Really long number

Don't call me, I'll call you - on my Israeli cell phone. No American charger included, but the note did promise it was fully charged and would work when I arrived. One can always email...

Manicure time out

Weekend at Warner Springs - time to reconnect.

No Vuvuzuelas here

No need for fancy uniforms, referees making questionable calls, or bothersome rules and regulations -not with this world class team of soccer players. Hannah and Ann Caroline wanted to kick the soccer ball with the boys, and after dinner their wish came true. Wine drinking cheerleaders and secret weapon players Alan and Meecy helped the game along and in the end, we all forgot about America's earlier loss in the World Cup.

Warner Springs 2010

Our yearly pilgrimage to Warner's - it takes months to agree on just the right weekend, and iron out the reservations (thanks Rhonda). Once there, the familiar smell of sulphur and the warm sun on our back erases the world away. No tv and limited cell coverage makes us all focus on each other. We eat as a community, watch our kids reconnect and relish our long time relationships with good friends. I hate when the weekend is over.

Deep Fried Goodness

Nothing says clogged arteries like a trip to the Del Mar Fair. Deep fried Twinkies, Klondike bars, Pop Tarts and butter pretty much sum up the experience. Note the sign above that says "Agri Fair". Where are deep fried S'Mores grown?

Janet and Drew

We had a lovely dinner at Iris with our good friends, Drew and Janet. Lee went to college with Drew and they have stayed friends since. They recently moved to Washington and we plan a trip to visit their new place when I get home from Israel.

Definitely not Alabama

I find it amusing that I live off Birmingham Drive...and I went to high school in Birmingham, AL. Hmmm...

Chickadees...

Happy Birthday Rose! First we went to Phil's BBQ and then headed up to the Beach House in Cardiff, See's bridge mix in tow. Rose's daughter, Lauren, joined us but left early on. Maybe a glass of wine with her old pre-school teacher proved to hard to handle!

Will and Branden

I've taken this same picture over and over again, and I still love the look. Branden and Will...how did this begin?

Perfect View

Yep, it's why I live in Southern California.

June Gloom in the Afternoon

It wasn't foggy in the morning, but by 7 in the evening, the fog had crept in. I'm not a big fan of the fog, but it does make for a pretty sunset.

The Fleas

I love this sign on the way to Orange County about half way through Camp Pendelton. Las Pulgas means The Fleas....so don't get out of your car!

Barb's Wild Ride

Oh Barbara, Barbara, Barbara...backed into someone in the Von's parking lot. 72 years young and her first car "incident" ever. Luckily, except for a few rattled nerves, no one (except the rental car) was hurt.

Let sleeping kitties lie

Typical Darby - thinks everything and everyone in the world belongs to him. Typical Madeline - doormat to Darby.

Rich beyond our dreams

What do an alabaster polar bear, a Dali print and a wedding ring have in common? They were all appraised at the Antiques Roadshow in San Diego on Saturday. We waited in line for about 45 minutes in order to be directed to other assorted lines. It was fun to look at other people's "treasures" and imagine what our own were worth. Spinning wheels, old maps, steam engine bells - we saw it all. Americans sure have a lot of "stuff".

XOXO

Notice the topiary XOXO's and hedge people standing around. This is the backyard of the home of T.Boone Pickens wife, Madeline, who coincidentally owns Del Mar Country Club. Nice digs.

El Cid

This hung in my dad's house for as long as I can remember - a Dali lithograph of El Cid. The appraisal at the Antiques Roadshow was not as much as I expected, but it's still worth a million dollars to me.

Freezing in June

It's June, I live in Southern California a mile from the beach, and I'm wearing a sweater.

Get out and VOTE!

Made it to the polling place near my house and, other than the volunteers, found myself to be the only one in the entire room. I didn't love much about the election, but I still voted. Now I have the right to complain.

I like surprises

We've lived in our neighborhood for 9 years and this wall has looked the same every day of those nine years. We laugh because we know it will never get fixed.

May Gray?

Or is it June Gloom? Cloudy sky and endless fog...perfect for my mood.

Viva Dad!

An Elvis cow, a snapshot of Dad, Jef, Kathi, and me (and Will - I'm a few pregnant) and a gummy bear. These are the items we chose to place in the niche with my dad. The photo was taken on Father's Day 1989 and is a favorite of Jef's. Kathi had given him the cow when he moved to Vegas (at age 80), and I always brought my dad gummy bears. An odd, but perfect combination of items. And to make it more perfect - Liberace is buried right around the corner.

Quick trip

Got Will home - picked him up at 10:30 Friday night, got to get him back at 5:45 on Sunday morning. It wasn't easy, he had to rearrange a few finals and get to the airport, but it was worth it. His presence was such a comfort not only to me, but his auntie Kathi, uncle Jeff, Cuz, and so many others

Grand View Cemetery

My grandmother, Sarah Goldberg, died in 1963 and her ashes are interred here. We wanted to put my father near his mother, whom he adored, but the cemetery is closed - out of business. But one can't just close the doors of a cemetery like a shoe store, so some hearty volunteers try as hard as they can to keep the place going. No one has been interred at Grand View for over 3 years. It's quite sad - the grass is dead, weeds are growing everywhere, and the city of Glendale won't take it over. So, eventually, we are going to move my grandmother to Forest Lawn to be near my dad.

june 1 look on the bright side

Trying to see the bright side -Kathi and I had to sit with a cappuccino to decompress after a long conversation at the cremation place in Huntington Beach. Lovely Italian restaurant, street fair, crowds - we realized that all around us, life was going on

I'm starting to hate my phone. I don't want to talk to anyone except Lee, my sister, brother, cousin, aunt, Will and Jo. But the damn thing won't stop ringing.This is actually May 31. There is no photo for May 29.

1 Witherspoon

One Witherspoon, where my dad lived for the last 8 months. I'll miss Cyndi, Pat, Gail, Ana, Alexis, Delilah, John, Juan, Zoila, Luis, Elaine, Annabelle and so many others.

Not Sam May 28

I will not eat it, Dad I am.

Nuttzo

A few weeks ago, I met the woman who makes Nuttzo. She has a lovely story - adopting 2 children who couldn't digest food, she invented this nut butter with lots of omega 3, vitamins, good stuff. Sadly, it was one of those nights that I had to drag myself out of bed to find a picture of the day. My brain is dead.