Danville Today News, June 2011

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The Gift Grows On By Jody MorganImagine a gift that’s growing across 2 ½ acres with living branches brush-

ing the sky. Would you deed it to a stranger? Fortunately for the generations of visitors benefiting from her generosity, Ruth Bancroft’s aptitude for assessing an appropriate preservation opportunity matched her ability to envision harmonious horticultural compositions.

Many visitors to the Ruth Bancroft Garden still ask: “Will this all be hous-ing?” In 1988, Frank Cabot expressed a similar concern. Friends claiming Ruth’s dry garden was a sight he shouldn’t miss dragged Frank to Walnut Creek. Arriving with no expectation that a collection of drought tolerant plants would

interest him, Cabot was overwhelmed by Ruth’s ingenious combination of colorful succulent car-pets with statuesque trees and flowering plants from around the world.

Tactfully phrasing the question to his octogenar-ian hostess, Frank asked what would happen to the garden when she could no longer tend it. Having already addressed the issue with her offspring, Ruth replied, “When I go, the

garden goes.” Appalled, Cabot promised he would not let that happen. Over the course of the next few years, he set up the Garden Conservancy. Giving her work of the past two decades to the public as the first property in Cabot’s non-profit organization permitted Ruth to preserve it.

Ruth’s interest in succulents began in the early 1950’s when she set out to buy furniture at a yard sale and spotted a potted plant she craved. The lady of the house, Mrs. Glenn Davidson, happily sold Ruth an Aeonium that she’d hybridized herself. Having acquired one rosette shaped specimen reminiscent of a child’s sketch of a rose, Ruth wanted more. She had thousands of succulents by the time her husband, Philip, offered her space from which he was removing a grove of blighted walnut trees for her dry garden. Lester Hawkins of Western Hills Nursery was hired to design the layout for the winding paths. In 1972, Ruth dug her plants into the new beds and lost 90% to a freeze. Never daunted by disaster, Ruth devised covers to protect tender plants from winter wet and extreme cold and re-planted.

Land containing Ruth’s collections of roses, irises, and herbs as well as her home remained family property when Bancroft transferred the three acres including her xeroscopic garden to the Conservancy. Angela Lansbury, accepting the role of hon-orary chair, attended the official opening of the Ruth Bancroft Garden in April 1992, extending the fame of the venture way beyond horticultural circles.

For Ruth, the transition from private to public garden was simultaneously thrilling and chilling. Used to spending up to 12 hours a day working hatless and gloveless amongst her plants, Ruth found being spotted weeding by com-plete strangers a bit shocking. “Mom never wanted to be a tourist attraction,” comments her daughter Nina Dickerson. Always glad to share her horticultural

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See Bancroft continued on page 6

Danville 4th of July ParadeThe Kiwanis sponsored Danville 4th of July Parade kicks off this year’s event

with a parade celebration with the theme, “Recognizing Our Future Leaders.” Our community is very privileged to have a great number of enthusiastic, creative, and dedicated young people who may be easily identified as this community’s future leaders. This year’s parade will attempt to both recognize and honor these young leaders and support their diverse goals and dreams.

This hometown parade will begin Monday, July 4th at 9AM. Please note no spectator chairs are allowed next to the parade route until 6PM, July 3rd.

For more information, please visit www.kiwanis-srv.org/parade.asp.Ruth Bancroft celebrating her 100th birthday. Photo by Jane Rotermund.

California State Assemblymember Joan Buchanan (15th district) was an Honored Guest on Sunday, May 22nd at a Girl Scout Gold Award Ceremony in Danville. The Gold Award recipients were: Megan Cable (left) and Sydney Collins. The San Ramon Valley High School seniors completed their Gold Award project in August, 2010. The Gold Award project titled “Art From the Start” consisted of the development of an art program at an elementary school in Concord that, because of state budget constraints, had no art program for their students. The senior Girl Scouts held fundraisers, received donated art supplies, and, after consulting with area art docents, developed an art curriculum for the teachers to follow. Lastly, they painted a mural at the school site and had the younger students participate with this by placing their painted handprints on the wall as part of the flowers in the mural.

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Boulevard ViewBy Alisa Corstorphine, Editor

As my youngest child finishes up her senior year of high school, I know diplomas will soon be presented and the ceremonies and parties soon over. My daughter is preparing to continue her education at UC Davis. Done are the days of SATs, ACTs, and college applications...

So as she and her friends and the rest of the class of 2011 are proceeding into the next chapter of their lives, I will share some thoughts I wish to impart.

As noted in the number one graduation book Oh! The Places You Will Go by Dr. Suess: “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!”

Wherever the road takes you it is your opportunity to meet new people, perhaps learn about a new town, undertake a new activity, or join a new group. Use this time to explore anything and everything that interests you. As a graduate, if college isn’t in your sights for the upcoming year, hopefully there will be opportunities for a job, travel, reading, or time with friends. Recharge your batteries, save some money, volunteer.

Be open to new things. Although you may have been sure you have wanted to be a fashion designer, or a firefighter, or a professional singer since your were six, college and experiences may open your eyes to new opportunities. Explore the offerings that are open to you. Hopefully you’ll find something you love to do, something that becomes your passion. That way even though it may become a job or career, it will never seem like work.

Although my daughter is thinking of following a pre-med track with the possibility of becoming an emergency room doctor, she is looking forward to taking the “Field Equipment Operation” (aka Tractor Driving) class that Da-vis offers. The course offers experience in driving machines from rustic John Deere’s to modern marvels with air conditioning. It is not necessarily the actual tractor operation skills that she will most likely rely on in the future, but it is a chance to do something completely different and also an opportunity to learn more about agriculture and what it takes to produce the food we consume. Who knows? She may discover a new passion, interest, or career option.

Find balance. Plan for the future, but keep in touch with old friends. Don’t spend endless hours playing video games or watching TV. Write down the things that are most important to YOU. Put them in a place where they can be seen and reflected upon. Prioritize your goals. Follow your dreams. No one was born a movie star or a famous scientist. They had to create that reality for themselves, and ,in most cases, that involved a lot of hard work. Anything is possible if you want it badly enough. Go out and make it happen. Work towards your goals. When you prioritize, the difficult decisions become very simple.

A story told by an unknown author tells of a professor giving a lecture to his class. The professor began class with a large jar that he proceeded to fill with big rocks. When he asked the students if the jar was full, and they agreed it was, the professor picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in the jar. He lightly shook the jar so the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the big rocks. The students once again thought the jar was full. Then the professor proceeded to pour sand into the jar, and of course the sand filled the remaining space. When asking the students they unani-mously agreed the jar was now completely full. The professor then produced two cups of coffee and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the grains of sand and the students laughed. The professor proceeded saying, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The large rocks are the important things - your family, your education, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions - things that if everything else were lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first,” the professor continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the large rocks. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.”

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Try your best at school. Take time for yourself. Exercise. Read. There will always be time to worry about life’s little intricacies. Take care of the large rocks first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities, the rest is just sand.

At then end of the demonstration a student asked what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and responded, “It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a cup of coffee with a friend.”

Don’t underestimate what you are capable of. Jobs may not be plentiful upon graduation, and you may need to create your own opportunities. Believe in yourself. Don’t fear failure, and don’t forget to call home!

ADAS Summer Visions Exhibit at New GalleryCelebrating the opening of their new elegant art gallery in Blackhawk

Plaza, Alamo Danville Artists Society (ADAS) will host the opening of Sum-mer Visions by featuring 45 gallery member artists. They will be exhibiting oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, photography, sculpture, wearable art, jewelry, and note cards. Guest artist, Jeff Owen, will display one of his contemporary heroic-sized metal sculptures, and guest artist, Mary Leigh Miller, will exhibit ceramic Raku, salt-fired and pit-fired work.

The exhibit is being shown through August 7th. A free reception at the gallery is being offered to the public on June 11th from 5 - 7PM. The exhibit, which is free to the public, will be on view seven days a week, Monday through Saturday from 10 - 8PM and on Sundays from 11 - 6PM.

Blackhawk Gallery’s new location is at 3416 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Blackhawk Plaza. Blackhawk Plaza is located at the corner of Camino Tas-sajara and Crow Canyon Road in Danville.

Concert on the GreenMonte Vista High School’s great instrumental music groups will all

be performing at Concert on the Green on June 4th from 4-7PM. The free community event will be held in the horseshoe in front of the high school and includes great music, snacks and food for purchase, and wonderful community fun. See you there!

Aloha Golf ClassicThe Danville Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to invite the public to the

Aloha Golf Classic, Dinner, and Auction on Monday, July 25th at the historic Diablo Country Club. Check-in and Putting Contest begin at 9:30AM, Scramble Shot-Gun start at 11AM, Hole in One, Longest Drive contests, and box lunches are included. Silent and live auction, cocktail hour, and dinner are included in golf package and most sponsorships. Not a golfer? Join us for cocktails, appetizers, and networking at 4:30PM and dinner at 5:15PM. Support our local businesses through our silent and live auctions, and raffles. Sponsorships still available. Register online at www.danvilleareachamber.com or call the Chamber at 925-837-4400.


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Military History Library Coming to DanvilleBy John Estes, USMC Retired

The project is underway on the restoration and expansion “saving the historical front” of the Veterans Memorial Building in Danville. This will be a model for restoring America’s aging Veterans buildings across our nation.

The building will be, first and foremost, a Veterans Hall dedicated to all who served. The front two stories of the renovated building will be exclusively a Veterans’ sanctuary with meeting rooms, a Veteran Services Office, and areas that will be available to all Veteran organizations.

The structure’s interior was designed to hold a reservoir of knowledge, housing books, literature, photos, and other important historical military items from all our nation’s military conflicts. The library will be open “on a reserve basis” to schools, Boy and Girl Scouts, and organizations which want to study in an atmosphere where the sole purpose is to teach people what it means to be a member of the armed forces of the United States of America.

All this takes organization, time, and, yes, that dreaded word “money.” We will be grateful for any funds that you may want to contribute. You will be supporting the only library of its kind locally, if not in Northern California.

As we pledged when we signed our enlistment papers, we served with-out question, and we pledge to serve this community.

For more infor-mation or to make a financial or literary donation, visit www.SRVVeteransHall.org or call our Vet-erans office at (925) 362-9806.

Treats for the TroopsDelta Nu Psi will be collecting “gourmet junk food” for the Troops on

Friday, June 3rd at CVS in Alamo and Friday, June 10th at Lunardi's in Danville. We will be at the stores from 11AM to 2PM.

We have now sent 802 boxes containing 20,558 pounds of goodies to our squads. Check out our website, www.deltanupsi.org for the lists of items we send. Some items can be purchased at the big box stores and brought to either location for donation.Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)

VFW Post 75, San Ramon Valley, meets every second Thursday of the month at the Swain House at Hap Magee Ranch Park, located at 1025 La Gonda Way in Danville. The next meeting will be held Thursday, June 9th. Doors open at 7PM, and the meeting begins at 7:30PM. For more information, contact Post Commander Nathan Greene at (925) 875-1747. Find out more about the VFW at www.vfw.org.

Summer Round-UpIt’s time to put on your cowboy boots, kick-up your heels, and head on

out to the Danville Livery for some country western family fun! Summer Round-Up (formerly known as Summer Nights) promises some good ‘ol fashioned fun for the entire family. Mosey on down to the Livery every second Saturday in June, July, and August to enjoy some live music, horse and wagon rides, pony rides, balloon twisting, face painting, giveaways, and wild, western fun! The band line-up includes Lumberyard on June 11th, Dream Posse on July 9th, and The Jessica Caylyn Band on August 13th. Spend $75 in combined, same day receipts from any of the Livery merchants during the event dates, and receive a scrumptious caramel apple or giant lollipop FREE! “Like” the Danville Livery on Facebook, and receive a free gift, compliments of the Danville Livery. Stop by the redemption table in front of Forbes Mill Steakhouse to get your goodies!

