Coronado Lifestyle Magazine - Holiday 2009

Coronado Lifestyle

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CORONADO LIFESTYLE

941 Orange Avenue, Suite 306 Coronado, CA 92118

www.lifestylemags.com

Coronado Holiday 2009

L I F E S T Y L E Annual Holiday Gift Guide!

Holiday 2009

Ranch House Goes Retro Coronnado home unites indoors/outdo inndoors/outdooors — plus, it’s oh so green!

THEE NEW SOLAR SYSTEEMS | RESTORING OLD D PHOTOSS THEE TEN TEENORS’ GUID DE TO THEIR LAND DOW WN UNDEER Holiday 09 cover form.indd 1

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SCENE LE T TERIN FROM THE THE CIT YEDITOR

Thank goodness we have one another!

What a downright grueling year it’s been, a year that broke the backs of many a business not only here in Coronado but all around America. Except for those bonuswielding stockbrokers, who I swear will be the last things surviving on this earth along with the locusts someday.

Hmmm…not a bad image to hold onto. But I do digress!

Now more than ever, I’m thankful to be part of this community, where I can be uplifted at a garden club meeting, perked up by friends and Luis’ coffee outside Bay Books and filled with pride when I see those Rotary flags on the avenue.

There’s lot of good reads inside, and do go see those blokes from Australia, the Ten Tenors, this month. They’re fun.

Now, rather than me telling y’all to shop Coronado this holiday season, let me turn over the baton to a good friend who always makes me smile, Dr. Suzanne Popp.

Happy Holidays!

Kris Grant

“Personal shopping” at its best Recently I felt the need to go shopping. My first instinct was to go to a mall, but as I drove down Orange Avenue, I decided to check out some of the local shops. I started at Club Paris. I was greeted by Elena, the sister of the owner. She was extremely pleasant, informative and not pushing for the sale. I found some great jeans and a beautiful top.

On down the street I went, next stopping at La Mer. I was hoping to see Mary Ann Berta, the owner, but instead, Julie was there. Again I was treated like gold. Julie encouraged me to try a few different styles and colors. I left very happily with several new blouses. I walked back down the street to my favorite gift shop, Charisma. It happens to be owned by my pretty sister-in-law, Barbara Griffith. I made a few purchases there too.

The bottom line is, these stores are beautifully stocked, owned by locals and they need your business. You will have the feel of a personal shopping assistant. I fear that we will lose more shops and our downtown will be empty again. It has taken many years to develop a beautiful downtown and it continues to be developed, most recently with the redesign of Rotary Park. With the holidays quickly approaching, why not do your shopping in Coronado, with personalized assistance, easier parking and great clothing, accessories, gifts and treats? Please shop local.

Dr. Suzanne M. M. Popp Advanced Cosmetic Dentistry 2 Coronado Lifestyle • Holiday 2009

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Inside Features 26 Palm Springs Retro by Kris Grant A “vanilla” ranch house goes green with a major remodel in keeping with a new millennium.

35 Restoration miracles by Kris Grant New technology and good old patience pair up in beautiful comebacks of paintings, photos.

54 Stickley Furniture by Kris Grant

Karen Straus/San Diego Audubon Society

54

Legendary Arts & Crafts manufacturer continues American-made hand craftsmanship.

60 Attracting birds and butterflies to your garden

by Shannon Player Audubon Society of San Diego’s new program shows you how to make your yard a native wonderland.

60

43 Look what’s in Santa’s Bag! It’s our Holiday Gift Guide, with lots of treasures from Coronado shops.

Now it’s your turn to give Santa a hand...get out there on the avenue!

64 The new solar systems

by Kris Grant Harnessing the sun is an idea that now makes perfect financial sense.

70 Hooked by Kris Grant

74

Clayton Fisher’s World War II career provides a frontrow cockpit seat to the Big One’s biggest battles.

73 Canine Nutrition by Lisa Reynolds 74 The Ten Tenors’ Top Ten List to Australia.

by Kris Grant The Aussies sing the praises of lesser known travel destinations Down Under.

© Tourism Australia

“What’s for dinner?” ask our four-legged friends.

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Departments

Coronado L I F E S T Y L E

6 Calendar

Holiday 2009 • Vol. 8, No. 4

14 Scene in the City 81 Tidbits 84 Dining Review: Fuel Juice Bar

by The Underground Gourmet

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Kris Grant kgrant@lifestylemags.com Production Assistant Lisa Reynolds Art Director Lu Wolford Smith Advertising Art Directors Teri Andre, Martina Schimitschek Webmaster Meghan Kennedy

86 Veno, Vidi, Vino!

by Samantha Metzger Dessert Wines provide sweet endings.

90 Dining Listings 86

Photography Greg Lambert, Lisa Reynolds Contributors Patty Cowan, Shannon Player, Samantha Metzger, Lisa Reynolds

CORONADO LIFESTYLE 941 Orange Avenue, Suite 306 Coronado, CA 92118 (619) 522-0900 [phone] • (619) 906-4106 [fax] www.lifestylemags.com

About The Cover

ADVERTISING: For advertising information, please call Kris Grant, (619) 522-0900 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Coronado Lifestyle is mailed free of charge to all Coronado residents and businesses. The magazine is also available by subscription ($12 annually, 4 issues) to people interested in the Coronado lifestyle who live off the island (in the U.S.). To subscribe, call (619) 522-0900.

Maureen Steiner’s Alameda Avenue home remodel took full advantage of Coronado’s mild climate, creating seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor living spaces.

The publisher assumes no responsibiity for unsolicited materials and cannot guarantee the return of original art or photos. Reproduction of any material in this publication without the publisher’s written consent is expressly prohibited.

COPYRIGHT 2009 KRIS GRANT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE USA

Cover photo by Greg Lambert

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photo by Ken Jacques

C ALENDAR

Dec. 13–17 An American Christmas presented by the Hotel del Coronado and performed by Lamb’s Players Theatre

Theatre and Entertainment

Argo, Best of Yacht Club 2008

photo by Marv Sloben, courtesy San Diego Bay Parade of Lights

Dec. 1–27 Lamb’s Players: Festival of Christmas

Dec. 13 and 20 San Diego Bay Parade of Lights

This year, Lamb’s Players’ original holiday play is set in a small-town recording studio that is struggling to stay afloat in these hard economic times.

Proprietors Chris and Soho launch a scheme to keep the studio alive while charming and eccentric characters rally around them. With music from the season, this timely tale is sure to be a holiday treat.

(619) 437-0600

Dec. 8—13 The Ten Tenors Holiday Program The Australian singing group returns to San Diego Civic Theatre to serenade audiences with holiday classics as well as songs from their new album Nostalgica. (619) 570-1100

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C ALENDAR Dec. 11–13 CoSA presents The Cracked Nut When the nut cracks, the magic begins with hip-hopping mice, snowflake-throwing ballerinas, percolating coffee and a garden of lollipops and sugarplums. A Coronado School of the Arts production. Dec. 11, 12 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 13 at 2 p.m.

Dec. 13–27 An American Christmas

Dec. 16–20 San Diego Symphony’s Winter Pops Movin’ Out star Michael Cavanaugh, last year’s Summer Pops sensation return to the Symphony

photo by Craig Schwartz, courtesy Old Globe Theater

The Hotel Del Coronado is pleased to present the annual production An American Christmas, performed by the award-winning Lamb’s Players Theatre in the Ballroom. The Marshall

family — played by 30 versatile performers who never miss a beat — welcome you to an interactive lavish feast and celebration set in the year 1909. Beginning with hors d’oeuvres, the Marshalls entertain their guests with stories, songs, dance and laughter, all woven around a sumptuous four-course yuletide dinner prepared

by The Del’s master chefs. It’s a perfect melding of food, ambience and showmanship. For information and tickets, contact the Lamb’s Players Box Office at (619) 437-0600

Through Dec. 27 Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas at the Old Globe Holiday 2009 • Coronado Lifestyle 7

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Subscribe NOW! A look ahead at the 2010 seasons: Lambs Player’s Theatre

photo by Ken Jacques

An Inspector Calls “Mystery and Intrigue,” Feb. 5–Mar. 21 The Rivalry Relive the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Apr. 2–May 18 Harvey Meet Elmer Dowd and his best friend, a 6 foot invisible white rabbit Jun 4–July 18 The miX Tape “A journey through the ’80s.”

Aug. 6–Sept. 18 The Glory Man Retrace the roots to Habitat for Humanity with the sounds of Appalachian and gospel music. Oct. 1–Nov. 14 (619) 437-0600; lambsplayer.org

Coronado Playhouse Cinderella If the shoes fits, she’ll find her Prince. Apr. 23–May 30 The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece. July 9–Aug. 8 Julius Caesar The free Shakespeare festival continues! Sept. 10–Oct. 3 Dracula Just in time for Halloween, the world’s most famous vampire arises. Oct. 22–Nov. 28 (619) 435-4856; coronadoplayhouse.com

Broadway San Diego Legally Blonde Mar. 30–Apr. 4 Cirque Dreams Illumination Apr. 13–18 101 Dalmations June 1–6 In the Heights July 27–Aug. 1 (619) 570-1100; broadwaysd.com

photo by Joan Marcus

Legally Blonde

The Old Globe Theater Whisper House Jan 13–Feb. 21 Lost in Yonkers Jan. 23–Feb. 28 Boeing-Boeing Mar. 13–Apr. 18 Alive and Well Mar. 20–Apr. 25 What You Will May 1–June 6 The Whipping Man May 8–June 13 King Lear June 12–Sept. 26 The Taming of the Shrew June 12–Sept. 26 The Madness of George III June 12–Sept. 26 Robin and the 7 Hoods July 14–Aug. 22 The Last Romance July 30–Sept. 5 (619) 23-GLOBE (234-5623) Oldglobe.org

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C ALENDAR to host Sa Diego’s favorite holiday music tradition at Copley Symphony Hall. Concert also features the San Diego Master Chorale and Mariachi Champana Nevin. Conductor, Matthew Garbutt.

(619) 235-0804; sandiegosymphony.com

Dec. 26 Moscow Ballet presents the Great Russian Nutcracker The Moscow Ballet’s 2009 holiday tour comes to Copley Symphony Hall. Seasoned ballet dancers Ekaterina Bortykova and Akzhol Mussakhanov star as Masha and the Nutcracker Prince. Set designer Valentin Fedorov creates a world of whimsy with hand-painted backdrops and life-sized dancing puppets. (800) 745-3000; nutcracker.com

Dec. 26–30 Shen Yun The Chinese performing arts group comes to the San Diego Civic Theatre as part of their world tour of more than 30 countries. Combining

classical Chinese dance with a full orchestra and a state-of-the-art digital backdrop, the company presents dazzling routines inspired by ancient Chinese mythology. (619) 570-1100

Through Dec. 27 Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas!

The whimsical children’s book turned stage play returns to the Old Globe for its twelfth year running. With music, fun and plenty of holiday spirit the Christmas classic is sure to please the whole family. (619)-234-5623, oldglobe.org/tickets

Jan. 15–17 Jesus Christ Superstar San Diego Civic Theatre hosts the first collaboration from Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, featuring Ted Neeley in the starring role. With a score that includes hits like I Don’t Know How to Love Him, Hosanna and What’s the Buzz, this one is sure to get your toes tapping.

(619) 570-1100

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C ALENDAR Nations of Dance returns to CoSA Nations of San Diego International Dance is Southern California’s largest ethnic dance festival featuring 15 traditional performances from around the globe an over 150 extraordinary dancers and entertainers. Jan. 15, 16 at 8 p.m.; Jan. 16, 17 at 2 p.m. Coronado High Performing Arts Center; tickets at nationsdancefestival.com or (619) 522-4050 ext 2.

Jan. 22–23 A Night at the Academy Awards: A Winter Pops Concert Start your Oscar celebration early by reviewing award-winning movie soundtracks. Conductor Bill Conti, who composed the score from the film Rocky, will guide you through Hollywood’s musical high points at Copley Symphony Hall; a San Diego Symphony “Winter Pops Concert.”

(619) 235-0804; sandiegosymphony.com

Jan. 29–Mar. 7 Coronado Playhouse: Wild Party Adapted from a book-length poem written in

and about the Roaring Twenties, Andrew Lippa’s Wild Party tells the story of one wild evening in the Manhattan apartment shared by Queenie and Burrs, a vaudeville dancer and a vaudeville clown. In a relationship marked by vicious behavior and recklessness (mirroring the time in which they live), they decide to throw a party to end all parties. As the guests arrive, we meet an assortment of people living on the edge.

(619) 435-4856

Around Town Nov. 25–Jan. 3 Hotel del Coronado “Merry & Bright” Holiday Festival The Hotel del Coronado has been celebrating the holidays in grand tradition since 1888. It was here in 1904 that America was favored with the first electrically lighted outdoor Christmas tree, setting the stage for over a century of holiday enchantment. This year the lights on that one tree have grown to more than 100,000 glittering lights illuminating the resort and a spectacular

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oceanfront ice skating rink. Here, one can ice skate while overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The oceanfront Windsor Lawn will be transformed into a spectacular ice rink with skating sessions offered daily. A portion of the skating proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego. (619) 522-8490, hoteldel.com

Nov. 28 Scottish Treasures Open House Hike up your kilt and come over to the Ferry Landing between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Enjoy Scottish Highland dancers, bagpipe music and free Scottish cuisine, including homemade haggis and shortbread. If that’s not enough to lure you, there will also be deeply discounted Scottish treasures for everyone on your Christmas list. (619) 435-1880

December 2 “Holiday Festival…A Family Celebration” As part of their “Merry & Bright” Holiday Festival, the Hotel Del will host a special event for the whole family. In addition to the outdoor ice rink, kids of all ages can visit with St. Nick and his elves at Santa’s Village and enjoy hot cocoa, libations, festive entertainment and fireworks.

(619) 522-8490

Dec. 4 The 34th Annual Coronado Holiday Open House & Christmas Parade An evening of holiday cheer for the whole family.

Come see the Coronado Ferry Landing transformed into a mini North Pole, complete with Santa, gifts and even snow. Here’s the schedule: Snow Mountain Children can frolic in Coronado’s version of a snowy Christmas at the Coronado Ferry Landing. Sponsored by the Unified Port of San Diego and the city of Coronado. 4-8 p.m.

Santa Claus Comes to Town, arriving by ferry at the Coronado Ferry Landing pier. 4:20 p.m.

Merchant Open House 5:30-9 p.m.

Christmas Parade Bands, floats, kids of all ages, dogs and festive electric carts parade down Orange Avenue between Eighth Street and R.H. Dana Place. 6 p.m.

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and Community Concert.

Santa and the mayor of Coronado flip the switch to light the Christmas Tree at the bigger and Holiday 2009 • Coronado Lifestyle 11

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C ALENDAR

Concert at Ninth and Orange 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m.

