“Machel’s Ranch” Column; The Rancho Santa Fe News (May 3rd, 2012 Issue)

I am sitting in my backyard. The air is quiet. The sky is blue. There is a hint of summer in the air today in the harsh sunlight, which has been hidden by the clouds almost all winter. I am in between moments. In about 45 minutes I will be driving down to La Jolla. I will zip down there on the freeway, weave in and out of Torrey Pines Road and arrive about one minute before I am on the floor at a fine art gallery I work for. Before this quiet minute to write, I made the rounds in the early morning with my husband for his Lemon Twist. We listened to “Bill Handle On the Law.” We gathered local produce and zipped back to Rancho Santa Fe. Then we unloaded and watched the world trickle in and out of the fruit stand. I dipped strawberries in melted chocolate from Europe, I swept floors and met customers on holiday for the weekend in Southern California. I even managed to squeeze in a nature walk and managed not to be side swiped by the mountain bikers on the San Dieguito reserve trails. Now I am here. I am quiet. Life has slowed down for one hour so I can breathe in a moment of solitude. I am enjoying the simple chirping sounds of the sweet birds that like to eat the sunflower seeds I leave for them. I am taking time to enjoy petting my two Siamese cats on the patio furniture outside under the shade. For now, I am grounded in simple things that are soothing to my soul. When life is in constant action, don’t forget to nourish your soul with reflective silence. Make time. Don’t forget that quieting the mind is like inspiration to the soul.

Around Town

On April 21, I received some great news! Del Mar Majors Yankees team celebrated their win over the Red Sox in Carmel Valley. On a coincidental note, the real “Yankees” team beat the Red Sox, too, on the same day. One of these young boys may be headed for the real majors someday…you never know. After losing a couple of games, the thrill of victory is even sweeter. Their smile says it all. Congratulations to the parents, coaches and kids that enjoyed sweet victory that day.

On April 24, I ran a few errands in Rancho Santa Fe after picking up my son from school. Stumps Village Market and the post office are always buzzing with a packed parking lot, many people, and on this particular day a man a political group had gathered with signs that read, “Impeach Obama.” Well, I always say, you never know what you might be missing around town if you aren’t going out. The big news that happened that day is I discovered on the town message board a flyer about a Labrador retriever mix named Archie that is looking for a home. His big smile and sweet eyes really spoke to me. “I’m wonderful and sweet and would protect you,” the smile said. Well, I tore off the little tab, called Beth and found out that he most definitely needs a home. So if you are looking for a devoted mature dog to bring love and laughter into your life, Archie is for you!

Fourth graders, Morgan Meyes, Reese MacDonald and Logan Zarkroske at the Gold Rush party at Ocean Air Elementary in Torrey Hills. Courtesy photo

Later that day, I received a beautiful photo of fourth-graders Morgan Meyes, Reese MacDonald and Logan Zarkroske at the Gold Rush party at Ocean Air Elementary. This extravaganza is devoted to fourth-graders learning about California history and what happened during the gold rush period. How wonderful! This picture captures more than just that. It reminds us why friendships are so important in our lives, even at a young age. Never take your friends for granted.

On April 26, I stopped in at my very favorite bookstore in the whole wide world: The Book Cellar. This lovely second hand bookshop is a pleasant, meditative experience. From the absolute quiet seclusion of being buried between many rows of fabulous books, what I love the most are the volunteers who sit in front that volunteer their own private time. After purchasing “Stern Men” by Elizabeth Gilbert and a book called the “The Office Goddess,” I found out the yearly half-off book sale is just around the corner.

Krista Lafferty and Machel Penn Shull at Mille Fleurs on a Friday night. Courtesy photo

Adele Snyder, Elaine Oswald and Mary-Ellen Drummond are all members of the Rancho Santa Fe Library Guild. They were kind enough to let me snap a picture so I could help promote this sale in the paper. All books will be 50 percent off. There is even a drawing to win a $50 gift certificate. Don’t miss out! The book sale runs May 3 to May 5. For more information, visit rsflibraryguild.org.

