’10 August

August 31

With the kids today I took a picture of one of the activity boards in the kitchen. Oh man it is Birthday Party Season!

Rome’s first playgroup crowd were mostly all born within a month of each other and now we’ve got parties. A lot of the kids double up on a party. We’ve got a Mermaid party, a Color Me Mine party, a Jungle party, a Gymnasium party. . and Rome’s Fairy Princess party. There are no doubt more invitations to come.

It wasn’t like this when WE were kids. And our kids might have gotten the occasional clown or a neighborhood magician. These kids get Parties.

This was a BIG day of news and festivo.

From the top left: Happy Birthday Becky!, Marsha is going to be a Grandma!, Ann’s son is off to Afghanistan with all our love, one part of Alicia’s extended family are totally feuding, Maxine is feeling great after her two knee replacements, then comes me. Next row: Maryanne just had her foot surgery and is coming along, Lourdes is awesomely dating one hunky gorgeous dude, Welcome Home Marija and Ljubicia we Missed you!

August 28

My little sister could find a massage place in the Amazon Jungle or the Arabian Desert. This place is down the hill from her house in Topanga, on the valley side, and she took me here today.

Feelin’ mighty Lucky, like my Lucky Feet!

August 27

Beach fog for our beach walk, and it never really lifted. It wasn’t cold though, just cool and damp, and nice for walking.

August 26

Rome and her long-time pal Zoe, playing with American Girl.

And a grab-shot of Lilly, checkin’ it out.

August 25

We had gone together before, but today we went again, Charlene and I, to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley (quite a gorgeous setting). .

. .to see the new White House miniature. It was very fabulous and entirely worth the trip and the nine bucks. Go if you can and you won’t be sorry.

Burt and Charlene are raising their grandboys John and Bradley, and here they are in their brand newly painted and reorganized bedrooms, painted and reorganized by Burt and Charlene themselves, ready for the new school year. So Awesome. You go you guys.

Then we had a yummy lunch at Yolanda’s. Then I buzzed over to Ann’s to get my forgotten phone and have a quick swim with Ann and one of her friends. Then I had the grandgirls while Angela went to yoga.

What a GREAT day!

August 23

These are Sharon’s pictures from Nancy’s birthday fete at the Bowl on the 20th. Happy Birthday Nancy! with Love from Carol, Nancy, Sandra, Sharon, and me too.

sp.

August 22

Nancy, Sharon, and I took the train up to Santa Barbara today. It was a very smooth journey and we all enjoyed the adventure.

Nancy picked us up at the train station and drove us around for the day. And Michi met us for lunch. Lovely!

August 21

Bill came over to ‘help’ me hang this street banner from the Getty. I’m very happy with the result. THANK YOU Bill!

August 20

Let’s go to Granny’s house!

In the evening Nancy treated her friends to a great evening at the Hollywood Bowl in honor of her 64th birthday. We still need her AND we will feed her!

The program was really great. The conductor was a kick, the soloist made you find yourself with your mouth open, the sound quality at the Bowl is a marvel, and to top it off – Fireworks!

Los Angeles Philharmonic
Bramwell Tovey, conductor
Baiba Skride, violin
USC Trojan Marching Band

Tchaikovsky: Festival Coronation March; Violin Concerto, Op. 35; Capriccio italien; Waltz from Swan Lake, Op. 20 No. 2; 1812 Overture

August 19

Sharon and I went to check out the newly re-opened Santa Monica Place – it’s the mall at the south end of the Promenade. This is a view from one of the patios on the Dining Deck. The whole top floor is open with a ton of outdoor lounging opportunities, views of the sea and the surrounding town, and restaurants up the kazooly.

As well as a decent looking food court there are six or eight huge basically not-yet-a-total-chain themed sit-down restaurants with surprisingly (to me), entertaining decor, very comfortable, open, and welcoming seating, and tasty looking menus.

It’s still a mall, you can’t escape that, but rather like the behemoth that got built next door, I can’t complain.

One of the out-of-the-way corners at the new mall. It’s good.

Jonathan Gold, on the other hand, is cranky. . and complaining. I understand. It’s a mall. But for that, at least in summer, it’s going to be packed.

August 18

An interior view of The Water Garden office complex just a few blocks from my house. I can stroll here. Imagine what it would be like to work just a nice stroll from your house. What a beautiful concept, and Darryl does it, walk to work that is!

Thanks Brigitte for coming out.

August 13

It was so bad I even went to the doctor. That’s how bad it was, all these miserable itches in too too many places.

The doctor said ‘hmmm, these look like spider bites, but these, these look like heat rash, but these, these look like possibly inflamed hair folicles but anyway we treat them all the same – steroid cream and lots of benedryl.’

One problem – benedryl makes you sleepy so no driving. It’s either going out and itching like a crazy person or staying home with the drowsies. The first ones are fading and New Ones (oh nooo) are appearing. Today I got a few new ones that are acting like mosquito bites. Yuck.

(internet pic)

August 12

The Ventura County Fair with Burt and Charlene and yes indeed-y that would be our Burt whishing down the slide with the other kids. Yipeeee.

Can’t miss the pig races…

…or the competitive table settings.

County Fair Rides!

And why I don’t ride them.

MeMeMe in a projecting kaleidoscope.

August 11

I went today with Jonathan and Judy to the Annenberg Space for Photography where we met Brigitte to enjoy the current show: “”The Year” — a collection of the best documentary photography of 2009, recognized by Pictures of the Year International (POYi), the oldest and most prestigious photojournalism competition in the world.”

What a treat to get to have an afternoon with J&J. owww, we could call them JJ. Cynthia (or was it Darryl?) called Jonathan’s father Benbonnie and Jonathan’s mother Benbonnie, so there is an excellent precedent.

August 10

Mighty Cute Music Class. The kids really do have a great time, all credit to the very impressive teacher.

Let’s play!

August 9

Sharon’s back – Welcome home Sharon!

We had our first walk in weeks and weeks. Instead of our normal beach trail we strolled along the Venice canals. Lovely!

In the evening I had dinner with Steven, Celina, and Gideon.

I got to thinking. .what with Marija and Ljubica gone in Croatia what was Brian doing with the yield from his tomato farm? So I called and Brian said “Com’on Down!” so we went. Now Celina is going to cook up a few jars of YUM.

August 8

Ben and Bonnie hosted a beautiful reception for the newlyweds Jonathan and Judy, in LA from Israel for a few weeks with the fam.

Check them out here in my visit in Jerusalem and here in my time in Northern Israel.

Names forthcoming…

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August 7

Me and the kids and The Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History and the Butterfly House which you can see behind the green fence.

First we had a delightful picnic lunch, played on the lawn…

…and then saw butterflies gaLore. These are the only times I’m tempted to get another lens and then change to it, to catch a close-up. That’s Angela – she can get Close.

I have to stand back, use the telephoto, and hope for the best.

And even at that it’s all just too much fun.

I’ll spare you more.

August 3

I don’t have a tv but I watch waaay too much tv. How? You too can watch anything you want, from your laptop on your lap lounging in your bed. And usually a 60 minute show is only 45 minutes because of the very few, short commercials.

These are just some of the better tv series of which I have recently watched every episode, and there are, I regret to say, many many more.

Here’s a picture of Cynthia’s boyfriend Mike’s son Kieran in Cynthia’s back yard in Wisconsin. It’s the midwest in summer, it’s hot and it’s green, and it’s Fun.

cc.

August 2

Right outside my front door! She hatched two of them last month and here we are now with two more.

I think that at least one and maybe both of the first batch fell to the neighborhood cats. I say this because of the mass of small dove feathers that littered the lawn. Then she just settled back into her nest and made two more.

I wonder if that’s what happened, that she had two sets because the first set didn’t make it. I wonder.