apr 24 clayton pioneer 2009.pdf
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Six weeks into his new job with Clayton’sfinest, Officer Todd Sorrell is halfway through histraining – covering each of the duties under thewatchful eyes of three trainers who scrutinize hisevery move so that he gets it completely right.
Sorrell doesn’t mind. “I feel confident in myabilities,” he said.
Married to Tanya, with sons aged 13 and 11,Sorrell came over from the jail at the ConcordPolice Department. There, he handled bookingsand other aspects related to the correctional facil-ity.
“I was hired at age 19 as a reserve officer forthe city of Pinole,” Sorrell said of the position heheld for five years. “Back then, like now, citieswere not hiring more officers.”
So he jumped at the opportunity to work at thejail, where he met Sgt. Scott Danzi – who suggest-ed he look at making the move to Clayton.
IT’S YOUR PAPER
www.claytonpioneer.com April 24, 2009 925.672.0500
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Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Community Calendar . . . . . . . . .19
Deal With It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . .5
Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Home and Garden Guide . . . . . .12
Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Police Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Safety Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Senior Moments . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Tax Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Time to Go (New) . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Trails and Landscape . . . . . . . . . .7
Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
What’s Inside
JULIE PIERCE
MAYOR’S CORNER
New PD roles point to the future
In the last Pioneer, you readabout the wonderful job ourClayton Police Departmentdoes to keep the communitysafe. I want to add my personalcongratulations to ClaytonPolice Officers Rich Enea andRichard McEachin for theirassignments to police corporalpositions.
During the past two years,two sergeants have retired fromthe department. The positionswere filled by Clayton officerswho successfully competed inan open recruitment processthat included qualified candi-dates from outside the depart-ment. As a testament to thequality of our officers, ChiefDan Lawrence suggested thatwith the latest sergeant’s retire-ment, we leave the positionunfilled for 12 months andinstead use two temporary newcorporal positions.
The corporals will provideimmediate assistance to thesergeants, maintain necessarydepartment supervision,reduce personnel salary costsand lead to the potential pro-motion of an existing Claytonofficer to the rank of sergeant.This training program to devel-op future leaders from withinalso improves departmentmorale.
See Mayor, page 24
Kidney donor gives friend new life
Home and
Garden GuidePage 12
After four years of dialysis,Concord resident ChuckGraham now has a new lease onlife thanks to the generosity of afriend.
Major Pam Gardner who,along with husband Major ClayGardner, heads the ConcordSalvation Army, donated a kid-ney to Graham, a friend and fel-low Clayton/Concord SunriseRotarian in an operation thatwas successfully performed atthe University of CaliforniaMedical Center in San Franciscoin mid-March.
“I watched a “Today Show”story about a lady who workedat a Starbucks and donated akidney to one of her cus-tomers,” Pam said. “Weobserved Chuck’s health declin-ing and a big difference in hisenergy levels. When I talkedwith my husband, he said hewould have donated his kidneyif he could have.”
Pam knew she could dosomething, so she did.
ANDRÉ GENSBURGER
Clayton Pioneer
André Gensburger/Clayton Pioneer
AFTER WATCHING HER FRIEND’S STEADY DECLINE, Pam Gardner (right) was moved to donate the kidney that restored healthto Chuck Graham. The two are shown here four weeks after the transplant surgery.
André Gensburger/Clayton Pioneer
OFFICER TODD SORRELL
Todd Sorrell brings lifelongcommitment to new job
ANDRÉ GENSBURGER
Clayton Pioneer
Enter the Pioneer Mother’s Day essay contest and
Make your mom “Queen for a Day”Mom . . . she’s your biggest cheerleader
and your staunchest supporter. She’s alwaysthere, orchestrating the day, getting dinner,finding lost socks, heading off disaster –often against some pretty tough odds. Andin between, she can always find time for alaugh and a snuggle.
Here is yourchance to tellthe world (orat leastC l a y t o n )just howgreat yourmom is.Write thewinninge s s a ytel l ing
us whyyour mom should
be crowned the Clayton
P i o n e e r ’ s“Queen for aDay” andtreat her to agiant giftp a c k a g einc lud ingdinner out,t h e a t e rt i c k e t s ,b e a u t yproductsand spadays – everything sheneeds to feel pampered, pretty andappreciated. See page 6 for contest detailsand a complete list of prizes. The winningessay and a photo of you and your momwill appear in the May 8 issue of thePioneer.
Deadline to enter is 5 p.m., April 27.
How great is your Mom?
2005 Winners
Tammy and
Kimberly
Cerruti
2007 WinnersMary and Heidi Ashworth
The familiar white Claytonpolice car will soon be a thing ofthe past.
The City Council approved arequest by the Clayton PoliceOfficers Association (POA) toconvert the cars from the famil-iar all white to a black and white
color scheme more typical oflaw enforcement. The POA willcover the cost of repainting, esti-mated at $400-500 per car. Nocity funds will be used.
Nearby cities of Concord,Walnut Creek and Pittsburg allhave black and white cars, saidPOA president RichardMcEachin. “Black and whitepatrol vehicles are more visibly
identified as police vehicles,”McEachin noted.
With Clayton’s cars in thesame colors as the surroundingcities, “this gives the impressionthat there are more patrol vehi-cles on duty at any given time.”
“It’s a force multiplier,” saidPolice Chief Dan Lawrence,
Clayton patrol cars will soon be black and whiteTAMARA STEINER
Clayton Pioneer
See Transplant, page 10
See Patrol Cars, page 17
See Officer, page 21
Page 2 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 24, 2009
What’s happeningAround Town?We want to know what’s
happening in your familiesand in your neighborhoods.
Send your news of births,engagements weddings,anniversaries, celebrations,special recognitions, etc. [email protected].
Please attach your photosto the email as JPEG filesbetween between 3MB and6MB and include a caption toidentify people in your pho-tos.
Around Town
Clayton $698,000Dana Hills – 2,694 s.f., 5BD/2.5BA at the top of DanaHills has custom features incl. designer tile entry, bath-room upgrades & 5 skylights. Spacious kitchen offerstop quality appliances & fixtures. French doors lead outto new redwood deck & yard. Indoor laundry & 3-cargarage are perks! www.260MountaireParkway.com
Clayton $899,000Horse Property in Town – This 4BD/2BA 1,936 s.f.rancher near Cardinet Trail offers 1+ acres, a horse facil-ity w/pasture, 3-stall barn & RV/Trailer/Boat parking.Updated home w/country kitchen incl. granite, Décorappliances & island. Formal dining & family roomw/stone fireplace. www.5597MorningsideDrive.com
Clayton $509,600Windmill Canyon – Great Mt. Diablo & golf courseviews from this 3BD/2.5BA Oakhurst property offeringkitchen w/granite, garden window, refinished cabinets.Cathedral ceilings & custom updates make this an ele-gant home w/a great backyard for entertaining on thegreen! www.1816EaglePeakAve.com
Concord $325,000Clayton Valley Highlands – Fantastic neighborhood–walk to award-winning schools! 3BD/2BA w/freshpaint, hardwood floors has a great front yard & a large,flat backyard with views. Attic & garage storage andinside laundry find this home a step above at just theright price! www.5546MarylandDrive.com
Clayton Resident & Broker Owner
Clayton $575,000Windmill Canyon – Upgraded 2,315 s.f. home w/fan-tastic ¼ acre lot has 3BD/2.5BA + a huge loft. Elegantentry, warm colors & sleek floors enhance your livingspace. Gorgeous landscaping and stamped concretepatio w/cover in back. Open, gourmet kitchen.Workshop in garage. www.7014MollukWay.com
JUSTLISTED
JUSTLISTED
JUSTLISTED
NEWPRICE
Pittsburg $320,000Waterfront! – Gorgeous marina views at New YorkLanding. This stunning waterfront home has3BD/2.5BA, dining room and gracious living room withfireplace. Eat-in kitchen has custom cabinets and gardenwindow looking out into plush yard, deck, pond & gar-dens. www.20SeaPointWay.com
Clayton Great price
Expanded Rancher – Has it all! 2 master suites, planta-tion shutters, slate entry, coffered ceilings in dining &family rooms and a large, flat backyard w/ pool.Remodeled & expanded to 2,554 s.f. 5BD/3BA. Open,eat-in kitchen has French doors to back & patio. 3-cardrive-thru garage & huge indoor laundry.www.5830DelTrigoLane.com
Clayton $639,980Oakhurst Ironwood – Views from prime lot w/blos-soming landscaping and gorgeous pool & spa. This5BD/2.5BA offers 2,532 s.f. & a downstairs B/B.Roomy updated eat-in kitchen & formal dining w/tilefloors. French door to yard. Private-backs to open space.www.3087WindmillCanyonDr.com
Lynne offers free Professional Staging
on her listings
NEWPRICE
NEWPRICE
Biggest turnout ever for Community Easter Egg HuntThe Easter bunny made his
yearly trek to Clayton on April 5for the Community Easter EggHunt and hot dog barbeque atthe Clayton gym.
Over 750 attended the annu-al event coordinated by WendyMoore of Alain Pinel Realty andthe YMCA. Encouraged by thesunshine and warm tempera-tures, winter-weary families pic-nicked on the grass and snappedphotos of children with theEaster Bunny.
Other sponsors included thecity of Clayton, Isagenix and theCBCA.
PPhhoottooss11.. “Three-two-one-GO” and
hundreds of little feet thun-dered onto the field at theClayton Community Gymfor the annual CommunityEaster Egg Hunt on April 5.
22.. Although himself a vegetari-an, Mr. Bunny passed outkudos to father and son hotdog BBQ team, Eric andBrandon Moore.
33.. Event sponsor and coordina-tor, Wendy Moore
44.. An egg-xausted Mr. Bunnychills out with QuinnAdams, 2.
It was tea for many at Diamond TerraceThe next Picasso may be someone you know The ladies at Diamond
Terrace Retirement Communitytook great pleasure and delightin a special Spring Tea, gracious-ly hosted by The Rose Petal TeaSociety. The idea for the teastarted with the daughters ofDick and Ann Nelson as a gift tothe residents. On Sat. April 4,the Terrace View Dining Roomwas elegantly decorated with thefinest linens, bone china and leadcrystal while tea servers werecovered with the most extraordi-nary hand prepared treats. The60 honored Diamond Terraceladies came dressed in theirfinest and sipped the lovelyafternoon away.
Seated: Doris Hallberg, Gertie Kaufman, and Pearl SalvadorPouring: Bev Marshall-O’Bann with the Rose Petal Tea Society.
Budding artists on springbreak gathered at Clayton Bookslast week to learn more aboutthe sculptures of Pablo Picasso.
Mil Niepold, author of“Oooh! Matisse” and “Oooh!Picasso” encouraged the chil-dren to look at art in their ownway as they created their master-pieces from materials suppliedby Clayton Books.
It was a family affair for theLauricellos as Gabe and LucasLauricello worked alongside vis-iting cousins Kai Hope fromThailand and August Lauricellafrom Ft. Ross.
“OOOH! PICASSO” AUTHOR MIL
NIEPOLD gives hands-on assis-tance to Gabe Lauricella. Visitingcousin Kai Hope is at far left.
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April 24, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 3
Around Town
Yamaha of Napa459 Soscol Avenue, Napa, CA 94559(707) 254-7432 www.yamahaofNapa.com
Dave Antonson & Jeff MonroyClayton Residents
We provide parts, accessories and service for all brands of motorcycles, ATV’s and watercraft.
Why go anywhere else?Pick up and deliveryservice is available,and is provided FREEfor major repairs and new purchases.
Visit our New and Used Showroom online at
www.yamahaofNapa.com
www.yamahaofNapa.com(707) 254-7432
SERVICES INCLUDE�� Paver Patio & Walkway�� Retaining Walls �� Drainage�� Lawn & Plant Installation�� Low Voltage Lighting�� We Design & Install Landscape
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Boyce Nichols, Owner, Clayton resident
Boyce Nichols, Owner, Clayton resident
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Time is Precious.
Train with a Purpose.
Time is Precious.
Train with a Purpose.
www.travelingtrainersforlife.com
Free full body assessments. Exclusive Traveling Trainers for LifeDiet & Exercise Guidebook, developed specifically for you.
Spring has sprung and it's a great timeget in shape and feel great so schedulean in-home consultation, today.
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(925) 890-6931
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We offer in-home, office, or private gym training.
FREEprivate trial sessionon Pilates Reformeror Half off yourfirst session
ClaytonResident
If your bank is changing signs...
(800) 877-8328 www.traviscu.orgNCUA–Your savings federally insured to at least $250,000 and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. Everyone who lives, works, worships or goes to school in the 12-county area is eligible to join. Certain membership requirements may apply.
