A Visit to The Getty Villa Museum

 

Outer Peristyle
(Photo taken by daughter)

On Thursday night, daughter suggested going to the Getty Villa Museum on Friday, which was her day off from work.   They were having two special exhibits featuring the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead and some Ancient Egyptian sculpted portraits, and daughter has loved all things Ancient Egyptian since she was a child.  Entrance to the museum is free, but, one has to make a timed-entry reservation which daughter made for 1:00 p.m. on Friday.  One does have to pay for parking, however, and that was $25 per vehicle ($15 after 3:00 p.m., unless one parked for less than one hour, in which case, there was no charge).

On Friday, I packed a picnic lunch of chicken sandwiches, granola bars, and bottled water to take with us (there are places to eat at the Museum, but, we weren't planning to eat out).  We set off a little before noon as the drive there would take about one hour.  The Museum is located in Pacific Palisades and, as we drove, we could see evidence of the destruction the January 2025 fires had caused.  We got to the Museum just before 1:00 p.m.

Display at the Entrance

This was our first visit to the Getty Villa Museum, the design of which was inspired by the Roman Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum that was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, with additional details from other ancient sites incorporated.  

Inner Peristyle

We visited the display of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, first.  The exhibit included a huge stone sarcophagus,  mummy wrappings and papyrus inscribed with various ritual spells that were part of the Ancient Egyptian funerary rites, some of which were illustrated, and small funerary statues.  It was quite fascinating to see.  I was especially impressed by the illustrations on some of the mummy wrappings.  

While we were on the same floor as the Egyptian Book of the Dead exhibit, we visited some of the other exhibits on that floor, including Roman and Greek statues, mosaics, and artifacts.  I was most taken up with the exhibit featuring Greek and Egyptian mummy portraits during the period of Roman rule.  The portraits were of men, women, and at least one young child.  The exhibit also featured a mummy of a young man with his portrait in place (there was a sign at the entrance stating that there were human remains in the exhibit).  

Eventually we made our way to the Ancient Egyptian sculpted portraits exhibit which features items that were on loan from the British Museum.  

By which time, we had spent about two hours in the Museum and I was starting to get tired.  I would have liked to have explored the gardens a little more than simply look at them, but, that would have to wait for another visit.  I wanted to get back home before the freeways got too congested with the evening commute.

Neither of us wanted to eat our sandwiches once we got to the car, so I just had a drink of water and started on our drive home.  I ended up taking a bit of a detour on the way to get to the freeway, partly because I misread a streed sign and turned too early, but daughter was able to access online driving directions, which guided us through some posh neighborhoods (Brentwood, Bel Air, etc.) to avoid congested areas.  We enjoyed seeing some of the lovely mansions and gardens in these areas.

The freeway, once we got there, was busy, but, the traffic was flowing and driving on it reminded me of the years when daughter was at UCLA and I used to drive her there and back, every day during the week and sometimes, during the weekends, as well, when she worked on campus.

Once we got off the freeway, we decided to pick up some Chinese food from our favorite neighborhood Chinese eatery.  By the time we got home, it was already 4:00 p.m.  We ate our first meal of the day and daughter took a nap.  I watched some videos and the news while I waited for M to arrive.  We chatted a bit and then, he watered the garden and tidied it up.

Daughter and I shared one of the chicken sandwiches I had made as a snack, later on, and I had half of the other sandwich for my brunch on Saturday.

At the Getty Villa

I truly enjoyed my visit to the Getty Villa Museum on Friday.

I was grateful for:

- Daughter suggesting we visit the Getty Villa and booking the timed entry reservations
- A lovely day out

- A safe drive there and back

- Daughter treating us to Chinese food for a late lunch (with leftovers for dinner and for Saturday, too!)

- M tending to the garden

Friday's joyful activity was an afternoon visit to the Getty Villa Museum.

I would like to visit the Getty Center, too, one day.  Daughter has already been there, just before the pandemic, with her friends, but, I haven't been there. 

Do you like to visit museums?

