Carmel Valley News Headlines

The lease is signed and planning is underway for a new restaurant for Mexican cuisine aficionados and families at Del Mar Highlands Town Center from Diane Powers’ Bazaar del Mundo Restaurant Group. The new restaurant will take the former Red Robin space in and is expected to open in spring 2013.

In keeping with its sister restaurants, Casa de Pico in La Mesa, Casa Guadalajara in Old Town and Casa de Bandini in Carlsbad, the new family-friendly entity will serve authentic, regional Mexican cuisine.

“We work hard to cultivate tenants who have San Diego origins,” said Elizabeth Schreiber, vice president and general manager for Donahue Schriber, owner and operator of Del Mar Highlands Town Center. “We’re thrilled to welcome Diane Powers’ latest venture to our line-up of top restaurants, as she continues her history of creating beautiful restaurants and delicious Mexican cuisine for families all over San Diego County.”

The building will undergo a complete renovation and expansion, and reflect Powers’ sense of design that uniquely captures the spirit of Mexico. The restaurant’s expansion will include outdoor dining with her signature colorful umbrellas, authentic Talavera tiled fountains and specimen plants. Dining rooms will be filled with fine Mexican folk art, comfortable furniture, hand-painted stucco walls and chairs upholstered in colorful handwoven Zapotec fabrics from Oaxaca, Mexico. Jewel-like glass and brass lanterns will cascade from the ceiling.

The menu, now in design, will showcase entrees made with a variety of fresh sauces, seafood dishes, healthy choice options, vegetarian and gluten-free items, as well as a children’s menu. Also featured will be the same frosty, giant margaritas that have led to the popularity of Powers’ restaurants.

The restaurant will bring with it the same romantic essence of Old Mexico – with colorful dining rooms, a festive cantina, mariachis and lush outdoor patio landscaping, that distinguish her restaurants throughout the County.

“We are so excited to be part of this vibrant location, and look forward to welcoming the area’s families and business clientele,” Powers said.

Casa Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant is at the entrance to Old Town on the corner of Taylor and Juan Streets. Casa de Pico is located at 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa, (619)463-3267. Casa de Bandini is located at 1901 Calle Barcelona, Carlsbad, (760) 634-3443. For more information call (619)296-3161 or visithttp://www.bazaardelmundo.com.

— Submitted press release.

Girl Scouts: (L-R) Melissa Thomas of Rancho Santa Fe (3,009 boxes), Caroline Sanborn of Carmel Valley (2,012 boxes) and Roni Nelson of Rancho Santa Fe (4,082 boxes). Photo/ Peggy Peattie

Girl Scout and Rancho Santa Fe resident Veronica (Roni) Nelson was this year’s Operation Thin Mint’s top cookie seller, clocking in at a whopping 4,082 boxes. Roni – along with Melissa Thomas of Rancho Santa Fe (3,009 boxes) and Caroline Sanborn (2,012 boxes) of Carmel Valley – were honored with other top cookie sellers on May 12, at Girl Scouts San Diego’s 11th annual Operation Thin Mint® Sendoff aboard the USS Midway. As top sellers (defined by those who reach 2,012 or more boxes sold in 2012), the girls had the opportunity to ride in a helicopter at OTM and join other VIPs on stage and at a special reception.

Since 2002, San Diego Girl Scout troops and their cookie customers have sent more than 2 million boxes of America’s favorite cookies and countless notes of support to deployed troops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, Japan, Korea, and the Persian Gulf, Western Pacific and Indian Ocean.

The Del Mar Village Association will hold its popular annual Summer Solstice event in at the Powerhouse Park in Del Mar on June 21, from 5-8 p.m.

This event celebrates the arrival of summer with food and wine tastings from Del Mar restaurants and California wineries and breweries.

Guests have the opportunity to taste food from more than 20 Del Mar restaurants and 15 California wineries and breweries while enjoying live music and a silent auction.

Powerhouse Park in Del Mar is located at 1658 Coast Boulevard in Del Mar.

Cost is $60 per person.  Purchase tickets early as the event has sold out in advance for the last five years in a row.

For more information, visit www.summer.delmarmainstreet.com/

By Catharine L. Kaufman

TV chefs are the new rock starts of our pop culture. They are idolized, adored, emulated and seemingly have the inspirational powers to convert culinary agnostics into devoted cooks.

