By DAVID ROSS
You’ve got to figure that a couple whose been happily married for 43 years knows a little something about romance.
Connie & Ted Vlasis, proprietors of Cupid’s Castle, which rises like a Camelot dream from a lemon grove in Pauma Valley, do indeed know how to create a romantic atmosphere, from the moment that you climb the steps and enter their “castle.”
They also go out of their way to make you feel at home.
“The first time you visit our castle you’re a guest, the second time you’re family,” says Connie.
Sometimes their guests really enter into the spirit of the thing.
“We want to dress for dinner,” a couple told them recently.
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” she told them.
“Oh, but we really want to,” they insisted. And when they came down the stairs they were in full Renaissance regalia, including a sword for the gentleman.
That’s what staying at a castle will do to you.
When you enter your room you’ll find flowers, candles and candies awaiting you.
Each room has a VCR and television and there are over 200 movies, including many romantic favorites, to choose from.
The castle is populated by dozens of cupids that guests and friends have given them over the years.
They have four special suites in their castle, with names like Lady Godiva’s Chambers, Cupid’s Chambers, Sir Lancelot’s Chambers and Romeo & Juliet’s Chambers.
These suites and the surrounding grounds are populated by large in-room jacuzzis, canopy beds, gardens and a “kissing tree.”
One room has a private sun room. Others have romantic balconies. All are filled with hanging tapestries and charmingly kitsch art works depicting knights and damsels.
After you finish relaxing in one of the large jacuzzis, you can wrap yourself up in a terry cloth bathroom provided by the inn.
Massages are available to get you even more into a relaxed mode.
A bed and breakfast inn, Cupid’s Castle serves a full meal in the morning. In the afternoon “happy hour,” Connie serves her justly famed Triple Berry Lemonade along with hors d’oeuvres. There’s an endless supply of lemons in the grove, so you need never leave the castle thirsty.
If Cupid’s Castle is a dream come true for the confirmed romantic, it was also a dream come true for Ted & Connie Vlasis.
They had been managing another bed and breakfast inn for several years when someone told them about a “castle” and adjoining property that was going into foreclosure.
“We can get a deal because it’s a fixer upper,” said Ted.
They visited the property, driving through the lemon orchard. They turned the corner and the castle rose up out of the trees.
They were entranced.
They were able to get into the castle with very little money down, and to fix it up with a lot of help from friends and family.
“I told you if you stuck with me long enough that I’d get you a castle,” said Ted after they had closed the deal, which was made possible by his expertise in the real estate business.
Before getting into the bed and breakfast business, Connie was a caterer who marketed her own brand of spaghetti sauce. With a twinkle in her eye she will still tell you that “I’m a sauceress.” She has run many food and recipe contests and won an award for her chocolate cheese cake.
During her years a caterer she cooked for celebrities such as Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Bob Hope and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
She also did fund-raising for the Nicole Brown charitable foundation. A woman of many talents, she is also working on a book about her life.
In addition to their bed and breakfast inn, they also do weddings and wedding receptions in their secluded, gazeboed garden. Connie is a minister of the Universal Church and can help you plan every facet of your wedding.
Local residents can get a 10% discount from the normal prices charged for staying at the castle. You get another 5% discount for staying during the week.
Although Valentine’s Day is probably already booked, Cupid’s Castle can turn any day of the week into Valentine’s Day.
Call Cupid’s Castle at 742-3306. Or visit their website at www.adreamcastle.com
The VC Parks & Recreation District board made it unanimous Jan. 23 when it passed the VC fire protection district-sponsored Traffic Safety Resolution.
The resolution was initiated by the fire board at its September meeting. It was sponsored by fire director Dan Thornton, who felt that a community effort was needed to pressure the County to move forward on widening Valley Center Road, adding more CHP coverage and expediting signal lights at VC’s busiest unsignaled intersections at North Lake Wohlford & VC Roads and Woods Valley & VC Roads.
Following the passage by the fire board in September the resolution was forwarded to all the agencies in town and passed by VC water board on Jan. 6, by the VC Cemetery District Board on Jan. 10; by the VC planning group on Jan. 13, by the VC-P Unified School District board on Jan. 16 and finally by the parks board on Jan. 23.
Dan Thornton, author of the resolution, told The Roadrunner, “This represents the first time I can remember that all of the governmental agencies in town have united behind a single resolution.
“We were pleased that all of the agencies support the idea. The resolution will be sent to the Board of Supervisors and the Traffic Advisory Council.
“As you know, this community has been promised this road widening in excess of ten years. This is about no more empty promises. We can’t afford to let this pass us by this time. We need to keep the pressure on.
By DAVID ROSS
Although the state Dept. of Food & Agriculture expanded the Mexican fruit fly quarantine area by 13 square miles last week, that did not result in a larger area being sprayed during the nighttime applications every other week.
The total area of the quarantine is now 130 miles and includes the great majority of the Valley Center area.