Are all the ownership changes takingplace within the banking industry todaymaking you lose sleep? Don’t know whom to trust with your money? Become a member-owner at Travis Credit Union,where we don’t play the name game withyour financial future.
Travis Credit Union is financially fit and we have money to lend for homes,cars or whatever you need because we didn’t take undue risks with ourmembers’ money.
If you left a big bank and find yourselfback where you started, Travis CreditUnion is a great alternative. We’re large enough ($1.6 billion in assets, 158,000 members and 20 branches) to provide you with the products andservices you need but small enough to value your business.
Shouldn't who you bank with be yourchoice? Join Travis Credit Union today!
Where You Belong
Isn’t that a sign to change where you bank?
Become a member-owner at Travis Credit Union today!
Please let our advertisers know you saw them in the Clayton Pioneer
Library Foundation Book Salegrosses over $8,000
The Clayton LibraryFoundation had its secondbiggest sale ever this monthwhen hundreds of bibliophilesand bargain hunters filled theirbags at the semi-annual usedbook sale April 5 and 6.
The Foundation grossedover $8,000 to support pro-grams and buy materials for theClayton Community Library.
The library’s volunteers were
recognized by Mayor JuliePierce for their extraordinaryservice at the City Councilmeeting on April 7 when theydeclared April 24, 2009 as“Library VolunteersAppreciation Day.”
Volunteers contributed over8,800 hours of time in 2008,making the Clayton publiclibrary volunteer program thelargest in Contra Costa County.
APR 25CLAYTON CLEANS UP
Come, burn off those winter calories and help spiff up Claytonat the same time. Join your friends and neighbors and clean upClayton’s creeks, parks, trails and landscaping. This a great event forfamilies, individuals, homeowner associations, neighborhood groupsand service clubs. Everyoneis welcome. Gloves, trashbags and small tools will beprovided. Meet at City Hallat 9 a.m. BBQ lunch forvolunteers at 11:30.Sponsored by the ClaytonPioneer, Allied Waste andthe city of Clayton.
For more info, callChristina at the ClaytonPioneer, 672-0500
May 2-3ART AND WINE FESTIVAL
Bring your family and friends to downtown Clayton for the 14thannual Clayton Art and Wine Festival. Over 125 artists and artisanswill be on hand displaying unique arts and crafts. Enjoy fine winesand premium beers and eat in the international food court. Livemusic throughout the day and a Kiddieland for the children.
Sat. 10-7; Sun. 10-5. Admission is free.
MAY 9FARMERS MARKET
The Farmers Market returns to Clayton, opening and closingan hour earlier than last year. The market will set up on Mt. DiabloSt. between The Royal Rooster and Skipolini’s between 8 a.m. andnoon on Saturday mornings beginning May 9. Come early to beatthe heat, buy your veggies, then stop for coffee or stay for lunchat one of downtown's great eateries.
MAY 16SUMMER CONCERT
The first of the summer concert series opens May 16 in TheGrove. Bring lawn chairs or a blanket and plunk down on the lawnwith sandwiches, a pizza or a fine takeout dinner from Ed’s, Moresi’sChophouse or La Veranda. First up is Lava, a high energy Latin-Salsaband featuring Mio “Timbalero” Flores. Concert is from 6-8 p.m.
Upcoming Events
Clayton’s Karen Terhuneand Traci Parent, a supervisingnaturalist at the Black DiamondMine Regional Preserve inAntioch, recently celebrated therelease of their book. “BlackDiamond Mines RegionalPreserve” is one of the Imagesof America series from ArcadiaPublishing.
Drawing from a large collec-tion of photographs, the duoassembled a pictorial history tobring attention to the history ofthe mines as well as raise moneyfor the preservation and restora-tion of the Rose Hill Cemetery.
“Traci’s been interested indoing this for a number ofyears,” said Terhune. “It wassomething that was always beingrequested by descendents andpeople coming to the park.”
From the 1860s to the turnof the century, the MountDiablo Coal Field was thelargest producing coal field in
California. At its height, thefield produced the towns ofNortonville, Somersville,Stewartville, West Hartley andJudsonville – which held thelargest populations in the coun-ty. Three railroads serviced thearea, further cementing thetowns as a focal point forgrowth.
Prior to the advent of therailroads, coal had to be loadedinto sacks and hauled by wagonteams, a costly and inefficientprocess. In 1868, a standardgauge line began to transportcoal to the New York Landingin what is now Pittsburg. ThePittsburg Railroad, which start-ed in 1866, had to travel a 300-foot tunnel and eight trestlesincluding one span of 340 feet.
With the decline in coal pro-duction, many residents turnedto ranching and sand mining.The East Bay Regional ParkDistrict acquired the land in1973, turning it into a historicalpreserve open to the public.With miles of trails and a historic
cemetery, the preserve is a popu-lar attraction for area visitors.
Terhune’s involvementworking as a volunteer at thepark brought her into contactwith Parent and the two fell intoa collaborative arrangementcemented by an interest fromArcadia Publishing.
“The challenge was finding
photographs,” Terhune said.“The park has a very largearchive collection. We scannedover 500 images, even thoughwe used 208 or so in the bookitself.”
The process took almost a
Page 4 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 24, 2009
Corner of Clayton Road and Kirker Pass Road � 925 672-3900
Our professionals are here to serve you:
Amir, Jameson, Gary, Alex and Peter
Free shuttle service
for major repairsOfficial Smog Check and Repair Station
Mechanical repairs and computer diagnostics including 30K, 60K, 90K factory maintenanceon all European, Imported and domestic vehicles.
Clayton Valley Shell. May not be combined with other offers. Expires 5/8/09
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The days are getting longerand the weather is warming up,which can only mean one thingfor kids – it’s time for summercamp.
Since its inception, theConcord Clayton YMCA hasoffered youth and teens a worldof fun, learning and adventureeach summer. It’s a place wherechildren will grow, meet newfriends and experience newthings.
YMCA summer programs
seek to build character, demon-strate values and develop skillsfor life. Like all Y programs, thecamps are developed with fourcore values in mind: caring, hon-esty, respect and responsibility.
Camps offered this summerinclude Lego Camp, PeeweeSports Camps, Wizard andSecret Agent Camps, PrincessCamps, and Tennis, Basketball,Soccer, Skate and Super SportsCamps.
In addition, the Concord
Clayton YMCA will offer a full-day summer camp program.Since the Mt. Diablo UnifiedSchool District will not offersummer programs, this is a wel-come substitute for parents won-dering what their child would dofor the summer months.
Most summer camps will beheld at the Clayton CommunityGym, 700 Gym Court. Somecamps will offer field trip oppor-tunities to exciting destinationssuch as Six Flags Discovery
Kingdom, Waterworld, SanFrancisco Giants and OaklandA’s baseball games, Pier 39 andAlcatraz.
Registration is availableonline at mdrymca.org, or regis-ter by visiting the YMCA at theClayton Gym. The YMCA offersfinancial assistance for thosewith proven need.
For more information, contactJennifer Beck at 692-2364 [email protected].
Athletes or secret agents, Try the Y for summer fun
Local author collaborates on BlackDiamond Mines pictorial history
Photo by Edward Willis, Naturalist, Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve.
Traci Parent and Karen Terhune together created a pictorial history ofthe Black Diamond coal fields.
ANDRÉ GENSBURGER
Clayton Pioneer
See Black Diamond,page 21
2002 Salvio St. (Downtown Concord) 691-TEAS (8327)on the block between the Theatre
& Todos Santos Plaza
A Royal Tea forMom and Me!
Saturday, May 9 & Sunday, May 10A lovely 3 tier stand w/assorted finger sandwiches, fresh fruit,warm scones w/jam and Devon cream, petit sweets, etc. Also includes tea or coffee. $28 pp includes tax
Favors for all moms!
April 24, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 5
HELP WANTEDReal Estate Agents
Be Successful! Lynne French isexpanding and interviewing for afew agents. Call her today (925)672-8787.
Ironing
The nice weather is here and all mysummer clothes are stuffed in a boxwaiting for someone to iron them.Is that you? Please call Tamara atthe Pioneer, 672-0500.
VOLUNTEERSWANTED
Meals on Wheels Drivers
1 – 1 1/2 per week. Drivers andrelief drivers needed for delivery ofMeals on Wheels in East County.People are on the waiting list due tolack of drivers. A small amount ofyour time can make a big differencein someone’s life. If you can help,please call Jim at 673-0300 or e-mail [email protected].
Anna’s Attic Volunteers
Volunteers needed at the Hospice ofthe East Bay thrift store. Theaddress of the store is 5350 ClaytonRoad. Call store manager, Debbieat 674-9072 or Lamont Campbell at(925) 766-5066.
Hospice of the East Bay
Anna's Program, is seeking dedicat-ed, caring volunteers to providehome companionship and practicalsupport for women with recurrentbreast cancer. Women served residein Central or East Contra Costa. Toapply for free training, call Hospiceof the East Bay at (925) 887-5678and ask for the VolunteerDepartment, or [email protected]'s Program is generously sup-ported by the Susan G. Komen forthe Cure, Anna's Attic Thrift Shop,and other community donations.
Clayton Historical Society
Museum
Greeter needed for two hours permonth from 2-4 p.m. Wednesdaysor Sundays. No experience orextensive knowledge of Claytonhistory is necessary. Call the muse-um at 672-0240 and leave yourname.
Clayton Community Library
We are seeking to fill the followingvolunteer positions: (All positionsrequire a minimum age of 13 yearsand a 6 month commitment. Sometraining provided). Shelver - toshelve and sensitize library materi-als. Various days/times. Tutors - noprior experience necessary! Youdetermine the grade level and sub-jects you are comfortable with andthe days/times. Requires good com-munication skills, patience and adesire to help students in the com-munity. Contact: Arlene @ 673-9777 or email:[email protected]
Auto
Clayton Valley Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-3900
Mike's Auto Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-1739
Yamaha of Napa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .707-254-7432
Construction and Trades
Belfast Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457-5423
Burkin Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2482
Insite Design and Build . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .980-0465
Michael Dwyer & Sons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-3980
Olde World Mill & Cabinets . . . . . . . . . . . .1-707-558-0259
S&K Nellis Painting, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .687-2233
Smith & Bernal Roofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0138
Straight Line Imports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335-9801
Tipperary Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-2679
Dentist
Children's Dentistry of Walnut Creek . . . . . . . . . .938-2392
Jason Renner, D.D.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-2800
Richard Rissel, D.M.D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-2800
Dining and Entertainment
Clayton Club Saloon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-0440
Englund’s Bistro & Tea Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .691-8327
La Veranda .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0011
Willows Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .957-2500
Financial and Insurance Services
Andre-Grimesey Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-3000
Benton, Mureleen - Ameriprise Financial . . . . . .685-4523
Carol Keane and Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .937-5200
CD Federal Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .825-0900
Doug Van Wyck - State Farm Insurance . . . . . . .672-2300
Ferrante Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .674-1755
Real Prosperity Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .472-6808
Richard Littorno - Attorney at Law . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6463
Travis Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-877-8328
Fitness
Snap Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693-0110
Traveling Trainers for Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .890-6931
Funerals
Ouimet Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-4242
Home and Garden
Abbey Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686-9901
Alise Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .988-9990
Amy Carpenter Interior Designs . . . . . . . .1-877-748-1310
Appliance Repairs by Bruce, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2700
Clean Cleaner Carpets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383-1253
Clear Splash Pool Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-6245
First Choice Abbey Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .838-5580
Floors to Go Danville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .820-8700
Just Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .681-4747
Keenan Heinz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288-0159
Majestic Pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .676-1545
Navlet’s Garden Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .681-0550
Next Energy Solar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-0600
Nichols Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9955
Pans on Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .600-7267
R & M Pool, Patio and Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0207
Sparkle Pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260-5025
The Maids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-6243
Utopic Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0055
Waraner Tree Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250-0334
Welcome Home House Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . 584-5980
Window Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-1930
Mailing and Shipping
The UPS Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-6245
Postal Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-9030
Personal Products and Services
Bella Mia Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .680-7792
Perfect Tan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-8261
Roberta Claire Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .625-1123
Tammy’s Hair Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-2126
The Makeup Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .408-8010
The Tanning CO! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2022
Pet Services
Aussie Pet Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-738-6624
Cat Hospital of Clayton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2287
Doggie Doo Drain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286-5564
Monte Vista Veterinary Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1100
O’Brien Family Pet Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .899-7354
Peace of Mind Pet Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9781
Rodies Feed and Country Store . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4600
Real Estate and Mortgage Services
Flannery, Patty - Diablo Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0541
French, Lynne - Windermere Real Estate . . . . . .672-8787
Laurence, Pete - RE/MAX Realty . . . . . . . . . . . .937-0150
Lopez, Stephanie - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . .932-7329
Morucci, Kim - Intero Real Estate Services . . . . .280-8563
Rahimzadeh, Helen - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . .932-7375
Vujnovich, George - Better Homes Realty . . . . .672-4433
Recreation
Clayton Valley Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-4631
Dana Hills Homeowners Assn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381-2021
Oakhurst Country Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9737
Senior Services
Aegis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .692-5853
Diamond Terrace Senior Retirement Living . . . . .524-5100
Services, Other
Recycling Center & Transfer Station . . . . . . . . . .473-0180
Shopping
Clayton Valley Frameworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6066
Computers USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9989
Pacific Coast Farmers Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .825-9090
Seasonal Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4425
The Royal Rooster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2025
Travel
Cruise Adventures Unlimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .935-7447
Travel to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9840
Directory of Advertisers
P.O. Box 12466200 Center Street, Suite H, Clayton, CA 94517
TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, EditorANDRÉ GENSBURGER, Reporter and Feature WriterPETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignBEV BRITTON, Copy Editor RANDY ROWLAND, Sports BETH NEUDELL, Advertising Sales CHRISTINA SCARLOTT, Administrative Assistant
We remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse
PIONEER INFOCONTACT US
Tel: (925) 672-0500Fax: (925) 672-6580
Tamara [email protected]
André [email protected]
Beth [email protected]
Send ads [email protected]
Send Sports News [email protected]
Send Club News [email protected]
Send Church News [email protected]
Send School News [email protected]
CLASSIFIEDSClassified rates per insertion:Non-profit: $12 for first 30
words, $.20 each additionalword
Individual/non-commercial:$18 for first 30 words, $.30each additional word
Commercial: $48 for first 30words, $.40 each additionalword
To place your classified ad over thephone, call the office at (925) 672-0500 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.Mon.-Fri. Or, you may fax your type-written ad and credit card informa-tion to (925) 672-6580. All classifiedsmust be paid for in advance by creditcard (Master Card or Visa)
We will not accept any ad that dis-criminates on the basis of race, color,sex, religion, nationality, family statusor disability. The Clayton Pioneerreserves the right to reject any adver-tising we believe is unsuitable.
