Archive for February, 2010
Top Ten Reasons to Visit Fairfield this Spring
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Days are getting longer, temperatures are warming up and there is a hint of spring in the air. If you’re suffering from cabin fever, don’t despair, your tonic is only a few miles away in good natured Fairfield!
So, put away your umbrella and overcoat and check out this list of ten popular things to do and see this spring.
2. What’s New Cupcake at Jelly Belly. Cupcake book authors Karen Tack and Alan Richardson will be teaching a hands-on cupcake decorating class at Jelly Belly celebrating their newly released book – What’s New Cupcake. The workshop takes place at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13 in the Grand Bean Room at the Jelly Belly Center. The authors’ first cupcake book was a national hit and New York Times best seller. Cost: $29.99 per person (children 5 and up). A book signing follows at 3:00 p.m. For reservations, visit www.JellyBelly.com.
3. Scenic Limited Wildflower Excursions at the Western Railway Museum. The Western Railway Museum at Rio Vista Junction will be running special Scenic Limited trains every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday in April at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m. to view wildflowers, such as poppies, goldfields, brass buttons, vetch, and sheep’s sorrel. The Scenic Limited takes visitors five miles down the old Sacramento Northern Railway, south from Highway 12. During the hour long train ride, passengers will have an opportunity to view impressive displays of native wildflowers that cover the hillsides and fields. Fares: $10 for Adults; $9 for Seniors (65 years and older); and $7 for Children (ages 2 – 14). First Class service is $5 extra. (707) 374-2978. www.WRM.org.
5. Experience Rush Ranch During Their 20th Annual Open House. Enjoy a celebration of nature, art, music, dancing, and traditional crafts at Rush Ranch, a Solano Land Trust property on Grizzly Island, on Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities include guided walks to Suisun Marsh, horse drawn wagon rides by Access Adventure, live music, square dancing, weaving and spinning, wood carving, flint knapping, local Native American culture, horseshoeing, blacksmithing, bats, falconry, farm animals, raffle, and art show. New this year is a Ranch Life Children’s Interactive Art Station. Admission is FREE. (707) 422-4491 or (707) 432-0150, ext. 200. www.RushRanch.net or www.SolanoLandTrust.org.
7. Tee it Up at a Fairfield Golf Course. Fairfield is home to the top two 18-hole golf courses in Solano County – Paradise Valley and Rancho Solano. Paradise Valley, praised as being the number one golf course in Solano County and best value in the North Bay area, has a spectacular layout that is enhanced by oak studded fairways and meandering creeks. It’s a favorite for golfers who enjoy a walking round of golf and is playable for golfers of all abilities. Rancho Solano, known for having a beautiful country-club-like setting, has an alluring layout with hilly terrain and undulated greens that add character to the golf course. Scenic lakes, elevated tees and well placed bunkers provide interesting features that contribute to the excitement of playing this course. Several other challenging courses are an easy drive from Fairfield.
8. Go Behind the Scenes on an Anheuser-Busch Beermaster Tour. The Beermaster Tour takes a look at the brewing of Budweiser and includes a visit to the Brew House, Finishing Cellar, Lager Cellar, and packaging facility. The two-hour tour concludes in the Hospitality Room with a product flight demonstration and product sampling. Participants will receive a variety of gifts compliments of Anheuser-Busch. Cost: $25 for adults and $10 for youth ages 13 to 20. Guests 13 to 20 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. For reservations, call (707) 429-7595 or e-mail fairfieldbrewerytour@budweisertours.com.
Take your time exploring what Fairfield and the surrounding area has to offer and stay in one of the city’s 18 hotels that offer affordable and comfortable overnight accommodations. Stay and play, or tour the region – either way, Fairfield is the perfect base camp for a spring escape.
To help plan a visit to Good Natured Fairfield, call the Fairfield Tourism Association at (707) 399-2445 or visit www.Fairfield4Fun.com
Barbara L. Steinberg is a member of:
Facebook the ultimate social network
Posted by: | CommentsThe following article was originally published in the Sacramento News & Review, January 21, 2010. This episode in my life still has me wondering. There are still no answers. Dale would probably tell me to stop asking questions.
Connection with Dale
By Barbara L Steinberg More stories by this author...
