Machel Penn Shull of 'Machel's Ranch' TAKES CHARGE AT MILLE FLEURS Mardi Gras 2012...

 Think its easy organizing social events? Check out Machel Penn Shull, of Machel's Ranch Social Column, taking charge of the photo opp at Mille Fleurs on Mardi Gras Day for an upcoming column. Identify the ladies in the photo for bonus points. Or check them out next month at Machel's Ranch. 

And then there's the observer from fringe unit...

 MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE ABBEY...

Adios...

View from Machel's Ranch: 'Sunshine fills Rancho Santa Fe with inspiration and parties'

(From left: 1. Timothy Nunn, Artist Joelle Blouin and her agent, Edward at Legends Gallery in La Jolla; 2. Make your Valentine’s reservations at Mille Fleurs this year! Chef Martin Woesle is featured here with Jill Drouin and Joe, two of Mille Fleurs’ fantastic staff members; 3. Order you flowers or chocolate covered strawberries from Lemon Twist on Valentine’s Day, located on Del Dios Highway across from Cielo. Photos: Machel Penn Shull.)

How do you keep yourself inspired every day? Do you ever get up and think, “This is it, same thing as yesterday. How long will life continue on with this same routine?” Yes, life can be boring, methodical and sometimes just plain humdrum. What do you do when this happens? Do you decide to pity yourself? Feel like life is predictable and what is the point?

 I admit the reason I am writing this is because I encountered these feelings this week. Yes, I too, can find the eucalyptus trees and the design of the perfect landscape in California just a bit on the blah side. While winter is happening elsewhere in the world, we are constantly blessed with pretty amazing weather. No reason to whine about that, right? Well, we must hibernate, recharge, regroup and reinvent ourselves. Even though there are moments that can eclipse us that make us feel bored, we must remind ourselves of each and every blessing. I recently looked through some of my photos and thought, “These pictures show a beautiful life.”

I soon realized that although it’s tempting to indulge in idleness, we must stop ourselves from this pitfall. The challenge is to remain upbeat, youthful and hopeful with each new day. We may think we know what’s going to happen and that we’ve got it all figured out. However, life still remains a mystery … just like the nature of true love. With the “Month of Love” upon us, I found some fun events in and around the Ranch. Happy Valentine’s Day Rancho Santa Fe!

Around Town

On Jan. 28, Karian Forsyth, one of the top five women I love to feature in “Machel’s Ranch” held her first 2012 monthly spa party in The Crosby. On a hot Saturday afternoon, these ladies enjoyed fine pampering, good company and excellent food that day.

I turned out to be the unlucky one that at the last minute was unable to make it due to some unexpected events, which prohibited me from indulging with some of my favorite friends. I have included a stolen moment from that day that shows these women making the most of their time by sharing their souls and time with each other. How wonderful.

On Jan. 30, I received some exciting news about one my favorite friend’s family members. Claude Whitney — a superior judge in Orange County for over 30 years — turned 81 on a fabulous Sunday with his loved ones. Talk about making life fun and worth living; Claude is a black diamond skier who “Skis for Free” as he is more than 70 years old. From Skiing in Aspen and Telluride to Deer Valley, nothing is going to slow down Claude Whitney.
I have include a beautiful photo of him surrounded by his wife and loved ones. Happy birthday Claude. Meredith MacDonald is the very proud stepdaughter of Claude Whitney.

(From left: 1. Hostess, Karian Forsyth poses with some of her gorgeous guests at the Forsyth’s Super Bowl party Sunday; 2. Claude Whitney celebrates his birthday with his wife Cici Whitney and the MacDonald clan; 3. First Spa party of 2012 under a golden sun.)

On Feb. 1, I stepped into my husband’s shoes and helped out at Lemon Twist — the flower shop/fruit-stand in the Ranch across from Cielo. While the sunny day brought in steady customers, I helped organize and figure out new exciting gifts for Valentine’s Day for locals in the Ranch. Lemon Twist is famously known for the delicious chocolate-covered strawberries, which is a mouth-watering, pleasing gift for any loved one. But did you know Lemon Twist is also a gift/floral shop with specialty items, gift baskets, orchids, caramel chocolate popcorn, and beautiful bouquets? For any questions or to order in advance, call (858) 756-0826.

Ask about the “special” for chocolate covered strawberries, too. I will be there all day on Valentine’s Day. Stop in and see us. I will have my camera to capture this wonderful holiday we love to celebrate at Lemon Twist.

On Feb. 2, I stopped in at my favorite restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe — Mille Fleurs. If you have read my column over the years then you know that this restaurant has always had a special place in my world. From amazing birthday parties to summer parties, I have enjoyed the ambience, the food and the staff at the best French restaurant in Southern California. I met briefly with Chef Martin Woesle. Chef Martin has been the chef at Mille Fleurs for more than 27 years. I found out the skinny on Valentine’s Day at Mille Fleurs. Check out millefleurs.com for details on this amazing special going on if you want to woo your loved one. Call (858) 756-3085 for details.

On Feb. 3, I ventured to La Jolla to Legends Gallery where I work part-time weekly, which I absolutely love. Art has been one of my passions and obsessions most of my life. So when I met Roree Mayhew, the director of Legends, a few months ago, you can just imagine me doing a little “Audrey Hepburn” smile all the way to my car parked a couple of blocks away, ironically next to a chapel. (Prayers do work wonders you know.) A few months later, I am excited to be selling art and meeting the artists there. On that note, Joelle Blouin — a top selling Canadian artist from Quebec City — has risen to quick acclaim in the art world. Only 26 years old, Joelle has gone from one gallery to seven in under one year. Her bold colorful paintings of city skylines are magnificent. Visit joelleblouin.com or contact me directly for more information on her paintings.

On Feb. 5, I attended Karian and Tom’s Super Bowl party in the Crosby. What can I say? These photos speak for themselves. Here are two group shots of the guests that came in high style for one of America’s favorite past times.

SAVE THE DATE

On Feb. 16, don’t miss out on a must-attend Fashion event happening in La Jolla. San Diego Food Bank’s Chris Carter was kind enough to invite me to this fabulous day at the second annual Fashion Plates Luncheon and fashion show designed by TV personality Leonard Simpson. The silent auctions starts at 10:30 a.m. sharp, which is followed by the luncheon and fashion show. This event will be held at the Hyatt Regency in La Jolla. To reserve your tickets, contact Megan Mills at (858) 863-5121 or visit sandiegofoodbank.org.

The Prestige Estates Endorses The Philanthropy Club Foundation at Rancho Santa Fe Back-to-School Social...

Local businessmen Steve Knight and Dave Baker are “Changing the Age of Philanthropy.” To introduce the rewards ofgiving to the youth of the community, the co-owners of The Prestige Estates created The Philanthropy Club Foundation.“We wanted to teach kids the importance of philanthropy, and to do so, we break down and explain the valueof selflessly giving one’s time, talent, and treasure,” says Steve. Dave adds that it was important to them that thechildren “learn what philanthropy is in the classroom and then take it home to their families to spread the lesson ofgiving.”

After Steve and Dave introduce the concept in the classroom, they give the students a homework assignment; they mustgo home and discuss philanthropy with their parents or guardians. Additionally, the students are given a short list ofcharities and, from this list, they decide how much each will receive and why. They discuss their decisions back in classwith their peers, and the funds are then allocated among the selected charities.

The Philanthropy Club’s classroom–to–dinner table approach has been well received by Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary,Solana Highlands Elementary, and Solana Vista Elementary, and will also be part of the Rancho Santa Fe School Districtbeginning fall semester of 2011.

 (PHOTO: Solana Vista School presents The Philanthropy Club check to Rady to Children's Hospital.)

The Philanthropy Club Foundation provides the funding for each school project and, to date, the following charitableorganizations have been recipients: Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation, Community Resource Center, Helen WoodwardAnimal Center, La Jolla Playhouse, North Coast Repertory Theater, Rady Children’s Hospital, Rancho Coastal HumaneSociety, San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, Solana Center for the Environment, Special Olympics North San Diego, Surfrider Foundation, and United Through Reading.

To support the great work The Philanthropy Club is doing and to attract new donors, The Prestige Estates is hosting a Back to School–themed event in Rancho Santa Fe on August 25th from 6:00pm until 8:00pm.

IN A NUTSHELL:

	The foundation's primary goal is to teach youth the meaning and rewards of giving without expectations. Whether it be time, talent or treasure, everyone has something they can give.
	The Philanthropy Club Foundation was established in 2009, and has presented to multiple classes and donated considerable funds on their behalf to numerous nonprofit organizations.
I	Goals & Objectives - Educate today's youth about philanthropy and how to become a philanthropist - Clearly differentiate between giving with expectations and giving with no expectations - Demonstrate that philathropy includes giving of your time or your talent or your treasure ...See More
	Here's How You Can Help 1. Donate Money: 100% of your donations go directly to the students' classrooms for them to donate out to qualified nonprofit organizations. 2. When referrals are made to The Prestige Estates, the company will contribute 10% of the net commissions to The Philanthropy Club Foundation. 3. We are looking for individuals to take the program into their schools of choice and personally present to the students. The presentation materials are easily adapted to your own philanthropic stories to share with the students.

	info@theprestigeestates.com
	http://thephilanthropyclub.org/default.aspx http://www.theprestigeestates.com/our-fo...

 

Please feel free to bring a guest and make sure to RSVP by August 19, 2011, to Yvette at Admin@thephilanthropyclub.org or call 760-419-6270. Location is The Prestige Estates offices at 6030 El Tordo, Suite #B, in Rancho Santa Fe.

Community Resource Center (CRC) Uses Rancho Santa Fe Fund to Deal with Looming Food Shortage 

Tickets:  $75 each

VIP Table Packages:  $1,000 

(Reserved seating for 8 guests with select wines and extras) Tickets are available online at  http://www.crcncc.org or by phone at 760.230.6305.)

Community Resource Center’s 29th Annual Holiday Baskets Program is the largest comprehensive holiday distribution program of its kind in San Diego County, and expects record registration requests among North County families this year.  However, current food shortages at CRC could force dramatic cuts in the numbers served at Holiday Baskets this December.  

“We serve over 9,000 individuals a year through our food, shelter, and domestic violence programs, and the current food crisis is having a ripple effect on everything we do for the community,” says Laurin Pause, CRC Executive Director.  Federal budget cuts have significantly reduced food allotments nationwide to distribution centers like CRC.  The agency has struggled to keep pantry shelves stocked, and has been unable to stockpile supplies of food for Holiday Baskets and other emergency distributions.  “San Diego County still has not received its federal allotments for food distribution to households in crisis, and when we do get it, we expect a twenty five-percent reduction in the allotment.  It’s not looking good.”  This news comes on the right as CRC begins its planning for the renowned Holiday Basket’s Program which distributed more than 48 tons of food to local families in need last year.