Every item they tout — from an exotic herb, spice or infused oil to a kitschy utility knife or sauté pan — is revered.

Most notably, The Food Network has made these chefs household brands, while their trademark catchphrases have become ensconced in urban dictionaries, if not in Merriam Webster’s!

“Kick it up a notch,” “Bam!” – Emeril Lagasse

“Yum-O,” “EVOO” – Rachel Ray

“Holy Moly, Stromboli!” – Guy Fieri

“Butterlicious!” — Paula Deen, the sour cream and mayonnaise queen.

Recently, Giada De Laurentiis, while on tour for her sixth cookbook, “Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner,” made several appearances in San Diego. If Julia Child had risen from the dead to sign her culinary Bible, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” the line would not have been as long as it was for this petite Food Network powerhouse.

At this echelon, a booksigning is elevated to an event, a soiree of sorts with the staff of the Williams Sonoma Fashion Valley store hospitably passing out treats prepared from Giada’s new book.

I sampled her penne with almond sauce, pirate pasta filled with treasures, including pecorino Romano cheese, crimini mushrooms, capers, green olives, tomatoes and fresh basil, and chewy, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate-hazelnut drop cookies.

Flavored water was also passed around to hydrate the masses during the three-hour-plus wait to finally arrive at the book-signing table.

But yes, so worth the wait to meet the culinary diva, linguini thin (an amazing feat considering her self-proclaimed chocoholic personality and passion for such a divine carb-loaded cuisine), a dazzling smile and sweet disposition — like those hazelnut cookies I’d been scarfing down.

Although camera-shy growing up, this Angelino transported from Rome had celebrity in her DNA from her film producer grandpapa, Dino De Laurentiis. As a child, Giada chose to have playdates in the kitchen with her mom rather than the playground with her friends.

She eventually earned her culinary stripes at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, worked among Hollywood glitterati at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in L.A., and launched her own catering business called GDL Foods.

Her entrée to the little screen came during her stint as a food stylist with Food and Wine magazine where she was scouted by Food Network to host “Everyday Italian.”

Her current projects include “Giada at Home,” being a judge on “Food Network Star,” a contributing correspondent for NBC’s “Today Show,” and authoring a handful of bestselling cookbooks.

Giada’s Crispy Breakfast Pita

This is a twist on a piadina, an Italian flatbread. For weeknight ease, instead of making a dough, Giada uses store-bought pitas as the base. They’re topped with a creamy mascarpone spread, a salty bite of prosciutto, a lightly dressed arugula salad, and a fried egg. Serves 6

Ingredients

6 (6-inch) pita breads

Extra-virgin olive oil

6 large eggs

3/4 cup (6 ounces) mascarpone cheese

Grated zest of 1/2 large lemon

Kosher salt and freshly ground

black pepper

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 packed cups (3 ounces) arugula or baby spinach

8 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

Method: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat gas or charcoal grill. Brush each side of the pitas with 1/2-teaspoon olive oil. Then grill for 2-3 minutes on each side, until crisp.

Remove from the grill and cool slightly. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs directly into the pan and cook until the egg whites are set. Combine the mascarpone cheese, lemon zest, ½-teaspoon salt and ½- teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth. Add the arugula and toss until coated.

Spread each pita with 2 tablespoons of the mascarpone mixture. Divide the prosciutto on top. Divide the arugula and mound on top of the prosciutto. Carefully place a fried egg on top of each pita. Season the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper, and serve.

— From “Weeknights with Giada”

By Gideon Rubin

Baseball:

After suffering two straight losses that imperiled their Western League title aspirations, Cathedral Catholic bounced back with three consecutive wins.

The Dons snapped their skid with a 7-0 league win against Mater Dei on May 7. Then they swept a two game series from Coronado, winning 7-2 on May 9 and 5-0 two days later.

Alex Schick and Brendan Reh combined on a one-hitter to lead the Dons in the Mater Dei game. Schick allowed one walk in six innings, and Reh pitched a scoreless seventh.

Brady Aiken had three hits to lead the Dons offensively.

Stephen Gonsalves struck out 12 batters and allowed two runs on five hits in six innings to lead the Dons in the first Coronado game.

Hutton Moyer and Michael Martin each had three hits to lead the Dons offensively.

