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January 2012

I’m especially excited about this issue. Aside from the unusual weather conditions, I’m particularly enthusiastic to see our pages kick off the new year with events and great works of art that define this season. I welcome you to our first issue of 2012!

With a number of fun-filled activities to partake in, there will be more than enough reasons to get outside and enjoy these recreational traditions. Whether your hobbies include car shows, art or even fashion—you’ll find something to relish within these pages.

This month our contributors highlighted some of the most distinctive happenings in and around town, and I am sure they will add some diversity to your excursions this month!

Visit the iPad version, too! Each issue, the 1100 team takes content from every story, optimizes it for the iPad, and adds interactive functionality to enhance the article. This is a must-download app!

Enjoy!

What can one do with a leftover length of 400 inch concrete pipe? Create a whimsical focus for your water-wise backyard, of course! My daughter took me and her new camera to the Castaic Lake Water Agency Conservatory Garden. To get there, you must stop at a guard gate (learn from me: STOP!) and then wind up a scenic drive to the terrorist resistant water treatment plant. There’s wisdom along the meandering paths. “Start with a Plan” reads the first sign; “Dirt and Stones Will Break Your Bones” reads the last, with advice on feeding the worms near the picnic area. Between are serene beds of great smelling flora; beyond are views that go on forever.

Yes. That’s what the young mother of the toddler clutching the carton of hemp milk joked, “It’s the gateway milk.” She explained that though she has taken some flack from her parents about giving it to her 2-year-old daughter, it helps the high-energy child relax. I’ll bet it does (I wonder if she’s tried it with brownies). Poised to surpass already popular alternatives Soy, Rice and Hazelnut milks, here come Hemp, Almond and Coconut milks, all rich in Omega 3’s and lower in fat than traditional cow’s milk. According to Dr. Oz, the Omega 3’s in Hemp milk help the brain’s neurons communicate properly, improving cognitive functions such as memory. Can you remember to add Hemp milk to your shopping list?

Where to go on a hot, idle California Sunday in the dead of winter? Turn off that air conditioner and take the dog out people watching. One of the best dog parks in L.A. is right off Bouquet Canyon Road, right at the bottom end of Central Park, with access to a nice, fairly rigorous trail for dogs who like a more structured workout. For pups who prefer group-chasing neutrinos, taking full baths in 9 inch water dishes, or making snarky comments about other dogs’ people, there are two large, well fenced yards with trees and benches and water spiggots, plus lots of room to run. Overheard, one dog to another: “Hey! Hey, hey!”

Somebody forgot to tell Trader Joe’s that San Fernando Road has been put out to pasture. Not that I would—I prefer the old name, along with the old confusion as to why the southern end of SFR was a couple of miles from the northern end of another SFR. In case you missed it, back in ‘05, the City decided to make downtown Newhall more Old Towny by doing a little realigning of SFR, which threw the name into question. The slow part became Main Street, in keeping with the new theme, and the commuter stretch was subdivided into Railroad and Newhall Avenues. Of course, they could have called the whole thing Bouquet Canyon Road. . . Nah!

“I have lucky impulses,” says my lunch partner. We were looking for Mexican food and pulled into the first strip mall we came to. Jasmine Thai seemed close enough for two hungry ladies ready to lunch. Ultimately, we would have really delicious curries with all the accoutrements to oggle, but in the meantime we studied the placemats. More diplomatic horoscopes tells my companion that she is self-reliant and an original thinker, but our placemats were more candid: “You are selfish and eccentric.” Rabbits, incidentally, are lucky, talented, and “seek peace throughout their lives.” Just the kind of people she should beware of. I, however, am an ox and a hearty eater, so I’m always good for lunch.

December 2011