WE HAVE TO GO BACK……..

………but wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.  Here I am last Wednesday morning, off to LAX.

NOTE to SELF:  While you may love that bag, please remember to take one with lots of pockets for ‘stuff’….and, it should only weigh a few ounces.

SECOND NOTE to SELF:  Don’t you think those Porche sunglasses are a bit much???

Can you believe this was the very first time I didn’t check my luggage thru…. Got this little Samsonite carry-on number and crammed all the essentials into it.  So pleased.

Wait just a minute…I didn’t say goodbye to Charles……

O.K., I’m ready to go…………

Oh this is great, comfy sedan, friendly driver and a beautiful day.  Traffic’s not too bad as we’re approaching the Los Feliz off ramp on the 5.

WAIT……….WE HAVE TO GO BACK! “Go back?????” says my driver…..”are you sure…what do you need…..you can get it there”?????  “Oh no” says I as he glumly gets off the freeway and heads on back.  Meanwhile, I phoned Nikka with instructions to grab the two make up cases on my bathroom counter and meet us at Western & Glenoaks!  At this point I’m sure all you gals understand WHY I had to go back.  In fact, if I  had been at LAX & noticed the missing items, I would have gone back….plane or no plane.  Honest.

You can hardly see her but this lady was an angel in disguise.  She checked me in and when I asked her where I should go next she replied…..”Just go back outside, turn left and walk about ten minutes…….then go inside to Gate 68”  WHA????????????????

Guess my face fell as she then asked if I’d like a wheelchair.  FANTASTIC IDEA!!!!  Guess you know my answer.  So into the chair I plop as my ‘driver’ carts me the ten minutes outside and then about another 20 minutes inside over hill and dale.  We went on forever and honestly I don’t know how anyone does it.  Even had to take two elevators to get to other levels……Now that I had that ‘light bulb moment’, I requested a wheel chair to meet me when my plane landed……good thing too as the connecting flight was at the other end of the Cincinnati airport and I had less than 30 minutes to make it!!!  Gosh the airlines should pay us to fly.

Great flight Captain…..you earned your wings.

Someone asked if WKRP was playing.  I thought that was quite clever.

Still on Delta (love them) and on my way to Richmond Virginia.

You’ll love this one.  (I’m laughing so much I don’t know if I can type.)  The stewardess asked me if I could manage the steps or if I wanted a ramp.  I didn’t know what she was talking about but said yes to the ramp as I usually say yes to everything & anything.  So……they pulled the ramp up to the plane just for me!…..Can you see the stairs????

Finally at about 10:00 P.M.

My temporary nest.

But to get there I had to walk down this corridor……………….

………turn and go down this way to the very end…….

Ahhhhhhh……………………….made it.

Plenty of room for those ‘cosmetic bags’………

11:00 P.M. dinner…….cobb salad…….

……to be continued.

WILBUR the POT BELLY PIG and other stories….

……Brush painting class a week ago Saturday with new students Katherine & Peter, her dad.  Peter said class was like stepping into one of my YouTube videos when he saw me in my ‘white’ shirt!  So funny.

After class it was off to Whole Foods for our Easter dinner. This sign caught my eye.

….and oh the flowers…I settled on yellow Tulips figuring the garden would fill in for the rest.

9:00 P.M., the evening before Easter I finally get the table set.

Next morning I awoke to see this beautiful orchid from Vicky and the girls.

Chop, chop, chop, fixings for salad and garlic for the lamb…..

Leg of lamb from Whole Foods with Rosemary from the garden and lots of melted butter with lemon juice to pour over… sorry vegans….

Here’s the finished product…

Vicky, how’s the Orzo????

The salad came out just right with a honey/lemon dressing…

Everything got mom’s ‘seal of approval’.

Now how did Charles get salmon?????

Make mine RARE….I’m such a carnivore but mentally a vegan….go figure…

What’s better than fresh strawberries topped with whipped cream sitting atop McConnell’s Vanilla Bean ice cream?

Emma & Nikka liked desert best.  Nikka voted to have it for breakfast!

Sorry we had to cordon you off Kita

So, it was a lovely day and to finish it off we watched the video for Odyesso, Cavalia’s stunning production.  Mom loved it and it brought back memories of the original Cavalia show we had all seen.

We then polished off the Godiva and called it a day!

Meanwhile, Kita had other ideas.

Don’t you give me that innocent look.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee gads Kita!!!

I guess all that was in retaliation for being cordoned off.

Mid week Kita gets the jumbo-tron of a hot spot.

No Kita, you can’t drive to the vets.

She demanded service…

I don’t know what to say about this one…..

This is more like it……..

And this collar is the greatest……will search for it.

Back home with the collar of shame.

After I brought a somewhat chastened Kita home it was off to Rusnak in Pasadena where Eden in service is my angel.  My air conditioning was out, out, out!

So, time for Enterprise……..

Dinner at Recess was just the thing for recovery.

So where does Wilbur the Pot Belly Pig fit into all this you ask?  You are asking aren’t you????

Friday evening Tomiko & I had tickets for ‘END of the RAINBOW’, Tracie Bennett’s tour de force at the Ahmanson Theatre.

We met at mom’s & then Tomiko drove.  Half way there I gasped…”I forgot my iPhone”!!!!!! Knowing my new addiction to photographing just about everything you can imagine how bereft I was.  Glumly I sighed deeply and resolved to enjoy the evening.

Dinner at Kendall’s Brasserie was wonderful as always but alas, I can’t show you what I had or the yummy ‘White Russian’ I drank to assuage my sorrows.

Time for the show….we walked out of the restaurant and right there, between Kendall’s and the elevator to the plaza level is the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion ‘BANQUET’ area.  There are glass doors so you can see into the ground floor area which is a small lobby leading to a private elevator.

As we were walking I glanced to my left and said….”Look Tomiko….there’s a PIG”!!! A big Pot Belly PIG!!!

Sure enough, we walked inside and there was WILBUR, all gussied up (or as gussied up as a pig can get) with a big red bow….happily chomping on carrots handed to him by his ‘manager’.  Turns out Wilbur was there because a gentlemen celebrating his 50th LOVES pigs….go figure.  I am astonished that they’d allow such a thing but piggy piggy ruled the day.  And me without my phone.  I grabbed Tomiko’s iPhone & shot these pictures….I mean, who would believe this.  Or, as my mom says, “only you seem to have these things happen”.

To be continued……………….