May 2009 Issue | Download the Full Issue

Blues is one of those types of music that resists definition. If you have to ask what it is, you’ll probably never understand it.
But if you understand it and have a hankerin’ for the Blues, then you have a chance to listen to your heart’s content and sample some of the best micro brews at the same time.
The event is the 14th annual Bonsall Rotary Club’s Brews, Blues and Wine event on Saturday, May 30, 4–10 p.m. at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.
There will be five live blues bands on two stages at CCAE, including Aunt Kizzy’z Boyz, the Bill Magee Band and the Restless Blues Band (out of Los Angeles) and Sexy Blues Band.
Along with wine and micro brew tasting there will be food catered by over 10 different restaurants and caterers.
They include: (“F” means from Fallbrook, “B” means from Bonsall and “O” means other town) La Caseta (F)—Estrella’s Family restaurant (B)— Fresco Grill Wine Bar (B)—Rio Rico (B)—Sweet Leilani’s (F)—Trupiano’s Italian Bistro (F)—Famous Dave’s Pit BBQ (O)— Sammy’s Woodfire Pizza (O)—California Center for the Arts (O)— Vista Valley Country Club (O)—Elegance on Display (F)—Lace Apron Restaurant (F)—Daniel's Market (B)—Bonsall Rotary Grill (Sausages served by Bonsall Rotarians).
Breweries involved are Green Flash, Backstreet, Port, Stone, Karl Strauss, Belgium and other foreign beers. Organizers hope for about 50 different wines both U.S. and foreign.
Food, wine and beer is included in the price of $60 per person, ($40 for designated drivers.).
There will also be a large silent auction offering a broad array of items ranging from trips to fine art.
According to Kelly Grable, silent auction chairman, items at this year's auction are as follows:
• 7 Day Holland America Cruise
• 2 Clubhouse Season Passes to the 2009 Del Mar Races
• Napa Valley Wine Vacation
• Central Coast Wine Vacation
• Catalina Getaway
• Gift certificate for whole house window washing (inside & out)
• Gift certificate for housekeeping services
• 1/2 Day Deep Sea Fishing Trip for two.
In addition they have certificates for golf, dinners, theater tickets, kayaking, bowling, wine tastings, and many, many more.
Local artist Steve Barton (www.bartonstudios.com) will give a painting demonstration in addition to his donation of one of his beautiful paintings.
This event is the annual fund-raiser of the Bonsall Rotary Club. Proceeds from the event are used to support local and international charities.
“Last year’s festival was a huge success,” says Bob Spanbauer, president of Bonsall Rotary Club. “The word about our blues festival has spread within music circles. Notable blues bands are now calling us hoping to perform.”
One of those bands, Aunt Kizzy’z Boys, is made up of musicians who lived in or near Fallbrook.
They play traditional blues, although some is “blues of the day,” as lead singer Sugaray describes it.
“We are blues men but we are blues men who live in 2009. We believe in preserving the past but we reflect the day,” he says.
Sugaray is a self-described Texas Blues Man, which is the title of one of the songs in It’s Tight Like That, the band’s first released album.
Their most recent album is Trunk Full of Bluez.
The Bill Magee band features the legendary blues man who was born in the backwoods of Mississippi and grew up loving music, listening to Muddy Waters, Elmore James, and B.B. King on his father's small radio.
Willie Bill Magee met, befriended and eventually joined up with Jimmy Hendrix to form the band Jimmy James and the Flames. In 1967, Hendrix went to England, and Magee took his newly formed band, the Kansas City Playboys, on a tour around Europe.
The rest is history...now after a brief hiatus Bill Magee has felt the pull of the blues once again and has come out of retirement. Bill Magee is one of San Diego, California's busiest working musicians.
The Los Angeles-based Restless Blues Band is known for such songs as Predictable, Sweet Moon, From the Hip, What’s You Cookin’ and Easy Come. Their most recent CD is also entitled From the Hip.
Guests must be 21 years or older to attend. Attendance is limited. To purchase tickets call (800) 249-2024 or order on line at www.bonsallrotary.com. For hotel and limo information, call (760) 728-0044.         

