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Lafayette Today ~ January 2014 - Page 25
August 2014 Acalanes High Welcomes New Principal
Serving the Lafayette Community
By Fran Miller
Passionate, energetic, caring and smart – these are traits used repeatedly by Allison Silvestri’s friends and work associates when asked to describe the new Acalanes High School principal. Silvestri succeeds former principal Aida Glimme who has moved to the district office as Director of Education Services. Allison Silvestri Silvestri established herself as the top candidate for the demanding position after a rigorous evaluation process that included stakeholder panel interviews, performance tasks, and interviews with the executive cabinet. “Allison is very perceptive of the needs at Acalanes High School, will maintain the high quality programs, and can effectively lead the efforts for continuous improvement,” says John Nickerson, Acalanes Union High School District Superintendent. “She listens, collaborates, problem solves, and is passionate about every aspect of high school education.”
See Principal continued on page 18
Volunteers Needed for Event to Help Bay Area Homeless Veterans in September
Organizers of the East Bay Stand Down (EBSD) 2014 are in the final stages of planning a major initiative to help up to 450 homeless and displaced veterans and their families, and are looking to recruit over 2,000 volunteers to help. This large-scale community program will take place at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton from September 11 - 14. Concerned citizens with various skills and abilities are needed to support the operation of the four-day “tent city.”
All veterans live at East Bay Stand Down for four days.
“Stand Down” is a term used during war to describe the practice of removing combat troops from the field and taking care of their basic needs in a safe area, and this same concept has been successfully used to provide assistance to veterans who are in need. Many of these veterans are suffering from physical and mental injuries, sometimes both, suffered while in service to our country. A wide variety of voluntary positions are still needed, especially priorto the start of EBSD for physical labor in setting-up and maintaining the
See EBSD continued on page 21
Local Postal Customer
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit 21 Lafayette, CA
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CARDA teams train for helicopter operations. Photo courtesy of CARDA.
California Rescue Dog Association: Barking up the Right Tree By Jody Morgan
Founded in 1976, California Rescue Dog Association (CARDA) is the largest search dog organization in the US. Highly motivated handlers teamed with high-drive canine partners make CARDA the standard-setting model for rescue dog operations throughout the country. An all-volunteer, non-profit organization available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to assist local, state, and federal agencies, CARDA has participated in 4,057 searches in the past 13 years. From 2000 through May 2014, CARDA volunteers served 103,835 hours and drove their personally owned vehicles 1,582,482 miles to support search and rescue efforts. Estimating expenses at $0.56/mile and time at $25/hour, CARDA contributed $3.34 million in aid to California Public Safety Agencies during that time frame. The value of lives saved and peace of mind restored is incalculable. CARDA volunteers are devoted to the success of each mission and totally disinterested in individual recognition. In a large Area Search, such as when a hiker goes missing, each rescue team is given a sector to cover. The job is to find any trace of human presence. Success means missing no clues, but not necessarily finding the subject who may never have passed through that particular space. Trailing, whether in an urban or rural setting, begins with a scent article specific to the subject. An Alzheimer’s patient often travels the same path through a neighborhood daily. Discerning the freshest trail is important. Has a runaway teen hopped public transportation? Trailing teams investigate BART stations and bus stops to determine whether the subject has been present there. Area Search dogs typically operate off-leash, while Trailing dogs work on long leashes. What happens when CARDA is called to assist? Eric Sheets, CARDA Program Manager reports: “CARDA dispatchers know the unique qualifications of each team. They have the experience to ask the right questions so that they can call out the most appropriate teams that are closest to the requested search location.” The call out to Feather Falls, for example, demanded a team capable of repeatedly dangling beneath a helicopter to search the Volume VIII - Number 8 treacherous terrain of rugged canyon walls. 3000F Danville Blvd #117 After arriving at the scene, Sheets and his Alamo, CA 94507 Australian Cattle Dog “Seven” took six trips Telephone (925) 405-6397 on the short haul line to reach remote loFax (925) 406-0547 cations. Trained to submit when picked editor@yourmonthlypaper.com up and put in harness, “Seven” stayed Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher focused on the task. The opinions expressed herein belong to the and do not necessarily reflect that of LaEach mission is different. Because writers, fayette Today. Lafayette Today is not responsible CARDA is contacted for assistance when for the content of any of the advertising herein,
See CARDA continued on page 20
nor does publication imply endorsement.
Page 2 - August 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Friends Corner Book Shop Sale
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The Friends Corner Book Shop is holding a half-price book sale on Saturday, August 30 from 9 - 5PM. The Shop is located at 1st Street and Golden Gate Way in Lafayette.
Assistance League® of Diablo Valley Looking for Prospective Members
Sons in Retirement Luncheon
Assistance League® of Diablo Valley is a nonprofit, member volunteer organization which is dedicated to improving lives in our community through hands-on programs. You might have heard of our primary fundraiser, the Way Side Inn Thrift Shop, located at 3521 Golden Gate Way in Lafayette. In response to a growing client base, we are actively pursuing prospective members who would enjoy providing clothing to elementary schoolchildren for a more successful educational experience, testing preschool children for vision, performing educational puppet shows for schoolchildren, reading to second grade students, or helping in supplying emergency clothing, food, and supplies to those in crisis. Two other philanthropic programs address the needs of our seniors. A Prospective Member Coffee will be held on Wednesday, August 13, at 9:30AM, at the Community Resource Center, 2711 Buena Vista Avenue, Walnut Creek. If you are interested in spending quality time while serving the needs of others in our community, please phone (925) 934-0901 for details. For more information about Assistance League of Diablo Valley’s eight philanthropic programs, please visit our website at diablovalley.assistanceleague.org.
Sons in Retirement (SIR) will hold their next luncheon meeting at 11:30am August 18th. A performance by SIR member Paul King and his singing partner Terry Shields will be held. Paul and Terry perform locally as members of the Jump-In band which features music from the 50’s and 60’s similar to that of the Kingston Trio and the Limeliters. Paul plays six and 12 string guitars, and Terry plays banjo and guitar. Like the name suggests, the audience is encouraged to jump in and join in singing familiar favorite songs. Cost of lunch is $15. The meeting is held at the Walnut Creek Elks Lodge located at 1475 Creekside Dr. in Walnut Creek. Guest are welcome. Please make reservations by calling 925-322-1160 by Wednesday, August 13th. If you are retired or semi-retired and want to make new friends, participate in fun activities, and better enjoy your leisure time, you are welcome to join the fun. Having an active life in retirement is not only what the SIR organization encourages, but it provides the opportunity to do so with volunteer organized events such as guided walking tours of San Francisco. An upcoming guided walking tour of San Francisco is scheduled for Saturday, August 23rd. This tour will explore the transformation of the Mission Bay area which includes the largest construction project in San Francisco since the 1906 earthquake. This tour should provide a unique perspective on the transformation from a backwater area of the bay to a modern biotech center. The tour will be conducted by a docent from the SF Public Library at a cost of $10 per person. Guest and spouses are welcome to join and may make reservations by calling 925-322-1160. The hiking and walking group, also known as the Amiable Amblers, meets the 2nd and 4th Fridays of most months. This is a couple’s event to promote good health and friendship among the members. Each walk is coordinated by one of the members. These walks generally start at 8:15am and last about an hour. The walks are followed by coffee and/or breakfast at a convenient local spot selected by the coordinator. Most of the walks follow an “out and back” route so that people of all levels of physical ability may participate at their own pace. For information about SIR activities for retired men, please visit www. Branch116.org.
Lafayette Hiking Group
Help Give Cancer the Boot
Forget your suit and bring your loot on Saturday, August 16th starting at 5pm. Give cancer the boot at the classic country western round-up benefiting the Danville based Lazarex Cancer Foundation. Enjoy a country elegant menu, cocktails, and breathtaking views. Channel your inner cowpoke and test your shooting, riding, and roping skills. Tap your feet to California’s remarkable Western Swing band Lost Weekend. This is an elegant taste of the west, in a fun and festive setting, on a private ranch in the Fremont hills, all to benefit a great cause. The evening takes place at 41401 Vargas Road in Fremont. The cost is $250 per person. To participate in the auction, donate, or purchase tickets, visit https:// lazarex.ejoinme.org/givecancertheboot. Donations can also be made in lieu of attendance to Cancer Foundation by visiting the Lazarex Cancer Foundation event website at https://lazarex.ejoinme. org/givecancertheboot or by mailing a donation to Lazarex Cancer Foundation, P.O. BOX 741, Danville, CA 94526. For more information about the event, call Lazarex Cancer Foundation at 925-820-4517 or email Susan@lazarex.org.
Scottish Country Dancing
Come dance every Thursday evening, year-round (with the single exception of Thanksgiving)! No partner is required and no Scottish ancestry is required. Adult beginner classes for Scottish Country Dancing take place each week with free lessons at 8PM. More experienced dancers also begin at 8PM. Once a month Ceilidh dancing will take place as well. Dancing will be held at the Danville Grange, located at 743 Diablo Rd 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. For children’s classes ages 7 and up, please contact Cathy at (925) 284-9068 for dates and fees.
To participate in hikes, meet in the parking lot out from Lafayette BART’s main entrance at 8:30AM. We form carpools to the trailhead. Bring lunch or snacks, water, layered clothing, good walking shoes, sun protection, and money to contribute toward gas and parking ($3 local).
Saturday, August 23 ~ French Trail, Redwood Park
Enjoy the shade, ferns and redwoods close to home, on a trail that meanders up and down hill. The hike will be shortened if the day is very hot. Distance: 6 or 7 miles, hilly. Leader: Alison Hill E-mail questions to LafayetteHiking@comcast.net.
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 646-4461.
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Boulevard View
By Alisa Corstorphine, Editor
A friend’s father used to say to him, “Everybody wants to live forever, but yet they don’t know what to do on a Thursday night.” Kids complain, “I’m bored.” Teenagers echo the kids and add, “There’s nothing to do around here.” It’s so easy to get in a rut. Go to work. Cook dinner. Watch TV. Go to bed. If you have kids the day might include a sporting practice, or, all to soon, another year of school and homework. Breaking out of the rut usually involves preplanning, effort, coordination...one more thing. However, time flies and who wants to go through life in a “lather-rinse -repeat” cycle? Irish playright Oscar Wilde noted, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” The area we are privileged to live in is a place that people from all over the world come to see. Opportunities abound to visit new sights, explore world-class museums, enjoy nature, dine on the finest cuisine or grab a meal from a food truck, and be entertained by concerts in the park or performances on a large stage and yet, how often do we take advantage of what we have been given? The other night I planned a family and friend outing to the Exploratorium. Thursday evenings from 6-10pm the museum holds “Exploratorium After Dark.” Entrance fee is half price, a cash bar is open, and the venue is open for adults only. It is a playground for a friends gathering or a date night. There is always something new to see, and there are so many exhibits that it takes multiple visits to see them all. One of my favorite newly-found exhibits was a small room with a gravel path. The A camera and a drop of water catch my goal was to walk on the path from end to reflection at the Exploratorium.
Lafayette Today ~ August 2014 - Page 3 end as quietly as you could without making too loud of a “crunch” in the gravel. A decibel meter tracked how much sound you created. I felt very proud when I made a fifth of the noise as the guy in front of me, however, my husband eclipsed everyone and made it down the path with barely a squeak. I have discovered two websites this month that tell of slightly off-the-beaten path and less known interesting things and places to see. The websites are www. roadtrippers.com and www.atlasobscura.com. They are great for planning a local outing or a road trip and are worth checking out if you are looking for new ideas. Centenarian Lili Rudin; who was born in July 1912, and was married four times and has two children, four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren; was interviewed for an article in Real Simple magazine. She was asked how she made it to age 100 and said, “I left school when I was 12, but I traveled the world, and that was my real education. People interested me then and still do. That’s why I go out every day and mingle: I go shopping and take exercise classes. Plus, I see members of my family almost every single day. I remain very curious about life, and if something new happens, I want to be involved in it. I want to live another 50 years—after all, there are still so many countries I need to see.” She gave her best live-long advice noting, “Do something interesting every day; otherwise you disintegrate.” When I wake up each day I have as much time as the President or a Fortune 500 CEO. In the poem, The Dash by Linda Ellis in part she says, I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning…to the end. He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years. For that dash represents all the time that they spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth. How are you going to fill in your dash? What story will that little line tell?
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Page 4 - August 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
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Lamorinda Idol 2014 Finalists Announced!
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O’Neill Festival Celebrates the Art of the Escape
The 15th Eugene O’Neill Festival gets underway in early September with a series of theatre productions and events honoring the only American playwright to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for his works. This fall the Eugene O’Neill Festival focuses on the human yearning for escape. The Iceman Cometh and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof represent two of America’s most celebrated playwrights at the height of their dramatic powers. In these masterpieces, Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams reveal what we all experience when the stories we tell ourselves are challenged. At the intersection of truth and fiction, we all struggle to determine what role illusions play in our lives. During the month-long O’Neill Festival, additional events further explore “The Art of the Escape” through sneak peek presentations, a visual arts exhibition, panel discussions, a walking tour, and a special showcase performance. Reservations for each event are available online at www.eugeneoneil.org or www.roleplayersensemble.com.The O’Neill Foundation is also offering, through August 15, a special All-Inclusive Festival Ticket Package, providing a 25% savings on all Festival events.
Festival events
Join us for a sneak peek at this year’s festival. Get the inside scoop from the directors, designers, and actors who are going to be bringing these classics to life this September. Admission is free. • Lafayette Library (3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd), Thursday, August 21st 6:30pm • Danville Library (400 Front Street), Saturday, August 23rd 1pm The Museum of the San Ramon Valley (205 Railroad Ave., Danville) will host a panel discussion on the festival’s featured playwrights, with a special focus on the role of “escape” in their works and lives. The discussion will take place on Saturday, September 13th at 2pm. Admission is $12. In keeping with the festival theme of escape, “Truth, Lies and Illusions” is an afternoon of short scenes presented by theatre companies from around the Bay Area which explore the stories we tell others, or tell ourselves, in an effort to cope with our circumstances. The event will take place on Saturday, September 20th at 2pm, in the Old Barn at Tao House. Admission is $25. • Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams - Dates: September 5, 6, 7*, 12, 13, 14*, 18 and 20. Village Theatre, Danville; Tickets: $28(* post-show discussion) • The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O’Neill - Dates: September 19, 21*, 25, 26, 27 and 28*. The Old Barn at Tao House, Danville; Tickets: $35 (* post-show discussion) Early Bird Specials and All-Inclusive Festival Packages are available. Tickets can be purchased at www.eugeneoneill.org.