The word of the day is reconnected.
“I just reconnected with so-and-so!”
It’s the latest thing, thanks to the magic of Facebook and the great pastime
called “social networking.” Honestly, I never understood the phenomenon, or the
fascination with spending hours and hours recounting pointless bits of
information. Was this really reconnecting?
But a recent Facebook encounter has me
looking at social networking in a whole new light. It also has me asking some
big questions of the universe.
Recently I decided to attempt a modern-day,
Facebook reconnect with a friend from the past named Dale H. The two of us met
in 1986, dated briefly and then went our separate ways.
Thursday, December 3: Just a few keystrokes and poof! Simple! I
located Dale on Facebook and sent him a message.
Friday, December 4: Dale responded. He was happy to hear from me and
provided a phone number. We made voice contact. He was living in
Saturday, December 5: We are supposed to get together, but missed the
opportunity. He had things going on.
Sunday, December 6: We spoke again and say we’ll hook up sometime in the
next week or two. Maybe breakfast at the Fox & Goose where we met 23 years
ago?
Wednesday, December 9: My cell phone rang. “This is Barbara,” I said.
A woman’s voice asks, “Do you know Dale H.?”
I said yes.
“This is his daughter,” the voice told me. “I
wanted to let you know my dad died this morning.”
Needless to say, I was stunned. Dale was a
young man, just 51 years old.
I was left to wonder, “Why? Why now? Why
Facebook?” Was this another case of “Be careful what you wish for”? Or was
there some other ultimate social-networking lesson to be learned?
Esoterically, a friend told me, “Somehow, he
reached out to you to find him.” And I liked that explanation and that idea
that, somehow, the phenomenon of social networking brought us back together,
even if just for a moment. His family didn’t know who to call and found my
number on his cell phone. I had a few people I could reach to let them know
what had happened to Dale—some, strangely enough, through his Facebook account.
I have told this story of my ultimate social-networking experience repeatedly to family, friends and strangers. Thanks to Dale, I now say to everyone: If there’s someone out there you’re missing … someone you have wanted to find—reach out and reconnect. Don’t wait!
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More social networking from California: A Letter
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February 26,
2010
I don’t
know if you will remember me…though I believe you will. You were my English
teacher (freshman and senior years [1970-1971 & 1973-1974]) at W. T.
Woodson
You and I
bumped heads that first year, 1970. Diagramming
sentences and all those English technicalities drove me crazy; I was so bored. You may have suffered some of the same
boredom.
My senior year (1973-1974) with you included media/marketing and writing
courses. What an eye-opener for me! Those experiences would eventually figure
into my professional life in so many ways. In my senior yearbook you wrote, “I expect to be buying your books soon,” Good
Luck, D. Smith. That was the most
powerful and memorable thing anyone had ever said to me.
After graduating,
I told you all of this in a letter. After
moving to
I don’t
recall if we spoke again, but I have thought of you often.
I have been
looking for you for a long time. I stopped
by and called WTW – the English department, the principal – no one responded. I contacted the teachers association. Each time I explained, but no one seemed interested. I have looked online. Searched through www.WhitePages.com, Google
searches, and people-finder websites. Someone
from my graduating class knows someone who is currently on staff in the English
Department. They were going to do some
asking on my behalf, but then I never heard anything more.
I posted the
following on Facebook believing that this ‘six degrees of separation’ Barbara Steinberg
I have often talked about what you taught me
about the power of marketing. And,
ironically, one of the first places I visited in
I hope this letter reaches you! I want
you to know that after 36 years I still remember and thank you from the bottom
of my heart. In the meantime, others
will know about the power of few well-placed words. Years later I
still remember.
Member of:
Desert wildflower tours at Ocotillo Wells
Posted by: | CommentsDaily wildflower exhibits and interpretive staff are available in the district office.
For those that prefer solitude, self guided tours will be available at the Native Plant Garden and the Nature Loop Trail. Laminated signs will be placed throughout these trails to assist all visitors with their wildflower experience.
The popular Wildflower Program guide is returning for its second year of publication. The free, eight-page guide features full color photos of the flowers you’ll mostly likely find in the park. Each photo is accompanied by the flower’s common name, scientific name, how common the flower is, and where it is likely to be found.
