July 2008 Issue | Download the Full Issue

“It’s Fallbrook’s best kept secret!” Jack Story, president of the Fallbrook Historical Society, told me one morning when I met with him and two of his board members, Bruce Dennett and Marion Clemmens to talk about the museum, which is located at 260 Rock Crest Road in Fallbrook.
Admission is FREE!
Clemmens, by the way, is 90 years old, extremely fit and sharp and probably knows more about the town’s history than anyone living.
The jewel of the museum is the Pittenger House, which was built just after the Civil War by the Rev. William Pittenger, one of the Union soldiers who earned the first Congressional Medal of Honor for his part in the celebrated Andrews Raid, in which a band of 21 soldiers slipped behind Confederate lines and stole a train.
Their purpose was to destroy bridges and telegraph lines throughout Georgia. All were captured and some were executed. Pittenger studied to be a minister and came to California after the war, where he was one of the first people to settle Fallbrook.
The house, built in the 1890s, and since the 1990s lovingly restored, is well-maintained and partially furnished in vintage artifacts from the period with assistance from the local chapter of Questers International, whose purpose is to stimulate an appreciation of antiques and their collection; and to encourage the preservation and restoration of existing historical landmarks.
The furnishings include a wood stove, icebox, Edison phonograph, player piano, pump organ, a bed with rope supporting a straw mattress, chamber pot, etc.
The main museum is devoted to various exhibits that range from the lives of some of the town’s most prominent citizens to a train exhibit that is the most popular attraction for the kids who take school tours at the museum.
“That’s what all the kids flock to see,” says Dennett. And when the kids tell their parents how neat the museum is, often they will bring the kids back so they can see it for themselves. It’s all part of the effort to eliminate that “best kept secret” part from the museum’s list of attributes.
The train travels through a miniature “town” that includes painstakingly done models of various well-known buildings from an earlier era, such as St. John’s Episcopal Church, which was open from 1891-1954, the F.W. Barlett House, which existed from 1882-1950s and the Fallbrook Hotel, open from 1885-1912.
The models were created by artist Geno Somacal.
There are also exhibits devoted to:
• Native Americans
• Early settlers
• Exhibits on agriculture, education,
community organizations, the fire department and the military
The museum also recently hosted the annual Fallbrook Garden Club Tour, which, since it began at the museum, provided the opportunity for more people to see this “secret.”
Work will be completed soon on the “barn”—its official name is the Donald J. Rivers Interpretive Center—named for a former historical society president who was very active and who died a few years ago.
When finished, “the barn” will house other museum artifacts, including the society’s Ford collection of two Model A’s and a Model T. They are all functional, although they are never taken on the road because of the extensive paperwork that would be required. Once the car collection is moved to the barn, the room housing them will be turned into a community room.
It will also house the museum’s unique barbed wire collection of several hundred pieces of this uniquely American invention.
An ongoing project with the museum is the History of U.S. 395. This includes an exhibit of the highway, which until the construction of I-15 extended from Mexico to Canada, and its segments that passed through Fallbrook. Part of the project is the identification of several historically important buildings in the town.
Due to the efforts of Supervisor Bill Horn, the state legislature officially designated the parts of the highway still in service as “Historic State Highway Route 395.” The historical society took part in the unveiling of the signs in February.
Memberships in the society are easily affordable: $5 for juniors, $15 for individuals, and $25 for families. Life memberships are $250 and $500 for Patrons.
Tax deductible donations may be sent to:
Fallbrook Historical Society - P.O. Box 1375, Fallbrook, CA 92088-1702
The museum is located on the southeast of S. Hill at Rocky Crest. The visitors entrance is on Hill Street.
Hours are Sunday and Thursday 1-4 p.m. or by appointment (760) 723-4125.
The museum board hears from many residents that the hours should be expanded and it is looking at that possibility, according to Story.

