New bakery opens in Ben Lomond, plus Randall Grahm’s quest to grow 10,000 new grape varieties, and Mexican cooking classes
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Holy Cannoli
Wind Commander
Cabrillo Stage rises to the challenge of ‘Mary Poppins’
Getting Framed
Framemaker Troy Stafford on the archaic craft of custom-built frames
Margaritaville
Popular Capitola spot gets new owner and complete makeover
Wing and a Prayer
How one fateful recording session changed everything for the Delta Saints
The Young and the Restless
Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music powers up for its 53rd season with an international roster of young talent
Bubble Trouble
Test scores show decline in college readiness
Body of Secrets
Five things you didn’t know about health and the human body
From The Editor
Plus Letters To the Editor
Leo Sun; Full Moon, Venus Retro in Leo; Saturn Direct
It’s a complex week of planetary movements, challenges, demands and callings. We’re in the time of the Leo Sun. Leo—fixed fire, gold, the heart, generous, strong, noble, the king/queen—needs appreciation and praise from everyone in order to move forward. During Leo we gain a greater sense of self-identification by recognizing our creativity. It’s therefore a perfect time for Venus retrograding in Leo. In Venus retrograde we review and re-assess values. Venus retro in Leo concerns our self as valuable, acknowledging talents, gifts, abilities and offerings. Friday, Venus re-enters Leo (29 degrees, a critical degree) continuing the retrograde to 14 degrees Leo on Sept. 6.
Friday (Full Moon) is also the (8 degrees) Leo solar festival, Festival of the Future. Leo is the heart of the sun, the heart of all that matters. When attuned to this heart, we have understanding and inclusivity. The heart of the Lion is Mitra (think “Maitreya,” the coming World Teacher). Leo prepares humanity to receive divine love from subtle sources and later to radiate that love to the kingdoms. Sirius, Ray 2, where love originates, streams through Regulus (heart of Leo), into the heart of the sun (Ray 2) and into all hearts. The heart of Leo is Regulus. Joining Venus, the love underlying all of creation appears.
Saturday is Sun/Neptune (confusion or devotion) with late night Saturn turning stationary direct. Ideas, plans and structures held long in abeyance (since March 14) slowly move forward. (Read more on Leo and the week at nightlightnews.org and Risa D’Angeles’ Facebook page, accessed through my website.)
Holy Cannoli
New bakery opens in Ben Lomond, plus Randall Grahm’s quest to grow 10,000 new grape varieties, and Mexican cooking classes The hard-working cuisine artists behind Casa Nostra restaurant have recently unveiled a bakery across Highway 9. Ben Lomond Baking Company—housed in a rustic former antique store just before the road bends left toward Henflings—opens early and...
Wind Commander
Cabrillo Stage rises to the challenge of ‘Mary Poppins’ Don’t expect a literal adaptation of the Walt Disney movie at the new Cabrillo Stage production of Mary Poppins (the Broadway Musical). This second offering of the CS summer musical season originally debuted in London’s West End in 2004 and transferred to Broadway in 2006. It’s an...
Getting Framed
Framemaker Troy Stafford on the archaic craft of custom-built frames What if you inherited a 16th century painting, and it needed a frame worthy of its antiquity and value? Where could you have a frame made that would be handcrafted and of authentic period design? Well, you could go to Troy Stafford’s studio on the Westside...
Margaritaville
Popular Capitola spot gets new owner and complete makeover Margaritaville has a new owner, Sarah Orr, and she has completely revamped the Capitola restaurant. It was closed last December and reopened this past May. Margaritas still flow abundantly, and their food is Mexican seafood. We spoke with Orr about the kinds of changes she made, and...
Wing and a Prayer
How one fateful recording session changed everything for the Delta Saints There’s a general rule for bands going into the recording studio: have your songs polished and ready to go. Studio time isn’t cheap and the more time you spend practicing songs or figuring out arrangements, the more expensive your recording session gets. But for their...
The Young and the Restless
Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music powers up for its 53rd season with an international roster of young talent Like a well-oiled machine that keeps adding shiny new parts, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music rolls into town for the next two weeks, fully loaded and ready to amaze. Think of the entire festival—which opens officially on...
Bubble Trouble
Test scores show decline in college readiness Scores of Santa Cruz County 11th graders on a leading California State University assessment test in recent years look like a Republican presidential candidate poll. The percentage of students with proficient English scores sat at a Donald Trump-like 27 percent. Meanwhile, higher-level math scores are skimming Bobby Jindal territory,...
Body of Secrets
Five things you didn’t know about health and the human body Reporting on health topics for the Wellness column over the past few years has left me with a deep respect for the human body. From its tireless, homeostasis-seeking cells to the mysteries of its gray matter, it’s an incredible machine that we get to walk...
From The Editor
Plus Letters To the Editor As I walked around downtown Santa Cruz on Monday, I saw the awareness of Madyson Middleton, who had been reporting missing the day before, growing in front of my eyes. People were walking down Pacific Avenue with fliers about her in their hands; not long after that, one had been taped...
Leo Sun; Full Moon, Venus Retro in Leo; Saturn Direct
It’s a complex week of planetary movements, challenges, demands and callings. We’re in the time of the Leo Sun. Leo—fixed fire, gold, the heart, generous, strong, noble, the king/queen—needs appreciation and praise from everyone in order to move forward. During Leo we gain a greater sense of self-identification by recognizing our creativity. It’s therefore a perfect time for...