Travels with Heart by Annie Bowler, April 2, 2026 Vol 33 I haven’t traveled far recently, but have experienced an amazing journey, nonetheless. Read on to learn more... As some of you may know, I was born with a congenital heart defect, specifically a bicuspid aortic valve, meaning my aortic valve has two flaps instead of three. I was unaware of this fact until 17 years ago when I started to have a fib, which are disorganized electrical signals causing the heart to beat out of rhythm....

By Annie Bowler March 3, 2026 Volume 32 John and I took a much-needed break recently and boy, did we have grand fun! We headed to the “Grass Valley Center for the Arts” to hear the “American Patchwork Quartet” a group that reinterprets traditional folk songs with a "masterful confluence of tradition and innovation;" they combine American folk with global influences, including West African rhythms and East Asian musical elements. We enjoyed delicious Italian at Cirino's at Main Street and...

Travels with Heart: by Annie Bowler, February 5, 2026 Vol. 31 All five of our children attended Del Oro High School, for many years, John taught art and was the Varsity Men’s Soccer coach at DO and I volunteered and attended a countless number of events. Del Oro has been an important part of our lives for the more than 35 years; it’s been our home. There’s a deep and justifiable sense of local pride for D.O. as the Loomis community has a good thing going in our hometown high school. All these...