Is it you? Are you the one with the spirit of adventure to take on Panorama Ridge? Magnificent, ever-changing views from one of the most dramatic properties on all of Palomar Mountain. Click for just a peek at what there is to discover on 40 acres bordering the State Park. Before self-touring, let’s connect as the neighbors appreciate their privacy. Slip on your hiking boots and let’s go take a look!
Bonnie Phelps
76O 742 one 742
Just a friendly reminder: We mountain folk love our squirrelanators! I always use caution when removing the ones who have failed their swimming test from the trap. Today though, I had a flea jump off of one onto my arm. It was smaller and lighter color than the common dog flea and obviously swam better then the squirrel did. So be aware, it can happen.
Sharon Dall
Posted in Palomar Mountain News
This came from a potential guest for one of the cabin rentals:
<<<Hi, I am considering reserving your beautiful cabin in June. I am wondering, however, if it would be at all possible to hide away the television before our arrival? I know this is probably a tall order, but I would be very grateful for the opportunity for my family to enjoy the serenity of the area without any tv or devices .>>>
Here is my response:
“I know how you feel! We’ll have the remotes locked in a cabinet so the TV/DVD player won’t work.
When our two sons were in Jr. High, we had a pool, built-in trampoline, basketball, etc. After they got home from school one day, was beautiful outside but I found them in our family room. The TV was on, the boys were sitting on the floor, watching these blue smurfs. I heard “let the power and force within you control your destiny!” I took that on as a personal challenge and went to the wall and pulled out the cable. Oh no!!! What a mean mom!!!
What a difference it made in all of our lives. When they had friends over, the first time they were there, mention was made about how we didn’t have TV but the friends LOVED it, and our place was where everyone had a great time.
Years later, a thank you note arrived from our sons, thanking us for unplugging the TV. They said they could not have possibly done what they did with their lives if the TV had competed for their time. They both ended up with scholarships for college. Neither son has TV at their homes and we just have it for an occasional movie (but from what I understand, the Cowboy has recently added an antenna – well, I still don’t know how to turn the thing on.)”
Now we need to unplug the phones, iPads, and computers!!! I’ll have to work on that one!
BTW, when you, or someone you know, would like some time away, we have some options to choose from: www.palomarproperties.com/rentals and I’m glad to lock the remotes!
Posted in Palomar Mountain News
Press Release:
This June 22-27 the Palomar Film Music Workshop will occur in the Pauma Valley.
A touch of Hollywood will show up to teach the art and practice of writing original music for the movies: http://www.palomarworkshops.com/ Workshop founder/director and multi award winning composer, Larry Groupé is hosting the event at The Lazy H Ranch at the base of Palomar Mountain.
Groupé says “I wanted a rural retreat experience so the participants could really concentrate on the dramatic craft of writing music to picture while in a relaxed environment”.
The workshop must have struck the right chord because it was sold out within twelve days of its launch on New Year’s Day.
Larry’s original idea came from local Palomar mountain where he has a cabin and draws much inspiration from its surroundings.
Each day movie scenes will be handed out for the students to write music to. Personal mentoring and group review occurs each day along with special presentations from Hollywood professionals. The week culminates with a recording session so the students can take home something professionally performed and mixed back into the scene. This way they go home with something tangible to show potential directors and producers that may hire them.
Posted in Palomar Mountain News
Besides the beauty of nature and sharing it with family, the #2 reason we love our new home on Palomar Mountain would be the mountain people. After a long week at work, we drove up to our cabin and found a random act of kindness. A neighbor must have placed this much needed table between our two new adirondack chairs. We’d like this to be posted on Palomar Mountain News so it is known how much the mystery neighbor is appreciated.
Jim and Teresa McCarthy
Posted in Palomar Mountain News
Just off the phone with Karina, she and her folks have arrived, and are ready for their concert tomorrow night. YOU are invited! Don’t you love their photo? I found it on her Facebook, titled “The Usual Suspects”. It was taken after a performance when they were still living in Mexico.
Munchies and mingle starting at 5:29, and the Concert at 6 pm, followed by the potluck! Come one, come all!
At Round House Ranch – click for directions and more. Hope you can join us!
Posted in Palomar Mountain News
What a pleasure to catch up with Bill Leibold over the past few weeks. At 91, he is the last survivor of the USS Tang, a submarine that went down after Pearl Harbor. Some of you know Bill from Palomar. He and his wife Grace built the “Ship House” out on Birch Hill. (See the 2004 message below from a post telling a little of their story.) Ken and Michele Easton are “manning the ship” now. You’ll also find below, a 2009 post from Ken about one of the several books written about the Tang.
Bill and Grace were high school sweethearts. Bill was on a ship, serving his Country at Pearl Harbor during the attack. A year later he was on the most decorated submarine during that time, the USS Tang with 87 officers and men. She sank approximately at 0230, 25 October 1944 after being struck in the stern by her last torpedo, that had run erratically on the surface, port side. Tang was on the surface, attacking a Japanese convoy in the Formosa Straits and sank in 180 feet. Grace was notified in early 1945 that Bill’s submarine was overdue & presumed lost (the original notice is in his album).
For 15 long months Grace refused to believe the news. Some of the wives, understandably, went on with their lives, and remarried. But not Grace, she waited for Bill.
