Los Angeles sunset from Romaine Street

Devin and I spent quite a bit of time trying to get the perfect picture of the sunset view from their apartment. Of course this pix doesn't even come close to capturing the scene as it really appears from Devin and Dylan's balcony. It is a breathtaking nightscape that I always make a point to admire while I am visiting. This year's Yuletide was the best ever! We enjoyed family activities, shopping, dining, and some of LA's  fun spots like Madame Tussauds and LA Live. 

Since Devin blogged about each day, I will keep mine brief, but we were so sad the visit and holiday had to end, but we are already making plans for the Hendershott Reunion in June 2012!

Sweeping view

The view

The Kaufman Center of Performing Arts

For my 60th birthday, my daughter took me to the new Kaufman Center to see the 39th annual presentation of "The Nutcracker." I am embarrassed to say it was my first experience at the ballet. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed it so much. Nutcracker is a simple holiday story but the costuming and the ballet is very much "the real deal." I have heard that there isn't a bad seat in the center and while I can't really say, we did have excellent seats in the third tier. 

I had a wonderful afternoon as we arrived early enough for some shopping and browsing at the Webster House, very nearby, and time for a frosted sugar cookie and hot tea before the performance. 

Thank you to my wonderful daughter and friend for a fabulous birthday outing!

Royal aka "Houdini"

Royal had very delicate surgery at the Kansas State Veterinary Hospital in November, which demanded a lengthy recovery and special care to keep him from becoming "excited." Thus, the "Cone of Shame" which we all became much too familiar with in the following weeks. Royal was supposed to wear the cone night and day for 14 days. Sounds easy, right? Not if your dog is an escape artist like Royal. 

Our problems began when we left Royal the first day back to work from the Thanksgiving break. We rushed home to find that Royal had shed his cone and licked himself into a bloody frenzy on our bed. I immediately called the vet and had to take him in and have the stitches checked. Turns out, the most damage was to our bedding. Royal's punishment...another week in the cone!

So began our battle of wills! Royal vs. Glen, Rhonda and the Cone. 

In our quest to win the battle of wills, we talked to our vet, learned many ways of securing the cone on our dog so he couldn't escape and finally came up with a great plan after other foiled attempts, gaining Royal more "cone time."

 Dr. Wegele suggested we leave Royal in his harness which fits over his head and under his armpits, thread his collar through the cone and affix the harness to the collar. Worked great for two days! Day three I arrive home to a naked doggy and the cone, collar and harness just as you see it in the picture. 

And the winner is...Royal!!