Here in the Hills

Sunday, August 27, 2006

wendy's visit...!

Wendy brought me this darling little Kiwi! He is lying down with what looks like a little half piece of wood thingy under his neck and he looks like he is just about to fall asleep! Isn't he cute?

Here is another picture of him....she thought he belonged with the Sleeping Hippo and the Mouse and the other pair of Hippo's. So here he is, lying on the Little White Baby Baby Baby Grand Piano, next to his buddies....All sleeping peacefully together.... Wendy and Mark had been to the E! Channel before coming to my home and because of a change in the E! Channel people's schedule, they got to me quite a bit later than we thought they would, so our "afternoon" together started quite a bit later than originally talked about. But, here they are, the lovely New Zealanders, about to sit down on my couch, in the living room! This seemed a miracle to me that they were right here in my house, finally, having come half way round the world to be here for The Emmy's. And the fact that they were staying just down the hill from me was also quite extrordinary....With all the hotels there are in Los Angeles....some much closer to the Emmy Venue--The Shrine Auditorium--that they would be so close was another miracle! They are so cute here...I loved that we all felt right at home with each other, immediately! We never stopped talking and truthfully, completely forgot to take pictures because we were just yakking away like three little Kiwi's!

It was pretty overcast with air that was rather bad yesterday....But this is what they were looking at when we stepped out on my deck. That black thing along the horizon is polution! You can see Wendy & Mark's hotel in the middle of the picture and then the city behind it, with downtown L.A. over to the far left...with that horrendous layer of black polution going all across the top of the city....this is what we were all breathing! Not good.

As Wendy and Mark looked down at the garden they could see Outpost Drive way below as well as La Presa, which is the street that winds up to my street, we all saw the Starline tour bus turn the corner about to come up the hill where the day before, on Thursday, Wendy and Mark had been and had indeed come right by my house...Wendy I'm sure will blog about that trip. Well, we decided to go out front and wave at the tour bus when it got to my house...(Wendy took a photo of the bus)...which we did. It was great fun and we even spoke to the driver, Wendy telling him that Pierce Brosnan used to live next door to me...The driver did not know that and said "Your kidding me!"....That was really funny to me that a New Zealander had to tell the tour bus guy this information!

It was pretty late in the afternoon when we got into my car and I drove them up the hill and showed them a few things that the tour bus had not shown them, like this. This is David Lynch's house....it is on the same street as The Bill Macy's, only at the other end of it....It is really 'Pinker' than this but I took this from inside my car...Here is a photo that is a little closer to the house... It has some very interesting design work in the 'deco' style....I believe this house was designed by a famous architect, but I don't remember who....

We drove further along on that street and came to the Macy house which is way up on the top of this hill....They had seen a different view from Outpost Drive on Thursday....but this is the view from their actual street. It's not the greatest picture because the sun was going down and getting in the lens to some degree....Just look at all those steps....You have to be in good shape to maneuver those! (lol)

Then I turned onto Outpost Drive and continued uphill... We were heading up to that famoue and infamous street....Mulholland Drive. I wanted to show them this road that is at the top of the hill and is the sort of dividing place between the city side and the valley side of Los Angeles.
Mulholland traverses the Santa Monica Mountains from the 101 Freeway, all the way to the ocean....It is a great street to take because you avoid a lot of traffic...but, curves and hills better not be a problem for you. I wanted to show them the place that is called The Universal Overlook, because you can see all of Universal and City Walk and Burbank, beyond it. Of course it helps if it is a clear day, but it's still worth seeing even on a 'bad air' day, as yesterday and today was...very very bad.... And another shot, further west right on the road where the summer brush is looking dry and kind of dangerous in terms of fire hazard.... I took them to Laurel Canyon where Mulholland and Laurel Canyon intersects because I wanted to take them down to the Valley side towards Studio City where Betty lives. (You may remember that Wendy had called me to wish me Happy Birthday on 'The Day' and had spoken to Betty, too....)This is the crest of the hill and the dividing line between the city side and the valley...It is rare to see no cars at this intersection.We did go down Laurel Canyon and I drove them past Betty's house...unfortunately Betty is in rehearsals and could not be with us....I had hoped she might be able to join us for dinner, but she is soooo exhausted at the end of her rehearsal day that it was just not possible. (One forgets that she is 87 years old!)

