Raven Jake Dawes

Michael White Adobe Open House

Last night, we held the second annual Michael White Adobe Open House at the adobe on the grounds of San Marino High School during their homecoming game against Monrovia.

Over to the right is Jane, cleverly disguised as Maria de Rosario Guillen de Blanco. No family members turned up this time around, but we did have a bunch of folks from the community come by and take a gander, and we also had a PTA chair, a school board member, and reps from the Old Spanish Trail Association, the Genealogical Society of Hispanic America, the San Marino Historical Society and the Ramona Museum.

We also screened a 14-minute movie that I produced with Abby Shamray. She wrote and directed the piece for her Girl Scout Gold Award, I shot some and edited, and I've gotta say, she did a terrific job of telling the story of the adobe and ways to integrate it into the school curriculum. So way to go, Abby! More on that later when we iron out a couple of sound issues and get it posted to Youtube.

Don't forget to keep checking the official Michael White Adobe website, as more things develop.

Michael White Adobe on the cover of Spanish Traces

Michael White Adobe on the cover of Spanish Traces, the Old Spanish Trail Association newsletter,  Fall 2011!

Find out more at http://www.oldspanishtrail.org/

Michael White Adobe Open House Oct. 28

Hey Y'all - Just like last year, the Michael White Adobe will be open before and during the homecoming game against Monrovia at 7 p.m. on Oct 28. Jane and I will be dressed as Maria del Rosario and Michael White. All are invited to tour the historic home of San Marino pioneer Michael White and see the plans for its restoration. And there's a lot goin' on too - the Friends of the Michael White Adobe have shored up the most damaged wall (thanks to NewHaven Builders and Roy Tolles) and Abby Shamray will be unveiling her girl scout gold project - a video about the adobe's history.   Over to the left is me filming while Martin of NewHaven Builders bores a hole through a 2-foot-thick adobe wall.

Big Plans for L.A.'s 230th Birthday

Folks, it's L.A.'s 230th and the San Gabriel Mission's 240th this weekend. We got over to the mission last night just in time for the bell ringing, but there is a full-blown fiesta in effect with food and carnival rides and the whole works.

The San Gabriel Historical Association Museum will be open on Saturday, Sept. 3rd. 1:00-4:00. They just received a copy of an oral history of Eulalia Perez de Guillen Marine, and Helen Salazar let us take a sneak peak at it last night. It's a copy of the 1957 typed English translation, and it's in Eulalia's section of the museum. This one's got a little extra info in it, maybe things that other people don't think are as important - a little anecdote about buried treasure, and some funny little songs she sang to Thomas Savage when he interviewed her. If you ask me, that's the best part. Here's the address of the museum - I'm fixing to meet up with some of the Old Spanish Trail Association Rancho Chapter around 1, then headin' out to the mission.
546 W. Broadway, San Gabriel, Ca. 91776, Museum phone (626) 308-3223 

The mission website is down with a virus, but they've got a jam-packed schedule over the weekend. I'm hoping to catch the blessing of the kids and animals at 1:45. If y'all have a particularly cute llama or offspring, or just one that's in dire need of being blessed, you ought to haul it on down there today. The mission staff is very accommodating and can handle a blessing in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, and they've got support staff that can bless in Chinese, if that's the language your Pekingese understands the best. They even have a super-tall priest, if you're bringin' a giraffe. (Sadly, that ain't me - this year. But it's on my list)

I heard that there's a Tongva tour of the mission grounds at 2, and John Fantz, docent extrordinare, is telling a mission story at 5. So there's something for everybody. After 5 we've got to clear out, 'cause Capt. Tim Ream is heading back up to Oregon and we'll need to swing by Lucky Baldwin's to see him off. There's a bunch of stuff goin' on in the Pueblo too, if that's where you'd rather celebrate. Come by and say "hi!"  - I'm wearin' my red Scully gambler shirt, so you can't miss me!

