Back to July 2007
Vision Cafe July 2007
Caravan and Lavender Dreams
Goddesses Shop Here
Downtown Fallbrook is an artist's paradise these days. Stroll the streets and you will be greeted with art galleries, home décor stores and unique clothing boutiques. And for those us who like to dress up our wardrobe as well as our homes Goddess-style, then Caravan Fun and Exotic Clothing and Accessories and Lavender Dreams Garden Gift Boutique are the places to go.
Entering Caravan is like taking a voyage around the world. There is clothing, jewelry and other items from South Africa, India, Nepal, Peru, Thailand and the USA. Owner Leslie Sommers was busy attending to her many customers the day I came in to browse around. She still had time to tell me a little about the inspiration behind the store.
"I like to bring in things that feel good against the body, things that have flow," she explained. "I'm an old hippy so I know it has to be good."The majority of her clothes come in a variety of sizes, including those for fuller figures. Many of the items in the store are fair trade and ecologically friendly, such as the all-natural, cotton shirts by Eucalyptus. I particularly liked the reversible and collapsible raincoats (they fit in their own matching bag!) made by California company Mycra Pac. Staying stylish in the rain and supporting local businesses at same time? That sounds pretty good to me. Caravan also carries a wide variety of belly-dancing products. Belly Dancing classes are offered once a week during most of the year.
Two doors down and a quaint alleyway away is Lavender Dreams Garden Gift Boutique. Walking into the shop, one is carried away into a garden of fairies, flowers and nature spirits. Proprietress Melissa Ross started out with a shop that sold just garden decor. She soon expanded to carry body care products, jewelry and nature-inspired art. Now she owns two Lavender Dreams, in Fallbrook as well as at 42030 Main Street in Old Temecula.
"I have over 100 different venders," Melissa says, showing me around the store. My eyes stray to the ceiling, where Melissa has created a garden trellis complete with colorful hanging tulips and sparkling lights. I bought a whimsical birthday card from Papaya! It was for my niece's birthday and it was just her style.
Caravan and Lavender Dreams are unique gems in the middle of bustling Main Street Fallbrook. Leslie and Melissa, who are close friends as well as business associates, have created mini-oasises for the goddesses of today to shop, mingle, peruse and imagine!
Caravan Fun and Exciting Clothing and Accessories is at 109 N. Main Street in Fallbrook, California. For more information or for a belly-dancing schedule, call 760/731-4890. Lavender Dreams, A Garden Gift Boutique is at 119 N. Main Street, Suite A in Jackson Square in Fallbrook. Lavender Dreams can be reached at 760/451-2343.
Fill Your Life With Love with KidSave
Children like these are in San Diego this summer from Bogota, Colombia, where their new host families will eagerly await them. These children will stay with their hosts, attend summer camp and participate in activities as a group and with their American families. The objective is more than just a summer of fun and camp. The Kidsave program gives these children the chance to meet families who can greatly improve their lives and their future They are part of a group of 100 children between the ages of 7 and 14 years old, sponsored by Kidsave, who will be staying with families in 15 cities across the U.S. this summer.
Kidsave programs like Summer Miracles "shine a light" on abandoned kids who otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity to find a family. The program connects children without parents with people in the community. When people meet these forgotten children, something miraculous happens.
Many fall in love and adopt, others advocate for the child until a permanent family is found. This is the ninth year of the Kidsave program, and results show that there is a family for almost every child. More than 90% of Summer Miracles kids (more than 1300) now have families, love and hope because of the Kidsave program.
"It's simply not acceptable for kids to grow up without parents, when there is a viable alternative," said Pilar Roman, the San Diego coordinator. "Through the Summer Miracles program, we basically "shine a light" on abandoned kids who otherwise wouldn't have a chance for a family and demonstrate that a family exists for almost every child."
The program is sponsored by Kidsave, a global non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the child welfare system and communities worldwide so that no orphan or foster child is forgotten, and every child grows up in a family with love and hope for a successful future. Please send your donations of any size to Kidsave, P.O. Box 362, Poway CA 92074 or via their website at Kidsave.org or by calling 888-KIDSAVE (888-543-7283), please specify "San Diego 2007 Summer Miracles".
Storm to Promote Health & Sustainability at the Ballpark: California League Team is "Goin' Green"
Storm's Goin' Green celebration on July 20 when the team plays the High Desert Mavericks. The Storm will be the first team in baseball to present a promotional night encouraging health and sustainability. On this night the Storm team will be wearing green uniforms made of hemp material that will then be auctioned at the end of the game. The money raised will be gifted to a non-profit that's helping to better our world. There will be a health and sustainability festival held before and during the baseball game. Healthy organic foods will be served at the concession stands, and periodic announcements will be made offering tidbits of information for developing healthy and lasting communities. To conclude the evening, the Storm will shoot off green fireworks.
"The Storm wants to do their part in raising awareness of maintaining a healthy lifestyle while doing all we can to preserve our environment and leave the earth in better condition than what currently exists," said Storm team President Dave Oster. "We are aware of the reports of global warming and the problems that exist with our environment and we want to do our part to help conserve and manage our natural resources."
Recently, the Storm, with the help of the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, has installed waterless urinals throughout the stadium along with water-saving sprinkler heads in the team's irrigation system. Added Storm General Manager Chris Jones, "The team will save over one million gallons of water a year by implementing these programs. It's amazing how many rebate programs are out there to help businesses save both ecologically and economically. We not only want to promote sustainability, but we want to be leaders in our industry and continue to learn and implement programs in our stadium that will help eliminate waste."
During the Goin' Green promotion, the Storm will also ask local chambers of commerce to collect information regarding local businesses that are currently planning and promoting healthy solutions and conservation programs. The health and sustainability festival will be full of music, arts and crafts, and caring businesses that promote healthy lifestyles and sustainability. Groups representing organic foods and drink, solar power, hybrid and electric cars, alternative medicine etc. are invited to participate in the festivities.
Oster concluded, "We feel these are valuable promotions that will hopefully gain more exposure toward how we can all work together to make a difference, and help our planet and one another. Everything can be reused and saved. Eliminating waste from our vocabulary will mean we've succeeded."
The Lake Elsinore Storm is the Class "A" affiliate of the San Diego Padres and play their home games at the beautiful Lake Elsinore Diamond. Individual game tickets are on sale and can be purchased at the Storm ticket office, over the phone at 951-245-4487, or online at www.stormbaseball.com.