Myself, wearing a black cowboy hat, black Mexican Tourist jacket with green design, white peasant top, blue jeans, standing in front of the mission.

Retracing Zorro’s Escapades at Mission San Luis Rey

January 25, 2023, 2 Comments

Before we get going, I want to say that it is important to remember that the California missions have complicated histories. For some, they were and remain a place of peace, with memories of weddings and other life events, however, they also have a history of violence, slavery, and forced religious conversion, which aided in the…

A waist up shot of me standing in front of Heinold's wearing a tan cowboy hat, floral cowboy shirt, and yellow tie with a horse on it.

Grab a Drink at Oakland’s Oldest Bar, Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon

July 12, 2022, Leave a Comment on Grab a Drink at Oakland’s Oldest Bar, Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon

Resting on the banks of the Oakland Estuary sit a pair of buildings that look like they have been plucked from a wild west set; a small wooden saloon and an even smaller log cabin, making for an odd vignette among the taller glass and steel structures, railroad tracks, and sailboats. The saloon, dubbed Heinold’s…

A rounded room with a gold chain curtain and small display cases housing Oscars. A small round red velvet couch sits in the center.

Celebrating Movie Magic at the Academy Museum

November 9, 2021, 3 Comments

Over the last few years Hollywood has been working hard in the former May Company building, overhauling it to turn it into the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Earlier this fall it finally opened, and we visited last weekend. Fair warning, this post includes spoilers of classic films such as Citizen Kane and Psycho. With…

Myself, wearing a black and white stripe dress, a pin featuring the Headless Horseman, Ichabod and Katrina sits at the center of the neckline, a black choker with a rhinestone star charm in the center, standing in front of a large wooden door with black, curling wrought iron details.

200 Years of Sleepy Hollow

September 16, 2021, 4 Comments

In 1819 American writer Washington Irving penned a short story that would go on to become one of the most enduring Halloween classics, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” For just over 200 years, Ichabod Crane and his advisory the Headless Horseman have been interpreted time and time again and in variety of ways. Last weekend…

Myself, wearing a black cowboy hat, black tee reading "Bounty Law" and jean shorts, leaning against a large sign reading "The Red Dog" in large red letters.

The Red Dog, the Saloon that Once Served Trigger right at the Bar

June 8, 2021, 1 Comment

When I first went to Pioneertown in 2014 with my dad, we wondered through a desolate western town where the only activity was dirt blowing across the street. Completely devoid of people, we peeked through the windows here and there, windows of legitimate businesses, though closed, and faux ones with pun based names such as…

Visiting Merle Haggard’s Home and More at Kern County Museum

May 17, 2021, 4 Comments

Being vaccinated means I feel a bit more comfortable going out and doing some things, and I’ve been itching to get on the road for a little day trip. I recently heard that Bakersfield had a wealth of great neon signs, which are a favorite subject of mine, including an entire courtyard display dedicated to…

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 low, single story building has an overgrown front yard area, and weeds growing through the cracks of the sidewalk. Banana trees have grown as tall as the roofline.

The Ghostly Remnants of the Old LA County Poor Farm

February 25, 2020, 6 Comments

Within the small LA suburb of Downey sits what appears to be a ghost town. A mixture of overgrown, charred, and boarded up buildings sit behind chainlink fences topped with barbed wire, and gates locked with multiple padlocks. What is this ghostly place? It is what remains of the Los Angeles County Poor Farm. For those…

Myself seated in front of the faux orange stand.

Tracing California’s Orange Roots at the Citrus State Historic Park

February 6, 2020, 7 Comments

The orange is one of the most iconic things about California. Southern California’s climate makes it a perfect place to grow citrus, and thanks to advances in irrigation, processing, transportation, and the addition of the Washington navel orange, California’s citrus industry boomed in the late 1800s, as oranges and their citrus cousins made for California’s…

Catherine ducks under the cover of her camera to take my portrait. .

Meet Catherine Segura, the Young Woman Who is Keeping Tintype Photography Alive

July 17, 2019, 3 Comments

When you walk into Old Town San Diego, you instantly feel like you’re transported to the past. And if you’re lucky enough to be there on a weekend, then you can have a truly unique and transporting experience by visiting Catherine and her father, Clement, who do tintype portraits on the porch of the Cosmopolitan.…