editor@yourmonthlypaper.com
January 2014
Serving Alamo and Diablo
The Blackhawk Automotive Museum Guild: Sharing a Legacy of Invention By Jody Morgan
In 1991, three years after the Blackhawk Automotive Museum (the Museum) opened its doors to the public, Co-Founder Pat Behring organized the Blackhawk Automotive Museum Guild (the Guild). Since its inception, the Guild’s primary mission has been raising funds for the Children’s Education & Transportation Fund so that school groups can tour the Museum free of charge. Thanks to their efforts to reimburse student transportation costs, more than 175,500 school children have already enjoyed connecting with the Museum’s two-floor display of remarkable automobiles and learning how the invention of the automobile affected the course of history. Guild members include the Museum’s volunteers and docents as well as numerous additional individuals dedicated to keeping the Children’s Education & Transportation program adequately funded. Guild President Pat Behring laughs as she comments that her husband Ken likes to tease her by referring to the Guild as “the Girls’ Club.” Although many of the Guild members involved in fundraising are women, the majority of docents are men. Pat Guild Steering Committee members join with Programs feels strongly that every child Director Nora Wagner for a reflective moment in front of should have the opportunity to the Museum entrance. L to R, Jill Brennan, Dee Thompson, visit a museum. Pat Behring (front); Nora Wagner, Joyce Tucker (rear). Dave Seabury brought his first group of students to the Museum from Pittsburg High School in November. Penning his thanks to the Guild he writes, “My students loved this trip. As you could imagine, the opportunities for trips like this are rare.” Two seniors in his auto-shop program had never previously been to a museum. His classes are still sharing photos and stories from their trip. Their only complaint is that they didn’t get to open up the hoods and hear the engines. A Monte Vista graduate, Seabury toured the Museum with his father when it opened in 1988. He is recommending the excursion to colleagues teaching a variety of disciplines, particularly Graphic Design. Kristy Nass has been bringing kindergartners from St. Ignatius Christian Elementary School in Concord to the Museum for 12 years. The school now teams kindergartners with sixth grade buddies, so the two age groups arrive at Blackhawk together. The Museum then accommodates the interests and goals of each group separately. Nass explains that this popular adventure would be impossible without the Museum’s transportation funding. The trip
Local Postal Customer
Meet the Community Foundation of Alamo By Sharon Burke
The Community Foundation of Alamo (CFA) has arisen from the merger of the Alamo and Danville Chambers of Commerce, and it’s a name you’ll be hearing a lot about in the future. The CFA is the successor to the Alamo Chamber of Commerce Foundation, which was established in 2009 for the purpose of providing fundraising support for the community benefit activities of the Alamo Chamber of Commerce. With the consolidation of the Alamo and Danville Chambers, which took place December 1st, the new Community Foundation of Alamo will be a way to continue to support the community of Alamo. New trustees for the CFA have been elected, and they are Sharon SchuylerPresident, Andrea Scott-Vice President, John Lineweaver-Treasurer, Steve Mick-Secretary, and Trustees Kevin Musante, Andrew Elkin, and Terri Delfosse. All of the trustees are Alamo residents, Alamo business owners or both who have long been active in the Chamber. A mission statement has been adopted for the Community Foundation and it reads as follows: The mission of the Community Foundation of Alamo is to enhance the well-being and quality of life for the people and community of Alamo. The new Foundation will Terri Delfosse, Sharon Schuyler, and Steve Mick. continue its fundraising activities to support community events in Alamo. They have committed to continue sponsorship of the Alamo Tree Lighting
See CFA continued on page 23
Rick Buxton Named Alamo Rotarian of the Year
Rick Buxton was recently named Rotarian of the Year for 2013-2014 by the Rotary Club of Alamo. “With this high award, Alamo Rotary is recognizing someone who best exemplifies the goals of Rotary through his or her consistent contributions, and in doing so has brought honor and respect to the Club,” said Steve Collins, 2013-2014 Club president. “Rick Buxton exemplifies those goals,” Collins said. Rick joined the Rotary Club of Alamo in 1992 and has served as the Club’s Rotary Foundation Giving coordinator for over 20 years. “Rick has always made it a priorVolume XIV - Number 1 ity to have 100% participation in Rotary 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, International Foundation giving from the Alamo, CA 94507 members of the Rotary Club of Alamo,” Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397 Fax (925) 406-0547 See Guild continued on page 20 stated Collins. The funds raised from Rotary members worldwide are used to Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher PRSRT STD support the many international projects Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com U.S. Postage of Rotary International, including the Sharon Burke ~ Writer PAID sburke@yourmonthlypaper.com eradication of Polio worldwide. These Permit 263 opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do are also the funds that come back to local The Alamo CA not necessarily reflect that of Alamo Today. Alamo Today communities in the form of District Grants is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising ECRWSS herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.
See Rick continued on page 26
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Page 2 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
Boulevard View
By Alisa Corstorphine, Editor
While wading through the several hundred emails that appear in my email box each day, I ventured over to my “Junk Mail” folder, and the following headline jumped out at me. It “shouted,” “NEVER SEE, CHANGE, OR DEAL WITH YOUR CHILD’S POOPY DIAPER AGAIN!” I thought, “Really?! How could that be possible?” Then, I actually thought, “Why would you never want to see, change, or deal with a poopy diaper again? Can you just wave a wand and eliminate everything that is messy from your life for the sake of convenience? What on earth could they be trying to sell me or take advantage of? What could they offer that would change the reality of dirty diapers?” Looking deeper into the email there was a link to a video which may have talked about potty training, but if that were the path it was heading down, it would have been a misleading headline for dealing with, say, a newborn. I wasn’t willing to take the risk of infecting my computer for some crazy email. Let’s face it -- everything about kids is messy, and in my mind that’s OK. Childhood, for both parents and children, is a stage to learn from. I’ve got to believe that messy kids have been around since the beginning of time. Dealing with a messy kid, and a poopy diaper are stages to look back on and laugh, and cry, and sometimes be grossed out by. I could share some mortifying messy kid stories and even pictures, but my kids are old enough now where they wouldn’t appreciate stories of that sort, or the incriminating photos, printed for the public! Life starts messy and it ends messy. Society as a whole has moved away from the dirt – the soil – as we now get our meat and produce from the grocery store, our water from a plastic bottle instead of a well, and many of our material goods from far away lands. We’ve become accustomed to all of life’s conveniences and to the products and services that people perform for us instead of us taking care of them for ourselves.
How many people still garden? And by that, I mean how many people actually stick their hands in the dirt, insert seeds or seedlings, pick weeds, and nurture their garden until the fruit of their labor arrives? How many people do you know who could change their car tire instead of calling AAA on the side of the road? When you go to the mountains and need chains, do you pay to have someone put them on for you, or do you plan ahead with a garbage bag to lay on and do it yourself? When a pipe breaks at your home, at the minimum do you know where to turn off the main water? Go ahead, get your hands dirty, muddy, and heaven forbid even poopy! The point is, we’ve become far too sterile, far too removed from the willingness to plunge in and get involved in the messy details of life. For some people that works well. For me it doesn’t. I enjoy the satisfaction of seeing my seeds grow into tomatoes that my family will enjoy for dinner. And I’ll gladly pocket the $35 that the guys on the side of the road are charging to put on chains. Almost every skill you want to learn can be taught through an online article or YouTube video. Today’s technology has created a great database of knowledge to teach you how to tackle almost any task. Instead of a declaring a New Year’s resolution, I’ll change my ways no matter what time of year it may be. An ongoing resolution I’ve made has been to be more self-sufficient and prepared. For example, if we ever have an earthquake or other natural disaster, there will be those who require help and those who can offer help. I have taken the local Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) class, and I highly recommend that you check out and sign up for the free training. I’d like to be someone who is prepared enough to help those around me with whatever might be necessary. Hopefully the day never comes where this has to be tested, but if it does, I know my family and I will have a slight upper hand in making it through whatever happens. Whether it’s vacuuming a room or mowing the lawn, you may find a sense of satisfaction by reclaiming something you currently delegate to others and reveling in the satisfaction of a job well done – by you! I hope your holidays were safe and warm, and that you and your family enjoy much prosperity in this new year.
$10 Create Your Own Sale! $10 Mens and Boys Dept.
Womens Dept.
$10 $10
$10 $10
$10
$10.00 Coupon good toward any $50.00
$10.00 Coupon good toward any $50.00
$10.00 Coupon good toward any $50.00
Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Limit 1 coupon per customer. Not valid in conjunction with other promotions.
Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Limit 1 coupon per customer. Not valid in conjunction with other promotions.
purchase or more in the Mens & Boys Dept.
Shoe Dept.
$10
$10
$10.00 Coupon good toward any $50.00
$10
Jrs Dept.
Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Limit 1 coupon per customer. Not valid in conjunction with other promotions.
Plaza Center, Lafayette 925.283.3380
Kids Dept.
$10.00 Coupon good toward any $50.00 Valid Jan 1 thru Jan 15, 2014
$10 $10
$10.00 Coupon good toward any $50.00 purchase or more in the Kids Dept.
Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Limit 1 coupon per customer. Not valid in conjunction with other promotions.
Valid Jan 1 thru Jan 15, 2014
589 Sycamore Valley Blvd. Danville 925.837.0261
$10
HOME
Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Limit 1 coupon per customer. Not valid in conjunction with other promotions.
Valid Jan 1 thru Jan 15, 2014
Valid Jan 1 thru Jan 15, 2014
purchase or more in McCaulou’s HOME
Shoe Boutique
$10
$10.00 Coupon good toward any $50.00
$10.00 Coupon good toward any $50.00 Valid Jan 1 thru Jan 15, 2014
Lingerie Dept.
Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Limit 1 coupon per customer. Not valid in conjunction with other promotions.
$10 $10
purchase or more in the Jrs Dept.
$10 $10
purchase or more in the Lingerie Dept.
Valid Jan 1 thru Jan 15, 2014
$10.00 Coupon good toward any $50.00
purchase or more in the Shoe Dept.
Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Limit 1 coupon per customer. Not valid in conjunction with other promotions.
Valid Jan 1 thru Jan 15, 2014
Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Limit 1 coupon per customer. Not valid in conjunction with other promotions.
$10
purchase or more in the McCaulou’s Cards and Gifts Store
purchase or more in the Womens Dept.
Valid Jan 1 thru Jan 15, 2014
$10
Cards & Gifts
purchase or more in the McCaulou’s Shoe Boutique
Coupon must be presented at time of purchase. Limit 1 coupon per customer. Not valid in conjunction with other promotions. (Ugg and TOMS excluded)
Valid Jan 1 thru Jan 15, 2014
McCaulou’s HOME, Cards & Gifts and Shoe Boutique are located in the “Livery”
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Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 3
Alamo ~ Located in one of Alamo’s destination neighborhoods in Round Hill CC, this stunning one story home is nestled in an incredibly lush setting on a lg lot. 5 Bdrms, 3 Baths, 3141 sq. ft. VT: http:// www.allaccessphoto.com/tours_flash/36mott-dr-alamo
Alamo ~ Spectacular Westside Setting. stunning 3 Bdrm, 2 Bath + loft. Nestled in a lush, gated setting on a lg .47 acre lot. Gourmet kit, Brazilian hrdwd, formal dining area & open lvg space. 1 blk to IHT! VT: http://www.allaccessphoto.com/ tours_flash/1415-livorna-rd-alamo/#
Alamo ~ Beautiful Alamo 2,743 square foot home with 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, situated on a level lot in a great neighborhood.
Russ Darby • 925.943.3333 • Tim Palumbo 925.943.3332
Orinda ~ Wonderful Home nestled above Orinda CC this classic 4900 sq. ft. French Tudor has 4 bedrooms 3.5 baths. Separate guest house w/1 bedroom 1bath. Fabulous 3/4 acre landscaped grounds with pool/spa allows great entertaining and privacy. Call for your private showing & price. Large detached 3 car garage plus additional on site parking. Call for your private showing ~ Listed at $3,995,000 Gretchen Bryce
~
925.683.2477
~
Alamo ~ White Gate home w/stunning view of Mt. Diablo and the hills. This 4 bedroom 2.5 bath home has over 2700 sq ft plus 3 car garage and located on a cul-de-sac. Wonderful orchard… Walking distance to 12 years of top ranked schools. gretchenbryce@msn.com
Page 4 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
Mystery in the Sky: The Crash of Flight 773 Exhibit
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Now – January 26, 2014
Nothing ever happens in Danville! Right? Wrong! Fifty years ago, on May 7, 1964, Pacific Airlines Flight 773 crashed three miles east of Blackhawk. Quiet Danville was transformed into the center for recovery operations. The plane, a gamblers special returning from Reno, dove into a cattle pasture on Camino Tassajara, exploding into smithereens along with all of its 44 occupants. The cause of the crash totally baffled airline, civil aviation, and police authorities! Equipment malfunction? Inclement weather? A concealed bomb? A berserk pilot? Why?! The pilot had been in his usual radio contact with Oakland Air Traffic Control one moment, and then the aircraft vanished from the radar scope the next. A weird very garbled last transmission from the plane shed no clues. In the wreckage scattered over 100 yards near the top of the hill, investigators found bent silver dollars and a burned frame of a revolver. One of the passengers was a San Francisco police officer. Was all this horror caused by a rogue cop? Authorities took over Danville’s San Ramon Valley Chapel (now the site of Gegan, McCoy legal offices) to handle funeral arrangements and the upstairs old Grange Hall of the Village Theatre across the alley as a morgue. Funeral director Mel Whalin and his wife, who lived behind the chapel, brewed 20 pounds of coffee over the next few days to sustain the coroners and investigators. Danville, home to nearly 13,000 people and the second largest urban area outside Concord, was the natural staging area. San Ramon Village straddling Alcosta Blvd. was just a blur of 2,500 people. Newspaper reporters described Danville as the scene of the crash, and their accounts ran in newspapers across the western United States and even in Time magazine. In a way, Danville was thrust into the limelight much as it was in 2009 when Danville resident, Captain Sullenberger landed his US Air plane in New York City’s Hudson River. The Museum of the San Ramon Valley hosts the “Mystery in the Sky” exhibit to unravel the mystery for everyone. The exhibit features artifacts and newspapers never shown in public before. The daughter of the pilot, Julie Clark, along with her sisters will highlight a Museum event on January 8 at 7PM to share her family story and to describe subsequent aviation changes. On the 50th anniversary of the crash, on May 7, 2014, the Museum in collaboration with Role Players Ensemble will feature an original play written by Artistic Director Eric Fraisher Hayes entitled Tassajara 1964. The public is invited to attend the play. The Museum of the San Ramon Valley is located at 205 Railroad Ave. in Danville. It is open Tuesday – Friday from 1 – 4PM, Saturday from 10 – 1PM, and Sunday from Noon – 3PM. Special mini exhibit admission fee is $1. For additional information, call (925) 837-3750 or visit the museum website at www. museumsrv.org.
SRVRWF Presents Mike Winther “Restoring Our Constitutional Government”
San Ramon Valley Republican Women Federated (SRVRWF) presents Mike Winther with his talk titled, “Restoring Our Constitutional Government.” Mike is the president of the Institute for Principle Studies. As a frequent speaker at conferences and conventions, Mike teaches government, economics, and history to audiences throughout the country. Mike has written articles and essays on a wide variety of policy issues and is the author of a textbook on rhetoric and academic debate. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Idaho. Please come…GET EDUCATED and find out what we can do to restore our nation to its CONSTITUTIONAL ROOTS! The luncheon and talk will be held at the Crow Canyon Country Club, located at 711 Silver Lake Drive in Danville, on Tuesday, January 28th. Social time begins at 11:30am and lunch is at noon. The cost is $25. For reservations, call Mary at 925-837-5465 or email srvrwf. lunch@gmail.com. Reservations are due by Friday, January 24th. To assure yourself a place at the table, make your reservation early! For more information, visit www.srvrwf.org.
Alamo Sheriff’s Station Staffed and Ready
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Station, located in the Alamo Shopping Center, is now staffed with volunteers to assist you Monday through Saturday from 8am-5pm and Sunday from 8am-12:30pm. When closed, citizens can use the outdoor red phone for all emergency and non-emergency calls. For help or information, call (925) 646-6180 or visit the office at 150 Alamo Plaza #C.
www.yourmonthlypaper.com Blackhawk Republican Women
The Blackhawk Republican Women present Tom Vaillancourt who will be speaking on “Health Care as Dictated by Obamacare” on Thursday, January 16 at the Blackhawk Country Club. Check-in is at 11:30 followed by a noon luncheon and speaker. Cost for the event is $25. The Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (“Obamacare”) was passed into law by a Congress that had not even read it. Come learn about how it affects all of us from someone who has not only read it but reviewed and analyzed it with doctors, hospital administrators, insurance experts, as well as the affected citizenry. Mr. Vaillancourt is a Vietnam veteran, a retired successful businessman, and an involved and concerned activist. Come get the full story on the legislation that is taking over 1/6 of our economy, and learn of solutions that will actually make health care affordable for all Americans. Please make reservations or cancellations by Monday, January 13th with Ms. Lyons, 856 Turrini Drive, Danville 94526, rlyons1009@sbcglobal.net, or (925) 820-6452.
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Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 5
Serving Alamo’s real estate needs for 100 years!
Homes Sold Days on Mkt Avg Sales Price % Change Avg Price/SF % Change
Alamo
2013 2012
210 246
34 60
$1,363,530 up 14% $1,194,025
$432.58 $364.92
up 19%
2013 2012
49 66
26 44
$1,271,691 up 9% $1,171,089
$450.26 $393.98
up 14%
2013 2012
31 27
23 95
$1,435,741 up 20% $1,200,701
$418.68 $324.15
up 29%
2013 2012
10 12
18 39
$1,243,400 up 13% $1,098,541
$478.93 $416.72
up 15%
Westside Alamo Roundhill
White Gate
2013 was a great year and the market shows no signs of slowing! Call or email to receive a free market evaluation.
