Alamo Today, December 2011

[email protected]

What Was Under the Bridge?Terrie Jauregui woke up the other morning to quite a surprise. Outside

her home on Ranger Ct near 580 and Stone Valley Road it looked like a violent crime scene. Blood was everywhere - and lots of it. Her husband, Alex, assumed their cat had killed a large rat.

Terrie noted her animals would not cross their Japanese style footbridge as usual - they went around it. There was movement around the side of the waterfall area and for the brief glimpse it did look like an enormous rat was lurking. Looking at their pond, Terrie noted some of their Koi fish were missing.

Splashing was heard as the animal kept going in the pond and coming out under their bridge. With the underside of the bridge being dark they could not discern what they were dealing with. Terrie placed a call to Animal Damage Control for help. The business owner came and removed some of the planks from the bridge and noted several of their deceased Koi.

A huge pole and noose were brought out to capture the beast. A 45 minute struggle to capture the beast followed. Much to everyone’s surprise, an otter appeared! None to happy about the situa-tion the otter was barking and growl-ing in frustration. He tried to escape up a hill but ended up back in the water. After a tense wrestling match the an-gry otter was confined in a cage.

The full-size male otter was about three feet long and approximately 25 pounds. It was estimated he came from the Delta through the creek, and heard running water in the pond. A trip up a 200’ hill led him to a well-stocked pond where dinner was waiting. The otter was relocated and on his merry way back to his more natural habitat.

Alamo Tree LightingThe Alamo Chamber of Com-

merce will present the 2011 Ala-mo Tree Lighting Festival at 5PM on Sunday, December 4th. The festival signals the beginning of the Christmas holiday season for families with an evening of car-oling, entertainment, beverages, and crafts. “Guests are urged to come early and stay late,” said the organizers.

Students from local schools, elementary through high school, will be performing, and Santa’s entrance this year is “top secret”!

Arts and crafts tables will be available from New Life Church in Alamo and from the San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church. Again, this year a professional photographer will be taking pictures with Santa that you can download from his website for FREE or order pro-fessional prints from him. There will also be light treats and beverages

Saving Lives: SRVFPD Has the App for ThatBy Jody Morgan

Originally offered in April 2010 as “FireDepartment,” the PulsePoint mobile ap-plication has come a long way since the concept was first sketched on deli napkins. Developed by the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District (SRVFPD) in part-nership with the College of Informatics at Northern Kentucky University, the app is free, fast, and user friendly. Simultaneously with the dispatch of an emergency response team by the local 911 Emergen-cy Response Center, the app alerts Smartphone us-ers who have downloaded it (some 45,000 to date). Users can select the types of events that concern them from a menu including everything from wildfires to medical emergencies.

“The app really started out of pure frustration,” relates Lucas Hirst. “This was emphasized during my paramedic training as I saw a lack of bystander CPR when a room full of people were simply a few feet away. Of course we never imagined the app would grow the way it has.”

Hirst was one of the SRVFPD Information Technology specialists lunching with Fire Chief Richard Price in 2009 when the incident igniting that frustra-tion occurred. They heard sirens. The wailing grew louder, closer. A fire truck pulled into the parking lot beside the deli. A cardiac emergency was happen-ing next door. With a paramedic at his table and a defibrillator in his car, Price realized that he and his companions could have provided critical timely aid, if only they had been contacted.

Fortunately, the victim survived. Price and his team reacted to the near trag-edy by brainstorming about how to use cell phone technology to alert trained individuals in the vicinity to the need for help. What began as a plan to alert department personnel, burgeoned into a method for calling the community. “It’s the 2011 version of: ‘Is there a doctor in the house?’” remarks Kimberly French, District Public Information Officer.

The application uses the GPS locators in the Smartphones of individuals who have indicated their certification in CPR, and willingness to perform it. The app sends a distinctive tone to potential responders within walking distance of a medical emergency occurring in a public place. The app also highlights the location of the nearest Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

In the case of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) the immediate intervention of qualified bystanders can achieve the lifesaving results. An estimated 325,000 individuals succumb to SCA in the United States each year - almost 1,000 people a day. The survival rate for victims nationally is lower than eight percent. Brain death occurs in four to six minutes, but even the best emergency medical services have response times exceeding seven minutes. Rallying responders in the immediate area to begin CPR can cut that response time dramatically.

Volume XI - Number 12 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, Alamo, CA 94507

Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397Fax (925) 406-0547

Alisa Corstorphine ~ [email protected]

Sharon Burke ~ [email protected]

The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not necessarily reflect that of Alamo Today. Alamo Today is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.

See Lighting continued on page 30

See App continued on page 22

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PulsePoint app alerts are sent simultaneously with the dispatch of emergency responders. Photo courtesy of SRVFPD.

www.yourmonthlypaper.com - December 2011 ~ Alamo Today

IRON HORSE EQUESTRIAN CENTER

This holiday season give your child a gift that will last them a life-time. Iron Horse Equestrian Center teaches our riders life-long lessons and skills to make them a more confident, independent person. We focus on each child’s strengths and give them the ability to take the reins of success into their own hands. Between our well-trained staff and personal trainers, your children are sure to get an experience they won’t soon forget.

For more information please contact our Trainer, Hilary Johnson at

[email protected]

home to theirs.As a child in a fam-

ily of seven people, Christmas morning was an hours long af-fair. Mom insisted that we open our presents one at a time to give proper respect to the gift and the gift giver. Now, as the family of seven has extended to a group of 24, plus any extras in need of a place to be on the holiday, a white el-ephant gift exchange has taken the place of individual gift giving. The white elephant exchanged usually becomes the ultimate form of recycling, transferring ownership of something silly or just plain weird, or hunting for outlandish thrift-store bargains! The exchange actually recreates what mom did in the past of having everyone opening a present one at a time to really see what each individual chose, or got stuck with!

Holidays for us have become a little less of needing the latest and greatest fad-present, in favor of more local, more earth friendly, and more meaning-ful treasures. On my list this year is to get the kids together for an updated family photo. It is something simple, meaningful, and timeless. Of course this requires the cooperation of the kids, but it doesn’t cost them a penny and on a college student’s budget that is usually a good thing!

May your holidays be warm and bright.

Alamo Today ~ December 2011 -

Holiday MemoriesBy Alisa Corstorphine, Editor

One year when we were living in Seattle my very creative sister came to visit with her two boys. She made Santa costumes for all of the kids except one (mine) who insisted on being Rudolph. We paraded them all down to the local department store to have their photo taken with their namesake. As we walked past the make-up counters the make-up artists were besides themselves and happy to add rosy cheeks to

the Santas and a red nose for Rudolph. Once posed Rudolph proudly stood to the side while the youngest, (also my child) who was not at all happy to be sitting in the lap of the bearded man himself!

The holidays are all about family and tradition. We love the togetherness, games, cooking, and presents. One “required” activity each year is to make frosted sugar cookies. Below is the recipe we have used...forever!Frosted Cookie Cutter Cookies

12 Tbs butter2 teas vanilla2 egg yolks3/4 cup sugar2 cups flourCream butter and sugar. Add egg

yolks, vanilla, and flour. Roll out to 1/4” thick. Cut with cookie cut-ters to desired shapes. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350o for 10-12 minutes. Cookies should barely start browning and still be soft. Let cool. Frost. (Frosting - 6T butter, 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk, 1 1/2 teas vanilla. Beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add 1/2 of the powdered sugar. Beat in milk and vanilla. Add remaining sugar until desired consis-tency. Divide into smaller bowls and dye with food coloring as desired). We share these cookies with our neighbors and friends as a treat from our

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

- December 2011 ~ Alamo Today

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Pick-up &DeliveryAvailable

AT AT AT AT

AAUW Holiday House TourThe American Association of University Women (AAUW) presents its 7th Annual Holiday Home Tour,

Friday and Saturday, December 9th and 10th from 10AM to 4PM. Tour five beautifully decorated homes in the Alamo, Diablo, and Danville area. Tickets are $35. Seniors 65+ tickets are $30. To order tickets, which include home locations and directions, please mail a check, payable to “Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek AAUW” along with a business-size, self-addressed, stamped envelope to: AAUW Holiday Home Tour, PO Box 996, Alamo, CA 94507. Tickets are also available at East Bay Flower Company located at 206 Sycamore Valley Rd W. in the Danville Livery (cash or checks only). Please, no children under 12. Profits from the Tour fund local scholarships for women completing their undergraduate or graduate degrees and for Tech Trek camperships, a week long residential summer camp, held at local universities, for middle school girls with interest in math and science. AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research.

Email questions to [email protected].

Christmas Memories ExhibitThe Museum of the San Ramon Valley presents their Christmas Memories

exhibit now through December 31st.On display this year is an1890's Christmas tree, Christmas villages, Santa’s

toy shop, an antique sleigh, a model train, Pooh corner, doll houses, flying Santa and reindeer, dancing cake and antique dolls and toys.

Come see Santa Claus on Saturday, Decem-ber 10th and 17th.

The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 1pm-4pm and on Saturday from 10am-1pm.

For more information visit www.museumsrv.org or call 925-837-3750.

One Warm Coat, 16th Season The San Ramon Valley Rotary invites the community to help those in

need this winter with the 16th Anniversary of “One Warm Coat, Protection from the Cold,” from now until December 14th at various spots in our area. Donations are needed for men, women, children, and infants.

Donations are being accepted at Edward Jones 100 Longbrook Way #3, Pleasant Hill, U.S. Bank 1655 N. Main Street, Walnut Creek, Dudum Real Estate Group 1910 Olympic Blvd #100, Walnut Creek, Crow Canyon Coun-try Club 711 Silver Lake Drive, Danville, Diablo Country Club 1700 Club House Road, Diablo, Heritage Bank 387 Diablo Road, Danville, Pascal’s

Café 155 Railroad Ave., Danville, Bulgary Jewelry 301 Hartz Avenue #107, Danville, and Sweeney Kovar Financial 3800 Blackhawk Road, Danville.

On December 1st, come to the Bishop Ranch Holiday Tree Lighting with a coat, sweater, or blanket in good, clean condition to donate, and enjoy re-freshments, Santa’s arrival, and more. The celebration will take place at 6111 Bollinger Canyon Road in San Ramon from 5:30-7:30PM.

To find out more about making a donation, visit www.sanramonvalleyrotary.com or call Dany at (925) 899-6771.

Veterans of Foreign WarsVeterans of Foreign Wars of the United States

(VFW), Post 75 of San Ramon Valley, meets ev-ery second Thursday of the month at the Swain House at Hap Magee Ranch Park, located at 1025 La Gonda Way in Danville. Doors open at 7PM and the meeting begins at 7:30PM.

Please note that we will not be hosting a meeting for the month of December. Our meetings will resume in January of 2012.

For more information, contact Post Com-mander Nathan Greene at (925) 875-1747 or visit www.vfwpost75.org.

Thank You From Delta Nu PsiThank you Alamo and Danville for your generous support for our service

men and women. We have now sent 22,052 pounds of “gourmet junk food” in 859 huge boxes to Iraq and Afghanistan. Because of your gener-osity at our last collections we do not need to collect during December. The few things that we will need we can purchase. If you still have chocolate Halloween candy to donate visit our website at www.deltanupsi.org.

[email protected] Alamo Today ~ December 2011 -

Westside Alamo. Gorgeousfloor plan, formal living anddining and family rooms, largebonus room, 5 bedrooms, master suite. .35 acre lot with pool.Room off pool with kitchen and1/2 bath. $1,350,000

Rick Fiset 925.362.0415www.101LaSerenaAve.com

Alamo. Prime Alamo Oaks! SUBDIVIDEABLE! Restore this mansion to Grandeur! 5000sf singlelevel estate on level knoll top ofapprx. 2.5 ACRES. Regionalviews, secluded at end of drive.Pool, shops, apt unit too! $1,695,000

Jay Weymouth 925.915.1100www.TeamWeymouth.com

Danville. Walk to downtownfrom this stunning & spacioushome in wooded setting. Convenient first floor unit approx1391 sq ft w/ 3 bedrooms (oneused as den). Large living roomw/wall of windows. Close to Iron HorseTrail, schools, shops, freeway. Communitypool & clubhouse. Regular sale. $339,000

Peter Bareiss 925.998.5334www.JustCallPeter.com

Gretchen Bryce 925.683.2477www.GretchenBryce.com

Alamo. REDUCED! Wonderfulestate like custom single story intranquil setting. Gated flat 1/2ac w/beautiful gardens & largepool/spa. Huge master suite w/fireplace & French doors opening to yard. Eat in kitchen w/granite counters, top of the line appliances. Short Sale.$1,235,000

Gretchen Bryce 925.683.2477www.GretchenBryce.com

Alamo. Great neighborhoodtucked at the back of WhiteGate. 2 story 4 bdrm 3.5 bthhome w/over 3100 sqft. updatedthroughout. Private backyard w/newly refinished pebble techpool & wonderful outdoor kitchen. Largegame rm w/pool table, plasma TV & moreincluded in the sale . $1,250,000

Alamo. Elegant Alamo Oaks! REBUILT AS NEW. LEVEL ACRE with Sparkling Pool, Heritage Oak, meadering walking paths, clssic circular drive and featuring approximately3700 square feet.GOURMET KITCHEN has Brazilian granite, Dacor 5 burner, walk aroundisland, plenty of hardwood, high ceilings,Arched windows, Custom lighting. Wonderful OPEN CONCEPT floor plan. Fabulous master with Spa Like Bath. Bonus room AU Pairwith SEPARATE KITCHEN and entry or 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths . $1,399,000

Jay Weymouth 925.915.1100 www.TeamWeymouth.com

Alamo Oaks. COMING SOON! Classic circular drive, SINGLE LEVELranch w/3 bdrms, office, 1.5 baths.Remodeled w/new kitchen, floorcoverings, windows, LARGE Bonusrm or family rm. Large detachedgarage w/workshop. Rear Patio toLEVEL COUNTRY ACRE, Views of HILLS, LARGETREES, CURB APPEAL. NOT ON MLS. $895,000

Jay Weymouth 925.915.1100www.TeamWeymouth.com



Wild, Weird, and Wonderful!Collections From our Valley

What possesses us to accumulate objects? Is it because of a personal connec-tion? Is it because of the objects’ particular beauty? Or is it because of a more deep-seated need to collect? Come and explore the history of early collections and the beginnings of museums while investigating our very own Curiosity Cabinet. The Museum of the San Ramon Valley will exhibit a distinctive and eclectic variety of collections from our own San Ramon Valley hunters and gatherers. Perhaps these objects will give you flight to the imagination, wings to the mind, and gaiety to the spirit. How Wild, Weird and Wonderful!

Attention all parents and grandparents! The museum would like to feature collec-tions belonging to children in the 3-5th grades that live in the San Ramon Valley. Chil-dren are to submit a photograph of their collection with their name, phone number, and address on the back. Three collections will be selected to be shown during the Wild, Weird and Wonderful exhibit in January-April. All photographs are non-returnable but will be shared as part of the exhibit. Please submit the photos to Museum of the San Ramon Valley, P.O. Box 39, Danville, CA 94526 by December 15, 2011.

An American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry survey reveals that 92% of adult respondents say an attractive

smile is an important social asset.

74% believe an unattractive smile can hurt a person’s chances for a successful career.

More than any other facial feature, a smile can reflect trust, comfort, confidence and the shortest path to

reflecting your personality.

Dr Rader is a graduate of the prestigious Las Vegas Institute (LVI), a renowned center for cosmetic,TMJ, and Neuromuscular

dentistry. He is one of a few dentists nationwide to complete Full Mouth Reconstruction curriculum at LVI.

Actual patient, smile design by Alex Rader, DDS

925.932.1855Alex Rader DDS General, Cosmetic, and Neuromuscular Dentistry 1855 San Miguel Dr, Suite 12 • Walnut Creek, CAwww.alexraderdds.com

C tn emngis noTurn your unwanted items into cash!

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Specializing in furniture and other valuablesI handle all the details and deliver you a check when your item sells.

Hard-working local college student with much experience.Call today to discuss items you’d like to sell.

Tato Corcoran • 925.858.7282 • [email protected]

Words and Music Glenn Staller, classical guitar soloist and instructor for the Town of Dan-

ville’s Recreation Department, will herald the holidays by performing seasonal selections on Wednesday, December 7th. Michael Barnard of Rakestraw Books will also display and discuss his book choices for holiday giving.

The program will be held at 1PM in the Mt. Diablo Room of the Danville Library located at 400 Front Street in Danville. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free.

Santa’s Workshop at Alamo PlazaCome and see Santa arrive on the Polar Express at Alamo Plaza Shopping

Center on Saturday, December 3rd from noon until 3PM. A face painter, balloonist, Frosty’s magic show, holiday crafts, and train rides will entertain families at the Center. Bring your camera and take pictures with Santa!

Alamo Plaza is located at Stone Valley Rd. and Danville Blvd. in Alamo. For more information, visit www.alamoplazashoppingcenter.com or www.facebook.com/alamoplaza.

Danville’s Candy Cane StrollExplore the many new shops and seasonal treats throughout downtown Dan-

ville this holiday season. Shopping and dining will be extra sweet this season. The Discover Danville Association merchants and restaurants will be distribut-ing candy canes to customers who want a chance to win a Shop Danville First themed raffle basket valued at over $500.