For more information call the Coronado Visitor Center at (619) 437-8788

names, why Navy SEALs are called “frogmen” and why “sand managers” were contracted by the city in the 1930s. The museum at 1100 Orange Ave. is open daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (619) 437-8788

Dec. 5 The 37th Annual Artisan’s Alley Craft Fair

Every Tuesday: Farmer’s Market

Village Elementary School playground turns into a fanciful bazaar with more than 170 booths offering holiday crafts, toys, jewelry, clothing and food. 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

(619) 243-1350

Dec. 6 Coronado Ferry Landing Concert—Stiletto’s Enjoy free musical entertainment between 1 and 4 p.m.

Dec. 12 Breakfast with Santa Festivities at the Coronado Community Center start with a hot breakfast, featuring buttermilk pancakes, sausages, orange juice, coffee and delicious applesauce. Crafts and various holiday entertainments follow, topped off with a visit from Santa Claus. $10, adults; $8, children, 16 and under.

(619) 522-7342

Dec. 13 and Dec. 20 San Diego Bay Parade of Lights — “Christmas at the Zoo” After a fireworks extravaganza, more than 80 “boat floats” decked out in their holiday best will sail around the San Diego Bay, starting from the east end of Shelter Island. This year’s theme is “Christmas at the Zoo.” Fireworks start

photo by Elazar Harel

brighter Rotary Plaza. 7 p.m.

Jan. 15–17 Nations of Dance returns to CoSA

at 5:30 p.m.; floats are set to pass by the Coronado Ferry Landing at approximately 7:30 p.m. (619) 224-2240

Dec 15 Hanukkah Story Hour.

A story hour for all ages at 10:30 a.m. in Coronado Public Library’s Winn Room. The event will feature holiday stories, songs and latkes (Yiddish pancakes).Coronado Public Library (619) 522-7390

Jan 20 Winnie the Pooh’s Birthday The Coronado Public Library is throwing Winnie the Pooh a birthday party on January 20 at 3 p.m. in the Winn Room.

Enjoy songs, stories, games, and birthday cake. Coronado Public Library (619) 522-7390

Ongoing Coronado: We Remember The current exhibit at the Coronado Museum of History and Art answers trivia questions about Coronado’s past, including the origins of street

At the Coronado Ferry Landing 2:30-6 p.m. (730) 741-3763

First and Third Sundays Art-in-the-Park Stroll through Spreckels Park between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and admire (and buy) the masterpieces of more than fifty local artists. www.coronadoartassn.com

Across the Bay Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 Balboa Park December Nights To celebrate the holiday season, participating Balboa Park Museums will open their doors between 5 and 9 p.m. free of charge. The two-night celebration will also feature food from around the world at the House of Pacific Relations Cottages, as well as musical and dance performances from the San Diego Junior Theatre, the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet and others. (619) 239-0512

Dec. 30 Port of San Diego Big Bay Balloon Parade The event produced by the Holiday Bowl touts the title, “America’s largest balloon parade.” Starting at 10 a.m., oversized blow-up floats will line-up on Harbor Drive along-

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C ALENDAR side high school and university marching bands and crowd-pleasing drill teams. This is an event for the whole family—even the dog. The parade features the finals of the Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals (wiener dog races), as well as a 5k run for humans. Post-parade festivities continue at the Broadway pier with the annual Family Festival. (619) 283-5808, info@holidaybowl.com

Through Dec. 31 A Salute to James Hubbell The Mingei International Museum celebrates the work and accomplishments of the Santa Ysabel-based artist, James Hubbell. A dedicated environmentalist, Hubbell often explores the relationship between people and nature in his artwork. (619) 239-0003

Through Jan. 1 Film: AMAZON The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center’s IMAX dome is, for a limited time, home to more than 1500 species of birds, 5,000 species of fish and

50,000 species of plants. AMAZON explores the largest river in the world and the region thereabouts. The film’s stunning footage earned it an Academy Award Nomination for Best Documentary/Short Subject in 1997.

(619) 238-1233

Through Jan. 31 Beloved Daughters: Photographs

by Fazal Sheikh The Museum of Photographic Art exhibits Sheikh’s intimate portraits of widows, young mothers, and girls from two communities in India. (619) 238-7559

Through Feb. 28 Darwin: Evolution/Revolution The San Diego Natural History Museum hosts the most extensive exhibition ever assembled on Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, including artifacts, specimens, original manu. scripts, and much more. (619) 232-3821

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SCENE IN THE CIT Y

This holiday season, there’s more room at the inn …

and at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church did some smart planning when it added 8,000 square feet of space to its existing church campus: It put those noisy teens underground and placed the choir rehearsal room front and center, facing the church courtyard.

With plans developed several years ago, the church, located at the island of D and Olive avenues at Seventh Street, waited to begin construction until Oct. 12, 2008

and consecrated the new space a year later on Oct. 11.

The new complex provides classrooms for adults and children, a new church library, a classroom/play area for preschool age children with an adjoining “cry room” for babies, separated with a half wall and window (doubled-paned, we assume).

The underground teen center provides a meeting area for the church’s growing youth group, complete with band, full

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kitchen, guys and gals bathrooms with shower facilities, “for the times we have sleep-overs, which the church refers to as “lock-in’s,” said Rev. Neal Keller, the church’s pastor.

The teen area has a large outside window well, allowing lots of natural light to shine on the subterranean structure. All three floors are served by elevator, as well

as stairways. The second level features a wide patio and the church plans to install tables and chairs.

St. Paul’s has an active membership of approximately 350 members, with an average Sunday attendance in that vicinity, too, Keller said, that includes many visitors to the city and navy base.

The church’s history dates back to Jan. 30, 1887, with the organization of “Coronado Methodist Episcopal Church” and the laying of a cornerstone for the church on the same property on June 22, 1887. The educational building was completed in 1949 and the original church building was demolished in September 1962, due to its small size that the congregation had outgrown. The new church, called “Church of the Voyager” because it resembles the bow of a ship, was consecrated Nov. 17, 1963.

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SCENE IN THE CIT Y

“Mind Readers”

by Doug Leland “Hi there— nice to meet you.”

A young face turns toward me revealing features seemingly too old for his grade level. With large, almost bulging eyes and expression in his voice fit for stage, he acknowledges my greeting.

Each Monday Sally and I tutor students in reading at a local elementary school.

Though we generally work with the same students, scheduling conflicts forced some of these kids to choose between recess and reading. With recess boasting a perfect record (exactly the choice I would have made in fifth grade) schedule changes are necessary to make room for both activities … which is why I am meeting this young man for the first time.

We only have fifteen minutes with each student... limited time to boost reading skills and little opportunity to develop any sort of relationship.

Quickly leafing through the student’s folder, I scan comments of previous tutors.

It appears he’s nearly done with his current book selection and only has two pages to go before we begin a new book.

Opening to the bookmarked page, I ask if he would summarize the book for my benefit since there are only a couple of pages left and I was unfamiliar with the story.

With great self assurance, openness, and expression he turns and says, “Well, it’s really my story.”

I ask, “How’s that?”

“Well,” he continues, “In this story the main character spends time at his mom’s house and his dad’s house, just like me.

The difference is that in this story the dad has a neat house and the mom’s house is messy. For me, my mom’s house is neat and my dad’s house is messy.”

Even with little opportunity to develop

relationships with these kids, it often doesn’t take too much to learn what’s foremost on their minds. No need for these kids to couch words, cautiously consider consequences and impressions, or protect ego, even with a stranger. They tell it like it is, because that’s the way it is — no sugar coating necessary.

Like most schools in Coronado and San Diego, this school has many parents serving in the military. I expected to confront kids struggling with the hardships of parental deployments and untimely relocations. Divorce rates in the military, especially now, are extremely high, but for some reason I just hadn’t factored in that possibility when I sat down at our child-sized table and chairs to read with this student for the first time.

It takes us a while to work through the remaining two pages. He reads each sentence twice — first in his own head and then aloud to me — it seems to assist with his comprehension, which is excellent. The book is a play script, which further slows the reading as each character is introduced before every line, and stage notes in parenthesis creating context disrupt the script’s flow. Given a late start to our session, further delayed by our discussion about the book, and with the gravitational pull of recess rapidly escalating, we decide to call it a day when he completes the last page.

Preparing to wrap-up by placing tutor notes and other papers back in his folder, my young friend turns to me and says, “You know what I wish?”

“What’s that, buddy?” I respond.

“I wish I had a time machine.”

“Really,” I say, a hybrid of surprise, inquisitiveness and interest. “What would you do if you had a time machine?”

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Without hesitation or change in tone, he says, “I’d go back in time to when my parents decided to get divorced... and then I’d change their minds.”

I say something intended to encourage, though I don’t remember what. The next student to be tutored is waiting at the door… the young man heads out to recess.

“Hey friend — how ya doin today?”

An almost instantaneous shift is made between readers. I’ve worked with my next reader the last few months. He’s quite a good reader, though has little patience for the clues and delays caused by punctuation. From our previous sessions I know that his father is deployed for a year. When given a choice of three books to begin reading, he immediately

his smile growing even broader as he moves toward the side exit, “There are so many things to choose from!”

Almost to the door he stops, hesitates with his back toward me, and then slowly turns around. The smile is gone.

“What I really want for Christmas is for my dad to come home.”

One student reads in labored fashion, slowing the completion of each sentence, unconsciously pushing against the advance of time hoping he can slow it enough for his time machine to take over and start reversing the calendar. The second student seems to feel the faster he reads the faster time will fly, and if he leaves out the punctuation it may go by even more quickly.

So, what’s the message today? What’s

selected one with an Asian backdrop. We are now on our second book, this one much longer and this one, too, with an Asian theme.

Our session sails by as quickly as this student sails through his reading. As he stands to leave I ask how his dad is doing.

“He’s okay,” he states as he starts to walk around our pint-sized table. A big smile comes over his face, “He asked this week what I wanted for Christmas! With

the message as we approach a bustling holiday season, gatherings with family and friends, religious observances, gift exchanges, and then step across the chasm in the calendar to a New Year?

What’s the message?

It’s whatever these young men said to you... or didn’t say.

Doug Leland, MBA, MCC, is an executive coach and retirement specialist. You can reach him at www.dougleland.com Holiday 2009 • Coronado Lifestyle 17

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SCENE IN THE CIT Y

Easy Rider At launch time, the elliptiGO is already a stand-up success

By Kris Grant Bryan Pate, 36, is about to go big time and he’ll be “going there” on the power of his own invention — the elliptiGO.

On Nov. 18, the world’s first outdoor elliptical road bike, the elliptiGO, made its debut with a gangbuster party at the

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Del Mar Marriott with a large showing of Coronadans cheering on the duo of “Bryan and Brent” who developed the novel invention and brought it to market.

Pate describes the bike as providing the “best low-impact substitute for running outdoors.”

Pate is a fourth generation Coronadan, the son of two judges, the grandson of Mayor Paul Vetter and the revered Dr. Ethel Watters Vetter. “In fact, my great grandparents came here in the late 1800s from St. Louis to help build the Hotel del Coronado.”

Like three of his four siblings, the Coronado High School graduate married his high school sweetheart.

Pate went to Stanford on an ROTC scholarship, then served in the Marine Corps as an infantry intelligence officer, which is when he started participating in Ironman triathlons, and doing endurance running.

In 2004, Pate’s legs couldn’t sustain the pounding of running but he found cycling uncomfortable and too time consuming to get a good workout.

Instead, Pate started using an elliptical trainer at the gym. “I really liked the workout, but found the gym environment too confining.”

So Pate thought he’d simply get himself an outdoor elliptical bicycle. “I went home and Googled it and was shocked that one of these things didn’t exist.”

That’s when he teamed up with friend and mechanical engineer Brent Teal who took Pate’s idea and built a prototype in his backyard.

“Brent’s a guy who runs 100 miles at a time, ultra-marathoning,” says Pate. “He placed in the top 20 in the Angeles Crest, and he does mountain biking. He totally got it.”

“The first model was comfortable,”

Pate said. “There was no pounding; it felt like running.” They built a second model, and for a “proof of concept” Pate rode it in the 50 mile Rosarita to Ensenada bike ride where he passed a bunch of cyclists on the climbs.” The bike climbs hills really well,” he said of the eight-speed elliptiGO, which balances and brakes like a bicycle.

Then in April 2008 Pate and Teal were invited to the Stanford Cool Products Expo where they were featured alongside products like Tesla Motors’ electric car and manufacturers like Logicon and Toyota. The San Jose Mercury News ran an article naming the elliptiGO one of the top five products at the show and 5,000 people suddenly found their way to the elliptiGO website. “People wanted to know, ‘how do I get one?’ And that was really where we got launched in bringing a product to market,” Pate said.

Further affirmation was attained when three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond met Pate and strongly expressed interest in joining the team, but found his bike, owned by Trek, presented an insurmountable conflict of interest. But LeMond’s enthusiasm for the product was all that Pate and Teal needed to quit their “day jobs” in May 2008. Since then they’ve raised two rounds of funding and built four more models.

At present the bikes are sold online.

Half of their first order of 250 elliptiGOs, arriving just after the first of the year, have been presold.

Twice each week Pate and Teal host test rides in San Diego. And yes, they’re still taking orders. The price: $1,999. Test ride dates and locations are at the company website at www.elliptiGO.com.

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PAWS Casino Night Fundraiser We’ve all seen the image of dogs playing poker…but this time PAWS turned the tables and people played poker (and craps, Twenty-One and roulette) to raise money for the dogs…and cats and bunnies of Coronado. The PAWS Casino Night fundraiser held Oct. 24 at the Coronado Community Center raised seed money for the new Veterinary Fee Assistance Program in Coronado and Imperial Beach. Originated by Dr.

Gloria Aberasturi, PAWS vice president and Louise Shirey, president

From left, Phyllis Maas, Paul and Ingrid Payne

From left, Gail Parker, Melanie Toci and Susan Heavlin

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Mike McCoy, the program helps people who need emergency financial help for pet medical care. PAWS (Pacific Animal Welfare Society) was founded in 2003 to raise funds for animal welfare, promote and assist with adoption of animals and support the building of a state-of-the-art animal care facility in Coronado, among several other initiatives.

Now PAWS is asking for donations for brass plaques in five sizes ranging from $100 to $3,500 to go on the new donor wall of the Coronado Animal Care facility scheduled to open in January. For information, call (619) 435-8247.

Marilyn Rees and Christina Paine Ross

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Time for Tea Ladies of the Coronado Historical Association stepped back in time this fall, when members and guests gathered for an afternoon tea at the home of Susan Keith. The 1911 historically designated home features a courtyard that was the perfect spot for a fashion show of styles worn from years gone by, created and modeled by The Victorian Ladies Society of San Diego. “It was the first tea we’ve done,” said Susan Enowitz, “but now we’re thinking maybe we should do one every year.” The tea was organized by Carolyn Ayres; she and her committee of Mary Pack and Ilene Schwartz created all the tea accompaniments and table settings.

