The Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles

The Orpheum Theatre is Los Angeles at its finest! We had a wonderful night celebrating our anniversary here. We wandered around the place, oooohing and aaaaahing at all the ornamentation. Everything, even functional things like "exit" signs, were designed to be beautiful. These photos don't do it justice! It is so... GRAND!

The silent movie we saw, Douglas Fairbanks as Robin Hood, was a lot of fun. Before the show began, we were treated to a short cartoon called Koko's Earth Control (which you can see here). And then Leonard Maltin took the stage and told us about the theater, the movie and the era in which they were both made.

But classic movies and famous critics were not the star of the evening's performance... the Wurlitzer organ masterfully played by Robert Israel was pure magic. I was impressed that he played throughout the 5 minute cartoon... I was floored that he played throughout the entire length of the feature film. And then, when I thought I could not be any more dazzled... I realized that Mr. Israel actually composed the whole score, ensuring that the music matched the action perfectly. It was truly an amazing thing to see and hear!

Afterwards, Matthew and I got to check out the organ and talk to the musician and the technician. We also climbed up to the projection room and had a snoop around. We really took in the whole place.

Going to a modern day movie is great fun, but it is nothing compared to this movie-going experience. This felt special... Special in a way that is uniquely LA.

32 things I'd tell my 13 year-old self

Don't give up on piano. You'll think that 7 years of lessons will mean you'll always be able to play. You'll think you will be able to pick it up again any time you want. You'll be wrong both times. And it would be really really cool to be a grown up who is really really good at one thing.

Mom knows everything that's going on. You are not sneaky, and she is very aware.

You're going to spend parts or your teens and twenties curious if there is a faith system or religion that suits you. You'll try Buddhism, Catholicism, Judaism... until you realize you're not meant for any of them. And that's OK.

Love your boobs. They are nice boobs.

Don't get rid of your crummy boom box. Every time you upgrade to better technology you listen to less music.

Just because something is said in Spanish, by a Spaniard, doesn't make it sexy.

Be nice to your skin. And hats are not dorky, they are really cool. So wear one whenever you're in the sun for any extended period of time. Current me would appreciate fewer spots and wrinkles, thank you very much. And while we're on the subject, you don't look great when you are tan anyway. Feel free to bypass that whole spay tan phase you go through in your early 20s.

Where you grew up is actually a very beautiful place. You're lucky to have Redwood Valley as a home base.

Take more audio and/or video of grandma and grandpa. And when you do... save the tapes somewhere you will always know where to find them. And tell them you love them. lots.

A lot of the things Jason told you growing up were wrong. On purpose. He was messing with you, it's what brothers do... some of them. Wearing socks to bed will not cause gangrene. Don't spread that information like its fact. People will think you're dumb.

Boys who act angstful and tortured are not more profound. They are just teenagers. And once you are no longer a teenager too, they will seem silly.

Keep reading! I've gotten a lot of milage out of you having your nose stuck in a book every night.

Don't start any sentence with the words "By the time I'm 30 I'll..."

Be happy you are tall. Don't slouch. And tell everyone who thinks you should be good at basketball to bugger off. You're good at lots of other things. Sports with balls will never be your thing. But if you insist on doing the volleyball thing anyway, take off your damn medic-alert bracelet before games. It took a good 10 years for that scar to fade away.

Don't ever smoke. It really is gross.

You're going to miss your window to try LSD- everyone else you know will be over it by the time you want to to 'trip'. And then you'll get over it too. And that's probably a very good thing.

Ask your parents before adopting any puppies. They will get stuck with them.

You've got a smoking hot bod. I know I shouldn't say that to a 13 year old, but I think it's OK, because you're me. Just know, that once you allow that "freshman 15" to hang around, you are opening the door for the "first-office-job-15" and the "I'm-going-back-to-school-15" and then "I'm-married-now-15" and your hot bod will be covered in fat. Take up running now, maybe you'll acquire a love of it by the time you're old.

A perm is always a bad idea.

Stop lecturing Dad on the grossness of eating meat. He is never going to be a vegetarian and you're just annoying him. Don't throw away the ham he buys for his lunches. It's wasteful and bratty and weird.

Most of the stuff that Jason tries to show you- music, books, shows- are actually pretty great. NKOTB is not better than DEVO. That said, it's OK to like what you like too.

