Covid FREE
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
’22 August
It’s HOT
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!
Slumber Party Aboard Red Sky
Long Beach Marina and the Queen Mary.
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!
the club’s Sunday Brunch claim to fame being the $12 bottomless mimosas.
Where I Wait
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.
Happy Birthday Nancy
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.
I wanted to see this new piece and I’ll tell you it was odd for sure.
“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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Lynn And Lydia Are 75
Lynn and Lydia put on a beautiful party – a handsome patio setting, delicious food, beverages of every variety, and the best part, so many heartfelt and touching testimonials from their many friends and family members. Followed by dancing!
Someone else’s picture and very adorable it is.
This Was Fun
Rome and I went for lunch at the dim sum place in the Del Amo mall and then we went to this surprising place there just behind the mall. Susie found it and we were thinking of going but chose another place instead. In all this time I’ve kept my eye out for things to do with Rome and Lilly and this was right here all along. Thank you Susie!
Madrona Marsh Preserve and Nature Center.
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Lilly and her friends gathered after school for a mug cake extravaganza and Monopoly.
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These pictures below are from Angela with Rome taken at the Vedanta Society Hollywood Temple, before and now.
With Ben And Bonnie At The Beach
We enjoyed a wonderful meal at Manchego on Main Street and then walked to the beach.
Almost Ready
..in September.. I’ll leave for a week in Corsica with The Gang and three weeks in Switzerland on my own, never having visited either place. Oh boy oh boy! I’m just waiting now for a few things from amazon dot com and then Bon Voyage. The biggest question on my mind – do I bring my fabulous new travel coat, the one I got for Iceland? Which I wore once. It compacts into the size of a neck pillow, but it’s also super warm and another thing to schlep. Hmmmm.
B&C And T&A (2004)
Burt and Charlene invited me and Terry and Arlene over for a summer swim and BBQ. It was so nice, Thank You! I’m so sorry I forgot to take a picture of US. However I did catch a quickpik of dessert!
What Happened Last Night
At around midnight last night a huge racket coming from my front door woke me from a light sleep. Some seemingly very large person was pounding on the door and loudly attempting to disassemble the metal covers over the mail slot. It was upsetting! I didn’t imagine it was terribly serious because of all the loud noise but my heart did stop and start a few times. I went to the front door to double-check the lock and to lean against it until I could decide what to do next.
So there I was, past midnight, leaning on my front door while someone was banging away on the other side. I slightly lifted the inside flap for a peek through the slot and BAM some guys fingers were pushing through the flap so without a thought I WHACKED on the flap so hard I thought immediately Oh my goodness I’ve broken this guys hand!
Followed by silence. After a minute or two I called 911 and 5 or 10 minutes later an officer was at the door.
‘Don’t worry’ he said, ‘we’ve got the guy, he’s passed out drunk at the end of the block. 911 has received several calls as he was banging on doors up and down the block asking for help.’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘he didn’t ask me for help.’ I asked the officer if he could check the guy’s hand considering my WHACK and the mangled mail slot, to confirm they had the right guy. ‘Oh, you,’ he said, nodding knowingly. Yup, there was blood on the porch by the door.
I felt quite sure then and now that I was not in serious danger but what with all that adrenaline I didn’t get back to sleep until after 4a.
And all day today, when it came to mind how much that hardware for the mail slot costs (oil rubbed antique brass!), and the trouble it’s going to be to get it fixed, I get a rush of 1) regret that I probably hurt that sad drunk man (I don’t regret that I did it though considering his hand was inside my house) and 2) glad it was me and not some stand-your-ground ‘citizen’ with a gun.
I was tempted to walk over to the hospital to learn more about what happened but good sense prevailed and I didn’t. Sadly he threw over the big pots by the porch and hurled my Laughing Buddha across the pathway and broke it. I’ll need another one fast! Did he do these aggressive acts before or after I smashed his hand? I don’t know!
Last Lunch Of Summer
That’s Rome reading one of the cool murals at the Hermosa Beach Pier where we ate at the Puffy Pita Place, and Lilly and Reese posing with the ever-popular wings.
Hermosa Beach Family Theater
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”
TX Jo Ann And Alan HBD Muriel
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!
A Happy Routine
Meet a friend at the dinos and walk along Palisades Park, a regular favorite that I enjoy every single time.
A Little At Home
I and my tenants Olivia and Anna having a visit in the yard, a cool, breezy, and lovely early evening.
Trader Joe’s flowers from Kathleen, always welcome! And the frame is on a Whole Foods delivery back in the days of The Incident.
St Andrew and St Charles
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.
Lilly And Bailey
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..
The Hollywood Bowl Is 100
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.
