Helen and Steve DiZio earned the Community Service Award for their efforts in bringing the Garden Club back to vibrant life.

“They took this thing, shook it by the shoulders and made it straighten up and fly right,” Queen said before bestowing the award.

“I am humbled by the award, but it was rewarding enough to be able to work with such wonderful people,” Helen DiZio said.

Marion Dodson and Patrick Rose each earned the Lily Award for their efforts in historic preservation, Dodson for the Country Squire Courtyard and Rose for a beautiful home on Linea de Cielo.

Dodson shared about how she and her late husband Lee purchased the courtyard by a fluke and the trials and tribulations of owning it.

Through it all, she has maintained the property in its original state. Dodson said she is happy with the award.

“This is a special piece of property,” she said.

Rose said he and his late wife Sheila purchased the home, designed originally by famed architect Gordon Kaufman, and spent 20-plus years getting it back to its original state.

“Isn’t it wonderful that the architect is still winning awards 64 years after his death?” Rose said.

The Lily Award is given to people who preserve or continue the spirit of Lilian Rice, Rancho Santa Fe’s first architect.

In his speech, Queen outlined the goals of the past year and the progress on each.

Broadband: The first goal of the board was to get broadband into the Ranch, which he said has been difficult. There are too few homes in the area, which would prove unprofitable for most companies to make the investment. They are still working on the issue, however, Queen said.

Patrol space: Mission accomplished. The patrol moved into a new space with plenty of elbow room in the offices formerly occupied by the fire department.

Marketing: The marketing committee is currently making a plan of the best way to let people know about all the Ranch has to offer whether they be locals or out-of-towners.

Update document management: It’s being done by converting everything to digital files and then stored electronically.

Art Jury: The art jury went on a retreat to determine how to make the committee easier to deal with.

Golf Club loan: The Association decided to loan the golf club $1.6 million to pay off a debt by an outside concern.

Under grounding: It’s ready to go when residents are ready, but there has not been much interest at this point because the process is expensive.

E-mail: The Association continues to work on a better way to communicate with members.

Open space: The Association continues the restoration of the Osuna Ranch purchased as open space six years ago.

“I would like to see the Association approve funds to fully restore the adobe.” Queen said. “We need to polish that jewel.”

Water reclamation: The new Committee on the Natural Environment has made it one of its goals to determine better ways to use water and reclaim what is lost.

Parking: The Association has gotten the CHP involved in writing parking tickets for people who overstay their parking places.

“People complained about parking, now they are complaining about parking tickets. They are the same people,” Queen said.

“She is a friend to all and a delight to have in class,” said Lindy Delaney, superintendent. “We didn’t want her to go unrecognized.”

Afterward, the board moved onto other business.

There will be some minor changes in the middle school schedule in that 19 minutes will be taken out each day, saved up and then dedicated to electives such as Spanish, technology, robotics or other classes. This new schedule will accommodate children who need extra math tutoring who also want to do something fun.

“The teachers love this and it’s great for the kids,” Delaney said.

Sixth-graders will be eased into the concept of middle school by changing classes once or twice a day instead of staying in the same classroom with the same teacher all day.

“It’s more movement for the sixth-graders,” she said. “They will have more responsibility, but they will remain under the auspices of elementary school. This is a good half-step.”

State STAR testing begins this week and school officials hope the majority of students continue to score very high. The goal of school officials is that every student in every grade reach a 90 percent score on the test.

“I think we saw great results last year and we hope to do better this year,” she said.

Delaney said planning for next year has already begun, but she expects some pain in the financial area, one of the reasons being taxes that are expected to be $191,000 less in the upcoming school year.

“We might have to make some cuts and hopefully not too deep,” Delaney said.

The Education Foundation has pledged $1 million next year to help defray the cuts, she said.

“We get less money and want to do more,” she said shaking her head.

Regardless of the lack of funds, she said the robotic program will be expanded. Teacher Dave Warner is excited about the expansion and is looking forward to it.

The board approved the purchase of new computer equipment, including desktops, laptops and iPads.

The board approved the option of a gradual rollout of placing iPads into the hands of every student. The devices will go first to all teachers, all middle school students and 10 will be designated for special education. The cost for the first 410 iPads is estimated to be $304,500. Next year, the devices will be given to the next third of students and the following year the last third.