For more information about the Danville Livery’s Summer Round-Up and all of the Livery’s events, visit www.danvillelivery.com or call 800-762-1641. The Danville Livery is located at the intersection of Sycamore Valley Rd. and San Ramon Valley Blvd. in Danville.


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6th Annual Valley Teen IdolThe San Ramon Valley Rotary Club is hosting their 6th annual Valley

Teen Idol singing competition and fundraiser. We’ve made many changes to the program that you don’t want to miss. We will have a dozen or so well known East Bay Area restaurants providing food, we’ve added live music, you will be wowed by the young talent competing for top prizes, there will be silent and live auction, and much more.

Rotary is a non-profit organization, and proceeds from this event will benefit the local community of San Ramon Valley and Rotary International humanitarian projects. Tickets cost $35 for adults and $20 for students.

The event will be held at Crosswinds Church, located at 6444 Sierra Court in Dublin, on Saturday, June 11th from 1-6PM.

Prizes are 1st Place winner $1,000 and a Recording Session, 2nd Place winner $500, 3rd Place winner $250, and 4th - 10th winners $50.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.sanramonval-leyrotary.com.

Danville Community Band Concert Presents Ten Years of Music

On Sunday, June 12th the Danville Community Band completes its tenth performing season with a variety of tunes including a selection of marches, the Over-ture from Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra, music from Kalinnikov, Holst, and Gershwin, and featuring piano soloist Nancy Groe-neveld on Charles Williams’ The Dream of Olwen.

The performance, which will begin at 3PM, will be held at Community Presbyterian Church located at 222 West El Pintado Road in Danville. The concert is free, but general seating is limited.

For more information about the band or future performances, see our website at www.danvilleband.org.

Backyard Bounty

Backyard BountyIs your garden about to “take off”? Are your fruit trees about to bear a

bonanza of excess fruit? Have you planted so many zucchini, tomatoes, and other vegetables that you may find yourself with more than you can eat?

For the fourth year, Danville Today News invites you to participate in our Backyard Bounty program. Last year over 3,000 pounds of fresh produce was collected by our readers and passed on to those in need.

The need for food, especially fresh produce, is great. Our goal is to gather over 4,000 pounds of produce this year.

We wish to provide produce at its’ optimum ripeness so nothing goes to waste. A call a week before your produce will be ripe will help us provide the fruits and vegetables at their prime.

To coordinate picking or pick-up of food for donation to local food banks, contact Greg or Lise Danner at 925-552-7103 or email [email protected].

Please share your bounty with those who are less fortunate.


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Bancroft continued from front pagehaven with knowledgeable guests, Ruth enjoyed witnessing the impact her garden was having on visitors with diverse interests. Yet she was saddened by the sense that the garden was no longer her personal space.

Initially the garden was open only for reserved docent tours on Friday and Saturday. Groups could arrange for tours on other days, but on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday the garden was closed to allow Ruth to re-mound beds, weed, and plant as she always had, never even breaking for lunch. Until she was no longer physically able to keep up the pace a few years prior to her 100th birthday, Ruth made all the decisions. Asked whether she knew where each plant would go before acquiring it, Ruth responded, “Oh, no! I fell in love first and then gave it home.”

“Collecting drove the design,” notes Brian Kemble, Curator of the RBG, who began working for Ruth in 1980. Ruth had her own concept of what should go in each bed. When one became full, she added another. As Ruth turned more frequently to ordering from catalogues, Brian continued to bring plants and seeds back from his travels. He further augmented the collection by creating tens of thousands of hybrids to test grow in the garden. Only those with the most desirable characteristics were retained and named.

Tom Bassett, President of the Board of Directors of the RBG, began vis-iting Ruth’s garden when he first moved to Walnut Creek in 1979 to teach as a visiting lecturer at UC Berkeley’s School of Landscape Architecture. Delighted by the depth of Tom’s interest, Ruth invited him to wander the garden whenever he liked. “To Ruth, the garden was a series of stories,” he remembers, telling, “Where each plant came from, how she had found it, how it had done in the garden.” Ruth allowed her plants to overgrow their borders so that the paths became ways leading through the wilderness rather than formal walkways. Ruth recognized that gardens change. Plants outgrow their space, succumb to natural causes, or reseed themselves in unexpected places. Ruth continues to meet weekly with Garden Manager Charlotte Blome, but she has had to cede the daily work to staff members and volunteers.

Hired in 1993 as the garden’s first Executive Director, Richard Turner met Ruth when he and a colleague dropped by unannounced in 1979. Dick recalls: “Ruth rolled out the welcome mat.” Over the next several years, Dick made Ruth’s garden the culminating destination field trip for students in the plant identification classes he was teaching at UC Berkeley. When he left his post at the RBG to become editor of Pacific Horticulture, he retained close ties with the garden. He currently serves on the Horticultural Advisory Com-

See Bancroft continued on page 11

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

dents to its monthly luncheon on June 16th at Forbes Mill Restaurant located at 200 Sycamore Valley Rd. West in Danville. We meet from ll:30 to 2PM, and the charge is $19. The speaker will be Danville Mayor Karen Stepper. Please call Susan at (925) 718-5214 for information or reservations.

Danville Rotary Golf TournamentDanville Rotary’s 18th annual golf tournament, The Greater Danville Open,

is being held Monday, June 6th at the Blackhawk Country Club. The golf event includes a dinner party on Saturday night, June 4th that features wine tasting, music, a magician, and a live auction. Danville Rotary hosts The Greater Dan-ville Open each year to raise money for a number of worthy causes including academic scholarships, support for our local school arts programs, and financial assistant to the Discovery Counseling Center, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, Shelter Inc., and the Wheelchair Foundation.

The golf tournament and dinner are open to the public, but registration is limited. For more information, go to www.greaterdanvilleopen.com or call (925) 838-7007.

Audition for the Danville Girls ChorusThe Danville Girls Chorus (DCC) will be holding auditions for the upcoming

2011-2012 season which begins in September. Girls in grades 3-8 are invited to join the fun group for singing, performing, and learning how to read and appreciate music of all types. No musical experience is required. Auditions will be held on June 7th in the San Ramon Valley High School chorus room in Danville from 4-6PM. To arrange for an audition appointment, call (925) 837-2624 or e-mail [email protected] . There will be a $25 fee due the day of the audition.

The DCC is made up of 150 girls from 3rd – 8th grades from over 30 local Tri-Valley schools. The primary goal is music education. Under the direction of Ken Abrams, girls are taught the basics of vocal production and learn the fundamentals of musicianship and note reading. They are also introduced to a variety of musical styles, ranging from classical to contemporary, folk tunes and pop music. Studies have shown how music can affect learning in math and the sciences, and we know that performing in public promotes self-esteem, which can only be a positive influence on children. The DCC is a great representation of what the studies now prove.

For more information about the DCC, please call (925) 837-2624 or visit our website at www.danvillegirlschorus.com.


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California Voters Rejected Woman Suffrage in 1896By Beverly Lane

Woman suffrage first ap-peared on the California ballot in 1896. After black men were enfranchised in 1871, women worked for twenty-five years to get this issue before the voters in many state-by-state efforts. On November 3, the issue appeared as Ballot No. 6, amending the California Constitution.

In the first California consti-tution of 1849, women did win some property rights which re-flected the state’s Spanish legal traditions. Many transplanted Easterners objected to such rights, feeling it threatened the superiority of husbands. Others thought such rights might bring women of property to the state.

Women faced many other challenges. For one, women teachers in the 1870s were paid less than half of what male teachers received. Irish immigrant and teacher Kate Kennedy began an effort to change that, and, in 1874, the Califor-nia legislature passed a law that mandated, “Females employed as teachers in the public schools of this state shall in all cases receive the same compensation as is allowed male teachers for like services.”

Other lobbying by women changed state law to allow women admission to the bar as attorneys (1878) and to pursue “any lawful business, vocation or profession” including medicine (1879).

In 1874 the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was organized to combat liquor interests. Often women and children suffered from abuse by drunken husbands or fathers and had no recourse in law. The organization grew rapidly and many of their numbers proudly supported woman suffrage.

The Liquor Dealers League in San Francisco was alarmed about the connections

This mocking cartoon, entitled “The Woman Who Dared,” appeared after Anthony’s 1873 conviction for “Voting without at lawful right to vote.”

between the WCTU and suffrage advocates. According to Mae Silver, the League included “the producers, proprietors and patrons of drink” and was especially pow-erful in San Francisco. In 1896 the City included 25% of the state’s voters.

Eastern suffragists helped with the 1896 campaign. The indomitable organizer Su-san B. Anthony spoke in favor of Ballot No. 6 throughout the state including a Martinez meeting in October. Miss. Anthony spoke about the many advances which women had made in the past fifty years. The October 10 Contra Costa Gazette stated, “Her speech throughout was well received and most heartily applauded at the close.”

A correspondent from Danville wrote this on October 10, 1896: “Women suf-fragists seem to have met with rather a cold reception in this vicinity...which leads us to believe that our women are satisfied that their condition cannot be improved by a change, and they might not have so good a time as at present.”

It was a large state and many more resources were needed to make the women’s case. In the Bay Area, San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa County voters opposed woman suffrage at the November election. Contra Costa’s tally was 1638 against and 1002 in favor. The results in the San Ramon Valley were:

Yes NoAlamo 27 25Danville 45 72San Ramon 38 32Tassajara 21 29Walnut Creek 48 45Three other western states already supported woman suffrage, Washington,

Colorado and Utah, but clearly California voters were not ready to take the step. The Contra Costa Gazette reported that women met almost immediately to analyze the vote. One article stated that the vote “showed that with a little more time and work we would have carried this county.” They rolled up their sleeves and began to plan for another effort.

Sources: Contra Costa Gazette, October 10, November 21, 1896; Elinson, Elaine and Stan Yogi, Wherever There’s a Fight, How Runaway Slaves, Suffragists, Immigrants, Strikers, and Poets Shaped Civil Liberties in California, Berkeley, California: Heyday Books, 2009; Silver, Mae, Women Claim the Vote in California, from FoundSF, 1995.

The Museum of the San Ramon Valley exhibit, Remember the Ladies, Celebrat-ing the Centennial of California Woman Suffrage, 1911-2011, is open from May 14-July 16th. 205 Railroad Avenue, Danville. Hours are Tuesday through Friday 10-4, and Saturday 10-1. For more information, visit www.museumsrv.org.

www.yourmonthlypaper.comGreenbrook Elementary By Jenise Falk, Principal

With summer right around the corner, May is a wonderful time to celebrate our students and their learning, our staff and their work. And we celebrate the Greenbrook community which gives us such support each and every day.

It has been an extraordinary year, and I thank the students, staff, and parents for your dedication to building positive relationships, for demanding that

our standards and expectations of students be rigorous, and for encouraging our curriculum to be relevant to our 21st century learners.

With our new 1:1 student laptops and other innovative technology and programs, including Skype, SMART boards, flip cameras, and iTouches, we have been able to put technology into the hands of our staff and students. The projects, creations, research, activities, and writing that our students have created this year has been amazing! Having technology at our fingertips has been the #1 change in engaging our learners and allowing them to collaborate with each and the world right in their classroom.

Through many fundraising opportunities and our generous parents, our EAGLE fund, under the direction of President Catherine Golden, met its budgeted goal of $200,000. President Karin Westbrook and the entire PTA provided us with so many wonderful community building activities. Our Tech committee is almost finished with its three year Technology and Learning plan which will provide us with a vision and direction for years to come.

Now is the time for fieldtrips, class picnics, sing-alongs, school-wide BBQs, and final band concerts. It is a time for recognizing the hard work of our volunteers who faithfully serve our students every day. We thank our teachers and the entire Greenbrook staff with whom often we have developed wonderful life-long relationships and partnerships. Most importantly, it is a time to celebrate what our students have learned this year, how they have grown socially and emotionally, and how they have gained confidence in their ability to read, write, and problem solve. We are promoting a wonderful class of 5th graders onto middle school. What a joy they have been in the two years that I have known them. We will miss each and every one of them!

