Spring Flowers

This is the time of year when the flowers come out in Los Angeles!  Our own yard is full of lovely blooms!

California Poppies and some sort of Spikey Plant

 

Roses and Gladioli in the side yard

Larry calls these Rock Roses

even the succulents are blooming!

All over the City there are flowers blooming in unexpected places.  I'm especially fond of little gardens next to gas pumps at the local station!  Of course, you can visit the Huntington Gardens, Descanso Gardens, the Rose Garden at Exposition Park and various other beautifully landscaped parks around town, but just take a walk through the neighborhood.  You'll be surprised at the abundance of beautiful flowers right on your own street.

Don't forget to adorn your Spring hat with flowers of ANY kind!

It's the small, beautiful things that give us hope. 

Honoring MLK in Yarn

This has become a tradition on "L.A. Is My Beat."  For the past eleven years I have been featuring Suzanne's MLK sweater on my blog in honor of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I will repeat  again this year because I'm so in love with this idea and in awe of Suzanne's mad skills. 

The sweater pattern is from "Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines."  The name of this sweater is "Margaret," designed for the book by Mary Neal Meador.  The instructions state that the sweater may be embellished after knitting with chain stitched quotations of the knitter’s choice.  The sweater in the book has poetry added to the front and back. 

When I saw Suzanne's ("owlknits") sweater, I was touched by the words she chose.  This is from Suzanne's project page on Ravelry: 

I knit this sweater for a local art exhibition that was organized to honor the ideas of Martin Luther King, Jr.  I used quotes from his “I have a dream…” speech to embroider on the front and back of the sweater: Front: Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. Back: The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the day of justice emerges.

These words are still true today.  I am still blown away by Suzanne's sweater and her choice of quotations.  One day I will make such a sweater for myself.  Bravo!  Excellent work, Suzanne, honoring an eloquent man and his ideas! 

Follow this graphed chart to make a different sweater honoring MLK

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Marin Luther King, Jr.

Larry's Birthday 2024

On Sunday night even though our City was mourning over fire damage and considerable loss, I did not want to let Larry's birthday go un-celebrated!  We drove up to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and dined at Shirley Brasserie.  

I do love the Roosevelt Hotel.  It's a part of Hollywood history.  The hotel has undergone massive restorations in the past 20 years and really looks beautiful. The lobby at night is a bit dark and scary, but I guess you could call it Hollywood Noir!

Shirley Brasserie is the fancy restaurant at the hotel.  There's a coffee shop on the street level, different bars, etc.  It's called Shirley Brasserie after Shirley Temple! It seems that Shirley learned her tap-tastic dance up those Spanish tiled stairs right outside the restaurant from Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.  The photo below is from the actual film, "The Little Colonel" (1935).

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Shirley Temple, "The Little Colonel" (1935)

We were the only couple in the entire, huge restaurant at first.  People started coming in a bit later. We figured that because it was Sunday night and the town was watching TV to see where the next flames would strike was the reason.  Luckily, our house is out of the danger zones.

Shirley Brasserie at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Dinner was lovely!  We started out with a Caesar salad and French Onion Soup.  I had the Duck Breast in Orange Sauce with Spinach for my entree and Larry ordered the New York Steak with mini-potatoes.  We topped off our meal with their Chocolate Mousse with Espresso Cream!

Everything was really delicious and I would definitely return to this elegant place the next time we have something to celebrate.  The atmosphere is sophisticated and serene!

The Magnificent Lobby at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

The Winter Solstice

 

Siblings, Fanny, Abe and ETHEL Pellicoff, 1894. Philadelphia, PA

Today is the Winter Solstice. It also happens to my grandmother's birthday. Ethel Anna Pellicoff Bloom. She would have been 135 years old today! Grandma Ethel died 62 years ago at the age of 73...young for today. I can't believe it's been such a long time. She made a great impression on me. People say I resemble her. She was very artistic. She sewed and crocheted, played the piano, was a champion bridge player and a great cook. Above all, she was thoughtful and taught her children and grandchildren to be kind, fair, honest and true.

