NOV 06 Clayton Pioneer 2009.pdf

IT’S YOUR PAPER

www.claytonpioneer.com November 6, 2009 925.672.0500

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

Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

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

Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . .16

Deal With It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . . .5

Doc Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Movie Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

On the Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Police Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

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

School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Senior Moments . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

What’s Inside

JULIE PIERCE

MAYOR’S CORNER

Holidays bring out community’s best

I love this time of year, withmild, sunny days, brisk nightsand family holiday gatheringscoming quickly together.

I also love the way our towncomes together in celebration offamily. You know what I mean –it’s why most of us moved ourfamilies here, or in the case ofmany of our younger residents,back here to start their families.

As I write this, I have justcome from a neighborhoodparty that exemplifies whatClayton is all about. It was ourneighborhood’s annualPumpkin Carving Party. Whatfun! Everyone pitches in to buythe pizza and contributes some-

See Mayor, page 20

Holiday Shopping0

It’s Showtime as Claytongets pro basketball team

Professional basketball hasfound a home at the ClaytonCommunity Gym. Our smallcity is now part of the AmericanBasketball Association alongwith Philadelphia, New York,Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston,Dallas, Chicago, Seattle and SanDiego.

The new Clayton Showtimefranchise is owned and coachedby area resident Earl Williams.His daughter Monica, a sopho-more at Clayton Valley High,came up with the name in honorof her dad’s favorite pro team.The 1980s-era Los AngelesLakers of Magic Johnson, JamesWorthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were nicknamed“Showtime” for their pleasingstyle of play that earned themfive National BasketballAssociation titles that decade.

The announcement of thenew Clayton Showtime fran-chise was made from theleague’s Indianapolis headquar-ters last month. “The NorthernCalifornia division is developingvery well and we are certainlypleased to have Earl Williamsand his fine organization as partof the league,” stated ABACEO Joe Newman.

“The team started as a bunchof guys playing rec ball togetherto travel ball and has progressedinto a full-fledged ABA team.Quite a story, but then, that’swhat the ABA is all about,”Newman added.

The ABA was founded in1967 as direct competition tothe NBA and competed head tohead through 1976 with stars

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Mike Dunn/Clayton Pioneer

SHOWTIME’S NO. 33, SWANEY COOPER scores against St. Bonaventure’s Bulldog AndrewJenker of Clayton. The semi-pro team is based in Clayton and practiced with theBulldogs at the Clayton Community Gym last Friday.

If every person has their 15minutes in the spotlight, thenevery county must surely havean equal brush with the samefame. While the term doesn’tmatch the silvery smoothnessof “Hollywood,” or“Bollywood,” “CoCoCountywood” does recognize atwo-week period in 1960 whenContra Costa County was in thefilm industry’s circle of light.

“The Wild Ride,” JackNicholson’s second movie, pro-duced by Roger Corman anddirected by Harvey Berman,was shot locally. The 60-minutefilm is all about tough kidscruising pell-mell down PineHollow Road and ConcordBoulevard. Nicholson, who

leads the dragster gang as therough hunk Johnny, runsmotorcycle cops off the road,disparages women who love itand rolls his eyes at authority inthe way only Nicholson can. Ifthe movie is thin on characterdevelopment (more about thatlater), it’s worth watching forthe scenery. It’s fun to seeNicholson saunter into thePioneer Inn or zoom well overthe speed limit past a signannouncing the new homes atDANA ESTATES. And forformer students from MountDiablo High School’s theaterdepartment, some of whomhad roles in the film, it’s achance to see themselves up onthe big screen.

1960 film a critical flop, but rich with nostalgic detailsLOU FANCHER

Clayton Pioneer

On Oct. 24, PresidentBarack Obama declared theswine flu pandemic a nationalemergency – increasing people’sconcerns about a very early fluseason in which it seems nohousehold has avoided havingsomeone with flu-like symp-toms.

There is widespread fluactivity in 40 states, includingCalifornia. Locally, four cases ofswine flu have been confirmedfor Mt Diablo Elementary andone at Diablo View MiddleSchool.

The Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention (CDC)estimates that in October alone,one in five children had flu-likesymptoms. The majority ofthese cases were due to theH1N1 influenza virus.

The CDC also estimates that“many millions” of Americanshave already been infected withH1N1 influenza. While onlythose with severe flu symptomsare being tested, 70 percent ofthose tested have tested positivefor the H1N1 flu virus.Fortunately, we also know thatthe H1N1 influenza virus hascaused only mild flu symptomsin most of those infected.

To date, there have beenmore than 20,000 hospitaliza-tions for the swine flu and near-ly 1,000 deaths. While thesenumbers are above what isexpected for this time of year,they are well below the 200,000hospitalizations and 36,000deaths annually attributable to

Flu epidemichas minimalimpact onlocal schools

MATT BROWN

Special to the Pioneer

Take sharpsand unusedprescriptionsto City Hall

In California, it’s illegal todispose of needles and pharma-ceuticals in the garbage or toflush unused drugs down thetoilet. Despite this, traceamounts of pharmaceuticals arestill showing up in the surfacewaters of streams, lakes andrivers.

As part of the effort to com-bat this pollution, the city hasinstalled collection boxes at CityHall for unused pharmaceuticalsand sharps (needles, lancets andsyringes).

Both boxes are located onthe second floor in the policedepartment lobby and will beaccessible to the public duringbusiness hours.

In compliance with DEArequirements, the pharmaceuti-

cal box will bewithin view oflaw enforce-ment at alltimes and,according tothe policechief, will bebolted to thefloor.

The collec-tion boxes are

provided by Republic Services,Inc., which provides trash col-lection services to Clayton. Photo courtesy of Harvey Berman

FILMED IN JUST TWO WEEKS WITH A BUDGET OF $15,000, JACK NICHOLSON’S SECOND FILM, “THE WILD

RIDE” gives 1960 Clayton and Concord a bit of screen time.

See Swine Flu, page 4See Showtime, page 8

See Film, page 6

Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com November 6, 2009

Around Town

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350 Blue Oak Lane, Clayton $729,000Eagle Peak – Popular 2,448 s.f. Diablo model offerssingle-story luxury, 4BD/2.5BA, on corner lot.www.BlueOakLane.com

DRE# 01122025

WindermereCommunityService was a

success! Wecollected over

2,600 pounds offood for the ContraCosta Food Bank

Thank you Clayton!

L-R: Lynne & Danny French; Back Row: Julie Dunn, Inge Yarborough, Nancy D'onofrio, Marybeth Cook,Maria Sanchez, Carol vanVaerenbergh, Sophia Duran, Michelle Gittleman, Angelique Booth.NOT PICTURED: John Silvester, Walter Merlino, Stacy Hengemihle, Vickie Coker, Francine Thomann,Shelly Gwynn, Julie Clairmont, Heather Gray

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Marlina Flannery and Eric Mansfield Wed

Pioneer goes fishing in Idaho andto the opera house in Sydney

On July 18, MarlinaFlannery, daughter of Patty andMarlin Flannery of Clayton,married Eric Mansfield in anevening ceremony at WoodenValley Winery in Fairfield.

The elegant “Barrel Room”was lined with wine barrels, dimlights, candles and flowers in acolor scheme of red and black.

Marlina wore an ivory satingown accented with cherry redsatin and carried a bouquet ofred roses. Maid of Honor wasJessica Del Prato. Her sisters,Melissa Lanza and BetsyCrommie and her cousin, Lacy

DeQuarfro served as brides-maids. Her three nieces, Rylee,Gracey and Kendall wereflower girls and nephew Trevorwas ring bearer.

Marlina is a purchasingassistant for Timee in Vallejo.

Eric is the son of Terry andCeleste Mansfield of Concord.His Best Man was Chris Shipp;groomsmen were KevinThompson, Judge Rice andChuck Shaw. Eric is a sheetmetal worker in Walnut Creek.

The couple honeymoonedin Mendocino and live inConcord.

CVHS Homecoming CVHS Homecoming kicked off with a

parade on Main Street on Oct 21. The CVHSmarching band led the trucks and floats piledhigh with students from the school’s clubs andassociations.

The varsity game on Friday night was a bit ofcross-town rivalry in the first (to be annual)Claycord Cup. CV lost the heartbreaker 56-20.Eden Mesfin and Jacob Baldree were crownedthe Homecoming Queen and King.

The Pioneer went campingin Pine, Idaho with the Keyskids, Taylor, 7 and Tanner, 5,and their grandparents lastmonth. The children spentseven days hiking, playing in thesnow, looking for deer and rid-ing four wheelers. The air wascrisp, the snow was beautifuland the yellow and orange leaveswere amazing.

To celebrate their 40th wed-ding anniversary, Chuck andDebbie Wittneben took a 17 daycruise in October fromHonolulu through FrenchPolynesia, ending in Sydney,Australia.

They took the Pioneer alongand stopped for a photo in frontof the Sydney Opera House.The Sydney Harbour Bridge isin the background.

November 6, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com

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Halloween Around Town

Sixteen Rotary Youth Exchange students kicked off a weekendof traditional American Halloween festivities on Oct. 30 with a tripto the Clayton Valley Pumpkin Farm.

Poring over the pumpkin patch selection, the teenagers carefullychose their pumpkins to carve. It was a first for most of the stu-dents, who come from Sweden, Germany, France, Belgium, Slovakia,Switzerland, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Taiwan and Japan.

With the selections made, the group scooted to Clayton’s down-town park to carve their own jack-o-lanterns and other creativelywhittled creations. They wrapped up the day with pizza at Skipolini’s.

With its roots in Celtic cultures, Halloween is not celebrated in allcountries and regions of the world. Among those that do, the tradi-tions and importance of the celebration vary widely. Celebration inthe United States has had a significant impact on how the holiday is

observed in manyother nations.

The American-style Halloweenweekend experi-ence continuedwith a corn stalkmaze adventure,trick-or-treating inself-madeHalloween cos-tumes, a hauntedhouse visit and aHalloween party.

Having already solicited sponsors, the students took part in Dayat the Races for Literacy by running and walking 5K and 10K raceson Halloween morning.

– Memory WoodardConcord Rotary

Foreign exchange studentsfind pumpkin’s true purpose


Foreign Exchange Students gathered in The Grove last week wherethey learned the fine art of pumpkin carving.

Halloween started early with Boo Night on Wednesday. TheYMCA sponsored event at the Clayton gym drew witches andghosts of all ages and sizes. Kids carved pumpkins, created master-piece Trick or Treat bags, got their faces painted, scared themselvessilly in the Haunted House and worked off their sugar high on theinflatable slide.

Halloween morning saw local tykes decked out for the costumecontest at the Farmer’s Market. Outstanding costume went to 3-year-old Ethan Raichoudri. Asked how he felt about the win, Ethansimply walked in circles repeating, “I am a robot, I am a robot.”

Over at City Hall, staff was in a party mood as they headed to

Endeavor Hall for their Employee Awards luncheon where PoliceCpl Richard Enea received the City Manager/Mad Hatter’s“Outstanding Achievement Award.”.

At the firehouse, the kids posed with Sparky the Firedog, spunthe “spider wheel” and learned about fire safety. The annual eventwas rescued from the budget ax this year by the AT&T Pioneers. anorganization of active and retired AT&T employees who providedthe funding and volunteers for the event.

It wouldn’t be Halloween in Clayton without the annual GhostWalk led by Richard Taylor, who for the 29th time led scores of thecurious on a ghostly tour around town.

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

Top, from left: Nicolette Medrano’s (in front) slightly off-kilter jack-o-lantern won the pumpkin carving contest at the YMCA Boo NIght.Showtime players were on hand to help with the event. Back row: Coach Earl Williams, Swanney Cooper, Dave Driskell, NurudeenAdepoju; Front: Kevin Jackson, Jamar Smith, Nicolette Medrano and Team Manager Jim Beresford; Kids on the slide at Boo Night; Bottomfrom left: City Manager Gary Napper; Robot Ethan Raichoudri; Spencer Collier spins the Spider Wheel at the Firehouse; OfficerShanna DeCoite takes public and ghostly safety seriously on the annual Ghost Walk


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Lions and tigersand pigs, oh myLessons learned from flu crisis

As the director of theEmergency Department inConcord, which saw a 50 per-cent increase in our volumeover several very busy days, youwould think I would be bitterabout the swine hype. To behonest, I was. Then I had agood night’s sleep and awokewith an epiphany.

This swine craze was a goodthing and a great opportunityfor us. It has shown and taughtus just what type of an effect apotential worldwide pandemiccan have and what responsesneed to occur if it happens.This flu has also allowed us topractice, in real life, our disasterplans – whether they be plansfor our work, personal lives,schools, hospitals, county orstate. Each entity is evaluatingthose plans and making adjust-ments for the next time.

With this flu, we were alsoreminded that the world is anextremely small place wherebugs can travel long distances ina short time. Early recognition,containment, communicationand education are key to limit-ing the spread of a disease.

This crisis has shown us thatcountries need to collaborate inorder to prevent a global catas-trophe. We need to have stock-piles of drugs and indicationsfor their usages readily available.

The H1N1 virus (we have tostop maligning the poor pig) hasalso placed responsibility on theshoulders of each of us by mak-ing the need for personal con-tainment paramount. By this, Imean coughing into one’s arm

not hands, keeping your handsaway from your face, stayinghome if you are sick, keepingyour kids home if they are sick,washing your hands often andgetting immunized.

Not surprisingly, the virushas made us look at what we doin terms of public transporta-tion. Though poorly stated,Vice President Joe Biden didhave a point that public transitneeds attention. We need goodcleaning of vehicles, airexchanges in airplanes and theconsideration of alternativevirus killing techniques. Weshould also look at these strate-gies in other areas where crowdsgather, such as movie theaters,stadiums and restaurants.

We need to look at our envi-ronment in a different way andwe need to take responsibilityfor limiting the spread of dis-ease. We don’t need to be para-noid – just cautiously smart andvigilant.

DR. DAVID BIRDSALL

DOC TALK

Dr. Birdsall is the Medical Director ofthe Emergency Department and Chief ofStaff of John Muir Hospital in Concord.He lives in Walnut Creek with his wife,Dr. Marian Birdsall, and two children.Please email him at [email protected]

seasonal influenza.This does not mean that

there is no cause for concern,as the CDC has predicted thatthe early flu season, mostlydue to the swine flu pandemic,will probably result in moredeaths due to pneumonia andinfluenza than seen in previ-ous years.

Most concerning is that100 children have died of theswine flu – as many as die in atypical flu season.

To minimize the effects of

the swine flu pandemic, theCDC highlights three actionspeople should take:

Get vaccinated. The CDCrecommends that children 6months to 19 years of age getthe seasonal flu vaccine andthe H1N1 vaccine for thoseup to 24 years of age. Peopleover 50, pregnant women andthose with certain conditionssuch as diabetes, heart diseaseand asthma should also getvaccinated. Talk to your physi-cian if you have questions

about vaccination.Take preventative actions.

These include avoiding closecontact with sick people, stay-ing home when sick, coughingand sneezing into a tissue,avoid touching your eyes, noseand mouth and regular handcleaning.

Take antiviral medicineswhen prescribed by yourphysician.

The CDC also recom-mends staying informed, asmuch to reduce anxiety as toknow how best to avoid illness.

MDES principle BobDodson echoes the attitude ofmany when he says: “I’m not

worried about it at all. We’refollowing all the protocols andparents have been very coop-erative and supportive.”

While the president’sannouncement may be con-cerning, the primary purposeof the declaration was toloosen federal restriction sothat hospitals could treat larg-er numbers of patients, and ifnecessary, isolate swine flupatients to limit the spread ofthe illness to other patients.

