(a break for the New England trip)
June 25
Burt and I went out to the Port Hueneme SeaBee Days event (that’s their official website.)
In the distance you can see these huge pieces of machinery that are the trademark tools of the SeaBees whose job it is to quick like a bunny build stuff so the fighters can get where they’re going.
The kids(?) had a great time because all these huge machines were available for climbing. It seemed to be mostly military families there and the kids were the parent’s responsibility as attendants were not present.
I didn’t see any children actually fall from great heights onto their sweet little heads but not for their lack of trying.
…and food stands and a carnival. I am entirely certain that the SeaBees asked the carnival people to be sure and bring all (and only) those rides that were guaranteed to make you puke. Except for this one. This one looked like fun.
June 24
One of Cynthia’s coffee guys – the morning man. It seems she knows every coffee guy in her neighborhood of Laguna Beach and they all adore her. There is not a chain place for a mile around and how cool is that.
June 23
Melisse. Go there. But first arrange for a second mortgage or, better, go with someone who has a lot more money than you do and plenty of cash on hand.
Like Valentino, to get the full effect you need to go for the ‘Chef’s Carte Blanche’ which is not on the menu in either place and means that course by course small portions of extraordinary food just keeps coming.
I do think a classic kaiseki/omakase meal from a top chef is beyond comparison, but these two places, Valentino and Melisse, offer a similar gasping experience and Western cuisine.
Thank you Thank you! We had such a Festivo over here on Sharon’s patio! Nancy brought wine and dessert, Sharon cooked a dee-licious dinner and we ate and drank amd made merry. Lucky Me!
It’s The Happy Birthday Song!
June 22
Hurray! Hana-san in her New Gorgeous this >< close to finished Kitchen! Omedetoo Hana-san!
They’ve been ‘camping out’ right there in the Marina. Having no kitchen at all makes you truly appreciate a nice bowl of hot fresh homemade miso soup! So far it’s been about a month. I have heard from many who would be Happy if their kitchen was out of service for only a month!
June 21
La Pergola! Around the corner from Darryl and Angela’s place is an incredible garden. A farm really. And across the street and up the block from the farm is the restaurant that features its produce. The owner of both lives between them.
Eating there is like going to a gorgeous country home for dinner where Momma cooks up all the specialities of the season.
June 20
Ooooh YEAH, Kids Today! Really, what a couple’a cuties. ‘Can I take your picture, huh pleeease ok ok?’ ‘Hey, sure.’ Spiky-hair-guy had to work on that expression too. I think he said ‘for the tourists.’
If I just could have convinced them to take down that boat. (Thanks Heather and Otto at REI.)
June 19
A Spa Day and Massage! Fifty-nine more years of Massage! Roger told me recently that the actuarial tables are now reaching potential age 120. (Was it Roger? Was it 120? Who cares.) So there you go. Middle age.
(Background pic ND)
June 18
Hilda’s Mom in the Middle! She’s come to stay, and here she is with her two good friends. Their kids grew up together in Iran, including Hilda. The other two have been in LA for years making the transition for Hilda’s mom eased by their presence, and a bit of a walk down memory lane.
This is what that flower looks like. I could have stopped every twenty steps for a flower shot as the whole place was a-bloom.
June 17
My precious little sister Windy took me out for a Birthday Hike, made Birthday Lunch, and let me stick her in this Birthday Picture because her shirt matches the flowers. Now is that generous or what?!
We went up to Temescal Canyon and strolled happily and then hurled-hauled ourselves up trail-steps that were about a foot and a half tall, and skidded down past slippery leaves and loose stones. Success! That feels good despite my aching calves.
It’s very small but you can just see the flower in the middle of the picture on a straw-thin stem?
June 15
On the bus I was trying to catch my own face in the driver’s mirror but instead I got hers. She’s thinking ‘whaaa?’
Hands hands fingers thumbs. You can click here and play the delightful tune Hands Hands Fingers Thumb.
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June 14
Angela took these with my camera. Rome is really getting around these days! Watch out!!
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June 13
I had a nice car free Tuesday – walking up to Pico for lunch with Boban and then a slow wander home. (Thanks for the lunch Boban and for the leisurely and attentive visit!)
