Palmer & Krisel - North Hills

Great restoration opportunity!


photo via sfvmod

Needs a lot of TLC but so many original elements still in place. (Reminds me a lot of our house when we bought it many moons ago. D saw the potential!)

Here's a great restored home in the same neighborhood.

good read day/week/month

i've come across two interesting ways to share articles lately. (i really feel i get so much of my information - valuable and otherwise - from things that are sent to me via the web.)

1) joanna goddard's "articles club" (love this idea.)
2) my friend nomi's weekly "5 things" email where she compiles 5 things found on the web + a photo she is loving. (so good!)

four links that crossed my desktop today that i don't want to forget...

the best worst president ever (yes! i really need to become a citizen.)

we want your job: graphic designer at madewell (e and i have been talking a lot lately about careers - and i've been stressing to her that if you love it, and can imagine it as a job, it likely exists! she has a strong interest in fashion, photography and design, and i want to make sure to share this interview with her.)

at what point is a model really considered plus size (one of the things that worries me most about her interest in fashion is the perpetual idealized body images presented there. though the choice of phrase isn't a good one - this still made me happy.)

10 reasons your teenage daughter should own a horse (no comment!)






along with all that - today is our 15th wedding anniversary. it doesn't seem like such a big number really, but then i look at the pictures that chronicle that day and the pictures that chronicle those years and can't believe it. i am so very lucky. my dad told me a long time ago that marriage is hard. it is. but it is oh so worth it all.

i love you cowboy. thank you for letting me, be me. and for making me better at it. here's to many more. xo

weekend to do

around the house
choose new outdoor fixtures
clean ceiling light fixtures
clean out medicine cabinet and bathroom drawers
vacuum upper cabinet tops
call in professional window washer for clerestory windows!

root for d who is running his first 10K!

looking for fall

we thought fall had arrived. but then it snuck away.

in any case, we know it can't be far away, and i'm looking forward to the thanksgiving week and trying out some new hiking spots.

LA County Department of Parks & Recreation has just launched a beautiful new trails website, here. i love that you can search by zip code. (committing it to memory by posting it here!)

los pinetos trail is at the top of my list.

and of course some old favorites...


last october at malibu creek state park

weekend to do

around the house

general clean-up (especially the girls rooms!)
pack away seasonal outdoor furniture (the rain has arrived!)



work a night at "the haunted ranch"!

BOO! 2014

there was the school parade (our last!) this afternoon followed by the usual neighborhood festivities. this was the 8th year for our neighborhood parade, and the first i've missed. (thanks for the pic john!) our girls are growing up - and strangely it was the younger who opted out and instead chose to help at halloween festivities at our beloved ranch. i joined her, and the eldest daughter took over the reigns and led the way, before heading out to trick-or-treat with friends.

k decided months ago that she wanted to be Annabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson series
e hemmed and hawed but finally settled on a biker, joined by her BFF

d and i (sadly no pictures) dressed up as "Mr. and Mrs. H. Potter"

i love Hallowe'en. love that its a day we roam our neighborhood amongst familiar faces and visit neighbors. love that our elderly ladies on the street still pull out their lawn chairs and witches hats for our parade. love that there is a new group of neighbors joining in and taking on the organization and hosting of the night's events. i love the costumes and the energy and the candy! happy hallowe'en!

weekend to do

*

around the house
catch up with ironing (again!)
high shelf dusting
clean fan

celebrate another 50!
finish halloween prep (except for carving pumpkins)



*this photo was taken today at the Pasadena Museum of California Art in a really lovely little show: An Opening of the Field: Jess, Robert Duncan, and Their Circle which includes two Kitaj pieces, this drawing of Robert Duncan, and the screenprint Star Betelguese. I loved hearing Kitaj's stories of his visits to their home in SF. And Kitaj and Duncan's time together in Paris.

