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LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

PUBLISHER MICHAEL RAHER

Welcome to the February issue of Ramona Home Journal. In this issue, being that Valentine’s Day was upon us, I felt I would write a love letter to Ramona. I hope it provides that glimmer of what it means to you to live in Ramona, and, for some, rekindle what it meant when you first moved to Ramona. I would like to think most of us love living here, and my words are just that — a love letter to Ramona.

Our feature story this month is about Ashley E. Norton, Ramona’s Songbird. While relatively new to Ramona, Ashley, to put it bluntly, has taken entertainment in this town to a whole other level. Whether she’s performing as a solo act, as part of the Ramona Songbirds group or with her band Lady Psychiatrist’s Booth, Ashley puts everything into her craft and into the music scene here in Ramona.

In fact, Ashley has been instrumental (pardon the pun) in developing the Ramona Music Alliance with all-around great guy and brilliant musician Jon Hasz, owner of Ramona Music Center. You can read more about the Ramona Music Alliance in Charlene Pulsonetti’s Creative Connections column. And don’t forget to check out a new section of the Ramona Home Journal called “Gig Guide,” where you can find where your favorite band or performer is playing around town.

Our final feature story is about Ramona’s true Renaissance

man, Chuck LeMenager, who recently passed away at his home in Arizona at 96 years of age. Angela McLaughlin had the chance to interview Chuck’s son Jack, who shared some amazing stories about Chuck’s life and his impact on Ramona, the San Diego Country Estates and the backcountry in general. They sure don’t make ‘em like Chuck anymore, and we are so appreciative of the fact that his family allowed us to honor him in the Ramona Home Journal. We hope you enjoy reading about Chuck as much as we enjoyed writing the story.

We were recently informed that we have been nominated for Business of the Year for the 2022 Ramona Chamber of Commerce Community Awards. By the time the Journal hits mailboxes, we’ll either be winners or runners-up for the third year in a row. I know I’m supposed to stay humble and be appreciative that we have been nominated but, man, I’d sure like to win it this year! Keep an eye out for next month’s Journal, as we’ll be featuring the winners — and maybe we’re one of them!

Have a great February, everybody, and happy Valentine’s Day!

LOVE LETTER TO RAMONA

WRITTEN BY MICHAEL RAHER | PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICHAEL RAHER

My wife, Laurie, and I moved to Ramona in October of 2003 with our newborn son, Noah. The decision to move to the Valley of the Sun was quite a simple one, really.

We were living in Cardiff at the time we got pregnant and knew the hustle and bustle of living on the coast was not a lifestyle we wanted to bring our kids up in. Plus, Ramona reminded me very much of where I grew up in Australia — minus the kangaroos and koalas!

Once settled here, we decided to purchase our first home together and moved to San Diego Country Estates. To say this was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made as a couple would be an understatement.

When our second son, Jacob, was born, living in the Estates proved to be a godsend. There were so many younger couples similar to us, with young children that we’d see at Ramona Oaks pool or at playgroup and, later, James Dukes Elementary School.

To this day, both my boys have friends whom they have known their whole lives, literally, from playgroup to pre-K to James Dukes to Olive Peirce and to Ramona High School. There were countless sleepovers with friends, mother-andson campouts at Dos Picos County Park, summer day camps at Ramona Oaks Park, events at the Ramona Library, exploring the canyons throughout Country Estates, concerts in the park, the Christmas Tree Lighting, the Ramona Rodeo, the Ramona Country Fair and more. And then you add in sports, like soccer, Pop Warner football, tennis/golf/swim camp, horse riding, and high school volleyball and football, and you realize just how busy, and fun, raising children in this community has been.

Noah, left and Jacob right, pictured with their cousin Gavin at the Ramona Rodeo

But for Laurie and me, it hasn’t always been about the children. We’ve always made a point to get out and explore Ramona with and without the kids! My wife loves to hike and, along with our handsome lab, Milo, she regularly tackles the many trails of Ramona with her dear friends. We enjoy wine very much, and the fact we have so many excellent wineries in the area provides that weekend respite after a long workweek. And now, many of the winery owners have become close friends, which has been a bonus.

And on a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon, or in the early evening, we sit out on our back patio staring at the surrounding mountains or the breathtaking sunsets and say to ourselves, “We live here!”

You see, for me and my family, Ramona is “lagom.” I read an article a few weeks ago about the meaning of this word and realized just how relevant it is in my life and the main reason I choose to live in Ramona. And what is the meaning of “lagom,” you ask? Well, it’s a Swedish word meaning “just the right amount” or “not too much, not too little.”

