Feb 14 Clayton Pioneer 2014

Growing up, DevinMcHugh was a familiar sightaround downtown Clayton orDiablo View Middle School,zooming around on his skate-board and cheerfully gettingkicked out of places he wasn’tsupposed to be.

But that never dampenedhis love of the sport, and it’ssomething the 2013 ClaytonValley Charter High Schoolgraduate carried with him toUC Davis this year, whereinspiration struck.

“I love skateboarding, and Iwanted to do something to helpget rid of its negative stereotype,”he said from between midtermslast week. “So I decided I wanted

to do a ride for a cause.”McHugh and five friends will

embark on a three-day charityride in June that will benefit Chil-dren’s Hospital and ResearchCenter in Oakland, the Skate-for-Bay Area. They will roll fromClayton all the way to Monterey.

“On June 15, 2014, we will hitthe road with nothing but back-packs on our backs and skate-boards under our feet,” he said.

The trek is an opportunity toshowcase his love of skate-boarding, while helping out kidswho may not have been so for-tunate as he. “I was luckyenough to grow up in the BayArea doing things I loved, likeskateboarding,” McHugh said.“But I know a lot of kids suf-fered from chronic illnesses andcouldn’t do the same things I

was able to. That’s why I want tohelp them.”

McHugh, the son of Claytonresidents Brian and LizaMcHugh, says the inspiration forthe ride was his own, but that hismom helped him find a worthycharity recipient. “My family hasbeen great, helping get the wordout to raise money for thecause.” It also includes his sisterTristin, a 2013 UC Santa Cruzgraduate.

To raise funds, McHugh hasset up an online fundraising siteon YouCaring.com, with a mod-est goal of $1,000. He hopes thatas word gets out about his ride,that total will increase.

“One-thousand seemed like agood place to start, but I’m

This spring, six officers fromthe Concord Police Departmentwill embark on more than anordinary bike trek; they’ll partic-ipate in an annual ritual to showrespect to more than 19,000 oftheir fellow officers nationwidewho have fallen in the line ofduty.

“I couldn’t imagine what itwould be like [to lose a part-ner],” says Officer Ollie Sansen.“This helps people to move onto the next chapter.”

On May 10, he along withOfficers Kenny Trimble, AdamHart, Krista Sansen, MikeRoberts and Amy Hendriks willjoin nearly 1,500 law enforce-ment officers from around thecountry in the 18th annualPolice Unity Tour, an extensivebicycle ride totaling 300 milesand four days. The riders willbegin in New Jersey and travelthrough Philadelphia and Balti-more, before finishing in anemotional ceremony at theNational Law EnforcementMemorial in Washington, D.C.

“People are able to lean oneach other for support,” Sansensays. “I’ve seen the healing processtake place [during the ride].”

He says he and his fellowofficers are doing the trek toraise awareness for fallen offi-cers and to help raise money forthe Memorial, a monument ded-icated to police officers killed inthe line of duty, says Sansen.

MOVING CEREMONY AT

MEMORIAL

Two curved marble walls areat the centerpiece of the Memo-rial, 304-feet long and hold thename inscriptions of the thou-sands of men and women whohave died in the line of duty.The walls are continuouslychanging, as names are addedeach year.

The tour ends at a movingcandlelight ceremony at theMemorial, when the names ofeach officer who died in 2013will be read aloud and theirname will be added to theMemorial in front of 50,000onlookers.

IT’S YOUR PAPER

www.claytonpioneer.com February 14, 2014 925.672.0500

When Benjamin Franklin was20 he launched an ambitious planto achieve “moral perfection.”His plan included identifying 13virtues and then systematicallyfocusing on each virtue. Mr.Franklin worked on these virtuesthroughout his life. During theprocess he discovered he wassurprised “to find myself somuch fuller of faults than I hadimagined.” The 13 virtuesFranklin chose were: temper-ance, silence, order, resolution,frugality, industry, sincerity, jus-tice, moderation, cleanliness,chastity, tranquility and humility.

In Clayton, our striving forpersonal self-improvementincludes a community-wide,character building initiative calledDo the Right Thing, whichemphasizes six character traitsthroughout the year – Courage,Responsibility, Respect, Kind-ness, Integrity and our currenttrait – Self-discipline.

I think anyone who has triedto improve oneself has, as Ben-jamin Franklin wrote, discoveredmore personal faults than origi-nally imagined.

However, I believe that dis-couragement and self-doubt arethe two biggest obstacles thatkeep us from improving. I hopethat we can avoid these two haz-ards as we work systematically toimprove our lives and the lives ofthose around us.

One of the reasons I love liv-ing in Clayton is the people. Ihave been fortunate to glimpsethe efforts made by many of youto improve our schools, our safe-ty, our neighborhoods – in gen-eral, our quality of life. At theend of a day it is a great place tocome home to.

Feel free to contact me with ques-tions and comments [email protected].

HANK STRATFORD

MAYOR’S CORNER

Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Community Calendar . . . . .14

Concord City Beat . . . . . . . . .9

Design and Décor . . . . . . . .16

DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . .8

Estate Planning . . . . . . . . . . .7

Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Food for Thought . . . . . . . .17

Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .15

Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Pine Hollow Reporter . . . . . .8

Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Sports Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Teen Reads . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Voyage of the Eagle . . . . . . .8PRSRTSTD

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CLAYTON, CA94517

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ECRWSS

See Memorial page 9

Strive for progress,not perfection

JOHN JACKSON

Clayton Pioneer

Memorial bike ride helps Concordofficers remember fallen comrades

Rochellezphotography.comFIVE MEMBERS OF THE CONCORD PD WILL JOIN 1,500 OTHER OFFICERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY in a 300-mile ride to remember andhonor fellow officers who have died in the line of duty. The ride raises funds to support the National Law Enforcement Memorialin Washington, DC. From left, Ollie Sansen, Adam Hart, Krista Sansen, Kenny Trimble and Amy Hendricks

Clayton teen takes skateboarding to new level

Past joins the present at 37th Annual Camellia Tea

Ever wonder what thingswere like in the “olden days” inClayton?

Come take tea with descen-dants of the town’s pioneeringfamilies at the Clayton Histori-cal Society’s 37th AnnualCamellia Tea and find out first-hand.

The annual event began in1977 when a few “old timers”and several long-time residents

reunited at a home on MorganTerritory Road to share memo-ries and a love of Clayton.Dozens of camellias were inbloom along the home’s drive-way set against the rugged back-drop of North Peak, and a tradi-tion was born.

By 1979, the two small Vic-torians downtown that werebuilt in 1869 were joined tomake one building. The twosmaller houses had belonged toJoel Clayton, founder of thetown, and became a home for

the Clayton Museum. That year,the Clayton Historical Societyhosted the 3rd Annual CamelliaTea in the new museum. Today,old-timers and newcomerscome together to continuesharing memories at the annualCamellia Tea.

Although founded in 1867,Clayton has only been a legalcity since 1964. To help cele-brate Clayton’s 50th anniversaryof incorporation, the city’s first

DEVIN MCHUGH will skate-board to Monterey to raisemoney for Children’s Hospital.

Inside this issue

Inside this issue

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

See Camellia page 3

See McHugh page 3

PEGGY SPEAR

Clayton Pioneer

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What’s Inside

BLOSSOMS FOR BARBARA

CONTINUES TO GROW

This week, members of theClayton Valley Garden Club said“Be My Valentine” to the ill andhomebound with some 850flowering plants delivered to thearea’s ill and homebound. This isthe third year for the Blossomsfor Barbara outreach program.

At the center of this growingannual event is Linda ManssKarp, a garden club member andfloral designer. Barbara createdthe event to honor her latemother, Barbara Manss.

It is important to bring a bitof happiness to those who areill, says Karp. “It’s hard tobelieve the love and joy a flower-ing plant can create.”

Karp’s focus is on distribut-ing the small Valentine’s Dayflowering gifts to those underhospice care, local assisted livingand convalescent home resi-dents, the Martinez VeteransAffairs hospice patients andMeals on Wheels recipients in

the Contra Costa County area.Local merchants and associa-tions generously donated to theprogram.

For more information or tocontribute to Blossoms for Bar-bara throughout the year, go to

claytonvalleygardenclub.org.The Clayton Valley Garden Club

meets at 7 p.m. on the second Wednes-day of the month, Feb. throughNov.,at Diamond Terrace, 6401Center St., Clayton. Visitors arealways welcome.

The Clayton Wonders soccerteam won the championship inthe Men’s Over 48 Division atthe King Cup Tournament in

Las Vegas in January. Suat Atkin,captain of the Clayton Wonders,is also president of the ClaytonSoccer Club. Atkin says there

are two teams in the club now.Next season, there will be threeteams representing age groupsover 30, over 40 and over 48.

For the second year in a row,fifth-grader, Kendall Albert,spelled her way to first place inthe Mt. Diablo ElementarySchool spelling bee on Jan. 23.

Kendall knocked off suchtough words as “parallel” beforehitting it home with “kernel.”She triumphed over a field of 18and will represent MDES at thecounty spelling bee on March 22.

Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com February 14, 2014

Kendall Albert spells her way to second win

Men’s soccer team takes home championship Around Town

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What’s happeningAround Town?

Send your news and pho-tos of your births, engage-ments, weddings, etc. [email protected].

Club News

ANN FRAISER, ELAINE CLARK AND SHARON FITZGERALD of Meals onWheels received flowers last year from Sharon Osteen andLinda Manss Karp of the Clayton Valley Garden Club as partof the Blossoms for Barbara program.

Hungry families, inquisitiveyoung women, and folks in needof a defibrillator got a boostfrom the Clayton Business andCommunity Association at theirJan. 30 meeting.

The club overwhelminglyapproved a grant for AAUW toagain send three middle schoolgirls to their Tech Trek Camp atSonoma State. The camp is toencourage girls to considercareers in science, math, technol-ogy and engineering.

CBCA also granted funds tothe St. Bonaventure FoodPantry and to the ClaytonCommunity EmergencyResponse Team (CERT) fortwo automatic external defibril-lators to be placed in twostrategic locations in Clayton.

One of the main sources forCBCA funds for grants likethese is the annual Art & WineFestival, scheduled this year forMay 3 and 4.

The downtown bocce courtproject continues to move for-ward, according to club presi-dent Gregg Manning. However,

the club’s application for a 501(c)3 designation is going to takemuch longer than anticipated.The club hoped for a tax exemptstatus right away in order to usetax deductible donations to helpoffset the $175,000 the club hascommitted in partnership withthe Ipsen family to build thefour-court park.

CBCA exists to benefit the Clay-ton community through fundraisingactivities and other events. To joinCBCA or to volunteer for an event,call 925-672-2272 or visit www.clay-toncbca.org.

CBCA begins funding projects for 2014

Clayton Valley Garden Club Blossoms

GARY CARR

Special to the Pioneer

During my time as yourpolice chief, I’ve received com-plaints about various mattersaround town. By far, the mostconsistent complaints areregarding traffic matters —speeding in neighborhoods,inattentive driving, loud stereosand an occasional “he/she wasjust plain rude!”

There are three E’s in trafficmanagement; Engineering,Education and Enforcement.

Most of our roads in Clay-ton are up to date, welldesigned and meet modernstandards for residential streets,collector roads and main thor-oughfares.

The educational componentcomes in articles such as thisthat remind our residents toslow down, wear their seatbeltsand be aware of their sur-roundings. Additional educa-tional reminders come in theform of our radar trailer thatreminds drivers of their speed.Other teachable momentscome when our ever-popular“silent sentry” magicallyappears in traffic hot spots –like the old fire station.

The third component,

Enforcement, comes at thehands of our officers issuingcitations. Clayton officers issuetickets for a variety of viola-tions — speeding, stop signviolations and cell phone viola-tions just to name a few. Whilereceiving a citation is never apositive experience, they areissued to help us achieve ourlarger goal, safety on ourstreets.

You can help us meet oursafety goals. If you must take aphone call while driving, andyou don’t have access to ahands free device, please pullover and have your conversa-tion.

Pay attention to your speed!Often we become so familiarwith our route home, the carseems to be on “auto pilot.”You would be amazed how

many drivers have no idea ofhow fast they were driving.

Finally, remember Claytonis a small town. We often putthe “silent sentry” in the sameplace days in a row. But,beware. More than one driverhas been surprised to find thecar is occupied by a real policeofficer waiting to fulfill his por-tion of the “three E’s!”

Drive Safe!

Chris Thorsen is Clayton’s chiefof police. For questions and com-ments, call him at (925) 673-7350.

February 14, 2014 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com

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mayor, Bob Hoyer, the currentmayor, Hank Stratford andseveral other past mayors will beon hand at the Camellia Tea togreet visitors and pour.

The public is cordially invitedto this free event to take tea andexplore the museum. The cur-rent exhibit, “Our Town,” cele-brates Clayton through the years.

The Camellia Tea is Feb. 16from 1-4 p.m., at 6101 MainStreet, Clayton.

The museum’s normal hoursare 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdaysand Sundays. The ClaytonMuseum is run by volunteersand members of the ClaytonHistorical Society. Althoughadmission is free, donations aregratefully accepted.

For more information, call 672-0240 or go to claytonhistory.org.

Camellia,from page 1

McHugh, from page 1

hoping as more people hearabout the ride, they will supportit, and not just friends of thefamily.”

McHugh, who is studyingmanagerial economics at Davis,will be joined on his ride by fel-low Clayton residents MichaelKerr, Tyler Riessen and ZachZuercher, UC Davis studentJoshua Brown, and McHugh’scousin Dylan Lee.

Besides earning money forChildren’s Hospital, McHughsaid he hopes his charity ride willinspire other young skaters.

“I’d like to see skaters, evenyounger than myself, learn howto be leaders, and show thatskateboarding isn’t just a brain-less sport. My motto is ‘stay outof trouble, have fun, and berespectful.’

“It’s all about having fun withfriends, and making our commu-nity better.”

Visit McHugh’s website atwww.youcaring.com/nonprofits/skate-for-bay-area-kids/131141 for moreinformation.

CHRIS THORSEN

BEHIND THE BADGE

Slow down or ‘silent sentry’may not be quite so silent


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Eighty-four years ago, on Feb. 2, Joseph(Josef) Schwendel, organizer and leader of theClayton Silver Cornet Band in the 1870s, died atthe age of 89. He is buried in Holy CrossCemetery.

The cornet and other Schwendel familyitems will be on display at the Clayton Histori-cal Society Museum during the 37th AnnualCamellia Tea, Sunday Feb. 16, 2014, 1-4 p.m. atthe Clayton Museum on Main Street. Admis-sion is free.

Many of the band members were taught by

Schwendel, who was trained in classical musicin his native Austria.

Among the band members were JackAtchinson and Henry Frank, son of Frederickand Elizabeth Bisber Frank.

Schwendel was an accomplished musician indemand throughout the area. He played the vio-lin for all the Clayton dances and frequentlyplayed engagements in San Francisco.

Schwendel’s cornet was represented on hiscattle brand above the letter “S.”

Mary Spryer, Clayton Historical Society

The Way We Were

Historic cornet on display at Clayton museum

The Travis CreditUnion Board of Direc-tors has announcedthat Patsy Van Ouw-erkerk, president andCEO of Travis CreditUnion (TCU), willretire late this summerafter 38 years in thecredit union industry,12 of which sheserved as TCU’s top executive.

Barry N. Nelson, who cur-rently serves as TCU’s executive

vice president and sec-ond in command, hasbeen unanimously select-ed by the Board as thecredit union’s future pres-ident and CEO. Nelsonis a credit union veteranwith 23 years of industryexperience.