Indulge Your Mom This Mother’s Day at Simplify Your Life Day Spa

If you want to pamper the mom in your life with a facial, massage, body exfoliation, body wrap, or all of the above—check out Simplify Your Life day spa in Bonsall.
Simplify Your Life’s mission is to rejuvenate, rest, refresh and recharge. They accomplish this by pampering you in numerous ways.
From the moment you walk through the door there is someone to take care of you. You can expect top-notch execution with any of the services offered at Simplify Your Life. Each professional makes it a goal to alleviate your pain and stress, and to give you the pampering you deserve.
Prepare to be Spoiled
Let’s say you have just arrived for a traditional hour massage. Upon entrance, a friendly face greets you at reception and walks you back to a warm and inviting waiting area where you can sip your choice of botanical tea, read a magazine, or simply put your feet up on the sofa and let your mind drift away.
As you are led to your private treatment room, you’ll notice the comforting wall décor and calm-invoking lighting that produces the ultimate relaxing environment. Each practitioner’s room literally emanates serenity. This mood is enhanced by a soft, down comforter that billows around you as you lay face-down on the heated, ergonomically-correct massage table.
As you allow yourself to sink into the form-fitting cradle, you will quietly be asked what lotion or oil scent you prefer and will then lose yourself in strong flowing motions of the therapeutic medicine called intuitive massage.
After your service, you’ll head back to the waiting area to replenish with some iced lemon water or more tea and slowly come back to reality.
Intuitive Massage
A professional intuitive massage helps relieve stress and bring overall well-being to your body, mind and spirit.
This specific type of massage is designed to give the body precisely what it needs. One shoulder may need lengthening and soothing; the other may have deep knots that demand relief. No single formula can answer individual needs. Such work requires presence, sensitivity, and focused energy, which is exactly what you get at Simplify Your Life.
“With every client I try to find sore muscles in order to help people relieve stress and tension so healing can happen,” says new owner Melissa Illingworth.
Illingworth bought Simplify Your Life in December 2008. She previously owned Inner Sanctum Massage in Bonsall, and brought over her specialized talents as both a certified therapist and an instructor. A one-time accountant and previous business owner, Illingworth has a well-balanced background for owning and running a day spa, which is something she has been striving for.
“I always wanted to own a day spa when I got started in therapeutic massage,” says Illingworth. “This is everything I could have wanted. It’s a nice location with well-qualified therapists”
Affordable Services
Simplify Your Life features much more than just massages and facials. There are skin care treatments like cold light photo rejuvenation and microdermabrasion, and the Vichy Shower (wet table) has gone over very well. The Vichy Shower is an exclusive and invigorating wet table used for body wraps and scrubs. It exfoliates and hydrates dry skin.
The best part is all these treatments will not cost you an arm and a leg as you might expect.
“In today’s economy, people are looking for affordable things. We offer affordability in all we do from the massages to the lotions,” says Illingworth.
And they offer discounts.
In honor of Mother’s Day (and prom and graduation), Simplify Your Life is offering several incredible specials. Find the coupon in this month’s Boulevard magazine and you can get a half-hour botanical facial and a half-hour scalp and foot massage for just $60.
Spa goers can also get a one-hour traditional massage or botanical facial for two. It’s the perfect mother/daughter package and is discounted at $110. Other May specials include an hour botanical facial with a half-hour reflexology service for $99, and a teen clean facial for just $35. This is great for prom or graduation!
And those are just the May specials. You can get any type of spa service done at any time at extremely reasonable prices, whether it’s a simple hour massage or the Seascape Spa Package. By the way, the Seascape Spa Package consists of a 90 minute traditional massage, a 60 minute moisture quench facial, a 60 minute green sea clay & tea leaf wrap and a 30 minute salt glow. It’s an incredible value for the total price of $340. Massages start at as low as $22 and are all done by professional therapists with years of experience.
“All our therapists have extensive training,” Illingworth says.
In addition to a very aesthetically pleasing, relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere at Simplify Your Life, a full menu of treatments offers a combination of pampering and wellness. Using state-of-the-art equipment and specialized techniques, the practitioners at Simplify Your Life completely focus on you and your needs.
Pampering Products
Simplify Your Life carries an abundance of products to spoil and pamper yourself and loved ones. From lotions to shower gels, there are plenty of options and you may find yourself spending hours scouring the shelves.
“We have the best scented lotions,” says Illingworth, who admits she chooses products based on what she likes and would use herself. “I like to pick better products that we can offer for less.”
She adds that the products are as environmentally-friendly as possible. All products are natural, botanical and mostly organic.
“Hugo Naturals,” a Chatsworth, California-based company, is well-known for creating all-natural body care products, and there is a “Simplify Your Life” signature line that is made specifically for the day spa.
“We get the ‘Simplify Your Life’ products from Canada,” Illingworth said. “They are all natural, vegan and cruelty free, and the ph levels in the water make them extremely effective.”
Additional retail services at Simplify Your Life include a small boutique area with fashionable clothing designs. Illingworth also has a heart for the arts and plans to expand in areas that will showcase and demonstrate this passion.
Contact
Simplify Your Life is located at 5256 S. Mission Road, Ste. 101 in Bonsall’s River Village. For more information, or to book an appointment call 760-732-0013. You may also visit their Website at www.syldayspa.com. Spa hours are Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday–Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Evenings are also available by appointment.

Local Man Practices An Ancient Sport: Falconry

The sport was old in the time of the prophets. Images abound in our culture of knights astride steeds, hooded birds on their wrists, or Mongols riding recklessly across the steppes of Asia, releasing hawks to hunt small game to feast upon at night around the campfire.
The falcon is one of nature’s perfect hunting machines. Pitiless. Totally efficient. Its eyes are ten times as keen as yours. No trace of humanity there.
Yet through the ages humans have linked their fortunes with these raptors, whose skill and ferocity inspired heralders to make eagles, hawks and falcons symbols of nobility and power.
It is a sport of wide open spaces and big skies, and although America has plenty of both, falconry has never been big in the U.S.—where it has been practiced for just 60 years. There are about 3,000 practitioners in the U.S. and maybe 500 in California. But the few who practice this form of hunting are devoted to it.
Nearby Valley Center has such a man: Gary Boberg, who owns a heating and AC company.
At age 13 a friend interested him in falconry. He found a library book with a picture of a falconer.
Thirty years later while pursuing the sport in Wyoming, Boberg met the man in the photo and shared with him that he had inspired him.
Naturalists and scientists like John and Frank Craighead of Montana were also influences.
“They did things that young boys would find fascinating like climbing down ropes to get to peregrine nests,” Boberg recalls.
Falconry is highly regulated. No one can “own” a wild bird. They can only be its steward—licensed and allowed to train it.
It is a hunting sport, but the the bird eats its catch, mall game like rabbits or other birds. The falconer helps it hunt.
In winter Boberg spends 2-3 hours a day with his falcons named Jesse and James and Maui and Geiser and a golden eagle named Latte.
In summer they molt and breed and Boberg stops flying them. He puts them in their chambers and feeds them a lot to help regrow feathers. In August or September they will be ready to hunt again.
“They are like athletes,” says Boberg. “They have to want to perform all the time. We monitor them and feed them good feed and weigh them every day.”
“We determine at what weight it will hunt well and be aggressive. You don’t want it below or above that weight,” he says.
“They are a hunting machines. When you train it you are training it to do what it does anyway.”
The handler flushes the rabbit for the bird. In the early stages of training he provides something right away. Each time he allows the bird to go a little farther off.
When you first start training a bird there’s a chance you will lose it. You do the same things over and over and it learns the relationship.
During the early training it is kept on a leash, called a creance, of nylon or leather. The kangaroo hyde hood keeps the bird from injuring itself when it’s being transported. It is removed for the hunt. Without the hood it might flap and injure itself or break a feather.
Falconers use radio telemetry equipment and can track the bird with a receiver and antenna.
The bird picks its prey. It hunts laggers, the slow, feeble and infirm. It enforces the survival of the fittest.
“If I watch ducks take off I can guarantee you which the bird will take,” says Boberg. “If your bird chases rabbits, you may learn that there was something wrong with that rabbit. Predators eliminate the weak.”
He adds, “It uses you as a tool. We don’t teach it to do anything different from what it would do,” says Boberg. “It learns not to be threatened by you. You let if finish its meal with you. So it accepts you in the field.”
Don’t be fooled. It doesn’t become a fluffy little tweety bird.
“They use us to increase their success,” he says. “They don’t like to be touched. They don’t develop an emotional tie to people. Let it go and within two or three days it’s a wild bird.”
The falcon can dive from 3,000 feet at 250 mph in a “stoop,” wings folded like a fighter plane, locking onto its prey. You hear it before you see it.
Boberg’s eagle was found injured in the wild by the U.S. Bureau of Fish & Wildlife, who released it to Boberg. He is helping it become strong enough to hunt on its own.
A young bird takes 2-3 months to learn to hunt. The same is true of an adult that is idle for a long time .
“Not many like to handle golden eagles because they are dangerous birds,” observes Boberg.
He never trusts the eagle, or any wild thing. “It has grabbed me before. Even though I handle it every day I take all the protections. I never take the leather straps off his feet.”
Boberg prefers hybrids. Almost all are captive bred by falconers to be high performance birds. His are a cross between a gyrfalcon—an arctic falcon, the world’s largest—and the peregrine. The result is a vigorous, aggressive, athletic hunter.
Once endangered, peregrines made a comeback when falconers bred and released 10,000 over a 20-year period.
You sometimes see Boberg and his birds in an open field in North County. To really practice he needs wide open spaces. He travels for several weeks in the fall to Wyoming’s BLM land with his 19-year old son.
“I’m fortunate to be able to do that. You get spoiled. It’s nice to be able to go to a big open area.”
There are no falconer’s competitions or contests.
“We like to watch each other’s birds fly. There is some personal gratification in seeing just how high our birds flight, their style, and how aggressive they are,” says Boberg.
A falconer is judged on the quality of his birds and if they are feather perfect, well-mannered, and physically well developed.
“As long as the falconer flies his bird as much as possible that bird is healthy and well fed. It gets every opportunity to catch something and be successful. That is the ultimate goal, because that is the bird’s goal.”

