LAST WEEK STARTED OFF WITH A BANG.......

……no really, I mean that literally.  A loud bang!  

The best seats acoustically at Disney Hall are in the nose bleed section but who can tolerate that???

I went back to sitting in my favorite spot at Disney Hall…..facing the conductor.  It’s fun to watch his face and even more fun to be up close to the percussionists!

 This particular day was perfect for that as every percussionist was working or should I say banging and tinging? Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff & Bernstein.

Happy ‘selfie’ me!

One of the best kept secrets foodie wise is the Patina Cafe in Disney Hall and if you hit it right everything will be fresh from Patina’s kitchen! They were just finishing up placing all of this good stuff as I waited somewhat patiently with my tray.

I just pile it on and then get their chili to go with an extra one for mom.

Clara worked in the studio the next day while I was in and out.

Charles' visiting nurse, Michael the mailman and Amy had their allotted time with puppy.

The nurse administered a little mouth to mouth!

You know how much puppy loves this mailman.

Even Amy got in on it….That’s it……..can you please scratch a little to the left?

So, as Amy sets up the dining room table for Christmas, Clara continues on her landscape masterpiece.

 

Time for a little FaceTime with mom….

I’m hungry….’Come on Clara….let’s go to dinner’!  Whoops….Kita dashed out the front door and we all ran down the hill playing her little game of catch me if you can.  Note to self:  Always carry a high value treat.

Here we are at Brand 158.  I’d been wanting to try it as their menu sounds fantastic….all farm fresh yummies.  I think we ordered everything and sorry to say the seasoning was just to hot for our tastes.

When Sandie Girl came over the next day with friend Juli we had puppy cordoned off but that did not deter her from trying to jump over the sofa to play with Juli.

I had to show off Amy’s handiwork….

…..and Sandie did show and tell about her fantabulous Bluebird card.

O.K. peeps, enough of the fun and frivolity…let’s go to the studio….for more fun and frivolity!

As you can see, Juli is model lovely, so very smart and as sweet as Sandie Girl if that is possible!

Next day was class at the Huntington and I was thrilled to pieces to have Lissi Kaplan join us. Lissi is the gifted porcelain painter, artiste extraordinaire, who does all the place settings for the high teas at the Peninsula and Montage hotels in Beverly Hills among so many other places.

We did Snowy Bamboo with a moon and Dory and Elizabeth are discussing Dory’s beautiful painting.

Thank you Jessica for the best cookies in the universe! It’s been difficult for me to share these.

Thursday was Christmas shopping at Hermes and just by chance I wandered up to the new third floor.  (Shoes used to be on the 2nd in the old building.) As I turned the corner from the elevator who should be there but Reza….Mr. Man About Town and Grade A Hermes addict!  I hung around for a couple of hours, helping Reza to select a bag (my solution…..get them both) and we even got treated to champagne!

I knew I’d be in trouble driving home and decided not to take Coldwater.  Reza tried to give me a different route but I got so confused that I just went down Sunset, got to Los Feliz and then on to Americana to pick up dinner for mom and Nikka.  This little guy felt as I did while on the ‘parking lot’ that was Los Feliz Blvd.Friday night, time for Valerie’s annual Christmas party.  I honestly don’t know how I made it over there ……didn’t take as many photo’s as I usually do and couldn’t stay very long.

Vanya, Valerie’s sister with dear Carol.

 

Here’s lovely Elaine Adams, the major force behind the California Art Club….amazingly talented wife of artist Peter Adams and the Director of American Legacy Fine Arts Gallery. All too cute Irina P. is the Curator of Public Programs for the Gallery.

And Here’s Peter….plein air artiste extraordinaire.  Did  I ever mention that I had met Peter in the ’70’s when he was assistant to Theodore Lukits who taught a classic technique dating back to the Renaissance?  I didn’t last there very long but always remembered Peter as being such a gentleman and kind soul. 

Gosh I sure thought I took a photo of the food.  It was sublime.  Really!  Thank you Josie, you’re amazing!

Do I even have to tell you this is Valerie’s dog?

 Time to leave and did I ever have a strange encounter waiting for my car.  I was placing something on the back seat and this gentleman said “It’s best to put it on the floor.  Let me help you.”  Well, no fuss me says “That’s O.K., I have a 105 lb Akita who travels in here so it really doesn’t matter.”  Turns out he is the head of www.apassionforpaws.org an Akita rescue organization and of course we did major bonding as I showed him puppy’s photo.  This is so my life.

Remember….

FARHANG FOUNDATION EVENT.......

…..at the Moss Theatre in Santa Monica was quite the evening! Sweet Lisa B. picked me up at mom’s and we were on our way, stoked to join the maddening crowd on the  freeway to somewhere if it would become a highway and not a parking lot!  We had planned to meet Amy an hour early but there we were….in a standstill on the #5!

What’s that about the best made plans?  We decided to just meet Amy at the event…..

How cute is this…..

And here’s our dear Amy…..(It was cold out…I had to do it….those little creatures were shaved to make my jacket….right????)

Who else would take a photo of people’s shoes?  Just saying…...Amy and Lisa’s shoes….

The Three Musketeers….

Amy made the glorious arrangements on each table….

I wasn’t able to get a good photograph of this ‘special’ arrangement as it’s so magnificent one would have to take shots from a dozen angles to capture it.  Or have a decent camera besides the ever ready iPhone!

Here’s our host….Reza Ardekani who’s in charge of all things Farhang.

We were so happy to see Homa, Reza’s lovely mother…... back from Iran via Switzerland and Dubai.

I was delighted to meet Patricia…she’s so sweet and we’re now ‘Facebook friends’.  Patricia and Reza are friends since grade school….how cute is that!

Lot’s of food being passed around with me chasing after it…..if you didn’t catch someone with a tray by the time the contents got to the various tables you were out of luck..I see a hand going for it.  Lisa….could that be you???.

Reza was the Master of Ceremonies and we were so very proud of him…Great job Reza and a special thank you for  shepherding us to those great seats when you had so much to look after.

 

This group was so amazing……..

The percussionist was fascinating….

Hamed Nikpay, singer and artiste extraordinaire was so soulfully great I ordered his CD ‘Spellbound’ on Amazon.  I was quite mad for the flamenco guitar of Alfredo Caceras as well.

Afterwards there was watermelon in little cups and also cups of pomegranate seeds……great idea as it was so refreshing. The drive home was a piece of cake…Cake?  Where’s the cake?  Thank you Lisa Girl for driving and for the pleasure of your company!

I got a yawn and half hearted greeting from puppy…..

Remember always…..