Summer Fun With A Car & The Road

Drifting days of summer are here just begging for a fun adventure! Let’s imagine one together. In this daydream, we are cruising in a brand new 2008 red Mercedes-Benz SRL convertible—one of the most recognized cars in the world.
The SRL convertible is German engineering at its finest, and it handles like you wouldn’t believe. To get the full effect of this car, you need to drive somewhere with plenty of curves and flat stretches. The Boulevard and back roads between Escondido and Temecula are the perfect tracks for a test drive.
Our journey begins with a stop at Mercedes-Benz of Escondido to get the keys from current owner and general manager, Angelo Damante. From here, there are a series of steps to take as we settle into this two-seater sports car.
First, toss the keys in back because they aren’t needed. This baby starts with the push of a button as long as the keys are within signal range. Second, we’re in Southern California—put that top down so we can feel the warm summer breeze on our skin.
Our first destination is a nice place for breakfast. Then, I’m thinking The River Village in Bonsall for some lunch and a little shopping. The open freeway will give us a chance to experience the fluid acceleration in the car, and we can easily find our way using the voice-activated navigation system.
Safety is an important feature for Mercedes-Benz, so everything we could possibly need while driving is within reach at the wheel. Whatever isn’t can be accessed by a verbal request. For example, to change the radio station, simply state the call letters: “96.7”
If you prefer not to listen to mainstream radio, check out the built-in satellite radio, or sync up your MP3 player. The car is prepped for every type of audio plug-in imaginable from compact discs to iPod® integration kits.
As we cruise along the scenic Boulevard, we can’t pass up a visit to one or more of the entertaining casinos. A quick turn off the 15, onto the 76, puts us on our way to Valley View Casino. We find ourselves on a winding route that’s great to experience the air suspension and active body control of the car.
After we’ve won some money, we venture north to Temecula for dinner at one of the award-winning wineries. Your choice—there’s Cafe Champagne at Thornton Winery, The Pinnacle Restaurant at Falkner Winery, Vineyard Rose Restaurant at South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, The Smokehouse Restaurant at Ponte Winery or maybe Carol's Restaurant at Baily Winery. My only request is that when we park, you use the high-tech parking sensors on the dash instead of cranking your neck to see the car behind us.
As our day wraps up, there is a slight chill in the air. Fortunately, we don’t have to put the top up because the car has AIRSCARF in the seats that warms your neck and shoulders. The seats also have tiny spores that kick out heat or air, and there is dual climate control. To top it off, our chairs can give us a massage as we kick back on the ride home.
Upon returning the keys to Mr. Damante, he explains that we were never alone in the car because it’s equipped with a service called Tele Aid for emergencies and roadside assistance.
There isn’t much a Mercedes-Benz doesn’t have, and if it is missing something, there is probably a reason for it.
“People often ask why there isn’t a touch screen,” said sales representative Robert Nadel. “Mercedes-Benz builds cars to last as long as they possibly can and a touch screen monitor doesn’t last as long because of things like lotions and scratches.”
This brings us to the end of our daydream, but it doesn’t have to be a dream. As Damante points out, many people who tend to think they could never own a Mercedes-Benz actually can.
“There have always been misconceptions that luxury items aren’t affordable,” Damante said. “But there is something for everybody at Mercedes-Benz, and they may cost less than you’d expect.”
For more information on Mercedes-Benz of Escondido, call 888.867.4068 or go to www.mbescondido.com.

Phyllis Raynes: Sculptor

Sculptor Phyllis Raynes is a perfectionist when it comes to her art. “She will have a thing done and the next time I look, the arm or the head is off of it,” observes her husband, Burt.
She is also her own worst critic: “I want to create the best. At the end of a project I am always finding myself saying ‘I think I could do better.’ But at some time you also have to say, ‘I’m finished.’ ”
For the last few months Mrs. Raynes had been creating the sculpture “The American Spirit,” that was unveiled May 28 at Escondido Charter High School. It is at the entrance to the school’s new 400-seat theater.
It is a rendition of the famous painting of the American Revolution, known as the “Spirit of ‘76” showing three marching veterans—inspired by the famous painting (circa 1876) by Archibald M. Willard.
She is the artist who in 2003 created the “The Flag Raising,” the bronze sculpture of five life-sized teenagers around a flagpole at ECHS’s main entrance.
ECHS Principal Denny Snyder, believes passionately that young people should learn about the history of their country. He asked Raynes to do a sculpture of the famous painting, considered the most iconic American patriotic work of art.
The children in her previous sculpture had all sprung from her imagination. This project was different. It would be a life-size representation of someone else’s ideas.
“I did a lot of research on the uniforms and I didn’t want to copy it exactly,” she says.
The three bronzes include a 6 foot, one inch drummer, a 5 foot, one inch fife player and a 4 foot high boy. They started as clay sculptures built on an armature. The “lost wax” method of casting the clay sculpture was used to make a mold into which molten bronze was poured. It’s a paintstaking process, and is also a lot of just plain hard work.
When on a major project, Raynes is up at dawn and is in her studio all day. After the work goes to the foundry she spends a lot of time there. The cast pieces are assembled on an armature of rebar.
Always an artist, she hasn’t always been a sculptor. Art is not always something that you choose. Sometimes it chooses you.
“It’s in your soul. It is a part of you,” she says. “You want to create. You want to do something so that what you feel, others will feel and enjoy.”
As a child in Chicago she learned much from her father who was a painter. Like him, her subjects were always people. “When I saw a person standing at a fence with a mountain in the background I forgot the mountain and painted the person.”
People are also a common thread in her sculptures, a form she switched to after the death of her first husband, William Peuker, which so devastated her that she couldn’t continue in the same medium. She tried water colors and collage, but discovered sculpture while taking a college class and “fell in love with it.”
“When you do a painting you paint the shadows and contour, but when you sculpt you actually make the form—that so pleased me that I started to sculpt.”
Although she prefers to sculpt people, she doesn’t use live models very often. “The clay often takes on its own form,” she says.
In the living room of their home sits a bust of a stern, noble-looking Indian.
Burt, her second husband, quips that it was a good long time before that bust “allowed” him to cohabit the house.
She has created perhaps 30 sculptures. She hasn’t decided what her next project will be. Except, that it will be about people.