The school board meets at 6 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month in the Performing Arts Center at the school. To learn more, visit rsf.k12.ca.us.

“The story cloths have universal themes,” Harmon said. “They’re about how beauty and art can come from very difficult situations.”

Story cloths that Harmon collected, as well as photographs featuring Hmong life, will be on display at a free reception and forum May 21 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito.

How did so many Hmong end up in refugee camps?

The Hmong have a “very unique history,” Harmon said. Over the last 200 years, Hmong largely migrated from their ancestral homes in China to Southeast Asia. A large number of Hmong in the 1960s lived in Laos, an area west of Vietnam that played a critical role in the cold war. The Hmong sided with the U.S. in the fight against communism in Southeast Asia, receiving weapons and training from the CIA.

A bloody, unpublicized war in Laos ended in defeat for the Hmong, and revolutionary governments sprung up shortly after in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. On the losing side of the war, the Hmong were no longer welcome on their lands.

Hundreds of thousands Hmong fled across the Meking River to refugee camps in Thailand. Many drowned trying to make the long swim.

Some cloths tell a multi-paneled story, similar to a comic strip, which shows the struggle of crossing the Meking River. Harmon said the Hmong have a long-standing tradition of making tightly stitched textiles. But most textiles historically haven’t been focused on narrative. Harmon said the turn toward modern subject matter and stories could have been a way to deal with loss.

“This is a new art, from what I’ve found,” Harmon said.

“It was a method of coping with the tragedy,” he added.

Another motif found in the cloths is the comparison between life before and after the cold war.

One story cloth, for example, features a connection to animals, thriving crops and people working together. Subsequent panels of the same cloth, however, show the Hmong hiding from danger and being attacked.

“They lost their homes and lives in a short period of time,” Harmon said. “It was devastating.”

Harmon, who has worked in Asia and Africa to prepare refugees to come to the U.S., said many refugees in Taiwanese camps waited up to 20 years to return home to Laos — dealing with harsh living conditions on a daily basis.

“They could let the world know what they were going through with the story cloths,” said Nancy Harmon, who helped cultivate the exhibit with her husband.

Some Hmong at the refugee camps came to the U.S.

Recognizing the Hmong’s sacrifices during the Vietnam War, the U.S. accepted a wave of refugees from the camps in the 1970s and 1980s. And cloths from this time period depicting American cities show many Hmong were looking forward to new beginnings.

According to Harmon, the Hmong population in the U.S. is roughly 200,000. Although the flow of Hmong immigrants has slowed over the years, Harmon hopes the forum highlights present minority groups that have been displaced by recent wars and economic conditions.

Bob Montgomery, the director of San Diego’s International Rescue Committee (IRC), will also speak at the forum. The IRC provides assistance for new refugees by offering English classes, health screenings and employment training, among other services.

Presently, Montgomery said most refugees are coming from Somalia and Iraq.

After returning home from service in Vietnam, Montgomery felt he needed to help Vietnamese who were affected by the war. Now he sees an opportunity to help displaced Iraqis who aided the U.S.

“I want to draw the parallels between Vietnam and Iraq,” he said. “There are groups in both cases that made sacrifices to help our country.”

More than 30 kids were rewarded with the opportunity to skate with professionals like Tony Hawk, Andy MacDonald, Neal Mims, Ryan Sheckler, Mike McGill and others after helping to raise funds for much needed renovations and a planned expansion of the renowned skate park.

It was all part of a three-pronged effort to raise $680,000, explained Ron Lelakes, associate executive director at the Encinitas YMCA. “Basically what we wanted to do is challenge the kids with going out and supporting their own park,” said Lelakes.

In addition to the grass roots campaign, funds have been raised through private funding efforts and from the skateboard industry.

Each of the kids attending managed to raise $1,500 through various means.

For Chris Vrklan and her four kids, it was all about making enough phone calls to raise the money. Vrklan, who used to skate herself, said that it was the YMCA and Carlsbad skate parks where it all started for her kids; all of who now compete in the sport.

As of now, the fundraising efforts are within about $150,000 from the total amount needed, Lelakes said.

