November 2011 Journal Plus by SLO Journal

JACQUELINE FREDRICK | COOPER BENSON | DAVID JACKSON | VETERANS TRIBUTE

Journal PLUS NOVEMBER 2011

MAGAZINE OF THE CENTRAL COAST

Mike Robinson and daughter, Mia

Serving the entire SLO County since 1978 Twila Arritt

Broker-Associate

805-543-2172 www.farrellsmyth.com

www.3302ocean8unit.com

Cindy Newton

Pamela Bliss

REALTOR®

8 Ocean View Apartments. 100% Occupied. Now professional managed. Turn-key condition. Extensive down to the studs Renovation! Originally built in 1973. Effective age 2007. Ocean views from all units, 5 w/ White Water Views! $899,000

Live or Vacation in Morro Bay! Enjoy the wonderful Rock and Ocean views, tiled fireplace and open floor plan for entertaining. Two spacious master bedrooms and one charming guest bedroom plus 3 full bathrooms. Start enjoying the beach life! $489,500

www.1398Royal.com

www.439RennellStreet.com

Darling SLO Single-level, 4Br, PLUS another approx 350 sqft enclosed patio room. Great investment property or make it your own home! Fenced yard, 2-car attached garage. Turn-key, move-in condition! Price Reduced $433,000

Light, bright Morro Bay beach charmer with 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms plus a double car garage, Cathedral ceilings, and upgraded flooring. Easy maintenance fenced yard. Some views of the ocean from the front lawn & just blocks from the beach. $355,000

www.1198FairOaks.com

wwwlesagehomes.com

Kelly Hannula REALTOR®

Janet Shaner REALTOR®

Chris Stanley

Stephanie Hamilton REALTOR®

REALTOR®

Vicky Hall

Laura Rizzoli

Mary Rosenthal

Patricia Garrison

REALTOR®

www.485OahuStreet.com

Broker-Associate

Theresa Carroll

Annette Mullen

Convenient location near AG High School, Elm Street Park & Soto Sports Complex. Functional 3 bed, 1 bath floor plan with good flow throughout. Two driveways provide extra parking areas. For More Info Contact our AG office at 904-6616. $349,900

Versatile beach living, full time, vacationers, or vacation rental. Prime location near Pismo Beach Golf Course Well cared for 3 bed, 2 bath MH offers comfort inside. Nice large deck for entertaining. For More Info Contact our AG office at 904-6616. $199,000

Conveniently located in the heart of SLO & the Village of Arroyo Grande 21 Santa Rosa Street, Suite 100, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 102 E. Branch Street, Suites C & D, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420

REALTOR®

Larry D. Smyth Broker

CONTENTS

10 Journal PLUS MAGAZINE OF THE CENTRAL COAST

The People, Community, and Business of Our Beautiful Central Coast ADDRESS

654 Osos Street San Luis Obispo California 93401

COOPER BENSON - VISITING COOPERSTOWN

PHONE 805.546.0609 E-MAIL slojournal@fix.net WEBSITE www.slojournal.com

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Steve Owens ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Erin Mott GRAPHIC DESIGNER Dora Mountain COPY EDITOR Susan Stewart PHOTOGRAPHER Tom Meinhold DISTRIBUTION Keith Malcomson

DAVID JACKSON

GREG SCHIFANO

ADVERTISING Jan Owens, Kristen Hathaway CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Susan Stewart, Natasha Dalton, Hilary Grant, Joseph Carotenuti, Dr. Julian Crocker, Sarah Hedger, Maggie Cox, Deborah Cash, Sharen Bloechl, Ruth Starr, Dan Carpenter, Bob Huttle, Gordon Fuglie, Lauren Van Mullem, Jeanne Harris and Phyllis Benson Mail subscriptions are available at $20 per year. Back issues are $2 each. Inquires concerning advertising or other information made by writing to Steve Owens, JOURNAL PLUS MAGAZINE, 654 Osos Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. You can call us at 546-0609, our fax line is 546-8827, and our e-mail is slojournal@fix.net. View the entire magazine on our website at www.slojournal.com JOURNAL PLUS MAGAZINE is distributed monthly free by mail to all single family households of San Luis Obispo and is available free at over 600 locations throughout the county. Editorial submissions are welcome but are published at the discretion of the publisher. Submissions will be returned if accompanied by a stamped self addressed envelope. No material published in the magazine can be reproduced without written permission. Opinions expressed in the byline articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the JOURNAL PLUS MAGAZINE. Cover photo provided by Mike Robinson

PEOPLE 10 12 14 16 18

COOPER BENSON MIKE ROBINSON. JACQUELINE FREDRICK DAVID JACKSON part 1 GREG SCHIFANO part 1

HOME & OUTDOOR 20 22 23 24

THANK YOU TO OUR VETS DOG NEXT DOOR SEASONS - AT THE MUSEUM OF ART FOOD / AT THE MARKET

COMMUNITY 26 28 30 32 34 36 45 46

SLO ART SCENE SENIOR NUTRITION HELPING TENZIN LHAZEY HISTORY: Mary Gail Black HOSPICE CORNER / CROSSWORD PUZZLE PALM STREET – SLO Councilman, Carpenter OUR SCHOOLS

Dr. Julian Crocker

ALMANAC – The Month of November

BUSINESS

37 DOWNTOWN SLO What’s Happening 42 THE BULLETIN BOARD

N O V E M B E R

2011

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Attention Medicare Beneﬁciaries The NEW choice oﬀers: • Low $35 monthly plan premium • Contracted with Physicians Choice Medical Group network of physicians • Area’s leading healthcare facilities –Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, French Hospital Medical Center and Marian Medical Center • Only $10 co-payment when you see your primary physician and only $20 co-payment when you see a specialist Toll Free (877) 744-2668 TTY/TDD 1-888-833-9312 (for the hearing impaired) Sun – Sat • 8 am to 8 pm LOCAL OFFICE: 4111 Broad St, Suite 130 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

www.gemcarehealthplan.com/physicianschoice

We’d love to meet you! Join us for an informational seminar. ARROYO GRANDE 11/1 11 am & 1 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . South County Regional Center, 800 W. Branch St. 11/17 2 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . South County Regional Center, 800 W. Branch St. SAN LUIS OBISPO 11/2 10 am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . French Hospital Medical Center, 1911 Johnson Ave. 11/16 2 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Holiday Inn Express, 1800 Monterey St. SANTA MARIA 11/17 10 am . . Marian Hancock Medical Building, Hancock Board Room 3rd Floor, 116 S. Palisade Dr. Physicians Choice Medicare Plus HMO is oﬀered by GEMCare Health Plan, Inc., a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract, and is available to those who are entitled to Medicare Part A and enrolled in Part B. Limitations, co-insurance and co-payments may apply. Other providers are available in our network. Other plans may be available in the service area. A sales person will be present with information and applications. Sales representatives assisting beneﬁciaries may be compensated based on enrollment. For accommodation of persons with special needs at sales meetings, call (877)744-2668 and TTY/TDD (888)833-9312. H5609_MKT_148_2012_Choice Ad_GMPC File & Use 07202011 SLO_ChoiceAd_2012

Family and Cosmetic Dentistry

From the publisher

y five-year-old grandson, Brayden, loves baseball. His backyard is filled with bats, balls, batting tees and more. We play ball most every time we get together. He is the most talented baseball player I have ever seen at his age. It doesn’t hurt having a father who was a very good baseball player as well. So when I got the word that there was a local 10-year-old boy who fits the same mold, I couldn’t help but do his profile. Hilary Grant caught up with Cooper Benson and his parents. You’ll enjoy his story. November is a time to give thanks. It’s a month when we celebrate Veterans Day, and to honor them, Bob Huttle dedicates his column by giving a sincere thank you. He writes about his father and father-in-law and their experience defending our country during World War II. He finishes his column telling us about several local organizations that support our Vets today. Please take the time to read about these wonderful groups and choose one or more to support. It’s also a time of the year that we like to personally thank all of our advertisers. They allow us to bring this magazine into your home each month. Please support them when you can as well. Plenty of good reading again this month. Happy Thanksgiving.

Enjoy the magazine,

Steve Owens

We’ve gone green. Now view our printed calendar of events entirely online. Visit our website today and find your way to the best seats in the house.

W W W . P A C S L O . O R G

UPCOM ING E V EN TS Wed., Nov. 2, 7:30 pm “Weird Al” Yankovic - The Alpocalypse Tour

Nov. 10-12, Nov. 17-19, 7 pm A Delicious Potpourri of Fantastical Fairy Tales

Cal Poly Arts

CP Theatre & Dance Department

Sat., Nov. 5, 9 am The MET Live in HD: Wagner’s Siegfried

Sat., Nov. 12, 8 pm SLO Symphony: Modern Masterpieces

Sat., Nov. 19, 8 pm Cal Poly Symphony Fall Concert Spiller Plays Grieg

The SLO Symphony

CP Music Department

Sun., Nov. 13, 7 pm Wynonna Cal Poly Arts

Sun., Nov. 20, 3 pm Love Songs on a Sunday

Tues., Nov. 15, 7 pm Warren Miller Ski Film: Like There’s No Tomorrow

Sun., Nov. 20, 7 pm Steynberg Fundraiser feat. Café Musique & Inga Swearingen

YOPAC

Café Musique & Inga Swearingen

Wed., Nov. 16, 7:30 pm Whose Live Anyway?

Mon., Nov. 21, 7:30 pm Monty Python’s Spamalot

Opera SLO & CPA

Sat., Nov. 5, 8 pm Hideo Cal Poly Music Department

Sun., Nov. 6, 7 pm Marc Cohn Cal Poly Arts

Mon., Nov. 7, 7:30 pm MacHomer Cal Poly Arts

Wed., Nov. 9, 7:30 pm Pink Martini Cal Poly Arts

805.SLO.ARTS Phone | 805.756.2787 Fax | 805.756.6088

WWW.PACSLO.ORG

Sat., Nov. 19, 9:55 am The MET Live in HD: Glass’s Satyagraha Opera SLO & CPA

Cal Poly Arts

Fri., Nov. 18, 8 pm Cal Poly Bandfest 2011! - Resonances

Sun., Nov. 27, 2 pm The MET Live in HD: Mozart’s Don Giovanni

Cal Poly Music Department

Opera SLO & CPA

SERVICES PROVIDED • Comprehensive Hospice Care * in the Home * at a Board and Care * at a Skilled Nursing Facility * in the Hospital • Pharmacy Services • Medical Supplies • Durable Medical Equipment • Respite Care • General In-Patient Care • Emotional and Spiritual Support to Patient, Family and Community 24 Hours / 7 days a Week On Call Availability

WE ARE A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

A proud tradition of serving our community for over 26 years

PASO ROBLES – Private Estate on over 15 acres!!

Enjoy more than 3,200 square feet of living in this home on the hill. With amazing views, tranquil breezes and the privacy that you long for. This custom home needs the finishing touches... let your imagination run wild. With 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, spacious kitchen and a separate structure for your workspace including a 3 car garage, this is sure to catch your eye! $815,000 #2912

ARROYO GRANDE – Mediterranean Estate Home

on approx. 5 acres, featuring 5 bedrooms and 3 baths with attached 3-car garage and detached 4-car garage. Extraordinary outdoor living area with pool and cascading waterfall, spa, fireplace, outdoor kitchen and palapa-covered entertaining area. The interior is finished with the finest materials. Gourmet kitchen with granite counters, knotty alder cabinets, stainless steel appliances and a wine bar. Ideally located just minutes from great golf courses, near wine tasting and close to the ocean. $1,495,000 #2915

Charming and Spacious Craftsman Style Home SAN LUIS OBISPO – In coveted Old Town neighborhood of San Luis Obispo. Featuring 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, living room with fireplace, beautiful wood floors, formal dining room/den and kitchen that opens to a versatile conservatory room with sunlight streaming in. The two downstairs bedrooms share a jack and jill bath. Upstairs is a spacious master suite, converted from two bedrooms and providing an office and sitting room. The idyllic backyard is very private. At the rear of the property, the two-car detached garage opens to the alley between Pismo and Buchon streets. The R2 zoning provides additional opportunities. Homes in this part of Old Town rarely come on the market. $859,000 #2917

ATASCADERO – Rare 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms condo with 2 car attached garage. There are cathedral ceilings, an open floor plan, fire place, sliding glass door leading to large deck with fenced yard. Only 9 units in private cul-de-sac like complex. Large master suite with a walk in closet and dual sink counter. In desirable area on the West Side of Atascadero. $225,000 #2819

SAN LUIS OBISPO – HOA Dues have been PAID!! (Till Jan 2012) Great King Court Condo!! Come see for yourself... This 2 bedroom 1.5 bath condo has beautiful new hardwood floors, new paint, newer dishwasher and stove. The fridge and washer/dryer do come with the home as of now... so hurry!! Home backs up to nice greenery and two patios for you to enjoy it from. Worried about parking? Don’t be. This unit is just steps from the street, includes 1 car garage and 1 carport that are both attached to the property. This is a wonderful unit. Don’t wait!! $230,000 #2822

Leland Terrace Condo NIPOMO – Beautifully landscaped 4-bedroom, 2-bath home on about an acre of flat, usable land, ready to move into and surrounded by spectacular outdoor spaces. From the pond swimming with Koi, to the lush gardens, to the perfectly manicured lawns, this property is for someone who loves being outdoors. Also, a large area in the back would be perfect for horses. $399,000 #2857

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Well priced coveted

Leland Terrace condo ready for quick sale. New exterior paint in this three bedroom, 3 bath home. Washer, dryer, and refrigerator included. Great views of the surrounding hills and city. Two relaxing decks with views. Close to town. Large walk-in closet. Dual sink master bath with large walk-in shower. $390,000 #2818

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Bright and sunny singlelevel 2 bedroom, 2 bath home in very desirable neighborhood, close to French Park. Open floor plan with large living room featuring tile floors. Patio door leads from dining area to lovely patio. Indoor laundry. Private, fenced backyard. Detached 2-car garage. Very well-maintained & shows beautifully. $379,000 #2921

For more information on these and other Real Estate Group of SLO listings call us at

805.541.2888

962 Mill Street • San Luis Obispo, California 93401 • www.RealEstateGroup.com

PEOPLE

cooper benson: Slo 10-year-old lives for baseball By Hilary Grant “Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd… buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don’t care if I ever come back…” --- Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer It’s the classic American triumvirate: mom, baseball and apple pie. Then there’s native SLO-town kid Cooper Benson. Benson, born at Sierra Vista Hospital and a fifth grader at Sinsheimer Elementary School, has done a good deal more than taken the second word of this oft-used phrase to heart. In fact, baseball isn’t a mere hobby for Cooper – more accurately, this 10-year-old lives and breathes the sport. “Cooper has a tee-shirt that says, ‘The Season Never Ends,’” says mom Shelley Benson, also born in SLO and a guidance counselor at San Luis Obispo High School. (Dad Chad is a local contractor, owner of Benson Development, and one of Cooper’s baseball coaches.) “It’s truly our life,” continues Benson. “To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I saw Cooper or his younger brother without a hat, a baseball or a glove.” Benson explains that while May, June and July are the height of the season, Cooper, along with eight-year-old sibling Hogan, also plays at least two games locally every week of the year. Additionally, she says, the two boys take part in weekend games and week-long tournaments all summer long. Cooper’s enthusiasm and hard work were recently rewarded in a big way this past June. As a member of the Santa Ynez Titans, a team made up of the best 10-year-old players from all over Central California, Cooper was one

Watching Cooperstown N O V E M B E R

The Benson family – Shelley, Chad, Hogan and Cooper

of 11 kids who had the chance to pitch, hit and run – alongside 83 other same age teams – in a week-long tournament in historic Cooperstown, New York. Thought to be the town where the first game of baseball took place, in a cow pasture more than 170 years ago, it’s also home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “It was the trip of a lifetime,” says Shelley Benson. “Ironically, we had visited Cooperstown the summer before on a family vacation. It was pretty funny when we realized we were going back. “Cooper wasn’t named for Cooperstown, but his name has certainly worked out well!’’ This time around, says Benson, husband Chad and

High fives after a great gamer

2011

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PEOPLE

“Baseball hysteria had definitely taken over!”

