DEC 17 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

Spirits were high at the Dec.7 Concord City Council meet-ing, as retiring members werelauded, freshmen took theiroaths of office and a new mayorwas appointed to lead the cityinto the coming year.

The meeting, which startedat 6:30 p.m. and went on fornearly three hours, was standingroom only for council support-ers and community members, aswell as dignitaries from othercities and state agencies.

Three new businesses haveinked deals with the owners ofthe Flora Square building at thecorner of Oak and CenterStreets.

A produce store, a sandwichshop and a fitness studio will fillthe ground floor spaces whichhave been vacant since the build-

ing was finished in 2007.A family owned company

with produce stores in Concordand Walnut Creek will open afarmers market in the 2000square feet on the corner of thebuilding. Building owner SteveThomas projects a late spring orearly summer opening.

Levity, Longevity Fitness

I remember as a child theseasonal trip around town tolook at all the Christmas lights.Bundled up with pillows andblankets, we would pile in thecar after a weeknight dinner tolook for the very best rooftopSanta sleigh.

Last week’s ClaytonHistorical Society ChristmasHome Tour reminded me ofthose annual sojourns thatrevved up the Christmas spirit.

“You are our 100th visitor,”Sheila Driscoll exclaimed as Iwalked through the front doorof Barbara Allen’s home onHerriman Drive.

It was only a little after 6.There were still nearly twohours of the tour, which beganat noon. “It’s been a steadystream all day,” Driscoll said.

The Historical Society’s pop-ular Home and Garden Tour inthe spring has been the majorfundraiser for the club, whichsupports the museum. When

IT’S YOUR PAPER

www.claytonpioneer.com December 17, 2010 925.672.0500

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

Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Car Tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

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

Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

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

Cookie Contest Results . . . . . . . .19

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

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

Holiday Shopping Guide . . . . . . .20

Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Parenting Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Readers' Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Safety Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Senior Moments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Time to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Your Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

What’s Inside

DAVE SHUEY

MAYOR’S CORNER

On with the serious sideof city business

I’m back! And the mayor’smessages will never be the sameagain. Well, in a year they will bebut that is for another day.

Now that I am elected, thereare a few campaign promises Ihave to renege on right awaybefore I go broke:

1) Free beer for everyone atMudville’s.

2) Free mixed drinks foreveryone at Moresi’s.

3) Free wine for everyone atLa Veranda. (Do you notice atheme of how easy it was to getvotes at these establishments?)

See Mayor, page 10

Merry ChristmasMerry ChristmasHappy

New Year

Home tour brings holidays to lifeTAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

andHappy

New Year

and

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

FIVE LOCAL HOMES WERE OPENED TO VISITORS ON DEC. 10 for the first of what is expected to be an annual Holiday HomeTour by the Clayton Historical Society. Pictured is the decorated dining room in JoAnn Caspar’s Oak St. home.

Hoffmeister takes lead asConcord council begins new era

The city’s annual free NewYears’ Eve event will go aheadas planned, says Clayton CityClerk, Laci Jackson. A sloweconomy and late volunteersignups had the event in jeop-ardy until last week. But a lastminute appeals to the communi-ty generated enough money tocarry the event, this year with acarnival theme, one more time.The event is entirely subsidizedby the community with helpfrom the city and All Out SportsLeague. Donations are fully taxdeductible.

However, says Jackson, vol-unteers are still desperatelyneeded for setup and cleanupand to help run the event.Volunteers do not have toattend any meetings, only toprovide a couple of hours’ assis-tance at the event. Volunteersare needed to fill time slotsbetween noon and 9 p.m. Tovolunteer, call the city clerk at(925) 673-7300, or send an emailto [email protected].

Clayton Counts Down Carnival2010 is at the Clayton CommunityGym on New Years Eve from 5-8p.m.

ClaytonCounts Downto go forward

Photo by Mike Dunn

NEW CONCORD CITY COUNCILMEMBERS TIM GRAYSON and RonLeone joined returning member Laura Hoffmeister in takingtheir oaths of office, before starting the hard work of as cityrecovers from the effects of the recession.

DENISEN HARTLOVE

Clayton Pioneer

Councilman Dave “Shoe”Shuey took over the mayor’sduties from outgoing mayorHank Stratford at the annualCity Council reorganization onDec. 7.

Following tradition, the five-member City Council unani-mously elected Shuey, whoserved as vice mayor last year.Shuey is in his third term on the

council. This will be his secondtime as mayor.

“I anticipate an interestingyear,” said Shuey. “(We may nothave) budgetary problems, butcertainly these are challengingeconomic times for the city aswell as the state.

“And then there’s ‘the ele-phant in the room’ coming beforeus this year,” he said, referring tothe Clayton Community Church’sproposed worship center on Main

Street. The project calls for anamendment to the Town CenterSpecific Plan and a waiver ofparking requirements. Both mustbe approved by the City Council.

“Anytime there is religioninvolved, although this is more aland use issue, there are potentialdivisions forming in the commu-nity, and both sides think theyare right,” Shuey said.

Contested vice mayor election breaks with traditionTAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

See Home Tour, page 17

See Council, page 18

See Flora Square, page 8See Concord, page 7


OUTGOING MAYOR HANK STRATFORD (left) and new mayor DavidShuey exchange gavels at the City Council reorganizationmeeting on Dec. 7.

Flora Square leasesbring life to west end

Look for your nextClayton Pioneeron Jan. 14

Look for your nextClayton Pioneeron Jan. 14

Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com December 17, 2010

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

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Merry Christmas and

Happy New Year

Blue Star Moms getwrapped up in the season

More than 25 Contra CostaBlue Star Moms and volunteerswere busily working at thegroup’s storage units on Dec. 4.Their goal was to pack, box andship 400 care packages to peopleserving in the military overseas.

“We have the help of a Scoutfrom San Ramon working on hisEagle Scout project and a GirlScout working on her Girl Scoutproject,” says Laurie Arbour,whose son is in the Marines atCamp Pendleton. “ClaytonValley High School PublicService Academy has a numberof volunteers who have beenamazing. The community hasalso been remarkable. We justhave had great donations. It’s allbeen good.”

According to Arbour, Bankof America employees madeChristmas ornaments and theboxes also contain other holidaymementos. The Blue Star Moms’sewing group made 400 pillowcases to include.

“We end it with letters fromhome and letters from lots ofthe public that we have been get-ting from the last six months,”she adds.

For the year, Chapter 20shipped more than 1,000 boxesfor its Kuwait and K9 projects.

“The packages include candy,treats, hot chocolate, oatmeal –anything that they can make outin the field that’s better than anMRE,” says chapter presidentNancy Porfirio, who’s son is inthe Army in Kandahar,Afghanistan. “Also, toys, stuffedanimals, pencils and paper sothey can write home are greatlyappreciated. It’s like a mom in abox.”

For more information, visitccbluestarmoms.org or call 876-0724. Donations may be sent toContra Costa Blue Star MomsCalifornia Chapter 20 P.O. Box6379, Concord, CA 94524.

- Mike Dunn

Photo by Mike DunnCONTRA COSTA BLUE STAR MOMS with some of the 400 boxes ofsupplies collected for the troops. From front: Laurie Arbour, NancyPorfirio, Loretta Masnada, Debi Fautt, Iris Yunck, Jeanie Urban, JulieHall, Jan MacDonell, Franca Schepis, Becky Kummer, Patricia Wendtand Connie Schulte.

CV families join in fight against pulmonary hypertensionTake a deep breath. Easy, wasn’t it?

Not for those with pulmonary hyper-tension disorder.

PH, a rare lung disorder in which theblood pressure in the pulmonary arteryis far above normal levels, severely con-stricts breathing and quality of life. Lifeexpectancy is also greatly diminished.

To raise awareness, several ClaytonValley High School students and staffparticipated in Stanford’s Race againstPulmonary Hypertension on Nov. 7.

CV families know of the generouscontributions that former college coun-selor and vice principal Cheryl and JimLong made to CV, but many aren’taware that their daughter, KimberlyTryhorn Nunes (CV class of 1990), suf-fers from PH.

Nunes understands first-hand theimmense struggles PH patients face.“The hardest day-to-day part about mydisease for me is being unable to befully engaged with my kids,” Nunesblogs. “I have to plan out any excur-sions with them based upon accessibili-ty for me (especially no inclines) andeven the stairs at their school are causefor me skipping some events.”

She must carry a device that contin-uously pumps medication into a heartcatheter. While drugs slow the progres-sion of PH, there is no cure. PH alsoinflicts children, like Clayton’s 8-year-old Katie Grace Groebner.

One way to work toward a cure is toPARTICIPATING IN THE 5K RUN for pulmonaryhypertension are JP DeSousa, Jack Loflin,Stephen Cuff, Jim Long, Mary Madera, ArianaGuzman and Tooba Qadri.Race, page 18

Hair by Jim on the moveJim Frazier, owner of the

Best Little Hairhouse inClayton, Hair by Jim, knowshow to make lemonade from

lemons. Frazier lost his busi-ness when a Thanksgiving Dayfire destroyed the historic redbuilding where he had hissalon. But, the loss was onlytemporary. Moved by a “van-do” spirit, Frazier quicklylocated a mobile hair salon inRedondo Beach, drove downand picked up the van. He wasback in business a week afterthe fire. It will be parked at theMain Street location.

Frazier will move to perma-nent quarters in the buildingnext door in February.

Hair by Jim is openThursday through Monday “Istarted this schedule when thekids were little so I could vol-unteer in their classrooms. Itstill work for me.

For appointments, call(925) 826-6329.JIM FRAZIER BARBARA BASSETT

Pioneer goes along with BarbaraBassett on Eqyptian tour

The Pioneer stowed away inBarbara Bassett’s suitcase whenshe met an old friend for a tour

of Egypt in early November.Here we are at the Sphinx inEgypt.

On the weeklong trip, wevisited Cairo, Giza, Alexandria,Wadi el Natrun and MarsaMatruh. The highlight of thetrip was definitely Agiba Beach(The Amazing Beach) nearMarsa Matruh, a large water-front town built around acharming bay of clearMediterranean waters in lowerEgypt, where we ate Movenpikice cream.

December 17, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com

Around Town for the Holidays

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I like what Windermere standsfor. It's very service based andthis is important to me.

Lynne has no problem sharingher secrets so that I can con-tinue to build my business.

The office keeps me informedof what's going on in theindustry and motivates me withcontinuous training.

The pro-active advertising andoffice support.

The full support as well as theprograms offered, especiallythe Brian Buffini training.

Being mentored by someone ofLynne's caliber and the familyfeeling the office has.

The convenient location andLynne's willingness to help.

I like the small town feel andthe big time business the officegenerates.

I love the excellent marketingsystem the office has inClayton and I feel at homehere.

Windermere Lynne French &Associates is the very BESTCOMPANY EVER!

I love sharing what I've learnedwith others. I'm dedicated tothe success of the Realtors inmy office.

I am surrounded by profes-sionals that have the mostamazing customer serviceskills I've seen in the industry.

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Kids and adults alike had a great time at the8th Annual Kenston-Tiffin Cookie Decoratingcontest hosted by Mike and Cindy Pearsall. Thecompetition was fierce, the cookies and hors d’o-erves were yummy and everyone had a great time.Winner of the Adult competition was TiffanyWelker with her snowman embellished stockingcookie, and the Kids division was won by JadynHarris with her beautifully detailed ChristmasTree cookie. The top prize is bragging rights ‘tilnext year.

Clayton turned out once againin big numbers for the annualChristmas Tree Lighting on Dec.4. Festivities began at 4:30 withthe clip-clop of horse-drawn car-riage rides sponsored by localRealtors Stephanie Lopez andLeigh Klock and the Ed MoresiFamily. As the carriage ferriedriders around town at dusk, therewas a magical feel as theChristmas lights all over towncome to life.

This was the second year forthe carriage rides

“It was so fun to see thesmiles on the kids,” says RealtorStephanie Lopez. “We hope tosee everyone back again nextyear.”

Later, everyone gathered atthe gazebo for some Christmasmusic by the Mt. DiabloElementary School chorus. Atthe close of the concert, Santa,who arrived at the park by policecar, led the crowd up Main Streetto the town tree where he pulledthe switch and lit up the tree.Many stopped along the way for

cider and donuts at ClaytonCommunity Church. Christmas2010 in Clayton had officiallyarrived.

Photos clockwise from top: MDESchorus at the Gazebo; Tree Lighting atthe town tree on Main Street; TheCinderella carriage sponsored byStephanie Lopez and Leigh Klock andthe Moresi Family.

Photo by: Steve Pierce

Clayton Lights Up

Neighborhood kids vie for top ‘cookie decorator’

Mrs. Claus takes center stageLocal kids and their parents

had a chance to chat withSanta’s better half at theDessert with Mrs. Claus eventsponsored by the CBCA onDec. 11 at Endeavor Hall.

Out on the patio, Santa tooknames and checked lists inpreparation for Christmas Eve.

Pictured: Top Mrs. Claus withAidan, Zoe and Tristan Fossan.Bottom left: Event organizer SydneyAlcock (right) with her chief elf, JodySparks. Bottom right GrandmaKathy Yonge with grandson Riley andSanta.



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Businesses appreciate customers whospend holiday dollars near home

This year, many Clayton resi-dents are giving the gift of theirpatronage to local businesses.

Small store owners have con-tinued to suffer the effects of therecession, but many residents whopreviously went online and tonationwide chain stores areinstead spending their money intown to help the businesses theyknow and love.

City numbers are showing theeffect of that support. A Junememo from Clayton’s city manag-er to the City Council character-ized an increase in sales tax rev-enues of 2 percent as “a verypromising sign.”

Sara Skow, who owns the localgift shop the Royal Rooster, isgrateful for the added business.Sales during the weekend afterThanksgiving showed a significantjump over last year.

“Overall, the loyal customerbase is what has been keeping usgoing during this difficult time forindependent retail. We have a lotof loyal customers who don’twant to see us go anywhere.”

Susan Safipour is one of thosecustomers. “We are absolutelyshopping locally,” she said. “OnSunday, I was shopping onAmazon, about to put in my cred-it card, when I suddenly realized:What am I doing? And I canceledthe order. Yes, it was going to beeasy, but we love Clayton and we’dmuch rather keep our money intown.”

Melanie Alarcon has co-owned R&M Pool, Patio andGarden with her husband Roysince 1983. The store, which spe-cializes in pool/spa supplies andgarden decor, has experienced sig-

nificant losses in the last few years,but she is determined to perse-vere.

“I’m going to open tomorrow,and the day after that, and the dayafter that,” she vowed.

Getting Clayton shoppers toshop downtown is still an uphillbattle, says Alarcon.

Although Clayton residentJane Gerow passes throughdowntown Clayton two or threetimes a day on her way to workand errands, like many others shecontinues on down the road toConcord or Walnut Creek for“the practical items I need at anaffordable price.”

Alarcon says that price savingsis a common but incorrectassumption made by people whodo their shopping in the big boxstores. “I think the big miscon-ception is that a small business is

more expensive. But that’s not thecase. People are looking forcheaper, and they’re not doingtheir homework,” she said, notingdifferences in quality and cus-tomer service in addition to price.

“I think our customer serviceis outstanding,” Alarcon added.“The people who work here arevery helpful. It is a rare thing thatanybody carries their own bag outof here.”

In addition to buying gifts atRoyal Rooster and treating them-selves to mochas at Cup o’Jo, Mattand Trish Brown find local storesto be more convenient than driv-ing miles down the road, particu-larly for everyday needs.

“We invariably need a loaf ofbread or eggs or butter or some-thing, and it’s so easy to run to theVillage Market,” said Trish.“Literally, it’s just 10 minutes to

run your errand and come home.”Like many others around

them, Ed’s Mudville Grill andMoresi’s Chophouse have beenaffected by the economy.“Business is challenging,” admit-ted owner Ed Moresi.

But he has faith in the localcommunity. “I personally feel theClayton Valley area likes to sup-port downtown Clayton,” he said.

Brown agreed. “You feel likeyou’re shopping from your neigh-bors,” she said.

Skow noted that shoppinglocally creates a win-win situationfor customers and shop ownersalike. “If everybody remembersto stay focused on our local econ-omy, then when things improvewe won’t have a bunch of emptybusinesses.”

Shop local, Shop Clayton.

DENISEN HARTLOVE

Clayton Pioneer


SARA SKOW, OWNER OF THE ROYAL ROOSTER on Diablo Street downtown, says business is betterthis year than last. “Loyal customers are the key.”


Holiday Guide

A & H Limousine Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200-2824

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

Butler Limousine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-5466

Cegielski Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-2855

Clayton Bicycle Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2522

Hunhoff, Ashley - AAA Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . .287-7265

Kommer, Paul - Merrill Lynch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .988-2111

Mason, Christina D.D.S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1559

Moresi’s Chophouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1333

Pet Suites Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .432-7387

Postal Annex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-5246

R & M Pool, Patio, Gifts and Gardens . . . . . . . . .627-0207

SNAP Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693-0110

Sweet Bakery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0936

The Royal Rooster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-2025

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

Auto

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

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

Construction and Trades

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

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

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

Handyman Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .639-4209

J&J’s Final Coat Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .625-5849

LHI Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-9941

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

Smith and Bernal Roofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0138

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

Dentist

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

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

Dining and Entertainment

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

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

Financial and Insurance Services

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

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

ProFit Business Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-1025

Turner, Mary Anne - Farmer’s Insurance . . . . . . .348-7781

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

Fitness

Naruschchen, Margaret - Yoga Shala . . . . . . . . .349-4686

Funerals

Moore’s Mission Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-1100

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

Home and Garden

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

Alexander KAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .977-1616

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

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

Diablo View Flooring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .820-8700

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

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

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

Personal Services

Frontier Salon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6900

Pet Services

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

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

Real Estate and Mortgage Services

Brandt, Steve - Real Estate Group . . . . . . . . . . . .324-1138

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recreation

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

DFC Soccer Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-4625

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

Retail

East Bay Work Wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .687-9900

Sport Chalet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .521-7009

Senior Services

Aegis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .692-5838

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

The Chateaus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686-1700

Services, Other

Air Cloud Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260-4119 x 2

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

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

Travel

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

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Worship

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Directory of Advertisers

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

TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, EditorRANDY WENGER, Display Advertising PETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignBEV BRITTON, Copy Editor JAY BEDECARRÉ, Sports PAMELA WIESENDANGER, Administrative Assistant

STAFF WRITERS: Denisen Hartlove, Jay Hartlove, Lou Fancher,Nicci Shipstead, Pam Wiesendanger, Mike Dunn

We remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse

PIONEER INFOCONTACT US

Tel: (925) 672-0500Fax: (925) 672-6580

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CLASSIFIEDSClassified rates per insertion:Non-profit: $12 for first 30

words, $.20 each additionalword

Individual/non-commercial:$18 for first 30 words, $.30each additional word

Commercial: $48 for first 30words, $.40 each additionalword

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

We will not accept any ad that dis-

criminates on the basis of race, color,sex, religion, nationality, family statusor disability. The Clayton Pioneerreserves the right to reject any adver-tising we believe is unsuitable.

