Alamo Today, August 2011 by The Editors, Inc

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August 2011 Big Brothers/Big Sisters By Fran Miller

Patty Guinto, age 31, is a busy woman. Her job is demanding, she has a crazy commute, she plays sports, and she enjoys time with friends and family. She lives an active life typical of most Bay Area residents – yet, she always finds time to spend with her “little sister” Sarah, age 15. “I'm not going to lie,” laughs Guinto, a volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the East Bay (BBBS), “but on more than one occasion, Sarah and I have simply done laundry together because it was the only time I had the whole week to do it. Sometimes that's just how life is. But if you make it a priority, there is always time for BBBS. I think volunteers are surprised at how easy and rewarding BBBS is.” The mission of BBBS is to provide children Patty Guinto with “little sister” Sarah. facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. “Providing a child with a Big Brother or Big Sister – someone they can look up to, explore the world with, put their trust in – really does change lives,” says Erica Argueta, Hispanic Partnership Coordinator for BBBS of the East Bay. “Time spent together offers new experiences and new choices, allowing a child to learn more about the world and their own place in it. From the moment a “Little” is matched with a mentor, a door is opened, and the future is full of possibilities. Kids have been able to improve their grades, avoid gang violence and drugs, and reach higher education.” Guinto’s little sister Sarah, who registered at BBBS in an effort to add more positive role models to her life, claims that through her relationship with Guinto, the life-changing mission has been accomplished. But Guinto feels the transformation as well. “The program is supposed to benefit the Little,” she says, “but I find that my life is so much richer having known Sarah and her family.” Big Brothers was founded in 1904 by New York Court Clerk Ernest Coulter who was appalled by the suffering and misery of children who came through his courtroom. He appealed to civic and business leaders to take on the role of a “Big Brother.” By 1916, BBBS had spread to 96 cities across the country. Today there are more than 450 BBBS agencies operating in all 50 states and 12 countries around the world. Currently, BBBS of the East Bay has 54 matches in Contra Costa; 114 children (95 boys and 19 girls) are waiting for a mentor, yet only two volunteers are in the process to be matched. Generally, Little Brothers and Little Sisters are between six and 16 years old and come from many types of home environments and family structures, socio-economic

Serving Alamo and Diablo Round Hill Country Club Celebrates 50 Years 1961 to 2011 By Rick Roll and Karen Lang

In the early 1950’s, land developer Harlan S. Geldermann obtained the listing to sell 400-plus acres of valley and farmland located in the north side of Stone Valley Road, about one and a half miles east of downtown Alamo. Interested developers wanted to rezone the land and turn it into a subdivision of medium-priced homes on one-third acre lots. Like much of the Bay Area after World War II, Alamo’s population was growing. But the Alamo Improvement Association (AIA), which was created in 1953 to preserve the established character of Alamo as an agricultural and semirural residential area, proved to be a formidable foe, and the developers were unsuccessful. In 1957, Harlan reexamined the property, which consisted of two

See Round Hill continued on page 20

Research Before Donating By Alisa Corstorphine

Every community library in the Contra Costa County Library system has a “Friends” program that helps raise funds through the collection and resale of used books. These programs run entirely with the help of volunteers and with their support they help fund additional library hours, library materials, and special programs. The Friends are dependent on the contributions of used books, DVDs, and CDs from the community to meet their goals. However, the Friends are facing a new challenge. A national corporation has started putting used book blue bins in many supermarket parking lots as a convenient way for people to get rid of old media which in turn has diverted donations away from local charities and libraries. Volume XI - Number 8 The bins are marked for 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, Alamo, CA 94507 Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397 See Big Brothers/Big Sisters continued on page 26 Reading Tree, a charity, but in fact there appears to Fax (925) 406-0547 be a murky line between Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher PRSRT STD the nonprofit and for-profit Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com U.S. Postage businesses that have placed Sharon Burke ~ Writer PAID sburke@yourmonthlypaper.com the bins. According to an Permit 263 opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do Alamo CA article titled ‘Books for The not necessarily reflect that of Alamo Today. Alamo Today is not charity’ bins, around Oregon responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor

See Books cont. on pg. 28

does publication imply endorsement.

Page 2 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

Alamo Holistic Healing Center Healthcare You Deserve

Boulevard View

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By Alisa Corstorphine, Editor

A recent trip to Mexico brought me back in time. Yes, many people had cell phones, and they sold the latest computers in the stores, but they also Acupuncture, Shiatsu, Massage, Craniosacral Therapy sold things I haven’t seen in years. For example, I was amazed to see many displays of gigantic boom-boxes and large speakers, when back home I am w w w. A l a m o H e a l i n g . c o m thinking of tiny MP3 players and miniature iPod speaker docks. I enjoy visiting stores in different places to learn more about the local culture - what is popular, what is different, and what foods are available? During a trip 3200-A Danville Blvd, Suite 100 to Costco in Mexico I saw many pallets of world globes in the “Back to School” Alamo, CA 94507 section. There were also 12-packs of grease pencils (the kind where you pull the string and wind down the piece of paper to expose more of the pencil.), cases of clear Contact paper, 110mm and 35mm film, and a double pack of recorders - the flute type instrument you may have played with as a kid. A trip to the local mall had your typical Macy’s-like department store, a Radio Shack, Starbucks, Domino’s Pizza, Subway, Gap, a Swarovski crystal store, and a movie theater. But then there was a casino, a train that drove kids and families around the upper level of the mall, and an indoor circus that looked to be a permanent fixture to entertain shoppers and their families. It was alarming to go to the grocery store and see the masALAMO PLAZA sive amount of plastic containers everywhere. Soda came in 3 liter bottles, fabric softener, cleaning products, and juices were supersized, when here at home manufactures are trying to reduce their use of plastic containers, concentrate 3227 Danville Blvd. more products, and offer reusable bottles. No one carried Alamo reusable shopping bags, and plastic bags were the bag of choice. Plastic debris was everywhere, and there were no recycling receptacles in sight. From a recycling standpoint, it was depressing. There were other sites that brought me to the past. While technically illegal, it was common to see most pick-up trucks crowded with adults and children, standing or sitting in the back of the pick-up bed, WE DELIVER driving down the street. I don’t think even once I saw a child riding in a car seat, and many children rode Order Online helmetless while sitting in front of a parent going down the road on a motorcycle. Seatbelts were rarely extremepizza.com worn, and most cars were packed with many more passengers than the cars were designed to hold. I reflected on all the changes that we have gone through in the United States, (I’d say mostly for the better,) when our driver put an open beer bottle in the cup holder, and chatted away on his cell phone while driving us down the street! Another thing I noticed was a lot of broken pavement and incomplete sidewalks, and as a result how they’re not friendly for strollers or wheelchairs. I saw one wheelchair and one stroller during my five day stay. As our friend living there told us, crossing the street is an “extreme sport!” When trying to cross the street, crosswalks are seldom used and I felt like I was a character in the arcade game “Frogger” trying to cross the eight lane road to the other side. I loved taking the public buses around town, where for about 50 cents you could travel all over the city while often being entertained by a man singing and playing guitar. Other times salesmen trying to sell a product would offer samples and people would donate whatever they thought it was worth (I think it was eyedrops to “get Shop Local R Dine Local R Play Local the red out” that were being pitched.). The bus was always interesting! As my daughter gets ready for her own international adventure, I reflect on what is unique to where we live. What special gifts can she bring to her friends that represent our town, our community, our state, and our country? Since she will stay with seven different European families in the next month, it’s a tall order to find special gifts for all of the host’s and their families. Local sports teams and colleges offer nice local souvenirs, and local companies such as Live Bands See’s Candy, Ghirardelli chocolates, and Jelly Belly offer great, and very tasty, local gifts. Another good place to shop has been the farmers market for local Bistro Dining honey and crafts. People like to receive gifts that say ‘California,’ or otherwise Wine & Beer Gardens refer to the great heritage of our area. Sometimes items that we ordinarily dismiss as ‘tourist junk’ have a bit of allure for someone not from this area. Shopping Some American games translate well into other cultures. Card games such as Kids Zone Uno, and Pictionary are helpful to break the ice, and perhaps teach a little English along the way. Beef jerky, popular magazines, San Francisco memorabilia, spe2 Demonstration Areas cial key chains, small bracelets, and local soaps also fill up her suitcase. Reusable bags from local grocery stores (Trader Joes, Whole Foods), and reusable water Text Danville at 87365 to Win $500 in gift cards bottles are more examples she will be packing to share with others. What kinds from local Danville Retailers & Restaurants of gifts have you brought from this area to share with your host? For more information: So far it’s been a very international summer, but we look forward to spendwww.discoverdanvilleca.com ing the remainder here in beautiful Alamo. Summer is the best time of year in Alamo, and my garden needs my attention! May the rest of your summer www.shopdanvillefirst.com www.discoverdanvilleca.com days be long, warm, and especially relaxing.

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The Trains Are Back!

The train programs have returned to the Museum of the San Ramon Valley! The electric railway (Oakland, Antioch, and Eastern Railway), nicknamed the Toonerville Trolley, will be featured at the Museum this year with videos, artifacts, and information. It ran along Danville and Hartz Boulevards to Diablo Country Club from 1914-1924. Model trains will be on display with the larger size “S” Scale Model Trains. The display will run through August 6th. Starting on August 7th and going through August 21st, the European Train Enthusiasts will be running their beautiful “N” Scale trains. A Thomas the Train set will attract young visitors throughout the exhibit. The Museum of the San Ramon Valley (in the Danville Train Depot) is located at 205 Railroad Avenue in Danville. “Train Time” hours are 10AM – 2PM, Tuesday – Saturday. August 7-21 the Museum will also be open on Sundays from noon to 2PM. Admission is only $3 for guests, and it is free for Museum members. Please call 925-837-3750 or go to www.museumsrv.org for additional information.

ADAS Artists to participate in Danville Art and Wine Stroll

Members of the Alamo Danville Artists’ Society will participate in the 8th Annual Art and Wine Stroll in Downtown Danville, Danville Livery, and Rose Garden Shops. The event will be held Thursday, August 25th from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. More information is available at www.discoverdanvilleca.com. The Alamo Danville Artists’ Society, founded in 1977, is a non-profit organization providing monetary contribution in support of art programs in the San Ramon Valley School District. Membership includes artists and patrons who appreciate the visual arts. ADAS hosts distinguished and nationally known guest artists at the monthly meetings. The next meeting is September 13th.

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)

VFW Post 75, San Ramon Valley, meets every second Thursday of the month at the Swain House at Hap Magee Ranch Park, located at 1025 La Gonda Way in Danville. The next meeting will be held Thursday, August 11th. Doors open at 7PM, and the meeting begins at 7:30PM. For more information, contact Post Commander Nathan Greene at (925) 875-1747. Find out more about the VFW at www.vfw.org.

Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 3

New Military Library and Memorabilia Collection By Robert Sada

A Library and Historical Collection Committee was formed for the Veterans Memorial Building of San Ramon Valley to oversee the collection, exhibit, and preserve items relating to American military history. The Library will be a resource to encourage and facilitate research and study of military history through published books, written works, and electronic media. The Historical Collection will maintain a wide variety of military artifacts and memorabilia. With some guidelines and limitations, there will be a particular interest in receiving donated items from local veterans and their families. As a part of the new design, several display cases allowing rotating exhibits will permit focus on a variety of military history themes. The project to renovate and expand the Veterans Memorial Building is proceeding well, with completion anticipated this December. The building will also serve community venues for wide-ranging activities including senior programs and educational opportunities for all ages. Local veterans groups continue fundraising to fulfill their commitment as they partner with the Town of Danville to make this magnificent new facility a reality. You can donate through the website and honor or memorialize friends or family members. For more information, please contact the veterans office at (925) 362-9806 or www.srvVeteransHall.org.

Delta Nu Psi Treats for the Troops

This month Delta Nu Psi passed another milestone. We have sent 823 boxes weighing 21,059 lbs. of "gourmet junk food" to our service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. As one of the service members said, “It takes about 11 minutes to completely empty the box.” Another added, “It's like Christmas or your birthday when the box arrives.” On Friday, August 5th Delta Nu Psi will be collecting treats for the troops at CVS Drug Store in Alamo and the following Friday, August 12th at Lunardi's in Danville. Hours at both stores are from 11am to 2pm. Last month a community member brought letters from school children which we included in our July boxes. The soldiers love the letters and would appreciate anyone/classes that could write or draw. Letters can be dropped off at either store location. For more information, visit www.deltanupsi.org.

Page 4 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

Alamo Women’s Club

Each year the Alamo Women’s Club (the oldest service club in Alamo) donates to community philanthropies. They have been doing this for the last 60 years. Annually our members choose philanthropies to help with monetary donations, providing help to the organization through our member’s gifts of their time and/or donations of goods, or a combination of this support. Hospice of the East Bay offers in-home, endof-life help upon request. Brun’s House is a private home located in Alamo for up to six patients who are unable to remain in their homes and still need to receive palliative care. Since it’s founding in 2004 over 1,500 patients have benefited from their services. The Club also hosts a luncheon and tree lighting each year in December with its onsite Hospice Tree with lighting in memory of loved ones. In the next three months here is what the Club has planned: Club members and their guests will be wine tasting and touring the Kenwood Winery in the Sonoma area on Thursday, September 29. Afterwards we will indulge in a picnic lunch catered by our very own gourJean DuBoise Metz (right), gives Kathy Kavanagh met cook, Nancy Dommes. The (left) a donation from the Alamo Women’s Club. group will visit the Jack London Museum in the Valley of the Moon. Another delightful day will be an excursion on Thursday, October 20. This trip is a walking tour of the old Mission District in San Francisco followed by

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lunch in a nearby restaurant. To get us in the Christmas spirit, an excursion to Filoli Gardens in Woodside has been planned. The rooms in the mansion are decorated beautifully for the holidays, and the gift shop is full of wonderful ideas for the Christmas list. Lunch is also included. Thinking about joining the Alamo Women's Club? Here’s a perfect opportunity to experience the Club first-hand, meet our current members, and learn about what we do - all while enjoying a catered lunch! You'll also take pleasure in hearing one of our guest speakers who is scheduled this year. So mark your calendar for Wednesday, September 28th,11:30am, then call Nancy Dommes, Membership Chair at 831-0111 to reserve your spot as our guest (or call if you have questions). We hope to see you there and please bring a friend! If you have any further questions, please email our current President, Nancy Combs nancypcombs@thecombsteam.com.

Summer Round-Up

Summer Round-Up promises some good ‘ol fashioned fun for the entire family. Mosey on down to the Livery the second Saturday in August to enjoy some live music, horse and wagon rides, pony rides, balloon twisting, face painting, giveaways, and wild, western fun! The day features the The Jessica Caylyn Band on August 13th. Spend $75 in combined, same day receipts from any of the Livery merchants during the event dates, and receive a scrumptious caramel apple or giant lollipop FREE! “Like” the Danville Livery on Facebook, and receive a free gift, compliments of the Danville Livery. Stop by the redemption table in front of Forbes Mill Steakhouse to get your goodies! For more information visit www.danvillelivery.com or call 800-762-1641. The Danville Livery is located at the intersection of Sycamore Valley Rd. and San Ramon Valley Blvd. in Danville.