Dea 925.640.1727
Chris 925.858.5700
deacampbell@comcast.net | BRE #01734124
chrisbcampbell@comcast.net | BRE #01345618
● Candice Andersen, County Supervisor ● Stone Valley Center
● Tucker Associates - Brent & Terri ● Morgan Bonanno Paving, Grading & Seal Coating
Cherubini Coffee House • Diablo Valley Packaging, Inc. • Andrew Elkin, Realtor • First Choice Abbey Carpet • Law Offices of Frankel Goldware Ferber LLC Law Offices of Brian Thiessen • Lee Shapiro, Realty World • RW3 Technologies, Inc. • Steve Mick & Alicia Watson • Stone Valley Dental • Summit Ranch Equine Center • Taco Bell • The Reiser Group • Imagine Dental
Eric James Leffler, Photographer Alamo Hay & Grain Alamo Ace Hardware Alamo Plaza Alamo Rotary California Highway Patrol CCC Public Works Department CCC Sheriff’s Department Diablo Holdings, Ltd. Kiwanis Club of SRV Richard’s Arts & Crafts Round Table Pizza-Pierre Kash SRV Fire Protection District Brent & Terri Tucker
Charles Jennings, Santa Boy Scout Troop 216 Jane Lang & Daisy Troop 33410
Terri Delfosse, Chairperson, Publicity Kevin Musante, Logistics Chair
Cheerleaders of Monte Vista HS
John Lineweaver, Treasurer
Lauri Byers, Field Rep, Sup. Andersen’s Office
Bruce Marhenke, Safety Chair
Deputy Michael Carson, CCC Sheriff’s Office Kimberly French, SRV Fire Protection Dist
Andrew Elkin, Fundraising
Bob Hendry, Sr. Engr, CCC Public Works
Lea Bartneck, Decorations Aide
Jerry Fahy, Sr. Traffic Engr, CCC Public Works
Teresa White, Entertainment Coordinator
Josh DeHart, TPR Traffic Solutions OUR WONDERFUL SCHOOL PERFORMERS and THEIR DEDICATED TEACHERS AND AIDES
Bill White, Master of Ceremonies
ALL MONETARY DONATIONS RECEIVED BY 12/12/2013 ARE LISTED ABOVE. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY OMISSIONS.
Page 6 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
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CVS Pharmacy ............................................ 314-9710 Izzy’s Place Alamo...................................... 820-1711 Don Jose’s Mexican Restaurant ................ 743-8997 Aqua Salon & Spa ...................................... 837-7884 MD Liquors ............................................... 838-1888 Yan’s China Bistro ..................................... 837-8798 Fred’s Cleaners ........................................... 837-1180 Hospice Thrift Shoppe .............................. 820-6525 Custom Nails ............................................. 831-9839 Taco Bell Express ...................................... 406-0185 Subway - Eat Fresh .................................... 362-1520 Allstate Insurance, Mario Pashai .............. 820-7300 Espresso-To-Go Drive Thru ...................... 997-9170
Lots of Free Parking ▪ Easy Access from I‐680 ▪ Located at Stone Valley Rd. & Danville Blvd. The Lineweaver Trust, Owner ▪ (925) 837-3665 ▪ www.stonevalleycenter.com
editor@yourmonthlypaper.com
Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 7
"Brad was very patient, talking with me about all aspects of what the real estate market looked like and where I needed to go with my own home and its pricing. Brad worked very closely with me. He and his team were the right people for me and they got the job done. I'm very pleased that my home sold quickly and for the price I wanted. I couldn't ask for anything more in the selling process." Teresa Mayer - Alamo Home Seller
Travel Across the Atlantic Ocean in One Evening
The Town of Danville is excited to announce a new series welcoming adults, ages 21 and over, to experience different regions around the world in the Taste and Toast of… series. The first of the series, Taste and Toast of France, is scheduled for January 9 from 7pm to 8:30pm at the Danville Senior Center, located at 115 East Prospect Avenue. This program will be a stimulating and fun event for adults to experience France through food, demonstrations, and books. Adults will enjoy fine French wines and delicious cheese, scarf styling from a Nordstrom representative, savor delights during a cooking demonstration, peruse an exhibit of fine French items, and Rakestraw Books will present their favorite French picks. The cost is $5 residents, $6 non-residents and $8 at the door. For more information about this new series or to register, call the Danville Senior Center at (925) 314-3490. The second event in this series, Taste and Toast of Ireland, will be held on March 13.
Host Families Sought for Visiting French Students
For the ninth consecutive year, students from a large high school in the South of France are coming to Danville. Every visit by the students has been better than the last. The students will arrive on April 27th and depart May 9th . The teens stay with local families and have a full itinerary of activities during the days and only require your attention in the evenings and one weekend. The visit is an ideal opportunity to experience another culture and hopefully consider visiting France in return. Anyone interested in hosting a student (or students!) is welcome to participate. For more information or to find out about past year’s programs, please contact Martine Causse (teacher in charge of the group), at caussefly@wanadoo.fr or dachary.martine@orange.fr. There are many happy local host families ready to discuss any questions with you (including the editor of this paper!). The local contact is Danville parent Kevin Dimler, who can be reached at kevindimler@ gmail.com or 925-718-5052.
Danville Library Book Sale
Friends of the Danville Library invite you to view new and used books for sale from January 24 - 26. • Friday ~ 9 - 10, Members Only ~ 10 - 5, Open to the public • Saturday ~ 10 - 4 • Sunday ~ 12:05 - 3:45, Bag Sale $5 The selection includes children’s books, CD’s, DVD, and vintage books. The Danville Library is located at 400 Front St, Danville.
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) will be held on Wednesday, January 15th. The VFW Post 75 of San Ramon Valley meets every third Wednesday of the month at the Veterans Memorial Building, located at 400 Hartz Avenue in Danville. The building is located on the corner of East Prospect Avenue and Hartz Avenue. Doors open at 7PM, and the meeting begins at 7:30PM. For more information, contact Post Commander Ernie Petagara at 925-362-9806. Find out more about the VFW and our Post on the internet at www.vfwpost75.org.
Delta Nu Psi
Please come by CVS in Alamo and Lunardi’s in Danville, and grab our shopping list and shop for our Afghanistan servicemen. With your help we just mailed 10 gift boxes for a grand total of 1,141 boxes and 27,873 pounds of “gourmet junk food” shipped to the Troops. Your help is needed at CVS in Alamo on January 3rd and January 10th at Lunardi’s in Danville. In addition, it’s cold in Afghanistan so hand warmers from a sporting goods store would be an excellent donation addition. Please come by, grab our shopping list and shop for our servicemen. They do appreciate all that you do. For more information visit deltanupsi.org.
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.
Page 8 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
AAUW January Meeting
The Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will have Mary Knox, a Deputy District Attorney for Contra Costa County, speak about “Homicides, Drugs and Gangs in Contra Costa County, My Life as a Deputy District Attorney” on Thursday, January 30 at Diablo Country Club, 1700 Clubhouse Rd in Diablo at 11:30AM. Ms. Knox has been working in the county prosecution field for 28 years. She has received numerous awards and recognitions by county supervisors and elected officials for her work in gangs and homicide including Prosecutor of the Year by the Narcotics Officers’ Association in 2003. A graduate of Northgate High School in Walnut Creek, UCLA and Pepperdine University Law School, Ms. Knox progressed in her career in misdemeanor trials, felony trial team, sexual assault, major vendor narcotics prosecution, and gang homicide. She supervises the Homicide unit presently. A three course lunch will be served. The public is invited. To reserve a space, mail checks before January 20 in the amount of $29 to DAW-AAUW, PO Box 996, Alamo, CA 94507. Reserve through credit card by going to http:// daw-ca.aauw.net/jan2014. For more information, email daw.aauw@gmail.com. Information about the branch of AAUW is at http://daw-ca.aauw.net.
Free Tax Preparation
Free tax preparation for the 2014 tax season is available starting February 2014 from AARP’s Tax-Aide and United Way’s Earn It, Keep It, Save It (EKS) programs. All tax preparers are trained and certified by the IRS. While both programs serve taxpayers of any age, Tax-Aide does not have an income limit in whom they can serve, but EKS can only serve individuals whose incomes do not exceed $50,000. Beginning January 6, for information or to make an appointment for the Tax-Aide sites serving the San Ramon and Danville areas, please call (925) 973-3250 for the San Ramon Senior Center site or (925) 480-7202 for the St. Isidore Ministry Center in Danville site. For general information and other site locations, call (925) 7263199. For information on EKS sites, call 2-1-1 or visit www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org. To complete your tax return, Tax-Aide will need you to bring to the appointment your • Social Security Card or ITIN letter for all individuals to be listed on the return • Photo ID for yourself and spouse • Copies of all W-2s • 1098s and 1099s • Other income and deductions • Your 2012 Tax Return
Upcoming Meetings and Events
AIA - Alamo Improvement Association - Please visit www.alamoca.org for upcoming meetings - Creekside Community Church -1350 Danville Blvd. Alamo MAC (Municipal Advisory Committee) - First Tuesday of each month 6pm - Alamo Chamber of Commerce Office 120-B, Alamo Plaza P2B - Police Services Advisory Committee - First Monday of each month, 5pm - Meets at Alamo Chamber of Commerce Office located at 120 -B, Alamo Plaza P5 - Round Hill Police Services Advisory Committee - Second Wednesday of each month, 7pm - Meets at Round Hill Country Club - Lower Level Meeting Room CERT classes - Community Emergency Response Team - Visit www. firedepartment.org/community_outreach/cert/upcoming_classes.asp
8
Lost Dog!
$50 REWARD
If you find her and your name is drawn!
Alamo Zoe is Missing
Alamo Zoe has become lost in this paper... Search through Alamo Today and see if you can find her! She is very small, so you will have to look hard if you want to find her.
To be eligible send a letter telling us where you found her, along with your name and address, to: Lost Dog! ~ Alamo Today 3000F Danville Blvd #117 • Alamo, CA 94507
Celine Yang is our winner
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Rancho Romero Elementary School By Skye Larsh-Faraghan, Principal
Twelve elementary schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District were recently notified of their eligibility to apply for a Distinguished School Award. In the section of writing called Summary Overview, the team reflected on some of the unique qualities of the school and decided it was worth sharing with the community.
School Overview
Rancho Romero Elementary School, located Contra Costa County. Our school is one of 21 elementary schools in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, one of the highest performing large school districts in the state. Rancho Romero started with twelve classrooms and served kindergarten through sixth grade. The culture of our community school began with teachers, parents, and community members coming together as partners and has grown over the past five decades. For many of our students, multiple family members previously attended Rancho Romero, including parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. This connection adds to the sense of pride, compassion, and inclusiveness that is felt across the community and helps make Rancho Romero very unique. We have grown from our humble beginnings and today have twenty-three teachers, serving 517 students in K-5, two content area specialists in PE and science, and student services provided by a resource teacher, speech pathologist, and psychologist on staff. Our student population is 78% white, 8% two or more races, 7% Hispanic or Latino, 6% Asian, and 1% other cultural/ethnic origin. Families that Rancho Romero serves are college educated and are middle to upper class socioeconomic status. Education is highly valued and parents have high expectations for their students and our school. Parent support for school programs and services through the Rancho Romero Education Fund and PTA is strong. Parent donations are used to fund a variety of programs and positions such as an instructional technology teacher, technology tools and resources, a Common Core Instructional Coach, Reading Intervention Teacher, librarian, visual art and general music specialists and programs, classroom paraeducators, a social skills intervention teacher, a noontime sports coordinator, additional fifth grade science labs, and a librarian. Providing a rigorous and relevant curriculum to our students is a priority. The school community is committed to providing positive, challenging, and rewarding academic and social experiences. As a result our students have continued to meet and exceed API growth targets, reflected once more in the 2013 API Growth of 938. 2013 STAR Test Results revealed the average grade level score in ELA is 85% proficient and advanced, and in mathematics 89% of students are proficient and advanced. Teachers, School Site Council, and Rancho Romero Education Fund analyze and evaluate multiple forms of data to set targeted goals and identify actions that result in addressing the needs of all students. Measures include California Standards Tests in ELA, math and science; mathematics performance assessments; Problem of the Month; Mathematics Assessment Project (MARS); Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessments; on-demand writing; California Healthy Kids Survey; District Climate Survey; Physical Fitness Results; and, most recently, easyCBM (Curriculum-Based Measurement). During the past two years significant program changes have been made to support Common Core Math and ELA Standards, such as real-world problem solving through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), Response to Intervention, Gifted and Talented services, inclusion for students with special needs, student leadership, and integration of technology throughout the curriculum. Students at Rancho Romero will tell you that our school not only cultivates learning, but also creativity, friendship, strength of character, and a sense of community and leadership. Students are valued and know their participation and contributions make a difference. It is widely believed that the fundamental purpose of the school is to provide conditions under which all students acquire knowledge and essential skills that will prepare them for the next level of learning and ultimately the world they experience once they leave the classroom.
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Teaching our Children the Spirit of Giving By Stan Hitomi, Principal, Alamo Elementary School
Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 9
11 Critical Home Inspection Traps to be Aware of Weeks Before Listing Your Home for Sale
There is an old Chinese proverb Alamo - According to industry experts, away altogether. In most cases, you can that says, “Give a man a fish, and you there are over 33 physical problems that make a reasonable pre-inspection yourself feed him for a day. Teach a man to will come under scrutiny during a home if you know what you're looking for, and fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” inspection when your home is for sale. knowing what you're looking for can help At Alamo School we have taken this A new report has been prepared which you prevent little problems from growing message to heart when it comes to identifies the 11 most common of these into costly and unmanageable ones. teaching our children about the spirit of giving. Throughout the problems, and what you should know about To help home sellers deal with this issue year students at Alamo School are given the opportunity to learn them before you list your home for sale. before their homes are listed, a free report about charity and the importance of reaching out to others in Whether you own an old home or a brand entitled "11Things You Need to Know to their time of need. Our method is to allow students to become new one, there are a number of things Pass Your Home Inspection" has been directly involved by raising money, organizing activities, and that can fall short of requirements during a compiled which explains the issues involved. selecting charities. The goal is to make our students aware that home inspection. If not identified and dealt To hear a brief recorded message about the spirit of giving is more than a one-time, holiday-driven oc- with, any of these 11 items could cost you how to order your FREE copy of this report, currence and we encourage them to make giving a part of their dearly in terms of repair. That's why it's call toll-free 1-866-265-1682 and enter daily lives. critical that you read this report before 2001. You can call any time, 24 hours a day, Every fall, our students participate in Coins-For-A-Cure. All you list your home. If you wait until the 7 days a week. of our classrooms join in collecting loose change at home and building inspector flags these issues for Get your free special report NOW to learn going into piggy banks for donations to class collections. This you, you will almost certainly experience how to ensure a home inspection doesn't year we were able to raise over $1,500. One hundred percent of costly delays in the close of your home cost you the sale of your home. the funds raised will be used by the Juvenile Diabetes Research sale or, worse, turn prospective buyers Foundation to find a cure and to support the newly diagnosed This report is courtesy of J. Rockcliff Realtors #01763819. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract. Copyright © 2013 diabetes patient program at Children’s Hospital in Oakland. Also this fall, Alamo School once again became energized around the San Ra- Cowboys and Cattlemen: Ranching in the Valley mon Valley Education Foundation’s (SRVEF) “Run for Education.” For the second On January 28, an exhibit unique to the San Ramon Valley will open at the year in a row, Alamo School was the top performing school in the district, with Museum of the San Ramon Valley in Danville. Its title is “Cowboys and Cattlemore than 100% participation and by raising over $10,000 to support education men, Ranching in the San Ramon Valley.” The exhibit will run through May 4. programs throughout the SRVUSD. Our students played a critical role in generatThe exhibit focuses on cattle ranching from a historic perspective. Cattle ing excitement and letting their parents know how they could become involved. first came to California with the Spanish in 1769, and ranching has been a Our major charity program at Alamo School is the Sister School Program. Kattie Nittler (PTA) leads the program, with the help of co-chairs Jill Newcomer and part of the state’s economy since that time. In the San Ramon Valley, cattle Maria Romo. Throughout the year the Sister School Program provides resources were raised by the first American settlers whose ranches covered both hill and support for our sister school, Lake Elementary in San Pablo. At our Fall Book and valley land. Some of the ranches which focused on cattle include BlackFair one of our Girl Scout troops made posters to raise awareness about the needs hawk, Wiedemann, Rasmussen, and Elworthy. Many others had livestock and of our Sister School, and they raised over $250 in donations to buy books from planted grains, hay and orchards, such as the Wood, Stone, and Glass Ranches. Lake’s library wish list. Last year we set a goal to win the top prize from the Run for Education with the highest participation, and we split the prize with our Sister School. We were able to donate $500 worth of playground equipment. The Sister School program thrives on the idea that the collective energy of individuals giving small amounts has a big impact. This year over 95 Alamo Elementary families and teachers collectively supported our Adopt a Family efforts over the Holiday Season. A total of 16 families and 42 children at Lake Elementary were provided with grocery vouchers, clothing, and toys. Alamo School students spent their lunch recess wrapping over 90 gifts for our adopted families. This spring the Alamo School Student Council will be organizing a hot cocoa sale to raise money for local charities. Their goal is to raise $100 for several local charities that the students themselves will select. Also this spring, Alamo School students will be participating in a new fundraising program for the Wheelchair Foundation. Our Student Council will be encouraging their classmates to do their part to see that others in need around the world receive help, relief, and opportunity. Our children will join students from over 50 schools in Pleasanton, San Ramon, Alamo, Danville, Hayward, and Oakland to raise money for wheelchairs and help There will be maps, saddles, branding irons, barbed wire, and beef displays to raise awareness about the need for mobility around the world. By guiding children to develop an interest in philanthropy while they are young, in the museum. Each saddle will include a story of its owner. Art work showing we hope to create a passion that will carry over into adulthood, bringing with it landscapes and ranch life will be shown. On Saturdays ranchers will come to a new generation of givers. We all benefit when children learn to give to others. the museum and talk with visitors about ranching. Several special events are Charitable involvement has been shown to help raise self-esteem, develop social planned, included a branding demonstration and ice cream social, a Cattleskills, foster an introduction to the greater world, and encourage kids to appreciate women’s Association program on beef, and opportunities to try using a lasso. their own lifestyle. Teaching our children about the “Spirit of Giving” is a lesson This is a good opportunity for fourth grade classes which study California that will last a lifetime. to learn about an important part of our agricultural past. Important Dates: The museum, which is located at 205 Railroad Ave in Danville, is open Tuesday PM January 16 Science Night 6:30 – Friday from 1PM – 4PM, Saturday from 10AM – 1PM, and Sunday from noon – 3PM. January 20 Martin Luther King Holiday - NO SCHOOL For more information, call (925) 837-3750, e-mail srvmuseum@sbcglobal. January 21 Family Reading Night 6:30PM - Library net, or visit www.museumsrv.org. January 27 Staff Development Day – NO SCHOOL
Page 10 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
Stone Valley Middle School By Shaun K. McElroy, Principal Common Core Progress Report
Over two weeks in December Assistant Principal Karen Johnson and I visited every class on campus to inventory Common Core practices. The inventory provides us with a larger view of our progress towards implementation of the Common Core. I am continually amazed by the changes we have observed in our classrooms. The greatest shift we see is the movement from a teacher-centered classroom to a student centered classroom. Our teachers are continuing to improve their programs by participating in district wide workshops, observing/collaborating with their peers, and cataloging their best practices. Other things we are working on: • Reading strategies – summarizing • Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Classrooms (Core 8) • “Close reading” techniques for complex text (One Core teacher from each level has been trained) • Hour of code. Learn more at http://csedweek.org and try this at home More information about the Common Core program can be found at https:// sites.google.com/a/srvusd.net/common-core/
Good Bye
Guidance counselor Sarah Baumgartner says good-bye to Stone Valley and hello to the classroom. Sarah will be attending Saint Mary’s College in January to earn her teaching credential. Sarah has been with us since June 2010.
