Summer Of Color

May Gray. I'm already completely sick of it and we're not even into June Gloom yet here at the beach. It makes it extra hard to get up early in the morning to have my walk along the shore, but we do it anyway. It really does affect my mood, this thick mass of gray, and so it was that as we walked along this morning, my mind wandered to darker things. Things like why are there so many big clumps of tar along the beach this morning? The BP horror show in the Gulf Of Mexico has been in my thoughts a lot lately, obviously, but there's no way tar clumps could be HERE already, is there? It HAS been spewing for almost a month ... I don't know. I do know that I have to scrub my feet for a half hour when I get home, and that's with being careful where I step. I walk this stretch of beach every morning, and it's way more tar than normal. Even if it's completely unrelated, there shouldn't be tar washing up, period. And as for the Gulf, people need to go to Jail. For life. No question. And don't even get me going on the huge profits BP has made lately. What an absolute dirty joke.

My friend Jenny and I get pretty riled up in our discussions about such things, and it wasn't until we were walking past the huge tractors digging up sand near the sewage outlet (Again, I'll refrain from THAT digression of pollution in our waters - just for now), that we saw and remembered that this morning was the unveiling of the first three painted Lifeguard Towers for the fantastic Portraits of Hope project.

By the time the Summer is in full swing, all the Lifeguard Towers from Zuma Beach in the North, to Palos Verdes in the South, will be completely decked out in brightly colored patterns. All of them were painted by kids and volunteers around Los Angeles on boards, and the panels will be put up on the Towers by Construction teams.


As we got closer to the last Tower before the Santa Monica Pier (the one we usually take a water break and stretch on), I had to crack up a bit, because something felt different. I realized that the beach was the most immaculate I'd ever seen it in my life - fully raked and groomed, not ONE piece of garbage, and the homeless guy that has been crashed out sleeping near our Tower EVERY morning for over a year, was nowhere to be seen (Paid off to move? How does that work?). Then I saw the reporters and cameras assembling on folding chairs by our Tower, as well as guys in suits and the Venice Marching Band, and connected the dots that they would want to have a pristine beach for all the photo ops that were about to happen. Kinda funny, but nice to see the beach like that, real or fake.


The first three Towers were shrouded in gray tarps, matching the mood of the weather. The line-up of city officials began, with the speechifying that usually accompanies such events. We stood there in our tarry feet for quite a few speeches, and it went on and on.


L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky talked about how L.A. beaches are some of the most recognizable in the world, and this Lifeguard Tower project is going to brighten it all up, from land, sea and sky. All Summer long, until October. After that, many of the wood panels will be sent to Haiti to provide both shelter and color to a place that sorely needs it. Wonderful! Supervisor Yaroslavsky said it was actually kind of nice that it was so gray out, as the contrasting brightness of the Towers would be all the more noticeable. True, but when our beloved Sunshine is back, it's really going to be something.


The Venice Marching Band played (and it warms my heart in this increasingly electronic age that there are still kids that sign up to be in Marching bands), and little kids ran about learning about Ocean stuff (and hopefully avoiding tar).


Then the brothers behind the Project of Hope (Please do go to their website - www.PortraitsofHope.org - to learn more about this great organization that stresses the importance of teaching ART to kids, while making them feel that they're a part of something BIG, which this endeavor surely is), Ed and Bernie Massey, were up next to speak, but it was all taking so long that we really had to split and get our days started. We kept turning around as we walked to see if they had pulled off the tarps yet, and all the way back to Venice, they STILL hadn't. (I get it that people work hard on things and want to say their bits, but, Man. Short and sweet, People).

My morning felt a little unfinished not having seen the dramatic unveiling, so I pedaled back down there this afternoon. Sure enough, through the gray mist, the colors popped out at me, even from quite a distance. I love it. With all the gloom and doom and fear shoved at us on the evening news every single night - environmentally, politically, financially, and even in our own community with more bike thefts, OPD fights, redtape hassles and other lameness like that, it can be real easy to fall into that line of thinking. Especially when the marine layer socks us in on top of it, it can be like S.A.D. disorder around here.