Hot Summer Nites

There’s no better way to spend a summer evening than in downtown Fallbrook’s “Village,” where twice a month they cordon off a three-block segment of Main Street for Hot Summer Nites.
The event, which started up again on June 13, and will continue until the end of the summer, features music, food and fun with a generally family-friendly flavor.
According to event Chairman Manny Gratz, “With the help of the Fallbrook Area Visitors Bureau we close down two and a half blocks of downtown Fallbrook on Main Street between Fig and Ivy at 4:30 p.m. on the second and last Friday of each month.” The event lasts until sundown, about 8 p.m.
The remaining dates and themes for Hot Summer Nites are:
• July 11: “Rods and Relics;” music by Tony Suraci, a local rock and roll musician. Rods and Relics is a local car club that specializes in hot rods and retooled relics.
• July 25: “Taste of Fallbrook;” music by Aunt Kizzy’z Boyz, a homegrown, award-winning rhythm and blues band. At this event, local restaurants in Fallbrook give away samples of their cuisine. For $10 you can sample the offerings of 20-25 local eateries.
• August 8: “Off Road, Race Car, Military, Classic Boat and Open Header Event;” music by Tony Suraci.
• August 29: “Chili Contest;” music by Ruthless Cowboys Band. This is the seventh year for this local favorite, wherein local chili chefs are invited to participate. Last year 20 chefs participated.
The event is a tasting, i.e. it is not required to cook your chili on site. Visitors pay the nominal fee and are given a cup and a spoon and released on the grub. Three judges made up of local celebrities award the prizes. One of them is this year’s Fallbrook Honorary Mayor, John Harris.
The event is 100% run by Connections Fallbrook Networking, an organization made up of 35 business members in downtown Fallbrook who are interested in promoting businessness and helping the community.
There’s live music provided at each event. You can hear the music and announcements on the street over radios set up along the display area. Or, listen on your own car radio (FM 106.3).
At some of these events vendors will be serving food plus several restaurants will be open in the downtown area. In the center of all this is the Village Square where wine, beer and soft drinks are sold.
You can find out more about Hot Summer Nites by calling (760)723-2232.

Fourth of July Events

Temecula
10–11:30 a.m. • Temecula Star Spangled Fourth of July Parade through Old Town, down Old Town Front Street from Moreno Road to 2nd Street.
Escondido
3–9:30 p.m. • Fourth of July Picnic & Fireworks at Grape Day Park in Escondido, 321 N. Broadway. The Lindley Lopez Circus will give workshops in clowning, juggling and tumbling every hour from 3:30–6:30 p.m. The Escondido Children’s Museum will offer free admission, and free tours will be given of the Escondido History Center and California Center for the Arts, Escondido. The American Legion Post 149 program will be from 7–7:30 p.m. Fireworks begin at 9 p.m. Information: American Legion (760)745-1159.
Fallbrook
4–9 p.m. • Fallbrook Beautification Alliance July 4th Picnic at the Grand Tradition, 1602 S. Mission Road in Fallbrook. Adults: $25 each/$35 at the door, includes admission & 10 booth/food/beverage tickets. Children (6-12): $10, includes admission & 5 booth/food/beverage tickets. Purchase tickets at Major Market, Ace Party Productions & Fallbrook Area Visitors Bureau. Free for 5 & under. Fireworks Only (after 8 p.m.): Adults $10/Children& Military $5, available at www.fallbrookbeautification.org. Proceeds help to beautify Fallbrook’s community parks and other public areas that are not covered by County funds. Info: www.fallbrookbeautification.org
San Marcos
6–9:30 p.m. • Fourth of July Celebration at Bradley Park, Linda Vista Drive at Rancho Santa Fe Road in San Marcos. Bring a picnic and enjoy music, a Kids' Fun Zone, game and food concessions, and loads of family fun! Entertainment begins at 6 p.m. and fireworks at 9p.m.For more information, contact San Marcos Community Services Dept. at (760)744-9000.
Oceanside
OFest Summer Beach Festival ends with a bang with the Seaside Street Fair & Product Exposition (Pacific Street & Mission Ave) and the 4th of July Carnival (complete with a 70' high ferris wheel) from 10 a.m–9 p.m. Also stroll along Oceanside's four miles of beach and enjoy the OFest Fireworks Show displayed over the Oceanside Pier at 9 p.m. For more information visit www.sandiegocoastlife.com/events/san-diego-coast/events-oceanside-ofest.html or call Cathy at (760)754-4512.

