My brother came to town last month. We took him to the park. The only reason we call him a nerd is that he’s an avian ecologist. Bird nerd.

We’re just jealous.

Allison had to stay behind with Stella. Rats!! But she (Stella, that is) doesn’t fly coach.

Went out to eat at Miyako’s.

M likes the cooked shrimp sushi. My own struggles with organization make me admire her precise shrimp stacking.

Biking home from Miyako's.

One morning we took Andrew to Clover Park.

Beer love!

I think Bea is looking forward to playing soccer with the big kids.

The girls suckered A into the TOWER. I’d like to know who installed this urine-soaked deathtrap in a children’s playground? Who?? Why??

Gratuitous tub shot.

We grilled out at home Saturday night. So nice not to have to clean up & rush off somewhere all the while trying to beat the nighttime rush.

Next morning we went for a hike at Sullivan Canyon. It was already pretty hot but the Canyon is shaded.

Bea in her hiking dress.

Someone put up a fun rope swing in there!

Weeeeeeeeeee-eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Mountain lion bait.

We were really hot & tired so we got us some Jamba juice & headed home.

Pup seatbelt

During Bea’s nap, Andrew & M read the books he brought them: “A Light in the Attic” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends.”

On the way to LAX we took Andrew to one of his favorite restaurants – Killer Shrimp. It used to be a really small/alternative place on Washington Blvd. There was one in Studio City too. It only had one dish: Cajun style shrimp. You could get it unpeeled (best!), or peeled over white rice (hypo-glycemic nightmare), or over angel hair pasta (ditto). It’s served in a spicy broth with a colander of doughy white bread, perfect for soaking up the broth. Anyway, that’s how it WAS. It closed for a few years but it’s back! Now it’s more of a large family-friendly place with a full menu. It’s not vegetarian friendly in any way though. Still, I enjoyed the grilled caesar salad (which I make better at home) and a glass of chardonnay. Nice!

Whew – I didn’t mean to do a mini restaurant review there. But since I’ve gone this far: Killer Shrimp is family friendly with a bar, an aquarium of exotic fish, indoor & outdoor seating on the marina, and TV screens to watch sports (Great!) (Not.) The kid’s meals need some tweaking. They have a mac N cheese for kids but it’s HUGE and has real cheese in it v. American cheese. My kids really didn’t like it and it also tasted like they used a lot of flour. They also have sliders though and those worked out fine. They need to work on the portion sizes and offer something besides fries for the kids though.

At first the kids were well-behaved. And by kids, I include M’s doll.

But Bea started getting restless.

Time to go!

We miss Andrew & Allison!! We can’t wait to see them again & meet their new pup, Stella.

Stellaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!