’18 July

July 30

More shopping with Marsha for her living room remodel and then a charming Monday dinner with yummy food and cocktails too because Ann always makes us cocktails.

July 29

Ingalill’s front garden where she dug up the plants for my new bowl. Then we made a strap for my camera and went to lunch.

The blue object is a rain barrel. It’s entirely empty now!

Lill has been dog-sitting for a friend. A good deed.

The only building from today.

The garden was an explosion this time, every plant at its fullest.

Sharon especially liked this plant.

From the show Icons of Style that’s made for Lilly.

We did a Highlights Tour that’s always interesting. The headsets worked very well today which makes these crowds manageable.

Rembrandt Laughing, a self-portrait.

Sharon thought this fellow looked like her charming and kind brother-in-law.

July 26

Ahhh, the movies, in the middle of the day in the middle of the week. Ahhh!

Nancy and I saw Ant-man and The Wasp and we both thought it was entertaining enough for a summer afternoon with plenty of light and friendly chuckles to enjoy.

July 25

First hair cut in seven months and that time was a trim-up. It’s been more than a year since my hair was short-ish and curly. Now it’s supposed to be long enough for an off-the-face off-the-neck pony and still be curly and cute when it’s down. Not sure yet if this guy is going to be my guy but I can walk there.

July 24

I took the girls down to San Pedro to meet up with Liz and Gary and their Tuesday hiking group. Here we are maybe ten minutes in to the bright hot and sometimes steep walk up and down some canyon walls, zig-zagging through the trails around Friendship Park.

The scenery was pretty varied and fun to look at but this was a hiking group and we were On Our Way on top of which it was really really hot so I entirely punked out on trying to get any pictures.

Then we all had lunch. Here’s Lilly in her glasses.

Then Lilly and Angela went to jazz class while Rome and I took my car to the car wash followed by dinner with the fam at the local sushi place. We had a good time!

July 23

Another day of this and that: to the grocery store, to make an appointment with the hair cutter, to the framer, to the bank…all in one stroll down and up Wilshire Blvd. Then I shuffled papers into more sensible piles for long term storage out of the house. Good job me…an example of how free days go.

July 22

I didn’t leave the house but it’s like I was traipsing around the town from store to store for long hot hours begging for mercy. Instead I just click-click-clicked sitting in my comfy guest chair eating snacks and watching The Closer.

What is winging its way to me: Clock for the kitchen, shoe laces, shower head, scarf for camera strap, front porch mat, room-sized fan, printer ink, and shampoo.

I don’t know if The Closer just showed up on Amazon Prime Video or if I hadn’t noticed it was there. I saw many episodes when it came out in the early 2000s and it’s easy to watch because the violence is minimal and the case is closed at the end of every episode.

July 21
Lilly’s performance of Annie! She had two parts, here she is in her Orphan role…

…and here she is as the Radio Announcer where she had many lines and they appeared twice, opening each act. You go Lilly!

Then we went to lunch in celebration of Lilly of course, and Liz and her birthday. Happy Birthday Liz!

July 20

Lona and Trevor. Hartley had already made his way to the car. We had a good lunch and a lovely visit. Thanks for coming guys!

July 19

I spent a lot of the day with Windy looking for her new car. She was sure she liked the Subaru Forester having driven her friend’s and indeed it was her final choice. The windows on that guy are seriously big.

July 18

At the Beverly Center, in the elevator with Sharon. We went to check out the renovations and the new oh-so-fancy food court that did not exist. That big project from 2016, nope, never happened.

July 17

Rome and I went to the Otis College of Art and Design today just to putter around and have some lunch.

Rome’s favorite discovery was the materials display in the library. Students can check out these sample materials to have for a week, not to use, just for motivation.

We saw a display of high-concept garments and there were a couple of galleries too, and the cafeteria lunch was good so all in all a lovely afternoon.

Since it was the summer the work spaces were all deserted, the metal shop, the pottery rooms, the design spaces, all empty of work. But we had fun anyway!

Going to pick up Lilly at Annie camp we passed by the costume room. There are two Annie costumes and there will be four performances with four different casts so there might be some sharing going on.

We made vegetarian sushi rolls for dinner and by we I mean they. I was talking on the phone to Alex, recently returned from nine weeks in Europe, about making a plan and after I said goodbye, coming around the corner into the kitchen, I was greeted by this scene – everyone working away on the ingredients for our vegetarian sushi rolls. It was fun And delicious.

July 16

And speaking of dinner, last night Maryanne hosted for the first time in ages because she has a wonderful helper now who made it happen. When you can’t do for yourself a kind, generous, resourceful helper makes all the difference.

July 15

Ingalill is making me a big pot of fine healthy succulents from her garden.

Most welcome on my front porch! We also freshened up my other bowl so it’s getting to be front-door-fancy for me.

Then I went with Ken for our last tango class together in Burbank. I’ve been having such a good time. I might even go by myself at some point because the same teacher does a class in Santa Monica on Saturday nights.

July 14

What a festive outing at The Sushi Joint in Glendale: Paul, Frankie, Joanne, Ronald, Steven, Celina, Paul, David.

July 13

Darryl was able to get away for a quick lunch, lucky me. We met at Blue Plate Taco where the food was good but not particularly tasty. We’ll try a different place next time.

