Just a quick heads-up…lots is going on this weekend. If you are a vintage clothing fan–head over to East Side Book Cafe this weekend. I believe they may be starting Friday but there will be a special sale of clothing from the 1940′s-1970′s for sale by Elana.

Over here in Fawnskin don’t miss the Moose Lodge 2085 fundraising yard sale. Always a favorite and this year it will run for a whopping four days beginning on Friday.

Tickets to the jazz concert at the Discovery Center on Saturday are still available for only 20 bucks.

See you around.

When I first moved to Fawnskin, people were full of tips. One of the first was, “If you buy anything at the market–make sure it has an expiration date and that it has not expired.”

Locals have stories of chocolate candies that were white, moldy food, and the ever present aroma of stale cat urine permeated the place…not so anymore. After over a year of effort, jumping through county hoops, CalTrans approvals, and assorted glitches the Fawnskin Market is finally open again.

Under new ownership the place was gutted, cleaned and updated. Locals are disappointed that the place does not have the old general store feel and that the bench in front of the place is gone but the other sentiments are that of relief and gratitude that we have a local place to shop or grab odds and ends.

Above: Mike (manager) poses behind the counter.

The place is not quite fully stocked as of yet but has everything and anything to drink–liquor included. The candy selection is large, chips and other snacks are still arriving. Bait is in the fridge along with plenty of ice, ice cream, limited selection of produce, frozen dinners, sandwiches, cheeses and lunch meats, and more.

Aisle ways have spices, toiletries, canned goods, cookies, picnic items, and too many other things to name. The Grizzly was delivered today for those of you who have been complaining about the lack of paper vending choices.

The place is clean and all the inventory is new. If you need something let Mike know. Today we discussed the importance of S’more ingredients. Mike was not familiar with the camping tradition so I ran it by him. His reply, “Ahh, that is why people have been asking for those items.”

Mark (owner) said to let them know your desires. The ATM is not up and running yet–in case you were wondering. Drop by and say hello. Buy something…Lord knows that they could use the support after being closed for a year!

In other news, someone lost their keys with a CHP keyring. They were found on Piney Ridge. If they are yours –find them down at the Post Office.

Above is the abstract painting I have that is signed by the artist. It hangs proudly with a photo of her close by. We worked on it together–she picked the colors and signed it with her unique signature–the tip of her trunk. The painting was done by Carol, an Asian elephant. Carol was euthanized last week.

Carol was one of the Asian elephants highlighted in my last book. She was quite the character–very smart and very creative. She would often “dink” with the trainers to see how slow she could do a behavior–or alter it with her creative twists–and see if she would still be rewarded.

She would flap her ears and twist her truck tip (much like when people wring their hands) when excited. She was one of my favorite students.

Carol was also a Tonight Show regular and an ambassador for all elephants as she captured the hearts of the public, staff, and anyone she encountered.

There are a lot of comments related to her condition but that is another story…

Here are a few articles:

Carol in LA Times

San Diego Article about Carol

North County Times Article about Carol