LET US KNOWWeddings, engagements, anniver-
saries, births and deaths all weavetogether as part of the fabric of ourcommunity. Please let us know ofthese important events. We ask onlythat the announcement be for aClayton resident. You will find theappropriate form for your announce-ment on our Website. Attach yourphoto to the form. Make sure theimage size you are about to send is atleast 3 MB but not bigger than 6MB.The only format we accept is JPG. Youcan also mail or bring your print to theoffice and we can scan it for you.
Also on our Web site are formsfor submitting Community Calendaritems and press releases for yourorganization.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Clayton Pioneer welcomesletters from our readers. As a generalrule, letters should be 300 words orless and submitted at least one weekprior to publication date. Letters con-cerning current issues will have priori-ty. We may edit letters for length andclarity. All letters will be published atthe editor’s discretion.
Please include your name, addressand daytime telephone number. Wewill not print letters from “anony-mous.”
E-mail your letter in a Worddocument to [email protected]. Letters MUST be sub-mitted via E-mail.
MOVIE REVIEWERDDoo yyoouu lloovvee tthhee mmoovviieess?? Always have an opinionand not shy about sharing it? Like to write?
The Pioneer is looking for movie reviewers. [email protected] with a sample reviewand contact info.
Classified
Be prepared: Next CERTclass begins May 4
Ever wonder what you would do in the event of a major disas-ter?
A big earthquake or major landslide could cut Clayton offfrom resources for days, even a week or more, says CERT volun-teer Herb Yonge. Will your family be prepared? Will you be ableto help your neighbors?
CERT (Clayton Emergency Response Team) has trained over100 Claytonians in fire suppression, search and rescue and disasterpreparedness. To learn more about CERT, come to Hoyer Hall(Library Community Room) on Wed., April 29 for a one houroverview on CERT Training.
The next CERT class begins May 4 at 6:30 p.m. and meets forsix Mondays. To enroll, or for more information, call 673-7355 orgo to www.claytoncert.org to download the application.
SUMMER CHILDCARESummer Childcare offered at
Clayton Community School
Kindergarten – 5th grade, Monday– Friday 7 am to 6 pm.Preschool offered Tuesday andThursday 9 am to 11:30 pm.Contact (925) 672-0388
RENTALSSouth Lake Tahoe Vacation
Rental
Great location, sleeps 6 to 8 com-fortably. Pictures and home detailscan be found at www.tahoehansenhouse.com.Still have questions, call DebbieHansen at (925) 766-8961
Page 6 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 24, 2009
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925.932.7375Helen
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159 Mt. Vernon, ClaytonMove-in Condition!Turn key home withfantastic curb appealand spectacular land-scape with sparklingpool and spa in privatesetting. This spacious
home offers over 2300 sq. ft., four bedrooms PLUS denfor home office, library, etc. Formal Living Room &Dining Room, Light & Bright Kitchen with garden win-dow, new updated baths, new carpet, new paint & tex-tured ceilings, RV parking and much more!
1119 Vista Point Lane, Concord$100K Price Reduction on this Estate property! Semicustom with Over 3500 sq. ft. of living space on almostan acre lot, Fantastic Vista Views, Huge Wrap Around
Deck, Gourmet Chef’sKitchen with granitecounters, oversized butch-er block island, expandedgranite breakfast bar, Twodining areas, FamilyRoom with extensive cus-
tom built-ins, surround sound, & hardwood floors, newcarpet, PLUS Darling Guest Cottage for possible homeoffice, media room, inlaw unit, etc. Amazing, matureworking vineyard on property.
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377 Blue Oak Lane, Clayton Gorgeous NEW hardwood floors, design center stainlessappliances, double crownmolding, paint, AND aNEW yard and patio!Luscious NEW carpets andspectacular vistas fromevery angle of this approx.3,200 sq. ft. Eagle Peakbeauty -- a perfect 10++
Home mortgages – the long and short of itConsumers shopping for a
mortgage typically think interms of the interest rate andhow that affects their monthlypayment. The lower the rate, thebetter.
However, even in today’s lowinterest rate environment, bor-rowers are often shocked whenthey realize the total amount ofmoney they’ll pay in interest ifthey keep the mortgage until itmatures.
Lenders are required by lawto provide borrowers with aFederal Truth-in-LendingDisclosure Statement whichincludes, among other things,the amount of the “financecharge.” This is the amount theloan will cost the consumer overthe term of the loan (usually 30or 15 years).
Suppose you borrow on a30-year fixed-rate mortgage. Ifyou keep the loan for 30 years,you’ll pay far more in interestthan the amount you borrowed.
One way to reduce thefinance charge is to get a mort-gage that’s due in 15 years.Lenders usually give a preferen-
tial rate to 15-year borrowerswhich might save you about 0.5percent on the interest rate. But,far bigger savings are attainablesimply because of the shorterloan term. The finance chargecould be one-third to half ofthe longer term.
Although this represents asubstantial savings compared toa similar 30-year loan, 15-yearfinancing may not make sensefor everyone.
One reason 30-year mort-gages are popular is their rela-tively low monthly payments.The lower the monthly pay-ment, the easier it is to qualify
for the loan. Marginally quali-fied borrowers would have a dif-ficult time qualifying for thehigher monthly payment.
If you can afford the higherpayments, you’ll build equityfaster with a 15-year mortgagethan you will with a 30-yearloan. This can work as anenforced savings plan.
However, as your mortgagebalance decreases, so does yourtax write-off. If your primarymotivation is to get the biggesttax break possible, you maywant a 30-year loan with highermonthly payments.
Your personal financial situ-ation should dictate which loanis best for you. For example, ifyour future income is uncertain,a 30-year mortgage with lowermonthly payments will give youmore control over yourfinances. Lenders usually permitborrowers to make additionalprincipal payments. When youhave extra funds available youcan apply this to your mortgage,but you’re under no obligationto do so. If you’re locked into a15-year loan with higher month-
ly payments, you’re obligated topay this amount each month.
On the other hand, a 15-yearmortgage might be an idealchoice for homeowners on afixed income, who can qualifyfor the higher monthly pay-ments and who want to owntheir home free and clear ofdebt in 15 years.
With a little discipline, thou-sands of dollars can be shavedoff the finance charge. Forexample, if you were to makeone extra mortgage payment ayear, you could pay off a 30-yearfixed-rate loan in about 20 years.That’s 10 years of interest thatyou won’t have to pay.
If you have a 30-year loanand plan to make principal pay-downs from time-to-time, makesure that your lender doesn’thave the right to charge a pre-payment penalty.
Lynne French is the broker/owner ofWindermere Lynne French & Associatesand a Clayton resident. For any realestate needs or questions, contact her at672-8787, [email protected] orstop in at 6200 Center St. in Clayton.
LYNNE FRENCH
REAL ESTATE
Mother’s Day Essay Contest
Prize List and Contest RulesSubmit the winning essay in the Pioneer’s “Queen for a
Day” essay contest and win a bonanza of great prizes for yourmom:
� Four tickets to Diablo Light Opera musical, “Hello Dolly”at the Lesher Center ($160 value)
� Two tickets to the Willows Theatre Company production of“The Wedding Singer” ($80 value)
� Grand Portrait Package by Roberta Claire Photographyincludes sitting fee and an 11 x 14 portrait, two 8 x 10s andthree 5 x 7s ($400 value)
� Gift certificate for $50 for The Tanning Co! in the ClaytonValley Shopping Center
� From the Beautique in the Clayton Station, a PureologyEssential Hair Repair Collection valued at $88
� Three month membership to SNAP Fitness in Clayton ($200value)
� A spa pedicure at Bella Mia Spa in the Clayton Station� Luxury bath products and a gift certificate for $25 from A
Perfect Tan in the Clayton Station� A gift certificate for $50 from R&M Pool, Patio, Gardens
and Gifts on Marsh Creek Rd. in Clayton� A selection of summer reading from Clayton Books in the
Clayton Station� A picture frame from Clayton Valley Frameworks in the
Clayton Valley Shopping Center� Englund’s Bistro and Tea Room in Concord, $50 gift cer-
tificate� Dining out gift certificates for $25 each at La Veranda, Ed’s
Mudville Grill and Moresi’s Chophouse� “Queen-sized” bouquet from Sonset Flowers in Concord
To enter:Contestants must be a resident of our circulation area (if you
get the Pioneer in your mailbox, you are in our circulation area)between the ages of 6 and 18.
Essays must be typewritten or printed clearly, and at least 200words but no longer than 350 words.
Make sure your name, address, phone number and age are onyour essay.
Mail or email your essay to The Clayton Pioneer, PO Box1246, Clayton, 94517; [email protected], or drop off atthe Pioneer office at 6200 H Center St., Clayton.
Deadline for entries is 5 p.m., April 27
Changes are coming thatmay make Roth IRA conversion a good choice
For many individuals, aRoth IRA is preferable to atraditional IRA – especially asretirement nears.
But if you have built up anest egg in a traditional IRAor several IRAs over the years,it’s not always clear if youshould convert your tradition-al IRA to a Roth.
With a traditional IRA,your contributions may bewholly or partially tax-deductible. (If your incomeexceeds a specified annualthreshold and you or yourspouse have a retirement planat work, your contributionsmay not be deductible.)However, distributions repre-senting the portion of youraccount that was tax-deductible and all of the earn-ings are taxed at ordinaryincome rates.
In contrast, contributionsto a Roth IRA are never tax-deductible, but qualified dis-tributions are completelyexempt from tax. Generally, a“qualified distribution” is onemade from a Roth IRA thathas been in existence at leastfive years and made afteryou’ve reached age 59½.
If you want to convert atraditional IRA to a Roth,there’s a price to pay.Amounts attributable to tax-deductible contributions, plusall of the earnings, are subjectto tax. To further complicatematters, conversions to a RothIRA are permitted only in ayear in which your adjustedgross income is $100,000 orless.
The $100,000 income limitwill be removed starting in2010. In addition, for a con-version in 2010, you can electto pay the tax bill ratably overthe following two years –2011 and 2012. So you maywant to wait to convert.
Another tax law changeallows one-step conversionsfrom a 401(k) plan to a Roth.
CAROL KEANE, CPATAX TIPS
Carol Keane is a CertifiedPublic Accountant in WalnutCreek. Email her at [email protected].
April 24, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 7
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The signs are everywhere:Minimum-waged employeesholding double-tiered verticalsigns proclaiming “The FinalDays – 30%-50% OffEverything.”
It seems unavoidable thesedays. At many street corners, yousee these harbingers of doom – agrim reminder of the state of theeconomy and the ongoing joblosses. Certainly, the face of thebusiness landscape has changed.
