Murrieta Real Estate Blog (and more) - Meet Tom Planthttps://activerain.com/blogs/tomplant2009-05-01T07:50:41ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)Swine Flu Status For Riverside Countyhttps://activerain.com/blogsview/1058497/swine-flu-status-for-riverside-county2009-05-01T07:50:41ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/4/5/5/7/ar124120876375548.jpg" height="250" alt="Maryann Edwards" width="200" /></p>
<p>I visited with Temecula Mayor <a href="http://www.cityoftemecula.org/Temecula/Government/CouncilCommissions/CityCouncil/MaryannEdwards.htm" target="_blank"><strong>Maryann Edwards</strong></a> yesterday. Unless you've been locked away somewhere, you know that <strong><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/" target="_blank">swine flu</a> </strong>is the hot button topic. She promised me an update from the <a href="http://www.rvcfire.org/opencms/functions/oes/" target="_blank"><strong>Riverside County Office of Emergency Services</strong></a>, and I'm sharing it with you:</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">County</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> of Riverside / Riverside County Operational Area EOC</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">SITUATION SUMMARY #1</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Date / Time:<span> </span><span> </span>4/29/09<span> </span>1800 hours</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Prepared By:<span> </span>Riverside County Fire Department - Office of Emergency Services</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Situation Assessment:</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The County of Riverside responded today to the discovery of 4 “probable” cases of Swine Flu.<span> </span>(1- Corona, 2 - Riverside, 1- Indio)<strong></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A Proclamation of Local Emergency in Riverside County was declared at 1000 hours today</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Governor has issued a Proclamation of Emergency for the State of California</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The World Health Organization has elevated it’s Pandemic Threat Level to #5, indicating the possibility of an “imminent pandemic”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">EOC / DOC Activations:</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Riverside County Public Health Department Operations Center remains open and active from 0700 -1900 daily</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The County Emergency Operations Center is activated to Level One Status from 0700-1900 daily</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The City of Indio activated it’s Emergency Operations Center at Management Watch Level </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The City of Corona activated it’s Emergency Operations Center at Management Watch Level</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The City of Riverside activated it’s Emergency Operations Center to Level 1 from 0800 to 1700 hours and Management Watch after hours </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The CalEMA Southern Region EOC is activated from 0800 – 1700 hours daily</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Incident Related Closures:</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">3 Schools were closed on advice of the Public Health Department, until May 7<sup>th</sup> due to the Swine Flu outbreak:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Indio</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> High School – Indio</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Lee</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Pollard Continuation School – Corona</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Mission</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Bell Elementary School</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> / Headstart – Jurupa</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The City of Indio closed indefinitely, it’s Teen Center and Senior Center as a precautionary measure</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Miscellaneous Information:</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A Public Health Information Hotline (951) 955-2000 is open from 0700 – 1900 hours daily. Additional information and referrals can be found at <a href="http://www.countyofriverside.us/">www.countyofriverside.us</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A Press Conference was held today, in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at 1330 hours today with Chairman Stone and Public Health Officials</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> twitter vs. activerain - The Gloves Are Offhttps://activerain.com/blogsview/1045893/twitter-vs--activerain---the-gloves-are-off2009-04-22T07:11:46ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/8/8/1/2/ar124042423121884.jpg" height="640" alt="boxing" width="500" /></p>
<p>image courtesy of photobucket</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not implying that one is better than the other. Rather, I believe blogs can complement <strong><a href="http://www.twitter.com" target="_blank">twitter</a> </strong>and vice versa.</p>
<p>One of my favorite people on activerain, <a href="http://www.DFWRealtorPro.com" target="_blank"><strong>Gary Woltal</strong></a>, wrote a post about twitter on March 7th -</p>
<h2 style="margin-top: 2px;"><a href="../../blogsview/970926/Why-You-Wont-Find-This-Cowboy-On-Twitter-Yet" rel="bookmark">Why You Won't Find This Cowboy On Twitter (Yet)</a> </h2>
<p>At the time, I had had a twitter account for more than a year, but I was on the fence at best. I had about 200 followers on twitter back then, and I believed with Gary that twitter was a time waster. Fast forward to April 21. Yesterday I passed the 1,000 follower mark on twitter. I follow twitter on a program called <a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com" target="_blank"><strong>TweetDeck</strong></a>, which allows me to categorize the people I follow. I don't have to be glued to twitter - I can visit it as I please, and take what I want from it.</p>
<p>I met a 13 year old boy named <a href="http://www.pencilbugs.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Jason O'Neill</strong></a> and interviewed him for a blog post -</p>
<h2 style="margin-top: 2px;"><a href="../../blogsview/1034449/13-Year-Old-Temecula-Boy-Makes-His-Mark-With-Pencil-Bugs" rel="bookmark">13 Year Old Temecula Boy Makes His Mark With Pencil Bugs</a></h2>
<p>This young man is truly an inspiration. I have connected with <a href="http://www.transparentre.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Pat Kitano</strong></a> and <strong><a href="http://domusconsultinggroup.com/" target="_blank">Kevin Boer</a> </strong>and have begun taking webinars with them on how to integrate social media - blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, twitter and more - to build your online referral network.</p>
<p>I can't write a post like this on twitter. You're limited to 140 characters. I can, however link to this post with a single tweet and thus instantly expose it to potentially millions of readers.</p>
<p>I see tweets from people like <strong><a href="http://4realz.net/" target="_blank">Dustin Luther</a>, <a href="http://www.raincityguide.com/about/ardell-dellaloggia-of-sound-realty/" target="_blank">Ardell Dellalogia</a>, <a href="http://www.stpaulrealestateblog.com/" target="_blank">Teresa Boardman</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/tcar" target="_blank">Todd Carpenter</a></strong> to name just a few. I heard about <strong><a href="http://rebarcamp.com/losangeles/" target="_blank">ReBarCampLA</a> </strong>on twitter and because of that experienced a great day of learning and saw fellow rainers there like <strong><a href="http://www.blogbythebay.com/" target="_blank">Ginger Wilcox</a>, <a href="http://www.creativeagentsolutions.com/" target="_blank">Laura Monroe</a>, <a href="http://www.livethecaliforniadream.com/" target="_blank">Marlene Bridges</a>, <a href="http://www.ribeezie.com/" target="_blank">Ricardo Bueno</a>,<a href="http://www.realestateshows.com/" target="_blank"> Jeff Turner</a>,<a href="http://www.jeffdowler.com/" target="_blank"> Jeff Dowler</a></strong> and many, many others.</p>
<p>The beauty of twitter to me is its immediacy. I would have to search for hours here to find what I can find there in seconds. On the other hand, I can do things here I could never do there. That's my point... each complements the other. Do you need twitter? Maybe not. Is it worth checking out? Absolutely. Let me know what you think. You can follow me <a href="http://www.twitter.com/tomplant" target="_blank"><strong>@TomPlant</strong></a>.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/3/3/8/5/ar124042614658336.jpg" height="200" alt="twitter" width="174" /></p>
<p>P.S. Follow <strong><a href="http://www.twitter.com/nik_nik" target="_blank">@nik_nik</a></strong> and you'll be introduced to <a href="http://www.mytechopinion.com" target="_blank"><strong>Nicole Nicolay</strong></a></p><object id="viddler_9faa4ed0" height="370" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/9faa4ed0/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed name="viddler_9faa4ed0" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.viddler.com/player/9faa4ed0/" allowscriptaccess="always" height="370" width="437"></embed></object>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Today Is Earth Day - We Can Each Make A Differencehttps://activerain.com/blogsview/1045787/today-is-earth-day---we-can-each-make-a-difference2009-04-22T06:05:10ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/5/6/6/1/ar124042175216655.jpg" height="337" alt="Earth Day symbol" width="300" /></p>