June Grocery Shopping - Part 1

 

Some of the Groceries

On June 3rd, I went grocery shopping in person at the Armenian grocery store which is one of my favorite grocery stores in which to shop (second only to the Sri Lankan store, I think!)  Their prices are what attracts me the most and then, the specialty foods they offer.  Pictured above are just a few items of the groceries I bought: canned coconut water, a bottle of rose syrup, a bag of ready-to-eat chestnuts, a fresh papaya.

This week's main attraction was salmon steaks on sale for $6.99/lb.  The supermarket's sale price has been $9.99/lb. for fillets, which cost more than steaks, but, even so, the past couple of times I ordered them, they were out of stock.  Salmon is my daughter's favorite fish and it is a treat for her.

Whole tilapia was also on sale for $1.99/lb.  I know that some people will not eat tilapia, but, I am not one of them.  I bought one and asked the fish counter service person to cut it up into three pieces for me and I cooked a curry with it for our dinner (and went slightly off my meal plan for the week!)

I also bought a small piece of pork cushion meat on sale for $2.99/lb.  Daughter said she could make fajita with it, if I bought the bag of mini sweet peppers that was on sale for $1.29/lb. (she loves the mini sweet peppers in salads and as snacks, too) and a bunch of cilantro on sale for 4/$1 or $0.25 each.  I didn't buy tortillas for it as tortillas are a better price at the supermarket or I could make some thin tortilla-like roti/flat bread at home.

I also bought a container of labne kefir cheese, which is a type of strained yogurt, that is thicker and tangier than regular yogurt.  It reminds me of the yogurt I had as a child, which was made with water buffalo milk, set in clay pots which naturally caused liquid to evaporate.

 

So, here's what I bought (supermarket price comparison in blue for added interest):

1 Box Dove mini ice cream bars (10 count), reg. price $8.99 = $4.99 ($6.49)

1 Broccoli crown @ $0.79/lb. = $0.55 ($2.49/lb) 

1 Celery = $0.69 ($2.99)

1 gal. distilled Vinegar = $2.99 ($4.49 store brand)

1 Tilapia, whole @$1.99/lb. = $3.02 ($4.33/lb. frozen in 3 lb. bag for $12.99)

1 bottle Rose Syrup, 19 fl.oz. = $7.69 (not available at supermarket)

1 Labne kefir cheese (yogurt), 16 oz. = $1.99 ($4.49)

4 salmon steaks @ $6.99/lb. (bought 2 steaks per package) = $9.44 + $9.54 = $18.98 ($12.99/lb. for fillet)

Pork cushion meat (boneless) @ $2.99/lb. = $5.52 ($2.99/lb for pork butt, bone-in)

1 lb. bag Sweet Mini Peppers = $1.29 ($3.99; $6 for 2 lb. bag)

1 bunch Cilantro 4/$1 = $0.25 ($0.99)

1 Mexican Papaya @ $0.79/lb = $1.04 ($1.99/lb.)

Green Beans @ $1.69/lb. = $1.47 ($2.99/lb.)

1 Red Onion @ $0.99/lb. = $0.55 ($1.79/lb.)

2 bags (100g) Chestnuts (ready to eat), @$1.25 = $2.50 (not available at the supermarket) 

4 cans. 16 oz, Coconut Water @ $1.49 + $0.05 deposit = $6.16 ($1.49@)

Total Spent = $59.60 (I rounded it up by two pennies to make up for not being given my exact change as discussed below)

Here's the receipt:

6/3/26 Grocery Receipt

You will notice that the receipt states the grocery total was $59.58  and the change due was $40.32.  However, since I paid with cash and the penny is no longer being minted, many stores are not giving out any pennies back in change.  They round up the amounts to benefit the store.  As a result, I received $40.30 in change back and the store made the $0.02 profit!  In this instance, I did not make a fuss, because this store tries to give discounted prices and they have items that I want which are not easily available in other stores.  It is also not part of a major grocery chain.  But, this is a good reminder for me to offer exact change when paying with cash.

This same thing happened to me at the gas station, too, the last time I put gas.  I pay with cash at the gas station because gas is cheaper per gallon if you pay cash, but, one runs the risk of being short-changed when paying!  

