Sunday, August 12, bed # 12

It has been awhile, but I have been busy. (watching the Olympics!!!) I went back to bed #10 for one night. My eye doctor is on the UCLA campus and I usually take the bus (thus saving $11.) I was thinking that I would have to get up really early in order to make it, when I realized that if I went back to Westwood, I could just walk over. I was so pleased with myself!

The weather here has been really hot so I moved early to my next home. It has a lovely pool, which the kids have been taking full advantage of.



Then, when we finish swimming, we walk down the street to the Brentwood Country Mart for dinner.

Branwen has been wanting an American Girl doll. It turns out that she never seemed to spend any money, so had a LARGE hoard in her piggy bank...enough for a doll and some extras. I have really liked this company for a long time. 1. The dolls look like girls, not women. 2. The stories that go along with the dolls always show strong girls who solve their own problems and try to help people. 3. You can have a doll who looks "just like you", or pretty damned close. The downside to the dolls is that they are expensive and have lots of stuff that you can buy to go with them.

Branwen, Jef and I had a lovely time. It took quite a while to pick the right one. Branwen was matching them to her hair and skin. Jef was trying to find one that also had the right color eyes. The one that matched all three had freckles and that wouldn't do. It turned out that since Branwen doesn't really see her eyes, she wasn't as concerned about the eye color. She picked the right one, and counted out the money from her wallet into the lady's hand.

We went to the cafe for lunch. The doll gets a "treat seat" so that she can sit at the table also. I was very impressed by the fact that if you didn't have a doll, you could have a loaner, so that you weren't left out of the fun.



The pink bows in mini-B's hair were the special napkin rings.
Mini-B sitting in her seat.


In the lady's room, there were special holders for the dolls



Mini-B trying it out



At the next table, the adults had taken advantage of the loaners. We didn't do this because we didn't want to take any attention away from Branwen's new friend.


A fun time was had by all.

A lot of things have been ordered for the house- bathroom tile, sliding doors for the bathroom and closet, window and doors for the master and a wallbed for the guest room. The wallbed is a little premature, but they were available at Costco for a reduced price that I couldn't refuse.



using BlogPress from my iPad

Sunday August 5, bed #11

I told you that Westwood was only for a few days! Now I am in a house a few blocks from Alec and Jef's. We have known this family since Alec was in junior high and he has played many a game of Dungeons and Dragons around their table. In this place I just have to be careful and not water the fake plants when I am doing the live ones.

The drywallers finished and things are looking interesting.

These boxes will contain Indian pottery and are on the wall between the living and dining rooms.



The fireplace is being redone and will also have Indian potter displayed.


My little watermelons are getting bigger



Yesterday was yard sale day. Here are the 3 Jennifers



FUN FUN FUN, yah right.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Wednesday, August 1, bed #10

Rolling, I keep rolling...I've moved again into a faculty condo in Westwood. This just for a few days, but I do have to change the water and feed a Beta fish. I'm not too worried about this one - if it doesn't make it, I can always buy a new one. Did have a little trouble figuring out how to return it to its bowl, but managed.

My only problem is keeping up with my Olympics watching - none of these people have recording capability.

Westwood is fun for me. I can take a walk around the village before dinner (and decide if I want to eat anything that I see.)

The kids have been really doing well in swimming. They both can do all of the strokes. Here is Branwen being rescued by a teammate on "safety day."


Considering that they only wanted to doggy paddle when they started, they have come a long way.

My house is still coming along. The heat and air conditioning are in






This pipe is going to be aimed to splash on the window if there is a leak (a code requirement that makes a lot of,sense.


The drywall guys are mudding while wearing stilts.


I have little bitty watermelons.

Monday, July 23

Things keep happening, and I keep moving. I am now in bed #9. This house belongs to an aerobics friend. There are no pets, but a bunch of plants. Lucy, the little dog, was overjoyed to see her family.

Things keep happening at the house. The wall board is up and waiting for the inspector.



Both Branwen and Calder went off the high dive.


I have teeny tiny watermelons



And the cute heat/air conditioning guys are starting work. Raphael and his son. The son helps carry stuff and keeps out of trouble by helping his dad.



Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

July 4th and later, home again

Ford and I flew back to Connecticut on July 3rd and then I continued to L. A. on the fourth.  Southwest really gets in the spirit of things.


When I left the garden looked like this:



When I returned it looked like this:

I left a little cream colored house with green trim - now it is becoming a little tan colored house with brown trim.  I now have skylights

Electrical that looks like this

Instead of this

 The kids are going to camp and also taking swimming lessons
  

 And I have moved again.  This is bed number 8  (5 & 6 were in CT and 7 was in France)

I traded  house # 4 with the 2 cats, fish and gecko, for this cute little dog.  Lucy likes to keep me company when I sit and read or watch TV.

 Branwen has been asking for a dog.  She came over to take Lucy for a walk and decided that it is really boring.  (So maybe she will change her mind.)

Tuesday, July 2 our last day

Just a day of packing and finishing up. I had to go back to Rue Rivoli for some stuff, so Ford came with me to help find the correct shop. We think it was closed today - but I found what I needed anyway.

Marie and I took a walk around the neighborhood. The fifth floor of her building is a convent of the Sacred Heart. Recently the mummified body of the founder was returned to France after a stay in Belgium during an anti religious period in France. Our walk took us to the church were she now rests. I GIVE YOU - THE NUN MUMMY:



She really looks very waxen. The coffin is very beautiful.



The golden dome of The Invalides caught our eye



as well as a really pretty building



Last but not least a Segway herd.



This is a popular area for them. They ride around the Champs de Mars and the streets have wide pavements and not much foot traffic.

We are staying close tonight, going to a brasserie right around the corner, so that we don't have to walk too far. There might be a P. S. if it is interesting.

Sunday, July 1 Catacombs

Sunday, a lovely day to visit old bones. Unfortunately, we were not the only ones with this idea. We had to stand in a very long line. One of the problems is that only 200 people can be inside at one time, so the line moves slowly.

On the bright side, it was a lovely day and Ford and I chatted amiably while we waited. When he got hungry, we asked the very tattooed couple in front of us where they had bought sandwiches. Ford went to buy a sandwich and drinks and rejoined me in line.

I think the catacombs were a hit. Boys tend to like things like immense stacks of bones with the empty eyeballs looking at you. The whole underground passage is about 2 kilometers. I always forget how far you walk before the first bones, but then they are there in satisfying amounts.



This is really out of focus, but the guard yelled at me for using the flash, so I didn't dare try for another.


Ford is standing next to a column of bones - notice how low the ceiling is.




Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Saturday June 30, The Opera

Thanks to Charlie's friend Luz, we had 3 free tickets to,see the famous opera where Phantom of the Opera is set.
Coke was having a give away right in front of the building. They had cute little cans and Ford had one. Marie and I passed.

The building is lovely and beyond ornate.

To make it even better there was an exhibit throughout of costumes.

I am sure that Marie and I liked it better than Ford, so after seeing the theatre and what the boxes looked like, he and I headed off to Sacre Coeur. We wended our way through the scrum, took the funicular up and looked around. The street performers can be interesting. One young man was doing tricks with a soccer ball, while standing on the balustrade at the top of the stairs. Here is a "statue person" taking a break.

I had made reservations at L'Attendu, a nice restaurant near the city hall of the 15th. Marie and I enjoyed it immensely, but Ford said that he was disappointed that his steak wasn't larger. (Finally lots of pictures of food.)
The charger:

The amuse-bouche was an egg dish:

Deep fried shrimp - there were 4, but I forgot to photograph it before Marie and I shared.

The 3 of us. We chatted up the young lady in the back. She was Russian and was at a clothes exhibition selling her sister's line.

Marie's main course - ris de veal

My main - duck on a bed of celery root. The fan like thing is potatoes fried together.

Ford's main - steak on a bed of sweet potatoes.

For dessert Marie and I shared a molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Ford had some tastes.

He had sorbet on fruit.

On our way home we came across a clown wedding.

This was close to 10 at night. Ford probably won't see the Eiffel Tower sparkle, because he is too tired. I am walking him into,the ground.