<p>Thirty nine years ago today, the very first <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day" target="_blank">Earth Day</a> </strong>was celebrated. I realize that some reading this weren't even born thirty nine years ago. Nearly 20,000,000 Americans participated with the primary goal being to create a sustainable environment. Nearly forty years later, Earth Day has become a global phenomenon.</p>
<p>What does Earth Day mean to you? To me, it's a time to focus on our mother earth and see what steps all of us can take to preserve and even improve the quality of life and preserve our precious natural resources. Here are a few simple steps you can take.</p>
<ul>
<li>Recycle - It's so easy and it makes such a difference. If it's paper, plastic, glass or metal, don't throw it away, recycle it so it can be used again.</li>
<li>Use <a href="http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls" target="_blank"><strong>flourescent bulbs</strong></a> - They cost a bit more initially, but consume 75% less power and last ten times as long as conventional light bulbs.</li>
<li>Enjoy the outdoors and share you stories and photos. Clean up if you see trash. <a href="http://my.nature.org/earthday/" target="_blank"><strong>Nature.org</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<p>Do a little research. Learn how you can make a difference.<strong> </strong>Riverside's <strong><a href="http://www.pe.com" target="_blank">Press Enterprise</a> </strong>has put up a wonderful site called <a href="http://www.greenriverside.com" target="_blank"><strong>Green Riverside</strong></a> with all sorts of useful tips on going green. Thanks for pitching in.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/5/7/1/3/ar124042304331754.jpg" height="114" alt="Earth" width="114" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p> </p><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/24_gqlIURMs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/24_gqlIURMs&hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Another Young Man From The Temecula Valley Making A Difference Globallyhttps://activerain.com/blogsview/1042322/another-young-man-from-the-temecula-valley-making-a-difference-globally2009-04-20T04:57:35ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/2/1/9/9/ar124024585199124.gif" height="196" alt="Malawi School Project" width="225" /></p>
<p>Laura and I attend the <a href="http://www.tvcrs.org/Home.asp" target="_blank"><strong>Center For Spiritual Living</strong></a> in Temecula. Yesterday, 17 year old Jake Matthews shared a video with us about the <a href="http://malawischoolproject.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Malawi School Project</strong></a> and told us he will be traveling there this summer to help build schools. The group made their first visit to Malawi in 2007 with the intention of building four schools. They built 10. We need more young men like Jake. I hope this video inspires you as much as it inspired me.</p><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VMXz0xEALNU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VMXz0xEALNU&hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fkifjDi8m_k&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fkifjDi8m_k&hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Temecula Valley Wine Country Meanderingshttps://activerain.com/blogsview/1038660/temecula-valley-wine-country-meanderings2009-04-17T05:54:22ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/6/8/3/5/ar123998895653867.jpg" height="435" alt="Churon" width="600" /></p>
<p>The <strong><a href="http://www.temeculawines.org/wineries.html" target="_blank">Temecula Valley Wine Country</a> </strong>is growing. The chateau above is the <strong><a href="http://www.churonwinery.com/" target="_blank">Churon</a> </strong>Winery on Rancho California Road. I've had a couple of interesting experiences over the past few weeks I thought I'd share with you. The other afternoon we were at <strong><a href="http://www.keywayswine.com/" target="_blank">Keyways</a> </strong>Winery. There was a woman sitting next to us with a unique voice. I asked her if she'd ever done any voiceover work and she told me she had. Not only that, she's an interior designer and an artist. Let me introduce you to <a href="http://www.janiebowers.com" target="_blank"><strong>Janie Bowers</strong></a>.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/2/2/8/9/ar123998980598223.jpg" height="317" alt="janie bowers 1" width="211" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/3/8/0/5/ar123998984650837.jpg" height="317" alt="janie bowers 2" width="211" /></p>
<p>Janie paints beautiful acrylics. She's holding "Winter Princess" here. She is totally self taught. I think her artwork is exquisite. She also paints wine bottles. I took these shots at <strong><a href="http://www.robertrenzonivineyards.com/" target="_blank">Robert Renzoni</a> </strong>Winery and watched her put grapes on bottles with colored glue.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/8/0/0/1/ar123999014210088.jpg" height="345" alt="painted bottle" width="237" /></p>
<p>She's truly one of the most creative people I know. Finally, I paid a visit to <a href="http://www.redbarnwine.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Alex's Red Barn</strong></a>. Alex and Lise Yakut run this boutique winery and offer a variety of wines as well as a cream sherry. Their Grenache is quite tasty.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/3/9/2/5/ar12399915752939.jpg" height="203" alt="alex's red barn" width="300" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/7/9/5/2/ar123999161325974.jpg" height="306" alt="alex & lise" width="445" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Easter At Lake Arrowheadhttps://activerain.com/blogsview/1037051/easter-at-lake-arrowhead2009-04-16T05:17:10ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/3/2/4/5/ar123990121254232.jpg" height="278" alt="Lake Arrowhead" width="417" /></p>
<p>One of the many reasons I love living where I do is its proximity to so many wonderful places. Easter Sunday, Laura and I took off for Lake Arrowhead and in less than an hour and a half we were there. There's a different feel to being in the mountains. The air is crisper. The trees are taller. Everything feels fresh.</p>
<p>We had a noon reservation for brunch at the <a href="http://www.laresort.com" target="_blank"><strong>Lake Arrowhead Resort</strong></a>. Since we had some time to spare, we strolled through Lake Arrowhead Village and checked out some of the cute shops. We found a wonderful wine store called <a href="http://www.vino100cc.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Vino 100</strong></a>.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/7/1/7/1/ar123990170817173.jpg" height="145" alt="Arrowhead Village" width="217" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/3/6/0/7/ar123990173570631.jpg" height="145" alt="Arrowhead film fest" width="217" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/7/3/7/2/ar123990177127376.jpg" height="217" alt="Arrowhead steeple" width="145" /></p>
<p>After brunch, we browsed the village again and picked up some treats for Laura's dog "Money" at <a href="https://www.threedog.com/Default.aspx" target="_blank"><strong>Three Dog Bakery</strong></a>. We drove down the mountain and now we look forward to a return visit.</p><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/38t6V7KhQVU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/38t6V7KhQVU&hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> 13 Year Old Temecula Boy Makes His Mark With Pencil Bugshttps://activerain.com/blogsview/1034449/13-year-old-temecula-boy-makes-his-mark-with-pencil-bugs2009-04-14T12:14:47ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/3/2/6/2/ar123975181926232.JPG" height="180" alt="pencilbugs" width="245" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I want you to try something. Do a Google search on "Jason O'Neill". Pick your jaw up off the floor - yes, he's thirteen. I visited with Jason and his mom this afternoon at Starbucks. He is one amazing kid.</p>
<p>I found Jason on <a href="http://www.twitter.com" target="_blank"><strong>twitter</strong></a>. You may know I was on the fence for quite some time about the value of twitter, but I'm a true believer now. I saw that Jason was from Temecula, which is right next door to Murrieta, where I live. I contacted him via twitter and asked if I could interview him. I then wound up arranging the interview through his manager, his M.O.M (Mother Of Me).</p>
<p>Jason told me he's been interested in making money since he was five years old. He sold lemonade and hot chocolate and got into recycling (which he still does). A little over three years ago, his mom and grandmother were doing a project for a crafts fair. Jason asked if he could help them and share the profits. Mom told him no. If he wanted to do a crafts project, it would have to be his own. It was then that Jason gave birth to <a href="http://www.pencilbugs.com" target="_blank"><strong>Pencil Bugs</strong></a>. He made 24 of them and put them up for sale at the craft fair, thinking that would be the end of it. They sold out quickly. He started making more, and they now make them, at home, hundreds at a time.</p>
