Oct 2016 - Alamo Today

Page 1

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

October 2016 Knitted Knockers

Serving Alamo and Diablo

By Fran Miller

It was Barbara Demorest’s physician who directed her to a non-invasive aesthetic solution following her double mastectomy in 2011. He asked Demorest, a Washington state resident, if she was a knitter and showed her a photo of a “knitted knocker” with an online link to the pattern. Too frail to undertake the knitting project herself, she asked a dear friend to make a pair for her. The handmade knockers did the job, and were light and comfortable. It was after her first “wearing” that Demorest resolved to make the item readily available to local mastectomy patients, and thus, KnittedKnockers.org was born.

Celebrating the completion of Laura's Ride l to r: Sarah Rubin, Nick Bloisa, Rick Perez, Sandi Eng, Alejandra Garcia Aragon. Ladies on the ends shared driving the support car. Sandi suggested honoring Laura's battle against breast cancer. (photo courtesy of Rick Perez)

Lazarex Cancer Foundation: Giving Life a Chance By Jody Morgan Demorest’s initial goal was to provide free and accessible knitted knockers to anyone who needed them in her county. Over the past five years, her efforts have expanded worldwide to include a network of volunteer knitters and crocheters – such as East Bay resident Kara Riley-Paull – who make and supply their handiwork for free. Riley-Paull started volunteering after seeing a KnittedKnocker.org advertisement in an online knitting magazine. “I thought, WOW, this would be the perfect group for me because I work extensively with breast cancer patients, AND I knit and crochet,” says Riley-Paull. “The idea of a soft washable prosthesis made complete sense to me. I immediately began making the knockers myself and started giving them to the patients who wanted them.” Soon she was organizing knitted knocker efforts throughout Northern California, and now the organization has several sub-groups throughout the Bay Area. A Sacramento branch is also now forming. “All the branches work together to help each other,” says Riley-Paull. “While we are not a formal group, we are definitely a community. Volunteers may make the knockers on their own time and some volunteers make several knockers and send them in all at once. Some prefer to make them to order as the requests come in. There is no minimum number or upper limit to how many can be made, and there is no obligatory time commitment.” Due to swelling and tenderness, most mastectomy patients have to wait at least six weeks after surgery for a permanent, custom-made prostheses. The knitted (or crocheted) knockers are soft enough and comfortable enough to be worn right away after surgery, and some women even prefer to use them long term. Knitted Knockers are made of non-wool, machine washable and dryable yarn, and are filled with

See Knockers continued on page 29

Local Postal Customer

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit 263 Alamo CA

ECRWSS

A lifeline for individuals who have lost all other hope for survival, Lazarex Cancer Foundation has helped more than 1,650 patients with 147 different types of cancer participate in 900 FDA approved clinical trials. Patients range in age from 4 to 86. They come from 49 states and 14 countries. By identifying appropriate trials and paying otherwise unaffordable travel expenses to and from trial sites across the US, Lazarex has added 280,035 days to the lives of those they have served. The value to future cancer patients of life-saving drugs approved because of their participation is incalculable. “We can’t get tired,” Lazarex Founder Dana Dornsife explains. “We have 400 patients on our active roster counting on us every day.” Dornsife had

See Lazarex continued on page 17

Alamo Votes on Measure Y, Spending Limit for Parks By Sharon Burke

There’s an almost overwhelming ballot for Contra Costa voters to consider at the November 8th election. Not only will voters decide on the US Presidential election, but they will also vote on US Senator, Congress, State Senate, and Assembly races. Seventeen California ballot propositions are on the ballot. Seventeen! Far down the ballot, Alamo voters will be voting on Measure Y, a “Gann limit override.” Measure Y asks the Alamo community to approve a spending limit for the Alamo Parks and Recreation District, County Service Area R-7, of $1,650,000. This is the exact same limit as Alamo voters approved in June, 2011, by a margin of 81% yes Volume XVI - Number 10 to 19% no, the last Gann limit elec3000F Danville Blvd. #117, tion held for R-7. Without a Yes vote, Alamo, CA 94507 Alamo Parks (overseen by the Alamo Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397 Fax (925) 406-0547 Municipal Advisory Council or Alamo Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher MAC) will not be able to spend all of Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com its collected revenue in Alamo on parks Sharon Burke ~ Writer and recreation. It’s important to note that The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do Measure Y does not raise taxes, only not necessarily reflect that of Alamo Today. Alamo Today

See Vote continued on page 26

is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.


DATE www.yourmonthlypaper.com

Page 2 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

PLEASE REPLY Urgent Need for Volunteers in Food Distribution Program and Free San Ramon · Danville · Blackhawk · Alamo · Diablo General Store THIS AD WILL RUN A

Walnut Creek · Lafayette · Pleasanton · Dublin · Livermore Many have found great personal satisfaction in volunteering with White Pony Express (WPE), a nonprofit group dedicated to helping to end·hunger and poverty in Contra Costa County. The program has beenCHANGES so well received that adaville · Fairfield · Travis AFB · Suisun City · Dixon Winters RECEIVE ditional volunteers are urgently needed to help keep up with its rapid growth. The need in our communities remains great. Seven days a week, WPE Food Rescue volunteers take trucks to supermarkets, restaurants, and farmers markets Gopher/Mole Removal where they pick up thousands of pounds of surplus food—high quality, nourishing food (fresh meats, dairy, eggs, deli, No Poison baked goods). Most all of this food is distributed to those in need within two hours of the donation. In its first two and half years, WPE delivered more than 3,000,000 pounds of food (equivalent to 2,500,000 meals) that the hungry would have gone without. Also, in addition to rescuing food, WPE collects donations of new or like-new clothing, 925-765-4209 shoes, toys, games, and books. More than 250,000 of these items have been distributed to those in need in the past two years—all free of charge, through WPE’s unique “Mobile Boutiques” and its Direct Distribution program. Interested volunteers please contact Mandy Nakaya at 925-818-6361 or mandy@whiteponyexpress.org. For more on WPE, go to www.whiteponyexpress.org.

P

To make changes, please call 925.328.0888, email eastbay@yourtownmonthly.com, or contact yo

San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society

The San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society invites you to attend the free October 18th 10am meeting. The program will be “Newspaper Genealogy Research” given by Janice Sellers. The meeting will be held at the Danville Family History Center, located at 2949 Stone Valley Road, Alamo. For more information, visit www.srvgensoc,org.

Join the Role Players Ensemble for a season of Theatre for Grown Ups as they present entertaining, challenging plays and offer expanded outreach to theatre lovers with master classes on the Art of Acting and staged readings of plays under consideration for next season. • October 28 – November 12: Don’t Drink the Water by Woody Allen brings his signature brand of humor to a motley assortment of characters in this oddball comedy set in cold war Eastern Europe. (Directed by Aaron Murphy) • February 3 – 19, 2017: The Piano Lesson by August Wilson sheds light on an AfricanAmerican family struggling with identity, values, and choices made throughout their lives. This stirring, soul-searching drama won the 1990 Pulitzer Prize. (Directed by Eric Fraisher Hayes) • April 14 – 30, 2017: Laughing Stock by Charles Morey celebrates all that is loved and all that can go wrong in the making of theatre. Trying to produce Dracula, Hamlet, and Charlie’s Aunt in summer stock repertory becomes a wild mix of sweetness and slapstick. (Directed by Eric Fraisher Hayes) Tickets and information can be found by visiting www.RolePlayersEnsemble.com. All shows will be held at The Village Theatre, 233 Front Street in Danville.

Perfect Public Speaking with Toastmasters

Do you hate speaking in front of a group? You’re not alone. But good presentation skills are demanded by nearly every employer these days. Toastmasters can help! Toastmasters is an organization where people can fine-tune their speaking skills and receive valuable feedback. Beginning and advanced speakers are welcome. Local chapter Danville AM Toastmasters meets every Tuesday from 7 to 8:30AM in downtown Danville. For the location and other details, please visit 4143.toastmastersclubs.org, or email DanvilleAMToastmasters@gmail.com.

WE’RE

Role Players Ensemble 2016-2017 Season

NOW OPEN!

FULL DETAILING

100% hand auto detailing starting at $125 Scratch Removal • Dent Removal • Touch-up Window Tinting • 120% SatiSfaction Guaranteed

25

SAVE $

on first auto detail with this ad

3212 Danville Blvd., Alamo

925-791-5551 • www.alamoautolounge.com


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Boulevard View

By Alisa Corstorphine, Editor

I think that many of us find that our lives are so busy that it is easy to get in a rut and do the same thing every day, also known as the “lather-rinse-repeat” cycle... wake-up, eat or skip breakfast, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed, do it all over again. For those with kids, you probably throw in a few extras such as sports, homework, and extra-curricular activities. In order to expand my horizons and break out of that cycle, I’ve been searching for new and different activities for myself and for my family at home, locally, and while travelling. Even though the “kids” are older and not around much, it is something we can do that brings us together. With these goals in mind, the new adventures begin! Last weekend my daughter and our neighbors participated in a cheese making class put on by a woman in Oakland (www.farmcurious.com). Over two and a half hours we had a whirlwind introduction in how to make bloomy-rinded cheeses such as Brie and Camembert. The hands-on class had us mixing and stirring to form curds and whey, and we left with a basket of curds and guidance to finish the process over the next few weeks. While the Brie is currently in a loosehockeypuck state, we all look forward to the end result and, with more experience, testing, and trials under our belt, recreating and modifying the recipe to come up with our own unique varieties. For years our family has been saying we were going to make homemade rootbeer, and we actually had purchased some rootbeer extract a few years ago

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 3

which until now just sat on the shelf. With our commitment to new adventures and armed with some bottles, the extract, five gallons of water, a heap of sugar, and a half teaspoon of yeast, two weeks later we have about 16 bottles of fairly decent rootbeer and are spending evenings enjoying classic rootbeer floats. Sure, we could have just purchased the rootbeer at the grocery store, but going through the process of creating gives us a better understanding of what it takes to make these things and allows us a chance to customize and develop something more unique. A weekend away to Santa Barbara found us at a glassblowing class where in two hours we were able to create a bowl, tumbler, paperweight, or vase. The family-owned business, Santa Barbara Art Glass (sbartglass. com), offered the experience of dipping our wielding rods into the crucible of molten glass, adding color to our piece, shaping our creations, while continuously spinning our “blob,” and blowing life into our items. The results were amazing, and all of us can’t wait to go again. Our local community offers great cooking classes, and there are many gardening and yard classes nearby. Our area is full of adventures from skydiving (which is NOT on my bucket list), to sailing on the Bay, to hiking Mt. Diablo. The internet has many articles on “experiences over things.” Some are saying experiences over things is a trendy millennial fad. However, I think experiences trigger memories that linger and can also bring people together. Some of the classes and experiences bring us back to homesteading, our roots, and introduce us to selfsufficiency or a trade skill. Some experiences are adventures. I have enjoyed dog sledding in Alaska, concerts, hiking, zip lining, geocaching, and next on the list is ocean horseback swimming: an experience as well as one to cross off the bucket list.


Page 4 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

th 0 3 er

b o t c O

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

Sons in Retirement San Ramon Valley

Are you looking for things to do in your retirement? Consider joining Sons in Retirement San Ramon Valley Branch 128. The group has monthly luncheons with interesting speakers and good fellowship. The October speaker will be Gail Murray, Director of the Contra Costa Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District. Additionally, members have lots of fun participating in a variety of activities such as golf, tennis, bowling, bocce ball, movies, bridge, reading, computers, and much more. Many other activities such as travel, dine outs, excursions, baseball games and holiday parties include spouses, friends, and guests. The next monthly luncheon will be held Wednesday, October 19th at 11AM. A fee of $23 includes luncheon, guest speaker, and a great opportunity to socialize with at least 150 other retirees from the San Ramon Valley. To reserve a space, please email by Thursday, October 13th to info@SIR128.com. The event will take place at The Bridges Golf Club, 9000 S. Gale Ridge Rd in San Ramon. For more information about this retirement branch and activities, please visit www.SIR128.com.

Enter your best guess every Sunday. Winner will be announced November 6th.

Volunteer with AARP Tax-Aide for 2017 Tax Season

Do you like working with people? Are you good with numbers? Contra Costa County AARP Tax-Aide is looking for volunteers to become members of a team providing free tax preparation for individuals of all ages. Tax-Aide volunteer positions include Tax Counselors who are trained by Tax-Aide and certified by IRS, and Client Facilitators, who schedule appointments and assist clients at tax sites. Orientation is in November 2016, and classes for tax counselors start in January 2017. Service is from February through April 15, 2017. If you are interested, apply online at www.aarp.org/taxvolunteer or call LaVerne Gordon at (925) 726-3199 for additional information.

Danville Library Book Sale

The Friends of the Danville Library (FODL) will host another large book sale at the end of October. Prices on Friday/Saturday for all hardcover books, books on tape, and DVDs is $2, and all paperback books and CDs cost $1. • Friday, October 14: FODL member preview 9 - 10AM; Public hours 10AM - 5PM • Saturday, October 15: Public hours 10AM - 4PM • Sunday, October 16 - $5 Bag Sale: Public hours 12:05PM - 3:45PM

AAUW Discussion of Ballot Initiatives

The upcoming election is important not only for the presidential race but also for the large number of local initiatives on the California ballot such as Gender Pay Gap, Family Leave and Paid Sick Days, Campus Sexual Violence, Reproductive Rights, College Affordability, and many more. There are 17 initiatives on the November 8th ballot. To gain a better understanding of these initiatives, please join The American Association of University Women for a free presentation sponsored by the DanvilleAlamo-Walnut Creek and San Ramon branches in association with the League of Women Voters. To gain a better understanding of these issues, please attend the discussion being held on Thursday, October 13th at 7pm at the Shadowhills Cabana Club, 1001 El Capitan Dr., Danville. Please RSVP to ashakiran@gmail.com.

Alamo-Danville Newcomers Welcome Coffee

Are you new to the area or a long time resident, newly retired, or an empty nester interested in making new friends and participating in various social activities? The Alamo-Danville Newcomers Club is a women’s organization whose purpose is to enrich the lives of all its members and their families in a social manner. Check out all the Club has to offer by visiting www.alamodanvillenewcomers.com. The next new member coffee will be held on October 25th from 10AM to noon. RSVP to alamodanvillenewcomers@gmail.com.

Monday, October 31ST 3pm - 5pm RSVP to 800-762-1641 For more information contact 800-762-1641.

www.AlamoPlazaShoppingCenter.com

SHOPPING CENTER


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 5

ALAMO

ELEGANT HORSE RANCH

Westside Alamo ~ Spectacular New Construction Home, 5 bdrms & 4.5 bths. Just under 4000 sq ft, with a GREAT floor plan—high ceilings and all the extras. Open kitchen/family rm combo, formal living & dining, 3 bedroom suites including Master with two walk in closets. 1/2 acre lot, fully landscaped including outdoor kitchen & fireplace and much more! $2,299,000

Danville ~ Recently rebuilt & expanded, 4 bedroom, w/ Epicurean Kitchen, Marble, Granite Baths. Tall Open beam ceilings. NEW MASTER SUITE. Enormous great room, professionally landscaped ACRE. Large sanded professional HORSE ARENA, Trail to Mt. Diablo. Stone patios and outside walks. WELL FOR IRRIGATION. Bonus Au Pair In-Law quarters. $1,745,000

Nancy Benvenuto ~ 925.784.1955 Nancy@NancyBenvenuto.com

COMING SOON IN DANVILLE

Jay Weymouth ~ 925.915.1100 jayweymouth@yahoo.com

JUST LISTED

Danville ~ One of the best lots in Woodbine! 5 bdrms, 2.5 baths, 3127 sq ft on a .32 acre lot. Expanded living room w/high ceilings, formal dining room, large family rm. Master Suite w/soaking tub and study. Private back yard that backs to open space w/pool and spa, fire pit, perfect for entertaining! Court location, close to award winning schools and freeway. Call for Pricing

Lafayette ~ Comfortable Elegance, 5 bedroom 4.5 bath contemporary home located on a private 3+ acres, yet minutes to downtown Lafayette. Over 5300 sq. ft, Chef's eat-in kitchen with large center island, bamboo cabinets, walk-in pantry. All Solar Home! A must see. $2,700,000.

Tim Palumbo tmpal@sbcglobal.net 925.943.3332 Russ Darby russsells@value.net 925.943.3333

Gretchen Bryce ~ 925.683.2477 gretchenbryce@msn.com


Page 6 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

Holidays Are Fast Approaching RESTAURANTS & CATERING Book Your Social or Corporate Events In Our Beautiful Redwood Room or Celebrate Outside Under Our

STONE VALLEY SCHOOLPRIDE PRIDE WALK STONE VALLEYMIDDLE MIDDLE SCHOOL WALK

String Lit Majestic Redwood Trees 600 Hartz Ave. | Danville | 925.838.1320 | www.fazrestaurants.com

Faz Bakery & Coffee Bar Let us make your special moments in life as Sweet as they can be! Cater your next event

The Stone Valley Education Fund (from Stone Valley Middle School) proudly

Thepresents Stone the Valley Fund (from Valleyundergoing Middle School) proudly StoneEducation Valley Pride Walk. We Stone are currently a $40 million presents the Stone Valley Pride Walk. We are currently undergoing a $40 million renovation and are offering you a chance to leave your permanent mark and be part of school history. Proceeds allto students through class size mark reduction, renovation and are offering you abenefit chance leave your permanent and be part technology,benefit classroom materials through and more!class size reduction, of school history. Proceeds all students technology, classroom materials and more!

with our dreamy desserts or

Each brick costs $125 and includes 3 lines of personalization. Sales of bricks will continue throughout school construction. Installation will take place at the end of Each brick costs $125 and construction includes 3 lines of personalization. Sales of bricks will (likely Fall 2017).

magical cake for you!

www.bricksrus.com/order/stonevalleypridewalk

have us custom design a

Schedule a sampling, we’d love to meet you!