For us, Ramona is just the right amount. Could it be better? Yes, but so can most places. Ramona provides us with the perfect balance that we don’t need to look elsewhere for. We have certainly tried — we moved to Northern Nevada a few years ago and came right back! And I’m always looking at the possibility of moving back to Australia or up to the Pacific Northwest, but, at the end of the day, Ramona is home. Truly home.

So consider this my love letter to Ramona, my public acknowledgement that this town, with all its character traits and flaws, is “lagom.”

Just the right amount.

The Raher family celebrating Noah’s highschool graduation

Pictured left, Ryan Ostrowski and right, Noah Hernandez

The Raher boys with Arabella Cassidy at the Ramona Country Fair

Photo by John Hancock Photography

ASHLEY E. NORTON RAMONA’S SONGBIRD

WRITTEN BY CHARLENE PULSONETTI | PHOTOS COURTESY OF ASHLEY E. NORTON

Ashley E. Norton will be the first to tell you that Ramona had a rich music scene well before she became a part of it. Still, there is no denying that she’s quickly made an impact since arriving a few years ago. She brings a wealth of industry knowledge and connections to the table, and in turn, Ramona has become a respite for her and her husband, Bradley Stevens.

Though her career has taken her across the globe, this songbird loves to call Ramona “home.”

“We both feel like we are thriving,” she says. “Every night, there is something to do.”

When the pandemic halted touring, Norton and Stevens, her boyfriend at the time, started looking for a place to settle down.

“I’ve heard of this little town, Ramona — I don’t know much about it. Why don’t we go there?” she recalls him suggesting.

“We love hiking,” she says. “That was one of the things that really saved us. In 2020, we were all going a little nuts — I didn’t know anyone. Brad and I would hike everywhere. I got to discover the land before I discovered the people.”

Then, they learned about Ramona’s wineries and music scene.

“I said, ‘I’m gonna be a winery musician — I’m going to manifest that now,’” Norton says.

After connecting with Teri Kerns and Micole Moore of Ramona Ranch Vineyards & Winery, she founded the Songbirds of Ramona Ranch — a private, ticketed acoustic event featuring primarily female singer-songwriters for an intimate in-the-round performance. This format has been adapted for Humphreys Backstage Live in San Diego, where it’s known as “Songbirds

of Shelter Island,” and in other states as “Songbirds on Tour.”

On Feb. 26, Ramona Ranch Vineyards & Winery will host a private, ticketed event, as Norton and her band, Lady Psychiatrist’s Booth, release their first full-length album.

Information on Norton and her projects may be found at ashleyenorton.com.

She takes joy in seeing locals come out, and even trek down the hill, to support Ramona musicians, which she believes shows how strong the relationship between musician and audience member is.

“That’s what we do — we look out for each other,” she says, sharing that she and Stevens love being a part of the audience for Dirty Confetti’s weekly performances at Ramona Family Naturals.

In addition, Norton plays each Wednesday evening at the Par Lounge and Deck in San Diego Country Estates.

“That has grown to be its own scene too. I love it there so much,” she says. “Everyone is so nice, and the food is so good. That feels like my other home (aside from Ramona Ranch Vineyards & Winery). It makes my heart so full watching10 people I know sitting on the side, laughing and requesting songs.”

Those who watch Norton or meet her around town are sure to also meet her tiny dog, Garfunkel.

“He was one of three,” she says about the day she met him. “Garfunkel sat in my lap and didn’t leave, so I said, ‘Guess he’s the one.’”

“ I moved to town and said, ‘I don’t know what’s gonna happen,’ and everyone welcomed me with open arms.”

- ASHLEY E. NORTON

Audience members regularly walk him or pass him around during shows — that is, when he isn’t taking the stage.

Garfunkel is especially fond of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and Lady Psychiatrist’s Booth’s “Hell in Michelle.”

“It became his song,” Norton says. This year, she plans to put out a solo acoustic album. She’s also partnered with Ramona Music Center owner Jon Hasz to form the Ramona Music Alliance — a new group promoting local talent and music venues.

“Jon Hasz has done so much for the music scene,” she says. “Without the Ramona Music Center, as a music scene, we’d be lost.”

Other individuals she credits include Michael Dean Goodrich, who started open mic night at Smoking Cannon Brewery, and photographer John Hancock, who she says is a champion of musicians.