Lamorinda Idol 2014 auditions were held with over 200 young people from Orinda, Moraga, and Lafayette auditioning before a panel of three judges, who selected the finalists. Commenting on the auditions, Lamorinda Idol Chairman Steve Harwood said, “I think those of us present knew we were witnessing something very special as each of the auditioners was well prepared, put themselves on the line, and gave it their all.” Thirty-four soloists and 11 groups will compete at the finals on Sunday, September 7th at Orinda Theater. The community will also be treated to several performances throughout the summer in Orinda and Lafayette from finalists and runners up. Further details are available at www.orindaartscouncil.org. K-2 Soloists - Finalists - Callie Barber, Katie Barmmer, Janie Hollerbach, Claire O’Conner, Natalie Schroeder, Runners-Up - Audrey Peatross, Katie Welch 3-5 Soloists - Finalists - Nejla Ackdoe-Pagey, Grace Barmmer, Amelia Chen, Bella Deanhardt, Jenna Foster, Ava Jacuzzi, Lleyton Allen, Bridgett Mills, Grace Sjoberg, Aya Sullivan, Runners-Up - Cece Cohen, Gianna Capozzi 6-8 Soloists - Finalists - Elizabeth Becker, Joel Braunstein, Isabella Capozzi, Jenni Coletta, Kiera Glenn, Avery Hansen, Jennifer McFarlane, Lauren Ramlan, Michaela Sasner, Lindsey Wallace, Runners-Up - Grace Mesenbring, Niamh Akazawa 9-12 Soloists - Finalists - Grace Baer, Sarah Cain, Forest Castillo, Lucy Clearwater, Jesse Epstein, Isabelle Kimura, Jocelyn Purcell, Eleanor Roeder, Leah Woodcox, Runners-Up - Hannah Witbeck, Melissa Elliott K-5 Groups - Finalists - Rainbow Harmony (Amelia Chen, Kaitlyn Roach), The Complete Opposites (Marlene Monteilh, Fiona Young), Lilesa (Malesa Hasler, Lily Jensen), Runners-Up - Lucky Charms (Lucy Foss, Kaylin Ishizu), Abby & Isabela (Abby Evans, Isabela Pursiano) 6-8 Groups - Finalists - ABC (Lleyton Allen, Elizabeth Becker, Jenni Coletta), Team Voce (Gianna Capozzi, Isabella Capozzi), The Duettes (Grace Mesenbring, Mia Polichio), The Tri Tones (Arriana Glenn, Kiera Glenn, Olivia Montiel), Runners-Up - Rising Starz (Leah Douglas, Hannah Hoffman, Nicole Prozan) Pia and Rachel (Pia Dovichi, Rachel Go) 9-12 Groups - Finalists - Audacity (Dara Feller, Jessie Keppler, Claire Levinson, Kirsten Stensland), Hello Harmony (Isabelle Kimura, Hannah Witbeck) Maritza & Tosca (Maritza Grillo, Tosca Maltzman), Sarah & Lolo (Lolo BashinSullivan, Sarah Cain), Runners-Up - Jesse & Harry (Jesse Epstein, Harry Egan), The Nolans (Erin Nolan, Melissa Nolan)
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Lafayette Community Garden Class
Lafayette Today ~ August 2014 - Page 5
Register for the following class at www.lafayettecommunitygarden.org.
Nourishment for a Healthy and Happy Family ~ August 13 ~ 7 – 8:30PM
Participants will gain the knowledge needed to make the best food choices for their families. Topics include the importance of good nutrition, nutritional bandits and superheroes, nutrition claims and labels, nutrient rich snack ideas, fostering healthy eating habits, food allergies, supplementation, and much more. Attendees will also get a taste of a yummy, nutritious snack along with the recipe to make it at home. If you have children, plan to have children, or if you are expecting, you won’t want to miss this! Developed for parents, grandparents, and others caring for children • FREE
Troop 241 Eagle Scouts
Boy Scout Troop 241 of Lafayette announced that five Scouts have earned Eagle Rank. Christian Burns, Michael Goodwin, Connor Green, Raymond McTigue, and Colton Prescott were honored at the Troop’s Eagle Court of Honor. Scoutmaster Leonard Bertolami presented the awards for the highest rank in Scouting. Now a senior at Acalanes High School, Burns’ Eagle Project involved renovating the front area at CATS, the after-school program at Lafayette Elementary School. Pavers and tanbark were installed for a play area, along with a sign using drought-resistant plants that spells out CATS. Goodwin, who will be attending the University of California, Berkeley in the fall and playing Cal rugby, constructed a new chicken coop in the St. Perpetua School Garden of Learning. Green, who will be attending Napa Valley College in the fall, led Scouts that installed fencing, an irrigation system, and jasmine along the south side of Hamlin Road in the St. Perpetua School area. McTigue, who will be a senior at Acalanes High School, designed and installed six bird houses at Lafayette Elementary School. Prescott, who will be a senior at the Bentley School, built a new garden for the Home Economics class at Stanley Middle School, along with backpack hangers outside the classroom.
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New Eagle Scouts: Colton Prescott, Christian Burns, Michael Goodwin, Raymond McTigue, and Connor Green
Montelindo Garden Club
The next Montelindo Garden Club meeting (third Friday, September thru May) will be held on Friday, September 19th at 9AM at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, located at 66 St. Stephens Drive in Orinda. Visitors are welcome. The topic of September’s meeting is “Roots Demystified: Change Your Garden Habits to Help Roots Thrive.” The speaker will be Robert Kourik. To find out more about Kourik, visit www.robertkourik.com. To learn more about the Garden Club, visit www.montelindogarden.com.
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Page 6 - August 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
The Bookworm By Joan Stevenson
While thumbing through a home decorating magazine, I noted that it is quite fashionable to have discreet piles of books on the floor or on a stool or simply laying around. I never thought I was fashion forward, but there I am, reluctant to let go of the latest read, wanting to keep it close by. This summer I have consumed a prodigious number of wonderful reads…good thing, too, since there was nothing in the movie listings that drew my attention. But here is something I didn’t know. Those piles of books might just win me a prize, because the Contra Costa County Library Summer Reading Festival of 2014 is not limited to little kids. Anyone over 18 (that would be me!) can enter, and they can do it for every book they read. Simply pick up the cerise flyer at the library, complete the form with your name, and write a brief review. Multiple entries are welcome! While I have been lying in my hammock finishing The Boys in the Boat, people like Hilma Jones and Ellen Reintjes have been busy planning my fall activities. Hilma has Sweet Thursday planned until 2015. September’s author is Marissa Moss, and she will be our kickoff writer for Lamorinda Kids Read. Her latest book is Mira’s Diary: Bombs Over London. Marissa Moss has been telling stories and drawing pictures to go with them for as long as she can remember. She sent her first book to publishers when she was nine, but it wasn’t very good and never got published. She didn’t try again until she was a grownup, but since then she hasn’t stopped. Stop by the library for a free copy, and pick up the activity guide. September will be a month full of fun events. Join us in the Community Hall on Thursday, August 21 at 6:30 for a sneak peek at the 15th Annual Eugene O’Neill Festival and the Art of Escape. The event is held in September and includes the production of timeless works by two of America’s greatest playwrights, Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams – The Iceman Cometh and Cat on a Hot Tim Roof. Initiated in 1996 by the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, Tao House in collaboration with the National Park Service, Playwrights’ Theatre presents staged readings
www.yourmonthlypaper.com of O’Neill’s plays by professional directors and actors in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our docent speaker will be Eric Fraisher Hayes. A new email just arrived from Gayla Manning, Chief of Book Sales at the Friends Corner Book Shop. She wanted me to tell you about the next Half Price Book Sale on August 30 from 9-5. That is Labor Day Weekend, but it doesn’t stop the team that Gayla calls a “well oiled machine.” She gave me a description of the July 12th sale. “I don’t think I have ever seen more books. We had nine carts, plus four from the library…and our usual three large tables all filled to the gills! This was the first ever bag sale, and at the final count 134 bags were filled and sold. The coffers were fatter by $1,845.50! But the richness extended to Hercules where Pam of the Friends took away two pickups full of leftovers, and Kim, an elementary school librarian from Oakland, bought $40 worth of children’s books for her library. There is no waste with this operation. It’s time we did a shout out for the volunteers who make the Book Sales such a success: Marc, Francie, Jean L, Nancy, Darren, Suzanne, Pat II, Louise, Rebecca, Harriet, Janice, Jean M, Francine, Terry, Elsa, Ellie, Sue, Betty, Daphne, four NCL volunteers...Silvi, Kai, Diana, Emma and, of course, Gayla Manning The Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation is pleased to announce the first event in the Distinguished Speaker Series, An Evening with Paul Madonna on Friday, August 30 in the Community Hall at 6:30. Paul Madonna writes and draws All Over Coffee, the weekly series published in the San Francisco Chronicle and on theRumpus.net and is the author of two books, All Over Coffee (City Lights 2007) and Everything is its Own Reward (City Lights 2011), which won the 2011 NCBR Recognition Award for Best Book. Paul’s work has been published internationally in numerous books and magazines, exhibited in galleries and museums, including the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco and Oakland Museum of California, and printed as large scale murals for Tacolicious restaurants and Starbucks. Paul travels internationally to draw and write, and he currently lives in San Francisco. The cost for the evening is $20 per person, or $40 for reserved seating and post event reception. Enjoy the last days of summer. The library is already gearing up for fall.
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Lafayette Today ~ August 2014 - Page 7
History Buffs Call it a Sad Date…With a Bulldozer For the Lafayette Historical Society by Ruth Bailey
professional painters
It was August 1964, and a historically significant occurrence was set to begin. As the August 21st Sun of that year headlined: “Oldest House in Town Will Be Torn Down/Lafayette Landmark Set For Date With Bulldozer.” This would be the house that James Bickerstaff bought in 1879 from Elam Brown (termed “a reluctant seller”), and its sale, to land developer Percy Whitten, was confirmed by Bickerstaff’s daughter and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. William Rosenberg. We, of course, know Mrs. R. as “Miss Jennie Bickerstaff,” who taught many of the students in the county for nearly 40 years. According to the paper, Jennie and her husband planned to move to Lake Park when the new Methodist Home in Oakland was completed. Here’s how the rest of the story read: “Miss Jennie plans to leave the house where she has lived for over four decades. The house, at 3615 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, is outshone by the pharmacy next door. To say she has seen changes come to Lafayette would be an understatement. “She played on the dirt road as a little girl and rode horseback over it to her teaching job in Orinda. She planted the oak, redwood, and deodar trees. ‘All temporary,’ her husband sighed. ‘They are all part of her heart.’ “Her father first brought the family to Lafayette in 1875 when Miss Jennie was three years old. After two years they went back to Pennsylvania, returning here in 1879. He bought a small portion of land with a two-room house from Elam Brown. Through the years, Bickerstaff added onto the The Bay Area’s premier painting original two rooms, which were built Josiah Allen, and acquired five acres. company. It’s all in the details. “Brown, who had bought the 3329-acre Acalanes Rancho for $900, sold the little triangular piece of land reluctantly. It was only because the creek Call us for a complimentary consultation 510.655.7000 | www.mbjessee.com made it impossible to use the farm machinery of the day to cultivate the property that Brown sold it, said Miss Jennie. SAN FRANCISCO | HILLSBOROUGH | PIEDMONT | OAKLAND | DANVILLE/ALAMO | MARIN “They had sheep, cows and their own crops on the land, although LICENSE NO. 702138 Bickerstaff farmed for others in the area—he was a hay farmer for the Oliver Hamlins. “Miss J. recalls a family excursion to San Jose that took two days. Her parents rode in a spring wagon drawn by two work horses and with a cow tied behind, while Miss Jennie rode her favorite horse, Topsy. “When Miss Jennie married her first husband, the late Stephen Dewing, she acquired a ready-made family of six grown children. She lived in Santa Cruz after Dewing’s death. In 1942, in a harmonica class there, she met Mr. Rosenberg and married him 10 years later. “One of the personal items Jennie displayed in her home was a sampler, tenderly embroidered: ‘Bless this house oh Lord we pray, make it safe by night and day.’” Lafayette Historical Society Board Member Laura Torkelson remembers going Christmas caroling with her Methodist Church friends while in high school and stopping to sing at Jennie Bickerstaff Rosenberg’s home. “A little white-haired lady came out and thanked us,” Laura remembers, adding that she wishes she had realized at the time Jennie’s key role in Lafayette’s history. Jennie Bickerstaff riding Topsy circa 1892. (Laura didn’t grow up in Lafayette, so she can be excused.) As many Lafayette residents know, the property where Jennie and her family lived is now the site of Diablo Foods, and the giant redwood in front is believed to have been planted by the young Jennie. The tree was on the east side of her home, which was much closer to the road than Diablo Foods’ site. We of a historical persuasion appreciate much-honored grocer Ed Stokes’ decision to nurture the tree, even to decorating it with holiday lights and building a protective stone base, so it doesn’t get nicked by runaway cars or carts.
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Weekly Dance Social
Jennie Bickerstaff’s home which was demolished in 1964.
Dance for joy at the weekly Social, or just come to chat; all are welcome. Twirl, chat, and tap your feet to the beat. The Social is for all-level and all-style dancers, music lovers, and observers. The Social is held Wednesdays from 12:30 to 2:50PM at the Lafayette Community Center located at 500 St. Mary’s Road. The longtime event, with continuous, professionally recorded music, is held in the big, bright Live Oak Room. The Social specializes in ballroom, but any style dance adds to the charm. For more information, visit sites.google.com/site/lafayetteteadance. Fees for the event are $2 for members of the Senior Center and $4 for nonmembers.
