Beauty and the Beast at Spa MD

On Sunday, Spa MD in La Jolla held a fund raiser for the Greyhound Connection and other dog rescue organizations. One of the events was a doggy fashion show where Doctor Dylan here won first place. Patti, helping with his scrubs, works at the spa as a massage therapist.

We don't get out to the beaches and La Jolla as much, even though it's a pretty easy ride along the 52 for about 25 miles each way. It was nice to take a stroll down to the cove and around. Not much has changed, but it is disconcerting to see people down in the children's pool area where seals once pupped. I recently read in a children's book of all things that people are everyone's enemy. It's certainly true for these seals being forced out. But I digress.

It was a big day out for the dogs. Benny was dog-tired by the end of the day and slept for most of the next day.

20 Years

Larry says he can't imagine doing anything for 20 years. Hard to believe that much time has gone by since we said "I do." But then I love Larry more and more each day, so I'm bursting with happiness.

The most important thing is to be kind. I have not found an occasion or situation where the Golden Rule doesn't apply. Want someone to respect you? Respect them.

We didn't do any big traditional thing like take a trip or even go out to eat (two things Larry is not very fond of and I can respect that) because we just bought a house. Living in southern California is permanent vacation. We like to celebrate on the eve of holidays, so we ordered take-out. We eat salads most nights and our heirloom tomato provided us with a heart-shaped fruit for the occasion. This particular variety is named "Mortgage Buster". Maybe as we improve the soil, it will bear an abundance of fruit, similar to 20 years of marriage. Awww!

Happy 4th of July

OMG! This is the best picture of Larry ever!
Can I have some of your eye-openness?

At 6pm, we walked over to Lake Murray for their July 4th Music Fest and Fireworks. We met Cynthia & Patti with Angel & Dylan and walked around the lake to get to the community park where they had a big sound stage set up. We caught the last band, Liquid Blue, who performed a wide variety of covers from Madonna to Led Zeppelin. Toward the end of the concert, we started walking back to catch the fireworks and have a shorter walk home. The dogs weren't too bothered by the fireworks. Angel is so old she's probably a little hard of hearing. Dylan was nervous at first, but then he settled down and watched the show.

Compass Lake Block Party

This is the second year that the neighborhood signed a permit to close off the street for the day. They set up grills, canopies, chairs and tables in front of 3 or 4 houses for the block party. Their kids have a lot of energy or the sight of a bouncy house brings it out. We had rain the day before and even sprinkles this morning, but the day warmed up and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, it was another beautiful day in San Diego.

They arranged for our local fire station to make a visit. This is the 1,925th fire engine that the city has purchased (I asked about "1925" on the back; the department was established in 1889.) This truck is outfitted for home and brush fires as well as emergency and rescue at Cowles Mountain. There are two engines at our "34" station. After getting the tour and hefting one of the fire hose nozzles, I am very impressed with their knowledge and strength.

Pick a peck of paintings

I met Kathryn through Organic Athlete. When I was shopping at People's Coop, I went upstairs to the deli and noticed that her paintings were on display! She paints sweet still lifes, lives? {smile} Here's a note from her:


Thanks for taking a look at my artwork! There's still time, the exhibit is up until May 9, so there are still more than 6 weeks left. So definitely do spread the word to anyone you think might be interested. I've sold a lot of work there, and as it sells, I replace it. I'm really enjoying it, getting all that great feedback.

Plus, a Writer's Collective from a local college was having a meeting there about a book that they're publishing, an anthology called "Hunger and Thirst". They saw my work there and contacted me, wondering if they could use my work on the book cover and within the text. So I said absolutely, and it's in the works now! Will be published in the fall. You can see a preliminary mock-up and links to more info about the book here: http://kathrynlaw.blogspot.com/2008/03/book-cover-mock-up.html

And, I just had another painting--a plein air landscape in Balboa Park-- accepted into a juried show in Fallbrook, opening this Friday. So things are going really well with the painting.

Cirque de Soleil in Del Mar

I had the priviledge of attending the "Corteo" performance by the Cirque de Soleil troupe in Del Mar last Tuesday. It is performed under le grand chapiteau with two entrances to house the circular stage. The stage is divided in half by curtains which also allow scenes to be performed in a dream-like state. The stage itself has a trap door in the center for appearing/disappearing acts. Concentric circles of the stage rotate to give the audience a full view of this performance in the round.