Alamo Movies Under the Stars & Concert Series

Alamo Parks & Recreation presents the last of the 2011 “Alamo Movies Under the Stars” series at Alamo Elementary School Sports Field. Gates open at 8PM . The last feature is August 19th – The Social Network (Rated PG-13). The 2011 “Alamo Summer Concert Series” at Livorna Park wraps up the summer on Friday, August 12th from 6-8PM with The Sun Kings (Beatles Tribute) Bring family, friends, chairs, blankets, picnic dinner, snacks, and flashlights, and enjoy a movie or music in the park. For details, contact recreation staff at (925) 313-2272 or visit www.cccounty.us/alamoparks&recreation.

Alamo. Prime Alamo Oaks! SUBDIVIDEABLE! Restore this mansion to Grandeur! 5000sf single level estate on level knoll top of apprx. 2.5 ACRES. Regional views, secluded at end of drive. Pool, shops, apt unit too! $1,895,000

Jay Weymouth 925.915.1100 www.TeamWeymouth.com Alamo. ROUNDHILL CLASͲ SIC! Like out of a Holly Wood Movie set! 4 bedͲ rooms, 4 baths, including TWO MASTER SUITES. Enormous living rooms, family and dining rooms with massive open bean ceilings atrium, koi pond a Sparkling pool and cabana. LARGE at 3500 square feet, totally priͲ vate setting, a gated and walled retreat sits off Royal Oak Drive and backs to golf course. Magnificent Giant Redwoods and Oaks. Nature lovers PARADISE. $1,175,000

Jay Weymouth 925.915.1100 www.TeamWeymouth.com

Lafayette. Beautiful HidͲ den Valley Gem 4 bd, 2Ͳ1/2 bth. Happy Valley School district. Features gourmet kitchen, granite counterͲ tops, plantation shutters & wood floors throughͲ out. Formal Dining & Living Room w/ a wonder Master Bedroom & walkͲin closet. Spacious additional bedrooms , built in shelving & bookcase in Family Room. Built in pool & spa w/automatic pool cover & pool controls in home. Spacious yard w/lovely rose garden & decking. Easy access to hwy 24 and Bart. Close to downtown LafayͲ ette and Reservoir. $1,285,000

Linda Ring 510.910.4835

WALNUT CREEK. Walnut Knolls. Close to top schools & frwy access. Views, backs to open space, end of culͲdeͲsac. 2 story, 3500sf, 4 bd, library, BONUS RM, 3 frplcs, true master suite, open ceilings, arched cathedral windows. $1,335,000

Jay Weymouth 925.915.1100 www.TeamWeymouth.com

Westside Alamo. GorͲ geous floor plan, formal living/dining/family rm, large bonus rm, 5 bdrms, master suite. .35 acre lot w/pool. Room off pool w/ kitchen &1/2 bath. $1,489,000

Rick Fiset 925.362.0415 www.101LaSerenaAve.com

Walnut Creek. Desirable Lakewood area. 3700 s.f. w/2 master suites, 4bd/4bth/two half baths. 400 vine Zinfandel vineͲ yard on private 1/2 acre lot. Gourmet kitchen. Backs to open space. $1,275,000

Stephanie Stadtler 925.362.0429

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Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 5

Alamo to Host 29 Annual Music and Wine Festival on September 10th th

The Alamo Music and Wine Festival is an annual community celebration benefiting, in part, our schools’ music programs while providing a variety of activities for the entire family. This 29th annual Rotary event will be held Saturday, September 10th from Noon to 11P.M at the Alamo Plaza in Alamo. Headlining this event again will be the fabulous “Cruise Tones,” so well received over the last several years. This talented group will play a wide variety of songs from the late 50’s to the hits of today – perfect for dancing under the stars. Additionally, school music groups will perform starting in the afternoon. The day will be filled with many activities for the entire family. Food, games, and local business booths will be set up throughout the festival area. Kids will enjoy the play zone. Our most popular feature for the youth – the Rock Climbing Wall – will again be there! This year, dinner tickets will be only $15 each. These tickets will be good for a dinner from one of several excellent area restaurants: Forli’s, Faz, Maggie Rays, and Don Jose’s. The Alamo Rotary will also have a booth offering gourmet hot dogs, burgers, and chips at very affordable prices. In addition, the Festival will feature wines from two outstanding California wineries: Cline Cellars and Jacuzzi Winery. Visitors may purchase commemorative wine glasses at the event. Soft drinks, beer, and water will also be available. Raffle Prizes: This year, raffle prizes will include: • Apple iPad • Amazon Kindle • Fine Art Print from Photographer Marnie Goodfriend • Diamondback Outlook Mountain Bike from Alamo Bikes • $250 Maria Maria Gift Certificate from Bob Myhre • 3 liter Bottle 2010 Cline Cellars Cashmere from Cline Cellars • 3 liter Bottle 2007 Jacuzzi Family Vineyards Pinot Noir from Jacuzzi Family • Bay Cruise for four from Celebrations on the Bay • Two nights at the Peppermill Hotel and Casino, from A. D. Seeno Construction You will definitely want to take your chance at winning one of these excellent prizes! Raffle tickets will be available at the Festival for $5 each or six tickets for $20. Alamo Citizen of the Year: Around 7:15P.M, the Alamo Rotary will present its annual Citizen of the Year award. This individual is selected among many local nominees who epitomize active involvement in community affairs and projects. Last year’s winner was Vicki Koc. Other past award winners include Alisa Corstorphine, Greg Schuyler, Deputy Rick James, Claudia Waldron, and Bruce Marhenke, to name a few. The Alamo Music Festival is first and foremost a fund raising event with the proceeds donated to assist music education at the following schools: Alamo Elementary, Rancho Romero Elementary, Stone Valley Middle School, Monte Vista High School, San Ramon Valley High School, and Lucille Mauzy School. According to Don Morton, Festival Sponsor Chairman, “Over $40,000 was raised at last year’s Festival. Much of this money came from very generous local sponsors.” Mark your calendar now to join us for a great day of fun, games, good food, and excellent music the whole family will enjoy. See you there! Dinner and Raffle tickets may be purchased in advance – watch for our booth at the Danville Farmer’s market or see any Alamo Rotarian. Please see the Alamo Rotary website at www.alamorotary.org or email alamorotary@hotmail.com.

Estate Planning for Families with Minor Children August 9th at 7pm

The Danville Library welcomes attorneys from the Atashi Rang Law Firm in San Francisco who will be offering a comprehensive workshop on estate planning specifically for families with minor children. The workshop will cover trusts, wills, durable power of attorney, healthcare provisions, and establishing specific and personal instructions for guardians. Don't miss this opportunity to receive free legal information regarding this very important type of estate planning. The event will be held in the Mt. Diablo Room of the Danville Library.

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For information contact Sharon@celebrationsonthebay.com 925.708.8546 or 925.208.4707

Antioch Police Quickly Nab Alamo Armed Robbery Suspects By Sharon Burke

On June 18 around 11:45pm, three armed robbers entered Alamo 7-11 in the 1400 block of Danville Boulevard, their faces covered by bandannas. Armed with a handgun, the suspects took cash and fled on foot. Contra Costa sheriff’s deputies arrived with a K-9 unit and searched for the suspects but could not locate them. Luckily, there were no injuries to the 7-11 personnel. As it turns out, these suspects had perpetrated a string of robberies in Contra Costa County, hitting retail outlets, minimarts and 7-11’s in Pacheco, Brentwood, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Concord, and Antioch as well as Alamo. According to Antioch Lt. Diane Aguinaga, at one of these robberies, the suspects took lottery tickets as well as cash. When one of the suspects cashed in a winning ticket, a suspicious California state lottery clerk noticed the ticket had been reported stolen, and alerted Antioch investigators who were seeking the suspects for their Antioch related robberies. Video cameras had captured the suspect cashing in the ticket. Antioch detectives trailed the vehicle linked to the suspects, a white Thunderbird, and they watched as two of the suspects put bandannas over their faces and robbed a Domino’s pizza parlor on Buchanan Road in Antioch. The detectives quickly called Antioch patrol officers, and the trio were arrested as they exited the pizza restaurant. Arrested and booked into County Jail were Maurice Brunson, 19, of Bay Point and brothers Erick Daigle, 18, and Gyovanni Daigle, 20, of Antioch. Antioch police are to be commended for their quick and decisive action in solving this string of crimes in the county. Although Alamo enjoys a relatively low crime rate, Alamo residents are reminded that urban crime is only a short car ride away.

San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society

The San Ramon Valley Genealogical Society meets at 10AM the third Tuesday of every month, except August and December, at the Danville Family History Center, 2949 Stone Valley Road, Alamo. There will be a speaker at every meeting. Everyone is welcome. For information, call Ed at (925) 299-0881, visit www.srvgensoc.org, or email SRVGS@SRVGenSoc.org.

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Page 6 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

The Toonerville Trolley By Beverly Lane

Twentieth century rail transportation came to the San Ramon Valley in 1914 with the Danville Branch of the Oakland, Antioch, and Eastern Railway. This electric interurban train arrived in the valley on March 2, 1914, and it served Alamo, Danville, and Diablo for a decade. The trolley traveled regularly from Saranap (at todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Olympic Boulevard and Tice Valley Road), over the hills (near todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Crest Avenue), down the boulevard through Danville, and east over the fields to the new Mount Diablo Park Club. Danville entrepreneur Robert Burgess convinced the railway directors to go to the new Club which helped put it on the map. Weekend trains to Diablo were frequently scheduled and were dubbed the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Million Dollar Specials.â&#x20AC;? The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Toonerville Trolleyâ&#x20AC;? was a much beloved and storied train. Named after a popular cartoon of the day by Fontaine Fox, the trolley did not move that fast, made a cheery clackety sound as it progressed, and had several colorful names, including the Alligator, the Dinky, and the Riveter. One conductor, William French, was evidently very superstitious and would not make a trip with 13 persons aboard; sometimes he would ring up a fourteenth or delay the train by matching coins for the extra fare with passengers. The train provided access to other electric lines for passengers and commuters, linking the valley with Oakland, Sacramento and Chico. Each day at Saranap, Car 1051 was unbuckled from a larger train and sent south to Danville. During the Great War commuters took the train to the shipyards at Bay Point (Port Chicago). Paul Ogden said it took him fifteen minutes to get from Alamo to Saranap on the Dinky, where he boarded the regular train with hundreds of other people going to the shipyard. Margaret Baldwin Wildenradt recalled the train going over the Flournoyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s open field east of downtown Danville. She and her brother John took the train to dental appointments in Oakland, and, when they attended UC Berkeley, they used it to return on weekends. Wilson Closeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s uncle was a motorman on the train and Wilson remembered, â&#x20AC;&#x153;My uncle would take me on the engine, and I remember the excitement of riding in the locomotive.â&#x20AC;?

Drawing by Paul Dunlap When abandonment of the train was proposed in 1923, there were large protest meetings. The Danville Grange Herald pointed out that residents of the valley had subscribed thousands of dollars in stock to support the train, property near the tracks had appreciated in value, and prompt mail service was important. The June 9, 1923, Grange Herald linked a campaign to fund the Mt. Diablo State Park with the need to keep the electric train. Nevertheless, in 1924 the train service ended, replaced by buses which met each electric train in Walnut Creek. The Toonerville Trolley was no more. The Contra Costa Courier on Feb. 29, 1924, commemorated its end with a droll little poem: Toonerville, old Toonerville, we knew you well, No more youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll battle through the dell, No more your faults, to all, disclose. At last youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve earned a long repose. From July 22 to August 21 the Museum of the San Ramon Valley in the restored Danville depot will feature a display on the Toonerville Trolley while model trains are operated in the freight room. Special â&#x20AC;&#x153;trainâ&#x20AC;? hours are 10-2 Tuesday -Saturday. For more information, go to museumsrv.org.

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Sustainable Danville Area Tip of the Month By Cynthia Ruzzi, President Sustainable Danville Area

For my sixteenth birthday, my mom passed along an aquamarine cocktail ring that I had admired as long as I can remember. The size of the stone rivals any of Elizabeth Taylor’s gems, and I proudly wore it everywhere. I wore it to the beach to match my blue swimsuit, as good luck when I played tennis, and even on occasion planting tomatoes with my uncle. Alas, when I realized the ring wasn’t the right accessory for an afternoon at the mall wearing denim cutoffs and flip flops, it was relegated to the bottom of my Cinderella jewelry box. Do you have a drawer full of old treasured jewelry (single earrings, rings with missing stones, broken necklaces, or loose beads) too lovely to just toss, that you continue to stash year after year? I don’t blame you – after years of watching Antique Roadshow and watching the price of gold rise - I’m worried that I may give away rare and valuable items. However, in my never ending quest to declutter and with fewer and fewer ‘visits to the box’ to reminisce days of childhood dress-up, I began to wonder if I’d ever find a way to use these family jewels in my life. Perhaps you’re already practicing the 3 R’s; “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” but this month I’d like to suggest you consider another ‘R’; Re-style. Cottage Jewel, a Danville Area Sustainable Business (www.cottagejewel) is the inspiration for Sustainable Danville Area’s August forum: Re-styling Your Retired Bling. Marcia Harmon, owner of this local antiques shop, is a veteran jewelry designer and offers a wealth of creative ideas for anyone searching for repurposing tips. Marcia is quick with suggestions on how to use a brooch as a belt buckle or as a bracelet and how to use an earring as a necklace, but she’ll be the first to tell you to consider the value of the piece before re-styling the item into new forms. Re-styling pieces into new forms is an admirable way to keep these items from the landfill, but it’s important to make sure valuable items aren’t disassembled for the sake of art. Marcia says, “As an antiques dealer, I like to preserve the original integrity of the old pieces while wearing them in a contemporary new way. It’s best to know what you have before you decide how to repurpose it.” Your treasured items may not fit your style as jewelry, but they can be incorporated into your life in other creative ways. Scrapbook artists, collage makers and multi-media artists have long incorporated tiny gems of days 4035 Stone Valley Oaks Drive

Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 7 gone by into their art, but there are also plenty of home decorating ideas to consider with minimum effort. Consider dressing up your refrigerator with seldom worn or broken brooches by removing the pins with a wire cutter and gluing a magnet to the back of each one. What a wonderful way to mount everything from your children’s artwork to the week’s grocery list. Binky Morgan’s book, Flea Market Jewelry: New Style from Old Treasures (2001) highlights 40 very different designs recycling old brooches, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets, transforming pretty ‘doodads’ into beaded curtains, petite picture frames, jazzed-up chandeliers, and more. A quick web search of ‘re-purposing jewelry’ netted great ideas for adding gems to hair barrettes, gift boxes and my favorite - single earrings hung from wineglass stems to mark out whose glass is whose at your next gathering. And even after exhausting all the possible uses for old jewelry, there still may be value given today’s price for scrap gold. Selling your pieces that are beyond repair is great for your pocketbook and also good for the environment. Jewelers re-crafting old gold into unique, custom designs lessen mining impacts, environmental toxins, and water depletion. Join Sustainable Danville Area for our next forum Wednesday, August th 17 at 6:30pm for an engaging evening of Re-styling Your Treasured Bling. Our Host, La Boulange Bakery located at 405 Railroad Ave in Danville, will welcome us with lovely samples of their delicious dessert items. The evening speaker, Marcia Harmon of Cottage Jewel, will offer suggestions and inspiration for using your treasured pieces. Participation for the evening is free, but we request that you register at www.sustainabledanville.com. Bring up to three jewelry pieces, and Marcia along with Larry Smith, owner of Smith Jewelers ,will provide an informal, verbal approximation of value for your antique and fine treasures in exchange for a $15 donation to support Sustainable Danville Area programs. This evening we will also be collecting all types of accessories for men and women: jewelry (earrings, cuff links, necklaces, brooches, tie clips, watches, etc.) briefcases/handbags, scarves, ties, shoes and umbrellas to donate to Wardrobe for Opportunity. Please clean out your closets and donate to this great organization.