Woodside Homes: Leading the Way with Solar Power

Woodside Homes has a proven record of success. Since it began in 1977, the company has built more than 25,000 homes throughout the country.
Perhaps one of the reasons for the company’s growth is its ability to forge ahead with innovative housing concepts such as solar-powered homes.
Solar-powered homes are built with one thing in mind—conserving energy. As energy prices rise and homebuyers become more energy conscious, interest in these environmentally-friendly homes has increased.
Woodside Homes is leading the way in California as the only builder to offer the Solar Advantage program as an included feature at select communities.
Buyers considering solar-power not only help the environment, but also save money. According to Juliet Hicks, senior sales agent for Woodside Homes, solar-powered residences can lower your utility bills by as much as 60 percent.
Certain factors affect the exact amount of savings such as floor plan, number of occupants, amount of appliances used and thermostat settings, but in the long run, solar-powered homes can really pay off.
They can also pay back. In California, solar-powered homeowners receive a $2,000 federal tax credit. In addition, when your home produces more power than it consumes, you receive credit from the electric company.
“The leftover power is sold back to the grid,” Hicks said. “It’s like turning the meter backwards.”
It also increases the re-sale value of the home.
“Solar power is invaluable for resale purposes,” Hicks explained. “The homes are much more comfortable. They are cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.”
As futuristic as solar power may sound, energy-efficient homes look the same as any other home. The untrained eye will not notice the special maintenance-free SunPower Sun-Tiles® that automatically convert sunlight into electricity. Nor will the untrained eye notice the energy-efficient windows, appliances, air conditioning and insulation packages that are built in.
However, the eyes of the owner responsible for reading and paying the electric bill of a solar-powered home will notice a substantial difference. The payee can even monitor energy production and usage online to make sure the bill remains low.
Solar-powered homes initially cost more to build than non-solar-powered homes, but they are the perfect way to take advantage of the many sunny days we have here in Southern California.
Woodside Homes currently offers solar-powered homes at ten of its California neighborhoods. One such neighborhood is Ironwood at Wolf Creek in Temecula. These large, two-story homes range from 2,898 to 3,298 square feet with 3-4 bedrooms (optional den/5th bedroom), 3-3.5 baths and 3-bay garages.
Energy efficient features include roof-integrated solar-powered sun tiles, tankless water heaters, high-performance windows, enhanced insulation, radiant barrier roof sheathing, energy-efficient lighting, high-efficiency furnace and A/C and more.
Other features such as fireplaces, premium GE appliances, custom kitchen cabinetry, front yard landscaping, 9 foot ceilings, water saving showerheads, and pre-wired ceiling fans add to the appeal of these homes.
You can’t beat the location and amenities, either. Wolfcreek is a 407 acre, master-planned community surrounded by Temecula’s beautiful scenery. It showcases a 43-acre sports park with lighted baseball, basketball and soccer fields, as well as a 40-acre community center with pool, spa, exercise and meeting rooms. The neighborhood is conveniently located near schools, shopping, restaurants and Interstate 15.
Ironwood at Wolf Creek features 133 home sites on approximately 7,200 square foot lots. Prices range from $410,000 to $450,000, and there is still time to customize options in the homes.
“Buyers have six choices of granite to choose from, five choices of standard cabinetry and more,” Hicks noted.
Interested buyers are encouraged to stop by the office at 31974 Woodside Court, Temecula, or call the sales office at 951-587-8768. The sales office is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with several models available to tour. You may also visit www.woodside-homes.com for more information.

3000 Home Proposal to Pay for Road Becomes a Political Hot Potato

Critics of Supervisor Bill Horn’s proposal to fund an obscure road near I-15 and Old Highway 395 by increasing density enough that 3,000 homes could go in what is now a sparsely populated area have called it “the road to and from nowhere,” and the resulting development, “Hornsville.” It could just as easily be called “hot potato.”
The road is referred to officially as Road 3-A.
“This is about as hot a topic as we get in Valley Center,” says Oliver Smith, chairman of the Valley Center planning group.
But could it be necessary to help evacuate residents during emergencies, such as fires?
The road would connect the west end of the proposed county road Rancho Lilac Road to Old Highway 395 north of Nelson Way and would come out onto Cole Grade at Hilldale in Valley Center. It would duplicate the function of an existing road, West Lilac.
It is quite near, if it does not include, land owned by Supervisor Bill Horn. It definitely includes land owned by a contributor to Horn’s most recent reelection campaign, two years ago.
The Fifth District supervisor, now in the middle of his fourth term, has stoutly answered criticism by saying that some additional road is needed in the area to provide another access road to and from Valley Center in case there is another devastating wildfire.
There have been two such catastrophes in the last five years, and each time traffic was backed up. Authorities feared at the time that residents might be blocked from being evacuated. So the point of needing another road out of town is indisputable.
At a recent public meeting Bob Citrano, a senior planner with the county’s Department of Planning & Land Use (DPLU), justified the link this way: “It was critical to put in a third east west connector because of fire. And the direction from that particular proceeding was to find out what it would cost to put in a road.”
The mechanism for this change would create a specific plan amendment that would allow much higher density in the area, allowing up to 3,000 new homes.
However, a key point is that DPLU did NOT choose that particular road link. It was ordered to add it as an option by the Board of Supervisors, at Horn’s behest, along with dozens of other changes that the board ordered to be considered in towns throughout the unincorporated areas.
During the years that the planning group worked on the general plan update this idea was never mentioned. It was, said Muto and Citrano, a plan that the Board of Supervisors ordered added in August of 2006 to the general plan update.
Members of the Valley Center planning group say that they have already identified existing roads that if linked would provide the needed access road—without moving the center of town down to the freeway from its traditional center on Valley Center Road, a dozen miles away. And without increasing the town’s population by nearly 35%.
For many years the VC planning group has discussed the need for additional routes to I-15.
During the General Plan 2020 meetings (now called the General Plan Update), the group proposed connecting Cole Grade to the east end of the proposed Rancho Lilac Road. Residents could go from Cole Grade west on a segment through Rancho Lilac when it is built and take West Lilac Road to I-15.
The planners included this in its proposed Circulation Element Network for GP2020.
The new proposed road is not far from West Lilac, which planner Andy Washburn said does the same thing.
“I agree that an east west road is critical to VC, but this new road is not,” he said. “We already have a road that does that. West Lilac. We don’t need a new road, unless you have some other purpose in creating a new road,” said Washburn.
Particularly stunning to the planning group members was that the issue was sprung on them with just a couple of weeks’ notice by the DPLU.
Planning Chairman Oliver Smith said that the first time he heard of this was two weeks ago.
“I don’t like things coming out of the wood work. . . . All of the other communities had changes of a couple of hundred people and Valley Center had a change on the order of ten thousand people!”
“I was chairman of the circulation subcommittee when this happened,” commented planner Deborah Hofler. “I was not informed. There was no public process on this. That is why I’m talking with my teeth clenched.”
Another planner, Keith Robertson, commented: “It almost sounds like the road is a justification for the development. It sounds like a conspiracy. It sounds odd that a 3,000 home development is needed to pay for a road. How long has this been cooking on the back burner?”
The planning group used particularly strong language in opposing the move when it voted in May, even inserting “vehemently opposes,” into the language of its resolution.
It also hasn’t escaped notice that a key contributor to Horn’s last campaign has bought a lot of property in the area that would be affected by the proposal. This is land that before this was never seriously considered for a new development.
Horn has told interviewers that he was looking at that land for a new access road long before developer Randy Goodson ever bought any land in the vicinity.
The paper trail for Goodson’s purchase and his involvement in Horn’s close run last election against Bruce Thompson is well documented.
In April of 2005 Goodson started buying land in the area.
He met with county planning officials in April of 2006 to talk about his proposal to build a road through his newly purchased property.
In May of 2006 Goodson contributed $25,000 to Horn’s campaign for a last minute mailer that many political observers felt put Horn over the top in his close battle with Thompson.
Horn was reelected that June. That August he told DPLU to add the road link and develop a housing plan to pay for it.
But Horn has released a timeline of his own that he also takes from the public record. First, he says that some reference to a road in that general area has been on the books for many years.
Then he notes that in Sept. 2005 the planning group’s Circulation Subcommittee made recommendations to:
a. Create local connections that reduce local traffic on Valley Center, Cole Grade, and Lilac Roads, while retaining rural character.
b. Increase the number of escape routes for use in emergencies
c. Plan for the future; establish routes for roads needed 20 and 30 years from now.
In October of that year, says Horn: “Staff presents Preliminary Road Network based upon meetings with the Circulation Subcommittee, which includes a road from Cole Grade to West Lilac Road but stops short of connecting with Highway 395.”
April 24, 2006
“Staff presents a road network based upon April 10, 2006 comments including westerly connection from Cole Grade to West Lilac Road connecting it with Old Highway 395 at Nelson Way. Previously titled New Road A is broken into three sections, from Cole Grade to Lilac, from Lilac to West Lilac and West Lilac to Old Highway 395.
“VCCPG votes 10-0-1 in favor of new road, including extension to Old Highway 395.
July 28, 2006
“San Diego County Planning Commission agrees with the Valley Center Community Planning Group and staff and approves the Circulation Element including New Road, broken into two sections, from Old Highway 395 to West Lilac (3A) and from West Lilac Road to Cole Grade at Cool Valley (3B).
August 2, 2006
“County Board of Supervisors votes unanimously to approve Circulation Element including the road.
“It is difficult for me to understand how people can say that they were ‘blindsided’ with news of the proposed road when you look at public records associated with action on the project.
Often lost in this discussion is the human cost.
A Valley Center family, Hans & Raquel Britsch, find that when they look on the map that Road 3A goes right through their family farm.
At the June meeting of the planning group she made this statement: “In the last few weeks, we have met with attorneys and many others who have told us that ‘Hornsville’ is just the way things get done in San Diego. They tell us that developers, the rich and connected all have inside connections with the politicians and that while we can stand in opposition, nothing will get done because deals have already been made. Well, this is not the America that I know and it’s clearly not the America that this planning group is willing to stand for.”

