My Christmas Cards Are Done!

This is written not to pressure anyone! I mean who really wants to think of Christmas before Thanksgiving, anyway? The answer: ME.

As most people who know me know, there are few things I love more than snail mail. My granddaughter calls it my most favorite non-human thing. Regarding this postal love, Robert Michael Pyle said it best, “I've always felt there is something sacred in a piece of paper that travels the earth from hand to hand, head to head, heart to heart.”

With the craziness of our current schedule, and upcoming travels planned, I needed to accomplish this task in a timely manner. I realize with the price of stamps continuing to increase, snail mail isn't for everyone. For me, it is a prioritized budgeted item and I plan to continue the tradition for as long as possible, especially during the holidays. As the For Better or For Worse comic shares, "Christmas... it's the one time you realize how many people you know and how much they mean to you!"

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Ramona's Historical Society...

Before learning about camels, we needed to learn something about the town in which they reside, Ramona.

Ramona has a rich history, including its origins as a land speculation project, its naming after a popular novel, and its title of Turkey Capital of the World. Founded in 1886, it was given the name Ramona after Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel of the same name.
The novel Ramona is a really big deal around Temecula and its environs. I have blogged about it a few times (link here). The story depicted the struggles of Native Americans in California after the Mexican War and changed public perception of Native Americans. It also contributed to the passage of the Dawes Act in 1887, which was the first American law to address Native American land rights. If you haven't read it or seen the annual pageant, I highly recommend both.
For those of a certain age, Ramona was also the site of Bobby Riggs' original “battle of the sexes” tennis match against Margaret Court in 1973. History is definitely diverse.
After a delightful respite at the Ramona Country Bakery, we visited the historic Verlaque House (c. 1886). Built by French immigrant Theophile Verlaque, the house is now home to the Guy B. Woodward Museum. Theophile (1823-1913) was a successful San Diego entrepreneur, saloon keeper, vintner and real estate speculator.
Since he lived in San Diego, he decided to build a country home, reminiscent of the homes of his youth in southern France, next to his son Amos' mercantile. The Verlaque House is a rare example of traditional French Provincial architecture in the Western United States. "The home is built on a 2 foot thick fieldstone foundation with 18 inch adobe walls, has a 45 degree truncated hip roof, an elevated veranda surrounding the house and a basement wine cellar with 7ft. ceilings and a ramp for wine barrels."

Meandering through this 141 year home was absolutely fascinating. Each room held a treasure trove of wonders. The doctor's office was originally a dining room. Today, it represents how home doctor's offices may have looked.
The Parlor and Music Room was very reminiscent of Victorian homes which had formal spaces for receiving guests and entertaining. Because this was a vacation cottage, this room is more relaxed than many traditional parlors of the time.

The kitchen features a large, open fireplace which was originally the home's only cooking location. Theophile wanted his kitchen the way he remembered it from childhood. This was not how 'the neighbors' were cooking at the time.
Our docent, Susan, was so informative. Have you ever wondered where the term potholes comes from? That description of road dangers is derived from the holes in stoves in which one would place a pot to get closer to the heat source. Who knew?!
This cool devise is a tool to toast bread in the fireplace. Wow.


It's a good thing this was a museum and not a vintage shop. I was enamored with is all.
Any guess about this contraption? It's a curling iron. The lamp's flame would heat the iron. Wild.
I loved the 'working' porch. So dang cool.
About the title "Turkey Capital of the World".  Ramona was given that nickname in the 1930s. It was the center of San Diego's turkey farming industry before World War II. By 1950, Ramona growers were shipping over a million turkey eggs annually.
The town celebrated its turkey heritage with annual Turkey Day festivities that included parades, concerts, balls, and picnics. The highlight of the celebration was crowning the Turkey Day Queen, who wore an outfit made of turkey feathers.
Sadly, Ramona's history as the turkey capital is now a part of the town's past, and the town is now known for its wine industry, the Ramona Rodeo, and the Oasis Camel Dairy. If there was still a Turkey Day, I'd be wearing this outfit. Bring back Turkey Day.
While the basement was designed for wine storage, today it holds an amazing collection that really needed more time than we could give it.
I loved this Addressograph machine used by the Ramona Sentinel newspaper to prepare its mailing labels for its weekly distribution. The machines were invented to save labor. Before addressographs, an employee had to hand type all of the mailing labels for newspapers and magazines.
With a Graphotype keyboard, the operator would create an embossed metal card with a recipient's name and address (this same technique was used for decades to make military dog tags). The cards would be alphabetically sorted in filing trays. The operator would load the cards into the machine, which would pull each card in rapid succession. It would press the plate against an inked ribbon which would stamp the recipient's address onto a label or envelope. I want one!
If this is how I had to get a perm, I'd stick with my straight hair.

