DS1 has been fascinated with math since he was a very small child, and that fact has been fascinating to me. As a mother it was exciting to see him grasp the concepts of numbers and addition and multiplication etc before he was old enough to begin school, and it has been exciting to see his progress and work throughout his school years. I have always been proud to be his mother! Math is so much more than just numbers. It is a way to solve problems in almost any area of work and study. I understand very little of it all, but I'm grateful for those who have the abilities and interests that allow them to be the problem solvers. I'm glad that Math has been a good journey for DS1 throughout the years, and I trust that the future will hold many more successful math solutions for him.
Of course, even though our time was short, DS1 made sure that we took the time to enjoy our stay in the Los Angeles area. We spent an afternoon exploring some of the world's great art found at the Getty Center located in the Santa Monica Moutains above Los Angeles. The buildings (and there are many of them) are works of art in and of themselves, perched high on the hill, as are the gardens. Parking is $15 per car at the bottom of the hill, but there is no entrance fee, and a tram/train carries you to the museums at the top of the mountains. So very much to see, and I don't take very good photos to do it justice. We spent several hours there, and barely scratched the surface of what there is to see. You can take your own picnic lunch and check it for free at the coat check while you wander (what we should have done), or you can buy your own food and snacks and souveneirs there on site. We just ate our lunch/dinner back at DS1's place afterwards. Visiting the Getty was a fine afternoon activity and I would recommend it to anyone in the LA area.
View of Los Angeles from the Getty Center
We were also able to spend some time at the Santa Monica Pier, and a few hours at two different beaches, El Playa del Rey, and Manhattan Beach. DH and I have not traditionally been very big fans of spending the day on the beach. A whole day in the sun is not exactly our idea of a day of fun, and we're not big swimmers or water people, but I do love to spend time at the beach in the earlier morning or later evening hours. I love to walk barefoot through the warm sifting sand and along the cool hard packed sand with the waves lapping up my toes and my ankles. I love watching the surf roar in from the horizon. I enjoy watching the brave surfers out trying again and again to catch the perfect wave and ride it in to shore. I enjoy California beaches. Thank you DS1 for taking us to the beach again during our short visit to California!
Of course the best part of our weekend was spending time with our children. All but DD2 were able meet up for the graduation and a short littlel family reunion, and we even spent some time skyping with DD2. We also were able to spend an evening with a dear niece and nephew and their gorgeous baby boy. All in all, our weekend in California was a great time. I'm still not convinced that I would ever really want to live there, but California is still one of my favorite places to visit!
Wow what a fabulous accomplishment! Proud momma! And fun time in LA how great is that?
ReplyDeleteLooks like the weather was beautiful while you were there -- and "almost" no smog! Great views from the Getty Center -- never did get there when we lived close; so it's on my list of places to visit someday...
ReplyDeleteAnd isn't it amazing how you can sometimes tell what a child's gifts are, even from when they are so very young? Congratulations to your DS#1; I congratulated him on FB on being the first DR. in the family (even if a PhD in Math isn't quite the same as what you usually think of a Dr. as being, lol)