’19 October

More.

The original on loan from Naples for an exhibit of many originals from the excavation of the site of the Villa de Papiri

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Standing in the same spot as above with telephoto to my favorite sculpture garden.

October 2019 with the rebar trees in particularly good form.

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October 31

BOO! I got to enjoy the Halloween Party in Lilly’s class and it was so clever, the kids and the adults all had a blast.

The teacher whose name escapes me at the moment but she is lovely.

Lilly! The party was an escape room designed by one of the moms, where teams would be solving puzzles to escape from the classroom to go to the library, do one more long puzzle, and get a prize.

I had an assignment in the library with this cutie team. What fun!

I was off-angle for the class photo but you get the idea.

Trick ‘r Treat! The fisherman and his mermaid, Rome’s shirt says Let’s Go Ceiling and with her #1 hand she is a Ceiling Fan, and Lilly is a sweet treat, a donut and coffee. And Oliver!

YES!

Rome on the right, Lola, Ash, and ?! How did I get these teenagers to all smile for a photo?

Rome told them I’d let them go by themselves in exchange. Big Smiles! Of course their parents had already agreed to let them go by themselves but it was fun to play.

Décor in the ‘hood.

October 30

Wow, another scrumptious meal, Happy Hour at FIG where the whole ch$c-ch$c menu is half price from 5-6pm. Sharon evacuated to the Fairmont from the Getty fire, and so we met at FIG since it’s housed there at the Fairmont. And I’m going to end this parade of good meals exactly when?!

Trevor and Beth are in Chicago. Trevor sent me these pictures because I gave him that ‘fancy cashmere sweater’ 30+ years ago and since he can’t wear it in Hawaii, it’s stayed in good shape, apparently, and it fits.

t/bb.

In Chicago? Eat Pizza!

t/bb.

October 29

This was an especially tasty day, lunch with Sharon at Casa Escobar and dinner at Steve and Celina’s where Celina not only cooked us a delicious dinner but also sent me home with a couple of her homemade jams that I can look forward to enjoying for a few months and a container of a granola that she makes that will not last a few months. At least I didn’t eat it all on the way home which has been known to happen.

October 28

An LA Times shot from early this morning. That large complex of white buildings is the Getty Center.

The last time I was up there, when I went on the curator’s tour with Katie, I was talking to the curator about evacuation plans because I had heard the Getty made a decision to protect the art in place and evacuate to their own basements if necessary.

The curator said yes that was true and the safest place to be in any emergency was at the Getty Center, which is comforting to reflect upon now.

October 27

I went with Marsha to the afternoon performance of Beethoven’s Ninth played by the LA Philharmonic, sung by the LA Master Chorale, and conducted by the living Ode to Joy himself, Gustavo Dudamel. It was AWESOME. We could see Dudamel’s face throughout the performance as well as the entire orchestra and chorus. AWESOME, I have to say it twice.

But actually I have to say it three times because the opening number commissioned by the LA Phil for a world premiere was also AWESOME. Yanga by Gabriela Ortiz. If I saw that it was on a program I would go just to experience it again.

October 26

Many days without pictures. It’s one thing not to take a picture on my day with the kids because I know I did it but for example having lunch with JoAnn..no picture..did it even happen.

October 25

Sharon and I went to the Skirball today, Sharon’s first visit. The temporary exhibit was a collection of photos from Stanley Kubrick’s early career as a photographer for Look magazine. It was delightfully deja vous to see these old black and white magazine photo stories, from the way-back-when.

Then I had dinner with Lona, Christa, and Eri after pitching in with the packing – Lona and Christa are going off for Three Weeks traveling around while Christa interviews for internships. They are going to have the Best Time!

October 23

Two trips to Getty Center this month and today I went out to the Villa with..

..Eri, Christa’s friend, Christa, and Lona. We enjoyed ourselves entirely. We went on a tour of the Buried By Vesuvius exhibit about the Villa upon which Getty modeled his museum. It’s so cool to see the 2000 year old originals of the many replica statues around the Villa.

October 22

A tenant has a plumbing ‘issue’ so phone calls were made and repairs were done. As tenant plumbing ‘issues’ go it could have been far worse.

October 21

Kai and Titan. I’m going to spend Thanksgiving week with Cynthia and Kai. AWWWW YAY!

October 19

Measurements from the city, a sketch with trees, and a bid forthcoming. I feel nervous of making a mistake! I’m off tomorrow to look at a few projects this designer has done in my area.

October 18

Soo much YUM today. First a long, lazy, and delightful, as in full of delights, afternoon with Ann both at the sushi bar and at her home.

Then I went to Golden Hunan and picked up tasty treats for dinner with Tom. Marsha is out of town so it was Fun Times with Tom. Marija came over too.

Then in the morning of October 19, today, I finished off all the left over Chinese food and in the evening I made a big fish dinner. I did not fill in my food diary for these two days!

October 17

Oliver, Go Get It!

Lilly made a peanut butter mousse for dessert and everyone loved it.

October 15

I had the next step in this year long process of getting an implant. The post is in and now it’s just a matter of getting the tooth. Again I have to wait a few months and I’m sure multiple appointments will be involved and numbers with dollar signs and many zeros.

It was nothing as bad as the bone graft and I was feeling pretty well the next day although I did nothing but snack on soft cool food as instructed.

October 14

What a happy story! Hana had been very sick and in rehab for a few years but Tai just reported that she is living a pretty normal life even though her odds at the beginning were 1 in 3. Doesn’t she look healthy and happy? I’m REALLY happy!

