Happy Valentines Day 2021

"Nancy" by Ernie Bushmuller

This year, Valentines Day fell on a Sunday. We're still in the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, even though our virus numbers are going down in Los Angeles. No indoor dining, no gathering in bars, no inside fun with friends. It's February. It's cold. We are lucky in Los Angeles to have a few sunny days at least, so outside activities are popular.

In the morning, Larry and I just had our usual breakfast and read the Sunday L.A. Times. We exchanged our homemade, personalized Valentine cards. In past years, before we all learned Photoshop, I would cut out pictures, paper doilies, construction paper hearts and glue everything together into a Valentine collage. With the advent of Photoshop, we are way more sophisticated now with our cards.

Very appropriate for this year

Corny, but heartfelt!

Larry had some gardening jobs to complete and I was scheduled to go to a little birthday party for my friend, Sherry. I met up with the Uke Buddies (an offshoot group of the C.C. Strummers) at the Jackson outdoor Cafe for a bit of lunch, birthday cake and ukulele playing. The Jackson Cafe is my go-to place during this pandemic. Sam, the owner, makes the BEST sandwiches, wraps, soup, salads, omelettes and more in his little snack shop. The patio is quiet and delightful. There are enough empty tables on a Sunday so that we can socially distance ourselves. We were lucky that it was a sunny day (until the wind came up later in the afternoon). 

Ethan, Tom, Carole, Emiko and our Fans

Dianne, Ellen, Cali

Cali and Birthday Girl, Sherry

We ate lunch, played a few tunes and had birthday cake, prepared by Ronnie. It was a really fun afternoon! Sam and his staff wanted to know when we're coming back. They LOVE hearing us play ukulele and singing! We even had a few fans during our set.

Ronnie, Dianne and Ellen

I always try to match my ensemble to the decor!

After our the ukulele lunch party I hurried home to my sweet Valentine. The weather was turning cold. Outdoor dining was out of the question. Larry had received a gift card for In 'n Out Burger for his January birthday from our friends, Audrey and Jeff. This was a perfect time to redeem that coupon! We have several In 'n Out Burger locations in the L.A. area. The one closest to us is always mobbed. We decided to take a drive down to El Segundo, south of the airport and try the larger In 'n Out there. The line was short, we could see the sun setting toward the west through the palm trees while we enjoyed our burgers in Larry's spacious car.

It was a perfect Valentines Day! I hope you had a good Sunday too!