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Page 8 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

Alamo Elementary School By Stan Hitomi, Principal

August is when all the “magic” happens in preparation for a successful opening to the new school year. Yes, we are in countdown mode with school starting back up again in less than a month. Rooms are being cleaned, repairs are being made, staff is being hired, and teachers are seeking to improve their practice, as well as relax and re-energize. Throughout the summer Alamo School teachers are attending a variety of professional development activities including EmPower U, a week-long professional development institute sponsored by the district that starts August 8th at Gayle Ranch Middle School. At EmPower U teachers and staff will attend sessions that include workshops in math, reading, science, technology, intervention, and more. Our PTA and EdFund have also been hard at work, preparing for registration that begins on August 11th. Lisa Miller (PTA) is coordinating registration, including the online registration site that opens on August 1st (see important dates below). Raylinn Bianchi begins her first year as PTA President, with Felicia Martin joining her as Executive Vice President. Margie Hart returns for her second year as President of the Alamo EdFund, with Al Blake serving as Vice President. This summer Alamo School has received a fresh coat of asphalt surface for our upper playground, and it looks great! We have also re-painted lines and numbers, and we’ve added new outdoor lighting and a new canopy for our outdoor amphitheater. In the library we have a new state-of-the-art video conferencing unit which will allow our students to meet and talk to people around the world! We will also have two new classroom teachers this Fall, Clarissa Scott (Country Club Elementary) and Allison Raney (Rancho Romero Elementary). Welcome! We will have more to say about new staff in a future article. I hope everyone is enjoying a fantastic summer!

Important Dates for 2011 – 2012 School Year • August 1 ~ Online registration link opens • August 8 ~ Alamo School office re-opens • August 11 ~ Registration ~ 9AM – Noon • August 15 ~ Registration ~ 4PM – 7PM • August 15 ~ New Family Orientation ~ 5PM – 6PM • August 23 ~ Class lists posted at 4PM • August 24 ~ First Day of School ~ minimum day • August 31 ~ Back-to-School Night

Rancho Romero Elementary School

Dates to Note for the Upcoming School Year

• August 8th 7:30AM - 4PM ~ Office open • August 9th 7:30AM - August 23rd 8AM ~ Registration packets available online • August 15th 10AM - 1PM ~ Registration • August 15h 3PM - 6PM ~ Registration • August 22nd 9AM - noon ~ Registration • August 24th 8:30AM - 9:30AM ~ PTA Welcome Back To School Coffee th AM • August 24 8:30 - Noon ~ 1st Day of School (Minimum Day) • August 26th 8:30AM - 10:30AM ~ PTA Room Parent Meeting

Assistance League of Diablo Valley

Are you ready to step back in time while you step up your fashion game? Just saunter through the doors of Assistance League® Way Side Inn Thrift Shop, at 3521 Golden Gate Way in Lafayette. Starting August 2nd, your eyes will delight in an array of vintage hats, gloves, purses, and clothing that will help you capture that finished look. Assistance League of Diablo Valley is a nonprofit, member volunteer organization dedicated to improving lives in our community through hands-on programs. As Assistance League of Diablo Valley’s primary fundraiser, the Way Side Inn Thrift Shop continues to serve your fashion needs while putting your generous donations and purchases to very good use by helping those in our community who are in need and at risk. Please accept our thanks and a tax receipt for your support. For more information, visit diablovalley.assistanceleague.org.

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Stone Valley Middle School By Shaun McElroy, Principal

Around this time of year I begin to prepare for the new school year. My preparations typically involve putting the finishing touches on the master schedule, hiring staff, calendaring important dates, planning staff development and making sure the campus is clean and safe. My 2011 summer preparations have taken on a different focus. In his 2006 address to the SRVUSD management team former Superintendent Rob Kessler said, “For the first time in history students know more about something worth knowing than the people in charge of their learning.” Rob was of course referring to technology. For several years now students have been arriving on our campus with smart phones and I-devices only to be told that the those devices need to be powered down and put away when school starts. Students’ experience with technology during the school day is doled out in small pieces through a weekly visit to the library for 6th grade students, occasional visits to the “Mac lab,” and reserving the computers on wheels and iPads on wheels for daily classroom use. The goal for all students is 1:1 computing and access on school campuses. The San Ramon Valley Education Foundation (SRVEF), www.srvef.org, in partnership with SRVUSD is fundraising money to create model Classrooms of Tomorrow (COT) that will provide students with the access to 21st century learning tools and 1:1 computing. The SRVEF plan is to create ten COT's each year until all SRVUSD classrooms are equipped to provide students with the skills necessary to compete globally. I encourage you to visit the SRVEF website to catch a glimpse of the future of learning. Back to my opening point and Rob Kessler's comment on technology: putting internet ready devices in the hands of students and providing them with network access only works if teachers are trained to use the new technology to enhance instruction. The SRVEF COT proposal includes staff development. Here are the 21st Century Skills established the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (www.p21.org): • Critical Thinking and Problem Solving • Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence • Agility and Adaptability • Initiative and Entrepreneurialism • Effective Oral and Written Communication • Accessing and Analyzing Information • Curiosity and Imagination Classroom of Tomorrow equipment includes LCD projection system, document camera, 1:1 computing (i.e. iPads, iPods, Macbooks, PC’s) , classroom sound system, video conferencing unit (all schools received a video conferencing unit over the summer), guest network access, and sound system.

Welcome Elizabeth Calhoon, our New Assistant Principal

Elizabeth is a home grown talent. Elisabeth attended SRVUSD Schools and is a graduate of California High School. Elizabeth's education career has taken her to four different local high schools, California, Foothill, Dougherty, and Granada as a teacher and administrator. Elizabeth comes with a great digital tool set, she is a Google Certified Teacher and presenter. Elizabeth will be presenting at the Computer Using Educators (CUE) conference in August, and she will be taking along three Stone Valley staff members. According to Elizabeth her aspirations are, “to build and develop relationships with our entire school community and bridge the span to a wider, worldwide community.” For enjoyment, Elizabeth loves to read, travel, write, swim and find new gadgets or technological toys that can be turned into useful tools for students and educators. Ask her about her family's yearly holiday trip (this year will be number eight)! You can contact Elizabeth at ecalhoon@srvusd.net.

The Exchange Club of San Ramon Valley

The Exchange Club of San Ramon Valley meets for lunch the second Wednesday of every month at Faz Restaurant in downtown Danville. The Club’s sign-in and social time begins at 11:30AM. The meeting starts promptly at noon and ends promptly at 1PM. Our one-hour program features guest speakers and a business networking speaker. Guests are welcome. Price is $16 for members and first time guests and $20 for returning guests. For more information, call Karen Stepper, President, at (925) 275-2312, email coachstepper@yahoo.com, or visit www.srvexchangeclub.org.

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Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 9

Monte Vista High School By Janet Terranova, Principal

It is with a great deal of pride and a tinge of sadness that we said goodbye to the Senior Class of 2011. The seniors were an incredible group of young people who have excelled both academically and with service to their community and school. Their next adventure will take some of them far away as they continue their education all over the country and to the far regions of China. Most will stay close to home with the majority of our students attending UC, CSU, or a number of community colleges on the west coast. A few of our students will do a “bridge” year. They have been accepted at a university, but they have decided to take a year to travel or do community service both in the United States and overseas. We will miss their energy and dedication to our school. Welcome to the class of 2015! What an exciting journey they have waiting at Monte Vista. As I have been visiting feeder middle schools, I have encouraged parents to discuss what success at high school looks like for their individual student. Some parents and students view success as a high GPA. But success is not based solely on a student’s GPA. A successful student is one who takes a rigorous academic load that is balanced with extra-curricular activities both at school and in the community. Whooping cough (pertussis) has been widespread in California. Please remember that all students entering 7th through 12th grade must have proof of an adolescent whooping cough booster shot (Tdap) before starting school. To help protect your children and others from whooping cough, a new California law (AB 354) now requires students to be vaccinated against whooping cough. By law, students who do not have proof of receiving a Tdap booster shot will not be able to start school until proof is provided to the school. At Monte Vista, students unable to provide this proof will not receive a schedule at registration. As you make your summer plans, the following dates may be helpful: • Registration Packet Pick-up: August 11 & 15 ~ Drama Room • Registration: August 16 & 17 ~ Large Gym • Freshmen Orientation: August 19, 9AM-1PM ~ Meet in Large Gym • Freshmen Dance: August 19, 7PM-10PM ~ Large Gym • First Day of School: August 24 ~ Minimum day. Dismissal at 12:33PM For more information about Monte Vista and our activities, please visit our website at mvhigh.org.

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San Ramon Valley High School

By Joseph A. Ianora, Principal Hello San Ramon Valley High School Community

It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome you back to the 2011-2012 school year. We had quite a year last year celebrating our 100th anniversary, and we are looking forward to many great things we have in store as we start our 101st year. It is hard to believe, because the summer has flown by, but it is time to turn our attention back to academics and the start of school. Here are some highlights of the many things that have happened over our summer break: 1. Solar paneling is being added into our senior parking lot and in the front parking lot. While we’re very excited about this, we are running into some delays and hope to have this ready by the start of school. 2. Snack shack/restroom. This project is moving along very nicely, and the construction crew is done that with most of the building itself and are working on the landscape around the building. The finishing touches are set to be completed by the end of June. We’re very excited about this building being up and functional. 3. Portable row. Another big step forward for us is the removal of one row of our troubles. The district will be pulling seven portables off our campus this next week. Those portables housed our PE department while the new gym was being built. 4. Technology. We are very close to completing the wireless installation on our campus. This will benefit students and teachers alike, as we’ll be able to have wireless access throughout the campus. While there is still much uncertainty regarding our state budget and our federal government, we at San Ramon Valley High School are still preparing for over 2,000 students to be joining us in the next few weeks. Regardless of finances or politics, we are very excited to open our doors to our new and returning students as we start the 2011 school year. Please remember to check our website at www.srvhs.org for all the latest information regarding construction, registration, and the start of school. We look forward to working with you, our community, to enhance the learning opportunities for our students.

Dates to Remember

• Packet Pickup: August 8, 9 and 10 from 9am to 3pm. Important note: Students will not be able to complete packet pickup until their Whooping Cough vaccinations are up to date. If you have questions please email bmurray@srvhs.org. • Wolf Pack Days - Registration August 11 and August 16 from 1pm to 7pm. Forms will be available online beginning August 1 • Freshman Orientation - August 22 from 9am to 3pm • First Day of School - August 24. Period A begins at 8AM and Period 1 begins at 8:30AM • Back to School Night - September 7 from 6:30 to 8:30pm • Evening with the Principal - September 14 at 7pm

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Page 10 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

Danville Thursday Night Street Festival

11 Surrey Ct, Danville

Downtown Danville August 11th, 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Diablo Hacienda Beauty

4 bedrooms/2 baths Located on cul-de-sac Beautiful backyard with stunning pool/spa Side yard for boat/RV Hardwood ﬂoors Wonderful location near Diablo Country Club $649,000

Please call if you are interested in this or other homes in Diablo Hacienda.

G N I D

N E P

Shop local, dine local, and play local in Downtown Danville at the Thursday Night Street Festival being held from 5:30PM to 8:30PM on August 11. • Three live bands featuring... Jessica Caylyn Band, Nobody’s Fool, and local teen jazz band, Dj-A Positive Spin and children’s entertainer, The Singing Bee. • Bistro Dining in the Street, with five local restaurants: Norm’s Place, That Bar, The Dog, Primo’s and Manga Mi. • Two Wine and Beer Gardens, showcasing local varieties. • Shop in the street with local street vendors selling the best of what Danville has to offer from local Danville businesses, non-profits and Danville community groups. • Kids Zone, FREE Bouncy house-provided by Danville Farmer’s Market, San Ramon Valley Museum Train will provide paid rides and many children’s vendors. • Two exhibition areas include: Children’s Area: Girls Cheer-Valley Cheer & Dance, Taekwondo-Tao Sports, Singing talent-Avery Chapman and Girls Dance. Adult Area: Mixed Martial Arts-Martial Arts America, Zumba-The Studio, Cheer-Spirit Force and Doggie parade and contest. (For more info contact: poochfriendsonhartz@gmail.com.) Enter to win $500 in gift cards from local Danville retailers and restaurants for more information visit www.discoverdanvilleca.com. Please note Hartz Avenue-Diablo Blvd. to School Street and Prospect Avenue-Railroad Avenue to Front Street will be closed to traffic.

Got a Wine Question? By Monica Chappell

Exclusive Listing …

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Upcoming Meetings and Events

Livorna Park Movies and Concerts - August 12 and 19 - Livorna Park. Presented by Alamo MAC. See www.alamore.org for listings. AIA - Alamo Improvement Association - August 10th , 7pm - Creekside Community Church -1350 Danville Blvd. Alamo MAC (Municipal Advisory Committee) - First and third Tuesdays 6pm - The Cottage at Hap Magee Park Hap Magee Ranch Joint Planning and Operations Committee September 22nd - 5pm - The Cottage at Hap Magee Park P2B - Police Services Advisory Committee - September 5th , 4:30pm - Meets at Valley Station located at 150 Alamo Plaza P5 - Round Hill Police Services Advisory Committee - August 10th, 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

Lost Dog!

$50 REWARD

If you find her and your name is drawn!

Alamo Zoe is Missing

We have a new dog, but now she has become lost in this paper... Keep your eyes out for Alamo Zoe! 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

August’s Winner Is Jane Powell

In addition to writing about wine, I teach wine appreciation classes, and one of my favorite things about teaching is answering students’ questions. During my wine classes, we take a non-intimidating attitude to learning about wine, and we focus more on wine discovery. My hope is that these commonly asked questions encourage you to pull many corks in the quest for higher knowledge. Q: Does the temperature at which wine is served matter? In a word, Yes. The temperature at which you serve your wine will affect its aroma, taste, and presentation. The volatility of wine's flavor compounds are important, so getting it right will improve the drinking experience. Wine should be chilled to 50-55 degrees for white and rose wines, and it should be just below room temperature for red wines, about 65 degrees. Q: What’s the best way to store opened wine? I don’t face this problem often, but know that if you’re going to drink the rest of the wine within a day or two, simply recork it and store at the temperature at which it’s normally served - see answer above for more on this. Exposure to oxygen makes the aroma and flavor of wine deteriorate, so if you want to keep it longer, pour the leftovers into a smaller bottle – the less air space, the longer the wine will continue to taste good – and store in the fridge. Q: What does the term terroir mean? Terroir is the French term for soil, often used as a comprehensive term to describe the characteristics of a vineyard’s soil and microclimate and the resulting flavor profile of the wine made from its grapes. All of these factors contribute to giving the wine its specific personality. Q: What does Malolactic Fermentation do to a wine? Secondary fermentation is otherwise known as Malolactic Fermentation – MLF for short. MLF converts tart-tasting malo acid, naturally present in grape must, to softer-tasting lactic acid. MLF tends to create a rounder mouth feel and a creamy texture in wine. Q: What does the pucker you might feel in your mouth when tasting a red wine come from? Tannins are chemical compounds in grape skins let loose into the wine by extended skin contact. Additionally, during the aging process oak barrels infuse tannin into the juice. Tannins are a natural preservative and also give wine structure, texture, and an important flavor dimension in wine. Tannins are good! Q: Do all wines get better with age? The short answer is NO. Some wines are meant to be consumer while they are young, and bad wines never get better. No matter where you stand on the learning curve, even the most expert oenophiles agree: For those who are willing to learn, wine is a teacher for life. Monica Chappell is a Wine Writer and Educator. To register for upcoming classes please visit www.wineappreciation101.blogspot.com.

