Ranger and the Rosemary Shrub

Earlier this week when I mentioned to Ranger that her ball was getting gunky, Will overheard and went to the basement to grab a new tube of tennis balls, her favorite. So this morning we retired the old gunky ball and gave her a new one; bright lime green with that new fuzzy rubber smell. She promptly rolled it in the dirt around the Jasmin then took it to the Rosemary shrub, dove in, and rolled it around in there for a good long time. The ball came our dirty and she came out smelling like Rosemary. Just about the best smell in the world.

Take a Seat

We ventured to the mid-city this morning and claimed a sweet bench that my sweetie spotted curbside during his work-week commute. Back home he got Jiggy and Pumpkin in the picture while I later surrounded it with Chrysanthemums. More photos of our score here.

Turf Tussle

Trimming and tidying up in the garden this morning where I came across this critter, Ranger had a little tussle with the neighbor's dog from across the street when the sweet old collie came trotting into the side yard trailing her leash. She was friendly enough, but Ranger apparently felt her turf had been encroached upon and that her mama was in danger so she went into full protection mode, hackles up and aggressive barking. I felt bad because she was off leash and the other dog wasn't being aggressive at all, but we were in our own yard. Everything was fine and Ralph came and got his dog and I got ahold of Ranger. Just a lot of barking from Ranger as she protected her mama. Then all was back to normal and I took some more photos of the grasshopper topping the hydrangea. Now Ranger is on full alert checking the perimeter and looking out the library window where she has the best vantage point from which to see intruders.

Pink Martini at The Hollywood Bowl

Given an opportunity to go to the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night, Will had a tough decision to make. He had to choose between Midnight Ridazz and me. Fortunately for everyone he chose me.

Pink Martini are one of my favorite groups. If I were to see anyone live these days it would be them, and probably (still) Chris Isaak. So with a basket full o' goodies, (pizza margarita, penne pesto, calamari salad and a bottle of Chilean wine) we drove to the Zoo and caught the $3 round trip shuttle bus to the Bowl.

For this special three night series the bowl was transformed into the Cocoanut Grove. Pink Martini played with the Hollywood Bowl orchestra backing them up conducted by the very engaging Thomas Wilkins. Special guests on stage for a couple of numbers were the famous 90 year old singer Henri Salvador (born in French Guiana and influential in the formulation of the Brazilian Bossa Nova style, I'm going to have to get some of his recordings) and the timeless and absolutely wonderful Carol Channing, plus the MarchForth Marching Band on stage for some added punch.

The entire show capped off with fireworks and other pyrotechnics onstage and on the rim of the bowl, it was quite a night. What a great night.

Cat Napping

Waking

Yawning

Napping

Heritage Square Museum

In the full on, blazing, heat of the day we stepped out and took a little drive back in time to Heritage Square off of Avenue 42. Bee-lining it to the ice cream stand for some Mint Chocolate Chip, followed by Cherry Snow Cones, and plenty of ice water.What a great place. I wish more of the buildings were restored and furnished, but even the cracked plaster and peeling wall paper of these old homes is wonderful. Plenty more on Flickr.

In His Own Words

I came across this when I clicked on a commenter's link to one of Will’s post. I couldn’t resist the cat meme and gave Bink a try. Here's what he had to say.

1. Your age?
I remember when I was a kitten and my mama came to pick me up, Achy Breaky Heart was playing on the radio. But I believe it was already a couple of years old or so at the time and the little girl that was singing along had a mullet. Gosh, I could be anywhere from about 10 to 13.

2. Your age when came to live with your people?
Yep, I was definitely a kitten, probably 8 weeks? Before my mama came to pick me up I lived in a cage and I had fleas.

3. What color is the collar you’re wearing right now?
I’ve tried them, but I usually lose them in poker.

4. Who is your favorite person other than the people you live with?
I like Tiffany. She’s sweet. I’ll come out from under the bed when she’s here.

5. How much do you weigh?
Well, before I got sick this year I was about the size of a good Thanksgiving Turkey. Now I’m a healthy weight.

6. Most expensive thing you’ve ever clawed?
I’ve clawed my share of sofa arms. I never went in for the drapes though.

7. Do you like other cats?
Not so much. Since my people added three more I let it be known loud and clear that my personal space is not to be breached.