Since Van Ouwerkerktook the helm at TCU in

June 2002, TCU has grown from$1.1 billion to $2.1 billion inassets and added 14 new

branches. The credit union nowserves more than 161,000 mem-bers at 22 locations in 12 North-ern California communities andmilitary and civilian personnel atTravis Air Force Base.

Headquartered in Vacaville, Cal-ifornia, Travis Credit Union is a not-for-profit, cooperative financial institu-tion serving those who live or work inSolano, Yolo, Sacramento, Placer, SanJoaquin, Stanislaus, Napa, ContraCosta, Alameda, Sonoma, Colusa,and Merced Counties.

Travis CEO to step down

PATSY VANOUWERKERK

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part time. Apply in person at Rodie’s

Feed, 8863 Marsh Creek Rd, Clayton.

Come join Mazzei Realty!

Currently interviewing and hiring

new and experienced real estate

agents. Call 693-0757 for details.

Real Estate Agents

Be Successful! Lynne French is

expanding and interviewing for a few

agents. Call her today 672-8787.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDHelp Fight Hunger

Anna Chan – AKA: The Lemon Lady

needs your help! Weekly commitment

appreciated. For more info and con-

tact numbers, go to

thelemonlady.blogspot.com.

Clayton Historical Society Museum

Need a greeter for two hours per

month from 2-4 p.m. Wednesdays or

Sundays. Call the museum at 672-

0240.

Clayton Community Library

Need volunteers. Minimum age 13.

Minimum commitment is 6 months.

Some training provided. Contact

Arlene at 673-9777 or

[email protected].

Meals on Wheels

Looking for volunteer drivers one day

a week between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30

p.m. Make a tremendous difference to

seniors in your community. Contact

Sharon Fitzgerald at 932-8607 or

[email protected] today!

P.O. Box 1246

6200 Center Street, Suite H, Clayton, CA 94517

TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, EditorPETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignPEGGY SPEAR, Copy Editor JAY BEDECARRÉ, Sports PAMELA WIESENDANGER, Administration

STAFF WRITERS: Denisen Hartlove, Pam Wiesendanger, Peggy SpearWe remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse

Automotive

Clayton Valley Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-3900

Business Services

Rising Moon Marketing & Public Relations . . . . .672-8717

Child Care and Education

Clayton Children’s Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4543

Construction and Trades

Appliance Repairs by Bruce, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2700

Belfast Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457-5423

Burkin Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1519

Diablo View Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .822-5144

Gary’s Home Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .787-2500

Iron Horse Concrete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .566-8666

Tipperary Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-2679

Dining and Entertainment

Clayton Club Saloon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-0440

Oakhurst Country Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9737

Financial, Insurance and Legal Services

DuRee, Daniel – The Law Office of . . . . . . . . . . .210-1400

Littorno, Richard – The Law Office of . . . . . . . . .432-4211

Sorensen, David – Wells Fargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296-3086

Van Wyck, Doug – State Farm Insurance . . . . . .672-2300

Funerals

Ouimet Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-4242

Groceries

Doorstep Farmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349-4568

Home and Garden

Clayton Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686-2299

Diablo Lawnscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381-3757

Interiors Panache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-7920

Just Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .681-4747

Navlet’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .681-0550

Nichols Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9955

The Floor Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .969-9890

The Maids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-6243

Utopic Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0055

Waraner Bros. Tree Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .831-2323

Waraner Tree Experts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250-0334

Mailing Services

The UPS Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-6245

Optometry

Foresight Optometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4100

Pet Services

Cat Hospital of Clayton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2287

Monte Vista Veterinary Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276-5744

Pittsburg Pet Resort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .432-7387

Rodie's Feed and Pet Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4600

Real Estate and Mortgage Services

French, Lynne – Windermere Real Estate . . . . . .672-8787

Geddes-Sinclaire, Christine – Alain Pinel . . . . . .286-7593

Howard, Don – Better Homes Realty . . . . . . . . . .408-3184

Howard, Emily – Better Homes Realty . . . . . . . .408-1871

Johnson, Terry Mohr - Prudential . . . . . . . . . . . . .914-0061

Klock, Leigh – Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212-5593

Landgraf, Linda – Prudential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .876-0311

Laurence, Pete – RE/MAX Realty . . . . . . . . . . . .890-6004

Lopez, Stephanie – Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . .932-7329

Mazzei, Matt – Mazzei Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693-0757

Stojanovich, Jennifer – Better Homes Realty . . .567-6170

Vujnovich, George - Better Homes Realty . . . . . .672-4433

Recreation and Fitness

Earthquake Arabians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360-7454

East Bay Regional Park District . . . . . . . . . .888-327-2757

Levity Fitness Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2995

Senior Services

Courtyards at Pine Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-3900

Diamond Terrace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-5100

Montecito – Oakmont Senior Living . . . . . . . . . . .852-6702

Services, Other

1-800-Junkster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-586-5783

ComputersUSA! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9989

Net Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6029

Recycling Center & Transfer Station . . . . . . . . . .473-0180

Travel

Travel to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9840

Directory of Advertisers

PIONEER INFOCONTACT USTel: (925) 672-0500Fax: (925) 672-6580

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CLASSIFIEDSClassified rates per insertion:$48 for first 30 words, 40 cents

each additional word Non-profit: $24 for first 30

words, 20 cents each additional word To place your classified ad over thephone, call the office at (925) 672-0500 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. All classifieds must be paid for inadvance by credit card (Master Cardor Visa) We will not accept any ad thatdiscriminates on the basis of race,color, sex, religion, nationality, familystatus or disability. The Clayton Pio-neer reserves the right to reject anyadvertising we believe is unsuitable.

LET US KNOW Weddings, 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 a resi-dent in our home delivery area. Sub-mit on our website and be sure toattach a JPG photo that is at least 3MB but not bigger than 6MB. You

can also mail or bring your print tothe office and we can scan it for you.

Also on the website are forms forcalendar items, events & press releases.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORThe Clayton Pioneer welcomes

letters 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 prior-ity. We may edit letters for length andclarity. All letters will be published atthe editor’s discretion. Please includename, address and daytime telephonenumber. We will not print anonymousletters. E-mail your letter [email protected]. Lettersmust be submitted via E-mail.

CIRCULATIONTotal circulation of the Clayton

Pioneer is 15,500. Papers are deliv-ered to households in ZIP codes94517, 94518 and 94521.

In Clayton, all papers are deliv-ered Every Door Direct by the USPost Office. We cannot start or stopdelivery to individual addresses.

All Concord delivery is by carrierand delivered twice a month on a Fri-day morning. To stop delivery for anyreason, call the office at (925) 672-0500 or email [email protected].

If you are NOT receiving thePioneer, please check the distributionmap on the website. If you live in theshaded area and are not receiving thepaper, please call us or send an emailto [email protected] you are not in the shaded area,please be patient. We will come toyour neighborhood soon.

SUBSCRIPTIONSTo subscribe, call the office at

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Classified

Self DisciplineDo the Right Thing


Well, maybe not forever. But you can see the Sierras from thenewly weather-sealed observation deck on Mount Diablo Summit.The refinished telescopes offer a closer look at the breathtakingviews.

“The work was done as a cooperative effort to assist the park,”Mike Woodring, president of the Mount Diablo Interpretive Associ-ation says.

Visiting hours are daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.For more information, go to mdia.org.

On a clear day, youcan see forever . . .

Mike Woodring

Caldwell tapped for ED at We CarePete Caldwell, a long-time

mental health professional andparenting columnist for the Clay-ton Pioneer, is the new ExecutiveDirector of We Care Services forChildren.

Caldwell has a long and richhistory of non-profit leadershipin Contra Costa County. Mostrecently he has served as WeCare’s Mental Health Directorwhere his key roles in strategicplanning, staff development andquality assurance have strength-ened the agency immeasurably,according to the organization’sBoard of Directors.

The board asks that if anyonehas any questions or suggestionsas it moves forward, contact Cald-

well at [email protected], or at 925-849-8892.

We Care Services for Childrenis a private, nonprofit agencydevoted to serving children birthto 6 and their families in ContraCosta County. We Care’sapproach emphasizes the devel-opment of the “whole child” byproviding a variety of programsin Contra Costa County for spe-cial needs and typically developingchildren.

For additional information aboutWe Care Services for Children, pleasevisit their website at www.wecarechil-dren.org or contact Barbara Langsdaleat 925-671-0777 ext. 108.

Have you ever wondered ifthere were a way to make com-puter terms easy? When buyingor upgrading your computer,laptop or tablet it is helpful toknow the purpose of the device,how you intend to use it andwhat the terms mean to you. Iwill try to explain the terms ineasy, colorful English and relatethe whole explanation to com-puters by using common itemsfound in a typical office build-

ing, including the workers, desksand file cabinets.

First, let me set the scene.You are sitting in an officebuilding typing on your comput-er, and jobs pop into your inboxfor your worker (employee) toprocess. The more jobs you get,the more you must process, thelonger it takes. Get the pictureso far?

CPUIn computers the CPU is the

worker, your employee. Theworker has a skill level and aspeed at which they work. Relatethat to the speed of the CPU orthe megahertz or gigahertzlabels. The higher the hertz, themore work gets done. But, that’snot the whole story, there is acatch.

More work comes in and weneed more workers. In comput-er terms that is the number of“cores.” Therefore more work-ers, more cores. So, now youhave higher speeds, hertz(GHz), and more workers. Moreis getting done indeed.

RAMHere is the catch, if you have

more workers you NEED moredesktops, bigger desktops, moreefficient desktops, desktopswith drawers (lots of drawers),and pigeon holes, yes holes, andfolders (lots and lots of folders).Anyway RAM solves this prob-lem. More work can be organ-

ized, placed neatly into folders,modified, printed, etc. RAM isthe desktop size.

HARD DRIVE

Jobs are getting done, stuffis flowing smoothly and now it’stime to store the results of ourhard work. The place where youstore folders is, well, the filingcabinet. Your hard drive is thefiling cabinet. Open the cabinetand alphanumerically file yourdata as a file in a folder.

The size of the hard driverelates to the size and numberof filing cabinets you have. Ifyou have a big office with lotsof folders, files, data, docu-ments and photos, you needlots of file space. The harddrive is specified in bytes, orrather thousands, millions, zil-lions of bytes. For example,500GB means 500 gigabytes(as in loads of computer bitsof information). The bigger

the number, the more file cab-inets you have.

MOTHERBOARD

So our workers are working,files are getting completed, and alot of work is getting done. Well,all that work is located some-where, isn’t it? In a perfect officethe work is all organized by desksin neat rows, papers and foldersinside the cabinets along the wall.Now that’s a motherboard. Themotherboard becomes the placeto store everything.

Here’s something computermanufacturers don’t want you toknow: not all motherboards aregood floor plans.

A TIP OR TWO

Computers, tablets, laptopsand smartphones all have theirpurposes. One cannot matchthe performance of a desktopor workstation with any otherdevice. Someday they might, butthat’s a way off. Think of it thisway: desktops are for work,design and play. Laptops are notas fast as desktop computers,but mobile and able to run mostprograms adequately. Tabletsoffer some of those things butthey’re really just a clipboard inour office example. Smart-phones are just phones.

WILL CLANEY

TECH TALK

William Claney is an independenttech writer and former owner ofComputers USA in the ClaytonStation. Email questions or commentsto [email protected].

An office guide to tech lingo

As life continues to cooldown with cold, shorter winterdays, rev it back up. February isall about you and your hearthealth. Don’t be shy, spread thelove and have fun. Include thoseclosest to you and make discov-eries that take your breath away.

Open up your heart, make itexpand and work with you. It’sone of the most powerful mus-cles we have, so challenge it towork harder. Stay home, don’tgo the gym, discover fitnessanywhere. Try this workout withsomeone else by your side.

CLIMBING A ROPE CRUNCHES

12 reps. per minute, 25 reps.a set (work up to three to foursets)

Lie on your back with yourlower back flat to the floor, legsextended in line with the hips,ankles crossed, and arms reach-ing up in line with the shoulders.

Exhale and engage the abs tolift your shoulder blades off themat as you reach your right handup and to the left as if climbinga rope up.

Inhale and lower back downto the starting position.

Exhale and engage the abs tolift your shoulder blades off themat as you reach your left handup and to the right as if grab-bing a rope and climbing higher.

Inhale and lower back downto complete one rep.

PLANK WITH PIKE

Eight reps. per minute, 25 reps. aset (work up to three to four sets)

Start in a plank position,with hands clasped together,elbows under your shoulders,forearms flat, toes curled under,and body “hovering” aboveyour mat in a nice straight linewith the abs pulled in tight.

Exhale, keeping the abspulled in, and “pike” your hipsup towards the ceiling, shiftingyour weight back and briningyour head to a natural positionbetween the arms.

Inhale and slowly lower backdown to the plank position tocomplete one rep.

SIDE PLANK WITH CRUNCHES

Eight reps. per minute, 25 reps. aset (work up to three to four sets)

Lie on your left side, legsstacked, abs engaged, elbowdirectly under your shoulder,and top hand by your ear, elbowup. Lift your hips up off theground and hold, breathingsteadily. Hold 15-30 seconds.

Exhale and crunch down-

ward, twisting from the waistand bringing your top elbowtowards the floor.

Inhale and bring the elbowback up to the start position tocomplete one rep.

Finish all reps on this sideand then switch sides to do theSide Plank and Side Plank withCrunch before moving to thenext exercise.

LOWER BACK EXTENSIONS

Eight reps., one hold, eight pulses(work up to three to four sets)

Lie flat on your stomach,legs extended, elbows bent,hands behind the ears, and neckin a neutral position in line withthe spine.

Exhale and lift your chestaway from the floor (keepingneck in line with the spine) toengage your lower back.

Inhale and slowly lower backdown to complete one rep.

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The Contra Costa CountySuperior Court is acceptingapplications for Civil GrandJury Service for the fiscal year2014-2015 term.

The Civil Grand Jury ismade up of 19 members whoserve for one year, July throughJune, to monitor, review andreport on city and county gov-ernments, special districts andschool districts. “Grand Juriesare the citizen watchdogs ofcivic functions,” says currentGrand Jury Foreman StephenConlin. “All county citizens havethe authority to call the juries’attention to issues within theirgovernmental agencies that theythink should be reviewed.”

Every effort is made toensure that the Grand Jury

reflects the makeup of the resi-dents of the county. Approxi-mately 60 applicants will beselected to be interviewed by theGrand Jury selection committee,which is composed of SuperiorCourt Judges. After interviews,the judges will nominateapproximately 30 applicants toconstitute a grand jury poolfrom which the final panel of 19will be selected by randomdrawing. The drawing is sched-uled to be held on Friday, June13, 2014, with the members ofthe 2014-2015 Grand Jury offi-cially being sworn in on thesame day.

Individuals selected for serv-ice will be expected to be avail-able during the last two weeks ofJune to meet with outgoing

jurors, tour county facilities,meet with department heads,become familiar with their col-leagues, learn about jurorresponsibilities and procedures,and select committees on whichthey will serve.

Grand jurors must be a Unit-ed States citizen, 18 years of ageor older, who have been a resi-dent of Contra Costa Countyfor at least one year prior toselection. They cannot currentlyhold any elected position withinthe county. Applicants shouldhave reliable transportation toMartinez, and must be preparedto devote at least 20 hours perweek to Civil Grand Jury serv-ice. Citizens who work shouldapply only if they can bereleased from their jobs to per-

form the jury duties. Applicantsselected as one of the 30 nomi-nees will be fingerprinted beforethe drawing.

Jurors receive a stipend forattending full jury and commit-tee meetings and are reim-bursed for allowable jury travel.Parking permits are provided topark in the city of Martinezwhile performing Grand Juryduties.

Persons interested in apply-ing may contact the Office ofthe Civil Grand Jury at 925-957-5638, or visit the website atwww.cc-courts.org/grandjuryto receive additional informa-tion regarding service on theCivil Grand Jury and to obtainan application. Applicationdeadline is Friday, March 28.

