JAN 08 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf
18
An Oakhurst woman was awakened in the early morning hours of Dec. 14 by two men who claimed to be police offi- cers, but instead were robbers who emptied the family’s safe of jewelry, watches, passports and bonds. The woman was asleep in her bedroom when she was awakened by a hand on her shoulder and a voice telling her to stay in bed. According to responding officer Shanna DeCoite, the woman asked repeatedly to see his badge but was told to stay in bed and not use the phone. A second man was kneeling in front of the safe with the door open. When she determined that the suspects did not have weapons, the woman screamed for her husband, who was in another room, and he called police. IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com January 8, 2010 925.672.0500 PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190 Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Dan Ashley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Deal With It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 From the Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Going Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Movie Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 On the Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Pioneer Photo Album (NEW) . . . . . . . . .2 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 What’s Inside HANK STRATFORD MAYOR’S CORNER Mayor asks, What if ...? I’m sure most of us have imagined what we would do if we earned, inherited or won a large sum of money. It may not be a very productive exercise, but it can be fun to imagine what you might do with the money – how you would allo- cate the money among practical purchases, “always-wanted” purchases and future uses. The risk of playing this game comes when we slip back into reality. So with this risk in mind, I would like to encourage you to play the Clayton edition of “What If?” Suppose we, as a city, weren’t constrained by our very limited budget. What would you like to see in Clayton? See Mayor , page 6 Clayton Counts Down the decade at 7th annual New Year’s Eve event Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer ORDINARY WHITE SOCKS BECAME MAGICAL PUPPETS with imaginative names like “Scary Sneeze” and “Fishing” at the hands of Miranda Wiggenhauser, Macaenzie Tobin and Johnny McCluhan at the city’s annual New Year’s Eve family event at the Clayton Community Gym. Shannon Bradley Moore, the 38-year-old Concord man charged with the murder of Clayton resident Ray Casso last March, has been declared incompetent to stand trial. Casso, 73, was picking up his mail at the post office on March 7 when witnesses say Moore, enraged over postal workers’ refusal to give him cash for out- dated stamps, stormed out of the post office, stopping on the way to grab Casso and stab him to death. Moore was apprehend- ed moments after the attack and arrested. According to court records, Moore does not understand the TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer See Moore, page 4 Scouts record stories of Clayton’s past Three Clayton Girl Scouts labored together recently with Mary Spryer, curator of the Clayton Historical Museum, to ensure that their community’s history remains alive. Sarah Agronow, Claire Minorsky and Mary Raymond set out in early 2009 to find a project that would serve their community and earn them the prestigious Gold Award. The award is the highest one Girl Scouts ages 14-18 can achieve. The group’s Website describes the award as repre- senting “a girl’s commitment to herself and to her community, as she focuses on leadership, career exploration, personal challenges and completing a lasting project that will benefit her community.” Agronow, who had served as a junior docent at the museum, went to Spryer for ideas for the project. Spryer had just the thing in mind: the museum’s oral history project. The project was a long cherished one, but thus far, no one at the museum had enough time to commit to it. “We thought it was impor- tant because we have so many members, old timers, and all they’re doing is getting older and older,” Spryer said. The project would use Agronow’s skills as a videogra- pher, Raymond’s ability to bring people out of their shells and put Minorsky’s organizational skills to work contacting inter- viewees and transcribing the DVDs. The goal was to put stories of Clayton’s past onto DVD and paper to make them accessi- ble to the community and keep them for posterity. Working as a team, the girls contributed more than 200 hours to the project. They drafted letters to a group of potential interviewees provided by Spryer. Raymond made calls to follow up on the letters. Minorsky, who is study- ing psychology at UCLA, con- ducted the interviews, and Agronow, who aspires to make movies, filmed them. Raymond transcribed the interviews. Iola O’Grady was one of those interviewed. The grand- daughter of Dominic and Julia Murchio, she remembered visit- ing their ranch on Mitchell Denisen Hartlove/Clayton Pioneer MUSEUM CURATOR MARY SPRYER ( second from left) stands in front of the museum with Girls Scouts Claire Minorsky, Mary Raymond and Sarah Agronow. The Scouts completed an oral history project for the museum, earning their Gold Award, Girl Scouts highest honor. DENISEN HARTLOVE Clayton Pioneer Moore deemed incompetent for trial in Casso slaying TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer See Robbery, page 16 See Scouts, page 16 Robbers enter home while occupants are sleeping How did you say 2009? Two thousand and nine? Twenty-nine? Oh-nine? No matter what it was called, the decade came to a rous- ing end in Clayton when families gathered at the gym for the 7th annual Clayton Counts Down New Year’s Eve party. “This is such a great event,” said Jeannette Cataldo, as she parceled out popcorn cups to her grandkids. “We’re the babysitters for New Year’s Eve and this gives the kids a way to celebrate.” The free, no-alcohol, all-vol- unteer, all-donation financed event drew an estimated 700 to the Clayton Community Gym for a host of kid-friendly activities, which included a sock puppet contest, basketball, movies, games, musical chairs and limbo and hula hoop contests. A bounce house and inflat- able slide helped the little ones burn off their excess holiday energy. The brainchild of Councilwoman Julie Pierce and former Councilman Gregg Manning, Clayton Counts Down began in 2003 and takes more than 30 volunteers to run. Plans are already in the works for next year’s event. So, whether you say twenty-ten, two-thou- sand-ten or just plain ten, plan on spending the next New Year’s Eve at the gym. And if you can help, call the city at 673-7300.
-
Upload
pioneer-publishers -
Category
Documents
-
view
240 -
download
0
description
HANK STRATFORD See Moore , page 4 MUSEUM CURATOR M ARY S PRYER ( second from left) stands in front of the museum with Girls Scouts Claire Minorsky, Mary Raymond and Sarah Agronow. The Scouts completed an oral history project for the museum, earning their Gold Award, Girl Scouts highest honor. See Mayor , page 6 D ENISEN H ARTLOVE Clayton Pioneer PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190 T AMARA S TEINER Clayton Pioneer T AMARA S TEINER Clayton Pioneer US POSTAGE PRSRT STD Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
Transcript of JAN 08 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf
An Oakhurst woman wasawakened in the early morninghours of Dec. 14 by two menwho claimed to be police offi-cers, but instead were robberswho emptied the family’s safe ofjewelry, watches, passports andbonds.
The woman was asleep inher bedroom when she wasawakened by a hand on hershoulder and a voice telling herto stay in bed. According toresponding officer ShannaDeCoite, the woman askedrepeatedly to see his badge butwas told to stay in bed and notuse the phone. A second manwas kneeling in front of the safewith the door open.
When she determined thatthe suspects did not haveweapons, the woman screamedfor her husband, who was inanother room, and he calledpolice.
IT’S YOUR PAPER
www.claytonpioneer.com January 8, 2010 925.672.0500
PR
SR
TS
TD
US
PO
STA
GE
PA
ID
CLA
YT
ON
, C
A
PE
RM
IT190
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Dan Ashley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Deal With It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
From the Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Going Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Movie Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
On the Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Pioneer Photo Album (NEW) . . . . . . . . .2
Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
What’s Inside
HANK STRATFORD
MAYOR’S CORNER
Mayor asks, What if ...?
I’m sure most of us haveimagined what we would do ifwe earned, inherited or won alarge sum of money. It may notbe a very productive exercise,but it can be fun to imaginewhat you might do with themoney – how you would allo-cate the money among practicalpurchases, “always-wanted”purchases and future uses. Therisk of playing this game comeswhen we slip back into reality.
So with this risk in mind, Iwould like to encourage you toplay the Clayton edition of“What If ?” Suppose we, as acity, weren’t constrained by ourvery limited budget. Whatwould you like to see in Clayton?
See Mayor, page 6
Clayton Counts Down the decade at7th annual New Year’s Eve event
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
ORDINARY WHITE SOCKS BECAME MAGICAL PUPPETS with imaginative names like “Scary Sneeze” and “Fishing” at the handsof Miranda Wiggenhauser, Macaenzie Tobin and Johnny McCluhan at the city’s annual New Year’s Eve family eventat the Clayton Community Gym.
Shannon Bradley Moore, the38-year-old Concord mancharged with the murder ofClayton resident Ray Casso lastMarch, has been declaredincompetent to stand trial.
Casso, 73, was picking up hismail at the post office on March7 when witnesses say Moore,enraged over postal workers’refusal to give him cash for out-dated stamps, stormed out ofthe post office, stopping on theway to grab Casso and stab himto death. Moore was apprehend-ed moments after the attack andarrested.
According to court records,Moore does not understand the
TAMARA STEINER
Clayton Pioneer
See Moore, page 4
Scouts record stories of Clayton’s past
Three Clayton Girl Scoutslabored together recently withMary Spryer, curator of theClayton Historical Museum, toensure that their community’shistory remains alive.
Sarah Agronow, ClaireMinorsky and Mary Raymondset out in early 2009 to find aproject that would serve theircommunity and earn them theprestigious Gold Award. Theaward is the highest one GirlScouts ages 14-18 can achieve.
The group’s Websitedescribes the award as repre-senting “a girl’s commitment toherself and to her community,as she focuses on leadership,career exploration, personalchallenges and completing alasting project that will benefither community.”
Agronow, who had served asa junior docent at the museum,went to Spryer for ideas for theproject. Spryer had just thething in mind: the museum’soral history project. The projectwas a long cherished one, butthus far, no one at the museumhad enough time to commit toit.
“We thought it was impor-tant because we have so manymembers, old timers, and allthey’re doing is getting olderand older,” Spryer said.
The project would useAgronow’s skills as a videogra-pher, Raymond’s ability to bringpeople out of their shells andput Minorsky’s organizationalskills to work contacting inter-viewees and transcribing theDVDs.
The goal was to put storiesof Clayton’s past onto DVDand paper to make them accessi-ble to the community and keepthem for posterity. Working as ateam, the girls contributed morethan 200 hours to the project.
They drafted letters to agroup of potential intervieweesprovided by Spryer. Raymondmade calls to follow up on theletters. Minorsky, who is study-ing psychology at UCLA, con-ducted the interviews, andAgronow, who aspires to makemovies, filmed them. Raymondtranscribed the interviews.
Iola O’Grady was one ofthose interviewed. The grand-daughter of Dominic and JuliaMurchio, she remembered visit-ing their ranch on Mitchell
Denisen Hartlove/Clayton Pioneer
MUSEUM CURATOR MARY SPRYER ( second from left) stands infront of the museum with Girls Scouts Claire Minorsky, MaryRaymond and Sarah Agronow. The Scouts completed an oralhistory project for the museum, earning their Gold Award, GirlScouts highest honor.
DENISEN HARTLOVE
Clayton Pioneer
Moore deemedincompetentfor trial inCasso slaying
TAMARA STEINER
Clayton Pioneer
See Robbery, page 16See Scouts, page 16
Robbers enterhome whileoccupants aresleeping
How did you say 2009? Twothousand and nine? Twenty-nine?Oh-nine? No matter what it wascalled, the decade came to a rous-ing end in Clayton when familiesgathered at the gym for the 7thannual Clayton Counts DownNew Year’s Eve party.
“This is such a great event,”said Jeannette Cataldo, as sheparceled out popcorn cups to hergrandkids. “We’re the babysittersfor New Year’s Eve and this givesthe kids a way to celebrate.”
The free, no-alcohol, all-vol-unteer, all-donation financedevent drew an estimated 700 tothe Clayton Community Gym fora host of kid-friendly activities,which included a sock puppetcontest, basketball, movies,games, musical chairs and limboand hula hoop contests.
A bounce house and inflat-able slide helped the little onesburn off their excess holidayenergy.
The brainchild ofCouncilwoman Julie Pierce andformer Councilman GreggManning, Clayton Counts Downbegan in 2003 and takes morethan 30 volunteers to run.
Plans are already in the worksfor next year’s event. So, whetheryou say twenty-ten, two-thou-sand-ten or just plain ten, plan onspending the next New Year’sEve at the gym. And if you canhelp, call the city at 673-7300.
The Amigos de AnzaMounted Arabian Drill Teampacked up and headed south forNew Year’s.
The team, founded by long-time Claytonian GeorgeCardinet, performed in bothEquestfest, equestrian show-case on Dec. 29 and in honor ofCardinet in the Tournament ofRoses parade on New YearsDay.
The Equestfest is an oppor-tunity for drill teams, mountedcowboys, ladies in fine gowns,medieval knights and other rid-ers to show off the fancymoves they are unable to per-form during the more straight-forward ride down ColoradoBoulevard on Friday morning.
The team performed andmarched in honor of Cardinet,who founded the organizationand was instrumental in theestablishment of the Juan
Batista de Anza Historic Trailwhich runs from Nogales,Arizona to San Francisco. Hewas also an ardent supporter ofClayton’s trail system. The trailrunning from the Library toSafeway was named in hishonor. Cardinet died at in 2007while visiting a friend inMexico. He was 98.
The Amigos de Anza organ-ization is based in Walnut Creekat Castle Rock Arabians ranchowned by Nancy Dupont.Because of George Cardinet’sconnection to the town ofClayton and the trails he advo-cates, the Amigos have partici-pated annually in Clayton’s 4thof July parades as well as advo-cating the trails, nationally andlocally that intersect in down-town Clayton.
For more information go towww.castlerockarabians.com.
High school sweetheartsAshley Farizell and AaronCharles Bates will be marriedin Berkeley in June.
Ashley is the daughter ofJohn and Lynn Farizell ofClayton. She is a 2004 gradu-ate of Clayton Valley HighSchool and received her teach-ing degree from Sonoma StateUniversity in 2008. She cur-rently attends Diablo ValleyCollege where she is a mem-ber of the water polo and
swim teams. Ashey teachessecond grade in the SanRamon Valley School District.
Aaron is the son of Chuckand Stephanie Bates and isalso a 2004 graduate ofClayton Valley High. He is aparamedic, emergency roomtechnician and a reserve fire-fighter for Moraga OrindaFire.
Ashley and Aaron begandating in their sophomoreyear of high school.
Page 2 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 8, 2010
What’s happening Around Town?Send your news and photos of your births, engagements, wed-
dings, special recognitions, etc. to [email protected].
Around Town
East meets west with five generations
Yolanda Fiore, 93 traveled across the United States from NewJersey to meet her one year old great-great-grandson Julian. Thefamily gathered at the home of Theresa and Don Bragg in Claytonto share in this special occasion. Over thirty members of the familycelebrated this event over the Christmas Holidays.
From left: Great-granddaughter Kendra, granddaughter Renee,great-great-grandson Julian, Matriarch Yolanda Fiore and daughterTheresa Fiore Bragg.
25/50 are Metz’s lucky numbers Clayton residents
Denyse and Mike Metztraveled to Las Vegas tocelebrate both their 25thwedding anniversary andDenyse’s half centurybirthday along with theirbest friends Colleen andConnie Wood from TomsRiver, New Jersey andJoanne and Ralph Stelzner,from Clayton.
Before hitting the casi-nos and shows, they start-ed their adventure by stop-ping at the “Welcome toFabulous Las VegasNevada” sign while takingtime to check out the com-munity news in theClayton Pioneer.
Ashley Farizell to marry Aaron BatesLocal equestrians ride in Rose Bowl events
Photo courtesy of Marc Hannigan
Walnut Creek based Amigos de Anza rode in the New Year’sDay Tournament of Roses parade in honor of George Cardinet.
Ashley Farizell and Aaron Bates recently announced theirengagement. They will marry in June.
Front: Joanne Stelzner, DenyseMetz, Colleen Wood. Back: RalphStelzner, Mike Metz, Conrad Wood.
421 Diablo Creek Pl. $652,000 1208 Bridlewood Ct. $788,500 1844 Yolanda Cir. $618,000 7014 Molluk Way $499,500 7025 Molluk Way $650,000 1816 Eagle Peak Ave. $509,000
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
ALSO SOLD BY LYNNE FRENCHMMoorree CCllaayyttoonn SSoollddss145 Mountaire Pkwy . . .$578,0004605 Keller Ridge Dr . . .$298,0001228 Buckeye Terrace . .$529,0001816 Eagle Peak . . . . . . .$509,0001001 Feather Cir . . . . . .Co-Listed5593 Coronado Ct . . . . .$440,0001347 Shell Ln . . . . . . . . .$369,000250 El Pueblo Place . . .CLOSED
Short Sale312 Mt. Sierra Place . . .CLOSED
Short Sale228 Stranahan Cir. . . . .CLOSED
Short Sale1945 Eagle Peak . . . . . .CLOSED
Short Sale
CCoonnccoorrdd1584 Laverne Way. . . . . .$557,0004542 Adams Dr . . . . . . .$410,0004632 Adams Dr . . . . . .CLOSED
Short Sale1276 San Carlos Ave . . .$221,0005050 Valley Crest Dr . .CLOSED
Short Sale842 Wilmore Ave . . . . . .$450,000825 Oak Grove Road. .CLOSED
Short Sale1131 Kaski Ln . . . . . . . .$600,0001516 Rishell Dr . . . . . .CLOSED
Short Sale1115 Glenwillow Ln . . .$545,0005472 Preston Ct . . . . . . .$450,0001897 Brownwood Ct . . .$508,000
5546 Maryland Dr . . . .CLOSED Short Sale
1505 Kirker Pass Rd, Unit 151 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CLOSED
Short Sale5450 Kirkwood Dr, #B1 $313,0005485 Kirkwood Dr . . . .CLOSED
Short Sale4322 Machado Dr . . . . .$268,0001810 Granada Dr . . . . .CLOSED
Short SalePPlleeaassaanntt HHiillll2033 Oak Park Blvd . . .CLOSED
Short Sale148 Margie Dr . . . . . . . .$482,000PPiittttssbbuurrgg20 Sea Point Way . . . . . .$305,000
3087 Windmill Cnyn. $600,000 601 Julpun Loop $449,500 369 Mt. Washington $550,000
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
30 Mt. Teton Ct. $535,000 260 Mountaire Pkwy. $612,000 20 Mt. Rainier Ct. $550,000
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
785 Bloching Circle $570,000
1200 Buckeye Terr. $479,000 27 Mirango Ct. $610,000 43 Mountaire Ct. $763,000
350 Blue Oak Lane $690,000 1278 Shell Circle $439,000
January 8, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 3
One thing about Claytonians – they LOVE to takepictures. The recent snowstorm proved that. The dayit snowed, our email boxes were filled with over 150great pictures, all of them snapped by enthusiasticshutterbugs. In the last issue, both of the fantasticfront page photos were taken by Clayton residentsand contributed to the Pioneer.
In keeping with our motto, “It’s Your Paper,” thePioneer will spotlight an Editor’s Choice photo ineach issue, beginning January 22. Send in your cutepets, funny kids, great landscapes or favorite sites intown. Send those great shots that make you happy orweepy. Or the one that makes your heart beat just alittle faster. Email your photo to [email protected].
Photos must be high resolution. Jpeg or tiff filesare preferable to pdf. Be sure to include a descriptionof the picture – where it was taken, what was happen-ing and a little about why you like the photo. Includeyour name and phone number. Then, look for it in thenext Pioneer.
Who knows? We may just find the next AnselAdams right here in Clayton.
New this year:
Pioneer Photo Album
Local commuter opts for two-wheeledtransportation from Clayton to Lafayette
While the snow in earlyDecember forced Clayton resi-dent Steve Biggs into his car fora day, there’s hardly a weekdaythat passes when he isn’t navi-gating the area’s extensive net-work of bike trails and backroads to get to his job in down-town Lafayette.
Biggs started making the 34-mile round trip commute dur-ing May’s annual Bike to WorkDay, which he had heard aboutthrough the news. The event isorganized locally by 511 ContraCosta, a county agency thatencourages individuals to usecommute alternatives.
“It’s so much more relaxingto ride than to sit in traffic, and
I feel refreshed when I arrive atthe office,” Biggs says.
