Raven Jake Dawes

Sierra Madre's 4th of July Parade

I just achieved something of a lifetime dream by riding in an Independence Day parade yesterday. The occasion was Sierra Madre's 4th of July Parade, and I was lucky enough to be honored as a Distinguished Artist with Sierra Madre's Friends of the Arts organization. To be honest, I had it better than the Grand Marshall. I got the banner carriers and the nice car, but then the FoA piled on the extras - Aztec Dancers with horns, an honor guard with a pink cow on a pallinquin [that one was my design - but they had the pink cow] signs that looked like orange crate lables proclaiming "Think Pink Cow Thoughts," a belly dancer with silver wings and a band in a truck following behind. Pretty nice! Then I got to meet-and-greet all the way down the street.  

The Friends of the Arts is an organization with a lot of opportunities to support artists of all types in the Sierra Madre area, and I sure look forward to more of their events. Special shout out to my friends Pat, Michelle and David for making it all happen. Jane got some video footage, so look for that coming up!

 

Kizh/Gabrielino Band of Mission Indians at the San Marino Parade

Folks, at the same time I was participating in the Sierra Madre July 4th Parade, theKizh/Gabrielino Band of Mission Indians were marching in San Marino's Independance Day Parade. Andy Teutimez Salas and his tribe were celebrating their heritage,  bringing awareness about the Michael White Adobe, and even more importantly, honoring the mixed heritage decendents of Eulalia Perez. We sat near them at the L.A. Heritage Fair, so we've met the Kizh before, but it was a shame to miss the parade. Andy provided us with pictures and filled us in on what happened:

We'd like to thank  the city of San Marino, "Sheshiikuanungna," for having us. This was another great day in our Native Land. In regards to the Banner of the Michael White family, the great-grand children of Michael White and his wife [Maria del Rosario], daughter of Eulila Perez, were the were the ones riding in the old 1938 car behind us. They have been members of our family for decades and are members of our Tribe. In the car was Anita White and Steve White, who are great-grand children. They still live in San Gabriel today and have lots of historic photos of their family members going back to the 1800's to share. On a related note, my father Ernie P. Teutimez Salas, Chief of our Tribe, has strong family connections to both the Native Kizh/Gabrieleno and Benjamin D. Wilson "Mt. Wilson" and the Patton Family.

 

Vote for the Sun Runner on Facebook

To my Desert Rats on Facebook,

Shanghai Brown is trying to get some grant money for the Sun Runner, an independent publication that supports all sort of Desert Ratishness, and therefore it's a good cause. Only takes about two minutes, and it's a worthy cause:

Hey folks,

I'm asking for your help from those of you who use FACEBOOK, but it's really easy. My magazine, The Sun Runner, is applying for a Mission Small Business grant through Chase and LivingSocial. This grant would make a huge difference for our ability to cover serious desert issues, as well as to help promote desert arts and culture, history, tribal matters, and more.

Facebook users can help support The Sun Runner Magazine with a few clicks.
In order to be eligible, we have to get at least 250 votes before June 30. The more votes, the better for our application.

To vote, all you have to do is go to https://www.missionsmallbusiness.com/, log in with Facebook - then like them & then near the bottom of the email search for Sun Runner, California, Joshua Tree, and when we pop up, hit "Vote."

That's it. It only costs you a few seconds to help us be eligible for a grant that could make a significant difference for our ability to serve the desert region. Thanks for your help and support! ‹Steve "Shanghai" Brown

"Significant Objects... and how they got that way"

"Significant Objects... and how they got that way" is an awesome literary exercise in adding value to absolute crap with a compelling story.  In other words:

"A talented, creative writer invents a story about an object. Invested with new significance by this fiction, the object should — according to our hypothesis — acquire not merely subjective but objective value. How to test our theory? Via eBay!" 

here's how this snow globe went from .99 to $59 (and sent $58 to Girls Write Now)

Now this touches my heart, 'cause a couple of days ago I bid farewell to my old truck. I'll post about that in a little bit. It ain't a dead truck in your driveway you miss, it's all the investment and memories that went into it. But I tell you folks, I wish I'd spent a little time writing up a sad tale about it before I called Pick Your Part.