The Titans

Playing with The Titans, says Cooper, “has shown me the best competition in the country. Playing with all of these really good players also makes me want to be better, and work harder. The team has also taught me to take my time, plus, I’ve learned a lot about the game.” Cooper’s mom believes that her son was destined to play the great American pastime. “Even as a very small boy, Cooper always exhibited excellent large motor skills,” she explains. “He had incredible balance and a love of constant movement, and, he started chasing balls around the backyard as soon as he was able to walk.” Cooper stayed on the grounds, bunking in barracks named after famous players. Peanuts and Cracker Jack days were spent playing teams from across the United States, including Pennsylvania and Florida. The Titans ended up in a very respectable third place. “All of us – coaches, siblings and parents – cried when the boys cried, and cheered louder than our boys thought possible,” remembers Benson. “There was something surreal about being there and we all felt it. “The final games were televised and our phones were ringing off the hook. During our stay, whenever I called my husband, he answered, ‘This is Chad, just livin’ the dream!’ I know he meant it.” Like almost every scheduled activity, there were a few bumps along the way. “There was a rain delay near the end of the tournament,” explains Benson, “and all of the games were delayed by more than five hours. Cooper and his team ended up playing a game that started at one o’clock in the morning – only to have to also play the next day at eight a.m.

Like so many Central Coast kids, Cooper began playing T-ball when he was five years old. He then advanced to coach pitch and rookie ball teams. Besides the Titans, which Cooper has been a part of for two years, his local team is the San Luis Obispo Cal Ripken Youth Baseball group. Cooper never had to audition for the Titans.

Rain or shine...Grandma Jeanne is Cooper’s biggest fan

about baseball, but he is also learning how to face the world. “This is the beauty of the game, and the gift that baseball has given to our family.”

Rather, Shelley Benson explains that her son was selected after playing against a team coached by David Lawrence, who went on to become manager of the Titans, and Andy Knightley, now head coach of the Titans. “These two men have had an incredible impact on Cooper’s ability to play the game of baseball,” she says. “Their patience, expertise and passion for the game have allowed Cooper to develop into an excellent player. “He has also learned about respect, discipline, courage and humility. Cooper is learning

Given her son’s nearly cradle-to-current immersion in the sport, it’s not surprising that Cooper Benson doesn’t hesitate when asked what he wants to be when he grows up. “I want to be a professional baseball player,” he says. “Baseball is my passion.” Find out more about the Santa Ynez Titans, and Cooper Benson, at sytitans.com.

The Barracks where Cooper and Chad bunked N O V E M B E R

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PEOPLE

Mike Robinson

A man of resilience, attitude, and the spirit of generosity By Susan Stewart

ake it from Mike Robinson: Sometimes even the worst catastrophes can bring about positive results. Who could have predicted, for example, that a near-fatal attack of appendicitis at the young age of 8 would lead to a life beyond his wildest dreams? For Robinson, owner of San Luis Obispo’s MZR Fitness, that physical close call was pivotal. After that, it was all about hard work, great training, and the right attitude! Born the youngest of three boys to Theodore (a mechanic) and Georgia (a teacher) Robinson, Mike was raised in Compton, California, where a rough-and-tumble neighborhood taught him the value of being resilient. That one trait (among many others) has served him exceptionally well as he has moved among the very disparate worlds of academia, business, fitness, and L.A.’s notorious ghetto. Like so many in their generation, Robinson’s hard-working parents did not give their sons much encouragement to stay active and eat well, so Mike was a chubby kid – until the appendicitis hit. That event cost him 20 pounds and, he says, “I leaned up in a hurry.” Finding himself in a brand new body, Mike started playing sports, beginning with his first love, basketball, then adding baseball, football, and track. By the time he was in junior high, being active and athletic had become a way of life. But his determination to get better combined with his lack of knowledge about safe and effective exercise caused a serious shoulder injury – yet another “bad” thing that led to a “good” thing. His parents hired an ACE (American Council on

Fitness class at school

Exercise)-certified trainer to help him recover. By age 16, Mike had decided on his dream job. One day, he would have his own gym so he could help and inspire others the way he had been. “I could have gone such a different way,” he said. “But, corny as it sounds, I really believe I was born to be a Personal Trainer and have my own gym.” Robinson earned his degree in Business Administration from Sonoma State University. Right after college, he received his own ACE Personal Trainer Certification and began training clients immediately. For financial stability, he worked in the corporate offices of the American Automobile Association (AAA). “Those years were tough!” he admits. His days began at the crack of dawn when he would work with personal training clients before 8:00 a.m. Then, after a full day at Triple A, he would return to the gym to meet with more clients through the evening. Keeping his goal always in sight, Robinson said he put his clients first and by the end of his first year as a personal trainer, he’d helped dozens of people change their lives, including one woman whose weight loss for the year was a whopping 130 pounds! The next year, Robinson got ready to attend his first-ever ACE conference (this year he has been asked to speak at the event), but was refused the time off by his daytime employer. Once again, he turned a negative into a positive … and he quit. Calling it “The best decision of my life,” that choice not only allowed him to attend the conference but also freed him up to work with more clients and eventually to take the big leap into business for himself. He worked as an independent personal trainer out of a local gym at first, training in homes, outdoor locations, and in partnership with Parks and Recreation. Three years later, in 2009, his own studio, MZR Fitness, was born. While he does not make a point of mentioning it, Robinson has been enormously generous to the community he credits with so much of his success. “Creating MZR Fitness has definitely been a group effort,” he says, “I can’t stress that enough.”

Group participants in the Miracle Miles for Kids N O V E M B E R

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To make sure children get the early start that he did not, Robinson volunteer-teaches fun fitness classes to 1st through 5th graders at Bellevue School in Avila Beach. To raise awareness and combat childhood obesity, in January of this year, he initiated what he hopes will become an

PEOPLE

year, he built MZR Fitness teams to participate in and raise money for such charities as Miracle Miles for Kids and the SLO Heart Walk. MZR Fitness has played host to two blood drives through United Blood Services; and a food drive to benefit the SLO Food Bank Coalition. All this, while raising daughter Mia, now 7 years old. “Mike works harder than anybody I’ve ever met,” said friend and colleague, Stephanie Briggs. When he’s not training or volunteering his time, Robinson can often be found with his nose in a book – usually an inspirational or self-help book. Current favorites are Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi, The E-Myth Revisited by Gerber, Mayor’s Success is a Journey and Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. For more inspiration, he need look no further than daughter, Mia, who teaches him “Everything!” he said, including how to loosen up, slow down, and notice life’s little pleasures.

Mike Robinson and his daughter, Mia

annual Fitness Fundraiser at Laguna Middle School. All of the proceeds from that event went to Family Care Network, an agency that serves foster and high-risk children. Later this year, Robinson donated 25 hours of fitness training to Joining Forces, a national initiative that gives back to service members and their families. Throughout the

With a deeply held conviction that we hold our fate in our own hands, Mike Robinson says that while hard work and knowledge are important, the real key to success is a generous attitude. And he should know; he’s living proof.

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N O V E M B E R

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Jacqueline fredrick Lawyer, wife, mother...dynamo By Sharen Rund Bloechl

ow do you describe and talk about someone whose credentials are over five pages long and still portray someone who is not only involved with her family and business but with the whole world around her? I certainly didn’t know. In fact, when I first was asked to do this profile, I thought, “OK I’ll give it a try.” Little did I know that I’d not only meet this busy woman, but, by the time I left, I felt as though I’d known her all our lives – just like my best friend whom I only get to see every so many years; it’s like we saw each other just last week.

While walking up to her offices – located in a little cottage off Tefft in Nipomo – you get a laid back friendly feeling. Born of Hispanic and Italian immigrants, Jacqueline grew up in a loving family whose members were so happy to be living in this country that they volunteered helping out where they were needed. Her parents stressed no matter how poor they were they knew others who needed more help. Needless to say, from very early in life Jacqueline was a volunteer. She graduated from Immaculate Heart High where Social Justice was a predominant theme. Although she graduated as valedictorian, family circumstances forced her to work three jobs to put herself through both college and law school. Her community service began in earnest while living in Malibu, where she helped establish the first community park and after school programs, and was appointed to serve on the board of a community services district. Her husband, Gary, with dreams of becoming a farmer, found the ideal property in Nipomo where they now manage a citrus and avocado orchard and have resided for over twenty years. Once settled in the greater Nipomo area, Jacqueline started looking for volunteer work. Her first gig was as PTA president and the list goes on from there. While doing all this volunteer work, plus raising a family of four, Jacqueline is also a very active lawyer with her own office in Nipomo. There’s not enough room to list all the volunteer and community services associations she’s been and is currently involved in, nor is there room to list all the professional associations she’s involved in, BUT there IS room to talk about her pro bono work. In addition to doing pro bono work for numerous non-profit agencies and victims of domestic violence and serving on the board of the San Luis Obispo County Women’s Shelter, her office is a designated safe place for victims of domestic abuse. Jacqueline also provides pro bono legal services for cancer patients through the Cancer Legal Resource Center [CLRC], a section of the Disability Legal Rights Foundation in Los Angeles. One of the driving forces behind Jacqueline’s getting involved with the CRLC was her daughter Stacey, who, after a long horrendous battle, succumbed to ovarian cancer in 2006, at 36. Over the three-year period of Stacey’s illness, Jacqueline and her family experienced many highs and lows which brought the family even N O V E M B E R

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closer together and brought out a keener sense of understanding and empathy for the suffering of others. All three of Jacqueline’s sons have elected to continue helping people: Christopher is a second year resident in psychiatry and volunteered throughout college, most significantly as the president of the UCI Flying Samaritans and as director of a medical clinic in Testarosa, Mexico. Michael, a second year resident in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Harvard, also has a strong volunteer history including as director of the Venice Free Clinic for the Hispanic Community, and has performed volunteer reconstructive surgery in Colombia, South America. William, while still in college at UC Irvine is a volunteer at the Legal Justice Center and is currently training to be a volunteer court mediator. Through the journey of Stacey’s illness, Jacqueline learned that once a person finds out they have cancer, they, many times, don’t know what to do or who to turn to. There is a variety of potential legal issues that can cause unnecessary worry, confusion, stress and can be overwhelming. These worries can include insurance coverage, employment discrimination, health care, child custody and estate planning. CRLC helps advise people and tries to answer their questions with legal advice or direct advocacy in order to resolve their issues. CLRC is based out of Los Angeles; cancer patients can contact them and they will refer the patient to someone in their area who will meet with them and determine their needs.

PEOPLE

ties of non-profit groups, highlights new businesses and generally lets people know what’s happening. She currently is the president of San Luis Obispo Bar Association Charities, chairs the Real Property Law Section of the San Luis Obispo County Bar Association, is a member of the Board of Governors of the California Women Lawyers Association, Chair of the CWL Pro bono DRLC Cancer Panel, a member of the Bench-Bar Coalition, board

member of the San Luis Obispo Women Lawyers Association, and a member of the Rodney S. Melville Central Coast Chapter of the American Inns of Court. She also serves as vice-chair of the Arroyo Grande Community Hospital Board of Directors and on the board of the Nipomo Mesa Management Area Technical Water Management Group. She also serves on the board of the SLO Women’s Shelter and Festival Mozaic, and as an attorney coach for the Nipomo High School Mock Trial Team.

