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| Scott Hicks & "Pepper" @ Pechanga |
From
Pala, we drove the relatively short distance to our winter home at Outdoor
Resorts Palm Springs, where we will remain until ACA’s 20th
Anniversary Desert Rat rally in Quartzsite. Two years ago, we spent a few
weeks at each of the Outdoor Resorts locations in this area (other one is in
Indio), but fell in love with the Palm Springs location (actually located in
Cathedral City). We are renting a lot from original owners, who aren’t
able to drive their coach from northern Washington anymore. We will be
resisting the urge to purchase the lot when it goes on the market in January.
March
of 2022 will be a very busy rally month. Starting March 15th,
Bill & Rhoda Barr + Jerry & Marilee Fichera will be hosting a joint
SoCal/ACA PRE-Rally to the FMCA National Rally. Registration coming
soon. The group will Caravan together, and park together at FMCA.
Members will be volunteering by driving the golf carts. Just a few days
after the conclusion of FMCA, Mike & Mikey Collins + Chuck & Barbara
Hasman will be hosting a joint SoCal/NorCal rally at Morro Dunes. Twenty
days total. Two SoCal rallies bookending the FMCA event.
Speaking
of FMCA, due to the untimely passing of Gayle & Steve Picha, our club has
no FMCA National Director. The Picha’s were active members, and very ably
represented SoCal to FMCA. Their passing has been a big loss to our club
in many ways. So, now we need a member to pick up the reins. This
board member's primary function is to attend the annual FMCA Governing Board meeting which
is held at a national rally each year. Do you like to attend FMCA
rallies? Would you like to have your camping fees paid for? Have
you been thinking about getting involved in FMCA? All reasons which make
this critical board position perfect for you!
But wait, there’s more. We have not one, but two FMCA National Directors-Primary & Alternate. Please welcome Judy Fisher, who has agreed to join the board as FMCA Alternate National Director. A Director might only need to attend one FMCA Governing Board Meeting in a two-year term, if splitting duties between them. Please contact Bill Figge, Susan Vargo or Scott Hicks for more info, OR to throw your hat into the ring.
Thanks
to everyone for making Alpine SoCal a great RV club! I hope to see you at
another rally soon!
-Scott
An on her lover's arm she leant,
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| Polly Klinko |
Steve Picha was the National Director for FMCA representing Alpine NorCal while Gayle Picha represented SoCal in the same capacity. This position put them both on the FMCA Governing Board.
They spent the past summer doing what they loved to do - exploring the country. We had plans to meet up with them on their way home, but this never happened because they got sick.
So far 2021 has been a rather quiet period for the website. None of the routine software updates this year have caused any harm to the website. That might change in 2022, as the Joomla Content Management System I use to create the website has a new major revision that came out late this year, and that will likely require more testing and fixes than the routine updates. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
It has been nice to see the pandemic start to lose its grip on our state, and we can start holding some rallies again. We have certainly missed those. We were able to attend the rolling rally on the Oregon Coast in June, and our return visits to Oregon to have some modifications to our coach. Those have now been completed, pictures have been posted on Facebook, and we are ready to do some more traveling the rest of this year and next year.
Safe travels!
2022 Rally Schedule
Location Date Wagon Masters
WHMA Indio Rally, Indio, CA January 12-16--CANCELLED BY WHMA FAIRGROUNDS NOT AVAILABLE
ACA Desert Rat 20th Anniversary Rally January 19-25 Maurmann/Wheeler
Quartzsite
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| Courtesy of Steve Maurmann & Marla Walker-NorCal |
FMCA Tucson Pre-Rally-Yuma, AZ March 15-20 Barr/Fichera
(Joint SoCal/ACA)
Caravan & Early Entrance to FMCA March 20-22
Tuscon Rally-Yuma to Tucson, AZ
FMCA 106th Int’l Convention-Tucson, AZ March 23-26
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| Family Motor Coach Association | The Best of RV Travel Clubs | FMCA |
Morro Dunes RV Park, Morro Bay, CA March 31-Apr 5 Collins / Hasman
(Joint SoCal/NorCal)
Kinectic Sculpture Races Mad River RV Park CANCELLED Fichera/Mayfield
Arcata, CA (Joint NorCal/SoCal) BY RV PARK
(Working on new location)
Railside RV Ranch, Williams AZ Sep 7 – 14
Tentative Spot Rally
Alpine SoCal 20th Anniversary Rally Nov 3 – 8 Prodanovich / Archer
Members of NorCal & SoCal gathered together for a 5-day rally at Black Oak RV Park and Casino, located in the Yosemite National Park and Gold County. Hosts Steve and Linda Mathews and Co-Hosts Tom and Nancy Polk arrange a bevy of activities to keep everyone entertained and fed! Activities included a fishing derby, winery tour & picnic, Railtown steam train ride with tour. pumpkin bowling, social hours, and a variety of meals to suit everyone's taste buds.
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| Group Photo-Black Oak Rally Photo by: Nancy Polk |
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| Fishing Derby Photo by: Nancy Polk |
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| Fishing Derby Photo by: Nancy Polk |
Pumpkin Bowling-Black Oak Rally
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| Pumpkin Bowling @ Black Oak Rally Photo by: Nancy Polk |
Who knew pumpkin bowling could be so fun! You never know which way it's going to roll!!
