Lafayette Today May 2016

See Observatory on page 21High to Raise Money for Burton Valleycontinued Class Shoots the Hidden Genius Project

The Book Bonanza is an annual fundraiser that has been a long-standing tradition at Burton Valley Elementary School. Every year, the students from Ms. Martinsen’s 4/5 grade AIM class collect, price, and, of course, sell, books. . . at incredibly low prices (some books are as cheap as 10¢).All proceeds go to a charitable cause, and this year the students chose to support The Hidden Genius Project. Based in Oakland, this non-profit organization provides Oakland (and surrounding area) black male youths with the knowledge, skills, mentors, and experiences to obtain and create technological jobs in this new, global, 21st-century economy. The whole class banded together to complete each step in the process, and after three weeks of collections and pricing, the two-day sale was on. Classes from the Burton Valley community came to support the AIM class, buying books and contributing donations to the donation jar .

After the frenzy, the students counted their change bags and were thrilled to realize they had surpassed their goal and raised $1,439.21! The students presented a check to Brandon Nicholson of The Hidden Genius Project right after winter break and felt good knowing they had made a difference in many disadvantaged children’s lives.

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

May 2016

Serving the Lafayette Community

Dog Agility Leads to Exciting Opp portunity

Grateful Gatherings

Like many high school seniors, Morgan Orsolini, who attends Acalanes High School, is involved in a sport. Unlike many students, Morgan’s chosen sport involves an unusual teammate, her 2 ½ year old Border Collie named Tyme.

Morgan has been involved with dogs since she was around four years old when she began volunteering with her mom at an animal shelter.

Although she was too young to go in the kennels with the dogs, she was able to toss treats to them and start training them to be quiet when people approached.

This helped to make the dogs more adoptable.

Morgan’s mom had been Morgan works with her dog on the course. raised with dogs but became allergic to them, so for many years Morgan’s family was unable to have a dog in their house. After many years of allergy shots and two puppies that had to be returned because they made her mom sick, the family was able to rescue an older non-shedding dog. After that success and more shots, the family was able to get a Brittany puppy named Dixie. So at age 11, Morgan finally had a puppy to train.

Morgan and Dixie started with basic Obedience classes and then moved on to Rally, two different types of dog performance events. They then got involved in Hunt Tests because Dixie was a true bird dog, followed by Agility when Dixie was about one year old.

Dog Agility is a team sport where the handler and dog have to run a course of between 16 and 30 obstacles (jumps, tunnels, weave poles, seesaws, etc) for points and the fastest time. The dog has to be trained to do all of the obstacles and to follow their handler’s directions. The handler has to be able to memorize the course in less than 10 minutes and then be able to direct the dog in the fastest way possible that will work for that dog.

Every dog is different: a small or slow dog is handled very differently compared to a fast or large dog. Some dogs prefer certain obstacles and have to be directed around them when they aren’t supposed to take them. An example of this is a dog who is a “tunnel sucker,” a term used for dogs that will run halfway across the course to go into a tunnel because they enjoy this obstacle so much.

Morgan has become such a good handler over the years that she is often asked to handle her classmate’s dog if their handler is unavailable.

Morgan and Dixie trained together for several years and finally started entering agility competitions, called trials. They did very well together, but Dixie started having back problems, and Morgan had to make the difficult decision to retire her because she didn’t want Dixie to be in pain.

Morgan then decided to purchase a Border Collie puppy, using her own money.

She found a reputable breeder, filled out the application forms, and then spent months anxiously waiting to see which litter would have a puppy for her. The

In 2013, KTVU’s Frank Sommerville covered a story that involved an East Bay family and how they handled the holidays while living in a shelter. Sommerville’s wife Donna accompanied him to the shelter, and they became acquainted with the family. When that family was finally able to move to their own apartment, Donna took it upon herself to gather from friends and family items to stock their empty abode. Donations were quickly gathered, and volunteers helped to set up the apartment.

The effort was entirely rewarding, and Donna set out to formalize and expand on the idea that a community can come together quickly and easily to make a difference. Thus, Grateful Gatherings was born.

Partnering with her good friend Chris Flitter, Donna sought non-profit status for the new venture, the mission of which is to improve lives by

See Agility continued on page 22 Local Postal Customer

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providing quality furniture and household goods to those transitioning out of homelessness and poverty.

Grateful Gatherings believes that by providing families in transition – or those having faced tragedy – with a safe, warm, comfortable and well-equipped home, they have a greater chance for success outside the home. “We like to think we fill their home with needs and with hope,” says Donna.

See Grateful continued on page 20

Taste of Lafayette Don’t miss Lafayette’s favorite dinner party – the “Taste of Lafayette” restaurant stroll which will be held Tuesday, May 17th from 5:30-9pm.

There is no better way to experience Lafayette’s Restaurant Row than with friends, family, and neighbors while walking through beautiful downtown Lafayette and sampling signature dishes from the town’s popular restaurants and local caterers.

Start your evening at the hosted wine and beer reception at 5:30pm at the Lafayette Plaza Park. Here, participants check in, meet friends, and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine or beer while noshing on delicious

See Taste continued on page 9

Volume X - Number 5 3000F DANVILLE BLVD #117 ALAMO, CA 94507 Telephone (925) 405-6397 Fax (925) 406-0547 editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do not necessarily reflect that of Lafayette Today. Lafayette Today is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.

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Lafayette Juniors Host 17 Annual Kitchen Tour for Charity Tickets are on sale for the Lafayette Juniors 17th Annual Kitchen Tour. This self-guided tour will be held on Saturday, May 14th from 10AM to 3PM and welcomes guests into six special Lafayette homes with beautifully designed classic, traditional, and transitional kitchens including a stunning kitchen frequently featured as a backdrop for Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn photo shoots. Attendees will receive a Kitchen Tour program detailing all of the distinctive design elements of the kitchens as well as information on the architects, designers, and contractors who created these spaces.

Participants will enjoy delicious appetizers and fresh-baked cookies by local favorite, “baked.” Tour attendees will also get the chance to see the homes come to life with art from Lafayette’s Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery and fun entertaining tablescapes set by Effortless Hostess.

Proceeds from this year’s event benefit the work of five local non-profit organizations: Youth Homes, Diablo Ballet’s PEEK Outreach Program, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, and Lamorinda Spirit Van. These organizations were selected by the Lafayette Juniors for the support they provide to children, families, and seniors in the East Bay. Tickets are $40 ($35 tax deductible), with a box lunch available for $15.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.lafayettejuniors.org and are also available at Premier Kitchens in Lafayette.

For more information on the Lafayette Juniors Kitchen Tour and its beneficiaries, visit www.lafayettejuniors.org.

Sons in Retirement Lamorinda Branch 174 Sons in Retirement is a social organization of retired and semi-retired men who enjoy spending leisure time with friends and activities. Activities include golf, bowling, bocce ball, table pool, travel, fishing, computers and technology, bridge, poker, pinochle, investing, wine tasting, walking, astronomy, stamp collecting, etc. The group meets for lunch at 11AM the second Wednesday monthly at Holy Trinity Culture Center, 1700 School Street in Moraga.

The guest speaker on May 11th will be Assemblywoman Catharine Baker who represents the 16th Assembly District. Her talk, “A Legislative Update,” will cover what is of prime interest in the Assembly on May 11.

For attendance and membership info, call Tyler at (925) 284-5561.

For more information, please visit www.branch174.sirinc2.org.

League of Women Voters Diablo Valley The following programs are presented by the League of Women Voters Diablo Valley (LWVDV). League and non-League members are welcome.

There is no charge for participation. Come participate, discuss, and learn.

Water: What’s Next?

Please join LWVDV at their third Saturday meeting on May 21st. The guest speaker will be Marguerite Patil from the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD). Ms. Patil joined the CCWD in 2000 and is the Special Assistant to the General Manager for the agency. She also manages CCWD’s Delta and regional strategic initiatives, water resources, and legal services programs.

This program will be held at the Concord Library, located at 2900 Salvio Street in Concord, from 3 - 4:30PM.

Future of the Community College System Dr. Helen Benjamin will be LWVDV’s speaker on Saturday, June 11th.

Dr. Benjamin is the retiring Chancellor of the Contra Costa Community College District. She will be sharing her experience in higher education and her perspective on the future of a community college system now faced with fluctuating budgets and changing demographics.

The event will take place in the Cedar Room at the Lafayette Community Center, 500 St. Mary’s Road in Lafayette, from 11AM - noon.

Toastmasters Develop Your Presentation Skills!

Goal Achievers Toastmasters meetings are held every Monday from 7:15 8:15pm at Atria Park Lafayette, located at 1545 Pleasant Hill Road. Become the speaker and leader you want to be. The group is open to everyone aged 18 and up. For more information, visit http://goalachievers.toastmastersclubs.org.

Lafayette Rotary Club Presents 22nd Annual Concert at the Res The 22nd annual Concert at the Lafayette Reservoir will be held on Saturday, May 14 from 11AM until 3PM. Since 1996, Lafayette Rotarians have been hosting an afternoon of live music at the Lafayette Reservoir featuring local bands including Acalanes High School, Stanley Middle School, Bentley School, and Westlake Middle School. The program has been expanded in the last few years to include young dancers and singers from Town Hall Troupe and Lamorinda Theatre Academy. This annual concert raises money to support local school music programs as well as other Rotary-sponsored programs such as Meals on Wheels, Trust in Education, and Rotary Scholarships. The concerts are presented on the beautiful outdoor stage in the Lafayette Reservoir that was entirely built and funded by the Lafayette Rotary Club and individual community donors, and has recently been deeded to EBMUD to be operated by them for use and enjoyment by the entire public.

Concert at the Res was conceived of by Lafayette Rotarian Dick Holt over 20 years ago to provide a venue to showcase and help fund local school music programs through donations, corporate sponsorships, and the proceeds from a day-of-the-event raffle.

Along with the great live entertainment, there will be food and drinks for purchase. It is also the perfect spot for a picnic on the lawn and chairs, and shade tents will be provided for those attending. Though the stage is a short walk from the parking area, the Rotary Club will be providing golf cart transportation to and from the stage for those who may desire it. Public restrooms and a children’s play area are nearby, and parking is available for $7 all day or at metered parking. The concert is a free event.

Raffle tickets will be available for purchase to win great prizes including weekend getaways.

AAUW Distinguished Women Luncheon The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Orinda-MoragaLafayette (OML) Branch will be recognizing the many volunteers to the Burckhalter School at its annual “Distinguished Woman” luncheon on Tuesday May 17th.

This year will feature Distinguished “Women” as the Branch has provided 40+ volunteers for over 23 years to Burckhalter Elementary School in Oakland.

The luncheon will be held at the Moraga Country Club. The cost is $33 and reservations can be sent to Janet Mendenhall at 2424 Tice Creek Drive #3, Walnut Creek, CA 94595.

The founders of the tutoring program at Burkhalter in 1993, Carol Messinger and K. de Groot, have volunteered all 23 years. Five others have over 15 years of service: Marilyn Budge (founder of the library program), Jan Coe, Carrol Foxall, Jean Somerset, and Connie Mueser. The volunteers give time each week to tutor children or work in the library.

The OML Branch volunteers have provided over 27,000 tutoring hours, making a significant impact in the lives of the children and the school as a whole.

Marilyn Budge is responsible for reopening the Burckhalter School library in 1997. Without AAUW-OML staffing it, the school would not have a functioning library today.

Volunteers include teachers, librarians, engineers, lawyers, and many other professional’s. These distinguished individuals make a deep and lasting impact on the lives of the children of Burckhalter School.

AAUW OML is sponsoring a Shred Fest on Saturday May 21st, 9am to 1pm at 5A Rent-A-Space, located at 455 Moraga Road, Moraga. The cost is $7/file box. Proceeds fund Science & Math Camp Scholarships Gopher/Mole Removal for teacher-nominated Lamorinda 8th No Poison grade girls.

For more information, visit 925-765-4209 www.oml-ca.aauw.net.

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Lafayette Today ~ May 2016 - Page 3

Boulevard View

By Alisa Corstorphine, Editor The concept of something having contradictory qualities to different people has been around a long time. “One man’s meat is another man’s poison� was a 17th century proverb. In the 1860’s in Hector Urquhart’s Popular Tales of the West Highlands, he states, “But one man’s rubbish may be another’s treasure.� The more modern interpretation substitutes the word “trash� for “rubbish,� and we note that something one person considers worthless may be considered valuable to someone else.

I recently received a new end table for our home. The table was made from old wooden wine crates and topped with a “pecky cedar� board pulled from an old barn in Fresno. I love things that are reused and repurposed, and this unique piece was just what I was looking for. Since the table was in Los Angeles and I am up north, the company made a plywood shipping crate to ship the table to us in one piece.

Once the table was unboxed, the crate sat in my side yard for several weeks before my husband claimed it was time to take it to the dump. Not that I needed another project, but the crate spoke to me as a perfect dog house or storage unit, and I wasn’t willing to just chuck it in the dump.

Realizing my crafty repurposing vision wasn’t going to happen under my watch, I suggested posting the box on Nextdoor.com to see if anyone else had a vision for it.

Nextdoor.com offers a good online neighborhood community for sharing resources and recommendations, and it is a venue to locally sell or give away items.

I posted the box and within a couple hours I had multiple people interested in taking it and using it for different purposes. One person wanted to use it as a tall garden planter box for a non-profit group. Another wanted to use it for grain storage for her horse. These ideas were so much better than throwing The Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and the City of Lafayette present

A Stroll Down Restaurant Row Tuesday, May 17, 2016 5:30pm - 9:00pm Sample 20+ Restaurants, Live Music Wine & Appetizers, Dessert & Coffee Tickets: $45/person through May 6 $50/person thereafter

http://bit.ly/taste16 Presented by the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.

Proceeds also benefit the Lafayette Community Foundation.

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LAFAYETTE ROTARY

the box in the dump and frankly took less effort (and cost) than disposing it there. It was great to re-home the box and give it away to be used again.

Speaking of treasures, I recently had the opportunity to visit a local treasure located right in our backyard. In my family’s 10th year of hosting students from the south of France, I reflect on how people from all over the world save their hard-earned money and precious time to travel to see the jewels in our own area. We often take our local sites and venues for granted, but when they are seen through other eyes a new specialness for these treasures appears.

Our students this year were two 19 year old boys who loved cars. We decided to take them to the Blackhawk Automotive Museum (www.blackhawkmuseum.org) in Danville.

The museum features over 40 vintage cars from the US and Europe all displayed and polished to showcase their beauty. In addition, the museum added a permanent exhibit called The Spirit of the Old West which is a worldclass display depicting the history of the Western Frontier, the settlers, and Native Americans. It was a fascinating exhibit and well worth seeing.

Without our students we wouldn’t have carved the time out to see this. It often feels like exploring sites like this must be done only on vacation, and I think that’s silly. We have this wonderful bounty of places to see and explore. “Staycations� make a lot of sense, especially when we live in such a wonderful place.

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An afternoon was spent with US and French students at a Cal vs Stanford Men’s Lacrosse match.