Biggs is a recreational bicy-clist who used to do some rac-ing in his college days. This isthe first job he’s had where it’smade sense to ride his bikethree to four days a week. Whiledrenching rain may force himinto his car, neither drizzle norcold can keep Biggs off thesaddle.
“In California, we’re fortu-nate to have weather that’sconducive to biking most ofthe year,” notes CorinneDutra-Roberts, who runs 511Contra Costa’s commute assis-tance programs. “The well-maintained bike trails also add
to the convenience and safetyof bicycling.”
Biking extends Biggs’ com-mute by 20 minutes to half anhour, but he doesn’t need tospend additional time andmoney at the gym. Plus, he esti-mates saving about $100 permonth on commute costs.
For many people, the biggesthurdle to biking to work is thelogistics of getting started.Before Bike to Work Day, Biggswasn’t sure what route he wouldtake or how he would showerand change into work clothes.“You just have to do it a fewtimes, and then you figure itout,” he advises.
Biggs mapped out his 17-
mile, one-way route withGoogle Maps. He typed in hisorigin and destination and chosethe “walking” route, whichincludes biking and walkingtrails. He also uses the East BayBicycle Coalition’s comprehen-sive bike trail map that hepicked up at 511 Contra Costa’senergizer station on Bike toWork Day.
His commute takes about anhour and involves riding alongthree of the area’s main biketrails – the Canal, Iron Horseand Lafayette Moraga trails. Hecarries his work necessities in amessenger bag slung over hisshoulder and keeps workclothes and shoes at the office,so he can shower and change.
His bike has reflectors andbright lights for riding in thedark. Biggs retrofitted his bikewith puncture-resistant tires andswitched to more casual moun-tain-biking shoes that can cliponto the pedals, but that he canalso use for walking.
If a rainstorm blows in dur-ing the day, he calls his wife fora ride home. However, 511Contra Costa also has given himvouchers for a cab ride home aspart of the Guaranteed RideHome program.
As Bike to Work Day 2010comes this May, Biggs will bewiser and more confident. “I tryto keep it fun,” he says. “As longas I enjoy doing it, I’ll keepdoing it.”
For more information about bik-ing to work and other commute assis-tance programs, visit511contracosta.org or contact Dutra-Roberts at [email protected]. Read Biggs’ biking blog at511contracosta.org/commuting-to-work-is-recreation-for-clayton-cyclist.
Photo courtesy of 511 Contra Costa
CLAYTON RESIDENT STEVE BIGGS has been biking to his office in Lafayette since May.
Linda Pinder
EDITOR’S CHOICE. My personal favorite from last yearis this cover shot, taken by Linda Pinder, of the snowcovered hills from Candace Bass’ Oakhurst backyard.The picture captures both the beauty of Clayton andthe drama of that historic day.
One of the great thingsabout seeing a PGA Tour eventin person is that, unlike all otherprofessional sports, you don’twatch it from a seat. If youwant to see Kobe Bryant dunk abasketball, Tom Brady lace atouchdown pass, David ‘bend itlike’ Beckham zip one past thegoalie, or Serena Williamspound away at the base line,you’re going to see them do itfrom the stands. When youattend a tour event, you canwalk in the shadows of some ofthe best golfers in the worldand, if you’re lucky, practicallyrub shoulders with a living leg-end every now and again. Or, inmy case one time, bump rightinto one.
It happened a dozen yearsago at the famed Olympic Clubin San Francisco. A made fortelevision match, pitted JohnnyMiller going head-to-headagainst one of my idols, JackNicklaus. The gallery was rela-tively small, maybe three thou-sand people, and the weatherwas cool and foggy which is notat all uncommon in that part ofthe city. Both men were pasttheir prime, which was quiteevident that day with Miller’sgame. He was off.
Because of the small num-ber of spectators, we were ableto move pretty freely asNicklaus and Miller made theirway around the Lake Course. So
freely that I literally, and muchto my horror, bumped into theGolden Bear as I was cuttingacross the same fairway he wasnavigating on his way to thegolf ball he had just placeddead center off the tee.
As anyone who has had ithappen can attest, it is a surrealexperience to see someone inperson whom one has seen onlyon television. There is some-thing quite exciting and even alittle bit strange about beingable to fix your eyes on a personright there in front of you whois famous worldwide, doubly soif that person is not onlyfamous, but a living legend andan icon. In my job, I am fortu-nate to meet a lot of famouspeople and you do tend to get abit used to it, frankly, but thereare certain people who tran-scend any nonchalance. TigerWoods was, for me at least, oneof those people.
The first time I saw him playin person was at Pebble Beach.Unlike most of his fellowgolfers at a PGA event, it isquite easy to find Tiger whenyou first arrive at any golfcourse on which he is prowling.Tiger will be the guy with anenormous gallery, many, manytimes bigger than anyone else
out there. When I fist laid eyeson him during third-roundaction on a sparkling Saturdayafternoon at Pebble, I noticedhis presence before I waswowed by his game. He oozesseriousness and savvy as hegoes about the business of dis-secting a golf course and hiscompetitive demeanor is obvi-ous and easy to understand whyso many of his opponents findit so intimidating. The otherthing that struck me is his icyfocus. For any weekend golferwho has ever stood over his ballon the first tee with two orthree groups waiting behind, alleyes on you and your inade-quate swing, Tiger’s ability toblock out distraction is aweinspiring and hard to grasp.Hundreds, sometimes thou-sands, of people are staring himdown from a few feet away,unblinking network televisioncameras are transmitting hisevery move from every possibleangle to viewers around theworld, and people begin shout-ing his name and the over-played “you-da’man” a split sec-ond after he makes contact. Yet,despite it all, or maybe becauseof it, Tiger Woods, time andtime again, does not flinch. Butthat was the Tiger we thoughtwe knew.
When the greatest golfer ofa generation returns to the tour,one wonders now whether hewill continue to be the domi-nant force in the game and theover-riding draw for the gal-leries. I suspect that the answerto that question is yes because,despite the humiliating scandalthat has knocked him off thesqueaky-clean, super-elitepedestal he has resided uponfor the past dozen years, the
man can still play some golf.But watching him play willnever be the same.
We must now accept that,while every aspect of his gameis nearly perfect, his character isdeeply flawed. It is a sad realityfor his fans and a stunning fallfrom grace for one of the for-merly most admired athletesand role models on the planet.So many people have said to mesince Tiger’s shortest ever drive,the ill-fated one down his drive-way, that “he did this to him-self.” But that’s not true. Tigerdid this to his sport, to his lega-cy, and to the millions of fanswho were dazzled by his abilityand impressed with his exam-ple.
Golf is more than a sport; itrepresents a code of conductand a standard of behavior thatapplies away from the golfcourse too. That may soundsilly to those who do not fullyunderstand the traditions of thegame, but it is What ReallyMatters to those who caredeeply about the game. And,while all of us who play and fol-low golf fall short of thoseideals, it is exponentially moredamaging when you are TigerWoods.
The game’s number one starhas done so much to bring golfand the values it teaches to chil-dren who might not otherwisehave been exposed to either.But the veil has now been lifted,sadly, which leaves those count-less young people who alreadyhave precious few public rolemodels to emulate, one fewer.
And that is such a shame.
Page 4 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 8, 2010
Corner of Clayton Road and Kirker Pass Road � 925 672-3900
Our professionals are here to serve you: Amir, Jameson, Gary, Alex and Peter
Free shuttle service
for major repairs
Official Smog Check and Repair Station
Mechanical repairs and computer diagnostics including 30K, 60K, 90K factory maintenanceon all European, Imported and domestic vehicles.
Clayton ValleyShell. May not be
combined withother offers.
Expires 1/23/10
Clayton ValleyShell. May not be
combined with other offers.
Expires 1/23/10
Free if needed workis done at ClaytonValley Shell. May
not be combined with other offers.
Expires 1/23/10
10 off$SSMMOOGG
IINNSSPPEECCTTIIOONN
FFRREEEE WWIINNTTEERR
CCHHEECCKK--UUPPIncludes inspection of brakes,tires, wipers and fluid levels.
$57 value
OOIILLCCHHAANNGGEE
10 off$
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Clayton Valley Shell
A Tiger Shows His Tale
DAN ASHLEY
WHAT REALLYMATTERS
Dan Ashley is an ABC-7 newsanchor. Watch him weeknights onChannel 7 at 5, 6, and 11.
“Golf is more than asport; it represents acode of conduct and astandard of behaviorthat applies away fromthe golf course, too.”
Vineyard Shopping Center5100 Clayton Rd., Concord
ph: 925-689-6245
Clayton/Concord Location:
Vineyard Shopping Center5100 Clayton Rd., Concord
ph: 925-689-6245
Store Hours
Mon - Fri
8 am - 7 pm
Sat 9 am - 5 pm
You don’t need anappointment.
A notary is on staff whenthe store is open
The UPS StoreThe UPS StoreIndependently owned and operated
musictogetherofconcord.com
Music and movement for infants, toddlers,
preschoolers and the grown ups who love them.
925 946 2990
Register now
for Winter C
lasses
criminal proceedings and isunable to aid in his owndefense. He has been refusingto take prescribed anti-psychot-ic medications.
Casso’s wife, JoAnn, hasclosely followed the case,attending most of the courtproceedings. In an interviewwith the Pioneer, she said: “Ijust don’t understand why heisn’t responsible. Why can’t theymake him take the pills?”
According to court docu-ments, Moore could be forcedto take the medications if that isthe course recommended by hisdoctors.
Casso describes Moore as“very strange.”
“At one hearing last summer,he looked very disheveled –long hair sticking out, unrulybeard. He just mumbled.”
At a hearing in October, shenoted that “they had cleanedhim up, trimmed his hair. Helooked clean, but he didn’t saymuch.”
In the months since thekilling, Casso has struggled withdeep grief, major emotional andfinancial life changes and bewil-derment over a system thatappears insensitive and unre-sponsive. She was faced withclosing her husband’s rubberstamp business, selling theirbeloved vacation home inTahoe and learning to live with-out her mate of 47 years.
“It’s been extremely difficult.My whole life changed,” shesaid.
A new puppy helps a little.She recently adopted Dino, a 4-month-old miniature schnauzer“for company, not protection,”
she said. “I just don’t like beingalone.”
She’s installed an alarm sys-tem on her home and frequentvisits from family and friendshelp ease the loneliness.
On Feb. 4, Casso will againbe in the courtroom when attor-neys appear for a progressreport. If Moore is deemedcompetent at that time, thecriminal case will resume.
Moore, from page 1
Photo courtesy of the Casso family
JOANN CASSO with husband, Raywho was murdered in a randomattack at the post office lastMarch.
Real Estate Agents
Be Successful! Lynne French is
expanding and interviewing for a
few agents. Call her today (925)
672-8787.
SERVICESGarden Girl Gardening
Garden care for your roses, peren-
nials and ornamentals. Monthly
pruning and fertilizing services.
Plant suggestions and installation.
If you want more flowers this year,
call or email Nicole Hackett 673-
1746, or
VOLUNTEERSWANTED
Meals on Wheels Drivers
1 – 1 1/2 per week. Drivers and
relief drivers needed for delivery of
Meals on Wheels in East County.
Call Jim at 673-0300 or e-mail hair-
Anna’s Attic Volunteers
Hospice of the East Bay – Anna’s
Program is Seeking dedicated, car-
ing volunteers to provide home
companionship and practical sup-
port for women with recurrent
breast cancer. To volunteer at the
Hospice of the East Bay thrift store
at 5350 Clayton Road. Call store
manager, Debbie at 674-9072 or
Lamont Campbell at (925) 766-
5066.To apply for free training, call
Hospice of the East Bay at (925)
887-5678 or email volunteers@hos-
piceeastbay.org. Anna's Program is
generously supported by the Susan
G. Komen for the Cure, Anna's
Attic Thrift Shop, and other com-
munity donations.
Clayton Historical Society
Museum
The Clayton Historical Society
Museum needs a greeter for two
hours per month from 2-4 p.m.
Wednesdays or Sundays. No expe-
rience or extensive knowledge of
Clayton history is necessary. Call
the museum at 672-0240 and leave
your name.
Clayton Community Library
Needs volunteers. Minimum age
13. Minimum commitment is 6
months. Some training provided.
Shelver - to shelve and sensitize
library materials. Various
days/times. Tutors - no prior expe-
rience necessary! You determine the
grade level and subjects you are
comfortable with and the
days/times. Requires good commu-
nication skills, patience and a desire
to help students in the community.
Contact: Arlene @ 673-9777 or
email: [email protected]
January 8, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 5
Auto
Clayton Valley Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-3900
Dirito Brothers Concord Volkswagen . . . . . . . . . .887-6000
Mike's Auto Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-1739
Niello Infiniti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .866-443-1740
Children’s Services
Music Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .946-2990
Construction and Trades
Belfast Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457-5423
Burkin Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212-3339
Olde World Mill & Cabinets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .915-0822
Smith & Bernal Roofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0138
Tipperary Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-2679
Dentist
Children's Dentistry of Walnut Creek . . . . . . . . . .938-2392
Renner, Jason D.D.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-2800
Rissel, Richard D.M.D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-2800
Dining and Entertainment
Clayton Club Saloon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-0440
Willows Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .957-2500
Financial and Insurance Services
Benton, Mureleen - Ameriprise Financial . . . . . .685-4523
Capital Management Advisors Group . . . . .888-350-PLAN
CD Federal Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .825-0900
Ferrante Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .674-1755
Littorno, Richard - Attorney at Law . . . . . . . . . . .672-6463
Miller, Thomas C.P.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .354-1385
Van Wyck, Doug - State Farm Insurance . . . . . . .672-2300
Fitness
Traveling Trainers for Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .890-6931
Funerals
Ouimet Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-4242
Gifts
Keenan Heinz Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288-0159
The Royal Rooster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2025
Home and Garden
Abbey Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686-9901
Clear Splash Pool Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-6245
Floors to Go Danville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .820-8700
Pacific Coast Flooring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .609-2151
Nichols Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9955
Pans on Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .600-7267
Utopic Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0055
Mailing and Shipping
The UPS Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-6245
Pet Services
Monte Vista Veterinary Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1100
Vet Tech Pet Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .899-7354
Peace of Mind Pet Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9781
Rodie’s Feed and Country Store . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4600
Real Estate and Mortgage Services
Flannery, Patty - Diablo Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0541
French, Lynne - Windermere Real Estate . . . . . .672-8787
Kavanaugh, Mike - RE/MAX Town & Country . . .383-6102
Laurence, Pete - RE/MAX Realty . . . . . . . . . . . .890-6004
Lopez, Stephanie - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . .932-7329
Rahimzadeh, Helen -Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . .932-7375
Vujnovich, George - Better Homes Realty . . . . .672-4433
Recreation
Castle Rock Arabians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .937-7661
Clayton Valley Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-4631
Diablo FC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-GOAL
Oakhurst Country Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9737
Senior Services
Diamond Terrace Senior Retirement Living . . . . .524-5100
Services, Other
Appliance Repairs by Bruce, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2700
Computers USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9989
Contra Costa Water District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .688-8044
Recycling Center & Transfer Station . . . . . . . . . .473-0180
Shopping
Clayton Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-3325
Travel
Cruise Adventures Unlimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .935-7447
Travel to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9840
Directory of Advertisers
P.O. Box 12466200 Center Street, Suite H, Clayton, CA 94517
TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, Editor, Advertising SalesPETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignBEV BRITTON, Copy Editor JAY BEDECARRÉ, Sports CHRISTINA SCARLOTT, Administrative AssistantSTAFF WRITERS: Andre Gensburger, Denisen Hartlove, Lou Fancher, Nicci Shipstead
We remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse
PIONEER INFOCONTACT US
Tel: (925) 672-0500Fax: (925) 672-6580
Tamara [email protected]
André [email protected]
Beth [email protected]
Send ads [email protected]
Send Sports News [email protected]
Send Club News [email protected]
Send Church News [email protected]
Send School News [email protected]
CLASSIFIEDSClassified rates per insertion:Non-profit: $12 for first 30
words, $.20 each additionalword
Individual/non-commercial:$18 for first 30 words, $.30each additional word
Commercial: $48 for first 30words, $.40 each additionalword
To place your classified ad over thephone, call the office at (925) 672-0500 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.Mon.-Fri. Or, you may fax your type-written ad and credit card informa-tion to (925) 672-6580. All classifiedsmust be paid for in advance by creditcard (Master Card or Visa)
We will not accept any ad that dis-criminates on the basis of race, color,sex, religion, nationality, family statusor disability. The Clayton Pioneerreserves the right to reject any adver-tising we believe is unsuitable.
LET US KNOWWeddings, engagements, anniver-
saries, births and deaths all weavetogether as part of the fabric of ourcommunity. Please let us know ofthese important events. We ask onlythat the announcement be for aClayton resident. You will find theappropriate form for your announce-ment on our Website. Attach yourphoto to the form. Make sure theimage size you are about to send is atleast 3 MB but not bigger than 6MB.The only format we accept is JPG. Youcan also mail or bring your print to theoffice and we can scan it for you.
Also on our Web site are formsfor submitting Community Calendaritems and press releases for yourorganization.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Clayton Pioneer welcomesletters from our readers. As a generalrule, letters should be 250 words orless and submitted at least one weekprior to publication date. Letters con-cerning current issues will have priori-ty. We may edit letters for length andclarity. All letters will be published atthe editor’s discretion.
Please include your name, addressand daytime telephone number. Wewill not print letters from “anony-mous.”
E-mail your letter in a Worddocument to [email protected]. Letters MUST be sub-mitted via E-mail.
Classified
CITY OF CLAYTON
For Sale: AffordableHousing UnitThe City of Clayton is accepting applications from qualified house-
holds interested in purchasing an affordable single-family home in
the Clayton community.
This residence is owned by the Clayton Redevelopment Agency and is a part of the
Agency’s Affordable Housing Program. The home is located in the Stranahan subdi-
vision, an attractive planned unit development in Clayton. This property is within
easy walking distance of the Clayton Town Center. The home is approximately 14
years old, has two stories, with living space that measures approximately 1,627
square feet in area, plus a two-car, attached garage. The living space features 3 bed-
rooms and 2.5 bathrooms. Program restrictions require a minimum household size of
3 persons.
The final sale price will depend primarily on the following factors: the selected house-
hold’s income category, household size, total actual household income and the relat-
ed maximum percentage of income which can be spent on specified housing costs.
Two income categories will be considered for initial qualifying households to pur-
chase this home: Low Income and Moderate Income.
The 2009 maximum qualifying household income limits to purchase thisaffordable home for the two specified income categories are as follows:
Persons in Household 3 4 5 6Moderate Income Limits (Maximums) $96,450 $107,150 $115,700 $124,300Low Income Limits (Maximums) $59,600 $66,250 $71,550 $76,850
The final sale price of the home will be based on the factors mentioned above plus
other factors, such as interest rate and down payment. The estimated range of final
sales price, based on the factors involved is as follows: $175,000 - $200,000 (Low
Income) and $275,000-$370,000 (Moderate Income).
To ensure the long-term affordability of the residence, a deed restriction will be
recorded at the time of sale. The deed restriction will establish a formula for the max-
imum resale price of the home, establish a cap on the maximum income of future
buyers, and be in effect for 45 years. The intent is that households of the selected
income category could continue to afford to buy this home over time.
Applicants must meet the household income restrictions described above as well as
other applicable requirements listed in the application materials. Applications will be
accepted until an acceptable qualifying pool of applicants has been determined. For
an application visit the City’s website at
www.ci.clayton.ca.usor contact the Clayton Community Development Department at
(925) 673-7300
Bay Area Realty
Beautique
Bella Mia Spa
Canesa's Brooklyn Deli
Cat Hospital of Clayton
CD Federal Credit Union
Cegielski Jewelers
Clayton Bicycles
Clayton Books
Clayton Community Church
Clayton Dental Office on
Main St.
