Palomar Mountain News

Palomar is one of quite a few areas with power out until maybe Friday or Saturday night because of high winds. These strong winds have sure performed! Solar panels went flying and two gazebos took off like Dorothy’s House in the Wizard of Oz. It is estimated that power might be back on Saturday or Sunday night. Time will tell.

Several neighbors have been concerned about food in their refrigerator and freezers. Apparently it lasts only about 12 hours. One idea might be to take your frozen food to a friend’s home in an area that has room and power on. Sorry I didn’t get this idea to you earlier. Our internet was out, too but now all up and running.

I love the attitude of a couple vacation rental people, enjoying Palomar now and also on their way tomorrow. The couple here now boiled water for bathing – even though they were offered our guest shower. They planned a fun rim hike in the State Park and just enjoying the change from the city. The folks on the way are so looking forward to their ‘glamping’ experience. They’ll have smores supplies to make in the fireplace, being unplugged, playing some board games, the adventure of hiking to visit local farms and buy some of Glenn’s Organic Coffee, Cecelia’s Cheese and all the mountain has to offer.

Our generator will be humming over the next few days. You are welcome to stop by to charge your phones or computers, use our free internet hot spot, or enjoy a cup of hot coffee, tea or hot chocolate from our free beverage bar.

If you don’t know our location, please message me. Everyone is welcome.

Bonnie Phelps

Very beautiful fall colors are waiting for all enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday on Palomar this week. Crisp weather calls for bundling for up if you are heading out for a ‘turkey trot’ round the mountain.

The holidays always bring the buyers up! Seven showings in four days! We are serving up more listings real soon and welcoming new neighbors to our refreshingly wonderful lifestyle up here!

Thankful for YOU, family and friends and all this mountain has to offer. May you be able to escape what is going on in our world and savor the little things we so often take for granted.

A wonderful Thanksgiving, wherever you may be, from our family to yours,

Bonnie and Don, Brandon and Heidi and the Treasures, and their Uncle Nathan

One of our Palomar Neighbors Larry Groupé. is a composer. Over the years, I’ve posted stories about his music, written with much inspiration from his setting on this beautiful mountain.

“Larry Groupé is one of the most talented and versatile composers working today in the entertainment industry. With an impressive musical résumé in film and television as well as the concert stage, his achievements have received both critical praise and popular acclaim”

You are invited to listen to Larry share how he got started and what really launched his career. This Museum of Music video begins about the 10 minute mark.

Enjoy!

Bonnie Phelps

Thinking back over the years, it has been so meaningful to meet some of our veterans who have enjoyed Palomar Mountain. One man was in the Bataan Death March in 1942. Another flew fighter planes in WWII. Recently I spoke to the last survivor of the USS Tang submarine. We’re proud to know quite a few Viet Nam vets. Guessing there are veterans from all the branches of service, that have defended our freedom on many foreign soils. As more and more full-timers move to Palomar, we welcome active duty military serving our country with this little community as their home base.

With gratitude we salute all veterans and active military and a big Happy Birthday to the United States Marines.

What a treat to have this info from our Palomar Historian, Peter Brueggeman. He just finished writing a biography of “Esther Parnell Hewlett, Butterfly Woman of Palomar Mountain.” Her biography is listed on his Palomar Mountain history webpage: http://peterbrueggeman.com/palomarhistory and can be directly accessed at http://peterbrueggeman.com/palomarhis…/hewlett-palomar.pdf

Here is just a peek into her life on Palomar:

Esther’s family moved to Palomar Mountain in 1913, and Esther started capturing and raising local butterflies and moths for sale to collectors as specimens or in frames, trays, etc. She was known as the “Butterfly Girl” on Palomar Mountain. This grew to become a family business and continued in much greater scale after the family relocated to Upland in 1919. Esther became known as the “Butterfly Woman,” “Butterfly Lady,” and “Butterfly Queen”… she and her family ran the only butterfly farm in the US. Esther Hewlett was very creative in crochet design, and while she was on Palomar Mountain started selling crochet designs to magazines. Crochet design grew into her main business and though Esther Hewlett died in 1975, she is well known for crochet design to this day.

Click to see some of her many crochet patterns available.

More info can be found on the Old Butterfly Farm of Palomar

Palomar History by Peter Brueggeman

Esther Hewlett History by Peter Brueggeman

Thank you so much Peter from all of us on Palomar!

Bonnie Phelps

For a very last minute mountain event, Trunk or Treat was sure fun for all who joined in. Here is a peek of some very happy kids, hooray to the mountain neighbors to made it happen under a beautiful mountain sky:

It’s that time of year again to set your clocks back. From what I understand, this gives us an extra hour to dream, oh, unless you have fur babies or cute little kids!

Thanks to Jim and Teresa McCarthy who captured tonight’s sunset for all to enjoy!

Happy Fall!

Bonnie Phelps

Last minute Trunk or Treat out in front of the Lodge at the end of Crestline Road! If you have treats to share with the kids, they would love that. If you don’t have treats and would just like to see the mountain kids (they are growing sooooo fast!) all dressed up, head on over to the parking area across from the Lodge. In addition to treats, think we will have enough bags of popcorn for all. Thanks for setting this up Bob!

From Bob Perez: 🎃 Hello Neighbors, It looks like there will be a group of Goblins, Heroes, and Characters looking for Treats across from the lodge this evening at 4:30.

It is always fun to meet up on occasional Friday nights to listen to the Smith Mountain Boys. These good friends from Palomar Mountain have been playing, singing and entertaining us for nearly half a century! Come on out and tap your feet, sing along and have some great eats. The ribs are amazing, great salads, yummy appetizers and oh, the desserts the Bistro dishes out! Perfect weather for a concert in Wynola tomorrow night!

From Denise Bergman

Friday, October 9, 2020 –  5 pm – 8 pm 
Wynola Pizza & Bistro 
Santa Ysabel (Julian), CA
760-765-1004              

The Smith Mountain Boys have again been busy in the studio working on their first album, Cover Stories.  We have 8 songs in the can, which is really exciting!  We are targeting December to have the final CD’s available for sale.   

We hope you can come out and enjoy the music, great food, and friends!!!

From: Cecelia Borland
Subject: CA Department of Insurance

Please see note below from the CA Dept of Insurance. Having insurance problems? They would like to hear from you:

Do you know people who have had a hard time getting or keeping insurance?

We would like to hear directly from the homeowner if they were cancelled, non-renewed and what they may have done to obtain insurance.

Please call: Telephone 800-927-4357 for questions/problems obtaining homeowners insurance in San Diego County.

Thank you, Sally Kim Westlake

Associate Insurance Compliance Officer
Consumer Education & Outreach Bureau

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara

California Department of Insurance www.insurance.ca.gov