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Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 11

Shop Local t Dine Localt Play Local

8th Annual

$25

Thursday, August 25 5:30pm - 8:30pm

The San Ramon Valley Little League (SRVLL) 9-year-old tournament team has won two back-to-back championships in this season's tournaments. First they captured a win at the Granada Little League tournament against Dublin Little League with a final score of 7-3. SRVLL came with their bats blazing to the next tournament, working their way to achieve home-field advantage to the championship game against Livermore American Little League, the hosts of the tournament. SRVLL won the game with a final score of 11-1. Pictured Bottom Row Left: J.T Noble, Chip Menard, Anthony Santa Maria, R.J. Millington, Griffin Bloom, Devin Brownstein. Middle Row Left: Nate Rutchena, Justin Geary, Chase Doris, Christian Wolf, Ryan McCarthy. Top Row Left: Robert Rutchena, Craig Santa Maria, and Scott Menard.

Bounty Garden at Hap Magee Ranch Park

The Bounty Garden has a home at Hap Magee Ranch Park after two separate votes by the Joint Planning and Operations Committee they unanimously supported the Garden’s community-service gardening program.

ARTISTS :INE TASTING COMMEMORATIVE WINE GLASS LIVE MUSI& 75OLLEY RIDES

DOWNTOWN DANVILLE Danville LIVERY & The ROSE GARDEN SHOPS TROLLEY RIDES BETWEEN ALL LOCATIONS

Tickets available at these locations: Cottage Jewel - 100 Prospect Ave. La Buena Vida - 806 Sycamore Valley Road W. The Studio - 730 Camino Ramon, Suite 200 and online at www.discoverdanvilleca.com

Also coming...

Heartland Danville Antique & Art Faire Monday, September 5th For more information - contact Cottage Jewel at (925)837-2664

Tax Credits Can Be Refundable

Pictured above, Life Scout Josh Miner and Bounty Garden cofounder Amelia Abrahamson met to do a review of the raised vegetable bed construction method for the upcoming Bounty Garden at Hap Magee Ranch Park. The Bounty Garden program’s primary goal is to provide a consistent source of fresh vegetables to local Food Bank programs. Another important benefit of The Bounty Garden is providing community members with a real way to become a part of the answer to local hunger. The raised beds will be made of redwood to resist termites and decay, they will be almost 18” high for gardeners comfort, and the beds will be constructed in such a way that they will remain straight and attractive for many years to come. A list of materials needed has been developed, and donations are deeply appreciated. Workday schedules have begun to be planned for Josh's Boy Scout troop, local teens from Athenian and San Ramon Valley high schools, and other volunteers. Construction of the raised beds will begin as soon as the license agreement with Hap Magee is arranged and the site is prepared. For more information on how you can become involved, visit http://thebountygarden.wordpress.com/.

Unlike leopard spots and tiger stripes, tax credits do change. And, in the federal tax equivalent of spots and stripes, some even change from non-refundable to refundable. For instance, the Hope scholarship credit was modified in 2009 and became partially refundable as the American opportunity credit. In 2010, the adoption tax credit became refundable. What's the difference between nonrefundable and refundable tax credits? One way to make sense of the distinction is to look at last year's Form 1040. Nonrefundable credits, which reduce your tax to zero but no lower, are reported on page 2, directly beneath your tax liability. You'll find refundable credits further down page 2, in the "Payments" section. That's because — like income tax withholding or estimated payments — refundable credits can reduce your tax liability to zero, and the difference is refunded to you. In contrast to actual tax payments, the potential benefit of refundable tax credits can be temporary. As an example, two refundable credits on last year's federal tax form, the making work pay credit and the first-time homebuyer credit, expired in 2010. Contact us if you have questions. No matter how things change, we're here to make sure you get credit where it's due.

BonnFeeney, LLP

Certified Public Accountants

3201 Danville Blvd., Suite 150 • Alamo, CA 94507 (925) 314-1891 • Fax (925) 314-3097 www.BonnFeeney.com • Email: info@bonnfeeney.com

Page 12 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

Household Hazardous Waste Recycling

Have you spent some of your summer days cleaning and tidying your garage, cabinets, and storage sheds? Have you found old batteries, almost empty cans of paint, old cleaning products, gardening chemicals, and spray cans of products you no longer use? Many of these products can poison, corrode, explode, or ignite when handled improperly. When thrown out in the trash, they can threaten human and environmental health. In the first 10 years of operation, the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility in Martinez collected more than 16 million pounds of hazardous waste. This facility accepts household hazardous waste from residences for recycling, reuse, and safe disposal. There is no charge to use this service, and no appointment is necessary. The facility is open to residents of Alamo, Danville, Diablo, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, and other participating Central County jurisdictions on

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Tuesday through Saturday from 9 to 4pm. Small businesses must make an appointment to use the facility and are charged a nominal fee based on the type and quantity of waste. Products that are in their original containers and deemed to still be usable are checked and placed in the Reuse Room where they are available to be taken at no charge. To transport materials to the facility please pack items in sturdy, non-leaking containers no larger than five gallons. Original containers are recommended. Small, leaking containers can be individually placed in Ziploc bags. Larger containers should be placed in separate, covered, and non-leaking containers for transport. Boxes lined with plastic garbage bags also work. State regulations limit the transport of household hazardous waste to 15 gallons or 125 pounds per vehicle, per trip. The Hazardous Waste Collection Facility is located at 4797 Imhoff Place near the intersection of Highway 680 and Highway 4. For more information, call 800-646-1431 or visit www.centralsan.org/hhw. Examples of household hazardous waste accepted include paint, motor oil, batteries, aerosols, fire extinguishers, flares, fluorescent light bulbs and tubes, household cleaners, thermometers, grease and cooking oils, automotive care products, garden care and pest control products, pool chemicals, glues, gas, resins, and other materials. Not accepted include medications, medical waste such as sharps, radioactive material, treated wood waste, or eWaste. Visit the website for a complete list of accepted and not accepted items. am

Alamo Danville Newcomers Club

The Alamo Danville Newcomers Club was founded in 1965 and is still going strong and active today. The Club was founded by Gere Colclough who was also President of the Club from 1965 to 1967. She felt there was a need for women who were new to the valley to connect with other 'newcomers' to make new friends and get together for social activities. The Alamo Danville Newcomers were pleased to welcome Gere Colclough's two daughters, Judy Erler and Sue Crouch, at the May Luncheon held at Bridges Golf Club. They Past presidents of the Alamo Danville Newcomers are pictured with current Club gather together. and past Presidents of the Newcomers Club. Today, the Club's mission remains the same; a non-profit organization that welcomes women who are new to our beautiful valley as well as long-time residents who are interested in making new friends through social activities and philanthropy. The Club's annual Kick-Off Brunch will be held September 13th and any ladies who are interested, please call 925775-3233 or visit our website at www.alamodanvillenewcomers.com.

San Ramon Valley Newcomers Club

The San Ramon Valley Newcomers Club invites new or long-time residents to its monthly luncheon on August 18th at Blackhawk Grill, 3540 Blackhawk Plaza Cir., Blackhawk. We meet from ll:30 to 2pm and the cost is $21. The speaker will be Mr. Phil Ribera, a retired undercover narcotics officer from Hayward. Call Susan,925-718-5214, for reservations or information.

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Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 13

Cinema Classics ~ Shane By Peggy Horn

In a contemporary book I’m reading, a citizen of an Asian country asks an American if cowboys are still important in American society today. The American responds that few cowboys remain and apparently draws no conclusion either way. Admittedly, the number of cowboys has diminished, but their importance in our culture has not passed away. Cowboys and their philosophy and culture still form a part of our foundation and our strength and, from time to time, are still portrayed in ever-popular western movies that typically garner excellent reviews. As a tribute to the continuing importance of our cowboy heritage, my husband and I have often reminded our boys to approach an issue ‘the cowboy way,’ which to us signifies a stoic, non whining, non wimpy attitude, an outlook that is latent but nonetheless imbedded in our American personality. A movie that superbly illustrates the cowboy way is Shane, (1953) starring Alan Ladd. Shane (Mr. Ladd), a gunslinger, comes to the aid of a farming family trying to settle in a western town at a time when the west was still being formed. This family, the Starretts, played by Jean Arthur as Marian, Van Heflin as Joe, and Brandon de Wilde as their son, Joey, is under constant threat by a neighboring rancher, Mr. Ryker, who seeks to run every single sodbuster out of town to once again free up the range for his cattle operations. Although the farmers have rightfully homesteaded their land and are entitled to all the pertinent legal rights associated therewith, the ranchers have a sentimental, if not legal, right to claim the land – after all it used to be theirs exclusively to handle as they chose. Mr. Ryker points out that it was the ranchers who fought for and subdued the wild lands, and the farmers are undeserving interlopers who don’t deserve to take those lands away. But times change, and the need for farmers to settle and raise families, rather than cattle, comes to life, and so the battle in this movie is fought to the finish with the winner vanquishing the previous way of life. Shane won an Oscar Award for its splendid cinematography, was nominated for numerous additional awards, and is regularly seen on lists of the best western movies of all time. Reserve a Saturday afternoon to view or review this great movie that is available for purchase online or for rent at select DVD rental establishments.

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Page 14 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

Crosswalk Sting

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Contra Costa California Highway Patrol and the Contra Costa Sheriff’s office conducted a “Crosswalk Sting” operation in Alamo on July 19th. Law Enforcement Officers worked on Danville Blvd. between Jackson and Stone Valley Road netting 40 citations. Thirty-six citations were for motorists failing to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk, the others were for failure to wear a seatbelt, cell phone usage, no insurance, and no driver’s license. "We launched this pedestrian crosswalk safety operation in partnership with the California Highway Patrol because of community concerns,” said Lieutenant Jim Grottkau of the Sheriff's Office Valley Station. “This operation was highly effective in increasing safety by focusing on drivers who do not yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Similar operations are planned for the future.” Contra Costa CHP continues its “Summer of Safety” campaign focusing on reducing collisions and therefore reducing injuries or deaths in those collisions. Officers continue to aggressively enforce Speeding, DUI, Occupant Restraint, Pedestrian / Bicycle safety, and inattention (cell phone, texting) violations. Lieutenant Christopher Sherry, Acting Commander of the Contra Costa California Highway Patrol stated, “While meeting with citizens, the top stated concerns are speeding and pedestrian safety in this location. We have had many near misses with pedestrians in this area. Fortunately, we have not had a fatality, and we are not waiting until we do.”

Backyard Bounty

Backyard

Is your garden about to “take off”? Are your fruit trees Bounty about to bear a bonanza of excess fruit? Have you planted so many zucchini, tomatoes, and other vegetables that you may find yourself with more than you can eat? For the fourth year, Alamo Today invites you to participate in our Backyard Bounty program. Last year over 3,000 pounds of fresh produce was collected by our readers and passed on to those in need. The need for food, especially fresh produce, is great. We wish to provide produce at its’optimum ripeness so nothing goes to waste. A call a week before your produce will be ripe will help us provide the fruits and vegetables at their prime. To coordinate picking or pick-up of food for donation to local food banks, contact Greg or Lise Danner at 925-552-7103 or email thedanners@aol.com.

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Good Intentions

By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO, Inc.

I go through life with a bit of a Pollyanna-ish point of view. That means that I think people are basically good; they’re always trying their best to get through life, they don’t mean to hurt others, and problems are usually just the confluence of circumstances and honest, but differing agendas. I’m grown-up enough to know it’s not always this way in life, but if I get really frustrated with someone, it helps me to revert to this point of view. If you believe everyone is trying their best, it’s hard to carry a grudge or simultaneously believe they’re trying to make you miserable. This is the very attitude one of our customers needed to retain after dealing with the phone support with a major network product manufacturer. He couldn’t connect his laptop to the wireless network in his home. He called Comcast, who correctly identified that it wasn’t a problem they could affect. They suggested he call the manufacturer of the router he owned. He did this and he was connected with their free product support. When he spoke with the support technician, who happened to be residing in another country, he explained his problem connecting to the network, and then the trouble began. There were several factors at work here. 1) My customer isn’t a technical person, 2) the support tech wasn’t very experienced, and he definitely wasn’t cautious, 3) the support technician spoke English as a second language, so there was a gap in the communication, and 4) the problem was actually extremely simple, but it became overly complicated by the first three factors. When the technician began looking into the situation, he took the word of the inexperienced customer instead of following protocol to first understand the situation before suggesting changes. Then he started advising his customer to make some changes on his system that were completely outside of the process at hand. The support tech was flailing, and he began over-reaching his abilities. I think the correct terminology is that he started making decisions “outside his pay grade.” When it was all over, the technician had advised our customer to make a change that completely wiped out the personal user profile on his computer. He lost access to all his files, his email – everything. That’s when he called us, as he was completely locked out of his computer. I wasn’t sure I could undo what the fellow had done remotely, but luckily we had enough passwords and access to his computer to effectively put him back together again. It took over two hours of concentrated phone support to fix the technician-caused problem. It took just another 10 minutes to fix the original issue he had wanted to fix. The lesson I want you to draw from this is that you should be extremely skeptical when you’re dealing with free remote telephone support. You are getting exactly what you pay for. Those technicians are well-meaning, but they’re paid minimum wage, they aren’t accountable to you if they make a mistake, and you’re dealing with language barriers and a host of other factors that all work against you. Half the time, I think manufacturers just stick people there to say they have support available, but they don’t staff the support center with truly capable people because it’s too expensive. I don’t want to sound negative here, but when one of these guys messes you up, who do you call to complain? Who hears you scream? All you’re going to hear is, “That’s too bad; you should’ve had better backups.” Seriously. What should you do? You should always call Portable CIO first. When people call us, we give a lot of free advice. Will we troubleshoot your problem remotely for free? No. If we connect to your system, we’re going to start the clock for remote support, which is billed in 15 minute increments. In this case we could have solved it in 15 minutes. The basic problem was that our customer thought he had a wireless profile setup on his laptop for his home network, and he didn’t. That’s why he couldn’t connect to his home network. That technician went way off track, and almost cost our customer a ton of money and inconvenience with his well-intentioned but extremely bad advice. Don’t make the same mistake; give Portable CIO the first call, and let us help you avoid a lot of trouble and unnecessary expense. Do you have a technical problem that needs attention? The best way to work with us is to call 925-552-7953, or email us at helpdesk@theportablecio. com. We’ll do our best to help you, point you in the right direction, and get Advertorial you back to full productivity in the shortest possible time.

Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 15

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Page 16 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

Art in Everyday Life

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it’s best to start with a few innovative decisions that will enhance the natural beauty of your yard. First, take an assessment of your outdoor space, and visualize how you By Tony Michael Vecchio can add a few picturesque and unifying art objects around your garden and patio. “Fewer and fewer Americans possess objects that Nearly everyone acknowledges the beauty of art in their everyday lives, have a patina, old furniture, grandparents’pots and pans and, consciously or unconsciously, we all experience that “aha” moment when – the used things, warm with generations of human touch, we see a piece of art, found object, or vintage treasure, and, say “That will essential to a human landscape.” – Susan Sontag. be perfect for the garden!” But this should not be an isolated incident. Better, It’s summer! The days are California warm, the nights we can always be open for that moment, looking at the world with an eye are breezily cool, and it’s the best time of year to enjoy and toward everyday beauty. You’ll find yourself increasingly connecting to art share your garden with family, friends, and visitors. When and objects that will fit your lifestyle and newly enlightened artistic vision. you plan to entertain in your private and inspirational habiTo make it work, art or decorative objects need to blend organically with their surtat, think about creating an environment that coordinates a roundings, the garden, and its landscaping. Art and landscape decoration needs to have harmonious blend of conversation, good refreshments, and visual art. an intuitive and elemental connection, appearing as if it has existed there in that spot As an artist, I think that many people have an innate and instinctive desire to exforever, rather than conveying that it had been recently purchased. For example, a bright, press their artistic nature in their outdoor spaces by incorporating art objects among colorful, and glittery garden decoration may look whimsical and fun when its exhibited the landscaping of flowers, plants, and trees. These objects don’t need to be expensive and marketed under an art fair tent, but the same piece will appear significantly out of purchases. In fact, many inspired and resourceful elements can integrate a love of art, place in a minimalist Japanese garden that tends to evoke an ephemeral, spiritual qualsculpture, and color and give an outdoor space a unifying visual balance. To do this, ity. Therefore, you want to think about your yard and your lifestyle, as you search for artwork items that reflect your personal taste and fit into your landscaping aesthetic. A rustic willow chair, slowly falling apart as it is partially hidden under a tree or among the undergrowth, shows the natural weathering process, adding a statement about the natural cycle of growth and transcendence of nature. When you can find them, the original Solari wind chimes, cast in sand molds, have beautiful, natural-hued patinas and sound graceful and light when touched by garden breezes. Research some potters (think Berkeley and Emeryville artisans) to see if you can purchase cast off, damaged, or irregular teapots, bowls, or other pottery creations that make great weather proof, yard sculptures. Natural looking clay, Retail Price lined up on a fence, or perched on a garden $3,748 wall blend well in a natural environment. Any number of unique, naturally sculptural objects can add an aesthetically inventive touch to any home landscape environment when you place them strategically in your garden. Consider unique rocks, driftwood, and organically rusted metal shapes, for starters. Whatever your style and garden vision, you’ll experience a sense of artistic accomplishment in being able to incorporate art in your garden and sharing your vision with guests. A few local art events are coming up… The Village Theatre Art Gallery's juried exhibition, the Elegant Line, continues through August 26, offering a dynamic and engaging exhibition of mixed media and illustrative art of 38 artists across the country. The AlamoDanville Artists’ Society presents “Artistic Reflections,” a new exhibit of paintings, jewelry, and fabric art August 12 through October 23, at the new Blackhawk Art Gallery in Blackhawk Plaza. Always fun, the artist reception, on Saturday, August 13, from 5 to 7pm, provides the opportunity to meet the exhibiting artists over wine and conversation. Open Tues thru Sat 10 to 6 The next Downtown Danville Street Art and Sunday 11 to 5 Wine Stroll, an enjoyable summer evening exhibit of fine art and fine wine, is on ThursClosed Monday day August 25 from 5:30 to 8:30pm. Tony Michael Vecchio writes about art and style. If you have any comments, feel free Danville 925.648.0293 Alamo 925.820.8492 to contact him at tonymvecchio@gmail.com. View his collage assemblage work and fine 3426 Camino Tassajara 3189 Danville Boulevard art at etsy.com/shop/WabiSabiDaddi.

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Page 18 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

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The Art of Screening By Brende & Lamb

Trees and shrubs provide many valuable services in the urban ecosystem. One of the most important, from the perspective of homeowners, is screening for privacy and to hide undesired objects. Well-placed foliage can keep out prying eyes and enhance personal safety; and a view of beautiful leaves and branches gives more pleasure than the view of a neighbor’s garage. Over the long run, preserving a living screen requires planning and judicious pruning. Plants grow toward the sun; they maximize foliage where there is most light, in the canopy. As trees mature, the density of the canopy can act as an umbrella and shade out the interior lower branches, which causes them to die. To see a clear example of this, look at a mature oak in the forest. The majority of foliage is in the outer shell; the interior is bare. This natural phenomenon works well for plants in the wild, but may not succeed well for your screening needs. Luckily, there are ways to avoid this loss of valuable screening. All strategies for maintaining screen involve keeping sunlight flowing to interior branches. Sufficient light on the leaves reduces dieback. It is best to act before the screen is compromised (an ounce of pruning is better than a ton of replanting). In plants with latent buds, English laurels for example, trunks can re-sprout even after interior branches have withered. However, many species lack latent buds and are incapable of re-sprouting, and for those species preventative medicine is the only medicine. Even for species with latent buds, keeping branches healthy is much easier, and more effective, than reinvigorating them. • Eliminate light competition from surrounding plants. Evaluate the plants growing near your screen plants to see if they are casting a shadow on branches critical to screening. Plants shading out important screen plants can be removed, or they can be thinned and shaped to increase illumination of screening branches.

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August Events at The Ruth Bancroft Garden

Hypertufa Container Making: Saturday, August 6th. 10am - 1pm. $65 RBG or Garden Conservancy Members or $75 General Admission. Space is limited. Take your Succulent Dish Garden to the Next Level! Study the art of Hypertufa, and create your own unique plant containers to enhance your home and garden. Hypertufa is a lightweight material that looks like stone or granite without the heft. Succulents look smashing when planted in Hypertufa containers. Discover the essentials of this process with Darien Eckberg, a local landscape designer, and learn her different recipes. Bring a pair of gloves and the rest will be provided. Author Evenings in The Garden with David Fross: Reimagining the California Lawn: Tuesday, August 9th. 6pm – 8pm. $25 for RBG or Garden Conservancy Members; $30 for General Admission. David Fross will speak about his book, Reimagining the Californian Lawn: Water Conserving Plants, Practices, and Designs. If you are thinking about removing or reducing your lawn, you will not want to miss this event. Join us for this wonderful summer evening program. The book will be for sale on-site and there will be an opportunity for book signing by the author. Drip Irrigation: What to DO and what NOT to do: Saturday, August 20th. am 10 - 1pm. $20 RBG or Garden Conservancy Members; $25 General Admission. Installing a drip-system in your garden is a great way to save water! Come to this workshop, taught by Lori Palmquist, to learn how to install a system in your yard and how to avoid the most common mistakes. You will also learn how to do regular system maintenance checks and make repairs in a drip system. Register for any of these events by calling the office at (925) 944-9352, or for more information visit www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/rbgarden/pages/ programs.html. All of these events will be held at The Ruth Bancroft Garden: 1552 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek. The Ruth Bancroft Garden is a foremost example of the art of garden design with drought-tolerant plants, and it is known as one of the finest dry gardens in the world. The Garden displays an expansive collection of plants through exceptional garden design. The Ruth Bancroft Garden, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization that owns the garden and raises the funds necessary for its preservation. • Thin the screen plants themselves. This may seem counterintuitive, but the exterior of the screen plant may be shading its interior. It is not uncommon to see 40-foot pittosporums that look like balloons, with the only green occurring in the canopy. To revitalize, it is generally best to remove all dead wood, thin the top heavily, and even thin the screen area. The goal is to maintain layers of green from the edge of the canopy through the interior. A thick, multi-layered screen is less prone to failure. If it is not acceptable to lose any bottom screen, even temporarily, a good compromise is to thin those portions above the screen area. Thinning only one portion of the tree is an aesthetic challenge, but it can be done. • Shape the tops of screen plants. It is sometimes possible to shape back the tops of screen plants to allow more light to reach the lower branches. Our philosophy of pruning requires that the overall beauty of the plants be considered in all pruning cuts. Because health and beauty are often synonymous, we have found that bringing light into the interior usually enhances tree aesthetics. What do you do if you have already lost the screen? It is difficult to get branches to grow back once they have died, but radically thinning or lowering the plant may induce growth in lower foliage. Unfortunately, this is hard to achieve without sacrificing the aesthetics of your trees and shrubs. Sometimes it is possible to fill the gap with shade-loving plants. Other times the only solution might be to remove the plant and start over. Each case is different. If you need help, do not hesitate to give us a call, for advice or to do the work. At Brende and Lamb, we have 20 years of experience balancing the aesthetics of your trees and shrubs and maintaining your screening needs. If your trees and shrubs need a little TLC - call us at 510-486-8733 or email us at bl@brendelamb.com to schedule 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

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Life in the Alamo Garden

Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 19

Swimming Pools By John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape Architect #4059

Summer is finally officially here although it has been a cool one. I assure you that the summer heat is on the way. One way to keep you cool during those blazing hot Alamo summers is to have a swimming pool. With the “HOTTER” months yet to come, Alamo residents are finding creative ways to keep cool in their backyards. If you don’t already have a swimming pool you might be knocking on your neighbor’s door offering 25 cents a head to take a dip, or is it more like $5 bucks now? Getting out the “Kiddy” pool, Slip n’ Slide, Crazy Daisy or just running through the sprinklers are some other creative ways to stay cool without a pool. If you are considering a swimming pool as major asset to your home environment, here are some things to consider before jumping off the diving board. Pools in today’s terms are a major investment. No longer can you get a simple rectangular pool for less than $70,000. Most pools today are falling into the range of $70,000-$100,000 plus. Why? The high cost is due to the complexity of the pool designs, accouterments, and locations they are being constructed. Some key considerations in designing and constructing a pool are the engineering and accouterments that accompany today’s pool. Most flat lot pools can be constructed with standard engineering. Most of Alamo’s soil is either expansive clay-type or sandstone bedrock or both. If your pool is going into the clay-type soil potential problems such as expansion, settlement, and drainage are major issues to consider. If you are digging into sandstone, that’s a good thing. You may pay more for digging, but most likely your pool will stay put. Popular additions to the pool design are spas, waterfalls, water slides, automatic covers, solar heating panels, in-floor cleaning systems, plasters such as pebble-Tec, Satin Matrix and quartzite, custom masonry and tile, and of course, computer systems to run the whole thing. Your computer can manage your pool temperature, lights, waterfall, filtering system, landscape lights, cleaning system, solar, and even turn on your spa to warm it up hours before you even get home for that late night dip. For those with a view, the ever-growing popularity of the vanishing edge or negative edge pool is changing the way pools have been used in the traditional sense. With high-tech engineering, pier-holes drilled thirty feet into the ground allow you to hang a pool off the edge of almost any hillside lot. Of course, only if you are willing to spend what the average Alamo home cost in the 1990’s. V-edge pools are simply breath-taking. Depending on the degree of difficulty you can expect these pools to start at $125,000. If you have the opportunity to design one of these babies into your home environment, you will be totally awe-struck by the beauty of your surroundings being reflected into the mirror glass reflection of your vanishing edge. If you are planning a pool as part of your home environment, it is best to integrate the pool design and the landscape design as an integrated master plan design. Pool companies design pools but often end up plunking a pool into your backyard without consideration of your lifestyle and the rest of the project. Start by creating the environment as a whole integrating a cohesive design of pool, hardscape, and softscape. Do you want a more naturalistic or formal setting? Installing a pool also makes you think about what other elements you want in your backyard. What kind of pool decking do you want? Should you use concrete, flagstone, slate, etc? What other additions to your pool-side entertaining do you want? What is your budget? As you can see, designing a pool into your yard is a serious commitment and investment with a lot at stake. Swimming pools can certainly be the magnet of joy and good times, as well as a liability. If you decide that a pool should be in your backyard, always consider safety first, be vigilant, make sure your

children are pool safe, and never, ever leave them unattended, not even for a moment. A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: Always hire a state licensed contractor to build your project.. Check their license status and referrals. Make sure they have done projects similar to your own. You can verify the status of a contractor at the California State License Board (CSLB). You can check on-line at www.cslb.ca.gov. Gardening Quote of the Month: “I can't fly, but swimming is the next best thing.... The water is my sky.” ~Author Unknown If you would like me to write on any particular subject, email your ideas to jmontgomery@jm-la.com or visit www.jm-la.com. Advertorial

Page 20 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

Round Hill continued from front page

parcels – the 270-acre Mott Ranch and the 140-acre Squire Ranch. The site was too pristine and had too much potential to be merely a subdivision of homes. The land contoured from level to gently rolling to dramatically steep, and it was dotted with ancient oak trees. Over the next year, Harlan developed a vision to build a private championship golf course and country club, and surround it with prestigious homes. His goal was to create the most sought-after golf and country club and residential community in the Bay Area. He convinced the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors and the AIA that this private country club would best utilize the land while retaining Alamo’s country charm, but with some added elegance. The Board Anniversary celebration at Round Hill approved, and what started as a vision, became a reality! During the time that Harlan was contemplating the best direction for the land in Alamo, he took a vacation to the Caribbean. He stayed at the beautiful Round Hill Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Round Hill was built in 1953 as a favorite hideaway for movie stars, and it was frequently mentioned in the press. John and Jackie Kennedy honeymooned at Round Hill. Harlan was taken with the natural beauty of the setting, the lush hills with a mosaic of luxurious villas overlooking the elegant beach resort where guests and their families frolicked as a community. This had the feel he wanted for that piece of ranchland back home. Thus, Round Hill Resort in Jamaica became Harlan’s inspiration for the development, promotion, and the name of Round Hill for his country club in Alamo. The ultimate goal was for Round Hill to become a private proprietary membership club. This became a reality when Round Hill officially opened in 1961 and the first Members’ Board of Directors was formed and began overseeing operations. On the evening of the first of June 1961, most of the 250 (original) members arrived with great excitement to tour and celebrate their brand new clubhouse with an elegant champagne reception and dinner dance. The women wore their finest gowns and men came in white dinner jackets. Over the years, Round Hill has continued to grow with regards to membership, facilities, and amenities. The clubhouse was expanded in the midsixties, the early seventies, and again in 1976. In 1995, the original clubhouse was demolished to make way for the current 44,000 sq. ft. complex, which opened inAugust 1996. The original four tennis courts were increased over the years to the current total of 15 courts by 1975. The Olympic-sized pool accommodated the club’s first swim team in 1963, and the pool complex has been renovated several times over the years, most recently in 2004. The new clubhouse opened with a fully equipped fitness center in 1995, which was renovated with new equipment installed this spring. On June 11, 2011, Round Hill Country Club held a day long event to celebrate its 50th Anniversary (1961-2011). There were swim activities, tennis exhibitions, a golf tournament, a Classic and Sports Car show, activities for the children, and a fireworks display at dusk followed by music and dancing. The activities also included fun events at the pool, a $50,000 putting contest, and delicious food served in multiple locations. A full field of 144 members played in the 50th Anniversary Golf Tournament. Before the start of play, Scott Ferreira, Head Golf Professional, gathered the players around the flag pole to introduce and honor long-time employees Greg Lamonica, Steve Bjerke, Tom Holmes and honorary member Al Krueger, RHCC’s Golf Professional from 1969 to 2005. Greg Gonsalves, General Manager of Round Hill then askedAl Krueger to raise theAmerican flag and a flag displaying the Round Hill 50th Anniversary Logo. Richard Roll, Chairman of the 50th Anniversary Committee, closed the ceremony with the presentation of a bronze plaque to Round Hill Country Club from the 50th Anniversary Committee commemorating the occasion. The players then enjoyed a fun day of golf, using clubs from the 1960s on selected holes and lunch on the course. All of the players hoped to qualify for the $50,000 putting contest held on the lighted 18th green. Even though Dick Olsen missed the 50-foot up hill putt and the chance to win $50,000, the putting contest was the culmination of a great day of golf, and it was a perfect lead into the fireworks show. Approximately 1,500 Round Hill members and their families attended the event. The day had a “Jamaican” theme designed to celebrate how Round Hill got its name. The Round Hill staff not only prepared and presented beautiful and delicious food with a Jamaican theme, but it also developed the 50th Anniversary signature drink, “The Jamaican Dream.” With excerpts from the book, GoldenAnniversary, Round Hill Country Club..

