Jamul Haven Hosts Horseless Carriage Club of America

During January Jamul Haven was proud to host a breakfast outing by the San Diego chapter of the Horseless Carriage Club of America (HCCA). The HCCA was organized in 1954 by a fun loving group of individuals who's mission it was to encourage the enjoyment, restoration and preservation of historical vehicles. The club takes their antique cars on periodic outings both for fun and to promote awareness about the preservation of this aspect of our history.

Jamul Haven History, Early Olives in San Diego

The oldest olive trees in the United States were Spanish Manzanillo and Ascolano olive trees planted in the 18th Century by the Mission Fathers. As early as 1815 Albert J. Denis described a great reception in honor of Governor Sola’s arrival at Monterey:

A magnificent repast had been prepared and now awaited the attention of the
governor, who was greeted at the banquet hall by a bevy of young girls, all in white, the most beautiful in the province, each in turn kissing his hand… The flower-decked tables were laden with the best of everything the country produced, fish, meat, game, vegetables, fruit, and the wonderful products of the missions: olives from San Diego.

Rancho Jamul consisted of 8,926 acres granted to Don Pio Pico in 1829 by Governor Jose Maria Echeandia of the Mexican Republic. Jamul is located 25 miles southeast of San Diego, off Highway 94 to Jamul Drive. The name is a Spanish derivative of a Kumeyaay place name for “Antelope Drink.” Authorities of Spain and the Roman Catholic Mission at San Diego used the inland areas for cultivating olives, pomegranates, fig trees, and grape vines, and vestigial survivors would have been present when United States citizens squatted in Jamul in the 1850s-1880s. Two men named Ackerman and Tuffley, leased the mission orchards and created the “Old Mission” brand of pickled olives for which they received
gold medals in London, England and Lille, France. Agricultural development expanded with creation of the Southern California Mountain Water
Company system, which enabled irrigation of sixty-five Mission olive orchards.

The San Diego Union published “Notes from the Jamul” on December 2, 1886 and reported Mr. Mitchell erected a blacksmith shop, George Maxfield erected a house and cleared land for his ranch, and Greenleaf and Foitz cleared 400 acres for their wheat crops. Maxfield hosted the Thanksgiving Day dinner that year. Prior to creation of the water district, ravines were dammed to create small reservoirs and capture nearly 8 million gallons of water to irrigate crops at lower elevations.

Next month, Jamul pioneers Charles (shown in photo) and Rachel Gifford build their farm house, now Jamul Haven.

Romantic Getaway #2

What's more romantic than poetry? For this month's romantic getaway, start by dressing the part of a poor, bohemian poet. Enjoy a dinner in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood of small restaurants, or to be truly authentic, watch the diners longingly and then share a bottle of wine, a loaf of bread, and some cheese. Walk to the San Diego poetry slam to catch the latest stand-up performance, every evening at 9:00 PM (www.sdpoetryslam.com). Check in with Collective Purpose (www.collectivepurpose.org) to confirm dates and details. The San Diego Poetry Slam is a spoken word celebration and tournament that features locally renowned poets, brand new slammers, and everyone in between. Slam is no ordinary, sedate open mic. The audience participates. If you're a poet and you want feedback on your work, you'll get it here. If you want to get paid for your words, slam will give you a chance. Slam has an open sign up (poets: get there at 8 p.m. to sign up for a spot) $5 fee for competitors, free for everyone else. Winner takes all! Judges are picked at random out of the audience so you never know what kind of poetry will win on any given week, but no matter who wins the evening is sure to be a lot of fun.

End the evening in your room with a copy of the Poems of Romance audio CD ($9.95 from Jamul Haven) and read poems to each other from THE GIANT BOOK OF POETRY ($29.95 from Jamul Haven or Barnes and Noble).

Valentine's Day Special Romance Package

February 14th (Valentine's Day), Jamul Haven is offering a one night romance package at the discounted price of $329 per couple. The package includes:

• A guest suite at Jamul Haven for the night;
• Romantic dinner for two on Valentines Day (Soup, Salad, Main Course, Wine, Desert, After Dinner Drink);
• Gourmet breakfast for two the following morning;
• A box of fine chocolates;
• A copy of the audio CD "Poems of Romance";
• A bottle of champagne; and
• A signed copy of the book THE GIANT BOOK OF POETRY.


Make your reservations now and be sure to reference the "Romance Package." Dinner will be served at 7:00 PM.

In This Issue:

Upcoming Local Events

Selected fun San Diego events that are worth a trip.

2/5, 6PM - Midnight, MardiGras in the Gaslamp (10 music stages, parades at 7:30 PM and 10:00 PM). $15/$20

2/29, 6-9 PM Kettner Nights in Little Italy, where the San Diego art community opens their galleries to dress funky, talk to the artists, and see and be seen.

3/17, 4:00 PM - Midnight, Sham Rock 2008. The Gaslamp Quarter will once again be transformed into the rolling hills of Ireland, thanks to over 40,000 square feet of green Astroturf. $20/$25

Now through 3/26 High Art: Concept Cars and Automobile Design, San Diego Automotive Museum in San Diego

4/26-4/27 Artwalk, San Diego's largest art festival.
http://www.artwalksandiego.org/

7/19-7/20 Gay Pride parade and festival
http://sandiegopride.org/

Jamul Haven Specials

We are continuing to offer our introductory rate special of $199 per night, which includes a gourmet breakfast for two cooked to order.

Innkeeper Update

John and Glenda will be joining us full-time on February 13th, giving us four full-time staff to meet the needs of Jamul Haven guests.

Our daughter Elizabeth will be getting her Navy Pilot's wings on February 15th, so Marianne and I will be out of town that weekend for the ceremonies. John and Glenda will be operating the facility during that weekend.

Vladimir Spasojevic, a well known Czech composer will be staying with us from 20 February through 3 March to finalize the music for William's musical "Eliot". The musical is scheduled to premier this Summer. Guests staying with us are welcome to partipate in, or just observe, the creative process as musicians, singers, and the playwright gather around the piano in the lobby to finish this exciting new musical.

In The News

The San Diego Union Tribune is completing a feature article on Jamul Haven, which is scheduled to appear on the East County edition on Saturday, 9 February.

Hints from Yesteryear

Hints from "The Everyday Cook-Book," (c) 1889 and found in the Jamul Haven Angel House.

To remove wrinkles in the skin, use one ounce of white wax, two ounces of strained honey, and two ounces of the juice from lily bulbs. Melt together and stir, then apply to wrinkles.