KELLEY STOLZ

Vice President/Commercial Loan Officer

32 Years in Banking

In keeping her promise to Stacey to spread the word about ovarian cancer to as many people as possible, every chance she gets, Jacqueline – armed with as much literature as she can carry – picks up her table and chair and sets up an informational spot at local events, passing out the information on ovarian cancer symptoms. Jacqueline is also busy in and around the greater Nipomo area where her most recent project has been Nipomo in Bloom which has been working on beautifying Nipomo with wine barrels filled with flowers and other projects to help make Nipomo an open and welcoming town. As if all her projects aren’t enough, since 1999, she writes a weekly column, “Bits and Pieces of Nipomo,” for Nipomo’s The Adobe Press where she talks about what’s new in town, promotes activiN O V E M B E R

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david jackson: COming home By Natasha Dalton

“Impossible… is unacceptable,” ---Stevie Wonder There’s nothing David Jackson likes more than being around wild animals. It’s an interesting twist of fate then that lately he has been spending a lot of time mingling with celebrities and making presentations on popular TV shows. One day you see him on LA Fox, and the next day he is already on TV in New York. In a span of a couple of weeks David manages to make appearances in Miami, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Jose and a bunch of other cities in between. The Talk, The Nate Berkus Show, the Discovery Channel cannot seem to have enough of David, and of his animals. That’s because Zoo to You, which David created, is not your typical zoo. First of all, it consists exclusively of rescued, displaced and abandoned animals, and, secondly, this troupe of over 300 critters is a bunch of professional performers (if we can apply this term to wildlife) who enjoy meeting people. Usually animals, however well-trained, become fearful if plucked out of a familiar environment. Take a friendly lemur from his

zoo habitat to a TV studio with bright lights and a live audience, and he is likely to get nervous and cranky. Actually, people’s reactions are often similar. Even those who are used to dealing with the public, quickly lose their cool when forced to perform on new turf and in front of an unfamiliar crowd. But for the Zoo to You crew (both people and animals) every day is different, and for them, that’s the norm. “If there’s one thing that my animals can count on, it’s change,” David affirms. “Change is exciting for them; they thrive on it. We make their public appearances very reinforcing and rewarding: wherever we travel, we get tons of attention.” “Every day we go to a different place and to a different audience with a different knowledge level,” David explains. “We talk to the inner city Fresno kids, whose knowledge of wild life is limited, and to the Central Coast kids, who know a lot about the environment and conservation, and we adjust the dialogue and the animal list. We can talk to adults on the same day as we talk to preschoolers, and we adjust our programs again.” This ability to

reach out to various groups of people with equal ease puts the Zoo to You educators in demand around the country. Because of the group’s stellar reputation, consistently high grades on inspections, and invariably engaging shows, many national animal advocacy groups and big city zoos are seeking out Zoo to You to become their representatives. Dedicated and experienced trainers, amazing animals – it’s ‘a no-brainer’ for the organizations who book them for their promotional programs. “And it’s a no-brainer for us, because of our shared message,” David says. “When I take my animals to Jay Leno, for eight minutes they get to represent conservation to eight million people – that’s a number I cannot reach in a year if all I am doing is just talking at schools,” David explains. He also welcomes invitations to the popular daytime TV shows, like that of Doctor Oz. “It really brings it home for the general public when you’re standing there and doing things in front of the crowd,” David says. Doctor Oz uses animals to demonstrate concepts relevant to medicine – and introduces them to a new audience. “These may not be the same people who are watching Animal Planet or kids’ shows, like Jack Hanna on Saturday morning,” David says, clearly pleased that his message is getting out. “My mother raised me as an entrepreneur,” David says. He wasn’t always able to make his parents buy what he asked for, so he had to get creative about finding funds for things he wanted, like a dirt bike, for example. His mother, eager to encourage David’s independence, instead of lullabies at bedtime offered him the recordings of successful salespeople. “I was raised by suckling on a bottle of motivational speakers,” David chuckles. David’s parents split up when he was young, and while he continued to attend high school in Texas, he also spent quite a bit of vacation time on a farm near Paso Robles. He’s always been passionate about animals and quickly figured out ways to turn this passion into something even more meaningful. It’s hard to tell now if it was indeed the motivational speakers who helped David find the way to a more humane zoo model. Or perhaps it was something as seemingly mundane as nurturing and training his farm animals that built compassion and a desire to do more. The broad training that followed, along with extensive job experience and diligent networking, were all steps on the way towards fulfilling David’s dream.

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During the early years of gaining experience, David got to do some pretty remarkable

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can ‘see it’ on a computer and distinguish its various shapes at the bottom of the sea,” David comments. This sounds like stuff from a sci fi movie, but David Jackson is here to tell you that it’s all for real.

David’s daughter Sammi with a Tiger

David’s son Topher with his dog

things, among the most exciting of which was his contract with the military to train dolphins and sea lions.

If you’re one of those people who feels uneasy about the idea of the military using animals for its projects, worrying that animals might be harmed in the process, David is your reassurance to the contrary. The military cannot train the animals without the help of scientists, and they, like David, make sure that no harm is done. “We in our industry are all the same; we’re all animal lovers,” David says.

Years with the Navy only strengthened David’s desire to do more for the animals in the wild. “I always had a passion for changing the world,” he says. “I wanted other people to be as passionate about conservation and saving wildlife as I was. The best way to do it is to educate the next generation, so I came up with the idea of creating a rescue zoo that does education.” That’s why eventually David moved from sea to land and found himself again on the family ranch in Paso Robles. That was 21 years ago… (to be continued) For more, check out Pacific Wildlife Care’s Annual Conference in SLO on 11/15/11 where David will be the keynote speaker or go to www. zootoyou.com.

What’s Your Story? I’ve been writing memoirs and life stories for more than 20 years. Every life is fascinating. Every life is inspiring. It’s all in the telling.

“When I worked with the Navy, it was pure training,” he says. “We didn’t need to compromise for the sake of the audience. The dolphins were free to go any time they wanted. That’s something that people don’t often think about.” Indeed, how could David keep dolphins from escaping? They were out in the ocean, after all. The animals stayed, “because we were the better deal,” David laughs. This is not to say that every single day went according to the plan laid out by the humans. “There were days when the dolphins would see a school of fish, and they’d go after it – and we’d be done for the day,” David remembers. But the dolphins always returned. They enjoyed learning and were eager to interact with their trainer. “We had free fish of the best restaurant quality and tons of attention,” David remembers. “Dolphins are very intelligent animals that love attention. They had fun. After a good session, I’d go in my Zodiac boat, and dolphins would follow me in the wake, and we’d go on playing like that for a long time. It was great.” The training program was designed to utilize the dolphins’ ability to navigate the waters in complete darkness. Dolphins’ sonars are so sensitive that they can tell the difference between a copper nickel and a silver nickel hidden deep under the water. This fact gave scientists the idea to train dolphins to find objects lost at sea. One of the things that David trained dolphins to do (which has since been declassified) was finding the black boxes of downed airplanes. “We’d present dolphins with variable sizes of the black boxes, and then train them to locate them through their sonar. Whenever they’d do it correctly, we’d reward them,” David explains. At the same time several world-class veterinarians, like Sam Ridgway and his colleagues, worked on building a common language. “Imagine, a dolphin locates a downed aircraft, and now through the dolphin’s sonar we

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Talent (not necessity) is the mother of invention

...the greg schifano story Part 1 of 2 By Susan Stewart

he first thing you notice is the red velvet baby grand piano. And that’s as it should be – because once you get to know Greg Schifano, you realize that it’s the perfect metaphor for his wildly eclectic life. Flawlessly upholstered (not merely covered), this beautifully restored instrument embodies the best of Schifano’s many talents: his remarkable skill with fabric, his genius for invention, and his grand passion for music.

The second thing you notice is Schifano’s showmanship. At 80, he is compact and fit (he climbs on and off his electric motorcycle with the agility of a 30-year-old), bristling with the same energy and drive that fueled his dual careers. The fiery energy is tempered by the kind of genuine kindness and generosity that no one can fake. Reluctant though he was to have his story told (“If you are strong or smart,” he said, “you don’t have to tell people”), when pressed to tell them, he infuses his recollections with the flawless Italian or New York Jewish accents that populated his early life. On a dime, he’ll reach for his ukulele and sing you a tune he just discovered. A San Luis Obispo resident since the early 1960s, Greg Schifano is best known for San Luis Upholstery Supply and Fabric Outlet (a shop on lower Higuera Street he owned and operated for 17 years); the baritone voice he has brought to dozens of local quartets and singing groups; the 15-acre avocado ranch he owns on the south side of town; and the 300,000 songs he has collected in a state-of-theart sound studio he built himself. What locals don’t know about Schifano are the life-saving inventions and show-stopping achievements that led up to his move from Arcadia nearly Greg and Joanne on their wedding day 1952 half a century ago.

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He was born in July of 1931 to Sicilian immigrants, Mary Cecelia De Gregorio and Joseph “Guiseppe” Schifano, who met and married in San Francisco. To avoid adding to the preponderance of Tonys and Vinnies already running the streets, they named their son Gregorio, after Mary’s family. His father came to America through Ellis Island, bringing with him a love for America and a fierce determination to do well here. He found work at the Simmons bed company making ironwork for bedframes, and he intentionally chose the night shift so he could attend school. Smart and hard-working, Joseph enrolled in grammar school to improve his English, and in less than five years, he had earned his high school diploma. His mother Mary was a petite beauty with an uncanny talent for both sewing and business. “My mother could just lay out a piece of fabric on the kitchen table and cut a pattern from her head,” said Schifano. By the end of the day, she was wearing a blouse that looked like it walked off the cover of Vogue. And she was most definitely the business brains behind his father’s successful fur shop. Having received training in the fur business at a New York trade school, Joseph opened his own fur tailoring shop on Mission Street in San Francisco. Soon, his customers were asking for original pieces and it wasn’t long before Joe had become a full-fledged furrier, designing and making original coats. When he developed asthma, he moved the shop and his family to Napa County, where the air was cleaner, the pace a bit slower. On little Gregorio’s third birthday, a gold paper crown and an impromptu performance would ignite his young imagination and define his future. “My father had taken a piece of shirt cardboard,” Schifano explained, “and he painted it gold and then cut it out in the shape of a crown.” Gregorio watched in fascination as his father cut the pattern and unfolded the cardboard to reveal two identical sides that formed a perfect crown. It was his first exposure to the art of creative design, and he was enchanted. “Then Uncle Harry popped me up onto the piano,” Schifano continued, “and shouted to the crowd in the living room, ‘Gregorio! Give us a song!’” His mother had taught him three popular songs, and the little boy chose the “Isle of Capris,” rendering both tune and lyric perfectly from his makeshift piano-stage. The sound of the applause surprised him; it filled up every cell in his body, and he knew he would perform again … and again. (Check

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are revealed; and the Great Freeze of 1999 wipes out his avocado orchard. ****

Barbershop quartet 1960 (Greg upper right)

To quote Wikipedia: “In the mid-1950s, Greg Schifano of Trimline Products Corp. got together with Dan Bradford of Pacific Latex Corp. and came up with a product they called multi-density foam, which eliminated the need for complex springing in auto bucket seats. Soft in the middle and firm edges held the driver in place, and pioneered what we know as the auto ‘Bucket Seat’ of today.”

Barbershop quartet today (Greg lower right)

From Wikipedia: “The headrest we are familiar with today was created in 1959 by Greg Schifano of Arcadia California. He was distraught when his doctor told him he had recently treated seven cases of auto whiplash, which left one man totally immobile and in a wheelchair. Schifano went to work to design a whiplash restraint, patent number 266,229DK-L-1444 Schifano. These first units were manufactured with his own multi-density foam, hard in the center and progressively softer to the outside, secured to an existing seat, which later became known as the auto headrest. Schifano’s Company, Trimline Products Corporation, sold thousands of them through many aftermarket retailers, auto parts stores and service centers in America and in many foreign countries.”

out Schifano’s recent solo performance of “Mr. Cellophane” at the Clark Center on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=FqtEJHn8X_4) At twelve years old, Schifano’s parents separated, and he had to grow up fast. His mother moved away with his older sister, Nita, leaving Greg alone with his Dad. Now minus its business brain, his father’s fur store badly needed a replacement and young Greg was a shoe-in. His natural talent for business saved the shop, and Schifano quickly became a journeyman furrier. By the time he was 17, he’d also held jobs as a sous chef in a well-known restaurant and as a contract carpenter for a local housing development. Hard work, not high school, occupied most of his teenage years.

Building a one-man helicopter circa 1955

In 1949, the Korean War came calling and Schifano joined the Navy. That year, he also met a winsome 14-year-old named Joanne Sparks, the younger sister of a girl he’d been dating. Finding the pretty auburn-haired teen much more interesting (“She was a great dancer!”) than her older sister, Schifano spent many evenings in the Sparks parlor, chatting with the girls and their mother. By the time the war was over, 20-year-old Schifano had become an expert parachute rigger for the Navy — and he had married Joanne, now 17. Parlaying his work for the Navy into a job with an upholstery shop stateside, Schifano soon understood that he could do better work on his own. So he rented shop-space in Pasadena and began doing upholstery work for cars and offices. Based on a reputation for uncompromising quality and innovative design, Schifano quickly developed a following that included popular car publications such as Car & Driver who wanted to showcase his designs, and several custom body shops. Soon he was being asked to judge auto interiors for car shows, and by the late ‘50s, he’d bought his own auto interiors shop and moved to Arcadia. By the end of the decade, Schifano had invented the Trimline headrest1 (now standard on all cars), designed the world’s first bucket seat 2 for the Chevy Corvair Monza (if you thought it was Steve McQueen, you’d be wrong), and built a facsimile of a 1915 Ford touring car that ended up “starring” as a flying Model T in the 1961 Disney movie “The Absent Minded Professor.” He had also become a father for the third time – Linda, David, and Vincent were born in 1954, 1956, and 1958. As the 1960s unfolded, the words of John F. Kennedy, an FBI investigation, and the Watts riots would all play important roles in this remarkable life. Tune in next month for Part II of the Greg Schifano story, when a oneman helicopter-in-progress shares garage space with hanging salamis; chance meetings with Clint Eastwood and Linda Ronstandt

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huttle up Our sincere thanks By Bob Huttle

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” ---Cynthia Ozick It’s 11 a.m. November 11, 1918. After four years, the giant guns are silent. The tolling of church bells throughout Europe offers a somber reminder to people who mourn the nine million dead and twenty million wounded in World War I, wrongfully labeled “the war to end all wars.” The USA has suffered over 300,000 dead and wounded. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of this 11th month, 2011 we will officially honor all those who have served in our military. Since 1900 this number exceeds fifty million men and women. Originally named Armistice Day marking the end of World War I, November 11th is now known as Veterans Day. Over twenty five million living Americans have served in the military; twelve million are over the age of sixty. Over 1,000 World War II vets die every day.

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Veterans Day is personal to me, not because I served in the military, but because my dad, Frank Huttle, and my father-in-law, Kenneth Silveira, did. Many of us have been touched by the service to our country by family members, friends, classmates, or by the stories we often read about or see in the media. How often do we take the time and extend an effort to personally thank our veterans? My dad, Frank Huttle, went off to World War II when he was twenty two years old. Trained in Texas as a pilot in the Army Air Corps, he flew a twin-engine transport plane on and off tiny islands in the Pacific, taking in much-needed supplies and carrying out the dead and wounded. By contrast, when I was twenty-two I was getting ready for a teaching career that involved little danger, great comfort, and relative security. Dad was trying to survive a daily battle with the enemy, lack of food and poor living conditions, and a longing for home. I have told him of my appreciation for all he did, but I’ve never shared my thanks in writing. Until now. Thanks Dad (and Mom too, of course, who nervously waited at home for his return). On December 7, 1941, Kenneth Silveira, my wife’s father, stood atop a hill overlooking Pearl Harbor, curious and baffled by the smoke and explosions in the distance. The twenty-year-old headed toward the scene of destruction, arriving just as the second wave of planes attacked. Afterward, amidst the chaos and carnage, Kenneth asked what he could do to help. He was ordered into the bow of a small Navy whaleboat, which he carefully maneuvered around oil-fed flames toward one burning ship after another. For hours he lifted burned bodies into his boat. Over the next three days, he free-dove down into the murky waters, pulling up drowned sailors so they

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by the first of the year. You can reach her at cbaker@arbiter.com to help. Need more inspiration? How about the Association of Amputee Surfers – Ampsurf.org – which helps disabled Vets learn to surf, and its driving force, Dana Cummings (now with Veterans’ Services)? Or Cheryl and Robert Tolan, who head up “Welcome Home Troops” (welcomehometroops.info), a local group of patriotic Americans, who regularly head out to San Luis Obispo Airport to say thanks to returning SLO County veterans as they disembark from their flights, reminding them of this place they fought for, of this place they call home.