No photography is allowed; see the NY Times review for photos of the acrobatics. I was gasping and dropping my jaw at some of the surprising performances. The supported cartwheels in the giant hula-hoop were more amazing than my simplified naming. Acrobatics, juggling, high-wire walking, tumbling, musical performance, a great treat for the eyes and ears and all the more appreciated by me from attending yoga and stretch classes.

Dat Phan's Birthday Party

World Famous is the restaurant where Dat Phan chose to host his birthday party this year. One degree of separation from this celebrity: Larry is his web programmer (along with Carolyn, a graphic designer on the far left.) Dat won "Last Comic Standing" in 2003.

As you might imagine, many of his friends are associated with his line of work. So half the room was filled comedians, writers, and significant others. Many social gatherings have witty banter, but it was taken up a notch today. Maybe they can't help but try out new material. The funniest comments were directed at the police officers patrolling the beach, presumably for open bottles. In our space, they were hitting on young girls. Hard to replicate the exchange here. Go see some of the comedians at the Comedy Store in La Jolla.

Carlsbad Marathon

It was a beautiful morning for the Carlsbad Marathon! Here's a picture of our intrepid Organic Athlete group who participated in the half marathon: Cynthia, Marissa, Dustine, Jim, Kathy, and Michele. Marissa and Jim were there to support the team, having joined us as "sweepers" on their bicycles during the Sunday training runs.

Dustine said that she found the last three miles very challenging. Congratulations to Dustine for finishing the race, even though she had a strained IT band three weeks prior to the race and got to ride on the back end of the beach cruiser for a portion of that 12-mile training run.

Kathy rode for 50 of the 100-mile Stagecoach Century ride the weekend before. She took a spill and bruised her ribs. A big organic carrot to her for running and finishing this 13.1 mile race!

Michele also rode in that chilly Century ride last weekend. Perhaps she would have been well protected from any fall with her 7+ layers of clothing. The Marathon race weather was much more ideal.

Congratulations to all Organic Athletes and I hope to train with you and participate in the La Jolla Half Marathon in April!

Run for the Hungry

Michele and I ran together for the Run for the Hungry 10K on Thanksgiving morning. I met Michele when I joined the running group Organic Athlete. She’s a long-time runner, off and on. She was a good motivator (especially on the hills, well, over a bridge or two.) This being my first race, I opted to be chipped timed. Here is the official result: FINISH: 1:04:24 pace: 10:22



The race started at the Embarcadero Marina Park South directly behind the San Diego Convention Center. From the top of the convention center, you can see the start of the race banner and the seaport nearby. Our small fix of fall foliage is in the foreground. I don’t know the names of many trees here, but usually one is in bloom or in color some month of the year.

Little Italy Chalka Festa

We went down for an infusion of art, San Diego style, to Corso degli Artisti (Street of the Artists): Little Italy’s Street Painting Festival. Per their website, the Little Italy Precious Festa “is known to be one of the largest single-day Italian American festivals West of the Mississippi.”

Professional artists and high school students display their talent at sponsored locations on Beech and Cedar streets. One artist had to contend with a strip of tire burn-out where chalk would not adhere. Thankfully the streets were closed to traffic and they didn’t have more to contend with.

Roses on the streets of Little Italy

The 22nd Annual ArtWalk in Little Italy was this weekend. Recently, I had removed all the pictures from our walls. They were from travels on the East coast and we felt it was time to add some new West coast influence. While there were some beautiful works by artists, there was nothing that really resonated with us. The local Blick art store probably did a nice business with people who were more inspired by the display of creativity.
On India street, this man was weaving roses from a palm frond. It was amazing to watch him split the large frond and rapidly fold and spin the material into a beautiful rose.

Earth Day WorldFest

It was a chilly and inspiring day at the Los Angeles WorldFest on Saturday.

I learned from the bio-beetle guy that no modifications were made to his VW diesel beetle. Bio-diesel is a solvent which will break up sediment. After the second tankful, I would need to change the fuel filter to clear out the deposits. Just about 3 more years on my warranty, then I can switch to bio-diesel (VW does not honor it; invalidates the warranty).
Short-haired dogs sitting still were compelled to purchase T-shirts from the All Vegan booth to cut the chill.

Heidi from San Diego kept warm by generating some of her own natural power.

