Note from the Editors

News from the Hall November 2010

News from the Board by Janice Smith-Ramseier What a wonderful Oktoberfest potluck! The Old Hall was alive with music, festive decorations, laughter, and delicious barbecued sausages. The children's costume parade was led by Ed and Kate Buntz, followed by the Leapin' Lederhosen contest, with the chicken dance concluding the evening. Thank you to Marlen Richardson and friends for hosting this fun event again this year. The November Thanksgiving potluck will also be our annual meeting and election of officers. If you would like to serve on the Board of Directors, please notify Lois Lindley, Ed Buntz, or Janice Smith- Ramseier by November 10. I am stepping down as president, but I sincerely appreciate the support the Board and community has given me. There are nine positions on our Board: President, Vice President/Scholarship Chairman, Secretary/Treasurer, and six general board members. Meetings are held the first Tuesday of the month, 7:00 pm, usually at the Hall. We welcome members to attend. Let's keep the Hesperia Hall Foundation active and moving ahead in 2011.

The potluck on November 19, beginning at 7:00 pm, will be the annual Thanksgiving event hosted by the Board. It will also serve as the Hall’s annual membership meeting, so our annual financial report will be available, and attending Hall members will elect the new Board of Directors to serve during 2011. There will certainly be turkey with all the fixin’s, so come on out and enjoy a festive holiday evening at the Hall. As usual, Jack, Shorty, and friends will provide music for the evening.

Oktoberfest: The October 15 Oktoberfest potluck was festive indeed! Marlen Richardson and friends did their usual fine job of decking out the Hall in traditional German themes, and there was plenty of Oktoberfest beer, sausages, and sauerkraut to go around. Under the direction of Kate Snell and Ed Buntz, children and young people dressed in dirndls and lederhosen paraded to the stage to be greeted and introduced. The Leaping Lederhosen Contest, with participants ranging from the mature to very young, drew rapt attention, and the concluding chicken dance was especially exuberant.

Country Faire: Though weather was dismal, spirits were high for Hesperia Hall’s 2010 Country Faire. Vendors and attendees were undaunted by impending rain and chilly temperatures. The raffle quilt, after bringing in a record-setting amount in ticket sales, was won by Betsy Roth of Lockwood, mother of a scholarship recipient. Betsy bought her winning ticket at a Hall musical event, something to keep in mind as you pass the sales table at next year’s potlucks and special events!

Scholarship Report by Ed Buntz The Scholarship Committee would like to thank the Hall Home Bureau for a wonderful quilt show this year. In addition to record-setting raffle ticket sales, there was income from a quilt silent auction. Bidding for the silent auction quilt was very spirited, but congratulations go out to Rev. Canon Robert J. Seifert for monitoring the board diligently and becoming the proud winner of this special quilt. We would also like to thank the entire Denny family for their generous donation in memory of Meredith Snell. We also thank Janet Hardcastle for her two recent donations, one in memory of Meredith and one as a birthday gift to a committee member. We also acknowledge a substantial anonymous donation in memory of Meredith. Once again Charles Ewing hit the Hall produce exchange and sold more beautiful fruit with all proceeds going to the scholarship fund, so thanks to Charles and Liz for their second harvest and donation. The Hall raffle quilt will have been awarded by the time this newsletter hits mailboxes, so thank you to all the passionate ticket buyers for staunchly supporting the scholarship program. If you have any questions about the Hesperia Hall scholarship program or how to establish a 529 college savings account, please contact Ed Buntz at (805) 472-2070 or Lois Lindley at (805) 472-9556.

Community Emergency Response Team by Ann Brown Members of our local Community Response Team, or CERT, group, consisting of Jack and Lois Lindley, Ann Brown, and Linda Plumb, met for lunch with Sidney Reade of the Office of Emergency Services (OES) on October 13. Sidney is very interested in helping our community prepare for a major disaster. She has been working with Fort Hunter-Liggett to get us their resources in the event of an emergency. She is also working to get a HAM radio repeater up and running on the fort, which would give us a way to communicate with OES and other emergency personnel. After lunch we took her on a tour of the area, from the far end of Forest River to the very end of Smith Road. She was impressed by how much our area is spread out and recognized our concerns about needing to be prepared. At 3:00 we met additional community members at the Hall and spent an additional hour hearing about services that are available to Monterey County residents that would be helpful in an emergency. For further information, look for the CERT table at Hall functions, or call Ann Brown at (805) 472- 9664.

