I made this with…
I made this with the girls. We had fun and remarkably the fruit was delicious.
Daily Life 2017
I’m am going to be SEVENTY YEARS OLD in 2017. SEVENTY.
From Cynthia, here’s Kai,…
October 30
From Cynthia, here’s Kai, unquestionably the star of Puppy Class!
cc.
Halloween! These are…
October 31
Halloween! These are Angela’s pictures from the Jefferson Costume Parade. Awww…Sooo Sweet.
Here we have Lilly, Roxie, Lilah, Lilli, Madelena, Miller, Kaitlyn
ak.
It’s movie night at…
It’s movie night at Jefferson Elementary! I wondered how it happened – it’s the same construction as a bounce house. They blew it up and the truck rolled away then we watched a Smurf movie while the kids off-and-on watched the movie and ran around in delight to be permitted the grass hill. You can’t play on the hill during school so it’s of course a total kid magnet.
ak&p.
Nancy and Sharon at…
October 29
Nancy and Sharon at the Getty, which you can tell from the gorgeous travertine wall behind them.
Dancing Waters at the…
October 24-26 Viva Las Vegas!
Dancing Waters at the Bellagio. More pictures of 36 hours in Las Vegas with Paul.
This last happened September…
October 22
This last happened September 2016 and I checked back on the weather – no heat wave as we’re having now. (For future reference I do have a cold sore from a cold I never got.) But it did go away for most of a year so I’m hopeful!
I have something and it has a name and it is not good!
I’ve been smelling smoke on and off for a while now and it’s impossible for me to tell when it’s real and when it’s not. When it seems unlikely to be real I ask around and no one else smells it.
From The Smithsonian magazine: “Brief episodes of phantom smells or phantosmia – smelling something that’s not there – can be triggered by temporal lobe seizures, epilepsy, or head trauma. Phantosmia is also associated with Alzheimer’s and occasionally with the onset of a migraine.”
Hmmm, temporal lobe seizures, epilepsy, head trauma, Alzheimer’s…and I read somewhere else that it could be a brain tumor. Great. I’m going to wait awhile and see if it goes away. Most likely though it’s just a sinus condition.
…Marsha invited me to…
…Marsha invited me to join her at Disney Hall for a concert. We ate first at that place opposite the Broad…
…and then heard some…
…and then heard some excellent Mahler and a couple of other pieces by composers I’d never heard, conducted by a 100 pound 29 year old Lithuanian waif-woman named Mirga Graþinytë-Tyla.
That the oven door…
That the oven door isn’t exactly flush on one side but is on the other is BUGGIN’!
It’s a STOVE! …
It’s a STOVE! I had leftover cookie dough in the fridge from Tuesday and that stove wasn’t in it’s slot for two minutes before we, me and Windy, baked us up a tray of cookies. OK!
Pauli and I met…
October 17
Pauli and I met at the Otis College of Art and Design to see their Pacific Standard Time contribution.
The school first opened in 1918 (WOW, I did not know that) followed by a long list of name changes, partnerships, and changing missions.
It looked like a very cool school with an enrollment of a little over 1,000.
“Talking to Action: Art,…
“Talking to Action: Art, Pedagogy, and Activism in the Americas”
My favorite collection was a bunch of piñatas with one of the action points being to sell piñata kits so you can make your own. I liked that idea because who keeps all those supplies on hand in our increasingly smaller homes.
This is an altar piece with a lot of symbolism that Pauli is reading about but I haven’t got to yet.
Several of the works were LA-Latin America crossovers which is also my favorites themes among the works on offer.
Two birthdays and Maxine’s…
October 16
Two birthdays and Maxine’s Halloween Extravaganza. TOO FUN!
The birthday girls are our oldest participant Maryanne on the far right, and our youngest participant Lourdes second from the right.
What freaked out all of us is that Lourdes, and did I mention our youngest who we always call the baby, is SIXTY.
SIXTY!! WHAT?!?!