The Horse Listener

Susan Bump’s stable holds six horses, which she trains at San Luis Rey Downs. The horse she was caring for when I came by was Le Copain, who was receiving electromagnetic pulsation therapy, via Bump’s Papimi machine.
“He was really sore,” Bump said, underscoring her personal knowledge of each of her horses and their respective conditions. She claimed him in a race for $10,000, and he went on to win a race for $16,000, and then for $32,000.
“I like to treat each of my horses as individuals,” said Susan. “I don’t have a set schedule for them per se, because I read them when I’m going to train them, and if one isn’t up for whatever workout I have planned, I don’t force them.”
Bump has always loved horses. She grew up in New York in a small town of farms and dairies where most of her neighbors owned horses.
“All of my friends had one,” she recalls. “I’d go to their houses and I really loved riding the horses, and I wanted badly to have one of my own.”
Being a girl in a town where labor work was considered a masculine occupation, her only way to make money was babysitting, for which she made fifty cents an hour. But she kept on saving and by the time she was 15, she had enough to buy her first horse.
“I rode him every day after I bought him,” she said. “I was so excited to have a horse of my own.”
The love of horses stayed with Bump throughout her childhood and into her adult years. She decided to pursue a career in the horse racing industry. She worked as a horse breaker in Santa Inez, Hollywood Park, Del Mar and Chino, achieving success all along the way.
“Without a doubt, I had the best person teach me to break horses,” she recalls, referring to the practice of showing horses how to lead, gallop, and basically anything having to do with preparation for race training.
The man who taught her was the late Walter Macaulay. She was thoroughly impressed with his common sense methods of horse breaking. She directly attributes her success working with horses to his instruction.
Bump broke horses for about eight years before deciding to become a trainer. Feeling that horse breakers don’t receive the credit they deserve, Susan was also interested in the actual racing industry, and she wanted to contribute to creating a positive image of the business.
“I think people need to know that there are trainers who love and respect the horses,” Susan said. “I’m not the sort of person who’s going to run them into the ground. I know that like people, these animals have their limits. I would never want to take advantage of them in that way.”
In her ten years of training, Susan has enjoyed the process of taking horses that may not be reaching their potential, and turning them into race winners. She recalled one horse, Mythical Flyer, who had been beaten in numerous races.
The horse’s owner was unable to see its value and sold it to Bump for a mere $3,000. She connected with the horse, and found that he was intelligent and sensitive. After three months of training, Mythical Flyer won his first race at Santa Anita, which was one out of the four he would ultimately dominate.
“He’s retired now,” she said. “I still own him, and I ride him almost every day.”
Bump doesn’t subscribe to book methods on how to train horses.
“Each horse is different, and each one requires its own method of training,” she said. “One thing I think I do give all of them is a happy existence. My stable and my training is a happy place for them. I don’t talk to them; instead I stay quiet and listen. I think that’s really what they need.”
Her plans for the future?
“Keep maintaining a tight barn, and keep winning races.”