Aiken struck out 13 batters and allowed one walk in six shutout innings of one-hit ball to lead the Dons in the second game.

Gonsalves had three hits including a double.

The Dons improved to 8-2 in league and 24-5 overall for the season.

*****

Santa Fe Christian remained unbeaten in Coastal League South play as the Eagles extended their winning streak to five games.

The Eagles defeated Horizon 14-8 in a league game on May 8. That followed a  3-1 league win against Parker two days later.

Josh Estill was 4 for 4 with two homers and a double and drove in six runs to lead the Eagles in the Horizon game.

Bobby Zarubin pitched a two-hitter to lead the Eagles in the Parker game.

Estill was 2 for 3 with a triple to lead the Eagles offensively.

The Eagles improved to 6-0 in league and 22-5 overall for the season.

*****

Torrey Pines had a chance to move into a tie for first place in the Palomar League, but the Falcons couldn’t capitalize as they remained in second after losing two of three league games to Ramona.

The Falcons rebounded from a 4-3 loss in the series opener on May 7 with a 2-1 win two days later, but they lost the series finale 7-6.

Brock Larson struck out six batters and allowed one run and three walks in five innings of two-hit ball to lead the Falcons in their only win of the series.

The Falcons fell to 9-5 in league and 21-7-1 overall for the season.

Softball:

Torrey Pines closed out its regular season with three straight victories to win the Palomar League title.

The Falcons clinched the title with a 1-0 victory over Ramona on May 11. The win followed a 5-4 come-from-behind win against Westview two days earlier.

Rachel Nasland pitched a one-hit shutout to lead the Falcons in the Ramona game. She struck out nine batters and allowed no walks.

Lauren Hynes singled in the game’s only run for Torrey Pines in the bottom of the fifth inning.

In the Westview game, Lauren Filicia was 4 for 4 with two doubles and two RBI lead Torrey Pines.

The Falcons trailed 4-0 going into the top of the fourth inning and 4-2 going into the sixth, when they rallied for three runs.

The Falcons improved to 7-3 in league and 26-5 overall for the season.

Tennis:

Torrey Pines defeated Rancho Bernardo 11-7 in the San Diego Section Division I finals at Barnes Tennis Center on May 11.

Doubles partners Connor Eck and Adam Levie led the Falcons, winning all three games by 6-4, 6-2, and 6-1 scores.

The Falcons improved their overall record for the season to 22-2.

*****

Canyon Crest Academy defeated Cathedral Catholic 13-5 in the Division II finals.

Singles standout Evan Sheng led the Ravens, winning all the games by 6-2, 7-5 and 6-2 margins.

Doubles partners Ryan Preiss and Andy Prolman swept their opponents by  6-4, 6-2, and 6-3 scores.

The Ravens improved to 15-5 overall for the season. The Dons fell to 9-10.

Volleyball:

Santa Fe Christian defeated Coronado 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-19) in a Division IV quarterfinal on May 11.

Nathan Ross had 18 kills to lead the Eagles, and setter Cole Shields contributed 32 assists.

The Eagles improved their overall record for the season to 13-5.

*****

Torrey Pines defeated Grossmont 3-2 in a San Diego Section Division I playoff quarterfinal on May 11.

Jake Reeves had 30 kills and 21 assists to lead the Falcons and Emerson Ye had 32 assists.

The Falcons improved their overall record for the season to 20-13.

Lacrosse:

Cathedral Catholic defeated Santa Fe Christian 11-9 in a San Diego Section Division II playoff quarterfinal on May 11.

Chelsea Mapes and Kira Williamson each scored three goals to lead the Dons.

Christin Garner scored three goals in defeat for the Eagles.

The Dons improved to 12-10 overall for the season. The Eagles fell to 13-4.

After a closed meeting held May 16, the Del Mar Union School District board released the following statement regarding its search for a new superintendent to replace retiring superintendent James Peabody:

“During the last two years the Del Mar Union School District has been working through a strategic management process that has clearly defined its vision, mission and long-term goals, along with the actions to achieve them.   By providing a nurturing, inspiring, and rigorous educational experience for each of our students, the district has moved forward with a renewed purpose and energy.

“The Board believes that to sustain the momentum that has been created the district needs to have continuity in leadership with someone who understands the culture of the district and the intricacies of the strategic management plan.   In addition, they are looking for a professional leader who can communicate the district’s vision to all stakeholders.