Page 4 - May 2016 ~ Lafayette Today

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Lafayette Community Garden and Outdoor Learning Center

Rotary Club of Lafayette 70th Anniversary Celebrated

Discovering Connection Through Miwok Eyes Summer Camp

The Rotary Club of Lafayette recently celebrated their 70th anniversary at a luncheon at the Oakwood Athletic Club where they meet each week on Thursdays.

President Dino Riggio introduced master of ceremonies George Chaffey who guided attendees through the long history of service by the Lafayette Rotary Club in the community and the world. George is a charter member of the Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary and served as District Governor 1997-98.

Lafayette Rotary was chartered in 1946 by the Rotary Clubs of Berkeley (chartered in 1916) and Walnut Creek (chartered in 1937).

That Lafayette Rotary was involved in the chartering of four other Rotary Clubs: Orinda (1949), Lamorinda Sunrise (1987), Diablo View in Walnut Creek (2009), and the Ekaterinburg, Russia Club (1998).

Chaffey acknowledged the members in the Club who had been members for over 25 years including special tribute for length of membership to Bill Eames, 52 years; Tom Courtright, 44 years; and

Kids 8-12 are encouraged to sign up for “Discovering Connection Through Miwok Eyes” summer camp. Experience nature’s riches all around. Learn about foods, materials, peaceful sounds, and spaces. Participants will explore nature’s land, plants, trees, and animals, and make acorn meal, arrow shafts, clapper sticks, and more.

Two sessions will be held at the Lafayette Community Garden, located at 3932 Mt. Diablo Blvd. (near the Lafayette Reservoir).

The instructor will be Peggy Magilen, and cost for camp is $40 ($15 deposit required at time of registration).

To register visit lafayettecommunitygarden.org/classes-and-events.

Scottish Country Dancing Come dance every Thursday evening, year-round. No partner is required and no Scottish ancestry is needed. This dancing is aerobic and very sociable.

Adult beginners are welcome anytime. Classes take place each week at 8PM. More experienced dancers also begin at 8PM in a separate class. All classes are held at the Danville Grange, located at 743 Diablo Road in Danville. All dance nights are drop-in. The first beginner lesson is free; afterwards the cost is $8/night or $6/night if attending a 10-week session paid in advance.

Call Witsie at (925) 676-3637 or Kathleen at (925) 934-6148 for more information. Classes for youth are also offered at a different location; please call Kathleen for dates and fees.

Petaluma Beer Competition

By Linda Summers-Pirkle Beer halls are fun places. I lived in Frankfurt, Germany for a time where there are plenty of them. I have fond memories of joining friends on warm summer evenings, sitting outside under stringed lights on benches at long narrow wooden tables with pitchers of ale, and laughing and even singing, a lot.

Last year in Sonoma County, Eric Lafranchi, owner of TAPS beer bar and restaurant in Petaluma, came up with a beer lover’s event: The Home Brewers Competition. Home brewers brought their specialties, and the general public voted on their favorites. The top five people’s choices went to a panel of beer judges who narrowed them down to one winner who had the opportunity to brew their winning recipe at a local brewing company and distribute it throughout Sonoma County.

The event was so successful that the second annual competition will be held at a much larger venue, the Sonoma Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma, on May 28.

Some highlights for this year’s competition according to Christine Aluia, Coordinator for the Home Brews Competition will include a beer brewing demonstration, hop growing demonstrations, hop plant sales, cheese tastings by cheese makers in Sonoma County, beer games, beer swag, beer food, home brew club sign ups, food trucks of all kinds, live music, cooking with beer demos, prizes, and of course beer of all kinds.

According to a 2013 Home Brewers Association survey, there are an estimated 1.2 million home breweries in the U.S. Two thirds of the home brewers began brewing in 2005 or later. The average home brewer is 40 years old with most (60%) falling between the ages 30-49. Collectively, home brewers produce more than two million barrels of brew. These breweries represent a small portion (1%) of total U.S. beer production. People love their beer!

My husband and I recently visited Lagunitas Brewery and restaurant in Petaluma.There were groups of college student playing cards on the long tables, grandparents with grand kids, and many families. It was packed both inside and outside under the huge rain canopy that, according to our waiter, is transformed into a sun shade when the weather reaches the high temperatures during the summer months.

After lunch, we joined thirty or so people on a tour of Lagunitas brewery with our delightful guide who wove facts with some humorous fiction that the crowd enjoyed.

One of my favorite spots in Petaluma does not involve beer at all. It’s an ice cream shop called LALA Creamery. This darling, old fashioned parlor never

See Petaluma continued on page 19

Ed Stokes, 40 years. Chaffey mentioned the Club’s impact on the community, in that over the years its membership has included two city managers, two city council members, four chiefs of police, one sheriff, one County Board of Supervisors, three Acalanes High School District superintendants, two principals, and one elementary school district superintendant.

The program included a video presentation regarding some of the community and world projects in which, over the years, the Rotary Club of Lafayette has been involved. Most notable amongst the many community projects were fundraisers for the new library construction and the construction of a stage at the Lafayette Reservoir where Concert at the Res is held each year. Most notable amongst the world projects is Club involvement in the eradication of polio, with Trust in Education in Afghanistan, and in 12 years of involvement with the Center for Citizen’s Initiatives, Productivity Enhancement Program.

Those interested in membership with the Rotary Club of Lafayette are encouraged to attend a complimentary lunch meeting at the Oakwood Athletic Club, located at 4000 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Meetings are held every Thursday from noon until 1:30PM and include interesting program speakers.

Lost Dog!

$50 REWARD If you find him and your name is drawn!

He is very small, so you will have to look hard if you want to find him.

Lafayette Luther is Missing He has become lost in this paper.

Send a letter telling us where you found him, along with your name and address to:

Lost Dog! Lafayette Today, 3000F Danville Blvd #117, Alamo, CA 94507

Jenny Giambastini is our winner!

Luther was hiding on page 19 last month!

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Concert at the Reservoir

Lafayette Today ~ May 2016 - Page 5

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AAUW Awards Ten Outstanding Young Women By Gail Chesler Recently the Orinda-Moraga-Lafayette (OML) branch of the Association of University Women (AAUW) celebrated with 10 remarkable young women from Lamorinda schools. AAUW is the nation’s leading voice promoting equity and education for women and girls.

Tech Trek Camp Scholarships

“Classic”

Women represent only a small fraction of engineers today. Women are also underrepresented in the Polo 69.50 computer science, chemistry, physics, and mathematics fields. To encourage young Lafayette x Moraga x Danville x Montclair x Orinda women to pursue these career Countrywood x Clayton Rd. x Sonoma x Auburn Stockton (Now at Lincoln Center) paths, AAUW sends girls interested in science and math to Tech Trek camp. The six AAUW OML 2016 Tech Trek scholarship winners are Abigail Lee and Yuhan Liu from Joaquin Moraga Intermediate, Reese Whipple and Shannon Lipp from Orinda Intermediate, and Emilia Gutman and Helen Kaidantzis from Stanley Intermediate. These Tech Trek AAUW OML Tech Trek Camp Scholarship Winners and Keynote Speaker: Helen Kaidantzis, Emilia Gutman, Yuhan Liu, Keynote Speaker Mary Fettig, Abbie Lee, scholarship winners wowed the April Awards Ceremony attendees with their Shannon Lipp, Reese Whipple. presentations describing their curiosity and love of science.

Community Service Scholarships The goals of AAUW’s High School and College Scholarships are to encourage local young women graduates who demonstrate academic excellence and invest in their commitment to community service. The four awardees described their stories of growth and life lessons learned through community service to attendees at this AAUW OML annual celebration.

The three high school awardees enriched their school community by working with special needs children and participating in tech and science clubs, athletic teams, and musical programs.

Sister 2 Sister and the Monument Crisis Center are two of the local community projects that benefitted from their service. The 2016 AAUW–OML Scholarships were awarded to Caiseen Kelley, Eleanor Roeder, and Yasmin Shamloo from Lamorinda High Schools. Caiseen is also a former AAUW OML Tech Trek Scholarship recipient.

Carina Novell, a senior at Saint Mary’s College, was awarded the Community Service AAUW OML Community Service Scholarship Winners: Yasmin Scholarship and will use it to study law at UC Davis.

Shamloo, Carina Novell, Eleanor Roeder. Missing: Caiseen Kelley.

Lafayette Girl Scouts Earn Silver Award Charlie Keohane, Jacqui Caulfield, Lynn Wolfe and Sophia Browne, of Girl Scout troop 32787, recently completed their Girl Scout Silver Award.

The girls, current 8th graders, raised money and purchased a new picnic table for the Stanley Middle School Special Education program. The table allows the students in the Special Education program to participate in outdoor activities, such as eating lunch, reading, and art. In addition, the students painted birdhouses which will decorate the surrounding greenery.

The Silver Award is the highest award a Cadette Girl Scout can earn. Each girl had to complete a minimum 50 hours of service toward the project. In order to raise the necessary funds, the scouts set up a booth at the Lafayette Earth Day Festival, selling homemade crafts and painting faces. At the Lafayette Art and Wine Festival and the Happy Valley Harvest Day, the girls ran a face painting booth. In all, the girls raised $950 in order to buy the table.

“It makes me happy that the Special Education students have a place to learn in the peaceful outdoors,” says Charlie Keohane. Ms. Victoria Betrand, the dedicated teacher of the students, said, “We will be using and appreciating the picnic bench for our snack time, lunches, reading groups, and social skills work. The bench provides another opportunity to integrate with our Stanley community.”

Girl Scouts Silver Award - pictured L to R: Lynn, Sophia, Jacqui, and Charlie

The Bookworm

By Joan Stevenson “No more pencils, no more books…,” a familiar song of the last days of school, is sung by students and teacher alike. It is a bit of a tug, the allure of freer days and the goodbyes to special relationships. As the school year ends, The Friends of the Lafayette Library and Learning Center want to show their appreciation to the teachers in Lafayette. To express their gratitude, the Friends will gift each teacher with a book bag, but it is more than just a bag: it is a special Teacher Reward Program that comes with a year-round half-price discount!

Thank you for all the hours, your caring dedication and your hard work. Now, teachers, grab the bag, visit the Friends Corner Book Shop, fill the bag with great books, and enjoy your summer. You deserve it!

And now for the kids…wait until you hear what the Lafayette Library has in store for you!

ComicFest 2016, generously supported by the Friends, starts at 1PM on Saturday May 14 in the Community Hall. There will be artists, workshops, Teacher Friend crafts, raffles, prizes, and more. The guests of AND honor will include Joe Field, creator of Flying Colors Comics and founder of Free Comic Books Day. You may want to get out your superhero or villain costume! There will be a free comic books giveaway as long as the supplies last (children first). That same day, May 14 at 1PM, there will be a gathering in the Lafayette Community Garden for special stories and to plant pumpkin seeds that will be ready for carving for Halloween. Our gardening youngsters may want to check on their seedlings over the next months.

This year the Summer Reading Program runs from June 1 – July 30.

STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) will mean summer fun kids will not want to miss.

Heads up for teenagers! There is a need for volunteers to help out with our programs. For a great addition to your college resume, pick up an application at the library, and turn it in at one of the required orientations on Thursday, May ________________

________________

www.yourmonthlypaper.com 19th from 4PM-5PM (register at tinyurl.com/srfoneLAF2016, Saturday, May 21st from 2PM-3PM (register at tinyurl.com/srftwoLAF2016).

Here’s a challenge: Name the five park/sites in our own Contra Costa County (see the answer below). May events are filled with commemoration of the 100th birthday of the National Park Service (NPS). NPS Superintendent Tom Leatherman will officially kick off a series of NPS programs at Lamorinda Libraries with an overview of the National Park system, highlights of the centennial celebrations across the country, a brief overview of the National Parks and Historical Sites in California, and opportunities for individuals and families planning their visits for the spring and summer months. Enter a raffle and you might be the winner of a free REI Camp dome tent!

Gloria Lenhart has a special place for writers at the Lafayette Library. It is a gathering of individuals working on fiction, memoir, and young adult genre stories. The group has room in their writing feedback groups which meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays twice a month. It is free thanks to the support of the Friends. For more information, contact Gloria at mysfpast@gmail.com.

Wonders of the World will take us on a virtual visit to the new Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive which recently moved to a brand new 21st century facility adapted from the old UC printing plant in downtown Berkeley.

Come on over on Wednesday, May 11 at 2PM to the Community Hall to learn about the merging of the old with the new, the collections, and the programs of this visual arts center of UC Berkeley. The center houses almost 20,000 works of art and over 15,000 films and videos.

The Friends roll out the Red Carpet for Sweet Thursday guest author, Jan Ellison. Ms. Ellison is the USA Today bestselling author of the debut novel, A Small Indiscretion, which was a San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year.

A graduate of Stanford, Jan lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their four children. She will discuss her new novel on May 19 at 7PM in the Community Hall. The novel combines psychological suspense with a tense family drama, a gripping story of the past wreaking havoc in the present.

Your library is ready for summer with reading programs and special events and don’t forget to check out a great book on tape for your time on the road.

ANSWER: National Park System sites in Contra Costa County are John Muir House, Rosie the Riveter Memorial, Black Diamond Mines, Fort Point, and Eugene O’Neill’s Home.

Page 6 - May 2016 ~ Lafayette Today

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Lafayette Today ~ May 2016 - Page 7

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Since 1973

See Grants continued on page 19

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

2395 Monument Blvd., Suite J Concord (925) 680-4433

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

In May 1966

By Ruth Bailey, Lafayette Historical Society Intergroup Camp Project Generates Heated Debate and Multiple Petitions There was great civic interest in a proposed joint project between Lafayette and the Richmond School District which would have students from each community attend a camp together for a week.

The May 6, 1966, Lafayette Sun reported that “The Lafayette School Board will review federal aid to education in general, and the Lokoya Outdoor Intergroup Education Project in particular, at its meeting Monday at Stanley School auditorium.

The move to the auditorium is in anticipation of an overflow crowd at the public hearing.

“The board will consider the petition received from a citizen opposing the Lokoya Project. This petition, signed by 121, said Lafayette should ‘immediately rescind all future plans to use poverty funds for other than the benefit of poverty cases of the district.’”

The following week’s Sun covered the meeting, which did indeed attract a crowd—an estimated 600 attended, called “the largest crowd in the history of Lafayette to attend a school board meeting.” Board members were presented a petition signed by 604 residents asking for the project to be stopped.

“March 14, the five trustees voted unanimously for the Lokoya Project, in which fifth graders from Lafayette and Richmond share an outdoor camp experience, living together for a week in a ‘non-threatening’ environment for the purpose of gaining a better understanding of and respect for people of different ethnic backgrounds.

“The Lokoya School, located nine miles from Napa, provides the setting for this camp experience where the children learn about nature, conservation, and each other.

“Participation in the project is voluntary, and the administrators have proclaimed that the pilot project is ‘highly successful and that use of the

(Across from Costco Gas Station, next to Harvest House)

federal funds for the project is worthy and moral.’ Under the Elementary and Secondary School Act, the federal government provides the funds to finance the undertaking. The petition of opposition questioned the legality of spending federal money meant for ‘educationally deprived children’ on children who have access to the best educational material available.

