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THE CREATIVE SPOTLIGHT: IN MEMORIAM - DAVID BALSER 1947-2024 Below is David Balser's biography which was written for the Herald in 2023. His incredible talent for building model railroads will be remembered by the Four Seasons Hemet community for a long time. We appreciate David Balser for sharing his wonderful creative gis. ank you. "My cra is building model railroads, a hobby I have been involved in for over 60 years. Previous layouts I built have been featured in model railroad magazines. e current project was started in 2013 when we moved into Four Seasons and bought a house with a third garage. I now had a blank slate to begin my creation. e rst year was spent building walls, electrical outlets, air conditioning, and wood foundation. Since then I have spent countless hours constructing buildings, bridges, hand laying track, trees, and mountain scenery using rubber molds, plaster, and real rocks and dirt gathered locally. "e inspiration for my layout is the scenery and history of real railroads of the Eastern Sierra and the beautiful area located at 10,000 feet elevation on the John Muir trail called Onion Valley. While backpacking there in the 70s, I envisioned a narrow gauge railroad that would haul logs cut in the forest and gold ore that was mined, and then hauled down the mountain into the Owens Valley to be transferred to the Southern Pacic railroad. "All models on the layout are in a scale of 1/4 inch to the foot and the track is narrow gauge with 30" between the rails. e locomotives are powered by lithium batteries and are radio-controlled like a model airplane." | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | FEBRUARY 2025 | 25 Four Seasons Creative Group e Art Group: Royce Jerman oers "Painting Pals" on Tuesdays from 10 am to 1 pm and "Beading Buddies" on Wednesdays from 10 am to 1 pm in the e Lodge. No experience is necessary and all levels are welcome. Her email is royce742@gmail.com. Our Creativity Group: Our meetings are at 10 am on the fourth Monday each month except for November and December as these dates are during the holidays. Hope to see you on Feb. 24! e Creativity Group is not only for ne arts and cras creators but also for jewelry, digital art, photography, ber arts, musicians, model builders, actor and authors, etc. ANY CREATIVE IN THE COMMUNITY IS WELCOME! e current ocers are Lucia K wolfer, and Vicki Allen-Hitt, co- chairs. Royce Jerman is the member-at-large and is in charge of the Arts & Cras Shows. If you have any questions, please email Lucia K Wolfer at luciakwolfer@gmail.com. Visit and share your creations on our website: 4seasonscreativegroup.com.