For the first time since the endowment fund was established at the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation, CRC has decided to withdraw earnings to help bridge the gap.  “It’s not ideal, but we feel compelled to access our auxiliary funds to ensure our food supplies remain adequate in the face of these reduced allotments.  If CRC doesn’t do this, there’s nowhere else in our community these struggling families can turn to.  We are it.”

In 2010, over 200 groups and organizations and more than 1,600 volunteers come together to brighten the holidays for over 1,400 households through CRC’s Holiday Baskets program.   A total of 6,400 individuals were served by the annual program, with children accounting for roughly half of those served.  CRC manages year-round programs for food and rental assistance as well as a comprehensive domestic violence services program that includes Carol’s House, a confidentially located shelter in North County.

CRC’s annual fall fundraising event will take place in Rancho Santa Fe this year, and is part of the organization’s effort to bring critical funding to its programs.  The event, “Autumn Equinox – September Soiree in Rancho Santa Fe,” will take place at Villa de Flores and aptly promotes themes of harvest and passage.  Autumn Equinox includes an array of auction packages, hors d'oeuvres, wine, and much more.

Country Friends spring membership luncheon brings 23 new members and help for local groups

                                    (Photo: Betsy Heightman, Shelly Dew, Annie Garcia, Melissa Brown)

The Country Friends, based in Rancho Santa Fe where their Consignment Shop is situated, moved their Spring Membership Luncheon plus Fashion Show east and enjoyed the amenities of the Rancho Bernardo Inn.

More than 140 women came to shop May 4 and enjoy the styles presented by TRE Boutique (The Rare Earth), with outlets in Del Mar, Carlsbad and 4S Ranch. Thirty ensembles from the shops owned by Rochelle Johnson and Sheree Vihon were paraded.

The event co-chairwomen were Anna Waite and Kathe Votsis.

Among those attending were Yvette Letourneau, Cheri Salyers, Terri Chivetta, Laing Rikkers, Deborah Cross, Sophia Alsadek, Tonita McKone, Jo Ely, Laureen Bolstad, Donna Ahlstrom, Andrea Muir, Eileen Menees, Edna Sahm, Betsy... (more)

Stiffs from Don Bauder: Burl Stiff, 'Lady Catarina,' Charles Brandes and Daily Newspapers...

 We have the honor of bringing you a few from San Diego newspaper legend Don Bauder. He cut his teeth on the very old school of journalism eventually heading the San Diego Union Tribune business desk before, shall we say, being retired. These pieces are dripping with back story and hidden agendas. They also are very on-target, as per Bauder's comprehensive style.

Burl Stiff is a stiff. That was more or less Bauder's appraisal. However, Stiff was a legend in society coverage, practically inventing the type of coverage that defines the beat nationwide. We'll let Don tell it like it is though his own inimitable style.

As for daily newspapers, Rancho Santa Fe pseudo celebrity-notoroties Lade Caterina Pietra yada yada and Charles -- I got billions of YOUR money -- Brandes and such. Don nails it as ever per usually said.

Hey, you can't keep a good deal down and by that we mean Ah-Ha Rancho Santa Fe News and the inimitable Don Bauder. Enjoy!

-- Ah-Ha Editors

 "An era has passed. Burl Stiff, longtime society writer for the Union-Tribune, died this morning (May 20) at White Sands of La Jolla Retirement Community, where he had been in frail health for some time. He would have been 84 in August.

At the Union-Tribune, Stiff worked directly for David Copley as an independent contractor and frequently covered David and Helen Copley's parties. Stiff was said to have made $1000 a column and wrote three columns a week. This riled many staffers who didn't make anywhere near that much.

When Platinum Equity bought the paper for an extremely low price, it let Stiff go, according to a reliable source, but would occasionally hire him for a freelance job for a rumored $150 a column. According to informed rumor, David Copley went to see Stiff recently but is now on his $33 million yacht on a European trip.

Stiff primarily covered the La Jolla/Rancho Santa Fe set. He is said to have resisted editors' attempts to cover society in other parts of the county, although he did do some of it."

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Daily newspapers still report titillating items regularly. Early in February, the shapely Lady Catarina Pietra Toumei was charged in Manhattan with claiming she was a representative of the storied Guggenheim family as she tried to peddle fake diamond, gold, and oil investments. She is a social butterfly residing in Rancho Santa Fe (where else?). Trouble is, prurient readers could get this news for free online many hours before the newspaper reported the story the next morning.

So, it was not surprising that only a few days after the lady (who may or may not be a countess) dominated front pages that the big Sacramento-based newspaper chain McClatchy reported a 10 percent plunge in its January advertising revenue, compared with a year earlier. McClatchy’s earnings were about cut in half during the period. The stock plunged 12.2 percent that day.

Admittedly, the adventures of the comely Lady Catarina Pietra Toumei are more captivating than the plunging profits of McClatchy Company. But the ad sales drop of the newspaper company does interest us old fogies who concentrate on (1) money and (2) the media. Bottom line: it’s clear that investors, and perhaps the daily newspaper industry itself, are convinced that advertisers will continue to migrate to digital media, and even though dailies are stepping up their own efforts to make money online, it’s a losing battle. Ink and paper will continue in sick bay.

Daily newspapers are slashing costs, but that won’t be enough. There are rumors that the San Diego Union-Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, and smaller papers owned by MediaNews Group could consolidate under common ownership. Hedge funds that have scooped up debt of overleveraged Southern California papers “are intent on driving consolidation,” says columnist James Rainey of the Los Angeles Times. The individual newspapers would retain their identities and news staffs but would combine efforts in advertising sales, distribution, printing, and human resources, says Rainey.

Such consolidation would no doubt lead to even more personnel head chopping. But would more pogroms work? Wall Street analysts don’t think so. They think the future of the daily newspaper is grim. “We are skeptical of the New York Times’ ability to keep reducing costs, and are concerned that the company will run out of fat to trim and have to cut into muscle, hurting the quality of its product,” says Joscelyn MacKay of Morningstar Research. “The growing number of free online information sources continues to weigh on New York Times’ core business,” which is newspapers, representing 84 percent of sales.

Newspapers are 78 percent of the revenue of Gannett, the largest publishing chain. Free online competition hurts. “Circulation volumes are falling, and advertisers are shying away from newspapers,” says MacKay.

Standard & Poor’s says McClatchy suffers from “migration of advertisers to the Internet.” Ditto for the Washington Post, which is also burdened by its ownership of Kaplan, Inc., a for-profit college operation that could lose some of its federal funding because of past and present misbehavior.

Morningstar quit doing research on E.W. Scripps stock. In 2008, E.W. Scripps created a new entity for its fast-growing cable networks and interactive media. Now the original media chain has only laggardly newspapers and TV stations; the websites associated with the company account for a small percentage of revenue.

Today, the question is whether the iPad and other “tablet revolution” products will rescue the daily newspapers. Investors doubt it.

The stock market seems to agree with analysts’ skeptical views. Newspaper stocks are far off their all-time highs, although they are now up from their very depressed 2008–2009 lows. Example: Gannett stock sold for $91.38 in 2004. In the depths of the bear market in early 2009, it plunged to $1.85. On Friday, it closed at $16.98. McClatchy sold for $76.05 in 2005 and sank below 50 cents in 2009, as Morningstar warned it was worth nothing. On Friday, it closed at $4.24.

Investor Charles Brandes, with ...

This brings us to Charles Brandes, San Diego money manager. His firm, Brandes Investment Partners, bought into McClatchy at $44.50, becoming the media company’s largest institutional shareholder, with 14.63 percent of the stock. Then the Brandes firm committed one of Wall Street’s unforgivable sins: selling near the bottom — in McClatchy’s case, 70 cents. Similarly, the firm bought into Gannett between $36.50 and $55.50, becoming the largest shareholder with 11.25 percent of the stock. It dumped the stock in late 2009 for an average price of $7.21 — less than half the price it closed at on Friday, $16.98. (Copley Newspapers dumped the Union-Tribune near the bottom of the market too.)

Brandes also got into a lot of other stinkers, such as Countrywide Financial, the scandal-plagued mortgage pusher that Bank of America tried vainly to purify; Washington Mutual, a similar organization seized by the government in 2008; Royal Bank of Scotland, which fell under the watch and ward of the British government; and Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), which went under U.S. conservatorship.

Charles Brandes’s investment strategy is to buy undervalued assets and wait until the stock price gets more realistic. A couple of decades ago, newspapers’ profit margins were around three times those of the average company. A former manager with the firm thinks that Charles Brandes kept expecting newspapers’ profits and stock prices to return to the good old days. He was not grasping “the reality of what was going on in print media — falling subscriptions, falling revenues. There was a paradigm shift” that more alert analysts perceived.

In 2005, Brandes Investment Partners had $101.9 billion under management. That’s down to $47.8 billion. But Charles Brandes built one of San Diego County’s most expensive homes. It’s 54,000 square feet on 30 Rancho Santa Fe acres and is worth at least $35 million. He lives there with his third wife, the lovely Tanya, and their enormous collection of cars and other chattels of the rich and chic. Meanwhile, he is having a knockdown, widely publicized divorce battle with his second wife.

Charles and Tanya are quintessential Beautiful People of the San Diego party set — pictured in the Union-Tribune in mid-2008 with David Copley at Cannes, for example.

On October 23, 2009, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and David Copley put on a soiree to honor His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco. Charles and Tanya were there to socialize with the prince — and with Lady Catarina Pietra Toumei, another invitee.

I didn’t see it covered in the daily newspapers.

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While attending the University of Wisconsin, Don Bauder held a number of posts at the campus newspaper, including editor in chief. He received a bachelor's degree in business (1959) and a master's in journalism (1961) and then spent four years in advertising and PR. In 1964, he joined the Chicago bureau of Business Weekmagazine as reporter/writer. In 1966, he got the job as bureau chief in Cleveland.

Don left Cleveland in 1973 to become financial editor and columnist for the San Diego Union. When the Union andTribune merged in the early 1990s, he remained at that post; in '95, he was named senior columnist at the Union-Tribune. He retired from the U-T in March of 2003 and began writing his weekly column for the Reader in April of 2003. He started up his Reader blog — Scam Diego — in September of 2007.

In 1985-1986, Don wrote Captain Money and the Golden Girl (a book about a local Ponzi scheme), which stayed on the L.A. Times best-seller list for more than two months. He's been married for nearly 50 years and has two sons.

