Darryl and his dad……
Darryl and his dad…
Daily Life 2001-2003 (in my Gray People phase)
We had lunch at…
We had lunch at the Morro Bay Inn in the state park which was perfect too. Perfect perfect perfect. Darryl has said many times every day since of the new year that he had never before even imagined there could be such a perfect day.
Here’s the somthing borrowed…
Here’s the somthing borrowed – my grandmother’s fabulous and historic ring. The ring I got without any issue with my sisters because my mother lost her engagement ring, the ring she had promised me… and there’s more! A nice story for another day.
Liz taking pleasure in…
Liz taking pleasure in the autograph book where previous guests had written entire essays extolling the wonderful times they had spent in the Honeymoon Suite.
The El Morro Masterpiece…
The El Morro Masterpiece Motel where D&A had the Honeymoon Suite. However due to the less than one month lead time on making arrangements, they could get the Honeymoon Suite only for the night Before their wedding, but hey, all the better for us because then we could all enjoy it!
More of the Bride…
More of the Bride and Groom. You really can’t get too much of the Bride and Groom!
The wedding party. …
The wedding party. We’re talking one gorgeous bride and groom and a perfect ceremony to unite them in marriage. We rang bells and put a blessing on their head!
This guitar player was…
This guitar player was The Music and he was perfect. Without any real instruction from D&A he played song after perfect song in perfect tempo and tone for every phase of the event. What a guy, really!
The first full holiday…
December 13
The first full holiday weekend! Friday night’s dinner at Michael’s. Yum-eee.
Lunch with Bonnie and…
December 14
Lunch with Bonnie and here are her officemates: Margaret Sharp, Bonnie’s estate planning colleague and Carol Ramirez, their secretary.
Sunday Windy and Hana…
Sunday Windy and Hana came to Sandy’s lovely show in a home in Brentwood featuring her new collage pieces…
Just a quick collage…
December 18
Just a quick collage of a few of the hundreds of people who came to Maxine’s holiday party. What fun! And not to mention the trays and trays of delicious Maxine-made food. Oh yes, Maxine you are indeed the hostess with the mostess!
Wow! A picture…
Wow! A picture from Kamal with his girlfriend Ynez. She looks like a good one Kamal so Be Good!
HO-HO-HO as we say…
HO-HO-HO as we say all night long… It’s the Monday Night Holiday Party and are we so darn cute or What!?!
Alicia made the entire dinner with all its parts: turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, a yam extravaganza, mama’s traditional green bean and onion-ring casserole, cranberry salad, Alicia’s specialty rolls, cake and ice-cream. Pheww.
And we all got presents from Everyone! Here we are, left to right, top to bottom: Marija, Maxine, Lourdes; Ljubi, Becky, Alicia, me, Maryanne, Marsha, Ruth.
…from the amazing collection…
…from the amazing collection of teacups. Everything else about the party including the house, the food, and the guests was equally as delightful and elegant. Thank you Brigitte!
Marsha’s cousins Bill and…
December 7
Marsha’s cousins Bill and Carol out here for a little work and a lot of fun.
Brigitte invited me to…
December 20
Brigitte invited me to an afternoon Tea Party and Cookie Exchange (since I am after all free in the afternoon(!)) that she was co-hosting with three other lovely women. Here they are: Evvy, Brigitte, Renee and Suzy. The party was at Evvy’s home and it was a delightful and elegant sweet-treat as you can see…
…and all the five…
…and all the five Dragojlovic brothers and their spice on the occasion of Boban’s Big Four OHHhhh. Surprise!
Left to right, top to bottom: the 5 brothers Dushko, Peter, Boban, Roy, Goran; Mary, Dad (Djura), Shirley, Mary Jo, Mom (Vukica), Kelly
Lucas and Betsy had…
Lucas and Betsy had us all down for a gathering, food, fun, and a gift exchange. The kids were perfect and mom behaved herself pretty well too!
Cynthia had to work but she did call in for a few words of cheer.
Alex and Carol had…
Alex and Carol had a day after Christmas brunch where I got to see most of the Lopez Connection gang and best of all Alex’s parents were up from Florida.
Women on tour, and…
Women on tour, and that one guy who was the one voice allowing the requisite ‘what do you think this IS Anyway?’ and ‘hey, my granddaughter could do this’ sort of expressions. Everyone else seemed very appreciative of such an illustrious collection and more than glad for the chance to be there.