On April 27, I found a few friends and a smile at my favorite restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe — Mille Fleurs. Due to a very busy work and writing schedule, I haven’t been there to enjoy Randy Beecher’s excellent piano music and lively ambience. How wonderful to see everyone, it felt just like old times again. Miss Krista Lafferty — the assistant advertising manager for this paper — was there along with her fiancé Mike Confer, my husband Robin Shull, Ranch resident Ben Simmons, Shannon Elle and Vicki Lavanty. Many of you might recognize Vickie as a well know hair salon owner in Solana Beach. Vickie has had her own salon there for more than 15 years. If you are interested in discovering a new place to call home as far as a salon, call Vickie at (858) 350-1764.

Machel Penn Shull has been writing for the Rancho Santa Fe News since 2008. She also writes for various magazine in Southern California. To contact Machel, email her at mpenn (at)coastnewsgroup(.)com.

Mackenzie Thorpe’s “Time Without Shadows” featured art

Mackenzie Thorpe is available at Legends Gallery in La Jolla, California  USA. To find out more about this piece you can schedule an appointment with “Michelle.”

That would be me. Most that read my name as Machel do not know that my name is pronounced Michelle, or truly Maachel. Creative birth name from my Mom.

However, this piece is one of my favorites in the gallery. I can see the influences of two of his favorite artists reflected in “Time Without Shadows.” Rothko and Van Gogh are two of Mackenzie Thorpe’s favorite painters, which he mentions when interviewed. I love both of these artists as well.

“Time Without Shadows” offers hope, reality and a moment when time can stand still during our lifetime. Do you know what time frame I am referring to when studying this painting?

Call 858-456-9900 for more details and remember to ask for Fine Art Consultant “Michelle.”

Remember to support the arts. Remember to be creative, smart and most of all have some fun along the way. Life can be incredibly short sometimes so make sure you are enjoying your daily routine.

Norman Rockwell, “A Time For Greatness,” is available at Legends Gallery in La Jolla, California, USA

The Rancho Santa Fe News, “Machel’s Ranch”

 A Marine Battalion Remembered this Christmas. Dedicated to my Father, William Ray Penn”

            While we worry about what to wear for our holiday party, somewhere out there is a wo

William Ray Penn &William Ray Penn Jr. William Ray Penn Sr. is a proud Marine that fought in the most decorated Marine Battalion ever in the history of the marines, due to one significant battle at Christmas time in 1966 in Vietnam.

man or man in uniform fighting for us to make sure we are able to celebrate freely. Meanwhile, someone has died for us to have this right. Families have grieved over the loss of their loved ones. It is important to remember these facts this season. We must remember those that have sacrificed their souls to make sure that we are still free. I wish for each brave American soldier much love and blessings. Without you, America would be lost. Without your devotion, pride and dedication, how might our country survive? Please, let us unite, stand proud as Americans and remember those who serve and the veterans of the United States this holiday season.

            On the other side of the Ranch, Violet MacDonald was opening her home to her family, which included one of her favorite granddaughter’s Reese MacDonald. Violet is an active member in the Garden Club here in town and has been featured on several occasion in San Diego Home and Garden Magazine for her own immaculate garden that surrounds her property in Rancho Santa Fe. I have also include a picture-perfect-photo of Holden and Meredith MacDonald, whom are also part of this clan here in the Ranch. Violet is very proud of her family! Thanks for sharing the holiday photos.

            On November 28^th, I we ventured out to Pauma Valley for some fresh air, and to enjoy my In-law’s ranch. As we droved down into the valley and the sun cascaded over the rolling hills, I found myself smiling from within…Could it be that the Ozark Mountains (where I am from in Missouri) exists out here in California? Well, who knew God’s country was just right around the corner? You would think that someone would alert the media to these things. It seems, I guess, one must discover ‘heaven on earth’ a little later in life. You could say that I’m definitely like Ava Gabor’s character in Green Acres:“Darling I love you, but give me Park Avenue.” I love both. But, trust me, take a drive out past Lake Wohlford one weekend and enter into a valley full of citrus, wild peacocks and avocados. You won’t regret it. Here is a photo I captured of a peacock casually hanging out on the rooftop that weekend.

