Mission San Juan Capistrano On A Sunny California Work Day

Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded on November 1, 1776. It celebrated 240 years on November 1, 2016! 

When somebody hit the power pole down the street from my friend Veronika’s place of business, she took the opportunity to take a mental health day since they had no power in the office. She took her bike to the Mission in San Juan Capistrano… teasing me with the photos below. 

Mission San Juan Capistrano was named after an Italian saint. St. Giovanni da Capistrano (John of Capistrano in English) was born in 1386. Through most of his early adult years, he lived a secular life outside the church. He attended law school, and became a magistrate, and then a governor over Perugia in 1416. Only a few years after becoming governor war broke out in his land. He was assigned as an ambassador of peace to Malatesta, but when he arrived, they threw him in prison. While he spent time in prison, he began to think more about spiritual matters.

Eventually, he decided to give up all material things, and surrender his life to serving God by joining the Franciscan Order. Upon taking the vows of service, John spent time learning theology and the art of preaching. After receiving his priesthood, he traveled all over Italy, Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Russia preaching forgiveness and penance. On his journeys, he preached to great crowds.

It was said that when John entered a town to preach all business stopped. The people of the community dropped all that they were doing to hear him speak. Catholic administers also highly valued John’s passion and energy in reforming the church. He was sent all over Europe by the Pope and other important leaders to continue positive changes.

While in Frankfurt, Germany in 1454, he was asked to give advice about the crusade against the Turks. Not only did he provided insight into the upcoming battle, he joined it! John accompanied the famous Hunyady throughout the campaign: he was present at the battle of Belgrade, and led the left wing of the Christian army against the Turks. Soon after battling the Turks, John caught the deadly bubonic plague and died on October 23, 1456. John was beatified in 1694, and canonized as a saint in 1724.

Mission San Juan Capistrano is known worldwide for the Cliff Swallows return each year. Father John O’Sullivan started the legend and celebration of the Cliff Swallows in the early 20th century. Cliff Swallows migrate from South America to North America in the spring and summer for breeding. Although San Juan’s legend claims these migrating birds return promptly on March 19th it is silly to assume this true. Cliff Swallows are wild animals and migrate according to weather patterns; therefore, do not always return the exact day each year.

Anza Borrego Desert Bloom

By Stacey Kuhns

Ed Miner and I decided we were going to drive to the desert to see the amazing blooms everyone was talking about. We left Henson (Service Dog) at his favorite place (day care) at 7 a.m. and took off for Anza Borrego.

 Would we ever do it again? Hell no! The drive is pretty, especially since everything is so green now. We got to Borrego and stopped on the side of the road to check out some flowers. They were pretty but definitely not the massive bloom everyone was talking about. 

When we got to the intersection to turn into the Visitor's Center, we knew this was probably a mistake. They had all their rangers out on the roads trying to control the crowds and answer questions. We were allowed to drive up to the Visitor's Center, since I am disabled, so Ed could drop me off but the rangers were pretty mean and would not let him turn into the parking lot. They said it was full. So, he dropped me off and went to go park (over a quarter of a mile away). I was pissed because when I walked into the parking lot, there was plenty of parking and Handicapped parking spots available. 

I called Ed and told him to turn around but he said there was no way he could as it was a nightmare with all the cars. I sat in the shade at the center and listened to a volunteer talk about where the best blooms were (3 times through the talk before Ed was able to get back to find me). It was very very hot (I do not do sun and heat well at all). 

We decided to go right to one of the areas they recommended seeing so we had to hoof it back to the car. It was a very long way for me and I was having a difficult time. When we got back to the car, the line of traffic on the road leading to the Visitor's Center was insane. Luckily, we were heading in a different direction. We made it to the place they recommended (Henderson Canyon Road). We were pretty underwhelmed. (You have to either stay in the desert or know the exact time to get there to see the best bloom. Otherwise, within a few days, the heat and caterpillars have decimated the flowers). 

It was pretty, don't get me wrong, but no variety of color (other than yellow and white) and it was sparse. If you take a picture looking out over the desert, it looks beautiful, but if you look down, it is pretty sparse. Anyway, we stayed for a bit. Glad I packed water, sandwiches and apples because the few restaurants and food cart places were jammed. 