County Grand Jury seeks applicants

Exercises your heart will love

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6:30 - 8 PMWalnut Creek Office

IIRRAA BBeenneeffiicciiaarryy TTrruussttss“How to Add Structure and Protection

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Thursday, March 66:30 - 8 PM

Oakhurst Country Club, Clayton

Call to RSVP (925) 432-4211Or send email to [email protected]

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LITTORNO LAW GROUPUpcoming Seminars

Walnut Creek Office:3100 Oak Road, #100

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Pittsburg CA 94565

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Ilima Heuerman holds fitness certi-fications. She trains at Levity Fitnessstudio in Clayton. Email Ilima [email protected]

ILIMA HEUERMAN

FIT WITH LEVITY

PLANK POSITION

A financial power of attor-ney — sometimes called a“power of attorney for prop-erty” or a “general power ofattorney” — can be a valuableplanning tool. The most com-mon type is the durable powerof attorney, which allows anagent to act on the behalf of aperson (the “principal”) evenif the person becomes mental-ly incompetent or otherwiseincapacitated. It authorizes theagent to manage the principal’sinvestments, pay bills, file taxreturns and handle otherfinancial matters if the princi-pal is unable to do so as aresult of illness, injury, advanc-ing age or other circumstances.

The main disadvantage of apower of attorney is that it’ssusceptible to abuse by scamartists, dishonest caretakers orgreedy relatives. A broadlywritten power of attorneygives an agent unfetteredaccess to the principal’s bankand brokerage accounts, realestate and other assets. So ifyou have elderly parents orother family members who’vesigned powers of attorney,keep an eye on their agents’activities. And if you or aloved one is about to sign apower of attorney, make sureit includes safeguards to helpprevent abuse.

WATCH OUT FOR YOUR

LOVED ONES

Many people mistakenlybelieve that once an agent hasbeen given a power of attor-ney, there’s little that can be

done to stop the agent frommisappropriating money orproperty. In fact, despite thesebroad powers, an agent has afiduciary duty to the principal,requiring him or her to actwith the utmost good faith andloyalty when acting on theprincipal’s behalf.

If you suspect that an eld-erly family member is a victimof financial abuse by the hold-er of a power of attorney, con-tact an attorney as soon aspossible. The sooner you act,the greater the chances you’llrecover some or all of theproperty. Your relative may beable to sue the agent forbreach of fiduciary duty orconversion and obtain injunc-tive relief, damages (includingpunitive damages) and attor-neys’ fees.

Conversion involves anagent’s use of the principal’sproperty for his or her ownbenefit or otherwise in a man-ner inconsistent with the prin-cipal’s ownership rights. Keepin mind that in most states, toestablish an agent’s liability forconversion, you must showthat the principal demandedthe return of the property(preferably in writing) and thatthe agent refused to do so.

TAKE STEPS TO

PREVENT ABUSE

If you or a family memberplans to execute a power ofattorney, there are steps youcan take to minimize the riskof abuse:

Make sure the agent issomeone you know and trust.

Consider using a “spring-ing” power of attorney, whichdoesn’t take effect until certainconditions are met, such as aphysician’s certification thatthe principal has become inca-pacitated.

Use a “special” or “limited”power of attorney that detailsthe agent’s specific powers.The drawback of thisapproach is that it limits theagent’s ability to deal withunanticipated circumstances.

Appoint a “monitor” orother third party to reviewtransactions executed by theagent, and require the moni-tor’s approval of transactionsover a certain dollar amount.

Provide that the appoint-ment of a guardian automati-cally revokes the power ofattorney.

Some state laws containspecial requirements, such as aseparate rider to authorize anagent to make large gifts orconduct other major transac-tions.

ACT NOW

When dealing with powersof attorney, the sooner youact, the better. If you’re pursu-ing legal remedies against anagent, the sooner you proceed,the greater your chances ofrecovery. And if you wish toexecute or revoke a power ofattorney for yourself, you needto do so while you’re mentallycompetent.


Q. You have mentionedthat high end luxury homesare now selling well. Whatare some of the featuresthose buyers demand?

A. There was a recent sur-vey of 500 luxury home buyersrecently. This group placeshigh value on real estate. Amajority believe their realestate is a bigger indicator ofsuccess than their job title.They also believe that homeownership is a sounder invest-ment than the stock market.One interesting fact is almostall of these buyers believe theirhouse is the best one on theblock. These are some of theirdesires:• Sixty-six percent expressed a

stronger desire for a “smart”home than a “green” home.A whopping 87 percent saidthey wouldn’t consider pur-chasing a home that wasn’ttech friendly.

• Outdoor amenities are a mustfor the luxury buyer. Therewas big interest, for example,in a garden oasis, outdoorfireplace or fire pit and a sep-arate guest house outside ofthe main home. Most wanteda dramatic water feature andan outdoor kitchen.

• Fifty-three percent said theyprefer owning multiple“lifestyle” homes to support

their lifestyle activities, suchas skiing or cultural events.Fifty-eight percent said theyalready owned multiplehomes.

• Sixty percent said they wouldhave as many upgrades asthey can afford rather thangreater square footage. Most,94 percent, of the luxuryhome owners surveyed wouldbe willing to give up 1,000square feet of living space intheir home in order to get theamenities they most desire.These include a better neigh-borhood, living in a housewith character, more land,access to dining and enter-tainment and a shorter com-mute.

Q. We are in the process ofselling our home. We havelived here for five years. Dur-ing that time we have put inmany expensive energy effi-cient features. During theappraisal process these up-grades added little value.Why would that be? I woulddefinitely pay more for a homethat was energy efficient.

A. This has been a problemfor awhile now. It is very frus-trating that the appraisers andlenders are behind the timeson this issue. I am happy to saythat this problem is finallybeing recognized by our gov-ernment. A bipartisan Senatebill supported by a broad coali-tion of business, real estate,energy and environmentalgroups seeks to put energycost savings into the under-writing equation for loans.Called the SAVE Act (for Sen-sible Accounting to ValueEnergy), the legislation couldmake energy-efficient featuresmore affordable to average-income home buyers by allow-ing them to qualify for a largerloan amount.

The legislation wouldrequire Fannie Mae, FreddieMac and the Federal HousingAdministration (FHA) toincorporate energy efficiencyinto their underwriting poli-cies. The Department of

Housing and Urban Develop-ment would set the guidelinesfor a homeowner or buyer tosubmit a qualified home-ener-gy report.

I am sorry that this remedyisn’t available yet for you.Good luck.

Must-haves for luxury home-buyers

Send your question and look for youranswer in a future column. [email protected]. French is thebroker/owner of Windermere LynneFrench & Associates. Contact her at672-878 7or stop in at 6200 CenterSt., Clayton.LYNNE FRENCH

REAL ANSWERS

The Law Office of

Daniel L. DuReeEstate Planning Attorney

Please call today for acomplimentary consultation

(925) 210-14001535 N. Main St., Walnut Creek

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Richard A. Littorno is an attor-ney specializing in estate planning.He has offices in Walnut Creek andPittsburg. Send your questions [email protected].

What a difference a coupleof years make! The tremendoussuccess of Clayton Valley Char-ter High School has created a“supply and demand” environ-ment where many more stu-dents want to enroll in CVCHSthan in years past. Whileschools and districts face

myriad challenges, big andsmall, one problem that everyschool superintendent wishesthey had was that of handlinggrowth in enrollment. What hasbeen a bit of a surprise for mepersonally in taking the helm ofCVCHS is just how hungry fam-ilies in the area are for a firstclass public high school. Parentsand students thrive when youhave teachers, staff and admin-istrations that truly care, workhard to prepare effective lessonsevery day and go out of theirway to strive for excellence inthe classroom, in center quad

and in the athletic arena. Whenall systems are firing at fullcapacity and working in harmo-ny, schools can become placesof educational excellence.

When they aren’t —whenschools and districts are strug-gling and declining in enroll-ment —jobs are lost, budgetsare cut, and families look forgreener pastures. At CVCHS, wefind ourselves in the fortunateposition of having more than1,000 applications for the 2014-15 school year.

To maintain our currentenrollment of 2,000 we would

typically just replace the gradu-ating class with the same num-ber of enrolling students,which would allow us to onlyenroll about 500. I have a verydifficult time, as do the boardmembers and staff, turningdown so many students whosedreams are to attend CVCHS— an academic powerhousewith a positive school cultureand excellence in music andthe arts as well as athletics.

So what do we do about the1000 applications? There is noroom at the inn!

Our mission as a charter

school is to educate all stu-dents to become first class cit-izens with a world class educa-tion. When we say all, we cer-tainly are not thinking of thecapacity of our facility, or thesize of our community or eventhe number of applications.The mission is about morethan a number – it articulates acore belief, it sums up our edu-cational philosophy, it is a callto action for every CVCHSemployee.

The reality is that we areinhibited by certain uncontrol-lable factors. So the CVCHSadministrative team is workingextremely hard to come upwith the solution to ourgrowth problem. The goodnews is we do have optionsand we have made a proposalto MDUSD, our landlords, toadd additional interim housing

on campus and within a coupleof years, add permanent class-rooms. If all goes according toplan, we will be able to accom-modate about 500 more stu-dents over the next couple ofyears. And with increased zeroand seventh period classoptions, we can even balanceout the additional traffic flow.

I am very pleased with thecommitment of our staff andour governing board to accom-modate our demand. This iswhy we are educators and thisis what our calling is: make adifference in as many lives aspossible, to prepare studentsto become meaningful partici-pants and contributors in soci-ety, and to shape the future.

Known as the day to showyour loved ones how muchthey mean to you by buyingthem chocolates and life-sizedteddy bears, Valentine’s Dayhas come again. And althoughto some Valentine’s Day isconsidered a scam created bythe candy business to makemoney off of poor civilians inlove, I beg to differ.

Valentine’s Day was tradi-tionally celebrated long beforebig candy companies like Her-shey’s were even in existence.The legend of St. Valentineseems both improbable andastonishing, but somehow ringswith a sense of truth.

There are various differentlegends that tell the story ofthe heroic St. Valentine; onestory portrays him as a manwho was imprisoned unjustly,fell in love with the daughterof the jail keeper, and coinedthe phrase “from your Valen-

tine” because of the letters hewould smuggle to her. Anotherstory says that EmperorClaudius II of Rome bannedmarriage in the third centuryin order to keep his militarymen from spousal distractions.Upon hearing this, St. Valen-tine rebelled and married cou-ples in secret. When he wasdiscovered, he was sentencedto death.

Thus, Valentines Day wasnot created so that someinvestors could fill their pock-ets with money, but was a dayto celebrate the relationshipswe have with friends, familyand significant others.

Some may still argue thatpeople in the candy, flower andstuffed animal businesses takeadvantage of this celebrationfor personal profit, and withthis I do not argue. These peo-ple use marketing and othertechniques to sell their prod-ucts on this famous day; how-ever we do not have to perceivethis as something bad, becausethese companies do nothingwrong. We, the consumers,choose to believe what the mar-keting and advertising special-ists tell us; no one is beingforced to buy anything forValentine’s Day, but people buythings anyway.

By definition, a scam is a dis-honest way to make money bydeceiving people. There is nodeception here because theselarge businesses did not createthe image of love, and they didnot invent the idea that you have

to give someone a gift because itis Valentines Day. For centuries,it has been customary to showyour affection with a simple roseor with some kind of gift on thisspecial day. What people believeis a scam is actually their beliefthat they have to go above andbeyond to make sure othersknow of their affection.

It all boils down to competi-tion: the size of the gift yougive equates to the amount oflove you have. This day of lovehas become subject to competi-tion, but that does not mean wehave to accuse big corporationsof scamming everyone in theUnited States.

The day that originated fromthe legendary St. Valentine liveson as a cherished festivity, wherelove and peace reigns. Why tar-nish this day with false claimsand controversy?

Pine Hollow Middle Schooldidn’t pinch pennies when itcame to its annual Pennies for

Patients Drive, but it still wasn’tas much as last year.

Pennies for Patients is anorganization that raises moneyfor the Leukemia and Lym-phoma Society. The proceedshelp patients suffering fromlymphoma or leukemia to payfor treatments and other med-ical expenses.

However, one thing that hasconfused the Leadership classwas, why did we get less dona-tions than last year? When PineHollow Middle School held theannual drive last year, they col-lected $2,123.55. This year, theschool collected $1,095.28.

After talking to some of thestudents at Pine Hollow, some

thought it was because of thedrop in number of students.Others thought it is because thestudents weren’t motivatedenough. Teachers believe thatnon-participation is due to theage of the students and thatthey do not want to participatein fundraisers anymore.

As part of the Leadershipclass, I get to observe what goeson during Pennies for Patients. Ithink that the students weren’tmotivated enough, it wasn’tadvertised as well as it couldhave been, and because of adecrease in the number of stu-dents at Pine Hollow MiddleSchool. I think the studentsweren’t motivated because they

didn’t know where the moneywas going to go.

Plus, over the past twoyears, Pine Hollow MiddleSchool has lost about 50 stu-dents, not including graduatingeighth graders. This is a majorfactor because it means thatless donations were coming in.Although this year we donatedover $1,000 dollars, we are hop-ing that next year we will have agreater turn out.

When Julianna Baker (Juli)moves in across the street fromBryce Lowski in the beginningof second grade, Juli immediate-ly feels a connection betweenthe two, but Bryce isn’t sure ifhe feels the same way.

In “Flipped” by WendelinVan Draanen (Ember; May2003), Juli publicly admiresBryce through elementaryschool and middle school. Eventhough Bryce was showingabsolutely no signs of liking Juli,the confident dreamer held onto him in hopes that one day hewould come to his senses.

After years and years of

smiling at him in class and tryingto make a conversation with himwhenever she had the chance,Juli gave up on trying to be

Bryce’s superwoman. Shestopped looking at him throughher window and quit her habitof catching quick glances ofhim at school.

Once Bryce realized that Julihad given up, he wasn’t the leastbit relieved, he felt empty. Afterputting up with Juli constantlylooking over his shoulder sincethe second grade, Bryce hadgrown accustomed to her alwaysbeing there. One day at a dateauction at their school, Brycewas done pretending like he did-n’t have feelings for Juli so hemade a decision to do some-thing that instantly switches the

train tracks and puts the storyon a whole new path.

I read this book for the firsttime when I was in sixth gradewith my reading class and Iloved the story and the messageso much that I bought my owncopy of the book for myselfalong with the movie. I musthave read and seen them both adozen times. The tragic andhumorous tale of Juli and Bryceis impeccably sculpted and amust-read novel.


David Linzey is executive directorof CVCHS. Contact [email protected]

DAVID LINZEY

VOYAGE OF THE EAGLE

Liliana Hernandez is a Senior atClayton Valley Charter High School.She loves to read and plans to pursueher interest in writing in the future.Send email to her at [email protected]

CARLIE BEESON

PINE HOLLOWREPORTER Carlie Beeson is an 8th grader at

Pine Hollow Middle School. Sheenjoys reading, playing soccer, andsinging. Questions or comments? Sendher an Email at [email protected]

Emily York is a freshman atCVCHS.

PHMS collects ‘Pennies for Patients’

When teenage emotions get ‘Flipped’

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DVMS has been workingwith Defying Gravity Founda-tion, a drama program dedicatedto helping children of the EastBay find their passion for the

arts. The program is run byMargie Morris and AmandaPouch. Students meet Wednes-days after school to rehearse forthe upcoming performance,while also learning acting andsinging skills. Other performingarts programs require partici-pants to audition first beforejoining the cast. Defying Gravi-ty is unique because studentspractice their theatre skillsbefore auditioning for a part.

