Getting to know ma

The danger of being in LA too long is I started to want to stay longer than I could, at least if I wanted to make it to Seattle by Wednesday. It was really great to see Randall, and made me yearn for earlier years when we used to hang out quite a bit. Randall talked about a concept called "ma", which is the uncertainty that accompanies the start of a new creative process. Without a doubt, I am fully in ma.

I slept in on Saturday morning, rather predictably. The night before Mike and I met late to chat about some business ideas, then had a nightcap and some late-night victuals, Mexican style.

I met Randall at his home and we went out for breakfast at Dinah's, a classic LA greasy spoon with the full-on Jetsons naugahide interior decor. Afterwards we went back over to his place, and were thinking about taking the Coronet out for a spin. Just then a white van with two hombres inside saw it, and pulled over to check it out. This turned into an extended inspection, with the hood up and everything. Seems like they might want to buy it. At breakfast, Randall mentioned needing to get a car for Sarah, who's leaving for college in the fall. Seems like the universe heard him. It seems it's often like that for Randall, he's broadcasting on the right frequency and the world is tuned into it. I took this car-lot sideshow as an opportunity to admire the Wilson garden, and take pictures of the plants I liked the best. Something Angelenos must take for granted, but it's striking for someone who's lived in Colorado for a while. EVERYTHING grows in LA!

After that, Randall's son Ryan asked him to oil up his bicycle, so we did that for a few minutes, while Ryan washed it off. Then Randall and I headed out to the LA County Museum. LACMA has one of the nicest furniture and decorative art collections in the country. We were in the hunt for furniture and ceramics. We saw some Arts & Crafts work, and some early modern work. The usual suspects - Greene, Roycrofters, Wright, Schindler, Neutra and one piece that was really nice - a Bauhaus chair by Dieckmann. I also loved the Rural Electrification Association posters by Lester Beall, and was disappointed there wasn't a way to buy a poster or at least a postcard. Classic stuff.

We then moved to an exhibit of work from post-war Germany. These guys put the pain in painting. Powerful, disturbing stuff. Reminded me of my father's paintings. Too much. Last we saw the main event: Franz West. This is a collection of contemporary works, some of which one is supposed to interact with, which drives the guards crazy. One guard could have been part of a performance piece, she kept telling people what to do and what not to do, and all kinds of awkward physical comedy results.

The amazing thing about West is that his mind jumps from one idea to the next with total fluidity. There is not a lot of commonality between the pieces, it's disorienting to see them one after the other. After walking this one, my brain was fried and it was time to go. We drove back over to Randall's house and he invited me to stay for dinner. I began to feel like I really wanted to stay for longer than I could, so I declined with some regret. Need to keep this road trip moving... but I need to make a point of staying in closer touch with our friends in LA. I miss them.


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Drove up the coast to Buellton and Solvang, the towns where Sideways was shot. It's all there, but I get the sense that the locals are getting tired of the Sideways tourists. Buellton's a low-key agro town that seems like it would rather be left alone. Nice people though. Found the Motel 6 and headed over to Firestone-Walker brewery for dinner. Had a delicious rib eye steak, the Saturday special, and sampled a couple beers. They're known for their pale ales, but the porter was the best of all. Even with the chewing gum.