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Top Ten Estate Planning Mistakes By Robert J. Silverman, Esq.

Sometimes we learn from our own mistakes; sometimes from those of others. I hope you’ll learn from at least one, if not more, of the top ten common estate planning mistakes – five in this article and the next five in September’s article. If you have already avoided all of these mistakes, congratulations – you’re in great shape estate planning-wise! 1) Not having a valid Will. If you die without one, State law and the court will dictate (rather than you choosing): to whom your assets go, who will administer your estate, and, if you have minor children, who will be appointed as their guardian. 2) Not having a valid Power of Attorney. A Power of Attorney (POA) is a binding written designation of an agent you trust to handle your finances if you become unable to do so. Without a POA, if you become incapacitated, a family member or friend will need to initiate an expensive, inconvenient and time-consuming conservatorship proceeding to obtain court authority to transact financial business on your behalf. Adding insult to injury, the appointed conservator may not be a person you would ever want in that role. 3) Not having a valid Advance Health Care Directive. An Advance Health Care Directive (AHD) is analogous to a POA, except instead of designating a financial agent, you designate a health care agent. It also gives you an opportunity to make your wishes known so that during any period of incapacity, your medical care can be administered (or withdrawn) by your agent per your wishes. Not having an AHD has the same disadvantages as not having a POA, and another serious one - treatment may be given or withheld in a manner that’s inconsistent with your wishes. Frankly, every adult should have a Will, POA, and AHD. 4) Not having a valid Revocable Living Trust. Having just a simple Will is often not enough. Though a Will has substantial value, if you don’t also have a Living Trust (which is, for most purposes, a Will substitute), you are likely doing your loved ones a major disservice. With just a Will, probate – a long, bureaucratic, expensive and public, court-supervised estate administration process – is virtually guaranteed. A statutory exemption for Living Trusts allows probate to be avoided for any assets properly titled in the trust on one’s death. A Living Trust also affords privacy for your loved ones. Unlike probate administration, your Living Trust can be administered on your death without publicly exposing personal information about your family and assets. A properly drafted Living Trust also has more flexibility and functionality than a simple Will. It can, among other things, potentially help: a) eliminate or minimize estate tax liability for a married couple; b) control distribution of your assets in a customized manner for all or selected beneficiaries, including: minors or young adults, a spouse (particularly useful with “blended” families), and grandchildren, and c) preserve, rather than jeopardize, the ability of a disabled beneficiary to continue receiving public benefits (requires “special needs” trust provisions). Finally, trust administration is usually significantly less expensive and time-consuming than probate administration. 5) Not titling your assets properly. Frequently, people do not title their assets, such as real estate and bank/securities accounts, optimally. For example, “joint tenancy” and “community property” are the most common methods of holding title for married couples; however, the benefits of such title vesting are generally far fewer than titling assets in a Living Trust. The “right of survivorship” (ROS) feature of joint tenancy is often highly touted because when one joint tenant (co-owner) dies, title automatically vests in the surviving joint tenant. But joint tenancy has a major shortcoming, even for married couples. On the survivor’s death (which hypothetically could be simultaneously with the other joint tenant), the asset will be subject to probate. Unintended consequences can occur when unmarried people hold assets in joint tenancy and don’t understand that joint tenancy trumps whatever (contrary) provision they may have in their Will or Living Trust. Mr. Silverman is an attorney with Shapiro Buchman Provine Brothers Smith LLP, 1333 N. California Street, Suite 350, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 944-9700; rsilverman@sbllp.com. His practice emphasizes Estate Planning, Trust Administration & Probate, Real Estate, and Business. Please call for a free introductory consultation.

This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and should not be relied upon as legal, tax, financial and/ or business advice. Readers should obtain and rely upon specific advice only from their own qualified professional advisors. This communication is not intended or written to be used, for the purpose of: i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code; or ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any matters addressed herein. Advertorial

Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 21

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Nominate Alamo’s Citizen of the Year

The time has come for the Rotary Club of Alamo to select its Citizen of the Year for 2011. This award will be presented at the Alamo Music Festival on September 10th. This year marks the 27th year that this award has been given to someone who has demonstrated a unique commitment to the Alamo community. The nominee must represent your view of the very best of citizenship, service, and integrity. All members of the Alamo community are encouraged to nominate that person who best meets this criteria. We hope that you will submit a nomination for this year. Please request a nomination form by contacting Don Morton, Chairman, Alamo Citizen of the Year Committee, at 925-838-1137, 925-8389930, or dmorton12@yahoo.com. Nominations must be submitted no later than August 19 th. Thank you for giving serious thought to this most worthwhile recognition in our community.

ADAS Blackhawk Gallery New Exhibit

Alamo Danville Artists Society (ADAS) Blackhawk Gallery has a new location at 3416 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Blackhawk Plaza, and they are featuring a new exhibit: Artistic Reflections. ADAS will host the opening featuring 50 gallery member artists exhibiting oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, photography, sculpture, wearable art, jewelry, and note cards. In addition, Diablo Bonsai Club will have a rotating exhibit of three Bonsai trees over each weekend for the duration of Artistic Reflections. * Exhibit Dates: August 13 - October 23, 2011 * Reception at the gallery is free to the public. It will be held Saturday, August 13, 5- 7PM. All exhibits are free to the public and will be on view seven days a week, Monday - Saturday 10 - 8PM and Sunday 11 - 6PM. For more information on ADAS, visit www.adas4art.org or email adasnewsletter@sbcglobal.net.

Page 22 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

Alamo Improvement Association By Roger Smith, President

This is the next article of a series devoted to Alamo’s Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. During the last month, Bill Nelson, AIA’s Public Safety Committee Chairman and I met with Danielle Bell, the Emergency Coordinator for the San Ramon Valley Fire District (SRVFD). The SRVRD provides Emergency Preparedness training for neighborhoods and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training for individuals interested in assisting others during an emergency. “To become a CERT volunteer, one must complete the classroom training offered by a local government agency such as SRVFD, the emergency management agency, or a fire or police department. Contact your local emergency manager to learn about the local education and training opportunities available to you. Let this person know about your interest in taking CERT training. Introduction to Community Emergency Response Teams, IS-317, is an independent study course that serves as an introduction to CERT for those wanting to complete training or as a refresher for current team members. It has six modules with topics that include an Introduction to CERT, Fire Safety, Hazardous Material and Terrorist Incidents, Disaster Medical Operations, and Search and Rescue. It takes between six and eight hours to complete the course. Those who successfully finish it will receive a certificate of completion.”1 Residents interested in either or both of these programs should take time to visit the SRVFD website www.FireDepartment.org for more information. Also visit www.CitizenCorps.gov for more information on community and individual emergency preparedness programs available. Bill Nelson and I also met with Jim Grottkau, Lieutenant at the Valley Sheriff’s Station in Alamo. We discussed the Sheriff’s Department programs for Neighborhood Watch and Sheriff’s All Volunteer Extended Services (SAVES) volunteers. “Neighborhood Watch is a crime prevention program that stresses educa-

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tion and common sense. It teaches citizens how to help themselves by identifying and reporting suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. In addition, it provides citizens with the opportunity to make their neighborhoods safer and improve the quality of life. Neighborhood Watch groups typically focus on observation and awareness as a means of preventing crime and employ strategies that range from simply promoting social interaction and “watching out for each other” to active patrols by groups of citizens. Most neighborhood crime prevention groups are organized around a block or a neighborhood and are started with assistance from a law enforcement agency. Volunteers who donate their time and resources are typically at the center of such programs, since many do not have a formal budget or source of funding. One study (Garofalo and McLeod, 1988) found that most Neighborhood Watches were located in areas that contained high percentages of single-family homes, little or no commercial establishments, and residents who had lived at their current address for more than five years. This study also found that most of the programs used street signs to show the presence of the program to potentially deter any would-be criminals.”2 “The SAVES program is a volunteer service program that is designed to use volunteers to supplement and provide additional levels of service to the departments and field units of the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office. SAVES Volunteers fulfill functions that may not otherwise be available, due to lack of time or resources within the individual departments or field units.”3 Visit www.USAonWatch.org and www.ca-contracostacounty.civicplus. com for more information on these programs. The Alamo Improvement Association continues to serve the Alamo Community through its committees and their efforts in Code Compliance, Community Affairs, Planning, Public Safety, and Transportation. Interested in becoming a Committee member? Please visit www.AlamoCA.org, and email any of our Board Officers with your information. AIA is asking for Alamo residents representing various neighborhood groups with an interest in our public safety discussion to contact Roger Smith, Board President at www.AlamoCA.org. 1 www.CitizenCorps.gov 2www.USAonWatch.org 3 www.ca-contracostacounty.civicplus.com.

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Buy-Sell Agreements

Taking Care of the Eight D’s By Peter T. Waldron & Robert J. Waldron In conjunction with Waldron Wealth Advisors, a division of Lincoln Financial Advisors, a registered investment advisor.

Most all closely held businesses, especially multi-owner corporations and partnerships need to have a buy-sell agreement in place. Individually owned businesses can also profit from the use of a buy-sell agreement. This is essential for smooth transition of ownership upon the occurrence of several events, namely the “Eight D’s.” We’ll discuss each one individually in the corporate context, however, most would also apply to partnerships. In a single-owner business, the buyer could be key employee(s), a competitor, a supplier, or even a customer. 1. Death of a shareholder. In the event of death of an owner, the business can suffer a financial setback (key person loss). This problem can be compounded if the surviving shareholders have to take in a new partner, the deceased owner’s spouse. He/She may have very little knowledge of the business but yet expect a salary and profits from the business. Harmonious transition of the business can be accomplished with a buy-sell agreement fully funded with life insurance coverage. 2. Disability of a shareholder. While most buy-sells take into account death (even though the agreement value may be low or underfunded), many totally ignore what could be a more serious financial drain, disability (the living death). Alternatively, disability is poorly defined (if at all), not funded or underfunded. A disabled shareholder would expect his/her salary to continue, as well as to get a share of profits. If the disability was extended, how long could the business keep paying? All of these decisions should be outlined in the agreement. It should be a business decision based on previously agreed-upon terms, not on emotions. And, of course, the disability agreement needs to be fully funded. 3. Departure of a shareholder. When a shareholder leaves, whether for regular retirement or early voluntary retirement, his/her business interest should be purchased. The purchase price can be the same as or less than the death price (it cannot be more). A lower purchase price might be set for early termination. As for retirement planning, a life insurance policy can provide a death benefit and cash values can also be used as a retirement supplement. 4. Divorce of a shareholder. It would not be unusual for a spouse to end up with one half the business interest of a closely-held business, in the event of a divorce. There should be a provision in the buy-sell to have such spouse forced to sell stock back to either the: (a) corporation, (b) original shareholder, or (c) other shareholders. Again, the price cannot be higher than the death price. 5. Deadlock. If equal owners come to a major disagreement, the business can become “deadlocked” and unable to further conduct normal operations. In this case the business may have to be liquidated. This may have to be taken into consideration in the agreement. 6. Disagreement among owners. If ownership is unequal, and there is a major disagreement, a minority shareholder could be forced out of active employment. In that case, it would also probably make sense to purchase his/her interest. This possibility should be taken care of in the agreement. 7. Default. In most closely-held corporations, the individual shareholders must personally guarantee corporate loans from banks and/or contribute payments to the bank or business. There should be a provision whereby if a shareholder defaults, a buyout would be triggered for his/her interest. 8. Determination of value. The most important item in a buy-sell is the valuation of the business interest. No one wants to over-pay for a business interest. In addition, each owner would want to be sure he or she or their family received fair value in event of a living buyout or death. Appraisals may be viable and even required if family members are involved. Another reason for proper valuation is to fix the value in the deceased’s estate for Federal Estate Tax purposes. One of the stipulations is that the value must be Fair Market Value at the time the

Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 23 agreement is entered into. If appropriate life insurance is not purchased to fund the full value, then an installment purchase arrangement should be provided for the balance. When buy-sells are drafted or reviewed, perhaps the “Eight D’s” would make a good checklist for consideration. It’s far easier to make business decisions regarding these situations then, than to make emotional decisions after the event has taken place. Please contact Peter Waldron to schedule a complimentary review of your financial situation, 925-659-0383 or peter.waldron@lfg.com.

Peter T. Waldron & Robert J. Waldron Jr. are registered representative of Lincoln Financial Advisors, a broker/dealer, member SIPC, and offers investment advisory service through Sagemark Consulting, a division of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a registered investment advisor, Waldron Wealth Advisors, 3000 Executive Parkway, Ste 400, San Ramon, CA 94583. Insurance offered through Lincoln affiliates and other fine companies. Advertorial

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Page 24 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

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Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 25

Page 26 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

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Big Brothers/Big Sisters continued from front page

to ourselves and one to each other,” says Guinto. “We reflect on our year together, on the milestones we've achieved, our favorite memories, what we hope for in the next year... then we put those letters away until the following year. When we open them in the first week of the following year, it is really exciting. We laugh, we cry, and then we re-read the letters we've written over the years that we've known each other and we laugh and cry more. When I first met Sarah, she was 10 years old. It's truly amazing to see her grow every year through those letters and to also see how much my life has changed since knowing her. “Many people feel they are too busy to commit to becoming a mentor,” says Argueta, “but almost every ‘Big’ enrolled in our program will tell you that the time they spend with their Little is often the most rewarding part of their day, and something they look forward to each week.” “When I reflect on my years with Sarah and consider the big picture of our relationship,” add Guinto, “I think what I most enjoy is watching Sarah grow, mature, and really develop a sense of self. Being a volunteer with BBBS has been one of the most positive experiences of my life.” BBBS is currently seeking male volunteers in the East Bay, South Bay and Peninsula. Of 1,000 children in these areas waiting to receive a match, 70% are boys. And, as a victim of recent federal budget cuts, BBBS is losing all of its federal funding. It costs $2,000 to make and support a match the first year and $1,500 each year thereafter to maintain the relationship with professional support that provides intensive case management from the time a match begins until the match has ended - ensuring the healthy development of the match relationship. To sign up as a volunteer mentor or to make a donation, visit www. bbbsba.org.