<p>It wasn't long before Jason started gaining attention. They put up the website and started getting orders from all over the world - Denmark, Africa, Egypt and Canada to name a few. He was a contestant in 2007 on NBC's short-lived <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_vs._100_(US_game_show)" target="_blank">1 vs. 100</a> </strong>game show as was called "The Kid Mogul". Forbes.com named him one of the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2008/01/22/solutions-education-rolemodels-oped-cx_ap_0123rolemodels.html" target="_blank"><strong>Top 10 Role Models Under 18</strong></a>. Forbes magazine will be doing an article about him. He received "<a href="http://www.inventhelp.com/Newsletter/2008_01/young-entrepreneur.asp" target="_blank"><strong>Young Entrepreneur Of The Year</strong></a>" award in 2007 at age 11. It was a contest designed for those 16 and <em>older</em>. He speaks at various events and has hooked up with <strong><a href="http://www.markvictorhansen.com/" target="_blank">Mark Victor Hansen</a>, </strong>co-creator of the <a href="http://www.chickensoup.com/" target="_blank"><em><strong>Chicken Soup For The Soul</strong></em></a> book series. Mark is including Jason in an upcoming book called <em>The Richest Kids In America</em>. Did I mention he's thirteen?</p>
<p>So many things impressed me about Jason. He's got his head screwed on straight. Mom Nancy says the priorities they have given him are "school, being a kid, and then business". As he told me "You're only a kid once". His school mates just don't get it. They think it's a little hobby he's doing. Make no mistake, it's a full fledged business. In addition to Pencil Bugs, Jason has bookmarks and greeting cards. His future plans include board games, video games, cards games, a cartoon and maybe even a movie. I wouldn't bet against him. He works now not because he has to (he's thirteen), but because he wants to. He wants to work as an adult because he wants to, not needs to. Jason also believes in giving to charity, as long as all the money goes to kids, not salaries or administrative costs. He has given to <strong><a href="http://www.hugsffa.com/" target="_blank">Hugs Foster Family</a> </strong>in Temecula and to <a href="http://www.chsd.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Rady Children's Hospital</strong></a>.</p>
<p>Jason hopes to encourage other kids to stretch, adding if you sit on your ideas, you don't know what you might miss. Jason set up his twitter<strong> </strong>account in December of last year, and now has more than 1500 followers. You can follow him @pencilbugs. I do. His tweets are worth reading.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/6/6/5/0/ar123975412505665.jpg" height="300" alt="Jason O'Neill" width="293" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/5/4/7/3/ar123975416237451.jpg" height="300" alt="Pencil Bugs" width="265" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Meet Todd & Rosie Boorman - Winemakers Extraordinaire!https://activerain.com/blogsview/1025107/meet-todd---rosie-boorman---winemakers-extraordinaire-2009-04-08T12:01:18ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/0/5/5/5/ar123923333255508.jpg" height="306" alt="Boorman Vineyards" width="445"></p>
<p>I first met Rosie Boorman last year at <a href="http://tvwineco.com" target="_blank"><strong>The Wine Company</strong></a>. She and her associate Val were pouring samples of wine from their winery in La Cresta, an area adjacent to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Rosa_Plateau" target="_blank"><strong>Santa Rosa Plateau</strong></a>. I saw Rosie and Val again a few weeks ago at <a href="http://www.francescasitaliankitchen.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Francesca's</strong></a> where they were holding a wine blending party. Guests were given four varietals of wine and asked to create their own wine blend.</p>
<p>I was intrigued and asked Rosie if i could come visit their winery and see what she and her husband Todd were doing there. Temecula is renowned for its wine country, but I wanted to see what was going on in La Cresta. When I arrived, Rosie was dipping the tops of the bottles in food grade plastic and then handing them to Val to cool in water.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/6/8/5/9/ar123923399495864.jpg" height="306" alt="bottle dip" width="445"></p>
<p>It's a labor intensive process, but so is everything they do at <a href="http://www.boormanvineyards.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Boorman</strong></a>. I spent nearly an hour and a half visiting with Todd Boorman. He told me how they had moved to the area from Orange County in 1986. They wound up purchasing the land they now live and work on. There were already Cabernet Sauvignon grapes planted, but Todd knew nothing about grapes. He spent the first four years landscaping and building their home. He then started taking extension classes to learn how to take care of vineyards. He eventually began taking care of the grapes by himself, buying a sprayer and then a tractor.</p>
<p>Todd became interested in the process of making wine and soon began making wine from his own grapes. His first release was the 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon. He also bottles Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Noir and purchased 800 of the first 2000 Petit Verdot vines made available from France which he uses in his Metaphor blend.</p>
<p>I left incredibly impressed with Todd's committment to producing a quality product. In his words: "wine is an art that's being lost to commercialization." He also told me "I just want to make good wine." He's doing exactly that.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/7/4/9/8/ar123923492089472.jpg" height="445" alt="bottler" width="306"><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/5/1/7/0/ar123923502707153.jpg" height="445" alt="price list" width="306"><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/7/9/4/0/ar123923494704977.jpg" height="306" alt="Rosie Boorman" style="float: right;" width="445"><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/8/7/9/7/ar123923497879784.jpg" height="445" alt="Todd Boorman" width="306"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> "Say It With Pictures" meme - I Was Tagged, Are You Next?https://activerain.com/blogsview/1016904/-say-it-with-pictures--meme---i-was-tagged--are-you--next-2009-04-06T10:26:37ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p style="text-align: left;">What would I do without my dear active rain pals? Don't get me started! <a href="http://www.housepat.com" target="_blank"><strong>Pat Kenn</strong><strong>ed</strong></a><strong><a href="http://www.housepat.com" target="_blank">y</a> </strong>tagged me with this recently. Stay tuned to see who the next victims are.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>1. Type out all the questions below and answer each with a picture.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>2. Tag 5 people and spread the love out.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">It's that simple. </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>1. Age at my next birthday:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/4/1/8/7/ar123905522978144.jpg" height="200" alt="57" width="133" /></p>
<p><strong>2. Favorite movie or TV character:</strong></p>
<p><img src="http://cs.wlu.edu/~levy/is/Al_Swearengen.jpg" height="151" alt="Al Swearengen" width="200" /></p>
<p><strong>3. Place I want to travel:</strong></p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/1/7/5/5/ar123905540455718.jpg" height="159" alt="Portugal" width="200" /></p>
<p><strong>4. Favorite Food: </strong></p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/1/3/5/5/ar123905550155315.jpg" height="150" alt="Pizza" width="200" /></p>
<p><strong>5. Favorite Place:</strong></p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/5/7/0/6/ar123905559260751.jpg" height="133" alt="Paso Robles" width="200" /></p>
<p><strong>6. Nickname:</strong></p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/7/4/9/6/ar123905575369476.jpg" height="200" alt="Tommy" width="200" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>7. Favorite Color:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/3/6/7/8/ar123905589687633.jpg" height="200" alt="blue bottles" width="200" /></p>
<p><strong>8. Favortie Sports Team:</strong></p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/7/6/2/7/ar123905601272673.jpg" height="200" alt="Giants" width="137" /></p>
<p><strong>9. Favorite Hobby</strong></p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/5/4/3/ar123905608334547.jpg" height="200" alt="ipod" width="183" /></p>
<p><strong>10. Bad Habit:</strong></p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/0/1/8/4/ar123905621748104.jpg" height="120" alt="Margarita glass" width="200" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Now I will be passing this Meme tag on to 5 people. Be sure you come back here and leave a link to your Meme in the comment section and let the people you tag know they have been tagged!</strong></p>
