Rainy LA

It's still so cold and rainy here! In the rain, we went to a Farmer's Market yesterday, in Santa Monica, and they were close to closing up due to the weather. Bought some heirlooms grape tomatoes, wonderful, and Art got some strawberries. He likes the CA berries better than those grown at home in FL. We spent the day in Santa Monica, as that's where Brian, our son, and Grace, our future daughter-in-law, will be married in July. They wanted us to see the venue for the wedding.

Art, Brian,and I had a lovely lunch at Urth Cafe; their vegetarian chili was warming and filling. Grace teaches school and had to work; she joined us later in the afternoon. It was still cold and rainy outside. We looked at hotels for the out of town guests and then the venue, which will be lovely. It's an old building, 100 years old, in the heart of Santa Monica, near the Promenade and not far from the beach. They wanted a venue where they could bring in their owner caterer, as food is as important to them as it is to me. Good food, good people, and good times!

After spending some time at the venue, we met a friend of theirs at Musha, a Japanese tapas restaurant, something I'd never heard of. They were very accommodating, and although I couldn't eat everything that was ordered, I had some really wonderful items, such as salmon marinated in sake and miso and then grilled, and a seaweed salad on greens where they made the dressing with tamari without wheat, so it was gluten-free and I could eat it. Definitely a restaurant I would recommend to anyone who visits this area. I don't know if out-of-town wedding guests will have time to eat dinner elsewhere, other than the rehearsal dinner and the wedding, and Musha is only open for dinner, but if it could be managed, it would be a treat for whomever tried it!

Before we left on this trip, I finished the front of my Bead Project Journal entry for January, although I haven't completed it altogether. I haven't decided if I want to make it into a pouch or a wall hanging. It will also have a beaded bead which will hang from the bottom point of the heart. The BJP is a wonderful fun experience, which Robin Atkins started. She's an amazing artist, working mainly with beads and has written several great books. The BJP has over 300 artists participating each month. I'm excited to be a part of this project. Here is the link so you can see my 1st heart.