Nate Harrison Grade: Take a Ride Back In Time on a Historic Road

One of the roads up Palomar Mountain has been known for five decades as “The Highway to the Stars.” The road named after Nate Harrison could be called “The Highway Back Into Time.”
If you listen, besides the sound of wind and hawks wheeling overhead, you can hear horses straining against leather harnesses, wooden wagon wheels creaking, and teamsters swearing and cracking the whip over the necks of the sweating beasts.
You may see the ghost of an old white-bearded black man, the first “white man” on the mountain, meeting horses and men just as the wagons enter the cool shade of the trees after climbing 4,000 feet in the broiling sun.
He’s driving a wagon loaded with cool water from the first spring discovered on Palomar Mountain. You can almost taste the sweet water on your tongue, so cold it makes your teeth hurt.
Nate Harrison Grade once appeared on the maps as “Nigger Nate Grade,” and “Nigger Grade.” It was a cruder, crueler age. People thought nothing of calling the freed slave who lived on what was then known as Smith Mountain, “Nigger Nate.”
By all accounts, that’s what he called himself. The grade was then the only way up the mountain. It was in continual use until east grade was built in the 1940s to transport the 200-inch mirror to Palomar Observatory.
In fact, the Highway to the Stars was built especially for the mirror. The rest of the observatory’s paraphernalia came up on the Harrison Grade, which starts in Pauma Valley, just a few hundred yards from the intersection of Cole Grade Road and Hwy 76.
The grade criss-crosses up in long switchbacks, that look like hairline fractures tracing the mountain face. The grade is 10% on the average—you’re definitely in four-wheel drive territory.
Although you can get to the top in less than an hour if you push it, a road trip up “the Nate” is definitely a trip to be savored.
Allow a couple of hours. That includes time to pull off and look down into the valley, or, if it’s clear, the channel islands.
It’s the perfect poor man’s National Geographic expedition, with no discomfort, some adventure, and a lot of scenery.
The grade begins with a crippled, lopsided road sign and a road that’s tucked away between two citrus orchards.
Even if you begin your trip on a hot day in the summer, it won’t be long before you notice that temperatures cool as you climb.
A dirt road, except for the first two miles after it leaves Hwy 76, it is maintained by the County.
Leaving the grove it starts to climb. Soon, if you look back you’ll see Cole Grade stretching back in the distance. A yellow sign warns of snaky switchbacks.
You can switch to low gear now.
Paving turns to gravel. Ahead, looking too lofty to reach on this road, is Palomar Mountain. “Palomar” is Spanish for dovecote. Until the 1900s it was called Smith Mountain.
Long ago they used to iron out ruts in the grade by dragging a log behind a team of horses.
A Baptist preacher Thomas J. Wood, who homesteaded Witch Creek in the 1870s rode his buggy up the grade once a month to bring God’s word to the mountain top. On his return Wood would stop for a drink from Nate. He would pay him a quarter to cut him a log to drag behind his wagon as a brake.
Some sections look like they are kept “flat” this way. Two miles from the valley floor it widens enough for two cars to pass each other, although there are many switchbacks and hairpin curves.
Fortunately, there’s not enough traffic for that to be a problem.
The climate changes as you rise. You see more green. It’s like the years are left behind on the valley floor. There’s no sound besides the car and you can always turn the ignition off…
For his first 50 years on the mountain Nate greeted wagons with buckets of water for their horses. Towards the end he greeted automobiles with water for their radiators.
The Memoirs of Abel M. Davis quotes Mary Connaghan Newell of Escondido, who called Harrison the Good Samaritan of Palomar. He would introduce himself as “the first white man on the Smith Mountain.” “Endearing himself to thousands of visitors over a period of more than 70 years, he was literally ‘the man by the side of the road—watching the world go by.’
Harrison operated a “filling station” along the route.
He was said to have come as a slave accompanying his master who was prospecting for gold.
“The master died and Nate drifted south until he reached the Palomar area and settled down to spend the rest of his life in an old cabin and being a ‘character’ to all who knew him. He had little worldly goods, but was rich in kindness, generosity and possessed a lively sense of humor,” wrote Davis.
In the late 1800s families would drive their wagons up to Palomar for cooler weather.
“After horses and sightseers were refreshed, Nate would amuse them with his comical remarks and antics. He soon became a ‘must’ on the traveler’s list to watch for.”
He told tall stories about how he escaped to the mountain and didn’t know that there had been a Civil War that freed the slaves.
Evidence suggests he made that up and knew that California had banned slavery. He probably came to Palomar because his ex-master owned land in Agua Tibia. He settled in Doane Valley and then moved below the snow line and planted an orchard. Some trees still bear fruit.
In 2005 an archaeology professor obtained permission from the property’s owners to let his class excavate the ruins of the old stone house. Modest, even “tiny” are adjectives that spring to mind in seeing the stones that outline the cabin and fireplace.
Harrison lived simply, but free. For a man born a slave, that was probably enough.
The Nate Harrison Historical Archaeology Project showed to its own satisfaction that the stones were from Nate’s house and learned about how he lived.
Like the surroundings of most who lived before curbside trash pickup, the area around the house was a treasure trove of rubbish that tells its own tales: a spoon, a knife, a planer, the leg of a cast-iron stove, a horse bit, a spike, a hay hook, a chain, a length of barbed wire.
There’s a line in John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance when the town newspaper editor says “This is the West, sir! When the legend becomes a fact, print the legend!”
Legend says that when Nate sickened and checked into a hospital in San Diego, the nurses peeled layer upon layer of longjohns that he never took off.
He was supposedly 101 when he died in 1920.
The way his neighbors remembered him is not legend.
We still have the white quartzite monument, mined locally and transported by wagon to where the small, dignified pile of rock greets the rare traveler. It was erected with a bronze plaque and quite a crowd attended the dedication.
Past it the road is canopied by oaks and conifers, many scarred by the most recent fires of 2007.
Leaving shadeless and desert-like, the stretch leading into the county park is green and relaxing—except for burned trees.
Signs announce that you are entering the park, and to be sure to stop at the park and pay a fee.
Boucher Tower is part of the park at the end of a winding, narrow road at the summit of Boucher Heights.
Boucher lookout is on a cliff at 5438 feet. It was the last California Dept. of Forestry & Fire Protection tower to close.
It operated 40 years, from 1949 on. In its heyday park rangers could pinpoint a fire and dispatch crews.
Recently refurbished around the tower, a look-out and picnic tables were added.
It commands the surrounding countryside. On clear days you see Catalina Island, 83 miles away.
At night you feel a primitive, religious quality that suggests caves, fires and shamen. You can get lost in that bottomless sky.
As good a place as any for the end of the road.
Each journey belongs to the person who makes it. It’s his possession. Just as you can’t step into the same river twice, you can’t make the same trip twice up the Nate Harrison Grade. Each trip is unique.
Hit the road!