“Board member Phillip Diamond explained that ‘educationally deprived is a very broad thing... and did not necessarily mean economically deprived.’ The petition said that the Lokoya Project should be stopped and all unused money be returned to its source. Those board members who did not agree with the provisions of the petition were ‘requested to resign in the interest of better schools.’

“Mrs. Kay Hallstone voiced the sentiments of the board when she said, ‘I feel the project needs no defense, and I still approve.’ The board voted unanimously to reject the petition of opposition. A petition signed by 1,100 supported the school board’s stand.

“A three-man Grand Jury investigation committee is planning to attend a school board meeting to question the use of the anti-poverty funds in Lafayette.”

Search and Rescue The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team needs volunteer members to respond to missing person incidents, disasters, and other critical incidents. Team members are on call 24/7 year-round. The program provides required training; including wilderness traveling, first aid, map and compass usage, tracking disaster response, and search skills; and may also include special training for canine, equestrian, technical, mountain bike, or other rescue skills.

For information and applications, visit www.contracostasar.org or call 925-646-4461.

Lamorinda Peace and Justice The Lamorinda Peace and Justice Group meets the fourth Tuesday of each month from 7 – 9PM in the Fireside Room of Lafayette Methodist Church, 955 Moraga Road, Lafayette. The group is committed to working to support a healthy planet, a thriving local community, and a safe, equitable world for all. For information, call (925) 946-0563.

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Page 8 - May 2016 ~ Lafayette Today

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Eagle Scout Rank Awarded to Twelve Lafayette Boy Scout Troop 204 led by Scout Master, Tom Steuber, recently honored 12 young men who have achieved the Eagle Scout Award, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America. The following is a list of each of the scouts who are being honored and a brief description of their Eagle Scout Project.

Christopher Anderson is a junior at Acalanes High School. Christopher built a compost bin for Xenophon Therapeutic Riding Center. Joshua Christian is a junior at Campolindo High School. Joshua worked with the City of Lafayette to preserve the natural landscape around the Lafayette Community Center. W. Colman Cronk is a junior at Campolindo High School. Cole renovated the outdoor entry area of a Shelter Inc. homeless

Troop 204 Eagle Scouts - Back row (L-R) Kai Watanabe, Ethan Kuan, Christopher Anderson, W. Payson Newman, Harley McKee, W. Coleman Cronk; Front row (L-R) Christopher Fulton, Charles Price, Joshua Christian, Isaac Evans, Spencer Spiering, Matthew Mlynek

shelter in Martinez. Isaac Evans is a junior at Acalanes High School. Isaac labeled, catalogued, and organized Bay Area Girls Rock Camp’s entire instrument inventory. He also created a digital database to help track their inventory. Christopher Fulton is a senior at Acalanes High School. Chris refurbished and improved the Birthright House in Concord. Birthright is a nonprofit national organization that provides love and support to women facing unwanted pregnancies. Ethan Kuan is a senior at Acalanes

See Scouts continued on page 17

Four New Troop 243 Eagle Scouts Honored Boy Scout Troop 243 of Lafayette honored four new Eagle Scouts at a recent Court of Honor on April 30 at Lafayette Christian Church. Cameron Atwood, Jack Carey, Kevin Mone, and Connor Ogro earned the Eagle Scout Rank, the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scout program.

Cameron Atwood is a senior at Campolindo High School. Cameron’s Eagle Project was for Holy Shepherd Lutheran Church in Orinda, where he planned and constructed 13 intricate wooden trusses to complete an arbor that runs behind the church. Jack Carey is a senior at Campolindo High School.

Jack’s Eagle Project involved designing and constructing a walkway over a drainage ditch behind Jackson Hall at Saint Anselm’s Church in Lafayette.

Kevin Mone is a senior at Acalanes High School. For his Eagle Project, Kevin designed and built bookshelves for the Veteran’s Library at JFK University.

Connor Ogro is a sophomore at Campolindo High School. Connor’s Eagle Project consisted of building five large shelving units for drum sets, keyboards, and amplifiers belonging to the Lafayette Summer Music Jazz Workshop, which is directed by Mr. Bob Athayde. Boy Scout Troop 243 is chartered by the Lafayette Christian Church and operates under the leadership of Scoutmaster Alan Wandesforde. Since its formation in 1955, 198 Scouts from Troop 243 have been awarded the Eagle Scout Rank.

New Eagle Scouts (left to right) Connor Ogro, Cameron Atwood, Kevin Mone, and Jack Carey.

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Lafayette Today ~ May 2016 - Page 9

Walking the Reservoir and the Deck

By Jim Scala Asia’s booming. Since leaving Singapore, we visited every Asian country including Japan. Asia’s bird, the construction crane, works full time.

Avant-guard structures are everywhere, and in the six clean cities we visited, we saw only three homeless men.

In Shanghai and Beijing, China, the small houses with communal bathrooms of old have given way to high-rise condominiums. In most middle-class areas, education begins in pre-school where children learn a second language by three and are doing well in math after kindergarten. In poorer districts, the education system is improving. Although they are more westernized, they are preserving their culture.

Air pollution and a lack of clean water remain as critical issues. However, China has reduced coal-fired power from 90% to 70% as solar and nuclear power come on-line.

We took a 35 mile ride on the Mag-lev train. It levitates using magnetic forces and literally rides on air. It is the newest train in China’s extensive, high-speed, intercity rail system.

China’s great wall. China’s great wall, built to keep the Mongols out, is awesome. We stopped at a place where it went up a mountain. A sign was posted that said, “If you have heart disease, don’t climb. If you have brain disease, don’t climb.” I asked, “What is brain disease?” No officials knew. It was a tough, invigorating climb – I’ll stick with the Lafayette reservoir.

Cambodia’s killing fields. Jil Plummer’s book, Remember to Remember, is about Brenda, Papillion’s proprietor, who escaped from Pol Pot’s Cambodian Gulag.

A woman’s view of this atrocity seemed right, so I asked Pat Graham, a cruising friend who toured the killing fields, about her reactions. Since Pat had cared for young Riti when his dad returned to fight against Pot, she understood my request. In her words: “Between 1974 and 1979, over two million people were tortured, killed, and buried in the 388 killing fields. A tall glass column holds bones of people who died. Pictures and artist’s renderings of people tied up being systematically tortured in a converted school before being hung, stabbed, and shot to death brought tears. I realized that hell was taking place while I was leading a normal American mother’s life. After the tour our guide asked, ‘Where was the world when we needed them?’ I could hardly hold my tears back and check my emotions.”

Visit Fiesta square’s Papillion, meet Brenda, buy Jil’s book, and get a perspective on that terrible time in recent history.

Donald Trump in Seoul, Korea? Eight of us compared the old Korean Palace to the Chinese Summer Palace. We saw the DMZ and other historical places. Lunch was served in a small restaurant where the owner put many typical Korean dishes out for us to sample. As we were starting dessert, his newspaper was delivered. It was in Korean and about the size of the Contra Costa Times. However, on the front page was a four-by-three-column picture of Donald Trump. It needed no explanation!

Time in perspective. Eight of us took a side trip to a Water Village built over 900 years ago in a low, fertile rice farming area to gain a perspective on olden times.

Villagers dug canals as streets and moved around by boat. With cherry blossoms blooming, it appeared as if to be part of a Hollywood movie set. We walked across a stone bridge that had been built 300 years after the village was established to make life more convenient. As we walked on the worn, still solid and functional stone slabs, we remarked that the village was thriving over 700 years before our country was established. Yet, people still live there and rice paddies abound.

My take on Asian economies. Starting with Viet Nam, it’s clear that even though many are communist countries, everyone seems to be an entrepreneur. It appears that Free Market Capitalism is thriving. However, when we attended a dinner for 700 cruisers in the People’s Great Hall facing Tiananmen Square, soldiers still patrol and close the square at sunset. The leaders don’t allow pictures of the soldiers, but they frequently offer to pose for them. Is a slow evolution taking place in China?

Res-walking is doing well. The senior res-walking program every Tuesday and Thursday at 9AM under the guidance of Toni Lewis is doing well. You’re invited to join, enjoy the exercise, and experience the warm fellowship and conversation the program offers.

I’ll be walking the Reservoir when you read this. Let me hear from you at jscala2@comcast.net.

Taste continued from front page appetizers provided by The Park Bistro and Bar, Lantern Catering, T’s Indian Restaurant & Bar, Boneheads BBQ, The Hideout, Vitality Bowls, and Whole Foods while surrounded by live music by Barrel House playing rock, soul, reggae, and a bluesy vibe!

The “stroll” begins at 6:30pm, when ticket holders head out for two hours at their own pace to stop at any or all of the participating restaurants for sampling. Participating restaurants include Postino, Yankee Pier, Patxi’s Pizza, Rancho Cantina, Amarin Thai, Round Table, Pizza Antica, La Finestra Ristorante, Uncle Yu’s, Rustic Tavern, The Cooperage American Grille, Mangia Ristorante, Sideboard Neighborhood Kitchen, Bistro Burgers, Panache Caffe, Coffee Shop, and RÊVE Bistro. Additional stops include Smitten, SusieCakes Bakery, Powell’s Sweet Shoppe, Amphora Lafayette, and Floral Arts.

It’s an easy walk but for those who prefer to ride, there will be two free shuttle buses.

Don’t worry if some friends want to set a different pace. Everyone will meet back at Lafayette Plaza Park beginning at 8pm to compare notes over dessert and coffee prepared by Huckleberry Kitchen, Millie’s Kitchen, and Vitality Bowl.

This fun community event helps raise funds for the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and the Lafayette Community Foundation, a long-standing local nonprofit that invests in programs and projects which promote and enhance the civic, cultural, educational, and environmental health of Lafayette. The Foundation also draws the winners of its annual raffle during the Taste’s dessert reception. This year’s prizes include a year of dining at Lafayette’s finest restaurants, a weekend at a charming Carmel cottage and use of a BMW from Concord BMW, and a Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa Staycation (includes deluxe room and dinner). Raffle tickets are $25/each or 5 for $100 and can be purchased at the Lafayette Chamber office, at the Taste, or by emailing info@LafayetteCF.org.

Tickets for the event are $50 and are available at www.lafayettechamber. org or at the Lafayette Chamber offices, located at 100 Lafayette Circle. For more information, call (925) 284-7404.

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Page 10 - May 2016 ~ Lafayette Today

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helpdesk@theportablecio.com www.theportablecio.com National Wine Day

By Monica Chappell National Wine Day is celebrated annually on May 25th. We can be thankful that National Wine Day is not the only official wine day of the year.

There are at least 14 other days where wine is “official business.” So, the next time you need a reason to drink wine (as if you do), try the calendar below.

February 18 ~ National Drink Wine Day While February 18 is observed annually as National Drink Wine Day, it would be a shame to only celebrate one day a year.

February 27 ~ Open That Bottle Night - Spread the love at #otbn.

March 3 ~ Mulled Wine Day - The perfect day to make a big heartwarming batch of glogg with mulling spices.

April 17 ~ World Malbec Day - An internationally celebrated event, post at #malbecworldday.

April 24 ~ Sauvignon Blanc Day - New Zealand’s champion grape variety is celebrated at the, #sauvblanc.

May 9 ~ Moscato Day - Moscato is the Italian name for Muscat Blanc. It’s great to see that sweet white wines have at least one day represented in the year.

May 21 ~ Chardonnay Day - The earliest mention we could find about #ChardDay was in 2010 on May 21st!

May 25 ~ National Wine Day - Post at #wineday.

June 11 (or August 14) ~ Rosé Wine Day - Regardless of which day you pick, the main rule about Rosé day is to drink it before Labor Day. August 1 ~ Albariño Day - Albariño day was created to happen during the Albariño festival in the Galician town of Cambados in Spain. The Spanish love their festivals, and so do we!

August 18 ~ Pinot Noir Day - The International Pinot Noir Celebration occurs every year right at the end of July. Perhaps National Pinot Noir day is the official after party.

September California Wine Month - There are events taking place all over this great state.

September 1 ~ Cabernet Day - Rick Bakas, the NoCal native and twitter

guru, came up with the idea of #CabernetDay back in 2010. It’s grown ever since and is held on the Thursday before Labor Day each year.

September 16 ~ Grenache Day - The 3rd Friday in September is the official #GrenacheDay every year. The Grenache Association was created in France to bring awareness to this lovely variety.

October 11-17 ~ Drink Local Wine Week - Seek out some of your local producers, and celebrate at the local level.

November 7 ~ Merlot Day - This often under-appreciated red wine totally deserves its own day.

November 10 ~ Tempranillo Day - Tempranillo day was started by TAPAS or Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos, who passionately push this dry climate Spanish variety.

November 12 ~ Wine Tourism Day - Post at #winetourismday.

November 17 ~ Beaujolais Nouveau Day - This day is marked in France on the third Thursday in November with fireworks, music and festivals. Under French law, the wine is released at 12:01AM, just weeks after the wine's grapes have been harvested. Parties are held throughout the country and further afield to celebrate the first wine of the season.

November 19 ~ Zinfandel Day - National Zinfandel Day is advocated by ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) who also hold a huge Zinfandel tasting in San Francisco every year.

December 4 ~ Cabernet Franc Day - Post at #cabfrancday December 31 ~ Champagne Day - By default, sparkling wine gets New Year’s Eve as its official appreciation day. FYI, you can drink any kind of sparkling wine, including Champagne.

How did these days come to be?

Official wine days are actually pretty unofficial. They are usually a movement started by a variety of individuals or organizations with a passion for juice.

Based on my research, National Wine Day started in 2009 and, since then, a variety of wine appreciation days have popped up in the calendar. So, now that you know how easy it is to make an official wine day, what should we add?

Monica Chappell teaches and writes about wine. Contact wineappreciation101@gmail.com for more information about upcoming wine programs.

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Lafayette Today ~ May 2016 - Page 11

Technology Matters By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO It’s a truism that while many things are good for you in small doses, that larger doses can be toxic. I’ve concluded that the number of reminders, alerts, and interruptions individuals receive, that while helpful, have gotten out of control and have created a toxic atmosphere for concentration and serenity. I believe these well-intended automated “shoulder-shakes” have created unintended consequences of lost productivity. Adding to that, human interruptions of an urgent but unimportant nature exacerbate the problem. Research I’ve read on this topic supports my conclusion.

In fact, one study I read stated, “… results showed that interruptions increase [the] time to complete cognitive tasks and produce more errors in skilled tasks …. Generally, interruptions increase the task completion time, produce worse decisions, and lead to more errors, frustration, annoyance, and anxiety.” (Carayon et al., 2007; Cutrell et al., 2000; Gillie & Broadbent, 1989).

