but they do let you walk through it.

When we looped around to exit the museum we had to take photos of this sculpture.

Next up (tomorrow) is our afternoon visit to Palos Verdes!

LifeAbsorbed

Los Angeles on a budget!

Category Archives: Travel