Pioneer Christmas Cookie Contest See Page B8
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IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com
November 3, 2006
925.672.0500
Bomb threat shakes up DVMS TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
DAVE SHUEY
MAYOR’S CORNER It’s yes on O and L, but no on 90 I sw ear I heard a collecti ve cry of “Uncle” after last issue’s blitzkrieg regarding Measure O. (Subliminal text – vote yes!) When I wrote my column, I did not kno w that the paper would come out with a big ar ticle and that the downtown merchants would place a larg e supporting ad. (Vote yes!) Nevertheless, I am glad that the information is out there for you to mak e an infor med decision. (Vote yes!) Therefore, I will not belabor the point (Vote yes!) and mo ve on to a few other items on the ballot that are of interest to Clayton residents. Again, I will thro w in the mandatory ca veat that the information I am gi ving you is my opinion. Take it for what it is w orth, but remember I did stay at a Holida y Inn Express last night. Measure L. This is about some modifications to , and extension of , the urban limit line (ULL) for Contra Costa County. The specifics and ramifications of the ULL are long, varied and, for the most par t, boring to ev en those who ha ve to deal with them. What y ou need to kno w is that the Clayton City Council, and in particular J ulie Pierce , has worked long and hard with the county and other cities to adjust the ULL for Cla yton to help us long term. After a long struggle, the county ag reed to our requests and so the ULL in this measure is modified per our requests. Why is this impor tant? Because if the measure passes countywide and a majority of
See Mayor, page A7
What’s Inside SECTION A
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . .A2 Clayton Cares . . . . . . . . . . . .A3 Classified Ads and Director y of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . .A5 Letters to the Editor . . . . . .A6 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A9 On the Net . . . . . . . . . . . . .A10 Sharing History . . . . . . . . .A11 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . .A11 Food for Thought . . . . . . .A13 School News . . . . . . . . . . . .A13 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . .A14 Music Notes . . . . . . . . . . . .A14 Weather Words . . . . . . . . . .A15
SECTION B
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 Dining Around . . . . . . . . . . .B5 Crossword Puzzle . . . . . . . . .B5 Holiday Gift Guide (New) . .B6 Community Calendar . . . . . .B9 Paws and Claws . . . . . . . . .B10 Church News . . . . . . . . . . .B11
It seemed an ordinar y day at Diablo View Middle Sc hool the afternoon of Oct. 25. The weather was good, students were all bac k in class after lunc h and Principal Mic hele Cooper w as fielding student and administrative issues as usual. Then at 1:05 p .m., secretary Kim Sutton pic ked up the call that w ould dramatically c hange the course of the day for ev eryone – testing the mettle of the staff, the patience of the students and the effecti veness of the sc hool district’ s Crisis Response Plan. The call was from an unidentified male adult who told Sutton that there w as a bomb planted on the sc hool g rounds, somewhere “in the bac k of the school.” Clayton P olice Officer Tim Marchute happened to be on campus assisting Cooper with an unrelated issue when the call came through. Within min utes, Police Chief Dan Lawrence was onsite, and the three of them planned the evacuation. Without telling the students what w as happening, Cooper evacuated everyone to the front parking lot. “I told them to bring their bac kpacks and they could do homework.” The students w ere under the impression that it w as a sc hoolwide drill. Only the teac hers knew of the bomb threat. Cooper supplied radios to the police and sc hool district personnel who had ar rived so they could maintain communication. The police and sc hool officials then did a sw eep of the classrooms, hallways and rooftops. Finding nothing, they declared a visual “all clear” at 2:15. However, police did put in a
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT DOGS sniff every inch of the gym after a bomb threat closed DVMS on Oct. 25, testing the emergency response capabilities of the administration. request with the Sheriff ’s Department for the bomb-sniffing dogs . They ar rived at 3:50, after the campus was emptied of
students and teachers. The dogs c hecked the g ymnasium and the area around the back of the sc hool, where the
caller said the bomb was hidden. The dogs found nothing of interest except a buc ket of relay race batons that, at one time, had
probably also held a starter pistol – lea ving a trace scent of gunpowder. “This is a v ery moder n school,” said La wrence. “There are v ery few places for something to be hidden.” Parents w ere notified of the situation at 2:35 p .m. by way of the district’s new “Connect-Ed” voice messaging system. “We were able to send messag es to 696 n umbers – home n umbers, cell phones, work numbers,” said Cooper, “and w e only had one number that did not get the message … P arents knew what w as happening ev en before the students w ere dismissed from the campus.” From the beginning, school officials and police suspected the threat was a hoax. “Everywhere I’ve w orked, we’ve had these kinds of calls,” said La wrence. “It’s usually associated with midterms or exam times , or it could even be a student hoping to close the sc hool for a da y or two.” Cooper recei ved high praise from the police c hief. “I think the principal did v ery w ell in quickly deter mining a course of action … All in all, I’d give them an A plus.” The bomb threat at D VMS came on the heels of a bomb scare at Diablo V alley Colleg e, which began the da y before and kept the campus closed for tw o days. Nothing suspicious w as found on that campus either. Despite the disr uption caused to the sc hool and the needless expenditure of resources in responding, a bomb threat hoax is only a misdemeanor crime , said La wrence. While the likelihood of catching the per petrator is lo w, “if we catch him, I’ll c harge him, ” Lawrence said.
Park maintenance budget lean but complete TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer
On No vember 7, Clayton voters will decide if the v acant lot do wntown will be tur ned into a park or not. The city has the $1.3 million needed to build the park, but won’t build it until there is a guaranteed source of funding for its maintenance and operation. If passed, Measure O will create a Comm unity F acilities District with a budg et of $100,600 for the annual maintenance and operation of the park. Two thirds of the funding will come from a residential parcel tax of $16.39 and the remaining one third from a tiered tax on commercial parcels with those businesses closest to the park pa ying a g reater share than those businesses fur ther away from the town center. Any annual increases will be tied to the Consumer Price Index, but cannot exceed 3 percent. Annual increases are not automatic, but will be determined b y actual or expected increases in operations and maintenance. The funds in the park district
cannot be used for any other purpose than park maintenance, nor can they be siphoned off by the state. In this final article before the election, we present to the v oters the breakdown of just where this $100,600 goes. “It’s not just a mow and blow deal,” says City Manager Gary Napper. “There’s a lot of stuff in that park that has to be cleaned and maintained.” The park design came out of a citizen’s design committee and was appro ved b y the v oters in 2000. Among the features included in the design are a playground, a w ater pla y feature , a gazebo, picnic areas with c hessboard and checkers game tables, grassy areas, pathways and public restrooms. By far , the larg est c hunk of the $100,600 belongs to field labor. This includes not only the “mowing and blo wing” associated with maintaining the landscaping but the daily trash removal and the inspection and repair of the structures. The next largest piece of the pie g oes to contract ser vices which include janitorial ser vices for daily cleaning of the public
restrooms, pest control, tree services and rental costs of aerators, pressure washers, etc. Utilities will cost $12,000 for irrigation w ater and $500 for
electricity to light the pathw ays and the buildings. This does not include any costs associated with special events. $5,500 is budg eted for sup-
plies which includes the cost of fertilizer, seed ir rigation par ts, electrical supplies, safety equip-
See Park, page A6
Pete Cruz/Clayton Pioneer
LABOR AND SERVICES account for the biggest portion of park’s operation andmaintenance.
Page A2
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Around Town
Pioneers walk for breast cancer The sun w as shining, the fog was no where to be seen and more than 30,000 people came out to celebrate the da y and w alk fi ve miles for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Ag ainst Breast Cancer Sat. Oct. 14. Three Cla yton troopers , the Pioneer’s T amara Steiner , Jill Bedecarré and Jill’ s daughter Julie bra ved the early mor ning Clayton chill and left to wn at 7 a.m. They hiked to Golden Gate Park in the city where they joined the rest of the team dubbed “Conquering the Hill for Jill,” which included Jill’s son Jason Bedecar ré and sev eral family friends. It was a sea of pink ribbons, sweatshirts and nametags and everyone had a smile to share . The team raised over $3,000 for research. The local team w alked in honor of Jill, diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer last February and T amara, a tw otime breast cancer sur vivor and cancer-free for nine years.
November 3, 2006
Seniors make Clayton a destination walk Once a w eek, a g roup of friends from all o ver the Ba y Area mak e use of public transportation and meet up at a central point to w alk the trails , streets and pathw ays of various cities. Recently, the city of choice was Clayton and the group’s leaders were Stranahan residents Bob and Barbara J ackson. “We’ve been doing this for some 15 years,” says Barbara. The group shares the leader’ s responsibility of picking the walking trail and v arious public transportation means of getting there. It star ted as a course at Chabot College designed to help seniors g et around the Ba y Area by using public transpor tation. Group members completed the course and became close friends in the process . They ha ve been enjoying w eekly w alking expedi-
tions followed by lunch since the early 90’s. On Fri., Oct.20, group members met at the bus stop on Washington Blv d. and Cla yton Road, and the Jacksons led them to the trail behind Safew ay at Clayton Station. They walked for nearly tw o miles , as far as the Clayton Community Library. From there , Barbara took over and led the enthusiastic walkers through the streets of downtown Cla yton pointing out the city’ s c herished historical landmarks. And then it was on to lunch at Ed’s Mudville Grill. “It was a beautiful w alk, said Eleanor Moore. “We had a w onderful time ,” chimed in the rest of the group. Members of the social w alking club came from Alameda, Hayward and San Leandro.
Photo courtesy of Ellen Herdegen
Tamara Steiner, Emily Drobny, Jill Bedecarré and Julie Bedecarré join thousands to walk for breast cancer.
Clayton scientist wins pr estigious Failla award
DR. ALOKE CHATTERJEE
Clayton’s Dr . Aloke Chatterjee has been named the Failla A ward lecturer for 2006 by the Radiation R esearch Society. Chatterjee will travel to the Philadelphia Con vention Center in P ennsylvania to receive his a ward and gi ve his lecture this Sunday, Nov. 5. The local scientist will present his findings on the health effects of ionizing radiation with special emphasis on damage to human DNA and human chromosomes. Chatterjee will talk about
ionizing radiations lik e x-ra ys, gamma rays and heavy ion radiation found in dee p space flights. He says that NASA has expressed an interest in the hazardous aspects of space radiation f lights and the risks to astronauts. A senior staff biophysicist in the Life Sciences Division of the La wrence Berk eley National Laborator y, Chatterjee has been a Cla yton resident since 1984 and li ves here with his wife , Cathy Ann. “This is the highest level award
that you always aspire to,” says Chatterjee. I w as pleasantly surprised to receive it.” Established in 1962-63, the Failla a ward honors the late Gioacchino F ailla, one of the founding fathers of the Radiation Research Society and its second president. The award is gi ven ann ually to an outstanding member of the radiation researc h comm unity in recognition of significant contributions to radiation research.
Jill Bedecarré/Clayton Pioneer
Back row: from left: Eleanor Moore, Berna Neumiller, Jack Moore, Ed Sojlander, Front row: Louise Parker, Jean Gaugin, Barbara Lee and Bob Jackson.
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"The Lynne French Team" (L-R): Julie Clairmont, Jim Bartneck, Ruth Reed, Inge Yarborough, Danny French, Heather Gray, Lynne French.
November 3, 2006
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Page A3
Around Town
Two honored for Twinning project
Derek makes it four in the Townsend household inches long. Derek is no w little brother to his 2-year -old sister , Brooke Lynn. Maternal g randparents are Terri Sandoval Carson of Battle Mountain, NV and Victor Gierhart of Lovelock, NV. and paternal g randparents are J ohn and Carol T ownsend of Walnut DEREK TOWNSEND Creek. Great g randparents are Mike and Chrissy T ownsend Sam and Sylvia Sando val of of Clayton are the proud parents Battle Mountain and Oma of Derek Danato T ownsend Gierhart Selley of Lovelock, who was bor n in San F rancisco who passed away the same da y in J uly. He w eighed sev en that her g reat g randson, Derek pounds, four ounces and was 20 was born.
Girl Scouts deliver fall pumpkins to Dana Hills
On F riday 13th October at the Cla yton Historical Society Museum Councillor T refor Jones, Chairman of the Association of Buxworth and Clayton, presented certificates to Dick Ellis of Concord and Andrea Blachman of Martinez besto wing on them Honorar y Life Membership of the Association. This is in recognition of the central role they played in the establishment of the Twinning between the City
of Clayton, California and Chinley , Buxworth and Brownside Parish Council England. “We ha ve enjo yed our holida y in Califor nia very much and it has enabled us to meet up with all the friends we made on our first visit in 1997 when we came with our Char ter to the City Of Clayton”. Pictured at right: Andrea Blac hman, Trefor Jones and Dick Ellis.
Clayton Cares Do you know of any Clayton businesses or families who go out of their way to share during the holidays with the less for tunate. For example, does your family work at St. Anthony’s dining room at Thanksgiving? Do you collect toys, food and clothing for the needy? Do you volunteer your time at a shelter? Let us know and email y our story to Tamara@claytonpioneer.com.
Cubs kick off annual “Scouting for Food”
In the United States there are millions of men, women and children who g o to bed hung ry each night. In an effor t to curb some of this hunger and ensure that cupboards are full for the
neediest in our comm unity, Clayton based Cub Scout P ack 262 is promoting their ann ual “Scouting for F ood,” Nov. 1115 During this time the Cub
Eagle Scout organizes blood drive
Celebrating the Har vest Season—Coldwell Bank er’s Dynamic Duo , Helen and Stephanie Real Estate teamed up with local Junior, girl scout troop #321 along with some of their friends, parents and troop leader Sharon McNulty to celebrate the fall harvest season with local residents in Cla yton. Helen and
Stephanie sponsored the ev ent providing the troop with o ver 500 pumpkins from the local Clayton Pumpkin F arm. The girls pulled their w agons full of holiday cheer and delivered them to Dana Hills residents . Ashley McNulty, age 9 said “It w as so much fun to see ho w happy w e could make our neighbors!”
ANDREW HALL
As par t of his Eagle Scout project, Andrew Hall has organized a blood drive to benefit the Blood Centers of the Pacific. The blood dri ve takes place 1-4 p .m. Saturday, Nov. 18, at Holy Cross Lutheran Churc h,
C ome hhelp elp S anta llight ight oour ur Come Santa
C layton Clayton T own T ree Town Tree
Mt. Diablo Elementary School Choir
Santa Claus in person!
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Saturday, Dec. 2, 6p.m. Meet at the Museum on Main Street and bring your flashlight hosted by the Clayton Business & Community Association
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1092 Alberta Way in Concord. Andrew, a 14-year-old freshman at Clayton Valley, is a member of Clayton Bo y Scout Troop 484. The rank of Eagle is the highest rank in Scouting and is only attained b y about fi ve percent of all Scouts. Andrew sa ys the blood donated will help cancer patients fight ag ainst infections and provide others with life-saving transfusions. He reminds us that without blood donations , 4.5 million people could die each year. To schedule an appointment or for more infor mation, call Andrew at 672-4277.
Scouts will place collection bags on y our mailbo x. Please fill these bags with non-perishable and non-glass goods. Leave the bags on your porch, and the Cubs will return to collect them on Wed., Nov 15. This food will be distributed to non-profit
organizations and will feed many hung ry people throughout the holiday season. This is an ann ual dri ve and Clayton area Bo y Scouts and Cub Scouts will be par ticipating in the effort. Please be generous if asked to donate food.
Back Row: Sam Goldeen, Scott Lorentzen, Joey Kratz, Matt Osterkamp. Front Row: Logan Schoffstall, Ben Schoffstall, Marcus Nikaido (friend), Nick Ferrara, Anthony Maytum, Jimmy Kratz
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Page A4
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
November 3, 2006
Council retains ‘no right tur n’ off Keller Ridge BEV BRITTON Clayton Pioneer
Nearly two dozen Eagle P eak Avenue residents filled the Oct. 17 City Council meeting, speaking to oppose any c hange to the “no right turn” from Keller Ridge Drive onto Eagle Peak Drive. The restriction w as designed to direct traffic onto the east side of Eagle P eak A venue, where there are no homes. As the residents took their turns at the microphone , the overwhelming theme w as safety versus convenience. “I don’t see any v alid reasons to discontinue the no right tur n,” said Eagle P eak Avenue resident Steve Kuhn. “It seems to be an attitude of, ‘Don’t stop me from doing it, ’ rather than ‘I need to do it, ’ ” he said of the 23 letters sent to the city in favor of allowing the right turn. Meanwhile, 36 residents sent in letters opposing the right tur n, with about a dozen speaking at the meeting against the change. “We really are compelled to keep the sign because it’s an issue of safety on our street, ” said Eagle Peak resident Carol Lofllin. “I kno w y ou k eep hearing from people that it’ s already an unsafe street, and it really is,” she told the council. “I cannot imagine ha ving more traffic there . In fact, I’d like to adv ocate for ha ving more speed bumps.” Councilman Greg Manning said he had three reasons for putting the issue on the ag enda. “First of all, when it w as put in, the reason it w as there w as because of the constr uction on Keller Ridge Drive. I agreed that the tr ucks shouldn ’t be coming through neighborhoods, but that construction is long o ver,” he said. “Also, there aren ’t any other streets that ha ve prohibitions on
traffic in the city , and one of my pet peeves, going through Walnut Creek or Berkeley, is that they do have special privileges. “And finally , people ha ve asked me to review this,” he concluded in remarks before the
I’m the guy hit by a car in front of my house recently ,” he re ported. “There is no g ood reason that I have heard that trumps the safety issue.” Eagle Peak resident Jim Reilly brought numbers to bac k up his
recused himself from the hearing because he o wns a home in the area. However, speaking as a citizen, he said the restriction should remain in place. Since the meeting, additional “no right tur n” signs ha ve been added at the Keller Ridg e corner, making a total of three. “We had to make it perfectly clear to ev en the most unintelligent person that y ou can ’t turn right there,” said Police Chief Dan La wrence. The chief noted that people had successfully fought tickets in court, saying that the sign Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer wasn’t clear in After the City Council decided to retain the turn restriction, additional “no right turn” the past. signs were added to the corner of Keller Ridge Drive and Eagle Peak Avenue. Despite the fact that no public comments. claim. The western side of Eagle action w as tak en, council memCouncilwoman J ulie Pierce Peak measures 18 feet from the bers were in a jovial mood due to asked to clarify some of curb to the center lane , he said, the high turnout at the meeting. Manning’s comments. She was on while there is 30 feet on the east“It’s nice to ha ve so many the Planning Commission when ern side. people come do wn here ,” said the K eller Ridg e area w as devel“The difference is just Councilman Bill W alcutt. “And I oped. tremendous. And that is why that really appreciate the emails . It “We purposely made the east street was designed to handle the makes it so much easier for us to side of Eagle Peak Avenue wider, traffic,” he noted. outline the issues.” with no homes on it, so that it Reilly also did some time tests “Nothing brings out a cro wd could car ry the bulk of the trafand determined that it is faster to in Clayton more than speeding on fic,” she said. “Greg is right, there go down the eastern side, because our streets ,” said Manning, who were issues with constr uction of the higher speed limits and the expressed disappointment that traffic. But there were also issues lack of speed bumps . “It is 30 no one spoke in favor of removwith too much traffic going down seconds slo wer to g o through ing the sign. the w est side of Eagle P eak those homes than it is to g o the “There may be people in this Avenue. It was a matter of safety proper way,” he said. audience who are ag ainst it, but for everyone.” In the end, the council decidnobody w ants to g o ag ainst the Eagle P eak A venue resident ed not to alter the cur rent crowd – especially on an issue of Russell Br yson spok e from perarrangement – meaning that the safety,” he added. sonal experience about the danWindmill Canyon traffic will conIn a letter to the council, gers of the roadway. “I’m the guy tinue to dri ve do wn the easter n Windmill Cany on resident who had the pickup truck totaled side of Eagle Peak Avenue. Maryann Ar uti urg ed the city to in front of his house in 1998, and Councilman P ete Laurence remove the tur n restriction. “It
Professional, Personal & Dependable Service
creates an unnecessar y burden for us in Windmill Cany on and caters unfairly to one g roup of residents,” she wrote. In a letter , Keller Ridg e resident Kim Dromlewicz said he believed the sign w as illeg al. However, at the meeting, he agreed with the safety issues brought up b y his do wnhill neighbors. “We also ha ve an issue with speeding, and I think w e need to work tog ether on the speeding because that is the big ger issue,” he said. “It’s not just the people up above. It’s our o wn people on Keller Ridge who zip up that hill and pull into their dri veways,” he added. “I stand outside of my house and yell at people to slow down,” said Eagle P eak resident Isabella Carranza. “They think I’m a lunatic, but I don’t care – because it scares me.” Mayor Da ve Shuey encouraged residents who are concerned about speeding to contact
the Police Department. “The c hief has a w onderful program in place to meet with the community,” he said. “It’s working well in a number of neighborhoods.” According to La wrence, residents of Oak Street and Mountaire Circle ha ve recently participated in the Neighborhood Traffic Manag ement Prog ram. Keller Ridg e residents took par t in the program several years ago. “Peacock Creek is the latest group that w ould lik e to tak e advantage of it,” he said. Manning believ es that the speeding problem in Cla yton is a reflection of what is wrong with society toda y. “You talk to y our neighbors and they’ re wonderful, but y ou ha ve an indifference to the people in the other houses you dri ve b y,” he said. “That’s a social problem, and w e ha ve to fix this.” For mor e infor mation on the Neighborhood T raffic Management Program, call the Police Department at 673-7350.
City needs volunteers for New Year’s Eve The count down is on for the fourth ann ual “Cla yton Counts Down” New Y ear’s Ev e par ty. This event has quickly become a holiday tradition. Held at the Cla yton Community Gym, the free celebration is run by an all-volunteer committee with assistance from the Mt. Diablo Region YMCA. Right now there is a need for volunteers to help to mak e this great family fun ev ent happen again this year . Without v olunteers, this event will disappear. Volunteers are not expected to attend meetings, just provide a
couple of hours on New Y ear’s Eve day or ev ening to help with set up and tear down, craft activities and other ev ents, games, sign in, food and clean up . We need volunteers to fill time slots between 4 p .m. and 11 p .m. To help, call the City Clerk at 925673-7300, or email ljackson@ci.clayton.ca.us. Contributions are also most welcome. Send y our tax deductible contribution to Clayton Counts Do wn, City of Clayton. 6000 Heritag e T rail, Clayton, CA 94517.
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November 3, 2006
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Page A5
Classified FOUND
Commission is an advisory body to the City Council, responsible for recommending user fees and policies for use of City facilities and sponsored community activities. The Commission meets the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. and helps coordinate community evens such as Fourth of July celebration, Clayton Cleans Up, and the New Years Eve celebration. The stipend is $75 per month (when a meeting is held).
Nintendo DS found in the Dana Hills green belt the week of Oct. 9 Call the Judd’s at 673-9137 to identify.
HELP WANTED
Mother’s Assistant Wanted Clayton stay-at-home mom needs a reliable and kind person to assist her with childcare and light house chores. F/T preferred, P/T okay. Must be flexible. Pay is Negotiable. (925) 788-2178.
