Michele surprised me last year with tickets to Madama Butterfly, starring my ultimate hug-honey (after Michele and Natalie Dessay), Patricia Racette, who is an amazing singer and actress; I've been following her career since she debuted at Santa Fe as Emmeline in 1996. We had great seats, and the performance was wonderful (review here). I was emotionally drained at the end.
Carlo Ventre as Pinkerton That Dope and Pat Racette as Cio-Cio-San
Our hotel was downtown in the Gaslamp District and right around the corner from the opera. It's luxurious enough that you feel pampered, and affordable enough that you don't feel you need to subsist on beef jerky and diet Pepsi from the Conoco station up the street.
We also strolled around Hillcrest and went to the Ace Hardware Store, which is the coolest hardware store on the planet, and to the Obelisk Bookstore. The Obelisk seems to be scrapping along. Support your local independent bookstores!
We bought bucket hats at the Village Hat Shop so we wouldn't burn our noses and ears.
Two stylin' babes
We also went to Balboa Park and enjoyed the flowers, trees, butterflies, and photographs by Lou Stoumen and Edward Steichen at the Museum of Photographic Arts.
Times Square in the Rain, by Lou Stoumen
Times Square in the Rain, by Lou Stoumen
Michele's patient butterfly
A yellow columbine in the park
Tree trunk
After "a pleasant walk, a pleasant talk / along the briny beach" in La Jolla, we went to D. G. Wills Books, where I saw this label on a shelf.
LITERARY CRIT., CULTURAL STUDIES & UNIDENTIFIABLE SOPHISTRY
Further comment is superfluous.
Our visit with Chuckbert and Mr. Bears was a delight. We drove to Ramona and Julian and enjoyed shopping for bread, having a peaceful lunch in the garden of a converted cottage, eating pie, and poking around the shops.
We also got to help celebrate Karl's birthday with the traditional homemade mac-n-cheese and brownies. Mmmmmmmm!
On Saturday we went to La Jolla for a little gallery hopping. We went to the Martin Lawrence Gallery. And There. They. Were. Lithographs by Robert Deyber. We spent lots of time talking with Teresa the Curator. Then we walked around La Jolla. I thought a lot about the lithographs. Then we went back. I bought "Bag of Tricks."
A rebus
Ike was glad to see us when we got back yesterday. Flicker said, "Oh. You were away?"
3 comments:
Sounds like you packed a lot in to your brief trip! Congrats on your acquisition. Very cool.
Nice vacation! I must say that "A Bag of Tricks" is more interesting than a bowl of fruit. Times Square in the Rain made me dizzy.
Lovely pix! I too bought a hat when I was in the area, but my hat protected nose, ears, AND chin!
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