During my research, I came across a website dedicated to this topic at www.interruptions.net. An article they posted led with, “Time is the great equalizer. The hours in a day are something we all share, and lose, at the same rate. As time is our most finite resource, interruptions in the work place can cause a decelerating effect on our workload. In a professional work environment, productivity can be measured by momentum. Much like your automobile has to work harder to accelerate from a complete stop, so does your work. Although NEW YEAR interruptions are part of our normal work life, limiting social interruptions is often crucial in breaking free of the inevitable backlog cycle and • CARPET delivery ‘slippage.’” This “automobile momentum” analogy really resonated with me, because that’s exactly how I feel when I get interrupted. NEW FLOORS! I’ve written here before about the accelerating pace of our society and also about an escalating sense of impatience. All of these alerts, • HARDWOOD reminders, urgent emails, and personal interruptions are part of that systemic impatience. Yes, a calendar reminder can be helpful when • RUGS it tells us we have a meeting in 15 minutes, if you requested it. But do I really want to know when every person I know on Facebook is • CARPET CUSTOM RUGS having a birthday or when someone has changed job status on LinkedIn enough to warrant an alert popping into the upper right corner •• HARDWOOD of my screen when I’m trying to work? No. For me it’s too much. Much too much.

• RUGS LINOLEUM It’s not just automation that is heckling us. Somehow when computers became capable of productively multitasking complex computaTILE tional jobs and providing results at amazing speed, society began to assume that humans could do the same. Not true. In fact, the complete • LINOLEUM opposite is true: productivity plummets when people or organizations are expected to multitask across competing efforts. We are at our best when we can concentrate on one thing at a time. One study I examined showed a 59.8% organizational productivity gain across the body Family Owned Business of surveyed companies when multitasking and interruptions were consciously limited. The mean improvement was 38.2%. Those are huge Since 1989 numbers, and they translate into real dollar figures in terms of the productivity cost of both human and automated interruptions.

I cannot change society, but I can work to insulate myself and my employees from this “noise.” If we do nothing to actively improve 3344 Mt. Diablo Blvd.

Lafayette, CA our situation, every application and website will by default actively try to get our attention with alerts and reminders. To make change, we 925.284.4440 must take active control. For example, I’ve gone through every device I own, opened the ‘Notifications’ section of the control panel, and unchecked the majority of the reminders, whether they are visual, audible, or involve small windows popping up on my device. In Microsoft www.LamorindaFloors.com Outlook, I’ve turned off the default 15-minute calendar reminder. I’ve also turned off the chime as well as that “Desktop Alert” window License# 708486 that by default pops onto my screen for five seconds in the bottom corner when a new message arrives. There’s nothing better to blow my concentration than a juicy tidbit of an email tempting my limited attention to click away instead of staying focused on what I’m doing. The “Do Not Disturb” button on my phone is also my friend when I’m concentrating, and text messages or email may have to wait for a response. It’s all a part of reclaiming these boundaries.

Another example is that I’ve been actively un-subscribing myself from legitimate but unwanted email that doesn’t serve my core business purpose. I admit this is only partially successful, but between unsubscribing and sending things permanently to my “Junk Email” folder, I’m pruning back the number of unsolicited messages and taxes on my time.

How far should you go? Knowing your limits is important. Perhaps you have more self-discipline or can split your attention between activities better than I can.

Hopefully this causes you to examine how these interruptions may have invaded your or your organization’s productivity, and it helps you make some good choices.

Portable CIO is your one-stop IT management firm. We’re excited about what the future holds and would love to share it with you. You can reach us at info@theportablecio.com, or 925-552-7953.

Advertorial

Cinema Classics By Peggy Horn Pillow Talk Cinema Classics recommends for your viewing pleasure the movie Pillow Talk, (1959) featuring Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall, and one of my own favorite actresses, Thelma Ritter. The film was directed by Michael Gordon and written by Russell Rouse, Maurice Rishkin, Stanley Shapiro, and Clarence Greene. Back in the day when comedies were nominated for (and won!) Academy Awards, Pillow Talk won the Oscar for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) and was nominated for Best Actress (Doris Day), Best Supporting Actress (Thelma Ritter), Best Art Direction-Set Direction, Color, and Best Music Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.

This very funny movie is about an interior decorator named Jan Morrow (Doris Day) who shares a party line with a Broadway songwriter, Brad Allen (Rock Hudson). For those unacquainted with party lines, they were telephone lines that were shared.

Party lines undoubtedly generated fodder for many different screenplays, but this one is sufficient for our comedic needs. Mr. Brad Allen monopolizes the party line; that is, he is on the line whenever Jan wants to use it. Although she points this out to him repeatedly, the problem persists. In desperation, Miss Morrow reports him to the phone company, and they send a woman representative to investigate the problem. According to Miss Morrow that is akin to sending a “marshmallow to put out a bonfire.” Once Mr. Allen sees Miss Morrow in person, her gorgeous face and gorgeous figure make him rethink his position on ignoring her, and the plot thickens!

Pillow Talk is a delightful movie which is hilarious at times, much to the credit of its stars. Rock Hudson is a comedic genius, as is Tony Randall who plays Brad Allen’s friend. It is an additional pleasure seeing the beautiful clothes the actors wear. Watch this movie and see if you don’t agree.

Musical Notes Because Pillow Talk was released in 1959, several selections from Wikipedia’s Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles seemed appropriate: “What’d I Say?” by Ray Charles, “Hawaiian Wedding Song,” by Andy Williams, “Peter Gunn Theme,” by Ray Anthony (Henry Mancini), and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

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Page 12 - May 2016 ~ Lafayette Today

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Vote Yes for Measure C By Erin Martin, Village Associates Real Estate As Lafayette homeowners, we know that maintaining our property only protects and preserves our investment and prevents further damage. Although this is a given, when was the last time you crawled under your house to check to see if it is dry or peaked in the attic to make sure that there are not any pesky critters sleeping, eating, and wreaking havoc? I know that general maintenance often gets overlooked in my household, not because we don’t think it is important but because we didn’t check under the hood to see if we needed more oil.

We have not checked “under the hood” of our award winning schools – which we all benefit from whether it be due to increased property values or happy, healthy, and well educated kids. I can’t tell you how many times I hear from buyers – “We want to live in Lafayette because the schools have such a stellar reputation.” Our five schools; Lafayette Elementary, Happy Valley Elementary, Springhill Elementary, Burton Valley Elementary, and Stanley Intermediate; are now 50-70 years old, and only one of the five schools received upgrades over 16 years ago. The physical state of our schools does not reflect the quality of education that our children receive.

We are fortunate to have teachers, administrators, and parent volunteers who have dedicated their precious time to bring to our attention to the desperate need to repair/replace leaky roofs, deteriorated plumbing, HVAC, lighting, and electrical systems. Measure C will also upgrade technology infrastructure to keep pace with 21st century learning by modernizing outdated classrooms, labs, and equipment. We can no longer ignore enrollment growth and instructional needs. Measure C will construct modern, flexible classrooms at Stanley Middle School and reconfigure or construct classrooms on the district’s four elementary school sites. School safety items such as play equipment and pick-up and drop-off zones will be addressed.

Measure C will cost Lafayette homeowners $29.50 per year for every $100,000 of assessed value – not the market value of your home. Assessed value is the taxable value of your home and business and will vary greatly based on when you purchased your home. The good news is that all funds will stay local, and no funds can be spent on administrators’ salaries, benefits, or pensions.

You can learn more about Measure C online at www.YESforLafayetteSchools.org. Please take the time to go online and offer your support, and vote yes for Measure C by absentee ballot or at the polls on June 7th. Our home values depend on our schools.

Please feel free to call or email me your real estate questions or for a free home evaluation. I can be reached at (925) 951-3817 or by email Advertorial at erin@erinmartinhomes.com.

Sustainable Lafayette Tip of the Month May is National Bike Month and a perfect time to dust off your bike. “The solution to some of the World’s biggest problems is in your garage,” reads a brochure from Trek Bicycles. That’s a pretty bold statement, but the facts are compelling: in the U.S., 40% of all trips that we make are within two miles of our homes, and 50% of the working population commutes five miles or less to work. Unfortunately, we are in the habit of using our cars for even the shortest trips. Meanwhile, sitting in the garage is a fun, pollution-free, noise-free alternative that can improve one’s health, protect the environment, and reduce traffic and parking congestion around Lafayette: a bike.

According to ibike.org, bicycling is the most energy-efficient form of transportation ever invented. Even a Toyota Prius, getting 50 mpg, loaded with four adults consumes six times the energy per person as the bicyclist for the same trip (comparing calories of energy burned).

So, the Trek brochure proposes a simple idea: try to use your bike when your trip away from home is two miles or less – running an errand in town, meeting a friend for coffee, going to the Library, stopping by your kids’ school, etc. Remember how much fun it was to ride your bike around town when you were a kid? It’s still just as fun!

Benefits for your health: • Cycling can help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, and just three hours of bicycling per week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%.

• A 140-pound cyclist burns 508 calories in an hour. The average person loses 13 pounds their first year of commuting to work by bike.

• In 1964, 50% of kids rode to school, and the obesity rate was 12%…. In 2004, 3% rode to school and the obesity rate was 45%.

Benefits for the environment: • The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by just increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips.

• Reduced air pollution – 60% of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation.

• Every time you ride, instead of drive, you prevent one pound of CO2 emissions per mile (average).

Benefits for traffic and parking: • Traffic and parking may be the two top complaints in Lafayette. Every time you or your kids bike or walk, it takes a car off the road and reduces parking congestion. You can fit 14 bikes in one parking spot!

• Think of every place downtown having a VIP parking spot right in front, just for you, if you arrive by bike!

If you haven’t used your bike in a while, drop by Sharp Bicycles or Hank & Frank for a bike safety check or tune-up. In case yours is no longer salvageable, these stores carry many commuter and city bikes and related gear, such as baskets and panniers for shopping bags.

To figure out the best route for riding from your home to anywhere, try using GoLafayette.org, an innovative new website developed specifically for Lafayette residents to help find great alternatives to driving. Read the GoLafayette article in today’s paper for more information.

May 12 is Bike to Work Day and a great day to try riding your bike to work. Lafayette will host three energizer stations where you can stop for snacks and encouragement: • Lafayette Plaza Park at the corner of Mt Diablo Blvd & Moraga Rd, 6-8:30AM, hosted by the City of Lafayette Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee • Lafayette-Moraga Trail off of Reliez Station Rd, 6:30-9AM and 4-6PM, hosted by Mike’s Bikes • Lafayette BART, 3:30-6:30PM, hosted by Sustainable Contra Costa More information is available at https://511contracosta.org/bike-work-day-2016-contra-costa/.

Lafayette’s Bike & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) is working hard to expand bike routes and lanes in Lafayette. The committee developed a city bike plan which lists a network of safe routes for getting around Lafayette and also teaches kids bike safety skills.

In Copenhagen, Denmark, two thirds of residents use a bicycle on a daily basis … imagine how much impact that would have on the health, environment, and traffic in Lafayette!

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Energy Matters

By Mark Becker, GoSimpleSolar

Lafayette Today ~ May 2016 - Page 13

Enjoy More Anytime Dining

Memorial Day is a special day for our nation. It is also an especially meaningful day for veterans who have personally experienced the loss of fellow combatants or service members who have died during non-combat training missions.

As an international relations major, green business owner, retired Marine Corps Officer, energy consumer, and all around red-blooded American, I have mixed emotions about a select few Middle Eastern nations conspiring to keep the price of oil low to achieve other long term goals. Petro-politics serves economic and political end goals.

Economically, keeping the price low allows individual Gulf States to keep market share and results in low priced oil here in the USA. From a business perspective, the goal of these nations wanting to keep market share is easily understood, and low prices at the pump is something we all like. Politically, the Gulf States’ goal of maintaining unlimited oil supply is to put stress on the economies of their enemies, Russia and Iran. There is well-founded fear that money from sanction-free Iranian petro-dollars will further fund the regime of Assad in Syria and non-state terrorist actors such as Hezbollah. The caustic and deadly politics of international oil (in which all oil-exporting nation-states participate) has driven me to believe that the security of the American people is best realized by domestic energy production from oil, natural gas, and renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and bio-fuels.

Myself and other like-thinkers are considered to be “domestic energy hawks.” It’s quite interesting that that a great many of “domestic energy hawks” are former members of our military who have served in the Middle East. While recognizing the importance of the free flow of oil to keep the world economy A full life is a happy life. And nothing should keep moving, we also recognize we have the resources at home to be you from enjoying a great meal. That’s why we created our self-reliant, and that we can be independent of Middle Eastern or Venezuelan oil. The natural and negative consequence Enjoy More Anytime Dining program – so you can dine on of artificially low oil prices is damaging the USA’s ability to compete in the oil industry. Ironically, it’s less expensive to your own schedule, whenever it works for you. import oil than it is to produce it at home.

Competition is typically advantageous to any industry, but extremely low prices have a negative effect on our national Call today to schedule your personal security. American energy independence limits the interest we visit and enjoy lunch on us! may have in Middle Eastern petro-politics.

Many of the Gulf States who claim to be our allies also indirectly fund non-governmental groups who act against our nation’s best interests. Separating the terrorist threat from petro(925) 854-1858 politics will allow us to more effectively and objectively target 1010 Second Street real threats to our nation. I’m simply curious; would people pay Lafayette, CA 94549 more per gallon of gas if you knew that gallon was American and locally sourced?

Lic #079200358 merrillgardens.com Gimmicks and solar technology: Admittedly, I’d be hard pressed to defend in a court of law what I consider “gimRetirement Living • Assisted Living • Memory Care micks” now becoming prevalent in our solar industry. The manufacturers of these products tout their “innovations” and “break-through technology” which make for good marketing but not a better long-term system design. GoSimpleSolar is about to undertake complete remediation of another contractor’s very expensive solar project which has the “latest technology” installed. That inverter technology failed, hence failure of the entire PV system. The installation company and the manufacturer of the equipment are both out of business. Over 170,000 of these failed products were sold. Customers of these products now have no recourse except to hire another contractor (us in this case) to remediate the remaining serviceable portions of the solar PV system at additional cost. Beware the “latest and greatest” technology; some technologies are enduring and are best long-term safe choice for your solar PV investment.

A great many of our customers are finance professionals who clearly understand the how “arbitrage” plays a key role in maximizing solar PV investment returns. For the layperson, ‘Arbitrage’: The simultaneous purchase and sale of an asset in order to profit from a difference in the price. It is a trade that profits by exploiting price differences of identical or similar financial instruments, on different markets or in different forms. The “asset” in the case of a solar PV investment is the cost and credit of a PGE kWh. Being imported and exported from a home or business at different times of the day and season, at different costs and credits, allows a solar PV investment to generally provide better financial return than even the best year in the stock market. Almost all risk can be mitigated from a solar PV project if “done right” by the properly licensed installation professionals utilizing high quality non-proprietary products.

Mark Becker is the President and business owner of GoSimpleSolar, by Semper Fidelis Construction Inc, CSLB 948715. GoSimpleSolar is one of the very few solar PV installers utilizing both licensed roofers and licensed electricians for installation work, project managed by a solar PV NABCEP professional.

Advertorial For more information visit www.GoSimpleSolar.com.

at Merrill Gardens

Page 14 - May 2016 ~ Lafayette Today

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County Child Support Services - Special Moments

By Supervisor Candace Andersen Contra Costa County, District 2 Special moments -- baseball practice, dance recitals, tutors, music lessons, birthday parties, and adventures with their parents -- create wonderful memories in the minds of our children. In families where co-parenting by separated and divorced parents is often a reality, issues of child support often cloud the joy of watching children grow. The Contra Costa County Department of Child Support Services offers a wide range of services that can help take some of the pressure off managing the financial part of co-parenting, allowing parents to focus on important things like their children.

