Playing Tourists in L.A.

The Chinese Theatre on Labor Day

Living in the greater Los Angeles area, one can sometimes forget the fun stuff in your own back yard!  And then someone will come for a visit, and you find yourself tromping down Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame and driving through neighborhoods you forget are within an hour's drive of your own.

So it was this past weekend, when my good friend Eva came for a visit from Australia.

Eva from Australia

Eva is actually Norwegian.  Our grandparents were best friends.  (My grandfather Einar was her grandmother's LDS Home Teacher.)  I remember visiting her grandmother's farm in Odalen, Norway when I was very small.  It was a full day trip to go visit there, but also a real treat.  

The Odal Valley lies northeast of Oslo in the southern part of the very fertile Hedemark region. Just a bit further north lies the area (Eidsvoll) that my mother's mother comes from, and a bit further on by the banks of the Mjosa sea (Ringsaker) is where my dad's dad's family comes from.

Yes.  It is a small world.  And Yes, Eva and I are probably related if you go far enough back.  I'm very happy to consider her family-adjacent!

Eva's Grandmother Margit was a wonderful woman, and she had a beautiful farm with sheep and cows where we would spend the day.  It was an idyllic valley she lived in, far from any real civilization... well, at least back then.  I can't vouch for now, but from what I can tell, it's still fairly sparsely populated.

Tourists in front of the Chinese Theatre

Eva has lived all over the world and ended up in the small town of Bowen, Australia - close to the famous Barrier Reef.  She is a delightful lady.

The last time I remember seeing her and spending any real time with her was in Norway during the summer of 1969.  Yeah, that summer of '69  - the one Bryan Adams sings about.  She claims we also saw each other in 1972 when I was back-packing through Europe.  She's probably right.  It doesn't really matter.  What's nice is that through the miracle of social media, we've been able to keep in touch through the years.

Bowen is on the east coast of Australia close to the Great Barrier Reef

Eva had been to Los Angeles before, but many years ago.  So, we decided to take a tour around the tourist hot spots!

As you can see, our first stop was the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  With it being a holiday, the whole area was a zoo.

Craziness on Hollywood Boulevard

For the next little while, I'll be chronicling our brief time together, doing touristy things in Los Angeles, California.

Stay Tuned!