’19 June

June 30

Ooh La La, Faaancy! Marsha buys this event in a silent auction at her church. They’ve been doing it for a number of years, and she invited me to join her and..

..a lovely group of ladies from her church. Delightful church ladies, and Michael.

Judy, Kathleen, Michael, Felice, Marsha, Lee, Kate, Karen, and Laura.

Everyone got a welcome card, a recipe, and a bag of goodies to take home.

We heard origin stories on many of the beautiful and historic tea cups and tea pots.

So FUN!

Here’s our hostess Kate on the left and her husband Eric attending to our every desire.

Thanks to all for a most memorable afternoon.

June 29

Merlyn and Hilda got back from their latest European vacation and they put on a dinner feast and slide show. It was great – hors d’oeuvres, then WWII military sites in England and France, then dinner, then a tour around Germany, then dessert.

And wine pairings. Merlyn had decided to go for wine pairings which greatly added to the festivity.

Thanks guys!

Carol, Alex, Hilda, Merlyn. What a delight.

June 28

I had lunch with Boban today which was totally cool and we didn’t bate each other with politics or religion. He even seemed to have had a slight turn-around on Trump but I didn’t engage so as not to spoil the mood. I was pleased with myself actually.

We didn’t go to Rose Café but since I didn’t take a picture where we where and since I didn’t use this picture before when I went here with Sharon..here it is now.

Then I got my hair cut and I’m happy with the result so YAY on all fronts.

June 27

Both Susie and I were so glad we saw this show. Remember when I went to the Underground Museum in South Central on Washington Blvd. where they were showing a very large collection of Roy DeCarava photographs. There were some here too.

The guy who was greeting guests at the Underground had just left the Broad. He had been working on the Soul of a Nation show and his opinion was that the whole thing was too shiny. I see where he got that idea because all the work is presented in a decidedly We Are A Fancy Museum way. That being said the collection was very much worth the time to have a look and to think about.

I was looking at the picture and this woman walked into the scene and I had a little-mini-flip-out. I asked oh please look how you look, will you be in my photo? She said ‘Sure!’ and we did several.

Here’s another one.

And here’s the text that goes with the art. It’s actually serious stuff but I being me couldn’t resist adding this lighthearted woman in the Super Girl dress.

I couldn’t show the other picture mentioned here as it’s very large and very full-frontal.

Today at last the magic worked and we were ushered directly into Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away (2013).

It’s best to arrive very early in the day for the best chance to get in.

You get exactly 45 seconds on the platform with a constantly changing display. Wow.

Hi Susie, thank you thank you.

Me, having fun!

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At the end of the show, shopping bags. Exit through the gift shop.

June 26

Sharon and I walked at the beach and then she bought me a super-birthday-lunch at Rose Café that has transformed itself from a cool funky local Venice Beach hang into a cool chic trendy Venice Beach hang. The food and the venue are decidedly recommendable.

Then I buzzed out to West Hollywood to a Russian visa expediting service and like the woman told me on the phone, it was ‘dead easy’ and well worth the money considering how much I didn’t want to do it myself.

June 25

My first summer day with the girls and we had so much fun I don’t know if I can even remember all that we did. Lilly, she sure can strike a pose.

Visiting, looking at Lilly’s school projects and Rome’s pictures from her Girl Scout camping trip, then Lunch…

…followed by a visit to the local Farmer’s Market.

Soo many samples, Sampletown USA.

After the market we went to the library, then to get ice cream…

…then to enjoy a ride in the drive-through car wash.

A couple of pictures from Rome’s camping trip.

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June 24

Maxine, you are The One, the maker of Party.

The Monday ladies had a birthday festivity for me and Ann, the June birthdays, and it was so nice, thank you all!

Also I got to have lunch with Darryl and that was a treat too.

June 23

I’m home now and back to making this all happen.

The map shows a general outline of my itinerary, every spot a potential highlight. I’m getting close to the wire on the Russian visa which has to be my next order of business.

A-St Petersburg, Russia
B-Tallinn, Estonia
C-Riga, Latvia
D-Vilnius, Lithuania
E-Minsk, Belarus
F-Stockholm, Sweden
G-Kiruna, Sweden..Lapland, above the Arctic Circle
H-Umea, Sweden..and travels along the High Coast
I-Eslov/Malmo, Sweden
J-Copenhagen, Denmark for my flight home

June 22

A Midsommar’s Eve..and that’s how they spell it in Sweden, here being Tony and Lill’s 30th annual blow-out attended by a small army of their friends and family some number having left already and some having yet to arrive.

