Abu celebrated his 3rd birthday in style in the Santa Monica Mountains of Topanga! He’s come a long way from his earliest days in China and Tibet, where he spent his boyhood hiking the Himalayas!
After accompanying me to my dentist appt in Encino with my Persian dentist from Kerman (so fun to speak Persian!, we headed to Abu’s birthday brunch Cafe on 27 (https://www.cafe-27.com) in Topanga Canyon.
Abu loves eating out in nature, so he was in heaven. I started to come to live with a yummy Moroccan Mocha (espresso, cocao, cardamom, cinnamon, and turmeric).
When I saw a tahdig waffle on the menu, I had to ask the waitress if the owner of the restaurant is Persian — and indeed, he is! Brunch was out of this world — can’t wait to go back! Especially before it slides into the canyon, omg!
We usually don’t leave the beach, so we were in heaven in the mountains and felt like we were on vacation. After brunch, we went for a hike in Topanga, to recreate Abu’s boyhood adventures of hiking of the Himalayas in Tibet.
We also went and played on the stage of the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum to inspire me to finish my latest play (which just premiered in war-torn Myanmar).
A related US history lesson: “In the 1950s, Geer was blacklisted for refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. He had to sell his large Santa Monica home and move his family to a small plot in the canyon. Geer’s friend Woody Guthrie had a small shack on the property. They unintentionally founded what became an artists’ colony…Will Geer combined his acting and botanical careers at the Theatricum, by making sure that every plant mentioned in Shakespeare was grown there.”
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatricum_Botanicum]
Abu and I recited some monologues on the stage to get the feel for the place — grateful the groundskeeper let us explore this gorgeous outdoor theatre!
Then we headed to Calabasas for a stroll and window shopping as we had never been up that way.
We ended our birthday adventure with a cheese plate at Blue Table in Agoura HIlls — the perfect day! So very grateful to have Abu as my guru and life coach! ; ) The little guy really knows how to live! ; )