Peppered in with these signsare similar banners with wordingthat might fit comfortably in thesame message. What is differentwith these signs is that theirstores have made a profitablebusiness by going out of busi-ness. And in some cases, this has
lasted for years.It used to be that there was
truth in advertising. While thelegislation still exists demandingthat standard, the ability toenforce it has faded.
Commerce has made gains insales through the dubious expan-sion of truth. Disclaimers print-ed in subhuman font size offerthe missing bits of informationthe consumer may legally need.“This product may cause gastricintolerance and death. Consultyour physician.”
Likewise, with television dis-claimers mumbled off at highspeed, the hope is that the enam-ored consumer will focus on the“Extenzed” benefits of the prod-uct rather than its shortfalls.
I know of at least two storesin the county that are now intotheir fifth year of going out ofbusiness. Consumers havebecome jaded to claims andexpectations, stuck between theiraddiction to commerce and their
distaste for the lies that compriseadvertising claims.
Anti-aging product advertis-ing offers the extremes as well.Here is a patch that will removeall those wrinkles by directdeposit of the miracle com-pound, with some miracle namelike “beautificol” with results vis-ible in just two days. Of course,the product costs a lot of moneyand requires multiple treatmentswith an average result of bettermoisturized skin and not muchmore.
Spackle is cheaper and couldhave the same claim: “Smootheswrinkles, evens out facial con-tours with a Botox-like effectwithout the injections or cost.And it comes with a convenientfacial applicator. If you ordernow, we will even include a freebook – how to fix your face whileyou are fixing your house.”
The vitamin and supplementindustry have known this bonan-za sales marketing practice formany years, offering two for onebottles of unregulated com-pounds that are packed with“mega” everything, even if doc-tors tell you that most will beflushed away with your nextbathroom visit. The lure and theclaims are just too strong.Marketing departments are justtoo clever.
And the consumer logic isthat if even one percent of theadvertised claim turns out to betrue, they would be ahead of thegame.
It used to be that televisionand movie celebrities endorsing a
product had to be using theproduct in order to make theclaims. When I watch RobertWagner peddling reverse mort-gages or other celebrities pushingproducts of questionable value, Iwonder just how the average con-sumer is supposed to discern thetruth. Or did advertising becomea numbers game where a certainpercentage of the population willget ripped off or harmed by theclaims while the rest believewhatever they will about theeffectiveness of the product?
How many products have weeach purchased only to discardafter a failed trial, chalking it upto our own gullibility?
Perhaps the ultimate claim oftruth comes in the courtroom,where each person takes an oathto “tell the truth, the whole truthand nothing but the truth.” Therewas a time when society had a farhigher degree of integrity, when asimple pledge had meaning.
Today’s version should beadjusted. “Do you agree to tellthe truth, the whole truth, somevariation of the truth, statementswith some truthful elements in ituntil we find that you have beenless than truthful?”
The end is closer than wethink. Life is already valued at 30percent to 70 percent off its fullretail value and rapidly falling. Idon’t want to deal with it thatway.
The end is coming...even if the ads claim you will live forever
ANDRÉ GENSBURGER
DEAL WITH IT
André Gensburger is a staffreporter and feature writer for thePioneer. His email address [email protected]
Residents can pitch in to keep trails maintained
Californians have a long tradi-tion of developing and benefitingfrom various trails. During the1800s, the Pony Express, a mailroute, was established between St.Joseph, Mo., and San Francisco.This was possible because of anestablished trails system.
Clayton’s trails system, whichconsists of 27 miles of trails, hasits basic maintenance funded bythe Landscape MaintenanceDistrict (LMD) – known asMeasure B. This large trail net-work is comprised of three differ-
ent types: asphalt (mostly 3-4 feetwide along the flat portions ofthe creeks), crushed gravel (usual-ly 2-3 feet wide) and dirt trails,also known as “natural trails”(generally 1-2 feet across). Somedirt trails are wider and serve asfire breaks in large open spaceareas.
Measure B provided the trails(and roadway landscaping) withsome funding for basic mainte-nance needs for 10 years. For thetrails, this means mostly weedabatement for fire control pur-poses, two times annually as fund-ing permits along the major pavedtrail.
Additional aesthetic desiresthat are not safety related, such aslitter pickup, minor trail repairsand minor trimming, are beyondwhat Measure B provides but canalso improve the Clayton trailssystem.
In addition to trail mainte-nance duties, the five-membercity maintenance staff faces vastother duties such as attendingroadway landscaping to park
maintenance, minor street andstreet light maintenance and citybuilding and grounds mainte-nance. According to maintenancesupervisor Mark Janney, “identi-fying and responding to non-safe-ty items along the trails is beyondthe funds available with MeasureB.”
The Trails and LandscapingCommittee (TLC) developed aprogram to help fill the void.“There are a variety of tasks,ranging from minor trimming,weeding, litter control, to minorrepairing in the trails’ surfaces,that the public could help volun-teer to assist with,” notes commit-tee member David Disend.
He helped develop theAdopt-A-Trail program whichencourages individuals, business-es and organizations to sponsortrail segments. Since the pro-gram’s launch a couple of monthsago, scouts, businesses and fami-lies have stepped forward toadopt four of the 11 trail seg-ments.
Other residents have respond-
ed, as well. Barbara and RonJacobs are regular Cardinet Trailwalkers. They carry plastic bagsand collect litter along the trailtwo or three times per week.
“The Adopt-A-Trail programis a great idea,” Barbara says. “Ifsome group or person can takeresponsibility for a trail by pickingup litter for instance, children willlearn how to take better care oftheir environment.
“When people do somethinggood,” she adds, “it makes themfeel good about themselves andthe community they live in.”
For more information on theAdopt-A-Trail program, call 673-7369. Clayton trail maps can be pur-chased at City Hall for $2. The nextTLC meeting is 7 p.m. Monday,May 18, at Hoyer Hall.
Submit questions or comments [email protected].
Candace Bass is a member of theCity’s Trails and LandscapeCommittee. Please send comments [email protected].
CANDACE BASS
TRAILS ANDLANDSCAPE
E-waste collection tobenefit Grad Night
Clean out the electronic graveyard in your garage. Take those elec-tronic carcasses to Clayton Valley High School’s E-Waste Drive on Sat.April 25, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Clayton Valley High School parking lot,1101 Alberta Way, Concord. Items accepted: monitors, towers, lap-tops, televisions, stereos, copiers, fax machines, DVD/CD/VHS play-ers, cell phones, car batteries, cardboard, metal, and paper products.All proceeds benefit the Clayton Valley High School Safe and SoberGrad Night Celebration to be held on June 10th at Center Concord.
For more information call Pamela Newacheck 671-2201.
TWO WEEKSENDING APRIL 16
ACCIDENTSApr. 4, 2:50 p.m., Clayton Rd.
Hit and run, property dam-age
Apr. 7, 5:39 p.m., Clayton Rd.and Mitchell Canyon Rd.Traffic accident, injuries
Apr. 9, 11:46 a.m., Clayton Rd.and Washington Bl. Trafficaccident, no injuries
Apr. 10, 10:37 a.m., ClaytonRd. Hit and run, propertydamage
ARRESTSApr. 8, 1:03 p.m., Oakhurst Dr.
and Indian Wells Wy., aConcord man, 44, wasarrested and charged with aDUI after being stopped forerratic driving.
Apr. 9, 3:01 a.m., Clayton Rd.and Kirker Pass Rd., aPittsburg man, 60, was issueda citation for failing to obey aposted sign and driving tooslow.
Apr. 10, 10:49 p.m., Crow Pl., AClayton man, 49, was arrest-ed and charged with a DUIafter being stopped for errat-ic driving.
Apr. 10, 12:47 a.m., Clayton
Rd. and Kirker Pass Rd., aConcord man, 29, wasarrested on an outstandingwarrant.
Apr. 11, 5:54 p.m., Pine HollowRd. and Atchinson Stage Rd.,a Pittsburg man, 41, wasstopped for a vehicle codeviolation and cited for drivingwithout a license.
Apr. 11, 11:32 p.m., ClaytonRd. and Kirker Pass Rd., aConcord woman, 31, wasstopped for expired tags andcited for driving with a sus-pended license.
Apr. 12, 10:07 p.m., Mt. Dell Dr.and Mt. Tamalpais, a Claytonfemale and a Concordfemale, both 18, were citedfor possession of an illegalsubstance.
Apr. 13, 5:31 p.m., MountaireCr. And Mt. Teton Ct., aPittsburg man, 56, wasarrested for an outstandinglicense and driving with asuspended license.
Apr. 13, 3:35 a.m., Main St., aConcord man, 22, wasarrested for disorderly con-duct and public intoxication.
Apr. 14, 3:13 a.m., Clayton Rd.and Tara Dr., a Concordman, 23, was stopped forexpired registration tags and
cited for driving with a sus-pended license.
Apr. 14, 9:58 p.m., Mt. PalomarPl., a Concord woman, 29,was arrested for driving underthe influence.
Apr. 15, 7:53 a.m., Center St.and Marsh Creek Rd., aConcord man, 49, wasissued a citation for drivingwith a suspended license.
Apr. 16, 12:23 a.m., a Claytonman, 41, was arrested fordomestic abuse.
BURGLARIES/THEFTSApr. 3, 4:00 p.m., Clayton Rd.
and Marsh Creek Rd. Pettytheft
Apr. 6, 2:06 p.m., Cardinet Dr.Attempted residential burgla-ry
Apr. 11, 5:30 p.m., Yolanda Cr.Grand theft
Apr. 11, 2:50 p.m., Mt. Etna Dr.Vehicle theft
Apr. 11, 12:52 p.m., Coal MineCt. Petty theft
Apr. 12, 10:30 a.m., PineHollow Rd. Petty theft
Apr. 12, 1:13 p.m., Mt. Edna Dr.Vehicle burglary
Apr. 13, 5:52 p.m., Yolanda Cr.Vehicle theft
Apr. 13, 12:15 p.m., KellerRidge Dr. Grand theft
Page 8 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 24, 2009
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The weather is finally start-ing to get warm and that meanstime for outdoor activities.
Living next to Mt. Diablo,many of us enjoy walking, hik-ing and/or picnicking. A lot ofus also go camping for extendedoutdoor activities in a remotelocation to get away from thecity life.
While these activities are allfun, safety should always be atthe top of your mind – especial-ly if you have kids.
For outings that are less thanone day, use the following tipsto make your trip more enjoy-able and safe.
Hike with a friend or familymember. It’s usually more funwith someone else around and itis definitely safer to hike orcamp with at least one compan-ion.
If you plan to hike into aremote area, have a minimum offour people in your group. Ifsomeone gets hurt, one personcan stay with the person who’shurt while two others go forhelp.
Stay on the trails/paths andavoid cutting across or usingswitchbacks on hillsides. You’ll
reduce your chances of suffer-ing an injury or getting lost.Staying on the trails and pathswill also preserve the hillsideand natural beauty.
KEEPING IN TOUCH
Let someone know whereyou are going and when youplan to return – with details ofthe make, year and license plateof your car. Pack emergency sig-naling devices and determinethe location of the nearestranger station. If you take amobile phone with you, beaware that you may not have asignal. When you return, letpeople know that you’vereturned safely.
Know the rules and learnabout regulations for the areasyou plan to visit. This includescampfire rules, dog and pet reg-ulations and wildlife guidelines.Some areas require reservationsor permits or may have otherrestrictions. Find out in advanceabout any regulations and besure to get current maps.
BE WARY OF WILDLIFE
Whether it’s a state park orurban trail, there is a chance ofencountering wildlife. Beforeyou head anywhere, know whatto expect. If you encounter any
wildlife, it is best you keep yourdistance, back away slowly anddo not run.
Know what precautions totake to protect your food andequipment from bears and otheranimals. Learn to identify poi-sonous snakes that may be foundin the area and know first aidtreatment in the unlikely event abite occurs. Be sure to report anysightings to a park ranger.
Watch for poison oak. Learnhow to identify this commonCalifornia plant by its shiny,three-leaf patterns. Avoid touch-ing it at all costs, but if you do,wash immediately with water andmild soap and “pat” dry with aclean towel. Do not rub.
For safety tips on outingslonger than one day, visitwww.claytoncert.com/outings.For more information aboutCalifornia state parks, go towww.parks.ca.gov.
If you are interested in learn-ing how to be better prepared inthe event of a major disaster oremergency, visit www.clayton-cert.com or call 673-7355.
Pack up safety tipswhen hiking or camping
Harun Simbirdi is a member ofthe Clayton Community CitizenCorps Council, part of the CERT,and a resident of Clayton. His emailis [email protected]
HARUN SIMBIRDI
SAFETY ZONE
The Clayton CERT Website is www.claytoncert.org and thenational CERT site is www.citizencorps.gov/cert.