If you pay or receive child support, the Department of Child Support Services can help make the process easier.

The department offers a variety of services including obtaining child and medical support orders, assisting in the enforcement of those orders, locating parents, and DNA testing to establish paternity. When a significant change of circumstances occurs, a modification of the child support order may be appropriate.

The Contra Costa Department of Child Support handles the accounting, ensuring that interest on unpaid support is calculated and that payments are properly credited to maintain accurate balances. By having a third party maintain those records accurately and consistently, it often alleviates some of the financial tension that can exist in divided families.

In addition to basic accounting, the department can also assist with the calculations and collections on more complex court orders for child and/or spousal support.

These orders can contain a base support amount plus additional support from bonuses, commissions, and income earned over a set amount.

Payments are generally collected by way of income withholding orders, reducing the need for manual payments to be made. When an income withholding is not possible, customers have several convenient online payment options as well as cash-only payment choices available. The payments are processed within 48 hours and can be received by direct deposit into your bank account, on an electronic payment card that can be used at an ATM, as a debit card, or by check.

Opening a case is easy. Applications may be submitted electronically, free-of-charge, at www.TurboCourt.com. Hardcopy applications are available at the Department of Child Support Services office in Martinez or can be requested by calling (866) 901-3212.

A nominal annual service fee of $25 will be assessed on October 1st of each year for each case where at least $500 is collected annually for the prior federal fiscal year.

Contra Costa County Department of Child Support Services strives to work together with all parties on the child support case. Customers can drop into the office at 50 Douglas Drive, Suite #100 in Martinez Monday-Friday from 7:30AM - 4:30PM to meet with a Child Support Professional to discuss their child support case. A Family Law Facilitator, an attorney of the Court who provides limited free legal assistance for customers with an open case, is available in the office Monday-Friday from 8AM – 3PM. No appointment is necessary.

Our children grow quickly and we want to enjoy every moment. Let the Contra Costa Department of Child Support Services assist you with the handling of your child support case so that you can have the extra time to enjoy what being a parent is all about: spending quality time with your children and making memories that will last a lifetime.

My office is here to serve the residents of Contra Costa County District 2, which includes San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek, Saranap, Parkmead, Lafayette, Moraga, Canyon, and Orinda. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can provide you with additional information on this topic or on other County issues. I can be reached at SupervisorAndersen@bos.cccounty.us or (925) 957-8860.

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Lafayette Today ~ May 2016 - Page 15

Life in the Lafayette Garden A Garden Makeover

By John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape Architect #4059 Everyone knows that good design is “maintenance free” and “lasts forever”...right?

This is why there are so many beautiful gardens existing from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s!

Rather you might see ratty looking junipers and Monterrey pines. You get the picture.

Just like you wouldn’t keep your carpet for 30 years, your Lafayette garden needs a good makeover as well. There are three basic reasons for a garden makeover: to respond to the changing site conditions which normally occur as a landscape site matures (i.e. drought, stuff gets overgrown...), to respond to changing needs of the users of the landscape (i.e. families grow and change), and to re-adapt a site for a new owner (i.e. a new set of uses.)

New home sites are generally sunny with bright light and are more exposed to wind, sun, and harsher conditions. Maturity brings radical changes that are often welcomed. It also brings other changes that are not. Trees finally provide shade cover and can shade out once sun-loving plants. Lack of care and poor maintenance practices may have taken their toll. Hedges and shrubs may become overgrown, hiding the house and blocking good views. These changes give cause for redesign although the overall context of a “well-designed” landscape may still prevail.

Within the life of your Lafayette home, an owner’s uses will change as kids grow-up or a family matures and changes or lifestyles evolve and change. Once busy families who had no time to work in the garden are now retired and have time to “putz.” This brings a whole new reason for a different landscape. Or children learn to swim, and a swimming pool is now a requirement. These changes call for careful consideration and should be well thought out. They should be logical and creatively resolved. Garden makeover projects are challenging yet satisfying when properly executed. We enjoy working with clients on creating a new vision for their yard while using a lot of the existing conditions that work; like large established trees, established Lafayette Danville Montclair privacy screening shrubs that are intact, and specimen plants that would cost thousands to replace.

When a new family moves in to a home, their wants and desires also can change the needs of the landscape warranting a garden makeover. The landscape needs to be redesigned to re-adapt to the new family. Rarely does a landscaped site meet all the needs and expectations of the new owner. Readapting a site must be clearly articulated and solved as a design problem using an organized design process. In addition, some sites which have been badly neglected need drastic measures taken to redesign the landscape.

Thorough documentation of all existing conditions such as soil, microclimates, and drainage, shade, and wind patterns should be considered. All existing plants, trees, shrubs, and constructed features that are to be considered to remain should be well documented. A creative design solution, which meets the new need and is sensitive to the existing features and conditions of the site, must be developed. Construction of the new landscape must include all necessary measures to protect and preserve all of the worthwhile existing site features and landscape.

Potential additions to a makeover could include updating hardscape elements such as cabanas, pavilions, outdoor kitchens, fire features, paved areas of use, benches and walls, dramatic landscape lighting, swimming pools, play courts, kid zones, and sculptures.

Like the design of a new landscape project, a garden makeover should adhere to the design process. Design and budget go hand in hand!

A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: Executing a garden makeover for tired gardens can be a challenge. It can also make all the difference in the appeal of your home.

Gardening Quote of the Month: “In garden arrangement, as in all other kinds of decorative work, one has not only to acquire a knowledge of what to do, but also to gain some wisdom in perceiving what it is well to let alone.” ~ Gertrude Jekyll Just a small reminder that our “Life in the Garden” fundraiser Garden Tour will return in May 2017.

If you would like me to write on any particular subject, email your ideas to jmontgomery@jm-la.com or for design ideas visit www.jm-la.com or www.

Advertorial houzz.com/pro/jmla/john-montgomery-landscape-architects.

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Lafayette Today ~ August 2015 - Page 15

Page 16 - May 2016 ~ Lafayette Today

The Incense-Cedar

By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb The incense-cedar graces many Bay Area gardens with its shade, beauty, and intriguing fragrance. Calocedrus decurrens, its Latin name, means beautiful cedar. The striking contrast between the vibrant greens of its leaves and the trunk’s rich reds creates a pleasing aesthetic further enhanced by the relaxed elegance of the weeping foliage. The beauty of this tree is not confined to the realm of the visual. The incense-cedar gives off a distinctive fragrance that fills the air with a pungent aroma strongly reminiscent of grade-school classrooms and the unforgettable smell of the pencil sharpener. In my youth, and still largely today, pencils were made from the soft and distinctively fragrant wood of Calocedrus decurrens.

The incense-cedar is not a true cedar (thus the hyphen). The so-called “true cedars” are native to the Mediterranean and the Himalayas, and are members of the genus Cedrus. These include the majestic Deodora and Atlas cedars, as well as the famous Cedar of Lebanon.

The incense-cedar, which may live a thousand years and attain a height of 150 feet, is a true California native. It evolved in North America, and its current range extends from the Cascade Mountains in northern Oregon, through the Sierra Nevadas, and down to the Sierra San Pedro Matir of Baja California. Throughout its range it has been important in the lives of Native Americans. The Klamath tribe of Oregon wove its bark into baskets. The California Paiutes made infusions of its leaves for colds. The Round Valley tribe of Mendocino Country used leaflets as flavoring when leaching acorn meal. This species has provided Native Americans with food, shelter, clothing, and music.

The incense-cedar’s natural resistance to rot made it very useful both in antiquity and in modern times. Homebuilders use it for siding, decking, moulding, and interior paneling. Landscapers use its chips and bark for mulch. Its wood is made into furniture, shingles, and railway ties. Sawdust and wood scraps help fuel co-generation of electricity.

The softness of the wood and its resistance to splintering make the incense-cedar

www.yourmonthlypaper.com ideal for encasing pencil lead. However, these qualities also make the wood fragile, brittle, and potentially somewhat problematic as an urban landscape tree. When it grows as one trunk from a thick base to a single pyramid-shaped crown, the incensecedar is relatively stable; it requires little work other than the periodic removal of deadwood. But if the trunk of the tree divides into multiple columns or has large branches which turn up and rise parallel to the trunk, the tree has structural problems that make it vulnerable to column failure. After some recent winter storms, Brende & Lamb looked at many incense-cedars that had shed branches and sometimes entire columns. Most of the failed trees suffered from a malady of tree anatomy called included bark. This structural defect occurs when the bark at the crotch folds inward, and interrupts the continuity of the fibers supporting the columns.

Good pruning can ameliorate many structural problems. Co-dominant stems (more than one column of roughly the same diameter) are more likely to fail than trees with a single leading column. Sometimes reducing one of the competing leaders can minimize the hazard. If column removal is not advisable for aesthetic or functional reasons, it is often possible to cable the multiple stems together. However, individual trees are so unstable that removal is the safest alternative. Whatever you do, do not top these trees. Topping a cedar will eventually produce many unstable columns multiplying the risk and, ultimately, the expense of keeping the tree. Preventative medicine is almost always less expensive and more effective than later surgery. If you plant an incense-cedar, choose nursery stock with only one trunk and no crotches with included bark. Remember that a seedling cedar can grow to over a hundred feet, and that tall trees may cause view concerns for yourself and your neighbors.

Calocedrus has graced the California landscape for almost 200 million years.

With a little forethought and good pruning, the incense-cedar can continue to bless Bay Area gardens with the subtle fragrance of childhood. It takes a little effort to live at peace with this large California native, but its bounty of colors, shapes, and scents make that effort worthwhile.

If your trees need a little TLC, 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 Advertorial your neighborhood.

Do you h have ave a st or spo sporting rting ne Contact us at See Festival continued on page 23 or Editor@YourMo Editor@YourM

www.your www.yourmon

Gardening with Kate

By Kathleen Guillaume Our spring rains have made it glorious for roses.

I was stuck at a stop light and looked over to my right and saw in a great border around a commercial building with offset rows of Jackson & Perkins great pink rose, ‘Simplicity,’ one of my visual favorites.

It brought back so many memories. It once was my border rose at my Victorian home in Alameda. How I loved to gather thirty or forty blooms and set them in a vase. It was a time before I gravitated to the more fragrant varieties of David Austin roses. It is a magnificent spring for roses; they are blooming everywhere. No matter where I drive, roses are in their glory.

To care for roses in spring, please do not use pesticides and fungicides.

There are many non-toxic ways to keep them lush. Aphids can be controlled by spritzing them with Windex or similar window cleaners. The slight amounts of ammonia suffocate the aphids without damaging leaves or blooms. If you see rust or blackspot, immediately remove the infected leaves, clean up any leaf drop at the base of the rose, and then spray with horticultural oil covering both the rose and the soil around the rose. Most fungal spores are on the top of the soil and get carried to the leaves by wind, the splash of rain, or irrigation. Make sure never to water during late afternoon or evenings; early morning is the best time for irrigation allowing any water to evaporate off of the foliage during the day. Remember that roses are fairly drought tolerant and prefer a weekly deep soak more than daily irrigation. It you have a deep blanket of mulch around your roses, you will keep the moisture in the soil from evaporating away on the hotter days to come, reducing water needs (do not allow mulch or bark build-up around the base of the rose as it will cause root rot). Feed regularly with time release natural fertilizers. Several times a week cut off spent blooms to encourage re-blooming. In several tests in English gardens, removing the bloom from the top rather than going down to the first five leaf bud actually produced more blooms. But in deadheading always remember that when you cut the

spent blooms you use that time to shape the rose by cutting to an outside bud at an angle which will encourage growth outward and not toward the interior where new growth will block good and healthy air circulation.

Spreading a thick layer of mulch or bark is the best gift you can give your garden. If it is not in your budget to buy bags and bags of bark, you can contact one of the tree trimming companies and ask if they can drop off chipped wood (not eucalyptus or palm) to your residence. They will drop it at the curb, so you must make sure no vehicles are parked in the way in order to have easy access. While it will take many wheelbarrow trips to get it to all areas of your garden, you will at least have free material. In spite of the rains and snow pack this winter, we are still in a drought and will have water-use restrictions.

Nothing will save you water like a deep top layer of mulch of any kind.

I find that the best top cover for lavenders is a two inch layer of small gravel that extends beyond the width of the plant. Lavenders are one of my favorite drought tolerant plants which can be used in the kitchen for baking and in salads or can be harvested and dried for lavender sachets. Lavender likes to be pruned after each bloom cycle. Never take off more than 1/3 of the foliage when you cut them back. At this time you can shape them into half balls or any other shape you desire. If I am harvesting for drying, I bring an old soup pot or canning pot, and as I grab a hand full of foliage and blossoms to cut, I can set them standing on end in the pot. I wedge the pot at an angle so in the beginning the stems lean on the side of the pot and stay upright. When the pot is loosely filled, I take it into the garage which will be a warm dry space for the foliage and blooms to dry out.

For culinary purposes, such as baking lavender shortbread or biscotti, only use English lavenders like Munstead and Hidcote or other edible varieties.

French and Spanish lavenders have a soapy camphor taste. Go online and look up ‘Lavenders for culinary use’ for recipes. Lavender is related to the mint family and is an excellent addition as an herb or just for its beauty.

Remember that lavender has a useful life of five or so years, and then it needs to be replaced with a new plant. Older plants get very woody, leggy, and basically ugly looking, and they produce less flower blooms.

Happy spring gardening.

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Leaving a Loving Legacy: Life, Love, and Impact

By George M. Noceti, CRPS® -Wealth Advisor and Paul A. Noceti, Financial Planning Specialist with The Integra Group at Morgan Stanley

Lafayette Today ~ August 2015 - Page 17

tory idea, photo,

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Family can be a source of nurture, inspiration, and companionship. Family can also be the source of our deepest worries and concerns. After ensuring your financial house is in order, it may be time for you to answer the question, “If you could make the world better in one significant way, what would it be?”

With great wealth, comes great opportunity. Americans donated an estimated $358.38 billion to charity in 2014.1 As your assets grow, so does your ability to create change for the people, institutions, and causes that are near and dear to your heart. Studies completed by the Women Philanthropy Institute found that the wealthiest American women over age 50 are more likely to give 3% or more of their income to charity than their male peers – those same women give 156% more to charity than affluent men.2 Some questions you may want to consider when setting a philanthropic strategy within your estate plan include: • How will I decide on my giving goals and approach?

• How will I choose which organizations to support or which social impact businesses to invest in?

• How will philanthropic dollars be invested and how much will be dispersed?

• Who will be involved in the decision-making?

• How will I make sure this legacy lives on even after I’m gone?