Boban always insists on paying (‘I’m old school’) and this time it was easy – my first birthday lunch!
The lunch place, Bourbon Street, wants to be down home with the walls covered Covered with stuff like this. This is a modest one. The food actually was down home and mighty tasty. I had a big fresh spicy calamari salad. Turns out a single serving of calamari has about 200% of your daily allotment of cholesterol, who knew, but it was good!
June 5
Suzy, Brigitte, and Katy! Months ago Brigitte got us all tickets for the Getty Villa and finally the time came!
Click here for an UPDATED! the Getty Villa story.
On the way home I took a shortcut from Bergamot Station through the Water Gardens complex on Colorado and Cloverfield. I think I have never been inside before!
It’s just a few blocks from my house! From the street it’s entirely unwelcoming but inside the open space is HUGE. There are tons of trees with comfy tables and chairs, lawns, bridges and rivers, lakes, fountains, it goes on and on. I sat for an hour and read my book waiting for the construction guys to go home. Pretty cool!
Here’s an article about the Santa Monica Water Garden office complex.
Monday Night Pot Luck Dinner and Back Surgery Scars. Lourdes on the right: when it’s fresh. And Maryanne on the left: after it’s had a few years to get settled in.
June 12
Hello Ladies! It’s obvious why my Monday night dinner adds up to a weeks worth of calories. Everybody brings something. Ya gotta at least taste each delight for sure. Sometimes ya gotta go back and taste it again. Two are missing and Look at all those ladies. That’s a lot of tastes spread out on the buffet table!
June 4
Maybe this will be the last of them for awhile? The thing is, you can pick literally anything, anything at all, do this copy, flip, move bit and it looks cool. Then you can distort-o these babies and get all sorts of bizarre effects. Sooo entertaining.
June 11
My dinos are blooming! We’ve got three pairs of dinos on the Promenade and as you all know well, I just looove those dinos. Around now, when the ladies are all flirty and the gentlemen are full and attentive, well, it’s just Grand.
June 3
I went to Tom and Marsha’s, swam in their pool and as always indulged my born-omnivore such that I will not be eating again until tonight when I will eat broccoli.
ad photo.
You can see her partner in the far distance.
And speaking of extinction, you will not be sorry if you make the time for Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth. It really is amazing as both a film and a polemic (although I think you will agree with him that the controversy is not among the scientists). Who would think that a slide show about global warming could be so engrossing, threatening, and optimistic.
Roger Ebert, in his review said that the first thing he did when he got home was go around and shut off all the lights. I walked down and I walked back. I even turned down Sharon’s offer of a ride in her hybrid car.
June 6
From Sunday, Nancy sent me a couple of her pictures and I smooshed them together. Cute! And waaaay delicious. We were going to go for a long walk but I had a taste for retsina. So we ended up at Sofi’s and had a short walk and a FanTastic meal, and Retsina!
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Hello Dragojlovic Girls! My how time Flies. Check this out: the Dragojlovic Girls in September 2005.
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June 10
It’s fun to go out, don’t you think? And live entertainment is such a treat. Here was a nice evening out – dinner and a show. Thanks Paulette and Nancy!
June 2
Sandy’s fridge, an evolving art project following the precepts of the Getty garden: ‘always changing, never twice the same.’
June 9
After a Killer lunch at Drago I needed a rest. Then I went to UCLA to watch the Chorale rehearsing for the performance tomorrow night. They were great. They filled the room.
Going up to UCLA just about any old time remains a great pleasure. Beautiful buildings, park-like grounds, entertainments of every variety, even of the educational sort. And if you want, you can just read a book. Too bad about the $8 parking though.
June 1
‘That Granny, she is sooo silly.’
(Just look at Rome’s curly little feet in these two pictures and you will want nothing more than a snorgle Right Now.)
June 8
Once a month on a Thursday the downtown art galleries do an open house Art Walk which I just went to for the first time with Nancy A. The gallery here was closed but this hall was an art project.
The buildings are especially worth looking at and you can almost believe there will be a turn-around as soon as they ship all the homeless and ill street people off to the San Fernando Valley.
‘Oh you Granny, hanging around at the department store, and Everything is just So dang Funny!’