So when an entire 30 mile stretch of beach fights back against that to proclaim - NO! This is going to be a Summer of Color! (that's actually the theme of the Lifeguard Tower project, painted across the top of all of them) - it makes you embrace the color inside yourself, and fight back in your own mind against all the heavy gray that looms around you.



Color. Hope. Community. Fun. YES! And all just in time for Summer. A Colorful Summer. Embrace it.



*Photos by Jennifer Everhart & Me.

Moods Of Norway ... Knows How To Party!

Syttende Mai is the National Day of Norway, celebrated each May 17. Up until now, we've had nothing to do here in Los Angeles on this holiday to honor our ancestry, and usually just said "Happy Syttende Mai!" to each other and wore a t-shirt with a Norwegian flag on it, to quizzical glances from Non-Scandinavians.


That changed last night with a RAGER of a Syttende Mai/One Year Anniversary bash at the Moods Of Norway store on Robertson. We were greeted by a snow (Real snow! In L.A.! In May!) covered hot pink carpet and a big bright blue tractor and limo parked out front, and thumping tunes blasting from inside the store.


Our hosts were Moods Of Norway founders, Peder Borresen, Stefan Dahlkvist, and Simen Staalnacke, all matching in hot pink plaid M.O.N. suits and huge grins. They are the nicest guys around, and made sure everyone was having a blast all night long - and we were.


My brother, Paul, and I kept glancing at each other and cracking up ... we'd never seen so many Norwegians in one spot in L.A., and certainly not so many natural blondes. I think there's a reason no one is ever mad at Norway ... everyone is extra nice, with strangers coming up to one another and saying how nice they looked, offering to get drinks for you, acting truly interested in what you had to say ... Yep, L.A. can use a lot LOT more of this kind of behavior. I'm so glad the Moods guys chose here to be their first U.S. location.


Everyone was abuzz about the Aha show the previous weekend, and they were rumored to be coming to the party. I didn't see them, but I did see Matt Sorum, Leif Garret, Bobby Trendy (in a fancy veil and puffy sleeves), and I don't really know who else celeb-wise, because I was busy trying out my very limited Norwegian on the natives.


And drinking lots of the freely flowing champagne.


When it got too hot and crowded inside, you could step out back and be served "Super Duper" heart-shaped waffles, fresh off the griddle, made with love by a Norwegian Grandma, decked out in her bunad, the national dress of Norway. Top that off with the fresh cream and lingonberry sauce, and you couldn't really ask for more.


Many of the revelers were decked out in Moods Of Norway dresses and suits, and the bright colors and good looks added to the fun. I covet absolutely everything in the entire store, especially the preview dress from next year that Moods' Meaghan was sporting - stunning.



Venice's own Valerie Hammond is the Moods rep here in town, and she also has never looked cuter. People, you want to get your hands on these togs ... they instantly put you in a better mood. See for yourself. "Happy Clothes for Happy People" is their motto, and it was in full effect last night.


We made lots of new friends, and next year's Glogg Festen might actually be populated by more Norwegians than just my brother and I - more than I even knew existed here.


Norway should be very proud of the welcoming ambassadors they've sent over in these guys from Moods ... it was one of the most fun, warm, and high-spirited parties I've been to in this town, and I've been to a lot of 'em.


Tusen Takk, Moods Of Norway!!! You gave us a wonderful evening, and your philosophy, ridiculously great clothes, and sense of fun is exactly what the whole world needs right now.


Super Duper!



*Photos by PaulGronner.com

Norway - The Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Happy Syttende Mai, my Norwegians!

Yes, I come from an Immigrant family. My grandparents came to the United States from Norway. Today they celebrate their Constitution Day in Norway, and fly the red, white, and blue of their country in celebration, kind of like their Fourth of July. I'm flying my little flag here in Venice today too, as I grew up doing in Minnesota.


Most of us are proud of our heritage and realize that all our myriad cultures are what make our country different, great and INTERESTING, for Goodness sake. I can't believe how easily some haters forget that unless they come from a Native American tribe, we are ALL immigrants. How the Native Tribespeople can even bear to listen to the usually somewhat older white men spew about people coming into "THEIR" Country these days, I'll never know. We have a Statue Of Liberty we love, and that says right on it:

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door!