As we race toward those final days in June, I hope that we can all reflect on the successes and challenges of this school year, anticipate the glorious, lazy days of summer, and look forward to the next school year where, once again, we’ll be ready to open our Greenbrook doors to our students and parents, with a smile and a friendly wave. With great expectations and a wonderful sense of promise and

potential, we pledge that we will continue to do all that we can as professionals to prepare our learners and to instill in them a love of learning, of reading, of exploring, of investigating, of curiosity, and of imagination – to go beyond.

Have a wonderful summer!

- June 2011 ~ Danville Today News

Books for the Homebound: A Free Service of the Danville Library

If you or someone you know has a passion for reading and can no longer visit the library, find out more about the Danville Library’s Books for the Homebound program, a free and unique library service. Trained library volunteers check out and deliver books to homebound individuals residing in their own homes or residential care facilities. Contact Sandra Paiva, Volunteer Coordinator, at the Danville Library at 925-837-4889 for more information.

Summer Reading FestivalThe Contra Costa County Library celebrates reading

and adventure all summer long during the 2011 Sum-mer Reading Festival, “One World, Many Stories,” and is pleased to announce its Festival author, noted travel writer and expert, Rick Steves. Acclaimed for his best-selling guidebook series, public television series, and public radio shows, Rick Steves will share all the latest in smart European travel in “Europe through the Back Door,” at 7PM on Thursday, June 16th at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. Whether you are actually planning to travel or dream of doing so, this event is sure to delight and inspire with travel tips and stories from other lands.

The Festival begins Saturday, June 11 and runs through August 20. People of all ages are encouraged to read for fun and prizes and to enjoy the exciting programs and en-tertainment being held in all Contra Costa County librar-ies and online at www.ccclib.org throughout the summer. With musical performances and storytellers from around

See Read continued on page 12


St. Isidore SchoolBy Jean Schroeder, Principal

Summer is just around the corner… Wow…we can’t believe our year is almost over. These last few weeks of school

seem to fly by for us. Each year we try to slow it down, but somehow it has a pace of its own. We just celebrated our Spring Music Concert where all 645 of our students went “Back to the Oldies.” What a night it was! Our vice principal stepped up to the challenge and not only taught each grade their song, but led them during the concert with so much enthusiasm we were all “Rocking around the Clock.”

Our 8th grade students and parents experienced some very special Saint Isidore traditions that all look forward to every year. In May we had “May Crowning.” Four of our students were chosen to crown Blessed Mother Mary by their peers for their Mary-like and Christ-like qualities during an all-school Friday Mass. This was the start of our 8th graders’ journey to graduation. Once that celebration occurred, our 7th grade students were anxiously waiting for them across the street from our church doors to invite the class to an 8th grade dinner dance with their parents. (The 7th grade parents and students actually decorate the gym and present a lovely dinner to the grads and families.)

Next was our 8th grade retreat. This is something I look forward to every year. This year we took the students to The Dominican Motherhouse at Mission San Jose in Fremont where they were able to reflect and have one more opportunity to share in the experience of bonding together before they head off to high school. After that, the faculty and students celebrated the “Gifts of the Holy Spirit” where students were recognized by their peers for exemplifying the seven Gifts of Holy Spirit.

We then geared up for graduation! We have a Graduation Mass in the morning, then a Graduation Ceremony that evening. This was a bittersweet moment for me. It is difficult to let these darlings go. For some families, this is the last child in their fam-ily that will be with us, for some it’s the first of many future graduations, or as for me, it’s is always tough saying good-bye.

Our fifth grade students in May were able to go on one of my favorite field trips spending the day on the Balclutha, a tall ship at the Hyde Street Pier. Being principal, I had the opportunity to go into each 5th grade classroom and teach them about the history, knots, and needs of each crew member to be successful on the ship. Needless to say, all 72 students had an amazing experi-ence. Aye, aye Captain!

We are on track with our students (I’m hoping) to come in first place for the “Read for the World Record.” As I have mentioned in my last column, our schools goal this year is 1,500,000 minutes. Last year we came in third place WORLDWIDE with 822,459 minutes. We are up for the challenge, and all our teachers are asking their students to read at least 30 minutes a night. They then turn their hours/minutes into our Librarian who carefully tracks each minute. Go St. Isidore!

I am still trying whole-heartedly to ask our school com-munity and alumni to please help us reach our goal to make our new library come full circle. This is a project that is close and dear to my heart. I understand the need to have a library that will meet the needs of the 21st Century Learner. Our 645 students deserve a library that can accommodate their needs. I cannot wait for the moment when I can let our students know that, yes, we are breaking ground for your future. What a day it will be!

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Danville Fine Arts Faire Puts on the DogThe very best in art will be on display at the Danville Fine Arts Faire from

10am to 5pm June 18th and 19th along Hartz Avenue in downtown Danville. You could say these artists are putting on the dog with the theme the Doggies of Danville guiding some of the talented participants.

The Danville Area Chamber of Commerce and Town of Danville are proud to present the 20th year of high-quality paintings, sculpture, glass, ceramics, jewelry, fiber arts, and other media by more than 200 artists. These works are selected for their beauty, excellence, and professionalism, and the artists, who come from all over California and the western United States to participate, often present one-of-a-kind pieces.

Six of these first-rate artists will invoke the traditions of Italy by creating 12x12-foot colored chalk Street Paintings along Prospect Avenue. Artists from Scotts Valley, San Diego, Oakland, Santa Clara and Camarillo will render images of our

beloved canine companions. This unusual attraction is a must-see at the Faire. “I really like the fair for its level of artists,” says Shelby McNamara, new

President of the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce. “I’m very excited. It’s a great way to show off Danville to the entire Bay Area.”

Serenading you as you stroll among the exhibits will be gifted street cor-ner musicians. Sounds of Latin and Celtic music and, of course, the classics will smooth the way for appreciators of art. Listen to KC Jiang on the Irish whistle and Tremolo harmonica, the acoustic stylings of Vic Moraga, and the spicy sounds of Edgar Macchiavello.

The Beverage Garden will serve wine and microbrews and offer a place to relax and listen to music. Enjoy the array of gourmet foods. The kids will also keep busy with face painting, a trackless train, and other activities.

Admission to the Danville Fine Arts Faire is free, and parking is free in all city-owned lots and curbside spaces. For more information, call (925) 837-4400 or visit www.mlaproductions.com.


Charlotte Wood Middle School By Christopher George, Principal

Unbelievable, but it’s that time of year again, when we begin to say our goodbyes and begin to think of summer and our planning for next year. It goes without saying that this year has absolutely flown by, probably for you too. By all measures it has been an enjoyable year and, hopefully, an excellent transition to the future for Charlotte Wood.

This year, we are preparing to undergo another change in leadership on the Administrative team as we bid farewell to Karen Schneider, our longtime Assistant Principal and Counselor. We wish a very fond farewell to Karen in her retirement. In my short time here, it has become very apparent how much Karen cares for Charlotte Wood, both for its past and its future. Every day, Karen strives to make each kid she interacts with a little bit happier, and she usually succeeds. I don’t think there’s any greater testament to her career than that. We will miss her.

Recently, we wrapped up our STAR testing. Students did a great job of being here on time and prepared. We hope that teachers and students efforts throughout the year pay off here, but we also know that STAR is not the only measure of student success, even though it is our most visible one. We will take what we learn about our own teaching from this assessment and make adjustments for the future. You should receive scores for your child by August. Please, as always, let us know if you have any feedback on this process for the future.

As we look forward to next year, we certainly plan on keeping with the district’s focus on Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships. We will be constantly searching for ways to improve your child’s experience and learning here, and we look forward to you being there with us. Personally, I would like to thank the entire community for being so warm and welcoming to me as a new Principal. It has been a great adventure so far, and I look forward to next year.

Stone Valley Middle School By Shaun McElroy, PrincipalAwards Season is Upon Us!

Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it. ~ Marion Wright Edleman

As the school year comes to a close it is important to recognize those people who make our school community work. The people chosen in each of the categories listed below are in the highest echelon of volunteers, teachers

and students. Their contributions strengthen our society, set examples for others who follow, and enrich the lives of everyone who comes in contact with them. Next to each recipients name is a “thumbnail” of their individual contributions, the list is by no means complete. Please join me in saying thanks to these outstanding individuals. I’ve include the emails of each of the adults so you can thank them personally if they have touched your life our the life of someone you know. Alamo Rotary Student and Teacher of the Year

Austin Tobian, 8th grade student, Principals Honor Roll (3.75-4.0)Advanced math, high school Spanish, Leadership class member.

Greg Phillips - Spanish teacher, Technology coordinator, webmaster, first aid, CPR, AED safety instructor, administrative intern. ([email protected])PTA Honorary Service Awards Winners

Each year PTA’s across the nation recognize key contributors of their respective educational communities. The 2010-11 recipients are listed below.

• Golden Oak AwardSandy Markus Coleman - Ed Fund President, class size reduction

chair, corporate matching chair, Measure A Chairperson, former PTA President of Alamo Elementary. ([email protected])

• Continuing Service AwardMona Tom - Current PTA President, former PTA President Rancho

Romero, marshaled over 9,000 volunteer hours in 2010-11. Three year association with SV PTA, Odyssey of the Mind coach. ([email protected])

Linda Henderson - Ed Fund Parliamentarian, award winning eScript coordinator, 3-year campaign as the Nominating Chair. ([email protected])

Ron Hirschman - Physical Education Teacher, developer of SPARK PE program, Monte Vista H.S. Varsity Women’s basketball coach. ([email protected])

• Honorary Service AwardBarbary McEldowney - PTA 2nd VP Community (cbmc4@

sbcglobal.net)Joanna Book - Math teacher, developer of math help podcasts/pen

casts and Skype math help. ([email protected])• Very Special Person AwardKhang Ho - Head Custodian - 20+ years as head custodian, master

trainer of all new custodians in the district. Liaison between the school and all the community user groups. ([email protected])

Morgan McGarry - 8 th grade student, Principals Honor Roll, Leadership, advanced math and high school Spanish, administrative assistant, member SPARK PE inaugural class.

Thanks to Honorary Service Awards Coordinator Sandi Jacobsen for her assistance in putting this awards program together. Book of the Month

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath. Think of this book as emotional intelligence for the workplace.

DVD - The Finland Phenomena - Inside the World’s Most Surpris-ing School System.

The Finnish school system has led the world on interna-tional education exams for ten straight years. Find out why at www.2mminutes.com.

Next Issue - Summer study programs - how to keep those young minds engaged.

Lost Dog!

Danville Dog is MissingHe has become lost in this paper!

June’s Winner Is ~ Robert Storer

If you find him and your name is drawn!

He is very small, so you will have to look hard if you want to find him.

To be eligible send a letter telling us where you found him, along with your name and address, to:

Lost Dog! ~ Danville Today News3000F Danville Blvd #117 • Alamo, CA 94507

$50 REWARD

Scholarship Recipients Honored The Danville Women’s Club recently held its annual Scholarship Lun-

cheon. Each year the Club provides a scholarship to a graduating senior from each of the four San Ramon Valley high schools.

This year's recipients are Vanessa Dong (Dougherty Valley HS), Meghan Per-fect (California HS), Brynne Terry (Monte Vista HS) and Amanda Swasey (San Ramon Valley HS). An art scholar-ship was presented to Hannah Brown at the Club's April

Meeting. The Club also provides an annual donation to the Del Amigo Continu-ation High School to support their many programs.

The club has been providing scholarships for education, leadership train-ing, and vocational training for more than 60 of its 100 year history. For club information, call 925-837-1165, email [email protected], or visit www.danvillewomensclub.org.

Left to right: Vanessa Dong, Meghan Perfect, and Amanda Swasey. Not pictured, Brynne Terry.

