Clam Chowder Bread Bowl

One of my favorite things about going “home” to Fallbrook is getting to visit some of my favorite restaurants on the planet! Can’t you just taste those yellow raisins, and the cheese, and all those little seeds? Fallbrook does salad like nowhere else I know of… And the clam chowder? I could eat it everyday, happily.

It was great to share lunch at Garden Center Cafe with one of my very favorite people, Julie Reeder. And I also got to see my old friend Camereno! We worked together at Main Street Cafe, twenty years ago!

Clam Chowder Bowl
Clam Chowder Bread Bowl, at Garden Center Cafe, Fallbrook, California

 

Peacock!

Fallbrook Peacock

I had just taken the road that veers off Mission, near the Valley Fort, when I had to wait for this gorgeous bird, as he crossed the road. But I’m fine with that!

It’s not often–even in Fallbrook–that you see such an elegant peacock on the loose…

Fallbrook Avocado Festival this weekend

Fresh Local Avocados // Photo: Cheryl Spelts>Wasn’t today amazing! It really is starting to feel like summer is on the way, and I love summer, so that makes me very very happy!

In other news, the Fallbrook Avocado Festival is this weekend! If you’ve never been it’s the one Sunday of the year when all of Fallbrook’s neighbors come to town to buy avocados, hear live music, eat really greasy fair food – or escape the fair food by ducking into one of Fallbrook’s wonderful restaurants – and walk past 300 vendor booths selling everything from solar water systems to fine art to junky tchotchkes to more avocados – it’s all available!

SandDiego.org, the official travel blog for the San Diego Region, run by the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, ran one of my images on their blog today – from the 2008 Festival. It’s the image on the right.

And just because I like it, I’ll leave you today with one of my favorite images from that 2008 Avocado Festival – it’s just soooo Fallbrook! Pretty girls having a grand time – what better image of Fallbrook is there? You can see the rest of my images from that year by clicking here!

Spinning Carnival Ride at the Fallbrook Avocado Festival // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Josh and Nathan

My brother and his family moved out of state last week – so before they left California, I shot a few quick portraits of my nephews. Their new home is far away from Southern California, and who knows when I’ll see them again, so it was a good time!

My first goal was to get a beautiful headshot of each of them – something that Grandma could hang on the wall. I definitely feel we achieved that goal!

Nathan // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Josh in Fallbrook // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Nathan // Photo: Cheryl SpeltsJosh // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Josh // Photo: Cheryl SpeltsNathan // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Nathan // Photo: Cheryl SpeltsJosh // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

The second goal was to do a portrait that they got to set up themselves – Josh wanted a shot with his guitar, rock star-style, and Nathan wanted a shot in his bedroom, comfy and relaxed, with bare feet. Very different choices, but I love both images we ended up with!

Josh with his Guitar // Photo: Cheryl SpeltsNathan with his Bass // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Fallbrook Avocado Festival, 2008

Every year in April, Fallbrook throws a big party downtown and 70,000 of our neighbors from here and from nearby towns join in to celebrate the avocado – almost doubling our population for the day. It’s a big deal in Fallbrook!

Spinning Carnival Ride at the Fallbrook Avocado Festival // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Fallbrook Avocado Festival

Fresh Local Avocados // Photo: Cheryl Spelts

Fallbrook Avocado Festival

Fallbrook Avocado Festival

Fallbrook Avocado Festival

Fallbrook Avocado Festival

Fallbrook Avocado Festival

Brooktown

What is Brooktown? It’s home! Technically it’s slang for Fallbrook – the cool kids in the 1960’s came up with it – at least that’s the story I was told at first. Then I heard that it first appeared on a high school yearbook in the 1930’s. But whenever it originated, it’s the insider way to refer to Fallbrook…

Citrus Trees at Maddox Nursery

Maddox Nursery Fallbrook, California

Maddox Nursery  Fallbrook, California

The view from Maddox Nursery – rolling hills, groves, oak trees, a few palms, scrub brush, and beautiful homes tucked away in places you never see from the main roads. That’s Brooktown!

Dinwiddie Preserve Fallbrook, California

It’s far too easy to drive past Dinwiddie Preserve and never really discover it… But it’s worth discovering!

Red Tree

Red Tree

I loved the color of the red blossoms on this tree – they may look small in the images, but they were huge.

Olive Trees in Fallbrook, California

Olive Trees, Fallbrook, California

Olive Trees | Fallbrook, California

In the 1880’s olive trees were planted all over Fallbrook, and between 1913-1915 olives were the biggest cash crop in the area. There was even an olive press here, for making olive oil. Remnants of those old groves can be spotted all over town, but the prettiest stand of olive trees is on the corner of Mission and Live Oak Park Road.

Some pretty little weeds in my backyard, in Fallbrook, California.

And finally some weeds from in front of Elder House.

So that’s it for my contribution to the 2008 Fallbrook Sourcebook! Some of these same images are currently appearing on Fallbrook.org and earlier today I discovered that my 2005 cover image for the Sourcebook is appearing on the front page of FindFallbrook.com – some images have a long life, and it was definitely an image that defines what Fallbrook is all about!

Palomares House

Palomares House is one of the oldest homes in town – built in the 1890’s. It’s currently run by the Fallbrook Land Conservancy, and community events are held in the house and on the grounds – which are beautiful. The teaser images of the tree in bloom I posted a few weeks ago, were made on it’s grounds.

The first two images were made on March 31, and the last two on March 20, 2008.

Palomares House

Quail Sculpture

California Poppies & Windmill

Sculpture Garden

Live Oak Park, Fallbrook

Live Oak Park is Fallbrook to me. It’s oak trees, rolling hills, a stream, and bright blue skies and birds flittering and fluttering, and peace and beauty.

These images were shot from March 24-26, 2008 for the Fallbrook Sourcebook. I think only one made the final cut for the magazine, but I love them all!

Live Oak Park

Live Oak Park

Live Oak Park

Live Oak Park

Live Oak Park

Live Oak Park

Live Oak Park

Los Jilgueros Preserve

Los Jilgueros isn’t a park – there’s a trail that you can walk, but you must not disturb the wildlife – and the wildlife is abundant! A stream runs through the 46-acre preserve, and there are areas where it spreads out into wetlands, and other areas that are more pond-like. It’s a great spot to bird-watch or just walk the mile-and-a-half path and enjoy the scenery.

These images were shot on March 21, 2008, for Fallbrook Sourcebook.

Los Jilgueros Preserve

Los Jilgueros Preserve

Los Jilgueros Preserve

Los Jilgueros Preserve

Los Jilgueros Preserve

Los Jilgueros Preserve

Los Jilgueros Preserve