After seeing the flowers, visitors can learn about some of the park’s unique qualities by visiting such places as Shell Reef and Gas Domes. The park also has many interpretive geocaches. Camping is also available throughout the park.
Free wildflower trading cards are offered at the various interpretive features as a memento to help bring back memories of your visit. The more you see, the more cards you can collect. Remember that the flowers need to stay in the park so that they can be enjoyed next year, so no picking please.
For three weeks only, wildflowers permitting, Ocotillo Wells SVRA will host a variety of wildflower tours and programs starting on Thursday: • Twice-daily walking tours start at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. lasting two hours. The last wildflower walking tour for the season will be held on March 14. • Twice-weekly off-road driving tours will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m., lasting about four hours. The last seasonal wildflower driving tour will be on March 11. • Weekend Junior Ranger activities for children, ages 7-12, are available between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., lasting 30-40 minutes for each activity. The last wildflower-related Junior Ranger activity will be held through March 14 • A digital photography workshop will be held March 3, 10, and 13 at 9 a.m. The six-hour workshop will focus on the best way to take great wildflower photos. For detailed information on all programs please call 760-767-5393.
Ocotillo Wells SVRA is located off of Highway 78 in both San Diego and Imperial counties . The park provides 85,000 acres of off-highway motor vehicle recreation in the Southern California desert. It is open to the public 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
For additional information park please contact the Ocotillo Wells SVRA District Office at 760-767-5391 or visit the website at www.ohv.parks.ca.gov.
Down Under Cover is Made in California
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Born in the USA...Right Here in California! by Barbara L. Steinberg
It's amazing that anyone thinks to start a business today. Any business. And more shocking still to find that not only have they created a product utilizing good old fashioned American ingenuity but one that's made right here on American soil. Good grief. Manufacturing! What will they think of next?
Thanks to holiday infomercials you've all seen too much of the "Snuggie" and, sadly, many of you know it firsthand. A blanket with sleeves...who invents this stuff? Honestly, I have no idea what or where Snuggie came from. Or what it's made from. The ads say "fleece". Well Snuggie beware...The Down Under Cover has arrived! The Down Under Cover doesn't have sleeves. I don't know about you, but my hands have never been "trapped" by any blanket. The Down Under Cover is soft and warm and great for just lying around the
house. BUT the All Weather Warmer is all that and more...and is perfect for the great outdoors. water- and slip-resistant! The
outer covering is made from rip stop nylon DWR that has a durable water
resistant coating and is windproof. The interior is lined with the
famous Polartec® Classic 300™ Double Velour that is soft and very warm. That sounds good and far more information then you'll find on the "snug" site. Better still, it's made right here in San Francisco, California. Gosh darn US of A and says so right on the label...right on the ad...right on the website. Not only do I know where it was made...I know who made it. I met Doug Snyder at the San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival on Mare Island in Vallejo, California. No infomercial in sight!
I hate to tell you that you can't get two Down Under Covers for the unbelievable price of $19.99 plus shipping and handling. And you won't get two "FREE" book lights as a bonus just for ordering right now! What you will get is a quality product that's made here in California, by a Californian. And if you want to spend time outdoors -- on your boat fishing or in some field waiting for that perfect photo -- the All Weather Warmer won't fail you. But I'm thinking that Snuggie will!
I wish Doug and his DUC a Made in California success story! You can make it so.
Darrell Mansfield Blues and Valentine’s Red
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Winterhawk Winery in Fairfield California Features
Reds, Whites, & Blues Valentine's Day Weekend
Winterhawk Winery hosts their weekly
Wine By the Glass
Just in Time for Valentine's Day
February 13, 2010, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
4537 Abernathy Road
Fairfield, California
Featuring the mellow sounds of Darrell Mansfield along with the Used Blues Band. Enjoy great wine, dancing, homemade pizza, and the best of life in the country. All for $5 per person.
Just in time for Valentine's Day...come for the weekend and enjoy the beautiful Suisun Valley wineries. Spend a romantic day and night in Fairfield. Nearby hotels adjacent to Suisun Valley are the perfect end to a perfect day. Wake-up on Valentine's Day and head back to the Valley for wine tasting and beautiful views at other Suisun Valley wineries.