Becky, Ljubicia, Marija, Maxine, Alicia, Ann, Marsha, me, Lourdes, Maryanne
Another picture of Cynthia’s…
October 18
Another picture of Cynthia’s Kai, with a mouse for scale.
cc.
They didn’t have the…
October 14
They didn’t have the installation kit and have to come back on Wednesday. Oh well. It’s been a year, it can be a few more days.
Lucky dog me, lunch…
October 13
Lucky dog me, lunch with Merlyn and Hilda (Hilda who, being so young, is still working)…
…and dinner with Liz,…
…and dinner with Liz, Gary, and Dev. And birthday flowers toasted with Prosecco in honor of Liz and my birthdays. Thank you!
Ever since school started…
October 10
Ever since school started we have been so busy from pick-up time at 2:30 until final good-nights around 8:30. Busy busy busy…and nothing but Fun!
I’ve been very lax…
October 9
I’ve been very lax in pictures this month. Here are a few I didn’t take and one I did.
Windy and Jeff having a selfie on their vacation/car show in Pennsylvania.
wr.
I got a plant,…
I got a plant, the Peace Lilly which is supposed to be good for the air. It also needs attending so I have no idea how long it will last. It cost 16 dollars and I’ve already enjoyed it 16 dollars worth so all is well.
I’m going to Catalina…
I’m going to Catalina with Bonnie on Wednesday, back on Thursday and it should be fun.
internet.
Cynthia’s adorable new puppy!…
October 7
Cynthia’s adorable new puppy! I’m not sure which color is closest to his actual color, probably the one on the left since that’s the one Cynthia took.
He’s a Miniature Australian Shepherd and I don’t know his name yet. Stay tuned!
Marija with homemade Slivovitza…
Marija with homemade Slivovitza from back home served from her mother’s pitcher. She said ‘Penny, make me a pretty young woman!’.
And during this time…
And during this time I also had a couple of walks – with Muriel along Palisades Park and with Sharon down on the beach path.
I photoshopped out all the trash cans and traffic cones and awkward people that were cluttering up my picture.
Far too many pictures…
Far too many pictures for craigslist but if anyone wants more pictures they’ll be here for viewing.
Front Garden
And Alex replaced the…
And Alex replaced the cap tiles on the roof too! Wow, Tick Tick Tick. What a day!
Big Day with Thanks…
September 26
Big Day with Thanks to Alex! Remember how busy I was waiting for the range hood…
…and waiting for my…
…and waiting for my picture. The artist named this work Big Red. I’m a mighty happy gal and now I’m moving on!
The Huntington Library and…
September 24
The Huntington Library and Gardens always has delights on offer. Nancy and I went out here on a gorgeous SoCal day of bright blue skies and gentle breezes.
They also had a…
They also had a Pacific Standard Time exhibit called “Visual Voyage: As part of the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA initiative, The Huntington will present an extensive exhibition surveying the connections among art, science, and the environment in Latin America, from the voyages of Columbus to the publications of Charles Darwin in the mid-19th century.”
The botanical drawings was my favorite part but no photos allowed inside the gallery.
I was taking Nancy…
I was taking Nancy home and we ended up on La Brea and Oh WAIT PINK’S! Yummmm. So we stood in line and it was wonderful as ever it was.
Then I got a message…
…Pauli had an extra…
…Pauli had an extra ticket because one of her daughters couldn’t make the show so did I want to join her and Lauretta at the Ahmanson to see The Red Shoes.
Why thank you very much that would be wonderful!
Pauli and Lauretta in…
Pauli and Lauretta in our seats. True. Second Row Center. Did I luck out or WHAT?!
Sharon is back in…
September 22
Sharon is back in town after being away for a month so we went for Our Walk along Palisades Park. My dinos are lookin’ good.
And color on the…
And color on the bluffs. Check out that little guy in the lower left. I couldn’t see him when I was clicking away, hoping to catch him in a shot.
Happy Happy Birthday Rome!…
September 21
Happy Happy Birthday Rome! Twelve years old and full of adorable.
ak.