Raven Jake's UFO

Now another thing about aliens - why do they have to be all sneaky? This particular spacecraft followed the van for about 20 minutes before I was able to take evasive action. If them aliens thought I didn't notice, they were dead wrong. I was on to 'em from the start. So shout out to my extraterrestrial fans - you don't have to stalk, fellas. Just write a comment and state yer case. Always happy to hear from ya.

A more scientific explanation for this particular UFO is that it is a Cumulus cloud of the Pileus persuasion. According to the weather experts at the University of Illinois,

Fair weather cumulus have the appearance of floating cotton and have a lifetime of 5-40 minutes. Known for their flat bases and distinct outlines, fair weather cumulus exhibit only slight vertical growth, with the cloud tops designating the limit of the rising air. Given suitable conditions, however, harmless fair weather cumulus can later develop into towering cumulonimbus clouds associated with powerful thunderstorms.

Fair weather cumulus are fueled by buoyant bubbles of air, or thermals, that rise upward from the earth's surface. As they rise, the water vapor within cools and condenses forming cloud droplets. Young fair weather cumulus have sharply defined edges and bases while the edges of older clouds appear more ragged, an artifact of cloud erosion. Evaporation along the cloud edges cools the surrounding air, making it heavier and producing sinking motion (or subsidence) outside the cloud.

So check out the cloud identifier chart whenever you have a question about alien spacecraft. We don't want to have any interplanetary misunderstandings to arise from a mis-identified Orographic.

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

LA's Turning 230 on Sept 4

Sunday, Sept. 4 is going to be LA's big 230. Well, no I ain't picked out my outfit yet, but it's bound to be pretty Raven-Jakey, as usual.

I was down at Olvera St. last week to meet up with some of the Spainish Trail people, then headed over to Our Lady; it happened to be Ascension Day and the church was packed.

I'll be honest, I just wanted to check out how Joseph Chapman's ol' church was doing (close to perfect, actually) and wasn't aware of the subtleties of the Catholic Calendar. I have to say that being partly raised that way myself, I would've paid more attention in Sunday School if it had featured drumming and Aztec Dancers like the service we caught. 'Course maybe that's just for Ascension Day.

Now that got me thinkin' on the original settlers. The Tongva, of course, had a village right there, Yang-na, which is undoubtedly why the Spanish pegged it as a viable location. But how about those folks that they got to make that hard, dangerous trip for the "privilege" of subsistence farming some place else? I grabbed this off the LA City website.

Original Settlers (Pobladores) of El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles, 1781

Recorded Family Head	Age	Race	Birthplace	Name, Age & Race of Spouse	Children***
Manuel Camero*	30	Mulatto	Nayarit	Maria Tomasa (24, Mulatta)	None
Jose Fernando de Velasco y Lara	50	Spaniard	Spain	Maria Antonia Campos (23, Indian)	3
Antonio Mesa	38	Black	Sinaloa	Ana Gertrudis (27, Mulatta)	2
Jose Cesario Moreno*	22	Mulatto	Sinaloa	Maria Guadalupe Gertrudis Perez (19, Mulatta)	None
Jose Antonio Navarro	42	Mestizo	Sinaloa	Maria Regina Dorotea Glorea de Soto (47, Mulatta)	3
Luis Manuel Quintero	55	Black	Jalisco	Maria Petra Rubio (40, Mulatta)	5
Pablo Rodriguez	25	Indian	Sinaloa	Maria Rosalia Noriega (26, Indian)	1
Alejandro Rosas*	19	Indian	Sinaloa	Juana Rodriguez (20, Indian)	None
Jose Antonio Basilio Rosas	67	Indian	Durango	Maria Manuela Calixtra Hernandez (43, Mulatta)	6
Jose Maria Vanegas**	28	Indian	Jalisco	Maria Bonifacia Maxima Aguilar (20, Indian)	1
Antonio Clemente Felix Villavicencio	30	Spaniard	Chihuahua	Maria de los Santos Flores (26, Indian)	1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

*Married just prior to leaving for the new pueblo because new settlers were required to heads of families.
**Vanegas was appointed to be the first alcalde (mayor).
***Children at the time of the settlement of the Pueblo. Some of these settlers went on to have other children.

