Getting wacky at Covenant Manor in Long Beach
Special thanks to Rob Gordon for the vid-picks
This is Bill Wyckoff, one of
my
Christmas fun at the Gardena Elks
Club.
treasured music teachers
and mentors.
The stuffed elk was not celebrating...
April 2004, it's my honor to be part
of the big celebration
honoring hundreds of volunteers, the local heroes, of Gardena,
at their Annual Volunteer Dinner.
Audience participation (my
favorite part of the show)
Two new Gardena friends!
My husband Craig, brought me to his 6th period
American History Class,
at Venice High School, as "show
and tell." My
assignment was to sing some
of the great songs from the late
30's through World War II, without putting
the kids to sleep. "Hip-Hop," I'm
not. But we had a good time and his
students tried very hard to be
polite as I sang this "dinosaur" music. My husband
is a great ukulele player and we
did a little duet (yes I play uke too), on the
great song Aloha Oe (that
explains the lei around Craig's neck), along with a
history lesson. The song was written by
Queen Lili'uokalani in 1878...
on the back of a horse. Bet
you didn't know that!
These photos are from my show for St. Judes
at Leisure World, Seal Beach in May 2004.
On the left are "The Two 'D's" and me. In
the middle I'm trying not to trip on patch cords. And to the
right--well, it's "The Cali Wave."
Love that "audience participation"!
My
adopted Uncle Hal (visiting from Washington D.C.),
One of my favorite people in the world, Marion P., at her
Tracy (the assistant Activities Director of Avalon of Cerritos
82nd Birthday Party. We go back 25 years to the
--and
limo-driver-to-the-stars-extrarodinaire)
wild and woolly piano bar nights at the Airport Century Inn.
and me, before the big Father's Day Show, June 2005.
"Spasibo" and "Gracias" to the residents of Geneva Plaza
Lady Bug Halloween at The Canterbury
in Santa Monica, California
with Joey and Katie, singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"
Cali and her husband Craig (the teacher) at the
2006 Venice High School Prom
MY SUMMER VACATION -- AUGUST 2005
Punalu'u, O'ahu, Hawaii
My husband and I stayed on the windward shore of O'ahu, far far away from the frantic crowds in Honolulu and Waikiki.
We were sort of in the middle of nowhere, in the tiny and exquisite community of Punalu'u.
Most of the time, we had this magnificent beach all to ourselves.
One
afternoon, we checked out the famous Ala Moana Shopping Center to
compare prices at the Ukulele House. Pretty upscale for my
tastes. I prefer dressing up as a pineapple, thanks to the Dole
Plantation Tourist Trap and Train Ride. We skipped all that,
snapped a couple pictures and went to the bathroom. To the right
is the view from our condo. Looks like a beautiful sunset,
right? Wrong! We are on the east shore. We awoke
every morning to watch the sun rise over the Pacific. What a
splendid way to begin the new day.
Well,
it doesn't get any better than this--sitting on our sixth floor
balcony, strumming my new ukulele that I bought from the the fine folks
of Ko'olau in the fine windward community of Kaneohe. So now I
play the uke on my gigs too. Meanwhile, back at Ala Moana--we ate
lunch in the food court with about a thousand other people and I was
ready to take that Shiatsu massage home with me on the plane.
Crazy busy, but we had some of the best Korean Barbecue ever.
Speaking of food--the windward and north shores of O'ahu are festooned
with "shrimp trucks" that broil, bake, fry them shrimp any way you like
them. It's good messy eating!
In
the bucolic Valley of the Temples we found this dazzling replica of a
Japanese Buddhist Temple, set against the velvet, verdant folds of the
Ko'olau Mountains.
A few days later, we explored
Waimea Valley. We walked through ancient villages and botanical
gardens to reach the "promised land" -- a genuine waterfall and
swimming hole. If it wasn't for the sign that warned about some
pesky bacteria that lurks in the water, I would have jumped in, dress
and all. Waimea Valley is right across the highway from the
surfer heaven of the world--Waimea Bay, which is immortalized by the
Beach Boys in the song "Surfin U.S.A." It is a stunning
crescent-shaped beach with itty bitty waves in the summer.
But beginning in November, the big boys arrive, along with the big
waves and the big traffic problems.
Alas, sky-rocketing gas prices and
congested highways are part of this island paradise, too. But, we
found the people of the windward shore so warm and generous. For
example: One morning, while I was enjoying some alone time by the
beach, a handsome woman, well into her eighties and one of the
permanent residents of our condo building, walked right over and
offered me a paper napkin filled with freshly sliced pineapple.
"This is too good to keep just for myself and I have to share it.
Would you like some?" Aloha Spirit. That's what it
is. Even the street signs in the little towns along Kamehameha
Highway remind the commuters to "Drive with Aloha." We can't wait
to get back. Mahalo Nui Loa.
MY SUMMER VACATION -- August 2003
Arcata in Humboldt County, California and my College Alma Mater, Humboldt State
August 2003, my husband and I went on
a sojourn--I'll call "Nostalgia 101"--visiting my college alma mater,
behind the redwood curtain in Northern California--Humboldt State
University.
I haven't been back since I graduated "umptiti-dum dum" years
ago.
In the photo upper left, I'm leaning over the balcony of our room
at the Best Western Motel in Arcata, wearing one of my original
"Humboldt
State" T-shirts. In the middle picture, I'm stocking up on more
fashion
wear at the HSU bookstore. The picture in the upper right is
taken
at the computer room of "Humboldt Internet." My husband and I are
so addicted to checking our email that it's just plain pathetic, but at
$2.00 an hour, definitely a cheap thrill.
Here's my dorm, Chinquapin. We were known
as the "Chinquapin Chicks," and I had a very bad habit of hiding in the
closet during the fire drills at 2:00 in the morning, while other more
obedient students gathered on the grassy lawn below.
This photo to the left is a longer view of my home sweet home, away
from home. We were just steps from a vast redwood forest where
I'd lose myself for miles, hiking the mountain trails past
ancient trees, abundant ferns and sparkling streams. It was a splendid place to live and go to
school.
Believe it or not, I was
a pretty shy kid and playing the piano--this very piano in Redwood
Hall--helped yank me out of my shell and into the big world. I
loved the academia and graduated with honors, but truly, all I wanted
to do was play the
piano, sing and write. So, all these years later, I've come
full
circle, and am one of the lucky ones who makes a living at something
she
loves.