Fallbrook Garden Club Fifth Annual Home & Garden Tour

The Fallbrook Garden Club’s fifth annual Home & Garden tour May 30 will give you the opportunity to tour eight of the area’s most interesting home gardens.
They range from a “train” garden to a sculpture garden, from a Tudor style mansion and garden to a garden of nothing but roses.
The tour begins at the Fallbrook Historical Society, 260 Rockycrest Rd., Fallbrook at 9 a.m. and continues until 3 p.m.
You can buy tickets only on the day of the tour. They don’t go on sale until shortly before 9 a.m. and will be sold no later than 1:30 p.m. The Historical Society museum will be open at 8 a.m., according to the tour’s chairman, Pat McDougal, because there will be drawings for several items as well as plants and garden items for sale by vendors.
The funds raised by the sale of plants and prizes given by drawing will benefit the club.
Some items that will be given away by drawing include a quilt especially made for this event by the Fallbrook Garden Club’s subgroup called the Growing Stitches; a mosaic bird bath, tea baskets, floral prints and a watercolor called “Sunflower” and painted by a local artist.
You are encouraged to come by early and browse.
“We have eight gorgeous homes and gardens,” says Mrs. McDougal, who notes that the fund-raiser will benefit the garden club’s scholarship fund. Last year they gave out several scholarships to students going into higher education in a horticultural field.
Tickets are $20 or two for $35.
“The first garden on the map is a fabulous one above and beyond what you could imagine for a vegetable garden,” says Mrs. McDougal.
The rays of the sun itself inspired the garden. Each “ray” is a raised flower bed of stucco finished with red brick caps. The owner built it high enough so he wouldn’t have to bend over so far to tend to the plants.
Another garden is done in the style of a Tuscan villa, highlighted by beautiful stonework and gorgeous views.
Another of the homes has a train garden, not Lionel model train size, but also not quite as a big as the real thing. The track progresses through the back yard and includes a train house.
Another house is that of artist Dr. Jim Helms whose sculpture garden is populated by his metal sculptures. The most riveting is called “Out of the Ashes,” a celebrated sculpture made from metal taken from melted mobile homes that were destroyed in the 2007 wildfires. The garden has drought tolerant plants on one side and tropical plants on the other.
Yet another home is built in the center of a tropical paradise that includes a water slide, palms and orchids.
“A rose is a rose is a rose” is a phrase that springs to mind on visiting another house in the tour, which is festooned with rose arbors and trellises of the flowers that meander through the property.
On the south end of Fallbrook is a home built to look like a castle. Visitors enter through a round turret to get to the back yard.
They have a pool with an arbor formed by a transverse arch (i.e. an arch that from above or below forms an “X,”) part of the Gothic castle look.
The last garden in the tour surrounds a Tudor style home set on five acres guarded by large pillars, hedges and an expansive lawn that looks as though it could be part of the estate of a Hollywood star.
But that’s not all! In each of the gardens the Fallbrook Vintage Car Club will display vintage automobiles, up to 16 of them, so that each property will have one and possibly more cars.
This will provide something for everyone: gardens for the women of discriminating taste, and fine automobiles in mint condition for the gentlemen.
“We have eight gorgeous gardens. I hope everyone goes through all the gardens. You could spend 30 minutes in every garden. I hope no one misses any of them!” says Mrs. McDougal. “Some of these homes are million dollar homes. These are not your average back yards!”
Last year’s event sold 400 tickets, so there are 500 tickets available this year. So you have no excuse not to indulge yourself in this feast of gardens!