Susan Enowitz, CHA executive director, Carolyn Ayres, event chair; Holly Nappen

Emily Talbot was a standout in Victorian white

Roberta Dolph, left, and Patty Jepson

Claudette Harshbarger, left, and Marilyn Williams Barbara Bass Press served tea for her table 22 Coronado Lifestyle • Holiday 2009

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Empowering your day with a power walk

Drew Boomer is the first to tell you that she’s “an early person.”

A runner for many years on the Coronado scene, Boomer has started a 5:45 a.m. power walking class through Bamboo Yoga Studio. The class starts off at the studio’s Loma Avenue studio with warming and stretching “and then we walk outdoors, tuning into nature and getting centered for the day,” says Boomer.

While Boomer doesn’t call power walking a meditation class, she does use it as an opportunity for herself and her

clients to set their intentions for the day.

“I have never done a morning walk or run when I was not profoundly uplifted by the beauty of this place,” she says. “And in winter, when there’s that layer of mist hanging over the beach, it’s nothing short of magical.”

She says her walkers will watch the sunrise, sometimes see dolphins as they walk along the beach boardwalk and say hello to “that secret sect of people who are out there smiling and waving before the sun comes up.”

The class finishes with 15 minutes of core exercise, abdominal and stretching.

After a total of one hour and 15 minutes, clients are out the door by 7 a.m.

Boomer joined Bamboo having recently completed her doctoral coursework in that field at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. This fall she will begin her dissertation research and writing on The Marathon: A Modern Day Rite-of-Passage.

She’s participated in many marathons, including 13 rock n rollers and six others including New York, Big Sur, Los Angeles, Chicago and “the biggie,” — Boston.

Boomer works with Bamboo primarily providing administrative support.

“I’m happy to assist in continuing the unfolding and expansion of the wellness movement that Cheri Paquin has created here that brings in massage, yoga, Pilates, acupuncture and integrative wellness,” she says. Upon completing her doctorate, Boomer, who is also a personal trainer and owned her own studio in San Francisco for several years, wants to develop a life strategies and wellness coaching practice, possibly through Bamboo, that encompasses goal planning, strategy planning and physical movement.

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‘Island Elegant’ Marks 25 Years of Schools Foundation Dinner Auction Coronado Schools Foundation (CSF) celebrated the 25th Annual Dinner Auction on Nov. 7 with over 400 guests in “Island Elegant” attire and another 170 attending the VIP reception. Started in 1985 by Sally Zoll and Carol Raiter, this year’s “Party in Paradise: License to Chill” was chaired by Wanda Aurich and Pam Hammett and returned $159,000 to benefit Coronado’s five public schools.

Jim Laslavic, Sports Director, NBC returned as Master of Ceremonies for this special celebration. Like the guests, he and wife Susan enjoyed the more casual attire and was on hand as Hotel del Coronado received the inaugural Lifetime Partner

Award, presented to Del General Manager and Vice President Todd Shallan. The Del has partnered with the Foundation for more than two decades, not only for the dinner auction but the Telethon and other fundraising promotions. Coronado First Bank’s Renee Hinton, senior vice president, and Michael Wastila, commercial loan officer, were on hand to accept the annual Merchant Award for the bank’s contributions to the event since it opened its doors in 2006.

And Pacific Western Bank was thanked as the Dinner Auction’s first Premier Business Partner in over a decade.

The evening started in the Crown Room with a silent auction featuring unique

First Lady Nancy Chaconas and CSF Board President Spiro Chaconas donated for the second year the Opportunity Drawing to Greece trip.

Susan and Jim Laslavic

Kate and Todd Shallan

Crowds lined the auction tables.

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Coronado High School ASB Students who worked the event: Riley Blum, Andera Valletta, Brittany Henderson, McKenna Keyes, Kori Fitzgerald, Annie Lovering, Briana Giorgione, Will Funk

Auctioneer Chuck Dreyer and Assistant Rick Warren.

(Wearing tuxes to stand out from the crowd!)

experiences, trips, donated merchandise from local businesses, and one-of-a-kind donations from Coronado Unified School District teachers, spearheaded by 200910 Teacher Ambassadors Brad Couture (CHS), Kathy MacDonald (CMS), Amy Steward (Village), and Christine Preciado (Strand). VIP Diamond Level guests enjoyed an Auction Preview, upscale wines and specialty drinks, and appetizers prepared by the Del’s top chefs. As the bidding frenzy closed, guests moved to the Grande Ballroom for a scrumptious sit-down dinner of filet and sable fish.

With the Live Auction being held during

(from left): Bill Cass, Silver Strand Principal, Karl Mueller, CHS Principal, Jeff Felix, CUSD Superintendent, Jay Marquand, CMS Principal, and in front, Ramona Loiselle, CUSD and CMS TRT Ramona Loiselle.

Herman Lowenberg, NJROTC Parent Volunteer with son Cadet Lance Lowenberg. CHS Island Company continues to play an integral role in working our silent auction and ensuring the distribution of auction winnings goes smoothly.

dinner, guests had more time to enjoy dancing to Party Quake.

Village Elementary Teacher Kathy Shady was overcome with excitement when CSF Board President Spiro Chaconas chose her name as the Opportunity Drawing Grand Prize winner for an all-inclusive 10-day trip to Greece with $2,000 towards airfare.

And, longtime school supporters Walt and Meredith Heinecke won the classic cruisers from Holland’s Bicycles. To see additional event photos and to learn more about the work of the Coronado Schools Foundation, visit www.csfkids.org.

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“ ”

It’s not production; it’s art..

Many hands created this SMART, Green, Accessible Palm Springs Oasis

By Kris Grant

Editor’s note: We first shared the story of Maureen Steiner’s “green build” while it was under construction in our March/April 2008 issue, and we promised to show it upon completion. This is part two of that story.

Maureen Steiner didn’t realize she was going to be building a “green” house when she purchased a 1950s Coronado ranch house that hadn’t been remodeled since 1987, and whose look could best be described as “tired.”

She just wanted to take out a closet and remodel a bathroom. Or so she thought.

Steiner bought her house on Alameda Avenue in 2007 mostly for its large back yard, complete with oval pool. The back corner of her master bedroom had a big cedar closet, and while “I hate to waste anything, I knew that closet had to go,” said Steiner, who envisioned a new spa tub and walk-in shower, both offering expansive outdoor views. “I guess that vision came from my childhood summer camp days where we took showers outdoors,” Steiner laughed.

“People told me, ‘you really should contact an architect,’” Steiner said, and begrudgingly, she called a few, but found their plans were too grand for what she thought she wanted. And then Steiner recalled an architect she had met at a fundraising auction, a gal who did “green” design.

Enter architect Laurie C. Fisher, AIA, a LEED-accredited professional.

She met with Steiner, and when they walked the house and discussed ideas, Steiner’s vision grew, “probably even grander than what the first architects had in mind,” she ruefully admitted. “Two bedrooms didn’t have a hallway, and then I thought I needed to redo the kitchen and then it just grew and grew.”

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photo by Greg Lambert

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photo by Greg Lambert

Steiner next interviewed several contractors and soon Bruce Woodruff of Woodruff Construction, Inc., of Coronado joined the team.

Bruce’s wife, Thera, put Steiner in touch with Morgan Lloyd, now a LEED-certified interior designer, who was just getting into green design at the time.

“Morgan was wonderful,” Steiner said. “She helped with finding products, and expedited things, and worked out all the cabinet schemes so that it would fit my AV equipment and all my kitchen utensils. She helped translate the whole wall into drawings. She even helped with the design of the closet space in the master bedroom.”

Soon, the team, including Steiner’s partner Camille Davidson, were meeting regularly and brainstorming. One member of the team would bring an idea to the table, another would add to it, and the result was 28 Coronado Lifestyle • Holiday 2009

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a totally cohesive and individualized design that perfectly reflected Steiner’s wants and sensibilities.

“It was a many hands-on effort,” Steiner said. “I love collaboration. So much of the design of the house was evolution. And that’s the way it should be…one good idea builds on the next.”

“Laurie designed the square steelframed light fixtures in the living room, then her friend made them,” said Steiner.

The living room’s teak cabinetry’s interior lift is mechanically activated to expose a 52-inch television. “Our cabinet maker, Steven McMillan, said it was the most challenging job he’d ever had,” Steiner said. “But he loved it, and he even made the curve on the end of the cabinetry.”

Steiner said she would get starter ideas from design magazines. “That’s how I knew I wanted concrete countertops and the clean lines of Danish modern,” she said. Other ideas, like the spa-with-aview, came from childhood memories. “I had cork floors in one room when I was a kid and I wanted them everywhere.”

The more Steiner learned about the innovative products on the market, the more she became a devotee of green building, which resonated with her psyche.

Steiner had always been conservationminded in how she conducted her life. She

would walk instead of drive whenever possible, and was a stickler for recycling.

Steiner is a retired attorney who often advocated for the disabled and who worked with the city of Coronado on ADA accessibility standards, including the first ADA accessible sidewalk to Central Beach. And so she naturally wanted to make her home ADA accessible. Doors throughout accommodate wheelchairs and both showers are roll-in and barrier free. “I don’t need this now, but you never know, and I planned this remodel with the thought of living here for another 20 years,” Steiner said.

The project grew from green and accessible to SMART, and now all electrical circuitry from lights to televisions to outdoor fountains are controlled by a single device.

Sliding doors with screens have been replaced by multi-pane folding doors, allowing beams of sunlight to filter into interior spaces. Each room has individual heating and air conditioning controls, allowing for increased energy conservation.

Of course, going green (and SMART) came with a price, Steiner said, shrugging it off now that it’s all in hindsight. “I remember the day Bruce said, ‘It looks like we’ll have to take it all down to the studs.’

But he was right — we had to in order to

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photo by Greg Lambert

.

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upgrade all the plumbing and electrical. It was like a new house, but it had the same 3,400 square-foot footprint.”

Steiner said she had a little luncheon with Woodruff, Fisher and the electronic consultants. “And after lunch, Laurie said, ‘Wow, looks like it’s going to be a lot more expensive.’ Yeah, she was right. It was. Oh well.”

Lloyd helped Steiner plan every inch of cupboard space. Steiner didn’t want knobs; all cabinets open at the touch of a hand, as does the full wall of teak cabinetry in the living room.

The home takes full advantage of Coronado’s sunny days and ocean breezes. “The home is an extrovert; every architectural vista terminates outdoors,” Fisher says. Every room has an indoor/ outdoor connection: The living room, office, kitchen and master bedroom open

to the main pool area, the guest room and den, to private gardens. To minimize heat gain, deep overhangs, awnings and shade elements are used as well as high-grade, low E glass for all the glazing. Every room is cross-ventilated to ensure a minimal need for mechanical cooling.

The exterior is outfitted with a sunand-rain resistant material called Trespa.

Steiner chose to leave the fasteners exposed, providing a sleek, semi-industrial finish. Two tankless water heaters provide plenty of hot water on demand, without the need to keep it heated round the clock. Clerestory windows let in more light to interior spaces. The roof, which is pitched to the south to collect light for the interior, is manufactured from recycled metal and topped with photovoltaic solar panels, one green component of the house that actually paid for itself from the

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first day. (See story on solar, page 64.)

Floors are a combination of palm wood and cork, along with concrete in two of the baths. Bathroom counters, the living room base for the teak cabinets and the spa tub surround are fossilized marble.

Low-voltage lighting, window shades and doors are programmed to operate remotely in order to take advantage of the seasons.

The former rough-hewn lawn was replaced with a far more interesting and drought tolerant landscape plan that included hard surfaces, artificial turf, natural rock and flora that included olive trees, Mexican bird of paradise, papyrus, Australian lion tail, Asian willow and variety of different grasses.

The process was full of surprises, as

many a homeowner discovers during the course of remodeling. “We found that the floors weren’t level and doors from Europe were on back order. Our builders didn’t realize some of the engineering would be as complex as it was; we needed to reinforce walls, for example. Then the architect went to work in Central America for a month.”

Steiner sighed in mock resignation: “It took almost two years to complete.”

And it’s still a work in progress, she admits. Today, she still has painters, including artisans Emma Wright of “The Wright Touch” and Sasha Seyb who have crafted a Modello design, creating custom decorative artwork from stencils in one bath and artisan drawings, including a 32 Coronado Lifestyle • Holiday 2009

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Geisha and a cherry blossom tree in a guest bedroom.

The painters have turned the Steiner garage into “paint central,” where they create intricate decorative patterns using paint, plasters, waxes, stains and gilding.

“The house next door also was remodeled,” Steiner said. “They started after us and finished before us. So, our team would say to one another in our defense, ‘It’s not production; it’s art.’”

When the house was “finished” this summer, Steiner and Davidson held an Open House party, where they presented all 20 members of the team with a commemorative T-shirt, with the team logo: AART — Alameda Architectural Renaissance Team.

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Old wedding photo restoration

Restoring old oils, family photos, and watercolors for…

By Kris Grant Hold on a moment! That tattered photo you found in the attic of your great grandparents — complete with creases and a tear down the middle can live again, better than ever. Don’t even think of sending it to the “round file.”

Restoration of paintings and photographs has come a very long way over the past two decades, says Jill Hardman, owner of Art & Frames by Wood Gallery in Coronado. Hardman is downright passionate about restoration work, which she calls the “culmination of my 35 years of working with art in all its various mediums.”

Alas, she sighs, paintings often are the subject of benign neglect in a home or office. “We clean our carpet, walls and furniture,” Hardman chides, “but we forget our paintings have the same exposure to the elements.”

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Fire damage before

Fire damage after

Hardman has another analogy when it comes to oil and acrylic paintings: “What would our skin look like if we never cleaned or conditioned it?”

Perish that thought!

Today, the need for restoration can be prevented by using the highest degree of archival materials in the mounting and allowing for separation between the artwork and glass or plexiglass, says Hardman. Her gallery uses only Conservation Clear or Museum Glass as well as all archival mats.

Acidity is the biggest contributor to damage of paper art. Most paper art that was printed between 1900 and 1965 contains large amounts of acid embedded in the fibers of the paper, the result

of paper mills using large amounts of acid to make wood pulp (a by-product of the timber industry), usable as an inexpensive source of fiber. The acid remains dormant in the fiber but can be readily activated by heat, bright light, moisture, dryness and other factors. The result is a “burning” and decomposition of the fiber. The paper becomes yellow, then brown. It also becomes very brittle and splits easily.

For photo restoration, the gallery uses a four-step process that begins with photo digitization. In order to ensure accuracy of the color, the original photo is converted to a digital format, using a high resolution scanner, producing a 600 dpi (dots-per-inch) full color scan

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Floyd Ross turned to Art & Frames for framing of this circa 1948 photo of Orange Avenue, which he bestowed as a gift to Lamb’s Players Theatre. At the same time, he had a second piece, a photo of his father, restored by Hardman, when its previous glass frame covering it had shattered. “It’s super now,” said Ross.