8. Who is your best non-human friend?
Minnie was a good ol’ girl. She left us a long time ago, but we keep her picture on the side of the refrigerator.

9. Cat Nip Toys or Fake Mice?
Not much interest in toys and such. But toss a little catnip stuffed mouse at me and I’ll give it a real good roll.

10. Do you like to be brushed?
I like it. I like it a lot. I like it so much that sometimes it makes me roll over, belly up. I also like to be rubbed under my armpits.

11. Tuna or Milk?
Fancy Feast for me please.

12. Do your people cut your toenails?
Yeah. I’m pretty good with mama pocking and prodding and clipping and brushing, to a point, then watch out, man, ‘cause I’ll get ya.

13. Any formal education?
What does that mean? I know everything I need to know.

14. Couch potato or Energizer Bunny?
I like a good stroll outside and a roll in the dirt, but other than that I’m a real lay-down, loungey cat.

15. What are some nicknames your people call you?
My proper name is Stingo. But I mostly go by Bink. Also Binky, Binkamus, or “Hey Buddy”.

16. What is your best trick?
Unlike Jiggy who can leap tall building, I can roll over for a belly rub, when I want to.

17. Do you like doggies?
There are a couple of those in our home too. They’re not so bad, but I don’t really like them, no.

18. What did you have for breakfast?
A little Fancy Feast in juice and some kitty kibble.

19. Can you hunt (aka have you ever killed anything living)?
I used to be a big hunter in my youth. I especially enjoyed separating lizards from their tails. I’ll still eat mice if the opportunity presents itself, and I throw up their hands and entrails on the bedroom rug to show my people how awesome I am and how much I love them.

20. When & why was the last time you went to the V.E.T.?
Oh man. The last time I went to the vet man, I was really sick. I would have died if my people didn’t take such good care of me. It was this past March and I wasn’t eating and I lost so much weight and I was really wobbly and weak. The doctor did some blood work and took x-rays. Found an enlarged liver and a BB lodged in my thigh (which had nothing to do with my illness, but still). I was ready to give up, but my people wouldn’t let me, especially the tall one. It took me until the end of May before I started eating on my own. Then I gained back some weight and got my strength back. I don’t know what it was that made me so sick, but I’m back and rolling in the dirt.

21. Where do you sleep at night?
Duh, in the bed. I like to share my mama’s pillow or wedge myself against the tall one’s back. She says I'm "cuddly", he says I'm "cuddly like brick". But he likes it when I head-butt him, or walk on his head.

22. Do you like to swim?
What does that mean? I’m no fish.

23. Can you make kitties?
Nope. Never had the opportunity to do that.

24. Your favorite place to visit?
I like the club chair in the library. Before all the other animals came to live here I used to like the scratchy wool kilim rug in the dining room.

25. Do you purr?
I purr lots and lots. I’ve got a pretty good motor and I’m not afraid to turn it on.

Consider yourself tagged if you have an animal and are reading this!

Morning Sky & Dog Days

It's the dog days. Beautiful sky this morning though. But it's nearly 8:00 pm now and still in the 80s. Supposed to be scorching in 90s this long weekend too. We had "rain" last weekend. It evaporated before it even hit the ground. And I have a nice view of the thunder clouds topping the mountain range from my office window at work. It sure would be nice to have a downpour.

Back to Frogtown

Learning of the Frogtown Art Walk this weekend, Will and I went back to check out the art, the river, and the living spaces of this industrial/artist pocket of Elysian Valley.

We decided to bike over and I managed all of the grades well, except the steepest one leading up to the dog park at the Silver Lake reservoir where I had to hop off and walk the bike up. Other than that I was able to shift down to the "little" gears and pedal my way up the slopes in the road.We arrived in time to take the guided River Walk tour with Joe Linton, author of Down by the Los Angeles River.Then we met up with Stephen and Alice and walked through the artist's cool studio spaces and interesting and creative artwork.There was some really creative stuff as well as a monster "swing" that Will got some great footage of. Man how I wanted to take a swing at that contraption. But somehow my better sense prevailed, and I remained grounded. Next year perhaps?