Clayton Furniture
Clayton Valley Medical Group
Clayton Valley Presbyterian
Computers USA
Concord Locksmith
Concord Optometry
CVS Pharmacy
Diamond Terrace
Dryclean USA
Ed's Mudville Grill
Hair's the Place
Lela's Hair Salon
Lynne French Windemere
Real Estate
Perfect Tan
Pet Suite Inn
R&M Pool, Patio and Garden
Re/Max Accord in
Flora Square
Rodie's Feed & Country Store
Royal Image Day Spa
Skipolini's
Snap Fitness
St. Bonaventure's Catholic Church
St. John's Episcopal Church
The Clayton Club
The Cutting Edge Knife Works
The Royal Rooster
The UPS Store
TLC Pet Grooming
Travel to Go
Window Works
Don't becaught withoutyourAAllmmaannaaccPick up your FREE
copy at one of these local
businesses:
or at the Clayton Pioneer,
6200 H Center St, Clayton.
HELP WANTEDAdvertising Sales
Experienced salesperson needed to
help with advertising sales for the
Clayton Pioneer. Part time or full
time. Generous commissions. Send
resume to
drop off at the Pioneer office, 6200
H Center Street., Clayton.
I have been volunteering atDogs4Diabetics as part of mycommunity service programwith Clayton Valley HighSchool’s Public ServiceAcademy. Although I am not adiabetic, working with thesewonderful animals has beenrewarding and I recommend thisactivity for any student or familywho would like to have a lot offun while also making a real dif-ference for people in need.
Volunteers atDogs4Diabetics learn how tohandle an assistance dog, walk,groom, cuddle and play with thedogs in training and also partici-
pate on a fundraising team. It’s agreat way to use your talents to
help save lives.Dogs4Diabetics is a non-
profit organization that providesquality medical alert assistancedogs to youth and adults whoare insulin-dependent type 1 dia-betics. The assistance dogs havebeen specifically trained to iden-tify and act upon the subtle scentchanges that hypoglycemia (lowblood glucose) creates in bodychemistry. These changes areundetectable to their humancompanions.
Dogs4Diabetics trains andcertifies dogs for hypoglycemicmedical alerts. The group alsostudies and develops trainingprotocols for such programs,qualifies diabetic youth and
adults for placement and serviceof dogs, trains diabetic youthand adults for the proper useand care of the dogs, conductsplacement and follow-up servic-es and educates businesses,organizations and the public tothe uses and rights of certifiedmedical alert dogs.
The program began almostseven years ago, when thefounder began researching thepossibility of training dogs todetect type 1 diabetes-relatedhypoglycemia and physicallyalert the diabetic to the impend-ing hypoglycemia. In October2003, a dog named Armstrongwas obtained from Guide Dogsfor the Blind and his scent and
alert training was started.Armstrong enjoyed his new joband was soon alerting on diabet-ic-related hypoglycemia.
Today, the dogs are obtainedprimarily from Guide Dogs forthe Blind in San Rafael andretrained for diabetic alert work.Dogs have also been obtainedfrom Genesis Services of Boise,Idaho. In addition,Dogs4Diabetics works closelywith Tony LaRussa’s AnimalRescue Foundation in WalnutCreek.
When dogs are received fordiabetic alert training, they’vealready been professionallytrained and socialized as assis-tance dogs from the time they
are 8 weeks old. All of the dogsreside in local foster care homes.
Foster care providers bringthe dogs to Dogs4Diabeticseach day for training. In theevening, foster care providerssocialize the dogs in the commu-nity. Long-term, weekend/shortterm and regular foster homesare needed.
The next foster class will be 9a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at thetraining facility at 1400 Willow PassCourt, Concord. For more informa-tion, contact Breanne at 246-2018.Visit dogs4diabetics.com/index.htmlfor a short video.
Page 6 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 8, 2010
DRE#0888284
In today's ever changing market
call the professionals at RE/MAX
Town & Country for all of your
real estate needs:
925-672-7800
WISHING YOU THE BEST IN 2010
Happy New Year
Mike Kavanaugh, Owner
1026 Oak St., Suite 204,
Clayton
Are there any programs, facili-ties or services that you wish wehad here in town?
I love the beauty of wherewe live and I love the peoplewho live here. So as long asthings are running smoothly, Idon’t often wish for more.However, I thought it might beuseful to hear what ideas youhave for Clayton. What wouldbe on your wish list for ourtown?
As you are coming up withideas, also think about goals youwould like the city to consider.Your goals for the city may bethe same as your wish list, oryou may have ideas for makingthe city more efficient.
For example, reducing theamount of paper we use andswitching to paperless agendapackets for our City Councilmeetings has been one of ourgoals. Both Julie Pierce andDavid Shuey had been pushingthis idea for a number of years.Finally, in December weswitched to paperless agendas.
Each January, the CityCouncil and city manager meetto set goals for the new year. Wehave a running list of goals thatwe continue to work on and wealways add new ones. EachFriday, the city manager pre-pares a summary of the week’sactivities and he includes anupdate on our goals, with newprogress being shown in red. Itis an effective way to keep thegoals in front of us and tomonitor the progress.
As we prepare to meet laterthis month, it would be niceknow of any ideas you mayhave for the city.
As lovely as Clayton and thesurrounding areas are, it’s all ofyou that really make this a greatplace to live. When you get achance, send me your thoughtsand ideas for Clayton. My emailaddress [email protected] New Year.
Mayor, from page 1
Volunteers, foster families needed for Dogs4DiabeticsGRAHAM PIMM
Special to the Pioneer
Dogs4Diabetics needs volun-teers to foster their servicedogs in training.
Letters to the EditorReaders defend PG&E Smart meters
A Dec. 4 “Going Green” article included some unfortunate mis-characterization about smart meters. It’s ironic, because smartmeters will help us become more green.
We have smart meters on both our gas and electric services andhave not experienced any problems. We monitor our utility billsmonthly and our utility bills have not increased as a result of themeters – we are on PG&E’s balanced payment plan and they actual-ly went down.
Not only are the smart meters highly accurate, but consumersaround the U.S. and the world have been using them with great suc-cess. The new meters provide consumers with detailed informationabout their own energy usage. They also help consumers savemoney by offering more rate options that help conserve energy atcritical times, such as hot summer days when the power grid isstressed.
William Gray, Clayton
The “Going Green” column (Dec. 4) portrays smart meters asbeing anti-green. In reality, smart meters will help Californiabecome greener by decreasing power usage.
Utilities throughout the country are adopting smart meters as theanswer to help combat global warming. Smart meters give a realtime reading of energy use, giving people greater control over theirenergy use and costs.
Solar power is an important part of the equation to reducinggreen house gas emissions. However, if we all pay more attentionto when and how we are using energy, we can call do our part tobecome greener – and save money.
Alise Lacosse, Clayton
Library earns grant for ‘Snapand Go’ mobile technology
The Contra Costa CountyLibrary was awarded a $60,000Bay Area Library andInformation Systems innova-tion grant to create a mobileplatform that will bring new andexisting library content andservices into the hands of cellphone users.
The “Snap & Go” projectwill allow residents with mobilephones and a library card toaccess library materials,enhanced content and managetheir accounts without visiting alibrary or using a computer. The
project will utilize QuickResponse (QR) codes, a two-dimensional barcode technolo-gy increasingly found on prod-uct labels, billboards andposters, to encode informationand automatically launch Web-accessible functions.
“This development willallow our library to serve as amodel for others, to bridge thephysical, digital and mobileworlds and provide servicebeyond library walls and per-sonal computers,” says countylibrarian Anne Cain.
Save lives – and money– by buckling up
Most of us have driven byone of the lighted Cal Transsigns on our state’s highways.You may have noticed that themost recent message is “Click itor Ticket.”
This slogan has been adopt-ed by the Office of TrafficSafety (OTS) as the state’s offi-cial way to inform, remind andencourage all drivers and pas-sengers to wear seat belts whiledriving their motor vehicles.
This month’s article is areminder for you to insist thateveryone in your car buckle up.Properly restrained drivers, pas-sengers and children have a 50percent better chance of surviv-ing a crash than unbelted occu-pants. Those ejected from vehi-cles in crashes or rollovers aremore likely to receive fatalinjuries than restrained occu-pants.
The mandatory seat belt law,which is contained in theCalifornia Vehicle Code,requires that all persons operat-ing a motor vehicle and all otheroccupants be properly
restrained by a seat belt. The lawalso requires that all childrenunder 6 years of age and/orunder 60 pounds be restrainedin an approved child seat.
California has a seat beltusage rate of approximately 95percent. On the surface, thisseems to be an outstanding sta-tistic. However, that meansmore than 1.5 million driversstill do not buckle up. As aresult, the OTS is making an all-out effort to reach those whodo not utilize their seat belts.
More than 175 law enforce-ment agencies statewide, includ-ing the Clayton PoliceDepartment, will be participat-ing in this year’s “Click it orTicket” mobilization. Fundingto support this campaign is pro-vided by a grant from the OTSthrough the National HighwayTraffic Safety Administration.
The city of Clayton wasawarded $6,000 in OTS grantmoney that will be availablethrough May. While Claytonpolice officers patrol our 42miles of public roadways, they
will be looking for drivers andpassengers who are in violationof the seat belt law.
Aggressive traffic enforce-ment has proven to be the beststrategy to educate and encour-age drivers to obey traffic laws,including seat belt laws. There isabsolutely no question thatwearing seat belts saves lives. Asa result, buckling up will notonly save your life but couldsave you from paying a heavyfine as well.
If you have questions aboutthe seat belt law, feel free tocontact me at 673-7350, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
DAN LAWRENCE
FROM THE CHIEF
Dan Lawrence is Clayton’s PoliceChief. Please send your questions,comments or topics you’d like to see covered to [email protected]
Mention the Clayton Pioneer & receive a
Build-a-Bear gift card with new patient visit!
Less than 10 min. from Clayton
Randall E. Chang, DDS, Inc.
Specialist in Pediatric Dentistry3050 Citrus Cir., #110 � Walnut Creek
(925) 938.2392 � www.cd-wc.com
WWee SSppeecciiaalliizzee iinn tthhee TTrreeaattmmeenntt ooff IInnffaannttss,, CChhiillddrreenn,, aanndd YYoouunngg AAdduullttss
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children see their dentist by their first birthday.
Q I am planning on sellingmy home this year. I don’t
have a lot of equity in it so Ineed to sell it for top dollar. DoI need to hire a stager?
A New home builders havebenefited from staging for
years. They can stage a fewmodels so buyers can see them-selves living there. Then theycan sell their models on variouslots even before they are built.
Though staging resalehomes has been popular in theBay Area for years, it has onlycaught on fairly recently for
mainstream sellers. It is now animportant component of sell-
ing your home.Three things sell a home:
price, presentation and expo-sure. To get top dollar, youmust emphasize all three. First,don’t overprice it or you willget fewer showings and thebuyers will feel you are unreal-istic. Second, make sure you listit with a Realtor who will give itmaximum exposure in a varietyof media. Third, enhance theway it shows when buyers viewit.
Some Realtors provide freestaging services. If they don’t,they can recommend a stagerwhom you can consult with foran hour or two. They can sug-gest how to arrange your furni-ture and belongings. They willsuggest removing pieces so therooms don’t look crowded.They can also bring in acces-sories to accentuate the area.They might suggest going asfar as removing some of yourfurniture and renting furniture.
After their home is staged,many sellers think it looksempty and barren. A well-staged home also has takenmuch of your personality outof it. That’s because buyersshould be able to picture theirthings in the home.
You don’t know the new
owners’ style preference.Sometimes the more beautifulyour personal belongings are,the more they will distract thebuyers. You don’t want themlooking at your things, youwant them to look at the home.A great starting point is remov-ing all clutter and personal pic-tures.
In this market of foreclo-sures and other distressedproperty that has been neglect-ed, the majority of buyers stillare looking for an updated,turnkey, well-priced home thatis ready to occupy. If that isyour home, it will sell for topdollar for the market.
Don’t wait too long to listyour home for sale. The marketis uncertain for 2010, though itis pretty good for now with lowinventory, low interest rates andbuyer incentives to close on ahome before April 30.
January 8, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 7
Locally owned since 1996
Ferrante Insurance Services, Inc.
3018 Willow Pass Road, Suite 100, Concord
ContractorsCall us today to
save $$$$$on your insurance
License # 9603-4769
� General Liability� Worker’s Compensation� Bonds
UUTTOOPPIICC GGAARRDDEENNSS
Welcome!992255..552244..00005555DESIGN & INSTALLATION
LIC. NO. 898331 Fully Insured - Clayton Resident
www.utopicgardens.com
AA ppuurrvveeyyoorr ooff uunniiqquuee ggiiffttss,,
hhoommee ddeeccoorr && ppaannttrryy
1028 Diablo St., Clayton925-672-2025
Tue.-Fri.: 10 to 5Sat.: 10 to 5Sun.: 11 to 5
50% to
75% offHoliday Decor
and select items
throughout
the store
11117700 BBuurrnneetttt AAvvee..,, SSttee.. EE,, CCoonnccoorrdd 992255--668866--99990011
Contra Costa Floors Showroom hours: MM--FF 99--55 SSaatt 1100--44
Flooring & Interiors
CARPET � HARDWOOD � LAMINATE � TILE
CCaarrppeettStarting at
$$11..9999 sq.ft.
HHaarrddwwooooddStarting at
$$22..9999 sq.ft.
LLaammiinnaatteeStarting at
$$11..0099 sq.ft.
Seeing the shape of things tocome calls for a change
One of my favorite, andunderused, words is nephelo-coccygia – a term that describesthe ability to see shapes inobjects such as clouds.
I don’t see much in cloudsexcept fluffiness; however, I dosee faces in a lot of other places– anywhere with patterned sur-faces such as bathroom tiles orwalls. If I stare long enough,faces will emerge from the pat-terns, often with sufficientdepth to discern high details ofeyes or noses, hairlines andeven clothing to complete theimage. One time AbrahamLincoln popped out of the tile,his deep-set eyes quite familiarand unmistakable.
This ability to discern faces
is quite common, a result ofour brain’s need to identify andcategorize the faces weencounter in life. “I don’t knowhis name but I recognize hisface” is a common statementwe make, and the reason is sim-ply that our brains are wired fora visual acuity that transcendsour memory or our desire toremember the names that goalong with the image.
The fact that my bathroomcan come alive with people is alittle disturbing at times, espe-cially when it seems a some-what useless ability. However,when faced with people whosee the image of Jesus in potatochips or a now popular Websitethat has images all with visiblesmiley faces, I suppose it isharmless enough.
In a way, this Deal With Itcolumn began as a series ofmental images that seemed to
stand out against the backdropof the real world. Over thealmost two years of writing it, Ihave found that those facesdon’t seem to be smiling somuch anymore and so I havedecided to end this columnrather than start focusing onthe mess that seems to perme-ate the landscape.
These are tough timesahead, especially in California,where the recession will drag oneven longer with the governor’sdeficit figures expected toexceed $20 billion in his mid-January announcement. Citieswill be forced to make morecuts and for the Mt. DiabloUnified School District, thatmay well include school clo-sures.
Too much of our world, oureconomy and our futureprospects appears bleak. It istime for new attitudes, forward-
looking people with thecourage to require a higherstandard of behavior in educa-tion as much as in society as awhole.
Luckily, in Clayton, with agreater affluence, parents havebeen able to step up to helptheir child’s school fund pro-grams and keep alive a sense ofcommunity. And yet even inClayton, many families havesuffered foreclosure as a resultof job loss and been forced tomove away, and local businessesstruggle to stay afloat.
Sometimes as hard as youcan stare at a bathroom tile,Lincoln just won’t smile back atyou. And you just have to dealwith it.
ANDRÉ GENSBURGER
DEAL WITH IT
The Clayton Pioneer thanksAndre Gensburger for two years oflively, sometimes controversial,always thought-provoking columns.
Staging a home can increase buyer interest
LYNNE FRENCH
REAL ESTATE
Send your question and look for youranswer in a future column. E-mail:[email protected]
Lynne French is the Broker/Ownerof Windermere Lynne French &Associates and a Clayton resident. Forany real estate needs or questions contacther at (925) 672-878 7or stop in at6200 Center Street in Clayton.
CLAYTON VALLEY GARDEN CLUB
Clayton Valley Garden Club members Sue Fletcher, left, PeggyArundell, JoAnn Caspar and Nicole Hackett planted flowers forwinter color in downtown Clayton. Downtown visitors will findwhite cyclamens, red snapdragons and pansies in the planter boxesand around the Veteran’s Memorial.
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS AUXILIARYYou are eligible for membership in the VFW’s Ladies Auxiliary
if you are a wife, widow, mother, foster mother, stepmother, daugh-ter, granddaughter, foster daughter, stepdaughter, sister, half sister,foster sister or stepsister of a male or female who was or is eligiblefor membership in the VFW.
If you are interested in joining the auxiliary, please attend VFWPost 1525’s meeting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, at the Veteran’s Hall,2290 Willow Pass Road, Concord. For more information, call PeteLoechner at 255-3449.
CLAYTON AAUWMixing fun with service, the women of the Clayton AAUW
made their monthly field trip to Shadelands Museum inDecember where they had lunch and shopped in the boutique.
Field trips are but one of the fun interest groups theClayton Branch offers. The AAUW, California’s most activeand diverse organization for women, offers action for equality,personal and professional growth, community leadership andfriendship.
The AAUW is open to all women with a college degree(either two-year or four-year ) For membership informationplease call 680-8345 or 798-6406.
In-Shape Health Clubs hascompleted a $2.5 million reno-vation of the formerMaverick’s club at 5294 ClaytonRoad in Concord.
The plan includes a newwoman’s locker room, expan-sion and enhancement of theKids Club, addition of the Re-Shape 29-Minute CircuitTraining and a large upstairscardio room.
“We envision this club as aspecial place for members ofthe community to enjoy andwant to come to for theirhealth and fitness needs,” saysRob Farrens, In-Shape’s execu-tive vice president.
Stockton-based In-Shapealso runs locations in Antiochand Brentwood. For classschedules and more informa-tion, visit inshapeclubs.com.
Attending the December AAUW function, from left:Lynne Cheney, Sandy Hansen, Dee Totman, CarolWolfe, Donna Baggett
Club News
In-Shape completes formerMaverick’s Club renovation
Managing your money on theInternet can be confusing. Withyour information scattered acrossmultiple Websites, it can be diffi-cult to piece together a reportcard of your financial health.
But a new breed of money-minded sites bring your infor-
mation together in one place soyou can assess your debt, seewhere you’re overspending andeven figure out your net worth.
Mint.com is one of the toppersonal finance sites. It lets yousee the value of your bankaccounts, credit cards, invest-ments and loans from one placeand makes budget managementeasily.
You can set up an accountwith Mint in minutes by linkingyour accounts to the Website.This process involves providingthe ID and password that youuse for BankofAmerica.com,for example.
Since security is obviously aconcern, Mint ensures that yourinformation is safe by protectingyour information with bank-level encryption technology. Inaddition, you do not provideyour name, address or SocialSecurity number when you regis-ter. Finally, you cannot transfermoney using the site.
Mint’s overview page dis-plays all your account informa-tion in one place. At a glance,you can see how much money isin your savings, how your port-folio is performing and howmuch credit card debt you have.The page also displays your net
worth and a sample of yourspending.
Mint’s transactions page listsyour recent purchases, depositsand interest payments, amongother things. The site also savesyou hours of work by automati-cally assigning categories totransactions. For instance, aMcDonald’s purchase is desig-nated “fast food.”
However, Mint doesn’talways get the categories right.When I bought supplies at mycollege bookstore, Mint desig-nated the purchase as “clothing.”Should this happen, you can eas-ily switch a category or create acustom one. You can also split atransaction into multiple cate-gories, a useful feature for gro-cery purchases.
