YOU NEVER KNOW

This past week was filled with unexpected events. A car crashed into the rear of the new BMW loaner car I was driving. Full moon = crazy drivers. Also due to circumstances beyond my control I missed the dress rehearsals of two operas: Il Postino and The Marriage of Figaro. But! Things took a turn for the better with a delightful dinner at T & L's penthouse apartment in West Hollywood where the food was great and conversation lively and controversial. (My big mouth, as usual). Then the topper of the week was the opportunity to spend an evening, at dinner, with M's friends who were indirectly responsible for his and my meeting and whom I had never met. B and S are a warm and inviting couple who were married in France with M tagging along to Monaco for their honeymoon. Being with them in France piqued M's curiosity about the country and contributed to our meeting. Long story. M chose a restaurant midway Camarillo (where B and S live) and Benedict. The Italian restaurant, Adagio, was warm and confortable and a perfect place for us to have experienced "getting to know you". In fact, we got to know one another so well, time went by too quickly and we closed the place. It was not about the food it was about us. "Us" loved spending an enjoyable time with one another. Expect the unexpected. (Confucius).

SIR

When I was 16 years old a younger boy selling newspapers in downtown Minneapolis addressed me as "Thank you sir". At that moment I was shocked to be called, what I imagined to be, and older person's title of respect. For some strange reason I have always bristled at being called Sir. Last evening upon leaving a restaurant with persons much younger than myself one of them said he was "Happy to meet you, Sir". My retort was "only older persons are called "Sir" and I Am Not That Old!" Of course, I am an older person and later on I realized how ridiculous my comment must have sounded to a person being polite. I do find it rather silly for a clothing designer to have the title of Sir Paul Smith. However, in Britain that is a given name bestowed by the Queen of a person who has extraordinarily contributed talents to the country. Letters are written beginning with Dear Sir. An employee will address the boss as "Sir, may I have a raise in salary"? And on and on. In France my name, Laurence, is considered to be only a woman's name. Often my mail was addressed to Cher Madame. Perhaps being called Sir stirs in me something only the French know, and that is that I am really not a Sir at all. Just joking.......

ON THE ROAD - AGAIN

This is not the Jack Kerouac version. It is a life on the road - well led. This past week M and I took a two hour driving trip to Rancho M., spending a couple of days in a glamorous complex named Morningside as guests of R & J. After perusing the work done on the renovation of our house, M met with the Landscape Contractor and went rock shopping while I lunched and furniture shopped. After spending our days and nights in desert splendor we drove back to Benedict Canyon for the night and the following morning drove up to Carmel, stopping in Montecito for lunch at Via Vai, a great little Italian restaurant. We arrived at the Pine Inn in Carmel a few hours later, wandered around town, had a drink at Doris Day's (yes, THE Doris Day) Cypress Hotel and an easy dinner at La Bicyclette restaurant: drinking good French red wine and hitting the sack (passing out is more like it) at a very early hour. The following bright and sunny morning we motored up to San Francisco. The new California Academy of Science museum in Golden Gate park was our first stop upon arriving. This is definitely a "Do Not Miss" museum. The nature exhibitions are beyond compare. A Green rooftop, a rain forest, an Aquarium. Our afternoon visit ended with a spectacular Planetarium show. Checked into the hotel Ritz Carleton Nob Hill and later joined CK for dinner at the lively Wayfarer Tavern. The next morning, luckily, we caught one of the final days of the sensational exhibition of the Fisher Collection at the Modern Museum. Many big name American artist were shown on two floors comprising of only a segment of the 1100 pieces left to the museum by the founder of the Gap - Donald Fisher. After, we rested our feet in the bar of the Sir Francis Drake hotel where I had a very San Francisco drink - an Old Fashioned. Dinner that evening was at Boulevard, hit a couple of bars with CK,and ended our jam-packed SF weekend. Saturday we drove down Highway 101 stopping in Montecito to dine again at Via Vai for pizza and antipasto della casa accompanied by Chianti Classico. Exhausted, we arrived safe and sound in BH. No more road trips 'till the next saunter down to the desert. Enough is enough!

