Thank You GLAAM!

A very special merci beaucoup to Greater Los Angeles Area Mensa for inviting me to talk about my people for an hour, and to the StaRGazing 2018 attendees who came to my presentation.

While prepping for StaRGazing, I had some inquiries about whether it would be taped. Well...I tried. I really did. The friend who was supposed to tape my presentation had a personal emergency and couldn't come. So I set up my phone to tape the presentation. It cut off the Q&A at the end, and just like last year, my 8-year-old laptop stubbornly refuses to upload the file. (Even the Genius Bar can't help me with this aging bucket of bolts.)

I do have another presentation coming up in May (with the Los Angeles Visionaries Association) - more on that later. In the meantime, I'm looking into live-streaming smaller, "bite size" history lessons on Youtube.

Come Hear Me Speak!

As I've mentioned a few times over the last few months, I'm speaking at StaRGazing 2018, Greater Los Angeles Area Mensa's annual Regional Gathering. I'm scheduled for 3:15-4:30pm on Saturday, February 17. See you in San Pedro! (If you want to come, this Thursday, February 8, is the LAST day for online registration. If you're seeing this a little late, you can register in person at the RG, but you'll need to bring cash or a check.)

Can't make it to the RG? I'll be doing another LAVA Sunday Salon and walking tour in the spring, and will be re-tooling my "Frenchtown 101" talk from last September (we'll be visiting a different part of downtown). Sunday Salons are free and open to the public, but as space is limited (my previous salon sold out), RSVPs are required. Watch this space for more information...

Getting Ready for StaRGazing 2018!

I'm still bummed about the French Hospital.

However, I am pleased to announce that I will be giving another Frenchtown lecture at Greater Los Angeles Area Mensa's 2018 Regional Gathering on Presidents' Day weekend.

This won't be a rehash of my first lecture. I'll have more time to speak, which means I can cover more people and places. Also, since the RG is taking place in San Pedro, I will be covering the South Bay's forgotten French citizens (something I haven't had time to squeeze into previous talks).

Book your hotel room and get your ticket SOON if you want to attend - the discounted rooms are going fast.

As of this writing, I'm scheduled to speak in the Doubletree's Catalina ballroom at 3:20 pm on Saturday, February 17, 2018.

See you soon!

Come Hear Me Speak at uRGe!

I am thrilled to announce that I will be giving a presentation on Southern California's forgotten French roots at San Diego Mensa's uRGe Regional Gathering at the Ivy Palm Resort in Palm Springs on Memorial Day weekend.

In addition to the topics I've already covered in this blog, I will be talking about:

- The San Diego County settlement founded by two French families (unless you've lived there, you probably don't know this)
- The French Basque family whose orange grove took up much of modern-day Fullerton
- The most important French immigrant to Southern California you've never heard of (you will be shocked you don't already know this)
- How a first-generation French American unwittingly had a hand in shaping a very famous Southern California landmark
- Where the original Frenchtown was located (yes, I'm finally going to reveal The Map)
- Southern California's forgotten Francophone newspapers
- The forgotten Frenchman of early Riverside
- The French-speaking Swiss immigrant who founded California's oldest corporation
- The inventor of the French Dip sandwich (hint: it wasn't Cole's)
- French figures of early Hollywood
- Where to find the forgotten French today

...and who knows what else? Every story I find in the course of my research leads to more stories.

My talk is scheduled for Saturday morning. I can't wait!