For additional information onboth the seasonal and the H1N1swine flu, visit cdc.gov/flu/.

Swine Flu, from page 1

Websites cover everything youwant to know about the flu

With flu season in full-swing, it never hurts to be wellprepared. These Websites canfind flu shot clinics and arm youwith virus-fighting knowledge.

It’s easy to find flu shots forthe seasonal influenza virus.You can visitflucliniclocator.org, run by theAmerican Lung Association, tofind clinics near your ZIP code.The closest flu clinic in theClayton area is located at theWalgreen’s in the ClaytonStation. There are several othersin the Concord and WalnutCreek area.

You can also locate clinicsthat provide vaccines for theH1N1 “swine flu,” but as ofthis writing these vaccines werescarce. However, if you visit

flu.gov, you’ll find a list of retail-ers in California who will offerthe vaccines when they becomeavailable.

Walgreens.com offers theeasiest way to find swine fluclinics. When you use the site’sstore finder, it lists which storesin your area will carry the H1N1vaccine when it arrives. Call thestore directly to confirm that flushots are available.

Contra Costa HealthServices’ Website,cchealth.org/topics/flu also hasinformation on flu clinic loca-tions. They recommend gettingthe vaccine from your healthcare provider. However, theyalso list dates of CC Health flushot clinics that may offer aswine flu vaccine (if available)along with free seasonal flushots.

Since the spread of swine fluis of particular concern amonggrade-school children, CCHealth’s Website also lists which

elementary schools in the coun-ty will receive free H1N1 vacci-nations. The vaccines in thiscase will only be offered to stu-dents and school staff. Close tohalf of the elementary schoolsin the Mt. Diablo UnifiedSchool District will have thevaccine.

Besides finding flu clinics,you can also learn about how tocombat the flu itself.

The Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention’s web-site, CDC.gov, offers a wealth ofinformation on both seasonaland H1N1 flu viruses. You canuse the CDC’s Website to learnmore details about how thevirus spreads, what to do if youget symptoms, and how to takecare of a sick person.

Flu.gov offers similar infor-mation, but also breaks downhow different age groups shoulddeal with the flu virus. Itincludes pages for seniors, trav-elers, and expectant mothers.

If you think you may haveswine flu, you can take a confi-dential, online assessment thatyou can bring to your doctor.This assessment, available atH1N1.cloudapp.net, uses med-ical information from EmoryUniversity to see if you orsomeone you know may be sick.The Website lets you print outyour results so your doctordoesn’t have to ask you the samequestions.

With so much informationonline, you can keep yourselfprepared and your family safe.To get additional resources andmore in-depth details, check theCDC Website on a regular basis.

MARK FREEMAN

ON THE NET

Mark Freeman is a student atSt. Mary’s College in Moraga, study-ing economics and English. He enjoyscreative writing and is a reporter forthe school paper. Questions/com-ments can be sent to [email protected].

HELP WANTED

Real Estate Agents

Be Successful! Lynne French isexpanding and interviewing for afew agents. Call her today (925)672-8787.

LOOKING FOR

James Conrad Diaz ~ Please con-tact Mrs. Valentine.

SERVICES

Computer Services

Need help with your PC?I can troubleshoot, repair orupgrade your current computer. Inhome tutoring, wireless networks,virus/spyware checks. Clayton resi-dent. 925-209-9704

VOLUNTEERSWANTED

Meals on Wheels Drivers

1 – 1 1/2 per week. Drivers andrelief drivers needed for delivery ofMeals on Wheels in East County.People are on the waiting list due tolack of drivers. A small amount ofyour time can make a big differencein someone’s life. If you can help,please call Jim at 673-0300 or e-mail [email protected].

Anna’s Attic Volunteers

Volunteers needed at the Hospice ofthe East Bay thrift store. Theaddress of the store is 5350 ClaytonRoad. Call store manager, Debbieat 674-9072 or Lamont Campbell at(925) 766-5066.

Hospice of the East Bay –

Anna’s Program

Seeking dedicated, caring volun-teers to provide home companion-ship and practical support forwomen with recurrent breast can-cer. To apply for free training, callHospice of the East Bay at (925)887-5678 and ask for the VolunteerDepartment, or [email protected].

Clayton Historical Society

Museum

Greeter for two hours per monthfrom 2-4 p.m. Wednesdays orSundays. No experience or exten-sive knowledge of Clayton historyis necessary. 672-0240.

Clayton Community Library

Shelver - to shelve and sensitizelibrary materials. Variousdays/times. Tutors - no prior expe-rience necessary! You determine thegrade level and subjects you arecomfortable with and thedays/times. Requires good commu-nication skills, patience and a desireto help students in the community.Contact: Arlene @ 673-9777 oremail: [email protected]

November 6, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com

Auto

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

Dirito Brothers Concord Volkswagen . . . . . . . . . .887-6000

Mike's Auto Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-1739

Construction and Trades

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

Burkin Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212-3339

Grover Electric Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .969-9743

Ken Mitolo Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2460

Olde World Mill & Cabinets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .915-0822

Outback Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-1244

Smith & Bernal Roofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0138

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

Dentist

Bradburn, Keith D.D.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0110

Children's Dentistry of Walnut Creek . . . . . . . . . .938-2392

Gardner, Randell D.D.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-0110

Renner, Jason D.D.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-2800

Rissel, Richard D.M.D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-2800

Dining and Entertainment

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

Willows Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .957-2500

Educational Services

Katherine Palau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510-207-7467

Events

Clayton Pioneer Cookie Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0500

Contra Costa County Fall Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .757-4400

Festival of Trees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-5100

Financial and Insurance Services

Benton, Mureleen - Ameriprise Financial . . . . . .685-4523

CD Federal Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .825-0900

Ferrante Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .674-1755

Littorno, Richard - Attorney at Law . . . . . . . . . . .672-6463

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

Fitness

Butterfly Clayton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4238

Coach Terry Fit Body Boot Camp . . . . . . . . . . . .586-3649

Funerals

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

Gifts

Gift Baskets by Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .687-8878

Keenan Heinz Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288-0159

The Royal Rooster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2025

Home and Garden

Abbey Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686-9901

Bee Hive Ovens, Al Fresco Imports . . . . . . . . . . .672-9547

Clear Splash Pool Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-6245

Floors to Go Danville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .820-8700

Lewis & Lewis Carpets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .939-2145

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

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

Pans on Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .600-7267

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

Welcome Home House Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . .584-5980

Mailing and Shipping

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

Personal Products and Services

Bella Mia Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .680-7792

Roberta Claire Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .625-1123

Sport Clips Haircuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368-4264

Weight Watchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-800-379-5757

Pet Services

Aussie Pet Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-738-6624

Monte Vista Veterinary Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1100

O’Brien Family Pet Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .899-7354

Rodies Feed and Country Store . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4600

Real Estate and Mortgage Services

Flannery, Patty - Diablo Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0541

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

Kavanaugh, Mike - RE/MAX Town & Country . . .383-6102

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

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

Morucci, Kim - Intero Real Estate Services . . . . .280-8563

Rahimzadeh, Helen -Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . .932-7375

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

Recreation

Clayton Bicycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2522

Clayton Valley Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-4631

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

YMCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .889-1600

Senior Services

Aegis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .692-5853

Diamond Terrace Senior Retirement Living . . . . .524-5100

Scan Health Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-800-915-7226

Services, Other

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

Computers USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9989

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

The Cutting Edge Knife Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2723

Shopping

Clayton Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-3325

Donna’s Quilting Loft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0401

Travel

Cruise Adventures Unlimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .935-7447

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

Directory of Advertisers

P.O. Box 12466200 Center Street, Suite H, Clayton, CA 94517

TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, EditorANDRÉ GENSBURGER, Reporter and Feature WriterPETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignBEV BRITTON, Copy Editor JAY BEDECARRE, Sports BETH NEUDELL, Advertising Sales CHRISTINA SCARLOTT, Administrative Assistant

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To place your classified ad over thephone, call the office at (925) 672-0500 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.Mon.-Fri. Or, you may fax your type-written ad and credit card informa-tion to (925) 672-6580. All classifiedsmust be paid for in advance by creditcard (Master Card or Visa)

We will not accept any ad that dis-criminates on the basis of race, color,sex, religion, nationality, family statusor disability. The Clayton Pioneerreserves the right to reject any adver-tising we believe is unsuitable.

LET US KNOWWeddings, engagements, anniver-

saries, births and deaths all weavetogether as part of the fabric of ourcommunity. Please let us know ofthese important events. We ask onlythat the announcement be for aClayton resident. You will find theappropriate form for your announce-ment on our Website. Attach yourphoto to the form. Make sure theimage size you are about to send is atleast 3 MB but not bigger than 6MB.The only format we accept is JPG. Youcan also mail or bring your print to theoffice and we can scan it for you.

Also on our Web site are formsfor submitting Community Calendaritems and press releases for yourorganization.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Clayton Pioneer welcomesletters from our readers. As a generalrule, letters should be 300 words orless and submitted at least one weekprior to publication date. Letters con-cerning current issues will have priori-ty. We may edit letters for length andclarity. All letters will be published atthe editor’s discretion.

Please include your name, addressand daytime telephone number. Wewill not print letters from “anony-mous.”

E-mail your letter in a Worddocument to [email protected]. Letters MUST be sub-mitted via E-mail.

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5433 D Clayton Rd., Clayton � [email protected] � www.claytonbookshop.com

In the Clayton Station Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

November Events MMeeeett tthhee aauutthhoorrss aatt CCllaayyttoonn BBooookkss

If you cannot attend, we are happy toget books signed for you.

11/08 Sun 2pm .........Local Author Extravaganza with 10 authors

11/09 Mon 7pm..........Poetry event featuring Sunny Solomon and 5 other local poets readingfrom their new book.

11/10 Tues 7pm .........Kevin Nelson, author of “Wheels of Change.”

11/12 Thurs 4pm .......Children’s authors/illustrators, “Meomi” present “The Octonauts.”

11/12 Thurs 7pm .......Greg Kihn interviews Ben Fong-Torres about his new book “The Grateful Dead Scrapbook.”

11/15 Sun 3pm ..........Jeff Vandermeer, author of “Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st Century Writer.”

11/17 Sun 3pm ..........Susan Griffin, author of “Wrestling with the Angel of Democracy: On Being an American Citizen.”

11/19 Thurs 7pm .......Allison Hoover Bartlett, author of “The Man Who Loved Books Too Much.”

11/21 Sat 11am .........Brandon Sanderson, author of “The Gathering Storm.”

11/22 Sun 1pm ..........Stephanie O’Dea, author of “Make it Fast, Cook it Slow.”

(925) 673-3325

* Offer is valid only to new members who have not been a member of theclub for at least 12 months prior to the time of membership application. Eachmember must submit his/her own membership application. Each memberpays 50% of the non transferable membership deposit and dues rate but areresponsible for the full price of f&b minimum and other ancillary charges.Effective upon the first year anniversary, each member will then be responsiblefor payment of the full monthly dues. See Director of Sales for details. Otherrestrictions may apply. Offer expires 12/31/09. All rights reserved.

Population ControlI was impressed to see the

article by Mr. Gensburger in theOctober 23, 2009 edition of theClayton Pioneer. For years, Ihave been writing similar articlesto SF Bay media to address thisimportant matter, with noresponses to date unfortunately.Some other newspapers won’t.

. . . As an environmentalistfor over 25 years, I have beenadvocating for the control ofgrowth and population (both bybirth and immigration) to curbtheir impact upon society, infra-structure, and the world's natu-ral resources and beauty.

The world is at 6.7+ billionpeople now and according to aJohn Hopkins study, it is pro-jected to be over 16 billion by2100, with serious dire conse-quences! California’s currentpopulation is expected to growfrom 36+ million to 50 millionby 2020!

Shame on people for notexercising better judgement and

using better sense, in lieu ofsmart growth and sustainability,and particularly for mostAmericans who seem to demon-strate such destructive behaviorthat harmfully places individualrights above the rights of thewhole and earth in this regard.How selfish and wrong can peo-ple be?

I'm no Nostradamus, but ifAmerica (and the world) do notget a handle on this abuse soon,there will not be much of aworld left, and people will bekilling people just to get accessto whatever minimal resourcesare left.

Education is not enough. Soplease write your legislators tomandate population controlsand smart, sustainable growth inall areas before it’s too late.

Tom Stoflet Clayton

The opinions expressed in theReader’s Forum are those of thewriter, only. They are not necessarilyheld by the editorial staff of thePioneer. - Ed.

Readers Forum

DONATIONS NEEDED

Clayton YMCA

The Y is seeking donations of sup-plies and items for use in the sum-mer day camps and the after-schoolprograms. Please call Jennifer Beckat 925-692-2364 if you have booksfor all ages, old movies (PG and Grated), all types of board and inter-active games and anything else thatwould be appropriate for kids.

NOV 18HOSPICE TREE

OF LIGHTS

The annual com-memorative tree light-ing of the HospiceTree in the ClaytonStation (in front ofSafeway) begins at 5p.m. with speakers,poetry, candlelightvigil and music by theMDES chorus.


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Carol Bigby, now Hampton,found out about the movie fromGary Espinoza, a fellow graduateof Mount Diablo High. “Getover there and see if you can geta part,” she remembers himtelling her. Discovering thatBerman, her former high schooldrama teacher, was directing thefilm, Hampton hustled over tohis classroom. “I threw the dooropen, leaned on the door frameand seductively said, ‘Harvey,dahhling….’” She got the partof Joyce with no audition. “Themovie opens on my rear end –dancing!” she says, delightedwith the memory.

Dancing was one thingNicholson did not know how todo when filming began.Hampton had to teach him thejitterbug. “Everyone thought,who is this guy?” she recalls. Butno one had to tell the future starhow to act, or how to send thecast reeling with laughter. In onescene, Johnny is out of sightbehind a log and the other char-acters are supposed to be sad,shocked. Nicholson kept up sucha steady patter of jokes andfunny faces from his hiding placethat keeping a straight face wasimpossible. “We had to shootover and over again,” Hamptonsays.

MOVIE DRAWS IN LOCALS

Local kids who weren’t in themovie still managed to getinvolved with the filming. RobCavanaugh recalls riding onhorseback into Clayton andnoticing movie cameras. He anda friend watched the shoot atChubby Humble’s Pioneer Inn,now the offices for ClaytonCommunity Church. “They wereholding up 4 by 6 foot pieces ofaluminum,” he says, “to shinemore light on the actors.” Nofancy generators on this set;instead, the crew was reliant onthe sun. When Cavanaugh sawthe final film, he was surprised.“In the movie, even with all thataluminum, the scenes were still

somewhat dark!”Making “The Wild Ride” was

a community event, with localpolicemen from the ConcordPolice Department recruited forthe cast. Hampton remembersChuck Evans preparing for hisscene. “The wind was blowing100 miles an hour and he was sonervous, he just sat there clutch-ing his hairbrush and shaking,”she says. Another time, whileshooting at the Pacheco speed-way, unreliable machinery playeda major role. Nicholson leaptinto the Ford convertible for aquick getaway, cranked theengine, and it wouldn’t start,causing another hilarious cut. Ithappened on each subsequenttake. Eventually, the film had tobe spliced at that point.

One person not entertainedby the production process wasBerman. His description ofmaking “The Wild Ride” is deliv-ered in blunt, black-and-whitelanguage, like the film’s format.Of the producer, Berman says,“Corman tells me, ‘I’ll give you15,000 dollars and two weeks.’”Berman’s face pinches as if he’sbit into a lemon, “I had no timeto rehearse, or anything else!”With the time constraints, han-dling Nicholson was also tough:“He thought everything had tobe analyzed,” Berman remem-bers. “I had two weeks to shootand he’d ask me, ‘What do youthink about this? What do youthink about that?’” The experi-ence turned him off ofmoviemaking, and explains whyhe’s credited with just two films.