“The Board realizes that this is the most important decision they will make and will make it being well informed.  Therefore, they have met with parents, teachers (current and former), administrators (current and former), former Del Mar and other area board members as well as individuals at the San Diego County Office of Education.

“After careful consideration, the Board of Trustees has decided to consider internal candidates to fill the Superintendent position.  Board Policy 2120 allows the Board to promote from within the district without doing a superintendent search.  If at the end of that process they do not select a candidate, they will immediately begin a comprehensive superintendent search.”

Timeline

Action Timeframe Continue to collect information about internal candidates May 17 – 22 Discuss candidates in closed session May 23 Conduct interviews May 24- 30 Announce Board decision June 6 Special Board Meeting If there is a successful candidate ratify a contract June 27 Regular Board Meeting If there is not a successful candidate start comprehensive search Action at June 27 Regular Board Meeting Name interim superintendent July 25 Board Meeting Announce new superintendent 4 to 6 months later

Pam Simmons, Nan Criqui and Hilde Koesson ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 6

Originated especially for the First Thursday series, “Scott Paulson, World Premier Radio Drama,” a comedic radio drama, was set in 1940 Del Mar, with flashbacks to Del Mar in the 1920s. The performance, which was held May 3 at the Powerhouse Community Center, featured live music with old-school radio sound effects. The performance featured Scott Paulson, an orchestral oboist, who serves as the University Carillonneur at UC San Diego, Annie Hinton, actor, also a teacher, writer, producer and director, and Linda Libby, a teaching artist for Playwrights Project, San Diego.

Photos/Tanys Evangelisti

Caroline De Mar, Denise Clark ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 12

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito (UUFSD) in Solana Beach hosted a fundraising Cinco de Mayo auction/party on May 5. This year’s auction was the Fellowship’s most successful fundraiser ever.  Well over 100 people enjoyed the festivities, and over $22,500 was raised at the silent and live auctions.   The fellowship’s fundraisers and the volunteer efforts of its members help build homes in Mexico, support the Monarch project for homeless teens, and provide food, materials, and volunteers for the Community Resource Center in Encinitas.

Photos: Rob McKenzie

Students show off their completed, decorated mummy.

San Diego Jewish Academy teacher Amy Civin has taken a very unique, hands-on approach to teaching her students about ancient Egypt and the art of mummification. Her two sixth grade classes went through a seven-week process of mummifying a chicken.

The students took a chicken — dubbed “King Kluck” — and prepared its body with Natron, (a mixture of baking soda and salt), a mixture that the Egyptians used for mummification as it absorbs water and acts as a drying agent.

Students read their narratives on the life of King Kluck.

Each week the students cleaned, re-stuffed, dried and freshened the chicken carcass, monitoring its weight and other details, such as its smell. The students equated the smell to “rotten fish” and “wet dog,” but they coated the chicken in cinnamon to cover it up.

After seven weeks of preparing King Kluck’s body, the students wrapped him up like a mummy on Friday, May 11. They decorated the mummy with jewels and glitter and placed him in the class sarcophagus they designed.

As part of their farewell to King Kluck, students read the narratives they wrote on what they thought King Kluck’s life was like, and enjoyed party snacks.

— Karen Billing

Girl Scout Troop 1248 recently helped the UCSD Bannister Family House as part of earning their Girl Scout Bronze Award. Similar to Ronald McDonald House, Bannister House is an organization that houses families of hospital patients. Bannister House gives these families, most of whom live out of the area, a place to stay and a stable home environment until their family member is well enough to leave the hospital.

Back row (left to right): Delaney Jacobs, Gretchen Burklund, Mila Trombley, Daisy Waters, Jennifer DeSantis, Lucy Rose; front row (left to right): Nina Mao, Jessie Frimodig, Claire Andrews, Hannah Clark, Deanne Allouche, Shayna Leeds.

As part of their Bronze Award service project, Troop 1248 set up a canned food drive for Bannister House at Solana Pacific Elementary School and in troop members’ neighborhoods. The troop hand delivered the canned foods to the Bannister House, which is located in Hillcrest, and cooked residents a homemade taco dinner.  Many families came to the dinner and remarked that the tacos tasted amazing.

