’15 May

May 31

Thank you IngaLill for the yummy breakfast!

A small patch of IngaLill’s marvelous succulent garden.

A reeeally good sushi dinner with Ronald, Steven, and Celina.

May 29

Our current traffic nightmare – tearing up the California Incline, the route used by hundreds of cars per hour to get from where I live to the PCH. Now what. More more more cars on every surrounding street.

This is the stretch between my house and Sharon’s for the next 18 months.

May 28

Picking up Lilly and one of her friends for a play date, but first everyone wants to goof around on the yard. Sure I say.

Line ’em up and now…

…RUN!

It was Open House at both Lilly’s and Rome’s school. This is Rome’s. Next year they’ll both be here at Jefferson and that’ll be good for everyone.

The new couch came! Oh yes oh yes let’s stretch OUT. The decorating isn’t done but most of the main pieces are settled and wow-eee everyone is so comfortable.

May 27

I lolled around my seafront hotel in Half Moon Bay instead of taking the two hour walk I had planned because it was a little wet outside and I was a lot lazy.

Then I drove down on the 101 and stopped here in Los Alamos for the night in a crazy fun old motel.

Some hipsters have taken it over and redone the interiors with this look. I enjoyed myself entirely.

Another view of the town.

Michi Michi! I stopped off in Santa Barbara and we had such a good time.

As well as admiring Michi’s killer garden we went to…

…the Santa Barbara Mission where “An Italian tradition since the 16th Century, the I Madonnari Street Painting Festival has been a part of Santa Barbara culture for 28 years.”

An example.

May 26

I drove from the ranch to Berkeley to drop off Michael and Rudy and then drove down to Half Moon Bay where…

…Roger and Sandy met me for dinner! It was so cool.

May 20

The view from the lounge of the old Holiday Inn, now the Hotel Angeleno. It’s similar to the view from the Getty but lower.

Happy Hour dinner with the boys in the lounge of the Hotel Angeleno.

Bill, me, Ken

May 18

All ten of us were at the Monday night potluck dinner in celebration of two birthdays – Happy Birthday Maxine and Happy Birthday Marsha.

AND it was the finale of Dancing with the Stars. We always watch Dancing with the Stars when it’s in season. We have strong opinions and laugh and point. It’s crazy fun.

May 16

From the Getty Center, heading east from the 405 we’ve got the Wilshire corridor, Westwood, and far out there in the mist, downtown.

They’re giving Walking Flower a field instead of a lawn.

May 15

Muriel along the Venice Beach boardwalk in the damp cool whipping wind. What I thought: oh no, the wind is going to blast sand on my new car. I’ll be interested to see when I stop considering ‘my new car’.

It was a good walk and we had an excellent dinner at an Italian restaurant I’d never been to on Lincoln, Centanni Trattoria.

May 14

YAY! But it’s 4:45p and already all over, with blue sunny skies and dry cement. Maybe we’ll get a little more overnight?

I’ve spent a minimum of 10 hours in the last few days trying to re-write my insurance and combine home owners/landlord/renters/auto with one company. I can Not believe how much trouble this is and it still isn’t done.

Also taking time, I’ve been seeing doctors and, whooo, I’m going to get my droopy eye fixed. It’s a real condition, not my imagination, and medicare will pay. Oh boy.

May 12

Look what Darryl made for Mother’s Day out of one continuous piece of wire. Is that the sweetest thing or what.

But there’s more!

He’s been doing them every day for 7 weeks or so. Every day, one piece of wire. WOW. They are all gaspingly cool. These are just a few of my favorites.

You can see them all on instagram…darrylkanouse. I think you don’t need to sign-up to get into the account. I’ll let you come up with your own adjectives. I’m sure FABULOUS will be among them.

You can name them yourself too: Surfer Boy; Kissie Kissie; Ole; Hookah Smokin’; Helloooow; Swordsmen. There are also ballroom dancers and swing dancers that I looove, and MORE. ENJOY!

May 10

Happy Mother’s Day! Thanks to Darryl and Angela, we all went out for a tasty and lovely lunch.

D&A are renting a new house just a few blocks from their old house, moving in on the 22nd, and it is So Dang…

…BIG! They are moving from 1000 sq ft to 1800 sq ft. Oh yes, they will be feeling that.

Gary, Darryl, Liz, Angela, Rome, Lilly

Rome, Liz, Lilly.

And to top off a lovely day, Jeff took Windy and me to a big delicious dinner at Matteo’s. Thank you!

May 9

Out for a Farmers Market stroll with Sharon and Nancy and oh look, my Wilshire lady dino is showing off for her guy.

May 8

Done Deal, my new CAR!

May 7

Remember all that amazing food I ate with Merlyn in Myanmar?

Merlyn decided he wanted to bring this type of feast to his very own dining room. It took all the whole day long this picture just a small random selection of all the ingredients, and it was a proper feast.

Merlyn and Hilda and their friends Fred and Susan who shared the feast. We had such a good time.

May 6

I went with Nancy to see ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’ (yes, Madding). We didn’t like it much and were surprised we both stayed awake.

Selling my old car and buying a new car. Both pita projects but in the end I’ll be oh so stylin’ in my cocoon of electronica which is the modern car.

May 4

Monday Night Potluck Dinner with the Valley Girls.

May 3

Yea! Welcome Home from the flying girls!

I’ve used this organization plan for a few trips now and it seems optimum for my things anyway.

From the top left: a bag for all the miscellaneous electronica, walking sandals (my flips were downstairs), the computer sleeve, a bathroom bag with all the fix-me-ups, liquids and gels (there’s a quart ziplock inside the stronger one).
Bottom row: four bags including 1) swimming and dress-up outfits including shoes (a bag that doesn’t get opened often), 2) shirts (x6 in layers), 3) pants (x4) and sleep wear, 4) undies.
Sling bag not shown: camera and purse.

You need to wear all the heavy things layered on the airplane adding significantly to your wardrobe, and then there is plenty of room left in a carry-on bag to tuck in an umbrella, more socks and a hat if it’s a cold weather trip, and a few other things, but not much more.

Once off the plane the suitcase can expand to carry everything so you don’t have to wear all the heavy things for every transfer, just for the plane.

Where is April you might ask. Here, Kauai! A farewell Mahalo to the corner where I sit to do pictures.