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Major photo restoration before Major photo restoration after

of the photograph. Using state-of-the-art software with advanced photo-filtering capabilities, the digital image is adjusted to the best approximation of the original condition of the photograph. The image is then digitally restored, removing any scratches, blemishes, fading or other damage. The magic of digital also allows images to be altered, to remove or add objects or people or change backgrounds.

And a photograph can even be changed to look like an oil painting or pastel. The final step is to print the digital image on high quality, archival photo paper, with many finishes to choose from. Archival photo paper has an added advantage, says Hardman, in that it receives the color in a much richer fashion.

For oils and acrylics, Hardman notes that restoration work, done properly, is a labor-intensive process that begins with cleaning that can produce a difference that is often phenomenal, she has found.

“And for God’s sake, don’t even thinking of putting soap and water on a painting – it will ruin it!” she pleads.

After surface cleaning, old varnish is removed a square inch at a time with a cotton-swab similar to a Q-tip. “It is laborious and you need to have the patience of Job,” she says. “And you must be a master.”

Even watercolors can be restored, Hardman notes. First, a dry cleaning process removes dust with a museumquality cleaning cloth; fronts and backings are cleaned of mildew and other contaminants. The art is then washed in clear water, followed by a deacidification bath. Paper sizing is applied to the back using Holytex for support which can later be peeled off without residue. The piece is then air dried without weights. After stabilization is determined, holes are filled and missed areas are replaced with

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Damaged marriage certificate, before (above) and after:

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From the top: Old yellow varnish removal before Varnish removal during Varnish removal after

compatible paper. Replaced areas are touched up with pencils and/or blended watercolor. Dark stains are touched up with pencil and/or blended water color to match. Finally, the art is sprayed with a museum-quality surface protector.

Considering the painstakingly hand labor, restoration work is not an inexpensive process, Hardman acknowledges, but it can yield high rewards when sentimental pieces are bestowed to future generations. Or it can raise the value of certain artists’ works immensely, as often attested to by experts on PBS’s popular Antiques Road Show.

“Let’s say we are simply cleaning a small 8-by -10 inch painting; it could be as little as $125,” Hardman says. “But if varnish is removed and significant holes repaired, that could step up the price several hundred.”

She therefore believes clients should assess the works they are planning to restore and prides herself on being somewhat of a Sherlock Holmes in determining the age and pedigree of a painting.

“You must establish the period and value all the fundamentals before you can take the cotton glove off your hands,” she advises. She begins by turning a painting over to look for clues. “You can tell how the stretcher bar was built and when,” she says. “You can see how the canvas was attached by checking the period of the nails… or staples. You will see how the wedges were built into the corners. Or not built.

“Next, your art history comes into play and you begin research,” one of Hardman’s favorite pursuits. She says there have been countless times when clients have come to her with a painting and no idea of its value. She recounts a Marc Chagall piece. “The clients thought

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Jill Hardman took this photo of her grandmother from a cameo that had been broken into four pieces. She digitally scanned restored the piece on computer then made copies on watercolor paper for each of her sisters.

it was a poster and they wanted to cut it to fit into a readymade frame,” she says, still shuddering at the thought. “What they had was a hand-signed limited edition Chagall, valued at $150,000.”

Yes, she says, they agreed to step things up a notch from the ready-made frame.

Hardman says there have been original pieces of art brought back to life at Art & Frames that were literally thrown in the trash by insurance companies which had deemed them unsalvageable. “We recently got some watercolors that our client Christie took out of a dumpster.”

“We do a tremendous amount inhouse,” Hardman says, who also works with European-trained art restorers now living in the United States.

Hardman has restored watercolors that have been sandwiched between old cardboard, “Very very acidic,” she says.

“That art had no place to breath. A very bad home.”

Another client was an elderly lady who brought in an oil painting of herself. “She had two daughters who wanted it vehemently,” she said. “We created a second oil copy and the daughters didn’t know which was the original and the mother wouldn’t tell.”

Then there were Civil War letters dated 1863 from a family member who was a prisoner of war, Hardman said. “The trick was that they were written on both sides.”

Hardman said. After finely inspecting the documents, Hardman encapsulated each page in a piece of Mylar — “which is what our original Declaration of Independence is in,” she explained — secured the pieces with archival corners for support that was matted and framed on both sides. “From the front there are actually three frames and then if you flip this project over; the same treatment is duplicated on the back.

A set of inner fillets is holding the document in place and we have another frame that we milled and leafed to match the outer frame that is holding everything from the back.” The three sets of letters can be hung and be reversible. “And there is always the option to suspend.”

Hardman noted.

Restoration can be an emotional process, Hardman says. “Its value is priceless when you want to have a piece secured and be able to pass it down from generation to generation.

“And that is what I’m about — my afterlife will be on the wall,” Hardman says with a Mona Lisa smile.

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Look What’s In Santa’s Bag! This holiday season, save yourself the stress of getting “malled.”

You’ll find wonderful gifts for the season on Orange Avenue, at the Coronado Ferry Landing, at the Shops at the Del and in other nooks and crannies that only we “islanders” know about…like Artisan’s Alley (see our calendar), or Second Hand Prose behind the library. This year, Santa says: Support our local businesses and their owners who give back to our community in countless ways.

Our holiday elves were out and about early this year, and just look what they brought home!

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Desserts should d be decadent And with toppings like Cherries Jubilee and Strawberry rawberry Champagne with pralinated pecans on the side, de, they will be. (You can count the calories in the new w year).

13-ounce Cherries Jubilee, $10; 12-ounce Strawberry wberryy Champagne Vintage Chocolate Dessert Topping,$12; 8-ounce New Orleans Pralinated Pecans, $16

Spreckels Sweets and Treats, Hotel del Coronado (619) 435-6611 ext. 7627

Man About Town Baxter Boggus displays doubled-colored leather jacket by Remy is a scene-stopping navy blue and tobacco color combo, made in the United States; $895. A handloomed scarf made in Orland, Maine ($135) is a perfect accent

Brady’s, Hotel del Coronado (619) 435-6611 ext.7339

Going crackers!

Each of these eight festive holiday crackers contains a paper hat, joke and a special gift that lights up the night.

Holiday crackers, $25

Seaside Papery 1162 Orange Ave., (619) 435-5565 444 Coronado Lifesty Lifestyle • Holiday 2009

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That’s a wrap At Seaside Papery, you’ll find delightful seasonal wrapping papers and one to fit your every sentiment. $2.50 to $5 per sheet

Seaside Papery 1162 Orange Ave., (619) 435-5565

By the sea, a, byy the sea, by the beautiful utiful sea Starfish, seahorse and sand dollar ar ornaments bedeck the trees of Coronado.

Each ornament, $5

Babcock and Story Emporium, orium, Hotel del Coronado (619) 435-6611 ext. 7265

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Grab your board and go sidewalk surfin’ with me Radical boards to fit every personality hang out at Emerald City. $51.99 Emerald City 1118 Orange Ave. , (619) 435-6677

Angels Among Us From left, “New Life,” $25; “Hero,” $25; “Hug,” $9.95 plus $3.95 stand, all by Willow. illow.

Central Drug Store 1106 Orange Ave., (619) 435-4171 35-4171

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Bling If you’re looking for all that glitters, there’s just one place to go: Coronado’s world-renowned Kippy’s.

Xena hand bag, $1,300; Crystal Blossoms belt to match, $525; Crystal Trapeze with Venetian Crossover pave, $425 – all part of Kippy’s “Lilac Somali collections.”

Kippy’s 1114 Orange Ave., (619) 435-6218

Who said agenda’s had to be drab Be on time and in style with these planners from Seaside Papery.

2010 personal pocket journal (pink goatskin), $32; 2010 desk diary (lime), $78.50 Seaside Papery 1162 Orange Ave., (619) 435-5565

Every Coronadoo home is a beach house Say welcome to your guests with this friendly littlee pillow, the perfect accessory for a sofa, a chair or a bookcase.

Welcome to our Beach House pillow, $20

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A llittle l hholiday ld cheer in the kitchen When your guests offer to dry dishes, wow them with these beauties.

Sparkling Joy towel, $8; Holly tea towel, $10

Babcock and Story Emporium, Hotel del Coronado

Oh so sweet stocking stuffers With flavors like “Firecracker” and “Passion,” these individually wrapped chocolates will certainly add a kick to your stocking.

Chuao Chocolatier Choco Pods sold $1.50 each

Spreckels Sweets and Treats, Hotel del Coronado (619) 435-6611 ext. 7627

(619) 435-6611 ext. 7265

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Doggone Comfortable Bed, made in the USA from recyclable materials. Its leopard pattern brings out her wild side, can’t you tell? Dog bed, $74 Wag ‘n Tails 945 Orange Ave., (619) 435-3513

Inspired by the sea Guests coming for the holidays? They’llll appreciate little luxuries like this set off seaside bath towels, $45,

The Sea Bath and Body, Hotel del Coronado (610) 435-6611, ex. 7342

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The lost art of letter writing With a pine-c pine-cone illustration that wraps around to the back, this th greeting card is sure to be as appreciated by b the recipient as the words upon it. Caskata Artisanal Paper, you write upo pack of 8 cards card and envelopes, $18.

Seaside Pa Papery 1162 Orange AAve., (619) 435-5565

’Tis a puzzlement The Hotel del Coronado is front and center of this “San Diego” 500-piece puzzle. $11.95 Central Drug Store 1106 Orange Ave. , (619) 435-4171

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“Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful –” William Morris (1834–1896)

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Stickley Legendary Arts & Crafts Furniture Company Continues American-Made Hand Craftsmanship Well into its Second Century

By Kris Grant The story of Stickley furniture begins with three words “Als Ik Kan,” an old Flemish craftsman’s phrase meaning “to the best of my ability.”

Gustav Stickley marked every product with that phrase to assure customers that his furniture was of the finest quality and that each piece was made with integrity and pride.

Gustav Stickley was born in Osceola, Wisconsin in 1858. In 1901, he founded The Craftsman, a periodical which expounded the philosophy of the English Arts & Crafts movement based on the teachings of William Morris. But Stickley refined the philosophy into a distinctly American voice and promoted an organic architecture — architecture that promotes harmony between humans and the natural world.

This philosophy carried over to the furniture that was crafted by not only Gustav, but his four brothers — Albert, Charles, Leopold and John George.

All five brothers began making furniture at their uncle’s factory in Brandt, Pennsylvania around 1877. From 1883 to 1918 every Stickley had worked with each brother on at least one venture, though at no time did all five work together.

Mike Danial and Sheryll Jackman

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The L. & J.G. Stickley Company of today was founded in 1904 by the two youngest Stickley brothers: Leopold and John George. Leopold was the founder and guiding force of the company. He started his career as foreman of Gustav’s furniture factory and through his career was known to be an elite cabinetmaker and businessman. Co-founder John George was considered to be the best furniture salesman of his time.

And to celebrate the inauguration of the renowned Craftsman furniture line, still manufactured in large part in its native New York, Seaside Home La Jolla hosted the Stickley Road Show.

The stories of the Stickley family and its legendary furniture were shared with Stickley fans when Mike Danial, a 35-year veteran of the company and today its Corporate Historian, highlighted the fascinating history of Stickley furniture.

Meanwhile, in 1904, Gustav Stickley visited California and was taken with the simplicity of Mission style design, which he said “proves to be the most genuine expression of American feeling in domestic architecture that has yet appeared.”

Now Seaside Home, which has consolidated its Coronado store operations into its newer lifestyle shops in La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe, has been appointed the exclusive Stickley representative for San Diego County. The stores carry the Stickley Mission line — all 398 items — with many of the pieces on display in unique lifestyle settings at the two-story La Jolla store.

Danial shared his own unique experiences researching the company history, where he uncovered design documents that had been hidden away in basement cabinets for decades, and stories of families who have been enjoying Stickley furniture for generations.

L & J. G. Stickley Company began manufacturing Arts & Crafts furniture in 1905 and almost immediately became a major influence on American furniture-making. They acquired Gustav’s Craftsman Workshops in 1918, joining the two major Mission furniture lines.

While changing tastes and economic trends wreaked havoc on other companies, L. & J. G. Stickley persevered by adapting to colonial revival furniture through its Cherry Valley Collection and by diversifying to meet institutional needs. By 1950, L & J.G. Stickley was the one remaining Stickley furniture company. The company has been owned by Alfred and Aminy Audi since 1974 (Alfred passed away in 2007).

In 1985, the Audis moved from the

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century-old factory in Fayetteville, New York to neighboring Manlius, where Stickley furniture continues to be produced to this day.

The original Stickley factory, where craftsmen worked for over eight decades, is now the site of the Stickley Museum.

In the old finishing room, visitors can explore an 8,000 square foot exhibit, “A Well Crafted Legacy.”

Some Stickley design features are

Mike Danial in front of Stickley bookcase

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Side-hung and Center-guided Drawers This method guarantees proper allignment of the drawer. The center guide keeps the drawers from skewing sideways. Suspension on the side guides keeps the drawers level even when heavily loaded. There is never any pressure against the bottom side edges, hence no scrape or screech and no excessive friction, pulling or tugging. One can literally stand in a Stickley drawer.

visible; others have to be discovered, like Stickley’s unique side-hung and center-guided drawers, a Leopold Stickley innovation from the late 1920s. The center guide keep drawers from skewing sideways and the side suspension keeps them level, even when heavily loaded, ensuring generations of smooth operation.

The drawers are also dovetailed in all four corners, fully corner blocked on the bottom, carefully fitted, numbered and dated.

Today, the company has 900 employees.

The creation of a Stickley piece begins with the careful selection of the highest grade of solid wood available; one piece door fronts are matched for grain and color, ensuring an exclusively translucent finish. Only Stickley tongue and grooves the boards in its table tops, allowing an almost indestructible glue joint and allowing for nearly 20 percent extra finished thickness on all tops.

Early Craftsmen knew the value of carefully pinned chair joints; Stickley is one of the few remaining furniture companies that still take this extra stop to ensure a lasting product.

Stickley’s legendary finish begins with intensive hand sanding where the pores of the woods are opened

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and its innate beauty is enhanced by a series of complex applications using dyes rather than pigments. Scores of skilled hand operations including hand glazing and hand rubbing provide a penetratingly deep yet clear finish that is resistant to heat, alcohol and marring.

Back panels on most bookcases and china tops are made of individual solid ship-lapped planks.

Stickley furniture has been called “pure geometry” — simple, linear and proportional – and a powerful departure from the ornate designs of the Victorian era. Stickley called it “honest furniture” in

which exposed construction was unhidden of adornment.

Clean lines, the inherent beauty of natural wood, simple construction and honest design have continued over a century to be at the heart of the Stickley’s craft.

“Leopold Stickley would have been considered green before his time,” said Mike Danial, “Like Gustav, he believed in using local, sustainable materials and what is more sustainable than wood?

Stickley furniture is meant to last more than one’s lifetime, often being passed from one generation to the next and the next.”

