Daily Life 2022

And now we’re all just going to get covid?

10 Hours of OMG

'22 January / January 20, 2022

Lona had her shoulder replacement surgery on Tuesday and although delayed, it went well. The original plan was she’d come home on Wednesday but they decided to keep her Wednesday night. I got this text from Trevor around 8am Thursday morning: “102.7° fever and non-responsive. The head surgeon is here and they are doing a full court press with a neurologist.”

Not Good! I was in text-touch with Trevor throughout the day (the hospital had let him stay the whole time, even throughout the nights). They did a ton of tests to rule out stroke, heart attack, etc, then moved her to ICU. She had been regaining consciousness hour by hour.

At 6pm Windy and I met Trevor at the hospital cafeteria and learned how well Lona was doing. She was making jokes and complaining, so, that is to say, normal! They’re keeping her in the ICU for another day or two, for monitoring. Now she just has to recover from shoulder replacement surgery!

Mine Came Yesterday

'22 February / February 6, 2022

From covidtests.gov. I got two boxes with four tests just like all the other households no matter the number of occupants. I think they made the system easy so it would work, which it did – easy to request them, then bam, there they are.

I took my first at home covid test back before I first saw Dave and Chris wanting to be extra sure for their visit, and I had no idea how DELIGHTED I was going to feel when the test came out negative. I was 99.9% sure I was negative and yet I was so pleased to see the outcome. Now that I know what a rush a negative test is I might do it more often.

Ben and Bonnie and Our Favorite Place

'22 March / March 6, 2022

Our often-outing: B&B swing by to pick me up and we go to The Annenberg Beach House, eat at their delightful Back at the Beach Cafe, and then take an easy going stroll along the shore. Ahh, so nice. In the second picture (Bonnie is in the first and the second) it’s cool how the clouds reflect in the wet sand.

Bonnie took the picture of me and Ben below.

Three Days in a Row

'22 March / March 26, 2022

I walked with friends – walk, eat, visit, home. Wow, first time in Two Years (from before lock down in March 2020) that I did a good walk three days in a row. Thankfully!

Going Out Late Like The Cool Kids

'22 April / April 19, 2022

Richard, Sandy, Yolie, Mirtha

Emilia couldn’t go because she was sick so I got to take her place (with the cool kids…) LATE at The Paramount club in downtown Boyle Heights to see La Santa Cecilia.

The headliners did come on late. After the opening act left the stage the venue played songs from the headliner’s albums and the crowd sang along word for word with such total enthusiasm it was infectious. Here we’ve got standing room only, and we could peer around this guy…

…but I got him to take the picture because as you see, he’s a big guy with a long reach!

I didn’t last very long. Maybe 1/3 of the crowd was wearing masks. After I scootled out, I could get into the open air And see the stage. That was great so I stayed for another couple songs. That’s us, bye guys, it was great!

This is a picture from the internet. The woman (called Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernandez) is the lead singer and the star of the show. She’s Wonderful and if you youtube some La Santa Cecilia you won’t be sorry. The instrumentalists were quite fabulous too btw.

Virginia Robinson Gardens

'22 June / June 25, 2022

Susie and I went out and had a great day. We ate a lovely breakfast and then went into Beverly Hills for a tour of the Virginia Robinson Gardens. We both thought it was well worth the trouble to make a reservation, get into their crazy parking lot, etc.. They have a good website, there’s wikipedia, I’ll leave the details to your interest if you want to look it up.

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From the side of the main house.
One small wedge of the 6.2 acres. That’s a statue down there, I forget who it is.
Painted medallions in the entryway, no photos allowed in the house.
A fabulous Walking Fig.
Our guide knew a lot and had a fine loud voice so we could all enjoy the commentary.
Inside.
Thank you Susie for the ornament and for a 100% Great Day!

Lilly’s Frogs

'22 July / July 10, 2022

Lilly made the adorable felt frogs (I got one for my birthday!), and Lilly Has frogs. There are two African Dwarf Frogs in that tank, Ribbit Downey Jr and Hop. Originally there was Hip and Hop. The story of their mad escape from the first tank and Hip subsequent demise of Hip and Hop’s near death experience…you can imagine…

Can There Be More Fun

'22 Jul: Reunion In Temecula / August 7, 2022

Let’s Climb a Tree!

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Oak Trees and Oranges
Oliver was a delight to one and all and he had so much fun.
Hi hi!
Anya made a mehndi for everyone who wanted one.
And the three Great Aunts all wanted one bad.
Lilly made one for herself!
SO CUTE, and I didn’t tell them to do that leg thing, they just did it. The bunk room was particularly nice in this property.
Yes! More Swimming..
..And Hot Tubbing! You can see what look like steps into the hot tub but is actually a boiling hot waterfall.
Some scenes around the property.
Travis is wearing the button from 7 years ago, the last time we all got together. Thank you for the reminder.

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A few more pictures and links to round out the story

will be coming soon!

UPDATE 7/27…Still Not Done!

Happy Birthday Nancy

'22 August / August 26, 2022

This is LACMA’s catalogue picture of Richard Serra’s monumental work “Band” (2003) that has been sitting here at LACMA since the BCAM building opened in 2008. It’s 12 ft high and more than 70 ft long and made of steel.

From the LA Times: “The installation alone — finessed while the building was under construction — was a highly synchronized, 10-day effort by a trusted crew that works 12-hour days. The work consists of enormous panels that must be aligned within a 32nd of an inch.”