One of Mint’s best featuresis its trends page, which breaksdown your spending by catego-ry. This page organizes yourspending into large, readable piecharts that show where yourmoney is going. You can adjustthese charts to see how muchyou’ve spent over severalmonths, a year or all time.
Unfortunately, you need touse the site for awhile if youwant to build a more completetransaction history. After join-
ing, I was only able to accesstransactions dating back toSeptember. You should proba-bly use Mint to track recentspending at first.
Mint’s planning page lets youcreate budgets and notes whenyou overspend. You can alsoplan for irregular expenses androll over extra cash or debt froma previous month. This featureis useful for those who wantmore financial discipline.
The investment page exam-ines how your portfolios areperforming. You can also trackyour investments against theDow Jones, S&P 500 and NAS-DAQ indexes. Mint includes agraph that shows when youhave outperformed or under-performed these indexes.However, you can’t designatewhether a particular investmentaccount is for a special purpose,like retirement savings.
Mint has become the goldstandard for personal financeWebsites. It was recently pur-chased by the makers ofQuicken, a popular finance pro-gram, and will replace Quicken’sonline version.
Page 8 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 8, 2010
Parents struggle to makesense of autism disorder
Emily Jones of Claytonloves to negotiate, haggling likeany bargain hunter – or 4-year-old child – for “just one more”potato chip.
Mateo Ibarra recently startedkindergarten. He is proud to beable to recite all 26 letters of thealphabet, and his favorite num-ber is 4.
Both of these children haveautism spectrum disorder orASD. There are three differenttypes of ASDs: “classic” autism,Asperger Syndrome and what isknown in treatment circles bythe dizzying acronym PDDNOS, or PervasiveDevelopment Disorder, NotOtherwise Specified.
People with autism are often
slower in learning to speak, dis-interested in social interactionsand may have strange, some-times obsessive interests. DustinHoffman’s character in the film“Rain Man” was autistic and, forexample, could recite data relat-ing to airline crashes and fatali-ties. People with Asperger’sshow fewer symptoms – mostnotably difficulties with com-municating and socializing,while those with PPD NOShave even fewer symptoms.
Annette Jones’ first hint thather daughter might have ASDwas at Emily’s 2-year-old well-baby appointment. Showing aspeech delay, Emily was initiallythought to be partially deaf.Jones knew better, however.
“This is a kid who couldhear the Jimmy Neutron themefrom the back of the house and
come running,” she said.But Jones described failed
attempts to go to the market,where Emily would becomeover-stimulated and startscreaming. Passers-by stared asthey fled the store. Instead ofasking for what she wanted,Emily would “take our hand andtake us to whatever she wanted,scream or grunt,” to indicateher desired object.
MAKING STRIDES
After Emily was finally diag-nosed with PPD NOS, the Mt.Diablo Unified School Districtstarted her on kindergartenpreparation sessions. A specialeducation aide visited the Jones’home for three hours a day, five
DENISEN HARTLOVE
Clayton Pioneer
phone cell
925.672.1519 925.212.3339Serving Contra Costa since 1991 30 years experience
www.burkinelectric.net
Bonded & Insured Licensed l Lic. # C10-631523
Call Jim for a FREE Estimate Today
� Professional Installation of:Ceiling Fans, Recessed & Track Lighting� Kitchen or Bath Remodel � Exterior/Security/Landscape
Lighting� Complete Home Wiring -
Old & New
� Electrical Service Upgrade � Spa Installation � Custom Homes � Office & Building
Maintenance Repairs� Insurance Repairs� Troubleshooting
& much more
For all your Electrical Needs.All work done by owner.
Residential g Commercial g Industrial
James J. BurkinSole Proprietor
This Oakley home is a 4 bedroom, 2 bath with 2-car
garage, tile roof, French doors, vaulted ceilings and on a
quiet street in a nice neighborhood, and vacant, ready to
sell. At 2,012 square feet and built in 1994 it is a solid
home just needing TLC. It is in foreclosure, but can be
bought for only $219,000.
To benefit rather than lose, to beat the coming infla-
tion a lot of investors are using their savings and IRAs to
pick up low priced rental homes.
Call PETE to talk about your possibilities: 890-6004
KNOWLEDGE � SERVICE � INTEGRITY � RESULTS
Pete Laurence, Broker, Realtor, GRI
2950 Buskirk Avenue, Ste. 140, Walnut Creek
Direct 940-2777 � Cell 890-6004 � Fax 937-0150
Now is the time to buy.
NOW’S THE TIME TO BUY GOOD INVESTMENTS!
DRE#00344166
With our complimentsFree granite countertop with your kitchen cabinet purchaseLimited to granite styles in stock, fabrication not included
Quality Custom CabinetsKitchen, Bath, Office and Entertainment CentersCommercial Millwork
Kevin Mancino, Proprietor, Local Resident(925) 915-0822
LIC
# 9
15172
Where the artisan meets the craftsman
www.oldeworldcabinets.com
See Autism, page 9
Many of the New Year’s Evecelebrations in Clayton andthroughout the world started as“blue moon” parties, where rev-elers observed a rising full moonjust after sunset.
The name blue moon is amisnomer, since it has nothingto do with the color of the lunarsurface. The nickname is appliedto the second full moon that isobserved in one month, as wasthe case in December 2009.
A blue moon is a relativelyrare event, observed just threetimes every two years. A bluemoon on New Year’s Eve is con-siderably rarer, happening onceevery 19 years. We won’t seeanother New Year’s Eve bluemoon until 2028.
The moon’s gravitational pullis so weak that any gas mole-cules existing at its surface read-ily escape into space.Consequently, the moon doesnot have an atmosphere. Thatmeans there are no clouds,
winds or weather as we know it.If humans ever establishcolonies on the moon, there willbe no need for weather forecast-ers.
One interesting feature ofour nearest planetary neighbor isthat temperature extremes arehuge. Recent unmanned lunarspacecraft have measured tem-peratures near minus 400 F atthe lunar pole, an area that neverreceives sunlight. Polar tempera-tures on the moon change verylittle over a period of thousandsof years.
On portions of the moonwhere the sun’s rays strike, thelack of an atmosphere allowsthe lunar surface to heat andcool rapidly. During the lunardaytime, the temperature is hotenough to boil water. After sun-set, the temperature plungesmore than 250 degrees in a mat-ter of minutes.
Many scientific studies havebeen conducted to determine if
there is water on the moon.Forty years ago, astronautsbrought samples of lunar rocksand dirt back to earth. Detailedanalyses of these materials sug-gested that the moon containedno water. Although many scien-tists theorized that water may bepresent on the moon, ourmanned ventures were unable toprovide any proof.
Late last year, scientists car-ried out a unique experiment tosearch for lunar water. NASAlaunched two moon-boundspacecraft. The first craft wasprogrammed to crash into a coldand permanently dark part ofthe lunar surface. The debriscloud created by the crashingprobe was sampled by the sec-ond rocket, which followedclosely behind it.
Analyses of the debris cloudrevealed that the permanentlydark portions of the moon con-tain ice. In fact, NASA scientistsfound what they referred to as
“significant amounts” of water.Although the original source ofthe moon ice is still unknown,one theory is that ice-bearingcomets crashed into the moonbillions of years ago.
Even though the moon hasno atmosphere or weather, thediscovery of water on the moonmight lead to the developmentof lunar space stations andcolonies. Who knows – by thetime the next New Year’s Eveblue moon arrives, Clayton resi-dents may look up and wavetoward friends or relatives livingin a world that we can’t evenimagine today.
With no weather on the moon,whatever will we talk about?
WOODY WHITLATCH
WEATHER WORDS
Woody Whitlatch is a meteorolo-gist with PG&E. Email your ques-tions or comments to [email protected]
Personal finance Websites makeit easy to stay on track in 2010
MARK FREEMAN
ON THE NET
See Websites, page 11
January 8, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 9
“Nothing in life is to be feared. Itis only to be understood.”
– Marie Curie
These days, aging invokesfear in us as a society. When wasit that the word “old” becametaboo?
It seems our society isobsessed with youth. From theyoung, attractive people used inadvertising to the beauty prod-ucts that claim to “turn back theclock,” it feels as though we areconstantly being bombardedwith the idea of eternal youth.
The sad thing is that manypeople have succumbed to thisinane ideology. I can’t tell youhow many times I’ve had anadult tell me, “Oh, please –don’t call me Mr./Mrs. So-and-so, it sounds so old. Call me bymy first name.”
The last time that I checked,being addressed in that mannerwas a way of showing respect.
I’m surprised that some adultswould rather be treated as thepeer of an adolescent thanreceive the respect due to themas an older and wiser being.
Perhaps even more shockingare the lengths that people willgo to conceal the natural agingprocess. It amazes me that somepeople inject Botox into theirfaces, intentionally paralyzingthem in order to staunch thewrinkles that might give awaytheir age. Even birthdays pose apredicament for some people.
In many countries, beingadvanced in years is a thing tobe revered and honored. Theirwisdom and years are treasuredand they hold a position of highesteem in their families.However, in our culture, peoplecan often look forward to beingtreated as senile or ignorant.
I believe that the fear ofaging is, in actuality, the fear ofdeath. Every little bit of youth
that you lose brings you thatmuch closer to old age, which inturn makes death so much moreof a tangible reality. In light ofthat, it’s facile to see why somany people have a fear ofaging; everyone can identifywith mortality.
I want to be content with myage in all the stages of my life.When I was younger, I eagerlyanticipated getting older. Now,I’m content at where I’m at, andI hope I will be in all stages ofmy life. I don’t intend to lieabout my age or try Botox. Ifanything, I hope that myappearance in later years willshow a life well-lived with sor-row and joy, experiences andemotions.
I’d like to age gracefully andwith dignity, without trying tokeep up a charade. Of course, Isuppose it’s easy to have theseconvictions as an impression-able youth. It could very well be
a great deal more difficult tostay true to my beliefs when I’min the throes of middle age orentering senior citizenship.
If the time comes when Ibegin to fear aging, I’ll try toconfront it – facing it full on.
(925) 935-74471610 Locust St., Walnut Creek
www.cruiseadventuresunlimited.com
Owners Valerie O’Connell (Clayton resident, 30 years) & daughter Colleen O’Connell
CST 2074362-40
Cruise Adventures UUnnlliimmiitteedd
Serving all cruise linessince 1987
Princess Cruise SaleReduced deposit of $100 per person
Onboard Value Coupon Booklet worth
up to $325 in savings on shipboard
products and services
Shipboard credit on select sailings
Jan. 15 - 22
Broaden your horizons and try anexciting cruise to Alaska,Antarctica,Australia & NewZealand, Caribbean, Europe,Mexico, South America, theOrient or Panama Canal
�� RReemmooddeelliinngg �� DDeecckkss �� OOvveerrhhaannggss�� WWiinnddoowwss//DDoooorrss�� CCrroowwnn MMoollddiinngg�� SSiiddiinngg�� TTrriimm
�� RReemmooddeelliinngg �� DDeecckkss �� OOvveerrhhaannggss�� WWiinnddoowwss//DDoooorrss�� CCrroowwnn MMoollddiinngg�� SSiiddiinngg�� TTrriimm
General ContractorGeneral Contractor Clayton ResidentClayton Resident
Declan Woods 925.216.2679
Noel O’ Meara925.518.0821
license# 783799, B, HIC
free estimatesfree estimates
Recommended by
“Realtor of the Year”
Lynne French
Recommended by
“Realtor of the Year”
Lynne French
Specializing inBathrooms andKitchens
Specializing inBathrooms andKitchens
AApppplliiaanncceeRReeppaaiirrssbbyy BBrruuccee,, IInncc..
We repair all major appliances,
most major brands, and we’re local
35 years experience “We do a dog gone good job” - Zoey & Bruce
Bruce & Holly Linsenmeyer30 year Clayton residents
Office: (925) 672-2700Cell: (925) 956-8605State of California B.E.A.R license #A44842
http://appliancerepairsbybruce.com
Happy New Year from
Proudly serving
the Diablo
Valley for over
25 years –
“experience
counts”
Jason M. Renner, D.D.S.
Richard C. Rissel, D.M.D
925-689-2800
Dentistry for Infants, Children & Teenagers
wwwwww..ddiiaabblloovvaalllleeyykkiiddss..ccoomm
22887755 WWiillllooww PPaassss RRdd..,, CCoonnccoorrdd
Required kindergarten
screening – complimentary
Less than 5 miles
from Clayton
More than 10 schools fromthe Mt. Diablo Unified SchoolDistrict will be participating in aMusic-A-Thon on Jan. 16 tosupport the district’s music pro-grams.
The Mt. Diablo MusicEducation Foundation is host-ing the fundraiser, which fea-tures different styles of musicand vocals. Participating schoolsinclude Clayton Valley HighSchool and Pine Hollow MiddleSchool.
The music will be per-formed 10 a.m.-10 p.m. in theMulti-Use Room at ConcordHigh School, 4200 ConcordBlvd., Concord. Music studentswill be collecting pledges, anddonations will also be taken atthe event. Tickets are $5 foradults and $3 for students.
The fourth-grade instru-mental music program waseliminated this year, and thedistrict is planning to cut fifth-
grade music the next schoolyear. The Mt. Diablo MusicEducation Foundation wasformed to raise awareness ofthe cuts and to solicit dona-tions to support music educa-tion.
While high schools in thedistrict support a wide range ofmusic programs, includingorchestras, choral, jazz ensem-bles and band, the eliminationof elementary music will start toerode the quality of the second-ary music program.
It has been shown that stu-dents who become involved inmusic education become betterstudents, attend school moreregularly than other students,score higher on state standard-ized tests than other studentsand stay engaged in school.
For more information, visitmdmusicfoundation.org or callMichael McNally at 827-5706.
Change the way you look at things andyou’ll change the way you see them
When students are asked toreflect on what they are thank-ful for, they typically give theexpected response that they aregrateful for their house, foodand families. While I’m surethat they’re thankful for allthose things, the question gotme thinking.
Sometimes it is hard toappreciate what you’re thankfulfor because you’re so used to it.You never really appreciate orknow how lucky you are until it
is gone. Or sometimes you seesomeone who is not as fortu-nate or blessed and it has animpact on you.
I remember an experience Ihad with my dad when I wasyounger. We were near a con-venience store when we spotteda homeless man. To my sur-prise, my dad took out a $20 billand gave it to him. I couldn’tbelieve he just randomly gaveaway money to someone he did-n’t know.
I asked my dad why he hadhelped the man. He told methat the man was truly hungryand I was lucky that I didn’thave to experience hunger likethat.
I had always tried to avoid
being near the homeless or triednot to look at them. I wonderedwhy they were so dirty anddisheveled. This time, I took along look at the man. I realizedhe was just another humanbeing down on his luck and thiscould happen to anyone if thecircumstances were right.
I once heard that one of thehardest things that homelesspeople deal with is people notwanting to look at them. It’salmost as if they are invisible. Itstarted me thinking about whatit means to do more for others.
I believe if we stop andreflect on how lucky we are andlook at those around us who areless fortunate, it provides a per-spective on how much we truly
have. So when we give thanksfor all of the people and thingsaround us, we should thinkabout ways we can give back.
A good thing to do wouldbe to volunteer your time orgive donations. There are manyways one can help, such as giv-ing to local churches or foodbanks, donating to charities,working at an animal shelter orspending time with an elderlyperson.
Then, the next time we areasked to reflect on why we aregrateful, we can truly under-stand the answer.
Robbie Parker is a seventh-grader at Diablo View. Send com-ments to [email protected]
ROBBIE PARKER
DVMS REPORTER
Students to perform inMusic-A-Thon fundraiser
CLAYTON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
Clayton Valley High School Athletic Boosters Club will be host-ing it 16th annual Crab Feed and Auction on Sat., Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. atthe Centre Concord. This is a major fundraiser which directly ben-efits all athletic programs at CVHS. Seating is limited. Tickets areon sale now for $50/each at the school or online at www.cvhsboost-ers.org
For more information, go to [email protected] .
School News
To fear getting old seems pointless
CADY LANG
TEEN SPEAK
Cady Lang is a senior at BereanChristian High School. She would liketo major in English and eventuallypursue a career in writing. Email herat [email protected]
days a week, preparing her tostart classes geared towardautistic children at a local ele-mentary school.
They worked to teachEmily to communicate, using a“pex” chart with pictures ofvarious items. Starting with“juice” and “snack,” the 3-year-old learned to point to apicture of what she wanted.Verbal skills came next.
“She went through a weekor so of screaming in frustra-tion because they forced her touse her words,” said Jones.
However, the hard workhas been paying off. “It’s beenwonderful to go from a childwho would scream mostly andnot be able to verbally com-municate to one who can tellstories and play pretend andnegotiate,” said Jones, whonoted that Emily has recentlylearned to spell her first word:toys.
FAMILY SUPPORT NETWORK
Five-year-old Mateo goesto the same school as Emily.Vi Ibarra noticed early on thather interactions with her sonseemed markedly differentthan those she had experi-enced with his older sister.
“I just couldn’t get him tolook at me. He wasn’t unhappyor anything, he was just notinto me,” she described.
He wouldn’t talk, otherthan to recite the alphabet.“He’d grab my hands and walkme to where it was what hewanted,” she said.
Mateo was diagnosed withautism. Today, Ibarra is reach-ing out to other families like
hers as the director of theAutism Family SupportProject, which offers supportto families of children up to 7years old with ASDs
“It’s important to me tofeel like I’m part of a commu-nity,” said Ibarra, who spokeof her fears of failure whileadvocating for Mateo. “It’simportant for me to not be theodd man out … to not feel likewe’re being looked at becausemy kid can’t participate in thesame way that everyone elsedoes.”
Services include parentsupport groups and seminarson subjects such as positivediscipline techniques andfinancial planning. The grouphad a families’ get-togetherrecently at the Clayton Bowl.Ibarra described older siblingslearning that “there are otherfamilies who look like mine.”
Ibarra has an eye onMateo’s future. “If he wants tobe a firefighter, I want him tobe able to do that,” she said. “Iwant him to be happy. I wanthim to be successful and what-ever that means to him.”
While services through theschool district, the CaliforniaDepartment ofDevelopmental Services andgroups like the Autism FamilySupport Project try to smooththeir path, Ibarra, Jones andother parents worry aboutwho will take care of theirchildren as they age. The sec-ond part of this series willfocus on what happens withASD children as they becomeadults.
Autism, from page 8
(925) 457-5423 www.belfastplumbing.com
LLiicceennssee.. 990066221111
�elfast
�lumbingCCllaayyttoonn RReessiiddeenntt
Installations – RepairsToilets � Faucets � Water heatersGarbage disposals � Clogged drains
Clayton’s Nicole Arbelo hasa deep commitment to the sub-jects of her book “K9 Heroes,”the four-legged soldiers andtheir handlers she has spentmany years learning about andmeeting.
So deep is this dedicationthat, as she tells you of thejourney she has taken, her eyeswell with tears. These real sto-ries are poignant and offer adifferent side to places like Iraqand Afghanistan than the pub-lic gets through network newscoverage.
On the cover of her book, aphotograph of Marine Sgt.Adam Cann and his K-9 Brunobegins the journey for this doglover who was saved from a rat-tlesnake bite as a child by thefamily German shepherd.Arbelo came across a Website,anysoldier.com, that encouragescivilians to communicate withthe troops. The then 23-year-oldCann’s postings caught her eye.He was from her hometown ofDavie, Fla., and although shenever met him, they shared amutual friend.
Cann was killed Jan. 5, 2006,by a suicide bomb attack in Iraq.He was part of one of five K9units in the area and the first K9handler to die there – after twotours of duty. Arbelo wonderedwhat had happened to Bruno.There was contradictory infor-
mation on Websites, some stat-ing the dog had died whileanother reported an injury.