Guys and Dolls Coming to The Moonlight Amphitheater

“I like the show because it’s one of the musical theater greats,” says John Vaughan, director / choreography of Guys and Dolls, the classic tale of a gambler and a social worker and a host of colorful characters in 1950s New York.
He is directing the show at the Moonlight Amphitheater. It is the first show in Moonlight Stage Productions’ 2008 Summer Season of Musicals. This musical fable of Broadway is adapted from Damon Runyon’s stories of New York showgirls and gamblers.
Guys and Dolls runs July 9 through 20 and will be performed at the Moonlight Amphitheater, located in Vista’s Brengle Terrace Park at 1200 Vale Terrace Drive.
Vaughn has been directing musicals for 25 years and has done 150 shows.
He plans to do the kind of Guys and Dolls that fans of the show remember fondly. This is the fourth or fifth time he’s done the show.
“I don’t believe in messing with things that are not broken. Sometimes you can do shows where you can put your own stamp on it, but when you do Guys and Dolls you don’t mess around with it a lot.
“Be true to the characters, be true to the story. No strange avante garde touches,” he says.
“We’re going to go out there and do a great Guys and Dolls, do it with fun, tongue in cheek, with a slightly lighthearted tone to it.”
The worst thing you can do with a show like this is do it in a “realistic” style, says Vaughn. He favors the recent revivals that have used stylized brightly colored suits to suggest sort of a fantasy big city with larger than life characters.
“We’re doing it with the bright suits,” says Vaughn. “We’re certainly going to do some real strong production numbers.”
He is very happy to be working with Beth Obregon, who plays Sarah Brown, the head of a skidrow mission that gambler Sky Masterson falls in love with.
“Beth is a wonderful actress and a great singer. She has a great sexiness about her, which is necessary, otherwise why does this guy fall for her? If there is no sex appeal between the two of them then why would this gambler think of giving up that life for her?
“It was important to me to have a Sarah who was eyecatching to give Sky a reason to break from his gambler life.”
Vaughn has known Tracy Lore who is cast as Adelaide for years, but they have never worked together before this.
“I’m a big fan of her talents and it’s going to be a blast to work with her,” he says.
“It’s a great ensemble cast, as well. I think it’s going to be a great way to open the Moonlight season. I think the audience is going to get a big kick out of it!”
Other cast members include: In the role of Sky Masterson is San Diego actor David S. Humphrey, who last appeared in a Moonlight show for Forever Plaid at the Avo Playhouse; Arthur Smith as Nathan Detroit and Ralph Johnson as Arvide Abernathy.
The show features the characters of Nathan Detroit and Adelaide, who vow to get married after his next craps game win, while Sky Masterson needs “Lady Luck” to sweeten his gamble on love.
The show has music and lyrics written by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows.
Performances run Wednesdays through Sundays at 8 p.m. The 2008 Summer Season of Musicals also includes Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, July 30 through August 10, and Les Misérables, August 20–31.
For more information about Moonlight Stage Productions, call (760) 724-2110 or visit the Moonlight Stage Productions website at www.moonlightstage.com.

