Yesterday was a gorgeous day, so in the afternoon I grabbed Lana's sun parasol and went for a walk.

I sent this message and photo to a few closest friends:

Perfect day for a beach walk. Wish all the people I loved lived close enough to walk with me.

My brother, who is just one year older than I, responded:

Yup, better together now on the beach rather than waiting until we have attendants wheeling us to karaoke.

I know he was joking, but still. I wrote him back that he needs better role models. I told him about my friend, Luchita, a beautiful woman from Venezuela, who is turning 96 in a few weeks. She's having a one-woman gallery show of her painting in November, is also flying to Hawaii in November, and will be traveling to Milan soon to attend the gallery opening of her son, Matt. Now that's the kind of role model I want to hold onto.

Below: Jo and Luchita Mullican, 2006