Page 8 - August 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
The Night Before School: A Vigil of Hope By Nick Vleisides
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Every year towards the end of August parents, students, and community members gear up for the start of school. The first day of school seems to always CARLOS “KIKO” CAICEDO come upon us way too soon or for some of us parents...not soon enough! Right? I remember as a kid getting out of school in mid-June and returning in midShop (925) 284-4852 September. That was a full three months of summer vacation! Now summers Cell (925) 285-0783 lafayettemotors@gmail.com are barely more than two months! But the start of school is always like the start of an annual clock which tells our time. Indeed, the calendar year begins Janu3470 Golden Gate Way , Lafayette, CA 94549 ary 1, but the cycle of life for us in the community begins when school starts, and it is our practical “New Year.” Everyone is back home from vacations...maybe rested...probably not. The day school starts the traffic returns as thousands of students are being transported to the many Independent service and repair for Mercedes Benz schools around us all around the same time each morning. Working parents all coordinate their starting time at work with the morning school routine. We embrace all the “back-to-school” sales, buying up supplies and new clothes for the kiddos. We register our kids for school and anxiously wait to find out JERRY FIGUEROA who their teachers are going to be. Tryouts for the fall sports teams in our high schools brings about a Shop (925) 284-4852 lot of nervousness and anxiety among prospective athletes AND their parents. Cell (510) 754-1942 Most of us look forward to the start of the school routine, though. It puts us in our rhythm. We like lafayettemotors@gmail.com the homework factor as leverage to keep our kids off the TV and away from their favorite video games... 3470 Golden Gate Way , Lafayette, CA 94549 something most of our kids do way too much of, right?! For our older kids we get nervous about the choices they will make as young adults. We live in a wonderful community Your Input Needed: Help Us but certainly not one exempt or untouched by drug and alcohol abuse that goes along with the party scene. We have excellent schools, but we also know our kids Keep Contra Costa Moving are under more pressure now than ever to perform and succeed in academics. By Candace Andersen, County Supervisor Somehow “average” has become akin to failure in some ways. We see more Our local City Councils and the County Board of and more young people suffering through low self esteem partially as a result Supervisors work closely on transportation issues of the extreme pressures, and it often leads to high risk behavior and abuse and serve together on the Contra Costa Transporof drugs, prescription medications, and alcohol. We love our children but we tation Authority (CCTA). CCTA is responsible for know how life can be fraught with dangers and consequences of poor choices. maintaining and improving Contra Costa’s transOn Sunday night, August 24, at 7PM there will be a vigil of hope offered for portation system. It works to improve our local our community of parents and students and concerned citizens, The Night transportation systems by planning and funding Before School: A Vigil of Hope. This will be a brief time to hear from a few key projects like the Caldecott Tunnel and BART system extensions. It speakers... perhaps a teacher...a student...a parent...a chaplain. We will offer also helps maintain our local streets, reduce traffic congestion, and make up prayers for our kids that they would thrive in safety as well as emotional Contra Costa safe for bikes and pedestrians. We want to help you get to and spiritual health. This Vigil of Hope is dedicated to the memory of Robert where you need to go. Orlando who was killed the night before school last August. His life AND his We’re currently updating the Countywide Transportation Plan (CTP), death reminded many of us in the community how precious our children are which outlines our vision for improving how we travel throughout our but also how tenuous life can be. Please come...students, parents, and anyone County. It establishes goals, strategies, projects, and other actions that will who wishes to join together and seek to bless our students. The Night Before help achieve that vision. It’s a plan for the next 25 years of transportation School: A Vigil of Hope will be held in the park at Oak Hill Park located at planning in our county. 3005 Stone Valley Rd. in Danville. We want your input! What is your transportation vision for Contra Costa? Nick is a chaplain with the Danville Police Department, San Ramon PoWhat programs should we invest in? Should we extend BART, put more buses lice Department, San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District, Contra Costa on the road, fix local streets, create more bike lanes, make our streets more County Sheriff. He is a board member for Teen Esteem (www.teenesteem. pedestrian friendly, or improve our highways? Help us set priorities for our org) and speaks at school assemblies on the subject of teen pressure, anxiety, transportation system and suggest new ideas. This is your chance to share and suicide. Nick serves on the Contra Costa County Suicide Prevention your ideas for new projects and programs in Contra Costa. Committee, and he is the Director and Chaplain for Community Chaplain There are many ways you can participate: Resources (www.communitychaplainresources.org). Nick can be contacted • Attend a public workshop to hear more about the CTP process and give at nvleisides@yahoo.com. your feedback. The meeting in our end of the County is going to take place on Wednesday, September 10, at 7PM at the Lafayette Veteran’s Memorial Building, 3780 Mt. Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette. • Participate in a Telephone Public Workshop. Visit www.ccta.net for more information. If you find him and your name is drawn! • Visit www.KeepContraCostaMoving.net to fill out an online survey. • Call (925) 256-4720 to get a copy of the survey mailed to you. He is very small, so you will have to look hard if you want to find him. I hope you’ll use one of the ways listed above to participate in this important planning tool. Your opinions and ideas matter and will help shape Contra Costa County’s transportation planning for the next 25 years. He has become lost in this paper. My office is here to serve the residents of Contra Costa County District Send a letter telling us where you found him, along with your name and address to: 2, which includes San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek, Saranap, Parkmead, Lafayette, Moraga, Canyon, and Orinda. Please don’t hesitate to Lost Dog! Lafayette Today, 3000F Danville Blvd #117, Alamo, CA 94507 contact us if we can provide you with additional information on this topic Stacey Friend is our winner! or on other County issues. I can be reached at SupervisorAndersen@bos. Luther was hiding on page 9 last month. cccounty.us or (925) 957-8860.
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Just Chillin’
By Monica Chappell
Never panic over warm white wine again--how to chill it down quickly
Lafayette Today ~ August 2014 - Page 9
11 Critical Home Inspection Traps to be Aware of Weeks Before Listing Your Home for Sale
Lafayette - According to industry ex- sale or, worse, turn prospective buyers As the weather stays warm perts, there are over 33 physical prob- away altogether. In most cases, you can during our Indian summer, more lems that will come under scrutiny during make a reasonable pre-inspection yourself of us will continue to sip lighter a home inspection when your home is if you know what you're looking for, and wines, and knowing how to chill for sale. A new report has been prepared knowing what you're looking for can help these wines quickly is key to their deliciousness. Just as which identifies the 11 most common you prevent little problems from growing the right glass will enhance your wine experience, serving of these problems, and what you should into costly and unmanageable ones. wine at the ideal temperature is equally as important. Now, know about them before you list your home To help home sellers deal with this issue before their homes are listed, a free report this is not something to lose sleep over, but the fact is that for sale. Whether you own an old home or a brand entitled "11 Things You Need to Know to properly chilled wines do taste noticeably better. Serving new one, there are a number of things Pass Your Home Inspection" has been wine at its proper temperature enables you to taste the that can fall short of requirements during a compiled which explains the issues involved. wine at its full potential. Most of the enjoyment that comes home inspection. If not identified and dealt To hear a brief recorded message about from drinking wine involves its aroma. Vapors are created with, any of these 11 items could cost you how to order your FREE copy of this report, as wine warms up, so the wine needs to be a few degrees dearly in terms of repair. That's why it's call toll-free 1-866-265-1682 and enter below its ideal drinking temperature for you to enjoy it at critical that you read this report before 2003. You can call any time, 24 hours a day, its finest. you list your home. If you wait until the 7 days a week. The best way to chill a bottle of wine is to place it in building inspector flags these issues for Get your free special report NOW to learn the refrigerator overnight, and remove it 15 to 30 minutes you, you will almost certainly experience how to ensure a home inspection doesn't before serving. Most of us, however, rarely use this kind costly delays in the close of your home cost you the sale of your home. of planning in our wine consumption. You just got home This report is courtesy of J. Rockcliff Realtors #01763819. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract. Copyright © 2013 from work and a cold glass of rosé sounds perfect, or a friend stopped by to celebrate a promotion and you want to pop open some Cinema Classics bubbles, but oops...the bottle is at room temperature. By Peggy Horn
Refreshing Whites
Light to medium bodied white wines, like pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc, should be served slightly warmer, at 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit. Fullbodied whites, like an oaked chardonnay and rosé, can be served lightly chilled, at 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit. Chilling white wines properly preserves their freshness, but if they are too cold they will be nearly tasteless. White wines served too warm will taste alcoholic and flabby.
Bubbling Beauties
Sparkling wine and sweet wines should start out totally chilled and are best served between 40-45 degrees. Put them in the refrigerator an hour and a half before serving or in an ice bucket with water for at least 20 minutes before serving. For vintage-dated Champagne and other high-quality bubbly, you should let the bottle warm up a bit if you don't want to miss out on the mature character for which you’re probably paying extra. Wine will not stay at a constant temperature once it’s out of the fridge so keep an ice bucket handy or put the bottle back in the refrigerator between pourings. You needn’t become a maniac with a thermometer to get wine to the right temperature range; a little experience and a little tasting, and the wine itself will tell you everything you need to know. So chill this summer and enjoy a perfectly chilled glass of wine. Monica Chappell teaches wine appreciation classes in the East Bay. Visit www.wineappreciation101.blogspot.com for a list of classes.
Save the Dates
• Lafayette Art, Wine, and Music Festival Saturday, September 20 & Sunday, September 21 • Lafayette Reservoir Run Sunday, October 26 For more information on either of these events visit www.lafayettechamber.org
The Thin Man
This month’s Cinema Classic is The Thin Man, (1934) starring the debonair William Powell and the enigmatic Myrna Loy. The Thin Man was based on the novel of the same name and written by Dashiell Hammett. The director, W.S. Van Dyke, shot the whole movie in twelve days and managed to garner four Academy Award nominations. The film also features Maureen O’Sullivan, famous for her role as Jane, the wife of Tarzan (“Me Tarzan – You Jane”), and also famous for being the real life mother of actress Mia Farrow. William Powell plays the role of Nick Charles, an urbane and jovial gentleman who is also a highly successful detective – so expert that the criminals who have been caught by him brag about it, claiming no other detective could have done it. Nick is married to Nora (Myrna Loy), who is as elegant as she is beautiful. Moreover, she is a good sport and seems to enjoy sleuthing as much as her husband does. The extremely attractive duo together work out who murdered the victim, all the while living their sophisticated lives, walking their dog, celebrating Christmas, and throwing parties. Even the dog, Asta, a wired hair fox terrier, is refined. What makes Nick Charles particularly lovable is his circle of friends that includes criminals and the most ordinary members of the hoi polloi – they love him! The Thin Man generated five sequels, all as fun and as jaunty as the original. It has been said that the characters Nick and Nora are loosely based on Dashiell Hammett and his real life sweetheart, Lillian Hellman. Whatever the basis, watching the film is especially enjoyable due to the refinement and grace of Nick and Nora’s movements, appearance, and manners – they are both so elegant! And the film is beautifully made with lots of shadowing and gorgeous portraits. The Thin Man and its five sequels are available for rent or purchase online. Musical Notes: And on the subject of elegance, I nominate Peggy Lee singing, “Why Don’t You Do Right?” (1942). Not even the summer temperatures can stand up to the ultimate cool Miss Lee seems to generate; she appears to know a secret that we don’t know. See for yourself!
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Page 10 - August 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
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Interested in Government?
Seeking Volunteers for County Advisory Boards
Supervisor Candace Anderson is looking for interested, motivated residents to serve on a few Contra Costa County citizen advisory boards. These voluntary boards usually meet monthly and advise the Board of Supervisors on a variety of issues. They play a vital role in county government, and provide important input. District 2 includes Alamo, Canyon, Danville, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Parkmead, Rossmoor, San Ramon, Saranap, and Walnut Creek (West of N. Main Street). Applications are currently being accepted from residents of District 2 for seats on the following boards: • Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Board: Applicants shall have a professional interest in, or personal commitment to, alleviating problems related to drug abuse and inappropriate alcohol use in their community. • Aviation Advisory Committee: Advise the Board of Supervisors on aviation issues as they relate to the airports in Contra Costa County. • In Home Support Services Public Authority Advisory Committee: Make recommendations to the BOS regarding the IHSS program. • Mental Health Commission: Reviews and evaluates the community’s mental health needs, services, facilities. Consumer Seat available. For more information about each board, go to http://contra.napanet.net/ maddybook. For an application, go to www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/6433. For additional assistance, you may contact, Jill Ray at (925) 957-8860 or jill.ray@bos.cccounty.us.
Meals on Wheels
Seniors in our community need your support! Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services have been supporting seniors in YOUR neighborhood since 1968. Two of the programs, Meals on Wheels and Friendly Visitors, rely on the support of volunteers, and we need your help now more than ever. Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers deliver meals to local homebound seniors through regular two hour shifts once per week or as substitute drivers. Friendly Visitors volunteers provide weekly one-hour companionship visits to isolated seniors. To volunteer for either program, please call (925)937-8311.