<p>Ok - <a href="http://www.kansascity-realestate.net" target="_blank"><strong>Fran White</strong></a>, <a href="http://topangarealestate.activerain.com/agent/topangarealestate" target="_blank"><strong>Elaine </strong><strong>Hanson</strong></a>, <strong><a href="http://www.ribeezie.com" target="_blank">Ricardo Bueno</a>, <a href="http://www.joeyloans.com" target="_blank">Joey Aszterbaum</a></strong> and <a href="http://WWW.BUYINGVIP.COM " target="_blank"><strong>Tom Braatz</strong></a> - it's your turn!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Subtle, But - SUBTLE BUTT??!!??!!https://activerain.com/blogsview/1016825/subtle--but---subtle-butt--------2009-04-03T04:55:48ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p>The baseball season must surely be upon us. Spring training is drawing to a close. Across the country, fans are gearing up for opening day. Teams, both minor and major league are getting ready to welcome the crowds. What sorts of promotions can you expect to see this year? Well, In Lake Elsinore, <strong><a href="http://www.stormbaseball.com" target="_blank">The Storm</a> </strong>has a unique idea for their Tuesday night games. In addition to all you can eat for $13, the first 250 fans will receive their very own <a href="http://www.garmentguard.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=8" target="_blank"><em><strong>Subtle Butt</strong></em></a>.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/5/3/5/9/ar123877705595352.jpg" height="200" alt="subtle butt" width="490" /></p>
<p>Listen, you can't make this stuff up, really. If you think about it, an all you can eat promotion does carry built-in hazards. At least The Storm is thinking about its fans. Play Ball!</p><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dcXp53Dk48Y&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dcXp53Dk48Y&hl=en&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/9/2/0/3/ar123877751430294.jpg" height="278" alt="Thunder" width="417" /></p>
<p>The Storm's mascot - <em>Thunder</em>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> There's A New Face At The Temecula Valley Wine Companyhttps://activerain.com/blogsview/1010377/there-s-a-new-face-at-the-temecula-valley-wine-company2009-03-30T10:06:53ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/0/5/7/2/ar123844888227507.jpg" height="306" alt="Dan Atwood" width="445" /></p>
<p>Dan Atwood is no stranger to <a href="http://www.tvwineco.com/" target="_blank"><strong>The Wine Company</strong></a>. He's been of part of it since its inception in its first location on Ynez Road. He was just much more in the background than he is now. Since the end of last year, however, Dan has stepped out of the shadows to take a much more active role. These days, more often than not, you're likely to find Dan either behind the counter and visiting guests from table to table.</p>
<p>Dan moved to Temecula twelve years ago. He purchased horse property on Rancho California Road that was also planted with Chardonnay grapes. Unfortunately, the vines had been attacked by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glassy-winged_sharpshooter" target="_blank"><strong>glassy-winged sharpshooter</strong></a> and needed to be torn out. Dan turned to a friend at <strong><a href="http://www.leonessecellars.com/" target="_blank">Leonesse Cellars</a> </strong>who told him he<strong> </strong>should plant Syrah grapes in their place. With help from Leonesse, Dan has been producing a superior Syrah and is getting ready to release the 2006 vintage.</p>
<p>Dan hired Jim Lilly to build a wine cellar in his home and was asked if he might be interested in investing in wine store. They became partners and Jim ran the business for several years. Last year, Dan decided he wanted to try his hand at running the business, and he's implemented several changes already.</p>
<p>Dan's philosophy is simple. He wants The Wine Company to be a fun place to hang out... low-key and comfortable. There's a bigger emphasis on Temecula Valley wines now. Live music continues four nights a week. Future plans include adding an outdoor patio, and opening up the inside even more. If you want to try some good wine and get to meet some neat people, give The Wine Company a try.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/0/7/7/0/ar123845009107702.jpg" height="306" alt="wine co" width="445" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/7/2/6/2/ar123845014726279.jpg" height="445" alt="wines" style="float: right;" width="306" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/9/1/8/1/ar123845017618195.jpg" height="306" alt="club" width="445" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/6/3/0/ar123845019903647.jpg" height="445" alt="entertainment" style="float: right;" width="306" /></p>
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<p>As an added bonus, while I was writing this post, I saw <strong><a href="http://www.1ststage.net/" target="_blank">Janice Sutton</a> </strong>on <a href="http://twitter.com/1ststage" target="_blank"><strong>twitter</strong></a>. After more than a year of visiting via active rain, we decided to meet in person at The Wine Company. Active Rain and twitter - a winning combination.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/3/7/7/8/ar123845047687734.jpg" height="400" alt="Janice Sutton" width="311" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p>Taken with my Blackberry - sorry it's not sharper.</p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Paso Robles Zinfandel Festivalhttps://activerain.com/blogsview/1005693/paso-robles-zinfandel-festival2009-03-27T11:09:34ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/8/4/9/4/ar123817670449487.jpg" height="306" alt="Zenaida Cellars" width="445" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/5/8/0/7/ar123817769470851.jpg" height="312" alt="Dubost pouring" width="295" /></p>
<p>Laura and I went to one of our favorite destinations last weekend. We drove to Paso Robles for the <a href="http://www.pasozinfest.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Zinfandel Festival</strong></a>. Zinfandel has become my favorite <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varietal" target="_blank"><strong>varietal</strong></a> and they sure make some good Zin in Paso. We met our friends Denny and Jodi at <strong><a href="http://www.tobinjames.com/" target="_blank">Tobin James</a> </strong>winery, visited with our friend Tim Booth, and drove west on highway 46 for a few more stops.</p>
<p>First up was <a href="http://www.zinalley.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Zin Alley</strong></a>. Frank Nerelli is the owner and he makes a superior wine in very small quantities. Frank is very down to earth and makes you feel right at home.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/8/2/8/3/ar123817760538289.jpg" height="263" alt="Frank Nerelli" width="350" /></p>
<p>Our final stop of the day was at <a href="http://www.jadavineyard.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Jada Vineyard</strong></a>. Operations manager Susan West had arranged a private tour for us and it was something we'll never forget. We walked down to the barrel room and were shown the new wine "eggs" that they have begun using in addition to the wooden barrels. The eggs are made of concrete which allows the wine to "breathe", something it can't do in stainless steel.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/3/9/8/8/ar123817833088932.jpg" height="241" alt="Jada" width="350" />The egg is to the right of the wine barrels.</p>
<p>We then got in Susan's car and drove around all of the vineyard. It was a glorious spring day and the views were magnificent. We went back to the winery where Susan had a table set up for us. We tasted barrel samples of their various wines paired with different cheeses. If you visit Paso Robles, make sure you stop at Jada.</p>
<p>Later, Laura and I returned to Tobin James for their <em>James Gang Reception</em>. Food from about 20 different restaurants, live music and lots of wine. They had a new product called "<a href="http://www.plushpuffs.com" target="_blank"><strong>plush puffs</strong></a>", flavored marshmallows that we got to roast over a flame.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/6/4/3/6/ar123817939463469.jpg" height="350" alt="Anglim Winery" width="233" /></p>
<p>Steve Anglim makes excellent wines which you can sample in the tasting room of <a href="http://www.anglimwinery.com/anglimwinery.php" target="_blank"><strong>Anglim Winery</strong></a> in the train depot downtown. That was our first stop Saturday morning. We sampled some of Steve's wines while we nibbled on salami and cheese and visited with Steve and his lovely wife Steffanie.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/5/3/9/1/ar123817983019351.jpg" height="268" alt="Steve & Steffanie Anglim" width="350" style="float: right;" /></p>
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<p>Next stop, four blocks down on Pine Street was the <a href="http://www.midlifecrisiswinery.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Mid Life Crisis Winery</strong></a>.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/3/1/8/0/ar123818011508131.jpg" height="350" alt="Mid Life Crisis" width="268" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/2/9/6/2/ar123818028926928.jpg" height="241" alt="Jill Mittan" width="350" /></p>
<p>Jill and Kevin Mittan are the owners and winemakers. During the week they work in Hollywood. Jill works in post production on the TV series <strong>24</strong>. It was great to visit with Jill, sample some more fine wines and pick up some sparkling wine for our upcoming wedding.</p>
