’13 July

July 18

As well as going for long walks and eating out with friends, I’ve been working on my next trip – comin’ right up, time flying and all that.

The girls had put together a whole lego village and Rome was having fun taking pictures with my phone. Lilly played too of course.

When I got my phone back, oh look, Rome had created a dozen selfies. More fun!

An outing with Muriel. No pictures of my last beach walk with Sharon, of Windy while we worked on our trip, dinner with B&b, and what all else. No picture=no memory.

I found I did take this picture of the exotic Thai spa where I cashed in my Mother’s Day gift certificate from CM&K. AHHH!

July 31

Some of what Cynthia, Mike, and Kieran have been up to.

Happy Birthday Kieran! And then Kieran spent two weeks with his uncle in North Dakota. Look what happened on Day 1.

c/m

In Glacier National Park. Gorgeous!

c/m

July 30

Today’s adventure at a shopping arcade in Manhattan Beach and three girls from Rome’s school, all four of them entering 2nd grade, were there too, and joined us in a few rousing games of Hang Man.

Lilly would get out of the water just long enough to run over and announce her letter for the game (most often the letter L) and then rush back to the perfect pool for practicing your face-in-the-water bubble-blowing.

My Tuesdays are just not going to be the same for many long weeks!

July 28

Hi Frog Boy, Hi Hip Girl, we are welcomed to the Getty Center.

Nancy and I came up here for a bon voyage lunch – thanks Nancy. It’s so wonderful to know that anytime (just don’t be getting the urge on a Monday) we can buzz on up to see and experience amazing work both familiar and new.

We sat through the whole 18 minutes of Werner Herzog’s new piece ‘Hearsay of the Soul’. I liked it.

One from Fernand Leger’s Walking Flower series that I’m nuts for…

…and Walking Flower’s neighbor Alexander Calder’s The Jousters that I’m equally nuts for. Just the thought of this little corner of the Getty Center makes me smile.

Yesterday Windy and I went to a new Korean Spa, new to us anyway.

We had previously used the baby bear spa Daengki, which was small and homey and entirely Korean, but we thought to go a little more upscale/Western-ish one when we brought our older sister so we started frequenting Olympic which has good facilities but also too high a percentage of chatty white girls, so this time we might have hit it just right – Hankook.

We’ll have to go a few more times just to make sure….

July 26

Merlyn and I went in search of the dish we ate in the Dominican Republic and in Cuba that was a part of my most memorable meals. SO good. (I must mention also the goat stews that were AWEsome.)

Mofongo’s mother land is Puerto Rico and I found a Puerto Rican restaurant in North Hollywood that specializes in mofongo. But No! Different! They make it with fried plantains!

The plantains should be boiled as they are in the Dominican (where, I recently learned, the dish is called mangu) and in Cuba. I don’t remember now what they called it in Cuba – the internet thinks it’s fufu. But the plantains need to be boiled!

On the left: Puerto Rico. On the right: Dominican Republic. Below: how I remember it looked and ooow sooo goood.

July 25

Venice, CA just across the park from where Lynn and Carl live.

Lynn and I had a nice beach walk and a bon voyage visit. They are off to Australia for three weeks on the 11th which is very exciting.

Those nasty growths on my head are still bothering me (a lot). I pressed the dermatologist to tell me what was going on before he started digging around in there again, but he didn’t like that At All, and we broke up. Now I have to find another dermatologist and get an appointment quick like a bunny before I leave.

That’s Lill there on the right. She took this picture of the three guys but she really wanted to be in it. So I put her there!

July 24

My dinos on the Promenade! Oh no they have a serious skin disorder. I really hope they get to feeling better very soon.

Busy day today – first a 12,000 step walk with Sharon and a nice lunch and a little shopping that did not end in any purchases.

Then since I was going to see IngaLill and Tony for dinner I stopped by first for a visit with JoAnn and David. Too much fun!

July 23

The girls playing ‘Punch Buggy’.

They don’t remember how or from whom they learned this game. When you see a VW Bug you punch your neighbor (they lightly tap sweet children as they are) and cry out ‘Punch Buggy, No Punching Back!’.

July 21

Happy Birthday to me and Happy Birthday to Liz! We met up at a Hawaiian Festival in Lawndale, had a few snacks, and Shave Ice for our Happy Birthday Song and Make-A-Wish Candle.

I got such sweet cards and gifts .. and a flying pig necklace. Treasures!

The girls got stamped tattoos from this guy who was making each stamp an art project.

Here’s Lilly admiring his efforts.

