Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Alie and Anna smile for the camera at their kindergarten graduation.
Pictured at their recent reunion are Anna, left, wearing her boots found and purchased from St. Peter's thrift store, and Alie, who is wearing a hat and sweater purchased there. The sparse tree in the back that is just starting to bloom is the Anna Apple tree.
Maggie Stewart
Special to the Village News
Fallbrook is a special place to grow roots, both in the yard and the community.
My daughter, Alie, recently came home to celebrate her birthday with a best friend, Anna. They met in kindergarten. Anna is from a military family stationed at Camp Pendleton, and they lived here in Fallbrook. Establishing those deep roots early, Alie and Anna's friendship was instant and has continued to grow and bloom through the years.
It was a sad day when Anna's father received his change of station orders, they were going to miss each other. Alie decided to plant a specific variety of apple tree called "Anna Apple" for her birthday, to remind her of her friend.
Every day she went out there, watered it and nurtured it. Both girls continued to stay in touch, wrote letters to each other and visited. Over the years, the Anna Apple tree produced abundant apples to eat, to can, to bake and other uses. Every time it blooms, I think of smiling little faces of the giggling young girls, enjoying their friendship.
Alie moved to San Francisco for college and to New York to pursue her career in TV and has already enjoyed success with an Emmy nomination. She recently relocated to Los Angeles. Anna works in commercial real estate management in the San Diego area, so both girls are now living back on the West Coast.
Last week was Alie's birthday, and they thought of a perfect way to celebrate. Both came back to Fallbrook for some 'hometown, familiar goodness.' They walked the family grove, enjoyed shopping at St. Peter's Thrift Store, ate at the Main Street Cafe and, of course, had their picture taken in front of the Anna Apple tree.
Growing a garden or planting a family orchard can often yield fruit of many kinds. We are blessed to produce many delicious items for our kitchen table. In addition, Fallbrook is an amazing community that seems to cultivate deep and thriving relationships, like Alie and Anna.
Maggie Stewart works for CR Properties Real Estate Services and is a family
farm-to-table specialist. She can be reached at (760) 703-4788.
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