The following are quotes from some of the girls in Troop 1248 on how they felt after the project was complete. Jenny DeSantis: “I felt that I did something decent for other people and that it was reasonable; it was something that had to be done.” Claire Andrews: “I felt good doing something nice.”  Daisy Waters: “It made me feel really good doing something nice.”  Delaney Jacobs: “I felt great giving them food.”  Jessie Frimodig: “I thought it was awesome really giving them food at a time when they needed it.”  Deanne: “I felt awesome.”  Nina Mao: “I felt good giving them food that they needed.”  Shayna Leeds: “I feel that it is a nice thing to do.”  Lucy Rose: “I felt glad talking to them and giving them food.”  Gretchen Burklund:  “I was glad to be able to help.”

Overall, the troop members felt it was a valuable experience to give to others and work as a team throughout the project.

By Claire Harlin
editor@delmartimes.net

A new restaurant opened in Solana Beach on May 8, but only for one night.

As part of the Kids Cafe cooking class at the Center for a Healthy Lifestyle, 11 children ages 5 to 12 put on a four-course meal, start to finish, for nearly 50 people — mainly their parents and friends — and they called their one-night cafe the “Moustache Freshtaurant.”

Amanda Curry with ‘Moustache Freshtaurant’ staff. Photo: Claire Harlin

The kids spent a month learning the basics of healthy cooking from instructor Amanda Curry, the center’s director and also the host of the SD4 cooking show “The Good Food Factory.” During that time, the kids not only came up with all the recipes themselves, but they learned how to entertain a crowd.

“The kids all arrived, washed their hands and got started in the kitchen with Amanda,” said Patti Keyes, the creative director of the cooking show. “They knew exactly what to expect. They had teams with their own jobs. They cleaned and set the tables … They had candles on the tables and the whole time all I could hear was giggles and laughter.”

On the menu was a “funky freschetta” appetizer, a mango and quinoa “freshalad,” a “rocking’ chicken and edgy veggies,” and homemade ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

Curry said one of the “most magical moments” of the entire experience was when one of the kids rattled off the entire menu by heart the previous week during a practice class.

“He knew every single ingredient, word for word, and finished with ‘Enjoy your meal’,” said Curry. “You could tell he had been practicing it at home.”

Curry said one of the kids, Isabella, learned about the class from watching the “Good Food Factory,” which airs almost daily on SD4.

“It was magical for her,” said Keyes. “She came in and she was star-struck to meet Amanda in person.”

Curry added, “She was the youngest one, only 5 years old, and she was so composed.”

The kids collected tips at the event — $205.26 to be exact — and all proceeds were donated to Rady Children’s Hospital. Twenty percent of ticket sales went back to the Center for a Healthy Lifestyle, housed under the Boys and Girls Club and located at 533 Lomas Santa Fe Drive.

Curry said she plans on holding another Kids Cafe class in the summer, in which the kids will get to once again create and name their own cafe.

For more information on Curry and “The Good Food Factory,” visit www.thegoodfoodfactory.com.

By Catharine L. Kaufman

TV chefs are the new rock starts of our pop culture.

Recently, Giada De Laurentiis, while on tour for her sixth cookbook, “Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner,” made several appearances in San Diego. If Julia Child had risen from the dead to sign her culinary Bible, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” the line would not have been as long as it was for this petite Food Network powerhouse.

Below is a twist on a piadina, an Italian flatbread. For weeknight ease, instead of making a dough, Giada uses store-bought pitas as the base. They’re topped with a creamy mascarpone spread, a salty bite of prosciutto, a lightly dressed arugula salad, and a fried egg. Serves 6

Ingredients

6 (6-inch) pita breads

Extra-virgin olive oil

6 large eggs

3/4 cup (6 ounces) mascarpone cheese

Grated zest of 1/2 large lemon

Kosher salt and freshly ground

black pepper

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 packed cups (3 ounces) arugula or baby spinach

8 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

•Method: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat gas or charcoal grill. Brush each side of the pitas with 1/2-teaspoon olive oil. Then grill for 2-3 minutes on each side, until crisp.

Remove from the grill and cool slightly. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs directly into the pan and cook until the egg whites are set. Combine the mascarpone cheese, lemon zest, ½-teaspoon salt and ½- teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth. Add the arugula and toss until coated.

Spread each pita with 2 tablespoons of the mascarpone mixture. Divide the prosciutto on top. Divide the arugula and mound on top of the prosciutto. Carefully place a fried egg on top of each pita. Season the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper, and serve.