Sharon and Nancy and I visited LACMA, where Nancy is a docent, in honor of Nancy’s birthday and where we enjoyed lunch at the ever lovely Ray’s and Stark.

Construction moves on apace with BCAM and the Resnick Pavilion the only buildings open.
LACMA’s picture. It doesn’t look like this! The birds are hanging in the shadows under the overhang as you can barely see from the picture on the right.

I wanted to see this new piece and I’ll tell you it was odd for sure.

A different work by the same artist that might help illuminate the skeletal quality of the new sculpture. It’s not that he doesn’t know what a bird looks like…

“A kinetic sculptural work by Yassi Mazandi, Language of the Birds takes its name and theme from an epic 12th-century Persian poem by Farid al-Din ‘Attar, a parable about a mystical quest for God, a spiritual home, or even our own highest good. The mission is undertaken by 100 birds seeking a worldly ruler—the mythical Simurgh. Many birds perish along the way until 30 remain, only to realize they themselves are the Simurgh (literally “30 birds” in Persian). The stark, abstract bronze sculptures are suspended from the north side of the Resnick Pavilion. Stripped of feathers, Mazandi’s dramatic birds evoke ‘Attar’s powerful mystical poem universalizing the quest for meaning. They also call to mind today’s key issue—climate change—and the ways in which it imperils many avian species and contributes to human migration, often accompanied by dangerous journeys and inhospitable reception.”

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Also not my photo but I was really feeling it this time, maybe because I had so recently traveled many miles on Mulholland Drive. David Hockney’s Mulholland Drive: The Road To The Studio (1980).

Michi Visits Santa Barbara

'22 October / October 23, 2022
We met SB Nancy for lunch, walked a lot, and had a generally wonderful visit.

Santa Barbara, still gorgeous.

Michi is staying with her friend Teddy. currently undergoing cancer treatment and when you’re unwell there’s nothing like a purring cat to make the world a more peaceful place.

The Manhattan Beach Pier

'22 November / November 20, 2022

Rome and I went to the Manhattan Beach Pier this time for a change of pace and I liked it!

Smile!

Christmas in November. Many people were sprawled on the sand in their bathing suits. That’s Catalina in the distance.

Christmas Fun

'22 December / December 17, 2022

I’m going to be with Cynthia on Christmas this year so DAR&L made a nice Early Christmas for us to celebrate before I left. So timely it was for carolers to come by and they did a couple delightful songs.

We had Christmas Breakfast for dinner! It was Rome’s idea and So Much Fun. And to top it off Angela made really good churros and Mexican hot chocolate. What a wonderful Adiós!

We exchanged gifts (that’s my pile!), played a game, and then it was time for vaya con dios hugs and kisses.

See you next year my darlings!

A Quick Visit On A Great Day

'22 January, The Huntington Library and Garden / January 16, 2022

Nancy and I enjoyed a quick visit to the Huntington. The day was beautiful in that it was cool and almost empty. We ate a very good lunch at the new Chinese restaurant and otherwise we didn’t get far, just a stroll through the Chinese and Japanese gardens.

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‘Tis The Season Kinda

'22 February / February 17, 2022

I’m thinking it’s not as bad as it seems, that we watch so many movies at home. TVs and even laptops can fill your whole field of vision and although it takes me more discipline to not get distracted, it’s still possible, and wonderful independent entertainments are available to everyone not just we city folk.

Here’s where we are so far, click on the link Oscar nominations to watch online. ENJOY! Sorry, everyone knows by now but anyway, you can order a pay service then cancel as soon as the subscription registers. Assuming you’ve already used your free week, now you’ve got a month to see whatever you want, and you can move on to the next service whenever you’re ready.

Hilda How Does She Do It

'22 March / March 10, 2022

That’s me and my old golfing pals, usually/always hosted by Alex ‘back in the day’ when we were all working. The last one, Phil, is retiring in April. YAY. These are the guys who let me play ‘par golf’ and what fun it was. Phil, Alex, me, Merlyn.

I haven’t seen Phil in an age and today is once again thanks to Hilda for making a fantastic party, this being the second year in a row Merlyn has celebrated his 70th birthday (you can click on the link for last year’s festivity). Happy Birthday Merlyn!

From The Left
sitting at the table: Dan, Albert, Harry, Mazaud, Karen, Jim, Hilda 
in the back: Phil, Michelle, Alex, Carol, Tim, Kevin, Mo, Debbie, Joey, Erin, George, Alma, Bob, Merlyn
 

 

Endlessly Entertaining

The (Magnificent!) Getty Center, '22 March / March 29, 2022

Here at the Getty Center with Ingalill to spend a couple hours kicking around the grounds.

We caught our required reflect-o early this day.

Here come three pictures of a rare explosion of color on the campus outside the formal garden.

The Featured Exhibition, on until May 8, is Poussin and the Dance, that includes a few rooms of large scale paintings and then some videos of modern dancers taking inspiration from Poussin’s work.

(I used the railing to support the camera and it’s the railing that’s not centered.
I pondered long and hard, back and forth, does it feel just ‘off’?)
Endlessly entertaining.

Easter Brunch

'22 April / April 22, 2022

Darryl and Angela invited Liz and Gary and me and Rome’s boyfriend Gio over for an Easter Sunday Brunch. It was very lovely!

And how cute are they?!

Angela took these pictures of chalk art:

From the bedroom balcony, Darryl, Lilly, Angela. Too bad I didn’t gather a group shot so no picture of Liz or Gary this time.