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| www.walmart.com |
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| Pumpkin Bowling @ Black Oak Rally Photo by: Nancy Polk |
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| Pumpkin Bowling-Surprise Prize Jerry Fichera, 3rd Mike Hambarian, 1st Nellie Stiff, 2nd Ken Altman |
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| Left Right Center Game-Happy Winners First game - Kathy
Talbott, Second game - Terry Hibbs
|
It has been said that in some of the oldest wine-growing regions of Europe, a person can actually taste the story of a vineyard with each sip they take. At Gianelli Vineyards & Winery, their wines capture that same essence of place and tradition. The history of the Gianelli family, the land, and even their winemaking practices are part of a legacy that stretches back through countless generations.
The story truly begins with Giovani Rocca, who married into the Gianelli family in the late 1800’s. After his marriage, Giovani purchased a large amount of acreage just outside Jamestown – land which today is used in part for the Gianelli vineyards. In Giovani’s day his property was the site for a working cattle ranch, gold mining camp, and was a major stagecoach stop for supplies coming into Jamestown. Giovani was quite a character, and was even reported to give food and aid to the infamous Joaquin Murrieta when he’d pass through town.
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| Group @ Gianelli Winery Photo by: Nancy Polk |
With each new generation, the land was worked and cherished, becoming an extension of the family and a testament to the commitment and love for the area. In 1980 Ron Gianelli purchased the property from his grand-aunt Edna Collard. Having grown up in an agricultural family, Ron always knew that he would one day return to farming and to his family’s roots in Jamestown. He had realized half of the dream, and planted the foundation for the future 93- acre vineyard.
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| Gianelli Winery Photo by Nancy Polk |
With strong ties to their family’s homeland of Liguira, Italy, the Gianelli’s were regularly traveling back and forth in order to find inspiration and advisement on how they should farm their property. It was during one of these many trips when Ron and Lorie decided they wanted to carry on the winemaking techniques and vineyard stewardship that the Italians had practiced for thousands of years. Everything about the Foothill appellation seemed to mimic that of Italy. There was a sample of their Jamestown soil sent off to a laboratory in Italy which was returned with the simple note: “mirrors that of Tuscany.” With each successive trip to Italy, the Gianelli’s learned more and more about the varietals that would suit their area, methods, equipment, winemaking practices and the history of Italian wine. Early on in the planning it was known that the winery’s theme would feature old world wines that were true to the Italian style and experience.
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| Just like Tuscany! Photo by: Nancy Polk |
Having decided to do something wholly unique in not only the community, but the Californian winemaking industry as a whole, the Gianelli’s created a piece of Italy in their own back yard. Nothing was done half-heartedly. Every piece of equipment, from the fermentation tanks to the smallest filtration units were purchased in Italy. All of the obscure rootstock varietals that Ron had fallen in love with in Tuscany were sourced from a company who had special ties to a vineyard in Verona, Italy. Down to the smallest detail the small Italian operation in the heart of Jamestown California began to take root.
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| The Barrel Room-Gianelli Winery Photo by: Nancy Polk |
Mr. Steve Cullum, a well-known vineyard consultant and manager in the Sierra Foothills was employed to assist in planting. Steve’s knowledge of the region was encyclopedic, and his reputation for using uncommon old-world varietals in many of his vineyards was exactly what the Gianelli’s were looking for. With his help the terroir was mapped, deciding exactly which varietals would suit their property and how Italian methods and design would be utilized. In 2003 the first vineyards were planted, and today Gianelli Vineyards boasts a total of 18 different estate grown varietals. From Vermentino to Fiano, Primitivo to Agliancio, the vineyard has varietals that are not only uncommon in the United States, but some have never been produced before outside of Italy.
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| Cody LaPertche-Winemaker @ Gianelli Winery Photo by: Nancy Polk |
Gianelli Vineyards & Winery not only stands as a testament to the past, but also as a wonderful example of the successful balance that can be achieved between old world traditions and modern-day innovation. As the winery and vineyards continue to thrive, the hope is to educate fellow vintners and the public about the wonderful, expressive character of Italian varietals grown here in the Sierra Foothills.
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| "RV" Newlywed Game Photo by: Genene Wells |
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| Tom & Nancy Polk "Judging" the Newlywed Game Photo by: Genene Wells |
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| Festive Table Decor-Pala Rally Photo by: Marcia Hicks |
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| Sponge Bob Cornhole Toss-Pala Rally Photo by: Marcia Hicks |
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| Annual Business Meeting Photo by: Donald Wendell |
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| Alpine Sextuplets!! Photo by: Donald Wendell |
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| Marie and Erroll Murphy Photo by: Marcia Hicks |
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| Vintage & Classic Car Show-Temecula CA Photos by: Donald Wendell |
at Pala Rally
RECIPE CORNER
1 large onion diced
8 oz. can diced green chilies
8 oz. diced roasted red pepper
4 cloves garlic minced
1 28 oz. can white hominy, rinsed
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup salsa verde
1 tsp. ancho chili pepper
1 tsp. cumin
Heat 1 Tbs. vegetable oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Sprinkle pork with 1 tsp. salt. Working in batches, cook the pork, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate, discard fat from pot. Heat remaining 1 Tbs. vegetable oil and add onion, sauté until softened around 4 minutes. Add garlic, sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add pork, chicken broth and hominy, bring to boil. Stir the stew and reduce heat to medium low; simmer, covered until pork is tender, about 60-70 minutes. Garnish with cilantro, sliced radishes. Serve with warm tortillas.