<p>From there we went to <a href="http://www.zenaidacellars.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Zenaida Cellars</strong></a> where they were celebrating a "Zen" fest. Flute music was playing, and we entered the candle-lit barrel room, where they offered "library" tastings of their different wines, vintages from 2003 to barrel samples of 2007 wines accompanied by delicious hors d'oeuvres. Winemaker and owner Eric Ogorsolka was on hand along with cellar master Tyler Russell.</p>
<p>The wildest part of the afternoon was at <a href="http://www.fourvines.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Four Vines Winery</strong></a>. Shortly after arriving, winemaker Chris Tietje led a group of about thirty of us into a dark barrel room, lit only by candles. He told us about his wines, mostly Zinfandels, and we tasted barrel samples. The last taste came from a glass carafe that we held above our mouths and let the wine flow in - extremely bizarre. Make no mistake though, Four Vines makes superb wines.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/5/8/1/6/ar123819328961857.jpg" height="241" alt="Carmody McKnight" width="350" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/5/0/2/3/ar123819333432053.jpg" height="241" alt="Hollywood & Vines" width="350" /></p>
<p>Sunday morning we drove to the end of Vineyard Drive and began the day at the fabulous <a href="http://www.carmodymcknight.com/home.htm" target="_blank"><strong>Carmody McKnight Estate Vineyards</strong></a>. Laura and I found this place last year on our first visit to Paso and we just love it. We passed a bicyclist on the way and we met him when we were parking the car. It turns out he was winery owner <a href="http://www.garyconway.net/" target="_blank"><strong>Gary Conway</strong></a>. You may remember him as an actor from <em>Burke's Law </em>or <em>Land of The Giants</em>. We had a nice visit, then proceeded to the barrel room where winemaker Greg Cropper was just getting ready to sample the barrels for the days' visitors. We were extremely happy that he asked ask to taste along with him. Carmody McKnight's wines are world class and the work Greg puts into them really shows.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/9/5/3/1/ar12381938613593.jpg" height="241" alt="Gary Conway" width="350" style="float: right;" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/1/5/5/9/ar123819389695519.jpg" height="241" alt="Greg Cropper" width="350" /></p>
<p>We had two last stops to make. We discovered <strong>Dubost Winery</strong> on our last visit and met Kate Dubost then. Kate's son Jacob is the winemaker, and he is one of the very talented new winemakers making his presence felt. Jake's making some delicious wines, and we also enjoyed some very tasty barbeque before heading down the road for our final stop.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/9/9/8/0/ar123819418108992.jpg" height="241" alt="Kate Dubost" width="350" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/9/9/5/8/ar123819422985992.jpg" height="350" alt="Jacob Dubost" width="241" style="float: right;" /></p>
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<p>Finally, we pulled into <a href="http://www.starr-ranch.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Starr Ranch</strong></a>. Owner Judy Starr sells grapes to many of the area wineries. She opens her gates a few times a year. We've been lucky enough to be there on two occasions when she's been open. Laura is very fond of her <em>Gypsy Rose</em>. I'm partial to her Cabernet Franc and <em>Odysseus</em> blend.</p>
<p>Phil Stevens was on hand and he is just getting ready to release wines under the <strong>Del Real </strong>label. He gave us a great tour and let us taste several barrel samples including his phenomenal Zinfandel.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/4/8/7/3/ar123819474437848.jpg" height="268" alt="Del Real" width="350" style="float: right;" /></p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/9/8/8/8/ar123819478488897.jpg" height="237" alt="Starr Ranch" width="307" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/7/0/7/4/ar123819482547077.jpg" height="350" alt="Phil Stevens" width="268" style="float: right;" /></p>
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<p>We're already looking forward to our next visit to the Central Coast. We'll be staying in the winemaker's loft at Zenaida cellars. You can see a few more photos if you visit my <a href="http://www.blog.lenscapes.biz" target="_blank"><strong>photo blog</strong></a>.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> So You've Started Tweeting - Now What?https://activerain.com/blogsview/1000337/so-you-ve-started-tweeting---now-what-2009-03-24T10:21:14ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><a href="http://www.twitter.com" target="_self"><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/0/1/2/7/ar12379290472108.png" height="36" alt="twitter logo" width="155" /></a></p>
<p>Last week I wrote a post about my "getting" twitter. If you missed it you can read it <a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/991208/A-Lightbulb-Moment-Im-Starting-To-Get-Twitter" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a>. Make no mistake. twitter has its detractors. Several reports say <a href="http://twitter.com/johncmayer" target="_blank"><strong>John Mayer</strong></a>'s time spent "tweeting" was a factor in his breakup with Jennifer Anistion. There's a video called <a href="http://current.com/items/89891774/supernews_twouble_with_twitters.htm" target="_blank"><strong>Twouble With Twitters</strong></a>.</p>
<p>Yet with all the negative press, I find there's a lot to like about twitter. You can get real time news updates from places like <a href="http://twitter.com/nytimes" target="_blank"><strong>The New York Times</strong></a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/TIME" target="_blank"><strong>Time Magazine</strong></a>, <strong><a href="http://twitter.com/cnn" target="_blank">CNN</a> </strong>and more. You can follow what some of the cutting edge social media experts are saying and follow links they provide with relevant and timely information. You can keep up with friends and family. You do it all in 140 characters or less.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/5/3/6/8/ar123793094786357.png" height="128" alt="tweetdeck" width="128" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/" target="_blank">TweetDeck</a> </strong>is an app that sits on your desktop and displays tweets from the people you follow. You can divide them into different groups and read post tweets from it. I find it simplifies twitter immensely. Here's a screen shot.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/4/3/8/3/ar123793150038348.jpg" height="275" alt="tweetdeck screenshot" width="440" /></p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/0/3/0/0/ar123793168000304.png" height="433" alt="twitterberry" width="257" /></p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.orangatame.com/products/twitterberry/" target="_blank">Twitterberry</a> </strong>is ideal for Blackberry users. It makes using twitter on your Blackberry far easier than the standard SMS text messaging app. As you can see in the screen shot, the basic twitter commands are available from the menu key.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/3/9/4/0/ar123793240104931.jpg" height="78" alt="twitseeker" width="440" /></p>
<p>Like the logo says, <a href="http://twitseeker.com/" target="_blank"><strong>TwitSeeker</strong></a> allows you to find people you'd like to follow by searching what they are tweeting about.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://twitter.pbwiki.com/Apps" target="_blank">The Twitter Fan Wiki</a> </strong>lists all sorts of apps with some that are certain to fit your needs. Twitter is growing very quickly. If nothing else, it's a great tool for building a referral base. I have only scratched the surface here. i'd love to hear what you come across. I invite you to follow me... on twitter.</p><object id="TwitterWidget" height="350" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,124,0" width="290">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p> </p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> A "Lightbulb" Moment - I'm Starting To "Get" Twitterhttps://activerain.com/blogsview/991208/a--lightbulb--moment---i-m-starting-to--get--twitter2009-03-18T16:15:47ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/4/0/2/4/ar123742896042049.jpg" height="338" alt="light bulb" width="450" /></p>
<p>I consider myself a fairly tech-savvy guy. I've been aware of <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </strong>and actually started using the service last summer at <a href="http://www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-san-francisco-2009" target="_blank"><strong>Inman Connect</strong></a>. I <em>thought </em>I understood the concept, but I was under the false impression that you either had to be tethered to your cell phone and try to type text messages on your phone. That's not one of my favorite pastimes. Yes, I knew you could go to the Twitter <strong><a href="http://twitter.com" target="_blank">website</a>, </strong>and <em>tweet </em>from there, but that seemed like a pain, too. I also thought you had to have all of the tweets from your followers come to your phone as an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_message_service" target="_blank"><strong>sms text message</strong></a>. I was getting inundated. This whole Twitter thing was starting to annoy me.</p>