Frank Huttle – 22 years old

Ken Silveira – 1945

could receive a proper burial. He began working on salvage operations at the Pearl Harbor Ship Yard, helping to repair and refit the battleships and destroyers that would eventually go back into service, helping lead us to victory. Toward the end of the war, he joined the Army, where he served until 1946. By contrast, at age twenty, I was trying to stay afloat in a challenging college math class and the only diving I was doing was at a friend’s backyard pool in the summer. The closest I ever got to a Navy ship was looking at one from a distance across the San Diego harbor. Kenneth passed away last year and was buried on a beautiful hill which looks up on the mountain pass through which the December 7 attacking planes flew. A few years ago, he gave my wife and me a charred deck light from the U.S.S. Arizona, which he had saved during one of his salvaging jobs at the shipyard. I thanked him then for that; I thank him again now for his service (and for my mother-in-law, Edna who, weeks after the attack, married Kenneth; she was seventeen). I hope he somehow knows how grateful I am. Recently I had the occasion to meet Greg Shearer, a remarkable local man and U.S. Army Vet who is involved in helping disabled veterans around SLO County. He told me that on November 1, the SLO County Board of Supervisors will issue a proclamation officially declaring this “Thank A Vet” month. Red, White, or Blue wristbands will be available throughout our area to signify our gratitude to our vets for their service to America.

Watch for them at banks, supermarkets, and farmers’ markets, and make a donation and wear one proudly. An attempt will be made to offer every vet in our county a red, white and blue wristband. Greg hopes that when you see a veteran wearing one you will simply say “thanks.” In 2005, Greg began to realize that there were many local disabled veterans who had no transportation to get to and from VA clinics. He decided to help by donating his monthly tips from his job at Olde Port Inn and organizing a BBQ at the SLO Vets Hall for 125 disabled vets. This led to a 2006 campaign called “Pennies for Vets.” Glass jars were set up at locations around the county; the goal was to buy a van to transport disabled vets. In 2007, Greg met with Mark Shaffer, the executive director of Ride On transportation. Mark agreed to offer some of his vans to help and the Veterans’ Express service began assisting 10-12 veterans a month. Donations were received to help defray the increasing costs of keeping the service operating. One Vietnam Vet donated $25,000, and a World War II Vet and his wife matched this amount. Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournaments brought more funding and last August a first annual Veterans’ Express Benefit Concert was held. Today, the Veterans’ Express transports over 200 disabled vets a month to their medical appointments throughout our county. Some even connect to transportation which takes them to Los Angeles for treatment. But that’s not all. A local woman, Cathy Baker, and her organization, Arbiter Systems, organizes care packages for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soon she will be holding a fundraiser to send out 10,000 packages

Or Janice Somers, who started Military Parents and Friends, a support group which meets once monthly and offers a sounding board and a safe haven for those in need. They also send out monthly care packages to our troops abroad. For more information contact janicesomers@charter.net. It’s traditional for many families at Thanksgiving to share what each member is thankful for. I suggest that this Thanksgiving you remember to include your thanks for our veterans, who are often unseen and underappreciated by those not directly connected to them. Without them, we might not have a Thanksgiving to celebrate. You can contact Bob at rhuttle@charter.net. He welcomes your comments.

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maverick: Furry Buddha on Wheels By Jeanne Harris

averick, a black Labrador retriever mix is content with whatever life brings. That’s just how he rolls. He’s learned to roll along happily because his mobility is dependent on two large wheels attached to a cart, harnessed to his body. He hasn’t always been confined to a canine wheelchair. A chance encounter with an automobile on a foggy summer evening changed his life. Maverick’s mom, Rose, had taken him to the Embarcadero in Morro Bay to meet her parents for dinner. Her mom and dad arrived and parked on a quiet side street. When Maverick saw the familiar couple, he dashed toward them. At the same moment, a car sped around the corner and hit the big black dog. The horrifying scene is forever etched in Rose’s mind. In a split second, Maverick became permanently paralyzed. Despite surgery on Maverick’s fractured spine, he never regained movement in his hind quarters. Rose and her husband, Jon, were devastated and wondered what life would be like for their furry child, and for

themselves. They sought advice and recommendations from some local veterinarians. A few counseled them that Maverick’s quality of life would be greatly diminished and suggested euthanasia. The couple did not accept this. After Maverick recovered from surgery he was energized, ready to get on with life. Rose and Jon had seen disabled dogs in wheelchairs in the past, and since Maverick’s front legs were still strong and healthy, they believed a chair was an option for their six-year-old who loved life. They found a company in Oregon that designs and builds custom canine wheelchairs and ordered one for their boy. Once the chair arrived, “Mav” adapted to it immediately. He learned how to propel himself forward using the power of his front legs and chest, with his back legs secured in stirrups behind him. Because he was fearless, Rose and Jon worried that he may tip over and crash, and occasionally, he did. But with Mom and Dad’s assistance, he was up and running in no time. Every day, Maverick looks forward to time spent in his chair, and has become increasingly agile and adept at moving with ease. Rose and Jon walk him four times every day; each jaunt lasts at least thirty minutes. He needs exercise to remain strong, and he thrives on being out and about, greeting everyone he meets with his friendly smile. Sometimes the trio encounters people who first look at Maverick with sorrow and pity. But they soon realize how content and healthy he is, and their perspective changes. He puts people at ease with his cheerful demeanor and sparkling, expressive brown eyes. Rose and Jon like to call him their “Happy Buddha” because he is such a peaceful, jolly soul. Mav is eleven years old now, and even though his eyebrows and beard show a hint of salt and pepper, he has the energy and spirit of a puppy. He loves to run after birds on the beach; his lustrous black coat glistens in the sun, his ears

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flap, his tongue lolls, and the cart behind him bounces as he speeds along the firm sand, close to the low tide line. The fun-loving lab knows he can’t catch the birds; the thrill is in the chase. He also loves to play with neighbor dogs, Bailey, Tex, and Isabella. When one is outside playing, they beckon to the others. Soon, the other dog parents bring out their pooches so they can play together on the quiet, secluded street. Maverick’s friends are not intimidated by his wheelchair. He is skilled at maneuvering himself and there is never a worry about rolled-over paws or tangled tails. Although he enjoys his pals, Maverick mostly loves people, and people love him. On his daily outings, if a person is walking behind him, he stalls and waits so he can properly greet a potential new friend. This “Happy Buddha” exudes joy and confidence. He has helped countless people change their perception of the disabled, whether humans or animals. Rose and Jon are often told that their amazing boy is an inspiration – but they’ve always known that. To learn more about wheelchairs like Maverick’s, go to www.wheelchairsfordogs.com.

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Seasons Works by dotty hawthorne opens at the museum of art By Muara C. Johnston

easons create rhythms in our lives and mark the progression of time. The seasons on the Central Coast of California are subtle, but just as significant. A new bird coasting overhead can be the sole harbinger of winter’s inevitability. A creeping vine, long dormant, can suddenly explode with vitality growing nearly a foot overnight; a sure confirmation that summer has taken hold. As an artist who paints outdoors, Dotty Hawthorne must be in tune with these changes. She must pay attention to the changing quality of light that accompanies each cycle discovering its distinct mood and progressive changes. She must be sensitive to the changing color of the foliage and aware of the atmospheric conditions of fog, wind and sunshine, aligning herself with the ebb and flow of each season.

at area art associations and has taken part in juried plein air painting festivals and participates in the Open Studios Tour of Arts Obispo. Her paintings have been featured in nationally distributed publications such as INTERNATIONAL ARTIST Magazine, WATERCOLOR Magazine published by American Artist, North Light Magazine and in SPLASH 5; The Glory of Color published by Northlight Books.

A new exhibit by Ms. Hawthorne at the Museum of Art simply titled SEASONS does just this. It captures the natural light and direct experience of the seasons with pastel landscapes that are fresh and immediate. SEASONS is on view October 26 – November 28, 2011 in the Museum of Art’s First Gallery, with a reception to meet the artist on Friday, November 4, from 6-9 pm in conjunction with Art After Dark.

Focusing on environmental concerns, Ms. Hawthorne is active in SLOPE (San Luis Outdoor Painters’ Enterprise) and in ARTCENCO, a monthly critique group. She is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of the West Coast and the Central Coast Watercolor Society, a juried Artist Member of The California Art Club

Pastels are not the usual media for a plein air painter, but Ms. Hawthorne explains her decision, “Pastel is a wonderful medium to use when painting outside as well as in the studio because it is immediate, direct, and versatile. I can carry multiple colors and tones with me and can quickly apply them without mixing.” The immediacy of these seasonal images is apparent. As a visitor, they are fresh celebrations of the natural beauty around us. Ms. Hawthorne works in pastel, watercolor, and oil. Her paintings have been displayed and won numerous awards in local, regional and national juried shows. She is represented by and is co-owner of The Gallery at the Network in San Luis Obispo. She frequently demonstrates

Her studio is located in beautiful Squire Canyon near San Luis Obispo, California, and is open by appointment. The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and exhibiting the visual arts. The Museum of Art is located at 1010 Broad Street, on the west end of the Mission Plaza. Hours are 11 am to 5 pm daily, closed Tuesdays. Admission free.

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at the market Ancient Grain hot Cereal with Honey Roasted Apples By Sarah Hedger

s Fall rolls into Winter here on the Central Coast, and the first rain already well received, we see a change in the markets and their offerings, emphasizing the shift to winter produce. With the change in temperatures, we welcome fresh citrus back into the picture, which is a most welcome sight and smell. Along with citrus, dark greens, persimmons, and root vegetables all begin to be available again. While there are still great varieties of apples to be found, their sugar content rises and tart apples become a bit more of a challenge to find. While they are still a pleasure to eat, there was no way I could go through the year without including an apple recipe! This month’s recipe, Ancient Grain Hot Cereal with Honey Roasted Apples is a warming, delicious (and nutritious) way to start the day. I’ve noticed the breakfast cravings seem to shift a bit as well when the weather begins to cool down and the need to start the day with something a bit more on

the hearty side becomes almost mandatory. This breakfast ticks all the boxes and can easily be doubled, thus can be enjoyed all week as leftovers. Leftovers for breakfast? Absolutely. I’ll start by saying the recipe this month is technically not properly titled as the key ingredients are actually not grains but seeds. There, had to get that one out of the way. Now, on with the good news. Amaranth dates back as far as the Incas when it was a staple food. Interestingly, three varieties of ancient amaranth are still being cultivated today. Thus, it has stood the test of time! Amaranth is

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L to R: Cary Adler, Dave Belmont, & Kevin Dye

©San Luis Obispo County VCB

protEctIng our clIEnts’ futurE drEAms AgAInst tomorrow’s uncErtAIntIEs. Cary Adler, Dave Belmont and Kevin Dye work hard to support their clients and community. Years of experience means that they can put together the coverage you need and the service to back it up. If you are evaluating your business insurance needs, call Adler Belmont Dye and let them put their experience to work for you.

At Adler Belmont dye It’s About the ClIent.

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369 Marsh Street Suite 200 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805.540.3900

License #0G09892 AdlerBelmontDye.com

technically a small seed of an herb family and it has an impressive nutritional profile. While the seed we eat is a whole food, parts of the world enjoy the leaves of certain varieties as well. Amaranth is one of the heavy hitters in the protein department, boasting 16% protein (28 grams per one cup of raw amaranth). While Amaranth has a distinct flavor, some say it has pleasant earthy or grassy tones (sounds like wine), better lending itself to more savory dishes. Therefore I included only a small part of Amaranth in this recipe, leaving the Millet to lend its natural sweetness to the breakfast dish. Millet is another ancient “grain” that technically is a seed from the millet grass family, which has been in cultivation for over 10,000 years. Millet is a versatile ingredient and can easily lend its flavor and texture to both sweet and savory dishes. Both millet and amaranth are rich in B vitamins, folic acid, potassium, and magnesium and both are gluten free, giving those requiring a gluten free diet the option to use them in their whole or flour forms. Tying in the theme of buying the freshest local ingredients, SLO County is now lucky to have fresh grains such as amaranth and millet grown by the talented and passionate John DeRosier. John is growing a wide spectrum of high quality foods, specializing in heirloom and modern varieties of grains, legumes, and seeds that are not only organically certified but biodynamic as well. His With the Grain harvests can be found through his own CSA (details at www.withthegrain.org) and when not sold out, through Nature’s Touch Nursery and Harvest in Templeton. Quite a treat to have a producer such as John in our own backyard! Thus, keep your eyes open to supporting local, quality farms, as these farms not only support our environment, they also provide amazing quality food for all of us to enjoy. Taste the difference!

Update on Dental Care

A Brighter Smile

o doubt about i t . W e ’r e l i v i n g l o n g e r, w e’r e l i v i n g better. All t hat effor t put Dr. Dassenko into diet a nd exercise is paying off. And while you’re going t h roug h you r paces on t he t read m i l l, do consider another part of you that might need a bit of improvement: your smile. With age, one of the first things to go is the freshness of your smile. At about thirty, tooth color begins to dim. There is a natural tendency for dentin—just beneath the enamel—to yellow. And if you smoke or overindulge in coffee or cola, darkening can be dramatic. Exercise and low-fat foods count for less if your smile gives you away. But just as our health habits

have improved, so has cosmetic dental technology. Now we have the tools and techniques to perfect the color of your teeth. To ot h-wh it en i ng syst em s take many forms. Custom made at-home bleaching trays allow the patient to control the bleaching process. There are also less expensive take home bleaching kits and in-office bleaching. There are gels and solutions accelerated by light; the laser is coming into use to “jump-start” the whitening process. We can change color fast, or over time. In any case, the result is visible in days and, with touch-ups, can last as long as you do. Pamela Dassenko, DDS practices cosmetic and family dentistry at: 1250 Peach Street, Suite G San Luis Obispo CA (805) 549-8483 www.DrDassenko.com

A Paid Health Commentary

Ancient Grain Hot Cereal with Honey Roasted Apples While the “grains” in this recipe are amaranth and millet, don’t feel obligated to use only them, as quinoa or oats or brown rice are excellent options as well.