When the film debuted at theParamount in Oakland and at theFox in San Francisco, it waspaired with Butterfield Eight andGI Blues, two larger films withwell-known stars. Even so,Hampton remembers feelinguncomfortable. “A man near meturned and said, ‘Boy, if I was inthat film, I’d really be embar-rassed.’” The beatnik languagewas passé and the movie wasn’t

old enough to be respected as acult film. Despite the disappoint-ing stature of “The Wild Ride,”the movie provides a satisfyingglimpse of 1960 Concord andClayton. The memories ofHampton, Cavanaugh, andBerman – not to mention

Nicholson, slender and slouch-ingly handsome – remind us notto take ourselves too seriously, tohave fun, to wipe up theHersheys (used for blood in oldblack and white films like thisone) and move on.

Film, from page 1

It’s impossible to gleanfrom the whiplash that is “TheWild Ride” that HarveyBerman is a masterful story-teller with an impeccable flairfor dramatic timing. “I’ve beenquoted inaccurately,” he says,beginning our interview with athrust worthy of the most agileShakespearean sword fighter.He’s been directing theater andopera productions for over 50years and has no time for foolsor poor follow up. Fortunately,what he does have time for ispriceless. Stored in his consid-erable memory is the rich his-tory of regional theater in theEast Bay.

When “The Wild Ride”squelched his enthusiasm formovies, the film industry’s lossbecame live theater’s gain.Berman turned his directingacumen to creating DiabloValley College’s theater depart-ment out of the dust of itsEnglish program. He spenthalf a century instructing stu-dents, until last year, when heretired. “You have to knowwhen to stop,” he says,straightforward and elusive atthe same time. “Now, I turndown jobs.” When pressed foran explanation, he says,“[Students] are not as dedicat-ed to a study program. They’redriven by too many things.”They have cars, jobs, comput-ers—all moving faster than thehot rods in “The Wild Ride.”

Berman, who’s won awardsand the respect of local theaterartists with his “Amadeus,”“Marat/Sade,” and “Anne ofthe Thousand Days,” will nolonger be rushed. Directing

without digging in to the scriptdisinterests him. “It doesn’treveal your skills,” he says,“There’s no collaborative art inthat.” What he loved aboutdirecting was “using the entirestage to make a play comealive.” What wipes the sourlemon look clean off his face isa memory of summers on theRussian River, with theStumptown Players, a group heformed with fellow UCLAgrads Carol Burnett and MonteHelleman.

It’s in the middle of thismemory—after a full 35 min-utes of biography—thatBerman says simply, “Myfather never talked. Neverspoke.” It’s a late explosion offact and yet it gives foundationto everything that has comebefore it: his skill at conveyingmeaning with movement, hisability to replay entire one-sided conversations, his life-long fascination with words.And like the best storytellers, ithooks the audience, leavingthem spellbound for Act Two.If there’s a documentary direc-tor out there, “Berman, HisWild Ride,” would make a fan-tastic flick.

Harvey Berman’s Wild RideLou Fancher

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Upcoming Events

Bill would benefit Bay Area water users

Responding to California’splea for drought assistance, theU.S. House of Representativesvoted to expand the Bay AreaRegional Water RecyclingProgram on Oct. 15. If enacted,the bill will add 2.6 billion gallonsof water to the region’s watersupply.

The water input from almosthalf a million homes and 3,000businesses will be treated byCentral Contra Costa SanitaryDistrict (CCCSD) to EPA stan-

dards and recycled for use in irri-gation, landscaping and otherindustrial purposes. Six projectsfunded by bill HR 4224 will addenough water to meet the needsof more than 24,000 households.

The bill was introduced bynine Bay Area representatives,including Ellen Tauscher (D-Concord) and George Miller (D-Martinez). According to regionalagencies, more than 3,500 jobswill be supported by the bill’senactment.

“Expanding water recyclingwill allow our Bay Area commu-nities access to a continuouswater supply, even during times

of drought, and will stabilizeboth our water resources and ourlocal economies,” the lawmakerssaid in a statement. “And creat-ing new alternative water sourcesby using innovative water recy-cling technologies will allow usto take some of the enormousstrain off the Bay-Delta andother natural water resources.”

California is facing its fourthyear of drought, and the stateDepartment of Water Resourcesrecently predicted chronic watershortages by the year 2020. TheBay Area Regional WaterRecycling Program envisions 33water recycling projects, includ-

ing seven which are currentlyproducing 4 billion gallons ofwater. At full capacity, more than40 billion gallons of water wouldbe recycled by the 33 programs.

Clayton is not part of therecycled water area and there areno plans in the near future toexpand the system.

“The problem is that recycledwater lines, well, almost any sortof pipe system, costs about $1million per mile,” explainsMichael Scahill of CCCSD.“We’d love to expand use ofrecycled water, but the capitaljust isn’t there at the moment.”

MATT BROWN


NOV. 21-22HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE SALE

Decorate for the holidays with fall andChristmas home décor items all made by the tal-ented women of the Clayton Valley Woman’sClub. Find the perfect table runner, wreath orornament for yourself or someone on your giftlist. Clayton Library Community Room, 10-4 bothdays.

November 6, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com

925-672-7800Mike Kavanaugh

Owner

DRE#0888284

1026 Oak St., Suite 204,

Clayton, CA

Thinking of Buying or Selling?

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Who pays closing cost can be negotiated

Q During the process ofselling my home last

year, almost $10,000 worth ofstructural pest control repairsturned up. I am still confusedabout how this unfolded. Thehome did close. The buyersigned an as-is addendum and Ipaid their closing costs. Whatdo you think about the way thiswas handled? – R.W.

A It seems it was handledappropriately. It appears

that you signed an addendum(called a WPA) when youaccepted the offer. On thisaddendum, you agreed to fixany “Section 1” repairs (actualdamage of infestation and dry

rot) on the Structural PestReport (commonly called theTermite Report). The buyer’slender would require a Section1 clearance because theaddendum is part of the con-tract.

The quickest way to dealwith the repair is to give thebuyer a credit and they can getthe work done after it closes.One way that the lender willaccept the seller giving thebuyer money is to designate itto go for the buyer’s nonrecur-ring closing costs. These one-time fees include title insur-ance, inspection fees, transfertaxes and loan originationfees. The as-is addendum wasused so the lender wouldn’tlook for a clearance of theserepairs.

Q I am in a contract to buymy first house in

Concord. On the one hand, it isa dream come true. I love thehouse – or at least I think I do.

On the other hand, I haven’thad a good night’s sleep sincethe offer was accepted. Did Ipay too much? Is it a goodneighborhood? What if I losemy job? How do I know forsure if this is the right thing todo? – J.B.

A It sounds like you have acase of “buyer’s remorse.”

Buyers often feel anxiety, fear ordepression early in the transac-tion, but it usually passes. Trynot to overreact and back out ofthe deal right away. There couldbe consequences if you backout of a deal simply because youare scared.

A good way to cope withthese feelings is to stay well-informed during the process.Make sure your Realtor sitsdown with you and reallyexplores the comparable sales inthe area. Explore the future pos-sibilities for appreciation. Speakto your mortgage broker aboutnot only what you qualify for

but what your complete pay-ments will be. Make sure youfactor in your mortgage interestdeduction.

There should be a contin-gency for inspection. Have athorough professional inspec-tion and attend the inspection.At that time, you can becomefamiliar with the ins and outs ofthe home. The inspector shouldnot only point out the defectsbut the attributes of the home.

Q I recently bought a homethat wasn’t on the market.

There was one neighborhoodthat I was interested in, so I sentout cards to the owners andfound a family willing to sell metheir home. I hired a real estateagent to handle the transaction.Though I love the home, I knowI paid a premium price. We evenhad trouble getting it to appraiseso I had to put in extra money.Is this a good strategy for pur-chasing a home when inventoryis low? – F.B.

A Looking for a home canbe a tedious process in a

market where few homes areavailable in your chosen area.Sometimes, homeowners willagree to sell a home they weren’tplanning to sell if you offer aprice they can’t refuse.

If the home were listed onthe open market, it would beeasier to gauge its market value.If buyers are making offers orexpressing serious interest, thenthe asking price is on target. If itsits on the market for months,then it could be overpriced. It ishard to determine the marketvalue if it hasn’t had that marketexposure.

In a case like this, you willnever really know if you paidtoo much and the seller willnever know if they could havesold for more.

If you aren’t finding whatthey want on the market, haveyour Realtor explore expiredlistings. These are listings thatdidn’t sell while they were

being marketed. A real estateprofessional can help you findout why the property didn’tsell. You can study compara-bles before deciding whatprice to pay. These sellers areoften motivated to sell sincethey did have the property onthe market at one time.

With a sale on a propertythat isn’t listed for sale, makesure that your interests are rep-resented by a either a Realtor oran attorney. You need to have alldisclosure requirements in com-pliance. Have the property thor-oughly inspected even if itseems like a great deal.

Send your question and look foryour answer in a future column. E-mail [email protected] is the broker/owner ofWindermere Lynne French &Associates and a Clayton resident.For any real estate needs or questions,contact her at 672-878 7or stop in at6200 Center St., Clayton.

LYNNE FRENCH

REAL ESTATE

Tracking the rarityof October’s storm

The first storm of the rainyseason greeted Clayton and BayArea residents with hours ofgusty winds and heavy rain Oct.13. Records indicate that it wasthe strongest October stormsince the Columbus Day stormof 1962.

Although winds were strongenough to blow down fencesand uproot trees, the real storyof this storm was rainfall. Someweather stations in the Bay Areameasured more than 10 inchesof rain in a 24-hour period.

Several Clayton residentsresponded to our request forstorm rainfall measurements.The results not only show thatthis was an unusual event buthow much variation there is inrainfall amounts across relative-ly short distances. This is typicalof rainfall patterns in areas withlarge geographical features likeour backdoor neighbor, Mt.Diablo.

Reported amounts rangefrom 3 to 5½ inches. Stormtotals of more than 5 incheswere reported by Linda Hull onOak Hill Lane and Mike Wagneron Keller Ridge Drive. Lindareported that it was unusual forher to see water running downboth creeks bordering her prop-erty the next day.

Other readers commentedon the unique results of thisstorm. Roger Frost measurednearly 4 inches of rain at an OakStreet location. He reported that

Mitchell Creek, which runsbehind his house, had water lev-els nearly as high as any time lastwinter. Carol Herington statedthat she has been measuringrainfall data for many years andOct. 13 was the first time shehas seen more than 4 inches inone day.

Storms that bring significantamounts of rainfall toCalifornia usually have subtrop-ical origins. A sure sign that astorm is subtropical is that tem-peratures are mild before andafter the rain falls. Temperatureswere in the 60s and 70s beforeand after Oct. 13, verifying thatthe storm was subtropical.

Weather maps and satellitephotographs prior to the stormprovide evidence that the sub-tropical air mass that resulted inour storm had an interestingrecent history. It started out asorganized bands of thunder-showers north of thePhilippines a week earlier andgrew to become TyphoonMelor. This typhoon struck theJapanese mainland on Oct. 7and then moved into the west-ern Pacific Ocean.

This moisture from Melorstayed intact as it traveled acrossthe Pacific toward California.This air mass was guided by jetstream winds located far to thesouth of their normal latitudeduring October. The massiveamounts of warm moist air inTyphoon Melor provided the

energy needed to create strongsurface winds and the moistureneeded to produce rainfall totalsas high as those measured in theClayton area.

A few days after the rain-storm, I took a hike alongDonner Creek in Mt. DiabloState Park. It was a weird sensa-tion to hear water rumblingdown the stream. Although thehillsides were still brown aftersix months of dry weather, itlooked like, sounded like andfelt like spring.

Last month’s storm will belong remembered. In the com-ing years when October rainstorms hit the Clayton area, res-idents will be reading their raingauges and comparing amountsto those recorded during 2009.It may be a long time beforeanother October storms packsthis punch.

I would like to thank thereaders who not only respondedto the request for data but alsoprovided comments that veri-fied the rarity of this storm.

As part of their 25thanniversary year, The ClaytonBusiness and CommunityAssociation (CBCA) recognizedseven of the association’sfounding members at theOctober dinner meeting.

Honored were (from left) AlMartin, DDS, Ingrid Hempell(La Cocotte), John Rubiales,Gloria Utley, Doug Van Wyck(State Farm Insurance), SkipIpsen (Skipolini’s) and EdMoresi (Ed’s Mudville Grill andMoresi’s Chophouse.)

Skip Ipsen recalled thegroup’s genesis in 1984 when asmall group of local businessowners began meeting at JohnJawad’s Pioneer Inn “inresponse to some political issuesin town over which we had nocontrol.” Today, membership isat 170.

The organization, which

began as the Clayton Businessand Professional Association,sponsors the Art and WineFestival, the Clayton ClassicGolf Tournament and theOktoberfest. This year, theevents have raised more than$142,000 for charitable contri-butions. Major gifts have includ-

ed $65,000 for the city’s gatewayrenovation, $25,000 to theMDUSC Athletics Foundation,$20,000 in scholarships, and$10,800 for the summerConcerts in The Grove.

For more information, call SueWhite at (925) 672-2272 or visitclaytoncbca.org.

WOODY WHITLATCH

WEATHER WORDS

Woody Whitlatch is a meteorolo-gist with PG&E. Email your ques-tions or comments to [email protected]

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such as Julius “Dr. J” Irving andRick Barry, eventually forcingthe NBA to take in several ABAfranchises. The current incarna-tion began as ABA 2000 and hasgrown to a league with nearly 60teams from coast to coast.

FIRST HOME GAME DEC. 3Williams sounds like a proud

dad when he talks aboutClayton Showtime. “Sincebeginning as a semi-pro team afew years ago, the Showtimeteam has made quite an impacton the pro-am circuit,” he said.“It pretty much just happened.My daughter really pushed meto do it. It’s taken on a life of itsown.”

Standing beside Williams isJoe Beresford, the team’s assis-tant coach and player personnelchief. “I’ve played with andagainst Earl. We’re really excitedabout the prospects for ourteam this year,” Beresford said.

The team begins its inaugu-ral 30-game ABA regular seasonschedule Nov. 20 in SanFrancisco with the first of threeconsecutive road games beforea four-game homestand atClayton Gym Dec. 3-11. Thehome opener and first-ever pro-fessional game in Clayton is 7

p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, againstSacramento Heatwave.

Williams and Beresford haveput together a roster thatincludes two players fromNigeria and American playerswho have overseas experience.One of the team leaders isguard Jamar Smith. TheSacramento native played colle-giately at Cal State MontereyBay.

“I bring toughness, aggres-siveness and leadership to theteam,” Smith said. “I do what ittakes to win.”

Smith will be getting the ballto inside players Mike Cambelland Tim Johnson. The 7-footJohnson last played inSwitzerland. Indiana nativeCambell also has pro experienceoverseas.

The Nigerians on Showtimeare 6-8 Fredrick Oguns and 6-5Nurudeen Adepoju, who mostrecently played in Iran.

Sharing backcourt dutieswith Smith are Marcus Morganfrom Cal State Fullerton andJamar Holloway. Cleveland’sSwaney Cooper, Dave Driskellfrom Antioch and KevinJackson are also battling forplaying time in the Showtimerotation.

AIMING FOR THE TOP

Williams likes to set up hisoffense “from the inside out.Our players are very athletic andmost can play more than oneposition,” he noted. “We’llemploy a Princeton-stylemotion offense.”

