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| LIFE IN SOLERA | JANUARY 2024 | 29 Wishing A Happy New Year to All! Here's a look back at all the fun Sippers events we had in 2023: January – Chinese New Year Party February – Valentine's Party March – Annual Membership Dinner/Dance April – Sippers Bingo May – Cinco De Mayo Party June – Bocce Ball Tournament (with free meal) July – Annual Progressive Wine Tasting Event August – Postponed due to Tropical Storm Hilary September – Wine Tasting by Gerrard's Market October – Western Party Dinner/Dance November – Movie Quote Trivia (with free meal) December – Annual Holiday Dinner/Dance 2024 will start out with a fun new event – a tribute to the late Jimmy Buffet, complete with cheeseburgers and margaritas – and (naturally) will feature his music. February will feature Wine Bingo and March will be our annual Membership Dinner/Dance. Don't miss out on all the fun. We know how to have a good time! If you're considering joining the Sippers, March is a good time to do it. Our membership "year" runs April 1 through March 31. New members signing up in March can sign up for the March event. Wine fun fact: Back in 1863, Vin Mariani wasn't your average French wine brand. The concoction was made from mixing six milligrams of coca leaves for each ounce of Bordeaux wine. The suggested intake was two to three glasses per day, but only one to two for children. The drink was a huge hit, and it was a favorite of Presidents William McKinley and Ulysses S. Grant, Queen Victoria of England, and even Pope Leo XIII. Once narcotics laws became stricter in the early 1900s, this wine became illegal. Membership is required if you are a Solera resident. For membership or other information, please contact Gary Stoh at (951) 845-1981 or garymstoh@aol.com. SOLERA SIPPERS Happy New Year from the Creative Writers Group. 2023 has come and gone, and now that 2024 has arrived it's the beginning of new things to come. Have you heard that there's a new group in Solera? It's the Creative Writers Group. This group is made up of men and women from all backgrounds and levels of writing experience but all with one thing in common; we all have a passion for writing and some who would like to learn to write. Our focus is writing short stories, fiction, and nonfiction and at times we also write poetry. Our first meeting took place on Nov. 17 and it was a success; seven people showed up and they all had their pen and paper ready. The meeting went well with each person sharing their history of writing and experiences. Our second meeting was on Dec. 1, and it also went very well with one new person who was added to our group and two more wanting to join us in January. I'm proud to say that during our first meeting we were joined by a well-seasoned writer that lives here in Solera as our guest and on our second meeting we also had a published author who signed up to join our group. Later, each one of us read aloud our story that we had written as our assignment for the week. As you can see, we are adding people of all stages in writing, beginners, intermediate and advanced. We are excited about our new Creative Writers Group and hope that you will join us or just pop in and say hello. We meet twice monthly, on the first Friday and on the third Friday of the month from 10 to 11:30 am in the Clubhouse Arts & Crafts Room or in Oakmont Room #3, depending on availability. Contact Adel James with any questions at (760) 219-1153 or via email reremedies@msn.com.s CREATIVE WRITERS