’08 September

The passage from the Conservatory to the Cafe.

September 4

I went to Darryl’s band’s rehearsal tonight and it was Great. I Loved hearing the music Live and In Person and meeting some of the guys who play. They are all gooood, and friendly and fun on top of that.

You can click here to enjoy the 310-818 Electric Improvisation Group website.

Darryl Kanouse

Gordon Wimpress

John Sentz

September 29

It’s Trip Preparation time…except…LACMA with ND (photo forthcoming) and a Bon Voyage visit with Roger and Sandy.

This is an ikebana from Nancy Artz, and this is a line from her email today “I am feeling serene. It is a wonderful feeling. I am not sure where it came from. It is a bird though and I am coaxing it to stay awhile.” It’s like haiku!

na.

September 28

Hurray, a day with my own sweet Cynthia! We met in Long Beach at the Museum of Latin American Art and we were both very pleased. It was good in there – good work, nicely shown, and a wide ranging and interesting selection.

Art takes many forms these days…

This was a very neat collage with mostly National Geo cutouts and one of those fisheye mirrors so you could see yourself in all the venues.

(What was the line on this one Cynth?)

Then we drove over to the Long Beach 2nd Street gentrification project where we ate at a tricked out bbq place (the vege-burger being the best item) and had good fun.

This is their signature image. The flying pig (of Course we had to eat here) and on one side he says ‘Eat More Beef’ and on the other he says ‘Eat More Chicken’. Oink!

After lunch we hung around the Japanese Garden at Cal State Long Beach. It’s very small, just basically one path through a few settings but…

…they have giant mutant koi in that pond due to the relentless feeding by all visitors.

In this picture you can see the ducks that float around hoping for some leftovers. Those koi are aggressive giants who will fight to eat out of your hand and are about to grow legs they are so often out of the water.

We sat on a bench for a good long time chatting away and messing around with our cameras, trying to get this teeny-tiny flower in the middle of the lake to come out sharp. We enjoy our geeky selves.

Thank you for coming out my own sweet Cynth!

September 27

It was densely foggy this morning. Walking with Sharon, we couldn’t see the end of the pier from the boardwalk but, although Saturday crowded, it was fun for a change of pace, warm enough, yet brisk. We made The Long Walk in record time.

Then I had dinner with Ken and we got snazzed-up for a yee-haw dance outing at the Cowboy Palace in Chatsworth. ok, It’s Ken’s hat and Ken’s scarf, and Ken had to tie the scarf…but Yee-Haw!

kw.

We went because Linda was teaching the class. We got there early and here is Linda showing Ken what she is planning for the program so he can be her demonstration partner. It was funfunfun (it was dancing)!

Don (an old friend of Ken and Linda who I’ve known over the years) showed up for the festivity too.

Once the live band kicked in though, we had to leave because it was shoulder to shoulder packed in there, and Loud. But if you ever want to get a taste for Country you’ll have an excellent opportunity at The Cowboy Palace.

September 25

It’s from Travis! He says ‘Hurricane Ike Huffed and Puffed’. But he didn’t get all the trees and he sure didn’t get their house. Good luck on all the work!

tb.

September 22 and 23

Tuesday was Charlene’s Birthday and we enjoyed a swell walk around Balboa Lake and lunch at her favorite deli. Happy Birthday Charlene!

Then I did some Rome time followed by dinner with the guys.

We seem to have taken to the El Torrito Grill like a home away from home.

Wednesday I went with Brigitte to the Fashion Institute downtown where we saw a very entertaining exhibit of clothes from television. It was oddly much more entertaining than I would have expected when, for the most part, I had not heard of the shows.

We followed the Fashion Institue with a wonderful lunch in a very hip downtown Italian cafe, and then we had a visit to the Hammer Museum.

Then Brigitte came over and worked for two hours cutting out dead stuff from my yard. It would take 2 hours times 200 days for my yard to look 1/200th as gorgeous as hers!

Remember a few days ago when Richard was down for his dad’s 90th birthday? Here’s a shot from outside the restaurant.

rs.

The Children’s Nature Institute sponsored this event for their volunteers and since Bonnie is on the board of directors, she got to go too…and I got to tag along.

This guy (James P Folsom) led our tour and he was SO charming. Everyone was in his thrall. He’s the actual Director of the Huntington and he knows Everything.

