’25 June

Happy Birthday to me and Ann! I’m going to write the sentiments from my cards this year:

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Some People take Birthdays very seriously but not ME … I think the fact that you’re another year older is funny as hell. (Maxine)

Happy 29th Birthday … from your 110 lb. friend. (Ann)

You have a better chance of seeing Pigs Fly … than getting money in this card. (Becky)

You’re more than a friend … today you’re a friend with cake! (Marija)

Getting old is Awesome … said no one ever. (Alicia)

Birthday Tip #811 After extensive research, we have a recommendation to enhance your birthday celebration … Avoid scheduling procedures that end in “oscopy” or “ectomy”. (Maxine)

Oh, wow. Like, happy birthday, man. … Thought you’d like a little weed on your birthday. (Marsha)

On your birthday I’m wishing you peace, love, and happiness. … In other words, good wine, great food, and more good wine. (Ljubica)

Burt and Char came out from Simi, and Terry and Arlene came out from Thousand Oaks. Thanks you guys for making the drive! Fortunately the weather was cool and fresh, and BCT&A were happy. We had a tasty and oh-so-comfortable brunch at The Cloverfield in the old Santa Monica airport and then we enjoyed an easy stroll and a cool visit to the Museum of Flying.

There was a big event going on across the street but it’s just as well I missed it since it was airplane hangers full of food, all sorts of restaurants showing off their cuisines.

Jo Ann had a lovely packed-to-the-rafters opening for a new show at Rose Gallery and the publication of her latest book, Dish Tricks.

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And then later in the afternoon it was time for Tony and Lill’s annual Nordic Summer Solstice, also called Midsummer, also spelled midsommar in Swedish.

LACMA is having previews of the new building before any art installations and I really wanted to see that. It’ll never look like this again, and the way it looks now, one can only wonder how is this going to work?! Concrete walls, ceilings, floors, and sooo much glass. Let’s see how ‘they’ do it!

For three nights as well as a preview of the building, they had a mind-boggling concert of a piece by Kamasi Washington and 100+ musicians in 9 ensembles spread throughout the one large undulating space of concrete and glass, all playing, amplified, at the same time. At the same time, and not together, oh no, it was LOUD, so So Very Loud.

Rick and Jim met me and we experienced this event together. Here are some pictures:

Below find 3 of the 9 ensembles that included a large choir without a picture.

A view to the La Brea Tar Pits.

The Japanese Pavilion stays the same and is reflected below.

There were many interior spaces done up for a handball court.

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And what’s a visit to LACMA without a swing by Levitated Mass.

Lucky Penny, it’s a real store!

Rome will be leaving Saturday for 10 days in Paris with a school group. Aubrie will be leaving at the end of summer for college in New York New York, and Lilly got a 4.1+ gpa. Let’s Celebrate!

We met up in Long Beach for lunch and a stroll and then Aubrie went to work and the rest of us went back to Redondo Beach to make dinner. What a treat!

Rome’s pictures from lunch and the sweet bookstore we enjoyed.

Where we bought a yummy baguette and French cheese.

More from outside the cheese shop and the bookstore. Roller skates in the bookstore? I probably have that wrong…

Lilly’s pictures of some of our food.

A cool plant store along the way.

Black faux-leather purses belonging to Aubrie, Rome, and Lilly, in that order. I think it ‘just happened’ unplanned!

(from their website)

On the Santa Monica beach, I always enjoy spending time here and especially with kind and generous, beautiful friends. Thank you!

Ken came out to Santa Monica in his new (to him) car. It is so perfectly Ken, I’m very happy for him. We had a nice afternoon walk in Palisades Park and a fun and tasty Happy Hour at Michael’s. I took the picture below of Ken and his car in a parking garage so I stuck it here at the pier. I’m quite sure AI would do a much better job!

Not me, I didn’t clean, Cecilia cleaned! Both my sisters are out of town so I got the family housekeeper for a day and what a treat that is. I spent the whole afternoon at the Korean Spa and came home to a house were every room was clean at the same time. 78 is mighty great. (In honor of my mother, I say this.)

Lilly’s theater group had their end-of-year banquet and everyone wore outfits inspired by a theatrical production. Isn’t Lilly’s great! I stopped by on the way home from Long Beach so we could enjoy our favorite treat, Yogurtland!

