Christmas Past

Looks like I'm the only one that got a present that year! And I sure look smug!

Nancy and Bobby don't look happy.

(Chicago, about '42 or '43)

Happy holidays to all you Sepia Saturday friends and everyone else.

To see more Sepia Saturday http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/

Zendala #83

DeAnne's Annual Ladies' Christmas Party

Here are all the lovely ladies (except DeAnne and me). I know why I don't have a picture of me, but why not the most important person...the hostess? DeAnne puts on a lovely party every year. She decorates beautifully. She's such a good hostess. So why no picture? Maybe it's because she was so busy attending to her guests. So sorry, DeAnne. I guess there's always next year. The main reason I took the pictures is so that I could match them up with the names and then not forget who was who. I didn't need a picture of DeAnne to remember who she was. I could say that about some of the others, too. For instance, my sister, Nancy.

Anne Kreile

Margaret Ann Ashton and Sharon Kersey

Donna (Dee) Schaffer

Jennie Thomson

Tina Tiso

Joan Amberson

Nancy Javier and Phee Sherline

DeAnne even arranged this perfect ending to a perfect party.

Oceanside Boat Parade 2013

Just a small taste:

"Greet the New Neighbors" Party at Dave and Cindy's

Dave starts out by pointing out who-lives-where, while Clay and Sally Millard, Eric (the new kid on the block), Don Cardamon, Jon Frandell, Chuck Theel, Joe and Betty Osborne listen intently.

The new family introduce themselves ( Vince, Eric and Diane )
while Dorie Theel, Don and Chuck look on.

Vince (the new neighbor) tells us a little about himself.

Don, Clay, Sally, Chuck, Jon, Dave, Betty,  Joe, Lita.

Nancy Javier and Paula Manning talking to Jon Frandell.

Clay and Sally Millard with Jon, Chuck, and Joe.

After a very funny talk about whether we could touch our toes (or our hands to the floor), Don demonstrates that he can still touch his palms to the floor.

We all go downstairs to see Dave's fantastic model train collection. The highlight for me was the theater with a marquee featuring Dave's wife Cindy in "Refuge From the Storm". 

I didn't get a picture of Cindy. I think she was always scurrying around making sure everyone was happy.

A blurry picture of John Manning talking to Tom and Marci Eisenstadt. We were all a little blurry by this time!

It was such a nice party and Cindy and Dave Custer were wonderful hosts.

Book Club Christmas Party-2013

Helen tells a funny story to a reindeer(Beth D.), Beth C., Nancy, Penny, and Kathy.

Beth listens intently.

Kathy, Penny, and Beth (and the ever present bottle of wine).

The party was at my house this year. We had a wonderful time. Everybody brought great food. Beth D. made osso bucco because of a mention in the book we had just read- "The Love of a Good Woman" by Alice Munro. We also had chicken salad (Penny), wild rice salad (Helen-which she especially made with no gluten), mesquite barbeque pork loin (Barbara and Nancy), pear, nut and gorgonzola cheese on toasted French bread (Nancy), a beautiful nut-covered cheese with crackers (Beth C.), and brie and French bread (Kathy).

Misc.

The new neighbors- Jon and Emma, meet some of the old neighbors at a get-together at the Cardamons'.

Cat? What cat?

After the rain the mist painted a Christmas tree picture on the patio screen.

The tree in the driveway puts on it's Fall costume.

The hawks nest in the eucalyptus tree. (look hard!)

Just waiting to have their picture painted.

Chloe always sneaks into the picture.


Nancy, Bob and I had such a wonderful Thanksgiving at our friends- the Millers- in Palos Verdes that I forgot to take any pictures. 

On the road

Notice the passenger!

Seen on the way to the film club last month.

Zendala # 80

Template from thebrightowl.blogspot.com

zendala # 79

Thanks to Erin atthebrightowl.com  for the template.
And an extra special thanks to Rick and Maria for developing Zentangles.
I don't what I'd do without them.
zentangle.com 

Teaching a children's art class at the library

The classes are sponsored by the Fallbrook Art Assoc.

Sometimes as many as 15 kids attend, so I was ready...and only 2 showed up.

But they sure had a good time. They made trick- or- treat bags. 

Elisha started 15 minutes early and didn't want to stop. But finally got tired of it and started making paper airplanes from the fancy papers which he had fun flying all over the place. He had a ball!

Christina is a budding dress designer. She really enjoyed the patterned paper and the trims, and was very creative with it.

Here's one of her creations.

Here's all three of hers.

Elisha added a lot of drawings to his bag... spider, bats, a moon and pumpkins. 

His mother told me how proud she was of him.

No Trailer (Gael García Bernal - 2013)

This is the trailer for this Sunday's film at the North County Film Club.

Another great weekend

Didn't think I was going to like it but it was thoroughly enjoyable!

Leon Russell - A Song For You (1970)

Leon Russell at the Belly Up last night

Leon Russell is one of my very favorites. He had kind of disappeared from the scene for the last few years but thanks to Elton John he's back touring and recording. Nancy and I went to the concert last night and had a fantastic time. Maybe even (as the guy next to me commented "the time of our lives"). 

It was such a fantastic crowd. In the midst of all the loud music, people actually struck up conversations with us. We heard their whole life stories. I even got asked out, but since it was for a motorcycle ride, I declined.( I really hate motorcycles!) I can't tell you how young all this made me feel. As another guy in the crowd said to me "I feel about 20 years old!". Of course, as you might expect, it was mostly a pretty old crowd. There were a lot of young people there, though. You wouldn't think they would have heard of Leon Russell but they were enjoying it just as much as we were. 

I forgot to mention another nice thing. As we were about to pay to get in a very nice man came up and gave us two tickets. So not only was it fantastic, it was FREE!

Kathy Morgan's art show and new Zendala

Kathy's art was shown at the Brandon Gallery. There was a wonderful turn-out for the opening.
Everybody from our book club was there, except Helen who was on a cruise. A lot of friends I hadn't seen in a long time were also there. I must have been having a good time because I sure didn't take very many pictures.

 

Two of the girls from our book club wanted to buy this one. I don't know who finally won. But one of them bought it. I wouldn't mind having it myself.

I made Kathy work when she should have just been enjoying the adulation. I bought a $2.50 pen instead one of the pieces of art. What a skinflint!

Esther and Lynne having fun!

Zendala Dare # 72

Here's the template from The Bright Owl:

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Zendala Dare #71

The template-

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