Misc

Ash and I went to an opening at the Getty Center. The evening view was as beautiful as the art inside. Theron does a photo shoot

He got Oli in on the act

Oilcloth/Oilskin

Recently I've been on a quest for oilcloth. Not the vinyl-coated colorful stuff used as table cloths, but canvas infused with linseed oil and wax. Funny, it's very easy to find clothing but not plain yardage. I told a friend of mine who used to be a fabric designer and she just rolled her eyes and groaned - it's a bit of a scavenger hunt.
This is what I've found out:
- you get better search results with the term "oilskin"
- you will delve into the world of civil war re-enactors, pirates, and renaissance faires
- the British version is called "thornproof"
- you can expect to pay between $14-17 a yard for 52"-60" fabric

Here are some links to purchase:

Tentsmiths - one color, dark brown, 6 oz. Very nice people. I'm waiting for a sample, they answered my email immediately.
Period Fabric - three yard minimum, doesn't say what weight, dark green and brown
The Scarlet Scarab - lots of colors, both 6 and 12 oz weights
Panther Primitives - They have a lot of great stuff, very fun
In Britain Croft Mill - ex Barbour waxed cotton, very nice, great price, unless you want to ship it to the States, then the cost multiplies at least 5 times.

Strength

Please let me not be led into the temptation of eating an entire sleeve of fresh Girl Scout Thin Mints even though there are 3 boxes in the kitchen, nor let me come anywhere near a Wendy's bacon and blue cheese burger, even though I generally don't like burgers and would prefer it without the burger or the bun anyway.
Amen.

At Last

I've been off because my computer finally died for real. But thanks to Grandma and Grandpa in Santa Maria I replaced it with something even better, more lovable, and most importantly, beautiful. This is so me, is it not?

In other news, I'm in the process of organizing a baby quilt for our friend Abby, and squares are coming in from all over the country and one from outside. I received this package from our friend, Jesse, who is in Iraq establishing a school for conservation. I collected stamps as a child and I still get so excited about them.

The quilt participants are all people we worked with in NY and it's been so fun being in touch with everyone. More pictures to come...

Valentine

The man who loves me
gives me feathers, stones and shells
and things you can't buy

Desert Getaway in Three Parts. Part One: The Salton Sea and Salvation Mountain

First stop was the Salton Sea.

Then we headed into Niland to see Salvation Mountain. And it was very grand. We got to visit with Leonard the creator for a short bit. The recent rains caused some damage he and his helpers were working on.

Rain damage

That's Ash and Theron walking up to the top

And now they're at the top

I think there are a couple of us at the top, here, too

Part 2: Ace Hotel, Palm Springs

We splurged and stayed a night at the fabulous Ace Hotel. We had a room with a patio - perfect for the Oli dog.

There are two salt water pools, which believe me, spoil you completely. You'll be dread to go into chlorine ever again. They also have coed wet and dry saunas.

You can't believe how comfortable the beds are.

The rooms have record players. We had one record in the room, Lena Horne at the Waldorf Astoria. We played it.

There were also very comfy robes and a walking stick with a wrap.

This picture was taken about 5 seconds after we got in the room and Theron made himself comfortable.

Dogs are allowed pool side but not IN the pool. Well, Oli couldn't stand it. Before we could stop him he had done two laps. We're not really rule breakers, plus we hope to go back someday, so we took some pictures and escorted him back to the room.

That was one happy dog using his webbed toes for what they were made for. Oli's nickname is The Trompler, and you haven't been trompled till the Trompler gets you in the pool. On land, 70 lbs of muscle take a running leap and hold you down with black and white paws. In water you watch in terror and excitement as the Trompler aims his black nose at you like a torpedo.

The food in the restaurant was superb! And it was someone's birthday so the lovely hostess sang Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart. If you ever go, say it's your birthday - this will make you so happy.

It was a mini vacation worth every single penny.

Part 3: On the Way Home

Ode to My Bed On a Rainy, Cold Day

Of earthly layers
Cotton, down, wool, and black dog
A fort, safe and sound

It Never Rains in California, but Girl, Don't they Warn You? It Pours, Man, It Pours

This is our hood! Snow!! It has been raining mercilessly all week to the point that hundreds of homes up the hill from us were evacuated for fear of mudslides from the recent burn areas. Ash has been away this week so I had shorter days to pick up Theron and I have to admit, it has been nice.