Finally, a visit to the Aquarium of the Pacific, a place I haven’t been to in so long I remembered nothing.

There is a very large enclosure with maybe 100 of these lorikeets. For $5 you can buy a cup of some liquid that they love and I assume is good for them?

Puffins!

This Monday we were at Ann’s and she made a cheesecake. It’s surprising we’re not featured on True Crime because it was To Die For.

But I didn’t take any pictures so here’s a picture from some other Monday when I picked up Marija to take her to wherever it was we were meeting. She had four of her five grandsons over! I got to hang out for a while with them and I had the best time. They all participated equally and I heard about the books they were reading, what they were looking forward to for summer, their most favorite and least favorite classes, and more – it was DeeeeLightful.

And btw, some years ago I taught Marija how to make grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (dead simple…grill peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) in case the boys would like it because every kid I ever made it for liked it…and now she has to make grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every time they’re over!

Rome, Liz, Lilly, me, Darryl, Angela, Gary

We met up in Riverside for brunch, a stroll around the Mission Inn, and a visit to the Cheech Marin Museum of Chicano Art & Culture. What a treat!

It might be worth going down there just to see this work. “Einar and Jamex De La Torre’s two-story lenticular installation projects an animated image of the burly Aztec Earth goddess Coatlicue, who shape-shifts into a transformer-like machine made out of lowrider Chevy Impalas. Credit…Carlos Jaramillo for The New York Times”

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Arrest of the Paleteros, Frank Romero, 1996.

It’s a picture of the paleteros (ice-cream vendors) being arrested in Echo Park for not having vendor permits.

It was a beautiful day, a sunny, breezy, 70 degrees. There were thousands of participants, and once the mostly ignored program was finished, wherever you stood crowds were passing in both directions with the signs we have come to expect. The experience reminded me of a hug and a pat on the head “it’s ok honey, you’re going to be fine…” which certainly felt good at the time.

Susie took us for a Happy Birthday Me outing today and it was right up our alley. The calligraphy exhibit at LACMA was fantastic. The show was called Line, Form, Qi: Calligraphic Art from the Fondation INK Collection and was mostly highlighting classic and modern interpretations of kanji. Susie used to do wonderful calligraphy and I hold a deep fondness for kanji so we were both very happy.

In another exhibit, these fabrics are hand-dyed in Nigeria and now I want to go to Nigeria.

Can’t leave without a little hit of Levitated Mass.

And then a yummy lunch at a place I’d never been, Granville in West Hollywood.

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Who is following Jackie and Shadow and Sunny and Gizmo? Everyone! And Check This OUT, Susie Named Sunny!! WOW!!!

Adam Melchor is one of Aubrie’s favorite entertainers and (a while ago!) they went to see him at the Troubadour. His style is Indie Folk, the Troubadour holding true to its deepest roots.

I was away for Mother’s Day which I celebrated today when the kids came by to do chores! What a gift!! Climbing ladders, getting heavy boxes down from high shelves, putting together patio furniture, hosing so many things, and MORE. And I got things too, which I’ll take a picture of later.

Thank you thank you🥰

I took a short stroll through the park down the street to try out my new lens.

Sophie is Rome’s friend from school – they have a class together and a nice group from that class have bonded, first over their mutual displeasure with the teacher and then because they like each other. I think everyone who has ever been to school knows how that feels!

We had a good bagel breakfast together and then it was off to class.

But because of missing parts two of the chairs could not be assembled. Oh well, soon.

Steve and Celina came over for a visit and dinner, and it turns out a few days before was their Thirtieth Anniversary! Happy Anniversary you guys and thanks for making the long trek out.

We had a big birthday To-Do for Marsha and Maxine at Alicia’s. Everyone gets so excited when we’re at Alicia’s and she makes dessert. Her pavlova is beloved by all. Here’s an internet picture because mine doesn’t do it justice.

Another day I went with Sharon to lunch at El Cholo. We liked it.

I also went to the doctor’s, saw the kids on Thursday, had a Persian Poetry zoom, Jo Ann and Alan had me and Muriel over for dinner .. all this without a single picture! I’m about ready to get back in the swing, I think…