Autobots, Roll Out!

One other fun thing we were able to do in California was to check out the new Transformers ride at Universal Studios.

It's all 3-D and cool- Bruce liked it a lot. Too bad he can't keep the characters straight. He wasn't sure who was a good guy and who was bad. I don't have a problem with this because most of the under-10 boys I work with at schools can tell you all about Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, and I have been taught well.

Get Me To The Getty

After spending 2 days at Disneyland with 100,000 of our closest friends, Bruce and I were ready for a bit of quiet- and no long lines. So, we tried something new and went up north to the J. Paul Getty Museum of Art. It's set up on a hillside overlooking Bel Air.

You have to ride a tram from the parking structure to the museum.

It's a beautiful "campus" with stone covered buildings and fountains.

Inside, we saw all kinds of art- sculptures and glass from the 13th century, furniture and lots of paintings. Bruce only had to be told once not to touch. (And that was after I reminded him before we even went into the museum. He has a long history of touching things in museums, starting with a bronze sculpture by Fredrick Remington years ago in Texas.)

This painting is by Rembrandt:

They have an amazing garden there with a maze growing in a pond.

Something new and fun for us to do in California!

Have-To Disney Pictures

There are just some places in Disneyland where I have to take pictures. You know that gate going into Adventureland, where there are carved African shields, tiki torches and skulls? That's one of the places I have to capture.

 And I always try to get my favorite scenes on the Pirates ride, but it's pretty dark in there.

 I love the lobby of the Grand Californian:

 It's a Small World is neat at night:

 And World of Color is always, well, colorful!

Cars Land!

So, after being dissed by the mouse, it was finally my turn to go to Cars Land! I've got to say that it's pretty neat. The entrance to California Adventure has been redesigned to a vintage 50's theme that looks great! There's lots and lots of neon that makes being there at night pretty awesome.

Cars Land is pretty much amazing. Set in the southwest along Route 66, it felt a little like being in southern Utah.

It was pretty crowded with it being Father's Day week and the grand opening, but we were lucky enough to have a lady offer us 2 Fast Passes for the new Radiator Springs Racers race car ride. That made our wait only 20 minutes instead of 3 hours. Yes, people were waiting 3 hours to ride this ride.

Another new ride was Luigi's Tire Spin. We sat in tire-shaped hovercraft and threw big beach balls at other riders.

Then there was Tow Maters Junkyard Jamboree. This was like the tea cup ride, only you could lean with your partner to really whip your car around. Lots of fun.

Of course there were gift shops and restaurants in Cars Land too. And like I said, the neon signs at night are cool.

I give Cars Land a big thumbs up!

Sunday Saying

The Sand and the Surf

After spending Saturday morning at Sea World, we needed a time-filler before dinner. And what's a better time filler than the beach?!

We wandered up and down the sand, watching the surfers:

There was even a sign if you were confused about what you were, surfer or swimmer.

While I relaxed on the sand, Bruce went to work building a sand castle.

It took a bit of time, with the decorating and all.

Then he tied my toes together with some sea grass.

That night we wandered around the harbor, looking at tuna fishing boats. Bruce thought this one was nice:

But I thought this one had more character: