’10 December

December 31

Happy New Year! at Marsha and Tom’s annual New Year’s Eve party. The New Year’s Eve party that they have to have because everyone is going to show up at their house anyway expecting to find Tom’s chili and ham sandwiches and champagne. Happy New Year!

Marija and Brian. Awww.

December 30

Yes, it is LA from this very day. I saw it.

(I snagged the photo from the LA Times…they must have had one guy driving down the 10 and another guy standing in the back of a flat bed truck, or a helicopter hovering over the freeway…)

latimes.

Rome took this picture of her mom and dad in November. I’m putting it here in honor of Darryl and Angela’s 6th Wedding Anniversary. Hurray!! Lucky ME!!!

I watched the kids while D&A went out on the town. .busy, no photos. But we had Fun TOO!

Rome.

December 29

Susie and I had a very enjoyable day today. First we went to the Skirball to see the Maira Kalman show, Susie for the first time and I for the second. On second viewing it was as delightful as the first. We looked over Kalman’s books too – they are so wonderful.

No cameras allowed in the exhibit so I just clicked one off with my PHONE. Hardly counts.

Then we had lunch at Tender Greens, a drive by of the Eric Owen Moss neighborhood in Culver City, a few minutes at Bergamot Station including a visit to Hiromi Paper, and Bye! until next time!

December 28

I had a colonoscopy today. I was going to show you the pictures I got of my own colon, but I’m not going to do that.

You’re welcome.

December 26

Click here for more of me, Roger, Sandy, and Nancy enjoying a quick trip out to Joshua Tree National Park! and at the same time scroll on down in there for a few other visits to Joshua Tree.

December 25

Cynthia managed to acquire for Darryl and Angela a treasured one-of-a-kind item created and crafted by the founder and one-of-a-kind guiding light of the regretsy website and once across-the-way neighbor, April Winchell. Here’s what April, pictured on the left modeling her creation, has to say about it. You may note what Lilly has to say about it by her expression.

“I may have missed my calling. Clearly I’m not meant to be a writer; I can barely read. No, I was meant to be … a milliner.

If by “milliner”, we mean someone who hot glues **** to hats. And we do mean that, because this is Etsy we’re talking about, where anyone with 20¢ and a glue gun can be the next Lilly Daché. If by “Lilly Dache” we mean no talent.

. . .here’s . .my latest ****box, which is perfect for your New Year’s Eve look. Yes, it’s a big silver holiday mess, piled with fake snow, silver and white glittered poinsettias, and a deranged googly-eyed dove right in the front.

. . .Everything is sewn on with fishing line, so you can get falling down drunk and still look like an idiot. And here’s the best part – IT LIGHTS UP. Yes, a handy battery pack is hidden inside the hat, powering a string of bright white LED lights buried under the fake snow. The whole thing glows with glamour!”

December 24

Marija and Brian’s Christmas Eve Extravaganza! Hundreds of guests showed up this year with plenty of food and drink and good cheer for all, and the sing-along was particularly lively this year.

Brian, son Andrew, Marija, son-in-law Steve. Daughter Melinda and grandson(!!) Alex where in another room. Son Christopher is with the Peace Corps in Morocco.

Marija and The Backyard Lights. Ho Ho Ho!

December 23

Finally FINALLY, the sky has cleared and the sun is back in his rightful place overhead. In celebration Muriel and I went for a long awaited walk. It was Lovely!

December 22

Kathleen across the street had a festive Holiday Dinner at her lovely home (just across the street and way bigger than mine, but whose isn’t).

What lively folk! I had a wonderful time. Let me say that of these guest three of us were not in the Real Estate biz. Interesting! And Real Estate people like to travel which is not obvious, but in this case true nonetheless.

sitting: Shameem, Larry. standing: Mimi, Jon, Kathleen, Peter, Nora, James, Marsha, Emily, J Tucker

December 21

Rome and I made this today, for Rome’s Holiday Card. I got the pictures printed, then she glued them to paper and drew designs and ‘I love you’ and her name. That was fun!

December 20

I stole it from Life Magazine. But it could have been mine… Rain RAIN RAIN. We are all getting very dang tired of the rain. This is LA. It’s always nice in LA. When this happens we forget about it as soon as it stops and go right back to saying ‘it never rains in Southern California!’.

Today was Sister Day doing landlord chores for my big sister and taking my little sister to the doctor, then I did a little shopping at three different stores in three different neighborhoods. .In The Rain.

Yesterday I saw The Fighter, getting tuned up for the Acadamy Awards. It was good except for all that hitting. But I knew that. It’s called The Fighter and not for nothing.

December 18

What a good afternoon for a rainy day. Windy, Nancy, and I went to the all you can eat Indian Buffet and then walked across the street to see The King’s Speech. We all liked the movie. I cried at the end, of course no surprise there.

Nancy brought Windy and me both a Pumpkin Bread just like the loaf she sent to the President last year, of which I have already enjoyed a big honkin’ slab. YUM!

Oh those smart phones are So dang smart. Besides for all the everthing that we already know I have with me at all times, inside my phone (you can get at it even in airplane mode), several novels from Amazon/Kindle, 10,000 sudoku, and 5,000 crosswords, never having to find myself at a loss for distractions.

December 16

Happy Birthday Sharon! This is Sharon’s actual birthday day, not the day we all went to be regaled by Andrea Bocelli, this party being not at all so grand but totally deeelightful nonetheless.