Dates to Remember
• Monday January 20th – Martin Luther King Holiday • Friday January 24th – 2nd Quarter/1st Semester End • Monday January 27th – Teacher Work Day When we return from winter recess on January 6th only 14 days will remain in the 1st semester. Semester report cards are the only permanent academic records kept at school. Quarter grades and progress reports are just temporary marks.
Young Writers Workshop
An Interactive Writing Morning for Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Students - Saturday, February 1
Want to be an author? Discover how you can write the best short story or personal narrative by using character and plot - funny, scary, suspenseful, amazing, or quirky! Have questions about the publishing world? Contests? Books? Writing groups? Ask two published authors. You’ll play writing games and meet other writers your age. The workshop is led by children’s authors Sarah Wilson and Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff. Bring pen and paper and get ready to write! Join the free workshop on Saturday, February 1 from 9AM - noon at the Walnut Creek Public Library, 1644 N. Broadway, Walnut Creek. For more information, visit http://cwcmtdiablowriters.wordpress.com or call 925-977-3340.
San Ramon Valley Newcomers Club
The San Ramon Valley Newcomers Club is holding its monthly luncheon on Thursday, January 16 at The Forbes Mill Steakhouse in Danville. There will be an 11:30 social and noon luncheon. This event is open to current and prospective members in the San Ramon Valley area. For further information or a reservation, please contact Dee Bradshaw at (925) 837-9600.
Alamo-Danville Newcomers Club
The Alamo-Danville Newcomers Club is not just for Newcomers! Meetings are open to all who are thinking of joining the club, and casual welcome coffee get-togethers are the perfect opportunity to learn about the many facets of Newcomers while enjoying coffee and chatting with Club Members. The next free Welcome Coffee will be held Tuesday, January 28 from 10M to noon. For more information visit our website at www.alamodanvillenewcomers. com, call (925) 281-1307, or e-mail alamodanvillenewcomers@gmail.com.
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Sneak Peek @ SV STEM Academy
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Donate Your Car
800-YES-SVDP (800-937-7837) Implementation of the Common Core State Stan- • FREE same day pickup dards puts us (the United • Maximum Tax Deduction States) in a position to better • We do DMV paperwork compete in the global mar• Running or not, no restrictions ket place. The companion • 100% helps your community skill set necessary for our Serving the poor since 1860 next generation work force www.yes-svdp.org ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY is fluency in the technological world. Starting in the fall of 2014, Stone Valley will offer students from anywhere in the San Ramon Valley access to a unique Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) elective program that will continue to build on elementary technology skill sets and provide gateway experiences for very robust high school programs. The STEM path at Stone Valley looks like this: 6th grade exploratory wheel • Environmental science • Computer science 7/8th grade elective program • Robotics • Advanced robotics/engineering • Video Production • Environmental Science • Computer projects What does the future look like? Go to http://youtu.be/vdvo5FlRqmM and see!
Monte Vista High School By Janet Terranova, Principal
The holiday season seems to bring out the best in our students and community. As a community we have so much to be thankful for. We have an amazing student body that is bright, caring, and thoughtful of their fellow students and the community. Every year I am amazed at the generosity of our students and families. This year we collected over 5,600 cans to be donated to the Contra Costa Food Bank and SHARE Food Pantry, well over our goal of 3,000 items. Under the direction of Leadership, third period classes collected holiday gifts and food for 49 families through Salvation Army. PTSA provided $200 to the Leadership class so they could provide 350 stockings to students at our sister school Verde Elementary. In addition to these two major programs, we also have One Closet drive that gives gently used teen appropriate clothes to young people in need. Many classes and staff participated in the Santa Program providing letters and or gifts to children in Oakland. It is heartbreaking to read letters where big brothers, all of 7 or 8 years old, are asking for gifts for their siblings. Whenever I hear negative comments about teenagers, I remind those folks about our students. Moving on to 2014… When we return from Winter Break students will be completing the first semester, and finals will start January 21. While finals can often be anxious time for students, families can do much to alleviate needless stress. As a parent, assure your student that all you expect is for them to try their best. If you are worried about finals, try to remain cool and positive with your student. Some students may need help with organizing their study time and strategies they will use to study. Give positive feedback to your student for making a plan for studying and carrying through with the plan. Cramming rarely works; encourage your student to begin reviewing now and develop a strategy for studying for each final. Most students benefit from active learning rather than passive studying. The more your student can manipulate the information in a variety of ways the more successful the study session; flashcards, lists, charts, graphs, diagrams, turning the information into a story and telling the story are all active strategies for learning. Today our students rely on the internet; encouraging them to access many of the free online resources is a good study strategy. Space out study periods. Spending short periods of time studying is more beneficial than trying to study for long periods of time. There are many websites that offer additional strategies for studying. Remember that it is important to stay positive and encourage your student. If you would like more information about Monte Vista and events at the school, please visit our website at www.mvhigh.org.
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Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 11
FREE Cleaning for New Patients! (must be accompanied by x-rays and exam with Dr. Hyland)
Start the New Year with great dental health!
Page 12 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
San Ramon Valley High School By Ruth Steele, Principal
In January every year, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions. This is a time when many of us look back and assess where we need to make changes in order to be more successful, happy, healthy in our lives. In reviewing 2013 I come back to the same conclusion I reach every year - there are many, many systems and processes that are relatively simple to change - how you buy lunch in the cafeteria, how we manage students who are late, how visitors check in at the office - but far more challenging is behavioral change. Why is this so hard? If all students came to school on time everyday, did their homework and studied before tests, then life would be so much simpler - for everyone! But talk to any parent with teenagers and they will tell you how difficult it is to institute even the smallest changes when it requires a shift in behavior. Why is it that we are so resistant to change, even when we know it will benefit us? A lot of it has to do with our unconscious brain sabotaging what our conscious brain wants us to do. There is extensive research that now shows that social networking (Twitter and Facebook) stimulates the brain to release the hormone oxytocin (not to be confused with the painkiller oxycontin). This hormone is released when mothers first bond with their babies and when we have positive interactions with people we care about. It may be part of the reason why teenagers are motivated to spend so much time interacting with people online. When we eat chocolate or carbs our brain releases serotonin, another happy hormone. Much of our behavior is driven by our unconscious brain encouraging us to make choices because certain choices trigger release of these hormones which makes us feel good. Our battle begins when our conscious brain (cerebral cortex) tries to override our unconscious brain. We tell ourselves rationally, and logically,
Role Players Ensemble presents The Matchmaker
The Role Players Ensemble presents The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder from January 17 to February 8, 2014 at the Village Theatre, located at 233 Front Street in Danville. The Matchmaker is a wild farce which tells the story of the crafty scheming of Dolly Levy who turns the world of Horace Vandergelder’s Hay and Feed store upside down. The show is full of slamming doors, ridiculous disguises, and mistaken identities. This comedy served as the inspiration for the musical Hello Dolly. The play celebrates Wilder’s belief in shaking things up, taking chances and living life to the fullest. Showtimes are at 8PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2PM on Sundays. Tickets costing $20-28 can be purchased at www.RolePlayersEnsemble. com, at the Danville Community Center (420 Front St, Danville), or by calling (925) 312-3400.
Chromatica to Perform two Concerts
February 1 and 2, 2014: Britten, Offenbach, Gounod and more.
Chromatica, the San Ramon Valley based classical and modern music chorus, will perform two concerts in early February - at 7pm on February 1 in Clayton at Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church, 1578 Kirker Pass Rd., Clayton, and at 7pm on February 2 at Beth Chaim Congregation, 1800 Holbrook Drive, Danville. Chromatica was founded in 2011 and now includes 26 men and women singers. It performed its first ticketed concerts last June. Directed by David Huff, an outstanding director and operatic tenor who has sung both in New York and San Francisco and accompanied by Julie Rieth, Chromatica seeks to perform challenging pieces at a high level of professionalism. Entrance to Chromatica is by audition. Chromatica’s February concerts will include music by Benjamin Britten, one
See Chromatica continued on page 30
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to ignore the impulses or cravings that push us towards behavior that results in the production of these two hormones, but this is a powerful struggle. Research also shows that we are better able to make changes when we are happy. This is probably because if we already have high levels of serotonin and oxytocin, then we don’t feel as deprived when we have to give something up. For teenagers in particular, many of the things they like to do instead of homework are clearly much more enjoyable than homework! Therefore it’s easy to understand why it can be such a battle trying to shift behavior. Part of the key with teenagers may therefore be to use strategies that replace one enjoyable behavior with another. For example, if they would rather be social networking instead of studying, then maybe having them study with friends (without their phones!) would be a good alternative. This way, they won’t feel they are being deprived of their social interactions. However, they should probably be studying in a place where parents can see that work is actually being done, and it would be reasonable to give students guidelines around what they need to complete during the study session. Having agreements about what they can do, once the homework is complete, is also a great way of motivating teenagers to focus on getting work completed.
Secrets for Being Prepared for the SAT Exam By Susan Sokat, Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Services
Many high school juniors are beginning to prepare for the spring SAT exam. Test dates are January 25, March 8, May 3, and June 7. It’s important to be fully prepared for this exam since the SAT predicts how well students will perform academically as college freshmen. College admissions personnel use the SAT or ACT as a single, standardized means of comparison in their acceptance decisions.
What’s important to know?
What is on the test – Math, Critical Reading, and Writing are the subsections of the SAT. Each has a possible score of 800, or 2400 total. The math section contains arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and a miscellaneous section including probabilities, data interpretation, and logical analysis. Calculators may be used. The reading contains sentence completion and passage based reading. Writing contains a multiple-choice section and an essay. How is the test scored – On the SAT, incorrect answers are scored against you. It is important to know when to guess and when to skip. Questions are rated as easy, medium, and difficult. Submitting scores – Study the College Board website www.collegeboard. org to learn about submitting scores. Retesting is common. Colleges typically use your highest score from each subsection from multiple test dates. This is called superscoring. So, if one time you score better on reading, and another time you score better on math, that’s okay, they will use your best. What score should you try to obtain – Study www.collegeapps.about. com. Click on Top California Colleges or Top Colleges and learn what the average SAT score is for each college. This is the best way to see if your score is competitive for the college of your choice. How to study: • The College Board Blue Book is standard study material for the SAT. • Take a practice test and determine your study plan accordingly. • Allocate your time and prepare a study calendar. You may focus the majority of your study time on the areas you are weakest in, but make sure to study for all sections of the exam. • Time yourself when doing practice tests. • Consider using a tutor or a proven company for SAT Test Preparation. Start now for a March or May test date. Don’t wait until the last minute. Plan to finish your sessions right before the test. Think of the SAT as your “letter of introduction” to a college, so do all you can to be prepared for the exam. Club Z! In-Home Tutoring offers a proven SAT Test Preparation program. The in-home tutoring approach allows the study time to be focused on your individual needs. Practice tests will determine prescriptions for study, and tutors will guide you through all of the questions, the correct answers, and why. With the proven plan of study the average increase may be 200 points. Please visit www.clubztutoring. com/danville or call (925) 786-7149 for SAT Test Preparation information. PSAT, and ACT programs are also available. Advertorial
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Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 13
Alamo Women’s Club
The Alamo Women’s Club (AWC) was established in 1916 and is the longest standing service organization in the valley. We invite you to get to know us by joining us at one of our upcoming programs. Members come from many locations, and all are welcome. For more information, contact Jeri Strong, jeristrong@gmail.com.
Weir’s Cooking Confidence
Joanne Weir kicks off the 2014 speaker series of the Alamo Women’s Club with “Weir’s Cooking Confidence” on January 22nd at 11:30am. Joanne began in the pastry line at Chez Panisse and also became a James Beard Award winning cookbook author. She is a teacher, a world traveler, and has a multi-series television cooking show. Recently Joanne opened her own Sausalito restaurant, Copita Tequileria y Comida. Non-AWC members are welcome to attend at a cost of $25 for speaker and luncheon. Reservations must be received by January 17th to njhowsmon@sbcglobal.net.
Under the Big Top Crab Feed
Step right up! Reserve your seats today for the Alamo Women’s Club “Under the Big Top” 5th annual Crab Feed Fundraiser. The event will be held Saturday, January 25th at 6pm at the clubhouse located at 1401 Danville Blvd in Alamo. Reserve seats at only $50 per person. Tables of 10 are available at $500 and will receive a bottle of wine. Proceeds of the dinner will benefit AWC philanthropies. For more information, please visit www.alamowomensclub.org.
Danville Community Band Dinner Concert
Celebrate an early Valentine’s Day with dinner and a Winter Festival concert at the beautiful and historic Diablo Country Club on Sunday, February 9. Enjoy an entrée choice of stuffed chicken breast with spinach, roasted garlic and sundried tomatoes, or a vegetarian porcini and truffle ravioli, concluded with a chocolate celebration dessert and a concert. This fabulous meal and performance by the 85-piece band can be yours for $43 per person (all inclusive). The evening begins at 5PM with registration and no-host cocktails. The dinner-bell chimes at 6PM, and the concert will begin at the conclusion of your meal. For reservations, please call (925) 837-4221 (M-F 9AM – 5PM • Ask for the Front Desk). Be prepared to provide entrée selection. Credit card purchase only is accepted, and there are no refunds. The reservation deadline is Monday, February 3rd, and seating is limited. For complete menu details and more information about this event, please visit www.Danvilleband.org. We hope to see you there!
Danville Girls Chorus Spring Audition
The Danville Girls Chorus (DGC) will be holding auditions on January 8, at 3:45PM at Charlotte Wood Middle School in order to evaluate and place new singers in the appropriate choir level. If you know someone in grades 3 to 8 who loves to sing and would like to audition, email admin@danvillegirlschorus.org to register. The DGC is made up of 125 girls from schools across the Tri-Valley area. The primary goal of DGC is music education. Under the direction of Ken Abrams, award-winning Choral Director for the San Ramon Valley High School, girls are taught the basics of vocal production and learn the fundamentals of musicianship and note reading. They are also introduced to a variety of musical styles, ranging from classical to contemporary, folk tunes, and pop music. This year the chorus will perform three major concerts, with the Winter Concert in December being the first performance of the 2013/2014 season. They will follow this performance with a spring concert in March, a tour and performances in May in San Diego, and a Pops concert in June. For more information, visit www. danvillegirlschorus. org.
How Plastic are You?
By Cynthia Ruzzi, President, Sustainable Danville Area
Have you ever overheard someone referring to a woman as ‘plastic’? The term just as easily could be used to refer to a man, but regardless of gender, “she’s so plastic” usually describes a person as ‘fake’ or ‘phony’ – or suggests that she has undergone one too many cosmetic surgeries! However, if the world continues its love affair with plastic polymers, one day soon we might all be more plastic than a Barbie doll. In the opening pages of Plastic, A Toxic Love Story, author Susan Freinkel attempts to go an entire day without touching anything plastic. After touching numerous plastic objects during her morning routine, she revises her plan and decides to write down everything she touches that is plastic. This strategy nets her four notebook pages of plastic items by the end of the day! If you’re not convinced we all live in ‘Plasticville,’ then consider that the average American uses between 330 – 500 plastic bags a year for an average of 12 minutes before throwing them out (that adds up to between 100-150 BILLION plastic bags used last year in the United States alone). Unlike most other trash, plastic isn’t biodegradable, and only five percent of our bags are recycled. What happens to a discarded bag besides becoming a modern day tumble weed floating along our streets? They never go away! Sunlight eventually breaks the bonds in the plastic polymers, a process known as photodegradation, but the plastic bits never really go away. There is a floating “island” of plastic swirling around in the Pacific Ocean known as the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch.’ And while you may not be planning to visit the island on your next family vacation, you may want to think about how this ‘plastic soup’ can visit us! Fish in the Pacific Ocean eat the plastic bits (thinking that it’s plankton, better known as fish food), and then we eat the fish, so essentially we’re eating the toxins from the plastic water bottle someone chucked out. San Ramon Valley High School Environmental Club (E2) students and Sustainable Danville Area bring the award-winning film Bag It to Danville. Bag It, a touching and often funny documentary about how we use and abuse plastic, is the featured film to be screened on Tuesday, January 28th at 7PM in the San Ramon Valley High School Performance Arts Center, located at 501 Danville Blvd. The group hopes to raise awareness of the impact of single use plastics, like plastic bags and water bottles, on our community. The film is an eye-opening look at the environmental and health dangers posed by the global use of disposable, non-biodegradable plastic products. Told with wit and humor, Bag It follows “everyman” Jeb Berrier as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world. The film focuses on plastic as it relates to our throwaway mentality, our culture of convenience, and our over consumption of unnecessary, disposable products and packaging – things that we use one time and then, without another thought, throw away. Remind me, what’s AWAY?? If I remember that ‘away’ really just means ‘out of sight’ and ‘see you soon as fish food,’ then I might remember to grab a few of those 10 re-usable bags sitting in my car trunk as I enter the grocery store. I’ll even fill a re-usable water bottle if it keeps toxins out of my fish, and it’s a bonus knowing that I’m not adding to the island vortex in our oceans. General admission to the film screening is open to the public with seating availability on a first come basis. A $5 suggested donation benefits the San Ramon Valley High School Environmental Club (E2). Join the Near-Zero Waste Pre-show. Weather permitting, we’ll gather in front of the theatre for snacks and games. Test your recycling knowledge and win cool prizes. Learn how to protect our creeks and water resources. Please bring a re-usable container for beverages. Activities begin at 6:30PM. For more information regarding this event, or to donate to the San Ramon Valley High School Environmental Club (E2), please visit www.sustainabledanville.com or follow us on Facebook.