Ethel Anna Pellicoff, High School Graduation, 1907,  New Jersey

A few years ago, my cousin Carol told me a story about Grandma I'd never heard before. The Blooms lived in West L.A. from the mid-1930s until a few years after WW 2. Ethel was a realtor. She had many friends in the business, including shop owners, growers and nurseries on Sawtelle Blvd., the Japanese section of West LA. When many of her Japanese friends were relocated to internment camps during the War, Ethel held their properties for them. She collected rents, made sure all repairs were done and generally watched over everything for the owners until they returned to Los Angeles. One family was so appreciative, that they invited Ethel on a trip to Hawaii with them! I'm very proud of my Grandma.  I was just a girl when she passed. I so wish she had been around when I was older so I could have gained more of her wisdom. 

Lawrence and Ethel Bloom with their sons, Mort, George and Baby Hi. Boyle Hts., Los Angeles, 1922

Happy birthday, Grandma!

Rosh Hashonah

Sundown Wednesday is the beginning of the Jewish High Holidays. Wednesday night and alll day Thursday we celebrate Rosh Hashanah which is the Jewish New Year. The following is from the Judaism 101 site. 

In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year" or "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. There is one important similarity between the Jewish New Year and the American one: Many Americans use the New Year as a time to plan a better life, making "resolutions." Likewise, the Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year. 

It is customary during Rosh Hashonah, the Jewish New Year, to start fresh and cast your sins into the water.  This is called the tradition of Tashlikh. This Wednesday, Larry and I will travel to the closest body of water to our house, the Ballona Creek flood channel, and cast our sins off!

Click to make larger.  So, THIS is how gefilte fish is made!

One of the many traditions during this holiday is to eat something sweet to make sure that you will have a sweet and happy New Year.  We dip apples in honey or eat some delicious honey cake. Sometimes, I will cook a simple dinner of roast chicken, noodle kugel (with raisins for sweetness) and carrots cooked in butter, brown sugar and a bissel orange marmalade.  The carrots are cut into little circles to represent coins to symbolize wealth in the New Year.

It's always good to review your life for the past year and think ahead to what you'd like to accomplish in the coming year. We all make mistakes throughout the year. The difficult thing is to try and correct those mistakes or to not repeat them. I'll give it my best shot! This year, my Cousin Lauren is having a Rosh Hashonah dinner at her home.  I look forward to having challah and honey with my cousins and her besties.  

Labor Day

 

Happy Labor Day! Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894.

I spent over 45 years in the work force. Some of that time was spent as a union member, working at various movie studios throughout Los Angeles. Today, I am reaping the benefits of full-time employment thanks to the labor movement's accomplishments over the years for equal rights, better working conditions and equal pay, especially for women. Thank you.

One of my favorite Woody Guthrie songs is "Union Maid," written in 1940.  Here's my rendition with some updated lyrics added in 1973 by Nancy Katz.

Happy Labor Day!

Hometown History

 

Photo, courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library Archives

The caption for the photo above that appeared in the L.A. Herald Examiner in 1960 reads, "Commemorating the work of eight film pioneers who led the fight against Beverly Hills' annexation by Los Angeles in 1922, a 30-foot marble monument was dedicated at Beverly Dr. and Olympic Blvd. on March 9, 1960. A spiraling bronze replica of a strip of motion picture film is topped by a 14-karat gold star. Among filmland personalities taking part in the fete are, left to right, Conrad Nagel, Corinne Griffith, Mary Pickford and Harold Lloyd."

I was at this dedication. Sooky Goldman, photographer and reporter for the Beverly Hills Courier, recruited our Brownie Troop from Beverly Vista Elementary School to participate in the dedication ceremony for the statue. There was a photo of our troop, saluting in front of the statue in the BH Courier. My copy of the photo is long gone, but I still remember the day.

Beverly Vista Brown Troop, 1960 - L-R: Jeri, Denise, Allison, Erica, Jody, Ellen, Nancy, Leslie, Sharon, Eva, Ria, Mandy, Dana, Sandy, Karin, Gayle - Back row: Troop Leaders, Mrs. Milner, Mrs. Martin

Our neighbor, Sooky Goldman, later became active in the preservation of Franklin Canyon Park. 

The statue is still on Olympic Blvd. at Beverly Drive, right near Von's Pavillions Market. It's in the middle of this traffic triangle. I must go over there again and photograph the statue! I feel proud to have participated in this small piece of Beverly Hills history.