A twelfth settler, Antonio Miranda Rodriguez, a 50-year-old Filipino, and his 11 year-old daughter were also slated to settle in the new pueblo. They set out with the rest of the pobladores in early 1781 enroute to their new home. While in Baja California, however, they were among those who fell ill to smallpox and remained there for an extended time to recuperate. When they finally arrived in Alta California (the present-day State of California), it was discovered that Miranda Rodriguez was a skilled gunsmith. He was subsequently reassigned to the Santa Barbara Presidio in 1782 to be an armorer.

Maria Guadalupe Gertrudis Perez, wife of Jose Moreno, was the last surviving original settler. She died in 1860, having lived almost 100 years.
Her granddaughter, Catalina Moreno, married Don Andres Pico, brother of Pio Pico and Mexican military commander at the Battle of San Pascual.

 Whatever Happened to the Original Settlers?

Antonio Clemente Felix Villavicencio - Moved to Santa Barbara in 1797. Died there in 1802.
Jose de Velasco y Lara- Received permission to move to Ventura in 1782 to establish the Mission San Buenaventura and later to Santa Barbara to establish the presidio. Died in Nayarit on an unfortunate return trip to Mexico in 1783*.
Luis Quintero- Received permission along with Jose de Velasco y Lara to move to Ventura in 1782 to establish the Mission San Buenaventura and later to Santa Barbara to establish the presidio. He may have wished to be near his three daughters who had married soldiers stationed at the presidio in Santa
Barbara. Died in Santa Barbara in 1810.
Antonio Mesa - Apparently became disillusioned with the hardships in Alta California and received permission to return to Sonora, Mexico in 1782.
Jose Antonio Navarro- Sent to San Jose in 1790 and later to the Presidio in San Francisco. Buried at the Mission Dolores in San Francisco in 1793.
Pablo Rodriguez - Moved to San Diego in 1796 then to San Juan Capistrano. Buried at the Mission San Juan Capistrano in 1816.
Jose Vanegas- Remained in Los Angeles for 20 years during which he served as its first alcalde (mayor). Upon the death of his wife in 1801, moved to San Diego and the Mission San Luis Rey.
Manuel Camero- Remained in Los Angeles. Served as a Los Angeles regidor (councilman). Died here in 1819.
Jose Moreno- Remained in Los Angeles. Served as a Los Angeles regidor. Buried at Mission San Gabriel in 1806.
Alejandro Rosas- Remained in Los Angeles. He and his wife died here only a month apart in December 1788 and January 1789.
Jose Antonio Rosas- Remained in Los Angeles. Buried at the Mission San Gabriel in 1809.

• Jose de Velasco y Lara was ordered back to Mexico by the authorities when he confessed to Father Junipero Serra that his first wife, whom he had maintained had died, might actually still be alive. He was already remarried with children. He unfortunately never returned to see his second wife and children in Santa Barbara, having died not long after returning to Nayarit.

In short, their lives sucked. Brutal and short and most of them couldn't wait to move someplace else. Vanegas did alright by himself, in a regional way, but none of these other folks went on to found great dynasties and receive absurdly huge land grants. Still, Los Angeles persevered.

There are around 250 descendants in an organization called Los Pobladores, who are planning a huge 'do on Sept 3 with a special mass and everything. Rosary starts at La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles at 4:30, Marian parade, bagpipes, Spanish costumes, Knights of Columbus: the works.

It's also pretty common (at least some years) to make that final walk from the San Gabriel Mission to the Plaza in commemoration of the journey's last nine miles - takes about three hours, 'cause this ain't a fun run and speed ain't a factor. My plantar fasciitis says "no" to the walk, but maybe I'll roll through in a wheelchair or do a special car caravan or something. Anyone down for a Pobladores stroll & roll with Raven Jake?