BRIEF MESSAGE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENIN' NOW: State of the state at Ah-Ha Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. News by Dan Weisman...

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Have no fear, Ah-Ha Rancho Santa Fe News is here!

We will be here for a while y'all.

I have been offered well-paying editing jobs in South Carolina and Northern California the last few months and turned them down despite obvious financial need to stay in our area and keep journalism hope alive.

However, to make ends meet, I have had to take on freelance copywriting jobs. As much as my landlord loves Rancho Santa Fe and Del Dios, he also does not accept ad space in lieu of rent.

This is the only source for legitimate information and journalism about the community and will continue.

In fact, as those who have followed the "war" between the Encinitas Coast News and Gilroy-owned Rancho Santa Fe Review at Carmel Valley know, both print outlets have been hemorrhaging money for years due to poor content, no readership, huge overhead and despicably, poor management. They now have turned against each other with threats of blackmail and litigation in a cat fight to the death.

The point is these two faux outlets will be out of business much sooner than later and Ah-Ha Rancho Santa Fe News will be the only community journalism outlet moving forward.

HOWEVER PART TWO: Quality journalism needs a little,  and a relatively amazingly little, quality funding

Despite some fine advertisers, whose banner and mid-rise ads we proudly display -- patronize them please, people -- these ads alone have not paid the rent.

Many people come up to me on a daily basis and say how much they enjoy Ah-Ha Rancho Santa Fe News and appreciate the effort. Many of these people are millionaires living in amazing estates, driving around very fine vehicles.

Now, if you want to talk about trickle-down economic theory, wake up call. It's not too late, but understand if you want quality to continue, it only takes AS MUCH MONEY AS ONE MEAL AT DELICIAS OR MILLE FLEURS from a few special people to make it so.

Think about your tax break that just passed Congress. Shouldn't you take a tithe of this, or even the smallest part of this, and give back to the community and yourself. If we don't publish it, you won't even know what you don't know.

If you want to continue this amazing experience the way it should unfold, money talks. We can provide quality jobs and content for the community if you help us and through this help yourselves. E-mail 92067freepress@gmail.com to help!

With that said, the tremendous, unique, invitation-only beta test content management system we use is going to change. The founder left the company last year and they have phased out operations. Through my contacts as a fellow at Knight Digital Media Center, University of Southern California, we have an equally exciting, state-of-the-art  CMS lined up and ready to go.

Exporting all of this web site -- and I mean ALL of this site -- and transferring material to the new site will take a period of time. I am estimating it at two weeks, but do not know for sure. So, there will be a brief disruption in information level....

...The fact is this site can continue indefinitely due to low overhead and cutting edge web journalism techniques. But it will take money -- and we're talking maybe $100 a day -- to do all the amazing things for the community that are possible.

It will get done one way or another, but that's the tale of the site through June. We got a lot of stuff here and I will be posting when time allows,  so ENJOY!

Most Profitable Keywords In Real Estate: Rancho Santa Fe Blah Blah Village Homes for Sale...For more from Daniel Beer visit GeekEstate Blog here...

The sign says it all for luxury home sales at Crosby Estate where all the streets are named after classic Bing Crosby tunes.

I have been networking with agents over the last few weeks about marketing their business online.  Despite the fact that they all came from different backgrounds, ages, genders, and just about anything else you could think of, there was one commonality amongst them all, which I find problematic.  Each one of them said their primary goal was to rank for the keyword “San Diego real estate”.

Why do I see that as a problem?  Because I am concerned that they are about to spend too much time and money on achieving a high ranking for a keyword that will not only be incredibly difficult to obtain, but isn’t even among the most profitable keywords available.

Profitable keywords imply an action.  San Diego real estate implies nothing.  It is just a thing.  San Diego real estate for sale implies an action.  People want something that is for sale, presumably so they can buy it.  Component #1:  Action.

It is natural to think that a keyword as broad and generic as San Diego real estate is going to be the most profitable due to the shear search volume.  However, the truth is that the most powerful keywords are far more focused and have less search volume.  They may be something like Rancho Santa Fe homes for sale.  Rancho Santa Fe is one of the most beautiful areas in San Diego County.  Somebody that searches Rancho Santa Fe homes for sale is far more focused in on what they want and therefore far more likely to take action and buy.

But the more focused approach doesn’t end there.  Even better than Rancho Santa Fe homes for sale would be something more focused.  Something like Rancho Santa Fe Farms homes for sale, Fairbanks Ranch homes for sale, The Bridges homes for sale, or Rancho Santa Fe Covenant homes for sale.  These are all individual neighborhoods within Rancho Santa Fe. People that type keywords like these into the search engines know exactly what they are looking for.

Sure, they have far less search traffic, but the leads you convert from keywords like these are buyers or sellers that are laser focused and are just searching to find a relevant resource that they can rely on.  You can be that resource.  Component #2: Laser Focused Keywords.

1 + 1 = Success

Put component 1 and 2 together and you have an ultra profitable keyword formula.  Best of all it is easier to rank for these keywords than any of their more competitive, yet less effective generic counterparts.   Not only that, but because these people know what they want you will end up spending less time showing them around all over town while they figure it out.  Profits and efficiency all at once.  Beautiful.

Build a page for each neighborhood that you would like to work in and focus your SEO toward action oriented people that know what they are looking for.  You will reap the rewards.

BIGGY SHORTS: DeL mAR FAIrGRouNDs, ParALyZED TeEn SPencEr fOX FUnDRaISer, DEl MaR scHOols

 Del Mar leaders continuing to pursue a possible purchase of Del Mar Fairgrounds, despite negative vibes from Gov. Jerry Brown agreed Tuesday night to spend up to $15,000 for a lobbying firm to promote the venture.

California Strategies, LLC,  was awarded up to three $5,000 contracts renewable each month through April to pitch a $120 million deal struck last year between then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the city of Del Mar.

Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, introduced Senate Bill 1 Dec. 6, which authorizes the state to sell the property to Del Mar. Kehoe recently said the bill was not gaining traction. It is expected to be assigned to committee within the next two weeks. The governor must also approve the deal.

The Del Mar City Council next holds a special meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 9 in the Del Mar Communications Center, 240 Tenth Street, Del Mar.

The special meeting will be to provide information to the public regarding the Fairgrounds deal. For more information, visit, http://delmar.ca.us.

 Belly-Up fundraiser aids paralyzed Cardiff teen Spencer Fox

Spencer Fox is overcoming paralysis caused when his neck hit a hard snow bank while snowboarding in Utah February 2010. He spent weeks at a Utah children's hospital before being transferred to Rady children's hospital, San Diego. A fundraiser was held Sunday at The Belly Up Tavern.

Spencer has a web site at  http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/spencerfox. This snippet from the site tells a bit more about what happened and why the family needs help with the $48,000 annual price tag needed to get Spencer on his feet.

"Spencer had a serious snowboarding accident at Brighton, Utah on Monday, February 1.  He suffered a severe spinal cord injury.  He broke both his C4 and C5 vertebrae.  Spencer was airlifted off of the mountain to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Spencer was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident which likely saved him from brain injury or worse.  The accident occurred on a bright sunny day on a "cat track" used between runs and not on a steep or difficult run.  A trick of light concealed a bump and by the time Spencer saw the bump it was too late to stop and he caught an edge of the board and was catapulted head first into a brick-hard snowbank.  

We are overwhelmed at the generosity, love and support we have received from our friends and family.  We are setting up this website so we can keep all of you who care about Spencer updated on his progress because we simply can't do it one person at a time. 

So many of you have offered to help.  Right now, there is not much to do besides send prayers and good wishes.  But when we return to San Diego we will take you up on your offers and Spencer will need all the help he can get as it will likely be a long road to recovery, one we will make together. 

We will keep you updated and PLEASE write us a note in our guestbook as your support means a lot and we read your messages for comfort."

 -- Celia, Vinnie and Lisa

Del Mar Schools Education Foundation comes through for school district

Del Mar Union School District got some good financial news last week when Drew Isaacman, Del Mar Schools Education Foundation president, presented a $720,000 check for specialized instruction in science, art, music, technology and physical education.

The foundation has raised $890,000 toward a $2 million goal to date. Most of the money will go to the school's extended studies curriculum, or ESC.

“We have serious positive momentum right now and there is every expectation we will meet our funding goal to fund the entire ESC program,” Isaacman said.

Nearly half of the district's families have contributed to the fundraising campaign, still short of last year's 62 percent rate.

“This community is amazing,” said Isaccman, according to a woman there. “It’s a group of individuals who are able to understand our objective and write checks to support our children’s education.”

Visit delmarkids.org for more information.

Business headline the likes of which you may never see again: LOCKERZ WENT PLIXI TODAY!

 LOCKERZ WENT PLIXI TODAY!

Or Seattle-based social commerce, Lockerz website buys Encinitas-based social media photo-sharing site Plixi. 

FUN FAX
Reported purchase price: $10 million to $15 million
Plixi Founders: Rodney Rumford, Sean Callahan
Users: 25 million
Developers: 300
Employees: 8

Lockerz went Plixi this week...

 We have some big news to share with our users. We have been acquired by Lockerz a members-only social commerce website with nearly 18 million members worldwide. We are very excited to be working with the talented and visionary Lockerz team to bring a broader range of products to our users as well as Lockerz users.

“We share Plixi’s social approach to media sharing,” said Kathy Savitt, founder and CEO of Lockerz. “The acquisition enables Lockerz to offer its millions of members the most social and easy-to-use photo sharing experience, as well as introduce millions of Plixi customers to Lockerz’ interactive, engaging and rewarding site features, including e-commerce, music, and videos.”

Lockerz was funded by renowned venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins and strategic investorLiberty Media. The Lockerz board, including Greg Maffei, John Doerr and Bing Gordon, were familiar with Plixi. Based on the synergies between the two companies, the acquisition made sense.

The Plixi media sharing platform has always been about real time sharing of your photos and we will be working on enhancing that social experience. Users of Plixi will see no material changes to our service for sharing your photos.

We want to humbly & sincerely thank all of our 25 Million users and over 300 developers for helping us grow and become a vital part of your real time social photo sharing experience!

-- Plixi Blog

Twitpic was the top photo sharing dog in 2009 on Twitter:

Twitpic did not compensate developers. Plixi did. The company paid developers when their API's were used to share photos.

"We wanted it to be win-win for the developers, so we did a handful of special agreements with them," Rumford said. Plixi has become so popular, however, that they no longer need to sign these deals, he said.

What does the future hold for Plixi now that it's part of Lockerz?

"I can't elaborate on what we're going to be doing and I don't see myself kicking back on the beach anytime soon," Rumford said. "But it's been really rewarding to see people in every country in the world using what we built."

