proud birds.

I took these at that strange little retro restaurant out on Aviation near LAX. I've always wondered about that place.

gone.

Dan-dee no more. I took these photos of the excellent Dan-Dee Shoe Repair sign last spring. Part of my intention in starting this blog was to document the changes that are happening in Hollywood with all the reconstruction. One of my favorite blogs, Franklin Avenue, reported last week that the sign has disappeared, and indeed, a brand new building seemed to unveil itself overnight. Mike says the Museum of Neon Art was trying to obtain the sign before the building went down, but apparently, they were not successful. RIP Dan-Dee Shoes.

symphony.

And speaking of Pacific Palisades, I play in the Palisades Symphony, just up the road from the beach. It's really fun. I took a short hiatus (20 years) from playing the violin, which I have to admit, was a bit of a mistake. But what can you do. I started again, because Brian and Joy asked Margaret and I to play at their wedding. I kept with it, then got up the nerve to call the symphony. I went in for my first rehearsal, terrified at the prospect of auditioning, and knocked over an entire row of stands. They went down like dominoes. The conductor Joel said "an auspicious beginning."

Which proved to be true. I'm doing really well now and loving playing again. It's a great little group, a bit Waiting for Guffman, and there are some real characters. Pretty much everyone is a PhD except me. It truly is a "dorkestra" and I mean that in the most loving way. Joel picks some excellent music, usually very challenging. If you ever want to come to one of the concerts, please do. We always have some killer desserts afterwards.

this is how I spent new year's day.

Pretty sweet, eh? This is at Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades. It's my favorite. I also had coffee with the ladies in the morning, went for a really nice walk and saw Revolutionary Road.