925.309.4822

2 21 H ar tz A v e. | Da n v i l l e | w ww .F a z B a k e r y . c om | info@ fa z ba k ery. co m

Mobility Matters

Mobility Matters provides mobility management services in Contra Costa County between public and private transportation providers for seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low income individuals. The program is provided at no charge to clients. To learn about receiving assistance or volunteering for the program, call (925) 284-2207 or e-mail office@mobilitymatterscc.com. Help support programs of Mobility Matters by participating in their annual raffle. Tickets are $25, and you can choose the item you want to try to win which includes an hour flight over the Bay Area and a $100 VISA gift card, a basketball signed by Warriors basketball “Splash Brothers,” a Livermore Bootlegger Adventure for four, a Tahoe getaway, or $1,000 cash. The drawing will be held on September 24, and participants do not need to be present to win. For ticket information, call (925) 284-2207.

continue throughout school construction. Installation will take place at the end of construction Fall To order your(likely brick(s) go2017). here: To order your brick(s) go here:

Purchase a brick for your family, one for each student (past, present and future) or www.bricksrus.com/order/stonevalleypridewalk your business. No limit to how many you can purchase!

Purchase a brick for your family, one for each student (past, present and future) or Questions? Contact Victoria Johnson at victoriamjohnson@mac.com or your business. No limit to how many you can purchase! Jamie Garson at jamiegarson@att.net Questions? Contact Victoria Johnson at victoriamjohnson@mac.com or Jamie Garson at jamiegarson@att.net

Blackhawk “First Sunday” Cars & Coffee

Blackhawk Automotive Museum hosts a monthly Cars & Coffee event year round for all car enthusiasts. Held on the “First Sunday” of each month, starting at 8AM and going to 10AM, the Museum welcomes all classic, collector, and special interest car owners and enthusiasts. On Cars & Coffee Sundays, the Museum opens an hour earlier, at 9AM, and participating car owners will receive complimentary Museum admission tickets. The Museum is located at 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Danville. For more information, visit www.blackhawkmuseum.org/carsncoffee. html, call (925) 736-2280, or email museum@blackhawkmuseum.org.

SAT & SUN ● OCTOBER 22 & 23 ● 10AM-5PM HISTORIC DOWNTOWN DANVILLE

Upcoming Community Meetings and Events

AIA - Alamo Improvement Association - Please visit www.alamoca.org for upcoming meetings - Creekside Community Church -1350 Danville Blvd. Alamo MAC (Municipal Advisory Committee) - First Tuesday of each month 6pm - Alamo Women’s Club P2B - Police Services Advisory Committee - First Monday of each month, 5pm - Meets at Sheriff Substation, 150 Alamo Plaza P5 - Round Hill Police Services Advisory Committee - Second Wednesday of each month, 7pm - Meets at Round Hill Country Club - Lower Level Meeting Room CERT classes - Community Emergency Response Team - Visit www. firedepartment.org/community_outreach/cert/upcoming_classes.asp

www.danvillefallcraftsfestival.com


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Chromatica Sings Innocence, Love, and Heartbreak: Texts by and About Children

Chromatica, a regional chorus recently dubbed “the undiscovered musical jewel of the East Bay,” will perform its “Innocence, Love and Heartbreak” concerts on Saturday, October 29 at Peace Lutheran Church, 3201 Camino Tassajara in Danville; Sunday, October 30 at St. Perpetua Church, 3454 Hamlin Road, Lafayette; and Saturday, November 5 at Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church, 1578 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton. All concerts begin at 7PM. David Huff, Chromatica’s founding musical director, has assembled a remarkable program of songs that use texts written by or about children. The program reminds us of the joys, sadness, and wonder of childhood at a time when so many of the world’s children are faced with war, famine, and abuse. The pieces range from the humorous to the profound, the elegiac to the tragic – and the musical quality is exceptional. The very popular and accomplished Eric Whitacre gives us the lovely “A Boy and a Girl.” One of America’s foremost choral composers, John Rutter gives us “Five Childhood Lyrics.” Several charming (and actual) Children’s Letters to God ask questions like: “What is it Like in Heaven?” and “What is it Like when you Die?” Billy Joel’s “Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel)” is justly famous as a bedtime song to his daughter. Sir John Tavener’s “The Lamb” celebrates this remarkable English composer’s choral writing genius. And the program includes much more – Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven,” written for his young son, killed in a tragic accident, in an arrangement by one of Chromatica’s chorus members, and “Prayer for the Children,” an anthem that comes from war torn Bosnia and says everything about the terrible impact of conflict on children. Says David Huff, “Chromatica has always chosen music that’s different from most community choruses. In this program we highlight the struggles, triumphs, and tragedies of childhood with some truly lovely pieces that are rarely performed. In our fifth year, we continue to reach out to our audience with new and beautiful choral music which it is a privilege to present.” Chromatica was founded in 2011 and now includes 24 men and women singers. It has performed nine prior series of ticketed concerts in the East Bay, attracting large and enthusiastic audiences. Led by David P. Huff, an outstanding director and operatic tenor who has sung both in New York and San Francisco and accompanied by the exceptional pianist Julie Rieth, it seeks to perform challenging pieces at a high level of professionalism. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students, and children 10 and under are admitted free. For tickets and to find out more about Chromatica, visit www. chromaticachorale.org. For a more personal look you can find Chromatica on Facebook. Tickets for all concerts are also available at the door.

Treats for the Troops

NEW YEAR • CARPET NEW FLOORS!

• HARDWOOD • CARPET RUGS • HARDWOOD CUSTOM RUGS • RUGS LINOLEUM • LINOLEUM TILE Family Owned Business Since 1989 3344 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Lafayette, CA 925.284.4440

www.LamorindaFloors.com License# 708486

Service group Delta Nu Psi will be collecting “gourmet junk food” to send to our servicemen and women in Afghanistan. Delta Nu Psi will continue sending packages as long as American military members are in the War Zone. Much of the food sent is not normally available to the troops. Collections will be held at CVS in Alamo on Friday, October 7, and at Lunardi’s in Danville on Friday, October 14. Both collections will take place from 11AM to 2PM. Please come to either store and shop for our service personal. Our supplies to ship are low as we did not collect in September. For donations visit www.deltanupsi.org. Money for postage is also always appreciated. Please help Delta Nu Psi provide our men and women in the War Zone a touch of home.

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 7

Fine Mexican Dining

743-8997 In Stone Valley Shopping Center

Enjoy Our Patio Dining Monday - Saturday: Lunch and Dinner Sunday: Dinner only We Offer a Full Bar and Lounge 3168 Danville Blvd, Alamo Margaritas are a House Specialty

Blackhawk Republican Women Present Clayton Mayor, Pete Laurence

The Blackhawk Republican Women present Pete Laurence, Mayor of Clayton and Vietnam War “Green Beret” Veteran, speaking on “The Coming Election, Whether It Be Win, Lose, or Draw.” Tired of the political pundits and their rancor surrounding the upcoming election? Well, take a refreshing break from the nastiness with Pete Laurence. This native northern Californian has served for 16 elected years on the Clayton City Council, three times as mayor. Pete advocates for Vietnam Veterans, patriotism, and freedom, whether it’s talking at high schools and colleges, being the keynote speaker at Memorial Day events, or writing letters and editorials to newspapers, where he usually adds insights and common sense to most political subjects. Having decided to learn more about the world after earning the State Championship in High School Wrestling, Pete hitch-hiked and hopped freight trains through the US., northern Mexico, and Canada for a year. With the Vietnam War heating up while he was living with Indians in the Yukon Territories, he enlisted in 1964, volunteered for Airborne and Special Forces training, and served as a Green Beret in Vietnam on a successful A-team in combat. The event will take place on Thursday, October 13 at the Blackhawk Country Club Grille. Check in with hors d’oeuvre service will begin at 5:30PM, and a meeting with the speaker will begin at 6:15PM. The cost is $25. Everyone is welcome. Please make your reservations by e-mailing or calling Jane Parish at janeparish@sbcglobal.net or (925) 216-6663, then mailing her a check for $25 made payable to “Blackhawk Republican Women” to arrive no later than Monday, October 10th at 366 Jacaranda Drive, Danville, CA 94506-2125.

Exchange Club of SRV

The Exchange Club of San Ramon Valley meets for lunch the second Wednesday of every month in downtown Danville. Sign-in and social time begins at 11:30AM. The meeting starts promptly at noon and ends promptly at 1PM. The program features guest speakers and a business networking speaker. For more information, call Karen Stepper at (925) 275-2412, email coachstepper@yahoo.com, or visit www.srvexchangeclub.org.


www.yourmonthlypaper.com

Page 8 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

Contra Costa County Makes it Easy For you to Vote! By Candace Andersen, Contra Costa County, District 2 Supervisor

Over the next few weeks we can all expect our mailboxes to become stuffed with political mailers, our television and radio airwaves filled with endorsements, and online popup ads advising us of how we should vote. That, combined with one of the most contentious presidential races we’ve seen in years, might discourage some from going to the polls, but I hope that is not the case. Voting is one of our most important opportunities as citizens to express our viewpoints. One of my favorite slogans I saw a few years ago in the town of Waimanalo on O’ahu, Hawaii was “No Vote, No Grumble.” Despite a larger volume of ballot measures and candidates to vote on than in recent years, our staff at the Contra Costa County Elections Division is prepared to run a smooth election. They’re adding new ways to make it more convenient than ever to vote. The Elections Office wants to remind voters that, unlike the complicated primary election in June, you can vote for presidential candidates from any party this time. And while much of the attention is on the race for President, there are many important local issues that have more of an impact on our daily lives on the November ballot. The Elections Office anticipates a higher-than-normal turnout this November. Because of that, they are adding a number of ways that Contra Costa residents can vote early and at their convenience. The Election Division’s goal is to allow you some flexibility when it comes to managing to fit voting into your busy schedule. No more having to rush on Election Day. Once again, the San Ramon Valley, more specifically the San Ramon Community Center on 12501 Alcosta Blvd., will be one of the sites for Contra Costa Elections’ Regional Early Voting program. The Lafayette Library is also one of the Regional Early Voting sites. The program will kick off on October 31st, a week ahead of the November 8th election. All registered Contra Costa voters will be able to vote at any of seven locations around the county. These Regional Early Voting sites will be open from 11AM to 7PM Monday, October 31st through Friday, November 4th, and 8AM to 5PM Saturday, November 5th. In addition to these sites, vote-by-mail voters can continue to drop off their ballots at “CoCo Vote-N-Go” drop-off boxes at all 19 city and town hall buildings and the County Administration building at 651 Pine Street, Martinez. No postage is required. Because of the number of items on the ballot, it’s quite a bit thicker than usual. Postage to mail your vote by mail ballot back this election is $.68. The Elections Office is adding six new drop-off locations, including the Dougherty Station Library in east San Ramon. One more program worth considering is that Elections Office staff members will be at local libraries, senior centers, and farmers markets to collect vote-bymail ballots. Again, no postage is required! The Ballot Express program will be at the Orinda Senior Village, 11AM to 1PM on October 20th and the San Ramon Senior Center from 11:30AM to 1:30PM on November 1st. Your voter information guide should arrive around the end of September, and vote-by-mail ballots will be mailed out during the week of October 10th. Ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day. For more detailed information or to see if you are registered to vote, visit www.cocovote.us. Voting has become much more convenient than it used to be, so please take the opportunity to vote this November. My office is here to serve the residents of Contra Costa County District 2, which includes San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek, Saranap, Parkmead, Lafayette, Moraga, Canyon, and Orinda. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can provide you with additional information on this topic or on other County issues. I can be reached at SupervisorAndersen@bos.cccounty.us or 925-957-8860. A special thanks to Scott Konopasek and Paul Burgarino of the Contra Costa Elections Office for their contributions to this article.

Caring Hands

Reaching Out to Seniors One at a Time

Life at any age involves challenges, but these intensify as we age. The first concern may be that it becomes too difficult to drive to the doctor, the grocery, or to just get a haircut. Support systems change, neighbors and friends may not help as expected, and loneliness may put a damper on daily routine. Caring Hands volunteers offer friendship which makes an extraordinary difference in the quality of life for many of our seniors. Caring Hands Volunteer Caregivers Program, a collaborative community outreach program between John Muir Health, social service agencies, congregations of various faiths and the community-at-large, creates finely-tuned one-on-one matches. The Caring Hands Program is dedicated to helping aging adults in Contra Costa County remain independent as long as safely possible. Isolation and loneliness shorten lives and may make health problems worse. If making time to volunteer is on your to-do list, consider joining Caring Hands as a caregiver or even as an occasional driver. Enriching matches are created; loving friendships and deep relationships are formed. Care receivers treasure a friendly visit, a walk in the park or other social outing. Reading mail, letter writing, or providing respite care to give a break to a family member are thoughtful services which can make a big difference to a frail or isolated senior. Since so many older adults need transportation to doctor’s appointments or stores, the best volunteer for Caring Hands is someone who is available once a week for 1-3 hours on a weekday, and who can provide transportation. Volunteers receive ongoing education, support and recognition of their efforts. Perhaps you can be that friend who gives a waiting senior hope and help. The next training session in Walnut Creek will be held on Friday, November 18 from 9AM -2:30PM, at the John Muir Health Medical Center. For a volunteer application or for more information about Caring Hands please contact Stacy Appel, Volunteer Coordinator, at (925) 952-2999. 8

Lost Dog!

$50 REWARD

If you find her and your name is drawn!

Alamo Zoe is Missing

Alamo Zoe has become lost in this paper... Search through Alamo Today and see if you can find her! She is very small, so you will have to look hard if you want to find her.

To be eligible send a letter telling us where you found her, along with your name and address, to: Lost Dog! ~ Alamo Today 3000F Danville Blvd #117 • Alamo, CA 94507

Carol Schalla is our winner!


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 9

The Cox Team R E A L E S TAT E

E

D SI

T

ES

W

Pat TheCoxTeam.com Pat Cox

925.963.6404 License# 00635222

Kevin Cox 925.989.8028 License# 01257809 Shiloh Hagen 925.997.3285 Licence# 01358726 Wendy Cox-Hagen 925.997.0923

DANVILLE 601 SYCAMORE VALLEY RD. W., DANVILLE

600 Via Romero Lane, Alamo Stunning Custom Estate Tucked away on a Premium Lot in Desirable Jones Ranch. 4BR/office + bonus room/4.5BA estate on the Westside. Extensive remodeling and updating! Parklike ~.88 acres with pool, spa, beautiful gardens and waterfall. Close to Alamo Plaza. Offered at $3,588,000

Rancho Romero Elementary School By Skye Larsh-Faraghan, Principal

This year schools in the district have three early release days. Students are dismissed from school at noon on these days, building time in the afternoon for targeted professional development in areas such as literacy, mathematics, science, and other engagement and connectedness initiatives. On our first early release day in September teachers maximized their time building curriculum maps in mathematics, aligning concepts, essential skills, assessments and resources. However, prior to immersing in collaborative work certificated staff became acquainted with research on mathematical mindsets, based on the book Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler. Mathematical mindsets is about the brain and mathematics learning. Mathematics seems to be the one subject area where a fixed belief can be found that either one has what it takes to learn math or not. As a result students receive many indirect messages about mathematics that damage their self-concept and ultimately close doors for the rest of their lives. A growing body of research disproves the core belief and proves that brains have plasticity, an ability to grow and change within a short period. Evidence now tells us that with the right teaching and messages everyone can achieve at the highest levels in math. We are grateful to have additional time built into the instructional day this year in the form of early release days and continued Staff Development Days. These days are critical in providing structured opportunities to deepen our understanding of content. During the course of this year Rancho Romero teachers will be focused on using the newly adopted mathematics curriculum to promote powerful thinking through reasoning, creativity, connection making and interpretation of methods. Above all, studying an approach that moves away from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset where each student develops a desire to understand and a confidence to persevere. Upcoming Professional Development dates are September 30 (no students, November 1 (early release), and January 31 (early release).

