Having just arrived back in the U.S. for the first time in 15 months, we had only a few months to visit friends and kin and take care of business all across the country. In L.A., where we landed, we had only a couple of days, and one of those days was spent mostly in recuperating from the trip.

Hiking in Tujunga

On the morning of the second day, we took a walk with our friend Ed and his dog up in the hills in Tujunga and environs, giving us a splendid overview of L.A., with little smog to impede our perspective.

Tujunga is home to the McGroarty Arts Center, named after poet, journalist and politician — note the order in which we listed those — John McGroarty (1862-1944). Many years ago when our son was little and we were part of a homeschool community, he would take classes in cartooning (taught by a former animator at Hanna-Barbera Studios) and other subjects at McGroarty; in fact, we even taught some classes there ourselves — Kimberly taught dance, Dennis taught poetry writing, and we both taught theatre.

Certain celebrated celebrities have homes in these hills, but we were much more interested in the “E.T. House”, used as the home of the family in the blockbuster movie of that name. Its appearance has been altered so it’s not so recognizable, but savvy film buffs and gawkers still know exactly where it is. (Interesting bit of trivia: Drew Barrymore, who made her film debut at age 7 in ET, returned 18 years later to do a scene in this house for Charlie’s Angels.) Many other films were shot around here, including the very first Tarzan flicks and — would you believe — the chariot race in Ben-Hur.

Birds of Prey

There’s also plenty of wildlife in this area. People have been known to spot a mountain lion occasionally, and there are plenty of interesting specimens for bird watchers. Unfortunately, the wildlife also includes the two-legged variety. And on this particular day, one of them was riding a motorcycle on a trail where such conveyances are prohibited

Brand New Grand Nephew

In the afternoon, we went to visit Dennis’s nephew John Paul, his wife Araceli, and their brand-new son Liam. It was our first time to see junior, of course; he was an adorable little guy. We didn’t have much time to spend there, but it was great to catch up with them.

Ed and Robin dropped us off there and picked us up later, even though it was quite a distance from their home. We were thankful for that, because getting around by public transit in L.A. can be quite challenging (and time consuming).

Dining in Little Tokyo

From there they took us to a Japanese restaurant in Little Tokyo, near the downtown area, that was absolutely fantastic. (A bit pricey, but worth every yen.) We’ve eaten at many Japanese restaurants in our time, including quite a few in Japan — where we’d just come from. But this one in L.A. really gives them all a run for their money.

As our journey back to the U.S. continued, the brief time spent in L.A. offered a fine blend of nostalgia and new experiences.

3/8/2023