Caleb has had quite the unexpected year and a half (and haven’t we all). He started his Masters program at Oxford and then boom Covid. He’s been on campus only a few months here and there between lock-downs. He’s spent an inordinate number of hours flying around between Oxford-LA-Honolulu. Now he has to decide what to do next.
Caleb remarked that we have the same hair. I see it! In 50 years… He made us this tea party and then we had a good visit walking to the end of the jetty. Thank you Caleb for taking the time!
All my wounds have at least one layer of skin. I made SKIN! I still have to be careful not to scratch it open, and to keep it all moisturized, but no more wound care nurse for me. I’ll miss you Justin!
Eight months minus one day. I’m ok with that, and grateful as there will be no lingering after effects except, as my doctor noted previously, butt modeling is off the table.
You can click on this link for the story from the beginning in chronological order:
Descanso Gardens. Were I traveling I would be doing this every day, sometimes twice a day, so I was wondering if I was up for even half a day on the road. I did manage ok but I was indeed ready for a rest!
These are pictures from a few hours wandering around the Descanso Gardens looking for cherry trees in bloom. It’s a lovely place especially if you’re interested in quiet trails through mature California Oaks. You can hear the birds and squirrels scampering through the undergrowth.
But for the cherry blossoms, not so much. Not a lot of hanami going on here. I got myself under this tree just for old times sake. Cherry? Plum? I’m not sure. Their Japanese Garden has one dominant cherry tree but the last rain had taken out most of the flowers. This tree was peeking through the woods and I had to chase it down.
A couple of things to look at.
The lilac garden is interesting because they have trees that bloom at so many different times. Some were already empty of their blooms, some with flowers, some with buds, some not yet budded. The flowering could go on for a long time. Put your face in those blooms and it smells like you’re at the handmade soap stand in the Saturday Farmer’s Market.
I like this, even though it’s fake. In many of the water features the water was not moving and all I can think of when I look at still, goopy pond water=mosquito farm!
.
There was probably a mile of forest trails bordered by these beautiful orange plants.
And flowers! The promenade by the gift shop and on the way to the rose garden (no roses yet) offers large beds of these colorful blooms.
Cool! They stayed in their own neighborhood so the kids are not having to change schools. And it’ll be summer before they can move in because of all the refurbishments. Angela is going to keep up a journal on instagram and if you’re ever in the mood to look at a big remodeling project…I’m sure Angela would welcome you to follow along:
Sharon and I walked along Palisades Park, admired the sea and Spring, and ate at one of our old standbys, The California Pizza Kitchen where we drank really delicious Bloody Marys in honor of our post-vaccination VISIT.
The dinos on the Promenade could use some spring growth but it’s always nice to see them guarding the pedestrian walkway.
I got these Santa Barbara Daisies as ground cover. Turns out, not exactly, they’re more like ground bushes heading up to my knees. Soon the gardener is going to want to whack them down for spring growth, or so he told me some months ago.
The orange tree has 50+ oranges left and is fully in bloom for another crop. The smell of those blossoms is such a glory it fills the whole yard. And the tree has gotten so big I can hardly step back far enough to get the whole thing in but I should try.
And the roses are going nuts too. This gardener is a lot more expensive, but he does fertilize on his own initiative.
Bonnie was supposed to come too but she was not feeling well. I’m glad Ben came anyway because we had a good time. We ate at the Annenberg and walked along the beach. I took the picture of the helicopter just to see if it would work and you can see the plane in the far distance. Flights! Going somewhere! And I can never resist those little shore birds.
Lona and her two young friends TeeTee and Jennifer walked from Marina del Rey to Hermosa Beach, 9.25 miles, on Friday and they walked another 9.25 miles back on Saturday. Lona, you’re 80, what an accomplishment!
Windy and I drove down to meet them at the Sea Sprite in Hermosa where we had a fabulous dinner, a too fun after-dinner party, a sleep-over, and breakfast on Saturday.
Cecelia’s picture from the morning with the balloons TeeTee sneaked into the house for a wake-up surprise.
.
80 candles, 80 balls and stars, 80 pieces of See’s candy, mani-pedi for 80 digits, and a selection of old photos from Lona’s youth, what I could dig up from the garage, to spark a memory for Lona to tell us stories. And all of us wearing Jennifer’s haku leis, except Lona who is wearing the lei sent by the Hawaii Browns
And there they go, off back home for their second 9.25 mile walk in two days.
Hilda put on a FABulous festivity for Merlyn’s birthday much to the delight of the guests: me, Alex, Carol, and Erin.
.
We gathered at the ((duffy rental place)) to pick up a boat and glide around through the Naples canals, and feast on the picnic Hilda brought from the Cheese Addiction shop there in Long Beach. It was So Good.
Followed by a scrumptious dinner at (()).
Here we are in a focused but ultimately unsuccessful effort to read the menu on our phones.
The waiter took mercy upon us and brought paper menus. First order up – Champagne and CHEERS to MERLYN!
Erin and me, too cute.
What? Through the spotted and less than glass-like plastic sheeting of the dining patio at the restaurant. I wish I could do it again more carefully because it could be cool.
.
I got down to Long Beach earlier in the day and Hilda and I went for a good walk, as far as I’ve walked in one go since The Incident and then we had a quick tour of their condo remodel that is currently under way. This is (()). As well as today’s events Hilda has planned Fri: a zoom call with Merlyn’s good friends and relatives who live away followed by a super-fancy private dinner delivered by a private chef followed by cake and cocktails with friends. Sat: an outing with Raffi and dinner with some close relatives. Sun: I think there was something…what was it? SO many Happy Birthday Dear Merlyns. Oh our Hilda, you go!
I’ve spent most of two days going through a very large container of snapshots that have piled up over the decades. I have albums full of them, and Kent took most of what we had together to scan for the internet, and despite that I still had about 140 pounds to go through. Duplicates, too fuzzy-too dark-too unidentifiable-too unflattering pictures…gone. All the rest bagged up by subject.
In my last trip to the garage I uncovered more. Yikes. But I do have the time and it’ll feel good to be done.
In my very early teens I was begging for a dog. Begging as I recall. Well, really I had been begging for a horse so my parents shut me up with a dog. Oh my goodness what did I know. That dog Would Not Stop Yapping. 24/7. Most days the Constant Yapping made me cry, maybe the first evidence of my hypersensitivity to noise? at least that I can remember now. I don’t remember how the rest of the family managed. They must have been saints.
Thankfully the old lady who lived next door love love loved this dog. She would come get him and not want to give him back. They’d sit together all day in the old lady’s stinky den watching wrestling on tv while she put bows in his hair. She’d take out her hearing aids and they’d get along famously.
This reminds me a little of the old lady who lived next door to me when I moved to Santa Monica, the ex-nun WWII WASP. She lured my cat into her den and they sat together all day watching war movies.
