A wonderful childhood.......

I have been thinking lately about my blog and how I could make it more interesting. What I love about some of my favorite blogs......(Ullabenulla, Florizelle's blog, Katherine Dunn, Tongue in Cheek, Pam Garrison, etc.) is that they talk about themselves and their lives or they share the artwork and philosophies of other people......which makes their blogs so fascinating and worth returning to. I have not yet figured out how to put links to other people's sites yet, although Ulla did explain how to do that......I just haven't taken the energy to try to understand it. (It's terrible how I put things off because I think I can't do them!!) So hopefully, I'll learn that soon because there have been so many people I've wanted to post about on my blog!! I am so grateful for blogs, though ,because every day I have that to look forward to......to see what new things people have shared and the world just has become so much bigger and more wonderful because of what I see and read about on blogs!!!

I thought I would share these photographs with you as a way to tell you a little about myself. I have mostly shared about my art, but I love hearing about other people's lives so I thought you might like to know something about me. I will add more pictures about me and my family and share with you more about my background as much as I can.

The pictures here (first one on left) is of my family......my beautiful mother, Barbara, on the left. Next to her is my Grandmother Esther, my father's mother. She was from Russia and was Jewish; a very funny, sweet lady. My husband and I took care of her for 7 years, until she passed away at 93 years old. Next to Esther is my Grandfather Warren, my mother's father. He was a studio musician in Hollywood and was an extremely energetic, vibrant man who loved to laugh and would jump up and down watching football games! His wife, my Grandmother Lillian is next to him. She was a petite woman, sweet but sad, too. She was raised in a convent and foster homes. Her mother, my dear great grandmother Anna Brausewetter, was institutionalized for 44 years for emotional problems.......the saddest thing I have ever heard. She was from Germany; left her homeland when she was quite young. I have done many years of research about her. I seem to be drawn to her spirit for some reason. I feel I should help her somehow......bring her life to light. There is so much mystery around her. I don't want her life to be forgotten. My Grandmother Lillian was born in Germany as well.

Below my mother and grandparents are my brother David and I. I think I was about 7 years old in this picture. I loved the dress I was wearing and how my mother used to put my hair back in a pony tail. That is my Bridal doll next to me. My Grandmother Esther bought it for me. It was nearly as tall as I was. I remember that doll. I thought it was so beautiful. I remember thinking that I wanted to look just like that when I got married. (I didn't actually. My wedding dress was yellow and I definitely didn't have short, blonde curly hair. It's funny how when we are children we have images that are so clear to us). My brother David was a funny guy. He had a lot of energy, too. He is a screenwriter, director and writer now. I don't talk to him enough. We had a lot of fun growing up. I think sometimes he got tired of me tagging along with he and his friend Lee but there weren't always many other children to play with. I wish I were closer to my brother. That is something I am trying to be better at.

The next picture is of my Grandmother Esther and I at Christmastime. I can't remember if the dog was hers or ours. My Grandmother Esther spent so much time with David and I. My parents were very busy with their careers......music teachers, musicians, performers and they didn't always have time to be with us, so Grandma Esther would take us to the movies, to the park, the circus, for drives in her old car. I loved the smell of her old car.......just the muskyness of it. Everytime she came to visit she would bring us packages of gum or some other kind of treat. She was so kind, always proud of us, smiling, giving us hugs, just a loving, wonderful Grandmother. She is the one my husband and I lived with and took care of for 7 years. I am grateful that we had that opportunity to help her, to share with her as she did with my brother and I for so many years as we were growing up.

The third photograph is of my Grandma Esther and David and I at Klamath Falls, Oregon, where we lived for many years. It was Christmas and Esther came to visit us as she did every Christmas. The house behind us was the cabin-turned-house that we lived in. It was originally a hunter's cabin. We lived about 30 minutes from the city (or town, I should say) of Klamath Falls in the resort area of Harriman Resort, Rocky Point Resort, etc. It was absolutely a wonderful area and I loved growing up there. My parent's bought the hunter's cabin......very, very rustic, no running water, refrigerator, stove, etc. They modernized it but kept the rough wood walls and ceilings......pine wood; big windows, etc. The house overlooked the Klamath wildlife refuge....

endless marshes and creeks. It was a paradise for me, having moved from California, although we did always live in the subburbs or outlying areas of the cities. At Klamath, I spent hours and hours every day walking in the woods, rowing my little boat in the creek and the marshes, listening to the griegs and other wild birds, listening to the quiet, beautiful spirit of nature. It truely was an experience for me.......growing up in that way, that shaped my life in a certain, unique way, that other experiences would not have done. I loved where we lived. It was truely beautiful.

The last picture is of my parent's wedding in Hawaii, where they met. My father was playing the piano in a jazz band over there and they lost their vocalist. My mother worked in a music store and Dad came in and talked to her, mentioning they were looking for a singer, so she got the job! My parents were so in love! They made such a sweet couple. Here with them (on my mother's left are their best man and maid of honor and on the far right is my Grandmother Esther, my father's mother. She flew over for the wedding.

I had an absolutely wonderful childhood. I was born in Los Angeles in 1950. My father had had polio before I was born, when my older brother was 6 months old, so when I was born, my father was still recooperating and rehabilitating himself. I am a lot like my father......he had a very gentle, humble spirit. He was a kind man. He hardly ever lost his temper with me when I was growing up......a few times, but then he would always come back to me, almost always crying, saying he was sorry. He obviously didn't feel right about getting angry. I am the same way. I would rather try to be nice to someone than make them feel bad.

We lived in Surfside in California......that is my first memory of my childhood. We lived right on the beach. At night, my mother would say good night and I could hear the waves of the ocean as I fell to sleep......which was very comforting and a memory that I cherish very much. My older brother David and I would run out to the beach every day and play in the sand and the waves. Our little house was more like a cottage than a house.......with funny stairways and roof angles and my mother had it decorated with such charm and beauty. I remember my parents (who were, and are, still......my mother, that is.......musicians) would often have many of their friends over to our house and they would talk and laugh, play music and tell stories. I loved sitting and listening to them, amazed at their endless energy and enthusiasm about life. One time, someone said......"the grunion are running!! Let's go down and catch the grunion!" I had no idea what in the world they were talking about but David and I followed everyone and soon, there were 2o or so people, all running wildly along the shore, at night, in the dark, trying to catch these poor little (helpless) silvery, shiney fish gasping for air along the shore. I felt so sorry for the fish and couldn't bring myself to catch any. It was a very funny sight to see the way the grown ups were acting.......just like kids. That's what I loved about my family. They were happy and loved to have fun. I will always remember that night, I am sure.

We lived at Surfside for many years but then later moved to Garden Grove where my parents bought an incredible, huge 3 story house with a wonderful, amazing yard.......there were big avacado trees and a fish pond, a barn and hydrangea bushes. I was in heaven. As a child, I couldn't believe all the room there was to run and play!! The grass was green and lush, there were flowers everywhere and trees and it was a wonderful place. It was a new life. I would miss the ocean, I was sure; that was the sad, tragic part, but I was excited for the new adventures we would have at this "castle" (as I thought it was) and the boundless gardens and trees surrounding it!!

Next time.......I'll tell you more about that part of my life and will add some pictures, too. I am so grateful for the enchanted, wonderful childhood I had and for my parents whose creativity and love of life and beauty filled my life with wonder and excitement!!