Page Museum

The Page Museum near the heart of downtown Los Angeles is next door to, or straddles, the La Brea Tar Pits the location of myriad fossils mostly from about 40,000 years ago. We are all going there this aftenoon, provided everyone gets dressed before dark. I've been there quite a few times, but the other family members have not.

The location still features upwelling crude oil, the 'tar' that caught so many animals and birds who came there to drink water, and got stuck in the tar. Not only tar wells up, but flammable gas. Some years ago the sidewalks of the area, near Farmer's Market and several main thoroughfares, literally caught fire. The sidewalk near WGA (Writer's Guild of America) caught fire. (Might have been Satan with temptations to hand out with promises of riches and illicit joys.) For some years I lived about five blocks from the fires in a building atop the oil fields below. My landlady told me she received every year a check for $95 her share of the oil extracted, or about to be extracted: something like that. She was a dress designer who had elaborate work rooms on the top floor of her two storey home. 

Apparently, according to a film shown visitors at the museum, California 40,000 years ago featured many very large animals long since extinct, as well as smaller sabre tooth tigers. Bones from all of these creatures have been reassembled and mounted for us to view. It's a treat! Kids especially really dig it.

Kids of course still have intact vivid imaginations and the gift of wonder and appreciation.

When and if we come back alive I might post a recounting of the experience. Oh, and I haven't written anything yet about our visit to Long Beach, The Aquarium of the Pacific: live seals, otters, sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, etcetera.

Barry