<p>At the same time, I saw people I admire and respect, Like <strong><a href="http://www.austintexashomes.com" target="_blank">Jason Crouch</a>, <a href="http://www.SearchingSeattleBlog.com" target="_blank">Ardell Della Loggia</a> </strong>and <strong><a href="http://www.StPaulRealEstateBlog.com" target="_blank">Teresa Boardman</a> </strong>tweeting<strong> </strong>frequently. What were they seeing that I wasn't? It wasn't until this week when I started using <strong><a href="http://tweetdeck.com" target="_blank">tweetdeck</a> </strong>that everything started falling into place for me. Tweetdeck lets you organize your tweets into different columns: friends, favorites and direct messages. It's easy to keep up, and the wealth of real time content that comes through on Twitter is mind boggling.</p>
<p>Not only can I post links to my blogs, I can follow real time updates from <strong><a href="http://twitter.com/nytimes" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/cnn" target="_blank">CNN</a></strong> and more. If you think you get great advice from a blog, what until you see what's out there in twitterville. I now follow folks like <strong><a href="http://twitter.com/aplusk" target="_blank">Ashton Kutcher</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/iamdiddy" target="_blank">P Diddy</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/MarthaStewart" target="_blank">Martha St</a></strong><strong><a href="http://twitter.com/MarthaStewart" target="_blank">ewart</a> </strong>and <a href="http://twitter.com/RyanSeacrest" target="_blank"><strong>Ryan Seacrest</strong></a>. <a href="http://twitter.com/votewoz" target="_blank"><strong>Steve Wozniak</strong></a> and <strong><a href="http://twitter.com/britneyspears" target="_blank">Britney Spears</a> </strong>are following <em>me!</em></p>
<p>Give it a try. Once you get it, it will open up a whole new universe to you. Promise! You can follow me at</p>
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/tomplant" target="_blank"><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/7/9/6/5/ar123743586356973.png" height="148" alt="twitter logo" width="400" /></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Coffee, Tea Or Pastries? - Temecula Tea Househttps://activerain.com/blogsview/990456/coffee--tea-or-pastries----temecula-tea-house2009-03-18T06:53:24ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/9/8/8/3/ar123740116238893.jpg" height="381" alt="CA Tea & Coffee" width="600" /></p>
<p>It's heartening to see new businesses become established and successful. Diane Walden called me yesterday to invite me to take a look at the <a href="http://www.menuism.com/restaurants/dX_kZqDYKr3Avgaby-CBSV-california-tea-coffee-brewery-temecula-ca" target="_blank"><strong>California Tea & Coffee Brewery</strong></a>. Laura and I dropped in this morning, met Diane and her husband Vern and checked it out. Wonderful smells hit your nostrils the moiment you step in. They offer forty different loose leaf tes, with flavors like Caramelized Pear, Cinnamon Plum and Apricot Dream as well as the more traditional Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Oolong and the like. They also serve coffee. As Vern put it, they major in tea and have a minor in coffee. I had a dark roast coffee and Laura tried a Vanilla Earl Grey Latte. Both were delicious.</p>
<p>Diane bakes pastries and they also offer herb pizzas and omelet pretzels. It's a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Next time you're in the mood for a great cup of tea or coffee, give them a try. I think you'll become a regular.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/1/7/5/8/ar12374020685718.jpg" height="350" alt="CA Tea & Coffee front" width="270" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/1/0/2/6/ar123740210662015.jpg" height="329" alt="Diane & Vern" width="350" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/6/4/4/9/ar123740213894463.jpg" height="263" alt="teas" width="350" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/7/9/6/3/ar123740216536976.jpg" height="282" alt="pastries" width="350" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Happy St. Patty's Day - Growin' Of The Greenhttps://activerain.com/blogsview/988332/happy-st--patty-s-day---growin--of-the-green2009-03-17T04:30:03ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p>I thought I'd take you on a tour of my newly planted veggie garden. Lots of green to share with you on a sunny St. Patrick's Day in Southern California. I'll bring you back in a few months and we'll see how big everything has gotten.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p> </p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> The Jason McKay Scholarship Fundhttps://activerain.com/blogsview/982327/the-jason-mckay-scholarship-fund2009-03-13T10:38:37ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/7/4/8/0/ar123698249208472.jpg" height="650" alt="jason mckay" width="421" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Two years ago, the <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanza_Fire" target="_blank">Esperanza Fire</a> </strong>claimed the lives of five Riverside County firefighters. After the tragedy of losing those five brave men, the news got worse when investigators learned the blaze was set intentionally. This week, a man was convicted of setting that blaze (I won't name him, he deserves no more mention) and murdering the firefighters. His conviction brings a sense of closure to the families of the victims, but clearly the loss will never go away.</p>
<p>Yesterday I attended <strong><a href="http://www.joeyloans.com" target="_blank">Joey Azsterbaum</a>'s </strong>monthly Real Agent Help breakfast. The guest speaker was Will Burger, who's family has set up a scholarship fund in the name of their friend Jason McKay who perished in the blaze. Their hope is to keep his legacy alive.</p>
<p>Joey is a wonderful man and I'm proud to call him my friend. We're going out for lunch on Monday. I can hardly wait!</p>
<p>Joey's original post is re-blogged below.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> A Special Real Agent Help Breakfast - The Jason McKay Memorial Scholarshiphttps://activerain.com/blogsview/982341/a-special-real-agent-help-breakfast---the-jason-mckay-memorial-scholarship2009-03-13T10:31:10ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><p>This is Joey's post that tells the story of Will & Gerri Burger and what they're doing to honor the memory of Jason McKay.</p></p><div id="reblogging_tag"><blockquote><p><strong><img title="real estate networking breakfast" src="http://activerain.comhttps://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/7/9/2/8/ar1212117982978.jpg" height="83" alt="real estate networking breakfast" width="116" style="float: right;" />Real Agent Help Breakfast</strong></p>
<p><strong>One of the things that makes the Real Agent Help Breakfast unique</strong> is it's dedication to supporting non-profit and charity organizations in Hemet and San Jacinto.</p>
<p><strong>This month's proceeds will go to </strong><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/969792/Hemet-remembers-firefighter-Jason-McKay-Jury-closes-in-on-arson-verdict" title="Hemet remembers hero, jury closes in on verdict" target="_blank"><strong>the Jason McKay Memorial Scholarship</strong></a>. Will Burger, the president of the scholarship committee and the son of local Realtor Gerri Burger, Coldwell Banker Kivett-Teeters, will be here to share about the scholarship that honors their family friend who was killed in the 2006 Esperanza fires.</p>
<p><strong>In addition to this special presentation,</strong> The Hemet Home Loan Guy will give a presentation on the current state of mortgage lending and an overview of the programs available.</p>
<ul>
<li>FHA loans - down payments, gifts, credit scores and more</li>
<li>Investment Property loans - down payments, credit scores, loan fees</li>
<li>County and State down payment assistance programs - CalHFA, Riverside County FTHB, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>What is the Real Agent Help Breakfast?</strong></p>
<p>The Real Agent Help Monthly Breakfast is the premier real estate networking event in the Hemet region in Riverside County, California. Join us for a quality breakfast, an opportunity to share a need or a listing you have, great educational content and tools to grow your real estate business.</p>
<ul>
<li><img title="Hemet Mortgage Loans" src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/3/0/3/1/ar12363699213033.jpg" height="85" alt="Hemet Mortgage Loans" width="136" style="float: right; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px;" />Thursday, March12th from 8:30-10:30am </li>
<li>Mimi's Cafe in Hemet </li>
<li>Seating is limited, cost $10 (donation goes to local charity) </li>
<li>RSVP at 951.571.5751</li>
</ul>
<p>This months' generous sponsor is Patrion Mortgage.</p>
<p>Don't miss this important, positive conversation about personal performance. Register TODAY.</p>
<p>...................................<strong>Seating is limited.</strong> To register now, call 951.571.5751....................................</p>
<p><strong>What is Real Agent Help?</strong></p>
<p>The Real Agent Help program is designed to help you reach the next level in your real estate business through quality sales training, networking events, and one-on-one consulting.</p>
<p>................................................................................................................</p>
