"The Bug Lady" and her hundreds of butterflies

Hey everybody! It's our show's finale and we're talking about a job that Mike wishes he knew about earlier: master builder at LEGOLAND. Do you ever wonder how they build those cityscapes or dinosaurs? Or what kind of test you have to take to get such a fun gig? They go through millions of bricks and we're taking a tour of the workshop! Thanks for listening over all these weeks!

It's a museum day for us! We're headed to the Getty Center to talk to a team that tries to protect some of the priceless art from earthquake damage. Did you know that piece from antiquity in front of you might actually be on rollers? And some of them have ankle problems. We'll also dust off some really old books and talk about how the Middle Ages get a pretty bad rap.

Have you ever seen a surfing dog? Hanging ten with their paws? One of the top dogs out there is named Carson and we're going to meet up with him and Jill Nakano -- a surf dog instructor. We'll learn how all this started for these two champs, about how to get a pup on a board and about surf dog competitions. Get your Instagram pictures!

Join us for a trip to an LA original this week: the Original Los Angeles Flower Market downtown. If you can grow it -- and if it smells good -- this is where you'll find it. Florists come from all over town and go through millions of stems a year. Did you know flowers are like fashion? What do you think is "trendy" right now? We'll meet the man in charge and a second-generation vendor.

Our little show is back for a final five episodes and today we're heading out to The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College. It's where students go to get degrees in animal care by getting hands on experience with all sorts of things with hooves, claws and feathers. We'll meet a pretty chatty bird -- he can introduce himself -- and get up close with some big cats!  For more info about the school, head here: https://www.moorparkcollege.edu/current-students/teaching-zoo/home

We're headed to a ranch today to meet up with Dr. Katie Nenn. She's a large animal veterinarian and runs NENN Equine. This started as an episode on animal dentistry (horse mouthwash is a thing that exists) but Dr. Nenn tells us about all sorts of animals that you wouldn't expect to find in Southern California. Look for the team from NENN on TV soon, they're working on a new show.

Dress like a flower! We're taking a trip to the Natural History Museum of LA County today so we can check out the "Butterfly Pavilion." It's something that happens over a few months and it's a chance to learn about all sorts of butterflies. Why do we need them? Are they really that delicate? And how does a caterpillar turn into a butterfly? We're back with a previous guest from the old "I've Got Questions" podcast -- spread your wings and enjoy!

Have you ever been to a party or a wedding that had an ice sculpture? Was it some sort of dolphin? Maybe a swan? What about a giraffe or an astronaut? On this episode, we're headed to LA Ice Art to meet Rex Covington. He's been carving ice since the 1980's and he's one of the best around. We'll hear about some of the biggest pieces he's done and about how he forms that ice from a 300lb block into a work of art. For more on Rex and his sculptures: https://laiceart.com/

Get ready to get weird! We're headed to the "Oddities and Curiosities Expo" this week to take a walk on the darker side. We'll see booths with taxidermy, boxes full of creepy dolls, paintings of clowns, quack medical devices, soap named after serial killers, and funeral... collectibles? The expo is a traveling show that goes across the US and Australia. It started small but now draws more than 15,000 people each weekend. Take a look: odditiesandcuriositiesexpo.com

Time to head to LAX ... but not to catch a flight. We're paying a visit to LSG Sky Chefs, one of the largest companies that provides catering to airlines. It's a huge operation that runs 24/7 and cooks up 15,000 meals each day. How is all that food prepared? How fresh is it? What are they eating up there in First Class? We'll take a look at how menus have changed over time and do a full tour from the kitchen right out to the tarmac.