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10 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | DECEMBER 2018 By Clare Mendez, Resident A few Saturdays ago, on our way to the Oak Glen apple orchards along with thousands of other tourists, my husband and I discovered a little known, modest museum with an abundance of beautiful pieces of art and history. The Edward-Dean Museum and rose garden is just a half hour away, due north on Route 79, in the city of Cherry Valley. It is a treasure trove of European, Asian and North American art. It's much larger than it appears when you walk in. There are a total of seven galleries filled with drawings, sculptures, and decorative arts from the 16th to 19th centuries. The Pine Room was built with hand carved wood paneling by Grinling Gibbons, master wood carver of Saint Paul's Cathedral in England. After our visit I read a visitor's review on this museum. He commented on his annoyance with the docent looming over him while on tour. We didn't have an experience like that at all. In fact, a guard is present at most museum exhibits and we preferred having a docent instead of a security guard since they offer insight on where or how some of the pieces were obtained. If you are able to walk downstairs (there is no elevator), you'll find a library with a collection of unique books available for public use while at the facility. Yes, you can actually take them off the shelf and leaf through them. On display they also have a hand written account ledger from General George Washington. Sadly, the rose garden was looking tired from the summer heat. I can imagine it is beautiful in the spring. When we drove up to Oak Glen there were rows of cars parked along both north and south bound lanes and the parking lots were full. So we made a U-turn and headed back without stopping. It was not a good idea to go there on a weekend, but once we stopped at the Edward-Dean we felt our trip was not in vain. Live and learn, but never stop exploring. That's our motto. Address: 9401 Oak Glen Rd, Cherry Valley, CA 92223; (951) 845-2626 Admission is $5; veterans with ID and children under 12 are free. Museum hours are Thursday – Saturday 10 am to 5 pm; closed on holidays. The Edward-Dean Museum By Larry McGary, Resident In September, seven couples in the Soleras Drifters went to Priest Gulch Campground northeast of Dolores, Colorado. We went to Mesa Verde National Park and Telluride. At the camp some enjoyed hiking, 4-wheeling, and golf. Most of us though that this site was the best place we have ever camped. One evening we met at the indoor gazebo for dinner and games. Some evenings we went to Gary Ulrich's trailer for a fire and one night we had s'mores. We are hoping to have more of these kinds of trips in the future. Priest Gulch Campground