Hooray for Hollywood and Hospice

On Saturday night, San Diego Hospice and Palliative Care held their annual Staff and Volunteer Appreciation Night at the Marriot in Mission Valley in the grand ballroom. The theme was “hooray for hollywood” with a big band, classic movies on big screens, and tables named for various films and stars. This is my second year attending and also the second year that they combined the staff and volunteer events. The evening began with cocktails by the pool side. I chatted with “Patti” and her husband, also a volunteer, and they shared their experiences over the six years that they have been volunteering with Home visits and with the Foundation Art program. That sounds like something I’d like to pursue. You can visit San Diego Hospice and Palliative Care’s website and under the section for Volunteers, download a list of Organizational Volunteer Opportunities.

It is astounding how this organization has grown in thirty years. I estimate that there were over 500 staff, volunteers, and guests in attendance. They honored the milestones of 3-, 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year volunteerers and staff. I was really humbled by the presenation and stories shared by Dr. Doris Howell, a 30-year honoree. She was approached by Joan Kroc and together, to over-simplify her efforts and commitment, they started the county’s first hospice program. She is the embodiment of their mission: To prevent and relieve suffering and promote quality of life, at every stage of life, through patient and family care, education, research and advocacy.

I visited my hospice patient and family this past Tuesday. I always come away feeling so relaxed and peaceful. It must be my meditation to be able to sit quietly with a person and just be. I’m glad that SDHPC is there for the community.

PETA 25th Anniversary gala

As a very generous thank-you for volunteering at the All Vegan store, Joy was a Bronze Food Sponsor and invited us to come join her at the Paramount Pictures studio lot on the New York City stages. I have been anticipating this day for weeks and it’s finally here! As if the gala was not enough, we had a thai massage at Pho-Siam and then brunch at Madeleine Bistro. More on that later, back to the gala.

We met at the Paramount Pictures studio lot and stopped for a picture in front of one of the many entrances. Adrianne and Bill (bookends) helped hand out the delicious Rose City Chocolates at the gala event. Joy (third from left) treated Carolyn, Alyse, me and Allison to an evening of great food and entertainment. Yes, yes, bad grammar, but that’s our order in the picture.

We arrived right when the gates opened at 6:30pm. Good thing, unless you like queues, because others in our party arriving later had to wait over an hour in the airport screening-like security lines. This was the only bottleneck in the whole evening. It was organized very well, probably looked good on paper, but the “arrival gate” was too small for the 2000-plus in attendance.

While waiting in line, I introduced myself to the other alphabetized individuals around me. Low and behold, meet Paul Wenner, inventor of the Gardenburger! The woman next to me was kind enough to take our picture. It was here night out, husband at home with their 4-year-old son.

The gala was held on the New York City stages. Many New York town houses lined the streets. Many delicious foods were offered by the food sponsors. We strolled around for two hours, sampling the many tasty vegan treats. Fortunately I was born with hollow legs. PlayFood offered delicious raw ice cream made from just cashew nuts, vanilla, and agave nectar (and water). That’s a lot of cashews, so creamy, and ow! head freeze! Maggie Mudd’s from the San Francisco area offered up their hard ice cream. I took Joy’s recommendation and sampled the Coconut Pecan ice cream. Dorell and Carolyn asked for a three-scoop sample. Many eyes rolled skyward as the chocolate, espresso, and pumpkin flavors were so luscious.

The more savory fares were quite extraordinary being that they were not in their own kitchens. Madeleine Bistro, where we were heading the next day for lunch, was easily my favorite. Very complex flavors in their beet tartare appetizer, grilled shitake mushroom skewers, and tacos. They really catered it right by offering many finger foods. Native Foods may have brought their entire restaurant to the Gala. They had table seating available and offered a menu of five full items from their regular menu including the Baja burger and spicy fries.

We were then asked to proceed to the front of the lot to where the stage was set up for the awards presentations. Pamela Anderson and Fred Willard hosted the event which went much like any other awards show you may have seen on TV. Big screen video presentations helped to break up the format. Many big names were not present to receive their awards, but offered video clips expressing their gratitude. Sir Paul McCartney and Morrisey were not able to attend. Andy Dick was very amusing and Jamie Lee Curtis was exceptional. We were then treated to a live performance by Polyphonic Spree and their bouncy hit “Light & Day”.

After the awards show, Sheila E. performed on the back stage. Showing my age, I’m not familiar with any of her work, but I love a live performance on the drums. She engaged the crowd with her heart-pounding tunes. She also held a live “American Idol” by inviting performers up on stage. One woman displayed great vocals! We danced, we tango’d, we ate more desserts.

