Sculpture vandalized at Palomares House

On Monday, June 20, the staff at Palomares House (home of the Fallbrook Land Conservancy) noticed that one of the sculptures on the grounds had been broken apart.

Called "For the love of music," the bronze sculpture of hummingbirds attached to a marble base sat near one of the walkways in the park area of the property on South Stage Coach Lane. Mike Peters, preserve manager, said the metal part of the sculpture was found on the ground "busted up."

The sculpture, made by artist Celou Bonnet, was donated by Peter Thompson in memory of his wife, Maureen Thompson, a local resident who died March 24, 2011 at the age of 62. It was installed at the park in May 2012.

Peters said the sculpture was very fragile and that a person could have bumped into it so the damage could have been an accident, but they don't know what happened. He put the mangled metal in a shed and reported the damage to the sheriff's department.

A recorder (wind instrument) that was attached to the marble base is missing. Maureen Thompson was an accomplished Baroque recorder player who also taught students how to play it.

Although Peter Thompson now lives in Canada, he is offering a reward of $500 for return of the recorder and any information on what happened to the sculpture. He can be contacted at (760) 801-20394 or [email protected].