Love to Sing?
Love to sing? Come join Voices of Musica Sacra as we begin an exciting new season! We have openings for all voice parts (esp. tenors/basses). Rehearsals are held on Mondays at 7:00PM at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, located at 1924 Trinity Ave. in Walnut Creek. Call (925) 670-7089, email info@vmschorus.org, or go to www.vmschorus.org for more information.
Page 14 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
My New Year’s Resolution – Please Make it Yours Too!
By Supervisor Candace Andersen, Contra Costa County, District 2
Recently I had the opportunity to participate in the CHP’s “Start Smart” program with my almost 16 year-old-son. Not only did it have an impact on Sam, who will be eligible to get his driver’s license later this month, but it caused me to think more carefully about my own driving. This month, as you contemplate your New Year’s resolutions, consider what you can do to help keep our roads safer. Did you know that according to the California Office of Traffic Safety, in 2011, California’s traffic fatalities increased 2.6%? I am sure it will come as no surprise to you that alcohol, drugs, and distracted driving contributed greatly to these statistics. An additional compounding factor included people not properly wearing seatbelts. Sadly, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that about half of the 521 known unrestrained drivers/ passengers killed would be alive today, had they chosen to buckle up. A snapshot of some of our most current local traffic statistics for 2013 show: Unincorporated Alamo: Total Traffic Collisions: 58 Total Injury Collisions: 19 Total Fatal Collisions: 1 (No bicyclist or Pedestrian Involved) Injury Collisions Involving Pedestrians: 3 Injury Collisions Involving Bicyclists: 8 Town of Danville: Total Traffic Collisions: 310 Total Injury Collisions: 46 Fatal Collisions: 1 (No bicyclist or pedestrians Involved) Fatal Collisions: 1 (Pedestrian) Injury Collisions Involving Pedestrians: 6 Injury Collisions Involving Bicyclists: 7 I-680 (District II Section: from Diablo Road, Danville to Olympic Blvd. in Walnut Creek): Total Traffic Collisions: 225 Total Injury Collisions: 66 Total Fatal Collisions: 1(Motorcyclist) As you can see, our local statistics are alarming and changes need to be made. The recent CHP Start Smart event held at Monte Vista High School was well attended by drivers of all ages. Students from Monte Vista High, Cal High, San Ramon Valley High, Dougherty Valley High, and Del Amigo engaged in a very sobering presentation of how tragedy can happen in mere seconds. San Ramon Valley Street Smarts will be sponsoring another presentation in the spring. You can also attend this class sooner in Martinez at the CHP headquarters. Call (925) 646-4980 or go to www.chp.ca.gov/community/startsmart.html for more information. So while you are compiling this year’s list of resolutions, please add “help keep our roads safer,” to your list. As with any resolution, tips are helpful, so please consider the following: • Allow extra time to get to your destination • Avoid school traffic by planning your errands accordingly • Slow down • Be patient with other drivers • Avoid texting and/or talking on the phone even if it’s “hands free” Additional traffic safety ideas can be found at street-smarts.com. Think of how much easier this resolution is in comparison to our Top Ten Most Common Resolutions, which usually include diet, exercise, balancing home and work, and finishing that never ending “To Do” list! Wishing you and your family a Safe and Very Happy 2014!
Exchange Club of SRV
The Exchange Club of San Ramon Valley meets for lunch the second Wednesday of every month in downtown Danville. Sign-in and social time begins at 11:30AM. The meeting starts promptly at noon and ends promptly at 1PM. The program features guest speakers and a business networking speaker. For more information, call Karen Stepper at (925) 275-2312, email coachstepper@yahoo.com, or visit www.srvexchangeclub.org.
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Tax Talk with Bob
Tax Updates and IRS Audits and Reviews By Bob Shalon, IRS Enrolled Agent, H&R Block
Technology is wonderful. It allows us to do so many things digitally that used to take forever or be inaccessible. Electronic bill paying, record keeping using software, budgeting, and social media, are just a few areas made easier and much faster thanks to technology. Unfortunately, the IRS is now utilizing all the advances in technology in reviewing tax returns. Over the past six months I have worked in H&R Block’s year-round office helping taxpayers respond to IRS letters, and I have seen a significant rise in the amount of letters sent out. Understand, most of the letters are not audits, and the IRS is not always correct in their requests. Below is a compilation of what I have come across most frequently: • CP 2000 letters - These types of letters have compared all tax documents (W2, 1099, 1098) received by IRS to your tax return to make sure that they match and have been reported. • 1099B documents report stock transactions, but they only do so for the proceeds of a sale. If a taxpayer omitted reporting this document, the IRS will calculate additional tax on only the proceeds which is incorrect. You may have a loss and get a refund, but documentation is required to show the original cost of the stock and dates purchased. • Any state refund from the prior year may be taxable on your federal return and will generate a letter if not reported. Important however, is that state refunds are not always taxable. If you have not itemized your deductions (used standard deduction), they are not taxable. They still must be reported and documented. • Taxable employer benefits from Cafeteria plans such as dependent care payments appear on W2’s. IRS computers now pick up anything not reported. • Any settlements from individual or class action court cases must be reported and are picked up by the IRS. Not all settlements are taxable, but again, they must be reported and explained. • Short sales on property generate a 1099C for the amount that is forgiven by a bank. Usually this can be excluded from income, but there is an exact procedure. Be aware that just because the IRS has greater policing capabilities than in the past, that does not always make them right! On a different note, my H&R Block office in Danville has taken on a larger space in Sycamore Square, next door to our old location. The facilities are brand new and look spectacular! Thank you to all of our clients in Danville and Alamo -- YOU MADE THIS HAPPEN. We will be open all year round from now on moving forward. Happy New Year everyone. Please call me at any time at 925Bob Shalon, EA 820-9570, email bob. Master Tax Advisor • Enrolled Agent shalon@tax.hrblock. com, or stop by my 925.820.9570 office located at 718 718 San Ramon Valley Blvd, Danville San Ramon Valley Sycamore Square (next to Lucky’s) Blvd., Danville with bob.shalon@tax.hrblock.com any questions. Advertorial
Questioning Our Culture
In today’s culture, you can hear sexual assault jokes on TV shows like Two and a Half Men and Family Guy. Contemporary music, music videos, movies, and video games often degrade women and girls. One in four college-aged women are victims of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault, and the majority of these attacks on college campuses happen to women during their first four semesters on campus. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Contra Costa County invites the public to watch a one hour film, Sexual Assault, Naming the Unnamed Conspirator, on Sunday, January 26 at 1:30PM at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette. In the film, Anne Munch, JD, examines how societal attitudes influence cases of sexual assault. This free program is open to the public and is guaranteed to give you new insight concerning this very serious topic, as well as actions you can take to start to change cultural attitudes. If you have questions, contact Diane at dbellrettger@gmail.com.
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Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 15
Page 16 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
USS Potomac By Linda Summers Pirkle
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I love history about the WWII era, and my husband loves being near the water, so the USS Potomac docked in Oakland is a winning combination for both of us. We arrived at the “Floating Whitehouse” at 11AM on a clear and crisp Sunday morning. The historical yacht is docked at Jack London Square year round, and during the winter months tours on board the stationary craft are available. Our guide, Ron, a retired school teacher, gave us a brief history of the boat. Originally built in 1934 as a Coast Guard cutter Electra, the 165 foot vessel was renamed and converted to the Presidential Yacht USS Potomac by Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) as a US Navy vessel in 1936. The typical use of the yacht was for short weekend fishing cruises that got him away from the hot summers in Washington D.C. The craft is not fancy, but she is a boat with history and charm. We learned that Roosevelt, who had a deep love of the sea, wanted a place to go to get away from everything, a place where he could get around independently without constant help from aides. His bed, for instance, a single bunk with attached wooden sides, was perfect for the disabled President to get in and out of without assistance. A little wicker bed is set up next to the bunk. This was for Fala, his beloved dog, a Scottie that went everywhere with the President. After she was de-commissioned, the Potomac was for a time owned by Elvis Presley, was a floating disco, and was even impounded at Treasure Island when her hull was pierced by some pilings. The most moving part of the tour for me was hearing excerpts from FDR’s “Fireside Chat” that was broadcast from this very boat. The president spoke of his chance to relax and even go fishing during a very difficult time in his presidency. January is a fitting time to visit the Potomac - FDR’s birthday is January 30. An easy walk from the Potomac is the Jack London Square (JLS) Farmers Market. Carrie King, Market Manager for Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association, says, “My favorite new vendor is Muffin Revolution. I really enjoy the Cavewoman Muffin made with oranges, ground almonds, raspberries, sunflower seeds, honey, and chia seeds. They’re awesome!” The JLS Farmers Market has plenty of traditional baked goods as well. Tables and chairs located behind the farmers market are perfect for relaxing. My husband and I sat with our crepes and coffee, enjoyed a bit of sun, listened to the seagulls squawking, and watched the boats go by. The USS Potomac is located at 540 Water Street Jack London Square in Oakland. Their website is www.usspotomac.org, and their phone number is 510-627-1215. Their 2104 cruise schedule runs April until October. On April 27, opening day, the Potomac is the “Blessing Boat” for all the yachts during the annual Blessing of the Boats. The “God Squad,” according to Marti Burchell, Executive Director of the Potomac Association, comes aboard and as the boats pass by the Potomac, a priest, minister, and rabbi offer blessings for a safe season. Winter Dockside cruises are held Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday between 11AM and 3PM from November to April. The USS Potomac is scheduled for a Coast Guard mandated dry docking in 2014. Help is appreciated to assure a continued cruise schedule. For more information call 510-627-1667. For more information, and updates on the Farmers Market, check out www.facebook.com/ jlsfarmersmarket. Linda Summers Pirkle, travel consultant and long term Danville resident, has been arranging and leading tours for the Town of Danville for several years. Inspired by the many wonderful places to visit in the Bay Area, she organizes day trips, either for groups or for friends and family. “If it’s a trip for my husband and me, my husband drives and I talk 0 (he’s a captive audience) – the perfect combination! What a great place to live, so much to see, so much to do.” To share your “Quick Trips” ideas email Coverthemap@gmail.com.
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Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 17
Thanks for your continued support of locally owned family businesses RICHARDS CRAFTS
From the Richards’ Staff!
Happy 2014!
Visit our website www.ShopRichards.com for upcoming events Become our Facebook friend! Search Richard’s Crafts - The Creative Market Place
AT
Customer Appreciation Coupon
Alamo Store 820-4731 Alamo Plaza Shopping Center Stone Valley Rd. Exit West off Hwy 680 to Danville Blvd. Right 1 block. Mon-Fri 9:30am-8pm Sat 9:30am-6pm • Sun 11am-5:30pm
50% off
RICHARDS COUPON
Coupon Valid Any one regular priced item thru January 31, 2014
One coupon per family per day. Cannot be combined with other offers. Excludes custom framing and prior sales, Klutz Books, Demdaco, Spellbinders, Sizzix, Willow Tree, Wilton, Games, Weird California Book, Martha Stewart, Meri Meri, Copic Markers, Pillow Pets and Webkinz. Limited to stock on hand. Other exclusions apply. Discount taken off regular price.
Family owned and operated since 1983
Livermore Store 447-0471 Plaza 580 Shopping Center 4502 Las Positas Rd., 1st St. exit off Hwy 580, 1 block Mon-Sat 9:30am-8pm Sun 10am-6pm
Page 18 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
Life in the Alamo Garden
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By John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape Architect Décor in the Garden
Beyond the function of the garden and beauty of the plants are the added touches that personalize your garden. “Design is in the details,” I often tell my clients. Decorating your Alamo garden can take an ordinary or even a special garden to the next level of detail--to extraordinary! Artful touches that can be added are unique art objects such as sculpture, bronzes, antiques, one-of-a-kind water features, or objects de arte, etc. These artful touches may be found at such places as art galleries like New Leaf gallery in Sonoma, which has one-of-a-kind pieces for garden focal points. Some are very expensive while some are priced quite reasonably. However, beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces can add that extraordinary detail that will be well worth it or you can find art in “found” objects. A touch of whimsy is simply added to the garden with antique garden ornaments and furniture. The whimsy that can be added by unique pieces that were made by your children and pieces found at a garage sale, at the salvage yard, or on eBay and Craigslist bring that extraordinary flare that will take your garden to next level. I love going to salvage yards to locate these unique objects. Years ago junk was cheap! Places like Urban Ore and Ohmega Salvage in Berkeley made junk popular and expensive. You used to be able to go to Urban Ore and walk out of there with antique architectural junk like pediments, columns, doors, windows, pedestals, wrought iron grills, gates, fencing, etc. for cheap, but the price of architectural junk has now gone through the roof. So if you looking for “junk” as garden décor, expect to pay dearly for it. Some great places to shop for salvage are Ohmega Salvage and Urban Ore in Berkeley, and Artifact Design and Salvage in Sonoma. If you want some beautiful antique pieces, visit Alamo’s Friendship Farm Antiques in the Cherubini complex. Judy and Downing at Friendship Farm have a wonderful selection of European pieces like antique window grilles, shutters, garden gates, and ornamentation. Garage sales and stops taken while traveling the small foothill towns along Highway 49 are also places to find garden décor. If you can think it, it can be décor in your garden. Rusty metal objects are fun. Years ago I found two circa 1900’s wheelbarrows being thrown out on “Big Trash Day.” Ring the bell of the homeowners throwing out the items to ask if you can recycle their trash items for them! Garden décor can be antique as well as contemporary. Modern pieces can finish a contemporary garden design. You can use large slabs of styrofoam painted bright colors to create a colorful backdrop to a stainless steel sculpture or water feature. Colorful crushed and tumbled glass, glass balls, mirrors and old bowling balls add a contemporary sparkle to a dull garden. In the era of landscape designers like Gertrude Jekyll, classical ornamentation such as sundials, gazing balls, bird baths, armillary spheres, and statues of Venus or St. Francis of Assisi added a touch of timeless beauty. Classical ornamentation can easily be found through catalog suppliers such as Haddonstone, Ltd., A. Silvestri Co. in South San Francisco. Décor in the garden is personal. It should be objects and pieces that you love. They should express the spirit and style of the garden owner. Remember “design is in the details” and so is the individuality and character of your garden. If you’re not a plant aficionado or you don’t have an artistic bone in your body, decorating your garden is is a way you can express yourself and have lots of fun doing it.
A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: Step out of the mainstream in your search for garden decor and use your imagination. You’ll be surprised at what great décor you can find when you rely on your own ability to make something from nothing. Gardening Quote of the Month: “The love of gardening is a seed that once sown never dies.” ~Gertrude Jekyll If you would like me to write on any particular subject, email your ideas to jmontgomery@jm-la.com or for design ideas, visit www.jm-la.com. Advertorial
How Your Food is Grown: Challenges and Sustainability Forum
The League of Women Voters of Diablo Valley (LWV), with Sustainable Lafayette and the Lafayette Community Garden, is hosting a forum titled “How Your Food is Grown: Challenges and Sustainability” addressing agriculture policy issues. The forum will be held January 9 from 7:30 – 9PM in the Lafayette Library and Learning Center on Mt. Diablo Boulevard. The event is free and light refreshments will be served. The forum is part of the LWV national study on agriculture and is meant to inform the public, as well as League members. Panelists will share their work and then answer questions from the audience. The panelists are Margaret Reeves, PhD, Soil Ecologist, Darryl Wong, UCSC Agroecology Farm Site Research Land Manager, and Barbara Cecchini, Brentwood Farmer.
Walnut Creek Garden Club
The Walnut Creek Garden Club is holding a meeting on Monday, January 13 at The Gardens at Heather Farm, located at 1540 Marchbanks Road in Walnut Creek. A general meeting will start at 9:30, followed by Social Time from 10:30-11:00 and a program from 11:00 - Noon. The program will be led by Diane Bloomberg, Landscape Design Consultant and Certified Aesthetic Pruner. Guests and prospective members are welcome. For more information, contact Maureen Little at mslittle44@gmail.com.