Alice suggested we stop at Gingergrass for dinner. So heading through the quiet streets of Frog Town after dark we made our way to the restaurant. Being in our biking clothes and somewhat sweaty from the efforts of riding, the restaurant was very comfortable and casually low-key, and very busy. All of the dishes that passed our table looked really good. I settled on the special of Walnut Chicken that was just wonderful and Will had the yummy Shaking Beef.

With dinner done we hopped in the saddle and rolled over and around Silver Lake reservoir and home.

More on my Flicker and Will's.

Picture of Health

While having our coffee this monring in our kitchen cafe, Bink came out of the bedroom, gave us both a head butt, and sauntered outside where he hopped up onto a patio chair and made himself comfortable for a while. Long enough for me to grab the camera, stir the breakfast potatoes, and get his picture.
And a perfect picture of health he is. I've added him to my Animal Farm set on Flckr.

Frogtown River Ride

Will and I went on a bike ride through an area known as Frogtown along the Los Angeles River. More cool photos here and my Sweetie's here.

Larchmont Grill

Last night we let Larchmont Grill do the grillin'. My mission was to scope it out for this year's company holiday party. Sean greeted us as we entered the restaurant, which was a craftsman home once upon a time. The staff was very friendly, attentive and efficient. Makes a difference. It kind of does feel like you're a guest at someone's home for a dinner party. I had the recommended Chardonnay from Tom & Joes Very Fine Wines and Will a Red Stripe beer. Larchmont Grill has a nice American menu with dishes like Grilled Chicken, Flat Iron Steak and Baked Trout.

I started with the Endive Salad with candied walnuts, blue cheese, apples and vinaigrette. I don't usually care too much for the smelly cheeses, but this blue was really creamy and mild and the endive crisp and fresh. Excellent salad. Will had the fried calamari, a dish that is so easy to over cook and until it's rubbery, it was perfectly battered and really really tender. I eeny-meeny-miny-moe'd between the Baked Trout and the Pork Chop, and got the Pork Chop, which came with a fig sauce, scalloped potatoes and Swiss chard. The potatoes were super thinly sliced and tender while the Swiss chard was just a little underdone for me. Larchmont Grill certainly doesn't over-season its dishes and I could taste the freshness of the ingredients. It was crisp when it sould be, creamy where it was supposed to be, tender as it could get.

We ended the meal with a shared Lemon Meringue Cake and coffee. Then Sean showed us the upstairs room that can seat 35-40 people with a private balcony. Nice space, nice food, nice people. Looks like a good candidate for our holiday party this year.

Now we're off for a bike ride along the Los Angeles River.

Oh Dogamus

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Weekend Garden

Just a few shots from around the garden this weekend.* * *

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Life in Photographs

Denny Clark (friend, co-worker, photographer, partner in travels), had two photos accepted in the 4th annual alternative photography exhibit at the Julia Dean Gallery in Venice Beach. The opening reception last night was a great turn out. When I arrived Denny introduced me to the woman he was talking to named Barbara. We chatted for a couple of minutes and she moved along. Then Denny told me she was a photojournalist during the Vietnam War and about how her and her husband were on a bout going down the Mekong River until they came to a Vietcong village while on assignment for the N. Y. Times. Whoa!

Denny's photos were taken from a trip last year to Mexico's Copper Canyon. The first is called "Children of Copper Canyon", the second "Kids Calf Scramble", both taken with the infrared converter on his Canon Digital Rebel and printed on a silver metallic photo paper.

After stepping onto the Venice Beach Walk and taking a few photos of the ocean with cool cloud cover and a soft breeze, more of our co-workers arrived and we ate grapes and drank wine and talked about life and photographs. Small Flickr set here.

Guangdong Nights

I am completely enthralled with season 3 of "So You Think You Can Dance" and I really like Mia Michaels modern dance routines. Her costumes can be somewhat distracting but some of her pieces are so lyrical and moving. And my dance vocabulary is increasing with each episode now (I can comment on a dancer's musicalityfor example). And these kids are really good. Danny is power and grace in motion and Sabra is about as radiant as a shining star wrapped in pixie dust.