LA Times review here.

mapping memory

in the spring of 2005 we bought a minivan. a minivan that would take us back and forth and back and forth along the west (best) coast. every summer. and every winter. we bought it before i had this blog. before my first digital camera. before flickr. when i was still shooting film all the time and putting photos into albums. when the girls were almost 4 and just weeks away from 1.

two weeks ago, now, we sold that minivan. it was bit bittersweet. it was definitely time, with 10 years and over 150,000 miles. i was ready to say goodbye to the three hubcaps, shabby mats and unidentified goo i could never get out of the rear seat cup holder. but it was paid for! and held a lot of memories.

i love a good road trip - as anyone who has read this blog knows. we do road trips. and 10 years and a few months ago, just after purchasing this van, we set off on our first to our island. d made sure our aaa membership was up-to-date and i started to do some research on their website, looking for maps and other references to guide us on our way. i stumbled upon the TripTik option and immediately ordered one, typing in our starting point and our destination. i'm not sure these are still available or not - now there seems to be a print your own option, though you can still order one.  (though i think the format is different.)  ours arrived and d and i poured over it. dreaming about the road ahead. in these early days we were ambitious. we allowed four or five days to traverse up the Interstate 5 (which stretches from the Mexico to Canada borders) and camped and stayed with friends along the way. (K celebrated her first birthday at a campsite in the shadow of Mt. Shasta on that first trip!)



now we can make it up in less than 48 hours. we do one stop (usually the Hi-Lo in Weed going up, and the Best Western in Redding coming down). we still use the same TripTik.



when i cleaned out the old van it was there with our ferry card and the menu to my favorite lunch spot when the girls and i detour over to the 101 at the end of every summer.



many of the pages have come loose from the spiral binding. every page has scribbles and notes showing favorite lunch spots and rest stops. calculations to answer "how much farther until..." an expense list from the first trip (hotel in Buttonwillow for $45 and gas for $2.30 / gallon!) it has directions to get to melissa's and the phone number of the realtor who helped us purchase our cottage. (after a few summers renting, we knew we had to put down real roots there.) it has lots and lots of e's attempts at printing out her name and quiet notes we'd pass back and forth over the seats.







i'm looking forward to many more road trips and moving this well-worn book into the glovebox of the new car. a little piece of the van we are holding on to. a map that takes me many places.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


k is up in the mountains with her classmates for 3 days. they've been preparing for this trip since last spring. any student whose family wants them to go can go. we fundraise to make sure of that. (it is the same trip e went on what feels like a million years ago.)

i realized late sunday that one of the students - new to the school and homeless - might not have the gear they would need. i called a friend to be on alert in case we needed a coat, mitts, etc. on monday morning i checked in with office, only to find that our plant manager (aka custodial staff) had purchased the gear this child might require. he quietly got it to him and slipped it into his luggage.

these are the little stories that happen every day in LAUSD schools (and public schools around the country). when i told e this anecdote. she said "that's what makes a school great".

exactly.

weekend to do

prep for school camp
volunteer at ranch
date night!

around the house
move raised bed soil
wash and line-dry duvets
clean-out and restock pantry

No.976

the plaque is finally up. so happy for our neighbors, and neighborhood. (and loving their new purple door!)

Historic-Cultural Monument No.976 "Corbin Palms House"

weekend to do

around the house
clean out fridge
catch up on laundry

photograph "etsy box"

.....

home from a very productive quick trip just in time for a low-key celebration of 44 with those i love the most. it is going to be a very good year.

(photo from last night at the Longines Los Angeles Masters Grand Slam. wow!)

from London xo

i'm here on business for a few quick days. the energy. the history. i love this city and always enjoy my time here, no matter how quick.

i usually stay with friends, but due to a tight work schedule i'm staying at a hotel on the strand. fun to explore a neighborhood i'm not as familiar with. will make time to take in some theater, and visit favorite museums. (must see this.)

only wish the girls and d were able to join me this time. (miss you. xo)

weekend to do

battling another cold (urgh!)
and prepping home and packing my bag for a business trip.