LET US KNOWWeddings, engagements, anniver-

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

Also on our Website are forms forsubmitting Community Calendar itemsand press releases for your organiza-tion.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORThe Clayton Pioneer welcomes

letters from our readers. As a generalrule, letters should be 250 words orless and submitted at least one weekprior to publication date. Letters con-cerning current issues will have 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.

City of Clayton now accepting applications

Clayton resident to serve asAppointed member on the County

Advisory Council on Aging

The Contra Costa County Advisory Council on Aging advisesthe County Area Agency on Aging on all matters related tothe development and administration of senior programsthroughout the County, in accordance with the mandates ofthe Older Americans Act. The Council is comprised of 40members, appointed by the County Board of Supervisors inpartnership with the local cities and the membership commit-tee of the council. Each city has one designated appointee.Members are appointed by the respective city councils fromeach of the 18 cities in Contra Costa County. The term ofoffice is Jan.1, 2010 to Jan. 1, 2012

The Advisory Council meets monthly in Concord, 9:30 a.m. -noon on the third Wednesday. Members also choose one offour work groups on which to serve: Housing, Health,Transportation and Legislative Advocacy. These groups meetmonthly in Martinez. Mileage expenses to and from meetingsare reimbursable.

To apply, send a letter of interest to the mayor at cityof Clayton, 6000 Heritage Trail, Clayton 94517, oremail [email protected]. The mayor will reviewapplications, interview applicants, and recommendappointment to the city council.

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Girl Gardening

Garden care for your roses, peren-

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Plant suggestions and installation.

If you want more flowers this year,

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VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDHelp Fight Hunger

Anna Chan - AKA: The Lemon

Lady needs your help!

Volunteers are needed to haul

donated produce from Farmers'

Markets to food pantries throughout

the area. Weekly commitment

appreciated. Please contact Anna at

672-1988 or

[email protected].

Meals on Wheels Drivers

1 – 1 1/2 per week. Drivers and

relief drivers needed for delivery of

Meals on Wheels in East County.

Call Jim at 673-0300 or e-mail hair-

[email protected].

Anna’s Attic Volunteers

Call 674-9072 or (925) 766-5066.

Hospice of the East Bay

Call Volunteer Dept. at (925) 887-

5678 or email volunteers@hos-

piceeastbay.org.

Clayton Historical Society

Museum

Call the museum at 672-0240.

Clayton Community Library.

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[email protected]

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For more than 20 years,George Conlow has quietly goneabout the business of finding anddelivering food to Central ContraCosta residents who are most inneed. For seven days a week,morning and night, he has beendriving and unloading food,organizing, answering phones anddoing paperwork to support theShare Food Pantry in Concord.

On Jan 13, CBS TV-5 willpresent the final 2010 JeffersonAward for community service toConlow at a ceremony at theHerbst Theatre in San Francisco

Clayton’s Anna Chan, also aJefferson Award recipient, recom-mended Conlow for the honor.“When I received the award, Iimmediately thought aboutGeorge,” says Chan, the Lemon

Lady, who gathers produce for theneedy.

“Who do you know whoworks six to eight hours a day for20 years for free? This is someonewho does it just because he lovespeople,” Chan adds.

Conlow seems uncomfortableabout receiving public recognitionfor his work. However, Chan andcountless others have watched asConlow spends the majority ofhis time providing for others andinspiring volunteers.

The food pantry opened in1986, after a group of peoplefrom various churches in the FaithCouncil got together to help thepoor. “None of us got into it forrecognition,” Conlow says. “Inthe beginning, we were not onlygiving food, but transportationand shelter. As prices for trans-portation and shelter went up, wedecided to just do food.”

Tough economic times havemade it ever more challenging.Conlow’s heart attacks and healthproblems also have put limits onhis strength. Still Conlow, his wifeLynda and friends persistentlyfind a way to deliver about $5,000worth of food per month throughthe Share Food Pantry organiza-tion, with help from churchessuch as St. Bonaventure, FirstChristian Church and St. Agnes inConcord.

“I am in awe of it. No matterhow much we do, there is alwaysthat much more to be done,”Conlow says of the program. “Itis my way of paying back. I havebeen so blessed.”

The city of Concord’s HumanRelations Commission alsorecently awarded Conlow theHumanitarian Award. The retiredChevron executive speaks glow-ingly of his family and their tradi-tion of volunteerism.

“My wonderful wife Lyndaallows me to do this. She is thesame way. She worked with GirlsScout and Boy Scouts,” Conlowreports. “Our daughter is ateacher and our son is a business-man in Boston. They both wentto UC Davis. I have so much to bethankful for.”

Conlow’s wish is that he willhave enough food to distributefor the holidays. “We have beenfalling short every month and weare using all of the reserves wehave been able to build up,” hesays. “The organization has beenreceiving about $600 to $800 permonth worth of Food Bank pur-chasing power in donationsmonthly.”

The Food Pantry uses up itsannual FEMA allocation withinthe first three months of the yearand then must draw down itsreserves. Individual churches, theBoy Scouts, the Post Office andsupermarkets contribute to thecause. “Chevron has helped andother Chevron retirees volunteer,”Conlow notes.

The only requirement for aidis that recipients be residents ofCentral Contra Costa County. “Alot of them don’t go to churchand we don’t evangelize,” he said.“If they ask a question, we referthem to the church that they grewup in.”

The Food Pantry also sawhigh demand during the techindustry downturn. When techworkers found employment, theydonated their time and even somemoney. “Sometimes we get dona-tions from the parents of peoplewhom we have helped. We hopethat will happen again,” Conlowsays.

“There is always a call for foodand volunteers, but we never hada fundraiser or asked for money.By word of mouth, it would comein and somehow everything worksout,” he concludes.

Donations may be delivered to theShare Food Pantry at the FirstChristian Church, 3039 Willow PassRoad, Concord. For more information,visit sharefoodpantry.blogspot.com.

Outgoing Concord MayorGuy Bjerke made as one of hislast acts in office last week thepresentation of the 2010 Mayor’sCommunity Service Award toClayton Valley High School ath-letic director Pat Middendorf.

The award to the Claytoneducator was for her initiative informing and serving as chair ofthe United Mt. Diablo AthleticFoundation, which has raisedfunds to maintain sports pro-grams in the six high schools ofthe Mt. Diablo Unified SchoolDistrict.

“The Mayor’s Community

Service Award is given to a per-son of the mayor’s choice, whomhe/she feels has made a signifi-cant contribution to the citizensof Concord,” says Concord cityclerk Mary Rae Lehman.

The last honoree, in 2008,was a former Clayton resident,Dan Ashley. Along with co-recipient Dave Goldman, Ashleyhas supported the Friends ofCamp Concord program –including an annual golf tourna-ment that helps send needy chil-dren to the camp at South LakeTahoe.

“I presented the 2010Mayor’s Award to Pat for herleadership of UMDAF and toraise awareness about the acute

need for financial support tosave high school athletics,”Bjerke said at the Dec. 7 meeting.“Without her constant, enthusi-astic support and valiant efforts,the program would not have got-ten off the ground.”

During her comments,Middendorf applauded the“phenomenal” 12 members ofthe fundraising board. Theboard staged successful 5KWalk/Runs at Newhall Park inConcord during the falls of 2009and ’10 as the major fundraiserstoward the annual goal of pro-viding $1.2 million to fund all theboys and girls sports programs atClayton Valley, Concord,Ygnacio Valley, Northgate, Mt.

Diablo and College Park highschools. Middendorf wasadamant that all fundraising dol-lars be shared equally among thesix schools.

UMDAF is also the majorrecipient from the annual BayArea KidFest in May at Mt.Diablo High. The high schoolsports programs provide volun-teer help for the event.

Middendorf is a teacher andathletic director at ClaytonValley. She and her husband Jimhave raised their three children inClayton. She formerly was thegirls soccer coach of the Eagles.

For more information, visit unit-edmtdiabloathletics.org.


Photo by Denise Bjerke

CONCORD MAYOR GUY BJERKE, right, lauds the “valiant efforts”of CVHS athletic director Pat Middendorf in helping save highschool sports.

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

City honors Clayton Valley’s Middendorf ’s fundraising

CBS honors food pantry volunteer

GEORGE CONLOW helps sortfood for the St.Bonaventure’s Food Pantry.Conlow will receive theJefferson Award for his com-munity service on Jan. 13.

Executives at Travis CreditUnion announced that a mergerwith Metro 1 Credit Union is tar-geted for completion by latespring, 2011. The proposal tomerge the two long-standing cred-it unions, which was accepted bythe National Credit UnionAdministration on Nov. 3, addsmore than 19,000 members and$177 million dollars in assets toTravis Credit Union.

“This merger combines twooutstanding financial institutions,”says Patsy Van Ouwerkerk, presi-dent and CEO of Travis CreditUnion. “We look forward to servingthe financial needs of our newmembers at Metro 1, while expand-ing our own branch network toinclude more locations. The mergerof these two credit unions providesadditional strength and security forall members.”

Although the actual conversionof member records and systems

will not occur until late spring, 2011,the two credit unions will combinetheir financial statements as of Dec.31, 2010.

The local Travis branch is in theClayton Valley Center with head-quarters in Vacaville. Travis CreditUnion is a not-for-profit, coopera-tive financial institution servingthose who live or work in Solano,Yolo, Sacramento, Placer, SanJoaquin, Stanislaus, Napa, ContraCosta, Alameda, Sonoma, Colusa,and Merced Counties. Currently,Travis Credit Union is the 17thlargest credit union in California,with more than 160,000 membersand over $1.6 billion in assets. Asone of the leading financial institu-tions in Solano, Contra Costa, Yolo,Napa, and Merced Counties, TravisCredit Union’s strength lies in itsfaithful commitment to its mem-bers; its solid, secure history; and itslong-standing track record of dedi-cated service.

Metro 1 to merge withTravis Credit Union

DANA GUZZETTI

Clayton Pioneer

Watch out for email scams(Some time ago) my father,

an 89-year-old WWII veteranwho proudly displays his pur-ple heart on all his clothing,began receiving hundreds oflegal-looking sweepstakesmailings from scam artistswho target the elderly, tellinghim he was a winner and all hehad to do was mail in a “pro-cessing fee” to receive thou-sands.

We may never know howlong this had been going on,but after an alert phone callfrom the bank, we found thathis checking account had beencompromised along with theuse of his credit card. Afterfiling a police report with avery informative ClaytonPolice Officer, closing bothaccounts, getting an unlistednumber . . . and having all hismail forwarded, things areimproving. As of this date, wehave now received over 400sweepstakes mailings, all ofwhich would have been in myfather’s hands and more lossof money would haveoccurred.

Watch your parents closely,keep an eye on their mail andpay attention to who is phon-ing them…

- Lynn Zweig

Thank you to city workersOn Sat., Nov. 20, the CBCA

decorated downtown Claytonfor the Christmas holiday sea-son. I have been one of thedecorating volunteers for thepast 5 or 6 years and find it avery rewarding experience. Iwould like to personally thankthe group of men from DiabloValley Ranch who come out tohelp us each year. They are agood natured and very hardworking bunch of guys and wecouldn’t do it without them.With their help, we were able tofinish the ground level decora-tions in about 4 hours. Also, Iwould like to give a big thankyou to John Johnston, mainte-nance supervisor for the City ofClayton. Each year, rain orshine, John is there with hischerry picker doing all the highlevel work. He decorates theChristmas tree and hangs thebanners and wreaths from thelight poles – both downtownand on the main arterial ways.While our work is done in onlyhalf a day, John is out there allday Saturday and a good chunkof Sunday. And then he has totake it all down again after thefirst of the New Year. Manyyears I have seen John doingthis work all by himself, but thisyear he had the help of fellowcity maintenance worker, DanJohnston. Thank you, John andDan, for a job well done.

- Sincerely,Linda Pinder

December 17, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com

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Readers’ Forum

As the season’s bounty fillsour kitchens in preparation forholiday feasts, one unsuspect-ing source may be gettingmore than its fair share of left-overs.

Think of all the clipping,snipping and peeling it takes tomake that green bean casseroleor those much-anticipatedmash potatoes. I think it is safeto assume the scraps will be

headed straight to the trashbins to hide the evidence.

Most of us don’t eventhink twice before chuckingour apple core in the trash.This trend of disposing offood scraps along with yardtrimmings into our trash binsmakes for nearly 30 percent ofthe country’s waste output.

When organic waste is sentto a landfill, it takes up spacesneeded for other wastes.Landfills also deprive theorganic matter of oxygen,

which leads to the productionof environmentally problemat-ic gases. This is not only cost-ly to the environment but eco-nomically inefficient as well.

Just because you may notbe an occupational farmergives no excuse to deny yourfood scraps the life they onceknew in earth’s soil.Composting is simply a naturalform of recycling nutrientsback to the soil.

You can compost justabout all your unused produce

scraps, aside from dairy, meat,fish, oils and fats. Any hardcontainer can do the job.

Some cities offer compost-ing services to properly dis-pose of this rich waste. If not,other options include publiccomposting sites or communi-ty gardens.

Better yet, start your owngarden to enjoy the wonders ofcomposting.

Kohler is a student-athlete at UCBerkeley and active composter.

Don’t let food scraps end their lives too soonKARA KOHLER

Special to the Pioneer

Letters tothe Editor

Drill gives CERT memberschance to practice skills

Clayton CommunityEmergency Response Team(CERT) volunteers put theirtraining to work in a field exer-cise on Nov. 6 when 15 mem-bers were joined by volunteer

victims, the police departmentand personnel from AmericanMedical Response.

The CERT program teachesbasic survival skills and self suf-ficiency in the event of a major

disaster. The volunteers usedbasic radio communicationsskills and search and rescuetechniques learned in the eightweek CERT training.

Kathleen Pritchard “It wasan excellent learning experi-ence.” said Kathleen Pritchardof Concord. “I learned theimportance of being “upwind”in an instance where there maybe poisonous substances in theair. I had read this in the manu-al but it went completely out ofmy mind when confronted by achlorine leak in the drill.”

The next Clayton CERTtraining session will start inApril 2011. Send any commentsor questions [email protected] orgo to www.claytoncert.org foradditional information onCERT.

Photo courtesy Clayton CERT

CERT MEMBERS PRACTICE THEIR RECENTLY LEARNED SKILLS on volun-teer victims at the CERT drill on Nov. 6. From left: LeifJohansson, Mary MacPropersi, Evelyn Magas, Mary Mingay.

Outgoing Mayor andCouncilman Guy Bjerke spoke ofthe council’s recent accomplish-ments, including adopting a reuseplan for the Concord NavalWeapons Station and working tobalance the city’s budget.

“All in all, we have done a lotof good work this year. I am veryproud that we accomplishedthese things and that we did sowhile I was mayor,” he said.

“I feel the community feelsthey are respected, that you real-ly honored their opinion andthat you were there to servethem,” said visiting SupervisorSusan Bonilla, who along withState Assemblyman MarkDeSaulnier presented each ofthe council’s outgoing memberswith certificates honoring theirservice.

Helen Allen stepped down aswell, following 17 years on thecouncil. Prior to servingConcord, Allen was mayor ofClayton.

Fellow council memberspraised and gently teased Allen,who is arguably their most color-ful member, about everythingfrom her gigantic purses to herwillingness to fight for what shethought was best for the city’sresidents.

“You get straight talk fromHelen, whether you want it,whether you like it, or not,”noted Mark Peterson.

“Yes, I’ve been straightfor-ward; yes, I’ve been blunt,” sheresponded. “If you aren’t clearwith what you say, all you’redoing is beating around thebush. And that isn’t smart.”

Peterson announced his res-ignation from the City Councilas well, effective Jan. 1. He wonthe hotly contested race forContra Costa County districtattorney.

“I leave with good feelingsabout what we did,” saidPeterson, who was especiallyproud of the 30 percent drop incrime in the city since he cameonto the Council in 1995.“There’s always more you’d liketo do, but I feel proud of whatI’ve accomplished.”

He had advice for the newmembers of the council. “Listento everyone; consider all thefacts from staff and from thepublic and from your fellowcouncil members,” he said. “Butthen you need to be able to makea decision and it needs to be yourown decision.”

New council members RonLeone and Tim Gardner joinedreturning member LauraHoffmeister to take the oath ofoffice.

“I recognize that, due to therecession, we are in for some dif-ficult times,” said Leone. “WhatI hope over the next four years isto be able to bring something tothe table to assist the city in help-ing us forward through theseeconomic times.”

“We have some very impor-tant problems to solve,” saidCouncilman Bill Shinn. “Withthis new era that’s beginningtonight, we have an opportunityto create a new team, a newapproach, perhaps building onwhat’s left behind of a city that’sbeen decimated by budget cutsand economic downturns.”

Hoffmeister was unanimous-ly elected to serve her fourthtime as mayor. Leone was electedvice mayor.