[email protected]

mittee formed five years ago to maintain Ruth’s criteria for design in a dynamic environment. “Gardens don’t just happen. They require attention, management, vision,” Turner explains.

Sculptural is a word often applied to Ruth’s dry garden. “Anyone who worked in artistic fields was bowled over by the garden,” remarks Ruth’s daughter Kathy Hidalgo. The 17th annual Sculpture in the garden show open-ing on June 17th will include some 250 pieces by 49 artists.

Staging art in the garden benefits everyone. Joe Bologna, Artist Coordina-tor for this invitational show, says, “This is a happy story.” Sculptors from all over Northern California consider exhibiting in the garden an exceptional opportunity and enthusiastically donate a substantial portion of their proceeds from sales to the RBG. “Quality attracts quality,” Bologna insists. The back-drop of dramatic foliage highlights the art. New artists are discovered by collectors coming to view pieces by familiar sculptors.

David Mudgett, who has participated in the show for many years and currently coordinates the placement of art in the garden, explains the symbiotic relationship: “It’s all about aesthetics, the ultimate goal is to create a relationship between the garden and the art the public can both recognize and appreciate.”

Executive Director Becky Rice Harrington notes that when she first came to the garden in 2002 it was still a very quiet place. “Now there is a buzz.” As Ruth nears her 103rd birthday in Sep-tember, volunteers, staff members, and visitors enthusiastically support Ruth’s on-growing gift. To participate in events or review plant profiles and photographs, visit www.ruthbancroftgarden.org.

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Round Hill Junior TennisSummer 2011

All Levels ages 5 – 16Round Hill Junior Summer Tennis program starts June 13th. Members and

non-members are welcome to join the fun and great teaching the camp has to offer. The program caters to all levels! Please email [email protected]

or call 925-837-0558 for any questions or to register!

Morning Tennis Camp • June 13 – August 19Monday – Friday 10:30-12:30

$200 per week • Drop in Rate $45 per day

Full Day Camp 10:30- 3:00$300 per week (includes lunch) • Drop in Rate $70 per day

Afternoon Clinic 1:30 – 3:00Drop in $30 per day

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Monte Vista High School By Janet Terranova, Principal

It is with a great deal of pride and a tinge of sadness that we say goodbye to the Senior Class of 2011. The seniors are an incredible group of young people who have excelled both academically and with service to their community and school. Their next adventure will take some of them far away as they continue their education all over the country and to the far regions of China. Most will stay close to home with the majority of our students attending UC, CSU, or a number of community colleges on the west coast. A few of our students will do a “bridge” year. They have been accepted at a university, but they have decided to take a year to travel or do community service both in the United States and

overseas. We will miss their energy and dedication to our school. Welcome to the class of 2015! What an exciting journey they have waiting at Monte Vista. As I have

been visiting feeder middle schools, I have encouraged parents to discuss what success at high school looks like for their individual student. Some parents and students view success as a high GPA. But success is not based solely on a student’s GPA. A successful student is one who takes a rigorous academic load that is balanced with extra-curricular activities both at school and in the community.

Whooping cough (pertussis) has been widespread in California. Please remember that all students en-tering 7th through 12th grade must have proof of an adolescent whooping cough booster shot (Tdap) before starting school. To help protect your children and others from whooping cough, a new California law (AB 354) now requires students to be vaccinated against whooping cough. By law, students who do not have proof of receiving a Tdap booster shot will not be able to start school until proof is provided to the school. At Monte Vista, students unable to provide this proof will not receive a schedule at registration.

Please keep the following dates handy:• Graduation: Friday, June 10 ~ 6PM ~ Samuel Zackheim Stadium• Registration Packet Pick-up: August 11and 15 ~ Drama Room• Registration: August 16 and 17 ~ Gym• Freshmen Orientation and Freshmen Dance: August 19• First Day of School: August 24

For more information about Monte Vista and our activities, please visit our website at mvhigh.org.

Curator Brian Kemble shares his knowledge.

Bancroft continued from page 6

www.yourmonthlypaper.comEach of the three events (Homecoming, Gym opening, and Gala event) was well attended. The Homecoming and Gala events will be annual occasions, so if you missed them this year, be sure to attend next year’s. The Gala event raised over $100, 000, all of which will benefit our students.

We also published our first ever SRVHS magazine, filled with interesting articles about Alumni and current events at the school. If you would like to receive this magazine, please sign up under Alumni on our web page www.srvhs.net. Sports

Once again, this year all of our athletic teams were ex-tremely successful during their 2010-2011 seasons. Note-worthy achievements include League Titles (EBAL) for Baseball, Men’s Water Polo, and Women’s Swimming and Diving.

The following student-athletes qualified for the NCS Meet of Champions:• Ben Teichman—Shot put and discus• Andrew Mo—Shot put• Sarah Griffith—Women’s 400—NCS Tri Valley Champion• Zak Garcia—Men’s 100

• Sammi Kruger—Women’s 300 hurdles• Jen Horton, Amanda Saunders, Alina Sinclair,

Sarah Griffith—Women’s 4x400 relay• Austin Holliday, Kaulin Blair, Wade Wilson,

Zak Garcia—Men’s 4x400 relay• Colin Barber—Pole vault• Kevin Tuckness—Pole vault• Ian Gardner—Men’s high jumpNCS Titles include Men’s Cross Country and

Women’s Swimming and Diving.Academic Boosters

A big thank you goes to Academic Boosters who support our academic programs each year through their financial contributions. They provide funding to support 18 classes! In addition to class size reduc-tion, they also fund a student Support Counselor, the Career Center, an after school tutoring, the student di-rectory, and much more. We appreciate the generous donations from our school community that continue to make SRVHS an exceptional place to be.Retirement

As the year ends, we have staff members who are concluding their careers at SRVHS and going on to enjoy the benefits of retirement. Our retirees this year include:

• Betsy Hoffmann – Spanish• Tim Brown – Math• Vivian Srouji – Counselor• Roberta Tong - English • Jo Reid - BookkeeperThey all have made a lasting impression on our

students and parents. We will definitely miss them and their dedication to San Ramon Valley High School.

- June 2011 ~ Danville Today News

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

It is hard to believe but it is true - the school year is almost over! We have finals, graduation, and then we are out for the summer! I would like to share a few thoughts and reflections as we near the end of the school year.Construction

Our New Main Gym was completed this year bring-ing a close to seven years of Measure A construction projects. However, we have started on a whole new set of

construction plans that will take place during the summer and the next school year. These projects include – a restroom and snack shack facility on our stadium field, the removal of eight of the 17 portables at the back of campus, and solar panels in the senior parking lot. What could be the most exciting project is the possibility of new pool construction at our site. Talk has begun regarding the replacement of our current pool – I will keep you updated as to the status of this endeavor.100 year Celebration

Our celebrations to mark the success of SRVHS’s 100 years was fantastic!

the world, henna tattoos, a digital photography contest for teens with the theme “You Are Here,” and much more, the library will be the place to celebrate culture and your place in the world – here in Contra Costa County and beyond.

Tickets to Rich Steves’s show are $10. For ticket information, please visit www.ccclib.org or contact the Lesher Center for the Arts at 925.943.SHOW (7469) or www.lesherartscenter.org.

For more information, please visit the Summer Reading Festival website at http://guides.ccclib.org/srf.

Read continued from page 8


DT


Life in the Danville Garden Design and BudgetBy John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape Architect #4059

First, I want to personally thank you all so much for your participation in our 2nd Annual Garden Tour Fund-raiser “Life in the Lafayette Garden.” I am very proud to announce we generated more than $16,000 in donations for the six charities that participated. The rain held off and we had a great time. It exceeded our expectations! I look

forward to talking to you at our 3rd Annual Garden Tour next year! This year I had the delightful opportunity to greet and chat with folks about

the five gardens on the tour. People commented on how distinctly different each garden was. While a lot of the questions were specific like “What kind of plant is this?”, some were about the design process. I found it intriguing

that many questions were about Design and Budget, so it inspired me to write about it. I want to dispel the myth that good creative design is expensive!

First, expensive is relative to each family’s budget. Every project and client are different, therefore everybody’s design goals and budget are different. Budgets are purely client driven by their wants and scope of the project. Everyone has a list of what they want and desire. Some clients have BIG want lists and are will-ing to “invest” in the budget to HAVE what they want while others only want some simple advice to do it themselves. I work with my clientele hand-in-hand with Design and Budget. I am well aware that while design options are limit-less, most budgets are not. Good creative design need not be expensive; good creative design needs to be executed within the budget parameters. I require my clients to make tough decisions about their wants and budget so as to meet their expectations. The last thing I want is to create a beautiful garden on paper that isn’t affordable; I am committed to having my clients living in them!

When a client interviews me to do their project, they basically want to know two things, “How much are your fees going to be?” and “How much is my project going to cost?” To answer the first question, which is easier to answer, everyone, whether or not it is a small project or a big one are charged my fees which are by-the-hour, based on the scope of services I provide. I love working on all aspects of a garden. I have three basic services: consulting, design, and construction assistance. I have a two hour minimum for consult-ing on items like garden spruce ups, flower pots, and annual color borders, etc. My design services include conceptual master plans, construction docu-ments and planting plans. Construction assistance includes helping you with contractor selection, bids, on-site decisions, and project observation.

Project costs are driven by my client’s wants. People know what they want, but often times don’t know what it costs. The specific way I work gives you control of the budget because my fees aren’t based on how much your project costs. I am interested in identifying how much you are willing to “invest” into your home and what’s appropriate to the home and your family budget. Before I design anything, I evaluate your wants and desires and weigh it against your budget. Once these parameters are

understood, I begin the design, and at every step of the process I provide a line-item budget so choices and decisions can be made regarding the design and budget.

I love what I do! With more than 35 years in the garden, clients’ and my own, I understand the enjoyment we receive from our gardens, whether small or large. Not only am I a licensed landscape architect, but I am a passionate gardener! I am dedicated to designing garden environments that produce the feelings you wish to have when you are in them; inspiration, rejuvenation, relaxation, playful, peaceful…

Good creative design doesn’t have to be expensive; it has to be good creative design within your budget!

A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: Over the years I have observed that good design can save you money in the long run by doing it right the first time!

Gardening Quote of the Month: “How much the making of a garden, no matter how small, adds to the joy of living, only those who practice the arts and the science can know.” - E. H. Wilson

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Sustainable Danville Area Tip of the Month By Cynthia Ruzzi

I know what you did last summer…but I promise not to tell anyone that the only salad you got close to had the word potato in front of it. It’s our secret that you said you’d stop at fifteen chips but only pulled your hand out of the bowl and away from your sixth handful because your second hamburger - on a white bread bun - was coming off the grill.

How about considering a makeover this summer - for your diet? Summer in California is actually a perfect time to ‘re-up’ those long forgotten January resolutions. Not only is the temperate weather perfect for a long walk or a bike ride, but it’s easy to find delicious fruits and vegetables at local farmers markets Thursday through Sunday within ten miles of our community.

Our family shifted our diet toward local, organic foods, and it has made a considerable change. Since January, we have been eating a ‘90lov’ diet – ninety percent local, organic, vegetarian diet. Without sacrifice – for me giving up meat or ice cream entirely –– I’ve lost twelve pounds. My hus-band’s results are even more dramatic as he’s down to his high school weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure. The best news of all, we truly feel we have enhanced our lifestyles by eating with ‘lov.’

So why is eating local a big deal? According to the WorldWatch Insti-tute, food consumed in the U.S. typically travels 1,500-2,500 miles to reach our plates. In fact, the energy used for food production accounts for about 20% of all fossil fuel used in the United States. Based on that, experts say that what you eat may be as important as what you drive. A local-eating pioneer, Joan Gussow, once pointed out that it takes 435 calories of fossil fuel to get a strawberry across the country to provide the eater with only 5 calories of nutrition.

When you shift your diet toward local foods, you are protecting nearby farms, promoting sustainable agriculture, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting your local economy. Besides being better for the environment, local food generally tastes much better because it is picked when it is ripe

and is much fresher when we eat it. Do you need to eat only organic food? If a conventional blueberry has

the residue of 52 different pesticides1 to get to my table, then perhaps I do! Yeah I know scientists are doing tests on those pesticides, but are they testing all the combinations you might consume? Do they know how much your particular body can burden of Chlorothalonil, Iprodione, o-PhenylphenolI and more? I rather take a precautionary approach with my family’s food and choose organic whenever possible verses worry if my body build up of pesticides is ‘tipping my scale.’

However, eating organically can be a balance against the family budget. Since organic products can be more costly than conventional items, there may be a time to make a trade-off. We rely on the Dirty Dozen List from the Environmental Working Group. They offer a downloadable wallet sized list and an iPhone app www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php.

Yes the ‘v’ is for vegetarian, but remember, the ‘90’ in front of the ‘lov’ part of our diet. While my husband has given up meat completely, my son and I still enjoy a grilled hormone and antibiotic free, organically grown, grass-fed local chicken breast or ribeye on the grill. However, my dear husband is proud to point out his cholesterol is now lowering than mine.

If you are interested in learning more about how our food choices affect ourselves, our family, and our community, then Sustainable Danville Area and Chow Danville invite you to our special Locavore’s dining event on Thursday, June 16th. Every ingredient, including the wine, will be locally farmed within a 150 mile radius of Danville. It is an occasion for our community to support our local farmers and Chow’s chefs who are creating a sustainable food sys-tem of great tasting, locally grown food. For complete list of speakers, menu, and to make reservations, please visit www.sustainabledanville.com.

1 WhatsOnMyFood website – test results obtained by the United Stated Department of Agri-culture (USDA) Pesticide Data Program (PDP).


How Much are Your Trees Really Worth?By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb

With the world in economic and ecological turmoil, it pays to take a deep breath and consider the real value of your assets. It’s best to start

this exercise close to home because, for most Americans, their largest asset is their home. A surprisingly large contribution— between 8 and 19%1 — to the value of your home comes from your trees, shrubs, and other landscape plants. If your house is worth $500,000, that places the value of your plants at between $40,000 and $90,0000. Your trees deserve care commensurate with the value they add to your home’s portfolio.

Trees, of course, have value far beyond real estate. Here’s a quick tour of values economists give for urban trees:

Trees add to home values and thereby form part of the tax base. In so doing trees help fund schools, fire protection services, and police.

Trees work to clean the air. In the process of photosynthesis, trees absorb pollutants, and even convert harmful chemicals, like nitrogen oxides and air-borne ammonia, into benign forms.

Trees act to reduce local tax rates by reducing infrastructure costs. Trees absorb rain and slow the speed at which storm water accumulates, thereby helping to prevent flooding and the need to install larger storm drains.

Trees not only filter pollution, they help prevent it. Shade from trees can reduce air conditioning needs by as much as 30%, and trees planted to intercept prevailing winds can reduce heating needs significantly. “Projections suggest that 100 million additional mature trees in US cities (3 trees for every unshaded single family home) could save over $2 billion in energy costs per year.”2

Trees also help prevent car pollution. In the Sacramento area, an astound-ing 16% of air pollution comes from cars parked in the sun. Shade from trees greatly reduces the loss of gas, thereby reducing air pollution.

Trees aid healing. When hospital rooms have views of trees, patients heal at a measurably faster rate. Trees help us fulfill Dorothy Day’s maxim, “Create a world

in which it is easier to be nice to each other.” Studies find that trees in public housing neighborhoods reduce levels of fear and decrease aggressive behavior; and students with ADHD develop more self-discipline when they play in natural settings.

Berkeley calculates that for every $1.00 the city spends on planting and pruning city trees, its citizens reap $1.40 in measurable benefits. For Sacramento the return is $1.80, and for New York City an astounding $5.00 return is gained for every dollar spent. The value added to pruning and planting trees on your own property is higher than that for street trees because trees have a real effect on real estate prices.

Overestimating the value of trees to the entire planet is impossible. How can you put a price on the continuation of human life? If too many trees are stripped from the planet, then tipping points in the carbon cycle are crossed making global warming spin out of control… and making the world too hot for human life. Our Earth is small, and global warming makes it ever smaller. The easy division between what is global and what is local no longer holds. A ton of carbon dioxide from burning rainforests in Borneo heats the air as much as a ton of carbon dioxide from the tail pipes of commuter traffic on I580. We are all part of the problem. We are all part of the solution.

Trees play a role in all three strategies to fight global warming. Trees help reduce energy use and may someday become a source of renewable biofuels. We can protect and restore rainforests and other carbon sinks. Through its work in the Borneo Project, Brende and Lamb works hard to leverage local support for the protection of rainforests. Closer to home we can all help with strategic planting of urban trees to sequester carbon, to reduce heat island effects, and to lower energy consumption. The dividends far outstrip the costs of caring for trees as a necessary part of the ‘green economy.’

Like other living beings, trees do require care. With people it costs less to avoid getting sick than to pay for a cure. The same is true with trees. Quality care improves the health of your trees, extends their lifespan and increases their beauty. Quality tree work pays dividends to you, and to the planet.

1. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090119210532.htm2. http://www.treefolks.org/store_biglist.asp If your trees and shrubs need a little TLC - call us at 510-486-TREE

(8733) or email [email protected] to schedule a free estimate. For more information visit our website at www.brendelamb.com. Advertorial


Clip NotesBy Jody Morgan

Last month I had planned to describe a carpet of blooming Woodruff as the twinkling background of a medieval tapestry. Following the somewhat frayed thread of memory, I tried in vain to locate the source of my inspiration. What I discovered instead was a far richer fabric of floral lore than I had re-membered. Woven into the series of seven late 15th century tapestries known as the Hunt of the Unicorn

are 101 different plant species, 85 of which have been identified. Each is of religious, mystical, medicinal, or heraldic significance. Designed in Paris and woven in Brussels from 1495-1505, the tapestries are displayed at the Cloisters in New York.

At the top of the Unicorn at Bay stands a shrub scholars list as straw-

berry tree (Arbutus unedo). Writing in 79AD, Pliny the Elder asserts that unedo is a contraction of the Latin phrase unum edo, translated as “I eat one.” Some claim the fruit is so tasteless that no one would eat more than one. Others contend that fruit consumed as it falls fermented from the tree is so deliciously intoxicating that eating just one induces a state of bliss. In 1222, Madrid chose a strawberry tree with a bear reaching for the fruit as its heraldic symbol. The tree and fruit also appear in Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, a painting contemporaneous with the Unicorn Tapestries, which inventories of the Spanish Crown referenced as “the picture with the strawberry-tree fruits.”

One of the magic aspects of this species is that although it is native to south-ern parts of Europe and loves a Mediterranean climate, pollen from archeologi-cal digs indicates the strawberry tree has grown in Ireland for at least 4,000 years. Yet there are no traces of native stands in other parts of Great Britain or France. Another amazing aspect is that it takes the fruits an entire year to

mature, so the pendulous white bell-shaped blossoms opening in winter appear simultaneously with the ripe red fruits. Glossy evergreen leaves tend to obscure the round green fruits during most of the year.

I’ve never grown this species, so I sent out a call for comments from my gardening friends. Faithful pruning can turn your strawberry tree into a single-trunked specimen, but it’s easier not to fight the naturally shrubby form. Totally drought tolerant, it grows well on arid hillsides. Birds feast on the fruit. The tannin-rich bark was once used to tan leather. Aromatic beverages are still made from the fermented berries.

The ancestor of the modern carnation is woven into the Unicorn in Captivity. Labeled botanically Dianthus caryophyllus, this species has a plethora of common names including clove-pink, clove gilliflower and sops-in-wine. It has been in cultivation for at least 2,000 years. In his Herbal first published in 1597, Gerard notes: “The conserve made of the floures of the Clove Gillofloure and sugar, is exceeding cordiall, and wonderfully above measure doth comfort the heart, being eaten now and then.”

Dianthus comes from di (relating to Zeus or Jove) and anthos (flow-er), hence translated as “Heavenly Flower.” The flower symbolized both divine and earthly love. Imported from Tunis to Europe in1270, clove-pink was used to flavor food and spice wine as a substitute for the then costly cloves. So many hybrids now exist that the original species is grown mostly as a curiosity. However, the descendents of clove-pink are all suited to a dry site with good drainage and neutral soil. The ruffled edges of the blossoms appear to have been trimmed by pinking shears. Quite possibly the term “pinking” was taken from the flower. The scissor-like device used for trimming fabric was first patented as we know it in 1893 by Louise Austin of Whatcom, Washington, but previously pinking irons and pinking cutters had been used.

Tucked into the corner of the Unicorn in Captivity, is Taraxacum of-ficinale, named Lion’s Tooth for its jagged leaves. Dandelion, the more modern moniker, is a corruption of the French translation, Dent de Lion. Dandelion flowers produce a lovely yellow natural dye. Skilled dyers can get a marvelous fuchsia from the stems.

Years ago, I found my husband laughing uproariously over an article on growing dandelion greens for salads. The organic farmer who’d offered his advice claimed that the worst enemy of the dan-delion is grass. Dandelion leaves are high in vitamins A and C as well as iron and calcium, but please don’t sample the ones you’ve treated with lawn chemicals!

[email protected] in Everyday LifeBy Tony Michael VecchioSimplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo Da Vinci

We’re fortunate to live in such a beautiful area of Northern California, where area artists continually make a wide range of fine art experiences available to explore and enjoy. Whether it’s gallery exhibits, art fairs, painting exhibitions, or many other community events where fine art and creative examples can be

seen, we’re exposed to the creative talent and work of many artists in the re-gion. So, if you’re an accomplished artist, an emerging talent, an art student, art aficionado, casual collector, or a serious art buyer in the Bay Area, art will touch your life every day. But there are other ways in which art also touches your lives, which are not always readily apparent - or even planned.

My focus with “Art in Everyday Life” is to examine, explore, and explain some subtle details and often neglected aspects of discovering art in unexpected places, such as around your home, out on a hike, or online. Exploring art can be a rewarding adventure, especially when we have the opportunity to follow the many paths and directions in which art can take us, both personally and emotionally, enriching our lives with meaning and fulfillment. It’s undeniable: Art is part of our everyday lives, both individually and as a community. But why? This is something I plan to discuss regularly in this column. For now let art touch our lives, and let’s talk about the ways that can happen.

I attended a small art school at a time when degrees, job placement, and unlimited connectivity to the digital universe were not the focus of study. I learned the now-seemingly-archaic idea of how to view the world with a creative eye and how to understand what I was seeing. As a result, I believe that, when we are choosing art to display in or homes, gardens, or offices, it helps if we can look deeper into the intuitive beauty and art of objects that surround us as part of our every-day lives. This is what I believe is important to us as both individuals and as consumers, homeowners, and collectors.

I come to this point somewhat earnestly. While my career took me - or possibly guided me - along a seemingly random path, each position was un-deniably involved in an interesting creative orbit around various corporate and consumer focused companies. I worked for a nationally known repertory theatre as a properties manager, interacting daily with directors and actors in the world of live stage performance.

I spent years as a Fortune 100 corporate art director, design director, and creative director, developing ideas into visuals and visuals into ideas. And I made my way to the intense New York ad agency world, where creative thought, observation, and the unique literary application (advertising copy) of both were the currency of the realm.

As with many industry creatives, fine art was always the purer art form, or at least, more culturally and personally satisfying, our personal goal of choice. Through the various positions I’ve held on the fringes of the art world, I con-tinually worked on my fine art, exhibiting, selling, and learning all always. Happily, now, I’m able to focus on my passion – while I write about it.

To discuss your art observations and thoughts, contact Tony Michael Vecchio at [email protected]. View his collage illustration, as-semblages, and paintings at etsy.com/shop/WabiSabiDaddi.

Here are a few upcoming June art events and exhibits. The Village The-atre Art Gallery presents Four Corners and a Center, now through July 11. You’ll see 34 juried selections of 24 artists from the California Society of Printmakers, encompassing a range of styles and print medium. Members of the Alamo Danville Art Society (ADAS) will have new work showing in the new Blackhawk Gallery space at Blackhawk Plaza. The Danville Fine Arts Faire is happening again June 18 & 19. The Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek is presenting the 17th annual Art In The Gardens on Friday, June 17 through Saturday, July 16. And the Artists Helping Japan auc-tion is being held on June 11 from noon to 3pm at the Orinda Community Center. Local artists have donated artwork to raise money to benefit the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan. Please spread the word and try to attend this auction to help with their fund-raising efforts.


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1009074-TSO-ALToday-5x6.25.indd 1 9/15/10 11:07:47 AMMaddie’s Fund Adoptathon The White Kitty Foundation is participating in a blowout weekend adop-

tion event to place all of our dogs and cats in qualified homes. Adoptions will be offered throughout the weekend at the following locations from noon to 3PM.

• Saturday, June 4th at The Danville Hotel, 411 Hartz Way in Danville and PetCare Depot, 2004 Bishop Dr. in San Ramon.

• Sunday, June 5th at The Danville Hotel, 411 Hartz Way in Danville.More than forty shelters and adoption guarantee groups in Alameda

and Contra Costa Counties are participating in the second Maddie’s® Matchmaker Adoptathon. The event is sponsored by the Alameda-based Maddie’s Fund®, the largest pet foundation in the U.S. dedicated to saving dog and cat lives.

Maddie’s® Matchmaker Adoptathon is being held to increase aware-ness of shelter animals and their need for loving homes and to shed light on the tireless efforts of the shelters and rescue organizations in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties that work so hard to save the lives of countless dogs and cats. In addition, the adoption event honors the memory of the Foundation’s namesake, a miniature schnauzer named Maddie.

If you’re available to help with the adoptathon, please call Cris at (925) 837-2411.

Go to the White Kitty Foundation website www.whitekittyfoundation.org, the Maddie’s® Matchmaker Adoptathon website www.maddiesadoptation.org, and Facebook Page www.facebook.com/MaddiesPetAdoptaton to find out more information about locations, participating shelters, and the event.

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

Tuesday 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].


The Big Taboo – Talking to Your Parents About Estate PlanningBy Robert J. Silverman, Esq.

Reportedly, about 70% of Americans have no es-tate plan at all. For whatever reason - procrastination, denial of mortality, or otherwise - most people fail to establish a comprehensive estate plan (e.g. Wills, Trust, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Directives), even when they are in their 50’s and older. But why don’t more children discuss this with their parents

and encourage their parents to do so? Based on nearly 20 years of discussions with clients about estate planning,

I know very well how difficult it is for many people, across various ages and cultures, to plan for their death and/or incapacity. People who are “old school” tend to be very tight-lipped with their children about financial and estate planning issues. The reasons are many and varied, rational and irrational. Among others, it may be that they believe that it’s just not an appropriate subject for discussion with their children, fear that their children may make unwise choices if they learn about a significant prospective inheritance, are embarrassed that they don’t have more assets saved, or perhaps they believe that “as soon as I talk about dying, it will happen.”

I have also listened to well meaning adult children express frustration that their parents have failed to put an estate plan in place (and/or have failed to have it reviewed and updated in many years, if not decades). Yet, many are hesitant to broach the subject with their parents. Interestingly, financial and estate planning are frequently as taboo in our society as the classic taboo topics such as sex, religion, and politics!

Unfortunately, however, failure to visit periodically with a trust and estates lawyer can cause many unnecessary results such as extra costs, delay, inconve-nience, additional tax, loss of family privacy, and court intervention. At worst, it can cause unintended consequences, including, but not limited to, distribution of assets in a manner that’s inconsistent with one’s wishes and intentions.

Typically, neither children nor parents are anxious to think about the parents’

mortality. So, if you are a child, how do you get past the taboo and bring up the subject in a sensitive and appropriate manner? Usually, the best way is to convey directly that you have your parents’ best interest at heart. Explain that planning is a means of taking control of the assets they have worked so hard to acquire and save, and that by exercising such control, the government, courts and the IRS won’t control the administration of their estate by default.

You may disarm them by telling them that you do not need to know any details about their estate plan until or unless they choose to share such details with you. If you have an estate plan in place yourself, and so inform your par-ents, sometimes that will resonate. Your parents might think that if their kids are old enough (and wise enough) to have an estate plan, they should too!

A huge percentage of parents I meet, regardless of their age, say that their primary estate planning objective is to streamline things so as to minimize the burden on their children when they die. You can assure your parents that estate planning is sort of the ultimate protection of their children, grandchil-dren, and/or other loved ones. Just because your parents are older doesn’t mean that they’ve lost their parental instincts.

Once the subject has been brought out into the open, you might refer them to an attorney in whom you have confidence to relate well and look out for their best interests. An experienced estate planning attorney will empower them with many useful alternative ways to provide for their legacy in pre-cisely the manner they wish.

Remarkably, no matter how difficult it is for people to initiate the process, they almost universally feel a great sense of relief and peace of mind when they take control by establishing a comprehensive estate plan.

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 matters addressed herein. Advertorial

Portable PrintingBy Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO

Every now and then, a product comes out that catches my eye. Such is the case with a printer we recently purchased for a family event. It all started when my wife and her four sisters began planning a huge Mother’s Day tea party for her ninety-three year old grandmother and thirty of her best friends.

The event warranted “party favors.” We didn’t want to pass out another knick-knack or dust collec-

tor. What we wanted to do was strike a thoughtful balance, showing care and respect and love, without burdening them with more junk to carry around.

I’m uncertain where she got the inspiration, but my wife thought it would be a nice idea to send each of these lovely ladies home with a memory from the party. She thought if we could take cameo pictures of everyone at the party, hopefully with her grandmother in the picture, and process them quickly, she could send framed 4x6 pictures home with everyone as party favors. Of course, her idea presented the problem of how to process and print all of these pictures quickly.

She researched small printers and came up with two to choose from: the Canon Selphy CP800 ($80/Amazon), and the Epson PictureMate Charm PM225 ($145/Amazon). After looking at both of them thoroughly, she de-termined the Selphy had every feature she needed, the ink was cheaper, and it cost almost half as much as the Epson. So she bought it.

We received the printer a few days in advance of the party and set it up on my system. The software installed perfectly and quickly on my computer. I was impressed by how modular and easy to setup the printer is. There are four components: printer, paper tray, ink cartridge, and power supply. It comes with a trial pack of paper and an ink cartridge that will let you print five pictures.

The printer has a slot for a compact flash memory card and also a USB port for inserting a thumb drive. There’s also a little screen on which you can

see the pictures you want to print. We tried printing directly from a memory card, from a USB thumb drive, and also from the PC as a normal printer. In all modes, it worked perfectly and without any special tricks. It was unusu-ally easy to use.

On the day of the party we had three people taking pictures. I sat in a corner of the room and downloaded pictures off of the cameras every so often to find the good ones, adjust them as necessary and print them. Everything went fine until I began processing a large quantity of pictures from the only real photographer in the group. He was taking pictures using a high-end SLR camera at very high density, and each of his pictures was over 35mb. When I queued up over ten of these huge pictures to print, something in the print queue on my laptop said “I quit,” and I ended up with a big traffic jam with nothing more coming out of the printer.

To remedy the situation, we switched to plugging the memory card di-rectly into the printer while we rebooted the computer to clear the print queue problem. Luckily, this feature of printing directly from the printer’s USB and memory card slot worked perfectly, and the production line resumed after only a short delay. Because there were so many pictures to print, and the tea party was only for an hour and a half, we fell short of having all the prints completed in time. Many guests took their picture souvenirs home with them and the rest we finished up and delivered after we got home. All of the guests loved their special visual remembrances of the day.

In the end, we were very impressed by this little printer, and we have subsequently used it for another quick-photo-print project for my daughter. It ends up being about $.34 a print, which isn’t cheap, but it isn’t overly expensive either. Because the printer is so cheap to buy, so easy to use, and prints in such brilliant and correct color, I give the printer two thumbs up, and I heartily recommend it for anyone needing a convenient photo printer.

What devices do you have lying around that you’d like to get work-ing? Have you purchased a product and procrastinated setting it up? Just give your friends at Portable CIO a call, and we’ll help you get productive with your technology. Call us at 925-552-7953, or email us at [email protected]. Advertorial

[email protected] Therapy: From Pain to PerformanceBy Jeffrey Johnson, D.C.

At Johnson Chiropractic Group our therapeutic approach is not simply about pain relief and adjusting spinal fixations to restore spinal health. Our mission is to educate and transition our patients into an active, healthy lifestyle. We look to optimize our patients health by including them in our systematic program of care ranging from pain relief and rehabilitation to corrective exercise therapy.

The transition from rehabilitation to physical fitness can be difficult when you are not familiar with the underlying principles of corrective exercise therapy. Ultimately our goal is to ensure that our patients can move correctly without pain, while maintaining proper mobility and stability before they take on more rigorous activity.

Without optimal muscle balance and symmetry, patients suffer from a degree of com-pensation in their movements which only leads to further injury over time. I am often surprised by how few health care professionals actually use corrective exercise therapy in their practices. Many structural conditions currently treated with singular approaches by their doctors would greatly benefit from the inclusion of exercise therapy, as thousands of traumatic low back pain cases are successfully treated annually by exercises alone.What is Exercise Therapy?

Exercise Therapy is a form of exercise that strives to bring the body back into perfect postural position. As you know, the body is designed to perform at its most efficient level when it is in a position of ideal posture and bilateral symmetry. Exercise Therapy is designed to restore muscle balance and symmetry, thus guiding the body to work effi-ciently without pain. Through exercise therapy, you will be working toward re-educating the body to move as it was designed so it can function at its best, pain free.

Specific movements are used to improve body mechanics and remove negative movement patterns which have led to dysfunction. Exercise Therapy reintroduces proper function, which restores correct posture. When the body stops compensat-ing for imbalances, patients are able to move freely without restrictions and the pain eventually disappears. It all comes down to moving correctly!

All muscle function is interconnected. One area of dysfunction will cause compensa-tion and a myriad of symptoms somewhere else. Exercise Therapy effectively corrects the cumulative stress of life. Even small structural changes (i.e. long hours at your desk, commuting or exercising through pain) will alter the muscles’ and joints’ ability to perform properly. This is because no muscle works alone; each is connected to another part of the body. Because exercise therapy focuses on fixing the cause of pain, instead of just addressing the symptoms, it works where many other approaches fall short. So, even if you’ve tried everything else to feel better, now is the time to try our effective exercise therapy strategies for relief.Have You Tried Other Therapies?

You may have already tried to stretch and strengthen some weak, injured areas of your body with little to no success. The majority of muscle and joint pain syndromes are the result of repeated faulty movement patterns which leads to cumulative stress and pain. Over time, the body develops incorrect movement patterns as a way to compensate for tight, weak muscles and also as a way to avoid pain. Without exercise therapy protocols designed to teach the correct way of moving, patients continue from one approach to an-other, never improving, because they continue to move incorrectly. An example of this would be when a patient complains of chronic knee pain, most professionals are quick to incorporate a therapeutic approach which focuses on stretching and strengthening the knee. However, our approach utilizing exercise therapy would be to address movement in the entire kinetic chain from the ankle to the knee, hip, and spine. This more inclusive approach is what is required to effectively restore function and prevent future re-injury.

Many of you reading this article are currently suffering from an injury which is pre-venting you from fully enjoying spring. Too often I hear people say they’d love to run, swim, lift weights, or play their favorite sport again, but they can’t because they’ve got a chronic injury that is preventing them from enjoying one of their favorite activities. Don’t settle for mediocrity and the lackluster results that come from antiquated, singular approaches. Challenge yourself and the staff at Johnson Chiropractic Group to find a way to get you back participating in the activities you love this summer! We are ready to help you Move Past Your Pain and return to performing at your peak potential.