“I had adopted two units (ofsoldiers),” Arbelo said of theanysoldier.com site, “and waslooking to add another.”
Then she came across LanceCorp. Justin Granado and hisMilitary Working Dog (MWD)Bruno. “I wanted to find out ifit was the same Bruno that Sgt.Cann had trained,” she said.
Through Granado, she wasable to confirm that it was thesame dog as well as get in touch
with Cann’s family, his fatherLeigh and mother Carol. Shemet them at a dedication of theAdam Leigh Cann CanineFacility in Barstow in March2008.
“It was like meeting my sec-ond family,” Arbelo said of theexperience.
To make the meeting evenmore poignant, Granadobrought Bruno to the dedica-tion of the facility, which trainscanines.
War dogs are used to sniffout explosives, in addition to
their strong guard dog instinctsfor base security. While using adog to help guard a soldier isstraightforward enough, thetruth is that a large number ofdogs are lost to bombs or inattacks that injure and kill theirhandlers.
With several hundred mili-tary working dogs in Iraq andAfghanistan, the danger fromthe hot climate poses additionalchallenges. MWDs require spe-cial cooling vests that aren’t sup-plied by the military and areoften sent from home.
Jose Sparvoli from Claytonknows about the needs ofGerman shepherds. His dogCappie is a rescue from theNorthern California GermanShepherd Rescue Society.“We’ve had him for two years,”Sparvoli said. “He’s now a ther-apy dog.”
Cappie visits children atOakland’s Children’s Hospital.“A lot of canines are used fortherapy,” he added. “When hejumps up on children, he is gen-tle barely touches them.”
Sparvoli met Arbelo at theClayton Starbucks and the twodiscussed their common interestin the dogs.
“It’s a bond,” Arbelo said ofpeople with service dogs.
Arbelo works at ConcordHigh School as an aide to thedeaf and hard of hearing. Thisis her fifth school year. Havingworked on her book for threeyears, she was delighted by thesupport she received from co-workers as well as the militarypersonnel with whom she hascome into contact.
Only recently have qualifiedpersonnel with the needed train-ing been allowed to keep theirretired military working dogs,Arbelo reported.
A low appetite for risk andlingering uncertainty about thehealth of the stock market hasmany consumers weighing thepros and cons of bonds andother fixed income investments.If you’re looking to invest inthese steady return options, hereare a few things you should keepin mind.
Under normal economicconditions, stocks tend to out-perform bonds over long peri-ods of time. This makes them anattractive option for risk-tolerantinvestors who can handle seeingtheir assets fluctuate with the upsand downs of the stock market.
Contrarily, bonds are fixed.Barring a default or other unusu-al event, bond investors receivetheir principal plus the assignedinterest at the time of matura-tion.
Exceptions to the rule exist.In periods of severe economicvolatility, bond interest rates canyield higher returns than stocks.Until the stock market began torally in the second half of 2009,the decade prior generallyproved more favorable to bondsthan stocks. This fact, coupledwith a sense of uncertaintyabout the market, has drivensome investors to recalibratetheir portfolios’ bonds to stocksratio.
Now that it appears we areon the road to economic recov-ery, will bonds continue to gen-erate higher returns going for-ward? Nobody can say for cer-
tain, but the low interest rateenvironment may be an obstaclethat stands in the way of superi-or bond market performance inthe years to come.
Bond prices are affected bythe direction of interest rates.When interest rates decline,bonds increase in price. Wheninterest rates rise, bond pricesfall. Returns for bondholderstypically rise in an environmentwhere interest rates are declining– a trend that has worked to thebenefit of bond investors in thepast decade.
Suppose you invest in a bondfrom an issuer for $1,000 and itpays 4 percent interest. Thatamounts to $40 in annualincome from the bond. If, onemonth later, the same issueroffers a $1,000 bond with a 5percent interest rate, you couldbuy the same bond and receivean annual income of $50.
In that case, the original bondyou purchased that pays only $40in income is no longer worth$1,000. To match the currentmarket yield of 5 percent, abuyer would only offer $800 foryour older bond to achieve acomparable yield based on the$40 annual income payout. Thatrepresents a 20 percent loss ofinvestment principal.
Of course, if you hold thebond until it matures, the issueris obligated to repay the entireface value of the bond. Thenagain, if you wish to sell it in thesecondary market prior to matu-rity, the bond has lost value –unless the interest rate environ-ment has changed enough inyour favor to compensate.
Keeping in mind how inter-est rate movements affect bonds,consider the state of interestrates in today’s market. They areat relatively low levels on an his-toric basis.
For example, one of thebenchmark measures of thebond market, the 10-year U.S.Treasury note, had a yield of 3.4
percent as of Oct. 30. At the endof 1999, the same maturity gov-ernment issue yielded 6.3 per-cent.
The yield on the 10-yearTreasury note has rarely dippedunder 3 percent and typically ismuch higher. In fact, in the fallof 1981, 10-year Treasury noteyields soared above 15 percent.
The note of caution forinvestors is that long-term inter-est rates may not have muchroom to decline from currentlevels, limiting the potentialupside for bond values.
The greater risk in the cur-rent environment is that interestrates will rise, depressing valuesof existing bonds. If that occurs,it could have a detrimentalimpact on your bond portfolio.
One way to measure interestrate risk in a bond mutual fund isto look at the fund’s duration.The longer the duration, themore it is affected by changes ininterest rates. That can work toyour advantage in a declininginterest rate environment butwill have a negative impact onyour returns if rates move high-er.
Historically, interest rateshave tended to move higher inperiods of an economic recov-ery. This is important to bear inmind as you consider puttingyour money in bonds.
If the economy continues tobuild steam, you may need totemper your expectations aboutfuture returns on your fixed-income portfolio.
Page 10 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 8, 2010
CCaallll ((992255)) 668855--44552233 ttooddaayy..
Focusing on:� Tax management strategies� Retirement planning� IRA rollovers
� Estate planning strategies� 401(k) rollovers� Investment planning
MMuurreelleeeenn BBeennttoonn,, CFP®, Financial Advisor5356 Clayton Rd., Suite 211 Concord, [email protected] License #0692378
Financial advisory services and investments available through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.,
Member FINRA and SIPC. Neither Ameriprise Financial or its affiliates or representatives may
provide tax or legal advice. Consult your tax advisor or attorney regarding specific issues.
© 2009 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.
A financial plan asunique as you areWith a wide range of individually tailored investmentstrategies to meet your specific needs, I can helpyou plan for your financial future through personal,one-to-one financial planning. My approachbegins with you and your dreams. I can help youdevelop a customized financial plan focused onyour unique goals and dreams.
MMuurreelleeeennBBeennttoonn,, CFP®
Patty FlanneryYour local neighborhood REALTOR
since 1986
Office: 925.975.5255email: [email protected], home & fax: 925.672.0541
Call me. Let’s talk REAL ESTATE
Happy
New Year!
DRE#00906625
Stephanie LopezInspired Real
Estate Service
For more listings and Real Estate Alerts, go to
www.MyDynamicRealtors.com
925.932.7329
PENDING
Coldwell Banker’sDynamic RealtorGroup is excited to announce that
Leigh Klock,Realtor and long timeClayton resident hasjoined the Group!
Leigh is ready to help you reach allyour real estate goals for 2010.
We wish you JOY! PEACE!
and HAPPINESS in 2010.
We look forward to Helping You Achieve Success and
Prosperity in All Your Real Estate Endeavors!
The Pioneer -- It’s your paper!
ChurchNews
CHURCH WOMEN UNITED
All are invited to attend“Standing Up For HumanRights,” a discussion abouthuman trafficking and sexualexploitation of children, onFriday, Jan. 8. Learn the extentof this worldwide problem andwhat is being done to alleviateit.
Coffee and registrationbegin at 9:30 a.m., with the pro-gram to follow at 10 a.m. at theSalvation Army Church, 3950Clayton Road, Concord.
The event is sponsored byChurch Women United, an ecu-menical movement of prayer,action and advocacy withwomen representing 70 denom-inations.
For more information, contactLenita Shumaker at 672-1053.Call by Jan. 5 to reserve childcare.
BAHA’IS OF CLAYTON
All are invited to a talk andevening of fellowship onSaturday, Jan. 9. The subject ofthe talk is “Like a Thief in theNight: The Relationshipbetween Christ and Baha’u’llah.
The speaker is Russell A.Ballew, an author who has spentmost of his life in service tohumanity.
The program starts at 7:30p.m. with a period of interfaithdevotions, followed by Ballew’spresentation, at the Toloui resi-dence in Clayton.
For more information anddirections, call 672-6686.
Keep an eye on interest rates ifconsidering bonds for investment
MURELEEN BENTON
FINANCIAL SENSE
Mureleen Benton is a CertifiedFinancial Planner. Call her withquestions at 685-4523
This information is provided for informa-tional purposes only. The information is intend-ed to be generic in nature and should not beapplied or relied upon in any particular situationwithout the advice of your tax, legal and/or yourfinancial advisor. The views expressed may notbe suitable for every situation.
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.,Member NASD and SIPC, part ofAmeriprise Financial, Inc.
Local author’s passion for dogs drives herbook on canine war heroes and their handlers
ANDRÉ GENSBURGER
Clayton Pioneer
André Gensburger/Clayton Pioneer
NICOLE ARBELO POSES WITH CAPPIE, a canine rescue dog. Shenotes the similarities between Cappie and Military WorkingDog Bruno, who appears on the cover of her book.
See Arbelo, page 13
2460 Emerald Bay Dr.
January 8, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 11
(925) 932-7375Email: [email protected]
www.HelenandHomes.com
RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE
HHaappppyy NNeeww YYeeaarr
The real estate market in
2010 is loaded with great
opportunities for both
buyers and sellers.
BUYERS: There’s never been a
better time to buy a new home,
bank foreclosure or investment
property. I provide assistance with
rehab of bank-owned properties to
staging and selling.
SELLERS: Thinking of selling
your home this year? Get a head
start on 2010 and place your home
on the market now! New JUMBO
financing will kick-start the year.
Upside down in your mortgage?
We can assist you in negotiating a
sale that will help protect you and
your family.
Helen is YOUR choice for 2010.
925-672-9955wwwwww..nniicchhoollssllaannddssccaappee..ccoomm
LLiicc.. 554422881122 FFuullllyy IInnssuurreedd Boyce Nichols - Owner
COMPLETE LANDSCAPE
INSTALLATION
l Paver Patio & Walkway
l Retaining Walls l Drainagel Lawn & Plant Installationl Lawn Renovation - Aeration & Thatchingl Low Voltage Lightingl We Design & Install Landscape FFRREEEE
EESSTTIIMMAATTEESS
Est.1972
Smith & Bernal
R o o f i n gTile repairs �� Reroof �� Ventilation
Gutter Cleaning � Inspections � Bird abatement
Free Roof Check-up
Clayton resident
(925) 672 0138
Lic. Number 727021
“Brothers” brings a lot ofacting firepower to the screen.From Sam Shepard and MareWinningham in the supportingcast to Natalie Portman as theyoung wife of a missing, andpresumed dead, Marine, the castshines.
But the title and center ofthe story belongs to JakeGyllenhaal and Tobey Maguireplayed as polar opposites – somuch so that it borders oncliché. The good brother, Sam(Maguire), is a stand-up familyman and clean-cut football hero.The bad brother, Tommy(Gyllenhaal), is just out ofprison, drinks, smokes, doesn’tshave and stirs up trouble sim-ply by his very presence.
But the differences seem tomatter more to other peoplethan to each other. When Sampicks up Tommy as he is
released from prison, a tinysmile passes between the twothat dispels any tension. Theglances they give each otheracross the dinner table are fullof meaning that only they canunderstand and the events ofthe story push this brotherlybond to the limit. Sam isdeployed to Afghanistan andsoon the family gets word thathe has been killed.
Even if you haven’t seen thetrailers, the attraction betweenTommy and his brother’s widowseems inevitable. The vacuumthat his brother’s death leaves
spurs Tommy to step up andwalk in Sam’s “good” shoes fora while. When Sam turns upalive but mentally damaged byhis war wounds, he becomes thebad one who can barely bearound his own family. Thereversal is devastating.
Irish director Jim Sheridanhas a habit of getting Oscar-nominated performances fromhis actors in movies such as “MyLeft Foot” and “In the Name ofthe Father,” and this filmdeserves the same kind of atten-tion. “Brothers” has some greatmoments as the characters
struggle to understand what’sgoing on with each other andtry to express feelings for whichthey have no words. Shepard, asthe boys’ father, brings his usualunderstated brilliance. As atough Vietnam vet, he mayempathize with his son’s crisisbut doesn’t know how to reachout.
When Sam accuses hisbrother of sleeping with hiswife, Tommy’s inability toexpress his denial out loud feelsvery real. Another movie mighthave given the characters elo-quent but misplaced mono-logues to vent their powerfulfeelings, but the actors heremust reach out with their eyes,their body language and theirfists to reveal their frustrationsand fears. It’s a tough order, butthe cast delivers.
Finally, this well-acted filmexplores whether the brotherswill find the right words – andhear them – in time to savethemselves from destruction.
“Brothers” is rated R mostlyfor some wartime violence andtorture scenes.
Movie Review
Book Review
Compelling cast brings ‘Brothers’ together
DON PEDRO CRUZ
AT THE MOVIES
Don Pedro Cruz is a local free-lance writer and graphic designer.Send your comments [email protected]
������Copyright © Lionsgate Films
Sam (Tobey Maguire) returns to his wife (Natalie Portman) anddaughters (Bailee Madison and Taylor Geare) but finds hiswartime experience in Afghanistan is impossible to leavebehind in Lionsgate Films’ “Brothers.”
Delving into ‘The Help’ helps define ’60s
What I like about “TheHelp” by Kathryn Stockett isthat the author doesn’t play itsafe. She takes chances withcharacter, time and place.
This debut novel provides asnapshot of a time that doesn’tseem so long ago – 1962, inJackson, Miss. Skeeter is a privi-leged white woman with a col-lege degree and a refined senseof not belonging to the placeshe was born and raised. Afterreturning home with a diplomato live like a respectable youngwoman with her parents untilsuch time as she should snag arespectable husband, Skeeteryearns to begin her real life.
In a remarkable twist thatwill determine her future,Skeeter takes a job as a reporterfor the local paper. Her assign-ment is to write the weekly
housekeeping advice column.The problem is Skeeter was
raised by nannies and maids andhasn’t the faintest idea abouthow to remove ring around thecollar or how to keep dogs fromgetting into the trashcans whenyour lazy husband forgets tobring the cans infrom the curb.Luckily for her,one of Skeeter’sbest friends, MissLeefolt, employs avery capable blackmaid namedAibileen who cananswer any ques-tion regardingdomestic mainte-nance. Aibileen is agood woman, astrong woman, adignified figure who has raised17 white children in her domes-tic career.
Though practically invisibleto Miss Leefolt, Aibileen pro-vides a door into an unimaginedworld for Skeeter and rescuesher from a suffocating life as amember of the local gentry.
And then, mad ideas beginto occur to Skeeter. She envi-
sions a career in New York, theMecca of the publishing world.She proposes a book idea to aneditor in New York and beforeshe knows it, her idea takeswing. However, she has to sellthe idea to Aibileen and toAibileen’s best friend Minny and
10 other maidsin Jackson – noeasy task.
Skeeter pro-poses to tell thestory of themaids’ lives, intheir own voices,their victoriesand their heart-b r e a k s .Naturally, notone of themaids considersthis a lucky
break or is willing to put herlivelihood or life on the line fora crazy white woman’s idea ofan interesting story.
This is where “The Help”really starts to get good becausethere is nothing more interest-ing than one reluctant hero,much less a dozen. I don’t knowabout Jackson, Miss., specifical-ly, but I do know that the ’60s
were a turbulent time. Civilrights. Political assassinations.Integration. Women’s rights.Student rights. An unpopularwar. “The Help” makes thattime real by taking one issue andmaking it personal – by tellingthe stories of a group ofwomen who weren’t just on thefront line, they were the frontline.
“The Help” is a story of thelies we can live with and the lieswe can’t. It is about strength,courage and a willingness to tellthe truth – regardless of theconsequences.
Read this one before it getsoptioned for a movie, so youhave something to comparewith the film.CYNTHIA GREGORY
FOR THE BOOKS
Cynthia Gregory has won numer-ous awards for her short fiction. Herwork has appeared in GlimmerTrain Press, the Red Rock Review,Writer’s Digest, The Sun, The Ear,Santa Barbara Review, Black RiverReview, Briarcliff Review, ChicagoTribune, Bon Appetit, and the HerbQuarterly. You can write her at [email protected].
Another Website that func-tions like Mint is Yodlee MoneyCenter, available at moneycen-ter.Yodlee.com.
Yodlee also tracks yourfinances from various sources,though in a less elegant mannerthan Mint. For example, YodleeMoney Center’s dashboard pagedisplays similar information andincludes a nice spending tracker,but the data is less organizedthan Mint’s overview page.
Yodlee does include somefeatures that Mint lacks. Forexample, the site’s reports arehighly customizable and youhave better command overhow things are categorized.You can also view moredetailed spending reports, such
as how your credit card is uti-lized. And, you can trackrewards accounts on the siteand see your transactions on afinancial calendar.
However, there is a glaringsecurity issue with Yodlee. TheWebsite stores IDs and pass-words for your financialaccounts and will display them ifyou provide the password youuse for the site. If your YodleeMoney Center password is com-promised, all of your accountscould be at risk.
Yodlee is a decent service,provided your password is well-protected. But security issuesaside, its interface is clunky anda bit outdated compared toMint’s simple, easy-access
approach.If you’ve resolved to take
better care of your money thisyear, sites like Mint and Yodleecan help you check this goaloff your list. It’ll be easier thangoing to the gym more often
Mark Freeman is a student atSt. Mary’s College in Moraga, study-ing economics and English. He enjoyscreative writing and is a reporter forthe school paper. Questions/com-ments can be sent to [email protected].
Websites, from page 8
Why advertise in
the Clayton Pioneer?
Here’s one reason:“The Clayton Pioneer is a great newspaper and I have trulyenjoyed working with the staff. Oakhurst Country Club hasreceived great feedback and many inquiries with the market-ing advertisements the Pioneer has published. Oakhurstwill continue to work with the Pioneer and look forward tothe future.”
Heather Turner, OAKHURST COUNTRY CLUB
6096 Main Street, Clayton, 673-0440
Jan 8, 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Relyks
Jan 15, 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crossman Country
www.claytonclubsaloon.com
All entertainment from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
2 for the price of 1Beer only. Good
anytime with originalcoupon. Exp. 1/22/10
Karaoke Wed. nights Open Mic Thur. nights
Page 12 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 8, 2010
Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. JAN. 10 FOR THE JAN. 22 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO [email protected]
EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Jan. 8Second Friday Concert SeriesFeaturing OMGG, a bluegrass group. Donation is $10, or$25 per family. 7:30 p.m., Walnut Avenue United MethodistChurch, 250 Walnut Ave., Walnut Creek. Free childcare.787-3038.
Through Jan. 10“Hats: The Musical”Willows Theatre presents a rollicking tribute to the Red HatLadies. 636 Ward St., Martinez. $22-$32. 798-1300 or wil-lowstheatre.org.
Jan. 18Martin Luther King Day CelebrationSpeakers: Rev. Phil Lawson of East Bay HousingOrganizations and Marianne Williamson, co-founder of thecampaign to establish a U.S. Department of Peace. Noon,Civic Park Community Center, 1365 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek.Please bring nonperishable food items or large size dispos-able diapers for the Monument Crisis Center. 933-7850.
Jan. 25-Feb. 28“Brimstone”An epic love story set in theangst of Northern Ireland and the IRA. Willows’Campbell Theatre, 636 WardSt., Martinez. 798-1300 or willowstheatre.org.
FUNDRAISERS
Jan. 9CVHS Athletic Boosters Crab FeedTo benefit athletics at Clayton Valley High School. $50. 6p.m., Centre Concord, 5298 Clayton Road. To make adonation, email [email protected] or call 672-0418. Or www.cvhsboosters.org.
Jan. 16Mt. Diablo Music-a-ThonA 12-hour marathon of music by Mt. Diablo Unified SchoolDistrict music students to raise funds for music programs.Sponsored by Mt. Diablo Music Education Foundation. $5adults, $3 children. Donations also accepted. 10 a.m.-10p.m., Multi-Use Room, Concord High School, 4200 ConcordBlvd., Concord. 827-5706 or mdmusicfoundation.org.
YMCA
Get in Shape in 2010.Attend an Open House 8:30-11:30 a.m. Jan. 9 at EndeavorHall, 6008 Center St., Clayton, to learn about the new adultand youth health and wellness programs that begin Jan. 11.Programs will include yoga, Zumba, sports conditioning andboot camps. Visit mdrymca.org or contact Brittney at 692-2362 or [email protected].
Adult VolleyballTeams are back in action Jan. 14. Contact Brittney at 692-2362 or [email protected].
Youth BasketballLeague begins Jan. 16 for beginners and intermediate play-ers. Play is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. Call 889-1600 orBrittney at 692-2362. Or mdrymca.org.
Adult BasketballLeague starts Jan. 24. Teams and individual players wel-come. Contact Jennifer at 692-2364 [email protected].
SCHOOLS
Jan. 13Diablo View Middle School Parent Faculty Club7 p.m., DVMS library, 300 Diablo View Lane, Clayton.
Jan. 27College Admissions WorkshopFor parents of middle school students. 7-9 p.m., DiabloView Middle School multi-use room, 300 Diablo View Lane,Clayton. RSVP by sending a check for $10 per person or$15 per couple payable to DVMS PFC to Tami Smith, 5213Keller Ridge Dr., Clayton CA 94517.
MEETINGS
Jan. 12, 26Clayton Planning Commission7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road.673-7304 or ci.clayton.ca.us.
Jan. 12, 26Mt. Diablo Unified School District7:30 p.m., 1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord. mdusd.org.
Jan. 19Clayton City Council7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road.673-7304 or ci.clayton.ca.us.
AT THE LIBRARY
The Clayton Library is at 6125 Clayton Road. Most pro-grams are free. 673-0659 or clayton-library.org.
Jan. 21Short Attention Span CircusJuggling, magic and fun for all ages. Sponsored by theClayton Community Library Foundation. 4 p.m.
Through March 2Patty CakesStory time for babies to 3-year-olds. Child attends withcaregiver. Drop in 11 a.m. Tuesdays.
Through March 4Picture Book TimeStory time for 3- to 5-year-olds. Child may attend withoutcaregiver. Drop in 11 a.m. Thursdays.
CLUBS
Clayton Business and Community AssociationMeets 6:30 p.m. the last Thursday of the month, except hol-idays, Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Dr.,Clayton. Call Sue at 672-2272.
Clayton Valley Garden ClubMeets 7 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month,Diamond Terrace, 6401 Center St., Clayton. The next meet-ing is Feb. 10. claytonvalleygardenclub.org.
Clayton Valley Woman’s ClubMeets 9:30 a.m. for coffee, 10 a.m. meeings, second andfourth Tuesdays of the month, Holy Cross Lutheran Church,1090 Alberta Way, Concord. Call Joyce at 672-3850.
Clutch Busters Square Dance ClubMeets 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Mt. Diablo Women’s Club, 1700Farm Bureau Road, Concord. Contact Dorothy at 754-8117.
Concord Stompers Square Dance ClubMeets 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Mt. Diablo Women’s Club,
1700 Farm Bureau Road, Concord. Call Jennie at 672-9676or angelfire.com/id/stompers.
Contra Costa Chess ClubMeets 7-9:30 p.m. Thursdays, Starbuck’s, 1536 Kirker PassRoad, Clayton. Players of all ages and skill levels welcome.Contact Mike at 639-1987 or uschess.org.
Contra Costa Mineral and Gem SocietyMeets 7:30 p.m. second Monday of the month, CentreConcord, 5298 Clayton Road. 779-0698 or ccmgs.org.
Creekside Artists GuildMeets 7-8:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month,Clayton Library Story Room, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton.All artforms and both emerging and experienced artists wel-come. Contact Arlene at 673-9777 or [email protected].
Diablo Valley Democratic ClubMeets 7 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month, YgnacioValley Library, 2661 Oak Grove Road, Walnut Creek. 946-0469 or dvdems.org.
Diablo Valley Macintosh Users GroupMeets 6:30-9 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month. BancroftElementary School, 2700 Parish Dr., Walnut Creek. 689-1155 or dvmug.org.
East Bay Prospectors ClubMeets 7 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of the month, 1021Detroit Ave., Unit D, Concord. Clayton resident DougJunghans is president. eastbaygpaa.webs.com or 672-1863.
Knights Of Columbus, Concord Council 6038Meets 7:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month, exceptholidays, Cauchi Hall, St. Agnes Catholic Church, 3966Chestnut St, Concord. Contact George at 685-9547 or visitkofc6038.org.
Rotary Club of Clayton Valley/Concord SunriseMeets 7 a.m. Thursdays, Oakhurst Country Club, 1001Peacock Creek Dr., Clayton. Includes breakfast and a speak-er. Contact Chuck at 689-7640 or claytonvalleyrotary.org.
Scrabble ClubMeets 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. second and fourth Saturdays ofthe month, Carl’s Jr. Restaurant, 1530 Kirker Pass Road,Clayton. All ages and skill levels welcome. $3 fee. Call Mikeat 639-1987 or scrabble-assoc.com.
Sons In Retirement (SIRs)Meets 11:15 a.m. the first Thursday of the month, CrownPlaza Hotel, 45 John Glenn Dr., Concord. The chapter nolonger meets at Oakhurst Country Club. 429-3777.
Soroptimist International of Diablo VistaMeets 12:15 p.m. the first, second and third Wednesdays ofthe month, September-June, Sizzler, 1353 Willow PassRoad, Concord. Clayton resident Sue Manning is president.672-2727.
Widows/WidowersMeets for dinner, brunch, theater, etc. This is not a datingservice nor is it a greiving class - just a way to meet otherpeople. Contact Lori at 998-8844 or [email protected].
Send your calendar announcements to [email protected]. Free listings must befrom a non-profit, school, club or government agency.Business events are $25 for the first event and $10 foreach additional. Call the office at (925) 672-0500 with
your business event listings.
(925) 820-870099 Railroad Ave., Danville
Locally owned and operated by 30-yearClayton residents Keith and Mike Baker
Mon - Fri 10-6 Sat 10-5
Hardwood, Tile and Stone, Carpet, Laminate
Free shop at home service!• Free custom baseboards
with all hard surface orders! OR
• Free upgraded padwith any new carpet order!
• Hardwoodon sale now!
LLaaww OOffffiicceess ooffRRiicchhaarrdd AA.. LLiittttoorrnnoo�� LLiivviinngg TTrruussttss �� WWiillllss �� MMeeddii--CCaall PPllaannnniinngg�� PPrroobbaattee && TTrruusstt AAddmmiinniissttrraattiioonn �� EEllddeerr LLaaww�� CCrreeaattiivvee EEssttaattee && TTaaxx PPllaannnniinngg �� AAsssseett PPrrootteeccttiioonn && GGeenneerraall BBuussiinneessss�� AAddvvaannccee HHeeaalltthh CCaarree DDiirreeccttiivveess
Pittsburg Office:2211 Railroad Ave.Pittsburg, CA 94565Phone: (925) 432-4211www.LittornoLaw.com
Clayton Office:6160 Center St., Suite DClayton, CA 94517Phone: (925) [email protected]
Since 1979
February is Pet DentalHealth Month, so starting inJanuary, veterinarians will offerdiscounts for dental exams andother special promotions. If youhave been putting off your pet’sdental care, this is time to callyour veterinarian.
Sixty to seventy percent ofall pets over the age of 3 haveperiodontal disease and needimmediate dental care. Theoverall health of your pet can beseriously affected by neglectedoral hygiene. The bacteria foundin the dental calculus can resultin seriously diseased teeth andgums. From the mouth, thesame bacteria can travel to andinfect the gastro-intestinal track,liver, kidneys and heart – caus-ing premature deterioration ofthese vital organs.
Signs of dental diseaseinclude bad breath, yellow orbrown teeth, red inflamed gums,broken, loose or missing teethand sensitivity around themouth.
Pet dental care starts athome. Feeding dry foods anddental treats with the VeterinaryOral Health Council approvalhelps to reduce plaque andtarter build-up. Appropriatedental chew toys, such as the
firm but soft rubber of theKong product, will provide gin-gival exercise.
Brushing your pet’s teethtwo to three times a week is thebest way to significantly preventdental disease, yet only 2 per-cent of pet owners routinelybrush their pet’s teeth. Followthese steps for a successful start:
Begin working with yourpet’s mouth. Choose a conven-ient time when your pet isrelaxed. For the first few days,hold your pet as you normallydo when petting it. Slowly liftyour pet’s lip and gently massagethe teeth and gums with yourfinger. End with praise and ahealthy dental treat.
Introduce pet toothpaste.After your pet accepts this han-dling, apply pet toothpaste toyour finger and gently rub yourpet’s teeth and gums. Many petslove the malt, beef, poultry orsalmon flavors and consider it atreat. Unlike human toothpaste,there is no need to rinse sincepet toothpaste has no deter-gents to cause digestive whenswallowed.
Begin using a pet tooth-brush. Only the outer surfacesneed to be brushed since thenormal tongue action reducestarter build-up on the inside ofthe teeth. Your veterinarian canprovide an appropriate pettoothbrush. Place a smallamount of toothpaste on thebrush. Gently raise your pet’s
lip and place the brush againstthe upper molars, pointing thebristles at a 45-degree angle tothe gum line. Brush back andforth. Then point the bristlesdown, brushing the lowermolars as your pet attempts tochew on the brush. Be carefulnot to go beyond your pet’scomfort level. Increase brush-ing until you spend about 30seconds of brushing per side.Always reward your pet withpraise and a healthy dentaltreat.
As we know with our ownteeth, not even the best homecare prevents tarter build-upand regular professionalcleaning is needed. Becauseour pets do not understand tosit still during a dental cleaningand the conformation of theirmouths makes it harder to reachthe back teeth, proper cleaningcannot be done with the animalawake. General anesthesia isrequired for a thoroughteeth/gum examination, meas-urement of pockets, dental X-rays, proper cleaning and for
advanced dentistry such asextractions or root canals. Toprepare for safe anesthesia, yourveterinarian will perform a thor-ough exam and recommend lab-oratory tests.
It is important to remove theunseen tarter below the gumline. This cannot be done in a“non-anesthetic” cleaning. Ifnot removed, the bacteria in thetarter will destroy bone – creat-ing serious periodontitis andtooth loss. After scaling, fluo-ride polishing will smooth outsurface crevices where bacteriaand plaque will quickly re-attach. Usually a two week den-tal re-check is recommended toconfirm proper gum healingand to discuss a dental healthcare program that fits you andyour pet’s lifestyle.
With the help of your veteri-nary team, you can start off thenew year with a good oral healthprogram for your pets.
January 8, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 13
Texas is a busy bee of a fel-low who can’t wait to start hisnew life. He’s hoping to findadopters who’ll be able to pro-vide him with plenty of mentaland physical exercise. Attendingtraining classes will be a greatway for him to learn the skillshe’ll need to become a wellmannered companion.
The adoption fee for adultdogs is $225 and includes 60percent off one 7-week dogtraining session.
Tule is nice girl that needs a
gentle family that will take theirtime with getting to know her.She is shy at first, but over timeshe becomes more outgoing tothe people she knows. If youare looking for a sweet girl, Tuleis your gal.
The adoption fee for adultcats is $50.
Meet your forever friend atTony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation, 2890 MitchellDrive, Walnut Creek, duringadoption hours: 3 to 7 p.m.Thursday and Friday, Noon to
4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.The primary caretaker must bepresent to adopt. ARF alsoencourages kids 16 and youngerand canine family members(dog adoptions only) to be pres-ent during the adoption process.
Would you like to be part of theheroic team that saves the lives of res-cued dogs and cats? Can you shareyour talents to connect people and ani-mals? ARF volunteers are making adifference! For more information seeour website, www.arf.net, or call925.256.1ARF.
Texas and Tule are ARF’sAdoption Stars
TULETEXAS
Clayton Resident. Licensed. Bonded. Insured. PSI member. References upon request.
Peace of Mind Pet ServicesCall
Linda 672-9781
PetSitting
Cats, dogs,birds & more
� Daily visits in your home
� Quality care and TLC
local errands, delivery appointments,
check on home while you travel
Many other
services offered:
Insured and Bonded
Aimee O'Brien
Registered Veterinary Technician with
10+ years experience with animals
Dog Walking,
Cat Visits,
Pet Sitting,
Overnight & Nursing Care,
Fine Art Pet Portraits
www.vettechpetcare.com
VVEETT TTEECCHH PPEETT CCAARREEfor dogs, cats, horses & exotics
(925) 899-7354
5500%% OOffffyour first PET SIT *
* New clients only.
Retirement Community 6401 Center Street Clayton CA 94517
Pet Adoption Day at Diamond Terrace
(925) 524-5100 Call today for a personal tour
& complimentary lunch
www.diamondterrace.net
Cats and Dogsavailable foradoptionthrough East Bay Animal Rescue& Refuge.
Sat., Jan. 23rd from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Advertise with the Pioneer 672-0500
Chewing and brushing will help keeppets’ teeth healthy between cleanings
Marybeth Rymer, DVM, can bereached at Monte Vista AnimalHospital, Concord. 672-1100.
MARYBETH RYMER, DVM
PAWS AND CLAWS
For more info on pet dental care, visit:avmatv.org. For an instructional video on dental health andtooth brushing, search for “pet tooth brushing.”petdental.com. Resources for pet owner s on how to provideproper dental care for pets, plus games and activities for kids.virbacvet.com/cet.vohc.org/accepted_products.htm.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.html.
The family of Cpl. DustinLee, who was killed in action inMarch 2007, petitioned the mil-itary to allow his MWD Lex tobe adopted by the family. Lexhad been injured in the rocketattack that killed Lee. “Prior tothe Lee family, retired dogswere euthanized,” Arbelo said.
Arbelo hopes her book willhelp raise awareness of thisintegral part of the ongoing warthat seems to receive only mini-mal attention and perhaps addto donations for the coolingvests these dogs need.
“There are so many emo-tional parts of these stories,”she said. “It becomes so per-sonal. Handlers will tell you thatwith their dogs, they are a teamof one. Their lives become soentwined. These stories need tobe told.”
The book is available at ClaytonBooks, other book sellers and onlineat amazon.com.
Arbelo,from page 10
Clayton Sports Page 14 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 8, 2010
Boys and Girls, ages 4½-18
For Complete Registration Information, visit http://www.mdsoccer.org/ or email [email protected] Don’t Delay – Register Today!
It’s time to register for
MDSA Spring SoccerSat., Jan. 9: 1-3 p.m.Mt. Diablo Elementary School
Thurs., Jan. 21: 5:30-7:30 p.m.Walnut Country Clubhouse (The Crossings)
Sat., Jan. 30: Noon – 3 p.m.Mt. Diablo Elementary School
Cost: $50 for returning MDSA Fall 2009 players /
$60 for all others. Includes: T-shirt & insurance fee
U.S. Olympic bobsled berth beckons BerkeleyIt’s a long and winding road
that brought Chuck Berkeleyfrom glamorous winter sportsstops all over the globe to hang-ing out in Clayton with hisdaughters Amaya and Jasenia.
Within the next week or so,he’ll find out if that road contin-ues to Vancouver, B.C., wherehe hopes to represent theUnited States in the bobsled atthe Winter Olympic Gamesbeginning Feb. 12.
The United States will havetwo or three sleds in theOlympics. Berkeley, who burstonto the team in 2007, is literal-ly pushing for his spot on theUSA II sled. He’s currently theleft side pusher on the four-mansled driven by John Napier.
He will soon be in a “pushoff ” to maintain his spot on theU.S. team for its final pre-Olympic meets in Germany andSwitzerland. The Olympicsinclude four-man and two-man
bobsled events, and Berkeley ishoping to compete in both.
DECIDING TO MOVE WEST
Berkeley has called Claytonhome while living with his sisterTonia and her husband ScottChaves since selling hisConcord home a couple yearsback. He’s a regular at Peet’sCoffee and can also be seenaround town with his daughters.And seen he is, standing 6 foot 5and weighing a fit 230 pounds.
A native of Pittsfield in west-ern Massachusetts, Berkeleyexcelled in football and track inhigh school. He went to a juniorcollege in Illinois but ended upwith a track coach “who wasMIA and neglected the team.”He returned home to work as apressman at the local newspaper.
His sister had moved to theBay Area and Berkeley decidedto visit her. He went to anOakland Raiders game andfound the area “pretty awe-some,” prompting a decision tomove west.
His college credits didn’t alltransfer to Diablo ValleyCollege, so he wasn’t able totake part in track there.Although he was working outwith DVC team, he visited theoffice of Cal Berkeley trackcoach Erv Hunt one day.
“I didn’t fully understand theprestige of Cal, but I walkedinto the coach’s office and askedhim for a track scholarship.”
Hunt invited him to all com-ers meets in February 1998.After running 21.5 in the 200meters and 48.0 in the 400, hewas offered a full-ride scholar-ship. He competed for theGolden Bears through 2000 andeventually got his liberal artsdegree in 2003, after his seconddaughter was born.
He hoped to continue histrack career in the 400 meterson the lucrative European cir-cuit. Although he was alreadyinto a real estate career, he alsotried the 400 intermediate hur-dles but never was quite fastenough. A chipped ankle in2005 forced him to give up thequest.
TAKING A CHANCE
In 2007, his marriage fellapart and his real estate business“tanked” as the housing marketcollapsed. The only bright lightwas his reintroduction to bob-sledding.
He was first exposed to thesport at Cal, where assistanttrack coach Ed Miller was train-ing Darrin Steele, a two-timeOlympic bobsledder who alsotook part in the 2000 Olympictrials in the decathlon.
On a whim, Berkeley went tothe USA Bobsled FederationWebsite and submitted hisresume in 2007. The Americanbobsled team in recent years hasrecruited outstanding athletes tobe pushers (a task that combines
strength and speed) to competein a sport long dominated byEuropeans. Heisman Trophywinner Herschel Walker andgold medalist hurdler EdwinMoses have been on the U.S.team.
Berkeley was invited to acamp at Lake Placid, N.Y., inApril 2007. It was there that hewas exposed to his first full-speed sled ride – which averages80 mph for the two-man and 84for the four-man.
“It was unbelievable. Ithought there was somethingwrong with the sled,” he recalls.“It was so loud and too fast. Myback was so bad I couldn’t slide
the last day.”
MAKING THE OLYMPIC TEAM
The coaches were “prettyimpressed” and invited Berkeleyto join the team. His first meetwas a World Cup race in Calgaryand he placed 16th at the WorldChampionships with driverNapier. The next year, he wasfifth with Todd Hays in the two-man World Cup in Konigssee,Germany.
He began increasingly stren-uous off-season workouts atCal, combining weight trainingwith sprints. This season, he washaving a successful run withHays. However, a crash in
Germany a couple weeks agoinjured Hays to the extent thedriver had to retire from thesport.
The team was using a newsled that had a steering problemand hit a bump on the ice whileexperiencing 4 or 5 Gs. Berkeleysuffered a cracked rib but claimsit’s “just an annoyance I have toput up with.”