The succulent garden out front.

So you know after my visit to the Baltic states I’m going to spend 12 nights with Lill and a few of her friends in Sweden. The whole event got started because these two are getting married in Sweden. I’m coming home before the wedding but I do appreciate that they contributed to this adventure for me.

There’s more to this story but I have to clarify the details with Ingalill.

June 21

The view from our back door where chairs would come and go depending on who was watching the kids.

A SUPER highlight for me. The house had a rack full of wetsuits including an XXL Shortie, perfect and despite the freeeeezing cold that kept even the kids out of their bathing suits, I got to have a run at boogie boarding and it was SO FUN!

June 20

First ten then nine adults and four children appear at these tables three times a day. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Breakfast. Lunch. ETC!

Sharon and her brother Wai.

We have a straight-on view of the Channel Islands.

The most lit-up one in the foreground is ours.

Down at the end of the street there’s..

..a beer and wine bar where it was a kick to hang out for an hour or so.

June 19

Hail hail! Here’s the connection: my friend Marsha’s daughter Kelly’s college roommate, the roommate’s family including brother, husband, two kids, and mother-in-law, the roommate’s husband’s sister and her family, and also Kelly’s current roommate.

Here are their names: Crystal, Renee, Mike, Bryan, Sharon, Wai, Marsha::Connor, William, Tyler, Lorelai, Kelly, Kris

More soon!

From Cynthia “I told Kai how old you are..” I KNOW!

Santa Barbara Nancy always finds me a fancy new flying pig for my birthday. It’s true, I might not remember if she kept sending the same one year after year. It’s always a fresh new pleasure!

June 18

These two selfies, this one and the one below, are on my new phone that has a setting whereby it will take a picture itself when it finds that everyone is smiling. Crazy, right?!

I got to have a Happy Birthday dinner with the girls tonight, thank you all, and it was FUN.

When Christa held the camera her head still looks normal..it would be cool if I could figure out this selfie technology..

Rome, Oliver, Angela, Lilly, me

June 17

Christa, Lona, me, Windy. 25, 77, 72, 68. We sisters are getting on alright, and Still cute. Christa and I like to be together in June since we share a birthday. Happy Birthday sweetie!

June 15

Lilly’s dance recital, always a delight. And since this was the day before Father’s Day we had a lovely Congratulations Lilly and Happy Father’s Day Darryl and Gary dinner complements of D&A.

Basically these days or rather these years all these festivities are complements of D&A. Lucky dog me.

June 12-14

We’re back!

Hesperia, the high desert. That’s our plot and that’s our view of a snow-capped peak.

I got riled up over that big shed in the background, on our neighbor’s property that wasn’t there two years ago when we visited last. There oughta be a law..

The actual size isn’t evident by these pictures because of the upward slope and then the downward slope to the fence, but it’s a tick over an acre.

And our cool tree. We’re going to be selling this place – we’ve been holding on to it for sentimental reasons, a legacy from our parents, but it’s been a pretty sad investment sitting there as it has for sixty years.

After leaving the park we went on to Riverside and The Mission Inn. It’s a big historic property added on to for thirty years all the new wings in different styles.

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Welcome to the Mission Inn!

We took a tour of the Mission Inn that was informative, and long. Here’s a stained glass window at one of our stops.

Old Town Riverside has a great architectural history, it’s a history lesson just walking around. I’m going to list here the dates and styles of some of the buildings all within these few blocks:

Mission Inn 1902-1932 built in many styles over the years and on the National Register of Historic Places.
Old City Hall 1924 Spanish Renaissance Revival.
Riverside Metropolitan Museum 1912 Italian Renaissance.
First Congregational Church 1913 Spanish Renaissance Revival.
Universalist Unitarian Church 1891 Gothic Revival.
First Church of Christ Science 1901 Mission Revival.
Riverside Art Museum 1929 Beaux-Arts.
Union Pacific Railroad Depot 1904 Mission Revival.

And many more in the same vein. We loved it.

June 11

Rome and I went to the pier while Lilly was in her dance class. I’ve had my new camera for exactly one year now and I just today realized that if I touch the screen in a certain mode it changes the focus to the place I touched, which is why all the pictures in this series are out of focus.

I could see the little square in the wrong place. What? Why? ok, well, now I know. A problem explained. That’s good even if it is a year late.

The kids got a new bubble machine because Oliver likes bubbles. But as it turns out he’s not up for this tornado of bubbles. We all loved it.

Rome likes this picture!