Jazz in an Intimate Setting

Every Thursday night old-fashioned jazz lovers gravitate like butterflies to tulips to The Merc, in Temecula’s Old Town.
The Merc is a small, intimate offshoot of the larger Old Town Temecula Community Theater.
It holds perhaps 50 people tops, so it is perfect for jazz trios and duos of the kind booked and hosted by Sherry Williams, who also occasionally sings as part of the series.
She started the series in November of 2007. It was actually the brain child of Bruce Beers, the theater manager at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater, who thought that some use could be made of some performance space that had been created behind the art gallery, the anchor building that houses the box office.
The building is one of Temecula’s originals, built in 1889. It was gutted and retrofitted when the main 360-seat theater was built.
Beers thought the building would be perfect for jazz—and it is.
When Beers asked Williams to produce the ongoing jazz series she told him, “I’m your girl because that’s my background.” She is a professional singer of 41 years experience with greats like Debbie Reynolds and Johnnie Ray.
“I’ve sung in a variety of styles. I’ve done a little bit of everything but my passion has always been jazz. I’ve met a lot of the greats and so what I did was start calling my friends from Los Angeles—all of whom are world-class musicians—to play in this little space—which they play for the love of it.”
Thus was the Merc born.
“It’s real jazz,” she says. “Classic jazz from the Swing Era.”
Dave Tull, a drummer and vocalist, was primarily a drummer for 25 years for but over the last ten years has done more singing and writing.
He has toured, written and played with Jack Sheldon, the Les Brown Band and with the late comedian and musician Steve Allen.
He plays on several of Michael Bublé’s albums.
He has been touring with the Chuck Mangione band since 2000, where he does lead vocals and drums.
“I’m on the road fairly frequently,” he said, when we interviewed him in early April. “As a matter of fact I’m leaving again next week!”
He recently released his debut CD album I Just Want To Get Paid, a mix of serious and humorous songs, all written and performed by him. The title song I Just Want To Get Paid, is about a working musician, and The Airplane, dedicated to all those who spend a significant part of their lives in the air.
“I have worked as both a singer and a drummer. I feel that puts me in a funny position. I can see both sides of the fence,” he says.
At his appearance at The Merc, Tull and his trio will play some songs from his debut CD and favorite jazz standards
Debbie Voltura describes The Merc and its brick walls as “absolutely the best venue I’ve played. It’s got a fabulous atmosphere. It’s quaint, the sound is unbelievable. It’s like a private concert. It’s very close up. You can reach out and touch the people. It’s my favorite place.”
She praises Williams for having the vision to get the series started. “At first she paid those musicians out her own pocket. Now it’s full almost every Thursday.”
Voltura, who has been singing for 44 years, has released six CDs and by the time you read this, a seventh, On Broadway, will have become available.
“The album is beautiful jazz arrangements of beautiful songs that you seldom hear played, like Where Is Love? from Oliver! and I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady.”
Bassist Henry "The Skipper" Franklin also loves playing at The Merc.
“It’s a great little venue. It’s intimate. The sound is good and the people are really good. It’s a nice setting, nice and relaxed. The people are all jazz listeners and jazz lovers.”
Franklin has worked with a lot of jazz greats, starting with Willie Bobo and including L.C. Smith, Gene Harris and the Three Sounds, and the Count Basie band.
He has released 22 albums. The most recent, Oh, What a Beautiful Morning, was released last year and in May Home Cookin’ will be available.
Every weekend he plays with a trio at the Mission Inn in Riverside.
Gunnar Biggs is a Southern California bassist/music educator. He is active in many genres including jazz, Latin, classical, world, and experimental. He recently retired from San Diego State University after 25-years as instructor of Double Bass and as Director of Jazz Ensembles at Palomar Community College.
* * *
Jazz at the Merc begins at 7:30 p.m. each Thursday. Tickets are $15, and can be obtained through the Old Town Temecula Community Theater Web site www.temeculatheater.org, by phoning 1-866-OLD-TOWN or at the ticket office.
The Merc, 42051 Main Street, Temecula, CA  92590
1.866.653.8696  www.sherrywilliamsmusic.com.