Looking for Santa's Helper(s) by Ann Brown Santa would love to find some people to help out with his sack of goodies this year. He wouldn't mind having cash or checks in any amount, since he saves coupons and shops on senior discount days, but he would also be happy to receive new toys to give away. The Hall typically has thirty or more children of all ages for him to give something to, so he would appreciate the help. Please call Ann Brown for details at (805) 472-9664.

This Month in the Garden by Carolyn Lingor November is the best month to prune cane berries such as boysenberries, blackberries, and raspberries. On all blackberry types, cut the canes that bore fruit this year to the ground and restring the canes that haven’t yet produced along whatever support system you are using. I use three rows of wires spaced about a foot apart strung between T-posts. All spring-bearing raspberries should have the old canes cut to the ground. Raspberries that bore in the fall should be cut about halfway down and will bear another crop in the spring. Low-chill raspberries, such as Bababerry and Fallgold, produce the best berries on new wood. They should be cut to the ground this month or in December. Be sure to finish planting new flower bulbs by the middle of the month. This is also the time to finish planting onions and garlic bulbs. You can also still sow seeds or put in transplants for cool season annuals such as calendulas, columbine, pansies, and violas. Cut back chrysanthemums to six or eight inches after they finish blooming. If they are more than three years old, start new plants by digging up any floppy branches that may have rooted in-place and then dig up and discard your old plant. Do not compost, as chrysanthemums are notorious for carrying diseases. They need to be renewed in this manner periodically because otherwise they get too floppy and no longer make an attractive addition to your garden. In the vegetable garden, continue to plant cool weather vegetables. Now is also the time to put in bareroot artichokes and strawberries. Happy gardening! Cooking from the Orchard: Fig Fruita by Esthela Comstock Fig fruita! First, a little bit of history about the fig fruit: Native of southwest Asia and the Mediterranean, it’s one of the first plants cultivated by humans, dating back to 9400 BC. Although commonly referred to as a fruit, the fig is actually the flower of the tree, known as inflorescence, or a false fruit in which the flowers and seeds grow together to form a single mass. The flower is not visible, as it blooms inside the fruit. Figs are one of the best sources of calcium, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, vitamin K, fiber, and they contain many antioxidants. Fig Preserve, an Ecuadorian Recipe 40 green, or not ripe, figs 4 piloncillos (brown sugar stick, found in the Hispanic section at supermarkets) 3-4 cloves 2 bay leaves 6 cups of water ½ lb. queso fresco (Ranchero) On the figs, make a crosswise cut on the side of the stem, soak them overnight, drain them the next day, rinse them again. In a large pot place the figs and cover with water. Add piloncillo and spices. Cook on medium heat until the piloncillo, or brown sugar syrup, begins to thicken. Stir occasionally. It might take 3-4 hours until cooked. Serve them either warm or cold with a slice of queso fresco and a glass of water. Mmmm!

Naturalist Notebook: A Favorite Walk by Charles Ewing Although not autonomic, walking is as natural as breathing. Like language, the abilities to stand upright and learn to walk are born into us. We learn the skill at a very early age and most of us can still walk as we near the end of life. For me, walking is the very best way to experience the natural world around us. The slow, quiet pace and the easy rhythm of walking allow our senses to come into direct contact with our surroundings. We move through the world with one foot always attached to the Earth. Each step brings a new view, a new sound, a new smell, and a new feel. Those same attributes have the added benefit of allowing our frenetic minds to ease and open to a more spacious and quiet world within ourselves. Even though walking allows us to explore new places, some of us have a favorite trail or country road that we walk over and over again. Each time we walk that favorite way, we discover new and previously hidden wonders as our view, our mood, and the seasons change. Each time we walk our route, we become more intimate with that particular world we encounter. I have a favorite walk. It’s a two-mile loop through oak woodlands, a maze of chaparral, over exposed slick rock, across open meadow, and along a ridge with vast views of our countryside. If you’ve been on one of my guided nature hikes, then you’ve accompanied me on my favorite walk. If you’ve seen my two photos that were chosen for the 2011 Bryson-Hesperia Calendar, they were taken along the route of my favorite walk. If you don’t have a favorite walk, the easiest way to discover yours is to step out the door and follow your feet.

