Above Hollywood

He didn't want a birthday party this year, that boy of mine.

"After all, I'm turning eleven, Mom," he said."What I'd like to do is go on a hike with you and dad. All the way to the top of that range we're always pointing at."

My husband and I exchanged glances.

Really? A hike?

Instead of a birthday party?
Was he feverish?

Or is this how childhood ends, with a casual sentence on a morning like any other, with no advance notice, no bang and no whimper?

* * * * *

So hike we did.

And glad we were.

Because every step... 

(The Hollywood Hills, December 9th, 2012. All photos by LBG.)

...was an adventure...

...and every vista was indescribably beautiful. 

(Looking west to Griffith Park Observatory.)

City life seemed very far away. Up here, there was no holiday madness. No 21st century buzz. Just stillness. And light. And air.

And gratitude.

(Mount Hollywood marker, 1519 feet elevation.)

On the way down, Luca forged his own trail. 

He led us into a dense grove of cedar trees on the edge of a steep promontory. Locals call it "The Secret Garden of Griffith Park." It's the kind of place where even the sun needs a special invitation to enter.

And there, in a little clearing, we stumbled upon this. 

Have a great week.

x/Lisa