Myself, wearing a light taupe colored dress, with long sleeves. At the hem is a series of diamond shapes in peachy-pink, grey, and gold, all in various sizes. Near my shoulder I wear a small wooden brooch of a raccoon holding a pink flower. Atop my head a peachy-pink scarf, and short gold boots on my feet.

The Tale of Nell Donnelly: Fashion Icon Rescued by the Mob

March 29, 2023, 1 Comment

When we think about fashion labels with notorious pasts, we think about Gucci or Versace. But there is one forgotten about fashion label that an estimated one in seven women owned and its founder and designer, Nell Donnelly, was once caught up in a kidnapping that was solved by the mob, and I recently acquired…

Myself, wearing large pink sunglasses, a white cowboy hat, with blue stars edged in rhinestones, a white and light blue patterned suit with silver thread running through it, and a blue satin shirt.

Rocket Man

November 30, 2022, 3 Comments

In 1975, after climbing America’s music charts, Elton John stepped onto a stage at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium to a crowd of over 50,000. In the audience for one of the two sold out shows was my mother-in-law, and last week she got to do it all over again, as her, Patrick and myself went…

The Coven Album "Witchcraft" leans up against the open lid of a record player. The black vinyl record sits on the spindle. The cover features a woman with long blonde hair, and two men, one with dark hair, another with blonde hair and a mustache, in the middle is a human skull. Text across the top reads "Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls Coven"

The Forgotten Mother of Metal Music and Birth of the “Devil’s Horns”

August 18, 2021, 1 Comment

It’s summer still, but many, including myself, already have Halloween on the mind. Disneyland has released tickets for the after-hours party, Universal Halloween Horror Nights has announced their new mazes and some stores already have Halloween decorations in stock, and me? Well, I’m working on what songs from my spooktacular playlist I’m going to share…

Accidental Icon: How the Hollywood Sign Became a LA Mainstay

June 3, 2021, 1 Comment

Recently Patrick, myself, and some friends decided to conquer the Hollywood sign hike. We hiked up steep dusty trails that wove their way for over three miles through Griffith Park, finally reaching the peak and it got me thinking about the amazing history of this accidental symbol of Tinseltown. As America entered the roaring 20s,…

On the left a blue and green map of Los Angeles, with the silhouette of a man walking, black text reads "Paul Revere was Here On the Trail of L.A.'s Legendary Architect Paul R. Williams" and on the right a photo of the Beverly Hills Hotel's green side with white script reading "Beverly Hills Hotel" and tall palm trees stretching toward a blue sky.

Celebrating the Life and Work of Paul Revere Williams

April 14, 2021, 2 Comments

It’s no secret I love a good building. Los Angeles is filled with many beautiful buildings of both the private and commercial kind, and in a wide variety of styles. One person who embodied Los Angeles architecture was Paul Revere Williams, and recently the LA Conservancy teamed up with the National Organization of Minority Architects…

A group of guests look over a pool that has a steep slide, which an alligator slides down. Text across a roof in the background reads "Alligator Farm." Red text in the upper right of the postcard reads "Entertaining guests at the California Alligator Farm, Los Angeles."

Sights and Souvenirs from the California Alligator Farm

March 10, 2021, 6 Comments

As mentioned before I’ve been watching a lot of TV since I’m not going anywhere thanks to COVID, and I recently binged the entire first season of HBO’s new interpretation of Perry Mason. Early in the show Mason handles a taxidermy turtle and small alligator, both which feature a paper label reading “Los Angeles Alligator…

Naughty & Nice: Ode to Haddon Sundblom, the Man Behind Pin-Ups & Coca-Cola’s Santa

December 17, 2020, 2 Comments

Santa Claus. How do we describe Santa’s appearance? White beard. Red Suit. A bit on the portly side perhaps? An icon of Christmas, Santa has seen many different interpretations over the years, but today we all pretty much agree on his appearance here in America, and there is an urban legend that the modern appearance…

Sheep graze on the lawn of the White House

Gifted Donkeys, Raccoons, and Other Bizarre Pets of the White House

November 11, 2020, 2 Comments

With the election of Joe Biden as President of the United States, the White House will once again have pets scampering about its grounds. The Bidens have two German shepherds, Major and Champ, and Biden even made their dogs part of his campaign, including this Instagram video. Headlines recently boasted that Major would be the…

A boy and girl bite into the same apple inside a pumpkin. Text at the top reads "Halloween."

The Long Lost Matchmaking Rituals of Halloween

October 21, 2020, 6 Comments

When it comes to holidays about true love, one typically thinks about Valentine’s Day, and not Halloween. But yes, the time of year we typically associate with more macabre imagery used to have a rather romantic element, the rituals of Halloween matchmaking. Some of the earliest noted methods of Halloween matchmaking are from 18th century…

Myself, holding a bottle of Coke, while wearing a t-shirt of a girl in a cowgirl hat with a bottle of Coke being handed to her, red script reading "Coca-Cola" across the top. Script across the photo reads "History of the Coca-Cola Bottle"

Curvaceous Design: The History of the Coca-Cola Bottle

May 20, 2020, 6 Comments

Few things are as iconic as a bottle of Coca-Cola. In fact, as early as 1949, a study showed that fewer than one percent of Americans could not identify a bottle of Coke by its shape alone. That is a pretty big flex if you ask me. Today it’s impossible to think of not being…

Atomic Redhead

History Lessons

The Tale of Nell Donnelly: Fashion Icon Rescued by the Mob

Rocket Man

The Forgotten Mother of Metal Music and Birth of the “Devil’s Horns”

Accidental Icon: How the Hollywood Sign Became a LA Mainstay

Celebrating the Life and Work of Paul Revere Williams

Sights and Souvenirs from the California Alligator Farm

Naughty & Nice: Ode to Haddon Sundblom, the Man Behind Pin-Ups & Coca-Cola’s Santa

Gifted Donkeys, Raccoons, and Other Bizarre Pets of the White House

The Long Lost Matchmaking Rituals of Halloween

Curvaceous Design: The History of the Coca-Cola Bottle