Some rainy day pleasures - knitting

Just as my desire to knit something had ripened I got a package of wool in the mail from Iceland. I forgot I ordered it!!

Sourdough flat bread that Ceci and her mom made for everyone at work. It looks like it was cooked on a stone in a rustic Mediterranean village. I toasted mine with blue cheese.

Streaming videos on Netflix. I watched two seasons of Weeds and started a scary British crime drama called Wire in the Blood. EEEeeeeiiiiii - then I try to sleep at night while the wind and rain whip at the windows.

Thursday school was CANCELLED. I couldn't BELIEVE it. Theron was beside himself. But we made the best of it. I decided to be nice and took him to see the Chipmunks - The Squeakual. I've been trying to avoid this. We talked Mike into taking him but then he got busy. One day our friend Carmel asked how her little friend was doing cause she missed him and I told her she could take him to the Squeakual if she wanted and we would give her money. She immediately said yes.

"Really?" I said "Do you want to think about it?"

Carmel: "Oh. Let me sober up and we'll talk about it again".

So anyway, I took him and as much as I like to keep things nice I have to say that was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I wasn't expecting a tight story line, but it was like one of those chain stories where someone starts and people keep adding to it. And it was just stupid and confounding.

It begins with the Chipmunks in concert in Paris. They are a worldwide sensation. We know this because the concert is being watched on a flat screen television by Eskimos, - in their igloo. Complete with a blue-eyed husky.

Then they come back to the States and are required to go to school for the first time(the Chipmunks, not the Eskimos). They are enrolled in high school, mid year. Really? How old are these Chipmunks supposed to be?

There were jokes clearly aimed at adults. For instance, Alvin is playing football and tells an opposing team member that he's going to grind him up like an acorn and enjoy him "with some fava beans and a nice Chianti", and he does the thing with his lips. I thought,that's funny IS THIS OVER YET?

I guess there were lessons to be learned, such as fat chipmunks will naturally fall in love with other fat chipmunks, geek chipmunks with other geeks, and the beautiful with the handsome. But maybe that's true.

It wasn't all bad because come on, what's cuter than chipmunks in dresses singing "if you like it than you should'a put a ring on it"? I just think the movie would have been ever so much more successful (and enjoyable for a GROWN UP) if it had been a live concert movie thingy. In 3-D.

Happy New Year

Birdyhead has been on hiatus because of holiday fatigue and then Ash was out of town all of last week. That meant that Theron and I were in survival mode and nothing happened that didn't absolutely have to happen.
One night I decided to go ahead and have a couple glasses of wine. It lowered my resistance and I ended up on a PTA committee.
"Okay, as long as my husband doesn't find out".
"You're telling me", she said.

I also agreed to be on a professional committee, since I was on a roll. I think I learned to say YES from our head of publicity who asks me to do stuff once in a while. The first time she did I said no, no, no, no, no. By the time it was over not only did I say Yes, but I was thanking her for the opportunity. She's good. Actually, she asked me to do something this last week, too, and I said YES, because it's just faster that way and life's too short to avoid people who know where to find you anyway.

Theron and the dog and the fish all had regular meals. Theron had to set me straight on a few things. Like, yes, he did want a cheese sandwich but he wanted the bread to be WHITE. WHITE as a PIECE OF PAPER. We're worried about him eating enough, so, oh, all right. Oli certainly didn't get enough walks though because if it gets too close to dusk Theron won't go out because of the vampires.

The day Ashley came home I broke the gate and the slide-out shelf under the sink. The next morning I ruined his coffee by shorting out the circuit trying to use the microwave at the same time. So he has about a week worth of disasters to catch up with and boy is he happy to be home!

The Happiest Season

No snow in LA but lots of color and spirit
Christmas tree pinata

We spent Christmas Eve with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Richard. Legos were had. Then we drove to Santa Maria to see Grandpa Flip and Grandma Rita. More Legos. Oh my. I actually can't even say how many more Lego sets. Theron hit the jackpot for sure.

Next, up to Morro Bay to see Joan and her family. We ate a Thai buffet extravaganza made by Joan's step-mother, Rose. Theron played Wii.

The next day we took Oli for his first trip to the beach, both at Morro Bay and Montana de Oro. Oli says, Thumbs Way Up!!!

Their feet barely touch the ground. When I think "Happy" now, I will probably picture this. We hit Morro Bay first, then Montana de Oro.

Where all the puddles were jumped into

All the seaweed was tasted

All the waves were chased

And all the waves were dodged