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


Senior Buzz Sessions Buzz Sessions are the buzz on topics and issues facing today’s

older adults. Join us to talk with the experts. Buzz Sessions are al-ways free! To register call (925) 314-3400. The following classes are held at the Town Meeting Hall in Danville.Life to the End: How to Care for Yourself and Your Loved Ones - Tuesday, June 7 ~ 9AM – 10AM

Please join us for an informative discussion of the things you can do to prepare to have the best end of life possible. We’ll discuss preparing an advance directive so that your wishes for medical treatment are known; a new California law that gives you rights to know all of your treatment options, and how to talk with your loved ones about your wishes. We’ll also provide an overview of the work of Compassion & Choices which supports, educates and advocates for end-of-life choice. They are a national nonprofit organization, and all services are provided without cost.Packing Light - Tuesday, June 14 ~ 9AM – 10AM

There is no need to pack for a trip like you are moving to another country. Learn to minimize, accessorize, and condense what you take with you. Your body and your wallet will thank you for packing lighter.The Writing Life of a Danville Columnist - Tuesday, June 28 ~ 9AM – 10AM

Penny Warner, a 33 year resident of Danville, has been writing a column on life in the valley for the Valley Times newspapers for over 15 years. She’s the author of over 50 books, including books on child development, kids parties, and has two mystery series, one set in the California Gold Country and the other set on Treasure Island, Alcatraz, and the Winchester Mystery House. Enjoy listening to a reading from Penny’s new book, How to Survive a Killer Séance, and learn about her life as a writer!


Your Personal Nutritionist By Linda Michaelis, RDMaintaining Weight Loss Forever

I have received numerous requests from readers to address how to maintain their weight after they have tried one of the faddish quick weight loss diets where they rapidly lost a lot of pounds in a short period of time. As a case study, let me tell you about my client Lisa who is an avid exerciser, mom of two teenagers, and who is constantly struggling with weight loss.

Lisa frequently starts a new diet where she often sees fantastic results quickly. Her problem has always been maintaining the weight loss. Most of the diets she puts herself through are drastic and boring. She came to my office with a journal of her recent food intake. I could see that her intense workouts left her ravenous, and she struggled to maintain the 1,200 calories prescribed by her diet and then gorged on healthy foods. She often succumbed to cravings which would set off a binge attack. I observed that Lisa was ignoring her hunger signs completely, and she would eat on a preset schedule where hunger and fullness were not considered.

During our discussion I could tell Lisa had very little knowledge about nutrition and what are considered balanced meals of protein, fiber, low fat, and low sugar. I taught her how to read food labels for important nutrition facts such as the percentage of fat per serving, grams of fiber per serving, and how to calculate grams of protein into ounces. Lisa did not realize that her food choices were high in fat and low in protein and fiber. Afterwards Lisa and I went on a supermarket tour where she discovered many of the great convenience foods available for a family of four. I set up a tasty meal plan for her based on her favorite foods, and I told her that her new friends are protein and fiber, which must be eaten at every meal and snack. I introduced Lisa to Greek yogurt, turkey jerky, fat free cottage cheese, homemade hummus, hard-boiled eggs, peanut butter with celery or an apple, oatmeal, and Kashi Go Lean cereal with a sprinkle of Craisins for snacks which could be easily taken with her during her outings.

I thought long and hard about how to help her read her body better. I decided to probe a little more about her eating habits and responses. Was she always hungry when she was eating? Did she get too full after a meal? Did she taste the food or inhale it? Was she overeating at times because she was upset or very happy? I asked Lisa to keep a log where she recorded her level of hunger based on a scale from 1-10. After analyzing the log, we established a goal to eat when her hunger levels were a 6 to 7 and to stop when she was at 8 to 9. It took her a while to learn to listen to her body and begin to appreciate hunger signals. We also focused on her desire to be “perfect” everyday and making herself feel miserable when she wasn’t. I was adamant that she must begin treating herself more kindly, like she treated her children. Lisa learned that she could enjoy rich food at times as long as it was in small portions.

Now Lisa delights in going to a restaurant and ordering two appetizers as her main dish like crab cakes and a delicious salad or an entrée like lamb chops with double veggies and a slice of bread. She was happy to learn that she can have choices that would never have been on her previous diet list where she typically ordered a small salad and simply grilled fish which wasn’t filling and left her feeling unsatisfied. After eating a meal like that, she would come home hungry and raid the refrigerator. I also introduced Lisa to fresh Vietnamese and Thai cuisine, as well as other local eateries that I believe offer great food for those who want to eat healthy.

Lisa finished my eight week “Royal Treat-ment Program,” and she is a new woman. She has maintained a 15 lb weight loss and is confi-dent about making great food choices each day. We still have scheduled meetings for support and discussion of family events that bring lots of food to the table to keep her on track.

If you are interested in a topic that you would like me to discuss, please e-mail me and let me know.

Linda’s office is located in Alamo. She welcomes your call to discuss your needs and personal diet challenges. Please visit www.LindaRD.com for more information, helpful tips, recipes, and Linda’s blog or call (925) 855-0150. Advertorial


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 are available for T-coils, and most meetings are captioned. Contact: [email protected] or 925.264.1199 or www.hearinglossdv.org.

The Eye OpenerBy Gregory Kraskowsky, O.D., Alamo OptometryCataracts

Since June is cataract awareness month, I think it is appropriate to discuss this normal aging condition with my patients. The likelihood that you will expe-rience some visual changes from cataracts increases as you get older. Assuming you live to normal life expectancy, most everyone will feel the effects, and most will need to have them removed.

A cataract is the maturing of the lens which is inside of your eye; it cannot be seen just by looking at a person. The lens continues to grow throughout life. As the lens ages, it becomes thicker and denser. As this occurs, less light is able to pass through it, and thus decreases your vision. In addition, as the lens becomes more opaque, your vision generally takes on a dulling, foggy, or yellowing effect. The typical onset for early cataracts is in your 60’s to 70’s. Everyone develops them at different paces, but such things as long-term UV exposure, diabetes, prednisone (steroid) use, and trauma can cause the process to be sped-up. In the early stages, your distance prescription can sometimes shift to become more near-sighted. It is dur-ing these times that just a simple prescription change in your glasses can help restore or improve your vision. However, there comes a point as the cataract progresses that changing your glasses makes little or no improve-ment. It is at this time that the limiting factor in the visual system is the cataract itself, not your glasses. This is the point where I usually introduce the option of cataract surgery.

Even though most people are scared or leery of surgery, cataract surgery is a very safe and quick procedure that restores most of your lost vision. Cataract surgery is the most widely done procedure in the United States, and the numbers will just continue to climb as the baby boomers continue to age. Keep in mind that even though it is done all of the time, there are potential side-effects that need to be discussed with your doctor and/or surgeon. The

procedure itself takes less than 10 minutes, and you are not under general anesthesia. I tell my patients that it generally takes longer in the operating room to prep you for the surgery than it does to actually perform it. The incision is very small and does not require stitches, thus enabling a quicker recovery. The surgeon will go into your eye with a tool that breaks up the cataract into small pieces and then remove these smaller pieces from the eye. The clear implant that is put in folds up very small and can fit through the small incision. If both eyes need to be done, only one will be done at a time. The eye that is more advanced is generally done first, and after it is healed sufficiently, the other eye is done a few weeks later.

Recently, there have been many new types of implantable lenses to choose from. There is your standard single vision lens, which can be done for distance vision only, or monovision, which is one eye distance and the other reading. If you have monovision in your contact lens wear, then going to this setup after surgery should work well. There are also multi-focal and accommodating lenses that help reduce your need for reading glasses. These lenses, just like anything else, do have their pros and cons and absolutely need to be discussed with your optometrist and surgeon. As always, we are here to answer any of your questions regarding surgical and non-surgical options.

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 website at www.alamooptometry.com and become a fan on our Alamo Optometry Facebook page. Advertorial


RhinoplastyBy Barbara Persons, MD, Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc.

Magnificent, My nose!...You pug, you knob, you button-head,

Know that I glory in this nose of mine,For a great nose indicates a great man –

Genial, courteous, intellectual, virile, courageous – as I am – and such

As you – poor wretch – will never dare to be Even in imagination. (I. 336-342) Cyrano de Bergerac

Rhinoplasty is the operation designed to improve the shape and function of the nose and generally to bring the nose into balance with the face. Cyrano de Bergerac was both proud of his infamous nose and terribly self-conscious about it. Should Cyrano have consulted a plastic surgeon about his options for rhinoplasty, his story may have turned out differently!

Like most procedures performed by a plastic surgeon, patients seek a rhinoplasty for many different reasons. Patients seek this operation to repair a nose that is crooked from birth or due to injury, to repair asymmetries, to reduce or make more delicate certain nasal features, or to create a nose that is more harmonious with their face. Some patients know exactly what it is that they do not like about their nose, and some know only that they don’t like their nose. In almost all instances, it is my experience that surgical changes, where appropriate, can enhance the beauty of the face and make the patient happy to have sought the change.

Rhinoplasty is often combined with the repair of the nasal septum, also known as septoplasty. The septum is the structure which should sit in the middle of the nose, separating one side from the other. Twists and deflections may obstruct breathing through the nose. A septoplasty can improve this problem and is sometimes covered by insurance.

Resculpting the nose requires a careful analysis of the patient’s facial features. Forehead height, strength of the chin, and length of the lips

Insomnia Can Be a Nightmare for Older AdultsBy Joyce & Jim Newport, Owners, Right at Home of Mt. Diablo

As we mature, insomnia and general sleep distur-bances become more common. With more than half of adults older than 64 years in the United States reporting that they have a sleep disorder, insomnia is the third most common reason for a medical visit, following headaches and the common cold. The

National Sleep Foundation (NSF) reports that 44 percent of older persons report experiencing one or more of the nighttime symptoms of insomnia at least a few nights per week. In the NSF’s Sleep in America poll, 65 percent of adults aged 55 to 84 report the need to get up to go to the bathroom a few nights a week or more (53 percent report the need is every or almost every night).

Chronic insomnia (lasting more than six months is often related to any of a number of underlying causes including drinking coffee, chocolate, or sodas with caffeine, exercise or lack of exercise, and drinking alcohol. Biological changes associated with aging can alter how we metabolize medications, creating side effects which can contribute to insomnia. Some medical conditions linked with insomnia include high blood pressure, noc-turnal asthma, sleep apnea, acid reflux disease (GERD), Fibromyalgia or other chronic pain syndromes, neurological conditions including depression, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, restless leg syndrome, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to insomnia.net, depression is the “big daddy” of insomnia causes. Depression suppresses your body’s natural drives, and one of those natural drives is sleep. Insomnia can quickly become chronic in elderly people and when it does, their lifestyle can be critically affected and results in:

all influence the appearance of the nose. The nose, in turn, influences the appearance of the whole face. It is sometimes necessary to create a stronger chin (mentoplasty) to correct what appears to be an excessively large nose or to shorten the lip. In short, the nose sits in the center of the face and is a focal spot for the beauty of the face. It cannot be viewed alone.

My goal is to sculpt a nose that is in harmony with the rest of the face and, when viewed separately, gives the face a balanced appearance.

I usually perform a closed rhinoplasty. This type of “nose job” requires no external incision and, therefore, creates no external scars. All the work is done from the inside of the nose. It seems amazing to be able to work inside such a small space, but it is often the appropriate approach. In certain instances an open rhinoplasty is appropriate and performed through an incision on the columella of the nose (the vertical portion between the nostrils). This incision can be practically invisible.

Rhinoplasty is performed under Light Sleep Anesthesia. Surgery generally lasts about one and a half hours. The septum is straightened, the airway improved, the base of the nose narrowed, the dorsum or top of the nose is shaped to smooth the dip or hump and the tip is adjusted to be synchronous with the patient’s face.

