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26 | OHCC LIVING | FEBRUARY 2026 | Newbies is the official welcoming group for Ocean Hills Country Club residents. We host quarterly potlucks where new and established residents can meet and socialize. We enjoyed a turnout of 71 people including 20 Newbies at the Dec. 13 holiday potluck in Abravanel Hall. We are grateful to Barbara DuDeck, OHCC Resident Realtor, whose kind sponsorship helped defray our expenses. A prize was awarded to the newest resident, Linda Corry, who moved into her home on Nov. 25. A second prize for newest went to John and Joy Paquette, who moved in Nov. 19. New residents Catherine Lepone and David Salko won a prize for moving here from the farthest away, New York. A team of Newbies volunteers checked in guests and arranged a beautiful potluck table. MC Rosemary Bray challenged the group with holiday trivia questions and Santa's helper Mike Ackerman delivered sparkly hats to the winners. This month we are spotlighting established residents, Ellen Kippel and her husband Ken Donohew. Originally from New York, Ellen moved to Fullerton, CA where she met Ken on July 4, 1975. Ken came from a military family and served in Afghanistan in a civilian capacity. He has a daughter and two grandchildren. He and Ellen purchased a home on Alicante hoping that Ken's mom would live in it, then rented it out for 20 years before retiring there. Ellen recalls attending her very first Newbies event in January 2007 shortly after the group was started by Karen Quimby and Rita Harper, who still live in the community! https://ohccnewbies.wixsite.com/ ohccnewbies/history Ellen served on the Corfu Board from 2007-2009 until the couple moved to a home on Tilos, where Ellen has served on the Zante Board from 2009 until present. Ellen was also on the Social Club Master Board for four years and still serves as the long-time President of Pet Lovers Club. The PLC works with the San Diego Humane Society in Oceanside, as well as Dirty Little Paws Cat Rescue and Frosted Faces. She is also Treasurer for the OHCC Library, Woodchucks, and her synagogue. She volunteers two mornings each month at the Library and during tax season she works two days a week for Interfaith Community Services completing tax returns for low-income citizens. Ellen's contributions to Ocean Hills Country Club and the wider community have been many and are very much appreciated! The next Newbies potluck will be held on Sat., March 7, from 1 to 3 pm in Abravanel Hall. Details will be publicized well in advance. For more information, email us at ohccnewbies@gmail.com or visit our website: https://ohccnewbies.wixsite.com/ohccnewbies. Written by Lynn Bible and Rosemary Bray, Newbies Co-Leaders Newbies Growing Tomatoes and Other Successful Vegetable Gardening Advice Few things in the garden are more satisfying than biting into a sun-warmed tomato fresh from the vine (and yes — tomatoes are fruits!). Yet for many of us, the dream of growing f lawless tomatoes and thriving vegetables can quickly turn frustrating. If it's not rodents or pests, something else always seems determined to sabotage our vision of a bountiful harvest. Just in time for spring planting, our February speaker, David Boucher, will share his expertise on vegetable gardening, with a special focus on growing tomatoes successfully. A Master Gardener since 2016, David has been cultivating his own organic vegetables in San Diego for more than 40 years. His Ocean Beach home garden was even featured on the 2021 San Diego Floral Association Garden Tour. We're delighted to have David join us and pass along his hard- earned knowledge. Event Details: Wed., Feb. 11 in Abravanel Hall with social time: at 9:30 am, and the meeting starts at 10 am. Although attendees aren't required to be a Garden Club member to attend the monthly meetings, we encourage you to join the Garden Club for just $10 per year – sign up at any meeting. Be sure to stop by the Share Table for gardening treasures. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting! Written by Betsy Davis OHCCgardenclub@gmail.com Garden Club Volunteers Jan Kawal and Susan Fishman David Boucher A healthy tomato plant

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