Hoffmeister thinks it maytake time, but she sees an opti-mistic future for Concord. “It’snot going to be a quickrebound,” she said. “But it’sgoing to be a slow improvementover a long period of time.”

Concord, from page 1

Studio will go into the 2700square feet facing Oak Street.

Clayton fitness instructorIlima Heuerman’s applicationfor non-retail use of the spacewas approved by the city councilat the Dec. 7 meeting.

City staff had initially recom-mended denial of a use permitfor the studio because it isn’tstrictly retail space, which isrequired by the Town CenterSpecific Plan. At that time, thebuilding owners did not yet havesigned leases for the two spaceson the ground floor.

“Given the current marketand the fact that the rest of theground floor is leased for retailuse, we are now recommendingapproval,” said CommunityDevelopment Director DavidWoltering in his Dec. 7 report tothe City Council.

Heuerman’s current business,Traveling Trainers, has beenrenting various temporary classspace locations in Concord. Thenew Clayton location will pro-vide a permanent venue for herclasses and is expected to bringupwards of 150 visitors a day todowntown Clayton. “We’ll haveclasses in all kinds of things youdon’t normally see,” saidHeuerman. “Expect classes intrapeze, kickboxing, Pilates—really different kinds of train-ing.”

“This will spur developmenton the west end of town,” build-

ing owner Steve Thomas toldthe Council.

The Council voted 4-1 toapprove the use permit, with JoeMedrano casting the no vote.

“Now that all the floodgatesare in and the building is fin-ished, I’ would like to give it sixmore months to see if a retailtenant could be found,” saidMedrano.

“We still want retail,” saidMayor Dave Shuey. “But, thiswill build up foot traffic…this ismaking the best of a situationwe didn’t want to be in.”

Huereman must open withina year and operate continuouslyas a fitness studio or risk losingher use permit.

The remaining 900 squarefeet facing Center Street will be aSubway Sandwich shop. “This isa corporate lease,” said Thomas,“and they will be selecting afranchisee for this location.”

The Subway in ClaytonStation recently closed

Flora Square was developedby Uzoma Nwakuche and fin-ished except for some fairlyminor floodgate work just as realestate market hit a wall in 2007.The building went into foreclo-sure and in August of this year,New Urban CommunitiesPartners bought the property.The second floor of the buildingcan be used for non-retail andThomas is actively seeking ten-ants.


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Hospice of the East Bay haslaunched a Vigil VolunteerProgram where trained patientsupport volunteers are at thebedside of dying patients.

The vigil program helpsHospice support its patientsevery step of the way bringingrelief to family members whoare unable to be present for thedeath of their loved one. And,most important, patients willknow they are not alone.

Dying alone is often listedby patients as their greatest fearas they face the end of life. Yetmany people are left to makethe journey alone. They mayhave few relatives living nearby.Or they have outlived their fam-ily and friends or are estrangedfrom family.

Such patients face the dis-heartening possibility of endingtheir lives with no one at theirside. Some of them die in hos-pitals or long-term care facili-

ties, unable to experience thecomfort provided by the famil-iar surroundings of home.

In an effort to makepatients’ final passages as peace-ful and dignified as possible,Hospice of the East Bay worksto bring them physical, emo-tional and spiritual relief.Nothing is more central to theidea of hospice care than ensur-ing that each patient has some-one with him or her at the endof life.

However, it is difficult topredict exactly when the endwill come much less guaranteethat each patient’s loved onescan be present during the finalhours or days of life. The vigilvolunteers can help fill any gapsin services.

To become a vigil volunteer, call887-5678 or email [email protected].

New Hospice programfills patients’ needs

Low interest more importantthan cost in deciding when to buyQ I am trying to time my

home purchase. Which ismore important – low homeprices or low interest rates?

AThe short answer is interestrates. Over the life of the

loan, you come out way aheadwith a low interest rate. But inthe current market, we haveboth.

The other short answer fortiming your home purchase is“do it now.” Home prices arelow and interest rates are thelowest in history but threateningto rise.

A few days ago, rates wentdown in response to a surprisingincrease in unemployment. Thedebt crises in Europe also arehelping rates.

However, two days later, therates shot up a half of a percentin response to the announce-ment that the Bush tax cutswould be extended. This hap-pened for two reasons. The taxcut extension is seen as a strongeconomic stimulus, and rates goup on expectation of a strongereconomy. To a lesser extent, thetax cut extension is seen as anexacerbation of the deficit prob-lem which pushes rates upward.

If inflation remains in check,rates may rise. Policy makersthink the economy is too weak to

handle higher rates right now.Interest rates will go up for

many reasons. The only questionis when. Now is a great time tobuy a home.

QMy husband and I wouldlike to get a home equity

line of credit to do some homeimprovements. We have been inour home a long time, so webelieve we have some equity. Wealso own a home that we rentout. I have heard that qualifyingis much harder these days. Arethese loans hard to get?

AHome equity lines of creditare still available from most

banks and some large financialplanning firms. However, youneed strong qualifications: usual-ly an 80 percent combined loanto value, which equates to 20percent equity in the home.

Our loan affiliate, JVMLending, is often referring peo-ple to Schwab and Ameriprisefinancial planning firms becausetheir terms are the best (no cost,no fees). Ameriprise goes to 90percent combined loan to value.This is a higher loan to valuethan most other lenders.

They haven’t found anylenders who offer equity linesagainst non-owner occupied(investment) properties.

Q In searching for a home, myfamily and I have seen

many undesirable homes. Theforeclosures and even many ofthe short sales need so much fix-ing they weren’t a possibility forus.

We finally found the perfecthome for us. It was the besthome we have seen. It was in aprime location and beautifullyappointed in every way.

When we made an offer, wefound out that there were multi-ple offers. We were shocked, aswe thought this was a buyer’smarket. We are now in escrowwith this home after paying wellover the asking price. We lovethe home, but I feel foolish. Doyou think we over paid?

AFor homes such as the oneyou described, we aren’t in a

buyer’s market. It is hard tonegotiate a below market priceon a property that is in so muchdemand. Chances are you wouldhave to spend more than marketvalue to purchase and fix thedeferred maintenance on one ofthe lesser properties you men-tioned. And you still would nothave the ideal location.

If you are looking for a typeof property that is hard to findand you have looked longenough to know that the proper-

ty is what you want for yourlong-term enjoyment, it mightmake sense to pay a little more.

Update: Fanny Mae andFreddie Mac are freezing all fore-closure evictions on the mort-gage loans they own or backfrom Dec. 20 through Jan. 3.The foreclosure attorneys will dothis to “provide a greater meas-ure of certainty” to families dur-ing the holidays.

Most of the large banksalready observe a moratoriumthrough the new year, unless theforeclosure involves an investorwho chooses not to observe theholiday policy. (Such asEbenezer Scrooge.)

Send your question and look foran answer in a future column. [email protected]. French isthe broker/owner of WindermereLynne French & Associates and aClayton resident. For any real estateneeds or questions, contact her at 672-8787 or stop in at 6200 Center St.,Clayton.

LYNNE FRENCH

REAL ANSWERS


A FARMERS MARKET, SELLING FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, is oneof three new businesses going into Flora Square next year.

Why do you read the Pioneer? “Your paper is like my hometown newspaper, full ofinteresting stories. It is good to read a real local paper.The Contra Costa Times is full of news from Oakland,San Jose and other distant cities.”

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Since 1979

It’s that time of year – theseason of giving and nightsspent around the fireplace,escaping from the bitter coldoutside.

As Hanukkah passed thisyear and gifts were exchanged, Iwas reminded of past years andgifts I’ve given and received.Most years, the traditions ofcandle lighting and normal giftexchanging occur, but otheryears, I face some random pres-ents, either from my family ormy friends.

This year, my grandmothergave me what she thought Iwould truly want for Hanukkah:a three-pound bag of pretzels.These super-salty snacks are myabsolute favorite and somethingmy mother doesn’t always buy,but nonetheless it wasn’t youreveryday gift. Although, afterhearing what some of the kidsaround Clayton have given orreceived, my three-pound bag of

pretzels seemed pretty normal.The day before winter break

usually comes with a flurry ofgift exchanges. Most kids givegifts that are exactly what theirfriends would want – hats, jew-elry, itunes gift cards. While thebox of chocolates CV seniorSarah Nelson received from fel-low senior Gina Del Bene mayhave seemed like a nice gift, thetruth was only, no pun intended,half there.

“One year, my friend Ginagave me a box of chocolates allwrapped up. I opened the boxand I realized that every choco-late had a bite taken out of it.While it was funny, I was a littledisappointed that I didn’t haveany chocolates,” Sarah recalled.

CV junior Jordann Tatumfound it hilarious to make herfriends struggle to open theirgifts. “I used to give socks tiedtogether with candy and ran-dom stuff that fits in a sock inthe toes of each one, so you hadto untie every single one. Theywere all stuffed inside an emptyoatmeal canister that was ducttaped closed,” she said, laugh-ing. “We were cruel.”

My brother Jared Rosen, a

UC Berkeley junior, alsoreceived a strange gift. “I wasgiven a rusty knife, a tiki maskand a ‘McCarthy for President’pin from Erik LaDue and JayArms. I was mystified by themask and the pin, but I was toldthe rusty knife was for ‘protec-tion from attacks.’ ”

If you’re stumped aboutwhat to give this year and you’refeeling crafty, consider duplicat-ing one of these gifts. Harry S.Truman was given a rockingchair made of bottle caps. Orhow about a collage of worldleaders made from cigar wrap-pers, like the one given toTheodore Roosevelt, or the jellybean portrait of Ronald Reagan.

Anybody on your naughtylist? Give a Komodo dragon.Upon his presidency, PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush was present-ed with a Komodo dragon fromthe president of Indonesia.Nothing screams your dismaywith someone more than aflesh-eating beast.

The art of gift-giving,from knives to dragons

SARAH ROSEN

TEEN SPEAK

Sarah Rosen is a junior atCVHS. You can e-mail her [email protected].

MOUNT DIABLO MUSIC

EDUCATION FOUNDATION

The foundation is hosting a12-hour Music-A-Thon featur-ing music students from localelementary, middle and highschools on Saturday, Jan. 15.The performances will be atYgnacio Valley High School,755 Oak Grove Road, Concord,starting at 10 a.m.

Tickets are $5 adults and $3students. Students will also becollecting pledges to supportmusic in the Mt. Diablo UnifiedSchool District. Donations willbe accepted at the event.

Support for the schoolmusic programs is critical sincethe fourth and fifth gradeinstrumental music program hasbeen eliminated because of thestate’s budget crisis. The MusicEducation Foundation wasformed to raise awareness ofthe cuts that have hit the musicprograms and to solicit dona-tions to support music educa-tion.

For more information, visitmdmusicfoundation.org or callMichael McNally at 827-5706.

CLAYTON VALLEY HIGH

SCHOOL

Several instrumental musicstudents were selected to coun-ty and district honor bands.

H e a t h e rRaymond (first

chair oboe), Joshua Warzecha(first chair clarinet), JessicaUntalan (second chair flute),Jason Fernandes (second chaireuphonium) and AprilShepherd (percussion) will per-form in the Contra CostaCounty Honor Band on Feb. 5at San Ramon Valley HighSchool. This is the largest repre-sentation CVHS has ever had inthis event.

Additionally, 11 studentswere chosen to play in the Mt.Diablo Unified School DistrictHigh School Honor Band onJan. 8 at Diablo Valley College.They are: Heather Raymond,Joshua Warzecha, KaylaPedrani, Alison Abele, LauraMinorsky, Emma Thatcher,Jessika Svoboda, Kristen Paetz,Jason Fernandes, AprilShepherd and Arthur Jones.

***The Public Service

Academy’s annual CommunityService Showcase will be at 7p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 5, in the

multi-use room, 1101 AlbertaWay. The event highlights thecommunity service projects ofthe 140 academy students, withdisplay boards and presenta-tions.

The Public Service Academyis a small learning communitystructured around dedicatedand collaborative teaching thatemphasizes academic success.The academy is accepting appli-cations for the 2011-’12 schoolyear. Applications are due Feb.18. For more information, visitcvhspublicserviceacademy.org.

MT. DIABLO ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL

The Parent Faculty Club hasarranged a dine and donatefundraiser 11 a.m.-10 p.m.Wednesday, Jan. 12, withMountain Mike’s Pizza, 5358Clayton Road. The restaurantwill donate 20 percent of thepurchase price (alcohol exclud-ed) to the PFC. Good for dinein, takeout and delivery. Printout a flier atmdusd.k12.ca.us/mountdia-bloelementary.

School News

Advertise with the Pioneer 672-0500

During the holiday season,many households consideradding a furry family member.Before bringing home that irre-sistible puppy, take a moment toconsider an adult animal.

There are advantages toboth age groups, so a realisticexamination of your lifestyle

and the needs of the animalwill help your family make thebest decision.

Most people see puppies asa blank slate. A puppy’s behav-ior can form around rules thatare appropriate to a house-hold, such as whether the dogwill be allowed on furniture,given the run of the house, orwalked on the left or right side.

By the same token, familiesmust set aside time to teachthese rules. Desired behaviorsneed constant reinforcement.Habits ingrain quickly andneglecting to set the founda-tion during puppyhood canmake for a rambunctious, rudeand even frightening adult dog.Many owners end up surren-

dering their dogs to sheltersbetween the ages of 9 and 18,when their untrained puppybecomes a full-grown untraineddog.

House training can be diffi-cult to maintain with puppies.Dogs and puppies need to go tothe bathroom upon waking andshortly after eating. Puppieshave small bladders, tiny tum-mies and sleep often, so theyneed more frequent pottybreaks than adult dogs. Theircapacity to “hold it” is limited toabout one hour per month ofage, meaning an 8-week-oldpuppy needs to be taken outsideat least every two hours. Over-full bladders can create healthproblems, and puppies/dogsthat are housetrained becomestressed when denied access totheir proper potty area. “Piddlepads” can offer a relief area, butpuppies using pads will have tobe taught to go outside whenthey become adults –– makinghousetraining a multi-step

process.Puppies also need their

physical, mental and socialgrowth addressed. Puppies mustrun, play and explore for propermusculoskeletal development.They chew to loosen puppyteeth and encourage adult teethgrowth. Interaction with otherpups, people and environmentshelps puppies learn about theirworld and become more confi-dent. A puppy kept in a crate orleft alone for long periods canbecome underdeveloped social-ly, mentally and physically, caus-ing damage that might be irre-versible.

Adult dogs have establishedhabits and personalities shapedby their prior experiences. Itusually takes a few months foradopted adult dogs to relax intotheir new homes, but their sizeand temperament are evident.Although an adult dog willprobably need training, theirphysical demands for time areusually less. They might still

need to be housetrained, butthey have a larger bladder capac-ity, although more than 8 hourswithout a potty break is not rec-ommended for any age dog.

Puppies are cute and cuddly,but you should seriously exam-ine the time and energy youhave available to devote to theiryouthful exuberance before tak-ing one home. If a puppy is notfor you, consider an adult dog.They would appreciate theopportunity for a secondchance.

For more about adoptable adultdogs, visit www.arf.net.

1-year-old Blitzen is a happy-go-lucky boy. Heloves everyone he meets. He will thrive in a homewhere he can receive physical exercise as well asmental stimulation. Going to training classes is agreat way for Blitzen to bond with his new familymembers while meeting new people, socializingwith other dogs and brushing up on his manners.Blitzen is rated for children of any age. He cur-rently weighs 10 pounds and is suitable for a firsttime dog owner.

The adoption fee for adult dogs is $225 andincludes 60% off one 7-week dog training session.

2-year-old Earl Gray is one big time social but-terfly who loves to be the center of attention. If asnuggly, playful, affectionate cat is what you arelooking for, than Earl Gray is your man! He is

suitable for a first time cat owner.The adoption fee for adult cats is regularly $50.

Meet your forever friend at Tony La Russa’sAnimal Rescue Foundation, 2890 Mitchell Drive,Walnut Creek, during adoption hours: 3 to 7 p.m.Thursday and Friday, Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday andSunday. The primary caretaker must be present toadopt. ARF also encourages kids 16 and youngerand canine family members (dog adoptions only)to be present during the adoption process.

Would you like to be part of the heroic team that savesthe lives of rescued dogs and cats? Can you share your tal-ents to connect people and animals? ARF volunteers aremaking a difference! For more information see our website,www.arf.net, or call 925.256.1ARF.

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Adopting adult dogmay fit your lifestyle

The Clayton Dog Park ishaving its first Dog SafetySeminar on Sunday, Jan. 30, atthe Clayton Library.

The first half will focus onchildren and dog safety.Children in attendance willreceive gift bags.

The second half will includesubjects such as interpretingcanine body language, what todo to if a dog fight occurs andthe difference between dogsfighting and rough play.

Barbara Dwyer will teachthe seminar. She has 18 yearsexperience training dogs and avast professional knowledgefrom running her own rescueorganization, completing aninternship program in canineaggression and doing behav-ioral assessments for publicshelters and rescues.

The free seminar is 1-3 p.m. atthe library, 6125 Clayton Road.Donations are welcome.

Free seminarcovers basicsof dog safety

4) Free meatball sub and cof-fee at Cup o’ Jo/Canesa’s.

5) Free cheesesteak atJohnny’s Deli.

Ok, I just wanted to have anexcuse to subliminally get all ofyou to frequent our downtownbusinesses. And if I had morespace in this column, I would hitall the businesses in town. Butyou get the point, so go shop-ping and eating in town now.

And finally, the last promise Ihave to take back: watching thecity manager streak through theGrove Park. I forgot to run thatone by him before making thatpromise, and he said no way forsome reason.

Seriously now, thank you allfor re-electing Hank Stratfordand me. (To be truthful, thanksfrom my ego for giving me themost votes. I will try not to let itgo to my head. Darn, too late.)