With renovations expected to begin in the fall, following permit approvals, changes will include a transition from an all-wood ramp and obstacle street course to a wood/concrete mix street course. About 40 feet of the vert ramp will be removed to increase the size of the Mini-Land lesson area; the clover bowl will see renovations and the coping around the kidney bowl will also get updating.

The views and spectator section will also greatly improve as a result of the renovations.

Former professional skateboarder Mike McGill, and owner of McGill’s Skate Shop, helped to raise the very first money for the park back in the early ‘90s.

McGill has seen the skateboard industry change from when he was skating pools and ramps in the 1980’s through to the ‘90s when street skating took off. He said street skating really grew because there weren’t a lot of skate parks around. “Kids would use their skateboards in parking lots and stairways and wherever they could skate because cities were not providing places for them to skate. And now, since the laws have changed with liability…I think there’s 4,000 parks in the U.S.,” he said.

Tony Hawk, who’s often referred to as the “Michael Jordan” of skateboarding, credits the sport for giving him his sense of identity and sense of self confidence. “I picked up kind of late in the popularity cycle of skating, then when I really fell in love with it the popularity died and I just didn’t care. I realized how much I loved it.” Hawk said he grew up close to a skate park where he learned to hone his skills.

To date, approximately 19,000 skaters use the park each year, according to Skate Park Director Roberto Trada.

“This park was one of the first around in the early ‘90s when there were relatively no skate parks,” Hawks said. “And so for them to take a chance like that into building a small facility, it shows they’re committed to something that hadn’t been tested and true, and for them to keep developing it and to keep improving it, it’s almost like it’s become this landmark.”

“Parents encourage their kids to skate now, that’s probably the breaking point that skateboarding needed to push it into a more acceptable light,” Hawk said, something he attributes to events like the X-Games, the growth of skate parks over recent years, video games…skating is as common as baseball now,” he added.

“In the past, questions have been raised regarding the advisability of having the Osuna adobe listed on the National Register. At issue are the perceived advantages of such a designation versus any resulting obligation,” Dakan said.

After an investigation by staff, it has been determined there seem to be no strings attached to simply apply for and receive the designation, he said.

“There is no fee for application or approval,” he said. “There would be no restrictions on the use, treatment, transfer or disposition or requirements resulting from an inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.”

He said restrictions would only result from the Association accepting monies for the Osuna that came with restrictions such as grant money.

“The upside is that there are no fees, no obligation, no requirements,” he said. “There does not seem to be a downside.”

“Basically, it is an honorarium that says yes, it does have national historical significance,” he said.

Jack Queen, board president, said while the Covenant itself has historical significance, making the Osuna official would be good.

“It just puts a stamp on a property that it has some importance,” Queen said.

Dakan said there is no requirement for properties listed on the national register to be open to the public and registration does not restrict revisions to the structure nor does it require special construction practices.

But, he said, any changes to the structure would require the approval of the county and that any rehabilitation of the adobe would have to follow the secretary of the interior’s construction practices.

There would be few tax advantages.

Tax investment credits apply to income-producing historic structures, but tax deductions would be available for charitable contributions for preservation purposes.

“A group such as the Amigos de Osuna might be able to take advantage of this, however, any gifts to the Osuna made through the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation are already eligible for tax deductions,” he said.

Because the Osuna is not open to the public, it would not likely be considered for very scarce grant funds, but the grants could come with obligations and restrictions, he said.

“It takes between six months to a year for the entire process,” Dakan said.

The Association approved the application for the designation.

Comstock said that each year the board is asked to preliminarily approve the annual budget, after which it is mailed to the voting members for review.

The annual member budget hearing is set for 9 a.m. May 23 in the Association office. After receiving member input, the board will be asked to adopt the final budget at its regular meeting on June 21.

“The budget reflects a conservative posture on anticipated revenues and expenses and the proposed budget provides for the proper maintenance of Association assets,” Comstock said.

“The assessment rate will remain at 14 cents per $100 of assessed property value, including open space funds portion at 2.5 cents,” Comstock said. “Fees for applications and permits have been increased at the rate of inflation to offset overhead, but remain revenue neutral.”

Linda Sansone of Willis Allen Realty was chosen as the realtor to sell the single-family home on the Osuna Ranch property.

The selling price will be set at $2 million. Requests for proposals were sent out last month.

