’10 July

July 31

Happy Birthday Liz! It’s Liz’s son Dev, her husband Gary, and the honoree herself.

Gary and Dev hosted a fine luau party filled with aloha.

Dee and Kelly and their young dog Bodey, a rescue Border Collie. He’s a good dog. I will though mention that one or the other of them was very often off on a little walk to keep him happy.

I took him for a trot and he wore me out, twice. It seemed he could have gone on and on for a very very long time.

From the left: Micaela, Neil, Michele, JJ, Elijah-half hidden, and Naliyah.

Darryl, Rome, and the neighbor kids next door made the YUMmy cake, and Angela did the frosting. That’s Kelly and Sandy in the background.

The sisters in their adorable matching luau outfits that I brought back from my last visit to Kauai because Sharon took me to the store and held my hand while we went shopping. It was Worth it!

Lilly saw her Daddy and said ‘DaaDaa’. She did! (Nooo, it’s a piece of banana for Lilly.)

Happy Birthday dear Li-iz, Happy Birthday to youuuu.

July 30

Nancy and I went to the Getty today and particularly enjoyed the on-loan exhibit ‘The Spectacular Art of Jean-Léon Gérôme’ and Spectacular it was, a full life retrospective.

I’d never even heard of the guy! I was taken with his technical skills, his feelings of his subjects in the portraits, and his ability to tell a whole big complicated story in one visually commanding picture. He’s criticized for his theatricality and I could definitely see why, but I liked it anyway.

From the website: “Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904) was among the most officially honored and financially successful French artists of the second half of the 19th century. His brilliantly painted and often provocative pictures were at the center of heated debates over the present and future of the great French painting tradition.”

July 29

Still, every day I’m going to the Gyrotonic class around the corner. The woman is my teacher Shevi and the man is Juliu Horvath, Gyrotonic’s inventor and guru.

(internet pix)

Today was Bill’s birthday dinner with me and Ken, full of fun but absent a decent picture.

It’s been a quiet few days – a termite inspection (grrr), Tuesday with the kids, lunch with Marsha downtown, a movie and dinner with Nancy. Home sweet home.

July 25

Date night for d&a, picture time for me!

July 24

My across the street neighbor Kathleen, on the left, had a lovely soirée last night. Also attending were her New York cousin and the guest of honor, my young next door neighbor, Melissanthi.

Melissanthi was Kathleen’s tenant who just graduated from UCLA and is moving on now. She was an excellent next door neighbor – quiet, sweet, helpful, and kind. Congratulations Melissanthi and all the Best in the next phase of your life!

July 23

Oh yeah, this is going to be . . . something. The “Sepulveda Pass Improvement Project”. Click on the link for status updates and Freeway Detours.

(internet pix)

Me and Bonnie, at Farmer’s Market. Bonnie rode her bike to meet me. You can click on this link to see Bonnie and her bike from the last time we met at Farmer’s Market more than two years ago. I gorged myself going from stand to stand enjoying various delights.

Yesterday I gorged myself eating an early dinner with Nancy. The body-benefits from my daily trips to the Gyrotonic class are suffering from all this gorging. Mostly I’m relatively modest, but two days in a row? Right now I’m going to stop for at least two days!

July 20

Music Class! I’m standing behind the teacher. Notice Rome in the far center-right. She is sitting between her next door neighbors Jack and Cole. Rome always sits between Jack and Cole because the boys will not have it any other way.

We have singing…

…and Lilly (she crawled across the room to visit the little girl whose feet you can just see), and sticks, rattles, drums…

…and dancing in a line.

The majority of the participants were toddlers – that’s Lilly in the back there, in the purple shirt. The little kids found the whole thing quite awesome and the “Mommies and the Daddies and the Nannies” (the expression often used by the teacher) were enjoying themselves entirely.

Here’s the sibling of one of Rome’s original play group pals, behind is Rome, sitting between her neighbors (of course).

Then we all went to lunch at the place made out of an old train car.

Jack and Rome. Jack introduces Rome as his girlfriend. “This is my girlfriend.” They hold hands when they walk. Really.

July 17

Yup, out there in my backyard, settled up next to the garage you will find a Washing Machine and a Clothes Dryer, all hooked up and busy making things clean, thanks to L&H for their efforts on behalf of building out this laundry.

For five years I’ve done my laundry here and there, fluff and fold, the sink. Now it’s nice to have machines again. Like when I went a year without a car, and now it’s nice to have a car.

July 16

Brigitte and I enjoyed quite the evening in downtown. We both really Like downtown. First stop: ‘A Selection Of Works From MOCA’S Permanent Collection’. It’s great to see again some old favorites.

Yikes, Claes Oldenburg from 1961, the same guy who did the big Cherry On a Spoon, and the Typewriter Eraser, and the Shuttlecocks.

Brigitte, and all within one block, after visiting MOCA we had a very delicious dinner in a very delightful location – Noe at the Omni.

On our way out of the Omni to the Water Court to see a Grand Performance. . we find these guys.

Whooo, what’s going Here?!

They are off to a costume ball: “An Amazing Weekend of Elaborate Costumes and Entertainment The Labyrinth of Jareth 2010 – The Fantasy Masquerade Ball XIII July 16th & 17th, 2010.” This night the theme was Steam Boy, the next night the theme was Pixies.