So there. Solutions, not spew. Thanks.

Anway, YAY NORWAY!! We've always had great pride in our Motherland, and the good ideas they come up with over there, like Lefse, and the Nobel Peace Prize. But the best one yet in my opinion, is the genius idea and monumentally important undertaking of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, (also called "The Doomsday Vault") on Norway's Spitsbergen Island, 810 miles from the North Pole.


They have blasted deep down into the permafrost of a sandstone mountain, to create a place to store seeds from all over the world, in the event of a horrible natural (or Man-made) disaster that would destroy a country's vital crops. They take seed donations from anywhere at all, and the country remains in charge of their own seeds, though the building cost was put up by the Kingdom of Norway.


The seeds are safely stored deep underground, with the capacity to be preserved for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. There are three chambers, each with the capacity to store 1.5 million seeds (only accessible in the event that seeds are lost for any reason). You reach the vault via a long tunnel, entered into through a portal above ground, lit with Aurora Borealis-like trippiness. Stunning, in its beauty, and ingenuity alike. Ahh, thinking globally! How refreshing.


*You really should study more about it at the link above. It's pretty cool.




With the recent nightmare of the BP Oil Spill (CRIME!!!) we are more aware - I HOPE - of what can go so badly, and possibly irreparably, wrong in our natural world, and stop doing those murderous things. Unfortunately the Svalbard Vault only takes seeds, and won't be able to replace precious Gulf marine life. But their forethought is not only impressive, but necessary, as we watch the filthy oil execs scramble for fixes well AFTER the fact.

I was walking down my street this gloomy Venice morning, and ran into my neighbor, Sven (he's really named that, I'm not just giving the story a Scandinavian twist), and he was out putting a stake up for a wind-blown tree. Next to his curbside corn crop that is already knee high. We spoke only about natural stuff, and though he did have a Bluetooth thing in his ear, we could otherwise have been in anytime, anyplace, talking about the crops and weather. It was kind of great, and again, felt so much more real and important than anything else we could small-talk about. It IS important.

So thanks, Norway, for looking out for the rest of us. Thanks too for providing my ancestry, which I'm very proud of. And I'm not at all ashamed to say I'm an Immigrant.

SKOL, NORGE!!!

Venice Double Feature - For When You're Strange

When you're feeling strange ... or just in the mood for an excellent double feature with Venice roots ... go for When You're Strange: A Film About The Doors and The Cool School.

The excellent PBS series, American Masters showed The Doors film last night on PBS, and we simply loved it. It showcases never before seen footage of the band, from its Venice Beach days "Until The End". Jim Morrison is intriguing as ever, and some clips from his own film project HWY: An American Pastoral looked so clear and great that it had us questioning the whole time if director Tom DeCillo had done some recreations with a Mr. Mojo Risin doppelganger. But it was all Jim ... and had us shaking our heads that the world lost yet another musical icon at the super young age of 27.


The Doors came together on the sands of Venice in 1965, and their music still floats on the wind all over town. Every time I stroll through the Canals, I hear "Love Street" somewhere in my mind, and think how the Venice vibe itself could be counted as a member of the band. Speaking of the band, Ray, Robbie, and John are all spotlit as the highly skilled musicians each is in their own right, and what they all put up with for the greater good. Thank goodness there remains such fantastic capturing of it all, as it happened. Jim is perhaps the best example we have of a true "Rock and Roll Poet", and his poetry remained the most important thing to him until the day he died in a Paris bathtub. Scenes of a wasted Jim rolling around on stage pull you back into a time when there were still guys who didn't care at all about what people thought of them, they just went for it ... making it bittersweet when Johnny Depp narrates, "You can't burn out if you're not on fire." (And none of their songs have ever been used in a car commercial). Watching this wonderful documentary, you feel wistful for the time when Jim still prowled around town.

The Cool School is all about building the Los Angeles Art Scene in the 1950's, led by the seminal Ferus Gallery. No one cared about what was happening art-wise here in those days, until Walter Hopps and Ed Keinholz lit the match with that place. Venice ("The Backwater of Bohemia") again played a big part in that, as it was a total slum (jarring pictures of extra ratty Canals and Oil derricks pumping all along what is now the Boardwalk), it was affordable for artists to live and work here ("Nobody wanted to be here, but Look! You can see the ocean right there!").

