’26 July

It’s a handsome Kia Soul, 2021 with 7,000 miles, chosen and being paid for by the proud owner.

More LACMA because I’m encouraging everyone to go and I go too. Merlyn and Hilda came up from Long Beach to check it out.

Since I’m going to be gone most of August we didn’t get around to choosing a subscription and by the time we did it was mid-July and not much available anyway. This was a good show though.

Rhapsody in Blue & Shostakovich Symphony No 5 in D minor, Op 47, from the website:

“Conrad Tao brings his “fierce technique and footloose grace” (San Francisco Chronicle) to Gershwin’s jazzy classic, followed by Shostakovich’s power-packed Fifth.

“Dubbed a musician of “probing intellect and open-hearted vision” by The New York Times, Conrad Tao has been playing Gershwin’s 1924 rhapsody with orchestras across the country for nearly two decades. “It’s emblematic of the time and place, but it’s also timeless,” says Tao. “Improvisation is baked into Rhapsody in Blue. There are places in the score where the orchestra rests, and the pianist just takes off. That’s one of the reasons it continues to resonate with audiences today.”

“In the same vein, Marin Alsop says, “in a world where sound bites dominate and categorization abounds, Shostakovich presents a challenge to define.” She returns to the Hollywood Bowl stage with the composer’s power-packed Fifth Symphony as well as Anna Clyne’s short but sweet party piece. “Masquerade has the style and sound of old English music hall, a little like the nostalgic sounds on ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.’ It is a noisily delightful aperitif” (The Berkshire Eagle).”

Above, Lucas and Betsy are moving and Windy and I went over to lend four hands to the effort.

Below, Liz had a birthday and we all met up in Riverside to share Congratulations!

For the second time in two weeks I enjoyed breakfast on the boardwalk patio of Shutters, this time with Ingalill, for a welcome Bon Voyage.

We came into the show without great expectations and were all completely enamored of the entire program, fantastic from start to finish.

Selections from Studio Ghibli and other films with the Los Angeles Philharmonic

• Joe Hisaishi, conductor
• Mai Fujisawa, vocalist
• Ariadne Greif, soprano
• California State University, Fullerton University Singers
• Dr. Robert Istad, director

“The music of Joe Hisaishi has touched millions through his iconic scores to classic Studio Ghibli films such as Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Ponyo, as well as award-winning works by leading director Takeshi Kitano. As the Bowl’s 2026 Composer in Focus, he conducts an evening of his timeless compositions, accompanied by some of his favorite film clips.”

By the time the show started it seemed every seat was taken with enthusiastic and delighted concert goers.

Always trying to get my phone to take a telephoto picture.

We went to check out a gallery in West Hollywood called Carpenters Workshop Gallery. The featured artist is Roger Herman and the exhibition is called California Poppies 11 Jun – 24 Sep 2026. Looking at the art we would not have guessed poppies, but most of the pieces did have a splash of orange and yellow.

The piece below is called Ballerina Lamp by Atelier Van Lieshout, a table lamp made from bronze with a textured black finish. I like stuff that is impressionistic but it can still look and feel like what it is.

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Actually we ate breakfast first at République and it was as delicious and picturesque as always.

Rome and I went to Uovo for pasta and then strolled through the Santa Monica Wednesday Farmers’ Market, where it seems to grow bigger with every passing year. Most of the stands were already packing up but we were able to buy one of each from this woman’s fruit stand. On another day we went to a burger place on Melrose, The Win-Dow above, which was good fun too. So two different days, two nice outings in Rome’s New Car, and both times I failed to remember to take a picture. Next time.

Also, and we might even say FINALLY, I called the plumber who popped right over to fix the sink. Of course the stoppage was not in the nice easily accessible sink but rather far down the line. It’s all fixed now.

Alex and Carol hadn’t been here yet so I had the privilege of going around with first-timers. What a joy.

This was a room talking about how plastic grew into an art medium.

Below is some AI ‘thoughts’ on two pictures that I would happily have on my walls.

This is one of the rare times many pictures are mounted close together, a Gallery Wall of cloud studies.

Somethings gotta give with all these reflections, like some gazillionare will give the necessary zillion dollars for museum glass.

Showing the overlap of cultures when it comes to pots

This is a landmark Richard Serra work in the BCAM building (Broad Contemporary Art Museum not to be confused with The Broad downtown.) From the LACMA website: “Band (2006) may qualify as Richard Serra’s magnum opus, representing the fullest expression of the formal vocabulary proffered by his monumental steel arcs and torqued ellipses of the 1980s and 1990s. Among the most formally elegant and technically complex works of Serra’s oeuvre, this sculpture took him two-and-a-half years to develop. At 12 feet high and more than 70 feet long, the work is vast even by Serra’s monumental standard. Careening aesthetically between bravado and elegance, Band bespeaks the ambitiousness of Serra’s artistic vision and his commitment to its physical realization.”

Here’s a professional shot of the sculpture.

Remember back in May when this kitty below was sniffing around my house pretty regularly. The above guy has been investigating the neighborhood too but I think this was the first time he deigned to come in.

Above at one of my favorite lunches, picking up a picnic at the Thursday Redondo Farmer’s Market. And below, one of Lilly’s favorite lunches, at Din Tai Fung.

Lilly sent me this selfie with LIEM. I say his name Leeeum because it makes me smile. I haven’t met him yet but he seems like a fine fellow.

Muriel above, Kathleen below, a day or two apart and I love the color coordination.

YAY!

The Graduates: Rome, Xander, Anya

The Family: me, Lilly, Darryl, Angela, Windy, Lona, Jeff, Betsy, Lucas, Nancy, Helena

What a splendid event in Windy and Jeff’s backyard with all the hardscape provided by the Kings, the fabulous decorations provided by Anya, delicious and beautifully displayed food and drink provided by the Kings and the Kanouses. From what I remember, we, the Great Aunts did nothing but ENJOY!

Lona took these pictures.

Ann and I celebrate our mutual June birthdays with a scrumptious sushi lunch. Sometimes it takes until July for us to find a good time.

So sweet yet thankfully, they didn’t sing.

We enjoyed sushi rolls at a place that had five vegan options as well as other tasty treats, and then we wandered around the mall for a while.

Marsha brought flowers for July 4 and while we were at the toy store I asked ‘what kind of personality does a Fuggler have’ and everyone laughed at me which I thought was funny too.

“For a limited time, a building within the St Vincent Behavioral Health Campus is transformed into a living museum of emotions.”

I went with Ingalill, Rick, and Jim and it certainly was A Thing. Following are some pictures in the order I took them, there are way too many more, and you can google around for details. It should be open until September 30.

Each room is done by a different artist and meant for you to experience the emotions of Resilience, Joy, Sadness, Gratitude, Hope, Compassion, Anger, and Love. Signs and explanations were available with every room but it was fun to guess what the artist meant.

Thanks guys.

I had a lovely day kicking around the beach with Marsha. We had a welcome cocktail on the seaside patio at Shutters.

And then we ate an early dinner at Bruno’s on Ocean Ave, a long-standing red-booths, red-decor, red-wine Italian restaurant.

Below, on the ladies room wall.

We enjoyed a nice walk along the Palisades, however we did not take those stairs. And then we saw Tuner and enjoyed it entirely.