Rome does not like this one as much and after she looks at it I might have to take it out. Let’s see.

Wow, this was fun.

Lilly..dancing..

..the dance.

June 10

That’s my house. The yellow flowers next door were announcing themselves so nicely when I got back from Monday night potluck In The Dark.

June 9

Happy Birthday David! Jo Ann put together a fine festivity and everyone was so happy to be there.

Carol, Judith, Stephen, Jo Ann, David, Peter, Nancy.

Cake. Yum.

June 8

Cynthia! As well as her Accountant job that she likes a lot, Cynthia is running a wonderful Airbnb from her condo in St Paul. All her guests really really love the place and rate her a super-super-excellent host.

You can click here and see Cynthia’s Airbnb.

She made it all possible with her remodel including moving walls and doors and creating a kitchen that makes her guests sigh with pleasure. WOW is right!

Kathleen is going to Cuba on Wednesday! She isn’t traveling on a cruise and got in under the wire. I’m so glad for her.

These hula girls have nothing to do with Cuba of course, but they’re great and part of Kathleen’s many-faceted collections.

Marsha and Becky’s Angeles Chorale had a great performance here tonight. Big music, live and close-up, it was a very fine evening indeed.

June 7

Today’s excitement revolved around landlording, excitement that rises up from time to time to snag my breath and my attention and remind me of Work.

This is the little stand-alone cottage. All done, the faucet doesn’t drip and the bathroom sink is snaked. I could show you the nest of hair the plumber pulled from the drain but then this website would lose its ‘G’ rating.

I was over at Marsha’s yesterday where we cleared out two carloads of stuff from Tom’s office, then we ate a delicious dinner and went walking. All good for me!

The donation center however would not take so many of the things we brought. They would only take things they felt confident they could sell easily. No one wants to throw things in the trash that have some life left in them. What to do what to do?

I’ve always got my eye out for friendly front yard landscaping.

June 6

Look what Cynthia sent “Kai Loves Grass!”. And Wow, these two guys, Kai and Oliver have such similar coloring. What fun!

June 4-5

I didn’t take any pictures with the girls on Tuesday so here’s Oliver from his very own instagram page.

On Wednesday I went to the dentist for a cleaning and I can say without equivocation that the surgery area is feeling better. I had wondered if I’d ever say that.

Then I had an early dinner with Muriel who is leaving in a few days for a trip to the UK. Bon Voyage Muriel, ENJOY!

June 3

Sharon and I went walking at the Pepperdine track and it was like walking through a cloud and we came out damp but not dripping. Then we ate happily at The Reel Inn and all was well. We were rather pleased with ourselves for not punking out.

This was on Saturday I think. Today was Monday Potluck and I ate a very healthy serving of so many dishes. YUM. Thanks ladies. Notice the theme of eating tasty food?

Ooow, I’m going to write here.. I’ve developed a serious case of dropsy and I can’t do the dishes at other people’s houses for a while. Twice now, in a row, I’ve broken someone else’s dish/glass/etc. and I feel so bad and sad and mad at myself. Much as I like to tidy up I’m going to have to give dishes a pass.

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June 2

Mother’s Day redux! Mani-Pedi, lunch, shopping, Oh yeah.

Gary and Liz and sweet Oliver the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

June 1

Pictures from the Hawaii Browns, Lona and Hartley’s son and daughter-in-law Trevor and Beth, and the grandkids Christa-Caleb-Charis.

Big Doings this weekend. Charis graduated, as did her siblings earlier, from Brown Family Academy (congratulations BETH who home schooled them all the way through high school).

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Christa and Charis, sisters for sure.

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Charis and Caleb and some of the leis showered upon Charis.

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This is how they do it in Hawaii! A few more guests and Charis wouldn’t be able to see!! YAY Charis who is moving on to Liberty University, the same school attended by her siblings. You go girl!

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And speaking of the siblings, Caleb graduated last month of this very year from Liberty however I failed to urge the sharing of photos.

BUT he’s going on to Oxford for a two year graduate program. He’s going to LONDON and I’m at least as excited as any of these Browns. I’ll have a sweet young man to visit in London who already extended a welcome invitation. OH lucky ME.

Getting the wardrobe together. He has been living in Virginia for four years so it’s not all board shorts and aloha shirts.

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Here’s the oldest sibling, Christa, entering her fourth year of medical school in Hawaii. What Fun! For me, maybe not every day for her, but she’s hanging in there.

Big year for the Browns indeed. Now let’s see what Beth is going to do!

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