Through improvisation andsinging games, students learnskills that will help them be con-fident on stage. In one of theseexercises, students are broken

into groups. Each group mustcreate a scene and then performit for the class. After presentingthe skit, an instructor will givethe students a twist; such as, “dothis scene in a made-up lan-guage” or “do this scene inslow-motion.” This game notonly stretches improvisationalskills, but also fosters coopera-tion and teamwork.

“It gives people courage toperform in front of other peo-ple which can help for futurepresentations, said studentEmma Kelly. “Defying Gravityhas given me that courage.”

Defying Gravity has helpedseveral schools in the Bay pro-duce shows, including Annie,

Oliver Twist, and A ChristmasCarol. This spring, Diablo Viewwill be performing The Wizardof Oz (dates to be announced).

Defying Gravity Foundationis an unforgettable drama expe-rience that encourages students’confidence and performanceskills while also supporting theirpassion for the arts and theatre.

For more information, go towww.defyinggravityfoundation.org

DVMS defies gravitywith after-school program

CAITLIN REIMER

DVMS REPORTER

Why Valentine’s Day has heart

LILIANA HERNANDEZ

TEEN SPEAK

Caitlin Reimer is a sixth graderat Diablo View Middle School. Sheenjoys dancing, reading, writing, act-ing, and volleyball.

Concord is poised tobecome a more vibrant city withthriving businesses, uniqueneighborhoods and a global per-spective that will serve it wellinto the 21st Century.

At least that is the opinion ofnew Mayor Tim Grayson, whoshared his vision at the annualstate-of-the city address Jan. 29,in front of residents, businessleaders and local politicos.

Anyone who talks to theeffervescent Grayson knows heis passionate about his commu-nity, and that passion camethrough in his address.

“We can go from a dot onthe map to a star on the globe,”he said. “Concord has survivedfire, the Great Depression, thebuilding of malls and freeways,a debilitating recession, andwe’ve survived. In fact, we arethriving.”

At the forefront of that factis that the city is “emerging

stronger than ever” from therecent economic decline and theloss of vital redevelopmentfunds that plagued previousadministrations. He cites theresidents support of MeasureQ, a half-cent sales tax, as amajor reason the city was able tostay financially afloat.

And now, thanks to Con-cord’s emergence as a car salesMecca and other businessgrowth, as well as such develop-ments as the reemergence ofrunning the Concord Pavilion,

the city is able to move forward,Grayson says.

The heart of his vision isfueled by three distinct areas ofinterest: the future developmentof downtown from the ConcordBART station to Todos SantosPlaza, the continued enrichmentof Monument Boulevard, andwhat he calls “the diamond in therough,” the eventual develop-ment of the Concord NavalWeapons Station.

“Grant Street can becomeConcord’s Santana Row,”

Grayson said of downtown. “Itcan become rich in performingarts, shopping, cultural eventsand festivals.” He even envisionsa performing arts center and aconference center.

He cites the new additions ofa Walgreens and a 7-11 asimprovements to the Monu-ment corridor, while also retain-ing its rich culture and econom-ic vitality.

But it is the weapons stationthat perhaps has the most bangfor the buck, as the huge addi-tion to the city will bring thou-sands of new residents, not tomention the possibility of amajor sports complex, a PGA-level golf course, a world-classhotel, businesses, and perhapseven a university.

“Concord is home, it’s whatwe love,” Grayson said. “I willdo whatever it takes to make

sure we grow responsibly.”Another project close to

Grayson’s heart is the develop-ment of a Family Justice Center.Already he is working with theConcord Police Departmentand local politicians and lawenforcement officials like Dis-trict Attorney Mark Peterson tomake that a reality. It will help tocurb domestic violence in andaround Concord.

Grayson was first elected tothe council in 2010, and is thefirst mayor in more than twodecades to serve a two-yearterm. He is in the unique posi-tion of having to run for citycouncil re-election next fallhalfway through his mayoralterm.

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Just a few years ago, the $1.5million proceeds from thePolice Unity Tour went directlyto restoring the walls of themonument and refinishing thenames to “a beautiful state,”Sansen says.

Although the Unity Tourbegan with a group of fourguys in New Jersey, it hasbecome a national and interna-tional draw for a large numberof police officers, many ofthem on the West Coast. Offi-cer Hart first got involved inthe ride five years ago andbrought in Sansen a year later,seeing it as a way to personallyhonor those they have lost intheir profession.

“This is a way for me toshow gratitude to the officerswho have gone ahead of me andgiven their lives in the line of

duty,” says Hart. “It helps me toknow that I’m honoring themand the sacrifice that they andtheir families have made. It’s notjust about them, it’s also abouttheir families and their loss.

“It really helps me to feelbetter about my profession andknow that I’m doing somethingto honor those people who havemade such a great sacrifice,”Hart says.

TOUGH TRAINING

To prepare for the tough300-mile ride, each of the offi-cers begins some type of train-ing months in advance to makesure they are ready for four longdays on the bike.

“On an average day when weride out there, we’ll be in theseat upwards of 8-10 hours,”says Krista Sansen. “And if

you’re smart you’ll start trainingsix months ahead of time.”

Several of the officers usetheir training time biking MountDiablo together. They also varybetween what Sansen called“long and flat” and “short andsteep.” The focus is being pre-pared for the cardio demandand being in the seat for a longperiod of time, she says. Addi-tionally, each rider is required tocomplete a 50-mile training ridebefore the tour.

But the work is worth it, theofficers who’ve made the treksay. The riders typically receive a“hero’s welcome” in several ofthe communities they ridethrough on the tour.

“There’s one guy in particu-lar, when we’re riding throughJersey, who comes out with hisbagpipes and he’ll serenade usas we’re riding by,” says KristaSansen. “Those kinds of thingsmake it really incredible.”

Hart says that in some of

the communities they ridethrough, some of the schoolswill actually let their studentsout and come out to the streetto cheer the riders on and holdup signs. “We’ll get the occa-sional fly-by from a police heli-copter, which is always inspira-tional when you’re grueling outa hundred mile day,” he says.

Although the ride raisesfunds for the Memorial, eachofficer is driven by a deepappreciation for their comradesand a passion for honoringthem, they say.

“It’s kind of a calling,” saysKrista Sansen. “Once you do it,it’s hard to not do it again. Justrealizing that it could be any oneof us at anytime, it’s good to getout there and remember.”

To donate to the Police UnityTour, please contact the ConcordPolice Department, (925) 671-3220.

Memorial, from page 1

The city of Concord is turn-ing green, both economicallyand through a number of sus-tainable projects and programson tap.

The city has completed oneof the largest, most ambitioussolar and energy efficiency proj-ects in the Bay Area. The Ener-gy Service Company (ESCO)project, in association withChevron, included solar energyand numerous infrastructureupgrades which have reducedthe city’s energy and mainte-nance costs. Over the life of theproject we will save more than$18 million.

The centerpiece of the proj-ect is a 200-kilowatt solar powersystem that will reduce electrici-ty usage at the Concord Com-munity Pool by more than 70percent. Additionally, the proj-ect often generates more elec-tricity than is required, creatingan overage which will be appliedto future bills. This will be par-ticularly useful during the winter

season when the solar panels arenot generating as much energyand power bills are generallyhigher.

The project also includedreplacing and upgrading existinginfrastructure city-wide, includ-ing 1,600-plus street lights, cool-ing and heating systems in cityfacilities, and the replacement ofswimming pool equipment. Inall, these infrastructure upgradesand energy efficiencies areexpected to reduce future elec-tricity usage by 30 percent andthe city’s annual carbon foot-print by more than 3,200 metrictons of CO2. That will have thesame impact as eliminatingmore than 600 vehicles from theroad.

These are just some of theways Concord is being “green.”Here are others:

The city has also developed aClimate Action Plan, whichdefines policies, measures andstrategies to improve health,safety, mobility and livabilityacross Concord by reducinggreenhouse gas emissions andstreamlining environmentalreview processes.

Through a grant, the city

will be purchasing 10 electriccars and charging stations. Thecharging stations will be locatedat the Civic Center, ConcordPolice Department and the city’sCorporation Yard.

Concord’s sustainability rep-utation has also been bolsteredby recognition for the visionexpressed in the Reuse Plan forthe Concord Naval WeaponsStation, which was adopted bythe city council. The plan estab-lishes a new benchmark in plan-ning for sustainable communi-ties of the future, winning anInnovation in Green Communi-ty Planning Award of Meritfrom the Northern CaliforniaChapter of the American Plan-ning Association. In addition,Save Mount Diablo, an organi-zation dedicated to preservingpark and open space, awardedthe city its Mountain StarAlliance Award for its “incredi-bly visionary leadership” duringthe six-year reuse plan process.

Concord also received theContra Costa Leadership in Sus-tainability Award from Sustain-able Contra Costa for outstand-ing contributions and commit-ment to a healthy environment,

economy and society.Concord has again been

named a Tree City USA com-munity by the National ArborDay Foundation. The nationalaward honors Concord’s com-mitment to its community for-est. Concord is also the recipientof a Tree City Growth Awardfor demonstrating progress inits community forestry program.

The city council passed theComplete Streets GeneralAmendment Plan which includ-ed designing a transportationsystem which meets the needspedestrians, bicyclists and publictransit patrons as well asmotorists. The council is alsodeveloping a Downtown Specif-ic plan that includes these sametransportation elements.

Concord is committed todeveloping and implementingenvironmental policies and pro-grams that will help make ourcity more livable and beautiful,and protect the environment forfuture generations.

Ron Leone is vice mayor and a for-mer mayor of Concord. Email com-ments or questions to [email protected], or call (925) 680-1776

‘Green’ programs planfor a sustainable future

RON LEONE

CONCORDCITY BEAT

Do you know a child who ispassionate about recycling? Ifso, they can enter Mt. DiabloRecycling’s first ever RecyclingContest for elementary, middleschool and high school students.

The contest is an effort toencourage the youth of ContraCosta County to share theirrecycling knowledge and inspirethe greater community toincrease their recycling behavior.

Each contest entrant isbeing asked to answer thequestion, “How are youencouraging your family,friends and community torecycle?” by drawing a picture,writing an essay, or creating avideo, depending on their age.

“There is no better way toinfluence the entire communityabout the importance of recy-cling than to educate andembolden our kids to share theirknowledge,” said Mt. Diablo

Recycling’s Nicole Impagliazzo.“Small, daily steps that keepmore and more items out oflandfills will have a lasting effecton the health and sustainabilityof our neighborhoods.”

Cash prizes range from $50to $500. Recipients will be cho-sen by a panel of communityexperts based on the applicant’screativity and clarity, and theoverall effectiveness of the recy-cling project. Winners will beannounced at Mt. Diablo Recy-cling Earth Day event on April26 at the Recycling Center, 1300Loveridge Rd. in Pittsburg.

Look for entry forms and fullinstructions for each age group on theMt. Diablo Recycling website:www.mtdiablorecycling.com. Click onthe Recycling Contest tab. Submitcompleted entry by email to [email protected] byApril 4.

Feel a need to get some dirtunder your fingernails?

The city of Concord is look-ing for 150 volunteers to plant56 trees at the BoatwrightSports Complex this Saturday.The Concord planting is part ofa much larger effort to get 1,700trees in the ground in one day inthe Bay Area and San JoaquinValley.

The project is sponsored byInvest from the Ground Up, aprogram of the CaliforniaUrban Forest Council. Concordwas awarded a grant from the

sponsor to cover the cost of thetrees. When the trees aremature, the trees will remove2.13 tons of CO2 and 560 lbs.of pollutants from the air everyyear.

To participate, bring a shov-el, gloves and a water bottle tothe Boatwright fields, Saturday,February 15, at 8:30 a.m. Theplanting should finish by noon.Carpooling is encouraged.

For more information, [email protected].

State of the City message – Concord is thrivingPEGGY SPEAR

Clayton Pioneer

Concord parks needsvolunteers to help withtree-planting project

Recycling contesttargets creative students

A new coach came on boardand a star player graduated butClayton Valley Charter HighSchool girls basketball continuesto roll through Diablo ValleyAthletic League competition asthe team heads towards a possi-ble third undefeated leaguerecord in the past four years andanother trip to the North CoastSection tournament.

Girls basketball is the onlyCVCHS winter sports team thatis a cinch to earn a berth in theseason-ending NCS playoffs.

Their male counterparts onnew coach Eric Bamberger’steam suffered a tough 70-67decision last Friday to North-gate, which dropped the Eagles’record to 6-3 entering Fridaynight’s game at College Park,the undefeated league leaders.Overall CVCHS is 13-9 and willbe battling for one of the 16DII playoff berths. An upset ofthe Falcons and closing outwith three straight league winswill bolster their chances.

Clayton Valley soccer maybe shut out from NCS for thefirst time in nearly a decade.

Scott Booth’s girls are in abattle for second place withNorthgate entering the league’sfinal games this Thursday. CVcloses out DVAL action host-ing undefeated league champi-on College Park on SeniorNight. A loss will probablyhand the runner-up spot to theBroncos and would level theEagles season record at 9-9-2,putting them on the bubble toreach the Division I section

playoffs. Clayton Valley hasbeen in the girls soccer playoffsfor the past eight seasons.

New coach Guillermo Jarahas seen his boys CVCHS soc-cer squad rebound from arough start to the season toeven its league record at 5-5-1before Thursday’s finale at Col-lege Park. Ygnacio Valley hasalready clinched a third straightDVAL boys title. The Eagleshave found themselves in acluster of five teams (exceptunbeaten YV and winless Bere-an Christian) battling for sec-ond through sixth places andfinal standings won’t be clearuntil the league season con-cludes this week.

WRESTLERS GEAR UP

Clayton Valley Charterwrestling is gearing up for theDVAL and NCS tournaments.Coach Kyle Behmlander’s teamwill be in the league tourna-ment next Wednesday at heavi-ly-favored College Park hopingto qualify numerous wrestlersfor NCS, which is at NewarkMemorial High Feb. 28-Mar. 1,a week before the State Meet inBakersfield.

The first three finishers ineach weight class at league meetmove on to NCS.

Perhaps the biggest favoritein Clayton Valley wrestling forpost-season honors is defend-ing 146-pound NCS girls cham-pion Kristina Arteaga, who willbe in the 152 division at theNCS meet this Friday and Sat-urday in Pittsburg. Girls StateMeet is Feb. 28-Mar. 1 inVisalia. Arteaga was seventhlast year at State.

GIRLS BASKETBALL SEEK

UNBEATEN MARK

Paul Kommer took over theCVCHS girls basketball pro-gram last spring from predeces-sor Bernard Barnes, whoresigned after last season whenthe Eagles reached the North-ern California playoffs for thesecond time in three years. Starplayer Ashley Allen graduatedafter twice winning the DVALMVP award.

Non-league play prettymuch matched wins with lossesbut the Eagles have found theircomfort zone in DVAL playand may be headed to a third12-0 record since the 2010-11season. A pair of wins overarch-rival Northgate has led theway for the Eagles.

Last Friday CVCHS cameaway with a 21-point home-court victory over the Broncos.Senior center Kayla Taylor had21 points and 10 rebounds for adouble double while HaileyPascoe scored 18 and sparkedan early comeback after theEagles fell behind 16-5.

Annemarie Del Bene dishedfive assists, junior guard Mor-gan Giacobazzi grabbed sixrebounds and Sarah Williamsscored 16 on Senior Night asthe Eagles had a well-roundedeffort. Northgate was led byjunior guard Madison Castenwho had a trio of three-pointbaskets in her 11 points andDrew Chase with 10.

