'Hood #34: Encino for a Bookish Party

Well, it's been far too long since I've visited a new LA neighborhood.  As much as I love this challenge, life for a while got in the way.  I'm not giving up, but I may have to give myself some wiggle room on the one-year deadline. We'll see.  Whatever happens, I know I won't give up.

Author Mary Hogan

Anyway, today I dove back in by visiting Encino, where I was invited to a book party for an author friend of mine..  The only thing I know about Encino is that it's the home of the Jackson family compound and that it's in the Valley.  Upon looking at it on Google Maps, I noticed that it's directly across from Sherman Oaks.

My old buddy from my days working for 'TEEN magazine, Mary Hogan, wrote a novel called Two Sisters, which I loved so much I blurbed it (as in, endorsed it as a fellow author).  She lives in New York, but while she was in town, friends of hers held an author meet & greet.

Encino was just a quick jaunt up the 405 (as quick as a jaunt up the 405 can ever be). The party was lovely, and I had a chance to hear about her inspiration for writing the novel (did I mention I highly recommend it?).

Because you all know I love a good celebrity sighting, besides Mary's husband, Bob Hogan (who is an actor who has been in about a bazillion things) I chatted for a quite a while with a woman before realizing she was Bridget Hanley,who played Candy Pruitt, love interest of Bobby Sherman (squeeee!) in Here Come the Brides. Yes indeed I grilled her about Bobby (squeeee!). He was the third love of my life, right after Davy Jones of the Monkees (#2) and Dr. Sommerville, our family doctor who looked just like Christopher Plummer.

But back to Encino.  I did get to see a bit more of it than I'd thought—mostly residential streets—because, in true LA style, my freeway on-ramp was closed without any sort of warning.

It was only when I got home that I realized I should have looked for the Jackson Family compound.  I Googled how far I was from it and—do'h!!—less than 2 miles away!  Even though I know the best I'd see are some tall bushes and maybe a mailbox, I'm still a little mad at myself for not thinking of it in time.