Event strolling maps will be available at participating businesses through Saturday, December 17th. Stroll along the streets in Downtown Danville this holiday season, shop, dine, and earn stamps for your chance to win one of two $500 gift baskets filled with holiday goodies and gift cards from participating Danville merchants and restaurants.

Shop and dine at ten or more of our participating shops and restaurants, and spend $10 or more at each location to earn a chance to win a Shop Danville First gift basket.

Holiday Concert Featuring Youth OrchestrasThe talented young performers of Diablo Regional Youth Orchestra and Young

Performers Orchestra present an upbeat, fun, musical program featuring such classic greats as Handel, Salieri, and Mozart plus chamber music and holiday medleys. The Leadership Ensemble will also present Mozart’s dazzling Divertimento in D, K. 136.

The concert will be held December 13th at 7PM at Shadelands Auditorium located at 1111 N. Wiget Lane in Walnut Creek. For information, call (925) 943-5846.

[email protected]

Drive-Thru Living NativitySee and hear the Christmas story come to

life as you drive through scenes surround-ing the birth of Jesus, narrated right inside your car. Cookies and hot chocolate will be provided free of charge. There may even be some live animals wandering around!

The event takes place December 16-18 from 6PM-8:30PM at the San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church located at 902 Danville Blvd in Alamo.

For more information call 837-5243, or email Luke Ham, Director of Youth Ministry, at [email protected].


The Exchange Club of San Ramon ValleyThe Exchange Club of San Ramon Valley meets for lunch the second

Wednesday of every month at Faz Restaurant in downtown Danville. The Club’s sign-in and social time begins at 11:30AM. The meeting starts promptly at noon and ends promptly at 1PM. Our one-hour program features guest speakers and a business networking speaker. Guests are welcome. Price is $16 for members and first time guests and $20 for returning guests.

For more information, call Karen Stepper, President, at (925) 275-2312, email [email protected], or visit www.srvexchangeclub.org.

presents…Holiday Harmony

The Blackhawk Chorus, celebrating its 20th year, and under the direction of Diane Gilfether, will perform several holiday favorites such as Little Drummer Boy, Christmas on Broadway, I’ll Be Home for Christmas,

Amazing Grace, Candle in the Night, and a medley - It’s a Wonderful Christmas. The Chorus will be accompanied by Randall Benway, assistant

director and accompanist, and the Golden Gate String Quartet.

8PM • Friday, December 9Resurrection Lutheran Church

7557 Amador Valley Blvd., Dublin$25/adults, $15/children 12 and under

For ticket information call 925-858-1580 or visit www.BlackhawkChorus.com

Call us and ask about Pentair’s IntelliFlo pump which qualifies for a $100

PG&E rebate!

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925.820.3640Want Soft Sparkling Algae Free Pool Water ?

Ask about the IntelliChlor salt chlorine generator

San Ramon Valley Newcomers ClubThe San Ramon Valley Newcomers Club invites new and long-time residents

to its monthly luncheon on December 15th at Bridges Golf Club Restaurant located at 9055 S. Gale Ridge Rd. in San Ramon. We meet from 11:30AM to 2PM, and the cost is $30. This is our annual Christmas luncheon, and there will be a gift exchange. Call Grace at 828-8554 for information and reservations.

Alamo-Danville Newcomer's ClubCome celebrate the holidays with a festive luncheon at Castlewood

Country Club. Enjoy a performance by the Monte Vista Beauty Shop Cho-rus ringing in the holidays with beautiful seasonal music. The luncheon is December 13th, 11:30am. Reservations are required. Please contact Marty for further information 925-838-8113.

AARP Tax-Aide Call for VolunteersDo you like working with people? Are you good with numbers? Contra Costa

County AARP Tax-Aide is looking for volunteers to become members of a team provid-ing free tax preparation for individuals of all ages. Volunteers are trained by Tax-Aide and become IRS Certified tax counselors. Other volunteer positions are available. For information or to apply, call LaVerne Gordon, District Coordinator, at (925) 726-3199. Orientation is in November, and classes for tax counselors start in January 2012.

One Week Host Families Needed for StudentsHigh school students from the south of France will be coming to our area

for one week, April 13th - April 20th. Host families are needed to take care of the students on the weekend, and evenings. Weekdays the students will travel with their class to explore San Francisco. This is a wonderful opportunity to expose your family to another culture and language. Students have a varying command of the English language and are looking to improve their English skills! For more information, visit www.exchange-students-lecas.com or email teacher Martine Causse at [email protected].

Holiday Classic FootballThe third annual Holiday Classic East Bay vs.

Sacramento all-star football game will be held De-cember 23rd at Monte Vista High school. Sacramento leads the series with one win, one tie, and no losses. The players playing in this game are a Who’s Who of Northern California talent. This is the last game of the year for these kids before they sign scholarship papers in February.

Leading the East Bay squad and trying to even the series is Monte Vista Head Coach Craig Bergman. Representing Monte Vista High school in the game is wide receiver Dan Scrithfield. San Ramon Valley High School stars include offensive linemen Jake Simonitch and Matt Fischer.

If the game weren’t fun enough X Factor's fan fa-vorite Tora Woloshin will be performing at halftime and then signing autographs and taking pictures.

For more information please call Matt Williams at 208-371-6479.



Alamo Elementary School Thanks and PraiseBy Stan Hitomi, Principal

The holiday season always reminds me of how much of a community we are at Alamo School. We are fortunate to have nearly 75% of our families directly involved in volunteering in our classrooms, with the PTA, and through the Ed Fund. Several recent volun-teer activities deserve special recognition.

Thank you to Jami Kane for spearheading Coins for a Cure. Alamo School students brought in a record $1364.52 in coins! Congratulations to Mrs. Benit’s 4th grade class that collected the most coins for a total of $363.60. Mrs. Dietler’s 5th grade class came in a close second at $346.83. Thank you to all our students who contributed.

Thank you to everyone who donated to One for the Books at the book fair. We collected over $200 and were able to donate 58 books to our sister school, Lake Elementary.

Thank you to Amy Silver for organizing the activities and treats for an incredibly successful Red Ribbon Week, and to the Alamo Cub Scouts for decorating the campus with red ribbons.

Thank you to the Alamo School 4th and 2nd grade Girl Scouts, for having their annual Service Project Food Drive. Vivian Meek coordinated the effort that provided much needed food to the Contra Costa Food Bank.

Thank you to Kristin and Chad Kiltz for coordinating the collection of candy for Blue Star Moms. This effort collected over 100 pounds of candy to support our troops and remove the temptations from our homes!

A HUGE thank you to Kody Wedell for constructing a “Bench of Dreams” at the entrance to Alamo School from Dapplegray Lane. Kody, an Eagle Scout candidate, is an alumnus of Alamo School and has created a beautiful bench and garden as his Eagle Scout Project. It will give generations of Mustangs a place to sit and reflect as they wait for their carpool.

All of these activities took place during the past month! These efforts help to inform and encourage our students to recognize the importance of volunteering and helping others. It’s hard to imagine the thousands of hours of volunteer work that go on during the course of an entire year!

A final thanks to Andrea Siu for organizing the PTA Reflections Program for Alamo School! Congratulations to all of our talented participants. Once again, Alamo students shine!

This year’s winners, advancing to San Ramon Valley District are: Photography, Primary Level: Colby Milligan, “Diversity in Different Kinds of Animals,” Photog-raphy, Intermediate Level: Aidan Morgan, “Chalk Rainbow,” Visual Arts, Primary Level: Madison Siu, “The Six Beautiful Butterflies,” Visual Arts, Intermediate Level: Stephen Giverts, “Diversity Leads to Victory.”

UPCOMING EVENTS:December 2 – PTA Holiday LuncheonDecember 4 – Alamo Tree LightingDecember 9 – Winter Concert 7PM – all chorus, band and chime studentsDecember 19 – January 3 – Winter Break

Upcoming Meetings and EventsAIA - Alamo Improvement Association - December 7th , 7pm - Creekside Community Church -1350 Danville Blvd.Alamo MAC (Municipal Advisory Committee) - First and third Tuesdays 6pm - The Cottage at Hap Magee Park Hap Magee Ranch Joint Planning and Operations Committee - December 1st - 5pm - The Cottage at Hap Magee ParkP2B - Police Services Advisory Committee - December 5th , 4:30pm - Meets at Valley Station located at 150 Alamo PlazaP5 - Round Hill Police Services Advisory Committee - December 14th, 7pm - Meets at Round Hill Country Club - Lower Level Meeting Room CERT classes - Community Emergency Response Team - Visit www.firedepartment.org/community_outreach/cert/upcoming_classes.asp

Carols Old and New Voices of Musica Sacra sings Carols Old and New, featuring traditional

carols from France and Spain, works by Jacobus Gallus (Handl) from Ger-many, 15th and 16th century carols from England, recent pieces by Gustav Holst and John Rutter, and American carols ranging from shape-note singing to Charles Ives and Alfred Burt, and even one from Canada. The program concludes with a carol sing-along. John Kendall Bailey is music director.

• Saturday, December 3rd ~ 2PM ~ St. Francis of Assisi Church, 860 Oak Grove Rd., Concord

• Sunday, December 4th ~ 2PM ~ St. Stephen Catholic Church, 1101 Keaveny Ct., Walnut Creek

Tickets cost $20 adults, $15 seniors/students, and children 5-12 free. For more information visit www.vmschorus.org.

Holiday Harmony with the Blackhawk ChorusThe 140-member, mixed-voice Blackhawk Chorus is presenting Holiday

Harmony, an exciting and engaging concert of holiday music for the whole family. The Chorus will offer a program with something for everyone. It will include Stars I Shall Find, a medley titled Christmas On Broadway and a stirring arrangement of Amazing Grace along with other favorite family carols and some more secular songs of the season. The Blackhawk Jazz, a small group drawn from Chorus members, will perform an up-tempo and contemporary arrangement of Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.

The Blackhawk Chorus is delighted once again to be accompanied by the Golden Gate String Quartet in these concerts. This quartet includes very ac-complished musicians from major regional orchestras. The Blackhawk Chorus’ Assistant Director Randall Benway will accompany the Chorus on the piano.

Continuing its tradition of starting each concert series with a performance for the seniors at Diablo Lodge, The Blackhawk Chorus will present its concert for everyone in the San Ramon Valley area, their family, and friends at 8pm Saturday, December 9th, at Resurrection Lutheran Church, 7557 Amador Valley Boulevard Dublin.

The Blackhawk Chorus will also perform outside the San Ramon Valley this season, at Temple Hill in Oakland at 7pm on Sunday December 4th.

“Now in our 21st year, the chorus continues to improve,” says Diane Gilfether, founding director of The Blackhawk Chorus. “The Chorus is always evolving with new members joining the strong base of existing singers.”

This new Blackhawk Chorus concert program provides an excellent way to start the holiday season – and tickets usually sell out quickly.

Tickets for the Resurrection Lutheran Church performance are $25 for adults and $15 for children12 and under. Call 925-828-1580 to order tickets. The Temple Hill concert in Oakland is free.

The Blackhawk Chorus began in 1991 with 12 women whose dedication to and fondness for music was exemplary. Under the direction of former opera star and voice coach Diane Gilfether, word spread of the success of the group and in the following year, men were invited to participate. Now the chorus performs regularly in the East San Francisco Bay Area.

The Blackhawk Chorus performed by invitation at Avery Fisher Hall in New York in March of 2010. It represented the state of California in the American Music Festival in June 2003 in Austria and the Czech Republic, sang at High Mass in Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica 2005, and performed concerts in the United Kingdom (London, Wales and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland) in 2007. The Blackhawk Chorus will visit England and Ireland for its next international concert tour in 2012.

For more information about the chorus visit www.blackhawkchorus.com.

Fundraiser for Bay Area Crisis NurseryThe Shannon B. Jones Law Group is sponsoring a donation drive on

behalf of the Bay Area Crisis Nursery in Contra Costa County (BACN). The BACN was started in 1981 to prevent abuse and neglect of children by providing support to families who are in stress or crisis. The Crisis Nursery assists families who have lost their jobs, become homeless, have substance abuse issues, or domestic abuse problems. Their primary service is to provide a warm, loving, and homelike environment for children birth through eleven years of age by offering 24-hour residential care.

The facility is in great need of a number of items. In particular need are the following things for children: soft bristle toothbrushes, toothpaste, toiletries, new toys, books, clothes, and games.

Items will be collected until December 16th when they will be delivered to the Crisis Nursery. Please donate items or make a cash donation to the Crisis Nursery at the Law Group offices located at 208 W. El Pintado in Danville. For information call 925-837-2315.


Rancho Romero Elementary School By Skye Larsh, PrincipalIn January 2011 the technology leadership team at Rancho Romero drafted a vision statement and a specific goal to increase the use

of digital tools from an exploration stage to an infusion stage. The leadership team, staff, and School Site Council agreed that in order to support students with rigor and relevance, digital tools currently used for extension and enrichment activities or simple information gathering had to shift to emphasize higher levels of thinking and problem-solving within the grade-level content. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us that technology is impacting every aspect of our lives – and it probably shouldn’t come as any surprise that younger and younger people will have technology as an integral part of their lives before reaching public school age.

What might that mean to the school environment?Over the summer, three significant forms of technology were acquired to set the ball in motion, including a set of 32 iPads, video-

conferencing equipment, and several new classroom laptops. A second generous donation of four new iPads was recently made to the resource program. These acquisitions were made possible by parents, district staff, and site staff. While digital tools are necessary to achieve the goal, they are only part of the equation. The shift really comes about through a focused plan involving staff training and time to play, experiment, share, and design lessons that infuse the tools and resources.

Matt Graham, Rancho Romero technology teacher and specialist, has been an essential player in laying the ground work. He works closely with classroom teachers and administration to strike the right balance between learning and doing. Matt’s schedule allows for whole class computer lab time, while leaving time to assist, model, and/or collaborate with teachers in the classrooms. With only one set of iPads, a schedule permits teachers to share the class set or divide them up within the grade level for collaborative work. To the greatest extent possible, we want to get the iPads in the hands of teachers and students regularly. During the last staff meeting teachers used iPads for critical thinking, experimenting with various applica-tions to solve problems. Students are also enjoying afterschool enrichment classes, using State animation software to create short cartoon stories and make videos using iPads and iMovie. Student work will be shown throughout the year on the weekly broadcasts.

The technology leadership team is in the process of identifying a menu of staff devel-opment options to offer during the course of the year. Ideas in play include managing multiple digital devices in the classroom, creating challenge-based lessons, integrating videoconferencing, and utilizing functional programs such as Google Docs. Interest and ideas for using iPads spring up across the campus daily expressed from grade level teams, to the science teacher, to the art and music teachers. There is no question that students and staff are excited by the inclusion of iPads in the classroom. They are powerful and versatile tools with a multitude of applications.

Concluding our first trimester, we should all feel very pleased with the progress that has been made in the implementation of digital tools and resources. Thank you Mr. Graham, Rancho Romero staff, and parents for your willingness to take risks and continue solid and relevant dialogue.

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Monte Vista High School By Janet Terranova, Principal

The holidays are approaching and with that one of the busiest times of the year for our students and families. Our fall sports are coming to an end and winter sports are beginning with practices and scrim-mages. The month of December finds not only our sports teams preparing for their season but students participating in band concerts, drama productions, choral performances, and speech and debate competi-

tions. More importantly, December finds our entire community involved in giving back to our community and beyond.

The leadership class rallies the entire school to “Adopt a Family,” a program that provides gifts and food for 50-60 families in Contra Costa County. Classes may also choose to fill stockings for our sister school, Verde Elementary in Richmond. This year we hope to provide 400 stockings for these deserving students. Our leadership students will bring stockings to Verde on December 9th when they spend the day interacting with the elementary students.

Throughout the year our students and community embrace the concept of giving back to others. Our clubs and athletic teams all participate in community service projects from supporting breast cancer awareness, to the Ronald Mc Donald House, to providing support to children around the world. Our booster clubs and PTSA continually search out opportunities to provide needed resources to Monte Vista. I am very proud of our students and community. They understand the importance of giving.

On Thursday, November 17th students at Monte Vista had the opportunity to hear a powerful guest speaker, Marion Blumenthal Lazan, a Holocaust survivor. In her presentation Ms. Lazan spoke to the students about her experiences in a Nazi concentration camp, her liberation, and her life in the United States after the war. She told the students about her experiences but moved beyond the actual events of her life and spoke to the students about their responsibility to be tolerant of others, to be true to themselves and not blindly follow others. Her remarkable story was an inspiration to our students.

As a staff we wish you a happy and safe holiday.If you would like more information about Monte Vista and our activities,

please visit our website at www.mvhigh.org.

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Stone Valley Middle School By Shaun McElroy, Principal

“I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.” - Edith Ann, [Lily Tomlin]What’s in Your (Educational) Wallet?

In the last issue of this paper I wrote about using “Instructional rounds” as a means to improve in-struction. To date we have completed two of the five scheduled rounds. The level of dialogue that happens

between two (or more) professionals is the pathway to improved instruction. I invite you to read the summary of our first two visits.

