THERAPY DOGS NEEDED: TRAINING OFFERED IN BLOSSOM VALLEY
Printer-friendly version July 19, 2009 (Blossom Valley)—Therapy dogs are needed to visit hospitals, schools, and homes of elderly people, bringing smiles to the faces of patients, students and seniors. Training is now available for dog owners who wish to have their animals take a Therapy Dog International (TDI) test on August 9th. “I am a dog trainer who trains shelter dogst o be companion or therapy dogs, and it is not too late to start training your dog for the upcoming test,” said Cate Sacks, who will administer the test at her Blossom Valley home. “There is a need for therapy dogs in most areas.” Therapy dogs are welcomed in most stores and establishments, Sacks, noted, adding, “When you are a therapy dog, you are no longer left behind in the back yard!” If you are interested or would like more information about therapy dog work and training, or if would like to partake in the test on Aug. 9, contact Sacks at k9andk8@aol.com or call (619)813-1252. Sacks is the owner of Learning With Love Dog Training and Cate’s Critters Rescue. Printer-friendly version
FRUITS OF THEIR LABORS: RAMONA FORUM MEMBERS REAP REWARDS OF COMMUNITY GARDEN
Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery July 19, 2009 (Ramona)—“We started looking at the economy and saying hey, people are going to need to start doing community gardening,” Dave Patterson, founder of the Ramona Forum, told East County Magazine. Most members of the forum, which was founded as a political discussion group, had little experience in farming. But they did some research, pooled their efforts and pitched in to create a garden that now provides ample produce for around 15 participating families. After seeing gardens with straw wattles in San Francisco, Patterson bought several for around $25 each. More typically used on construction projects to prevent erosion, the 25-foot-long wattles serve as easy and inexpensive substitutes for raised wood planter beds. Wattles can be bent into shapes to fit odd-sized spaces, stacked, or laid out in standard geometric forms. Patterson recommends laying them out in an oval shape so that crops in the center are easy to reach. Add clean fill dirt or amended soil and top with eight inches of compost. “If you have gophers, you can add wire mesh fencing and stakes,” Patterson added. Wattles can be purchased in irrigation stores or hardware stores in rural communities such as Ramona. Other crops are planted in the centers of old truck tires. “They’re great for peppers, because they hold the heat,” said Patterson, who recommends the book Food, Not Lawns for more tips on urban farming. “We call this our Peace Garden,” said Patterson, a Viet Nam veteran and leader in the Veterans for Peace movement. Crops grown include tomatoes, cabbages, peppers, eggplants, corn, onions, and much more. Forum members helped till the soil and weed the crops. “Some stuff died,” said Patterson. “The soil is mostly clay, so we have to amend it properly and deep water. We added drip.” Forum members have used a limited amount of chemical fertilizers, but no chemical pesticides. They also created a cold frame to start seedlings before transplanting in the garden. “This is all a learning experience—grow as you go,” said Kathy Sellers, who found success by stacking wattles two-high, making crops easier to reach. For Tetsuo Matsui, who was raised on the island of Maui and worked in pineapple fields, gardening brings back memories of his mother raising flowers. Today, Matsui grows tomatoes and enjoys weeding as his contribution to the community garden. On a recent summer afternoon, members held a potluck beneath shade trees adjacent to their modest-sized garden plot and savored freshly harvested vegetables. Next up, members plan a corn roast and will soon plant fall crops such as Indian corn and pumpkins. Some members are also raising chickens and exchanging fertilized eggs—and some envision broadening their community garden efforts to share with others in the Ramona area. In the future, Patterson revealed, “We want to start a co-op in town.” Printer-friendly version
A “VINE” TIME IN EL CAJON: CROWDS SAVORED CHAMBER’S WALKING WINE TASTING & ART TOUR
Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery July 18, 2009 (El Cajon)—Over 200 people signed up for a “Taste of Wine & Art” event sponsored by the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce. Held in conjunction with the Alley Cat Summer Fest, the tour featured samplings of appetizers and desserts, beers, tequila, live music and artwork displays at venues throughout downtown. The tour provided a rare opportunity to savor a variety of wines from East County’s burgeoning new wine-making industry; in fact nearly all of San Diego’s forty or so wineries and vineyards are located in our County’s eastern regions. The tour began at Mangia Bene Italian restaurant, where guests savored tastings from two East County vineyards, Rock Canyon and Glorioso. “I built the cellar right into the rock,” vintner Tim Peterson from Rock Canyon said, pouring cabernet vintages aged in both French and American oak barrels. The first was smooth and mellow, the second bolder and heartier. Labels bear an image of a mule with the slogan “We are stubborn about quality.” The symbol comes from the owners’ passion for equines. “We rescue mules and raise Andalusian horses,” Peterson added. His wines can be purchased online at http://www.rockcanyonvineyards.com/ or at a variety of shops and restaurants throughout San Diego listed at the vineyard’s website. Gloriosa is located one mile from the Mexican border in Campo. “Campo-most people think `That’s where your car breaks down,’” quipped George Toussaint. The advantage for winegrowing? Dry weather and high winds eliminate powdery