It also aired on PBS as part of the equally fantastic Independent Lens series, but you can just Netflix it up. Familiar Venice faces like Ed Moses, Ed Ruscha, and John Baldessari are all over the film, and it actually cuts back and forth between old footage and the Ferus Artists having a reunion lunch at our own Hal's.

These guys (and a few token gals) built the entire L.A. Art Scene (and were in fact the first to show Andy Warhol's Soup Cans, at the Ferus Gallery) into what it is today - with even MOCA now showing the "First 30 Years" exhibit right now, full of basically all these folks' greatest hits.

They were again, different times ... "When you could live a life of poetic poverty." (Though lots of us still do a pretty good job of that now). Having seen this insightful documentary, I can have a whole new appreciation for what these guys, who you see on the regular strolling about town, built up from absolutely nothing.

As Walter Hopps says toward the end of The Cool School, "Art offers the possibility of love with strangers." Having viewed these two stories back to back, I understood that element completely. As what The Doors did, what the L.A. art pioneers did, and what Venice continues to attract and promote at its very heart.

Love with strangers, and people who are strange, alike.

A Moment In Time

The World is huge. We know this much. But there are so many things that make us all the same. Sometimes there are things or events that come along that make this all the more clear ... like the massive "A Moment In Time" photo project from the New York Times "Lens" visual journalism site.


They've had photographers all around the world take shots at the same time (15:00 UTC on May 2, 2010) for several categories: Nature and the Environment, Family, Social Issues, Play, Arts and Entertainment, etc ... You go to the home page, pick a category and spin the globe to the region you want to see. So far, ALL the photographs I've seen have been exceptional, and force you to realize how ONE we all are.

One cautionary note ... as the home page says, "Make no plans for the rest of the day." They're not lying. I only stopped looking at photos long enough to share it with you here. This is the ultimate armchair traveler's dream, and you will get sucked in.

Gotta go ... I'm off to Africa.

Purple Haze!

For anyone who thinks there aren't seasons in California ... behold the Jacaranda!


The sultry purple tree blooms at this time each year, joyously announcing SPRING!! The blooms last for a few weeks, reminding me of the beautiful lilacs that grew in my childhood backyard in Minnesota. They brighten up any street they're on (you just don't want to park under them. The blooms are a sticky mess to get off), and the season is NOW.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the trees burst open every year at the same time that the Los Angeles Lakers are ruling their way through the NBA Playoffs ... nature's homage to the Purple and Gold! (You know the Lakers are from Minnesota too, right? Right.)

The royally hued trees create a purple rain throughout the entire city, and always seem to pop up out of the blue, as a raucous burst of colorful surprise. They make my day. They also let you know that the Coppertone-scented Summertime is not far behind ...

There are some good streets around where both sides are lined with Jacarandas, so that when you drive (or bike or walk) along under them, they create a purple canopy that just feels special. And everyone likes to feel special.

Enjoy them while they last!

Moods Of Norway - Super Duper!

I come from 100% purebred Norwegian descent, which is kind of crazy, especially these days. Especially in Los Angeles. No one here ever believes that my hair is naturally blonde, but it is. I have a Glogg party every Christmas time to share our Viking traditions with my pals of all ethnic backgrounds ... and smash mugs together, pre-Holiday Pillaging.

One of my rocker friends, Nick Maybury, turned me on to a new clothing label last year called Moods Of Norway. Then I was talking with Valerie Hammond (owner of the much missed, Slave, which was the hippest store in Venice), who told me that she was repping a supercool new label that she was all excited about called Moods Of Norway! The world is indeed very small. Knowing I was a Norwegian gal, Valerie invited me to see their showroom downtown, and then head over to their retail store to chat with one of the founders, Stefan Dahlkvist, and hear what they're all about. And what they're all about is "Happy Clothes for Happy People." Sold!