Thursday 11.10.11 - Palo Alto USD Director of Instruction, Dr. Michael Milliken and Judy Argumendo, Beginning Teacher Support and English Lan-guage Development Coordinator spent the morning with the Stone Valley (SV) Administrative Team and a few teachers. The intent of the visit was to examine our practices that support our struggling students. Here are their comments:

“Judy and I came away incredibly impressed by your collaboration, pro-fessionalism, and innovative practices. You are doing great work, and your excellent learning outcomes are obviously well deserved. Hearing about your staff collaboration, use of student learning data, academic support for students, application of technology, counseling, parent engagement, and community building efforts gave us a ton of ideas that will help us reenergize and improve our middle school work in Palo Alto USD.”

Tuesday 11.15.11 - SV math and resource team visited JL Stanford Middle School (JLS) in Palo Alto and Corte Madera Middle School in Portola Val-ley. Here is my refection of the school visits.

SV teachers visited all levels of math and resource classes to observe other practitioners doing similar work. The classroom visits at both schools were followed by rigorous dialogue between the two staffs and principals. This type of professional dialogue will lead us improving student learning. Corte Madera is nearly 1:1 (iPads, Macbooks and mini-Dell Laptops) in grades 4-8 and teachers and students are all on Google Docs. Class size was less than 20 in most classrooms. Math classes were very traditional but seating was always in pairs and groups. JLS Middle School has an enormous campus of 22 acres and over 1000 students. Every classroom is outfitted with a sound system and an interactive whiteboard. JLS, like Corte Madera, had students seated in pairs and groups to maximize student interaction. We also noticed that students were well behaved and on task in nearly every setting, this is a clear indicator that these students have invested in their own education. Our teachers will continue to interact with both staffs as they think through the visits and conversations. Ed Fund and PTA Positions Still Need Filling

There are still a few PTA positions needed to be filled for this school year. If you are interested in any of the following, please contact Sue Herrero at [email protected].

Youth to Youth Chair: Publicize event and organize transportation.Registration Chair(s): Work with the school office on flyers for registration,

organize group for stuffing back-to-school packets, recruit volunteers to work

registration, manage and oversee registration process. Note: This position is for the 2012-2013 school year, however turnover will begin as early as October.

Beautification Chair: Assist Mr. Hager with the maintenance of the school garden, manage and oversee the building of additions to the schools “Garden Center,” organize any other projects as needed for the beautifica-tion of the school.Students Team Up with Pledge to Humanity and Blue Star Moms

Stone Valley students gratefully relinquished their hard earned Hallow-een candy to support the US Armed Services personnel serving overseas. The class competition lasted only four days but the student body rallied and matched the total from 2010. Here are the results by class: 3rd place 8th grade total -145.5lbs, 2nd place 6th grade total -162.75lbs, 1st Place 7th grade total -188.5lbs. That’s a total of 496.75 total pounds!

All candy was sorted and packaged to send overseas. To see photo of the packaging event go to www.pledgetohumanity.org. Note: A late undesignated donation brought the actual total to over 500lbs!

Our next event will is a Warm Winter Coat Drive then begins on Monday November 28th. We are collecting coats of all sizes, new or gently used. Coats can be dropped off at the front office. Principal’s Office is Open for Business

I believe that everyone has an opinion about education and no one person holds all the answers to what works and what doesn’t work. Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions with me via personal visit, email, or phone call.

I can be contacted for an appointment through Denise True [email protected] or 925-855-5800. My email address is [email protected]. I look for-ward to the conversation.

Happy Holidays!


San Ramon Valley High School By Joseph A. Ianora, Principal

The race is on to the New Year! Halloween is hard to remember (although I still have plenty of candy left in my office), the Thanksgiving leftovers are long gone, and I am frantically trying to finish Santa’s shopping list.

When I sit down and reflect over the past four months we have been in school, I realize that we have accomplished so much and yet we are still trying

to squeeze in those last pearls before the break. Amid all of the education, extra-curricular activities, co-curricular activities, sports activities, and the general chaos that make up our daily routine, life (and time) goes on! The winter break provides a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with your child (or children) and enjoy quiet from some of the daily chaos. I en-courage you to dialogue with your son or daughter about what is going on at school both socially and academically.

I have listed below some of the many wonderful and challenging events that have occurred over the past four months:

1. We are constantly working to provide a safe school climate for all students. We have had multiple speakers address the effects of bullying, self confidence, drugs and alcohol.

2. We have recently purchased 120 iPads to create two mobile and one stationary lab

3. We have put on award winning productions in both Dance and Theater 4. We have showcased our musical talent through vocal and instrumental venues5. Teacher isolationism has been diminished and professional learning

has occurred through collaborative team meetings6. We continue to work on common formative assessments and common

course syllabi within a subject level7. The school culture is changing to a focus on student learning with an

emphasis on these 5 C’s – Curiosity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Com-munication, and Creativity.

8. Our API (STAR Testing) score is up, and we have met our APY goals9. We have an active “Dad’s” group on campus10. Students have shown their concern about trash on our campus and

have made a noticeable effort to keep our campus clean. We also have a sustainable garden on campus.

11. Our school community is enjoying the benefits of a new snack shack and restroom facility in our stadium

12. The peer tutoring program is expanding to meet the needs of our students

13. Fall athletics was good to SRVHS – football, volleyball, golf, tennis, x-country, and water polo all advanced to NCS playoffs

This has been, and will continue to be, a wonderful school year filled with peaks, plateaus, and valleys of every imaginable shape and size. As we make this exciting journey I want to encourage you to continue to dialogue with your student. Ask “What did you learn today at school?” as well as “Why did you learn it?”

Thank you for an exciting, challenging, and wonderful close to the 2011 year. I look forward to the many new and interesting changes that make SRVHS one of the best places for our students to receive an education.

I hope the 2012 year will hold great success for all of you!

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Danville Community Band - 10 Years of ChristmasThe 80+-piece, all-volunteer Danville Community Band, led by Robert

Calonico and founding director, Lawrence Anderson, presents 10 Years of Christmas with the Danville Community Band. This is a program of memorable and exciting holiday music. Silent Night in Gotham, Rhapsody for Hanukkah, Fanfare and Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and the narrated T’was the Night Before Christmas are just some of the selections featured. A visitor from the North Pole may appear as well.

Join us for our annual family event as the band celebrates the holidays and its 10th Anniversary Year on Sunday, December 4th at 3pm at the East Bay Fellowship located at 2615 Camino Tassajara in Danville. Concert admission and parking are FREE!

For information about future concerts, including our upcoming Dinner Con-cert, February 12th at the Diablo Country Club, see www.danvilleband.org.


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While you are online searching for eco-friendly fleece, you might also want to check out other sustainable clothing companies. Many items from these companies can be purchased through Amazon.com, or any other number of online retailers.

The holidays are not only a time for giving and receiving from your loved ones, but they are also a time to give back to the world that we live in. One way to help the planet and assist those who are less fortunate than you is to go through your closet so you can donate clothes and recycle shoes. Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program (www.nikereuseashoe.com) takes your old athletic shoes and reuses them for athletic grounds or apparel. Another way to give back is to buy a pair of Tom’s shoes (www.toms.com). For every pair of shoes (or glasses) you buy from Tom’s, a pair is donated to a child in need. As of September 2010, over one million pairs were donated to children around the world, including here at home in the United States.

Of course, we always encourage people to shop locally. There are many wonderful stores in the area that sell locally and/or organically-produced goods, including clothing. For the list of Danville Area Sustainable Busi-nesses, visit the Sustainable Danville Area website at www.sustainable-danville.com. You will find clothing stores, restaurants, home furnishing studios, and more. By shopping at these local businesses you will not only be helping the environment, but you will also be supporting your neighbors and helping the local economy.

Sustainable Danville Area wishes our friends and supporters a happy and peaceful holiday season. There will not be a forum in December, but we hope to see you in the New Year. For more information, please visit us at www.sustainabledanville.com, on Facebook or @greendanville on Twitter.

Green Looks Good on You This Holiday SeasonBy Rachel Egan

As the holiday season quickly approaches, many people are developing lists of presents to

give loved ones. From toys to clothing, it’s easy to go to the mall and check off everything on your list without giving it a second thought – but gift giv-ing is sweeter when the gift is exactly what the person wants and also helps our environment and community.

If you have ever watched the AMC show Mad Men, and then gone out in Danville, Alamo or even San Francisco, you might notice that there is a similarity between the fashion on the streets and in the show. That’s because fashion comes full circle. Checking consignment stores for high quality cloth-ing and accessories is the perfect place to start. Purchasing used items is not only environmentally friendly, but it is also a great way to say, “I saw this and thought of you.” Our community has a wonderful collection of consignment and antique stores, including Danville Area Sustainable Businesses Consign It Couture, and Cottage Jewel that offer a plethora of unique fashion choices for holiday gifts.

Purchasing items made in the USA is a great way to get quality items and boost our economy at the same time. Companies located within the United States are held to much stricter environmental and pollution standards than many of their foreign competitors which means the factories are more envi-ronmentally friendly and the quality of your clothing is higher.

Just like any other organic product, growing cotton organically prevents pesticides from entering groundwater, a large contributor to the world’s fresh water supply. In fact, today 50 percent of groundwater is contaminated with pesticides from agricultural production – including cotton. Companies such as Adidas, Pottery Barn, and Levi’s (to name a few) are making commitments to help alleviate groundwater pollution by using organic cotton in their product production. Locally, Danville Area Sustainable Business Olive Boutique offers sustainable fashion made with 100% organic materials for all occasions.

Do you recycle at home, but wonder where those plastic bottles ultimately go? You may not have to look much further than your closet. By doing some minimal research online, you can find companies that use partially or 100% recycled material for their fleece products. Not only will you help the envi-ronment by purchasing fleece clothes made out of recycled plastics, but you will keep your loved ones warm and cozy all winter.

ADAS Supper Meeting – School Grant AwardsThe December meeting of the Alamo Danville Artists’ Society (ADAS)

is the annual School Grant Awards potluck supper, where 24 schools in the San Ramon Valley School District (SRVSD) will receive Grant Awards.

This year ADAS is donating $9,000 to the San Ramon Valley School district to teachers who have applied for Grants for art supplies or projects.

The meeting will be held Tuesday, December 13th. The following schools are receiving Grants for their re-quested art class projects: Bollinger Canyon, Charlotte Wood, Country Club, Coyote Creek, Diablo Vista, Gale Ranch, Golden View, Green Valley, Greenbrook, Iron Horse, John Baldwin, Live Oak, Los Cerros, Montair, Montevideo, Pine Valley, Quail Run, Rancho Romero, Stone Valley, Sycamore, Tassajara Hills, Twin Creeks, Vista Grande, and Windemere

The cash awards will be made by Barbara Farmer, faculty member of the school district and a member of the ADAS Board of Directors. The school teachers, principals, and parents will show and tell us how our money is spent on the many assorted art class and school projects. All members and visitors are welcome to at-tend. For more information and dinner details please visit www.adas4art.org.

The Alamo Danville Artists’ Society, founded in 1977, is a non-profit organization providing monetary contribution in support of art programs in the San Ramon Valley School District. Membership includes artists and patrons who appreciate the visual arts. ADAS hosts distinguished and nationally known guest artists at the monthly meetings.

To place an ad, share a story, or for more information about our papers, call us at 925.405.6397 or visit our website


[email protected] Care of Your PetsBy Deborah Knibb, D.V.M.

The rainy season brings with it the dreaded disease carry-ing tick who inhabits tall grasses and areas heavily populated with oak trees. I am pleased to announce new, safer and more efficacious flea and tick control products for both cats and dogs. One product available for dogs can save pet owners

money as it is multipurpose for heartworm disease, intestinal parasites, and fleas. Lyme vaccine is available for dogs to protect them from the tick-borne disease

and is recommended for dogs exposed to ticks, particularly hunting dogs. Initially, dogs receive two boosters 2-3 weeks apart followed by an annual booster.

If you see a tick on your pet, we can remove it for you or you can rotate the ticks body clockwise, then counterclockwise, until it backs out of your pet’s skin. It is advisable to wear gloves. Do not pull the tick straight out as this tends to have the tick burrow deeper. Cleanse the area where the tick was with an antiseptic for a few days. I recommend starting the pet on antibiotics if multiple ticks have been feeding on your pet.

Ticks of all species can infect pets and pet owners with other organisms such as anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and ehrlichia. These then can result in serious life-threatening autoimmune diseases. Chronic fa-tigue in people is a common symptom and many of these diseases are zoonotic, meaning that they can be transferred to people from pets.

Vaccines are designed to prevent disease. Recently, there was concern about parvo virus at a local dog park. Rest assured that if you have your dog vaccinated annually with the DHLPP vaccine, parvo is included in the vaccine and thus will protect your dog. The exceptions being puppies, dogs older than 8-10 years, or dogs who are immunosuppressed by certain medicines such as prednisone or chemotherapy drugs. If you are concerned, there is a single vaccine which con-tains parvo exclusively and your dog can be boostered at any time.

Merry Christmas! Please remember to keep your animals away from chocolate, string decorations, raisins, grapes, and alcohol as all can be extremely harmful to your pet.

Please visit Alamo Plaza Pet Care Clinic located at 230 -A Alamo Plaza in Alamo, for all of your pets needs. We welcome walk-ins, but prefer appoint-ments. We now offer a doctor on staff for after-hour emergency consultation and care. Please call us at 925-820-2200 or 925-998-8368. Advertorial


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The Alamo Women’s Clubinvites you to

Hospice Tree Lighting ... A Time for Reflection

A Holiday Luncheon ...A Time for Cheer

December 14th

Alamo Women’s Club1401 Danville Blvd., Alamo

11:30 - White Elephant Auction and Bake Sale*

12:15 - Hospice Tree Lighting12:30 - Luncheon hosted by

the Alamo Women’s Club

Featuring entertainment by

Rancho Romero Elementary& Hank Holmes

The lighting of the tree will be performed by

Chase Whitley

RSVP before December 8th to Carol Atwater

925-930-6095 ([email protected])

*Auction benefits Hospice of the East Bay

Alamo Women’s ClubWhere Women Come Together to Work Toward a Better Community for AllDECEMBER

1 - Holiday Clubhouse Decorating! - All day4 – Pancake Breakfast with Santa - Two sittings - 9-10:30AM & 10:30AM - noon5 - Executive Board Meeting - 4PM

6 - Let’s Walk! - 3-4PM, meet @ Clubhouse7 - Mah Jongg - 10:30-12:30PM

13 - Cards Club - 9-12PM AND Let’s Walk! - 3-4PM, meet @ Clubhouse14 - Business Meeting - 11:30AM, Hospice Tree Lighting, Bake Sale & potluck luncheon - All invited!27 - Let’s Walk! - 3-4PM, meet @ Clubhouse

JANUARY3 - Let’s Walk! - 3-4PM, meet @ Clubhouse4 - Mah Jongg - 10:30-12:30PM

9- Executive Board Meeting - 4PM

10 - Cards Club -9-12PM AND Let’s Walk! - 3-4PM, meet @ Clubhouse11 - Business Meeting - 11:30AM, hands-on project17 - Let’s Walk! - 3-4PM, meet @ Clubhouse18 - Mah Jongg - 10:30-12:30PM AND Book Club I - 1PM AND Book Club II - 2PM

24 - Let’s Walk! - 3-4PM, meet @ Clubhouse25 - Program Meeting - 11:30AM, Jan Wahl, Movie Critic28 - Annual Crab Feed Fundraiser31 - Let’s Walk! - 3-4PM, meet @ Clubhouse AND See Academy Awards Nominated Movie &

Munchies NightWant to become a member?

Be our guest at one of our events to learn about our Club’s phi-lanthropies and mingle with the members. If you’ve been think-ing about joining, our luncheons are the perfect occasion to join us at the Clubhouse located at 1401 Danville Blvd in Alamo. Please respond to Nancy Dom-mes, Membership Chair, by calling 831-0111 or emailing [email protected], and bring a friend, too!

For questions, please contact President, Nancy Combs at [email protected].

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA!

Alamo Women’s Club1401 Danville Blvd, AlamoSunday, December 4th

Two seatings: 9am to 10:30am & 10:30am to 12pm

Breakfast: Pancakes, fruit, sausages and more!Tickets: $10/Adult, $5/Child Tickets will be for sale the day of the event.

Contact Pamela Singh at [email protected] or 925-389-9866 for more information.

Fundraiser will benefit the following Alamo Women’s Club charitable organizations:• Canine Companions for Independence • Youth Homes• STAND! For Families Free of Violence • George Mark Children’s House • Knit For The Kids • Hospice Foundation of the East Bay• Volunteer and Emergency Services Team in Action (VESTIA)

Ticket proceeds are tax-deductible.

HOLIDAY VIGIL REMEMBERING THOSE WE

LOVE December 11

7 p.m.

Danville Library Front Lawn Candle Lighting, Readings, Remembrance, Words of Hope

During the holidays while many people are enjoying their traditions and joyfully experiencing all that the season has to offer, many others are emotionally mindful of the loved ones they have lost whom they miss dearly during this time. The Chaplains of the San Ramon Valley Fire District wish to extend an invitation to the whole community to come and remember those we have lost and still love while we also encourage one another as a community. The death of a child, spouse or anyone dear…whether recently or not….makes this time of year particularly difficult, if not bittersweet. Come remember, honor and support one another in this brief ceremony. Invite others. Reach out to those you know who are struggling. Come.