Campaigning in a small townis interesting. You are runningagainst friends and acquaintanc-es you will see all the time,

whether you win or lose. So youhave to be careful what you say.But that doesn’t stop the publicfrom talking trash, and youwould be amazed at what youoverhear: “He is a jerk. He does-n’t really care about us. He’s los-ing his hair.”

Then I leave my house andoverhear more things like: “He isfor the church. He is against thechurch.” Yes, both sides accusedme of already making up mymind on that issue. How doesthat work?

I kept sneaking up behindgroups of people and heardsomeone else talking about howone of the challengers had morecampaign signs and they barelysaw any of my signs, yet I wonanyway. Remember, folks, qualityover quantity.

Coincidently, I also heardsomeone say my signs weresmaller. Well ... this proves sizedoesn’t matter.

OK, going forward, howmany of you missed my constantharping on recycling? We just

got the latest figures and we haveto do better. Remember, yourbrown can should be bigger thanyour blue can. Let’s do more so Ido not have to “recycle” my olddiatribes on this subject.

I happened to be doing somelegal research at work and cameacross the following Facebookentry: “The schools have a pro-gram called ‘Do The RightThing’ where when you are seendoing a kind act for others, youreceive a wristband to wear thatsays ‘Do the right thing’ and youhave two days to catch someoneelse doing a good deed and youpass the wristband on and so onand so on. … I am proud to saythat my son received that wrist-band yesterday from histeacher.” That is pretty cool andlet’s hope he was able to pass iton to someone.

Finally, whoever said this ispretty witty: “Whenever I fill outan application, in the part thatsays ‘In an emergency, notify …’I put ‘doctor.’ ”

You can e-mail the mayor [email protected].

Mayor, from page 1

ETERNAL LIFE LUTHERAN CHURCH

Church members took some time off from the busy pre-Christmas season to prepare recycled Christmas cards for prisonministries. The members trimmed, stamped and added a handwrit-ten Christmas greeting to more than 1,000 used cards.

The cards were mailed to WELS Prison Ministries in Minnesota,which in turn sends them with Bibles and devotional materials tothousands of prisoners nationwide. The hope is that the cards willbring some light to those in a dark place through a simple messageof love, care and peace in Christ.

Area residents may recycle this year’s Christmas and other greet-ing cards at the Farm Bureau building, 5554 Clayton Road, inJanuary.

CLAYTON COMMUNITY CHURCH

The church is offering candlelight services at 5 p.m. (special fam-ily gathering) and 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Then join church mem-

bers for “Pajama Sunday” at 10 a.m. Dec. 26. Come in your pajamasor dress casually.

On Sunday, Jan. 9, the church begins a message series entitled“Smart Money,” dealing with the reality that going to college, gettinga job, buying a house and retiring a wealthy American isn’t soundingso certain anymore.

The church meets at Diablo View Middle School, 300 DiabloView Lane, Clayton. For more information, call 673-9060.

CROSSROADS COVENANT CHURCH

A family-oriented candlelight service will be held at 7 p.m.Christmas Eve.

The church will host Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace Universitybeginning Thursday, Jan. 13.

The average family can reduce their debt by $2,500 and save anadditional $1,000 during this 13-week course. The first class, 6:30-9p.m. Jan. 13, is free. Child care provided.

The church is at 5353 Concord Blvd., Concord. For more infor-mation and seminar registration, contact Greg Jensen [email protected] or call the church at 798-5905.


Bible-based & Christ-centered worship,

education & fellowship

10 am Sunday School & Bible Class, 11:15 am Worship

Join us this Christmas to worship Christ, the Savior – King

5554 Clayton Rd., Concord (in the Farm Bureau building)

(925) 524-0295 Member of WELS William Kant, Pastor

www.EternalLifeLutheranChurch.org

First Sunday of Christmas, Dec. 26, 11:15 a.m.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, Dec. 24, 4 p.m.

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Winter dangers for olderpeople go beyond broken bonesfrom falls on ice or breathingproblems caused by colder air.Cold weather can also lower thetemperature inside your body.

This drop in temperature,called hypothermia, can bedeadly if not treated quickly.Hypothermia can happen any-where – not just outside and notjust in colder regions of thecountry. Some older people canhave a mild form of hypother-mia if the temperature in theirhome is too cool.

Shivering is one way the

body stays warm when it getscold. However, shivering alonedoes not mean you havehypothermia. These are some ofthe signs:� Confusion or sleepiness.� Slowed, slurred speech or

shallow breathing.� Weak pulse.� Change in behavior or in the

way a person looks.� A lot of shivering or no

shivering.� Stiffness in the arms or legs.� Poor control over body

movements or slow reactions.A normal body temperature

is 98.6F. A few degrees lower,say 95F, can be dangerous. Thismay cause an irregular heart-beat, leading to heart problemsand death.

If you think someone couldhave hypothermia, use a ther-mometer to take their tempera-ture. Make sure to shake thethermometer so it starts belowits lowest point. If the readingdoesn’t rise above 96F, call foremergency help. In many areas,that means calling 911.

While you are waiting forhelp to arrive, keep the personwarm and dry. Try to get themto a warmer place and wrap theperson in blankets, towels, coatswhatever is handy. Even yourown body warmth will help.Give the person somethingwarm to drink but stay awayfrom alcohol or caffeinateddrinks, like regular coffee.

Some illnesses may make itharder for the body to staywarm. These include problemswith the hormone system, suchas low thyroid, or health prob-lems that keep blood from flow-ing normally, like diabetes.

Health problems also maymake it harder to put on moreclothes, use a blanket or get outof the cold. These include:� Severe arthritis, Parkinson’s

disease or other illnesses thatmake it difficult to move.

� Stroke or other illness thatleaves one paralyzed andmay make clear thinkingmore difficult.

� Memory loss.� A fall or other injury.

Being in a cold building canalso cause hypothermia.Hypothermia can occur in anursing home or group facility ifthe rooms are not kept warmenough. People who are alreadysick may have special problemskeeping warm.

If someone you know is in agroup facility, pay attention tothe inside temperature andwhether they are dressed warm-ly enough.

This winter, whether you areinside or outside, pay attentionto the temperature. This couldkeep you safe during this colderseason.

If you know a senior thatmay need some extra care,please check to see if theirhome is being kept at a com-fortable temperature. Make thisseason safe by keeping warmthis winter.

KELLY FERRO

SENIOR MOMENTS

Don’t get caught in the cold this winter

Church News

With 2011 approaching everso quickly, it is a good time tostart making New Year’s resolu-tions.

Some of us are pretty goodabout keeping them. We lose

some weight, enter into an exer-cise program or accomplishsome items on our bucket list.You should also consider addingsome safety tips to your lists.

1. When walking on a roadwith no sidewalk, walk facingtraffic. If walking in the eveninghours, wear light-coloredclothes, preferably white.

2. When riding your bike,ride on the right side of theroad and have lights and reflec-tors on your bike. Always wear ahelmet.

3. Program emergencyphone numbers on your cellphone. Do not use 911 on yourcell phone unless you want tocontact the California Highway

Patrol. Program the Claytonpolice number of 673-7350. Forfire, use 941-3300.

4. Keep your automobile gastank at least half full at all times.

5. Enroll in the next two-hour or 20-hour CommunityEmergency Response Teamtraining. The next classes will bein the spring; call 673-7355.

6. Do not text or use a cellphone while driving.

7. Develop an emergencyafter-quake plan with yourneighbors.

We also have started includ-ing monthly safety tips. Wehope you find them useful andhelp in the building of yoursafety procedures and emer-

gency cache. Here are the tipsfor December:

1. Place a portable AM/FMradio and extra batteries in yourFamily Emergency Container(FEC). Place a note on the radioto tune to 740 AM (KCBS) foremergency information.

2. Practice your emergencyescape plan.

3. If you forgot to changethe batteries in your smokealarms last month, do so now.

Include safety in New Year’s resolutions

Herb Yonge is a volunteer withthe Clayton Police Dept. & a mem-ber of the city of Clayton CitizenCorp Council, CERT Team. Hecan be reached at 673-7355 or byemail at [email protected].

HERB YONGE

SAFETY ZONE

Kelly Ferro is a marketing direc-tor for Aegis Living. Send commentsor questions [email protected]


Clayton Sports

Ipsen selects Stanford to continue scholastic and diving career

Kristian Ipsen’s new collegecoach calls him “one of the greatesttalents to come out of diving in thelast 25 years.”

The 18-year-old Clayton residentrecently signed a National Letter ofIntent to attend Stanford Universitythis fall. He will train with RickSchavone, who is in his 33rd yearcoaching divers on The Farm.

Ipsen has become a regularmedal winner on the U.S. Nationaldiving team in the past three yearsand follows in the footsteps ofworld-class athletes such as TigerWoods, Michelle Wie, Janet Evans,John McEnroe and SummerSanders – who attained national andinternational honors before theyeven entered Stanford.

The De La Salle High Schoolstudent chose Stanford “because Ifelt like it was the perfect fit forme.”

“Some of the other schools Iwas considering were USC, NotreDame, Texas and Duke,” he adds. “Ipicked Stanford because of itsamazing diving program as well asits difficult academics.”

Diving at Stanford will allow his

parents Kent and Yvette, sisterLauren, local relatives and friendsto see him in action. “The proximi-ty of the school played into mydecision a little bit, but not as muchas people would expect,” Ipsenexplains.

TOP AQUATIC CENTER

Stanford men’s swimming anddiving have claimed eight NCAAtitles and feature a veteran coachingstaff, including head coach SkipKenney with 32 years at Stanford .The Cardinal swimming and divingteams compete at Avery AquaticCenter, called the best in the UnitedStates.

“I know the diving coach atStanford well because I startedpracticing platform there when Iwas 8 years old,” Ipsen says. “He isa great coach and I am excited tostart working with him next year.”

Schavone was effusive in evalu-ating his Clayton recruit. “He hasmoved up to the top echelon. He’seasily one of the best two or threemale divers in the country. He’s agreat catch for Stanford.”

Schavone says he’s been aware ofIpsen since he began diving at age6. “He’s grown with the interna-tional experience in the past two-three years. He has a good shot atthe 2012 London Olympics in syn-chro and individually,” the coachsays.

Ipsen was paired by USA Divingstaff with three-time Olympic vet-eran diver Troy Dumais in 2009 as athree-meter springboard synchroteam. Within a couple months, theytook the silver medal at the FINAWorld Championships in Rome.This year, they won a pair of USANationals and are currently odds-onfavorites to be the American repre-sentatives in London for three-meter synchro.

The Dumais-Ipsen connectionalso stretches to Stanford. Dumais’younger brother Dwight was a diverfor Stanford through the 2009 sea-son. He was the first men’s scholar-ship diver on The Farm in manyyears and now Ipsen is the second.

Because the Stanford women’sswimming and diving team havemore scholarships than the men dueto Title IX restrictions, Schavoneestablished a strong reputation forhis women divers while tutoring hisnon-scholarship men’s divers tosuccess as well.

Schavone has coached divers at

every U.S. Olympic Trials since1988. Ipsen is his second diver fromClayton. “My first great diver wasCourtney Nelson from ClaytonValley High School,” Schavone said.Nelson went to Brigham YoungUniversity but spent nine yearstraining with Schavone, from herfreshman year at Clayton ValleyHigh School through the 1992Olympic Trails. (See accompanyingstory for more on Nelson.)

HECTIC DIVING SCHEDULE

Ipsen, who has nearly 1,500friends on Facebook – includingmany from the diving world, isexcited about his new teammates.

“As for divers on the team, I metthem when I went on my (officialcampus) recruiting trip in October.They are all amazing and we gotalong really well,” he says. “Two ofthe other recruits who were on myofficial trip also got into Stanfordand committed, which is exciting

because they were awesome aswell.”

Before Ipsen goes to Stanford,he will finish up his senior year atDe La Salle with final exams, seniorball and other typical activities. Thisspring, he’ll have his final season onthe Concord school’s swimmingand diving team.

He is a three-time North CoastSection champion and thrice All-America choice. As a sophomoreand junior, he was named NationalChampion by the NationalInterscholastic Swim CoachesAssociation rankings, which com-pares diver’s scores from around thecountry.

“It is really weird that this isgoing to be my last NCS. Highschool is going by much faster thanI had imagined, but my goal forNCS this year is to have a solidmeet and perform some new andmore difficult dives,” Ipsen says.

Ipsen will go to the USA WinterNationals on Feb. 1 in Iowa for hisfirst meet of the new year. Afterthat, his schedule gets hectic.

“Last year at the World Cup, Itook sixth place in the three-meterindividual and second place in thesynchronized three-meter contest.Because of these placements, Iqualified for four different meetscalled the FINA Diving WorldSeries, which are going to be held inChina, Russia, Mexico andEngland,” he reports. “I do notthink that I can go to all of thembecause of school, but I will go totwo of them for sure.”

In May, he’ll attend the USAGrand Prix in Fort Lauderdale. TheFINA World Championships areJuly in Shanghai. In early August, hewill go to the Summer Nationals inLos Angeles and then hopes to par-ticipate in the Pan American Gamesin Guadalajara, Mexico, in October.

Ipsen began diving when he was6. At age 8, he became the youngestdiver to final on all three boards atthe Junior National Championshipsand, in 2003, became the youngestdiver to win a Junior National title.He has won one or more nationaltitles every year since – plus a FINAJunior World Championship earlierthis year.

“There have been many youngage group phenoms,” Schavonesays. “What makes Kristian differ-ent is that he grew with it and hascontinued to develop and excel.”

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Photo courtesy of USA Diving

CLAYTON’S KRISTIAN IPSEN WAS THE MOST HEAVILY RECRUITED HIGH SCHOOL DIVER

in many years and he’s cast his lot with Stanford University beginning nextfall. On The Farm he’ll be coached by Dr. Rick Schavone, who ironicallyalso coached Clayton’s greatest female diver, Courtney Nelson, for nineyears leading her from a freshman at Clayton Valley High School throughto the 1992 US Olympic Trials.

IPSEN, 17, HAS WON ONE OR MORE

national titles every year since hewas 8

Several months before KristianIpsen was born in October 1992,Stanford diving coach RichSchavone took his “first great diver”to the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Courtney Nelson of Clayton tookfifth and sixth place at the OlympicTrials in the three-meterspringboard and 10-meter platform, respec-tively, barely missingout representingAmerica at the 1992Summer Games inBarcelona.

Courtney NelsonMurrell was inductedinto the Clayton ValleyHigh School AthleticHall of Fame on Oct.30, but her career as adiver began longbefore she was a stand-out for the Eagles andcontinued five years after she leftthe Alberta Way campus.

“When I was a freshman atClayton Valley, my family looked forme to get more advanced coaching.Since I couldn’t drive, I would spendthe summer living with a family Ididn’t even know so that I couldtrain with coach Schavone atStanford,” Nelson recalls. “Therewould be other young divers fromaround Northern California also

staying in the area all summer.Coach Schavone wasn’t a diverhimself, so his coaching methodswere considered unorthodox.”

Speaking to the Pioneer lastweek from her home in Truckee, shesaid Ipsen “will be in good hands”

at Stanford under thewatchful eye of Schavone.“He breaks down divesusing biomechanics. Heis an academic whospends a great amount oftime on attention todetail. He cares about hisathletes but alsodemands a lot of them.His tenacity and perspec-tive of the internationaldiving scene are invalu-able. After 33 yearscoaching at Stanford andinternationally for theUSA, he has an eye for

where the sport is going.”Courtney entered CVHS in the

fall of 1983 and was the MostValuable Diver and captain of thediving team for four years. Sheended her first high school seasonsetting a school record and placingsecond at North Coast Section.During her sophomore and junioryears, Courtney was league cham-pion, placed at NCS, was third inthe National Junior Olympics and

did well enough to qualify and com-pete at U.S. Senior Nationals.

Courtney earned high schoolAll-America honors as a junior andsenior and finished her high schoolcareer as 1987 Clayton ValleyFemale Athlete of the Year.

After capping her high schoolcareer with the North Coast Sectionchampionship, she represented theUnited States in the Junior WorldChampionships. She then went toBrigham Young University in Utahon a full scholarship. Since theProvo school didn’t have a 10-meter tower, she traveled once amonth to Stanford so she couldtrain on the tower with Schavone.

“It worked out pretty well as Iwon the NCAA platform champi-onship my junior and senior years,”Nelson recalls with pride.

She competed in all three divingevents (one- and three-meterspringboard and 10-meter plat-form) in college while earning 11All-America honors and winningmultiple conference championships.She was team captain as a juniorand senior.

Nelson was inducted into theBYU Hall of Fame in 2001. As asenior, she was the BYU FemalePerformance Champion of the year.Heisman Trophy football quarter-back Ty Detmer was the Male

Performance Champion that sameyear.

She continued to train for theOlympics with Schavone afterreturning to Clayton from collegeand living with her parents, Chrisand Sharilyn. “I spent nine yearswith Rick Schavone as my coach,from the time I was 14 until 23.”

She was a member of the U.S.National Team 1989-’92, takingpart in numerous national andinternational meets, typically plac-ing in the top three. Coaches andfellow divers voted her the Phillips66 Performance Award at the 1989Nationals for the most outstandingperformance of the meet.

She started her diving careerwhen she was 9 with the DiabloDivers, Ipsen’s long-time club.“We’re pretty fortunate to have suchgreat coaching in the Bay Area,”she says.

She lives with her husband Markand their children Gavin andMegan. She’s an exercise physiolo-gist and also teaches Jazzercise andZumba.

She was thrilled to participate inthe recent CVHS Hall of Fameinduction. “I didn’t know what toexpect, but it was quite an event.”

- Jay Bedecarré

CV hall of famer was ‘first great diver’ for Stanford coach

Photo courtesy of BYO Photo

THE MOST FAMOUS DIVER TO EVER COME

OUT OF CLAYTON WAS COURTNEY

NELSON, who followed up a distin-guished career at Clayton Valley HighSchool with a NCAA championshiprun at BYU that culminated with fifth-and sixth-place finishes at the 1992US Olympic Trials. During the lastnine years of her diving career shewas trained by Dr. Rick Schavone, thelong-time coach at Stanford Universitywho will now also be coachingClayton’s newest diving phenomKristian Ipsen starting in the fall.Courtney Nelson is in her high schooland college Hall of Fames and wasan All-America at both levels.