A good starting point to consider will be on focusing your ambitions. More often than not you may find yourself with too many great ideas; start off by figuring out “What do I want to accomplish?” To help you reach a decision, sort your objectives into four categories: • Core: The area or areas where your primary passions lie • Discretionary: The causes you support at the behest of others • Emergency: Temporary, reactive causes (i.e., disaster relief) • Other causes outside your core interests Once you’ve set your goals, develop your philanthropic mission statement and put it on paper. Having a clear and concise message will set guidelines and boundaries for family members and friends who want to get involved. Take action and track your progress by identifying your patterns of giving. Only then will you be able to gauge how well your current actions are aligned with your stated goals and mission.

To help increase your effectiveness throughout your giving journey, there are several tools you may want to incorporate into your comprehensive wealth plan: • Charitable Remainder Trusts: Allow you to provide for both a noncharitable recipient (such as yourself) and a valued cause.

• Charitable Lead Trusts: Beneficiaries are paid only after income is granted to a specified cause or organization.

• Private Foundations: A trust or nonprofit corporation usually funded by a small group of individuals.

• Donor Advised Funds: Allows you to take an immediate tax deduction and distribute funds at a later time to a charity of your choice.

Whether you have a well-formed vision of the change you would like to effect or you are just beginning to explore your philanthropic ambitions remember, as Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Learn more at www.morganstanley.com/giving.

For further information on how our advice can better help you plan philanthropically, or retirement planning, as well as a complimentary Medicare Review, Social Security Review and understanding the new rules, and Financial Plan Review, please contact us at George M. Noceti, CRPS® Wealth Advisor at (925)746-2982, via email at george.noceti@morganstanley. com, or visit our website at www.ms.com/fa/theintegragroup. Connect on LinkedIn: George M. Noceti, CRPS®. Follow me on Twitter: @GNocetiMS. Sources: 1 TheAnnual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2014, Giving USA, 2015, 2 Women Take anActivist Path to Philanthropy, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2013 The opinions expressed by the authors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley. The information and data in the article or publication has been obtained from sources outside of Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley makes no representations or guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of information or data from sources outside of Morgan Stanley. Neither the information provided nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation by Morgan Stanley with respect to the purchase or sale of any security, investment, strategy or product that may be mentioned. Article by Wealth Management Systems Inc. and provided courtesy of Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor. George and Paul Noceti may only transact business, follow-up with individualized responses, or render personalized investment advice for compensation, in states where they are registered or excluded or exempted from registration, FINRA Broker Check http://brokercheck.finra. org/Search/Search.aspx.© 2016 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. Advertorial

Lafayette Today ~ May 2016 - Page 17

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Scouts continued from page 8 High School. Ethan organized a collection of art and drama supplies for Camping Unlimited. Camping Unlimited is a nonprofit organization located in Santa Cruz that provides outdoor and recreation programs to people of all ages with mental and physical disabilities. Harley McKee is a junior at Acalanes High School. Harley worked with St Elizabeth’s Catholic Elementary School in the Fruitvale area of Oakland to help clean, restore, and repair its Garden of Learning back to usable condition after years of neglect. Matthew Mlynek is a junior at Acalanes High School. Matthew built a message board for the Springhill Elementary School garden. Payson Newman is a junior at Acalanes High School. Payson constructed a garden with drip irrigation and raised beds at Buchanan Field. This area is where families with underprivileged kids wait as their children fly with volunteer pilots as part of the national Young Eagles Program. Charles Price is a junior at Bentley High School. Charlie, in honor of a loved one, built a bench in the Garden of Hope at the Cancer Support Community in Walnut Creek.

The Cancer Support Community is a nonprofit organization that provides free professional programs of emotional support, education, and hope for people impacted by cancer. Spencer Spiering is a junior at Campolindo High School. Spencer assembled 25 new bikes donated by Bike for Tots and gave them to kids who have never owned a bike. He worked through Cambridge Elementary School in Concord in order to find the kids in need.

Kai Watanabe is a junior at Acalanes High School. Kai created 15 knot tying kits for patients at Children’s Hospital in Oakland. The kits, which include a board with rope and an instruction book, will provide hours of entertainment for bedridden children as they are being treated at the hospital.

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Page 18 - May 2016 ~ Lafayette Today

Brainwaves by Betsy Streeter

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Using Your Estate Plan to Pass On Values

By Robert J. Silverman, Esq.

Petaluma continued from page 4 disappoints. Their delicious ice cream is made with local ingredients in small batches and is delicious. The waiters are friendly, no matter the length of the line.

Try the coffee ice cream with hot fudge. Yum! • LALA ice cream parlor is located at 134 Petaluma Blvd. N. Petaluma. Hours are 1PM-9PM on weekdays and till 10PM on weekends. They are closed on Mondays.

• Lagunitas Brewery is located at 1280 N. McDowell Blvd, Petaluma. Check their website for details about their tours and hours of operation at www.Lagunitas.com.

• The Home Brewers Competition will be held at the Sonoma/Marin Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 28. The event is for adults only age 21 and over. For more details, check the website Petalumadowntown.com or call (707) 750-2939.

Linda Summers Pirkle is inspired by the many wonderful places to visit in the Bay Area, she organizes day trips, either for groups or for friends and family. To share your “Quick Trips” ideas email Coverthemap@gmail.com.

TeleCare Connects with the Homebound Since 1971, member volunteers of TeleCare, a philanthropic program of Assistance League® of Diablo Valley, have been making daily reassurance calls, Monday through Friday, to those in our community who are homebound.

As the chapter’s longest standing philanthropic program, TeleCare empowers the clients, no matter what their ages, to remain in their homes. What ensures this is a daily confidential journal kept for each client that member volunteers consult prior to the phone calls then update accordingly. Last year alone, member volunteers devoted 765 hours to connecting with homebound clients.

Unfortunately, many clients are socially isolated and don’t have anyone to check on them daily. Statistics indicate that loneliness can cause a 20% decline in health, a number that increases for seniors, the elderly and the homebound. TeleCare not only offsets that statistic, it ultimately serves as a safety net for clients and their families especially if volunteer callers are unable to reach the client.

If you live alone or know someone who does, a daily phone call would be a great way to stay connected with life and make new friends. Other TeleCare activities include attending an annual holiday party to meet fellow clients and member volunteers face to face, as well as receiving greeting cards from the Assisteens®, an auxiliary where kids learn to participate in a community service at a young age. So make that call to get you or someone you know connected.

For more information about TeleCare, please phone (925) 934-0901.

I recently completed a very pleasant project. My client is a young father - I’ll call him Curt. Curt’s grandfather died about a year ago. His last will and testament provided his great-granddaughters, Curt’s very young daughters, with a significant inheritance.

Curt took this opportunity to consult with me about how to best protect the wonderful inheritance his daughters were about to receive. I proposed to create an irrevocable trust for each daughter under which the funds could be managed by an appropriate trustee, grow over time, and be a special gift to help the girls launch into adulthood.

Not only was it fun to work with Curt on creating trust terms to protect his daughters, but it was especially rewarding to see how much Curt cared for his grandfather and appreciated the legacy being passed down. Curt asked me if he could write a letter to provide the trustee of the trusts some guidelines and to elaborate to his daughters about this special legacy being left by their great-grandfather. I heartily encouraged him to do so.

When I read Curt’s proposed letter, I was moved. It was a beautiful gift in its own right. I asked Curt if he would give me permission to reprint some of the letter – he gladly agreed. I hope you enjoy these excerpts.

To my daughters: My grandfather, your great-grandfather, has left money for you, along with the wish that such funds be placed in trust for your future. This trust is a gift of love.

I offer this brief summary about your great-grandfather’s life as he had relayed to me. He was born with nothing and raised in a neglectful manner within a broken home. He left home penniless at a young age, overcame many difficulties, and lived a long life full of vibrant experiences. Despite limited education, he became a successful businessman, retired to travel the world, and later died a multi-millionaire.

Always hardworking and kindhearted, he wanted more for his descendants than he had for himself. His wish was not only to pass along money that may be useful to the recipients, but that said recipients would do their best to foster such funds for the benefit of further generations; that this would be his legacy (he once relayed to me, “Money takes time to grow; real wealth takes generations”).

I wish for these funds to assist you in building a life that you find meaningful and offer you this guidance to do with as you please: Pursue education and learning. Learn about any and all subjects that you find interesting and fulfilling. Give yourself permission to enjoy what matters to you.

Spend no time worrying about the opinions of others. Educate yourself about budgets, business, banks, and investing, because money is best enjoyed when it is working for you rather than you for it. “A penny saved (truly) is a penny earned,” and a penny invested can make many more pennies!

Work and contribute. Do not ever allow yourself to become lazy or dependent on others, nor your trust funds. “Earning a living is a rite of passage into adulthood, and a shared one among peers. For those with enough money to circumvent that experience, inherited wealth is a burden.” ~ Madeline Levine.

Be kind and helpful to others. Give of your time and knowledge, but be evermindful of potential costs.

Forge meaningful relationships with your trustees, and negotiate any disagreements. I’ve taken care in selecting those who may serve as trustee. Each knows and loves you. I would like your relationship with each of them to be close and meaningful. It is your responsibility to seek them out and include them in your life. There will be times they make tough decisions, some of which may not be to your liking. Please be forgiving and respectful. I trust they’ll act in your best interests; I ask you to trust in them as well.

I have every intention of relaying to you all the above and more throughout your life, and furthermore of sticking around until you’re old enough to discuss these words together.

Where info is scarce or answers lacking, request help in finding more information and be persistent in your own research. I’m looking forward to having these conversations with you, even if they are likely over a decade away.

Always, Your loving father * Estate Planning * Trust Administration & Probate * Real Estate * Business I offer a complimentary Estate Planning Primer and/or a free, introductory meeting. My primary practice areas are Estate Planning; Trust Administration & Probate; Real Estate; and Business I am an attorney with R. Silverman Law Group which is located at 1855 Olympic Blvd., Suite 125, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 705-4474; rsilverman@rsilvermanlaw.com.

This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and 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.

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Menopause Matters

By Timothy Leach, MD, FACOG, CNMP

afayette Loss Association Contacts

ey Lafayette city departments and of their contact information. eetings of the Diablo Valley Chapter Hearing Loss Association tion: for overall such as human 7pm onResponsible the first Wednesday ofcity the operations month at the Walnut Creek nce office operations.

Key staff members includeCreek the dist and Church located at 1543 Sunnyvale Ave., Walnut Administrative from front page page 14Services Director, Cityparking Clerk, and Financial g., Wesley Room.

Meeting room and are 16 at the back tm page age 17 City 20 See ces Natives continued onMt. page ger.

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Hoursfor areT-coils, 8am for – 5and Monday-Friday.

For information call ailable most meetings are captioned.

Contact By Christine Chung, MD or email cityhall@lovelafayette.org. earinglossdv .org or (925) 264-1199 or www.hearinglossdv .org.

A couplefor ofcurrent years ago had a patient who was with glioblastoma, esponsible andI long-term planning fordiagnosed the physical the communitytype thatof is brain consistent with General Zoning an aggressive tumor.

Shethe was only 53Plan, years old, and went through the direction of treatment the City Council.

Planning hours and temozoloa full course of to fight the cancer: Department surgery, radiation, Monday-Friday.

For information callfi(925) 284-1976 email she did well, mide chemotherapy.

For nearly the rst year after herortreatment afayette.or g. tumor came back. Normally patients with recurrent glioblastoma but then the ponsible for public safety, law enforcement, emergency receive chemotherapy, but she called me to ask if there were any other treatment parkingthat control.

The Police Department is located at 3675 options she should consider. pm pm d, #130, Lafayette.

Hours areUS 8amare -12diagnosed & 1am-5with MondayOver 10,000 people in the glioblastoma every year. eral questions call (925) 299-3220. For police dispatch The median survival for glioblastoma patients is 15 months,call even with standard or 911. Many patients have a recurrence and are then confronted with similar therapy. ks: Responsible for maintaining the infrastructure of chemotherapy. the City options: more surgery, more radiation, and/or different I was parpair, storminterested drains, and landscaping of public property.

The Public ticularly in helping my patient quickly because people with recurrent d is located at 3001 Camino Diablo, Lafayette. Hours are 7am – 3pm glioblastoma have a poor prognosis, with a median survival of less than a year.

For questions call (925) 934-3908. To report potholes, streetlight While it’s not a silver bullet, there is an interesting new treatment available gnal problems and other issues call the Hotline at (925) 299-3259. for patients with recurrent glioblastoma “Optune.” creation: Responsible for the managementcalled and operation of Ita does not involve surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, andthe instead relies on generating ion programs, special events and facilities including Lafayette low-intensity electrical eldsa in the brain called Treating nter, the Community Parkfiand system of city trails.Tumor The Parks & Fields (called TTF). The TTFsisseem to500 disrupt the ability ofLafayette. the cancerHours cells to divide so that mmunity Center) located St. Mary’s Road, the tumor cannot Patients TTF have to shave their hair and place nday-Saturday.

Forgrow. questions call getting (925) 284-2232. electrical transducers to EKG pads) on their scalp for at least 18 hours ement: Responsible for(similar enforcing the Lafayette Municipal Code. a day. These up to a device that generates cement Officertransducers concentratesare onhooked the investigation and abatement of the electrical fields.

This a tradeoffhousing – whileconditions, patients can avoid some of the side effects of ving land useis(zoning), abandoned vehicles, radiation, and surgery, they have to nuisances. be willing to wear an apdchemotherapy, vermin, weeds/fi re hazards, fences and general public paratus on their head and carry around a six pound device. obbins at 925-299-3207.

The FDA approved Optune in 2011 for patients with recurrent glioblastoma formation, visit www.ci.lafayette.ca.us. based on a study that showed comparable survival between patients treated with chemotherapy versus TTF. Patients in the TTF group reported fewer side effects Lafayette Today is delivered exclusively to Lafayette. such asReach nausea, vomiting, and 12,000 fatigue. The most common was skin out to over LOCAL homesside andeffect businesses. irritation on the scalp due to the transducer pads. Then last month, researchers presented an analysis of 700 newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients who were either assigned to one of two groups: (1) those who received TTF and temozolomide or (2) temozolomide alone. Patients treated with TTF had an improved www.yourmonthlypaper.com median survival of 19.4 months, compared with 16.6 months for patients treated with temozolomide alone. The FDA is currently reviewing the data, but Optune may become a treatment for newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients in the future.

Optune shows promise as an alternative to conventional treatments, or as a potential supplement to them. It has different side effects that many patients may find more manageable, and may help to extend patients’ lives in the future.

Christine Chung, MD is a board certified Radiation Oncologist with Diablo Valley Oncology & Hematology Medical Group and practices in Pleasant Hill and Berkeley. Dr. Chung and her colleagues are certified providers of the Optune treatment therapy. For more information, please call 925-677-5041 or visit www.dvohmg.com.

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Last month’s column ended with a reference to the 2012 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). The intent of that statement was to clarify the benefit-risk ratio of estrogen therapy (ET) vs. estrogen-progestogen therapy (EPT) of menopause-related symptoms and disease prevention.

NAMS acknowledged that no single trial data could be extrapolated to all women. However, because the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) of post-menopausal women using hormone therapy (HT), these findings were given prominent consideration. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is considered the gold standard for scientific studies because subjects are randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a placebo group. The two groups respective outcomes are then compared for a specific question (i.e. breast cancer risk in HT users vs. HT non users). Prior to the WHI, most studies looking at the benefit-risk of HT were largely observational studies. This means that a group of women using HT were “observed” over time, and outcomes were evaluated. Observational studies have limitations and conclusions not infrequently disputed when a RCT asks the same question.

NAMS pointed out that the WHI RCT had several characteristics that limit generalizing the findings to all post-menopausal women. These include the use of only one route of administration (oral), only one formulation of estrogen (conjugated equine estrogen “premarin”), and only one progestogen (medroxyprogesterone acetate “Provera”). Current HRT preparations use different estrogens and come in transdermal, transvaginal products at many different dosages. Observational studies of HT often focused on symptomatic, recently postmenopausal women, whereas the WHI enrolled healthy postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years in a prevention trial. While different studies have the strengths and weaknesses, RCT’s are generally given more weight as to the strength of their conclusions.

SWAN (Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation, swanstudy.org) started in 1994 with the intention of being a multi-site, observational, longitudinal epidemiologic study designed to examine the health of women during their middle years.

The goal of SWAN’s research is to help scientists; healthcare providers and women learn how mid-life experiences affect health and quality of life during aging.

Most women equate the duration of their menopause to the time period they are having hot flashes. The SWAN study helped clinicians understand what many patients already knew, and that is hot flashes can last on average up to 7.5 years, of which many of those years occur before their final menstrual period. Interestingly, SWAN also found that race or ethnic background does make a difference. Women of African American descent on average could expect up to 10 years of hot flashes compared to Hispanic women who had more then Caucasian women.

The NAMS 2012 position statement said that estrogen therapy (ET) with or without a progestogen is the most effective treatment of menopause-related hot flashes and their potential consequences, such as diminished sleep quality, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and subsequently reduced quality of life (QOL). Treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms remains the primary indication for initiating HT. Progestogen alone also reduces hot flashes but not as effectively as estrogen does.

Since the WHI trial, newer transdermal formulations and lower dose options have become available. Most clinicians are comfortable using transdermal estrogen (available in patch, gel, cream, mist) as they are felt to have greater ef-

70

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Lafayette Today ~ May 2016 - Page 19 ficacy with less cardiovascular risk. I tell patients that estrogen has the potential to reduce hot flashes by ~80% within 4-6 weeks. Relizen is a botanical product used extensively in Europe for the treatment of hot flashes. European and North American studies on Relizen demonstrate a 60% reduction in hot flashes after three months and most importantly, no reduction in the efficacy of tamoxifen in breast cancer patients. In Europe this product requires a doctors prescription, but in the USA, it is considered a botanical and thus is able to be purchased over the Internet. Relizen is different compared to other OTC products in that individual pills come with lot numbers and expiration dates to guarantee purity and safety. I am not endorsing this product and only pass along information published in peerreviewed journals. In future columns I will share other benefit-risk ratio of ET & EPT (genitourinary symptoms, sexual function, osteoporosis, QOL, etc.) and the significance of when a woman starts taking hormones: the timing hypothesis.

Visit my website at www.leachobgyn.com for links to resources and our Facebook page: Timothy Leach MD for more information. My office is located at 110 Tampico, Suite 210 in Walnut Creek. Please call us at 925-935-6952. Advertorial

Improved Imaging Option in Breast Cancer Screening

By Christine Chung, MD Mammograms have been considered the gold standard in breast cancer detection for the past 45 years and have been shown in numerous studies to decrease death from breast cancer. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends mammograms once every two years for women ages 50-74. I follow the guidelines of the American Medical Association and National Comprehensive Cancer Network and recommend annual screening mammograms starting at age 40 for my female patients.

In mammography, the breast is compressed between two plates, and images are taken from two angles. Overlapping breast tissue can make these images harder to interpret, particularly in women with dense breasts. This can lead to false positives in 10% of patients and, more worryingly, false negatives in 15-20% of patients, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Could a new technology fix that? Tomosynthesis, approved by the FDA in 2011, could improve the way that women are screened for breast cancer, particularly those with dense breast tissue. Multiple low-dose X-ray images of the breast are taken in an arc around the breast. These images are reconstructed to form a three-dimensional picture, resulting in a clearer image of the breast.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in June 2014 showed that tomosynthesis was better at detecting breast cancer than mammography. Data included 281,187 exams conducted with mammography alone and 173,663 exams with mammography and tomosynthesis at 13 sites between 2010-2012. Per 1,000 screening exams, tomosynthesis detected 5.4 cancers, while mammography detected 4.2 cancers. The likelihood that a woman actually had cancer increased from 24% to 29.2% with tomosynthesis.

Does this mean that tomosynthesis could supplant mammography as the standard of care for breast screening? As Dr. R James Brenner, the former president of the Society of Breast Imaging, Professor of Radiology, UC San Diego, and the Director of Breast Imaging at Bay Imaging Consultants said, “Tomosynthesis is simply a quantum jump over planar mammography as it is done today. It is more resource intense, but will likely replace most conventional mammography in the United States over the next decade.”

There are still concerns about this technology. In an accompanying editorial in JAMA, Dr. Etta Pisano from the Medical University of South Carolina recommended further study before replacing mammography. She said, “The lack of long-term follow-up information [with tomosynthesis] limits the ability to provide definitive estimates of false-negative result rates, diagnostic accuracy, interval cancer rates, or overdiagnosis.”

There are 1,100 tomosynthesis systems in the US, according to Hologic Inc, the leading manufacturer of these units in the US. Approximately six million women were screened with tomosynthesis in 2014, and that number can only be expected to rise since Medicare approved payment for tomosynthesis screening, effective January 1, 2015.

Dr. Chung is a Radiation Oncologist with Diablo Valley Oncology & Hematology Medical Group. She sees patients in Pleasant Hill and Berkeley and can be reached at (925) 825-8878. Join Dr. Chung and other breast cancer specialists for a breast cancer update on May 17. 6:30-8:30PM at the Lafayette Library. RSVP at (925) 677-5041.

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Page 20 - May 2016 ~ Lafayette Today

Grateful continued from front page Driven by volunteers and their donations of furniture and household goods, Grateful Gatherings has thus far delivered and set up more than 50 homes throughout the Bay Area and served more than 400 individuals. Chris and Donna handle the complex part of the equation – working closely with various social service and nonprofit agencies in seeking referrals. These partners verify initial need, and Chris and Donna then contact each household and provide a walk-through to assess needs. They ask each family to create a list of their needs (furniture, kitchen items, beds, clothes, toys, linens, appliances, bedding, anything that would make a home feel like home).

This very specific wish list of items is then sent to the Grateful Gatherings grassroots network of approximately 700 donors via email and Facebook, and on a particular day, items are collected, delivered, and arranged within a household.

(Pick-up for large items can be arranged.) Every wish list to date has been fulfilled by the generous Grateful Gatherings community and delivered by volunteers.

Grateful Gatherings is unique in that donated items or funds go directly to a specific individual or family in-need whose story and struggles are shared. Donors witness the direct impact of their donations and can see the difference their gifts make. “We are not just handing over items to these families,” says Chris. “We are providing love and making a home. We make beds, put away dishes, and hang art. Our volunteers leave a project feeling great and knowing they’ve had an impact.”

Grateful Gatherings’ headquarters are based in Oakland, and Chris and Donna desire to grow to other communities. Chris suggests that a Grateful Gatherings donation and set-up day is a great teambuilding exercise for businesses or schools. “Giving is rewarding for both sides,” says Chris. “An emotional connection is made, and both sides are rewarded.”

Those interested in donating to or volunteering with Grateful Gatherings can sign-up for a May 21st event date during which three needy families will be assisted. The gathering will take place at St. Perpetua Church in Lafayette.

Find out how you can help by subscribing to the Grateful Gatherings newsletter at www.Grateful-Gatherings.org. Cash donations are always accepted and can be sent to Grateful Gatherings, P.O Box 20086 – Oakland, CA 94620.

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Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers – Decrease your Risk

By Dr. Arash Mohebati, West Coast Surgical Associates The association between extensive sun exposure and skin cancer has been recognized for some time.

Malignant melanoma, squamous cell cancer, and basal cell cancer are skin cancers associated with ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Rates are much higher in places where there is a lot of sunshine year round.

In our culture of swim team, soccer, golf, and tennis, we have a very high rate of sun exposure and hence more skin cancers.

Melanoma is a highly aggressive skin cancer that often arises in a pigmented lesion or nevus, which accounts for about 1% of all skin cancers but it is responsible for majority of deaths from skin cancer. Melanoma accounts for more than 10,000 deaths annually in the US. The incidence of melanoma has risen over the last thirty years but has plateaued recently in the United States. It is more common in Caucasians and in men over the age of 50. Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in men and the seventh most common cancer in women. According to the American cancer society, about 76,380 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma of skin in 2016 of which more than 8,500 are from California.

Risk factors associated with higher rates of melanoma include personal or family history of melanoma, history of extensive UV radiation from sun light or indoor tanning, immunosuppression, and light skin features. Warning signs of melanoma include changes in the shape, size, color or character of an existing lesion or mole. Recognizing a new or changing skin lesion is essential in early detection and evaluation of melanoma. Consulting your primary care doctor or a dermatologist is essential when you notice a change in your skin.

Melanoma has the potential to spread to the lymph nodes and to distant sites such as the brain, lung, and liver. The depth of melanoma determines the type and extent of treatment. Surgery for melanoma includes removal of the melanoma lesion from the skin along a margin of normal surrounding tissue. Some patients may require more extensive surgery to evaluate the lymph nodes and determine the stage of disease. This procedure is called sentinel lymph node biopsy and may be indicated based on the thickness of melanoma and certain pathologic features.

Melanomas with deep invasion or that spread to the lymph nodes may require additional treatment such as adjuvant chemotherapy or more extensive surgery. However, the majority of patients with melanoma are cured after the initial surgical excision.

Adjuvant therapy refers to the use of chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or radiotherapy in addition to surgical resection in the treatment of cancer. The goal of adjuvant therapy is to improve survival and control the cancer in patients with stage III and IV disease. Targeted therapy and immunotherapy have been shown to improve the outcomes for patients with advanced melanoma. These treatments take advantage of certain genetic differences in the tumor with the goal of destroying cancer cells while leaving normal cells intact or by activating the person’s immune system to destroy melanoma cells in the body. Vemurafenib, Ipilimumab, and Nivolumab are some of the newer treatment agents belonging to these class of drugs. This field has rapidly evolved since 2012, and there are a number of clinical trials open currently evaluating the combination of treatments and some newer agents, and there are now some significant improvements in survival.

Protection from UV radiation is important all year round, but risk is highest during the summer. The hours between 10AM and 4PM are the most hazardous for UV exposure. Minimizing exposure to UV radiation by wearing protective clothing and hats, and using sunscreen are the main preventive measures. Protection of children from sun exposure is especially important as severe sunburns in childhood increase the risk of melanoma later in life.

Sun damage to the skin is cumulative over your lifetime, so avoiding excess sun exposure and using protective measures is extremely important.

Sports and outdoor activities are vital for our health -- for exercise, well-being, and Vitamin D levels. Be sure to plan ahead to avoid sun during the highest UV times of day and to utilize protective measures. Play hard – play smart.

Dr. Arash Mohebati is a board certified general surgeon who completed additional fellowship training in head and neck oncologic surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and has a special interest in Melanoma Treatment. He practices with West Coast Surgical Associates -- offices in Walnut Creek, San Ramon, and Concord. Call (925) 933-0984 to schedule an appointment.

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Your Personal Nutritionist Great Success with Teen Weight Loss

By Linda Michaelis RD, MS I was an unhappy overweight teen, and with being a Registered Dietitian and a mom of two teens, I have found my expertise.

Kevin was referred to me two years ago by his doctor when he was 13 years old. We worked together for a month, but I soon realized that his love affair with food overruled, and he was not ready to make the necessary changes to lose weight. We decided that he needed to wait to work together until he was ready to make the commitment.

Three months ago Kevin called me and told me he had gained more weight, and he was now ready to lose weight and commit to my suggestions. I have to tell you that call made my day because I really enjoyed Kevin. He was always so respectful and appreciative of my time.

Kevin came in with a food diary, and it revealed many of his problems. For breakfast he was eating frozen waffles or pancakes with too much maple syrup and butter. He was eating breakfast despite not being hungry due to his large appetite of consuming hamburgers and fries at night. I reminded him to make sure that when he eats breakfast he thinks hard about how hungry he is. Kevin agreed to try my recipe for roasted veggie egg muffins or an overnite oatmeal parfait with Greek yogurt and berries. Kevin is enjoying these lower carb breakfasts and without complaint.

A month into working with Kevin, he called me on a Saturday morning when his mom was out of town and he asked me what to eat for breakfast because there was not much food at home. After telling me what was in the refrigerator, he made some spinach and scrambled eggs. He texted me an hour later and said they were yummy. Kevin’s tastes were changing, and veggies became tolerable.

I find with kids it is all about timing, and getting them at the right time when they can be exposed to healthier options makes a difference.

For lunch Kevin was always having a sandwich on a roll with a skimpy amount of meat and a bag of chips. No fruit or veggies were included. We agreed to him having chicken legs without the skin, a small bag of chips, and some baby

Lafayette Today ~ May 2016 - Page 21 carrots. Kevin now says that he is also happy with taking 4oz of roasted turkey wrapped around lettuce with cherry tomatoes, carrots, and some cucumbers. Mom sometimes brings him a fresh tuna sandwich with all of the veggies.

Kevin often participates in sports after school and has been enjoying beef jerky with a couple of tangerines or a cut-up apple. Sometimes he even takes grilled chicken strips from home and dips then in BBQ sauce. If he has time, he will make some eggs with spinach before practice. The healthy Kevin is now taking full responsibility with his meals and telling mom what he likes for meals and snacks.

Similar to most kids (and my husband), Kevin’s favorite take-out burger place is In N Out. I suggested when eating there a good food choice would be the burger protein style wrapped in lettuce with small fries. I was shocked again when Kevin told me he went there after a game for dinner and he really liked it.

When Kevin is having pizza with his friends, he only eats two slices and realizes he gets a satisfying fullness unlike the uncomfortable feeling he would have in the past after eating too large portions, especially at night.

Kevin says he is sleeping better and now bounces out of bed in the morning and has an appetite for breakfast which he realizes he did not have before. He is even using the treadmill in the morning.

In summary, Kevin is not always eating the ideal balanced meals and snacks I prefer, but compared to his past eating habits, his nutrition has drastically improved, and he is losing weight consistently. He is looking forward to taking off his shirt this summer and going swimming in a bathing suit.

It has been and still is a great joy working with Kevin to get him to realize that nutrition plays a large role in how he feels and looks. At this point, I can see by the summer he will have reached his goal of losing 30 lbs.

My counseling with clients is unique in that I am in communication with them several times a week thru phone, email, and text in addition to meetings at my office. This frequent communication is my way of guaranteeing success. Please feel free to call me about your teen, and I will be happy to give you some advice.

