Daily Life 2017

…the Los Angeles Unified School District All District Band.

If it’s a parade there will be cotton candy.

A vendor of bouncy shiny things.

Cool.

Look at that ball. I want one of those!

Dancing to the cheers of the crowd.

I think there were three fraternities represented.

The signs on the cars were on the other side so I don’t know who these handsome people are.

A Korean dance troupe who had the parade shoe thing down.

This dog needs a caption.

Many of the participating groups must have rented buses from these guys.

She said she had an MLK shirt in her bag but she decided to choose Obama for now.

We were hanging around this corner for a while, that’s Lill grabbing a shot, and every police, group or individual, who passed by had hugs for the folks in the yellow because they were actual police who usually were in the parade but this year got assigned to street duty.

Hug after hug after hug until finally I couldn’t stand it…

…me too me too!

lg.

It’s a parade and there will be balloons.

This is another one of the fraternity groups and the guy standing with Lill pulled out of the crowd to dance at the front.

He was an INCREDIBLE dancer. He would do a dozen pavement spins without a break. We both told him Wow Man that was fun. Well, he said, I was one of the first dancers with Soul Train and I perform constantly even now.

What a treat!

Oh look, here comes Mardi Gras!

Makes me think just a little bit about going to Mardi Gras one day.

#ourfightforward…and many other topic-specific groups made their way down the street.

We decided to head back toward the train before it was all over as the crowds were getting really thick and it became harder and harder to see.

Henry Armstrong, I had to look him up.

We took a pit stop at Starbucks and then took the more-than-full train home. Thanks Lill for joining in!

January 15

JoAnn and David hosted a brunch this morning especially for Muriel and her dear friend Leslie, visiting from San Francisco. I got to come too!

Muriel and Leslie left for the airport and while I was thinking oh darn I didn’t get a picture JoAnn showed me this standing figure Jim had given her as a portrait, which she took to be so true so true.

So I carried it around their house…

…and put it places.

Too Much FUN! JoAnn had to get going or I could have had a dozen more. Next time.

January 13

Trevor is in town and Windy was coming over so the Browns dropped by too and we all had a lovely visit. Seats for everyone!

Lona, Trevor, Windy, Hartley

January 11

Aww, our little dynamo Lilly was not feeling well. For our first many hours together she was go-go-go and then her mom came home and that was the cue for a very short and instant rest.

Then go-go-go again!

This falls into the category of “Oh Great, what Now?!”. Ka-CHING, that’s what’s now. It was inevitable of course that some day I’d have to redo the 1924 electricity in the back cottage. Fine. Thankfully the tenant has been sweet and patient and cooperative.

January 10

Those chairs are lined up the size of the couch I’m considering just to see how it feels.

As you can tell from the windows it’s dark out. I’ve probably spent 8 full hours of my life trying to figure out a solution to the following problem.

I chose to have the fan without a light. I had my reasons! BUT, and I knew this would happen, when you come in the front door at night there is no easy reach for a light. I could have put a floor lamp nearby but I couldn’t make that work. I could have gone with a timer, or a clapper, or some such thing, I thought about them all.

Then it came in a flash of light: Motion Detector!

So I got this happy little motion detecting night light Et Voilá! TICK!!

January 9

Happy Sweet SIXTEEN to our Sweet as Pie Charis Brown! Here they are, the Hawaii Browns and friends on a Sweet as Pie dinner cruise in the Honolulu bay.

Happy HAPPY Birthday CHARIS!

January 7

Nancy came by today for a visit. We did have a nice walk planned but were deterred by the rain. It was lovely none the less and we still cheer for the rain.

Here are facebook pictures of Nancy’s precious Chloe. Her employer Artis is there too. Awww.

January 8

Wow, I went with Sharon today for our first beach walk in ages, what with one thing and another.

What a day to break the fast!

Casa del Mar, my favorite.

The sky was really screaming. Take My Picture.

January 5

Walking home from the store on the sunny side of the street. I toyed with this idea for a New Year’s Resolution, walking on the sunny side of the street but since it’s my basic personality to do so it doesn’t seem like much of a resolution.

What is not in my basic personality to do, like lose weight or practice every day or upgrade my wardrobe…those things I can’t do no matter how many years of resolutions pass.

So … I should probably just give up on resolutions in this my SEVENTIETH year.

January 3

Off the internet. Maybe I’ll be able to buy some shoes that aren’t flips?

January 2

Lona, Windy, and I met up for a New Year’s Welcome here in the Marina.

Lona and Hartley’s sunset nearly every night. WOW.

January 1

2016 Awards Season movies I’ve seen so far.

Hidden Figures: My feelings are complicated but it is a wonderful movie.
Jackie: Not so much.
La La Land: If you like singing and dancing and have an affection for LA this is for you. I liked it a lot.
Fences: August Wilson, Denzel Washington, Viola Davis. I think it’s brilliant.

Captain America Civil War: I liked this one too but no surprise it is Superhero shtick.
Florence Foster Jenkins: Meryl Streep can’t make a bad movie even when it should be a bad movie.
Lion: A well-done tearjerker from moment one.
Deadpool: I saw it on an airplane with headphones and laughed out loud.