Daytrip: Los Feliz & Silver Lake

We had a SUPER-nice day yesterday in the Los Feliz/Silver Lake area! I thought I'd share our activities, as it would make a great outing for local families.

We wanted to do something outdoorsy, but The Tween is not a big fan of our usual hikes (Placerita Canyon, Eaton Canyon, Topanga State Park)... So this time we opted for the Fern Dell area of Griffith Park. The base of this trail weaves along amidst a beautiful canopy of trees, ferns, and streams. (I'd love to know the history of Fern Dell; I found nothing online. If you keep going up the trail, it becomes more strenuous and ultimately leads up to the Observatory.) Dogs are allowed on-leash, so next time we'll definitely bring Kelsey!




After the stroll, we drove in toward Silver Lake for lunch. There are some wonderful eateries here, but we opted for Wendy's (again, looking to appease The Tween).

Next up, one of our favorite stores: WACKO! Mr. Siegel and I have frequented this place since before we were married, when it was located on Melrose. I ADORE this shop. Stop in and you'll encounter bacon-strip band-aids; Absinthe dental floss; tons of Dover clip-art books; wind-up toys; and some of the most unusual art and pop-culture books you can find under one roof. In the back corner lies La Luz de Jesus Gallery, often displaying super-rad art that you won't find anywhere else (altho not always kid-friendly, so scope it out before you drag Junior back there).


A GREAT daytrip for Angelenos. I hope you'll give it a go!

Here's a great article about the Fern Dell area from examiner.com, and here's another from guidespot.com.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Warmest Thanksgiving wishes from all of us here at The Siegel Files!!!

This year, it's JUST US in our OWN HOUSE for the holiday! We're very excited! The last time we did this was in 2001... (Gee, I'm glad we got rid of that paneling...and those drapes...)

So, wherever you are, whomever you're with... enjoy the holiday and count your mitzvahs!

Zinfandel Cranberries

I only make one thing at Thanksgiving: Cranberries.

This is from a recipe we encountered years ago in Bon Appetit magazine. Basically, you make a mulled syrup with red zinfandel wine, sugars, and spices, then cook the cranberries in that.

IT. IS. DELICIOUS.

Brian makes everything else. :-)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! xoxoxoox

::yawn::

::yawn:: ::strayche::

Yup.

I'm boring as SPIT now that I'm so goddamn happy.

BWHAHAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHAH

w00t!

:-D

Helping The Boy's School Via Your Online Shopping!

Public schools aren't the only ones that suffer when the economy is bad; private schools need all the help they can get in these scary times, when enrollments are down and donations are few and far between.

If you'd like your online holiday shopping to make a difference this year, click thru to Amazon via the link on Ev's school's homepage! A percentage of all sales benefit his school. Pretty cool, huh!? And it could NOT be easier.

Everyone who knows us knows that Pinecrest has been indispensable to us as a family. Not having much outside help, we truly could not be raising the child without them. So any little thing I can do to help, I will do.

Thanks so much for considering this, and for sharing the link with your friends and family. We're all in this together!

Wishing you and yours the happiest of holiday seasons.

The Kittens

We continue to be delighted by these awesome little additions to our family.

They have CRAZY personalities... not at all like the late Miss Tabitha. Full of surprises! Some better than others! ;-)

I had no idea how much I would love these little buggers, and how much joy they'd add to our household... despite the food stealing, litter tracking, paper shredding and furniture scratching. :-D