’05 March

March 25

March 31

Today I had a day like you would have if you were traveling in some far-away place. Like in France maybe, visiting a most pleasing shoreside cafe society town.

I took the 10 Freeway Flyer downtown and then the Blue Line rail to Long Beach. The trains were quite fine and the stations were mostly in very good shape. Most had a nice art project like this one. OK, maybe not France…

Here’s another one.

Before you know it, there are Alex and Carol and we’re off for a day of 100% relaxing.

Lunch was great, lots of sharing, lots of sun, shade for me, perfect black-and-tan.

This is one of the views from Napenthe’s marina. Mighty cool for dang sure.

Touring. A perfect day for it too as it was bright, spring warm, and a little breezy.

Thanks! Bon voyage, see you next time!

March 29

I’ve been off and on sick for what seems like forever. That’s the way it is when you’e sick. It seems like forever. Me me all about me. But I certainly wasn’t going to miss Tuesday night at the Holiday Inn!

You know that hotel, right off the freeway and gateway to the Getty, an easy hop for valley folk either on the way home or just over the hill if you’re already there.

They tarted up their restaurant a few years ago resulting in an unwelcome price increase. But there’s a Faabulous view obviously, nice decor, comfy seats, and the food not’s bad either. So we just pay up.

Hey guys, Bill, me, and Ken.

March 27

So I’ve been studying up for my trip to China and found this picture on the internet. It’s called ‘toilet/shower/chicken’.

(http://onebag.com/list.html)

March 24

Out the bus window.

And more out the bus window. Here is a view of this dino that you can’t get any other way. There’s something about being at the heigth of the bus that gives a new perspective to familure scenes, even the cool pier sign above.

Of course there is the issue of the window-dirt and glass-distortion but I’m saying it just adds to the ‘flavor’.

Gwen is giving Hana and me Mandarin language pronunciation tips. Al and Nancy are chatting it up.

Thank you Gwen! It is so useful to have someone to listen to you, in language studies as in life.

I’m going to give a pitch for ‘the Pimsleur method’ language cds, having got though basically the following expressions I can say that they are doing a good job. Not perfect though, which I won’t belabor, but all in all a good job.

1) Do you speak English? 2) You speak English very well. 3) I do not speak Mandarin. 4) Where is …(pointing to a list of places a traveler will need). 5) I want to eat a little something.

Useful, no?

The next day:

Had a nice lunch with Joe again and again didn’t take a picture. I wonder why?

After lunch I saw Steam Boy…

…and then walked into Westwood to have dinner with Rosie and Len, Fay visiting from UK, and Kelly. Kelly drove me home in her new car. Thanks Kel.

As a welcome to America token I gave Fay a book by Sarah Vowell who is a regular contributor to This American Life and a wonderful storyteller. If you already know her you don’t need my recommendation and if you don’t know her you are in for a treat!

March 22

Sandy had a public reception this weekend for her exhibit at the Pacific Palisades Library. She had a great turnout and a lot of favorable response. Hurray Sandy! Hurray Roger too without whom, as Sandy will promptly agree, it would not have happened.

The guy in the background is Sandy’s cousin and I am looking forward to posting a few of his pics here as it looked like he should have some swell ones.

A super-tele-photo, at the Sunset and Vermont Red Line station.

The marvelous Griffith Park Observatory closed now a few years for refurbishments and I saw on the internet a comment that it would not reopen until 2006. That will be a real excitement when it’s finally available again. I am hugely optimistic that it will be Grand.

Re-do from a magazine trick. Too strong maybe.

More Sunset Blvd. out the bus window.

(IFWTO work, Sandy’s show; D&A; laundry etc. then at Ruth’s then Marija’s; breakfast then downtown w/Marsha then the dentist)

Looking out my back door in the rain. The deluge actually. Yet again. Isn’t it about enough already with the rain?

Rain Rain Rain. Here’s the mud lake next door most of which will end up on my prized new wood floor, and in my bed, drug in on the cat’s feet several times a day.

March 17

You can click here for pictures and stories of me and Brigitte and other of her friends at the Fredrick R Weisman Art Foundation.

We stood here for the picture so we could be really really thin. Here we are:

Jainee, Brigitte, Raquel the guide, me, Renee, Suzy, Cathy, and Katy. Such lovely ladies!

March 16

A couple of my dinos in their fresh spring coat.

Thank you Nancy!

She cleaned her house, went shopping, got out the music and candles and fixed us a yummy dinner. And there were yummy homemade cookies for dessert which we got to enjoy because Grandma Nancy was shipping off a load of ‘yes I am the grandma’ good And good for you cookies to baby Charlie et al.

Yummy!

Now that I know where to sit to make this happen you can be dang sure I’ll be sitting there again!

