The month includes Darryl’s birthday, some nice shots of Steven, Celina and Gideon, model airplanes and More.
April 3
Starting out Big D’s Musical Marathon Birthday we had a nice lunch on the patio at the Skirball Center where a jazz-y rock-ish trio played Israeli-LAEuro-Popband tunes. The food was tasty, the music exceeded expectations and it was a great find. You can go up there any Saturday between 12 and 2 for free live entertainment in a comfy, hospitable outdoor setting.
Hangin’ out. Catchin’ some rays. Chillin’ with your buds. All very good things.
The various settings at the Skirball are a bit mini-Getty in architecture but the smaller scale and the less formal landscaping makes for an intimate and gentle experience – not the smacko we-are-built-for-the-ages ga-ga that you get at the Getty.
Next we went to hang out at the music store and listen to music. Darryl picked Damien Rice. This shot is of a window display.
Check it out! Darryl is on a physical self improvement campaign and with a couple of Incredibly clever computer programs of his own design he is able to track what works and what could use changing and to Prove his progress.
You’ll want it too: kingfuzzy.com‘s Vegetarian Diet.
Next up, dinner and a show at Tangier. Like the rest of the events of the day, the food exceeded expectations in both flavor and variety. The show was cool too. This is Bart Davenport and, as he liked to say ‘my’ band.
Although it started out a bit rocky Darryl came to have a genuine affection for Bart and we all were speechless over that fellow on the right, here slaming keys on a sax…
…and here doing what he did most often, going nuts with a tambourine.
This was one wasted dude, whooping and jumping and hurling his tambourine against the ground, his whole body emanating psycho vibes that surrounded the stage in a weird orange and green radiation.
We developed many scenarios that could explain his presence on that stage having mostly to do with The Past and loyalty, or something. It made us feel some sympathetic brotherhood with old Bart.
April 4
On the back patio at Lula’s on Main Street in Santa Monica. Steven, Celina and Gideon came by for a break in their house-selling house-buying drama. Always a pleasure.
I really think this whole place is a visual knockout and the food was pretty good too.
April 7
I’m not at work! WhoooHwooo!! This picture is from a different day. I didn’t used to like it and now I do.
Here’s all what I did and tomorrow I’m going to do More. In between all what I did I had a not easily forgotten lunch at Michael’s. One of those reasons to be glad to be alive.
A plumber came for another bid, half the price of the first one and he’ll do some work tomorrow. A tile guy came and offered to just clean up the existing shower because the tile would be so expensive. I checked the licenses of these two guys and the tile guy, who I liked, and it just goes to show how I shouldn’t trust my instincts, turns out to be a big fat liar. I’ll probably have to call the expensive plumber to fix the cheap plumber’s mess.
The landscape guy sent his helper around to fix a leak he probably created last time he was here. I got the lamp problem diagnosed, pulled some weeds, messed around with my pictures and generally had a wonderful wonderful day. A day in the middle of the week when I was Not at work.
April 9
Cynthia came over Thursday to help and to keep me on the straight and narrow of Progress. We just took an itty-bitty break at the nail salon where they had recently installed shiatsu massage chairs. That’s us, in the chairs, luxuriating!
The cockpit of a model airplane!
Darryl and Angela had an Easter Morining Waffle Breakfast party (yummmmy) and then we spent an hour or so here at the Balboa Park model airplane facility.
These guys are into it. This was the biggest baddest not least to say the costliest plane on the block and the whole time we watched there were several guys just focused on attaching the wings.
Coming off the field. Notice how they walk their planes, rather like walking the dog.
Here it is landing. In flight these planes could convince you you were a few miles away from a real airshow it was all so realistic especially the fastest planes. The sound and proportion and speed was most persuasive.
This guy let us tag along onto the ‘Pilots and Co-Pilots Only’ area. Everyone was delighted to let you have a picture of their plane. Guys slowed down their walk or got out of the way or moved items so as to provide a better shot. Doting comes to mind – they were proud and they doted over their planes.
April 11
And then on Saturday, More Help! Thank You! Thank You! Of course, when women gather… gotta’ play.
more April 11 even though it is now the 17th
Nancy had a lovely soirée last weekend and this is gorgeous Tracy who is staying in Nancy’s guesthouse for awhile.
I can’t remember if it was before or after this pic that I totally mangled my knee by Falling Down. Just Falling Down. We were out for a walk. I was wearing my flips. I was yakking away, and paying No Attention to the ruined sidewalk and then Ka Boom. It still hurts. Fortunately my sister Windy the nurse, the wound care specialist, fixed me up real good, but it Still Hurts. For heaven’s sake could’ja just please Be More Careful?!?
April 17
Next door, where I and my neighbors had successfully turned back the condo project, a new owner is trying to get the place condemned so she can demo and build new. She’s talking about doing two relatively modest two story houses. At first she was talking about refurbishing the place that was there so we’ll see. Of course two modest two story houses is better than a three story four unit condo, so we’ll see, we’ll see…
The city makes you board up your windows and put up a fence when you are trying to get your property condemned. Hateful looking thing. Thanks to Cynthia and Bill for making me feel Much Better.
April 18
I was out in the valley today and every yard it seemed was awash in roses. I was pretty much wowing the whole day!
It was Steven’s birthday and Celina invited a few friends over for brunch. Fun! In attendance were three kids Gideon’s age (I think they’ve all known each other since pre-natal at the hospital!), an infant who I got to carry around and look at things, and a one and a half year old.
Take these four oldest kids, line ’em up and here’s what you get. Awfully cute don’t you think.
The lemons were out, the apricots evident in thousands of marble-like beginnings, the figs were starting to bud, tomatoes, berries, peppers and tons more, and they’re selling! Oh No! Fig Jam!!
Steven’s Mom. I drove her back to her home at the Assisted Living place just a few blocks away. I learned the cost of living there and it really gave me a shock. Shocking I tell you. How are we all going to live again?
The front yard two houses down from Tom and Marsha. That’s the sidewalk you’re seeing!
April 23
FRIDAY! Friday pizza party at work. Starting with Mike, James, Robert, Bill, Danny, Mary Lou, Chris, Veronika, Bill and Alex. Missing are Charles and Bernie at drydock, Lucinda who was up all night, John who had an appointment, Phat who works swing and Boban who was home digging ditches.
Followed by dinner at Canter’s with Les and David, here for some work and a few days at Disneyland.
This is a small section of an amazing mural painted across the whole side of a two story building that contains Canter’s. The date on the mural is 1984 and it is an impressive bit of work, telling the whole story of Jews in Los Angeles.
More.
Canter’s is pretty ratty now and the neighborhood is an eclectic cross of recent immigrants, the most evident these days on Fairfax are the Ethiopians. But once a place is part of your youth, that’s it, it’s yours forever.
April 25
Welcome to the first baby born on my street since I moved here six years ago! The neighbors gather to ooow and awww.
My mother’s standard pose these days as she has taken to reading anything my sister puts in her hands. She particularly enjoys mysteries and magic. Who would’a thunk.
My sister Windy the nurse, wound care specialist stayed with me this weekend and helped Again with the work of getting the rental ready. Here she is doing her daily hour long ablution. I spend the same hour staring into space. Maybe I might as well look nice instead?