            On December 2^nd, Karian and Tom Forsyth celebrated Tom’s birthday with many friends inside the exclusive gates of The Crosby. Robin and I are always thrilled to go their holiday party and this year was no exception. Unfortunately, my family came down with the flu that weekend, so I was only able to stop in briefly to snap a few photos for this week’s issue. Woe to the life of a working girl. (I’m semi-kidding.) Well, what can I tell you? The party was decked out with private waiters, a local musician playing, fine food and champagne flowing over the flute glasses. The guests—that I saw that arrived early—looked smashing in their glittery holiday attire. Oh the joys of the holiday spirit, holiday wonder and how wonderful to have a friend like Karian and Tom. Thanks, for always including me. I love you guys.

Roy Lichtenstein Sets $43 Million Record at Christie’s

“People would rather have art or gold instead of paper money,” collector Eli  Broad said, after leaving the auction at Christie’s.

What’s a safe investment these days?   According to collector, Eli Broad:

ART.

“I can see the whole room!… And There’s Nobody In It!,” sold for $43.2 million dollars. Leonardo Dicaprio was just one of many in the audience to witness this ground breaking record in the art world. While other investments can be shaky right now, it appears that the soul’s must-have’s, like art, can be a positive investment.

Roy Lichtenstein was an famous American Pop Art painter. Born in 1923, Roy Lichtenstein only recently just died in 1997 from pneumonia. Lichtenstein found worldwide fame  in the the  early 60′s….selling out at his first show even before it opened. His first one-man show was held at famed art curator’s Leo Castelli’s gallery in 1962.

(Art Curator Leo Castelli’s collection eventually ended up being donated at the Smithsonian Institution. Castelli’s largest private sales was estimated at $600 million in 2007, sold by the heirs of his first wife, Ileana Sonnabend.)

Legends Art Gallery in La Jolla, California carries a very well known Pop Artist, Nelson De La Nuez. A sought after  De La Nuez was chosen to be the official artist of the “70th Anniversary of the Wizard of Oz.” legendary Michael Jackson’s last gift to his children were three of his paintings: ”Alice in Dali Land,” “Lost Fairy Tales” and “Flavor of the Month.”

Why Pop Art? What is the fascination?  Check out this linke for more details on Pop Art: http://wwar.com/masters/l/lichtenstein-roy.html

If one had to analyze the rise to fame of Pop Art, it would appear this brightly, flashy artwork appeals to the masses because of the blending of the message the Pop Art displays, and the emotions that are evoked by the person viewing the work.“I Can See The Whole Wide Room!…And There’s Nobody In It!” conveys an immediate sense of ‘aloneness,’ by much of the canvas being covered in black. The peep hole is like the soul peering out into the world, wondering why life can be so full, yet, feel empty in the same moment.

Swedish, Impressionist painter Edvard Munch’s famous “The Scream,” has a similar tone in one glance, too. However, this painting alludes to more hysteria and melancholia layered in the textures of the paint, as well as the shape of the eyes and mouth. (“The Scream,” which had been stolen and now recovered, is worth around $50 million, even after being damaged.)

“I Can See The Whole Room!…And, Nobody Is In It,” exudes an immediate seperation to the observer. Like life can feel vastly empty, while lacking the wholeness our heart desires.

What do you see in Lichtenstein’s painting? What do you see inside “The Scream?”

Each piece of art can tell a different story to all of us.

Randy Cooper at Legends Gallery on October 28, 2011

 

Shadow Sculpture "Andrea," by Randy Cooper

Well-known Artist, Randy Cooper will be in Legends Gallery in La Jolla from 6-9 p.m. this
Friday on October 28^th, 2011. Randy is a native Southern California, but now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his wife where we works full-time as an artist. Don’t miss out. Come enjoy meeting a World Renowned Artist in La
Jolla tomorrow night, the last Friday in October. If you have any questions,
please feel free to call the gallery directly or just stop in at Legends
Gallery in La Jolla. Legends is located at 1205 Prospect, Suite B, La Jolla, CA
92037.

