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Dear Red Phone,

Wilder Ranch State Park is two state parks in one. Just north of Santa Cruz, Highway One divides this state park into two distinctly different landscapes. Coastside, the Ohlone Bluff Trail traces a twisting path along the crest of seaside cliffs. A fog free sunset here would surely send poets into a creative frenzy guaranteed to empty their inkwells.

Connor McConkie’s final project to become Christopher High School’s only new Eagle Scout this year must be completed before he turns 18 in November, and he is well on his way to achieving his goal. Connor says he looked for something that would be of true benefit to the Gilroy community.

A concert last weekend called Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park and a restaurant in Oakland called “Homeroom” lead us, of course, to our Great Gilroy Garlic Festival. “Homeroom” Co-owners Allison Arevalo and Erin Wade run a mac-and-cheese restaurant that serves up creamy goodness that is, by all accounts, “to die for.” At Outside Lands, which daughter Mariah attended, they served up 5,000 pounds of Gilroy Garlic Mac and Cheese in two and a half days, according to a story in the Contra Costa Times. Note to incoming G-Fest volunteer President Vito Mercado: Road trip to “Homeroom” is in order, meet Allison and Erin and get them to the festival. I’m thinking a booth for the Gilroy Garlic Mac and Cheese (near a microwbrew beer station) a guest appearance on the Cook-off Stage. Who wouldn’t want to take in a few mac-and-cheese recipe variations – and the recipes in their new cookbook “The Mac + Cheese Cookbook: 50 Simple Recipes from Homeroom, America’s Favorite Mac and Cheese Restaurant” are in the form of teacher lesson plans. That’s cool.

One of my friends mentioned a magazine article about how cats communicate and he asked me what I thought. Everyone agrees that most cats try to talk to us, especially when they’re hungry and it’s dinner time. Researchers have spent huge amounts of time and money trying to get inside the minds of domestic felines. (What a great job that must be; imagine getting paid to analyze kitty-cat conversations.)

Each spring, Bishop Patrick McGrath formulates a list of priests who will be assigned to different churches in the Diocese of San Jose. Then in July these priests must pull up stakes and move to a new parish. The process may be painful, as they leave behind familiar surroundings, friends and colleagues to face the unknown in a new rectory, church and community.

Creative, unique and inventive are understated adjectives when describing “Priscilla Queen Of The Desert.” The line “pushing the envelope” was made for this show, a production where the star is the award-winning costumes by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner and a bus, which comes onstage and helps an out-of-the-box story unfold. Written by Stephen Elliott and Allan Scott, directed by Simon Phillips and choreography by Ross Coleman, this jukebox musical uses pop songs as its score and romps through a story that has great humor and - at times - heart-wrenching moments.

I always get excited about the summer bounty of vegetables that grow in the home garden or found at the farmers’ market or the farm stand. Eating them while they are in season is the key to their superior quality.