Looking up from my seat…

…all one paint colored by the lights.

This is the first time I’ve turned off the fans in a week. It got so quiet.

July 12

Nancy and Sharon and I enjoyed lunch in Westwood and a stroll through the Hammer Museum.

The whole place was devoted to Made in LA, 2018. Yikes there was a lot of off-the-wall works, literally. The other half of these sunglasses was an installation on the floor inside the building.

I saw this installation from across the room and thought that the artist was imagining what it would be like to live in a circuit board. But no.

“For Made in L.A. 2018, Nikita Gale constructed a sprawling installation that considers protest and the history of rock and roll as a sonic foundation. She considers how these two generative constructs build upon each other and how a musical score can assist in galvanizing a collective body of action. … Gale combines components and materials that, when commonly configured, are used to amplify and muffle sound.”

Generative Constructs. Museum Speak, gotta love it.

“For Made in L.A. 2018, EJ Hill explores performance as a form of meditation, a life-affirming action, and a revisiting of the past. For Excellentia, Mollitia, Victoria, he visited six of the seven schools he has attended in Los Angeles—from Marie Fegan Preschool to El Camino College—and ran around each of them, charting a course along the streets that circumscribe each campus. Hill describes these runs as “victory laps,” and each is an act of reinserting his body into places where he never felt fully accepted yet were foundational to his development…

“Resembling a school field with running track, the installation includes photographs made with collaborator Texas Isaiah documenting the runs and several sculptures related to competition and recognition. For the duration of the exhibition, for every hour the museum is open to the public (six days a week for three months), Hill is standing on his sculpture titled Altar (for victors past, present, and future)… The endurance and commitment required for the runs and Hill’s ongoing performance are ultimately acts of incredible resilience, affirming our aspirations of becoming our most genuine and exquisite selves.”

internet.

The stairs at the Hammer. If you google Hammer Museum and look at images you’ll see so many full-wall paintings on these stairs and they are Wonderful.

This wall is painted one color and it’s the shapes that make shadows. Pretty cool.

July 11

Team Hartley!

Cindi on the left has been around for many years helping Lona with everything that needs doing in the office and pitching in with Hartley too. Now that Hartley can use more help Evelyn is on board all day five days a week just to focus on his needs. The other two days Titi is there.

Lona and Hartley are on their own for the evenings and so far so good although sometimes Lona isn’t getting enough sleep so everyone is watching out for when Team Hartley might need to add another member.

I’ve been taking that little round pill since January 2014 when the Ears-Nose-Throat doctor diagnosed my chronic and debilitating snot attacks as an Eustachian tube issue and I haven’t had an attack since.

Then Lona gave me that pink one which is supposed to make old ladies feel stronger and then Angela gave me the capsule that is supposed to make my head grow more hairs.

I don’t need a pill-minder yet though since I take all three every morning and that’s that.

The rug through the table and my toes got in there so it’s kinda cute.

July 10

Lilly’s Annie Camp…more to come on the Annie front for sure.

July 9

When Maxine makes a party Maxine Makes a Party!

July 8

The last couple of days have been nothing but OMG I AM HOT…then Tango with Ken. Just a couple quick snaps before class started. Everyone is so dang NICE!

I did (Loudly!) blurt out a bad word having to do with poo, because two or three times every class each couple has to go into the middle of the circle and do the new steps for the whole class I messed up BAD. Now I want to apologize to everyone! Sorry! Which I did at the time but you know…

July 6

This was a four thing day. Windy came over in the morning and we worked on our long weekend vacation get-away in Austin. It’s gonna be great! She left around 10:15 and it was so hot already I even closed the blinds.

Sharon and I were going to have a walk but it was so so too hot so I went over and enjoyed her air conditioning and ate the yummy brunch she prepared.

Then I went to Rose Gallery to meet up with Jo Ann who was giving me one of her pictures (I’ll take its picture when it’s up) and it was lively over there at Rose today.

Then Carl and Lynn and I had the Happy Hour feast at Ingo’s. These pictures are from their recent trip to Italy.

Now I am home, it’s midnight, and I’m stewing in a puddle of my own sweat, and I have several more days of this Heat Wave to live through. YIKES!

July 3

We like to take a few minutes at Pullman Park for some swing time…

…and to take Pictures!

Then we made a Flag Cake for tomorrow. Good job girls! Everyone participated in the cake and the frosting and then Lilly=Stars, Rome=Stripes, and the whole thing is vegan so Angela can enjoy it too.

July 2

Kathleen, hey, we walked down to Ingo’s for an early Happy Hour dinner…

…and it’s cool in there.

(internet pic)

July 1

I went by Marsha and Tom’s to admire the new paint job (which looks FABulous), eat a massively delicious Sunday Brunch with mimosas and everything, then go shopping because a home that is entirely freshly painted needs so many freshly acquired accoutrements.

Then it was Tango night with Ken followed by dinner at a place in Burbank with this mural on the escalator wall.

Here’s a picture at Ocean Seafood on June 30, having a Dim Sum meal with Steven, Celina, Gideon, and Ronald. Thanks guys for coming out, and for standing for this picture!

We had enough people to order so many things, my favorite.