Anyway, I saved quite a bit by shopping at this store instead of shopping at the supermarket.  The one item that seems to be cheaper at the supermarket are bagged carrots; this store was charging $1.39/1 lb. bag while the supermarket is still charging $1.99/2 lb. bag.  I will be ordering some carrots this week, when I put in an order for daughter's half & half and my milk, etc.  Yes, I will be putting in another grocery order for delivery from the supermarket this week, again.  And, if I keep this up, I'll be going over budget again!  

June's Grocery Budget (for food items only) = $250 - $26.13 (spent on the last day of May) = $223.87

Spent to date = $59.60

Balance left in June Grocery Budget = $223.87 - $59.60 = $164.27

Have you grocery shopped in June, yet?  

June Meal Planning - Week 1

 

A Dinner Last Week: Breaded Shrimp, Garlic
Bread, Broccoli, Cucumher Salad

A new month and a new start to my weekly meal planning.  As most of you know, my meal planning is very flexible and the meal plans tend to be more of a list of options than anything else.  But, knowing I have options is helpful and is, actually, a blessing because there are others who have little to no options.

Here is this week's list of meal plan options:

Brunches:  Milkrice with seeni sambol and/or jaggery (Monday, June 1);  Tuna salad sandwiches, Scrambled eggs with sausages and toast; Pancakes with sausages and peaches (and syrup); Boiled mung beans with lunu miris; Peanut butter toast; leftovers

Dinners: Smoked Sausage stirfry with broccoli, carrots, and walnuts over rice (Monday & Tuesday); Baked Chicken drumsticks with cucumber salad, broccoli, and corn;  Hamburgers; Salmon (need to buy) with rice and green beans; Leftovers.  

Snacks/Desserts: Fresh fruit; Assorted nuts; Cookies; Crackers with tuna salad or peanut butter; Avocado pudding; muffins

Meal plan options are subject to change and that's fine, too.  

As always, I am grateful to be able to have a variety of meals.

Are you meal planning this week?

May Monthly Photo Challenge: Cutlery

The monthly photo challenge is hosted by Eileen and the theme for May was Cutlery.  

Here are my photos of cutlery with some help from my daughter !

Daughter's Pokemon Cafe Souvenir Fork

Daughter's Fork Sculpture

Reflections

Spoon Flower

Another Spoon Flower (Souvenir Spoons from Sri Lanka)

Butterfly (Headed for the Spoon Flowers?)

Holding a Slice of Peach

Thank you for hosting the monthly photo challenge, Eileen.  Looking forward to June's theme.

May Grocery Shopping - Part 3

 It's the end of May and I debated if I should wait until June officially started to order groceries but, recently, sale items I had wanted have been going out of stock by the time I get around to ordering them, so I decided to go ahead and order groceries and borrow from June's grocery budget as needed.

I ordered the groceries on Saturday and they were delivered on Sunday.  They were mostly stock up items and I am happy that everything I ordered was available.

I wasn't feeling very well on Sunday when the groceries were delivered, so, I left daughter to put everything away for me.  As a result, there isn't a picture to share, but, here's the receipt:

Order Summary

Original Item Total$81.14

Item Coupons/Sales-$26.74

Fulfillment Fee+$0.00

Other Fees+$0.40

Sales Tax+$1.17

Order Total$55.97

---

Item Details

20 Items

Arrowhead 100% Mountain Spring Bottled Water, 16.9 fl. oz.$7.98

2 x $3.99 $7.49 each

CA Redem Val$0.20

2 x $0.10 each

CA Redem Val$2.40

2 x $1.20 each

English Cucumber, 1 ct$1.25

1 x $1.25 $1.99 each

Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds Cereal - 12 oz, 12 oz$3.98

2 x $1.99 $4.79 each

Kleenex® Trusted Care® Facial Tissues, 4 Flat Boxes, 160 Tissues per Box, 2-Ply, 4 pk / 160 ct$11.98

2 x $5.99 $10.99 each (non-grocery item)

Kroger® 100% Apple Juice, 64 fl oz$2.98

2 x $1.49 $3.19 each

Kroger® Baking Powder, 8.1 oz$2.99

1 x $2.99 each

Kroger® Cage Free Grade AA Large White Eggs, 18 ct$3.99

1 x $3.99 each

Kroger® Complete Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix, 32 oz$3.49