Vintana Wine and Dine Review

A Classy Eating Establishment in the Penthouse of the Escondido Lexus Dealership

Paul and I had a lovely dining experience at the Vintana Wine & Dine over the Lexus Dealership in Escondido. We were join by our friends Gregg and Cindy.

Our quartet arrived for a 5:30 p.m. seating and the restaurant was mostly empty. However, it filled up quickly and I would recommend reservations to avoid a wait. I used the very efficient ‘OpenTable!’ website to secure our reservation. They even email us a confirmation number complete with restaurant address, and links to menu and directions.

If you have not been to this eatery, it is well worth the effort. The restaurant is spotlessly clean. We were seated by the window. It was refreshing to look over the Escondido skyline. You do have to ignore the Dick’s Sporting Goods sign. However, as darkness fell, the water fountain below our window entertained with a lighted water show.

The menu fits on just one page but offers a good diversity. I opted for the Signature Offering “Island Prime's Filet Trio.” The long slim plate presented three separate three-ounce filets with different preparations utilizing seasonal mushrooms, bone marrow butter, asparagus, crab, béarnaise, garlic, blue cheese. My meal was absolutely perfect and gluten free. I highly recommend this dish.

Since this restaurant is a Wine and Dine, we selected a bottle of wine, a Lapostolle Casa Merlot, for the table. The merlot was a saturated ruby red in color and tasted of fresh berries; a perfect compliant to our main course. It was from the half-off wine menu and very reasonably priced at $14. Our waiter chuckled when he informed me that price was for the bottle because I was of the erroneous belief that it was the price per glass!

I must mention our waiter, Rick. He was very attentive without hovering. He also presented a very pleasant interactive personality. Rick was able and willing to answer all our questions with knowledge and humor.

We topped off our evening by sharing deserts. The deserts were only ten dollars and there was plenty for two. Paul and I divided the “Daily Trio of House-Made Ice Cream or Sorbet” and Gregg and Cindy enjoyed the Chef Deborah's Potted Brownie – One word Yum!

On a political note - A 2% surcharge is added to all Guest checks to help cover increasing costs and in the restaurants support of the recent increases in minimum wage and benefits for their dedicated Team Members. I will leave it at that.

I would rate this restaurant a Five Stars Out Of Five. The food and service was impeccable. The cost was not economical, but compatible with the quality of the product. The atmosphere proved conducive to a leisurely evening catching up with friends – before we knew it, three enjoyable hours had passed.

Restaurant Hours:

• Dinner: 5:00pm nightly
• Lunch: 11:30am - 2pm
• Brunch: Sat & Sun 10:30am-2pm
• Please call for holiday hours

Happy Hour:

Daily: 2pm - 6:30pm
Lounge and Lanai Only

First Family Camping Trip of 2017

South Carlsbad State Beach

This southernmost part of the Golden State, with its warm beaches, sculpted bluffs and historic adobe buildings, has been a mecca for individuals seeking a better life. Today, more than ever, it is the destination of millions who pursue the modern equivalent of the “California Dream.”

Crue Stone - A Healthy Four Months Young

No pictures please..Mr.Crue Stone exactly 4 months old today 💗💗💗

Three Brothers / One Outfit

Oma's Cute Little Monkeys

 

Crue Stone (top), Reef Indy (Left), and Coast Oak (Right) are adorable in this monkey onesie.

Dacobots - Educational Fun

Education Through Technology!

Dacobots are friendly robots created to help the children of Earth discover the beauty of the world. The eLearning games on this portal are perfect for kids who want to explore and learn at their own pace.

Nothing captures my grandson’s attention faster than the television, computer, or smart phone. Therefore, eLearning programs are perfect for introducing him to his words and numbers. Since he is just three, at the moment we explore the program together. However, I anticipate it will not be long before he goes solo.

I have found that Dacobots uses technology as an active and engaging tool to provide youngsters with access to images of numbers, animals and objects in the environment, and a wide range of diverse images of people and things they might not otherwise encounter; Perfect for the curious and active mind. 

Most importantly Dacobots is easy to navigate and  kids identify them as fun games instead of a learning product. Categories are filterable by both grade level and topic!

Now the free to play elearning games are marked with an opened lock so as to be much easier to spot.

We’ve listened and we added a new feature on the portal!
Now the free to play games are marked with an opened lock.https://t.co/p3pN84JG05 pic.twitter.com/DIaMQWH1VX

— Dacobots (@dacobots) January 24, 2017

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe would be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."