Archives for June 19, 2018

THE KID’S AWESOME ACTIVITY BOOK: Games! Puzzles! Mazes! And More!

The Kid’s Awesome Activity Book is a parent’s best friend, guaranteed to entertain your backseat travelers during those endless summer road trips. Readers can create their own comic strips, write a hit song for the hedgehog hoedown, decode pirate word scrambles, and help a little leprechaun find his pot of gold. All they need is a pencil and their imagination!

I really recommend this one for Summer reading fun! This one is a great book to have in the house when you hear those words…”I’m bored…..”

Brimming with bats, hungry unicorns, alien dance parties, monster finger puppets, and SO much more, THE KID’S AWESOME ACTIVITY BOOK: GAMES! PUZZLES! MAZES! AND MORE! (June 12, 2018; Workman; $14.95; By Mike Lowery) is perfect fuel for endless hours of creativity on and off the page. Created by Mike Lowery, the mastermind behind the wildly successful KID’S AWESOME ACTIVITY CALENDAR and DOODLE ADVENTURES® series, THE KID’S AWESOME ACTIVITY BOOK is the boredom-buster guaranteed to infuse those endless summer road trips with imaginative landscapes filled with monster hair salons, circus acts, enchanted forests, and more. With just a pencil and their imagination, readers can decode pirate word scrambles, create their own comic strips, write a hit song for the hedgehog hoedown, and help a little leprechaun find his pot of gold. With more than 400 stickers drawn in Lowery’s iconic style and a pullout poster just waiting to be colored, THE KID’S AWESOME ACTIVITY BOOK offers takeaway items that burgeoning artists can use to decorate their space outside the confines of the book. Featuring nearly 100 wacky prompts, games, and crafts, there’s only one cardinal rule that young artists have to follow: Have fun!

About the Author:

Mike Lowery is the creator of The Kid’s Awesome Activity Calendar and the Doodle Adventures® series. His latest book, Random Illustrated Facts, collects weird bits of news and knowledge. Mike draws in his sketchbooks and posts on Instagram daily at @mikelowerystudio. He lives with his wife and children in Atlanta, Georgia.

THE KID’S AWESOME ACTIVITY BOOK By Mike Lowery $14.95 | June 12, 2018 | 122 pages | Ages 8-12| ISBN 9780761187189

Self Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book to feature. I only feature books that I highly recommend! Images were also provided. 

Emerson, June 21st Pet of the Week

We wish we could have even a fraction of Emerson’s attitude! Despite a gimpy hind leg, this adorable 5-year-old Maltese mix loves life! The lame leg could be a result of an injury, and it needs to be either reset or amputated. Our shelter vet said that she’d reset his leg if someone would step up to foster him for a while or, better yet, adopt him. Wouldn’t you love an outcome like that! Meet Emerson on the shelter side of the Companion Animal Village at 7700 East Spring St., (562) 570-PETS. Ask for ID#A607649.

(The usual suspects contributed to this rescue)

Credit: Courtesy of the Companion Animal Village.

Dana Point Harbor’s July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza

July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza

Experience south Orange County’s best aerial fireworks display during the July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza at Dana Point Harbor. Display begins at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 4 and will light up the harbor with fantastic views from Baby Beach, the Island, and the many waterfront eateries within the harbor. Visitors can listen to the City of Dana Point’s specially curated Spotify playlist and enjoy patriotic music accompanying the display.

Free shuttles will be available 10 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.; shuttle services will suspend from 9 p.m. until the end of display.

Dana Point Trolley will drop off and pick up at stops #5 and #6 on July 4th in the Harbor from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and the Harbor shuttle will pick up and drop off at the restaurants and retail area, Baby Beach, the Island, and Ocean Institute from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Streets within Dana Point Harbor will have restricted left hand turn lanes and cars will be detoured to go right only (Dana Point Harbor Drive, Puerto Place & Island Way). Cove Road will be closed during the fireworks and re-opened after the fireworks.

Celebrate summertime holidays at Dana Point Harbor and experience the ultimate seaside adventure all summer long. For more information visit www.DanaPointHarbor.com.

Credit: Dana Point Harbor.