<p><strong>Top Hemet Real Estate Articles:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://hemethomeloans.com/hemet-mortgage-twitter-daily-interest-rate-update/" title="Twitter Mortgage Daily Rates" rel="bookmark" target="_blank"><strong>What's the Interest Rate Today? It's on your Cell Phone.</strong></a> </li>
<li><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/403247/California-and-the-Terrible" title="California real estate market update" rel="bookmark" target="_blank"><strong>California and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Real Estate Market</strong></a> </li>
<li><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/364262/Investing-in-Hemet-Real" title="Hemet Real Estate Investment News" rel="bookmark" target="_blank"><strong>Investing in Hemet Real Estate...Good News and Bad News</strong></a><strong> </strong></li>
<li><a href="http://hemethomeloans.com/7-steps-to-fix-your-credit/" title="Credit Improvement Article" rel="bookmark" target="_blank"><strong>7 Steps to Fix Your Credit</strong></a><strong> </strong></li>
</ul>
<p><em>Joey Aszterbaum is the <a href="http://www.hemethomeloans.com/" title="Hemet Mortgage Loans" target="_blank">Hemet Home Loan Guy</a> and the loan officer that helps Realtors grow their business.</em></p></blockquote></div> It Might As Well Be Springhttps://activerain.com/blogsview/971615/it-might-as-well-be-spring2009-03-07T10:09:50ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/2/7/8/3/ar123647023138729.jpg" height="278" alt="peach blossom" width="417" /></p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/3/9/6/7/ar123647026576932.jpg" height="278" alt="nectarine blossoms" width="417" /></p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/2/9/1/9/ar123647028791929.jpg" height="278" alt="nectarine blossoms" width="417" /></p>
<p>The calendar may say winter, but signs of spring are popping up all over Southern California. These are peach and nectarine blossoms in bloom in my back yard. As I drive around the Temecula Valley, the roadsides are awash with gold and yellow wildflowers. The strawberry stands are open for business. Spring is here, baby!</p>
<p>I've been preparing to plant my annual vegetable garden. Over the past few weeks I've been adding soil, turning the earth and getting things in order. Yesterday I stopped by Armstrong Garden Center and picked up tomatoes, squash, hot peppers, green onions and melon as well as poppies and cosmos. This morning farmer Tom was at work planting. Over the next few weeks I'll add some corn, beans and maybe a few other things, but the garden is in. In a few months it will be time to harvest...</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/1/8/2/2/ar123647070422817.jpg" height="278" alt="veggie garden" width="417" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong><span> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></strong></p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span>Active Rain Ambassador <span> </span></span></strong><strong><span><span> </span>(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span>It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p>
<p> </p> Giving Birth - And A Cry For Helphttps://activerain.com/blogsview/966535/giving-birth---and-a-cry-for-help2009-03-04T11:14:35ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><a href="http://www.lenscapes.biz" target="_blank"><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/4/2/9/3/ar123621438439243.gif" height="51" alt="lenscapes logo" width="145" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm the proud papa of a new website. It's called <a href="http://lenscapes.biz" target="_blank">lenscapes</a>. I have <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">threatened</span> promised to do a website devoted to my photography for way too long. They say getting started is the hardest part... well, I got started. So stop by, take it for a test drive, kick the tires and let me know what you think. There's a <em>lot </em>more content coming.</p>
<p>Here's the cry for help. My good friend <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_Murphy_(singer)" target="_blank"><strong>Shaun </strong></a><strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_Murphy_(singer)" target="_blank">Murphy</a> </strong>has spent most of the last 16 years singing with Little Feat. As even further evidence of the toll the economy is taking, she was let go last week. Shaun is one of the most amazing people I know. She is an incredible singer <em>and </em>she's a great tailor. The loss of her job has put her in an immediate precarious financial predicament. Her fans are reaching out to help. If you can lend her a hand, it would mean the world to her.</p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/4/5/4/ar123621512045422.jpg" height="278" alt="Shaun Murphy" width="417" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Friend and fellow fan Gerald Lawley wrote an excellent post about Shaun's situation and how you can help:</p>
<pre><strong><a href="http://aboutawisp.blogspot.com/" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">http://aboutawisp.blogspot.com/</a></strong><br /><br />I'm selling <a href="http://www.lenscapes.biz/3.html" target="_blank"><strong>photo prints</strong></a> with all proceeds going directly to her. She also makes and sells <a href="http://www.littlefeat.net/index.php?page=blogs&b_id=484" target="_blank"><strong>very cool shirts</strong></a>! Thanks for lending her a hand.<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker<br />Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain<br />Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula<br />Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><br /><br /></pre>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> I Love My Calendar Cathttps://activerain.com/blogsview/921628/i-love-my-calendar-cat2009-02-07T04:13:13ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/4/6/8/3/ar123402991838646.jpg" height="286" alt="AFV" width="288" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.animalfriendsofthevalleys.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Animal Friends of The Valleys</strong></a> is a wonderful organization that provides services for our four legged (and some winged) friends. A few years ago, I adopted the light of my life, Domino, a black and white tuxedo kitty. Last year I submitted his photo for their annual calendar. Guess who's the pet of the month for February, 2009? Am I a proud papa? You bet! Isn't he adorable?</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/9/5/8/5/ar123403013158593.jpg" height="667" alt="calendar cat" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> What I Did (And Learned) On My Winter Vacationhttps://activerain.com/blogsview/921606/what-i-did--and-learned--on-my-winter-vacation2009-02-07T03:54:32ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/0/6/2/8/ar123402810282607.jpg" height="447" alt="Negril" width="650" /></p>
<p>Each January for the past seven years, a group of die-hard <strong><a href="http://littlefeat.net" target="_blank">Little Feat</a> </strong>fans have headed for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negril" target="_blank"><strong>Negril</strong></a>, Jamaica to hear their favorite band perform on the beach. As you might imagine, when you put several hundred people with a shared interest together, strong friendships develop. Not only have I enjoyed the opportunity of getting to know the band members better, I've made wonderful friends and have spent time pursuing one of my other passions: photography.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Little Feat's keyboard player <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Payne" target="_blank">Bill Payne</a> </strong>is an artist in every sense of the word. He plunged into photography a few years back and his skills shine there, too. A few weeks ago in Jamaica, he shared some of his work in a session called <em>Tracing Footsteps</em>. His images are magnificent. He uses a technique called layering in some of his shots, and he inspired me to try my hand at it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/0/9/1/6/ar123402877161906.jpg" height="238" alt="Paul & Craig" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I took a photo of a cracked concrete path and super-imposed it on a photo of Paul Barerre and Craig Fuller. The possibilities are limitless. Working with my creative side really makes me feel alive.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/2/4/8/5/ar123402892358421.jpg" height="238" alt="Craig Fuller" width="350" /></p>
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/8/3/5/8/ar123402896085388.jpg" height="238" alt="Kenny Gradney" width="350" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p> </p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> Temecula Mayor Maryann Edwards Weighs In On The Bailouthttps://activerain.com/blogsview/918707/temecula-mayor-maryann-edwards-weighs-in-on-the-bailout2009-02-05T08:45:34ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/7/1/2/4/ar123387301842174.jpg" height="250" alt="Maryann Edwards" width="200" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I met <a href="http://www.cityoftemecula.org/Temecula/Government/CouncilCommissions/CityCouncil/MaryannEdwards.htm" target="_blank"><strong>Maryann Edwards</strong></a> a few years ago when she was a member of the <strong><a href="http://www.cityoftemecula.org/Temecula/Government/CouncilCommissions/CityCouncil/" target="_blank">Temecula City Council</a> </strong>and I was board chairman of <strong><a href="http://srcar.org" target="_blank">The Southwest Riverside County Association of REALTORS</a>.</strong> She was always a great guest speaker and she is now doing a tremendous job as Temecula's mayor. I run into her from time to time at <a href="http://www.missionoaksbank.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Mission Oaks Bank</strong></a>. She works there and it's where I do my banking.</p>