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Winter Pruning
By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb
Now is a great time to prune your trees to protect them against winter storms. A judicious pruning can reduce the likelihood of branches falling and causing damage to person or property. Evergreens, such as cedars, and many species of deciduous trees, such as valley oaks, can be pruned in the late fall and early winter, and now is by far the best time to prune pines. Monterey pines can only be pruned between October 1 and February 15 without attracting pine beetles. These potentially lethal beetles, which can smell sap from long distances, go dormant in the winter. Some species of beetles carry pine pitch canker, an increasingly common fungal disease that disfigures pine trees and sometimes kills them. If your tree has dead tips scattered throughout the canopy, it probably suffers from pine pitch canker. To prolong the aesthetic life of the diseased tree, prune out the infected tips when the beetles are dormant. Even healthy trees require occasional pruning to keep them safe and beautiful. Many trees are subject to branch and column failure. Thinning the crown reduces the wind-sail effect of the canopy and thereby reduces the risk of the tree failing in a windstorm. Removing weight from the ends of heavy branches reduces the likelihood that those branches will break. Pruning trees for safety is a craft requiring study and experience. A wellpruned tree should not only be safer, it should look beautiful. At Brende & Lamb we take great pride in both the science and the art of pruning. Each plant has a natural growth pattern. Our trimmers are expert at accentuating the shape given the plant by nature. Within the bounds of what is healthy for each species, Brende & Lamb works to make trees as beautiful as possible. Our trimmers are well practiced in aesthetic pruning and are attuned to the artistic flow inherent in tree forms. The form may be weeping, as with Willows and Chinese Elms. In some species, such as Monterey Cypress, branches ascend at acute angles to the trunk, giving the tree an upswept look. Branches in the coast live oak bend and twist, forming complex arcs. Each tree species
Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 19
has a unique form and flow. When necessary, trees and shrubs can be reduced in size, but crown reduction requires a good eye; a poorly reduced tree looks like a thicket of stubs. Topping is almost always a bad idea. However, the crown of many trees can be reduced by cutting back long branches to the crotches formed by shorter branches growing in the same direction. If the branch doesn’t fork, we cut back to the lowest growth point that will neither create a thick stub nor undermine the arching quality of the branch. When a tree or shrub has been reduced in this way, it’s difficult to detect the cuts or tell that the branches have been shortened. Sometimes the form of trees needs to be modified to capture or accentuate views. View pruning requires restraint and a willingness to compromise. In view work, the beauty of the view and the beauty of the tree often seem to be in conflict. Many pruners focus solely on the view and simply hack back the tree. However, more than the tree’s beauty is at stake. Topping stimulates production of water sprouts, and it also causes disease and rot - all of which make the tree more, not less, dangerous. However, view problems can often be solved by looking at tree-and-view as an aesthetic unity, as two elements that complement and frame each other. Sometimes, lightly bringing the tree back without cutting into major branches can prevent further encroachment on the view. To recover even more of the view, we create “windows” by selectively removing branches not essential for the tree’s natural form. We can enlarge these by removing small branches that rise or drop into the view. Thinning above and below the window creates an overall feeling of openness, rather than an abrupt gaping hole. The image of Mount Diablo framed by the trembling needles of a well-windowed Redwood proves that nature and civilization can complement each other - as can aesthetics and practicality. If your trees need a little TLC to protect them against winter winds, or if your property could use a little fire protection, please call 510-486-TREE (8733) or email us at bl@brendelamb.com for a free estimate. Additionally, go to our website www.brendelamb.com to see before and after pictures, client testimonials, and work in your neighborhood. Advertorial
Page 20 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
Clip Notes
By Jody Morgan
For thousands of years humans have been turning plant fibers into cloth. As early as 10,000 years ago Stone Age Europeans at the Swiss Lake Dwellers site were cultivating flax from which linen is woven. Yet I’ve often wondered how ancient people managed to recognize the basis for a complete wardrobe in a bunch of thin leafy stalks. Still harder for me to imagine is how New World desert dwellers found ways to fashion dangerously armed fronds of agaves and yuccas into apparel. Nevertheless, Native Americans began using fibers from the leaves of those plants as long ago as Old World inhabitants started looming linen. Harvested for fiber for at least 10,000 years, Agave lechuguilla forms thickets in the Chihuahuan Desert. Individual plants are little larger than a basketball, with leaves no more than an inch wide. “Lechuguilla” means “little lettuce,” a reference to the visual resemblance of the plant to a head of lettuce. There the similarity ends. The recurved leaves are so sharp that one of this agave’s common names is “shin-dagger.” Once imbedded in human flesh, the spines are difficult to remove. They can cripple a horse and deflate the tires of off-road vehicles. Some intrepid soul, however, discovered that the forbidding leaves are packed with fibers that are long, strong, and extremely durable. Lechuguilla mats thousands of years old are on display at Seminole Canyon State Park in Texas. Native Americans created clothing, sandals, baskets, nets, and rugs from the fibers. Today the fibers (labeled “ixtle” or “istle”) are processed in Mexico for brushes, insulation, matting, bags, and twine. Offering heat and chemical resistance superior to synthetics, Lechuguilla fibers are a biodegradable, sustainable natural product. Sisal comes from another agave, Agave sisalana. Thought to be native to the Yucatan, this species was first established in Brazil as a commercial crop during the 1930s. Brazil is now the world’s leading producer of this fiber, which is most often used in rope and twine. Paper, cloth, wall coverings, and carpets have all been fashioned from sisal.
Guild continued from front page
supports two subjects in the kindergarten curriculum: transportation and community helpers. Nass‘s students particularly enjoy hearing about historical community helper Berta Benz. Basing her presentation on Mindy Bingham’s book Berta Benz and the Motorwagen, Discovery Room Designer Robin Wiley recounts the daring journey Berta Benz took in August 1888 with two teenage sons to prove that her husband Karl’s 1886 invention was a practical means of
The Museum's replica (one of a few in existence) of the 1886 Benz Motorwagen is a favorite starting point for tours. (Photo courtesy of Ken Brown, Blackhawk Automotive Museum).
transportation. The Museum’s replica of the Benz original, one of the few in existence, is a favorite starting point for tours. Fitted with over-size tricycle wheels, the vehicle boasts a water-cooled internal combustion engine. Fuel was originally available only at pharmacies where the product required was stocked as cleaning fluid. Long-term docent Ed Holloway likes to follow up on the Berta Benz story by discussing the influence of women on classic car design. When Cadillac
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A wheel fitted with blunt blades crushes and beats the agave leaves to extract sisal fiber for commercial production. Primitive people pounded the leaves by hand. After the undesirable parts of the leaf are washed away, the sisal fibers are dried, brushed, and baled. Cultivated plants can yield up to 1,000 fibers per leaf, but fibers comprise only 4% of the plant’s weight. While sisal fabrics have a rather coarse texture, yucca fibers from various species can be processed into much finer cordage. Prehistoric residents of the southwestern deserts of the United States learned to make linen-like cloth from yucca fibers. First, they soaked folded pieces of the central leaves in a solution of wood ash and boiling water. The exterior of the leaf could then be removed so the fibers could be straightened, separated, and dried. Next, the fibers were soaked in cold water and rubbed together until they softened. Finally, the soft fibers were pulled into a fluffy mass that could be spun into thread thin and smooth enough to weave fine textiles. Perhaps they were inspired by familiarity with spinning cotton. In use in nearby Mexico for about 5,400 years, cotton grows in a much moister environment. The preparation of yucca cordage for ropes or basketry does not require the final softening step. Different tribes employed different techniques for soaking, pounding, and scraping the epidermis from the leaves and separating the fibers. Twisting the fibers together could be done by hand. Originally classified as a member of the yucca genus, Hesperoyucca whipplei is a California native that yields exceptionally fine fibers. Caution needs to be exercised in approaching this 3-4 foot species because it brandishes sharply pointed foliage in all directions. Many gardeners overlook the threat posed by weeding around the blue-green blades because after 5-7 years, a huge flower stalk topped by a white flame-shaped inflorescence emerges before the plant expires. Spanish bayonet is one apt moniker. Our Lord’s candle is another. The long fibers within the leaves were twisted into fishing line, coiled into sandals, and even woven into blankets. For decorative effects, the fibers were dyed claret brown using oak bark or whitened by being buried in mud and then washed and combed. Whoever triumphed in the original duel that exposed the valuable fibers within the armature of agave and yucca foliage may have been on a different quest. Agaves and yuccas also provided food, shelter, and medicine for Native Americans. introduced an electric ignition system in 1912, the arduous operation of crank starting became obsolete, putting many more women in the driver’s seat. Women wanted cars with sleeker lines and more fashionable colors. They wanted comfortable interiors and eye-catching exteriors. “I have been giving tours at the Blackhawk Auto Museum for 25 years (since a month after they opened) and I have never – once – lost the feeling of excitement when walking into either gallery and seeing the brightly illumined cars with a backdrop of black wall and black marble floors,“ Holloway writes. He praises the regular tours conducted for docents by docents. “Just when I think I’m beginning to know a lot about the cars, I go on a docent tour and realize how much I still have to learn. Each docent brings his own perspective and interesting tidbits of knowledge.” George Beck likes leading tours for special needs groups and elementary school children. “I try to bring them a bit of history and stories of the cars, while encouraging them to look at how cars are different from each other. Kids enjoy the ‘faces’ on cars, some smile, some look like animals.” A docent since 2004, Beck remarks, “You can always learn from your audience. If you ask someone what they like about a car, you will get some interesting answers.” Joyce Tucker notes, “One of my favorite questions, typically asked by Junior High students, is: ‘How much is that car worth?’ That gives me the opportunity to teach them what an auction is and how it determines the cost of an essentially priceless automobile.” In addition to being a docent, Tucker is the Guild Event Chair. The entire community is invited to the next fundraiser: the Hearts and Flowers luncheon on February 12th. Gifts baskets are being packed with enticing donations for the Silent Auction. A lively bidding game will determine winners of gift cards for local businesses and restaurants. All proceeds support the Children’s Education Transportation Fund. Look for an announcement with complete details in next month’s edition of this newspaper. Over the years, the Guild has varied fundraisers to keep events entertaining for all involved. Some years, costumed re-enactors have been on hand throughout the Museum. Picture Karl Benz popping out from beneath his Motorwagen to explain the invention. Fashion shows, gala parties and even
See Guild continued on page 27
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Seek and Ye May Find Trouble By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO
Every week someone brings in their computer which is infected with nasty malware. These are just ordinary folks, and they’re not doing anything high-risk with their computers, and they can’t figure out how they’re getting targeted. Why do they get infected when we at Portable CIO don’t? We use the same products we recommend for you. How is it, that when I am on my system for most business hours of every day, I don’t get all these viruses, but you do? It’s probably because I know what to look for, usually, and that keeps me safe. I will continue to share what I know with you and hope that you can be as safe as I am. Today I will explain a very common exploit that I’m sure you’ve unwittingly run across. It’s called “Search-bombing,” and it is an increasingly popular way for bad guys to infect your computer. I’ll explain how it works. There are two basic ploys used in Search-bombing, but the mechanics are the same. Let’s say that there is a current event you want to follow, such as the birth of a royal baby or a plane crash. Or let’s say you want a technical support phone number for a popular tech company. The bad-guys create fake web domains, and stuff them with fake content designed to push their site popularity in the search engine ratings. As an aside I’ll mention that these criminals are experts in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), so this is child’s-play to them. Right now if you search for a current topic on your computer, I can guarantee that some of the top results will point directly to infected websites, or to companys who are leading you to believe they are someone they’re not. When you see a highly-ranked website, you intuitively believe that it must be legitimately established and must have been doing all the right things to be so highly regarded by the search engines. This is not necessarily true. It just means the people who own that website know how to play the game. The site you visit might be just a week old. And when you click onto that website, one of two things may happen. The first option is that by using sophisticated virus code, a “drive-by” virus or malware can be instantly installed on your computer as soon as you visit this infected website. The virus may be something like the fake FBI warning malware
Solar Currents
“Be the Ball, Danny” By Mark Becker, GoSimpleSolar
In the United States, the future of the solar industry appears rosier than ever. In the 1980’s, perhaps many people were saying the same thing, but at that time the industry fizzled after initial market penetration. There are many factors why this time there will be continued and rapid growth. High product efficiency, low product cost, high electric rates, favorable utility connection regulations, legislative mandates, and governmental incentives all play a part in the rapid growth of the solar industry. None of the above factors would have any effect on solar industry growth without the breadth and depth of consumer adoption solar electricity. As of press time, over 195,000 solar projects are operating in California alone. Each and every one of these customers is taking advantage of monetary credits, rebates, and the resulting lower (or no) electric bills. Businesses and homeowners are saving lots of money. Legislative Front - Assembly Bill 327: This bill, signed into law recently, will have a huge impact on California’s solar industry and consumers. The law has created a floor, not a ceiling, for our state’s 33% renewable energy goal. The law also mandates that utilities study, and better understand, the benefits, and infrastructure changes that the distributed energy model (rooftop solar) demands. The Governor has provided guidance to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and said that if customers make an investment in a solar electric system before July 1, 2017, the net metering law which validates that investment should be considered protected for the expected life of the solar system*. Typical solar system life expectancy and warranty is 25 years**. A potential re-write of electric rates is in the works. Rate hikes of lower tier electric rates will be met with resistance; these rates have been legislatively protected for low-income households. All customers can currently take advantage of these legislatively protected low first and second tier rates. Solar customers actually benefit more with expensive afternoon rates when their solar system generates the most credits via the net metering program. The law leaves room for a surcharge on ALL residential electric custom-
Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 21 or the new darling of the underworld called “Encrypted Ransomware,” which encrypts your hardisk until you pay an expensive ransom (and even then they may still hold the data hostage). The FBI cyber-terrorism squad calls it nearly the ‘perfect crime,’ for its perpetrators are basically untraceable. If there was ever a good reason to have excellent up-to-date backups of your whole computer, that is it. The second option the bad guys use is to publish technical support telephone numbers on look-alike websites they’ve made look like major corporations (Yahoo, Microsoft, etc.,) but are really used to redirect people to official-sounding services which are actually there to rip you off. You may think you’re calling Yahoo, or Microsoft, or Google, but you’re actually calling a bunch of crooks. For example, a customer needed help, and they searched for help on Google. The search engine entry was made to look like it was Microsoft they were calling, but it was a company out of a foreign country which masquerades as Microsoft. This company is incredibly dishonest, and they’ll say anything to gain your trust. Our client unfortunately allowed these people to install software on their computer remotely, and a big mess ensued. How do you prevent this? The best way is to pay attention. First off, when you search for things, be extremely careful about the results you choose to follow. If it’s a news story, try to only click on those organizations you know are legitimate, such as CNN, Fox, Reuters, USA Today, Drudge Report, or MSNBC. If you’re looking for phone numbers, only click on links that go directly to the company you are looking for. Be aware of the web address you’re clicking on, and make sure it actually contains “….microsoft.com“ if you’re looking for Microsoft, or “…cnn.com” if you’re looking for CNN. If you actually pay attention to the web addresses, you will see very clearly that most legitimate ones clearly refer to the organization you want. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, but if you proceed with some caution, knowing that infection through search-engine-results is a clear and present danger, hopefully you’ll begin making more cautious choices and avoid this costly and inconvenient problem from happening to you. When in doubt, make the one phone call you know won’t steer you wrong, and have us take a look before you make a costly mistake. Our friendly techs are waiting for your call at 925-552-7953, or by emailing helpdesk@theportablecio. com. Happy New Year! Advertorial ers. The utilities are regulated, and therefore rate hikes and surcharges have to be approved by the CPUC. The utilities will get away with what they can get away with; the CPUC will hopefully keep surcharges reasonable assuming said charges are necessary for the utilities’ financial health. What perplexes me: PG&E will provide solar customers excellent credits for the solar power that we generate and supply to the grid. (This results in hundreds of thousands of electric bill savings for an average solar customer. Supposedly, PG&E doesn’t generate profit on the sale of electricity.) On the other hand, to protect their interests, they’ll argue that solar power is not providing any grid infrastructure or power plant savings. Partnership: At this moment, PG&E is providing my home’s electricity, mostly for my family’s Christmas lights. Twelve hours from now, my solar system will be back-feeding power to the grid, and PG&E will be crediting me the cost of that power, then distributing that power to the grid. PG&E is not financially responsible for generating or transporting that power. In the summer especially, this means fewer peak power plants will be in operation for the increased electric demand created by air conditioning which equates to lesser loss of electric power transmitted over miles of electric lines, and re-selling of the power that solar systems generate. Considering these factors, clearly there are savings for PG&E. For those of you with disdain for PG&E, I’ll ask you to temper that by recognizing the services PG&E provides. These services are critical to our economy, our state, and the continued success of distributed rooftop solar power. There’s a time for cooperation, and there’s a time for competition. Disregarding solar power’s contributions to the grid make PG&E’s position disingenuous. PG&E: Some advice from Caddyshack: “Be the Ball” and reach “total consciousness” like Carl. Otherwise, end up in the “lumberyard” like Danny. *Net Metering is the law that provides solar customers credits for the kilowatts that a solar electric system produces, reducing or eliminating a solar customer’s electric bill. **SolarWorld USA has just released a 30-year product warranty for their “Protect” line of solar modules. Mark Becker is the President of GoSimpleSolar, by Semper Fidelis Construction Inc, a Danville based Solar Installation Firm (License 948715). Mark can be reached at 925.915.9252. Visit GoSimpleSolar’s NEW and larger showroom at 100 Railroad Avenue, Suite B, Danville (behind Pete’s Brass Rail) or www.GoSimpleSolar.com, or email Mark@GoSimpleSolar.com. Advertorial
Page 22 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
Top 10 Financial Resolutions for the New Year
www.yourmonthlypaper.com Brought to you By Peter, Jim, Paul, and Bob
In conjunction with Sagemark Consulting, a division of Lincoln Financial Advisors, a registered investment advisor
The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are a time to eat, drink, and be merry. Reality typically sets in on New Year’s Day, which leads to the traditional round of resolution-making. This year (in addition to pledging to eat better and exercise more), you may want to consider these 10 resolutions to help put your financial house in order. 1. Think Strategically About Finances - When it comes to vacations, most people plan months ahead, carefully selecting a destination and the best way to get there. Financial decisions should involve the same type of strategic thinking. It’s advisable to choose a financial destination and then map investment, savings, insurance, and household needs to arrive as planned. Individuals who think strategically will know if they are on track toward reaching their goals and when they need to adjust their overall plan to match their financial situation. 2. Develop Financial Relationships - It’s never a good idea to make major decisions in a vacuum. Therefore, it’s important to develop relationships with people who can help guide you toward your financial well-being. Get to know them, and let them get to know you. That way, it’s more likely they’ll go the extra mile to provide the kind of personalized service that can help keep your goals on track. A good accountant can help you save money. A banker can help with loans when you really need them, and a lawyer can make sure your personal affairs are in order. A financial planner can act like a quarterback. 3. Maximize Savings, Minimize Debt - Limiting debt is critical to reaching your financial goals efficiently. Therefore, it’s important to keep nondeductible interest to a minimum. As you liquidate debt, you may want to direct those dollars to savings. It’s advisable to maximize your savings by contributing to pre-tax retirement savings plans such as a 401(k), a health savings account, or a 529 college funding plan. In addition, you may want to consider making major household purchases on a “pay-as-you-go” basis. Anytime you reduce debt, you are, in effect, giving yourself a pay raise. 4. Review Household Expenditures and Set a Budget - While often overlooked, cash flow management is fundamental to financial planning. Basically, this means spending less than you earn. Accordingly, it’s advisable to set priorities, decide how much to save, and then adjust your budget accordingly. Try tracking your expenditures for three months so you know where your money is going. This way, it’s easier to start making intelligent decisions about spending habits. 5. Review Employment and Education Options - Too many individuals fail to take advantage of employee benefits, especially when it comes to retirement plans. Most companies match a portion of an employee’s 401(k) contribution. An increasing number of companies also match contributions to college and health savings accounts and provide tuition reimbursement. An advanced degree can enhance your earning potential, so find out if your company can help finance higher education. 6. Plan Ahead for Marriage and Family - You may not have tied the knot yet, but if you plan to marry someday, it’s advisable to start planning now. For example, do you and your partner see eye-to-eye on financial matters? Do you know whether you’ll use a joint checking account or separate accounts? How many children, if any, do you plan to have? How will a family change your insurance and housing needs? Financial arguments can frequently lead to divorce. By planning ahead, you can help minimize stress on your marriage. 7. Develop a Crisis Management Plan - A financial emergency usually strikes when you least expect it. The best hedge is an emergency savings account equal to at least three—and ideally, six—months of living expenses. Repay the account promptly, even if it means cutting back on other things. The goal is to avoid piling up debt—or worse, bankruptcy. A crisis management plan can help provide financial security and keep you moving toward your financial goals. 8. Review Insurance Needs - You can use insurance to protect your assets. Life insurance can provide an adequate financial cushion in the event of a spouse’s death. Therefore, it’s important to regularly review your policies. Many people overlook disability income coverage, but insuring against the loss of earning power is essential to sound financial planning. A long-term healthcare policy can help you pay your expenses in the event of a serious illness or injury. And, if you have a high salary or significant net worth, you should consider a personal liability umbrella of up to $1 million to protect against liability risks. 9. Leverage Assets - You should consider leveraging assets to take advantage of long-term financial opportunities. A home equity loan is usually cheaper than a consumer loan, and the interest is tax-deductible. If you have a low-interest mortgage, for example, you could think about directing any extra cash to higher-potential return investments rather than paying down the loan. 10. Manage Your Taxes - Taxes can take a big bite out of income and capital gains. Therefore, you may wish to consider the following steps: • Maximize your and your spouse’s 401(k) and IRA contributions. • Consider opening a health savings account, even if you don’t plan to use the money. • Consider selling stock before the end of the year if it generates losses. • Think about increasing charitable contributions or setting up a trust. Please contact Peter Waldron at 925-659-0383 to schedule a complimentary review of your financial situation, or email peter.waldron@lfg.com.