Standing between theEagles and an undefeatedleague season this Friday after-noon is current second-place

Sports

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer


See Playoffs, page 11

Photo courtesy CVCHS basketball by Scott Anderson

JUNIOR GUARD MORGAN GIACOBAZZI (11) tried to shake her Northgate defender Cecilia Cuneo(24) when Clayton Valley defeated rival Northgate 53-45 in Walnut Creek. The Eagles doubledup on their rivals with a 67-46 win last Friday in the return game between the DVAL’s perennialtop two girls basketball teams in Dan Della Gym at CVCHS.

HS sports head towards winter playoffs, tournaments

DANA HILLS SWIM TEAM REGISTRATION STARTS FEB. 28Dana Hills Swim Team kicks off the 2014 summer swim season

with a Registration Night on Friday, Feb. 28, at Sports Basement in Wal-nut Creek from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Registration and swim season volunteerjob preferences will be taken. Sports Basement will provide refresh-ments and 10% off all purchases. The DHST coaching staff will meetthe attendees and discuss the Otters program. New members will alsobe given the option to sign up for the team on a free, one-week “trial”basis. Online registration opens Saturday, Mar. 1. For additional info,please visit danahillsotters.com.

XAVIER CRAWFORD GOING TO OREGON STATE FOOTBALLVersatile player Xavier Crawford from Clayton Valley Charter High

made a switch from San Diego St. to Oregon State of the Pac-12 lastweek on national letter of intent day. Crawford, a senior transfer last sea-son to CVCHS, played the latter half of the season for the league cham-pion Eagles. Coach Tim Murphy says, “Xavier is an extremely talented

football player who can do a lot of things and play a lot of positions. Ifhe gives it everything he has and completely commits himself he couldeventually play on Sundays.” Crawford will be “greyshirted” next yearwill. Coach Mike Riley’s Beavers also have a handful of players from DeLa Salle, including incoming freshman Sumner Houston.

DIABLO FC SOCCER TRYOUTS FOR 2014 TEAMS THIS WEEKTryouts for girls and boys Diablo FC competitive teams in the under

15 through U19 age groups will be held in March and April high schoolage teams on the area’s premier competitive soccer program, which isaffiliated with the San Jose Earthquakes. Players who missed U8-U14tryouts can sign up for a player evaluation on the club website. There isno cost to try out and players can register online at diablofc.org.

REGISTRATION FOR MANY YOUTH, ADULT SPRING PROGRAMS

ENDING SOON AT CLAYTON GYMA variety of spring programs at Clayton Community Gym begin in

March and signup deadlines are approaching for the All Out SportsLeague programs. Youth volleyball league (Feb. 25), youth hip hop class-es (Feb. 28), youth basketball league (Mar. 1), tee ball and tot soccer(Mar. 5) are still accepting registrations. Adult Sunday softball league

begins March 16, a week after a coed softball tournament Mar. 9 in Clay-ton. For complete information on all the programs, visit alloutsport-sleague.com.

20TH CVCHS ATHLETIC BOOSTERS

CRAB FEED & AUCTION MAR. 15Clayton Valley Charter High School Athletic Boosters will hold their

20th annual Crab Feed and Auction on Saturday, Mar. 15, at CentreConcord. Tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis and the pop-ular event always sells out. Must be 21 or older to attend. For more infoemail [email protected] or go to cvhsboosters.org to order tick-ets for a night of food, drink, dancing, exciting auctions and outstand-ing raffle prizes. The event is at Centre Concord. Doors open at 5:30p.m. with dinner served at 7 p.m.

OAKHURST ORCAS SIGNUPS FOR 2014 UPCOMINGOakhurst Orcas summer recreation swim team registration dates are

Mar. 12 and Apr. 11 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Oakhurst Country Club. Earlyregistration discounts are available before March 12. Information isavailable at oakhurstorcas.com.

Sports Shorts

San Francisco Giants andOakland A’s pitchers andcatchers report this Friday for

spring training. They havenothing on Clayton ValleyCharter High School playerswho began formal practicesthis past Monday as they pre-pare for the school’s 55th base-

ball season.Clayton Valley baseball got

things rolling last month withthe second annual Hot StoveDinner bringing together 300former and current players,coaches and team supportersto share stories and get every-one primed for 2014 and theDiablo Valley Athletic Leaguecampaign. Coach Casey Coak-ley’s Eagles are perennialNorth Coast Section partici-pants (15 straight years) andhope this season is no differ-ent as they look to dethronefour-time NCS championCampolindo.

The team has a pair of col-lege-bound Division I playersin Grant Meylan and GarrettNelson, who will head off toSanta Clara and Long BeachState, respectively, next fall.The Eagles have won four ofthe past five league champi-onships and in six of the past

seven years CV has reachedthe Section semi-finals orfinals.

Baseball practice beganMonday with the team’s firstscrimmage at De La Salle nextMonday with the first pre-sea-son game at Pittsburg Feb. 25on the new all-weather surfacediamond on the school’s cam-pus. Coakley has his teamentered in the prestigious St.Francis Elite 8 Tournamentover the Easter break in April.

The DVAL has also re-introduced a post-season base-ball tournament for the firsttime in almost two decades.

The Hot Stove Dinner inWalnut Creek featured severalspeakers including pitchingcoach Herc Pardi, Tom DiMer-curio, Bob Johnson, Coakleyand Vince Bruno, 2009 NCSchampion who is competingfor a starting position at Calthis spring.

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

CASEY COAKLEY (LEFT) AND BOB RALSTON have lead ClaytonValley High School baseball to tremendous success since 1999and enjoy a respite from coaching at the recent Hot StoveDinner. Coakley is in his second season as head coach andalso led the Eagles in 2007-08 when Ralston left the school tocoach at Diablo Valley College. Ralston was head coach from1999-2006 and 2009-11 before moving to his alma materCal State East Bay. Coakley ran the Los Medanos baseball pro-gram from 2009-12. Herc Pardi was Eagles head coach in2012. The school has reached the NCS playoffs for 15consecutive years.

Photos courtesy Clayton Valley Charter High baseball

THE STORIES WERE TALL AND THE SMILES LARGE at the second annu-al Clayton Valley Baseball Hot Stove Dinner last month inWalnut Creek. CV alums and former Eagle players, from left,Steve Simmons, Ronnie Simmons, Herc Pardi, Craig Olson andJack Duncan shared memories.

Clayton Valley baseball Hot Stove Dinner readies team for season

Clayton Valley LittleLeague volunteers are unusual-ly busy this month as theyscramble to get everything setfor the 2014 season. Still reel-ing from the recent revelationthat they are unlikely to haveuse of three fields on the Clay-ton Valley Charter HighSchool campus, the league iscoming up with alternativepractice and playing sites afterrecently concluding the draftfor 22 baseball teams sched-uled to play at CVCHS fields.

Practice is underway and,for the time being, will go onas usual on the fields at thehigh school where the localyouth baseball organization

has played for the past 40years. However, league offi-cials anticipate that theirMarch-June playing season willnot have use of those fields.

It was announced lastmonth that Clayton ValleyCharter is pursuing an expan-sion of its campus to accom-modate approximately 300additional students for the2014-15 school year starting inmid-August. It was determinedthe best and most practical siteto add sufficient classroomson school property is whereCVLL has its Minor B andMajor division fields alongAcademy Rd.

Adding an additional twistto the expansion situation,CVCHS was served with aTitle IX complaint right before

the winter break allegingunequal athletic facilities andopportunities for girl and boyathletes at the school. A majorportion of the complaint cen-tered on the shared use of theMajor and Minor A diamondsfor CVCHS softball andCVLL. The permit for thisyear from the school to the lit-tle league eliminated use ofthose fields on Tuesdays andThursdays so that the Eaglessoftball teams can play gameson the diamonds.

This added additional chal-lenges for little league schedul-ing says CVLL president KevinChristiansen. “Because of Inter-national Little League rules onpitch counts we don’t schedulegames on Mondays and Thurs-days [for pitcher rest days from

Saturday games].”Christiansen says the league

and school are “partnering forthe greater good” to find imme-diate short-term field solutions.A primary option is to “rehab”four fields in Concord and Clay-ton the league currently usesonly for practice to “game ready.All of these solutions costmoney and we are getting lots ofbids from contractors,” he adds.Time is of the essence, heunderstated.

Concurrently the CVLLboard is busy looking for a newhome within its boundaries for2015 and beyond where theleague can again have multiplefields, snack shack and storage.

All of these issues swirlaround as Mar. 23 opening daylooms closer and closer.

Kristina Arteaga enjoyswatching mixed martial artsmatches on TV and told her dadEnrique that she would like tobecome a MMA fighter. Being apractical father, Enrique suggest-ed she try wrestling at ClaytonValley Charter High School tosee how she would do in a con-tact sport on the mat and learnone of the skills that MMA com-petitors need to master.

That was in 2012 whenKristina was preparing for herjunior year and after completingthe fall water polo season sheturned out for the Eagleswrestling team without “know-ing the rules, how to do a take-down, anything!” She was theonly girl on CVCHS wrestlingcoach Kyle Behmlander’s squadand thus was thrust into trainingsolely with boys, most of whomhad years in the sport.

Some of that competitionand experience must haverubbed off on Arteaga, whocompleted her first year by win-ning the North Coast Sectiongirls championship at 146pounds and ended up seventh atthe State Meet. She hopes torepeat her NCS success Mar. 1at Pittsburg High before movingon two weeks later to the CIFState Meet in Visalia.

Arteaga’s success last yearencouraged four other girls —

seniors Vanessa Parham andSeana Martir-Cortes and fresh-men Claire Smithey and AishaBoudiz — to join the Eagleswrestling team, although she stilldoes her “live action” trainingagainst boys at Clayton Valley.This season Arteaga has accu-mulated a 13-2 record including11 pins and also has one winagainst a male wrestler. Both herlosses have come at 160 poundsto Niauni Hill of Hayward, thereigning NCS champ at 165.

For North Coast this year

Arteaga, now 17, will be com-peting at 152 and thus unlikelyto run into Hill again. HerCVCHS female teammates areall expected to take part at Sec-tion as well. At NCS a year agoArteaga had two pins and aninjury decision before the finals,where she edged Rachel Butlerof Foothill 5-4.

Halley Leta-Pombo is now theCVCHS girls head wrestlingcoach. Last year, boys assistantcoach Russ Smigluski took Artea-ga to the NCS and State meets.

The youngest of three chil-dren (older brother Lucas andsister Julia), Arteaga was alreadya busy athlete at Clayton Valley,playing water polo in the springand softball in the spring, whenthe wrestling bug hit her. Sheenjoys lifting weights at In-Shape Health Club and shop-ping with her friends.

Following her senior yearand completing the spring sea-son in centerfield for Eaglessoftball, she is holding outhope of a wrestling scholar-ship. There is only one schoolin California, Menlo College,offering women’s wrestlingamong the 20 schools aroundthe country with women’s inter-collegiate programs. Only fourschools west of the Rockieshave wrestling teams forwomen even though the sportreceived a big boost whenwomen’s wrestling was added asa medal sport at the 2004Olympics.

Short of receiving a scholar-ship Arteaga plans on attendingDiablo Valley College, wheresister Julia is a freshman, andwork for two years before trans-ferring to a four-year school.She will probably find one ofthe local gyms which offersMMA training as well. And herjourney to follow in the foot-steps of her MMA favoritesRhonda Rousey and Christiane“Cyborg” Justino may take itsnext steps.

Playoffs, from page 10

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

SportsInterest in MMA led Kristina Arteaga toNCS wrestling championship in first try


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KRISTINA ARTEAGA MAY HAVE BEEN A NEWCOMER to the sport lastyear but she caught on quickly and earned the 2013 NorthCoast Section 146-pound wrestling championship. She will belooking to claim another title at 152 pounds when the Sectionmeet is held Feb. 28 and Mar. 1 at Pittsburg High.

Clayton Valley Little League findingalternate field solutions for 2014 season

Jason Rogers photo

CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER WRESTLERS ARE PREPARING FOR NEXT WEEK’S DVAL CHAMPIONSHIPS on Feb.19 at College Park hoping to earn their way to the North Coast Section tournament Feb. 28-Mar. 1. Among the Eagle wrestlers looking for post-season honors are, from left, Alec Lindsay,Michael Nocerino, Lorenzo Yacarini, Kyle Tran, Jake Lynch, Mustafa Sherdil and Elijah Breon.

College Park, which hosts theCVCHS at 5:30. The Falconsare intent in getting into theDVAL top two which North-gate and CV have occupied fora number of years.

NCS basketball playoffseedings will be determinedFeb. 23 with section gamesbeginning Feb. 25-26. ClaytonValley is in Division II basket-ball. The Eagles season recordis 17-6. A pair of midseasonJanuary non-league losses toCampolindo and Presentationwon’t help the seedingprospects for CVCHS. Theteam has lost four of its lastfive non-league games.

“What happens in Vegas,stays in Vegas” might be a greatmarketing slogan but it isn’t ahard and fast rule. As soon asthe local CVAA Falcons cheersquads finished their competi-tion late last month at theJAMZ Youth National Champi-onships at The Orleans Arenaphone lines, Facebook, emailand texting were burning upannouncing and celebrating apair of first-place finishes bythe Falcons gold team.

The team of 16 girls 13years and younger were champsin the Division 13 show cheerand performance cheer non-mount categories, defeating arunner-up squad from South-ern California in each event.

And backing up the goldteam’s performance was the 10and under blue squad whichtook fifth in show cheer anddemonstrated that the localfootball and cheer program is

lined up for strong perform-ances in the future.

Falcons cheer has qualifiedfor JAMZ Youth Nationalsannually for over a dozen yearsand this is the fourth time since2002 that the Falcons have senta team to Nationals. Squadsqualify for Nationals by rank-ings in the top 30% of their agegroup during the season.Among the four trips toNationals the Falcons havereturned to our area with cham-pionships three times.

This year’s gold teamincluded Riley Bluth, MaddelynBrigance, Sydney Caulder, Rea-gan Clemons, Kayla Confetti,Krista Confetti, Airiana Dar-gan, Leah Nelson, Kylee Rinal-di, Miranda Romo, CarolynSimbirdi, Savannah Sprague,Brooke Warner, Chloe Wigton,Sophia Williams and IsabelleWilson.

There were 15 teamsentered in show cheer 13 andunder Level 3 (highest in themeet) category. JAMZ then

splits such large categories thecompetitors into two divisionsbased on the number of mem-bers in the cheer squads. TheFalcons finished over twopoints ahead of second-placeCorona Chargers among theeight teams in their division.

The gold team also toppedCarson Colts Divaz Jr. Midgetteam for first place in the per-formance cheer non-mountcategory.

The younger Falcons blueteam in Division 10 consisted

of Jordan Banda, Avery Baxter,Sierra Bush, Halle Cohen,Kayla Concepcion, AlexandraDoll, Isabella Gonzales, Maris-sa Mancini, Jayda Monroe,Haley Rose, Natalie Spencer,Francesca Stolarz and BaileyWeidner. They took fifth placein 10 and under (next toyoungest age group in themeet) performance cheer non-mount, an event won by theCarson Colts. They also enteredthe show cheer category butdid not get a trophy placing

with nearly 50 teams in thatcategory.

Gold team coaches for theFalcons are Nichole Schuman,Allison Johnstone, EmilyLopretta and Alex Williams andthey are assisted by juniorcoaches Melissa Williams, RyaNelson and Kate Kirmsse. Theblue team staff is Paula Schiff,Becky Schiff, Amanda Schiffand Leah Rose. Their juniorcoaches are Cami Cohen, JuliaMorgan, Kaitlyn O’Connell andZoe Wilson.

“The Clayton Valley Athlet-ic Association and our Nation-al cheer gold and blue teamswant to thank the surroundingClayton and Concord business-es and families for all their sup-port! The Falcons were a sig-nificant presence at JAMZYouth Nationals,” Paula Schiffsaid on behalf of the Falcons.

