Big Year of TRIPS.
November 2
There are thousands of better pictures of this rainbow – everyone was talking about it, and talking about RAIN. I did click the shot with my phone dead stopped northbound on the 405 because it had rained for 20 minutes and that means no one in LA can drive.
Look at my new thermos that fits perfectly in this bag. A couple of ice cubes and 8 ounces of water stay icy cold all day long. I won’t tell you how much it cost but you can look it up, it’s ‘S’Well’.
November 1
There’s still more Halloween coming. Out in Minnesotta, that’s Kieran, the zombie harlequin, and his three pals who all had a sleep-over on Halloween night.
cc.
October 31
I had a nice walk with Lona this morning out by Ballona Creek. These are the gates, made as part of the LA River improvements.
Darryl making his one-a-day one unbroken piece of wire sculpture. He’s been doing one-a-day for 218 days. Check him out – it is AWEsome.
facebook.com/365wires and instragram.com/darrylkanouse.
October 30
Will this gif play? Yes! You have to click on the image or make the whole chapter big. Happy Halloween!!
I got it off imgur.com.
October 29
I drove up to Santa Barbara for a visit with Michi and a visit with Nancy and it was a lovely day.
We did that, Eat Here.
We took a quick buzz through the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. There was an exhibition, Degas to Chagall, borrowed from the Hammer. There was one Chagall – it was nice to see even the one.
Nancy took this in the Asian Arts permanent collection. I can’t find the details but I think at about a 51% confidence level that the artist died in the 1920s.
nd.
October 27
Girls Day! Lilly and Roxi and I went to the car wash, ate lunch at Akbar, got a craft project at Big Lots that the girls enjoyed at home, then we walked to pick up Rome, dropped off Roxi, went home for a quick snack and some homework before leaving to go to…
October 20
Lilly and I took Rome to her soccer practice and then we played with Mia, the younger sister of another player who happens to be the coaches daughter.
The girls did gymnastics together, we played in the school yard…
…and we walked laps! It’s a fine adventure walking around the track offering high-fives and cheers to the running club “Girls on the Run”. Isn’t that great.
October 19
Medicare thought it was worth it to get that eye opened and if Medicare thinks I should do it enough that they’ll pay who am I to say no. My face is still oh-so not symmetrical and I can safely say it never will be symmetrical. But at least I can see much better.
No one ever notices a thing!
October 18
Vacancy: boooo. New Tenant: YAY! I had an open house on Sunday and thousands showed up. Thanks to sister Windy for helping me with the tours (‘helping’ me = doing it all). I would have freaked out with the crowds. And thanks to sister Lona for all the follow-up.
October 16
Oh Marsha Marsha. Marsha invited me to join her on Casual Friday at the Disney Hall to hear Dudamel conduct “Rite of Spring”. Despite the casual appearance of the orchestra it was breathtaking; it took my breath away. You can see only about 2/3 of the enormous orchestra gathered for this piece.
Here are bits from the LA Times review: “We seem so far beyond the age of orchestral scandals that it can take an exercise of imagination to fathom the Paris riot in 1913 at the premiere of “Rite of Spring.” A century later, Stravinsky’s ballet has become more popular than “Scheherazade.”
“The Los Angeles Philharmonic is especially beloved in L.A. for its music making, community involvement, and for bringing us the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Fortunately, the L.A. Phil also happens to be the most clamorous of orchestras in its willingness to take chances and court controversy.
“The “Rite” left everyone reeling … using a massively large ensemble, Dudamel created the sensation of mob rule. The orchestra could barely be contained.
“Dudamel didn’t ask for beauty or sensuality (the way the “Rite” is often sold these days). The excitement came not from obsessive rhythmic control but sheer vehemence, an exhibition of uncontrollable mass psychology.
“…During the applause at the end, several players in an orchestra that eats Stravinsky for breakfast looked at one another and laughed, as if out of astonishment for the Stravinsky shock they had just managed to produce.”
October 15
The Getty at night with hardly any people. What a JOY. Muriel had tickets to a talk put on by some Japanese photographers whose works are being featured until February. You won’t be sorry if you check it out!
October 14
I had a nice day today with the cousins Nancy and Sharon, lunch and a movie, what a treat. Here is Nancy’s precious granddaughter who just turned THREE.
na.
Time to clear out and refresh ‘the refrigerator door’.