April 24, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 9
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Health on a budget – it’s a SNAPIf your New Year’s resolu-
tion to improve health and getin shape suffered akin to theeconomic downturn, it’s time totake a step toward revitalization.
A dollar a day makes it easyto get in shape with SNAPFitness now in downtownClayton. No commute, no long-term contract, no front-deskcheck-in.
Gym member GlenForrester of Clayton describes itas a clean, modern version ofyour own home gym.
“Whether you need to dropa few pounds or simply tone upa bit, we’ve put in place the sup-port to help you reach your fit-ness goals,” says owner SabrinaMonahan.
“We don’t have a massiveweight room,” adds co-ownerMike Monahan. “We’re not forthe body-builder types. We’re aneighborhood gym. We providefitness for a lot more people.”
SNAP is organizing a MomsClub of sorts, where parentscan exchange child care at thenearby Grove park for a half-hour, total-body workout.
The 30-minute plan known
as the “Basic 8” is provided freeto every new member, withstate-of-the art equipmentinstruction. New members alsoreceive a fitness assessment($100 value) with a personal
trainer providing expert adviceon exercise and nutrition alongwith a personal Webpage to cre-ate and track workouts, planmeals and count calories.
“It’s a tremendous resource
that you don’t see at manyhealth clubs,” says Sabrina,“especially those in our lowprice range.”
Starting at $39.95 for single,$59.95 for joint and $69.95 forfamily memberships, SNAPFitness also provides discountsfor multiple months, military,law enforcement/fire protec-tion and seniors.
Grace Menchaca, a ClaytonValley High cheerleader, hasworked at the gym since itsopening. “For a teen-ager, it’sreally good to come herebecause there are no contracts.You’re not locked in – which isgood because we tend to changeour minds,” she notes.
Clayton SNAP Fitness pro-vides sliding card key accessfrom 4 a.m. to midnight. “Youjust stash your stuff in a cubbyand get started. It has a privateclub feel,” Mike says.
The card key works at any ofthe 900 SNAP Fitness locationsthroughout the United States,and most are available 24 hours.
SNAP Fitness is in the VillageOaks building at 6200 Center St.,Clayton. Call 693-0110 or visitwww.SNAPfitness.com/claytonca.
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Nicci Shipstead/Clayton Pioneer
CLAYTON RESIDENT AND SNAP FITNESS MEMBER BILL WAGONER tries outthe water rower with help from SNAP Fitness owner Mike Monahan.
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Taking a measure of today’s economy
Economists weigh variety offactors during a recession
A number of economists,politicians and journalists havesaid that this is the worst eco-nomic environment since theGreat Depression that began in1929. But that may be a matter ofperception.
Nobody should downplay theseriousness of the current reces-sion. Yet it is clear that this is farfrom the level of decline experi-enced when the United Stateswas in the throes of the 1930sdepression. The 1970s and 1980salso brought extreme and unusu-al economic challenges.
MEASURING A RECESSION
There are different ways todefine a recession. A commondefinition is that it is representedby two consecutive quarters of adecline in the nation’s GrossDomestic Product (GDP), theprimary measure of economic
output of goods and servicesover a given period. The problemwith this definition is either that arecession will be well underway,or possibly even completed,before you know it happened.
The first estimate of GDPgrowth for a calendar quarter isnot reported until the end of thefirst month after the quarter iscompleted. What’s more, in 2008,after a modest decline in the firstquarter, GDP rose in the secondand third quarters, then declineddramatically in the fourth quarter.By that definition, it was not yetpossible in mid-April 2009 toidentify if we were, in fact, in arecession.
ADDING IN OTHER FACTORS
More economic forecastersare beginning to accept the find-ings of the National Bureau ofEconomic Research (NBER), anon-profit organization of econ-omists who study economictrends and place start- and end-dates on economic cycles. WhileGDP remains a prime measure-ment tool to determine if theeconomy is in a recession orgrowing, other factors are con-sidered as well. These include realpersonal income, employment,industrial production and whole-sale and retail sales.
The NBER dates the currentrecession back to December2007. In that time, we have seensome growth in GDP, butthrough the end of 2008, the
economy declined by 0.8 percentbased on GDP. It was likely head-ed lower, based on GDP data forthe first three months of 2009,due in April from the govern-ment. That could well bring thedecline in the nation’s GrossDomestic Product to more than2 percent during the currentrecession.
By comparison, real (infla-tion-adjusted) GDP dropped by3.1 percent during the 1973-’75recession and by 2.7 percentthrough the 1981-’82 recession(according to NBER date com-piled by the Federal ReserveBank of Minneapolis).
During those earlier periodsof significant economic decline,inflation was creating severeproblems. The Consumer PriceIndex (as measured by the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics) roseby a peak of 12.2 percent in 1974and by more than 14 percent in1980. By comparison, the infla-tion rate in 2008 was just 1.5 per-cent.
Job losses were significant aswell in the mid-1970s and early1980s. The unemployment ratetopped out at 9.0 percent in 1975and hit 10.8 percent in 1982(according to the Bureau ofLabor Statistics). Only after 15months of the current recessiondid unemployment top the 8 per-cent level – though unemploy-ment rates are a lagging indicatorand tend to remain high or evencontinue upward as economic
recoveries begin.
GUARDING YOUR
INVESTMENTS
What does seem likely is thatthe current recession will be oneof the longest lasting in the post-World War II era. ThroughMarch, the current recession hadlasted 16 months. That matchesthe length of the 1973-’75 and1981-’82 recessions.
It is important to keep inmind that in both of those cases(as with all recessions in our his-tory), the economy regained itsfooting. While two recessionsoccurred after 1982 and prior to2007, both were considered mildby historical standards.
As an investor, you need tomaintain a clear perspective ontoday’s environment as you planfor the future. The U.S. economyhas come a long way since thedepths of the Depression in the1930s. History tells us that overtime, recessions come to an endand economic growth resumes.
You need to make adjust-ments to current economic reali-ties while you stay prepared forthe inevitable economic recovery.Working with your financial advi-sor is a great step toward makinga financial plan for the future andfeeling more in control of yourfinancial picture.
MURELEEN BENTON
FINANCIAL SENSE
Mureleen Benton is a CertifiedFinancial Planner. Call her withquestions at 685-4523
GETTING THINGS STARTED
“Pam started the paperworkwithout telling Chuck she wasdoing it,” Clay explained.“Those of us who know andlove Chuck saw that there weredays when he was really strug-gling. After a while I told her totell him because he needed a lit-tle dose of hope”
“I was pretty surprised,”Chuck said. “I didn’t know whatto say because Pam and I hadnever talked about it – I hadnever asked her and this cameout of the blue. I thought ‘was itpossible?’ There had been ayoung lady in Portland who hadoffered her kidney but was dis-qualified because of medicalissues. When Pam offered I wasalmost in disbelief.”
The process of offering akidney for transplant is a slowand complex one. In addition totesting for type and bloodchemistry reagents that affectrejection, a whole battery ofphysical and psychological test-ing takes place before a finalapproval is given and a surgicaldate set.
“It seems like the process isdesigned to keep you from get-ting your hopes up, which iswhat they want,” Clay said.
Chuck agrees. “They buildthe rejection idea in all the time.I have to admit it keeps youthinking ‘I’ll believe this when Isee it.’ On the other hand, theyare incredibly positive – they arealways upbeat.”
Pam knew that she had noreservations about her offer.“There wasn’t any doubt, just asense of ‘wow’,” she said. “Theword got out and people keptasking ‘why are you doing this?’I would tell them, and theywould say ‘but really, why areyou doing this?’ I started think-
ing that it really was a big stepbut never did I want to backout.”
THE FINAL DAYS
Pam was approved in midDecember, but they still had towait until mid-March for thesurgery.
The week before surgerythere was a pre-operative meet-ing with the surgeons and stillmore testing.
“The hardest part was theweek before the surgery,” Pamsaid. “They said if somethingcomes up in the blood work, wewill have to postpone or cancelthe surgery. I was worried howthis might affect Chuck. Thatwas the hardest part after havingcome so far.”
The day of the surgery Clayenjoyed watching both Chuckand his wife as they readied forsurgery. “It had been three yearssince I had seen Chuck as happyas he was laying there on thegurney. He was bubbling. It wasawesome to see him like thatand I was chuckling. There wasa curtain separating them. Iwould go back and forth. Pamwas a little nervous for sure, butChuck was having a good time.”
The surgery itself provedinteresting for both Chuck andPam. To avoid unnecessarycomplications, Chuck’s old kid-ney was left in place and Pam’skidney was added beneath it.
Less complex than Chuck’s,Pam’s arthroscopic proceduregave her four holes and a smallincision through which the kid-ney would be removed. The kid-ney was then passed off toChuck’s surgical team to com-plete the procedure.
“We walked down to seeChuck the next day,” Pam said.“Still hooked to the tubes, Icould barely shuffle down thehallway.” And there was Chucksitting up and smiling. It was ananswer to my prayers.”
Although the surgery wentwell, both were warned that thefirst three months are critical.
“The first two weeks are verycritical,” Chuck said.
“While I was doing dialysis,”Chuck explained, “there wasthis young kid who had receiveda kidney transplant from hismother. Now at age 30 he wasback. He admitted that he hadlost the kidney from not takingcare of it and it opened my eyes.I thought ‘wow’, it’s that easy tolose. This drew my attention toknow that you have to be clearabout what you are doing andcannot abuse it and never losesight of the fact that rejection isa possibility.”
ANTI-REJECTION
DRUGS SAVE LIVES
Chuck no longer needs histhrice weekly, four-hour longdialysis treatments. But thetrade-off is a barrage of med-ications that he must take dili-gently. “One of the first things Ihad to do was identify all thenew [ten] medications and whenI was to take them,” Chuck said.“Some were once a day, twice aday, once a week and so on, allcolor coded. You had to be ableto visually identify the medica-tion and what it is for as well asthe dosing requirements. Theywon’t let you leave until you cando that.”
Chuck explained that eachweek he has a large pill box withmultiple slots to fill with the var-ious medications. He discoveredhow important it is to be fluentwith all the medications when,in his second week, he forgot toinclude one crucial pill.“Because they taught me wellbefore I left the hospital, Iquickly caught my mistake – hadthey not done that and had I nottalked to that kid, I might nothave noticed.”
Despite the large number ofpills he must take, Chuck is thefirst to be grateful. “This is bet-ter living through chemistry –they give you a huge binder ontransplants and talk about 40different medications you couldbe taking if those you are on donot work.” Despite insurance,Chuck’s co-pays on his prescrip-tions run several hundred dol-lars a month.
A POSITIVE CHOICE
Physically, Pam’s surgery hasbeen but a ripple in her life.Aside from discomfort from thelaparoscopic surgery and a fewmedications she has to be care-ful before taking, Pam’s experi-ence has left her physically thesame.
“Life goes on,” she said. “Itis a scary thing to step into butvery worthwhile to the onereceiving it. I go on with my life,just a little recovery, but the dif-ference it has made to Chuck’slife is everlasting.
Pam urges anyone consider-ing organ donation or kidneydonation to not allow fear to getin the way. “We are fearfully andwonderfully made and it isincredible how we are made. Itold Chuck I must have hadgood parts,” Pam said with asmile. “That was my prayerthrough this whole process andit seems like God has answeredthis prayer.”
“I keep thinking that theremust be something more I cansay besides thank you,” Chucksaid. “It is an incredible gift andI am at a loss for words.”
“In six months the onlychange Pam will notice is inChuck,” Clay said. “It is so coolto see him walk in now with hissmile. At Rotary we called himChuckles. That part had beenmissing for a very long time.”
For more information aboutkidney donations visit TheNational Kidney Foundation atwww.kidney.org
Page 10 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 24, 2009
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MAJOR CLAY GARDNER
DramaMama after-school programs continue to growDrama Mama Productions, a
non-profit organization whichprovides after-school enrich-ment programs in theatre andperforming arts, opens withtheir current production,“Seussical, the Musical” atDiablo View Middle School onMay 6.
As state and district budgetcuts continue to erode theatreand performing arts programsin the public schools,DramaMama is expanding theirafter school programs in hopesof reaching more students andfilling the creative void.
“With all of the budget cuts,this program fits a growing needfor our youth,” says Patti Pratt,founder of the program. “Itgives them a place to be afterschool and exposes them to awide variety of the arts.”
DramaMama was created byPratt and Gabriela Rowland,both from Clayton, as a way tointroduce students to theater
while continuing to pursueother interests. This year,DramaMama has expanded toinclude students from MountDiablo Elementary, DiabloView Middle School andSilverwood Elementary. Nextyear, Pratt plans on adding PineHollow Middle School to theclass schedule.
