Strolling

We dragged the boys away from their Wiis and DSs and PCs and TVs for the day, to go to a place called Solstice Canyon Park, in Malibu.  It's a National Park, so you can take dogs (not a State Park, where you can't). Oma and Michael came too.



It's not obvious, but this hollow tree had a bee nest (or whatever it's called that bees live in that isn't a hive).



There are two abandoned houses. The first was one of the first houses built in Malibu, and it burned down. Sadly, it was fenced off, so we couldn't get to it (although Dan still tried)



The second house was built in 1952, by Frederick Roberts, who (amongst other claims to fame) was the first Black member of the California State Assembly. He was killed in a car accident before he moved in, and the house burned down in 1982. Given that it's relatively recent, there is surprisingly little of it left.


One imagines this was the kitchen.



And this might have been the living room.



There's a waterfall there (the house was constructed so that the water would stop it burning, but after the house was abandoned the water systems weren't repaired), and it looks like there was some sort of tiled patio here.


The waterfall wasn't super-impressive, but given that it last rained about 3 months ago, I was a little surprised it was doing anything.



There had been a fire in the canyon about 3 years ago, and there were still burnt, dead trees around the place.





But purty flowers too.



The area used to be used for cattle (despite the fact that it looks completely unsuitable) and I imagine that this dead windmill was something to do with that.



You can also see a bizarre cantilevered house, that's sometimes called the Darth Vader House.