……with a glorious celebration in The Living Room at the Peninsula Hotel hosted by the one and only incomparable Lissi Kaplan as a thank you for the tea and book signing in the Nan Rae Studio. Amy is on the left seated with Lisa Bowman.

Those of you who were at the book signing remember the amazing flowers created by Amy….Le Jardin Privé 818.625.5243

 …and the exquisite arrangement she created for my table where Lissi would be signing her books. Each of those yellow and green ‘leaves’ are actually orchid petals!

Back to The Living Room…..Beauties Amy and Lisa show off gifted Lissi’s hand painted china created especially for the Peninsula’s tea service! This is their special Vanna White pose.

 

 The face of JOY!

Here’s some exciting news for Christmas giving.

Back to Planet Earth and lunch with dear Cris Lutz at the Athenaeum at Caltech. I suppose you noticed I wore the same thing two days in a row.  Who has time to think wardrobe?

I always ask for more foam than coffee.  This was perfect!

A belated celebration for dear Clara’s birthday and it was a perfect day for the Roof Garden Terrace at The Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills!.

We ate like hibernating bears.  The Fish Tacos are wonderful as was the shrimp dish.  Good thing we had all this because it turned out to be an over 5 hour celebration!

The Roof Garden Terrace’s idea of a Root Beer Float.  This was sooooo yummy!

Happy, Happy Birthday dear Clara!

A prize for the person who correctly identifies the man who photo-bombed me!

 Back to the Peninsula and the new Belvedere garden area… it’s delightful.  (When you’re dining inside the Belvedere you look out onto this area.) It would probably take a page or two to describe the interesting, far ranging conversation I had with Heather from Newport Beach and Nick from Texas.  But then again, you probably wouldn’t believe me as I still don’t and  Nikko the Japanese Chen didn’t!

 Lunch time.  Well, we gotta eat don’t we?  Sweet Joele drove all the way from Manhattan Beach so provisions were in order!

 Followed by a discussion of worldly things such as Minions!

Santa’s Workshop, Nan Rae Division, is now open in the studio so Sandie Girl came over to work on Christmas cards.

But first a little lunch. (Surprised?)

Moving on,  Amy never ceases to amaze me.  This is her exquisite arrangement for the California Club!

 When I arrived home after a long day of teaching at The Huntington Botanical Gardens, this is what greeted me!

I just stood at the door, mouth ajar for the longest time…..

 As I mentioned, I had been at the Huntington where class as always, was a joy.  Everyone had so much fun working on Christmas cards and painted all manner of things….Pandas, Birds, Candles, Poinsettia

With Lulu being her usual creative self using the bits of colored rice paper Pam had brought for the class.

After class Cris Lutz came by with this wonderful catalog for an amazing exhibit currently at The Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino (In case you didn’t know). “GARDENS, ART, and COMMERCE IN chinese woodblock prints”.  Thank you so much dear Cris.

Oh I almost forgot!  Our class was invited to a special, private preview of an Origami exhibit by internationally renowned origami master Robert J. Lang. (It’s in the Botanical Center but only open to the public on weekends.)

This flower was created from a single sheet of paper as the one you see behind the plexi case.

Loved the Koi…or do you say Carp?

 Is that a Nan Rae work I see in one of the Botanical Staff offices?

Just in case you think I’m finished with, lunches, dinners and teas at The Peninsula….but I think I’ll save that until after Thanksgiving.I wish you golden days, peaceful nights and a blessed Thanksgiving for you and all those you hold dear.