Deerhorn Friends and neighbors . . . show and tell us what you're up to around the home. I have met many DVers who have skill and experience that would fill this page. Tell us (with a photo, too) of your enjoyable home activities. – woodworking, writing, stained glass, fishing, astronomy, art, quilting, scrapbooking, antiquing, cars, beekeeping, amateur radio? Let us know. Include a note on how long you've been doing it and what is it about your activity that is particularly satisfying. If you want to seek others to share with – send us a note. We'll post it here.

NEW> BEEKEEPING . . . What a joy! The flowers are beginning to bloom and it looks like a fantastic year for beekeepers!

HONEY SPRINGS ROAD, Bee Valley, Bee Canyon are not miss-named DV landmarks. We have some of the finest honey in the US. These are names that go back to our early days when this part of the San Diego backcountry produced some of the best honey known. For many years a beekeeper kept hives on the Jacob's property and sold every drop to demanding buyers in Europe.

Kim and I have been "hobby" (as opposed to commercial) bee keepers more than 20 years and find a real joy in it. We kept bees at our homes in San Diego and when we bought our property here we moved in lock, stock, barrel, cat, and hives.

We've always had a hive here on DV Road and Elena Lane, and we're anxiously waiting spring . . . with all the rain and the impending bloom it's going to be a great year.

This year, DVer's Ruth Brewer and Phyllis Dozier, and a Lyons Valley friend are going to join us in keeping bees. We have purchased and assembled our hive kits. Kim ordered three packaged bee colonies that will arrive this week via UPS – would you believe.

Each colony is mailed in an enclosed, open-sided wood box with screened-in sides. The queen bee is kept in a small, separate enclosure within, and will be released when we establish each colony in its separate hive here.

Bringing Back a Deerhorn Valley Tradition. Want to get started in beekeeping? Kim and I are forming a group of brand new, and or experienced beekeepers to help bring back our bee population.

If you're interested, or just curious and want to join us when we set up our hives, or open them at harvest time, give Kim or me, Rob, a call at 468-3218. We live on the corner of Deerhorn Valley Rd, and Elena Lane.

We're inviting kids too – Kim and I are retired public school teachers and we know there is something magic about kids and bees and honey. Back in the city, the neighbor kids would always drop by to see how our bees were doing. The hive was right next to a playhouse with a glass window so we could sit close and watch the hive's opening and all the bee-goings on.

The most fun is one long day at harvest time for a joyful, messy, day of filtering and bottling and licking fingers coated from jarring gallons of honey . . . a wonderful family activity. When we harvest, the music and coffee are always on, and, honey on clothes, hands, kitchen floors, tables, and kids, cleans up with water in no time.

–Rob D

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