Modern-day Cave
Girl. Halloween 2001 at the Canterbury in Palos Verdes
(see the bones?)   July 4, 2002
with the splendid folks at Casa la Merced
Thanks to Sandy Gill
(what a talented artist) for this wonderful and personalized holiday card
 This is the big holiday party at Belmont Village in Hollywood, December 2004. Looks like Santa is ready for a vacation in Hawaii. I'm thrilled, however. It's too fun to sing about "Winter Wonderlands" and "Jingle Bells" when it's 85 degrees down the road at Hollywood and Vine! Bruce,
resident photographer
 Christmas/Hanukah 2002. Well this was a once-in-a-lifetime gig, entertaining from the "waiting area" at Nate and Al's Deli in Beverly Hills, for the "Senor Negro Fishing Club," and all the other early morning diners. I can't believe I look so perky at 8:00 in the morning. Lots of coffee and bagels, I guess.
   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 stupedous ukulele player and we did a little duet 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...as she was riding 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 Vintage 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 and ukulele player) at the
2006 Venice High School Prom  
 Playing the ukulele and keyboard at Marcia and Jerry's 50th Wedding Anniversary Bash in San Pedro. What a blast!!!
 Canterbury Halloween Party 2006! Poodle Skirt, ankle socks and "meata balls!" Yum Yum   That's
me doing the "dirty work" while witches, Karen and Maria look
on.
Happy News Years -- 2007!
 Peter and Tanya asked me to play at both of their birthday parties. Maybe they'll adopt me into their wonderful family! Spasibo!  
Halloween
2007 at the Canterbury as the Hot Flapper
Mama!
Private Birthday Party for No, that is not my brain on the piano... a hot 85 year old "beefcake"!   Cali sings at The Canterbury July 4 (left) and Halloween (2008) where's she's a hippy girl with "gift-wrapped" Maria.  Cali is the musical M.C., singing and playing the piano and ukulele at the 2009 Benefit Show for Long Beach Meditation  Maggie (yes the pooch), Marie, Anne, Tima, Susan and me meet for a "greet and eat" in Manhattan Beach, CA. Susan is a wild-woman entertainer who used to wow the audiences when she sat in at my piano bar gig at the Tam O' Shanter in Los Angeles. We hadn't seen each other for many years and Susan was visiting from Baltimore. Happy Birthday Wild Woman!  I look very tall in this picture. If only.... Thank you to Bernie Myers at Bixby Towers for taking this picture of me mid-show. Not long after this, Bernie lost his camera in Las Vegas. Ah, what he did in Vegas, stayed in Vegas. You go Bernie!!!  What a blast! I've lived in Culver City, California, for umpteen years and have never seen beyond the storied gates of Sony Studios (formerly MGM). So we took the studio tour--my wonderful step-sister and her husband, Jan & Jim (who were visiting from Minneapolis) and me. They snapped this picture as we stood against a blue screen and later super-imposed the Wheel of Fortune image behind us. Gotta love it!  It's a Hawaiian Sandwich! "Ricdoug" to my right and my husand Craig, on my left. We are smiling because we're having such a good time at the luau (and concert) at the Socal Ukulele Festival in Cerritos, California, October 2009. SUMMER HOLIDAY IN HANALEI, KAUA'I -- 2008   Hanalei
Bay on the north shore of Kaua'i is what heaven looks like!
Cali ziplines 8 times on the North Shore, hard-hat and all.  Cali and her husband Craig meet and greet Samuel (the guy in the middle) at Larry's Music in Kapa'a, Kaua'i. If you want to snag a very cool ukulele and breath in pure Aloha Spirit, visit this terrific music store and hang out with Samuel, who taught me the Kaua'i strum on the ukulele. Good vibes all around! Thanks Samuel! 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, but it was
fun sampling the huge array of ukuleles. I prefer dressing up as
a pineapple, thanks to the Dole
Plantation Tourist Trap and Train Ride. We skipped the touristy
stuff, 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. Meanwhile, back at Ala Moana--we do
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 big traffic.
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 come 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 until the "all-clear" was sounded. 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 to do.
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