Work at keeping your friends. They are worth the effort. And it gets harder when you're older to find people as great as them.

Every guy you ever date is going to be appalled that you haven't seen Star Wars and they are all going to want to sit you down and watch them with you. But save yourself for Matt. You're gonna marry him, so let him be the one to take you to a "galaxy far far away...". This is not a euphemism for sex, I'm really talking about Star Wars.

And try reading a fantasy novel. They are not just for dorks, and you don't have to limit your reading to classics to seem smart. Fantasy is fun and adventurous. One series in particular will enter your life in a few years and make it better. But, feel free to steer clear of vampire romances, they're not that well written and they'll kind of depress you.

Every person on the planet farts. And poops. And pees and burps and sweats and pukes, etc. Don't make a big deal about it.

Things like grades and credit scores follow you around, even when you don't think they matter yet.

Right now, you think you hate olives, but once you try them- good ones, not the crappy black ones from the can- you'll change your mind. Same goes for strong cheese. And wine, but you can hold off on that discovery for a bit.

You are pretty good at getting what you want- you're smart, and resourceful and determined... but take more time to really figure out what you want before you go after it.

Celebrate Christmas. Even if you're not into the religious stuff. Even if you're broke. Even if your man is Jewish. Seriously... decorating a Christmas tree is always a good thing.

Your Italian roots are cool, yes. But you're only ever going to be 25% Italian. Sorry. Embrace the English/ Welsh & German/Dutch parts too. These cultures seem cooler when you get older.

It's OK to do things in your own time, in your own order, and in a way that works for you. There's no one right way to go through life... getting jumbled and mixed up is fine. Sometimes it is even fun.

You know how people tell you that since your hair is so fair, if you never start shaving your legs you'll never have to? I'm cool with you testing that theory.

The only picture I have of 13 year old me 

Grandma's Lilacs

my Grandma loved lilacs

my Grandpa planted a lilac tree for her right outside their front door

It grew taller than their house. It burst into blooms every spring, sending it's fragrance in every direction

it's in bloom now

10 years after her passing, one sniff of her favorite flower, and I can feel my Grandma beside me.

Burney Falls

I had a whole post written about McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park... but erased it. I'll let the photos speak for themselves. I think you'll get a sense of the place without my ramblings--  enjoy!

silly old me

I can't remember the last time I wore fishnet stockings.

Or went to a party wearing a wig.

Or a party where anyone else was wearing a wig.

Or went to a party. A real party. Not a kids birthday party. Not a dinner with friends...

I can't remember the last time I met a stranger and spoke in an accent.

Or the last time I went skinny dipping in a natural body of water.

I can't remember the last man I kissed before I kissed the man I married.

I can't remember the last time I went to a bar or a restaurant or a shop or a park and thought I'd probably run into someone I know.

I can't remember the last time I sang in front of an audience.

Or the last movie I snuck into.

Or the last time I picked up my phone without knowing who was calling.

I can't remember the last time I wore rhinestones.

I can't remember the last tree I climbed, or tried to climb.

Or the last time I hid something in a hole in the ground that I dug myself.

Or the last time I gave myself a nickname.

Or cut my own hair.


I don't remember any of these things anymore.
And I am not sure why.
I feel boring.

Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid)

Since we're in the middle of a giveaway from the Filigree... a Mermaid Extravaganza, actually, I thought it is only appropriate that I post a few pictures from my recent visit to the Little Mermaid sculpture in Copenhagen.

As my guide said before we approached her, "she's just a little thing'. I guess many American tourists expect her to be on par with the Statue of Liberty, size wise, and that she is not. Her smaller stature makes her seem more life-like, more vulnerable, more little- which is a better fit with the original story.

The title character from Hans Christian Andersen's beloved tale has seen many representations since she swam into the world in 1837, the most popular in recent years being Disney's Ariel. Ah, Ariel. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of this version, and I love that everyone is happy in the end, but of course, that's not what Andersen intended. If you don't know the real story, or if you need a refresher, the original in it's entirety can be found here.

One of my favorite things as a child was my set of Superscope Story Teller books and cassettes. This version of The Little Mermaid was abridged, but it still stuck to Andersen's plot line- the Grandmother, the sister's hair, the knife in the heart, the sea foam, the sorrowful end.... I can still hear the sister's voices encouraging the Little Mermaid to come back to them under the sea. 