“I want to thank the community for always being so welcoming,” Norton says. “I moved to town and said, ‘I don’t know what’s gonna happen,’ and everyone welcomed me with open arms. I think that goes for anyone in town. Everyone is so nice and willing to help. If that weren’t the case, then we wouldn’t have that thriving music scene and this thriving music career. I’ve toured all over the world. I’ve never been happier to live in this really cool town and do my music and feel like a Ramona rock star.”

This page, Ashley and Brad at their wedding

Photo Courtesy of Ashley E. Norton

Opposite page, Ramona Songbirds Group

Photo by John Hancock Photography

Pinned to the desk of the late Chuck LeMenager, this quote is how he strived to live his life. Those who knew him would say he’d lived a full and successful one.

“The old cliché that he had a full life was very applicable,” says his son Jack LeMenager. “He lived 96 years, and he made the most of every year.”

But living an accomplished life is not his only triumph — LeMenager’s impact on Ramona and the backcountry stretches far beyond his own personal successes. His dedication influenced the community in many areas, but two, specifically, are notable.

During his time as California’s Director of Housing and Community Development in the first term of Gov. Ronald Reagan, LeMenager had several encounters with developer Ray Watt. After Watt’s company acquired acreage in San Vicente Valley with the intention of building a planned development, the search was on for someone to lead the project.

CHUCK LEMENAGER: RENAISSANCE MAN

WRITTEN BY ANGELA MCLAUGHLIN PHOTOS COURTESY OF JACK LEMENAGER

“His (Watt’s) familiarity and friendship with my father led to the hire of my father to lead the project,” says Jack LeMenager, saying his father was in charge from “soup to nuts.”

His understanding of state and county laws regarding zoning and his reputation as a land use expert were attractions for the partnership. Watt’s and LeMenager’s visions joined to create the environmentally sensitive community that today is San Diego Country Estates.

“A very large percentage of the property, more than was required under the law, is open space and undeveloped,” his son says. “That’s the way they wanted to do it.”

But LeMenager did not just help build the residential community, he lived in it, too — for nearly 40 years. During that time, he served as president and board member of the San Diego Country Estates Association HOA, as well as director of the Ramona Municipal Water District and was instrumental in the construction of Lake Ramona.

“If it is to be, it is up to me.”

Charles R. “Chuck” LeMenager

While his professional interests helped strengthen the community, his personal interests helped preserve it.

LeMenager was an avid history buff who was an active contributor to the Ramona and Julian historical societies. He was fascinated by the history of Ramona and the backcountry, and felt a deep desire to research and document it.

“He spent a lot of time in libraries in San Diego,” his son says. “It was in the age before the internet. He went to various courthouses as well as through the records of the Ramona Historical Society. I know the Woodward family was very helpful.”

LeMenager says his father pulled together a lot of information from various places with details that go back to when the Spanish conquistadors came into California and their effect upon the Indigenous people who inhabited the land.

“He had this filing cabinet and he would dig up something, and he’d pull out a note and shove it in the right folder. And he’d pull something else unrelated but relevant, so he’d create a new folder. And when a whole folder would get full, he’d pull it all out and start to see what he had, and put it into some kind of organized fashion to start writing.”

LeMenager authored five books, three of which were history books about San Diego’s North County: “Off the Main Road,” “Ramona & Roundabout” and “Julian City and Cuyamaca Country.”

“He tells the whole story, and it was all based on his own original research,” says his son, adding that the Barona Band of Mission Indians honored one of the books for its honesty and thoroughness.

He also spent a great deal of time tracking down historical photos to accompany the information.

LeMenager proved himself to be a man of many talents and interests. Whether he was dabbling in winemaking and bottling white wine on his personal vineyard, getting his pilot’s license at the age of 60, or supporting local charities, such as the Ramona Boys & Girls Club and Ramona Library, LeMenager never seemed to stop. He has been referred to by some as a “friend to the backcountry” for his contributions and his commitment to preserving its history.

On Dec. 19, 2022, Chuck LeMenager passed away in Prescott, Ariz. But the impact of a life well lived is one that can be seen and felt even after his passing.

“He loved the (backcountry) climate. He loved the vistas and natural beauty. He also loved the people. Actions speak louder than words, and someone who goes through the trouble of writing three books about the history which entails an incredible amount of research, I think it speaks volumes about his passion for the history.”

Chuck LeMenager served under Gov. Ronald Reagan as Director of Housing & Community Development from 1967–70.

San Diego Country Estates developer Ray Watt, center, is pictured with co-developer Bill Watt, left, and Chuck LeMenager, executive vice president and the primary driver of the project.