Sponsored by San Ramon Valley Fire District Chaplains

Your Community OpportunityBy Nathan Greene (USAF), Com-mander, VFW Post 75

YOU have the opportunity to make a dif-ference by naming a portion of the Veterans Memorial building or donating towards a permanent plaque honoring your family or a Veteran. The 85-year-old building is being renovated and expanded for Veterans and community activities.

The last surviving WWI Veteran, Frank Buckles, recently died at age 110. About 1,000 WWII Veter-ans pass away every day. Those from the Korean conflict and all conflicts since are also leaving us, many without the help available through Veterans’ services and the Veterans Administration. These services will now be available in the finished building.

Veterans’ buildings throughout the United States were built with the commitment to serve Veterans in perpetuity. Most Veterans are either retired or on disability with limited incomes. Funding the Veterans por-tion of this over eight million dollar construction finds us presently short of our goal by about two million dollars.

Please consider a sizable tax deductible donation towards this project. You can learn more and make a donation by visiting www.srvVeteransHall.org or by calling our Veterans office at (925) 362-9806. Thank you.


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A comfortable and fun place to be, Forli has become the place in the valley for celebrating family events like birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and rehearsal dinners. The updated menu with new chef Guiseppe De Maio offers an eclectic fusion of Northern and Southern Italian cuisine.

Wonderful Italian cuisine to nourish the body and real Italian hospitality to nourish the soul.

Opening December 2011

Remembering Those We LoveBy Nick Vleisides, Community Chaplain Specialist

We think of the holidays as a time of joy and good cheer amidst the celebrations of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. We travel to be with family. We shop and spend money. We attend numerous parties, events, and religious services. We remember years past all the way back to our often idyllic childhood and all the memories. We decorate. We eat. We love. But, for a good many people the holidays represent the most difficult time of the year.

Several years ago, as a chaplain, I was called out to a home around Christmas time. I was not aware of the nature of the call except that “someone died and we need a chaplain!” Parked outside were several sheriff patrol cars, fire trucks, an ambulance and even the Life Flight helicopter. As I was walking up the driveway, the fire chief told me the situation, “An 11 year old boy suddenly died while lying on the couch. No known cause.” Mom and dad along with the other two younger siblings were all getting ready for school and work that day and the boy had been home sick since the day before with what they thought was a regular flu. They had already been in contact with a doctor. They were not aware that he had an intestinal condition giving cause to his unexpected death while lying on the couch. As I entered the home, it was full of first responders all standing around with looks of disbelief. Mom was lying on the floor draped over the body of her dear son. I eventually made my way to the floor and sat next to the mom. We got through the next few hours and I spent a lot of time with the family before, during, and after the boy’s memorial. Unfortunately, as a chaplain, I have experienced many occasions such as this where a loved one is suddenly snatched away from this life. It is especially traumatic when a child is involved let alone a spouse or other close relative who dies unexpectedly and way before “their time.”

Most people find a “new normal” as we like to call the life families who lost loved ones must now live. Their lives are never the same though often their lives have more meaning and depth because of their loss, having discovered the depth of love one can have for another human being....a son, a daughter, a husband, a wife, a brother, a sister, a mother, a father…a friend. That is not true for everyone though. For some of these families, the holidays are bittersweet. The holidays still offer a time of being with family and remembering traditions, but the loss

and absence of someone loved so deeply can penetrate their soul and cause a pain that finds little relief. There are way more people than most of us realize who experience great sadness, grief, and loneliness during the holidays. We are not as aware because many have learned to mask their pain not wanting to draw at-tention to themselves or interrupt the joy and celebration of those around them…others they love as well. They might be engaging and are present, but the sadness is ever present. Some avoid all the parties, get-togethers, and special events. It is just too difficult. Many find their faith and their community a resource of healing and strength which helps them cope and even experience a time of joy. Some turn to alcohol or drugs to numb their pain. We all know someone close to us…if not we ourselves…who have experienced such loss…whether the loss was recent or a long time ago. Be mindful of those around us and if given the chance by someone experiencing the pain of loss, listen to their story…enter in to their pain. It is a sacred thing to be allowed to enter in to someone else’s suffering. But what a great gift we can give to those around us not being afraid to ask how they are doing…mention the names of those lost…listening to their story.

As I entered the home of the family who lost their little boy years ago, I noted how their home was decorated for Christmas. On the fire place mantle was a word spelled out in big bold brass letters: B-E-L-I-E-V-E. I had no idea what that meant or what they might “believe” about anything, but I will never forget how it struck me…and continues to strike me every time I enter in to such a scene…how faith in what we believe can make all the difference in the world during the most difficult times we might ever face in this life. Every human being finds themselves in “disbelief” and only a journey in to “belief” can bring solace and perhaps meaning and a new kind of joy. Please join the local community as the San Ramon Valley Fire District Chaplains offer the community a vigil to remember those we lost who are close to us and those we have lost in our community. Come together December 11th at 7pm on the front lawn of the Danville Library for a brief opportunity to share in the remembrance while we also experience hope and the love shared by a community of people.

Nick is a former pastor, family man, and Danville resident serving as a volun-teer chaplain with the local fire district and law enforcement. He is a Community Chaplain Specialist with Tactical Chaplain Services and devotes himself to serving these agencies and businesses as well as the community at large. You can find out more at www.communitychaplainspecialist.com.

www.yourmonthlypaper.comIreland, the Emerald IsleAsk us, we’ve been there! By Chrissy Cannon, Travel Consul-tant at Alamo World Travel & Tours

Top of the morning to you! I just got back from a wonderful seven day educa-tional and sightseeing trip to the Northern Region of Ireland. It was fantastic! I vis-ited Belfast, Donegal, Kildare, and Dublin. I learned a lot and saw many beautiful places a long the way.

The Emerald Isle is known for its warm Irish hospitality and beautiful green land-scapes filled with many sheep and cows (but no Leprechauns although I was looking for them!). I saw rainbows and rain (that is why Ireland is known to have 40 shades of green) and saw that Ireland is a magical place from their cities to their country vil-lages. The country is filled with thousands of years worth of culture and history.

One of my favorite places visited was the awesome Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland’s most famous landmark. The Giant’s Causeway gets its name from the legend of Finn McCool, Ireland’s version of King Arthur. In 2012 the Olympic Torch will be making a stop at the Giant’s Causeway.

Another magical and unforgettable place I visited was the amazing Slieve League in Donegal, Ireland. Slieve League will take your breath away. The Slieve League cliffs are the highest sea cliffs in Europe, 2.5 times higher than the Cliffs of Moher in Southern Ireland and far higher than the White Cliffs of Dover. If you are adventure-some you can hike these extraordinary cliffs from end-to-end in about five hours. Have fun, wear comfortable shoes, and don’t forget your camera!

I journeyed to Dublin (with a population of just over a million people) and visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Guinness Brewery (Ireland’s #1 tourist at-traction- the Irish love their Guinness!). Dublin is full of life and education with Trinity College (which holds the Book of Kells - a beautiful illustrated manuscript containing the four Gospels, dating to the 8th century). Dublin has many wonderful restaurants and lots of shopping to be done on Grafton Street.

Ireland has some of the world’s most beautiful scenery and friendliest people. It is a great place to visit, explore, and stay a while to get immersed in the Irish culture.

What is the best way to visit Ireland? On your own with air travel and hotel plans only? Or, with an escorted group? Call your travel experts at Alamo World Travel & Tours. We can arrange a vacation with Brendan Vacations, experts in all things Irish. You will be guided by a professional Irish guide, stay in fine hotels, and ride in a luxury motorcoach enjoying the great scenery, while not worrying about finding your way or driving in traffic. Sightseeing, special features, scenic highlights, admission charges where applicable, and many meals are included. The cost is less than driving yourself, and the

relaxation is far greater. We can also help you with Brendan Irish vacations that also visit Scotland or Britain. Brendan also has many additional tours including escorted, customized and hotels only trips in Europe, Asia, North, Central and South America, the South Pacific and Israel.

Alamo World Travel & Tours has provided individual, group and corporate travel assistance for the last 30 years. We offer thousands of travel options- including a Brendan link to tours around the World. Unlike the Internet, we’ve been there! We are located in Alamo Commons between Ace Hardware and Peasant’s Courtyard restaurant at 3201 Danville Blvd, Suite 255 in Alamo. Please call us at (925) 837-8742 or visit our website at www.alamoworld.com. CST#2008416-10 Advertorial


Holidays On The Farm at Forest Home FarmsRelive an old-fashioned holiday by visiting Forest Home Farms His-

toric Park in December. Admission is free. The park will be open 10AM to 2PM the first two Saturdays in December.

Saturday, December 3rd - It’s hard to spot Donner, Blitzen, and the others when they are at work pulling Santa’s sleigh, so come to the farm to see a pair of live reindeer. They will be visiting from 11AM to 1PM. Fam-ily entertainment will include Christmas Capers by Magical Moonshine and holiday music by the San Ramon Children’s Chorus.

Saturday, December 10th - Shop for unique gifts from over a dozen vendors at our Holiday Market. Enjoy entertainment including sheep dog demonstrations.

Both dates feature Victorian ornament making, old-fashioned games, tractor rides, and a visit from Victorian Santa. The Welcome Center, Holi-day Tree Lot, Tractor Museum, and Gift Shoppe will be open. Delicious food will be available for purchase. The Victorian Glass House Museum will be specially decorated just for the holidays. Farm tours are at 11AM and 1PM. Glass House Museum Tours are at 10AM, 11AM, 12 noon, and 1PM. Tours are $5 per person or $8 for both.

Forest Home Farms Historic Park is located at 19953 San Ramon Valley Blvd. in San Ramon. Please call (925) 973-3284 for more information.



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Art in Everyday LifeGift-wrapping the Holidays!By Tony Michael Vecchio

Since it’s the holiday season and a time, for some, of major gift giving, let’s talk about gift-wrap and the role it plays during the gift-giving season. Whether you enjoy gift-wrapping presents or not, one of the strongest iconic images of the Holidays is the classically wrapped gift box concealing the treasured contents waiting to be unwrapped and enjoyed. Whether it’s beautiful jewelry,

cutting edge electronic devices, or a coveted wearable fashion, a beautifully wrapped gift is a happiness-fueled nirvana rush waiting to happen. For a long time, the time honored gift wrapping tradition has been to search the hundreds of well-designed, beautifully printed, selections of gift wrap available at all our favorite retailers, and buy rolls and rolls of fun, seasonal, wrap at $4.99 to $7.99 a roll. Then we endeavor to make it even brighter and better with shiny, synthetic bows, and then see it systematically gathered in massive piles every year, filling the waiting, big green plastic recycling bin.

While it’s lovely, very Hallmark appro-priate, and keeps graphic designers gain-fully employed, it’s still ultimately wasteful, and I think we can do better for ourselves. Plus, let’s face it, off the shelf, offshore manu-factured gift wrap is just soulless. Let’s make it fun and real…by creating our own custom gift-wrapping, by doing nothing more than collecting and recycling interesting and unique papers and bags that you see around you every day. Handmade wrapping of gifts and packaging is practiced in many countries and has been elevated to a level of sophistica-tion in Japan, where gifts and packages are ceremoniously wrapped in handmade papers incorporating intricate folds and cuts that are, in themselves, works of art. For your own gift-wrapping this season, or for any time of the year, there are many different paper and fabric materials available to help you put together a striking and memorable gift presentation. Newspapers, magazines, bags, shoebox tissues, packing paper, comic books, maps, calendars, and manuals are just a few of the many materials available to use.

Think of the satisfaction family mem-bers and friends will have when receiving your gifts, wrapped cleverly and uniquely in an unexpected and thoughtful way. One of my favorite materials to use is brand name shopping bags from retailers like Nord-strom, Banana Republic, Peet’s, Hurley, Abercrombie, Hollister, and others. You probably have some of these saved now to use for carrying packages. They’ll be much more useful and interesting as gift-wrap! These are fun to collect, cut up into large sections, and taped together in new combi-nations of designs to wrap with. Add your own ideas for decoration. Glue on photos, draw with markers, layer with other paper sections from different textured paper. For example, with one issue of a magazine, you can wrap any number of gifts, picking out articles that match the personality or lifestyle of the gift recipient. And the range of items you can use for bows is equally varied.

Yarn, colored string, hemp, wire, chains, whatever, be bold, be creative, be crazy. Creating your own personal wrapping is a

satisfying way to recycle a range of paper products while you have fun and give a creative part of yourself.

Some local art happenings in December include Danville’s Village Theatre Art Gallery's current exhibition Surfaces: Selections from the California Fiber Artists Group, runs through December15th. This wonderful exhibit presents a unique collection of quilted, woven, sewn, and wrapped artworks that will surprise you with its range of craftsmanship and creativity. Peace On Earth is the latest exhibit at the Lafayette Art Gallery running through December 30th. The artist’s recep-tion is Friday, December 2nd, 6:30 - 8:30pm. You’ll find a winter wonderland of sparkling jewelry, handcrafted ornaments, elegant ceramics and an array of prints, paintings and sculpture. The Alamo-Danville Artists’ Society’s latest exhibition, Artful Treasures, is a collection of new member work on canvas, mixed media, photography, sculpture, and jewelry. The exhibit continues through January 8th at the spacious Blackhawk Art Gallery in Blackhawk Plaza.

Tony Michael Vecchio writes about visual imagery, art style, and random creative pursuits. If you have comments, contact him at [email protected]. His work is on exhibit at the Blackhawk Art Gallery.


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a mesmerizing effect at night. Underwater lighting for pools, waterfalls, fountains, and ponds makes the water glow, giving emphasis to water’s natural attraction.

Another major mood maker and important feature in the night garden is fire. There is nothing like fire on either a warm or cool evening to bring drama, func-tion, and romance. I find the fire element to be very important to my clients. Fire can be implemented from the very simple to the more complicated. The simple and least expensive approach is a portable firepit from Target or a Mexican pottery “chiminea.” These simple accoutrements can add hours of evening pleasure. For more complicated fire elements there are built in firepits to full blown outdoor fireplaces. Fire elements have become very popular in the last several years because they add yet another element to make your outdoor environment more inviting and useful, especially the night garden.

A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: The elements of a night garden such as sound, scent, light, and fire can be added to an existing landscape with creative and thoughtful design. If you have a beautiful garden and no lighting we can design a “lighting portrait” to enhance your night garden

Gardening Quote of the Month: I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day. ~Vincent Van Gogh

If you would like me to write on any particular subject, email your ideas to [email protected] or for design ideas visit www.jm-la.com. Advertorial

Life in the Alamo Garden The Night GardenBy John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape Architect #4059

What if the glory of your Alamo garden could come to life at night? A whole other dimension of our gardens comes alive after dark. There is much to be enjoyed after the sun goes down. When designing a successful garden the night garden must be considered. Many residents of Alamo enjoy evening entertaining, sitting on the patio drinking wine, iced

tea, reading a good book, night swimming, or kids playing hide-n-seek until midnight. The essentials of a great night garden are sound, scent, light, and fire.

There’s nothing more soothing than the sound of trickling or babbling water echoing through the landscape. Waterfalls, streams, and fountains are an important attraction to all gardens, whether it is day or night. Water masks the “unwanted” sounds of traffic and noisy neighbors. The night garden becomes much more romantic with the sound of water soothing the night.

Designing-in the essential night-bloom-ing plants that add fragrance and scent en-hance the night garden ten-fold. Fragrance adds another dimension of pleasure to your garden, especially at night. It also heightens your outdoor experience by encompassing the most powerful of our senses, the sense of smell. Just as perfume induces the senses, fragrant plants intoxicate and romanticize any setting. White and pastel flowers are the most fragrant. Pale pinks are the most potent pastel flowers, moving through the color wheel to the mauves and yellows, and to the less scented purples and blues. Vibrant colors such as oranges and crimsons will provide dramatic color in the garden, but little or no fragrance to the night garden. Fragrance becomes intensified in enclosed areas, so plant your most fragrant selections in a courtyard or trellised patio, or surround your garden with hedges and windbreaks to encourage the fragrance of plants to linger. Some of my favorites include jasmines (jasminum polyanthum, jasminum officinale, and jasminum sambac), gardenias (Gardenia jasminoides), Angel’s trumpet (poisonous Brugmansia versacolor and Brugmansia ‘Charles Grimaldi’), Mexican orange (Choisya ternata), Daphne (Daphne x burkwoodii), Sweet Olive (Osmanthus fragrans) and Citrus (oranges, lemons, tangerines, and blood oranges) to enhance the sense of fragrance of the night garden.

Lighting your garden at night touches our visual sensibilities. Creating a “light-ing portrait” is another essential to the night garden. From mood and ambiance to functionality, lighting brings life to the night garden. A “lighting portrait” is not just plunking Malibu lights into your landscape, but it is a creative approach that paints a landscape for night-time enjoyment. Downlighting, moonlighting, uplighting, sil-houetting, shadowing, and washing, create moods and ambiance. Lighting to feature sculpture, accents, and structures create visual focal points in the dark which in-turn brings drama to the night garden. Lighting water features produces very dramatic effects. Watching the illuminated diamonds bounce off the glowing surface becomes

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The Incense-Cedar By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb

The incense-cedar graces many Bay Area gardens with its shade, beauty, and intriguing fragrance. Calocedrus decur-rens, its Latin name, means beautiful cedar. The striking contrast between the

vibrant greens of its leaves and the trunk’s rich reds creates a pleasing aesthetic further enhanced by the relaxed elegance of the weeping foliage. The beauty of this tree is not confined to the realm of the visual. The incense-cedar gives off a distinctive fragrance that fills the air with a pungent aroma strongly reminiscent of grade-school classrooms and the unforgettable smell of the pencil sharpener. In my youth, and still largely today, pencils were made from the soft, and distinctively fragrant wood of Calocedrus decurrens.

