La Vida Yaya

Summer at the Autry means it's salsa time and the music is in full eswing (swing in Spanglish)! It's been a fun season although the cool weather may have dampened a few of nights as the sun went down. Regardless, the bands were playing their hearts out and the dancers were in excellent form. It should have been another fun and easy promotion job for me and it was until we were faced with the passing of Francisco Aguabella. Yes, we knew he was sick but didn't want to face the possibility of him not making it to his gig date on August 5. I was really pulling for him until Joey (my musician husband) gave me the news that we were seeing his last days. The passing of a legend cast a cloud of melancholy over the circle of salsa musicians. You think everyone is going to last forever and then they're gone. That is when you begin sharing stories of your personal experience with that person. I heard a few great ones about Francisco. His driving skills came up a few times. I...

Amazing sunset shot above and dancers below by Abel Gutierrez . The sun is out and not a cloud in the city of angels. This is the season that California is known for. Might as well patent the sun because we have it. The past couple of days have been scorchers early in the morning and driving around in my trusty Saturn with no a/c has been a challenge. Nevertheless, I'm loving it. Break out the sandals (as if I ever put them away) and the SPF 99 because unless you hate people, now is the time to get the heck out of the house. What can I tell you about summertime in LA other than it's fun and fulfills the soul. I might as well list everything and the kitchen sink that you can go out and do. Regionally, by theme, by dress code, and parking rates, there are tons of events going on. Let's see . . .  Well, let's start with where I'll be this summer. Working at the Autry comes the perk of going to Sizzling Summer Nights every Thursday in July and August. Last night's...