1 x $3.49 each

Kroger® Sweetened Condensed Milk, 14 oz$13.16

4 x $3.29 each

---

Other Fees

$0.40

Bag Fee$0.40

4 x $0.10 each

I spent a total of $55.97, of which $11.98 and $1.17 sales tax were for the facial tissues, which don't come from my grocery budget (I was down to one box of facial tissues, so needed to stock up; the brand name tissues were on sale and cheaper than the same amount of store brand tissues).

So the amount spent on groceries was $55.97 - $11.98 - $1.17 = $42.82

I had $16.69 left in my May grocery budget, so the amount I borrowed from June's grocery budget = $26.13.

The bottled water is part of my emergency supplies.  We generally don't drink bottled water on a daily basis and take refillable bottles with us when we go out.  But, I keep small bottles of water for emergencies and also to offer technicians, etc., when they come to work on things in the house.  I was down to my last three bottles of water and was anxious to replenish my supplies.  I also keep gallon sized bottles of water, too, for longer term emergency use.  The standard is a gallon a day per person (plus more if you have pets) and a minimum 3 day supply.  The name brand bottled water was on sale and the same price as the store brand bottled water which I had listed as a substitute (two previous attempts to get the store brand water failed due to them being out of stock).

June's grocery budget (for food items only) will be $250 - $26.13 = $223.87

How did you do with your May grocery spending?  

Daughter's Craft Project: An Activity Book

 

Front Cover

My daughter has been busy making a gift for her friend's son who is celebrating his 1st birthday.  She decided to make him an activity book, based on ideas she got from various internet sites.  She used felt and hand stitched everything.

Shall we take a look inside?

Page 1: Hen

The hen's wing can be lifted to reveal what's hidden underneath:

Baby Chicks in Their Egg Shells!

Movable Baby Chicks and Butterfly

The baby chicks come out of their egg shells and the butterfly can fly around, too.  Daughter used velcro stickers for the butterfly and some of the other movable items on the following pages.

Pages 2 and 3

Birds in their birdhouses and vegetables growing in the garden, with a little visitor hiding in the cabbage.

Movable Birds, Bunny, and Vegetables

The birds' wings are sewn on separately, so they can "fly" and the baby chicks (on the previous page) and the bunny, carrots, and beets are very lightly stuffed.

Pages 4 and 5

Hippo on page 4 is ready to help Baby Leon learn good dental hygiene.  Open wide, Hippo!

Hippo Opens Mouth to Reveal Four Teeth

Movable Toothbrush and Tube of Toothpaste and Birthday Cake

And of course, there has to be a birthday cake which can be taken apart and put back together!

Birthday Card

Daughter mailed the package containing the activity book and card at the beginning of the week and it was delivered, today.   Happy 1st Birthday, Leon!

Adding to the Stash

 

Yarn from Neighbor S's Mother L

Neighbor S called me the other evening and asked me if I wanted some yarn that her mother L didn't want anymore.  I can never say no to free yarn, so, of course, I said yes!  I guess her mother was clearing out her stash!  Daughter and I were happy to add the yarn to our stash!  S brought the yarn over on Wednesday night and I sorted through the yarn on Thursday.  There were some unfinished projects, as well, including a single knitted sleeve and what might have been the start of a crocheted blanket.  As far as I can tell, the yarn is all acrylic, so machine washable and dryable.  My first thought was we could make a blanket while daughter thought she could use them for her amigurumi and other craft projects.  I think I will be able to knit a couple of pairs of socks with some of the yarn.  It will be fun to plan how we'll use the yarn.

In addition to the yarn, there were some sewing supplies, as well.  Mostly elastics and cords of various lengths, and a piece of black fabric:

Sewing Supplies

I will be adding them to the stash, too!  

I messaged L to thank her for the gift of yarn and sewing supplies.  I am excited to get started on a knitting project!

I am grateful for:

- The gift of yarn and sewing supplies from L
- Neighbor S bringing me the yarn and other items