October 13

Wow, twice in one week, I’m back to the Getty Center to hear the curator of the Manet exhibit walk a small group through the show.

Katie, the curator, and the woman who organized the tour.

I haven’t done one of these in a while.

October 11-12

A tooo fun 24 hours with Nancy in Santa Barbara. I learned about the garden from Jim, we had a walk at the beach, and then we enjoyed a delightful dinner with Nancy’s friend Joan.

The next morning Nancy’s sister’s husband’s sister came over for brunch. Angela, what a winner! Photobomb by Jim.

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Enjoying the garden, Jim’s goal being to create the feeling of an English garden (winding paths and surprises around the corner) with drought tolerant plantings and we all agree, Thumbs Up!

October 9

I met Marsha and Jordan up at the Getty Center today.

These are from the sculpture garden just outside the tram station that you can enjoy while you wait to meet friends.

Jordan and a guy who was showing him how you can make music on a travertine wall.

The rebar trees were in particularly beautiful shape.

Thanks guys, it was fun!

October 8

Sharon and I made another stab at walking on the track at Pepperdine but once again it was not to be. We might have to take the Pepperdine Track off our regular rotation.

So we went to the Bluffs Park again and it was, again, lovely.

October 7

Another chapter in the ongoing saga of My Hair.

As we all know I do this for myself so I can remember things and as a reference when I need a look so please roll on by.

So this was two times ago and except that the neck part is too straight across and that the wedge doesn’t really work all the way down, I thought it was ok.

This is the last time, two days ago, and it’s really not good. Not good at all and too short to fix. Oh well, hair grows. I think it’s mostly those Princess Leah buns around my ears that are really doing me in.

I might have to get another cutter and that’s nothing but trouble.

Hair from January 2020. Sigh!

October 6

Lill and I had a great photo-op today at Rubel Castle in Glendora. A castle in Glendora? Surrounded by tracts of ranch-style homes? Yes.

Built by a very eccentric young man who in the course of the construction, from 1959-1986, became very very eccentric and surprisingly rich.

The sign says Rubelia, the name of the castle.

Our guide Richard of the Glendora Historical Society, full of enthusiasm and stories of his friend and the force behind this project, Michael Clarke Rubel (April 16, 1940 – October 15, 2007).

I was wondering what we were going to do for two hours and it turned out we were going to stand around with our jaws hanging slack and our little eyes spinning from All This Stuff.

According to the guide, there were at least 1,000 people who participated in building this place, hauling over discarded items – farm equipment from so many orange groves abandoned for subdivisions, a train car, water towers, and things things things.

There are several apartments available too, originally built by Michael so his friends would have a place to stay, that the Historical Society rents out to help defray costs.

There’s one thing for sure..

..you have to see it to believe it.

This guy is huge. The guide said they once had 1-2 hundred chickens but now there are only a few left.

Michael and all his helpers built these places over many years collecting river rocks, railroad ties, and metal beams from freeway construction.

These five story towers built without plans or permits have survived many earthquakes without a crack.

Cemented into the walls we find, Things, so many Things.

When Michael was beginning this project he lived here. The ladder leads to a small sleeping loft and that was it.

A million dollar clock donated by a friend of Michael’s mother, the only stipulation being that his mother never know.

You do get a bit of a Peter Pan feeling, of a guy who has no intention of giving up his childhood dream of building his own castle and playing with his friends.

Hello.

The front patio of one of the apartments.

I am going to mention the layers of dust, spider webs, and various other evidence of a basically open-air construction, including cars kicking up dust from the dirt roads, that cannot be cleaned even if anyone was inclined to do so.

There’s so much more in here that you can’t see in the picture. Three organs, a piano, a big yellow truck, several rooms full of collections, big sitting areas, and the gift shop is here too.

That’s our guy, Michael Rubel and a collection of audio controllers. It does seem that in most cases like things are with like and it gives quite an impression.

Another rental.

You can visit too, but you need a reservation and the days are limited so check it out if you’re feeling it for a Glendora surprise.

On the way home, steel and glass in the distance, quite the contracts with Rubel Castle.

October 4-5

In the last couple of days: breakfast w/Windy, lunch w/Darryl, some modest housekeeping, a haircut, and a long trip to a real store.

I had a list of maybe 15 unrelated items – shampoo, dish towels, slippers, etc. – oddball stuff and BB&B might have them all. I would have just sat at my computer and ordered everything from amazon but I decided to test the concept of a store.

It went ok. Of course I picked up a few things that weren’t on the list and they didn’t have everything. So, ok. Better than amazon? I don’t think so, not for me anyway. I don’t think I want all the stores to go away either.

But then (horror of horrors) I’ve gotten used to not having book stores. I know, yikes, philistine. It’s because I really Really like the alternative, which is a story for another day.

October 3

Coming up the stairs and around the corner, my first view of Oliver. What in the world? Upon closer inspection we find that Oliver is snuggled into his unicorn costume. An Olicorn it is.

October 2

I went with Muriel for a little stroll and oh yummy oh yummy, a sushi lunch.

internet.

I think it’s time to dust my house.

October 1

Nancy and I met at the Landmark today, in the now entirely closed except for the theater Westside Pavilion.

Lenny’s, which just a couple of years ago was Junior’s, is now closed too. That’s the Mormon Temple in the distance and they are def not closed.

We saw the Linda Ronstadt movie and we both enjoyed it very much, especially all the great music.

internet.