For the Roast Apples: 4-5 organic apples, cored and cut into ½ inch pieces 2 T. good local honey 1 T. cinnamon Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place apples, honey and cinnamon in a 9x9 inch baking dish. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove cover and cook for another 20-30 minutes or until apples are soft and beginning to caramelize on top. Remove from oven until ready to use.

For the hot Cereal: 3/4 cup millet 1/4 cup amaranth 1 ½ cups water 1 ½ cups almond milk or alternative ½ tsp sea salt

toppings: Chia seeds, Almonds, Sunflower seeds, Raisins, Plain kefir or yogurt (try Redwood farm goat kefir for a real treat), Fresh ground nutmeg and Brown sugar Heat a medium sized saucepan over high heat. Add millet and amaranth and cook for a couple minutes until they smell toasty and a bit like good popcorn. Add water, almond milk, sea salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and check to see if the grains are cooked and consistency is a good cream consistency. If cereal needs thickening, simply leave the lid off and simmer for another 10 minutes as this will evaporate some of the liquid. When finished, remove from heat and let cool as cereal will continue to thicken. Place in bowls and enjoy with your selection of toppings. Serves 2 in a hearty way. *Feel free to email me at sarahhedger@gmail.com if you have any food-related questions and find this recipe (as well as other versions) at www.seasonalalchemist.com

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SLO county art scene TWO “BEACH HEADS” OF CONTEMPORARY ART IN PASO ROBLES By Gordon Fuglie

hat is contemporary art? A lazy answer says it’s all that strange stuff created since World War II. Well, that covers 65 years, and heck, a lot of people become grandparents in 65 years. By that definition a traditional landscape painted in Morro Bay in 1960 could count as contemporary art. Speaking as a curator and art historian, we need a better definition. Let’s start with contemporary art as the cultural expression of our time – excluding art that merely continues past practices. Our time is the 21st century, an era of flux and seemingly infinite expansion. Like it or not, we have developed a multi-level awareness of the

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Pierce Modern at night

world around us and find ourselves dealing with many things at once. Further, we try to hang on to the past as we feel swept forward. Reality seems to take on many forms, is fragmented and lacks a center. Finally, for better and worse, electronic technology increasingly directs our lives. Contemporary art reflects these elements. To take one example, consider artist Michael Heath. His paintings use bright synthetic colors evocative of the Las Vegas strip at night. Heath’s surface patterns are jittery and “composed” of cross patterns and jagged thrusts. Colors pulse and oscillate. We don’t know where his paintings begin or end. On a different track is Edward Walton Wilcox. He embodies the “post-modern” sensibility of contemporary art. Wilcox works in a wide array of styles and mediums including drawings, figurative and abstract painting, sculptural constructions and installations. He references art history and pop culture – sometimes in the same work. Painting with a somber palette, Wilcox’s oeuvre is pervaded by melancholy and irony. OK, now go back to my definition of contemporary art and consider this resigned observation from the artist: “Changes in life once so gradual as to not be witnessed in a single lifetime now pass in a decade. We are racing away from what once was, bringing with it a blending of nostalgia and decline. The speed of progress draws a vacuum and pulls me in unwillingly.” Both artists are represented by two new galleries in Paso Robles: Heath by Pierce Modern, and Wilcox by Vale Fine Art. Next door to

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Michael Heath, “Life Merging Ahead” N O V E M B E R

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“Light Up A Life” 2011 Presented By

Madeline Vale in her Gallery

each other on 12th Street, both proclaim a mission to introduce a wide range of contemporary art to the Central Coast. Pierce Modern is owned by Jeffrey Pierce, a peripatetic information technology and business consultant currently plying his trade in the Silicon Valley. (He’s house hunting in the north county.) Hooked on art since age six, Pierce is an avid collector, turning over his personal collection as he seeks to adorn his residences with innovative imagery. Inspired by the success of Studios on the Park, he wants to see a critical mass of contemporary galleries in SLO County. Managing day-to-day affairs at Pierce Modern are two co-directors, Giuseppe Bellissima and Rachel Eckert. Bellissima lives part-time in Paso Robles, Palm Springs and Laguna Beach. Eckert is a resident of Paso Robles with a background in haute couture, or fashion. She designs hats to suit the personas of her patrons (see www.dreamwoven.com). Madeline Vale is a recent LA transplant where she worked as an artists’ representative and actor. She decided to settle in Paso Robles after becoming “enamored by the sense of community here. I realized I wanted to be a part of that, and with my experience in the art world I had something of value to contribute.” And contribute she has. At the grand opening of Vale Fine Art in September, the gallery was mobbed. A friend who has been active in the tight knit Central Coast art community for many years attended this event. Of the crowds, he observed: “These are new people. I’ve never seen them at art openings before.” I suspect they’ve been waiting for some good contemporary art. Both Pierce Modern and Vale Fine Art report early sales, and are delighted by visitors who drop in to say, “Its about time!” “At last!,” or offer a heartfelt “Thank you.” And that leads me to address a condition that some in the SLO art community describe as “contemporary art deficit disorder.” For decades our plein air painters, traditionalist artists, landscape photographers, craftspeople and recreational artists have found numerous venues for their work, but opportunities for accomplished contemporary artists have been scarce. That is now changing. Since 2010, Jeff Jamieson presents challenging programming at Compact in SLO, and now downtown Paso Robles has two ambitious contemporary galleries. This is one deficit that is shrinking, thanks to Pierce Modern and Vale Fine Art. Pierce Modern Gallery, 617 12th Street, 805-975-4860, www.piercemodern.com; Vale Fine Art, 619 12th Street, 310-795-4680, www. valefineart.com.

In the Spirit of this National Memorial Event Hospice Partners of the Central Coast is pleased to host five ceremonies in San Luis Obispo County.

MORRO BAY

The Inn at Morro Bay Morro Bay State Park Sunday • November 27 • 6:00 p.m.

SAN LUIS OBISPO

First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo Marsh & Morro Monday • November 28 • 6:00 p.m.

ARROYO GRANDE

New Hope Church 900 Oak Park Boulevard Tuesday • November 29 • 6:00 p.m.

ATASCADERO

The Carlton Hotel 6005 El Camino Real Wednesday • November30 • 6:00 p.m.

PASO ROBLES

First Baptist Church 1645 Park Street Thursday • December 1 • 6:00 p.m.

For more information please

Call: (805)782-8608 N O V E M B E R

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Senior nutrition of slo county By Ruth Starr

he value of the Senior Nutrition Program is expressed in the following letter received from one of the clients of the program.

“I truly appreciate as I forget to eat and I am diabetic and have problems eating. You deliver to me daily which is a blessing. God Bless all of you. I lost my son in 2000 and wife in 2001. It’s horrible. I don’t care about living, but people like you make it worthwhile. P.S. Food is delicious.”

Executive Director, Elias Nimeh and Program Director, Theresa Schultz

Elias Nimeh, who is the executive director of the Senior Nutrition Program of San Luis Obispo County, has a notebook of letters he receives from grateful clients. Theresa Schultz is the program administrator. Both are passionate about the Senior Nutrition Program and how it helps seniors in the area. Elias and Theresa provided the following information about the program. The program consists of three different entities – nutrition education, congregate dining, and home delivery program. The program began in the early sixties by President Lyndon Johnson to provide nutrition to seniors in our country. In SLO County the Senior Nutrition plan became an independent entity in 1991 and was designated a non-profit corporation. Their main function is to serve meals to seniors throughout the county. Seniors have to be at least 60 years old, live in SLO County and all they need is to ask for it. There is a central kitchen where all the food is cooked and put together. All the meals are prepared in this central kitchen beginning at four a.m. and then sent to the ten different sites. If they are able, seniors can come to those sites to have lunch. There are seventeen full and part time employees and over two hundred volunteers. Many of the volunteers help prepare the food and serve at each of the ten sites. Those sites are in Atascadero, Cambria, Los Osos, Morro Bay, Nipomo, Oceano, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo (The Anderson Hotel, United Church of Christ) and Santa Margarita.

Home delivery for those that need the service

The primary function that the volunteers do is to deliver meals to homebound seniors. Both Elias and Theresa said that the program is so much more than just delivering the food. There are many seniors who live alone, isolated, sad, ill, and no one to visit them or to see if they are alright every day. Very often the volunteers are the only people the homebound senior may see for days or weeks at a time. The side benefits to the homebound seniors are the drivers who provide some companionship, a smile, and a personal touch. They provide a window to the world for those seniors. Volunteer Drivers are also mandated to look for signs of abuse, self-neglect, and accidents. During the course of a week approximately eight hundred to one thousand meals are served or delivered. Seniors who receive meals must be a participant in the program. An intake form with information about themselves must be filled out. It is required to have this information to get funding from state and federal governments. The food is purchased through food purveyors. They order food like any restaurant. Raw food products that arrive are prepared and cooked by the staff in the kitchen. The menu is prepared by a registered dietitian and a kitchen director. There are very strict guidelines. The meals have to have a certain amount of protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, vitamin A & C, calcium and have less than nine hundred milligrams of sodium in each meal. Every meal is consistent.

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A menu for a month is delivered to the sites and are given to the seniors who eat on the premises and can then choose which meals they

COMMUNITY meal cost $7.42 according to last year’s figures. The extra meals that were not funded by the government cost over $150,000. The increase in meals is still happening this year and that means turning away home delivery to any new senior who might need it. They may go on a wait list and then it depends on the severity of the need. It is very difficult to turn down a senior who needs a nutritious meal each day. Senior Nutrition kitchen

want. They have to call two days in advance to reserve a meal. Volunteers must go through a training program by going with another driver to learn the routes, the rules and the guidelines. The volunteers are mostly retired seniors who enjoy helping others. At some point, those volunteers may become clients of the program. During the week the drivers also deliver a few frozen meals for the weekend as meals are delivered by the organization five days a week. Most people who are in the program become healthier and stronger eating nutritious food on a regular basis. This program needs help from the community. For the past three years there has been a steady increase in demand for meals. The increase has averaged 20% per year. Meanwhile the funding did not change at all. June 30 was the end of their fiscal year and they served one hundred and seventy-two thousand meals. Twenty-two thousand five hundred of those meals were not funded at all. Each

What the program desperately needs is financial support from our community. It is a tax

write off. Seniors who can, pay for their meals and some, who can, send in monetary donations. Every monetary donation will be greatly appreciated and help give a meal to a senior who is in need of this service. You can also sponsor a senior for the holiday season or for the year. For a $100 donation you can sponsor a senior for a month, $500 for six months and $1,000 for the entire year. Please rise up to this need and send your dollars or volunteer your time to the Senor Nutrition Program, 2180 Johnson Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 or go to www.snpslo.org for more information.

And I will light a candle for you. To shatter all the darkness and bless the times we knew. Like a beacon in the night The flame will burn bright and guide us on our way. Oh, today I light a candle for you. - Paul Alexander

Join Hospice Partners of the Central Coast at our San Luis Obispo

Light Up a Life Celebration Monday, November29 28•• 6:00 6:00pm Monday, November p.m.

First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo Marsh & Morro • San Luis Obispo A candle is waiting for you to light in memory of your loved one this holiday season Participate in our Faces of Love photomontage during the ceremony by sending in a picture of your loved one To receive information, please call (805) 782-8608

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when you look to the West, flat valleys patterned with crops stretch to the Pacific Ocean. Two years ago, hiking member Teresa Ganes thought the hiking group might look even farther – by using their resources to improve the world in some way. She first mentioned her idea to Dr. David Jensen, a fellow hiking group member, who immediately agreed. They thought about it for a few weeks, but no cause came to mind. They didn’t want to just collect money for a charity; that felt too impersonal, too distant.

Interweaving

Tenzin Lhazey and David Jensen

the improbable education of tenzin lhazey By Lauren Van Mullem

enzin Lhazey, a Tibetan refugee living in India, is the first in her family of ten children to graduate from high school. In a letter from 2007, Lhazey declared her dreams with conviction: “I will break the rule of family and would like to achieve much more.” She struggled to stay in school and studied while her parents advised her to give up, find a husband, and move back home as four of her sisters had already done. In the same letter she explains, “Life is different at the refugee camp, where cows and rice fields are the main importance.” Among cows and rice fields, Lhazey dreamed of someday combining medicinal yoga with Western medicine in her own nursing practice. She thought about traveling to learn in other countries. After years of dedicated study, she was admitted to nursing school, but neither she nor her family could pay for her education.

The story of Tenzin Lhazey’s improbable education is one woven with the threads of other people’s stories that have touched each other over many miles, bonding together to form a fabric of friendship that connects them from one end of the world to the other.

The First Threads When you trace the origin of an event, you discover how many strands have to come together to make that event possible. To educate one Tibetan girl, the threads reach back to the 1960s when runner Michael Larrabee won two gold medals in the Tokyo Olympics, and refugee Sonam Choephel fled Tibet in the night, crossing the Himalayas with other Tibetan children before making his way to a safe haven in India. The threads of these two seemingly unrelated occurrences joined at the top of a mountain in California. Five decades after the Tokyo Olympics, the hiking group that “Big Mike” Larrabee founded before he died in 2003 still meets once a week at Bishop’s Peak in San Luis Obispo. From the top of Bishop’s Peak, you can see the city tucked into acres of warm, gold hills that dissolve into blue haze to the East; N O V E M B E R

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Eight thousand miles away, another thread unfurled. Sonam Choephel was teaching art to other young Tibetan refugees at The Tibetan Homes foundation in Mussoorie, a village in the Himalaya foothills of India. He fell in love with and married one of Tenzin Lhazey’s sisters. Back in California, David Jensen’s wife, Karen, who was then an art teacher at a private boarding school, had set up an art exchange between her art students and Sonam Choephel’s students in India. The two teachers slowly formed a friendship. Every January, Sonam wrote the Jensens a long letter about his projects, family, and the Tibetan refugee school where he taught. The letter he sent in January of 2007, shortly after Teresa proposed her idea, began awkwardly. Sonam didn’t know how to broach the subject, but carefully wrote that his young sister-in-law, Tenzin Lhazey, had been accepted into a nursing program, but had no way to pay for it. She would be the first in her family to graduate from high school, let alone pursue further education. He wondered if the Jensens could help. David Jensen sent out an email to the hiking group outlining a proposed project: “Over the last several years, Karen and I have been supporting a very small art and boarding school in India that was established to receive Tibetan refugee children as they escaped from Communist China. We have first-hand knowledge of the teacher, Mr. Sonam Choephel, and we feel confident that he is doing great work with a limited budget and absolutely no bureaucratic overhead. In his Christmas update to us last December, he described a young Tibetan girl named Tenzin Lhazey in urgent need of help.” David says, “It is the hiking and friendship that binds us, and our united front allowed each of our small efforts to join together to get some powerful things accomplished.” Trust and friendship are key. “No government funding, no fact-checking or background checks. The ongoing education of a very poor Tibetan girl was accomplished purely on the merits of personal Tibetan Homes Foundation, Mussoorie

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relationships. This project exists because my friends and supporters trust what I tell them to be true, and I have visited India and developed a relationship with Sonam, and I trust what he tells me to be true.” Trust, and small monthly donations of $10 per person, have completely transformed the life of Lhazey and her family.

The first letter from Lhazey Dear David Jensen and Karen Jensen, Here I am speechless and all I wish is to hug you and express my thanks for helping me out of a nightmare. . . . You may like to hear I was born in Bhandra, India, where only two small camps settled since 1960 as the Indian government provided small land for each family to cultivate rice. Since then my family kept growing like rolling snow, but the size of our rice field remains the same. Just imagine raising 10 children; my mother says children are a gift of God. I hope my old parents will be very proud of me once I finish my nursing course by the end of 2009, plus two years bond service, before I can apply for a nurse job in the Tibetan community. Guess what? As usual, my parents told me to get married to settle down as I returned home. But I will break the rule of family and would like to achieve much more from nurse training. I am improving my English language to perform my best to service to others. I love reading and making friends, but life is different at the refugee camp, where cows and rice field are the main importance and part of life. My world seems wider by receiving your loving letter. Tenzin Lhazey

The Weft Tenzin Lhazey’s education illuminates the power of trust, friendship, and putting into action the desire to do good. That desire grows like rolling snow, in Lhazey’s words, and the grassroots effort has expanded to the hiking group’s families and friends, now with supporters in Florida, New York, Oregon, even Canada. A circle of friends can change a single life, and in doing so, the world. Change doesn’t require giant non-profit organizations, it doesn’t require overhead or bureaucrats or politicians. Change happens by starting anyplace and allowing that action to ripple through vast interconnectedness. Since this project began in 2007, Tenzin Lhazey has graduated with a two-year

nursing degree and is working in Delhi. She hopes to get a visa to travel to Mexico or Canada to practice nursing before eventually returning to India.

Native American advocates, veterinarians, and elementary school teachers. Sonam Choephel sent them some of his own artwork and artwork from his students as gifts.

At the Annual Tenzin Lhazey party at Dr. David Jensen’s home, the members of the hiking group who have supported Lhazey through nursing school gathered for a summer evening of wine, sushi, homemade baklava, and barbeque chicken in the backyard. The hiking group is as eclectic as the menu, coming from careers as history professors,

What these friends have in common even more than hiking, Teresa Ganes says, is that they all care deeply about people. “If you talk to any of them long enough,” she says, “you will find that they are all very aware of world issues and want to make a difference.” Someday, they hope, Tenzin Lhazey herself will be able to attend the party held in her honor.

HEALTH, WEALTH & WISDOM SEMINAR Featuring: Dr. Lorianna Pallai Fletcher, MD, FACC Cardiologist, Coastal Cardiology Chris Marinec Regional Vice President, Carey Financial, LLC Lisa Huck, FAFS, FMR, MES Vitality Coach & Corrective Exercise Specialist Dr. Fletcher will be discussing heart and health issues for women. Chris Marinec will be discussing women and wealth and the financial opportunities and challenges many women are facing today. Lisa Huck will be discussing how health and wealth go hand in hand.

Saturday, November 5th at Embassy Suites 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Please RSVP to the Thom Group at 805-546-6022. Seating is very limited. Breakfast will be served.

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Peter Giannini Carol Thom Neil Thom Stacey Stanek-Byars

www.thethomgroup.com 1457 MARSH STREET, SLO (805) 546-6022 N O V E M B E R

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Here’s the story.

history

San luis obispo 1921-1923 By Joseph A. Carotenuti

esearchers are familiar with the rewards and pitfalls of newspaper information. Crossreferencing with other documents (if any exist), articles provide an important insight into any community: its hopes, fears, minutiae and headlines. The dayto-day chronicling of life – in a private diary or public newspaper – offers unique opportunities to study the texture of existence for a person or a community. Rarely, however, is there an opportunity to look behind the reporting and meet the reporter. Certainly, to find such a gem – no less in book form – must be considered an intriguing prospect for understanding a local world and population.

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Mary Gail Black

Twenty-three year old Mary Gail Black came to San Luis Obispo in 1921 hoping to become a reporter for the local press. The editor, C. L. Day, considered her a “rank amateur” (although she had experience in Pasadena and Los Angeles) and preferred a “safer” community member who would be more sensitive to his clientele (and advertisers). By the end of the year, the reporter resigned and Black began a two-year stint until the paper was sold, followed Day to his new newspaper in Porterville for a brief time, and then went about her life including graduating summa cum laude from the University of California. Her tenure proved more than a job for she returned to the community after retirement in the 1950s and compiled an informative memoir, Profile of the Daily Telegram. The book’s subtitle is even more interesting: A Story of San Luis Obispo 1921-1923. While substantial history (and journalism) should not judge but report the peaks of communal passion or depths of despair, the glorious and goriness of times with an impartiality that would challenge Solomon, historian Black was under no such command. Reporter Black, however, roamed the city covering her “beat” meeting different people

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“that took some getting used to,” but quickly expanded her experiences as she “met the same people” on the streets or at a concert or grocery shopping. Wandering about the small town (population about 6000), she soon decided: “I had come to a different world – the true California. What I had known before had only shared the name.”

A Retirement COMMUNITY Facil 33

San Luis Obispo gave a “depth and substance to history” unknown to the young woman. While she doesn’t use the word, the city had a sense of “place.” While each chapter – The Streets of SLO, City Boosters, Ladies of Sycamore Street, the Ku Klux Klan, Steps into the 20th century, Booze, Anderson Hotel, Filming of the 10 Commandments, Sale of the Telegram – is of particular interest, one called “Movers and Shakers” reflects her impressions of some civic personalities. Black had entered a San Luis Obispo “when the town was in crisis as it strived to become what, in some measure sixty years later, it has become.” A future activist herself, she describes the city’s leading proponents for progress as Queenie Warden – “the most active woman as a civic leader in the community” and the Women’s Civic Club. Indeed, the wealthy widow of Horatio M. Warden ran for mayor in 1917 and was a mere 80 votes shy of being victorious. Seemingly a victim of internal feuding, the demise of the Club in 1923 provides a unique contribution to the book. Mayor Louis Francis Sinsheimer served for thirty years (1919-1939). While the premier civic personality and elected chief of a community that tripled in population during his terms as mayor (to merely 15,000), Black was not a fan. Detailing a series of complaints from disregard for city improvements to browbeating City Clerk Callie John, she concludes “in those twenty-eight years (as Mayor) he must have done something right.” Reverend Mr. Haney, pastor of “probably the most influential” church – Presbyterian – is lauded for his leadership against conditions he abhorred and “from which the town seemed to look elsewhere.” Father O’Flynn, (1916-1925) pastor of the Mission, on the other hand, is perceived as having a “gloved hand” in town politics as he was also a “real presence” in Sinsheimer’s alliance with the church. Nowhere does she mention that the Mayor was a major booster in 1920 to renovate the badly fire damaged church. The City’s longest serving librarian, Abbie Kellogg (1916-1941), is fondly remembered for her “unflagging efforts” to promote the library in the Carnegie Building. Kellogg was a prominent member of the Book Club – “an elite group of women” – founded in 1908. Intellectual stimulation was only part of their efforts to improve their community as well as promoting social issues. Continuing for well over a half century, members – who amply represent the community’s Who’s Who list – was by invitation only.

City though and posterity. It certainly is a major icon Annie L. Morrison deserved “more credit” for Even the prospect of moving m to the community’s sense of “place” but has her community contributions as a journalist future, you since oweheritacttoofyourself deteriorated benevolence.to learn h and compiler of biographies. Black would undoubtedly be pleased to know Morrison’s carefree living in your own home for man While only the most intrepid of researchers Pioneers of San Luis Obispo County (1917) today braves her articles on microfilm, her – reprinted in 2002 – is a standard (and necbook is a most pleasant and informative visit essary) volume for the student of local history. to the past. It’s also a great way to remember a woman continued to believe in causes, Black’s story could also as her A as It’sserve a fact ofepitaph. life that we getwho older, Pristine is fully including being the oldest person (80) aryear after publication, she died on July 30, 1989 day-to-day become too at the Diablo licensed rested for protesting Canyonand insu shortly after her 91stsome birthday. Besides her gifttasks Nuclear Power Plant. of remembrances, she donated home – the much toherhandle on our own. That All of our worker historic Canet Adobe on Dana Street – to the doesn’t mean you have to move away are carefully scre

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from the comfort of your home. and pass a crimin • Personal Pristine Home Services is• aHousekeeping local background chec Care that helps San Luis Obispo and drug test, giv • Yard company • Handyman Maintenance County residents avoid the high cost when someone fr Servingof moving All oftoSan Luis facility. Obispo County a retirement in your home.

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All of our services can be provided She should be cl daily, weekly, or on an as-needed basis. very reasonable From housekeeping You to handyman services and plumbing to preparingyou meals.need There is no task too large or pay for only the services dows!” R. Watso too small for Pristineand Homewe Services. All of our those services can be providedatdaily, weekly, or on an as-needed provide services a price basis. You pay for only the services you need and we provide those services at a price you can“They afford. took the t you can afford. what I wanted. Pristine Home Services made it possible exactlyforwhat I a Convenient One-call us to stayService comfortable and independent reasonable. I wo in our home. When Mary was diagnosed Our personal care services include a friend. with cancer, is no longer ato threat, the ” C. shopping, daily errands, mealwhich preparapeople at Pristine became a very important tion, transportation part andofnon-medical Before you mak our team. They were trustworthy, care. Our housekeeping services keep reliable and always stood by ourcould side. Weaffect yo truly enjoy our relationship with their your kitchen and the rest of your home and staff. standard o Don and Mary Smith -spotless. We even do windows and to read these tw laundry. Our yard maintenance crews Before you make any decisions that could affect your future happiness and standard of living, take every s “What know how to take care of your favorite the time to read these two FREE reports: about living in rose bushes and keep the grass neatly “What every senior needs to know about living in a retirement facility.” mowed. Our handyman services are “Four critical “Four critical questions to ask a service provider...before you let anyone work in or near your home.” provided by specialists in plumbing, service provid We invite you to call Pristine rightwork, now so that we can sendrepairs you these two FREE reports by mail. electrical painting, and anyone work i safety rail installation. Call for rateS We invite you t now so that we two FREE repor

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2011

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COMMUNITY

hospice corner Hospice Care – Frequently asked questions By Ron McEvoy

s the year draws to a close, we tend to think about all of those who have died and how to honor their memory. The Hospice “Light Up a Life” ceremony offers a meaningful way to pay tribute to those we remember and love – parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, grandchildren, relatives, and friends. It has become a tradition for all Hospices across this country to hold the ceremony in December. This year, Hospice Partners of the Central Coast will be holding their ceremonies at five locations throughout San Luis Obispo County, including Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Morro Bay, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. The Light Up a Life ceremony is not only for those who have been cared for by Hospice organizations, but is also for anyone who has lost friends or family members and wishes to remember them at this special time of year.

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Hospice Partners’ Light Up a Life ceremony is unique in that it includes a special “Faces of Love” photomontage to memorialize loved ones. Participants send in pictures of their loved ones that are digitally projected at the site that the participant will be attending. As the guests arrive at the ceremony, they have an opportunity to light a votive candle that will shine in the night for their loved ones and, at the end of the ceremony, they take the votive home as a symbol of remembrance and celebration. Hospice Partners’ Light Up a Life ceremony includes music and songs performed by the hospice musicians and reading of poems by the Hospice staff and volunteers. The focus of the ceremony is the traditional “Reading of Names” and the “Lighting of the Hospice Tree.” Individuals send in names of loved ones to be read at a particular site. The Hospice Tree is filled with lights that illuminate the memories of someone special, and is turned on near the end of the ceremony. Each light provides a bright reminder of the warmth they brought into our lives while they were with us and of the lasting memories that stay with us. Individuals can send in donations to sponsor the lights on the Hospice Tree. The donations will help Hospice Partners continue on with the end-of-life care that is provided to community residents, and will benefit hospice patients and their families. For those who are unfamiliar with Hospice Partners of the Central Coast, we are a non-profit, state licensed, Medicare and Medi-Cal certified Hospice. Our organization was formed to assume the responsibilities of the San Luis Obispo County’s licensed hospice agency when it was privatized in 1998. The Hospice Partners team serves the residents of San Luis Obispo County and north-

Rizzoli’s Automotive is my mechanic. Thanks Rizzol i’s ! Dave and Melanie know that, if they take care of their car, their car will take care of them. That’s why they always drive back to Rizzoli’s Automotive.

Now offeRiNg: All Makes – 30k, 60k & 90k Services, Check Engine Light Diagnosis, BMW Inspections, MBZ A&B Services, Lexus and Audi Services.

Rizzoli’s customers Dave and Melanie Marshall with their dog, Toby, in Avila Beach.

Two Convenient Locations: N O V E M B E R

2011

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ern Santa Barbara County, including those who are not covered by insurance or do not have the ability to pay for hospice care. We provide end-of-life care to our patients and their families with a team of professionals, including medical directors (physicians), nurses, medical social workers, home health aides, dietitians, hospice musicians, therapists, spiritual counselors, bereavement counselors and volunteers. The goal of hospice care is to provide terminally ill patients a means to achieve what they need most as they reach the end of life: freedom from pain; emotional and spiritual support; and the ability to control the direction of their own care. Families are also provided grief counseling by bereavement counselors for at least 13 months afterwards, and are guided to other community resources if needed.

COMMUNITY

NOVEMBER CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 43

If you, your family and friends want to join with Hospice Partners in celebrating this year’s Light Up a Life ceremony, please contact us at (805) 782-8608 for information. This monthly Hospice Corner is sponsored by Hospice Partners of the Central Coast. Ron McEvoy is the Event & Media Coordinator. For more information please call (805) 782-8608.