After the war was over, Bill was found in a Japanese Internment Camp. He was one of nine men who survived that fateful night, all night, in the water and then endured the treatment of imprisonment. Because they were submariners, they were looked down upon by the Japanese, so they were given only half rations. Japs declared Tang men were criminals, not POW’s, and subsequently placed in solitary confinement at Ofuna (not a POW Facility). In mid 1945, Tang men and others were transferred to Omori, a Jap army run POW facility, again placed in “Group solitary confinement”, ultimately put on work details and provided one half ration of food, that POW’s received. Bill came back to America weighing less than 100 pounds. After recuperating, he then continued to serve his country and retired from the Navy as a Commander.
Of the nine men that returned, seven were married. After the war was over and the men returned, four of the wives had remarried, which was understandable, with the telegram they had received. Bill has always been so thankful for his wife Grace, that she waited for him, and cared for him as he gained his health, and went on to command two ships, a shore base, and other activities with the Navy. They raised a family of two sons and a daughter, who all want copies of a wonderful scrapbook their father has made, and added to, over the years.
Bill has moved recently. His home in “shipshape”, sold in about a week. I got to see the most recent additions to his scrapbook and he allowed me to take a few photos to share with you.
The ship’s flag went down with the Tang. Someone else had a drawing of what they thought the flag might look like. It was not correct. So, at a Tang reunion a few years ago, Bill drew up a sketch and circulated it with the other survivors. He revised the sketch several times, based on their input, and then had a company in Escondido make two flags. One is on display at the submarine base in New London, CT. His youngest son has the other flag.
Bill’s dog tags made in 1941 are very unique with his fingerprint on them. With the war starting, it became too much of a task to make these tags, so very few were made and there are very few left.
We only live in the land of the free, because of the brave, and because of women and men like Bill Leibold.
Thankfully, enjoying our Memorial Day Weekend,
Bonnie Phelps
Posted in Palomar Mountain News | Tags: william bill leibold uss tang
Recently I posted about the need one of our locals had to be able to have a computer. (Here was that post: Do you have an extra computer?) Within about 2 minutes, a call came in from a subscriber in Julian saying she didn’t have a computer but would like to donate a printer. Then I spoke to someone planning a their move. He said that she could have his nice desk top. But, the generosity of these people on Palomar doesn’t stop there…. an email soon arrived from a New Neighbor, saying that a brand new laptop would be dropped off at our place for her. Wow.
It was very wonderful to sneak over, and drop this box off at her door. What a pleasure and privilege to be a little ‘conduit’ in the wonderful things that come from this mountain.
A sincere thanks to you all. She couldn’t really believe it happened – just like a very special Christmas! That was a fun phone call to visit with her, so excited. A brand new laptop will add so much ease to the work she is doing and open up the world.
Feeling blessed!
Bonnie
Posted in Palomar Mountain News
Everyone is invited to the very yummy breakfast this coming Saturday morning.
Breakfast of fresh orange juice, strawberries, hot mountain pancakes, sausage, and steaming hot coffee is served from 8 am to 11 am at the Fire Station.
All that for $3.00 for adults and $1.00 for children!
The Annual Meeting immediately follows Breakfast at 11 am.
Come on out, meet your neighbors, enjoy a delicious breakfast and hear about what’s happening on Palomar Mountain!
Can you help? Help is needed and appreciated on Friday, May 23 to help set up for the breakfast on Saturday. If you can help out in any way, please connect withBruce Graves at 76O 994 7six97.
Posted in Palomar Mountain News
What a delight to meet Karina and her Mama and Papa, one chilly evening on the deck of Cabin Fever. Wrapped in blankets, they were eating her homemade soup in the drippy mist. I suggested they go in by the warm fire, but no, being in the cloud reminded them “of their homeland”. They had fallen in love with the mountain.
You’ll enjoy reading a little of Karina’s Family Legacy, below. I found a link to her CD, Golden Dream.
Karina’s Family Legacy:
Music is in our blood, or maybe it is our blood at this point – there is no test to confirm it.
For 3 generations we’ve been dedicating our lives to this sacred art of painting the World with our instruments – the sound of music –truly the only art that knows no borders or limits of expression, when it comes to a human experience and beyond that.
Together as a family, with our magical instruments in hand , we’ve traveled the World – back home, when still Soviet Union in Russia and Latvia, many countries in Europe –Germany, France , Italy , UK…to name the few, Taiwan and China, 10 years in Mexico and now another decade as US citizens.
Languages and landscapes do change, just as our faces, but something doesn’t- our dream to inspire and create together, to share and transcend with the sound of music, that will stay long after us.
We are passionate educators too, inspiring children in every place we’ve been, to take an instrument and try to make music on their own.
Many of “our” kids, as I call them, are now teachers and performers around the Globe, continuing the tradition of life performance and soul nourishment.
We hope we can bring a little sweetness and reflection, or maybe simply a moment of peace into so often hectic life we all have.
We discovered our beautiful Mountain first by meeting Cecilia Borland, the dear lady with the goats out on Birch Hill. Then we ‘caught the fever’ at Cabin Fever, one misty weekend enveloped in the clouds! Now, as my Facebook page proves to the world, I just can’t seem to get enough of this mountain and must visit as often as I can. It reminds us so of our homeland! We adore Palomar Mountain with all our heart. Brought up in the country with a strong connection to nature and forest, after so many years of constant looking, God has showed me the way to our local “Sierra” like mountain. And we just can’t get enough of it.
We’ve met some truly wonderful people up here , who opened their hearts and homes to us and made us feel so much more home, that we could possibly be without friends and souls alike. We are now enjoying the view from the Round House. It would be our great pleasure to give you kind folks on the mountain, a concert next weekend. Please come and enjoy. We look forward to making more friends on the Mountain.
Karina Bezkrovnaia
(Concert was May 2014 – we must have an encore!)
Posted in Palomar Mountain News
Palomar Mountain News 