Independence Day at Paradise Cove

Celebrating the 4th of July at Paradise Cove in Malibu is a combination of homeliness and elegance.  Many thanks to dear friends who included us in their creative neighborhood.  Live music was blasting as the golf carts with home-made decorations paraded by the dancers, food trucks provided huge burgers and fries while another offered ice cream specialties, and, finally, fireworks were reflected in the Pacific Ocean as we gathered around a fire ring.  It really felt patriotic as it benefited The Raincatcher Project - theraincatcherproject.  

Revisiting Some Favorites at the Getty

Re-visiting some favorites at The Getty Center, www.getty.edu/museum, was made even sweeter when being with my dear family. 

 IRISES 1889 by Vincent van Gogh oil on canvas

 THE PORTAL OF ROUEN CATHEDRAL IN MORNING LIGHT 1994 by Claude Monet oil on canvas 

 WHEATSTACKS, SNOW EFFECT, MORNING 1891 by Claude Monet, oil on canvas 

 an art lover enjoying STILL LIFE WITH FLOWERS AND FRUIT 1869 by Claude Monet, oil on canvas 

YOUNG LADIES ADMIRING JAPANESE OBJECTS 1869 by James Tissot, oil on canvas 

Bernini Sculpture First Public View Since 1621

It was a privilege to see a sculpture when it went on public view for the first time since it was created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1621.  The masterpiece was originally kept in the Villa Borghese in Rome and whereabouts have been unknown until 2014 when The Getty Museum acquired it.  www.getty.edu/museum

"BUST OF POPE PAUL V," Gian Lorenzo Bernini, marble, 1621

Bouillabaisse and Crab Cakes at the Getty

Whenever I want to make my time at the Getty Center  

even more perfect I dine on bouillabaisse and crab cakes at The Restaurant at the Getty.  This time it was made even better when being surrounded by my family.

 Bouillabaisse - mussels, clams, shrimp, chorizo, coriander, chipolte saffron cream, fried onion, oranges 

Crab Cakes - smoked paprika aioli, avocado mousse, crispy proscuitto 

Don't You Just Love Hotels That Revere Art?

 Seward Johnson's FOREVER MARILYN 1996

Chihuly's ceiling greets the visitors  

http://www.fourseasons.com/losangeles/

A Memorial as Grand as the Lady Herself

http://www.langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/pasadena?semid=tllax-brand-google-ppc-rooms-20140603

Thanks Mr. Hammer

Thanks to Armand Hammer I can run errands and stop in to see world-class art on my way home.  These paintings are all in the permanent collection.   hammer.ucla.edu/

Rembrandt's JUNO oil on canvas

 Titian's PORTRAIT OF A MAN IN ARMOR oil on canvas

Fantin-Latour's PEONIES IN A BLUE AND WHITE VASE, oil on canvas

van Gogh's THE SOWER oil on canvas 

Salad in a Martini Glass

Could it be more elegant?  Lunch began with a salad in a martini glass.  Or menu listed it as "first course---Chilled Green

Gazpacho with Maine Lobster Salad."  ...lightly succulent!  www.fourseasons.com/losangeles/

Fashion Show

The 33rd annual scholarship fashion show, benefiting scholarships for students at the Otis College of Art and Design, was held on May 2, 2015, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.  

As a member of a group that has, for the past 40 years, raised funds for that same goal, I was privileged to attend the dress rehearsal.  Following are some of the many designs by the graduating students who have been mentored by such distinguished designers as:  Bob Mackie, Trina Turk, Morgane Le Fay, Anne Cole, Quicksilver, etc.  

 

  

Pools in My Life

I begin each day swimming and am naturally taken by all the pools I find in my life.

This beauty of one of the koi ponds in the gardens at the Getty Villa.  So, it is irresistibly, a combined art and pool treat.  

For fun and games is this delightful body of water at the Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs.  

This infinity pool at a private residence could double as a giant reflective body of water or a great place to do daily laps.  

...definitely a swimmer's pool, but pretty, too.

One of my favorites, as this is where I won my gold medals, naming me the fastest swimmer in backstroke in the California Senior Olympics in 2007 and then, again, in 2010. 

 The pool where I begin most every day.

What can I say?  A pool of sheer beauty.  

When dining at The Fig Restaurant at Santa Monica's Fairmont Hotel it is a treat to see how many can't resist playing in this small pool.  

Gypsy Awards 2015

The Professional Dancers Society held the 2015 Gypsy Awards on March 29 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.  It is always a sparkling affair that we dancers eagerly await. 

 

This year, our dear friend, Miriam Nelson (l), won a Choreographers Award for her extraordinary contribution to the dance.  Pictured to her right is Florence Henderson, Mitzi Gaynor (our president), and Carol Lawrence (who was given this year's Gypsy Award). 

 

 Me, happily arriving with those magnificent chandeliers blazing in the grand ballroom. 

 

 

 

Legend of stage and screen, Carol Lawrence, posed on stage with the young dancers who performed an especially created dance paying tribute to her career. 

At the Movies

 

 

The magnificent "Woman in Gold" shows the power of art.  Gustav Klimpt's glorious "Woman in Gold," painting, was lost to the Austrian family when it was taken as the spoils of war.  When the heir to the painting searches for and tries to claim it, the heartrending story unfolds.  I didn't consult my watch once during the film, which is my real test of a great movie. 

Rob Marshall has done it again with "Into the Woods."  He has transplanted a Sondheim musical comedy from the stage to the silver screen. Just imagine every favorite of your fairy tales, melded into one, and portrayed by amazing talent.   I didn't want it to be over. 

"Unbroken" was a true story of how the human spirit can be undaunted and even soar.  The true story tells of an Olympian, hero, and human being who overcame unimaginable trials and still had a forgiving heart. 

signed:  YOUR MATINEE MAVEN