Lilly drew the flying pig and the portrait of her Granny; a Big Bag of Birthday (so cute!) from Rome; a Welcome Home card from Lona; the logo off a case of Leo Beer from Thailand and a hair clip from Hawaii; notice of my French pronunciation class at Santa Monica College extension; two Hawaii high-school graduates! Caleb and Koa; the button from our Seattle family-fest; a menu from a great new take-away; a Before eye picture.
October 12
Our Santa Monica says Welcome Home. Say Honey, could you please do something about this HEAT?!
October 11
Muriel and I saw this movie today and it was amazing. The director, still living in Teheran, is forbidden from making movies and is awaiting the outcome of an appeal of his 2010 six year jail sentence for ‘propaganda against the Iranian government’. He’s made several movies since he was forbidden to make movies, all of them smuggled out of Iran.
Then we ate delicious Japanese food at a place I suggested but what was I thinking, we could have eaten at any of the dozen Persian restaurants in the same neighborhood.
October 10
I drove the twins out to Palmdale for lunch with Louise and everyone enjoyed the get-together. The last time I saw Louise was a year ago this month…and she’s as happy and settled in as last year which is great.
October 9
Went walking with Sharon today – here’s the update on the California Incline re-construction project.
Then I had a nice dinner with Windy. It has been so so so HOT here. Sleeping now has another problem since it doesn’t ever cool off.
October 8
What have I been doing…I don’t remember…Tuesday with the girls…Thursday I saw my older sister about my vacancy…a lot of watching the ceiling.
Tonight I will sleep, tomorrow will be a regular day. That’s my plan.
October 4
Lilly’s HAPPY SIXth BIRTHDAY party! I do have a gabillion more to go through and I’ll put more here later.
Lilly had the party at her gymnastics studio and everyone had a blast. Jumping, cartwheeling, swinging, leaping, go go going!
I’ll get the names next week which I’m looking forward to because I need heeeelp remembering.
ak.
October 3
My plane got in late, I went home to take a shower, just rested my eyes for a second and sadly fell asleep for a couple of hours and was late to Rome’s HAPPY TENth BIRTHDAY party which was a fabulous event put on by Darryl and Angela.
They made a photo booth, got together costumes and props, and took dozens and dozens of polaroid photos of the dozen girls dressing up and vamping for the camera, and then each girl made a fully decorated and finished-off scrapbook with their efforts. It was a total smashing hit.
ak.
I didn’t take any pictures but Angela has a lot more. I got these off her facebook but I’ll get a few more from her computer next Tuesday.
10/21 and I haven’t done it yet…because I keep FORGETTING.
ak.
September 2
I’m home until the 4th so I’ll put a little September here, and since I didn’t take any pictures…
Here are a couple of Darryl’s new ones – Fire! and The Astronomer, made one-a-day from one unbroken piece of wire. See http://www.instragram.com/darrylkanouse for the whole magnificent set.
August 29
I’m not leaving until the 4th, and it’s not that I haven’t been doing anything, it’s just that I haven’t taken any pictures. Probably because I’m not entirely finished with the reunion pictures and PARIS is less than a week away.
Here’s a city with a wonderful public transportation system.
August 27
Dorm Life: Caleb Brown, College Student (on your right, roommate on your left).
cb.
August 26
Angela took these pictures of the girls off for their first day of school – kindergarten and 4th grade!
ak.
August 25
AT 3:59 they put up the class assignments at the girl’s school and we were right there. Everyone’s happy I think.
Then it was soccer practice for Rome and after practice the team members worked on their banner.
It was fun, I learned many things about soccer.
August 24
We had a trio of summer birthdays at our Monday night potluck… Cards and Cash and Too Much FUN!
Ann, me, Becky
Blue Shirts!
FAMILY…I’ll send you a bigger version of any that you want to print. I’m leaving plenty of border around the image so you should be able to crop it and print any size you like. More coming. Roll down to see them all as they come in.
Christa, Beth Trevor, Charis, Caleb
August 22
I sat around my house for a couple of hours today, listened to the radio, and did all my trip shopping. My list is empty, nothing more to buy, and all my items are winging their way to Santa Monica to be delivered to my door by Wednesday.
Crazy man, and dear family and friends who love me, I know you are clapping your hands that I won’t be all blahblahblah about having to drag myself through stores.