I am glad to inform you that most insurance companies such as Alta Bates, Aetna, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Health Net, Hill P, Sutter Health cover nutritional counseling. Please feel free to call me at (925) 855-0150 about your nutrition concerns or email me at Lifeweight1@gmail.com. Check out my website www.LindaRD.com for services, tips, and past articles.

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Refreshed not Weird: How Botox, Dysport, and Fillers Should Look

By Dr. Barbara Persons, Persons Plastic Surgery A friend had just finished a high level business meeting with two women. He said, “What is it about 40-year-old women who have been overdone?” He was talking about people that have gone overboard on injectable treatments such as fillers and Botox. My initial thought... he doesn’t realize that these women are not forty-something. They do look younger than their 50 years, but they look overdone. This is indeed a problem, and it’s becoming a more common problem that I am being asked to fix in my practice.

Facial rejuvenation is one of the top requests I receive. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all like the thought of a refreshed version of ourselves. Ultimately, gravity wrinkles and loss of volume over time will ultimately be most improved by surgery: a neck lift, facelift, eyelids, etc. But, for many patients, natural fillers and fat grafting, Botox, Dysport, Filaser, and RF treatments provide a safe and effective treatment to subtly improve our look.

The key in facial rejuvenation -- from Botox to fillers to fat grafting -- is achieving a look that is youthful, not “weird,” as my friend stated. The look should be refreshed, never overdone, and most importantly natural. Aging gracefully is just as important as looking beautiful, and the secret here is ensuring no one can guess there been a treatment done in the first place. As an expert in face work, I have many tools to use, but the secret to subtle, successful artistry is understanding how exactly to use them.

There are two basic sets of concepts when it comes to facial rejuvenation.

The first is lifting with volume replacement, and the second is improvement of texture, lines, pigment, and laxity. There was a time when we associated aging only with “gravity.” However, we now understand that volume loss can also dramatically change the aesthetic balance of the face. Volume loss occurs in soft tissues and bone, especially in the temporal areas, nasolabial fold, and the cheeks. This results in hollow areas of the temples, sunken eyes, eye bags, tear

troughs, mid cheek breaks, marionette lines around the mouth, droopy skin at the jaw, and excess neck skin and bags. The combined effect of volume loss, sun exposure, and age also contributes to increased skin laxity, which presents as wrinkles around the eyes, the forehead, and the middle brow. The face looks more aged, more tired, less full, and overall less youthful.

In the wrong hands, or with the wrong product (cheap counterfeit versions of many popular products like Botox, Dysport and fillers are a real problem), the results are only made worse...you become overdone and look weird The correct approach in my opinion is a whole face approach: recreating the beautiful normal. With Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin, the muscle relaxers, I recommend a balanced treatment. This means relaxing each of the main muscles, say in the forehead or around the eyes in a balanced synergistic way.

Fillers and fat grafting should be used to perform a liquid facelift while keeping the proportions natural. Phi or the ideal proportions can be referenced.

Properly treated lips should look natural, not weird. Nasolabial folds should not look like sausages - laser treatments and/or Botox/Dysport for fine lines and wrinkles and the right filler for replacing volume. There are new fillers such as Voluma, Restalyne Silk, and Radiesse Plus for treating very specialized areas of the face that may be worth the higher cost.

Most importantly, consistency is key. Make sure you use a well-trained, highly skilled injector with a heightened aesthetic sense who is able to learn the intricacies unique to your face. Find a physician or nurse injector you like, and stick with that person. Most people who end up overdone have had multiple visits with multiple doctors. Our nurses, Melissa and Brittney, work hard with me to make sure you look natural.

As always, we look forward to meeting you at Persons Plastic Surgery for a consult so we can demonstrate our approach to consistent results.

Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc. is located at 911 Moraga Rd, Suite 205 in Lafayette. To contact me call 925-283-4012 or email drbarb@ Advertorial personsplasticsurgery.com.

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Page 22 - May 2016 ~ Lafayette Today

Events for Lafayette Seniors All classes are held at the Lafayette Senior Center (LSC), located at 500 Saint Mary’s Rd in Lafayette, unless otherwise noted. Space is limited.

Please call 925-284-5050 to reserve a spot. Unless otherwise mentioned, events are free for members and $10 for non-members.

Computers: Password Management & Backing Up Your Data May 11 • 10:30AM – 12PM • Cedar Room, LSC - A strong password for each and every account is crucial for internet security, but remembering and keeping track of them all can be mind-boggling. Edward will share tips on creating strong passwords and methods of managing them. He will also discuss the importance and various methods of backing up your data to prevent loss.

Cooking for One or Two: Fresh and In-Season May 24 • 2PM – 3:30PM • Byron Park, 1700 Tice Valley Blvd, Walnut Creek - Seasonal cooking allows you to embrace the bounty of healthy, fresh, and colorful ingredients available at the farmer’s market and grocery store. Chef Mike will discuss what is currently in season and share recipes using those ingredients. As always, there will be plenty of taste-testing! You’ll go home with a set of recipes so you can easily replicate the dishes at home – even if you’re cooking for just one or two. Space is limited; RSVP to Lafayette Senior Services by Tuesday, May 17.

Anne Randolph Physical Therapy Presentation: Strokes May 25 • 11:30AM – 12:30PM • Cedar Room, LSC - The effects of a stroke can be devastating. Learn what causes strokes and how to recognize when one is occurring in order to avoid some of the debilitating effects.

Apple Basics 1st & 3rd Thursdays • 11AM – 12:30PM • Elderberry Room, LSC - This on-going series covers topics such as the technology needed for wireless communication, your Apple ID, iTunes, iCloud, and the basics of iPad and iPhone usage. Topics for future sessions will be determined by participants’ input and needs. There will be time for Q&A at the end of each class. Please note: this series deals with Apple devices only.

Lamorinda Tea Dance Wednesdays • 1 – 3:30PM • Live Oak Room, LSC - Enjoy afternoon dancing every Wednesday, and learn some great new dance moves. On the first Wednesday monthly, professional dancers Karen and Michael will provide a dance lesson and live DJ services, playing your favorites and taking requests.

Lamorinda Nature Walk and Bird-Watching Wednesdays • 9AM - noon • Alder Room, LSC - Experience nature at its finest along our local trails. Delight in the beauty that unfolds around each bend, all the while learning to identify a variety of birds. Bring a water bottle; binoculars will be helpful if you have them. Join us every Wednesday or whenever you are able. For more information or to place your name on the route email/ phone list, call Lafayette Seniors Services.

Hearing Screening June 1 • 1 - 2:20PM • Alder Room, LSC - Please call Lafayette Senior Services to make an appointment. Minimum of two sign-ups required in order for hearing screenings to take place.

Drop-In Mah Jongg! Every Tuesday • Noon–3PM • Cedar Room, LSC - Calling all Mah Jongg players! Bring your card and mah jongg set, and join us every Tuesday afternoon. This group is for all levels.

‘As The Page Turns’ Book Club 3rd Tuesday Monthly • 1PM - 2:30PM • Elderberry Room, LSC - Looking for a good book to discuss with others? Join this informal group of booklovers and enjoy enrichment, lively discussion, fellowship, and refreshments. The group is of mixed gender, and everyone gets to participate in the discussions as well as the selection of books to read. Please call Lafayette Senior Services for the book title of the month.

Agility continued from front page wonderful breeder posted many photos and videos of each litter, making it hard not to get attached to certain pups. Finally, the day came when the breeder contacted Morgan to let her know that a beautiful puppy named Tyme would be hers.

Morgan and Tyme have been working together since they were introduced two and a half years ago. Last summer, they had the honor of being chosen to represent the United States on the team for the Agility European Open Junior (EOJ) Championships, held in the Czech Republic. Morgan was one of seven

Words of Wisdom...From the Philosophical to the Lighthearted 3rd Tuesday Monthly • 10:30AM–noon • Elderberry Room, LSC Share your opinions with us in a freewheeling exchange of ideas: from current events to philosophy to the inspirational. There may be agreement or there may be different opinions -- it’s all in the spirit of learning, sharing, enrichment, and good humor. Our “elder perspective” frequently sounds a lot like wisdom!

Reservoir Walking Group Tuesdays and Thursdays • 9 AM – 10:30AM • Meet at reservoir at 8:45AM center bench on the dam - Led

by Jim Scala, Lafayette Today’s “Walking the Reservoir” columnist. Join us for camaraderie, fresh air, and enjoyable exercise, all in magnificent surroundings. Optional bonus: at the end of the walk, Jim will lead you through easy yoga poses and breathing exercises in the most beautiful outdoor yoga studio: the band stage overlooking the water. Increase your balance and fitness, both physical and mental, and leave each week feeling uplifted and radiating that overall sense of well-being! Please call (925) 284-5050 or email seniors@lovelafayette.org to add your name to the email notification list. Bring quarters or a credit card for the parking meter. Annual senior (62+) passes may be purchased at the reservoir visitor center.

Positive Living Forum (“Happiness Club”) 2nd Thursday monthly • 10:30AM – noon • Elderberry Room, LSC - Brighten your day with Dr. Bob Nozik, MD, Prof. Emeritus UCSF and author of Happy 4 Life: Here’s How to Do It. Brighten your day and take part in this interactive gathering which features speakers on a wide range of topics that guide participants toward a more ideal and positive life experience. Drop-ins welcome!

Free Peer Counseling 2nd Tuesday monthly • 10AM - noon • Alder Room, LSC - Contra Costa Health Services offers free one-on-one counseling with senior (55+) counselors who use their life experiences to help other older adults cope with life changes, problems, crises, and challenges. Confidentiality is strictly observed. Appointment required. Please call Lafayette Senior Services to sign up for one of the 60-minute appointments.

juniors from across the country chosen for this team. Dogs are not allowed to compete in the American Kennel Club until they are at least 15 months, so Tyme, at just over two years old last year, was one of the youngest dogs at the event.

Morgan and Tyme have again been chosen to be on the US Junior Championship Team this summer in Slovakia. Morgan will be competing with two dogs: Tyme and her mom’s Border Collie, Karma.

Morgan is working hard to raise funds for the EOJ and has set up a GoFundMe site at https://www.gofundme.com/3ux6pzwc. She is also selling raffle tickets as a fundraiser for the team.

Since Morgan just turned 18, this will be her last year competing as a junior handler, but hopefully it won’t be her last year competing on the international stage.

To share your story, advertise,or see past issues, visit www.yourmonthlypaper.com or call 925.405.6397

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Lafayette Today ~ May 2016 - Page 23

Thinking it Over – What’s Next in Senior Transportation?

By Mary Bruns, Lamorinda Senior Transportation The Senior Mobility Action Council (SMAC) was tasked by the Advisory Council on Aging Executive Committee with looking into “Dial-A-Ride Across County Lines.” In other words, if you live in Lamorinda, how could you get to a medical specialist at Stanford or in San Francisco when your local doctor refers you there if you didn’t have a family member or friend to take you? Or, if where you live is closer to a doctor in another county than to a doctor within your own county, how can we influence transportation providers to extend their service areas a short distance?

This assignment started a discussion within SMAC, and we are currently looking at transportation needs/gaps/issues and brainstorming for possible solutions, taking into account affordability for the provider and for the passenger as well as the passenger’s need for a trip that is not overly long and too strenuous for the condition the passenger is in. Currently the passenger would need to transfer from one public bus system to another to get to their destination which can create a very long and tiring trip for both the passenger and the driver. It is expensive for public transportation providers to dedicate one vehicle and one driver to provide the needed “all-day” transportation for one person. Volunteer driver programs have a hard time finding volunteers who can devote 6+ hours to take a passenger to Palo Alto or San Francisco and wait for them. These trips can involve commute traffic in unfamiliar areas. One person suggested Uber or a company like them to provide transportation across county lines. Again, there is the matter of expense to the passenger.

As we were discussing these difficult-to-resolve situations, I thought about “Neighborhood Watch” which teaches neighbors to watch over their neighbors and neighborhood and “Nextdoor Burton Valley,” a website where neighbors post things to buy or sell and needs for gardeners, babysitters, housecleaners, etc. I thought about the elderly neighbor I would sometimes take to lunch or go over to visit. I remembered one of our passengers who moved out of our service area but still needed someone to take her clothes shopping from time to time. In pioneer days, neighbors helped each other put up a barn or bring in a crop. Perhaps today’s version of neighbor helping neighbor is making a renewed effort to get to know our neighbors and consider driving an older adult in your neighborhood to an occasional medical appointment or providing a small service like changing a light bulb that is hard for them to reach.

There are formal volunteer driver programs such as the Lamorinda To place an ad, Spirit Van, Mobility Matters (formerly Senior Helpline Services), share a story, and Orinda Seniors Around Town. Each of our programs needs more or for volunteer drivers in order to meet the growing needs for transportation. more information about There are also those informal volunteer opportunities that you see in your neighborhood where a neighbor extends a helping hand to another our papers, neighbor. Consider who needs a helping hand and how you might want to call 925.405.6397 or help. The thanks and appreciation you will receive are very gratifying. visit www.yourmonthlypaper.com On May 11, seniors and senior advocates will be attending Senior Rally Day in Sacramento at the State Capitol. This is our opportunity to put a face to the fact that people are becoming seniors at the rate of 10,000 a day. We want to bring Legislators’ attention to the need for funding resources that all of us will need as we age: transportation, affordable ARCHITECT senior housing, in-home supportive services, and adult day-care.

JOHN ROLF HATTAM - ARCHITECT Specializes in modest budget, new and renovated residences. Over 200 completed projects. Brochures available Lamorinda Senior Transportation for all of our professional services •RESIDENTIAL RENOVATION •NEW An Alliance of Transportation Providers RESIDENCES •CHURCHES •COMMERCIAL •MULTI-FAMILY. For the Volunteer Drivers – Needed, Valued, and Appreciated brochure meeting your need call 510-841-5933. 737 Dwight Way, Berkeley.

C L A S S I F I E D S

We will accommodate your schedule.

Call one of the programs below to volunteer.

Lamorinda Spirit Van

283-3534

Takes Lamorinda older adults, age 60 and up, to errands, appointments, shopping, classes, and to lunch at the C.C. Café. Wheelchair and walker accessible. WE LOVE TO SAY YES, so call early to make your reservation.

Contra Costa Yellow Cab and DeSoto Company

284-1234

20% discount for Lamorinda seniors.

Orinda Seniors Around Town

402-4506

Volunteer drivers serving Orinda seniors with free rides to appointments and errands.

Mobility Matters Rides for Seniors (formerly Senior Helpline Svcs) 284-6161 Volunteer drivers serving Contra Costa seniors with free rides to doctors’ appointments during the week. Grocery shopping on Saturdays.

County Connection LINK Reservation Line

938-7433

For people with disabilities. (Older adults often have “age-based” disabilities.)

Mobility Matters Information and Referral Line 284-6109

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Run the same classified ad in our sister papers “Alamo Today” or “Danville Today News” and pay half off for your second and/or third ad! Payment by check made out to “The Editors” must be received before ad will print. Your cancelled check is your receipt. We reserve the right to reject any ad.

Page 24 - May 2016 ~ Lafayette Today

www.yourmonthlypaper.com

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