Q. I wear glasses. When I play golf, I swing and miss a lot. Is there something fashionable I can wear that will help me hit a golf ball?
–André’s friend, Montreal
A. I understand they have clip-on binoculars now that will make your golf ball, sitting on its tee, as big as a beach ball. You shouldn’t have any trouble hitting that.
Q. My wife wants me to get a pedicure. What do you think?
–Elwood, Aguanga
A. I got a pedicure once. The pedicurist rasped on my feet so hard I lost two shoe sizes. That night when I got in bed, I reached out a foot and thought I was touching my wife’s foot. No, it was my other foot.
Father Dan Rondeau, vicar of St. Hugh’s Episcopal, has lived a life dedicated to healing. But when suddenly stricken by a debilitating disease that attacks the nerves within the body, Rondeau lay unconscious for months in a hospital approved by his insurance company until his family fought to have him transferred to UCLA Medical Center. There, his condition was correctly diagnosed and he began to recover. Photo by Marshall Smith
Editor’s Note: Most residents of Idyllwild call it a special place — special because of its people. We’re expanding our artist series to include a broader segment of those residents whose contributions to Idyllwild make it a better place.
Father Dan Rondeau, vicar of St. Hugh’s Episcopal Church in Idyllwild, knew early on that he wanted to help heal others. He did not know how greatly his life would change when, as he faced death, others fought to heal him. He could also not foresee how often his early resolves would be tested and his life journey would be altered.
Born in Minnesota and raised in San Diego, Dan Rondeau knew healing was his life’s path. “While in high school I had decided to become a doctor,” he said. “I knew I wanted to help others, to heal others.” He entered San Diego State as a pre-med/biology major. Then, in the first of series of serendipitous turns that would change his path, he spent a summer between sophomore and junior years volunteering for San Diego-based Sisters of Social Service. “College students hung out with elementary and pre-teen kids from some of San Diego’s poorest areas,” Rondeau recalled. “It was my first experience with spiritual, psychic and social injuries that a doctor could not fix. I thought, during this summer, that maybe this is the healing I am called to do.”
Raised in the Roman Catholic Church, in what he described as a “good Catholic family,” Rondeau had earlier felt the call to enter the priesthood, but had not acted on it. But after that pivotal summer, and having experienced healing in a different form, he responded to the call to spiritual service.
At the end of his junior year at San Diego State, he was accepted into seminary at the University of San Diego. During his two years at seminary in San Diego, Rondeau was fast-tracked for advancement. He was sent to seminary in Rome at the Gregorian University, staffed by Jesuits. Classmates included two men who are now Cardinals within the church, Timothy Dolan (New York) and Daniel DiNardo (Houston/Galveston). Few American seminarians are accorded the honor of studying in Rome, and Rondeau’s life was unfolding with great promise. He was ordained a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church in 1975.
But in a second crossroads moment, Rondeau began to struggle with the Catholic Church requirement for priestly celibacy. “I took a year off in 1976,” he recalled. “I had to examine whether I could live it, this life with this requirement, whether I could forgo being a husband and a father.”
“I got a job teaching fifth grade at St. Adelaide’s School in Highland [Ca.] and during that year I settled on truly being called to be a priest. I needed to respond to God. In February 1977, I was ordained a priest and assigned to St. John of the Cross Church in Lemon Grove.”
With this posting, Rondeau’s path would again change unexpectedly. “St. John had a school attached,” he recalled. “Carol Tripoli was the fifth-grade teacher and vice principal and I was associate pastor. Then the principal of the school died unexpectedly, Carol became principal, and because the pastor was in Ireland, I was now involved in running the parish of 4,000 families and the school. In the course of the transition, the new responsibilities, and many business meetings with Carol, I fell in love.”
Rondeau said it tested his faith, his courage, and exposed him to censure from colleagues, but in the end he decided to follow his heart.
“I found I had a dual calling – to
follow God and to follow my heart.”
Rondeau left the Roman Catholic priesthood. In 1980 he and Carol married. In 1983 he earned a master’s degree in social work from San Diego State. “I thought, with the degree I could get to do many of the things I could have done as a priest, healing spiritual and psychic wounds.”
In 1983, he was offered a job as a youth minister within the Episcopal Church, with the requirement that he complete a semester of study at the Bloy House Episcopal Theological School in Claremont. Rondeau already had degrees from the Catholic seminary in Rome that were the equivalent of a master’s degree in divinity.