Mom to Bomb

gery procedure which flattens the abdomen by tightening the muscles of the abdominal wall, and it involves removing excess skin, fat, and stretch marks. The abdomen tends to take on a rounded appearance as we age, as our weight fluctuates, and after such events as childbirth. The muscle and tissues of the abdomen are weakened, and the skin becomes stretched, so no amount of sit-ups or leg raises can remove this shape. A Tummy Tuck can re-contour and reposition these tissues with the added benefit of removing any pre-existing scars from the lower abdomen.

situations, ethnic backgrounds, and from a variety of neighborhoods and schools throughout the Bay Area. Many are from single parent homes; some are in foster care or are living with a non-parent guardian or other family member. “Their backgrounds and personalities are unique, but they all have the need for a special friendship with a caring adult,” says Argueta. Mentors (or Bigs) will find that the program is flexible, and there are no mandatory activities. A Big can organize anything from riding bikes together, playing sports, cooking together, going out to lunch, running errands, or simply doing homework. “The most important thing is to be there for the child and give them the one-on-one time, two to four times a month for a year,” says Argueta. “Most of our Bigs have such a great time mentoring, that they continue to mentor well beyond the year. We even have some matches that have lasted 10 years. Many mentors have told me their Little becomes like family.” Guinto and Sarah’s time together is usually a little more exciting than laundry duty. The two have had a relationship for five years, and they try to see each other weekly as time allows. They might do lunch and a movie, cook, or visit museums. Sometimes they simply do homework together. “Sarah is just a cool kid, and it's genuinely fun to spend time with her,” says Guinto. “We both have a goofy sense of humor, so I would say we spend 80% of our time together just laughing hysterically.” Guinto and Sarah were first matched when Guinto lived in San Ramon, and Sarah lived in Danville. Guinto now lives near Lake Merritt in Oakland, from where she commutes to her job in Mountain View as director of communications for the Alzheimer's Association, Northern California and Northern Nevada. The distance has not affected their relationship. “Sarah and I have an annual tradition in which we write two letters -- one

By Barbara Persons, MD, Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc.

I absolutely love being a mom. Still, when my baby girl turned two, the roll of my tummy made my jeans not fit well, and breast feeding gave me healthy kids but less full breasts. It was time for a Mommy Makeover, or as my friends prefer to call it, “Mom to Bomb.” Having a breast lift, tummy tuck, and lipo of the outer waist (flanks) helped me to feel great and wear a bikini a few months later. Yes, you will wear a bikini! Any scars are designed to be completely hidden in the bikini lines, and the new belly button usually looks much better than the stretched belly button. The breast enlargement with the tummy tuck can sometimes be done without scars on the breasts. A breast lift will require scars on the breast but the improved shape is worth it! The Mom to Bomb surgery at Persons Plastic Surgery takes place at the Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery Center in Lafayette and takes about three hours. It is performed with light sleep anesthesia. You will be able to go home that afternoon with two drains in place and post surgical garments. You must have two weeks off from work and other duties for recovery. I am in close contact with each patient and out of town patients will be accommodated at the Lafayette Park Hotel for 48 hours. We can provide an overnight nurse if desired. “Mom to Bomb” is not just one procedure, but it is a combination of individualized procedures outlined below that help lift, tighten, and shape your body to help reverse the rapid changes that occur during and following pregnancy and breast feeding.

Mastopexy (Breast Lift) and Augmentation

Breast surgery can be considered as early as six months following the completion of breast feeding. A mastopexy, or breast lift, restores the shape of the breast and also the size and location of the nipple. Although a breast lift without implant may be just right for many women, some women may want a mastopexy augmentation for additional size and projection. The augmentation can be achieved with a silicone or saline implant, or with autologous fat grafting.

Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)

An abdominoplasty, commonly called a “tummy tuck,” is a plastic sur-

Reshaping of Buttocks and Flanks (Vaser, Laser and traditional Liposuction)

A trained plastic surgeon with the right tools is able to use liposuction techniques to alter the shape of the body through the removal and transfer of fat. An alternative to traditional liposuction, Vaser Lipo uses advanced ultrasound technology designed to gently reshape the body. Sound energy is transmitted through small probes that diffuse the ultrasound waves and liquefy the fat for easy removal. I combine Vaser Lipo with Laser Lipo to achieve a result which is natural appearing.

Vaginal Rejuvenation

The trauma experienced during natural childbirth can alter the shape and aesthetics of the female pelvic floor. When these structures fail to resume their pre-childbirth shape and it concerns you, vaginal rejuvenation surgery is an option. This can be used to improve the aesthetic appearance of the labia and can also rejuvenate the inside of the canal to improve sexual function. There is also a G spot shot and a C spot shot of natural filler that may improve satisfaction. Motherhood is wonderful, and my children are the joy of my life. I am so thankful that I have personally been able to take advantage of some of the above procedures to go from Mom to more like I was before they came into my life. I also enjoy helping my patients achieve realistic goals through plastic surgery. My patients tell me every day that they are thankful for the changes we accomplished together. They tell me they wish they had done it sooner. Going from “Mom to Bomb” can help us to feel better in our own bodies and thus a little happier as women and moms. Barbara Persons MD owns Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc. located at 911 Moraga Rd in Lafayette. Please call 925-283-8811 or email at drbarb@personsplasticsurgery.com. Advertorial

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The Eye Opener

By Gregory Kraskowsky, O.D., Alamo Optometry School Time and Discounted Student’s Eye Exams

Now that we are in August, it is the time as parents where we start turning our attention to back to school for kids of all ages from elementary school to college and graduate school. Besides stocking up on clothes and school supplies, this usually also includes visits to your child’s pediatrician, dentist, and optometrist. Since we believe strongly in early detection and treatment, we are offering 20% off a student’s exam and glasses in the month of August. This cannot be used in conjunction with any insurance benefits. School these days is difficult enough for our kids, so we need to make sure they have the necessary tools and vision to start off the year on the right foot. Vision at school requires several tasks to manage to be successful. This includes sharp distance vision to be able to read the board and/or overhead, good near vision and binocular vision (eye teaming) to be able to read and study for long periods at a time, and, depending on the class, the ability to go back and forth from the board or overhead to up close to take notes on paper or computer with ease. In addition to these visual requirements, the eyes also need to be healthy to be able to sustain these demands. Conditions such as dry eyes induced from allergies or medications, and the itching and tearing from seasonal allergies can hinder vision and thus needed to be diagnosed and addressed. It is for these reasons that your child’s eyes should be checked by an eye care professional. School and pediatrician screenings usually only test distance vision and do not address health issues of the eye and does not address near vision, depth perception, and binocular vision. Many times a child (or adult for that matter) has “good vision” but is still having issues with near work which can include blurry vision, double vision, headaches, and overall difficulty sustaining up-close work for any period of time. Obviously all reading issues are not caused by vision and/or binocular vision conditions, but that should be the first place you should check out to make sure all is well.

Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 27 In addition to school and homework, most children are involved in school and/or recreational sports and extra-curricular activities. Whether your child is involved in soccer, football, dance, or cheerleading, these all require good vision and ocular health to be able to succeed. If there is vision correction required, many parents and kids are opting for contact lenses. Activities are often difficult to fully participate in while wearing glasses, and contact lenses allow for good vision as well as peripheral vision, and you are not hindered by the frame. Most patients are good candidates for contacts; however, since there is work to learn to adapt to the lenses and to be able to put them on and off, motivation on the part of the child is paramount. If he or she is not really interested in contacts, I recommend starting the process of training and follow-ups when they are ready to tackle it. It is also helpful if a family member already wears contacts to be able to help out as needed. However, it is the child that needs to have the responsibility of keeping their hands clean, cleaning and storing the lenses as needed, and inserting and removing the contacts. It is recommended for vision and ocular health changes that patients get an annual eye exam. The testing we do at the office goes much more in depth and covers more than pediatrician and school screenings. We hope that if you do not have any vision insurance that you take advantage of our back to school offer. We are a family-centered practice, and we look forward to seeing the entire family in the office soon. 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 newly updated website at www.alamooptometry.com, and become a fan on Advertorial our Alamo Optometry Facebook page.

Hearing Loss Association

Come to meetings of the Diablo Valley Chapter of Hearing Loss Association of America at 7pm on the 1st Wednesday of the month at the Walnut Creek United Methodist Church located at 1543 Sunnyvale Ave., Walnut Creek Education Bldg., Wesley Room. Meeting room and parking are at back of church. All are welcome. Donations accepted. Assistive listening system are available for T-coils, and most meetings are captioned. Contact: HLAADV@hearinglossdv. org or 925.264.1199 or www.hearinglossdv.org.

Page 28 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

The 21st Century Woman

By Michael Ruscio, D.C., Johnson Chiropractic

Mood swings, anxiety, depression, hot flashes, bloating and low libido… sound familiar? PMS and menopausal symptoms have become part of our culture. Why is this? Why are so many women affected with these issues? It really boils down to hormonal imbalances. The trick is figuring out what is causing these hormonal imbalances. One thing is for certain though; it is not a deficiency in Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, or Lexapro. Unfortunately, lifestyle and Natural Medicine options are not st readily offered to the 21 Century Woman. Many women used to get symptomatic relief from hormone replacement therapy. Then with some of the research findings from the Women’s Health Initiative (one of the largest studies ever to evaluate the safety of hormone replacement therapy for women), women stopped using hormones. The Women’s Health Initiative found that synthetic hormones derived from horse urine left patients at an increased risk for cancer, heart attack, and stroke. The travesty of this is that the media did not clarify that there are other options to synthetic hormones. For example bio-identical hormones (identical to what your body makes) and herbs can both be safely used to help women feel better. Key concept: synthetic hormones are vastly different from bio-identical hormones and herbal remedies. So what about birth control for symptomatic relief? According to the National Cancer Institute, birth control may increase your risk of heart disease and breast cancer. Birth control is generally in the form of synthetic hormones. While improvements have been made in synthetic hormones since the Women’s Health Initiative findings, not all the problems have been worked out. Additionally, your brain controls and monitors levels of hormones in your body. There is a delicate control loop between your brain and ovaries which is damaged from using birth control. If you’re taking birth control solely for symptomatic relief, then

Books continued from front page

reveal blurry relationship between nonprofit and for-profit business in the May 8, 2011 Oregonian they note Reading Tree bins are placed and owned by Thrift Recycling Management (TRM) a for-profit corporation. TRM relies on a network of contracts with charities, and it obtains books through donation bins carrying those nonprofits’ names. The parent company TRM is the largest used book seller on Amazon, selling up to 25% of the donated books. A sign on the blue bins notes, “Reading Tree accepts all types of books, dvds and cds! With your help we have donated over 2.3 million books to children and their families in need since 2007. We will use most books suitable for donation to supply in-classrom lending libraries for needy schools in this area. Some books will support literacy efforts in developing countries. Unusable books will be recycled to keep books from saturating our nation’s landfills, or sold by our recycling partners in part to help pay for our programs, and in part to pay for services in connection with our book collection efforts.” Reportedly the blue bin donations to charity are from 10-25% of the books received. Last year TRM sold more than 4 million books, accounting for $27 million in revenue. Half, or more, of the donations received are pulped and sold to paper mills for use in newsprint or recycled cardboard products. At the Lafayette Friends Corner Book Shop, books they know they cannot sell are donated to Pacific Rim Recycling, a company located in Benicia. About 5% of the books go to East Bay Depot, a non-profit organization in Berkeley. Pacific Rim Recycling then donates 90% of the books to the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s distribution center in Oregon; from there, they are distributed to local St. Vincent de Paul Shops. The remaining 5% of books are recycled as paper due to their poor condition. After half-price sales, the Friends give books to other, less affluent communities within the Contra Costa Library system for their libraries, schools, and books sales. Other branches have similar programs.

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you may want to seriously consider finding a cause-based care plan. Back to the causes of PMS and menopausal symptoms. Diet of course plays an important role. For women who are willing to have a chicken salad instead of chicken salad sandwich for lunch you might find near complete relief from diet and nutrition alone. All you may need is the guidance of someone who knows how to use nutrition clinically. Toxins are another pervasive issue. The reason women should be concerned about toxins is because many toxins function as estrogens in the body. Pesticides, fertilizers, plastics, and household chemicals have all been proven, in a plethora of studies, to function as estrogens in the body and have been correlated with cancer of the breast and brain, depression, anxiety, obesity, infertility, and thyroid problems just to name a few. So does this mean that every woman with PMS and menopausal symptoms has to be on a diet of wheat grass and rice cakes and live in a bubble devoid of toxins? No, of course not. However, for ideal results a patient would want to eat healthier to feel better, practice toxin avoidance, do some detox work, and use some herbal medicine if needed. Although, even for the woman who isn’t willing to make any changes, there are options. Try an herbal medicine before going on birth control or an anti-depressant (which can have serious side effects). This is not to say medications are bad, they have their time and place. Key Concept: medications (including synthetic hormones) should be the last choice after diet/lifestyle, nutritional medicine, herbal medicine, and bio-identical hormone replacement are tried. We are now realizing that health isn’t something a doctor does to you. Health is something you participate in with your doctor or health professional. With this in mind, it is my goal to help educate people so that they are empowered to take control of their health. I invite you to attend one of my public lectures where I review new scientific research and discuss how we can implement this new information in order move from a dogmatic, symptom and pharmaceutical based model towards that of a patient centered, cause-focused, participation based approach. Upcoming topics include: women’s health, diabetes, toxins, gluten allergies, and high blood pressure. I hope to see you there. For more info, go to www.movepastyourpain.com, visit us on Facebook, or contact Dr. Michael Ruscio at Johnson Chiropractic Group, 115 Town & Country Dr., Suite E in Danville. 925.743.8210. Advertorial If you wonder where your donations go (like books, clothes, or item donated at your curb), you are encouraged to do your homework and learn more about the organizations your donations support. A websearch using the charity name and then further search words such as “charity or scam” leads to more information on the blue bins and other organizations collecting donations. For information on the Danville Friends program please visit http://ccclib.org/friends/dan.html. For the Lafayette Friends program visit www.friendsoflafayettelibrary.org and for Walnut Creek visit www.wclibraryfriends.org.

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Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 29

Moms In Touch

Is Food a Problem for You?

Everyday Heroes

Cancer Support Community

Moms In Touch is an interdenominational, nonprofit organization where two or more moms gather together to pray for children and schools. Moms will experience how to replace anxiety and fear with peace and joy by praying specifically and scripturally for children and schools. For more information, contact Karen Pearce at bkpearce@yahoo.com or 949-350-2360, or visit the MITI website at www.MomsInTouch.org.

By JC Dala, Salvation Army Volunteer Program

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. Meetings are for anyone suffering from a food addiction including overeating, under-eating, and bulimia. The fellowship is free. The group meets Wednesdays at 6PM, at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Lafayette. See the website for additional meetings and more information at www.how-oa.org.