Elegance on Display

Move over cupcakes, there’s a new summer dessert in town…tarts!
Baked in a small pie or pastry shell, these versatile, light and tasty little treats are the ultimate summer dessert. They’re the perfect dish for that summer party you’re planning.
I usually avoid these temptations because they simply never appealed to me. However, I was recently exposed to a whole new world of tarts when I visited Elegance on Display in Fallbrook.
Upon first glance, the Elegance on Display pastries looked like all the other cute, little desserts found in restaurant display cases. But after sampling the Chocolate Mousse and Lemon Cheesecake tarts, I realized I have not given these delicacies the credit they deserve.
These two particular tarts had an advantage because I am a huge fan of both chocolate and fruit. But I have to admit they tickled my taste buds more than I expected.
Take the Chocolate Mousse Tart, for example. Its golden, baked crust is hand-dipped in chocolate, filled with chocolate mousse and sprinkled with crunchy chocolate balls. At least I think the sprinkles are chocolate. I really couldn’t distinguish because there was so much chocolaty goodness. And the tart is small and light enough that I didn’t feel guilty after eating it.
As much as I like chocolate, the Lemon Cheesecake tart was my favorite of the two. The combination of cheesecake and lemon is divine enough, but the juicy, red strawberry on top made me instantly think about summer.
Savoring the first bite in my mouth, I reminisced about hot, sunny days with my family at the lake. Only now I’m old enough to have a glass of wine or champagne, which actually would go perfect with this dessert.
Jennifer Duarte, cake decorator and owner of Elegance on Display, said she definitely recommends fruity cakes and pastries for summer parties.
“Fruit fillings like lemon-raspberry, or tropical fillings are great for summer days because they are nice and light,” Duarte said.
Fruit as an accessory on desserts can enhance both the color and theme of your party. What’s a Fourth of July party without red, white and blue? This traditional color scheme can be achieved with combinations of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, red grapes, bananas, coconut and various other fresh fruits.
Of course, your summer party dessert doesn’t have to be a tart. Perhaps you want to go with Duarte’s specialty—the banana split cake. Its layers consist of chocolate cake, strawberry filling, banana cake, banana filling and white cake covered with whipped cream frosting that is drizzled with hot fudge and dotted with cherries.
“It’s so good,” Duarte remarked, and then joked about how she takes all the calories out of it for her customers.
Duarte opened Elegance on Display four years ago and has quickly established a name for herself, especially in the wedding cake world.
Local brides voted Elegance on Display as their 2008 pick for best wedding cakes for The Knot Best of Weddings contest. The Knot is a national wedding magazine and Web site medium for new and future brides.
With vibrant colors and bold designs, Duarte’s cakes are almost too beautiful to eat, and can be customized for any wedding or event.
“Usually if they bring in a photo or invite, I can match the party theme and design,” Duarte said.
If you peek at her Web site, www.eleganceondisplay.com, you’ll see everything from upscale, tiered, specialty cakes to 3D motorcycle, ladybug and car cakes, to customized cookies and cupcakes.
With more than 20 years of experience, Duarte has proven there are very few limits when it comes to cake decorating. She’s somewhat of a cake artist and plans to put her expertise to work teaching classes at her store this fall.
“It’s a lot harder than it looks,” Duarte notes. “You have to consider pressure, technique and consistency. It takes practice and a lot of time.”
If you’d like more information on summer party catering or wedding cakes, call Elegance on Display at 866-243-1865 or see www.eleganceondisplay.com.

South Coast Winery Resort & Spa: A Sparkling New Venture

Want something bubbly, like champagne, yet with a deep red color and fruity taste that will go extraordinarily well with grilled meats this summer—yet will also be perfect for your holiday guests in a few more months?
Try South Coast Winery’s Ruby Cuvée sparkling wine, named after owner Jim Carter’s aunt. It is just as bubbly and sparkling as this lady, now in her 90s, was reputed to have been when she was younger.
She was the young Mr. Carter’s babysitter and had a big influence on his life. He wanted to honor her with her own wine.
South Coast Winery Resort & Spa is one of Temecula’s premier wineries. Nearly 100% of the grapes used in South Coast’s wines are estate grown.
The wine was developed using that estate’s syrah grape by master winemaker John McPherson, a Texas native, whose father helped pioneer that state’s wine industry at his Llano Estacado Winery in Lubbock.
He moved to California in the 1980s and specialized in sparkling wine.
He started his career at another local winery which, under his leadership, earned the title “America’s Most Honored Sparkling Wine” producer.
McPherson has been at South Coast for five years—and was in fact hired to make still wines. But he soon convinced Carter to start manufacturing a new line of sparkling wines.
Although this variation on champagne is not universally known in the U.S., it is a holiday tradition in Australia, home of the sparkling shiraz.
McPherson started with a brut and added an extra dry before venturing into the sparkling cuvée.
Trained in the méthode champenoise, which allows the wine to form in the bottle in the traditional way, McPherson has come to appreciate the charmat process of fermentation in a vat maintained at six atmospheres of pressure—often for as long as 12 months.
The charmat process is, yes, cheaper, but McPherson became a convert because it allowed him to create wines that would be much harder otherwise.
This process allows the creation of wines such as the Ruby Cuvée, whose rich sweetness would be difficult to craft in the old way. “Capturing the varietal character of the grapes would be hard with the méthode,” he says.
“I call this liquid cranberry sauce,” says McPherson of the cuvee’s flavors. The wine is made from the Syrah grape, known for its berry flavors. The tannins are softened in this wine, mainly because the grapes are allowed to ripen a little longer to emphasize their sweetness.
South Coast has been producing the Ruby Cuvée for the last two years and the current bottling is the third in the series. So far it has outsold all of the winery’s sparkling wines, according to Carter. The winery produces 3,000 cases a year.
“I think this one is the best Ruby we’ve done,” said McPherson, patting one of the new bottles. “Being able to do it here makes it a much better product. When you are able to control every aspect it makes a big difference.”
South Coast’s other master winemaker is Javier Flores. He oversees the production of the estate’s still wines.
Jim Carter recently spent about $1.5 million to bring this process home after sending his sparkling wines north to the Weibel Winery in Lodi’s sparkling wine facility. “We were able to take control of the quality,” he explained of the facility that just opened at the winery.
“We feel that because we have such control of the process that we can produce a wine of as good a quality as by the méthode champenoise,” says Carter.
“This is the high season for this wine,” says McPherson. “This is the wine if you are grilling steaks or chicken. It also makes a great holiday sparkler bar any. You can’t not have this with turkey or crown roast. I’m serious when I say it’s liquid cranberry sauce! Actually I don’t think there’s a bad time for it. It’s absolutely versatile.”
Although he made sparkling reds out of the pinot noir grape previously, when he arrived at South Coast, it was harder to acquire that grape—on the other hand there was a large quantity of the syrah grapes available.
Out of that necessity grew one of the winery’s most successful offerings. And this is the perfect time of year for it. Just serve it chilled after resting the bottle in an ice bucket for a few minutes.
The other wines offered by South Coast include: Muscat Canelli, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Roussanne, Viognier, Cabernet Rose, Merlot Rose, Reserve Chardonnay, Merlot, Barrel Select Reference Chardonnay, Chardonnay Sans Chéne, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Tempranillo, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Late Harvest Zinfandel, Brut Sparkling, Extra Dry Sparkling, Ruby Cuvee Sparkling, Moscato Spumante Sparkling, Sweet Maggie Muscat Port and Black Jack Port. Try them all!
For more information visit South Coast Winery & Resort’s Web site at www.wineresort.com, call them at 951-587-9463 or visit them at 34843 Rancho California Road Temecula, California.

