Santa Catalina

wearing a goofy grin in a wooden phone booth.

Wrigley Memorial, built in the 1930s

 Old Man cactus

the birthday boy and his cacti crew

Even though I’m a California native, I had never before been to Catalina, an island only twenty-six miles across the sea, so when Pete suggested the destination for his birthday, I easily got on board. We brought our bikes along, and though there are not too many bicycle routes, we rode uphill to the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Gardens, where we beheld a ton of cool cacti, most notably the Old Man Cactus. The Wrigley Memorial, which oversees the gardens, is constructed from materials found or made on the island, including the blue flagstone rocks found in the stairs, and the colorful intricate tiles made in the Catalina Pottery plant, which was in operation from 1927-1937. This was probably the most beautiful and least expensive part of our short trip.

Being a popular tourist destination, most activities on Catalina can be pretty expensive, which I somewhat expected. We really wanted to do a tour of the Catalina Casino, which houses the art deco Avalon Theatre and upstairs ballroom, but didn’t want to pay the nearly $40 each for a ticket. Instead, we paid $11 each to hear an hour-long performance of the old fashioned pipe organ, viewed from velvet seats in the back of the Avalon theater, where Pete and I discussed and admired the astonishing murals by John Gabriel Beckman.

I always have a swell time with Pete so I dare not complain, but I do think that Catalina is a little too touristy and much to expensive for my taste.

In other news, SUMMER IS HERE. I hung out at the pool with my niece and nephew for 5 hours yesterday. I’m quickly morphing into summer’s child, a giddy idealist sprite, who loathes the 9-5 work day and longs only for outdoor adventures. Hope ya'll are feeling fine!

Outfit: vintage tapestry coat (Long Beach Veteran's Flea Market), vintage wool green shorts, (thrifted), lavender loafers (Cole Haan), socks (Asos).