A Day in Los Angeles

Irene & Patti in front of the famous Clifton's Restaurant which has been a favorite in downtown LA since the 30's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Start of Alvera Street.

Steve & Charles II.

~~~~~~~~~ A baby boy on a burro.

The traditional Aztec ceremonial wardrobe.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The gate to China Town.

Happy Birthday Mom!

We miss you...

Happy Birthday Mom!

Caymen, Montana, Angie, Sharon & Aunt Ann

Aunt Jean, Candy & Gary

Jeff, Elan & Uncle Jim

Flowers & cards from those who couldn't be there...









Manny, Malia & Amy

Friends & Family joined in all day!

A Day at the Bonnie Hunt Show

HNT - Flash Back Family Trio Photo's

Inspired by Susie & Lime, I'm also having a flashback HNT today. Not having any children of my own, I've instead flashed back to my baby years instead. Here is a snap of my Dad, Me and my Mom circa 1962 or 63. That is their VW Bug in the background. Wouldn't you love to have that car today? Just think how much cash one could raise selling it to a collector. My piggy bank would be stuffed!


I've always loved the candid portraits of my family & friends which show them in sets of three. They end up being some of my favorite photos. The energy of the subjects really shines through. There is something magical about the number 3 that I think adds to the composition of the shots as well. Below are a few examples:


My Nephews and my Brother-in-law at the Disney's Storybook Cafe ~ October, 2007. It truly is "the greatest place on earth!" when it comes to family-friendly entertainment.


My Godson/Nephew, Sideways Sam, and Myself ~ October, 2007. At the beginning of a great day spent together while his Mom was celebrating her 30th HS reunion. Go Cypress Centurions!


October 31, 2007 ~ Irene the Fairy Princess, Lilian the Good Witch, and LisaPizza the Purple Puma out to lunch together at the Olive Garden on Halloween Day.


I have also had a fascination over the years with photographing my cars. Which I attribute to the many family photo's of the past where a family is often seen posing in front of, or riding in, the new family car. Just to show you what I'm driving these days ~ here's my Honda CRV.


Vintage photo ~ Can you name the make, model & year of the car? Hint: these ladies could be driving to the first US National election for which they were eligible to vote.


Above is my Dad with the Hummer of the moment ~ Spring, 2008. This photo was taken by my Bonus Mom, his wife Jeanne. She is always so good to share photo's with us and I love her for it. Unfortunately, because she is usually the photorapher, she is rarely in the photo's herself. Therefore, I don't really have many photo's of her :- (

Please leave me your guess on the vintage photo in your comment. All other comments are also welcomed. Hope you are having a great day in Blogland. Your blogging buddy, LisaPizza97

Happy HNT! Raybans

I would love to have these glasses today! They were my Dad's circa 1965, and here I am sitting on our black vinyl couch in the buff, but looking way too cool. I'd also like to have a couple of my Dad's cars from the 60's including his VW Beetle, and his Ford Mustang.

RED, RED & MORE RED

(Red) Bag - My Husband's Christmas present to me.



(Red) Cousins,

(Red) Aloha,

(Red) Joy
Fun At Disney with the Selbe gang.




(Red) Friends
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Steve & Debbie

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(Red) Barn - A favorite painting.



(Red) Jacket - Steve & Driftwood Horse.


*
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Me
at
Joni & Bob's
Wedding
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*
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*

(Red) Pomegranates



(Red) Hearts - Chinese Animal Art.

(Red) Grapes - Grgich Hills.







(Red) Nose
*
A
day
in
the
sun
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(Red) Car

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My trusty ride.

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http://www.joinred.com/

(RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver, Chairman of DATA to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund by teaming up with the world's most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT)RED branded products. A percentage of each (PRODUCT)RED product sold is given to The Global Fund. The money helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

The Game at Hand is Five Questions

My Blogger friend Susie took the time to ask me a few questions, so I'm following up with my answers. If you'd like to meet the auteur of the questions then visit her at http://susiestheboss.blogspot.com/

The Precious Princess and her Parents

1. I know that you are an only child, and as you know, I just have that one little blonde kid. So, I was wondering what your feelings are on the only child thing. Did you enjoy it? Were you lonely? Have I wrecked my child already? Please elaborate!

Being an only child was great. I was my mother’s daughter and my father’s son. I got to learn how to cook in the kitchen with my mom, and my dad taught me the essentials like how to throw a perfect spiral pass, how to change a tire, how to cut the lawn without cutting off your toes (like he almost did as a kid). As an only child, I’ve often been accused of having been spoiled. Yes, I got lots of attention, and I got to go everywhere with my folks – Bears football games, dinner theater, the Art Institute, abroad with my parents when they travelled Europe, etc. No, I don’t think I was spoiled because my parents also taught me to appreciate just how good I had it. My mom was the Kool Aid Mom. All the kids came to play in our yard. Although she didn’t put up with any shennanigans, she pretty much left us alone to do whatever we wanted, and she always provided great snacks and drinks. So no, I wasn’t any lonelier than the average kid that whines, “I’m bored ‘cuz there’s nothing to do,” in the middle of the summer.

I’ve met your bundle of joy. “Wrecked?” On the contrary, she’s delightful! Your combinned influence with Mr. Rathburn has yet to sully her bright disposistion. I think kids thrive on love, and they need to know that when a boundary is breached that there are consequences. The caveat is that the love is never renegged no matter how far the boundary is crossed. My only-child-hood memories are overwhelmingly positive.

2. Please tell us about Helping Hand Worldwide, the non profit that you work for, and what you do there and such.

http://www.thehelpinghandworldwide.org/

HHWw is an Orange County, California organization that is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty by addressing hunger, under-employment and illiteracy. It’s a group of volunteers who feed an estimated 10,000 people monthly. They provide clothing, books, baby-must-haves like cribs & strollers, school supplies and much, much more. I serve on the board as the secretary, and I helped develop their website. My Mom, in addition to serving on the board, volunteers 3 days a week picking up and delivering food and other goods to food banks, senior centers and to HUD housing in South Orange County. If you’d like to learn more about HHWw, please use the link provided above. They need much support and would welcome your involvement.

3. Lisa, as you know, I've known your husband, Sideways Sam, for almost 30 years now, and I am quite aware of his unquenchable musical appetite, tastes and obsessions. This is a two part q, first of all, how has living with such a music maniac affected your life, your living space, your hearing? And, two, what are some of your musical interests, that may or may not be completely different from Sams?

First of all, I can honestly say that there is never too much music in our lives. Luckily for us, Sideways Sam and I both have fairly eclectic music tastes. We enjoy rock, country, jazz, classical, world beat, zydeco, blues, gospel, you name it, we’ll listen to it. We have indulged in the America Idol phenomenon, and we were sorry to see Elliot get dropped this year. We look forward to buying his first album.

Because Sam’s vinyl collection contains over 4 thousand albums, we never have to worry about playing music that our guests will enjoy. One may ask, “How do you store 4,000+ albums?” The answer is very carefully. Sam has strict record handling guidelines that are always observed. But don’t fret he’s not Obsessive/Compulsive about it. For fun we often make CD’s together for gifts for family and friends. It's an activity we can partake in together at home and it appeals to my Scottish thrifty nature. Making gifts is both entertaining and cheap!

Secondly, Sam is a devout 70’s rock fan to the core. I enjoy the new music of today as much as I do Elvis from the 50’s and the Eurythmics from the 80’s. I’m enjoying Usher, Alicia Keys and Joss Stone a lot right now. Sam’s current play list includes Led Zeppelin, Todd Rungren & the soundtrack to Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. We both enjoy live music and are often see musical theater. When last in Las Vegas, we saw the ABBAfest Mamma Mia! And we’d admit to being on our feet, singing and clapping along like the rest of the crowd in attendance.

Lisa & Sam on a bicycle outing last summer

4. What sorts of hobbies and antics interest you enough to keep you out of trouble?

Sideways Sam & I like to ride our bikes, kyack, play tennis, and go to the movies. We camp, travel & party well together. I like to do needle point, sew, and I’ve been known to make the occasional sock monkey. I enjoy cooking and baking – I’m making a peach tart today, for example. When there is nothing in particular on TV, I can be caught watching HGTV or TLC. I enjoy all of the home improvement and gardening show’s. I love to read, and I occilate between fiction and biographies. I’m currently reading Why you crying? By the comedian George Lopez. But none of this keeps me out of trouble. I’m going to traffic school at the end of the month to make amends for my recent lapse in driving skill.

Kyacking on one of our vacations!

5. You said you were originally from Chicago, and I'm not going to go back and check because I'd better have this right! Tell us a bit about what it's really like to live in that mythical Southern California wonderland, how old you were when you moved there, what were your first impressions, and, what's your screenplay all about? ;) (a little Los Angeles humor there!)

My screenplay should be about a midwest farmer’s daughter who is saved from a life of drugs and promisceuity by her families move to sunny Southern California. How’s that for a twist? We moved to O.C. in the winter of 1977. At 15 I found the notion of hanging Christmas wreaths on palm trees appalling. It just didn’t sit right with my Norman Rockwell take on the holiday. The first day I went to my new highschool, the home of the Flying Eagles, everyone was wearing down vests and Ditto’s jeans. I wore shorts and a t-shirt because the weather was so fair compared to the 10 below-zero snowdrift I left behind in Chicago.

Myth: So Cal is all blondes on the beach. Reality: Being a redhead, I wasn’t built for the beach and surfing, but I did learn to play volleyball & tennis.

Myth: There’s a Celebrity on every corner. Reality: Never met a celebrity in 20 years that wasn't at a book signing or a movie premier. However I did know Tom Selleck before he was Magnum PI. He worked at the U Driv’em Boat Rental next to the Balboa Chipyard cookie bakery where I worked one summer.

I’m very grateful that my parents brought me to California. The best part of the deal is that I met my fantastic husband here and we’ve been together for 22 years. We love living in So Cal and hope one day to venture North in the state to a community like Pacific Grove – home of the monarch butterflies.

Thanks Susie for the fun five. Hopefully you know me a bit better than you did before this writing regalia began.

If any of you out there would like me to ask you 5 questions, please let me know ; > )

Creatures Sited in Santa Cruz

The Party Animal: Ever ready to celebrate this happy-go-lucky animal has the stamina of a cheetah and the joyous temperment of small child on Christmas.

She unwraps every gift offered with glee, drinks every glass of wine with thurst and munches on hors d'ouvres with relish.

Rarely seen without a smile on her face, she hugs each guest and exclaims, "For me? You shouldn't have! But I'm awfully glad you did." with every package received.

The Elephant Seal: Is he lost? Hurt? Does he need assistance? No the Marine Mammal Rescue Man told us this 7-month old seal is healthy and just resting. A few momments after this photo was taken he went out with the tide. Goodbye and goodluck little fella!

The Banana Slug: We saw this little guy on our way thru the stand of sequoias just outside of Santa Cruz in the Howard Cowell Redlands National Park. As instructed in the visitor's center, we were on the watch out for bobcats, racoons, mountain lions and bats, but all we saw were some rust-tailed squirrels, a few jays and this slug. The trees were fabulous and the dappled light on the forest floor below was mesmerizing. Overall it was a fantastic 1-hour trek. We were thrilled to see this mollosk, and he looked pretty happy to see us, too.

What kinds of animals have you seen this summer?