Lilly’s theater group put on a delightful production of Bugsy Malone at the Hermosa Beach Community Theatre this weekend. Lilly was AWEsome! She had the only part with two solos and she nailed them both. You go Lilly!
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The following are Angela’s pictures, and this one has the three kids I picked up from school last week. I was so excited that they were all in the same production since the theatre group does seven shows all with different casts.
Collected from walks, around the corner from me. Looks like the street cleaners have just come through based on the fact that the blooms aren’t sticking to my ankles. The first dino on Wilshire at 3rd, check her out, she’s all abloom looking Full Spring.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
This is Rome’s picture of the shadows on the wall of my bedroom where they were sleeping. Lilly slept in the living room and I slept in the dining room, we each had a ‘room’, no doors, but a room.
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Slumber Party food is the best! We go to the store, think about what to fix, buy what we want, eat yummy appetizer/snacks while we fix dinner…too fun. And then there’s dessert.
Lilly made our delicious mocktails, the oh-so-fun holiday pastel decorations for our cookies, and the fruit salad for breakfast. Rome and I made the recipe-toast with flavored hot oil that I will make again, Rome picked out the salad, and together Rome and I made the aMAYzing fried cheese.
And then we went to the ZOO!
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.
Bonnie at the Endeavor exhibition at the California Science Center. The photo is from Bonnie’s camera, I didn’t cut her out, this is real, the glow I guess is just something about the lighting. She’s holding the reason we came here, gifts for the grandkids in Israel.
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The Exposition Park Rose Garden
It’s phenomenal! (inset from the internet)
Bonnie wanted to go to the gift shop at the Science Center to get some replacement toys for her grandkids in Israel and we both thought it would be cool to see the Jane Goodall retrospective at the Natural History Museum. Tick Tick.
The Jane Goodall show was huge – comprehensive and well done, and old-timey in a way. There were a few interactive elements, like recording your voice copying some chimp vocalizations, but mostly it was storyboards and artifacts, especially good for people who already want to know more about Jane Goodall.
More ghostly auras, this time from the way they projected the image.
BONNIE’S FLOWERS from the Rose Garden!
Booked! The flight, the car, the accommodations. Oh indeed-ee-do. I’ve even got a coat on the way, and yet again another effort to find closed shoes I can stand. I think I’ve got everything (I think that and then I think of something else…). Oh joy!
The map shows all the accommodation stops along the way, a few places I’m staying two nights. Because I made the plans myself I’ve got places I like of the ‘guest house’ style, too small to host any of the myriad tour groups on the same route. There really is only one main road, the Ring Road. I’m taking many side trips off the Ring Road but still not off-road meaning people will be around.
It’s going to be light for 19 hours when I get there and 20 when I leave which is exciting to know that I’m never going to have to deal with driving in the dark. The weather sites say to look for a high around 50 and lows in the mid-30s. Cold but not cold and no ice on the roads.
And fresh fish, every day, right out of the ocean. That’s my plan!
The view from Merlyn and Hilda’s balcony.
A=the Long Beach Marina where Alex and Carol live aboard the newly acquired Red Sky and where they used to live aboard Nepenthe. (Red Sky, known to my family as The Bigger Boat.)
B=the grandstand for the Long Beach Grand Prix with the cars zooming through the streets.
C=the Queen Mary and beyond you can see cargo ships waiting to unload, and cruise ships bringing 1,000s into town.
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Oh my goodness the noise of a Grand Prix race. Even standing out on the 29th floor balcony a half-mile from the track it was still so loud we. . . . watched the race on TV!
And then, of course, LUNCH!
(internet picture)
BY Stefano Massini ADAPTED BY Ben Power DIRECTED BY Sam Mendes
CAST Simon Russell Beale, Howard W. Overshown, Adam Godley
Nancy’s friend gave her two tickets, for wonderful seats btw, at The Ahmanson Theatre to see The Lehman Trilogy. Bummer you guys, I just checked and April 10 is the last show. I thought it was fantastic and would recommend it wildly. The script, the staging, the direction and cast, it all came together to make a most memorable experience.
The tickets were for a matinee, YAY, and first we had lunch at Philippe’s, a real treat. It was remarkably just The Same, since 1908, except for the fabulous modern improvement, no doubt a covid accommodation, of a ‘next available’ line instead of the mob that used to swarm the counter.
Thanks Nancy, it was a great day!
(self-portrait)
I went shopping with Sharon who is looking for a couch. We hopped furniture stores and then ate a tasty lunch. Always lunch!
I really love to drive kids around. They’ll say anything!
Gio, Rome, Emily. Lilly was in the front seat managing the play list.
FUN!
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And on top of which it was Darryl’s birthday and he got the dessert of his choice – a yummy fruit salad with toppings and coconut whipped cream.
Happy Birthday Darryl, Good job Angela!
Christa is here in LA for a Girls’ Weekend with her friend Amanda, but first I got to have my own visit with Christa which was a delight.
Christa and Amanda wanted to go for a massage and if you’re going to have a massage you might as well go to a Korean Spa and have a MASSAGE. I offered some choices, they picked one, Lona went too, and this photo is the aftermath. They Liked It.
Amanda sent the selfie.
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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We’ve had visits and walks and this festive get-together at Socalo with Richard, Emilia, Elizabeth, Lynn, Carl, and Les.
