Archive for December, 2013
Spreckels Organ Concert Benefits the San Diego Chapter of the American Red Cross
San Diego’s giving season kicks off on Sunday, Dec. 1 with a free, five-hour Spreckels Organ concert from noon to 5 p.m. at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. Donations received at the concert will benefit the San Diego Chapter of the American Red Cross. San Diego Civic Organist, Dr. Carol Williams, has […]
Historic Youth Ballet Presents “The Nutcracker”
The San Diego Civic Youth Ballet, the resident classical ballet school of Balboa Park since 1945, presents its annual production of the holiday favorite, “The Nutcracker,” featuring professional costumes, sets, lighting, and staging. The performance takes place at the historic Casa del Prado Theatre located in the cultural heart of Balboa Park at 1800 […]
All Souls’ Saint Nicholas Tour: A Tradition of Church Mice
The All Souls’ Home Tour began in 1952. It was that same year that the tradition of creating handmade church mice to represent something special each year began as a fund raiser for church charities. After 61 years there still is a line outside the door that opens at 1 p.m. of All Souls’ Episcopal […]
That Perfect Gift
The holidays are here, each year a little earlier, each year a little more frantic. The holiday music started hitting the stores in early November and I’ve already seen houses decorated in my neighborhood. But this year frantic hits a new high (or low). It’s bad enough that Black Friday has become de rigueur, but […]
The Two Faces of Bert with an “E”
Every musician who makes a living with his or her talent knows that finding one’s niche is key – that particular style of music, or that type of venue where they can flourish and grow. For one songwriter/singer/piano player, that niche turned out to be in the middle of the ocean. Bert Stratton is […]
Financial Fraud is on the Rise
Recently, financial companies have seen a marked increase in the incidence and sophistication of financial fraud, especially through email. Charles Schwab has informed us that industry-wide attempts at financial fraud have increased more than ten-fold over the past five years from 30,000 per year to more than 300,000. At a recent meeting with other financial […]
A Pilgrimage to Your Own Life
For the third time I was able to experience the healing and clarifying power of walking daily over the course of several weeks on one of the ancient routes of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. All the details and stresses of modern life fall away. What emerged is a strong connection to my priorities, […]
Stress Free Holiday
by Dove Kirby The day after I took down my Halloween decorations, I heard the first Christmas music of the season. It was coming from a dainty little music box sitting within a display at Nordstrom. Minutes later, I realized that I was still standing there staring at it, trance-like, but the tinkling sound […]
Cannonball Makes A Big Splash At Belmont Park
It may be winter but don’t stop enjoying the lovely beaches of San Diego. America’s finest city enjoys America’s finest weather, with many “beach days” even when other parts of our country are covered with deep snow. It is great fun to lie on the sand wearing a bathing suit in balmy sunlight even in […]