At Bill and Cheryl’s…
At Bill and Cheryl’s family Christmas Dinner with me and Ken in attendance. It was great to have both of their kids around and we ate and played games and laughed ourselves stupid.
At Darryl and Angela’s…
At Darryl and Angela’s for the arrival of Santa Claus and for Christmas Breakfast. Santa Claus was extremely clever this year I’d say and especially in keeping with our modesty compaign.
Ho Ho Ho!
The guide was wonderful….
The guide was wonderful. That’s her, looking back towards the group, answering every question with contagious enthusiasm and offering information you wouldn’t know you didn’t know.
Here’s Angela’s Great Aunt…
Here’s Angela’s Great Aunt Jean. She’s always got that next great trip on the horizon. You go Jean!
Carol had the tickets….
Carol had the tickets. I’ve never been here but she comes from Michigan and invites me along. Thank you Carol!
I spent the hour making little whimmering noises and girggly intakes of breath.
Here is the foundation’s website. There is a photo of just one of the rooms and even in the one room you will see a careful and personal survey of art in the 20th century.
We can’t take any pictures inside although a crew from Architectural Digest was there doing a spread. We can’t even have a purse but the guide did agree to let me carry the camera to take some pictures outside.
From Christmas Eve to…
December 26
From Christmas Eve to the day after Christmas:
At Marija’s Christmas Eve Dinner where a few dozen people scarff Rosy’s BBQ, eat, drink, and be merry.
During the Holiday Season the Monday Night Ladies, like some sort of freakish cult, take to dressing alike in our various gifts. Some years we wear tiaras, some years we wear glittery necklaces and this year it was all about the fuzzy sox and jingle bells.
Welcome to the Frederick…
December 8
Welcome to the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation tour, by appointment only, and it’s free and you know how I feel about that! It’s only available during the week so being Retired makes it all the better.
Couger nummies, right outside…
Couger nummies, right outside my door.
One thing I noticed here tonight (and you may look at the first picture again and note that I parked that baby myself – wahoo!) is that getting a hook-up is wimpy, ok, dang cush really, and your best-friend-neighbors are people who travel around in Motor Homes, but with a hook-up people don’t run their generators and the campground is actually quieter than some without hook-ups.
I still want that extra battery though, for options. And so far I know I really like having the juice!
At the San Marcos…
December 27
At the San Marcos campground in the San Onofre State Park. My idea was to try and catch a shot of the nuclear power plant but you can’t get there from here. I quizzed the folks at the pay gate so thoroughly I was getting that eyes narrowed ‘uh oh terrorist alert’ look, so I stopped.
It turned out to be a good place anyway…
Saturday at Nancy’s friend…
Saturday at Nancy’s friend Annmarie’s party followed by the God Bless Americanna holiday slide show and commentary. Here’s the guy’s website. He calls himself a Kitch-Culture Histo-Tainer. It is definetly something entirely different!
And this place here! Faa-bulous. Annmarie’s boyfriend Larry made up an amazing loft space above his studio there in the heart of Hollywood Production Studio World.
…with a most enjoyable,…
…with a most enjoyable, easy, scenic 1 mile walk to the beach.
I wish this picture was a scratch-n-sniff. Here was the perfect chaparral scent, that out-for-a-hike in Southern California aroma that evokes childhood in every California girl.
Great spaces all opening…
Great spaces all opening onto giant industiral windows. I’m crazy for the windows and the floors were killer too.
And then ocean breezes…
And then ocean breezes cool the dusty sage.
One road leads to one of the best surf beaches in the area, Trestles Beach, and the other leads to food. Can you guess which one I took?
Yesterday I went with…
November 16
Yesterday I went with Angela to the zoo. We really like to go to the zoo and always every time we have some new adventure.
In the morning there were plenty of children at the children’s park and here is Daddy’s Sweet Baby Girl. He was cooing and oohing with this child like you wouldn’t believe. You know how it is – there’s something about the babies…
This is another go…
November 6
This is another go at processing that pano-rainbow from the Susanville trip. Better on the rainy ground, better on the distortion, worse on the color blending.
You can click …
November 19
You can click HERE to see the rest of the really Really Swell bon voyage party with the Crystal gang at Jade West.