— From “Weeknights with Giada”

For the entire Kitchen Shrink column, visit www.delmartimes.net

Do you want to travel the world, but are afraid you don’t have enough money?  Are you nervous about the unknowns of traveling?  Sampson California Realty will be hosting a free special event and book signing on “Plan Your Escape: How To Travel the World For Less Than the Cost of Living at Home” on Thursday, May 31, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Sampson California Realty office at 12702 Via Cortina, Suite 101 in Del Mar. Wayne and Pat Dunlap, a Del Mar couple, rented their home and traveled the world for two years, visiting 51 countries.  As a result of their travels, they wrote a book called “Plan Your Escape: Secrets of Traveling the World for Less Than the Cost of Living at Home.”  This step-by-step guide to traveling the world “gets people exploring possibilities they never thought of,” said Wayne Dunlap.

During this fabulous evening, you will learn how to safely realize and afford your travel dreams for trips from a weekend getaway to a month or more.  Wayne Dunlap, a former economics professor and experienced world traveler and his travel partner and wife, Pat Dunlap, will discuss powerful cost-saving tips, including proven secrets the travel industry does not want you to know.  Learn how to get the best deals on airfare, hotels, tours, car rentals, restaurants, cruises and more.

To register for this event, contact SCR at 858-699-1145 or via email at info@scr-sandiego.com. For more information on Sampson California Reality, visit www.scr-sandiego.com

By Frank La Rosa

There is only one way to grow delicious vegetable, and that is by beginning with excellent earth that you prepare yourself.

First, raising the level of the vegetable bed 12”-18” above the grade helps greatly in providing good earth and adequate depth for root growth. I used chunks of concrete taken from broken up drive ways and I mortared them together, finishing off the top edges level and smooth. This is permanent and blends in nicely with a natural looking garden. Even though this raised garden is only about 12’ by 12’, it supplies a varied supply of vegetables.

Another way to make a raised bed is with planks: 12” by 12” pressure treated Douglas fir or redwood. This also looks good. Stake the corners with 18” rebar and nail the ends together. Or, you can use appropriately size concrete blocks and stake them with rebar. Both methods are easy to get, the materials being available at Dixieline or Home Depot.

Now begin the process of creating the earth within the bed. I use the word “earth” because it carries, at least for me, a connotation of those hand-created, natural things like baked bed, that people respect, unless I am ordering topsoil, which can also be good.

Spade up the area inside the confines so that an integrative connection will be made between the substrate and the new earth that you “make.” This creates a good interface encouraging drainage and long roots. Tomato roots can grow better and deeper.

Fill in the bed with earth—you might need to buy a yard of that “topsoil” to start with. Lay it about a foot or more deep. Grasp a fistful of this earth in your hand, squeeze it, and if releases into a crumbly, friable mass, it is perfect for the next step. It should smell good, almost like a bran muffin. Remember, what garden earth assimilates will go into our bodies.

For water retention spade in peat moss or redwood compost. Half a bale each is enough for the area here. Mix it in well by spading, first in one direction and then in another. Try not to walk on it too much as thing ruins the friable quality.

Provide for aeration by chopping or spading in particulate pumice. Plant Depot and Walter Andersons sell it.

Next is the nutrient balance. Sprinkle in three or four handfuls of nitrogen (N). Sprinkle in five or six handfuls of bone meal for phosphorous (P), which is the flowering and fruiting amendment for vegetables. Add some Sol-Po-Mag for potassium (K) and other elements. This mixture stimulates stems, roots leaves, and the taste of the vegetables.  The N, P, K, balance is complete. Your are ready to set out the plantlets, or seeds.

As the years go by, not many more amendments will be necessary. Keep an eye, and a hand, on how the earth looks and feels. Add 16-16-16 fertilizer sparingly, and remember that the process of creating good earth take a little time; “What is made with time, time respects”!

Nick Snyder, Blake Tellefsen, Liam Carr ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 14

On May 11, students, family members and teachers from Solana Pacific School ran in the popular annual Amazing Quest event. Teams raced through Del Mar Highlands shopping center. This family event was organized by Amazing Quest and the Solana Pacific PTA.

Amazing Quest is a unique event where participants are divided into teams and race against each other performing physical feats, mental challenges and work together to overcome obstacles.