The Bower And The Broad

'22 June / June 21, 2022

Second, I went with Hilda, Merlyn, and Susan to see a wonderful production of Conference of the Birds at The Broad Stage. Hilda has been working with the production company since the beginning and due to her efforts they made it happen!

Then we went to Misfits for a celebratory cocktail, and a second celebratory cocktail to my birthday. And the late-night appetizers were Very Delicious. (I haven’t done THAT in a while!) Thanks to Susan for The Book of JOY because who couldn’t use more JOY, and I’ll have a picture of my gift from Hilda later when I’ve figured out its home.

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First though, Lilly and I went to the Bowers Museum for a nice hit of Disney. She was totally thrilled by the Dr Strange pendant and a necklace from Black Panther. The actual favorite thing she found later, was Loci’s Horns. Now That was Exciting!

Creepy And Cool

'22 July / July 12, 2022

When I came back into the US from Iceland the Global Entry system had been updated such that you enter nothing, provide nothing, just show your face and Bam here’s your entry card. No stamps, they don’t even look at your passport. Yikes. At the time my Global Entry registration had expired but they gave everyone an extension because of covid.

And this morning I did my renewal process on zoom, so that was creepy and cool too. It took 5 minutes of conversation and 15 minutes of disconnect/reconnect/disconnect/reconnect. I was feeling sorry for the poor agent who says this happens All Day Long. There’s a story here about the time I brought an apple to eat on the plane, forgot to eat it, forgot it entirely, and got stopped by the DOGS at Customs. So apparently it’s on my Permanent Record although the agent waived the fine and let me keep my Global Entry. This was not the breach for which I was expecting to get busted!

The Hollywood Bowl Is 100

'22 August / August 5, 2022

Happy Birthday Hollywood Bowl!

And my house is 100 years old too. I’ve been thinking it was built in 1924 but this 100th birthday of the Hollywood Bowl made me look it up. My house was built in 1922! so I’ve got this inspiration to spruce it up, to repair all the split boards on the siding, give it a nice paint job, clear out all the unused overhead wires, consider doing more than another patch-job on the roof, and what not. Happy Birthday House! (Let’s see how long this inspiration lasts…long enough to actually do anything?)

Back to the Hollywood Bowl!

THANK YOU Marsha for the invite.

The concert itself was utterly splendid, it was called The Splendor of Saint-Saëns and so it was. And count my lucky stars, this was my exact view throughout the entire concert. Oh Happy Happy Joy Joy.

Where I Wait

'22 August / August 28, 2022

For walking dates I like to meet at the dinos on Wilshire and 3rd because there’s a place to sit in case someone is late. Here’s the view looking into the window of the Barnes and Noble that closed in early 2018 and there’s still no replacement business. The Sur La Table across Wilshire closed, and the Banana Republic across 3rd closed too. Oddly it doesn’t look as derelict as you’d imagine I guess because of all the people buzzing around and because the restaurants extended their outdoor dining into the spaces in front of the closed stores.

Van Raiaburg Manor

'22 October / October 24, 2022

Kelly and Kris bought a house together and it’s Great!

Here are a just a few random pictures.

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LACMA: Objects of Desire

'22 November / November 20, 2022

Jo Ann is part of this show, and a shining star I might add.

I went with Nancy and we had a great time. Nancy is a docent at LACMA which means free parking and a free guest. Thanks Nancy!

Why Did I Suggest Lunch At The Mall

'22 December / December 17, 2022

I was meeting Hilda for lunch and there’s a mall about half-way between us and a Chinese restaurant at the mall that is different and fun. There are three big windows like this with four people at each station making dumplings of various shapes and fillings. And Hilda had some shopping to do. But parking?! Noooo. I finally paid for valet which just meant that I got a parking spot, and it was worth it. That said, the parking lot was well and truly packed although the mall was definitely not.

There was a line though, of people waiting for their chance to get a 1,000 calorie Cinnabon.

The Old Place

'22 January / January 15, 2022

It’s true, there’s a place in the Malibu hills called The Old Place and it’s an old place. You can eat there or have a wine tasting. Is it worth a 40 minute drive? Sure, and especially if you’re on your way to Thousand Oaks, or coming back west.

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For Four Hours

'22 February / April 8, 2022

I googled away. Then I put together this idea for three weeks in Iceland in May. I’m so curious to see how long This idea persists. I sent a message to the TripAdvisor forum for some confirmation about the possibility of doing it independently and without a car. I hope it could happen!

Bon Voyage TeeTee and Halayna

'22 March / March 10, 2022

They’re heading back to North Carolina to settle in for a permanent stay. Be well!

These are all Lona’s pictures.

We had a delightful Bon Voyage party including these treats and so much more.

Our Monday Lunch

'22 March / April 3, 2022

This is Ann welcoming us to her home where we will eat like hungry hungry hippos, drink cocktails because Ann always makes us cocktails, and eat some scrumptious home made dessert because that’s just the way we roll.

Hartley’s Birthday

'22 April / April 20, 2022

Lona, me Windy

We sisters try to get together to celebrate Lona’s late husband’s birthday. They were married for more than half a century, and that’s a lot of birthdays.

A Three Holiday Day

'22 June / July 1, 2022

It’s Juneteenth reminding me of good and evil, it’s Father’s Day to celebrate the dads, and it’s My Birthday.