'Machel's Ranch' - Ranch’s own Julien Hug remembered on his birthday

Julien Hug’s birthday is in the beginning of February. I want to acknowledge his beautiful parents, Denise and Bertrand Hug.

You raised an amazing son and all us who were lucky enough to know him feel blessed that he was part of our lives.

I hope this town keeps his memory alive by supporting Mille Fleurs. 

I even wrote a column a couple of years ago and called it my “My happy place, the secret’s out,” based on different vignettes that all took place under the stars at their beautiful restaurant.  Thank you, to the Hug family for filling my life with so many wonderful memories. Sometimes, it’s more important to remember than to forget.

It’s more important to keep those memories alive, with fond wishes and gratitude toward his family.

Around town

On Jan. 26, Little League had makeup evaluations at Richardson’s field in Rancho Santa Fe. Boys from all age groups that missed the weekend tryouts showed up in droves for this popular division in San Diego. Let’s just say if makeup day is any indication to how this season is going to be, it going to be a dynamite season. I just want to say thanks to all of those in charge in the Rancho Santa Fe Little league for taking time out of your busy schedule to be a coach or an assistant.

You know what they say, “Play ball!”

I have featured a photo from the Celebrity Tournament at Rancho Valencia on Jan. 29. I have it on good authority that was also local resident Jason Barry’s birthday that very day. Happy belated birthday Jason.

 

Later that day, Ranch resident Violet MacDonald’s daughter-in-law, Meredith MacDonald, celebrated her stepdad’s 80th's birthday up in Newport at the luxurious Balboa Bay Yacht Club & Resort. If you’ve ever been privy to eating lunch or dinner there, you know firsthand that the view from your dining table is filled with expensive yachts lining the harbor.

 

 

Claude Whitney — a former judge in Newport — enjoyed his long life with all family members, along with his wife CC Whitney of Newport Beach. Thank you for sharing your lovely event with me. Here is a photo from that day, which features their family together for that special day.

On Jan. 30, longtime Ranch residents Dottie and Ed McCrink celebrated their 90th birthdays (they both turned 90 in January) in style with family and friends at the Rancho Santa Fe Country Club. More than 100 guests arrived in fine fashion for this special occasion. Some events eclipse others, and this was definitely a special night. I feel blessed to say that Dottie and Ed are my grandparents by marriage.

The McCrinks moved here in the early 1970’s, and have been an integral part of this community since then. All six children were on hand, including their many grandchildren. I have included four photos from that evening. Also Patrick Galvin, president of the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary, was there as well with his gorgeous wife. They are featured here, along with Dottie and Ed McCrink. Ranch residents Bill and Carolyn Fleischman were there, and I have featured Laurel McCrink with her niece, Natalie Shull.

On Feb. 2, Elaine Gallagher sent some very important information to me regarding someone local who is spreading the word in fighting breast cancer. Local San Diego resident Andrea Scheider has written a book called, “You A Not Alone: Life After A Breast Cancer Diagnosis,” in hopes of educating and reaching women on how to prevent and detect breast cancer. I have included a photo of Andrea here. If you know someone with breast cancer or would like to find out more information for yourself, please check out Andrea’s website at thriveandsurvive.net. She has a wonderful quote listed on her home page that states, “The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next,” by Migon McLaughlin. Elaine Gallagher, thank you for connecting me with your good friend Andrea Scheider. Her book looks like a winner read.

Save the date

Don’t miss the Grand Opening on March 12 — just around the corner. In case you don’t know, Lemon Twist is the only business that burnt down during the massive Witch Creek Fire in 2007. Local resident Katie Shull started the business, which is located across from Cielo, more than 30 years ago. In the meantime, before the grand opening, Lemon Twist is already open again, after temporarily closing due to wintertime. I have featured a photo here of it, so you can make your way down to buy some local organic produce. For more history on Lemon Twist, visit www.lemontwistfruitstand.com. If you would like to order some chocolate covered strawberries for your sweetheart or a large tray for your co-workers, call (858)-444-6060 with your order in advance.

 

City of Del Mar $120 million Fairgrounds purchase plan continues moving forward...

Nobody spoke now or forever held their peace this week as Del Mar leaders continued in their quest to buy the 400-acre Fairgrounds from the state for $120 million.

The city of Del Mar would own the fairgrounds but allow a private company to manage horse racing and create a nonprofit to run the county fair and other events, under the latest proposal to take control of the picturesque state property.

The charity board would be appointed by local officials from all over San Diego County, reversing a decades-long model that allows political appointees of the governor to manage the grounds.

Gov Schwarzenegger first proposed selling the historic Fairgrounds, home of the San Diego County Fair and Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, as part of an overall proposal to sell state properties in order to cover state budget deficits. Gov. Brown has not commented on his position.

Del Mar officials have budged $200,000 for legal bills in their quest, saying the Barry Nussbaum-led Fair Board is nit managing the property in the best interests of San Diego County.

The Fairgrounds costs city taxpayers some $2 million a year in services and infrastructure maintenance while returning barely $500,000 to the treasury in sales tax and other revenue, according to Del Mar officials.

"I can absolutely say that there is an enormous cry for this facility to maintain racing operations, fair operations," Del Mar councilman Mark Filanc said.

Discussions are underway with Solana Beach, the city and county of San Diego and other organizations on the Del Mar plan, according to Filanc.

The proposal was passed unanimously by Del Mar council members, but some council members are concerned about public input.

"We better get involvement, not only of local municipalities, but also our own people," said councilman Terry Sinnott.

How Social Media Drew 27,000 More People to the Del Mar Races --Full Version from 'Social Media Examiner'

Social Media Examiner is a free online magazine designed to help businesses discover how to best use social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to find leads, increase sales and generate more brand awareness.  Technorati and AdAge rank us as one of the world’s Top 100 business blogs at http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR, Casey Hibbard

Casey Hibbard is president of Compelling Cases Inc. and author of Stories That Sell: Turn Satisfied Customers into Your Most Powerful Sales & Marketing Asset. Also check out her Stories That Sell Blog Other posts by Casey Hibbard »

In Southern California, the Del Mar Racetrack is the place to see and be seen. And now it’s the place to check into, tweet about and post via Facebook.

This Southern California institution, in business for 71 years, draws thousands every summer for horse racing, its cool bars and restaurants and a busy slate of concerts and festivals.

But like many entertainment industry venues, Del Mar attendance has dipped in recent years due to the ailing economy. But in 2010, the track added a new star to its marketing lineup – social media.

With virtually no other marketing changes, social media boosted attendance this past season by 4.2 percent.

“That’s an increase of 27,000 bodies,” said Craig Dado, senior vice president of marketing at Del Mar Racetrack. “In this economy, I’ve got to be honest, it was a little bit surprising.”

Del Mar Racetrack is the place to be in Southern California summers.

Organization: Del Mar RacetrackSocial Media Handles & Stats:

Websites: http://www.dmtc.com and http://www.delmarscene.com/

Facebook: 17,030 fans

Twitter: 4,205 followers

Foursquare: 3,863 check-ins

YouTube: 9,802 views across 101 videos

Year-over-year attendance increase of 27,000 people – or 4.2 percent

Highlights:

• 24,000 hits from Facebook to the Del Mar Racetrack website
• 965 tickets redeemed from Facebook giveaways
• 10,900 new social media users in the 2010 season

Fans enjoying “Where the Turf Meets the Surf” at the Del Mar Racetrack in Southern California.

And They’re Off!

Del Mar isn’t your traditional racetrack. There, you’re just as likely to see reggae bands and wiener dog races as thoroughbreds and ladies in hats. The track packs in dozens of events during just a seven-week summer season each year.

Due to strong branding efforts, Del Mar has increasingly become more of “the scene,” even appearing on HBO’s “Entourage” and ABC’s “The Bachelor,” as well as other TV shows and major motion pictures.

Del Mar has long run frequent TV ads to alert the local community about upcoming events. When social media began emerging, the track slowly stuck a toe in to test the waters, but did so without a specific strategy initially.

“We launched a Facebook page right before the beginning of the season in 2009 to gage the public’s interest in connecting with the track via social media,” said Callan Green of Bailey Gardiner, Del Mar’s marketing partner. “The success we saw without a comprehensive strategy encouraged us. With more thought, purpose and planning, we believed we could increase traffic and meet our goals.”

With that, the track reallocated budget from traditional media to social media, but with a clear objective.

Fans enjoying “Where the Turf Meets the Surf” at the Del Mar Racetrack in Southern California.

“We needed to convert communication into track attendance,” Dado said. “At the end of the day, we really challenged my team not to just brag about how cool it is, but measure and track, reinforce the brand and then convert into bodies at the track.”

“Astronomical” Twitter Activity

Before the season began, Del Mar started promoting its social media pages on TV ads. As the season opened, the visual nature of both the track and social media provided a winning combination. In fact, the first photo posted on Facebook of famed horse Zenyatta drew more than 100 comments from both horseracing and entertainment fans.

Shots of champion thoroughbred Zenyatta drew more than 100 comments and 391 “Likes.”

Encouraged, the marketing team shared photos and videos daily of fans, celebrities, horses, jockeys and events.

But several strategic promotions unlocked the gate on the racetrack’s social media expansion. Early in the season, Del Mar hosted a “Cool As Ever” (its slogan) Tech event that drew 725 social media influencers to the track for tours and giveaways. Of course, social media influencers talk – a lot.

“The amount of Twitter activity that day was astronomical,” Green said. “We were successful in driving top social media influencers to the track, while also creating a buzz online.”

Del Mar also recruited Facebook fans in the search for a select fan to appear in a “Cool As Ever” commercial. Fans submitted photos and an explanation of why they, in fact, were “Cool As Ever,” which got the Del Mar Facebook community talking. The winner, a woman, enjoyed a cameo appearance in a commercial featuring karaoke at Del Mar.

One lucky fan won a Facebook contest for a cameo in a track commercial.

The track added Foursquare to the mix as well, giving the mayor special treatment that included a tour of the winner’s circle, a table and four free tickets to the track. Plus, anyone who checked in more than three times earned tickets for being loyal fans.

In seven weeks, that led to 3,863 check-ins from 2,500 people, which is more than other major area attractions including the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park and Sea World.

A tab on Facebook honors the track’s mayors, giving extra exposure to the Foursquare tie-in.

Finally, to cap the season, Del Mar dubbed the last race day “Fan Appreciation Day,” which also served to increase attendance during a historically less-attended time when school has started again. Any Facebook fan could follow a link to claim two free Clubhouse tickets. That drew 905 people, who in turn spent money on food and beverages at the track.