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Mare Island
By Linda Summers Pirkle
My Welsh godmother loved to tell stories about her adventurous life. In the 1940’s she was a young nurse in London, and her riveting tales of survival during the Blitz were my favorites. With her charm and her delightful accent, she always had an attentive audience in me. Perhaps because of my dear godmother, Betty Haviland, I am very interested in the history of WWII. Mare Island is only 23 miles northeast of San Francisco and played an important role in WWII history. My husband and I recently visited Mare Island Navy Shipyard in Vallejo. Many of the industrial buildings are now empty, but we learned that in the year 1941, over 18,000 people were employed at the Yard. During WWII, busses were used to transport employees from as far as San Jose, Healdsburg, and Sacramento to work on Mare Island. A June 1939 article by L.L. Thoreson published in the Magazine of the Pacific says, “Mare Island is Uncle Sam’s principal seat of Pacific Coast defense. Here, in the West’s first and greatest U.S. Navy Yard, lies the task of maintaining the Pacific fleet at topmost efficiency, and the additional job of building new warships as the American defense program increases. Mare Island Navy Yard is the largest single industrial plant west of the Mississippi, representing nearly $100,000,000 investment.” The Preservation of Mare Island is a work in progress. A brochure about the Navy Yard says, “For over 142 years, our country’s defense depended on Mare Island Navy Yard as well as over 100 organizations which were in operation here over the years. The Mare Island Historic Park Foundation’s master plan is to recover as much of that history as possible plus the operating character of the shipyard.” According to Michael Turrini, President of the Vallejo Navy and Historic Museum, the wireless station on Mare Island, which was erected in 1904, received the first mainland transmission of the infamous bombing of Pearl Harbor. We toured Building 46, once know as the “Pipe Shop” home to Mare Island Historical Museum. Don’t miss the display about the court martial of Captain Charles Butler McVay. There is a lot to see: table after table of Navy memorabilia, photography, ship replicas, and just about everything related to the Navy and the history of the Island. A volunteer at the museum, George Higgins, added tidbits about the history of the Navy Yard. He mentioned that in 1850 the Island became a government reservation, and in 1854 Commodore David G. Farragut was sent to California to establish and take charge as first commandant of Mare Island One of the gorgeous homes on “Officers Row,” Mare Island, Navy Yard. I learned that Vallejo Farragut began his sailing career early; he commanded a ship captured in the war of 1812 when he was only twelve years old. • A few blocks from Mare Island Historical museum is St. Peter’s Chapel, most famous for the 29 stained glass windows, 25 of which were designed by Tiffany Studios of New York. • In the film Destination Tokyo, 1943, starring Cary Grant, dockside scenes were shot on Mare Island. Submarine Command, 1953, starring William Holden, was filmed entirely on Mare Island and Vallejo. • Visions of the Wild Festival (September 3-6), sponsored by the U.S. Forest service whose Pacific Southwest Regional offices are located on Mare Island, commemorates 50 years of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The multi-day festival will include author talks, panels, concerts, art exhibits, a film series and field trips including a boat cruise, and free ranger led walks on the preserve. For more information, call John Heil or Steve Dunsky at (707) 562-9004. The website is VisonsoftheWild.org. • Tours of Mare Island Shipyard last 2-3 hours. For more information, call (707) 644-4746. The museum is open the first and fourth weekends from 10AM4PM and Mon.-Fri., 10AM-2PM. Inspired by the many wonderful places to visit in the Bay Area, Linda Summers Pirkle organizes day trips, either for groups or for friends and family. “What a great place to live, so much to see, so much to do.” To share your “Quick Trips” ideas email Coverthemap@gmail.com.
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Walking the Reservoir By Jim Scala
Lafayette Today ~ August 2014 - Page 11
A Rez-Walk 43 Years After. Last February I met Mark in Tokyo, where he lives. Over lunch we talked about growing up in the East Bay and about the Lafayette Reservoir, which was important in his childhood. Since he’s home for a break from work, we took a Rezwalk together. Mark observed the changes since 1971. First, from the dam were the strategically located fishing docks, then as we walked, drinking fountains, ample restrooms and the pictorial legends telling about the wildlife and environment. At age ten, Mark learned to sail on the reservoir in a small dingy. Since a sail is an airfoil, it doesn’t matter if the boat’s ten feet or fifty feet because the principle’s the same, and the reservoir with its abundant wind was a fine sailing school. He felt sad that sailing is over. Mark misses our dry East Bay climate and abundant live oaks with their magnificent foliage. We stopped often, taking in the vistas, and nostalgia came into Mark’s eyes. At the far end, we walked out where egrets searched in the water for food. Because of the drought, they’re gone. At the bandstand – new since Mark’s boyhood – we noticed the water across the inlet was far below the reeds – a sign of the drought. I hope we can walk the Rim Trail before he returns to Japan. Can Rez-Walking Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease? A recent paper in the Frontiers of Neuroscience says it can! The criteria that Cleveland Clinic scientists used was the same as walking the paved path in under an hour, three-to-four times weekly – moderate exercise. Over 100 volunteer subjects, aged 65 through 89, were divided into two main groups – those who exercised and those who don’t. Then they subdivided each group into those with and without the dastardly e4 gene that predisposes to Alzheimer’s disease. Each volunteer’s mental acuity was tested regularly by memory tests, and regular brain scans were used to detect structural changes. It is the most comprehensive study ever done, and it continues. Regular moderate exercise holds back Alzheimer’s disease in people with or without the e4 gene. Yes, exercise even fights a genetic predisposition! And the clinic’s results stood up to every test. Suppose you’re not 65, and you figure that the results don’t apply to you – you’re wrong! It does apply because 65 was simply a convenient cut-off age for the study. Alzheimer’s starts early, long before any hint of symptoms appear. Show this your parents, friends, and neighbors who are getting older, and if they’re skeptical, have them contact me. Good exercise habits begin early – like good eating habits. If 65 seems like a lifetime away, it isn’t. It’s one more reason to make use of our marvelous resource. A Learning Opportunity. I’ve often written about the reservoir as an outdoors school. In addition to the play area with its educational games and music, there are the display panels that teach about nature using excellent grammar and the unique Roughing-it Day Camp. I also often see Yoga and fitness instructors teach small groups on the bandstand. Another learning opportunity has emerged by popular demand. Steve Hobbs, Lafayette’s famous photographer, will give hands-on outdoor photography classes in October using the reservoir as his studio. Steve is the author of the coffee-table picture book A Visual Celebration, showing off the Rez’s natural beauty. The class is a rare opportunity. Interested? Call Steve at (510) 499-0498 or e-mail him at sjameshobbs@sbcglobal.net. I hope to see you in class. Rossmoor’s Band Tribute to Our Veterans. Our second concert of 2014, a salute to our veterans, was organized by local Rotary Clubs and done in the traditional American Way. With its thirty-two musicians, the band played everything American, the Andrew Sisters sang, and Glenn Miller’s sound filled the air. It began at 5:30 and went till after 8:30. Everyone picnicked to musical tributes to veterans, active duty soldiers, and Rosie the Riveter. It was a traditional all-American summer evening. Walking Sticks. Anyone who walks the Rez sees interesting walking sticks of all sorts. I asked a walker where he got his. He said, “Ace Hardware.” I checked and they had a bin of nicely carved walking sticks. Dog legs. Compare a tall poodle to a Mexican Chihuahua. It takes that little dog over 12 times the steps, let alone the energy, to complete the 2.75 mile walk. At the finish both are wildly enthusiastic – explain that. Let me hear from you at jscala2@comcast.net.
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Page 12 - August 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
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Lafayette Garden Club 1211138-TSO-ALToday-5x6.25.indd 1
11/16/12 9:28 AM
The Lafayette Garden Club (LGC) will hold their next monthly meeting and program on September 11th. Coffee will be served at 9:30AM and the meeting will go from 10AM - noon. “Urban Farmgirls,” a San Francisco garden design firm, will present a special program on vertical gardening and succulent wreaths. “Urban Farmgirls” is a creative, fullservice gardening company that specializes in earth-friendly alternative garden solutions. Don’t miss their presentation at LGC’s first yearly meeting in September at the beautiful Lafayette Veteran’s Hall, located at 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Guests are welcome! For additional information, e-mail cpoetzsch@gmail.com.
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. We are 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.
Technology and Sleep: Are your Electronic Devices Keeping you from the Sleep you Need?
We use electronic devices in practically every room – like televisions and handheld electronics. Should we keep these things out of the bedroom? Alta Bates Summit Medical Center sleep specialist Joanna Cooper, M.D., will discuss the most current findings regarding the effects of electronic devices on our sleep on Tuesday, August 26th from 6:30 – 8pm. The talk will be held at the Claremont Hotel, Monterey Room located at 41 Tunnel Road in Berkeley. Pre-Registration for this free event is required. Please call (510) 8696737 to reserve your seat.
The Water-Wise Food Gardener By Linda Riebel, Sunstainable Lafayette
Quite a few Lafayette residents have taken up the ancient craft of growing food. Tomatoes, lettuce, apples, herbs, and much more are being grown in our sunny climate. We’re used to the long dry summers, but what should we do with our food plants and gardens during a severe drought? Can we reduce the amount of water needed while still producing the same amount of food? There are several things you can do right now: • Mulch, Mulch, Mulch! - Mulch, which we wrote about last month, is invaluable. It keeps soil cool, conserves moisture, and reduces weeds. Use three to four inches on top of the soil. Seedless straw is a good choice for vegetable gardens. • Add Compost - Adding compost, especially organic compost, helps the soil hold more water, so any modest watering you do will go further. And higher soil nutrition helps plants produce better yields with the same amount of water. • Optimize Irrigation Timing - Water your food plants after 7pm or before 10am. • Check for Leaks - Inspect your irrigation system for leaks or sprinklers that spray walls or sidewalks, and repair as needed. • Capture Wasted Water Indoors - Buckets can be used to capture water in sinks, tubs, and showers while you are waiting for the water to get warm and then used to irrigate edibles. • Eliminate Weeds - Weeds compete for water. Be aggressive in removing them from growing areas. • Harvest on Time - Pick crops at the peak of growth and flavor, and remove plants that have stopped producing, eliminating the need to irrigate. For more tips and for planning a food garden with water conservation in mind, Contra Costa Master Gardeners offer detailed advice on how to plan, select crops, prepare soil, install drip irrigation, and plant seeds to best effect. View their tips at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/files/186270.pdf. Our favorite Urban Farmer, Siamack Sioshansi, has prepared a series of short informative videos on the subject. “Deliver Water to Your Crops Efficiently” is a realistic and friendly 14-minute tutorial (www. youtube.com/watch?v=JqNYe9T4yfs&feature=youtu.be), with special emphasis on matching your drip irrigation system’s automatic timer schedule to the plant’s changing needs over time. Siamack also shows you how to build swales (little mountain ranges of elevated soil) to direct water flow on sloping or even relatively flat plots. (www.youtube.com/ watch?v=NndbkLXh334). Here’s another great technique: use self-watering containers. These are multilevel tubs built with a reservoir at the bottom into which you pour water through an entry spout. Above this is a plastic shelf with little wedge-shaped ravines that allow plants to send roots down into the water through holes. Above this is your dirt, in which you plant your seeds or starters. You do have to check the water level every now and then and refill the reservoir periodically, but it’s far easier than setting up a drip irrigation system. And since the water is supplied directly to the roots, it’s very water-efficient! For more tips on how to conserve water during the drought and to read real-world success stories, please visit sustainablelafayette.org.
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Lafayette Today ~ August 2014 - Page 13
SUMMER CLEARANCE SIZZLING SAVINGS ON FASHIONS FOR HER!
UP TO
50% OFF Great Selection and Savings on just reduced fashions for her
SHOP EARLY FOR BEST SELECTION! SELECTION VARIES BY STORE
Lafayette • Danville • Walnut Creek Concord • Napa • Montclair • Orinda Moraga • Sonoma • Auburn Nothing Remains the Same
By Art Lehman, Village Associates Real Estate
Home prices increased at their slowest pace since February 2013, according to the latest report on the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. The index, which compiles a 10- and 20-city composite of home prices, showed the 10-city composite posted price gains of 9.4% year-overyear, while the 20-city group showed gains of 9.3%. Both results were significantly lower than the 10.9% and 10.8% year-over-year increases the respective composites showed last month, and much less than the 9.9% gains analysts expected from the 20city index. All 20 cities posted some month-to-month price gains before seasonal adjustment, but 14 of 20 saw prices decline once seasonal factors were taken into account. This is the second bit of bad news for home-sellers this month. On Monday, the National Association of Realtors reported that pending home sales dropped 1.1% in June and were down 7.3% since June of 2013. Lawrence Yun, the NAR’s chief economist, blamed tight credit, low inventory, and flat wages for the decline. However, Yun predicted sales would increase slightly in the second half of the year, partially because price appreciation has slowed. “Housing has been turning in mixed economic numbers in the last few months,” said David M. Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices. “Prices and sales of existing homes have shown improvement while construction and sales of new homes continue to lag. At the same time, the broader economy and especially employment are showing larger improvements and substantial gains.” Of the 20 cities measured by the Case-Shiller index, Charlotte was the only area to see its annual growth rate improve. Las Vegas experienced some slowdown in price appreciation, but remained the city with the fastest price growth (16.9% YOY), followed by San Francisco (15.4% YOY).
Washington had the lowest year-over-year growth at 5.8%. San Francisco and San Diego saw their year-over-year figures decelerate by about three percentage points, the report said. Having said all this, how is the market in Lafayette? There is still not much inventory, and clearly home buying has slowed some. Is it because of summer vacation? We’ll see shortly! If you have any questions on selling or buying a home in the area, please contact me at 925 200-2591 or by email at art@artlehman.com. Please feel free to email a topic for the next article, too. If you’d like a free automatic email update of current listings and sales, visit my website Advertorial to sign up at www.artlehman.com or call!
The Urban Farmers Kickoff and Training Session
If you are inspired to solve the problem of hunger in America by connecting fresh, healthy fruit (that currently goes to waste) to people that need it, then this is your event. The Urban Farmers is a grassroots, all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Contra Costa County. The group harvests backyard fruit for the needy, as well as plants and maintains fruit trees and Giving Orchards. The focus is on hunger relief and building healthy, resilient communities - fresh, local, healthy food for all. Bring your skills and talents on Saturday, August 23rd from 10AM to noon and the group will help you find your place for meaningful participation. This session will kick off the training and new development phase of The Urban Farmers project. The meeting will take place at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church located at 1035 Carol Ln Lafayette. For more information visit theurbanfarmers. org.
