Just a few pics of downtown Newport.

Most memorable were the barking sea lions putting on a show worthy of La Scala.

Ripley's Believe It Or Not! More of that later.

And the magnificent Yaquina Bay Bridge, a metal green arch bridge spanning Yaquina Bay. It is possibly the most recognizable of the iconic McCullough Bridges on the US101 Highway on the coast of Oregon. 

The best part of the day was when we stopped for photos at a beautiful overlook. Totally unexpectedly and literally out of the blue, a humpback whale leaped out of the ocean in a full breach, making the most enormous splash as it broadsided the water in a loud smackdown. We then watched it move steadily northwards, it's fluked tail waving at us, misty sprays of breath snorting from its blowhole like steam from a kettle, and the delightful humping over of the giant leviathan as it dipped and rose in rhythmic waves as it leisurely moved away from us.

This is not my video, but it illustrates the big splash of a breaching humpback!

Our visit to Santa Cruz serendipitously coincided with the Monterey Car Show, about 40 minutes south of our campsite. 

Henry googled the hotspots for the show, honed in on the Porsche exhibit, and off we went excitedly spotting Ferraris, Lambos and McClarens screaming past us on the pacific Coast Highway. I am not a huge car fan like Henry, but I do appreciate beautiful things. Those Porsches were timeless beauties; chic, classy, perfectly formed and meticulously maintained. 

We stopped at Moss Landing on the way home for yet more clam chowder in yet another sourdough bread bowl after getting stuck in some crazy traffic and nearly reversing into a Ferrari!

What a fantastic day out!

Everything about The Broad in Los Angeles is contemporary, edgy and disruptive. On purpose.

First of all, the name of the museum caused me immediate confusion. It is pronounced BRODE to rhyme with rode, and not as I expected which was BROAD to rhyme with Ford, as in something wide. Opened in 2015, the museum was named after philanthropist Eli Broad, who definitively pronounced his name BRODE. And so it is.

In a white honeycomb-style building, the museum houses the very best in contemporary, post 1970 art. 

​The touring exhibition at the museum was Keith Haring; Art is For Everybody and we delighted in his colorful, dynamic, NYC graffiti style of painting that reminded me of dancing Rowntrees Jelly Babies. I personally enjoyed the pieces with bold hearts symbolizing inclusion, acceptance, love and compassion, but I also enjoyed watching the discomfiture of some visitors who were not expecting the vivacious and explicit images of penises, homosexuality, AIDS awareness and a clear opinion that was relentlessly anti-patriarchy. 

I was thrilled to see "Stare," a piece by Jenny Saville, a British artist I have admired for years and follow avidly on Instagram. It was exceptional. Her provocative work has found the perfect home at The Broad. At auction, her groundbreaking fleshy and voluptuous self portrait in rich oils called "Propped" sold at Sotheby's for $12.4 million making her the world's most expensive female living artist at auction. Check it out here. Ahhhhhmazing!

Henry and Kim enjoyed the Jeff Koons' balloon exhibits, especially the "Balloon Dog (Blue)." The "Tulips" in bright Jolly Rancher colors was spectacular. Playing with color, size and scale, the bright and shiny sculptures in mirror-polished stainless steel with a transparent color coating are so much fun and deservingly Insta-popular.

We saw plenty of Warhol, Lichtenstein, Wool, an oversized table and chairs installation by Robert Therrien called "Under the Table,"  a deceptively brilliant Jasper Johns American Flag and the creative wizardry of Jean-Michel Basquiat, a fave of Jay-Z.

The hype for this museum is deserved. I loved all the exhibiting artist's "disgruntled pelicans" defiance, creativity and disruptive vibe.  

Barbie has been a lightning rod all summer for conversations about gender roles in society. These are challenging conversations worth having, right? 

​Anything directed by Greta Gerwig is a big deal. She chooses her projects with passion and intention, featuring fascinating, often quirky, always complex, female lead characters. I find her work to be extraordinary. 

Margot Robbie is simply perfect in the role of Barbie and such a far cry from her performance in "I, Tonya" that you cannot help but admire her range as an actress. Like Greta Gerwig, she is another smart cookie who chooses her projects with intention. 

Barbie is a blockbuster bombshell and I loved it! 

The movie is so much fun!