So when I saw that the Guangdong Modern Dance Company was going to be a part of this summer's season of Grand Performances I put it on the calendar. The wonderful thing about the Grand Performances summer series is that the venue is the Water Courts of the California Plaza on Grand Avenue, and that it's always free. You show up with your picnic and a bottle of wine and enjoy wonderful and unusual performances as twilight hits the city skyline.From what I read about the Guangdong Modern Dance Company is that it is the first modern dance company in China. The Artistic Director is renowned and award winning. And this is their first time in Los Angeles. The performance took place in two acts; the first called Heaven and Earth inspired by poems from the pre-Tang to Song Dynasties. Now I have no idea what that means but it says that these poems were full of passion and feeling. Unfortunately that didn't translate to the dancers. The movements were beautiful but I felt a distinct lack of feeling and emotion. No one broke through the routine to bound out of the synchronicity and precision of the routines. It was more gymnastic than lyrical and moving.

One routine though was pretty striking where the principle dancer was center stage with her skirt stretched to the far corners lake a net keeping her bound to the earth. It was performed mostly with her back to the audience and in a low cut dress her back, long neck and graceful arm movements were emphasized beautifully. The second act was called Upon Calligraphy. The passages of movement were again slow and precise. I kept waiting for some one to break free and soar, but it never happened. Still is was a beautiful night and a rare opportunity to see this dance company from China in our little town.

When the performance was over we walked around and took shots of the Water Court, the still closed Angels Flight, the Walt Disney Concert Hall down the street and its fine gardens, which was a special treat to see at night, nicely lit with a centerpiece fountain made of a mosaic of blue and white china shaped like a huge water lily or something with pools of cool water resting within its petals.More on Flickr from me and my Sweetie.

My First Spoke Card

I had a lovely bike ride this afternoon. We think there were about 30 people, some I knew; Manny and Cybele, Stephen and Alice, Spencer and Delmy (who I actually met for the first time today). Will says I rolled about 6.5 miles. I haven't rolled that far since I was a kid, and me and some friends rode the L.A. River from my neighborhood in Lynwood all the way to Cudahay.

With stops along the way today, Will shared some history, development, as well as some odd occurrences and trivia about the L.A. River. There was a rider with a bike rigged with a cart that held a child, that cart was rigged with another cart that held a PA system. The little girl being towed in the second cart was operating the iPod that controlled the soundtrack for the afternoon.

The turn-around point was the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens. With the wind in my ears I shifted gears on the hill and seeing those ahead of me signal a left turn ahead, I did the same for those in my wake. The center occupies a wonderful Spanish style dwelling with lush gardens, an artful interpretation of the river done on a garden-size scale, and a cool and shady courtyard with Spanish tiles surrounding the fountain.

This being my first "mass" ride, it was interesting to witness the attention our little group received whenever we had to roll on public streets or when we passed people by on the way. Through the little neighborhood that hugs the river someone asked as I rolled by "Where you all going?", "To the river" I said. And as we rolled under a small overpass that was the gathering spot of a few of the city's indigent, our soundtrack filling the air, they smiled and did a jig, holding up their liquor bottles in salute.

Shasta Daisy

Before

After

I'd like to Introduce Dr. Pozzi

Thanks to Julia I received an introduction to Dr. Pozzi at Home. His place of residence is the Hammer Museum. A wonderfully intimate (small) museum that is free through the summer. Will and I took a trip over on Saturday afternoon to say hello to Dr. Pozzi and view the rest of the art installations.Dr. Pozzi is the work of 19th century American painter John Singer Sargent, and the informality of the doctor in his brilliant red dressing gown is so intriguing, one slippered foot poking out from beneath his hem.

Photos on Flickr of the Hammer Museum, a drive by the Storybook House and a stop at Milk on the way home for refreshments.

Last Stop Paris

I uploaded the rest of my holiday photos to Flickr. Last stop Paris. It was beautiful riding the train through the South of France.

We couldn't have had a more convenient and beautiful hotel than the Hotel le Notre Dame, at the epicenter of Paris. Literally. In the courtyard of the Notre Dame is a plaque indicating it as Ground Zero. The light rain and cloud cover was a welcome relief from the warm days we had spend at our ports of call. The sun even obliged us when we scaled the Eiffel Tower with clear blue skies and perfectly billowy clouds. And it wasn't until we descended the Eiffel that the clouds closed ranks again and let the rain fall in earnest.
As we ducked into a shop on the lovely Rue Cler to buy a couple of umbrellas, in the moments it took us to pick one out from the selections on display and hand over our Euros to the shopkeeper, popping them open as we stepped outside, the rain miraculously stopped.