Page 14 - August 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Printing and Scanning
By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO
For a long time most of the attention in the computing world has been focused on “the cloud,” social networking, and the next killer application. The less glamorous but nonetheless important areas of computing such as printing and scanning don’t garner much attention, outside of their respective industries. They’re just not very sexy! Printing remains an important, if under appreciated, facet of the computing environment and one where important decisions still need to be made. Hopefully I can add something useful to help you make better decisions. I remember when the oft-repeated premise of the computer revolution was to eliminate paper from our midst. How many times have you heard the term, “paperless office”? How’s that going? I don’t know about your home or office, but mine still uses paper. Maybe there are certain functions that don’t need as much paper use, but overall, my paper recycling pile is just as deep as it’s always been. When I first started working at a computer store, the salesman I worked with was always trying to sell the idea that a housewife would want to “store all her recipes” in a database on the computer for use in the kitchen. Certainly, this guy never cooked, because we all know the best recipes in the book are the ones with the splatters and smudges of continuous use for the most popular dishes! How could you get the same experience from a computer in the kitchen? But that’s the thing. The real objective isn’t to eliminate paper. The idea is to use it intelligently, to print efficiently, and to minimize expense while maximizing quality. I learned an interesting statistic from an office printer/ copier company. That statistic is that those big office-style copiers are actually the cheapest to use, per-page. The mid-sized all-in-one laser printers for small offices, such as the Canon MF-series, are the next cheapest to use. The worst deal by far is any inkjet printer, whether it’s just a standalone printer or an all-inone printer/scanner/copier/fax unit. This is due to the cost of the consumables, such as ink, toner, and paper. The most apt analogy to explain the cost of inkjet printers is the razor you buy for $4 and the refillable pack of razorblades that costs $44. It’s ridiculous, but by selling the printers at artificially low prices, they trick millions of people into buying into the model.
www.yourmonthlypaper.com The real breakthrough in the printing world is actually on the other end of the equation – scanning. The software to intelligently recognize printed words and turn them into something usable has become extremely sophisticated. The ability to optically recognize printed characters is useful for those who wish to scan information into their computer. Instead of simply scanning a document into a PDF file, advanced recognition software (OCR) can optically recognize the individual characters and words on the page. It can then categorize the words and index them for search, which makes the information easier to find in the future. The idea isn’t new; it’s been around for years. But it’s gotten a lot better, and in my experience the technology is actually usable now. Advanced OCR packages can also take actions based on specifically identified information pulled off a scanned page. For example, in one business we learned how they scan their invoices, and the OCR software is intelligent enough to pick up the Payee, amount, description, and date off of every invoice. It does this dynamically as invoices vary in size, shape, and format. By categorizing this information they are able to keep images of all invoices they pay, while retaining the amounts in a searchable format for future reference. There are also smaller versions of this software for personal use. One of the combos I like is that of using the Evernote organizing software bundled together with the Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner. That bundle has been optimized to work together, and for people wishing to be as paperless as possible, this represents one of the most accessible methods I know of. If there is one thing I would want to leave you with from this article, it is to strongly consider buying a laser printer the next time you need a new one. While inkjet printers seem inexpensive, they’re actually horribly expensive to operate and are a fairly disposable commodity when compared with laser printers. As I hate to see people waste money, I recommend buying “up” and getting the laser instead. If you need help, a lot of people run their computer and printer configurations by the staff of Portable CIO before making a purchase. If you’d like to do that, email us at helpdesk@theportablecio.com, or call 925-552-7953 to speak with one of our friendly staff. Advertorial
Trails Challenge Keeps Hikers on the Move
The East Bay Regional Park District’s 21st annual Trails Challenge is off and running! Each year, the Park District has challenged Alameda and Contra Costa residents to get outdoors and enjoy their Regional Parks and Trails for fun and fitness. The Trails Challenge is offered free to residents of Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The Trails Challenge is a self-guided Dumploads OnUs hiking program that gives participants specializes in an incentive to discover their Regional providing the ultimate Parks, while promoting fitness through junk removal solution. enjoyable outdoor exercise. “This is a great opportunity to explore parks for the We’ll haul away just first time – or visit old favorites,” said Park about anything - from old household junk to construction and yard District Board President Ayn Wieskamp. waste. The only items we are unable to accept are Participants who register for the Trails hazardous • Computers Challenge receive a free T-shirt and online materials. We access to the 2014 trail guidebook. The • Cables make getting booklet includes detailed trail descriptions, rid of your • TVs including driving directions, for hikes in 20 unwanted junk Regional Parks or Trails. Hikes range from • Monitors as easy as 925.934.3743 • 925.934.1515 easy to challenging. There are trails open 1-2-3; we load, • Servers www.dumploadsonus.com • www.erecycleonus.com to hikers, bicyclists, dogs, and equestrians, we sweep, and 1271 Boulevard Way, Walnut Creek and many are wheelchair accessible. • Phones then we haul Monday-Friday, 8-5 • Saturday 9-1, Sunday, closed To complete the challenge, participants • Printers away. It’s that are asked to hike five of the trails–or 26.2 easy! •Copiers miles of trails–and submit a trail log. They Plus we do it receive a commemorative pin which will • Fax Machines • Power Supply Units • Discs and Tapes with a smile! be mailed to them. As in past challenges, • Scanners • Printer Cartridges and Toners • And More... the honor system applies. Registration is now open, at www. RegionalParksFoundation.org. Find out more about the Parks District at www.ebparks.org.
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Lafayette Today ~ August 2014 - Page 15
How Much do you Know About Your Title?
By Robert J. Silverman, Esq.
WARNING: “The manner in which your real estate is titled has serious legal and tax consequences.” A phrase similar to this is present in nearly all standard form real estate contracts. But, in a world of voluminous documents and increasing bold print, how many people who buy property pay attention to these cautionary words? If you own property, did you heed the warning? Having practiced trusts/estates and real estate law for more than twenty years, I’ve asked hundreds of clients how they hold title to their residences, vacation homes, and investment property. Most answer that they have no idea, or they are uncertain. Given how common it is that property owners are unfamiliar with the ramifications of holding title one way versus another, I’d like to help. This article (and my trifold brochure I can send you upon your request) explores common titling alternatives and optimal methods. Of Offer expires 09/30/14 Offer expires 09/30/14 course, identifying the optimal method always depends on Offer expires 09/30/14 one’s particular facts and circumstances. Furthermore, it may be prudent to hold title to certain of your properties one way and other properties another way. Typically, unmarried buyers simply take title in their own name (e.g. “Jane Roe, an unmarried woman”). If you’re not married and you buy property with one or more others, you and your co-buyers generally take title in one of these two forms: 1) as “tenants-in-common” or 2) as “joint tenants” [Note: joint tenancy ownership form is only available if all co-owners own equal interests]. As a tenant-in-common, you can dispose of your interest on your death by Will. Alternatively, joint tenancy carries with it “the right of survivorship” (“R.O.S.”). This means that, upon your death, the fractional interest you owned in the property automatically becomes vested equally among the remaining (surviving) co-owner(s). It may be helpful to clarify something important. Joint tenancy trumps a Will. Suppose John owns a property with Jane in joint tenancy, but John’s Will states that on his death, everything he owns goes to Ed. On John’s death the property will not go to Ed per the Will; it will go to his joint tenant, Jane (by virtue of the R.O.S. feature). In California, if you’re married (or have a registered domestic partner), you may also choose to hold title in “community property”; or “community property with right of survivorship.” Married owners typically hold title in either joint tenancy or one of the community property forms. These forms are very popular and appealing on the surface. But, are they optimal? Usually not! Both joint tenancy and community property (with or without R.O.S.) have a major shortcoming for married couples. On the surviving spouse’s death, the asset will be subject to probate. Probate – a court-supervised estate administration process – is an expensive, inconvenient, lengthy, and public process. Contrary to a popular misconception, having just a Will (without a trust) does not help you avoid probate; rather, it virtually guarantees a probate. But don’t worry - probate is avoidable! Holding title in a living trust is almost always optimal for both unmarried and married property owners because property titled in a living trust is statutorily exempt from probate. On an owner’s death, Trust administration (compared to Probate Administration) is typically less expensive - often dramatically so, more convenient, takes less time, and is handled privately. Aside from the potentially detrimental consequences on death of holding title in all of the common forms (tenants-in-common, joint tenancy and community property), there are also serious lifetime implications. If a co-owner or surviving owner becomes incapacitated, who will have legal authority to refinance, rent manage and/or sell the property on behalf of that incapacitated person? Nobody will unless: a) the incapacitated person has a valid power of attorney granting such authority to a trusted agent, or b) a cumbersome and expensive court conservatorship proceeding is initiated. Again, this is where a Living Trust comes in very handy. You designate a person or institution to serve as successor trustee (i.e. manager) of your trust who will privately and seamlessly have legal authority to handle your property matters on your behalf if you become incapacitated. The “bottom line” is that how you hold title can make a BIG difference as to what might happen with your property and how your loved ones may be affected – both during your life and on your death. Upon your request, I would be happy to provide you with any or all of the following, free: i) a tri-fold brochure on the pros/cons of alternative methods of holding title to property, ii) an “Estate Planning Primer,” iii) a complimentary introductory meeting. Mr. Silverman is an attorney with R. Silverman Law Group, 1855 Olympic Blvd., Suite 240, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 705-4474; rsilverman@rsilvermanlaw.com.
This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and should not be relied upon as legal, tax and/ or business advice. Readers should obtain specific advice from their own, qualified professional advisors. Advertorial
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Page 16 - August 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Pruning for Fire Safety By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb
In the spring and early summer, the landscape grows lush, beautiful. Our Mediterranean climate is blessed by sufficient winter rains to make plants grow, but our dry summers, and our even drier autumns, can make that new growth a fire hazard. In the greater Bay Area, we live surrounded by an ecosystem that has been shaped, over the last 10,000 years, by frequent wildfires. Because these woodland fires are inevitable, landscape trees, even healthy ones, require occasional pruning to prevent them from becoming fire ladders––bridges of flammable material that could carry flames from a woodland fire to your home. The threat posed by fires in the greater Bay Area is real and significant. The Oakland/Berkeley Hills fire of 1991 caused $1.7 billion in property damage, and it was the nation’s worst urban fire since the San Francisco fire of 1906. Failure to properly maintain landscape trees and shrubs played a significant role in allowing that fire to grow, intensify, and move. The Comprehensive Overview of the Berkeley/Oakland Hills Fire recommends that the risk of wildfire can be reduced by proper care of landscape plants: • Break up fire ladders. • Limb trees back from structures. • Reduce flammable biomass by thinning crowns. • Remove dead trees and shrubs from the landscape. • Remove deadwood from live trees and shrubs. Breaking up fire ladders helps prevent a fire from moving easily from the woods, or from your neighbor’s property, to your house. To break up fire ladders, increase the space between plants, both vertically and horizontally. In the 1991 fire, blowing brands of flammable material landed on ground plants and, if there was sufficient dry matter, caught the ground cover on fire. The fire burned along the ground plants horizontally for as long as it found material to burn. If it encountered trees with low branches, the fire would move vertically from the ground up into the crown of the tree. If those burning
www.yourmonthlypaper.com trees were close to a house, they would set the house on fire. If their crowns touched the crowns of other trees, the fire spread from crown to crown. Landscape plants pose little fire hazard when they are properly maintained, and proper maintenance does not mean sacrificing a natural, woodland aesthetic. If the limbing up, dead-wooding, and crown thinning are done by a craftsman with a sensitivity to plant aesthetics, then the trees will look natural, even though they may have had 30% of their biomass removed. Knowing how to identify potential hazards is important, but it is also important to know how to reduce those hazards in a manner that keeps your property looking natural and which doesn’t sacrifice important screening plants. Brende & Lamb specializes in balancing the conflicting needs for privacy, fire safety, tree health, and landscape aesthetics. It is possible to improve the fire safety of your property while promoting the health and beauty of your plants. Tree care is a craft requiring study and experience. Our trimmers are master craftsmen who understand that a well-pruned tree should not only be safer and healthier, it should look beautiful as well. At Brende and Lamb we take great pride in both the science and the art of pruning. 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, Advertorial and work in your neighborhood.
Gardening with Kate By Kate Guillaume
My garden is looking a little ragged with so many stressed plants, so I am biting the bullet and hiring someone to come in and help me with a major overhaul, which will include taking out a ‘Pink Lemonade’ lemon tree that has never produced and is pretty raggy looking. Also going is a 20’ pittosporum that hogs one corner of my backyard and the true jasmine next to it, which sends out runners that I am always chasing down trying to eliminate before they set root. Another big job is ridding my garden of morning glory, a noxious and very invasive plant that my neighbor a few years ago thought would be so beautiful climbing her back porch but has now invaded my side yard and the entire fence line along the back garden. Please, never plant this, because there is no way to keep it controlled, even in your own yard. So, with these gone, I can have a section of bedding that will allow me to set out some more manageable bloom-giving perennials and colorful foliage plants in the fall. I found a wonderful sedum that is 4” tall, a gorgeous chartreuseyellow, and is sun-loving. It can be used as a new ground cover. It is called Sedum rupestro ‘Angelina.’ I love the brightness golden foliage adds to the garden, though most of these light gold, gold-green foliage plants need a little protection from the sun. One of my favorites of this group that will take a little more sun than others is Spirea ‘Goldmound.’ This is a low mounding shrub, mine grow about 18”, with these wonderful chartreuse leaves that pop against darker foliage and is a gift to the garden. A full sun shrub that I also cherish in my garden is a Breath of Heaven. It is manageable and loves a haircut, so you can keep it low or let it grow in a mound. I find in garden design that the eye loves any repeat pattern, so I space things in a way that allows the eye to pick out the same colors zigzagging through my garden space. The chartreuse foliage plants I mentioned like a little company, so try repeating them along a path every 8 to 12 feet. They also have more impact if you place them next to darker green or maroon foliage plants, or at the edge of a shade area. During our unending drought (I still hold hope that we will have a wetter winter), you might want to think of herbs, as most of them originated in
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climates much like ours, so they like sun and drier conditions. I must give you a caution against planting two classes directly in your planting beds, oregano and all mints. The oregano can be controlled by digging it up every year in the fall and breaking off half the mass which forms as it spreads by underground roots. I find it easier to place it in a pot, making it easier to divide in the fall. Mints can be difficult with their underground runners which will travel 15 to 20 or more feet, sending mint up everywhere. I have been pulling mint out of my garden for eons that someone planted over 20 years ago. Mint is definitely a keep-it-in-a-pot plant. And the pot should be placed on concrete so you can spy the roots poking out of the bottom of the pot in search of a total takeover of the adjacent bed. It is important to make sure that these roots do not totally clog up all of the drainage holes, so once a year take the mint out of the pot and give it a severe root pruning and add back new soil. There are so many wonderful mint varieties, chocolate, lemon, peppermint, spearmint and 30+ others; it smells divine and is great for cooking. Sages are my favorite, as nothing sets off poultry or roasted potatoes like crumbles of dry sage. Winter and summer savory are other favorites. They are a little harder to grow, but they are worth the effort because they are the subtle ingredient that sets off stews and soups, moving them from ordinary to sublime. With all herbs, you must gather the leaves for use or drying prior to the set of flowers. Once these plants go into flower production, the leaves that you cherish for cooking become very bitter. This can be controlled by keeping them dead headed, gathering the spicy leave prior to bloom, or letting them have a wonderful bloom cycle (sages have the most beautiful flowers) and then cutting them back after flowering and waiting for new growth for culinary use.