The United States won itsfirst Olympic bobsled medal in46 years with Hays driving to asilver medal in 2002. The men’steam was shutout in 2006, sothey have much to prove as theWinter Games come back toNorth America.
JAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer
Photo courtesy US Bobsled Federation
CHUCK BERKELEY is seeking to follow in the footsteps of American Olympians from Clayton, ErinDobratz and Daron Rahlves, as he tries to keep his position on the USA II sled for theVancouver Olympic Games in February. Berkeley is the left side pusher for the American team.
Photo courtesy Berkeley family
FORMER CAL BERKELEY TRACK STAR CHUCK BERKELEY has been call-ing Clayton home for the past couple of years as he trainedfor a berth on the U. S. Olympic bobsled team. He took timeoff from his grueling off-season regimen to take his daughtersAmaya (left) and Jasenia to Waterworld in Concord.
Kyle Behmlander has beenaround the Clayton Valley HighSchool wrestling program fornine years and can’t recall ayounger team than this season’sEagles.
“We have lots of freshmenand sophomores, but the team isworking very hard – whichbodes well for the next threeseasons,” the coach says.
Despite a squad with littleexperience, Behmlander set anambitious schedule for hiswrestlers. They were in Renolast week for the Sierra NevadaClassic after taking part in twoEast County tournaments dur-ing December– the prestigiousLou Bronzan Tournament atLiberty in Brentwood and theFreedom Dual Tournament inOakley.
“We placed seventh atLiberty, which is outstanding,”
Behmlander notes.More tournaments in
Sonoma, Auburn, Fremont andthe team’s own Clayton ValleyInvitational are on the horizon,sandwiched around DVAL dualmeets.
Senior leadership will comefrom Dylan Mitchell at 130pounds, Adam Lee at 215 andheavyweight Zach Bangert. Lee,Bangert and junior BrianGentry (152) got a late start onthe season after finishing the fall
football campaign in the NorthCoast Section playoffs for theEagles.
Sophomores Kenta Caproni(119), Josh Johnson (125), BryanJimenez (135), RadcliffHumphrey (145) and Troy Lakin(103) figure to get plenty of mattime for the varsity. Lakin tookfourth in the BronzanTournament, as did Lee. Mitchellcaptured the silver medal.
Freshmen challenging forfirst-team action are Matt McCoy
(112), Sam Swift (125) and LoganBangert (160). Juniors AaronSwift (171), Ben O’Connor (189)and Bobby Rodriguez (140) alsohold down No. 1 spots in theirweight classes.
The Clayton ValleyInvitational is on Jan. 16.Known as the “best one-daytournament in California,” theevent last year had 34 state qual-ifiers and 10 state placers fromsix sections – Northern, NorthCoast, Central Coast, Sac
Joaquin, San Francisco andNevada.
“We expect to do well inDVAL competition,”Behmlander adds. “College Parkis defending champion. I expectthem and Northgate to be ourbiggest challengers.”
The coach is hoping histeam will peak when the DVALand NCS meets roll around inFebruary. By then, the freshmenand sophomores will have plen-ty of matches under their belts.
Coach optimistic about young Eagles wrestlersJAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer
Clayton Valley alumni football defeats Concord High
Clayton Valley High School’s varsity football team avenged a lopsided loss in its homecominggame to Concord High when the Eagles overran the Minutemen 48-28 in the opening round of theNorth Coast Section playoffs in November. Evidently that wasn’t enough of a revenge factor.
Clayton Valley later defeated Concord 42-22 in an alumni football game at Diablo Valley Collegeon Dec. 19. Concord took a 22-14 lead before the Eagle alums scored the game’s last four touch-downs to settle the season’s action between the rivals.
Photo courtesy of the Fitzgerald family
THE VICTORIOUS EAGLES included, front row (lying down) from left, Diego Sanchez, Jason Poltl,Kyle Fitzgerald, Matt Underwood, Chase Cassity; kneeling, Donnie Rath, John Barton, DarrylRath, Denny Guttry, Mo Hatefi, Don Maich, Sean Connors, Ryan Nist, Tommy McDevitt andRobbie Adan. Standing, Justin Younger, Erik Oxenbol, Robert Bartnik, Ricky Valenzuela, BrianPike, Brett Ballard, Zach Bednarz, Addison Rosenbalt, Ryan Cassity, Jesse Hunt, coach HercPardi, Kyle Ballard, Danny McDowell, Paul Reynaud and Stephen Horton.
January 8, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 15
Twenty members ofOakhurst Country Clubrecently ventured to Truckee tocompete in the 8th annualM&M Tahoe Classic golf tour-nament, a highly contested,boisterous, match play compe-tition.
This year’s teams were cap-tained by the original trip’sfounders, Mark Riley and MikeBanducci. Day one best ballmatches, held at Coyote Moon,found the heavily favoredTeam Banducci taking a 3.5-1.5lead. However, with 10 pointsstill available during the nextday’s singles matches, the out-
come wasn’t guaranteed.The first team to reach 8,
with 1 point for a match winand a half point for a tiedmatch, would claim braggingrights for this year’s M&Mteam trophy.
Using the “Three Trees” teebox, at a length of 6,944 yards,the links course at OldGreenwood was a challengefor all participants – not onlyfor its imposing length but forits equally uncompromisingfast greens. Team Riley pre-vailed with a final tally of 8.5-6.5. Riley “handicapped” histeam well to accomplish thiscome from behind victory.
The rounds were highlight-ed by a hole-in-one by Mike
Metz, his second at this coursein three years, using a 7 ironon the Par 3, 208-yard 17thhole.
At the post tournamentaward ceremony, Banducciwon Lowest Net. The MostImproved, “Johnny-on-the-Spot” award went to RandyMorris for the solid 2 points hecontributed to Riley’s winningteam. Ed Christiansen wonRookie of the Year honors,while the coveted Jug awardwent to Roger Mazza. The BadDriver award was given toChris Cozort, not for his astutegolf game but rather his sedandriving skills. This year’s M&MMVP was earned by Metz forhis hole-in-one prowess.
Clayton Sports
Clayton resident, Mike Rose, has been in
business for over 36years and has always
provided quality repairwith excellent
customer service!
Antioch
(925) 755-1739
Brentwood
(925) 634-6366
Concord
(925) 686-1739
Pittsburg
(925) 432-9910
Walnut Creek
(925) 210-1739
Walnut Creek
(925) 979-1739
Mike Rose’s Auto Body
Concord (925) 689-1739
Six otherSix other locations to serve youlocations to serve you
www.diablofc.org • 925 798-GOAL
Ideal programfor beginners and
also for youthplayers preparing
for 2010competitive team
tryouts.
99ththSeasonSeason
925.689.4631925.689.4631
visit: claytonvalleybowl.comvisit: claytonvalleybowl.com
Clayton Valley Bowl5300 Clayton Road �� Concord, CA
Clayton Valley Bowl
5 BIG DVD SCREENSDigital Thunder PLUS on the last 12 lanes
FRI 4 pm - 6 pm (kids), 10 pm - 1 am, Sat 10 pm - 1 am
Digital Thunder Glow Bowling
Nifty $1.50 Nights for everyone
$1.50 games, Mon. thru Thu. 9pm to midnight
Freaky Funday on Sundays - 5pm to midnight - $6 cover charge gets you
$1-games, shoes, hotdogs, sodas and small beers.
Team Riley comes from behind to win Tahoe Classic
Photo courtesy of Mike Metz
THOSE COMPETING IN THE M&M TAHOE CLASSIC INCLUDED, first row, Chris Cozort, RandyMorris, Kevin Allen, Mike Metz, Rob Sheffield, Jay Polshuk, Steve Johnson, Sean Lally and Capt.Mike Banducci. Second row, Roger Mazza, Ed Christiansen, John Marr, Fred Hunziker, Jim Linckand Capt. Mark Riley. Back row, Jim Westermeyer, Mike West, Vaughn Stephens, Joe Medranoand Mark Smith.
MIKE METZ
Special to the Pioneer
Soccer coaches look for strong seasons
Although they only have oneyear of head coaching experi-ence at the school betweenthem, Clayton Valley HighSchool soccer coaches RoryGentry and Scott Booth haveset high expectations for theboys and girls teams as theyresume Diablo Valley AthleticLeague play this week.
Booth moved up from thejunior varsity level to take overthe girls soccer head coach posi-tion, replacing CVHS AthleticDirector Pat Middendorf – whostepped down after her 14thseason.
Middendorf leaves a stronglegacy as the Eagles havebecome perennial North CoastSection qualifiers. Her careercoaching record was 143-33-29,with her teams winning or draw-ing 84 percent of their games.
“She will be a tough act tofollow,” Booth says.
On the boys side, Gentrybegins his second year in chargeof the Eagles after a fine six-year run at Concord High –where he rejuvenated theMinuteman soccer program.Gentry and Booth have eachalso been involved with the localsoccer program for many yearson the AYSO and club soccer
levels.“My expectations for the
team this year are to expect thevery best from each other, winas many games as possible andhave fun,” Booth says.
He has two excellentresources on his staff, CV alum-nus Megan Swann and BrazilianWorld Cup star Sissi. “We arecommitted to giving theseyoung women the tools theyneed to be successful,” Boothadds.
The Eagles have a core ofexcellent returning players tolead the way. Seniors MorganNichols (goalkeeper), centraldefender Cherie Lapating andforward Susan Antaki are joinedby versatile juniormidfielders/forwards KelseyBooth and Tori Kobold as teamstalwarts. They all earned All-DVAL honors last year.
Alicia Roberts returns in themidfield, while new varsitymembers are Celeste Piper,Alison Marines, SimoneMiranda, Janel Guzman, ReneeRoccanova, Bridgette Leblow,Megan Dwyer and SamanthaBoeger.
“DVAL should be very com-petitive this year,” Booth says.“For many games, it will comedown to who is healthy and whois not. Our goal is to finish ontop this year, which should putus in a good position for NCS.”
During pre-season play, theteam had early losses toCalifornia High and MonteVista but opened up leaguestrong against Berean Christianwith a 1-0 win before Christmas.The team followed with “a fan-tastic 1-0 win” over formerleague arch-rival Carondelet,which had defeated defendingNCS champions San RamonValley a week earlier.
In their final tune-up beforeentering the busy DVAL, theteam faced four strong oppo-nents in the prestigious TriValley tournament. Theyopened with a 2-0 win overGranada, then lost 1-0 to St.Ignatius before drawing 1-1against both Amador Valley andLiberty.
“This was an excellentopportunity for us to gaugewhere we are as a team, identifykey learnings and build on theseexperiences,” Booth says.
Gentry also set the bar highfor his Eagles boys. “The DVALhas many of the top teams inthe East Bay, including CollegePark, Ygnacio Valley, Northgateand Concord. Our goal is to beleague champion,” Gentry says.“However, there are three orfour contenders for that spot.”
He expects to gain a highseed for the NCS playoffs anddo well in that season-endingcompetition.
Gentry will rely on severalreturning players from his firstEagles squad to lead the way. Aquartet of seniors – goalkeeperDale Nelson, midfielderFernando Vesga, defender/mid-fielder Nick Sharapata anddefender Alejandro Chavez –provide experience and leader-ship. Sophomore Josh Gomezreturns in the midfield.Sharapata was DVAL MostValuable Defensive Player lastyear, while Vesga was All-DVALfirst team.
Making their varsity debutsare Zach Punty, Zarel Avila,Kevin Sanchez and freshmanElisama Padilla. Also in the mixfor playing time are ChristianDuenas, Nelson Powell and SamMarchant. They will all becounted on by Gentry to replacedeparting seniors ChrisMcNally, Alex Placensia, AlexDuenas and Anthony Cogo.
Highlights from the pre-hol-iday schedule for the Eaglesinclude a second-place finish inthe Silver Division of theWinter Classic tournament,where their only loss was toreigning NCS Division II cham-pion Acalanes. They defeatedPittsburg, Freedom and drewwith Monte Vista. They havescored 20 goals while giving uponly four, just one from openplay, while racking up sevenwins and a draw in nine games.
LITTLE LEAGUE ACCEPTING
LATE SIGNUPS
Signups are still being heldfor Clayton Valley Little Leagueteams. CVLL includes baseballfor 5- to 16-year-olds and soft-ball for 6- to 15-year-olds.
For more information,including residency require-ments, fees and schedules, visitcvll.org. Tryouts begin Jan. 23.
CVHS 2010 HALL OF FAME
NOMINATIONS
The Clayton Valley HighSchool Athletic Hall of Famecommittee is accepting nomina-tions for the 2010 inductionclass.
Individuals can nominatestudent athletes and coaches tothe Hall of Fame. The require-ment is that the nominee was aCVHS grad or coach in theyears 1960-1989 who was all-league in at least one sport. Theinitial Hall of Fame ceremony
JAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer
SportsShorts
See Shorts, page 16
Visit our website WWW.MAUTOBODY.COM
I Car Gold and ASE certified technicians
Approved by most major insurance companies
The robbers ran and weregone by the time police arrived.
Police suspect that it wasn’tthe first time the two men had
been in the house. “We don’tknow who these men are,” saidDeCoite, “but it seems theyknew exactly where things were.”
Charges against the mencould include robbery, burglaryand false imprisonment. Policeurge anyone with informationabout the crime to call ClaytonPolice at 673-7350.
was held during the school’s50th anniversary year in 2008.
Requests for a nominationform can be sent via e-mail tocvhal [email protected] a mailing address andan application form will bemailed to you.
DIABLO FC SOCCER
WINTER ACADEMY
Diablo FC is holding itsninth annual Winter SoccerAcademy Jan. 11-Feb. 18, 5-6p.m. Monday and Thursday atWillow Pass Park No. 5, adja-cent to the Willow Pass tenniscourts in Concord.
The renowned Diablo FCprofessional coaching staff willteach boys and girls 5-12 yearsold basic dribbling and jugglingskills, passing and receiving theball and ball striking. Youth ofall skill levels from novice tothose ready for competitive soc-cer are invited to attend.
There are no tryouts. Signup at diablofc.org or at the firstsession.
Page 16 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 8, 2010
Shorts,from page 15
Robbery, from page 1
Willows moves all operations to Martinez location
Although the WillowsTheatre Company was forcedto turn out the lights at theConcord main stage inNovember, all is not dark. Thecompany has shifted operationsto their newly refurbishedcabaret-style Campbell Theatrein downtown Martinez.
Hit hard by a two-year reces-sion, the Concord theaterclosed in November when alast-ditch appeal for funds fellshort of the $350,000 needed tokeep the 34-year-old companyoperating in the WillowsShopping Center.
“There really is a sense ofrelief now that Concord haswound down,” admits generalmanager Chris Butler-Marshall.“The decision was difficult butnot without its bright side.”
The city of Martinez hasrolled out the welcome mat tothe company. “The restaurantsin Martinez are ecstatic,” shesays.
And the company’s seasonsubscribers stepped up in a bigway. “Within hours after the let-ters announcing shift to theMartinez location went out tothe patrons, the phones wereringing off the hook,” Butler-Marshall says.
All but a handful of thecompany’s 3,000 patronschanged their Willows ticketsfor the new season at theCampbell Theatre.
“It just proves that we arenot defined by a stage,” saysmarketing representative DavidFaustina. “We are about profes-sional, regional theater and weoffer an experience that isunique in the Bay Area.”
“We’ve managed to make itthrough and come out the otherside,” says Butler-Marshall.“And we’re excited about thenew space and new direction.”
The 2010 season opens Jan.25 with “Brimstone,” whichdebuted at the Willows 10 yearsago. The epic love story, set inthe angst of Northern Irelandand the IRA, won five Critic’s
Choice awards and “is a realsuccess story for us,” saysButler-Marshall. “Brimstone”runs through Feb. 28.
Next is the lighter “8 Track:The Sounds of the ’70s,” March15-April 18. “We already havepeople calling for tickets for
this show,” Faustina notes.May 3-June 6, “You’re a
Good Man, Charlie Brown”takes the audience through an
average day in the life ofCharlie Brown and the charac-ters of the Peanuts cartoonstrip.
Late summer brings “SixWomen with Brain Death, orExpiring Minds Want toKnow,” Aug. 16-Sept. 12. Afast-paced, take-no-prisonerssatire of life and pop culture atthe end of the millennium, “SixWomen” is an entirely feminineview of the world.
The season continues with adirector’s choice selection inOctober. And finally, everyone’sfavorite nuns, the Little Sistersof Hoboken, are back in theWest Coast premiere of“Nunset Boulevard” wrappingup the 2010 season, Nov. 29-Dec. 31.
The Campbell Theatre is at 636Ward St. in downtown Martinez, oneblock east of Main Street. The day-time box office, at 115 TarantinoDr., Martinez, is open noon-5 p.m.Monday through Friday. For moreinformation, call 798-1300 or visitwillowstheatre.org.
TAMARA STEINER
Clayton Pioneer
DESPITE BEING FORCED TO CLOSE THEIR CONCORD MAINSTAGE, the Willows Theatre Company is look-ing forward to a full 2010 season at their Martinez venue.
For first book, authorfocuses on friendship
“Just sit down and write,”author D.W. Buffa told first-timenovelist Judith Marshall yearsago. And so she did.
“Husbands May Come andGo but Friends are Forever,” adramatic, tightly composed storyof five female friends, is theresult.
Marshall, who has lived inConcord close to the Claytonborder most of her life, speakswith refreshing honesty abouther foray into writing. “If I hadknown how much I didn’t know,I would never have had thecourage to finish it,” she says.
After cranking out a firstdraft, she joined the CaliforniaWriter’s Club and learned whatshe didn’t know about writingand discovered the value ofknowing oneself. After years ofworking as a human resourcesprofessional, it was time for achange. “I was working 60-80hours a week, but I wasn’t havingany fun,” she notes.
Describing her prewriting lifeas unconscious – “like when youdrive home and don’t know howyou got there” – she woke up, setup her own consulting businessand began to write.
A fateful chain of eventssteered the book’s subject.Reading “Divine Secrets of theYa-Ya Sisterhood,” experiencingsingle motherhood and relishingthe support of friends, Marshallwrote about what she knew:female friendship.
Growing up, Marshall wasn’tparticularly close to her family.“I always considered myself an
only child,” she says. Her olderstepbrother and stepsister wereout of range by virtue of ageand a home life she labels as“dysfunctional.” It’s a powerfulterm, until she extends thedescription – stating that mostof her high school friends feltthe same disconnect with theirfamilies.
The friendships these youngwomen formed were unique,perhaps because of the emotion-al growth that happens duringthis time of life, Marshall sug-gests. The women remain close.“We support each other as if weare blood sisters,” she says.
The characters in “HusbandsMay Come and Go but Friendsare Forever” are a rowdy, forth-right group. While the novel isfictional, it parallels Marshall’sjoie de vivre.
“Friendship takes work,” shesays. “I think the thing thatkeeps it going is effort.”
As if to prove her point, shedrums up a few more vital ingre-dients: “a sense of humor” andlater, “forgiveness.” It’s all warmand cozy, until she applies thebrakes with a rule: “You only getto complain about something forso long, then you have to shut upand do something about it.”
According to Marshall, 90percent of writing is tenacity.“You have to do most of themarketing, promotion and distri-bution by yourself. Most writerslike the creative part, but themarketing part, they say ‘Oh no,I don’t want to do that.’ ”
As with her deep friendships,finding a publisher for her firstnovel was a process. She queriedmore than 200 agents, test-mar-
keted sample copies and soughtfeedback from reviewers andimpartial acquaintances. In theend, she abandoned the pursuitof a big publisher.
“It’s silly to keep trying tonail Jell-O to a tree,” she says ofher decision to choose a small,independent press.
When she’s not out promot-ing her first novel, she’s hard atwork on “Staying Afloat,” hersecond, and mulling “BitterAcres,” her third. She relies ongood fortune, trusting fate andfriends to lead her to what shehas always sought – a life’s workboth personally rewarding andcorporately significant.
