A great dinner at El Cholos last night  (mmmmm...green corn tamales....yum!) meant that we didn't wake with those awful feelings of early morning starvation, being some 8 hours behind UK time.  It was no problem being up and ready to roll bright and early though - we'd agreed to drive over to Mary's for 9am and since it can take us an hour or so, depending on the traffic, we started our day bright eyed and bushy tailed and left our hotel at 7.

 

 

We stopped for breakfast at Canters, an LA institution - in the company of several members of the LAPD who clearly enjoy the same kind of breakfast as Mark.  corned beef hash with eggs sunny side up.

 

 

Looking at their waistlines, it could be that they enjoy it rather more frequently than he does, however!

 

 

 A hearty breakfast was quite in order for Mark, who was going to enjoy a day in the company of women.  No ordinary women either, but four lively and ebullient friends all of whom work in community education.  Elizabeth  had offered to take us on a tour of the LA Public Library where she works as a volunteer docent and Diana (last seen at St Pancras Station, enjoying champagne and afternoon tea last Christmas) decided to join us.  Of course, Mark copes well in such great company and the five of us had a great time looking around this fantastic building.

 

 

There was plenty to see - both old

 

 

and new.

 

 

You don't imagine we were short on opinions about the art in the building do you?

 

 

But we were all in agreement about one less spectacular art installation.  When the card index was replaced with a digital database, there was the question of what to do with all those small index cards.

 

 

The answer was the line the lift - and the liftshaft - with them. 

 

 

 Not only that, but every card begins with "Complete" or "Comprehensive", summing up the library so elegantly.  Clever, eh?