“Although we are expanding,we have a growing need forscholarships due to the econo-my,” says Pratt. “We have neverturned a student away due to afinancial situation; because ofthis we are holding severalfundraisers this spring to helpfund our scholarship and tech-nology funds.” In addition to
the “green” car wash on May 2(see sidebar), there are fundrais-ers scheduled at Skipolini’s indowntown Clayton on May 17and Jamba Juice in the ClaytonValley Center every Saturday inMay.
“Drama Mama has helpeddevelop a new level of self-esteem in my son,” says parentKelly Clough. “He is able toexpress himself with acting andsinging while feeling completelysupported by his teachers andfellow students.”
“Before this program I hadthe worst stage fright, but afterDramaMama it went away,” saysstudent Demi DiQuattro. “I’m alot more confident and I have alot of fun doing this.”
“Watching our studentsgrow into responsible youngadults is the icing on the cake,”states Pratt. “Students who arenow in high school return andvolunteer to work with the stu-dents. This mentoring part ofthe program is one of its mostsatisfying aspects. Although it isalways sad when our students
move up, we know that wenever lose a student, we justgain a mentor.”
“Seussical the Musical” perform-ances are at 6:30 p.m. on May 6, 7,8, 14, 15, and at 3:30 and 7 p.m. onMay 16 in the Diablo View MiddleSchool Multi-Use Room. To ordertickets send email [email protected].
CLAYTON VALLEY SENIOR RYAN METZ COACHES 6TH GRADERS, SARAH OWEN
AND MELAYNA LLOYD for “Seussical the Musical” as part of theDramaMama after school program.
DEANNA MARACCINI
Special to the Pioneer
‘Green’ Carwash to benefit DramaMama
The car wash, a favoritefundraiser for schools and non-profits, will “go green” on May 2from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. when per-forming arts students fromDramaMama hold their event atMt. Mike’s Pizza on ClaytonRoad.
The kids will be using a carwash kit provided by the city ofConcord which prevents con-taminated water from enteringthe storm drain, routing itinstead to the sewer system.
For presale tickets, go to [email protected]
Animals can make wonder-ful friends for children. Butthere are some important thingsto remember when you have a
young child in the home with afamily pet.
Always supervise childrenand pets. Infants and toddlers
under the age of 4 should notbe left alone with an animal.Even the most mild-man-nered dog or cat can becomeaggressive if provoked orunder stress.
Demonstrate appropriateinteractions with your pet.Treat your cat and dog withrespect and love and yourchild will do the same.
Demonstrate to your childhow to pet animals with gen-tle strokes and to pet with thefur, not against it. Show themwhere the animal likes to betouched. Many animals dislikebeing patted on top of theirheads or may be sensitive tohaving certain body partstouched.
Very small children will beparticularly drawn to out-standing or unique bodyparts, such as a curly tail orfloppy ears and may try tograb them. Firmly tell yourchild “No” and explain sim-ply that the animal doesn’tlike that.
Children may come toregard the family pet as aplaymate, so it is important tomonitor any play interactionand ensure it is safe for bothyour child and pet. Do notallow any rough play, since itcan get out of hand quickly.If your child tries to jump onthe animal’s back, stop him orher immediately with a firm“No!” and a short explana-tion.
If playtime becomes toooverwhelming for either yourchild or your pet, it is impor-tant to give a timeout to cooldown. Redirect their behavior
to an activity that is morepleasant for the animals, suchas fetch or hide-the-treats.
Animals can becomeaggressive if they feel some-one is trying to take awaytheir food or things. Keepyour dog’s toys separate fromyour child’s toys. Dogs can bevery possessive of their toys,especially rawhides, pig’s earsor bones. Give your dog chewtoys only when your child issleeping, or when your dog isin his or her crate or in a sep-arate room. Monitor feedingtimes and do not allow chil-dren to approach food bowlswhen animals are eating.
No one likes to be wokenup out of a deep sleep,including your pet. If a childtries to awaken a sleeping ani-mal, it will most likely startlethe animal and can provokeaggression.
Teach children aboutresponsible pet ownership. Byproviding your child withsmall, age-appropriate tasks,such as filling the water bowlor accompanying you on awalk, children will developthe sense of responsibilitythat comes with having a pet.
Rodie’s is helping ContraCounty Animal Services to findhomes for the county’s home-less bunnies.
On the first Saturday of themonth, Animal Services will setup in Rodie’s parking lot, 8863Marsh Creek Road, from 11a.m. until 3 p.m. All bunniesadopted are spayed or neuteredand micro-chipped and are up-to-date with vaccinations.
Kittens and occasionallypuppies are available for adop-tion every day at Rodie’s. Aswith the bunnies, all animals arespayed or neutered, have up-to-date shots and are microchipped.
All adoption fees go directly toAnimal Services and are posted ontheir Website at www.co.contra-costa.ca.us.
April 24, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 11
Bird grooming – first Saturday each month.
Appointments or
walk-ins welcome
Nutro Max Natural Dog Food
35 lb. bag $2799
everyday low price
(925) 672-46008863 Marsh Creek Rd.
in Clayton
As seen
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$ 9919
BIRD SEED SPECIALS
Nyjer Thistle - 20 lbs. $30.99
Small, Black Oil Sunflower Seed - 25 lbs. $19.99
Western Delight Value Mix - 40 lbs. $11.99
Quality cages for any bird
at low, low prices
BUNNY ADOPTIONS
First Saturday of each month,
11am to 3pm, by County Animal Services.
20% off Rabbit HutchesLarge selection available
Chicken Little is a sensitivefellow. He will thrive in a quiethome with a stable and consis-tent daily routine.
The adoption fee for adultdogs is $225 and includes aseven-week training class.
Scarlett is a little sweetheartthat needs a gentle family tohelp her come out of her shell.She will sit on your lap forgrooming and enjoys being
held.The adoption fee for adult
cats is $50.
Meet your forever friend atTony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation, 2890 MitchellDrive, Walnut Creek, duringadoption hours: 3 to 7 p.m.Thursday and Friday, Noon to4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.The primary caretaker must bepresent to adopt. ARF also
encourages kids 16 and youngerand canine family members(dog adoptions only) to be pres-ent during the adoption process.
Would you like to be part of theheroic team that saves the lives of res-cued dogs and cats? Can you shareyour talents to connect people and ani-mals? ARF volunteers are making adifference! For more information seeour website, www.arf.net, or call925.256.1ARF.
Clayton Resident. Licensed. Bonded. Insured. PSI member. References upon request.
Call Peace of Mind Pet ServicesLinda 672-9781
PetSitting
Cats, dogs,birds & more
� Daily visits in your home
� Quality care and TLC
Many services offered:
local errands, deliveryappointments, check onhome while you travel
Chicken Little and Scarlett areARF’s Adoption Stars
CHICKEN LITTLE SCARLETT
Dr. Linda M. Miller 5435 Clayton Road, Ste I, Clayton 925-672-CATS (2287) www.cathospitalofclayton.com
Office HoursM-F 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. & 2 – 5:30 p.m.Every other Saturday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
� Diagnosis, treatment and surgery� Dental care� Dietary planning� Emergency services� Boarding and Grooming
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Aimee O'Brien
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(925) 899-7354
Dog Walking, Cat Visits, Pet Sitting,Overnight & Nursing Care,
Fine Art Pet Portraits
www.obrienfamilypetcare.com
50% off first pet sittingserviceChildren can learn to beresponsible pet owners
Elena Bicker is the Executive Directorof Tony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation. She can be reached at (925)256-1ARF (1273)
Bunnies and kittensand puppies, oh my!
ANIMAL SERVICES VOLUNTEER CUDDLES A HOMELESS BUNNY at Rodie’s“adoption day” on April 4.
ELENA BICKER
PAWS AND CLAWS
Clayton Pioneer to receive$150 off your complete exteri-or or complete interior repaint.For your convenience, theyaccept Visa, Mastercard, andDiscover. www.sknellis.com.(925) 687-2233.
SPARKLE POOLSSparkle Pools is owned and
operated by John Khashabi.John is water chemistry certi-fied and factory trained bymany pool product manufac-turers and an accomplishedrepair technician who hasbeen praised for looking attough situations from differentangles to solve problems thatothers had given up on.Sparkle Pool and Spa islicensed by the California StateContractors License Board(Lic.#926085) and is a mem-ber of IPSSA (IndependentPool & Spa ServiceAssociation), which providesGeneral Liability Insurance.John offers free estimates toeveryone who calls and a gen-erous 5500 ppeerrcceenntt ooffff the firstmonth of service for new cus-tomers. Check out Sparkle’sWebsite at www.sparkle-pool.com for more detailsabout their services. SparklePools is a complete profession-al pool service for all yourpool needs. Call John at (925)260-5025
UTOPIC GARDENSClayton residents, Angela
and Ash Hakimi of UtopicGardens, are committed tobringing more peace, harmo-ny, and balance to your land-
scape by creating your ownsanctuary through profession-alism and attention to detail,all the while getting the mostfrom your landscaping budg-et.
They understand that theideal garden is one that isthoroughly crafted to have bal-ance between your needs anddesires and such environmen-tal factors as exposure, soilconditions, and climate zone,all woven together with athread of harmony and cre-ativity to achieve your ownUtopia.
They offer artistic, creativedesign, planning and consulta-tion to include the many phas-es of landscaping such as nat-ural rock walls, wood craftingof pergolas, trellises, fences,arbors and gates, water fea-tures, drip and spray irrigation,low voltage lighting, concreteand total installation.
While their personal favoritetype of landscape to create iswhat may be called ‘CaliforniaCasual,’ ‘California Native,’or ‘Mediterranean,’ they inviteevery opportunity and chal-lenge that each and every gar-den, like a personality, pres-ents.
Creating landscapes for 17years, a family owned businessin Clayton.
(925) 524-0055
WARANER TREEEXPERTS
PPrrootteecctt aanndd ssaavvee yyoouurr ttrreeeess..Waraner Tree Experts canidentify and treat potentialproblems caused by insects
and disease, rot, poordrainage or improper pruning.
Locally owned and operatedby Certified Arborist andLicensed Contractor, DustinWaraner and his wife, Kim, thecompany’s goal is to providethe finest tree work care avail-able. All pruning is done inaccordance with ISA standardsand the company is experi-enced in all aspects of treecare.
With summer coming, fireprevention is critically impor-tant. Waraner Tree Experts arecertified in fire abatement andwill trim, clean up and removefire hazards to help you cleara defensible space aroundyour home.
No job is too small or toobig, call (925) 250-0334today for your free appoint-ment. A Certified Arborist willcome to your property andassess the health and safetyneeds of your trees. VisitWaranerTreeExperts.com formore information.
THE WINDOW WORKSHave you heard the great
news? The Window Works iscelebrating its 31st year inbusiness AND the new FederalAmerican Recovery Act of2009 is now providing home-owners a tax credit up $1500for installing qualified energyefficient windows and doors.
Let The Window Works “CureYour Window Panes” andinstall new Simonton“Impression” series windowsand doors with LowE366 glassthat meets and can exceed the
new required energy ratings.This tax credit is meant to pro-mote “green” energy savingprojects and reduce ourdependence on foreign oil.Going “green” will reduce yourenergy costs, create a saferhome and a healthier livingenvironment by eliminatingmolds and mildew.
You are invited to visit theircomfortable showroom andsee the Simonton product and“Retro-Fit” installation display.
Please call them at 925-689-1930 or visit them on the WebWWW.TheWindowWorks.comor stop by 2570 CloverdaleAve #6 Concord 94518.
FIRST CHOICE ABBEY CARPET
Selecting flooring and win-dow fashions that are right foryour home or office can be adifficult task. The professionalsat First Choice Abbey Carpetwill help make these choicesstress-free.
Their selection can satisfyevery budget, ranging fromthe most economical to theexotic. You’re invited to visittheir 4000+ square footshowroom in Danville’sVillage Center or call (866)915-RUGS (7847) for anappointment to ‘Shop AtHome’. The expert staff will
guide you every step of theway and their experiencedprofessional installation teamwill pamper your home fromstart to finish.
First Choice Abbey Carpetsoffers fashion, not just floor-ing. They provide a comfort-able and friendly atmosphere,30+ years of experience, adiverse selection of carpet,area rugs, hardwood, environ-mentally friendly products,laminate, vinyl and porcelaintile, and window fashions. Visittheir Website at firstchoiceabb-eycarpet.com. Showroom islocated at 101G Town andCountry Drive in Danville.
ABBEY CARPET CONTRA COSTA FLOORS
Abbey Carpet Contra CostaFloors can help bring the feel-ing of springtime into yourhome. This time of year, whenthe hills are green and sprin-kled with wildflowers, is theperfect time to spruce up oneroom or the whole house.Abbey will make it easy andaffordable with special spring-time sale pricing.
Abbey salespeople are
trained to help you pick thefloor covering that best fitsboth your needs and your per-sonal taste. With a huge vari-ety of carpet, vinyl, tile, woodand laminate floors to choosefrom, you can check out sam-ples to match to your new fur-niture window coverings orpaint. Best of all, Abbey willcome to your home to giveyou a FREE estimate.
New flooring can make yourhome seem like new again.
Take advantage of Abbey’sgreat pricing, personal serviceand professional advice tomake the best choice of floorcovering for your home. Stopby and let them help youchoose a beautiful floor today!
Abbey Carpet Contra CostaFloors is located at 1170Burnett Ave., Ste. F inConcord. Showroom is openMon.-Fri. from 9-5 and Sat.,from 10-4.
AMY CARPENTERINTERIOR DESIGN
Amy Carpenter specializes inkitchen and bath design. Amyhas over nine years of experi-ence and holds an AssociateCertified Kitchen and BathDesigner certification from theNational Kitchen and BathAssociation. Amy createsdesigns that reflect the unique-ness of each client, providingquality cabinets and crafts-manship and comes in onbudget.
Amy works one-on-one withher clients until they are com-pletely satisfied with thedesign, and her services don'tstop when the cabinets areordered. She is on-site duringcabinet installation and isalways available for questions.
She can recommend a quali-ty contractor, or she will workhappily with yours. She willwork competently and profes-sionally with you every step ofthe way.
Her many satisfied clientsgive Amy Carpenter ravereviews. "She listens to ourideas," says one. "She is so
patient," says another. And stillothers say "She nailed it on thedesign, and “her recommen-dations have been a plus forthe job."
For a consultation, call (877)748-1310 or visit www.AmyCarpenterInteriorDesign.com for more information.
KEENAN/HEINZCOMPANY
Located in downtownConcord, Keenan/HeinzCompany is truly a uniqueretail shop. Inside you will findsuch a diverse collection ofitems for home and gardenthat many customers say visit-ing the store is like being onvacation or going to an artgallery or museum. We gotour tag line 'Really Cool Stuff'from customers walked in andexclaimed: "Wow! That's cool."Over and over we heard it sowe thought that would be agood way to describe theshop.
Keenan/Heinz Company isdedicated to providing a newkind of shopping experience;one in which beauty, art, func-tion, and informal sophistica-tion are combined in a veryfriendly and casual setting.
Relax, breath deep, and stopto rub Buddha's belly. Life istoo short to shop at the mall.
Keenan/Heinz Company islocated at 1700 East St.,between Concord Blvd., andSunset St.
MAJESTIC POOLSSummer is on the horizon
and it’s time to build that
swimming pool you’ve alwaysdreamed of.
Majestic Pools, a locallyowned and operated companysince 1973, is licensed forswimming pools, landscapeand concrete which meansthey will take every large orsmall-scale custom projectfrom start to finish – no needfor any other contractor to fin-ish the job.
Majestic Pools’ philosophy isfor unmatched service andquality, both during and afterproject completion. They arecommitted to excellence andtake great pride in their work.Majestic Pools believes in goodcommunication, regularlymeeting with their customers todiscuss the job’s progress andanswer any questions.
Majestic Pools knows thatwhen the customer is happy,their business grows. Calltoday and swim this summer.(925) 676-1545.
R&M POOL, PATIO AND GARDENS
R&M has been your neigh-borhood pool supply, patiofurniture store and nursery forthe past 26 years and canmeet all your backyard needs.Locally owned and operatedby Roy and Melanie Alarcon,R&M is located just outside ofClayton’s downtown on MarshCreek Road.
R&M carries pool sanitationsupplies including granular,tablet, and liquid chlorine,multi-shock and bags of salt.Pool and spa equipment andrepairs are offered as well as
replacement parts, and filtercartridges. This year, cut waterevaporation and heat yourpool with a solar cover.
R&M carries a huge selectionof quality, made-in-the-USAfurniture and will special orderpatio umbrellas and cushionsin a wide range of beautifulSunbrella fabrics.
The nursery has a vast col-lection of perennial, shrubs,trees, fertilizers, amendments,and bark. Nicole Hackett, TheClayton Pioneer’s Garden Girlis on hand with suggestions,problem solving and plan rec-ommendations.
R&M is located at 6780Marsh Creek Rd. For moreinformation, call (925) 672-0207.
S&K NELLIS PAINTINGSpring is “spiff-up” time and
nothing spiffs up a homequicker than new paint.
Let S&K Nellis bring backyour home’s original beauty.They are The Repaint Expertsfor private homeowners,proudly serving the Bay Areafor 82 years, earning an out-standing reputation with theircommitment to customer serv-ice and providing a quality fin-ished product. S&K Nellisemploys highly skilled laborand uses only top quality prod-ucts, providing value engineer-ing for cost effectiveness,keeping your project on budg-et.
Hire the Professionals at S&KNellis Painting, 30 yearClayton residents. Call for afree estimate and mention the
April 24, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 13
Visit our Concord showroom at 2570 Cloverdale Ave. #6
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As seen on the Clayton Garden tour
Weekly/Monthly Maintenance
Heaters, Pumps, Filters
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Page 12 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 24, 2009
Clayton Pioneer
Spring Home & Garden GuideMeet the Merchants
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Spaces that inspireby Amy Carpenter
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Page 14 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 24, 2009
Clayton Sports
Each issue, a panel of Claytonsports enthusiasts will air their viewson a current topic in the sportingworld. If you would like to suggest atopic or question to our panels, [email protected].
Where do you see theA’s and the Giants finish-ing this year, and caneither win their WesternDivision?
HELENA: Both teams will semi-contend for their division titles, butthey are both seriously flawed. TheGiants have nothing. The future SanJose A’s have no stadium. This will be
another tough year for Bay Area base-ball. As a diehard Giants fan, I mustadmit that the San Jose A’s seem moreexciting. Matt Holliday is a stud and Ican’t figure out why the Giants could-n’t pull that trade off. Bottom line isthere is incompetence with the Giantsfront office and no money and toomuch Billy Beane ego in the A’s frontoffice.
KIRMSSE: I see the Giants fin-ishing second in their division, due totheir top-notch rotation (excludingBarry Zito and hoping Tim Lincecumhas a persistent year). They will winwild card but will lose in the pennantround. The A’s will finish second.Unfortunately, their mediocre recordwill not hold up as well as the Giants,and they will not qualify for playoffs.
STELZNER: At this point, Idon’t see either team seriously con-tending for their divisions. Both
teams have big holes, with the A’s andGiants trading places this year fromtheir traditional focus on pitching andhitting. I see the A’s finishing thirdbehind the Angels and Texas. TheGiants will finish fourth behind theDodgers, Arizona and Colorado. Themain reason for this is a pitching staffthat contains an aging Randy Johnsonand a mentally spooked Barry Zito.Adding to their misery is a lack ofoffensive support that will hurt thelikes of Matt Cain and Noah Lowry.
MERRIGAN: Always the opti-mist, I’m hoping that one if not bothof our Bay teams can win theWestern Division. It’s a reach, butthey’ve had some nice improvements.The A’s acquired some veteran hitterslike Holliday and Jason Giambi, whilethe Giants started going young. Theyhave Pablo Sandoval, an excellentyoung player and hitter, and you can’t
count out Zito.SNYDER: Do you like hitting
(A’s) or do you like pitching (Giants)?I think both teams will end up 7-10games behind the leaders. That wouldbe an improvement but not enoughto carry the division. The Giants areyoung and should be more excitingthan last year’s team. They still need abig stick and did absolutely nothing toimprove that through free agency.Brian Sabean, this is the last year.Even your radio show is boring andfilled with excuses. The A’s, on theother hand, did a great job of bring-ing in the bats and staying underbudget. Unfortunately, the A’s do nothave a radio or TV station to broad-cast games or have a “Billy BeaneShow.” The one to go in the A’s hier-archy is owner Lewis Wolfe.
RAFALLO: As a Giants fan, Iwas jealous to see the A’s sign
Holliday. Once again, kudos to the A’sfor making good off-season snags.Giambi was a great acquisition, too.They have a legitimate 3-4 thump inthe lineup now. Their pitching is a lit-tle questionable, but the A’s alwaysmanage to make something happen.These guys absolutely have a chanceto win their division. The only thingthe A’s have to do is stay out of theirown way and not trade away the farm.As for my Giants, they’re about ascursed as Oakland seems to beblessed. Lincecum has had two horri-ble starts and Johnson has been nobetter. As I said before, the lonebright star this year might beSandoval.
Are you a sports junkie? If you are opin-ionated and interested in becoming a panelistfor the Speaking of Sports feature, contact usat [email protected].
Rob Helena DeannaMerrigan
Chris SnyderTina Rafallo RalphStelzner
LeighKirmsse
How will the A’s andGiants dothis year?
(925) 820-870099 Railroad Ave., Danville
Locally owned and operated by 30-yearClayton residents Keith and Mike Baker
Mon - Fri 10-6 Sat 10-5 � Sun 12-3
Hardwood, Tile and Stone, Carpet, Laminate
Free shop at home service!• Free custom baseboards
with all hard surface orders! OR
• Free upgraded padwith any new carpet order!
It’s three for the road as family competes in triathlonsThey say a family that plays
together stays together. For theHollinger family of Clayton, thatsaying is amazingly accurate.
John and Kelly Hollingerand their son Dillon, a sopho-more at De La Salle, are allaccomplished triathlon runners.But their paths have only con-verged recently. Now they aretraining and focusing as a fami-ly, looking forward to compet-ing together in triathlon eventsthis summer.
John has participated inalmost 75 triathlons, eightIronman distance and 25 halfIronmans – including the WorldChampionships in Kona,Hawaii. He ran a personal bestat the Ironman in Austria.
He began his pursuit of thissport in 1998 “to lead a healthylifestyle and be able to be fitenough in midlife to have funwith my son.”
John is pleased to share anactivity with his wife and son. “Icannot explain how cool it is tohave our teen-age son actuallylike to do something – anythingwith me,” he says.
John finally convinced Kellyto train with him and she pre-pared for the Tri for Funtriathlon at Shadow Cliffs inPleasanton in 2000. “I washooked after that,” Kelly says.
She participated in othertriathlons over the next threeyears, including the halfIronman in Coeur d’Alene,Idaho, but stopped competing
around 2003.“It was a combination of
things. I was just really busy andhad a lot going on at work,” saysKelly, who is making a comeback.
She calls the sport a goodmind-body experience. “Itmakes me feel good, especiallythe adrenaline rush of riding onmy bike.”
A FATHER-SON BOND
Dillon has called Clayton hishome his entire life. As a kinder-gartener, he played soccer andthen swam for four years as a
Dana Hills Otter. He moved onto play baseball with ClaytonValley Little League for aboutfour years.
As far back as he canremember, his father participat-ed in triathlon racing andcycling. Dillon had been ridingbikes since he could walk butnever really raced until his firsttriathlon, the Tri for Fun inPleasanton at age 7. He wentback the following year but didnot have the same enthusiasm.
“I mostly did it to spendtime with my dad,” he says, “butat that time I didn’t really like itenough and I didn’t have anyfriends doing it.”
Following his graduationfrom Diablo View, Dillon beganto run and that brought himback to the Tri for Fun. The July2007 event confirmed thattriathlon was the sport for him.
“They don’t keep standingsthere, but it was just great to getthat rush so I have just stayedwith it since then,” he says.
INCREASED COMPETITION
The Tri for Fun is comprisedof a 600-yard swim, an 11-milebike ride and a 3-mile run. Thatsame summer, Dillon did threetriathlons at the Olympic dis-tance of a 1-mile swim, 25-mileride and 6-mile run. He placedsecond or third in Pacific Grove,
Photo by Jan Snyder
JOHN HOLLINGER, LEFT AND DILLON HOLLINGER, right in front, compete in the Pinole Team Time Trial in Orinda.
RANDY ROWLAND
Clayton Pioneer
See Triathlon, page 17
There must be something inthe air or water around St.Bonaventure’s CYO basketball.The local program had fivefourth-grade boys teams thispast season and they acquittedthemselves quite well.
Coach Michael Hoessl sayshis fourth-grade NationalLeague team had “a magical sea-son” that included a perfect 10-0 record in league play, a victori-ous effort in the East BayNational League Tournamentand advancement to the secondround of the NorthernCalifornia CYO Championshipsbefore they were handed adefeat to end their season.
The St. BonaventureBulldogs won the selectOakland Diocese fourth-gradeCYO Championship, so thefuture is bright looking ahead tofour more years of CYO play.
