Palomar Mountain News

Scouting first brought Curt and Susie to Palomar about six decades ago, and they both still carry fond memories of a wonderful week spent at camp on the mountain.

Living in Point Loma, Curt has long missed the mountains where he grew up in Pennsylvania. Now semi-retired as a neuroscientist and pharmaceutical consultant, he is able to work remotely. Since it no longer matters where he lives, they began looking for a mountain retreat. Their first stop was Julian, where they even made offers on a couple of properties. Later they decided to rent an Airbnb on Palomar.

They love to hike, and during their five-day stay they noticed something special. The fresh mountain air and higher elevation felt different. When they saw “Sky View Haven” for sale and stepped inside, Susie threw up her hands and said, “That view is my reason to retire!”

Susie grew up sailing in Point Loma and has a deep love for teaching special education and underprivileged students. With her master’s degree, she is also available as a tutor. That view sealed the decision and she is now semi-retired. She plans to substitute teach and looks forward to meeting students of all ages. With their new mountain getaway, she has already applied to teach in the Valley Center–Pauma District just down the hill.

There are actually six new neighbors at that address. Curt’s dog is a red heeler cattle-dog mix named Bunji, which means “friend” in an Aboriginal Australian language. Susie wanted to rescue a dog, so they went to Mexico and chose a little male pug-Chihuahua. One of the other puppies snuggled right up next to his brother, so they could not separate them and took both. Then they were told the brothers had a sister, so of course all three came home. Poncho and Lefty are the two banditos, and their sweet sister is Maddie.

Susie asked to see another cabin today that one of their three sons might enjoy someday, but she also said with a smile, “Palomar is so special and so quiet. We are encouraging our sons to join us here, but we do not want to tell anyone else about this very beautiful mountain!”