She adds that cheer andfootball signups for the 2014season begin in March andpractices commence Aug. 1.

Clutch, automatic and asilky-smooth release. These arejust a few of the many phrasesthat can be used to describeWarriors superstar StephenCurry.

Curry has had an amazingseason and for his efforts he isgoing to be the starting pointguard for the Western Confer-ence at the NBA All-Star Gamein New Orleans this Sunday. Heis averaging a career high 24points a game and a career best

nine assists a game.Curry is more than deserving

of being elected to the all-starteam, especially after he gotsnubbed last season. The level atwhich Curry is playing has a lotto do with himself, but his team-mates have also helped himtremendously.

The Warriors as a wholehave looked great at certainpoints this season, led primarilyby Curry. After 50 games theWarriors had 30 wins and 20losses, which puts them seventhin the Western Conference.Their record is actually greatand not what would be expectedof a team in the seventh spot.

Unfortunately for the War-riors, the Western Conference isstacked with high-caliber teamssuch as the Spurs and Thunderwho are still as dominant as theyhave been in years past andteams like the Suns and Trail-blazers who are emerging asserious threats.

The Western Conference isunarguably much better than theEast. The seventh seed in theEastern Conference is theBrooklyn Nets and they are sixgames under .500. If the War-riors were in the East recordwould put them third.

However the Warriors arenot in the East so they have togrind through the brutal West tomake the playoffs. If they canmanage to continue to improveas a team they might be able toget into the playoffs as a fourthor fifth.

For the Warriors to evenmake it to the playoffs they aregoing to need their starters tocontinue to do the bulk of thework on offense and defense.With a bench that has beenabysmal it is up to the starters towin games.

The starting five for the War-riors can get it done though,because they are arguably thebest starting five in the NBA.

Their center Andrew Bogut is arebounding juggernaut, averag-ing just over 10 a game andpower forward David Lee ishaving an all-star caliber seasonin his own right. Along with thetwo big men, Andre Iguodalahas been the Swiss Army knifeof the team, adapting to what-ever situation he is needed for ina game.

Klay Thompson has beenstruggling slightly this seasonbut he should be able to pick uphis numbers as the season pro-gresses and then there is Curry.His season has been fantastic,and he is going to have to con-tinue to play amazingly for theWarriors to get a high seed inthe playoffs.


JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Sports

Tyler Lehman is a sophomore atDiablo Valley College and a 2012CVHS graduate. He plans to majorin journalism and wants to be a sportswriter. Email your comments or ques-tions to [email protected].

TYLER LEHMAN

SPORTS TALK

Warriors reach midpoint of the season;Stephen Curry selected to the all-star team

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THE CVAA FALCONS GOLD CHEER TEAM came away from the JAMZ Youth National Championships last month in Las Vegas with apair of titles in Division 13 show cheer and performance cheer non-mount. The girls celebrated with a number of JAMZ staffinstructors after their big day.

Falcons cheer squad returns with two national championship trophies

ARRESTS:Jan. 13, 12:01 a.m.Clayton Rd./Tara Dr. A 44-

year-old San Leandro male wasarrested for driving without alicense; warrant.

Jan. 18, 9:08 a.m.Clayton Rd./Kirker Pass

Rd. A 33-year-old Claytonmale was arrested for possess-ing a controlled substance;possessing controlled

substance paraphernalia.Jan. 20, 2:53 a.m.Clayton Rd./Washington

Blvd. A 31-year-old Concordmale was arrested for drivingwhile license suspended for

DUI; probation violation;warrant.

ACCIDENTS:Jan. 12, 5:51 p.m.Clayton Rd./Mitchell

Canyon Rd.

BURGLARIES/THEFTS:Jan. 10, 5400 Clayton Road.

Grand Theft – Commercial. Jan. 17, Yolanda Cr. Petty

Theft. Jan. 18, 5400 Clayton Rd.

Burglary – Commercial. Bur-glary occurred overnight atGNC. Reported at 7 a.m. Prod-uct/merchandise taken. Nosign of forced entry.

VANDALISMS:None.

Police Activity for two weeks ending Jan. 23, 2014

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Congratulations, you’veadopted a kitten and are ready tochart his path from fearless kit-ten into loving, well-manneredcat. Although classes on puppysocialization are common(including here at ARF), rarelyare there training classes andplaygroups for young kittens.What can you do you make sureyour kitten becomes a social,happy family pet?

Your kitten’s brave curiosity

works to your advantage. Hisexperiences at this stage willteach him how to interact withpeople and other animals andintroduce him to the sights andsounds he’ll experience in yourhome.

Handle your kitten daily. Pethim gently all over his body, pay-ing attention to his paws, andpress gently to exteriorize eachnail. If you come across anysensitive spots, keep the han-dling brief and pair it with atasty treat. Teaching him toenjoy this type of handling nowwill work to your advantagewhen you want to clip his clawsor handle him later in life.

Under your supervision,introduce your kitten to differ-ent adults and children. Give

your friends and family handlingtips as needed and show kids theproper way to pet and play. In asafe environment and underyour supervision, introduce himto a cat-friendly dog and rewardhim with verbal encouragementand treats.

Next, set up your kitten’senvironment for success. Catsand kittens should always have a“cubby” or other safe spot toretreat to if they are feelingoverwhelmed. Remove the doorof her carrier or turn a card-board carrier on its side to cre-ate an instant hidey hole at thesame time you help kitty getused to her carrier. Introduceyour kitten to a scratching postor pad, and encourage use byplaying with toys over it and

rewarding him with treats andverbal encouragement when hescratches the appropriate sur-face.

Play with your kitten oftenusing interactive toys such aswands. Never use your hands astoys or allow your kitten to bite

or grab at hands, feet, or otherbody parts! If your kitten nipsor swats at you, stop the play-time. Most kittens will require a“cool down” period betweenplaytime and petting, so don’ttry to pet him while he’sengaged in play.

If your kitten shows any“bad” behaviors, make a noiseloud enough to interrupt, thendivert kitty’s attention with a toy.Never, ever use physical correc-tion like nose-tapping, scruffingor pushing. Using physical pun-ishment with a very young kittencan cause him to become afraidof handling, or of you.

With a little work, your kit-ten’s fun and enriching kitten-hood will be filled with all sortsof diverse experiences to helphim grow into a well-adjustedadult cat whose company youwill enjoy for years to come.

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A fun thing happens whenliterary fiction slips its corsetsof seriousness. In her debutnovel Elect H. Mouse StateJudge, Nelly Reifler spins acompact tale that is simplydelicious. Under the guise of achildren’s story peopled withdolls and furry creatures, Rei-fler manages to both questionauthority challenge our per-ceptions of good and evil.

H. Mouse is an importantfigure who has inserted him-self into the political structureof his idyllic town because hecares so much about the right-ness of their hamlet; of pros-perity and family and makingright choices. In fact, Mouse’scampaign platform and per-sonal motto is that everyone isinherently good; that badthings only happen when peo-ple are confused and makepoor choices. The hook in thisbook starts with the first lines:

“H. Mouse was running forState Judge. He had diligentlyworked his way up the ranksfrom apprentice to secretary touniformed guard to courtroomstenographer to lawyer toattorney to village councilor.”

However, on the day of theelection, darkness looms overthe H. Mouses’ personalaffairs. Mouse’s daughters,Margo and Susie have beenkidnapped by a gang of reli-gious zealots who will kill ordie for the cause, as prophe-sied by The Power. The Sun-shine Family, stiff-jointed dolls outof the play closetfrom hell, havetaken the girlsand H. Mouse isfrantic about anews leak.Quickly, and tohis possibleregret, heenrolls theassistance oftwo shadyd e t e c t i v e s :Barbie andKen. B&Klive in amansion withBarbie’s baby sister Skipper,living a dangerous/glamorousdouble life with real rubbertired cars and real swimmingpools, fighting crime in theirown uniquely narcissistic fash-ion. Barbie doesn’t just careabout pretty things and lovingKen, she has a knack for hunt-ing criminals and paying offextortionists with briefcasesfull of real paper money, too.

In this fast paced tale,Mouse wins the election and

before the swearing in, is inter-viewed by journalist Liz Fox.Like any reporter worthy ofthe title, Liz slyly traps Mousein a cocktail conversation, try-ing to sniff out corruption inthe elected’s new life as a highvelocity public servant. Shecleverly asks Mouse if his plat-

form might have been...er...in f luencedby any pri-vate interestgroups. Likethe Offspringof theM u g g e d ,Association ofthe Return ofS e p a r a t e dLimbs and Dig-its, and so forth.Mouse can onlythink of his girls,and manages togive nothing awaybefore his inaugu-ration. He fer-vently hopes his

beloved girls will return beforethe big day and we are not sureif what twitches his whiskers isregret is for hiring B&K tofind the kidnappers, or if thereis indeed a darker story.

In the end, Barbie and Kenhunt down the evil kidnappersand rescue the girls by takingout Father Sunshine andMother Sunshine. Sadly, in themelee of their covert scheme,Ken takes a shot to his plas-

ticine neck. Still, B&K perse-vere and Boy and Girl Sun-shine, keenly aware of FatherSunshine’s facist devotion toThe Power, willingly releasethe Mouse girls to the custodyof B&K in exchange for theirbendable joint parents. Flawedas the Sunshine family is, theyare a family unit.

Reifler’s keen satirical eye isclean and clear. Her voice islyric and honest. Her charac-ters, including the ubiquitousSkipper, are first rate. Reifler’sfrolicking fable is a must read.Love it? Yes. Buy it now.

10-month-old Mel is an all-out athlete! She is looking for anew guardian(s) who is interest-ed in spending time teaching hertricks. She would be great as ahiking or running partner oreven learning agility. Mel wouldbenefit from Basic Manners

Classes to help build a solidtraining routine with herguardian(s). She currentlyweighs 42 pounds.

The adoption fee for adultdogs is $225 and includes 60%off one 7-week dog trainingsession.

2-year-old Numi is a prettygirl with a beautiful green eyesand a social personality. Shewould make a great companion,as she will purr for your affec-tion and sit close for pets. It isunknown whether she has pre-vious experience with children.

She is suitable for a first time catguardian.

The adoption fee for adultcats is $50.

Meet your forever friend atTony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation, 2890 MitchellDrive, Walnut Creek, duringadoption hours: Noon to 5 pm.Wednesday, 3 to 7 pm. Thursdayand Friday, Noon to 5 pm. Sat-urday and Sunday. The primarycaretaker must be present toadopt. ARF also encourageskids 16 and younger and caninefamily members (dog adoptionsonly) to be present during theadoption 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.


Elena Bicker is the Executive Directorof Tony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation. She can be reached at (925)256-1ARF (1273)

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Book Review

A little dark, a little bizarre; ‘H. Mouse’ is hilariously funny

CYNTHIA GREGORY

FOR THE BOOKS

Cynthia Gregory writes bookreviews, award-winning short storiesand a blog. Visit her blog at PersephonesStepSisters.Wordpress.comor send email to her at [email protected]

Send a photo (JPEG, PDF format, 300 dpi)

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The death of abeloved pet canbe devastating.

Share lovingmemories with

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ReflectionsMemorial for

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Include your name, address, phone and email address.Memorial box is 4” wide by 3” high. Cost is $90.

We will call you for credit card info.

IN CLAYTONFFeebb.. 1166CCaammeelllliiaa TTeeaaClayton Historical Society’s 37th annual Camellia Tea and OpenHouse. Camellia display and refreshments. Current and former may-ors of Clayton will be honored by pouring tea. Children welcomewith adults. 1 – 4 p.m. Clayton Museum, 6101 Main Street. Free.claytonhistory.org. 672-0240.

MMaarr.. 22CCllaayyttoonn CClluubb’’ss AAnnnnuuaall CChhiillii CCooookk--OOffffContestants must register. Public enjoys samples after judging is com-plete. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Prizes awarded at 1 p.m. Clayton ClubSaloon, 6096 Main St., Clayton. claytonclubsaloon.com. 673-0440.

MMaarr.. 1188HHaappppyy BBiirrtthhddaayy,, CCllaayyttoonnMark the date for a day-long celebration of Clayton’s 50th birthdayas an incorporated city. Endeavor Hall, 6008 Center St., Clayton.Watch the Clayton Pioneer for more details.

IN CONCORDFFeebb.. 2288HHeeaalltthhyy LLiiffeessttyyllee EExxppooInformation about services, resources and products that benefit olderadults, their families and caregivers. 9 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. ConcordSenior Center, 2727 Parkside Circle, Concord. Free.cityofconcord.org/healthfair. 671-3320, ext. 1.

TTuueessddaayyss FFaarrmmeerrss’’ MMaarrkkeettTuesdays year round, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Todos Santos Plaza, down-town Concord. cityofconcord.org.

ON THE MOUNTAINMount Diablo Interpretive Association programs listed are free withthe exception of park entrance fee. Go to mdia.org and click onEvents Calendar for more information.

FFeebb.. 2233FFrroogg PPoonndd aanndd GGrreeeenn RRaanncchh HHiikkeeHike Curry Point to Frog Pond, Green Ranch and Oak Knollbefore returning to Curry Point. Covers area burnt by the MorganFire; early season wildflowers should be abundant. 9:30 a.m. – 4p.m. Meet at Curry Point trailhead.

MMaarr.. 88FFiirree RReeccoovveerryy HHiikkeeEasy hike on Mary Bowerman Trail. Unique post-fire flowersexpected. 10 – 11:30 a.m. Meet at Lower Summit Parking Lot.Reservations required.

MMaarr.. 88FFiirree RReeccoovveerryy HHiikkeeModerate hike on North Peak Trail. Unique post-fire flowersexpected. 12 – 2:30 p.m. Meet at Lower Summit Parking Lot. Reservations required.

MMaarr.. 99OOaakk KKnnoollll aanndd SSuummmmiitt LLoooopp HHiikkeeHike from Juniper Camp around the mountain to Oak Knoll andup to the summit before descending. Includes visit to museum. 10a.m. – 3 p.m. Meet at Juniper Camp trailhead.

Save Mount Diablo programs listed are free unless otherwise noted.Go to savemountdiablo.org and click on Activities/Guided Hikes formore information. 947-3535.

FFeebb.. 2222MMaannggiinnii RRaanncchh FFaammiillyy HHiikkee Visit a secret spring and watch for bobcats and coyotes plus bur-rowing owls, quail and other feathered friends. 3 – 5 p.m. Meet athiker gate on Crystyl Ranch Drive between Autumn Oak Circleand Rolling Woods Way, Concord. For reservations and moreinformation, email [email protected].

EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENTTThhrruu MMaarr.. 11““CCllyybboouurrnnee PPaarrkk””Jokes fly and hidden agendas unfold as two different generations tip-toe the dance of social politics. Performed by Center REP. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $39-$57. center-rep.org. 943-7469.

TThhrruu MMaarr.. 11““GGuuyyss aanndd DDoollllss””Romantic comedy performed by Diablo Theatre Company. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $49-$53. lesher-artscenter.org. 943-7469.

TThhrruu MMaarr.. 99““TThhee MMaalltteessee FFaallccoonn””A story about what it’s like to want something so badly until thechase itself means more than what you’re chasing. Cue ProductionsLive, 1835 Colfax St., Concord. $12-$18. b8company.com.

FFeebb.. 1166““22 ttoo FFllyy””Acrobatic and aerial duo. 3 p.m. El Campanil Theatre, 602 W.Second St., Antioch. $10-$20. elcampaniltheatre.com.

FFeebb.. 1166CCrraazzyy EEiigghhttssPerformed by the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra. 7:30 p.m.Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $10-$30.lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

FFeebb.. 2200DDaammoonn RRuunnyyoonnA reading of selected works of Damon Runyon. 8 p.m. Butterfield 8Theatre at Cue Productions Live, 1835 Colfax St., Concord. Pay-what-you-can admission fee. b8company.com.

FFeebb.. 2211 –– MMaarr.. 99““TThhee GGrreeaatt AAmmeerriiccaann TTrraaiilleerr PPaarrkk MMuussiiccaall””There’s a new tenant at Armadillo Acres and she’s wreaking havocall over. Presented by “OMG, I Love that Show!” Productions. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $30-$35. lesher-artscenter.org. 943-7469.

FFeebb.. 2233CCoonnttrraa CCoossttaa CCaammpp aanndd SScchhooooll FFaaiirrFind out about summer camps, daycare, schools, sports and more.Activities and exhibitions. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Acalanes High School,1200 Pleasant Hill Road, Lafayette. Free. contracostacampfair.com.

FFeebb.. 2288 –– MMaarr.. 22““JJaacckk aanndd tthhee BBeeaannssttaallkk””This classic play performed by the El Campanil Children’s Theatre isfull of magic. El Campanil Theatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch. $8-$12. elcampaniltheatre.com.

MMaarr.. 22CCaattcchh aa RRiissiinngg SSttaarrThe California Symphony welcomes Kenneth Renshaw, an exciting,young violinist. 4 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr.,Walnut Creek. $15-$65. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

MMaarr.. 44 -- 88PPeerrccuussssiioonn DDiissccuussssiioonnJoin percussionist Ken Bergmann with his smashing spectacle ofdrums, cowbells, chairs and more. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $14. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

MMaarr.. 55IInn tthhee MMooooddFully-staged tribute to all the big band greats of the 1940s. 2 p.m. ElCampanil Theatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch. $34. elcampanilthe-atre.com.

MMaarr.. 662200tthh SSeeaassoonn CCeelleebbrraattiioonnDiablo Ballet performs stunning works from their 20-year history.6:30 p.m. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek.$26-$52. diabloballet.org.

FUNDRAISERSFFeebb.. 2222CCrraabb FFeeeeddCrab feed and auction. Sponsored by St. Agnes School. 5 p.m. cock-tails and auction; 6:30 p.m. dinner. Silvio E. Garaventa Sr. Center,1133 Winton Drive, Concord. $55. [email protected].

FFeebb.. 2222DDiinnnneerr DDaanncceeMardi Gras theme featuring Concord High School Jazz Bands andOrchestra. Auction and raffle. Proceeds benefit CHS InstrumentalMusic Program and Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. 6 p.m.Clarion Hotel, 1050 Burnett Ave., Concord. $35. Contact TheresaDowd at [email protected] or 586-0889.

MMaarr.. 11BBeenneeffiitt CCoonncceerrttProceeds from concertgo directly to the free,annual Delta BluesFestival in September. 7– 10 p.m. El CampanilTheatre, 602 W. SecondSt., Antioch. $15-$40.elcampaniltheatre.com.

MMaarr.. 11 PPookkeerr TToouurrnnaammeennttHeld by Soroptimist International of Diablo Vista. 5:30 p.m. registra-tion and instruction; 6:30 p.m. tournament. Concord Moose Lodge,1805 Broadway St., Concord. $55 before Feb. 15; $65 after. CallSue Manning 672-2727.

MMaarr.. 1155CCrraabb FFeeeedd Crab feed and auction benefiting CVCHS Athletic Booster Club.Raffle, auction and dancing after dinner. Must be 21 years or older.Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m. Centre Concord, 5298Clayton Road, Concord. $50 before Mar. 7; $60 after. Tickets avail-able from CVCHS teams or at cvhsboosters.org.

MMaarr.. 2299TThhee CCaalliiffoorrnniiaa PPhhiillhhaarrmmoonniicc YYoouutthh OOrrcchheessttrraaPerformance benefiting Imagine No Malaria. Sponsors needed also.Coordinated by the Concord United Methodist Church. 3 – 5 p.m.California Theater, 345 S. First St., San Jose. $30. Contact BetsyMcleod at 212-7459 or the church at 685-5260.

AT THE LIBRARYThe Clayton Library is at 6125 Clayton Road. Programs are freeunless otherwise noted. claytonlibrary.org or 673-0659.

TTuueessddaayyss TThhrruu MMaarr.. 44PPaattttyy CCaakkeessStory time for babies to 3-year-olds. Child attends with caregiver.11 a.m.

WWeeddnneessddaayyssBBooookk BBuuddddiieessA volunteer will read stories for children 3 and older. 1 - 2 p.m.Call in advance.

TThhuurrssddaayyss TThhrruu MMaarr.. 66PPiiccttuurree BBooookk TTiimmeeStory time for 3- to 5-year-olds. Child may attend without caregiv-er. 11 a.m.

TThhrruu FFeebb.. 2288““BBeeee aa RReeaaddeerr””Kids’ winter reading program. Read 10 books for a prize.Children grades kindergarten through second grade.

FFeebb.. 2255,, MMaarr.. 44,, 1111,, 1188,, 2255PPaawwss ttoo RReeaaddLearn to read by reading aloud to a dog. Grades 1 – 5.Registration required. 4 or 4:35 p.m.

FFeebb.. 2266CCoonnsseerrvvaattiioonn iinn AAffrriiccaaWendy Blakeley shares her two decades of bringing conservationto youth in Africa through art, science and education. 6:30 p.m.

The Concord Library is at 2900 Salvio St. ccclib.org or 646-5455.

FFrriiddaayy aanndd SSaattuurrddaayyss tthhrruu AApprr.. 1144Free income tax assistance from AARP to low and middle-incomepeople. Appointment required.

FFeebb.. 1155CCoommppuutteerrss aanndd TTeecchhnnoollooggyyIf you need help with your mouse, come to our house. Drop-inassistance to learn how to use computers, smart phones andtablets. 12 - 2 p.m. Additional dates and times offered. Checklibrary calendar.

FFeebb.. 2244MMoovviiee NNiigghhttCome see a G or PG movie. Kids 5 – 11. 7 – 8:30 p.m.

SCHOOLS

FFeebb.. 1144,, 1155““GGuuyyss aanndd DDoollllss””The Clayton Valley Charter High School Drama Department presentsthis hit Broadway musical. 7 – 9:30 p.m. CVCHS Multi-Use Room,1101 Alberta Way, Concord. Tickets at the door only. $10 generaladmission; $5 students. For more information, [email protected] or 682-7474, ext. 2678.

GOVERNMENT

11sstt aanndd 33rrdd TTuueessddaayyssCCllaayyttoonn CCiittyy CCoouunncciill7 p.m. Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304or ci.clayton.ca.us.

22nndd aanndd 44tthh TTuueessddaayyssCCllaayyttoonn PPllaannnniinngg CCoommmmiissssiioonn7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304or ci.clayton.ca.us.

11sstt,, 22nndd aanndd 44tthh TTuueessddaayyssCCoonnccoorrdd CCiittyy CCoouunncciill6:30 p.m., Council Chamber, Concord Civic Center, 1950 ParksideDr. cityofconcord.org.

Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. FEB. 19 FOR THE FEB. 28 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO [email protected]


Meeting dates and times for local clubs andorganizations are listed atclaytonpioneer.com. Click on ‘Links’

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The latest theatre companythreatened with financial ruin isputting on the gloves and fight-ing back. The 56-year-old DiabloTheatre Company (DTC), for-merly known as Diablo LightOpera Company, is jumping intothe fundraising ring, determinedto raise enough to keep the doorsopen.

“This past year has beenextremely challenging,” saysDTC board president SherryDorfman. “It’s been great artis-tically with six major Shellieawards for ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’but hugely disappointingfinancially.”

Declining ticket sales and thehigh cost of the Lesher Centervenue, together with the averagecost per show of $300,000 haveput the company’s 2014-15 sea-son in jeopardy. Dorfman saysthe company must raise “in thehigh five figures” in order toclose the budget gap for twomajor musicals and a holidayshow.

The company was born inthe late 1950s, when a smallgroup of musical theater loversgathered to produce the

operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan.Soon, Gilbert and Sullivan werejoined by the likes of Lerner andLowe and Rogers andHammerstein and the companybecame a staple in the local artsscene. In 2009, on the company’s50th anniversary, Diablo LightOpera Company changed theirname to Diablo TheatreCompany – a more accuratereflection of their nearly halfcentury of producing Broadwaymusicals.

With ticket sales providing atbest 40-50 percent of the incomeneeded to support a season, thecompany depends on grants,sponsors and individual dona-tions to make up the rest.

“We’ve had some resourcesto keep us going for awhile,”Dorfman said. “But they’re allgone.”

Fundraising is now takingcenter stage and the companyhas turned to the Internet forhelp. They’ve set up a website atIndiegogo.com with a modestgoal of raising $10,000. Next upwill be a cabaret-style show andpossibly a street-fair event withperformances by local artistsdonating their talent.

The list of local performingarts groups either closing or in

serious financial distress is grow-ing. Late last year, Diablo ActorsEnsemble lost their lease onLocust Street in Walnut Creek,and, absent any affordable alter-native, closed for lack of a venue.In 2012, the Willows Theatrewent dark – and bankrupt. Thisweek, Walnut Creek’s CompanyC contemporary balletannounced it will forego a regu-lar 2015 season because of fund-ing challenges, focusing insteadon one project at a time.

DTC’s final show of the cur-rent season, the hugely popular“Guys and Dolls,” opened at theLesher Center last week.Dorfman says the company hasenough resources to cover pro-

duction costs, but plans for2014-15 are on hold until theyraise enough to finance the sea-son.

“If enough theater lovers getbehind this,” Dorman says, “wecan make this campaign a successand get back to what we do best– musical theater!”

To donate, go toDiablotheatre.org and click on“Keep Our Doors Open.”

“Guys and Dolls” playsThursdays-Sundays through March 1at the Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. Fortickets, call 925-943-SHOW (7469)or go to diablotheatre.org.


TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

All the hot gamblers are intown, and they’re all dependingon Nathan Detroit to set up thisweek’s incarnation of “TheOldest Established PermanentFloating Crap Game in NewYork.” The only problem is, heneeds $1000 to get the place.

Throw in Sarah Brown, who’sshort on sinners at the missionshe runs; Sky Masterson, whoaccepts Nathan’s $1000 bet that

he can’t get Sarah Brown to gowith him to Havana; MissAdelaide, who wants Nathan tomarry her; Police LieutenantBrannigan, who always seems toappear at the wrong time, and themusic/lyrics of Frank Loesser,and you’ve got quite a musical.

The show starts at 7 p.m., Fri. andSat., Feb 14 and 15 in the Multi-UseRoom, 1101 Alberta Way, Concord.Tickets are available at the door.

American ConservatoryTheater (A.C.T.) Artistic DirectorCarey Perloff announced four ofthe seven productions that willhighlight the lineup of the com-pany’s 48th subscription season,including two of the mostacclaimed new works of the lastyear, a remounting of one ofA.C.T.’s biggest hits in an all-newproduction, as well as a produc-tion of one of StephenSondheim’s most rapturous andseductive musicals.

In addition, the 2014–15 sea-son will include the inaugural pro-duction at the brand-new, state-of-the-art Strand Theater, locatedin the revitalized Central MarketStreet Corridor.

A.C.T.’s 2014–15 seasonincludes the West Coast debut ofthe outrageous and enthusiastical-ly acclaimed new comedy “Mr.Burns, a Post-Electric Play,” byBay Area–born playwright AnneWashburn. Hailed by the NewYork Times as one of the TopTen Plays of 2013 and “down-right brilliant,” the play begins in adark dystopia where a group ofsurviving strangers bond by recre-ating from memory the iconic“Cape Fear” episode of “The

Simpsons.” As the story movesdecades later, the recollectiontakes on a life of its own, becom-ing an almost religious-like fable,elaborately staged for crowdsthrough live theater and opera.

This fall, Carey Perloff willdirect “Testament,” Colm Tolbin’sfiercely lyrical solo play originallystaged at the Dublin TheaterFestival in 2011, and retitled forBroadway in 2013 as “TheTestament of Mary.” Hailed as“beautiful and daring” by theNew York Times, this incisive,intelligent, and challenging work(a 2013 Tony Award nominee forBest New Play) recounts in rivet-ing detail Mary’s personal narra-tive of the last days in the life ofher son, Jesus. With pungent witand wrenching resolve, Maryquestions the motives behind themovement to deify her son, as shegrieves for the child who has beentaken from her by men sheregards as fanatics. Canadianactor Seana McKenna will playMary in this powerful, tour-de-force role that is as heartbreakingas it is immediate and vividly alive.

Continuing its exploration onthe power of memory and story-telling, A.C.T. will present an all-

new production of TomStoppard’s great time-travelromance “Indian Ink.” Directedby Perloff, the play, which is oneof A.C.T.’s most often-requestedreturn productions, will take thestage in early 2015. Stoppard’sexquisitely ruminative play tellsthe story of a contemporaryEnglish biographer and a youngIndian man, who separatelyattempt to explore the mysteriesof the erotic artwork and poetryleft behind by a racy, freethinkingEnglish poet from the 1930s andthe Indian painter whom she hascome to love.

Sondheim’s most rapturousand seductive musical, “A LittleNight Music,” waltzes onto theGeary stage this spring in a newproduction. Filled withSondheim’s signature wit andsome of his most gorgeousmelodies including the belovedand haunting “Send in theClowns,” this is a bittersweet taleof lost love, scandalous infidelity,and passions that intertwine overa midsummer’s eve at a countryhome in 1900s Sweden.

For season ticket information, call(415) 749-2250 or go to www.act-sf.org.

Catch Butterfield 8 TheatreCompany’s latest production,“The Maltese Falcon,” byDashiell Hammett, playing fromFeb.13 through March 9 at CueProductions Live in downtownConcord.

In Hammett’s third novel,the tough, independent detec-tive Sam Spade is hired by thebeautiful and mysterious MissWonderly, who walks into hisSan Francisco office pleadingdesperately for help finding hersister. This sets into motion astory about what it’s like to wantsomething – a fortune, a lover,or even respect – so badly thatyou would kill for it; until finallythe chase itself means more toyou than what you’re chasing.

“The Maltese Falcon” wasHammett’s third novel that wasserialized in the magazine“Black Mask,” and set the stan-dard by which all subsequentdetective fiction would bejudged. Written in 1930 andadapted several times for film(most famously in 1941 starringHumphrey Bogart and directedby John Huston), the novel was-n’t adapted for the stage until2007.

“The Maltese Falcon” plays at1835 Colfax Street, Concord. For aperformance schedule and ticket infor-mation, go to www.butterfield8.org.

CONNOR MCMURDO AND A GAMBLER AND MAXWELL RENNER as SkyMasterson in CVCHS ‘Guys and Dolls,’ Feb 14 and 15.

Money woes threaten local theatre company

Last chance to roll the dicewith CVCHS ‘Guys’

Debuts, premiers and Sondheim’s ‘NightMusic,’ all part of A.C.T 2015 season

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The drought is not over, butthe early February rainfall inNorthern California gives somehope that our water situationmay not be dire as forecast lastmonth.

December and January nor-mally provide about 40 percentof our annual rainfall, but thisyear’s contribution was only 2per cent. For most of Northern

California last month was thedriest January on record.

Our water year begins in Julyand ends in June. For the cur-rent water year, long termrecords from San Franciscoindicate this season’s rainfallaccumulation through the endof January ranks as driest in theentire 165 year period of record.

If we are lucky enough toget normal rainfall for themonths February through June,it would amount to just over 50percent of normal for the year.In that case, water year 2013-14would compare nearly equally to

the famous drought year 1976-77 and rank as one of the tendriest years in history.