I took them back up the hill a whole other way....there is an area of newer homes and all the streets are named beginning with Dona....so the area is often called 'The Dona's'....it is off of Laurel Canyon down near the bottom of the Studio City side....and it kind of cuts through and again, you avoid a lot of traffic by taking Dona Pegita....It is a very steep hill which takes you all the way up to Mulholland, once again. But you can't tell how really steep it is in this photograph....but believe me, it is long and s-t-e-e-p....And here is another picture showing how Mulholland winds around.... You see that gray line going across ther middle of the picture and going almost all the way acoss? Well that is the continuation of Mulholland which is the road I am on in this picture...there is a big curve and then the road continues....a very twisty road because it was built around the mountains....

Closer to Outpost Drive again there is this empty place where you can see the city. The first shot is a long shot.... And then zooming in a bit closer on Downtown Los Angeles.... Again, you can see all that black polution going across the horizon. They keep telling us the air is better than it used to be. I assure you, it is not. That black that is going across the horizon? It was once just tan. and then it became brown, and now, it is black! I think Wendy & Mark were kind of shocked to see this because where they live they don't have this kind of polution, at all.

By this time it was about 5:30p.m. or so.....I had wanted to take Wendy & Mark to Hollywood Forever. This is the famous cemetary right in the heart of Hollywood, surrounded on one side by the old RKO Studio--then Desilu--and Paramount Studio, that used to be called just The Hollywood Cemetary. It is a wonderful place filled with much great Hollywood History. It was in terrible dis-repair and was actually on the verge of bankrupcy when the people who own it now, bought it and renamed it Hollywood Forever. I first came here in 1961 with my dear friend Sammy. And I loved it. There are beautiful Palm Trees and other foliage, too. And this very beautiful lake with lots of ducks and egrets and all sorts of other birds...It was not in great shape even back in 1961, but still gave one the feeling of 'old Hollywood'. It is a place I always bring out-of-towners, if they are interested, because it is not a part of the Starline Tours....It took us quite a while to get their from Outpost because the traffic was horrific. And I wasn't sure it would still be open....and, it almost wasn't! The guard at the gate said he was closing at 6:30pm and it was now 6:15pm....well, it wasn't very much time, but, at least we had 15 minutes. I haven't been there since it became Hollywood Forever and it was wonderful to see how well cared for everything is and how green the grass is, too. Everything looked well taken care of which I was very happy to see.

Douglas Fairbanks Sr., and Junior are both buried here in a very beautiful strip of land that has a pool on it and it's own archway. It was really wonderful to see how beautifully cared for this is now. I had never seen the fountains working in all the years I have been visiting this cemetary. And here below is a closer look at the actual monument.On the other side of the road, Wendy noticed this monument. Here below is a closer picture of this particular monument... As you can probably read...it is Johnny Ramone of "The Ramones". Wendy took a picture of it from the car....(I did not take these pictures...I found them on the Net...) And as you can see from the first picture, the small lake or whatever you want to call it is right behind....there were lots and lots of birds there and I took this picture from the car of a few of these sweet birds... There are many many interesting people buried here. Rudolph Valentino, Marion Davies, Harry Cohn, (the head of Columbia Pictures), Tyrone Power, John Houstan, The DeMille Family, The Talmadge Sisters---Norma and Constance, etc., etc., etc....I think this is why it has such an old Hollywood feeling to it because it is filled with so very many early film stars from the 'Silent Picture' days to today.

We had to leave so quickly that I didn't get to show them a lot of the wonderful gravesites like Tyrone Power. But as we were driving back to the entry way, Mark saw a squirrel and got very excited because they don't have any squirrels in New Zealand, which btw I did not know....and then he saw another and both Wendy and Mark got very excited about that.

We went back to my house and there they both saw two deer down in my garden and crossing over to the hill on the right...I had said that I see deer all the time and so I was so pleased that they got to see a couple themselves.

We had some dinner and sat and talked some more and then I took them back to their hotel. It was quite a big full day for me and I was quite tired by 1o:30pm....But it was a very very special day and one that will stay with me for a long time. Here are another couple of pictures of Wendy & Mark....
And last but not least by any means....a sweet picture of Wendy and me, taken by Mark.... It was as if we had all known each other forever and were just catching up once again. The Internet and blogging in particular really gives one this feeling so that it didn't seem odd to be meeting Wendy, at all! And by extension, her dear husband Mark. I wish we had taken more pictures of us, but as I said, we just comletely forgot about our cameras we were talking so much and enjoying each others company so much...well, I speak for myself here(lol). We'll find out how Wendy felt when they return to New Zealand next Wednesday. But suffice it to say, I wish we had had more time together because there are many other places I was going to take them...well, next time. Right?