For more information, visit www.theamazingquest.com.

Photos: Rob McKenzie

By Karen Billing

The draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the Interstate 5/State Route 56 connectors project will be released on Friday, May 18. Public input is encouraged and must be sent in by July 2 on the alternatives to make the missing connections between westbound SR-56 and northbound I-5, and southbound I-5 and eastbound SR-56.

The EIR will be available for online viewing at keepsandiegomoving.com and a hard copy will be available at the Carmel Valley Library. A public meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 13, at Del Mar Hills Academy from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Looking at the timeline, Caltrans I-5 Corridor Director Allan Kosup said Caltrans expects to make its decision on the preferred alternative by late 2012. The final EIR would be released in late 2013, with project construction targeted for 2020-2030 if any build option is selected.

“I don’t see this moving ahead until I-5 is widened in this stretch and right now it’s targeted for the 2020-2030 time frame,” Kosup said.

Kosup said that this is the last chance to do the connections here because once the widening project occurs, it will be too cost-prohibitive and expensive to go back and retrofit for some kind of linkage of 5 and 56.

“We’re trying to incorporate into the I-5 project, that’s really the urgency to make a decision on what (the connection) should look like,” Kosup said.

The project’s steering committee met on Tuesday for a “Cliff’s Notes” version of the DEIR findings, the group’s first meeting in almost two years. Very little has changed about the five alternatives that are studied in the document: The no-build option; a direct connector; the auxiliary lane alternative; the hybrid alternative; and the hybrid with flyover connecting east-bound Carmel Valley Road to eastbound SR-56 and the northbound portion of the direct connector.

Kosup said the goal is to develop a project that is sensitive to the community and the environment while addressing local congestion, cut-through traffic and regional connections.

“The DEIR helps us find if the benefit of the project is worth the cost and the impacts,” Kosup said. “There are no perfect alternatives, none perform the best in all the areas. We have to find the balance.”

The DEIR includes nearly 20 technical reports on key issues of congestion relief, noise, visual impacts, right of way, environment and cost-effectiveness. Kosup said that the DEIR is “deluged” with traffic information.

In initial findings, the DEIR reports that in all the alternatives but no-build, the freeway pulls about 9,000 trips out of city streets in the westbound 56 commute in the morning hours. The direct connector pulls about 12,000 trips off the city streets in the eastbound direction during the evening commute, while the same benefits aren’t seen with other alternatives.

In addition to relieving local congestion, the DEIR shows the impacts of the alternatives in travel times.

The report also looks at the “significant” proposed noise abatement program, with sound walls and the possibility of using a new type of pavement to reduce noise. The report also includes options for the Portofino Drive neighborhood above I-5 to attempt to minimize the impacts of the direct connector alternative and attempt to leave it better by increasing the usable space of yards and landscaping.

“If that alternative is selected, we definitely want to sit down with the community and figure out how to best do things,” Kosup said.

In all options the Del Mar Heights bridge will be replaced, so the report also looks at potential improvements to the bridge with bike and pedestrian lanes and plantings.

For more information or to view or download the DEIR, visit keepsandiegomoving.com.

The City of Solana Beach and Solana Beach Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5431 will co-host a Memorial Day ceremony from 11 a.m. to noon on Monday, May 28, at La Colonia Community Center, 715 Valley Avenue.

Camp Pendleton Young Marines will be the honor guard. State Senator Mark Wyland will be the guest speaker, as well as Solana Beach Mayor Joe Kellejian and Randy Treadway, Post Commander for VFW Post 5431.

The Santa Fe Christian School Band will perform patriotic songs. A special “Doves from Heaven” release will be provided by Joe and Leslie Irwin. The Veteran’s Memorial wall, which honors the service of all Solana Beach Veterans of Foreign Wars, will be available for viewing. Docents from the Civic and Historical Society will be on hand to conduct tours of the Historical Museum. Light refreshments will be served. The event is free of charge and open to the public. For more information, please call 858-720-2453.

Fred Schenk

San Diego law firm Casey Gerry Schenk Francavilla Blatt & Penfield, LLP, has been appointed by U.S.  District Court Judge Anita Brody to serve on the Plaintiffs Steering Committee which is overseeing national MDL litigation against the National Football League (NFL) alleging that multiple concussions can lead to long-term brain injuries. Casey Gerry is one of only nine law firms in the nation – and the only one in San Diego – serving on the leadership committee.

