Saturday, July 03, 2010

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.

Solstice Canyon Loop

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).

Solstice Canyon Loop

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)

Solstice Canyon Loop

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.
Solstice Canyon Loop

One imagines this was the kitchen.

Solstice Canyon Loop

And this might have been the living room.

Solstice Canyon Loop

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.

Solstice Canyon Loop
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.

Solstice Canyon Loop

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

Solstice Canyon Loop


Solstice Canyon Loop
But purty flowers too.

Solstice Canyon Loop

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.

Solstice Canyon Loop

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

Darth Vader House