March 15

I spent several days camped out at Darryl and Angela’s to be in charge of xo while they went to visit Angela’s dad. He’s really a very sweet dog and he has great talents especially in that he can catch a fresbee on the fly. And he’ll catch tennis balls and return them to your feet.

Many times a day we headed out the back steps. xo is quite specific ‘Lets-Go-Lets-Go-LetsGoooo’.

Lets-Go-Lets-Go-LetsGoooo.

But here’s the thing. xo has a thing, a real jones, to Get The Man. When you see The Man coming down the street the best thing is to talktalktalk while you cross the street before xo has noticed The Man. If The Man is coming on the other side of the street too, the best thing is to turn into a driveway or up an alley…

…BUT if The Man is walking A DOG, forget it. xo will not be distracted and now we’re talking about an experience of cinematic proportions.

Like a pack of British fox-hounds in full throat. Like the dogs in Gone With The Wind set upon escaping slaves. Like when the Federales approach the compound of a notorious Columbian drug lord and the guard dogs are loosed.

He Barkkks and BArKKKKs and BAAAARRRRRKKS and slathers and lunges, Hurls himself at the oncomers and bares his frantic teeth. All you can do is plant yourself back on your heels, hold him by his actual collar and wait out the storm. It is a stunning display of will

He can play at the dog park, he’s never actually hurt a man or a dog, and yet… ps You do not want to know why he is licking his nose.

March 13

Tom cooked us a hero’s breakfast this afternoon, the very day the turtles roused from their winter hibernation.

Hi baby.

They have to have a license for these guys and then there was the project to glue new name and address labels on the shells.

It’s true, it looks like they will live forever. At least they’ll outlive me!

March 12

My house during the first two weeks of May. Killer wisteria…

…and roses. One of these days I need to try that water-spritzing thing for some glisten.

Dinner with Bill and another ‘Dinner With Bill’ collage.

Happy Birthday Lona! As usual I got to spend the day with her, doing those chores that are so much more trouble to do alone.

You Will Not Believe. We pulled these clothes out of her 1 closet and her 1 chest of drawers. And don’t worry. She has plenty to wear. Her closet and her chest of drawers are Still quite full of clothes.

I forgot to mention Hartley’s hobby of dumpster diving but there you are. Now you know the source. And some of these babies might even find their way back into the house!

Lona’s birthday dinner. She made it herself.

Today and tomorrow I Will work on trying any technique I can think of for getting a decent picture of the food on my plate. If it doesn’t get any better than this then I will be obliged to get another lens before going to China which adds cost and weight and which I reeally hope I can avoid,

Now I have to call around and see if anyone wants to go out to eat!

March 9

Monday was a busy bus day. I rode a new route, to the dentist and it was painless except maybe for these cr*ddy windows, and then to Monday Night.

Saint Marc. What-A-Guy.

I realize I look like a total doofus in this picture but can you figure out the giGANtic piece of cosmetic surgery I performed on my face? It’s so not perfect you’ll easily figure it out but at first glance you probably did not say ‘OMG what Happened to her!’.

It’s this: I took the one open eye, copied it, reversed it, and stuck it over the squinted-up other eye. You can tell, especially if you know where to look, but wow, magic.

March 6

From Thursday, in the middle of the day in the middle of the week. A dream from which I have not woken.

Sharon and I had a lovely outing and since she said ‘please please no pictures’, I’ve got no pictures of Sharon.

The Mexican restaurant at the end of the pier is open again after their winter refubishments and it remains a most delightful place to hang out, enjoy a beer, eat chips and salsa, and glory in the day.

From the bus, facing the sea, because I can’t help it.

Some bus riding cuties. They lined up their treasures for the picture.

This was on the way to lunch with the Nancies and Cousin Sharon at the Westside Pavillion. I ride the #1 (my favorite as you know by now) and then can choose to walk from Santa Monica Blvd. to Pico or wait for the #12. At first I could hardly imagine that walk and now it’s easier to walk than wait for the bus.

I never could exercise. I couldn’t just waste energy for no reason, like running running and never getting anywhere, and I know for 100% sure that if I had a car I would Not be walking from Santa Monica Blvd. to Pico. So there it is. I’m better off. Why have I not lost one ounce?

March 3

I am now noticing that once you get off the #1 route you really are well served to be on the road soon after rush-hour. It’s not that there aren’t buses on the other routes but since they can be as much as one hour apart waiting can get tedious and then when it rains it kind of takes the sizzle out of public transportation!

The days are getting longer and today was so utterly utterly beautiful that once again all is forgiven and life is good between me and Big Blue.

Mom and Windy. Sigh.

This was exciting. I got to ride the #9 to Pacific Palasades. It was a gorgous run with coastal vistas from up Sunset and easy to use since Beverley’s house is only a few blocks from the village.