Portraits of Home by Rupert Lyle In the short time Carla has lived in Bryson, she has made a considerable mark on the community. An inveterate quilter, she was Hall President in 2008 and is active in the True Life Christian Fellowship in Lockwood. But as you’ll read, there is life before and even outside Bryson-Hesperia! This month, Hall News (HN) speaks with Carla Martinez. HN: Tell us a little about your family, and where and how you grew up. Carla: I was born and raised in Southern California, in the San Gabriel Valley, the second of four children. I have two sisters and one brother. I graduated from Charter Oak High School and went on to Mount San Antonio Junior College and from there to San Diego State where I took a BS in psychology with a minor in biology. After that I went to grad school at USD for a degree in paralegal studies. My folks had moved from California to Little Rock, Arkansas, and I followed them there working as a paralegal in a multi-practice law firm. Most of my work was on contracts for architects and engineers doing large municipal projects, and it involved a lot of travel. Eventually I moved back to San Diego and worked for Andy’s father’s law firm. Andy and I got married and I went back to school for an MBA in Health Care Administration. HN: What brought you to Bryson-Hesperia, and when? Carla: We bought our property in ‘01 and began construction in the spring of ‘02. We were looking for a place with a dark night sky, views, and within two hours of an international airport. We found two and a half out of three! We had hoped to find somewhere in San Diego County and had become quite discouraged. Driving down Route 1 one day, we decided to take 46 across to Paso, almost on a whim. Steve Hunt showed us this place, and we immediately knew it was what we’d been looking for. HN: How do you spend your time here? Carla: I’m a member of Eric Reinstedt’s True Life Christian Fellowship where I am the bookkeeper, teach Sunday school, and help with the Youth Group. I love to quilt, which I do at the Hall and in my quilting room here at home, and last year I was president of the Hall Board. I’m a Red Cross Volunteer and, with Ann Brown and Linda Plumb, am part of the Emergency Response Group. Andy and I like to travel — we go on an annual family trip to Yosemite — and have visited Hawaii, Tahiti, and much of Mexico. I love a good road trip and have visited over thirty-five of our fifty states. HN: What job have you enjoyed most? Carla: For a while I managed the office for a plastic surgeon. Many of our patients were breast cancer victims, had suffered burns, or had birth defects like cleft palates. I got great satisfaction from working with these people, explaining their options, helping them through the maze of insurance claims, and being an advocate for them with the insurance companies. For instance, at that time at least, breast reconstruction was not covered by insurance companies based outside California. HN: Tell us about your family now. Carla: I live here with my husband Andy, three dogs, and two cats. My parents and younger sister are in Arkansas, and I am very close to my family-in-law in San Diego. HN: What do you like best about life here? Carla: The quiet, the sounds of nature. It’s so beautiful here; it’s like living in a National Park. Also, the friends I’ve made here. I know that if I had an emergency, there are at least ten people I could call on who would drop everything and be here in a second. That’s not a feeling I’ve ever had living in the city. HN: What is your favorite memory of the area? Carla: I love seeing the turkey moms and their chicks walk right up to our living room window. In March of this year, and a couple of times the previous winter, I woke up to a dusting of snow on our hilltop and on the surrounding hills; it was so beautiful. But my favorite memory has to be the day, after two years living with a husband and three dogs in a twenty-seven-foot trailer, that I saw the vans arrive from San Diego with our stuff, and we moved into the house! HN: In the time you’ve been here, have you noticed any changes? Carla: More people and more traffic on the roads. HN: How would you like to see the community change over the next twenty-five years? Carla: I’d like to see more community involvement at the Hall and that people got to know their neighbors more. I’m sorry that the young people have to move away and hope that they will feel able to return, perhaps when they have young families. Otherwise, I would like the area to change very little. HN: Thank you, Carla. Fishing with Rich: A Perspective on the Process of Picking Apart the Piscatorial Puzzle by Rich Lingor Fish are like phantoms. The recent environmental influence of unseasonable weather trends include a September that brought November type weather and an October that imitated the dog days of August. The weather-related surface temperatures of our local reservoirs have been a major influence positioning forage and predator members of the aquatic biomass. Summer surface temperatures keep most aquatic life deeper, seeking more comfortable conditions for most hours of the day. An aware angler watching weather trends can take advantage of subtle clues to increase his odds of predicting fish position. Water temperature and sunlight can influence other environmental factors that are a bit harder to decipher with casual observation. The pH (acid vs. alkalinity) and oxygen content of the water can be affected by water temperature’s influence on moss, algae, and plant life. Healthy aquatic vegetation produces oxygen, shade, and cover from foraging predators. Decaying vegetation absorbs oxygen and degrades the water quality. A dominating factor influencing and positioning fish and their forage is water level stability. As water is drawn down and releases continue, lake levels drop, and fish must relocate to find their preferred temperature layer and feeding position. The Water Resource Agency reports the releases from Lake San Antonio from October 2 through October 15 to have varied from 10 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 175 cfs. Releases from Nacimiento have ranged from 250 to 390 cfs. Looking forward, recent hot weather is predicted to shift into a cooling trend. Armed with a calendar and a long-range historical experience reinforces our expectation of cooler and then colder temperatures as we ease into November. When weather shifts are gradual, the influence to the aquatic environment can be subtle and cumulative. Sudden barometric shifts have a more dramatic effect on fish activity. Low pressure associated with approaching storms tends to be a catalyst to crank up the feeding activity. Conversely, high pressure associated with clearing post-frontal conditions produce a nice day but slow fishing. As presentations of lure choices slice through varying sections of water column layers, consider influences affecting your quarry. You might recognize the piece of the puzzle that helps you make contact with your quarry. The satisfaction of solving the evolving angling challenge is a bonus accompanying the tug on your line. Fall is a wonderful time to get out on the water and try your luck. Tight lines!