The statue in Copenhagen captures the old story wonderfully. She is a little sad, sitting there on that rock. She is beautiful and exposed and without defenses. She enchants visitors, some of whom just pose next to her to snap a quick photo, and others who sit for a while and gaze at the rocks as she does. She thrills the little ones, especially the girls, who know some version of her tale... and I know of at least one visitor who saw her and pitied her for wanting to be something she was not, but admired her anyway, for trying.

Drive-by Shots of Mendocino County

Just think of Happy Things

"So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly with wings, forever, in Never Never Land!"

Illustration by Monisha Miriam Ravikumar

I'm older than I've ever been... *

Perhaps all of my adoring fans have noticed that I have been MIA for a week or so. It has been a week of unhappy things- one after another! BUT, I did have a birthday in there somewhere (worst one yet!). So this is when my little bloggy has to work overtime, to get me back on the happy track and remind me of all the good things! My birthday present to myself is a mini stroll down memory lane, remembering some of the happy highlights of the last 12 months and while I might be another year older, by the looks of my favorite things, I am really not aging a bit!

I play with legos
I make snowmen
I like cookie monster cupcakes
I read kids books, like Dr. Seuss, fairy tales and Harry Potter
I laugh at words like 'poop'
I don't know the names of any wild flowers
I still hang out lots with my mom
I get read a bedtime story every night before bed
I get really excited about train rides and other train rides.
I do arts & crafts at the public library
I made a friend in Flat Stanley
I can't get enough of ticklish penguins
I am frightened by some flowers
I make up silly stories
I miss my Care Bear
I want to flop with my boys all day long
I love to play with my best guy

* Thanks to Jason for introducing me to TMBG 20 plus years ago. They have been a source of happy ever since, although this particular song, not so much!

 I leave you all with this:

3 Billy Goats Gruff

Here's another story I heard as a child- this time, it was my grandfather I remember telling me. I always felt sad for the troll... (Click here to see my post on another story,  'The Little Match Girl'


A Folktale retold by
S. E. Schlosser


Snippity-snip, snap and swill,
The tale begins upon a hill…

The air was crisp and cool. The sky was an endless blue. The green meadow grass swayed in a gentle breeze. And Big Billy Goat Gruff was bored.

"I am tired of eating in the same old field every day," he told his brothers. "I want to eat in the meadow on the far side of the stream.

"Ohhh no, Big Billy Goat," said little brother. "We cannot walk through the stream for it is too deep and too fast. We would be swept away!"

 "And we cannot walk over the bridge," said middle brother, "because there is a big troll under the bridge who will gobble us up if we try to cross it."
 "I am not afraid of the troll," said Big Billy Goat Gruff, tossing his bold head with the huge round horns. He stamped the ground - once, twice, thrice - with his big hooves. "Let him try to eat me! We shall see who wins the fight!"


"But we won't be there to see," said Middle Billy Goat Gruff practically, "Because Little Billy Goat Gruff and I will have been eaten."


"Not so!" cried Big Billy Goat Gruff, dancing around the meadow excitedly, his large hooves making holes in the mossy turf under his feet. "I have a plan!"

The three billy goats put their heads together and whispered for a long time. Finally they broke the huddle and all three of them trotted across the wide meadow to the narrow bridge that crossed the fast-flowing, deep stream in the ravine dividing their meadow and the one on the other side.


Taking a deep breath for courage, Little Billy Goat Gruff stepped onto the rough wooden bridge. Trip-trap, trip-trap. His little hooves made the bridge spring up and down a little as he moved carefully forward.

A pair of huge round eyes peered out from the darkness under the bridge. "Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?" rumbled the troll. A big hairy arm reached out from the darkness and huge fingers gripped the rail beside Little Billy Goat Gruff.

"It's just me," said Little Billy Goat Gruff in a very small voice. "I am the teeny-tiniest Billy Goat Gruff, all skin and bones, going over to the meadow to make myself fat."

A second huge hand joined the first on the rail. "I am coming to eat you," said the troll, his voice rumbling so deep that it shook the whole bridge.


"Eat me?" asked Little Billy Goat Gruff, shaking from head to toe, "I am too little. Not even worth a bite for a big troll like you. You should wait for my middle brother to come. He is much bigger than me."