COURTNEY NELSON


Clayton Sports

This issue’s Sport Chaletathlete, Shea Bruns, hasn’t setany records on a field, court,mat, track or in the swimmingpool. In fact, he hasn’t evenplayed in a game during hisfour years at Clayton ValleyHigh School.

“Shea is an integral part ofour team,” varsity footballcoach Herc Pardi says of histeam manager. “His sacrificesof time to assist the coachingstaff, his loyalty and his posi-tive presence have been a god-

send too u rfootballp r o -gram.”

Shea went out for freshmanfootball but, in his words “Ididn’t like getting hit,” so ath-letic director Pat Middendorfasked him to be freshman foot-ball team manager.

“I had a great time. I didn’tknow anyone at Clayton Valleybefore then since I came froma special ed school, but I just

wanted high school to begreat,” Shea says. “I am so gladPat and the freshmen coacheslet me be part of the team.”

For the past three years,he’s been varsity team manager.“I enjoyed being part of thegames,” Shea says. “My senioryear has been a bit toughbecause of a medical issue. Butthe coaches worked with me so

I could continue my manage-ment duties.”

Shea thanks all the coacheswho have made it a great expe-rience for him. “I honestlydon’t know how high schoolwould have gone if I was notinvolved with the CV footballprogram,” he says.

“I am so happy my son gotto be part of this amazingschool,” adds his mom, MistyBruns.

He will be going to DiabloValley College in the fall andhe’s actively trying to be part oftheir football team. “I think Ican learn a lot in the JC foot-ball program.”

AthleteName: Shea BrunsAge: 17Sport: FootballTeam: Clayton Valley HighSchool

Sport Chalet rewards SheaBruns’ achievement with a storegift card. If you know a youngathlete who should be recognizedfor sportsmanship, remarkableimprovement or great heart, send anomination for the ClaytonPioneer Athlete Spotlight [email protected].

of theWeek

YOUTH TEE BALL, VOLLEYBALL,BASKETBALL AT CLAYTON GYM

A winter youth basketball academy for boys and girls of all skilllevels in first through ninth grades is being held two hours a weekthrough March at Clayton Community Gym.

Signups are now being taken for youth tee ball and volleyballleagues, which will run on Saturdays March 5-April 23. Tee ball is forboys and girls 3-6 years of age, while volleyball is for ages 8-14.

For more information or to register for any program offered byAll Out Sports at the gym, visit alloutsportsleague-clayton.com.

DIABLO FC WINTER SOCCER ACADEMY

STARTS JAN. 6Diablo FC is holding its 10th annual Winter Soccer Academy 5-

6 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays Jan. 6-Feb. 17 at Willow Pass ParkNo. 5, adjacent to Pixieland Park in Concord.

The renowned Diablo FC professional coaching staff will teachboys and girls 5-12 basic dribbling and juggling skills, passing andreceiving the ball and ball striking. Youth of all skill levels are invit-ed to attend.

There are no tryouts; sign up at diablofc.org.

DIABLO FC U8-U11 COMPETITIVE TRYOUTS

IN JANUARYDiablo FC tryouts for the 2011-’12 season for under 8 through

under 11 competitive teams will be Jan. 23-30 in Concord. Boys andgirls born between Aug. 1, 2000, and July 31, 2005, are invited to tryout. Tryouts for boys and girls in the U12-U14 age groups will be inFebruary.

There is no charge to try out; pre-register at diablofc.org.

CLAYTON VALLEY LITTLE LEAGUE

REGISTRATION OPENClayton Valley Little League provides baseball programs for kids

5-15, softball for girls ages 6-15 and a Challenger Division for play-ers with physical and mental special needs.

Registration for baseball and softball players is accepted onlinethrough Jan. 16. For more information, visit cvll.org or [email protected]. For details regarding the Challenger Division, con-tact Jim Brophy at 685-1801.

DIABLO YOUTH RUGBY ACCEPTING

REGISTRATIONSDiablo Youth Rugby is assembling U10, U12, U14, frosh and

varsity teams for the 2011 season, which runs February-May.Registration fee is $225. For additional information, visit dia-

bloyouthrugby.clubspaces.com or call Mike Dominguez at 381-5143.

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Rose Family

Mashore brothers each get new probaseball coaching assignments

Damon and Justin Mashorehave baseball in their blood.The two sons of former majorleague player and Clayton ValleyHigh School Hall of Fame ath-lete Clyde Mashore starred intheir own right at CVHS beforeembarking on baseball careers.They both recently earned newprofessional coaching assign-

ments on opposite sides of thecountry for the 2011 season.

Older brother Damon hasbeen hired by the Los AngelesAngels as hitting coach for theteam’s new California Leagueaffiliate, the Inland Empire66ers in San Bernardino. For the66ers, he will be working formanager Tom Gamboa – anoth-er former major leaguer whopreviously managed for theAngels in AA and in the Cal

League nearly 25 years ago.Justin, at 38 three years

younger than Damon, will be inhis sixth season working for theToronto Blue Jays. This comingyear in Manchester, N.H., hewill be the hitting coach formanager Sal Fasano of the NewHampshire Fisher Cats of theAA Eastern League.

Damon was a standout ath-lete for Clayton Valley through1988, before spending threeyears at the University ofArizona. He was an All-Americawho played with the likes of J.T.Snow and Trevor Hoffman onthe Wildcats. The outfielderplayed the 1996-’97 seasonswith the Oakland A’s and 1998with the Angels.

His MLB playing accom-plishments include a home runoff future Hall-of-Famer and300-game winner RandyJohnson (June 3, 1998), two offformer Angel lefty and 200-game winner Chuck Finley (hisfirst career on June 6, 1996, andJune 22, 1997) and one offknuckleballer and nearly 200-game winner Tim Wakefield(July 23, 1997).

He was born in Puerto Ricowhile his dad was playing winterleague in 1969. He eventuallyplayed in the Puerto RicoWinter League with theSanturce Crabbers. He was onTeam USA in the 1990 BaseballWorld Cup.

Damon was a coach of theLancaster JetHawks in 2003 and2005-’06 and for the El PasoDiablos in 2004. In 2007, hemanaged the Missoula Ospreyin the Pioneer League for theArizona Diamondbacks. Hemoved to the Angels organiza-tion in 2008 as coach of the

Cedar Rapids Kernels andmoved up to the RanchoCucamonga Quakes the last twoyears.

Justin, CVHS Athlete of theYear in 1991 (as was his fatherin 1964 and Damon in 1988),was selected by the DetroitTigers in the third round of the1991 amateur draft. He spent 11years in the minor leagues andhas been a coach on the profes-sional level since 2003. This pastseason, he was hitting coach forthe Dunedin Blue Jays of theClass A Florida State League,where his club led the league indoubles and home runs.

He began his coachingcareer with the Pulaski Blue Jays(Rookie/Appalachian League)in 2004 before joining theAuburn Doubledays (ShortSeason-A/NY-Penn League) in2006. Justin spent the 2008 and’09 seasons as a coach withLansing.

Their father played five sea-sons in the majors. He was pri-marily an outfielder and most ofhis time was spent with theMontreal Expos. Clyde was anoriginal inductee to the CVHSAthletic Hall of Fame in 2008after a standout three-sportcareer for the Eagles, Class of1964. He was the first CVHSgrad to sign a professional base-ball contract and hit a home runin his first big league at bat. Hefinished his career at the end ofthe 1973 season.

Clyde signed as a free agentwith the Cincinnati Reds in 1964and spent most of his minorleague career in the Reds’ organ-ization, coming to the Expos ina 1970 trade. He had more than100 minor league home runs.

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Photo courtesy of Oakland Athletics

DAMON MASHORE WAS 1988 ATHLETE OF THE YEAR at ClaytonValley High School and All-America baseball player at theUniversity of Arizona before having a career in major leaguebaseball with the Oakland Athletics (above) and CaliforniaAngels. He’s now a hitting coach for the Angels minor leagueaffiliate in San Bernardino.

The St. BonaventureBulldogs won the 2010 CYOTurkey Tip-Off Classic heldNov. 26-28 at Diablo ViewMiddle School in Clayton.

The tournament featuredmany of the Bay Area’s topsixth-grade CYO teams. Thechampionship game was a battlebetween two prior OaklandDiocese champions: St. Bede ofHayward and St. Bonaventure.Both teams faced tough compe-tition to make the finals. St.Bonaventure previously held offSt. Raymond of Dublin and

Holy Rosary ofAntioch.

The title game was aclose battle, with St. Bede’sholding a 20-19 halftime advan-tage. The second half would bemuch of the same, with theBulldogs focused on breakingSt. Bede’s trap. Solid defense byTaylor Heuerman, RyanRedmond and Kevin Snyderhelped to slow St. Bede, and thehustle of Josh Lunsford andEvan Enos kept things close.

The fourth quarter was asee-saw battle with multiple lead

Clayton Valley High School varsity footballcoach Herc Pardi was honored as the 2010North Coast Section Football Honor Coach.NCS includes 167 schools and he’s only the thirdcoach in the 52-year history of CVHS to receivethe prestigious NCS Honor Coach designation,following in the footsteps of water polo legendDennis Bledsoe (2003) and 1977 StateChampionship-winning wrestling coach BillSmith (2009). Pardi coached at Las Lomas, Mt.Diablo and Pittsburg high schools before com-ing back to his alma mater in 1996 to revitalizethe football program, which has made it to 11 of15 NCS playoffs during his tenure. Many ofPardi’s coaching colleagues and CVHS stafffrom the past and present joined two dozenEagle football players along with Pardi’s familyand friends at a lunchtime ceremony last Fridayat the Concord school. He was variously called“very deserving,” “wonderful,” “mentor,” “com-petitive,” “class act” and “very, very special” byspeakers including DVAL Commissioner MarioBalestrieri, CVHS Hall of Fame athlete, long-time area coach and BVAL Commissioner BudBeemer, Pittsburg High athletic director AlHurtado and CVHS Athletic Director PatMiddendorf.

Photo by Sharon McNulty, courtesy of WCSC Velocity

Walnut Creek Soccer Club Velocity took third place at the District Cup inDanville after claiming the title in the U14 girls Division 3 Green bracket ofthe Al Caffodio Fall League. The team rebounded from a small midseasonslump to win two and draw two over a busy final league weekend. CoachRandy Rowland’s team has five players from Clayton and five girls who hadno experience in competitive soccer before this year. Velocity’s record is 20wins, 11 losses and six draws. The team is preparing for the season-end-ing CYSA Association Cup in January. Velocity includes, front row from left,Katie Kaprive, Cristina Lopez, Kelsey Baxter, Paige Farber, Emily Gatchell,Meredith Johnson, Ashley McNulty, Kelsey Wise, Isabella Younger; backrow, Emily Bettencourt, Alison Taplin, Katie Garaventa, Zoe Westwater, AllieMacaulay, coach Rowland, Emily Rowland and Sydney Purser.


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Clayton Sports

Diablo FC 96 championssecure promotion

Diablo FC 96 coach Derricke Brownneeded to refashion his U14 team lastspring as he had only three players fromthe previous season. His new squad wassecond in the Diablo FC Summer Classicand Elk Grove Everton Cup tournamentsand won the Ballistic United SummerClassic.

This fall, they were placed in theGolden State Soccer League Silver Abracket since they lacked returning play-ers. They ended up with eight wins and

one draw to claim the fall league champi-onship and earn promotion back to thegold division in 2011.

Timely goals by Jared Amodio andDaniel Garcia led the fall league charge.Aiden Lineweaver proved to be one ofthe top keepers in the area, while ArthurChiok and Brent Tovrea provided leader-ship and form in defense. The teamincludes, front row from left, ChrisKwasny, Michael Clancy, Valentin Huerta,Michael Samaniego, ThomasPathoumthong, Garcia, Amodio; backrow, coach Brown, Marshall Lyon, FelipeMedina, Chiok, Lineweaver, MikoVillarama, Tovrea and Jon Bellesorte.

Photo courtesy of Diablo FC 96

St. Bonnie boys capture Turkey Tip-Off ClassicMICHAEL TREPPA

Special to the Pioneer

Front Row (L-R): Chad Treppa, Kevin Snyder, Spencer Tamichi,Ryan Redmond. Back Row:Coach Tim Lunsford, Bill Ralston, TaylorHeuerman, Chase Biles, Chris Rogan, Josh Lunsford, Evan Enos,Coach Mike Treppa.

Photo courtesy of the Mazza family

Clayton Valley High School junior DomenicMazza (left), his family and friends have morethan Christmas presents and holiday cheer tolook forward to Dec. 25 and 26 when Mazza’sincredible runner-up performance at theRe/Max World Long Drive Championship inNovember is shown on national television.Mazza’s golf exploits were critiqued by ESPNannouncer Andy North, a two-time winner ofthe United States Open. You can tune in to seeMazza on Christmas morning at 11 a.m. onESPN 2 and then on Dec. 26 at 11:30 a.m. onESPN.

Local golfer onNational TVChristmas weekend

Photo by Mike DunnHERC PARDI

Velocity wins Division 3 title

See Bulldogs, page 15

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

As we crossed the state linefrom Tennessee to Kentucky onour recent vacation, I startedthinking about “My OldKentucky Home.” I was here tofind my roots.

My grandmother, motherand I were all born in Louisville,but I left when I was 2 years oldand had never been back. I waseager to meet a cousin withwhom I had been correspondingvia email. She is a genealogistand had traced my mother’s sideof the family back to theMayflower.

We met in her hometown ofLexington, horse capital of theworld. It was just as I had pic-tured it in my mind – rolling hillswith white fences enclosingbeautiful thoroughbred horsesgrazing to their hearts’ content.In October, Lexington was thesite of the 2010 WorldEquestrian ChampionshipGames. Close to 500,000 peoplecame to participate in the largestequine sporting event ever heldin the United States, and 2010marked the first time the eventwas held outside of Europe.

It took place at the 1,200 acreKentucky Horse Park, an equinetheme park and competitionfacility dedicated to man’s rela-tionship with the horse.Thankfully, we missed the peo-ple and the traffic by a week.

BIRTHPLACE OF BOURBON

This area was home to MaryTodd Lincoln, Daniel Boone andHenry Clay. You can also tourplaces where America’s onlynative spirit – bourbon – is pro-duced. If it’s not from Kentucky,it can’t be called bourbon but hasto be called whiskey. There are

many historic distilleries: WildTurkey, Four Roses, Jim Beam,Maker’s Mark and WoodfordReserve, a national historic land-mark, where we happened to beon Election Day.

Because of the Blue Laws inKentucky, we were not allowedto sample the product and hadto be content to munch on achocolate bourbon ball.

Once we arrived inLouisville, we made a beeline forthe Brown Hotel to indulge inthe famous Hot BrownSandwich. It was created in 1926to satisfy the more than 1,200guests who came each evening tothe hotel for a dinner dance andwanted breakfast afterward. Itconsists of toasted bread with aliberal amount of fresh turkey,covered in cream sauce, sprin-kled with more Parmesan cheeseand surrounded with tomatowedges. It’s broiled and servedwith two pieces of baconcrossed over the top. One orderwas enough for the two of us. In1926, the price was 75 cents. In2010, the price is $16.

We then made a stop at theLouisville Slugger Museum andFactory. This building has a 120-foot, 68,000-pound bat at theentrance and you can tour thefactory where the baseball batsare made. In the beginning, itwould take one man about 30minutes on a lathe with differentchisels to make one bat. Thatprocess is now done by comput-erized machines that turn a pieceof wood into a finished bat in 30seconds. However, the remain-ing processes of burning in thelogo and dipping it into lacquerare still done manually.

They have more than 2,500computer programs to be able toproduce bats for individual play-ers of both the American andNational leagues. There are alsofilms, exhibits and displays high-lighting baseball’s greatest hit-ters. Because the World Serieshad just ended, all of the replicaSan Francisco Giants bats weresold out.

HORSE RACING HISTORY

A trip to Louisville (orLuavall, as it is pronouncedthere) would not be completewithout a visit to ChurchillDowns, home of the KentuckyDerby. America’s most historicthoroughbred racetrack wasestablished in 1874 and is theoldest continuously operatedracetrack in the country. Thefirst Kentucky Derby was heldMay 1875.

We arrived just as theBreeder’s Cup Classic races werestarting and were able to viewsome of the early races on therail at the finish line. These beau-tiful animals thundered past us intheir effort to win. Everyone wasanxiously awaiting the arrival ofZenyatta, the horse favored towin the cup. Looking to win herfinal race and retire, she ulti-mately lost by a nose later in theweek with a 19-1 record.

At the Kentucky Derby

Museum, a $5 million renovationwas just completed. A newexhibit celebrated the history, tri-umphs and the people behindthe famed racehorse, Secretariat.Just knowing that we were stand-ing on the site where the racetook place and the recent moviewas made was exciting and madeviewing the movie more enjoy-able.

Wanting to try a favorite localdish, I ordered a bowl ofKentucky Burgoo. According tomy server, this thick and spicystew was once calledAppalachian Road Kill Stew andcould contain all sorts of wildgame and squirrel. In the late1800s when the men returnedfrom their hunting expeditions,the women of the village pulledout the contents of their larders,added the meat that the menbrought back and cooked a dishthat they would share together.

I was assured that the con-tents of this particular recipewere beef, chicken, pork, vegeta-bles and a spicy, tomato sauce. Ichose to believe them.

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

We also spent a fair amountof time doing research in histor-ical societies and walkingthrough cemeteries looking formy ancestors. Once we were ableto determine the address of thehouse where I was born, wequickly raced to find it – only todiscover that it was now a car-wash.