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: WORLD WARS ACROSS 1. Peter in Russian 6. Actress ___ Thompson 9. UPS competitor 13. Light-weight hat for protection from sun 14. Will Ferrell’s 2003 Christmas character 15. Aka Little Mermaid 16. In the least bit 17. One of a pair for biathlon competitor 18. Nincompoop 19. *Axis opposition 21. *Third _____ 23. Male or female, e.g. 24. *FDR’s third ____ was dominated by WWII 25. Popular locale in Ireland 28. Generic dog name 30. Male name of old Swedish origin 35. “Aid and ____” 37. Syrian neighbor

39. PDA pens 40. ____ contendere 41. Substitute for currency 43. Homer’s “Iliad,” e.g. 44. Dance named after horse’s gallop 46. “Wilhelm ____” 47. ____ school 48. *Infamous war camp 50. A person, place or thing 52. She played Laurie Partridge 53. *____ Germany, formed by Soviets after WWII 55. Uno ___ or one more 57. *FDR/Churchill/Stalin conference site 59. *Big ______, howitzer used by Germans in WWI 62. Undersized 64. *Japan’s target, 12/7/41 66. *Rolls _____ armored car 68. Blood vessel69. Often 70. Like days gone by 71. Famously extinct bird 72. Ostrich-like bird 73. Summertime pests

DOWN 1. Parent organization 2. Smidgen 3. October birthstone 4. One who “_____ it like it is” 5. Type of baseball pitcher 6. More is ____? 7. Mountain animal 8. Aflame 9. Relating to urine 10. Hyperbolic sine 11. Put it to paper? 12. ___ and the Family Stone 15. Bad blood 20. Highway departures 22. Energy or work unit 24. Heavy downpour 25. Stabs of pain 26. *Lusitania’s destroyer 27. “Twilight” protagonist 29. ____ tape

34. *Capital of unoccupied France 36. Saw or awl, e.g. 38. 1,000 grams 42. D’Artagnan’s hat decoration 45. Saffron-flavored rice dish 49. Gangster’s pistol 51. Limited in scope 54. Pasta complement 56. Fur shawl 57. Equal to 4th and 1 58. Lowest female singing voice 59. Hindu Mr. 60. Robert Louis Stevenson’s evil character 61. Passed with flying colors 62. Melancholy 63. Bovine sound 65. *He always seems to be pointing 67. Half the width of an em, pl.

31. Editor’s mark for “let it stand” 32. As opposed to written 33. Lewis Carroll’s character N O V E M B E R

2011

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COMMUNITY

Palm street perspective slo tank farm project proposal by chevron corporation

By SLO City Councilman, Dan Carpenter

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2011

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s a child growing up in the ’50’s and ’60s in San Luis Obispo, I would often accompany my parents and siblings on a ride out Tank Farm Road to the County Airport. Even at an early age, I would often wonder how oil storage tanks fit into the rich history of our community. It was certainly not consistent with the landscape I was used to in town. Back then, Tank Farm Road was “way out in the County” next to the airport. Eighty-five years ago this past April, San Luis Obispo residents experienced a disaster that most would never forget. Lightning struck the Unocal tank farm oil facility that morning, and the explosion ignited multiple large storage reservoirs. At the time, it was one of the nation’s worst petroleum industry disasters. Over the years, this would evolve into a very sensitive habitat area, in spite of the serious environmental setbacks from that April morning in 1926. In 2008, the City of San Luis Obispo accepted a planning application submitted by Chevron Corporation, the current owner of the 330+ acres known as the SLO Tank Farm Project. Their plan is to remediate, restore and develop portions of the former tank farm. This is consistent with the adopted Airport Area Specific Plan (AASP) adopted in August of 2005 that designates a portion of the property for reuse and development. In May of 2009, the City Council authorized an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to evaluate the project’s environmental effects. To be more efficient, the City and County projects are being analyzed in the same EIR. On September 20th, 2011, Chevron made a presentation to City Council requesting a reimbursement agreement for $11.1 million of infrastructure beyond its “fair share” requirements. Chevron is asking the City to facilitate this reimbursement from other projects as they are built out. Total infrastructure costs have been estimated at $17.4 million, with their share at $6.3 million. Chevron is proposing to develop its project in five phases over a 25-year period. There are many reasons that a unanimous City Council gave support for this agreement to move forward. The early installation of public infrastructure will benefit the community as these improvements can be utilized before all the other development is complete. This action alone could entice adjacent property owners to expedite their projects. Tank Farm Road will be widened to four travel lanes with sidewalks and a Class 1 bicycle trail. This improvement is critical for East/West circulation in this southern part of the City. Santa Fe Road will extend north to the AASP/Margarita Area Specific Plan boundaries, while being realigned south as it intersects Tank Farm Road. The plans include either a traffic signal or roundabout at this crucial intersection. We can look forward to Tank Farm Creek and Acacia Creek having bridges installed to facilitate future storm water management. Chevron is committed to providing open space and supporting facilities above and beyond what is required by the General Plan, with a restricted open space fund to provide a resource for future maintenance and improvements to the open space area. As I mentioned earlier, the EIR is also evaluating a County development option. It is less intensive, and could be pursued by Chevron if it determines that annexation and development in the City is not desirable. Without this proposed reimbursement agreement, the City of San Luis Obispo may not be seeing a development within the City limits. It’s imperative that we continue our support for this annexation and development project that is consistent with our General Plan. The AASP represents the culmination of 20 years of planning efforts and collaboration between the City, the County, and the property owners in the Airport Area. I look forward to significant progress in the coming years. Your thoughts are always welcome, Dan Carpenter, dcarpent@slocity.org 805-431-3174

Downtown

Around

The Magazine of Downtown San Luis Obispo

Inside:

W h a t â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s U p New Business News

November 2011

W h a t ’ s

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aking Downtown safe, beautiful and nter the Safe Night Life (SNL) Association. economically viable…that’s the mission of Essentially an organized group of Bar the SLO Downtown Association. Whether you and Restaurant owners (but including other conduct business here or are just visiting, our participants from transportation, development programs are designed to enhance your chance and retail business), SNL formed to not of having a rewarding experience. This month, only address issues currently under review we’ll be headed to the City Council chambers by the City Council [namely undesirable to roll out a new program geared toward activities occurring in the late evening hours: addressing issues related to late night activity public urination, fights, vandalism, noise Deborah Cash, CMSM, (and the fallout thereof) in Downtown and the and disorderly conduct] but also to look for Executive Director opportunity to turn the evening hours into ‘the ways to promote responsible and forward other 9 to 5’ for the enjoyment of the entire community. thinking behavior when the sun goes down. And create an evening economy while they’re at it. istorically, Downtown has been the hub of

a lot of activity day and night; SLO being a college town, our Downtown is a natural choice of hangout places for the young crowd when the daytime shops close up. The disconnect between those two periods has left us with dead time, and a bit of a challenge about how to keep our valuable real estate functioning for as many hours as it can.

hink Gas Lamp District in San Diego, for example. Patrons are at ease on the well-lit streets well into the wee hours. Shops are open, sidewalk cafes bustle, theatres, galleries and clubs attract all ages of customers.

an Luis could emulate this scenario—just imagine if your family could enjoy a nice meal, take in a little shopping or strolling and

On the Cover: The "Award Winning" Downtown Foresters have a good reason to smile: The group, along with the city's Tree Crew, recently garnered top honors at the 2011 California Urban and Community Forest Conference in Palo Alto on September 16. Accepting the award for "The Best Urban Forestry Program" was City Arborist Ron Combs. The Foresters, celebrating their fifth anniversary this year are: (l-r) John Forsberg, Ron Combs, Jackie Crane, Stephanie Nisich, Brent Vanderhoof, Lynn Hessler, Stephen Patrick, Landy Fike Forsberg (rear), Julie Towery (front), Pam Seeley and Bob Seeley. Photo by Forester Deborah Cash.

presents

Bear-y Merry Holiday SLO Downtown Association’s

Founders Community Bank presents

Santa’s House

OPENING DAY Friday, November 25 10 AM Come visit Santa and enjoy free snacks, entertainment and more! For more details about Opening Day and Santa’s House hours Call 541 - 0286 or visit www.DowntownSLO.com

36th Annual Holiday Parade

December 3rd 7:00 PM For more information call 541 - 0286 or visit www.DowntownSLO.com

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just enjoy the opportunity to walk around our beautiful town on any night of the week.

ike the chicken and the egg though, it’s hard to describe what happens first to launch the cycle, but the SNL participants didn’t waste time figuring it out. They sat at the table and asked, “What are the problems?” and “What are the solutions?” It’s important to point out that in describing ‘the problems,’ the issue of perception weighs heavily. “Judging SLO against many other communities illustrates that we’re not so bad,” said Ron Meier, SNL member and co-owner of Mo | Tav. So the trick is to acknowledge that the issues here, while lesser in comparison, are still very real and will be tackled.

or starters, the group is launching a “One 86, All 86” campaign. Using cell phone and Internet technology, a system is being developed whereby a bozo who is kicked out of one establishment is kicked out of all. Once the word about this doozy of a plan hits the streets, behaviors will begin to change. Other campaigns in-house, posted in restrooms and on transit modes will decry bar fighting and promote responsible drinking and actions.

ervers in all establishments will be required to attend ABC-sponsored LEAD training for a serious course

Living with Grief and Loss During the Holidays This free workshop is designed to support and guide you through the holiday season while coping with the loss of a loved one. WHEN: Wednesday, November 16th 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. WHERE: Ludwick Community Center 864 Santa Rosa, SLO Informational packets will be provided To register for this free forum call (805) 782-8608

D o w n t o w n

in serving and sales of alcoholic beverages. Local establishments are planning to provide clean up crews so that Downtown in the early AM looks just as clean as it did when shopkeepers left for the day prior.

hen SNL goes to Council mid-November, they’ll roll out the list of accomplished tasks, including the hiring of a facilitator who’s riding herd on the group’s time frame for getting results. Steve Tolley, a retired SLO PD Lieutenant and former City Council member in Arroyo Grande, has stepped up to the plate to connect the dots with business owners, local politicians and City staff. He is well-liked, well-known and no nonsense: the perfect person for the job.

ere at the Downtown Association, we take the movement very seriously and applaud the group’s efforts. With our charge being to provide a safe and comfortable environment for all users, we support this step toward creating a more inviting evening experience. For our part, we’ll look into providing lighting, a major component in the overall plan—along with other amenities like transportation, restrooms, security—that will hopefully encourage businesses to stay open later hours. It may start slowly, with one night per week, then two, then…! But if the plan works out, and we think it should, it will be a new world after dark…around Downtown.

N e w

B u s i n e s s

N e w s She jumped at the chance to begin her very own mind and body therapy practice. Bixler describes her creek side sanctuary as “a place of reprieve” where patrons can come to relax and take their mind off life’s stressors.

Elevenses

Amber Bixler, owner 738 Higuera Street, Suite D 805-459-8289 www.11ses.com Along the creek in the heart of Downtown SLO lies a hidden treasure: Elevenses. Upon entering the intimate, relaxing environment of this massage therapy and private yoga studio, you are warmly welcomed with a hot cup of tea from the owner, Amber Spring Bixler. The name Elevenses is a British term her father always used for “taking a break” and Bixler found it to be a fitting name for her new business, which opened earlier this year on January 1.

Clients of Elevenses receive one-onone treatment and body analysis to assess their health. Bixler genuinely cares about the well being of her clients and will open her doors to anyone who is interested in taking care of themselves. Both yoga and massage are great ways to relieve stress and muscle tension, treat injury, and manage anxiety along with many other benefits.

Bixler received her massage therapy license from the California Holistic Institute and is a trained yoga instructor.

By: Alison Schmidt

Bixler works on referrals, call today for an appointment!

squash enchiladas,” which are gluten free and vegetarian friendly.

Cielo Cantina

Sean Faries, owner 1023 Chorro Street 805-549-9001 www.CieloCantina.com Visit them on Facebook Over the last few decades, 1023 Chorro Street has been home to a several popular eateries. But now, owner Sean Faries is introducing San Luis Obispo to Cielo Cantina and there’s no doubt it will become a new local favorite. Cielo Cantina is a family restaurant with an affordable menu serving large portions of delicious Mexican food, with prices ranging from $7 - 14. Diners can enjoy comfy leather seats in a warm and inviting environment or they can soak up the sun and enjoy a lovely view of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in the outdoor patio seating. When asked about his favorite dish on the menu, Faries let a few seconds go by before confidently answering “butternut

Vitamin D Council

Dr. John Jacob Cannell, founder 697 Higuera Street, Suite H 805-439-1075 www.VitaminDCouncil.org The Vitamin D Council is a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational corporation, founded in 2003 by Executive Director John J. Cannell, M.D., on the conviction that humans all over the world are needlessly suffering from vitamin D deficiency. The organization's mission is to end the worldwide vitamin D deficiency pandemic by means of outreach and awareness, treatment, research and activism. The year 2011 has been an exciting and transitional period for the organization. In years past, the Vitamin D Council has worked remotely, reaching out to the masses with their website, newsletter and public service announcements.

Faries enjoys the creative process of conceptualizing a new restaurant. When it came down to the name, he wanted something unique that people didn’t associate with anything else currently around. Cielo Cantina means ‘sky bar’ in Spanish and Faries thinks it has a great feel to it. “I hope they love it. We want to be a staple restaurant here in San Luis Obispo. We want to be like F. McLintocks or the Madonna Inn….people who have been here for a long time.” Cielo Cantina is open 11 AM - 9 PM Sunday Wednesday and 11 AM - 10 PM Thursday - Saturday. The bar is open all day and doesn’t close until 2 AM on the weekends. Cielo Cantina’s happy hour is 4 PM - 6 PM daily and all day Thursday. By: Alison Moore This year, they have made a pact to do more on-the-ground outreach. This started with Executive Director Dr. Cannell's vision to run a free clinic to treat vitamin D deficiency in children in the area, particularly those with asthma and autism. Several studies have demonstrated that 70% or more children in the United States are deficient in vitamin D. To operate this clinic, the Vitamin D Council moved Downtown in an office above Uptown Jeans. Vitamin D is primarily produced by the skin in response to sun exposure. Given the indoor, clothed and sun blocked lifestyle of most humans in the 21st century, many medical researchers believe vitamin D deficiency is the most common condition in humans today. For more information on vitamin D and the Council, visit www.VitaminDCouncil.org.

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THE BULLETIN BOARD

SLO CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OPENS TRAVELING EXHIBIT

No Lic.