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&

Birds

Attracting

Butterfl ies

to Your Yard

Anna’s hummingbird

-

By Shannon Player

Phoros by Karen Straus/ San Diego Audubon Society

The Audubon Society of San Diego has started a new program called Audubon at Home, Gardening for Birds and Butterflies. This program will help you transform your yard into a native wonderland that encourages local and migrant birds to visit your yard and stay awhile. The

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program incorporates the use of native plants, which ties in nicely with the effort to make your yard drought tolerant, as California native plants and trees have evolved to withstand periods of drought.

To create your bird-friendly garden, you will need to provide three elements: food, water and shelter. There is an abundance of food on native plants in the form of berries, seeds and foliage. Additionally, a bird feeder will supplement the plants. Wild bird seed that is formulated for our western region is best to use. A little birdie told me that black oil sunflowers are a favorite and may be purchased at Coronado Hardware Glass & Paint. Food placement is also important. Some birds are ground feeders, while others like to perch and feed on fruit and

Common Buckey butterfly

berries in the trees. Placing bird feeders at different locations and heights will satisfy different feeding styles.

Bringing water to your yard is most important.

Running water is preferred by most wildlife, but a simple bird bath will do. I recently bought a large pottery plant basin and placed it on a wrought iron stand and it is working just fine. Total cost, $15, so if you can’t afford a fancy fountain or bubbling faux brook, no worries. Keep water fresh and clean.

Shelter can be in the form of a shrub or tree. This provides a place of refuge when the birds are startled or frightened. Birds need a place to hide from predators for safety. A large hedge is also a great place for birds to hide and rest. I have noticed that although bougainvillea is not a native, it makes a wonderful refuge as does

top: Western Scrub Jay middle: Monkey flower above: House Wren

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Lesser Goldfinch below: Matilija Poppy Western Tiger Swallowtail Fuschia-colored Gooseberry

California Towhee

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House Finches enjoying bird bath

most dense hedge plantings. Hedges that provide seclusion also make a good nesting location. Some other considerations might be ceanothus, which bear dark blue flowers and can be trained as a hedge or let sprawl for an informal look. Contact Tree of Life Nursery for specific plants.

Bringing natives to your yard helps to replace the loss of habitat due to development and gives birds and wildlife a resting place for local and migratory species.

With some careful planning you can have color, fragrance and blooms year round. Besides being drought tolerant and beautiful, natives are usually pest free, no need for pesticides. Additionally, natives take less time and maintenance. Natives require less watering and weeding, and a minimum of pruning. All of this leaves you more time to enjoy your garden and marvel at all the beautiful birds visiting your backyard. After your garden is established you will have a balanced, healthy garden to enjoy for years to come.

Shannon Player is president of the Crown Garden Club, celebrating its Golden Anniversary in 2009.

Some helpful sites for native plants & birding.

California Native Nurseries List www.plantnative.org/nd_ca.html

Tree of Life Nursery www.treeoflifenursery.com

San Diego Audubon Society www.sandiegoaudubon.org

Butterfly Garden Website www.butterfly-garden.com

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All the

R T S A S

Starting in the 1950s, more and more American homes had a contraption up on their roofs: the TV antennae. As we switched to digital TV, down they came. Yes, they’re almost all gone now in Coronado.

But something new is appearing up on the rooftops (and, no, it’s not St. Nick): solar cells are a lot more “low profile” than those gangly antennae. And these rooftop add-ons are bringing in energy to power more than just a TV — how about an entire house…and maybe more.

There are a lot of reasons why it’s the season for solar.

One of the major advantages of solar energy is that once the initial investment is paid for, the energy is mostly free: the sun doesn’t send out monthly bills. And if you’ve looked at your SDG&E bills lately, you’ll note they’ve made a steady progression upward, no matter how much you’ve tried to conserve energy.

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are Aligned for Solar

by Kris Grant Solar is also clean, meaning it doesn’t release pollutants into the air, nor does it damage the ozone. (Al Gore is nodding approval).

And it’s sustainable, meaning it will last a long time with minimal maintenance. You can always add solar panels to a system should you find you require more energy.

The average house in the United States uses about 866 kilowatt hours every month.

A 1-kilowatt solar panel generates about 5 kilowatts of energy a day, or about 150 kilowatts a month, about one-sixth of a home’s energy needs. So, you can figure, if you’re the occupant of an average home, that you’ll need about 5 solar panels. (But are we average in Coronado?)

There are no shortages of solar companies ready to sell you a system. But two in particular have local affiliates in Coronado: Planet Solar and Sullivan Solar.

Ben Siebert, owner of Planet Solar, is a second generation contractor, who has worked throughout the state of California, beginning in 1983 when the government had a “zero interest” program that paid for weatherization, insulation and double pane windows.

In 1998, he expanded into low-energy lighting, built a company around those patents, then sold it.

But now it’s back to solar. “There is no doubt about it,” Siebert said. “Now is the time for solar.”

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residential solar systems will pay for themselves. In essence, the amount you’ll likely pay to finance a solar system over a 15 or 20 year period will replace what you’d pay for your SDG&E bills.

Siebert explains: “First, there’s a 30 percent federal tax credit. Not a deduction, but a credit, straight off your taxes. A year ago it was capped at $2,000. Not anymore. So I called my customers and said, ‘You know that system you were on the fence about? Well, it just got about $6,000

make the environment the centerpiece of my administration and turn back the clock on pollution,” said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. “My Million Solar Roofs Plan will provide 3,000 megawatts of additional clean energy and reduce the output of greenhouse gasses by three million tons, which is like taking one million cars off the road.”

And it gets even sweeter. This past October, the Governator signed AB 920, which mandates that utility companies

cheaper because now you can carry the credit over.’ It’s good for people who are retired or who have an income but don’t need the credit. You can carry it forward five years or you can carry it backwards.”

And then there’s the state rebates, Siebert added, which range somewhere between 20 and 30 percent, depending on the size of the system.

Why is California giving out rebates, one might ask. It starts with the Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his Million Solar Roofs Plan.

“When I ran for governor, I vowed to

now have to write you a check if you own a solar power system that generates more electricity than you use and those surplus solar electrons are sent back to the grid for use by your neighbors.

Siebert said there is a practical side to the governor’s pro-environment plan.

“The Sierra Club will fight to stop any new hydroelectric projects; coal is a fourletter word, natural gas is expensive and nuclear is just not going to happen in this state. So where will the government get additional electricity?” asks Siebert.

“It will come from sunny Southern

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California,” he says. “The perfect place to go solar and instead of having huge solar plants in the desert and have to transport it, why not put it on people’s roofs where they are actually going to use that electricity? Only 20 percent of electricity in the U.S. is actually used; the rest is lost in transportation.

“Residential solar is perfect — you make it on the house and you use it in the house,” he said.

Planet Solar will soon be adding panels to the Valero Service Station at Fourth and Orange, an interesting client considering that it’s a company that distributes gasoline.

Solar installation

But according to Planet Solar’s local representative Katie Weiss, service stations are typically large energy users.

“They have several refrigerators, ice machines and freezers, and lights that need to operate 24 hours a day,” she said, noting that refrigerators are usually the greatest user of energy in a home as well.

David Iwashita, a member of the Iwashita family that has owned the Coronado service station for several decades, said his family has been considering solar panels for quite some time for

the station. “Planet Solar was able to outline all of the benefits of going solar,” Iwashita said. “And they offered us the highest quality products with very affordable pricing. We will definitely be working together with them.”

How much solar does a customer need?

Both solar companies say they will evaluate people’s bills, taking everything — their lifestyle, number of people in home, size of their roof and its orientation to the sun — and then present a custom system.

Both companies will design a system free of charge. Sullivan Solar holds seminars in Coronado to familiarize potential clients with the new tax incentives, state rebates and how solar works. With a company to make Coronado the first city in the nation to be a “100 percent solar powered” community, Sullivan also offers an additional in-house “Coronado Community Discount Program,” which is essentially a rebate to Coronado customers, depending on the amount of kilowatt hours achieved in certain buying periods, with three tiers offering discounts: 70 kilowatts, a 3.75 percent discount; 100 kilowatts, 6.25 percent; and 150 kilowatts, 8.75 percent. Phase One closed with 76.8 kilowatts on 20 homes.

One of the most interesting pieces of knowledge gleaned from attending a Sullivan Solar seminar was learning more about how SDG&E structures its energy bills. Baseline charges are only 12.5 cents per kilowatt; and the next tier is 14.5 percent. But watch out for tiers three and four, which jump to 31 cents and 33 cents respectively per kilowatt hour. The more you use, the higher your rate.

Planet Solar does not offer an in-house rebate, but “works to provide the most cost-effective system that is reliable,” says Siebert.

“There are hundreds of solar panel manufacturers,” Siebert said. “Of the 25 I’ve investigated, I use one that is the

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largest manufacturer in the world by twice any other system. They are the most innovative and technically astute engineering team in the industry. And for customers who prefer an American company, there is one that I recommend.

“What sets us about,” says Siebert of Planet Solar “is that all of our installers are 20-year plus licensed general contractors and we like to teach people how to be more energy efficient before we install the system.”

Siebert says that every dollar a person spends on energy efficiency saves them $4 in a solar system. “We’d rather have you spend less for a system, be happy customers and tell your friends about us than sell you more of a system than you need,” he said.

Siebert said that “Most likely if someone’s electricity bill is $80 to $100 or more per month, solar will pay for itself from day one.”

Where do we all sign up?

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Coronado Navy Cross Veteran Recounts WWII in

Hooked

By Kris Grant

Cdr. Clayton Fisher, USN (Ret.) remembers the war — the big one — World War II — like it was yesterday.

There’s something terrifying having a plane with a big red meatball becoming your wingman flying and flying in close formation.

Now those memories have been recorded in his book Hooked — Tails and Adventures of a Tailhook Warrior that vividly recounts some of World War II’s most infamous battles and his own harrowing accounts of cheating death on more than one occasion.

He was front and center at the Battle of Midway. “It was the turning point of the war,” he recounts. “We lost all but one of our Torpedo Squadron 8 pilots in that battle. And we went up against four Japanese carriers; all were bombed and sank. In ten minutes three carriers were gutted and we got the fourth carrier a few hours later.”

The four carriers had been part of a six carrier fleet that had bombed Pearl Harbor; it was a fitting payback, Fisher surmised.

“I didn’t expect to live but you get kind of numb about it. What can you do?”

Fisher recalled of his first bombing raid.

When he returned to the ship, he met a squadron pilot, upset and crying, in the ready room who told him that he was the only pilot in his squadron to have made it back to the ship. Later, they learned that all the fighter pilots had ditched after running out of fuel; four were killed ditching, and the others were rescued a few days later by PBY patrol planes.

Fisher flew a Douglas Dauntless SBD dive bomber—and he has a bone to pick with the New York Times to this day. The Times had misinformation that B-17s had sunk all the Japanese carriers and won the Battle of Midway, Fisher said.

“Not so. Japanese postwar information confirmed the American dive bombers were the only aircraft to hit the enemy carriers. Of the 45 torpedo plans launched from the three American carriers, 43 were shot down and the commanding officers

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of all three squadrons were killed.”

Fisher flew all five of those bombing raids and received a memorandum while enroute on the USS Hornet to Pearl Harbor.

He was to receive the Navy Cross, the Navy’s highest combat decoration.

Fisher said it was Charles Lindbergh’s career that got him interested in flying as a youngster in Janesville, Wisc. “He was all over the newspapers and everybody named their dogs ‘Lindy,’” Fisher remembered.

“We lived about three blocks from a horse racetrack and barnstormers used to land there,” he said. The enterprising young man would offer to clean the airplanes, so he’d get taken up in them occasionally. He also got to ride in a Ford tri-motor; the first commercial airliner; it landed in my hometown municipal airport. “I helped refuel it and had a free flight. It held about ten passengers at the most with wicker seats and it was noisy.”

Fisher also went up in a blimp. “I saw my mother look up at us and she didn’t know I was up there.”

Fisher graduated high school in 1937 and after watching Howard Hughes’ Hells Angels with Jean Harlow, a movie about World War I combat flying, Fisher knew what he wanted to do: be a combat pilot. Before attending the University of Wisconsin, Fisher joined the Wisconsin National Guard. Because he could not attend training sessions in the National Guard as a college student he received an early discharge from the National Guard.

His National Guard unit was sent to the Philippines in November 1941 just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Only seven of 140 members of his unit survived, after being captured by the Japanese.

Among his flight training, Fisher flew out of Opa-Locka air station in carrier-type aircraft over the Florida Everglades, “full of snakes and alligators,” he shuddered.

He got his wings on Aug. 8, 1941 and was commissioned as a navy ensign.

He met his wife, Annie, then an Army nurse in the NAS Norfolk Officers Club, and the couple was married the following February before he was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Meanwhile, Anne’s mother

was gravely ill, and she returned home to be with her mother during her last month.

The Battle of Midway behind him, Fisher was to see even more harrowing action in the South Pacific, where the Japanese attempted to retake Guadalcanal.

“They deployed a task force to the southeast and we deployed to the northwest and we met head on,” Fisher relates, his eyes steely and steady in memory. “I was in the initial launch of 16 dive bombers off the Hornet. I thought I was on a Holiday 2009 • Coronado Lifestyle 71

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suicide mission. As we were climbing out and reaching about 10,000 feet, I looked above us and here was a big formation of Japanese airplanes — brilliant blue sky and bright red meatballs. They didn’t see us; they went on and bombed the Hornet; the Hornet got sunk and we had taken off just before. The Japanese had us on radar 70 miles out so we were under constant attack from Japanese ‘Zeros,’ we called them. These were very maneuverable aircraft; Howard Hughes had designed it, and the Japanese copied it and made a fighter out of it.

“They finally shot and damaged our leader’s engine. Before he went down and we were flying through his black smoke. We finally made contact with the Japanese carrier. We didn’t sink it, but it never saw action again. Meanwhile, my hydraulic system had been damaged and my dive flaps didn’t work. I had to make a clean dive and overshot the carrier.

“As I pulled out of my dive a Zero got on my tail and fired a 20 millimeter shell that hit the armor plate behind my seat.

The concussion of the shot stunned me.

Fragments of the shell hit me in my right arm just above my elbow, and my gunner got hit in both thighs. Then the Japanese plane was flying on my plane like a wingman. He decided to back off and when he got behind me, my gunner hit his engine.

That was the last we saw of him. But we weren’t done — we had to fly 150 miles to get back to the task force. The USS Enterprise was surrounded by planes trying to land. Because of damage to hydraulic lines that operated my landing flaps; we had to ditch. Normally you ditch by a destroyer, but I ditched by a cruiser, the USS Juneau. We got in a raft — luckily it hadn’t been punctured. The Juneau crew threw lines to us and then we crawled up nets to get on board.”

Fisher was transferred from a hospital ship to the Lurliner which was a prewar cruise ship now a troop transport which finally docked at the San Diego Navy Pier.