 

Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to meet Randy Cooper this Friday in La Jolla.

Dr. Seuss Art at Legends Gallery in La Jolla, California

Green Cat With Lights- New Release!

Don’t miss out on wonderful New Releases of Dr. Seuss Art which
can be found at Legends Gallery in La Jolla, California. Legends Art Gallery is
a Fine Art Gallery. You can also find RARE, SOLD OUT pieces of Dr. Seuss Art
here in La Jolla.

Featured here is “Green Cat with Lights.” Most of the world knows
Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel) as the legendary children’s book author and illustrator.
What you may not know is that he was also a painter. While he was alive, Dr.
Seuss painted an array of pieces that he kept privately for himself and his
family. In his later years in life, he gave his wife Audrey Geisel permission
to reproduce is “Secret Art” work.

In 1997, “Secret Art” of Dr. Seuss is launched an
exhibited his collection to art galleries across America that fit with his style
of paintings. Since then, each new piece of art work that has been released are
sought out and bought by Dr. Seuss lovers and art collectors around the world.
Many of his early pieces that first were published have increased significantly
in value due to the remaining numbers in their editions that are “RARE and SOLD OUT.”

The editions are produced on Serigraph and are numbered in the
series. “Green Cat with Lights” is one of the newest exciting pieces
just out this year. Please inquire with me at

Call the gallery at (858) 456-9900. If I am not there, anyone in the gallery will be able to help you
with your needs. But do please remember to mention “Michelle” when you call!

I will be listing weekly examples of some of Dr. Seuss’s
spectacular art that is available and some fascinating stories regarding his
life and his influences on not only America, but the world.

In 2010, Dr. Seuss was chosen by LIFE Magazine as “100 People that Changed the World.”

Legends Art Gallery is open
seven days a week. Hours are:

Sunday: 10 a.m-8 p.m

Monday: 10 a.m-8
p.m

Tuesday: 10 a.m-8 p.m.

Wednesday: 10 a.m-9 p.m

Thursday – Saturday: 10 a.m-
10 p.m

Legends Gallery

1205 Prospect Street, Suite 100B

La Jolla, CA 92037

Gallery Director: Roree
Mayhew

Mexican Pottery at Lemon Twist Fruit Stand in Rancho Santa Fe

Now At Lemon Twist -Mexican pottery

Biological Clock, Botox and Friends

Machel Penn marries Robin Shull in Summer of 2009

Women, they have this thing … the familiar sound goes “tick, tick, tick.” Do you know what I’m talking about? If you’re a man, you probably don’t. However, if you happen to be one of those women in the mid- to late 30s like me, you can hear the sound of the clock hanging over your head. It’s your internal clock. You know, that loud biological one that makes women leap into any man’s arms during those critical two to three days of the month?  Maybe I went through the baby thing at an early age. While most women in their 20s just wanted to party, follow their careers and waited to marry later, my Midwestern roots had me convinced I was already an old maid.

As you might have guessed, I did marry young, and I had a son before I was 30. Now as life presents new chapters, with new adventures, I am at the end of my 30s looking head on into adulthood, newly married a second time, with another clock now … ticking for a second time.

OK, babies. I love them. I really do. I wasn’t one of those pleasant pregnant women that went around with rosy-red cheeks with the perfect glow. No. I was big, fat and pregnant. If you looked at me sideways you would’ve thought of a refrigerator, because that’s how wide I was. Not some delicate Ranch mom with skinny bird legs, and a perfect “pop belly.” Why I had to be an unusually fat pregnant woman, I don’t know.

The good news is I’m somewhat vain. If I gain weight, I have been able to drop it fast at the sight of my body looking like a deep freeze. Thank goodness I’m fairly athletic. So don’t worry, if you think I’m going to pull a “Jillian Michaels” and adopt a baby because I don’t want to subject my body to another pregnancy, you’re wrong.

I did have one of those “desperate housewife” moments over the weekend, when I had a funny conversation with one of my other female counterparts. My girlfriend and I were discussing how soon does a woman need to have a child before it’s too late? Here was basically our discussion on the phone, beginning with my girlfriend’s first erroneous statement:

“You know if you don’t have a baby by the time you’re 35, your eggs dry up.”