A special traveling exhibit is at the SLO Children’s Museum. A Native American Experience: A Peek Into the Past replicates everyday living arrangements in a late1800s era Plains Indian village. The exhibit is based on historical evidence and was developed by local exhibit creators Karen and Tim Ames. The village set-up lets children explore a teepee, cook meals over an open fire, read Native American stories, play Native American games, try on indigenous costumes and play musical instruments. Special activities featuring Native American dance, music, crafts, cooking and lore will be held throughout the exhibit’s run, concluding on Nov. 30. Located at 1010 Nipomo St. in San Luis Obispo. Visit www.slocm.org to take a virtual tour. For information about hours, activities, exhibits or programs, call (805) 545-5874.

Derek Bishop 805-801-1382 dbishop5224@gmail.com

WEAVERS GUILD HOLIDAY SALE AND SHOW

The Central Coast Weavers Guild invites you to their “5th Annual Holiday Sale and Gallery Show” on November 4 through November 6, held at The Strawbale Barn located at 9156 Santa Margarita Road, Atascadero. There will be an opening sale and reception on Friday, November 4, 4-8 p.m. with refreshments. Items will be for sale at the reception. The Guild sale and show will continue Saturday, November 5: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, November 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Holiday sale and show includes handwoven clothing, household items, gifts and a gallery show of fine crafted handwoven items, including wall displays, clothing and jewelry. Looms and spinning wheels will be on display as well as ongoing demonstrations of weaving and spinning throughout the show. Fiber artists reside in San Luis Obispo County and Northern Santa Barbara County (Santa Maria, Solvang and Santa Ynez). For more information or directions please refer to our website: www.centralcoastweavers.org

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All loans are subject to property approval. Certain conditions and fees apply. Mortgage financing provided by MetLife Home Loans, a division of MetLife Bank, N.A. Equal Housing Lender. © 2011 METLIFE, INC. Rev BGbca2.11-0228

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Canzona Women’s Ensemble opens its third season with a concert on Sunday, November 6 at 4 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in SLO, featuring Linda Ashworth on oboe, and Janis Johnson on piano and organ. Highlighted will be such diverse composers as Monteverdi, Victoria, Kodaly, Eric Whitacre and Benjamin Britten. Canzona is a group of two-dozen experienced choral singers from throughout San Luis Obispo County, co-directed by Cricket Handler and Jill Anderson. For tickets, call 805-542-0506, or go to brownpapertickets.com Cal Poly Alumni united August 19 to 21 to host SLO Fest, a weekend of events focused on drawing Alumni to San Luis Obispo to reconnect, relive memories and raise money to help Autumn Cannon fight kidney cancer. This year, the event raised $10,446 in support of Cannon and her family. Cannon was diagnosed with kidney cancer in March after she fell and ruptured a tumor on her kidney. Since then, she has endured endless amounts of chemotherapy and radiation and often has to travel to Santa Barbara for medical treatment. The funds raised from SLO Fest will help Cannon’s family pay for her treatment with the added benefit of helping them enjoy time with her without having to stress about finances.

COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIP RECEIVES GRANT

Community Action Partnership of SLO County has received a $4,945 Preventative Health grant from the SLO County Community Foundation (SLOCCF). This grant will provide operating support for the Senior Health Screening Program. The Senior Health Screening Program travels to 17 senior-focused sites throughout the county and provides free preventative and maintenance health screening, education and referrals to adults over 50. Screenings include depression, hemoglobin, blood glucose, cholesterol, full lipid panel, blood pressure, pulse, and weight monitoring. In addition to screenings, seasonal flu vaccines are provided, and oneto-one education regarding diet, exercise, healthy aging, lifestyle modification, reinforcement of medication compliance, appropriate use of hospital emergency rooms, and bereavement issues are provided. No one is denied access to Senior Health Screening making the program a vital tool for many in the community who have barriers to accessing health care.

EL CAMINO ART ASSOCiation 50TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

El Camino Art Association (the Central Coast Five Cities area) will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary with a grand opening celebration at SLO Down Pub (Brisco & Grand) in Arroyo Grande on November 4, 2011 from 4 to 6 pm. The show will continue throughout November and December with 20% of all sales going to a scholarship fund for local high school artists. There will be a special one day showing of some of those scholarship winners at the reception. This year’s scholarship fund awarded $2,500 to three local high schools. Local art work will consist of some of our finest artists on the Central Coast with many of them at the reception. You will have a chance to “meet the artist.” Public is welcome.

THE BULLETIN BOARD

Pacific Oak Foreclosure Services INC

Lynn R. CoopeR PresIdeNt

711 tank Farm road • suite 100 san Luis Obispo, CA 93401 teL (805) 544-9242 • CeLL (805) 235-0493 FAX (805) 543-7838 eMAIL lynn@pacificoakforeclosure.com www.pacificoakforclosure.com

NEW TO TOWN?

Get your free welcome packet! Frank It includes maps, civic info, coupons from cafes, groceries, wineries, auto hardware, garden, medical, dental, etc. Call your greeter or go to centralcoastwelcome.com

Liz Hiatt Owner

773-6418

centralcoastwelcome@gmail.com

A FREE SERVICE TO NEWCOMERS

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Los Osos/Morro Bay/Cayucos/Cambria: Aloma Davis: 235-1131

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SLO/South County/Avila: Liz Hiatt: 773-6418

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North County: Sandy Hexberg: 238-1529

TALL SHIP VISITS MORRO BAY

Ahoy mateys. Tall Ship Lady Washington sails into Morro Bay Harbor November 18-24 for dockside tours and public sailings. Test your sea legs on the ship that appeared as the Black Pearl in the movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Ship handling, sea shanty songs and storytelling, as well as ship’s crew wearing 18th century garb, will make this an unforgettable family adventure. For more information, contact education@historicalseaport.org.

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Frank

N O V E M B E R

2011

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THE BULLETIN BOARD

GORDON SNYDER’S LATEST BOOK – VENICE LOST 805.783.4000 phone 805.235.0463 cell 805.783.4005 fax 711 Tank Farm Rd., Ste. 100 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

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This is Gordon Snider’s fourth novel, and he has once more created a fascinating world filled with compelling characters. There is Vincent Miceli, one of the most powerful aristocrats in Venice. He was once Lucrezia’s lover, and he wants her back; Didem, the mysterious companion of Lucrezia’s uncle, who analyzes Robert’s frightening journeys through time and warns him that someone close to him will die; Giolitti Saracoo, a madman who will stop at nothing to gain control of the secret festivals funded by Lucrezia’s family; and last, but certainly not least, Lucrezia’s family, a delightful mixture of elegant charm, fragile egos, and impulsive behavior. Gordon’s colorful descriptions of modern and 18th century Venice will bring this venerable city alive for anyone who has visited or dreamed of visiting Venice someday. This is a great read for anyone who enjoys an imaginative and creative story. You can read a synopsis and sample chapter from Venice Lost on Gordon’s website: gordonsnider.com. The book is available through book stores and on the internet at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

FOUNDERS BANK OPENS NORTH COUNTY LOAN OFFICE Founders Community Bank (FBCP.OB) is pleased to announce the expansion of their services to Northern SLO County through their new Small Business Lending Center, to be located at 6100 El Camino Real, Atascadero, CA. The Small Business Lending Center is anticipated to open in November 2011. The cities between Templeton and Santa Margarita have accounted for over 12% of the Bank’s San Luis Obispo County loan growth. Kelley Stolz, a long time North County banker, recently decided to join the bank to assist in developing this emerging customer base.

Jack’s Helping Hand Leader receives Honor

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2011

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The SLO County Community Foundation presented the 5th Annual Isabel P. Ruiz Humanitarian Award to Jack’s Helping Hand Charitable Administrator Mary Illingworth. The Isabel P. Ruiz Humanitarian Award recognizes a local individual for outstanding efforts in advocacy and caring for local people in SLO County. The award was presented recently when David Ruiz, Isabel’s son, and Janice Fong Wolf presented the award, and Mayor Jan Marx presented a city proclamation honoring Illingworth. In 2003, Illingworth was forever changed by a close and supportive relationship with Jack Ready, a toddler who suffered from a rare form of brain cancer. With her help, Jack’s parents were able to enroll him in Cuesta College’s preschool. Soon after Jack’s death at just 3 years old, Illingworth helped his parents to refurbish and equip a special therapy room at California Children’s Services, and then accepted the lead role in starting and running the nonprofit Jack’s Helping Hand (JHH) in his name. Since 2005, she has responded daily to the heartbreaking stories and pleas for help from many families who have children with special needs.

THE BULLETIN BOARD

Our Schools:

Governor’s action on two education bills By Dr. Julian Crocker, County Superintendent of Schools

he final act of a legislative session takes place in the Governor’s office. This is when the Governor reviews the hundreds of bills that have been passed by the state legislature and are awaiting the Governor’s signature or veto. For the 2011 legislative session, October 9th was the last day for the Governor to either sign or veto bills. I will review two bills presented to the Governor that impact schools in our county and the action he took on each one. SB 461(Blakeslee). Governor Brown signed this bill into law that will take effect on January 1, 2012. The bill was authored by Senator Sam Blakeslee, who represents our county. This bill changes the GED (General Education Diploma) testing age from age 18 to 17 for students in drop out prevention programs in the state and was introduced primarily to address a problem that existed at our local Grizzly Youth Academy. The Academy is a drop out prevention program that combines a strong educational element with a residential aspect that focuses on leadership skills and building self-respect. Some Grizzly graduates successfully complete the Academy but still lack sufficient credits to earn a high school diploma. One option for these students is to take the GED exam and, if successful, receive their diploma. However, most of the Grizzly students complete the Academy several months prior to their 18th birthday and often return to a home environment that is not supportive of education, thus losing the momentum gained at the Academy. With this new law, a student can take the GED exam immediately after completing the Academy and that allows that student to take their next educational or career step. I appreciate Senator’s Blakeslee’s effort in getting this bill through the legislature and eventually securing the Governor’s signature. When the Governor was Mayor of Oakland, he had personal experience with the Oakland Military Institute, a program similar to Grizzly, and he knows its value. AB 165 (Lara). Governor Brown vetoed this bill that addressed the issue of charging fees to students attending the state’s public schools. The California State Constitution is very clear that the state’s public schools are to be free. Subsequent court rulings have reinforced this requirement including participation in extra-curricular activities such as marching band or athletics. The state supreme court has held that most extra-curricular activities are so closely connected with the educational program of a school that they are also covered by the prohibition against fees. The Governor felt that the current guidelines are clear and this bill imposed unnecessary requirements on school districts in a time of restricted resources without more evidence of widespread abuse.

Are there any fees that are legal for schools to charge? Yes, there are a few charges that schools can assess. These include fees for riding district provided bus transportation from home to school and return. Students pay for food purchased as part of the school lunch or breakfast program. There are provisions for reduced price meals for students living in families below certain income levels set by the federal government. Fees can also be charged for lost or damaged textbooks or for materials that goes into projects (i.e. art or design) that students actually take home. However, with the substantial reduction in state funding for local schools over the past three years, many school districts have attempted to raise local revenue by expanding the areas for charging fees to students. There have been examples of schools in the state suggesting a “contribution” for participation in extracurricular activities and fees for the use of workbooks, science lab materials or physical education uniforms. In all of these examples, schools have made it clear that the contribution is not a requirement for participation or enrollment. Often, particularly with athletics, there are scholarships provided for students who cannot afford the contribution. The expansion of the use of fees has raised the concern of violating the free public school provision in the State Constitution. Once a district starts to expand its use of student fees to supplement its revenue, it can expect legal challenges from those who want to keep a clear separation between what has been traditionally allowed and what is often being proposed.

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2011

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COMMUNITY Veterans day is November 11.

NOVEMBER Almanac By Phyllis Benson “Personally, I love Thanksgiving traditions: watching football, making pumpkin pie, and saying the magic phrase that sends your aunt storming out of the dining room to sit in her car.” --- Stephen Colbert

National Authors Day is November 1. Writer Stephen King said, “I see things, that’s all. Write enough stories and every shadow on the floor looks like a footprint; every line in the dirt like a secret message.”

area codes were introduced in November, 1951, to directly dial long distance numbers. The process sped up phone calls, bypassed operators, and cut phone costs. Our neighbor says those were the good old days. Today the more technology the phone company gets, the less he uses the phone and the higher his bill climbs. soup’s on: National Split Pea Soup Week is here. In its heyday, Pea Soup Andersen’s Restaurant cooked up 50 tons of split peas a year, enough for three-quarters of a million bowls of soup Enjoy National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month. Celebrate with pumpkin peanut butter spread. Mix equal parts canned pumpkin and peanut butter. Spread on bread, muffins or bagels. Our old dogs get a dollop of leftover pumpkin and peanut butter on kibble. It’s as good as a gourmet treat. Trivia: About 850 peanuts go into an 18-ounce jar of peanut butter.

All saints day: On November 1, 1776, Father Serra officially founded Mission San Juan Capistrano. November 1841: The first emigrant wagon train from Missouri reached California.

aviation: In November, 1911, Calbraith Perry Rodgers became the

first person to cross the United States from coast to coast by airplane. He landed in Pasadena, California, just 49 days after leaving Sheepshead Bay, New York.

century: Chevrolet was founded November 3, 1911. Today the

company sells over 4 million vehicles a year in 120 countries.

Chevy joke: Did you know 80 percent of Chevys are still on the road? The other 20 percent made it home. daylight savings time ends November 6 at 2 a.m. Bump those

timepieces back an hour and sleep in Sunday morning.

75 Years ago the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association was formed to improve cowboy working conditions.

rodeo rider Chris LeDoux said, “I can remember sittin’ in a cafe

when I first started in rodeo, and waitin’ until somebody got done so I could finish what they left.”

November 17 is American Smokeout Day. In 1976, one million California smokers quit for one day. Four out of five former smokers report that they quit cold turkey, without nicotine aids or prescription help.

smokester: Nicotine patches are great. Stick one over each eye and you can’t find your cigarettes. Thanksgiving is observed the fourth Thursday. More than 45 million turkeys appear on holiday tables with their good friends, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pies. our football fan says the recipe for a great T-day is mixing guests, games, and grub.

welcomegiving is the day after Thanksgiving. The purpose is encouraging social manners. Say thank you to people you meet through the day, for reasons large and small. These mild november days bring chilly nights. Get out the blankets and hot cider to keep toes and tummy warm. And don’t forget a good book.

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2011

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You can now read the Journal Plus online. Go to www.slojournal.com and take a look. Easier access for our readers and more exposure for our advertisers. Tell your friends and family who no longer live in the area. CURT RANKIN | THE BROOKS FAMILY | ART AT THE OCTAGON BARN | VETS MUSEUM

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