Temecula Creek Inn: Championship Golf That Rewards Golfers of All Skill Levels

When you play Temecula Creek Inn’s 27 holes of championship golf, tucked into Southern California’s beautiful wine country, it’s all about options, and that’s a good thing.
There are three 9’s at Temecula Creek and each nine is as different as they can be in the challenges that you will encounter.
Several things all three layouts share is that each has three tee options: blue, the championships, white, for handicappers 12 and over, and the red tees for the ladies.
Also, JC Golf, the management company that manages the course, has marked each hole location with a maroon flag for holes cut into the front of the green, white flags for those cut into the middle, and gold for back hole locations,
All of this is very helpful in determining club selection for your approach shots. Also, each hole is well-marked with location flags along the cart paths to assist you with club selection.
The three 9’s from tee box to green are all well-manicured and the Oaks and Stonehouse nines are both well-bunkered. The similarity between the three stops there.
If you begin your day with the Creek Course—a more traditional course with tree lined and adjoining fairways, mostly straight, with the exception of the par 5, 8th hole a severe dog-leg left—you can bring out the “big clubs” and swing away on a course that measures 3,348 yards from the blue tees, 3,183 from the whites.
The Creek has generous landing areas off the tee, but also has well-placed fairway bunkers—so make sure you check your course map before hitting away.
The two par 5’s are long and most golfers will need both a good drive and a fairway wood to set up a wedge or short iron into the green.
I am sure that given the challenges of the Oaks and Stonehouse nines, that the Creek nine doesn’t have the reputation that its brethren do. But this is a fun and forgiving nine to play and you will use clubs on Creek that you won’t on either Oaks or Stonehouse.
My advice is to start here and then play either Oaks or Stonehouse after you have worked out the kinks in your game. By the way, the starters will honor your requests about which 18 holes to play. And, of course, you can play all 27 holes, but that would be a real challenge of golf in a day that might send you off to the nearby wine country for rest and relaxation.
The Oaks is a good transition from the Creek nine to Stonehouse. There are holes that you can still use your driver on, but fewer of them. This course is much more about shot making than power off of the tee.
It’s a beautiful nine holes of golf with its undulating fairways lined with California oaks and much more slope than the Creek course.
The signature hole on the Oaks is number 4, which is also the number 1 handicap hole. It’s a 387-yard par 4. The real fun on this hole starts not with your tee shot (stay left in the fairway for a better approach option) but with your second shot.
You must decide if you want to gamble and drive over a ravine attempting to miss both the bunker and trees front right. If the hole is cut into the right side of this green forget it, lay up and take your chances on a good wedge and a putt to make par.
This is really a hole that you can take a big score on if you don’t make the correct club selection and execute on your second shot.
The par 3’s on the Oaks are challenging especially number 3. Only 153 yards from the whites, the only safe place to put your tee shot is on the green, there is water left, and water right, and plenty of it.
Also, be careful on your approach. On number 9, there is plenty of water surrounding this green—don’t be long or you’ll be wet.
What can you say about the Stonehouse nine? The adjectives I might use to describe this nine range from “the most challenging nine holes of golf I have ever played,” to those I can’t print here. This is one fantastic nine holes of precision golf. It has trees, rock outcroppings, water, undulating fairways and greens, slope, blind shots, doglegs, uneven lies, and yes a Stonehouse.
The Stonehouse nine can be a nightmare of a score, or one which you will frame and put on your office wall.
Don’t start your day with Stonehouse. It’s like a delectable dessert; save it for last and savor the experience.
Number 1, a 488-yard par 5 is a severe dogleg left and up hill to a well bunkered green.
Number 2, a 333-yard par 4, a severe dogleg right downhill hill to a green with lots of slope
Number 3, a 380-yard par 4 with a tight tree lined fairway.
Number 4, a 315-yard par 4, a severe dogleg left to a well-bunkered green.
Number 5, a 165-yard par 3, uphill into the prevailing winds. From the green take a moment and enjoy the glorious views of the Temecula Valley.
Number 6, an elevated tee box, downhill all the way into a small well-protected green, a fantastic golf hole, the signature hole for Stonehouse and the number 1 handicap hole.
Number 7, the Stonehouse par 4, and number 8, a beautiful par 3, give you a little bit of a breather before a tough par 5 finishing hole with a nightmare of an approach into the green. Get the picture? This is club selection and shot making at its pinnacle.
Stonehouse is a golfer’s paradise. Bring a camera, and plenty of golf balls. The Stonehouse has quite an appetite. I loved it.
The staff at Temecula Creek was helpful, friendly, and courteous. Kudos to them! They made an enjoyable morning of golf even more so.
Check out www.jcgolf.com for more information on rates and packages including the JC Players Card. You can also call them at 1-800-662-6439.

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