The coach wants his playersto be thinking about “playing atthe next level” and to be toughso he never uses a zone defense“not even a matchup zone.”

The 35-year-old Williamswill need to use the expertisegained from his San FranciscoState business administrationdegree to make the franchisesuccessful financially while alsocreating a winning product onthe court. Williams played inEurope and the Philippinesafter college and has contacts tohelp his players wanting to makeprofessional moves there.

“Our vision is to be compet-itive so scouts for the NBA andforeign teams will come visit usand recruit some players and, ofcourse, to win the ABA champi-onship – something we arecapable of doing,” Williamssaid.

The league uses the heritagered, white and blue basketballmade famous in the originalABA and employs NBA rulesincluding the shot clock, 12-minute quarters and the samethree-point shot distance.

“We are excited to be part ofthis great league, a part of thisdynamic community and lookforward to developing relation-ships with local businesses aswell as becoming an integralpart of family-friendly sportsentertainment here in the EastBay,” Williams said.

The team is looking for localsponsors. Contact office managerAlicia Beresford at [email protected]. Tickets forhome games are available for less than$10 at showtime-basketball.com or atthe door. Fans can follow the ABA atabalive.com.


Clayton Sports

Showtime, from page 1


BULLDOG COACH GREG JECKER of Clayton instructs the young St.Bonaventure’s Bulldogs in the art of the game as Showtimeplayer Marcus Morgan looks on.

Scuba divers draw friends into the deep blueFive years ago, at age 65,

Steve Stewart turned to his wifeCarla and said, “We better do itnow or we’ll never get to it.” Hewasn’t talking about taking thegrandkids to Disneyland, shoringup the retirement funds or learn-ing to play bridge: He was talkingabout scuba diving.

Until that day, the Stewartshad lived what could be consid-ered a standard life. Not longafter moving to Concord in1974, they found their currenthome in Clayton on a casualdrive to look at new housesunder construction. “We wentout at noon and by 5 o’clock,we’d made an offer,” Steveremembers. Carla loved the area’sopen space – a healthy contrastfrom the intensity of her job as anurse at Mt. Diablo Hospital.They raised a family and madefriends.

Ed and Cathy LaHay were apart of their inner circle. TheLaHays met while scuba divingon a Club Med vacation inCancun. Ed, a single father oftwo teens and the owner of hisown business, understandablysought pleasurable escapes.“Diving’s the most relaxing thingI’ve ever done,” says Ed.

An avid photographer, healso relished the exotic beauty ofmarine life. Cathy shared his pas-sion and the two traveled exten-sively, exploring the world’s vastunderwater resources.

Naturally, Ed and Carlaencouraged the Stewarts to jointhem. Ten years after promising

to take the plunge if their friendslearned to snow ski, Steve andCarla signed on at the AnchorShack in Pacheco. They are nowcertified open water divers andSteve has passed his advancedlevels. The only place they can’tdive is in deep sea caves. Thatstill leaves the underwater worldof Maui, Curaçoa, Fiji and theBritish Virgin Islands – just a few

of the numerous locations theyhave visited.

Their trip to the BritishVirgin Islands spawns a wave offavorite memories. They lived ona 105-foot sailboat and exploredan underwater shipwreck. “Youcould see the tile, the utensils –all preserved,” Steve says, withthe wonder of a kid at Christmasin his voice.

“There’s a legend about theship,” Carla adds. “The legend isthat if you touch a porthole,you’re going to come back some-day and dive again.” They doveand touched and fully expect toreturn.

The Stewarts and LaHayssays becoming certified ismethodical and safe – and thefirst step to an activity many

divers enjoy for a lifetime.Locating a dive center with a

good reputation is paramount.PADI, the ProfessionalAssociation of DivingInstructors, is one internationalorganization that issues certifica-tion through its member divecenters and educational facilities.The Anchor Shack, where theStewarts trained, is a five-star

PADI development center. Theyoffer their own pool and anextensive list of programs. Thebasic dive course takes 5-6weeks.

All students begin by fillingout medical questionnaires. Adoctor’s letter of approval isrequired if there are any healthconcerns, such as a history ofasthma or heart disease.

The next step is demonstrat-ing basic swimming skills: sevenlaps at the pool at the AnchorShack and the ability to float ortread water for 10 minutes. Afterfour classes, a weekend of per-forming actual dives at theMonterey Bay or the Quarry inLivermore completes the pro-gram.

When the Stewarts tell peo-ple about their hobby, the mostcommon response is “Wow!”

“I think they think we’re tooold,” Carla says with a hint ofsurprise, as if the very idea wouldnever have occurred to her.

She and Steve, like Ed andCathy, have found their fountainof youth – 80 feet under theocean’s surface.

LOU FANCHER

Clayton Pioneer

Photo courtesy of the Stewarts

CLAYTON COUPLE, CARLA AND STEVE STEWART, didn’t take up scuba diving until their mid-sixties. Shown here at Roatan,Honduras, the couple, now in their seventies, travel with friends to diving spots all over the world.

JAN. 9CVHS BOOSTERS CRAB FEED

CVHS Athletic Boosters Clubwill be hosting its 16th annual CrabFeed & Auction on Sat., Jan. 9, 6p.m. at Centre Concord. Thismajor fundraiser directly benefitsall the athletic programs at CVHS.Seating is limited and tickets are onsale now for $50 at the school oronline at www.cvhsboosters.org.Raffle and auction item donationsare accepted by [email protected].

LACROSSE CLUB SEEKING

CLAYTON PLAYERS FOR U13 &U15 TEAMS

Walnut Creek WarriorsLacrosse Club is seeking to set upClayton-based boys and girls teamsin the Under 13 and Under 15 agegroups. Clayton resident LeslieHunt is recruiting players to devel-op teams in the middle school agegroups. “The teams will practice atCVHS. The objective in starting upthe Clayton area team is to growthe game, offer good coaching andlots of playing experience for thekids and make it as convenient aspossible. We are doing this with thehelp of both Clayton Valley boysand girls lacrosse coaches.”Registration is now open atwww.walnutcreeklacrosse.com orcall Hunt at (925) 673-5206.

JAN 11. – FEB. 18DIABLO FC SOCCER

WINTER ACADEMY

Diablo FC is holding its ninthannual Winter Soccer AcademyJan. 11 through Feb. 18 every Mon.and Thurs. from 5-6 p.m. at WillowPass Park in Concord. Therenowned Diablo FC professionalcoaching staff will teach boys andgirls 5-12 years old basic dribblingand juggling skills, passing andreceiving the ball and ball striking.Youth of all skill levels fromnovice to those ready for competi-tive soccer are invited. There areno tryouts for Soccer Academy.Sign up at www.diablofc.org.

Winter sports a goafter 5K Walk/Runraises over $100,000

Next week is a big one atClayton Valley High School andthe other schools in the Mt.Diablo Unified School District.Tryouts for winter sports teamswill be taking place on soccerfields, basketball courts andwrestling mats, just like it’s beendone for decades.

But for the dedication,determination and largess ofsome key community leaders,this year might have been verydifferent. Last spring, MDUSDfaced an unprecedented finan-cial meltdown and, along withteachers, librarians, counselorsand reduced class sizes, theentire high school sports pro-gram was axed by the schoolboard as they attempted to bal-ance the ever-shrinking budget.

The board gave the sportsprogram an ultimatum: If youwant to play, you need to payand that total is $1.2 million.Otherwise, more than 5,000 stu-dent athletes would be deprivedof high school sports.

DETERMINED FUNDRAISERS

CVHS athletic director PatMiddendorf was among thefirst to stand up and say, “Wecan do that.” She helped foundand now chairs the United Mt.Diablo Athletic Foundation,with representatives from all sixhigh schools in the district. Shegot the seed money for thefoundation through a $100,000donation from Debra and SteveGonsalves of Clayton.

Based on the foundation’sassurances that the neededmoney would be raised, theschool board allowed fall sportseven without the funding in thebank.

A key element in the financ-ing plan was voluntary partici-pation fees paid by parents fortheir children to take part insports. The participation feesrange from $50 for water poloand golf up to $300 for foot-ball. The majority of sports are$225. Those numbers are inaddition to a $100 transporta-tion fee that has been in exis-tence for some time.

An individual family wouldonly be required to pay a maxi-mum of $600 in a school year,even if they have children play-ing multiple sports. The founda-tion came up with manyfundraising efforts, includingselling student sports activitycards.

Part-way through the fallseason, AssociateSuperintendent Alan Youngthreatened to shut down the fallsports teams at the district’s old-est school, Mt. Diablo HighSchool, due to a lack of athlet-ics payments coming from theConcord school. Keeping withthe foundation’s “one for all andall for one” credo, Middendorfsaid, “If Mt. Diablo has to stopfall sports, we all stop fallsports.”

The district’s threat was par-ticularly upsetting to Middendorfand the foundation, because they

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

SportsShorts

See Winter sport, page 14

CARLA AND STEVE STEWART

November 6, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com

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Diablo FC teams find the treats at Halloween ClassicA record-breaking 80 club

soccer teams from throughoutNorthern California convergedon the Boatwright SportsComplex and two other localfields for the 11th annualHalloween Kick or Treat Classichosted by Diablo FC.

Players arrived for their first

game dressed as M&Ms, theBlues Brothers, tie-dyed hippies,vampires, convicts, pumpkins,cowgirls, surfers, magicians, wiz-ards and assorted other charac-ters from literature, movies, tele-vision and people’s imaginations.In keeping with the Halloweenspirit, judges awarded prizes for

the teams with the Scariest, MostCreative, Funniest and MostOriginal costumes.

Two days of soccer actionalso determined the winningboys and girls teams in Under 9,Under 10 and Under 11 agegroups.

The host Diablo FC had 10

teams participate in theHalloween Classic. Two of themcame away with championshipsand another was a finalist.

Diablo FC 98 girls capturedtheir second consecutiveHalloween Classic title by beat-ing their rivals, Mustang Magic,2-0 in the final game. Earlier inthe tournament, the Under 11team coached by BrianVoltattorni defeated West ValleySurefire, Central Valley JaguarsRed and Mill Valley Rockets towin their bracket and reach the

U11 Girls Black Cats finale.Mustang Magic came up on

the short end to Diablo FC 98in the championship game, butthey were named Most Creativein the costume contest amongthe 80 teams with clever magi-cian outfits befitting their teamnickname.

In the same age group, theDiablo FC 98 Blue girls made itthrough to the U11 Pumpkinsdivision championship bydefeating Central Valley JaguarsRed B and Walnut Creek Fury

after opening with a drawagainst Mission Valley United98 Black. In the finals, coachMiguel Gonzalez’ Diablo FC 98Blue girls took a 1-0 lead on apenalty kick before seeingMustang Strikers rally for a 2-1victory.

Diablo FC 99 boys won theUnder 10 Bats division by scor-ing 27 goals in four games andallowing only one. Coach SteveShott’s team won the champi-onship game 5-0 over MerseyGalaxy.

Photo courtesy Diablo FC

DIABLO FC 98 GIRLS REPEATED AT HALLOWEEN KICK OR TREAT CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIPS beating theirrivals Mustang Magic 2-0 in the championship game. The team was in the holiday spirit for thisphoto, kneeling from left, Sierra Bruni, Sarah “Cookie” Emigh, Sophia Panella, Briana Perez,Gabriela Tambazidis; standing from left, Kaeli “Kiki” Evangelista, Cynthia “Sushi” O’Neill, KatieHoyt, Fiona Dolan and Samantha Perez.

There’s nothing like somefriendly competition when itcomes to sports. KTVUChannel 2 television spurredBay Area high school footballteams once again with a contestfor the most votes, driving fansrabid with excitement. The con-test offered a cash prize for thetwo winning teams and broad-cast highlights of the game onKTVU’s Wells Fargo HighSchool Football Game of TheWeek.

The challenge resulted in aviral reaction that resonatedfrom Emails, social media sites

like Facebook and MySpace aswell as frantic Twitter tweets toget supporters to cast theirvote.

Popular local Blog sites likeClaycord.com posted the chal-lenge early on when it lookedlike Clayton Valley was behind,urging people to contact friendsto gain additional votes.

Even the schools gotinvolved. One Blogger atClaycord.com announced: “Ijust heard from my daughterand her friends that CVHSannounced this twice todayover the P.A. system asking stu-dents to go home after schooland vote.”

The official rules condonedmultiple voting which was alsospread through communicationchannels with some peoplerepeating their vote significantly.At one point a few hours beforethe end of the contest, refresh-ing your computer screen wouldshow you the large jumps in thenumber count.

In the end the ClaytonValley/Ygnacio team combowon with 27,268 votes, 3912higher than their nearest chal-lenger. Each of the teams winsa $500 grant from Wells Fargowith game highlights featuredon the Game of the Weekbroadcast.

KTVU contest win for CV scoresbroadcast of football game

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NICHOLS LANDSCAPEThe winter months are a great

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For a free estimate call (925)672-9955, or [email protected], orvisit www.nicholslandscape.com. Acomplete photo gallery is avail-able to view online.

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available in every national chainstore? The Royal Rooster has bothhard-to-find antiques and custom-order furniture to fit your needs.

Not just a furniture shop, TheRoyal Rooster also sells uniquegifts for friends and family of allages, including the popularWebkinz and a line of Melissaand Doug Toys.

Their French Country specialtiesinclude gorgeous stationary andbath items for every occasion,including distinctive lines such asThymes Bath & Body, Caldrea,Lollia, Sonoma Lavender andLaLavande French Soaps.Corporate gifts and personal shop-ping services are also available.

The Pantry is stocked with deli-cious gourmet foods includingStonewall Kitchens, BarefootContessa, A Perfect Pear andElaine’s Toffee.

The Royal Rooster is located atthe corner of Center and DiabloStreets in Clayton, behind Cup O’Jo Coffee House. (925) 672-2025.

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Special guests: Kevin McFarland, Donnie Fisi, John Jordan and Katy and Dell Burchett.

3:00 – 4:30 p.m.St. Bonaventure Catholic Church5562 Clayton Road, Concordwww.vintagetrio.com

with Clayton’s own Joyce andSantiago Martinez & Roxanne Pardi

Vintage will also perform at The Clayton Pioneer

Christmas Cookie Judging party.

Join us for Cookies and CarolingThurs., Dec. 10, 6:45 - 8 p.m.

Clayton Library.

FREE Admissionboth events

Continued from page 11

November 6, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 13

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Once a house divided, Chophousehonors The Growler’s long history

Moresi’s Chophouse, with itsalluring patio and ever-popularrocking chairs, was once twoseparate buildings. Mostnotably, the western half wasknown as the Growler.

The building that housed theGrowler was one of two homesbuilt in the 1860s, standing side-by-side. Jack Duncan rebuilt thewest building about 1908 and itserved as a post office (run byMrs. LeClaire), a barber shopand eventually, the GrowlerTavern – where you could buy a“growler,” or a pitcher of beer.

The east building was ownedby Judge Gus Goethals and

functioned at various times as ajustice office, a bank, a realestate office and, later, a privatehome. A picture in 1965 showedit as a store with a gas pump.Gus’ definition of “bank” was alarge safe in which he allowedcustomers and friends to keeptheir valuables. His brother,Jack, was the barber in theneighboring barber shop. Guswas also a reporter for four localnewspapers.

Pictures show the quirky,leaning Growler in great disre-pair in the 1970s. In 1972, JoePastor and Edward Minadeoplanned to open the GrowlerRestaurant and began interiorrenovations. An acacia tree fellon the building and delayed thereopening until February 1973.

When reopened, the walls ofthe Growler displayed paintingsand sketches of historic land-marks and scenes of Clayton.

By 1975, Joseph andMarjorie Salas owned theGrowler. They restored andmerged the east and west build-ings to become La Cocotte,offering fine French cuisine anddecorated with antiques andfindings from the construction.The renovation was part of theBicentennial Plan, whichenabled Clayton to become anational bicentennial city.

Ingrid and Rudy Hempellbought the restaurant businessin 1976 and in 1979, theybought the building.

Rudy learned the restaurantbusiness in Europe. He and

Ingrid came to America for theNew York World’s Fair andended up in San Francisco inthe restaurant business.

They wanted to live in thecountry, which drew them toClayton. They were a successand recognized by the city for25 years of improvement andoperations.

In 2002, the restaurant busi-ness was sold to John andSharon Johnston. They changedthe name to Fox and the Fiddlein May 2003. The Johnstonschanged the menu to moreAmerican cuisine and consid-ered adding special Irish eventsto showcase dishes from theirhomeland, having moved fromIreland to Concord in 1994.

After Sharon died in 2005,the restaurant changed handsone more time, operating brieflyas Elysium, before it opened asMoresi’s Chophouse in June2007. Ingrid Hempell still ownsthe building.

Moresi has made extensiverenovations, but the buildingstill preserves the old-timecharm of the Growler. Like pre-vious owners, Moresi displaysmany photos of buildings indecades past, including theGrowler and neighboring home.Dominic Moresi says some ofthe original features remain,such as the face of the bar and awindow between the two build-ings, discovered when they toredown a wall.

A recent patron seemed toknow a little about the ceilingpanels, which may have beenbrought from Nortonville by hisgrandfather who built the build-ing.

Like so many other business-es in town, this pair of buildingshas an interesting past andreflects Clayton’s desire to pre-serve the historic charm of ourtown while offering the conven-ience of modern restaurantsand shops.

PAM WIESENDANGER


Photo courtesy of the Clayton Historical Society

This photo of The Growler was taken circa 1971. Standing in front of the old saloon are broth-ers Johnny and Francis Joaquin, descendants of early Clayton settlers.

Young archeologists dig into thehistory of the Miwok people

Clayton fourth-graderswowed professional archaeolo-gists with information regardinglocal native history at“Arrowheads and Acorns: aJourney Back in Time” honor-ing California ArchaeologyMonth.

The Clayton HistoricalSociety and Museum hostedtwo free workshops on Oct. 25,sponsored by the Society forCalifornia Archaeology. Tocoincide with statewide K-12curriculum on NativeAmerican and California histo-ry, October is designatedArchaeology Month. It’s partof a national program to pro-mote the preservation of ourcountry’s heritage.

When considering an histor-ical site, archaeological beginprojects with a survey. Thenpreservation and economic con-siderations are explored.

“Excavating is often reallythe last consideration in archae-ology,” said archaeologist JoeGriffin.

Nine-year-old Kate Amoswas able to solve many of theproblems posed by archaeolo-gist Christine McCollumbecause her fourth-grade classhas been studying the Miwoktribe native to this area.

A cinderblock wall at theback of the museum, whichslightly raises the KinderCare

parking lot, is the only visualclue to the ancient Miwok burialground below.

Spanish explorers encoun-tered and named the tribeMiwok, meaning “the people,”

in the native language, in the late1700s. There were more than100 languages in Californiaalone at the time, making it dif-ficult to understand each other.However, trade was understoodby all.

“They used what they hadaround them – water, naturalfoods,” McCollum notes. “Butwhat about things that were notavailable?”

“They could do trading withother tribes – things they hadlots of for things the area didn’thave,” answers Amos.

Griffin draws a paradigmusing obsidian, which makesreally good arrowheads andcomes from the Santa Rosaarea. Griffin identifies the twoareas on a map, then remindsthe class there were no bridges.“So you would need a canoe orhave to walk all the way aroundmaybe,” he said.

As the Clayton children grewtired in the afternoon sun, thecost involved in trade two cen-turies past becomes uncomfort-ably real.

The next Arrowheads andAcorns workshop at the museum willbe Sunday, Nov. 15. Registrationbegins at noon, or download the regis-tration form at www.claytonhs.com.

The Clayton Historical Societyand Museum is at 6101 MainStreet. For more information, call672-0240 or visit claytonhs.com.

NICCI SHIPSTEAD

Clayton Pioneer

Nicci Shipstead/Clayton Pioneer

CHRISTINE MCCOLLUM, archaeologist with the Society forCalifornia Archaeology captures the attention of young arche-ologists at the “Arrowheads and Acorns” workshop at theClayton museum. The next workshop is Nov. 15.


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were gearing up for their firstmajor community fundraiser, a5K Run and Walk at NewhallPark Oct. 18. That event turnedinto an absolute “home run,”with more than 2,200 membersof the community participating– including 608 representingClayton Valley High. Theyraised more than $110,000 and,more importantly, broughtwidespread public and mediaawareness of the plight facingdistrict athletes.

‘TROUBLESOME’ TREND

The timing was critical sincethe school board was slated tomeet Oct. 27 to make a decisionon allowing winter sports. Theinterest in that meeting was solarge the meeting was movedfrom the district board roomnext door to Monte GardensElementary School’s multi-useroom. The board unanimouslyapproved winter sports thatevening but did not take anyaction on spring sports, so theprocess continues for the 11boys and girls spring sportsteams that will need to gainapproval early next year.

Middendorf ’s commentsbefore the school board Oct. 27gave a recap of the foundation’sdaunting task. She mentioned

that $1.2 million doesn’t coverall the costs for the full athleticsprograms at the six highschools.

“MDUSD is unique in that itdoes not fund many sports andonly partially funds some sports.This leaves a much larger bur-den on the athletes and parentsthan is currently accounted forin the alleged $1.2 million budg-et,” she reported.

“We believe that some ath-letes have already quit playingsports, knowing they cannotafford the fees. That’s heart-breaking and very troublesome.Many students cannot evenafford lunch – how can theyafford up to $400 to play asport?”

The CVHS athletic directorpointed out that more than halfof all the games and competi-tions district teams take part inare not in the Diablo ValleAthletic league but in non-league contests. “If otherschools hear that there is achance we will not continuehigh school sports, they will notschedule games with us.”

FUNDING ISSUE REMAINS

UNRESOLVED

Middendorf was the girlssoccer coach at Clayton Valley

for 13 years. This winter, ScottBooth steps into that positionand the uncertainly it entails.

“I remain very concernedwith the long term outlook forsports, mainly due to the lack ofeffort the district is puttingforth,” he said. “They continueto say our district is funded dif-ferent than other districts yetoffer no solutions to changethat. I would think that if thesystem is so unbalanced, thensomething should be done tocorrect this. Maybe a parcel taxis the only way, but has anythingelse been explored?”

Booth believes the boardhad no other choice but toapprove winter sports. “TheUMDAF has done such a fan-tastic job of raising money andpolicing the schools to makesure fees are collected. Basicallythey have done the impossiblein a short period of time,” hesaid. “This is proof positive ofwhat can be achieved when peo-ple work together. It’s a real les-son in practical politics. Thepower politic said ‘no,’ and thepeople said ‘yes’ and then madeit happen.”

Many businesses, includingMike’s Auto Body and its own-ers Mike and Laurie Rose ofClayton, have made sizeabledonations to UMDAF in thewake of the call to action. Thevolunteer Concord Cup soccer

committee recently donated$250 to each of the boys andgirls soccer programs at the fourConcord schools in the district.

Booth sounded a cautionarytone when he added, “The com-munity is very enthusiasticabout saving sports now, buthow long can we have our handout for money? It is going togrow old and people are goingto get tired of always having toworry about the next season.”

Clayton Valley was well-rep-resented in the 5K run. RecentCVHS grad Nathanael Litwillerwas the race winner, whileAdrian Capinin was 13th over-all. Chris Ward of Clayton wastop male in the 50-59 age groupand Kevin White was the No. 1one finisher in the 40-49 divi-sion. Taylor Wingard was thetop CVHS student fundraiser,with $1,580 in sponsorshipmoney.

Next up for the foundationis the Jeremy Brigham “Make aDifference” Celebrity GolfTournament on Nov. 12. Theex-Oakland Raider is bringingmany celebrities together tohelp fund high school sports inthe district. He was also on handat the 5K run to encourage allthe participants.

For more information on the golftournament or to make a donation,visit unitedmtdiabloathletics.org.

Winter sport, from page 8

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RAM: do youreally need it?

So, you’re in the store andthe sales clerk says, “The reasonyour computer is running slowis because you need moreRAM.”

And you say something like,“Really?”

He goes,“Yeah, really youneed fourGigabytes. Wehave it on sale,and it’s easy toinstall, all youneed to do isopen your com-puter and pop-it-in.”

And youthink, “Hmmm,that doesn’tsound too bad.”

So, you tell him you have anHP computer and he goes, “Noproblem I know just what youneed;” grabs the RAM andhands it to you.

There are so many thingswrong with this – where do Istart

First, how much RAM doyou need, and what does it doanyway? In geek speak RAMholds information from thehard drive in a fast access tem-

porary area so the data may beviewed, edited or used quicklyvs. waiting for the slow pokehard drive to fetch it. The moreRAM there is, the more data isin temporary storage and there-

fore databecomes quickerto access.

To understandhow the comput-er works, think ofyour own workexperience sittingbehind a desk.First, there’s you,the worker. That’sthe CPU or thecentral processor.You know her,and she’s fast.Second, there is

the desktop – call it RAM. Themore RAM you have, the biggeryour desktop is. The bigger thedesktop, the more files you canhave on it.

Lastly, your file cabinets arelike the hard drive. To accessfiles when you need something,you have to get out of yourchair, walk over to the file cabi-net, search for a file, bring itback to the desk, and place it onthe desktop to work on it.

Well then, RAM is a largedesktop. Lots of files, photos,etc. are quickly accessed by theworker without getting out ofthe chair.

So, the sales person wasright. Right? Get a bigger desk-top and all your problems withthe computer are solved – aquick and easy solution. Not sofast. What about matching theRAM to the computer? Are allmanufacturers reliable? Do youknow that different computersrequire different RAM? Yup.

Also, do you know that notall operating systems, likeWindows XP, can handle thatmuch RAM? Then, there is thatlittle detail of installing theRAM and testing to be sure itworks properly. And, oh, by theway, if you handle the RAMimproperly you could short itout with a static shock and ren-der it inoperable

So, buyers beware! RAMisn’t as easy to deal with as thatdepartment store stock clerksays it is. Although adding RAMcan be beneficial, it takes anexpert to know when and howmuch.

If your computer is runningslowly and it used to run fast,the problem isn’t likely to be theRAM. It’s more likely either amalware infection or maybe a

nearly-full hard drive. Harddrives fill up with music, photosand data files. If your drive isover 60 percent full, puttingmore on it will slow your com-puter even further. To checkyour drive now, go to your Startmenu, open “My Computer”,right click on the drive, go toproperties and take a look. Morethan 60 percent full and yourdrive/data access will get slowerand slower. As the drive passes70 percent you’ll get a two timesslowing; at 80 percent fourtimes slowing, and at 90 percentfull your drive will be so slowyou could hire the worker in ourscenario above and have herlook up your files faster than thecomputer, and no amount ofRAM will help.

If your computer has alwaysbeen slow, RAM might help – ifthe CPU is fast enough.

Have an expert look at yourcomputer, otherwise you couldjust be bifurcating with the solu-tion going one way, and yourmoney the other.

I’m Will and that’s my opin-ion.

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Local author puts together a‘toolkit’ for young writers

Young writers can take theirwriting from boring to soaringthanks to “Young Writers’Toolkit,” a new reference bookby Clayton resident, Mike Fineand co-author Veronica Hoyle-Kent. The easy-to-read andeasy-to-use book aims to helpstudents write better, faster,and with less anxiety.

“I love writing and I usethis book to help me all thetime,” said Tyler Sadoff, whowrote his first book, “A

Journey in Time,” at age ten.Fine and co-author

Veronica Hoyle-Kent have alsocreated a writing programbased on custom decks ofcards called StoryDecks. Thecards define story guideposts(such as character information,a story goal, and problems toovercome) and students pro-vide the details to create acomplete, compelling story.Decks include Medieval Quest,Space Quest, and Jungle Quest.

Students in Jill Curtin’ssixth grade class grade atDiablo View Middle Schoolused the program and the bookand created some amazing sto-ries which are posted on theauthor’s Website atwww.persepress.com. DVMS isa participating school in “buyone, get one free” programsponsored by the authors. Forevery copy of the book pur-chased on the author’s Websiteby anyone associated with aparticipating school, the schoolwill get a free copy of the bookfor use in their classrooms orlibraries.

Mr. Fine recently moved toClayton. He is a new memberof the School Site Council atDiablo View Middle Schooland is also the school’s GATEparent liaison. Veronica Hoyle-Kent, the book’s co-author,lives in Morgan Hill, CA.

The book is available throughthe Contra Costa County librarysystem and can be purchased exclu-sively at the publisher’s website,www.persepress.com.

Young writer gets help from sixth-grade teacher, Jill Curtin,during a writing class on Halloween day.

By high school, students needto take personal responsibility

If you want children to keep theirfeet on the ground, put some responsi-bility on their shoulders.

- Abigail Van Buren

With the first quarter ofschool behind me, I recentlychose to take a much-neededpersonal day. Some of mypeers couldn’t believe that mymother allowed me to spend aschool day in frivolous relax-ation.

My school allows two per-sonal days a year and mymother trusts me to beresponsible with my freedom.More importantly, my motheris not responsible for my aca-demic affairs. I reported myown absence and ensured thatit did not conflict with anymajor school work.

When did it become a par-ent’s responsibility to keeptrack of their offspring’sgrades, behavior and atten-dance – especially at the high

school level? It’s shocking tohear students at my schoolcomplain about their parentschecking their online gradereports daily. If anyone shouldbe checking the grade reports,it should be the student.

It’s acceptable for a parentto behave in this manner whentheir child is young and, thus,incapable of understandingthe responsibility of academia.However, by elementaryschool, a student should beable to assume much of theacademic responsibility with-out the help of a parent.

As a first grader, I forgot togive my mother a permissionslip to sign; the natural conse-quence was my inability toattend the field trip. While thatwas a painful lesson for me tolearn as a 7-year-old, my moth-er would have done me a dis-service if she had chosen tobail me out of the conse-quences of my irresponsibility.

Sadly, some parents havenever allowed their students toexperience the consequencesof their actions as my motherdid. These are often the stu-dents who habitually skip“exam” days, having their par-ents excuse them as “sick.”There are some parents whohave never allowed their stu-dents to “fend” for them-selves. These parents are over-involved or overly helpful.

These are often the stu-dents whose parents remind

them daily of their homeworkassignments and grades andoften lend a “helping hand”for major assignments. Atsome point, a student has tohave their own motivation tosucceed, as opposed to themotivation of one’s parentalunits. After all, at college (andbeyond), parents won’t bethere to assist with all-nightersor remind their children tostudy for a test.

Students need to beresponsible for their studies, aswell as their time. I believe thatmy mother has enabled my rel-ative academic successthrough her encouragement ofall that I tried; however, I’mcertain that her “tough love”parenting style built the foun-dation for it. I’m grateful thatshe allowed me to come to myown conclusions and experi-ence the consequences of thedecisions that I’ve made.

I believe that her actionshave shaped me into a morecompetent student, with amotivation to succeed that’sentirely my own. Furthermore,she taught me the importanceof holding myself to my per-sonal best – not only as a stu-dent, but as a responsible indi-vidual.

CADY LANG

TEEN SPEAK

Cady Lang is a senior at BereanChristian High School. She wouldlike to major in English and eventu-ally pursue a career in writing. Emailher at cady@clayton pioneer.com.

CLAYTON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

Two local businesses are sponsoring fundrais-ers for the CVHS Music Boosters this month.

From 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. on Nov. 11, El TapatioRestaurant will donate 20 percent of your bill tothe boosters. Print out a flier at claytonbands.organd present it when you order. The restaurant is at4475 Treat Blvd., Suite D, Concord.

On Nov. 18, mention the CVHS MusicBoosters and Yogurt Shack will donate 25 percentof your yogurt purchase. No flier necessary. TheYogurt Shack is at 5438 Ygnacio Valley Road,Concord.

MT. DIABLO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The annual MDES Holiday Gift & CraftBoutique is 1-7 p.m. Dec. 2.

Nearly 40 community vendors and crafters willbe set up in the multi-use room with a wide arrayof products, crafts and gifts available for pur-chase. The school is at 5880 Mt. Zion Dr.,Clayton.

What’s happening in your School? Newteacher? Special projects? Awards?

Send your news of community interest [email protected]

School News

EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Through Nov. 7“Oliver!”Contra Costa Musical Theatre presents Dickens’ classic tale.Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek.943-SHOW or ccmt.org.

Through Nov. 8“Barefoot in the Park”Neil Simon’s nostalgic look atnewlyweds. Willows Theatre,1975 Diamond Blvd.,Concord. 798-1300 or wil-lowstheatre.org.

Nov. 14Contra Costa Children’s ChorusA concert of liturgical, classical and folk selections. 4 p.m.,St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 1955 Kirker PassRoad, Concord. childrenschorus.org or 945-7101.

Nov. 15Contra Costa Wind SymphonyA concert with trumpet soloist BenLoomer of Alamo and guest conductorLarry Widener of Deer Valley HighSchool. 7:30 p.m., Lafayette-OrindaPresbyterian Church, 49 Knox Dr.,Lafayette. $10 at the door. ccwindsym-phony.org.

Through Nov. 16“Over the River andThrough the Woods”Diablo Actors’ Ensemblepresents the funny andheart-warming tale of anot-so-typical family.$10-$25. 1345 LocustSt., Walnut Creek. dia-bloactors.com or 866-811-4111.

Through Nov. 21“Witness for the Prosecution”Center REPertory Company presents the Agatha Christiedrama. 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $18-$41.

centerREP.org or 943-7469.

Nov. 21Diablo Valley Masterworks Chorale and OrchestraFestival holiday music for brass and choirs. 8 p.m., DiabloValley College Performing Arts Center, 321 Golf Club Road,Pleasant Hill. $20, or $25 at the door. 687-4445.

Nov. 23-Jan. 10“Hats: The Musical”Rollicking tribute to the Red Hat Ladies and all women “ofa certain age.” Directed by Lois Grandi. Tickets are $22-$32, discounts for seniors, students and groups. Call boxoffice (925) 798-1300 or go to www.willowstheatre.org forshow times.

Dec. 13Vintage Christmas ConcertFeaturing the Vintage HarmonicTrio and guests Kevin McFarland,Donnie Fisi, John Jordan andKaty and Dell Burchett. Free. 3-4:30 p.m., St. BonaventureChurch, 5562 Clayton Road,Concord. 352-6303 [email protected].


FUNDRAISERS

Nov. 7Blue Star Moms Holiday Donation DriveDonations most needed are small toys, plus items for serv-ice dogs. 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Wal-Mart, 1021 Arnold Dr.,Martinez. Checks for postage of $11.95 per box may bemade payable to Contra Costa Blue Star Moms, P.O. Box6379, Concord CA 94524. ccbluestarmoms.org.

Nov. 8, 22Breakfast with the Veterans of Foreign Wars8-11 a.m. the second and fourth Sundays, VeteransMemorial Hall, 2290 Willow Pass Road, Concord. $4adults, $2 children under 12.

Nov. 11, 18CVHS Music Boosters Fundraisers11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Nov 11, El Tapatio, 4475 Treat Blvd.,Suite D, Concord. Print a flier at claytonbands.org, presentit when you order and the restaurant will donate 20 per-cent of your purchase. On Nov. 18, the Yogurt Shack willdonate 25 percent of your purchase when you mention theClayton Valley High Music Boosters; no flier necessary.Yogurt Shack is at 5438 Ygnacio Valley Road, Concord.

Nov. 21-22Clayton Valley Woman’s Club Holiday Boutique11 a.m.-4 p.m., Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. CallPeggy at 672-2043.

Dec. 2Mt. Diablo Elementary Holiday BoutiqueA gift and craft boutique to benefit the school. 1- 7 p.m.,multi-use room, 5880 Mt. Zion Dr., Clayton.

Jan. 9CVHS Athletic Boosters Crab FeedTo benefit athletics at Clayton Valley High School. $50. 6p.m., Centre Concord, 5298 Clayton Road. www.cvhsboost-ers.org. To make a donation, email [email protected]. 672-0418.

AT THE LIBRARYThe Clayton Community Library is at 6125 Clayton Road.Most programs are free. 673-0659 or clayton-library.org.

Through Nov. 19Clayton ReadsThe second annual Clayton Reads features “Three Cups ofTea” by Greg Mortenson. A free copy of the book may bepicked up at the library as supply lasts. Readers areencouraged to pass the book on to friends and neighbors.Events include “Midwives on a Mission of Service,” 2 p.m.Nov. 8; “Daughters of Afghanistan,” 7 p.m. Nov. 9; “ThreeCups of Tea” book discussion, 7 p.m. Nov. 16; and a TeaParty, 4 p.m. Nov. 19.

Through Dec. 1Patty CakesStory time for babies to 3-year-olds. Child attends withcaregiver. Drop-in 11 a.m. Tuesdays.

Through Dec. 3Picture Book TimeStory time for 3- to 5-year-olds. Child may attend withoutcaregiver. Drop-in 11 a.m. Thursdays.

NATURENov. 8Save Mount Diablo’s Trail AdventureIncludes a half-marathon, 10K run, family hike and lunch.9 a.m., Castle Rock Park, Walnut Creek. $40. savemountdi-ablo.org.

Dec. 6Shell Ridge/Howe Homestead Park HikeFive-plus mile hike sponsored by the East Bay CasualHiking Group. Meet 9:30 a.m. on Walnut Boulevard,Walnut Creek. Off-leash dogs OK. 272-4321 orhiking.bondon.com.

YMCARegister at mdrymca.org or 889-1600. Or, contact Jenniferat 692-2364 or [email protected].

Nov. 7-Dec. 19Youth BasketballFor preschool through fifth grade. $113, or $123 non-resi-dents.

Nov. 7-Dec. 19Youth Flag FootballFor first through sixth grade. Contact Brittney at 692-2362or [email protected].

Through June 17Middle School After-School ProgramFun, safe, supervised environment for children withindoor/outdoor activities, homework help, healthy snacksand monthly special events. $220 a month for three days aweek; $300 a month for five days.

MEETINGS

Nov. 10Diablo View Middle School Parent Faculty Club9 a.m., Community Room, 300 Diablo View Lane, Clayton.

Nov. 10, 24Clayton Planning Commission7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road.673-7304 or ci.clayton.ca.us.

Nov. 10Mt. Diablo Unified School District7:30 p.m., 1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord. mdusd.org.

Nov. 17Clayton City Council7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road.673-7304 or ci.clayton.ca.us.

CLUBS

Clayton Business and Community AssociationMeets 6:30 p.m. the last Thursday of the month, exceptholidays, Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Dr.,Clayton. Call Sue at 672-2272.

Clayton Valley Garden ClubMeets 7 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month. OnNov. 11, Barry Hoffer will speak about Japanese maples.Contact Dorothy at 672-2526 or visit claytonvalleygarden-club.org.

Clayton Valley Woman’s ClubMeets 9:30 a.m. for coffee, 10 a.m. meeings, second andfourth Tuesdays of the month, Holy Cross Lutheran Church,1090 Alberta Way, Concord. Membership drive is Oct. 27.Call Joyce at 672-3850.

Clutch Busters Square Dance ClubMeets 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Mt. Diablo Women’s Club,1700 Farm Bureau Road, Concord. Contact Dorothy at754-8117.

Concord Stompers Square Dance ClubMeets 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Mt. Diablo Women’s Club,1700 Farm Bureau Road, Concord. Call Jennie at 672-9676 or angelfire.com/id/stompers.

Contra Costa Chess ClubMeets 7-9:30 p.m. Thursdays, Starbuck’s, 1536 Kirker PassRoad, Clayton. Players of all ages and skill levels welcome.Contact Mike at 639-1987 or uschess.org.

Contra Costa Mineral and Gem SocietyMeets 7:30 p.m. second Monday of the month, CentreConcord, 5298 Clayton Road. 779-0698 or ccmgs.org.

Creekside Artists GuildMeets 7-8:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month,Clayton Library Story Room, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton.All artforms and both emerging and experienced are wel-come. Contact Arlene at 673-9777 [email protected]. Or creeksideartists.org.

Diablo Valley Democratic ClubMeets 7 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month, YgnacioValley Library, 2661 Oak Grove Road, Walnut Creek. 946-0469 or dvdems.org.

Diablo Valley Macintosh Users GroupMeets 6:30-9 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month. BancroftElementary School, 2700 Parish Dr., Walnut Creek. 689-1155 or dvmug.org.

East Bay Prospectors ClubMeets 7 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of the month, 1021Detroit Ave., Unit D, Concord. Clayton resident DougJunghans is president. eastbaygpaa.webs.com or 672-1863.

Rotary Club of Clayton Valley/Concord SunriseMeets 7 a.m. Thursdays, Oakhurst Country Club, 1001Peacock Creek Dr., Clayton. Includes breakfast and aspeaker. Contact Chuck at 689-7640 or claytonvalleyro-tary.org.

Scrabble ClubMeets 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. second and fourth Saturdays ofthe month, Carl’s Jr. Restaurant, 1530 Kirker Pass Road,Clayton. All ages and skill levels welcome. $3 fee. CallMike at 639-1987 or scrabble-assoc.com.

Sons In Retirement (SIR)Meets 11:15 a.m. first Thursday of the month, OakhurstCountry Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Dr., Clayton. 429-3777.

Soroptimist International of Diablo VistaMeets 12:15 p.m. the first, second and third Wednesdays ofthe month, September-June, Sizzler, 1353 Willow PassRoad, Concord. Clayton resident Sue Manning is president.672-2727.

Widows/WidowersMeets for dinner, brunch, theater, etc. This is not a datingservice nor is it a greiving class - just a way to meet otherpeople. Contact Lori at 998-8844 or [email protected].

Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. NOV. 11 FOR THE NOV. 20 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO [email protected]

Send your calendar announcements to [email protected]. Free listings must befrom a non-profit, school, club or government agency.Business events are $25 for the first event and $10 foreach additional. Call the office at (925) 672-0500 with

your business event listings.

BEN LOOMER

Photo by Ben Krantz

VINCE FASO AND SAL RUSSO in “Overthe River and Through the Woods.”

MELISSA QUINE AS CORIE AND BRADYWOOLERY AS PAUL in “Barefoot in the Park.”

VINTAGE HARMONIC TRIO

We’ve all seen those luresfor easy plastic over the years:low rates, easy payments, nopayments for 12 months, nocredit check, pre-approved.And over the years we havegrown accustomed, you couldeven say addicted, to nolonger earning as we go andno longer paying as we earn.

Instead, we have deferredthe great American dreaminto a package that closelyresembles the federal govern-

ment’s national banking policy– spend now and increase thenational debt. If you are notintimidated by the trillions ofdollars of debt we haveamassed as a country, youshould be.

For individuals, however,that new couch, vacation andHD plasma television must allbe obtained now, even if themoney to back the purchase isnot there. This is where thecredit card companies haveacted like drug pushers, firstoffering a taste and then ply-ing in the incentives.

How about those RewardPoints – points for spendingthat can be used for morespending that, amazingly, you

can also add onto your card.You earned 25,000 points andcan afford that airline ticket toMontana but only for one. Soyou learn that the airline is

offering a special; get yourticket now and take 14months to pay for it with nointerest. You can’t beat thatdeal, especially if you use yourReward Points.

Like drug addiction, how-ever, the usage increases untilthe credit limit is reached andconsumer withdrawal sets in.From here on out, you arepaying through the nose witha high interest rate applied tothings you have already con-sumed or exhausted. That’snot pretty.

Worse still, in the econom-ic misery that we have sus-tained, the credit card issuersare now exerting their author-ity – entrapping the consumerin a no-win relationship. Hereis how that works. You havegood credit and several thou-sand dollars left of your cred-it limit when, for no reason,you find out that the companylowered your limit to yourexisting balance. They notifyyou of this at their conven-ience because by law they donot have to notify you at all.

You were enjoying a nice

interest rate, but now thatyour limit is your balance yourcredit score drops becauseyou are carrying a high bal-ance-to-limit ratio. Worse still,that interest charge on yourexisting balance, which wasnot an issue when you hadadditional credit, has now justpushed your balance overyour (new) credit limit – trig-gering an over limit fee andallowing the card company toincrease your interest rate as aresult of your over limit.

If that does not enrageyou enough, you also learnthat paying off your card bal-ances early now incurs a feefor the early payment. Thereis also a new inactivity fee forwhen you choose not to useyour card. Coupled withannual fees, higher interestrates and fees for every otherpossible thing you could dowith that little piece of plastic,it leaves us feeling trapped,angry and extremely foolishfor allowing ourselves to getin that trap in the first place.

When I was in my 20s andjust beginning to develop mycredit rating, it was quite pop-ular for these credit pushersto send pre-approved cards toanyone they culled from amailing list. I can’t count howmany pre-approved offers Ireceived. Back then, unlikenow, pre-approved creditcards meant just that. Nowyou have to still qualify ascredit worthy.

My dog back then was anot too smart, yet lovableblack Labrador with no joband no credit. Nonetheless,the dog managed to receive acredit card in the mail once. Ispent a long time laughing at


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ARRESTS

Oct. 16, 3:06 p.m., DiabloView Ln. Possession of mari-juana, Clayton youth, 13.

Oct. 17, 12:59 a.m., ClaytonRd. and Kirker Pass Rd. DUIAlcohol/Drugs, Concordwoman, 29.

Oct. 17, 6:08 p.m., MarshCreek Rd. and Diablo Pkwy.Driving on a suspended license,Clayton male, 30.

Oct. 17, 6:39 p.m., MarshCreek and Diablo Pkwy.Driving without a license,Concord male, 27.

Oct. 19, 11:20 p.m., Drivingon a suspended license,Pittsburg male, 21.

Oct. 23, 9:10 p.m., KirkerPass Rd. Driving on a suspend-

ed license, Concord male, 25.Oct. 26, 11:06 p.m., Clayton

Rd. and El Camino. Driving ona suspended license, Concordmale, 27.

BURGLARIES/THEFTS

Oct. 17, 7:00 p.m., Mt.Tamalpais and Mt. Dell. Vehicleburglary

Oct. 18, 2:35 a.m., LongCreek Cr. Vehicle burglary

Oct 18, 3:05 a.m., LongCreek Cr. Vehicle burglary

Oct. 19, 4:02 p.m., Mt.Sequoia Ct. Vehicle burglary

VANDALISM

Oct. 17, 6:37 p.m., RachelRanch

Oct. 28, 1:20 p.m., MiwokWay

Police Log

‘In plastic we trust’ is a poor excuse

ANDRÉ GENSBURGER

DEAL WITH IT

“If you are notintimidated by thetrillions of dollars ofdebt we have amassedas a country, youshould be.”

that one.If there is a lesson to be

learned, it is simply that therewas some great credibility inthe old layaway plans of daysgone by. On layaway, you didnot get your merchandiseuntil it was fully paid for, and

that is the way most peoplelearned to deal with it.

André Gensburger is a staffreporter and feature writer for thePioneer. His email address [email protected]

Adapting a 10-sentence chil-dren’s book, beloved by mil-lions, into a full-length featurefilm seems like a risky proposi-tion that could go wrong in somany ways.

“Where the Wild ThingsAre” author Maurice Sendaksupported Spike Jones’ decisionto take on the task and the resultis a film as unusual as the book.Jones, the mind behind thewacky but exceptional film“Being John Malkovich,” optedfor costumes and animatronics

to bring Sendak’s monsters tolife on the screen and it’s arefreshing break from the slewof CGI animation creatures ofrecent years.

Shot with hand-held camerasat kids’ eye level, the film cap-tures the atmosphere of being akid with all its struggles andfears. It’s an ode to childhoodand punctuates a melancholymood with bursts of joyfulabandon in telling the story ofMax, a sensitive boy trying tofind his place within his family

and the world. Unable to con-trol his childish rage at the pow-erlessness of being a kid, Maxescapes into the world of thewild things, where, instead ofbeing a child who must copewith unreliable adults and olderkids in his life, hebecomes king.

At first, hispower is complete.When a monsternamed Judith(voice of CatherineO’Hara) asks him ifhe can protectthem from sadness,he answers defini-tively, “I have asadness shield thatkeeps the sadnessout,” and the crea-tures become hiswilling subjects. Eventually hemust deal with all the personali-ty conflicts, hurt feelings andfears in this dysfunctional mon-ster family and finds that takingthe responsibilities of a king (ora parent) can be more difficultthan being a child.

“Wild Things” eschews the“bigger, faster and wilder is bet-ter” school of thought behindrecent kid movies such as“Shorts” or “Aliens vs.

Monsters” and instead harkensback to a simpler, pre-Wii timewhen children entertainedthemselves with sticks, rocksand dirt clods in the back yard.Its otherworldliness is achievedwith unsettlingly pale lighting

and stick struc-tures that seemsimple butimpossible atthe same time.

The moodveers into truescariness in acouple places,but Jones pullsback just beforethings get toodark.

While itdoesn’t provideany easy

answers for how to get throughchildhood, the story of Max is agenuine lesson in acceptanceand unconditional love.

Nine-month-old Jarlath is agoofy and bouncy GoldenRetriever/Poodle mix. He loveseveryone he meets. This sillybear will thrive in an activehome with plenty of opportuni-ties for physical as well as men-tal exercise.

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

Christian is one loving catwho likes to tell you how he

feels. He enjoys being held andgetting as much attention aspossible. If you are looking forone loveable guy, look no fur-ther!

The adoption fee for adultcats is $50.

Meet your forever friend atTony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation, 2890 MitchellDrive, Walnut Creek, duringadoption hours: 3 to 7 p.m.Thursday and Friday, Noon to4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The primary caretaker must bepresent to adopt. ARF alsoencourages kids 16 and youngerand canine family members(dog adoptions only) to be pres-ent during the adoption process.

Would you like to be part of theheroic team that saves the lives of res-cued dogs and cats? Can you shareyour talents to connect people and ani-mals? ARF volunteers are making adifference! For more information seeour website, www.arf.net, or call925.256.1ARF.

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Movie Review

DON PEDRO CRUZ

AT THE MOVIES

Don Pedro Cruz is a local free-lance writer and graphic designer.Send your comments [email protected]

‘Wild Things’offers unique film

perspective


��

Max (Max Records) gets a ride from wild thing Carol (voice ofJames Gandolfini) in “Where the Wild Things Are.”


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Diamond novel follows theripples of one fatal moment

Elizabeth Diamond’s novel,“An Accidental Light,” is acautionary tale. It is not amorality tale. Rather, it seemsto convey the idea that nothingis quite as it appears. It seemsto imply that what you take forgranted every day to be solid,real, reliable, can be gone in aminute.

It is easy to immediatelyhave compassion for JackPhillips, an off-duty policeofficer who, in one of thoselife altering moments, acciden-tally, but fatally, strikes a thir-teen year old girl while drivinghome from work. Jack is afather himself, a sober man, agood man. And yet on thatday, in the blue twilight of anearly winter evening, he makesa mistake that is the undoingof everything he knows to betrue.

“She came out of the blue,I said to the coroner. . . Icouldn’t tell him about the

light in November. When it’seasy not to notice the firstsigns of dusk. When shapessuddenly lose their edges and agirl moving quickly frombehind a stationarybus, moving in thefading light, in therain, in theNovember gloom,may be a ghost, aspirit, somethingfrom theUnderworld, aphantom fromout of my ownmind.”

The conse-quences of thatsingle momenthaunt Jack. Ofcourse theydo. From thatsecond on,his life beginsto unravel.Jack takes a leave from thepolice department, and reluc-tantly enters therapy. In thecourse of studying his ownlife, he discovers long buriedfamily secrets. He comes toterms with an emotionally andtragically fragile mother, a“good boy” who grew up to be

a cop, an absent father, anaccumulation of “facts” thatinform his past even while hefaces an uncertain future.

While Jack’s marriagebegins to unravel under the

strain ofthe acci-d e n t ,Jack islike adrowningm a n ,unable tobring him-self to doanything tosave it.Meanwhile,time tickson andJack’s wiferuns out ofpatience forhis recovery,seeing out asolace of her

own.The saving grace that

appears in Jack’s life is LisaJenkins, the mother of the girl.Lisa moves through her owngrieving process. She slowlyawakens to the fact that herhusband is set on vengeance,

that the frail adhesive that heldtheir marriage together hasdissolved; that she under-stands that Jack didn’t mean todo what he did; that it wasn’this fault; that it was a case ofbeing in the wrong place at thewrong time.

Jack and Lisa are twowounded people who manageto comfort one another for abrief time. No one can under-stand the losses they’veendured better than the otherbut even that compassion hasits limits. Even they realize itwould be wrong on so manylevels for their relationship tobe more than a momentaryrespite. Of course they do.And yet what they are also ableto offer each other is hope,which in the end is what everygood character needs.

Book Review

CYNTHIA GREGORY

FOR THE BOOKS

Cynthia Gregory has won numer-ous awards for her short fiction. Herwork has appeared in GlimmerTrain Press, the Red Rock Review,Writer’s Digest, The Sun, The Ear,Santa Barbara Review, Black RiverReview, Briarcliff Review, ChicagoTribune, Bon Appetit, and the HerbQuarterly. You can write her at [email protected].

Fibromyalgia Syndrome in seniors

Fibromyalgia, an increasedsensitivity to pain and severemuscle and tendon fatigue,poses unique challenges forseniors; in fact the diagnosis ofthis syndrome is different thanthat of younger patients.Seniors also experience differ-ent degrees of symptoms thando individuals under the age of60 who also have fibromyalgia,as such treatment for seniorsmust be tailored to meet theneeds and requirements ofsenior health.

The average age of the typ-ical fibromyalgia patient is 45.Diagnosis of the syndrome in

older patients is not believedto be common and moreresearch needs to be conduct-

ed with regard to this subject.It’s troubling that the syn-

drome is often missed in sen-iors and is often misdiagnosedas rheumatoid arthritis. So fol-lowing up with the doctor insuch cases is necessary forseniors to assure that theirdiagnosis is the accurate one.

Compared to people underthe age of 60, seniors withfibromyalgia syndrome experi-

ence different symptomsunique to their age group.While younger people expressthat pain is their most severesymptom, seniors are mostaffected by fatigue, soft tissueswelling and depression.

Common signs and symp-toms include:

Widespread painMorning joint stiffnessNauseaDizzinessSleep disordersMemory impairmentAnxiety

Not all of these symptomswill apply to all patients. Andsome patients may have differ-ent complaints. Treatment offibromyalgia may differ fromperson to person. What worksfor one may not work for oth-ers with the same symptoms.

While medicated care isoften the route taken, alterna-tive types of treatment mayalso be beneficial for seniors.

Low impact exercises may

help to minimize many ofthese symptoms while improv-ing overall health and qualityof life, listed are a few recom-mended to ease the pain ofFibromyalgia. Tai chi is a lowimpact form of exercise thatcan help to reduce pain,fatigue, depression and anxi-ety. Meditation can help thepatient relax which also canhelp to minimize pain.

Please be sure if you areexperiencing any of thesesymptoms to check with yourdoctor on the best course ofaction to follow.

A fibromyalgia supportgroup meets every otherMonday from 7-9 p.m. at 82Cumberland Court inDanville. For more informa-tion, call (925) 837-0510.

Being in pain does not haveto be the focus of your day.There is help available.

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thing to the yummy treats andthen families get down to thebusiness of creating the greatpumpkins that will sit ondoorsteps throughout the ’hoodon Halloween.

Among the “oooh, spooky”and “great job” comments, Ihear the lively banter of goodfriends. Every kid gets hugs allaround, with lots of “Wow, lookhow you grew this summer!”and “Can you believe the

amount of homework?” fromthe moms and dads.

Then there’s the anticipationand challenges made for theannual Great Christmas CookieDecorating Contest that gets usall together again in December.

I’m sure many of our neigh-borhoods have similar activities.If yours doesn’t, maybe it’s timeto start a new tradition. As oneneighbor said to me tonight,“We are so thankful for this

awesome neighborhood. Wenever would have guessed thefriendship, support, care, funand unconditional love we havereceived since moving here sixyears ago. These people havebrought us meals when we weresick, watched our pets, watchedour kids, loaned us cars, cele-brated holidays, birthdays,births, funerals, fixed brokenfences, broken appliances andbroken hearts.”

She’s right – that spirit is abig part of what makes ourtown a true community. I feelreally grateful to be a part of it.

But now, Halloween is overfor this year and Thanksgiving isin just a couple weeks. TheClayton Business andCommunity Association(CBCA) is getting ready to dec-orate our downtown right afterThanksgiving for the holidays.They also produce the HolidayTree Lighting on Dec. 5, withSanta visits and Mrs. Claus’ Teaon Dec. 12 for the little ones toenjoy. Plan to be there!

New Year’s Eve is just eightweeks from this weekend. Oursmall committee is planning our

seventh annual Clayton CountsDown New Year’s Eve party forClayton families. As in pastyears, it’s a free, no-alcohol,family event featuring games,activities and simple BBQ. Itwill be held at the ClaytonCommunity Gym 6-9 p.m. onNew Year’s Eve.

It’s always a lot of fun, but italso takes a lot of work to put itall together. The event is run byvolunteers and funded solely bydonations. We could sure usesome volunteers to help set upfor a couple hours that day orduring the event. You don’tneed to have kids there to havea great time!

If you’d like to help out for afew hours or make a financialdonation, send me an email orcall Laci Jackson at City Hall at673-7300.

Plan now to bring your fam-ily. This year’s theme is Back tothe ’50s Sock Hop with relatedactivities, so start practicingyour hula-hooping skills.

As always, you can contact me [email protected]. Let meknow what you think.

Mayor, from page 1

Church NewsCLAYTON VALLEY

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Actors Reading Writers presents“Cornucopia,” an evening of short-shortstories by James Michener, Gabriel GarciaMarquez, Maxine Hong Kingston andLeslie Marmon Silko, at 7:30 p.m. Monday,Nov 9.

The church is at 1578 Kirker PassRoad, Clayton. For details, please call 672-4848.

CROSSROADS COVENANT CHURCH

Stop by the church to register for theHuman Trafficking Walkathon, 10 a.m.-3p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the ConcordHigh School track field, 4200 ConcordBlvd. Pick up a sponsor sheet at thechurch, 5353 Concord Boulevard,Concord, or call 798-5905.

At 3 p.m. Fridays, moms with youngchildren are invited to meet at ClaytonCommunity Park to visit while the chil-

dren play. This is weather permitting. Noone to contact; just show up.

The church also has a LadiesLuncheon at noon the third Thursday ofevery month at the church. All are wel-come, but please RSVP at 798-5905.

A Women’s Bible Study is held 9:30a.m. Tuesdays. The group is currentlystudying the book of Esther and watchesa video every other Tuesday. Child care isprovided; donations accepted.

“Caring for Dying: theArt of Being Present” willscreen at 6:30 p.m.Sunday, Nov. 8, at St.John’s, 5555 ClaytonRoad, Clayton. Selectedbest documentary at the2008 Poppy Jasper FilmFestival, the film exam-ines the art and ache ofaccompanying the dying.

It is the second in afour-part film series ondeath and transforma-tion. The filmmaker willbe present following thescreening for a thought-provoking discussion onissues of caregiving.

A suggested donationof $10 benefits bothchurches. For more infor-mation about the film,visit secretsoflifeand-death.com or call 672-8855.

St. John’s to screen film on caring for the terminally ill

FILMMAKER DR. PETICOLAS will be present following the screening for a thought-provoking dis-cussion on issues of care giving.

Clayton resident DouglasJunghans has had gold in hiseyes since 1992, when he startedwatching some TV shows pro-duced by the Gold Prospectorsof America club. At age 41, hejoined the group, devoured themagazines they put out and wasglued to the weekly shows. Hestarted gold prospecting imme-diately.

A few years later, he movedto Clayton and was disappoint-ed to find that there was noGPAA club to be found. Anduntil 1999 Douglas, who goesby the prospecting monikerPucky, had no Internet access.

“I frequently went to somegold claims near Columbia, CA,and found a little gold on eachtrip – not a lot, but enough tokeep me very interested in thehobby,” he recalled.

Then he joined the parentclub of GPAA, the LostDutchman’s MiningAssociation, which had proper-

ties throughout the country.“You can camp and stay on,”Pucky said, “and, more impor-tantly, keep all the gold youfind.”

The prospecting world

opened up for him when hefinally got a personal computerand Internet access. “I really gotrolling as the information onlinewas awesome,” he said. “I waslearning a lot and finding more

gold everywhere I went. LastDecember, I found out that anew prospecting supply storewas located in Concord.”

Belgian endive is an accidentof horticultural history. In themid-1800s a Belgian man storedchicory roots in his basement.Chicory was (and still is today)used as a coffee substitute andhe planned to transplant theroots in the springtime so hecould enjoy his morning bever-age. To his surprise, he foundthe roots had sprouted plumpbuds with long yellowish leaves.He tasted them and found thempleasantly sweet-bitter and henotified a local botanist whotinkered a bit with the rootstockand developed the commerciallyviable veggie we enjoy today.

Belgian endive (or witloof,meaning white leaf) is differentfrom the rest of the bitter leaflettuce family of escarole, radic-chio and frisee (or curly endive).Rather than being loose, theleaves are tightly wrappedaround a small inedible core.Together, they resemble a bulletshape or a small ear of corn.

France, Belgium, theNetherlands and Chile are theworld’s top producers.However, we are fortunate tohave California VegetableSpecialties practically in ourbackyard. The Rio Vista basedcompany specializes in endiveproduction, ensuring we have afresh, local source. They supplyWhole Foods, Raley’s/Nob Hilland Trader Joes. While endive issomewhat pricey, you get aboutfive or six heads (or 70 leaves)to the pound.

Remarkably low in calories(about 1 calorie per leaf), Belgianendive (pronounced “ONdeeve”) is packed with potassi-um, selenium, fiber, folate(Vitamin B) and beta-carotene. Ithas great storage life—it can bestored for several weeks if keptdry and stored in the coolest partof your refrigerator.

Trim out the core and rinseand gently pat dry the heads (orindividual leaves) before using.One of the simplest uses is toseparate the leaves and use themin lieu of chips or crostini tohold dips or slices of pear andblue cheese. Arranged in a cir-cular pattern on a platter, theymake a stunning presentation.

Belgian endive is also usedfresh in salads. This recipe fromCakebread Cellars (reprintedwith permission of CaliforniaVegetable Specialties) featuresbeets, whose sweetness is agreat counterpoint to the bitterleaves.

BELGIAN ENDIVE, BEET AND

WATERCRESS SALAD

3 bunches baby beets3 bunches watercress3 heads California endive1 Tbsp fresh dill3 oz chevre (goat cheese)1 c candied pecans3 Tbsp sherry wine vinegar1 small shallot, minced2/3 c olive oilSalt and freshly ground pep-

perRoast washed and topped

beets in a foil packet for an hourin a 400 °F oven. When coolenough to handle, peel off theskin under running water. Cutinto wedges and reserve.

Prepare the vinaigrette by

whisking together the vinegar,minced shallots and salt andpepper. Slowly whisk in theolive oil to create a smoothemulsion.

Wash the watercress andspin dry. Remove the core androughly chop the endive leaves.In separate bowls, dress the let-tuces and beets with some ofthe vinaigrette. Serve lettuceswith beets on top. Garnish withchopped dill, pecans and crum-bled chevre.

A wonderful wintertime dishis braised and gratineed Belgianendive. This European standardis a favorite dish of RichCollins, president of CaliforniaVegetable Specialties. Here’s aversion you might like to try.

BELGIAN ENDIVE AU GRATIN

4 Belgian endive, mediumsized

4 thin slices good quality ham,preferably Spanish

1 recipe Béchamel sauce, seebelow

1 c grated gruyere cheeseSteam endives until very ten-

der (about 10 minutes orso)

Preheat oven to 350 °F (or usebroiler).

Wrap each endive in a sliceof ham and transfer to a bakingdish. Cover with the béchameland sprinkle with grated cheese.Bake for 10 minutes (or placeunder a broiler to toast (grati-nee)) the cheese.

EASY BECHAMEL SAUCE

2 Tbsp butter2 Tbsp all-purpose flour1/8 tsp salt1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper2 pinches ground nutmeg1 ¼ c milk, heated

Melt butter in a heavysaucepan over medium heat.Whisk in flour along with thesalt, pepper and nutmeg.Continue to whisk and cookuntil flour begins to give off aslight nutty aroma and the rouxbecomes slightly colored (about1-2 minutes). Add one-half cupheated milk, whisking briskly toprevent curdling. Whisk inanother one-half cup milk andcook until mixture is thickenedand bubbly (another minute ortwo). You want to reach a con-sistency a little heavier thanwhipping cream. If the mixtureis too thick, thin with some ofthe remaining milk.

November 6, 2009Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 21

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When Tim Kramer firstturned an entrepreneurial eyetoward the bicycle business 34years ago, he saw a huge poten-tial for growth.

“The health revolution wasjust beginning and people weregetting excited about recre-ation,” he explains. “And it wasa clean business that cut acrossevery demographic.”

He hit the mark and today,Tim owns both Encina BicycleCenter in Walnut Creek andClayton Bicycle Center inClayton. Tim’s son, John, runsthe Clayton store.

“There weren’t one-tenth ofthe products in 1975 that thereare now,” he says, surveying thehundreds of bikes that hang inneat rows the length of thestore. “There were no mountainbikes, not much in the way ofroad bikes. And helmets? Therewas one brand, one color.”

Today, the stores are packedto the rafters with everythingfrom the tiny-tot two-wheeler tothe low-slung motocross. Thereare mountain bikes, road bikes,comfort bikes and hybrids andfloor to ceiling accessories. The

Clayton store carries a full lineof skateboards, as well.

“I cover it all,” Tim says. “Idon’t cater to the high-end orthe low-end. If someone outthere wants a bike, I want to getit for them.”

Business for the two storeshas remained fairly brisk despitethe sluggish economy. Cycling isone of the few things that fam-ilies can do for free, Tim notes.“Doesn’t cost anything to load

up the bikes and kids and headfor the shore.”

And, people are fixing andkeeping things more now, whichhas kept the service and repairside of the business jumping.

While most of Tim’s cus-tomers are recreational cyclists,the bike-as-transportation isgaining slowly in popularity.Although the locals are stillpretty wedded to their cars,when gas prices peaked a year

ago, Tim says more people weretalking about riding their bikesto work.

“Some took it up for a shorttime, but it didn’t last” he sayswith a laugh. “School kids arethe real bicycle commuters.”

Tim has seen a huge growthin recreational cycling in his 34years in the business. Heencourages even those whohaven’t ridden in awhile to getrolling. “It’s true, what they sayabout riding a bike,” Tim says.“You never forget; the musclememory does not fade.”

The Iron Horse Trail wouldbe a good place to start. Flat andpaved, the trail runs fromConcord to Pleasanton alongthe old Southern Pacific railtracks. For trail entrances and amap, go toebparks.org/parks/trails/iron_horse.

Encina Bicycle Center is in theEncina Shopping Center at OakGrove and Ygnacio Valley roads,944-9200. Clayton Bicycles is in thesmall center next to the Shell Stationat Clayton and Ygnacio Valley roads,672-2522. Both stores are open 10a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday andnoon-6 p.m. Sunday. Visit encinabi-cyclecenters.com.

In any economy, bicycling is healthyentertainment for the whole family

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

TIM KRAMER, OWNER OF ENCINA AND CLAYTON BICYCLE CENTERS,keeps the store stocked with bikes for all enthusiasts. If it isn’tin the store, he will find it for you.

There’s gold in them thar hills andthese prospectors go get it

ANDRÉ GENSBURGER

Clayton Pioneer

FANNING OUT ACROSS A STRETCH OF THE YUBA RIVER, members of the East Bay Prospector’sclub work the river for the gold nuggets that they get to keep if found.

The Accidental

Vegetable

LINDA WYNER

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Linda Wyner, a local attorney andfoodie, owns Pans on Fire, a gourmetcookware store and cooking school inPleasanton.

Direct your suggestions or questionsto [email protected]

See Gold, page 22

Bursts of color warmany winter day

Clayton Valley gardenershave lots of blooms to look for-ward to even in the winter.Those with shady and sunnyspots can easily have flowersfrom now through Valentine’sDay.

By installing a couple of keyevergreen plants, a handful ofperennials and a scattering ofbulbs, your garden will shinethrough our Clayton Valley win-ter.

Fall through early winter,gardeners have the blooms ofthe Correa, leonotis and mimu-lus to keep them company.Correa has orange-mauve, bell-shaped blooms that hang fromunder arching, woody stems.Correa Wyn’s Wonder had varie-gated foliage that stands 24inches tall and 4 feet wide.

Enjoy this evergreen on aslope or hill in full to partialsummer sun. Correa isAustralian, is drought-tolerantand doesn’t care for too muchfeeding. Prepare to have flowersthrough early January.

OPTING FOR ORANGE

Leonotis loves full sun,grows vase-shaped and staysevergreen. Plant in the back of a

garden, near a fence or against awall for show-stopping flowersNovember through January.The whirl-shaped orangeblooms will keep the humming-birds happy through the cold.Leonotis reaches 4-6 feet tall, sothink about that when youplant.

Mimulus is commonly calledthe sticky monkey bush. Anygardener who has shade with atouch of sun and poor soilshould consider this Californianative. Mimulus reaches 2-3 feettall and 3 feet wide. Trumpet-shaped flowers are scarlet,orange, yellow and sometimescream. It is easy to grow yetsometimes hard to establish, soplant in the autumn; it will likeyou better.

January has flowers, too.That’s when cyclamen, camelliasand hellebores are blooming upa storm. Cyclamen is a bulbplant for shady areas. A shoot-ing star-shaped bloom standsatop tubular stems. You can findcyclamen in scarlet, fuchsia, pur-ple and white. Cyclamen make agreat companion to hosta,columbine or astible. When theyare sleeping, the cyclamen isblooming.

SHADES OF RED

Camellias are shade-lovingevergreen shrubs that grow 4-10feet tall and wide. Flower shapesvary from single, semi or full.Colors are usually in the pinksto reds, with some white and bi-color blends. Litter from fallenblossoms can be a nuisance, butit’s the price you pay to haveblooms in the winter.

Helleborus is a family ofevergreen perennials that arealso shade lovers. This hardy

plantc a nreach 2feet talland has theability to growwide. Large,palm-shaped leavesare interestingly enough,but the flowers really take yourbreath away. Hellebores can befound in reds, burgundy, wine,pinks, creams, chartreuse, goldand yellow. Some can havefreckles and others streaks.

One can almost becomeaddicted to owning and growingthis winter bloomer. The lengthof the bloom makes the helle-borus an exceptional family.Flowers fade while colorfulbracts remain, giving the gardenthe illusion of continued bloom.Often faded flowers are notremoved until late April.

BRING ON THE CITRUS

February is not withoutbloom in the garden. Daphne isa wonder at this time of year.Bursts of sweet, citrus-smellingblossoms cover this evergreenfor 4-6 weeks. Daphne needsafternoon shade and can toler-ate morning sun or touches ofevening summer sun. You canexpect this shrub to reach 3-4feet tall and almost 5 feet wide.This plant has soft wood, soprune as needed after bloom.

Daphne is drought-tolerant,

requir-ing little summer water onceestablished. For gardeners whocannot get enough Daphne,there is a summer bloomingvariety called Summer Ice.

Hardenbergia is that purplevine you will see in full bloomduring February at the ClaytonPost Office. Happy wanderer isa sure thing, always reliable.Walkabout Purple is a new andimproved introduction thatshould be considered. Plant it inmorning sun. This vine is neverpicky about soil or fertilizer.

Clayton Valley gardens andlandscapes do not need to bedull during the drab days ofwinter. They can bloom andhave life – you just need toknow what to plant.


Clayton Market Update provided by

George Vujnovich of Better Homes Realty

Helping friends, neighbors and newcomers

buy and sell their homes since 1979

8014 Kelok Way $660,000 10/23/09 2894 4/31019 Panadero Way $525,000 10/22/09 1646 3/2.51200 Buckeye Terrace $479,000 10/20/09 1710 3/2.53504 Oak Hill Lane $420,000 10/05/09 1716 2/26012 High Street $597,000 10/02/09 2063 4/2.523 El Toro Court $750,000 9/24/09 2890 5/37014 Molluk Way $499,500 9/22/09 2315 3/2.51824 Ohlone Heights $587,000 9/22/09 2313 4/2.5402 Chupcan Place $510,000 9/18/09 1939 3/2.5179 Mt. Vernon Dr $505,000 9/2/09 1740 4/21519 N. Mitchell Canyon Rd $433,000 9/1/09 1831 4/2.51349 Shell Lane $427,500 8/28/09 1709 3/3139 El Portal Pl $640,000 8/26/09 2420 4/2.5312 Mount Sierra Pl $498,000 8/19/09 2261 4/2.5260 Mountaire Parkway $612,000 8/14/09 2694 5/2.5953 Tiffin Dr $550,000 8/12/09 1878 4/2

ADDRESS PRICE SALE DATE SF BED/BATH

GEORGE VUJNOVICH,, BBrrookkeerr

Trust your home to

6160 Center Street, Suite E, Clayton 94517

Each Office Is IndependentlyOwned & Operated.

Vintage Clayton! Exquisite home with breathtakingviews nestled in a quiet court with walking distance todowntown! 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, large loft, approx.3,213sf, 2 car garage with workshop. Huge gourmet kitchenfeatures slab granite counters, all stainless steel appliances &cherry wood cabinets. Oversized family features walls ofwindow with gorgeous views of Mt. Diablo & surroundinghills. Living room with cozy fireplace & views from every

window. Separate formal dining room features a built-in wine refrigerator & raised ceiling with a dramat-ic chandelier. Spacious master suite offers wooded, sweeping views of Mt. Diablo & surrounding hills.Luxurious upgraded travertine tile master bath boasts a jetted tub looking out to Un-obstructed Mt. Diabloviews, a separate oversized stall shower, two walk-in closets with extensive organizers. Large level lotoffers a sprawling lawn, extensive natural slate patios & a custom built waterfall feature and magnificentviews of Mt. Diablo & oak dotted rolling hills! $849,000

CLAYTON!

Peacock Creek at Oakhurst Country Club!

4 bedrooms, plus a den, 3 full baths, approx. 3,030sf, 2 fire-places & a 3 car garage! Gourmet kitchen boasts all stainlesssteel appliances, Euro style cabinets, bull-nosed slab granitecounters and a custom extended island with built-in dinette.Spacious family room features a fireplace & custom built-in.An upgraded fireplace the focal point of the elegant dining

and living rooms featuring crown moulding and an elaborate chandelier. Enormous master suite. Huge lothas been professionally landscaped with lush lawn areas, custom pergola topped stained concrete patios,various ornamentals, colorful flowers & maturing trees add to the relaxed and private atmosphere

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Absolutely stunning single story in a central Con-

cord neighborhood! 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, 2 car garage. Qualityupgrades throughout include ¾” hardwood floors, crown moulding-baseboards, dual pane windows, designer paint colors and central heat& air! Slab granite kitchen with tumbled travertine back splash & tilefloors. Huge park-like back yard with large lawn area & towering treesoffers privacy. Big side yard for RV/boat/toys. $324,500

CONCORD!

Country Living in the middle of Concord!

Super Cute single story on a huge lot in a private court withonly two other houses! 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, inside laundry,approx. 1,212sf & a detached 2 car garage with RV andBoat parking! Updated kitchen boasts slab granite counterswith full backsplash, oak cabinets & stainless steel appli-ances. Dining area with gleaming hardwood floors.

Family room with updated fireplace & hardwood floors. Huge .32 acre (approx) lot with large patio areaoffers tons of possibilities! $325,000

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CLAYTON!

Nicole is the Garden Girl atR&M Pool, Patio, Gifts andGarden Contact her with questions,comments or suggestions at [email protected]

NICOLE HACKETT

GARDEN GIRL

A DAY OF PROSPECTING yielded these gold nuggets for Pucky.

After meeting the owner,the two men decided to starttheir own chapter and localclub. The East BayProspectors launched theirfirst official meeting at GoldPan California in March 2009.“We had 92 folks there thatday,” Pucky noted, with morethan a handful from Clayton.

Included in the group isMike Dunn, who owns thegold prospecting shop GoldPan California in Concord,and Don Smith, the oldestprospector at age 67.

“It’s a nice outing,” Smithnoted, who has been prospect-ing for more than 30 years.“It’s always nice to find gold,meet other people and enjoythe time out there.”

For Pucky, who is 58, theattraction is still as strong asever. “I got elected president(of the club) and we havesome great volunteers to helpout,” he said. “We have ameeting monthly andprospecting outings and pot

lucks. I even started a Websitefor the group now that wehave over 200 members, 142of whom are online.”

Members come from allaround the Bay Area. “Ourmotto is Learn to find gold:Have fun doing it, all the whilepreserving and protecting theenvironment,” Pucky added.“The camaraderie among ourmembers is wonderful. I couldnot be happier with ourprogress so far and we areactively searching for our owngold claim already.”

For prospective prospec-tors, Smith offers the advice:“Just come to one of the out-ings or meetings. There are nodues or fees. We have all theequipment. Really all youwould need is a gold pan and asieve, but we have some if youneed it. It’s nice. We share.”

For more information, visiteastbaygpaa.webs.com or call 672-1863.

Gold, from page 21

HELLEBORUS

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