This made sense to the troll. Why go to all that bother for one small bite of Billy Goat when a bigger Billy Goat was on its way?


"Gerroff my bridge then," the troll roared, slipping back down into the darkness underneath. "And don't come back here until you are big and fat!"


"Yes sir," said Little Billy Goat Gruff, trotting off the far side of the bridge in triumph and heading up into the wide-green meadow above. The plan was working!


When Little Billy Goat Gruff reached the top of the hill, Middle Billy Goat Gruff stepped onto the rough wooden bridge. Trap-rap, trap-rap. His medium-sized hooves made the boards of the bridge spring and sway under his weight as he moved forward.


A pair of huge round eyes peered out from the darkness under the bridge. "Who's that trap-rapping over my bridge?" grumbled the troll loudly. Hairy arms reached out from the darkness and huge fingers gripped the rail beside Middle Billy Goat Gruff.

"It's me," said Middle Billy Goat Gruff in a very medium-sized voice. "I am the Middle Billy Goat Gruff, all skin and bones from the winter. I am going over to the meadow to make myself fat."


Two blazing troll eyes over a long, twisted nose glared at him through the rails of the bridge. "I am coming to eat you," said the troll, his voice rumbling so deep that it shook the whole bridge.


"Eat me?" asked Middle Billy Goat Gruff with a laugh. "Why do you want to eat me? I am all skinny from the winter. Barely two bites for a big troll like you. And my bones will get stuck in your throat and make it feel all scratchy and horrible. You should wait for my big brother to come. He is huge! Much bigger than me."


This made good sense to the troll. Why go to all that bother for one bony, medium sized Billy Goat when a bigger Billy Goat was on its way?


"Gerroff my bridge then," the troll roared, slipping back down into the darkness underneath. "And don't come back here until you are big and fat!"


"I'm off then," said Middle Billy Goat Gruff, trotting to the far side of the bridge in triumph. He headed up to the wide-green meadow above and joined Little Billy Goat Gruff at the top of the hill. Then both of the brothers peered down at the bridge to see what Big Billy Goat Gruff was going to do.


As they watched, Big Billy Goat Gruff stepped onto the rough wooden bridge. Stomp-tromp, stomp-tromp. His huge hooves made the boards bend and give protesting creaks under his massive weight as he moved forward.


A pair of huge round eyes peered out from the darkness under the bridge. "Who's that stomp-tromping over my bridge?" roared the troll. He sprang out onto the top of the bridge in a single leap. Big Billy Goat Gruff narrowed his eyes at the large, hairy troll. "It's me," he said, lowering his huge head so the curved horns were pointed at the troll. Then he charged.


Wham! Big Billy Goat Gruff slammed into the troll. "Arrrgh!" screamed the troll as it was lifted clean off its feet and thrown way, way, way up into the air. The troll landed head down on the bridge, making it shake and rattle from top to bottom. Big Billy Goat Gruff stomped and tromped on the troll with his huge hooves until the troll was smashed flat on the wood boards. Then he tossed him into the raging stream with his huge horns and the troll sailed down the ravine and out of sight, never to be seen again in those parts.


And Big Billy Goat Gruff went up the hill to join his brothers in the meadow. All summer long they ate the lovely green grass in both meadows until they all grew quite fat. And they walked back and forth over the troll-free bridge whenever they wanted.


Snippity-snip, snap and snout,
This little tale has been told out!


Source
More versions here

Strawberry Summers

Summer is captured in a sweet, festive berry-

The strawberry is humble and fun, bright and earthy...

But cleans up nice and can be quite fancy...

...and gooey

...and pretty

recipe

...and refreshing

...and classic.

Grandma's cookie jar! (Grandma loved strawberries too!)

I've long had a thing for Strawberries-- as a youngin' I loved this girl:

Course, when I knew her she looked more like this-

...and less like this. Oh, time changs everything !

My room wasn't this decked out in Strawberry Shortcake decor, but pretty close to it.

I had those curtains, and that sleeping bag!

Maybe it's time to revisit my love for this cute red berry, and make this little hat! 

Buy one like it on Etsy

...or go get my nails did like this!

or host a strawberry-tastic brunch!

Where I could serve this! The most amazing strawberry shortcake I have ever seen!!!

Recipe for Strawberry Short Snake

Hope you're having a Berry delicious summer!