GCC's Community Garden

Shout out to Glendale Community College for having the forethought to start a community garden on campus! Some of the students and faculty, the Environmental Club in particular, have really put themselves into this project, and it's starting to show. The new raised beds are looking great.

Where's George?

Here's a nerdy pastime for y'all: tracking cash as it moves through the economy. I got this greenback in change for a breakfast burrito at the Glendale Community College cafeteria. Where does it go next? I don't know, but if it falls into your hands you can see where it's been at Where's George?

First time I met a "George," it was at an art gallery in Santa Fe. Bought a Guadalupe/Santa Muerte tank top and got it in change. Fiver. I guess it was really a Where's Abe? although George W. was the president at the time. That fiver had started out in Hawaii, and I don't know where it ended up after it went towards the margarita fund at the Cowgirl on Guadalupe Street. But it had traveled far and gone through many hands.

Now this "breakfast burrito George buck" originated in Cedar City, Utah and has spent the last three years edging closer to California. So we've ordered a Where's George stamp (the treasury dept takes a dim view of defacing currency, but a lawsuit came to the conclusion that it's ok, so long as you don't go overboard with the modifications) and plan to track some greenbacks this summer. See where we spend our money and where it ends up. Now of course, this only works if everyone plays, so if you find a George, make sure you check in - it only takes about two minutes and it's pretty fun.

Sweet Honey in the Rock - Ballad of Harry Moore

I don't usually get political, but I want to send a shout out to voters in Florida. You've got problems getting counted, but stand fast. Here's Sweet Honey in the Rock, featuring Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, singing about the murder of NAACP organizer Harry Moore:

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

And wouldn't you know it, I plumb forgot to celebrate what with all the other stuff going on. I'm going to have some carrots for dinner, 'cause better late than never.

Here are the stats: Approximately 140,000 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed and 56,000 people will die from the disease this year. Surpassing both breast cancer and prostate cancer in mortality, colorectal cancer is second only to lung cancer in numbers of deaths in the United States.

Colorectal cancer strikes men and women with almost equal frequency. In addition, it is often a silent disease, developing with no symptoms at all.

The ad over on the right got banned for being "in poor taste," but if it saves lives, I'm all for it. So don't smoke, get a colonoscopy, and let's all live to die from something less preventable like the Mayan Zombie Apocalypse or whatever they have planned for November.

Culinary Historians of SoCal on April 14

It's going to be a busy month what with animals getting blessed and different lectures and Heritage Day and whatnot, but this one looks pretty promising too: 

The Cookbook Family Tree

 Saturday, April 14th, 2012, at 10:30 AM at the Los Angeles Public Library

Mark Taper Auditorium, Downtown Central Library, 630 W. 5th St.

Free and open to the public

Anne Willan speaking on…

“The Cookbook Family Tree”

Before 1501, the first four printed cookbooks were written in English, Latin, German, and French in four European countries. Who wrote these early cookbooks? Who read them? Who used them? Anne will explain the origin of these books and those of the centuries that follow. For her talk to the Culinary Historians of Southern California, Anne will be sharing her “cookbook tree,” a unique visual guide she has created to demonstrate how all the genres of food book we know today, such as recipe books, dining guides, gastronomic memoirs and more can be traced back to these early volumes.

Anne Willan Anne Willan has over 50 years experience as a teacher, cookbook author, and food columnist. The founder of famed French cooking school École de Cuisine la Varenne, Anne’s accolades include the IACP Lifetime Achievement Award, James Beard Award, and Bon Appétit Teacher of the Year Award. The author of over thirty cookbooks, Anne’s long-awaited The Cookbook Library: Four Centuries of the Cooks, Writers, and Recipes That Made the Modern Cookbook will be published in April 2012. The book is based on the extensive cookbook collection Anne and her husband Mark Cherniavsky have amassed through years of passionate collecting. Anne is also working on a memoir.

LA Heritage Day April 29

Just a reminder y'all - come out to LA Heritage Day on Olvera Street on April 29.  I'll be there with the Friends of the Michael White Adobe and with the Old Spanish Trail Association.

Over here at the left, I'm surveying the wreckage from the San Francisquito Dam disaster, and if you don't know what that was, you'd better come to Heritage Day and see if one of the 200 member organizations can help you out.

http://laheritage.blogspot.com/