Firm partner and Carmel Valley resident Frederick Schenk will represent the firm on the Steering Committee, which is charged with overseeing pre-trial discovery; coordinating, submitting and arguing pre-trial motions; deposing and examining witnesses; introducing evidence at hearings; and negotiating stipulations and settlements with defendants. Also playing a role is partner and Carmel Valley resident Robert Francavilla, who will serve on the medicine and science sub-committee, which will retain experts and research the medical and scientific literature to help identify the relationship between playing football and developing head injuries.

According to Schenk, the lawsuits, which earlier this year were ordered to be consolidated in a Philadelphia federal court, are focused on compelling the NFL to provide medical monitoring for cumulative head trauma for former players who are – or could in the future be – victims of the repetitive traumatic brain injury they sustained while playing in the league. “The league has known for years of the inherent dangers of multiple blows to the head, but delayed sharing their knowledge with the players,” Schenk said.

Robert Francavilla

Added Francavilla, who has worked on numerous personal injury cases involving serious head injuries, “we believe it is the NFL’s duty to warn the players of the dangers, to protect them on the field and to educate them about the immediate and long-term effects of concussions.”

The relationship between concussions and subsequent emotional distress has been documented in numerous studies, and these findings have resulted in more than 1,700 players filing suit since 2011 including the most recent on May 3 in the US District Federal Court in Georgia. Fueling the litigation – as well as renewed focus on the consequences of multiple concussions – is the tragic suicide of former San Diego Charger’s football player Junior Seau, although it is yet to be medically determined whether he suffered the kind of head injuries that have led to depression and dementia.

All of the lawsuits contend the league has not done enough to educate players or to protect them from concussions and multiple blows to the heads. The former players also allege that the league failed to care for them afterwards.

About Casey Gerry
Celebrating more than 65 years in San Diego, Casey Gerry was established in 1947, and is the oldest plaintiffs’ law firm in San Diego. The firm’s 14 attorneys practice in numerous areas, including asbestos, personal injury, product liability and pharmaceutical litigation. Located in the Banker’s Hill neighborhood of San Diego, the firm also has a satellite office in Carlsbad, Calif. For more information, call (619) 238-1811 or visit  www.caseygerry.com.

The annual Community Memorial Day Service will be held at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Monday, May 28, at 11 a.m. After a traditional service of hymns and prayer, there will be a Memorial Roll Call, during which names of deceased members of the armed services will be read. The service will conclude with Taps.

The featured speaker for this year’s Memorial Day Service is Lt. Col. Larry G. Brown, USMC. He is currently assigned to Third Marine Air Wing, MCAS Miramar. Larry, his wife, and two daughters are active members of St. Peter’s.

Please contact the church office at 858-755-1616 as soon as possible if you would like to include the name of a deceased military member, so that they may be remembered and prayed for during this important service. St. Peter’s Del Mar is located at 334 14th St. in Del Mar Village, one block east of Highway 101.

By Claire Harlin
editor@delmartimes.net

The Coastal Communities Concert Band is holding a particularly special performance on May 20, which will celebrate the work of longtime band member and Del Mar resident Bruce Warnock, 93.

The award-winning band, directed by Dr. Robert Fleming, will perform Warnock’s original “Del March,” written about San Diego’s Hotel Del, Fleming said. Warnock has played trumpet in the band for nearly 25 years, but now suffers from a post-polio condition. The band will also perform a piece called “Dirty Dish Rag,” also written by Warnock.

Warnock said his musical career dates back to the 1920s in Chicago, where he grew up. He said he remembers riding the streetcar when he was 9 to play at the Paul Rader’s Tabernacle Orchestra on the far north side of Chicago. He also tried out for the Major Bowes Amateur Hour in New York at a young age and continued traveling the country for two years, playing in cities from coast to coast. He traveled by bus and made $35 per week.

Warnock taught public school music for 15 years in Illinois and Michigan, and moved to San Diego to become a real estate broker.

The performance will take place at 2 p.m. at the Carlsbad Community Church, located at the corner of Jefferson and Pine Streets in Carlsbad. The cost is $15 for general admission and $12 for seniors and students. For purchases in advance, contact Kris Sims at (760) 436-6137. Information is available at www.cccband.com.