And here she is,…
And here she is, the birthday girl playing the part of Rachel on the real couch as we were reminded by the staff no less than 15 times. They actually played out a scene with the rest of the cast plugged in to the final video.
Here’s Windy standing on…
Here’s Windy standing on the bandstand in the center of the Gilmore Girls set…Gilmore Girls and 1000 other shows and movies as well.
An optical illusion. …
An optical illusion. It was fun, not crowded, interesting, and Windy was happy!
Then for lunch we went around the corner to the Smoke House, George Clooney’s favorite restaurant (according to the guide…).
…that we were able…
…that we were able to buy! This is a still from Windy’s Academy Award winning performance.
Windy wanted to go…
September 20
Windy wanted to go on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour for her birthday and her two sisters wanted nothing more than to take her.
Here are plenty of pictures for our memory and for you to get the idea.
I had a lunch…
September 19
I had a lunch date with Pauli today and we caught up with our mutual home improvement schedules. We are taking our time. We soldier on!
I’m really busy at the moment.
As I’ve said (ad infinitum…), I do one thing at a time on this house project. I’m really busy at the moment because I’m doing two things. 1) I’m waiting for the range hood from the warehouse. And 2) I’m waiting for the picture from Australia.
I can hardly keep track.
Don’t watch the new…
September 17
Don’t watch the new season if you haven’t seen season 1. Season 1 is good and I don’t know if season 2 will even work. If you watch the first episode of season 2 first, season 1 will be spoiled!
LYNN! She had…
September 16
LYNN! She had her 70th birthday with the gang in Yosemite and a few days later 50 people gathered in Congratulations! for her fabulous accomplishment.
cl.
Susan and Michael who…
September 15
Susan and Michael who hosted me so generously in Australia are passing through LA on their way to a new three year posting in Cherbourg, France.
They left three of the four grown kids back in the house in Canberra and with the four bedroom house in Cherbourg, if you want to stay for a visit you’d better get your rezzie in early!
Lilly picked her birthday…
September 14 Happy Birthday Lilly!
Lilly picked her birthday dinner at PF Changs where they have her favorite, mango and avocado sushi rolls.
Angela, Darryl, Dev, Liz, Rome, Gary, the Birthday Girl
I got to join…
September 14 Happy Birthday Carol!
I got to join in for Carol’s birthday outing in DTLA. Here we are on the roof of Disney Hall…
There was a Pacific…
There was a Pacific Standard Time LA/LA exhibit at the main library (Latin American and Latino Art in LA) and it was wonderful. It wasn’t supposed to be available for a few more days but lucky us, here it is!
Check out the pacificstandardtime.org website because there are exhibts Everywhere.
Here’s something from the…
Here’s something from the website:
“The Library Foundation of Los Angeles (LFLA) will present Visualizing Language: Oaxaca in L.A., an exhibition and associated public programs celebrating the Zapotec language as a key lifeline sustaining shared cultural experience in Mexico, Los Angeles, and beyond. Zapotec is the most widely spoken indigenous language in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca, and Los Angeles is home to the largest population of indigenous Oaxacans outside of Mexico. Visualizing Language: Oaxaca in L.A. will recognize the importance of the Oaxacan presence in Southern California and explore contemporary realities of indigenous culture.
“The project will include an installation in the Los Angeles Central Library’s Rotunda by Oaxacan artist collective Tlacolulokos, a short documentary by Oaxacan filmmaker Yolanda Cruz, and a series of 60 public programs across Los Angeles with visual artists, scholars, poets and writers. Programs, many of which will be multi-lingual, will be presented as part of LFLA’s acclaimed ALOUD literary and performance series and as community workshops in select locations of the Los Angeles Public Library.”
Look what the new…
September 4
Look what the new clean windows are doing through the prisms in the bathroom. Now I want rainbows!
I could be doing…
September 3
I could be doing something. I know of many things I could be doing but instead I’m moving from under one fan to under another to sitting in the 4pm breeze between my two open doors watching tv on my computer. Not a bad day really.
The computer says this is the last day in the 80s so HURRAY for that!
They also had a…
They also had a show of Carlos Almaraz works and I was delighted.