My sisters Lona and Windy put together such a beautiful afternoon. We had massages, Cynthia treated us to a yummy dinner, we played the most clever table games created by my sisters, and then out in the back yard we played ‘let’s scratch All the scratchers!’ which was a ton of fun!

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And before that Darryl and Angela hosted a beautiful brunch with Liz and Gary too.

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Lilly made the fruit salad and she made these adorable frogs!
For my self-portrait gallery…Angela too the photo.

Visiting In Long Beach

'22 July / July 27, 2022

Merlyn and Hilda’s place, view from the balcony and from the kitchen. They fed me such a scrumptious dinner.

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First I got to hang out with Alex and Carol on the new boat and admire all the refitting progress. We went to lunch at Claire’s, the restaurant at the Long Beach Museum of Art, and then enjoyed the small but engaging Jawlensky and Kandinsky exhibit there.

I couldn’t get rid of the reflections but I like it anyway, reflecting the pictures on the opposite wall, especially since it’s a Kandinsky called Red Square.

A view from the museum windows.

Lilly And Bailey

'22 August / August 7, 2022

We walked down the hill for lunch at the Thai place.

Friends from forever.

I know there’s a picture of me somewhere in these exact pants.. a few sizes bigger probably.. but still..

Slumber Party Aboard Red Sky

'22 August / August 29, 2022

Long Beach Marina and the Queen Mary.

Alex..
..and Carol

Alex and Carol invited me out for a Saturday BBQ and sleepover aboard Red Sky, their new boat that is ready to go to Catalina in a few days. They have been working since March to get the boat into shape for a safe and comfy Maiden Voyage. Bon Voyage my friends!

Marinas are so photogenic.
In the morning Merlyn and Hilda joined us for breakfast at the yacht club,
the club’s Sunday Brunch claim to fame being the $12 bottomless mimosas.

Oh Maxine

'22 October / October 25, 2022

Lubica, Marsha, Alicia, Marija, Ann, Maxine, Becky, me

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We Celebrated Windy’s Birthday Today

'22 November / November 21, 2022

Happy Birthday Dear Sister, only two months and 10 days late but we all got to be there and have the delightful activity of Windy’s choice. We saw 9 to 5 put on by the Kentwood Players at the Westchester Playhouse. It’s a definite Community Theater production but since they have access to all the out-of-work Hollywood actors, the programs are very well done.

Happy Birthday Sister! Lona, Windy, me.

Update On Lona

'22 January / January 16, 2022

The most recent idea is that Lona will not be released on Monday but maybe/probably on Tuesday.

From Trevor, a recap: “…my mom was recovering very well until Thursday morning at which point she had a very severe setback and was uncommunicative and the only question she could answer barely and indistinctly was who is talking to her when it was me. She apparently got an infection in her lungs (from being intubated or extubation, is the doctor’s analysis) which resulted in low oxygen levels and multi system inflammatory response and sepsis. .. She went from being fully communicative to non-responsive in less than two hours. We were in ICU from Thursday to Friday.

“She appears to be getting first-rate care. And her prognosis at this time seems excellent.”

How did she end up at the small community Adventist White Memorial Hospital in Boyle Heights, so far from home? Good question. They chose the doctor because he is ‘the best in the country’ at shoulder replacement surgery and this is his hospital, the place, he says, where they buy him all the high-tech gear he asks for. It hasn’t been great resource-wise, presumably from supply chain and covid demands – food, supplies, attentiveness from nursing, all below par but they are very happy with the doctor and his immediate staff so good for that.

Welcome Home Muriel

'22 February / March 24, 2022

Muriel took a tumble while she was visiting relatives in Seattle. She fractured her shoulder and then stayed on there for six weeks to get some healing done, and now she’s Home! Yay!

Baby It’s Cold

'22 March / March 10, 2022

Inside! Since I can get my old gappy-windowed creaky house only > t h i s < warm I have to remind people who are coming for dinner on a cold night “please don’t forget, wear socks and an extra sweater.” We had cozy conversation and warm fun anyway. This is getting ready to go, so you can see it is burr-zy outside too. About 55 degrees…a California cold snap.

Muriel and Jo Ann

My TV Is Getting A Workout

'22 March / April 3, 2022

Marsha came over on Friday to watch CODA (she hadn’t seen it yet) and The Tragedy of Macbeth (we both hadn’t seen it) and it was a great double feature for movie night.

Then Alex and Carol came over on Sunday and we watched The Oscars. Yes we did… A&C had seen even more of the movies than I had and that’s impressive.

Happy Birthday Steve

'22 April / April 22, 2022

Celina sent these pictures.

Steve and Celina came over today for brunch. They drove all the way from their wonderful new home in Camarillo. And then back. Thank you for doing that!

They’ve been working jigsaw puzzles from the Rec Room in their complex. There are shelves of puzzles to borrow but don’t count on all the pieces being there…here you can see two pieces missing. Everyone who has ever done a jigsaw puzzle knows the feeling. Missing Pieces!

Oh Celina. So beautiful!

The Movies And Tongva Park

'22 June / June 24, 2022

Marsha came out West and we ate our favorites at Ye Olde Kings Head, took a walk to Tongva Park, and then watched a very weird movie. Very Weird. It was Everything Everywhere All At Once. I did like it though.

Santa Monica City Hall
Mine Mine
One of the many paths through Tongva Park where all the landscape is native plants.
A view of the pier from the Tongva Park bee hives.

Lilly In HS Musical 2

'22 July / September 23, 2022

from Lilly: “kennedy: yellow. tori: light blue, idk, me!!”

