Another successful LA Kossack lunch, our fifth. We're developing a nice core of regulars, and we're meeting some wonderful new people in the process. This time, because it WAS nice out, we assembled at PitFire Pizza, in the Arts District of North Hollywood and two blocks south of the North Hollywood Red Line station. This is a place I can WALK to, and I did. Photographs, except the one of her, courtesy of SanFernandoValleyMom. I took that one.
So here we are assembled, having sorted out the ordering process (you order indoors and they bring the food out to you, and we DID have a dedicated food and drink server).
Clockwise, from left to right: susans's hair, Gay CA Democrat, 714day (it turns out she was going for Bastille Day, not signifying Orange County), Arlene Mathews (not a Kossack but more about her later), Richard Mathews, anonymous (by request), Zack from the SFV, your diarist (you can't see but i have an orange shirt on undereneath the white shirt), and gmats. More, including some food pr0n, below the Great Orange Doohickey. Incidentally, the petition susans is holding is actually a pledge not to spend any money in Nevada until Harry Reid fixes the filibuster mess. Richard and his family had just come from a Democratic party meeting of some sort.
Following Chrislove's lead because I understand as he does how interested all of you are in food, here are two pics, and, just as Chris noted, i'm not sure what one of them is.
Clockwise again: the Tuna Nicoise salad, a pizza Margherita, and one of the day's specials, Cavatappi with I think an assortment of mushrooms.
And a closer view of the Cavatappi!
Now, to remedy the omission from last time, here are SanFernandoValleyMom and Arline Mathews, with her son Richard Mathews in the background.
Arline Mathews is an old-time San Fernando Valley activist. She was telling us wonderful stories about meeting Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta at the very beginning of the table grape boycott in the 1970s and how she told Morris Kight (and early gay activist) to make an end run around the planning commission (of which she was a member) when said planning commission rejected using a city-owned site for a gay community Center in Hollywood. I hope we get to see her again, and maybe we'll have an event where she can tell us more about her activism!
Gay CA Dem and 714Day having a good time.
And susans asking somebody about something. We had our usual good time, and we missed you, Shockwave and jakedog42, but we know you had good weekends too.
Now, a question. The next scheduled LA Kossacks meeting could be on June 15, but given the fact that at least six of us are going to NN 13 the following week, we were thinking that we might postpone the meeting until July when those of us who were at NN13 could wax ecstatic about it. We have a place in Little Tokyo right off the Gold Line picked out for it. As usual, that's what the comments are for.