True Life Youth Group News by Erick Reinstedt (Pastor and Youth Leader, True Life Christian Fellowship) and Mary Ann Reinstedt At the time of your reading this, we should have made our slot reservations for Hume Lake. We are beginning to look toward the hills, and, hopefully, snow. We plan to take a high school group and a middle school group again this year for winter camp. We thank you in advance for your prayers and support that always help make these trips possible. They are, traditionally, a very refreshing and encouraging time for our local youth. If you would like to donate to help a local youth go to winter camp, you can call us at (805) 472-9325, or you can send your donation to True Life Christian Fellowship, P.O. Box 479, Lockwood, CA 93932 (checks payable to True Life, with "Hume Lake" in the memo line). You can also see Erick or Mary Ann Reinstedt, or Carla Martinez. It was a blessing to see local youth gather to pray around the flagpole at San Antonio School for "See You at the Pole" in late September, and at the time of this writing we are looking forward to youth helping make the October 31st Light the Night celebration a joyous time for kids in the area. The local youth have always played a huge part in this event, from helping at booths to playing in the live band. As always, we want to thank Grace Lutheran's youth group for their continued inclusion of our local kids in their events. We recently had youth from our area travel to Yosemite with them, as well as to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. It is so nice to see youth from different churches gather and enjoy and encourage one another in their walks. Please feel free to call Erick and Mary Ann for information about the youth group and events and meetings. The True Life Youth Group is open to all youth, grades 6–12.

SAN ANTONIO SCHOOL 2010/2011 SCHOOL YEAR SEPTEMBER STUDENT OF THE MONTH: 4th Grade Academic Achievement – Jessica Steele 7th Grade Academic Achievement – Nichole Landon Outstanding Effort – Michael Pineda

The Puzzler Show that, at least in this case, two wrongs do make a right by finding the unique value of each letter to make the addition correct. There are two solutions, so extra marks for finding both. Hint: the letter O equals the number 0.

ANSWER TO LAST MONTH’S PUZZLER Don Ukkestad quickly realized that the level of the pool would go down because the coin would displace only its volume of water when it sank and not its weight, as it did while in the boat. Many people thought that it would make no difference. Anyone wishing to file a protest must first google Archimedes golden crown and take a soaky bath. Please do have the decency to cover yourself with a towel before running down the road after realizing I’m right. If you know the answer to this month’s Puzzler, email it to [email protected] , or call the Puzzler at (805) 472-2884. Unless it is someone directly involved with the production of this newsletter, we will acknowledge by name the first person to submit a correct answer.

November Calendar Highlights Yoga 6:30pm 1 Yoga 6:30pm Veterans Day 2 Election Day Line Dancing classes 7pm Board Meeting at the Hall 7pm SAVHA Dinner 6pm 3 Home Bureau 12 – 2pm Produce Exchange 11am – 1pm 4 Line Dancing classes 7pm Yoga 6:30pm 6 Mission San Antonio Wine Eve Home Bureau 12 – 2pm 7 Produce Exchange 11am – 1pm Line Dancing classes 7pm Thanksgiving potluck 7pm 21 Produce Exchange 11am – 1pm 22 Yoga 6:30pm 25 Thanksgiving Day 28 Produce Exchange 11am – 1pm 29 Yoga 6:30pm Dec 1 Home Bureau 12 – 2pm 2 Line Dancing classes 7pm 5 Produce Exchange 11am – 1pm 6 Yoga 6:30pm 9 Line Dancing classes 7pm