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from Lilly: “me and tori”

from Lilly: “reese and kamryn then idk”

from Lilly: “me, james, claire, and then ensemble”

from Lilly: “first pic: me reese and kamryn. second pic: diego and me”

St Andrew and St Charles

'22 August / August 7, 2022

The view looking up.

This is Marsha’s church in Granada Hills, The Episcopal Church of St Andrew and St Charles. My favorite part of this church is the handsome shake siding and that they don’t evangelize too much but rather, it seems, focus on simple good deeds.

The church was having a fundraiser with a bbq meal and a jazz quartet out on the patio. It was lovely.

It’s HOT

'22 August / September 3, 2022

And it’s going to be hotter tomorrow. We’ve got a steady heat wave until I leave on Tuesday. What have I been doing for several days? Visiting, eating, chores, reading up for the trip, watching stuff on tv, forgetting to take a picture… regular life.

The computer thinks it’s going to be 93 in Santa Monica on Sunday. Will I drag in the portable bedroom A/C for just the few days I’m still here? Alex has always done it in the past. I don’t know!

Ah A Good Day

'22 October / October 29, 2022

There’s a long street full of these murals off PCH where Rome and I walked today after lunch.

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And then it was time for Rome’s haircut. This is a before. I forgot to get an after of the very cool result!

Then I went with Lilly to a Haunted House at the high school that was a Ton of fun.

The Day Before And

'22 November / November 27, 2022

For the day before Thanksgiving and the day of, and the day after and the day after that and the day after that, I do have some cute pictures but no time yet to choose them. I see a little free time coming up on Monday…

Lona’s HOME

'22 January / January 22, 2022

It happened that Tuesday was my day to be with her and when I got to the hospital in the morning the doctor’s had already decided that she would go home that day!

When we got home TeeTee had a fabulous down-home dinner all ready.

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And then it was time to get ready for sleeping. Lona thinks she’s going to be more comfortable here than in the bed. She’s got this machine connected to a shoulder pad that keeps cold water running through the device, helpful and Fancy.

Pain: comes and goes from 4-6. The doctors are very happy with the shoulder replacement surgery.

Infection: still being treated, now with oral antibiotics

Nausea: I think they don’t know where this is coming from but medication helps.

Anemia: Numbers look good but continuing to treat with iron.

Farmer’s Market

'22 February / February 14, 2022

I just looked it up, in LA County you don’t have to wear a mask outside unless you are in a group of 5,000+ people. So here at the farmer’s market it was optional but probably a third to a half of the people were wearing masks anyway, myself included, because why not.

A Four Thing Day

'22 March / March 10, 2022

It’s like a double day since two things is my usual max. I took TeeTee and Halayna to the airport in easy early morning traffic. Even the airport itself was cooperating. My Persian Poetry group is finishing Attar’s Conference of the Birds so Hilda invited a friend of hers, a Rumi guy, to give us a very interesting presentation on what we might read next. I went to the Valley for my weekly hit of the valley girls. And then I had a fairly productive meeting at B of A. Yay!

More Crystals

'22 March / April 4, 2022

Lilly and I tried it again to catch some light in crystals and here’s a nice handful of rainbows. Also here’s another go with Lilly’s (crystal rock? get the name!).

A Little Out And About

'22 April / April 23, 2022

Wind!

Thinking about my upcoming time in Iceland, the 20 hours of daylight, the hours of driving and miles of walking, I ask myself after I get home from a nice outing and lunch with friends, should I really be taking a nap every afternoon… like I am…

Here are some snaps from the last few days with thanks to Nancy and Sharon, and Muriel.

The 3rd Street Promenade
Cupcakes! The store was closed but they had a cupcake vending machine available.
A match.

SKYR

'22 June / June 26, 2022

Look what they have at Whole Foods. Two different varieties of plain Skyr! I bought the one with more protean and less sugar and it is delicious, like the ones in Iceland once you stir it up. In Iceland they eat it with pureed fruit for breakfast, dropped into soup at lunch time, and they make various desserts with it at dinner.

Stuck

'22 July / July 27, 2022

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I took Lona to the doctor today and got the car stuck in its parking place. Back and forth side to side back and forth back and forth, finally, time to pull straight out and we are freeee.

This is one of Olivia’s plants, lookin’ good!

A Little At Home

'22 August / August 14, 2022

I and my tenants Olivia and Anna having a visit in the yard, a cool, breezy, and lovely early evening.

Susie’s birthday pig finds a home.

Trader Joe’s flowers from Kathleen, always welcome! And the frame is on a Whole Foods delivery back in the days of The Incident.

Covid FREE

'22 August / September 5, 2022

The whole family was testing positive in turns for a couple weeks and I was getting nervous I might not to get to say goodbye but a window of opportunity opened up on Sunday. YAY my darlings!

Rome, Lilly, me

Bill’s First Time

'22 October / November 1, 2022

For Bill’s first time at the Getty Center, we went on the last day of the Cy Twombly exhibit and although I’m not such a big fan I’m still really glad to have seen it. Above is a photo of Twombly with statues in front of the photo to give a cool 3-d effect.

Gotta love the garden..

..and the views of course. And everything else that is the joy of the Getty Center. Mostly we just strolled around, ate a nice meal at The Restaurant, and generally had a delightful time.

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Cheryl didn’t come to LA this time and since I didn’t get a picture of Bill while he was here, I snagged this off their facebook.