Twitter: Engagement Goes Both Ways

Beyond events, Del Mar monitors Twitter mentions closely for measurement and opportunities to engage. The Del Mar marketing team answers questions quickly and follows folks, encouraging them to follow back. In total, the track engaged directly with fans more than 3,000 times and falls in the 80^th percentile in Twitter influence measurement.

“It’s a customer service element to reach out to people who didn’t know we were there,” Green said. “And we made an effort to respond to anyone who talked to us.”

The track even monitors for posts about people traveling to San Diego and sends information about upcoming events.

The marketing team closely monitors tweets and responds to all @ posts.

10,900 New Friends

When the season officially closed and marketing ran the numbers, Dado had the return on investment he wanted. Del Mar made 10,900 new friends on social media channels for the season, helping drive the 4.2 percent increase in attendance. It was clear social media wasn’t just chatter.

“There were hundreds of responses for everything we put up. That moment I was like, ‘Wow, this is working. They’re not only friends or likers, but they really want to tell us how we’re doing,’” Dado said. “It was overwhelmingly positive that Del Mar looked like the place to be this summer.”

How to Stay ‘On Track’ With Social Media

Know who you are – Have a strong brand message FIRST and then reinforce it through social media. Del Mar spent years refining its brand and then communicated those messages consistently and clearly in social media.

Measure – Establish specific objectives and a pathway to get there. Then measure every element necessary to know if you’ve accomplished your goals. Del Mar’s goal: bodies at the track.

Stay regular – Post interesting content – often. That keeps fans and followers aware and engaged.

Give things away – Del Mar gave away thousands of free tickets during the 2010 season, helping earn new loyal fans who tell their friends and return.

 

How to Stay ‘On Track’ With Social Media

Know who you are – Have a strong brand message FIRST and then reinforce it through social media. Del Mar spent years refining its brand and then communicated those messages consistently and clearly in social media.

Measure – Establish specific objectives and a pathway to get there. Then measure every element necessary to know if you’ve accomplished your goals. Del Mar’s goal: bodies at the track.

Stay regular – Post interesting content – often. That keeps fans and followers aware and engaged.

Give things away – Del Mar gave away thousands of free tickets during the 2010 season, helping earn new loyal fans who tell their friends and return.

Del Mar Racetrack Uses Social Media to Draw In Racing Audience

(For more visit Online Social Media...)

Del Mar Racetrack in Southern California, America, known for its slogan “Where The Surf Meets The Turf” has become renowned not only for its horse-racing, but for its hip bars, eating experiences and concert line-ups. Since its official opening way back in 1937, as with a huge number of organisations, a decline in attendees and revenue has been noted in the last couple of years due to the economic climate.

In an effort to change its demise, the Del Mar Racetrack took to social media last year, and in doing so, has seen a rise of 4.2% in attendance numbers just this last season, with fans now being able to click onto a Facebook page, use Twitter to tweet andFoursquare to check into. Senior VP of Marketing at the Racetrack said, “That’s an increase of 27,000 bodies. In this economy, I’ve got to be honest, it was a little but surprising.”

When you look at the social media statistics, they appear to be pretty impressive with over 17,000 Facebook fans, over 4,000 Twitter followers, 101 YouTube videos and nearly 4,000 Foursquare check-ins. Added to this, when you look at what the benefits of social media have managed to achieve for its fans, some 965 tickets redeemed are just from Facebook give-aways and 10,900 new social media users during the 2010 season engaged with the racetrack.

To appeal to a more broader audience, the Racetrack has even appeared on TV hits such as “Entourage” and “The Bachelor,” as well as daily TV ads. On clicking onto Facebook’s dedicated page, you will be greeted with information on not just the jockeys and their horses, but forthcoming events and photos of celebrity figures, tours, give-aways and so on.

As well as the Racetrack reaping the benefits, location-based Foursquare has seen a vast improvement in what they hoping to achieve. As socialmediaexaminer.comreported, in just 7 weeks, 2,500 people checked in with a staggering 3,863 check-ins, therefore putting the Del Mar on the map.

To round up their findings, Del Mar Racetrack looked at what social media had managed to achieve for them. In fact some 10,900 new friends had been enlisted with the help of social media channels bringing the attendance figure to the 4.2% as mentioned above. This has only been achieved by re-marketing their brand, appealing to a wider audience, expressing their aim and objectives and regularly updating fans with information including freebies etc.

'Machel's Ranch' -- Special moment restores faith in life's beauty -- Mille Fleurs, Luanne Rice, Rowe School and more...

Sometimes life takes time to heal. There could even be a few moments when it feels like the gray clouds won’t break. But when we least expect it, a ray of sunlight will find us and remind us that this world is still a beautiful place. Dreams can come true. Of course, I am speaking from my own personal experiences recently. I am speaking of loss from last year and how circumstances can change our outlook when we aren’t prepared for the change.

 

This week in my column I feel so lucky to share with you a dream-come-true moment for me. How this day brought the hope back to my eyes and showed me passages and chapters in my own journey. How what we cannot change will change us forever but there are gifts in unseen circumstances that can teach us beautiful life lessons. Don’t forget to keep believing in your fondest desires. When you least expect it, your shining moment could unfold for you, too.

Around town

On Jan. 7, Mille Fleurs’ bartender Jill Drouin invited my husband and I over for dinner. Can you say gourmet cook and should enter one of those cooking reality shows? Jill made us a delicious exotic salad with European cheeses, candied pecans on top of mixed wild greens. Sounds simple but so mouth wateringly delicious. The main course was a risotto with candied pumpkin squash in a white sauce. Then boyfriend Paul Savage, Robin and I enjoyed a fun game of Scrabble and discussed things like the Droid verses the iPhone. I have included a gorgeous shot of Jill and Paul for my column. I might add that Jill and I bonded two years back when we went skydiving together. You could say an experience like that could make anyone become fast friends!

On Jan. 10, I had the incredible privilege to meet my favorite author walking this planet, New York Times Bestseller, Luanne Rice. If you haven’t discovered her trademark fiction novels yet, she has written 30 novels and is promoting her next novel, “Silver Boat,” which comes out in April 2011. The back story on this meeting is quite contemporary really. We became friends on Facebook five years ago, becoming pen pals via the Internet. So imagine me this month finally meeting my mentor in the writing world as I walked across the San Diego Convention Center in the midst of the Library Conference coming face to face with Luanne. I am sharing with you my ray of light moment that reminded me that little dreams do come true on occasion. Coincidentally, 12 years ago when I started reading Luanne’s novels, I had no idea we would become friends through a social network and be I would considered “her best friend on Facebook.” I’ll take that, thanks Luanne.

So to any of you reading this who might be experiencing a rough patch right now, just know it’s only temporary great moments will come again. Take my advice, don’t miss out on Luanne’s newest novel, “Silver Boat.” There is indeed a silver lining inside this beautiful novel. I had the privilege of reading the unedited version last year.

On Jan. 13, ...My good friend Krista Lafferty attended the grand opening event of Massage Heights in Encinitas. Ranch residents, this is an amazingly short drive to this new wonderful business that caters to relaxation at its finest. Heavy thread count sheets are just one of the perks you might miss at other locations. I met owner Dean Goldschmidt and Retreat Director Brenda Videnoff that night. Krista and I received a private tour of all of the rooms and then enjoyed fabulous finger-foods with other invited guests. I have included two photos from this event.

On Jan. 14, the fifth-grade class at R. Roger Rowe Elementary participated in The Walk Through the American Revolution. I was thrilled to watch the three competing classes re-enact this monumental moment in U.S. history. Each classmate was asked to memorize certain vocabulary words, plus act out what character they were assigned. I’ve never seen more enthusiastic children that actually seemed to care and love being in school that afternoon.

I have included a photo from that day. Congratulations to the R. Roger Rowe fifth grade class members and to your exuberant spirits. I walked away inspired.

Later that evening, my husband I and joined previous ad manager Denny Fallon in celebrating the purchase of his new beautiful condo in Old Towne San Diego. Denny is a fabulous host. He made a delicious fish with pasta, and fresh Dungeness crabmeat with homemade cocktail sauce for his guests. Charlene Done and Johnny Nipkur were also there celebrating the start to a wonderful year to Mr. Denny Fallon. I have included one photograph from that evening.

On Jan. 16, I drove to Fairbanks to pick up my son from a sleepover he had in the Ranch. Tony and Jill Sorge have been Ranch residents for years. Their son Matthew is one of Jackson’s closest friends. Tony is actively involved in The Rancho Santa Fe Little League, and had a championship under his belt from 2006. He will definitely be assisting this year again. I have included this photo of Tony with my husband Robin from that beautiful sunny day in the Ranch. Tony had just shown us his own personal batting cage he had built that even had a radar detector for pitching! Now that’s what I call first class practice for any lucky boy.

Thanks so much for letting me share that day with the readers Tony, and good luck this season.

'Machel's Ranch' - Wrapping up holidays and looking to the new year in the Ranch...

 Happy New Year Rancho Santa Fe! With New Year’s resolutions in full swing, don’t expect to read my thoughts on what to do this year. Instead, look forward to those offbeat stories the other papers might miss, plus photos that capture the smiles of residents around town that have their own story to reveal this year in “Machel’s Ranch.”

Since I was out of town for the last two weeks, luckily I have Ranch residents that were kind enough to share their stories and photos with me in this issue. 2011 will be exciting for all of us! Thanks so much for continuing to support our paper by picking it up and reading our pages. The Rancho Santa Fe News is a family-owned and operated business that has been here in North County for more than 24 years.

Around town

On Dec. 13, Ranch resident Gary Bobileff embarked on an amazing journey called, “Operation Christmas Spirit: The 2010 Believe in Santa Tour.” Departing from Carlsbad, Gary flew to Washington, D.C., first to visit “Wounded Warriors” at Walter Reed. Then on to New York City to connect on a flight to Kuwait City. In Kuwait, Gary was met by representatives of our Armed Forces, then transported to Command Headquarters located at Camp Speicher just outside of Bagdad. Make sure you don’t miss a more in-depth look at Gary’s trip in Rancho Santa Fe News reporter Patty McCormac’s featured story this issue. Thanks Gary for the photos, and I look forward to seeing both you and Maggie in the New Year (Maggie is his wife, who I feature quite often in my column). Also, In case you are looking for a Ferrari this year, Gary sells them! His website is www.bobileff.com.