Frankly Speaking About Melanoma Every day, over 76,000 people in Contra Costa County are affected by Learn about the latest treatments for melanoma along with side effect poverty and children represent half of that number. Contra Costa Food Policy management. The social and emotional challenges of the diagnosis will be Advocates report that 33,175 children in this county alone live in poverty. discussed as well. Presented by Amir Modarressi, MD, medical oncologist One of the Salvation Army’s core missions is to serve the community by alwith Contra Costa Oncology. Tuesday, August 16th from 6PM – 8PM at Cancer leviating people of their hardships and day-to-day struggles. Thanks to our Support Community, 3276 McNutt Avenue, Walnut Creek. The talk is free. volunteers, we are able to extend our helping hands and services to those in Please call (925) 933-0107 to make reservations. need. Volunteers enable us to make our resources accessible to our disadvantaged neighbors. One couple, Ron and Mary Figueroa, have been helping the needy for more than forty years. The Salvation Army has had the CONTRA COSTA ONCOLOGY privilege of having these two as volunteers for more than a decade. The Figueroas come twice a week to The Salvation Army Food Pantry delivering extra goods from local grocery store bakeries, equivalent to two overfilled grocery carts. When asked why they choose to help The Salvation Army, Ron enthusiastically says, “The Salvation Army helped me, buy paying for an eye operation I had back when I was 18 years old. This is my way of giving back.” Through the operations of our Concord Food Pantry, over 1,500 people are fed on a monthly basis. Through our annual Holiday Season Assistance Programs, over 200 families and 3,000 children were able to look forward to opening gifts on Christmas morning. These good deeds were made possible through the giving hearts of everyday people, such as volunteers like yourself. Becoming a volunteer can make a difference. The Salvation Army Volunteer Program offers a variety of volunteer opportunities, depending upon your interests. You can help provide a pre-prepared meal to a family by volunteering at our food pantry. You can help a child find solutions to their math problems or help them read an entire sentence with full confidence by becoming a tutor in our afterschool program. Or you can take the lead and influence the direction of our community outreach and services by becoming a member our Community Gymnasium Campaign board. Whatever your choose, you can change a life, by becoming one of our everyday heroes. To AT CONTRA COSTA ONCOLOGY, we are committed to providing WALNUT CREEK get involved, please contact, Volunteer Cothe highest quality care. Specializing in comprehensive cutting-edge treatment ordinator, JC Dala: 925-676-6180, ext. 16 or SAN RAMON programs for all forms of cancer and blood disorders, our nationally recognized jc.dala@usw.salvationarmy.org. CONCORD oncology experts and specialized oncology nurses are dedicated to providing To place an ad, share a story, or ROSSMOOR the best possible care experience. We understand the wide array of concerns for more information about our and challenges faced by you and your family, so we ensure the most sophisticated DANVILLE [ Opening this Fall ]

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Page 30 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

Five Tips to Ruin Your Skin in the Sun By Dr. Shanny Baughman

Summer -- long days filled with sun and frolicking outdoors. We know sun protection is important, but sometimes we just don’t want to bother with it. The result? Sunburn, blisters, brown blotches, leathery wrinkled skin, and most importantly skin cancer. I’m going to tell you five easy ways to damage your skin in the sun, but please, ignore my advice, (as do my children). TIP 1: A baseball cap protects your head from the Dr. Shanny Baughman, Alamo sun. WRONG – A baseball cap basically protects just your scalp and forehead and shades your eyes, leaving the rest of your face, neck, and ears exposed. Sunscreen will help protect, but often people miss their ears and neck, resulting in dangerous exposure to the sun. The tips of ears are particularly at risk for skin cancers. TIP 2: Never reapply sunscreen- Assume that one quick application is enough. WRONG - Sunscreen provides protection for only limited time- two hours at most. For best results, apply it 30 minutes before you are in the sun, and use enough. One ounce is needed to cover your entire body. Estimate an ounce, by filling your cupped hand with sunscreen, and then apply. Waterproof sunscreen doesn’t exist- if sunscreen were waterproof, then one application would protect while swimming, and also while showering, bathing, or hot tubbing, and it would suffice for life. Beginning in 2012, new sunscreen labeling required by the FDA will indicate if sunscreen is water resistant and for how long. Water resistant sunscreen will be labeled as protecting for either 40 minutes or 80 minutes of water exposure. Follow the recommendations for swimming when involved in vigorous outdoor activity and sweating. TIP 4: Don’t use Broad Spectrum (Full Spectrum) Sun-

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screen. WRONG - Broad spectrum sunscreen protects against UVB and UVA rays. While SPF 15 is adequate for daily use, if sun exposure is less than 15 – 30 minutes, use SPF 30 for prolonged outdoor activities. Is a higher SPF better? SPF 85 or SPF 100 don’t protect more than SPF 30. This SPF inflation creates confusion about the best SPF to use. Beginning in 2012, any SPF greater than 50 will be labeled as SPF 50+. TIP 4: Avoid sunscreen on babies. WRONG - Previous advice had been to avoid sunscreen for babies younger than six months of age. Protective clothing Dr. Kelly Hood, Lafayette and sun avoidance was preferred. In the past two years, the American Academy of Dermatology and American Academy of Pediatrics have relaxed their rule, admitting that small amounts of sunscreen on an infant’s face and hands is safer than an accidental sunburn. TIP 5: Get a ‘healthy tan.’ WRONG - Do you think a ‘healthy tan’ will protect you from sun damage? Really? ‘Healthy tanning’ is the term used when people get tan while avoiding a sunburn. A misperception is that sunburn equals skin damage, and no sunburn means no skin damage. Actually, a tan is the body’s attempt to protect itself from ultraviolet injury. Burns are caused by UVB (Ultraviolet B) rays which damage the top of the skin. UVB rays are potent in the summer in North America and diminish in the winter. Aging is caused by UVA (Ultraviolet A) rays, the tanning rays, which penetrate deeper causing brown spots and wrinkles. UVA rays are constant year round. Clouds and windows don’t block UVA rays. Tanning beds use UVA bulbs, delivering a concentrated dose of UVA radiation, up to 12 times more than sunlight. Both UVB and UVA rays suppress the immune system and promote the formation of skin cancers. Dr. Ian Stephen, a professor at the University of Nottingham, recently conducted a study which showed that a diet high in fruits and vegetables may color our skin more than tanning. Carrots and tomatoes contain large amounts of carotenoid antioxidants and give these vegetables their bright hue. These carotenoids build up in fatty tissue and can give light skin a golden luster. That’s what I call a healthy tan. In conclusion, practice ‘safe sun.’ • Minimize sun exposure between 10AM and 4PM. • Seek shade when outside in mid-day, particularly young infants less than 6 months of age. • Insist on Broad Spectrum sunscreen. EltaMD is one outstanding brand which uses zinc oxide in high concentrations. It calms and protects sensitive, acne prone skin and is fragrance, paraben, and sensitivity free. • A brimmed hat and sun-protective clothing along with sunscreen will give better protection than just sunscreen alone. • Sun protective clothing can be pricey, yet your investment will last for years. If the clothing is not in your budget, consider SunGuard - a laundry product which provides sun protection for clothing for up to 20 washings. https://sunguardsunprotection.com/. • Avoid tanning beds. If you want to be brown, apply self-tanners, get a spray-on tan, or start eating more carrots. • Review the recent FDA sunscreen update http://www. fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm258416.htm. To schedule a consultation with one of us, contact Dr. Shanny Baughman at Alamo Oaks Dermatology, 3189 Danville Blvd, suite 130, Alamo, 925-362-0992, shanny.derm@gmail.com, or Dr. Kelly Hood, 970 Dewing, Suite 301, Lafayette, 925-283-5500, khoodderm@yahoo.com . Advertorial

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Alamo Today ~ August 2011 - Page 31

Join Us for a Beer and Conversation About Prostate Cancer

By Sachin Kamath, MD, Radiation Oncologist and Matthew Sirott, MD, Medical Oncologist - Diablo Valley Oncology

“Pints for Prostates” is a grassroots campaign that uses the universal language of beer to reach men with an important health message about their prostate health. Founded by a prostate cancer survivor Dr. Sachin Kamath who was diagnosed at the age of 48, this non-profit campaign raises awareness among men about the need for regular health screenings and PSA testing. In partnership with Pyramid Brewery and Pacific Urology, Diablo Valley Oncology brings the first ever Pints For Prostates fundraiser event to Walnut Creek on September 7, 2011. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American males today (220,000 cases in 2010) and is the second leading cause of cancer death (32,000 in 2010) in the United States. One in Dr. Matthew Sirott six men is at a lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer. Age is the strongest risk factor for prostate cancer. The disease is rare in men younger than 45, but the chance of getting it goes up sharply as a man ages. Also, a man’s risk of prostate cancer doubles if his brother or father had the disease. Prostate cancer is more common in African American men and less common in Asian and Native American men. Early-stage prostate cancer may not be associated with any obvious signs or symptoms, or it may cause symptoms that can be mistaken for those of other disorders. The signs and symptoms of more advanced prostate cancer may include frequent need for urination, difficult or painful urination, blood in the urine, pelvic pain, painful ejaculation, and/or loss of appetite/weight and bone pain. If detected early, prostate cancer is treatable and curable. Today, there are more than two million prostate cancer survivors in the US. Treatment for prostate cancer can include active surveillance, surgery, image-guided radiation therapy using Calypso GPS technology, hormonal therapy, immune therapy, and chemotherapy. The American Cancer Society’s guidelines recommend that men should get routine PSA screening at age 50. However, if you are under 50 and experience any of the above symptoms or have a close relative who has had prostate cancer, it is reasonable to discuss earlier prostate cancer screening

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with your primary care physician. Join us at Pints for Prostates, guaranteed to be a fun and informative evening on September 7th, 6-8pm at Pyramid Alehouse, 1410 Locust Street, Walnut Creek. The “Pints Package” includes a custom beer glass, beer, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and raffle tickets. Space is limited, so RSVP at 925-6775041, extension 260. Dr. Kamath and Dr. Sirott practice at Diablo Valley Oncology in the California Cancer and Research Institute located at 400 Taylor Blvd in Pleasant Hill. They both specialize in treating prostate cancer. www. DiabloValleyOncology.md. Advertorial

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Reach over 6,300 homes and businesses in Alamo - Help Wanted, For Sale, Services, Lessons, Pets, Rentals, Wanted, Freebies... $35 for up to 45 words. $5 for each additional 15 words. Run the same classified ad in our sister papers “Lafayette Today” or “Danville Today News” at half off! Send or email submissions to: 3000F Danville Blvd #117, Alamo 94507 or editor@yourmonthlypaper.com. 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. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name_________________________________________ Address__________________________________________ # of Words_______________ Phone________________________________________ Email ____________________________________________________________________

Page 32 - August 2011 ~ Alamo Today

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Alamo Home Sales Down 25% from Last Year, Prices Holding

Last month I reported on the tough market conditions for Luxury Homes throughout our local area. This month I thought I would focus specifically on Alamo and what is happening here. This review includes data from January 1 to July 26 for both years 2010 and 2011. The headline tells some, but not all, of the story. Through this time period in 2010, a total of 106 properties sold in Alamo. This year fewer, a total of 79 properties, have closed for a 25.5% drop in unit sales year over year. There are 101 active listings in Alamo at this time. That inventory number has remained fairly stable for the greater part of the last two years. Our average unit sales rate is about 11 homes a month, so our inventory sits at about a 9 month supply. I think that number is really deceiving because many homes are so overpriced they have no real chance of selling, so while they are technically on the market, they are not seriously for sale. Good homes, priced to market, have been selling quickly, particularly westside single stories in show condition. The average price paid for an Alamo home last year was $1,185,522. This year it has slipped to $1,139,094. That’s about 4% lower and may reflect a greater sales mix of lower priced homes this year, although the median price has barely budged at all, down only $2,000 dollars year on year to $1,085,000. The average sold price for an Alamo home this year is $365 per square foot and this is also stable compared to last year’s $364 per square foot. I will take stability over falling prices any day. Currently, there are 58 pending sales in Alamo which is good. Of those 58 a total of 16 are “Subject to Lender Approval” and another 11 properties are bank owned (Real Estate Owned) which is bad because their presence negatively affects the market value of other homes in Alamo. With 46% of our pending sales in some sort of distress it is hard to imagine that price increases are in our near term future. If these distressed properties close without significantly eroding price paid per square foot that may be a strong sign that we are nearing a bottom. If I recall correctly, this distressed percentage number is higher than the last time I reported on it. I don’t have a good way of predicting future distressed properties on a local level so I can’t say if this is the beginning or the end of distressed sales in Alamo.

At this time in 2010 a total of 22 REO or short sale properties closed escrow. This year a total of 18 have crossed the finish line and that looks like really good news, except for the pending sales I just mentioned. Alamo currently has 7 distressed properties as active listings, which doesn’t seem like a lot, relatively speaking. Since most properties tend to quietly slip into the short sale category this number may be understating the reality of our current market. Until a home is pending, there is no way to know for sure and I wouldn’t want to hazard a guess. We’ll just have to wait and see and hope that the worst is behind us. Last year in Alamo the average distressed sale closed at $1,005,150 at $302 per square foot. In 2011 these number have declined further to $951,788, and a $298 per square foot price or about 20% less than a normal sale. So far in 2011, the lowest price paid per square foot was $241. This Round Hill North home was 3,617 square feet and closed at the bargain basement price of $875,000. The next lowest price was also in Round Hill. This 3,282 square foot home also sold for $875,000 with a price of $266 per square foot. The average price for listed and unsold properties in Alamo is $443 per square foot. I have a sense that the difference between our current $365 per square foot average has narrowed of late and as it narrows further sales pace may increase. At the end of the day, Alamo is a great place to live, and people want to live here. Apart from the demographic shift toward “Baby Boomer” retirement, the biggest threat that I see to Alamo home prices are falling home prices in Lafayette and Orinda, which we are now beginning to see. High performance schools, shorter commute to the city and easy access to BART make homes in these communities very serious competition for home sellers in the Alamo Real Estate Market. I have been working with younger buyers, dual income professional couples, lately who are drawing their search circles more tightly around Lafayette and Orinda, and these nearby communities are winning a fair number of the contests. It’s important to remember that there really is no “average” home and no two homes are exactly alike. If you would like an honest no strings attached opinion of your home’s current market value and suggestions for getting it ready for market, please give me a call 925-989-6086 or send me an email joecombs@thecombsteam.com.

Alamo Westside Complete Remodel

Westside Alamo Single Story

Single story, 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath, gated entrance, chef’s kitchen, pool and pool house. $1,799,000

Perfect in every detail inside and out. 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath. Huge outdoor entertainment area and pool. $1,550,000

Danville Executive Home

Alamo Westside Mediterranean

D OL

Magnificent 4 bedroom, 3 bath home on 1/2 acre lot with a pool and mature landscaping. $1,200,000

IN ND

Perfect “10” 5 beds, office, huge bonus room, kitchen family room flow, exquisite mill work, views $2,095,000

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 and Nancy Combs, J. Rockcliff and the MLS service do not guarantee the accuracy of this information. DRE #0144125.

Alamo 5 Bedroom Custom

Stunning John Clausen Custom. Great kitchen - family room flow, office and exercise room $1,435,000

Alamo French Country Home

IN ND

6 bedroom, 4.5 bath, on .6 acre. Two master bedrooms and apartment. Serene wooded setting. Lease available. $1,299,000 J. Rockcliff Realtors 15 Railroad Ave., Danville CA. 94526