Rescheduled from December 2021, our book club finally met to discuss famed actress Mae West in the book by Charlotte Chandler titled She Always Knew How: Mae West, a Personal Biography. What a unique and talented star she was! The book had many interesting quotes and a fulsome discussion of the life and times of women of her generation. Mae was a true combination of the influences of her corset-model mother and boxer father. She was admired for working hard. By her speech and by example, she expanded the influence of women in her industry. Vive la difference, Mae!
We had such a nice group of approximately 15 participants who enjoyed delicious scones, tea sandwiches, cookies, and gougères. There were two “winners” of the “diamond” ring and bracelet prizes who correctly guessed the answers to questions about the book asked by co-chair Patricia Cowett! A photo was circulated showing Virginia and Mae socializing with George Cukor.
Thereafter, a few stayed to enjoy the tennis match on Virginia’s pink-walled court in honor of Virginia who played tennis for many years with her celebrity friends, including Charlie Chaplin and Fred Astaire.
Our next meeting with co-chair Elaine Stein is in June, on the third Saturday of the month, at 10:30 am. We will discuss the book Walt Disney: An American Original by Bob Thomas. It is about Walt and Lillian Disney, who were good friends of the Robinsons and who had occasion to enjoy the company of Virginia for many years, with lots of memories!
Post by Patricia Cowett
Friends of Robinson Gardens member
Co-chair of the Tea, Scones & Gardens Reading Group
Photos by Elaine Stein and Patricia Cowett
About our co-chair Patricia Cowett:
Prior to joining the Friends, Patricia was a judge for 29 years when she retired from the San Diego Superior Court. When she moved to Santa Monica in December 2018 to live in a cottage by the sea, she cared for a rose garden for the first time. She explained, “To learn what that would entail, I looked up online ‘Rose gardens near Santa Monica’ and found that VRG had two! I signed up for a tour and discovered the magic of VRG. I immediately became interested in becoming a docent. At my first Garden Tour, I became fast friends with Elaine and Ron Stein, long-time supporters of the Garden, who influenced me to become a member. My most recent endeavor has been to initiate the Tea, Scones & Gardens Reading Group.”
In addition to co-chairing the book club, Patricia leads docent tours one to two times a month and has helped prune roses and pack goodie bags for the Children’s Program; she also volunteers at special events. Patricia related, “As a docent, you can sometimes share in the bounty of the gardens: One day, I was invited to bring home two eggs produced by the chickens in the cage behind the herb garden. They were not only beautiful in color but tasted so special and fresh! My VRG omelette extraordinaire!”
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