SERVICES
Help Wanted for Holidays Part time server over 18 years old, able to work weekdays and weekends. $8 hr. plus tips. Apply in person to Pam at Englund’s Tea Cottage in Clayton Station.
Perennial Garden Design by Nicole Hackett AKA Garden Girl. Personal consultations regarding plant choices, placement, identification, fertilizing and maintenance. Spring is just around the corner. Call or email for information and pricing. 925-6731746 (leave message) gardengirl94517@yahoo.com.
Community Services Commissioner The City of Clayton is now accepting applications for Community Services Commissioner, term limit June 2006 through June 2008. Presently one Commissioner position and one Alternate Commissioner position are vacant. The Community Services
SERVICES NEEDED
Furniture Repair Person to fix a solid oak pedestal table. Call Tamara at 672-0500.
VACATION RENTAL
Time to hit the slopes. Stay at Marriott’s Timber Lodge, South Lake Tahoe. Walk to the Heavenly gondola, 2 bd/2 ba condo, sleeps 8, available 11/25 – 12/2, $1950 for the week, call David Sorensen 683-9262. Cabin in Blue Lake Springs (Arnold, CA). Sleeps 6, fully remodeled, quiet, use of recreation facilities. $150/night, $950/week. Call Kevin Parker @ (925) 383-9430 or http://www.vrconnection.com/ parkerpaw.
VOLUNTEERS WANTED
Trails and Landscape Committee Members. City Council of Clayton seeks applicants to fill two appointed positions on the “Trails and Landscaping Committee.” The purpose of this citizens Committee is to advise the City Council and City Manager on maintenance, improvement and financial matters related to the 1997 Citywide Landscape Maintenance District. For applications and more information, Clayton City
Clayton Valley Frameworks is during the construction at alive and well Clayton Valley Shopping Center. Picture Framing The experts at Clayton Valley Frameworks will assist you in all the aspects of framing, from memory shadow boxes, photo collages, preservation framing, to simple poster framing. We have frames for every budget.
Got Art? We have sources for every art style, from posters to prints, canvas reproductions to original paintings. Combined with our extensive frame selection,
Clayton Valley
Frameworks
Picture Framing with Quality, Style, Design and Experience
we will create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece just for your décor.
Need a mirror but can’t find that special size that fits your space? We can custom order and frame your mirror as well as deliver and install. You will not find this level of customer service anywhere else. Once again, we are open with plenty of parking. 5420 Ygnacio Valley Rd., Ste. 50, Concord Clayton Valley Shopping Center
925.672.6066 Tues. thru Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-5
www.claytonvalleyframeworks.com
533 Park Highlands #60 – contemporary and completely remodeled townhome with $385,000 beautiful granite counters, stainless appliances, & custom closets through out!
$459,500 360 Fall Circle – Sparkling with extra large lot and new interior finishes!
Hall, 6000 Heritage Trail, 673-7300, ljackson@ci.clayton.ca.us. Please return completed application to the City Clerk by 5 p.m. Fri., Oct. 27. Greeter: Clayton Historical Society Museum needs a greeter the second Sun. of each month from 2 - 4 p.m. Training is provided. If interested, call 672-0240, email claytonmuseum@ sbcglobal.net or visit the museum between 2 and 4 p.m. on Wed. or Sun. The Clayton Community Library is seeking to fill the following volunteer positions: (All positions require a minimum age of 13 years and a 6month commitment. Training will be provided). Scrapbook Historian to document the many interesting activities the library provides to the community using newspaper clippings, event photos, flyers, etc., Will be put on display at the annual March library birthday celebration. Shelver - to shelve and sensitize books...must be detail oriented (Tues. between the hours of 10am-2pm, Wed. 3-5pm, Sat. 11 a.m.-1 pm & 24 pm). Shelf Reader - to ensure the correct placement of books on the library shelves...must be detail oriented and familiar with the Dewey decimal system. Lead Tutor - to coordinate and match the tutors/ homework helpers with student requests. Tutor/Homework Helper - to work one-on-one with local students in our community. You choose the age range, subjects, remedial or light help, and days/times. Office Assistant - handle filing, word processing, create flyers, volunteer database input on Microsoft Access, assistance with meetings/programs. Contact: Arlene @ 673-9777 or email: akikkawa@ccclib.org.
PIONEER INFO HOW TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD
Classified rates per insertion: Non-profit: $12 for first 30 words, $.20 eac h additional word Individual/non-commercial: $18 for first 30 w ords, $.30 each additional word Commercial: $48 for first 30 words, $.40 eac h additional word To place y our classified ad over the phone , call the office at (925) 672-0500 betw een 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Or, you ma y fax y our typewritten ad and credit card information to (925) 672-6580 All classifieds m ust be paid for in adv ance b y credit card (Master Card or Visa) We will not accept any ad that discriminates on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, nationality, family status or disability. The Cla yton Pioneer reserves the right to reject any advertising w e believ e is unsuitable.
LET US KNOW
$599,900
$805,000 2447 Kaiser Way – palatial 5 bedroom 4 ½ bath with professional landscape & interiors
2331 Minaret – 4 bedroom 2 bath in excellent College Park location.
$524,500
$849,000 972 Oak St. – best location in Clayton. Seller will work with buyer’s reasonable offer! 4 bedoom, 2 bath plus den!
2327 Camelback – Best value in Mira Vista Hills!
Now’s a great time to buy with interest rates remaining at all time lows! Ask us about Buyer Incentives and Super Financing Options!
Clayton’s Preferred Real Estate Team
925.932.7375 Helen
925.932.7329 Stephanie
homes@helenandstephanie.com
Weddings, engagements, anniversaries, births and deaths all w eave tog ether as part of the fabric of our community. Please let us kno w of these important events. We ask only that the announcement be for a Cla yton resident. You will find the appropriate for m for your announcement on our Website. Attach your photo to the form. Also on our W eb site are forms for submitting Community Calendar items and press releases for your organization.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Cla yton Pioneer w elcomes letters from our readers. As a general rule, letters should be less than two double spaced pages and submitted at least one w eek prior to publication date. Letters concer ning current issues will ha ve priority . We may edit letters for length and clarity . All letters will be published at the editor’s discretion. Please include y our name , address and daytime telephone number. We will not print letters from “anonymous.” E-mail y our letter in a Word Document to tamara@claytonpioneer.com. Letters MUST be submitted via E-mail.
P.O. Box 1246 6200 Center Street, Suite F Clayton, CA 94517 Office: 925.672.0500 Fax: 925.672.6580 TAMARA
AND
R OBERT S TEINER , Publishers
TAMARA S TEINER , Editor J ILL B EDECARRÉ , Assistant Editor and Display Advertising P ETE C RUZ , Graphic Design B OB P IMM , Sports Editor B EV B RITTON , Copy Editor and Feature Writer B ETH N EUDELL , Administrative Assistant
Directory of Advertisers
Abbey Carpets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686-9901 Accupressure for Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .674-0767 Advanced Voice and Data, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .681-2800 Aircloud Wireless Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260-4119 Applause Staging and Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-7701 Barta Chiropractic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-4941 Bella Mia Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .680-7792 Benton, Mureleen - Ameriprise Financial . . . . . . . . . . .685-4523 Beautique Beauty Supply and Salon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0405 Burkin Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1519 Calkins, Bill - Charlotte Clifford Realtors . . . . . . . . . . . .673-9164 Carol Keane and Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .937-5200 Clayton Business and Community Association (CBCA) .672-2272 CD Federal Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .825-0900 Cegielski Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-2855 Clark, Robert C., D.O. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .969-7530 Clayton Family Dentistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0110 Clayton Fitness and Tanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2010 Clayton Home Inspection Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9405 Clayton Mind and Body Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-0686 Clayton Sports Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-8445 Clayton Valley Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-4631 Clayton Valley Frameworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6066 Clayton Valley Medical Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6744 Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4848 Clayton Valley Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-3900 Clayton Valley Villa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-8401 Clean Cleaner Carpets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383-1253 Cleary, Joe - Home Loan Experts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .497-5270 Computers USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9989 ComUnity Lending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-5363 Concord United Methodist Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .685-5260 Contra Costa County Hholiday Craft Fair . . . . . . . . . . . .757-4400 Cookies by Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256-1137 Country Crafts Faire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .937-8283 Crossroads Covenant Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-5905 Cruise Adventures Unlimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .935-7447 Dance Connection Performing Arts Centre . . . . . . . . . .676-5678 Denim & Lace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0345 Diamond Terrace Senior Retirement Living . . . . . . . . . .524-5100 Donna's Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2440 Dromlewicz, Kim - Century 21 Diablo Valley Realty . . .682-4663 Eagles Peak Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465-0435 Englund's Tea Cottage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-8327 Fantastic Sams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-8580 Flannery, Patty - Diablo Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0541 French, Lynne - Windemere Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . .672-8787 Galaxy Nail Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .676-8668 Garaventa, Les - American Financial & Tax Services . .676-3400 Gesinee's Alterations Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .687-1347 Gourmet Subs and More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-5550 Help-You-Sell Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .680-4950 Highfill, Lynne - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .932-7335 HomeEquity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-9737 Hudak, Jim - Pianist and Composer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-7293 Insite Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-6460 JJ Hawaiiain BBQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-8686 Joanna's Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-8911 Kelly Marshall Garden Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .914-0327 Kings Valley Christian School Holiday Boutique . . . . . .687-2020 Ladies Workout Express . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .405-8888 Laurence, Pete - Better Homes Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . .939-7920 Lampo, Allen - John Hancock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .680-0822 La Veranda Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0011 Lenox Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .284-0415 Lisa's Hot Dogs & Burritos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .687-7527 Littorno, Richard - Attorney at Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6463 Lopez, Stephanie - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .932-7329 Main St. Nail Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4975 Mazzei Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .757-5600 Melanie's Gifts & Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0207 Mike's Auto Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-1739 Model A Cabinets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-0827 Monte Vista Veterinary Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1100 Moody, Robert - Keller Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-6130 Dr. Steven Moon, Chiropractor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-8400 Morucci, Kim - Intero Real Estate Services . . . . . . . . . .280-8563 National Energy Rebate Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-957-4544 Neptune Society of Northern California . . . . . . . . . . . . .944-5100 Nichols Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9955 Nuchols, Alicia - Premier Home Loans . . . . . . . .691-5070 X 323 Ouimet Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-4242 Paulson, Steve - KTVU Fox 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-5761 Postal Annex + . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-8900 Rahimzadeh, Helen - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . .932-7375 R&M Pool, Patio & Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0207 R.E. Carpet Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .595-8623 Roberta Claire Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .625-1123 Robin's Ranches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-7323 Rocco's Ristorante & Pizzeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .947-6105 Room With a Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .933-1903 Schaefer's Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260-6065 Seasonal Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4425 Smith Bernal Roofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-6461 Something Special . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-3666 Sposito, Stephanie - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . . .932-7334 Steffen, Tim - Better Homes Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .890-4407 St. John's Episcopal Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-8855 Stone Tree Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-2094 Straight Line Imports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335-9801 Swint, Brad - Team Funding Group . . . . . . . . . . . .627-1400 X 12 Tessie's Cleaning Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .525-0799 The Maids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-6243 The UPS Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-6245 Tipperary Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-2679 Travel Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304-5000 Van Fleet, Josie - Intero Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4333 Van Wyck, Doug - State Farm Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2300 Vintage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .352-6303 Vujnovich, George - Better Homes Realty . . . . . . . . . .672-4433 Wakefield, Jeanine - America First Real Estate Services788-6132 We the People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246-0370 Williams, Mike - Williams Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260-5363 Wooden It Be Nice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-5595 Zekco Watch Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-2470
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Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Celebrate Park, from page A1 Children’s Book Week The Cla yton Comm unity Library will celebrate Children ’s Book Week, Nov. 13-19, with a series of programs designed to get c hildren to read rather than turning on the television. The week will star t off with an after noon with stor y book puppets on Monda y from 1 – 3 p.m., followed by an hour from 4 to 5 p.m. when children can hear local teen volunteers read stories to kids . Both acti vities are suitable for children ages 3 to 7. On W ednesday, kids 3 to 7 will hear some stories read aloud and will then mak e their o wn children’s book. Please register in advance for this acti vity by calling the library at 673-0659. On T hursday from 3 to 5 p.m., the kids will tak e over and read to Children ’s Book W eek mascot, Paddington Bear. This is a great way for young readers to practice their new reading skills. On Saturda y, the w eek will wrap up with “Drop In Craft Time.” Various projects will be available for children ages 3 to 9. Children’s Book W eek introduces y oung people to new authors and ideas in sc hools, libraries, homes and bookstores. For mor e infor mation call J udith Matthews at the Clayton Community Library at 673-0659.
ment and other general supplies. Capital equipment re placement—trucks, mowers, etc— accounts for $2,700 of the total. $13,858 has been set aside in a reser ve fund for re placement of playground equipment, park apparatus and str uctures. This amounts to about one percent
I read with interest your feature ar ticle in the October 20 Pioneer about the planned Clayton downtown park and the upcoming Measure O funding proposal. But one par t of your article really got me riled. You wrote: “In 2000, Clayton residents v oted o verwhelmingly in favor of building the downtown park on the oneacre lot at Main Street and Marsh Creek Road. However, in a classic case of “go figure ,” they shot do wn the companion measure that w ould ha ve provided the means to pa y for the maintenance and operation. “Oh, yes, we want a park,” they said. “No, we don’t want to pay for it.” Go figure.” Not only was your choice of wording condescending, it showed a lac k of historical knowledge and researc h of the matter. In m y mind, the situation in 2000 with the tw o proposals to build the park and fund its maintenance w ere very telling. Clayton residents , including m yself, voted to use the former “grove property” for a park. But the idea of funding it
Holiday
$5,700 it costs for District Administration and Ov erhead which includes what the county charges the city for property tax administration and the state mandated third par ty administrator for the special district. If Measure O fails in November, Napper will recommend to the Council that the property be rezoned commercial and sold for private use.
Open 4 days a month. Next openings: Thursday, Nov. 2 6 - 8:30 pm Saturday, Nov. 4 9 - 5 pm Sunday, Nov. 5 9 - 4 pm Monday, Nov. 6 9 - 2 pm A monthly warehouse shop filled with furnishings & collectibles in rustic, antique, shabby, cottage & country styles.
1557 Third Avenue, Walnut Creek, 925-933-1903 www.roomwithapast.com
contact
Ted Sudderth for a free loan evaluation
(925) 672-5363
Established 1980
6200 Center St., #230, Clayton EQUAL HOUSING
DOC# 415-0005
OPPORTUNITY
Licensed by the Department of Corporations under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act.
$10 off Fall
Courtesy of Merrill Morris
If passed by the voters in November, the downtown park will have a playground, a water play feature, a gazebo bandstand, picnic areas and game tables.
Letters to the Editor MEASURE O A BETTER APPROACH THAN THE 2000 MEASURE
of the anticipated constr uction cost of $1.3 million. “If we didn’t have so much vandalism, this figure could probably be less ,” said City of Clayton Finance Director Merry Pelletier. Finally, there is a $5,000 reserve fund for unanticipated and unbudg eted items and the
November 3, 2006
with a tax on our utility bills was unacceptable. Had those people involved in proposing that tax ever bothered to poll the citizens of Clayton, they w ould have learned that most residents would never approve of a g eneral revenue tax that w as a percentage of our ev er-rising g as and electric bills , and one that did not specifically ear mark the money for park maintenance . It was a non-star ter. No one should be surprised by that. The upcoming Measure is a much better approac h. Though I have not read the proposal language, the initial tax of $16.39 per home seems to be a reasonable amount, and the fact that the funds can be used only for park maintenance and re pairs is reassuring. I plan to suppor t Measure O next month and would encourag e other Cla yton residents to lear n more about it and support it too. But let’s keep statements about the intelligence of Clayton residents and voters out of future Pioneer articles. Clayton voters are much more aware and astute that y ou think. David K aminski Cla yton Resident HANK FOR CLAYTON Here is a guy whose academic qualifications and business
acumen are v ery m uch needed on Cla yton’s City Council to help mak e and k eep the City financially health y. Hank Stratford is Cla yton-homegrown, is your basic good neighbor, good citizen, unassuming type of guy. I am impressed that his interests are not only in the City’s youth, but also in its senior residents. As crime is cree ping in ev erywhere, he is pro police and w ants the de partment to have the resources necessary to k eep the City safe . There is a lot of good he wants to do for his City. I have known Hank for several years and hold him to be honest and straightforward. Let’s give him a chance, and give him our vote. Fred Albrecht Clayton Chief of Police, Ret PETE LAURENCE FOR SHUEY, PARK As an outg oing City Councilman, several people have ask ed me m y opinion on this year’ s Cla yton election. Accordingly, I believ e Da vid Shuey has done a fine job (in spite of his sense of humor!) and deserves re-election. As to the other open seat, each of the 3 candidates ha ve some g ood points so as they campaign I just encourag e the voters to v ote for whom they think will both protect and improve Clayton the most o ver
CLIP & SAVE
Tea Events
Now op 7 day en a wee s k!
Friday Evenings by Candlelight with Live Music! $29.95 pp December 1st . . . . . 8th . . . . . 15th . . . . 22nd . . .
A Harp for the Holidays dinner Tea Dance and Dessert Buffet Victorian High Tea Dinner & Concert An Elegant Evening with cellist Cole Tutino and a splendid 4 course dinner
Sunday Events at 11 a.m., 1 or 3 p.m.! $15 child / $25 adult December 3rd . . . . . Tea with Santa 10th . . . . Teddy Bear Tea w o 17th . . . . A Dickens of a Christmas Tea! N ing n e v 24nd . . . Christmas Eve Tea e taking ions t reserva te Holiday events sold out last year, va r for p i so call for your tickets today! s and dinner holiday ! parties
Englund's Tea Cottage
www.EnglundsTeaCottage.com
672-TEAS (8327) CLIP & SAVE
5433 L Clayton Road
the next 4 years. As to Measure “O” on the Town Center P ark, I strongly hope for appro val. At only $16.39 a year per household (businesses more) to ha ve this vacant eyesore be a beautiful downtown park is as g ood a bargain as Cla yton v oters will ever see. Thank-You. Pete Laurence Three-time Clayton Mayor
Registration
Mention this ad. new students only
2956 Treat Blvd. Ste. #1, Concord 925.676.5678 www.danceconnectionpac.com
Jazz Hip Hop Tap Ballet/Pointe Modern Creative Boys Teams Ages 2 ½ thru Adult-All Levels Why Choose Us?
Voted ‘Top 50 School in the USA2006’ by prestigious ‘Dance Teacher’ Magazine Celebrating 26 Years of Instruction and Theater Performance Fun Recreational Program
Distinguished and Nurturing Faculty Nationally recognized Competition Program Large Facility and Class Schedule Voice and Theater Program Trial classes at no obligation Family Discounts
Construction is underway on Lenox Homes new residential community of sought after “Single Story” homes on spacious 13,000 + sq. ft. lots. Now is the time to move up to a dream home with no stairs and a yard that is designed for great outdoor living. These four and five bedroom Lenox Homes offer all the amenities and features you ever dreamed of having. The array of custom features include: Spacious floor plans 10 ft. ceilings Gourmet kitchen with granite countertops Maple cabinetry Elegant master bedroom and bathroom Many more extras Early home buyers have the opportunity to personalize their new home from a wide selection of options and upgrades. Thinking about remodeling your current home? Call our sales office first and discover what the possibilities are in a new Lenox Home. W e will be happy to send you more information.
Call (925) 284-0415 or go to www.lenoxhomes.net Broker Cooperation
November 3, 2006
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
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T-shirt contest launches city’s 150 birthday
Advertise in the Clayton Pioneer
GREGG MANNING Special to the Pioneer
“If you want to buy or sell a home in 10 years call us!” “But...if you want to buy or sell a home today, then call our Dad!”
925-673-9164 Bill Calkins
Clayton Resident & Neighbor Helping People Find Their Way Home!
Ask about our Special Programs for Buyers & Sellers
Cruise Adventures
The year 1857 was pivotal in the history of the United States. The sla very issue became more strongly focused with the Supreme Cour t’s Dred Scott decision and the overturn of the Missouri Compromise . The panic of 1857 led to bank failures and great unemployment. California had been a state for seven years and w as dealing with the after math of the Gold Rush and the issues related to a new political entity. In addition to the economic and social impacts, there w ere also many earthquakes in the Bay Area that year. The year also brought g ood events. San Jose State University was founded, making it the oldest public uni versity in California. A n umber of cities
were founded – including Clayton. Clayton’s founders had the vision to star t dev elopment in the place we now call home. We
“Clayton’s founders had the vision to star t development in the place we now call home. We have not forgotten their vision and will be celebrating the event throughout 2007.” Gregg Manning have not forg otten their vision and will be celebrating the event throughout 2007. These celebrations will star t when Clayton puts on it ann ual
“Clayton Counts Do wn” New Year’s Eve event. The first activity will be a contest to design the event T -shirt. The winner will have his or her work recognized and win a cash prize. Depending on the number of entries, there may be up to three prizes. The T -shirt design should reflect Cla yton’s 150 years . Entries should be 8 ½ b y 11 inches and y ou should use no more than three colors , plus black. The entr y sheet should, on the bac k or outside the 8 ½ by 11 area, contain y our name , age, phone number and address. The designs will be judg ed by the Sesquicentennial Committee, and all entries become the proper ty of the committee. Entries are due at City Hall b y close of business Nov. 15. Festivities will contin ue throughout the year with as
many events as possible ref lecting the sesquicentennial of Clayton’s founding. The sesquicentennial will be par t of the Art and Wine F estival in Ma y, the Clayton Fourth of July and Oktoberfest, to note a few. The Clayton Museum will be addressing this historic ev ent throughout the year , and there will be articles on the sesquicentennial and Cla yton’s histor y in the Pioneer. There is currently a committee for the sesquicentennial and as a member , I in vite any one interested in helping to join us . It is g oing to be a historic year; please be part of it.
stronger in suppor ting pri vate rights and the Legislature can address any other issues better (shocking I kno w) than this proposition. As of this writing, pretty much ev ery city in the state opposes the measure . More than 50 major newspapers ha ve come out ag ainst it, saying it would “eviscerate” or “wreak havoc” on local planning and result in an “a valanche” of lawsuits at taxpayers’ expense. (See, they too ha ve word of the da y calendars they m ust use .) Oregon apparently has a similar law and one newspaper indicated it generated 2,200 lawsuits at a cost of $5 billion. Holy chowder batman, the la wyers m ust love this law. Let me give you a real world example from Cla yton. Back when Oakhurst w as being
planned, the original dev eloper wanted to put in about 3,000 homes, but the city w ould not allow that and ultimately 1,485 homes w ere built. Under Prop. 90, the developer could bring a suit asking for compensation for the more than 1,500 homes that weren’t built. Clayton w ould have to pa y to defend this suit and pa y any damag es a warded. Ouch! Long and shor t of this, unless y ou are a dev eloper or real estate la wyer, you should vote this do wn with a resounding no on Prop. 90. In closing, Mark Twain once said: “When I w as y ounger, I could remember anything, whether it happened or not. ” I remember that same thing.
Greg Manning is a member of the Clayton City Council. F or mor e information on the Sesquicentennial committee or the T-shir t contest, call City Hall at 673-7300.
