California Tumblr Diary

The Thornton Winery has been a fixture in the Temecula Valley since 1988. John and Sally Thornton have made this place a world-class showcase for not only its wines, especially its champagnes, but also for a long-running Champagne Jazz series. Artists such as George Benson, Keiko Matsui, Boz Scaggs, David Sanborn, and countless others have been frequent performers here. And as UT-San Diego arts and entertainment critic George Varga suggests in an article he wrote for the UT last year, it is in no small part to the hard work on the part of the Thornton family that has helped to put Temecula "on the map" as a thriving center for arts, culture and music.

Here’s something happening in my little corner of Riverside County. Apparently, an algae bloom in Diamond Valley Lake is causing MWD customers, especially in San Diego, to complain of a “musty” or “earthy” taste in their water. But water district officials argue that there’s no cause for concern as algae blooms are common occurrences in these types of reservoirs in warm months, like this month!

I took a side trip from National City on my way home, and stopped at the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside.  The mission was founded on June 13, 1798 by Padre Fermin Lasuén, and was the eighteenth of the Spanish missions established in California. Named for the 13th century French King Saint Louis, the mission lent its name to the Luiseño Tribe of Mission Indians.  The famous Peruvian Pepper Tree was planted here in 1830 and the site was placed on the US National Register of Historic Places in April 1970.  Today, Mission San Luis Rey de Francia is a working mission, cared for by the people who belong to the parish, with ongoing restoration projects. Mission San Luis Rey has a Museum, Visitors Center, gardens with the historic Pepper Tree, and the original small cemetery.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar offers a different perspective on Donald Sterling

After my National City class yesterday, I visited Shelter Island and checked out the famous Yokohama Friendship Bell.  The citizens of Yokohama presented the bell to San Diego in May 1958, and it marked the establishment of the sister city relationship between these two cities, the first such affiliation on the West Coast.  This 6-feet high bell weighs over 2 tons, and is rung by a large wooden ram.  This bell, designed by Masahiko Katori signaled an important turning point in US-Japan relations in the early Cold War era, and certainly contrasts with the American enmity toward Japanese and Japanese-Americans as we're seeing in "Farewell to Manzanar."  The bell was dedicated in a ceremony in December 1960 with 18 traditional gongs being struck for good luck.  

Hey everyone!  My photoset for this week connects perfectly with our Farewell to Manzanar readings.  After I transfer the photos from my Canon camera to the MacBook, then I'll share them later today.  

El Profesor's comments: When it comes to sports history in the state, the Los Angeles Lakers certainly have a special place, with “Showtime,” Kareem, Wilt, Magic, Pat Riley, Shaq, Kobe, Phil Jackson, and of course, Dr. Buss. But this year has been a total disaster, with so much turmoil and injuries, and to add insult to injury, the Clippers have pounded the Lakers mercilessly in 3 straight games, But in this interview, team President Jeanie Buss talks about her dad and expresses hope that things will get better soon.

This is our final week of posting articles before spring vacation, so before you head out to Cancun or Lake Havasu (or whatever is popular these days!), be sure to post your articles.  I've got a couple of LA Times articles to share with you.  Also, some of you still haven't set your blogs for accepting comments, so please do that soon.  I really want to respond to several of your pics and articles, but I don't have that option!  Please consult with me for assistance and I'll gladly help you to do that.  Have a nice evening, and I'll share my first article with you tomorrow (Tuesday).

Hooray, I found that cord and I can finally share my Riverside pictures!  But yes, this is the amazing Mission Inn in downtown Riverside.  It began as a cottage hotel in 1876 by Christopher C. Miller, and then in 1902 his son Augustus began adding on to it with several architectural styles, including Spanish Gothic and Mission Revival styles.  But I kept my focus on the interior and the Presidential Lounge.  Several presidents have stayed here, including Theodore Roosevelt.  Even rock and roll guys, like the Red Rocker himself, Sammy Hagar, were here!  The giant chair was for William Howard Taft, who reported weighed over 300 pounds, and Pat and Richard Nixon married here, and Ronald and Nancy Reagan honeymooned here.  This place has certainly become one of my favorite places to visit in the Inland Empire.   

Hey everyone, I had some great photos I took last month of the Mission Inn in Riverside, but I can't find the cord that connects my Canon digital camera to my MacBook.  If I can't track down the cord, then I'll simply reblog some photos of the hotel from another Tumblr page.  Let me see what I can find (or not find!) and I'll be back later with the photos, whether they are mine or are someone else's.  

El Profesor had a chance to visit the Leoness Cellars earlier this month. Winemakers Mike Rennie and Gary Winder founded the winery and vineyards in 2003, but winemaking has been present in the valley since the early 19th century, where vineyards connected to the San Luis Rey Mission were established But it was not until 1968 when the first commercial vineyard was established. Now, Leoness is just one of several winemaking operations in the valley, and its offerings include Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Muscat Canelli, and Cinsault Port. As you recall from Daughter of Fortune, Paulina del Valle certainly recognized the importance of winemaking in California, and this is certainly a place she would approve of!