I spent a couple…
I spent a couple of days re-doing one of the Peru sections from my last trip. Here’s a direct link to the new stuff.
Better?
Family, and more about…
Family, and more about carpets. Being in Persia and all, I might just have to buy me one of those Persian carpets!
Dawn at the pier….
Dawn at the pier.
I get up when it’s still dark, I go out there and find a place to park and I decide, standing in front of the car, well, I’ll just leave my bag, just take the camera and tripod because why do I always have to be lugging this stupid bag around everywhere I go and etc. etc. You can guess – the battery ran out and I didn’t have my bag!
These pictures are for…
November 18
These pictures are for Kathy and Rick to meet Hilda and Merlyn. Kathy, having visited Iran earlier in the year, is going to loan me her clothes to wear when I go with Hilda in March. How cool is That!
Hilda is standing in front of a collection of postcards from the carpet museum in Tehran and the descriptions are mounted below. I’m go’nna go there too! So ComeOn Guys, let’s give peace a chance…
What is it with…
What is it with these guys? Brian, aren’t you just a little bit too old for a mid-life crisis?!? Marija said she said fine fine just be careful. Brian! Be Careful!!
So now we’ve got Brian and Jack tearing around on these rumble machines. Everybody out there, watch yourselves!
This is as far…
Novenber 27
This is as far as I’ve got for the latest school project and now I’m off to Oregon with all my fingers and all my toes crossed in hopeful anticipation that this cheap-o 1964 trailer will work.
You can click HERE to see this thing bigger.
What about the rest of my life from the 19th to the 27th? No pictures, so I don’t remember. Not even One single picture from Thanksgiving so that will be gone soon too. I just got back from a nice fete at Nancy’s and still, no pictures. It’s just a phase I guess.
I loved it when I was learning Tai Chi and at one point I was bemoaning how I couldn’t remember a certain kick sequence and the teacher said ‘oh, never mind, don’t worry, it’s just a phase.’ What a great class.
OUCH!! OH NOoo….
OUCH!! OH NOoo. Ljubi Fell!
And is she ever p*ssed. The landlords had left a broken fence for weeks and she caught her pant leg in one of the loose pieces and that fence Threw her to the ground. It messed up her leg and hip too.
Big fat bummer!
Another quick catch-up!Ruth’s daughter…
November 14
Another quick catch-up!
Ruth’s daughter Judith and The Judge. Judith made a lovely birthday party for Ruth, a real grown-up affair with a yummy selection of hors d’oeurves served on silver trays by handsome young men. Didn’t stop us from hootin’ it up though.
Last weekend we went…
Last weekend we went to the Science Center downtown to see the Body Works show.
It was utterly amazing. Check this out and see what you think – click HERE.
We had our family…
We had our family Thanksgiving on Friday (No Pix!) and on Thursday I spent a lovely day with Paul and Gretchen and their friend Diane in Las Vegas. We did some serious touring and ate the whole turkey business at 10pm.
All gone – and…
All gone – and after a few ‘Hey, what’s with This?’ nips on the shoulder, everybody calmed down and settled in to enjoy a nice sunbath. Kids, don’t try this at home…
There is something quite…
There is something quite amazing when a huge and strange animal looks you right in the eye.
Awww, notice the one…
Awww, notice the one in the middle, how she rests her neck on her sweetheart’s knee.
We watched this kangaroo…
We watched this kangaroo family for the longest time, long enough for Angela to go through about a roll of film. They were quite entertaining as the baby was nursing, the dad was lolling around in various luxuriating positions, and the mom, it seemed, was simply attending to things.
Happy birthday Maryanne and…
November 4
Happy birthday Maryanne and Becky! We went to a restaurant with a Russian chef recommended by Veronika in honor of Maryanne and Becky’s return from their fabulous Russian vacation. I got to look at the pictures all by myself and have my own personal travelog. Very fun!
Maryanne prides herself on not smiling for photos. Why would that be? Sometimes I just liquify a smile onto her face (ha!) but not this time.
Here is this knockout…
Here is this knockout guy having just executed the most amazing landing.
He came in something like the space shuttle, or the sst with wings wide and beautiful and perpendicular to the ground and then there were two perfectly poised wing motions and a tai-chi like balletic few dance steps that happened at the very end.