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Mayor, from page A1 Clayton v oters v ote to appro ve it, we avoid the need to submit a subsequent and similar measure to you for adoption in order to be eligible to recei ve sales tax proceeds from Measure J (1/2 cent sales tax rate for transportation impro vement projects). We as the council could simply adopt and appro ve the county ULL as our o wn and save y ou the taxpa yer the expense of drafting a local ULL measure and placing it on a future local ballot. This could save the city about $20,000. So, because your council has worked long and hard with the county to g et them to acce pt our requested modifications and because it will sa ve y ou money
JIM DIAZ for
Clayton City Council LISTENS TO CLAYTON CITIZENS RESPONSIVE TO CLAYTON CONCERNS SUPPORTS CLAYTON’S UNIQUENESS
INTEGRITY - EXPERIENCE - LEADERSHIP
E T O V
AY, 7 D S R E E U B T EM V NO
QUALIFICATIONS:
CLAYTON RESIDENT FOR OVER 25 YEARS PLANNING COMMISSIONER, CITY OF CLAYTON 1997-1999, Planning Commission/ Representative to TRANSPAC, the Contra Costa County Regional Planning Authority. MEMBER, SPECIAL COMMITTEE to select candidates for Clayton’s Police Chief, 1999 COMMANDING OFFICER, CLAYTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, Reserve Division, 1979-1989 CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CALIFORNIA STATE BUREAU OF SECURITY AND INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES, 1991-1996. Appointed by Governor Pete Wilson ACTIVE MEMBER, CLAYTON BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION (C.B.C.A.) - Since 1998 Serving as Co-Chair of the Clayton Classic Golf Tournament and Music Coordinator of the Art & Wine Festival MEMBER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, UNITED WAY OF THE BAY AREA, 1994 - Present
Paid for by Jim Diaz for Clayton City Council - ID: #1248998 P.O. Box 399, Clayton, CA 94517-0399 Dana Diaz, Treasurer E-Mail: jimdiaz2006@pacbell.net
“…Clayton is a great place to live. Let me help protect our small-town feel.” - Jim Diaz
ENDORSEMENTS: CLAYTON RESIDENTS (Partial List): Tony & Frances Acquasanta Steven T. Aring & Kris Lesher-Aring Don & Gail Fitzgerald Howard Geller Bruce & Belinda Hudkins Mark & Linda Hutfliess Howard Kaplan Jim & Mary Ann Lawrence Kirk & Roberta Polson Dave & Arlene Skuba Ted & Judi Sudderth Mike & Karen Treppa Sue White AREA COMMUNITY LEADERS: Honorable Rochelle Bird, Town of Moraga Lynne Leach, Former Assemblywomen, 15th District Richard K. Rainey, Former State Senator and Assemblyman, & Sheriff of Contra Costa County Lou Rosas, Former Mayor, City of Concord Bill Moore, Former Mayor, City of Belmont Nick Montano, Vice President, Certified Fraud Examiners & Former Sgt., Clayton Police Dept. Steve Lesher, Former Chief of Staff to Assemblywoman Lynne Leach
in the long run, you should vote yes on Measure L. Proposition 90. You thought the ULL w as boring and esoteric? (Sor ry, had to use the w ord of the da y from m y calendar.) Prop . 90, regarding the g overnment’s ability to use eminent domain to acquire private proper ty, is g overnment at its finest or w orst – de pending on y our star ting opinion and cynicism. This poorly or brilliantly written (Again, how cynical and conspiracy-filled are you?) proposition is a disaster waiting to happen. Arising from a Supreme Court decision bac k east, this proposition is unnecessary since the Califor nia Constitution is
Email me at shuey@rankinlaw.com.
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Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Community Services Commission scales back and looks to refocus BEV BRITTON Clayton Pioneer
As new members come on board, the city’ s Comm unity Services Commission is rethinking its mission. And that means moving away from coordinating community ev ents suc h as the Halloween P arade and the fall Clayton Cleans Up. “This last g roup inherited the Fourth of July parade. With that came an additional w orkload,” says Laura Hoffmeister , assistant to the city manag er. “And the committee members felt they had no time to work on projects, because they’ re just going from event to event.” Each year , Hoffmeister meets with CSC members to discuss plans for the coming year. However, she sa ys there has been some “miscomm unication,” and committee members didn’t understand that they could set their own agenda. “When I listed the acti vities done in the past, they basically said, ‘Great, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel here ,’ ” Hoffmeister reports. New committee vice c hair Mike Williams sa ys the CSC simply couldn ’t handle all the events effecti vely in the time allowed. “Fourth of July is a hug e part of what w e do ,” he sa ys. “The people on the committee are the best. We g et a lot done for the comm unity … things that would never g et done otherwise. A lot of people talk about doing it, but w e g et in there and get it done.” Although Mayor Dave Shuey is disappointed about the cancellation of the two fall ev ents, he agrees that the Fourth of July needs to be a priority for the commission. The CSC took over organizing the event a few years ago, after a g roup of residents burned out on the project. “Fourth of July is our No. 1 draw and our signature ev ent,” Shuey notes.
The Hallo ween P arade w as launched sev eral years ag o in coordination with the fall car nival at Mt. Diablo Elementar y School. But since the sc hool dropped its festi val a few years back, attendance at the parade has dwindled. The CSC look ed at expanding the Oct. 28 ev ent, possibly including pumpkin decorating at Endea vor Hall. But Hoffmeister sa ys plans fell through because no one had time to searc h for the needed volunteers. Same g oes for the fall clean up, which w as slated for Sept. 23. The group, however, is committed to the spring clean up, which normally has a better volunteer turnout. In Cla yton, volunteers are the key to any ci vic event’s success. Shuey says that the lac k of volunteers has a cascade effect – first leading to the cancellation of the school’s carnival and now the Halloween parade. “It’s an e pidemic in to wn,” he says. “If you don’t have the volunteers, you can’t do it y ourself.” “We simply don ’t ha ve the staff,” Hoffmeister sa ys. “We rely on the committee to get the volunteers and g o out and do it.” The CSC w as for med in 1993 as a sounding board for the use of parks, open space , trails and other recreational opportunities in the city . Early committee members established facility use r ules for the Community P ark and librar y, and later for Endeavor Hall and the Community Gym. The original plan w as for CSC members to handle facility reservations. “After they g ot into it, the City Council realized there was just no w ay we could have this be a v olunteer job ,” notes Hoffmeister . The city’ s code enforcement officer no w handles those duties. The last big project the CSC oversaw w as the tot lot off
Keller Ridg e Dri ve a few years back. Then the g roup’s focus changed to org anizing comm unity events. “I’d like to g o back to what we w ere doing originally and focus on that,” says Williams. Shuey, who was on the CSC before joining the City Council four years ag o, acknowledges that the committee has ev olved into ev ent planning . But he’ s confident the g roup will ha ve time for other projects once they have a few more Fourth of Julys under their belts. “That should allo w them to have the blue print and the organization to g et it done ,” he says. “Then they can get back to some of the other things in the off time – Cla yton Cleans Up , the parks and trails issues.” To that end, Williams sa ys the CSC is g oing to look for financial support and volunteers for the F ourth earlier this year . Incoming secretar y Sandy Johnson sees fund-raising as the group’s big gest c hallenge. “We’re basically seeking donations from businesses that are already tapped out,” she says. Also high on the CSC’ s todo list is a “Did Y ou Kno w?” brochure, which will include a brief history of the community along with infor mation about parks and trails. Meanwhile, Williams is overseeing the ad hoc committee that is planning the New Y ears Eve’s celebration at the Community Gym. Beginning with this ev ent, the CSC will incorporate the 150th anni versary of the city’s founding into its activities. “Their idea list is very long,” says Hoffmeister . “That’s a place to start.” The Community Ser vices Commission is still in need of one more member. The commission meets the second Thursday of each month at 7 p .m. F or mor e infor mation, call 673-7300.
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Naomi Morgan exhibits Intarsia and hard rock carvings at gem show The Contra Costa Mineral and Gem Society presents its 47th annual Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Sho w and Sale this weekend. The event will be 10 a.m. to 5 p .m. Saturday, Nov. 4, and Sunday, Nov. 5, at Centre Concord, 5298 Clayton Road. Featured are 60 exhibits , including six g orgeous blac k light cases , fancy diamond replicas, award-winning faceted stones, carvings, jewelry, lapidary, outstanding miner-
als, fossils, Indian ar tifacts, crystals and novelties. The sho w also includes a 5,000-pound, hand-polished jade boulder , several rare fossils – including the complete Ice Age skeleton of a Siberian cave bear , and an exhibit of Clayton resident Naomi Morgan’s beautiful Intarsia stone pictures and her hard rock carvings. There will be 10 demonstrators sho wing v arious aspects of the lapidar y ar ts,
cabochon making, faceting, carving, beading, arrowhead making and copper enameling. Twenty dealers will be selling m useum-quality minerals , equipment, jade, amethyst, turquoise, beads, slabs, cabs, findings, jewelry, candle holders, bookends and more. There will also be a silent auction, spin-the-wheel and grab bags. Admission is $3, with kids under 12 free with adult as well as Scouts in unifor m.
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November 3, 2006
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
e a h c S fer’s
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Like grandfather, like grandson. Bryan Sc haefer, owner of Schaefer’s Painting, is reminded of his g randfather just about every da y he g ets into his v an and goes to work. His g randfather, Al R osby, started the painting business in 1934. Al Rosby Painting became the largest painting company in the Bay Area in the 1960s , with 60 union workers. Bryan’s idea to follo w in his grandfather’s ste ps came after high sc hool, when he experimented with w oodworking and realized that his tr ue lo ve w as refinishing fur niture. When his grandfather died, Bryan w ould stare at the painting tr uck in the driveway filled with tools and equipment. He remembers thinking: “No one has picked up the trade, so I will.” He w orked for Gene’ s Painting of San Leandro, where he became a foreman. However, he still dreamed of owning his own business . Bryan became licensed and for med Sc haefer’s Painting in 1995. Word tra veled fast and Bryan’s expertise was in demand in the Bay Area and beyond. He
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
Bryan Schaefer brings a tradition of quality to every job whether a one room remodel or a 6000 square foot estate home. has worked on estate homes in Hawaii, Oregon and Nev ada. Most of his w ork focuses on home interiors . “I lo ve using color,” he says. He enjoys a customer’s reaction when they lea ve for w ork and retur n home to a newly painted interior . “They can ’t believe it’ s the same house ,” Bryan says. If you are tired of the out-
dated popcor n, call Br yan and he will scrape, texture and paint to give your ceilings a contemporary look. Although he lo ves a c hallenge, like painting a 6,000-sq.ft. home in Brentw ood, Bryan is also enthusiastic about helping families put the finishing touches on their remodeling project with fresh coats of paint throughout the home.
When he’s not on a ladder painting to his hear t’s content, Bryan enjo ys mountain biking and hiking Mt. Diablo. He also likes to spend time with his children, Ashley, 9, and Noah, 6, and the family feline , Snuggles. Call Br yan at 260-6065 to spruce up y our home for the holidays.
Be sure to carefully consider the market before buying that fixer-upper
Fall and winter styles
Page A9
Dan Bettencourt
Buying a home that needs a lot of work is not a g ood idea for buyers who are too busy or lack the exper tise to tur n a fixer-upper into a desirable property. For buyers who ha ve the where-with-all, however, a fixer can present an incredible opportunity. But the project must be carefully planned in order to minimize risk. Buying a fixer is not recommended for nai ve homebuyers. It may seem on the surface lik e a fun and profitable endea vor-just buy a r undown property at a cheap price, slap on a coat of paint, tidy the place up and resell it a few months later for a huge profit. In the real w orld, fix-up projects are rarely this easy. In order to increase y our chances of success, you need to buy the right proper ty at the right price . This requires an intimate kno wledge of home prices in the area, as w ell as a good command of local buyer preferences. To mak e a fix er project profitable , you need to purchase the proper ty at a lo w enough price to allo w y ou to pay for the impro vements that
LYNNE FRENCH
REAL ESTATE will tur n the proper ty into one that’s in high demand. The selling price of the finished project needs to be in line with the selling price of comparable proper ties in the neighborhood. If you pay too m uch for the proper ty, or pa y too much for impro vements, you risk o ver-improving for the neighborhood. Buyers will pay market price for a desirable home they can move right into, but they won’t pay more than mark et v alue. Many fix-up projects have gone in the red because the dev eloper miscalculated the ultimate worth of the fixed property. Another risk is poor timing . Let’s say you find a fix er-upper
in a w onderful neighborhood. The market has been strong for a few years and prices are climbing. You percei ve an opportunity to buy at a price that’s discounted because of the proper ty’s poor condition. Your plan is to fix up the property while the market continues to rise. By the time you’re ready to sell, you’ll have earned a tidy sum in appreciation. The plan is g reat unless the market tur ns a few months before y ou finish the reno vations and y ou’re stuc k with a property that can ’t be sold at a price that nets you a profit. This is what is happening to many people now. So y ou should be cautious about relying on anticipated appreciation to create the profit margin you need to make the project worthwhile. A relati vely risk-free fix erupper project is one that y ou buy to live in. With this sor t of project, you aren ’t under pressure to finish the project quickly to resell at a profit. You can complete the reno vations o ver time and sell at some time in the future, when you’re sure to realize a profit.
Even so , you need to be careful about o ver-improving for the neighborhood, although there’s less risk than with a property that you plan to resell immediately. Whether y ou’re buying a fixer as a speculative venture or for your own use, make sure to have the proper ty thoroughly inspected b y qualified professionals. Don’t rely on y ourself to inspect, even if you ha ve expertise in the building field.If you miss a serious defect,which is more lik ely to happen if you’re emotionally in volved with the proper ty, your profit could be seriously diminished. Lynne F rench is a r ealtor with Windermere Real Estate and a Clayton resident. For any r eal estate needs or questions , contact her at 672-8787 or Lynne@LynneFrench.com.
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Page A10
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
October 20, 2006
Police Department volunteer program underway BEV BRITTON Clayton Pioneer
The Cla yton P olice Department’s new Volunteers in Police Ser vice is another ste p toward community policing. “We’re looking to ha ve 10 to 20 people identified as v olunteers, and we can g et a sc hedule together and g et things done in the police department that aren’t getting done ,” says Cla yton Police Chief Dan Lawrence. The VIPS prog ram is being launched in conjunction with the Community Emerg ency Response Team (CER T), which was appro ved b y the City Council in Se ptember. Through CERT, community members will be trained to help during a disaster. While CERT will take up to a year to establish, police v olunteers could be on duty in a few months. “It will allo w us to do more in other areas – suc h as g etting CERT online sooner,” notes Sgt. Scott Dansie , volunteer coordinator for the department. No specific skills are required of the v olunteers. “The v olun-
teer you don’t want is v ery rare. The breadth of the tasks w e have can be from taking a car from here to the carw ash … to being in here doing data analysis,” says Dansie . “But if they have office skills to bring to the table, that would be good.” In La wrence’s re port to the council, he lists a v ariety of volunteer tasks – including purging files and making copies, assisting with mailings, answering phones and helping at the front desk, vehicle maintenance and w orking on statistical databases. Volunteers also could conduct vacation house watches and help at comm unity ev ents, such as manning an infor mational booth about the de partment or coordinating a crime prev ention workshop. Lynn Christ, office coordinator for the Police Department, is hoping for v olunteers with finance bac kgrounds or experience with ev ent planning. After attending the La w Enforcement Volunteers of California conference in Davis in October, Christ is excited about launching VIPS. “We came up with some really g reat ideas and talk ed to v ol-
unteer coordinators from other departments,” she sa ys. “It’s going to be a really g ood program.” Lawrence plans to con vert a decommissioned police v ehicle for v olunteer use , at a cost of about $100, plus $50 a year for maintenance and $50 a month for gas. Any costs associated with VIPS would be absorbed b y the police de partment’s cur rent budget. In his council re port, Lawrence estimates start-up costs of $30 for eac h volunteer’s shir t and $42 for a fing erprint scan. The volunteers would be covered under the city’s auto, liability and workers compensation programs. The c hief cites a 2004 Bureau of Labor study sho wing that a volunteer who works eight hours a month contributes $1,895 w orth of services in a year. But the real sa vings will be measured in the extra time the officers have for patrolling. According to Lawrence, a key to the prog ram’s success will be instilling pride in the v olunteers. “It’s really on us to mak e sure that there are meaningful things for them to do,” he says.
Online games bring together millions MARK FREEMAN
ON
THE
NET
As I w alk through the dark city streets, I hear a noise behind me. Turning quickly, I see several men w alking out of the alley , armed with long kni ves. With a gulp, I wonder if I will be able to get out of this alive. Fortunately, this scenario takes place within the w orld of Guild Wars, a popular online g ame with a fantasy theme . The men with knives are assassins , but I defeat them with magical spells. Guild Wars is an example of a massively m ultiplayer online game (MMOG), as it features millions of players interacting over the Inter net. Players can band together and complete missions, or fight against each other. Users pay an a verage of $15 per month for content, although Guild W ars is an ex ception because it has no fees. In an MMOG, players create a fictional c haracter and customize its appearance. In most instances , players outfit their characters with armor and w eapons, as w ell as choose their profession. In Guild Wars, one can select from professions lik e w arriors, monks and necromancers, which ha ve skills such as healing or raising undead minions. Players may spend hours agonizing o ver the perfect look for their character, from their ar mor
color to the type of skills to use in battle. What mak es these g ames unique, though, is their social aspect. These v ast digital w orlds aren’t just a di version – they feature a unique culture. These g ames require intense coordination betw een pla yers to complete a mission. In Guild Wars, players defend a mountain fortress b y splitting their eightman team in half to man catapults. Games suc h as W orld of Warcraft require more coordination, as 40-person raids are required to tak e do wn tough bosses. As players interact, they make friendships and for m social networks. Friends can be called on to help with a difficult mission or to simply explore the v ast world together. Many times , groups of friends will join guilds , which are organizations that pla y tog ether. Guilds act lik e a family , helping fellow pla yers on missions and providing a source of social interaction. Guilds bring together people from different bac kgrounds and countries , making the experience more enriching. With the use of software like Teamspeak, guilds can coordinate their actions b y microphone – bringing distant pla yers closer together. Some people w orry that MMOGs are addicting and will turn kids into shut-ins . But the demographics for online g ames are interesting – and hardly
child’s play. Most players are men between the ag es of 18 and 34. Games like Second Life, a realitybased g ame, feature an a verage age of 30 – with nearly half the players being female. Most pla yers spend three hours a da y interacting with friends in these vir tual w orlds. For those who spend more time than necessary, Guild Wars has a solution. After a few hours , a message will appear on a user’ s screen, telling them to “Please take a break.” While MMOGs foster community spirit, they aren’t utopian. Third par ties set up fak e accounts to “farm” gold and precious items , which they sell on Ebay. This upsets traditional players, because others are buying their w ay to the top , instead of earning it. Players also risk getting their account stolen b y downloading extra softw are to complement the game. But for most people , playing online is a positi ve experience – a fact that can be measured b y the growing n umber of subscribers. Guild W ars recently sold more than 2 million units , while World of Warcraft has more than 6 million subscribers and counting . There’s obviously something to a game if it has twice the population of Los Angeles. Mark Freeman is a fr eshman at Saint Mar y’s Colle ge in Morag a. He plans to study economics and cur rently writes for the school paper . Questions/comments can be sent to mfreeman543@gmail.com.
4th Annual
“Festival of Trees” Silent Charity Auction Nove thru D mber 4 ecem ber 2
hosted by
Funds raised will benefit the CBCA’s (Clayton Business & Community Association) annual “Rudolph’s Trees” program
Diamond Terrace
Retirement Community
Dansie, who volunteered as a reserve in the past, concurs. “It was being needed and the reward of seeing that m y work was valued that made it worthwhile.” The VIPS prog ram will be the third component of volunteers at the police de partment. Several young residents make up the city’s Explorer prog ram, and one resident, Russ Eddy, volunteers his time as a Level 1 reserve officer. Lawrence and Dansie would lo ve to see more par ticipants in the reser ve prog ram, but they ac knowledge that the high lev el of training can be daunting. Although a few v olunteers have helped with administrati ve tasks at the de partment over the years, VIPS is the first official program. “We’re taking a look at it from a different perspecti ve and taking police ser vices to the next level,” says Lawrence.
Residents inter ested in volunteering must commit to eight hours of service a month. The application process includes a bac kground chec k and a finger print scan. F or mor e information, contact L ynn Christ at 673-7350.
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Whether buying, selling or refinancing when you’re calling this number, you’re calling the right number Linda Miller
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WALNUT CREEK - NORTHGATE EQUESTRIAN CENTER. 3 Bedroom 2 Bath Updated Townhome Situated in Northgate Equestrian Center.Views of the Beautiful Sun-Filled Atruim from both the Living & Family rooms, Wine Cellar , 2 Car Garage, Built in Library,Desk & Entertainment Center, V Separate Laundry/ Tack Room, with Outside Entrance. Redwood Deck with Builtin planters, Seating Area and Builtin Stainless Barbeque and Storage Center, with views of the Open S pace. No rear neighbors, backs to Shell Ridge Open S pace. HOA includes Pool, Tennis Courts, & Greenbelt. Extra Fees for Horse Boarding in the Barn, that include use of two turnout s, & Covered Arena.
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November 3, 2006
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Page A11
World travelers happy to settle in Clayton People these da ys are dreaming bigger than e ver when it comes t o their retirement. As an Ameriprise f inancial advisor, I belie ve people who writ e do wn their dreams are much more likely to achieve them. That’s why I am proud to offer the Dream Book,SM a tool designed to help you identify and envision your life goals. With the Dream Book, we can map out where y ou want to go, and thr ough sound financial advice, figure out the best way to get you there. Because there’s no be tter w ay t o star t disco vering possibilities, unlocking y our passions and articulating a vision for your future.
To get started, call me at (925) 685-4523 today. Mureleen Benton CFP® 5356 Clayton Rd., Suite 211 Concord, CA 94521 925-685-4523
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Whether trekking through “In effect, I w as a liaison the ancient ruins of Iran or trav- much of the time for the tec heling b y camel near the Giza nological ag encies of the USA Pyramids of Cairo, Royal and and the host countries ,” Mazie Wald have led a fascinatexplains R oyal. “There w ere ing life. meetings and visi“I was a scitors in volved, and ence and politimy job w as to cal officer in make sure that v a r i o u s everything w ent American smoothly.” embassies,” says Mazie and Royal, a retired Royal are in full member of the agreement that U.S. Foreign their fa vorite Service. “Your places to li ve w ere Photos courtesy of Royal and Mazie Wald job was whatevPoland and Japan. C OLLEEN ELWY Dr. Royal J. Wald of the US Embassy’s Science Attach’s office and er came along “Poland w as Mrs. Wald greet Dr. and Mrs. Jerome B. Wiesner as they arrive at and through SHARING HISTORY under Comm unist Tokyo International Airport for the third meeting of the US-Japan this w ork, rule at the time w e Committee on Scientific Cooperation. Circa 1950. Mazie and I w ere able to li ve in were li ving there ,” says R oyal. numerous countries.” “But many people w anted to Mazie star ts to laugh when Royal, 85, was bor n and repair relations with the USA. remembering meeting the raised in Chicag o and came to The controls were pretty relaxed emperor. “I w ent to the dressUC Berk eley follo wing the also, compared to some of the maker, and it really was a beautideath of his father. Royal joined other Easter n European counful dress for me . When we met the Navy in 1942. In his senior tries, and w e felt v ery m uch at the emperor , we w ere to bo w. year, he volunteered to enter the home there.” And follo wing that, the first Navy’s Japanese language coursWhile in J apan, the couple thing you get is sake so that you es sc hool that w as org anized got to call on the emperor twice. can toast the emperor,” she says, through UC Berkeley. “The day after New Year’s, there smiling. “Well as I toasted, I dis“They w ere v ery intensi ve is a reception for the diplomatic covered that the sleev es of my classes,” Royal recalls . “And it corps,” Royal says. “And so two dress were so tight that I couldwas understood that if you of the years w e w ere there , I n’t get the drink to my mouth!” flunked out, you would be bust- was part of the group that went But they made it through ed to an apprentice seaman. So to the chambers of the Imperial that and hold special memories it was a great incentive for us to Palace.” of those times and m uch more ROYAL IN EGYPT study.” With the men in mor ning together. During the next four years , coats and striped trousers , the Royal and Mazie ha ve tw o The g reatest c hallenge w as tr ying to find cat litter in Iran. Royal spent time in Washington, women needed to be co vered sons who w ere with them durIn 1992, they mo ved to D.C., and China. When he com- from the nec k down and white , ing some of their time overseas. pleted his time in the Na vy in black and red colors w ere They also tra veled with sev eral Clayton. Both Royal and Mazie 1946, he returned to Berkeley as restricted. cats and a dog at v arious times. worked at the Cla yton Librar y for 11 years before retiring from a histor y g raduate student. their volunteer positions. That’s when he met Mazie. Nowadays, Royal enjo ys Born in Connecticut, Mazie, spending time on the computer 82, changed schools seven times and Mazie belongs to the and was happy to finally head to Woman’s Club . Despite all the California with her family in intriguing places they ha ve lived 1934. Mazie attended UC in the w orld, Royal smiles and Berkeley and also worked in the says, “We are glad to be in shipyards during the w ar. She Clayton now. We like it here very later became a secretar y in the much.” history de partment at UC If you ar e a senior li ving in Berkeley. And that’s where their Clayton, or know of a senior that 57 years of marriage started. would like to share their life story with In 1950, Royal joined the the Clayton Pioneer r eaders, please State De partment in contact Colleen Elwy at 672-9565 or Washington and the tw o of at colleensbyline@aol.com. ROYAL AND MAZIE WALD them were set for embassy life.
Club News Robert C. Clark, D.O. 3243 Clayton Rd., Concord
925-969-7530
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN The Cla yton Branc h of the American Association of University W omen in vites the community to a v ery topical presentation: “Making a Difference in the Li ves of Orphans and T eenage Girls in Ghana, West Africa. ” Helen Primus is an enthusiastic speaker who enjoys sharing with others the phenomenal w ork being done for those in desperate need. She presents the hope of raising up a g eneration of leaders for Ghana. Helen will share
her experiences with the Rafiki Foundation which is an org anization building comm unities in 10 countries in Africa. She will describe her exciting and educational trip last year to Ghana including her time spent li ving in a villag e with housing for orphans and a vocational school for teens . Helen is a Diablo Home Economist and used her kno wledge to teac h n utrition, cooking skills, and sewing. The program will be Mon. Nov. 27 at 7:30 p .m. at Diamond Terrace Retirement Community, 6401 Center St. Clayton. For
further infor mation please call Marcia Hart 827-9540 or Sheila Driscoll 672-7947. CLAYTON VALLEY WOMAN’S CLUB Get a head start on your holiday shopping b y visiting the Clayton V alley W oman’s Club Holiday Boutique to be held Nov. 17, 18 and 19 in the Community R oom of the Clayton Comm unity Librar y. The boutique will be open 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Fri., 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sat. and 1 - 4 p .m. on Sun. the boutique will feature
fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas crafts whic h ha ve been handmade b y club members. Baked g oods will also be available for purchase and a raffle for a muffy bear will be held. All proceeds will benefit the Clayton Valley Woman’s Club, a nonprofit org anization whose donations of time and money aid Cla yton/Concord c harities. For more information about the boutique, please contact Cochairman P eggy Ar undell at (925)672-2043. The Cla yton Community Librar y address is 6125 Clayton Road.
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Page A12
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
November 3, 2006
Although Stranahans never made any wine, they certainly made history
Est.1972
Smith & Bernal
Roofing
ELDORA HOYER Special to the Pioneer
A little park at the Stranahan subdivision entrance marks the site of Clayton’s historic stone winery that “never made a drop of wine.” Richard and Sarah Stranahan came to Cla yton in 1858, the year after Contra Costa County finished platting Cla yton (previously known as Deadfall because of many fallen trees in the area). They came from Herkimer County and R ome, N.Y., and bought proper ty along Mt. Diablo Creek. According to the book “Clayton: Not Quite Shang ri La,” Richard w as a “fine figure of an Irishman, strong as an ox, fearing neither man nor beast, and only one w oman – Sarah. ” An “indomitable w oman,” she was an ear nest member of the Woman’s Christian T emperance
Courtesy of Clayton Historical Society
SARAH STRANAHAN
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A
SMALL PARK JUST INSIDE
the Stranahan development marks the spot where Richard Stranahan’s winery stood.
Union (as w as Mrs . Joel Clayton). When a larg e vineyard had been planted, Richard realized that he could increase his income b y pressing his o wn grapes and selling the wine , as others in the valley were doing. Sarah predicted that “he would never make a cent out of the winer y” he w as laboriously building. As it neared completion, she said that if he made so much as a drop of wine on the premises, she w ould lea ve for Rome, N.Y. Richard died at ag e 67 in 1900, “leaving Sarah to make her own str uggle with adv ersity.” She survived by gradually selling off the land in small parcels until it was reduced to a few acres. Pearle and T homas Omer Graves ar rived in 1907 with three children. He would be the new Cla yton sc hool principal and teac her, and they needed a
place to li ve. Sarah met them in church and in vited them to sta y with her. The Graves later inherited her property. The Gra ves w anted their children to ha ve colleg e educations, and the whole family worked to mak e it possible . Another and larger well was dug for ir rigation, and with an old plow horse , Nellie, they g rew and sold an incredible bounty of produce. They made g ood use of Richard’s winery for cool storage of fresh and preserved foods. In 1918, they bought a Maxw ell automobile to deli ver sur plus products for trade . Eventually, the proper ty became a w alnut orchard. Eleanor Graves was bor n in Clayton in 1914 and later married George A. Pettit, who held bachelor’s and doctorate degrees from the Uni versity of California. He w as an assistant
to uni versity presidents R obert Gordon Sproul and Clark K err and pioneered in educational radio and TV broadcasting. He and Eleanor li ved in Berkeley, where he served on the City Council for nine years . He was also the author of “Clayton: Not Quite Shangri La.” Carl Gra ves w as a popular teacher lik e his father . He continued to li ve at the Stranahan house in Clayton. During the scar y 1960s Cold War period, he transfor med the winery into a well-stocked bomb shelter. The walls were strengthened with gunite , and earth was heaped around the building . Selected people w ere in vited to share its protection. In 1994, “Richard’s F olly” was demolished to make way for John Lemke’s Stranahan subdivision. The city prevailed upon the developer to build a small park at the winery site.
Hosking Associates, Inc. Kim Dromlewicz,
Grace Pruett’s eyes light up when she talks about her career in nail care. “I love what I do,” she says from her Main St. Nail studio in downtown Clayton. She shares the cozy salon with colleague Jennifer Stevens in the bac k of the F rontier Hair Salon, at 6064 Main St. “I enjoy making people happy ,” says Grace . “Women who come to m y salon in a bad mood always leave feeling better.” Grace is an exper t in all types of nail care and nail enhancements, including manicures, gels and acr ylics. She travels to trade sho ws at least once a year to k eep cur rent with new products and to sta y motivated for her customers. “I always tr y out a product
on myself before I introduce it to my customers,” Grace notes. She’s cur rently w orking on offering an entire “chocoholic” experience for the romantic Valentine’s Da y holida y. Her chocolate decadence pedicure will feature c hocolate-scented products, along with light refreshments lik e hot cocoa and truffles. “You can g et a pedicure anywhere in the area, but I want to mak e it a different experience,” says Grace, whose engaging personality and caring nature k eeps customers coming back for more. She cur rently specializes in pink and white nails, using two different colors in g el or acrylic. She explains that this procedure is perfect for the woman on the g o. You don ’t need polish and nails are shiny. “Everyone lik es that, ” Grace says.
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November 3, 2006
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com
Chestnuts aren’t just the stuff of poetry
STONE TREE
The Tree Experts since 1977
When the holidays approach and Christmas tunes f lood the airwaves, one thinks of chestnuts roasting on an open fire . Aside from the logistical issue of having a fire place, there’s the inherent hazard that an exploding c hestnut will cause an unpleasant injur y. But there are alternative w ays to extract this marvelous nut. Chestnuts were a significant part of the American diet (and landscape) until some Asian chestnut trees imported for the Bronx Zoo at the tur n of the 20th centur y introduced a fungus that wiped out the American c hestnut within 50 years. It’s said that the trees were once so numerous that a squirrel could jump from chestnut tree to chestnut tree all the w ay from Georgia to New York. Although the American market is just beginning to reco ver, most of us g et our c hestnuts from Italy , Spain, Japan and China. Perhaps you’ve seen bottled or canned mar rons in the specialty food aisle. The French name is widely used throughout Europe with some v ariations, like marroni in Italy. The chestnut is a dense, carbohydrate-rich n ut and one of the few that has measurable Vitamin C. It was often considered the food of the poor because of its n utritional v alue and widespread a vailability. In Tuscany, the poor recei ve the nuts as a symbol of sustenance on religious feast days. As a domesticated tree , the chestnut dates bac k some 5,000 years in par ts of Asia. Alexander the Great’ s Greek
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Page A13
army survived on chestnuts during their retreat from Asia Minor 2,400 years ag o. The Italian and Swiss Alps areas
were called the “Chestn ut Civilization” for sev eral hundred years because of their widespread use. The c hestnut also has been referred to as the “bread tree .” Cultivated for ms of chestnuts included hundreds of varieties selected for specific qualities for use in candy , roasting, boiling, drying, flour and butter. Chestnut flour is widely used in gluten-free diets, and Italian cooks used it for polenta before cor n w as introduced. Chestnuts are often used as a substitute for potatoes or pasta in Europe because of their high starch content. Please don’t eat a ra w chestnut. The nuts must be boiled or roasted because of their high tannic acid lev el, which will cause g astric discomfor t. The outer, thin shell as w ell as the bitter, brown skin is remo ved before eating. Removing the skin in its ra w state is vir tually impossible, but with patience , the outer shell can be remo ved from the ra w nut. I recommend blanc hing or cooking fresh c hestnuts before
removal of the shell and skin. An easy preparation method is to make two crosscut slices on the f lat side of the n ut and microwave o n high for 3 to 4 minutes. One pound of fresh nuts will yield about 12 ounces, or 2½ cups , of prepared c hestnut. Armed with a few pounds of fresh c hestnuts from Apple Hill of Camino, I set about experimenting with a few dishes to add to m y holiday table. CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT TRUFFLES 6 oz. dark (bittersweet) chocolate 2½ c. fresh chestnuts, prepared (or 1 16-oz. can whole chestnuts) 6 Tbsp. butter ½ c. sugar ½ tsp. nutmeg (optional) 3 Tbsp. tablespoons brandy or other liqueur 1 tsp. vanilla Coating ingredients below Melt chocolate in double boiler and cool. Cream tog ether the butter, sugar, liqueur, vanilla and optional nutmeg. Puree chestnuts in food processor or blender and add to chocolate and butter mixtures. Roll into 1½ inc h balls . (Refrigerate mixture for 10 minutes if it gets too sticky.) Coating: Melt 14 oz. semisweet c hocolate morsels and cool. Put 1 c . cocoa powder on plate, broad pan or bo wl. Dip truffles in c hocolate and let stand in cocoa powder for a few minutes to set. Roll tr uffles in powder until nicely coated.
LINDA WYNER
FOOD
FOR
THOUGHT
Chestnut puree is called for in many recipes . I disco vered you can make the puree for considerably less than store-bought: SWEET CHESTNUT PUREE 1 c. chestnut flour ¼ c. heavy cream 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar 1 tsp. vanilla ½ c + 2 Tbsp. water Combine all ing redients in blender until puree is for med. Refrigerate if not used right away. SIMPLE CHESTNUT STUFFING 1 lb. fresh chestnuts (prepared) 1 cube butter, melted 2 eggs, beaten 4 c. sourdough breadcrumbs ½ c. chopped celery ½ c. chopped onion 2 tsp. dried sage 1 tsp. dried thyme Coarsely chop chestnuts and add to herbs , melted butter , eggs and veggies. Toss in breadcrumbs and coat evenly. Linda W yner is an accomplished chef and “foodie.” She will be opening her kitchen stor e and cooking school in Pleasanton soon. W atch the Pioneer for details. Direct your sug gestions or questions to lwyner@claytonpioneer.com
School News MT. DIABLO ELEMENTARY A vendor night fundraiser is planned for No v. 16 in the Mt. Diablo Elementar y MultiUse R oom from 2:30 - 7:30 p.m. There will be a v ariety of vendors selling homemade toffee, and scar ves, wine c harms, creative memories supplies, etc. There will be a v ariety of holiday and non-holida y items for sale. CLAYTON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL The Second Ann ual Holiday Boutique Fundraiser is on Sat. Nov. 4 . Hosted b y the P arent Faculty Club , the Boutique Fundraiser /V endor F aire will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p .m. in the Multi-Use Room. Pampered Chef , Mary K ay,
Party Lite Candles , The Body Shop at Home , Creative Memories, Cookie Lee Jewelry, Stampin’ Up! and Wildtree Herbs will have their wares for sale mingled with beautiful hand-made gifts and cards . Proceeds will g o to the CVHS teachers’ request fund. Bake sale and gift wrap for your convenience and enjoyment. Questions? Call Carolyn Hartnell at 672-4146 or crhar tnell@earthlink.net. Clayton Valley HS Multi-Use R oom. The Society f or International Travel is taking applications for the trip to Athens and R ome in the sum-
mer of 2007. E-mail Mrs. Ross at rossj@mdusd.k12.ca.us for more information. The fall drama pr oduction is Inherit the Wind b y Jerome La wrence and R obert E. Lee. The play (based loosely on the 1925 Scopes Monk ey trial) was intended as an indictment of McCarthyism and continues to apply in any society where attempts are made to suppress the right to indi vidual thought. Dates are No v. 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17 at 7:30 in the Multi-use Room. Clayton Valley High Sc hool is located at 1101 Alber ta Way, Concord.
Send y our School news items to schoolnews@claytonpioneer.com
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School News
November 17, 2006
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com
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MT. DIABLO ELEMENTARY The Mt. Diablo Elementar y fourth and fifth g rade c horus presents Holiday Hoedown on Thurs. Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. and Fri. Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. Santa’s Toyshop is in dang er of going b ust. No money f or ma terials means no presents - w hich means no Christmas. What’s the g ang going to do? Join the fun as the entire toyshop crew goes on the road to Branson, Missouri to raise the needed funds with a down-home country music jamboree. It will be a knee sla pping hee-haw e xperience, with r eindeer masquer ading as hor ses and elves that rock and roll. Christine Billingsle y has been teac hing a t Mt. Diablo Elementary for five years. “The c horus has been steadily g rowing since I came . We a veraged ar ound 68 kids when I first came to Mt. Diablo in 2001, and no w this y ear w e have hit an all time high of 133 kids.” We plan to do the m usical The Retur n of the Glass Slipper in the spring.
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CLAYTON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL Sun. evening, Nov. 5, the band shed a t the high sc hool was brok en into and the g olf cart the band uses to haul its equipment onto the f ield w as stolen. The car t has not been found and while w e are hoping for its return, we must consider ways to r eplace the car t in the event it does not mak e its w ay
Steve Paulson
Clayton Valley High School and ClaytonArts Academy will host a pair of actors from the Oregon Shak espeare F estival on No v. 30. In addition to
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and R obert E. Lee. The pla y (based loosel y on the 1925 Scopes Monk ey trial) w as intended as an indictment of McCarthyism and continues to apply in any society w here attempts are made to suppr ess the right to individual thought. The last sho w is No v. 17 at 7:30 p .m. in the MUR a t Clayton V alley High, 1101 Alberta Way, Concord.
The Society f or International Travel is continuing to take applications for the trip to Athens and Rome in the summer of 2007. E-mail Mr s. Ross a t rossj@mdusd.k12.ca.us f or more information.
interactive workshops the actors, Gina Daniels and Ted Deasy, will perf orm excerpts from Shak espeare and other classical and c ontemporary lit-
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The Eagle Mar ching Band and Color Guard of Clayton Valley High Sc hool recentl y won the Lodi Grape Bowl field show contest. The band, which is realizing a healthier membership this y ear, earned its f irst win since 2002, taking not only top band b ut top honors in marching, music, Drum Major, and dr um line/per cussion sec tion, as well. The band completes its
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2006 season No v. 18 at Stockton’s Lincoln High School and is a perf orming unit of the Western Band Association and the Nor thern Califor nia Band Association. Families and students that would lik e more inf ormation about the Eag le Band and Color Guard program are invited to email director, Mr. Mundy Viar, at ClaytonBands@aol.com.
Shakespeare Actors to Visit Local Schools
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back to us. With the mar ching band performance season ending on Nov.18 a t the f inals in Stockton, the parent organization, the Music Booster s, is considering fund-r aising options in order to r eplace the cart for ne xt year. One idea is the ann ual Spring Dinner Dance to be held a t Oakhurst Country Club on Marc h 31, 2007. If anyone has any information about the g olf cart or the break in at the shed please contact band director - Mundy Viar at Cla yton V alley High School a t 672-7474 e xt. 3125 or Concord PD.
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sion of the Fe s t iva l ’s 2005 sea son, six teams of actors vis ited 124 s c h o o l s GINA DANIELS and organizations, reaching o ver 67,000 students in four states. For man y students , The Oregon Shak espeare F estival’s School V i s i t Program has afforded them their f irst encounter with li ve TED DEASY theatre. One teac her wr ote, “The Oregon Shak espeare F estival’s visit is a windo w f or m y stu dents. It helps e xpose them to different worlds, ways of thinking, and to professional the atre.” Advertise with the Clayton Pioneer 672-0500
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Page A14
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
November 3, 2006
Consider Heavenly Bamboo NICHOLS LANDSCAPE for color all year around COMPLETE LANDSCAPE INSTALLATION
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NICOLE HACKETT
GARDEN GIRL Nandina domestica is a wonderful ev ergreen shr ub with year-round interest that thri ves in Clayton V alley landscapes and gardens. The bamboo-like bushes wow us with their adaptability, longevity and constant colorful displa ys. Often refer red to as Heavenly bamboo, this is one of the most common and recognizable plants. Nandina has many attributes that can be enjoyed by homeowners and g ardeners alik e. Though often passed b y in the n ursery aisle, this evergreen needs another look – especially the new er introductions. Nandina domestica is the original Hea venly bamboo . Lacy green lea ves are suppor ted b y upright, cane-like stems , resembling the canes of the tr ue bamboo. This shrub can reac h 4 to 6 feet tall. Creamy white flowers are present in the middle of spring, followed by red berries during the fall. Orange, red and burgundy leaves are showy through fall and winter. Nandina domestica lends itself to Asian-inspired g ardens, entry and gateways, privacy plantings and container plantings. Care is minimal. Feed with a multi-purpose fertilizer in the spring before new g rowth appears and w ater regularly. It also has a compact relati ve that ma y suit y our needs more than the taller v ariety. Nandina Compacta is a smaller , slower-
Image courtesy DavesGarden.com. Used with permission
Heavenly Bamboo Firepower framing in a g arden, one needs the dependability of an evergreen to give the area f low. The eventual size of this Nandina allows the garden to ha ve its framing without compromising the other perennials. When spaced properly , this plant can be the basic bones of the bed. In addition to the functional aspects , this Nandina can carry the perennial bed through fall and winter while other plants are dormant. Harbor dw arf is in the g round cover selection of the family . What this variety lacks in height, it makes up in width. Harbor dwarf spreads by underg round r unners. That characteristic is intimidating in a perennial bed, but when planted beneath established trees , where existing root systems ma y be an issue , this ev ergreen has a chance. The fall and winter color of this g roundcover is an alluring,
growing evergreen that may reach 4 feet tall. The leaves are smaller and more finely cut. The fall and winter colors are brighter and livelier. This selection also tolerates full sun to par t shade . Plant in narrow areas where y ou cra ve a showy evergreen, such as behind or near a swimming pool.There is little c hance of litter and a g reat probability of a successful installation. The compact v arieties of Nandina do not berry, so planting by the dec k or patio is encouraged. Gulf Steam is a h ybrid selection of the Nandina family . This popular choice was a huge garden hit sev eral years bac k. Gulf Stream reaches only 2 feet tall and wide, with the same fine-textured leaves and reliable fall through winter leaf color. Use Gulf Stream to accent focal points in y our landscape or as a li ving border . Often when
dark red. Consider planting under pine, redwood or birc h for interest at eye level. Firepower is considered the best coloring Nandina, with brilliant crimson leaf color fall through winter. Firepower reaches 30 inches tall and wide , resembling a mound of evergreen color. This plant is ter rific for borders and is great in containers. Maintenance is next to nothing, aside from an ann ual fertilizing in early spring before new growth appears . This selection requires no pruning and is virtually pest-free. Sienna Sunrise is a newer hybrid of the Nandina family. Red highlights appear from fall through winter, but the real show happens in spring – when the new g rowth is an intense , fiery red. As the weather warms, the foliag e cools to a medium green. This evergreen makes a g reat high-profile garden accent. Sienna Sunrise ma y be planted with a Coral Bark J apanese maple, or to emphasize the area surrounding a fountain. Planter cutouts in newly poured concrete patios are another ex cellent place to enjo y this Nandina, which reac hes 3 to 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide . Unlike some of the other Nandinas mentioned here , this one w ould appreciate an ann ual shearing to maintain shape. Some will be attracted to the simplicity of this plant family and others to the dramatic impact it provides. Either w ay, this common evergreen deserves a second glance.
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Music and sports are compatible bedfellows On sev eral lev els, music and sports have striking similarities. In the purest sense , they both involve f lowing ph ysical motion mixed with thought, creativity and discipline. In many cases , they both in volve teamwork or w orking together with multiple individuals for a common pur pose. On Sept. 21, I posted a stor y on my Website about attending a football g ame in Berk eley between the Califor nia Golden Bears and the P ortland State Vikings. I received positive feedback from that account, so I decided to explore the idea of music and spor ts sharing common characteristics here as well. As far bac k as I can remember, my life has rev olved around music and spor ts. Dad raised us with the belief that a health y body (from spor ts and ex ercise) makes for a health y mind (in m y case, playing m usic). He and I were in the front yard pla ying football and baseball during the
hear that ph ysical education and music are taking a bac k seat in our schools. Perhaps some of the g ang violence and related problems of today’s y outh could be reduced by once ag ain putting emphasis on the benefits of athletic pursuits and learning to play a music instrument. They’re cer tainly more w orthwhile acti vities than many alter natives a vailable to kids nowadays. For me , spending a mor ning at the piano is often proceeded by a brisk w alk on one of the trails in Cla yton and on Mt. Diablo. Breaking a sweat and getting the heart rate elevated seems to bring out the best in my music. Meanwhile, the teamw ork aspect of music and spor ts cannot be denied. Being par t of an 11-man football team has a lot in common with playing in a m usic ensemble. No one person is responsible for the whole team, yet each person pla ys a vital role
JIM HUDAK
MUSIC NOTES warmer months of the year and in the basement pla ying bask etball and hoc key (as m uch as the limited space would allow) in the cold and rainy seasons of western Oregon. Getting the blood pumping and the o xygen f lowing help stimulate one’ s creati ve juices . From my Dad’s perspective, playing organized sports after school was also a w ay of keeping his boys out of trouble. It hur ts to
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Jim Hudak’s Music Notes column appears r egularly in the Pioneer . Contact him at jimmydak@pacbell.net. His piano music CD’ s ar e a vailable from his W eb site at www .jhudak.com or at amazon.com.
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in the performance as a whole. Though I perfor m solo a lot, it’s alw ays thrilling to pla y with other m usicians and experience that element of teamwork when we pla y tog ether. The camaraderie and jo y in accomplishing things as a g roup is wonderful. Some spor ts, such as g olf, tennis and swimming, are essentially individual spor ts. But even they often involve being part of a team. More and more of today’s musicians and ar tists recognize the v alue of good health, nutrition and exercise. By making the body the best functioning “machine” possible, their creative and ar tistic endea vors are given the best oppor tunity to thrive and to g row.
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On November 25, 1943, on a stormy night in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Oran, North Africa, the British Troopship, HMT Rohna, part of a con voy headed for bases in China, Burma and India, was hit by a German guided missile and sunk. 1,015 American soldiers , five British officers and 115 R oyal Indian seamen perished, giving the Rohna disaster the distinction of having the larg est loss of American life at sea during WWII. Clayton resident, Bill Caskey, 84, survived the R ohna sinking. After spending five and a half hours in the freezing water, he was rescued by one of the con voy ships that had stayed behind after the R ohna went down. The American g overnment kept the Rohna sinking a secret for o ver 50 years , because, as Caskey sa ys, “they didn ’t w ant anyone to kno w that the German’s had a glider bomb— it would be bad for morale.”
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Photo courtesy of Toni Russell
Toni Caskey Russell and her husband mark with a lily the place in the Mediterranean Sea where the Rohna went down.
This past Se ptember, Caskey’s daughter, Toni Russell and her husband, took a cr uise ship through the w aters where the R ohna w as lost to drop flowers in honor of those shipmates of her father that lost their lives. With V eteran’s Da y approaching on No vember 11, we proudly and humbly present Toni Cask ey R ussell’s account of her private remembrance of those lost on the T roopship HMT Rohna: “On Friday, Se pt. 29, m y husband and I boarded the Cr uise Line
Silver Seas cr uise ship the Silver Whisper, in Bar celona Spain, heading for Tunis, Tunisia. Once aboard, we handed an of ficer the coordinates for Rohna’s sinking and ask ed to be advised of the closest longitude and latitude possib le, r equesting per mission to throw flowers overboard. Saturday mor ning at 8:15, w e received a call saying that w e w ere within a few miles of the coordinates. Warm w eather, a brilliant b lue sky and calm seas awaited me as I hastily grab bed the flow ers, ran out onto our balcony and cried out “Hi, guys . I’m letting you know you were NOT forgotten. Thank y ou and God
bless.” With a knot in m y stomach and teary eyed, I threw the flowers as far as I could into the Mediter ranean Sea. The following day...we visited the American Cemeter y located in Carthage--27 acr es of beautifully kept grounds, bright green lawns and thousands of shiny w hite headstones….I explained my relationship to some of the men buried in the cemetery to a man inside the of fice. He asked me to come inside his of fice and he show ed me a binder full of information r egarding the Rohna. Included in the binder ...was a photograph a Mr . Alv arado fr om the Rohna. I r emembered meeting Mr . Alvarado at a Rohna r eunion once. The man at the cemeter y recalls Mr. Alvarado br eaking down w hen he visited the cemeter y some y ears previously. If I w ere to sum up m y view of the Mediter ranean Sea, T unis and the American Cemeter y in Car thage in one w ord, I w ould ha ve to say “peaceful.” It doesn’ t get any better than that. The Pioneer did a stor y on Caskey and the sinking of the Rohna in November, 2003. For a reprint, please call 672-0500.
El Nino could bring heavy rains this year
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In October , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NO AA) re ported that El Nino conditions had developed and that they w ould continue through early 2007. El Nino is generally defined as a c hange in the oceanic and atmospheric f low patter ns in the tropical P acific. One of the oceanic c hanges is the rapid warming of Peru’s coastal w aters in late December , which causes severe stress to the fishing industry of that country. Because this abnor mal warming happened during the Christmas season, Peruvians called this ev ent El Nino , meaning “the Christ child.” Scientists studying the local El Nino ev ent quic kly lear ned that the P eruvian w arm w ater ev ents were part of a larger atmospheric and oceanic f low patter n that stretched across the P acific from South America to A ustralia. In fact, a study of atmospheric pressure patter ns between Tahiti and
Australia indicated that there were occasional oscillations of pressure patter ns across the Pacific. This w as named the Southern Oscillation. Since pressure patter ns dri ve winds, and winds drive ocean currents, scientists w ere able to link El Nino ev ents and Souther n Oscillations. Now, El Ninos are commonly refer red to as El Nino-Southern Oscillation events (ENSO). Normally, equatorial P acific winds blow from east to w est. In Peru, this means winds blo w offshore and surface ocean w aters blow away from the coast. This results in the upw elling of cooler sub-surface w aters along the coast. When the winds change direction, upwelling stops , coastal waters become warmer than normal and El Nino ar rives. The c hange in air circulation during ENSO ev ents also results in sea surface temperatures warming across the equatorial Pacific. Meteorologists look at sea surface temperatures in this area to deter mine the strength of an El Nino. Both the Southern Oscillation and warmer than nor mal sea surface temperatures ha ve dramatic effects on jet stream patter ns throughout the world. One example is the subtropical jet stream over the Atlantic , which tends to be strong er during El Nino events. This inhibits formation of hurricanes. This season, there
Predicted Winter Rainfall Patterns December 2006 – February 2007
Above normal chances of wet weather
have been few er named Atlantic hurricanes than normal. Unfortunately for long-rang e weather forecasters , ENSO events differ in strength and the precise location of the w arm ocean waters. While it is tr ue that all El Ninos cause c hanges in jet stream patterns, it is not true that the effects of El Nino events are the same in a g eographic region, like the Bay Area or California. The drought of 1976 occurred during w eak El Nino conditions, while the hea vy rains of 1998 came during a strong El Nino. Generally for the United States, moderate and strong El Ninos result in rainfall patter ns highlighted by wetter than normal winters o ver the souther n tier states, including Califor nia, and drier than nor mal winters o ver the northern tier of states, includ-
ing the Pacific Northwest. This pattern is reflected in the most recent NO AA winter precipitation forecast, which is presented in the attached chart. It is really too early to tell how this dev eloping El Nino will affect w eather patter ns in the Clayton area. However, if it does turn out to be a strong ev ent, there is a g ood c hance w e’ll see above normal rainfall – especially in the late winter and early spring periods.
For mor e on El Nino and the Southern Oscillation, visit www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/ precip/CWlink/MJO/enso.shtml. Woody Whitlatch is a meteorologist with PG &E. Email y our questions or comments to clayton_909@yahoo.com
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Page A16
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
November 3, 2006
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705 Condor Place 503 Raven Place 7018 Molluk Way 428 Zinfandel Circle 436 Grenache Circle 115 Samuel Court 928 Kenston Dr 809 Chert Place 1293 Shell Circle 1451 Yosemite Circle 1163 Moccasin Ct 7026 Molluk Way 179 Mountaire Pkwy 3016 Windmill Canyon Dr 518 Mt. Dell Dr 336 Mt. Washington Wy 1820 Eagle Peak Ave 5861 Caulfield Drive 320 Saclan Terrace 239 Jeffry Ranch Place 329 Ahwanee Lane 54 Marquette Ct 821 Savignon Ct 1016 Tiffin Dr 52 La Honda Ct 19 Barcelona Wy 31 Nottingham Pl 38 Jalalon Pl 315 Windmill Canyon 5155 Keller Ridge Dr 632 Julpun Loop 1000 Panadero Way 109 Forest Hill Drive 2 Nottingham Circle 1824 Ohlone Heights 328 Ahwanee Lane 635 Mt. Duncan Drive 1049 Kenston Drive 303 Saclan Terrace 3405 Coyote Circle 365 Blue Oak Lane 202 Round House Pl
PRICE $455,000 $675,000 $775,000 $850,000 $865,000 $864,000 $995,000 $505,000 $595,000 $700,000 $641,000 $859,000 $700,000 $640,000 $575,000 $730,000 $775,000 $835,000 $637,900 $725,000 $975,000 $680,000 $795,000 $816,500 $825,000 $800,000 $890,000 $670,000 $640,000 $769,500 $660,000 $725,000 $1,039,000 $780,000 $780,000 $1,198,000 $940,000 $940,000 $659,980 $495,000 $1,100,000 $610,000
SALE DATE
SF
10/20/06 10/17/06 10/13/06 10/13/06 10/12/06 10/11/06 10/2/06 09/29/06 09/28/06 09/26/06 09/22/06 09/13/06 09/08/06 09/08/06 09/07/06 09/07/06 08/31/06 08/31/06 08/31/06 08/31/06 08/24/06 08/23/06 08/23/06 08/22/06 08/16/06 08/15/06 08/14/06 08/11/06 08/10/06 08/10/06 08/03/06 08/02/06 08/01/06 07/28/06 07/27/06 07/26/06 07/21/06 07/20/06 07/18/06 07/11/06 07/07/06 07/07/06
1,026 1,877 2,674 2,391 2,391 2,334 3,048 1,235 1,709 1,566 1,639 2,542 1,600 1,493 1,658 1,740 2,313 2,050 1,749 1,810 2,944 1,568 2,052 1,815 2,390 2,324 2,262 1,939 1,501 2,313 1,904 1,501 2,700 2,088 2,313 3,416 2,960 2,807 1,991 1,252 2,981 1,749
BED/BATH 2/2 3/2.5 4/3 4/2.5 4/2.5 4/3 5/4 2/2 3/3 3/2 3/2.5 4/2.5 3/2 3/2 3/2 4/2 4/2.5 4/2 3/2.5 4/2 4/2.5 4/2 4/2.5 3/2 4/2.5 5/2.5 4/2.5 3/2.5 3/2 4/2.5 3/2.5 3/2.5 3/2.5 4/2 4/2.5 4/3.5 5/3 4/2 3/2.5 2/2.5 4/2.5 3/2.5
CLAYTON PIONEER November 3, 2006
Section B
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Page B1
Horses blaze the trail in therapy prog ram for teens JILL BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer
When y ou see Chris Har vey walking across the horse arena at the Concord Mt. Diablo T rail Ride Association in Cla yton, you get the impression that she feels right at home. Dressed in cowboy boots and jeans and with frequent, affectionate ex changes with her 11year-old mustang Biscuit, Harvey exudes a confidence that comes from kno wing who y ou are and what you want out of life. It wasn’t always like that. As a teen-ager, she was insecure, timid and bullied for a bir th defect. The only time she felt nor mal was when she w as caring for an appaloosa named Scout at her family’s home in the Blue Ridg e Mountains of Georgia.
SAMANTHA SHARFEY AND BISCUIT
“The horse didn ’t see any of that,” recalls Harvey. As therapeutic as it w as, her relationship with Scout ended abruptly when Harvey developed a severe allergic reaction and her family had to give up the horse. Harvey met Biscuit two years ago at her fiancé’s parents’ ranch in Souther n Califor nia. Despite her fear of allergies and knowing that the horse had a strong per-
sonality, Harvey was immediately drawn to him. “Biscuit w as clearly abused and lost for years , and he dumped everyone who rode him. He was the first horse I w ent to. I w ent right up and kissed him on the nose and started bawling,” Harvey remembers . She ev entually took Biscuit home , hired a trainer and w atched the feisty horse tur n completely around with a lot of love and companionship. It w as this bond with Biscuit that w ould ev entually bring Harvey closer to her dream of helping kids through horses. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is a fairly new field, which uses horses as a tool for emotional g rowth and development. According to Harvey, horses have the ability to mirror human behavior and body language. However, others sa y that because horses are larg e and powerful, they can be intimidating and present challenges. Harvey w ants to focus her EAP prog ram on teens , recognizing that they bring a lot of baggage to their life experiences . “I w ant to help kids through horses, the same way they (horses) helped me,” says Harvey. She and her colleagues are hosting an Equine Assisted Growth and Lear ning Clinic from 10 a.m. to 5 p .m. Sunday, Nov. 5, at the T rail Ride Association in Clayton. All teens are w elcome, along with their parents. The cost is $150 per person, and lunch is included. “We already ha ve teens who are interested but can ’t afford to participate, so we welcome businesses in the area as sponsors ,” Harvey notes. The daylong event consists of
hen you live in a place as exciting and beautiful as the Clayton Valley area, it’s hard not to be excited for each new day,” Lynne French says. “From the energy of the city to the natural setting of the country, there’s always something to keep me on the go.”
“W
Lynne brings this positive energy and love for the Clayton Valley to her long-running career as a real estate professional.
(925) 672-8787 www.LynneFrench.com Lynne@LynneFrench.com
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
Lorrie Eaton and Larry Galyardt attempt to get Biscuit to leave the confined space and walk across a wooden post. They are not allowed to talk or touch the horse as part of the Equine Assisted Psychotherapy exercise.
a series of exercises, and teens will be asked to complete cer tain tasks with a horse. “It’s not about riding,” says Har vey. “It’s about the interaction betw een horse and teen.” In one session, a teen might try to g et the horse to w alk across a w ooden post without speaking or touc hing the horse . Another teen might be ask ed to stand in the middle of his parents. As the three of them hold hands, the teen acts as the head of the family and instr ucts his parents to use their free ar ms to saddle a horse. A facilitator and a horse professional are present at every session. The facilitator leads a discussion follo wing eac h session, talking about the teen ’s experience with the horse and how that might relate to what that teen
encounters in everyday life. Kathleen Sims, a professional counselor who o wns the Center for Conscious R elationship in Pleasant Hill is a cer tified EAP trainer and will facilitate the Nov. 5 clinic. Once the EAP prog ram g ets off the g round, Sims hopes to dedicate half of her practice to equine therapy. “It is psyc hotherapy, but that’s not all it is ,” says Sims. “It applies to any one with social skills. Even the so-called nor mal family can lear n to communicate better.” Because of her connection and bonding with horses , Sims has had sev eral poignant, lifechanging experiences . She recently lost her husband of 40 years and was able to process her grief with a horse named Sailor.
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Sims calls him a g entle giant and spirit w arrior. “I sa w the power he had in my life.” Chiropractor Lor rie Eaton is founder of the Cla yton-based Camp Camelot, a lear ning and healing center that incor porates traditional and alter native therapies for people with special needs, including equine assisted growth. Eaton rents office space at Sims’ therapy center and that’s where she introduced Har vey to Sims. The three w omen are working tog ether to mak e the November clinic a starting point. “Everything is connected, ” says Harvey. Two years ag o, Harvey w as looking for a place to li ve that could accommodate horses . She found a proper ty in probate at the Trail Ride Association. It was an ideal setting for her horses
and her program. “We fell in lo ve with it and saw a dream,” Harvey says. Biscuit, who will be used as a therapy horse for the clinic , is boarded at the T rail Ride Association. Biscuit’s new o wner is 13-year -old Concord resident Samantha Sherfey, who supports Harvey’s equine therapy program. “I really think it’s a good idea. I’ve lear ned so m uch about myself,” Samantha sa ys of the program and w orking with Biscuit. “He understands people and respects your feelings.” Harvey has named her new program Inner T rails, from her favorite quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Do not g o where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” “All of this is to help people look inside while being outside ,” Harvey says. “It’s so un usual and outside the bo x … w orking on y our issues through a horse ,” adds Sims.
EQUINE ASSISTED GROWTH AND LEARNING CLINIC When: 10 a.m.-5 p .m. Sunday, Nov. 5 Who: Open to teens 13-17 and their parents Cost: $150, including lunch Where: Trail Ride Association off Marsh Creek R oad, Clayton. (Take Marsh Creek R oad to Russelmann Road, just past the Pumpkin F arm. Continue on R usselmann for 1 mile and follo w signs to the clubhouse.) Reservations: 510-862-0960
Page B2
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
November 3, 2006
Clayton Sports Thunder Strikes wins Diablo Cup Championship BOB PIMM Clayton Pioneer
Clayton’s Thunder Strikes U10 Girls team w on the 2006 Diablo Cup Championship , defeating the Cr ushers 2-0 on goals by Cassie Snyder and Blair Mackin. The T hunder Strik es w ent undefeated this season with a 14-0-2 record, including Diablo Cup games. The team recorded an incredible 13 shutouts . Chris Snyder coac hes the T hunder Strikes, assisted b y Andrea Searle. During the c hampionship game, defenders Hannah Louis, Kellie DelMaria, Emily Wright, Kara Sibbitt, Hayley Kinion and Marissa Macedo k ept the ball
out of their own end, while forwards, Ashley Car ter, Catie Heinzmann, Hannah Mazolewski, Kimber Searle , Blair and Cassie k ept the pressure on the Cr ushers g oalkeeper. The Mount Diablo Soccer Association’s (MDSA) ann ual inter-league tour nament is for the U-10 girls and bo ys. The Championship Game w as played Oct. 15 at Boatright Fields in Concord. Next up for the T hunder Strikes are mini-league pla yoffs this w eekend at A yers and Boatright fields . The pla yoffs will determine which team qualifies for the District Tournament of Champions, starting Nov. 18.
The Sports Parent Helping your child love sports BOB PIMM Clayton Pioneer
This is the first in a new series on helping parents and kids get the most out of their sports experiences. Most parents want their children to par ticipate acti vely in youth spor ts – for ph ysical health, academic success and fun. The ph ysical health of our children is becoming a major national concern. This year, the Journal of the American Medical Association re ported that 17.1 percent of children and adolescents 2 to 19 years of age (more than 12 ½ million) were overweight, growing up to become some of the 32.2 percent of adults (more than 66 million) who are obese. Moreover, a 2003 study b y the National Association of Secondary Sc hool Principals concluded: “The reason athletes excel in the classroom, at this point, does not seem important. The fact remains that students involved in co-cur ricular acti vities, especially intersc holastic sports, perform better than those who are not involved.” But parents also ag onize over “spor ts-rage” headlines about parents attacking parents, coaches abusing pla yers and children modeling adult rag e by screaming at referees and acting out during games. Many who remember when it w as “the best of times” to play spor ts are mobilizing to challenge the cur rent culture of youth spor ts. One g roup reacting to the loss of civility in chil-
dren’s spor ts is the P ositive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a nonprofit organization based at Stanford University. PCA’s ambitious plan is to “transform y outh spor ts so sports can transfor m y outh.” The g roup w ants to sho w parents and coaches how to change the culture of youth spor ts to give all y oung athletes the opportunity for a positive, character-building experience. PCA describes three simple goals: to replace the “win-at-allcost” model of coaching with the “double-g oal coac h” who wants to win but has a second, more impor tant, goal of using sports to teac h life lessons; to teach youth spor ts leaders ho w to create an org anizational culture in whic h “honoring the game” is the norm; and to spark and fuel a “social e pidemic” of positive coac hing that will sweep this country. IDEA NO. 1 Recognize the commitment the Coach has made. For whatev er reason, you ha ve chosen not to help coac h the team. The coac h has made a commitment that involves many hours of preparation bey ond the time spent at practices and games. Recognize this commitment and the fact that he is not doing all this w ork because of the pa y. Try to remember this whenever something g oes wrong during the season. Recognizing the commitment coac hes mak e is difficult for many parents – ev en those
See Parent, page B4
Photo courtesy of Diana Snyder
Top row from left: Coach Chris Snyder, Catie Heinzmann, Blair Mackin, Ashley Carter, Kara Sibbitt, Cassie Snyder, Emily Wright, Coach Andrea Searle. Bottom row from left: Marissa Macedo, Kimber Searle, Hannah Louis, Hannah Mazolewski, Kellie DeMaria, Hayley Kinion
Golf becomes dangerous when ‘Fore!’ is ignored
DAVE GRAY GRAY ON GOLF
The c hallenge of competition, exerting our bodies cardiovascularly, the thrill of victory, the ag ony of defeat. That’s the impression of contact spor ts like football, wrestling and boxing. But what about g olf ? W e don’t think of golf as a dangerous spor t – until y ou g et slammed b y a ball tra veling at the speed of sound. All golf balls form to a stan-
dard size and w eight. The dimple patter ns ma y v ary from manufacturer to man ufacturer, but size sta ys the same . A g olf ball is 1 11/16th inches in diameter and weighs about 2 ounces. Ball speed will differ off the club face according to the swing speed. Touring pros average 110 to 140 miles per hour . The No. 1 pla yer in the w orld, Tiger Woods, swings at 125 mph with the driver, and his ball speed is
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November 3, 2006
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Clayton Sports World Golf Hall of Fame’s Tom Watson teaches First Tee clinic
Page B3
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TOM WATSON
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attentive First Tee Golfers in golf's fundamentals.
BOB PIMM Clayton Pioneer
World Golf Hall of Fame member and reigning Charles Schwab Cup Champion, Tom Watson, taught a 1-hour g olf clinic at the Sonoma Countr y Club to First Tee golfers prior to this year’s tournament. The First T ee g olfers paid close attention as Watson walked them through the fundamentals of the g ame—the same basics
his father taught him when Watson started playing at age six. Following the clinic , Watson stayed to sign autog raphs and talk personally with each child. According to Vic Mor ris, Executive Director of the First Tee of Contra Costa, 87 Clayton children are par ticipating in the First Tee program. First Tee participants are routinely invited to PGA, LPGA, and Champions T our ev ents in the Bay Area for clinics , to work the
Gray, from page B2 of the way fast enough. Other times it’ s lik e the old suc ker punch, no w arning, boink, and you’re down. Every single time w e are hit, it’s our fault, not the one hitting. Yet the per petrator, if they gi ve a rat’ s, feels more pain than you do. When I g ot nailed on those two occasions, I was standing in the wrong spot. If you can see the g o l f e r ’s hands on the g rip of Sandy Mazza the day after surgery his club injuries sustained before he when she was hit swings, you by a golf ball. are probably in for a thumping. Case in point is Sandy Mazza, a longtime member of Oakhurst County Club and a very accomplished golfer. She took a g olf ball in the right cheek bone area a little more than a month ago. It shattered her c heek, and she no w has plates and screws to hold her bone structure together and a rather obvious scar. Three inc hes to the left and up an inc h or tw o, and,
well, every knee w ould bend and ev ery head w ould bo w. We thank God that Sandy can still tee up with her husband Roger and friends . And I hope that Sandy , and the rest
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of you, know where to stand in the future while waiting for your golfing buddies to swing. Dave Gray is a teaching professional at Diab lo Cr eek Golf Course in Concord. E-mail y our questions or comments to him at sports@claytonpioneer.com
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Page B4
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
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Parent, from page B2 who have coached in the past. If a team is not winning or if a parent’s c hild is not recei ving much pla ying time , the parentcoach relationship can become strained. Not ev eryone ag rees with the PCA approac h. One successful Cla yton parent-coac h spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. “It seems that the idea is parents should be nice to the coac hes, since they are the one making the commitment and the parent is the spectator . Well, that is tr ue when the kids are 5 to 6 years old and competition is not involved. However, as the games become competiti ve, we no long er ha ve a Utopian atmosphere and that idea g oes out the windo w. Competition is
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what brings out the personalities of the kids and parents.” This parent-coac h w ent on to say: “The concept is g ood to leave the coac h alone and sit back and w atch, since y ou are not coaching. The reality is this just doesn’t happen – unless the coach has set the stage for a successful season by creating a line of communication that ev eryone understands. If the parents are comfor table with who is going to be teac hing their child, they will try to help and respond favorably, as will their child.” This Spor ts Parenting series will tak e a look at some of PCA’s ideas designed to c hange the culture of youth sports. It is hoped that this series will spark debate among Cla yton’s coac hes, parents, league org anizers and others w orking with y oung
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(925) 525-0799 Bob Pimm/Clayton Pioneer
A Relaxed Team: DSL Unity U-12 Boys listen to coach Jon Bernal before 4-0 win over Fremont.
athletes about ho w to help our children enjoy their sports experience. As PCA points out: “Research is clear that when parents and teac hers w ork together, a child tends to do better in school. There is no reason to think that it is any different in
youth sports.” dea No . 1 cour tesy of Positive Coaching Alliance. F or mor e information on PCA, visit www.PositiveCoach.org, e-mail pca@positivecoach.org or call toll-fr ee 866-725-0024.
Allergies? Get rid of allergies with NAET, the revolutionary new allergy elimination technique Overweight or underweight? I can help with professional nutritional support Aches and pains? Our gentle, effective chiropractic care will have you feeling great in no time.
Health is wealth. Let me help you get rich. Jeanne Barta 5011 Clayton Road 925-682-4941
Sports Shorts CLAYTON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL CVHS is accepting applications for the following positions: Girl’s F reshmen Bask etball Coac h, to start immediately. Assistant track and field coaches to start in February. Please send a resume to P at Middendorf , PM258@aol.com
Free estimates
and a birth certificate to verify age of player. Returning CVLL families residing outside of these attendance areas ma y be “grandfathered” into the league if they have had contin uous par ticipation in CVLL and their address w as once within CVLL boundaries before map changes. A postcard will be mailed out in late December to all registered players who are required to tr y-out with pla yer’s tr y-out number and date and time for tr youts. CVLL tr youts will begin J an. 7/8. Tball players do not have try-outs. CVLL needs more umpires and coaches. Volunteer at registration. Visit the CVLL w ebsite for updates and information at www.cvll.org. TERRAPINS SWIM TEAM
WINTER AND SPRING PROGRAMS High Sc hool pre-season training pro-
gram: Nov. 13 through Feb 2. Begin conditioning for the upcoming high school swim season. Age Group and high school water polo program: Nov. 13 through Mar .1. Programs for 12 and under , 14 and under and high school age athletes. Winter/Spring Competiti ve Clinic Program: Feb 3 through Apr . 1. Get a jump on the summer recreation swim season with these instr uctional clinics. For additional infor mation on all programs or to do wn load registration information, visit our web page at www.terrapinswim.com. For questions call 680-8372 ext. 206.
San Francisco Bay Area General Agency Concord Airport Plaza 1200 Concord Ave., Suite 100 Concord, CA 94529
Allen Lampo Agent
CA.Lic.#0F11332
Tel: 925-680-0822 Fax: 925-680-7953 dancepolo@yahoo.com
Send your Sports Shorts to sports@claytonpioneer.com
Walnut Creek ice rink to open ag ain Nov. 17 Toss a festi ve scarf around your neck and head to the second annual Downtown Walnut Creek on Ice, located in Civic Park. The ice rink opens F riday, Nov. 17, and contin ues through Jan. 15, 2007. This year , skaters will enjo y a rink that is a third larger, plus more comfor table skates. The area will be ador ned with thousands of twinkling lights, along with holida y m usic, fresh brew ed coffee and hot chocolate. “The ice rink w as a g reat event last year , with more than 30,000 skaters taking to the ice while thousands more came down to w atch,” says Jay Hoyer, president of the W alnut Creek Chamber of Commerce.
This project is a joint effort of the c hamber and the W alnut Creek Do wntown Business Association. It’s also sponsored by Longs Drugs. New offerings this year include free g roup skating les-
sons and hockey clinics, a Figure Eight F requent Skater Card and $2 off coupons at Longs. The ice rink will contin ue to offer bir thday par ties, Monday Adult Coffee sessions , Family Skate Night on W ednesday ev enings,
Richard A. Littorno Littorno & Morrison, Attorneys At Law “The planning solutions are here.”
Since 1979
Living trusts wills elder law Probate & trust administration Creative estate & tax planning Asset protection & general business
Clayton office:
Pittsburg office:
6160 Center St., Suite D Clayton, CA 94517 Phone: (925) 672-6463 rlittorno@msn.com www.littornolaw.com
2211 Railroad Ave. Pittsburg, CA 94565 Phone: (925) 432-4211 Fax: (925) 432-3516
private skating lessons, corporate parties and private ice rental. The rink is also a vailable for school field trips , with the Stead Automotive Group donating funds to reduce costs. The rink will open at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. Sundays. It closes at 10 p.m. Monday through T hursday, 11 p.m. Friday and Saturda y and 8 p.m. Sunday. Weekday pricing is $11, including skate rental. Weekend pricing, including Friday night, is $10, plus $5 skate rental. Civic P ark is at the cor ner of North Broadway and Civic Drive. For more infor mation, visit www .iceskatewalnutcreek.com or call 925-935SNOW (7669).
Model A Cabinet Company is a family-owned & operated business. Owner Scott Carlson, a Clayton resident for the past decade, brings over 20 years of general contracting & cabinet making experience to his craft. Scott will personally measure & build your cabinets to fit your individual style & needs.
Design and remodel / contracting services are available as needed. Contact Scott Carlson to arrange for a free estimate
925.673.0827 925.765.2178 cell Model A Cabinet Company is a licensed General Contractor in the state of California and is fully insured and bonded. Lic. #818588
November 3, 2006
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
JJ Hawaiian BBQ
Reasonable prices— Special party menus
La Veranda Café
Dine in or take out Experience the taste & scents of the Islands Hawaiian BBQ chicken
Grilled and boneless marinated in our Hawaiian BBQ sauce
Hawaiian BBQ Beef Short Ribs
Chicken Katsu
Fresh soups, salads, antipasti, pizza and pasta Dinner and lunch daily Brunch on Sunday
Many Island favorites to savor
Children’s menu and take out service available
OPEN 7 DAYS 5435-A Clayton Rd.
Free 16-0z drink with any entrée
For reservations call (925) 524-0011 6201 CENTER ST. CLAYTON
in in Clayton Clayton Station Station
673-8686
Mention this ad. Offer expires Dec. 31, 2006
Dining Around For authentic Hawaiian barbeque, bring your hungry family to JJ HAWAIIAN BBQ in the Clayton Station where everyone will find something wonderful on the menu. JJ features more than a dozen chicken dishes from Teriyaki Chicken (grilled boneless chicken brushed with a mouth-watering house Teriaki sauce) for $5.95 to a big Shrimp and BBQ Chicken Combo loaded with fried shrimp and BBQ chicken for only $6.75. But JJ’s isn’t just about
chicken. For the fish lover, there’s a marinated, lightly breaded Mahi-Mahi for $6.45 or Garlic Shrimp and Curry Shrimp, each $6.95. If you’re asking “where’s the beef,” look no further than JJ’s Hawaiian BBQ Beef (grilled slices of tender, marinated beef) or the Hawaiian BBQ Beef Short Ribs (tender beef shorts marinated in their special BBQ sauce and grilled to perfection.), each only $6.45. The menu also includes several succulent pork dishes, hamburger steaks and, what
some say is the national dish of Hawaii, Grilled Spam Moco served with gravy and two eggs. All meals are served with steamed white rice, macaroni salad and vegetables. Brown rice, noodles or green salad are available on request. For your next party, be sure to check out the Party To Go Menu with chicken, beef and fish combos to feed from four to 20. So, for a taste of Hawaii at a table in Clayton, make JJ Hawaiian BBQ your next stop for a family dinner or a quick lunch. JJ is located in the Clayton Station neat the Safeway store. Telephone 6738686.
Open at 11 a.m
., 7 days a week
Banquet Rooms Patio Dining
Rocco’s New Sports Bar NOW Open
Locally owned by Rocco Biale & family
Full Bar Available
12 Flat Screens, 16 Draft Beers,
Team Parties
NFL SUNDAY TICKET... watch all the NFL games!
Corporate Catering
2909 Ygnacio Valley Rd. at Oak Grove Rd. in Walnut Creek (925) 947-6105 • Fax (925) 947-6106 • www.roccospizzeria.com
Crossword Puzzle
This is not your kid’s sub, and there’s nothing ordinary about the gourmet sandwiches served up at the new
GOURMET SUBS AND MORE. Owner, Sadie Rangel, had something special in mind when she opened her new sub shop next to the Shell station at Clayton Road and Ygnacio. First, the menu – you’ll find no less than 25 different sandwiches, served either “sub style” or “Panini” style and all calling for nothing but the freshest ingredients. Her menu is also “vegetarian and vegan friendly.” All subs are oven baked and all Paninis are grilled. For the meat lover in you try the Tri-Tip House Special—oven roasted trip tip served au-jus with provolone for $5.99. If you’re super hungry, size up to $7.99. And the list goes on…Chipotle Cheese Steak, Chicken Parmigiano, The Blue – oven roasted or smoked turkey breast, ham, bacon, avocado all topped with a blue cheese dressing. Or, how about a turkey breast with cranberry sauce and cream cheese. Panini lovers can have their sandwich with garlic, Cesar or ranch spread or basil, black olive and sun dried tomato pesto…all homemade. If you’re watching your carbs, dig into one of Sadie’s garden fresh salads. Try an Oriental Chicken Salad of grilled chicken breast with an Oriental dressing or an All American Albacore Tuna salad. All dressings are homemade. At this end of Clayton Road’s “fast food row,” this family owned and operated eatery is a welcome respite from MSG and deep fried
37- Exclamations of surprise 39- The ___ Ranger rode a horse called Silver 40- Urn 41- Leash 42- Sea-going eagle 43- Desktop picture 44- Ship stabilizer 45- Music hall 46- Kathmandu resident 48- Indication 50- Lisa, to Bart, briefly 51- Fizzy drink 53- Tense 55- Area of land 58- Crescent-shaped pastry 63- Gap 64- Wake 65- Extent of space 66- Enthusiastic vigor and liveliness 67- Circumference 68- Unit of currency in Iran and Yemen 69- Resting place 70- Bombastic 71- One of the Channel Islands
DOWN ACROSS 1- Capital of the Ukraine 5- Weaned pig 10- Prison room 14- Church center 15- Reused wool
16- Potpourri 17- Not fer 18- Board for nails 19- Deprived of sensation 20- Slow Polish dance 22- Inuit dwelling 23- Blackbird
7/06 soda ase exp. 11/1 n i a FREE t n ur ch l fou
smal and wich p with S
Northern Italian Cuisine in downtown Clayton
Crispy breaded chicken fillets with Katsu sauce
Tender beef short ribs marinated in our special BBQ sauce and grilled to perfection
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24- Otherwise 26- Mineral spring 29- 16th letter of the Hebrew alphabet 31- Likenesses 35- Attentive, warning of danger
1- Sack starter 2- Villainous character in Shakespeare's "Othello" 3- "The ___ Dead", classic horror movie 4- Poisonous fluid 5- Like wet ink 6- Mortify 7- Singles 8- Concur 9- Plaything
Vegan & Vegetarian friendly 5415
550
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“stuff.” Priced from $1.99 for a cup of homemade soup to $7.99 for the biggest Tri Tip Special, Gourmet Subs is as good for your wallet as it is for your health. Located at 5415 Clayton Road at the corner of Clayton Road and Ygnacio, Gourmet Subs is open Mon.-Sat. from 10:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Closed on Sunday. This Sunday, treat yourself to brunch at LA VERANDA
11am - 3pm
Veranda is open daily for lunch and dinner and serves a Northern Italian menu of pasta, pizza, chicken, veal and fish starting at $8.50 for Bruchetta with olive oil, fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil. Pasta dishes range from $9 for Penne All’arrabiata to $11.75 for Spaghettini Frutti di Mare. For reservations for brunch, lunch or dinner, call 5240011.
This all inclusive Sunday Champagne Brunch will tempt you with some old favorites including a unique take on the old tried and true Joe’s Special--a scrumptious mix of sausage, spinach and eggs. And the Eggs Benedict will delight with its smooth and satiny Hollandaise. But there will be a few surprises, as well. Look for a light and luscious Chicken Piccata, chicken breast sauteed in white wine with lemon and capers or a gentle salmon with a light cream sauce. Salads will include fresh fruit and the personal favorite of many La Veranda fans, the Insalata Della Reina...baby greens with walnuts and gorgonzola tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil And those Sunday breakfast traditionalists will still be able to order eggs, omelets and buttermilk pancakes from the menu. All this is offered at $18 per person, $9 for children 6-12 and free for children under 6. Price includes champagne or sparkling cider, choice of fresh fruit juice, dessert and coffee. Brunch is served from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. La
A little more on the casual side and a great place to take the kids is ROCCO’S RISTORANTE at 2909 Ygnacio Valley Road in Walnut Creek. Voted the best pizza in the Bay Area by a Contra Costa Times Reader Poll, Rocco’s serves up a killer house specialty. The Dominator, piled high with pepperoni, salami, mushrooms, ham, linguica, sausage and onions, is not for the faint of heart. At $19.97, this large pizza will feed a small army. Rocco’s also has several choices of classic Italian pasta, homemade minestrone and several salads. All pasta dishes are served with fresh bread. Top your pasta dinner off with a glass of wine and you’re well fed and satisfied for well under $20 (tax and tip included.) Rocco’s opens every day at 11 a.m. And, ROCCO’S NEW SPORTS BAR is now open. With a full bar, 12 big flat screen TVs and LIVE MUSIC, sports fans might just think they’ve found heaven. And for those who need a little break from sports, check out the beautiful new fresh water aquarium behind the bar. See you at Rocco’s.
10- Jellied 11- 12th month of the Jewish religious calendar 12- Prom wheels 13- Timber wolf 21- Tidy, without fault 22- Doctrine 25- Speech issue 26- Eurasian juniper 27- Position 28- Greek fabulist 30- Nostrils 32- Pierces 33- Boredom 34- Appears 36- Being reborn
38- Bad breath 41- Slip 45- Burden 47- Used car locale 49- Merriment 52- Pueblo Indian village 54- Former Russian rulers 55- At that time 56- It may be landed 57- Exclamation to express sorrow 59- Applies friction to 60- Melody 61- Become closer to 62- Confer 64- Joplin song
CAFE.
Solution for 10/20 Crossword
Page B6
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Gifts that TASTE as GOOD as they LOOK www.cookiesbydesig n.co m
A NEW TOPPS FOOTBALL CARD EVERY WEEK! Topps Turn Back the Clock continues with a 22-card NFL Rookie set based on the classic Topps 1957 design. A new card is released each of the 17 weeks of the 2006 NFL season! Pick up a Topps NFL Card of the Week at
Deborah & Anthony Nork Clayton Station, 5433A Clayton Rd.
® 925-524-9901 $5 off purchases $25 or mor e (excludes delivery)
Find a special place in your home for Snow Village Ball
Quality Gifts and Collectibles
30th anniversary limited edition
Dept. 56 for Holidays, Special days & Everyday
672-2440 Clayton Valley Shopping Center
ake the stress out of your holiday shopping this year and avoid the crowded major department stores. Everything you need is right here in Pioneer Territory including retailers who care about customer service. Read on for some great ideas to get you started on your Christmas list. Make sure you tell our advertisers that you saw their ad in the Clayton Pioneer. Happy Shopping.
T
Cookies by Design
now at Donna’s Gifts
15% Off Storewide excludes certain collectibles exp. 12/24/06
Nov. 10-11
Kings Valley Christian School 4255 Clayton Rd. in Concord Food Gift wrapping Chair Massage Quilting Crochet pillows Food gift jars
5-9 p.m. Fri. 9-4 p.m. Sat. For info call
(925) 687-2020 or visit
www.kvcs.com
Shop Pioneer Territory for
672-8445
Donna’s Gifts
Holiday Boutique
S vend ome or avai space lable
Cookies by Design. one coupon per customer, expires 11/30/06
Clayton Sports Cards 5439-D Clayton Rd., Clayton,
November 3, 2006
Is it the sweet smell of the cookies or the colorful, whimsical displays of cookie bouquets that keeps customers coming back for more. Deborah and Tony Nork moved to Clayton Station next to Safeway awhile ago and are enjoying serving the Clayton and Concord community. They feature bouquets for just about every occasion from Father’s Day and graduation to Get Well wishes and Birthdays. Tony and Deborah will also personally design a cookie bouquet for your own special needs. A cookie bouquet is a
great gift for the holidays and will even make an attractive centerpiece. Order now before the holiday rush. Call Deborah and Tony at 524-9901.
Clayton Mind and Body Connections and Acupressure for Health The holidays can be stressful and Clayton Mind and Body Connections can help you through this hectic time. David Godsoe celebrates his sixth year in business with a wonderful, relaxing salon on Oak Street in Clayton. He offers facials, hair removal, body treatments and a variety of spa packages including hot stone, Swedish, deep tissue and reflexology. He and his talented staff also feature massage therapy for pregnant women and sports fans. Appointments are available Tues.-Sun. with late evening sessions on Wed. and Thurs. Give David a call and treat yourself, family and friends to an inviting spa package. Acupressure for Health is now
available at Clayton Mind and Body Connections. Sharoll Gilbert is offering a holiday special that includes five sessions for $300. She also has gift certificates which are great for stocking stuffers. Acupressure Therapy involves pressing specific points on the body to relieve pain, reduce stress and promote general good health. Sharoll is available for appointments on Sunday and Monday Start the season with a relaxing session at Acupressure for Health. Call 674-0767 for an appointment.
Computers USA Everyone has a computer on their Christmas list, right? This year shop at the right place for all your computer needs. Computers USA in Clayton Station is onestop shopping, says owner Will Claney. There’s no need to endure the stress of the “big box” stores when you can shop at Computers USA with all the top brands and customer service that makes shopping convenient and fun. Best of all, parking is a snap. Will and his staff go way beyond just the sale. They are there to help you network, upgrade, repair and maintain your new computer. Get your orders in early for sweet deals in silver and black like the Pentium Core Duo: $799.95 for single core and $1499.95 for dual core. Call 672-9989 and ask for Will or anyone on his staff.
Melanie’s Gifts and Interiors As the weather cools down and thoughts turn to inside the home, Melanie’s Gifts and Interiors must be a destination for your shopping needs. Tablescapes are the focus of many holiday family celebrations and your home will be right in style with distinct collections, accent pieces and decorative candles. Luxurious pillows and throws and beautiful dish and platter collections from Seasonal Fruits, Tuscan Traditions and American Heritage will brighten up any festive occasion. Holiday ornaments are also very popular and will fill every nook and cranny in the store in a few weeks. Melanie and Nicole and their entire staff are always on hand to offer friendly suggestions and decorating tips. It’s all part of the customer service that you’ll find in this wonderful specialty store in R&M Pool Patio and Garden off Marsh Creek Road in Clayton. Watch for a few upcoming events with sales that will make your holidays a little merrier. Call Melanie at 672-0207 and ask about her special collections.
Beautique This small specialty store should be at the top of your list. Beautique in the Clayton Station across from Blockbuster offers quality beauty products for everyone on your list. Owner Donna Taber endorses all of her in-store products and personally uses many of them. There’s Alterna, S Factor, Pureology, OPI, REDKEN and a wonderfully-scented pumpkin shampoo that will turn heads when you walk down the street. The store décor is warm and inviting and often features one of Donna’s beautiful handmade quilts, a hobby she has when she’s not busy at the store. Donna is always available to personally answer any questions you have about her product line. She
also offers gift certificates and can suggest great ideas for holiday gift baskets. Stock up now before the holiday rush. If you’ve got several holiday parties on your calendar, be sure to make an appointment with hair stylist David Wall located in Beautique for that special “do”. Call him at 672-5156 or Donna at 672-0405.
Postal Annex If owner Julia Aguilar’s smile doesn’t get you into her store, her mail services and supplies will. You’ll be glad you ventured into Postal Annex+ in Clayton Station for all of your needs from packaging and shipping to notary, faxing and key making. Postal Annex handles UPS, Fedex, DHL, CAL, Overnight and U.S. Post Office. Her greeting cards are wonderful, featuring cards by Leanin’ Tree and Blue Mountain. Cards by a Clayton artist add a nice local touch to the offerings. Julia is currently offering $2 off UPS or Fed Ex Shipping. Avoid the holiday rush and mail your packages early. Call Julia at 672-8900 and she’ll be glad to answer any questions.
Cegielski Jewelers Tucked away in an intimate and elegant shop off Clayton Road across from Mountain Mike’s Pizza is Cegielski Jewelers. Owner and master jeweler Anna Cegielski combines originality, uniqueness and quality craftsmanship in a wide variety of classic and contemporary exquisite jewelry designs. Anna guarantees excellent customer service and expertise in the selection of diamonds, colored stones, precious gems, pearls, watches and gold chains. Her beautiful collection has something for everyone’s budget, taste and personality. If you are looking for a one-of-akind piece, Anna will help design something special for you or a loved one. Cegielski provides onsite repairs and refurbishing while you wait. Call Anna at 682-2855 and schedule an appointment in time for the holidays. The local jewelry store accepts Mastercard and VISA for customers’ convenience.
Seasonal Reflections This big, bright, beautiful, brand new holiday and party superstore is NOW OPEN in Clayton Valley Shopping Center One step inside and it’s pure magic. There’s a year ‘round Halloween store with all things scream-y and scary and plenty of costumes for everyone in the family, including the dog and cat. There’s also a year ‘round Christmas store with wonderful custom lights, top brands like Dept. 56 and Polonaise, and decorations to trim every inch of your home, inside and out. The rest of the store is filled with party decorations for all holidays imaginable from Valentine’s Day and July 4 to Easter and St. Patrick’s Day. And there are hundreds and hundreds of light sets for every occasion. Clayton resident and owner John Sharapata has always loved Christmas and holidays. He admits he loves the Clayton area and felt that there was a demand for local holiday and party super store that residents could enjoy all year round. Stop by and welcome John and his staff to the area or call Seasonal Reflections at 672-4425.
November 3, 2006
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Acupressure For Health
Beautique
Clayton Mind & Body Connections
Holiday Special 5 sessions for $300 Gift Certificates; great as stocking stuffers.
Ask about our Pumpkin Facial
Available Sun & Mon Call 674-0767
Available Tues - Sun Call 673-0686
for appointment
for appointment website www.mind-andbody-connections.com
beauty supply & salon “The most complete source of beauty supplies to the public”
Great Gift Idea 1 hour massage and mini facial for $80
Sharoll Gilbert
Page B7
Alterna, S Factor, Pureology, OPI, REDKEN and the new Pumpkin line owner
Donna Taber
“I only feature products that I’ve used and recommend.”
Clayton Station
5439 A Clayton Road, Clayton
925-672-0405 Hair stylist,
David Wall
925-672-0516
At 1007 Oak Street, Clayton
Great Holiday Gifts Kings Valley Christian School Boutique The Kings Valley Christian School is hosting a Holiday Boutique on Fri. Nov. 10 and Sat. Nov. 11. You can shop ‘til you drop and have all of your packages gift wrapped all in one place. The boutique will run from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. You’ll find plenty of handmade gifts including quilting and crochet pillows. There will also be food and refreshments and a chair massage to relax after a day of shopping. The school is located at 4255 Clayton Road in Concord. Call 687-2020 for more information.
Country Crafts Fair This is the 35th year that Country Crafts Fair has brought great gifts, food and great buys to shoppers everywhere. It’s free admission and the College High School Athletic Boosters will provide refreshments. You’ll find all types of interesting decorations and gifts from photography and stone knives to fine jewelry, puzzles and toys. It’s truly a one-stop shopping experi-
ence for the holidays. The Fair is located at 320 Civic Dr. at the Pleasant Hill Community Center, two blocks west of Sunvalley Mall. Fair hours are Fri. Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sat. Nov. 18 from 9a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 9378283 for more information.
Robin’s Nest Robin Thomas, owner of Robin’s Nest, invites you to experience a one-stop shopping for the holidays. It’s easy at Robin’s Nest inside Rodie’s on Marsh Creek Road where you’ll find a gift item for everyone on your list. Robin is quick to point out that she has many new items including the full line of Willow Tree and a new item in the collection called Generations. Robin features sunglasses, a fun line of jewelry including, magnetic jewelry, spa items and soaps and a wonderful neck pillow filled with Lavender. If candles are on your list, take a whiff of the Olde South Candles reasonably priced at $12.99. Robin’s Nest has hundreds of stuffed animals, adorable kid’s
backpacks, Laurel Burch tote bags and leather purses. A great stocking stuffer is the Tavern puzzles which are great for holiday parties and family gatherings. When you find that perfect gift, Robin’s Nest has a full line of greeting cards, including cards by local artist Teresa Peters to put the finishing touches on that special package. Stock up on the Denali blanket-the blanket everyone will fight over. Definitely put Robin’s Nest on your shopping list. There’s plenty of parking and the scenery is wonderful. Call Robin today at 672-4600 if you have any questions.
Something Special There’s nothing ordinary about
Turn the page for more great gift ideas
Big, beautiful, year ‘round
Holiday & Party Super Store in the Clayton Valley Shopping Center
Nearly 4,000 square feet of quality decorations and gifts for every holiday and party of the year Unique items you won’t find in the “big box” stores for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, July 4 and many more Visit our
Christmas Room hundreds of ornaments and gifts from your favorite designers: Steinbach, Department 56, Polonaise, Fabriche, Mark Roberts, Hallmark and more.
Light up
We DARE you to enter our
Halloween Room with all things scream-y and scary. Full line of costumes for everyone in the family, including the dog and cat.
EVERY holiday
We have the biggest selection of holiday lights in the Bay Area. If we don’t have precisely what you want, we can custom make most anything for you. All custom lights are commercial grade and come on your choice of green or white cord.
Make a $75 purchase and receive a FREE 100-bulb premium Christmas light set. (Mention this ad, one per customer, offer expires Oct. 31, 2006)
John Sharapata Owner and Clayton Resident Visit our online store: seasonalreflections.com
the unique gift shop next to Safeway in Clayton Station. Something Special has a variety of one-of-akind gifts that will make everyone on your Christmas wish list happy. Owner Donna Tissel is proud to feature her exquisite collection of dolls featuring Lee Middleton, Show Stopper, Duck House and Faerie Glen. As you walk into the store, you can’t help but notice the wind chimes, hand painted glass and vases. Specialty items include Spin Shades Night Lights, The Willow Tree, (Donna is a platinum carrier of these exquisite statues), lots of teacups and teapots, Bearington Bears and Ty Beanie Babies. Something Special is offering a 15% discount on your next purchase. Call Donna at 672-3666 for special orders.
5434 Ygnacio Valley Road, Ste. 130 in the Clayton Valley Shopping Center on the Washington Blvd. side.
672-4 4425, Open Mon - Sat, 9 - 9
Top quality handcrafted gifts and decorations! Tole painting, stone knives, stepping stones, clothing, photography, fine jewelry, toys and puzzles, holiday decorations, and more!
A one-stop Holiday Shopping Experience! Refreshments by College Park High School Athletic Boosters. Prizes, prizes, prizes!
FRI, NOV 17 10am to 8pm SAT, NOV 18 9am to 5pm
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Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Shop Pioneer Territory for Great Holiday Gifts Vineyard Shopping Center As you drive down Clayton Road, make sure you find time to turn into the Vineyard Shopping Center. Parking is a breeze and there’s a variety of stores to meet all of your needs. Bring your packages and notary documents to The UPS Store and let owner Tricia Tamura help you with your “to do” list. The store is spacious and the staff is friendly with a lot of expertise to help you get your gifts delivered on time, safe and sound. While you’re at The UPS store you have access to a new color copier, cards, postal materials, fax machines and more. Call Tricia at 689-6245 if you have any questions. After you mail your packages, walk next door and say hello to Prabha Jadia who has been the owner of Zekco Watch Repair & Sales for the past 20 years. If you are having trouble with that favorite watch and need some repair work done, Zecko is the place to go. If someone on your list is asking for a new watch, Prabha can help you select one from a variety of styles and brands. She’s offering 25 percent off Citizen, Pulsar and Seiko watches. Zekco also has Skagen watches for sale plus watch bands, batteries and gift articles. If you have a question about watches call Prabha at 689-2470. Make time for yourself and pay a visit to Fantastic Sams, also at the Vineyard Shopping Center, for a great hair makeover. Manager Teresa Muti and owner Aaron Brinker welcome walk-ins only to Fantastic Sams where a full service salon awaits you. Services include waxing, cut, color and highlights and the prices are affordable. “We cater to the whole family and all hair-
cuts come with complimentary shampoo,” says Teresa. The salon features hair products such as Paul Mitchell, Biosilk and Matrix as well as their own brand. Fantastic Sams has 10 chairs and there’s rarely a wait, but head in early to avoid the holiday rush. Call Sue at 6828580. By now, you are probably starving and Lisa’s Hot Dogs & Burritos is the perfect place to satisfy your hunger. The restaurant has been at the Vineyard for over 20 years and it is known not only for its scrumptious hot dogs and burritos but also for a truly classic potato salad. Owner Simon O’Sullivan offers indoor and outdoor seating and a variety of specials including tacos, nachos and salads.
Donna’s Gifts Everywhere you look at Donna’s Gifts at Clayton Valley Shopping Center near Clayton Valley Frameworks, you’ll find something that makes your eyes sparkle. The popular Dept. 56, Snow Villages, Precious Moments and Boyd’s Bears are all family favorites Christmas lighted houses, Willow Tree Angels and San Francisco Music Box Company are well represented with displays that get you into the holiday spirit. Donna’s Gifts is offering a 15 percent off coupon for the holidays. Call Donna’s Gifts 672-2440 to reserve that special collectible piece for holiday entertaining.
Holiday Craft Faire A true one-stop shop for all of your Christmas needs can be found at the Holiday Craft Faire at the fairgrounds in Antioch. This special event on Nov. 10-12 and 17-19 boasts the largest such faire in Contra Costa
bobble heads. For those special golf fans, take a look at the autographed photo of Anika Sorentam, the famous golf shot of Ben Hogan in the 1950 U.S. Open and the framed flag of the British Open in 1995 signed by Arnold Palmer. For the baseball aficionados, the autographed photo of Barry Bonds and his 500th homerun is a sure hit. Stop by now and stock up for the holidays or call Linda at 672-8445 to check on the availability of your favorite sports items.
County and features wood crafts, candles, country and floral crafts, custom jewelry and more. Parking is free and the Faire is offering $1 off admission on Fridays. Don’t miss this chance to get a jump on your Christmas list. You might even find something for yourself. Call the Faire for more information 757-4400.
Clayton Sports Cards There’s a sports fan on everyone’s Christmas list and Clayton Sports Cards in Clayton Station is the place to go. The sports specialty store is filled to the brim with sports memorabilia and Linda Mieczkowski is always on hand to help answer questions about vintage cards and specialty items. If you are looking for stocking stuffers, you can’t miss with the large array of vintage and new baseball and football cards. In fact Linda boasts the largest selection of player cards in the area. There’s the NFL McFarland Legends, only $59.95 for a set of 6 and Linda features a wonderful selection of sports figurines and
November 3, 2006
$2.00 off UPS or Fed Ex Shipping (expires 11/17/06)
Notary, Fax & Shipping Services
Julia Aguilar, owner
672-8900 5433 Clayton Rd., #K, in the Clayton Station shopping center
Thank you for all your support and kind words. We will miss you more than we can say! Sue Somers and Barb Olson
Key Making Mail boxes Notary Copying / Fax
Feel great & look great!
Men’s & Women’s Magnetic Jewelry
It’s sad to say goodbye, however Weekends at the Cottage is closing. Stop by now and take advantage of a fabulous sale going on. Sue Somers reluctantly is closing her doors on a business that has kept her happy and healthy for the past 25 years. Weekends at the Cottage is located in Clayton Valley Shopping Center next to Quiznos. Call 672-0744 for more information.
We are going out of business reluctantly, but we certainly gave it a good fight.
Services Provided: Packaging & shipping UPS, FEDEX, DHL, CAL Overnight & U.S. Post Office
Weekends at the Cottage
To all of our loyal customers, thank you so much for 17 wonderful years.
certi signi fied loan ng ag ents
CARTIER style bracelets/necklaces PEARL necklaces and bracelets FASHION bracelets Iron in our bodies, combined with the magnets in the jewelry, release natural painkilling endorphins and help increase circulation to relieve aches and pains
Something Special ay is tomorrow’s treasure a gift tod teacups & teapots, vases, candles, Bearington Bears, Ty Beanie Babies, Willow Tree and more
Collectible Middleton Dolls Lee Show Stopper Duck House Faerie Glen
Clayton Station, 5433 Clayton Rd., Ste. B Phone: 925-672-3666
Present coupon for a
15% Discount on your purchase.
One Coupon per customer, per visit
Expires: Nov. 30, 2006
Enter the Clayton Pioneer’s Annual Christmas Cookie Contest othing says Christmas like mouth watering Christmas cookies. This year will be our third annual Christmas Cookie Contest--a chance to stir up, bake up and taste up a storm of those delectable sweets that bust the diet and send us over the moon. So, dust off the cookbooks and dig out Aunt Mae’s ginger snap recipes, cook up a few practice rounds and enter our Third Annual Christmas Cookie Contest.
N
Judging will be December 7, 6:30 p.m. in the Clayton Library Community Room. While the judges are tasting and testing, Santa will be on hand with candy canes and Clayton’s own Vintage Trio will provide live music and lead everyone in singing Christmas carols. Judges will be announced in the next issue of the Pioneer. Recipes and photos of all the winners will appear in the Dec. 22 issue. Deadline for entry is December 3.
Clayton Pioneer’s 2006 CHRISTMAS COOKIE CONTEST
ENTRY FORM
Stylish choices for your home, holiday and garden
Please fill out a separate form for each entry. You may enter up to three recipes, but only one can win
Name
(Please print)
Melanie's Gifts & Interiors
Address (Must be a Clayton resident ) Phone Number
At R&M Pool, Patio and Gardens
Name of Recipe______________________________________________________________________
Master Baker (20+) Teen Baker (Ages 13-19) Your age____
Junior Baker (Ages 6-12) Your age____
Parent's Signature (for Junior Bakers)
Contestant agrees to being photographed at the competition. Recipes used from published books must identify source. Signature
Mail your entry to: the Clayton Pioneer , PO Box 1246, Clayton, CA 94517; or drop of f at our of fice at 6200 F Center S treet, Clayton . If the of fice is closed, slip it through the mail slot.
Deadline to enter is Sunday, Dec. 3
Distinct collections Finely woven tapestry wall for tablescapes hangings Accent pieces for the Decorative candles, stands kitchen and dining room and holders Luxurious pillows & throws
Find that unique gift or treat yourself to something special 6780 Marsh Creek Road, Clayton
672-0207
(closed Mondays)
November 3, 2006
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Page B9
Clayton Community Calendar PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M., NOV. 8 FOR THE NOV. 17 ISSUE. FAX TO 672-6580 OR E-MAIL calendar@claytonpioneer.com EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT THROUGH NOV. 5 Macbeth @ Diablo Valley College Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2:30 p.m. Macbeth, the last of Shakespeare's four great tragedies, is considered to be his darkest work and one of the most powerful. Director Ed Trujilo has set this supernatural tale of the lust for power in a post-apocalyptic world where civilization is on the precipice of collapse. Tickets are $10 - $15, box office 687-4445. DVC, Performing Arts Center, 321 Golf Club Road, Pleasant Hill. THROUGH NOV. 16 Patty Cakes and Picture Book Time @ Clayton Community Library Patty Cakes - 11 a.m. Tuesdays, story time for birth to 3 years. No registration required. Picture Book Time - 11 a.m. Thursdays, child may attend without parent. For 3 to 5 year olds. No registration required. 673-0659, Clayton Community Library, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton. NOV. 4 Annual Fundraiser to Benefit We Care Services for Children 6 - 11 p.m. Sparkle, shine and enjoy an elegant autumn evening. Proceeds from the gala will benefit We Care's educational and therapeutic programs for young children with developmental and emotional needs. The black tie optional event will feature a reception, silent and live auctions, dinner and dancing. Tickets are $85 per person and $765 for a table of ten. Sponsorships are also available from $250 - $1,500. For information or reservations, please contact Barbara Langsdale at (925) 671-0777, ext. 13; or e-mail: langsdale@wecarebmcc.org. Contra Costa Country Club, Pleasant Hill. NOV 4 Orientation to Volunteering @ Lindsay Wildlife Museum 3 - 4:30 p.m. This free class will provide information about how you can get involved in the work of the museum to help wildlife. To register, please call 925-935-1978 ext 413. Lindsay Wildlife Museum, 1931 1st Avenue, Walnut Creek. NOV. 4 - DEC. 16 Youth Indoor Soccer league at the Clayton Community Gym League is for children in preschool through fifth grade. Great for all levels, this non-competitive league focuses on fundamentals while having a good time! The games are coached by parent volunteers and are refereed by YMCA staff. All practices and games are played for one hour on Saturdays and game times are scheduled by the YMCA at the Clayton Community Gym. 889-1600, lrookstool@mdrymca.org, 700 Gym Court, Clayton, CA 94517. NOV. 4, 5 Contra Costa Mineral and Gem Show @ Centre Concord 1 a.m. - 5 p.m. Exhibits include a 5,000 lb. hand polished jade boulder, and rare fossils. There will be demonstrations of carving, beading, arrowhead making, copper enameling and more. Admission is $3, kids under 12 are free with adult, Scouts in uniform are free. Free parking. Centre Concord, 5298 Clayton Road. NOV. 5 Valaam Ensemble @ Greek Orthodox Church, Concord 4:30 p.m. This Russian ensemble sings in Russian, Greek and English, with no instrumental backing. Their repertoire consists of liturgical singing, Kievan chants and masterpieces of Greek Church music, folk songs and more. Refreshments offered after the concert in the fellowship hall. Reservations strongly encouraged. Suggested minimum donation is $12. For information call church office at 676-6967. St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 1955 Kirker Pass Rd. across from the pavilion. NOV. 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 Inherit the Wind @ Clayton Valley High School 7:30 p.m. The play (based loosely on the 1925 Scopes Monkey trial) was intended as an indictment of McCarthyism and continues to apply in any society where attempts are made to suppress the right to individual thought. Clayton Valley High, 1101, MUR, Alberta Way, Concord. NOV. 9, 10, 11, 12 Auditions for Seussical: The Musical @ Contra Costa Christian Theatre Nov. 9 and 10, 7-10 p.m., Nov. 11, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 - 4 p.m., Nov. 12, 1 - 4 p.m. Request appointment online at www.ccchristiantheatre.org or call (925) 939-3200 ext. 2. Non AEA. No pay. Roles for men, women and children ages 6-106. Director, Eric Neiman, Executive Producer, Michele Lewandowski, Choreographer, Faith Blevins. All performances will be at the Del Valle Theatre in Walnut Creek. NOV. 11 Holiday Tea for You and Me @ Christ the King Church 2 - 4:00 p.m. Share an afternoon of great tea, good food, and fun entertainment with a friend. With the holiday season quickly approaching, what could be better then taking an afternoon to relax with good food and company? The proceeds will go for the betterment of women and children in our community through the various programs sponsored by Soroptimist International of Diablo Vista. Tickets are $25.00. Christ the King Church, 199 Brandon Road, Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill. NOV. 13 Puppet Time @ Clayton Community Library 1 - 3 p.m. Create your own puppet production. Come by the Play & Learn area in the parenting section to enjoy the storybook puppets. No registration required. 673-0659, Clayton Community Library, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton. NOV. 13 Teens Read Story Time @ Clayton Community Library 4 - 5 p.m. Hear local teen volunteers read stories to kids ages three to seven years old. No registration required. 673-0659. Clayton Community Library, 6125 Clayton Road. NOV. 13 Stroke Support Group of Contra Costa County @ John Muir Medical Center - Concord Campus 7 p.m. Join stroke survivors, caregivers and health professionals as they discuss issues, challenges and suggestions for living with stroke. Speaker will be John Schinnerer Ph.D. on the topic "How to Manage Feelings after a Stroke, Suggestions for Survivors and Caregivers. Meetings held the second Mon. of each month, are free and open to the public. For more information contact Ann Dzuna at 925-376-6218. John Muir Medical Center Concord Campus, Concord Room 2540 East Street, Concord.
NOV. 14 Clayton Knitters @ Clayton Community Library. 3-5 p.m. Old hand at knitting or just starting? Come join like-minded folks for an afternoon at the library. Clayton Community Library, 6125 Clayton Road, 673-0659. NOV. 15 Stories and Craft Hour @ Clayton Community Library 7 p.m. Hear stories and then make your very own children’s book. Recommended for kids ages three to seven. Please register. Clayton Community Library, 6125 Clayton Road, 673-0659. NOV. 16 Read to Paddington @ Clayton Community Library 3 - 5 p.m. Drop by the story room and read to our Children's Book Week stuffed Paddington Bear. A great way for young readers to practice their wonderful new skill. No registration. Clayton Community Library, 6125 Clayton Road. Nov. 17, 18 Diablo Ballet's The Tale of Cinderella @ Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA 8 p.m. Diablo Ballet's 2006-2007 Season Gala. The world premiere of The Tale of Cinderella by Nikolai Kabaniaev is a playful, exciting, and a fresh way of telling the story. Opus for a Table, is a whimsical abstract work by Viktor Kabaniaev. To purchase single tickets: Call (925) 943-7469. For more information or season subscriptions: Call (925) 943-1775. Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA. NOV. 17, 18, 19 Clayton Valley Woman's Club Holiday Boutique @ Clayton Community Library Fri. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sun. 1 - 4 p.m. Get a head start on your holiday shopping. This year's boutique will feature fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas crafts handmade by club members. There will be baked goods for sale and a raffle. All proceeds from the boutique will benefit the Clayton Valley Woman's Club, a nonprofit organization whose donations of time and money aid Clayton/Concord charities. For more information about the boutique, please contact Co-chairman Peggy Arundell at (925)672-2043. Clayton Community Library Community Room, 6125 Clayton Road. NOV. 18 Drop-in Craft Time @ Clayton Community Library 11 - 3 p.m. Stop by the story room to show off your creative side! A variety of craft projects will be available. Recommended for kids ages three to nine years old. No registration. Clayton Community Library, 6125 Clayton Road. NOV. 18 Diablo Ballet's "The Magic Toy Store" @ Dean Lesher Center for the Arts 2 p.m. The Magic Toy Store takes place in a shop where the dolls come to life when no one is looking. The Soldier and Ballerina dolls (who are in love) are bought by different customers and the other dolls in the store come up with an ingenious plot to save their friends. Single seats: $15 or $7.50 each for two seats. Ask for the "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" promotion. Call (925) 943-SHOW (7469) or buy online at www.DLRCA.org. Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. NOV. 18 Diablo Valley Masterworks Chorale @ Diablo Valley College 8 p.m. Under direction of Richard Kamprath, performing "What Sweeter Music", including Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes, Bennett's "The Many Moods of Christmas" plus seasonal favorites. Diablo Valley Performing Arts Center, Reserve tickets by calling the DVC box office at 687-4445. Prices are $15 in advance, and $18.00 at the door. Many of our members come from many of our local cities, San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Clayton.
CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS NOV. 2 Sons In Retirement @ Oakhurst Country Club 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. SIRs, which is dedicated to promoting the independence and dignity of retired men, has no initiation fees or dues. The only requirement, other than being a man who is retired from his primary employment or career, is attendance at the monthly luncheons. For more information about joining SIRs, Branch 19, call Al Brunner at 687-0594. Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Drive, Clayton. NOV. 3 Clayton Historical Society Annual Meeting @ Odd Fellows Hall 6 p.m. The Clayton Historical Society is having its annual meeting, election of officers and potluck supper at Odd Fellows Hall on Cowell Road on Call 672-0240 for details. Odd Fellows Hall, 4349 Cowell Road, Concord. NOV. 7, 14, 21, 28 Kiwanis Club of Walnut Creek 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Meetings every Tues. All are invited to check us out and be our guest for lunch. Massimo’s Ristorante, 1604 Locust St., Walnut Creek. for more information call Sam Totah, 941-1536. NOV. 7 Knights of Columbus @ St. Agnes Church Hall 7:30 p.m. General membership meeting of the Knights of Columbus are the first Tues. of the month. We look forward to seeing our brother Knights there. St. Agnes Church, 3478 Chestnut Street, Concord. NOV. 8 Creekside Artists Meeting @ Clayton Community Library 7 p.m. Come join this unique group of eclectic artists that meet the 2nd Wednesday of each month. If you like, bring your artwork for review...all levels and all art forms are welcome! "We provide an environment for all artists to inspire, create, educate and prosper." Call Arlene KikkawaNielsen at (925) 673-9777, or email akikkawa@ccclib.org with questions. NOV. 8 Clayton Valley Garden Club @ Diamond Terrace 7 p.m. The Clayton Valley Garden Club meets the second Wed. of the month. Every meeting has an informative program concerning some aspect of gardening. The speakers for Nov. will be Laura and David Osteen of the Secret Garden Plant, Nursery, and Landscape business of
Clayton. They will discuss how their plants are grown locally from seed to promote more successful growth in the Concord, Clayton climate. Anyone interested in gardening is welcome at our meetings. Call Jeff at 672-7579 or Barry at 827-9540 for information. Diamond Terrace, 6401 Center Street, Clayton. NOV. 9, 16, 23, 30 Rotary Club of Clayton Valley Concord Sunrise @ Oakhurst 7 a.m. Meets every Thurs. for breakfast meeting that usually features a speaker. www. claytonvalleyrotary.org Chuck Graham 689-7640. Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Drive, Clayton. NOV. 9, 16, 23, 30 Weights Watchers Weekly Meeting @ Contra Costa Farm Bureau 10 a.m.and 5:30 p.m. Weekly Weight Watchers weigh-in and meeting on Thurs.. 800-326-8450 x 2023.Contra Costa Farm Bureau, 5554 Clayton Rd., Concord. NOV. 13 Clayton Valley 4-H club @ Farm Bureau Hall 7 p.m. 4-H is open to youth ages 5 - 19 and adults. Projects in small and large animals, leadership, community service, 4-H camp, conferences and fairs. Learn new skills including cooking, photography, arts/crafts etc. Contact Candy Hogan at 925- 969-1325 for more information. Meetings held on the second Mon. of the month Sept. - June. Farm Bureau Hall, 5554 Clayton Rd. Concord. NOV. 14, 28 Clayton Valley Woman's Club @ Holy Cross Lutheran Church 9:30 a.m. Regular monthly business meeting starts with coffee, the meeting begins at 10 a.m. CVWC is a non-profit, non-denominational service organization that is open to all women interested in charitable work in the Clayton Valley community. Meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. For more information, please call Joyce at 6723850 or Sheila at 672-7947. Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1092 Alberta Way, Concord. NOV.16 2nd Annual Tri- Chamber Business Expo @ Crowne Plaza Hotel, Concord 4 - 7 p.m. Business to Business Trade show. Network and make new contacts. Reserve booth with the Concord Chamber of Commerce now. Visit www.concordchamber.com or call the Concord Chamber at 685-1181. Participating chambers are as follows Concord, Hispanic, Pleasant Hill and Lafayette. Crowne Plaza Hotel, Concord 45 John Glenn Drive. NOV. 16 Veterans of Foreign Wars Meeting @ Veterans Memorial Hall, Concord 6:30 - 7 p.m. is get acquainted time, 7 p.m. meeting. VFW meets the third Thurs. of the month. All Veterans of foreign wars are invited to attend. The VFW is here to support eligible Veterans and their families. Wives and daughters of eligible Veterans are invited to join the Ladies Auxiliary. Meetings are held at Veterans Memorial Hall, corner of Colfax and Willow Pass Road, Concord. (925) 255-3449.
BUSINESS & GOVERNMENT NOV. 7, 14, 21, 28 Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Meeting @ County Administration Building 9 a.m. County Board of Supervisors holds regular weekly meetings Tues. mornings. Open to the public. www.co.contra-costa.ca.us 335-1900. County Administration Building, 651 Pine Street, Room 107, Martinez. NOV. 7, 21 Clayton City Council Meeting @ Clayton Community Library 6 p.m. City Council meets on the first and third Tues. of the month. Open to the public. Agendas posted at the following locations: City Hall, 6000 Heritage Trail, Clayton, Ohm's Bulletin Board, 1028 Diablo St., Clayton, Clayton Community Library, 6125 Clayton Rd., Clayton. NOV. 9 Clayton Community Services Commission Meeting @ City Hall 7 p.m. City of Clayton Community Services Commission meets 2nd Thurs. of month. Open to the public. www.ci.clayton.ca.us 673-7304, Clayton City Hall Conference Room, 6000 HeritageTrail, Clayton. NOV. 13 Landscape District Meetings @ Clayton Community Library 7 p.m. Because Measure M was voted down in 2005, the Landscape District will expire in June 2007. There will be no funds available for irrigation or maintenance of public landscape when that occurs. The public is invited to join us for these very important meetings. Clayton Community Library, Library, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton. NOV. 14, 28 Planning Commission Meeting @ Clayton Library 7p.m. City of Clayton Planning Commission meets 2nd and 4th Tues. of month. Open to the public. www.ci.clayton.ca.us 673-7304, Clayton Library Community Room, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton. NOV. 14 Good Morning Concord Breakfast @ Crowne Plaza Hotel 7:45 a.m. Naval weapons station update. $12 for Chamber members, $20 for non-Chamber members. Crowne Plaza Concord, 45 John Glenn Drive.
SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION NOV. 2 Parent Faculty Club Meeting @ Clayton Valley High School Library 7 p.m. Come to the first CVHS PFC meeting of the school year. Meet the Principal, Gary Swanson, and learn more about CVHS. If you have a topic you would like to see on the agenda, please contact President Melinda Moore at 672-0930 or e-mail melindammoore@yahoo.com. Clayton Valley High School, 1101 Alberta Way, Concord. NOV. 14 Parent Faculty Club Meeting @ Diablo View Middle School 9 a.m. Meeting to be held in the Community Room next to the gym. All parents welcome. Diablo View Middle School, 300 Diablo View Lane, Clayton.
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Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
November 3, 2006
Take special care to keep senior pets healthy As senior pets enter the fall of their years , proper care can help them li ve long er and sta y healthier. Up to 20 percent of healthy senior pets have an undiagnosed disease. If caught early , many can be cured or controlled with treatment to k eep y our senior friend a happy , comfortable family member through the golden years. Most v eterinarians consider a dog or cat a senior b y 8 years old, but it varies with the species and breed. Small breed dogs , such as miniature poodles , live on the a verage 15 years , while the a verage Great Dane li ves 8 years. Cats can live 20 plus years. So, a small dog and cat ma y not truly be senior until 10 to 12 years old. We often say that the reason our pet is slo wing do wn is because of old ag e. This is a process consisting of many metabolic and ph ysical changes.
MARYBETH RYMER,
PAWS
AND
DVM
CLAWS
While each pet will dev elop his own set of health problems , there are ste ps y ou can tak e to assess these changes. Be a ware of the follo wing signs of disease: increased water consumption, increased urination (v olume and frequency), vomiting, diarrhea, increased or decreased appetite , sudden weight loss or g ain, behavior changes, tiring easily and slee ping more , limping, and a reluctance to jump or ha ving
difficulty rising. Since health c hanges can happen quickly in old age, many veterinarians no w recommend senior exams ev ery six months . Most v eterinarians offer a Senior Wellness Package, which generally will include a comprehensive exam, blood c hemistry testing, complete blood cell count, blood pressure , urinalysis, thyroid testing and X-rays. As a v eterinarian, I note weight changes, coat appearance, eye and ear c hanges, the condition of the mouth, heart/chest sounds, skeletal and neurological function as w ell as abdominal and lymph nodes c hanges to help piece tog ether the health status of your senior friend. Your responses to the v et’s questions are just as impor tant. Since our patients cannot talk, we rely on y ou to tell us ho w they feel at home. When the results are in, I will inter pret the findings and
Patty Flannery Realtor
work with you to develop a care program aimed at impro ving your pet’ s quality of life. Recommendations include appropriate ex ercise, grooming, nutrition c hanges to ease the effects of specific diseases , medications and surg ery if needed. Progress exams and follow-up lab tests ma y be recommended to assess treatment response. Common senior problems in dogs are h ypothyroidism, diabetes, kidney disease , liver disease, dental disease, arthritis and cancer. Seniors cats often experience h yperthyroidism, diabetes, kidney disease, dental disease, arthritis and cancer. There are treatments for most of these diseases that will g reatly improve y our pet’ s health as they age.
Clayton Resident since 1979
serving all your
Real Estate needs Call me
voicemail: 925.975.5255 residence: 925.672.0541 email: granyflany@hotmail.com
Morning weather on KTVU-Fox2 Mon.-Fri., 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Marybeth Rymer, DVM, can be reached at Monte Vista Veterinary Hospital, Concord. 672-1100.
Steve Paulson Clayton resident srpwx@sbcglobal.net (510) 874-0150
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Bring everyone who will live with BeBe or Chuggs to meet them at Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation, 2890 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, during adoption hours 3 to 7 p .m. Thurs. and Fri., noon to 4:30 p.m. Sat. and Sun. Visit www.arf.net or more about adding a cat or dog to y our family, or call (925) 256-1ARF. Would you like to be part of the heroic team that sa ves the li ves of rescued dogs and cats? Can y ou share y our talents to connect people and animals? ARF v olunteers are making a difference! F or more
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CHRIS HALLIDAY Special to the Pioneer
United Pilot, Chris (Doc) Halliday
let the armed troops carry water bottles or, for that matter , purchase them from the ter minal. In this case , I w as cool with them car rying w ater. Oh w ell, still livin’ the dream. LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE TROOPS
My politics and y ours aside , these are the guys and g als w e want on our side. They are some of the best, sharpest, most disci-
plined people y ou’ll ever meet. I stepped out to use the la vatory (toidy for the aviation terminology c hallenged) and noticed a young Marine Recon troop (holy cow, they were all y oung) cleaning his M-4 assault rifle. He looks up at me and says: “Uh, sir, is this cool with y ou?” I said: “Yeah, absolutely. Would you mind wiping the gun oil off the tray table when y ou finish?” “Yes sir! No problem.” Definitely surreal, but cool for sure! One y oung w oman had some, well, “club” tattoos on her ar ms and nec k. My guess is that it w as a really tough club to g et in. Way tougher than Oakhurst. Her friend said: “That girl could shoot before she g ot in the Cor ps. Ooooh-rah!” Some were warriors in every sense of the w ord. Others looked scared to death, which makes them seem ev en more brave for hangin’ in there. They were all impressive.
See Marines, page B11
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In this conclusion of a three-part series, Clayton r esident Chris “Doc” Halliday shar es his thoughts after dropping of f U.S. Marines in Kuwait.
“Uh, I’ll tr y the Riesling . Thanks, er, uh, Danke Schoen.” We brought our last group to March AFB from Hahn on a long da y that star ted at 1 a.m. for the crew . But there w as a semi-cheerful lady at the coffee shop who had espresso drinks and pizza. With three people smoking in this tiny café, it was just what the doctor ordered to start the day. Even the Ger mans wouldn’t
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Back in Ger many, we w ent wine tasting in the Rhein Ri ver district a la “Sidew ays” with a German accent. Tasting rooms in people’ s homes mix ed in with g rand, large-volume wineries . And here, Riesling is king. I rented a con vertible Beemer and dro ve the speed limit where posted and 130 mph where it wasn’t (before the wine tasting, of course). For the price of 1 euro, I fed a deer at one of the wineries and had deer spit on m y hands until w e had dinner (v enison anyone?). We asked one guy in a tasting room if they had any red wines? He look ed kind of like Dieter from the SNL sk etch “Sprockets” and said, quite smugly: “No, go to F rance.”
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November 3, 2006
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
Page B11
Church News
St. John’s selects Interim Pastor
Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church
m o C
our o t e
Nov. 4, 2006 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Patricia Stout Senior Pastor
Raymond S. Campton Parish Associate
925-672-4848 Sundays 10:30 a.m.
1578 Kirker Pass Road
www.cvpresby.org
St. John’s Episcopal Churc h has a new pastor. The Reverend James Stickney joined St. John’s on October 1 as an Interim Pastor. Fr. Stickney will ser ve St. John’s for up to tw o years while the P arish V estry conducts a search for a per manent pastor. Fr. Stickney is a for mer Catholic priest. He joined the J esuits right after g raduating from Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose in 1963. In 1980, he joined the Episcopal Church and spent from 1980 to 1982 as a lay person. “I enjoyed that,” he said. “It was nice being ministered to.” In 1982 F r. Stickney joined the staff of Good She pherd Churc h in Belmont as ak volunteer for two years. He then ser ved for another two years on the par t-time staff at St. Mark’s in Palo Alto. Then in 1986 he was appointed Rector at St. Alban’s in Albany where he ser ved until retiring earlier this year. With a special interest in music and liturgy, Fr. Stickney hopes to bring an increased
interest in m usic to St. John’s during his term, envisioning the little church as a venue for many small concerts and recitals. He also hopes to generate more community interest in the parish’ s outreac h acti vities suc h as the ann ual Bac kpack Project, service at the Homeless Shelter and the collection of gifts for needy c hildren at Christmas. While at St. Alban’s, Fr. Stickney became involved with the Bik e-a-Thon prog ram, raising more than $40,000 for the Episcopal Charities. Himself an ardent long distance cyclist, Fr. Stickney hopes to join with other cyclists in the area in bringing a Bik e-a-Thon to St. John’s. Fr. Stickney and his wife J oni ha ve two grown sons , one recently home from Iraq and the other ser ving in the Navy. Fr. Stickney replaces former pastor John Bennison, who left the parish in J une. For more infor mation about St. John’s Episcopal Church, call 672-8855.
Clayton Valley Presbyterian to auction off quilt at Fall Fest
CONCORD UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Come join us for these ongoing programs
Sunday Morning Support Groups First Sunday
Parenting and/or Grandparenting
Second Sunday
A journey through Grief and Loss
Third Sunday
Finding Freedom from Addictions
Fourth Sunday
Children of Aging Parents Concord United Methodist Church
1645 West Street, Concord For more information call Marilyn at (925) 685-5260
CV Presbyterian will auction off this quilt and painting, at their annual Fall Fest on Nov. 4. Holding the quilt on the left is Church Secretary Dianne Werner, on the right is quilt creator Rachel Morse. The painting is by Barbara George. For more information on the Fall Fest, call the Fall Fest chairperson, Becky Anderson, 682-2754. INTERFAITH DEVOTIONS AT DIAMOND TERRACE Please join us on the first Sunday of each month for devotional r eadings and prayers from v arious religious traditions. Feel free to bring your o wn fa vorite readings or prayers. Music and refreshments are pro vided. The next Devotional meeting will be on Sun. Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. - 11
a.m. on the topic of Unity of Religion. Diamond T errace Retirement Comm unity, 6401 Center Street, Movie Room. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS The Knights of Columbus, Concord Council #6038 are sponsoring their eighth Ann ual California State Essay Contest. The contest is open to all Catholic students in g rades 4
Marines, from page B10 You have to respect this volunteer force for putting their butts on the line , maybe idealistically, for us . Many of them were going to the hottest places in Iraq right after they g ot to Kuwait. And I don ’t mean the Weather Channel type of hot. I wanted to say: “OK, everybody hide . Maybe they w on’t notice y ou.” But they w ouldn’t
have g one for it, because these folks believ e they’ re doing the right thing for our countr y. They have my respect. I w as idealistic lik e them, a long time ag o, when I attended Desert Stor m and other little skirmishes. Now, at 42, I’m a crusty curmudgeon. I think this war business is a young person’s game.
Fri., Nov. 3 - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat., Nov. 4 - 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Craft Items Bake Sale Luncheon Raffle Treasures and Collectibles Ample parking behind church
Concord United Methodist Church
e-mail: concordumc@sbcglobal.net
www.concordumc.org
1645 West St. (Between Clayton Rd. & Concord Blvd.)
Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer
FORMER JESUIT PRIEST, Jim Stickney is new rector at St. John’s Episcopal.
– 6; 7-8 and 9-12. Competition winners will receive $50 to $100 sa vings bonds at council and regional levels and special cer tificates. State awards will be $50 to $250. Subject matter is as follo ws: 4 - 6 grades: “What does being a Catholic mean to me?” For 7 - 8 grades the topic is “Ho w can I display c harity in m y daily life” and for 9 - 12 g rades “ As a Catholic youth, how can I promote adv ocacy for the culture of life.” All entrants will recei ve a participation cer tificate. Deadline is Feb. 2, 2007. For more infor mation contact Claire T ryon, Youth Director and State Essa y Chairman for the Knights of Columbus at (925) 673-8564, email greyeototo@sbcglobal.net ST. BONAVENTURE CATHOLIC CHURCH St. Bonaventure will host world-renowned ar tists Mic hael Reardon and P atrick Lane on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. as they present a dramatic perf ormance of the Gospel of Luke. Michael prayerfully and po werfully brings the scripture to life without commentar y, using costumes, props, and g estures. Patrick ev okes emotion and feeling with dramatic lighting, sound and m usic. Tickets are available for a $ 10 donation in Church F oyer follo wing eac h weekend mass and Parish Office
HOMEWARD BOUND We g ot the Marines safely back to the United States and on busses to Camp P endleton and their loved ones. Not all of their comrades make it – many get to come home lying down. The last leg w as to LAX. The L.A. basin is busy – lots of aircraft and mostly a desert, in its o wn right. But it sure is prettier to look at and has a helluv a lot less shooting going on (ex cept for the 405
during the w eek. For those of you who remember tw o years ago, we are sure y ou will ag ree this year’s one night only ev ent is not to be missed. For more information contact Sister Anne at 372-3899. A Cancer Support group is forming at St. Bonaventure’s for cancer sur vivors in remission and those cur rently underg oing treatment. The g roup offers one-on-one support and prayer, group pra yers, healing ser vices and will feature guest speak ers on v arious topics of faith and healing. For more infor mation, call Walt Hag ge, call 827-5674 or email walthagge@astound.net. St. Bonaventure Churc h is located at 5562 Cla yton R oad, Concord, CA. ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI CATHOLIC SCHOOL Taste of Kindergarten: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School is having an information night Nov. 14 from 6:30 to 8 pm for parents of prospective kindergartners. Children will explore the Kinderg arten classroom while parents attend an informational session. Our pastor, principal, kindergarten teacher and parents will discuss the sc hool, curriculum and answer questions. St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Sc hool, 866 Oak Gro ve R oad, Concord (Kindergarten classroom b y the gym).
at rush hour). They have burkhas, L.A. has Paris Hilton. OK, maybe a bad example. On my deadhead f light back home, I got a seat in first class , sipped m y orang e juice and thought about those Marines starting a six-month de ployment in Iraq. Eleven da ys ain ’t so bad. Readers can r each Halliday at fiftythirtyten@aol.com.
Page B12
Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com
November 3, 2006
Cozy to contemporary, Clayton kitchens have it all BEV BRITTON Clayton Pioneer
Whether it w as created in phases o ver years or planned with precision from the g round up, the kitc hens on the Cla yton Valley Kitc hen Tour are dreams come true. “This has been a lot of fun,” Laurie McCann sa ys of the 20year remodeling project on her Regency Woods home. When she and her husband Alan mo ved there in 1986, the kitchen w as har vest g old – “to the max.” Today, the cozy interior features whitewashed Mexican pavers with “bubblegum pink” grout, distressed white custom cabinets and hand-painted country F rench animal tiles on the backsplash. Contrary to the cur rent trend toward open f loor plans , the McCanns added walls where railings once di vided rooms . “Everyone wants to open ev erything up . I lik e rooms – I ha ve pocket doors ev erywhere,” she says.
JONATHAN AND TAMARA ASZKLAR opted for a contemporary look when they remodeled their kitchen. However, once it’s full of friends and family, it’s the place for good, old-fashioned fun.
“This is a tract house, and I’m not tr ying to mak e it anything other than a tract house ,” she adds, noting that her project offers realistic ideas for people with older homes . “I call these ‘the tw o feet too small homes ,’ because if you had two more feet in every direction, you could really do something.” Fellow R egency W oods resident J oanne La yton took the
Oct. 21 tour with an eye to ward remodeling her o wn kitc hen. “I like to see what other people have done – especially the tract houses, where the space is limited,” Layton says. A CLUB THAT CARES The tour w as sponsored b y the Cla yton V alley W oman’s Club. The philanthropic org anization donates locally to a sc hol-
Photos by Joan Bergum/Clayton Woman’s Club
LIGHTED
DISPLAY CABINETS
and bronze Corian countertops highlight the Johnson Regency Woods kitchen.
arship at Cla yton V alley High School, the Cla yton Librar y and the Blue Star Moms , among other groups. “I feel that ev erybody should give bac k to their comm unity,” says Cla yton resident Cindy Haydon, a 10-year member of the group. “My belief is you were put on this ear th to gi ve bac k. And it’s so rewarding.” Club co-president Sheila Driscoll ag rees. Although the Clayton resident cites the club’ s lectures and book club as fun events, “it’s about raising the money and the g ood works that we do.” During the tour, Driscoll was “standing guard” in Sandy and Craig J ohnson’s kitc hen, which was extensi vely remodeled in 2002. Lighted displa y cabinets and bronze Corian counter tops highlight the white , bright kitchen. The J ohnsons w ere looking for a one-stor y home when they happened upon the R egency Meadows g em. “We w alked in and everything was done,” Sandy says. “California closets , crown molding and, of course, the kitchen was a big feature.” DESIGNED FOR ELEGANCE Over in P eacock Creek, Kathy and John Martin’s kitchen is a gleaming sho wcase that took John a year to design before the home was built. Cherry cabinets . Travertine marble tile f loor. Silestone countertops with tumbled marble full backs. Crystal glass cabinet doors. A 48-inc h Dacor rang e. Sub Zero refrig erator/freezer. It’s got it all. And don ’t forg et the bac kyard overlooking California’s glorious golden hills. “What a location, ” marvels visitor Er na Beutel of Concord. “I don ’t kno w if anything will
top this one.” Beutel w as on the tour with Rossmoor resident Ruth Sjoberg, who is looking for remodeling ideas for her kitc hen. Sjoberg, though, seemed a little o verwhelmed by the Martins’ home. “It’s v ery v ast, with w onderful views. But it’s not m y style ,” she says, noting its formal feel.
burner W olf range and burnished stainless steel appliances. Still, she co vets elements from other homes on the tour , such as a built-in coffeemak er and a pullout spice rack. “But y ou come home and you think, I really do lo ve m y kitchen,” she says with pride. Bonnie Car vajal of
AFTER MUCH RESEARCH AND COPIOUS magazine clippings, Laurie McCann brought together a variety of elements for her new kitchen.
AN ENTERTAINING EXPERIENCE
For T amara and J onathan Aszklar, their remodel w as about making the kitc hen a focal point for family life and entertaining. To do that, they took space from their living area to expand the kitchen. “We alw ays end up in the kitchen,” Tamara sa ys of their parties. “We had 24 people in here at one time.” Jonathan, an electrical contractor, brought tog ether ideas for their remodel after w orking on several high-end homes. “He sees what is up and coming, ” Tamara notes. Trendy items in their Cardinet Glen kitc hen include Romano Gold g ranite countertops atop cherry cabinets, a six-
Brentwood w as thinking the same thing as she w alked through the Aszklars’ home. She has a new home in Brentwood and is looking for a few finishing touc hes – bac ksplashes, flooring and decorating ideas. “This house has the European f lair, which is what I’m trying to go for. My house is a beautiful blank can vas that I can work on,” she says, pausing happily to consider the possibilities before continuing her tour.
The Clayton V alley W oman’s Club meets the second and four th Tuesdays at 10 a.m. at Holy Cr oss Lutheran Chur ch in Concord. F or more infor mation, call the membership chair at 672-1163.
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