It was not really her birthday. That event happened last month. It wasn’t even really her present. It was my present to her, but also very much to me.

When i came back from my Vanderbilt-Los Angeles baseball excursion in early March. i told her of my idea. i had been overwhelmed with the Harald Szeeman exhibit “Museum of Passions” on one of Alan Hicks, Cy Fraser, and my side trips on the baseball exhibit. It was my fourth trip to Getty Center. i also had recognized i could never get enough of the Getty. And neither of us had been to the Getty Villa, reputed to have an rather amazing collection of art from the antiquities.

So i said, “Let’s go to Los Angeles for a few days and just see museums.” Now if you know Maureen, you already know this was a done deal. See planned it to perfection (as usual) and even added an evening dinner and stay-over with our cousin Tim and Melinda Cook.

Well, the whole thing turned out splendidly. We hit the Huntington Library, the Getty Center, and the Getty Villa.

The evening with Tim and Melinda was reconnection on the high side with promises for more.

Maureen was moved by the Szeeman exhibit.

The Huntington is such a vast array of architecture, gardens, history and art, we walked for seemingly days in wonder.

The Getty Center continues to say some back, appreciate, and learn more.

The Getty Villa takes me back to the emotions i feel when trying to channel the days of the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans.

Our stay in Santa Monica was in a wonderful rework of a craftsman home as VRBO guests of Paul and Amanda, superb hosts and members of the jazz rock soul group, The Strands (Paul and Amanda, please excuse me if i mislabeled the genre a little bit: we have enjoyed your CD’s.

Maureen planned our dinner outing at Tar and Roses. It was so good, we went back the second night.

The experience was everything we hoped. It was so good, i did not wish to record it via photos because i did not wish to detract from the enjoyment: i wanted to enjoy it, not record it, and we did.

Of course, there was Los Angeles traffic. We got home midday, and as Sister Lila (Kim Novak) told Zero Mostel’s character in “The Great Bank Robbery,” my ass was dragging. Hence, the late post on the trip.

There is more, but i think Maureen had a great birthday and that was what this was all about.