A Day With Barbara and France

Earlier this week we were blessed to have two dear people in Rhi's life visit with us: France and Barbara. They have known Rhianwen since she was born and have been good friends with Gwenyth (Rhi's mom) even before that. They hail from New Mexico... You might remember Barbara from Road Trip: Day 6; it was her wonderful home we stayed in. France, if you remember, is Rhianwen's godmother.

Sadly the duo were in town for the funeral of a dear friend. On a brighter note, they were able to squeeze a day in with us. So we decided to take them on a trek to the West Side, a part of LA that we rarely ever go to.

Yup. That's Venice Beach, with blue water and mountains in the background. It reminds us of Hawaii. I get the feeling that if she lived in California, France would spend as much time there as possible. She loves the water and compared herself to a seal several times. Here she is in the (cold, cold, COLD) water:

Did I mention that water is REALLY cold? We all eventually put our feet in, but France was the brave soul who walked several miles ankle deep in the icy sea. (There were still surfers that day, and some tourists were actually in the water despite the temperature.)

From there we decided to track down the Fig Tree Cafe, a restaurant on the Venice Boardwalk suggested by Barbara's friend Charlotte. We didn't know the address, just that it was slightly south of Santa Monica and on the Boardwalk. "Why don't we just walk until we find it?" was said. About two miles later, our legs were aching and our stomachs rumbling when we finally stumbled on the Fig Tree. We had earned our lunch, and the food there was tremendous. (Might I recommend the Grilled Ahi Tuna Sandwich if you ever find yourself there?) Here we are enjoying a meal and each others' company:

Unfortunately, after we had filled our stomachs it was time to turn around and walk back the few miles we had come. We decided to walk along the beach, where we ran into hundreds of these cute little baby seagulls:

It is my opinion that seagulls here in California are much different than the Jersey Shore ones Rhi and I are accustomed to. Those scrawny Jersey seagulls are constantly squawking, perched like vultures waiting for you to drop a French fry so they can descend upon it like an angry mob upon Frankenstein's monster. California seagulls, on the other hand, are large and proud animals. They rarely let out a squaw, don't scavange for food and seem as if they are politely bowing as you pass them. California seagulls are good birds.

Anyways, after we left Venice Beach we decided to go for a drive up Pacific Coast Highway and watch the sun set over the ocean. It was a beautiful drive, up until the point where we lost sight of the setting sun. I guess the coast winds in such a way that you're not always facing due west, but by the time we realized that it was too late: we could not find a good view of the sunset.

So we decided to just stop on the side of the road and make the most of it.

Still beautiful, no?

From there, we drove France and Barbara back to their friend Charlotte's house and said our goodbyes. It was a beautiful day, and we miss them already. Come back and visit, you two!