On Dec. 27, Elaine Gallagher shared some exciting news about her son Michael Gallagher — a YouTube sensation with his Totally Sketch Channel — who was spreading the word this holiday season about some good news on cancer research. Elaine asked in her e-mail, “Please take 8 minutes of your time to see this video ... you’ll be glad you watched this. It’s about hope and second chances in life.” That sounds absolutely wonderful to me. Since I just lost a good friend to cancer last year, I just had to share this with my readers. Here is the link: youtube.com/watch?v=IaOyY1NAVLQ . I have also featured a photo of Elaine with her son Michael last summer at the Del Mar Turf Club. Don’t they look picture perfect?

On Dec. 28, while Rancho Santa Fe was being drenched in rain storms, I was stuck back in zero degree weather in ice and snow with my family for seven days. Cabin fever and lots of movies and too much food basically sums up the trip, with of course the wonderful fact my entire family was under one roof for seven days. Grandparents, parents, teenagers, young babies, you name it, 17 in one house, stuck in the snow. Let’s just say, luckily I love my family. However, California has been my home for 22 years and I’ve grown used to the sunny weather here in San Diego. Here is a photo of my sister with her husband and my son, and nieces and nephews from the day we unwrapped gifts. This photo felt sort of “Norman Rockwell-ish” to me.

On Jan. 3, The Rancho Santa Fe Rotary held their first Rotarian meeting of the year at the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. President-elect Alan Balfour was introduced by President Patrick Galvin and Michael Taylor was named Rotarian of the Week. A rummage sale is coming up at the Community Center on Jan. 22. Please drop off items for donation on Wednesdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. I have featured two photos from that first meeting of the year. Thank you to Chief Matt Wellhouser for always keeping me up to date on the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary.

On Jan. 5, I met with Byron Spratt, one of the owners of one of the coolest new workout places near Rancho Santa Fe — The Greenasium. Located just right off of Encinitas Boulevard, this is an accessible, upscale alternative for Ranch residents to get in shape for the New Year. The owner’s philosophy is to “provide the best customer service in an environmentally friendly fitness studio setting has ahs human-powered electricity generating equipment.” Sound futuristic? It’s not. It’s contemporary with a relaxing spa appeal with first class personal attention, The Greenasium is located at 1465 Encinitas Blvd. right by Brett’s BBQ. For more information, visit www.the greenasium.com. Thanks for the tour Byron! Get in shape for 2011.

Save the date:  Jason Barry shared some exciting news with me right before Christmas regarding The Celebrity Poker Tournament he is hosting at Rancho Valencia on Jan. 29. Here are some the exciting celebrities that will be there: Mike Sweeney, Bud Black, Bruce Bochy, Trevor Hoffman and Bret Boone, just to name a few. Featured here is Jason Barry last year with the owner of La Jolla’s CJ Charles. First prize will be a $10,000 men’s watch, second prize is a trip to Cabo San Lucas. For inquiries, please call Jason at (858)-756-4024.

Save the date:  One of the biggest events of the year, Helen Woodward’s  Broadway Tails, will be the 23rd annual Spring Fling held on the Helen Woodward Animal Center Campus. Black tie is optional, but take my advice and look fabulous. It’s one night this year New York Broadway meets Rancho Santa Fe. Buy your tickets now, or if you are looking to sponsor this event, call Kerry Appleby Payne at (858) 204-7920.

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Machel Penn Shull is a mother and is involved in marketing and sharing time with her friends and loved ones. Machel’s background includes PR/Marketing, advertising and copy-writing for multi-million dollar companies in North County in the San Diego area.With Two years of extensive writing programs at UCLA and one full length novel under her belt, Machel now concentrates primarily on her column, Machel’s Ranch, and writing stories for digital and print magazines.Her previous background includes:Model for  in Los Angeles. ST. IVES APRICOT SCRUB Campaign; National commercial and print. This campaign reached Mademoiselle, Goodhousekeeping, Cosmopolitan, and Entertainment Weekly, The Women’s Home Journal.

***Appeared on NBC’s Reality Show, “Who Wants To Marry My DAD, Season 2,

Sitcom appearances on: Married with Children, Flying Blind, and Life Goes OnStarred in action thriller the Shining Blood, as the lead heroine.Wrote and produced the play, “Carried Away”, which was picked up by HBO workspace theatre.Machel currently lives in Rancho Santa Fe and writes as a freelance columnist.What you may not know about Machel Penn was that she was an accomplished flutest for over 10 years, competing on a national level. She also performed Improv at the world renowned Comedy Store in Los Angeles during the mid-1990s..For more of Machel's blogs and columns visithttp://www.machelpenn.com/

'Machel's Ranch' - Reflecting on my year 2010 at Rancho Santa Fe...

In February of the year, I had the good fortune of being invited to Julien Hug’s 35th birthday party. That evening I had never seen Julien more thrilled to celebrate his birthday with his loved ones.

Jen Keslick — Julien’s girlfriend — presented the most marvelous chocolate cake that I have ever seen. After he blew out the candles, everyone cheered and clapped for our dear friend. I will never forget that night in February when we all sat under the stars enjoying each other, celebrating Julien’s birthday. Thank you Jen for inviting us that evening. It will truly always be a night to remember.

In the end of springtime, I started writing a “Hat Feature,” which basically entailed me running around the Ranch looking for women wearing hats (I should have thought of that issue before I decided to do it!). However, I had some great fun stressing about the feature and managed to find some lovely women looking fabulous. I have included a photo of Ranch resident Karian Forsyth featured with one my best friends, Meredith MacDonald. We met on a Friday at Mille Fleurs and you can imagine how excited I was when I had found someone in a hat to photograph. Good times, pretty girls and a hat to feature in my column! Thanks Karian and Meredith for always looking so lovely in the photographs around town.

At the beginning of the summer, Rancho Santa Fe Little League came to a close with heavy hearts for my son’s team — The Durham Bulls. They lost in the playoffs. However, look at this photograph! Have you ever seen a happier group of boys? I felt like this photo was worth repeating because it represents the glory and the fun all young boys must feel even after not winning the game. Their spirits are alive and they do not look sad with defeat and proud to be part of a team. Thanks so much to all of the parents who lend their time and support to make Rancho Santa Fe Little League a wonderful experience for everyone. I look forward to next year’s season, too. Beware! I will be there with my camera.

In early June, I woke up early one morning to help make 1,000 strawberries for the Spring Fling Event, Best in Show, held at Helen Woodward. If you’ve ever attended one of the Spring Fling Events, you know firsthand it’s on the “must attend” event list in Rancho Santa Fe. I had so much fun that night! I wore an apron, cleared trays, sampled food and ran into some of my favorite Ranch residents. I am sharing a photo here of myself with Katie Holcomb and her sister Rosie. They are both long-time residents who I am always thrilled to see when I am around town. I believe my smile tells the story of how much I love these two beautiful women.

In August, Karian and Tom Forsyth had their first co-ed spa party. Let me tell you it was a great success. Hot and sunny with drinks in hand, guests mingled as they sat poolside in the Crosby. I took this group photo of some of the guests that day. One of the best hot summer days of the year! A big thank you to Tom and Karian for always being so fashionable and making Rancho Santa Fe look feel like Hollywood. But most of all, for being my good friends and always including me at your incredible parties.

In September, I attended a Rancho Santa Fe Rotary meeting in late September. I had the honor of being the guest of President Patrick Galvin. He had asked me to attend so I could be privy to hear the guest speaker, the executive director of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in San Diego, speak about her own personal fight against cancer. With heart, love and conviction, I was moved by Laura Farmer Sherman’s imploring speech urging all of us to help in the fight against breast cancer. Krista Lafferty is featured here with the guest speaker and John Farris. Krista is all smiles, too, because her mother is also a cancer survivor.

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Machel Penn Shull is a mother and is involved in marketing and sharing time with her friends and loved ones. Machel’s background includes PR/Marketing, advertising and copy-writing for multi-million dollar companies in North County in the San Diego area.With Two years of extensive writing programs at UCLA and one full length novel under her belt, Machel now concentrates primarily on her column, Machel’s Ranch, and writing stories for digital and print magazines.Her previous background includes:Model for Elite in Los Angeles. ST. IVES APRICOT SCRUB Campaign; National commercial and print. This campaign reached Mademoiselle, Goodhousekeeping, Cosmopolitan, and Entertainment Weekly, The Women’s Home Journal.

***Appeared on NBC’s Reality Show, “Who Wants To Marry My DAD, Season 2,

 National commercials for Budweiser, Adidas, GM Motors and ST. IVES and other regional spots for California and other areas of the United States.

Sitcom appearances on: Married with Children, Flying Blind, and Life Goes OnStarred in action thriller the Shining Blood, as the lead heroine.Wrote and produced the play, “Carried Away”, which was picked up by HBO workspace theatre.Machel currently lives in Rancho Santa Fe and writes as a freelance columnist.What you may not know about Machel Penn was that she was an accomplished flutest for over 10 years, competing on a national level. She also performed Improv at the world renowned Comedy Store in Los Angeles during the mid-1990s..For more of Machel's blogs and columns visithttp://www.machelpenn.com/

 My frank thoughts for this week’s column, learning to love simplicity at 'Machel’s Ranch.' Rancho Santa Fe News.

I don’t have anything to write this week. It’s a first. I am sitting here staring at a blank page with nothing materializing. That’s rare when that happens. Usually, I’m brimming with ideas, stories that my heart seems it must reveal in my next column. This week? Nothing is coming to me, except just to be honest with my readers.

I was thinking about a few things while I was relaxing on a two-week vacation. Some ideas that seemed rather important to share, or rather lessons I am still learning myself.

I’ve been thinking that there are many signs in this world. I don’t think most us pay attention to the immediate ones, and we miss obvious moments that are ours to create. I’m not talking about road signs. I’m talking about signs from up above that validate our journey, or rather give us direction when we need it.

Another thing I’ve been thinking about is have you ever noticed the more favors you give the more others expect from you in return? What is up with that? I am learning to be more sparing with my favors. I have learned to say “No.” If you can’t be there, just say no and don’t overextend yourself. I’m sure your calendar is already full. Take this advice from someone who usually commits herself with too many stories. Choose sparingly. Don’t become overwhelmed with a schedule when life is really meant to be simplified (do think Forrest Gump here).

Drink tea instead of espresso.

I’ve also been thinking how much I just absolutely love life, and how blessed I am to be here with all of my friends and loved ones. I just have been so grateful lately for what I have instead of hoping for more. Guess what? I find there is less to complain about. We sometimes miss out on great moments because we are busy wanting more. “Be grateful for less and you won’t miss the rest.” I just coined that phrase even if it sounded a bit cliché.

The main thing is, take some time out of your life to watch “Seinfeld.” Yes, that’s right. Or your favorite comedy that just makes you belt out a really deep laugh. I hear that sort of laughter fights off cancer. I hear it heals just about everything. So make sure you take some time to laugh.