Gobble Gobble

'22 November / November 30, 2022

Wow, what a fabulous Thanksgiving.

Darryl and Angela had two beautiful tables set up…

..the over-30s (Darryl, Angela, Liz, Gary, Windy, Jeff, Lona, Jennifer) and the under-30s + ME (Anya, Cali, me, Lilly, Rome, Christa).
Lucky me!

A Thanksgiving FEAST! Lilly made labels for everything with the name of the dish, the name of the cook, and if it was gluten free-vegetarian-vegan. We had it all and plenty for Everyone!

Vegetable salad, beet salad, and orange and fennel salad. Mac and Cheese. Green beans almandine, maple butternut squash, and baked Brussel sprouts. Mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, and fried tofu. Sliced Honey Baked ham and turkey, and spiced crabapples. Cornbread stuffing in Delicata squash.

And THEN…

..our SEVEN desserts: Peanut Butter Mousse, Apple Crisp, Pumpkin and Apple Pies, Key Lime Squares, Sugar Cookies, and Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Darryl, Angela, Rome, Anya, Calli, Lil.

My thought was to get everyone to do a selfie but I obviously failed.

American Gothic by Christa and Rome.

We all wrote up our thankfulness message to deposit in the thankfulness chest that has entries back to at least 2010. It’s so fun to look at the old ones and hear the new ones too.
Darryl, Jennifer, Gary, Christa, Lona, Liz, Jeff, Windy, Anya, Cali, Lilly, Angela, Rome, Oliver.

And then we entertained each other! Lona wanted Angela and Christa to stand on their heads, which they did beautifully. And we all took a turn with the hula hoop…

It was a beautiful time full of Thanksgiving and THANKS to be together.

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

'22 January / January 21, 2022

Built on the old May Company site, on the same block as LACMA we find the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Note the golf ball behind Levitated Mass (I love Levitated Mass!) which is part of the Academy Museum. I took all the high pictures from the deck under that sphere.

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Hi sweetie.
Here come’s LACMA Red.
Under the Academy Museum dome.
If you like movies you’ll find something to enjoy here. It’s not particularly big, or particularly wonderful, but it is fun.
Park La Brea Towers in the distance, the first phase opening in 1944, they’ve been here my whole life and are still going strong.
They’re keeping the Japanese Pavilion, and the Resnick and the Broad are still open.
Between them is all the new construction mapped out below.

Above is the LACMA and Academy Museum campus, how it looks now with the footprint of the new LACMA construction being the ameba shape drawn in grey. Notice how the new building is going to cross over Wilshire Blvd. Just above the new LACMA are the La Brea Tar Pits and the Page Museum. You can catch a view of downtown in the upper left.

Ben and Bonnie, Dan and Shelly, Richard and Emilia

A Bench and Catalina

'22 February / February 22, 2022

The palm trees are the view, looking up, sitting on a bench, on the edge of the rose garden in Palisades Park.

Below is a view from near the same spot looking out toward the Palos Verdes Peninsula and in the photo we can see what we so often ask ourselves, is that Catalina? It is usually far hazier so I took the opportunity of this clear day to check if we even could see Catalina from Palisades Park. We always conclude that there is nothing else out there for it to be…still…

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LARR (Los Angeles Road Runners) was doing a very well attended run today, group after group passing by just having fun.

It must have been a Fun Run!

Louise Is NINETY

'22 March / April 10, 2022

Louise, my next door neighbor in Northridge for so many years, is living in a wonderful assisted living community keeping company with her third boyfriend in the six years she’s been there. I drove Marija and Ljubica out to Palmdale for the party. It was a delightful event and I’m very happy for Louise that on this occasion she could be surrounded by so many of her near and dear.

An Evening Visit

'22 April / April 26, 2022

An evening visit to the Academy Museum with Marsha and Kelly. We went to see The Big Chill and a tribute to the recently passed executive producer and trail blazer Marcia Nasatir. Two unexpected things: one, we all thought we’d get a good remastered copy of the film but no, and two, I really enjoyed the tribute.

The museum is on the same campus as LACMA so of course gotta get me some Levitated Mass, fabulous from any angle in any light.

Birthday Sushi

'22 June / June 26, 2022

Ann and I had our Happy Birthday to US traditional sushi feast at Musashi
but since I didn’t take any pictures, here are some roses from another day at Palisades Park.

Manchego

'22 July / July 27, 2022

Muriel and Jo Ann took me out for my Big Birthday, 75. Yikes. We had an excellent time and really delicious feast at Manchego on Main Street in Santa Monica. We got mostly the Happy Hour treats and a few dishes off the main menu too. They are all for sharing and so very good we all agreed we’d go back in a heartbeat. There was a sardine dish on the main menu, oh stop my beating heart.

A Happy Routine

'22 August / August 13, 2022

Meet a friend at the dinos and walk along Palisades Park, a regular favorite that I enjoy every single time.

One More Step To Home

'22 October / October 9, 2022

Flying over Amsterdam it was interesting to see all the windmills. We expect windmills but there were more than I expected. moreMore. And oh my goodness the Amsterdam Airport. Yikes. These were the longest lines I had ever experienced in an airport. It wasn’t Quite as frustrating as others though, because up until the last 10-15 minutes they had one longLong switch-backed line that shuffled along. At the end the one line broke into several lines and then you (me), of course, will get in the worst line.

As of Saturday I’ve been home for 4-5 days, slept off and on, did a little of this and that, saw a few people briefly, Cecilia came to clean the house, and I just had a normal night’s sleep, so YAY!

