"Life is lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back through the valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale.” Jill Savage

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Olvera Street - China Town - Santa Monica Pier - Griffith Observatory

Welcome to Olvera Street, Los Angeles, CA Olvera Street is the birthplace of the City of Los Angeles, otherwise known as El Pueblo Historic Monument.


Our Lady of Guadalupe.


Gee they have these eggs that hold confetti - of course the GS got some. And he was going to spread it on me. I thought he saw every one breaking them BEFORE they put it on them, but he didn't. He used my head as an egg cracker! OUCH!



CHINA TOWN:





SANTA MONICA PIER: A little over cast that day, but nice and cool. We walked the pier.

I don't know what the group of us was looking at!



A man was fishing and had found a crab and had the GS hold it. Of course - first a little lesson on how to hold one and not get bit.



Going to Griffith Observatory - each letter is 50 feet high.



They had all sorts of displays.



Here we are resting, my sister and her sweet husband.



"There is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is." ~ Ernest Hemingway



Happy Birthday to Ernest Hemingway - wikipedia

What is amazing is this - he lived one of the fullest lives I've seen in my readings, yet . . . he committed suicide.

In the spring of 1961, three months after his initial treatment at the Mayo clinic where he received a series of ECT treatment, Hemingway attempted suicide in his Sun Valley home. His wife Mary convinced the local physician, Dr. Saviers, to hospitalize Hemingway at Sun Valley hospital and from there he returned to the Mayo clinic where he was "given ten more shock treatments."

On the morning of July 2, 1961, two days after having been released from the Mayo clinic, Hemingway unlocked the gun cabinet, went to the front entrance of their Sun Valley house, and "pushed two shells into the twelve-gauge Boss shotgun (made in England and bought at Abercrombie and Fitch), put the end of the barrel into his mouth, pulled the trigger and blew out his brains."

Dr. Scott Earle arrived at 7:40 a.m, having been summoned to the house, and he certified the death. At request of the family, the coroner did not do an autopsy.

Other members of Hemingway's immediate family also committed suicide, including his father, Clarence Hemingway, his siblings Ursula and Leicester, and his granddaughter Margaux Hemingway. Some believe that certain members of Hemingway's paternal line had a hereditary disease known as haemochromatosis (bronze diabetes), in which an excess of iron concentration in the blood causes damage to the pancreas and also causes depression or instability in the cerebrum.

Hemingway's father is known to have developed haemochromatosis in the years prior to his suicide at age fifty-nine. Throughout his life, Hemingway had been a heavy drinker, succumbing to alcoholism in his later years.

Hemingway possibly suffered from manic depression, and was subsequently treated with electroshock therapy at the Mayo Clinic. He later blamed his memory loss, which he cited as a reason for not wanting to live, upon the ECT sessions.

Hemingway is interred in the town cemetery in Ketchum, Idaho, at the north end of town. A memorial was erected in 1966 at another location, overlooking Trail Creek, north of Ketchum. It is inscribed with a eulogy he wrote for a friend, Gene Van Guilder:

Best of all he loved the fall
The leaves yellow on the cottonwoods
Leaves floating on the trout streams
And above the hills
The high blue windless skies
Now he will be a part of them forever

13 comments:

The Quintessential Magpie said...

I love seeing your pictures, Sandie. That had to be the trip of a lifetime. You did SO much!

I loved seeing Hemmingway's house in Key West, and he had a urinal that he brought home one night (from who knows where) that he used as a drinking bowl for his 99 cats. He had lots and lots of cats. They were still all over the place. What a shame he killed himself. Such talent wasted. One of his wives lived close to where I used to live, and it's on the same street as Daisy Cottage. So now you know the rest of the story as Paul Harvey says. ;-)

XO,

Sheila :-)

Deb said...

Aren't you glad we have photos re remember such fun times? Did you ride the giant ferris wheel at the Santa Monica pier?

Jennifer said...

Hi Sandie - believe it or not where my family lives there is a very nice boardwalk - we go after the beach and sometimes at night - it's Seaside Heights. They'll never be like when we were kids...people have changed - I can't believ what they print on T-shirts, but the food is yummy, the rides are fun and the lights, the carosel - it's still an exciting time. Jennifer jennsthreegraces missed you!

Jane said...

Looks like loads of fun in LA. Hemingway is one of my favorites - no doubt, alcoholism contributed to his memory loss and general debiliation. Still, a great writer. Have you read The Sun Also Rises and A Moveable Feast?

Jane

Susan said...

Hi Sandie...

Loved the photos. I'd like to see that street in LA. Your sister's husband is Hispanic, right? He'd be a great guide there.

Wow, I was so sad to read of Hemmingway's demise. Didn't know so many people in his family commited suicide. That's pretty tragic.

Take care, Sandie. Thanks for a great post! Susan

Doris Sturm said...

Looking at pictures from California, still makes me homesick! California was my second home for 33 years - I lived there longer than in Germany where I was born, and I traveld California from top to bottom. I have very wonderful memories from there, plus my one and only daughter lives there too. I am planning a trip to see her for Christmas this year - YEAH :-)

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Sandie I love seeing the photos of your sister, husband and the twins. So many of those places I have been as I grew up in Greater Los Angles! Wonderful trip you had! I always enjoy your photos and GS looks like he had a great time. Hemmingway was tragic but sometimes great genius is!

Marjorie (Molly) Smith said...

looks like you all had such a great time. Enjoy them while you can they grow so fast and one day you will look back on the pictures and smile.
We have been having a little trouble with Rissa this week of course my being sick with a bladder infection isn't helping none.
Molly

^..^Corgidogmama said...

My ex has that condition and must get blood drawn often to lower his iron level. Runs in the males of families, and my son is periodically checked. He cannot take vitamins.
Good post and fantastic pics of your trip. Wow!

Angela said...

Wow! It looks like you guys seen a lot of places while you were in California! Great pictures! My sister brought some of those eggs to our house for Easter. The kids loved breaking them.

What a wild story about Hemmingway! Who knew? I didn't know there was a condition like that at all.

Hugs,
Angela

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Great trip pictures again! You really saw it all.

Interestsing bio of a favorite author.

Mevely317 said...

Hiiii Sandie!
I've so enjoyed catching up ... yours is such a beautiful family!
My own "gals" have moved on - now it's back to the Real World. :(

Have a sweet evening,
Myra

Rose said...

your photos will always be a specil item to look back at when time moves forward have a good day