December 2011 Journal Plus

D O N WA LT E R | K E V I N W I N T E R | L I T E R A C Y C O U N CI L | R A C H E L P E R E Z

Journal PLUS DECEMBER 2011

MAGAZINE OF THE CENTRAL COAST

David Jackson with Sierra

Community Partnership

It’s about coming together on behalf of neighbors in need. Doing the right thing, day after day. Making our community strong, keeping it special. From our team to yours, great job in 2011!

We’re proud to be your partner.

4H and FFA of San Luis Obispo Allan Hancock College ALPHA Pregnancy & Parenting Support Amazing Surf Adventures American Heart Association American Red Cross Arroyo Grande Rotary Club Atascadero Chamber of Commerce Atascadero Christian Homes Atascadero Youth Soccer Association Avila Beach Sea Life Center Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo Cty. Boys & Girls Club of North San Luis Obispo Cty. California Polytechnic State University Foundation Camp Fire USA Central Coast Council CAPE Charter School Central Coast Autism Spectrum Center Central Coast Chapter of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants Central Coast Clergy and Laity for Justice Central Coast Economic Forecast Central Coast Paralegal Association Central Coast Parkinson’s Support Group Central Coast Salmon Enhancement, Inc. Central Coast State Parks Association Charles E. Teach Elementary School Children’s Creative Project Children’s Resource Network of the Central Coast City of San Luis Obispo Parks & Recreation Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County, Inc. Cuesta College Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos Endeavor Institute Festival Mozaic

“The Paso Robles Art Association extends a warm thank you to Santa Barbara Bank & Trust for supporting scholarship fundraising efforts and other visual arts programs in the community.” Janice Pluma

RSVP Senior Volunteer Services Rotary Club of Paso Robles San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce San Luis Obispo Classical Academy San Luis Obispo County Arts Council San Luis Obispo County Child Abuse Prevention Center San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund San Luis Obispo County YMCA San Luis Obispo Downtown Association San Luis Obispo Farmer’s Market San Luis Obispo High School San Luis Obispo Land Conservancy San Luis Obispo Literacy Council San Luis Obispo Symphony

“Santa Barbara Bank & Trust has been a generous SLO Symphony partner for over 15 years. From providing quality banking services and sponsoring concerts to sharing their expertise on our Board of Directors, their participation enables us to bring the magic of music, the power of education and a commitment to community to the Central Coast year after year.” Jim Black Michael Nowak, Conductor and Jim Black, Executive Director - SLO Symphony

Foster Youth Need Education Foundation for the Performing Arts Center French Hospital Medical Center Jewish Community Center of San Luis Obispo Kids’ Cancer Research Foundation Kiwanis of Greater Pismo Beach Lawyer Referral and Information Services Lifewater International Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Tri-Counties Morro Bay National Estuary Program North County Women’s Shelter Oktoberfest Opera San Luis Obispo Pacific Wildlife Center Partnership for the Children of San Luis Obispo County Paso Robles Art Association Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce Paso Robles Education Alliance Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance Pay It Forward Foundation People Helping People Project Ace REC Foundation

“On behalf of the patients at French Hospital, we are sincerely grateful for the generous support of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust.”

Debby Nicklas Alan Iftiniuk, President & CEO, French Hospital Medical Center and Debby Nicklas, Foundation Executive Director, French Hospital Medical Center Foundation

San Luis Obispo Tiger Baseball San Luis Obispo Vocal Arts Ensemble San Luis Obispo Women’s Shelter Senior Nutrition Program of San Luis Obispo Cty. Sexual Assault Recovery and Prevention Special Olympics Studios on the Park The Center for Reuniting Families The Monday Club - San Luis Obispo The Wellness Community of the Central Coast Transitions Mental Health Association United Blood Services United Way of San Luis Obispo County Women Lawyers Association of San Luis Obispo County Woods Humane Society

From left: Robert Frank, Treasurer; Janice Pluma, Co-President; Mary Ann Austin, Co-President; Marilyn Marshall, Arte de Tiza committee

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CONTENTS

14 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

RACHEL PEREZ

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

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DON WALTER

WILL & MELINDA JONES

ADVERTISING Jan Owens CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Susan Stewart, Natasha Dalton, Hilary Grant, Joseph Carotenuti, Dr. Julian Crocker, Sarah Hedger, Maggie Cox, Deborah Cash, Will Jones, Ruth Starr, Andrew Carter, Bob Huttle, Gordon Fuglie, 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 Natasha Dalton

PEOPLE 10 12 14 16 18

KEVIN WINTER DON WALTER RACHEL PEREZ / Huttle Up DAVID JACKSON part 2 GREG SCHIFANO part 2

HOME & OUTDOOR 20 RETIREMENT DREAMS / WILL JONES 22 HOME DESIGN 24 FOOD / AT THE MARKET

COMMUNITY 26 28 30 32 34 36 46

SLO ART SCENE OUR SCHOOLS Dr. Julian Crocker LITERACY COUNCIL HISTORY: Mission beginnings HOSPICE CORNER / CROSSWORD PUZZLE PALM STREET – SLO Councilman, Carter ALMANAC – The Month of December

BUSINESS

37 DOWNTOWN SLO What’s Happening 42 THE BULLETIN BOARD 45 EYE ON BUSINESS

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The Best Prices on Quality Toys!

In Celebration of our 25th Anniversary take

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Your Entire Purchase

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From the publisher

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Close to schools, shopping, parks & restaurants. Well maintained single level home 3BR, 3BA + den, 2215 sf corner home with fully landscaped front & rear gardens with patio & built in bbq. Large Master Suite w/ custom walk-in closet. Features: Plantation shutters, crown molding, hardwood floors, and custom cabinetry, 2 HVAC units, security & intercom system, custom kitchen, skylight, Corian counters, and warming drawer, two gas log fireplaces. Enjoy the outdoors with an expansive patio, built in barbecue, fully landscaped front and rear gardens. WWW.584PATRICIA.COM

Charming Creekside Home 919 EL CAPITAN, SLO

Quality home on cul de sac with Victorian style exterior just a few blocks from Marigold Shopping Center. This lovely 3BR, 2BA home features a fenced in tranquil garden setting with easy access to bike path, walking trails and park. Enclosed side yard has extra room for boat or small RV. Spacious, bright interior is move in ready. Just a short distance to downtown SLO, the airport and beaches. $ 447,000

Morro Heights with Views of the bay & the Rock • 469 BERNARDO AVE, MORRO BAY

Lovely 3 BR, 1 3/4 + half bath located just blocks from downtown Morro Bay, the Embarcadero, golf course, Marina, & parks. Living area w/ fireplace, dining area and kitchen with bay window designed for enjoyment of gorgeous views of the bay, ocean and Morro Rock. Large view deck spans the length of the house.

Features attached 2 car garage AND a detached deep garage for a boat, truck AND workshop. www.469bernardo.com $525,000

Lynn Cooper SRES/Broker

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ur cover story this month is part two of David Jackson’s Zoo To You. Zoo To You is one of those organizations that not only gives back to our community, it also gives animals a second chance by creating a sanctuary for the injured, abused and abandoned. They have some new programs that I’m sure you are going to like. Natasha Dalton gets you all caught up on what’s happening.

Recently retired San Luis High School Principal, Will Jones, writes about a couple of his dreams that have come true. One is a long road trip that he recently completed. He tells us all about it.

After an open invitation for several years we finally got Don Walter to agree to a profile. His family has been on the Central Coast for generations and we are excited to include it in this issue as well.

The last quarter of each year is one of celebrations in the Owens household. We celebrate five birthdays in October by having dinner at McLintocks in Shell Beach.

We have been enjoying this tradition for 29 straight years. In November we celebrated two more birthdays, Thanksgiving and my parents 64th wedding anniversary. In December our four generations get together to share the holidays where there is plenty of love and memories shared. Nothing like having four generations partying together. May your holiday season be filled with as much love, happiness and laughter as ours.

Enjoy the magazine,

(805) 235-0493

711 Tank Farm Rd, Ste 100, SLO www.wilsonandcosir.com

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 Thurs., Dec. 1, 7 pm The Big “A”

CP Theatre & Dance Department

Thurs., Dec. 1, 7:30 pm John Tesh: Big Band Christmas

Sun., Dec. 4, 3 pm Calder Quartet Cal Poly Arts

Wed., Dec. 14, 7 pm Laguna Middle/ SLOHS Winter Choir Concert SLO High School Choir

Dec. 10, 2 pm and 7 pm Dec. 11, 2 pm The Nutcracker

Sat., Dec. 17, 3 pm Charles Phoenix

Fri., Dec. 2, 8 pm CP Jazz Bands feat.

Damon Castillo Band

Sun., Dec. 11, 2 pm Holiday Sweets

Sat., Dec. 17, 8 pm Cuesta Master Chorale

Sat., Dec. 3, 8 pm CP Choirs’ A Christmas Celebration Jubilee

Mon., Dec. 12, 7 pm Winter Choral Concert

CP Music Department

Morro Bay High School Choir

Sun., Dec. 4, 3 pm Celebrate the Season With Joy and Peace

Tues., Dec. 13, 7 pm MBHS/ LOMS Bands Winter Concert

Cal Poly Arts

Pacific Dance Center

CP Music Department

SLO Vocal Arts

805.SLO.ARTS Phone | 805.756.2787 Fax | 805.756.6088

WWW.PACSLO.ORG

Cal Poly Arts

The Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo

Morro Bay High School

Cuesta College

Sun., Dec. 18, 3 pm Forbes Pipe Organ Holiday Concert and Sing-Along YOPAC

Fri., Dec. 30, 7:30 pm Bob and Tom Comedy All-Stars Tour Outback Concerts

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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

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Larry D. Smyth Broker

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PEOPLE

Kevin Winter: Prince of Pythons

By Ruth Starr

T

here is a room with seventy Ball Python snakes in it. This is not a museum or an animal kingdom; this is the Santa Margarita home of Kevin Winter and his wife, Michelle. The snakes have their own quarters on separated shelving units in their individual plastic boxes.

At the tender age of eleven, Kevin became interested in snakes. By the time he was fourteen, he began breeding snakes. Although his childish fascination was with dinosaurs, that soon faded into his fearless passion for snakes.

Growing up in San Diego, he went to Helix High School where he was on the swim team, played water polo, and soccer. Kevin’s interest was mostly in animals, which explains why he always enjoyed his science and biology classes.

In his early twenties, Kevin became a commercial fisherman out of Dutch Harbor in Alaska. After leaving the fishing industry, he became a crew member of a research vessel called FLIP (Floating Lab Instrument Platform). There is only one vessel like it in the world. The back half of the vessel goes under water leaving the front half above water.

Marine biologists and weather scientists do their research there.

His father, a firefighter, had a friend at the San Diego Zoo who put Kevin in touch with people who knew about breeding snakes. In the late seventies there was not a lot of literature or people breeding them outside of zoos. Most of the reptiles that people were buying as pets were imported from Africa, Indonesia and Europe.

Only a limited number of reptiles had been bred in captivity. Snakes are reptilia, a class of animals which also includes crocodiles, turtles, tortoises, and lizards. Of all the reptiles, Kevin says that snakes are the easiest to keep as pets.

In the early nineties interest and purchase of reptiles grew enormously. It was then that Kevin began selling the ones he was breeding.

Until that time, the market was relatively small. With the increase in demand, more and more people began selling reptiles. It was also

a time when many countries stopped or limited exportation. Today, Australia has completely banned exportation or importation to protect their animals from exploitation.

As the demand for reptiles grew in 1992, Kevin began breeding more snakes. Meeting people at the Reptile Expos and shows helped lead Kevin to a business of buying, breeding, and selling reptiles in the U.S. The growth of the Internet was also a big help to finding people interested in snakes.

In captive breeding, one can produce various colors or pattern marks that are not normally on these reptiles. Without their protective colors they can become prey for other predators. These snakes need to be kept in captivity for their own protection.

In Kevin’s snake room, there is an incubator to hatch the snake eggs.

It takes two months for the female to carry the egg and then two months to hatch.

Kevin is very conscientious about who buys the snakes and he makes every attempt to see that these people know how to care for them and understand what is involved in their maintenance. He asks what kind of cage is used to be sure it is adequate, and makes sure they know the husbandry requirements of the animal they are buying.

Small Snake D E C E M B E R

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Although prices have fallen somewhat, sales of snakes continue to escalate in this multi-billion dollar industry. Reptiles are the next step up from keeping fish and birds. Even though they are not socially interactive, people enjoy looking at them—it is just a fascination of animals.

PEOPLE Kevin is licensed through the county as a commercial reptile propagation facility. A mostly self-regulated industry, the number of people breeding illegally are low. It’s also interesting that very seldom do reptiles show up at animal shelters. Lizards are the next most popular reptile to snakes, followed by turtles and tortoises. Small to mid-size snakes are the most saleable and the Ball Python is the most popular pet snake in the world. Snakes can live from seven to forty years depending on the breed.

