Malibu, part one - Architecture, Movie Screenings, Work

Roger here...  A-a-a-a-h!  The motor home drive through Los Angeles traffic has ended (until we leave).  The Malibu Beach RV Park sign on the Pacific Coast Highway was a welcome sign.

The purpose of our stay in Malibu for a little less than three weeks was to visit Robyn and Atul just before their wedding near Palm Springs.  We also wanted to help with wedding preparations in any way that we could.  Even though we did not want Robyn and Atul to feel any pressure to act as tour guides, that was not to be.  (Not really a surprise)

Frank Lloyd Wright --- Hollyhock House

The day after our arrival we met Robyn at their house.  Atul was volunteering as a docent at the nearby Hollyhock House, built by Frank Lloyd Wright.  

A Hollyhock, right?

As I have said many times before, I love architecture.  Taking a tour of a Frank Lloyd Wright building was a special treat for me.  

The stone feature on the right represents a hollyhock (use your imagination).  It is featured hundreds of times on the exterior and interior of the house.  In the exterior view below, every prominence along the Mayan roofline of the house was one of these hollyhock designs --- hundreds of them.

We took a brief guided tour of the outside of the house before going inside (where pictures were not allowed).  Our tour guide took this shot of the three of us --

Look closely and you'll see the Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory on the hill behind us!

Atul met us inside.  Frank Lloyd Wright was a genius in designing space and views.  Much of the furniture was "built-in" and displayed the hollyhock feature.  Clutter was nowhere to be found.  Open space was the rule.  Every view drew our eyes to the landscaped areas outside.  Interestingly, the lady who hired Wright to design and build the home never lived in it, nor did anyone else.  

Hollywood Screening, number one:  Dunkirk

Atul is a member of the Producers' Guild.  Robyn is a member of the Screen Actors' Guild.  As such, they receive invitations to the screenings of various movies during the time they are voted on by members of the guilds for awards season.  They invited us to join them at two of the screenings. 

 The movie Dunkirk has already been released, but this special screening at Warner Brothers Studio was followed by a Q and A with the producer, director and key actors.  The movie itself was mind boggling on the big screen of the Warner Brothers Theater.

Being in the presence of Christopher Nolan (producer), Kenneth Branagh, and others from the movie we had just seen was truly a memorable experience.  We loved this movie.  I predict that it will receive several Academy Award nominations.  BTW, Kenneth Branagh seems to be a really nice guy.

Hollywood Screening, number two:  Molly's Game

There are no pictures of this screening that took place in a theater at the Directors' Guild, but it was another event that we had never dreamed to be a part of.  Molly's Game, due to be released in late December, is a true-life story of an aspiring Olympic skiing athlete who (after an injury) became a notorious organizer of high stakes poker games.  Good movie.

The perk after this showing was a buffet of various desserts.  

Work --- The Patio Renovation

Dianne and I had been struggling to figure out an appropriate wedding gift for Robyn and Atul.  We wanted it to be personal.  We wanted it to be significant.  We wanted it to be something that they would see every day.  

Robyn had mentioned that she wanted to have an outdoor area with colorful flowers where she could work and relax.  The current patio in their 1920s house had not been renovated for quite some time.  We found our wedding gift.

Before....

Michelangelo at Work

Dianne and I would paint their front patio, as well as the window and door frames, as well as the caps of their privacy wall, as well as the patio steps, as well as the privacy wall insets.  I would buy pots and plants to spruce up the display area next to their privacy wall.  Whew.  This project, that took place over a two-week period, tended to grow as we identified additional things that needed to be addressed.

I did the taping.  Dianne did all of the floor prep (scraping and coat of bonding adhesive -- the biggest job) and painting. Robyn and I made a trip to Home Depot to pick out and buy the paint and supplies.  Atul was at work most of the time, but when he was home, Atul and I painted the window and door frames.  Dianne and I painted the privacy wall caps.  Atul offered input as to where the four different colors should go.  Robyn painted the decorative scallops around the outdoor faucet.  Dianne painted the decorative wall inset.  Robyn and I went to a local garden center to pick out decorative pots and colorful flowers.  Dianne painted the furniture.  Robyn and I potted the plants.  Robyn picked out a solar fountain.  I fixed the fountain leak. Atul and Robyn picked out a decorative outdoor rug, yet to be delivered.  As Dianne would say, we worked like dogs.

Dianne is the painting expert.  She readily assumed the role of painting the large flooring area.

As you can tell by this shot, the result should be radically different from what existed --- no more worn burgundy.

Amazingly, after treating the concrete, the flooring only required one coat. Good news --- only one coat.  Bad news --- we bought way too much blue paint.

After...

I know the lighting is not the best in the photo below, but it does give you an idea of the space.

This might be a better view.  The contrast between the blue and reddish-orange is distinct.  What a good job the taper did.  Robyn wanted color.  Color she got.

The subdued coordinating rug has not yet arrived, so we cannot see the full effect, but this gives an impression of the result with the furniture.

As I mentioned, Robyn and I picked out the colorful potted plants that she wanted.  Dianne has designated me as the resident farming expert.  

Another view below...

Dianne painted the adobe inset with the blue border.  Robyn picked out the solar fountain, plants and pots.

Wedding present delivered.  Oh wait --- not quite.  

Robyn's window view from her office/work area inside the house consisted of a gray cinder-block wall, as did the windows in the living room.  Dianne took care of that.

This project was the kind of thing that Dianne and I enjoy doing.  We were able to do most of it while Robyn and Atul worked.  In this case, the work was very fulfilling, and fun to do.

The sunsets from our RV park with views of the Pacific Ocean are stunning.  We have taken endless pictures of them.  We decided to end each post from this location with a few of those sunset pictures.

The next post will be a continuation of our memorable time with Robyn and Atul in Los Angeles.

Pet Picture of the Day...  Most of the pet pictures will be of our walks along the pet walk area at the Malibu Beach RV Park --- definitely the best pet walk area we have experienced.  We often say, "Oh it's time to walk the dogs!"... Instead of, "Well, I guess it's time to walk the dogs."  

Bandido and I walking down the steps to the dog walk area.