The neighborhood has dete-riorated since the 1940s. The cig-arette factories where my great-aunts worked and the distillerywhere my grandmother was asecurity guard were no longerthere. Nor was the church wheremy grandparents and parentswere married and where I wasbaptized.

Still, being there gave me aconnection with so many peopleI did not know about or ofwhom I have no memory. It wasexciting to walk the streets wherethey walked and imagine myselfwith them. I can’t wait to goback and discover more aboutthem and, thereby, learn moreabout myself.

Travel Tip: If you want to visit amuseum but know that your childrenwill be bored, go to the gift shop firstand buy postcards of the museum’smost famous works. Have your kidsgo on a treasure hunt for these master-pieces. When you get home, these post-cards can go right into your trip album.


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changes. Bulldogs guardSpencer Tamichi had a hugerebound put back, and theheads-up play and scoring ofBill Ralston pulled the Bulldogseven at 31-31.

Chris Rogan added some bigbaskets and a great block insideto ignite the Bulldogs. Thesteady rebounding of big manChase Biles and some key stick-backs kept the St. Bede playersoff the glass down the stretch.

In the end, it came down tosome clutch free throws bypoint guard Chad Treppa thatsealed the 49-47 victory for St.Bonaventure before a raucous

crowd.All 10 players scored for the

Bulldogs as they continue towin with balance and teamwork.With the bulk of the seasonremaining, it seems almost cer-tain these two talented teamswill meet again. St. Bonaventuretravels to St. Bede’s for its holi-day tournament beginning atChristmas break.

“This is the first of poten-tially many battles with a greatSt. Bede’s team,” said coachMike Treppa. “It was a greatwin for the boys and fun for ourentire community

Bulldogs, from page 14

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Trip to find roots yieldsconnection to those gone before

PEGGY BIDONDO

TIME TO GO

Recently retired, Clayton residentPeggy Bidondo is a tireless traveler witha passion for travel planning and writ-ing. Send your questions and columnideas to Peggy Bidondo at [email protected].

IF IT’S KENTUCKY, IT MUST BE HORSES, and a trip to the BlueGrass state would not be complete without a horse race.Here, Breeders’ Cup favorite Zenyatta races to the finish lineonly to lose by a nose after 19 successful races.

Laura Hillenbrand is backwith another gut-wrenching,heart-stopping story of stami-na, resilience and survival. Butunlike her earlier bestseller,“Seabiscuit,” “Unbroken” tellsthe story of a two-legged run-ner.

Hillenbrand is a master atwriting a rich and compellingback-story, giving historicevents an immediacy not oftenachieved. Louis (Louie to all buthis mother) Zamperini is a wildkid who eventually ran his way

out of a life of petty delinquen-cy in Torrance, Ca., and into therecord books as a high schooland college distance runner. Hebecame an unlikely member ofthe American team at the 1936Olympics in Berlin.

Hillenbrand paints a widecanvas, including broad strokeslike Zamperini’s amazingrecords set throughout his highschool and college career(USC), and details like hisbrother Pete cajoling him totrain and take himself seriouslyas a distance runner.

We see the kid leave home,packing one sandwich from hismom and two bucks from hisfrustrated dad, to hop the railswith a few friends – returningonly after leaping off a movingtrain. It was jump or wait to seeif the officer with a gun point-ed at them would really shoot.

We get to know his family, histeachers, his buddies and girl-friends and the admiring towns-folk who nicknamed him theTorrance Tornado.

He dreamed of taking partin the 1940 Olympics, slated forJapan. But by 1937, the Rape ofNanking had occurred and twoyears later the same man whoshook Louie’s hand in Berlinwould march an army intoPoland. Japan withdrew as hostof the 1940 Olympics and theUnited States activated its draft.

Zamperini was fast, but evenhe could not outrun worldevents pushing their way intothe hopes and dreams of anentire generation of young menand women. By the time Japanbombed Pearl Harbor, Louiewas training as a bombardierwith the U.S. Army Air Force inTexas.

Hillenbrand gives as muchlife and complexity to the B-24s, the aircraft most oftenflown by Louie, as she does toLouie’s fellow airmen. She alsomakes use of shocking statisticsof downed planes and crews,lost not by enemy fire but byaccidents born out designdeficits.

Zamperini flew in thePacific, where a downed crew-man’s odds of surviving sharkswere about the same as of sur-viving life in a Japanese POWcamp. She quotes an ordnanceofficer on Oahu, who put itsuccinctly: “Life was cheap inwar.”

We know upon opening thisbook that Zamperini goesdown with his plane, so we holdour breath each time he takesoff. Hillenbrand’s powerfuldescriptions of the bombings

and returns from Wake andNauru are almost cinematic,and her depiction of life in aJapanese POW camp has the upclose and very personal feel of ahorror film. The will and deter-mination of Zamperini the run-ner are the same traits calledupon to survive his near exter-mination as a Japanese POW.

Interspersed between battleand POW stories is news fromhome. Upon being told her sonwas missing in action, Mrs.Zamperini developed a rashthat persisted until Louiereturned home. Hillenbrandwrites of the intimate momentsof grief expressed byZamperini’s family and the fam-ilies of his friends and neigh-bors. His survival, not just ofthe camps but also of the warexperience itself, is what makesthis book so compelling.

It was a long and tough jour-ney, and one that Hillenbrandasks us to take with him. This isnarrative history at its best.


Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. JAN. 5 FOR THE JAN. 14 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO [email protected]

HOLIDAY EVENTSThrough Dec. 19“A Christmas Carol”Center Rep offers the classic tale of redemption. Lesher Center,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $20.50-$41. 943-7469 or center-rep.org.

Through Dec. 20“Whiskers”The Galatean Players present the musical based on "The VelveteenRabbit." Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek.$10-$15. 943-SHOW.

Dec. 23Holiday Open HouseMeet at the fireplace for refreshments and holiday cheer. Modelopen; tours provided. Free gift for guests. 4 p.m., DiamondTerrace, 6401 Center St., Clayton. 524-5100.

ENTERTAINMENTThrough Jan. 16“Sister Robert Anne’s Cabaret Class”The Willows presents everybody’s favorite nun, with Deborah DelMastro. Campbell Theatre, 626 Ward Street, Martinez. willowsthe-atre.org or 798-1300.

SCHOOLSJan. 1412-hour Music-A-ThonSponsored by the Mount Diablo Music Education Foundation.Featuring music students from local schools. 10 a.m., YgnacioValley High School, 755 Oak Grove Road, Concord. $5 adults, $3students. 827-5706 or mdmusicfoundation.org.

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

Jan. 4-March 1Patty CakesStory time for babies to 3-year-olds. Child attends with caregiver.Drop in 11 a.m. Tuesdays.

Jan. 6-March 10Picture Book TimeStory time for 3- to 5-year-olds. Child may attend without caregiv-er. Drop in 11 a.m. Thursdays.

Jan. 13-Feb. 14Bookmark Design ContestWinning entries will be printed for giveaway at the library. This

year’s theme is “I Love Books.” For ages 3-12. Pick up an entryform at the Information Desk.

Jan. 20“Sure-fire Strategies for Job Seekers Over 50”An interactive workshop presented by job search specialist MaryEileen Williams. 10:30 a.m.-noon.

Jan. 30Dog Safety SeminarTaught by Barbara Dwyer. The first half will focus on children anddog safety, with the second half on canine behavior. Sponsored bythe Clayton Dog Park. 1-3 p.m.

MEETINGSDec. 21; Jan. 4, 18Clayton City Council7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304or ci.clayton.ca.us.

Dec. 28Clayton Planning Commission7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304or ci.clayton.ca.us.

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

Clayton Valley Garden ClubMeets 7 p.m. second Wednesday of the month, Diamond Terrace,6401 Center St., Clayton. Contact Nancy at 673-3522 or clayton-valleygardenclub.org.

Clayton Valley Woman’s ClubMeets 9:30 a.m. second Tuesday of the month except July andAugust, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1092 Alberta Way, Concord.672-1163.

Clutch Busters Square Dance ClubMeets 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Willow Pass Community Center Hall,2748 East Olivera Road, Concord. Contact Karen at 686-3774.

Concord Stompers Square Dance ClubMeets 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Willow Pass Community Center,2748 East Olivera Road, Concord. Call Jennie at 672-9676 orangelfire.com/id/stompers.

Contra Costa Chess ClubMeets 6:30-9:30 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, Centre Concord,5298 Clayton Road. 779-0698 or ccmgs.org.

Creekside Artists GuildMeets 7-8:30 p.m. second Wednesday of the month, Library StoryRoom, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton. All artforms and both emerg-ing and experienced artists welcome. Contact Arlene at 673-9777or [email protected]. Creeksideartists.org.

Diablo Valley Democratic ClubMeets 7-9 p.m. third Wednesday of the month, Ygnacio ValleyLibrary, 2661 Oak Grove Road., Walnut Creek. Contact Pat at 946-0469 or dvdems.org.

East Bay ProspectorsMeets 6:30 p.m. first Thursday of the month, Oasis ChristianFellowship, 2551 Pleasant Hill Road, Pleasant Hill. Clayton resi-dent Douglas Junghans is president. 672-1863 oreastbaygpaa.webs.com.

Knights Of Columbus, Concord Council 6038Meets 7:30 p.m. first Wednesday of the month, except holidays,Cauchi Hall, St. Agnes Catholic Church, 3966 Chestnut St,Concord. Contact George at 685-9547 or visit kofc6038.org.

Rotary Club of Clayton Valley/Concord SunriseMeets 7 a.m. Thursdays, Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 PeacockCreek Dr., Clayton. Includes breakfast and a speaker. 566-8166 orclaytonvalleyrotary.org.

Scrabble ClubMeets 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. second and fourth Saturdays of themonth, Carl’s Jr. Restaurant, 1530 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton. Allages and skill levels welcome. $3 fee. Call Mike at 639-1987 or scrabble-assoc.com.

Sons In Retirement (SIRs)Meets 11:15 a.m. first Thursday of the month, Crown Plaza Hotel,45 John Glenn Dr., Concord. 429-3777.

Soroptimist International of Diablo VistaMeets 12:15 p.m. first, second and third Wednesdays of themonth, September-June, Sizzler, 1353 Willow Pass Road, Concord.Contact Nicole at 692-2224.

Word Weavers ToastmastersMeets 7-8:15 p.m. Mondays, 4756 Clayton Road, Concord. Visitorswelcome. Contact Marion at 686-1818 or [email protected].

The AmericanConservatory Theater produc-tion of “A Christmas Carol” isa sparkling, music-infused cele-bration of goodwill.

The Charles Dickens classicstars Bay Area favorite JamesCarpenter, returning for hisfifth year as Scrooge. ACT coreacting company member JackWillis also reprises his audiencefavorite turn as the Ghost ofJacob Marley, alongside otherBay Area favorites.

“Dramatizations of ‘AChristmas Carol’ have becomean important American familyritual at holiday time, regard-less of individual religiousbackground or faith. Parentsand grandparents have told usthat the ‘Carol’ experience is

more important than ever,”says ACT artistic directorCarey Perloff. “With everyonetightening their belts at thistime, we are so proud that ACTcan continue to be a part ofBay Area families’ holiday tra-ditions.”

ACT is making this familyclassic affordable by offeringdiscounted family four-packsand special group discounts.

Originated in 2004, this ver-sion of “A Christmas Carol”stays true to the heart of thetimeless story of redemptionand brings a playful sensibilityto Dickens’ rich language. Eachof the four ghosts that hauntthe miser Ebenezer Scroogeand lead him to his transforma-tion is theatrically staged.

In a children’s favorite,Scrooge’s former businesspartner Jacob Marley climbsout of Scrooge’s bed clad inchains. The Ghost ofChristmas Present (StevenAnthony Jones) is a Bacchicspirit of fecundity and abun-dance, robed in striated greenvelvet. The Ghost ofChristmas Past (MarisaDuchowny, in her ACT main-stage debut) is a candle, “litfrom within, emanating radi-ance, who descends on aswing,” says Perloff. TheGhost of Christmas Future is agiant black ghost puppet thattakes over the stage.

Dickens’ lovely descriptionsof the abundance of Christmasbounty are depicted in “The

Waltz of the Opulent Fruit,”with six young actors as Frenchplums, Turkish figs and Spanishonions.

“Dickens believed that trig-gering the imagination is thekey to triggering change in aperson’s heart,” Perloff says.“Dickens realized that ifScrooge’s imagination could bestimulated, it would be possiblefor him to wake up onChristmas morning an entirelynew man. What an incredibleendorsement of the power ofart.”

“A Christmas Carol” runsthrough Dec. 24, 415 Geary St.,San Francisco. Tickets start at $15.Call 415-749-2228 or visitwww.act-sf.org.

Book Review

‘Unbroken’ a dramatic story of survival

SUNNY SOLOMON

FOR THE BOOKS

Sunny Solomon is the “BookLady” for the Clayton CommunityLibrary Book Club. She holds anMA in English and Creative Writingfrom San Francisco State University.Her poetry and prose has been pub-lished in literary journals andmagazines. You can each her [email protected].

Theatre

ACT’s ‘Christmas Carol’ stirs the imagination

The Ghost of Christmas Past (Marisa Duchowny) takes Scrooge(James Carpenter) on a whirlwind journey through his past.


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HappyHolidays!

members started tossing outideas for another source ofrevenue, a Christmas hometour seemed a logical choice.

“The Woman’s Club did thisa few years ago,” said JoAnnCaspar, whose home is includ-ed on the tour. “It was really

popular.”The group selected five

homes, all belonging toHistorical Society members. Thetour began at the museum, oncethe home of Joel Clayton. TheVictorian era home is decoratedthroughout with wreaths, toysand garlands of the period.

At the other end of town, onOak Street, a 19th-century coalminer’s cottage now owned byHistorical Society president TedMeriam sits behind a picketfence topped with a neat row ofcolored lights. Originally onlythree rooms, the house wasmoved to the Oak Street loca-tion in the late 1800s from theBlack Diamond mines atNortonville. Subsequent ownersadded on to the house.

Kent Ipsen, owner ofSkipolini’s pizza, once lived thereand left behind a hand-dug base-ment. “I remember him haulingload after load of dirt out ofthere,” recalled docent CathyGernhardt, a long-time Claytonresident.

Just up Oak Street and acrossa little bridge, Caspar’s home

sparkles with white lights. Eventhe greenhouse is decorated.

The Morgan Territory Roadranch owned by Don andCarmen Williams sits behind aniron gate where Christmas bellsand garland greet visitors in elec-tronic splendor..

“Christmas has always beenan exciting time for our family,”says Carmen Williams, who hascollected ornaments for years. Acowboy tree, a family tree and“our regular Christmas tree”hold ceramic and porcelain dec-

orations that Carmen and hermother made.

Family heirlooms and treas-ures collected over a lifetime,nativity scenes, angels and hand-made ornaments also were partof the richness of Allen’s home.

Ed and Dee Totman’s BlueLake Way home in Concord waslast on the tour. On the tree inthe living room hung ornamentscollected over a lifetime of worldtravels, while Christmas carolsrolled off the stately 1919 playerpiano in the family room.

Home Tour, from page 1


A 1919 PLAYER PIANO IN PERFECT WORKING ORDER fills the BlueLake Way home of Ed and Dee Totman with a rousing chorusof “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer.”

CLAYTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

MEMBER, Barbara Allen’sHerriman Drive homereflected her love of blue.

CLAYTON VALLEY

GARDEN CLUB

The club has created a newlow-maintenance, drought-toler-ant garden in the middle raisedbed at the Clayton CommunityLibrary. After many weeks ofplanning and rain delays, the clubfinally had a sunny weekend dayon Nov. 13 for planting.

Interim club Library BedChairs Steve Lane and NicoleHackett organized the plantingparty, and 10 members helpedbeautify the long-empty bed.

The week prior to the plant-ing party, club member BobFrost, his wife Tina and familymembers spent a full Fridayafternoon amending and rototill-ing the soil for planting.

Sharon Petersen of GardenArtistry and club member/mas-ter gardener Nancy Harveydesigned the preliminary plan.Lane drafted a revised PlantingPlan and Planting Key withadvice from club member/mas-ter gardener Neal Richmond andHackett of R&M Pool, Patio,Gifts & Gardens. The plan andplanting key are on display in thelibrary.

The selected plants haveinteresting colors and texturalqualities and are good examplesfor Clayton residents to use fortheir own landscapes.

GIRL SCOUTS EARN SILVER

BY AIDING ARFClayton eighth-graders

Casey Mitchell and MirandaHansen completed their GirlScout Silver Award require-ments by organizing a pet sup-ply collection drive to benefitARF, Tony La Russa’s AnimalRescue Foundation.

At Diablo View MiddleSchool, the girls collected 154donations – including dog andcat toys, treats and blankets. Thescouts also held a two-day col-lection at Pet Food Express onYgnacio Valley Road. In all, theygathered 368 items – far sur-passing their goal of 75.

The ARF staff was thrilledto receive the supplies. Peopleinterested in helping ARF bydonating, volunteering, foster-ing or adopting can visit arf.net.

MIRANDA HANSEN, left, andCasey Mitchell celebrate asuccessful campaign for ARF.

Club News

In order to understand humanbehavior, we must first acknowl-edge that every child is bornunique. These unique individualshave distinct personalities, tem-peraments, sets of skills and abili-ties.

As parents, the role is alwaysto be supportive and loving,responsive to the child’s needsand to set limits to ensure theirsafety and well-being.

There is a plethora of infor-mation and resources available toaid in child rearing. There are var-ious articles and books on theInternet and at the library, alongwith local support groups andcommunity services to help par-ents face any challenge.

KNOW YOUR STYLE

First, it’s important to identifyyour parenting style. All childrenhave different temperaments andoften times these temperaments

conflicting with parenting styles.There are four styles of parent-ing: authoritarian, authoritative,permissive and uninvolved.

The authoritarian style isextremely strict and controlling.Children are expected to obeyand are not given many choices orhave control over decision mak-ing.