Being carnivores, snakes eat rodents, insects and other reptiles. They eat the entire animal which is very nutritious for them Nearby Layne Labs, located in Huasna, sells rodents for snakes in the wholesale market and ships them all over the country. They have a stateof-the-art facility that breeds the rodents.

The rodents are purchased from people for their own reptiles. They are also purchased for zoos, wildlife institutions, and reptile breeders. There are more reptiles kept as pets in this country than dogs and cats combined.

A certified reptile shipper, Kevin ships the reptiles with Fed Ex. They are in insulated boxes especially made for reptiles and he uses either a heat pack or cold pack depending on the weather they will experience.

They are shipped overnight in boxes that contain small airholes, as snakes don’t need a lot of air. Fortunately, no snakes have ever gotten out of the packaging. “Reptiles are

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the best packed items that anyone can ship,” exclaims Kevin.

Kevin only breeds and deals with snakes, as they require less care, less time and less expense than other reptiles. Some of them have names and he can get quite attached to them.

Males can be bred to many females while females can be bred to only one male. He bred a snake that was created from two different morphs. One is called the trick morph and the other is called a lesser platinum. The two produced a baby trick lesser platinum Ball Python.

There is only one of these snakes in the world because of its color and pattern. As a male, the snake is very valuable; Kevin approximates his worth at thousands of dollars. He grins with a lot of pride on this accomplishment. As the Sales Director during the day at Kennedy Club Fitness in San Luis Obispo, Kevin spends his nights and weekends tending to his passion, the mighty pythons.

...his childish fascination was with dinosaurs, that soon faded into his fearless passion for snakes.

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PEOPLE ranch, forcing the Walter family to leave their home and their livelihood. The Walter girls, Alice and Dorothy, were sent to live and work on ranches in the California and Los Osos Valleys. Edwin later went into a partnership with his sister Dorothy, leasing a ranch in the Carrizo Plains. Two of the boys, Elmer and Charles Jr., “went into business for themselves, doing the only thing they knew: heavy machinery.” [from www.walterbros.com]. This was the start of Walter Bros. – a company that will soon celebrate 72 years in business.

Getting to know slo’s

don C. Walter Don’t Call Him “Mr. Walter”

By Susan Stewart

A

tiny yellow bulldozer stands “idling” in front of an equally tiny photograph of the massive landslide that shut down a section of Highway One just south of Big Sur in 1983.

Bulldozer and photo are encased inside a 3-inch-by-3-inch Plexiglass box, and is the last of a hundred such commemorative mementoes handed out to the first motorists to use that section of highway when it reopened in 1984—thanks to the year-long efforts of Walter Bros. Construction. Calling that feat (then known as the Julia Pfeiffer Slide) one of his proudest moments, company President, Don C. Walter recently recalled the events that led up to that moment, and the European roots that set them in motion.

In 1875, Walter’s grandfather, Charles Valter (spelled not with a W but a V) journeyed from his native Germany to arrive at Cayucos with his brother John. Like so many of San Luis Obispo’s early European immigrants, the brothers became dairy farmers, finding their first jobs on the existing cattle ranches that dotted the central coast. With the exception of one year spent joining the other brave but ill-prepared adventurers who moved north during the Alaskan Gold Rush, the brothers did well here. So well, in fact,

Don Walter relaxing on the bench that honors his father.

that Charles eventually bought 6,000 acres of ranch lands on either side of Highway One, where Dairy Creek Golf Course, Camp San Luis Obispo, and Cuesta College are located today. There, they ran about 600 cows, raised hay to feed them, and cultivated gardens to feed their families.

His first wife and baby boy both died during childbirth, but Charles would soon marry again, this time to Mary, Don’s grandmother.

Charles and Mary raised five children, three boys and two girls, on the ranch.

When the Bank of Italy was established in San Luis Obispo near the turn of the last century, Charles became one of its first board members.

In 1923, Charles Sr. died in his sleep during his customary two-hour, after-lunch nap, at the young age of 53. He left his wife and five children to care for the ranch and each other, which they did quite well … for awhile. But World War II would bring life as they knew it to an end when, in 1940, the U.S. government used “eminent domain” to take their

Don’s parents on their wedding day, 1934.

Evelyn, 18 and Charles, 22.

The Walter Boys: Charles, Elmer and Edwin circa 1929 D E C E M B E R

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On a beautiful June day in 1934, 22-year-old Charles Jr. married 18-year-old Evelyn Spreafico at the Mission Church in San Luis Obispo.

Together, they raised two children, a daughter Shirley and a son, Don – widely known to friends, colleagues, and family alike as “Donnie.” Evelyn just celebrated her 96th birthday and still lives in the little house on Chorro Street where Donnie was born and raised.

“I was so fortunate to have grown up in SLO during the ‘50s and ‘60s,” said Walter, whose working life began at the age of 9. “I made one of those shoe shine boxes in shop class,” he said. “And I took it to the Greyhound Bus Station downtown on weekends and during the summers. I remember I charged 25 cents for a shoe shine.”

Calling her a “great mom,” Walter remembers that his mother took just one job while he was growing up. She helped make and deliver sandwiches to students and staff at Cal Poly.

Longtime locals will remember Corcoran’s Restaurant, a downtown fixture for years.

Owners Bob and Margaret Corcoran were contracted by the college to supply food, and Evelyn was hired by the Corcorans to assist.

At 11, Donnie went to work on his cousin’s ranch in Chowchilla, irrigating the cotton

The Julia Pfeiffer Slide

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two companies has long been over, and Walter says that before his death, Alex had become a good friend. “We even worked some jobs together,” he added.

In 1969, Charles bought his brother Elmer out and at that point he and his son, Donnie, became partners. In 1978, Donnie stepped into the president’s seat when his father succumbed to lung cancer. “At 34, I was ready,” said Walter. “My dad was a super hard worker who made some great friends during his career. He taught me that the key is to surround yourself with really great people, and I’ve got the best.”

The Walter family: Crystal, Don, Nancy and Tyler

fields during the summer months when school was not in session. At 13, he also began working for his father at the construction company, cleaning offices on weekends. Walter played baseball (2nd base) and graduated from SLO High in 1961. He enrolled at Cal Poly the following fall, but half way through his degree in Business Administration, he found he was needed full-time at the company. By now, Charles Walter and Alex Madonna were bidding for the same jobs, and business was booming.

“We’ve always been a freeway and bridge company; not houses,” Walter explains. “My father loved construction, especially moving dirt.”

Walter Bros. won the bids to build the Madonna Road and Los Osos overpasses in 1961 and 1963. Donnie came into the business just as those and other big projects got underway. The rivalry between the

In 1986, a pretty young woman who worked for the State of California came to work in Walter’s building, and by 1989, they were married. Their children, Crystal (now 21) and Tyler (18) attended Mission College Prep, where Tyler is a senior. Crystal attends the University of San Diego and is undecided about her career just yet. Walter has two daughters from a previous marriage, Susan and Krissy (now in their 40s). “I am so proud of all four of my children,” said Walter. “They’ve all done very well.”

Okay, but will the fourth generation step up and take over this 70-year-old company? Donnie thinks so, but just who it will be is not yet certain. In the meantime, Donnie Walter continues to contribute to the richly-layered legacy begun more than 135 years ago when his grandfather stepped onto a California beach.

“I have a friend who doesn’t like to be addressed as ‘Mr.’” he says with a smile. “I’m the same way. Whenever someone calls me “Mr. Walter,” I always look behind me and think, “I don’t see my Dad anywhere, do you?”

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PEOPLE

huttle up Rachel Perez – Harvesting a dream

By Bob Huttle

“Our deep respect for the land and its harvest is the legacy of generations of farmers who put food on our tables, preserved our landscape, and inspired us with a powerful work ethic.”

---James H. Douglas On pretty much any given Saturday morning she’s there working by herself, in the Promenade parking lot, her array of beautiful vegetables set out for regular customers like me, or visitors delighted to find a farmers’ market in front of Staples and World Market. Her hand-lettered sign lists what’s available and a well-worn scale hangs near the work truck which she had fired up at 6 a.m. Set-up starts at 7 and people pour in until 10:30, when she and the other sellers pack up and move on. But she’s not finished. Another job tonight beckons her, and then tomorrow through Thursday a third job requires her attention. Rachel Perez is the young lady with this whirl-wind life and she loves every minute of it.

I met Rachel while she was a student at San Luis Obispo High School.

I never had her in one of my classes, but I kept hearing about her from teachers who sang her praises. Words like “joyful,” “determined,” “well-respected,” “enthusiastic,” “organized,” “hard-working,” and “dependable” were common. Sometimes I’d pass her in the hallway, say “hi” as I usually did with any student, and she would cheerfully chirp “HI” in return. (An editorial aside: On many occasions over the past couple of years of my career, I would say hello to students who were oftentimes plugged into ipods or cell phones – yes these were allowed on campus, sad to say – and in those cases, I was invisible, the silent student never even looking up). I knew right away that I was in the presence of a special young lady.

I didn’t really understand just how talented and capable Rachel was until I started to talk with her on Saturday mornings. Not only was she knowledgeable about her vegetables and friendly to her customers, she was also in love with food and cooking. I discovered that she had been working on her family’s farm in Los Osos since age 8 when her life took a turn toward her future. After farmers’ market, Rachel and her father,

The Perez family farm D E C E M B E R

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Chef Rachel at the Lido

Mauro, regularly supplied tomatoes to Mama Maria Rizzo at Café Roma.

Never one to hesitate, Rachel one day asked Maria if she could work for Café Roma. Mama told Rachel to come see her when she turned fifteen.

And Rachel did – on her birthday – and began bussing tables. Owner and son Marco Rizzo remembers: “She was a quick learner and energetic, [who] out-bussed, out-ran, and out-smiled any of our bussing staff.

[Eventually] she graduated to being a server and was equally competent and energetic.” Rachel remembers “I loved the passion for food shown by the Rizzo family. They gave me the opportunity I needed to start in the restaurant business.” She still works many Saturday dinner shifts.

Watching the Food Network and reading about food, restaurants, and cooking became part of Rachel’s routine. But there were new opportunities awaiting her; at age sixteen, Maegan Loring, caterer extraordinaire and restaurant magnate, took Rachel under her wing at The Neon Carrot.

Rachel was immediately immersed in all aspects of running a restaurant.

Rachel fondly recalls: “I eventually did the ordering, prepped on the line, experimented with flavors, helped with catering, closed and cleaned up.

Maegan gave me confidence and I felt like part of her family.” I can’t tell you how grateful I am to her and [husband] Jeff. Her passion for food inspired me.” And, I would suggest, Rachel may have inspired Maegan to perform a selfless act. You see, recently Maegan heard through the grapevine that Brian Collins, the new executive chef at the upscale Lido Restaurant, was looking for a new member of his kitchen staff. Maegan suggested Rachel for the job, knowing she might be losing a valued employee. As Maegan tells it “I have hired several kids who grew up on family farms and I must say, they all seemed to have a great work ethic. Add to that farmers’ market, and these kids are great at multitasking, thinking on

Rachel with her fresh produce

PEOPLE their feet, and dealing with adults. Rachel is all of these things and more. She strives for perfection and expects it from those around her.”

A phone call and interview later, Rachel was hired at Lido, one of the most highlyregarded restaurants on the Central Coast.

She began in the pantry, making salads, appetizers and desserts, grilling quail(!), blending sauces and glazes, and plating entrees before they left the kitchen. “I am learning all aspects of the professional kitchen – and I mean this is PROFESSIONAL. I’m con-

stantly amazed at what Chef Brian creates.

I’ve now been promoted to Saute Chef. It’s more pressure, more responsibility and more FUN!” Says Brian: “Rachel comes with a strong work ethic and an open mind. She is a quick learner and puts a lot of thought into the food she makes. I am excited to see what the future has in store for this naturally talented and charmingly-humble chef.”

FUN; there’s a key word I’ve forgotten to mention about Rachel. She’s discovered, at age nineteen, that work can be fun. If only everyone

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felt this way. Rachel’s dream: “To own my own restaurant someday, maybe start here in SLO County and then expand. I want to offer people fresh, sustainable, global cuisine, changing all the time, always keeping it delicious.”

A recent poll published in the L.A.Times shows that 77% of young adults polled believe that they can still achieve “the American Dream.”

Undoubtedly, Rachel Perez is one of them.

Bob Huttle can be reached at rhuttle@charter. net. As always, he welcomes your comments.

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PEOPLE Part 2

david jackson: COming home

By Natasha Dalton

“The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For man it’s to know that and to wonder at it.” ---Jacques Yves Cousteau Paso Robles is known for its wineries, farms and restaurants. But it also has a hidden treasure that, I’m convinced, can soon become as much of a must-see attraction for all locals and their guests, as the Hearst Castle or Madonna Inn. I am talking about Zoo to You. You have to agree that it’s rather unusual for a small town to boast a zoo that is comparable in size and number of animals to those in big cities. Besides, this zoo, built by an industry veteran and the Director of Conservation Ambassadors Inc., David Jackson, is like no other zoo you’ve seen before.

Those of you who’re against keeping animals in captivity as a matter of principle, please rest easy. David’s zoo is first and foremost a sanctuary for injured, abused or abandoned wildlife. It’s also a cool interactive educational center.

David and his very mobile zoo have spent many years traveling the country, and are well known and respected in the industry. At this point, they could easily choose a path of “rich and famous” – if only David would yield to calls from Hollywood and commercial TV producers to use his animals in movies and popular sitcoms. But it’s not going to happen. Zoo to You is a non-profit, which doesn’t stray from its mission of conservation and education, and which abhors animal exploitation in any shape or form.

The fact that smart people have smarter pets is easy to explain: these people know that their animals look to them for clues on behavior.

Incredibly, this obvious point hasn’t always been recognized in the industry, and, until recently, you were more likely to see city employees, rather than career professionals, taking care of the zoo inhabitants.

That’s why David Jackson has always wanted to build a different type of a zoo. “Traditional zoos don’t provide much education,” David laments. “You walk through it; you read a sign – that’s it. Docents?

They’re rarely there, and in any case, they’re certainly not there all day, and they’re mostly retired people, who don’t have education in the field.”

Now, bigger zoos offer shows. Many of those who live on the Central Coast have seen The Birds of Prey Show, or The African Animals Show at the San Diego Zoo – created, incidentally, by David and his crew.

The animals and staff at Zoo to You are used to being on-stage; they enjoy interactions with people and, once the invitation is received, they can start a new program instantly. “In our shows we’ve had animals that nobody ever used before: a gazelle, a warthog, a zebra, a hyrax …” But David isn’t interested in just doing shows. His goal has always been building the whole zoo around the idea of interaction and education, where every visitor has the opportunity to turn from a passive observer into an enthusiastic wild-life admirer and supporter.

David finds particular pleasure in “blowing peoples’ minds” by busting outdated clichés about ‘gross,’ ‘stupid’ or ‘un-trainable’ animals.

Do you say, “Warthogs are too nasty to deal with?” – At Zoo to You you’ll find them to be sweet as puppies. “Porcupines cannot be trained?” – Here, they don’t mind being touched and even picked up.

Falcons and hawks have long been used in falconry – which is hunting or simulated hunting: going after a lure, diving into a pool and getting a fish. Zoo to You trains hawks like parrots. “Why not teach hawks to wave, paint or do a backflip?” David asks. “We know they enjoy learning.” Learning evokes a sense of pleasure. “There’s been tons of research done about that: birds’ serotonin levels go up; stress hormone levels go down. They release endorphins,” David says.

So why – I hear you say – haven’t we heard about this unusual zoo before? Actually, you most likely have. Zoo to You does many forms of outreach, including academic programs and internships. At this point there isn’t a school in the area that hasn’t held at least one assembly with David’s animals in it. In fact, after twenty years of operation, he’s now meeting the children of those who first saw him when they were kids themselves.

Jackson with a Livesthruit D E C E M B E R

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“It’s like, ‘Oh, I have to take responsibility that my child is bugging me when I’m on the phone?’” David says. “Yes, you’re an adult and you’re training your child; right?” At least, that’s the way it’s supposed to work.

And the first thing in teaching – whether it’s your kids, or your animals – is to show them how to learn. “When they don’t know how to learn – which is this: you’re asking for a certain behavior, they give it to you, and you reinforce it. At first, they don’t get the process. So when you first start doing it, they are surprised; they are thinking about it,” David explains.

Good training doesn’t involve physical manipulation. If you’re teaching your dog to sit, pushing him to the ground won’t help. “You wait for your animal to get close to sitting, and you reward it;” David instructs. “His butt is touching the ground? You go with full reenforcement: it’s exactly what I want you to do!”

Bird Training

Jackson with an African Porcupine

Zoo to You is significantly bigger than the Atascadero Zoo, both in size and the number of animals, and has three facilities nation-wide.

Always on the road, David, until recently, has been too busy for visitors in Paso Robles: the 300 animals there didn’t even have cages. Now Zoo to You has changed that, and made its local premises public-friendly.

“We see our future as more of a You to Zoo than the other way around,” David jokes. “We want to give local residents a chance to experience what we do and what they cannot experience anywhere else,” David continues. “Those who live here want to have interesting things to do, and we want to give them this opportunity. We’re not going to be open to the public, of the ‘Come-at-your-will, betweenthe-hours-of-10-and-2’ type. We’ve got tours, we’ve got shows, we’ve got animal experience Tuesday through Sunday, but we don’t want to be a take-it-at-your-leisure zoo. We want to give you an interactive, educational, totally awesome experience.”

“You join the club when you come here,” David says. “You can join for a day or for a year, but you’ll become one of us. You’re not going pay five bucks and buy popcorn here. Our goal is to make sure that you’ll be walking away wanting to do more to help save these magnificent animals.”

In its interactive presentations, Zoo to You is following the model it used before in the Cincinnati Zoo, the San Diego Zoo and the Columbus Zoo, where it had its own successful shows. At these places visitors don’t feel that an animals’ entire existence is to be an object. Instead, the public learns to appreciate the animals’ grace and intelligence.

“The second we walk into the zoo, we’re training,” David says about the nature of his work. Animals seek attention, and whatever behavior we reward with our attention, that will be the behavior the animal will exhibit in the future. That’s why scolding your dog for digging, chewing, or barking at the guests will only redouble his efforts. It doesn’t mean he’s stupid; it means that you need to train him not to do things you don’t like.

“When you’re just beginning training, they don’t get it,” David continues. “Then they process it. They come back for another session, and you see: they got it. Then the next trick becomes easier, and pretty soon you get an animal that can do dozens of interesting things… and it now literally takes minutes to teach him the next behavior. They’ve learned how to learn. We call it ‘the game;’ they get the joke; it’s fun for everyone.”

Zoo to You has thousands of die-hard supporters. “This county rocks,” David says. “Every time we faced a misfortune, like the fire we had one year, this community stepped up to the plate.”

Now this rare zoo invites county residents to its Paso Robles facility and promises to make the visit fun for everyone.

For more, go to www.zootoyou.com; tel.: (805) 391-0604 Update on Dental Care

Today’s Dentistry…

Going after life full-blast!

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eauty is in the eye of the beholder, yes. And so is self-esteem.

The darkened tooth that drives o n e i n d iv id u a l Dr. Dassenko crazy may matter little to another. You may have a space between your front teeth that, rather than distract from your appearance, is rather engaging.

A goo d cosmet ic dent a l practice considers your selfimage, as you see it. Fine cosmetic dentistry is not so much about creating “per fection,” but minimizing the defects that interfere with your personal success. Defects that may prevent a smile from coming naturally.

So dialogue between you and your dentist is key. You’ll carefully explain what you see that needs shoring up. And the dentist, after

consultation, translates that need into a realistic result.

And the translation can be breath-taking. New whitening techniques can brighten teeth visibly in a very short amount of time. A bond here, a bond there, reshapes a chipped tooth in a single visit. Porcelain veneers are a newer option for contouring front teeth.

Ou r pract ice bel ieves i n consult at ion a nd eva luat ion before we begin. We get “inside your head” as far as we can to determine what treatment is best for you. We’re here to answer your questions—give us a call.

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

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PEOPLE

Talent (not necessity) is the mother of invention

...the greg schifano story Part 2

By Susan Stewart

I

n Part I of this story, which appeared in last month’s issue of The Journal, we met long-time San Luis Obispo resident, Greg Schifano. We heard about his Sicilian roots and early influences, the ground-breaking designs and gutsy decisions that defined his life. As this inventor, businessman, musician, and father of three moved into his thirties, the 1960s lived up to its reputation as a turbulent decade, for the country and for him.

Having invented a multi-density foam that led to the design of the original auto head-rest and the bucket seat, Schifano’s auto upholstery business had grown – and fast! His plant was now producing and selling headrests, bucket seats, sun visors, seatbelts, auto carpets, and convertible tops to companies like Pep Boys, Western Auto, and Sears. But a false accusation from a disgruntled employee would prompt an FBI investigation that dogged Schifano for years before the case was finally resolved and he was exonerated.

Schifano bought another factory, this time in Watts, and hired a hundred African Americans to staff it. He’d been deeply affected by the now-famous lines of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country … ask what together we can do for the freedom of man.” Schifano answered that call by participating in a new government program that encouraged business owners to hire minorities, especially African Americans.

In the summer of 1964, that neighborhood exploded into violence and rage during the now-infamous Watts riots. His own employees burned the factory and all the trucks—loaded with merchandise—to the ground. Schifano took his six remaining employees and moved his operation to Linwood. (Though he was furious at the time, today Schifano holds no bitterness about what happened. He said he understands the frustration and oppression that fueled those riots.) But the pressure of that loss and its mounting debt took a terrible toll. At age 35, Schifano suffered a stroke that left his right side severely impaired and stole his movie-star good looks. In time, he would recover both, but back then, “I thought it was all over for me,” he said, and he slipped into a depression.

His wife, Joanne, would have none of it. She urged her husband to embark on something he’d always wanted to do—become a pilot.

Tentatively at first, Schifano began lurking about the El Monte airport. In less than a year, he’d not only earned his pilot’s license, but had rebuilt a small plane, an Aronca Chief, from a box of disorganized parts. “That plane saved my life,” he said quietly. Now, he was ready to make a bigger change.

Smart businessmen make a habit of visiting their clients at least once a year, and Schifano had taken numerous trips to San Luis Obispo. He loved the small-town friendliness he found at places like the Budget Café; and he longed to replace the dreary greyness of his smog-filled LA days with the vivid blues and vibrant greens of this sweet small town. “I love trees,” he said, with a fervor that explains the avocado ranch he would eventually purchase here.

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Scouting about for a job, Schifano was told he was over-qualified.

So he bought a defunct gas station on South Higuera and opened up Schifano Auto Upholstery. Two years later, he sold that to open a bigger shop, San Luis Upholstery and Fabric Supply, which he ran for 17 years. Though they moaned and groaned at first, Joanne and his children eventually grew to love it here and everyone thrived.

In 1971, Schifano bought a 15-acre avocado ranch on property off Righetti Road at the south side of town. For a while, true to his “TypeA” personality, he operated the fabric store, cultivated world-class avocados, sang in numerous quartets, and built a sound studio called BridgeCreek Studios—all at the same time.

Which brings us to his lifelong love of music. Early on, back in Arcadia, a couple of Schifano’s customers paid him a surprise visit and “caught” him singing as he swept out the shop. Recognizing a great voice when they heard one, they urged him to join their a capella singing group. He’s been singing, coaching, and recording ever since.

Today, the “Wall of Quartets” at BridgeCreek Studios displays framed photos of the many quartets he has formed over the years.

“Growing up with my Dad was like growing up with a famous entertainer,” said daughter Linda, “minus the famous part.” But brushes with celebrities happened often. He still has the recording he made with then-unknown singer Linda Ronstadt, for example, in the ‘60s. “I was waiting outside a Los Angeles sound studio and heard this young woman rehearsing with her two buddies,” he recalls. “They were missing a baritone, so I got recruited.”

As music and invention began to take up more and more of his time, Schifano gave up the downtown store to concentrate on his trees and his family. Daughter Linda and son Vincent enjoy telling tales about growing up Schifano. “I mean what kid grows up with a helicopter

Schifano’s fully restored RCA Victrola

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that arches gracefully over the reed-filled koi pond, and two spacious cages for the doves and pigeons he calls “the girls.”

In the studio, there’s an old Victrola—fully restored—from his grandmother’s parlor, and the antique portable record player that was his parents’ sole wedding present. Hundreds of records, tapes, and cds fill the shelves, and sheet music dances above a mirrored wall. Every imaginable type and vintage of recording equipment shares space with two computer screens, one of them housing an

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electronic catalogue of the 300,000 songs he has collected over a lifetime. And of course, in the center of the room, there is the red velvet baby grand piano.

It’s the perfect symbol of the quality craftsmanship that defined his career, and the music that was his first true love. Schifano’s life has been guided by the uncomplicated belief that we’re here to learn. And at the suggestion that he’s a lucky man, he grins and says, “Oh yeah.

The harder I work, the luckier I get!”

hanging next to the salamis drying in their garage?” said Linda. Or finds a clay mockup of an auto headrest cheerfully baking in the family oven?

Tragedy struck the Schifano family when middle child, David, was killed in a car crash.

He was barely out of high school. The close and resilient family would recover, but to this day, Schifano has difficulty talking about that day. Eventually, Linda and Vincent married and had families of their own, giving their father 5 grandchildren, and now 7 greatgrandchildren. Linda lives locally; Vincent has made his home in Northern California.

In 1999, what became known as The Great Freeze wiped out the entire avocado orchard— trees, crop, and all, and Schifano has not replanted. Instead, he spends time in the studio, recording for other singers (“If my father has a weakness, it’s that he can’t say ‘no’ to anyone,” says daughter Linda); and collecting and cataloguing songs. His collection does not discriminate by era: Vintage Sinatra from the ‘40s and Edye Gormé from the ‘60s share equal space with post-millennium rock groups U2 and Smash Mouth.

Schifano’s beloved Joanne died of cancer in 2003, and while Schifano can barely speak a sentence without mentioning her, he is as busy as ever. Today, a cavernous metal warehouse just a few steps away from the studio houses the 17 patents Schifano acquired, a lifetime’s worth of inventions. You’ll also find three electric motorcycles imported from China, an old Honda he plans to use as parts for his latest project, and a battalion of wellorganized tools and files. Outside are a Japanese garden complete with a wooden bridge D E C E M B E R

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HOME/OUTDOOR

retirement road trip dreams can come true

By Will Jones

T

here are two kinds of dreams: sleeping and waking.

Sleeping dreams can be exciting, scary, confusing, but have little to do with reality. All my life I’ve dreamed of flying, lifting off on my own power and soaring over earth and sea. Not going to happen.

Waking dreams are different. They might possibly come true. As a boy I dreamed of playing center field for the Philadelphia Phillies. For a year or two it was possible, if not probable.

Now I’m sixty-three. I still dream of playing center field for the Phillies. No chance.

Which dreams can come true? What does it feel like when a dream comes true? This article is about two dreams that recently came true for me.

I started my dream career in education later than most. I was almost thirty-eight when hired to teach English at Los Osos Middle School in 1986. I transferred to San Luis Obispo High School in 1989, enhancing my dream by teaching literary greats like Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Austen, Blake, Wordsworth, and many others.

As my family grew and responsibilities increased, I felt the need to earn more money.

Luckily, I also had an interest in educational leadership. At fifty, half way through my career, I went back to school to earn an administrative credential. Soon I was out of the classroom and into the main office. I missed teaching, but I was excited about a new challenge.

Will and Melinda Jones at Canyon de Chelly

A few years later I accepted the ultimate challenge: becoming a high school principal.

What followed were the nine most demanding, inspiring, exhausting, rewarding years of my life. I am immensely grateful I had the opportunity to lead the San Luis Obispo High School community from 2002-2011.

Like all workers, I imagine, I dreamed of someday retiring and having time to pursue other interests. That dream became more real for me after experiencing a health setback in 2010. Two arteries in my heart were almost closed, one of them, the left anterior descending artery, also known as “the widow maker.” Wonderfully metaphorical for an English teacher. Acknowledging the role of stress in heart disease, my cardiologist and I agreed it might be time to think about a different way to spend my days. I did the footwork and in February announced my June retirement.

My dream-come-true officially started on July 1st. I planned three adventures: white water rafting with two of my sons in July; backpacking with a friend in August; a late September/early October road trip

Shell Beach

750 Mattie Rd. 773-1892

Paso Robles 1234 Park St. 238-2233

San Luis Obispo 686 Higuera St. 541-0686

Arroyo Grande 133 Bridge St. 481-1700

or online at: www.mclintocks.com

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Steamers of Pismo 1601 Price St. Pismo Beach 773-4711

Grand Canyon Condor

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and a certain amount of intertribal conflict as well. Regardless, it wasn’t hard to imagine a time when Canyon de Chelly was a peaceful, cultivated Garden of Eden for American Indians.

Later we hiked to the White House Ruins on our own, the only selfguided hike allowed in the canyon. Abandoned sandstone and mortar ruins yielded no easy answers about the people who left suddenly early in the 13th century. While the Grand Canyon suggested timelessness, Canyon de Chelly whispered a quiet message of impermanence.

Grand Canyon

through the Southwest with my wife, Melinda, including visits to the Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelly and Mesa Verde, places I’d always dreamed of visiting.

How does a dream-come-true feel? When living a dream, as while hiking down the South Kaibab Trail from the south rim of the Grand Canyon and seeing a condor perched on a rock seven feet above my head, I experienced a reality where all senses were alive in ways that transcend everyday reality. In “Ode to a Nightingale,” Keats writes, “Was it a vision, or a waking dream? Do I wake or sleep?” The line between dream and reality blurs.

Such was our experience throughout our journey to the Southwest.

The Grand Canyon’s immense grandeur, the staggering work of two billion years, is overwhelming, thrilling, humbling. Standing near the edge I felt the surge of adrenaline from excitement and fear that urges you to back up but also look again, to feel safe but take a risk. Moments of profound quiet, peace and well-being accompanied hiking into the Canyon. Over two-and-a half days, Melinda and I walked almost every foot of the south rim, and we never grew tired of the spectacle. I felt like a better person for having experienced the Canyon’s endless beauty.

We then traveled to Canyon de Chelly, arriving with time to check into the Thunderbird Lodge and drive the south rim overlook road.

The canyon is on the Navajo Reservation and the Navajo oversee everything in the park. We had already booked a half-day tour for the following day, so we spent the afternoon on our own.

Canyon de Chelly is two main canyons and many side canyons extending for over twenty miles east of Chinle, Arizona. Red sandstone cliffs gradually rise one thousand feet above the canyon floor. Navajo farmers still live in the canyon. Ancient ruins rest next to small corn fields. Hogans squat in the cool, quiet canyon light. After the immensity of the Grand Canyon, it took a while to adjust to the intimacy of this new wonder. At sunset we found ourselves overlooking Spider Rock, an 800’ sandstone pillar casting its long shadow against the canyon wall. We had reached the highest point of the mesa. Thunder and lightning emanated from a wall of rain and clouds to the east. A magnificent sunset illuminated high broken clouds to the west. Once again dream and reality blended. Sublime beauty surrounded us.

Driving to Mesa Verde, climbing higher onto the Colorado Plateau, the landscape changed from harsh desert and dramatic sandstone formations, to green pastures, juniper and pinon forests, small rivers and far off snowcapped peaks. It was refreshing, especially with the crisp fall air and autumn light. After stopping for supplies in Cortez, we drove due east to Mesa Verde National Park, an International Heritage site.

We found almost no one on the park road as we gradually climbed to over 8000’. Turnouts yielded panoramic views of the Four Corners region. Eventually we arrived at the Mesa Verde Visitor’s Center, next to the Far View Lodge where we were staying. We spent time getting oriented and checking in, and then started driving to self-guided destinations on the well-paved park roads.

Soon we were peering into deep canyons, viewing amazing sandstone cliff dwellings embedded far above the canyon floor and below the canyon rim. Questions flooded us about the technology, logistics and sheer courage involved in building and occupying these small communities in the rock. A self-guided hike brought us inside our first cliff dwelling, Spruce Tree House, where we were able to climb down a ladder into a kiva and closely inspect the architecture. For the next two days we immersed ourselves in the ruins of the vanished Anasazi culture.

Inhabited since around 550 AD, over centuries the Anasazi settled into an agricultural lifestyle on Mesa Verde, inhabiting pit houses, pueblos and, for the last 100 years from 1100-1200, cliff dwellings. Theories abound for why they suddenly migrated south to present day Arizona and New Mexico: drought, overcrowding and warfare predominate.

Defense against aggression is one theory about the creation of the cliff dwellings. Park rangers provided abundant information on guided tours to Cliff Palace and Balcony House. We felt a sense of connection and community with the people who once lived there, like privileged guests with a responsibility to honor and respect our ghostly hosts.

At the end of our journey we spent three wonderful days visiting artist friends in the little town of Norwood, Colorado. Brilliant aspens filled the yard of their country house, mule deer grazed in the surrounding meadows. We awoke one morning and witnessed a double rainbow arced over the Wright’s Mesa countryside. It was time to go home. One lifetime, many dreams.

The next morning we departed for our tour with our guide David and 11 other eager tourists. We rode in an open four wheel truck with room for twenty. As we bounced along dry sandy washes and through groves of cottonwoods, David pointed out cliff ruins and many beautiful pictograms and petroglyphs. We disembarked in various places to view larger ruins up close, and David recited the history of Canyon de Chelly and answered our questions. Unfortunately, the history included horror stories involving Spanish and American conquerors,

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S L O home design district

Great Holiday Craft Projects For Families

lasting gifts and keepsakes that set you apart from the crowd.

Make sure you have plenty of craft supplies on hand that are appropriate for all ages.

Provide glitter, paint, ribbon, fabric, popsicle sticks, crayons and paper -- and get to work! You can either work without direction, creating ideas from scratch, or provide your guests with instructions for specific projects.

By Statepoint Media

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ow is the time to plan and decorate for the holidays. From adorning the Christmas tree, to taking a family photo for greeting cards, it can be a challenge to create a unique experience while staying on a budget.

You can, however, meet both these goals by taking a DIY (do-it-yourself) approach.

The best part about doing it yourself is the memorable moments you spend with your loved ones. This is after all, the reason for the season. Also, as a family, you can create

Decorating with pine cones and creating paper chain garlands from old magazines are a few ideas to get you started. And the terrific thing is these supplies are free!

For creative inspiration, there are a number of websites that provide step by step instructions for creating homemade holiday décor. Kids, grandparents, uncles, cousins, everybody can participate, no matter what their skill level.

This get-together can also double as a perfect photo opportunity. It’s easy to get

a family portrait when you have everyone gathered in one place. And the holidays are the best time to share family photos with friends. Use these photos to create Christmas cards, ornaments and personalized bookmarks and notebooks.

Or create greeting cards and Christmas ornaments that are unique and crafty. There are several websites that can spin a unique twist on your photos so they really stand out in the sea of holiday greetings that adorn your family’s and friends’ refrigerators or your Christmas tree. For example, www.snapily.com gives your photographs 3D-depth and a flip-book style animated effect (i.e., two images flip as you rotate the card back and forth) to convey emotion and humor. So don’t be afraid to plan something a little goofy for that photo shoot.

With a little craftiness, and a little wit, you can really customize the look and feel of your holiday this year.

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A proud tradition of serving our community for over 26 years

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Newer kitchen with

granite counters, newer quality appliances, wood floors. 4th bedroom suite on 2nd floor is perfect for guest quarters, mother-in law, has own full bath. Windows and exterior doors have been replaced. Stained glass in several higher windows. Gas fireplace in living room, master bath completely remodeled including fixtures, lighting and tile. Must see to appreciate. $599,000 #2876

California Mission Style AVILA BEACH – Beautiful 3 bedroom, 3 bath home

located in desirable San Luis Bay Estates. Spacious master suite is located on main level featuring walk-in closet and luxurious master bath. Two additional bedrooms are located on the upper level with large bonus room providing a great option for office, den, or play area. Home is situated on large corner lot with beautiful landscaping, flagstone walkways, patio areas and gorgeous views of oak studded hills. $689,000 #2931

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Located on cul-de-sac

ATASCADERO – Beauty with a backyard you will LOVE!! Pool, built-in BBQ, covered patio, large yard and dog run... what more could you want?

Located at the end of the cul-de-sac with a very private feel. This fantastic property features 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, tile floors, granite counters and high end appliances. A utility room has been built inside the garage for extra storage or work space.

A detached carport lines the property for all of your toys... truly a wonderful HOME!! $395,000 #2925

ATASCADERO – Hidden just outside of Santa

street close to shopping, hiking trails, and municipal golf course. Newer area of San Luis Obispo with many large custom homes. Adjacent to open space with wildlife sightings such as wild turkeys quite common. $609,000 #2877

Margarita you will find this great REO property.

This country home features 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths sprawled over approximately 2,500 square feet, 3 car garage. With room to roam and nature at your fingertips, what more could you want? $424,000 #2929

Spectacular Ocean View Estate

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Breathtaking 16 Acre Country

Estate featuring a classic Victorian Farmhouse home perched on a hilltop with stunning views.

The nearly 3,000 sf main home is accompanied by a large detached barn with guest quarters and lush gardens. With its prime location, immaculate living spaces, and stunning landscape – this property is truly a rare find! $1,595,000 #2887

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24

HOME/OUTDOOR

at the market cranberry Kuchen

By Sarah Hedger

T

here is no denying it, as we find ourselves in December, a sense of tradition fills our homes, especially our kitchens. While there are many traditions outside the kitchen, we are fortunate there are many to be found in the kitchen. There is something to be said about the foods and meals that infiltrate our lives this time of year. Some are family dishes that have been enjoyed for generations and some are recent additions that are just beginning their trip down memory lane.

More often than not, the dishes, at least the ones that are produce-based, have seasonal roots. Pumpkins, cranberries, potatoes, brussel sprouts, green beans, apples...are all ingredients that are abundant during winter

time and thus not hard to imagine how they found themselves into our traditional holiday feasts. Fortunately, we can find outstanding seasonal ingredients for our holiday meals this time of year on the Central Coast at our own local farmers markets.

always needed as a large percentage of it ends up in disappointing places, such as landfills or the ocean or somewhere amongst Mother Nature. Why buy green beans frozen in a bag when you can buy them fresh?

On a related side note, we recently found ourselves doing some anonymous trash pick-up on one of our favorite trails because someone had dumped a truck full of garbage. I mention this because the majority of garbage was in the form of food bags and bread bags. It brings me back to thinking, why do we need all this packaging? If we have local growers for our produce (we do) and local bakers for our bread (we do), why do we need packaged produce and sliced bread? Regardless, we do what we

In seeking the best ingredients for the holidays, it is important to pay particular notice to the produce and what form it is in when we purchase it. Are the green beans frozen?

And if so, where did they come from? Are the cranberries in a can? And if so, where did they come from? Not so much where were they packaged, but where was it either grown or produced? The other thing to notice is the packaging surrounding these foods that isn’t

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can and continue to be inspired by all the amazing foods that are produced here in our region, all year long! This month’s recipe, Cranberry Kuchen, is a tradition from my family. I think it started with my mom sometime during my early childhood years, but it continues strong and no Christmas brunch has been without this amazing treat. It is easy to make and best enjoyed the next day as it gives the flavors time to meld (and time to enjoy Christmas morning). Look for cranberries grown organically and/or as close to home as possible as they will taste best having traveled the least miles, which in the produce world especially, is always a good thing. While there aren’t any cranberries being grown on the Central Coast (correct me if you know of any), there are some great ones coming out of the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy the Cranberry Kuchen and wishing you a very warm, wonderful holiday season!

cranberry kuchen (Coffeecake) For the kuchen: 2 ½ cups flour (for a Gluten free version, use 1c.brown rice flour,1c. sorghum flour,1/2 c.tapioca starch) 1 T. baking powder ½ tsp salt 2 eggs 1 cup milk or milk substitute (almond, rice, or soy milk) ½ cup plain yogurt or buttermilk 2 T. canola or other oil ½ cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 T. orange zest 4 cups cranberries

For the Streusel (crumb topping) 1 ½ cups flour 1 cup sugar 6 T. butter ¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg ½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 13x9 (preferably pyrex or ceramic) baking dish.

Sift or whisk flour, baking powder, and salt into small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, yogurt (or buttermilk), canola oil, sugar, vanilla, and orange zest until thoroughly mixed and sugar is beginning to dissolve. Fold in dry ingredients and gently stir until just incorporated. Pour into prepared dish and roll pan from side to side so batter evenly coats the bottom of the dish. In a food processor, finely shop cranberries and evenly place over batter in prepared dish.

Clean processor and add all streusel ingredients and process until butter is in fine pieces (should represent coarse/moist sand). Pour over cranberries and spread evenly, covering cranberries in their entirety. Place in oven and bake for one hour or until middle of cake is firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool. Cake can be made a day in advance and may even taste better the next day.

Makes 8 good size pieces of kuchen. *Feel free to email me at sarah@seasonalalchemist.com if you have any food-related questions and find this recipe (as well as more seasonal-ness) at www.seasonalalchemist.com

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COMMUNITY

SLO county art scene Bruce everett: in the landscape

Family and Cosmetic Dentistry

C

By Gordon Fuglie

onventional landscape paintings – and there are many of these on the art market – are workmanlike transcriptions of the painter’s encounter with the scene in front of him. The mountain, lake, river, cove, etc. simply becomes the subject to be captured, or re-presented, in more or less accurate terms by the artist. Such paintings are pleasant, but offer few surprises, as the image is meant to reassure both artist and viewer.

They make art viewing a stable and predictable activity, much like imbibing a bottle of $5.99 red wine from Trader Joe’s – not that bad.

By contrast, Templeton landscape painter Bruce Everett, à la the Apple marketing campaign, likes to “think different.” His monumental oil paintings of Southern and Central California vistas have always been about his abiding respect for the land, a ruminative encounter with river courses, cliffs and gently rolling hills, places where Everett has paused to experience the “extraordinary clashing and melding of textures, polarities of light and dark, and variety of colors and shapes.” He reckons with the regional landscape from a distinct understanding that combines the “formal and sensual.” This is a more reflective, emotional and nuanced approach to the painting of natural terrain than most landscape artists who are content with achieving the picturesque, an outcome that externalizes the subject. In other words, conventional landscape art gives the viewer a “take away.” Before a large vista by Everett, however, we find ourselves taken in – and then out to a wider and deeper realm of experiencing ourselves in the land.

Now 69, Bruce Everett started as an abstract expressionist painter, but by the time he received his MFA from UC Santa Barbara in 1968, he had taught himself to be a realist. Landing a tenure-track teaching

Bruce Everett D E C E M B E R

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COMMUNITY vironment (SLOPE) and shows his paintings at group events around the county.

Hills of Creston

position in 1970 at Cal State Northridge (where he taught until retiring in 2005), Everett’s tightly focused but large luminous paintings of small reflective objects – a box of shiny tacks, a foil gum wrapper, a glass door knob – got him associated with Photorealism, a rising reaction against loose, gestural abstract painting and its seeming lack of content.

By the late 1970s, Everett changed his focus, turning from ordinary man-made subjects to portraying the California landscape. During the 1980s he loosened up his brush strokes, adopting a more painterly style. In turn this approach encouraged the more sensual and emotional approach that has since characterized his work. In the mid-1990s, Everett also became interested in historical plein air painting and began working outdoors, producing small oils in two-hour sessions.

In a quest for remote and unfamiliar vistas to paint, the artist deployed his ultra-light one-person aircraft in order to “get behind [above] the locked gates” barring entry to public and private lands. Artistically, this gives a new meaning to “fly-over country.”

While Everett produces about a dozen smaller plein air paintings per year, his real passion is for the larger studio paintings that can occupy him for months at a time. These are “photo-referenced,” based on studies he has done in his travels. Back in the studio, he slowly works up a painting in layers, drawing on his extensive memories of the land. Everett and his wife lived for years in a rugged setting in rural Chatsworth where he experienced the subtle shifts of California’s seasons just beyond his front door.

After retiring from Cal State Northridge, Everett moved to property he owned in the Templeton hills, west of the 101, in 2007.

There, he and his wife designed and built a neo-Craftsman style house with a separate studio/barn where he paints and displays his work for patrons. A regular participant (artist host) in the annual Fall Open Studios Art Tour (organized by the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council), Everett is also a member of San Luis Outdoor Painters for the En-

Beyond his local activities, the artist is represented by the prestigious Craig Krull Gallery in Los Angeles and has been awarded notable public commissions. Among these are the architecturally-distinguished Cerritos Millennium Library (housing a large breathtaking image, Las Virgenes Valley) and three recently completed panels depicting north Santa Barbara County for the new wing of the Santa

27

Barbara Cottage Hospital. Such works represent Everett at his best: compelling non-idealized paintings that evoke the land in ways that upend the viewer’s expectations, transporting him from the ordinary, creating solitude, and placing him within the subtle, complex, arid Mediterranean beauty of California.

For more information, see: www.bruceeverett.net, www.craigkrullgallery.com, and San Luis Outdoor Painters for the Environment (SLOPE), www.slopepainters.com.

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COMMUNITY

Our Schools:

next step after high school

By Dr. Julian Crocker, County Superintendent of Schools

W

e hear a lot about maintaining and improving America’s competitiveness in the world. Our economic competitiveness is also linked to energizing our own economy and the creation of good jobs. Most respected economists also emphasize the need to invest in our “human capital” to insure that our workforce is well educated. One very important aspect of providing a well educated workforce is to attend to the critical transition from secondary school to either college or career. We cannot afford to let this transition occur without doing all we can to support graduating seniors to choose college, or some form of additional training,

as the next step after high school. We know that getting and advancing in a well-paying job is almost impossible without additional education beyond high school.

In 2010, 52% of the graduating seniors from the public high schools in our county entered a public college or university in California. This includes community colleges, CSU and UC. This percentage is higher than the state average of 41% and ranks us 9th out of the 58 counties in the state. This data does not include students who attend private colleges or colleges that are out of state, but I estimate that another 20% are in this category. This means that approximately 25% of our students are not choosing additional education as their next step. While we should be pleased with our comparison college-going ranking, we should not be content that approximately 600 graduating seniors each year are not choosing to further their education after high school. It will be very difficult for students with only a high school education to find satisfying and productive employment that results in a livable wage.

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I certainly acknowledge that college and university is not for everyone. However, students who choose to go directly into the workplace after high school often need to enroll in a Community College (i.e. Cuesta or Allan Hancock) to learn the necessary technical or vocational skills for the workplace. Of the 52% who entered a California public college, the largest percentage (35%) attended a Community College. We’ve heard about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates who dropped out of college and went on to be very successful, but these are the exceptions.

I think that we have a challenge to assist more of our local students to be eligible for college and to believe that they can attend and be successful. Here are three actions we need to take to increase our college-going rate and to provide successful next steps after high school.

1. Start Early. I believe that the middle school years are the pivotal time for students to step on the college pathway. By the end of the 7th grade, students and their families need to know what high school courses are needed to be accepted into a college and develop a plan to take these courses. Families need to become familiar with the college admission process from application to financial aid.

It is also very helpful if families take their students to visit colleges and let them get a view of what college looks like. This helps to put a concrete image under an abstraction like “college.”

2. A Coach for Everyone. Every student needs at least one adult who is a consistent guide or coach during the middle school and high school years to keep them on the college path. This is often a parent or perhaps an older sibling. School counselors and teachers can also serve in this role, although the large case loads for our high school counselors make this very difficult. The purpose of the coach is to provide encouragement and assistance to students so that they do not get discouraged or distracted from their goal.

3. More Than Grades. Much of the research about why students either do not enroll in college, or drop out very early, points to reasons other than academic difficulties. It is often the softer skills such as time management, knowing how to access assistance, making connections between courses, decision-making, and study skills that are the reasons for dropping out of college. Our challenge is to assist students to learn these skills in high school so that they do not drop out later.

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COMMUNITY

30

the literacy council for san luis obispo county State cuts could leave hundreds unable to read

By Hilary Grant

Y

ou could very well know someone with a devastating secret.

Here’s what might be a typical day for him: he has picked up some much needed medication, but even after carefully examining the bottle, has no idea how to open it. Later he drops a friend off at the library, but is afraid to go inside.

And that afternoon, right on time for a promising job interview, he flees when asked to fill out an application.

All of these sad, and perhaps even life threatening, scenarios have one thing in common.

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Learner, Marisela Chavez with former learner, and now tutor, Noel Villa-Gomez.

The person in question is hiding the fact that he is illiterate.

Most often meaning the inability to read or write, this debilitating, but fixable, disability affects about 14 percent of adults, defined as 16 years of age or more, who make their home in the United States. (The figure comes from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, which many know as the NAAL; among literacy experts, it’s considered the most comprehensive and reliable literacy source in America.)

Central Coast residents who want to step up to the plate and become literate are lucky: free tutoring is available through The Literacy Council for San Luis Obispo County.

The little nonprofit, which has been around for more than three decades and operates on the tiniest of shoestring budgets, has one simple mission: with its trained volunteers who work one-on-one with their learners, the Council helps adults, and their families, develop English language skills. In fact, the Council is the only group used by the SLO County Library system, although other venues for study include churches and community centers.

“Literacy is a basic need,” says Bernadette Bernardi, Executive Director of the Council for the last 14 years.

“It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to function, compete, and succeed without at least basic literacy skills.

“Consequently, literacy skills allow for better jobs and better communication. Being literate also makes for better parenting, and better citizens.”

With more than 550 clients last year, there is no such thing as a typical learner.

Some learners are new to the United States with advanced graduate degrees earned abroad, while others, also recently arrived in this country, are not even literate in their first language.

Still others are Central Coast natives who have hidden their illiteracy for years, barely earning a high school diploma.

Perhaps surprisingly, SLO County learners also represent a cornucopia of the world, including Central and South America, China, Thailand, Eastern Europe and Northern Africa. One other fact: no matter what the learner’s circumstance or country of origin is, the Council’s 600 unpaid tutors – ranging from retired teachers to rock and roll musicians, from well-read prison inmates to engineers – use only English to teach English.

Thanks to a tight economy, these statistics are about to change for the worse.

Beginning in January, the State of California, along with California State Library Literary Services, will eliminate nearly $50,000 from

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A Retirement COMMUNITY Facil 31

toward her citizenship test. Marisela wants to continue learning and eventually earn a high school diploma.”

“A literate community leads to the liberty and Even though the prospect of moving m freedom that the Statue stands for. The Statue future, you owe it to yourself to learn h also stands for the millions of people who carefree living your own have come here –in immigrants whohome learned for man

Bernardi hopes that her empowering organizaour language and because of this, were able to tion – one which, among other positives, helps make better lives for themselves.” foster the love of reading for learners and their Find out more, including information about children; results in living independently of social Literacy is fully services; maintains employment, and makes for It’s a fact of life that asdonor we opportunities, get older, contact The Pristine Council of San Luis Obispo County at slolita well researched and understood vote – will some day-to-day taskseracy.org, become too licensed and insu or call (805) 541-4219. find the financial help it desperately needs.

You Don’t Have to Move

Staff members: Lisa Coe, Bernadette Bernardi and intern Julia Black

the Council’s annual budget, which is currently just $118,000.

That first figure represents nearly half of the Council budget, and because of this new cut, the SLO County Library, which also provides some funding, has already reduced its contribution by nearly $18,000.

“Unless a miracle happens, this is our new reality,” says Bernardi, who is also the Council’s only full-time employee. (Other staff members are administrative/marketing assistant Lisa Coe, who works 28 hours per week, and as-needed bookkeeper Jan Breidenbach.

Tutor trainers also receive minimal salaries.)

“We need to rally the private sector – both individuals and corporations – to help us keep our doors open.

“One amazing donor could do it all.”

Despite this ominous forecast, Bernardi believes that County residents understand how essential a literate population is to a productive economy – and has dozens of success stories to prove her point.

There’s energetic entrepreneur Lein Pham, who has been working with her tutor for more than two years. This past summer, Pham enrolled at Cuesta College and is now in the process of becoming a United States citizen. In addition, she has started Topnail, a nail salon on Morro Bay Blvd.

“Pham is a great example,” says Bernardi, “of how acquiring English language skills offer a person the ability to thrive in our local community.”

There’s also Noel Villa-Gomez, a former learner and now tutor, who came to the Council more than a decade ago.

“He first came looking for help with his English, and then, even when he didn’t pass the first time, through hard work and determination, became a citizen,” says Bernardi. “One of Noel’s current students, Marisela Chavez, is raising two small children while working

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2011

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COMMUNITY

exhaustive, desperate and fatal beginnings of these landmarks of the Golden State.

history

Trouble in Alta

By Joseph A. Carotenuti

Some may know that Franciscan friar Junipero Serra founded the first nine Missions in order to follow Spain’s instructions to “civilize” the native population in ten years. However, the reality encountered made any military and spiritual “conquest” an impossible task.

Here’s the story.

E

ven the most casual student of California history knows something about the Missions. While some details are often somewhat inaccurate – if not fabrications – few realize the

Whether the pioneers came to the east or west coast of the continent, obvious problems of transportation plagued both the Pilgrims and the Spaniards. Led by Captains Moncado and Portola, the two arduous

Father Serra

land expeditions trudging across the largely unmapped terrain of arid Baja California were overshadowed by the deadly sea routes.

While there were a few casualties during the land journey, scurvy (mal de Loanda) is commonly blamed for claiming dozens of mariners’ lives.

The San Jose simply disappeared, the San Antonio suffered heavy losses, and, except for a few men, the entire crew of the San Carlos died or were extremely disabled on arriving at their new home in June 1769. With few medicines compounded by the lack of fresh food, those well enough cared for the sick led by the one surgeon, Pedro Prat, who also was ill.

Burials became a regular routine. San Diego became an encampment of the dying and the dead. Clearly, the imperative was to survive and not proselytize in the “heathen land.”

Yet, there was an immediate juxtaposition between what was found and what came with the expedition. “Land here is plentiful and good, and a river goes with it,” wrote Serra, with many vines, roses and trees in abundance. The “river” had no water at the time requiring a group of soldiers to search inland for some. Curiosity was evident even though the native men visited “just as their mothers brought them into the world” – naked. While food was mutually offered, the indigent visitors wanted clothes as cloth (and horses) were new to the inhabitants.

With seemingly no concept of ownership, the natives simply took what attracted their attention. Set against the pristine environment, problems quickly engulfed the secular and spiritual pioneers.

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Portola made decisions. The San Antonio would return to San Blas for men and supplies. Leaving San Diego on July 9, the thirteen men reached their homeport in three weeks. Death claimed all but the captain and one sailor. It took eight months to return.

three native deaths and one Spanish casualty.

Joseph Maria, a youngster from Guadalajara sent to assist Serra rushed into his hut “… spouting so much blood at the mouth…that I hardly (had) time to absolve him…” An arrow had penetrated his neck.

Next, rather than waiting to establish some shelter and sources for food and water, Portola – ever mindful of his orders to reach Monterey – then left on the fourteenth with most of the men and the intrepid Padres Crespi and Garcia and traveled north.

Deserving of its own episode, suffice to say, after six months of demanding travel and near constant illness (including two weeks going north and then south through this county), the Portola Expedition returned to San Diego having somehow missed the roadstead. However, they were the first to see part of then unknown San Francisco Bay.

The return of the expedition north (without any loss of life), the lack of men and supplies, a mission in name only as no baptism had yet been performed and communication with the natives was virtually non-existent, Portola decided to return to

Fortunately, there are several first-hand accounts from these days. Serra’s correspondence alone fills four volumes. As a mendicant missionary, he expected little and anticipated paying with his life on this venture. When able to post a letter in February 1770, he asked only for a robe as his was “falling to pieces.”

Ever practical, he suggested it be made from the “thickest sack cloth.” More importantly, additional friars were urgently needed for evangelization. Of the five in San Diego, only he and Padre Crespi wanted to remain.

Offering a blunt appraisal of the new missionary field, he warned potential recruits not to “come for any other purpose than to put up with hardships.” As if to underscore his advice, he reiterates – truthfully – a friar in California would face “many and dire” challenges.

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Mexico. What some erroneously call the Sacred Expedition faced an inevitable – although ignoble – end.

As if scripted for a theatrical drama, the survivors not only stayed but made painful progress amid continuing misery. The saga continues as the Spaniards conclude their first year with the establishment of another mission and first presidio.

Feel free to contact me at: jacarotenuti@ gmail.com

Happy Holidays FROM THE STAFF AT

Journal PLUS MAGAZINE OF THE CENTRAL COAST

Two days after Portola left on his ill-fated quest, always mindful of his spiritual duties, Serra performed the founding rituals for the establishment of Mission San Diego de Alcala on today’s Presidio Hill but could do little else. There were few men healthy enough to help, “the poor condition of the countryside around, and the houses we live in” and “not having an interpreter to communicate in any proper fashion with these poor naked gentiles…” conspired to limit development. A major issue, the language barriers took years to resolve. Nonetheless Serra – never a complainer – affirms his belief in the “eventual conversion and salvation” of the natives.

However, at the time, this was simply a fervent wish as August proved to be an even more desperate time as the small enclave was attacked. Four soldiers and at least 20 natives engaged in a brief battle. The fight resulted in D E C E M B E R

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COMMUNITY

hospice corner living with grief and loss during the holidays

By Claire Aagaard

T

HE HOLIDAYS ARE intended to be a time of great joy, family togetherness, gift giving and thankfulness.

Instead, if someone has died, the holidays can evoke extreme sadness, loneliness and emptiness. While there is no right or wrong way to approach it, the following are some suggestions and guidelines that may be helpful to those experiencing a loss during this time of year. They are adapted from the book How do I Get Through the Holidays by James Miller.

1. Accept the pain: Don’t pretend everything is normal. Remember this first year is one of adjustment.

2. Feel whatever it is you feel: Feelings are a sign you are human, that you have loved deeply.

• Sadness – It’s hard to feel your sadness at a time when you are supposed to be happy.

• Depression – You may feel overwhelmed, have no energy or feel desolate and despairing.

• Anxiety – You may feel nervous or jittery and experience tightness in your chest.

• Fear – You may be fearful about the future – what you’ll do, even if you’ll survive.

• Anger – Being mad is a normal response. Mad at people who don’t understand. You may be angry at yourself, or at God, or at the whole world.

• Guilt – You may dwell on what you did or didn’t do while the person was alive. You may feel guilty you are alive and they are not.

• Apathy – You may feel numb. You may feel confused and disoriented or experience almost no feelings at all.

3. Express your Emotions: Talk to family and friends. Journal, exercise, listen to or play music. Create something out of clay, paint a painting. Move your feelings from within yourself to outside yourself.

4. Plan Ahead: Don’t let the holidays just happen. Come up with a plan to get through them.

5. Take Charge Where You Can: Ask for what you need. Your grief can make you feel powerless. Take charge of whom you spend time with, how much you exercise and of the food you eat. Consider new rituals that include opportunities to remember the past.

6. Go to Others for Support: There was a time when mourning practices were very defined. That’s no longer the case. People are afraid of saying the wrong thing so they may avoid you. You can contact your local hospice to find out what additional support is available.

7. Be Gentle with Yourself: Give yourself plenty of time to rest. You’ll have “good” and “bad” days – they simply go with the territory.

Simplify holiday shopping or forgo it all together. Set easily attainable goals for yourself and make realistic lists to complete.

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8. Remember to Remember: You may feel comfort in linking objects that make you feel closer to your loved one. Wear a necklace that was theirs or a scarf or hat or some other personal item. Some people create a table of remembrance where pictures can be placed and a special candle lit throughout the holidays. For those whose grief is fresh, this may be too painful. Don’t force yourself. Do what feels right.

9. Search Out and Count your Blessings: This can be difficult to do during dark times, but if we attempt to view life through the lens of gratitude, we can usually find one thing to be thankful for. You may feel comfort in the company of children or the elderly. Cry if tears are near and don’t be afraid to laugh.

10. Do Something for Others: It often helps to reach out through your own grieving. You could take care of a friend’s pets or watch someone’s child. Find something that gives meaning to your days and to other’s lives. It may help you to put your loss into a broader perspective, and you’ll often find it helps you as much as the one you are helping.

11. Give Voice to Your Soul: Grief affects us physically and emotionally but also spiritually as well. You may not use the word spirit or soul but some inner part of you is involved. Consider making some room in your day to sit and be quiet, take a walk, meditate or pray.

Healing often results when we look deeper and connect with our own well of wisdom and strength.

COMMUNITY

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DECEMBER CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 43

12. Harbor Hope: No one likes to grieve, but it is the very act of grieving that brings us back to life. It is only by letting yourself feel bad that you can finally feel good again.

Hope is a powerful tool. You can hope you will integrate this loss into your life. You can hope you will one day remember your loved one without so much pain and live your life in loving remembrance of them.

Keeping in mind that every person and loss is different, the above suggestions are merely guidelines we believe most bereaved people will find helpful. Incorporate those that fit for you. Your holidays can still be a very significant time for you. They will certainly be different and perhaps painful, but they can still be meaningful. It’s even possible they can hold peace, serenity and most of all….hope.

This monthly Hospice Corner is sponsored by Hospice Partners of the Central Coast. Claire Aagaard is the Bereavement Manager of the Center for Grief, Education & Healing at Hospice Partners. For more information call (805) 269-0141.

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: WILD WEST ACROSS 1. Widest key on keyboard 6. Sold at the pump 9. Roman public space, pl.

13. A Hawkeye 14. Female reproductive cells 15. Los ____, CA 16. Fork tooth 17. In king and queen sizes 18. *It kept the corral closed?

19. *Gateway to the West 21. *Calamity Jane’s partner 23. Old age, archaic 24. EU money 25. French lake 28. Show off, as in muscles 30. Moral principals 35. “____-steven” 37. *Chuckwagon 101: “No one ____ until Cookie calls” 39. Symbol of a clan, especially American Indians

40. ____ receiver 41. What dryer does 43. East of Java 44. Offered by Abraham as sacrifice to God in Old Testament 46. ____ pea 47. Incision 48. Kinda 50. She starred in last “Pirates of the Caribbean” 52. Affirmative response in some northern states 53. W on a light bulb 55. *Bola, e.g.

57. African quarter in which the citadel is located 60. *Oklahoma was famous for this 64. Alfred Hitchcock in his own movie, e.g 65. Judge at Simpson trial 67. Sheep’s clothing to wolf 68. Oneness 69. ___ de toilette 70. Ceremonial elegance and splendor

71. Warren Beatty’s Oscar-winner 72. *Type of trader 73. They can be dangerous for boats DOWN 1. Small drinks 2. Rotterdam or Singapore, e.g.

3. Absent soldier 4. *Water carrier 5. Completely cover 6. Loads 7. “___ Maria” 8. Hindu holy man 9. “Don’t give me any ____!”

10. Bismarck or Hahn, e.g.

11. “Big ____ Candy Mountain” 12. Left after fire 15. Novelist Louisa May ______ 20. Moved lazily 22. Wrath 24. Gone the way of the dodo 25. *Meriwether 26. An advice or dispatch boat 27. Mothball substitute 29. Van Gogh started with two of these

31. Gremlins 32. Mediterranean boot 33. Similar to Cecilia 34. *Trailblazer Jedediah _____ 36. *How cowboys preferred whiskey?

38. Singe, as in ahi tuna 42. Phlegms 45. *One is harder to find to these days 49. Flight boss 51. Caustic remark 54. Rick Riordan’s “The Lightning _____” 56. Derive 57. Walking helper 58. Among 59. Several of these in a tennis match 60. Frown 61. Irritate 62. Defender of skies 63. New Jersey’s NBA team 64. Mutt 66. Greek “t”

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COMMUNITY Palm street perspective Reducing the cost of government, locally and statewide

By SLO City Councilman, Andrew Carter

T

his is the first “Palm Street Perspective” I’ve had the opportunity to write since the passage of Measures A & B. I want to thank the community for supporting those measures by almost three to one. Measure A dealt with pension reform; Measure B with the repeal of binding arbitration.

I also want to thank the hundreds of volunteers who contributed their time, energy, and financial support to the “Yes on A & B” effort. They did it, not because they had anything personal to gain, but because they believe in San Luis Obispo and good government. To me, this is proof positive of what a wonderful and engaged community we live in. As one of the leaders of the A & B effort, this level of support was especially humbling.

The City is now busy negotiating new contracts with four of our five labor unions. Our goal is to reduce total employee compensation (wages and benefits) by $3.1 million, or 6.8%. We believe the best way to do that is by reducing pension costs through lower pension benefits for new employees and having all employees (current and future) pay their full PERS retirement contribution – 9% of regular pay for police and fire, 8% of regular pay for all other. Of course, these savings and the way in which they are achieved have to be agreed upon through the meet-and-confer collective bargaining process.

We believe that all employees should play a part in achieving these savings. That includes management as well as frontline employees.

It includes unrepresented employees as well as those who are unionized. It also includes City Council. That’s why, at our last meeting, we agreed to begin paying our 8% portion of PERS. We also agreed to a pay cut of at least 5%. That means Council members will now receive no more than $950 a month, and the Mayor no more than $1100 a month. Everyone at the City, from highest to lowest, is focused on reducing the cost of City government.

You’ll be happy to know that similar efforts are also taking place at the County. Over a year ago, the Board of Supervisors took a pay cut. In addition, the County with the support of its labor unions has already taken action to lower its pension costs.

If you’ve been paying attention to statewide news, you’re well aware of the debate going on at that level on how to reduce public employee pension costs. On October 27th, Governor Brown announced a 12-point plan which he would like to see the State and its employee groups adopt. He also recommended that this plan be adopted at the local level by all cities, counties, schools, and special districts and their employees. The Republican leadership in the State Legislature has proposed that a special session be held to discuss the Governor’s plan. Whether the Governor will call that session and the Democratic leadership will agree to it, remains to be seen.

Among other things, the Governor proposes a 50/50 pension cost split between public employers and public employees as well as lower pension benefits for new employees. Those lower benefits would include higher retirement ages for new employees and a hybrid risk-sharing retirement program consisting of Social Security, a 401(k)-type defined contribution plan, and a reduced defined benefit plan. Currently, most public safety employees can retire at age 50, most non-safety employees can retire at age 55, and most public employees of whatever type are covered by a 100% defined benefit plan where the employer carries all risk for negative investment returns.

The Governor’s complete proposal can be found online at http://gov. ca.gov/docs/Twelve_Point_Pension_Reform_10.27.11.pdf I’m proud of the efforts the City and its employees are making to reduce costs, in particular as applies to pensions. I’m proud of similar efforts at the County. I’m hopeful that with significant citizen support we’ll see the State and its employees move to adopt the Governor’s 12-point plan.

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Cremation Care

Downtown

Around

The Magazine of Downtown San Luis Obispo

Inside:

W h a t ’s U p New Business News

December 2011

W h a t ’ s

U p

A r o u n d

A

D o w n t o w n

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Design, and Thursday Night Promotions. There’re lots and lots of hours put in by these folks along with thousands of more hours logged by volunteers who man the bar at Concerts, stand guard at barricades for parades, take photos at Santa’s House, trim trees, judge contests... it’s a long list of generous contributions.

s we bring this year to a close, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the community for a strong show of support for Downtown businesses; based on sales tax reports issued recently, Downtown continues to place high as a leading income generator for City coffers—number two actually in ‘defined areas’ of business districts.

T

hanks to my wonderful and hard-working staff: Brent Vanderhoof, Administrative o, thank you—residents, students, guests and Deborah Cash, CMSM, Assistant; Diana Cotta, Thursday Night Event visitors— for the energy and economic viability Executive Director Coordinator; Sarah Ragan, Promotions that you contribute. Thank you, business and Coordinator; Joey Chavez, Special Events and Social property owners, for your contributions in improvements, Networking Coordinator; Bryson Bailey, TNP Assistant business practices and commitment to Downtown that and Evan Carr, (aka Downtown Brown). I would also secure our spot as one of the nation’s most beautiful like to thank our families and friends who pitch in when and popular small town commercial centers. Many we need them and provide constant encouragement. thanks to the sponsors who contribute to our ginormous event machine, enabling us to pump out some of the conomic indicators say times ahead are looking community’s most high profile goings-on: Concerts up. We’ll be watching for every opportunity in in the Plaza, Thursday Night Farmers Market, Annual 2012 to keep Downtown healthy and attractive for Holiday Activities. Thank you to a dedicated and hardour members and you, our guests. Stay tuned, but working Board of Directors and its five subcommittees: meanwhile, here’s a look at some of the past year’s Promotions, Parking and Access, Economic Activities, events—Hope to see you next year…around Downtown.

S

E

On the Cover: The Downtown Association's Holiday Tree, sponsored by Cal Poly Fraternities and Sororities, will again grace Mission Plaza this holiday season. Each year, the 20-foot-plus beautiful white fir from northern California's Tehama National Forest is supplied

by Sean Callaway at Candy Cane Lane and hoisted into place by the City of SLO Public Works Department which also assists the Design Committee with decorations. Families come to take their annual holiday photo in front of the tree, while also enjoying all the other Downtown Association activities in Mission Plaza through December. Photo by Deborah Cash

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Celebrate the Season!

With J Oy AN d PE ACE thiS ChRiStM AS

Gary Lamprecht, director Saturday 3, 2011 • 8 p.m.

December 5, 2009 ·December 8 p.m.

Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Mission San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo

Sunday 4, 2011 • 3 p.m.

December 6, 2009 ·December 3 p.m.

Performing Arts Center Performing Arts Center · San Luis Obispo Featuring Barbara Hoff on the Forbes Pipe Organ

San Luis Obispo

At the PAC only: $8 seats for children 6-12 years old.

At the PAC only: Any seat in the house! $8 seats for children 6-12 years old.

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Children 6 years and older are welcome Must be accompanied an adult.

SEASON by SPONSOR to attend our concerts.

During your visit, you can snuggle

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Children 6 years and older are welcome to attend our concerts.

TiCkeTS The Vocal Arts Ensemble is a non-profit organization Mission: VocalArts.org | 805-541-6797 Tickets: Online at VocalArts.org or call 805-541-6797 • PAC Tickets: 756-2787 PAC: pacslo.org | 805-756-2787

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e-Legal Services, Inc.

Lisa Huey, owner 1060 Palm Street, Suite D www.eLegalServicesInc.com info@eLegalServicesInc.com 805-439-1800 e-Legal Services, Inc. is a local attorney service which opened its doors for business in March of 2011. With over 20 years of experience, they are setting new standards of service within the litigation service industry. Their primary services include court filings & research, process serving, subpoena preparation, mobile scanning and reprographics.

While proud to be locally owned and operated, they are equipped to handle requests throughout the state and nation.

A great benefit to clients of e-Legal Services, Inc. is the investment they have made in their technology. While clients always have the option of submitting orders by phone, fax, or email, using their services via their website is what sets them

As active members of the community and the legal services industry, their expertise is constantly evolving along with technology ultimately allowing them to become a leader in litigation service needs. Visit their website or stop by their offices located at 1060 Palm Street across from the Court House and parking in the Palm Street - Mill Street alley.

By: Ethan Pilch Downtown San Luis Obispo salon marks the opening of their second location. Renaissance provides everything from hair, facials, waxing and spray tanning while maintaining a warm and comfortable atmosphere.

Renaissance Salon & Boutique Brian Cody & Johnny Gonsalves co-owners 778 Higuera Street 805-784-0110 www.RenaissanceVisalia.com Search on facebook: RenaissanceSalon-Boutique-San-Luis-Obispo

New to Downtown San Luis Obispo in the Network on Higuera Street is Renaissance Salon & Boutique, a 4,000-square foot state-of-the-art facility opened by Brian Cody and Johnny Gonsalves. Originally from Visalia, Cody & Gonsalves found themselves attracted to the Central Coast area after having visited many times and witnessing the diversity among college students and retirees.

While Renaissance Salon originally started in Visalia, the

Liliana’s Studios

Liliana Graham & Michael Graham, co-owners 570 Higuera Street, Suite 190 805-748-4050 www.LilianaStudios.com If you want to be happy, “work like you don’t need the money, love like your heart has never been broken and dance like no one is watching.” – Aurora Greenway This is exactly how Liliana Graham lives her life. Graham co-owns Liliana’s Studios, located in The Creamery, along with her husband Michael Graham. Graham was born in Romania where she studied mechanical engineering and later came to Cal Poly to finish her degree in 1994 and has been here ever since.

With a passion for both art and dance, she opened Liliana’s Studios serving as an art and dance studio. With partitions on wheels and easy-to-move furniture the floor is cleared, in

Having recently joined the San Luis Obispo Chamber, Cody and Gonsalves truly care about their clients and have high hopes of reaching out to the community through their business.

As they have in the past, Renaissance Salon & Spa will continue to prove themselves as leaders in salon services by providing educational programs that focus on product knowledge, technique and fundamentals.

Renaissance Salon and Boutique is open Monday Saturday 11 AM - 7 PM and Sunday 11 AM - 5 PM.

By Ethan Pilch just a matter of minutes, to create a small but adequate dance floor.

Graham believes in pursuing your dreams. “I think people who do what they love are happy people. They smile because they feel good on the inside. I feel like I’m on vacation because I love what I’m doing. This was my dream.”

One reason for opening Liliana’s Studios was because many of Graham’s friends were forced to close their own art studios due to the economic climate. She wanted to do something so they could continue to display and sell their art.

Graham teaches ballroom, swing and Latin American dance. Call to make an appointment for individual or group dance lessons. The art studio is open Tuesday – Saturday from 1 PM – 6 PM. By: Alison Moore

Holiday Happenings

Around Downtown

November 25th

Founders Community Bank’s

Santa’s House Opening Day

Through December 24th

December 2nd

Court Street presents

Bear-y Merry Holiday 36th Annual Holiday Parade 7 p.m. Downtown SLO

December 5th - 28th La Cuesta Inn presents

C lassic C arousel in Mission Plaza

December

Cal Poly Fraternities & Sororities present

Holiday Tree in Mission Plaza

For details call (805) 541 - 0286 or visit www.DowntownSLO.com

THE BULLETIN BOARD

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American Legion Post 66 of SLO recently honored six seniors from San Luis, Morro Bay and Mission College Prep. A boy and girl from each school were chosen earlier in the year for Boys State and Girls State.

The students go through an intensive but fun week, learning how our constitutional government works. Pictured above is Chairman Bill Fieldhouse, and students Stephen Zehnder, Allison Kirby, Seamus Land, Scarlette Harris, Isaac Wilkie, India Hoffman, and Chairwoman Mrs. Eileen Mc Aulay.

S.A.F.E. Programs to At-Risk Families

Services Affirming Family Empowerment (S.A.F.E.) is a program of Community Action Partnership of SLO County. S.A.F.E. along with Direct Services and the Positive Opportunities for Parenting Success (P.O.P.S.) make up the Family Support Services division. Division Director Melinda Sokolowski shares the mission of S.A.F.E. which is to reduce the prevalence of child abuse in San Luis Obispo County. The program is a community based resource system that is linked directly with schools to provide services to children and families. Through the use of family advocates, S.A.F.E. helps families to navigate the system in order to receive services such as mental health therapy and parent education. For more information on S.A.F.E. and other Family Support Services programs call (805) 474-2032.

Library receives $300,000

SLO County public libraries will benefit from a bequest of nearly $300,000 from the estate of SLO resident Barbara Baltimore.

Baltimore, who was an accomplished scientist, philanthropist and avid library supporter, passed away last April. $195,000 was gifted to the Foundation for SLO County Public Libraries, and $99,014.72 to the Friends of the Library. The combined gifts constitute the largest bequest benefiting SLO County public libraries in history. Baltimore moved to San Luis in 1997 when she retired from her career in environmental health and biophysics. An outspoken advocate of public libraries, she became a volunteer at the Library in 2005.

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2011

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For the past 15 years, the San Luis Obispo community has generously provided our County’s homeless with a wonderful home-cooked Christmas Day dinner, live entertainment and much needed care packages containing brand new sleeping bags, hooded sweatshirts, rain gear and toiletries. The Jewish Community initiated this event in order to serve those with the greatest need on Christmas Day. According to the most recent SLO County Homeless Enumeration Report, the region has over 3,800 people living without permanent shelter. Donations of money to help provide warm coats will truly make a difference. SLO Camp-N-Pack is again providing an extensive discount on new field jackets. Last year several hundred warm jackets were purchased with donations and distributed at the Christmas Day Dinner. Contributions can be made via the United Way of SLO County website or checks may be sent to PO Box 14309, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 and earmarked, “Coats.” This year’s goal is to raise enough funds to provide 350 coats to the local homeless population. For more information contact Sheri Eibschutz at 594-1999. To donate to the Coats for Christmas Day program, contact United Way of San Luis Obispo County at www.unitedwayslo.org or call (805) 541-1234.

winter wonderland in atascadero

Winter Wonderland 2011 will be Friday, Dec. 9th, 5 to 9 p.m. in Atascadero’s historic downtown Colony District. This will be the 10th year for the event, which features snow slides, snow piles, food and music, the Elks Little Train, bounce houses, an antique carousel, a BMX bike demonstration, and Santa Claus. There is no admission charge for the event. Bounce houses require a small admission fee.

The event occupies five city blocks in downtown Atascadero. Families and friends can spend the evening strolling through the downtown and enjoying all the activities the event has to offer. Details are available at www.AtascaderoMainStreet.org.

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a holiday luncheon to benefit casa

Celebrate the season of giving at CASA’s Voices for Children fundraising event in the Madonna Inn’s beautiful Gay 90’s Room on Tuesday, December 6th at 11:30am. The luncheon will feature lively entertainment by emcee Dave Hovde, a children’s musical performance, a silent auction and a live auction. Find the perfect gift at the ever-popular “Jewelry with a Past,” with a special preview sale starting at 11:00. Treat yourself, your friends or office staff to the perfect holiday party while supporting CASA! Tickets are $50 per person. For more information call 541-6542 or visit www.slocasa.

Vocal Arts Ensemble holiday concerts

The weather has cooled, the harvest is finally upon us, and the Vocal Arts Ensemble is busy rehearsing for their annual holiday concerts, scheduled for Saturday night, December 3rd at the Mission SLO, and Sunday afternoon, December 4th at the SLO Performing Arts Center.

Gather friends and family together to hear classic cathedral songs, favorite carols, and contemporary holiday tunes, rekindling your passion for the season. Tickets range from $8 for children to $40, with discounts for students and seniors. The Vocal Arts Ensemble, a 40-50 member adult choir under founding director Gary Lamprecht, has been singing beautiful music for over 30 years, locally and abroad. Tickets can be purchased by calling the office at (805) 541-6797 or online at www.vocalarts.org. Hosting a holiday office party or open house? Give your group the gift of song by booking the Vocal Arts Ensemble carol singers for your special occasion. For a tax deductible donation of $200 or more, a group of talented VAE singers will entertain the guests with a varied repertoire of classics and favorites, guaranteed to kick off the holiday season in style! To book a visit call 541-6797.

43

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Gary A. Sage License No. 0E02096 100 Cross Street, Suite 203 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 gsage@dibu.com

(805) 593-1400 (805) 593-1401 fax (805) 593-1413 direct (805) 235-1043 cell

expansion at la Clinica de tolosa dental clinic

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11175 Los Osos Valley Road, SLO

An expansion and remodel project was recently completed at La Clinica de Tolosa, a nonprofit children’s dental clinic located in Paso Robles. The project was led by Rudy Bachmann and Mike Seminara of Specialty Construction, Inc. The additional space, acquired from the County Public Health department next door, allowed for another treatment chair, exam room, records storage space and staff break area. Partial funding was provided by a grant from First 5 of SLO County. The much needed extra space will increase the clinic’s capacity to accommodate more appointments for low-income children in a more efficient and timely manner. More information about children’s dental services at La Clinica de Tolosa can be obtained online at www. clinicadetolosa.org or call 238-5334. Pictured above is Partnership for the Children Secretary/Treasurer, David Booker; Executive Director, Barbara Nicholson; First 5 SLO Executive Director, Susan Hughes; and La Clinica de Tolosa Lead Pediatric Dentist, James Forester.

rizzoli’s provides books for children Rizzoli’s Automotive is jump-starting its second annual book drive to collect books for children in SLO and Santa Maria through partnerships with the SLO County Community Foundation’s Raising A Reader Program and Altrusa International, Inc. of the Central Coast.

Last year, Rizzoli’s donated 600 books to Raising a Reader, a San Luis Obispo Community Foundation initiative that supplies simple training and preschool books to low-income families in our community.

Rizzoli’s also donated 700 books to Altrusa International, a global community service club. Rizzoli’s is now calling on the community to help them exceed those numbers this year. Rizzoli’s will continue to collect books year-round. Donations can be dropped off at both Rizzoli’s Automotive locations, at 2584 Victoria in San Luis Obispo and 1149 W. Tama Lane in Santa Maria.

mid-state fair selects 2012 theme

Dressing Windows in San Luis Obispo for over 39 Years

alan’s draperies 544-9405

Alan “Himself” D E C E M B E R

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The California Mid-State Fair has selected the theme for the 2012 Fair.

“The Great American Road Trip,” featuring Paso Pete and crew on an adventure through the historic Route 66, will serve as the promotional tool for the upcoming event. Departing in Chicago, Illinois and landing in Paso Robles, the gang will tour many of our great western states. Fair officials have been working with Cal Poly’s Advanced Fair Management class on creating an innovative concept that can be successful in marketing, program and exhibition concepts. The first announced concert will be on Friday, July 20th, featuring Alabama. Tickets go on sale for that concert on Dec. 2nd at 10am. The 2012 California Mid-State Fair runs July 18, 2012, through July 29, 2012. For more information go to midstatefair.com

THE BULLETIN BOARD

eye on Business

a great guy and a great cause

By Maggie Cox, Barnett Cox & Associates

I

t’s that holiday time of year when Toys for Tots boxes have popped up in businesses all over San Luis Obispo County. 2011 marks the 63rd time the U.S. Marine Corps and Marine Reserves have sponsored the annual toy drive, but it well may be one of the most important years ever here at home. It’s our chance to honor one of the local Toys for Tots most dedicated volunteers, John Wolcott, who recently passed away.

First, some background on John. He was just a pip of a guy. I met him years ago when he first started as a SCORE volunteer, that hearty band of retired executives who volunteer their time through the Small Business Administration to help fledgling businesses.

John was a gregarious, hardworking, dedicated SCORE member. It was only at John’s memorial service that I learned many more details of his impressive resume.

whether he knew the person or not. John was one of the volunteers who helped create a Veteran’s Memorial Museum in San Luis Obispo and where he continued to work as a docent, another cause to which he dedicated hours of time and hard work. John was a proud patriot and he believed in service of every kind, which brings us to Toys for Tots.

The Marine Corps League Detachment took on Toys for Tots in 2000 and asked for volunteers to run it. John was one of the first ones to offer to help. When it came to Toys for Tots, John and his wife Barbara were a tour de force. The couple led a charge for the local Marines that found toy boxes placed all over the county. They picked up toys, sorted toys, and delivered toys— mountains of toys. One

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year a surplus of toys for little kids eclipsed the supply for teen girls, and John and Barbara let me know. We put out the word, and voila, gifts of jewelry and scarves and video games arrived. I remember one holiday season when we were trying to arrange a drop off with the Wolcotts and had to wait until late night when they returned from dropping a bike off far east of Creston. I can only imagine the holiday joy created for local families because of John and Barbara Wolcott.

So here we are now without John Wolcott and with a community in much need. It doesn’t matter if you knew John or not – we can all certainly admire the compassion and caring and service he gave in abundance to the local business community, volunteer programs and the military. People like John have had a profound impact on our community and this holiday season is the perfect time to honor John and the many people like him. It’s so easy to buy a few toys and beef up your office Toys for Tots box. Write a check in John’s name to the Central Coast Veteran’s Memorial Museum or a cause of your choice.

Do it for John. It’s one way we can thank him and his family for their service.

Happy Holidays.

He enlisted in the Marines as a 17-year-old Ohio kid and served during WWII in the Pacific, where he witnessed fierce fighting and much loss. He was part of an elite group called Marine Mustangs, enlisted men whose leadership skills were recognized and he was commissioned as an officer. He returned from war and he and his wife Barbara started a family that would grow to include seven children and a lifelong devotion to the U.S. Marines.

John had a 30-year career in personnel management in both Ohio and then Southern California, including one post where he assumed an executive position in a company with 800 employees. John felt the employees deserved recognition and he created an employee of the year award. His dedicated crew turned tables and surprised him by naming him the winner of the award. Getting a feel for John?

Early in his career he was saddened to hear that a coworker’s son had been killed in action in Viet Nam. John wanted to honor the soldier and so attended the funeral, where he, the company’s owner and the boy’s mother were the only people present. The experience so moved him that he committed to attending as many service personnel funerals as he could, a commitment he kept D E C E M B E R

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COMMUNITY Macdonald wrote, “Our ease and confidence in our environment has cracked, slightly but permanently, like an egg.”

DECEMBER Almanac

By Phyllis Benson “One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.”

--- Andy Rooney

december events open with National Pie Day and close with Na-

tional Bicarbonate of Soda Day. Our bistro chef says pace yourself so that by Pumpkin Day, you still have fork room.

december 1911: Polar explorer Roald Amundsen led the first successful expedition to reach the South Pole.

Polar Quip: It is so cold that Starbucks is serving coffee on a stick. december 7 is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. In 1941, the Japa-

nese launched a surprise attack against Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, that killed more than 2,400 Americans. The next day, the United States declared war and entered WWII.

moonrise: On December 10, enjoy the night’s full moon and total

december 16, 1811, earthquakes rumbled through the New Madrid fault, causing the Mississippi River to run backwards, church bells to ring in Boston a thousand miles away, riverboats to capsize, and forests to subside. punster: Geologists say these quakes occur every 500 to 1,000 years, unless their logic is faulty. film director Steven Spielberg was born December 18, 1946.

The California entrepreneur is known for Jaws, Star Wars, and other movies. spielberg, a partner in the DreamWorks Studios, said, “I don’t dream at night, I dream all day; I dream for a living.” operation santa paws is this month. Help your favorite animal shelter by collecting holiday treats and toys for abused and homeless pets. winter solstice is December 22. solstice revelers hike the redwoods in moonlight, dance with

ocean waves, or sip ale around Yule logs. They celebrate the seasonal change to longer days and shorter nights.

our barber says this is the season for gifts of the heart. And the wallet. And the checkbook.

lunar eclipse. Our astronomer says the best eclipse viewpoints are Triple-A: Alaska, Asia, and Australia.

elfism: If Santa rode a motorcycle, it would be a Holly Davidson.

the dewey decimal system was designed by Melvil Dewey, born December 10, 1851. Dewey’s system classifies books by category, making it easy to find a book on library shelves and return it to its proper place.

is giving to those less fortunate. Boxes of food, goods or small sums of money were given the day after Christmas as bonuses to servants or alms to the poor.

erma bombeck said, “As a child, my number one best friend was the librarian in my grade school. I actually believed all those books belonged to her.” mystery novelist Kenneth Millar, better known as Ross Mac-

boxing day is December 26. In the United Kingdom, the tradition

our boxing day is simple. We leave an empty gift box just big enough for the cat to hide and the dogs to seek. this year we are giving survival boxes to friends. Inside are candles, cocoa and cookies, just enough to survive a chilly night. Have a heart-warming season.

donald, was born December 13, 1915, in Los Gatos. Creator of detective Lew Archer, Macdonald and his wife lived in Santa Barbara and campaigned against offshore drilling in the wake of the 1969 oil spill.

Let our family take care of your family.

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2011

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