JUL 29 Clayton Pioneer 2011.pdf

IT’S YOUR PAPER

www.claytonpioneer.com July 29, 2011 925.672.0500

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

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

Car Tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

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

Community Calendar . . . .14

Concert Schedule . . . . . . . .3

Directory of Advertisers . . . .5

DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . .14

Financial Sense . . . . . . . .13

Fit with Levity . . . . . . . . . .15

Food for Thought . . . . . . .17

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

Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

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

Safety Zone . . . . . . . . . . . .17

So Anyway . . . . . . . . . . . .13

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

Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . .14

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

What’s Inside

A 47-year-old father wasarrested on felony assaultcharges and five out-of-townteens charged with vandalismafter a midnight prank on July21 went bad.

According to Police ChiefDan Laurence, the teens, four ofthem juveniles and an 18-year-old driver, all from Port Costaand Vallejo, spread shavingcream, vinegar and pudding onthe driveway and toilet-paperedthe yard of a Tiffin Drive home.The youths, all known to the 14-year-old who lived in the house,drove away in a Honda sedan,but returned to the scene,“apparently to survey theirhandiwork,” says Laurence.

They were spotted by thehomeowner who police saychased the teens in his pickup tothe end of North MitchellCanyon Rd. where it dead-ends.

Maureen Bell is a lousypilot. At least that’s what shewas told 40-odd years ago,soon after she began workingat Buchanan Field in Concord.“I was told I had no sense of

direction,” she says.Of course, that she eventually

married her flight instructor indi-cates there were no hard feelings.

As well as the fact that Bellhad a long career as a reception-ist-cum-pilot-cum-Girl Friday atthe airfield. And that now, in herretirement, she serves as presi-dent of the Mt. Diablo PilotsAssociation, the local non-prof-it group based out of BuchananField that supports aviationenthusiasts in the East Bay.

The group is celebrating its35th anniversary this year,which happens to coincide withan even greater milestone: the65th anniversary of BuchananField Airport itself. So with Belland the MDPA piloting theeffort, so to speak, the group isthrowing a birthday bash onAug. 6 and inviting the publicto see what they see – the joythat aviation brings.

The sound of squeakysneakers on the hardwood, theshrill referee’s whistle andsqueals of joy for a winning bas-ket are emanating from ClaytonCommunity Gym each Saturdayas the first All Out SportsLeague summer basketball pro-gram has proved a big hit formore than 120 kids.

AOSL founder CaseyCopeland is delighted with theleague. “The people of Claytonhave really shown a lot of inter-est in our youth basketball pro-gram. We are giving themexactly what they want: semi-competitive, highly organized,fundamental basketball withgood referees.”

The summer basketball pro-gram began earlier this monthwith practices on Friday eveningand games Saturday afternoons.Copeland was wearing manyhats including refereeing games.After the second week of playhe said, “The games have beenexciting already. We had twogames go into double over-time!”

There are four teams in eachof the divisions, Pee Wee (5-6year-olds), Mighty Mite (7-9)and Bantam (10-14). About 20percent of the players are girls.

“We keep individual and play-er stats online for parents andplayers to view,” Copeland says.“We also provide quality uni-forms that players get to keep.”

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

The Clayton Valley HighSchool north parking lot maylook like a disaster area thissummer, but come the fall, itwill be one of the bright spots inthe new school year.

Literally.Construction crews from

SunPower corporation are tear-ing up the lot to install a largebank of solar panels at theschool, part of the largest K-12solar program in the nation.

All 51 Mt. Diablo UnifiedSchool District schools areinstalling solar panels in somecapacity, but the project atCVHS is one of the largest.

The District’s solar program,implemented through Measure Cfunding and some state solargrants, involves the installation ofground-mounted shade and/orparking structures at the schools.

. . . is kill all the lawyers.Well, Bill Shakespeare was

obviously not talking aboutClayton with that quote. Here inClayton we have been inundatedwith lawyers as 21 law firmsapplied to be our second everCity Attorney. Our City Councilsub-committee has whittled the21 down to the best seven can-didates and by the time you readthis article we will have whittledthem down further to a few thatwill get the honor and privilege

Photo by Mike Dunn

EARLY-SEASON ACTION IN THIS SUMMER’S ALL OUT SPORTS LEAGUE basketball program Mighty Mitedivision found Dom Hudson (1) and Ayanna Broome (4) helping their Bulls team to a 27-15victory over the Blazers. About 120 kids are playing basketball each Saturday at ClaytonCommunity Gym. Josef Sunga-Laxa (5) and Isaac Owen (9) were on defense for the Blazers.

IN CELEBRATION OF BUCHANAN FIELD AIRPORT’S 65TH ANNIVERSARY,Concord aviation artist Rhu A. Bigay created this oil painting of twovintage WW2 bombers. The B-17 and B-24 bombers in the paintinghave both visited Buchanan. Bigay’s aviation art will be on displayduring the airport’s anniversary event, Aug. 6..

Solar brings savings to schools

DAVE SHUEY

MAYOR’S CORNER

See Mayor, page 8

See Arrest, page 4

The first thingwe do . . .

Clayton man isarrested forassaulting teensafter house isvandalized

Clayton Gym filled with basketball action this summer

District is installing solar panels that will save $220 million.

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

WORK CREWS AT CLAYTON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL ARE WORKING HARD to complete the major portion of the solar panelinstallation project before school starts in late August. The entire structure should be completed by October.

Buchanan Field says Come Fly with MeConcord airfield turns65 with communitybirthday bash.

PEGGY SPEAR

Clayton Pioneer

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

See Solar, page 6

See Buchanan, page 15

See CCllaayyttoonn GGyymm, page 10

Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com July 29, 2011

Around Town

The spacious patio at R&MPool, Patio, Gifts and Gardenson Marsh Creek Road was thesite for the last CBCA mixer onJuly 19.

The mixers are designed tospotlight a local business whilebuilding interest in the CBCA.The goal is to increase mem-bership.

R&M is family owned, with

Roy Alarcon and son DavidHackett on the pool supply andservice side of the business,Melanie Alarcon calling theshots in the gift store anddaughter-in-law Nicole Hackettrunning things in the nursery.Nicole writes the popularGarden Girl column for theClayton Pioneer.

The R&M store is at 6780

Marsh Creek Road and featuresfine patio furniture and uniquehome decor items.

The CBCA sponsors threemajor fundraisers each year –

The Art and Wine Festival in thespring, the Clayton Classic GolfTournament in June and the fallOktoberfest. Funds raised fromthe events are used for charitable

causes, scholarships and civicimprovements.

For more information on theCBCA, see claytoncbca.com.

Bob and Sarah Rodenburg recently turnedtears to big smiles for 2-year-old Saphira Perry.

Saphira looked forward all day to the ponyrides at Rodie’s annual Customer AppreciationDay on May 21. But, she had to wait for herdad, Abe, to get off work and the two didn’tget there until after 5. The ponies had gonehome and Saphira was crushed.

Undaunted, the Rodenburgs called thepony ride owner and who brought a pony backdown to the store for a special private ride tocomplete Saphira’s day.

The moral of the story? There is no cus-tomer too young for the extra mile at Rodie’s.

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1179 Shell Ln............................$302,000 . . . . .1355 . . . . . .3/2.5 . . . . . . .6/22/11

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56 Barcelona Way ....................$580,000 . . . . .2032 . . . . . .4/2.5 . . . . . . .6/15/11

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JasonGardner

deployed toAfghanistan

Pioneer goes with the GardenClub to Earthbound

Rodenburgs pony up

CBCA spotlights R&M Pool, Patio, Gifts and Garden

THE ALARCON FAMILY OF R&M POOL, PATIO, GIFTS AND GARDEN hosted the most recent ClaytonBusiness and Community Association mixer. From left, Melanie and Roy Alarcon, David Hackett,CBCA’s Jim Frazier and Nicole and Jonathan Hackett.

The Pioneer went along onthe Clayton Valley GardenClub’s recent field trip toEarthbound Farm in Carmel.We toured the gardens and

picked organic herbs and flow-ers to make herbal teas.Earthbound Farm is the largestgrower of organic produce inthe U.S.

THE GARDEN CLUB FIELD TRIP to Carmel included (standing), LewThompson, Linda Karp, Carla Thompson, Art Westman, DotSchafhirt, Nancy Westman, Rory Richmond, Dennis Kaump,Marcia Hart, Barry Hart, Steve Lane, Mike and Nancy Harvey,Linda Cruz and Robb Kingsbury. Seated, Nancy Schafhirt,Ingela Neilsen and Nadine Findley.

US Army Spc. Jason andEmily Gardner of Clayton willcelebrate their first weddinganniversary on August 7, but thegroom won’t be there. He is inAfghanistan.

The two were married at theSalvation Army CommunityChurch in Concord and madetheir first home in Ft. Hood,Texas, where Jason was stationeduntil his deployment in June. Heis part of Operation EnduringFreedom with the 1st CavalryDivision.

While Jason is in Afghanistan,Emily will live with her parents,Jim and Kathy Burkin ofConcord. She is a student andwill continue her studies in biolo-gy and nutrition. When Jasonreturns in June of 2012, the twowill move back to Fort Hood.

Jason is the son of Claytonresidents Clay and PamGardener. ABE AND SAPHIRA PERRY

Boy Scout Adam Agronowis well on his way to achievingthe Boy Scouts’ highest rankingof Eagle Scout with the com-pletion of a community projectin April. Agronow, a life scoutwith Troop 444, built twobenches on Clayton’s hikingtrails, one on the Bruce Lee trailand the other on Mt. DiabloCreek trail.

He received a Certificate ofRecognition from the city ofClayton at the city council meet-ing on July 19. Agronow will bea senior at CVHS this fall.

Around Town

July 30 The Michael Paul BandFive-piece southern/country rock band

Aug. 13 Vocal-ease and The Boogie MenRetro band covers big band and swing to Doo-Wop and Motown

Aug. 27 A Swingin’ Eveningwith Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and the

Rat Pack Orchestra

September 10 - East Bay Mudd10-piece dance band with a Powerful horn section

September 17 - The Hot RodsRock and roll from the 50s and 60sRained out band from June 4Note Special time: 5 pm to 7:30 pm

Local Food To GoSupport your local businesses and restaurants.

Takeout or dine in before or after the concert.

Moresi’s Chophouse 6115 Main St., 672-1333

Ed’s Mudville Grill 6200 Center St., 673-0333

La Veranda Cafe 6201 Center St., 524-0011

Canesa’s Brooklyn Deli 6054 Main St.,

852-1650

Skipolini’s Pizza 1035 Diablo St., 672-1111

Village Market 6104 Main St., 672-0188

Johnny’s Int’l Deli & Café 6101 Center St., 672-

1203

Cup O’Jo 6054 Main St., 672-5105

Saturdays6 to 8:30 p.m.

At the Gazebo in The GroveSet up chairs and blankets on the lawn after 4 p.m.

Sponsored by the city of Clayton, CBCAand Allied Waste Services

Concertsin The Grove

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Nick Swiatko ofClayton’s Boy ScoutTroop 262 earned hisEagle rank on June 16.His Eagle project wasto build a pulley systemfor debris removal andfabricate a ramp toenable animals toescape from a cisternon Mt. Diablo. Itinvolved removal of oldfence posts, dangerouswire, rusted out irriga-tion pipes and habitatrestoration. The projecttook 10 months and237 hours of planningand execution. Nickmanaged 26 workers,including his father andbrother, state volun-teers and scouts fromfour Troops.

Clayton Club BuildsBrand Loyalty

A new kind of roundup was held at the ClaytonClub Saloon on July 10. This time the cattle were notthe ones being rounded up, but rather the brands.The occasion was a “branding party” and barbecue tocelebrate the completion of the outdoor bar at theClayton Club.

In all, more than 40 brands were brought in bylocal ranchers and Clayton families to be used in theceremony. And so the outdoor bar, which debuted atthis year’s Art & Wine festival, went through anotherrite of passage this past weekend – a literal trial byfire.

In addition to a spectacular collection of irons,attendees showed up with hearty appetites for thebranding and barbecue. The turnout was exceptional,as everyone took advantage of the opportunity toleave a lasting impression on the historic tavern.

JOHN ROBLES TAKES TIME OUT from cooking to addhis brand to the new outdoor barbeque at theClayton Club.

Nick Swiatko earnsEagle Scout rank

Adam Agronow completesEagle Scout community project

July 29, 2011 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com


Tucked away in a display casein the study of Pete Laurence’slarge Clayton home resides a col-lection of mementoes from hisservice as a Green Beret in theVietnam War.

Laurence, who served inVietnam from 1966-1967, col-lected everything from spentwhite phosphorous handgrenades to a ladies’ perfumebottle-turned-flashlight. Heboasted of “liberating” a metalcanteen from a Viet Cong sol-dier, who had etched his ownname and birthdate onto theside after taking it himself froman American serviceman.Alongside the names, the can-teen bears a pair of bullet holes,in one side and out the other.

PART OF THE PEOPLE

The Green Beret motto is DeOppresso Liber, or Free theOppressed. Laurence describedhis mission as in large partdefending the villagers aroundLuong Song Camp from VietCong soldiers, who would burnvillages and steal crops in theirefforts to take over what wasthen South Vietnam, and teach-ing them to defend themselves.

“We lived with the people,”he said. “We delivered theirbabies, fixed their wounds – wewere best men at their wed-dings.”

Despite his collection ofmementoes, vividly told storiesof nighttime firefights in thejungle, and membership in veter-ans organizations, Laurence saidhis years in Vietnam didn’tdefine him as a person.

Instead, he focuses on whathappened after he–and otherslike him–returned.

Many like him arrived homefrom years of fighting inVietnam to be greeted, insteadof with thanks and ticker-tapeparades, spitting protesters andaccusations of baby-killing.

“Scratch me and it’s rightunder the surface,” he said of hisexperiences. “But it’s more of adesire to be sure for these guys,my friends who got killed inVietnam, their reputations aren’ttarnished with the protesters andslanders that they suffered.”

Forty-five years after hisservice, Laurence, with his friendand former Lieutenant RobertLittle, returned to the scene oftheir overseas battles, this timeas tourists.

A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE

THIS TIME

Although his military servicetrained Laurence to always be onalert for potential trouble, he

experienced no emotionalupheaval when his boots hit theground at Hanoi Airport.

“We had our antennae up,”he said, but that it was not somuch from previous combatexperiences, as simply being sea-soned travelers.”

Vietnam remains under com-munist rule to this date. ButLaurence found on his visit thatfollowing the country’s adoption

in 1986 of some aspects of afree market economy, it is “withbenefits.”

“We were afraid it could stillbe openly totalitarian,” saidLaurence. “It is totalitarian. Butwith a velvet glove.”

Instead of bivouacking,Laurence and Little stayed inhigh-end Western-style hotels.They vacationed amongstthrongs of foreign tourists and

senior party members, who hap-pily drive European luxury carsand relax at posh resorts by theshores of the South China Sea.

Little is shown in one snap-shot playing golf not far fromwhere they had previously creptthrough the jungles on the look-out for enemy soldiers.

On visiting the site of theirformer base camp, which hadsince been razed and turned into

a soccer field for local youth,Laurence connected with localswho led him to two formerVietnamese soldiers with whomhe’d served.

The men had been punishedfor their resistance with years inslave camps, and are today stillsnubbed. Nevertheless, they tooenjoy some of the benefits ofthe country’s growth, and theirhomes have cell phones, televi-sions and computers.

Laurence said Vietnamesepeople were naturally welcom-ing, but grew even more so onhearing of their service in-coun-try.

“When they heard we werehere as soldiers, they’d brightenup to a whole new level,” he said.“‘We’re glad you came here,we’re glad you came back.’”

Laurence returned homefrom his vacation with a sense ofrenewed pride in his and others’efforts to help the people ofVietnam win their freedom.

“I took satisfaction fromthat and comfort. It reinforcedmy reason for having gone andbeing there, in believing thatfreedom is important toVietnamese, and to any otherpeople.

“Our hope is the [people ofVietnam] will ultimately becomefree,” he added. “I don’t haveany illusions that they’re a freecountry yet, but they’re pretty faralong the road.”

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Former mayor and Green Beret makes return trip to ‘Nam

Construction is well underwayto add 100 spaces to the parkinglot at Clayton Community Parkwhich will be finished by the timeschool starts at the end of August.

The additional spaces will takesome of the pressure off theadjoining neighborhoods on ballgame days and ease the before andafter school traffic jams at DiabloView Middle School.

The total cost of the project is$850,000. More than half of thefunding comes from a $493,000grant from the East Bay RegionalPark District Measure WW bondextension. The remaining$358,000 is from the city’s capitalimprovement budget.

Parking lot project moves ahead

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FORMER CLAYTON MAYOR PETE LAURENCE recently returned to Viet Nam as a tourist. Shown herewith the first Russian tank to break into the Saigon Presidential Palace (in the background),Laurence, who served in-country as a Green Beret in 1966-67, saw signs of a bustling economyand found the country far less totalitarian than he expected.

Pete Laurence says he receivedwarm welcome 45 years afterhe fought in the war

DENISEN HARTLOVE

Clayton Pioneer

The man, identified as PaulBoyd, had his 14-year-old sonin the truck with him when heallegedly rammed the teens’ carthree times.

They youths fled in thedamaged Honda, driving weston Clayton Road with Boyd still

in pursuit.Clayton police received a 911

call around 1:30 a.m. reportingthe crash on North MitchellCanyon. Meanwhile, Concordpolice were responding to a callfrom one of the passengers inthe Honda that “a crazy man

was chasing them.”A punctured rear tire finally

brought the Honda to a stopnear Willow Pass and OliveraRoads in Concord.

Boyd was arrested for assaultwith a deadly weapon andendangering the life of a minor.The teens were charged withvandalism and the underage kidsreleased to their parents.

Arrest, from page 1

July 29, 2011 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com

P.O. Box 1246

6200 Center Street, Suite H, Clayton, CA 94517

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

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

We remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse

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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. Classified

CourageDo the Right Thing

Auto

Economy Auto Painting and Body Work . . . . . . .757-2222

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

Construction and Trades

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

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

Bill Peck Home Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .687-9786

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

Contra Costa Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .676-8713

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

H&L Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4046

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

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

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

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

Dentist

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

Dining and Entertainment

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

Memo’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .691-6200

Ravioli’s Italian Market Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-3819

Subway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693-0621

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

Events

Pacific Coast Farmers Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .825-9090

Financial and Insurance Services

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

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

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

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

Snyder, Ken - Genworth Financial . . . . . . . . . . . .270-3617

Travis Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-800-877-8328

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

Funerals

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

Home and Garden

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

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

Clean Cleaner Carpets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .969-1798

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

Danmer Shutters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202-1220

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

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

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

Mailing and Shipping

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

Personal Services

Hair Now Styling Salon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-5665

Sun City Tanning & Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .687-4826

Pet Services

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

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

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

Real Estate and Mortgage Services

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 and Fitness

All Out Sports League . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203-5626

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

Levity Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .890-6931

Senior Services

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

Services, Other

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

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

Contra Costa Water District Insurance . . . . . . . .688-8059

Contra Costa Water District Rebates . . . . . . . . . .688-8320

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

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

Travel

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

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

Directory of Advertisers

ROOMS FOR RENTNear Sac State. Two bedrooms

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TUTORS NEEDEDProject Second Chance, Contra

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SERVICESGirl Gardening

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fertilizing services. Plant sugges-

tions and installation. Call or

email Nicole Hackett 673-1746,

or [email protected].

WANTEDReal Estate Agents

Be Successful! Lynne French is

expanding and interviewing for a

few agents. Call her today 672-

8787.

VOLUNTEERS

NEEDEDMeals on Wheels Drivers

673-0300 or e-mail

[email protected]

Help fight Hunger

Call Anna Chan at 672-1988.

Anna’s Attic Volunteers

Call 674-9072.

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.

673-9777 or email:

[email protected].

NCUA–Your savings federally insured to at least $250,000 and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. Everyone who lives, works, or attends school in Contra Costa or Alameda, part of our 12-county area, is eligible to join.

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Clayton Valley: 5442 Ygnacio Valley Road, Suite 10Concord: 1257 Willow Pass Road

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Open yours today!

Don’t turn leftResidents and visitors to

Clayton may have noticed thatthe public safety folks havedeveloped a sense of humor. Asone drives down the hill towardsdowntown, a marvelously under-stated sign informs drivers thatthere are left turns ahead whichlead to the Police and theLibrary, and in fact the left turnlane for the Police Departmentappears very quickly. Too quick-ly, perhaps, for the unobservantto notice that not only are Uturns prohibited at this turn lane,but even left turns are prohibit-ed. Thus a dedicated turn lane atwhich you may not turn. Veryfunny! The joke loses its humor

if you happen to be cited for aviolation of the no-turn turnlane, to the tune of $200+. Onesuspects that the turn lane wasbuilt for the convenience ofpolice and city personnel, butwhy is its use prohibited to usmere mortals? Is it too danger-ous to make turns from this ded-icated left turn lane? If so,should we subject our public ser-vants to this hazard, or shouldwe simply cement over the prob-lem area and let everyone pro-ceed down to the Library tomake their U turns in compara-tive safety?

John J. Robinson Ph.D.Concord CA

Letters to the Editor

Cup O Jo's, Clayton's popu-lar Main Street coffee house,will host the first Bring theNoise to Clayton AcousticShowcase on Saturday, Aug. 6.

The event, coordinated byClayton resident MichaelStelzner, aims to promote localmusicians from around ContraCosta County. The showcasewill feature five acts from theEast Bay playing music rangingfrom bluegrass to rock to pop-punk, including Daily City

Symphony (Concord/Clayton),Riley Olasci of Casket ofCassandra (Concord), HelloCaptain! (Oakley), TobaccoMoney (CastroValley/Concord), and RunPeter Rabbit (Danville).

The free concert begins at 6 p.m.and will run at least until 8 p.m.,according to event organizers. Cup OJo's is located at 6054 Main St. inClayton. For more information, callStelzner at 925-876-6131.

Cup O’ Jo to host localband showcase Aug. 6

Please tell our adver-tisers you saw them in

the Clayton Pioneer


A teacher-led effort to con-vert CVHS to an independentcharter school will go before theMDUSD Board of Trustees fora public hearing on Aug. 9.

The charter school effortbegan earlier this year andquickly gained momentum. InJune, 80 percent of CVHSteachers signed a petition towithdraw from the Mt. DiabloUnified School District andbecome an independently gov-erned charter school. Citing lit-tle district support, low moraleamong teachers and students,poor academic performance andchronic attendance problems,charter school organizer PatMiddendorf, says things atCVHS “couldn’t get any worse.

The movement has gainedwidespread community support,including financial support fromthe city of Clayton and the

CBCA. Mayor Dave Shuey, whowill have a child attendingCVHS in the fall, says hereceived more than 1000 emailssupporting the conversion andonly three opposed.

The conversion will put con-trol of finances, curriculum andoperations in the hands of aboard comprised of parents,teachers, students and commu-nity members. The governingboard will hire an executivedirector and control the hiringand firing of teachers.

The teachers’ retirement,salaries and benefits will not beaffected by the conversion, saysMiddendorf. The teachers willdecide whether to continue withtheir current union, form a newbargaining unit or opt for nounion.

Opponents say the conver-sion will cost MDUSD $1.6 mil-lion in lost revenue because theper-student funding is higher forhigh schools than for elemen-tary and middle schools.Middendorf says does the $1.6million loss is misleading anddoes not take into account costsavings.

“The district has failed toconsider the cost of runningClayton Valley,” say the organ-izers. “This would substantiallylower that figure, if not exceedit.”

The charter school applica-tion will go before the schoolboard in a public hearing onAug. 9 with a decision expectedat the Sept. 13 Board ofTrustees meeting.

If the school district deniesthe application, Middendorfsays the organizers will appeal tothe Contra Costa County Boardof Education and to the StateBoard of Education if neces-sary.

If approved, CVHS will become a charter school in 2012.

For more information on the char-ter school or to read the full charterapplication, Google Clayton ValleyCharter High School and follow thelinks. For the school district explana-tion of the funding issue, go toMDUSD.org.

The Aug. 9 public hearing is from5:45 – 7 p.m. at Monte GardensElementary School, 3841 LarkspurDrive, Concord.

The decision meeting is at 7:30p.m. on Sept. 13 at the MDUSDDistrict Office, 1936 Carlotta Dr.,Concord.

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Police receive weeklycomplaints, butinvestigation is tough

For the second time in asmany months, Betty Lopey, aClayton resident in her 80s, wasthe target of scam frequentlydirected at seniors.

On July 6, she received acongratulatory phone call froma “John Hatcher” telling hershe’d won $10.5 million and anew car in the PublishersClearing House sweepstakes.

All she had to do was send$2,500 to an address in Kansas(Denzil Alcorn, 13075 WacoAve., Wichita, KS, 67213) tocover the taxes and Hatcherwould send her the money.

For a split second, Lopeywas tempted. After all –Publishers Clearing House?

Everyone knows them, right?But, Fred Doan, a friend whowas listening to her side of theconversation, jumped in andthe Kansas guy never got hiscash.

Doan, went to the ClaytonPolice right away.

“To my shock, they did notwant the information,” Doansaid. “They said they receivecalls every week about similarscams, but there was nothingthey could do to stop it orinvestigate.”

According to Lynn Christ ofthe Clayton Police Department,the department’s resources arelimited and even getting cellphone numbers or phonerecords takes a search warrant.

The Pioneer called Hatcherat the number he gave Lopey.He answered his phone“American Money Corporation,how can we help you?” Hatcherhad a strong Indian accent andthere was the sound of childrenscreaming in the background.

He said he was a “subcillary”(sic) of the Publishers ClearingHouse.

When we asked for a con-tact there to verify who he was,he gave us a phone numberwith a 510 area code and anaddress in New York. Wepointed out that this couldn’tbe possible since the 510 areacode is the San Francisco BayArea. To which he replied“f*%* you, b*$#h” and hungup.

Beware of these scams.Talk to your friends and neigh-bors. If you have to pay some-one to get something youwon, it’s a scam. Don’t befooled by requests for tax pay-ments, shipping and handling,duty and customs, or any otherrequest for money.

Christ advises anyonereceiving these calls to call thephone company and block thenumber and never, ever givethem a credit card number.

Scammers seek to separateseniors from their money

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

CVHS charter school applicationgoes to school board on Aug. 9

CVHS TEACHER AND CHARTER SCHOOL ORGANIZER NEAL MCCHESNEY

explains the charter school structure to parents and communitymembers at an informational meeting on July 21 at Hoyer Hall

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

Pete Pederson, who is overseeingthe project for the district, saidthe plan is to have all the verticalstructures in place before schoolstarts Aug. 30. Installing the actu-al panels and other electricalunits won’t be as intrusive, hesaid.

“We want to make sure wearen’t impacting the neighbor-hoods too much, in the event theparking lots aren’t available,”Pederson said. “But we shouldbe through that stage.”

He says that he has beenworking with the city managersof Clayton, Concord, WalnutCreek and Pleasant Hill to insurethat there are no parking issuesonce schools reopen.

Obviously the high schoolswill have the biggest installationsdue it their sizes and demand forpower. Northgate’s will have asignificantly larger demand forenergy because of its unusualarchitecture and lack of win-dows. “There are more heatingand cooling issues there,”Pederson said.

The district-wide“Photovoltaic Project” is beingimplemented in three “incre-ments,” or stages, with the firstone expected to be complete inSeptember or October of thisyear. Construction at the secondbatch of schools should begin inSeptember or October, and fin-ish in January of 2012. The thirdincrement should begin con-struction in January, 2012, and becomplete by April, 2012.

Obviously, CVHS andNorthgate are in the first incre-ment. Diablo View and PineHollow middle schools are in thesecond increment, and Mt.Diablo and Highlands elemen-tary schools are in the final batch.

Despite the chaos construc-tion can cause, the long-termgains are impressive, Pedersonsaid. According to a districtanalysis, the 30-year projectedsavings is $220 million. Officialssay that the project will offset 91percent of the district’s PG&Ebills by generating 81 percent ofthe district’s energy usage.

The average annual utilitycost for all 51 schools is$3,681,410. With the installationof the solar panels, the cost isprojected to be $334,991.

From an energy usage per-spective, the project also makessense, Pederson said. Accordingto his analysis, solar will produce17,171,710 kilowatts of the dis-trict’s 21,305,397 kilowatt usage.

Plus the parents, teachers,students and staff have the pleas-ure of knowing that they arehelping their school “go green.”

For more information on the solarpanel installations or other MeasureC projects, visit the MDUSD websiteat www.mdusd.org.

Socrates said, “Change is theonly constant.” The way we thinkabout and use computers is onceagain changing as we move appli-cations, information and even thedetails of our lives into theInternet cloud.

Back in the day, the PC was anice simple stand-alone devicethat worked with spread sheets,word processing software and notmuch more. An uncomplicatedtool to improve our efficiency,make work easier and faster.Today we cling to computers andhand held devices for all manor ofthinking, its an extension of ourbrain. We are deliberately tetheredto the Internet for the planningour lives, the execution of ourbusiness, social interaction, direc-tions, places to eat as well as enter-tainment, and accessing all rele-vant information about our worldaround us. This evolution, thischange, this new thinking hastouched us all.

Cloud computing means usingmultiple server computers via adigital network, as though theywere one computer. Often, theservices available are consideredpart of “cloud computing.” Theentire Internet, then, representsmultiple clouds and to theseclouds you can add your own.

When you string a few PCstogether, that’s a local network.The network’s advantage is more

power through device and filesharing. In layman’s terms, it’s likehaving more people and equip-ment to streamline the work. TheInternet grew out of the desire toshare the content of networks byconnecting groups, or networksof computers together.

Attach your home computeror your network PCs to a homeserver then attached the server tothe Internet the result is aPersonal Cloud.

Personal Cloud computing isready to take its place in the evo-lution of the computer. While theInternet cloud is a bunch of com-puters displaying web pages, thePersonal Cloud is all about puttingyour own private information onthe Internet for you to access any-where, anytime.

Your files, web pages, videos,movies, news, stock quotes, music,

and personal and business data,are accessible only by you or thoseyou allow. Access to your PersonalCloud is gained with a PC, note-book or smart phone. TheInternet becomes your privateportal into your life.

The easiest way to setup yourown Personal Cloud is with a per-sonal server. Much like your exist-ing router the personal server is anappliance. In other words, it is adevice you don’t really pay muchattention to once it is installed andsetup. It houses all your files,backups, applications. It controlsyour security allowing only thoseauthorized to enter access tocomputers and information onyour local network. It works simi-lar GoToMyPC or remote accesssoftware without the monthly feesrequired by these services.

Life in the computer “biz” ischanging because that’s the onlyconstant. Now you have thePersonal Cloud server as a newextension of your brain. One thatpromises greater access to yourmemories, that thing that makesus human. It’s all right there onyour Personal Cloud. The onlyquestion is, how will you use it?

Younger generation opts for convenience, community over space

Q. What are some of thechanges you see in the futurefor real estate?

A. Patrick Phillips, CEO forthe Urban Land Institute, hassaid that one-person householdsare the fastest growing type ofhousehold. Resurgence is occur-ring near urban centers.Younger generations place ahigher value on the sense ofcommunity and are willing toswap extra space for conven-ience. The design and develop-ment of urban area will be radi-cally different in the decadesahead. There is a push to makeour cities more livable and sus-

tainable. One example of thatare the building plans for down-town Walnut Creek.

“The U.S. population is pro-jected to grow by 150 millionwithin the next 40 years andmore compact, mixed use devel-opment is needed to handle thegrowth and changing demands,”Phillips said.

Q. What other changesseem to be occurring affect-ing the housing market?

A. One other changes con-tributing to the down economyis that the U.S. Population is get-ting older. The Sunbelt states,such as California, are moreyouthful and racially diversethan the Midwest and Northernstates. In the past decade thepopulation that is under 15 yearsof age in the whole country hasshrunk. States in the middle ofthe country aren’t attractingyoung adult migrants and arenot attracting many immigrantsat all, according to William Frey,senior fellow at the Brookings

Institute. The states with thelargest drop in percentage ofthe population under 15 in thelast 10 years are: 1. Alaska 2.Maryland 3. California 4. RhodeIsland 5. Hawaii. Another factorwould be that families arechoosing to have less children.

Q. Our son graduatedfrom college with great cre-dentials but hasn’t been ableto secure the kind of job inwhich he and his wife cansave up enough for a downpayment to buy a home. Mywife and I would like to helpthem. What type of optionsshould we consider?

A. Before you make a deci-sion on how to help you shouldtalk to a financial advisor. Is thisan affordable option for you?Here are a few ideas:1. You can co-sign a bank loan

and be on the loan withthem; you might enter into ashared equity arrangementwith them. (This is how itsounds. You share any equity

gained while you own ittogether);

2. You can gift them the moneyfor the down payment. (AnFHA loan only requires 3.5percent down.

3. You can lend them the downpayment or the entire mort-gage and you be the bank.

4. You can buy the house andwork out a rent-to-buyarrangement with them.

Send your question & look foryour answer in a future column. E-mail: [email protected] .Lynne French is the Broker/Ownerof Windermere Lynne French &Associates and a Clayton resident.For any real estate needs or questionscontact her at (925) 672-878 7orstop in at 6200 Center Street inClayton.

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TECH TALK

William Claney is an independ-ent tech writer and former owner ofComputers USA in the ClaytonStation. Email questions or com-ments to [email protected].

Internet skies are getting cloudier,changing the way we compute


of being grilled by the full coun-cil before we make our decisionand hire the lucky firm. Staytuned for the riveting ending.

And lest you think I forgotmy newest obsession, the Mt.Diablo Unified School Districtis holding its public hearing onthe Clayton Valley Charter HighSchool Petition at from 5:45p.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 9, atMonte Gardens Elementary(3841 Larkspur Drive, Concord)If you read the blogs, there is asmall but vocal minority ofanonymous people who are try-ing to stop this endeavor in itstracks. We absolutely have tobring an overwhelming show ofsupport to this meeting to showthe District that our communitywants this petition granted. Justlike with your support emails, donot think that your neighbor willgo and you don’t have to go. Weneed all of you so please showup and let’s make our schoolbetter for our children andimprove our community valuein the process. We can make adifference.

As you read in the last issue,we were once againrobbed/fleeced/violated by theState when their new budgetincluded the elimination of our,and every other city’s,Redevelopment Agency. Theresult of this is to take morethan $5 million in local propertytax already in our possessionwhich results in an immediate$425,000 gap in our GeneralFund. With a General Fund ofaround $3.65 million, we are los-ing 12 percent and will have toeither make further cuts of per-sonnel or services or dip intoour reserve fund.

Well, the good news is thatthe League of California Cities(our own Justice League for youcomic fans) has filed a lawsuitand request for injunction with

the Supremes (Supreme Court)to block this clear violation/endrun around Prop. 22 that pro-hibits the State from raidinglocal tax revenue. We shall seewhat happens and hopefully wewill not have to face some toughbudget decisions. Fingerscrossed everyone.

WASTE NOT WANT NOT.On another front, we have

finalized an extension to the

franchise agreement with AlliedWaste for our trash and recy-cling. A council subcommitteedid extensive due diligencebefore the Council approved theextension and we believe we gota very favorable deal for the city.Allied has always worked closelywith the city to ensure excellentservice and they are also a sig-nificant supporter to multiplecity events such as concerts inthe park, Clayton Cleans Up andothers. Our rates are among thelowest in the county and Alliedis working hard with us to pro-

mote recycling for our future.So remember to make sure yourbrown can is bigger than yourblue can to ensure we recycle asmuch as possible.

Finally, points to ponder: Ifyou try to fail, and succeed,which have you done? Can anatheist get insurance against actsof God? If the Clayton policearrest a mime, should they haveto tell him he has the right toremain silent? Email me [email protected].

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Catherine Corrinne ReidBedecarré, 84, passed awaypeacefully July 13 surrounded byher husband, children, sister,brother-in-law and grandchil-dren following an extended ill-ness. Her “million dollar smile”,unfailing optimism and deepfaith were with her until the end.She lived in Concord since 1955.

She was an award-winningfourth grade teacher in theOakley School District for 20years and then mentored teach-ing credential candidates at St.Mary’s College for another 10years with her husband John.Prior to entering teaching shewas a homemaker raising sixchildren, entrepreneur and smallbusinesswoman.

Cathy is survived by herwonderful husband and partnerof nearly 63 years, JohnBedecarré, and her belovedyounger sister Eleanor AnnHastings. Cathy and John had

six children and 17 grandchil-dren: John Jay Bedecarré ofClayton and children Jason,Justin, Juliene, Jared; CatherineDiane Bedecarré (Henry White)of Petaluma and children Lydia,Andy; Corrinne MarieBedecarré of Lauderdale, MNand children Dorothy, Patrick,Ellen; Thomas HamiltonBedecarré (Maggie) of

Woodside and childrenMadeline, Kathryn (YuniHodelin), John; William ClarkBedecarré (Nancy) of LosAngeles and children Claire,Ella, Grace; Albert PierreBedecarré (Claire Ernst) of SanFrancisco and children Sophie,Alden.

She was predeceased by herparents Lemuel and WinifredReid and her daughter-in-law JillCogan Bedecarré of Clayton.

She was born in Memphis,TN, the third of four children.She attended UC Berkeley,where she was the Cal Galcolumnist for the OaklandTribune. At Cal she was city edi-tor of the Daily Cal newspaperand 1948 senior class secretary.She became a lifelong GoldenBear and there met her futurehusband John.

Her family and church werealways at the center of her uni-verse. The family belonged to

Queen of All Saints Parish inConcord for many years beforeJohn and Cathy moved to theircurrent Concord home in 1973and joined a young St. AgnesChurch Parish. She was thelong-time head of the St. AgnesChristian Service Committee,Social Justice Committee andhelped John edit the Heraldnewspaper.

The couple was deeply inter-ested in politics and govern-ment. They registered hundreds,if not thousands, of voters andvolunteered on many cam-paigns. Cathy and John wereleaders of the Mt. DiabloGenealogical Society.

Donations in CatherineBedecarré’s name can be made to theLeague of Women Voters (lwv.org)and St. Agnes Church Social JusticeCommittee, 3966 Chestnut Ave.,Concord, CA 94519.

Obituary

Catherine Reid BedecarréNov. 1, 1926 – July 13, 2011

Mayor, from page 1

Many folks today want topinch pennies, and fixing theirown car is a way to that. After all,mechanics are expensive. Butbefore you dive in under thehood, make sure you know whatyou’re working with. Cars todayare not your grandmother’sOldsmobile.

With today’s cars there are anumber of things that are con-nected together in a network, orsystem. For example, the waterpump inside the timing cover isdriven by the timing belt. If youreplace or remove the timing beltit must be put back on a specificway, otherwise when you start theengine it will do very severe dam-age. And that will cost moremoney to fix.

In the starter circuit there area lot of different parts. Thestarter is the end result of turningthe key. If there are issues withthe ignition switch, the starterrelay, the neutral safety switch orthe starter solenoid, the enginewill not start. And you’ll spendmoney to fix it.

There have been many times

customer has said that their“check engine” light was on sothey bought a code reader (moremoney), pulled the codes, andreplaced the part that was at fault.Then a few days later the lightcame back on, and now they needus mechanics to find the prob-lem. On a lot of these moderncars (1996 or newer) the sensorsthat tell the computer informa-tion are linked together. Sensorsall relay information to the com-puter, and it will make necessaryadjustments by changing its com-mands to other sensors or com-ponents. For instance, if the oxy-gen sensor tells the computer thatthe exhaust is lean, the computerwill tell the fuel injectors to addmore fuel. If this doesn’t makethe exhaust richer the computerwill alert the oxygen sensor. Butthe problem maybe a vacuumleak in the intake system.

The problem with trying tofix your car yourself is youneed the proper tools to watchthe signal from the sensors andhave the knowledge and expert-ise to be able to conclude what

the readings mean.On today’s engines something

as simple as changing the sparkplugs can turn into a big problem,costing hundreds of dollars.Some of the Ford engines use aspecial spark plug with a verylong electrode. If this electrodegets stuck when you’re trying toremove the plug it will brake offin the head. Now you need to buythe special tool to remove it.

Even rotating our tires can seta dash light, if you do it withoutthe special tool to reset the tiremonitors.

So again, you may want tothink twice before fixing yourown car – will it really save youmoney?

Why doing it yourself maynot be such a good idea

Gary Taylor is service manager atClayton Valley Shell. Call him withquestions at (925) 672-3900

GARY TAYLOR

CAR TUNED



Drexel and Archie are ARF’sAdoption Stars

Drexel is ready to educatehis new adopter on all the amaz-ing ways to explore the worldaround him. Not surprisingly,Drexel loves to explore usinghis nose. His new adopter willneed to match his curiosity withadventures that satisfy his activ-ity needs. Drexel enjoys trainingfor treats, and he would proba-bly enjoy a Basic Manners train-ing class where he can show offhow smart he can be. Drexel is astar at CAMP ARF this weekwhere he is learning cool tricksand manners from his teentrainer!

The adoption fee for adultdogs is $225 and includes 60percent off one 7-week dogtraining session.

Archie is the crème de lacrème, and what about thosestunning blue eyes! Not only ishe a looker, but he has a quiet,mellow personality.

The adoption fee for adultcats is $50.

Meet your forever friend atTony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation, 2890 MitchellDrive, Walnut Creek, during

adoption hours: 3 to 7 p.m.Thursday and Friday, Noon to 5p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Theprimary caretaker must be pres-ent to adopt. ARF also encour-ages kids 16 and younger andcanine family members (dogadoptions only) to be presentduring the adoption process.

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

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Coming to Your Mailbox This Summer!

The Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) has partnered withHome Emergency Insurance Solutions to offer optional Exterior Residential Water Service Line Insurance to its residential treated-water customers. This new program is designed to provide peace of mind if the exterior water-service line between a customer’s house and CCWD’s meter should ever break. The insurance would cover service line repair costs, and the work would be performed by a qualified local plumber.

A letter providing the details of this voluntary insurance program will be delivered to your mailbox in August. Please watch for it.

Many feline lovers believethat cats prefer to share theirtime between home and yard.While some cats really doenjoy outdoor time, allowingyour kitty outside can be riskybusiness.

Opening that door is aninvitation to all sorts of dan-gerous situations. Roamersare continually in jeopardy ofbeing hit by speeding cars orattacked by wild animals (evensuburban areas have preda-tors). Explorers can unknow-ingly put themselves in dangerof being trapped in a hotgarage, basement, or otherisolated space far from thehelp of human hands. Eventhose who stick close to homecan be exposed by otherneighborhood cats to a multi-tude of diseases, many ofwhich have no protective vac-cine available.

The good news is that catsdon’t need to go outside.There are many ways to make

indoor living just as fun as lifeoutdoors by bringing the joysof nature inside.

If your cat is willing to trynew things, training her towear a harness and walk on aleash will allow her to enjoyoutside time while keepingher safe. This is also a goodoption for a newly adoptedyoung cat. Usually, strollingwith your cat in the front orback yard will provide suffi-cient entertainment, as mostfelines prefer to stick close tohome. Be careful not to leave

your cat unattended or tiedout in the yard.

A bird feeder attached to atree in front of a prime win-dow seat will entertain yourcat for hours. To make it evenmore exciting, splurge on awindow box, so she can haveher own little protected out-door enclosure.

Television can also serveas your cat’s “window” onnature. Videos and shows fea-turing fellow felines, fish,birds, and other nature ele-ments are constant amuse-ment for many cats, and theresulting kitty chatter willkeep you and your family institches. Or try a soundmachine that plays naturenoises.

Cat grass is a fun and tastytreat which most cats love.Readily available from any petstore, it can be grown fromseed or purchased ready toeat. Another favorite, espe-cially among adventurous

cats, are wand toys featuring abright feather, which allowsyour cat to hunt and chase toher heart’s content. She willalso benefit from the directinteraction with you. Finally, acat tree will give your com-panion a place to scratch andclimb up high, where she cankeep a watchful eye on dailyfamily life.

Although your cat mightfuss and plead to be let out-side, particularly if you’ve justbegun keeping her inside, thekey to happiness is providingplenty of physical and mentalexercise. Remember thatyou’re doing what is right forher: keeping your cat in thesafest possible place, yourhome and your heart.

For more ideas, please visitthe Cat Behavior Library onthe Resources & Links page atwww.arf.net.

Bring the outdoors in to your indoor cat

ELENA BICKER

PET PALS

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


Clayton Sports

Clayton’s globe-trotting diverKristian Ipsen was in Shanghai,China last week for the FINAWorld Championships and bare-ly missed coming home with amedal. Ipsen and partner TroyDumais, the three-timeOlympian, took fourth in the 3-meter Synchronized after beingplacing second entering theirfinal dive of the competition areverse 2-1/2 with 1-1/2 twists.

Dumais and Ipsen qualified

fourth going into the finals.After the prelim dives Ipsensaid, “I was pretty happy withour performance but there are afew things we can change. Wedon’t want to do all our bestdives in the prelims. We want tosave our best for the finals.Hopefully we can come out andput pressure on the three teamsahead of us.”

Five dives into the finals theAmerican tandem put on plentyof pressure moving into secondplace but just one point ahead ofa Mexican team and five in front

of a Russian duo. The US teamfaltered on its final dive, missingout on the silver (England) andbronze (Mexico) medals withChinese divers Qin Kai and LuoYutong comfortably in front ofthe field for the gold as Chinacontinues to totally dominateinternational diving.

Dumais was disappointedafterwards realizing his team fin-ished just nine points off thepodium.”Finals are always afight and I missed my last dive.I’m sorry I had to bring myteammate [Ipsen] down with me

because he did a great job.”A couple of days later Ipsen

was on his own in the 3Mspringboard competition. Hebegan his second major interna-tional meet individually (he wassixth in 3M last year at theWorld Cup, also in China) bymoving into fourth place aftertwo rounds of the 3M prelimi-naries but then had three lowscoring efforts in a row and waseliminated before the semi-finals. The good news was thatDumais qualified ninth (andended up fifth) so the USA

earned a second spot in the2012 Olympics for 3M spring-board, which effectively doublesIpsen’s chances of competingthere next summer.

Last month Ipsen earned hissixth national championshipwithout even taking a dive.Harrison Jones was stripped ofhis 2011 Winter Nationals 3Mspringboard title due to a faileddrug test and runner-up Ipsenwas awarded the gold medal.Dumais, who was third at themeet, moved up to the silvermedal spot.

Eagles pass way to JV football title

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

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COACH LES GARAVENTA’S CLAYTON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR VARSITY FOOTBALL TEAM won the 11th annual Clayton Valley JV at GonsalvesStadium. The Eagles took top honors from the eight teams taking part in the 7 on 7 tournament. The all-sophomore Eagles team defeated DeLa Salle 21-14 in the championship game. The two finalists were each 3-0 entering the title game. The Shootout champions were, front rowfrom left, Ryan Dudley, Ryan Williams, Riley Smith, Tanner Wraa, Mike Protheroe; back row, coach Garaventa, Kristian Mamea, GarrettNelson, Zach Dominguez, Kyle Hively and Austin Rogers.

Rhonda Caldwell sentCopeland a note about her son’sbasketball experience. “Wordscannot describe how impressedI am with your All Out SportsLeague. From each correspon-dence I have had from day oneup until our first game, yourleague is much more organized,professional and youth orientedthan leagues we have been incontact with years prior. I amtruly glad we signed our son upto AOSL and we will continueto participate in your Leaguehere in Clayton. Many thankyous, you are doing a wonderfuljob.”

The AOSL basketball pro-gram is growing. Registrationfor the fall league, which beginstwo weeks after the summerprogram ends, is already open.A winter basketball league willrun from December throughFebruary. The winter basket-ball league will also have cheer-leaders.

AOSL also has a competitivebasketball program. Copelandadds, “We currently have twoAAU Basketball teams that aredoing very well. The current10U team has won three tourna-ments this year. Tryouts forthis team will be in December.”

For information on all of theAOSL programs at Clayton Gymvisit www.alloutsportsleague-clayton.com.

Photo by Mike Dunn

ALL OUT SPORTS LEAGUE

founder Casey Copelandkeeps very busy running thesummer basketball programat Clayton Community Gym.Whether he’s setting up theschedule, officiating gamesor fixing a backboardCopeland is making sure the boys and girls in the pro-gram are having a positiveexperience.

Kristian Ipsen, partner narrowly miss out on World Championship diving medal

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The Cal star and 2009CVHS grad makes bidfor US Olympic berth

Our small city of Claytonmay be represented by two ath-letes next year at the LondonSummer Olympics. DiverKristian Ipsen has establishedhimself on the internationaldiving stage and seems a near-lock to claim a spot on theUnited States diving team.Now, 2009 Clayton Valley Highgrad Kara Kohler has burstonto the American rowingmain stage just two years aftertaking up the sport as a fresh-man at Cal.

Kohler was Pac 10Newcomer of the Year as afreshman, last summer helpedthe American team to the U23World Championship and thenwas All-America this pastspring as a Golden Bear sopho-more. As soon as her collegiateseason was over she headed toPrinceton to train with theNational team this summer,and she was chosen to partici-pate in American boats at theHenley Royal Regatta inEngland and World Cup III inLucerne, Switzerland.

She was in the quad (fourmembers sculling – two oarseach) at the Henley and theAmerican Eight in Lucerne.Not only did she make thosetwo boats but also helped eachto gold medals.

The historic Henley Regattaon the River Thames was firstcompeted in 1839 but womenweren’t allowed to compete

until 1981 when women’s exhi-bition races were first contest-ed.

This year’s Princess Gracetall quad final was a battle forthe early part of the race withAustralian Institute of Sportkeeping the rating up and spar-ring effectively, until the USwomen turned it on and passed

them. The Aussie entry had therace experience to match theUS crew, but not quite as muchhorsepower. The USQuad–powered by WorldChamp Esther Lofgren, U23World Champ Kohler and twoOlympic Champions in ElleLogan and recently returnedCaryn Davies–had the race in

hand by mid-course and took alength and 1/4 verdict at thefinish.

In Lucerne, the featuredeight race was eerily similar tothe World Cup last year, as theCanadians set the pace for thefirst 1500 meters only to see theAmericans sprint through toget the win. The margin was abit tighter this year with theUSA never down by more thana deck or so, and having per-haps a slight margin overCanada in the second half. TheUS had to work hard for thewin as the line-up for theAmerican crew had been inconstant flux with fully five dif-ferent rowers from the eightthat won the week before inHenley.

Kohler, coming off hersophomore year at Cal, was rac-ing her first regatta at the seniorteam level. “That race was awild ride to say the least, but agood first go,” she said, follow-ing the win. “There’s always abit of nerves at the start but Itry to brush it off and not let itget to me.” Here, Davies inter-jected, “Bears don’t get nerv-ous, GRRRR!” Kohler contin-ued on to say, “We were a fewseats down through most ofthe race, but were able to pullback through.”

The women’s eight was theonly gold medal won by USArowers in Lucerne.

Even with those interna-tional laurels Kohler is current-ly waiting to hear this week ifshe’s selected for an Americanteam going to Bled, Slovenia atthe end of August for theWorld Championships, a majorstep towards making theOlympic team in 2012.

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Playing on one of the topsoccer teams in America cankeep a young person busy. Forlocal players Isaiah Dargan andMikey Guerrero (De La Salle),Reymond Velente ClaytonValley), TJ Hogan (BereanChristian) and their teammateson the Diablo FC 95 boys soc-cer team it also means they aretraveling around the WesternUnited States seeking the high-est levels of competition. Theteam is competing this week-end at Surf Cup XXXI in San

Diego. In their 12-team Superbracket are championshipteams from Maryland, Florida,Nevada, Georgia andWashington as well asCalifornia’s best.

Two weeks ago nine playersfrom the team took part in the26th annual US Futsal NationalChampionships in Anaheimand their Diablo Valley team(5v5 games played indoors)won the U15 boys national titlewhile the rest of the group wasplaying in the Davis Legacy

College Showcase where theylost the U16 finale on penaltykicks. This action came justweeks after Diablo FC 95returned from the USYSA FarWest Regionals where thesquad coached by John Badgerdefeated the #1 team in thecountry San Diego SurfAcademy 3-2 as they reachedthe quarterfinals and cementedtheir place in the Top 15national rankings. Diablo FC95 has gone to three straightCYSA State Cup finals.

The Clayton Pioneer con-gratulates Diablo FC 95 andrewards their achievement witha gift certificate to Rocco’sRistorante & Pizzeria

Do you know a young athletewho should be recognized? Perhapshe or she has shown exceptionalsportsmanship, remarkable improve-ment or great heart for the sport.Send your nomination for the Rocco’sPioneer Athlete Spotlight today [email protected].

AthleteSpotlight

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Oakhurst swimmers alsoplace well in event that is aprecursor to County meet.

Each July the Dana HillsSwim Team hosts the DevilMountain Pentathlon, offeringrecreation swimmers thechance to swim all four strokesplus the individual medley ordouble distance freestyle in aunique format which rewardsthe top A and B Division all-around competitors. This year’s17th edition of the pentathlonsaw the host team win a domi-nating 10 of the 12 A Divisiongold medals.

The host Otters capturedfirst place in every age groupexcept the 7-8 boys, where theyfinished third, fourth and sixthand the 15-18 girls, whereDHST competitors were sec-ond, fourth, fifth and sixthbehind Clayton Valley HighSchool standout AllysonHansen, swimming forSpringwood. All the other 10age groups–five each for boysand girls–featured an Ottersswimmer accumulating the low-est cumulative time.

IANNACCONNES MAKE

A SPLASH

In the youngest age group, 6and under, twins Scott andStephanie Iannaccone of DanaHills won the boys and girls ADivision respectively. ScottIannaccone was more than nineseconds ahead of his closest

competitor with teammatesAaron Woodling third andColton Seastrand fourth. Histwin sister Stephanie won bymore than 10 seconds andKassidy Serena was seventh forthe Otters. Their older brothersRyan Iannaccone (9-10) andErick Iannaccone (11-12) alsowon gold medals in their ADivisions.

Zoe Lahanas (sixth) andMolly Boland (eighth) were DHgirls in 6 and under B Divisionwhile Diego Castaneda (third),William Miller (fifth) andConnor Velez (seventh) placedfor the Otters in the youngest BDivision while Joe Ottoboni ofOakhurst was eighth.

Teammates Ryanne Bolandand Emily Hamilton were firstand second in 7-8 girls withRylie Velez fifth. In the 7-8 BDivision Haley Brown was firstfor Oakhurst Country Club,beating DHST’s AinsleyTownlin by .07 seconds in themeet’s closest margin of victory.On the boys 7-8 side, OrcaTerrell Hopson was second toYgnacio Wood swimmer MikeyMainer in the A Division whileDana Hills swimmers JasonWoodling (third), ToshioLongley (fourth) and JoshuaEwert (sixth) trailed. In the 7-8boys B Division, the Otters andOakhurst grabbed most of themedals with Xander Friedman(first), Matteo Mitchell (second),Christopher Sarna (third) andJoey Dern (fifth) for DHST andHunter Silva (sixth) for theOrcas.

The 9-10 boys placementsbehind Ryan Iannaccone from

Dana Hills were Niklas Weigelt(third), Jackson Trimble (sixth)and Anthony Trimble (eighth).Erick Iannaccone topped the11-12 boys with three Ottersteammates also placing—SeanThomas (fourth), Joe Snyder(sixth) and Anthony Friedman(eighth). In 11-12 boys BDivision Adam Birder was fifthand Mathew Fryer seventh forDH.

PREPARING FOR LEAGUE,COUNTY MEETS

DHST head coach SergeVictor must have been pleasedwith the results in so many agegroups where multiple Otterswere placing in the A Division,foreshadowing excellent relayteams during the end of seasonleague, city and county meets.

Sarah Hamilton of DanaHills was the only down age ADivision event winner asidefrom the 15-18 age groupswhere a pair of 17-year-oldswon. Nine-year-old Hamiltonfinished more than five secondsahead of the field in the 9-10girls. Alex Brown (third),Gabriella Mancini (fifth) andCamille Cline (seventh) tookhome hardware for the otters.Emma Kelly of DH was first inthe 9-10 B Division with team-mate Kaitlyn Dunn (third) whileOakhurst placed with BriannaMurray (fourth), GeorgiaMoraes (fifth) and SarahDeBack (eighth).

Allie Klinger was the top fin-isher in 11-12 girls for DanaHills while Katie O’Sullivan(third), Erika Publico (fourth)and Alina Weigelt (fifth) for the

Otters. Their teammate BridgetHyland was fifth in 11-12 BDivision.

In 13-14 girls Justine Trimbletook top honors while MelissaSchoell (third) and LindsayTreppa (fourth) also were top ADivision finishers. BethanyAnzelone (fifth) and SarahWilliams (sixth) gained BDivision medals for DHST.

Jack Madigan of Dana Hills

was 13-14 A Division champ.Oakhurst’s Jacob Hanson tookeighth in the B Division.

Hansen was the 15-18 girlswinner with Dana Hills earningfour placements by down ageswimmers Sierra MacIntyre(second), Vicky Talens (fourth),Sara Abele (fifth) and TriciaTalens (sixth). Tianna Howard-Roles took eighth in BDivision.

Not to be outdone by hisCVHS teammate Hansen,Derek Anderson won the 15-18boys A Division. Both Hansenand Anderson are preparing fortheir first collegiate water poloseasons this year after graduat-ing from Clayton Valley Highlast month. Samuel Protich wasthird for DHST in 15-18 boys Awhile Dustin McCormick wasfourth in B Division.

TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM

GIRLS SOCCER DAY AUG. 20Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, in partnership

with Tesoro Golden Eagle, Garaventa Enterprisesand Diablo FC, presents “Taking the World byStorm - Building Self-Confidence and LeadershipSkills for Girls On & Off the Field” on Saturday,Aug. 20, at Tesoro Fields in Concord. This freesoccer clinic led by the semi-professional women’ssoccer team California Storm is for girls 10-16 andwill run from 3:30 – 6 p.m. Registration is requiredfor the free girls soccer clinic and space is limitedso girls are encouraged to sign up early by email-ing [email protected] or calling (925)521-1511. Following the free clinic will be awomen’s exhibition game between the CaliforniaStorm and Diablo FC starting at 6 o’clock.

20TH CVHS ATHLETIC BOOSTERS GOLF

TOURNAMENT AUG. 22Clayton Valley High School Athletic Boosters

are hosting their 20th annual Charity GolfTournament on Monday, Aug. 22, at OakhurstCountry Club. Entry fee includes golf, cart, lunch,putting contest, golf shirt, tee prize and dinner.Early bird entry fee of $150 goes up $25 after Aug.3. For complete information email tournamentdirector Chance [email protected] or visit cvhsboost-ers.org.

CLAYTON GYM OPEN EVENINGS FOR

BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL PLAYClayton Community Gym is open every

Monday evening this summer for open basketballplay and Tuesday for volleyball open gym. All OutSports League is holding open gym nights throughthe end of August. The gym will be open onMondays for basketball and Tuesday for volleyballfrom 5:30-7:30 p.m. for children eight to 17 andfrom 7:30-9:30 p.m. for adults 18 and older. Costis $5 per person per night. Visit alloutsport-sleague-clayton.com for more details.

ALL OUT SPORTS LEAGUE PARENT/CHILD GOLF FUNDRAISER AUG. 14

All Out Sports League is holding its secondannual Parent/Child Golf Tournament on Sunday,Aug. 14, at Hiddenbrooke Golf Course inAmerican Canyon with a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start.The entry fee of $180 covers two players (childrenmust be eight years or older) and a BBQ dinner.There will be a variety of contests and prizes witha two-player scramble format used. Proceeds fromthis event will go to support AOSL youth pro-grams. Registration is now open on the website atalloutsportsleague.com.

PRE-SEASON SUMMER CAMP FOR

MDSA PLAYERS AUG. 1-4Boys and girls in Mt. Diablo Soccer are invit-

ed to AYSO Pre-Season Camp Aug. 1-4 atBoatwright Fields in Concord. Diablo FC willhave an all-star coaching staff including St.Mary’s College head coach Adam Cooper, CalBerkeley goalkeeper coach Henry Foulk,Brazilian World Cup legend Sissi and 5-time NCSchampion coach Brian Voltattorni on hand forthe sessions. The camp is open to all AYSO play-ers as they get ready for their 2011 fall league sea-son. Registration and information is available atdiablofc.org.

NEW 10 UNDER BASEBALL TEAM

FORMING IN CLAYTONAll Out Sports League 10 Under travel base-

ball team based in Clayton is now taking signups.The team will play in tournaments throughoutNorthern California and Nevada and practice atClayton Community Park. Tryouts for the 2012season will be held Sept. 4 and Oct. 9 from 3–6p.m. There is no fee to tryout. Players need to beborn after April 30, 2001 in order to qualify forthe 10U age group. For more information call(925) 203-5626 or visit alloutsportsleague-clay-ton.com.

STILL TIME TO REGISTER FOR MT. DIABLO

SOCCER FALL LEAGUE WAITLISTMt. Diablo Soccer is still accepting applica-

tions for fall league. The local AYSO recreationsoccer program, Mt. Diablo Soccer encouragesfamilies with children 4 -18 years of age to visitits website at mdsoccer.org and sign up. Childrenmust be at least four-years-old by July 31 to playthis fall season. Some age groups may only beaccepting players on wait list. For more informa-tion email Mt. Diablo Soccer [email protected]. Information on fees and vol-unteer requirements are on the website. Teampractices begin as early as Aug. 1.

MT. DIABLO STRIKERS WIN SANTA

BARBARA SPLASH TOURNAMENTMt. Diablo U12 boys Strikers FC took first

place at the Santa Barbara Splash Tournament toconclude their tournament season. The champi-onship match was played in the rain with theMDSA boys defeating a Santa Barbara squad 4-3.In the finale Strikers FC were ahead 2-0 at half-time on goals by Taylor Heuerman and EvanLonestar, but Santa Barbara came out strong inthe second half to score three times beforeAustin Ramirez and Diego Cordova netted goalsin the final five minutes to give Strikers FC theirfourth tourney championship.

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Sports Shorts

Dana Hills rack up 10 age group titles at Pentathlon

Photo by Joern Weigelt courtesy of Dana Hills Swim Team

THE IANNACCONE FAMILY HAD QUITE A TIME AT THE 17TH ANNUAL DEVIL MOUNTAIN PENTATHLON. TheDana Hills Swim Team won 10 of the A Division gold medals and Iannaccone children claimedfour of them. Ryan Iannaccone won the 9-10 boys division while older brother Erick was tops inthe 11-12 boys and twins Scott and Stephanie swept the six and under laurels for the Otters.

Clayton Sports Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com July 29, 2011

Future retirees will getbenefits, but exactly howmuch is the question.

Will Social Security be avail-able for you when you retire?Based on how much chatter andmisinformation surrounds thesubject, you may be surprised bythe answer. Barring dramaticchanges, Social Security willcontinue to provide benefits forall future retirees, including you.The real question is how muchyou will receive in benefits.

A “PAY AS YOU GO” PROGRAM

It is important to understandjust how Social Security is struc-tured. While the system facesfinancial challenges due in largepart to demographic trends of alarge baby boomer populationretiring, it is not “going broke”as many have stated.

The primary source of bene-

fits for current retirees is theSocial Security (FICA) tax paidby working Americans. This isan ongoing source of revenuefor the program. Therefore,benefits will be available indefi-nitely assuming the FICA taxremains in place.

What concerns forecasters isthat, along with ongoing taxreceipts, the Social Security pro-gram has become increasinglydependent on a “trust fund”

that has been building fordecades. The trust fund is a poolof money that represents theexcess of tax receipts generatedover the years beyond what wasneeded to pay current benefits.As the large baby boomer popu-lation begins to retire, the trustfund will slowly be depleted inorder to fulfill all promised ben-efits to retirees.

LIFE AFTER THE TRUST FUND

The only part of SocialSecurity that is “going broke” isthe trust fund. It is projectedthat if no changes to benefits orthe tax structure occur, the trustfund will be depleted by about2037.

The trust fund has facedchallenges before. In the 1980s,changes to the tax rate and ben-efits eligibility were put in placein order to delay the potentialdepletion of the trust fund. It ispossible that additional changes

will be implemented at somepoint in the future to extend thelife of the trust fund and main-tain benefit levels that are closeto what future retirees expect toreceive.

But even if the trust fund isexhausted, benefits should con-tinue. The Social SecurityAdministration estimates thatongoing revenues to the pro-gram (through the FICA tax)will generate sufficient dollars toprovide benefits equal to at least75 percent of what futureretirees would expect to receivebased on the current structureafter 2037.

PLANNING AHEAD

The ongoing uncertaintyabout funding for SocialSecurity creates issues for thosewho are trying to plan for theirneeds in retirement. While youshould be able to count on someform of Social Security well intothe future, it is prudent to useconservative estimates. Assumethat monthly payments will beonly about 75 percent of whatyou may have previously antici-pated, and plan on overcomingthe gap with dollars generatedby personal savings. This mayrequire you to commit moredollars toward your retirement,even though some form ofSocial Security will most likelybe around for you when youretire.

Mureleen Benton is licensed/reg-istered to do business with U.S. resi-dents only in the state of California.Email your questions [email protected] So, I got an email the other

day from my esteemed editor atthe Pioneer, a gentle reminderthat I have a column scheduledfor the next issue, and therefore adeadline to meet. That deadlineis today.

Now I’m not saying that Ialways put off this column untilthe last minute, but the last fewweeks have been pretty heavy. Iwas juggling three jobs, we hadto go out of town for a few days,Lisa is changing jobs, and thenthere’s the normal ratcheting upof life simply because the kidsare on summer vacation.

Oh, and I had to get a newcell phone.

I know there are a lot of youout there who love getting newphones and other electronicgadgets. I have many friends thatare forever making love to theiriPhones. My wife, Lisa, got a newT-Mobile Sensation phone andjust recently looked up longenough to see that I shaved my

head and got one of those MikeTyson face tattoos.

Technology has far surpassedme and frankly I’m not reallyinterested in catching up. Thejump rope is about as far as I liketo go tech-wise.

You see, there are all readyplenty of things that make mefeel like an idiot; getting a newphone just adds one more to thelist. Three years ago, Lisa gaveme an iPod for my birthday. Ithanked her, put it in a drawerand never opened it. After a yearhad passed she finally beganusing it herself. Now understand,I LIKE the iPod, I simply cannotsummon the energy to learn howto use it – to create an account,to sync it up, to blah, blah, blah.

When I want music you knowwhat I do? I turn on the radio.It’s easy, it’s free and I don’t haveto read an instruction manual –unless of course my car batterydies – because without the man-ual I’d never remember how toset the station pre-sets. If ever Ilose the manual I’ll just have tosing to myself.

My own Luddite leaningsaside, I understand that our soci-ety is engaged in a mad loveaffair with technology, and there-

fore I must embrace certainthings, the cell phone being oneof them. So last week – my oldflip-phone having finally beeneuthanized – Lisa held my handas I bravely went to T-Mobile topick out a new phone. We werethere for almost 2 ½ hours. Iwaffled back and forth betweenthe “Smart Phones” and the idiotphones; durable vs. sleek; touchscreen vs.…not touch screen. Atone point I laid my head on thecounter, so dizzy I was with allthe choices and options.

I finally settled on theBlackberry (I knew you werewondering) which seemed agood compromise between tech-nology and idiocy. It’s not atouch screen but it has a little“mouse” like a computer, so it’stechy while still being idiotfriendly. I can text, watchYouTube, Twit, use the Googlemachine.

Now I only need to figure outhow to make phone calls.

Clayton resident HannahJohnson “loves being apart of everything.’

It reached 100 on July 18 inClayton. Not the thermometer,but the birthday clock forDiamond Terrace resident,Hannah Johnson.

Hannah celebrated her 100thbirthday with neighbors at par-ties on July 16 at DiamondTerrace and family at her daugh-ter Carla Johnson-Neer’s homein Clayton on July 17. City coun-cil issued a certificate toJohnson at the July 5 meetingdeclaring a Hannah ChristinaJohnson day in Clayton.

“You have to live it to learnit,” Johnson says when asked theobvious question about thesecret to long life. “I drink mymilk every night,” she adds,offering something tangible toinquiring minds.

She sits quietly in her reclin-er with a sketch of her husbandon the wall above and her but-

terfly collection displayedaround the room. A string ofbutterflies over the air condi-tioner vent take flight when theair comes on.

Johnson answers questionswith a certain modesty and prac-tical thought, every so oftenbecoming playful like the butter-flies by sharing a more personalsentiment.

She was born in Iowa andmet her husband, Carl, whileboth were working on a farm.She cooked, cleaned and didwash for the ranch hands. Carlworked with horses. Hannahsays he was very jealous andkept turning up where she wasuntil one day, he said, “Whydon’t we elope?”

“That was it,” Hannahchuckles, revealing details evenJohnson-Neer did not know.They ran off to Carl’s homestate of Minnesota to wed, butwere not entirely alone. Carl’smother shared in the occasionand baked “a nice big angel foodcake” to celebrate.

Hannah and Carl spent theirlife together farming in SouthDakota and raising four chil-dren. And when Carl fell ill, “I

took care of him,” Hanna says,in spite of the doctor’s recom-mendation that Carl be in a carehome. They were married for 63years by the time he passed awayin 1991.

Hannah moved around a bit– back to Iowa and Minnesotabefore settling at Diamond

Terrace in Clayton near Carla.Hannah is legally blind, so sheneeds some assistance, butmostly manages on her own.

“She loves to be a part ofeverything,” says Gwin Lewis-Phillips, assistant administratorat Diamond Terrace. Lewis-Phillips helped Johnson move inback in 2006. She notes thatJohnson is very active – enjoyingthe weekly socials, live musicand resident meetings.

“She is well-preserved,” herdaughter teases. She adds that hermother is really healthy and strong.Even Johnson’s cardiologist com-ments on her firm handshake.

Johnson speaks from theheart when she reminisces aboutdancing, her husband, conversa-tions with her own mother andenjoying polka music on theradio on Sundays. Both sets ofher grandparents were fromGermany. To give tribute to herheritage, her family party wascatered with German food andpolka music kept the tempoupbeat.

Johnson says what she islooking forward to next in life is“good health and to continue tolive on my own.”

She’s 100, going strong for 101

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MURELEEN BENTON

FINANCIAL SENSE

What’s the prognosis for Social Security?

Clayton resident, Joe Romano, isa family man, a free-lance writer forhire and the Pioneer’s “all aroundfunny guy.” E-mail him [email protected]

New phone does every-thing but make a call


CENTENARIAN HANNAH JOHNSONcredits her long life to takingthings as they come and a glassof milk every night. Mayor DaveShuey passes the microphone toJohnson at the July 5 city councilmeeting where she was honoredby the city of Clayton for reach-ing a healthy and robust 100years.

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The year of 2011 is truly acause for women throughoutCalifornia to celebrate thoseseemingly little rights that tendto be taken for granted.Although women’s right to votedidn’t become an amendment tothe U.S. Constitution until nineyears later, on Oct. 24, 1911,women from throughoutCalifornia rejoiced as the state’swomen were finally granted theright to vote.

With my 18th birthday rightaround the corner, I have start-ed to think about what I’m mostlooking forward to in my quick-ly-approaching “adulthood.” To

me, there are few rights moreprecious than having the abilityto have your voice heard andyour vote count, particularly as ayoung woman.

I can say with pride that Iknow that on the morning of my18th birthday, the first thing I willdo is make my way down to thepost office and register to vote.

Oct. 10, 2011 marks the100th anniversary of womengaining the right to vote inCalifornia. From the time manbegan to walk the Earth, womenhave had to fight to be viewed asbeing as competent as men. Bymeans of peaceful and at times,not-so-peaceful protest, invigor-ating and inspiring speeches,and years of dedication, womenhave paved the way for thefemales of the future to be seenas strong and independent citi-zens. Now that we women havethis tremendous privilege, it isnot something to take lightly.

From the Seneca FallsConvention – a women’s rightsconvention held in Seneca Falls,NY in 1848 that launched thewoman suffrage movement – tothe fight for the right to use

birth control, women havefought, struggled and overcomemany obstacles to give futurewomen the rights they neverhad. In my opinion, not takingfull advantage of my ability tovote, along with the other rights

they fought for, is comparableto saying that what thosewomen did is meaningless.

I feel that so many teensturning 18 lose sight of the factthat we really do gain an amaz-ing opportunity to help make

those huge decisions in ourcountry by merely filling out aballot. Sure, we can buy lotterytickets and we are no longerbound by state curfew when wedrive, but after a few months,the luster of those little privi-

leges will wear off. Our ability tomake a difference in society willnever lose that appeal.

Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M., AUG. 3 FOR THE AUG. 12 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO [email protected]

IN CLAYTONJuly 30, August 6, 13, 20, 27Farmers Market8 a.m.-noon Saturdays, Diablo Street between Main and Centerstreets, downtown. pcfma.com.

July 30Michael Paul BandFeaturing country and Southern rock. 6-8:30 p.m., Grove Park,downtown Clayton. Free. For a complete concert series list, seePage 3.

August 20Rib Cook-Off2nd Annual CBCA Rib Cook-Off. Clayton Club Saloon, 6096 MainSt., Clayton. Enter by Aug. 13, $50. Jim Frazier 673-0300, RobRoberson 383-1495 or claytoncbca.org.

August 24Emergency PreparednessClayton CERT seminar on supplies, escape plans and communica-tion to prepare for an emergency. 7 – 9 p.m. at the ClaytonCommunity Library, 6125 Clayton Road. claytoncert.org.

EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENTJuly 22 through July 31“Fiddler on the Roof”Diablo Theatre Company presents this story of love, family and tra-dition with a heartwarming score. San Ramon Valley High SchoolPerforming Arts Center, 501 Danville Blvd., Danville. $12-$15.324-7359 or diablotheatre.org.

August 4 through August 28“Pride and Prejudice”Jane Austen’s enduring tale of manners, upbringing, morality, edu-cation and marriage among the landed gentry of early 19th centu-ry England. Cue Productions Live, 1835 Colfax St., Concord. $10-$18. b8company.com.

August 6A Tribute to ElvisWillows Theatre Co. and Esses Productions present Jim Anderson inattribute to Elvis Presley. First part of Sing for your Supper series tobenefit Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. 8 p.m. CampbellTheatre, 636 Ward St., Martinez. $25. 798-1300 or willowsthe-atre.org.

August 6, 9, 12, 14“The Most Happy Fella”Set in the Bay Area in the 1920s, this opera revolves around the

complications that arise when Tony, an aging Napa Valley vineyardowner, proposes by mail to Rosabella, a young waitress who onceserved him in a San Francisco restaurant. Lesher Center for theArts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $39-$100. 943-SHOW, lesher-artscenter.org.

August 8 through September 4“The Fantasticks”The Willows presents this story of a young man and the girl nextdoor whose parents have built a wall to keep them apart. WillowsTheatre Mainstage, 1975 Diamond Blvd., Concord. $20-$32. 798-1300 or willowstheatre.org.

August 13, 14Japanese Summer FestivalJapanese food, drum performances, judo and kendo demonstra-tions and Japanese flower arrangement demonstrations. Sat. 1 – 9p.m.; Sun. 12 – 8:30 p.m. Japanese American Cultural Center,3165 Treat Blvd., Concord. Free admission and free parking atYgnacio Valley High School. 682-5299 [email protected].

August 18 through September 10“Evil Dead the Musical”What can go wrong when five college students break into anabandoned cabin in the woods? Willows Cabaret at the CampbellTheatre, 636 Ward St., Martinez. $30-35. 798-1300 or willowsthe-atre.org.

October 1CVHS 20th ReunionClayton Valley High School Class of 1991’s 20th reunion. Comerenew friendships and reminisce about days gone by. reunionman-ager.net.

FUNDRAISERSAugust 11Gourmet GallopDiablo Ballet and Diablo Magazine fundraiser benefiting DiabloBallet and PEEK Youth Outreach Program. Gourmet passport tosample culinary creations and wine at nine locations in downtownWalnut Creek restaurants. 5 – 8 p.m. $40. Call 943-1775 or dia-bloballet.org/performance.html.

Aug. 22CVHS Athletic Boosters Golf TournamentClayton Valley High School Athletic Boosters 20th annual charitytournament. Lunch, putting contest, no host cocktails, dinner buf-fet, awards and prizes. 21 and over only. Registration 10:30 a.m.at Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Drive, Clayton.Early bird deadline Aug. 3. Fees vary. cvhsboosters.org.

AT THE LIBRARY

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

Tuesdays through August 9Patty CakesStory time for babies to 3-year-olds. 11 a.m.

WednesdaysBook BuddiesA volunteer will read stories for children of all ages. 1-2 p.m.

Thursdays through August 11Picture Book TimeStory time for ages 3-5. 11 a.m.

August 8Discussion of “French Lessons: A Novel” by Ellen Sussman. 7 p.m.

August 15Evening Stories and CraftsAges preschool to first grade. 7 p.m.

SCHOOLS

CVHS Charter SchoolAugust 9Public hearing meeting. 5:45 – 7 p.m. Monte Gardens ElementarySchool, 3841 Larkspur Drive, Concord.

September 13Decision meeting. 7:30 p.m. District Offices, 1936 Carlotta Drive,Concord.

GOVERNMENT

1st and 3rd Tuesdays, except 8/2 CANCELLEDClayton City Council7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304or ci.clayton.ca.us.

2nd and 4th TuesdaysClayton Planning Commission7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304or ci.clayton.ca.us.


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When was the last time youplayed outside and let the sun’svitamin D soak through yourskin?

Getting out is becoming arare thing in our busy, never-stop-moving generation. Ourtechnology is improving by thesecond, and exposes us tomore of the natural world, buttoo often, only on a screen.

So why not put down theremote or the mouse or theiPad and enjoy the real thing.

Many child developmentand health experts are suggest-ing that families visit naturereserves or a National Trust

site. But few are experiencingthese places directly, on theirown or with their friends. And

that’s what counts: the issue isabout more than nature.

If you’re afraid of the dirt,then look for enjoyment on awhole new level.

You can relish the daylighthours by taking a mini adven-ture to Santa Cruz. Or you cango above and beyond thedaytrip and go to Canada. Or,close by, take a stroll throughClayton’s own MitchellCanyon.

Or take a cue from the fifthgraders at Mt. DiabloElementary School and gocamping in the Sierras like theydid on their recent visit to Sly

Park. And, just a day away arethe Monterey Bay Aquariumand the Delta.

Life is an adventure – getout there and experience it.Lessons and memories aremany and last forever, but weonly have one earth.

Let’s all take care of it andpreserve it for the generationsto come.

And more importantly, let’senjoy it.

Celine Herrera is in the eighthgrade at DVMS. Send comments [email protected].

CELINE HERRERA

DVMS REPORTER

SARAH ROSEN

TEEN SPEAK

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

California women celebrate 100 years of voting

Put down the remote and get off the couch

Have you ever awakened ona bright and sunny day, feelingcheerful and ready to take onthe world? Poised for greatness,you rise lazily, squinting andrubbing your eyes, headingtoward the bathroom door. It istime for the morning weigh-in,the first priority of the day.

As you look down and thefog clears, dark clouds rush inand a tornado is surelyapproaching on the horizon.Where did that huge numbercome from? You begin to won-der whether you are really awakeor just entering a new night-mare.

It’s called scale obsession.Everyone at one time in theirlives has fallen victim to it.Whether you’re male or female,skinny or fat, tall or short, youfind when it’s time to hit thescale, you hit a new low.

Machines and devices do somuch for us these days. We havebecome dependent on them formore than their intended use.This particular example, thebathroom scale was once a sim-ple device used to measure bodyweight but now it is misused tomeasure self worth.

Scales are available with both

digital and analog technologies.Some also say they measurebody composition or fat. Whenyou visit the doctor’s office, thescale is used to offer a base linemeasurement in order to com-pare you to others. Everyonehas an ideal number in theirhead of what they believe theyshould weigh. However, rarelydoes that ideal number matchup to a healthier, attainablenumber. Most people establishthis number after seeing theresults of this year’s Top Modelor which cage fighter is bigger inthe octagon. It’s not YOURweight.

Remember that all bodies aredifferent with no two the same.

The overall makeup of an indi-vidual’s body mass comes froma variety of factors. Age, ethnic-ity, body frame, height, diet,environment, even elevation andtime of day can impact bodymass index. Even specific healthissues like diabetes, Crohn’s dis-ease or dehydration can affectbody mass index, as these issuesaffect water weight and gain.The advent of surgical proce-dures and the time spent in theprocess to heal can also adverse-ly affect weight gain.

Scale obsession is a battle tobe won. With varied and consis-tent physical exercise and aproper diet, developing andmaintaining a healthy body andself-image is inevitable.Learning to care for and loveyour body can lead to a bigger,better you regardless of whatthe scale says.

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This Saturday, join SaveMount Diablo’s DiabloRestoration Team (DiRT) andget hands-on experience restor-ing habitat along MountDiablo’s primary water sourcefor wildlife – Marsh Creek.

From 9 a.m. to noon onSaturday, Aug. 6, the SMD vol-unteer team will be wateringnative plants and pulling a fewweeds at Save Mount Diablo’sMarsh Creek IV property.

In 2009 DiRT planted 500native plants along an 800 footsection of Marsh Creek and peri-odically returns to the site to

remove non-native invasive weedsthreatening health of the ecosys-tem. We’ll be watering each of theplantings helping them establishroot systems so they can surviveour long arid summers.

Volunteers should bringwater, a hand trowel, hand clip-pers and gloves. Wear a hat, longpants, long sleeves and boots.

The planting party will meet at3240 Aspara Dr, Clayton. ToRSVP, contact George Phillips,Land Conservation Associate, SaveMount Diablo, at 925-947-3535 orvia email at [email protected].

Get your handsDiRTY by restoringMarsh Creek

COMMUNITY GEM

Buchanan Field “opened”on Aug. 4, 1946, after servingfor four years as a military air-port during WWII. The timingcouldn’t have been better, as anew post-war enthusiasm for airflight coincided with the growthof Contra Costa County. For 30years the airport served com-mercial and private pilots, andby 1977 was the 16th busiest air-port in the country with 357,000total operations, ahead of SanFrancisco International Airport,John F. Kennedy InternationalAirport and LaGuardia Airport.

But with all the suburbangrowth, noise from the airportbecame a factor, and in 1988 thecounty Board of Supervisorsinstituted a noise restriction thatrestricted some aircraft.

These days, Buchanan ismore of a community hub thana bustling international airport,offering a variety of flight les-sons and activities and the con-venience of an adjacent hoteland golf course.

But it is also of great impor-tance to the region’s economyand vitality. “The airport isclearly a resource to Concordand Central Contra CostaCounty,” says ConcordAssistant City Manager ValerieBarone. “There are many corpo-rate jets that fly in and out ofBuchanan Airport. Without itthese individuals would have touse airports in Oakland, SanJose or San Francisco.

“Additionally, the airport isused to train people interestedin aviation,” Barone says. “Manyof these students tend to uselocal hotels or rent apartmentsto complete their training. Thisof course leads to students sup-porting the Concord economy.”

It is also still a place wheremany pilots take their leave for aday of recreational flight, settingdown in LA or Seattle for lunchwith friends, then taking aleisurely journey back.

“There’s nothing like it,” saysBell.

She had just moved toCalifornia from her nativeEngland in the late 1960s, andon a whim applied for a job as areceptionist at the airport.

“My boss said he didn’tunderstand a word I said, butthat my accent sounded classy,so he hired me,” she says. “Andit was a great job. Who wants tosit in an insurance office bang-ing on a typewriter – now acomputer – all day?”

THE FRIENDLY SKIES

Even 40 years later the air-port is still a bustling center ofactivity. In addition to the every-day flying activity, it is a commu-nity resource, serving as hometo such organizations as theYoung Eagles, in which volun-teer pilots take kids age 8 to 18up for free flights in order togenerate an awareness of andenthusiasm in aviation.

“We just want to get theword out about what is all here,”Bell says. “So when we realizedthat the airport’s anniversarycoincided with the Pilot’sAssociation birthday, it was toogood of an opportunity to passup.

The Open House will beheld from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. onSaturday, Aug. 6. Opening with a$5 brunch, the event will featurea variety of exhibits and activi-ties, Bell says, including hourlydrawings for free introductoryflights sponsored by SterlingAviation and Pacific StatesAviation. She also says there willalso be exhibits of all manner ofaircraft, big and small, for an“up close and personal look.”

In addition, there will be anart exhibit by artist Rhu A. Bigayentitled “Air Show Blues,”which will include oil paintingsof two vintage WW2 bombers.The B-17 and B-24 bombersdepicted in the painting havemade annual visits to Buchanan.

For more information, visit theMDPA’s website at www.mdpa.org.

Buchanan, from page 1

ILIMA HEUERMAN

FIT WITH LEVITY

Ilima Heuerman holds multiple fit-ness certifications. She currently trainsat the newly opened Levity Fitness stu-dio in Clayton. Email Ilima [email protected]

Scales measure pounds –not self worth



As a late summer treat, TheWillows Theatre Companybrings “The Fantasticks” to itsConcord mainstage, Aug. 8through Sept. 4. The TomJones-Harvey Schmidt musicalis directed and choreographedby Lou Fancher, with musicaldirection by Mark Ferreira. Castmembers include RyanDrummond, Stu Klitsner,Ginny Wehrmeister and ZachPiser.

Long an audience favorite,“The Fantasticks” is the world’slongest-running musical. Theoriginal off-Broadway produc-tion ran a total of 42 years(1960-2002) and 17,162 per-formances. It has played acrossthe U.S. and in more than 60countries worldwide.

As an added present toWillows’ audiences, Bay Areatheatre critic Patrick Craig willappear onstage as The Old

Actor. Craig’s son, Sam, will playhis Indian sidekick, Mortimer.Willows’ managing directorDavid Faustina jokes that “ifyou want a good review, put thecritic in the show.”

No, Craig père is purely anactor this time, “and a goodone” it’s being said. And direc-tor Fancher should know, hav-

ing been a theatre critic for theClayton Pioneer. A long-timeperformer and choreographer,Fancher, like Pat Craig, will notbe an onlooker this time, butpart of the show.

“The Fantasticks” is the clas-sic tale of two neighboringfathers who trick their children,Luisa and Matt, into falling in

love by pretending to feud anderecting a wall between theirhouses. The fathers then hiretraveling actors to stage a mockabduction, so that Matt canheroically seem to save Luisa,settling the supposed feud andsecuring their fathers’ blessings(which of course the younglovers have really had all along).

After the children discoverthe deception, they reject thearranged love match. Each goesoff to experience the widerworld. They return to each otherbruised but enlightened by theirjourneys, realizing that they havealways been in love, and renewtheir vows with more maturity.

The Fantsticks plays Aug. 8through Sept. 4 at the WillowsTheatre, 1975 Diamond Boulevardin Concord. After previews on Aug.8, 9 and 10, the show runsWednesdays-Sundays.. Check web-site for show times. www.willowsthe-atre.com or call 925-798-1300 formore information and tickets.

It looks like there will beanother Elvis sighting, this timein Martinez.

The Willows Theatre, inconjunction with EssesProductions, will present The“Early Elvis Tribute” Show star-ring Jim Anderson as The King

himself. Thought by many to bethe best interpreter of earlyElvis around, Anderson willappear at 8 p.m. Aug. 6 at theWillows Cabaret at theCampbell Theatre, 636 Ward St.in Martinez for one show only.

For those who’ve had the

opportunity to see Elvis Presleyin the first half of his career(1954-1966), this show willbring back favorite memories.For those who never had theopportunity to see Elvis whenhis brand of rock ‘n’ roll wasconsidered too dangerous for“the youth of today,” this showwill take you back in time.

The “Elvis Tribute” kicks offthis year’s “Sing for YourSupper” Concert Series, whichmarks the fourth annual pro-duction Esses has presented tobenefit the Food Bank ofContra Costa and Solano.Tickets are available at www.wil-lowstheatre.org or (925) 798-1300.

Esses Productions special-izes in bringing to the Bay Areacabaret and musical perform-ances by popular musical theaterand TV stars. It is headed byshow business veteransSamantha Samuels and StevenShore. Prior “Sing for YourSupper” shows were staged atthe Lesher Center in WalnutCreek.

This is the first year thatEsses will pair with the Willowsfor a series of one-night musical

presentations. Following theAug. 6 Elvis show, the series willcontinue at the WillowsMainstage in Concord on Sept.17 with J’ La Chic’s “Tribute toMotown…and More!” followedby a Variety Show Gala on Nov.5 that will feature cabaret andrecording artist Lee Lessack, TVand film star Linda Purl, the castof the Willows’“WinterWonderettes” and otherguest performers to beannounced.

So, it’s one for the money,two for the show.

‘Elvis’ set to croon for Food Bank

Benjamin Black’s post-WWII mystery resonateson many levels

It is officially summer; forthose of us who tend to readlighter at this time of year, thiscan only mean a plethora ofmystery books is at hand.Benjamin Black, the author of“A Death in Summer,” was myfirst pick because I so admire hisliterary fiction written under hisreal name, John Banville.

Now, having just put thebook down after an almostmarathon read, I’d point out thatalthough “A Death in Summer”– a story about a murdered manand the search for the personwho took his life – certainlyqualifies as mystery, it is not alight read. Seek out a brightcomfortable spot to settle intoand prepare to lose yourself in amystery that will resonate onseveral levels.

The setting is post-WWIIIreland, the city is Dublin com-ing back from the weight of war,and the murder takes place in asummer of nearly inescapableheat. Detective InspectorHackett is taken away from hisSunday dinner and driven toBrooklands, a horse farm inKildare County, where a certainwealthy Canadian émigré hasapparently blown his own headoff by a shotgun blast. Hackettfinds the weapon still resting inthe lap of the now headlessbody. The author, with a defttouch for mixing the horrificwith the bucolic, writes: “Itadded to the shock of the eventthat it had taken place on adrowsy Sunday afternoon insummer, while the beeches alongthe drive at Brooklands swel-tered in the sun and the mingledsmell of hay and horses layheavy on the summer air.”

This is not the fast-pacedwho-done-it of today’s high tech

forensic science, or of the policewith storm trooper SWAT teamsto back them up. This is ruralDublin in the early 1950s, andeven after Hackett determinesthat the death was not by thedecedent’s own hand, the body isburied and mourned before thereal detecting begins. It is a bitweird, but you will read the bookmuch faster than the crime issolved. And even then, the solu-tion is presented almost as anepilogue, with an ending as dis-turbing as it is humane.

Inspector Hackett, understat-ed and slow moving, is assistedby his ever-present pathologist,Dr. Quirke, who unexpectedlybecomes intimate with the deadman’s widow: “He knew the per-ils of the situation he had blun-dered into … what was passionwithout risk, without transgres-sion.” All of Black’s charactersare complex and carefully drawnand, as a result, the reader’s sym-pathies are painfully torn. The

imperfect sons and daughters ofboth the good and the bad guysare no less guilty, but a lot moreunderstandable. Some of theissues surrounding the death ofthis wealthy and obsessively pas-sionate man are lingering shad-ows left over from WWII, likeanti-Semitism, and some are asbase as any that have come tolight in the present. BenjaminBlack writes of places in oursouls just as dark as that onesummer was hot.

Photo credit: Judy Potter

SAM CRAIG AS MORTIMER, ZACH PISER AS THE BOY, AND PAT CRAIG

as The Old Actor in the current Willows production of “TheFantasticks” at the Concord Mainstage Aug. 8 -Sept. 4.

‘A Death in Summer’ is not yourusual warm-weather read

Book Review

Theatre

Sunny Solomon is the former BookLady from Clayton Books andcurrently heads up the Clayton BookClub. Visit her websitebookinwithsunny.com for her latest rec-ommendations or just to "talk books."

SUNNY SOLOMON

FOR THE BOOKS

GARY CARR

Special to the Pioneer

A ‘Fantastick’ performance comes to the Willows

JIM ANDERSON

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Over the Fourth of Julyholiday, I had “Yankee DoodleDandy” rolling around in myhead. I was preparing a maca-roni salad for a picnic and allof a sudden I changed thelyrics to “Yankee NoodleDandy.”

Noodles are not anAmerican food from an his-torical perspective, but theyare nevertheless internationalin modern day cuisines.You’ve got Pad Thai fromThailand, Japanese udon,somen and ramen, butter-and-cream slathered pasta from thenorth of Italy, and so on.

Many of us believe thatMarco Polo introduced noo-

dles to the Western world afterhis travels to China in the 13thCentury. While he may haveintroduced certain styles ofnoodles, it is well establishedthat Arab traders were import-ing Chinese goods and culi-nary techniques hundreds ofyears earlier. Even pre-datingthe Arabs, the ancientEtruscans, and communitieselsewhere on the Europeancontinent, were fashioningwheat into “threads.” Thereare late-comers to the pastascene–spaghetti wasn’t“invented” until the 1700s inNaples, Italy.

The average American con-sumes about 20 pounds ofpasta a year. Much of it ismade from refined wheat withlittle nutrient value. Weeschew (so to speak) wholegrain pastas because they aretougher and sometimes grittyin texture.

It’s no longer hard to findwhole-grain pastas, evengluten-free alternatives likequinoa and corn pasta, andthey are getting tastier.Japanese soba (buckwheat)noodles are also a good optionfrom a nutritional/health

standpoint.The key benefit of noodles

is that they yield high caloricvalue for comparatively littlecost. They also preserve grainmuch longer–once noodles arefabricated from ground grain,water, sometimes eggs andother ingredients, they can beheld in their dry state for longperiods of time.

I make a homemade noodlefor chicken soup that expandslike a mini-dumpling whencooked. It’s easy, fresh and somuch better than reconstitut-ed noodles.

HOMEMADE EGG NOODLES

½ cup flour¼ tsp. salt1 tsp. baking powder1 eggMix all ingredients with

fork in large bowl. Add a littlewater or flour as needed tomake a stiff but workabledough. Place on flouredboard and knead untilsmooth. Divide into 3 por-tions and roll each one thin.Sprinkle each sheet lightlywith flour. Cut into strips. Letstrips dry slightly beforecooking. Cut into 1” to 2”

“bite-size” pieces beforecooking.

Converting a Greek saladinto a Greek pasta salad is eas-ily accomplished and makes atasty side dish during thewarm months.

GREEK PASTA SALAD

(from Kikkoman) Serves 6

1 cup sun-dried tomatovinaigrette or French dressing

¼ cup Kikkoman Thai-style Chili Sauce

4 cups cooked rotini pasta1 cup cherry tomatoes1 cup green bell pepper

strips¾ cup chopped green

onions½ cup peeled, seeded and

diced cucumber4 oz. crumbled Feta cheese1 (3.8 oz.) can black olives,

drained and sliced1 ½ tsp. chopped fresh dill

Whisk together vinaigretteand chili sauce. In a large bowltoss together pasta andremaining ingredients. Toserve, drizzle with vinaigrettemixture.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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

Direct your suggestions or questionsto [email protected]

While we have enjoyedunseasonably cooler tempera-tures so far this summer, theweather is going to get hot inthe weeks ahead. Here aresome safety tips to preventheat exhaustion and/or heatstroke:

Stay hydrated by drinkingplenty of fluids–preferablywater and/or sports drinksthat provide electrolytes.

Avoid doing physical activ-ities in the heat. Try doingthem early in the day beforethe temperature rises.

If you have to performphysical activities in the heat,drink plenty of fluids andavoid drinks with alcohol, caf-

feine, or tea. Take frequentbreaks to hydrate yourself.Wear light-colored & light-weight loose clothes and a hat.

Heat stroke is a form ofhyperthermia in which thebody temperature is dramati-cally elevated. The most sus-ceptible to heat stroke areinfants, elderly, athletes andthose individuals that workoutside physically exertingthemselves under the sun.Usually, heat exhaustion orheat cramps occur before heatstroke and may include symp-toms like nausea, vomiting,fatigue, weakness, headache,muscle cramps and aches,and/or dizziness. In somecases, individuals can developheat stroke suddenly withoutwarning with symptoms thatinclude high body tempera-ture, absence of sweating with

hot red or flushed dry skin,rapid pulse, difficulty breath-ing, strange behavior, halluci-nations, confusion, agitation,disorientation, seizure, and/orcoma.

Heat stroke should be con-sidered a medical emergencythat can be fatal if not treatedpromptly and properly. Thefirst priority of treating heatstroke is getting cool. Get thevictim to a shady area, removeclothing, apply cool or tepidwater to the skin, fan to pro-mote sweating, place ice packsunder armpits and groin. Call911 immediately.

Enjoy your summer andremember to stay cool!

Harun Simbirdi is a residentof Clayton and member of theCity of Clayton Citizen CorpsCouncil (C5-CERT). He can bereached at [email protected].

HARUN SIMBIRDI

SAFETY ZONE

Give heat strokethe cold shoulder

Tomatoes may need anextra boost for a healthylate summer crop

August is time once againto tend to those plants, shrubs,citrus, veggies and vines. Withover half of our growing sea-son behind us, we need to givea boost to our plants that weexpect to thrive until mid-October. This means fertiliz-

ing, pruning, mulching, andinsect and weed killing.

Veggies are on every one’smind this time of year, specifi-cally tomatoes. They are grow-ing in our ground, raised beds,tomato-bags and hangingplanters. At this point, mostgardeners should be seeingfruit beginning to ripen. Somemay complain that their fruit issmaller in size than the labelsdeclared back at the time ofplanting. To encourage the sizeof your tomatoes to increase,use a water-soluble or liquidconcentrate fertilizer that hasmore phosphorus and potassi-um then nitrogen. This willfeed the fruit, not the leaves.

TOMATO FERTILIZERS

Tiger Bloom is a productby Fox Farm. This extrastrength fertilizer is ideal fortomatoes and will encourageabundant fruit, flower andmultiple bud development.Use the Tiger Bloom every

other watering. Master Bloomis the fertilizer of choice forthose who have installed theirtomatoes into the ground,since it contains some soil pen-etrate which will allow theproduct to actually reach theroots within our sticky claysoil.

Maxsea Plant food hasbeen around for many years,and has quite a following. Thisis the original Seaweed Brandfertilizer, and their bud andbloom formula is 3-20-20,which is great for setting buds,bud count and size. Those ofyou who prefer a natural ororganic fertilizer use BigBloom, also by Fox Farm,every other watering. If youthink your plants are small,and that they need somegrowth, choose a fertilizer witha larger first number, or thenitrogen.

Liquid Gold, a fish basedfertilizer put out by MasterNursery, has 15 percent nitro-gen, and will give your tomatoan instant boost.

Tomato watering has a lotto do with how your plantthrives. You need to deeplywater you tomato bushes,drenching 10-12” deep, allaround the drip line of yourtomato bush. Plants needwater and oxygen, that is whywe deeply and thoroughlywater, then let the bush dry outfor 2-3 days before wateringagain. Too much water, or toolittle, will promote bud drop.

Some veggie problems havespecific remedies, so pleasedon’t hesitate to ask a nurseryprofessional for help with pol-lination questions or fungusproblems. Bring in leaves or

take a photo with those cellphones.

Citrus should be treatedalmost like a tomato bush,aside from needing extra ironto keep green. Be careful whenfeeding with citrus food, mostproducts have a largeramounts of nitrogen, or thefirst number on the label, andwill cause bloom drop if givenwhile your citrus has flower, orfruit forming. This time ofyear while your baby lemonsand oranges form, give thebushes or trees a bud andbloom fertilizer, such as theones written about in the pre-vious paragraphs. If your cit-rus has fading green or yellow-ish leaves, and application ofiron is recommended.

GET OUT AND PRUNE

Flowering perennials androses should be tended to thismonth. Rose bushes could usea decent pruning this time ofyear. You don’t need to cutthem all back at once, but asthe blooming wave dies down,cut foliage back about one-fourth to one-third. This willfree up some energy, andencourage some density. It isalso time to feed with the pop-ular rose recipe from our win-ter-feeding. Give each groundgrown florbunda or larger rosebush or tree one-half cup of16-16-16, one-half cup ofgranular iron, one-half cup ofalfalfa meal, one-half cup ofEpsom salt, and a one-halfcup of bone meal. People whorely on drip irrigation to watertheir roses will need to handwater occasionally to push theproducts towards the roots.You will also need to top-dress

thefertil-izer witha high nitro-gen soil condi-tioner. It is also an excel-lent idea to use a soil penetrantto really get the fertilizerwhere it needs to go.

Your perennials need somepruning now too. All spikingbloomers like your salvias,yarrows, delphinium and pen-stomen really need to be cut,anywhere from one-third toone-half down and dead stemsshould be removed entirely.Flowering shrubs need fadedblooms removed to make wayfor fresh leaves. When cuttingthe blooms from a shrub, lookto where the new growth is andcut before that. Look at yourhydrangeas, they probably havesome stems that should be cutaway. With all flowering shrubsand perennials, once you havetrimmed, it is a perfect time tofertilize.

Vines are expected to do alot in our gardens, yet they areseldom cared for properly. Feedyou vines, it will help them out.Use a balanced fertilizer such asa 16-16-16 or an 18-18-18. Ifyou are experience lots ofwoody stems on any vine, it maybe time to cut them back hard.

Every four to five years, a vineshould be severely pruned. Thiswill encourage lush growth. Avine that is established willregrow in half the time, so don’tworry about exposing fences,arbors or overhangs.

Use insect granules on yourlawn now to eliminate grubsBEFORE the raccoon’ tear upyour lawn looking for them.Seven, made by Garden Tech isan old, faithful product thatabsolutely does the job. Getready to use a lawn food with apre-emergent. This should beapplied in September to preventthe winter grass.

Finally, mulch, mulch,mulch. Spread a layer of themulch of your choice and you’llkeep you soil moist longer, andprevent the further germinationof weed seed. Mulch makes thegarden healthier, and makes itlook nice.


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

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The Mt. Diablo Peace andJustice Center is acceptingnominations of local peace-makers for a Peace and JusticeAward to be given at theannual Give Peace A DinnerDance on Oct. 1.

A nominee must be a local-ly-based (Contra CostaCounty) individual or entity,be involved in addressing a

local peace or social justiceneed, show evidence of long-term commitment and leadand motivate others to partic-ipate. Deadline is August 18.Nomination forms are avail-able at mtdpc.org or call MaryAlice O'Connor at the Peaceand Justice Center at 925-933-7850 [email protected].

End of summer, beginning of pruning

Nominations are open forPeace and Justice award

JUL 29 Clayton Pioneer 2011.pdf

Documents

Transcript of JUL 29 Clayton Pioneer 2011.pdf