Keys Creek Lavender Farm: At The End of Nowhere

The farm, whose owner likes to think of it as being “at the end of nowhere,” is definitely on its way to becoming a place where you want to be-at least during this season of the year.
Late spring is when the Keys Creek Lavender Farm comes alive-the best time to see and-even better-smell the gorgeous plants that, when distilled, produce an essence that calms the mind and heart as it provides balm for the senses. There are eight acres and a dozen varieties of the waving purplish plants (although lavender really is its own color) on the farm that is located in Valley Center, 12460 Keys Creek Road, in the foothills of Palomar Mountain, not too far from “The Boulevard.”
Alicia Wolff, owner of the farm, has a big vision of what she wants the operation to be. The native of South Africa, who has lived in Southern California since 1989, recently purchased the farm, which is the only USDA certified organic lavender farm in San Diego County. That means they don't use pesticides, and when you buy their products, you are getting the lavender and only the lavender.
When she first saw the farm last year, she, “instantly felt a connection to the land. The rows of lavender, the teahouse, the gift store and the distillery. There is an energy on this property that brings a deep feeling of serenity, coupled with the sweet fragrance of lavender,” she recalls. “I never thought I’d leave Laguna Beach. But I’d been looking for a retreat location for a long time.”
Her passions are her children, community service, networking, cooking, painting and event planning. She comes from a background of both marketing and networking. The farm provided her the perfect outlet to do both, assisted by Chris Kurisu, whose experience includes marketing, Web site and graphic design. Both of them enjoy meeting people. “Our neighbors are great. In just four months we have created a large network of friends,” she says. “The environment here is wonderful and welcoming.”
The distillery is an experience in itself. First, the plants are harvested and cut, then they are brought to the distillery, which consists of a chamber and a boiler which will push steam through the 200 pounds of plants and produce droplets, which are separated into two products:
• pure essential oil
• hydrosol
Hydrosol, a byproduct of the distilling process, retains many of the same properties as essential oil and can be found in products like lavender room spray.
There will be distilling demonstrations at various times throughout the harvest season.
From the essential oil many products can be made, including lotions, shampoos, conditioners, bath and body products, and lip balm. These are sold in the gift shop, as are products produced by the previous owners of the business, which was, and continues to be known as “The Lavender Fields.”
Lavender is also used in cooking (think lavender scones, lavender butter and lavender garlic bread). One of the items sold at the store is a lavender cookbook that was produced by a lavender operation in a neighboring community that had to shut down after the 2007 fires.
"We are all about helping local businesses and farmers," says Wolff.
Wolff hosts classes in lavender related arts and crafts, such as how to make lavender wands. As to the lavender itself, “It’s very calming, relaxing and soothing. I hope people will come here just to spend a day at the farm,” she says. “It’s all about people and about the connections that you make."
Kurisu observes that Wolff likes taking those connections and putting people in contact with other people to create astounding results. In that sense, Wolff is like a catalyst.
“At some level that is how this came about,” she says. “It’s a subconscious thing.”
Owning the farm gives her the opportunity to take time to smell the roses, or in this case, the lavender. “I feel that when someone knocks on our door it’s for a reason. We never close our gate even during the off season. And we always have a pot of tea!”
During the harvest season, the farm will offer classes and demonstrations. However, the property will be available throughout the year for private gatherings, bridal showers, photo shoots and tea parties, by appointment only.
Although you have to drive a bit to get to the farm, it’s not, as a neighbor recently observed, “in the middle of nowhere,” it’s “at the end of nowhere.”
While at the farm you can walk through the living labyrinth, or sit in the meditation garden. They also have a peace garden where you can plant a lavender plant in memory of a loved one.
Lavender is in bloom throughout May and June. Keys Creek Lavender Farm will open their doors to the public every Saturday and Sunday from May 2-June 28, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
The farm’s Harvest Festival this year falls on Father's Day, June 21.
There will be live music, barbecue available for purchase, arts and craft demonstrations, distillery demonstrations and a talk about lavender honey and bees from local beekeeper, John DeWilde.
* * *
To reach Keys Creek Lavender Farm, take I-15 north past Escondido. Take the Old Castle Road exit. Turn right to go to Champagne Blvd and right again to Old Castle. Turn left at Old Castle and go about 5.5 miles. As you near the bottom of the hill turn left at Lilac Road (it's the only left turn lane on Old Castle). Take Lilac for about 2.8 miles. Turn right on Old Lilac/Keys Creek Road. Take Keys Creek Road for 1.6 miles. There are a few small streets along the way. Generally, just stay to the right. Call them at 760-742-3844 or visit their Web site at: www.keyscreeklavenderfarm.com

Fire-Pro USA: Helping You Protect Your Castle From Southern California's Biggest Scourge

It’s just as true here in Southern California as it is around the world – your home is your castle.
But Southern California also presents homeowners with a unique set of dangers from which to protect your castle.
That’s where the team at Fire-Pro USA comes in.
“We look at the risk created by wild fires, and we work to take away the likelihood of your home burning during a fire,” says Don Green, operations director for Fire-Pro USA. “We believe in three steps to maximize the potential for saving your home during a wild fire: preparation, prevention, and protection.”
Fire-Pro USA uses state-of-the-art technology and innovative procedures to provide fire-protection services and products for home and commercial use. With a force of professionally trained firefighters armed with environmentally friendly fire retardants, Fire-PRO USA prevents homes from burning during wild land fires.
In addition to the application of fire retardants at the onset of fire season and during the approach of a wildfire, Fire-Pro USA offers fire preparation consultation services, emergency firefighting services, and updates on fires and client property status through real-time updates on their Web site, www.fire-pro.org.
“We start by assessing the property to see the possibility of a wild fire igniting the home,” Green says. “From there, we determine what the risk factors are and try to remove them.”
Green stresses that while Fire-Pro USA does remove brush and provide other landscaping-type services, the main goal of their services is to protect the home.
“We do have our clients trim and water their trees, or sometimes we’ll have them replant some bushes, but our main focus is preventing the home from igniting,” he says. “We offer a seasonal fire-retardant treatment, as well as a long-term retardant paint or stain. We want to go beyond what’s called the ‘defensible space’ and make the home defensible. We want to harden the home against combustion.”
Green adds that Fire-Pro USA doesn’t just work on the home—they work with the homeowners to help prepare them for any eventuality.
“We offer an emergency response for our clients if a fire is imminent,” he says. “But we know that people aren’t always able to evacuate right away, so we want to teach our clients how to defend their property. There’s no need for a home to have to burn down. We know what burns, we know the temperature at which combustion happens for the different materials in a house, and we know what the typical ignition sources are. We work with the owners to take away these risk factors.”
Fire-Pro USA is based in Fallbrook, but they have customers and clients across the North County. Along with their fire prevention services, they also offer seminars on wild fires and other resources to help the community be prepared for another fire season.
You can contact Fire-Pro USA by e-mail at info@fire-pro.org or by phone at 1-888 910-FIRE (3473) for more information.
“Our philosophy is that if you control the fuel, you control the fire,” Green adds. “We want to help our clients take their property and either make it fire-retardant or get rid of the fire so that they don’t have to stand in front of the flames to protect their home. Trees and fences are replaceable, but when we look at a house, we know that’s what we want to save.”

Mi Guadalajara: Striking Achitecture and Jalisco Cuisine

You’ve driven by the startling and striking example of Mexican architecture with its cone-shaped, two-story rotunda that resembles a giant ant hill on Second Avenue in Escondido —and probably wondered what was inside.
Some fresh and exciting Mexican dishes in the tradition of the country’s Jalisco region, whose capital is Guadalajara—that’s what. It’s a cuisine that relies on spices, both very spicy and mild, and herbs, to bring out the natural flavors.
The never-to-be-forgotten architecture of the restaurant with its rippled tiles reportedly cost the owners, Alicia & Antonio Ruvalcabas, about $1 million to build in 2003, but it made a bold statement—and stands both as a landmark in the center of the city, near the arts center, and as your invitation to try the food that characterizes the cultural traditions and special flavors of the region.
Don’t worry, the owners didn’t pass the cost of the building onto the customers. Dishes are reasonably priced, with house specialties, such as El Molcajete or the popular Carne Asada Guadalajara, costing $14.25 and $14.95 respectively.
When you step inside the cool interior you find a dining room that’s like an indoor plaza—meant to suggest the plazas of the old days in Mexico City, places that came alive in the nighttime.
You can dine in palm-shaded garden patios, or in the formal dining room that has a tiled fireplace framed by a mural and watched over by wrought iron chandeliers.
Rafael Duran, who is in charge of special events at the restaurant, described El Molcajete with relish.
“It’s chicken, or steak, marinated, cooked with a spicy red sauce made with sun-dried peppers, served with rice, beans and nopal (cactus) and fresh, homemade white cheese.”
It’s one of his personal favorites. Another is the Camarones Costa Azul.
The Carne Asada Guadalajara is a crowd pleaser. It’s made with tender, marinated beef served with rice, beans, guacamole and a cheese enchilada.
If you’re in the mood for seafood there’s the Camarones, Gratinados, made with jumbo shrimp cooked with a cream-based white sauce that is like an alfredo, but without the parmesan cheese, with melted cheese on top and served with rice and vegetables.
The restaurant serves eight traditional soups, including albondigas, menudo and siete, which is made with shrimp, octopus, cod, scallops and crab in a seasoned tomato base.
What sets Mi Guadalajara apart from many establishments, says Duran, “is that we have great food and great service.”
The restaurant is available for catering, weddings, parties, quinceañeras, holidays, retirement dinners—even bar mitzvahs.
“The only kind of cuisine that we don’t serve is Indian,” advises Duran.
Don’t forget to try the margaritas, both shaken and blended. After all, tequila was invented in the town of the same name, just a few miles from Guadalajara.
Mi Guadalajara is open Mondays–Thursdays, 10 a.m.–10 p.m.; Friday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–11 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m.–10 p.m., with a champagne brunch served in the morning and afternoon. Happy hour is Monday–Friday 3–6 p.m. They are located at 525 W. 2nd Ave. in Escondido. Call 746-4371 for reservations.

Ponte Winery: Perfect Location For A “Day in the Country”

“At Ponte, our emphasis is on ‘a day in the country’ to give our guests the best experience possible—with wine complimenting the experience,” says Ty Tyler, guest services assistant manager at the winery.
One of the newest in the Temecula wine-growing region, Ponte was founded by two brothers, Claudio and Roberto from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Italy, who bought the land in 2003.
The property already had 500 acres and many acres of vines, but no structures. The brothers soon added some. Despite being from Italy, Claudio favored California architecture and so the barn structure that houses the gift shop has a 19th century open beam California look.
The Vineyard Pavilion, which has room to serve 150 patrons, is used for various events such as New Year’s Eve parties.
The winery is the location of many weddings. One of the reasons it is so popular is that it takes good care of the wedding couple. It provides bride and groom suites so that the couple can comfortably prepare for the ceremony—and you can’t argue with the setting, which includes a picturesque gazebo overlooking acres of lush vines.
Last August the winery opened the Reserve Room, which is large enough to house the establishment’s wine club. Club members get privileges such as discounts on purchases and dining and free tastings. There are about 8,200 active members.
At the end of September the winery hosts its Grape Stomp, in which people are invited to do what the title suggests in a raised dais of open barrels, much as we have seen in popular reruns of the old I Love Lucy TV show.
The winery currently has about 300 acres, 150 of them planted in Chardonnay, Cabernet, Zinfandel, Sangiovese and Pinot grigio grapes.
One of the most popular vintages sold is the Beverino, a red semi-sweet varietal, that, says Ty Tyler, guest services assistant manager, is, “the favorite of people who don’t like reds!”
Many people like this fruity wine served on ice, and it is also suitable as a dessert wine.
Its boysenberry accents make it great for sangrias, Tyler says.
Another popular vintage is the late harvest Zinfandel port, which has a very smooth taste of dark cherries.
Tyler drew a taste of the port from an oaken barrel. Port is a wine fortified with brandy to reach an alcohol level of 19.2%. Winemaker Robert Cartwright prefers to use casks of French, American and Hungarian oak.
At a luncheon at the winery’s Smokehouse Restaurant, I met executive chef Steve Stawinski and restaurant manager Randy Rodriguez.
Fresh, organic, seasonal, sustainable and local are adjectives that describe Stawinski’s approach to food.
“We like to support the local growers. We buy not only our produce but also our pasta and gelato locally,” he says.
“I like creating rustic creations of comfort food—familiar but with a twist.”
The restaurant offers wine pairings, although Stawinski says he does it “backwards.” “I make a menu and then find a wine to serve with it. Fortunately we have such a good selection that it’s never a problem,” he says.
The menu offers many selections for vegetarians, although carnivores won’t feel deprived either.
For the true connoisseur there are the “wine flights” in which three different vintages are served with foods that they will complement. The guests pick the wines, which are brought to the table with the glasses supported by a wire contraption that lifts them up at different levels over the table.
I sampled such a “wine flight” on my visit, along with a delicious lunch that consisted of baked brie, shrimp risotto with squash, barbecued chicken wood fired pizza, gnocchi served with goat cheese, red pepper, portobello mushroom and pesto and the restaurant’s signature salad made with heirloom lettuce, walnuts, feta cheese and vanilla balsamic vinegar.
“That salad will probably never change, it’s so popular, says Stawinski.
Needless to say, the wines that I sampled, two whites and a red, went perfectly with the food!
Rodriguez was delighted recently when a party of four all ordered the wine flights, and that all four of the wines were different.
“My goal,” says Rodriguez, “is to make sure that the service is as upscale as Steve’s food.” He seems to be succeeding. Returning visitors often ask to have a particular waiter serve them.
“Ninety nine percent of the comments we get are very positive,” he says.
During the week the typical visitors to the winery are usually from the surrounding area of Temecula and Murrietta and North San Diego county. Lots of moms and groups of senior citizens arrive on bus tours.
The weekends things liven up a bit more with tourists, people visiting the local casinos, Orange county residents and upscale people in their 20s and 30s.
The winery is open seven days a week. You’ll find it at 35053 Rancho California Road, Temecula.
Phone them at 951-694-8855 or visit www.pontewinery.com/
The Smokehouse Restaurant is open Mondays-Saturday 11 a.m.–5 p.m for lunch and then reopens on Saturday only for dinner from 6–10 p.m. It is open Sunday for brunch/lunch from 10 a.m.– 5 p.m.