That year, Rondeau was “received” into the Episcopal Church ministry. He quickly advanced though a series of postings that eventually led in 1993 to St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, a prestigious parish of which President Gerald and Betty Ford were members. Rondeau remained at St. Margaret’s for 15 years, until 2008, serving at various times as rector and associate rector. “I played a big part in the growth of the church,” said Rondeau. “During that time a school was built, and we added a middle school. I also served as chaplain of the school.”
Then, once again, Rondeau’s life would change dramatically and unexpectedly. An avid hiker, and in top physical shape, Rondeau was meeting new parents at St. Margaret’s school on a Friday in October, 2008. “We had a great welcoming party,” he recalled. On Saturday morning his feet were numb. He thought nothing of it and continued to work. At the end of Saturday the numbness had moved up to his knees. On Sunday morning when it had progressed to his waist, he told Carol he thought he needed to see a doctor. An initial diagnosis of Guillian-Barre syndrome was done without the prescribed lumbar puncture and Rondeau was sent home. Guillian-Barre is a very rare disorder where the body’s immune system attacks the nerves, and recovery rates are generally high. But by Monday morning, he could not stand. He was hospitalized and within days was unconscious. Rondeau describes it as an eight month “wilderness” of unconsciousness in which he was kept alive by a ventilator and feeding tube.
“After initial treatment at Eisenhower showed no improvement, I was consigned to Kindred Hospital in Ontario, ostensibly to be weaned off the ventilator but actually to be warehoused to slowly die.
“Carol and our sons fought with the insurance companies to get second opinions or to get me transferred to another hospital. They succeeded in getting my case before a state of California independent review board who ordered Blue Cross/Blue Shield to have me transferred to UCLA Medical Center.” While there, doctors diagnosed Rondeau, not with Guillian-Barre, but with Mononeuritis Multiplex. “It has similar symptoms but different treatment protocols,” said Rondeau. “I began to recover. I regained consciousness June 1, 2009, transferred to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, and was discharged Nov. 6, 2009, more than a year after becoming sick.”
Rondeau said during his months of unconsciousness he dreamed — dreams in which he was fearful for his wife and sons’ welfare. Then, in his dreams, he remembered thinking that now he would die and, if that was as it must be, he was ready. But he remembered feeling a presence, a peaceful and calm presence, that told him he would not die, “‘not this day or this way.’ I trusted this and went to sleep.”
After physical rehabilitation and discharge from the hospital, serendipity again intervened. Retiring from the ministry in 2009, he was contacted to be a spiritual counselor by a parishioner of St. Hugh’s in Idyllwild. “Carol and I had always thought we would like to live in the mountains,” he said. In 2011 he began coming to St. Hugh’s to conduct Eucharist once a month for the small mountain congregation. In January, 2014, he became St. Hugh’s vicar and an Idyllwild resident.
Called to heal and serve others, Rondeau recovered from near death when his family fought to find healing for him. He awakened from an unconscious wilderness when a gentle reassuring presence told him he would live. He resumed his mission to heal others in what he calls a “holy” environment – Idyllwild. “My hope is that this congregation [St. Hugh’s] will reconnect with the community and be a place of healing and peace within this holy place of Idyllwild – a place of outreach to other communities of faith, for them to join us in initiatives to heal the community.”
Rondeau is especially gratified by the response from the community to the annual Service of Solace at St. Hugh’s that has joined other faith traditions, a mission to the elderly in which other Idyllwild churches also participate, and the Gender Based Symposium of which he is co-chair. “I want St. Hugh’s to be a place to bring people together, to heal, to share and to grow.”
The Art Alliance of Idyllwild stages its third-annual Under $100 Art Fair — A Sweetheart of a Deal at Idyllwild Town Hall. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13. AAI member artists will feature art for sale for under $100.
“This fun-filled art fair aims to get art into the homes of Idyllwild residents and visitors to the Hill,” noted AAI on its website. The fair provides opportunities for purchase of jewelry, paintings and photography by some of Idyllwild’s finest artists.
“With Valentine’s Day often accompanied with the stress of finding a gift that is special and unique, the art fair is the perfect venue to find the perfect gift for someone you love . . . including yourself,” said AAI President Shanna Robb.