CRN201202-2064361 Paul Solorzano: California Insurance License #0A46330, Peter T. Waldron: California Insurance License #0E47827, Robert J. Waldron, Jr.: California Insurance License #0686859, James R. Westermeyer: California Insurance License #0C17637. Peter T. Waldron, James R. Westermeyer, Paul Solorzano, & Robert J. Waldron Jr. are registered representatives 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, Spectrum Wealth Partners, 3000 Executive Parkway, Ste 400, San Ramon, CA 94583. Insurance offered through Lincoln affiliates and other fine companies. This information should not be construed as legal or tax advice. You may want to consult a tax advisor regarding this information as it relates to your personal circumstance. The content of this material was provided to you by Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. for its representatives and their clients. Advertorial
Meals on Wheels
Seniors in your community need your support! Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services has been supporting seniors in YOUR neighborhood since 1968. Two of our programs, Meals on Wheels and Friendly Visitors, rely on the support of volunteers, and we need your help now more than ever. Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers deliver meals to local homebound seniors through regular two hour shifts once per week or as substitute drivers. Friendly Visitors volunteers provide weekly one-hour companionship visits to isolated seniors. To volunteer for either program, please call (925)937-8311.
Museum Volunteers Needed
Looking to get involved in the community? The Museum of the San Ramon Valley needs your help. Volunteer positions are available in the following areas: • Greeters • Docents • Walking Tour Docents • Events Committee • Educational Programs (One Room School/Indian Life) Call Eve or Donna at 552-9693 or email srvmuseum@sbcglobal. net for additional information.
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Asset and Family Protection By Robert J. Silverman
The term “asset protection” is defined and used in many different ways. Here, I use it to describe various methods by which people try to protect their assets, and thus themselves and their loved ones, from prospective “judgment creditors” – those in our litigious society who might successfully sue and obtain a judgment against you. A retired former business owner (who, along with his wife, are among my favorite long-term clients) has scheduled an estate planning review meeting for January. In anticipation of the meeting, he sent me a N.Y. Times article titled the “Paradise of Untouchable Assets” – the Cook Islands. The author describes, and quotes the opinions of a number of experts about, this international asset protection haven. A growing number of wealthy foreigners, including hundreds of Americans, proactively park the bulk of their assets there. Cook Islands has strict bank secrecy laws, and the courts there generally disregard foreign (e.g. U.S.) court orders. Hence, creditors here have a very difficult time enforcing judgments against an American’s assets there. In his note to me, this client postulated that in these days of tremendous deficits and unfunded government liabilities, the government appears to have two choices – one, to confiscate private property and two, to make the dollar worthless. In light of this, he wondered whether transferring assets to the Cook Islands or some other such vehicle might make sense. I have great respect for my client, who is very smart and curious, and is not as radical as he may sound. Offshore accounts have surface appeal – particularly to those with millions of dollars in assets and in high risk occupations or who have other reasons to fear being sued. I’m not an expert on these strategies, but based on what I’ve heard and read, they come with substantial risks, including the uncertainty of foreign governments and international politics. Accordingly, these strategies may or may not ultimately work; and meanwhile, the poison of worrying about that is likely not worth the supposed cure. I am often asked, “What are the best ways to protect my assets?” Aside from these intriguing offshore asset protection strategies (and some developing domestic strategies in certain states), the starting point is to purchase appropriate insurance policies. These policies should have a broad scope of coverage and adequate limits. In most cases, they should be accompanied by personal and business umbrella policies to cost-effectively increase your liability limits. Unfortunately, insurance will never cover all risks, but it can reduce or eliminate a huge number of them. Revocable Living Trusts are a wonderful tool in many respects. However, despite widespread misconception, they do not offer creditor protection to the settlors – people who establish the trust. An important silver lining is that Revocable Living Trusts can, if drafted properly, offer robust creditor protection for the settlor’s beneficiaries (loved ones, such as children or grandchildren) via a “spendthrift” provision. An appropriate spendthrift provision prevents or makes it extremely difficult for a judgment creditor of your loved one from being able to take any assets from your trust to satisfy a judgment against such loved one. If you are particularly interested in controlling risks for your loved ones, you can provide extra creditor protection by retaining assets in trust for many years following your death, or even for the entire lifetime of your loved ones. Such an extended or lifetime trust has some disadvantages, but it’s definitely worth discussing the benefit of keeping trust assets largely out of reach of your loved ones’ creditors (including their spouses and/or future spouses) while allowing them to take and use distributions as needed. For those who own investment real estate or a small business, it is generally best to form, own and operate these assets in a business entity, such as an LLC or Corporation. Properly formed, capitalized and operated business entities shield the owner’s personal assets from the potential judgments of creditors that arise out of or are related to one’s business or investment activity. Irrevocable Trusts (as opposed to Revocable Living Trusts) are also compelling asset protection vehicles. They can offer dramatic benefits, such as potential federal estate tax savings. They involve some loss of control, are somewhat expensive to set up, and can be complex. Nevertheless, for people with substantial wealth, the advantages often outweigh the disadvantages. I offer a complimentary Estate Planning primer and/or a free, introductory meeting. Mr. Silverman is an attorney with R. Silverman Law Group, 1855 Olympic Blvd., Suite 240, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 705-4474, rsilverman@ rsilvermanlaw.com, www.silvermanlaw.com. * Estate Planning * Trust Administration & Probate * Real Estate * Business This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and is not intended nor should it be relied upon as legal, tax 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 ~ January 2014 - Page 23
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CFA continued from front page
at Andrew H. Young Park each holiday season on the first Sunday in December. This is one of Alamo’s most popular and well attended community events. The Foundation will raise the funds necessary for the tree lighting and undertake organizing the event, recruiting volunteers, and interacting with county officials to make the necessary arrangements. The CFA has applied to the state and to the IRS to assume the 501(c)3 non-profit public charity status of the old Alamo Community Foundation, which was formed to undertake studies of Alamo's governance structure which led to the failed incorporation effort in 2009. The new CFA will not have any connection or purpose with the old ACF other than to be able to use a similar sounding name. The new CFA has also received permission to use the ACF’s three poplar leaf logo, a beautiful professional design which plays on the meaning of Alamo in Spanish: poplar tree or cottonwood, so named by the Spanish when they founded the Alamo settlement because of all the poplar trees that grew along San Ramon Creek. The CFA will support its activities with fundraising. Its next event is the community Crab Feed on January 31st at the Alamo Women’s Club, which will be held each year not only for fundraising purposes but for community “fun”-raising. The CFA will also continue its community awards to recognize organizations and individuals with outstanding contributions to the Alamo community. New CFA President Sharon Schuyler says she “hopes to gather all the folks who want to better Alamo and encourage folks to come forward to present ideas” which the CFA can make happen. She noted their Trustee meeting will be open to the public, and the Trustees will encourage community participation and input in Foundation decisions. The Community Foundation operates out of the old Blockbuster space in Alamo Plaza. To contact the Foundation, email Sharon Schuyler at Sharon@ celebrationsonthebay.com.
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Page 24 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
What is Smart911? By Roger Smith, President
Smart911 is free and allows you to provide valuable information about yourself and your family to 9-1-1 call takers and first responders in the event of an emergency call. If a disaster strikes, first responders can have vital information such as home access information, utility shut off information, bedroom location, and pet information. At a time when seconds count, being able to provide 9-1-1 with all details that could impact response the second an emergency call is placed could be the difference between life and death. So, now is the time to make a New Year’s Resolution and create a Safety Profile for your family at www.smart911.com. Family Communication Plan: Due to damage and heavy phone traffic, it is often easier to communicate with someone who is out-of-state during an emergency. Therefore, choose a long-distance relative or close friend that your family will all contact if separated. Teach your household to use this number as a form of communicating and letting one know that the other is safe. Lastly, don’t forget to talk with your out-of-state contact to make them aware of the plan and ensure that they are comfortable with this role. Family Meeting Place: Designate a meeting place that your family will immediately go to when disaster strikes. The place you choose should be outside your neighborhood in the event that it is not safe to return to your home or stay in its surrounding areas. Each family member should be capable of reciting the address of the meeting place or locating it on their own if need be. Safety Bracelets: If you live in a disaster-prone area, consider making “safety bracelets” for each member of the family. The bracelets have customized information engraved on the inside including a first and last name, home address, emergency contacts, severe allergies or health restrictions, and a long distance phone number to a close friend or relative. Request that everyone wear the bracelet at all times especially if your children are young or living with a disability. Disabilities or Traveling Restrictions: A family who has a member with disabilities or traveling restrictions should start by connecting with the local police department and becoming familiar with the emergency evacuation plan. Using this information, develop a back-up strategy with close friends and neighbors in the event that the disabled or restricted family member is alone during a disastrous situation. Lastly, to ensure emergency responders will have the information they need to properly assist your family, be sure to include details describing the health condition of each household member on your Smart911 Safety Profile. Pet Safety: When a rapid onset disaster hits home, no animal should be
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left behind, however, most emergency shelters do not permit animals due to health regulations. Knowing this, research the various animal shelters, veterinary offices, or even close friends in your area that are willing to house your pet or working animal during an emergency. Lastly, be sure to include your pet in the ‘family survival kit’ preparation. Stock enough food and water for your animal(s) to last at least 72 hours.
Roundabouts and Signalized Intersections
AIA, along with other interested members of the Alamo community, is participating in the Municipal Advisory Council Area of Benefit (MAC AOB) Downtown Subcommittee's discussions in January regarding possible pedestrian safety projects for the Alamo downtown. These projects could be funded in whole or part by the Alamo AOB Fund. Ideas that have been discussed include: • Narrowing the southbound lane of Danville Blvd between St. Alphonsus and Jackson to eliminate the flaring width and maintain it at one lane wide until south of Jackson, • Constructing a roundabout at the Orchard/Alamo Plaza entry intersection, • Further enhancing the pedestrian crossing at Jackson, and • Signalizing at Jackson. Further discussions will undoubtedly occur over the next few months. Many Alamo residents may be unfamiliar with what a “Roundabout” really is and the comparison of features with “Signalized Intersections.” Below are several important links for information on both “Roundabouts” and “Signalized Intersections.” Roundabouts: An Informational Guide - www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/00068, Signalized Intersections: An Informational Guide - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/signalized/13027/index.cfm, “Roundabout” video - http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/roundabouts/ fhwasa10023/wmv_cc_final/10-2124_Roundabouts.wmv. As Board President, I want to thank all of our many volunteers, both past and present, for their efforts over the last 58 years in making Alamo into the wonderful community that it is today. Please watch for the AIA membership letter and form, complete it and return it to AIA to P.O.Box 156, Alamo, CA. 94507 or visit www.AlamoCA.org. Don’t be left out. Now is the time to renew or become a new member of AIA. Have a wonderful New Year!
Alamo Police Services District P-2, Zone B
Deputy Michael Carson, Alamo Resident Deputy, activities for November: N/A Calls for service • N/A Self initiated calls • 5 Moving citations • 0 Nonmoving citation • 9 Reports • 1 Arrest
Deputy Carson Responded to or Conducted Stats and public report are not available at this time
If I Were a Thief Program 56 Streets covered • 36 Flyers distributed Reported Incident
• Livorna Rd - Grand Theft - Deputy Carson responded to a reported grand theft at a construction site. Upon arriving at the location, Deputy Carson contacted the victim. The victim stated the construction area had been locked and secure upon leaving. When he returned that morning and drove in, he noticed several large industrial pieces of equipment were missing. There are no known suspects or independent witnesses, and this is an ongoing investigation. • Ridgewood Rd - Vandalism and Civil Issues - Deputy Carson, along with Sgt. Foley responded to a reported vandalism and civil dispute between neighbors in regard to an easement and fencing. The incident was documented and no further law enforcement action was taken. • Alamo Plaza - Vandalism - Deputy Carson responded to a reported vandalism in the rear alley way of the Alamo Plaza. The victim’s vehicle had been “keyed” on two separate occasions. The victim had no idea who may have “keyed” her vehicle. There are no known suspects or independent witnesses. This is an ongoing investigation. Deputy Mike Carson is Alamo’s full time resident deputy. His position is funded by Alamo’s P-2B police services district, which includes approximately 60% of Alamo household. District households pay an $18 annual parcel tax plus a portion of the 1% property tax. The Alamo Police Services Advisory Committee advises Sheriff David Livingston on the resident deputy and his services. The Committee is composed of Alamo residents within the district and it meets on the first Monday of each month at 5pm in the offices of the Alamo Chamber of Commerce, located at 120B Alamo Plaza. Alamo citizens are welcome to attend the meetings.
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The Eye Opener
Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 25
By Gregory Kraskowsky, O.D., Alamo Optometry Cellulitis
Recently a patient came into the office with a red and inflamed eyelid. These are relatively common; the most likely culprits are styes, trauma, allergies, or blepharitis (bacterial infection of the eye lashes). However, this condition was different in that it was an infection of the eyelid and soft tissue around the eyelids, or preseptal cellulitis. A cellulitis can be potentially dangerous and the correct diagnosis needs to be made between preseptal and orbital cellulitis. Preseptal cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the eyelid and surrounding soft tissue. The eyelid area becomes red, swollen, warm to the touch, and potentially painful. In contrast to a stye, a cellulitis covers a larger area of the eyelid whereas a stye is more localized. In preseptal cellulitis, the infection is contained in the anterior portion of the lid and has not penetrated the septum (a thin membrane within the eyelid to help prevent infections from spreading deeper into the lids) to the posterior portion of the eye. It is usually caused by an upper respiratory infection (flu) or sinus infection that has spread to the eye. Direct insect bites or scratches are also potential ways the bacteria can penetrate the eyelid. It is much more common in children, and it responds well to oral antibiotic therapy. Vision is not affected and the eye is able to move unrestricted in all directions. The patient is usually getting over an illness or has been around sick people, but does not actively have a fever. Differentiating between a preseptal and orbital cellulitis is very tricky because both clinically present the same. In orbital cellulitis, the affected eye will appear bulging relative to the healthy eye, the vision will be decreased, and eye movements will be restricted. The person is concurrently ill and is possibly running a fever. Functionally, the difference between the two is that in orbital cellulitis, the infection has spread posterior to the back of the eye and to the surrounding structures in the facial area. This can result in permanent vision loss, neurological problems, and potentially meningitis if it gets into the bloodstream. Therefore, orbital cellulitis requires hospitalization with continuous IV antibiotics to help control the infection. Granted a cellulitis does not happen very often, but it reiterates the fact that sometimes a simple red eye might not be so mundane. If you notice eyelid redness and swelling that is not localized or is spreading with an associated illness, a cellulitis should be considered. Preseptal cellulitis is much more common than orbital and is very responsive to oral antibiotics, and the symptoms start to resolve in a few days. The patient should be followed just to ensure the infection is clearing. However, if an orbital cellulitis is suspected, direct referral to the hospital is required. 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 like us on our Alamo Optometry Facebook page. Advertorial
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 are accepted. An assistive listening system is available for T-coils, and most meetings are captioned. Contact HLAADV@hearinglossdv. org or (925) 264-1199 or www.hearinglossdv.org for more information.
Is Food a Problem for You?
Overeaters Anonymous offers a fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience and mutual support, are recovering from compulsive overeating. This is a 12-step program. The free meetings are for anyone suffering from a food addiction including overeating, under-eating, and bulimia. The group meets Wednesdays at 6PM at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lafayette. Visit www.how-oa.org for more information.