The incense-cedar is not a true cedar (thus the hyphen). The so-called “true cedars” are native to the Mediterranean and the Himalayas, and are members of the genus Cedrus. These include the majestic Deodora and Atlas cedars, as well as the famous Cedar of Lebanon.

The incense-cedar, which may live a thousand years and attain a height of 150 feet, is a true California native. It evolved in North America, and its cur-rent range extends from the Cascade Mountains in northern Oregon, through the Sierra Nevadas, down to the Sierra San Pedro Matir of Baja California. Throughout its range it has been important in the lives of Native Americans. The Klamath tribe of Oregon wove its bark into baskets. The California Paiutes made infusions of its leaves for colds. The Round Valley tribe of Mendocino Country used leaflets as flavoring when leaching acorn meal. This species has provided Native Americans with food, shelter, clothing, and music.

The incense-cedar’s natural resistance to rot made it very useful both in an-tiquity and in modern times. Homebuilders use it for siding, decking, moulding, and interior paneling. Landscapers use its chips and bark for mulch. Its wood is made into furniture, shingles, and railway ties. Sawdust and wood scraps help fuel co-generation of electricity.

The softness of the wood and its resistance to splintering make the incense-cedar ideal for encasing pencil lead. However, these qualities also make the wood fragile and brittle, and potentially somewhat problematic as an urban landscape tree. When it grows as one trunk from a thick base to a single pyramid-shaped crown, the incense-cedar is relatively stable; it requires little work other than the periodic removal of deadwood. But if the trunk of the tree divides into multiple columns, or has large branches which turn up and rise parallel to the trunk, the tree has structural problems that make it vulnerable to column failure. After some recent winter storms, Brende & Lamb looked at many incense-cedars that had shed branches and sometimes entire columns. Most of the failed trees suffered from a malady of tree anatomy called included bark. This structural defect occurs when the bark at the crotch folds inward, and interrupts the continuity of the fibers supporting the columns.

Good pruning can ameliorate many structural problems. Co-dominant stems (more than one column of roughly the same diameter) are more likely to fail than trees with a single leading column. Sometimes reducing one of the competing leaders can minimize the hazard. If column removal is not advisable for aesthetic or functional reasons, it is often possible to cable the multiple stems together. However, individual trees are so unstable that removal is the safest alternative. Whatever you do, do not top these trees. Topping a cedar will eventually produce many unstable columns multiplying the risk and, ultimately, the expense of keeping the tree. Preventative medicine is almost always less expensive and more effective than later surgery. If you plant an incense-cedar, choose nursery stock with only one trunk and no crotches with included bark. Remember that a seedling cedar can grow to over a hundred feet and that tall trees may cause view concerns for yourself and your neighbors.

Calocedrus has graced the California landscape for almost 200 million years. With a little forethought and good pruning, it can continue to bless Bay Area gardens with the subtle fragrance of childhood. It takes a little ef-fort to live at peace with this large California native, but its bounty of colors, shapes, and scents make that effort worthwhile.

If your trees and shrubs need a little TLC give us a call at 510-486-TREE (8733) or email us at [email protected] for a free estimate. Additionally, go to our website www.brendelamb.com to see before and after pictures, client testimo-nials, and work in your neighborhood. Advertorial


utilize scripted telephone instructions to help callers awaiting the arrival of paramedics. From administering CPR, providing airway obstruction relief, and controlling hemorrhaging to childbirth assistance, dispatchers can assist callers at the scene while paramedics are in transit. In fiscal 2010-2011 the district dispatched 7,564 responses across the approximately 155 square miles served encompassing Alamo, Blackhawk, Danville, Diablo, San Ramon, the southern portion of Morgan Territory, and the Tassajara Valley.

Paramedic Lucas Hirst, realizing a personal dream, is transitioning from IT technician to firefighter. “Today, I know that the team will continue to

improve the app and help share it across the world for the common goal of helping save another human life.”

Ready to save lives? SRVFPD offers inexpensive four-hour CPR cer-tification classes on a regular basis. No medical training is required to en-roll. For more information and a schedule of upcoming classes, visit www.firedepartment.org and click on Community Outreach. Information about the PulsePoint Foundation can be found at www.pulsepoint.org.

Nationally, an available AED is utilized only three percent of the time, even though these portable electronic devices are easy to use.

“AED technology has been developed in accordance with what a fifth grader could understand,” explains French. Once you start the mechanism it is voice activated. The AED is a “Smart Unit.” The operator cannot hurt the patient. If a patient doesn’t need a shock, the unit will not deliver it. When it needs servicing, the AED emails the person responsible for its maintenance. CPR training now includes an AED component.

The website for the PulsePoint Foundation describes the difference between SCA and a heart attack. “SCA may be compared to an electrical problem in the heart, in contrast to a heart attack, which is more of a plumbing prob-

lem.” SCA may be triggered by a heart attack, but many of the victims appear h e a l t h y a n d have no known heart disease or risk factors.

The Pulse-Point Founda-tion, established in June 2011, is a non-profit o rg a n i z a t i o n

“whose goal is to make it much easier for citizens who are certified in CPR to use their life saving skills to do just that…save lives!” The Tri-Valley Community Foundation contributed $10,000 to begin the project of providing cell phone technology developed by SRVFPD free of charge to Emergency Response Centers everywhere. The app works only where adopted and implemented by the local Fire/EMS agency. San Jose is about to become the second district to activate the connection. San Francisco is slated to follow. Approximately 200 additional agencies have expressed serious interest in deploying the application.

Asked whether the technology has actually saved a life, Kimberly French candidly admits that there will be a huge celebration when that happens. “We know the technology works because it was activated during an emergency at a local golf course. We could track responders as they approached the location. As it happens, the golfer’s friends were able to initiate CPR and are credited with saving his life.”

Since January 2011 when the app went from pilot program to public release, many prestigious awards have recognized the value of SRVFPD’s innovative application. Most recently, the American Heart Association has designated San Ramon Valley Fire Chief Richard Price as the 2012 “Heart of Gold” honoree. Price is quick to point to the team effort required to make the alert system viable.

“The tremendous success of this initiative is a testament to the power of bringing together exceptionally talented people who believe in the life saving potential of this application,” said Chief Price. “I am honored to work with such an experienced and skilled team.”

PulsePoint is being phased in as the official name of the emergency alert application in conjunction with the release of the soon to be available Android version. The PulsePoint Foundation provides and maintains the application. Updates are being designed to offer alerts for additional types of emergen-cies such as boat rescues, tornadoes and hurricanes, as other communities prepare to integrate PulsePoint communication with their emergency dispatch systems. Users will be able to download updates as they become available.

The creation of the PulsePoint app enhances the ability of an already exceptional department to serve the community. As the eighth center in the world to receive recognition by the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch as an Emergency Medical Dispatch Center of Excellence in 1996, SRVFPD has annually maintained that distinction. Using the Medical Prior-ity Dispatch System (MDS), 911 dispatchers at the department are able to


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App continued from front page

Veteran Dispatcher Ronda Ross-Leen has enjoyed visits from children helped into the world by her coaching. Photo courtesy of the SRVFPD.

Trained bystanders alerted to the need for CPR can save lives while EMT's are in transit. Photo courtesy of the SRVFPD.


From Our Family to Yours

Call our office today.

The New York Life family is here to help you achieve your financial goals through the products we offer. Whether you’re purchasing a first home, starting a family or business, accumulating funds for your children’s education, or saving for retirement, we will work with you to develop a financial strategy that’s right for you.

© 2011 New York Life Insurance Company, 51 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010. SMRU00454979CV (Exp. 08/25/13)

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(925) 552-7152

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Pictured are agents of the Greater San Francisco General Office of New York Life Insurance Company in Alamo.

John Erwin "EJ" M. Magbitang, LUTCF (CA Ins. Lic. #0D37634), Emma M. Magbitang (CA Ins. Lic. #0710892), Julius Elmer "Joel" M. Magbitang, LUTCF (CA Ins. Lic. #0D35676) 3000 Danville Blvd., Suite L Alamo, CA 94507 Tel. (925) 552-7152 / Fax (925) 552-7127 www.MagbitangFinancialGroup.com

How We Learn By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO

Technology has dramatically changed the way we learn. Think about what it was like when we were kids. When my siblings or I would run into a word we didn’t understand at the dinner table or doing homework, I can still hear my mother say, “Look it up!” We had a huge Webster’s dictionary on a wooden stand in the front room, and it was the ultimate arbiter of all gram-mar in the Corstorphine household.

Of course there was always the ubiquitous Encyclopedia Britannica, circa 1962, sitting on the shelf in our living room. All of us seven kids used those classic pages for our school reports, just like every other kid in the elementary school. Other than the dictionary and the encyclopedia, we had our parents (who we thought knew everything anyway), and the local and school libraries to rely upon.

We used to hang out at the local record store to find out when our favorite music group was putting out an album. When we listened to music on our record player, we hung on every lyric and listened to the record over and over until we could be sure we had the words memorized perfectly. And when we wanted to order tickets for a concert, we’d dial the 800 number on our rotary phone over, and over, and over, until we got connected and were able get our tickets.

When we wanted to see a movie, we’d go to the theater. If our whole family was going, we’d take the station wagon and visit the drive-in. The drive-ins were fun, but the sound was bad and we could hardly see the screen due to all the ambient light from the nearby industrial yards.

The common thread in what I’ve written, is that ev-erything I used to do has been changed, usually (but not always) improved, by technology. Now when I run into a word I don’t understand, I open a webpage and type “define the word,” and Google returns the definition. On any particular topic you can think of, there are scores of websites, books, scholarly articles, and references available. Not too many folks use their (outdated) Encyclopedia Bri-tannica anymore. I can find out just about anything I want, on anyone I want, within minutes. If you have a computer, you are at the helm of a phenomenal amount of power.

When I wanted to treat my wife to a concert, I re-searched seven venues we enjoy, and built a list of all the possible concerts we could attend. I gave my wife a list of the different groups, had her pick her top three, and then went back to the web to choose the venue, order the tickets, and receive my confirmation via email. After the concert, I was streaming some music on Pandora and didn’t quite catch the lyrics. I visited my favorite lyric’s website, and found all the lyrics for the song.

Last night I couldn’t get to sleep, so I got my iPad, and while lying in bed I logged into Netflix, and used my $7.95 per month subscription to continue watch-ing a series I found called “Warehouse 13.” It even played in high definition!

Another example occurred this weekend. My son was taking apart a complex mechanical device and was a little stuck on the procedure for its reassembly. So, he opened up his browser, went to YouTube, and looked up the instruc-tions. Someone had made a video that explained exactly what to do. It took just one minute and thirty seconds for him to find the video, watch the video, and for him to learn what he needed in order to proceed.

The point of all of this reminiscing is that there is now an incredible amount of information available at our fingertips, and the pace of our lives has been ac-celerated as a result. We’ve gone from an information-

whenever-it-becomes-available world, to “just in time learning.” We get what we need, right when we need it. Instead of worrying about knowing everything, we concentrate our effort on knowing how to get the information we need at the right time. It’s all about the “App” and ensuring we have WiFi or 3G coverage to keep us connected. We’re a mile wide and an inch deep, and that’s the way we keep up at this incredible pace. We have nearly instant information accessible to us, and we can research, spend money, or run our whole business by sitting at a keyboard, or for that matter, from a tablet, or our smart telephone. It’s incredible.

I still pick up my iPhone like it’s an alien sitting there in my palm. I’m amazed at the confluence of genius and innovation that have conspired to put this incredible source of power and knowledge in my hand. I can’t even begin to fathom how this changes the game we call our lives. Technology has caused this to become a very exciting, chaotic, and unpredictable time to be alive.

If your business or residence is using some of the technology I’ve mentioned, and it seems to be getting the better of you, why not call Portable CIO, where our team of people who do this for a living can help you out? We’re always ready to help. Contact us at 925-552-7953, or [email protected]. Advertorial


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Charity Begins at HomeBy Robert J. Silverman, Esq.

During the holiday season, people tend to spend more time than usual thinking about how they can help the needy. And that’s certainly a great thing.

Of course, first and foremost, it’s a terrific time to reflect on how well you are helping your loved ones. Hence, the old, familiar adage, “Charity begins at home.”

Given many, time-consuming, day-to-day chal-lenges people face during the year, it’s really nice to take advantage of some extra time off during the

holidays. Traditionally, most folks take at least a portion of this extra time to reflect more on the “big picture.” Part of the “big picture” for every adult should be to ask himself or herself the important “what if” questions. The two critical ones are: 1) “What would happen if I became incapacitated?” and 2) “What would happen if I died?”

Though not the most pleasant questions to ask yourself, they’re obviously important. Unfortunately, for all too many people, the answers to these ques-tions are disturbing.

I write regularly about the importance of establishing, and keeping up-dated, a comprehensive estate plan, including a Will, a Durable Power of At-torney, an Advance Health Care Directive, and (in most cases) a Living Trust. Proactively establishing a plan with an experienced trust and estates attorney answers these questions. Furthermore, the questions are answered clearly, and in a customized manner, consistent with your own particular wishes and needs. Almost universally, people feel a dramatic sense of relief when their plan is put into place. In addition, their loved ones receive significant benefits (even if some or all of those benefits only accrue in the future).

Recently, I was thinking about how I might be of more help to the needy. I also regularly think, as do most people who own a business or professional practice, about ways in which I might attract new clients. Finally, I was con-templating what kind of incentive I might offer to stir prospective clients to stop procrastinating and establish an estate plan - immediately.

I had a brainstorm that might accomplish all three objectives. Since an idea remains merely that unless it is implemented, I decided to implement.

Here’s my idea, and my limited-time offer to you, whether you are mar-

ried or unmarried:If you hire me to help you prepare a comprehensive estate plan - Will,

Durable Power of Attorney, Advance Health Care Directive, and Living Trust - before the end of December 2011*, I will make a $1,000 donation in your honor to the charitable organization you prefer from the three listed below:

1) Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County (foodbankccs.org) – Fights hunger and poverty by distributing donated food directly to people in need and through a network of non-profits.

2) Shelter, Inc. (shelter-inc.org) – Provides community based, emergency and longer-term housing for children and adolescents who are abused, ne-glected, dependent, or in need of supervision.

3) Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa County, Inc. (mealsonwheelsofcontra-costa.org) – Supports homebound elders to maintain their health and dignity, and to live independently in the comfort and security of their own homes.

While charity begins at home, it shouldn’t end there. Now, you have a chance to make a meaningful difference to your loved ones and a worthy charity.

Have a wonderful holiday season, and feel free to contact me or any of my staff members if you have questions about this offer, or wish to schedule a free introductory consultation.

* For the purpose of this offer, hiring me involves signing a routine client retainer agreement under which you agree to pay me my standard flat fee, and you pay a retainer of one half of the flat fee before the end of December, 2011. My “standard” flat fees are published in an estate planning primer that I will be happy to send you upon request. The above offer is strictly contingent upon the above conditions being satisfied and the offer does not guarantee that I will accept as a client every person who contacts me in connection with this offer (for example, I don’t take on clients who are mean and nasty!).

Mr. Silverman is an attorney with Shapiro Buchman Provine Brothers Smith LLP, 1333 N. California Street, Suite 350, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 944-9700; [email protected]. His practice emphasizes Estate Planning, Trust Administration & Probate, Real Estate, and Business. Please call for a free introductory consultation.

This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and should not be relied upon as legal, tax, financial and/ or business advice. Readers should obtain and rely upon specific advice only from their own qualified professional advisors. This communication is not intended or written to be used, for the purpose of: i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code; or ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any mat-ters addressed herein. Advertorial


Fine Mexican Dining

743-8997In Stone Valley Shopping Center

Enjoy Our Patio Dining

We Offer a Full Bar and LoungeMargaritas are a House Specialty

Monday - Saturday: Lunch and DinnerSunday: Dinner only3168 Danville Blvd, Alamo

Talking TaxesBrought to you by Peter T. Waldron & Robert J. Waldron

In conjunction with Waldron Wealth Advisors, a division of Lincoln Financial Advisors, a registered investment advisor.

Historically, many people don’t think about taxes until they’re facing the April 15 deadline. But by then, it’s too late to do

any productive planning. One of the best ways to save on income taxes is to max out your 401(k). You

can contribute up to $16,500 into your 401(k) in 2011, and if you are over age 50, you can make an additional “catch-up” contribution of $5,500. But this is just the beginning. At the end of the year, you should also review with your financial planner the “nuts-and-bolts” things that can impact taxes: estimated tax payments, the sale of a residence, distributions from qualified plans or IRAs, as examples.

In addition, reviewing your estate plan with your financial advisor before the end of the year may help reveal some additional tax-reduction strategies appropri-ate to your situation.

For example, one thing that could help save taxes is to shift passive income-producing assets like rental real estate to a family limited liability corporation (LLC) or a family limited partnership (FLP).