(more than enough)

::13::

at 12:33 p.m. yesterday this girl turned 13. there was indian food and chocolate pudding pie as requested (as always requested). and getting to stay up an extra hour to watch dwts.*

13! one of the last of her friends to turn teenager she was more than ready. (and funny how now that she can access, all the social media sites she's been curious to get on, they don't seem so intriguing to her! i guess that's a good thing.)



and while i thought i'd be mourning the loss of my little girl to teenager-dom, i find that, while challenging on many days! - i am really loving getting to know the young woman she has become (is becoming). i love seeing her try on new ideas. i love her confidence. i love that she knows there is a whole big wonderful world in front of her and its ok not to know exactly what to do with it. i love that she sees the possibilities.



happy birthday dear e. my strong, confident, beautiful, thoughtful and brilliant girl. ilyttmab xo





* do you watch television with your kids? we've always had a no screen during the week rule - but now that the kids are older, we were talking about picking one show a week we'd all follow. we have a good friend that works on dancing with the stars, so that was the pick. (i didn't realize it is 2 hours long... is it always 2 hours long?!) what are you watching?

"and we danced all night..." (in praise of "yes".)

e's 13 was celebrated last night with one of her favorite bands. i hesitate to say her favorite. we ordered these surprise tickets so long ago (!) and i think the opening band has actually superseded this one, along with a nice dose of pop punk and some "classics" as well. good stuff. but the affection for these 5 is longstanding and i know this first concert experience will remain with her. the collective experience. (over 100,000 people! that's my hometown times 2.5!) songs she knew every word to. having her best friend, and her sister at her side.

for me, it was pure joy to just do this. i feel sometimes, like i say "no" a million times a day to her. i am constantly seeing/reading articles on entitled children, how not to spoil your kids, how to say no, and so on. i often feel on the other side of that. and while i'm conscious that she is extremely lucky in many ways (with extra-curricular lessons, a cel phone etc.) she most certainly doesn't get everything she wishes for (and a 12 year old girl, i've found, can wish for a lot.) it is nice to say "yes". it feels good to give such a treat. and she knows it is such. and appreciates it. sure, she likely wishes we were front row center. (didn't i wish the same when i saw duran duran so many years ago?!) but looking back, i know that won't be what she remembers. she'll remember the music. the lights. the screaming. and that i said "yes".

weekend to do

around the house
clean light fixtures
trip to goodwill

prep for ::13:: (first stop)

& most importantly stay cool.

made in the shade

we do a lot of time poolside. more than ever now with our investment in a new shade.



we purchased it back in may - but alas, i was being cheap frugal and didn't invest in the stand that was recommended. i thought we could make do with what we already had, but our ikea stand couldn't handle the cantilever + weight of the new "umbrella". of course d came up with a brilliant and beautiful solution after i showed him this inspiration.



he prepared a bendy board mold and used the old stand as a base, retrofitting the tube to stand higher. after the cement cured, he created a slat top out of redwood scrap.



now to build up the pool & area redo fund ;) in the meantime, this is the perfect spot for a morning cup of coffee. and just enough shade for the afternoon lifeguard.

weekend to do

around the house
closet latches
pond pump
prune trees
early morning / late night tomato sauce (to use up our csa box bounty - but not during the heat of the day)

frame e's bday present (pretty sure you don't read this anymore - but if you do, no peeking!)

stay cool

hanging out (part deux)

i have always been a big fan of laundry lines. we had one in our yard for a while (remember?), then moved it up to the cottage when we built the modern shed. we use it through the summer and i love the smell of clothes dried in the sun.

i spied this a few years back, but alas, could not find the compact version i wanted stateside. i did find it at the local home hardware on galiano over the summer and brought it home. (and now I see ours is available on amazon.)

it is amazing. i know it's a bit odd to rave on over a clothesline, but this one really is the bee's knees. it folds down flat against the house when not in use and is extremely well made (trust the aussies to design for hot dry temperatures!) and holds a large load without problem. its compact enough to fit comfortably in our side-yard, inspiring a whole side-yard redo that is now underway.

but i couldn't resist showing it off first.




along with the line, i found these wonderful collapsable clothes baskets. i wanted something not too deep, that could fold down and be stowed between the washer and the wall in our laundry room when not in use. and these are perfect for hauling loads outdoors and back again.



more on doing our laundry here
if we had more room this is a great (and beautiful) solution