Our luck willdepend on theposition of thejet stream dur-ing the nexts e v e r a lmonths. Jetstreams aref a s c i n a t i n gmeteorologicalphenomena, andu n d e r s t a n d i n gtheir behavior is a keycomponent to weather fore-casting all over the world.

Jet streams are defined asnarrow bands of strong windslocated near the top of the tro-posphere, the layer of atmos-phere closest to the earth.Typically at an altitude wheremost jets fly, these winds resultfrom effects of the Earth’s rota-tion and temperature differ-ences between the equator andpoles.

The Earth’s rotation is main-ly responsible for the wave-likejet stream bands that encircle it.Like any wave, the jet streampattern consists of ridges andtroughs.

The area under a jet streamridge is usually associated withhigh surface pressures and clearskies. The area below a jetstream trough tends to havelower surface pressures andstorminess.

The strength of the jetstream is largely dependent ontemperature gradients. Jetstreams intensify on the bordersof warm and cold air masseswith large temperature differ-ences.

There are two semi-perma-

nent jet streams in each hemi-sphere; polar and subtropical.

The stronger polar jetraces at up to hun-

dreds of milesper hour, westto east acrossthe majorc o n t i n e n t sand oceans atmid andnorthern lati-

tudes. As thesun shifts south

during winter, thejet stream path also

extends southward.

Surface weather fronts thatproduce rain storm conditionsare typically associated withpassing jet stream troughs.During the Northern Californiasummer the jet stream path istypically well north of our area,giving us relatively dry weatherfrom late spring to early fall.

As winter approaches the jetstream normally moves south,increasing the chances thattroughs and wet weather willreach our area. Unfortunately,this winter the polar jet streamtracked far north of normalalong the west coast and easternPacific.

As the remainder of the win-ter unfolds, keep an eye on thejet stream. If a strong persistentjet stream ridge rebuilds, we willexperience the driest water yearin recent history. If we are lucky,a juicy jet stream will bring usfabulous February and miracleMarch rains.

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The kitchen works hard inour lives. It’s where we gather.Whether it’s to cook and dine,socialize with our friends, orhelp our children do theirhomework, the “kitchen door”is always open. Such a busyroom needs to be functionalon many levels. It needs to bestylish and festive. And itneeds to be comfortable for anintimate dinner for two or aroom full of kids baking anddecorating cookies. If you’refeeling like your kitchen isworking more of a part-timeschedule these days, here aresome ideas to improve its workethic.

STORAGE

Functional storage is essen-tial in a kitchen. From organiz-ing wooden spoons and spatu-las to housing your mini-appli-ances, all of this stuff needs togo somewhere, and not justanywhere.

Stored items in a kitchenneed to be placed in areas ofrelevance; pots and pans nextto the cooktop, dishes andglasses near the dishwasher.When you’re planning thedesign of a new kitchen, or de-cluttering and reprogrammingyour existing cabinetry and

drawers, consider how you useyour kitchen before randomlyassigning a storage location foryour wine glasses or mixingbowls. Big box DIY retailersand specialty home furnishingsretailers have just about every-thing you might need, fromshelving systems that could beused in a pantry to cutesydrawer organizers for yourutensils. Also, consider storagesystems that are not meant tobe hidden; decorative basketsabove the refrigerator to store

extra napkins or paper towels,narrow shelves behind yourbreakfast nook table that dis-play serving platters, or a hang-ing rack above your island toshowcase your pots and pans.

COLOR AND DÉCOR

Most kitchens are short onopen wall space because ofcabinetry. So, with the openwall space you do have, this isyour chance to add a festivetouch. Consider pulling colorsor complementary colors in

from your adjoining family ordining rooms. Maybe incorpo-rate a hand-painted stripe, atextured finish, or a whimsicalfleur de lys pattern on yourwalls. Whichever color or pat-tern you choose, be sure toselect colors and designs thatcoordinate well with yourexisting cabinetry.

Kitchen décor can be aslighthearted or as eclectic asyou choose. Consider addingan oversized wall clock, a col-lection of vegetable photogra-phy framed just in glass, achandelier made of utensils, acopper tub or an oversized rat-tan basket. Keep kitchen décorto a stylish minimum, but besure it has an interesting punchthat reflects your personal aes-thetic.

COMFORT

Depending on the size ofyour kitchen, you may havespace for an upholstered ban-quette with decorative accentpillows, a lounge chair andottoman, or upholsteredbarstools or counter stools.Fabric in the kitchen can be alittle scary when it comes toaccidents involving foods andbeverages that stain, but if youuse synthetic outdoor fabricson your seating or durableleathers that either have natu-ral distressing or have beensealed with a specialty stainrepellent, you’ll be able to dineworry free.

Make a kitchen work for you

JENNIFER LEISCHER

DESIGN & DÉCOR

Jennifer Leischer is the owner ofJ. Designs Interior Design based inClayton. Contact her with questions,comments and suggestions [email protected].

THE KITCHEN TABLE CAN BE A MULTI-TASKING workhorse withboth comfy chairs and storage seating.

Drought won’t end with Februaryrains if jet stream ridge persists

WOODY WHITLATCH

WEATHER WORDS

Woody Whitlatch is a meteorolo-gist retired from PG&E. Email yourquestions or comments to [email protected]

TERRY MOHR JOHNSONReal Estate ProfessionalCal BRE Lic #01899234


LINDA LANDGRAFReal Estate ProfessionalCal BRE License #01504011


1830 Tice Valley Blvd.,Walnut Creek, CA 94595

Offered at $515,000

PENDING

5059 Saint Celestine, Concord

Thinking of Buying or Selling?Do you want to know the value of your home in today’s market?

We can help you decide if now is the best time for you to sell or buy a home.Call us for a free market analysis on your home.

Valentine’s Day has evolvedinto quite the commercial hol-iday, nearly as big as Christmasif you’re a baker, confectioner,jeweler or card-maker.

From rather macabre rootsarising from the martyrdom ofSaint Valentine of Italy, themodern version began evolv-ing in the Middle Ages withvarious mid-winter celebra-tions. The poet Chaucerromanticized Valentine’s Dayand by the 1600s it was anEnglish holiday, celebratedwith handwritten notes pro-fessing love and loyalty.

Since the mid-19thCentury, mass-produced greet-ing cards have led the chargeof Valentine’s Day acknowl-edgments, but starting afterWorld War II, the practice ofexchanging cards extended toall manner of gifts, includingroses, chocolates and jewelry.

The gift-giving trend con-tinues to evolve and we nowsee a lot of culinary gifts, espe-

cially homemade ones.Chocolate-making is on therise (check out Rachel DunnChocolates in Concord forchocolate-making classes) andmany more of us are bakingheart-shaped cookies, cakes,tarts and pies in a variety ofdesigns and flavors.

Here is another idea. Youcan make these cute Valentinecookies, decorated or left plainas you prefer.

HEART SUCKERS

1 egg¾ cup sugar¼ tsp. salt½ tsp. baking powder½ cup butter 1 tsp. vanilla extract1 ½ cup all-purpose flour1/3 cup cocoa powder½ baking sodaBeat butter, sugar, egg and

vanilla in large bowl until blend-ed. Stir together flour, cocoa,baking powder, baking soda andsalt; add to butter mixture, beat-ing until well blended.

Cover; refrigerate doughabout 1 hour or until firmenough to roll.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Onlightly floured silicone bakingmat, roll small portion of doughat a time to 1/4-inch thickness.Cut into hearts with cookie cut-ters; place on ungreased cookiesheet. Bake 5 to 7 minutes oruntil no indentation remainswhen touched. lightly.

Cool slightly; remove fromcookie sheet after 5 minutes tocooling racks. Cool completely.

Fill with buttercream frost-ing and add a sucker stick.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

3 cups powdered sugar1/3 cup butter or margarine,

softened1 ½ tsp. vanilla1-2 Tbsp. milk-In medium bowl, mix pow-

dered sugar and butter withspoon or electric mixer on lowspeed until blended. Stir in vanillaand 1 Tbsp. milk.

Gradually beat in just enoughremaining milk to make frosting

Clayton residents since 1959

mazzeirealty.net 6160 Center St. Suite #C, Clayton

925-693-0757 (Main) � 925-693-0752 (Fax)

Approx. 3.75 sq.ft.

Listing agent:Matt Mazzei

3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom approx. 1280 sq.ft.

Listing agent: Paula Johnstone

� 13579 Marsh Creek Rd. Clayton $115,000

PENDING: Buyer Representation

ACTIVE LISTINGS

[email protected]

Matt Mazzei, Jr.Broker/Owner

DRE# 01881269

3 bedroom, 2 bathroom

Approx. 2505 sq.ft.

Listing agent:Diane Hayes

� 304 Ahwanee Lane Clayton $849,900

4 bedroom, 3 bathroom

approx. 2616 sq.ft.

Listing agent:Matt Mazzei

� 213 Arabian Dr. Fairfield $459,900

Listing agent: Matt Mazzei� 67 Citron Knoll, Orinda $1,059,890

� 2004 Alvarado Dr. Antioch $299,000

� 4903 Boxer Blvd. Concord $280,000

4 Bedroom, 2 bathroom

Approx. 1794 sq.ft.

Listing agent:

Matt Mazzei

Paula JohnstoneBroker Associate

DRE# 00797857

[email protected]

Diane and Bill HayesSales Agent

DRE#01222762

925-890-4701Dianemariehayes25@

yahoo.com


Swim Team RegistrationMarch 12 or April 11 6:30 -8 p.m.

Early Registration before Mar. 12 receives $55 OFF TOTAL COST

Practices begin the week of April 28For more information please visit

www.oakhurstorcas.com or Oakhurst Country ClubFor other questions please e-mail Head Coach Jasmine Millan at

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Christine’s clients love her

Christine Geddes-SinclaireRealtor – Team Associate Alain Pinel – Estates by Wendy TEAM

Direct: 925.286.7593 | EFax: 925.226.4735 | [email protected]

CGSrealtor.com | apr.com

estatesbywendy.com

“Christine was calm and cool throughout the whole

transaction, as we received each new issue, she was

quick to jump in and get the job done. She renegotiated

with the seller several times and was able to keep things

calm and together while we worked through the FHA

loan process. I never heard a negative word from her

mouth and she never lost her cool… I love my home!”

Andrea - Clayton

“Thank you so much! We are gettingso many compliments on our house!We LOVE our new house!!! You are Fabulous!!! You Exceededevery expectation we had. We bothlove everything!! Thank you!!!” Susan & Ed - Walnut Creek

LINDA WYNER

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Delectable, edibleValentines

See Valentines, page 18

February in the landscape isa very busy month. There’s a lotof preparation to be donebefore spring officially arrives.Pruning and fertilizing shouldkeep you busy a few hours hereand there.

First order of business is totend to our roses. Rose bushes,climbers, groundcovers andtrees will need to be pruned andfertilized this month. This is anunusual year for pruning. Manymay feel nervous about pruningdown and away rose canes thathave already begun to push leaf.We must shake off any concern,and prune anyway.

Approach each rose bush(Hybrid Tea, Grandiflora, andFloribunda) from the lower halfof the plant, and start yourpruning there. When pruning arose you need to remove all ormost of the past years growth,crossing branches and, weak andgray old canes. All you shouldbe left with is an open basketshaped frame of canes any-where from 10- to 18-inches tall.Each cut needs to be madeabove the swell of a new leafbud. Make your cuts at a slightangle. This is where a good setof sharp bypass pruners comesin handy.

Climbing roses are pruned toencourage length, thinning of

older canes and lateral branches.Pruning your climbing roses willtake more effort. Tree roses arepruned just like the bush roses,although you may leave morecanes and stems.

Groundcover-type rosesneed a hard shaping, sometimesremoving 75 percent of growthto control.

Along with pruning, you’llneed to fertilize all ground-grown roses. Doing so that’s theapplication of several ingredi-ents:

½ cup Multi-purpose fertilizer(Either 16-16-16 or a 5-5-5

organic)1\2 cup of granular iron1\2 cup of bone meal1\2 cup of alfalfa meal2 Tbsp. Epsom salts

Container-grown roses andnew installations need to havequantities modified. Once ingre-dients are applied, work into soila couple of inches and top dresswith chicken manure. Repeatthis recipe in late July.

Citrus is another plant thatshould be tended to. The frozennights of early December took atoll on young and adolescent cit-rus. We need to take steps nowto help our plants recover. Givea recommended dose of iron,and follow with Citrus food. Ifyou citrus are still ripening fruit,feed with 0-10-10. Do not prunecitrus yet.

Azalea, rhododendron andcamellias should be fertilizedwith 0-10-10, and given a doseof iron. If you grow anyloropetalum, feed those thesame way you are tending to theazaleas.

Fertilize your lawn with lawnfood that includes a Pre-Emergent. Do this now to helpprevent crab grass.

Start preparing vegetablebeds. Layer bone meal, alfalfameal, bat guano and chickenmanure on top of your beds andwork in. By doing this now you’llbe able to benefit from rain towork the ingredients into yoursoil. Beets, carrots, scallions, leafygreens and radish can be plantedinto prepared soil if you’ve beenconsidering an early-season veg-etable garden.

Spray fruit trees now withcopper fungicide. Follow pack-age directions.

Tending to the landscapemakes our plants strong. Strongplants will have a better timefighting through stresses fromlack of water and heat.

smooth and spreadable. If frost-ing is too thick, beat in more milk,a few drops at a time. If frostingis too thin, beat in a small amountof powdered sugar.

(To make Chocolate Butter-cream, reduce vanilla to 1 tsp.,add 3 oz. unsweetened baker’schocolate, melted, and increasemilk by a tablespoon or two toreach the desired consistency.)

OTHER IDEAS

Don’t forget to think outsidethe box and make somethingsavory, like a heart-shaped pizza

or bake a meatloaf in a heart-shaped cake pan.

You can also celebrateValentine’s Day with a themedweekend class at Pans on Fire inPleasanton. Seats in theChocolate Obsession class/din-ner on Feb. 15 or the Valentine’sWeekend Family Brunch onFeb. 16 were available at thetime this article was published.


Valentines, from page 17

NICOLE HACKETT

GARDEN GIRL

Nicole is the Garden Girl at R&MPool, Patio, Gifts and Garden. Contacther with questions or comments [email protected]

www.rodiesfeed.com

(925) 672-4600 �� 8863 Marsh Creek Rd. in Clayton

www.rodiesfeed.com

(925) 672-4600 �� 8863 Marsh Creek Rd. in Clayton

Open 7 days �� Mon - Fri 10 to 6 �� Sat 9 to 6 �� Sun 10 to 4

VIP Shot Clinic Sat. 10 - 11:30am Feb. 22 & Mar. 22

Dog Park Etiquette Sun. 10 - noon Mar. 30

Parrot Training Workshop Apr. 27

If we do not have your product, we can special order.

Scratch Grains

50# bag

Feather Fixer

40# bag

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Our passion is pets. Show support.

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Baby chicks in stock

mid-February

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* Price is per person, based on double occupancy in a Club category room at Sandpiper Bay and Turkoise. Offer requires a 3-night minimum stay (7-night mini-

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PRUNE ROSE CANES AT AN ANGLE slanting away from thedeveloping bud to direct moisture away the young leaves. Cuttoo high and the rose wastes energy dying back; too low andyou’ll sacrifice the bud you were trying to develop.

Show roses love with the proper cut

Linda Wyner owns Pans on Fire, agourmet cookware store and cookingschool in Pleasanton. Send suggestions orquestions to [email protected]

Visit us online and Sign up today!

925.672.29951026 Oak Street, Ste. 102, Clayton

www.levityfitness.com � [email protected]

Ilima Heuerman,Founder

New class session:Feb. 10

Feb 14 Clayton Pioneer 2014

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