Alamo Elementary School By Stan Hitomi, Principal

By the time October rolls along, the “newness” of the year has passed and we move into a comfortable routine. October is one of my favorite times of the year. Our classrooms are filled with the sights and sounds of learning, while our playgrounds are buzzing with new and old friendships at play. This year “knockout,” a version of basketball, has returned as a recess-favorite, and we have also seen the re-emergence in popularity of four-square…some things never grow old! October means the return of the “Run for Education.” Perhaps no single activity draws a wider range of our community together around a single goal than the SRVEF Annual Run for Education. In recent years, Alamo’s participation in the Run for Education has been legendary. Alamo School has captured the Top Performing School trophy for a record four years in a row. Will we be able to extend the streak? With more than $5,000 in incentives, Monika Corr, Gretchen Treffiletti, and Angie Barta are leading the effort to put Alamo School on top for a fifth consecutive year! This month we will also be celebrating our annual classic, the Hoedown, in its second year as a Fall Festival. This year there will be something new… it will be at night! We are moving the Hoedown to Friday night, October 21st, under the lights. There will be new games and activities including a rock-climbing wall. The lights in our outdoor amphitheater have been repaired, and we will have night performances for the first time in over 30 years! Our families will be able to choose from a variety of food trucks and enjoy eating outdoors on what promises to be a magical fall evening. Coordinating this year’s Hoedown are Lana Sainio (coordinating her 3rd Hoedown) and Peter Roehm. This year the Hoedown coincides with our annual Fall Book Fair. The Book Fair will open on Friday night, during the Hoedown, October 21st. The weeklong fair will include a Family Reading night on Tuesday, October 25th in the library. The Fair will also include collecting books for our sister school, Lake Elementary. The month of October culminates with our annual Halloween Parade on October 31st. This annual favorite usually draws one of our largest crowds of the year. Plan on getting there early!


Page 10 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

San Ramon Valley High School By Ruth Steele, Principal

As you read this we are coming to end of the initial demolition phase at SRVHS. If you have been on campus during August or September then you know that all of the single story wings have been demolished and removed at this point. During September the concrete building pads were being broken up and removed (very noisy!). Now that phase of the work has been completed we are looking forward to some quiet before the ground breaking and construction work begins! I am proud of the way that our staff and students have adapted to the demolition/construction process and adjusted to being out in “portable city.” We have 45 portable classrooms making up more than ½ of our classroom space on campus. Our theme this year is “We’re in it together” and it’s been great to see everyone do their best to support each other while we move forward. Aside from the appearance of campus, the other big change this year was the adoption of our new bell schedule. There was a long process followed in order to design a bell schedule that would best cater to student and staff needs. Some of our biggest challenges on campus are student stress, student access to academic support, and finding the time to provide each student with the specific type of help that they might need. For some students, they just need some time back in order to be able to manage their work load. Others need more time with teachers in order to make sure that they are learning. Our Home Room and Access periods have allowed students to make these decisions for themselves. They can either stay with their Home Room/Access teacher and work quietly on their own work. or, they can go and see a teacher for help or make up work, or they can be directed to attend study sessions with a particular teacher if they are struggling. These opportunities during the school day have given everyone time back at lunchtime and after school to do other things - like eat, relax, socialize, or sleep! Over the first couple of months of school, it has been very clear that the addition of this time has made a huge difference to both staff and students. Staff were big proponents of this change in order to give them the time to work more effectively with students. As everyone gets used to the new systems we are looking at where the students are going, how they are using the time, and whether there are adjustments that we need to make to improve our systems. It’s been an exciting start to the new school year, and being able to see how the new schedule benefits our students will help us to further improve as the year continues. Follow me on twitter at Principal@SRVHS for updates and news from SRVHS! May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears. ~ Nelson Mandela

Stone Valley Middle School By Jon Campopiano, Principal

We were extremely honored to have two Olympic athletes join us for a student assembly during September. Stone Valley alum and gold medal winner Maggie Steffens and water polo legend Mauren O’Toole spoke to our students about their Olympic experiences. Their presentation on goal setting, dreaming big, and the need to preserve was inspirational to our students and staff. Thank you to Maggie and Mo! September also included Back-to-School Night, our first dance, our first clean campus campaign, our first Spirit Day, our first 1-1 lunchtime round robin basketball tournament, our first advisory lessons on character development, our first digital citizenship lesson on being cybersafe, our first PTA parent cybersafe presentation, and the first quarter of middle school for our 6th graders! It has been busy, fast paced, exhilarating, and very rewarding on the Stone Valley Campus with students and staff embracing the learning opportunities presented to them. Thank you to our Education Foundation and PTA for all of your support with additional classroom sections, teacher supplies, and newly purchased and deployed Chromebooks. We couldn’t sustain our success without you! I look forward to seeing all of you Run for Education on October 16th. Please sign up and represent Stone Valley! https://raceroster.com/events/2016/8439/the-run-for-education. Follow Stone Valley on Twitter @stonevalleyms or via our website at www.stonevalley.schooloop.com.

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

Monte Vista High School By Dr. Kevin Ahern, Principal

I find it completely amazing that the 2015-16 school year is in its sixth week and headed into October. A lot has been happening on the Monte Vista campus since the school year started and we look forward to a ton of activities as we move into the autumn season. Monte Vista’s Back to School Night was held on August 28th and once again, the evening was a great success. I received countless positive comments from parents about the Monte Vista faculty, the positive vibe on the campus, and the success of our many programs. There is quite a bit of research to support the importance of building positive home-to-school relationships and it appears that we have made significant progress. The home-to-school connection has also been evident in increased participation in Monte Vista’s Site Council, Academic Boosters, and PTSA. Our Site Council now includes a full contingent of five teachers, five students, and five parents, who are elected to two year terms. This body is responsible for the development of our Single Plan for Student Achievement as well as providing fiscal oversight for some of our site level funds in order to ensure that expenditures are aligned with our site and district goals. Our Academic Boosters plays a vital role in lowering class sizes and providing additional elective opportunities for Monte Vista’s students. Through their fundraising drives, this parent organization has added an additional 18 sections to our master schedule which is the equivalent of 3.6 teachers. Monte Vista’s PTSA provides support for our students and staff by funding after school tutoring, Every 15 Minutes, and numerous other programs on our campus. If you are interested in joining any of these groups please check our website for future meeting dates and times. Monte Vista’s Faculty has also been busy in the first weeks of school as well. The two early release days held over the first five weeks of school have allowed teacher subject area / grade level teams to spend time planning, calibrating, and analyzing student data in order to identify if all Monte Vista students are making progress towards the essential skills they need to for college and career. There will be further professional development opportunities for our faculty at our district-wide, full day training on September 30th. Western Association of Schools Accreditation is another term we will refamiliar ourselves this year. Every six years, all high schools in California are required to go through an accreditation process where we assess our progress over the past six years, analyze current school-wide data, and develop action plans that will lead our school into the next six-year cycle. There will be several opportunities for students, parents, community, and educators to work together in this process including surveys and focus group work. Keep an eye on your email or visit our website for information as it is made available. The end of September will bring all kinds of events, beginning with Homecoming Week which is set for September 26th – September 30th. As always, this amazing week will conclude with our Friday Homecoming Game against Granada and the Homecoming Dance on Saturday. Monte Vista’s athletic teams and arts programs are all off and running this fall. There are tons of events that are happening over the next few weeks, so check our website at https://mvhs.schoolloop.com/ for the latest on what’s happening on the MV campus.

ACTION POOL REPAIR

ServingAlamo&Danville Since 1979!

925.820.3640 www.actionpoolrepair.com Contractor Lic# 978033-C53


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 11

After nearly 45 years in business, the well recognized landmark of uncompromising quality and personalized service in Alamo—Mark Kahn Jewelers—is excited to announce its transition to the next generation, as Diablo Fine Jewelers. Built upon the rock-solid foundation of professional expertise and integrity so well established by Mark Kahn, Mark’s daughter, Julie Kahn-Crowder, along with co-owners Ron Shelly and David Fitts, bring their vast collective experience to Diablo Fine Jewelers, proudly continuing and expanding what was started by Mark Kahn in 1972. Julie was brought up in her father's jewelry business and now has over thirty years of experience in the industry. A long time Alamo resident, she loves to develop personal, long term relationships with her clients—something evident by her loyal following. Julie is an expert in re-imagining an outdated piece into something beautiful and current. She is also experienced in restringing and engraving. Co-owner Ron Shelly has a wealth of experience in the jewelry industry. He has lived in the East Bay for over thirty years and, like Julie, has earned an extremely loyal following. Ron believes that jewelry is meant to be worn and enjoyed. He is very “fashion forward” and enjoys helping his clients build their jewelry wardrobes. Lastly, David Fitts is the third member of this trio. David comes to Diablo Fine Jewelers with twenty-five years of experience in all aspects of the ever-changing jewelry industry. As a salesperson, manager, and buyer, he is uniquely qualified to serve all of your jewelry needs. He has traveled throughout the United States and Europe and has developed a keen eye for style and trends. Julie, Ron, and David, along with customer service professional Kristine Walker, and goldsmith Sean Wilson, invite you visit Diablo Fine Jewelers—where you’ll discover how a legacy of exceptional service and quality continues and why experience is the difference! We are proud to feature many new designer collections including Roberto Coin! In addition, Kahn continues to be in the we offer full service repairs of your jewelry and watches, appraisal services, as well as help Mark store 2-3 days a week. Stop by and say, “Hi”! with all of your custom design needs. Please visit us at 3202 Danville Blvd. in Alamo.

3202 Danville Blvd. (Formerly Mark Kahn Jewelers - across from Ace Hardware), Alamo, CA | 925.837.3262 | diablofinejewelers.com Mon-Fri 10a-6p • Sat 10a-4p


Page 12 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

Quick Trips

Lions and Tigers and Meerkats By Linda Summers Pirkle

With five small children in tow, my friend Barb and I made our obligatory trips to the Oakland Zoo when the kids were in preschool. As the children grew older, our visits were less frequent. When the TV show Meerkat Manor aired in 2005, my youngest daughter and I intensified our visits to the zoo. She loved visiting the meerkats. The Animal Planet television series Meerkat Manor, produced by British production company Oxford Scientific Films, follows the “Whiskers” clan of meerkats in the Kalahari Desert, South Africa. “Shakespeare,” the brave little meerkat who carried his sibling to safety and saved his brother from predators, is high drama and still remembered by the fans who enjoyed the program many years ago. To the uninitiated, the meerkat exhibit at the Oakland Zoo is an enclosed mound of dirt with grasses, trees, and small bushes. It is home to a gang of meerkats, members of the mongoose family. They stand up, all twelve inches, survey the surroundings with their pot bellies protruding, then back down they go into their tunnels, scurrying to their next adventure. The very young or those who don’t mind crouching down can peek into the underworld of the meerkats through a glass window viewing station. My daughter now lives in Paris and returned home for the month of August. Her request to visit the Oakland Zoo was a sweet surprise. Since our last visit about five years ago, the East Bay Zoological Society which manages the Zoo has made improvements to the physical assets such as Maddi’s Center for Science Find the meerkat in the picture. Look closely to and Environmental Education, the see the chubby little guy on his way down a tunnel Wayne and Gladys Valley Children’s at the Oakland Zoo meerkat exhibit. Zoo, the new Veterinary Hospital, and other animal exhibits. We read with interest the story of four tiger sisters now living at the zoo. According to the exhibit poster, the cubs Grace, Ginger, Molly, and Millou were part of a traveling animal show where guests could pay twenty dollars to have their photos taken with real tiger cubs. Pulled prematurely, these tigers should have stayed with their mothers through the first two years of their lives. A custody battle between the divorced owners left the four tigers neglected. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) rescued the then 20-month old sisters from their predicament, and in September 2011, thanks to the work of many volunteers and several corporate sponsors, the four gorgeous tigers are now living at the Oakland Zoo. They are beautiful to watch. Exciting things are happening at the zoo. The California Trail, a new feature, will expand the zoo and feature 20 acres of new animal enclosures, an interpretive overlook with views of the San Francisco Bay, a California Interpretive Center, a camping area with platform tents for overnights at the Zoo, and a children’s play and learn center. California native animals in the process of acquisition will include the grey wolf, grizzly bears, mountain lions, jaguar, bison, bald eagles, and a California condor. One of my favorite things about the Oakland Zoo is the neighborhood feel to it which is enhanced by an amazing volunteer squad. Many of the volunteers are seniors who are friendly, patient, and knowledgeable about the exhibits at the zoo. Over the years, I have been enthralled with stories from these volunteers. While resting on a bench during our latest visit, I was able to witness a volunteer in action. A dad and small child were standing next to each other near the elephant exhibit. A petite senior in zoo cap and uniform stood for a while next to the little family. She engaged the dad in a short conversation and then bent down to the darling little girl, pointed to the elephants, and began a short story which clearly delighted the small child. The Oakland Zoo is located at 9777 Golf Links Road, Oakland. California Trail estimated grand opening is summer 2018. Their website is Oaklandzoo.org, and their phone number is (510) 632-9525. Linda Summers Pirkle, travel consultant and long term Danville resident, has arranged and led tours for the Town of Danville for several years. Inspired by the many wonderful places to visit in the Bay Area, she organizes day trips, either for groups or for friends and family. “What a great place to live, so much to see, so much to do.” To share your “Quick Trips” ideas email Coverthemap@gmail.com.

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

Wonderful France

By Kelly Neumeister, Alamo World Travel

I’ve been a travel agent for many years, and I admit that I’ve never been one for escorted group travel. I’m independent and like to do my own thing. I had a lot to learn! Taking a Trafalgar guided tour of France was an eye-opening experience. Trafalgar offers tours all over the world, and I had the good fortune to join the “Wonderful France” adventure starting in Paris for nine days winding south through Burgundy, Provence, the French Riviera, and back to Paris by high-speed train. It turns out that a guided tour has many perks, and you get a lot more bang for your buck than I originally thought. When we travel, we want to experience our surroundings, see important sights, and learn something. It’s a tall order, but that is where a guided tour steps in. Our delightful Tour Manager, Carolyn, met us at our first hotel and was with us every day until she bid us adieu in Paris for our departures home. I loved the fact that I didn’t have to plan a thing and didn’t have to worry about driving in a foreign city and trying to find my way to attractions and train stations, etc. Trafalgar and our competent driver took care of getting us from points A to B with no stress to the passengers on the coach. When we had free time and wanted to move about on our own, Carolyn suggested what to see and how to get there, sharing the ins and outs of each destination, including public transportation. We left Paris after two evenings in the City of Lights, heading south to the gastronomic capital of Lyon, a relaxing ride through stunning countryside. I enjoyed Carolyn’s running narrative and history nuggets, taking everything in without having to open a travel guide or lift a finger...except when I needed to take a photo of an abandoned castle on the hillside! Heading south into Provence, we had a pleasant surprise: Carolyn decided to take us on a slight detour to a destination not on our itinerary! Lourmarin is one of the most beautiful villages in France, and Carolyn just happens to call it home. This historic town, nestled amongst vineyards, olive groves, and almond trees, was hosting its famous outdoor market, an experience out of a travel magazine. We visited local shops and galleries along narrow, winding, cobblestoned streets, and had lunch at a quaint outdoor cafe. Dozens of vendors sold jewelry, clothing, vegetables, cheeses... I’m not a shopper, but this was a treat! We even bought cheese, a bottle of wine, and a pocket knife/cork screw for the travels ahead! Next we went to the French Riviera with picturesque hotels, restaurants, and beaches lining the coast with the inland hillsides in the background. Being a lover of all things royal, it was fascinating to visit Monaco, seeing the church where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier were married as well as the royal palace, home of Monegasque royalty. We also strolled past the home Princess Caroline resided in when she is in town. The highlight for many on a Trafalgar Tour is the “Be My Guest” dinner, and as it happens, it was mine as well. We traveled outside of Arles, the historic town that was the home of Vincent Van Gogh, to a converted mill where Poppy Salinger widow of the late Pierre Salinger, and special advisor to President John F. Kennedy and best friend to Bobby Kennedy, lives. We enjoyed a full-course meal, including appetizers and wine, at the museum on the property honoring Pierre, amid the memorabilia from his connection to the Kennedy family and stories that Poppy and her charming son Emmanuel shared. All good things must come to an end. As we took the TGV high-speed train from Avignon back to Paris, we got to use our corkscrew/wine opener that we had purchased in Lourmarin to enjoy wine and cheese aboard before our final night in Paris. I thoroughly enjoyed the comfort, ease, knowledge, and experience that the professionals at Trafalgar provided during this trip. Our fellow travelers from Australia, the Philippines, and parts of the US helped make for a memorable trip to wonderful France! Kelly Neumeister specializes in group travel at Alamo World Travel and has been a travel consultant for 15 years. Her favorite destinations include Hawaii, European historic towns and villages, and trips to visit family in Cleveland, OH! You can reach her at 925-837-8742 ext. 13 or groups@ alamoworld.com. Advertorial Travel with a Group of Friends and Family and You can Travel Free! Call us for details 925-837-8742


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 13

DANA We lli ngton YOUR LOCAL # 1 TOP PRODUCING REAL ESTATE CONNECTION Gain a Professional Partner Team to buy or sell your home

LET REAL ESTATE BE YOUR GPS TO YOUR HOME EQUITY • Knowledgeable resource for answers about the process

Broker Associate | CalBRE #00665689 GRI, ABR, eGREEN, ePRO, CMP, CDPE Direct: 925.785.6445 Fax: 925.406.0574 dana@danawellington.com www.DanaWellingtonHomes.com

• Innovative direct and web marketing strategies • Expertise of neighborhood areas • Multi-dimensional analysis of current market values • Strong negotiation skills for a successful close • Team support throughout the the steps to close

Need A Tutor?

Club Z! 1-On-1 Tutoring In Your Home! San Ramon, Danville, Alamo • All Subjects • PreK-Adult • Reading • Writing • Math • LD/ADD/ADHD • SAT/ACT Prep • Study Skills Program • Affordable Rates • Degreed Professionals • Flexible Schedules

925-786-7149 www.clubztutoring.com

Sunday, Dec 4

4:30 pm - 6:30

Dana Wellington

Beth Burlingame-Randall Named President of the Rotary Club of Alamo

Beth Burlingame-Randall has been elected president of the Rotary Club of Alamo for the 2016-2017 Rotary Year. She succeeds Kim Smith who served as the 2015-2016 Club President. Beth joined The Rotary Club of Alamo with her husband, Bill Randall, in 2005 after they both retired from teaching at Stone Valley Middle School. She has served as Rotary Advisor for Monte Vista Interact Club and as the Rotary Club of Alamo’s Youth Services Director for the past 11 years. She has also served as Rotary District 5160 Youth Services Director. Beth received her BA and Masters degrees in History and a California Secondary Teaching Credential from UCLA. She started her career teaching high school in the Los Angeles area for several years, and then she moved to the Bay Area where she taught for 35 years in the San Ramon Unified School District, first at Monte Vista High School and then Stone Valley Middle School, where she taught Core, Drama, and Journalism. The Club also announced officers for 2016-2017, including Beth Burlingame Randall; Jim Schuppert, treasurer; Karen McPherson, secretary; and Kim Smith, immediate past president. Directors include Steve Larmore, community service; Jack Thompson, international service; Diane Barley, club service; Brad Gai, foundation; Dana Wellington, membership and retention; and Steve Collins, Steve Polcyn, and Bill Randall, at-large directors. The Rotary Club of Alamo was founded on May 7, 1971, and has 50 members. The Club supports various programs at Alamo and Rancho Romero Elementary Schools, Lucille Mauzy School, Stone Valley Middle School, Monte Vista and San Ramon High Schools; provides dictionaries to third grade students; sponsors two free medical clinics for uninsured and underserved adults with acute or chronic medical conditions; and participates in other community and international projects. The Club meets on Wednesdays at 12:15PM at Round Hill Country Club, 3169 Round Hill Road, Alamo. Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 33,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.

pm


Page 14 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

www.yourmonthlypaper.com


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 15

BRAD GOTHBERG

Specializes in High-End Luxury Homes in Alamo

50 Camino Monte Sol Sold for $3,875,000 Brad Gothberg Represented the Buyer & Seller

Local & International Marketing

Competitive Edge For New Listings

With over 29 years of experience, Brad Gothberg not only markets locally, but internationally. Brad’s clients gain maximum exposure to affluent buyers and investors worldwide through high-profile media and social media marketing. To view one of Brad’s international marketing campaigns for a high-end listing, go to LuxuryAlamoProperties.com.

BRAD GOTHBERG

Brad satisfies the toughest and most discriminating buyers looking for those rare gems that only experienced realtors are privy to. List your home with Brad Gothberg!

CALL 925.998.5151

4105 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville, CA 94506 mobile. 925.998.5151 | Cal BRE# 00964026 BradGothberg.com | BradTestimonials.com


www.yourmonthlypaper.com

Page 16 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

Serving the Bay Area with honesty and integrity since 1973

Since 1973

3191-JS Crow Canyon Pl San Ramon Carpets, Hardwood, Laminate & Stone (925) 866-2200 www.MacFloor.com • info@macfloor.com

In Loehmann’s Shopping Center (next to Lucky’s)

Compost Happens

By Cynthia Ruzzi, President Sustainable Danville Area

When you chuck the greasy pizza box, pounds of used paper napkins, chicken bones, or apple peels – where does it go? In too many cases it’s going in your garbage, and ultimately, it winds up in one of our overused landfills. Every year, Americans waste tons of food, making it the number one material taking up landfill space – even more than plastic or paper waste. The cost to us all is that this produces methane gas, a harmful pollutant that contributes to smog and breathing issues. But since 2015, Danville, Alamo, Blackhawk, and Diablo residents have been moving away from their methane addiction to a “Compost Happens” attitude. With the help of RecycleSmart’s residential food scrap program, customers can divert their food waste from landfill to composting locations. To make it simpler to collect food scraps at your home, customers can request a free food scraps pail by calling Republic Services at (925) 685-4711. Each plastic container has a tight sealing lid and handle. You can store the container in your kitchen to collect food waste and soiled paper material, and then empty it weekly into your organics bin – the green cart also used for yard clippings.

Helpful Tips for Recycling Food Scraps at Home

• Still get a paper newspaper? Line the container to help absorb liquids. Dispose the liner with the food scraps, and start fresh the following week. • If you choose to use a bag to line the container, please use compostable ones and not biodegradable bags. Look for “Compostable: BPI-Meets ASTM 6400 Standard” on the label. • Don’t like the smell? Empty scraps into a container and freeze them before emptying them directly your organics bin. It also reduces the messiness of wet food scrap materials. • Yard trimming are a great way to mask any odors in your organics bin – just bury the food scraps under a layer of clippings. • For those members of your household that are too lazy to lift the container lid…I also have a small utensil drying rack (available on Amazon or at your local kitchen supply store) that hooks over the inside rim of my kitchen waste pail and catches apple cores and other snack waste. At the end of the day, I empty this collection into the container under the kitchen sink.

2395 Monument Blvd., Suite J Concord (925) 680-4433 (Across from Costco Gas Station, next to Harvest House)

• Pizza boxes and other soiled paper products go directly into the organics bin instead of contaminating the recycled paper container. While it might be easier to dump everything into a garbage pail or into the sink disposal, I’m happy to do my part to reduce the 96% of food waste that the EPA estimates is clogging our landfills and contributing to air pollution. The only thing I feel badly about is that I’m stealing nutrients from my garden, so I save autumn leaves for my plants. Autumn leaf drop provides plenty of material to give composting a great start! Composting will transform leaves and other yard waste into a high-quality soil amendment that invigorates my landscaping. It is far more energy efficient to compost yard waste right in our own backyard then carting it off to a landfill. When we compost, we are simply replicating a natural process that is going on all around us. Soils are continually replenished by nutrient-rich dead grasses and leaves as they decompose on their own. Many residents assume it is too much work to do their own composting. Nothing could be further from the truth! Typically composting requires less than 15 minutes of time every two weeks and will yield finished compost in as little as four months. Here is a simple, low-effort method for composting using a compost bin. When building a compost pile, use equal amounts of fresh yard waste (high nitrogen content) and old, dry yard waste (high carbon content). Mix these materials together as they go into your bin, and add water. Once composting has started, the material in your bin will begin to get warm or even hot! This is a positive sign that aerobic decomposition has started. Turn or agitate the composting yard waste once every ten to fourteen days to maintain faster decomposition. The water content should be moist, not wet. Go ahead and add fresh yard waste when needed. After a few months, most of what has been added will look like dark brown, fluffy soil. This indicates that the composting process is done, and the finished compost is ready to be distributed around your yard. For more information on composting, visit RecyleSmart.org/composting. You’ll find great resources, including videos and a list of workshop events. Their next Composting for Busy People will be held Saturday, November 5th 10 -11:30am at Sloat Garden Center. Reservations are required, but participation is free. Call (925) 906-1801 or visit their website. Follow us at www.facebook.com/sustainabledanville.com.


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Lazarex continued from front page

no idea she would soon be immersed in learning medical jargon when she sent her youngest off to college and sold her business in 2003 – just before her brother-in-law Mike Miller learned he had pancreatic cancer. Dana spent five weeks fulltime searching the Internet for a drug that might help him. Clinical trials generally are open only to patients in the final stage of cancer. Mike qualified. Mike responded so well to his trial drug that other patients asked what was making him appear so healthy. He referred them to Dana. Her research offered hope that financial considerations quickly dashed. Mike’s family could afford trial-related costs, but other patients in his cancer community had already exhausted their resources. Mike survived long enough to help his sons prepare for their future and his daughter remember her father. Determined that all cancer patients matched with suitable clinical trials should have the monetary means to participate, Dornsife founded Lazarex in 2006. A miraculous confluence of opportunity with altruism provided Lazarex’s first patient with time to be a teen for several happy months. Ian’s symptoms began with pain after running the mile in 8th grade. Possibly he had shin splints or growing pains? X-rays revealed bone cancer. Rounds of chemotherapy undermined his ability to function without diminishing the cancer. Dana didn’t hesitate when Ian’s mother called saying she’d found a promising clinical trial, but she needed $20,000. Dana said, “Make the commitment to the doctor, and I will find a way to raise the money.” The next morning friends who had been watching a program on childhood cancer called Dana asking if she knew a child they could help. Two days later Dana received their $20,000 check. Ian rebounded long enough to achieve his cherished goal of becoming an Eagle Scout. Occasionally courageous combat culminates in complete victory. Diagnosed at age 12 with Giant Cell Tumor of the Cervical Spine, Brittani underwent multiple unsuccessful surgeries and chemotherapy treatments. Thanks to Lazarex funding she was able to participate in a clinical trial requirIan, Lazarex's first patient, gained 9 months of teenage ing regular travel from her living and accomplished his goal of being an Eagle Sacramento home to Los AnScout. (photo courtesy of Lazarex) geles. Barely able to walk or hold objects in 2010, Brittani began her freshman year in college in 2015. The drug she helped trial has received FDA approval. Karen Ambrogi, Lazarex Communications Manager, notes; “48% of clinical trials fail to meet their completion targets due to lack of enrollment. Yet only 6% of eligible patients overcome the obstacles to clinical trial enrollment.” For researchers, lack of timely participation is the death knell to years of work. Without the completion of this final step in FDA approval, many promising cancer drugs are abandoned. “Lazarex, “Ambrogi explains, “addresses key barriers to patient enrollment in clinical trials: 1) Lack of

See Lazarex continued on page 20

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 17

Stop by our new office in the Alamo Courtyard 3195 Danville Blvd #4, Alamo

Cinema Classics and Musical Notes Father of the Bride By Peggy Horn

This month’s movie recommendation is Father of the Bride, (1950) starring Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett, and Elizabeth Taylor and directed by Vicente Minnelli. Based on a novel by Edward Streeter, the popular movie was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Picture, and Best Writing, Screenplay. The writers were Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich. A sequel appeared in 1991 starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. The plot involves the humorous aspects of a wedding and is narrated by the main character, Stanley Banks (Spencer Tracy), the father of the bride. Stanley’s wife, Ellie (Joan Bennett), couldn’t be a more tolerant, good natured wife, whereas their only daughter, Kay (Elizabeth Taylor) is a sweet, well-intentioned young bride-to-be with some very child-like qualities. For Ellie, the upcoming marriage of her daughter to a nice looking, successful young man is all joy, and she thoroughly enjoys the process leading up to it. But Stanley resents all the money this is going to require, and most of all he doesn’t want his favorite child to grow up and move away. At first Stanley doesn’t even remember which one of Kay’s suitors the fiancé, Buckley Dunstan (Don Taylor) is, and he hopes it isn’t that “poop-a-doop professor” she was so crazy about. Meeting the groom’s parents, engaging a caterer, and buying a new tuxedo all must be accomplished. A very funny dream sequence takes place in which Stanley is unable to walk down the aisle. At last the marriage takes place, and Kay shows her parents that she appreciates all the effort that went into planning it. The movie encompasses the wedding’s expense, the anxiety, the chaos, and the laughter with warmth and good humor, even though the viewer is provoked to tears in some of its tender scenes. It’s worth seeing for the first time or to refresh your memory of these old, classy, humorous movies.

Musical Notes

Some 100 years before this movie was made, Richard Wagner composed the 1850 German opera, Lohengrin with the famous “Bridal Chorus” (Treulich gefuhrt). This is the Bridal March featured in the movie and is used at many weddings around the country. Its use at weddings began at the wedding of England’s Princess Victoria to Prince Frederick William of Prussia in 1858.


Page 18 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

Clip Notes

By Jody Morgan

The flavor of fresh-pressed cider is as much a part of October for me as big stacks of pumpkins. For early American colonists, however, cider was a dietary staple and not merely a seasonal treat. Europeans of the day believed water to be an unhealthy beverage. Considering what they did to pollute sources close to their dwellings, they were often correct. The only apples native to North America are crabapples that produce small, hard, sour fruit. Seeds and saplings sent from Europe soon established small orchards of table apples, but the identity of the first settler to coax an apple tree to bear fruit in the New World is open to speculation. Despite what you might read on internet sources such as Wikipedia, the first apple was definitely not planted by the Reverend William Blackstone (also spelled Blaxton) nine days after the Mayflower landed. The good reverend was still in England at the time and did not arrive in New England until 1623. He came with the second company that attempted to found a colony at what is now Weymouth, MA. Like the first, it failed. According to William Bradford’s contemporary account, the fire that burned much of the settlement was probably deliberately set. Most of Blackmore’s fellow settlers went back to England or on to Virginia, but he is said to have gone north to what became Boston and there planted an apple tree in 1624. His legendary orchard may have come from seeds saved from a shipboard supply of apples. In any case, when the Puritans arrived in 1630, determined to purify the Church of England’s sinful excesses, they found Blackmore’s brand of traditional Anglican worship untenable. Blackmore moved south to Rhode Island and once again planted apple trees. While Native American people welcomed the fruit once it was established, indigenous pollinators weren’t attracted by the flowers. Honeybees arrived by trans-Atlantic transport to the Virginia colony in 1622 and subsequently to New England in the 1630s. Native pests including tent caterpillars relished the plantings of trees that had no natural resistance to them. Disease damaged fruit was still better for making cider and sauce than the tiny, too-tart crabapples. Gradu-

What’s Up

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

ally, American varieties emerged. Several of the oldest heirloom apples are still available to grow. Possibly the oldest apple originating in the New World, Roxbury Russet developed sometime prior to 1649 near Boston in Roxbury, MA. Good for eating fresh as well as cooking and producing cider, it has a greenish-bronze skin with russet highlights. Rhode Island Greening sprouted outside a tavern in Green’s End near Newport, Rhode Island in 1650. The green and tan fruit was commercially important up until the turn of the 20th century. High Top Sweet, which goes by a plethora of additional common names, was developed in the Plymouth Colony sometime during the 1600s. Ripening as early as June or July, the super-sweet fruit is golden with a red blush. Although apples may not be all-American, colonists consumed apple pie in many forms. In Home Life in Colonial Days, Alice Morse Earle quotes a letter written from Delaware by the Swedish parson Dr. Acrelius in 1758: “Apple-pie is used through the whole year, and when fresh apples are no longer to be had, dried ones are used. It is the evening meal of children. House-pie, in country places, is made of apples neither peeled nor freed from their cores, and its crust is not broken if a wagon wheel goes over it.” John Chapman, nicknamed Johnny Appleseed, was born in Leominster, MA in 1774. He did not randomly scatter apple seeds as he traveled, but he did plant orchards and set up nurseries that included other fruits, vegetables, and herbs in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa. In 1847, Henderson Lewelling (also spelled Luelling) brought his wife and eight children across the Oregon Trail with four wagons, one of which contained 50-60 varieties of grafted fruit and nut trees ranging in height from under two feet to over four. Rhode Island Greening was one of the apple varieties he chose to carry. He established a successful nursery in Oregon, selling trees for $1 to $1.50 each in 1853. Lured to California by the prospect of Gold Rush prospectors eager for fresh fruit, Lewelling settled near Oakland. He named his orchard Fruit Vale. The road leading to it is still called Fruitvale Avenue. David Glass is credited with planting the first apple orchard in the San Ramon Valley near Alamo in 1855.

By Jim Scala

Go up Mt. Diablo on October 8th, and plan to be at the lower summit parking lot by 6:30PM for the Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society’s (MDAS) public observing session. It will be a splendid time to observe a slender crescent moon and the planet Saturn through MDAS members’ scopes. Also visible that evening will be several spectacular star clusters and the Andromeda Galaxy. Think also about attending MDAS’s stimulating monthly meetings at the Lindsey Wildlife Museum’s auditorium, located at 1931 First Ave. in Wanut Creek. On October 25th the doors open at 7PM, and an MDAS member will talk briefly about an aspect of observing followed by a noted astronomer speaking about the possibility of aliens existing. Refreshments are included, and the meeting ends at 9PM. If you can’t make Mt Diablo on the eighth, then on October 15th go to where you will have a clear view of the western horizon. The sun sets at 6:30PM and at about 7PM, if you look carefully, you can see Venus in the darkening sky. If you can’t see it on the 15th, keep trying and by the 31st, Halloween, it should be visible. Remember, when you look west in the evening, you’re looking back at where Earth’s been. Venus is catching up and as it gets closer and passes Earth, it appears larger and goes through phases like the moon. After you have searched for Venus, look east and the Harvest Moon will be rising. Early Americans named it to commemorate harvesting crops. By the 22nd the moon rises close to midnight, so the sky will be dark. Get to a place away from lights and look for the big dipper somewhat low in the northern sky. It looks like a huge dipper with its handle going west; that’s to your left. With your eye on the dipper, find the two stars at the end, and follow them in an imaginary line to the North Star. Then you are looking exactly due north. Return your eyes to the dipper, and follow the handle out to the third star. That’s Alcor and if it’s dark or you have binoculars, you can see its companion star Mizar. Mizar means “Test.” In ancient times people used it to test good vision, and if it couldn’t be seen the person needed vitamin A. Nowadays, carrots are the best source.

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour

The fall workshop schedule is now up on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour’s website (www.bringingbackthenatives.net/fall-2016-workshops-2), and registration is open. Come this fall, and learn how to: • Remove your lawn • Install a drip irrigation system • Select native plants for your garden • Garden sustainably • Propagate natives from seeds, cuttings, and divisions These workshops will fill up; register now to avoid being disappointed.

Native Plant Sale Extravaganza

Come to this year’s fall Native Plant Sale Extravaganza on October 23

when seven nurseries will be open from 10AM-4PM, with knowledgeable staff on hand to help you select native plants for your garden. Fall is the time to plant natives; take advantage of this great opportunity to purchase hard-tofind plants! Shop to your heart’s content as a portion of the proceeds from this event go to support the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour. If you are interested in running an ad in the garden guide, please reserve a space by calling (510) 236-9558 or e-mailing kathy@kathykramerconsulting.net. Company sponsors are also being sought to support the 2017 Tour. Follow and “like” the Tour on Facebook to see a changing gallery of native plant garden photos, read about what to do in your native plant garden each month, and stay informed about Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour events.


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Life in the Alamo Garden

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 19

California Casual By John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape Architect #4059

Over the past 20 years, the introduction of drought tolerant, Mediterranean-based plant material has infiltrated main-stream landscape design styles. The days of junipers, oleanders, Monterey pines, ivy, and oh yes, agapanthus are long gone. When I interview my clients, one of the questions I ask is, “What plants do you absolutely hate?” The above list always contains the unmentionable plants of the 60’s drought era. With the uncertainty of winter rains and the word “drought” being discussed, California’s sensitive water issues are forever present in our minds. Our firm has always integrated water-conserving measures into our design styles as a general practice. Recently, the state has mandated new projects with more than 500 sq. ft. of landscape meet WELO (Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance) guidelines. As a result of this requirement, our landscapes are being planted with a much more diverse and water efficient plant palette. Nursery growers are cultivating a broader spectrum of plant species as well as sub-species and cultivars. What that means in common terms is we have a better selection of plants to be creative with that have lower water requirements. These new selections are not only showing up in boutique nurseries like Orchard Nursery in Lafayette, but they are also showing up at warehouse stores. The result is a landscape style that I call “California Casual” which enhances the home environment with color, texture, and fragrance. The overall look is a mix of mildly manicured plants and structure in the background, an open sprawling look in the foreground, and interesting focal points for directed interest. Background planting is so important because it is what shows off the color, texture, and focal interest. Some good water conserving examples of background plantings are Abelia x grandiflora ‘Sherwoodii’, Choisya ternata ‘Aztec Beauty’ – Mexican Orange, and Rhamnus californica ‘Mound San Bruno’- Coffeeberry to name a few.

Creating a focal point of interest is very important to creating landscape style. You’ve seen landscapes that you can’t quite put your finger on why you don’t like it. Well, it’s because what you are seeing is a mix of one of these, and one of those, and two of these, and three of those. Everything is homogeneous which is boring! Create a focal point by bringing your attention to a beautiful multi-trunk tree like Olea europa ‘Swan Hill’ – fruitless olive, Vitex agnus-castus – Chaste Tree, Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ – Ninebark, a gloriously blooming shrub, or a change of texture. And you don’t need just one focal point, turn a corner and there, is another surprise! Make it fun! Now, for what really brings the “California Casual” style together is the color, texture, and fragrance. Use lots of perennials for color, grasses for texture, and shrubs and vines for smelly stuff. Lavender, catmint, germander, hardy geraniums, hellebores, and day lilies add vivid color in an open-sprawling manner when set off by that structured background. Ornamental grasses can add the dramatic texture that will set any landscape apart from the homogeneous one. With a wide selection of Phormiums – New Zealand flax, Carex - sedge, Festuca - fescues, iris and sub-tropical grasses like Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum Dwarf’ – red fountain grass, a planting design can have drama from spring to late winter with arching blades in various color schemes to whimsical movement of the seed heads. Bring on the fragrance! Daphne, lilac, gardenia, Mexican orange, citrus, lavender, and jasmine can delight your senses from winter to fall. Fragrance adds pleasure to your landscape experience. “California Casual” is a much more relaxed landscape style in comparison to the landscapes of the East Coast and Europe, and landscapes of the 50’s and 60’s. While looking beautiful they conserve our precious water resources.

A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: Deadhead (clip off the dying flowers) as the blooms begin to fade to encourage plants to produce more flowers. Also, tell your gardener to leave the power hedge trimmers at home. A “California Casual” landscape requires less watering, pruning, fertilizing, and spraying, thus lowering operating costs and use of resources. Gardening Quote of the Month: “If a person cannot love a plant after he has pruned it, then he has either done a poor job or is devoid of emotion.” ~ Liberty Hyde Bailey If you would like me to write on any particular subject, email your ideas to jmontgomery@jm-la.com or for design ideas visit www.jm-la.com or www. houzz.com/pro/jmla/john-montgomery-landscape-architects. Advertorial


Page 20 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

Fall Pruning

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb

Now is a great time to prune your trees to protect them against winter storms. There are three kinds of tree failure: branch, column, and entire tree. Judicious pruning reduces the likelihood of all three kinds of failure. Selective removal of weight from leggy branches makes it much less likely that a branch would fall, causing injury or damage to property. It takes a lot of “in tree” experience to identify branches with weak crotches and/or with unsafe weight distribution. Thinning the canopy to reduce friction from the wind greatly reduces the odds of a column breaking, or of the entire tree falling over. When done correctly, a tree pruned for safety should still look natural, even after 30% of its foliage is removed. Many evergreens, such as cedars, cypresses, and redwoods, and many species of deciduous trees, such as valley oaks, can be pruned in this time of year. Monterey Pines should only be pruned between October 15th and February 15th unless compelling safety reasons dictate otherwise.. The timing for pruning is restricted because sap from pruning cuts attracts bark beetles that are destructive to pines. These beetles become dormant during the fall and winter months. Some species of beetles carry pine pitch canker, an increasingly common fungal disease that disfigures pine trees, sometimes killing them. If your tree has dead tips scattered throughout the canopy it probably suffers from pine pitch canker. To prolong the aesthetic life of a diseased tree, prune out the infected tips before February 15th. October is also a good time, if you haven’t already, to make your landscape more fire safe. It is not uncommon for the East Bay to experience hot, dry, and gusty winds in the fall due to sinking air from the bay combining with inland high-pressure systems. The Oakland Hills fire of 1991 occurred on October 20th, its precursor, the 1923 Berkeley Fire, started on September 27th. Removing dead wood, breaking up fire ladders, and limbing vegetation back from your home can greatly improve the chances of your home surviving a wildfire. Brende & Lamb knows how to fire prune your landscape in a way that improves fire safety, without sacrificing the natural aesthetic. Clearing some under-story trees and removing dead wood usually enhances the natural feel of a landscape by making it look more like a mature forest. Pruning trees for safety is a craft requiring study and experience. A well-pruned tree should not only be safer, but it should look beautiful. At Brende & Lamb we take great pride in both the science and the art of pruning. Each plant has a natural growth pattern, and our trimmers are expert at accentuating the shape given the plant by nature. Our trimmers are well practiced in aesthetic pruning and are attuned to the artistic flow inherent in tree forms. One form is weeping, as with Willows and Chinese Elms. In some species, such as the Monterey Cypress, branches ascend at acute angles to the trunk, giving the tree an upswept look. Branches in the Coast Live Oak bend and twist, forming complex arcs. Each tree species has a unique form and flow. When necessary, trees and shrubs can be reduced in size, but crown reduction requires a good eye: a poorly reduced tree looks like a thicket of stubs. Topping is almost always a bad idea. However, the crown of many trees can be reduced by cutting back long branches to the crotches formed by shorter branches growing in the same direction. If the branch doesn’t fork, we cut back to the lowest growth point that will neither create a thick stub nor undermine the arching quality of the branch. When a tree or shrub has been reduced in this way, it’s difficult to detect the cuts or tell that the branches have been shortened. If your trees need a little TLC to protect them against winter winds, or if your property could use a little fire protection, please call 510-486-TREE (8733) or email us at bl@brendelamb.com for a free estimate. Additionally, go to our website www.brendelamb.com to see before and after pictures, client testimonials, and work in your neighborhood. Advertorial

Lazarex continued from page 17

knowledge about trials as a treatment option, 2) Lack of funds to afford the costs of trial participation – such as travel, lodging, and diagnostics, and 3) Support network interruption. Patients are reluctant or unable to travel alone, so we cover the travel expense of companions to accompany them.” Full-time Lazarex volunteer for over five years, Carol Meyer remarks, “I always say that Lazarex is in the business of giving time. At Lazarex, we are always trying to give the people we help more time: to meet a new grandchild, to graduate from high school, to marry the love of their life, to see spring one more time.” Praising co-workers, she says, “Everyone at Lazarex is strong-willed. They are smart people with big hearts. They are working there because they believe in what they are doing.” Carol chooses to remain a volunteer “because I like to think that whatever my salary would have been is going directly to patients.” Jackson Meyer, Carol’s son, interned at Lazarex this summer. “The day I finished my internship,” he relates, “I told everyone how appreciative I was that they let me join.” Jackson reports, “I gave the social media posts a new younger perspective, adding photos and graphics.” He also worked on inputting patient questionnaire responses, updating the website’s fundraising Trailblazer information to simplify enrollment, and generating a map showing the clinics across the country with which Lazarex has a relationship as an addition to three maps already available. Lazarex fundraising initiatives are as diverse as the patients they serve. Along with the annual Gala and sponsorship of the Reebok Napa Valley Relay occurring this year November 4-5, many individuals have created personal projects supporting the Danville non-profit from knit-a-thons to cook-off parties. New Orleans resident Eric McIntyre cycled through 18 states in 2015 wearing Lazarex’s colors on his Pancreatic Cancer Victory Tour. His wife Liz was battling the deadly disease. “ My journey was mirroring Liz’s journey with all the ups and downs and uncertainty – the good days and the bad days,” Eric says. “But I got to take a dozen or so days off. Cancer never takes a day off.”

Lazarex Founder Dana Dornsife on stage with Pancreatic Cancer Victory Tour cyclist Eric McIntyre. (photo by Todd Hillman Media Services)

Why did he and Liz choose the Danville organization as beneficiary of funds raised by the ride? Liz’s oncologist remembered hearing about a non-profit helping patients and their families with travel expenses related to clinical trial participation, but did not know the name. At National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, while Liz qualified for a clinical trial, Eric asked around and discovered the organization was Lazarex. He writes: “This travel subsidy piece of Lazarex’s mission in the cancer fight is unique and critical, and that’s what attracted me. Plus, the founder covers the very reasonable 12% overhead out of her own pocket, and thus 100% of the funds raised would go directly to patient need.” Eric’s Danville reception mid-ride inspired other cyclists to pedal for Lazarex. “Old Spokes” Terry Cunningham and Mark Ballock left Santa Monica for

See Lazarex continued on page 27


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

When Should You Have “The Talk” With Your Children? By Robert J. Silverman, Esq.

Clients frequently ask: “When should we talk to our children about our estate plan?” or “Should we give our kids a copy of our documents?” Of course, each person and each family is different, and no universally correct answers to these questions exist. Many factors should be weighed when considering whether to discuss these matters with your loved ones and whether to let them see your estate planning documents. These factors may include, among many others: whether you have a blended family, the age and maturity of your children, whether or not you are treating them equally in your Will and/or Living Trust, whether one but not all of your children are nominated to serve as the Executor and/or Successor Trustee, how large your estate is, whether any beneficiaries other than children (individuals and/or charities) will receive a portion of the assets, and how likely you are to make material changes in the future. Your family might benefit in many ways by discussing your estate plan, but in this article, my focus is on just one - before you’re gone, your children will at least know what you’re planning and why (even if they don’t agree with it). If you have a conventional plan (and particularly if you have a non-blended family) under which your Trust or Will provides essentially that all children will receive equally, the need to communicate may not be compelling. However, even then, unless the children know what you’ve done, the opportunity to engage in potentially helpful discussion is limited. You should give greater consideration to communicating with your children about estate planning matters when your documents depart from the norm in any significant way (particularly as to key asset distribution and trust/estate management provisions) or when you have a blended family. Often, these situations merit talking with your children candidly about your decisions as soon as you feel it’s appropriate. Sometimes, it’s helpful for your estate planning attorney to

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 21

facilitate or be involved in such discussions. Even when you have a non-blended family, or your Will or Trust is pretty conventional, communication can be helpful. Perhaps, you have (or you should have but have not) carved out certain tangible gifts or real property or closely held business interests for one or more specific children. Maybe, you’ve chosen one child ahead of others to play a key role in the administration of your trust or estate. One or more such “small” matters may be perceived as a very big deal to certain children or other loved ones. Your reaction so far may be that these are your assets, it’s your estate, and you can choose to do whatever you want (whether or not such decisions are, or appear to be, objectively reasonable or fair to your children)! If so, I’d say I couldn’t agree more. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t deceive yourself that your children will see things this way -- in fact, they may take great umbrage upon learning what you’ve decided. Their reaction may result in friction among the children or resentment of one or more of the siblings who is viewed as being “favored,” and this friction can tragically damage or destroy familial relationships. Query: might it be better to communicate about such potentially sensitive things during your lifetime rather than leaving your children with no explanation, leading to anger and/or guilt when you’re gone? Even if one or more of your children believe your decision is unfair, or disappointing, or illogical, at least they’ll know what to expect and have some basis for understanding why you made your decisions. Naturally, you should not expect discussion about these issues to be absolutely comfortable or stress-free but, deciding when to “have the talk” and what to reveal and discuss with the children is not a subject to be taken lightly or ignored. * Estate Planning * Trust Administration & Probate * Real Estate * Business Please contact the author to request a complimentary: i) “Estate Planning Primer”; ii) Real Estate titling brochure; iii) introductory meeting. Mr. Silverman is an attorney with R. Silverman Law Group which is located at 1855 Olympic Blvd., Suite 125, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 705-4474; rsilverman@rsilvermanlaw.com. This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and should not be relied upon as legal, tax and/ or business advice. Readers should obtain specific advice from their own, qualified professional advisors. Advertorial


www.yourmonthlypaper.com

Page 22 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

Technology Matters

By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO

A few years back I had the privilege of working with a group of professionals in SF at a startup. The company didn’t end up working out, but I made friends and learned many valuable lessons. One of those lessons was, “a lousy plan that’s written down beats a brilliant plan that’s locked away in someone’s head.” In other words, they who document their plan will win the day, and, if you fail to plan, plan to fail. Back then we were building software for an e-commerce website. Software development is a complex task and requires excellent project management. It’s not unlike building houses in that there are interdependent elements that have to be tackled in a certain order for it to work right. The walls can’t be put up until there’s a foundation to bolt them to, and the roof can’t be put on until there are walls to support it. Everything depends on something else that came before it, and it has to happen in order. Imagine a contractor is building a home. They have poured the foundation, the frame is built, and they’ve put on the roof. Now they’re working on building the interior when suddenly the homeowner appears and says, “I want you to add two more bedrooms, move the kitchen to the other side, and we should have ten foot ceilings.” While these changes can probably be accommodated, there are enormous consequences to the project schedule and potentially to the viability of the final product. To the homeowner, it’s just some cosmetic changes they’re excited about; to the builder, it’s a nightmare. At once, the project must stop and the architect must create new drawings to fit everything together. All the other contractors such as electrical, plumbing, painters, and dry-wall must all be rescheduled, and all the permits also have to be re-approved. When all the re-engineering is complete, it’s now a brand-new project; they have to carefully tear down what they’ve already built and begin reconstructing the home with entirely new plans. Changes like this can sometimes turn out great, but they can also end up causing the

home to look like Frankenstein’s bride because it wasn’t built with a cohesive theme from the start. And forget the original timetable. It’s all about project management. For that reason, we use a very strict planning methodology that guides us through your project, ensuring a stage is complete before we move to the next. Doing things in a specific order, we clearly document and communicate the process so everyone involved knows where they stand. Everyone thinks they have the ‘perfect’ project methodology, but they all share the same basic concepts only using different names. Our seven stages are Concept/Charter, Planning, Design, Build, Test, Implement, and Maintain. The key is to move in one direction through the process; there’s no looping backward. Once you finish the Design phase and move into Build, any bright ideas that we come up with for enhancements to the product are automatically put into “Phase II,” which is a new project. Why? Remembering the house analogy above, we want to avoid introducing un-vetted changes into the project design and blowing the schedule we committed to delivering. If we accommodate re-design on the fly, the project’s finish line will keep moving further and further out, and quality will inevitably suffer. Getting back to my point, this is why having a written plan is so important. If everyone agrees to the plan and commits to the deliverables, it’s easier to keep everyone on track if someone gets the urge to make changes after the design is locked down. Now, imagine that you start building your project, but you don’t have a written plan that everyone has agreed upon. What defense do you have when someone begins suggesting large changes that you know have significant implications? None. That’s why having a clear, written plan is critical. My boss used to say, “If it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist.” It’s one of my favorite sayings because it’s proven true, over and over. Project management is something we do very well at PCIO. We design, implement and maintain an excellent IT infrastructure for our clients. If you have an upcoming move, technology build-out, or another large scale effort on the horizon, let’s grab coffee and talk about how we could help take the stress off your shoulders. If you’d like to chat, you can reach me at info@pcioit.com, or 925-552-7953. Advertorial

COMPUTER SERVICES: PCs/Macs/Tablets/Smartphones • Upgrades • Maintenance • Networking • Data Recovery • Virus/Malware Removal • Back-up Solutions • Email/ Hosted Exchange IT DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION: IT Strategy Development • IT Infrastructure Assessment • Cloud Services IT INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT: Desktop, Server, & Network Monitoring and Management • Office Move Management • Disaster Preparedness

Technology. Simplified. Serving Bay Area businesses and residents since 2001

925-552-7953 helpdesk@pcioit.com www.pcioit.com


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 23

Don’t Lose Your Gifting Power Presented by Peter T. Waldron

In conjunction with Lincoln Financial Advisors, a registered investment advisor

The government is planning to take away the power of gifting assets in a discounted fashion to family members. As of August 2, 2016, the Treasury Department proposed regulations under Section 2704 of the Internal Revenue Code regarding the lapse of voting rights or lapse of liquidation rights. This is in regard to closely held businesses and, more specifically, the benefit that CPAs and business valuation firms have taken advantage of, which is discounting gifts from majority shareholders to minority shareholder family members. Such discounts have historically reached as high as 35% of the value of the asset. Regulations will also include a potential three year lookback on such transfers. For example, if you were to use your lifetime exclusion, which is $5.45 million, you could, in essence, take an asset that’s worth $8.384 million, apply a 35% discount to that, and transfer your entire lifetime exemption amount of $5.45 million without paying any gift tax. The kicker: that $8.384 million asset is now outside of your taxable estate and can grow estate tax free. This specific benefit will most likely go away starting January of 2017. Something important to take into consideration is that there are risks to gifting. First, there is no step-up in basis upon death so that is a potential for capital gains. Second, there’s a potential loss of control when the asset is gifted away. However, these concerns can be mitigated through proper planning techniques. Also, there are some preferred assets to gift. One asset would be closely held business stock with large appreciation potential. The second asset would be up to $1 million of residential real estate, and that cap is specifically used to avoid potential property tax reassessment. In the State of California, Prop 13 has to do with parent-to-child or parent-tograndchild gifting, and it has to be done inside the family. The third asset you can give is life insurance. For that scenario, a 60 year old male with standard health could give a child $5.45 million worth of life insurance premium, and the death benefit which could be a factor of three times ($17 million) that gift amount then would be estate tax free. At life expectancy, the pre-tax equivalent rate of return would be 6.22%. In summary, big proposed changes with regards to Section 2704 of the Internal Revenue Code could impact your ability to transfer assets after 2016, specifically, losing the 35% discount. This in the lifetime exclusion realm is almost a $3 million benefit. It’s important to understand the concerns associated with gifting, specifically loss of potential step-up basis and loss of control. There are a variety of different assets that you can gift, and it’s important to do proper planning around any gifts so that you avoid the potential concerns and/or potential future drawbacks by the IRS if done inappropriately. There is not much time left in the year to do this type of work, and we are helping our clients with this on a proactive basis. If you are interested in learning more, please do not hesitate to contact us to set up a complimentary review of your situation. You can contact me directly at peter.waldron@lfg.com.

Peter T. Waldron: California Insurance License #0E47827 Peter T. Waldron is a registered representative and investment advisor representative of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a broker-dealer (member SIPC) and registered investment advisor, offering insurance through Lincoln Marketing and Insurance Agency, LLC and Lincoln Associates Insurance Agency, Inc. and other fine companies. This information should not be construed as legal or tax advice. You may want to consult a tax advisor regarding this information as it relates to your personal circumstances. The content of this material was created by Lincoln Financial Advisors for its representatives and their clients. 3201 Danville Blvd. Ste 190 Alamo, Ca 94507 925-786-7686 CRN1595071-091516 Advertorial

Museum Volunteers Needed

Looking to get involved in the community? The Museum of the San Ramon Valley needs your help. Volunteer positions are available in the following areas: • Walking Tour Docents • Docents • Events Committee • Greeters • Educational Programs (One Room School/Indian Life) Call Eve or Donna at 552-9693, or email srvmuseum@sbcglobal.net for additional information.

Meals on Wheels

Seniors in your community need your support! Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services has been supporting seniors since 1968. Two of the programs, Meals on Wheels and Friendly Visitors, rely on the support of volunteers. We need your help now more than ever. Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers deliver meals to local homebound seniors through regular two hour shifts once per week or as substitute drivers. Friendly Visitors volunteers provide weekly one-hour companionship visits to isolated seniors. To volunteer for either program, please call (925)937-8311.

www.yourmonthlypaper.com 925.405.6397


Page 24 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

By Roger Smith, Alamo Improvement Association Autos of Alamo

Alamo’s fourth annual Autos of Alamo car show was a great success. It featured 100 muscle, classic, and exotic automobiles valued in excess of $2,000,000. A big “thank you” goes to Jim Wadsworth, Jim Farrell, and all of the AIA volunteers, along with the owners that presented their prized autos (and motorcycles), and all of the Alamo residents who stopped by to enjoy a great family activity and live music.

Alamo Farmers Market

October marks the month when we think of autumn, colorful foliage, and pumpkins! To celebrate the season, the Alamo Farmer’s Market will be hosting a Harvest Festival theme during October. Please join us and your neighbors in experiencing the live music and family oriented activities at the Market and take a moment to pause and reflect upon the bountiful relationship agriculture provides for us all through healthy food for our meals and our bodies. Our vendors welcome the opportunity to discuss their work and produce with you. The Market is open every Sunday from 9AM-2PM. Make us part of your Sunday!

The Great California Shake-Out

The Great California “Shake-out” will occur at 10:20AM on October 20th.

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

More than nine million Californians have already registered on-line; have you? What we do now will determine our quality of life after our next big earthquake. Are you prepared to survive and recover quickly? Participating is a great way for your family or organization to be prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes-wherever you live, work or travel. ShakeOut is also a major activity of America’s PrepareAthon! Protect yourself and spread the word. Official rescue teams who have been dispatched to the scene of earthquakes and other disasters around the world continue to advocate use of the internationally recognized “Drop, Cover and Hold On” protocol to protect lives during earthquakes - www.shakeout.org/ california/dropcoverholdon/. DROP to the ground (before the earthquake drops you), take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and HOLD ON to it until the shaking stops. For more information on this important annual event for earthquake preparedness, please visit www.shakeout.org/california/, http://shakeout. org/california/whyparticipate/, http://earthquakecountry.org/step5, or http:// earthquakes.usgs.gov/regional/nca/maps/index.php, at www.conservation. ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/earthquakes/Pages/index.aspx#Faults. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance; how you will contact one another, how you will get back together, and what will you do in different situations? A “Family Emergency Plan” should be part of your preparation. 1) Identify an “out-of-town” contact. 2) Make sure each family member knows the contact number and has a way to contact them by cell phone or prepaid phone card. 3) Teach family members to text message. 4) Subscribe to “Alert Services” that send instant text alerts or emails about bad weather, road closing, and local emergencies. Alamo is a special community that all of our residents can be justifiably proud to call “Home.” Please watch for the AIA membership letter and form, complete it, and return it to AIA to our P.O.Box 156, Alamo, CA. 94507. Established in 1955 and now celebrating its 61st year, AIA’s mission is to “preserve the semi-rural character of Alamo,” the place we love to live. Consider becoming a member of our 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to preserve Alamo’s unique beauty and status. Please visit www.AlamoCA.org.

Alamo Police Services Advisory Committee August 2016 Reports

Lic# 1100014354; Bay Area Entertainment

Hospice Offers Classes for Family Caregivers

Understanding Advanced Illness: A Palliative Care Perspective • Sat., October 8 • 9:45AM - noon At times, it seems as if what may have started out as a single medical diagnosis morphs into many, especially with the elderly patient. This session looks at a variety of illnesses and provides guidance in determining when curative care may become palliative (comfort) care. Caregivers will receive valuable information on the most prevalent co-existing medical conditions among the elderly and chronically ill. The featured speaker will be Cynthia Gassmann, RN, Director of Patient Care Services, Hope Hospice. Essential Skills for the Family Caregiver • Sat., October 22 • 9:45AM -noon Many family caregivers are asked to perform a variety of medical or nursing tasks, enabling their loved ones to remain at home. Hope Hospice staff members will help train caregivers in basic skills such as medication management, wound care, operating medical equipment, bathing, toileting, transferring, understanding medical terminology, and implementing personal and home safety measures. Any community member engaged in the role of family caregiver or expecting to soon become a caregiver is invited to attend these classes. Classes will be held at Hope Hospice, 6377 Clark Ave., Suite 100, Dublin (2nd floor conference room). Register at HopeHospice.com or contact Hope Hospice Community Education Volunteer Debbie Emerson at debbiee@hopehospice.com. These programs are available at no cost to all community members; however, donations to Hope Hospice are greatly appreciated. For more than 35 years, Hope Hospice has provided personalized end-of-life care. Learn more at HopeHospice.com or call (925) 829-8770.

Alamo police responded to 34 crimes which included false alarm, battery, burglary, court order violation, grand theft, outside assist, patrol request, property found, service to citizen, suspicious circumstances, theft, vandalism, and warrant arrest. If I Were a Thief Program - 205 Streets covered during the month, 75 flyers distributed, 85 notices distributed in Alamo Plaza parking lot.

Reported Incidents

• Alamo Plaza – Lewd Act – The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff is requesting the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect in a lewd conduct incident that recently occurred at the Safeway grocery store. On 8/22/16 at about 9:07PM, an adult female shopping in the store was followed by a man she did not recognize. At one point this person masturbated next to the woman in the store aisle. When the woman turned toward the man and questioned him, he quickly left the store. The video can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se9JqsHV7Iw. The suspect was described as a white male, early 20’s, dark hair, wearing a purple colored top, dark pants, and carrying a backpack. He has recently been identified and detained. • Danville Blvd. – Commercial Burglary – On 8/23/16 at the ACE Hardware Store, four suspects (two males and two females) broke into the hardware store at approximately 3:09AM and stole several power tools. The scene was processed for evidence, and the case is currently ongoing. • Danville Blvd. – Commercial Burglary – The California Bikes and Snowboards store had been burglarized while the store was closed. Responsible(s) gained access into the store and stole three high-end bicycles. The scene was processed for evidence. The case is currently ongoing. • Danville Blvd. – Commercial Burglary – Rubey Management had been burglarized while they were closed. A laptop was stolen. The scene was processed for evidence. The case is currently ongoing.


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

The Seeds of Sustainable Change By Michelle Brown

Bound by years of reinforcement, habits are challenging to break. The seeds of sustainable change are planted with care, using steps that allow space for growth and time for change. If it took 10, 20, or 30 years plus to make a habit, it is now a part of who we are. We can’t expect to drop everything and adjust our balance without falter. This “cold turkey” method often leaves people frustrated and struggling with a seemingly bigger correction. It takes time and effort for a little seed to evolve into a seedling and eventually become a big strong tree that can withstand great storms and endure the test of time. Plant for success. Be totally honest with yourself. Start by writing down the old habit and your desire to change it. Journaling your goal will improve your outcome. Whether you want to stop smoking, develop your fitness, change your dietary habits, or do whatever your goal is, acknowledge it in your hand writing. This powerful first step allows you to see the habit for exactly what it is, no more, no less. Write down WHY you want to change this habit. Be specific. Is it for your health and well being? Is it for your children...? This page will be a “go-to” when your seed is struggling to break through the surface and grow. Make it powerful enough to help it through. You will need help from others along the way; you will need support. Your support system will be the rich soil in which your seed will take root. Depending on what the issue is, you may consider professional help, but it could be as simple as asking a friend or family member for support. You may need both. Write the need for help in your journal, and make a plan of action for asking for it. Again be specific. As uncomfortable as this may be, consider it part of your growth. Now you are breaking the surface. Each action you take toward your desired change is like a new branch. At first it may be awkward and heavy, but over time that branch will help your balance. Each branch gives you power, decreasing your anxiety and fear of change. Like roots of an old tree trying to suffocate our seedling, fear and anxiety will try to pull you back under the surface and drain your energy. In times like these, use your support system. Studies of sustainable change show that if we can make it 90 seconds past that initial craving, we have a good chance of beating it. Read your journal, call your support system, and call on new improved habits. An important part of caring for your seedling is to cut off the negative feeders. If junk food is the problem, get it out of the house and replace it with healthy alternatives. If developing fitness is your goal, then commit to a no evening TV rule until you have finished your workout. Anything that fuels your old habit needs to be replaced with something wonderful that serves the new, improved you. What habit will you replace the old habit with? How will this benefit your life? Journal it. For me, it’s yoga and meditation. These practices remind me of what is really important and allow me the opportunity to let go of what is not. Like the seedling that becomes the mighty tree, sustainable change takes consistent time and effort. If the time has come for you to make a change for the better, start by taking small steps right now. Our future doesn’t depend on tomorrow, or next week, or next year. It is a result of what we are doing in this moment, right now... and it just so happens that now is always the perfect time to start! To your health. Michelle Brown is an ACE Certified Medical Exercise Specialist, ACE Certified Personal Trainer, Martial Arts Expert, TRX Level 2 Certified Trainer, Certified Trigger Point Rehabilitation Therapist, SCW Yoga Level 2 Instructor, and owner of Gumsaba Fitness Programs. Michelle has been helping clients surpass their goals since 1998. Gumsaba offers outdoor fitness programs, personal, small group and sport specific training. Join Gumsaba for a FREE CLASS. Visit gumsaba.com and click get started to redeem your free class with promo code SEEDSOFCHANGE. www. gumsaba.com. Advertorial

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 25

To Everything There is a Season By Joree Rosenblatt, MA, LMFT

I love fall! I love the smell of the mornings, of warm afternoons turning into cool evenings, and of the changing colors of the falling leaves. Even the mess of leaves on my patio and in my pool, which can be frustrating, is a reminder of this season which is all about letting go and change. While there is 100% certainty that the trees will become barren, I am also confident in their ability to sprout something new and beautiful in just a few short months. This cyclical cadence is a great reminder of the natural rhythm of the year, paralleling a rhythm of our lives in the process of letting go which leads to renewal and growth. And just like with the trees, new growth can’t occur until the old leaves have dropped. Nature knows this, and while we know this intuitively, it’s easier said than done; we get stuck. We get stuck in habitual patterns that are no longer serving us. We get stuck in relationships that don’t always allow us to grow or be our authentic self in the here and now. We get stuck in jobs that prohibit true fulfillment. We get stuck in living in a way that is familiar, and known, but not always the best for our soul, our evolution, and our own personal freedom. So, why is it we get stuck? Well, it’s a habit. Even if we don’t like it, the “known” is comfortable and safe because it’s familiar and we know how to do it. Conversely, we get stuck because the “unknown” is often perceived as scary and feared to be a worse alternative to the discontent or unhappiness many feel in their known, current position. We also get stuck because we don’t know how to let go, which requires surrender and a release of the grasp to those patterns, habits, or stories that we are so used to. Often what we are holding onto is a beautiful experience of the past, grasping to the way things used to be or clinging to an ideal that lives in our heads. Paradoxically, that gripping is frequently what increases our current pain or distress. The wisdom comes in learning how to release what we hold on so tight to, and allow the natural course of letting go to bring with it new opportunity for renewal, growth, and positive change. Nature shows us that the leaves aren’t afraid to fall, nor does the tree hold on so tight so as to prevent them from falling. In my work as a marriage and family therapist and a mindfulness educator, I work with my clients in acknowledging their fear of letting go, and creating a safe environment in which to allow and accept it. I have a few favorite stories illustrating the power of our ability to release what’s holding us back to free us up and allow for change. Here’s one of them: Hold a glass of water in your hands. If I were to ask you how much it weighed, you might respond, “Hmmm, I don’t know, maybe 12 ounces.” If I were to ask you, “Is it heavy?” You’d probably respond, “No.” If I said you had to hold it for a minute, then repeat, “Is it heavy?”You’d still probably reply, “Not so bad.” If I had you hold it for 10 minutes, then ask, “Is it heavy?” You may say, “Yeah, a little.” Then if I asked you to hold the glass of water for an hour, you might then say, “Yeah, it’s getting heavy.” What if you had to hold it for five hours, a day, or a week? Yes, it would definitely be getting heavy! If I asked, “Has the weight of the glass of water actually changed?” You’d respond, “No, of course the weight of the glass hasn’t changed!” Moral of the story: The longer you hold onto to something, the harder it is to carry. So, you have the choice to put the glass down. Choosing to put the glass down is an act of letting go. While we don’t always have a choice in what is arising, we do have a choice in how we carry it and in what we allow to weigh us down. If you are in a place that you’d like to work on the art of letting go, the season for change is now. Contact Joree, at the Bay Area Mindfulness and Therapy Center for a free consultation or to set up an appointment: www.mindfulnessandtherapycenter.com. Advertorial

Do you have a story idea? Contact us at 925.405.6397 or Editor@YourMonthlyPaper.com.


Page 26 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

Vote continued from front page

approves the expenditure of existing taxes. The Alamo Parks District currently encompasses five public parks: Livorna Park on the eastside of town, Alamo School Park, Rancho Romero School Park, Andrew H. Young Park in downtown Alamo, and Hap Magee Ranch Park, located partly in Alamo and partly in Danville, with expenses shared 50% with the Town of Danville. In addition, the Alamo Parks District runs a year-round recreation program through the YMCA and sponsors the popular movie night and summer concert series at Livorna Park. All of these parks and activities are supported by the R-7 property tax. The Alamo Parks District is also developing a new park on the westside of town, the Hemme Station Park at the southwest corner of Hemme Avenue and Danville Boulevard. This park immediately adjacent to the Iron Horse Trail, will provide picnic tables, restrooms, shade, a small tot lot and drinking stations for trail patrons. The County Board of Supervisors has recently approved a construction contract of $1.098 million for Hemme Station Park, and construction will begin shortly. In addition, in response to community input (via a survey sent several years ago to all Alamo residents) which was overwhelmingly in favor of bocce ball courts in Alamo, new bocce ball courts are being constructed in Livorna Park and will be finished within the year. This project was funded not by Alamo taxpayers but by Alamo’s share of Measure WW funds, a bond approved by voters for the East Bay Regional Park District. Gann limits on spending were set for every tax jurisdiction in California by Proposition 4, which was passed by California voters on the November 1979 ballot. Gann limits are adjusted for inflation and population increases. The intent of the proposition was that government spending would not grow faster than population and inflation does, unless an increase is approved by the voters. In practicality, though, many if not most California jurisdictions do not have tax revenue that grows faster than population and inflation increases. In Contra Costa County, Alamo is one of the few jurisdictions that regularly has Gann limit elections. Alamo has stable property tax revenue that grows steadily but faster than its slowly growing population which is why a Gann limit election is regularly held for Alamo parks. All of Alamo’s residents within the 94507 zip code are inside the Alamo Parks District and will vote in this election. The Alamo Parks District is completely funded from an allocation of the 1% property tax assessed to every homeowner and therefore does not cost homeowners any “extra,” as a parcel tax does, because a parcel tax is layered on top of the 1% maximum set by Proposition 13. Alamo resident Anne Struthers, as Chair of the Alamo Municipal Advisory Council, signed the ballot argument in favor of Measure Y, pointing out that the measure does not increase taxes but allows money already collected to be spent in Alamo to maintain and expand parks facilities in Alamo. There were no ballot arguments submitted in opposition to Measure Y. If you have recently moved to Alamo, turned 18 years old, or changed your name, address, or political party, you need to register or re-register to vote. The voter registration deadline for the November 8 election is Monday, October 24 at midnight. California now allows voter registration online, and you can register or re-register to vote at www.registertovote.ca.gov.

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

The Case of the Mysterious Weekend Bellybutton Rash By Dr. Jerome Potozkin

Last month I saw an attorney with a curios itchy rash just below the belly button. He said that it had been there for a while. He was well dressed in a suit and tie. When I examined him he had a red circular patch about the size of a dime. He thought that it was odd that he experienced more itching and that the spot was more red on Monday and Tuesday, and as the week wore on it would get better. It was becoming an annoying cycle. I really had to scratch my head on this one. I prescribed a topical corticosteroid cream and advised him to return in two weeks. The night before his follow-up visit I had a thought and called him asking him to bring in the jeans he usually wears on the weekends. The next day when I saw him in the office he reported some improvement, but the rash was not gone. I asked him to take off his fancy suit and put on his jeans. When he put the jeans on, we both noticed that the metal button from his jeans matched up perfectly with where the rash was. The diagnosis was made in an instant. He had an allergic contact dermatitis reaction to nickel. Allergic Contact Dermatitis is a common problem in dermatology. The most commonly seen types are reactions to plants such as poison oak. Nickel is the most common metal to cause an allergic contact dermatitis, and it is estimated that 18% of people in North America are allergic to nickel. If you are allergic to nickel, your best bet is to avoid nickel. One of the challenges in patients with nickel dermatitis is how prevalent nickel is. People most commonly will contact nickel in jewelry such as rings, earrings, and watch backs. People are usually surprised when I tell them that their “gold” jewelry is causing a nickel allergy. This is because most jewelry is made of metal alloys or mixtures of metals with nickel added. If you have a nickel allergy, it is important to only purchase nickel-free jewelry. The best way to treat any allergic contact dermatitis is to avoid exposure. For those with a nickel allergy, they can ask their jeweler for nickel-free jewelry. For someone with a flare, the treatment is usually with a topical prescription cream containing a corticosteroid. For severe reactions oral steroids are sometimes needed. The great thing about realizing that you have a nickel allergy is that if you avoid nickel you will not have the problem. Our attorney ended up switching from his favorite old faded jeans to newer ones that did not contain nickel. This made his wife very happy because she never liked the old jeans that her husband would never take off on the weekends. It was very satisfying for me to cure the rash and strengthen the marriage. Dr. Potozkin is a board certified dermatologist who has been serving the local community since 1993. His fully accredited dermatological and laser facility is located at 600 San Ramon Valley Blvd, Suite 102 in Danville. He is accepting new patients. Please call (925) 838-4900 or visit Potozkin.com for more information. Advertorial

Group Helps People Cope with Death of Pets

When you lose your pet, you often feel like a part of you is lost. The death of your beloved animal companion is one of the most difficult losses you may ever feel. This loss is sometimes made more painful by society’s seeming lack of support for pet grief. Hospice of the East Bay (HoEB) and the Tony La Russa Animal Rescue Foundation is offering a support group where participants can share memories and feelings and talk to others who truly understand and care. Meetings will be held the second Tuesday of each month from 5:30-7PM at the Tony La Russa Animal Rescue Foundation, 2890 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek. For further information and/or to register, please call Bereavement Services at HoEB (925) 887-5681. HoEB Bereavement Services are provided free of charge to all community members in need. However, donations are greatly appreciated.

TM TM TM

DONATE DONATE DONATE YOUR YOUR YOUR CAR! CAR! CAR!

Cars • Boats Boats •• Real RealEstate Estate Cars•• Trucks Trucks • • Vans Vans • Live Operators on hand 7 days a week Cars • Live Trucks • Vans • Boats Operators on hand 7 days•aReal week Estate deduction transfer documents handled Tax deduction • • All All transfer documents handled LiveTax Operators on hand 7 days a week Free pick-up • Running or not in most cases Free pick-up • Running or not in most cases

Tax deduction • All transfer documents handled 888-694-5250 Free pick-up888-694-5250 • Running or not in most cases www.thefallenheroes.org www.thefallenheroes.org

888-694-5250

www.thefallenheroes.org


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Lazarex continued from page 20

Virginia Beach in April 2016. At their send off, Rick Perez and Nick Bloisa learned about Lazarex. “Laura’s Ride” from California to Florida completed on August 12th in memory of Nick’s friend Laura Bartron (a Nutritionist at Renaissance Club Sport Walnut Creek who succumbed to breast cancer at 45) is still receiving Lazarex donations. Perez concurs with McIntyre, “The founders of Lazarex are so dedicated that they pay all the administrative costs which we found to be an inspiration. Since Nick and I were going to cover all the expenses of the ride, we would be able to tell donors that 100% of their contributions would go to the cause, and that was very appealing.” Closing the gap between researchers’ need to complete clinical trials and patients’ lack of knowledge about trials and inability to afford participation requires more than a lone non-profit can accomplish. Dornsife relates, “I woke up a couple of years ago and realized, ‘It’s a noble cause, but it’s not sustainable.’ We must achieve sustainability to insure equitable access to clinical trials and medical breakthroughs for all patients.” After partnering with Massachusetts General Hospital to accumulate sufficient data to take research nationwide, Lazarex is launching a three-year program called IMPACT – Improving Patient Access to Clinical Trials. Dana writes: “IMPACT will unite the best in cancer care, research, academia, public health, industry, and policy. This convergence has the gravitas to shift the cost burden from the patient to the appropriate stakeholders and achieve a successful financial model.” When clinical trials cannot be completed due to lack of enrollment, everyone loses. When companies standing to gain financially from marketing break-through cancer drugs are permitted to reimburse clinical trial participant expenses, and trials are completed with a diverse patient population, everyone wins. “Funding limits how many individuals Lazarex can assist,” Ambrogi acknowledges. “We never want to say to someone, ‘We can’t help you now.’ Who knows where that person will be in two months.” To learn more, donate, and get involved in Lazarex’s dedication to life, visit www.lazarex.org.

Menopause Matters

By Timothy Leach, MD, FACOG, CNMP

Prior columns defined Vitamin D’s role in osteoporosis and why you should care about your bone health. This column reviews risk factors that may predispose you to hip fracture and offers recommendations to reduce that risk. Some risk factors in women are not modifiable: menopause, thin stature, age, and genetics (mom having osteoporosis increases your chances of having osteoporosis), parent with hip fracture, rheumatoid arthritis, long term steroid use. Modifiable risk factors include increased intake of calcium/vitamin D, not smoking, and consuming less than three alcoholic beverages daily. Weight-bearing and strength-training exercises are beneficial to bone development and maintenance. Patients often discuss with their physicians medicines that intend to reduce the risk of hip fractures but overlook the significant risk reduction from fall prevention strategies. Among women aged 75 years and older, muscle strengthening and balance exercises have been shown to reduce the risk of falls and fall-related injuries by 75%. Falls are a precipitating factor in 90% of all fractures, including hip fracture. In the US and Canada approximately 1/3 of women older than 60 fall at least once a year. The incidence of falls increases with age, rising to a 50% annual risk in women over 80 years. Poor vision, hearing, balance, and muscle weakness become critical determinants of fall risk. A risk for falling is a prior fall, and having two or more falls in the last year significantly increases the risk for future falls. This, however, is preventable. If you or a loved one is falling, then seeing your family doctor, neurologist, or geriatrician is important to evaluate balance and gait, lower extremity strength, sensation and coordination, visual impairment, cognitive impairment, footwear, and foot problems. Medications like anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, anti-epileptics, and anti-hypertensives can also contribute to fall risk. An often overlooked area of risk is the home. A review of your home can

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 27

POPLAR SPECTACLES OPTOMETRY LOCATED IN THE SAFEWAY PLAZA

Comprehensive Dilated Eye Exams Cataract Evaluation, Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy, Glaucoma Evaluations

Contact Lens Exams Daily, bi-weekly, monthly, colored

Prescription Glasses and Sunglasses In many cases, we are able to make your glasses in our office with our On-Site Lab

Adult & pediatric patients welcomed

OPEN MONDAY TO SATURDAY

Most vision insurance plans accepted

Monday -Thursday: 9am-6pm Friday - Saturday: 9am-4pm

(925) 202-2846 We invite you into our conveniently located office next to Peet’s Coffee & Katrina Rozelle

To learn more about our office visit WWW.POPLARSPECS.COM

include adjusting or eliminating safety hazards in the following areas: Lighting: Provide ample lighting, easy-to-locate light switches, night lights to illuminate pathways, lights on at all stairways. Obstructions: Remove clutter and low-lying objects, remove raised door sills to ensure smooth transitions. Floors and carpets: Provide nonskid rugs on slippery floors, use nonskid floor wax and repair worn, buckled, or curled carpet. Furniture: Arrange furniture to ensure clear pathways, remove or avoid low chairs and armless chairs, adjust bed height if too high or low. Storage: Install shelves and cupboards at an accessible height, keep frequently used items at waist height. Bathroom: Install grab bars in tub, shower, and near the toilet; use a chair in shower and tub, install nonskid strips/decals in tub and shower, elevate low toilet seat, or install safety frame. Stairways and Halls: Install handrails on both sides of stairs, remove or take down throw rugs and runners, repair loose and broken steps, install nonskid treads on steps. Helpful websites for fall prevention are: • Center for Disease Control - www.cdc.gov/injury/STEADI • National osteoporosis foundation - www.nof.org • American Bone Health - https://americanbonehealth.org/what-you-shouldknow/exercise • Geriatric Bone Health/Physical Therapy - http://geriatricspt.org/index.cfm • UCSF - http://ptrehab.ucsf.edu/stand-tall Join us on Saturday, October 1st from 10 – 11AM for an office open house and brief presentation on perimenopause and menopausal genito-urinary sexual health. I will review the North American Menopausal Society’s (NAMS) recommended strategies to keep that “spark alive.” Coffee and pastries will be served. For more information, visit our Facebook page at Timothy A Leach MD. Visit my website at www.leachobgyn.com for links to resources and our Facebook page, Timothy Leach MD, for more information. My office is located at 110 Tampico, Suite 210 in Walnut Creek. Please call us at 925-935-6952. Advertorial


Page 28 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

Your Personal Nutritionist

How Much Sugar is OK for Children By Linda Michaelis RD, MS

Have you heard of the new recommendations from the American Heart Association addressing sugar for children? Sugar is getting daily front page coverage these days as it is a major contributor to obesity and diabetes in our kids. We are being told that children, aged 2-18, should consume no more than six teaspoons of added sugars daily which is equivalent to about 100 calories or 25 grams. What does this really mean?

Added Sugars

Sugars in your diet can be naturally occurring or added. Naturally occurring sugars in foods are found in fruit (fructose) and milk (lactase). Added sugars are sugars themselves and syrups that are put into foods during preparation or processing or that are added at the table. The major added sugars are found in sodas, candy, cakes, cookies, yogurts, cereals, granola bars, flavored bagels, and flavored syrups that are added to frappacinos. You should ask for two pumps of flavored syrup or half the normal amount.

Now Let’s Do the Math

You need to remember that one teaspoon of sugar is equal to four grams. The problem is food labels express the amount of sugar in “grams” rather than teaspoons. To calculate teaspoons of sugar in a Chobani Blueberry yogurt, you divide grams by four. The yogurt has 30 grams of sugar, so dividing 30 by four you roughly get eight teaspoons of sugar. My 16 year old client Brad had been diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1. Breakfast consisted of two cups of Raisin Bran, a cup of milk, and a glass of orange juice. Each cup of Raisin Bran has 20 grams or five teaspoons of sugar, so his two cups of cereal consisted of 10 teaspoons of sugar (40 grams divided by four). The cup of milk (lactase) he added to the cereal has 12 grams or three teaspoons of sugar. The small glass of orange juice added 20 grams or four teaspoons of sugar. Adding that up we get 17 teaspoons of sugar. Brad was shocked and almost fell off his chair. And that was only breakfast!

Hidden Sugars with Different Names

Look at the list of ingredients because sugar has many names. Besides those ending in “ose” such as sucrose, you will see corn syrup, molasses, cane sugar, corn sweetener, agave nectar, date sugar, palm sugar, coconut sugar and beet sugar, barley malt syrup, maltodextrin, raw sugar, honey, and fruit juice concentrates.

Recommendations for Family Members

I tell my clients that they can enjoy their desserts and fruit, but sweets should be consumed after a meal, not haphazardly during the day. Sweets eaten between meals make us hungry soon after consumed so we become famished for our next meal and then overeat. A dessert is a wonderful celebration of life and should be eaten mindfully after a balanced meal when we can control our portion size. I recommend to my clients who love sweets to enjoy a sweet serving after lunch and dinner, equal to 100 calories each or roughly 15 grams of sugar. This would be consistent with the new guidelines where it represents 25 grams of added sugar each day. A treat may be a Fudgeicle, a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich, or two Oreos. Stay away from granola bars for breakfast or energy bars because they do not fill you up even though they say they have a lot of protein and fiber. When I look at food diaries, I see my clients eating soon after they eat one of these bars, making it clear to me they are being taken in by the media, thinking they are a great meal replacement or snack. They are all on the sweet side which causes people to want even more sweets to satisfy their sweet tooth. When you are hungry you need real food that provides protein and fiber like roasted turkey wrapped around a pickle. This statement from the AHA will help parents understand the stakes and consciously target the right amount of sugar in their family’s diet. It would be my great pleasure to work with your family and get them started on a healthy eating plan that does contain sugar in a reasonable manner.

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

The Eye Opener

Halloween By Gregory Kraskowsky, O.D., Alamo Optometry

Fall is now here, and Halloween is just around the corner. It is during this time of the year that kids start thinking about their costumes for Halloween. Depending on your child’s age and costume, some decide that colored and/or specialty contacts are to be a part of their disguise. However, it is very important to understand that contact lenses which are not fit and prescribed by a doctor can be potentially visually threatening due to poor contact lens care, a corneal infection, and other adverse conditions. As mandated by federal law, contact lenses are medical devices that need to be properly fit and assessed by an eye care professional. All lenses do not fit and breathe the same. In addition, just because you are currently wearing a particular type of lens, that does not mean that you can just wear and order any type of specialty lens. If the lens does not fit and wear properly, there can be a lot of potential damage to the eye. Conditions such as a corneal ulcer are very painful, cause light sensitivity, and cause the eye to become very red and teary. Granted an infection like this can happen to anyone wearing contacts regardless of care, hygiene, and sleeping with the lenses on; however, when the lens is not fitting properly, the likelihood of a bad outcome increases. The other issue with specialty contacts is that if the patient is not familiar with proper care and handling, insertion and removal, and proper disinfection of the lenses, a mishap is more likely to occur. In addition to the above reasons, purchasing lenses from an outside vendor without proper prescription verification is against the law (this is also true for your normal everyday contact lenses). Depending on the vendor, the specifications, material, quality, and sterility cannot be verified. Most of the brand name and mass-produced lenses purchased through a reputable office or vendor are usually not a problem. It is the smaller and/or foreign companies that produce these specialty lenses for Halloween that can be an issue. To help ensure proper fit and vision with your cosmetic contacts, these lenses need to be fit by an eye care professional. It is pretty rare that we see complications from contact lens wear because our patients are educated about proper contact lens care. However, it is in times of non-compliance including sleeping with the lenses on and poorly fit lenses that these consequences arise. It is our hope that those who choose to wear these specialty contacts for Halloween do it the correct way and are able to add to their costume without any visual compromises. Dr. K. at Alamo Optometry is your hometown eye doctor for outstanding service, vision care, and designer eyewear. He can be reached at 820-6622, or visit his office at 3201 Danville Blvd., Suite 165 in Alamo. Visit our website at www.alamooptometry.com, and join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @Alamo Optometry. Advertorial

Nutritional Counselling is Covered by Insurance

ABMG, Aetna, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Health Net, Hill , Sutter and other companies cover nutritional counseling. Refer to www. LindaRD. com for information about my services. Call me (925) 855-0150 or email at lifeweight1@yahoo.com Advertorial

Lic# 1100014354; Bay Area Entertainment


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month By Dr. Charleen Lee Kim, West Coast Surgical Associates

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 29

Blackhawk TMS

Cutting Edge Treatment Not so many years ago, a patient went to surgery not knowing whether she would wake up with her for Depression Without breast or if it would be removed. She would have Medications biopsy under general anesthesia to remove a lump in the breast, determine if it was cancer, and then if ArE You Doing ThE SAME Thing it was cancer, almost always undergo a mastectomy. ovEr AnD ovEr ExpECTing We have developed much better tools to make the diagnosis, and become much more sophisticated in tailoring treatment to each patient. We utilize A DiffErEnT ouTCoME? simpler operations. The result is fewer complications and better results. ThE onLY SErviCE offEring Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause DEEp TMS in ThE Tri-vALLEY of cancer death in women. One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, and that risk can double if there is a strong family history. Early detection can improve outcomes. Breast cancer can be detected by Call for a self-breast examination, clinical breast examination (done by your physician), screening mammogram, or ultrasound. Every woman over age 40 free consultation should have a discussion with her physician about when it is appropriate for her to start screening and how often she should be screened. FDA 4185 Blackhawk Plaza Circle If an abnormality is identified by physical examination or imaging, a biopsy of tissue should be taken to determine if the abnormality is canApproved Danville, CA 94506 cer. Biopsy is often done in the office by a breast surgeon or radiologist using ultrasound and local anesthetic. Several insurances accepted Once a diagnosis of breast cancer is made, the patient will meet and VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR FACEBOOK PAGE discuss treatment options with a team of doctors that focus their practice www.blackhawktms.com on the treatment of breast cancer: The Breast Surgeon is often the first specialist consulted. Today’s breast surgeon concentrates practice on breast surgery, often has developed advanced skills in both ultrasound breast evaluation and oncoplastic tissue rearrangement, and will be a mentor and navigator for the patient. The breast surgeon will discuss different options for surgery and the timing of surgery. In the past, all women with breast cancer had the same operation—a mastectomy. However, we now know that patients get the same results when only the lump of breast tissue with the cancer is removed (partial mastectomy or lumpectomy) leaving the breast intact as long as the patient also receives breast radiation treatment. New techniques in breast surgery emphasize incisions in areas of the breast that hide well and the rearrangement of remaining breast tissue so the patient is left with a cosmetically acceptable scar and less deformity of the contour of the breast. Mastectomy is still an option for treatment in some patients and can be done in conjunction with reconstruction of the breast by a plastic surgeon using either implants, or the patient’s own tissue can be used to reconstruct the breast contour. The Radiation Oncologist provides radiation to the patient after breast conserving surgery, and sometimes after mastectomy. There are several different ways of giving radiation. The newest technique, which is still under clinical investigation, is intraoperative where the radiation is given to the patient in one dose while she is in the operating room and asleep during surgery. Then, there is accelerated partial breast irradiation using a catheter that is placed in the lumpectomy cavity in order to limit radiation to the rest of the surrounding tissues. This kind of radiation is usually given over five days. Whole breast radiation is the standard radiation given to patients over a five week period. The kind of radiation that is best suited for the patient will be determined after a discussion between the radiation oncologist, the breast surgeon, and the patient. The Medical Oncologist is the “Cancer Doctor.” The oncologist specializes in chemotherapy and hormonal treatment. Often surgery is done first followed by these oncologic medications to keep the cancer away. Some breast cancers should be treated first with medication (chemotherapy or hormonal therapy) to shrink the cancer and allow for a better surgery. Breast cancer treatment is constantly improving as a result of research being done and newer advances looking at genes and special characteristics of the breast cancer. Breast cancer treatment today is no longer “one size fits all” as it has been in the past. It is now tailored to each individual patient and their specific breast cancer type. As part of the breast cancer treatment team, we specialize in counseling patients every step of the way and keeping them informed of all their treatment options so that they are an integral part of the decision-making process. Dr. Charleen Lee Kim is a board certified general surgeon who is a Diplomate of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons. She practices with West Coast Surgical Associates -- offices in Walnut Creek, San Ramon, and Concord. Call 925- 933-0984 to schedule an appointment. You can view her on www.wcsurgeons.com. Advertorial

925-648-2650

Knockers continued from front page

PolyFiberFil. (Clear, well-written patterns and videos for double pointed needles, circular needles, straight needles, knitting looms, or crochet hooks can be found on the KnittedKnockers.org site). Sizing can be customized by adding or subtracting the filling through an opening at the back. They can be worn with any regular bra, sports bra, mastectomy bra, or post-op camisole, and depending on the type of bra, they can also be lightly sewn into the bra for added comfort. “We would absolutely love it if all knitters and crocheters could help out by making these knockers,” continues Riley-Paull. “We have a steady demand for them in all sizes. Finished knockers can be dropped off at FashionKnit yarn store in Walnut Creek (1876 Ygnacio Valley Road).

FashionKnit has been extremely generous to us and hosts an afternoon knocker-making group sessions on the first Saturday of every month. We also accept monetary donations which are used for postage. All knockers are provided free of charge to those in need of them.” “One of my greatest joys is getting a call from a doctor requesting more knockers,” says Demorest. “One nurse said to me, ‘I sure wish you could be there when we have a woman who is dejected, wondering what they are going to do, and we bring out the bag of knockers. They always bring a smile to their face at a difficult time, and sometimes they bring tears.’ I don’t need to be there to see it. I know, because I was one of them.” For more information, please visit www.knittedknockers.org.


Page 30 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

From Car Crash to Whiplash By Dr. Kristin Moore, DC

Statistics show that approximately 5.25 million car accidents occur in the United States every year. In almost all of those cases, the parties involved in the accident experience varying degrees of whiplash. Have you ever seen the videos of what happens to a crash test dummy during a car accident? I know I have, and it is not pretty! The crash test dummy is twisted, contorted, and sometimes tossed around the vehicle like a rag doll. The truth is that is exactly what can happen to you in a real car crash. Major injuries occur daily due to motor vehicle accidents, whether it’s just a fender bender or a serious wreck. Whiplash is a terrible injury that occurs when a force (most often attributed to a car accident, but not always) causes your head to jerk forward and rapidly snap backwards. The sudden force can cause an over stretching or tearing of the muscles and ligaments in your neck. If whiplash is left untreated, it can lead to long-term neck instability and can also lead to chronic neck pain.

What are the symptoms of an acute whiplash injury? • Pain or muscle tightness in your neck • Difficulty turning or moving your head • Tenderness in the muscles in the front of your neck • Headaches that originate at the base of your skull • Pain when swallowing

How do you treat whiplash?

1. Class IV K-Laser Treatments: Using the latest and most advanced technology, we can help to decrease pain and speed up the time it takes to recover from this soft tissue injury. The K-Laser will help by increasing blood flow to the cervical spine, which then decreases inflammation, and thus increases

Genomic Tests Help Breast Cancer Patients By Christine Chung, MD

Jane is a 60 year old grandmother who just found out that she has breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy of the right breast, and the breast tumor was removed. She is worried because the surgery showed a two centimeter invasive ductal carcinoma. After dealing with the stress of the diagnosis, surgery, and now confronted with a recommendation to begin chemotherapy, she asked, “Doctor, do I really need to have chemo?” Oncologists consider various clinical factors before recommending chemotherapy for a patient. These include the patient’s age, the tumor size, the grade of the tumor (tumors are graded based on how aggressive the cells appear under the microscope), and the number of lymph nodes containing cancer cells at the time of diagnosis. Also, the expression of various receptors on the tumor cells – the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and her2 neu receptor – also help to identify high-risk patients who would benefit from chemotherapy. But the analysis doesn’t stop with the clinical diagnosis; in our arsenal of diagnostic tools, we also have genomic assays that can help assess if a patient may benefit from chemotherapy. These genomic assays test a piece of the patient’s breast tumor to see which genes are turned on in the cancer cells. The expression of these genes is used to estimate the likelihood of breast cancer recurrence elsewhere in the body. These genomic tests, known commercially as Oncotype Dx, Mammaprint, or PAM 50, can further guide oncologists in giving chemotherapy recommendations. How much weight should a doctor place on a genetic test, particularly when it conflicts with the clinical diagnosis? A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine (Cardoso et al) identified 1,550 breast cancer patients with high-risk clinical features, for whom chemotherapy would normally be recommended. However, the genomic test classified these same patients as low risk. These “clinical high risk/genomic low risk” patients were then randomly assigned to receive chemotherapy. After five years, 96% of patients who received chemotherapy were alive and cancer-free, while 94.4% of patients who avoided chemotherapy were free of disease. Thus, the survival was similar among patients classified by the genomic test as low risk, regardless

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

the tissue healing and recovery. 2. Gentle Chiropractic Care: Gentle spinal adjustments can also be a very effective way to treat whiplash. As your muscles and ligaments are beginning to heal, it is important to make sure that you have proper spinal alignment. Since whiplash is an injury caused by an “over stretching” of the soft tissue in the neck, it is important that any adjustments that are performed on the cervical spine be very GENTLE. The goal is to create more stability in your neck. In this case, doing heavy-handed manipulations can potentially increase long-term instability in your cervical spine. 3. Stabilizing Exercises: Exercises should eventually be incorporated in order to regain neck support and stability. These exercises will be given to patients to be completed at home in between their visits in order to speed up the recovery time. This will insure that your treatment will be lasting and will help prevent future problems from arising.

How many visits will it take to get rid of my pain?

It often depends on the severity of the whiplash as well as the chronicity of the condition. I can tell you that I have had great success treating patients that have suffered from a whiplash injury; however, every case is different. Mild cases can take days to weeks to recover, whereas severe cases may take weeks to months. My goal is to always get my patients better as quickly as possible.

How do I learn more?

The best way to learn more is to schedule an appointment with me. I offer complimentary 15-minute consultations for all new patients that are interested in this type of treatment. These consultations allow us to discuss your specific condition and determine if these treatment methods are best suited for your recovery. To schedule your consultation, please call our office at (925) 362-8283 or send me an email at drkristinmooredc@gmail. com. My office is located at 125-G Railroad Ave., Danville. Please also visit my website www.alignhealingcenter.com. Advertorial of whether they received chemotherapy. Dr. Tiffany Svahn, a breast cancer specialist at Diablo Valley Oncology, said that the “genomic evaluation of breast tumors prevents us from over-treating many patients, which is what we did before we had genomic testing. These assays have benefitted so many women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.” Creating a cancer therapy plan is a complicated and nuanced process requiring a thorough discussion with your oncologist about clinical, genetic, lifestyle, and other factors. These genomic tests are an important addition in the decisionmaking process, though the chemotherapy decision remains a complex one. Christine Chung, MD is a board certified Radiation Oncologist with Diablo Valley Oncology & Hematology Medical Group and practices in Pleasant Hill and Berkeley. For more information, please call 925-6775041 or visit www.dvohmg.com. Advertorial

Is Food a Problem for You?

Overeaters Anonymous offers a fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience and mutual support, are recovering from compulsive overeating. This is a 12-step program. The free meetings are for anyone suffering from a food addiction including overeating, under-eating, and bulimia. The group meets Wednesdays at 6PM at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lafayette. Visit www.how-oa.org for more information.

C L A S S I F I E D FOR RENT

CONDO VACATION RENTAL Mauna Lani Resort, Big Island. New luxury 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath condo on 4th fairway. Minimum 3 night stay. Contact Alamo owners for discounted rate. (925)381-7042, Alamomgt@usa.net

Alamo Today Classifieds

Reach over 6,500 homes and businesses in Alamo & Diablo - Help Wanted, For Sale, Services, Lessons, Pets, Rentals, Wanted, Freebies...$35 for up to 45 words.$5 for each additional 15 words. Send or email submissions to: 3000F Danville Blvd #117,Alamo,CA 94507 or editor@yourmonthlypaper.com. Run the same classified ad in our sister papers “Lafayette Today” or “Danville Today News” and pay half off for your second and/or third ad! Payment by check made out to “The Editors” must be received before ad will print. Your cancelled check is your receipt. We reserve the right to reject any ad.


editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Alamo Today ~ October 2016 - Page 31

Alamo’s 1st & Only Pediatric Dentist! Alamo Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics Welcomes Dr. Allan Pang Dr. Pang completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, San Diego. He earned his Doctorate of Dental Medicine at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. After Tufts he completed a General Practice Residency at University of California, Los Angeles. Thereafter, Dr. Pang practiced general dentistry in the community of Los Gatos, California for two years. It was during this time that he realized how much he enjoyed working with his pediatric patients and returned to school to specialize in Pediatric Dentistry. His residency in Pediatric Dentistry at New York University-Bellevue Hospital in New York City allowed for him to have extensive training in treating the well child and those with special healthcare needs such as children with craniofacial disorders and developmental disabilities. Dr. Pang has been in private practice since 2008. He is a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist, a Diplomate with the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

(925) 831-8310


Page 32 - October 2016 ~ Alamo Today

The Combs Team

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

Professionals You Can Count On

Nancy

This is RockcliffCountry

Joe

Call the Combs Team

®

92 5 -9 8 9 -6 0 86 www.TheCombsTeam.com

Alamo Real Estate Market: More Sales, Less Inventory, Higher Prices!

As of this writing there are 42 Alamo single family homes listed as active on MLS. This is about a 24% decrease in inventory from the previous year. Today, 166 properties are listed as pending and during the last nine months, a total of 159 properties were sold. Last year 22 fewer properties sold. The average days on market before a sale is completed stands at 42. This is about 55% more time than last year. We’ve included a bell curve and divided the Alamo Real Estate market into 25%, 50%, and 75% percentiles to give you a better sense of how properties fared at different price points. Of note is that the lowest price points and the middle points closed in 28 and 39 days respectively, while the highest price point homes stood at 62 days on market. Within each of the three groupings you’ll see that average and median price are very close with the greatest difference occurring in the grouping of the most expensive homes. The majority of homes are selling between $1,382,000 and $2,075,000 with the average standing at $1,672,294. This average price is about $132,000 higher than last year’s average price. However, this is more than last year’s increase in price and is in line with market selling larger more expensive homes. The attached chart titled “New Properties” suggests that supply, while remaining low is even lower than this time last year. From January 2016 inventory rose markedly through May, gradually declined from June through August, and appears to be holding steady for the moment. While we are seeing the rate of price appreciation in the overall market slowing, prices may keep on rising as current inventory is sitting at about two months, which is low. There is an important change occurring in the price mix in Alamo. A total of 40

homes have sold for more than $2,075,000 with an average price of $2,794,574 and median price of 2,487,500 million dollars. It may be of consequence to note that the top 75% percentile of home sales increased from 30 to 40 this year. That’s a 33% increase in unit sales and the sales growth in this class of homes may be responsible for a lot of the Alamo market increase in overall sales price. Currently 18 of the 40 Alamo homes for sale are in this category. While they represent a mere 26% of the sold homes they represent 45% of the available inventory. A total of seven unsold homes are priced at more than $3 million. If the Fed is successful in moving interest rates up again sometime this year, as they did last year, I still have confidence that the Alamo Real Estate market will continue to prosper. We’ll probably see fewer multiple over-bids, increasing days on market, more negotiation will take place throughout the sales process, and it will require more effort in order to attract a buyer. Nancy and I have more than 3,000 email subscribers who receive this article in advance of publication. Sign up on our website or just send me an email and we can add you to the list. I assure you no spam will follow. Web based estimates of your home’s market value are probably wrong. If you would like a multi-dimensional analysis of your home’s current market value, based on years of Alamo market experience, please give me a call 925-989-6086 or send me an email joecombs@thecombsteam.com. For more Alamo and Danville Real Estate articles, please visit our website at www.thecombsteam.com.

West Side Alamo, Mt. Diablo Views

Downsize to Downtown

Award Winning Realtors

Completely renovated, 2 master bed suites, 2 beds ensuite, office, library and au pair unit. Soaring ceilings, great flow. Priced to Sell $1,799,000.

Beautiful penthouse condo with two master suites. Walk to downtown Pleasant Hill. Priced to sell $437,000.

Top 5% in Sales Production

Diablo Building Lot

Views! West Side Alamo

Blackhawk Area

G

IN D N E

P

Build your dream home on a 1.64 acre lot in Diablo. Priced to sell $930,000.

D

SOL

West Side Alamo 4 bedroom spectacular views, great location. Worth waiting for. Priced to sell $1,279,000.

Data presented in this column is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Contra Costa and Alameda MLS service and other quoted sources. Joe Combs, Nancy Combs, The Combs Team, J. Rockcliff and the MLS service do not guarantee the accuracy of this information. DRE #0144125.

Elegant Mediterranean style 4 bedroom 3.5 bath home with pool/spa. 1st floor MB suite w/2 walk-in closets. Priced to Sell $1,350,000 J. Rockcliff Realtors 15 Railroad Ave., Danville CA. 94526


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.