The Harkness Family hits L.A.

 So happy to hang with my cousins from Florida:  Thomas, Lauren, Tyler and Ryan.  We had lunch at Mess Hall and then up to the Observatory.

This Is What Democracy Looks Like - June 14, 2025

 NO KINGS DAY was a huge success.  I'm so proud of our city.  This was a peaceful, large event.  We all had the same ideas - free ourselves from the authoritarian fascist government that has taken over our beautiful country.  After a week of terrible military occupation in Los Angeles it felt great to get outside and scream a little - "THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE"

I think this was my favorite sign:

Dog sitting in Santa Barbara

 We left our kitties at home to come to Santa Barbara and dog sit "Aja" for four days.  It's quite different going from cats to dogs, their personalities are so different.

Our first night there we watched a storm roll in, tons of thunder rolling through the canyon and then lightning strikes all around us.  We could see the rain from far off but we stayed dry.

The storm made for a very dramatic sunset.

We had a delicious brunch at Alessia's and of course brought home croissants, which we had this morning with fruit salad.  Yum.

I really miss these two.  I wish cats were more adaptable to travel so we could take them with us.  But Adele is a great cat sitter and takes good care of them.

The next day we took Aja for a few walks.  It was a perfect Sunday afternoon.

We're in McConnell's territory.  

Lorie's house is so gorgeous that we came back home to watch the sunset.  One of the best views in town.

An added bonus.  Spent the day with my mom.  She takes the bus from Lompoc to Santa Barbara.  We always have a good time hanging out in SB.

Amanda Doolittle's Animation Demo

 Just finished Amanda's animation demo.  Such a cute voice and she's perfect for animation.  

Here's the link to her demo on my Soundcloud page  :Amanda's Animation Demo    Take a listen!

Memorial Day weekend

 Otherwise, eat, eat, eat....

At breakfast with Rick at Alcove.  Our missing breakfast club attender, Mark, is in Italy on his honeymoon.  We sent him a picture of us to let him know we missed him.   It was fun to hear about Rick's adventures in Europe.  He's been back for a week but is just getting over his jetlag....

Continuing to eat....we had a yummy dinner at Il Capriccio with our dear friends Nicole and Richie D'Ovidio.  A lovely night of yum.

First flowers from my seed packets

 Vince's brother Mario brought over these huge wooden containers and bags of dirt.  I had flower seeds and now we have...

These daisies were in a cramped container for over a year.  The moment I put them in the big container they grew over twice their size - seemed like overnight.  And now the flowers are coming, mixed in with the seeds of wildflowers I put in.

Sunflowers and Morning Glories...

Uncle Bob and I visiting Mom in Santa Barbara

A little late (two days) but we celebrated Mother's Day with mom in Santa Barbara.  It was one of the most gorgeous days I ever saw.  Magical.  And I love getting my mom and uncle together.  They love each other so much and it's nice to help them spend time together.

Glasses off.

 

Recording Amanda Doolittle's Animation Demo

 A perfect way to start the work week - recording a demo with Amanda and engineer extraordinaire Kevin.