I was starved and this place was great. We’d both go back. There were a number of entertaining shops and restaurants but still, this is a neighborhood far far from gentrification despite the $800,000 lofts available on every corner.
The thing is, it’s still downtown and as the sky darkened the streets and their residents became more and more forbidding, as if they weren’t unsettling enough during the day. But then since Nancy heard that the street folk will soon be Valley bound maybe downtown will turn into the SOHO it dreams of being and the homeless and the ill will find respite in Northridge.
June 7
The picture D&A bought from Sandy in its new home. A very tasty arrangement I’d say.
The grapes are starting up! And the hydrangea. Those orange things, the name escapes me at the moment no surprise but it’ll come back, are a weed and need to get pulled out before they Rot. My mother claims to make sandwiches with the leaves.
Ah, nasturtiums, courtesy of NA.
…and this is who they are close up. Holy-Ka-Moley. A fife and drum corp pitching a Carnival kind of event that is going to be at UCLA this weekend. I’m mighty tempted to go check it out. It’s free!
April 16
The sisters getting together with their mother on Easter Sunday which was also Hartley’s birthday. Windy brought a nice ham and eggs with hot-crossed-buns breakfast. Also attending were Flor and Geraldine who help take care of Mom.
After exactly one hour Mom reached for her dvd player, put on her headphones and we were all excused. On this day she couldn’t remember Lucas and his family. They’ve been away for several months now and somewhere along the line they hit her limit of out of sight out of mind. Sometimes however what she doesn’t remember one day comes back on another day.
Dear friends, when we all get old there won’t be enough people on earth to take care of us.
More of the many wonderful worlds of Rome. 1) ‘Yum. Let me try. Maybe if I try harder I can get all three in there.’ 2) ‘Again? Photos again?’ 3) ‘I’m telling you already!’
Going for a walk with Windy we came upon a scene on the Venice Strand. It’s why tourists love the place. That’s a fife and drum corp out there coming toward us…
April 26
My once-a-month dinner date. Lucky me. Ken got our West Coast Swing tape onto cd and wow-zee, what FUN. Thanks Ken! Bill’s been busy with his part-time job, travel agent for Ken. Bill can hardly Wait for Ken to get cruizn’!
Nancy had a ladies tea this afternoon. The squirrels thought they were invited too. One paw up. One of the rules of cuteness.
April 28
She’s here! Lana May Alcuran!! Mazel Tov Becky! (Oh yes, congratulations to the mom and dad too…)
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Can those little rodent-paws Be any cuter?!
I know I’m healthy again because for the last several nights I’ve sat here on the computer thinking up my next trip. With that in mind, here is the recent whens and how longs of this thing I get, in hope of The Cure:
.late April 2005 ~a really bad one
.early June (in China) 2005 ~a few days of claritin
.mid October 2005 ~1 week-ish
.mostly late March 2006 ~2 weeks+
April 16
Click here for a quick look at my first visit to the J Paul Getty Villa in Malibu.
More from ‘W’ in Westwood. Where will the grandparents stay when they want to watch their grandbabies graduate college? Not at ‘W’ I’d guess!
Brigitte and I had a nice brunch here and then a visit to the Hammer Museum (free on Thursdays!). In the early morning I took Windy to the airport and in the late afternoon I went to see Hana and practice a little Japanese. What a dream-day.
April 6
This picture is from yesterday, Darryl’s Birthday! We got to sing and have a cake and everything. Wow, Big D, what a guy! Here’s a link to his current passion, the Real 9/11 Story.
It was 4/5/6! Darryl said that at 1:23 that morning it was 1-2-3-4-5-6 and that his grandmother would love that.
So I told her today, ‘it was Darryl’s birthday yesterday.’ She said ‘oh, is it the 5th already?’ ‘OMG’ I said, ‘you remember that but you don’t remember what you ate for lunch!’ Then I told her the date thing and she was deeeLighted. She said ‘in my better days I would have stayed up for a thing like that!’
My stranger-than-fiction brother-in-law Hartley on the occasion of his 65th birthday. He doesn’t eat sweets. He thinks people who eat sweets are morally bereft. You can hardly imagine all the things he thinks. He will however eat a gallon of chocolate ice-cream without stopping.