In his report, Ivan Holler, Covenant administrator, told the Association that during research on the parking issue, he found something interesting from the minutes of a previous meeting discussing the issue.

The minutes cited the lack of parking in the Village as an issue and noted finding a parking place was becoming more and more difficult.

“I would like to point out these minute are from April 15, 1955,” he said.

In other Association business, the board chose parliamentarian Bruce Bishop as the election inspector for the June 12 ballot count. This was necessary because the board is required to select and appoint an election inspector to perform the count, which will be held this year at 9 a.m. June 12.

“Bruce Bishop has been selected to serve as election inspector for over five years,” Pete Smith, Association manager, said.

Al Castro was introduced as the new general manager of the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club. Smith said that after an exhaustive search, Castro was chosen for the spot which relieved Smith from acting as both Association manager and golf club general manager, which he has done for months.

“I would like to recognize Pete for filling in at the golf club,” Director Larry Spitcausfsky said.

Smith said he was glad the search was over.

“I’m wearing my happy tie today,” Smith told the board.

The Association meets at 9 a.m. on the first and third Thursdays of the month. To learn more, call (858) 756-1174.

“It has been in existence for 30 years,” he said. “By coincidence, we shared a lot of members with the Rancho Santa Fe club.”

Castro was found by an executive recruiter hired by the Association who brought them numerous candidates.

“At first I wasn’t sure I was interested, but when they said it was Rancho Santa Fe, I told the recruiter to look into it,” he said.

The decision to leave his longtime job in the desert was hard.

“It was probably the most difficult decision of my professional career, a little bitter-sweet after being there for so long, but the opportunity to come to such a great club made the decision easier,” he said. “It was the right opportunity at the right time.”

Since 1998 he had worked at the Vintage Club, first as director of food and beverage before being promoted to the position of assistant general manager where he was responsible for all club house operations.

Before that he worked at the Ritz Carlton in Rancho Mirage where he was responsible for food and beverage.

Prior to that he worked at clubs and hotels where he learned his business. In addition, he is a certified club manager and a Level II certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers.

“I actually got into the golf side of the business by working in hotels and restaurants through the early years of my career,” he said.

He was born in El Paso, Texas, the eldest of three brothers. His family moved to Orange County while he was in elementary school.

He loved baseball but believed he didn’t have the talent to compete in high school.

Working at private clubs has become his passion, he said.

He said he loves the game of golf, but like other executives, wishes he had more time to play.

As for future plans for the club, he has some ideas.

“There is so much potential to do things with food and service and paying attention to detail to bring attention to them, to enhance the overall club experience,” he said. “I am thrilled to be here at the Ranch.”

Castro has been married to wife Carey for almost 32 years. She is a part time Zumba instructor. They have two grown sons ages 27 and 28.

They will make their home in Carlsbad.

“Through painting, living and exploring, I have realized that I am perpetually attracted and captivated by the balance between contradictions and counterparts,” she said.

With that in mind, she lets her paintings lead the way in what they will turn out to be.

“I would rather it dictate to me, rather than stifling it with parameters with preconceived notions,” she said. “I don’t want to decide what it should look like. Each one has its own life. They really tell me when it’s going well and when it is time to stop and what to do with it.”

She said she keeps painting until something “unexpected” and “magical” happens.

“I think it happens to everyone in the arts, like music,” she said. “I’m sure tons of people want to write the perfect song and they have an idea, but it comes to them by accident. Some of the best things in life come unexpectedly with a little magic and you don’t know why or how. I am surprised every time and every step of the process. I want to see what magic may happen in every little layer.”

Many times in her work, she uses the forms of man and woman.

“I really like simplifying the human form to the most basic line, like a continuous line. I don’t know why I am drawn to that sort of thing, but I am very interested in the experimentation process that takes place with all the different textures and colors and all the materials and media I may use in my paintings,” she said.

May said she “hates to shove the subject matter on the viewer.”

“I want there to be nuances. I kind of like to hide it a little so the viewer can bring forth the importance of textures and colors,” she said.

She says she likes the subject matter to be subtle and for the viewer somewhat serendipitous.

“I don’t want it to look like it came from my hand. I want it to appear that it somehow appeared by itself,” she said.

She believes she was born an artist.