We had Lunch, Orchids, then Dessert and Coffee at Gladstone’s. What a lovely day.

Wow…

…orchids.

We’re passing around the Birthday Tiara – first Nancy, now Sharon, next me!

December 15

Brigitte and Rosie and I took advantage of the ’20th Anniversary 20 Free Days’ at the Hammer Museum. The Eva Hesse show was interesting but for me not something to run out for. There were several rooms of Mark Manders odd odd sculptural work, and some greatest hits from the permanent collection. My favorite pieces were in a collection of contemporary works from the permanent collection.

Then we ate!

December 14

Hi cutie-kids! Just another Tuesday of…

…fun fun fun!

December 13

The Monday Nighters, My Valley Girls! We had a particularly fantastic Christmas Party this year, full of great good cheer and good will all around. Many thanks go out to our Head Chef and gracious hostess Alicia.

We always draw names for a gift exchange and then everyone brings ‘a little something’ for everyone else. It’s a regular Niagara of gifts!

We got: holiday oven mitts and a toast tong, a whole bag of goodies, a cozy shawl, a Santa sock with a candy cane and two movie tickets, a donated cow(!) and homemade peanut brittle, fuzzy slippers, lottery tickets, handmade soap, a big jar of cashews, and protection amulets from the big three. What fun!

me, Alicia, Maxine, Marsha, Maryanne, Becky, Lourdes, Ljubica, Ann, Marija.

December 12

Look where Cynthia is now, oh yeah, Minneapolis/St Paul. .the Twin Cities: Snow Storm Central! That’s Kieran sledding, Mike shoveling, Cynthia photographing.

cc.

It looks as if they were having a kick of a time with all that snow! Then the three of them made a graham cracker Holiday Village. What holiday FUN, and talk about a White Christmas! Wow-eee.

cc.

December 11

Knut and Brigitte’s Annual Holiday Slipper Party!

Tony Hana Adolfo and Miriam Rana Toni

Annual parties are a blessing for the guests as they know that every year at least once they’ll get to touch base with the regular invitees. Annual parties can also turn into a burden for the hosts, since they have to do it, but we guests say, yes, that’s true and right, you have to.

Tai Nancy Brigitte Knut Jeff…Jacqueline Inga-Lill Ed Sharon

December 10

Happy Birthday Sharon! We are at a birthday festivity arranged by Sharon’s son who, being out of town, couldn’t go himself…

…here on the floor of the Staples Center, six rows from the stage…

…to hear Andrea Bocelli in concert, with a full orchestra and a huge chorus. We all loved it!

The two on the left did a gorgeous set from Madame Butterfly to close the first act.

The program didn’t credit any of the other performers or the orchestra or the chorus so I don’t know their names yet. Until I can get more details (the opera singer, a violin soloist, an r&b star) I’ll just say again, we loved it.

I should mention there were four encores and they made it through all the Andrea Bocelli’s Greatest Hits that I knew anyway. What a treat!

December 9

My neighbor Kathleen from across the street and I spent a lovely evening in Our Town. Kathleen’s assistant dropped us at the beach, we walked, we took the bus, we were out and about.

December 8

Walking down Wilshire from my house, and at the end, this.

Festive holiday dinner with the guys. The place wasn’t decorated though, so I added some Christmas flavor. Joy-Peace-Love.

Bill and Ken

December 5

Brigitte is back from her travels but Knut is now gone for a few days so she fixed us a yummy dinner and we got to enjoy a nice evening visit.

This is what their house looks like right now, in all its winter glory.

Brigitte took the photo.

December 3

I went with Muriel today to the Skirball to see the Maira Kalman show. It was wonderful. If you’ve ever had any affection for Maira Kalman you won’t want to miss this opportunity to see such a fine collection in person.

If you go to the Skirball of course you have to take a swing through Noah’s Ark.

Clever aren’t they.

One of the wall coverings.

Recently I’ve been obsessed with reading the travel forums on the African countries I’m planning to visit next year. I’m hours and hours into it already and I can tell, many many more hours to come.

Then since we were right up the street we decided to stop at the Getty for a quick hello.

Goodie! At first I didn’t like this guy and complained about his odd presence in the garden. But then all in good time I became attached to him and then I liked him and then he was gone. Where did he go? Here! They moved him off into the academic area. It was fun to spot him in this photo.

That’s us, in one of the outside viewing areas.

December 2

Shaon and I enjoyed a stroll from her house down to a view spot at the cliffs.

Processed… practicing.

December 1, evening

At the last minute we remembered, hey! it’s the first night of Hanukkah! Ben! get the menorah!

And Ben and Bonnie know the songs for real. Thanks guys, that was extra fun.

December 1, afternoon

Liz and I, you can see us in the garden ball, enjoyed a delightful afternoon of Downtown LA. We love LA!

This is a scene from the Cathedral sculpture garden.

Let’s hear it for the Bank of America. I forgot my entire wallet arriving downtown with not a red cent, not a credit card, no ID, nada, except a wrinkled up old copy of my passport folded away in a half-hidden pocket of my backpack.

I went into the BofA here and four minutes later walked out with a hundred bucks. Good one.

We rode Angel’s Flight down to the Central Market and had fanTASTic carnitas tacos here. What a treat.

We wandered through the Water Court, the MOCA grounds, and the Music Center complex.

Goodness, I might have never been here before. It’s not obvious how to get in but if you’re in the Disney Concert Hall area ask around, don’t miss it!