: April 2008

Did I ever mention how much I love living in the Inland Empire? You'll have an opportunity today to discover one of the many reasons why I think this is such an extraordinary place to live. I have done a few posts on the Santa Rosa Plateau. Today you can see for yourself in rare opportunity with the Santa Rosa Plateau Garden Tour.

Starting at 10 this morning you can enjoy a self-guided tour of seven five acre estate properties and their unique gardens. You'll see native and drought tolerant as well as rose gardens, succulent and cacti gardens. Your $20 entrance fee will benefit the third grade education program at the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve. Start at the information tent at the corner of Clinton Keith Road and Avenida La Cresta.

Tom Plant, Murrieta Real Estate Expert – GRI, e-PRO – Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage – 951.907.9701 – Active Rain Ambassador

It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.

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Ben Stein talked about it this past Sunday on CBS Sunday Morning.

The Press Enterprise talked about it, too:

Shelters filling up with four-legged victims of foreclosures

As if that weren't bad enough, Animal Friends of The Valleys suffered a tragedy February 28th when a trailer with 24 puppies/dogs and 15 cats burned killing all 39 animals.

This Sunday April 27th a fund-raiser will be held at the Lake Elsinore Storm's Diamond Club. Although a new shelter is being built, it won't be ready for another two years. In the meantime, the trailer, cages and equipment that were destroyed need to be replaced. A silent auction and 20/20 drawing will be held and live music and hors d'oeuvres will be featured. Suggested donation is $20. I hope to see you there.

AFV holds a special place in my heart. After all, that's where I picked up my Domino!

Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage – Active Rain Ambassador (951) 907-9701

It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.

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I can't begin to describe just how much I enjoyed my way too brief four day visit to the Lone Star State. After Saturday's Active Rain gathering in Bandera, Judi and Don took me to Fredericksburg. We made several stops between San Antonio and Fredericksburg to take photos of the flowers. I don't know them all by name, but I'm sure some of my Texas brethren can lend me a hand. There are Indian Paintbrush, primrose, bluebonnets and others for your enjoyment. In the meantime, I love Texas and I can't wait to come back, y'all.

Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage – Active Rain Ambassador (951) 907-9701

It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.

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As I live and breathe I didn't know Texas produced wine. I now know they produce quality wine. Judi Morgan and her husband Don were my gracious hosts during my surprise visit to the Lone Star State. After Saturday's incredible Active Rain gathering in Bandera, Judi and Don offered to take me to Fredericksburg, To see the historic German town and visit the local wineries.

On the drive from San Antonio, we stopped to photograph some of the gorgeous wildflowers; Indian Paintbrush, primroses and the last of the season bluebonnets. You'll see those shots in an upcoming post. We got to Fredericksburg and made our first stop at Becker Winery. Having never tasted Texas wine before, I wasn't sure what to expect. If I told you I came home with six bottles of wine and a bottle of port, would that give you an idea of my opinion of what they produce?

At Becker I bought two bottles of Zinfandel, one Grenache and a Viognier. All were superb. The next stop was at the lovely Torre di Pietra winery. We enjoyed some cheese and crackers and some very tasty wines and I left there with a bottle of "Dirty Girl" Chardonnay and a delicious Claret.

Our final stop on the wine trail was at Grape Creek Vineyard.

We tasted their divine wines, I purchased a bottle of port (heaven!) and we went into town for a bite to eat and some window shopping.

Fredericksburg is a quaint town, but very vibrant with cute shops and restaurants. We had lunch, did a bit of shopping, stopped at the brewery (excellent!) and headed back to San Antonio. I love my visit to Texas. I can't wait to pay a return visit.

Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage – Active Rain Ambassador (951) 907-9701

It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.

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Judi Morgan is a devious woman. She called me a few months back to seek my help in organizing an Active Rain gathering in San Antonio next year during Coldwell Banker's annual International Business Conference. I told her I'd be happy to help. A few weeks later, Judi called to let me know she and Ricki Eichler were hosting an AR barbeque in Bandera, Texas and would I like to come.

Did I mention I'm writing this post at Judi's house in San Antonio? Yesterday was the big day and I was the surprise guest. The event was a ton of fun. Judi was up at 5:30 yesterday morning baking pecan pies and bread pudding. The house smelled heavenly.

About 10:30, we jumped in the car and headed for Bandera, the Cowboy Capitol of The World.

When we arrived at the Pomarosa RV Center (one of Ricki's listings!), we met Ricki and her husband, Don and Cheri Lynn Venditti and her husband, Tom. It was the perfect setting for a party. The brisket was already on the grill.