September 20

Tomorrow is Rome’s birthday and she will be threee. Today was the kids party. It was a Major Event. The event of the season I would say.

Rome, Sidne, and Nora!

Three of the playgroup girls had their kids party together meaning the guests included, with playgroup, siblings, and birthday-girl cousins, we’re talking 25 kids not counting the infants. It seemed there were a couple hundred adults as well.

It was a Tea Party at Nora’s house, with kid sized tables and chairs and table clothes and flower centerpieces, and dress-up(!), and the kids decorated their own tea cups, and there was a big jungle gym and a Bounce House and plenty of yummy food. It was fabulous chaos in every direction and Too Much Fun.

September 19

Richard was down from Northern Cal for his dad’s 90th birthday dinner and had some free time for lunch. Lucky me! (Isn’t this a nice run-around roof-of-the-car shot.)

September 18

It’s been mostly Rome the last few weeks and you can’t go wrong with such a cutie-pie to stand in your picture.

These sunflowers grow higher than the house. We’ve watched them start, get huge and then get cut down several times now. These days every time we walk by they are a hand taller.

Go go go girl! AND she (…almost) always stops at the driveways just as instructed by her Granny.

See all the leaves on the ground and the big plants along the hedge. Rome calls the front of this house ‘the jungle’ and we always enjoy taking note of our entrance to and exit from ‘the jungle’.

You never know what adventures await when you’re out for a walk!

September 16

This was actually some time between the 12th and the 16th, down at the beach with the summer tourist season at an end. Phewww!

Yes we do!

September 12

This is a true and honest and right-out-of-the-camera picture even though I didn’t believe it at first either. Nancy was at an ‘event’ in New York and had her picture made with Hillary. Nancy looves this picture!

(I don’t know who took it.)

September 11

Hey Rome, how old are you going to be on your birthday? Oh yea, threeee!

Holy-Gua-KA-MOLEY wouldj’a look at THIS! CYNTHIA!! Look what you did!!!

That’s me, 1971, and Cynthia 2008. Oh man, there is not a mother on the Planet who wouldn’t Melt for a picture like this!

cc (&kk ’71)

September 9

Look what Cynthia did! Isn’t this the coolest thing. I’ve been same-old-same-old for the last couple days (walking with friends, fun at the beach, My Valley Girls…and etc.) and was waiting for just such a chance to use this cool picture.

cc.

September 7

Happy Birthday Windy! It’s our traditional Windy’s Birthday Outing at the Will Rogers Polo Field. Thanks to Angela for taking the photo.

Aren’t my hair-wings too ‘cute’?

ak.

Angela took this one too. Hey D!

Rome seems to have taken up a great fondness for picnics. I watched her for a little while the next day – she had packed up a bag and asked me to join her and her ‘friend Tasha’ (a very silent and not so hungry friend…) for a picnic outside. Cu-ute for sure.

ak.

September 6

Roger’s Nuclear Disarmament Conference was a Rousing success! Wow, a big room Full of participants!!

A joint effort with the Unity-and-Diversity General Assembly and including American Friends Service Committee, Beyond War, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics, Student Physicians for Social Responsibility.

The Head Table.

Participants.

And more of them.

Literature to read, committees to join, petitions to sign – it was all here.

You can see the boards in the background where the individual tables put up their best idea for a coalition project and then everyone voted on them.

When I left the votes were being counted and the lead speaker was on. Good luck! No Nukes!!

September 3

Today I didn’t do much of anything (except make a little lunch for my little sister)…but last week I had a great lunch and visit with Boban.

Instead of a picture of him at the restaurant, here’s a picture of the women in his life. Hi girls! Boban said that even looking back a year he couldn’t find a single picture of all four of them together. OK all you families, get someone to take your picture!

bd.

September 2

I took Rome to her ballet class today…

…the Ballet Belles.

Herding cats?

They do a half hour of ballet and then change their shoes for fifteen minutes of tap.

The parents are in a hall-like space hovered around the one-way mirrors. In the first minute of tap I gasped as sweet little Rome took a slip, and b.a.m., right onto her sweet little tutu-ed b*tt. But then they were all doing it as they attempted to shuf*ful*step. Tooo cute.

We need an apple for this teacher!