I will leave this post up for a few days....it's a long one and I hope and enjoyable one, too....I'm going to go and rest now....

More To Come.....

43 Comments:

Chatty had this to say:: Whew, I read the entire thing! LOL Sounds like you all had a wonderful visit! Excellent!; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 5:05:00 AM PDT
Chris had this to say:: Wow! How fun for all of you! And how funny that you pointed out that smog to them because when we were driving home yesterday, I pointed out that same black line of smog to my boys and told my youngest that this was one of the big contributors to his asthma. The air was not clear yesterday at all, but it looks like today might be a little bit better. There was no fog or clouds this morning. Finally!; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 7:45:00 AM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: hi naomi! how exciting it must have been to have met wendy at last! am pretty sure she and mark had a marvelous time at your house. and you were such a gracious hostess, taking them on a tour around the area. i can't wait to read all about their fabulous adventures at the emmy's! ;); Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 8:28:00 AM PDT
Mama Duck had this to say:: Oh, it looks like you had such fun!! Glad to see that you and Wendy are both doing well, I'm checking up on your blog to keep track of Wendy this week, hee hee.; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 8:44:00 AM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: You are a wonderful hostess! I am so glad you took them to Hollywood Forever. I was at the Rudolph Valentino tribute there Wednesday night. They showed "The Sheik" and an excellent new short "Valentino Daydreams". A number of old timers I knew are residents, so we toasted them loud and clear. It's a wonderful, happy place that celebrates the film community.
I hope this will be a lazy Sunday when you and Sweetie can cuddle on the couch.; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 8:44:00 AM PDT
srp had this to say:: What a wonderful day! And that little kiwi is just adorable. He fits right in with the hippo and needs a little nap with all that traveling.; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 9:07:00 AM PDT
Bobkat had this to say:: Hi, It sound slike you all had a wonderful time. As ever your post gave me a real feeling of being there with you so I almost felt like I have had a mini tour from my chair here in the UK!

Thanks for dropping by and wisjing me well. I am feeling much better thanks and am pretty much my old self again :-); Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 9:48:00 AM PDT
DesLily had this to say:: wonderful pictures for a wonderful visit!!
Wow you are right they really did fix up Hollywood Forever!! I was in there once "eons ago" and it wasn't as nice at those pictures but it still held many memories..

So glad you had a good visit, I wish for you that it could have been longer..