I loved the vintage game exhibit especially What Shall I Be?. This board game helps players learn about careers. It was introduced in 1966 by Selchow & Righter, the company that also makes Scrabble. The goal of this game is to be the first player to become a Career Girl. Players collect cards to advance their careers, including School Cards, Subject Cards, and Personality Cards. The game ends when a player collects four School Cards of one profession, two Subject Cards, and two Personality Cards that are good for that profession. Oh man, classic!


There was so many artifacts here that even Steve was intrigued.
Like this circa 1880 horse drawn wagon mounted on a 1926 Chevy truck chassis. The wagon started out as being drawn by a horse or mule. At one point in its long live, it was used as a real estate office, eventually being abandoned and left to rot. This early day motor home was restored and donated to the museum in 1989.





The Millinery Shop houses just a small fraction of the museum's textile collection. Oh my!

How happy I was to play postmistress in an early 19th century post office/ammunition factory. So dang cool.
"A people without the knowledge of their past history,
origin and culture is like a tree without roots."
-Marcus Garvey

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A Camel Dairy... Who Knew?!

During COVID, Steve and I would go for long drives on roads-less-traveled. On one such trip, we passed a field of Bison grazing. What a surprise! On a subsequent outing, I asked him if we would see Bison again and he said, "Oh no, today it will be camels!" He was totally joking, but lo and behold, an hour into our excursion we came upon a field of CAMELS at the Oasis Camel Dairy. It was a complete fluke. We then vowed to return and learn more about this Dromedary Dairy.

"Oasis Camel Dairy owners, Gil and Nancy Riegler created a foundation to help ensure an ethical quality of life for American camels guided by example and educational outreach. The health benefits of camel milk have put camel dairies on the rise.  More dairies also mean many more camel births. The explosion of interest in camel ownership across the country also contributes to camels being bred at a higher rate than ever before  By providing and promoting safe, rich and enjoyable opportunities for camels to engage in natural herd behavior and interactions with people, the Oasis Camel Foundation promotes responsible camel stewardship and provides retirement and sanctuary for mankind's first best friend."
Our first visit to Oasis Camel Dairy was absolutely delightful. The day included a bird and camel show, a meet-and-treat with camels and lambradoodles (mini sheep who stole our hearts), and the Wild West Turkey Stampede, a crowd-pleasing race that had been on hiatus since the pandemic. Fun stuff!
Owner Nancy is not only a gracious host but she is a crack up as well. Her performance with her talented cockatoo had the entire audience laughing.
The turkeys were quite the stars, too. Who knew they could/would race one another?!
In order to keep the turkeys' focus on running the race, Gil filled the back of a remote control truck with food and drove it around the track, which was the only way the birds would keep moving forward. At one point, it proved ineffective as three of the six birds hopped the fence and left the competition. Oh my gosh, hysterical!
Victors!
Next was hands-on animal action! These small sheep, with smiling faces, loved eating treats and meeting everyone. In winter, have beautiful, soft wool (great for petting, or spinning when they get too hot). Even though they were shorn, they were still cuddly. Interestingly, these guys have no upper front teeth. They nibble gently, and quite quickly, when hand fed. They were truly precious.


Okay, the star of the show, for us, was the majestic CAMEL!


We were given apples, on tongue depressors, to safely offer them treats. What a treat for us as well.



These faces just seem to sum up the experience. What darling, sweet JOY!

We would never had suspected that Steve's joking comment about seeing camels would one day have us return to actually interact with these amazing creatures. What surprises one can discover on the road-less-traveled.

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