Everyone wanted a turn. Becky is about to bust a gut because her grandbaby is not coming out yet. She’s ready to go up in there and get that baby herself.
April 17
LOOK! Lourdes brought her Julie-bug to Monday night potluck!! Coochie-coochie-cooooo.
April 1
Nancy is back from Japan and together we went over to Sandy’s for a visit. Sandy’s feet are improving and she’s getting out more. Excellent! (Nancy is huddled there behind Sandy, peeking out…)
April 8
Lourdes’s grandbaby! She calls her Julie bug. Hi Julie bug! Julie is a few weeks younger than Rome. Swell bow Lourdes, and what a cutie-pie dress for that cute as pie little girl!
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This is the name plate/door sign Burt made for himself and the office he shares with his compatriot, can you guess?, Joy! Now everyone at his company wants a Burt-O-Original for their own names.
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Becky’s dog Roscoe, resting up from all the attention he gets when Monday potluck is at his house. Becky takes him to nursing homes (and/or hospitals?) where Eeeverybody wants to have a visit with Roscoe.
April 21
When you have to choose – better expression or better focus? I’m choosing the expression every time. I know, your grandbabies are cute too but really, Rome is sooo dang cute.
Moving! To the new gorgeous place I talked about earlier. I did mention about the three floors, right? They could cancel their gym subscription for sure!
Nancy’s Charlieeee and some text from Josh and Kelly’s weekly essay from rainy-rainy SF:
“Charlie and Kelly got the first red balloon last Thursday and unfortunately Mr. C. popped it (a startling first) once he got it home. On Friday we got another red balloon and then went to the playground with it tied to his belt loop so it wouldn’t fly away.
He was immediately the target of this wretched little butt faced kid (bless his soul and all that, but he was a pushy little creep you probably went to school with one just like him) who decided that it was his. He was taking it and was prepared to use all the 3 year-old karate chops at his disposal. His Mom was off sniffing glue or something so I encouraged the little tike to play elsewhere and to leave the Bukka alone. ‘Go play over there, I think I saw some glass there’.
Charlie seemed very unruffled by Sir Sociopath… Today however Charlie opted for a more grown up color for his balloon, a simple understated white.”
kd
April 10
At the nursery with Sharon. I’ve had a flat of little purple ground cover/flowery things sitting, waiting for planting, for two weeks. No need to buy more…
On the one hand I neeeed a close-up lens. On the other hand if I had a close-up lens I wouldn’t want to lug it around. I am optismistic though since we are in such an every day better-and-better phase in camera gear.
April 20
Wednesdays at Roger and Sandy’s with Fred and Nancy for Card Night. Fun!
Roger Eaton and Sandy Chaves.
April 3
Ruth! Does she look faaabulous or what?! She drove out to the Monday night potluck with a tray of baked apples and a tray of fried chicken, full of spunky good cheer and with positive news on her cancer treatments. You go Ruth! (PS and she is older than my mother. An inspiration to us all.)
April 13
Yesterday and today – both mighty yellow. I ate lunch with Sharon at the un-Original El Cholo so convenient to my house. The food is tasty and inside it’s comfortable with a lot of booths, clean, lively servers. It’s the El Torito-i-fication of the Original El Cholo but I like it anyway. You get lots of extra points for tasty, near-by, and comfortable.
April 23
A long loong time ago way back in my olden days I decided on two guiding principals. I fail to live up to these principles most every day but I like them, and I try: 1) act the way you wish everyone would (now there’s an original thought) and 2) if you don’t want to see it on Page 1 don’t do it (nicely combining both guilt and shame.)
I stole these pictures from the internet and I stole these words from Garrison Keillor. GK even puts that little copyright symbol at the end of this expression wherever it’s written: Be well, do good work, and keep in touch. That’s good. I like it. I’ll try Garrison, I’ll try.
Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion and The Writer’s Almanac.
April 4
Sandy’s baby Lucas! He’s just a few weeks younger than Rome yet still it looks like they’ll not get to meet for awhile (Baby Lucas of the melt-me eyes) since China and Doug are off with Lucas to do a movie gig out of state. But when they get back…
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Surrounded by yellow. Could this photo at the Photo Shop be any more yellow? I think not.