Loosen up a bit and stop taking everything so seriously. The world will survive if you do happen to make a mistake. Everything is not resting upon your shoulders. Be at one place at a time. Dare to inspect the beauty in a single blade of grass while you are in a rush to your next appointment.

Stop spending so much time on your cell phone. Learn to be with yourself alone and your idle thoughts in the car instead. Then listen to some amazing music that inspires your mood. We don’t always have to be hooked to our iPhone. Have the courage to be without the latest gadget.

And, I shall end with this: Don’t make yourself too available. Don’t always say yes. Learn to be quiet. Learn to smile. Learn to be nice. Learn to say the words, “I love you more,” and don’t forget to tell your parents they are the greatest in the world. After all, they did give you life. It’s nice to be back under the eucalyptus trees. I missed you, Rancho Santa Fe.

Around town

On Aug. 6, Jill Sorge and her good friend Lori West had a fabulous Friday in Del Mar in the Turf Club. These  good friends met up for some much needed girl time. They enjoyed dining, betting on the ponies, and then danced the night away at the packed B-52s packed. Jill Sorge has been a Ranch resident for many years and is just one of the nicest mothers I know in town. Thanks Jill, for letting me share your marvelous day in my column.

On Aug. 9, I received word from Delicias regarding their popular “Martini Monday Night.” Starting at 4 p.m. until close you can enjoy specialty martinis in the heart of the Ranch. Pictured are three lovely ladies you could spend your Mondays with, Lauryn Evertyz, Heather Reynolds and Jennifer Peterson. This might be just the ticket to jumpstart your week. For more information on Delicias and their weekly events, visit www.deliciasrestaurant.com.

On Aug. 12, I heard from Deana Carter of Carter Financial in Rancho Santa Fe. I just love Deana. From being a RSF Rotary member to running triathlons, you won’t catch Deana sitting  with nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon. For the past 20 years, Deana has been an expert on wealth management and advice for her many clients. I have included a lovely photo of Deana in my column. She’s right here local in the Ranch. For more information on this dazzling Ranch superstar, visit www.Carter financial.biz.

On Aug. 14, I had a surprise visit from one of my dearest friends in Los Angeles, Sandy Martin. Sandy and I met years ago when we were both younger. Now Sandy is a sought-after artist, collaborating with partner Tim Pheonix. We met at one of my favorite spots — Thyme in the Ranch. We sat and reminisced about the past and their exciting career in painting. What I found fascinating is they both paint on the canvas, placing their inspiration and interpretation of art together as one. Now that’s definitely original. Visit their website at www.OneBlackRose.us to check out some of their art pieces. Thanks, Sandy and Tim for coming to visit my quiet world under the eucalyptus trees. How exciting that they are both truly working artists. It takes pure ambition to follow a dream.

On Aug. 17 I received word from Vicki O’Rourke on some exciting happenings going on with “Back to School” in full swing at Santa Fe Christian School. Pictured are the men of SFC Barbecue. These wonderful men took off one day of work to serve all of the students, and faculty a free barbecue lunch — how wonderful. Other good news is that Santa Fe Christian enjoyed record enrollment this summer. According to Vicki, they will still be accepting applicants for the lower school. For more information, call (858) 755-8900. Thanks Vicki for always keeping me in the loop. Congrats on your high enrollment this summer, too. 

Later that day, I heard form “Sizzling” Sacha Boutros when she invited me to attend one of her singing events at the Westgate Hotel in San Diego on Friday evenings. From 8 to 11 p.m., you can catch Sacha performing live with John Giulino on piano.  “Dimmed lights and sexy decor make it a place for lovers to be romantic and a place for music lovers as well,” Sacha said of the venue. Thanks Sacha for the invite, it sounds just like an evening I would love. I look forward to coming down. For more information, visit www.westgatehotel.com under “events.”

Save the date

Ladies in Rancho Santa Fe, mark your calendars! The Country Friends Fashion Show is just around the corner on Sept. 23. I just received my invitation in the mail. I must confess this is my absolute favorite day in Rancho Santa Fe. From lunching with great friends to watching the skinniest models to ever step foot in the Ranch, this is a day you won’t want to miss. This event raises money for many charities all over San Diego. To buy your tickets now, go to www.thecountryfriends.org.  Featured here from last year’s big day is fashion designer Janice Jaraicie and Dana Irfani, both local residents of Rancho Santa Fe.

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Machel Penn Shull is a mother and is involved in marketing and sharing time with her friends and loved ones. Machel’s background includes PR/Marketing, advertising and copy-writing for multi-million dollar companies in North County in the San Diego area.With Two years of extensive writing programs at UCLA and one full length novel under her belt, Machel now concentrates primarily on her column, Machel’s Ranch, and writing stories for digital and print magazines.Her previous background includes:Model for Elite in Los Angeles. ST. IVES APRICOT SCRUB Campaign; National commercial and print. This campaign reached Mademoiselle, Goodhousekeeping, Cosmopolitan, and Entertainment Weekly, The Women’s Home Journal.

***Appeared on NBC’s Reality Show, “Who Wants To Marry My DAD, Season 2,

 National commercials for Budweiser, Adidas, GM Motors and ST. IVES and other regional spots for California and other areas of the United States.

Sitcom appearances on: Married with Children, Flying Blind, and Life Goes OnStarred in action thriller the Shining Blood, as the lead heroine.Wrote and produced the play, “Carried Away”, which was picked up by HBO workspace theatre.Machel currently lives in Rancho Santa Fe and writes as a freelance columnist.What you may not know about Machel Penn was that she was an accomplished flutest for over 10 years, competing on a national level. She also performed Improv at the world renowned Comedy Store in Los Angeles during the mid-1990s..For more of Machel's blogs and columns visit http://www.machelpenn.com/

 Sabrina Cadini's La Dolce Idea - Labor Day...Celebrating Outdoors In Saucy Style

Labor Day Party Ideas

This year, Labor Day is on Sept. 6. For many, Labor Day marks the last weekend of summer but it is still a holiday worth celebrating, whether it signifies back to school or back to work.

A Labor Day End of Summer party for friends and family would be a fun way to celebrate summer's departure. You could also invite long-distance friends: they might be able to join in the festivities since it’s a three-day weekend. Just help them out with securing hotel rooms at a nearby hotel.

Since this holiday is in honor of the working man, you could invite your co-workers – If you are a boss, make your employees feel special by being included in your celebration.

LOCATION – Choose the outdoors. It could be your backyard or the beach, or one of San Diego’s finest parks around the bay. Many of them have benches and tables that you can use without having to rent them. You might need to apply for a permit depending on the park of your choice and always check restrictions with the Park & Recreation Department.

Add hammocks, lounge chairs, blankets, and pillows to provide comfortable and casual seating to your guests.

Lighting will be key to make it look fun and pleasant: take advantage of string lights on trees, tiki torches, and paper lanterns hanging from tree branches. Lot of candles in hurricanes scattered on the tables will create the perfect atmosphere. A quick décor idea: Fill glass hurricanes or vases with some sand (use colored varieties to match your color scheme) and place a candle in the center to add a “summer” touch.

If the beach is your selected location, don’t forget sunscreen and toys for the kids.

INVITATIONS – A picnic motif could work very well: flip flops, picnic baskets, or cute illustrations of ladybugs

MENU – The grill will be the star at this kind of party. You can prepare barbecued ribs, hotdogs, hamburgers, steaks, mixed vegetables, and summer drinks (be inspired by sauce recipes below). Try to use local and organic produce to enjoy great taste and help the environment, too.

CENTERPIECES – Don’t want to spend too much on flowers? Take advantage of the easy and casual theme by using galvanized metal buckets or planters. Fill them with ice; place some single fresh blooms in the buckets (tuck them into empty bottles) and finish with beer bottles and soda cans. They will add color to any table.

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RECIPES – Dress your grilled fare with these delicious sauces.

Burgers = Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

In a food processor, puree 2 cups light mayonnaise, 1 cup roasted red peppers, 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper until evenly colored and almost smooth. Serves 8.

Grilled Shrimp = Anchovy Green Creamy Sauce

In a food processor, pulse 1 cup packed parsley leaves, 2 to 3 anchovy fillets, 2 coarsely chopped scallions, and 1 small garlic clove until scallion and parsley are finely chopped. Add ½ cup light mayonnaise, ½ cup plain low-fat yogurt, and 2 tablespoons white vinegar; pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 8.

Chicken Kabobs = Tomato and Tarragon Sauce

Whisk together 3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 tablespoon dried tarragon), 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoon minced garlic in a shallow dish. In a food processor, blend 4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes and 3 tablespoons olive oil until smooth. Add 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 tablespoon dried tarragon), ½ teaspoon minced garlic and pulse until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 8.

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Editor's note:

Sabrina Cadini, of La Dolce Idea at La Jolla, has gracously agreed to provide tips, advice and information about event and wedding planning. Ah-Ha! will post these at 3 p.m. Thursday each week, allowing you to plan and enjoy for the weekend, and beyond.

Sabrina began her career in event and wedding planning in Italy, where she was born.

She had the opportunity to meet amazing designers while modeling and working as a TV announcer. "They could turn a bare studio into an incredible, and colorful, setting for a TV show, or photo shoot, with different materials, lighting, decor, and fabrics," she says.

At that time, Sabrina started helping friends with their parties, then social and corporate clients, creating the perfect setting for their events.

After moving to the United States, Sabrina volunteered on several boards and coordinated some fundraising events. She began managing events on a larger scale for medical conventions across North America as a tour operator and meeting planner.

Weddings and special events were her greatest passion. By fusing creativity, Italian style, and fashion into impeccably planned occasions, La Dolce Idea created singular and personal celebrations for many clients.

Sabrina was designated as a Professional Bridal Consultant by the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC), the oldest, and largest, training organization for wedding professional in the world. She is co-director of  ABC, San Diego Region.

Sabrina has a collection of ideas, news, information, pictures, and trends from the event and wedding world at her blog, Something Dolce at http://ladolceidea.wordpress.com/

And, of course, La Dolce Idea's website at http://www.ladolceidea.us/site/#/home/

Follow her on Twitter http://twitter.com/ladolceidea and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/LaDolceIdea

Ah-Ha! is honored by Sabrina's gracious contributions to our community's ongoing conversation.

 “Machel’s Ranch,” The Rancho Santa Fe News: Baking proves good for the Soul

I’m not really one

to rant on something. Originally, I had submitted a different story for my column. What I had sent in was an opinion on “zip code snobbery,” which I’m sure none of you are really concerned about.