SPIDERS

'22 November / November 30, 2022

Rome and I went to the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park especially to see the Spider Pavilion before it closes and while we were at it we looked around the Museum itself, ate at the cafe there, and admired the Rose Garden.

The ceiling of the grand rotunda..

and the upper half of what stands in the center of the rotunda.

Everyone who went to elementary school in LA will recognize this place.

TOO CUTE.

Another entirely recognizable part of the Natural History Museum although the displays are updated since my elementary school years oh so very very long ago.

Rome is a big fan of crystals so we enjoyed a stroll through the Gems and Minerals exhibit.

Welcome to the Spider Pavilion!

The mom and her spiderlings.

Hello.

This guy was great. He talked about spiders non-stop for our entire 30 minute slot.

The museum also has a large garden of eatables. They ask you to please refrain…

The front of the historic building which is on The National Register of Historic Places.

City Wildlife.

Just one picture from the huge and impressive Rose Garden.

Time to go in the setting sun.

The Getty Villa

J Paul Getty Villa in Malibu, '22 January / January 23, 2022

Alex and Carol’s friend Anita was visiting from the Gulf Coast and a nice outing to the Getty Villa was just the thing to conclude their time together. And oh what a gorgeous day it was.

We had the 10am entry on a Thursday and check it out, it was OURS for the first half-hour at least.
I know, a treat indeed.
This floor, I must have a picture from every visit.
They were running a huge Rubens exhibition called “Picturing Antiquity” and that was a treat too! (Villa website)

We’re Going To Need

'22 March / March 14, 2022

A BIGGER BOAT! Alex and Carol have decided to move on from their beautiful sleek (and dang small) sailboat, Nepenthe, to the comforts of a motorboat in the ‘trawler’ style, a boat where you can get out of both sides of the bed, and have a separate living and dining room, and an outdoor lounge with a swim deck, two bathrooms, and a Guest Room!

I visited Red Sky at its current home in Marina del Rey. Thinking I would get the pictures from the listing, I didn’t take any, but the only one still available is this one. A&C will be moving the boat to Long Beach as soon as a slip at their marina is available (keeping the name but changing the location to Long Beach “we are not Marnia del Rey people…”) and at some point selling their beloved Nepenthe, the boat that took them on an amazing many years long journey around the western hemisphere.

Les and Elizabeth Are Here

'22 April / April 4, 2022

We’ve had visits and walks and this festive get-together at Socalo with Richard, Emilia, Elizabeth, Lynn, Carl, and Les.

Theater Kids

'22 April / April 26, 2022

Theater kids singing in my car. What Fun! Lilly, Cody, Reese.

Let’s Go Shopping

'22 June / June 27, 2022

We had a very nice lunch at True Food on the Promenade and then we went shopping. Lilly went shopping actually and we, Angela and I, were her entourage. It was fun. Lilly spent her own money and she had to choose, because everything looks good on Lilly!

Bob And Desda Are In Town

'22 July / July 27, 2022

Carl and Lynn invited us over for a visit, a walk, and a meal. It was lovely, thank you. I took that picture of Carl and Bob because of their CAL hats and still-CAL shirts. So sadly, I lost focus and missed getting a picture of Desda and Lynn.

TX Jo Ann And Alan HBD Muriel

'22 August / August 13, 2022

Jo Ann and Alan treated us to a beautiful evening at the Hollywood Bowl including a 3 course dinner delivered to the box, Thank You Jo Ann and Allan, and to make it even more special it was going to be Muriel’s birthday the next day, Happy Birthday Muriel!

Check In On The Front Garden

'22 October / October 11, 2022

I wanted to replace the two 3/4 dead white roses and I went with 3 different lavender plants. When I got home only one of them was in good shape and the other two were, again, like it’s my fate, 3/4 dead. So, more alive than dead, which is good?

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The left is from before my trip and the fruit on the right is when I got back. That red persimmon was Done.

Before my trip, time for a serious haircut.

The gardeners cut the Santa Barbara daisies down to the nubs on the week I left and here they are now.

The Meyer Lemons before and after. It’s losing leaves but the fruit is hanging on.

The leaf miners and rust and whatever all that is, is back but the tree itself, the kumquat tree, is producing a bumper crop of kumquats so yay for that.

A reminder about The List. It had been on my list for YEARS to get rid of the old paint. All I had to do was call the city, then contact their recycle service provider, Clean Earth, then put out the stuff, and it was gone! I probably spent more time moving this chore from list to list than it took to just DO it.

Universal FUN

'22 November / November 9, 2022

All these pictures are from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Oh my goodness, the ride, YIKES, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. I screamed and laughed and howled the entire ride without a moment’s break. Lilly held my hand. I had no idea such a thing as this ‘ride’ was even possible.

We also enjoyed (I screamed non-stop..Lilly held my hand) the Simpsons ride. It was both gross and terrifying at the same exact time, a Virtual Reality roller coaster. It felt so realistic, not real, just realistic, that my body thought it was riding a crazy Crazy roller coaster.

We also did the Tram which has a few thrill ride components, not at all like the olden days! And we particularly enjoyed Jurassic World too.

It was all quite fabulous. Even the lines were good arriving as we did early on a Tuesday morning because Lilly’s school had an off-day. And when we did have some waiting to do Universal did a good job entertaining us while we waited.