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Life in the Lafayette Garden
Water-wise Design By John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape Architect
It appears that dreaded “D” word is very present in our news and current events. Drought! There I said it! If California does not see significant rain this winter, we will be in a world of hurt for water next year. Over the years I have implemented into my practice water-wise landscape design. I am a 5th generation native Californian and have been designing landscapes for over 35 years here. During this time, living in and out of drought conditions I have learned to stay the course of good water-wise landscape design. As residents of Lafayette, it is vital to conserve water as a habit. It seems we should know better by now, but we get fooled from season to season when we experience many years of El Nino. With global warming concerns it is time to get smart and stay smart. Here are seven practices I always implement into my designs, and these are some of the same practices you can take to implement into your new or existing landscape no matter what the forecast might be. One: Start with your soil. Thriving soil with good organics is the foundation of a water conserving landscape. How much water you need to keep your landscape alive is directly equivalent to the amount of compost in your soil. Compost increases permeability and capacity to hold water, thus reducing the amount needed for irrigation and thus lowering your watering bills. Two: Use Plants and Landscapes for Summer-dry Climates of the San Francisco Bay Region, an EBMUD book. The types of plants described in the book have adapted to summer dry conditions and once established can survive dry summers with little or no water. There is an old gardener’s adage, “right plant – right place.” Appropriately designed planting requires less watering, pruning, fertilizing and spraying, thus lowering operating costs and use of resources. Minimize your lawn area. 1,000 sq. ft. of turf can save about 10,000 gallons of water per dry season. If you absolutely need a lawn, minimize the size and place them where they will be used for relaxation and play, or consider artificial turf. Three: Cluster your plantings by water needs. This method is known as hydro-zoning. In a hot sunny location group sun-loving, low water use plants and then design the irrigation system to water that cluster of plants. Same goes for shade areas. Hydro-zoning can more easily match plant requirements thus saving water. Hydro-zoning allows you to separate your irrigation valves so each zone can be managed more accurately. This method can save you an unbelievable amount of water! Four: Design and install high efficiency irrigation systems. Use bubbler and drip irrigation where possible so that water can be applied directly to the root zone. Minimize spray irrigation where possible. Use the newest irrigation technology: MPR (matched precipitation rates) sprinkler heads, bubbler, drip, micro-sprays, soaker lines, and upgrade to a new controller. There are many choices that offer high technology that uses historical weather data, solar and moisture sensors and rain sensors. Some of these can detect problems like a broken sprinkler head. I installed a “Water Smart” controller last summer and have been able to save 20%. With new technology I believe you could eas-
Lafayette Today ~ August 2014 - Page 17 ily save 25-50% of the water you use for your landscape now! Five: Manage your landscape water use. Know your landscape watering needs such as how much water is being applied. Adjust your controller often as weather conditions change. Install a new “Water Smart” controller. Set your controller to water early in the morning when evaporation rates are low and wind is calm. Water deep and less often which will allow water to get into the root zones. Avoid overwatering and run-off. Most people over-water! Good water management saves thousands of gallons! Six: Mulch! Mulch reduces water loss and prevents weed growth. Mulch often! Regularly mulch around your trees, shrubs and ground covers and cultivate your soil regularly to allow water to penetrate more easily. Seven: Make saving water important to you! Every drip counts. Get involved in your garden. Use licensed landscape professionals to assist you in water-wise design and implementation of your garden. A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: Investing in a waterwise planting and irrigation design for your new or existing garden can save you thousands of dollars over time! The savings can well exceed the cost of the design itself! Gardening Quote of the Month: “The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.” ~ Native American Saying If you would like me to write on any particular subject, email your ideas to jmontgomery@jm-la.com. For design ideas, visit www.jm-la.com. Advertorial
Contra Costa Cribbage Club
15-two, 15-four, a pair for six and a run of three make nine. Hearing this gibberish while seeing two opponents, a deck of cards, and a slab of wood that looks like it was attacked by a crazed but linear minded woodpecker can only mean one thing. The game is cribbage, a two-person card game dating back to its inception in England during the early 1630s. Cribbage came across the pond with the Pilgrims and has flourished ever since. In 1979 the American Cribbage Congress (ACC) was formed to standardize the rules and promote the game on a national basis. The ACC Grass Roots program was then created to promote cribbage through organized play at the hometown level. The Contra Costa Cribbage Club (CCCC) is one of 188 active Grass Roots clubs across the country. The members of the CCCC can be found every Wednesday evening at 6pm “salting the crib” and avoiding the dreaded “skunk.” They play a nine-game format. Members pay a $1 entry fee to the club. Optional pools are paid out to the top 25% of the participants, as well as the high hand. The Club meets at the offices of Dudum Real Estate, 1910 Suite100, Walnut Creek. Visitors are welcome. For further information, call Adrian Levy at (925) 899-1928.
Page 18 - August 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Ask Dr. Happy By Bob Nozik, MD Dear Dr. Happy,
My dad died when I was 12. I had to fight off several of my mom’s boyfriends after that. In high school, I developed a reputation for being promiscuous. I liked the attention I got from the boys, and it made me feel more in control, like I held power over them. I’m 24 now and am engaged to marry my boyfriend, Sam, in the fall. Sam’s family is pretty conservative, and I’m afraid if someone exposes my wild past to Sam, he will reject me. Would it be better for me to reveal all to Sam or just hope he never finds out? ~Worried
Dear Worried,
My advice falls somewhere in between saying nothing and “revealing all.” To enter into your marriage with a big lie, even a lie of omission, would be bad. For Sam to learn about your past from someone after you married could drive a huge wedge between the two of you. He almost certainly would feel deceived, and it could cause a serious breach of trust between you. Still, there is no need for you to go into detail. Just tell him that you were young and foolish, and because of your traumatic history after your dad died, you reacted by having sexual experiences you now regret. Sure, there is some risk. Sam could react badly and call off the wedding. Still, not telling him now would mean you’d never be free from worry that he’d learn of your past from someone who did not have your best interests at heart. And learning of it after marriage could drive a permanent wedge between you and Sam. When in doubt, being honest in a sensitive, caring way will almost always be best for your relationship. There is a reason why the saying: “honesty is the best policy,” was coined.
Happiness Tip
Beginning with a major lie, even one of omission, is not a good way to begin a marriage. In this case, that would doom Worried to living in fear that someone from her past, whether innocently or vindictively, at any time, might ‘out’ her to her husband. And learning of her colorful past from someone else would be much worse than if Worried had bitten the bullet and told him herself. Finally, if Sam chooses to run after she tells him, then she’d likely be better off with someone else. So I strongly recommend that anyone in Worried’s position confide in their potential husband or wife and reveal, not necessarily all the details, but the essence of their past before heading down the aisle.
Brainwaves by Betsy Streeter
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Principal continued from front page
Silvestri comes to Acalanes from the Cabrillo Unified School District, where she was principal of Half Moon Bay High School. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Master of Education degrees from Boston College, and is currently studying at St. Mary’s College for a Doctorate in Education Leadership. Her previous teaching experience includes work in Woodside, San Mateo, and Costa Rica, and a particularly interesting 2007 job that found her homeschooling two young kids on a motor yacht in Thailand – a position that also fed her love of scuba diving and travel. “Acalanes has found themselves a gem of a principal,” declares Jarrett Dooley, Silvestri’s vice-principal at Half Moon Bay High, now principal at Cunha Intermediate School in the Cabrillo district. “She is as committed, if not more, to students and their success as any educator you will ever meet. She spends countless hours getting to know students, staff, parents, and community members to bridge communication gaps and support the entire learning community. She takes the time to listen to opinions and input in an effort to make the best decisions that ultimately best impact student learning.” Education is in Silvestri’s blood; her father was a math instructor and administrator at St. Ignatius High School in San Francisco, her alma mater. Though born and raised in San Mateo, Silvestri opted to commute daily to St. Ignatius with her father. An avid reader, hiker and intrepid explorer, her travels have taken her to six continents (Antarctica is on the wish list). One of her favorite spots is Italy, where she regularly visits family. Silvestri is thrilled to be at Acalanes, but she admits that leaving her Half Moon Bay students and families was bittersweet. A photo of the 2014 Half Moon Bay graduating class hangs on her Acalanes office wall, as well as a photo of the school’s baseball team. Silvestri knew every student and shared in his or her triumphs and disappointments. She points to each member of the baseball team and proudly recounts his college choice. “I cried right along with some of my students when their college acceptances did or didn’t go the way they planned,” says Silvestri. “I felt the joy or the pain with them.” While the Acalanes student body is a bit larger than that of Half Moon Bay, Silvestri plans to get to know as many students and families as she can. She is excited for school to begin and to get a feel for the day-to-day happenings on campus. Right now, during the quiet summer months, it is just she and day custodian Lisa Wright, who has taken Silvestri under her wing and shown her the entire campus. “I think she is a kick,” says Wright. “You can tell that she is a powerful person, but she is fun!” Silvestri is slowly getting to know teachers and support staff as they drop-in to her office during the summer down time, and she has met with parent leadership. She looks forward to attending every drama and choral production, every sporting event and every social activity. “This is not just a job for me,” says Silvestri. “This is a lifestyle – something I feel called to do. Raising the next generation and supporting young men and women in their journey is the greatest thing I can do with my life.” Silvestri was drawn to Acalanes primarily due to the district’s high performance; she says that educators throughout California are aware of the quality of the Acalanes District schools, and despite the various budget issues, many would jump at the chance to be a part of such excellence. Silvestri’s arrival coincides with a pivotal collaborative funding shift between Lafayette Partners in Education (LPIE) and the Acalanes Parent’s Club (APC). Donation requests to each organization are being altered to reflect LPIE’s broader responsibility and funding role within the school. “LPIE is taking on even more responsibility for funding academic programs, such as 13 additional class sections,” says APC Co-President Ann Baer. “Parent leadership from both organizations recently met with Allison about this realignment of responsibilities. She thoroughly understands the circumstances, and she greatly appreciates all Acalanes parents’ generous contributions of their time and financial resources to make Acalanes the exceptional school that it is. Parent leadership is very impressed with her professional background and enthusiasm for the entire Acalanes community.” “I'm sure I'll rarely come across another administrator like her in my career,” says her friend and former co-worker Dooley. “She is a go-getter and nothing gets in her way; her high expectations challenge everybody to achieve more.” The positive comments and reviews, together with Silvestri’s energy and enthusiasm, suggest that an excellent choice has been made in helping Lafayette’s students navigate their educations.
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Lafayette Today ~ August 2014 - Page 19
Changes to Cancer Screening Guidelines By Tiffany Svahn, MD
Let me start with some good news...in the US, the death rate from cancer is declining. We attribute this reduction in part to more effective and aggressive screening guidelines. The bad news is that people still get cancer. In fact, our lifetime probability of developing cancer (all sites) for men is 1 in 2 and for women the probability is 1 in 3. Recently, my colleagues and I were asked to give a cancer screening guidelines update talk to local physicians. Allow me to summarize our presentation in efforts to help you manage medical care for yourself and your loved ones.
Lung Cancer Screening
According to early trials, chest x-ray screening does not show overall survivor benefit. Instead, a large randomized trial showed that low dose, noncontrast CT in high risk individuals yielded a mortality benefit of 20%. Therefore, in 2013 the recommendations changed and now call for annual low dose CT scan screening for high risk individuals. High risk is defined as being between the ages of 55 and 80 with a 30 pack year history of smoking and currently being a smoker or having quit within the past 15 years.
Breast Cancer Screening
The recommendation is that all women receive mammograms at age 40 and continue annually until age 70 or older, depending on overall health, life expectancy, and ability to tolerate treatment. It is also recommended for women ages 20-39 to have a clinical breast exam (by a medical professional) at least every three years and for women 40 and over to have this exam annually. Routine ultrasound for dense breasts is not currently recommended as it showed no survival benefit. However, the decision to order an ultrasound should be an individualized decision. The surprise recommendation is that self breast exams are discouraged and not recommended unless taught correctly. Most important is for women to know how their breasts normally feel and report any changes to their health care provider.
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Prostate Cancer Screening
Here is where it gets controversial. Several reputable organizations recommend PSA and digital rectal exams (DRE) for prostate cancer screening, while other reputable organizations do not recommend screening. In those who support screening, their recommendation is to obtain DRE and PSA baseline at 45-49 years of age. If PSA is over 1, repeat every 1-2 years. If under 1, repeat at age 50. If PSA is under 3 at age 50 and over, repeat the test every 1-2 years. If PSA is over 3 at age 50 and over, with a suspicious DRE and/or individual at excess risk based on multiple factors (family history, ethnicity, risk calculators), obtain a biopsy.
Colon Cancer Screening
The average risk individual should be screened at age 50 with a fecal occult blood or immunohistochemical test (annually) and a flexible sigmoidoscopy (every five years) or colonoscopy (every 10 years). However, some experts recommend starting the screening process at age 45 for African Americans since they are at a higher risk. Individuals with family history of colon cancer or polyps should be screened at age 40, and those with personal history of colon polyps should be screened every five years. Individuals with history of ulcerative colitis should be screened every 1-2 years after age 8-15 years. Lynch syndrome individuals should be screened at age 20, every 1-2 years.
Cervical Cancer Screening
For women at average risk of cervical cancer, the US guidelines recommends screening be initiated at age 21. The preferred screening test for ages 21-29 is the Pap test, and should be performed every three years. For ages 30-65, the HPV and Pap tests should be performed every three years. Women can stop screening at age 66 if the last two to three HPV and Pap tests have been negative. However, high risk groups (HIV infection, immunosuppressant, previous CIN2, CIN3 or cervical cancer) should be screened more frequently. Now, back to the good news...cancer is much more treatable and curable when detected early, which is why screening is so important. Dr. Svahn is a Medical Oncologist & Hematologist with Diablo Valley Oncology. She sees patients in Pleasant Hill and San Ramon. Dr. Svahn can be reached at (925) 677-5041. Advertorial
Coping with the Death of a Pet
Hospice Volunteers Needed
Hospice of the East Bay is seeking volunteers to assist Hospice patients and their caregivers. Opportunities include: • Licensed Hair Stylists to offer hair cuts and styling • Certified Massage Therapists to provide massage therapy • Mobile Notaries to witness the signing of important documents • Bereavement Support Volunteers to provide support to family members after their loved one has died • Patient Support Volunteers to provide companionship and practical assistance To apply for free training, call Hospice of the East Bay at (925) 887-5678, and ask for the Volunteer Department, or email volunteers@hospiceeastbay.org. Established in 1977, Hospice of the East Bay is a not-for-profit agency that helps people cope with end of life by providing medical, emotional, spiritual, and practical support for patients and families, regardless of their ability to pay. To learn more or to make a donation of time or money, please contact (925) 887-5678 or visit www. hospiceeastbay.org.
When you lose your pet, you often feel like a part of you is lost. The death of your beloved animal companion is one of the most difficult losses you may ever feel. This loss is sometimes made more painful by society’s seeming lack of support for pet grief. Hospice of the East Bay and the Tony La Russa Animal Rescue Foundation is offering a support group where participants can share memories and feelings and talk to others who truly understand and care. Meetings will be held the first Tuesday of each month from noon - 1:30PM at the Tony La Russa Animal Rescue Foundation, 2890 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek. For further information and/or to register, please call Bereavement Services at Hospice of the East Bay (925) 887-5681. Pre-registration is required. Hospice of the East Bay Bereavement Services are provided free of charge to all community members in need. However, donations are greatly appreciated.
Page 20 - August 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Bladder Infections in Females By Parminder Sethi, MD
A bladder infection, also called cystitis, is the most common of all kinds of urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs are 10 times more common in women than men, and more than 50% of women will develop one UTI within their lifetime. Microbes traveling upward through the urethra to the bladder cause most bladder infections in girls and women. Because the female urethra is usually less than two inches long, bacteria can easily access the bladder and multiply. The first sign of bladder infection is usually pain during urination. Other signs may include a sudden and strong desire to urinate or increased frequency of urination. About half of women sufferers experience fever, pain in the lower back or flanks, nausea and vomiting, or shaking chills. Though these symptoms are not as common, if you are experiencing them, call your physician, as they may be signs the bacteria has reached the kidneys.
Risk factors for UTIs in women include:
• Sexual intercourse. • Use of a diaphragm for contraception • An abnormally short urethra • Diabetes or chronic dehydration • Inadequate personal hygiene In many cases, your primary care physician will try to find out if you have a urinary tract infection by examining samples of your urine under a microscope. Normal human urine is sterile. In contrast, the presence of bacteria
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in the urine usually indicates infection. Urinary tract infections are treated with oral antibiotics. The number of days and doses of medicine you must take depend on the type of infection you have and its severity. It is important to take medications as prescribed and not to stop them simply because the symptoms have subsided. Unless urinary tract infections are fully treated, they frequently return.
Tips for reducing risk of a UTI include:
• Urinate when you feel the urge, empty your bladder regularly, and try not to hold urine more than three hours. • Take your time when you urinate to empty your bladder completely. • Urinate after having sex. • See your doctor at the first sign of a problem. Urinary tract infections are very common, and they are easiest to treat if caught before they become severe or spread beyond the bladder. • Drink eight or more glasses of water daily to help wash out bacteria. • Eat a diet rich in grains, vegetables, and acidifying juices. • Avoid or eliminate foods that irritate the bladder: coffee, black tea, alcohol, and chocolate. • Avoid high-sugar foods such as sweet vegetables, fruits, sugar, and honey. • Drink unsweetened cranberry juice to acidify the urine and provide hippuric acid. Cranberry capsules can substitute for the juice. Women with recurring UTIs or blood consistently in their urine should be seen by a urologist who will perform more sophisticated tests that may include a urine cytology, ultrasound, CT Urogram, or cystoscopy. Dr. Sethi is a urologist with Pacific Urology. Pacific Urology has offices in San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Concord, Livermore, Brentwood, Antioch, and Rossmoor. Dr. Sethi can be reached at (925) 830-1140. Advertorial
CARDA continued from front page
local resources have proven insufficient, call-outs often come in the middle of the night. Information provided at the search site contains a profile on the subject, a communication plan, a medical plan, a map with the boundaries of the search area assigned to each team in an Area Search, or a list of places the subject is expected to have visited for a Trailing mission. In addition to partnering with California Emergency Management and local agencies, CARDA occasionally assists in out-of-state searches. Seven CARDA teams participated in the March 2014 mission at the Oso, Washington mudslide. Dogs tuned out the heavy equipment grinding away nearby and responded to hand signals from their human partners. Shay Cook recalls: “I was honored to be asked to help. Search teams received lots of appreciation from the community.” Anyone seriously interested in joining CARDA is invited to attend training sessions as a guest. In order to become a pre-apprentice, the candidate must ask and be accepted by a sponsor. The candidate also needs to pass a strenuous physical fitness test and present a dog judged by the sponsor to be capable of performing the work. A second sponsor is required for the trainee to become an apprentice. Usually prepa- Alyson Hart and her teammate Gig. Photo courtesy of CARDA. ration for certification testing takes two years. Kathryn Stewart explains the sponsor’s role: “As an apprentice, you are responsible for yourself and your dog. Your sponsor is responsible for making sure the training you receive sets up the possibility for you to succeed.” Certification in First Responder First Aid and CPR as well as completion of training in the following disciplines is required: Map, compass and GPS navigation; Scent Theory; Survival; Helicopter operations; Low Angle Rescue; Mantracking; Crime Scene preservation; Radio communications; National ICS System. Dogs from working breeds are most popular as partners, although occasionally a mixed-breed shelter dog succeeds. Canine training includes Socialization, Obedience, Agility, Swimming, Transportation, Helicopter orientation, and Search work. Each dog works for a reward - a toy or a treat. Dogs love their jobs and hate to be taken from the field for breaks. Handlers need to know when to rest their partners. Hot dry weather can time a dog out quickly, while cool damp weather preserves the animal’s capacity to trace a scent. The final phase of Mission Ready testing for Area Search teams involves searching a 120-acre site for one to three subjects within a four-hour period. Subjects (CARDA volunteers) are so well hidden an ordinary person would have to step on them to find them. Sonya Roth, who achieved Mission Ready status with her Golden Labrador “Ammo” in March, explains: “You don’t know until you find them how many are out there. You need a search strategy to get your dog into the proper place to pick up the scent. When a person hides for hours, the scent pool changes.” Sponsored by Stewart, Roth is grateful for time spent flanking her mentor. “Everybody’s dog works difEric Sheets and his canine partner Seven. Photo courtesy of CARDA
See CARDA continued on page 21
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Breast Cancer, Reconstructing Female Form
By Barbara Persons, MD, Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc.
After the initial shock of diagnosis, a woman recently diagnosed with breast cancer is understandably overcome with disbelief and fear. Suddenly, she is faced with the question of how to preserve the essence of herself as a female and at the same time treat her cancer. Thankfully, advances in breast cancer treatments can often remove the cancer while preserving her shape. One option is reconstructive breast surgery, which can help maintain both personal and feminine identity, In many cases, breast reconstruction can be performed in conjunction with a mastectomy. Breast reconstruction rather than mastectomy alone can drastically improve a patient’s emotional and mental recovery. Many national studies support immediate reconstruction (done at the same time as the mastectomy) to preserve our sense of ourselves as women. Women who opt for immediate reconstruction can keep their physical form closer to what it was, never wake up without any breast form, and can feel more whole during their recovery. The challenges of possible chemotherapy or radiation are less daunting with breasts more intact. Based on the size and spread of the cancer, and patient’s intended therapy, a patient’s reconstructive surgery options vary widely. Many women can have a lumpectomy alone or a lumpectomy with radiation and be essentially cured of breast cancer. For others, the best treatment and chance of remission is with bilateral mastectomies, removal of the breasts and reconstruction with implants or with tissue flaps. The breast cancer team can help you decide what is best for you. This usually means seeing a general surgeon, who frequently performs breast surgery. This surgeon will refer you to the other doctors as required to treat your cancer. These include the oncologist, the radiation oncologist, the genetic counsellor, the radiologist, and the plastic surgeon. The entire reconstructive process, if a mastectomy is needed, generally takes three to twelve months and three surgeries - one major and two minor procedures for implant placement and nipple reconstruction. If you do not need removal of the entire breast (mastectomy), lumpectomy,
CARDA continued from page 20
ferently. You learn a lot walking along.” For a new recruit, there are multiple skills to master. “If you make mistakes in training,” Roth says, “the dog picks up on it and has to be retrained to fix the error.” Recertification is required every two years. Veteran CARDA members find they can sometimes prepare a dog to be Mission Ready in 18 months, but even an experienced handler may need two years to train a new partner. Prior to consideration for certification, Trailing teams test on scent trails of different ages – 48, 60, and 72 hours old. Their final Mission Ready course involves a scent trail of 1-1 ½ miles, with three to six turns requiring decisions to be made. Training doesn’t end with Mission Ready Certification. Most volunteers continue to train twice a week to work on specific skills. Carol Shapiro, CARDA President, notes that the cost to purchase equipment, provide transportation, and care for a canine teammate can be as much as $10,000 annually. What motivates a person to give so much to the community? Sheets comments: “Everyone has a different reason for becoming involved – a family member once found by a canine search team; an interest in working with dogs to benefit the community; a background in hiking, camping and wilderness survival; the desire to help; and the physical ability to do so.” Alyson Hart, now working with her second Trailing partner, “Gig,” answers: “I enjoy doing something that is very worthwhile, helping a person or family during a tough time. I have also seen parts of California that I would not have gotten to see otherwise, all while hanging out with my dog.” Stewart, Principal of the Orion Academy in Moraga, replies; “I think CARDA saved my life. It keeps me from getting old. It’s a great group of people with a collegial feeling. Outside my work, this is the most fulfilling thing I have done.” Shapiro is excited to report CARDA is entering a new era. The new strategic plan recognizes financial support from corporate sponsors as well as private donors is key to keeping the organization viable. For more information, visit www.carda.org.
Lafayette Today ~ August 2014 - Page 21 with or without radiation, may be used to treat your breast cancer. For larger lumpectomies, oncoplastic techniques are both therapeutic and breast-preserving. These techniques involve removal of the lump followed by local tissue rearrangement to fill the defect. For patients requiring mastectomy, it is the current standard of care to offer immediate initial reconstruction. This first stage reconstruction commonly involves placement of a special kind of breast implant, called a tissue expander, that can be expanded over time to create the look of a breast immediately following the breast removal. Unlike the final implant, this must be initially small in volume to protect the breast skin as it heals after the mastectomy. It can be expanded over a few months to the desired volume and changed out for a silicone gel implant in a minor surgery. If the nipple had to be removed, nipple reconstruction is the final stage of reconstruction, and this is performed as an outpatient surgery. In certain circumstances, the use of an implant is not ideal. In these cases, a flap reconstruction offers an effective and aesthetically acceptable alternative. Flaps utilize extra folds of muscle, muscle and skin, or fat and skin to create breast tissue post-therapeutic surgery. With this technique the breast can be created using a patient’s own tissue and with or without an implant. The lower abdominal wall, the back, the buttocks, and the hips are all viable donor sites for breast reconstruction. I work with a team of local doctors and surgeons in treating breast cancer. Your general surgeon will remove the involved breast tissue. If they feel that you need a mastectomy or that removal of the breast cancer will leave a defect, they will refer you to a plastic surgeon. This may lead you to see me. I see many breast cancer patients each week and maintain a steadfast commitment to my patients physical and mental wellbeing before, during, and after surgery. My staff and I recognize that finding and picking your team of surgeons is an important step in your recovery process. Barbara L. Persons, MD is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and owns Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc. located at 911 Moraga Rd, Suite 205 in Lafayette. She may be reached at 925.283.4012 or drbarb@personsplasticsurgery.com. Advertorial
EBSD continued from front page
“tent-city” encampment. Volunteers are also needed after the event to break down camp and to perform many other support functions during the four days including kitchen help, the serving of meals, meal clean-up, and the escorting of veterans to appointments. See details on all volunteer positions on the EBSD website, www. eastbaystanddown.org. Registration must occur in advance and closes September 1. In addition to volunteers, the Stand Down is also looking for additional financial support, corporate sponsors, tent sponsors, and in-kind donations and services such as a 20’ truck with lift and locked security trailer and temporary cyclone fencing. Donations of such things as new men’s underwear, socks, water bottles, and other items for the kitchen are appreciated. Participants are bussed in from various points throughout the Bay Area and transported to the event site. Once checked in, the veterans will be provided with food, shelter, clothing, showers, haircuts, and other basic necessities. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (USDVA) and Military Health Care providers will be available to assist veterans with physical, dental, and mental health needs. Other counselors will be present to address substance abuse issues, shelter and rehabilitation concerns, employment options, legal issues, veterans’ benefits, on-going health care, and spiritual concerns. Each meal is sponsored by a community organization or business. Since the first EBSD in 1999, these events have continued on a biannual basis and have proven to be uniquely effective in helping to break the cycle of homelessness among many Veterans. The objective of the EBSD is to place 20% to 30% of the eligible participants directly into follow-on programs. Opportunities that can lead to shelter/housing and direct employment are provided. Other connections with community agencies on-site can help with stabilization of the participants’ lives, helping these Veterans to come in off the street and become productive citizens. Those wishing to sign up as volunteers or donate to EBSD can register and view list areas such as days and hours volunteers are needed as well as “wish list” needs at www.eastbaystanddown.org. Click on “How You Can Help.” then click on “Volunteer Now” or “Donate Now” button/s. Financial donations to the Diablo Valley Veterans Foundation-EBSD (DVVF) are tax-deductible. The DVVF is a non-profit corporation, IRS tax identification 26-3198472. Check contributions may be sent to Diablo Valley Veterans Foundation – EBSD at P. O. Box 2133 - Danville, CA 94526-2133. For more information, contact Jerry Yahiro Executive Director EBSD at (925) 743-8850 or email jyahiro@aol.com.
