I’m a Los Angeles area native and grew up in Tujunga and then Westlake Village when there wasn’t even water in the lake! I come from a family of redheads and have four brothers. My father was an artist and my mother was involved in environmental issues her entire life. I love the outdoors, grew up camping in the Sierras and have the same close friends as I had when I was 10 years old. I try not to take myself too seriously and enjoy most people and life and am grateful for every minute of it.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I have my partner of 26 years, Viki, and have my adorable rescue pup from Hand-In-Paw, Buddy, for seven years now. Both light up my life every day.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
I started playing guitar when I was ten and made a living from it throughout the later 70s to mid 80s playing the Vegas and Tahoe circuits and all over the west coast in various bands. I decided to settle down and get a real job and spent 35 years in the printing industry doing graphic arts prepress, before and after computers, and Photoshop retouching primarily for the automotive industry and entertainment studios. Now that I am retired I’m back to playing music and loving it on my terms. Shameless plug here- I’m half of the duo “Hotflash” along with Linda Lee, and we play at The Saltner every Thursday evening from 7 to 10. Come down!
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
The Saltner, of course, Sena, and Gem City Grill/Market Grill, just to name a few.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
We moved to Monrovia in 1998 to a house that used to be the real estate office for the Chess Bros in 1865 on Myrtle Ave and was moved via mules and logs onto Ivy Ave in the early 1900’s and later added onto. We have seen so much improvement and progress in the city we love and are grateful for successful local planning and government.
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
I’ve met quite a few, but my hairdresser, Carole Kaufman (aka The Whistling Diva), stands out. I admire her fearlessness to take on new personal challenges, start a music festival, get her masters, and travel all over the world, all while whistling a happy tune.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
I would like to go to Ireland and Scotland, my ancestral heritage. I wrote an instrumental piece called “Highland Trail” because it’s something I feel in my bones, and now I want to feel it in person, too.
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
My favorite all time movie is To Kill a Mockingbird, the very first movie I saw in a theatre. I just saw “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and that was amazing! I love Ted Lasso, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and I’m into Yellowstone right now.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Always try to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Be kind and non judgmental. You don’t know what other people are going through. And bark less, wag more!
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
I don’t really have a specific bucket list – I guess it would be to live life fully and stay healthy and happy as long as possible.
Q: What is your go to band when you can’t decide what to listen to?
If I feel down or have the blahs, I love to crank up early Beatles. My mom took us to see them live in 1965 at Balboa Stadium when I was a whopping 8 years old and a huge Beatles fan, Still am and always will be. It instantly makes me happy.
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
I never actually saw it, but I wish I could have seen the Lyric Theater at the end of my street and it could have been preserved.
Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative, with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
I would love to meet Michelle or Barack Obama, I’m a lifelong Democrat and can’t think of a greater honor. I don’t know where I would take them to, I guess I would have to have my people talk to their people. And first I’d have to get some people.
Q: What is your favorite thing about Monrovia or something unique about our community that you like?
I love being able to walk down my street and go to a movie or the library, have dinner or meet friends. It’s a very unique situation in such a large metropolitan area. I know it’s cliche’, but it’s true, I like the Mayberry atmosphere and hometown feel. I hope that all the large developments of late don’t detract from that in the future – there has to be a balance.
Q: What is your greatest regret?
I try not to look backwards and think about regrets because they all served a purpose. I think the challenging situations I have encountered in life have been a learning opportunity and I’ve attempted to apply those lessons. Not always successfully, of course, because I’m still a work in progress.
Q: Even for friends or family, what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
Flip Wilson once bought me a miniature Schnauzer. For real.
Q: What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?
I’ve been lucky enough to go to a lot of beautiful places, but for many reasons I would pick The Sea Ranch on the California coast, about 100 miles north of San Francisco. My parents were founding members of the community, and as a family, we would meet there for many years to celebrate Thanksgiving and other vacations. It is a stunning landscape of redwoods and ocean, and my parents ashes were scattered in the Sound where the beautiful Gualala River empties into the sea.
Q: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I’m proud of my career in the printing trade and for being one of the only females in a male-dominated trade. I was very good at what I did. I really had about four different careers within that trade because of the changes in print technology over the years. I worked hard, kept up with it all, and worked with some really smart, creative people. I feel very lucky. And the fact that I’m still close with all my brothers, some of my very favorite people.
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
K-Bop Korean Chicken by Sprouts ten piece soy garlic boneless chicken wings with an ice cold Stone IPA. Heaven.
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE Tommy Emmanuel fan, the best acoustic guitarist in the world IMHO. I was fortunate enough to attend one of his guitar camps in Carmel a few years back and got a chance to play with him. When he spun around later, pointed at me and said “You’re good!” I almost cried.
Q: What is one or two of your favorite smells?
Coffee, pine trees and bacon, all together.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Comfort, sanctuary and love.