The area over which low flying airplanes apply a mixture of spinosad bait remains at 28 square miles, according to Jay Van Rein, of the food and agriculture department.
The third of 12 applications was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, weather permitting. The next application will be Feb. 18, unless it rains or winds are high. In that case the application will be delayed until the next good weather day.
In the days since the quarantine was expanded, state and county ag officials have been contacting the farmers affected, oftentimes by knocking on their doors. They are being asked if they are willing to sign a compliance agreement that binds them to a regimen of treatment before they can harvest and sell their fruit.
So far 869 farmers have signed compliance agreements, according to Van Rein.
The total number of growers affected is harder to pinpoint, he said. “There are probably quite a few growers who have trees, but don’t consider that their main business.” Such growers might consider it less worrisome to just let the fruit dry than to submit to the treatment mandated by the compliance agreements.
The quarantine was expanded because another mated female Mexfly was found Jan. 10 on the southeast core of the core infested area, which is centered around Lilac Road & Keys Creek Road.
The fly was confirmed as a mated female on Jan. 13.
Each time a fly is found the amount of time that the quarantine is in effect will be extended. It is already extended out to late summer.
Adelina Lillian Hall Jameson, former North County resident and local teacher, died Jan. 21, at the age of 97.
Mrs. Jameson was born March 18, 1905, twin of Addison Hall in Webster, Texas. The twins’ birth was a remarkable event in the small town and the school children were allowed to file by the home and look through the window at the twins.
The Hall family moved to the Bay Area in 1907 and lived in Redwood City where Adelina became an accomplished pianist, the center for the high school basketball team because she was the tallest at 5’6”!
She and her twin brother, Addison, were the first in their family to graduate from high school, which occurred in 1923. Mrs. Jameson attended San Jose State Teacher’s College and earned her degree and credential in two years. She began her teaching career in Hollister where she was the upper grade teacher, principal, and custodian in a two-room school.
She met and married Moroni Jameson on February 24, 1928, who was a Stanford graduate. She was a social worker and taught ballet in San Francisco while her husband was an intern and resident. Together they had seven children who are Maureen Robison (Kenneth, deceased) of San Diego, Moroni Jameson, Jr. of Lompoc, Adrian Jameson (Charleen) of Lakeside, Judy Johnson (Les) of Valley Center, Marilyn Schupp (Arthur) of Nevada, Carolyn Alford (Arthur) of Nevada, and Jill Ruby of Murrieta.
Dr. and Mrs. Morey Jameson bought the Louie Salmon Ranch on Palomar Mountain in 1946. Upon moving to the property permanently with their seven children, they endured a forest fire the summer of 1948 that nearly swept through the property and experienced the worst winter weather with 10 to 12 foot snowdrifts in the winter of 1948-1949.
Mrs. Jameson and her husband were responsible for re-opening the Palomar Mountain School in 1948 as four of the seven children who attended were their children, the other three being children of observatory maintenance employees. The observatory offered its social hall for the location of the one-room school.
Two of Mrs. Jameson’s daughters, Marilyn Schupp and Judy Johnson, in later years taught at the Palomar Mountain School, and four of Mrs. Jameson’s grandchildren attended their entire elementary school years at the same mountain school as well.
Mrs. Jameson and family then moved to Pauma Valley where she taught one year at Pauma School, then on to Fallbrook Elementary, teaching in the newly formed kindergarten program where she remained until 1960. She was very proud of the fact that she and several of her colleagues, whom she met while attending courses at San Diego State to become qualified to teach kindergarten, formed the San Diego County Kindergarten Assn. She served as president of this association and as each of these former teachers and presidents retired they continued their association and friendship while meeting each month, renaming themselves “The Golden Girls” (long before the famous television show aired), which has continued to this day.
Mrs. Jameson finished her teaching career in Santee and retired in 1966. She and her husband divided their time between their three properties in San Diego, Fallbrook, and Palomar Mountain and enjoyed their ever growing family.
Mrs. Jameson’s husband died in 1974 whereupon his widow became ever more attentive to her children, grandchildren, and Church. She was very active in church activities and was a regular contributor to her church newsletter with her many parables.
Mrs. Jameson lived independently for many years at her home in San Diego always “gearing up” for the next family gathering. However, it became apparent about ten years ago that she needed assisted care. So, youngest daughter Jill became her full-time caregiver until she died peacefully on January 21 in the presence of her family.
Mrs. Jameson is survived by her seven children (and their spouses), 14 grandchildren (eight of whom are married and their spouses) and nine great-grandchildren.
A private entombment was held at Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego on Jan. 24, at 3:30 p.m. A memorial service was held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 23800 Washington Ave., Murrieta, on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 11 a.m.
The Valley Roadrunner
P.O.B. 1529, Valley Center, CA 92082
Tel. 760.749.1112 Fax 760.749.1688
Website: www.valleycenter.com
Email: editor@valleycenter.com
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