Hospice Volunteers Needed
Hospice of the East Bay is seeking volunteers to assist Hospice patients and their caregivers. Opportunities include: • Licensed Hair Stylists to offer hair cuts and styling • Certified Massage Therapists to provide massage therapy • Mobile Notaries to witness the signing of important documents • Bereavement Support Volunteers to provide support to family members after their loved one has died • Patient Support Volunteers to provide companionship and practical assistance To apply for free training, call Hospice of the East Bay at (925) 887-5678 and ask for the Volunteer Department, or email volunteers@hospiceeastbay.org. Established in 1977, Hospice of the East Bay is a not-for-profit agency that helps people cope with end of life by providing medical, emotional, spiritual, and practical support for patients and families, regardless of their ability to pay. To learn more or to make a donation of time or money, please contact (925) 887-5678 or visit www.hospiceeastbay.org.
Page 26 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
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to support programs, such as the music programs in six Alamo area schools. “Rick has spent countless hours in his fundraising role for the Club, promoting the work of the Rotary Foundation, writing letters to members, and personally contacting Club members to make sure they were committed financially to Rotary. Who could say “NO” to such a caring man?” said Collins. Since becoming a member, Rick has worked tirelessly on the Alamo Rotary Club projects and can be counted on to participate as enthusiastically in fellowship as in fundraising or community projects which the Club sponsors. “Rick Buxton is truly a Rotarian who lives the principles of Rotary’s Four Way Test which are . . . First: Is it the truth? Second: Is it fair to all concerned? Third: Will it build good will and better friendships? And, Fourth: Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Above all, he places ‘Service above self,’ which is Rotary’s motto,” said Collins. Rick joined Rotary in 1982 as a member of the Mission Valley Rotary Club in San Diego. When he relocated to the Bay Area, he became a member of the Rotary Club of Oakland #3, San Francisco Rotary Club #2, and the San Jose Rotary Club before joining the Rotary Club of Alamo in November 1992. Rick maintained perfect attendance for some 30 years at all of the Rotary Clubs where he was a member. Rick Buxton and his wife, Gayle, are long-time residents of Alamo. Prior to his retirement, Rick was the vice president of the Alta Bates Summit Foundation and specialized in Charitable Estate Planning. During his 19 years at Alta Bates Summit he raised $50 million in Estate Gifts. The Rotary Club of Alamo was founded on May 7, 1971, and has 50 members. The Club meets on Wednesdays at 12:15PM at Round Hill Country Club, located at 3169 Roundhill Road in Alamo.
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Feel Your Best in 2014 with Craniosacral Therapy By Marchelle Milligan
Are you feeling just so-so but well enough to get through the day? Maybe you don’t look sick, but on the inside you feel tired, sluggish, and in pain. Maybe you aren’t sleeping as well as you used to which takes a toll on your outlook on life, or you have been dealing with chronic pain and need daily pain medication to function. Craniosacral Therapy can optimize your whole body back into balance. Many of us pay close attention to proper nutrition, exercise, and trying to live a low-stress lifestyle to achieve good health. Amazingly, even when our body gets a little out of balance, such as when we have a cold, an achy neck, or a sore back, our body is designed to heal itself, and it does so very well most of the time. However, the demands of a modern world often challenge the systems in our body to keep up. We get pulled in competing directions-work, family, phones--with everything wanting our time and attention. Stress begins to creep in, making it more difficult for our body to access its own healing abilities. When this happens, we often reach out to our doctors to “cure” us. However, nature has already provided us with our very own inner healing force--the craniosacral system. Craniosacal therapy is a healing modality that grew out of osteopathy. Precise and gentle touch is applied to correct imbalances in the fluid and membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. Why is this important? Well, imagine your craniosacral system has a regular rhythm, much like the heart rhythm, only subtler and slower. Just as your heart will pump blood to the rest of the body, the craniosacral system pumps nutrient-rich cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) between your brain and spine. The CSF has a big job to do as it bathes membranes, acts as a shock absorber in the brain, and provides essential fluids and nutrients to the central nervous system. The central nervous system controls the actions and reaction internal to the body, and the body’s adjustment to its environment. Think of your brain as a computer and the spinal cord as the cable. The spinal cord links the computer’s input and output to the rest of the body. This is where Craniosacral Therapy can help. If the CSF can flow without restrictions, the body can maintain and/or restore balance. Craniosacral Therapy can help improve how your nervous system responds to stress and illness. You and your body do the work with the practitioner lending knowledge and skills to facilitate rebalancing. It can help physical pain, but it also helps emotional wholeness as well. Most of us are very good at “doing” in our crazy, activity-filled world, but “being” is when the body can slow down enough to be able to respond positively to its own healing ability. Craniosacral Therapy can help the body return to a place of balance. By normalizing the environment around the brain and spinal cord and enhancing the body’s ability to self-correct, everyone can potentially benefit from CST. It can be effective in dealing with stress management, headaches, neck and back pain, TMJ dysfunctions, depression, post traumatic stress disorders, chronic pain, sleep disorders, and vertigo to name a few. For more information, log onto www.therhythmwithin.org. To schedule an appointment, please book on my website or contact Marchelle Milligan at (925) 286-6237. Located in the Alamo Commons in Alamo. Advertorial
Correction
The photo at left should have accompanied the article titled “Issues with the Newer Oral Anticoagulants” by Robert Robles, MD at Diablo Valley Oncology/Hematology Medical Group last month. A picture of a different physician was used. Our apologies for the error. ~ Editor
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Ask the Doctor
By Dr. Jeffrey G. Riopelle, MD Do you have the winter knee?
Patient: The weather turned cold a couple of weeks ago, and suddenly my knee started aching and swelling. It happens every year. What’s going on? Doctor Riopelle: Your symptoms are classic for what I have named “the winter knee.” We see it in hundreds of thousands of people throughout the US every winter. The weather temperature drops and suddenly joints start aching, especially the knees. The basic problem starts with wear and tear on your knees, either from an old injury, degenerative arthritis, or from an autoimmune problem such as rheumatoid arthritis. The knee joint is one of the most complex joints in the body as three bones meet and must articulate with one another, held together by ligaments such as the ACL, PCL, medial and lateral collaterals, and patellar and quadriceps tendons. To create smooth movement each bone, the femur, tibia, and patella, has cartilage surfaces that touch the other bones. This cartilage surface is called articular cartilage. To top it off, there are two C shaped bands of cartilage in each knee, the medial and lateral meniscus, that help knee tracking and stability. Disruption of any of the above structures can lead to damage that can later lead to knee inflammation and can eventually cause the winter knee. For example, suppose you unknowingly mildly damaged a meniscus at age 20, causing a ripple in the cartilage. Maybe your knee swelled and hurt slightly for a few weeks, but you took it easy and seemed to get better without treatment. Now, 20 years later at age 40, you begin to have pain and swelling every winter even though you have had no further injury. What’s going on? The few ripples in your meniscus create wear and tear on your femur articular cartilage that over the years eventually leads to small divots or damage to the cartilage, called chondral damage. This damage creates inflammation as winter hits that causes your knee to swell and ache. The damage can also be due to other causes such as blunt trauma to the patella from a fall, general wear and tear from pounding exercises such as running, or from anything that damages the chondral cartilage. Patient: It doesn’t hurt that badly. Should I just live with it, or should I see my doctor? Dr. Riopelle: You should definitely see your doctor. There are other abnormalities that can cause the same symptoms, but you are definitely going to need to find out why you have the symptoms. If you do have mild chondral damage and do not address it, it will invariably lead to arthritis as the wear and tear becomes worse and eventually wears right through the cartilage. Once arthritis occurs, it is irreversible using standard technology. Patient: How do you figure out the cause? Dr. Riopelle: An astute clinician can get a good idea of the cause through your history and exam, especially by checking your knee for ligament stability and signs of meniscus tear, and by feeling for crepitation or grinding as the knee is moved through range of motion. The definitive diagnosis is made by MRI which will very clearly show the damage. The treatment depends on the root cause. Meniscus tears and ligament instability can be fixed arthroscopically. Pure chondral damage without other causes can be improved with exercises that strengthen the quadriceps muscles (without stressing the knee joint). If the damage has progressed to the point of arthritis, there is no cure but symptoms still improve with quad strengthening. Temporary improvement occurs with use of anti-inflammatory medications, Tylenol, ice and heat, cortisone injections, and hyaluronic acid injections. Definitive treatment requires total knee replacement, but ideally we want to get to the root of the problem and stop it before it becomes arthritis. In our office we have an ongoing patient sponsored study for joint treatment using autologous stem cells. We did our original training with Dr. Joseph Purita, the physician who performed the stem cell joint procedure on A’s pitcher Bartolo Colon. We want to stress that this protocol uses your own stem cells removed and purified out from your own fat and re-placed in the joint the same day, NOT one of the highly controversial fetal stem cell procedures performed in other countries. The study protocols involve the treatment of the following conditions: joint problems, especially the shoulder and knee, erectile dysfunction, diabetes, and emphysema. For information on any of our programs, please call our office, San Ramon Valley Medical Group, Inc., at (925) 275-9333 or visit our website at www. riopellecosmetic.com. We are located at 5401 Norris Canyon Rd, Ste. 312 in San Ramon. Advertorial
Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 27
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11/16/12 9:28 AM
an “eventless” fundraiser have been successful. Monthly meetings of the Guild offer speakers on a wide range of topics and are open to interested members of the community. Meetings are held at the Museum the second Wednesday of every month except December and August. The Guild is always happy to welcome new members. Join the fundraising crew, help with any of the more than 150 special events held annually at the Museum, or learn to be a docent or work as a Museum volunteer. Program Chair Dee Thompson schedules presenters with the full range of Guild members in mind. In October, Ross Chittendon’s program about the Caldecott Tunnel 4th Bore packed the house. The November meeting featured Dona Spaugh and Cindi Grauer of Alamo’s Change of Seasons demonstrating home decorating designs for the holidays.
Cindy Grauer and Dona Sprague of Change of Seasons in Alamo demonstrate decorations for the holidays at the Guild’s November meeting. Meetings are open to interested members of the community.
Laughter will lighten everyone’s burden at the Guild’s January meeting, as Sally Allen, founder of A Place for Everything, provides advice on organizing, rearranging, repurposing, and reselling household goods. Allen’s expertise
See Guild continued on page 30
Page 28 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
“The Mark of a True Professional is to Know When you don’t Know”
By William Shryer, LCSW, DCSW, Clinical Director, Diablo Behavioral Healthcare
The title statement of this article seems so obvious, yet it is so rarely accepted. For many individuals and parents out there looking for help for addiction, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, child related concerns, and a host of other conditions, one would think that those licensed mental health professionals would have no problem with that statement. A child who is acting out could be reacting to a simple issue of parenting, but then again it could be depression, or obsessive compulsive disorder, or a developmental disorder. How is the professional to know the difference? The answer lies in the level of training and expertise the individual has. Being competent at figuring out complex problems is like being a detective, a neurobiological detective. This all begins with the evaluation, which should be very thorough. It should, at the very minimum, include a health history, developmental history, and family history, including questions about blood relatives and their histories. Nowadays most professionals should have at least a rudimentary knowledge of genetics and the inheritance factors for such disorders such as ADHD, Bipolar, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) to name but a few. The next area of the knowledge base should be matching the correct treatment to the problem as this complex area is far from one-size-fits-all. This is where the above statement comes in to play, for if the treating professional is not sure of the diagnosis and is unaware of the fact that they don’t know, they don’t know to seek professional consultation. When this occurs it is you, the public, who pays the price, or your child does. Some examples we often see in our practice are someone diagnosing ADHD when in fact the correct diagnosis is depression, OCD, Bipolar, Asperger’s or even a thyroid disorder. How does this happen? Usually it comes from not paying attention to the fact that the individual has symptoms that just don’t fit the complete pattern of the required diagnostic symptom list. When something just doesn’t fit, it is the time for you to get expert consultation to make sure of your diagnosis. Only a comprehensive multidisciplinary program can insure the
Circumcision...What?! By Jeremy Lieb, MD
No, I'm not going to provide an opinion regarding the decision to do a circumcision. That is a personal choice that should be made after consideration of the risks and benefits of the procedure with assistance from your pediatrician. This article is intended to provide feedback regarding some of the more common complaints and complications that I see after a circumcision has been completed in a baby. The most common technique to perform a circumcision is by using a Plastibell. This involves a plastic ring that will usually fall off in about a week. Don’t worry, if it falls off early, it will look inflamed for 1-2 weeks ad might look scary to the parents, but will most often heal just fine. Rarely, the ring will get stuck and will require a quick office procedure to remove. The most common complaint that I hear is parents feel the doctor left too much skin, and at times the penis can look buried in the fat. Let’s use a simple description...it is better to grow into your skin then grow out of it. Once the baby fat is gone this situation will look much better cosmetically. The worst thing is to remove too much skin and then realize as an adult that you wish you could have it back. You can always remove more in the future if needed. Another common complaint is that the skin is ‘stuck’ to the helmet. Usually, this is simply mild adhesions - kind of like it was glued or stuck like tape. This will always improve over time. The best advice is to gently pull the skin back in a warm bath. It may bleed a tiny bit. At times the skin can actually form a scar to the helmet. This requires a quick office procedure to cut it free. Best advice is to keep it clean! Warm water and soap is your best friend. Dr. Lieb is a Board Certified Urologist with Pacific Urology and focuses on treating pediatric patients. Pacific Urology has offices in Walnut Creek, Concord, San Ramon Brentwood, Livermore and Antioch. 925-609-7220 or visit www.PacificUrology.com. Advertorial
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public that they have been competently evaluated and the treatment program fits. It’s not just enough to know how to evaluate competently, we now have to stay up-to-date with all of the new treatments and new technology that is available. This is because many of the treatments that have been used for many years have had too many side effects and inherent risks. Risk management is the ability to weigh inherent risks to benefits, and this has always been a difficulty in all of medicine throughout time. Currently we have, with managed care, the push to do the most with the least amount of time. This usually entails medications prescribed only with a very brief visit that often leads to poor outcome, as most people are very complex. It is this hurry-to-use pharmacy mentality that leads to the side effects and trials of many different medications over time, each with the side effects that are one of the greatest causes of treatment “failure.” This is where Diablo Behavioral Healthcare and Silicon Valley Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) at Blackhawk separate from the rest. Some of the things that make us unique are the fact that we answer the phone with real people. We are thorough to a fault and have adult and child psychiatrists on our team as well. We have new cutting edge treatment technology such as TMS, the FDA cleared technology for those that have failed to responds to antidepressant medications. Our staff is trained in Cognitive Behavioral therapy by the International OCD Foundation. We welcome second opinions and questions from individuals, family members, the general public, and students interested in a career in the fields of Social Work, Psychiatry, or Psychology. For more information on any behavioral or developmental concern, call our office at (925) 648-4800, and we will take the time to answer your questions. To learn more about behavioral disorders, visit our website at www.behaviorquest. com, for more information about TMS see www.blackhawktms.com our location is 4185 Blackhawk Plaza Circle Suite 210, Danville, CA. Advertorial
Fight Cancer with Foods in the New Year! By Tinrin Chew, RD
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, the “New American Plate” is an important cancer fighting tool. At mealtime, try to strike a balance of at least two-thirds plant-based foods and no more than one-third animal protein. Fruits and vegetables are rich in cancer-fighting nutrients -- and the more color, the more nutrients they contain. By eating a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, you can also shed all the extra weight which may decrease your risk for developing colon, esophageal, and kidney cancers. Colorful fruits and vegetables are not only good for you, but they can also help protect you from free radical damage as well as from UV rays (which have been known to cause skin cancers). Red, pink, and orange fruits, like cantaloupe and pink grapefruit, contain lycopene, a naturally occurring carotenoid which helps ward off the harmful effects of the sun. Tomatoes, particularly tomato paste, blueberries, strawberries, and red, yellow and orange peppers are also great sources of lycopene. There is evidence suggesting that lycopene has a protective effect against lung, stomach, and prostate cancers. Lycopene may also protect against cervical, breast, mouth, pancreatic, esophageal, and colorectal cancers. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries contain powerful antioxidants that may fight cancer by deactivating certain cancer causing substances and slowing the growth of cancer cells. Antioxidants fight cancer by ridding the body of free radicals before they can do their damage to cells. Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, bok choy, and kale, and dark leafy green vegetables, such as mustard greens, lettuce, chicory, and spinach, have components that may help your body defend against cancers such as colon, breast, lung, and cervix as well as mouth, larynx, pancreas, lung, skin, and stomach. No single food can reduce your risk of cancer, but the right combination of foods may help make a difference. The most important thing to remember is that a person who eats a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables lowers their chances of developing cancer simply because of the food they eat. A healthy New Year’s resolution would be to include more of these healthy foods in your diet daily. Tinrin Chew is a registered dietitian, who is a Board Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition. She provides nutritional counseling for patients at Diablo Valley Oncology, John Muir Health, and the Cancer Support Community. Advertorial
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The Importance of Winter Renewal By Barbara Persons, MD, Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc.