“Husbands May Come and Go,but Friends Are Forever” is availableat Clayton Books.
LOU FANCHER
Clayton Pioneer
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
Judith Marshall at her booksigning at Clayton Books inNovember
Canyon Road when she was achild.
Even then, traffic was aconcern for her family travel-ing to Clayton from theirhome in Berkeley. “They usedto leave early to avoid the traf-fic, probably all of 20 cars,”she said with a laugh.
The museum resides in thehouse once owned byO’Grady’s Aunt Iola and UncleNeff Christy. Across the streetsits the house where her Aunt
Dolores (Dolly) Murchio livedand ran the post office fromher front room. The buildingnow houses Skipolini’s Pizza.
“I learned a lot more aboutClayton’s history, and I learnedto appreciate it a lot more,”said Agronow. “I never reallyrealized how much historyClayton had before.”
Minorsky also enjoyedlearning about the area’s histo-ry. “That’s why we’re all here.Without those people, Clayton
wouldn’t be what it is today,”she said. “None of us wouldbe living here.”
Through the project,Raymond said she learnedmore about her own motiva-tions. “It’s like they say, youcan’t really know where you’regoing until you know whereyou’ve been. I feel like who myancestors were would helpdefine who I am and whereI’m going to be.
“It’s made me want to havea voice in the community,made me want to take up lead-ership positions and make adifference in the world.”
Scouts, from page 1
January 8, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 17
For information on CCWD Water
Conservation Services,
call 688-8320 or visit
www.ccwater.com/conserve
(925) 672-4600 �� 8863 Marsh Creek Rd. in Clayton
Coupon expires 1-22-2010 P
Nyjer Thistle - 20 lbs. $30.99
Small, Black Oil
Sunflower Seed - 20 lbs. $12.99
Western Delight Value Mix - 40 lbs. $11.99
Winter’s Here!Take care of your feathered friends
and Get a Free SuetFeeder
3 TubeFeederFeeds 24 Birds and you CANSEE THEM ALL
for $29.99
Whole PeanutFeeder
� PatentedSpiral Design
� Squirrel ProofLocking Lid
� Easy to Fill
� CompletelyAssembled
$31.99
Super Twirl 3 Quart Feeder with “Twirl-a-Squirrel”
$89.99
� Squirrels weight on feeder activatesmotor which gently spins him off
� Safe - No Harm to birds or squirrels
� Weather resistant PVC
� Runs on 3-D Batteries- not included.
Buy any feeder & we’ll fill it with seed for FREE
Seeds-N-More CombinationFeeder� Seed & Suet
� Attract more birds
� Double Sided
� Weather Resistant
� 2.5 Gallon Capacity
� Secure, Easy-fill Roof
$51.99
Buy a case
of 12 High
Energy Suet
for $19.99
CCWD offers rebates for lawn replacement
You can save water, reduceyour water bill and improve theenvironment by replacing awater-thirsty lawn with a water-efficient landscape.
For a limited time, theContra Costa Water District(CCWD) is offering rebates tocustomers who replace theirfront lawns and other publiclyvisible lawns with water-effi-cient landscaping. The Water-Efficient Landscape RebateProgram was approved by theboard in November.
The program is open toCCWD’s residential, commer-cial and municipal customersincluding those in Clayton.
The rebate is fifty cents persquare foot for lawn replaced.The maximum rebate is $500for residential customers and$5,000 for commercial andmunicipal customers. No addi-
tional rebate is available formaterial or labor costs.
The existing lawn areas tobe replaced must be in frontyards or in areas visible to the
public. The lawns must be ingood health and have in-ground sprinkler systems ingood working condition.
The new landscape must
include enough water-efficientplants to cover at least 50 per-cent of the area when theplants are fully grown. Theexisting sprinkler heads for the
area must be replaced with adrip system if irrigation isused.
Before starting work, cus-tomers must have their plansfor a new landscape reviewedand approved by CCWD staff.Projects started without aCCWD Notice to Proceed let-ter will not qualify for a rebate.
Only plants listed on theCCWD Approved Plant Listqualify. The list can be found atccwater.com/conserve.
If you already replaced yourlawn with water-efficientplants, you cannot apply for arebate because the program isnot retroactive. Customers canonly apply for one rebate perwater account.
If you are installing irriga-tion for the new landscapedarea, it must be a drip system.The drip system must include apressure regulator, filter andpressure-compensating emit-ters. If only part of a lawn isreplaced with water-efficientlandscaping, the remaininglawn must be irrigated sepa-rately from the new landscapeand the sprinkler system for
the lawn must be modified toeliminate overspray onto thenew landscaped area.
To participate in the Water-Efficient Landscape RebateProgram, visitccwater.com/conserve andclick on the link to the PilotWater-Efficient LandscapeRebate Program. Read theterms and conditions. Then,call 688-8320 to schedule apre-inspection and request anapplication.
After the pre-inspection,return the application toCCWD and wait for yourNotice to Proceed Letter. Donot start work until you receiveyour letter.
Once you receive a Noticeto Proceed Letter, you havefour months from the date onthe letter to complete yourproject.
Schedule a post-inspectionwhen your project is complet-ed. A CCWD staff memberwill verify that your projectmeets the program’s terms andconditions. A rebate check willbe processed and mailed toyou.
Sponsored byContra Costa Water District
Drought tolerant plants can provide great interest and texture to landscaping as thisConcord yard shows. Replace your lawn and save water and money.
Plant lovers, scope out thesenew beauties for 2010 gardens
All sorts of new things comewith the advent of a new year.New cars, new movies, a newMadden football video game and,of course, new plants and peren-nials.
Hybridizers work hard to cre-ate new, improved selections ofthe plants that we already love.They are released to the growers,and we wait patiently for thearrival of 2010’s perennial selec-tions to our nurseries and gardencenters.
Thank goodness for gardenmagazines and the Internet. Nowwe can read about and see whatnew plant varieties will be avail-able once spring has sprung. Thisyear, we get to look forward tonew coneflower plants, ajuga,sedum, coreopsis and many more.It is an exciting time to be a plantlover.MAKING THE GARDEN SPARKLE
The groundcover ajuga hasbeen a Clayton Valley favorite formany years. This plant is hardy,responsive, fast-growing and tol-erant. This year, plant developerscame out with a new, improvedvariegated selection calledSparkler.
Ajuga Sparkler has thick,dark green shiny foliage coveredwith creamy white splashes. Thisgroundcover will really light upthe floor of your part-shade gar-den, or make a wonderful trickleover the sides of a container com-bination.
Expect 12-24 inches of widthfrom this root as groundcover.During the late spring throughearly summer, Ajuga Sparkler willboast blue bugles of flowersstanding about 3 inches tall. Theflower will complement any azal-ea or gardenia that it surrounds.
Heuchera is another ClaytonValley favorite. Commonly calledcoral bells, this evergreen comes
out with fabulous new introduc-tions every year and this year is nodifferent. Heuchera Shanghaiand Heuchera Autumn Leaveswill not disappoint any collector.
Heuchera Shanghai is silveryand sleek. A tight mound of sil-very-purple leaves piles beneathwhite flowers that stand atop darkstems. This plant contrasts itself.
Heuchera Autumn Leaves isperfect for the person who cravesbold red foliage. Mottled ruby redand dark scarlet leaves changewith the seasons. The bloom palesto the excitement provided by theleaves. A gardener may choose toremove the flower and concen-trate on the beauty of the leaves.
Heuchera requires part sun inyour Clayton Valley garden orcontainer. It will not shy awayfrom a few hours of afternoonsun, so don’t protect it too much.Be wary when installing any coralbell, because you must keep the
crown of the plant high in thesoil. Take care not to water toomuch; let all coral bells dry outbetween waterings.
TIME FOR A FIESTA
Agastache may sound new,but the sage-like blossom is famil-iar. Agastache Summer Fiesta isa feisty, spicy orange-red bloom-ing perennial. Spikes can reach 28inches tall and look great in anylandscape that wants to focus onsummer flowers. Summer Fiestais outstanding when combinedwith more common purple plants.Hummingbirds will not be able toresist this fabulous Clayton Valleyselection.
Sedum is a family that is bothheat-loving and drought-tolerant.Crystal Pink is the new introduc-
tion for 2010. Sedum CrystalPink has extra large, broccoli-shaped heads supported by stub-by, strong stems. Butterfly- andbee-friendly, this perennial isready for your garden.
Plant toward the front of bedsor borders, since this sedumreaches only 12 inches tall. SedumCrystal Pink will provide flowersfrom mid-summer through fall.
Yellow Coreopsis is a faithfulinstallation for any local land-scape. This year, CoreopsisLemon Punch has arrived. Itssoft yellow flowers kissed withrosy pink hues are sure to pleaseany level of gardener. Shear backhard after bloom to refresh andre-bloom.
This perennial is a great mixerand can be easily combined withsalvia, coneflower or alstroemeria.
Speaking of coneflower, keepyour eyes peeled for two newintroductions – Echinacea HotLava and Echinacea GumDrop. Hot Lava is a bold selec-tion with many super-wide petalsof deep orange-red that darken asthey near the deep red cone at thecenter of the flower.
Gum Drop is a familiar darkpink selection with an unfamiliarshape. A single row of petalsincases a frilly, hairy center coneof pollen. This perennial will beextra great for attracting butter-flies to the yard.
As with all Echinacea, plant infull sun and water deeply and onlyoccasionally. Within a landscape,you should only need to water thisperennial every 2-3 days, evenduring the hot summer. Toomuch water will force this plantinto early dormancy.
Both of these selections willbe tall plants, so proper placementis important. Expect 36-48 inchesof height from these Echinacea.Also, don’t be afraid to cut theflowers to enjoy indoors. Thesturdy stems of the coneflowermake them excellent flowers forcutting.
This is going to be a big yearin the garden, with many newplants to install and grow to culti-vate a fabulous landscape.
Nicole is the Garden Girl atR&M Pool, Patio, Gifts andGarden Contact her with questions,comments or suggestions at [email protected]
NICOLE HACKETT
GARDEN GIRL
AJUGA SPARKLER
Page 18 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 8, 2010
Clayton Market Update provided by
George Vujnovich of Better Homes Realty
Helping friends, neighbors and newcomers
buy and sell their homes since 1979
5206 Keller Ridge Drive ...........$610,000 . . . . .2237 . . . . .3/2 . . . .12/23/09
184 El Molino Drive ..................$649,000 . . . . .2324 . . . . .4/2.5 . . .12/23/09
250 El Pueblo Pl.......................$630,000 . . . . .2857 . . . . .5/3 . . . .12/22/09
1016 Pebble Beach Dr .............$725,000 . . . . .3030 . . . . .4/3 . . . .12/18/09
112 Mount Etna Drive...............$440,000 . . . . .1442 . . . . .3/2 . . . .12/18/09
1443 Indianhead Circle ............$395,000 . . . . .1355 . . . . .3/2.5 . . .12/18/09
350 Blue Oak Lane ..................$690,000 . . . . .2448 . . . . .4/2.5 . . .12/17/09
1144 Peacock Creek Drive.......$725,000 . . . . .3599 . . . . .4/2.5 . . .12/15/09
7 Atchinson Stage Rd...............$549,950 . . . . .1864 . . . . .3/2 . . . .12/11/09
1360 Yosemite Circle ...............$550,000 . . . . .2144 . . . . .3/2.5 . . .12/08/09
1278 Shell Circle ......................$439,000 . . . . .1745 . . . . .3/3 . . . .12/03/09
901 Deer Place ........................$600,000 . . . . .2237 . . . . .3/2 . . . .12/01/09
ADDRESS PRICE SF BED/BATH SALE DATE
GEORGE VUJNOVICH,, BBrrookkeerr
Trust your home to
6160 Center Street, Suite E, Clayton 94517
Each Office Is IndependentlyOwned & Operated.
Vintage Clayton! Exquisite home with breathtaking
views nestled in a quiet court with walking distance to
downtown! 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, large loft, approx.
3,213sf, 2 car garage with workshop. Huge gourmet kitchen
features slab granite counters, all stainless steel appliances &
cherry wood cabinets. Oversized family features walls of
window with gorgeous views of Mt. Diablo & surrounding
hills. Living room with cozy fireplace & views from every
window. Separate formal dining room features a built-in wine refrigerator & raised ceiling with a dramat-
ic chandelier. Spacious master suite offers wooded, sweeping views of Mt. Diablo & surrounding hills.
Luxurious upgraded travertine tile master bath boasts a jetted tub looking out to Un-obstructed Mt. Diablo
views, a separate oversized stall shower, two walk-in closets with extensive organizers. Large level lot
offers a sprawling lawn, extensive natural slate patios & a custom built waterfall feature and magnificent
views of Mt. Diablo & oak dotted rolling hills $849,000
CLAYTON!
Peacock Creek at Oakhurst Country Club!
Single Story Stunner! backs to open space with in-ground
“endless swimming” pool! 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, approx.
2,684sf, inside laundry & 3 car garage! New paint-carpet-
flooring throughout! Living room features a fireplace.
Dining room. Gourmet kitchen features Corian counters &
island, cherry wood cabinets & laminate floors. Large fami-
ly room boasts a dramatic fireplace with recessed media niches, lighted fan & built-in speakers. Large mas-
ter suite offers a romantic two fireplace shared with master bath! Large private lot offers a custom patio
with meandering paths, steps leading to a pergola topped reflecting area and an “Endless Swimming” Pool.
Coming Soon
CLAYTON!
Diablo Ridge at Oakhurst Country Club! Largest
“Winter” model! backs to 7th Fairway with wooded & course views! 3
bedrooms, 2.5 baths, approx. 1,595sf with inside laundry, fireplace & a
2-car attached garage! Living and family rooms share a two-way fire-
place. Separate dining area. Kitchen features tile counters & maple
cabinets plus an eating nook. Spacious master suite overlooks wooded
and fairway views. Walk to community pool and spa! $349,000
CLAYTON!
Rancher on a Huge Lot! 4 bedrooms, 2 baths,
approx. 1609sf & 2 car garage! Hardwood and tile floors
throughout! Kitchen features all white newer appliances
and eating nook with views of hills. Family room with
brick fireplace. Dual pane windows, newer roof & upgrad-
ed light fixtures. Huge private lot boasts a great entertain-
ing pavilion featuring an impressive fireplace and BBQ.
Nice lawn area, lots of trees and wooded neighborhood
views. $499,000
CLAYTON!
ggeeoorrggeevvuujjnnoovviicchh..ccoomm Tel: (925) 672-4433
Bet
ter
Hom
es D
RE
#00933393
Falcon Ridge at Oakhurst Country Club! Beautiful sin-
gle story “Moonlight” model backing to open space on a quiet court! 4
bedrooms, 2 baths, approx. 2,237sf & 3 car garage! Gourmet kitchen
features 13x20 upgraded tile floors, upgraded tile counters and island.
Family room with travertine tile fireplace. Huge private level lot with
large lawn, ornamentals & a “Sundance” spa. $629,000
CLAYTON!
PENDING
PENDING
Ilima Heuerman
(925) 890-6931
www.travelingtrainersforlife.com
Personal Training
for a Better You, Better Life.
We Bring the Gymto you.
There are No more excuses!This year make a life resolution –
Ready to wear your jeans again?
Want more energy to enjoy time and
activities with the kids again?
Tired of suffering from crowded gyms
and prying eyes?
Hey clayton! Take back yourright to bare arms!
Rosemary, the perennial herb, chasesoff evil spirits and tastes good, too
Rosemary grows just abouteverywhere here in NorthernCalifornia. It’s inflower pots andhedges or drapingover balconies.
R o s e m a r i n u sOfficinals is winter-hardy to 20 degreesand likes poor soilthat has gooddrainage. In fact,rosemary isknown as “gar-den rosemary”in many parts oft h eMediterranean.
Its Latinname, rosemarinus,means “dew ofthe sea” and it’s oftenfound growing wild nearthe ocean.
Rosemary issteeped in history,folklore and medicine.It was burned atancient Greek shrinesto drive away evil spirits. A freshsprig was tucked under a pillowat night to ward off nightmares.A rosemary necklace was said topreserve youth.
The herb is also associatedwith memory and fidelity. Atone time, students would bringa sprig of rosemary to examina-tions. Brides wore it to symboli-cally recall their family roots andrelatives. The dead were buriedwith it to signify that they wouldnot be forgotten by the living.
In the past and continuing topresent day, herbologists userosemary to treat headaches,dizziness, wounds, stomach dis-orders and depression. But
beware: An essential oil distilledfrom rosemary is toxic in strongdoses and should not be takeninternally. This is different than
a rosemary-infused cookingoil, which is safe to consume.
Rosemary is a powerfulanti-oxidant and also used as apreservative in cosmetics andplastic food packaging.
It is a memberof the mint familyand related tobasil, marjoram
and oregano. Thesmall, grayish-greenleaves resemble pine
needles andhave a bitter-sweet, lemo-
ny, almost pineflavor. In
springtime,pale blue
flowers eruptalong the branches.
In California,we can use fresh
rosemary year-round. Ifyou purchase dried rosemary, itis likely from Spain, France orMorocco.
If using fresh rosemary,remember that a little goes along way. Dried rosemary tendsto be far less aromatic, so usinga bit more won’t ruin a dish.
Even if Simon andGarfunkel hadn’t memorializedit in “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary &Thyme,” we’d enjoy it in somany dishes – particularly thosewith Mediterranean roots. Itsaroma and woody flavor com-plements a vast array of foodsmeat (particularly lamb), veg-gies, soups and even desserts.
ROASTED POTATOES
ITALIAN STYLE
1½ lbs. Yukon gold pota-toes
2 onions2 anchovies (optional)1 large clove garlic, finely
mincedLeaves from 1 sprig rose-
mary (or ½ tsp. dried)½ c. whole pitted olives
(nicoise or kalamata)Olive oilPreheat oven to 375. Cut
potatoes and onions intowedges. If using anchovies,mash them with a little salt andthe garlic into a paste.
Toss the potatoes andonions, garlic (or anchovy-gar-lic mixture), rosemary andolives with olive oil to coat.Season generously with saltand pepper. Roast until tender,30-45 minutes, stirring every15 minutes for even cookingand browning. Serves 4-6.
ROASTED ROSEMARY
LEG OF LAMB
Boneless leg of lamb(about 4 lbs.)
2 T. chopped fresh rose-mary
2-3 garlic cloves, finelyminced
¾ tsp. salt½ tsp. ground mustard½ tsp. dried oregano¼ tsp. black pepper1/8 tsp. cayenne pepperPreheat oven to 350. Stir
together the dried spices andmix in the garlic and rosemary.Untie the lamb and open up.Rub the spice mixture on bothsides of the lamb, then re-rollthe meat and tie.
Roast the meat on a rackfor two hours or to desireddoneness. A meat thermome-ter will read 145 for mediumrare, 160 for medium and 170for well done.
Let the roast rest at roomtemperature 15-20 minutesbefore slicing.
ROSEMARY PEAR SORBET
4 sprigs fresh rosemary1½ c. water3-4 Bartlett or Comice
pears¼ c. lemon juice1/3 c. sugarDash nutmegSimmer the rosemary and
water until the mixture hasreduced to ½ cup. Strain andcool.
Peel and core pears. Pureein a blender or food processorwith the lemon juice and meas-ure out 1¾ c. pulp. Transfer toa bowl and whisk in sugar, nut-meg and cooled rosemaryreduction. Freeze in an icecream machine or transfer to athin metal pan and freeze,using a fork to break up themixture every 20 minutes, untilwell frozen.
LINDA WYNER
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Linda Wyner, a local attorney andfoodie, owns Pans on Fire, a gourmetcookware store and cooking school inPleasanton.
Direct your suggestions or questionsto [email protected]
