Monthly Archives: August 2016

Rancho Bernardo History

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Rancho Bernardo History Museum
Bernardo Winery
August 21, 2016

Meredith met up with some girlfriends for a wine tasting at the Bernardo Winery. She arrived before her friends and had some time to kill, so looked through the History Museum which is located at the entrance to the winery complex. It is a simple one room museum, run by the Rancho Bernardo Historical Society and dedicated to local history. It has been at that location since 2013. The exhibits are not extensive, but they are well laid out and informative. The centerpiece is the newly built “mud wagon,” a replica of the wagons which ran daily on the stage route from Escondido to downtown San Diego and back, from 1887 to 1912. A map of the stage route is displayed in front of the wagon. Stages left at 8:00 a.m., one southbound and one northbound. They stopped midway for lunch and to change horses, then arrived at their respective destinations around 4:00 p.m.

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Entry to the museum is free. It is open Tuesday 9-12; Friday 10-3; Saturday 1-4; Sunday 2-4; and by appointment.

The winery itself is fun to see. It bills itself as the oldest winery in Southern California, established 1889. (The friars who brought wine grapes to the California missions might quibble about that!) In addition to the tasting room, there are event rooms, a restaurant and a coffee shop, and a number of small shops. On Fridays there is a farmers market on the grounds.

G.I. Film Festival (Upcoming)

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G.I. Film Festival
September 14-18, 2016
San Diego

This film festival is scheduled for September 14th through 18th. The organizers promise us that the festival “brings the stories of America’s military to life through film.” The festival will feature screenings of over two dozen movies, including local films. There will also be panel discussions, a family movie night, and an awards ceremony. Tickets for all screenings and events are now for sale on line. Most screenings are priced at $10 per ticket, with discounts available for active duty military and veterans.

We plan to see the documentary USS Indianapolis, at the Ultra Star theater in Mission Valley. The festival describes it as follows: “World War II heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis sank as a result of a devastating torpedo attack. After 5 days stranded in the Pacific, surviving members of the crew were rescued and their stories are told through a series of interviews.” We don’t vouch for the historical accuracy of the account given in the movie Jaws (1975) — this upcoming documentary will give us the facts — but we cannot forget Robert Shaw’s powerful monologue about his (fictional) character’s survival of the wreck of the Indianapolis, and the shark attacks in the days that followed, until the crew was rescued.

The film festival includes several other historical documentaries, like the Indianapolis film. There are also films touching on the experiences of current service members and recent veterans.

Hail the Poetry of Gilbert and Sullivan

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Hail Poetry!
Opera A La Carte
Soka University
July 17, 2016

We thoroughly enjoyed the world premiere of a new musical, Hail Poetry! The music itself is not new — the shows features 25 Gilbert and Sullivan songs over the course of two acts. The songs are taken from Trial By Jury, HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, The Gondoliers, and The Mikado. In this new production, we see Gilbert writing the lyrics and arguing with his collaborator Sullivan. The show follows the original company rehearsing and producing the works for the first time. The songs were well sung and the acting was first rate.

Meredith had seen a brief note in the Los Angeles Times, announcing the show, but it was not a full review. We thought it was some sort of Gilbert and Sullivan revue or compilation. We did not realize until we actually saw it, that is an entirely new show.

It was exciting to be a sort of beta test group for the show. After it ended, we stayed for a session with the cast and writer, who fielded questions from the audience and explained how the show had been put together. The production was funded in part by a Kickstarter campaign. The company – Opera A La Carte, based in Pasadena — would like to take it on the road. Look for it in the future and don’t miss seeing Hail Poetry! if you get a chance.

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The musical was performed at the Soka University Performing Arts Center. The Soka campus is beautiful, worth a trip in itself, and the theater is first rate.

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