January is a month of change, improvement, and renewal. It is a time when, after the chaos of the holidays, we have a chance to look back on the past year - our actions, our lives, and ourselves - and consider what changes we want to make. New Year’s resolutions are made, but they are often forgotten. According to one poll, 75% will keep their resolution a week, 64% will keep them for a month, and only 46% will make it to the six month mark. This year set your sights on something that will be sure to last, something we like to call “winter renewal.” Winter is associated with shorter days, cold weather, holidays, overall cheerfulness, and a bit of chaos. This year, after the commotion settles and before the longer days of spring and summer return, treat yourself to one of the many renewing treatments offered at Persons Plastic Surgery. Of particular interest this season is our newest renewing technology, the Fraxel Dual Laser. We are fortunate to be one of the few clinical locations in this area to have this latest version of Fraxel. It is a proven laser technology that can help reverse the visible effects of aging, helping you to look as young as you feel. When we are younger, our skin’s natural rejuvenation process of stimulating collagen helps to reverse damage caused by the sun, dehydration, scarring, wrinkling, etc. As we age, our bodies’ ability to naturally generate collagen diminishes. The laser energy delivered by the Fraxel stimulates collagen (bringing back volume) and resurfaces the skin’s top layer at the same time. The Fraxel Dual treatment is customized by skin type to penetrate varying depths of just the top layer of skin, and because this latest
Your Personal Nutritionist
Lose Your Excess Weight Forever This New Year the Healthy Way By Linda Michaelis RD,MS
Happy New Year! Have you been using this time as a motivator to drop the weight you have been struggling to lose all year round? You may have the best of intentions to lose weight or exercise more as the New Year begins, but somehow, life happens and you often find yourself going back to your old ways. Try a different approach for this New Year. Instead of going on a diet again, where you usually go off it a few weeks later, try beginning to make lifestyle changes that I know will guarantee success and finally keep the weight off. My clients enjoy using trackers such as My Fitness Pal or Lose It to get a sense of how many calories they have been eating. After inputting their height and weight, the program calculates how many calories they should consume in order to lose a pound a week. I think this is a great way to begin to get a sense of the amount of calories that you are eating. Where I come in is with helping my clients to set up a meal plan that fits their schedule which includes their favorite foods and certainly does not make them feel like they are on a diet. We view websites together of the various restaurants they go to, and I teach them how to arrange their meals and snacks around the meal out. The trackers do not teach you what are the best meals and snacks to keep you full and prevent cravings for sugar. When I work with my clients, I hold their hand and educate them about nutrition, which is something they usually lack, and I help keep them motivated with frequent (even daily) phone calls or e-mails. Don’t look at this year’s resolution as a temporary change; look at it as a lifestyle change. Making too many changes at once can cause you to burn out before the end of January, causing you to break your commitment. Therefore, instead of changing your entire way of living all at once, try making these small nutrition and exercise changes everyday. Work your way SLOWLY to a healthier you. 1. Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. Everyday have two servings of veggies such as by adding veggies to your egg white omelet, having a soup with veggies at lunch, or having a salad. Have a fruit at both lunch and dinner. 2. Switch to 100% whole grain. If you’re still eating white bread and pasta switch to whole grains. Whole grains contain more fiber and nutrients and will keep you fuller for a longer period of time. Clients enjoy Trader Joe’s 100% whole wheat pasta, quinoa, couscous, barley, and brown rice. 3. Portion control. Work your way to smaller portions, and this will help con-
Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 29 model utilizes two different wavelengths, it is highly effective on a variety of skin types and conditions. The laser is effective on fine lines and wrinkles, surface scarring, pigmentation, and sun damage. This is a non-ablative treatment which requires minimal social down time, allowing patients to return to their normal schedule very quickly. It has been said that appearance can directly affect how a person feels. When you feel attractive, you are more likely to have a positive outlook. This phenomenon is something we have all undoubtedly experienced. As a woman, I know the days I skip the makeup and go for the sweatpants I tend to have less energy and feel more sluggish. But if I simply swipe on some lipstick, I feel like I can conquer the world. When you can look in the mirror and feel that you are an attractive and confident person, you will have the ability to go out into life prepared for the difficult challenges the coming year may bring. Sticking to New Year’s resolutions may be difficult, but making a positive change in your life does not have to be. The Fraxel Dual laser treatment is a great way to feel restored, rejuvenated, and ultimately more youthful. When you exude confidence, doors begin to open. Whether it’s getting the job of your dreams, smiling more, or simply living a happier life, a winter renewal should be a priority for everyone this New Year. As always, I look forward to the opportunity of meeting you soon for an in-depth consultation for Fraxel Dual or any of the options available at Persons Plastic Surgery that will help you leave winter behind feeling fresh and rejuvenated. Dr. Barbara Persons is a Plastic Surgeon and owns Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc. located at 911 Moraga Rd, Suite 205 in Lafayette. She may be reached at 925.283.4012 or drbarb@ personsplasticsurgery.com. Advertorial trol your calories. If you typically use a big dinner plate and fill the whole plate, try using a smaller size plate. You will always eat more when you have a pile of food on your plate. 4. Limit the sweets. You do not have to avoid sweets. The key is moderation. If you enjoy dessert and sweets several times a day, make a goal for yourself to limit sweets to either once per day or a few times a week. I teach my clients to have their sweets after a meal instead of randomly during the day, which will prevent cravings for them. 5. Swap out the soda and juice. These beverages are loaded with sugar and greatly contribute to your daily calories. And, let’s be honest, most people don’t drink just one can a day. I show my clients many beverages that are popular and have no calories. 6. Begin a walking program. Commit to a daily walk, either first thing in the morning or after dinner. I teach my clients about interval training, which shocks the metabolism and causes us to burn calories much faster. 7. Schedule your workouts. Just like you schedule a doctor’s appointment or a lunch date with a friend, schedule your workout on the calendar, and make it a part of your routine five times a week. I teach my clients how to set up their meal plan based on their exercise schedule for the day. 8. Practice mindful eating. Since you have vowed not to diet this year, practice being mindful when you are eating. Listen for your hunger and fullness signals, and respond appropriately. Don’t eat when you are not hungry, yet don’t let yourself get to the ravenous point either. When eating, stop midway and ask yourself if you are still hungry. If not, stop and save the rest for another time. I spend a lot of time practicing this technique with my clients. I am glad to inform you that insurance companies will cover nutritional counseling. Please visit LindaRD.com for the list of companies that cover counseling, past articles, and more information about nutritional concerns. Call me at (925) 855-0150 or e-mail me at lifeweight1@yahoo.com. Advertorial
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Page 30 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
A Healthy Balance
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As a fitness professional, I meet many people who say they want to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Over time, their focus has shifted to their family or their career, away from their own well being. The irony is that we need our health to be strong for our family, to advance our careers, and to handle the stressors of every day life. Unfortunately, many of us wait until it is too late to make our health our priority. Don’t allow that for yourself. Learn to prioritize your health today with your daily choices, and you will find a healthy balanced tomorrow. Lifestyle diseases plague our society. More than 1/3 of the U.S. adult population is obese, and the youth population is following suit. Unless we want to die younger from diseases we could prevent with better choices, we must make changes today. It is time to turn the tide and get back in balance. When it comes to exercise, finding an activity or program you truly enjoy will make all the difference. Exercising with friends elevates the experience; you nourish your bodies’ need for movement and benefit from camaraderie, community, and accountability. Many experts note that accountability is an important part of the shift to a healthy lifestyle. If you are just beginning your fitness journey, start light with walking. Over time, work up to five days per week. Elevate your distance and speed so that you can walk at a brisk pace for a half hour without stopping. At that point, it is time to start a cross training program to promote mobility and flexibility. If you were an athlete and some time has passed since your last workout, ease back in. Former athletes who jump into an intense exercise program with their former competitive mind-set often get injured. Low impact activities like hiking, jogging, or biking are a smart way to make a smooth re-entry. A balanced diet is a large component of a healthy lifestyle. Nutrient rich foods promote health, and processed foods do not. Fast food is the number one source of calories eaten out according to the USDA, and this is a perpetuating
problem, a vicious cycle. When people eat fast food they deprive their bodies of essential nutrients and “fill up” on processed junk that is full of sugar. This leaves them with a lack of energy, and once the sugar burns off, guess what? They crave more junk! Choose your calories wisely and fuel your body with nutrient rich, whole foods. For a list of whole foods, visit mypyramid.gov. Portion size is very important. Often times what is on one plate is more than enough for two meals. Eating in is a great way to control portion size, food quality, and nutrient content. If that is not possible, try tweaking your meal to suit your health priorities. Here are some suggestions. • Ask the food server to hold the chips and bread. You do not need those empty calories before your real meal. Period. • Drink water with lemon instead of sugary drinks. Lemon curbs cravings and aids in digestion. • Take dressings on the side, and opt for vinaigrette instead of creamy. • Ask for grilled veggies or a salad instead of french fries. • Look for vegan, vegetarian, or low calorie options. • Put your fork down between bites, and chew your food. • Stop eating when you are full. Wrap it up and give it to the needy, or pack it for lunch the following day. Good health is not about how you look; it’s about how you feel. You only get one body, so take it seriously. Make small tweaks with your health in mind, and soon they will become those big changes you’ve dreamed of. When you start feeling good, it shows. When you feel good you radiate goodness. Prioritize your health in your daily choices, and soon you will find that healthy balance inside and out! Michelle Brown is an ACE certified fitness professional, Kung Fu Black Belt, blogger, public speaker and owner of Gumsaba Outdoor Fitness. Michelle has been helping clients surpass their goals since 1998. Gumsaba has been voted best Boot Camp in the East Bay by Diablo Magazine readers for two years running and offers Co-ed, Women-Only, and Men-Only, and Teen programs year round. Join Gumsaba for a FREE WEEK of Outdoor Fitness. Visit our website at gumsaba.com to get started. Use promo code BALANCE to redeem your free week. (925) 683 – 5630 Advertorial
comes from working for Marriott International Hotels and Resorts, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Committee and the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Committee. In 1997, having moved her family 19 times both nationally and internationally, Sally decided it was time to turn her experience into a business. On January 15 th, social time begins at the Museum at 10am. Greeters will be on hand in the foyer to welcome guests and usher them into the meeting. Following a brief business meeting at 10:30, the program will run about an hour, including time for questions and answers.
For information about this FREE program, contact Dee Thompson at Dee4life@earthlink.net. Members of the Guild Steering Committee refer to Programs Director Nora Wagner as “the heart of the docent program.” Wagner has been with the Museum since 1991. The pamphlet she sends to schools throughout the area details the California State Standards for each grade level supported by the Museum’s Free School Programs. To schedule a tour or learn about volunteering or becoming a docent call her department: 925-736-2277 x239, email programs@blackhawkmuseum.org.
By Michelle Brown, Gumsaba Boot Camp
Guild continued from page 27
Guild members take a moment to pose with Museum Director Tim McGrane and Programs Director Nora Wagner.
Chromatica continued from page 12
of the greatest composers of the 20 century, whose centenary is being celebrated this year. His “Rejoice in the Lamb” is a particularly fascinating setting of a poem by Christopher Smart, an 18th century English writer. The program will also include works by Offenbach and Gounod, both celebrated operatic composers. Jean Berger’s “A Song of Seasons!” is a multi-part piece that celebrates the annual calendar. Following the same theme is Ruth Schram’s “Seasons Come, Seasons Go.” Also included is a piece by Brian Lewis based on a Robert Burns poem titled “A Red, Red Rose.” “I am delighted to be presenting the next set of concerts with Chromatica, which th
has come a long way since its beginnings,” said David Huff. “Our standards are very high, and we are beginning to perform at a level that will keep interesting the audiences that have already heard us. I hope that this set of concerts will attract new listeners as we seek to expand our musical presence in the San Ramon Valley and beyond.” Tickets can be purchased through the Chromatica website at www.chromaticachorale.org. Ticket prices for each concert are $15 if purchased before January 25 and $20 thereafter. There is a $2 discount for seniors and children under 16. Learn more about us and opportunities to audition for Chromatica at our website www.chromaticachorale.org.
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Alamo Today ~ January 2014 - Page 31
Winterize Your Skin
By Dr. Jerome Potozkin
Our mission is to provide personalized care, help maintain independence and enhance our client’s quality of life on a daily basis.
Heartfelt & Supportive
• Free in-home assessments • Regular home visits ensure the right care plan • Hourly care for you • Live-in care • Fully bonded and insured • Geriatric care mgmt. • Elder referral and placement
As an avid skier I am hoping that by the time you are readAt All Times... ing this the snow gods 3645 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite D Lafayette, CA 94549 have looked favorably (beside Trader Joe’s) www.excellentcareathome.com 925-284-1213 upon the ski resorts with a substantial dumping of snow. Even though winter starts every year on December 21st, many Cancer Support Community people don’t feel wintery until a few major snowstorms have hit the Sierras. Winter brings special needs for your skin. The Cancer Support Community presents two free classes at their facility Just like the single best thing you can do for your general health is to quit located at 3276 McNutt Avenue in Walnut Creek. Reservations are required. or never start smoking, the single best thing you can do for your skin is to Please call (925) 933-0107 to register. protect it from ultraviolet radiation. Most people don’t think of sun protecCancer Genomics: Biomarkers & Targeted Therapies For tion in the winter, but it would be helpful if you did. If you are a skier or Better Outcomes ~ January 18th~ 10AM – Noon boarder, your sun exposure occurs at a higher altitude where there is less Learn about newly emerging targeted therapies, genomics biomarkers, atmospheric filtering of the sun’s harmful rays. Secondly, the snow serves as and diagnostic technologies that allow the molecular profiling of individual a giant reflector, so you get both direct sun and reflected sun. The smart thing tumors, informing the medical team of cancer subtypes, and leading the way to do is apply a sunscreen of SPF 30 or greater prior to hitting the slopes. If to more personalized treatment. Facilitated by Ann Mongan, PhD, a cancer you need help picking out a sunscreen, we are happy to help. Nothing beats a warm weather vacation during the cold winter months. researcher who specializes in developing novel cancer therapeutics. For Go and enjoy, but again use your sunscreen along with common sense to cancer patients, their families and friends. Living Well Beyond Cancer ~ February 1st ~ 10AM - Noon avoid the sun’s peak hours, and wear protective clothing. Forget about goLearn about tools and resources to make a successful transition from ing to a tanning salon prior to your vacation to get a “protective” tan. Skin cancer, photo-aging, and wrinkles are all caused by the cumulative sun and treatment to survivorship including wellness practices for recovery and risk reduction, managing late and long-term side effects of treatment, and copultraviolet exposure we get. If you are a minor, it is now illegal to go to a tanning salon. For those who want the appearance of a tan, then by all means ing with emotional changes. For cancer patients, their families, and friends. Presented by Shell Portner, RN, BSN, Cancer Survivorship Nurse Navigator feel free to get a spray-on or rub-on tan. One of the more common problems we see during winter months is dry at John Muir Health and a cancer survivor. itchy skin. The dry air this time of year contributes to itchy skin. You might Diablo Singles Dance Club think that water exposure would moisturize your skin, but the opposite is true. Diablo Singles Dance Club holds a public dance the last Wednesday of each The more time you spend in water and the hotter the water is the more dry month from 7:30pm-10:30pm at the Shadelands Art Center located at 111 N. Wiget and itchy you will get. For those with dry itchy skin, I recommend using a Lane in Walnut Creek. There is live music, refreshments, and free parking. The cost mild cleanser or soap, taking quick showers, and patting one’s skin dry. After patting one’s skin dry is the best time to apply a moisturizer. Try to limit is $7 for members and $9 for non-members. For information, call (925) 837-2851. your showers to one a day, and avoid soaking in baths or hot tubs as this can make things worse. If you have problems with dry, itchy, or sensitive skin, feel free to call us today to schedule an appointment as we are here to help. FOR RENT Dr. Potozkin is a board certified dermatologist who has been serving the CONDO VACATION RENTAL Mauna Lani Resort, Big Island. New luxury local community since 1993. His fully accredited dermatological and laser th facility is located at 600 San Ramon Valley Blvd, Suite 102 in Danville. He 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath condo on 4 fairway. Minimum 3 night stay. Contact Alamo owners for discounted rate. (925)381-7042, Alamomgt@usa.net is accepting new patients. Please call 925-838-4900 or visit Potozkin.com for more information. Advertorial
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Page 32 - January 2014 ~ Alamo Today
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Alamo Real Estate: Still Climbing!
homes were sold during the year, and yet a fair number of homes remain on the market unsold. Has demand for Alamo Homes waned? I think not, just the opposite. In the last month I’ve had 85 potential buyers visit a single Alamo property Nancy and I have listed, which means that the buyers are out there. What we are hearing is that many buyers are unable to obtain a second mortgage for fix up, so homes in original condition don’t meet their criteria. Empty nest downsizers are discovering that smaller 3 and 4 bedroom homes just don’t have the space for entertaining that they enjoyed in their larger homes, and few seem to be inclined to do major remodels. Alamo Homes that seem to be attracting the greatest number of offers right now are homes between 3,000 and 4,000 square feet which are recently remodeled or updated in either the Round Hill Area or on Alamo’s West Side. These homes frequently receive multiple offers and are selling well over asking price. At this writing I see no reason to believe that the market will reverse its positive course in 2014. Interest rates remain low, Bay Area employment is improving, and the Silicon Valley is on fire with IPO’s. Alamo home prices probably won’t rise quite as fast next year, and I believe the return to a more seasonally driven market will continue, which should translate into a very strong spring selling season. Nancy and I want to wish you a Happy New Year! 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 opinion of your home’s current market value, please give me a call 925-989-6086 or send me an email joecombs@thecombsteam.com. For more Alamo and Danville Real Estate articles, please visit our website at www.thecombsteam.com.
I am opening this article with the closing statement I wrote at the beginning of 2013: “There is reason to believe Alamo Real Estate will continue climbing, maybe not so fast, but still “Up! Up! And Away!” As it happens, I was correct in my assessment. During the first quarter of 2013, sales prices improved significantly, growing by 25% over the same quarter in 2012. It’s not quite the 75% experienced the previous year, but on balance it’s very good. Average price followed suit, increasing by 11% from the same quarter in 2012. Dollars paid per square foot hit $411 which is 14% more than last year’s prices. With regard to price, the aforementioned pattern of increase held up in every quarter except the 4th which took a slight seasonal dip. For the year, Alamo’s median price jumped from $1,170,000 in 2012 to $1,290,000 in 2013 for an increase of 10% in median price. One hundred seven homes sold for more and 107 homes sold for less. This number is important for it tells us that a mix of more expensive homes sold this year than last year. The most expensive home on Country Oak Lane sold for $4,025,000 and obtained $710 per square foot, which is off the charts for Alamo. It’s becoming clear that the high-end Alamo home market is beginning to recover. Average price paid for a home in Alamo in 2013 was greater than last year, moving from $1,227,000 in 2012 to $1,389,000 in 2013. This represents a 13% increase in average price. The difference between median and average price is 5.6%. In a reasonably stable and homogeneous housing market one would expect these numbers to be fairly close to one another. In 2013 these two numbers were slightly less than 5% apart. The widening this year is being driven by an increase in the mix of expensive homes sold. It suggests that confidence is returning to banks making super jumbo loans 2013 Alamo Real Estate Sales by Quarter Q1 Q2 and those purchasers who view their primary residence as an investment. This Unit Sales 42 84 change translates into a better market for sellers of high-end homes. Median Price $ 1,299,000 $ 1,245,000 The biggest negative heard during 2013 among agents and buyers alike has been $ 1,289,000 $ 1,317,000 that there is “low inventory and nothing good to buy.” This is born out in the data. Total Average Price $$ Per Sq. Ft. $ 411 $ 443 home sales dropped from 281 in 2012 to 215 in 2013. That means about 25% fewer
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