April 24
Monday Monday. Four were missing last night and we missed them! Still, you have to agree, we are a lovely crowd.
Bottom left – squinty-eyed gray-haired me, then Ruth, who is recovering well to our great pleasure. Top left – Alicia of the recently retired, Ljubica now among the safely insured, Marsha, with three obligations for every two hours in the day, Maryanne who’s been there, done that, and clear-faced Marija.
Missing was (or should it be were?) Ann at Tai Chi class, Lourdes recovering from surgery, Becky waiting for that dang grandbaby who refuses to be born and who will, when finally born, be about ready to walk, and dear Maxine doing we know not what.
April 2
This is a treat, don’t you think, the exact view from my front door, despite what is fast becoming my shrewish behavior with the crew…
I got a few shots off before a guard did that No Photos finger-shaking move and I obediently stopped. How the photos are dislayed was to me the most surprising part of the show. You can see the pictures here but not that those poles are three stories tall, the high-concept-design of the rocks and wood pathways, the three story fabric hangings and the massive video screens.
It costs fifteen bucks to get in, twelve for students and seniors.
April 18
Click here for more pictures of the adorable dogs at David’s Dog Park in Ventura.
We enjoyed a walk along the beach reached by taking two steps outside his front door. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at a cafe two blocks up the street. David has indeed found himself his own Slice ‘O Paradise.
…and the treat awaiting when I park the car. What IS it that makes a person think it’s ok to simply drop his trash (and this crew Is entirely he) wherever he stands? I ask the foreman again and agin, don’t do this, you wouldn’t do this at your own house would you.
You can go down to the pier and browse through the books for sale and get the idea of the project. Inside there are giGantic screens showing Slo-Mo films of the scenes during which the stills were taken and you can buy cds/dvds of these programs too.
There are many ceremonial components in an Indian wedding. Rent Monsoon Wedding and you’ll get a great feel for it.
Mazel Tov!
a/r
April 15
Darryl and Angela’s new house! Wow!! Back to Ventura Blvd.! Back to happy Condo Living! Wow is right! (These are photos from the real estate agency.)
April 25
Finally, on my fifth try, I finally went into the Ashes and Snow exhibit down at the pier. Rain, crowds, and loss of interest had foiled previous attempts. It is one of those Big Deals that I’m glad to have seen.
The architect of this building, The Nomadic Museum, is Shigeru Ban and the photographer is Gregory Colbert. The Ashes and Snow website has everything…
April 5
Meghan and Deval get married! I posted a couple of pictures last month of a few of the pre-wedding festivities including the mendhi party. You can see how Meghan hands and arm decorations have faded.
a/r
This is an artsy-f*rtsy ‘interpretive’ shot. Must be mine since it’s grainy and you can’t be sure what exactly it is you’re looking at. I could try and straighten those lines but I’m not gonna…
LACMA. We went to see the Klimt show. Now I can’t even remember the last time I was at LACMA, the Getty being such a draw. For one thing, they hassle you about your backpack and No Photos Allowed. I am going to go back soon though, to get reacquainted with the collection.
Les, in LA from Boston to speak at a conference. He rented himself this convertible car for some serious California Dreamin’.
Sandy’s family had the memorial service for her father today, only 8 months after they lost their mother. It’s fitting I think to include a picture of baby Lucas of the melt me eyes.
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Check out that left foot. She is >< close to true locomotion and another Life Style adjustment. Right now when she pushes off she hurls herself flat on her face which is, as you can well imagine, a shocking place to find ones self.
Here’s Mom from Mother’s Day where she looks so chippy.
This day she said she wanted to go up in a hot air baloon for her 90th birthday which is the first time she has mentioned the future in Months. A few days later she said she wants to go to Switzerland!
May 1 and some end-of-April stories.
Click here for an update to the Getty Villa in Malibu.
I was checking on the internet to make a reservation just to have one because I know rezzies are so hard to get. Wow, there was Nothing available At All (they open reservations only 3 months in advance) except Today. Get up and go Today. So Nancy came by and we went.
It is very cool how all the groups of kids, and they are Everywhere, all have their own distinctive shirts. What a necessary feature of outings with a few dozen swarming youth. So cute! Flamingo necks, whoow.