Elizabeth Taylor at The Twin Dragon

I met Elizabeth Taylor at The Twin Dragon in Beverly Hills in 1998

There are just certain moments that transpire that you don’t forget, like meeting Elizabeth Taylor for example. Back in the 1990’s when I stilled lived in Los Angeles, there was a brief period when I first married my ex-husband when we lived in a penthouse in Beverly Hills. Now you might be thinking this felt extravagant, exciting for me to live in downtown Beverly Hills, however the contrary couldn’t be further from that statement. Living primarily in Studio City for most of my years in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills felt too confined for me. If you know anything about the topography of that area, you are smack dab in the middle of the West Side and it takes awhile to reach the windy road of Sunset Blvd that will lead you across to the Valley, where I personally loved living. The only thing I did love about living there was this wonderful Chinese restaurant my ex-husband just loved and I soon did, too. If you live in L.A. you might know about the Twin Dragon, which has been serving the finest Chinese food I had ever eaten in the same location for over 50 years. I met my step son there for the first time. I remembered he was nine years old and I was 27 and marrying his father. It felt so grand and sweet to be a step mom. I loved that role during that time period. I also had many romantic dinners there with my ex husband. We even had our pre-wedding reception party there for all of our bridal party members and closest loved ones. However the one moment that stuck out with me the most is the one night Michael and I were seated right next to Elizabeth Taylor and Rod Steiger. When you live in Los Angeles the funny thing is after awhile you become accustom to seeing stars on a daily basis, especially in that part of town. So when we sat only two feet away from Elizabeth and her Maltese and Rod, they were actually recognizing my ex husband, too, that was a well known news anchor in town. They exchanged words, and I just sort of sat in awe thinking of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf” moments from that fabulous movie and running every fact I knew in my mind regarding Elizabeth through my mind, like she, too was a fellow Pisces like myself and “Oh my gosh, It’s really legendary Elizabeth Taylor sitting next to me!” Then something sort of wonderful happened. Her little white Maltese left Elizabeth’s side for a few moments and snuggled right up next to me (We were both sitting on the same adjoining booth), and onto my lap. You can imagine my surge of pride when this happened. Then it happened. Elizabeth Taylor spoke to me, not my husband, but to ME. “My dog (said name can’t remember) has never done that before,” She exclaimed. Then she kept calling the doggie back to her and the Maltese stayed next to me for a few more moments before she ran back to Liz’s side. Soon we were done eating and it was time to leave. I let my ex-husband take the lead like I always did back then. He loved the attention and I at the time loved watching him receive it. As we were leaving I turned to look at Elizabeth Taylor and she looked at me and smiled. How incredibly special I felt for one moment to connect with her as an actress I had always admired and studied. And to this day, I know it was because of her dog. Her cute adorable dog liked me. I’ve always had that thing with dogs and I have no idea why they like me because ultimately I am a cat person. If that one moment on the booth hadn’t transpired, I would’ve just sat there and felt sort of on the side lines. Maybe here little doggie was sensing my longing of connection to her. He could feel my need to be acknowledged, too, by this Icon. All I do know that is today after I heard that Elizabeth Taylor died, that memory played out for me as I was walking to work under the eucalyptus trees, that moment with Elizabeth Taylor at Twin Dragon and it seemed so grandiose now looking back. As a person that has been obsessed with old black and white movies and the Hollywood era, eating Chinese food next to Liz and her Maltese ranks up there as one of those surreal moments in Hollywood. I am reminded of how life can pass too quickly, and those chapters that touched the edges of our soul soon fade as new beginnings begin and old moments fade. I am reminded of how to remember to live each day with gratitude. Never look back, never look ahead, and just simply enjoy this now. Today when I found out Elizabeth Taylor died, I remembered parts of my life have died, too. I must say there were a few tears with these recollections and reflection, but mainly for Elizabeth. I will miss knowing she is alive on this earth, yet that one moment stuck in time will stay with me always….