From there he was transferred to the old Balboa Naval Hospital. Annie, who was living in Coronado, was there to greet her husband and they spent the next six weeks together in their white clapboard apartment near what is now St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.

Fisher survived the war and he and Annie, who was Dr. Ethel Watters Vetter’s first nurse, have been happily married for almost 68 years.

Fisher’s vibrant account of World War II and his life can be purchased for $25 directly from the author who lives on Tolita Avenue. He’ll personally autograph the book – a fitting tribute to any U.S. veteran. Contact him at (619) 435-8697

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Doggie Dinners

Get an Upgrade

By Lisa Reynolds We know an unhealthy diet can cause obesity and diabetes. But did you know your dog is just as vulnerable as you are?

“Researchers are linking certain dog diseases — like diabetes, obesity and even dog cancer — to the amount of carbohydrates they get in their food,” explained Melanie Parks owner of Wag ’n Tails, a Coronado-based pet store specializing in natural pet foods.

Like us, a dog on a high-carbohydrate diet is more likely to be overweight and develop health issues that come with that.

But man’s four-legged friend has another issue with corn or grain-based dog food besides extra pounds: Since dogs are carnivores by nature, they are pre-programmed to prefer a high-protein diet.

Many dogs also have allergies that cause itchy skin. “Food allergies are a hard thing to test in a dog,” Parks said.

“But corn is one of the biggest culprits for making dogs itchy. Sometimes even chicken can be a problem. One wonders if that has anything to do with what they’re feeding the chickens.”

Though Fido needs a diet high in protein, not just any protein will do. Parks cautions pet owners to read labels and look out for “meat by-products,” which can include things like euthanized animals and diseased chickens. Also beware of “animal digest.” “The word ‘digest’ means something the animal ate and passed,” she noted. “So that could be something swept out of the chicken coop.”

Healthy choices include brands like Natural Balance, Wellness, Evo, Taste of the Wild and Orijen. Wag ’n Tails also carries a new brand made locally in El Cajon called My Perfect Pet. My Perfect Pet tries to recreate a wild canine diet — with restaurant-grade ingredients. The occasional plant and what-their-prey-atefor-dinner would be a wild dog’s main source of carbohydrates. My Perfect Pet estimates this would make up 20 percent of the dog’s meal, which is why the carbcontent in their food is never more than 15 percent.

“It’s fresh frozen dog food, so you just put the bars in the freezer and take them out to thaw before meal time,” Parks said. “Boomer’s Blend” — named after the creators’ dog — has chicken, London broil, brisket, eggs, fish oil, potatoes and even kelp. It’s what Parks feeds her two dogs, Cookie, a poodle/terrier, and Moses, a Great Dane/Wiemaraner mix.

Cookie eats the product exclusively and Moses eats it alongside his regular Kibble. “Cookie is hardy, but very picky. But she really likes My Perfect Pet,” Parks said. “It’s a nice healthy option for finicky eaters.”

Though My Perfect Pet and other natural dog foods are a little pricier, Parks says the extra money on dog food may mean less money on vet visits. “Regular check-ups are always wise,” said Parks, “But if you put healthier fuel in your dog, you’ll have a healthier pet.”

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The Ten Tenors Guide to the

Land Down

Under

(seated): Josh Piterman, Luke Kennedy, Jeff Teale, Graham Foote, Tod Strike; (standing): Stewart Morris, Dominic Smith, Boyd Owen; (right): Benjamin Clark, Steven Sowden.

By Kris Grant So you think you’d fancy yourself a trip to Australia, do you? Just what does that mean to you? The Sydney Opera House and a tangle with a crocodile?

The Ten Tenors — the internationally renowned Australian singing group who will perform Dec. 8-12 at the San Diego Civic Theatre — have another itinerary for you…you might call it the ultimate insider’s guide to the Land Down Under. While on a promotional tour last September, we turned the tables on the tenors, asking them to share their “Top Ten Tenor” recommendations for a visit to their homeland.

This is a group that has traveled the world many times over for nearly a decade, but their Australian blood runs deep in their veins and they’re as proud to talk about their homeland as they are to promote their upcoming concert. With an early morning arrival from Las Vegas where they had 74 Coronado Lifestyle • Holiday 2009

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photo by Adam Bruzzone, © Tourism Australia

Local pub in Birdsville, small town in the outback

just performed in the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon following a trip to Lima, Peru where they were (happily) besieged by 6,000 fans, the Tenors had no shortage of passionate suggestions for the Australian-bound traveler.

Graham Foote is the musical director of the Tenors. “My favorite part of the continent is the Great Ocean Road,” Foote says. It’s a drive that extends for about 200 miles and is an hour and a half southwest of Melbourne. The best way to see it is on the back of a Harley, he insists. “There are great seaside stops with bed and breakfast and organic agricultural retreats along the way.” Along the road you’ll find an incredible range of scenery, including the Twelve Apostles, craggy limestone stacks that rise majestically from the Southern Ocean. You’ll also see migrating whales, koalas, kangaroos, emus and water birds roaming freely at Tower Hill State Game Reserve. Aboriginal culture is found along the Great Ocean Road as well, including tastes of “bush tucker,” boomerang throwing and playing of the didgeridoo in the town of Geelong.

The Ten Tenors Holiday Dec. 8–12 San Diego Civic Theatre Featuring holiday classics, songs most requested from fans over the years and hits from their latest album, Nostalgica,” including American songbook masterpieces like Henry Mancini’s Moon River and Cole Porter’s Night & Day Presented by Broadway San Diego (619) 570-1100 Broadwaysd.com

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photo by Nick Rains, © Tourism Australia

above and right: Coral sightings, the Great Barrier Reef

© Tourism Australia

© Tourism Australia

Great Barrier Reef

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photo by Susan Wright, © Tourism Australia

a strong community spirit and friendly locals (which could be said for all Australia, come to think of it). Lamington National Park, dedicated in 1915, boasts extensive walking tracks allowing visitors to explore the largest preserved stand of rainforest in Australia.

Boyd Owen says the Yarra Valley has taken its rightful place among the fraternity of the eight great wine regions in the world that also includes Napa Valley

Horsebackriding at sunset on Magnetic Island

photo by Lauritz, © Tourism Australia

Luke Kennedy hails from Queensland and he recommends a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. “You’ve got to get a boat to get out there,” he advises. “You’ll see some spectacular fish life and coral and get some sunshine.” But then he points Americans to a lesser known spot: Magnetic Island, “an island off the coast of Townsville, my home town.” The island has an untouched National Park, a resident population of only 2,500 “but there’s still lots to do there,” he says, including visits to secluded beaches, many of which are only reachable by water. There are jet ski and kayak tours and lots of catamarans, sailboards, surf skis, canoes and aqua bikes, and some of the most beautiful aqua marine waters in the world.

Dion Molinas is the Tenors’ chief choreographer and has been traveling the world with the Ten Tenors for over ten years but still resides in Brisbane. He recommends at trip further up the coast in Queensland to the Daintree Rain Forest. “You’ll need a four-wheel drive because the roads are basically rocks and mud, but it is the most beautiful, beautiful place. We’d holiday there every year,” he said of his family vacations. Approximately 430 species of birds live among the trees here, and, yes, if you want to get up close and friendly with Mr. Crocodile, then the rivers of this oldest rainforest in the world, dating back some 250 million years, are the place to visit on a real life Jungle Boat cruise.

Stewart Morris made his debut with the Ten Tenors in 2001. Hailing from Southeast Queensland, he recommends the Scenic Rim, a thriving rural paradise set in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range and surrounded by world heritagelisted national parks. Here there are horse farms, wineries and art galleries and “gorgeous places (called bushwhacking tracks) to go hiking, with streams and waterfalls,” says Morris. Supported by a thriving economy, the Scenic Rim has

Magnetic Island from Townsville

and Argentina. “A lot of famous wines are based there and it’s right at the foot of the Yarra Ranges,” he says. “There are plains with vineyards and amazing restaurants.

You’ll find everything you’d possibly like in a wine country adventure from little cafés, cheese shops, antique stores and crafts stores, right up to five-star retreats on the mountains. But the great thing is Holiday 2009 • Coronado Lifestyle 77

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photo by Susan Wright, © Tourism Australia

Daintree National Park

it’s only an hour’s drive from Melbourne.

Great times all year round, Owen advises.

Tod Strike, after having gained his bachelors of arts in music, moved quickly into the professional performance arena with appearances in the State Opera of Queensland’s productions of Turandot and Othello and played Goro in Madame Butterfly. But he advises Australian visitors to go west…way out to Western Australia. “If you want to do something different, you must visit the outback and the beaches. Cable Beach up in Broome is unparalled for its beauty. Or you can jump

in a helicopter and do The Kimberleys.”

The Kimberleys National Parks consist mainly of ancient, steep-sided mountain ranges. “You’ll see colors there you won’t see anywhere else,” Strike shares.

Jeff Teale, as a young lad, was more interested in sports than singing, particularly the Australian Football League. But at age 19, he began exploring music and singing and was even known to busk with his guitar on the streets of Brisbane. His recommended destination for visitors is only an hour from Brisbane: North Stradbroke Isle, one of

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Lamington National Park

courtesy Melbourne CVB

© Tourism Western Australia

the world’s largest sand islands. “You take a vehicle ferry (called a barge) and you can do so many things there — snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing. It’s a hidden wonderland that hasn’t been overpopulated. And there’s a big fresh water lake on the island’s interior, which is clear blue and surrounded by wildflowers of the Australian bush.”

Benjamin Clark is a country boy and proud of it. “My dad owns a pub in the country,” says Clark, who grew up in the

Yarra Valley

rural town of Memda on the outskirts of Melbourne. “Don’t overlook the niceness and beauty of small Australian towns.

Stop at any pub that has a $12 pot of beer and a dinner like chicken parmigiana. You won’t meet nicer people in the world.”

Dominic Smith advises that you can go straight to the heart of the country by plane, to Alice Springs, and just north is Uluru, one of the country’s most recognizable natural icons. The sandstone formations stand 1,142 feet high and measure 5.8 miles in circumference. “You have to get up in morning, before the sun comes up

photo by Nick Rains, © Tourism Australia

Sunset camel trek on Cable Beach, Broome

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because as the sun hits the rock, it changes colors. It’s amazing,” says Smith. “And the same thing happens at sunset, when it briefly glows red. And at night the stars are spectacular.” Although the local Anangu do not climb Uluru because of its great spiritual significance, climbing is a popular attraction for visitors. But Smith advises that climbing may no longer be allowed.

The government’s “Draft Management Plan, 2009–2019” under submission to the Minister of the Environment, may soon curtail the activity.

Steven Sowden, the newest member of the Tenors, joining in 2007, hails from Queensland, “where we have a lot of beautiful rainforest,” he says. “I recommend the Bunya Mountains in Queensland; a national park named after the Bunya Pine trees. I go there with my wife and

© Tourism Queensland

photo by Brian Geach, © Tourism Australia

and we’re getting inventive on sausages, like garlic sausage.”

Molinas relished an Aussie meat pie, “a crust pastry baked with our finest beef on the inside. You can get it with steak and mushrooms and mashed peas,” he said. “And my second favorite thing is Vegemite. It’s a black paste made from yeast extract and high in vitamin C and we eat it with anything and everything.

The mistake people make is they spread it like jam and it’s very salty. It takes some getting used to.” But he admitted that “most of us pile it on nice and thick.”

Speaking of meat pies, Foote advised travelers to try a pie floater. “It’s a meat pie inverted in a plate of thick green soup; perfect if you are hung over at 4:30 a.m.”

Another Tenor chimed in with his love of “a hamburger with a fried egg, beet slice

Whale lookout, North Stradbroke Isle

Alice Springs Camel Cup

we have a quiet weekend with beautiful protective rainforests and limitless bush walks. There are all sorts of wildlife and we just go and relax. It’s about two hours northwest of Brisbane.”

And then there’s the food.

“You can’t surpass the seafood,” said Smith. “It comes in fresh off the boats every morning. Many cities have fish markets.”

“And we’re also famous for our cattle,” Smith added. “Great beef, great steaks

and pineapple. As a kid I could go down and spend a $1.50 and have a terrific meal.”

Teale said he was partial to caramel Tim Tams biscuits, and Violet Crumble, which is honeycombed confection covered with chocolate, while Strike said Aussie desserts can’t be beat. “Pavlova with fresh fruit,” he said with affection, “and our Bowen mangos are the best, and a thing called Lemonettes — a sponge cake covered in chocolate and covered in coconut.”

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Wallaby with Joey in the Bunya Mountains

“We spend so much time away from home, but when we go home we cherish it,” said Smith. “Australia is still the best country in the world.”

courtesy Melbourne CVB

The Twelve Apostles along the Great Ocean Drive

© Tourism Queensland

© Tourism Queensland

Fortunately, the Tenors had just finished lunch, but as they spoke about Australian places and foods, an undeniable wistfulness grew over the group and this interviewer had to apologize for possibly churning up a bit of homesickness. No bother, they said, they were soon headed south.

Bunya Mountains

© Tourism Queensland

North Stradbroke Isle

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TIDBITS

Hotel del Coronado Holiday Events Dec. 24 and Dec. 25: Victorian Dining at the Del On Christmas Eve a lavish Victorian buffet dinner will be served in the Crown Room from 5 to 9 p.m. The celebration will include live musical entertainment. $98.50, adults; $42.50, children ages 6-10; free for kids 5 and under.

On Christmas Day, the oceanfront Ballroom and the magnificent Crown Room will feature Victorian holiday buffet dinners decked out with all the trimmings from noon to 6 p.m. $85, adults; $37.50, children ages 6-10; free for kids 5 and under.

Victorian Tea is offered at the Hotel Del Coronado throughout the holiday season — a special treat for tea lovers, or those who just want to relax and enjoy holiday piano entertainment. Ladies and gentlemen, mothers and daughters and good friends will love this charming tradition. $40, adults; $20; children ages 6-10; free for kids 5 and under. (619) 522-8490, deldining@hoteldel.com

Dec. 31–Jan. 1: “Romance through the Ages” New Year’s Eve Gala Ring in 2010 at the Hotel Del Coronado.

The evening will begin with a cocktail reception in the Crown Room, followed by a lavish dinner in the Ballroom, dancing to the contemporary sounds of The Mar Dels, plus a champagne toast. Keep the party going on January 1 with the annual New Year’s Day champagne brunch in the historic Crown Room from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. $77, adults, $35, children ages 6-10; free for kids 5 and under. (619) 435-6611, www.hoteldel.com hoteldel.com Dec. 31: New Years Eve Gala aboard The USS Midway Museum Celebrate the New Year aboard an aircraft carrier. From the flight deck you’ll have a front row seat to fireworks over the bay, as well as live music from The Big Daddy Orchestra, food, dancing and champagne. For ticket information, (619) 575-5500

Holiday Lights at Twilight

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TIDBITS

Loews Coronado Bay Resort’s Holidays Hanukkah Celebrate eight nights of the Festival of Lights in Loews’ lobby. Enjoy cookies and punch as the Menorah is lit each evening.

Christmas Eve Enjoy Mistral’s rustic Northern Italian and Southern French cuisine while overlooking the Coronado Bridge and the San Diego skyline beyond. On Christmas Eve, select holiday dishes will be offered in addition to Mistral’s regular a la carte menu. Reservations are available from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Christmas Day Join Master French Chef Marc Ehrler as he creates an extravagant Champagne Christmas Buffet featuring slow-roasted natural prime rib, Tasmanian salmon, oven-roasted turkey, Agave nectar-glazed Virginia ham, California wine country selections, seafood, sushi, and fabulous holiday desserts. The buffet is available in the Constellation Ballroom from noon to 5 p.m. $52, adults; $25, children.

New Year’s Eve Ring in the New Year above the clouds at Mistral. Enjoy live entertainment and an exquisite five-course menu featuring a unique marriage of Northern Italian and Southern French cuisine. $75 per person; wine pairings for each course can be added at two tiers, $32 or $60. Reservations can be made from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

New Year’s Day Enjoy the New Year’s Day “Blues, Brews and Barbeque” featuring Loews’ signature beer-can ribs, country cornbread and ice cold draft beer, served alongside a good portion of live blues music. The buffet is available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. $28, adults; $14, children.

For reservations to all events, (619) 424-4000 ext. 6300

Correction In our annual Taste of Coronado Dining Guide we noted that Vigilucci’s offers Coronado residents a VIP card and special deals that go with it, including extended Happy Hours until 7 p.m. and 15 percent off all meals. The extended Happy Hours are only offered Monday through Friday.

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TIDBITS

French Master Chef Marc Ehrler Corporate Chef, Loews Hotels Executive Chef, Loews Coronado Bay Resort To calculate the number of diamonds and stars earned at hotels and resorts where Chef Marc Ehrler played a starring role would span more than 35 years and countless kitchens from around the world.

Ehrler, the most decorated chef in the Loews family, is a Master Chef of France and the first Chef to receive the AAA Five Diamond ranking in two restaurants of the same hotel while working at Ritz Carlton Cancun.

As Loews Hotels’ corporate chef, Ehrler now lends his expertise to Loews Coronado Bay Resort. In addition to overseeing the property’s extensive culinary operation, Chef Ehrler will pay particular attention to the resort’s signature restaurant, Mistral. Ehrler plans to de-formalize the setting as well as create a new rustic Northern Italian and Southern French menu he characterizes as “simple, yet not simplistic.” Mistral’s lower price point will reflect this conceptual shift; dishes will still embrace fresh fruits and vegetables from local farming communities.

Chef Ehrler, a native of Antibes on the French Riviera between Cannes and Nice, trained with world-renowned chefs, including Alain Ducasse, Jacques Maximin and Andre Daguin. His technique is a tribute to his native Provence and by his extensive travels to the Caribbean, Latin America, California, Asia and Southwest.

A master of food arts, Chef Ehrler has been praised by critics and celebrities, and featured in Wine Spectator, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure, Gourmet, Tattlerand the New York Times as well as Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, the

Discovery Channel’s “Great Chefs of the World,” Best 10 Restaurants in the World, CNN International and the Food TV Network. He has participated in the James Beard House “Best Hotel Chefs Series” and has been recognized by the Culinary Academy of France.

Most recently, Ehrler served as Executive Chef of Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson where he founded the nationally-acclaimed “desert foods” program. Prior to that, he was the Executive Chef at Loews Miami Beach Hotel and Executive Chef for Ritz Carlton Hotel Company (Marina del Rey, Kansas City and Cancun). Other experience includes La Samanna, a Rosewood Hotel on the Island of St. Martin; the K-Club on Barbuda, a Bel Air hotel; the Stonehouse Restaurant at San Ysidro Ranch, a Relais et Chateaux in Santa Barbara, California; Antoine at Le Meridien in Newport Beach; La Terrasse at Le Juana in Juan les Pins, France; and Westbury Hotel in New York.

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UNDERGROUND GOURMET

Want a shot of wheat grass? There’s only one place you’ll find it on Coronado Island — Fuel Juicebar. And it’s not just any wheat grass: it’s organic, locally grown in Encinitas and “the sweetest and most potent wheatgrass you’ll ever taste,” says Nina McDonald, the “mom” of the family that owns Fuel.

Because of its potency — the first time I visited Fuel I caught a wonderful scent of what I thought was freshly mown grass — it’s offered to first-time wheat grass shooters as a sample.

A passion for healthy foods is what propelled the McDonald family, well known in Coronado these many years, with Nina’s writing career blossoming on these pages and in the local newspaper, and Tom’s IT consultancy a boon for businesses in need.

But it was the five McDonald kids going through the Coronado school system that alerted Nina to the need for a juice bar. “The high school kids were calling in orders to Jamba Juice at Horton Plaza, then rushing over there and back on their lunch hours,” she said, finding it uncanny that none of the 50 restaurants on the island offered healthy smoothies.

Healthy is what Fuel delivers. Five smoothies — Strawberry, Green Flash, Berry Buzz, Tropical Tango and Acai Accelerator — are big on fresh or frozen whole fruits and customers can also “design their own.” Fuel smoothies don’t add extra sugar, sherbet, gels or premixed bases. And instead of saying “super size me,” Fuel will “turbo-charge you” should you wish to add any of their quality line of vitamin and omega supplements.

There’s also local Calabria roasted coffee, ground fresh with each customer’s order, fruit and vegetable juices, Italian sodas, and a choice of healthy salads and sandwiches made daily by the Olive Oil Organic Cafe.

It’s a most pleasant space to meet for lunch, off the main drag, with outside umbrellad tables and a light and bright interior. Best of all, your servers are friendly, caring and personable.

The couple’s daughter, Kiera, also a licensed personal trainer, manages the juice bar and sisters Merlot and Montana are part of the staff.

Fuel your body, feed your spirit at FUEL

Hours are 6 to 6, Monday through Friday and 8 to 6, Saturdays.

1033 B Ave. (619) 435-0443 TEXT your order in via Zingle: (619) 261-9211 www.fueljuicebar.com

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V ENI, VIDI, VINO !

If Your Sweet Tooth Could Order a Glass of Wine…

Pumpkin pie, apple pie, flan, oh my! With the holidays just around the corner, so are all the delicious, grandma’s-recipe-inspired, traditional desserts that we look forward to all year! And the only thing I can imagine making those treats more hedonistically ne. e. wonderful is a perfectly paired dessert wine.

By Samantha Metzger

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“P i illi cures, but “Penicillin b t wine i makes k people happy.” — Alexander Fleming Still, with all the wining and dining that goes on during the holidays, it can be a bit overwhelming selecting yet another wine to go with dessert. Read on to learn the basics of choosing a dessert wine sure to finish off your holiday with a bang (and perhaps a bubble or two).

First and foremost, consider the dessert you’d like to serve. It’s important not to go too sweet, as a superfluously sugary dessert will overwhelm your palate and make the wine you’ve selected taste too blunt or even sour. If you’re serving chocolate, try selecting a darker variety (around 60% cocoa) so it will compliment, rather than compete with, your wine. Try avoiding cold desserts such as ice cream or sorbet, as the temperatures will numb the palate and make wines taste bland (it’s okay to serve them as a compliment to a dessert, such as pie, but avoid serving them on their own as a wine pairing).

It’s also important to consider the meal that will be served prior to your desserts.

If the food will be heavy and rich, keep dessert light. For example, try serving a lovely biscotti with a traditional italian Vin Santo. These grapes are harvested and dried indoors rather than on the vine, which gives the wine a nutty taste that would be a nice compliment. If, on the other hand, the dinner is lighter side, consider a more decadent dessert as a highlight of the meal. Perhaps a delicate yet rich Tiramisu with a Muscat would be a good choice. Also, keep in mind that some dessert wines are sufficient enough to stand on their own as the encore to your holiday meal.

Perhaps the most classic dessert wine go-to is a port. R.S. Surtees wrote in his book Handley Cross, “A pint of port and a devilled bisquit can hurt no man.”

There are three types of this bold red

(who discovered Penicillin)

from Portugal: tawny ports, which are aged at length in wooden barrels to bring out a nuttier flavor; ruby ports, which are typically younger and fruitier, and vintage ports, which are aged for long periods in the bottle to give them spicy, dark grape flavors. All ports are fortified with brandy; the addition of which halts the fermentation process early, bringing out the natural sweetness of the grape and raising the alcohol level. Because they are so sweet, ports pair well with any kind of fruity dessert. Cherry pie or Holiday 2009 • Coronado Lifestyle 87

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apple cobbler, anyone? Dairy-based desserts (cheesecake, crème brulee) are also a good pairing with ports. Tawny ports specifically pair well with milk chocolate, caramel, and toffee because of their nutty flavors, while heavy vintage ports pair well with darker chocolate. If you are serving some sort of cheese plate to finish the meal, include walnuts paired with a vintage port — its high tannin levels will be a nice compliment.

The ever popular Riesling and Gewurztraminer both fall under the category of ice wines, which are made from grapes that are frozen on the vine and then crushed while frozen. Ice wines are made from a variety of grapes, including Riesling and Gewurztraminer, but will generally say either ice wine or Eiswein (German for “ice wine”) on the label.

Canada is also famous for producing delicious (and expensive) ice wines. These wines are interesting and well-balanced because though they are typically very syrupy and sweet, their high-acidity manages

to keep them crisp and clean at the same time. Their flavors are that of pear, peach, apple, tropical fruits, and even hazelnuts, so all of those make good dessert pairings.

As a rule of thumb (for ice wines and any others) make sure that your wine is always sweeter than your dessert.

Muscats are another beloved dessert wine. Muscat is a very diverse white grape family enjoyed for its incredible fragrance and its mild fruit flavors of apricot and peach. (It’s also often used to make raisins.) Muscat does not need to mature for the most part; it can be drunk the same year as harvest. And because there is such a variety of grapes, the particular sweetness of this wine varies. These wines pair wonderfully with fruit, cobblers, and lighter chocolates (white and milk) and even milder, creamier cheeses.

Germany, known for its sweet tooth, boasts the Auslese. It’s pronounced “owssleh-zeh” and means “selected harvest.”

Auslese wines are made primarily with Reisling grapes and are harvested late in

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the season, enhancing their sweetness.

A good Auslese is very palatable because of the balance between its high acidity, high fruit, and high sweetness. Germany ranks its wines according to sweetness, the sweetest being the most valued.

Auslese is picked very ripe and is moderately sweet, and pairs well with peach or almond-based desserts. Beerenauslese (meaning “selected berry harvest”) is picked even riper and, as such, is sweeter.

Topping the list is Trockenbeerenauslese (meaning “selected dry berry harvest”), which is picked shriveled. These are so incredibly sweet that New York Times wine writer Eric Asimov says they “must maintain teeth-jarring levels of acidity to keep them balanced.” The later two are also described as having a somewhat oily texture and are so decadent that they could easily be served as dessert alone.

If you are set on serving creamy desserts like crème brulee, cheesecake, and even cheese plates this holiday season, consider a Sauternes and Barsac.

The “noble rot” or “pourriture noble” in French refers to bacteria called botrytis cinerea that attacks grapes left on the vine. This bacteria dramatically concentrates the sweetness of the grape far more than in normal wine grapes, resulting in the classicly strong, sweet, French dessert wine. (Sauternes refers to wines from the Sauterne region in France while Barsac refers to the nearby Barsac region.)

A really classic pairing for Sauternes is with a blue cheese, notably Roquefort. In addition to the pairings mentioned above, these wines are also excellent with tropical fruity desserts and desserts flavored with honey and butterscotch. And similar to the Auslese, these wines are rich and powerful enough to stand on their own at the end of a delicious meal.

Now that you’re well versed in dessert wines sure to please the palate, check out the local selections! WineStyles is

carrying two great alternatives to the Portugese port: one is from Mendocino, Calif., and the other (called “Landskroon”) is from South Africa. Both are promising choices at around $24. Their Kings Estate Vin Glace Pinot Gris ($24.99) is a great, clean dessert wine at an excellent price.

Plus, not only is it delicious; it’s organic and biodynamic in farming. If you’re just sharing dessert with your sweetie (pun intended), try the Tobin James “Liquid Love” late harvest zinfandel ($20.99) for a romantic and delectable treat. And, for my personal favorite (and sure to be for those who love bubbles like I do), try a Moscato di Asti. WineStyles carries an Italian Moscato at $16.99 and a half-size Australian titled “Innocent Bystander” at $13.99, both sweet treats complete with some fizzy fun!

Dessert wines seem to have a love ‘em or hate ‘em stigma — but with all these great options you’re sure to find at least one to love. Cheers to you and yours (and all those sweet teeth in between) this holiday season!

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DINING

American BEACH-N-DINER Coronado’s “hot spot” for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A step back into the ‘50s, complete with Elvis, soda jerks and snappy vinyl booths. Generous (don’t even try to count the calories) portions.

1015 Orange Ave. (619) 437-6087 www.nadolife.com BURGER LOUNGE Delicious tall grass-fed beef hamburgers, turkey burgers, vegetarian burgers and organic salads.

922 Orange Ave. (619) 435-6835 www.burgerlounge.com CAFÉ 1134 Complete range of coffee drinks, breakfasts (served all day), salads, sandwiches and pastries. Indoor dining with loft, sidewalk café and rear patio. Wine and beer.

1134 Orange Ave. (619) 437-1134 CHANCE BISTRO Open daily, 8am-10pm.

Diverse international menu serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Patio dining. Serving beer and wine. Kid-friendly.

Call ahead for curbside pick-up.

926 Orange Ave. (619) 435-5822 CLAYTON’S COFFEE SHOP The oval counter at Clayton’s is authentic and you can play the jukebox from your booth.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner featuring burgers, malts and comfort foods. Pass the meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

979 Orange Ave. (619) 435-5425

THE CLUBHOUSE BAR & GRILL Casual atmosphere overlooking the greens. Stop in for Thursday night’s prime rib specials.

Municipal Golf Course 2000 Visalia Row (619) 435-1740 www.clubhousebarandgrill.com CORONADO BREWING COMPANY Open daily, 11am-10pm; Happy Hour daily, 2-6pm; Kids-Eat-Free Special: Tues 5-7pm (Two kids per parent) 170 Orange Ave. (619) 437-4452 www.coronadobrewingcompany.com ENCORE CAFÉ The little bistro at Lamb’s Players Theatre. Stop in before the play.

1138 Orange Ave. (619) 435-2124 LIL’ PIGGY’S BAR-B-Q If you have a craving for good old-fashioned barbecue that’s lip-smackin’ delicious, head to Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q where you’ll find barbecue sandwich choices that include pork, ribs, chicken and shrimp and combo plates that come with sides of “pig tails” (that would be seasoned curly fries), onion rings or, our favorite, corn fritters!

If you prefer salads, choose from pork, chicken, shrimp or market. Open Sun-Thurs 11am-8pm, Fri-Sat 11am-9pm.

Coronado Ferry Landing (619) 522-0217 www.nadolife.com NIGHT AND DAY CAFÉ Coronado’s only 24-hour café, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner ‘round the clock.

847 Orange Ave. (619) 435-9776

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PANERA BREAD BAKERY-CAFÉ Specialty sandwiches, salads, soups and pastries.

Indoor/outdoor dining.

980 Orange Ave. (619) 437-4288 www.panerabread.com RHINOCEROS CAFÉ & GRILLE American bistro-style cooking with a wide array of entrees and contemporary interior. A true Coronado original and unique experience.

1166 Orange Ave. (619) 435-2121 www.rhinocafe.com STRETCH’S CAFÉ Open daily, 8am-6pm. Breakfast, lunch and dinner; fresh, home-cooked meals, frozen yogurt, smoothies, great breakfast, fresh salads. Catering available.

943 Orange Ave. (619) 435-8886 TARTINE European-style café serving specialty soups, sandwiches, pastries. Dinner reservations

recommended. Patio dining and contemporary interior dining room.

1106 First St., (619) 435-2374 www.tartinecorononado.com TENT CITY RESTAURANT Open daily from 8:00am-Close; Happy Hour daily, 3-6pm; $2 off all appetizers, CBC beer and full bar with eclectic wine list. Casual luncheons; delicious dinner entrees prepared on the grill.

Banquet facilities available.

1100 Orange Ave., (619) 435-4611 www.tentcityrestaurant.com VILLA NUEVA BAKERY CAFÉ Freshly-made pastries and marvelous muffins; full breakfast, Mexican specialties. Indoor and sidewalk dining.

965 Orange Ave., (619) 435-4191

Asian BISTRO D’ASIA Open Sun-Thurs, 11:30am-9:30pm; Fri-Sat; till 10pm; Happy Hour, Mon-Fri, 5-7pm.

Catering available.

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DINING 1301 Orange Ave. (619) 437-6677 www.bistrodasia.com THE FISH COMPANY Specializing in Sushi. Eat in or on the patio.

1007 C Ave. (619) 435-3945 SWADDEE THAI RESTAURANT Lunch Mon-Fri; 11am-3pm.

Dinner Mon-Sun 5-10 pm.

1001 C Ave. (619) 435-8110 www.thaicuisine.com YUMMY SUSHI Sushi bar and full restaurant overlooks the ocean.

1330 Orange Ave. (619) 435-2771 www.yummysushisd.com

Bar & Nightclubs *Full service menu DANNY’S PALM BAR & GRILL* 965 Orange Ave. (619) 435-3171 ISLAND SPORTS AND SPIRITS* Open Mon-Fri, 11am-Close; Sat-Sun, 9am-Close; Happy Hour daily, 3-7pm; daily drink specials. Live music Friday and Saturday nights; Karaoke Tuesday and Wednesday; DJ, Thursday nights. Baseball and college/pro football on nine flat screens.

104 Orange Ave. (619) 435-3456 www.islandsportsandspirits.com LITTLE CLUB 132 Orange Ave. (619) 435-5885 MCP’S IRISH PUB AND GRILL* Open daily from 11am.

Lunch/dinner served until 9pm, late night menu until

closing. Live entertainment nightly. Featuring sports on large screen and plasma TVs. Check website for live music and sports viewing schedules.

1107 Orange Ave. (619) 435-1822 www.mcpspub.com

Coffee/Tea BLUE BRIDGE COFFEE ROASTERS Coffee roasted “on the island;” beans to take home, plus assorted logo merchandise.

1019 C Ave (619) 435-5300 www.bluebridgecoffee.com CAFÉ LILAS The coffee cart on the patio at the Coronado Public Library.

Free wireless internet. Open 8 am–4pm Mon-Sat; Noon-4, Sun. CAFÉ MADRID The coffee cart at Bay Books 1029 Orange Ave. (619) 843-2524 CROWN CITY ANTIQUES & TEA PARLOUR 930 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4832 www.crowncitytea.com KAFFEEN’S ESPRESSO BAR Coronado Ferry Landing.

1201 First St., (619) 987-5234 STARBUCKS CORONADO Coffee drinks, of course, and probably the only place to buy a music CD on the island.

960 Orange Ave. (619) 437-8306 www.starbucks.com

Delis & Liquor/Wine AVENUE LIQUOR & WINE SHOPPE Now expanding into the former Video Store location; watch

for expanded deli service coming soon!

878 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4663 BONEY’S BAYSIDE MARKET Open daily, 8:30am-9pm; early-bird window opens at 6am. Freshly made gourmet deli items are available by the pound for evening meals.

Platters available, see deli for samples. Specialty salads and soups prepared fresh every day.

155 Orange Ave. (619) 435-0776 www.baysidemarket.com BRUEGGER’S BAGELS Fresh bagels made every hour; delicious bagel sandwiches, soups and salads. Open daily, 5:30am-4pm 1305 Orange Ave. (619) 435-3900 www.sandiegobagels.com CENTRAL LIQUOR & DELI Delicious sandwiches made to order.

178 Orange Ave. (619) 435-0118 CORONADO BOTTLE SHOP Pizza & Greek Grille.

933 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4059 PARK PLACE LIQUOR & DELI Delicious sandwiches made to order.

1000 Park Place (619) 435-0116

French CHEZ LOMA FRENCH BISTRO Creative award-winning cuisine with a seasonally changing menu featuring seafood, lamb, duck and pastas. Housed in an 1880’s Victorian.

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DINING 1132 Loma Ave. (619) 435-0661 www.chezloma.com CROWN BISTRO Chef-owner Jerry Tovar prepares dishes that range from continental to comfort food in a petite indoor space and outdoor patio that locals love. Breakfast, lunch and dinner served daily; (Sunday brunch).

520 Orange Ave. (at the Crown City Inn) (619) 435-3678 www.crownbistro.com

Greek SPIRO’S BAYSIDE GREEK CAFÉ Open daily 11am-8pm.

Chicken, beef, lamb and seafood platters, gyros, soups, salads, baklava and

more. Enjoy the bay view from the covered patio and treeshaded deck. Catering and take-out available.

Coronado Ferry Landing 1201 First St., (619) 435-1225

NADO GELATO Gelato made in true Italian style on premises.

1017 C Ave. (619) 522-9053

COLDSTONE CREAMERY Ice cream and lots of mix-ins.

(Try the strawberry shortcake.)

Coronado Ferry Landing 1201 First St., (619) 437-6920 www.coldstonecreamery.com

YOGURT ESCAPE A do-it-yourself yogurt bar offering 10 flavors of natural frozen yogurt daily along with fresh fruit and several other topping choices…all at 39 cents per ounce! Open Mon-Sun 11am-10pm.

942 Orange Ave, (619) 435-9700 www.yogurtescape.com

MOOTIME CREAMERY Coronado’s home-grown ice cream company; ice cream manufactured on the premises.

1025 Orange Ave. & Hotel Del Coronado shops (619) 435-2422 www.nadolife.com

ALEXANDER’S PIZZA Open 11am-10pm, Mon-Sun. Dough and toppings prepared fresh daily. Hot slices served all day. Delivery to Village and Cays. Indoor and patio dining.

Ice Cream/Gelato/ Yogurt

Italian

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DINING Free parking in rear of restaurant. Teams and large parties always welcome.

849 Orange Ave. (619) 435-5747 www.alexanderspizza.com DOMINO’S PIZZA 1330 Orange Ave. (619) 437-4241 IL FORNAIO Authentic Italian cuisine served with fresh, hearth-baked breads. Breathtaking skyline views of downtown San Diego from indoor dining room or two patios.

1333 First St. (619) 437-4911 www.ilfornaio.com ISLAND PASTA Choose your sauce and choose your pasta: homemade pastas made daily! Thin crust pizzas, salads, and seafood specials.

Casual ambience.

1202 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4545 www.islandpastacoronado.com PRIMAVERA RISTORANTE Romantic atmosphere and fine Northern Italian cuisine featuring seafood, veal, lamb, chicken and beef entrees.

Dinner house only; reservations recommended.

932 Orange Ave., (619) 435-0454 www.primavera1st.com TOMASO’S RISTORANTE Offering fine Italian and continental fare from its second floor location boasting beautiful views of Coronado’s downtown. Full bar, private dining areas. Indoor and outdoor dining (elevator service).

1309 Orange Ave. (619) 522-0077 www.tomasos.com

VILLAGE PIZZERIA Old-fashioned pizza parlor atmosphere with checkered tablecloths, brick walls and plenty of seating for families.

Hand-tossed pizza, huge sandwiches, salads, spaghetti and more.

1206 Orange Ave. (619) 522-0449 www.nadolife.com VILLAGE PIZZERIA BAYSIDE Hand-tossed pizzas, huge sandwiches, mighty salads, calzones, spaghetti, chicken and eggplant parmigiana and more. Huge covered patio offers panoramic bay views.

Coronado Ferry Landing 1201 First St. (619) 437-0650 www.nadolife.com

Mexican CANDELA’S ON THE BAY Sophisticated “Mexico City” style cuisine features seafood and steak with Mexican overtones. Views of San Diego skyline from dining room and raised outdoor patio seating.

Full bar and lounge.

Coronado Ferry Landing 1201 First St. (619) 435-4900 www.candelas-sd.com CLAYTON’S MEXICAN TAKE-OUT Inexpensive yet flavorful Mexican food to go; phone in your order.

1107 Tenth St. (619) 437-8811 CORONADO’S MEXICAN VILLAGE Open 11am-9pm, Sun-Thurs; to 11pm, Fri & Sat. Happy Hour daily, 2-6pm. Open 7 days a

week. Fine Mexican cuisine, full service.

126-128 Orange Ave. (619) 435-3111 COSTA AZUL GRILL AND ROTISSERIE Cantina-authentic Mexican food.

Fresh seafood, steaks, salads.

Great specials — lunch and dinner. Happy Hour features legendary margaritas. Tortillas homemade to order on the patio.

1031 Orange Ave. (619) 435-3525 www.costaazulcoronado.net MIGUEL’S COCINA Excellent Mexican fare served on the delightful courtyard patio in the El Cordova shops (indoor dining also available).

Wonderful margaritas, generous portions; don’t forget to order the white sauce for the chips.

1351 Orange Ave. (619) 437-4237 www.brigantine.com MIGUELITO’S A one-of-a-kind gallery and boutique influenced by the many cultures of Mexico and private dining room next to Miguel’s Cocina.

1134 Adella Ave. (619) 437-8578 www.brigantine.com

Polish MZM SEACOAST BISTRO Chef/owner Marek Migdalski was the personal chef to Joan Kroc and M. Larry Lawrence before opening his bistro just two miles south of Coronado Cays. In addition to Polish specialties, enjoy a full host of impeccable continental cuisine at very reasonable prices.

875 Seacoast Dr. (619) 424-5800

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Imperial Beach www.ib-chamber.org/mzm-bistro.htm

Steak/Seafood THE BRIGANTINE Enjoy the Brig’s signature dish — Swordfish — or any of their “Catch of the Day” specials. Also offering steaks, the popular Brig burger, fish tacos and a center bar, ala “Cheers.”

1333 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4166 www.brigantine.com CORONADO BOATHOUSE 1887 Steaks and seafood are served in the original two-story boathouse for the Hotel del Coronado.

Dinner house only. Enjoy dining while you overlook the sailboats on Glorietta Bay. Full bar.

1701 Strand Way, (619) 435-0155 Banquets: (619) 615-8380 www.coronado-boathouse.com PEOHE’S The stunning interior of Peohe’s includes tiered seating that allows a bit of privacy and stellar views of San Diego Bay. The menu features fresh tropical seafood dishes influenced by Pacific Rim flavorings. Sushi bar, indoor patio and outdoor dockside courtyard.

Coronado Ferry Landing 1201 First St. (619) 437-4474 www.peohes.com

HELP WANTED (Now you don’t hear that phrase too often these days!)

Here’s the perfect part-time job where you can set your own hours and work right here in Coronado.

Advertising Account Executive Do you have a nice personality, know lots of folks in town, and have a creative side you’d like to unleash?

Would you like to help local businesses craft the perfect ad campaigns that pull more business into their shops, restaurants or professional businesses?

Then we should talk! (Prior sales experience is a big plus.)

Freelance Writers There’s a thousand stories yet to be told about Coronado and the people who live (or once lived) here. Do you have a penchant for the written word, an insatiable curiosity and delight in listening to the tales folks tell? Writers wanted: young and old (up to age 104).

Call Kris Grant, publisher/editor, at (619) 522-0900, shoot her an email at kgrant@lifestylemags.com, or fax a resume to her attention at (619) 906-4106.

Wine BINO’S BISTRO & WINEBAR Crepes in the morning; deli platters, sandwiches and wine in the afternoon and early evening – all at a small hideaway that’s big on flavor.

1120 Adella Ave. (619) 522-0612 www.binoscoffees.com ENO Sophisticated tastes in wine, cheese and chocolates.

1500 Orange Ave., (619) 522-8546 www.ENOwinerooms.com WINESTYLES Wine tasting Thursdays–Saturdays; the perfect Holiday 2009 • Coronado Lifestyle 95

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DINING party place. Club members receive two bottles a month, newsletters, invites to special events and discounts on merchandise.

928 Orange Ave. (619) 365-4953 www.winestyles.net

At the Resorts HOTEL DEL CORONADO The hotel’s signature restaurant, 1500 Ocean, offers southland coastal cuisine with indoor and outdoor ocean-view seating, sunset cocktails and entertainment nightly. Sheerwater features outdoor terrace dining and California cuisine.

Breakfast, lunch & dinner daily.

The Crown Room hosts a

popular Sunday brunch. ENO offers guests nearly 500 varieties of fine wine, 50 types of cheese from around the world, and hand-crafted truffles and chocolate bars. ENO is open daily except Monday from 2 p.m. Babcock & Story Lounge, open daily, offers tapas and a full range of alcohol in an ocean-view setting.

1500 Orange Ave. (619) 435-6611 www.hoteldel.com www.ENOwinerooms.com LOEWS CORONADO BAY RESORT Upscale Mistral specializes in Southern California flavors with a Mediterranean twist, using herbs from its own garden.

Dinner nightly except Monday.

The Market Café offers dockside dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

4000 Coronado Bay Rd. (619)424-4000 CORONADO ISLAND MARRIOTT Current specializes in “California coastal cuisine” with panoramic views from the patio or indoor dining room of San Diego Bay and the Downtown San Diego skyline.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tides Day and Night Bar provides Starbucks coffee by day and signature cocktails and appetizers at night.

2000 Second St. (619) 435-3000

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Coronado Holiday 2009

L I F E S T Y L E Annual Holiday Gift Guide!

Holiday 2009

Ranch House Goes Retro Coronnado home unites indoors/outdo inndoors/outdooors — plus, it’s oh so green!

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