So Sweet

'22 November / December 1, 2022

Sam and Gideon

Every year for ages I’ve spent some part of Thanksgiving Weekend with Steve and Celina, often Gideon is around, and these days Gideon and his financée Sam come to enjoy Celina’s Thanksgiving leftovers feast too. It used to always be leftovers but these days Celina is cooking us fresh dishes too!

I didn’t take pictures of all the food, and this hors d’oeuvres plate wasn’t finished yet either. I slept over and got another gourmet treat for breakfast. Oh Celina!

Thanks you guys! Celina and Steve.

Happy Birthday Molly

'22 February / February 18, 2022

Nancy’s daughter Molly would have been 50 years old on this day. She passed several years ago and Nancy treated me to an oow la la lunch at The Ivy in honor of Molly. Happy Birthday Molly!

Not My Picture

'22 March / March 13, 2022

Sharon and Nancy and I went to this fun restaurant, The Sunset, on a side-road at Zuma Beach. Not my picture and we didn’t go at sunset…but the experience had this feel. What you can’t feel however is all the crazy wind and whitecaps to the horizon.

A Couple Walks

'22 April / April 4, 2022

I’ve had a couple good walks in recent days with Elizabeth – the Back at the Beach walk and the Palisades Park walk, and lunch of course, always lunch. These Royal Candles have been in full flower. They make you look!

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And of course, our California Poppy season is upon us.

Good Timing

'22 April / April 28, 2022

Wanting to get myself in the best possible shape for Iceland, I got my second covid booster today. That gives me three weeks before leaving for it to kick in fully. As of today you don’t need a covid test to fly USA-Iceland but Iceland-USA does require a within-48-hours negative test to leave.

A friend was coming back from Ireland a couple weeks ago, tested positive upon departure, and was stuck in a hotel for five+ days until he tested negative. It can happen, no matter how careful you are, bang, you’ve got covid.

Ann and I

'22 June / June 26, 2022

Ann and I, the June birthdays, hosted a Birthday Party at Odyssey, a nice place with a view of the whole San Fernando Valley. It was lovely and not to forget life in the Valley, 101 degrees.

Maxine, Marsha, me, Marija, Ann, Alicia. Unfortunately Becky and Ljubica couldn’t make it.

Bob’s Dear Mom

'22 July / July 27, 2022

Bob’s dear mom passed recently at age 102, or was it 104, and they held the funeral for her today. Bob did the rabbi’s job and everyone said he was perfect. Family members gathered, Bob and Desda ordered up a deli lunch, and they all met in my yard to tell stories and visit after the service. (This came up at the last minute because they couldn’t find a restaurant that would confirm a reservation outside and happily it was fine weather-wise, fly-wise, etc.) Bob’s brother Always makes a goofy face for pictures, he told me it’s tradition, so I just snapped.

I should have given it a little more thought and arranged a better situation for this picture!

Hermosa Beach Family Theater

'22 August / September 23, 2022

Lilly didn’t do this play but she knows everyone and we, Lilly, Reese, and I, went to cheer them on. It was a good show! I laughed a lot.

from Lilly: “cody is in the suit the orange cat behind him is mickey and the girl in the white is sam pressey”

from Lilly: “i don’t know the people on the left the middle one of them is mickey and then on the right it’s griffin, ethan and kennedy”

from Lilly: “mickey and idk”

from Lilly: “sam pressey then idk”

from Lilly: “everyone is pointing to noah and mickey is there again”

I’m Back To Mondays

'22 October / October 11, 2022

I’m back to Monday lunch in the valley. Becky hosted this week, thanks Becky. Ann couldn’t make it though because she was recovering from bunion surgery. Ann bemoaned missing Becky’s dessert with the gang so I took the opportunity to stop by with a box of donuts!

At Lona’s

'22 November / November 6, 2022

Trevor and Beth are in town and I popped over for a nice dinner and an excellent walk on the jetty.

27-28-29

'22 November / December 2, 2022

Sunday, on the way back from Steve and Celina’s I stopped off to go to the movies with Marsha. We saw She Said and it was very good. Then we went back to their house where Tom had our cocktails ready on the counter. We each have a different preference of glass and the shape of our ice. It was so charming, and for dinner we ate Tom’s annual turkey soup that was the best EVER.

I don’t take a picture every day, I often go days without taking a picture, but this has been an especially fun-filled Thanksgiving season.

Monday I had a yummy outing with Muriel and Jo Ann. Welcome home Muriel! Happy Birthday and Bon Voyage Jo Ann.

Tuesday I went to Ben and Bonnie’s. We were going to walk over to Farmer’s Market but it got cold and dark and we .. didn’t. Next time!

Wednesday I had some phone calls and otherwise did Nothing EXCEPT with these words I’m caught up!

Bye 2021 Hi 2022 Please Be Nice

'22 January / January 7, 2022

New Year’s Eve and New Years Day. A morning walk and lunch with Sharon and then a movie, dinner, a walk, and a sleepover with Marsha and Tom followed by a morning of breakfast and the Rose Parade on tv, and then a stroll through the San Fernando Mission. Nice start 2022.

Morning at Casa Van Valkenburg, the cats, quite insistently, waiting for food, and let’s put on the Christmas tree lights for a photo.

New Year’s Morning Mimosas, and a lovely view out the dining room window to the greening field above.

Cat Eyes.

A quote from Tom “I feel so much safer with statistics on my side instead of a 12 gauge shotgun.”

From 1885-ish, and inset is the rebuilt mission. There isn’t a huge effort to look old but it’s still good for a visit if you enjoy the California Missions.