mildew problems faced by vintners elsewhere, also eliminating the need for chemical pesticides or fungicides. The winery is run by a retired U.S. Forest Service employee, Mert Thomas, who strives “to make big, bold red wines,” Toussaint said. My favorite: the cabernet franc, a grape difficult to grow in some reasons but that thrives in Campo’s unique climate. Glorioso wines can be purchased at numerous local establishments and online at http://www.gloriosavineyards.com/. Several local establishments served up tastings in an alley one block north of Main Street, where visitors strolled to admire art work, jewelry and more offered by local vendors. Downtown Café served up the appropriately named Alley Cat Amber Ale and Downtown Brown. “We might make this into a blues festival next year,” Downtown Café owner Gabriel Marrujo revealed (photo, right, with ECM business manager Leon Thompson). Marrujo also owns Por Favor Restaurant a couple of doors down, where guests tasted three varieties of Hornitos tequila plus quesadillas, chips and salsa. Guests sipped champagne at Glamour Girls boutique, while across the alley in the beer garden, German American Club members served up Dunkel beer and bratwurst sausages with spicy mustard. At the Olaf Wieghorst Museum of Western Art, vintner Anthony Tiso from La Serenissima in Warner Springs poured samples of a variety of wines (photo, top of article). My favorite: a cabernet-sauvignon, though the cabernet franc was a close second. All are estate grown, meaning bottled from grapes grown at the winery. “The big thing about my wines is they are unfiltered, sustainably grown and dry-farmed,” Tiso said. “The vines receive no water from September to May.” Situated at an elevation of 3,450 feet, La Serenissima has daytime temperatures in the 90s and night temperatures in the 60s, providing an advantage over Temecula, where extreme high temperatures would make dry farming , an Old World technique, impossible. Soils in Warner Springs include quartz and granite. “Our root system is deep and strong, and reflects the minerals in the soil,” Tiso said. “By dry farming Old World style, you get a stronger flavor.” His wines have won some gold medals in Temecula competitions. Started in 1999, the winery has no tasting room but can be ordered online at http://www.laserenissimavineyard.com/. Silver Creek Fine Art & Custom Framing offered samplings of Navarre Correas and Silvercreek wines, which were pleasing though not locally grown, along with a tempting array of appetizers. The real treat here, however, is the artwork including paintings, sculptures and jewelry by talented East County artists. Carlos Castrejon is best known for his intricate Western bronze sculptures such as “A Signal”, which depicts a Blackfoot warrior and took 50 to 60 hours to create. But he recently crafted wooden jewelry an abstract carving titled Mascaras using monkeywood from the Philippines. “I wanted to capture in one sculpture the many different expressions a human goes through in a day,” he said of the latter (photo, left). St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, which featured a delightful display of juried artwork by local artists, offered appetizers including cheese, fruits, vegetables and hot appetizers plus wine tastings by PRP Wine International in Sorrento Valley. “We own 300 vineyards worldwide,” said Steven Scott Mitchell, pouring a delightfully refreshing Riesling. He added, “We do in-home winetastings if you bring ten or twelve friends.” St. Clair’s Gallery, also on the wine-walking tour, hosted an artists’ reception featuring works of prominent artists, whose 150 works remain on display through July 26th. For more information, see http://stclairgallery.web.officelive.com/stclairgallerycurrentexhibit.aspx. At Channel Twelve 25, the happening night spot which showcases local bands, co-owner Odie Goward was on hand to greet guests – a somewhat remarkable feat considering severe injuries she suffered in a three-story fall just a few months ago. “We have bands here as many nights as we can fill the bill,” she said, as guests grooved to the music of Ramzy Funk onstage. “We’re going to have some of the best bands in San Diego playing here on July 24,” Goward added. The business plans to bring back a full academy soon, she said. “Our demographic is 12 to 25 year olds,” she noted, adding that Channel Twelve 25 has created jobs for students who learned skills such as videography and running sound boards. The establishment normally does not serve liquor due to presence of minors. But during the wine-tasting walk, visitors savored vintages from Ivinglini Vineyard in Blossom Valley. The owner, former proprietor of Kip’s Café in El Cajon, learned skills by taking a
RESCUE IN PINE VALLEY
Printer-friendly version By Miriam Raftery Photo: CAL-FIRE Battalion Chief Nick Schuler July 17, 2009 (Pine Valley) – A car plunged off eastbound I-8 one mile west of the Pine Valley bridge, rolling 200 feet over the side late this afternoon. The accident trapped inside the four-door, champagne-colored vehicle. “An off duty CAL FIRE firefighter happened to be driving by just after the incident occurred and stopped dto render immediate care,” CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Nick Schuler reported. Firefighters extricated the woman, who was trapped in the upside-down car. Five engine companies, a rescue unit, paramedics, a helicopter and two battalion chiefs responded in support of the incident. Agencies responding included CAL FIRE-San Diego Fire Authority, CAL FIRE-San Diego Rural, CAL FIRE-Pine Valley Fire Dept., United States Forest Service, Viejas Fire Dept., Alpine Fire Dept., American Medical Response, Mercy Air, and California Highway Patrol. The woman was air-lifted to a local hospital. Printer-friendly version