Ojai with Our Dogs

We just arrived at the orange grove. It is ten pm and the moon is not out. Instead we can see a sky full of stars against the dark night. We are in the Airstream and have electricity so making the bed and putting away provisions wasn’t quite as tricky as in candlelight.  Ray is…

Childhood Refuges

I was a solitary little girl, who loved to nestle in the space between the Nandina bushes and the white picket fence in our backyard; bare toes digging into the loose North Texas black soil; bare arms serving as racetracks for doodlebugs in exploration. My dog, Bob, was my constant companion. He was middle-sized, black…

Spicy Honey/Maple Sweetened Peach Pie with a Latticed Top

I made a spicy peach pie this evening. I had hoped to make this while my cousin and his wife were visiting (they left today), but I just didn’t have time since we were so busy. (Sorry, cuz). Anyway, I used maple sugar and honey since I don’t eat refined sugar. However, if you want…

Habitat for Humanity Report from Liz and Ron

Daughter Liz and her boyfriend, Ron, have returned from their 10 day trip to Alaska to work on a Habitat for Humanity house in Anchorage. We saw them tonight and heard about the trip. The highlights that we heard tonight are as follows: 1) Yes, they hope to do this again. They are considering a…

Off to See Where the Famous Are Buried

Today my cousin, his wife and I went to Westwood Village Memorial Park at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood to see the cemetery where many Hollywood stars are buried. The most famous is Marilyn Monroe. Below are tombstones of a few people who are familiar to most of us. It’s a great small cemetery directly…

Photo Essay: Dinner at Sarah’s

We ate dinner this evening with Sarah and Gregorio. Here are a few photos: My son-in-law grilling  Luna drawing  Lee Entertaining while Elaine listens Sarah and Gregorio Preparing More Entertaining    Food Ready    Lovely evening, great food, excellent company.  Thank you, Sarah and Gregorio for hosting. See you all tomorrow.

Visitors from Texas

My first cousin, Lee Leatherwood, and his wife, Elaine, are here in LA visiting from Austin, Texas. Lee and I are six days apart in age, and grew up in the same little Texas town. Our kids are close to the same age and we have many interests in common, which include writing, reading, and…