I know missing this place during the main tour seems like a gross oversight when you consider what conejo means, but what can I say—Thousand Oaks is a little outside my normal range. Not a bad view from up here, though, even if I never did see any conejos anywhere.
I also went to my first drum circle ever, albeit one for kids at the Remo Recreational Music Center—friends who are parents got me in—so I wouldn’t look completely out of place or get weird smoke in my fur. Think this goblet drum’ll give me a suitable amount of boom?
Or am I in more of a conga mood?
Eventually, I settled on something a little more modest—you know, so as not to drown out the preschoolers with my furious skins-bashing—and joined the circle. Okay, everyone knows “Lust For Life,” right? You know, from Trainspotting?
Aw, man. Busted down to Stevie Nicks duty.
Mostly, however, this season’s been about the holidays! For Halloween, Rob and I made a return trip to Hollywood Forever, where LA’s massive Dia de los Muertos festival is held each year. Hey, why limit yourself to the Halloween palette of orange and black when everything can be a riot of color, right?
The entire cemetery is turned over to the festival, with a good chunk of it reserved for people to construct elaborate commemorative altars to their departed loved ones. Photos and offerings are par for the course, but appearing as costumed extras is where the truly dedicated prove themselves. Smart move with the parasols today, ladies!
Here’s something I don’t see every day: a mausoleum converted into a makeshift art gallery. But in fairness, it was probably even weirder for the people seeing a rabbit stroll through a mausoleum converted into a makeshift art gallery—especially one humming “Thriller” nonstop.
Then as the sun started to descend, out came the Aztec performers, whose dynamic circle dance was exhausting to watch even before you noticed that they were stomping barefoot on concrete the whole time. Ouch. Go soak ’em afterward, guys!
But, of course, the best part of any holiday? Zeroing in on the sugar. ¡Buenos dias, calaveras de azúcar! I promised my brothers I’d bring home as many of you as could fit in this basket. Don’t worry, Rob’ll wheel it back to the supermarket as soon as we’re done.
Alas, poor Yorick. Nom.
Thanksgiving was more subdued, by comparison—just my brothers and me, plus enough friends to handle the cooking. Hey, there’s more in the oven, right? Because we’ll be ready for it after this appetizer turkey.
That brings us to early December, which can only mean two words: Sawdust Festival! But we thought we’d switch it up by going later than usual to see what it’s like after dark—the downside being less shopping time overall, so this better not be anything less than magical...
...okay, yeah. That’ll do.
Our friend Missy wasn’t showing this year, but otherwise, it was the standard assortment of offerings—ceramics, paintings, jewelry, clothing, glassblowing demonstrations, you name it. I guess this would be a bad time for me to scream and pound on the window really hard?
And did I mention the roaming carolers?
Hey, it’s the Star of Beth...oh, it’s just a halogen light.
Then after some quick purchases—and a woman inexplicably mistaking me for a squirrel—we took a swing by Roger’s Gardens. Year in, year out, it’s one of the best places I know for finding anything Christmassy, be it traditional, like these German Christmas pyramids...
...or nontraditional, like these, uh, glitter dwarves. Is this a thing now? Should it be?
Wow. In all my dreaming of a white Christmas, it was never this intense.
Still, there’s nothing like my own home mall—the Grove, back in Hollywood—at Christmas. I know I’m biased, but: I love this view.
And that about takes us up to the beginning of winter proper. Happy holidays from Havvy, Beds, Dam, Kayo, Pan, Venj, Mence, Rane, and me!
Oh, and Rob.