Gifting can also be a sound tax-savings strategy. Instead of giving cash to a charity, consider gifting appreciated assets. You don’t have to pay any tax on the gain—and neither does the charity. So you get the deduction for the gift subject to certain limitations, and you circumvent the capital gains tax. The “Stealth” Tax

Perhaps the biggest tax issue going on right now is the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). The AMT, originally designed to prevent the super-wealthy from avoiding a tax bill, has begun to hit a growing number of earners because the tax was never indexed for inflation.

Under the so-called “stealth” tax, you lose parts of certain deductions—medical expenses, interest on second mortgages, state and local taxes, and charitable gifts, among them—once your adjusted gross income reaches a certain level.

One of the things you can do that may help avoid the AMT is to exercise your employee stock options wisely. There are two types of employee stock options: incentive stock options (ISOs) and nonqualified stock options, with the tax implica-tion being the biggest difference between them. While nonqualified stock options are taxed as ordinary income when they are exercised (then if you exercise and hold the stock for a year, you can pay 15% capital gains tax on the appreciation), ISOs are subject to the AMT when they’re exercised.

The highest federal income tax rate is 35%; the highest AMT is 28%. In tax preparation, your income is run through both calculations, and you pay whichever one is higher. (So if your federal tax is $90,000 and the AMT is $100,000, you pay $90,000 federal tax and $10,000 for AMT.) To be strategic about taxes, try to balance your ordinary federal income tax with your AMT tax amount. If you can increase your ordinary income on one side, say by exercising nonqualified stock options, it may leave room to exercise ISOs on the AMT side without incurring AMT penalties. Think About the Future

The popular 529 college savings plans have emerged as terrific college funding planning tool for families who can front-load up to five years’ worth of contributions per child. Under a special election, a 529 account owner can choose to front-load up to $65,000 per beneficiary, or $130,000 for married couples, into the college savings plan without generating a taxable gift—assuming no other gifts are made to the beneficiary over the five-year timeline.

Keep in mind that the current estate tax and capital gains rates will be under the political purview in 2012. So if you think these tax rates will change and sunset as scheduled, you may want to take advantage of the tax breaks while you still have them.

Please contact Peter Waldron to schedule a complimentary review of your financial situation, call 925-659-0383 or email [email protected].

Peter T. Waldron & Robert J. Waldron Jr. are registered representative of Lincoln Financial Advisors, a broker/dealer, member SIPC, and offers investment advisory service through Sagemark Consulting, a division of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a registered investment advisor, Waldron Wealth Advisors, 3000 Executive Parkway, Ste 400, San Ramon, CA 94583. Insurance offered through Lincoln affiliates and other fine companies. . This information should not be construed as legal or tax advice. You may want to consult a tax advisor regarding this information as it relates to your personal circumstance. The content of this material was provided to you by Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. for its representatives and their clients. CRN201105-2054273 Advertorial

Port Primer By Monica ChappellThe holidays are a wonderful occasion to look

beyond the normal eating and drinking routine – especially with desserts. It’s easy to stick with the basics - cookies and milk or coffee and cake - but why not try a port wine with your dessert?

True Port comes from the hot, mountainous region of the Douro River Valley in northern Portugal. After fer-mentation and fortification, port is typically transported to the city of Oporto, which shares its name with the wine, to be finished and shipped. The real McCoy bears the name

Porto to distinguish itself from similar beverages made in other countries. Port begins life much like any other wine: grapes are picked and crushed, and

the juice is allowed to ferment – but only to a point. About halfway into the process, the wine is fortified by having brandy added to it. There are many styles of port. You can usually count on port to be sweet and red, but beyond that the sky is the limit. Styles vary according to the quality of the base wine, the length of wood aging (2-40 plus years), and whether it’s vintage or blended. Most ports are ready to drink as soon as they’re bottled with vintage port being the exception. Port Defined

• White Port is produced in very small quantities.• Ruby Port is young, fruity, a non-vintage blend aged in wood for about 3-6 years.• Tawny Port is well, tawny in color and made from a non-vintage blend.

It is lighter and more delicate than ruby port.• Vintage Character Port is a blend of quality wines with about 5 years

of wood aging. These ports are full-bodied, rich and ready to drink.• Late Bottled Vintage Port (LBV) is a vintage wine, but not from a top year.

These wines have been aged 4-6 years and are ready to drink when released.• Colheita Port is a tawny port from a single vintage year.• Vintage Port is considered the cream of the crop. Blended from several of

the best vineyards in a declared vintage year. Aged for two years then bottled and sold, this rich wine usually take 20 years until it is ready to drink.

• Single Quinta Vintage Port is a vintage port from a single estate, usu-ally the best vineyard in a winemaker’s portfolio.

Monica Chappell teaches wine appreciation classes in Lafayette, Walnut Creek and Danville. Visit www.wineappreciation101.blogspot.com for current programs.


Have a Happy (and Safe) Holiday!By Roger Smith, President

This is a summary of information from our 2011 articles on Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (you might save for reference). Visit our website www.AlamoCA.org to review all articles in detail.

There is a new website www.Ready.gov that helps families become more prepared to survive an emergency. For more information on community and individual emergency preparedness programs available visit www.CitizenCorps.gov.

There is information on basic items for a Family Emergency Kit along with a supplemental list of additional items to consider based upon health, age, entertainment and our pets! There is even information on an Emergency Financial First Aid Kit to organize your information.

You also can find out how to keep food safe during and after an Emergency by visiting www.FoodSafety.gov.

The State of California has an emergency plan structure that is designed to address both the mid-term and long-term impact of a major disaster. In-formation on this plan can be located at the State of California’s Office of Emergency Services website www.oes.ca.gov.There are many opportunities for members of our community to become involved in both Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

The “Neighborhood Watch” program through the Sheriff’s Dept. with training sessions for volunteers is an important foundation upon which to build our Community’s Public Safety.

“Neighborhood Watch” is a crime prevention program that stresses educa-tion and common sense. It teaches citizens how to help themselves by iden-tifying and reporting suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. In addition,

it provides citizens with the opportunity to make their neighborhoods safer and improve the quality of life. Neighborhood Watch groups typically focus on observation and awareness as a means of preventing crime and employ strategies that range from simply promoting social interaction and "watching out for each other" to active patrols by groups of citizens

Visit www.USAonWatch.org and www.ca-contracostacounty.civicplus.com for more information on this program and others.

The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District (SRVFPD) provides Emer-gency Preparedness classes and neighborhood programs for earthquakes and other natural disasters. Note: Two Alamo neighborhoods, Alamo Oaks and Valley Oaks, are already participating in these programs.

SRVFPD also provides Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training for individuals interested in assisting others during an emergency.

To become a CERT volunteer, one must complete the classroom train-ing offered by a local government agency such as SRVFPD, the emergency management agency, fire or police department. Contact your local emergency manager to learn about the local education and training opportunities available to you. Let this person know about your interest in taking CERT training

CERT training is provided at no cost by SRVFPD. A series of six sessions totaling 20 hours of instruction comprise the training. Visit www.firedepart-ment.org/community_outreach/cert/ for more information on this valuable program. Note: Alamo already has more than 100 CERT volunteers, consider joining them!

Each year, in September, the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District (SRVFPD) holds an Emergency Preparedness Fair in Danville. This event is “family friendly” so plan on attending with your children. Visit www.BeReadySRV.org for more information on this annual event. If you did not attend this year, you missed an opportunity to become more informed about local Emergency Services.

Help Us, Help You! Become a member of the Alamo Improvement Associa-tion, visit www.AlamoCA.org for more information and a membership form.

Have a wonderful New Year!

How to Make Your Health Insurance a True BenefitBy Bridget Scott, D.C.

Here’s a common health care problem: you are pay-ing more, getting less, and growing frustrated as your options dwindle. The solution is simple: you must know your options (i.e. HSA or FSA?) and know how to lever-age them for your benefit. Spend 10 minutes at Johnson Chiropractic Group, and you will understand your options – including which services are covered by your plan, and

which are not – and be better prepared to make them work for you. As many families look for ways to put money aside to cover health care

expenses, you may not know about two great options to get you the care you desire and deserve: a Health Savings Account (HSA) or a Flex Spending Account (FSA). These accounts are pre-taxed, cover many kinds of care you need, and can save your family lots of money!

Therapies covered by an HSA and FSA at Johnson Chiropractic Group:• Chiropractic Care • Neuromuscular Re-education• Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression • Massage Therapy• Exercise Therapy • 28 Days to Health™HSA plans also include:• Therapy Packages (including chiropractic, massage and exercise therapy)What is a Health Savings Account (HSA)? HSAs enable you to put away

tax-deferred money to pay for qualified health care costs. You can find an HSA plan on your own (contact the bank where you have a checking/savings account and ask about an HSA account) or through your employer. All contributions to an HSA are tax-deductible. Any earnings in the account are tax deferred and distribu-tions are tax-free as long as they are used to pay qualified medical expenses. To get the most out of an HSA account, it is best to contribute the maximum each year. In 2012 an individual can contribute as much as $3,100. The family contribution limit is $6,250. In addition, the employer’s contribution is not treated as additional income. HSAs continue to grow for the life of the owner and rollover from year to year. These funds can accumulate and compound until they are needed, providing a tax benefit and the potential for long-term growth.

What is a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)? FSAs are very similar to HSAs except that an FSA is only provided through your employer and the funds must be used by the end of the year.

Key difference between HSAs and FSAs: The primary difference be-tween the two accounts is how long you can hold onto the money inside the account. HSA funds can be kept until retirement, if you choose. FSAs are “use it or lose it” accounts. That means you have to use the funds inside the FSA before the end of the plan coverage period (usually the end of the year). The FSA is a spending account. That indicates that you are expected to spend the money you have in the account within the year it is invested. The HSA is a savings account, meaning you may save that money until you need it, even if you don’t need it until many years later.

What medical expenses are covered by HSA and FSA? When you incur a medical or health related expense that is not covered by your insurance, there is a good chance that you can pay for it out of your HSA or FSA. The IRS defines quali-fied expenses as “the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease and the costs for the treatments affecting any part or function of the body.”

Traditional health insurance has gatekeepers and top-down controls. Even when chiropractic care is covered (not typical on individual plans), your request for treatment may require an expensive office visit or referral from a family physician. Using a HSA to pay for chiropractic care gives you more choices! You can choose what type of treatment to get, where you will get that treat-ment, and how many treatments you will receive. You can also spend HSA dollars on preventive care and the government will give you a tax deduction for keeping your family well. So, if you are looking to recover from an injury or maximize your health by utilizing our proven clinical approach to wellness, remember you don’t need to have health insurance to cover it!

Johnson Chiropractic Group loves that you now have the freedom to come as often as you need and get care that will last, as well as the education and therapy needed to sustain your health. You cannot ignore the fact that health insurance is changing. But you can (and should) know your options, know how to make those options work FOR you, and know how save and spend your money wisely.

For more info go to www.movepastyourpain.com, call us at 925-743-8210, visit us on Facebook, or contact us at Johnson Chiropractic Group, 115 Town & Country Dr., Suite E in Danville. Advertorial


Your Personal Nutritionist By Linda Michaelis, RD. MS.Great Nutrition Tips for Parties

We are in the midst of the holiday season, and it seems like there is one dinner party after another. How do I enjoy these special gatherings when I know I cannot afford to gain any more weight, or I have to keep my blood pressure and cholesterol under control, or my doctor tells me that I am pre-

diabetic? There are some great ways to enjoy these parties and still keep these problem areas in check.

The number one problem my clients have is arriving too hungry to a party where they then find it difficult to make good food choices. Everything looks delicious when you are starving. At least an hour before you arrive have a substantial snack like a dozen unsalted almonds and an apple to take the edge off of your hunger. Almonds, when limited to a dozen, are reasonable in fat, and the delicious winter apples have the least amount of sugar of all fruits.

Appetizers are killers. They are usually laden with salt, fat, and hundreds of calories. We all have experienced getting filled up on appetizers and then con-tinuing to eat the main meal anyway. I am always explaining that bread, crack-ers, and cheese along with processed frozen items, typically served at appetizer time, often have 200mg of sodium per serving. A low sodium diet now is set at 1500mg per day, so you need to substitute the endless servings of bread and crackers at appetizer time for baked potatoes, legumes, brown rice, whole wheat couscous, quinoa, barley, etc. which contain zero salt. Why not bring these or fat free unsalted potato and corn chips, available at stores like Trader Joe’s, that can be served with lite dips to the party? Veggies are great served with salsa or homemade hummus which will contain less oil and salt than premade hummus. Or consider bringing an appetizer like shrimp with cocktail sauce. You can have some shrimp even if you have high cholesterol. Take one or two crackers with a topping, and then save your calories and salt for the meal to come. You must simply walk away and tell yourself how this is best for your health.

For the meal, the best approach is to first walk around the table to see what food is available. For your entrée, build the meal around protein and vegetable choices, and then allow yourself a serving of the decadent scalloped or au gratin potatoes that you absolutely love. Typically, the sliced meats and veggies without sauces and green salads are lite on salt and fat, unlike prepared items. Stay away from the bread and biscuits that are full of salt, fat, and concentrated calories. Allow yourself a piece of yummy dessert that will end up having fewer calories than all the bread and crackers you might have consumed. I often see clients who are pre-diabetic eating too many starches because they think that they cannot eat sweets or a lot of fruit. I often surprise them when they learn they can have a dessert each day and two servings of fruit if they will have starches that are 100% whole wheat such as Thomas English muffins, La Tortilla Factory tortillas and AkMak crackers, to name a few. Whole wheat products contain protein and fiber and will keep the blood sugar stable and prevent you from being hungry all the time.

Fruit should be eaten like a dessert with a meal. If it is eaten on an empty stomach or in between meals, it will cause a spike in blood sugar and then a quick drop in blood sugar along with the arrival of a false hunger. Often my clients are astounded by how many calories there are in fruits. The problem is that in the store there are no food labels to refer to when looking at fruits. So, if you can avoid loading up on fruit, you will save yourself hundreds of calories so you can have a reasonable piece of that cheesecake you are crazy about.

I consider alcohol to be in the dessert category, especially eggnog and holiday drinks. To slow yourself down I suggest having a sparkling water next to your drink so that you can alternate sips and cut your intake in half.

Lastly, please make time to exercise on the days when there is a party. Remember if you burn a few hundred calories exercising, it will certainly help balance the extra calories you will be consuming.

My office is located in Alamo. I welcome your call to discuss your nu-trition concerns. Note, my services are often covered by healthcare insur-ance. Please visit www.LindaRD.com for more information, past articles, helpful tips, recipes, and my blog or call (925) 855-0150. Advertorial

Fit ‘n Fabulous at Any Age!By Brandi Geiger MS, CMT

Yes, it IS possible to be “fit n fabulous” at any age. I know it’s harder to stay fit as we age, I have to work harder at 42 than I did at 24, but we can do whatever we put our minds and bodies to. Sometimes we just need a little help, motivation, a few helpful tools, or maybe a swift kick in the pants to get ourselves moving in the right direction. So I’ve come up with a brilliant idea....a series of fabulous lectures titled

“Fit ‘n Fabulous at Any Age.” Fit Mind n Body, along with Skin Savvy and Lifetime Wellness, have brought together some amazing women to bring you the event of the year that will help inspire, motivate, and empower you to be fit and fabulous in mind, body, and spirit. But wait there’s more! There’s always more with me, because I always want more for people! We are do-nating the profits from the event to Shepherd’s Gate home for battered and homeless women and children. What more could you ask for? You get to do something awesome for yourself and help women who are in heartbreaking situations. Have you ever known any women or children who have been abused or are homeless? I’ve known a few and they are now doing incredibly well. In fact, you will get to hear my dear friend’s story and be inspired by it. I would love for you to join me and my amazing team of professionals for this 90 day journey that could be life changing for you. Classes will be held on Thursdays 1/19, 2/16, 3/15 and 4/19 from 6-9pm. You will be transformed by the following topics and activities:

*Before & After Metabolic Weigh-In, understanding what’s going on inside of us.

*Before and after photos by Jennifer Scholting Photography*Be inspired and touched by Cindy McCaffrey’s story. She is one of

the reasons I decided to make this a benefit for Shepherd’s Gate. *MJ Ryan, author of This Year I Will and The Happiness Makeover,

will give you the tools to finally change a habit, keep a resolution, reach your goals or make a dream come true.

*Dr. Lori Mancuso and Brandi Geiger MS, CMT present “Eat Clean, Get Lean! How to Live by the 80/20 Rule,” “How Nutrition Affects our Adrenal Health,” and “Menopause and Andropause (male menopause, yes they go through it as well, they just don’t talk about it or want to admit it) and How Both are Affected by Nutrition and Exercise.” “Got Mojo? How to Get It and/or Keep It!” and “Alternative Solutions to Staying Healthy.”

*Personal Trainer Amanda McNair presents “The 10 minute Circuit Workout to a Better Body.” Do this routine at home or at your desk a couple of times a day and you will be amazed with the changes in your body and energy levels.

*Licensed therapist Diane Donnelly will discuss how we need to “Eat to Live, Not Live to Eat and our relationship with food.” She will help us to get to the root of our emotions and how to finally deal with them instead of feeding them so we can finally take control of our eating habits which leads to a happier, healthier self esteem.