As the day progressed, people began to trickle in. Carl & Ceil Winters, Debra and Scott Brooks, Edward Lui and many other Active Rainers. The moment I was waiting for was Jason Crouch's arrival. Judi had posted that there was going to be a surprise guest, but she didn't breathe a word of it to anyone. When we saw Jason and Pam pull up, I hid behind a sofa on the floor. Judi told Jason he needed to head out back to see the ducks in the pond. When he turned the corner, he said "What's Tom Plant doing on the floor?"

Ricki took us out to see a few of her listings and then for a brief tour of Bandera before we headed back for dinner.

The following picture needs an explanation. We saw a bit of commotion in the street. The poodle you see was sitting behind the saddle on one of the horses. He jumped off and they were trying to get him back up on the horse. We took off after the third attempt to get him in the mood to ride failed.

When we returned to Pomarosa, our numbers had increased. Liz Carter had arrived with her husband and Jem Woods and his wife were there, too. Talk was at a minimum as folks were savoring every bite of the best beef brisket I have ever tasted.

After dinner, we took group photos.

We went back in and I asked Jason to say a few words about his friend David Wilder. I agreed to act as auctioneer as we sold desserts and some generous donations from Liz Carter to raise over $600 for David's family. Active Rain truly is a family. I'm proud to be a member.

Tom Plant, Murrieta Real Estate Expert – GRI, e-PRO – Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage – 951.907.9701 – Active Rain Ambassador

It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.

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Every once in a while you hear a story that tears your heart out. I got an email today from a fellow agent at my office:

Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (951) 907-9701

It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.

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I first heard Paul Thorn's music last year on XM Radio. Since then I have purchased every bit of his music I can find and have seen him in concert twice. I had the pleasure of hearing Paul play at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach near San Diego this past Wednesday night. Before the show I went backstage and visited with Paul and the band and gave each of them a copy of my book flora.

Paul is a fascinating man and one of the most gifted songwriters I have had the fortune of hearing. He and road manage Billy Maddox co-author most of his songs. Most of his songs are very uplifting and deal with helping your fellow man. He also has a wicked sense of humor. On the back of his backstage pass it says "Unauthorized use of this credential will result in a serious ass-whooping". There is a bio about Paul here which I hope you'll get a chance to read. As I mentioned, his story is an amazing one.

Watch for him April 22 on the Jimmy Kimmel show. You won't be disappointed.

When The Long Road Ends is the final track on his newest CD, A Long Way From Tupelo. The words are so touching:

Who were you loyal to?
What were your passionate about?
What did you believe in,
Beyond a shadow of a doubt?

Who were your teachers?
Did you have one true friend?
These are things worth knowing,
When the long road ends...

I look down at my children,
And, they look up to me,
Each day I pray for wisdom,
To be the father I should be.

When they grow up and move away,
I hope they'll think of me as a friend,
Then I will feel successful,
When the long road ends.

When the long road ends,
we will rest for a while,
I'll hold your hand,
And we'll share a smile,
Then we'll both look back,
Over where we've been,
We will have no regrets,
when the long road ends.

When you find somebody,
To walk with you through life,
You will laugh together,
But, sometimes you will cry.

When the storms of life come raging,
Just hold each others hand,
the sun will shine forever,
When the long road ends...

Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (951) 907-9701

It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.

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A while back I wrote about Jim Lilly and The Wine Company. - Temecula Business Spotlight Shines On - The Wine Company

This past Sunday, Jim introduced a group of his customers to David Townsend from The Grateful Palate. David's 14 year old daughter Ceili (pronounced Kaylee) plays lacrosse at Chapparal High School. Ceili plays alongside 300 pound boys and more than holds her own. The problem is, the school district hasn't sanctioned the team yet.

To raise some money toward the effort of getting the team sanctioned, David offered a sampling of 15 different Australian wines, the majority of them Shiraz. He also brought 11 pounds of pulled pork as well as delicious cheeses (the Point Reyes Blue was scrumptious) and Italian cold cuts. As we sampled delicious wines and food, David told us stories about the wineries and the winemakers. I have been to Australia twice and can attest they are very down to earth folk.

The turnout wasn't as big as had been expected, but some money was raised and everyone who was there had a wonderful time. If you'd like to add your support to the cause, you can email David at dtownsend@gratefulpalate.com.

P.S. What's a Roogle? That's a fictional cross between a kangaroo and an eagle, symbolizing the union of the U.S. and Australia and the name of a winery. Their label is great!

Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (951) 907-9701

It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.

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