“LACMA gathers 65 pieces for ‘Playing With Fire: Paintings by Carlos Almaraz.’ Though not a comprehensive retrospective, it’s the first full-scale Almaraz show anywhere, and it’s about time.”
Oh my goodness what a treat! I didn’t take this picture – it was certainly more crowded but I wanted you to see the scale of the pieces.
(internet pic)
I thought I was…
September 2
I thought I was going to have a coffee and a little visit with my neighbor Kathleen but she said “Let’s go to the beach!” so I said “ok!” and here we are.
A real estate agent is on duty 24/7.
Later in the afternoon…it…
Later in the afternoon…it was Dapper Day at LACMA – look at some of what you could do!
“It’s a day and night full of art, fashion, film, music, and dancing centered around Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage. You’re invited to bring your own style to the party—from vintage-inspired classics to chic, contemporary looks.
“…Other DAPPER DAY events includes extended gallery hours, the season finale of Latin Sounds, and a late-night dance party by Urban Light with a DJ and special dance floor. We hope to see you there, dressed in your best!”
We just saw the shows and then went out for an air-conditioned early dinner!
Nancy treated me to…
Nancy treated me to admission and the Chagall show (docent that she is) and it was fantastic.
Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage. “The exhibition concentrates on Chagall’s four productions for the stage—the ballets Aleko, set to music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1942), The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky (1945), Daphnis and Chloé by Maurice Ravel (1958), and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute (1967).”
This one is Firebird.
Bonnie and I had…
September 1
Bonnie and I had a deli brunch, saw a good movie (Columbus, about architecture and a town in Indiana, and less interestingly, about Family Values), and then had a post-movie snack at Nordstrom.
Outside Nordstrom we find this colorful painting and Bonnie loves colors so let’s have a photo. But what are those crazy lines? I have no idea!
We went to the…
We went to the Getty for my birthday as this was our first chance since June. We only did what I wanted to do so we went on a couple of tours and ate Twice.
Susie! My friend…
August 31
Susie! My friend of 50+ years. I’m 70 +a few months and Susie is 70 -a few months and How cute are WE?!
It’s the first day…
August 30
It’s the first day of school! These four kids have been in this exact line with a picture from the beginning of kindergarten and the end, the beginning of 1st grade and the end, and here’s the beginning of 2nd grade. What an adorable tradition!
“A surf hero and…
“A surf hero and legendary lifeguard, Tim Kelly is remembered in town by a bronze statue that sits at the foot of the Hermosa Beach Pier for all to see.”
“…he died at age 24 in a car crash while returning home from a surf trip to San Diego’s Trestles Beach in 1964.”
Lilly, standing strong….
Lilly, standing strong.
We ate delicious food at a restaurant here on the strand and then…
From a walk with…
From a walk with Lill that I forgot to use but having run across it, it must be used.
Liz and I went…
August 29
Liz and I went Mall Walking today at Del Amo. It was too hot outside so we went to this gigantic indoor space and it was fun! I learned from Angela that the reason this place seemed so fresh was because of a major remodel and addition of a new ‘fashion wing’ in 2015.
I got my birthday…
August 28
I got my birthday present window cleaning today, and I and the tenants too are feeling so Bright Eyed! I took this picture this morning, on the 29th and I’m absolutely sure there are more rainbows in my rainbow forest today because of the super-clean windows. I must absolutely remember to keep that garden window CLEAN!
My birthday poem:
With 70 years, it’s a time to be reflective,
Maybe see things with a new perspective?
Reflective, and open to introspection,
Without the unfortunate reflection:
“My view of the world, my contemplative demeanor,
Would be a lot better if those windows were cleaner.”
Let’s make it so! without leaving your seat…
We’ve summoned window cleaners to 22nd Street.
Cleaning and cleaning and not missing a spot,
They’ll get every window on the lot.
With their window washing paraphernalia,
They’ll arrive once you’re back from Australia.
So, this year we hope you’re enjoying the view,
Clean windows – and a Happy Birthday – to You!!!