Three young Norwegian guys - Stefan D, Peder Borresen, and Simen Staalnacke - met while attending college in Hawai'i (Weird. I also lived in Hawai'i) in 1999. They came up with the idea that they'd like to tell the tale of Norway through fashion, and create an international lifestyle brand through the 3 Moods of Norway: Street, Casual, and Cocktail. They began the label in 2002 in tiny, glacial Stryn, Norway (where their headquarters is still located, though they've now grown into the biggest label in their country!). They knew not at all what they were doing, but believed in themselves, and the idea that clothing "inspired by Urban Norwegian Everyday Living" would catch on globally. And it certainly has. They've doubled their business every year, recently held a massive fashion show in Oslo that featured models splashing down a watery runway (with the attendees all outfitted in Moods Of Norway wellies), and now have a U.S. Flagship store on fashionable Robertson Boulevard in L.A.


I walked into the store and immediately felt at home. Bright colors and sparkle, mixed with rustic wood cabin. Or exactly the competing sides of me! A big golden tractor greets you at the front of the store, and also serves as their logo. Each (gorgeous) Men's suit is embroidered on the arm with the number of tractors registered in Norway (last count: 234,243) in tribute to the farmers of that beautiful country. The current collection is actually called "Cocktail Farming", so you know that these guys have a great sense of humor, and are having a complete blast creating more fun for their label, and their lives.


Fun like sailing a big pink fishing boat around to rock festivals in Norway. Cruising around L.A. in a bright blue limo. (They're looking for a street legal Tractor too, if you know anyone looking to sell!) Outfitting a slew of Rock Stars, and even Perez Hilton! Hosting live sheep in the shop to give it a homey feel, as they serve up waffles and champagne each Saturday. Throwing up a sign on their back parking spaces saying "Parking for Lefse Lovers Only" (so it was cool that I parked there). Shooting a reality show (from the makers of L.A. Ink) to follow the guys around as they spread the M.O.N. Love around the world.


Stefan told me that their main goal is to make their Grandmothers happy. That love of both family and fun is evident in every aspect of the company. The clothing labels feature actual old photographs of the founders' families, with little grandpas out in farm fields, and families out for a stroll among the fjords. The dressing rooms look like a little wooden cabin, with Norwegian folk art paintings and needlepoint, and Sonja Henie books lying about. The underwear line is called "Grandpa's Disco Wear". Adorably.


Adorable is also an excellent adjective for every single piece of clothing I saw. Long dresses with names like "Tattoo Flower Satin" and "Sunshine Flowers" (I searched. My name MUST be in the lining somewhere on that dreamy chiffon one ...). Fresh kicks called "Super Duper Dancing Shoes", and brightly color-blocked tennies that have seemingly found a fan in Venice's own Harry Perry!


There are exquisitely tailored, satiny suits (20% off until May 17th!) with shorts in a fabric called "Field Flowers", and crazy plaid ones with Norwegian friends as the namesakes. With such bleak times - and palettes - hopefully on the way to being behind us, these clothes are taking back the fun of color and optimism. Just looking at the happy clothes gets you in a better mood(s)!


May 17th is Norway's National Day. We grew up flying the red, white and blue flag of Norway over our door in Minnesota (where this clothing line will be huge, I'm sure) each year on Syttende Mai, and have never had anything cool to do out here in SoCal for that day of celebrating our heritage. Well, we do this year! The Moods Of Norway store on Robertson is having a big party to celebrate both their U.S. store's 1 Year Anniversary, and the day of Norsk pride. Highlights are to include real snow for cross country skiing on Robertson ("We just call the Snow Guy" - Stefan)!, those live sheep, stylists there to dye peoples' hair blonde, perhaps an appearance by the #1 All time Norwegian band, Aha (Take On Me!), and of course, "Grandmas serving delicious waffles", as the invitation states.


Celebrate the fun spirit of Moods Of Norway on Monday, May 17 (all day long) at the Robertson store ... And every day that you put on a piece of their uplifting apparel.


SKOL!!!


Retail:

Moods Of Norway
113 S. Robertson Blvd. (by Kitson)
Los Angeles. CA. 90048
310.271.7172


Wholesale Contact:

Valerie Hammond
Connected Showroom
Cooper Building
Downtown L.A.
310.463.7184