Raven Jake Dawes

Will the Circle be Unbroken?

Dr Bernice Johnson Reagon has been on my mind lately. Don't know why, but man - what a voice! It was a wrench to pick "Will the Circle be Unbroken" over "Oh, Mary Don't You Weep" especially since Pharaoh's Army better get drownded if they can't make corporations pay taxes like the rest of us. I believe this clip is from Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest television show in 1965. It also looks like Rainbow Quest, an awesomely forward-thinking racially integrated folk music extravaganza, might be having another day in the sun too, based on a little light research. Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Quest 

Down at the Devil's Gate

Y'all, I thought I'd made a Raven Jake post about Devil's Gate some months back when I was talkin' about Suicide Bridge for Sam and Adam's project.  Turns out, I was just thinkin' about it. So the opportunity came again  yesterday when Skylaire Alfvegren and the Los Angeles branch of the League of Western Fortean Intermediatists had a little 'do over at the Cobb Estate and, of course, Devil's Gate.

Now Jane grew up in this 'hood, so she's got plenty to say about it; I just wanted to have a nice meander with some interesting folks. We both got our way. Now you might have a little trouble seeing the Devil's Head, so here's an enhanced pic, so you get the idea.

Now there are some interesting facts about the dam, and really the whole arroyo area - it's the ancesteral home of the Hahamonga Tongva, it really is a natural formation under all that gunnite, and it's been referred to as "Devil's Gate" way back into the 1800s.

The dam itself was built in 1920 as a flood control measure that also acted as a reservior for the growing city. More recently, sediment removal has been put on hold til next month when the toads finish breeding. Toads, take as much time as you need.

Down below is a pic of the Devil's Head formation before it got covered, and another undated one of the dam when it was full of water.

 

 

 

 

 

Feelin' Loki, Punk?

I'm tryin' to get a little more organized with some of my old-timey photos that I never got a chance to post. Case in point: this one from a few years back. Just now stumbled upon it. I was actually playing "The Wizard" in a movie for a friend's son, Morgan Culp. Course lookin' back on it, it looks like I've got some unresolved Loki issues. And if that's the case, amigos, you'd better get ready for Ragnarök!

Desert Spiny Lizard aka Sceloporus magister

This handsome fellow is a Desert Spiny Lizard aka Sceloporus magister. We met up with him running loose at the Living Desert and misidentified him as a Chuckwalla. Fortunately, there's a site for anyone confused about what sorta native fauna might be lurking out there, so check out  California Herps if you've got one that needs identifyin'.

 http://www.californiaherps.com/index.html

Living Waters Spa in Desert Hot Springs

Well folks, you know I love Desert Hot Springs 'cause that's where my grandparents lived, but you might be wonderin' what kinda heatstroke might cause a fella to be seeking out a hot spring in the desert in July. Short answer is: company. We had some friends visitin' and they wanted to spend some spa time. I had a few misgivings about it, got overruled, and it turned out to be one happy turn of events.

The Kismet Lodge, where my grandma worked at one point - she worked at darned near every spa in Desert Hot Springs back in the '50s - is now called the Living Waters Spa, and it's about two blocks down the street from Cabot's. Its current owners are Jeff and Judy Bowman who have an extensive background in massage therapy and are members of the Desert Hot Springs Historical Society on top of that.

Let me tell you, we haven't had such a pleasant afternoon in quite a while. The spa is pretty much the same as it was back in grandma's day; just clean and simple. We were told that the massages are surreal; next time around we'll have to check that out.

The other thing that's different about the old Kismet is that it's now "clothing optional" which really means that  wearing clothes (or binoculars) is NOT an option. Besides no clothes there are no kids, no cell phones, no blaring TVs - a little ambient "grasshopper in the bamboo"-style background music, and the wind in the palm trees. The water is straight from the aquifer, no chlorine.

Jeff and Judy have some great deals for summer too, the emphasis being specials for couples. So if you're up for some clothing-optional spa time, Living Waters is the place.

Living Waters Spa

13340 Mountain View Rd.

Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240

760-329-9988

 

 

 

 

GCC's Insider Magazine

Jane's been workin' overtime editing and producing Glendale Community College's latest issue of the Insider. Ain't a whole lot for desert rats in this one, but the cover photo is young Chris Caplan in Tecopa Tom's ride. You get more about that inside, plus a zombie walk and street art and some other stuff that might peak yer interest.

Open publication - Free publishing - More brown beret

Mexico town's pointy boots create a craze

You've gotta love this (and no, I ain't wearin' a pair of elf boots anytime soon) Mexico town's pointy boots create a craze. Make you smile, though!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Culinary Historians of So Cal Events

Folks, I wanted to take a second to promote a couple of things the Culinary Historians of Southern California have coming up - one is their big fundraiser used cookbook sale

Sun, August 21, 8am – 4pm at the Hollywood farmers’ market

map They're starting at 8 and going til they run out of books, so show up early.

Charles Perry on L.A.’s 230th birthday

Sat, September 10, 10:30am – 12:00pm

Barbara Ghazarian on "Simply Quince" (Armenian food)

Sat, October 8, 10:30am – 12:00pm

Kirstin Olsen on 18-19th century England

Sat, November 12, 2011, 10:30am – 12:00pm

To Be Announced

Sat, December 10, 2011, 10:30am – 12:00pm

Programs, except where noted, are 10:30 a.m. at the Mark Taper Auditorium, Central Library, 630 West Fifth Street, Los Angeles 90071-2002. For more information, please call (213) 228-7241. Parking at the Central Library on Saturday and Sunday is $1.00 during library hours at 524 S. Flower St., with a library card and validation from the Information Desk in the library. Library cards are free.

Programs are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.

You do need to bring an id to get your library card, but an LA City Library card, besides the fact that you can use it at a bunch of locations, also gives you access to a bunch of internet resources. Well worth having.