For more information, visit www.artinidyllwild.org.
Planning for the seventh-annual Lemon Lily Festival is underway, according to Amanda Allen, Idyllwild Nature Center park interpreter, who is organizing the two-day festival for the weekend of July 9 and 10. The whole event will kick off Friday night when heads and eyes will tilt upward to the skies rather down at the ground.
The Festival will have a new opening event. “Since Lemon Lilies are most fragrant in the early evening, we’ve decided to kick off this year’s Lemon Lily Festival with a nod to the nighttime sky,” Allen said. “This year, the Nature Center will be offering a special star-gazing program on the Friday evening before the Lemon Lily Festival gets underway.”
This spring, Allen and others intend to plant some Lemon Lily bulbs that will soon be germinating as part of the restoration program, which festival fees fund.
Returning visitors will recognize many of the festival features, such as Pioneer Town and the Pennyroyal Players
A major new activity will be hikes to blooming Lemon Lilies in two different areas. One will be on the grounds of the James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve, a part of the University of California’s Natural Reserve System. The other will be a trek to the high country.
Allen encourages festival goers to join local astronomy enthusiasts for constellation tours, star stories old and new, and telescope viewing. All will begin at 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 8, in the campground at Idyllwild County Park.
Pennyroyal Players use storytelling and songs to present portraits of people who settled the American West. Their experiences reveal some of the hardships, triumphs and humor that were part of the pioneering life in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Pioneer Town continues to be popular with both children and adults, offering the opportunity to learn what life was like during a time when the Lemon Lily was prolific in Idyllwild.
Volunteerism: There are several definitions of this effort. One is the act or practice of doing volunteer work in community service. Others are the principle of donating time and energy for the benefit of other people in the community as a social responsibility rather than for any financial reward, or the policy or practice of volunteering one’s time or talents for charitable, educational or other worthwhile activities, especially in one’s community.
When looking at our local community, it is easy to find a group, organization or worthy cause to volunteer one’s time toward. Many people here are involved in one or more of these groups.
One of these organizations that was formed in 2001 was the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council. It was initially charged with educating the local public about fire abatement practices, which could defend or save their homes in the event of a fire.
Members soon realized that education alone did not go far enough. A push for thinning of the forest and overgrowth of vegetation within the community was begun.
A group of additional volunteers within the MCFSC was formed in 2002 and became known as the Woodies. These dedicated 20 to 30 people often use many of their own chainsaws, splitters and equipment trailers to facilitate the removal of trees on private property.
A local gentleman by the name of Lee Salgren was the initial leader of this group. One of their first projects, which this group tackled, was several large piles of 12- to 16-foot logs. This was at what is the present site of the “Grinding Station” below town on Highway 243.
These were once “Penny Pine” trees that were planted some 15 to 20 years ago at this site. It was formally the local dumpsite.
The theory for the tree mortality was that the methane gas from the abandoned dump was too toxic for the tree’s survival. This group cut, split and distributed this wood locally.
In spring 2004, with the permission and planning of the U.S. Forest Service, the MCFSC, with the labor of the volunteer “Woodies,” began thinning and constructing the Pine Cove Shaded Fuel Break. The purpose of this particular project was to complete a portion of unfinished fuel break that would connect to the existing Strawberry Fuel Break to the west.
This fuel break was 300 to 800 feet wide and some 3/4 of a mile long. It is a protection buffer for the south side of Pine Cove.
The Woodies worked two days a week for nearly six months on this effort knowing that when completed this might provide a great defense to this area.
As time went on, the MCFSC applied for, and still receives, grant monies to be used toward assistance for fire abatement and public education programs.
The Woodies formed a partnership with the Idyllwild Help Center where they receive wood from local tree contractors to cut and split. This split wood is then passed on to the Center to distribute to their needy clients as fuel for winter warmth.
During the Spring and Summer months these volunteers take a break from wood cutting and splitting to do private property fire abatement in the community for those who qualify for assistance. This volunteer group usually works for four hours every Friday morning throughout the year. Snow and rain are about the only thing that might alter their schedule.
Most members of this group are retired from other careers that are not at all related to this kind of work, aren’t afraid to get dirty and the average age is close to 70.
Last year alone this group cut and split some 75 cords of wood and donated approximately 1,337 hours of time toward these and other efforts to make this community a little better place to live.