There are worlds within worlds out there and we don’t live in them all.

From the back walkway of MOCA leading to the Water Court.

Oh downtown.

Here’s the promotional pitch for the group we saw. We liked them!

“Parisian sensation Caravan Palace is one of the few groups that the phrase “unique sound” truly epitomizes. 1920’s flapper swing, Django Reinhardt-style Gypsy/jazz arrangements and generous scoops of electro pop wrapped with wacky, energetic lyrics are all held together with virtuosic performances on guitar, violin, double bass, trombone, clarinet and electronics. It’s festive, frantic music, just perfect for our Bastille Day week celebration.”

July 15

Today I crossed a nice chunk of chores off my to-do list and that is really fun. Tick Tick.

We all know the problem though. So many of those chores just keep coming back. But even if I’ve got 20 items on the list and only do one, it’s still satisfying. I am so easily entertained.

July 13

Rome’s swimming lesson got switched around this week so I got to join. You GO girl!

She can almost float on her back and she can keep her face underwater for the loooongest time while she glides along, arms and legs out straight. What FUN!

Lilly was enjoying herself too. Today was the first day of real summer in that it was hundreds of degrees out in the valley and I was h.o.T.

July 12

Susie took me to Pizzeria Mozza today, for my birthday. Thank you Susie! I’d never been before and was pleased to give it a try. Basically, YUM.

This is the exact type of pizza we got but I got the (nice sharp) picture off the internet.

July 11

Date night! I stayed with the grandkids while the kids had a chance to go play. I snagged these pix from Darryl.

dj/ak.

July 10

At Cousin Nancy’s with Sharon, enjoying lunch. Thanks Nancy!

na.

Then we walked to LACMA for the BCAM John Baldessari show. I always especially like those big retrospectives.

And of course when at LACMA one Must have a photo with the lamp posts.

July 9

Here’s what I’ve been doing eleven days out of the last fourteen. That’s right. Exercise.

And not just exercise. This is Gyrotonics and I LOVE it. LoveLoveLove it. The owner is amazing and fantastic, and I feel taller and more flexible already.

It’s a new studio about 100 steps from my front door and they are offering a Grand Opening Summer Sale where for a month you can pay once and go as many times as you want. So I’ve been going Every Day I can!

July 6

Yes that is my foot, and the unmistakably sisters Rome and Lilly. Are they not as adorable as two little girls need to be?!

Angela and Lilly, in a pensive moment.

July 5

We gather in celebration of Happy Birthday ANN!

Other party highlights include: Bon Voyage Marija and Ljubica. Congratulations Becky on your new kitchen. Hurray clean-bill-of-health Alicia. Hurray Maxine can WALK.

front left-Ljubica, Maryanne, Alicia, me, Maxine, Lourdes
back left-Marija, Marsha, Ann, Becky

July 4

Look what I grabbed off Cynthia’s facebook! It’s sweet Cynth and her beau Mike. Hi Mike…Look forward to meeting you soon!

cc/m

At Sharon’s we watched the Pacific Palisades fireworks peeking up over the trees in her back yard.

Then we watched the DC and NY fireworks on TV. Definitely, those amazing displays are art projects, a melding of design and technology, like Dancing Waters with fire, colors, rhythm, and Noise.

(internet pix)

July 3

I got to spend this night with Nancy at her marvelous (and giGANtic) rented home in Hope Ranch.

Just as a for example, here is all the furniture that used to fill her living room in Cheviot Hills and this place leaves room for a grand piano considering all the space behind me.

We went for a fine walk around the ‘hood.

Thank you ladies for all your time and attention and generous hospitality these last couple days!

July 2

I spent the night last night at Michi’s and she spent from 9am this morning making dish after picnic dish for our picnic outing this afternoon. The hatted ladies Michi and Nancy…

…and the Food, all of it mind bogglingly delicious. We blathered on and on about all the deliciousness, and then we went back to Michi’s place for just made mouth watering nectarine tart.

Carrot, cashew, and ginger soup; green salad (to say ‘green salad’ does not do it justice); a yam noodle, stir fried vegetables, and pork salad; soy and flaxseed chips with tomatillo guacamole; faabulous beet salad; faabulous fresh corn salad; faabulous bean salad.

Out Michi’s front door, her private garden space that she has developed from dirt and dead bushes when she moved in into this flowering eden.

Some details.

July 1

I have TWO friends in Santa Barbara now. I introduced them, they adore each other, and I’m visiting them both!

Michi and Nancy, Michi holding the tart she made us for dessert and that caused us all to bless life.

Before leaving for Santa Barbara I thought to get this picture quick. For the last three years momma bird here has built her nest right outside my front door. I try to keep it quiet going in and out and coo at her in gentle tones. The baby looks very much ready to take wing.

June 30 (here in July…)

Christa and I had our birthday day together and it was Excellent fun.

First we went to the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo after which we enjoyed a delicious shabu shabu dinner, Christa’s first. She ate the whole complicated meal with excellent use of her chopsticks.

We topped off the evening at the Ahmanson where South Pacific was playing. What great music. What a great time!