<p>You can always count on Maryann to have an opinion and to take a stand. I asked her to weigh in on the economic stimulus package:</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: #5f5f5f; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; color: #5f5f5f;"><em>Those Pesky Earmarks: A Good Thing or a Bad Thing?</em></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: #5f5f5f; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; color: #5f5f5f;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: #5f5f5f; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; color: #5f5f5f;">We’re in the middle of the most extreme economic slowdown in 30 years. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: #5f5f5f; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; color: #5f5f5f;">So let’s talk about “stimulus” in the form of earmarks. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: #5f5f5f; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; color: #5f5f5f;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: #5f5f5f; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; color: #5f5f5f;">A</span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">n earmark is a congressional provision that directs <strong><em><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">approved</span></em></strong> funds to be spent on specific </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">projects in a specific Congressional district. The key word here is <strong><em><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">approved. </span></em></strong><em></em></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Tahoma;"> </span></span></em></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">“Earmark” has become a dirty word because targeting money to study the sex habits of gnats </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">is ridiculous and irresponsible. But earmarks for good projects bring tax dollars home,</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">help to stimulate local economies, and create jobs. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">As a bona fide conservative, I am a champion for fiscal responsibility. Remember that the funds targeted </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">for earmarks are already <strong><em><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">approved</span></em></strong>.<strong><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></strong>So I expect my Congressman to aggressively</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">bring those tax dollars back home to pay for GOOD local projects, and Congressman Issa has done just that. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Along with Senators Feinstein and Boxer, and in partnership with Congresswoman Mary Bono,</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Congressman Issa</span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"> has brought our tax dollars home to help fund the Congressionally approved </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">(2001) Army Corps of Engineers Murrieta Creek Flood Control Environmental Restoration project. When</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">fully funded and completed this $90 million four phase project will protect Old Town Temecula from </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">the kind of disastrous flooding experienced in 1993. It will protect the Metropolitan Water District’s waste </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">treatment facility in Murrieta, and it will ensure that Camp Pendleton’s water supply is protected and controlled </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">during peak rainy seasons.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">So the next time you hear someone criticizing earmarks, tell them the truth. There are good</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">earmarks and there are bad earmarks. Let’s encourage our Congressional representatives to bring our local </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">tax dollars home for only <em><span style="font-style: italic;">good</span></em> local projects – and my sincerest apologies to the fleas.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Maryann</span></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"> Edwards</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">Mayor</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">City of Temecula</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</strong></a> – <strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;">Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><span style="color: #e36c0a;"> <span> </span></span><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</p>
<p> </p><p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p> George, The Olive Manhttps://activerain.com/blogsview/918646/george--the-olive-man2009-02-05T08:17:26ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/8/2/3/2/ar123387099523286.jpg" height="452" alt="George Petrou" width="600" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the farmers market in <a href="http://www.oldtowntemecula.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Old Town Temecula</strong></a>. Laura and I try to stop by every Saturday morning when we're in town. During our visits, we've grown to know George Petrou and look forward to stopping by his booth. George is 84 years young. He invites you to taste his olive oils and garlic, and then goes on to extoll their virtues. He points to the fact of how good his health is and mentions that his mom is well over 100 and still going strong!</p>
<p>Pay a visit to his <a href="http://www.petroufoods.com/" target="_blank"><strong>website</strong></a>. If you check out the farmers market section, you'll see he is indeed a very busy man. I for one am a big fan of his and hope that I can be as young as he is when I reach 84!</p>
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<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/3/6/3/3/ar123387156333638.jpg" height="263" alt="olive oil" width="350" /><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/8/3/0/ar1233871603822.jpg" height="269" alt="petrou foods" width="350" /></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span style="color: blue;">Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span>Active Rain Ambassador</span></strong><strong><span> (951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span>It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p>
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Resolutions Are For Wimps - I'm Setting Goalshttps://activerain.com/blogsview/863819/resolutions-are-for-wimps---i-m-setting-goals2009-01-03T10:24:05ZTom Plant (WINEormous.com)
<p><img src="https://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/5/7/4/9/ar123102769994752.gif" height="379" alt="resolution" width="500" /></p>
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<p>There's nothing wrong with the idea of making New Year's resolutions. The problem is, for the most part, they just don't work. If you want to accomplish something, make it a goal and put it in writing. Your goals need to be clearly definable and attainable. They should be extremely specific. For example, instead of writing "I want to lose weight", spell it out. How do you plan to achieve it?</p>
<p>Try this: "I will lose 30 pounds by March 1, 2009. I will attain my goal by exercising a minimum of thirty minutes daily. I will follow a healthy diet and avoid junk food and empty calories". This is just an example. If you want to make more money, find a soul mate, whatever, figure out how you're going to get there and <strong>put it in writing</strong>.</p>
<p>I need to thank my dear friend <strong><a href="http://Oakville-BurlingtonHomes.com" target="_blank">Jo-Anne Smith</a> </strong>for her recommendation of <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=X5O1trAXcegC&dq=life%27s+missing+instruction+manual&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA6,M1" target="_blank"><strong>Life's Missing Instruction Manual: The Guidebook You Should Have Been Given At Birth</strong></a> by <a href="http://www.mrfire.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Joe Vitale</strong></a>. Do yourself a favor and buy it and read it. Happy New Year!</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://tomplant.com/"><strong><span>Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage</span></strong></a><strong><span> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span>Active Rain Ambassador <span> </span></span></strong><strong><span><span> </span>(951) 907-9701</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><strong><span>It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.</span></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" alt="" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MurrietaRealEstateBlogandMore-MeetTomPlant" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe in a reader</a></p>
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