Sometimes sleeping on it is exactly what everyone needs to do. After reading it the next morning, I decided if someone wants to feel better about their zip code, what’s so terrible about that? You work hard, you slave, and if where you live makes you feel better about tackling this life, by all means indulge in those feelings. What makes more sense to share is what I recently discovered: I love to bake cakes.

When I went home to my sister’s wedding, I baked a whopping 9 cakes in a two week stretch. I blissfully slaved away mixing and frosting cakes for many hours with a smile just plastered across my face. Yes, I know…I’ve thought about it. I may be having an early mid-life crisis. Mine just happens to be in the form of baking.

Last week I even offered to make the cake for a bridal shower for my in-laws. I think my husband’s family seemed surprised that I had volunteered for this most important task. I have, after all been with them for almost three years. Their daughter-in-law by marriage for one year, and never once I have I offered to bake a cake. I think that seemed rather odd to them. I’ve made salads, or brought side dishes or offered to pick up a pie. But never once have I offered to bake something.

With much delight, they said yes to my request. So imagine me baking a double layer white cake with strawberry rhubarb cheesecake filling. I made the decadent butter cream frosting. You might be wondering if I have ever made this recipe before. 

No.

Just whipped it up out of thin air, like I had been doing it most of my life. Of course, I did receive a couple of important tips from my sister. She helped me narrow down my idea of how to make the rhubarb strawberry filling. How is it that I have now only discovered my love for making sugary white frosting, beating eggs and decorating cakes in my late thirties?

That’s part of the mystery in our journey. We must unearth those simple pleasures that add meaning to our daily routine. Baking cakes just make me smile. What brings joy to your day? Do yourself a favor. Try to find something new that lights your soul on fire. You might be surprised at how much a new hobby can turn an ordinary day into something that feels magnificent. Life is more about the small pleasures that are within our reach. The trick is to discover what they are along the way. 

Around town

On July 28, I was invited to a fabulous event at Fixtures Living. Live entertainment, incredible fresh organic foods were cooked on state of the art appliances, while guests mingled and admired the enormous warehouse of fixtures for modest to luxury homes. Rancho Santa Fe Realtor Tammy Tidmore was kind enough to include me on this guest list. Except for the drive in rush hour traffic to Miramar road, the evening was lovely. SDAR partnered with other professional realtors in the San Diego area to bring this event together. Featured here is Tammy Tidmore, with one of the owners of Fixtures Living, Jeffery Sears.

On July 30, Elaine Gallagher celebrated her birthday with many of her good friends at the luxurious turf club at the Del Mar Racetrack. You may know Elaine as one of the prettiest blondes in town, or from the Gallagher & Gallagher real estate team. I spotted Elaine one day in her gorgeous black Bentley in the Ranch, and she looked like a movie star straight out of Hollywood. Featured here with Elaine at her birthday party are Carmen O’Riordan, Shannon Glascione, Audrey Goldshmidt, Kathy Herington, the birthday girl, Christine, Jen, Christine, Lisa Norton and Kelly Baldwin. Thanks Elaine for sharing your special day with me.

On Aug. 1, Rancho Santa Fe resident Dottie McCrink hosted a bridal shower for her granddaughter Molly McCrink. Molly will be getting married this fall in Cabo San Lucas to Walter Beringer. Molly currently resides in Seattle. She flew in for this special occasion. Natalie Shull helped organize the wonderful shower for her cousin. I was thrilled to bake a white cake with strawberry rhubarb cheesecake filling, glazed in butter cream icing. The day was absolutely splendid. After croissant chicken sandwiches, and other finger delights, the guests of Molly’s shower competed to see who could make the best bridal dress out of one role of toilet paper. I have included three fun photos from Dottie McCrink’s wonderful bridal shower for Molly that day. Dottie’s sister, Caroline Fleischman, is featured with Mina McCrink. Featured also are Natalie and Katie Shull, Dottie McCrink, Mary Murphy McCrink and the bride-to-be, Molly McCrink. Dottie and Ed McCrink have been Ranch residents for over 40 years.

Save the date

Helen Woodward is holding its first ever rummage sale, Wags to Riches, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 28. Take advantage of a variety of items from clothing to pet items, new books, to fitness clothing, as well as a variety of tack to benefit their Therapeutic Riding program, which helps enrich the lives of disabled children. They are looking for gently used items, which you can donate every day that week from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. All items for the rummage sale must be dropped off by Aug. 24. If you donate anything for this event you will receive a receipt and donations are tax deductable. For more information, check out www.animalcenter.org.

Featured here are Georgia Pace and Jane Mezzino from the NCL Del Norte Chapter. According to Reness Resko, “This chapter of NCL has been instrumental in organizing in helping with this event. They will also be working the day of the sale.” How marvelous these young girls are donating their time to such a wonderful charity.
For more information on Machel’s Ranch, check out www.coastnewsgroup.com under columns.

Thanks for reading,

Machel Penn Shull

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Machel Penn Shull is a mother and is involved in marketing and sharing time with her friends and loved ones. Machel’s background includes PR/Marketing, advertising and copy-writing for multi-million dollar companies in North County in the San Diego area.With Two years of extensive writing programs at UCLA and one full length novel under her belt, Machel now concentrates primarily on her column, Machel’s Ranch, and writing stories for digital and print magazines.Her previous background includes:Model for Elite in Los Angeles. ST. IVES APRICOT SCRUB Campaign; National commercial and print. This campaign reached Mademoiselle, Goodhousekeeping, Cosmopolitan, and Entertainment Weekly, The Women’s Home Journal.

***Appeared on NBC’s Reality Show, “Who Wants To Marry My DAD, Season 2,

 National commercials for Budweiser, Adidas, GM Motors and ST. IVES and other regional spots for California and other areas of the United States.

Sitcom appearances on: Married with Children, Flying Blind, and Life Goes OnStarred in action thriller the Shining Blood, as the lead heroine.Wrote and produced the play, “Carried Away”, which was picked up by HBO workspace theatre.Machel currently lives in Rancho Santa Fe and writes as a freelance columnist.What you may not know about Machel Penn was that she was an accomplished flutest for over 10 years, competing on a national level. She also performed Improv at the world renowned Comedy Store in Los Angeles during the mid-1990s..For more of Machel's blogs and columns visit http://www.machelpenn.com/

 If your child is going off to college this year, the end of summer is more than just a change of season.

It was hard for me to let go when my son went to college last year. I still remember the feeling while driving him to his new campus, organizing his new room, and saying goodbye. I felt happy for him, I felt sad because I knew I was not going to see him every day, and I felt scared because I didn’t know how he would adjust in the new environment without us, his parents.

If you are a freshman parent, I know how you are feeling; just be patient and understanding during this transition. You are preparing them to move to the next stage of their life and, believe me, they will make a great success of their college years just like my son is doing now!

Important things to do:

*Make a list of everything that your child will need. A very comprehensive checklist can be found at  HYPERLINK "http://www.gifts.com/ideas/dorm-essentials-checklist" http://www.gifts.com/ideas/dorm-essentials-checklist 

*Buy a safe box or a locking filing box where your child can keep paperwork and anything that has ID information on it

*Open up a checking account at a bank that has a branch close to the campus for your child’s convenience and get them a debit card

*Talk to them about drugs, alcohol and sex; warn them about the dangers and consequences

*Have your child involved in campus activities to meet people and make friends: clubs or organizations, sports programs (either the official team if your child has athletic qualities or intramural leagues)

*Make sure that your child’s computer is set up and that the campus has free Internet access so that you can communicate easily and often via e-mail or Skype (it is very comforting for both you and them to see each other and, best of all, it’s a free service!)

Now, relax and don’t stress about thinking of your house as an empty nest: try to envision your child being successful and embarking on a journey that will bring them very far. If possible, schedule periodical trips to visit them during the first few months and show them your support. Life will be easier for you and them!

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Editor's note:

Sabrina Cadini, of La Dolce Idea at La Jolla, has gracously agreed to provide tips, advice and information about event and wedding planning. Ah-Ha! will post these at 3 p.m. Thursday each week, allowing you to plan and enjoy for the weekend, and beyond.

Sabrina began her career in event and wedding planning in Italy, where she was born.

She had the opportunity to meet amazing designers while modeling and working as a TV announcer. "They could turn a bare studio into an incredible, and colorful, setting for a TV show, or photo shoot, with different materials, lighting, decor, and fabrics," she says.

At that time, Sabrina started helping friends with their parties, then social and corporate clients, creating the perfect setting for their events.

After moving to the United States, Sabrina volunteered on several boards and coordinated some fundraising events. She began managing events on a larger scale for medical conventions across North America as a tour operator and meeting planner.

Weddings and special events were her greatest passion. By fusing creativity, Italian style, and fashion into impeccably planned occasions, La Dolce Idea created singular and personal celebrations for many clients.

Sabrina was designated as a Professional Bridal Consultant by the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC), the oldest, and largest, training organization for wedding professional in the world. She is co-director of  ABC, San Diego Region.

Sabrina has a collection of ideas, news, information, pictures, and trends from the event and wedding world at her blog, Something Dolce at http://ladolceidea.wordpress.com/

And, of course, La Dolce Idea's website at http://www.ladolceidea.us/site/#/home/

Follow her on Twitter http://twitter.com/ladolceidea and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/LaDolceIdea

Ah-Ha! is honored by Sabrina's gracious contributions to our community's ongoing conversation.

Once again, Windermere was a proud sponsor of the annual Spring Fling Gala to benefit the Helen Woodward Animal Center. This year's theme was Best in Show, and the night lived up to the name. There were live and silent auctions, fine dining from more than 30 San Diego restaurants, music and dancing with the Wayne Foster Band and many adorable kittens, puppies and ponies walking around.

Enjoy a video tour of the 21st Annual Spring Fling Gala for the Helen Woodward Animal Center. Filmed by Picture Perfect Productions (a division of Windermere Exclusive Properties), this movie features the highlights of the benefit and the many sponsors/volunteers... (more)

For more, visit Kurt's personal blog through his story: How Facebook Enriched My Life

I joined Facebook early in 2008 and so began my first experience with a large-scale social network. Before that I had been part of smaller communities composed mostly of people I’d never met face-to-face, and even founded a chat site in the mid-’90s centered around a flailing tech company called Apple Computer, Inc.

Before Facebook, I felt like my life was quite complete with my relationships with family and a relatively small group of friends, but I had lost touch with most of the folks I knew in school. Now, after two years on Facebook, I see that I was fairly isolated from human interaction back then. I didn’t know what I was missing.

It didn’t have to be Facebook. It could have been ClassMates (Ouch — they sure missed it!), MySpace or Friendster or some community on AOL (Yes, it’s still around) or Apple’s eWorld (No, it’s not), but it wasn’t. Facebook... (more)