Lovely L

 In every period of my life, I have been fortunate to find a few really good, close friends.  I have some from childhood, highschool, really good friends in college (including Two Fish) and a few friends I really rely on in adulthood.  Lovely L has been my friend in every period of my life.  There is something about having a friend for over twenty years who knew funny things about your childhood, knows your family, knows you inside and out.  Someone who has loved you through awkward stages, stupid mistakes and your highest points.  Lovely L is that friend.  Irreplaceable.  I have seen her over the past few years but it has been four years since we had an extended visit and it was SO SO FUN. I won't wait that long for a visit ever again! 

 We shopped (new purse and sunglasses) we watched beloved tv shows, we ate out, we had sushi, we tried out new makeup, we had pedicures, chatted endlessly about every topic imaginable, played with Little Miss C and had a pretty chill weekend.  It was fabulous.

We spent our last day at the J. Paul Getty museum.  The highlight was an amazing exhibit of Gustav Klimt's drawings, The Magic Of Line.  It just happened to be Klimt's 150th birthday as well and we loved celebrating with his artwork.  I have always loved his paintings, especially when he got progressively more avant-garde with The Virgins, The Kiss, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer etc.  I was actually slightly dissapointed to learn that the exhibit would be all drawings because I had no idea I would be so intrigued by them.  I absolutely loved the exhibit.  

Most of the work was on loan from the Albertina Museum in Vienna and it was an impressive collection.  The evolution of Klimt's work was fascinating.  The earliest studies in the exhibit are from the 1880s and show a style completely detached from his later work.  They are extremely traiditional. His subtle use of white chalk and the supple texture of the skin is beautiful. His studies for the Shakespear theatre were inspiring.  The body of work between his fully developed studies and his more avant-garde drawings was a little blase but his final arrival at stark sensuous lines and the total removal of spatial reference was fascinating.  

We also visited my "best buddies" of the museum.  Van Gogh (be still my heart), Monet, Degas, Turner, Gaugain, Cezanne and Toulouse Lautrec.  Always good to be in the company of the great ones. Van Gogh's Irises was displayed under glass for insurance purposes.  Apparently they are afraid the paint is so thick that someone could secretly break a chip off.  Apparently they think Monet's Haystacks isn't thick enough for someone to steal a piece.  There was a tiny part of me that secretly wanted to steal a piece to prove them wrong.  Good thing I would never desecrate a masterpiece.

We ended the day with a trip to a Mozzarella bar for a cheese tasting and quick dinner and then it was off to the airport for me.  I'm pretty sure my girls barely missed me because they were so thrilled to have Daddy, Grandma and Aunt Lee Lee spend time with them!