“Forever, as long as I have memory of myself, I remember being lost in art and in myself and in my mind. I remember first taking notice of it when I was 4 years old. My mom could take me anywhere and sit me down with watercolor paints and papers and I could be lost for hours,” she said.

Her mother was the first to see her talent.

Later, her teachers began to take notice. One of them submitted one of her paintings to a contest. She won. Her prize was having Hallmark putting the image on a greeting card. She said she never saw that particular card.

May went to Pepperdine University on an art scholarship where she was singled out with an award that named her as leading artist of her generation.

The award is not given out every year or every five years. It is bestowed sporadically. The last one bestowed on any artist before May’s was 10 years prior.

“It gave me confidence that maybe this was something I should really take notice of. I had always liked my art, but I hadn’t noticed anyone else could like it,” she said.

She earned her master’s degree in art at the Academia de San Carlos in Mexico City, her hometown.

“It is a very historically renowned school,” she said.

She said Diego Rivera trained there and the walls of the school are filled with his murals.

“It was like you were stuck in a time warp, but in a good way,” she said.

She was taught the same techniques Rivera and his visionary contemporaries were taught.

“You learn to mix your own paint,” she said. “Also, you don’t paint just to be painting. They made students paint for a cause like a political statement.”

She took her artwork commercial a few years ago when an interior decorator friend of hers began commissioning paintings from her for her clients.

“I’ve also been lucky enough to show them at many charity events,” she said. “I donate my paintings to some of the charities in the area.”

Her next show will be this summer at Pebble Beach.

“I feel like I just started,” she said. “I’m just now trying to promote my art.”

She has been married to Alberto for 15 years and they have two sons, ages 13 and 11. They make their home in Fairbanks Ranch and spend just about every weekend at the beach.

To learn more about Stephanie Bell May, visit stephaniebellmayartstudio.com.

“We’re using peoples’ bodies, images, space, to create this world that has become Cirque du Soleil and the world of ‘Totem,’” said Tim Smith, artistic director.

Artistic director Tim Smith makes the transition from actor to director with Cirque du Soleil and their production of “Totem.” Courtesy photo

Despite his working in a tent, Smith, who’s spent 15 years acting on Broadway where the theaters are much smaller, has the sense of being in a larger space than he’s worked in before.

As the artistic director, Smith finds himself immersed in every aspect of the production; during shows he’s out in front taking notes and ensuring the quality of the show is there; when the performers are off he’s surveying the technical aspects of the show, including the music, makeup and costumes; and then he’s managing the tour, attending to the actors’ and crews’ needs.

Smith, who’s from New York, began his career as an actor. It was only in the last five years that he’d decided to make the transition from appearing onstage to going behind-the-scenes as a director and producer.

What was the cause for the transition? “Birthdays,” Smith said wryly. “You look up, and you’re not 20 anymore. And you’re like, ‘What’s the next step?’ And being an actor is an interesting way of life, and an interesting career and it was going well for me; I was successful in it, so it was better to bow out. Transitioning at 35 is easier than 45,” he said.

Joining Cirque du Soleil has, in essence, signaled the start of his second act.

Smith began working for Cirque two years ago and for the past six months has been at the helm of “Totem.”

The show, which has been performing two shows a day since it arrived at the Del Mar fairgrounds in April and will continue through May 27, is constantly evolving from its original concept created by Robert Lapage more than a year ago. The show’s continual changes and evolution are fitting, given the show’s theme depicting the evolution of mankind.

Since taking the show over, Smith said it’s his job to do two things: keep the show fresh by creating new acts and updating the show’s technology, and to tighten the show. “We develop daily; we develop new images and the show changes daily, and we keep the show motivated. It’s a very creative job,” he said.

Putting on as many shows as it does, there are always the challenges, too. Mostly, Smith explained, with the shows technologies. “‘Totem’ is state-of-the-art at this point for the world that’s out there entertainment-wise. It does offer two things: It lets the audience see something they’ve never seen before, but then also, it adds the responsibility to us to maintain things that’ve never been used before.”

Not only can the technologies used break down, but also the performers’ bodies, which are more often than not performing skills that haven’t been seen before.

“You sit in the audience and you see acts from unicycle girls from Mongolia…to a static trapeze act that the images are just stunning and beautiful,” Smith said.