Mermaids: Orange Tail, Side of Hotel

Photo taken in Marina del Rey, CA. I like the tile.

Knock at My Heart: Charmed

Looking at the contents of my mother's jewelry box has always been a treat. Oooh, pretty jewelry. She's got a minimalist style—her constants are her wedding ring and my grandmother's diamond pendant necklace—so the other pieces only come out for occasions. I have always viewed the jewelry box as a treasure chest and especially love the charms, which she began collecting as a teen and wore on a chunky gold charm bracelet. She wears the bracelet occasionally now without the charms and recently asked me if I wanted any of them. ("You'll get them eventually," she said. "If you want them, you might as well take them now!") It's hard to pick favorites, but I might have to say it's the gold charm affixed to a rectangular plate; it's a heart with a banner that reads, "Knock at my heart." My father gave this to my mother when they were still dating and the charm originally had a knocker on it that was removed by the jeweler when it was attached to the plate. This peaked my curiosity and a quick search on eBay brought me to a version of the original charm in silver. The knocker moves (it really knocks!). So now I've got both versions.

OH, AND ONE MORE THING: Both my parents wrote about the "when they were still dating" mention. Well, they're married now so they're past the dating stage. But it's definitely worth noting that they're still married! Happily, too.

More for Mary's Band

Mary called to say she's written some more songs since the last time we talked. But this is it, she said. She's done writing songs. Are you retiring?, I asked. No, she said. But I'm done with the songs—I have all that I need. The rest:

Dog Bite
Wave Crashing
Take A Step Away
What I Like About You
Who Do You Think You Are?
Pop Star
What I Like About You

I mentioned that I knew a song called "What I Like About You" and I sang her a few verses (see clip below). Mine is different, she said. It goes like this: "What I like about you: Your hair, your eyes, your nose. You're all I wanna be." Yep, different.

More Sun Songs... And a Venice Sunset Pic

I couldn't resist checking my iTunes for more sun songs.

Here Comes The Sun, Beatles
Sun King, Beatles
Watch The Sunrise, Big Star
Ain't No Sunshine, Bill Withers
Sun Is Shining, Bob Marley & The Wailers
Waitin' On A Sunny Day, Bruce Springsteen
Sundress, Buffalo Tom
Distant Sun, Crowded House
People Are Like Suns, Crowded House
Indian Sunset, Elton John
A Sun a Sound, Great Northern
Into the Sun, Great Northern
Waiting For The Sun, Jayhawks
Sunshine, Keane
Big Red Sun Blues, Lucinda Williams
Ride Into The Sun, Luna
I Don't Believe In The Sun, The Magnetic Fields
Looking At The Sun, Matthew Sweet
Sunshine, The Meat Purveyors
California Sunset, Neil Young
Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam, Nirvana
Yellow Sun, The Raconteurs
California Sun, Ramones
Island in the Sun, Weezer
On the Sunny Side of the Street, Willie Nelson

Sunny Days

Wish I could have seen the recent solar eclipse.


I've been singing one of my favorite "sun" songs since watching the clip.

Go Dodgers

Just doesn't feel like summer until I've gone to a baseball game—and had a baseball stadium hot dog (or two).

Roadside: Boob Job Billboard

Photo taken in Westminster, CA. I was surprised the price wasn't rounded up.