Don't forget to watch the Emmy's tonight! lol; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 10:42:00 AM PDT
Rain Trueax had this to say:: I am new to reading your blog; so don't really know all the relationships; but I much enjoyed the pictures you shared of your visit with what I am guessing is a blogging friend. How great. I have also met some from long distances and it's always very special. How nice of you to share the beautiful and informative photos with your readers.; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 11:17:00 AM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: Lovely pictures. It is really nice meeting other bloggers. It is so exciting just reading this entry. Wendy looks gorgeous actually! I hope I can visit you there someday when I will visit my family in California.; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 11:54:00 AM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: How nice to hear of two bloggers that I have known on the web actually meeting. It sounds like you had a great day.; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 12:49:00 PM PDT
Valerie had this to say:: Great pictures! I'm so glad you had a nice visit.; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 12:57:00 PM PDT
Jamie Dawn had this to say:: I really enjoyed all the photos and your commentary.
I MUST see that cemetery!! I've never ever heard of it before.
I love that you know some of the out-of-the way places that tours don't cover.
Be careful about giving too much info about exactly where you actually live. I worry about you! There are some nut cases on the internet. My hubby worries about me too, and I tell him that I never give specific info about where we live.
I going to ask my brother if he's heard about that cemetery.
I'm so glad Wendy and her hubby and you had such a wonderful afternoon and evening together. I'm sure meeting you was a highlight of their trip!!; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 1:16:00 PM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: Thank you for inviting us along on your tour. I visited Wendy's blog for the first time last night. I love the dress she is wearing, and I will be looking for her tonight.
Think she might give us a big wave?
HA HA Time to check on the snacks and make sure the wine is chilled.
Oh, I can hardly wait.; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 1:37:00 PM PDT
Jennifer had this to say:: awesome recap of your day! sounds so very interesting what all you did!
when she went to the echannel, did she say whether they are going to interview her or put her on the air tonight?; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 1:49:00 PM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: Oh, Naomi....I enjoyed ALL of this post SO much! I "almost" felt like I was right there with you guys, seeing everything.
How fortunate for Wendy to have her very own personal "tour guide." I bet she'll return home with some great, mega, memories.
And YES....I'm so jealous that she got to meet you. How wonderful for both of you...and Mark too.
Thanks for sharing all of this with us. Gosh, I sure wish I'd known you when I visited LA back in the mid-80's.....you know all the "out of the way" places.
I'm so glad you got to have this experience with Wendy.
BUT now.....go rest! You social butterfly, you....; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 2:12:00 PM PDT
Rachel had this to say:: Oh, how exciting to get to meet at last!! I'm glad it went well. Sure sounds like you had a dandy time. Too bad it couldn't have been longer. I enjoyed those pictures!! Great picture of you and Wendy together!; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 2:28:00 PM PDT
Jennifer had this to say:: thanks for your comments at my blog today! i tried to email you back but i couldn't. i edited my blog to add what PKD means!!!!; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 2:55:00 PM PDT
Melli had this to say:: WOW! You sure know how to tell a story lady! This is GREAT! Does sound like you guys all had a fabulous time together! I have been fortunate in getting to meet several on-line friends over the past 4-5 years and each time it has been like that - just feeling like WOW, we've known each other forever! That is soooo cool! I know you greatly enriched The Wings trip to LA -- and you've enriched MY blogging experience! I LOVE visiting LA via OOLOTH! Thanks so much!; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 3:15:00 PM PDT
MaR had this to say:: How wonderful! somehow I feel I was right there...what a treat for her to meet you and have that special tour and for you to meet the NZ guests!!! :)
feeling happy for you all and for me, because I get to read all about it! thanks for sharing !; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 3:50:00 PM PDT
Tanya Ruka had this to say:: Hi.. wow that was so great, we all got to go on a photographic tour with you guys! Its really fun seeing all the famous places in LA.
Tan
PS: Its so cute to see a kiwi sitting with his buddies on your piano.. Who says kiwis cant fly! :); Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 4:59:00 PM PDT
Lazy Daisy had this to say:: Had to dash over before the Emmy's to see how your meeting with Wendy went. I'm so glad it was a great success and you had instant bonding. Love the picture of the two of you together. Thanks for the tour, as usual you tell the best stories. Truly the world is a small place.; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 5:22:00 PM PDT
sonia a. mascaro had this to say:: Hi Naomi! I love this post, the beautiful photos and the great tour. Really this is a great reportage. Sounds that you, Wendy and Mark had a great and joyful time!
I love also your photo with Wendy! You both are very beautiful!
Thanks so much for sharing this promenade!; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 5:53:00 PM PDT
Jennifer had this to say:: wow, we have more in common... my mil also has chron's on top of her PKD... my best friend from high school also has chron's.... nasty little disease. sorry to hear about your friend's daughter....; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 6:51:00 PM PDT
kenju had this to say:: WOW - a great visit and lots of good photos. You make a good tour guide, Naomi. The last time I was there, the pollution looked coppery-colored on the horizon. It looked pretty from the plane then, but the black coloration of it now is rather off-putting. I am surprised that you can go out in it at all.; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 8:48:00 PM PDT
Tracie Nall had this to say:: Oh...your Kiwi is very cute.

It looks like you are having a great time with Wendy!; Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 10:22:00 PM PDT
Jennifer had this to say:: checkin back in to see if you've heard from her yet and if anyone saw her or not? i had to watch big brother from 8-9p so i was clicking back and forth between the 2... i also watched the preshow on both nbc and e! and didnt see her...

i was hoping she would have taken her cell phone and called you from the bathroom with an update!!!!!!; Monday, August 28, 2006 at 5:49:00 AM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: I had another dream about you last night, Naomi! There was a blog convention, but it was formal and more like a prom that many of us were attending. You came! And I was happy and asked about how you were feeling and how you could manage to be out and you said that you that your health issue was all cleared up! You looked great, but had very short hair, which I know you don't have, so it threw me. The rest of the dream was all about things getting thrwarted for me, my dress, my hair, the pressure of dressing formal. I think watching the Emmys last night must have prompted this dream!

Now I'm going to look for WENDY's link on your side bar to see if she's blogged about the Emmys yet.; Monday, August 28, 2006 at 7:11:00 AM PDT
JR had this to say:: Great pictures, I felt like I was there. I'm so glad you got to visit with Wendy & Mark. Glad they got to see squirrels too. I also didn't know they didn't have any in New Zealand. Curious. :-); Monday, August 28, 2006 at 7:14:00 AM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: hi naomi! just came by to say that i just finished watching the emmy's and boy, was it a good show. the highlight for me, though, was when the original cast of charlie's angels came out - wow! did that make my evening! ;); Monday, August 28, 2006 at 8:27:00 AM PDT
Fizzy had this to say:: Sounds like you have had a wonderful time with your friends.

