Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Sorted by date Results 1 - 15 of 15
This story deals with the joy of discovering something new right under your nose. Such discoveries can be lovely finds, especially at Christmas. I thought I had gotten to know Jack and Jeanette Schirner over the decade or so that they've lived in Fallbrook. I first met Jack when he ably served as the board president of the Fallbrook Senior Center. Having served briefly on that board, I realized the amount of work it takes to herd that group of stray cats. Jack still serves on...
To me, Fallbrook is the town that time forgot. A man and his movie theater have been cast in leading roles in this unfolding tale. I marvel at how Fallbrook has retained its dreamy, rural feel even though it anchors a chunk of Southern California and is flanked by state highways and interstate freeways. Ours is a colorful community, and Roy Moosa and his historic Mission Theater are among the most vibrant threads in its tapestry of people and places. I had lived in Fallbrook...
My passion for pickleball recently revived my internal debate over whether I should abandon my country mouse ways. Let's begin with the basics. Pickleball is a cross between tennis, ping pong and badminton. I began playing it regularly about two years ago. It is fast, fun, friendly and frustrating. It creates and cements friendships. Fitness invigorates a community. Connections strengthen it. From the game's humble start, pickleball has exploded in popularity. It has been...
It's times like these that I look to the Bible. It is 66 books crammed into one, and together they tell of life, love, loss, faith, deceit, weakness, strength, trust and lust. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is "A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance." Today's mental meanderings, kind readers, will keep us close to home – my little neighborhood to be precise. Big changes are afoot here. Once we were a cadre of kindred souls, four neighbors close i...
Family and friends gathered Saturday, June 8, to celebrate the life of Paul Bourque, a father, son, brother, businessman, performer, photographer, philosopher and traveler, at a favorite place, the historic Mission Theater in Fallbrook. My last missive touched on the theater as the staging of a benefit talent show titled the "Fallbrook Follies," and this episode is something of an elegy with words for a man whose memory was recently evoked at that beloved local landmark. I am...
Today, my dear friends, I pray you will indulge me while I spin a seat-of-the-pants yarn about a recent event at one of my favorite haunts. The place is our historic Mission Theater. The event was the June 2 Fallbrook Follies as presented by the Fallbrook Woman's Club. I was thrilled to participate in this folksy gig that sparked many a magical moment at a beloved local landmark. I'll begin with the place. Roy Moosa and his amazing family own the theater. But I call it "our"...
I pray, dear reader, that you permit me to detour from the mindless wanderings of my typical prattle. Today's fare will ponder the gift of life, the heartache of death, and the pangs of healing that follow the hurt. My week has been an emotional roller coaster. It will be tough to tell this tale with my usual allotment of ink. The week began with my publisher asking me to write about a local ministry with international ties. Next came the surprise birth of a baby goat, and...
My home-away-from-home marked it's 50th year in fine fettle last week. There was food, a vintage car show, a magician, music and dancing. And, of course, there was plenty of Pickleball. The week began with the public unveiling of the Fallbrook Intergenerational Storyteller Project. That effort combines the experiences of local seniors and the technical expertise of area high school students to create mini-documentaries that will be posted online. About 35 people munched snacks...
Serendipity recently led me to a hidden treasure and introduced me to a pixie philanthropist who was a muse for one of the world's great philosophers. This delightful encounter came about through a chance invitation after church on Sunday. It was a dear friend, Lila Sandschulte, who set the hook by telling me that the widow of famed cartoonist Charles M. Schulz would be a special guest at an appreciation walk later that day. I drove directly to the location – the goldfinch arr...
Bob and Kathy Sears, my cherished companions throughout my Fallbrook years, now have that faraway look in their eyes. I know the feeling well. It seeps into the soul when a person has one foot planted firmly in the past and the other dipping a toe into an unknown future. I have visited more than 55 countries and lived in 15 places over my 70 years. The longest stretch – some 21 years – has been spent in my beloved Fallbrook. As it was that we three said: “So long” a few days ago. The Sears are my story today. And togethe...
I have often wondered whether longevity is an elixir for those who love life. Lately I have found myself pondering centenarians, how they give us joy for today and hope for the future. I have been blessed to be befriended by many centenarians in my beloved Fallbrook. Come now, dear reader, as I introduce you to some and we together may we marvel over the mystery and magic of living to 100 and beyond. My first friend to stretch her life well past 100 was cantankerous Betty...
Special to the Village Newst. Patrick's Month is well underway. It begins after Valentine's Day and comes to a foot-stomping finale on March 17. During this gala period, and beyond, my Irish heart indulges in the riches of comfort food, conversation, dancing, music and more at the Fallbrook Community Center. All this unfolds for me simultaneously at the weekday lunches served by the Fallbrook Senior Center. I reveal this at great risk, as I may be slammed by my fellows for...
Words make us wonder. Words make us feel. Words help us heal. Those realities dawned on me during the most recent Poetry with Purpose gathering in Temecula, an event that raised funds to prevent suicides among our military veterans. About 40 people paid $15 each to speak and listen Thursday, Jan. 18, at The Coffee Shop, 27725 Jefferson Avenue, a hybrid food and drink business. The beneficiary was a nonprofit group, Save the Brave, and the host. The poetry group was launched...
Hello again, friends and fellow travelers. I come before you today with an announcement and an alert. First the announcement: a stellar column written by your humble narrator last July – which ran under the headline "Writer reports his foray into farming" – has won me a prestigious promotion. I am now the official goat and chicken reporter for a media juggernaut that has become, by default, the lone surviving voice in a vast area that stretches from Bonsall to Lake Els...
The cone zones are back months after area drivers breathed a sigh of relief in hopes that an agonizing south Fallbrook traffic upgrade was finally in their rear-view mirrors. The big mess is back, but the work is impressive, the waits aren't too long and there's a pleasant cadre of lads controlling the ebb and flow of traffic in a key chunk of South Mission Road. I live in the area where back-to-back projects that began in late 2021 have required scores of lane closures. The f... Full story