Remember when you hear the term Woodies around Idyllwild, that it is not a vintage auto that might carry a surfboard. But is a group that is the true meaning of volunteerism.
Comparison of the size of ravens (below) to the smaller crows, above. Also note the flat tail of the crow. Photos courtesy John LaundréComparison of the size of ravens (left) to the smaller crows, right. Also note the flat tail of the crow. Photos courtesy John Laundré
For those of you who remember the “Journal from the James” article on bobcats, I had mentioned I would follow with more periodic articles on the wildlife that have been showing up on the cameras we have placed around Idyllwild and Pine Cove. In this month’s installment, I have decided to write about two closely related species, crows and ravens.
Both belong to the family Corvidae. This is a large bird family that not only includes these two species but Steller’s and scrub jays that are also commonly seen in the area, but more on them later. The members of this family are normally considered to be quite intelligent and can be found throughout the world.
In North America, of the two species, the crow is the most widely distributed. It is found in all 48 lower states and well into Canada. The raven is restricted more to the Western states but does extend extensively to the south in Mexico and across most of northern Canada and into Alaska.
Over their respective ranges, ravens and crows are some of the more commonly seen and heard bird species. However, they are often far from the most loved species.
For a variety of historic mythical reasons, Europeans have never had very favorable views of ravens and crows, often seen as being dark, sinister and evil. One only has to read Poe’s classic poem to know those feelings transferred equally to America.
Crows and ravens are on America’s “varmint” list, a whole group of native animals most people can’t see a reason to have around and so they might as well be shot on sight. Even where crows are protected, for example in Minnesota, one can still shoot one anytime if it is doing or about to do damage. I guess one looks for the evil glint in its eye.
This negative attitude we have against crows and ravens is unfortunate as they play important roles in the weave of nature we call an ecosystem. The biggest role they play is as scavengers. Though we can look at disgust at animals who eat dead things, they indeed maintain the health of ecosystems by their sanitary habits.
Crows and ravens also play the role of predators, preying on a variety of small animals. As such, they, like the other predators as I mentioned in a previous article, are the guardians of ecosystem integrity, keeping these small herbivore species from becoming overabundant.
Lastly, they, too, are prey of other species. Though we would find it hard to “eat crow,” owls have no hesitation in doing so. Owls will hunt crows who have roosted for the night. In turn, during the day, if crows find a roosted owl, they will “mob” it to drive it away. Such are the intrigues of predator-prey relationships.
It is this multiplicity of roles that crows and ravens play — of scavenger, of predator and of prey — that make them truly jacks of all trades in the natural world.
This approach has ensured their survival over eons of time and epic changes of climate. They are far from the sinister demons we portray them as and we should admire them instead for their intelligence, ingenuity and contribution they make to our forest ecosystem.
This, you might say, is all fine and good, but how do you tell them apart? Though they are both totally black in color, there are four characteristics that distinguish crows from ravens.
The first, and hardest, is their size. Ravens are bigger and stockier than crows, weighing about 2.5 times more. They also have a larger wingspan. But unless you see them side by side, which happens rarely, size alone is hard to go by.
The second distinguishing characteristic is the size and shape of their beaks. Again, ravens have a much larger, broader, heavier beak compared to the more stiletto-shaped beak of the crow.
The third way to tell them apart is by their call. Crows have the classic “caw” and it sounds as it is written. Ravens, however, have a more guttural and variable call that sounds like a crow with a sore throat.
For me, however, the easiest and most surefire way of telling if you are looking at a crow or a raven is in the tail. This is especially true if you see them flying. The raven’s tail feathers end in a very definite rounded shape. In contrast, the tail feathers of a crow end in a more flat triangle.
So whether you see a crow or a raven, and now can tell them apart, you are seeing some of the more intelligent and, to me, interesting species of our bird community here on the Hill.
Although not as melodious as most, the call of both is still music to my ears. And, it’s unfortunate that many people still think poorly of them.
Although our attitudes toward crows and ravens are a lot better than they have been, there are many who would want to return to the glory days of indiscriminant killing of these magnificent birds. To them, I can only say — nevermore.
On Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12 and 13, The Men of X are warming up the winter nights with an all-male revue show at Soboba Casino.
While some men are struggling to decide on that perfect Valentine’s Day gift for the special women in their life, many women in the Inland Empire have already decided that all they really want are tickets to see The Men of X live.
