J .Paul Getty Museum- December 14

We got a reprieve from the rain yesterday. It was a bit cool,but with the sun out that did not matter. After church John and I,also our son Mike headed for the Getty Museum. This is something not to miss if you come to Los Angeles. The only expense is a parking fee, and if you come with a carload of people that expense gets even smaller! After we had parked and were waiting for a tram to pick us up, I took a few minutes to look at at a sculpture garden nearby. I have pictured here the "Bronze Form" found in this garden. Also from this garden I could look up at the Santa Monica mountains- what a beautiful setting for this garden! One feature of this garden is that it provides a "green roof" for the parking garage below- reducing heat on its surface and within the building itself. The Getty is committed to being a leader in reducing energy consumption. I have also pictured here a flowering maze of 400 azalea plants set at the bottom of the Central Garden,in a reflecting pool. In the background water flows over a stepped stone wall. This central garden area is the creation of the artist Robert Irwin who has called it "a sculpture in the form of a garden aspiring to be art". There are four pavilions,each having three floors, which house the Getty art collections. Unfortunately we were only able to cover only a couple of them. In the small amount of time we had, we saw all forms of art through the centuries. One exhibit had the drawings of Rembrandt, as well as those of his students. We saw the paintings of impressionism as well as photography of the twentieth century. I also enjoyed seeing the furniture,chandeliers and tapestry of grand Parisian homes of the 1700s. From the top floor of one of the Getty buildings we could look out over the Los Angeles valley- another picture which I have posted here. We headed out from there at dusk on Mulholland Drive to view the homes in Beverly Hills before it got dark. That was an enjoyable scenic drive!