Raven Jake Dawes

Zombie Transformation

Well, it's back to bein' a zombie and I ain't exactly fond of the critters, as you know. Nonetheless, I seem to keep getting infected. This time around, I was the model for my friend, Suzana Rupe the Queen of Gore, at Joe Blasco's makeup school in Hollyweird.  Somewhere over at the left there you can see the album of my exciting transformation. Sadly, this program doesn't let me put the pictures in order or write captions so you'll have to just enjoy them on a case-by-case basis. Took about three hours from soup to nuts. Terrific class too - we really had fun. 

Here's the album: http://ravenjake.typepad.com/photos/zombie/index.html

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Zombie Jake

Hell Raisin' Good Time

Zombie Jake

Now folks, I'm an old-fashioned kinds guy, so when I think about zombies, I'm liable to be thinkin' of old-school zombies. The ones that are the thralls of some voodoo witch doctor in a Caribbean paradise. These new-fangled animated corpses and the quick-moving vampire-zombie hybrids are alright, I guess, but it just ain't the same thing.

But none o' that prevented me from zombie-ing it up for a music video yesterday. The artist is Tim Hicks and the song is, I believe, Hell Raisin' Good Time. And me and the other zombies had exactly that. Wishing every success to Tim as well - he and the whole crew were a pleasure to work with.

 

Raven Jake at the Sierra Madre Independence Day Parade Part 2

I've been meaning to get some video up from the Sierra Madre Independence Day Parade. You may recall that I had the honor of being selected as a "Distinguished Artist" by the Friends of the Arts in Sierra Madre, California,  which meant I got to ride along in someone else's pristine restored car. Good times! 

"Just Deserts" Wedding Video

 

"Just Deserts" is a silent movie created by Jim and Lynn Hawkes of Circle Take Media in Palm Desert for our wedding. We wanted to do something a little different and a little more "us." Evil Lord Snakbar has usurped the kingdom of Princess Jane, who has fallen in love with Sir Jeryd. Snakbar doesn't deal well with rejection, but Jane and Jeryd are pretty resourceful -- and then there's the matter of the magic mead. Music by Martin St. Pierre.

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 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.

Charles Perry at the Arboretum June 26 - POSTPONED

 Unfortunately, folks, this one has been postponed 'til fall:

 
Now one of my resolutions for the summer is to get a little more proactive about posting and maybe promote some events before they happen instead of writing about it months after. Case in point: The Californio barbecue thing.

So Charles Perry has another event coming up, that I'm sure will be of interest to a few people reading this blog, and that's "Of Beer and Baseball with Charles Perry," at the LA County Arboretum on Sunday, June 26.

Here's the skinny:

A lecture by Charles perry followed by a tasting of several craft brews from local breweries, among them Craftsman Brewing Company and Eagle Rock Brewery.

When: Sunday June 26, 2011 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Cost: $25 for members/$30 for non-members

In 1850, Los Angeles was a wine-drinking Spanish pueblo, but as Yankees filtered in, they soon started breweries, despite the lack of ice or cool caves for aging lager. By the end of the century a thirsty, fast-growing city had made Bavarian immigrant Joseph Maier one of its leading citizens. The Maier family promoted public entertainments, above all baseball – Eddie Maier pitched for numerous local teams before taking the helm at Maier Brewing in 1909 and organized his own Pacific League team, the ultimate ancestor of the Hollywood Stars of 1938-’58.

Along the way, Eddie lived life on the grand scale, organizing car races that set world records and throwing barbecues for 4,000 at a time at his Simi Valley ranch. The Maier Brewery closed in 1974, but the 101 Freeway still makes a jog just east of Alameda Street, where the brewery stood when the freeway was built.

Charles Perry is the president of the Culinary Historians. He has written and spoken widely on food history and is the co-author of Medieval Arab Cookery and Spuds, Truffles and Wild Gnocchi: The Patina Cookbook, and the author of The Haight-Ashbury: A History.


To register please call 625.821.4623