The Summer Olympics in Paris

Oooo!  It's so exciting to watch the Opening Ceremonies to the Summer Olympic 2024 on TV.  They are in Paris this year!  The ceremonies are being held on the streets of Paris, not in a traditional stadium!  WOW!

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 1932 Olympic Summer Games

Los Angeles was the host city in 1932 and then again in 1984.  We will be hosting again in 2028.  there's a LOT of work to do to get our City ready by then!

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 1984

It was a glorious 2-1/2 weeks in Los Angeles in 1984 when we hosted the Olympics. Many residents, fearing extra traffic and crowds left town for the duration of the games. People curbed their driving. There was no smog. The weather was perfect. I attended many events in person, which was a thrill. It was a wonderful time in Los Angeles.

Santa Monica Beach L.A. Public Library Photo Archives

My Dad attended many of the events during the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. I even have a printed program from the 1932 opening ceremonies at the Coliseum where my tween-aged Dad pasted newspaper clippings of his favorite Olympic swimming star, Johnny Weismuller!  Mom and Dad both volunteered for the 1984 Olympics.  It was a proud day for both of them, having experienced TWO Olympic times in their home town.

The Olympics makes a city do some wondrous things. For instance, the renaming of 10th Street in Los Angeles was renamed Olympic Boulevard for the 1932 Summer Olympics, as that was the occasion of the tenth modern event. Tenth Street School, at Olympic and Grattan, was founded in 1888 and has kept the original name. Parts of the old 10th Street exist as smaller streets near Hancock Park, in Westlake, and in the Central City East area southeast of Downtown. 10th Street stopped at the eastern edge of 20th Century Fox Studios. It picked up on the western side of the Studio as Country Club Drive. Below, see Shirley Temple at the 1939 bridge dedication at the Studio. Subsequently, this bridge was torn down, but another, structurally safe Olympic bridge exists, connecting to Century City.

The Olympic Boulevard bridge dedication, connecting the north and south portions of 20th Century Fox Studios, 1939.  Shirley Temple, presiding

In 1932, Helms Bakeries became the official bread supplier for the Olympics. The company’s signature “Olympic Bread” was packaged in distinctive wrapping that sported the famous five-ringed Olympic symbol. The recently restored Helms Bakeries neon sign still proudly advertises that Olympic history.

Helms Bakery Neon

Have fun for the next two weeks watching the Olympics and cheering on our teams!  Go USA!

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend is the kick-off for summer!  It is also a day to remember all the people who have served, and are serving, in the armed forces; our surviving veterans; and to honor those who have died in past wars.  Thanks, guys! Wikipedia's description of this day, Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 28th in 2018). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. women and men who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil War), it was expanded after World War I.

Summer also means backyard barbecues, parties, the beach and vacations! We are experiencing some cloudy and cool weather here in Los Angeles right now.  We call it "May Gray," which leads to "June Gloom."  Eventually, we'll have plenty of sunshine.  Savor the coolness while it's here!

Photo by Nicole Houff

My local ukulele group, The CC Strummers are having their annual Memorial Day Potluck on Sunday.  It's always fun, full of great food selections and excellent conversation!  We are also holding an Open Mic with about 10 participants. Ukulele has changed my life!  I hope you also have a fun weekend planned. Try to stay out of traffic and just enjoy your current surroundings. There's a lot to be said for a home-grown holiday!

Honoring MLK in Yarn

This has become a tradition on "L.A. Is My Beat."  For the past ten years I have been featuring Suzanne's MLK sweater on my blog in honor of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I will repeat  again this year because I'm so in love with this idea and in awe of Suzanne's mad skills. 

The sweater pattern is from "Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines."  The name of this sweater is "Margaret," designed for the book by Mary Neal Meador.  The instructions state that the sweater may be embellished after knitting with chain stitched quotations of the knitter’s choice.  The sweater in the book has poetry added to the front and back. 

When I saw Suzanne's ("owlknits") sweater, I was touched by the words she chose.  This is from Suzanne's project page on Ravelry: 

I knit this sweater for a local art exhibition that was organized to honor the ideas of Martin Luther King, Jr.  I used quotes from his “I have a dream…” speech to embroider on the front and back of the sweater: Front: Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. Back: The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the day of justice emerges.