August 21
I had a great walk with Lona today – no pictures, so I took this one off Lona’s phone. Hartley looks so good here, wow, and that beautiful young woman beside him? Fourteen year old Charis.
lb.
August 20
Bonnie and I went to the Hollywood Bowl for the free morning rehearsal and enjoyed ourselves entirely. (No photos…but, you know, I put the phone on my lap and avoided all the people.)
Nancy invited some friends to gather in Roxbury Park in Beverly Hills for a really wonderful production of As You Like It in celebration of her birthday.
The players were very good – they call themselves Shakespeare By The Sea. Everything about it was especially well done including the fine costumes.
August 12-15
Maybe someday I’ll write up the story of our trip from Gig Harbor-Madras-Klamath Falls-Cambria, with the peaks of the Cascades and the summer fires eating up the Pacific Coast states.
But for now I have to move on! Blue Shirt Photos! Paris coming up!
Sorry! I’m so behind…more Crater Lake and some Cambria/Moonstone Beach coming along and all the Blue Shirt photos.
A few pictures from our southbound drive Gig Harbor to LA. We didn’t stop often but I do have more especially of Crater Lake which was awesome.
Then we took 10,000 of these in 1,000 configurations.
Jeff, Windy, Darryl, Angela, Rome, Lilly, Jack, Anya, Cali, Charis, Trevor, Beth, Janice, Travis, Lainee, Betsy, Lucas, Xander, Caleb, Christa, Lona, Hartley, me.
July 30
From the light show at the Skirball’s Bill Graham show. Groovy man. Makes me want to spin some Big Brother…
July 29
Today was a magnificent day of ticking off chores (pay bills, bookkeeping, update to the car’s navigation system, packing up items to return to amazon, more…I forget).
And then I had a lovely visit with Kathleen and her friend Caroline and with Cheyenne as we went over the contents of her pack for her backpacking trip to Europe(!). She’s young, she’s meeting her boyfriend who’s already there, it’s her first time. Oh fun for Cheyenne.
July 28
Soccer Camp! It starts at 9am and ends at 12. Swimming starts at 12:30 so it’s go go for all five of these kids. Lauretta brought smoothies.
Lilly, Rome, Roxi, Lola, Zander (I think he spells it with a Z…Xander of Xander and Anya spells it with an X)
I had to put this here – Bill and Mindy making it the almost 500 miles in 7 days camping out and riding across the state of Iowa. YAY Congratulations!
Note below, I rode 12 miles and then went home.
We stopped in at the LA Louver to see the David Hockney show. It’s free so should you find yourself in Venice you can go have a look.
You can scroll on down to July 1st and see a little of the previous show.
(internet)
July 27
Let’s go ride bikes! Christa and Charis are here from Honolulu to check in on Grandma and Grandpa. They snagged these bikes from the apartment complex where Lona and Hartley are staying in Marina del Rey…and we were off!
I am so pleased to report that we rode for more than 12 miles and I didn’t fall off. I didn’t fall off when the chain did fall off and I didn’t fall off when I missed the curb on a stop. YAY No Falling!
lb.
July 26
This was fun – I went to Beverly Hills, to a get-together of origami enthusiasts because I was stuck at one point in following the directions to make those stand-up hearts and sure enough Joel helped me figure it out. Thanks Joel!
Time for a photo and Lilly was all like ‘Granny Granny please Please PLEEEEse let me photobomb the picture PLEEEEEZE.’
July 25
Liz and Gary put on a birthday party for Liz that was full of food and fun. Happy Birthday Liz!
July 24
From a walk up to Signal Hill, a sadly very hazy view of my favorite, the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Long Beach.
Thanks for the day to Hilda and Merlyn who took a rental in Long Beach for the month of July.
July 21
Welcome to Laguna Beach, home to hundreds of art galleries, and to the yearly display of the Pageant of the Masters.
July 19
Ingalill and I were going to take pictures today during the polo tournament at Will Rogers. But, polo tournament… cancelled! Bummer! I don’t know why and neither did the other hundred or so people who had gathered to watch.
We had a short walk and ate our picnic anyway, and enjoyed the beautiful day.
That sign says “HISTORIC ZONE No Lawn Sports Permitted Beyond This Point” and it’s fun to see all the folk dressed in historic gear gathered around to enjoy an afternoon at the historic home of Will Rogers.