Rhinoplasty, when performed on a young adult or older person, may be beneficial to their social development and self-confidence. The aging process is reflected in many ways in the nose, and correcting the balance of the face can add freshness and youth to a patient’s appearance.

The final result of a rhinoplasty takes a period of time to achieve. The healing process determines the final result. One can generally get a good idea of what the nose will look like when the nasal splint is removed a week after surgery. Patience is required though, because your nose will continue to improve over the next few months.

Whether you are a “closet Cyrano” or just seeking a minor change, I would be happy to consult with you regarding the most prominent feature of your face, your nose.

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

• A lack of concentration that can lead to accidents such as leaving the stove on and doors unlocked

• Sudden mood swings, temper flare-ups, and irritability resulting in strained relationships

• Increased clumsiness that can lead to falls• Constant tiredness that can lead to such problems as auto accidentsOlder adults who are prone to heartburn or gastric reflux should avoid

eating three hours before bedtime. Older adults are also discouraged from drinking liquids two to four hours before going to bed, which can help relieve pressure on the bladder. In men, frequent urination at night may be related to a prostate condition requiring medical attention. The use of sleep medications by older adults can have the unintended effect of incontinence while asleep.

Common home remedies for insomnia include maintaining good sleep-ing patterns by going to bed and getting up at the same time, taking a hot bath or reading before bedtime, and avoiding heavy meals late in the eve-ning. Consider natural, homeopathic, and alternative therapies, including teas, herbal therapies, and acupuncture. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, has become widely used to treat many symptoms of insomnia and is especially useful for relieving chronic or severe insomnia symptoms. The therapy is non-pharmacological and combines behavioral, muscular, and psychological therapies into one holistic bundle that together help patients rewire their sleep psychology.

Your local expert for issues related to caring for your loved one and dedicated to keeping you informed about home care, Right at Home of Mt Diablo offers in-home care and assistance so your loved one can continue living independently and enjoying a vibrant life. Our caregivers are our employees, and are screened, trained, bonded, and insured prior to entering your home so you can trust us with the caregiving while you focus on your loved one. For more information on Right at Home services -- or for our recommendation of a great Naturopathic Doctor to help you with your insomnia -- please call (925) 256-4663. Advertorial


Danville Today News ClassifiedsReach over 14,500 homes and businesses in Danville 94526 - Help Wanted, For Sale, Services, Les-

sons, Pets, Rentals, Wanted, Freebies... $35 for up to 45 words. $5 for each additional 15 words. Run the same classified ad in our sisters paper “Lafayette Today” and/or “Alamo Today” and pay half off for your second and/or third ads!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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C L A S S I F I E D ELECTRICAL WORK

EVERYTHING ELECTRICAL! Need new light fixtures, ceiling fans, recessed lighting, or track lighting installed? Need a dimmer switch or GFCI installed? Do you want to change the color of your outlets in your kitchen or install 220V power for the new hot tub or stove? I also troubleshoot electrical problems. FREE ESTIMATES. Licensed and bonded. 30 years experience. CALL 925-389-6964.

P L A C E Y O U R C L A S S I F I E D H E R E !

CAR FOR COLLEGE STUDENT Looking for a cheap car for a college student. Preferably a Honda or Toyota. Manual transmission OK. Please call 925-216-1089

WANTED

Life is a Cabernet!By Jewel Johl, MDMedical Oncologist and Hematologist

Resveratrol is a substance that is produced by plants in response to stress. It is a phytoalexin, a major con-stituent of red wine, and abundant in the grape skin. The cardioprotective and chemopreventive activities have brought resveratrol to public and scientific attention.

Several animal studies performed in the lab have shown that resveratrol prevents development of

cancers of the skin, breast, esophagus, intestine, colon and prostate. Not only does red wine has properties that help prevent cancer, in

moderation it has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and antioxidants in red wine may help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of “good” cholesterol and protecting against artery damage.

Research has shown that resveratrol might also help protect against obesity and diabetes, both of which are strong risk factors for heart disease. However, those findings were reported only in mice, not in people. In addition, to get the same dose of resveratrol used in the mice studies, a person would have to drink over 60 liters of red wine every day, not recommended.

Resveratrol Content in Different Beverages and FoodsFood and Beverage Serving Size Total Resveratrol (mg)

Muscadine wine 5 ounce glass 2.12-6Red wine -Global 5 ounce glass 0.30-1.07 -Spanish 5 ounce glass 0.29-1.89Red grape juice 5 ounce glass 0.17-1.30Rose wine 5 ounce glass 0.06-0.53Pinot noir 5 ounce glass 0.06-0.30White wine 5 ounce glass 0.01-0.27Peanuts -Raw 146 g 0.01-0.26 -Boiled 180 g 0.32-1.28Peanut butter 258 g 0.04-0.13Red grapes 160 g 0.24-1.25

While the news about red wine might sound great if you enjoy a glass of red wine with your evening meal, doctors are wary of encouraging anyone to start drinking alcohol. That's because too much alcohol can have many harmful effects on your body.

Resveratrol supplements are currently widely available at health food stores, pharmacies, and online, however, the tablet doses are not standardized, side effects are unknown, and these supplements are not regulated by the FDA. For this reason, the supplements are not generally recommended. It is not known whether high intakes of resveratrol can help prevent cancer in humans. Clinical trials are cur-

Diablo Valley Oncology founded the California Cancer and Research Institute. Located in Pleasant Hill, the cancer center is the largest freestanding, non-hospital based facility in Contra Costa County. The center brings together medical oncol-ogy, hematology, radiation, chemotherapy, diagnostic imaging, laboratory, pharmacy,

clinical trials, and supportive care services – all in one convenient location. The facility provides the latest in technology and therapies – to better serve patients in the community. 925-677-5041 www.DiabloValleyOncology.md

rently underway to address this question and to also determine whether resveratrol might be beneficial in cancer treatment. Until more data is available, moderate red wine consumption is reasonable in terms of its health benefits. Advertorial

Summer Classic to Fight Juvenile DiabetesBack by popular demand, “Super Diamond,” will return to Wente Vine-

yards on Friday, August 19th for a concert and dinner benefit at the JDRF “Summer Classic.”

This year’s event at Wente Vineyards will showcase the dinner and concert. It will include a live and silent auction to raise money to help kids battling diabetes. The fundraiser includes a separate, optional golf tournament earlier that day.

“We are so excited for the ‘Summer Classic’ 2011,” said Kelly Craft of JDRF. “The money raised helps our treatment, education and prevention programs, aimed at kids and their families coping with juvenile diabetes.” For ticket and sponsor information see: www.JDRFbayarea.org/summer.

Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.5 billion to diabetes research, including more than $107 million last year. More than 80 percent of JDRF’s expenditures directly support research and research-related education.

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

Thursday, June 9th at 7PM in the Lesher Auditorium at John Muir Medical Center-Concord Campus located at 2540 East Avenue in Concord. The speaker will be Dr. Oscar Fernandez, anesthesiologist. Mended Hearts is a national organization providing support for cardiac patients and their families. For further information about Mended Hearts, contact Nancy Mitchell at (925) 943-7549.Stroke Support Group

The Stroke Support Group of Contra Costa County will hold its monthly meeting in the Ball Auditorium at John Muir Medical Center-Walnut Creek Campus located at 1601 Ygnacio Valley Road in Walnut Creek on Monday, June 13th from 7-9PM. Speaking will be Roberta Elman, Ph.D.,CCC-SLP of The Aphasia Center of California. After the talk, attendees will break up into three coping groups each group led by a trained professional.

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


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.

Entertainer’s Dream. Seamless integration of the kitchen, family and dining room into a spacious

and open entertainment area. $882,000

This 4 bedroom Danville home has a huge backyard. Pool, pool house, green house, fruit

trees, RV and boat parking. $799,000

This lovely 3 bedroom home is a per-fect “10” and includes a pool of its own.

$785,000

Magnificent 4 bedroom, 3 bath home on 1/2 acre lot with a pool and mature

landscaping. $1,200,000

This amazing Westside custom 4 bedroom contemporary has amazing views of Mt. Diablo

and the Las Trampas Hills. $1,399,000

Amazing 4 bedroom, 3 bath, single story with pool. Granite kitchen. $1,199,000

Danville 4 BedroomDanville Executive Home

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

Westside Alamo Single Level Westside Alamo Views

S. Walnut Creek 3 Bedroom

Alamo Single Story

PENDING

Professionals YouCan Count On

The Combs Team

Nancy Joe

www.TheCombsTeam.com

®Call the Combs Team

925-989-6086

SOLD

Home* Sales Alamo, Blackhawk Danville, Diablo (Jan1-May 22)Active Pending Sold DOM List Price Sold Price Sq. Foot $ Sq. Foot

Alamo 106 40 45 56 1,496,038$ 1,083,487$ 2,944 368$ Blackhawk 59 17 32 96 1,599,898$ 1,106,476$ 3,373 328$

Diablo 13 2 5 142 2,388,599$ 1,486,300$ 4,210 353$ Danville 231 156 213 51 788,079$ 765,294$ 2,509 305$

Area Home Sales Approximately 60 Per MonthWith about half of 2011 behind us I wanted to review the local Real Estate

market in segments, and as the sum of its parts. I’ve included a chart for comparison. In our local market which includes Alamo, Danville, Diablo and Blackhawk, homes are selling at rate of about 60 homes per month through May 22nd. This is really good when you consider we still have high unemployment and the government stimulus programs are coming to an end. Ap-proximately 33% of pending sales are distressed sales, either bank owned or short sales. No doubt, they are beginning to impact local pricing.

Non-distressed, desirable homes priced right are selling fast. Yes, fast! Already this year Nancy and I have sold two homes with multiple offers in the first week of coming to market. What’s the secret? Very simple. Both are lovely single story homes which are nicely updated, freshly painted and well staged. Both homes were priced below $1.3 million which seems to be a price threshold that is difficult for today’s buyer to cross. Only about 10.5% of the 295 homes sold here this year were sold at a price above $1.3M.

Tired looking homes in need of fix-up are sitting for a longer periods and are getting hammered in price, if they sell at all. Today’s buyers can pretty easily qualify for a first mortgage to buy a home. Getting a second mortgage to fix one up is not so easy, which makes even cosmetic fixers significantly less desirable to the average buyer. Generally speaking, sellers don’t sufficiently discount their homes to reflect the cost to the buyer of fixing them up. Otherwise, even more homes would be selling. The demand is there.

That’s why average price and dollars per square foot figures in today’s market can be misleading when applied to an individual home. Those measures can serve well to inform us of the direction the market is headed when time periods are compared to one another. They can’t, however, tell us exactly what your home is worth. A careful

visual inspection and tighter review of the most relevant comparative sales are required to discover a specific home’s respective market value range.

To illustrate this point, let’s compare two of our larger market segments. The lowest priced home that sold in Danville sold at $126 per square foot. The highest sold at $526 per square foot. Lowest selling price was $135,000 the highest selling price $2,900,000. That’s quite a difference. The average square foot price in the town of Danville, which by the way, is the lowest for our area, is $305 per square foot. That’s roughly a $200 dollar swing from the midpoint to either the top or bottom. Alamo swung from $242 to $641 per square foot with an average of $368. Again, a very large difference and why my column trailer always emphasizes this point.

The selling season is off to a late start this year and it seems like every agent I know, including myself, has at least one prospective buyer in tow looking for a nicely updated home in our area. There are so few available homes that are appropriately priced that the really good homes are attracting multiple offers. I had 20 buyers through an open house this weekend and it looks like I am about to receive offers on another of our listings.

It’s important to remember that there really is no “average” home and no two homes are exactly alike. If you would like an honest no strings attached opinion of your home’s current market value and suggestions for getting it ready for market, please give me a call 925-989-6086 or send me an email [email protected].

Danville Today News, June 2011

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Transcript of Danville Today News, June 2011