The all-male revue show rose to stardom after their risqué performance began headlining major venues in Las Vegas, Nevada. They continue to wow Southern California fans by making their second appearance at Soboba Casino. After their initial performance in August sold out and left audiences begging for more, Soboba had little choice but to bring the titillating Men of X back for a second round.
The show offers viewers the chance to experience their favorite fantasies and daydreams. While leaving little to the imagination, performers transform seamlessly from the big and sturdy firemen to rough and ready bikers, and, of course, strong and rowdy cowboys. Michael J. Broderick, Soboba Casino’s director of marketing, recalled, “It was an immense success having The Men of X perform last year. We are looking forward to having them back in time for Valentine’s Day.”
The revue even offers a hands-on, interactive approach that allows some women to be pulled onto the stage for a one-on-one dancing experience. But don’t be fooled by their well-kempt exteriors. These guys have the talent to match it. They dance to everything from pop to classic rock, to hip-hop and country. The choreography is aimed to tease, with the performers occasionally jumping off the stage to dance with viewers in the audience.
Doors open at 7 p.m., and the big show starts at 8 p.m.
In January, the state Assembly passed a bill requiring employers to pay double time or twice the regular rate of pay for having someone work on Thanksgiving. Assembly Bill 67 is now before the state Senate. The double time is limited to employees of large retail or grocery stores.
The legislation was approved on a 43-32 vote. Local Assemblyman Brian Jones opposed the bill.
However, there are several other significant exemptions to whom the bill covers. First, retail and grocery store establishments that employ fewer than 500 employees are not required to pay the premium-time payment.
If an employee is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement that specifically provides for premium pay for holiday, they would be exempt from this protection.
Executives and others exempt from overtime rates also are exempt from this bill. It also exempts first responders and emergency personnel.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) introduced the bill and said in the press release following the Assembly’s approval that, in recent years, “Black Friday” shopping deals have increasingly spilled into the Thanksgiving holiday. This forces workers to miss out on celebrating the holiday and spending time with their families in order to keep their jobs. In some cases, this work has become mandatory, forcing workers to give up their holiday or risk losing their jobs.
The Local Review Board of the Idyllwild Historic Preservation District discussed the Mills Act and the new parking area in town at its meeting Thursday.
In September, LRB hosted a meeting to inform local property owners of the opportunities for historic preservation. The state’s Mills Act provides property-tax relief in exchange for an equivalent investment in the historic property. The owners commit to restore, rehabilitate, repair and preserve the historic property.
In order to be eligible, the local, county or state government must designate the property as possessing historic value. All properties within the Idyllwild Historic Preservation District that have been designated as contributing to its historicity would be eligible.
Apparently, the September meeting, to which about 20 people attended, did not ignite much local response seeking a county ordinance to use the Mills Act for IHPD properties. LRB member Ron Kammeyer asked if anything new had occurred since the public meeting, and he and other board members were disappointed in the response.
“I have not had any contact from property owners in Idyllwild regarding the question on the Mills Act nor from the supervisor’s [Washington] office.” said LRB staff Keith Herron, the Riverside County chief of resources and planning.
Herron apparently did call Washington’s office and was told they had heard nothing from Idyllwild residents.
When LRB Chair Warren Monroe asked what the LRB could do to pursue any action, Herron suggested he could raise the topic at the next county Historical Commission meeting. But he stressed the importance of property owners seeking the Mills Act benefits in order for the Board of Supervisors to take any necessary action.
Sanders Chase, an owner of several Idyllwild properties, asked the LRB if it had any authority regulating the construction of a parking lot between North Circle Drive and Cedar Street (see the Jan. 21 Town Crier issue).
Both Monroe and Herron said LRB only has authority over the modification of existing structures and some new construction.
Modification of an existing structure’s exterior architectural features can be reviewed. “Placement or removal of items affecting the exterior visual qualities of an existing building” are included, too, and require an Alteration Permit.
Further, the Design Guidelines state, “Projects that only affect non-contributing resources to the Historic District are also exempt from review.”
A new parking lot that did not require razing any existing structures is outside the purview of the LRB, Herron said. “New construction is not addressed by the district guidelines. If any ordinance were applicable, it might be the one on removal of trees.”
On Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12 and 13, The Men of X are warming up the winter nights with an all-male revue show at Soboba Casino.