I thought about you today as the BBC news was reporting on the Emmy awards. Apparently alot of Brits wond awards this year.

I love your photos and your lovely Kiwi; Monday, August 28, 2006 at 9:07:00 AM PDT
annie had this to say:: How fun! I loved the tour, also.; Monday, August 28, 2006 at 11:07:00 AM PDT
dan had this to say:: You always have the best photos.

I love the garden and statues. Finding little pieces of that stuff hidden away is one of the great adventures of life.; Monday, August 28, 2006 at 11:16:00 AM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: Post Emmy's....came here to check and see what you thought of the Emmy's last night, but nothing yet.
I thought they were "okay"...wasn't real happy with some of the wins, but very happy about Jon Stewart and the Daily Show getting two! Enjoyed seeing the gowns...but a question...was it ME, or was Farrah Fawcett acting beyond weird and strange????? She sure acted odd when she came out to do the memorial for Aaron Spelling.; Monday, August 28, 2006 at 3:18:00 PM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: How fun! Thanks for sharing your day with us. :) It is interesting how the internet makes meeting people that from far corners of the world seem not so strange doesn't it? LOVE the kiwi!; Monday, August 28, 2006 at 4:41:00 PM PDT
Malinda777 had this to say:: Nice post. I feel like I just got a free guided tour of some really neat things.

Can't wait to read about the Emmy experience :); Monday, August 28, 2006 at 4:58:00 PM PDT
YellowRose had this to say:: Just got home from vacation and had to see how your visit with Wendy went! Looks and sounds like it went wonderfully! Isn't it amazing how bloggers bond with each other, and when they meet it's like you have known each other for years! It's been that way for me meeting other bloggers! It's so fantastic!

So happy you were able to spend time with Wendy and her hubby!

I hope one day to meet you myself, my friend! ;); Monday, August 28, 2006 at 5:14:00 PM PDT
Girl About Town had this to say:: What a wonderful tour!! I really enjoyed seeing all the different places - and how exciting for you and your friend Wendy to finally meet each other! I didn't know that Tyrone Power was buried at Hollywood Forever - I will have to visit there one day - I am just 'discovering' Tyrone Power - what a magnificent actor he was!!

We get the pollution here in Melbourne too - and Sydney also (which is probably a bit worse than in Melbourne). It's quite scary when you see it sitting like a black strip across the city, realising that people are breathing it in!

Thanks for a great post! And fabulous pictures!!; Monday, August 28, 2006 at 6:14:00 PM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: I loved it, I loved it, I loved it. You are so exciting to read. I was reading aloud to my husband trying to sleep and he had to roll over to see your pictures. What a grand life you lead, such adventure always. And great pics of Wendy and her husband and you!
Her gift was perfect!
BTW...I thought of you last night watching the Emmys on and off.; Monday, August 28, 2006 at 7:38:00 PM PDT
FRIDAY'S CHILD had this to say:: Wow! I can't express how I felt after reading your post. It was great you met Wendy. I envy you. Wish I could meet also at least even one of my blogging friends. I know it's impossible but a wish is free so I'll just wish for it who knows it would come true.
I really am very sorry for not having to visit your site but since last Aug. 19 I was with my dying sister-in-law in the hospital and on the 20th, my daughter-in-law gave birth to my 2nd grandson by caesarian section. So by the 21st I was already torn between the dying and the living.
Anyway, I'm back again.; Monday, August 28, 2006 at 8:40:00 PM PDT
Angela had this to say:: I'm so happy to read that ya'll had a wonderful visit. Now I want to come live with you. Will you adopt me please?. :-).; Monday, August 28, 2006 at 8:51:00 PM PDT
JR's Thumbprints had this to say:: I enjoyed taking this tour on your blog and I hope your friends had a pleasant stay.; Monday, August 28, 2006 at 10:42:00 PM PDT
Shephard had this to say:: That was a thoroughly enjoyable read!
Can you believe I've been here 3 years, and still haven't been to Hollywood Forever. We keep meaning to go there for one of the movie nights. :)

It was fun to see you giving them a tour of the area. We drive on Mullholland a lot (short cut to Reprise at the Freud/UCLA... which, btw, we have tickets to see Betty soon), and we have a friend on Laurel. :)
Fun post, Naomi!
~S; Tuesday, August 29, 2006 at 9:55:00 AM PDT