Joy’s sponsorship of Rose City Chocolates from the All Vegan Store was a big hit. The delicate chocolates were a nice bite-size, but still rich taste. It was great to see chocoholics express their love for this confection.

We didn’t get back to the hotel until 3:30am. The coffee and chocolate kept me going throughout the night and into the next day as I had a fitful night’s sleep. Thank goodness I only needed to muster the energy for a thai massage and brunch. The one-hour Thai massage was the best thing for working on my tight shoulder area. Yes, they apply pressure with their hands, arms, elbows and feet. Like a thai restaurant asking the heat of the dish, you can have your pressure applied soft, medium, or hard. The session ended with a little lazy yoga where they guided you through some heart-opening poses.

At the Bistro, Dorell said that I looked radiant. I felt very blissful, not doubt aided by the beautiful decor and table settings. The food was amazing for that fact that these people worked the gala the night before and only got two hours of rest in between. I sat next to Dorell’s Mom-in-law and we agreed to split two dishes. We also order beignets for the table. More eye-rolling in ecstasy as we sampled these little donuts with a raspberry compote. The French Toast Napoleon was also served with the raspberry fruit compote layered in between, served with home fries, maple syrup, and whipped creme. Too much rich food in the past two days! I wrapped my half of the Madeleine Club to go to bring home to Larry.

Thank you, Larry, for covering the All Vegan Store while we were up enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime event. So many thanks to Joy and all you do to increase awareness, bringing the Last Chance for Animals San Diego information booth to street fairs and other events around San Diego. Volunteers talk to people about how to live cruelty-free, what to eat instead of meat, and other animal rights issues. More on Larry’s adventures next!

Roger is glowing with pride!

On the last weekend of July, Hillcrest (our neighboring community) plans a weekend of events kicked off by the gay pride parade. It’s a lot of fun to dress up your dog and mingle with the crowds. Or hop on your motorcycle and ride with the dykes on bikes. Since I have neither, I walked with my neighbor who added a bracelet to her chihuahua’s harness, checked out the motorcycles before the parade started, and walked the parade route. You can actually register one hour before the parade starts to ride your bike. Perhaps next year, she says.

Roger has been working on his church’s float for the past month on the weekends. Here he is in his Elton John best in front of their finished project. So we saw the beginning of the parade, the motorcycles, at the beginning of the route at Normal street. We then walked the length of the parade route along University Ave and down 6th avenue to Balboa Park, almost two miles, and watched the remaining floats pass by. Rogers was one of the last and I almost didn’t recognize him because he wasn’t wearing his googly glasses. Whew, after walking all that and then back home, “I’m still standing.”

U.S. Open Sand Castle Competition

While Larry made it a homerun with a fourth day at Comic-Con, I drove down to Imperial Beach for the sandcastle competition. It was still hazy when I arrived at 9:00am and the builders were already an hour underway. Remember making your own sandcastle by packing sand into your pail and adding water? Well, these guys do it with trash cans and 4×4-foot wooden forms, much like a foundation for pouring cement. And along with that trade go the trowels, spades, and other thingies that dig and smooth and carve out these sculptures. Secret weapon? Keep that sculpture moist by misting it with water. Frequently. Preferably a pressurized wand and big water tank on your back. Three hours in the sun and the sand can dry out and collapse as did a wall for the classic sandcastle above.

The official website above has not posted the winners as of this writing, but I’m sure the lion and the rockscape will win a top spot. You can walk up and down the beach to see each team’s progress but it’s still amazing to see the finished piece and you still ask yourself how they did it?! One family has been sculpting in this event (its 25th anniversary) for 20 years! Other teams, “Masters” such as “Arch-i-sand”, are professional teams that can be hired out for birthdays and other special events. You don’t have to be an architect to build a sandcastle, but they happen to be.

San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon

Team in Training volunteers:Brenna, Reba, Jenni, Neal, Maddie, Larry

Me, Neal, and Reba finishing the race with marathoner Jay (hidden).

San Diego Open, Pro / Am Disc Golf Tournament

Amateurs not allowed

on the Pro Disc Golf tour

Pacific Beach Block Party

Anya Marina joined on stage by Steve Poltz

Adams Avenue Roots Festival

82-year-old Clyde Davenport playing the fiddle