I’m sure the whole powerful yet delicate process is documented somewhere on the nature channel.
Thanks to everyone who…
Thanks to everyone who was able to come and to extend such kind good wishes. And many thanks to Dale for signing the check and to Robert for taking these pictures. I’ve mooshed the pictures together for the sake of brevity but still it’s me me all about me.
Left to right, top to bottom:
Boban, Veronika, me, Robert, Chris.
Taking Aiko to see…
October 20
Taking Aiko to see her son in Susanville.
Racing up the I-5 to make it to the Harris Ranch exit in time for this remarkable (and shockingly pano-distorted) sight.
The West Covina Forrest…
The West Covina Forrest Lawn.
An interesting war story: ‘Dad spoke German exclusively until he reached school age where the nuns taught the kids to speak English, so that probably came in handy here and there. He was stationed in England during WWII and although he was shot down over Germany 3 times he was never captured… He had been provided a false passport showing that he was a German citizen but never had to use it.’
That German could have come in Very handy I’d say!
Margaret! Right out…
Margaret! Right out of surgery having had a total knee replacement and rearin’ to go. She had not passed one second with her eyes open before she was bugging the nurses to get her exercise going.
This is ‘the color…
This is ‘the color guard from AmVets, an organization of veterans helping one another obtain their benefits. As an honorably discharged, decorated WWII veteran, Dad qualified for the Color Guard, a plot at the veteran’s cemetery which he chose not to take and a headstone which has been ordered…
Here are a few…
October 26
Here are a few pictures from before the Susanville trip.
Encounter at the airport – where I took Charis for her very first Just Us Day with Granty.
They had a mass…
They had a mass and then the priest came ‘from St Joseph’s Catholic Church. Dad attended services there since spring of 1955, but wasn’t much of a joiner or volunteer after we all left the associated schools.’
Of course not. It seems he was too busy FISHING. ‘…he was a charter member of the Beer & Bass Association, founded in 1979. Please be aware that in the grand scheme of things, there is life & death, but above that is FISHING!’
The pallbearers….
The pallbearers.
‘The front right; Dad’s only son Richard Lingor; the eldest of my generation. Behind him is the handsome man you know best (ps that’s my wonderful son Darryl!), behind him is Dad’s great grandson Jonathan Barragan; the first of the great grandchildren. His mother is Melisa, my sister Cathi’s daughter.
Opposite side: on the front left is Dad’s grandson David Aispuro; son of my sister Anne Marie Aispuro. Behind him I think is a young man who is first cousin to Jonathan on his father’s side. Behind him is grandson Adam; Cathi’s son.’
I went with Angela…
October 30
I went with Angela to the zoo – she had to look for black and white pictures for her black and white printing class. I however, get to Photoshop!
Everybody wanted to be square. I have no idea why.
George Edward Lingor…
09/22/1924 to 19/28/2004
Survived by:
‘Sterling Lingor – wife since February, 2000.
Children:
Richard Lingor (& Carolyn), Elizabeth Drake, Cathi Miller ( & Jack), Mary Rudd, Anne Aispuro.
Grandchildren:
My children Steven Drake and Angela Drake.
Cathi’s: Melisa (& Luis) Barragan mother of: Jonathan 14, Cassandra 9 & Alexandria 5 Barragan, and Adam Moore.
Mary (& Nick – deceased January 2004) had Melody (& Mike) Day, Heather Rudd and Andrew Rudd.
Anne’s: Sonia (& Josh) Pitts, mother of Sabrina 3 & Justin Pitts 9 mo., David (& Holly) Aispuro, Dianna Aispuro, mother of Skylar Aispuro 5.
Dad had 6 brothers and 2 sisters, 1 sister: Marie attended with her husband Marvin Hovland. The survivors include Jerome, Earl, Clem & Paul but not necessarily in that order.’
You can poke your…
You can poke your head up into those domes. Gives the kids a real kick. Actually, it’s the parents who get a kick out of showing the kids.
‘He joined (the Legion)…
‘He joined (the Legion) when his Moose Lodge closed; almost 5 years ago; many of the members moved over with him. He was very proud of the membership.
The guys that came (the AmVets) were retirees who volunteer and take great pride in what they do.’
At the petting zoo….
At the petting zoo. Mostly they had goats but it wasn’t a stinky icky pebble-poo place like goat pens usually are.