MAINLY MOZART FESTIVAL RACES TO A CONCLUSION WITH CONCERTS ON JUNE 21, 22, 23, and 24

The month-long Mainly Mozart Festival concludes for a final week of performances. The 30th Annual Mainly Mozart Festival, led by Music Director Michael Francis, continues its six-year exploration of Mozart’s life with Year Three – Brave New World: From Rebel to Entrepreneur. In his early 20s, and longer Europe’s “golden child”, financial need forced Mozart to become a musical entrepreneur, dedicating himself to the business of music. Some of Mozart’s greatest works of this period will be featured in Festival programming, along with boundary-breaking works by other composers.
FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA SERIES: Thursday, June 21 – 7:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. Overture presentation, free to ticket holders / Tickets $15-$88
THE BALBOA THEATRE 868 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
Michael Francis, conductor; James Ehnes, violin; James Ollarsaba, baritone
Sibelius                                  Suite for Violin & Strings, Op. 117
Prokofiev                             Violin Concerto NO. 2 in G minor, Op. 63
Mozart                                  Thamos, King of Egypt, Incidental Music, K. 345
Sibleius’s gem begins the concert deep in nature. Sibelius evokes spring and summer in this brief reverie for strings and violin.
Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, debuted Madrid, Spain, December, 1, 1935, and is one of his most conventional pieces of music. Prokofiev wrote it while touring Europe yet this violin concerto is full of melodies indicative of Russian folk tunes.
Mozart composed the incidental music to Thamos, King of Egyptbetween 1773 and 1780. It’s Kochel number is K345/336a. The play premiered in 1774 but it appears as if only two of the choruses were completed at that time. The plot of the play is somewhat intriguing but the conclusion is laughable. We can only theorize about the status of this music had the play been moderately successful. This performance represents the West Coast Premiere of Thamos.
SPOTLIGHT CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES: Friday, June 22 – 7:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. Wine Reception / Post-concert Talk-Back with artists / Tickets $58
AUDITORIUM AT TSRI 10620 John J. Hopkins Dr. San Diego, CA 92121
Members of the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra:
Juliana Athayde, violin; Jun Iwasaki, violin; Mark Holloway, viola; Rainer Eudeikis, cello; JuFang Liu, bass; Boris Allakverdyan, clarinet; Whitney Crockett, bassoon; Andrew Bain, Horn.
Schubert Octet in F Major, D. 803
This is the largest of Schubert’s chamber music compositions. The instrumentation follows that of Beethoven’s Septet with the exception of an extra violin. The piece runs about 50 minutes.
CONCLUSION OF THE JOAN AND IRWIN JACOBS FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA SERIES: Saturday, June 23 – 7:30 p.m. / 6:30 p.m. Overture presentation, free to ticket holders / Tickets $15-$88
THE BALBOA THEATRE 868 Fourth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101
Michael Francis, conductor; Dejan Lazić, piano
Mozart                                Symphony No. 32 in G Major, K. 318
Haydn                                 Piano Concerto in D Major, Hob. XVIII: 11
Mozart arr. Lazić                ENCORE: Rondo Concertante, WORLD PREMIERE
Mendelssohn                      Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, Scottish
SPOTLIGHT CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES: Sunday, June 24 – 2:30 p.m. / Tickets $28
SCHULMAN AUDITORIUM, Carlsbad Dove Library
James Ehnes, violin; Orion Weiss, piano
Beethoven                          Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Opus 12
Poulenc                               Sonata for Violin & Piano
Beethoven                          Violin Sonata in E flat Major, Op. 18
SPOTLIGHT CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES: Sunday, June 24 – 6:00 p.m. / 5:00 p.m. Wine Reception / Tickets $78
RANCHO SANTA FE GARDEN CLUB, 17025 Avenida de Acacias, Rancho Santa Fe, 92067
James Ehnes, violin; Orion Weiss, piano
Beethoven                          Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Opus 12
Poulenc                               Sonata for Violin & Piano
Beethoven                          Violin Sonata in E flat Major, Op. 18
Our Mission: Invigorating the cultural life of the San Diego/Tijuana community by connecting to the truth and beauty of Mozart via world-class music-making. www.mainlymozart.org
Credit: Mainly Mozart.
Funding for Mainly Mozart is provided in part by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture; the County of San Diego; the National Endowment for the Arts; and contributions from local individuals, corporations, and foundations.