Golfing with the Family

Several years ago when my kids—all three of them—were still kids, ages, 19,12 and 7 they convinced old dad to take them golfing on a beautiful spring afternoon.
Even though all 3 had played golf before with me I had never taken all of them together and quite frankly will probably never do it again.
I’m not going to mention the name of the golf course even though this was several years ago, because I don’t want to remind any of the homeowners on the course about who did all the damage to their homes on that sunny Sunday afternoon.
My oldest daughter, Chelsea, had just gotten a new set of golf clubs for her birthday, and was eager to give them a try.
My son, Charlie had his own clubs, and we rented a set for my youngest daughter, Mackenzie.
Even before we reached the first tee there was an ominous sign of things to come. Chelsea and Mackenzie wanted to ride in the same golf cart and both wanted to drive. Mackenzie was clearly not old enough to drive a golf cart or anything else for that matter, and when Chelsea drove the golf cart up and onto the practice putting green her driving for the day was done.
Mac rode with me and Chelsea with her brother, neither one too happy. On the first tee Charlie teed up, brought out the driver, swung and sliced his first two balls into the driving range adjacent to the first fairway.
His third shot went into the water in front of the green, as did his fourth. We started looking for the drop area. Onto the ladies’ tees, where Chelsea and her new clubs sliced her tee shot almost directly sideways and Mackenzie hit a tree with her shot, which bounced backward into the pond behind us where Charlie had just put two balls.
By the way my tee shot also went into the driving range, Between the four of us it took 15 shots to get off of the first tee with six lost golf balls either in the lake or on the driving range.
The foursome behind us upon watching this display of golfing acumen turned their golf carts towards the clubhouse and demanded a refund!
We hacked, sliced, and whiffed our way down the first fairway and upon reaching the first green, 25 minutes later, I knelt down and gave it a big kiss, never so happy to have a fairway behind us.
Our scores on the first hole a 7, 12, 14, 17 and that’s without counting the do overs that only went 3 feet, or the complete whiffs. I will say something about my family, they’re not quitters.
Believe me, I pleaded with them after the first hole to give up and go bowling for the afternoon, but no such luck.
The rest of the afternoon went pretty much as the first hole did. We lost 57 golf balls that day, irritated about everyone who came within 200 yards of our foresome either because of our slow play, or because we were playing in someone else’s fairway or backyard. We didn’t stick around for refreshments after the match fearing reprisals from incoming foursomes, but on the way home we stopped and had an early dinner together.
I mentioned one word to them all, LESSONS. But, they are all very good golfers today. So, hang in there if you have children learning and interested in playing this wonderful sport.

Fallbrook Girls Rugby: It's Not Just the Men Anymore!

An old English saying says that, “football is a gentleman’s game played by ruffians, and rugby is a ruffian’s game played by gentlemen.”
But in Fallbrook, it isn’t just the gentlemen playing rugby anymore.
Craig & Marin Pinnell oversee three girls rugby teams in Fallbrook: under-14, under-16 and under-19 teams, that represent the only girls rugby club teams in San Diego County.
“My husband is from South Africa and we both love rugby, so we thought, ‘we can coach,’” Marin says. “Craig played in high school and I’ve gotten to know the sport really well watching it with him.”
The Pinnells coach more than 50 girls on the three teams through a season that stretches from mid-winter through late spring.
“We had more than thirty girls come out the first year, and we have more than fifty this season,” Marin says. “We have eleven on the U-14 team, twenty on the U-16 team and twenty-five on the U-19 team. We began the season in January and our last league games are coming up [April 18]. All three of our teams made it to the championships in Fullerton [on April 24-25]. The U-14 and U-16 teams are in first, and the U-19 team is in fourth but has a shot at taking the third spot before the championships.”
With no other club teams in the area to play, the Fallbrook teams are forced to travel great distances to play at the expense of the players’ families.
“We’re the only team in San Diego County, so we have to travel to Orange County, Riverside, and places as far away as San Luis Obispo,” Marin says. “That’s a lot of traveling, and we have to rely on the parents for transport and expenses. But it just shows how much our players are dedicated.”
But to even get the parents involved took a bit of convincing, as the Pinnells worked to show how safe and fun rugby is when played properly.
“A lot of the parents were scared at first, but when they came out and saw the game, they were surprised at how safe it is,” Marin says. “Of course there’s going to be contact, but we’ve trained the girls how to tackle and how to take the contact without getting hurt.”
As for the Pinnells and their continued involvement, Marin says that both she and her husband have no plans of going anywhere.
“We really enjoy doing it. This is our second year and I know we want to be involved for a while,” she says. “I’m a teacher at Fallbrook High School, so it ties in well with what I’m doing there. It’s a really great experience.”
You can contact Marin Pinnell at 760-468-8649.

The Boulevard Magazine
P.O.B. 1529, Valley Center, CA 92082
Tel. 760.749.1112 Fax 760.749.1688