*Guided meditation and deep breathing techniques. *Jennifer Cross of Skin Savvy presents “Skincare Needs for all Ages.” *Inspirational speaker Laurie Bodine, of FLiP, speaking about “Liv-

ing Life with Purpose and Joy.”*Our last session on 4/19 will be held at Nordstrom in Walnut Creek for

bra fitting, make up, and a personal guide to pick clothes that complement YOUR body. You may like an outfit, but it may not look the best on you. Come learn what does work for you!

For more information or to register, please visit www.fitmindnbody.com or call 925-984-9259. Our office is located at 55 Oak Ct #130 in Danville. Early bird registration fee is $159 and will be $199 after December 31st. Grab a friend and sign up early! Space is limited. Give yourself the gift of being “fit n fabulous” and helping less fortunate women and children at the same time!

Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well Advertorial

[email protected] I Plan to Keep This Season Merry and BrightBy Barbara Persons, MD, Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc.

Whatever your faith, heritage, or beliefs, this is the season of celebrations. These festivities are observed by the wonderful mix of people who live here in the Bay Area. The holidays universally mean family traditions. I am fortunate to have pa-tients from 2 to 92 who have families that consist

of a man who lives with a small dog to an older woman with a family clan of more than one hundred. My patients have taught me about their many religions and my family has taught me to be open to all traditions.

This is one of my favorite times of the year and it’s the traditions that make it most meaningful for me. Traditions help me slow down and focus on what really matters – family, friends, and community. In this article I share some of my favorite traditions, and how you may be able to experience them too.

1. Community Tree Lighting. There is nothing like a community tree lighting event to re-connect with old and new friends. Alamo – across from Bank of America December 4th at 5pm, Lafayette – Corner of Mt. Diablo & Lafayette Circle East December 4th at 5:30pm, Walnut Creek Broadway Plaza December 1st at 6pm. The Grand Menorah Lighting at Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creeks is on December 20th from 4-6pm.

2. Ice Skating in Walnut Creek. Everyone can enjoy the outdoor ice rink sponsored by the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce at Civic Park. The twinkling lights and icy surrounds offer a terrific opportunity for colored scarves and gloves, holding hands and laughing as we skate around to holiday music. Www.IceSkateWalnutCreek.com or call (925)935-SNOW (7669).

3. Decorating the Christmas Tree. Bringing out the boxes filled with ornaments collected over a lifetime provides the makings of a warm and de-lightful evening of storytelling. My favorite ornaments are those my children bring home from pre-school and elementary school with their pictures and lots of messy glitter.

4. The Bethlehem Experience & Christmas Caroling. The Lafayette United Methodist Church puts on a fun Bethlehem experience every year, www.thelumc.org. Christmas Caroling with friends and family offers enjoyment for the singers while spreading joy to the recipients of our fa-la-la-la-la’s.

5. Walk in Nature. Have you visited the Lafayette Reservoir lately? No matter the season, head over to the Reservoir to breathe in the fresh air and take in the beauty of the hills, oak trees, and water. It is at this time of year that fellow walkers decorate a tree on the far side of the reservoir to celebrate the season. See if you can find it! The Rim Trail is also one of my favorite hikes. The Reservoir is located at 3849 Mt Diablo Blvd, Lafayette - don’t forget quarters for the meter!

6. Scrooge. How can you escape the Christmas Season without a little bit of Bah Humbug? See Center REP’s A Christmas Carol in Walnut Creek - www.lesher-artscenter.org, or Town Hall Theater’s Scrooge! in Lafayette - www.thtc.org.

7. The Trains. Christmas would not be complete without a visit to Tilden Park for a ride on the steam trains. My kids love to go with grandpa and it is all smiles. www.redwoodvalleyrailway.com.

8. The Food. Our extended family cooks Dungeness crab with fresh chowder on Christmas eve and then has a big traditional dinner on Christmas day. My family also makes a big production of cooking and giving English Butter Toffee that we take great joy in making from scratch every year!

9. The Nutcracker. From the aspiring ballerinas to grandmas, put aside some time to get all dressed up to see the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. There are student shows throughout the East Bay which are priceless. CAPA has a wonderful show December 9th, 10th, and 11th. Learn more at www.capadance.net.

10. Fenton’s. The holidays mean the entire family gets to head through the tunnel to Fenton’s on Piedmont Avenue for crab sandwiches and a Black and Tan. Fenton’s is located at 4226 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland. Their number is (510) 658-7000.

11. Pamper yourself and Shop Local. Visit us! Our new Laser Genesis can give you that extra holiday glow. Exercise daily so you feel great and do not have to worry about a few sweets passing your lips. And, see the wonderful women at McCaulous’ Cosmetic Counter in Lafayette to make sure your holiday make-up shimmers. McCaulous’ is located at Plaza Shopping Center, Lafayette (925) 283-3380.

12. Give back. The holidays are truly about giving. My family participates in a giving tree, and gives gifts to children who otherwise would go without. Another option includes Toys for Tots, www.toysfortots.org. Thank you to our troops for sacrifices they make every day. This time of year is especially hard on morale, and I hope everyone will make an effort to brighten the season for the troops through one of several organizations. Opchristmas.org or treesfortroops.org. Donate food, or serve dinner at a local shelter such as Loaves and Fishes www.loavesfishescc.org.

Now you know my wishes for a memorable holiday. I wish you quality time with your family and friends and a wonderful holiday season! We look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

Barbara Persons MD owns Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc. located at 911 Moraga Rd. in Lafayette. Please call 925-283-8811 or email [email protected]. Advertorial


www.yourmonthlypaper.com - December 2011 ~ Alamo Todaybands beneath the nail plate which do not grow out with the nail, and Mee’s Lines - pale colorbands in the nails which grow out with the nail. Beau’s lines develop when the nail growth cycle is disrupted-such as with chemotherapy, pso-riasis, some infections, and malnutrition. Hypothyroidism and low thyroid levels, can cause thin, brittle nails.Infection

Paronychia is a bacterial infection occurs along the sides of nails or with an ingrown nail. A hot tender swelling along the nail fold develops rapidly over hours to days. Soaking the finger in warm water can help, but sometimes an abscess forms which requires medical attention and drainage.

Fungal, yeast, and mold infections cause white spots on top of the nail, or thickening and lifting up of the nail, crumbly keratin fragments beneath, and white streaks along the length of the nail. Treatment of infected nails includes surgical or chemical removal, oral antifungal medications which require monitoring for side effects, and recently laser has been tried. Generally, fingernail fungal infections clear more quickly, with fewer recurrences than toenail infections.

Warts, caused by viral infections, grow around and beneath fingernails. Cancer

A dark streak in the nail, melonychia, may be a normal variant, but if the streak is wide and particularly dark, it could be caused by melanoma, a potentially fatal cancer. If the nail cuticle is also dark, a melanoma is the likely cause. Squamous cell carcinomas also grow around the nail and resemble warts. Healthy nails

Nails nutrition - I am referring to nutrients to keep nails healthy, not the nutritional con-tent of nails - includes vitamins A, B12,C, D, calcium, and iron. Fatty acids also keep nails strong and flexible. Hand creams also hydrate nails. I recommend massaging the cream around the nails and cuticles daily to protect your nails, particularly during cold winter months. Look for Cetaphil Ultra Hydrating Lotion, Cera-ve, Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream, and Am-Lactin lotion when your hands need some moisture.

To have your skin evaluated by a board certified dermatologist and have a treatment specifically designed for your skin, contact Dr. Shanny Baughman at Alamo Oaks Dermatology, 3189 Danville Blvd, suite 130, Alamo, 925-362-0992, [email protected] or Dr. Kelly Hood, 970 Dewing, Suite 301, Lafayette, 925-283-5500, [email protected] Advertorial

Fingernail FundamentalsBy Dr. Shanny Baughman

Have you ever wondered why you have fingernails? What purpose do they serve? Why do you need them? And, what do they tell you about yourself? I invite you to learn more about the purpose of fingernails, what is normal and what is not. Development

Fingernails are comprised of three parts – the nail plate, the nail bed and the nail matrix, or root. The nail is formed in the nail

matrix, located behind and beneath the cuticle, and grows out dis-tally, or toward the tip of the finger. Fingernails are composed of keratin, a tough protein also found in claws, hooves, and hair. Growth

Fingernail growth averages three millimeters a month (1/8 inch), with more rapid growth in the summer, and slower growth in the winter. Nail growth slows with advancing age or decreased circulation. Fingernails grow out completely in 3 – 6 months, while toenails take 12 – 18 months. Fingernails do not continue to grow after death, even though we might have heard that as children. Function

Fingernails help to protect our fingertips from trauma. Yes, it really hurts to smash your finger in a door, but that pain is better than breaking the bone in your fingertip. Fingernails make marvelous tools, but are a bit bendy. Can you name some ways to use your fingernails as tools? How about - opening an envelope, or turning a screw, or scratching a lottery ticket, or getting that piece of spinach out of your teeth, or tapping secret messages in class? Disease

Fingernails reveal your health and habits. Healthy nails are evenly pink and smooth. They do not have ridges, crossways lines, grooves, or dark streaks. Pale nails may mean a person has drastically reduced peripheral circulation, as when in shock or dehydration. Bluish-purple nail color is due to cyanosis and anemia- the blood is not carrying enough oxygen. Beau’s Lines are crossways indentations or grooves in nails, but not from the base of the nail to the tip. They differ from Muehrcke’s Lines, which are pale color

Dr. Kelly Hood, LafayetteDr. Shanny Baughman, Alamo

provided by local restaurants and local civic groups.Barrels will be set up for the Contra Costa Food Bank to collect non-

perishable items such as canned or boxed goods starting several days before in Alamo Plaza and will also be available the night of the event. Also par-ticipating is local community organization, Shelter, Inc. This amazing group is dedicated to helping prevent homelessness and promote self-sufficiency among Contra Costa residents. It is an independent, charitable, nonprofit organization founded in 1986. They will be collecting money to buy toys for families in our area who cannot afford such treats for the holidays. We encourage all to participate in one of these charitable organizations, but it is not necessary to enjoy the fun festivities for the evening!

The festival is sponsored by the Alamo Chamber of Commerce with generous donations and sponsorships from Stone Valley Center, Alamo Oak Tree Plaza, Waldron Health Insurance, County Parks and Rec, Alamo Plaza, Richards Arts and Crafts, The Combs Team (Re/Max Accord), World of Sound and Vision, Celebrations n the Bay, and several other local merchants and benefactors. If you are interested in helping with monetary donations or for more information, please log on to the Chamber website at www.AlamoChamberofCommerce.com.

Remember to support Alamo, and thank you for supporting local businesses!We look forward to seeing everyone out to celebrate and to making this

a fabulous and memorable event!

Lighting continued from front page

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Breast Radiation Treatment in One Day By Sachin Kamath, MD

Today, more than ever, one of our primary goals in cancer treatment is to provide better targeted therapies. One of the most exciting innovations in breast cancer treat-ment recently is intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT).

Traditionally, early-stage breast cancer treatment has been treated with surgery (usually lumpectomy) and six weeks of whole breast external beam radiation therapy, either with or without chemotherapy or hormonal therapy. Not all patients who choose lumpectomy comply with the recommended follow-up radiation treatment because of factors relating to time, money, distance, and access to a radiation center. Neglecting follow-up radiation

therapy after lumpectomy can increase the risk of cancer recurrence. Fortunately, today there is an-other newer method of delivering radiation to the breast after lumpectomy, intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT). IORT allows for a more expedited, convenient treatment schedule.

IORT has been performed successfully over the past several years with good results, but very few centers around the country could afford to have the specially shielded operating rooms that were necessary. With the advent of electronic brachytherapy technology, like the Xoft eBx system, IORT can now be more easily performed since a shielded vault is not required. With breast IORT, the radiation is delivered in a single treatment right to the target tissue (lumpectomy cavity) in the operating room at the time of surgery. The rationale for IORT is to deliver a high dose of radiation precisely to the target area with minimal exposure to surrounding tissues, which can be displaced or shielded during the IORT procedure. With conventional radiation techniques after lumpectomy there are some drawbacks. First, the tumor bed, where the highest radiation dose should be applied, can be missed due to the complex localization of the wound cavity even when modern radiotherapy planning is used. Second, the usual delay between surgical removal of the tumor and radiation treat-ment may allow for repopulation of tumor cells. These potentially harmful issues can be avoided by delivering IORT directly to the target tissues leading to immediate sterilization of any residual tumor cells. With the Xoft eBx system, a typical IORT treatment for breast cancer can be completed in as little as eight minutes.

Last year, a landmark breast IORT study (TARGIT trial) published in the journal Lancet offered tre-mendous hope that a single radiation treatment, at the time of lumpectomy, might be able to replace the more cumbersome and time-consuming radiation treatment options commonly used today to treat patients with early stage breast cancer. If the excellent results with breast IORT hold up long-term, as hoped and expected, then this approach to early stage breast cancer treatment has the potential to significantly increase the speed and efficiency of patient care while at the same time decreasing the overall cost of care.

Unfortunately, not all patients with early stage breast cancer are candidates for IORT because of technical and/or anatomical difficulties. However, if we continue our efforts to catch more cases of breast cancer in the earlier stages, then breast IORT using the Xoft eBx system has the potential to improve the quality of the lives of millions of patients over time by freeing them up to move on with their lives more quickly after receiving the breast cancer diagnosis.

Two Bay Area institutions, Stanford and UCSF, participated in the TARGIT study. Diablo Valley Oncol-ogy, a UCSF research affiliate, has been using the Xoft electronic brachytherapy technology for two years and is partnering with local breast surgeons to offer the breast IORT procedure beginning in December 2011 at the Aspen Surgery Center in Walnut Creek. Diablo Valley Oncology will be the first practice in the East Bay to offer this procedure to breast cancer patients.

Dr. Kamath is a radiation oncologist with Diablo Valley Oncology. Located in the Califor-nia Cancer and Research Institute located at 400 Taylor Blvd in Pleasant Hill, the practice is home to the largest single site for cancer treatment in Contra Costa County. Its seven physicians bring together medical oncology, hematology, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, diagnostic imaging, clinical trials, and supportive care all in one convenient location. www.DiabloValleyOncology.md. Advertorial

Stroke Support GroupThe Stroke Support Group of Contra Costa County will hold its monthly

meeting on Monday, December 12 at 7:00PM in the Concord Room at John Muir Medical Center-Concord Campus located at 2540 East Avenue in Concord. We will be having our annual holiday celebration with fun and frolic.

For further information, contact Ann Dzuna at (925) 376-6218. Meetings are free and open to the public.

Mended HeartsThe John Muir Chapter of Mended Hearts will hold its monthly meeting on

Thursday, December 8th at 7PM in the Hanson Room at John Muir Medical Center-Walnut Creek Campus, 1601 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek. The meeting will be the annual Holiday Gala. Bring an appetizer or dessert to share. Mended Hearts is a national organization providing support for cardiac patients, their families, and caregivers. For more information contact Nancy Mitchell at 925-943-7549.

Hearing Loss Association Come to meetings of the Diablo Valley Chapter of Hearing Loss Association of

America at 7pm on the 1st Wednesday of the month at the Walnut Creek United Methodist Church located at 1543 Sunnyvale Ave., Walnut Creek Education Bldg., Wesley Room. Meeting room and parking are at back of church. All are welcome. Donations accepted. Assistive listening system is available for T-coils, and most meetings are captioned. Contact: [email protected] or 925.264.1199 or www.hearinglossdv.org. Is Food a Problem for You?

Overeaters Anonymous offers a fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience and mutual support, are recovering from compulsive overeating. This is a 12-step program. The free meetings are for anyone suffering from a food addiction including overeating, under-eating, and bulimia. The group meets Wednesdays at 6PMat Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Lafayette. Visit www.how-oa.org for more information.

www.yourmonthlypaper.com - December 2011 ~ Alamo Today The Eye OpenerBy Gregory Kraskowsky, O.D., Alamo OptometryHappy Holidays and Farewell to Coach

It is hard to believe that we have reached the end of another year. We would like to thank all of our friends and patients for helping us sustain and grow our practice. We feel privileged to work in a great area like Alamo and look forward to serving this great area for years to come.

In looking forward to the coming year, we unfor-tunately have to say goodbye to Coach. The Coach eyewear line is moving to another distributor in 2012, so we have increased our inventory of frames and sunglasses. We are going to discount all Coach frames 20% for the entire month of December. Please visit the office to look at the selection to get your favorite Coach frame and/or sunglasses before they are gone.

In addition to preparing for our holiday season, we are constantly being asked during this time of year about flexible spending accounts (FSA) and health spending accounts (HSA). I thought I would give a quick review about both of these plans and how to fully utilize them by the end of the year.

A Flexible Spending Account (FSA) allows an employee to set aside a portion of his or her earnings to pay for qualified expenses, most commonly for medical expenses but often for dependent care or other expenses including eye care. Money deducted from an employee’s pay into a FSA is not subject to payroll taxes, resulting in a substantial payroll tax savings. The important thing to remember is that any unused money not spent by December 31st

will be forfeited by the employee. As the end of the year approaches, it is paramount that you know how much is left in your account to ensure full utilization.