We watched a little hula, the kids played a fairground game (and won a prize!), and we strolled a short time looking at all the Aloha items for sale.

I wore my dress from Hilo Hatties and anyone who has ever been to Hawaii would recognize it.

July 20

I went to the movies with Marsha and then stopped by to see her (cutest smartest happiest sweetest so advanced for his age) Grandboy Jordan.

Mama Jenn, Papa John, Grandma, and the center of the known world, Sir Jordan himself.

Then Marsha and Tom made me the dinner I always want when I go there and is always perfect: bbq meat. Yes there are other items on the menu but it’s the scrumptious bbq meat that makes it dinner at Marsha and Tom’s.

And the Jack Daniels. They never forget to invite Jack.

July 19

Richard and I spent some time finding a place for a very small reunion party in September. Oh it is going to be fun!

Speaking of eating out .. Boban and I went to Plan Check on Sawtelle and ate a feast of grease of every description. They even fry their fries in beef tallow, and their onions in schmaltz. And those churros. Fried so crispy, salty and sweet oh yum.

internet pix

July 16

Lilly and I took Rome to her Art Camp today. These are her camp pals and the teacher.

It’s a three hour program and while Rome was having fun here…

…Lilly and I walked to a park near the art studio where we played and had a ton of fun and also next door to the park…

…is a library! We found a quiet corner away from all the tables and we proceeded to read about 20 books.

DAK&L are growing several tomato plants and wow-eee are these tomatoes fresh and delicious right off the vine. When we got home from our adventures the girls went out to pick the harvest for tonight’s dinner!

July 15

IngaLill and Tony just got back from their week of hiking in the Canadian Rockies. They totally loved everything about it and took some fabulous photos of nature.

This is a fabulous photo of nature, shot by IngaLill out the window of the car as they were passing through Calgary, just for me she said.

July 14

Muriel! Nancy (who took this picture) was staying with Muriel and in the morning we had a yum-yum-yummy brunch in Muriel’s back garden.

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Those are the hydrangeas from my plant that is now taller than I am and wider than I am tall completely covered in blooms.

Nancy and Sharon and I then went to see 20 Feet from Stardom which was so much fun to see and to hum along, and then I ate Again. And it was Good.

July 13

Windy came by this morning for a nice visit and a late breakfast…

…and then Santa Barbara Nancy came by this afternoon for a nice visit and an early dinner, a stroll around the park (where there are too too many ducks gunking up the lake)…

…and then we headed west and didn’t stop walking until we reached the sea.

And then we walked back. Good for us!

July 12

Susie took me out for my birthday. We spent the day at LACMA and had a fantastic time.

If you can help it don’t miss the James Turrell show. It’s huge. I didn’t take any pictures (obedient museum goer that I am and anyway there are guards in every room) but had I, it would have been this one (which some less obedient and more cunning museum goer put on the internet).

From LACMA’s website:

“As part of the Getty’s initiative, Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A., LACMA features The Presence of the Past: Peter Zumthor Reconsiders LACMA, an exhibition about the proposed future of the museum’s campus.

“Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has been commissioned to rethink the east campus, providing new insight into the meaning and function of an encyclopedic museum and the relationship of architecture to its site.”

The models in this presentation are totally cool and an art project in itself.

Then we unexpectedly happened upon a delightful exhibit of Matisse’s cutouts and some work based on the cutouts.

This is from the Jass series and my new favorite figure. I always liked the other one, the one with the heart, but now I’m toying with the idea of using this way cool dancer in place of my flying pig.

Levitated Mass. I like it just as much as always, which is a lot.

Thank you Susie!

July 11

The last time I got the car washed at a new place because I was in the neighborhood with some free time. They did such a good job that today I drove 15 minutes out of my way to go back there. You can guess, closed.

So I found another one nearby with an irresistible dinosaur theme and the car looked pretty good too.

July 10

I had cats on my mind today, for later, when I don’t want to go out anymore.

July 9

My first Tuesday with the kids in over a month and we had a fab time but I took not a picture.

These I grabbed off Angela’s facebook since they’re all so cute. St Patrick’s Day: Finley, Avery, Rome, Nora, Anya, Lila, Lilly. At the beach: Finn, Rome, Lilly, Meloney, Sophie, Lillian, Chloe

July 8

Monday Night! We haven’t had a picture in ages but we’re all in attendance and everyone agreed, so here we are!

From the back: Marsha, Becky, Lourdes, Ann, Ljubica; Marija, Alicia, Maryanne, me, Maxine

jb.