Flibbertigibbet

The Hollywood Hills were alive...

with the Sound of Music Sing-Along.

Capacity crowd of all ages - eager homeschoolers, drunk 20-30 somethings, seniors, and a distinct gay undercrurrent, as well (something about dressing-up) - the coming of age story of a singing misfit nun was a memory we all agreed upon, if for different reasons. Some took the story at face value, while others were engaged in parody - mild yelps & benign cat calls - not only of the film, but of their own childhoods, as well. Either way, it was hysterical entertainment, as the audience engaged the screen, booing, hissing, cheering, armed with flashlights, props, etc - a family version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Surrounded by individuals plugged into a camp moment, Michael experienced the evening as larger-than-life fantasy (TV video became live theater). I guess I was somewhere in-between.

The Bowl - along with Dodger Stadium and the Griffith Observatory - is an LA icon (all hilltop venues) and has a great tradition of a pre-show picnic. Acoustics are quite good; you could hear yourself sing out in the void. Joanne, who made the trip to Salzberg while in Switzerland, joined us and the Kwongs for a memorable evening.

Carolyn rigged these last minute lederhosen out of ribbon and buttons. Michael is fascinated by the popper.

The movie was preceded by a costume competition mc-ed by a brassy gal lending an in-your-face dimension to the film's overall British civility. Leisl returned for the night, and the adorable, lifesize Toast, Jam, & Teacup sibling trio- we detected a Welch's Grape Jelly theme - won handily.

AYSO

Our weeks until sometime in November officially end on a soccer note. All Youth Soccer Organization, to be exact; Michael is now a Yellowjacket.

Games are held at PepperTree, a lovely park up against hills and valleys close to the ocean; cooler temps, even when our Westlake neighborhood nears 100.
A kind of victory passageway (both teams do it, however) ending every game.We love Coach Mike, who reinforces that the main goal is to have fun; the boys' positions are evenly rotated - everyone gets to play. Soccer moms and dads have a bad rep, so AYSO has a new rule that ousts parents who yell too much. It's really interesting how these benevolent games draw out your inner tyrant.

Jack's job was feeding Arielle.

Michael made goalie for the first game and loved the uniform

We are loving these games way more than imagined. Nice kids, parents, outdoors and NO Sunday games! I have to admit though, as nice as it is to just have fun, it is great to win and hard to lose.

Camarillo: Beacon Hill Academy & Grace Reformed Church

Our lives have shifted westward, away from LA, towards Camarillo (about 20 minutes), where we attend Grace Reformed Church

and Michael attends Beacon Hill Classical Academy,

which has a home-to-school program, allowing Carolyn to homeschool twice weekly; and volunteer an art rubric on Fridays. Today was Van Gogh; later in the month I'll do a segment on Hokusai, an early influence.

Red Fuji

The Great Wave

Initially a dicey venture, word has gotten out and this K-2 school is nearing its 20 student ceiling. I personally scrubbed those chairs and Carolyn made an IKEA trip to outfit the space.

Mr Smith

Anyone who has met Michael knows how much he loves social interaction - we think peers and additional authority figures in a community we trust is good.

Going from a setting largely bereft of social value, over the summer we landed in a world centered by church, with integrity of worship and meaningful conversation over tables of food in houses that are lived in; surrendering anonymity. Towns are no longer anchored by church architecture or public spaces; we meet in an office park, bordering farm fields and train tracks. But given the social alienation represented by the car culture of SoCal, these realities and the intermittent roar of a train during a GRC service is oddly healing to me.

Thinking demographics are also part of the story, compare these cities:

Camarillo
33K (per capita income) 28% (college degree)
Thousand Oaks
54K (per capita income) 45% (college degree)

Camarillo has a stronger agrarian tie, while TO showcases the transience of the professional class; by contrast, GRC has families spanning generations in the locale. We are the anomaly in the church, being from the outside with significant personal histories in other states, but hopefully add something to the mix. We've been made to feel very welcome here.

Seasonal Clean-up

This was my Father's Day gift - M & J transformed into pop-art iconography.
Michael entered 2nd grade this week - more on this exciting school development later. Right now, I already know how much I'll miss this period of their lives. M & J have created their own little world as our children, so I wonder if memberships in outside, discrete groups will drive a subtle wedge; between them and us, and each other.

This summer we discovered the vast world of day camps. Michael did art camp for two weeks, while Jack did preschool.

We blindly rolled into Legoland the week Orange County began school, ie EMPTY park! No lines. A merciful park - not too big and geared towards the wee set.
We really enjoyed ourselves, especially the hotel pool scene afterwards during this heat wave, which sure beat getting on the 5 - Angelenos place an article ("the") before the highway - for 2.5 hours home.
After years of being away, I'm renewing my hometown loyalty to the men in blue; viewing the Dodgers hit a grand slam and beat the Cubs, as we consumed loads of junk with Jeff, just back from a Minneapolis, summer internship. Jack is geared towards baseball - studied the players and refused to take off his jersey for days, saying, "I want to be a 'Dodgerman.'"

Also, finally entered Hollywood, taking in G Force at the El Capitain, one of the grand ol' movie houses, complete with a gold-leaf, Wurlitzer organ rising through the stage floor.
The entire event, including lunch at Musso & Frank's, was planned by Uncle Tom who, from out-of-state (Oregon), has more desire to experience iconic LA.

However, music practice knows no summer. Jack is improving, too - not nearly so screechy now.We also celebrated Kai (Japanese for "ocean") Tokuda - a second cousin? - turn 1. Among only relatives among a community of friends (mostly Japanese), we remembered the Hawaiian wedding where we met most of these folks. Kai has another set of cousins also named Michael & Jack.

Michael, Jack; Jack, Michael

End of Summer

The Kwongs came over for a much-needed catch-up before summer escaped. I decided to grill yakitori or kushiyaki menu of teeny skewers: bacon-wrapped asparagus/shiitake mushrooms, shrimp/scallop, and beef teriyaki/green onion. These skewers are a highlight of our time in Japan, where rows of charcoal-grilled vendors are often adjacent to major train stations.



Watermelon and corn are summer fare, but with the bbq plumbed to a gas line, I grill all year. A newly opened farmers' market up the road has also opened up possibilities, bringing the best salmon we've had down here.

With Michael's Beacon Hill Academy and Pepperdine beginning fall terms on the 31st, we're squeezing the summer for all it's worth, although sunny, warm weather will easily last another month or two. Living in Switzerland made me realize how warped my sense of seasonal time was, as a friend commented about a chill in the air, "fall has arrived." This was late August.

Most places I've lived similarly sync-ed the 8th month's end with the 3rd season's arrival, so I no longer have the reaction of feeling gypped. Now that I've been back in LA for 5 years, I wonder if my old inner clock will reset.

When we first moved down from WA - we and the Kwongs attended the same church. We now attend a church in Camarillo and our friendship is more intentional, since we our paths don't naturally cross. Their oldest, Zachary, was home from college, and you just realize how momentary life is - worshipping together, working together, family meals together - before a "game-changer" happens. Like long days and warm evenings.

water fun