Penny Richards' photos

All the best things happen at the accessible playground. Saturday there were chess tutors there to teach a free basic lesson to anyone who would listen, of any age or ability. (My son is the fluffy-haired kid in the arms of one of the women tutors, Neisha, at left.) They taught some of history of chess and little rap-like chants to remember how to set up the board, what each piece can do, etc.

She wanted to make a skirt too--we worked on it together (she sewed the hem, I sewed the waist and side seams). She liked this fabric because it has little scottie dogs all over it.

I used one of my sheet remnants from Lisa's thrifted bedsheet swap to make my first tiered skirt ever--it's not perfect, but it's definitely wearable. The tan paisley was from the swap; the middle panel is from some yardage I got at a church rummage sale years ago. (Four fat quarters of that one are going to Oh Fransson's vintage linens swap.) The eyelet trim I bought, because I'm pretty bad at hems, as it turns out.... Oh--I mostly followed the pattern at this site, but only made three tiers and added the eyelet trim in place of the fourth, and put in a drawstring instead of elastic... www.jcarolinecreative.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Store_Co... :

The best jacaranda in my neighborhood

Doc Martens mint green maryjanes, found at a thriftshop in MY SIZE--whoohoo! (Also found the same model in powder blue, also in my size--such a score.)

Daughter drew the Coliseum for her "special memory" for her contribution to the LACMA "instant monument" project today

The favorite memory drawings were rolled up and put in individual tubes, and the kids were invited to choose a place to put their tube in the defined field. The project was conceived by Ismael de Anda for Target's "Monumental Monday" free holiday event at the museum. Yes, those are clouds in Los Angeles....

Check out that hem... lovely weight of soft cotton, too. This is going to make at least one fabulous skirt, hopefully very soon.

From dinner at the Pho Thai Long restaurant in Hawthorne, CA.

The turquoise, pink, and paisley sheet pieces here arrived in the mail from Lisa's swap--can't wait to make skirts from them. The large brown-beige sheet in the lower left is one I thrifted while waiting for the swap to finish--because Lisa's created a monster here. But that'll make an interesting skirt too, no?

Got these for myself on Mother's Day--Converse makes maryjanes? Well, yes in fact they do. And mine are cocoa brown with a bronze scalloped trim, and all kinds of comfortable.

Took pictures this afternoon in the statuary at the Huntington Gardens.

Took pictures this afternoon in the statuary at the Huntington Gardens.

Took pictures this afternoon in the statuary at the Huntington Gardens.

Took pictures this afternoon in the statuary at the Huntington Gardens.

Took pictures this afternoon in the statuary at the Huntington Gardens.

Took pictures this afternoon in the statuary at the Huntington Gardens.

Took pictures this afternoon in the statuary at the Huntington Gardens.