South in the Golden (Haired) State

The stereotype is true - southern California probably has the greatest concentration of bleached-blondes in the world.

Just back from a short but tiring trip to LA and Orange County. Didn't get to see much of the places though, since the purpose of the trip was for my sis and Tom to meet relatives and friends.

Thought the rest of you actors out there will get a kick out of this ;)
Back then, I'm sure they didn't mean it the way we see it now.
This neither, but there's no stopping us filthy minds.
Chocolated laxative??
Lots of zipping around on long car rides ranging anywhere from 1 to 7 hours, me sandwiched between the baby and Sean. Hence, I got stereo whining. Add in kicking and fingernail swipes from the baby, plus pushing and "no", "I don't wanna", "you CAN'T" (and more such) from Sean...and you get one grouchy aunt whose sister owes her BIG TIME.

Caitlyn is absolutely adorable, as usual, when she's not kicking me, digging her fingernails into my arm or yelling to be held.
She's also very orally fixated. She'll lick anything, and she's got a long tongue. She's going to make some guy very happy one day.
NOOOOOOO paparazzi!!
For anyone who pictures California as this beautiful state blooming with lush crops and flowers, this is what is looks like most of the year - brown. Same reason they call it the 'Golden' State.
LA was hot, and not in the good way. Disappointing lack of eye candy, though there was an unnatural abundance of blondes and visibly silicon boobs. Orange County was prettier, but too manicured looking, much like its residents. The hilly terrain of Southern California ensured great views from certain vantage points though, and since Tom's relatives are sprinkled across the slopes of LA, we got a few decent views.

The family we stayed with had two gorgeous cats and an extremely friendly and energetic dog. To the owner's surprise, I was apparently one of the very rare few whom the two cats came up to at first sight. I guess it's true what they say about cats being able to identify a cat lover in a snap. Didn't manage to get a picture of Hero, the affectionate black-and-orange girl, but managed to snap the magnificent Che - he shed copious amounts of red fur on me, but it was worth it.
This is Diva with her deep voice and eyes the colour of the summer sky.
Oh lordy, check out that mirror. I wish I were descending those stairs in a gown rather than my tank and shorts.
Visited Tom's very old uncle and aunt - couldn't place her accent at first, which was mixed with a Jewish-American warble, thanks to 59 years of marriage to her Jewish hubby (Tom's side of the family are mostly of Russian-Jewish descent), till I heard her pronounce "cat": she's French. They have this very cool old-world TV set. To get an idea how old they are, those are their grandchildren in the framed picture on the TV.
I noticed an interesting and probably unintentional trend in Tom's extended family - Jewish boys marrying Catholic girls. Old French aunt above is Catholic, and I got to hear her speak about the crap she had to take for wanting to marry a Jew boy. My sis is Catholic. Two of his cousins married Brazilian women, which most likely places them as Catholics too. Tom's mum tops them all - she was Catholic AND German AND married his dad not too long after WW2.

Another of Tom's aunts has the coolest home. It sits on a steep hill which she has terraced and turned into a multi-leveled garden with goodness knows how many types of plants, flowers, fruits and a small koi pond. Her home also had a complete view of the LA Basin. Wish it had a better view of the sunset, though. I stood out on her balcony through as much of the twilight as I could. On the way back, we ate at a cowboy-themed diner. Their lamps were all in the shape of cowboy hats and one of their booths was made to resemble a small jail cell - every time the waiter brought them their food, we could hear the clang.

Caitlyn was clearly in a good mood. See those two bottom teeth? They're her first! They popped out when she was about four months old.
Now that's a tall margarita. And in case you're wondering, yes - I've been eating lots and spending lots of time in the sun, not always intentionally.
This is the longest straw I've ever seen. We got to keep the glass and the straw!
Blur attempt to capture the compelling silhouettes of the Californian hills at twilight. Think the bug-splattered windshield also ruined the effect.
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From before the trip:

Had another species of margarita at Chili's. Was just taken by the colours. Tasted wonderful too. Given the amount of babysitting I help with, I deserve alcohol. (I'm this close to swearing off kids.)
My little Canon Ixus is surprisingly good even with daylight moon shots. This was taken in the late afternoon.