The scene where Barbie steps out of her high heel shoes and her foot maintains that Barbie Doll shape is so clever and well executed. Barbie watching Colin Firth as Darcy in Pride and Prejudice as a a legitimate way to ease anxiety made me snort, as I too watch that particular version of P&P to self comfort. It's a classic. That fabulous monologue by America Ferrera as Gloria explaining the impossible expectations of society that women not only have to bear,  but smile with gratitude while bearing them, gave me goosebumps. Hearing Barbie and Ken singing along to Closer to Fine was so funny. And we can all relate to Weird Barbie, right? Except for being able to do the splits. Ha!

The role reversal had me cheering to see women in the traditional male roles from Mount Rushmore to the Supreme Court to The White House (or The Pink House in this case!) but then I was terribly sad to see Ken reduced to a decorative object, seen as foolish, useless, unimportant, irrelevant and without his emotional needs being considered or met, and then I thought, hey, Ken represents us women in society! This movie makes you think about gender, roles and society as we have set it up, with men largely taking the power and control and women being deliberately subverted. This is not an opinion about the movie, this is a fact about society. 

There are so many clever scenes that are riotously funny in the moment, but by the end of the movie those moments add up to a stinging satire of society. Barbie has a kick, a bite and will scratch at your eyes.  

Greta Gerwig said about the movie, "It’s a spicy margarita. There’s like a lot packed into it...I always wanted it to surprise people. I wanted it to make people laugh, but then I also wanted it to kind of almost unexpectedly make people think and cry."

It's a movie that makes you think and have those challenging conversations about gender politics.

​After watching the movie, I don't crave a Malibu Dream House, a pink Corvette convertible, an iconic pretty-in-pink wardrobe with to-die-for accessories, or a Mojo Dojo Casa House, or even a Ken, I simply crave equality. 

I may have to watch it a few more times.

💖💖💖

Wherever we go, we have to check out the local art scene. Downtown Palm Springs did not disappoint.

We started at the Palm Springs Art Museum and lazily wandered around, thankful for the air conditioning as it was still beating hot outside. It did not take me long to find some Wayne Thiebaud delicious goodies and it was all I could do to stop myself licking the canvases. So yummy! There was British representation with some Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth sculptures, lotsa poppy and dotty Roy Liechtenstein's, a lovely Andy Warhol pink cow and I even found an Edward E. Curtis print in the Southwest Art Collection, all laid out beautifully. I adore museum shops and spent some time mooching about but as we are now living in the trailer with very limited space, I have promised myself not to buy any small souvenirs. Nowhere to put them! 

Outside the museum we headed towards the downtown area.

We immediately fell in love with the towering "Forever Marilyn" sculpture by Seward Johnson. All 26 feet of her unabashedly looms up in the pose made famous in the movie "The Seven Year Itch" where she stands over a subway grate in New York City while her halter neck white dress billows up as she tries to push it down. Apparently Joe DiMaggio was fuming with Billy Wilder over the number of takes it took, the fun Marilyn was having with the film crew and the eager crowd that amassed to watch the spectacle. Though the sculpture is somewhat controversial, as it shows her knickers at the back as her dress flies up so that it almost looks as if she is mooning the art museum to her rear, it is such an iconic movie moment that you can't help smiling. One of my all time favorite movies is "Some Like It Hot," another Billy Wilder movie. I am a huge Marilyn fan so this sculpture made me happy.

After some tasty light bites at the Tommy Bahama Bar we found a few other cool urban art pieces.

When visiting California, you have to eat, at least once, at In N Out Burger. 

Henry's first job when he was in High School was at In N Out Burger where he worked part time for two years. He wore the cute paper hat, black trousers with a short red apron pinned at the back with what looked to me like a giant kilt pin.  It was the best of times it was the worst of times.

After finishing High School, Henry declared, "I'll never work in fast food again."

The lure of the famous and delicious burgers still draw him in though, and he in turn, draws us in too. Henry knows all the alternative menu choices which is kinda cool. He recommended the jungle fries so we went with that!

​In N Out Burger is an integral part of the burger culture in America and its only found in a few states. It's the food of choice for the glamorous attendees of the Oscars in Los Angeles. After long hours posing on the red carpet and then watching the ceremony unfold, they end the night at In N Out burger, breaking their diets with glee. 

The signs are usually very tall and can be seen from any nearby road or highway to lure passing travelers. I particularly love the signage because it has the flavor of Googie architecture most commonly seen on Route 66 with hints towards the futuristic space and atomic ages of the 60's; stars, flying saucers, boomerangs, rocket-shaped parabolas, atoms and of course, arrows. 

It's uniquely and iconic California.

The Oscar goes to...