The authoritative style is moreflexible. These parents set limitsand high standards, are firm butkind and loving. They expect chil-dren to follow rules but also allowchildren to learn from their mis-takes.

The permissive parenting style isa more laid-back approach. Theseparents are warm and caring butdo not set limits and allow chil-dren to make their own rules.

The uninvolved parent is eitherabsent or has minimal interactionwith the child. This parentingstyle can be seen as neglect orrejection.

Parenting style has a majorimpact on children’s behavior.Many studies have shown thatchildren who have authoritativeparents are better behaved, moreindependent, have higher self-esteem and are more emotionallysecure than children of authori-tarian, permissive and uninvolvedparenting styles.

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE

It is important to acknowl-edge how a child feels and teachthem how to appropriately

express themselves. Non-verbalchildren can be taught “babysigns” or “gestures” to help lessenfrustration with communication.Verbal children can be taught sim-ple phrases to express when theyare upset, frustrated, over-whelmed or afraid – such as “alldone,” “help please,” “too loud”or “it’s scary.” This allows chil-dren to feel confident that theirneeds will be met and that theyare understood.

Adults have the natural ten-dency to focus on the negativemore than positive. While it’simportant to focus on when achild is misbehaving, it is equallyimportant to acknowledge when achild is behaving and doing theright thing.

Children are intrinsically moti-vated to please and make othersproud. The more the child ispraised and rewarded for doing agood job, the more the goodbehavior will increase. For exam-ple, if you see your child lookingat a book quietly for several min-utes, reinforce it by acknowledg-ing the behavior. Always try tocatch your child doing the rightthing and make even the smallestthing a big deal.

TAKING A TIME-OUT

If your child demonstratesproblem behavior, a good rule ofthumb is that it is best to ignore

Knowing parenting style can helpunderstand child’s behavior

EVA PORTLEY

WE CARE CENTER

PARENTING TODAY

The check engine light on thedashboard indicates a problemwith one of the many systems onthe vehicle.

It means one of the systems foremission, performance or trans-mission is sending the wrong signalto the computer. The computerdetects the out-of-spec values andturns on the check engine or serv-ice engine light. Relative diagnostictrouble codes also are set.

A licensed technician must pullthe codes to find which systemsare at fault. After finding theappropriate system, the technicianknows which sensors, componentsand circuits to test. Once the prob-lem is narrowed down to a specificcomponent and/or circuit, youneed to replace the parts and cor-rect the problem.

Then the system needs to beretested to insure there are noother problems. Sometimes, thevehicle must be driven to reset themonitors in the computer.

An example is a simple systemlike the exhaust gas recirculation(EGR), which can have as many asfive different components. Othersystems may have even more.

Each component has its owntest procedure. If a componenttests poorly, it must be replacedbefore the rest of the system canbe tested.

When you take your vehicle infor smog test, it will automaticallyfail if the check engine light is on.

Under California guidelines, a vehi-cle must be tested as presented.However, if you tell the servicewriter beforehand, he can workwith you to solve the problem.

Anytime you sign your vehicleinto a repair shop, tell them if thereare other things wrong, such aswindows not working or lightsstaying lit on the dash. This willhelp the service writer and possiblyavoid time and money spent look-ing at a problem that is not relatedto your complaint.

If your check engine light isflashing, stop driving your vehicleand take it to a repair shop beforeother systems are damaged. Whenthe check engine light starts flash-ing, there is a severe problemincluding but not limited to mis-fires that will damage the catalyticconverter.

Taylor is service manager at ClaytonValley Shell, at Clayton and YgnacioValley rods. Reach him with questions at672-3900.

GARY TAYLOR

CAR TUNED

Don’t ignore check engine light

See Parenting, page 22

Several frosty nights havealready made their way throughClayton Valley yards and gardens,catching some plants off-guard.

Just a few weeks ago, temper-atures were irregularly warmleading shrubs and perennials tobloom way past their seasons.Now these frosty conditions have

thrown our yards and gardensinto a tailspin.

When a plant has frost dam-age, the foliage will change to adark brown or ashy black. Theleaves may wilt and appear muckyand wet. When a plant runs nor-mal dormancy, foliage brownsand begins to dry. The two looksare totally different.

You must resist the urge toprune away any damage to plantscaused by cold temperatures. Youshould only prune plants that arerunning their normal dormancy,such as some yarrows, purpleconeflower, agastache, veronicaand aster. These perennials lookawful this time of year. They die

down to their roots but grow backwhen spring begins to warm.

The plants that are most likelyshowing signs of frost damageare young lemon, orange and limetrees, bougainvillea, mandevillaand black-eyed Susan vines.Gardeners growing false heather,hibiscus, Jade plants and othersucculents probably have noticeddamaged. Flowering ginger,fuschias, lantana and blueplumbago should have taken a hitalso. You need to keep the dam-aged leaves and stems on all ofthese plants.

Winter hasn’t even officiallybegun, and we are sure to havemore frost. By keeping the dam-

aged leaves and stems on theplants, you’ll protect the roots.When frosty nights come along,the prior damage will keep takingthe hit.

People who don’t take care oftheir own landscapes should tellthe maintenance crew to leave thefrost-damaged plants alone. As arule, frost-damaged plants shouldnot be pruned until early March.

Your landscape and gardenstill should be protected, even if ithas already experienced somedamage. One easy way to protectplants is to pull the tender selec-tions near the home, a fence orunder the canopy of an evergreentree. If that is impossible, then a

good dose of water the daybefore a frost acts like a miracle.

Wrapping plants with a frostcover cloth is good. Fabric workswell for protection. Do not useplastic to protect your plants; itwill make the leaves burn.Mulching under the base of ten-der plants will help keep their feetwarm. Synthetic frost protectorsprays like Cloud Cover or Wilt-Stop will help with the dehydra-tion caused by the frost. Takingsteps even after a frost will helpprevent further damage.

Installing plants and shrubsthat have a tolerance down to 30degrees is always encouraged. Asa rule, any woody shrub that loses

its leaves is frost-hardy, as well asany herbaceous perennial. If youare reading a plant’s descriptionand it says anything about it beingtropical or originating in Mexicoor Hawaii, chances are it will betoo tender to thrive in our climate.

Ask questions about possibleplants to see if they are good forthe area. If you see somethingthriving in your neighborhood, itprobably will thrive for you too.

In his first act as mayor,Shuey nominated Joe Medranofor vice mayor. Traditionally, thevice mayor is chosen based onseniority and the council simplyratifies the mayor’s choice. But ina break with tradition, JuliePierce then nominated HowardGeller. Geller was elected in a 3-2 vote.

Both Geller and Medranowere elected in 2008 and are intheir first terms.

“With two equally qualifiedcandidates, it is a tough deci-sion,” Pierce noted. “ButHoward has done more outsideof the community to create rela-tionships with other councils inthe region, which has prepared

him better to be mayor in 2012.”Medrano takes exception to

the process for electing the vicemayor. In his comments to thecouncil, he said: “If we go bywho received more votes in the[general] election between meand Howard . . . that would meanI should be vice mayor and thenmayor prior to Howard in a rota-tion scenario.”

Calling the process “politi-cal,” Medrano said, “I am awarethat some are disappointed andpossibly upset that I providedsupport to Ted [Meriam] duringthis past [City Council] election.”

“Some people believe I mayhave some hidden agenda,”Medrano continued. “I would

like to be clear, I have no hiddenagenda. I ran for council becauseI believe I can make a positiveimpact on the city and I think Iam doing so . . . We may notalways agree on every issue . . .but that is a good thing.Disagreement encourages dis-cussion, which stimulates ideasand opportunities to benefit thecity.”

In follow-up comments tothe Pioneer, Medrano said: “Thereason Hank and Julie voted forHoward for vice mayor over meis they are both upset that I sup-ported Ted in his campaign and Iam not a part of the old boys’network.”

Pierce is in her fifth term onthe council and Stratford isbeginning his second.

COUNCIL APPROVES NEW

PENSION PLAN

In other business, the councilapproved a second-tier pensionplan for new employees that willdrop the city’s pension cost for anew police officer from morethan 40 percent of the officer’ssalary to only 13.4 percent. Forother new staff hires, the city’scost will drop from 21.2 percentof an employee’s salary to 6.7 per-cent.

The new plan, a “2 percent at50” program, will allow new policeofficers to retire at age 50 andreceive two percent of their high-est salary, multiplied by the num-ber of years worked. An officerwho retires at 50 after 25 years willreceive retirement benefits equalto 50 percent of his highest salary.Other city employees can retire at60 with the same benefit.


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REMEMBER WHEN THE ONLYRETIREMENT QUESTION YOUHAD WAS WHEN?

urge the government to supportthe Tom Lantos PH Researchand Education Act, which willallow researchers to form agreater collaborative effort. Ifeveryone takes some smallaction, maybe the world cansomeday breathe a giant sigh ofrelief together.

For other PH events, ways todonate and more information, visitphassociation.org. Contact our legisla-tors at Barbara Boxer,boxer.senate.gov; Dianne Feinstein,feinstein.senate.gov/public; NancyPelosi, pelosi.house.gov; GeorgeMiller, www.miller.house.gov.

- Sarah Rosen

PH Race, from page 2

Council, from page 1

I’ve worked with a lot ofpeople who are trying to loseweight, and there is one thingthat holds each and every one ofthem back: They don’t takeaction.

The weight loss formula isn’tthat hard. Monitor calories,don’t eat junk and exercise.There are a lot of variables, butthis simple, three-part formulawill carry you through yourweight loss journey.

Fear keeps many of us fromour goals. A lot of people arescared to put themselves on theline and start changing theirlives for the better. It’s a fright-ening prospect to face failure,but the good news is that all of

us have failed to reach fitnessgoals at one point or another.Start your weight loss journeywith a friend and the fear thatyou’re facing will dissipate.

It’s not a lack of motivationthat keeps us back. Our primalinstincts tell us to be happy withour lives as they are; that level ofcomfort works against starting afitness program. A few minutesof visualizing how you’d like tolook, feel and act every day willhelp change your perception ofan active lifestyle.

But it’s going to be hardwork. That’s the simple truth. Ifyou aren’t willing to put in thework, you won’t be able to makeyour body look the way youwant it to look or feel the wayyou want to feel.

It doesn’t matter if you’re anOlympic athlete or a profession-al couch surfer, working out ishard. No matter how manysquats you do or how muchtime you spend on cardio, thetime you spend in the gymneeds to push you outside ofyour comfort zone if you’regoing to achieve the results youwant.

Take the time to turn on

your mental fitness switch today.Do something big – somethingyou know will make your lifebetter.

And there’s no better timefor action. With all of the holi-day parties and family gather-ings it’s not surprising to findthe scale reading 5 to 10 poundsheavier after the holiday season.

Cookies, candy and holidaytreats are packed with simplesugars that, if unused, will beturned to fat fairly quickly. Thesimple answer to avoiding holi-day weight gain is to shy awayfrom treats at parties, but some-times that’s not easy.

If you know that you’regoing to be surrounded bysweets at a party, make sure toeat a healthy meal full of vegeta-bles and lean protein before yougo. Having those nutrients inyour system will keep you fullerlonger and help curb your sweettooth. Having a solid base whenyou enter nutrition “dangerzones” also means that thesweets you do choose to indulgein will have less impact on yoursystem and won’t speed up yourfat storing.

On the days you want to

have sweets, make sure that youhave a great workout. This willrev up your metabolism so thatyour body will have a betterchance of using the calories inthe treats.

Knowing that you did some-thing good for your body earlierin the day has a tendency tokeep you away from the snacktable as well.

Entering into those kinds ofsituations with a friend who is insupport of your health goals isone way to have accountabilitywhen temptation knocks. Yourguardian angel will keep youhonest, and you them. When wehave someone else avoiding theextra calories with us, it’s mucheasier to say no.

As William Ernest Henleyonce said, you are “… the mas-ter of (your) fate, the captain of(your) soul.” At the end of theday you decide what to eat andwhat to avoid.

Kian Ameli holds an MS inexercise science. He owns AmeliTraining in Concord and specializesin helping clients get in shape.

KIAN AMELI

YOUR HEALTH

Getting to the heart of weight loss

Don’t let Jack Frost nip at your plants

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

For some California meteo-rologists, the cold wet storms oflate November ushered in thebeginning of the cloud seedingseason.

Cloud seeding involves theintentional treatment of individ-ual storm systems for the pur-pose of modifying the amountof precipitation that would nat-urally occur. Most applications

of cloud seeding involveincreasing the amount of pre-cipitation.

In California, with its dis-tinct wet and dry seasons,enhancing winter rainfall isimportant to water districts toensure that reservoirs haveenough water stored to meethuman, industrial and agricul-tural needs during the dry sum-mer. Electric utilities rely oncloud seeding to increase wintersnowpack and recharge under-ground aquifers so that down-stream hydroelectric powerplants have enough runoff

water generate electricity duringthe hot and dry summer season.

Snowflakes form whenwater vapor combines withmicroscopic ice particles(known as ice nuclei). Manystorm clouds do not haveenough ice nuclei to convert allthe available water vapor tosnow. In theory, increasing theamount of ice nuclei wouldincrease snowflake productionin cold clouds.

The idea of cloud seedingwas born in the 1940s when

Cloud seeding helpsmeet state’s water needs

WOODY WHITLATCH

WEATHER WORDS

See Weather, page 22


Cookies have been known to putpeople in a state of rapture and the sev-enth annual Clayton Pioneer CookieContest really delivered this year.

The standing-room only crowdenjoyed great music, face painting, col-oring, crafts and pictures with Santawhile his judging elves loosened theirbelts to taste and evaluate the cookieentries from kids and adults.

So scrumptious were the juniorbaker (ages 6-12) cookies that first placewas a tie between Sarah Cook for herChewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookiesand Ryan Ross for Ryan’s GreenGoodies. Master (adult) baker TamaraAszklar won top honors for her Snow-Covered Lemon Delights.

Cookies have been part of Westernculture for more than 13 centuries, rap-idly spreading out from Persia (ancientIran), where farmers first cultivatedcane for sugar. Originating as thinwafers, actually bits of cake batterplaced in an oven to test its temperature,cookies were essential to bakers. Thesweet little cakes were given the name“koekje” by the Dutch, eventuallyAnglicized into the “cookie” we sorevere today.

When it comes to judging cookies,everyone who loves them is an expert.The six local celebs and dignitaries judg-ing the Pioneer contest took theirassignments seriously. CouncilmanHoward Geller and Diablo View MiddleSchool reporter Robbie Parker alsojudged the contest last year, so eachbrought an experienced palate to the

task. New to the judging game, but noless talented were Carol Racker andTami Campora of the Italian RavioliMarketplace opening this week inConcord, the Pioneer’s Garden GirlNicole Hackett and Councilman JoeMedrano.

When picking a winner, judges mustconsider the cookie’s appearance andtexture along with the flavor.Appearance takes into considerationhow uniform the cookies are, alongwith color and crispness, which varieswith the type of cookie. The type ofcookie comes into play again when eval-

uating texture, or “crumb.” Thin cook-ies need to be crisp and tender, whilethick cookies must be moist and tender.Bar cookies have to be moist and chewy,but not tough. The cookie’s flavor hasto be characteristic of its name (ginger-bread should taste gingery, for instance),have a pleasing blend of flavors and a

nice aroma. There can’t be any notice-able taste of salt, fat or leavening.

After tasting (and sometimes re-tast-ing) the entries, the judges announcedthe winners to great fanfare. In the jun-ior class, Jenny Linderman placed sec-ond for her Red Velvet Rich andCreamy Cookies. Best Rolled SugarCookies from Ruth Rodriguez andS’Mores Rockin’ Rudolph RavioliCookies from Charleen Cohen placedsecond and third, respectively, in themaster baker division. Clayton Smith’sPeanut Butter Cookies were a terrific (ifsolo) entry in the teen division.

Here are the winning recipes for youto try in your own kitchen. Happy bak-ing.

SARA COOK’S CHEWY CHOCOLATE

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

(from Martha Stewart Living, January 2001)

7 oz. best-quality semisweet choco-late

1½ c. + 1 T. all-purpose flour1¼ tsp. ground ginger1 tsp. ground cinnamon¼ tsp. ground cloves¼ tsp. ground nutmeg1 T. cocoa powder8 T. (1 stick) unsalted butter1 T. freshly grated ginger½ c. packed dark brown sugar¼ c. unsulfured molasses1 tsp. baking soda1½ tsp. boiling water¼ c. granulated sugarLine two baking sheets with parch-

ment.Chop chocolate into ¼-inch chunks

and set aside.In a medium bowl, sift together

flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves,nutmeg and cocoa.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beatbutter and grated ginger until whitened,about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar andbeat until combined. Add molasses andbeat until combined.

In a small bowl, dissolve the bakingsoda in the boiling water.

Beat half the flour mixture into thebutter mixture. Beat in baking soda mix-ture and then the remaining half of theflour mixture. Mix in the chocolate andturn out onto a large piece of plasticwrap. Pat dough into a disk about 1-inchthick, cover with the plastic wrap andrefrigerate until firm, about two hours.

Preheat the oven to 425. Roll doughinto 1½-inch balls and place 2 inchesapart on prepared baking sheets.Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll the balls ingranulated sugar. Bake until the surfacescrack slightly, about 13-15 minutes, andremove from the oven. Cool five min-utes, then transfer to a wire rack to coolcompletely.

RYAN ROSS’ GREEN GOODIES

1 c. butter, room temperature1 c. powdered sugar1½ tsp. peppermint extract2 egg yolksGreen food coloring2¼ c. flour½ tsp. baking powder¼ tsp. salt2 c. white chocolate chips1 c. milk chocolate chips20 chocolate mint patties, choppedPreheat oven to 350.Using an electric mixer, beat togeth-

er the butter and sugar until creamy.Add the peppermint extract, egg yolksand enough food coloring to reach thedesired shade of green. Beat untilblended.

Add the flour, baking powder andsalt on low speed until combined.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls andplace on ungreased cookie sheets. Use awooden spoon handle to put an inden-tation on top of each cookie.

