Riding up the hill on the silent electric train I am hit with the thought that this is going to be a good day. We step out onto the platform and the Getty looms before us in all it's majesty. I love this place and was thrilled to be sharing it with my Little Sister. I was not disappointed in her reaction, actually, quite the opposite. Exclamations of glee, awe and "cool!" were just the beginning of the day. We literally bounced around the Getty exploring the fossils in the building facade stone, listening to flute music and marvelling at the outdoor sculptures.
As I walk down the ramp towards the Getty garden my senses are awakened. I breathe in the pungent smell of damp turned earth and the delicate aroma of flowers. My eyes sparkle as they bounce around taking in all the color and architectural lines built into the garden. My ears perk up as they hear the running of the waterfall, the bubbling of the brook and the chirp of the baby birds. My Little Sister and I look for birds nests and she asks what each plant is. I was surprised at how much I remember. We reluctantly left the garden and moved to the paintings. I showed her Van Gogh and Monet, my favorite painting and my mom's favorite painting. She picked hers. We talk about art and how subjective it is but both agree that the California Video exhibit is not really art. Dena would be appalled that I called something "not art". There was one video of a guy hurting himself in an all white room and the "art" was the markings on the walls where he hit his helmeted head and where the blood spattered. This is just stupidity, not art.
Since I picked my little sister up this morning we've enjoyed an easy flowing conversation as if between two sisters, one older and one younger. This is what I envisioned when I joined the program. My day got even better as we sat eating our lunch and I asked the usual adult question, "how is school going?" I was surprised to hear that her algebra grade jumped from a B to an A+ and she talked about how the "Algebra for Dummies" book that I gave her was quite a big help and how she leaves it with the teacher in the classroom and that she consults it when she is confused about a concept. She hadn't mentioned the book since I gave it to her at Christmas and nor had I. It was nice to see it was helpful.
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