By comparison, a Health Savings Account (HSA), is a tax-advantaged medical savings account available to employees who are enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) for medical insurance. Unlike a flexible

spending account, funds roll over and accumulate year over year if not spent. Funds may be used to pay for qualified medical expenses at any time without federal tax liability.

The government has a wide range of specified expenses that qualify as a medical expense. These include any office co-pays, any necessary or elec-tive surgical procedures (including LASIK), and many medical devices. Included in that list is any vision correction device (glasses, computer glasses, contact lenses, sports goggles, etc.) and sunglasses (prescription and non-prescription). As long as your purchase is made by the end of the year, it will count on your 2011 account balance.

In addition to these tax-friendly accounts, do not forget to utilize your vision insurance. At our office, we are providers for Vision Service Plan (VSP), Eyemed (which can include vision coverage for Anthem Blue Cross and Aetna if the plan has an eye care provision), and Medical Eye Services (MES). All plans have an exam benefit and have variable material allow-ances towards glasses or contact lenses. Some plans recycle on the change of the new year, so this is an optimal time to use your benefits. Between your vision coverage and your FSA or HSA, most if not all of your charges will be covered.

Finally, in this holiday season and all year round, it is important to think about those who could use our help. We always collect old frames and sunglasses and donate them to a local charity in January. They are distrib-uted to people who cannot afford quality glasses. As long as the glasses are wearable, the condition does not matter. Regardless of appearance, they will definitely assist a person in need to help them see better. We wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season and look forward to seeing you in the years to come.

Dr. K. at Alamo Optometry is your hometown eye doctor for outstanding service, vision care, and designer eyewear. He can be reached at 820-6622 or visit his office at 3201 Danville Blvd., Suite 165 in Alamo. Visit our newly updated website at, www.alamooptometry.com, and become a fan on our Alamo Optometry Facebook page. Advertorial

Mustang Strikers took 1st place in the Walnut Creek Octoberfest Tournament. Pictured are – Top Row: Sarah Klass, Casey Pearce, Grace Brown, Frankie Ruiz, Anna Silver, Sarah Mondloch, Mikaela Wong, Danielle Breyton, Maddie Mooney, and Alyssa Rutchena. Bottom Row: Madi Reder, Heather Schiebley, Katherine Winn, Sarah Mazzetti, Riley Purcell, Maddie Connell, and Bella Depolo. Coaches: Heidi Zuber and Kenny Wong.

The Mustang U10 Boys Gold team went to Las Vegas and came home with the Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup! They played teams from Nevada, Arizona, and California – beating Fresno in the Finals 4-2. This is the 3rd tournament title for the Estudiantes this year with previous titles in the Mustang Stampede and Union City Soccer Palooza. Pictured Top Row (L to R): Coach Fred Wilson, Chase Lober, Rabee Haidari, Ethan Lopez, Sam Stephenson, Ben Parker, David Parkin, Coach Jeff Kendall. Bottom Row (L to R) Jered Kenny, Gio Polizzi, Dominic Giusto, Griffin Turner, Sari Khleif, Nate Colley.

Dynamite, Mustang Girls U10 champions of Dick King Classic. Dynamite finished the season 12-0-1. Back row: Coach Mike Curran, Bella Temkin, Olivia Romo, Grace Hinckley, Kaitlyn Taylor, Coach Zack Taylor, Emma Hinckley, Emily Hora, Coach Dayton Keane. Front row: Sereen Wong, Makenna Curran, Lauren Stenger, Allison Keane, Kate Stenger, and Cathy Mustar.

Do you have a story idea? How about sporting news?

Do you know of a group in our community that we should feature?

Call us at 925.405.6397, or email us at [email protected].


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Not Just a Headache By Michael Nelson, M.D.Migraines are the most common neurological condition. About 15% of the population have migraines, and migraines are three times more

common in women. I know, childbirth, menstrual cycles, menopause, and yes, migraines. You can blame your parents because migraines are strongly genetic. As a neurologist, I will see the most severe cases. Interestingly, neurologists themselves have a higher percent chance of migraines than the general population; the thought is that is what led them to neurology. Luckily, I am not in that group.

Nearly everyone has experienced a headache of some variety. My grandmother said she had never had a headache in her life; it must have been the clean living. Because headaches are so common, many of my patients feel that others don’t understand how severe the pain of a migraine is. Because most headaches are mild, and may be the result from too many beers the night before, most people believe a headache is something that you just need to suffer through. The seriousness of headaches is not helped by popular culture. There’s the old movie excuse of “oh, not tonight dear, I have a headache.” It ranks up there with having the “vapors.” I have had patients request for me to write letters to their

boss explaining that it is not just a headache that they can work through. It’s probably good if your boss has migraine headaches, because then they will understand. The problem of not understanding migraine severity is compounded by there being absolute no objective evidence that someone is truly having a headache. This is

true of a lot of neurology. I frequently say, “It’s not like breaking your arm which we can see on an x-ray, and I can tell you when to expect it to be better.” I frequently get MRI scans for my migraine patients but have to warn them that it will probably be normal. This reassures most patients, but some still feel strongly that the headache must be from something. Why do I get MRI’s ordered on patients that I am 99% sure will be normal? It’s the other one percent I worry about.

There are many treatment options for headaches. This is why I enjoy the challenge of headache treatment. There is almost always something that hasn’t been tried. Sometimes it is not plan A or plan B, but plan G or plan H that finally works. Once we find something successful, it

usually continues to work, sometimes for years. Interestingly, family members tend to respond to the same medications.

Some prescribed medications actually worsen headaches. There are two medications that I wish would be removed from the market; Fiorinal and Fioricet. I call these the F-words. Both may make you feel better because there is a barbiturate in them. There is also caffeine, so you can have your upper with your downer. Unfortunately, they very easily cause rebound headaches (headaches due to the pain medication wearing off). Because the barbiturate (butalbital) is addicting, you are at risk for having a seizure if you take more than six of these pills a day and then suddenly stop. Before you write a letter, I am okay with someone who only uses one or two per month when nothing else has worked.

I’m also not a big fan of over the counter medications that contain caffeine. These usually are designated as “something Migraine.” I would like to point out that Excedrin and Excedrin Migraine have exactly the same ingredients. The caffeine is a double edged sword which may help, or hurt, your migraine. If you need four Excedrin every day, it’s time to see your doctor. Other red flags are headaches that wake you up at night, a progressively worsening headache, any new headache over the age of 60, and headaches with neurological symptoms.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about migraines. Neurologists are headache specialists, and we would be happy to assist you. The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not meant to replace proper medical care.

Michael Nelson, M.D. is a board certified adult neurologist who has been serving general neurology patients in the East Bay for the past nine years. His office is located at 970 Dewing Ave, Suite #300 in Lafayette. He can be reached at (925) 299-9022 to schedule and appointment and can also be found on the web at www.michaelnelsonmd.com. Advertorial


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What’s the Buzz for December?Buzz Sessions are the buzz on topics and issues facing today’s older adults. Join to talk with the ex-

perts. Buzz Sessions are always free! The following sessions are held at Town Meeting Hall located at 201 Front Street in Danville. Visit www.danville.ca.gov or call (925) 314-3400 for more information.Savvy Social Security Planning ~ Saturday, December 3 • 2:30PM – 3:30PM

Presenter: Diane Woodward, CFP®, Professional Ora Citron, MBA, Financial ConsultantSocial Security is more complex than most people realize. By attending this workshop, you will have a

better understanding of the Social Security system and what you need to know to maximize your benefits over your lifetime. This class is intended for people that have not yet applied for Social Security benefits.Fun and Fabulous Flowers for the Holidays ~ Tuesday, December 6 • 12PM – 1PM

Presenter Victoria Winter will cover the basics of arranging flowers in an easy, informal way. Victoria will share innovative ideas for creating seasonal arrangements. She’ll discuss how to buy, store, and prepare flowers, the mechanics of arranging, the use of basic flower arranging principles, and the use of interesting containers and color choices. She’ll also demonstrate one or two (or three!) flower arrangements suitable for the holidays. There will be a drawing for one of Victoria’s creations at the conclusion of the program.Eat Through the Holidays without Gaining Weight ~ Tuesday, December 13 • 9AM – 10:30AM

Is the holiday season one long food fest for you? Do you struggle with the temptations of food and drink and hate yourself for giving in? Would you like to have power over those sugary sweets? Learn why certain foods are so tempting and techniques to pass them up with ease. Presenter Shannon Williams, CNC, owner of Successful Health & Nutrition Planning will help you discover tactics for making guilt-free food choices. Learn how to make healthier versions of your favorite dishes. Shannon will share some of her best recipes with you and also her secrets on how to avoid putting on excess pounds during this tempting time.

510-861-27225700 Greenville Rd, Livermore

www.redfeatherwinery.com

Come Taste Our Award Winning Wines!

Come shop in our Winery Boutique Store. We have gifts for the entire family, including your pet! We have homemade pet treats, handmade scarfs, wine accessories, barrel creations, candles, artwork, photography, paintings, jewelry and custom gift baskets.

Calling all Instructors!The Town of Danville Seniors Services division is looking for qualified

instructors to offer classes for adults 55 years and over at the newly renovated Veterans Memorial Building which is set to open early 2012. If you have the knowledge and skills to teach nutrition, health and fitness, language, craft, and/or hobby classes to adults over 55, you are encouraged to submit a proposal. Classes will be offered at various times including early evenings and weekends.

For more information on how to become a Town of Danville instructor, please contact Jenn Overmoe, Program Coordinator for Senior Services by email at [email protected] or by phone at (925) 314-3491.

San Ramon Valley Genealogical SocietyThe San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society meets at 10AM the third Tues-

day of every month, except August and December, at the Danville Family History Center, 2949 Stone Valley Road, Alamo. There will be a speaker at every meeting. Everyone is welcome.

For information, call Ed at (925) 299-0881, visit www.srvgensoc.org, or email [email protected].

Diablo Singles Dance ClubDiablo Singles Dance Club holds a public dance the last Wednesday of

each month from 7:30pm-10:30pm at the Shadelands Art Center located at 111 N. Wiget Lane in Walnut Creek. There is live music, refreshments, and free parking. The cost is $7 for members and $9 for non-members. For informa-tion please call 925-837-2851.


Moms In TouchMoms In Touch is an interdenominational, nonprofit organization where

two or more moms gather together to pray for children and schools. Moms will experience how to replace anxiety and fear with peace and joy by pray-ing specifically and scripturally for children and schools.

For more information, contact Karen Pearce at [email protected] or 949-350-2360, or visit the MITI website at www.MomsInTouch.org.


Alamo Today ClassifiedsReach over 6,300 homes and businesses in Alamo - Help Wanted, For Sale, Services, Lessons, Pets, Rent-

als, Wanted, Freebies... $35 for up to 45 words. $5 for each additional 15 words. Run the same classified ad in our sister papers “Lafayette Today” or “Danville Today News” at half off!Send or email submissions to: 3000F Danville Blvd #117, Alamo 94507 or editor@yourmonthly-

paper.com. Payment by check made out to “The Editors” must be received before ad will print. Your cancelled check is your receipt. We reserve the right to reject any ad.

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Name_________________________________________ Address__________________________________________ # of Words_______________

Phone________________________________________ Email ____________________________________________________________________

C L A S S I F I E D

CONDO VACATION RENTAL Mauna Lani Resort, Big Island. New luxury 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath condo on 4th fairway. Minimum 3 night stay. Contact Alamo owners for discounted rate. 925.381.7042 [email protected]

FOR RENTMAUI CONDO VACATION RENTAL - Maui Kapalua Golf Villa. Sleeps 6 - two bedroom, two bath. Fully remodeled, spacious, and private. Large kitchen, gas barbeque, pool, and lanai. Free phone and WiFi. Mention this ad for a discount. Terry 925-933-6716, [email protected].

ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH cordially invites you to join us for Christmas Services on December 24th at 4pm, 8pm, 10:30pm, and 11pm, and De-cember 25th at11am in our Historical Chapel located at 1924 Trinity Ave, Walnut Creek. 925-934-2324, www.stpaulswc.org.

CHURCH SERVICES

Lic# 1100014354; Bay Area Entertainment


Data presented in this column is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Contra Costa and Alameda MLS service and other quoted sources. Joe and Nancy Combs, J. Rockcliff and the MLS service do not guarantee the accuracy of this information. DRE #0144125.

Perfect in every detail inside and out. 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath. Huge outdoor entertainment area and

pool. $1,499,000

Nancy and I represented the buyer and the seller. Pending in 3 days. We

have other buyers.

Perfect “10” 5 beds, office, huge bonus room, kitchen family room flow,

exquisite mill work, views $2,095,000

Westside single story. Completely updated $1,240,000. We represented the buyer...

we have more buyers!

Exquisite 5 bedroom 4.5 bath custom luxury home on level .5 acre lot. Custom pool and spa! Eye pop-ping, mouth dropping, Wow! Appeal. $2,285,000.

Stonegate Single StoryWestside Alamo Single Story

Alamo Westside Complete Remodel

SOLD

J. Rockcliff Realtors 15 Railroad Ave., Danville CA. 94526

Westside Alamo Single Story Alamo Custom Luxury Home

Alamo Westside Mediterranean

Page 36 - December 20 onthlypypypapapperer.c.comom

Professionals YouCan Count On

The Combs Team

Nancy Joe

www.TheCombsTeam.com

®Call the Combs Team

925-989-6086

PENDING

Single story, 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath, gated entrance, chef’s kitchen, pool and pool house.

$1,599,000

SOLD

Alamo Real Estate: West Side vs. Round HillOver the years the most frequently asked question by my readers is simply, “Which is better,

West Side or Round Hill? ” Since I believe they are both exceptionally nice, I am not going to give a direct answer. In my mind it probably depends on whether or not you are a golfer, but I know people are really asking me about investment value. My answer to this is that there probably isn’t any real difference although I am willing to acknowledge that others may see it differently.

This month I thought I would lay out some comparative data and give my readers the op-portunity to evaluate the differences on their own. To make the comparison fair, I only included single family homes and eliminated condos which skew the numbers lower for the West Side. The attached chart displays West Side vs. Round Hill in a like time frame comparison from Jan. 1-Nov.16 for the years 2010 and 2011.

What jumps out immediately is that on average the homes selling in Round Hill are significantly larger than on the West Side. In this calendar year about 19% larger, and as is typical for our area, larger homes sell at a higher average and median price but at a lower price when dollars per square foot are compared. This year the West Side is selling at $394 per square foot versus $351 in Round Hill. That’s about an 11% price advantage in favor of the West Side.

When you compare average price, the nod goes to Round Hill. It is selling this year at an average price of $1,241,000 compared to $1,152,627 for the West Side for about a 7% difference. Round

Hill also wins on median price of $1,095,000 compared to the West Side’s $1,006,000 for about an 8% difference. Given the innate differences between the homes sold in the two neighborhoods, a rational person could make an argument for either one being the better of the two.

A startling fact that jumps off the page is that the size of homes selling in each of these neighborhoods is dropping by 9% and 11% respectively from a year ago. This may be the most significant finding in the chart. Buyers are choosing smaller homes in both neighborhoods com-pared to 2010. This begs the question about the demographic shift taking place in our country and our Alamo market place. Are downsizing “Baby Boomers” driving our market toward smaller home purchases? They have driven every thing else since they hit their 20s more than 40 years ago. The first year of the massive Baby Boom retirement is 2011 and it will extend another 13 years. Another thought is about the rising prices for energy and water. Are people finding it too expensive to maintain larger homes in this “New Economy” and opting for smaller footprints and lower tax bases, or are loans simply not available to support larger home purchases?

Unit sales figures appear to support this smaller is better notion. West Side unit sales are up by 16% this year and Round Hill unit sales are down by 26%. This difference does not ap-pear to be driven by lack of inventory. There is available inventory in both locations. Fourteen homes are currently for sale in Round Hill and 24 homes are available on the West Side. Time on market has also lengthened in both locations with Round Hill homes taking 38% longer to sell this year than during the same time frame last year. Round Hill is now running about even with the West Side of Alamo in time to sell...about 80 days for each location.

Three of the seven pending sales (43%) in West Side Alamo are subject to lender approval meaning they are either short sales or Bank Owned properties. Two of three pending sales (63%) in Round Hill are also distressed. I don’t think any one would have dreamed that Alamo would be so heavily impacted by this economic down turn. On the bright side we do get closer to the end of this mess with each passing day and perhaps 2012 will be the year this aberration of distressed sales comes to an end. We will see.

Nancy and I want to wish you a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.If you are thinking about selling your home and would like an honest opinion of its market

value, please give me a call 925-989-6086, or send me an email [email protected]. Nancy and I will be happy to help.

Alamo West Side vs. Roundhill Jan.1- Nov 17, 2011West Side Units Sold DOM $$ AVG $$ Median $$ Sq. Ft. Sq.Ft.

2010 37 71 1,168,000$ 1,124,000$ 403$ 27892011 43 78 1,152,627$ 1,006,000$ 394$ 2553

% Chg. 16% 10% -1% -11% -2% -9%Roundhill Units Sold DOM $$ AVG $$ Median $$ Sq. Ft. Sq.Ft.

2010 23 58 1,274,021$ 1,245,000$ 353$ 35262011 17 80 1,241,000$ 1,095,785$ 351$ 3121

% Chg. -26% 38% -3% -12% -1% -11%

Alamo Today, December 2011

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