Bake for 10 minutes, then cool for15 minutes.

In a microwaveable bowl, melt thewhite chocolate in 10-second incre-ments, stirring between increments,until just melted. Stir smooth, usingremaining heat to melt the few remain-ing pieces. Working quickly, fill theindentations with the melted whitechocolate.

In a separate microwaveable bowl,melt the milk chocolate following thesame procedure. As quickly as possible,put a little dollop of milk chocolate ontop of the white chocolate.

Sprinkle with the chopped chocolatemint patties when chocolate layer is notyet dry.

TAMARA ASZKLAR’S SNOW-COVERED

LEMON DELIGHTS

2 c. flour2 sticks butter½ c. confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350.Combine ingredients until smooth.

Press into well-greased 9 by 13 pan.Bake 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the following:4 eggs4 T. lemon juice

2 tsp. lemon zest2 c. granulated sugar1 tsp. baking powder2-4 tsp. flourBeat all ingredients until combined.

Pour over shell while still hot. Bake at350 for 25-35 minutes.

Let cool and cut into pieces. Dustwith confectioner’s sugar.

JENNY LINDERMAN’S RED VELVET

RICH AND CREAMY COOKIES

(from Betty Crocker)Makes 3 dozen

1 pouch (1 lb., 1.5 oz) Betty Crockersugar cookie mix

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa¼ c. butter or margarine, softened¼ c. sour cream1 T. red food color1 egg¾ to 1 c. Betty Crocker Rich &

Creamy cream cheese frosting¼ c. chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375. In large bowl,stir cookie mix, cocoa, butter, sourcream, food color and egg until softdough forms. Roll dough into 1-inchballs and place 2 inches apart onungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-9 minutes or until set. Cooltwo minutes; remove from cookie sheetto wire rack. Cool completely, about 15minutes.

Frost cooled cookies. Sprinkle withnuts. Store tightly covered at room tem-perature.

JUNIOR BAKER

SECOND PLACEJENNY LINDERMAN

MASTER BAKER

FIRST PLACETAMARA ASZKLAR

JUNIOR BAKER

FIRST PLACERYAN ROSS (TIE)

JUNIOR BAKER

FIRST PLACESARAH COOK (TIE)

LINDA WYNER

Clayton Pioneer

The rest of thewinning recipes andphotos of the contestare posted on ourFacebook page,Clayton PioneerCookie Contest.

1ST PLACE JUNIOR (TIE)

1ST PLACE MASTER

CHEWY CHOCOLATE

SNOW-COVERED LEMON

DELIGHTS

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

1ST

PLACE JUNIOR (TIE)

GREEN

GOODIES

2ND PLACE JUNIOR

CREAMY COOKIES

REDVELVET RICH AND

Heavenly cookies sweeten the holidays

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AAA Make a holiday resolution to protect your

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Get more, Get AAA. (925) 287-7625

A & H Limousine ServiceA & H Limousine Service has been

owned and operated by Clayton resident,Sanjay Behal since 2005. A & H offers 24-hour service to all Bay Area airports at noextra charge. Limos, party buses, HummerLimos, sedans and mini-vans are available.Experienced drivers will take you to on winetours, to proms, birthday parties or a nightout in San Francisco. Get to holiday parties,concerts, weddings or any special event instyle. Seniors can take a 10 percent dis-count for any round-trip booking. Pleasecall (925) 200-2824 or [email protected].

Bella Mia SpaWhere Life is Beautiful~Come let us pamper your body, mind

and spirit in our luxurious day spa. Waterfountains, cupid fairies and grape vines addto the Italian-inspired atmosphere. Thespa’s customized European Facial incorpo-rates a cleansing, exfoliation, face, neckand shoulder massage, extractions, ahydrating facial mask and aromatic moistur-izer and sunscreen.

Our massage therapy and spa body

treatments are of the highest quality andare customized to your personal health andbeauty needs. We specialize in professionalskin care providing facials, manicures, pedi-cures, waxing, microdermabrasion, cellulitetreatments, airbrush tanning and bodywraps. Bella Mia is in the Clayton Stationacross from Blockbuster. 925-680-7792

Butler LimousineEnjoy the experience of having your own

personal attendant with Butler LimousineServices. We provide private limo trans-portation services anywhere. Whether youare looking to celebrate a special occasionor are in need of corporate transportation,Butler Limousine Services will provide thehigh-quality transportation you are accus-tomed to. With our fleet of sedans, stretchlimousines and SUVs comes the best trainedbutler chauffeurs who will give you the con-fidence and assurance that we are takingcare of you. Please explore our website tolearn more about us or contact us with anyquestions. Gift certificates are available andalways make an excellent present!

Cegielski JewelersWalk into this little jewelry store tucked

away off Clayton Road and the artistry ofAnna Cegielski is everywhere. Elegant plat-inum, gold and silver, sparkling diamonds,sapphires, rubies and luscious pearls are allworked into spectacular one-of-a-kindpieces that will make that special person’sheart sing this Christmas.

Customize a piece of jewelry in your col-lection or design something new for yourloved one. Visit this little store for gifts thatare sure to become the next treasured fami-ly heirloom.

Festive gift wrapping is included.Cegielski Jewelers at 5354 Clayton

Road, across from Mountain Mike’s Pizza, isopen Tues. through Fri. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.and Sat. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (925) 682-2855.

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Clayton Valley Pumpkin andChristmas Tree Farm

There’s nothing like celebrating Christmas with afresh-cut Christmas tree. Choose from our premiumselection including Noble, Grand, Douglas and Fraserfirs. All trees are trimmed, shaken and fresh-cut to pro-long greenery. Flocking, fire-proofing and baling arealso available.

Enjoy a complimentary cup of hot apple cider withpurchase of a tree. Our Gift Shop is filled with hundredsof Christmas decorations, flags and ornaments. New for2010 are Rachel Dunn Chocolates, an assortment of holi-day goodies that make the perfect gift for anyone on yourholiday list, including yourself!

Visit cvpumpkinfarm.com for additional informationincluding train rides on weekends.

Dr. Christina MasonCertified Patient Review: Last month Jeff wrote: I have

a long history of very painful sessions with other dentistsbut Dr. Mason and staff have tamed that problem. I’vebeen with them over nine years and I look forward togoing! I drive 75 miles round trip to visit and I’m glad todo it. If you’ve ever been hurt or unhappy with dentistry,try Dr. Mason’s office.

Visit the website at www.demandforce.com/dentist/claytonsedationdentist & bring new life to your beautifulsmile.

Encina/Clayton BikesBicycles and Christmas are made to go together.

Remember waking up Christmas morning to see thatshiny new bike under the tree?

Parents, of all the gifts you can give your children thisyear, a bicycle from Encina/Clayton bikes will providemany years of healthy outdoor activity. All bikes comefully assembled and ready to ride so Santa can relax onChristmas Eve. Lifetime free service is included.

Bikes are not just for kids. We have a full selection ofadult street and mountain bikes to suit every age and skilllevel with all the accessories. Brands include F.I.T., BMX,Trek and Santa Cruz. Have a Merry Christmas!

Moresi’s ChophouseMoresi’s Chophouse provides a warm and inviting

atmosphere in which to enjoy a generous meal. VIP treat-ment begins at our front door when you are greeted byour personable staff that shares a commitment to yourdining pleasure.

Moresi’s has a wide selection of delicious entrees,appetizers, side dishes and desserts. Check out our menuonline at www.moresischophouse.com for all the deliciousoptions. To complement your experience, we have a fullbar and a wine list with over 70 wines by the bottle.

Moresi’s Chophouse brings people together to cele-brate, to socialize and enjoy the full dining experience.Merry Christmas!

Pet Suites InnJosie Van Fleet, owner of Pet Suites Inn, has 18 years

of experience boarding and grooming family pets. PetSuites Inn is recommended by local veterinarians andoffers very large play/socialization areas and a small dogand cat section. Services include boarding, bathing,grooming, flea and skin treatments, dog walks, obedi-ence training, treats and tender loving care.

The facility is new with 5000 square feet of indoorspace. Suites are five by ten. Two Very Important Dog(VID) Suites of 10 by 10 are available also.

The facility is staffed 24 hours, 7 days a week. Toursavailable during business hours, 9 a.m.-12p.m. and 2p.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call (925) 432-PETS.

Paul Kommer Merrill LynchWith the changing economic environment, now is an

important time to review your personal financial plan.Having over 20 years of experience in financial servic-

es, Paul brings his zeal for accomplishing goals into hispursuit to successfully manage client assets.

Before recommending specific investment solutions,Paul gets to know his clients’ goals, needs, risk tolerance,tax situation, planned retirement lifestyle, charitableintent, and any other important details and issues. Hethen develops and implements a plan suitable for eachclient. If you have been considering seeking financialadvice, please contact Paul for an initial consultation withno obligation. (925) 988-2111.

Postal AnnexThe Clayton PostalAnnex+ is here to take the stress

out of the holiday season! Store owner Urmila Patel andher staff are available to pack your valued gifts and shipthem off to your loved ones on time and undamaged.

Additional products are available such as boxes, pack-aging peanuts, bubble wrap, greeting cards, decorativemailers and assorted gift items.

Urmila’s PostalAnnex+ also offers high quality colorand B&W copies, notary services, mailbox rental, officesupplies, key cutting and passport photos. One stop toUrmila’s PostalAnnex+ is sure to get all of your holidayerrands done with ease. PostalAnnex+ is in the ClaytonStation. Call (925) 673-5246.

Melanie’s Gifts and Interiors at R&MPool, Patio and Gardens

Melanie’s is all decked out for the holidays. The treesare trimmed with exquisite ornaments. Stylish accentpieces, elegant serving dishes and beautiful platters areon display. Festive candles, table runners, and pillowswill brighten your festivities this year. Peruse this uniquespecialty store located within R&M Pool, Patio andGardens at 6780 Marsh Creek Road in Clayton Tuesdays – Sundays. (925) 672-0207.

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Holiday special

25% off boardingand grooming for first time customers with this ad. One per customer, please. Expires 1/05/2011

Josie Van Fleet, Owner and Operator

(925) 432-PETS (7387)

671 Willow Pass Rd. #6,Pittsburg

www.PetSuitesInn.com

FREE pick upand deliveryStaffed 24/7

Wine Tour 6 Hours Napa orSonoma 6 Pax Limousine $399

682-5466712 Bancroft Rd. #334, Walnut [email protected]

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Special fleet of sedans, stretch limousines & SUVs

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ShippingPackaging SuppliesUPS / FedEx / DHLUSPSMoving SuppliesNotaryMailbox RentalPassport PhotosKey CuttingColor/B&W CopiesFaxing ServiceGreeting Cards

Located in the Clayton Station5433 Clayton Rd. Ste. K Clayton, CA 94517

Ph: 925-673-5246www.postalannex.com/97

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Offer good through12/31/2010

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the behavior if the child is notendangering himself or others.

A quick solution to problembehavior is a time-out of oneminute per age of child. The childshould be placed in a safe, lit,non-threatening and stimulus-freearea. Before implementing time-out, the parent must give the rule(i.e., No jumping off the stairs),then a warning (i.e., The next timeyou jump from the stairs, you willbe put on time-out).

Depending on the severity ofthe behavior, a warning can beskipped. But the rule must alwaysbe given first (i.e., Do not hit. Ifthe child hits, the child is placedon time-out).

Time-out should occur imme-diately after the problem behav-

ior. It is non-negotiable and noattention is given to the child.

DOWN TO THE ABCS

Children display problembehaviors for several reasons. Themost common functions are forattention, to get access to some-thing, to escape or avoid some-thing, a need for sensory input(i.e., rocking, jumping, head-butting others) or avoidingunwanted sensory input (i.e., self-injurious behavior due to itchyclothes, loud sounds, bright lights,large crowds).

Parents should identify whythe problem behavior occurs,what it looks like and who andwhat may trigger the behavior. Allparents should know and recog-

nize the ABCs of behavior: theantecedent (what happens beforethe behavior), the behavior itselfand the consequence (what hap-pens after the behavior). Byknowing the ABCs, parents canextinguish or minimize problembehavior.

Children need structure androutine. When children knowwhat to expect during the day andare given choices, the likelihoodof problem behavior is decreasedtremendously.

If you have concerns aboutyour child’s behavior, seek helpfrom your pediatrician or otheravailable resources.

Eva Portley is a child development spe-cialist working with special needs children.She holds a BA from UC Davis and is cur-rently working toward a Masters in teach-ing. Contact her [email protected]

research scientist VincentSchaefer discovered that dry iceshavings converted near-freez-ing water droplets to ice crystals.Further experimentationshowed that silver iodide was anideal ice nuclei, since it has acrystalline structure very similarto ice and was harmless to theenvironment.

Cloud seeding operationsinvolve injecting silver iodideinto a cold, moist storm cloud.There are two common meth-ods for adding silver iodide icenuclei into clouds. Both are usedto enhance snowpack in theSierra Nevada.

The first is known as theground-based method. Radio-controlled, propane-poweredburners release silver iodide that

is buoyantly lifted into stormclouds upwind of the targetarea.

The second is called directthe injection method. Aircraftequipped with meteorologicalinstruments and silver iodideflares fly into storm clouds andrelease the ice nuclei into the air.

Not all clouds can be seededcost effectively, so meteorolo-gists monitor temperature andwind conditions to choose thestorms with the best chance ofoptimizing precipitation in tar-get areas.

Various studies have beenperformed on cloud seedingeffectiveness, and the consensusis that a 5 to 20 percent increasein winter precipitation is likely.Cost benefit studies based on

these statistics indicate that thepayback in power production orwater supply enhancement iswell worth the cost of the cloudseeding operations.

An additional benefit is thereduction in fossil fuel emis-sions since hydroelectric powerproduction is nearly emissionfree.

Mark Twain once said,“Everyone talks about theweather, and no one does any-thing about it.” If he were writ-ing in the 21st century, hisfamous quote might need to bealtered. Weather modificationby cloud seeding shows thatmeteorologists have learnedhow to do something about theweather, at least on a small scale.

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

Weather, from page 18

Parenting, from page 17

Melanie’s

Gifts andInteriors

30% offanything Christmas

Shop LOCALLY this holiday season and enjoy our

unique collections for the home and garden chosen

for you and yours. Easy parking without the

crowds. Gift certificates and gift wrap available.

R&M Pool, Patio, Gifts & Gardens

6780 Marsh Creek Road, 672-0207

Dec. 12-24

The Royal RoosterTired of the same old look available in

every national chain store? The RoyalRooster is not just another furniture shop.Find antiques and custom-ordered furni-ture to fit your needs.

The Royal Rooster also sells unique giftsfor friends and family of all ages, includingthe popular Webkinz and a line of Melissaand Doug Toys. French Country specialtieshave gorgeous stationary and bath itemsfor every occasion. Try distinctive linessuch as Thymes Bath & Body and Caldrea.The Pantry is stocked with delicious gour-met foods, especially Barefoot Contessaand Clayton’s own Elaine’s Toffee. TheRoyal Rooster is downtown on DiabloStreet. (925) 672-2025

SNAP FitnessHappy Holidays from SNAP Fitness!

Join us as we enter our third year in down-town Clayton –with our best new memberoffer ever! There’s no need to drive far toget a great workout. We have state-of-the-art equipment, personal entertainmentand we’re open when YOU want to workout (4 am to midnight, 365 days a year)!Need a little encouragement? Our per-sonal trainers are here to help you reachyour goals. Come and visit with Claytonlegend Don Fitzgerald to see how afford-able and fun it is to work out in a clean,safe and convenient environment. BeWell!

Sweet BakeryMake your season memorable with var-

ious goodies from Sweet Bakery. Enjoymouth-watering party trays, gourmet sand-wiches, cream cheese brownies and freshlymade loaves of bread, all preservative-free!

Take home a Yule log. Leave Santasome sugar cookies and gingerbread menby the chimney. Give that someone speciala gift box of cookies, cinnamon bread or agift certificate. With dinner rolls, pies, cus-tom cakes, coffee rings and assorted pas-tries, you can’t go wrong!

We look forward to serving you thisholiday season. M-F 5:30-8pm, Sat/Sun5:30-7pm. (925) 672-0936. 5435 ClaytonRd # E, Clayton, CA 94517.

The UPS StoreDo you have packages that need to be

mailed? Pressed for time? Stop by The UPSStore in the Vineyard Shopping Center andlet owner Tricia Tamura and her knowl-edgeable staff help you get your giftsdelivered safely and on time. Workingseamlessly with the US Postal service, theycan offer you options on how to ship yourgifts.

The UPS Store can save you the hassleof long lines and multiple stops. Besidespacking and shipping, they can assist youwith copies, FAXing, Notary Services,Passport photos, Mailboxes and DocumentServices & Binding.

Stop by or call and let The UPS Storehelp you make your holiday season moreenjoyable. Ample parking available.

Our friendly staff will help you get your gifts

packaged and delivered on time, safe & sound.

Notary, Stamps, Postal, Copy and Fax Services are also available.

Clayton/Concord Location:

Vineyard Shopping Center, (next to Lucky supermarket)

5100 Clayton Road, Concord, 925-689-6245

The UPS StoreIndependently owned and operated

TM

Holiday Hours:

M-F 8-7, Sat. 9-5

Open Sunday

Dec. 12 & 19, 10 - 3

$2 OFFPACKAGING SERVICE or SHIPPING SUPPLIES

Limit one coupon per customer. This offer is not good in

combination with any other offers. Valid at this location only (P). ©Mail

Boxes Etc. Offer expires 01/31/11, The UPS StoreTM

FFrreeee hhoottcciiddeerr &&

ccaannddyy ccaanneess

RReellaaxx && lleettuuss ddoo aallll tthhee wwoorrkk

(925) 682-28555354 Clayton Rd.,

Concord, CA

SALEUp to 50% offon select items

DEC 17 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

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Transcript of DEC 17 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf