THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF THE PAJARO VALLEY
NOVEMBER 5 -11, 2021
A supplement to The Pajaronian
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NOVEMBER 5 -11, 2021 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
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Published by WatsNews, LLC, Watsonville, CA. Entire contents © 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form prohibited without publisher’s written permission.
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PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 5-11, 2021
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Qui odit Voloreca im facepra verspel laciae suntem mo optatur? aut volore Iquisciis saw a couple of Blind Quaspit Appraisers ipsamus, es es maximus asse searching for of Swarming doluptiis quam inuscomps. si sed quiGroups voluptas nos modi volorerfero temdressed quod quo voluptaquos Termites. up like Statues of ilibus. Sellers St. et Joseph. morphing ex is eicAnd te litUnderwriters voluptiisdolum IqueUndertakers nulparum faccus, a conestr into trying tonihit bury the lat iumquiatio exces erion uptat. declaring that the word aut market, “mortgage” quam quis rem fugita consedi niet, eos Aliquedid ma enisi quatet am,French audipsa really originate from the word eost alit late verum que coressin for “death tax. ” piciaec usandite latur aut dicia quia Voloreca etur? Qui odit pa ipsantofturionsedit magnihicid quiate re ad que Prophets Doom and quo Gloom roamed quisciis mout optatur? 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Nem recuste the Gordon Gekko madeposapel a big dem quae Freddie pori dolorro quiaa comeback. Krugervitatia also made special guest appearance promoting his illatur? Voluptat aspernatum, serupta new movie “Nightmare on nonsedipsum Main Street,” but ecesci res eum restium he was almost eclipsed by a giant swathe of eum quecalled dolorem nos dolum lam, darkness the Shadow Inventory. DRE #01063297 etur, custRealtor® a duntusdae lam dolorpo Wow. What a party. Say what you want 831-818-1431 rempeliquid modis do autfear ataerror re about realgetreal@sereno.com estate...we well. There volorest are alwaysoptatio plenty ofdempor lost soulsaut outaut there wanderingNem around with grave faces on. explabo. que recuste posapel Gives mePAID goosebumps just to think ADVE RTOR IALabout it.
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WALKING STRONG
Veterans from various branches of the military march along Main Street in Watsonville at a previous Veterans Day walk of honor.
Tarmo Hannula
NOVEMBER 5 -11, 2021 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
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SALUTE TO THE PROUD By ERIK CHALHOUB & TODD GUILD
Veterans Day ceremony returns after pandemic hiatus
W
atsonville’s Veterans Day Celebration returns to downtown after last year’s in-person event was cancelled due to Covid-19. Veterans and others will begin gathering at 9:30am on Nov. 11 in the parking lot of St. Patrick’s Church, 721 Main St. At 10am, the Chesty Puller Battalion, United States Naval Sea Cadets will lead the parade carrying
the Colors, followed by the veterans and then other parade participants. They will march down Main Street, turn left on East Beach Street and finish at the Henry J. Mello Center, 250 East Beach St. The program will take place inside the Mello Center at 11am with the ringing of the bell. During the ceremony, Tony Rojas and Rick Sanchez will be honored as Veterans of the Year. In addition to the
After the ceremony, the American Legion and Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez will be hosting a luncheon for all attendees. The luncheon will be hosted by volunteer students of Watsonville High in their newly remodeled cafeteria. Music during lunch will be performed by Jose Camacho and the Activities For All band. American Legion Commander Felipe Hernandez will be emcee of the luncheon.
REFLECTION Veteran Tony Rojas plays his bugle
at the start of the Walk of Honor.
Tarmo Hannula
VFW Post 1716 Veteran of the Year: Tony Rojas Whenever there is an event honoring veterans, Tony Rojas is there, bugle in hand. He’s performed “Taps” at countless Veterans Day ceremonies in Watsonville and the region, as well as at funerals for service members, regardless of whether he knew them or not, he notes. Rojas, a retired U.S. Air Force Airman 2nd Class, has also received recognition from numerous organizations and government representatives for his service. He’ll soon add another honor to his illustrious career, as the VFW Post 1716 will
recognize him as its Veteran of the Year during the Veterans Day Celebration on Nov. 11. Growing up in Arizona, Rojas said he was drawn to the bugle as a young boy. His goal was to play “Call to the Colors” at his elementary school, so he approached his principal with the idea. The principal agreed, Rojas recalled, and from that point on, he performed the song every morning at school. Not too long after, his father approached him with a task that would serve as a defining moment in his life. “My father worked at the cemetery, and he said, ‘Son, I have an honorable job for you. I want you to play 'Taps' for our fallen veterans,’”
Rojas said. “With great pride I took on the task to play ‘Taps.’” The following year, Rojas joined the Boy Scouts, and became the bugler of Troop 24. He later joined the Arizona National Guard 158 infantry and played the bugle for several events. Rojas also served at Fort Huachuca for nearly three years. In 1952, Rojas joined the Air Force, and was deployed to the Far East, Africa, Azores and French Morocco, ending his term at Forbes Air Force Base in Kansas. At the end of his military service, Rojas moved to Watsonville. He retired as a professional musician in 2010, capping a career that included many performances at venues throughout the Bay Area,
and even playing at the Western White House for President Richard Nixon's staff. Rojas is married to his wife Valie for 66 years, and they have four daughters, one granddaughter and one grandson. He said he has played his bugle to honor veterans from World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War for more than 65 years. “I am a very proud veteran and bugler,” Rojas said, adding that he hopes to one day perform “Taps” at the Arlington National Cemetery. “I feel every veteran deserves a bugle call and this is something we must never forget.” ➝6
PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 5 -11, 2021
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HONORING VETS
NOVEMBER 5 -11, 2021 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
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American Legion Post 121 Veteran of the Year: Rick Sanchez Rick Sanchez enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1982. He did his basic training at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, and was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where as a corporal, he specialized in the M60 rifle and the 50-caliber machine gun. He was deployed to Lebanon in 1982, and served in Kenya, Korea, Mexico, Guam, Panama, Honduras, Puerto Rico, and did cold weather training in New York and Norway. “We were never in one place for three months, we were always on deployment,” he says.
After serving three years, he completed a carpentry apprentice program in Santa Clara, and moved to Watsonville 26 years ago. Sanchez has been a member of the Watsonville American Legion Post 121 for 22 years, serving as commander, financial officer adjutant and second vice. Sanchez’s father served in WWII, and his brother in the Vietnam War. He says he has turned down the veteran of the year honor twice. Like many veterans, he says he enlisted–and continues to help with the American Legion–because of a sense of duty to his country. “I really didn’t think I deserved it,” he said. “We just do these things to help out. We don’t do it to get brownie points. It’s to honor our country and make sure we do our service.”
ADD ‘VETERAN’ TO DRIVER'S LICENSE The Santa Cruz County Veterans Services Office will be on hand at the Mello Center to assist veterans in adding the “Veteran” distinction on their driver’s license. Eligible veterans will have the opportunity to be issued a VSD-001 Form in order to take to the DMV to have the word “Veteran” added to the front of their driver’s license/ID card to indicate that they have served in the U.S. Military. Those who served in the military are asked to bring their DD Form 214. Those who served in the National Guard or Reserves are asked to bring their DD Form 256 or DD Form 257.
Tarmo Hannula
Rick Sanchez is shown at the American Legion Hall in Watsonville.
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PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 5 -11, 2021
Retreat in the mountains
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THE MIXING BOWL degrees. Put seeds in a colander and run water over them to clean them up. Dry in a kitchen cloth. Put them in a bowl and toss with a little sea salt and olive oil. Spread them out on a cookie tin and bake for about 15-30 minutes stirring them until they are crunchy.
French pumpkin soup
Tarmo Hannula
NOVEMBER 5 -11, 2021 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
SEASONAL TASTE Combine sourdough bread, rich Swiss Cheese and milk inside a pumpkin to make a festive fall soup.
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Soup in a pumpkin By SARAH RINGLER
H
alloween is over and pumpkins are everywhere. If you happen to have an uncarved pumpkin sitting around, here is a way to turn it into a delicious soup. This recipe comes from Solange, a French woman I knew, who made this for a luncheon I attended many years ago. Since the soup is made inside the pumpkin, it makes a dramatic presentation. The problem with making this
soup is that there are no exact ingredients; the amounts depend upon the size of the pumpkin. The amounts below are suggested and should be modified according to the size of your squash. A medium-size pumpkin can make enough soup for about five people. The main requirement is that it has to fit inside your oven. There are many kinds of pumpkins and all are edible, but some are more adaptable to eating with more flavor, and thicker and denser flesh. Pumpkins bred for carving tend to have thinner and drier flesh.
A member of the squash family, it is native to North America and there is evidence that it has been farmed and eaten for around 9,000 years. It can be steamed, baked, boiled or grilled on hot coals like it was in ancient times. Some pumpkins that might be better for this soup are Pie, Cheese, Cinderella, lumina or peanut pumpkin. Peanut pumpkin, a French variety also called Galeux d’Eysine, is pinkish colored and has a sweet flesh. Don’t forget the seeds, which can be used to grow next year’s crop or to eat: Preheat an oven to 375
One medium sized pumpkin 2 cups sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and lightly toasted 3-4 cups Swiss cheese, grated 1-quart milk or enough to fill the pumpkin 1 tablespoon salt 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2-3 tablespoons butter Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Take slices of sourdough bread and cut into cubes. Put them into the oven for a few minutes to dry them out a bit. Cut a ring around the top of the pumpkin that allows you enough space to get your hand inside so you can clean the seeds out. The lid will go back on the pumpkin as you bake it. Clean out the seeds and scrape out the stringy and slimy fibers. I used a soup spoon to scrape off a thin inner layer. Take the seeds and rinse and then roast them with oil and salt for a snack. Wash and dry the pumpkin. Put it on a pie plate. Sprinkle the inside generously with salt, pepper and nutmeg and rub around to coat the sides. Put in a layer of bread cubes followed by a thin layer of grated cheese. Alternate layers until the pumpkin is about 2/3 full, no more. Pour in milk leaving an inch at the top. Dot with butter. Put the top back on. Bake the pumpkin for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on it to make sure the outside doesn’t get too dark in color. Some liquid may pour out onto the pie tin. Finally, before serving, stir the inside with a metal spoon, scraping off the cooked flesh and mixing it with the bread, cheese and milk. Be very careful not to puncture the skin. Place the cooked pumpkin and pie plate on the table. Serve immediately with some nice fresh bread.
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PHOTO GALLERY Have a recent photo you’d like to share? Send it to us for consideration by emailing it to echalhoub@weeklys.com or mailing it to 21 Brennan St., Suite 18, Watsonville, CA 95076. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as the name of the photographer.
UNDER THE ARCH
These folks take time to visit one of the last remaining natural bridges along West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz.
SEARCHING A
skimboarder waits for the ideal wave at Main Beach in Santa Cruz.
Tarmo Hannula
NOVEMBER 5 -11, 2021 | PAJARO VALLEY MAGAZINE
Tarmo Hannula
Puddles remained in Moss Landing Oct. 25, a day after an “atmospheric river” drenched the region.
Ed Show
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