Page 22 - August 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Events for Lafayette Seniors
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Our mission is to provide personalized care, help All classes are held at the Lafayette Senior maintain independence and enhance our Center (LSC) located at 500 Saint Mary’s Rd in client’s quality of life on a daily basis. Lafayette unless otherwise noted. Space is limited. • Free in-home assessments • Regular home visits Please call 925-284-5050 to reserve a spot. ensure the right care plan • Hourly care Heartfelt & Apple Basics Thursdays • 10:30AM – noon for you • Live-in care Supportive • Fully bonded and insured • Geriatric care mgmt. • 8/21 Sequoia Room & 9/4 Elderberry • Elder referral and placement Room, LCC - This series will start at the very At All Times... beginning: the technology needed for wireless 3645 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite D Lafayette, CA 94549 communication, your Apple ID, iTunes, iCloud, (beside Trader Joe’s) www.excellentcareathome.com 925-284-1213 and the basics of iPad and iPhone usage. Topics for future sessions will be determined by participants’ input and needs. There Lamorinda Dance Social Wednesdays • 12:30 – 3PM • Live Oak Room, will be time for Q&A at the end of each class. Please note: this series deals LCC - Enjoy afternoon dancing every Wednesday, and learn some great new with Apple devices only. Free for Members/ $5 non-members. dance moves. On the first Wednesday monthly, professional dancers Karen Arthritis: Physical Therapy Presentation Friday, 8/29 • 11:30AM–12:30PM and Michael will provide a dance lesson and live DJ services, playing your • Sequoia Room, LSC - Anne Randolph, RPT, has been practicing physical therapy favorites and taking requests. Free for Members/ $5 non-members. for 35 years. She provides outpatient therapy in Lafayette and specializes in the Lafayette Senior Services Commission 4th Thursday of the month care of those 55 and over. Learn from Anne how to live the best life you can with from 3:30 – 5:30PM at the LSC - View agendas at the City of Lafayette ofarthritis! Understand the challenges and changes arthritis brings on and find practical fice or at www.ci.lafayette.ca.us. solutions to make daily activities easier. Free for Members/ $5 non-members. Lamorinda Nature Walk and Bird-Watching Every Wednesday Document Your Life Story If you have wanted to write the stories, • 9AM - Noon • Alder Room, LSC - Experience nature at its finest along our memories and experiences of your life but haven’t known where to start, wait local trails. Delight in the beauty that unfolds around each bend, all the while no longer. You will be guided through the process of leaving a living history for learning to identify a variety of birds. Bring a water bottle; binoculars will be future generations-what a gift! These are not drop-in classes, but are meant to be helpful if you have them. Join us every Wednesday or whenever you are able. taken as a complete course. Dates, times, and meeting rooms to be determined. Come Play Mahjong! Every Tuesday • Noon–3PM • Sequoia Room, Please call Lafayette Senior Services for details: (925) 284-5050. LSC - Come join us on Tuesdays for a drop-in game of mahjong. Mahjong is a Origami for Beginners Wednesday, 9/10 • 2:30 – 3:30PM • Elderberry game of skill, strategy, and certain degree of chance. All levels welcome. Bring Room, LCC - Origami was first introduced to the world by Japan. It is the craft your card, a mahjong set, and a snack to share (optional). RSVP not required. of folding paper into a piece of artwork. Although there are very intricate designs Creative Writing Workshop 2nd and 4th Thursday monthly • 10:30AM available, beginning paper folders need to start with a basic design. Please bring noon • Cedar Room, LSC - Join creative writing and English instructor Judith one crisp, new one-dollar bill with which to make a special creation. Paper for Rathbone, and examine the possibilities of self-expression through writing. This all other projects will be provided. Free for Members/ $5 non-members. friendly group, with an ever-changing membership but lots of returning participants, Men’s Slow Pitch Softball League, 68 years and up This new will welcome you and any of your writing efforts. Find encouragement and feedback Lamorinda team for players with varying levels of experience focuses on fun, and bring out the writer in you. If you can speak, you can write, and we will show camaraderie and safety. Games in this recreational league will be Wednesdays, you how! Beginners to established writers welcome. 9-10:30AM. Teams played will be Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, and Concord. Positive Living Forum (“Happiness Club”) Thursdays • 10:30AM First-year start-up fees are estimated at $50-$55/player; fees in subsequent – noon • 8/14 Sequoia Room & 9/11 Elderberry Room, LSC - Brighten years will be lower. To sign-up, hear more details and ask questions, come to your day with Dr. Bob Nozik, MD, Prof. Emeritus UCSF and author of the informational meeting Tuesday, September 16th at 10AM, Buckeye Fields Happy 4 Life: Here’s How to Do It. Brighten your day and take part in this Meeting Room, 711 St. Mary’s Rd., Lafayette. For more information, please interactive gathering which features speakers on a wide range of topics that email Alan at alkanije@aol.com and use “softball” in the subject line. guide participants toward a more ideal and positive life experience. Drop-ins Discover Opera: Verdi’s Rigoletto Thursday, 9/4 • 1:30 – 3PM • Lafayette welcome! Free for Members/ $5 non-members. Library, Arts & Science Room - Rigoletto, the court jester, tries to keep his Free Peer Counseling 2nd Tuesday monthly • 10AM - noon • Alder daughter away from his employer, the philandering Duke of Mantua. He fails, and Room, LCC - Contra Costa Health Services offers free one-on-one counseling attempts revenge on the Duke by hiring an assassin to kill him. The curse leveled with senior (55+) counselors who use their life experiences to help other older on Rigoletto in the first act is realized when his daughter gives up her life so that adults cope with life changes, problems, crises, and challenges. Confidentiality the Duke might live. It’s perfect opera: a sordid story set to magnificent music, is strictly observed. Appointment required. Please call Lafayette Senior Services including the famous tenor aria, “La donna è mobile,” which every gondolier at 284-5050 to sign up for one of the 60-minute appointments. in Venice was singing shortly after the premiere. Lecturer Bradford Wade will give a guided tour of the opera, with a description of the plot interspersed with Local Church Provides Community Care musical examples. This lecture is given in conjunction with Opera San Jose’s Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian’s Stephen Ministry has 25 trained lay people production of Rigoletto, September 6-21. Free for Members/ $5 non-members. who provide ongoing, one-on-one Christian care to those in our congregation and Caregiver Support Group Mondays • 1:30 – 2:30PM • 8/11 and 8/25 in the community who are experiencing transitions in their lives. LOPC Stephen Toyon Room & 9/8 Elderberry Room, LCC - If you are a family member Ministry is confidential and is provided at no cost. A Stephen Minister is... helping to care for an older adult, join our support group to find balance and • A congregation member with a gift for listening, joy as you manage your responsibilities. Drop-ins are welcome. Free for • A lay person who has received 50 hours training in providing emotional Members/ $5 non-members. and spiritual care, Words of Wisdom...From the Philosophical to the Lighthearted • A committed caregiver who listens, cares, prays, supports, and encourages Third Tuesday Monthly • 10:30AM–noon • Elderberry Room, LSC - Take part those who are hurting, and in this free-wheeling exchange of inspiration, information, and humor. Topics • Someone who will “be there” for his or her care receiver, meeting – from soup to nuts - will be explored, examined, and discussed by participants. faithfully for about an hour each week, for as long as there’s a need. Stories and photographs will stimulate humorous discoveries regarding the benefits Stephen Ministers are available for those who are dealing with illness or of becoming the ‘elders of our tribe.’ Free for Members/ $5 non-members. hospitalization, loneliness, aging, being shut-in, separation due to military Lafayette Oral History Project Do you have stories about Lafayette in the deployment, death or serious loss, separation or divorce, disabilities, or grief days of yore? Allow Ryan to document that history which will then be included and anxiety. in the Lafayette Historical Societies’ archives, preserved for generations to come. If you know of someone who would benefit from the ongoing confidential, All you have to do is tell those stories to Ryan; he’ll do the writing. You’ll receive no cost, spiritual, and emotional support of a Stephen Minister, contact Jean a copy of the final document at the time of completion. Call Lafayette Senior Services for details and to be a part of this project. No charge. Lee at (925) 943-2237, or visit www.lopc.org/care_stephen_ministry.asp.
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The Illustrious Team of Lamorinda Spirit Van Drivers Wants You!
Lafayette Today ~ August 2014 - Page 23
By Mary Bruns and Mauna Wagner, Lamorinda Senior Transportation
Meet Our Drivers: Eight-year lunch driver, Eddie Caravalho, enjoys taking our passengers to the Walnut Creek C.C. Café for the congregate lunch program and occasional fun trips to local restaurants, Sausalito and the San Francisco Zoo. Eddie has driven paratransit vans for the past 13 years, providing rides for the developmentally disabled in the mornings and afternoons. Attorney, Holly Erickson-King still has young children at home, twin 11year old boys and an eight-year old daughter. Although they keep her hopping with their activities, hobbies, and school, Holly pursues her interests in design, decorating, and playing tennis when she has a little free time. Yuka Akera, a San Leandro Optometrist, is working part-time so that she can continue her other interests such as volunteering for the Girl Scouts, where she has been a troop leader for eight years. Yuka enjoys working with seniors and feels it sets a good example for her children. John Vocke retired from PG&E in 2010 after spending 38 years specializing in labor law. Besides driving for us, John co-coaches Girls’ Varsity Tennis for Acalanes High School. He and his wife, Gale, regularly visit their son, daughterin-law, and grandson who now live in Amsterdam. Moraga resident, Dave Cummins, is the proud father of two and grandfather of six. He and his wife, Christine, make an annual trip to visit the United Kingdom to visit her family in Wales and his in England. Originally from London, employment with Chevron brought Dave to the United States, where he retired in California in 1999 after extensive travel in India, China, and Indonesia. Doug Layfield came to us with over eight years’ experience driving for the County Connection LINK. Doug’s primary interests remain in current affairs, political, and economic theory/ideas. He and his wife have eight children, 16 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild between them. Jim Wilbanks joined us because of experience with an elderly relative, in his case, his 102 year old mother-in-law. Formerly in construction, Jim’s friends can’t say enough nice things about him. When asked about his experience with older people, Jim responded, “Older people are simply young people with more experience.” Warren Garrison, retired with a background in finance, wants to contribute. As with many of our drivers, he has an elderly parent which makes him aware of seniors’ needs. Warren finds it interesting to talk to our passengers, many who lived in this area before it was built up. Warren lives in Orinda and enjoys golf, tennis, yoga, bowling, and working out. Retired civil engineer, Mike Madden, also volunteers twice a week as a math tutor at the East Bay Rescue Mission. Mike’s friends describe him as a very friendly and affable person, a man of integrity, kindness, warmth, and a wry sense of humor. Malcolm Hendry, who retired in 2005 after 40 years in the world of finance, joined us in the Fall of 2006 as one of our two very first volunteer drivers. With two grown children, four grandchildren, an interest in old cars, gardening, and hiking, you would think Mal would be too busy, but he has volunteered for us for eight years.
Mauna Wagner is both a volunteer driver and one of our two dispatchers. She retired from Pacific Bell after 30 years in telecommunications and is an avid hiker, quilter, and a voracious reader. She also volunteers for John Muir Hospital and the Lesher Center. Mauna and her husband, Jack, recently completed their “visit all 50 states” goal in planes and cars – not in a van. Retired corporate officer, Bob Kelly, shared what he likes about driving for the Spirit Van: “It gives seniors the opportunity to get out and go somewhere. One day at the lunch program, Jim, Bill, and I began talking about our experience riding motorcycles. After that, we always had something to talk about. I really enjoy being part of the volunteer staff, and I recognize that someday I will need a ride and hope this program will continue to be in place.” We are a little short-handed as some of our drivers have returned to employment. We would love to see you join our extraordinary team of volunteer drivers who take Lamorinda older adults to medical appointments, the grocery store, and errands. Our passengers appreciate this service that allows them to continue to live in their own homes. Phone 283-3534 for more information.
Lamorinda Senior Transportation An Alliance of Transportation Providers
Lamorinda Spirit Van
283-3534
Takes Lamorinda Seniors to errands, appointments, grocery shopping, special events, and to lunch at the C.C. Café. Reserve your ride two business days in advance (or sooner) by 1pm or when you make your appointment.
Contra Costa Yellow Cab and DeSoto Company 284-1234 20% discount for Lamorinda seniors.
Orinda Seniors Around Town
402-4506
Senior Helpline Services Rides for Seniors
284-6161
Volunteer drivers serving Orinda seniors with free rides to appointments and errands.
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 LINK Applications and Questions 680-2066 or 2067 Fixed-Route Bus Service Information 676-7500
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REAL ESTATE BOOKKEEPER - Part-time position for a Bookkeeper/ Accounting person, with Real Estate experience, available in Commercial Real Estate office in Lafayette. Please email resume to charon@mspsinc.com. GOPHER REMOVAL SERVICE TRAPPING-NO-POISON Safe for your family, pets, and the ecosystem: Call Tri Valley Trapper for free consultation/estimate: 925-765-4209.
ARCHITECT JOHN ROLF HATTAM - ARCHITECT Specializes in modest budget, new and renovated residences. Over 200 completed projects. Brochures available for all of our professional services •RESIDENTIAL RENOVATION •NEW RESIDENCES •CHURCHES •COMMERCIAL •MULTI-FAMILY. For the brochure meeting your need call 510-841-5933. 737 Dwight Way, Berkeley.
Lafayette Today Classifieds
Page 24 - August 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
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