SUMMER'S END

Yes, I know it is not the 21st but for me and countless others the summer ends on Labor Day. Remember the adage "No white shoes after Labor Day"? The French call the end (after a month) of summer holidays, "Le Rentree". The Return or Re-enter into the real world. School, work and waiting until the next round of holidays. Yesterday was a beautiful day and a beautiful way to end the sumnmer and today the warm weather came to a crashing halt with drizzle, fog and 64 degrees. M and I had hosted a Potluck Labor Day party for 18 good friends. Each person was given a category of food or wine to bring to the festivity. Festive it was with lots to drink, and believe me this group drinks, and good things to eat. Today, M is back at his Landscape Architecture school project and I am looking forward to another holiday. After all, every night can be New Years Eve.....can't it?

MUSIC MAESTRO PLEASE

During the "Season" M and I enjoy countless exciting classical music events at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Disney Hall. In the summer our musical life comes to a screeching halt. I have never cared for the Hollywood Bowl. Rarely is there a program I will beat-the-traffic for, and after numerous renovations the sound system still sounds like two tin cans with a string attched. I guess the point of the Bowl is to enjoy an Evening Under the Stars drinking, dining and listening to music, but somehow to me it just ain't worth the effort. So what do we do socially in the summer? We see friends and relax. J&T recently gave an enjoyable cocktail/dinner for two guys visiting from Australia, JP joined us one evening at Waterloo Cafe, visited other restaurants with friends, and have given dinners at home. M has become the Chef de la Cuisine. He enjoys being a grill-er. That sums up our summer social fare. However, there is a serious side to our lives - believe it or not. M has Landscape Architecture classes at UCLA requiring an inordinate amount of homework, I am learning the three movements of a Mozart Sonata: K333 and a Chopin Nocturne. Also, we drive down to Rancho Mirage once a week to checkout the progress on the renovation of our 1957 Wexler house. Life is good, the champagne pink and the chicken greasy. Who could ask for anything more.

MY BIRTHDAY

I never enjoyed celebrating my birthday when I was a child. I won't bore you with the psychological problems I endured, but the most important thing is as an adult, I LOVE MY BIRTHDAYS. To me, every new year is an achievement. Learning new pieces on the piano, speaking French like a native (dropping letters), learning to accept the differences between M and me and realizing that I am healthy and happy. This year was a 3 day celebration. Dinner the 14th was with two visiting French friends at Lucques. An amiable experience. The 15th I hosted, as I like to do on my birthday, a small dinner at Enoteca Drago. As a gift DG brought a bottle of 1990 Lafitte Rothschild. Superb! Quelle robe! Quelle bouquet! We began the dinner with an aperitif of Prosecco/Apero. Conversation was lively and the Italian food matched perfectly with the French wine. The 16th, my actual birthday, M took me to lunch at the restaurant of my choice: Etoile. That evening our friend from Florence Italy, FF, gave a beautiful dinner in my honor at his Los Angeles pied a terre. He entertains on the roof top of his Hancock Park apartment building where the view is extraordinary. Last evening there was a clear sky and a bright half moon. The dinner was the topper to the 3 days of celebration. Italian wine, Panzanella salad, Patate Tonato, etc. Good friends, good food, good ambiance. Another beloved birthday.

HOT AUGUST NIGHTS

This past weekend M and I spent the weekend in Palm Springs. I would have never imagined I would experience desert life during this time of year however, what with the never-ending restoration on our RM house we opted to live the desert life as guests of a friend. True, the days are hot but the soft desert breezes cool the evenings. Although many restaurants were closed for the month, those that were open - such as Tropicale - were booming. Even the locals commented there were an unusual number of visitors for this time of year. During the day we managed to checkout the "in" Resale Consignment furniture store, visit an art gallery, take a test drive in the new 2011 BMW x5, visit the world's gayest True-Value hardware store and hit a few cafes. It ain't St. Tropez but then what is?