These words are still true today.  I am still blown away by Suzanne's sweater and her choice of quotations.  One day I will make such a sweater for myself.  Bravo!  Excellent work, Suzanne, honoring an eloquent man and his ideas! 

Follow this graphed chart to make a different sweater honoring MLK

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Marin Luther King, Jr.  

Happy Birthday Larry!

Today, January 12th is Larry's birthday!  I married the perfect man for me! I hope to have many more adventures and fun times with you, my sweet, handsome, smart and adorable Larry!

Labor Day

I'm thankful to all the laborers and workers who came before me, standing up for equal rights on the job.  Happy Labor Day!

Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.

I spent over 45 years in the work force. Some of that time was spent as a union member, working at various movie studios throughout Los Angeles. Today, I am reaping the benefits of full-time, corporate employment thanks to the labor movement's accomplishments over the years for equal rights, better working conditions and equal pay. Thank you. Let's get our writers and performers back to work!

Birthday Week 2023

B-Day carnations (my faves) from Mr. Larry

I've been on a birthday roller-coaster since last week!  My actual birthday was on Thursday, July 20th.  We had lunch with Mollie and Jeffrey on Monday (Miolie's b-day is 7/23) at Bodhi Thai on Olympic Blvd. in BH.  Delicious! Tuesday, I finally passed my obligatory written CA-DMV test.  When you reach a certain age (ahem!) you are required to re-take this tricky test!  On Wednesday, some of the Ladies of the Uke took me to lunch at our fave place, Jackson Cafe.  

On Thursday, the big day, I was greeted with flowers and gifts from my Sweetie! After my online ZOOM ukulele class with Cali Rose (where the group sang "Happy Birthday" to me), Larry and I embarked on our b-day field trip.

6th Street Bridge View from the Street Below

First stop, the Sixth Street Viaduct Bridge. The original bridge built in 1932 was torn down in 2016 and replaced by 2022.  This is the longest bridge in L.A. spanning the L.A. River, The 101 Freeway and the I-5 Freeway. This bridge looks totally different from the original and the other bridges cross the L.A. River, which are Art Deco in design. It's a modern miracle.  The bridge was so popular and unique when it opened, that people were performing all kinds of stunts on it, driving too fast, getting into accidents, jumping off, etc.  It had to be closed numerous times for these knuckleheads!  It's been a year since the bridge opened, so we figured we'd be able to drive across without closures.  No such luck.  We got there and police activity had closed the bridge.  So, we drove around underneath and took a few pictures.

We head over to Al & Bea's  Mexican food stand on East 1st Street in Boyle Heights for lunch.  They make the BEST bean and cheese burritos!  I haven't eaten anything else there because the beans in those burritos are so flavorable, but I'm sure everything is good!  There's always a guy playing popular tunes on his guitar out front.  It's a pleasant and delicious time at Al & Bea's.

The famous bean and cheese burrito at Al & Bea's doesn't look like much, but it's divine!

On our way back home to Mid-City, we drove down to Whittier Boulevard (which transitions into 6th Street on the other side of the L.A. River).  The 6th Street Bridge was open!  We finally got to drive across.  A park environment will be built beneath and surrounding the base of the bridge in the near future!

Driving across the 6th Street Bridge, east to west

We stopped at home to rest up a bit before the next leg of our birthday field trip. Later in the afternoon we headed over to the newly refurbished Hammer Museum in Westwood. The lobby has been remodeled with some added gallery space.  We toured the galleries and generally enjoyed the atmosphere.

Yarn installation, "Uncertain Journey," by Chiharu Shiota in the Lobby of the Hammer

A crocheted man met us in the first gallery

Selections from the Hammer's contemporary collection

An entire room made out of particle board by artist, Roland Reiss

Mixed media piece by Noah Purifoy

For dinner, we tried out the Santa Monica branch of Bludso's Barbecue on S.M. Boulevard at 14th Street.  The BBQ was delicious!  The restaurant operations and staff could use a bit more time to get up to speed, but all-in-all it was a great experience.

I have a few more lunch dates this week and next!  Thanks for all of the cards, gifts and greetings!