League competition proved
that the “tenacity and determi-nation” Hoessl saw in the teampaid big dividends. They wontheir 10 league games by anaverage margin of 25 points.
That qualified the team for theEast Bay National LeagueTournament. Demonstratingthe strength of the local pro-gram, they defeated another St.
Bonnies team in the semi-finals.This placed the boys against
Immaculate Heart of Mary inthe championship game. Astrong effort down the stretchof the title game netted a 23-19win for St. Bonnies.
That prepared them for eventougher competition at the sea-son-ending Northern CaliforniaNational LeagueChampionships. In their openinggame, the lead went back andforth but eventually St.Bonaventure got the advantageto defeat St. Perpetua ofLafayette. The undefeated rollfinally came to an end in the nextround when St. Anne’s from theSan Joaquin Valley handed St.Bonaventure their first loss.
The roster included KevinO’Reilly, Dino Maracinni, DylanKupsch, Dante Maurino, IanSchmidt, Michael J. Hoessl,Vincent Lontz, Joseph Nelson,Armaan Sodhi and RyanGhannam. Pete Lontz coachedthe boys with Hoessl.
It took Clayton residentTyler Metz about a year of play-ing golf before he decided itwas a sport he wanted to pur-sue. After showing year afteryear improvement since he tookup the game in 2005, Metzmade a memorable shot onOakhurst’s third hole by scoringhis first hole in one on March12.
Having achieved somethingmost only dream about at theripe old age of 16, Metz is look-ing forward to someday beingable to hit another.
When he first picked upclubs, he went out with his dadMike, who is an avid golfer.None of Tyler’s three brotherswere interested in the game, andhe began playing to hang out
with his Dad.“I didn’t even like playing
that first year,” recalls Metz. “Iwasn’t too good, and I was slic-ing everything.”
That summer, he began tak-ing lessons with Bob Ament atOakhurst. He also got a set ofnew clubs. Because he is a leftie,finding the right clubs can beharder.
“I had a junior set of clubsand got a new set of steel shaftsand it really helped me hit theball farther,” he says.
He attributes his improve-ment to his golf pro, whotaught him to hit the ball harder,and more importantly,straighter.
Moving to Clayton ValleyHigh School, Metz joined thegolf team as a freshman andplayed two years on junior varsi-ty. Metz says being on the JV
was a good experience. During adual meet against another highschool team, the JVs follow thevarsity and play the same courseimmediately after.
Clayton Valley plays homegames at Oakhurst, and it hasbecome Metz’s favorite course.
April 24, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 15
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AYSO SOCCER REGISTRATION
The Mt. Diablo American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) isnow registering children 4½-18 for the fall season. Registration willtake place 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, at Mt. DiabloElementary School, 5880 Mt. Zion Dr., Clayton.
Cost is $95 and includes a ball, uniform, insurance and a full sea-son of instruction. Every child plays at least 50 percent of everygame.
For more information visit www.mdsoccer.org or you can send email [email protected].
Sports Shorts
Photo by Michael Metz
TYLER METZ OF CLAYTON stands near the tee where he hithis hole-in-one on March 12 at Oakhurst’s third hole.
Teen rejoices after first hole-in-one
See Golf, page 18
RANDY ROWLAND
Clayton Pioneer
‘Magical season’ for St. Bonaventure’sCYO 4th grade basketball team
JAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer
ST. BONAVENTURE 4TH GRADE NATIONAL LEAGUE BASKETBALL TEAM wentundefeated through their league season. Front row: Kevin O’Reilly,Dino Maracinni, Dylan Kupsch, Dante Maurino, Ian Schmidt. Backrow: Coach Michael Hoessl, Michael J. Hoessl, Vincent Lontz, JosephNelson, Armaan Sodhi, Ryan Ghannam, Coach Pete Lontz.
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Clayton Sports
Please show your appreciation by supporting our sponsors.The MDES PFC thanks all the volunteers, teachers, and parents who helped us make this a fun and successful event.
King of Blues Sponsors Tom Legault , Kropa Realty
It was a huge success!Mt. Diablo Elementary School PFC sends out a great big
THANK YOU to the generous sponsors of
MDES’ 9th Annual Benefit Auction & Dinner Dance.
Rolling Stones Sponsors ARAMARK Sports & Entertainment, Denny Walch and Kris Karr
Art & Soul Music Studios
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Riders hit the trails, while taking in Mt. Diablo’s splendor
Clayton is often described as aWestern town dating back to when JoelClayton set up shop in 1857. It retainsthat rural existence, including a greatmany ranches and horses – a commonsight among the homes off MitchellCanyon, Diablo Downs and elsewhere.
A large number of families ridehorses on the trails and peaks of Mt.Diablo. This includes many adults andchildren who not only ride these mag-nificent animals, but keep them andcare for them full time.
To be a horse person is to be pas-sionate about these animals, illustratedby the stories of Teri Reilly, MickiMcCabe Walls and Brenda Benkly ofClayton.
Reilly grew up in SouthernCalifornia and has been riding horsessince age 12. Her Chatsworth neigh-borhood included a lot of homes withland and horses. She pestered her par-ents to let her have a horse and workedhard washing dishes to collect the $150she paid to own her first horse, a 2-year-old Mustang who went by Sinbad.
Mustangs have a strong will and theycan be difficult to learn to ride. “I nevertook lessons. I just jumped on andlearned,” says Reilly, who learned to ridewithout a saddle and still rides bareback.
In high school, she had a mixedquarter horse/thoroughbred until shewent to college at Cal Lutheran in near-by Thousand Oaks. Reilly was fortu-nate to be at a school which had stables,so she sponsored a horse and contin-ued to ride. She took equestrian classesand learned to jump, do arena trainingand ride trails.
JOINING THE CLAYTON
RIDING COMMUNITY
After moving north and graduatingchiropractic college, Reilly settled in
Clayton in 1990. She continued to rideand met Clayton resident Benkly, whoowns and boards horses. Reilly also sta-bles her horse there.
A few years ago, she was looking forthat special horse. She and Benkly wentto an auction in Reno, where she foundthe love of her life (besides her hus-band Jim and kids Sean and Paige) – a14-hand Mustang she calls MustangSally. A hand is 4 inches in horse height.
Sally is a 6-year-old Appaloosa.Reilly rides her three or four times perweek and is part of a Friday group thatincludes Benkly and McCabe Walls.They have been up and down everypart of the Mt. Diablo range, riding 10-25 miles each week. After droppingkids off at school, they are gone themajority of the day.
The Friday traditions take place rainor shine. “I have a natural love for hors-es,” says Reilly. “Doing something Ilove with good friends is incredible. Wehave time to talk, to laugh and have awonderful time.”
REDISCOVERING HORSES
McCabe Walls grew up in Concordand attended UC Davis, where she methusband Chuck while both were in vet-erinarian school. Her grandfatherowned a 3,000 acre ranch in Livermore,and she’s been around horses for as farback as she can remember.
“My first horse was a filly quarterhorse when I was 12,” she says. “Mygrandfather and I trained her.”
She traded her in for an older horse,Chiquita, and then found another mare,Cindy, whom she had through highschool.
Though she did some coursestudy on horses, she did not take aclinic equine class at Davis. She gotaway from riding for about 20 yearsuntil she moved to Clayton. “Ithought I knew how to ride,” shenotes, “but it’s definitely not like rid-
ing a bike. It took awhile.”Clayton resident Susan Klekar,
whose daughter went to the same pre-school as McCabe Walls’ daughter, con-vinced her to ride again. She and Chuckfound the perfect quarter horse, Flicka,in 2002. She is also stabled at theBenkly ranch. “A quarter horse isnamed that because it runs a quartermile the fastest,” she explains.
McCabe Walls said she rides“because it keeps me sane.”
“It is so beautiful on the mountain,and riding gets me out on the moun-tain,” she adds.
A UNIVERSAL EXPERIENCE
This year, the Walls are sponsoring astudent from Europe in their home.Simon Le Clef is from Wavre, Belgium,a village outside of Brussels. Aftergraduating from high school backhome, Le Clef is attending ClaytonValley High School to learn English.
“My experience in America hasbeen really positive,” he says. “Claytonis wonderful, and the people aregreat.”
Le Clef ’s family has a ranch with 30horses in Vecmont, Belgium, and hetrains horses and also rides dressage.While out with McCabe Walls andReilly on the Mt. Diablo trails, he hasnoticed a difference between ridinghere and in Belgium.
“We do what we call seven gamesbefore taking the horse out,” Le Clefsays. “It is a way to get connected withthe horse by warming him up.”
His favorite horse is an Arabnamed Saigon. He loves riding on themountain and it reminds him of hiscountryside back home. “They areboth beautiful, and Mt. Diablo hasamazing views along the trail,” Le Clefsays.
COMMUNING WITH NATURE
Benkly shares that love of Mt.Diablo. Living next to GeorgeCardinet, she was introduced to horses and the mountain and beganriding at the age of 3.
“I find great comfort and joy withmy horses. I have explored Mt. Diablomy whole life, mostly by horseback,”she says.
“I sometimes wonder if peoplerealize all that goes on on this majesticmountain,” she adds, noting the manyanimals, plants, insects and birds thatcall it home.
Benkly’s North Peak Ranch onMitchell Canyon Road is a 98-acrespread where horses roam the hills.With her group of riders, she exploresthe mountain and sometimes evenfinds a place that is new.
“What we all have in common isthe love for animals, the outdoors anda special bond created between us andour horses,” Benkly says. “Mt. Diablois my therapy.”
RANDY ROWLAND
Clayton Pioneer
Photo by Teri Reilly.
CLAYTON’S MICKI MCCABE WALLS ON FLICKA with exchange studentSimon Le Clef on Chihuiy head for the trails on Mt. Diablo.
Strikers FC, the Mt. DiabloSoccer Association under 10boys team, defeated three teamsfrom the host Pleasant HillMartinez Soccer Associationenroute to winning the champi-onship at the PHMSASoccerFest this month.
Coaches Jorge Cordova andDave Lonestar were delightedwith the “outstanding teameffort” as the boys claimed thechampionship from a field ofmore than a dozen competitors.
After winning three consec-utive games in round-robin play,the Strikers faced a pair ofPHMSA teams in the semi-finals and championship game.The local soccer team outscoredtheir five opponents 20-4 towalk away with top honors.
They advanced in the tour-nament with impressive round-robin wins 4-0 over DavisDynamite, 5-0 vs. Palo AltoChampions and 5-2 overPHMSA Spartans.
In the semi-finals againstPHMSA Outlaws, MDSA won2-1 with goals from TrevorNolen to tie the game andTaylor Heuerman with threeminutes left to break the dead-lock. In the finals, they facedPHMSA Wildcats and prevailed4-1 with Nolen, Heuerman andDiego Cordova scoring goals.
Other key offensive players atSoccerFest were RyanAnchondo and Ricardo Barba.
The MDSA defense playeda critical part in stoppingPHMSA’s non-stop attacks.The defenders were EvanLonestar, Bryden Connel,Dylan Gois, Scott Lorentzenand Tyler Hanson.
Three other MDSA teamsUnder 10 girls Vortex, U12girls Crew and U19 girlsNotorious – reached the semi-finals before taking homefourth-place medals fromSoccerFest.
Strikers FC, Vortex, Crew,Notorious and nine moreMDSA teams will be inConcord Cup XVI May 16-17.Teams from Diablo FC willalso be carrying the local ban-ner at Concord Cup.
April 24, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 17
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Clayton Sports
DC Demolitiontakes volleyballchampionship
DC. Demolition won the championship in the YMCA AdultCoed Volleyball Winter League. Pictured are (front) Kim Buck,Magnolia Ramos, Sandra Bohn; (back) Ron Buck, Brian Hansonand Pania Talaoaha. Serves You Right took second place, third wentto Late Comers and fourth to Diggin’ It.
The league plays all year on Thursday evenings at the ClaytonCommunity Gym. “Seasoned” league players (18 and over) anddrops ins are welcome. To sign up for a league, callConcord/Clayton YMCA Director, Jennifer Beck at (925) [email protected].
MDSA boys win PHMSA Soccer FestJAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer
MDSA STRIKERS FC CELEBRATE WINNING PHMSA SOCCERFEST U10 BOYS DIVISION. Front row, from left, DiegoCordova, Tyler Hanson, Bryden Connel, Ricardo Barba, Evan Lonestar, Dylan Gois. Back, Coach DaveLonestar, Scott Lorentzen, Taylor Heuerman, Trevor Nolen, Ryan Anchondo, Coach Jorge Cordova.
at the Folsom International andthe Wildflower near San LuisObispo.
Because he was young forhis age group and many athletesdo not flow to this sport untiltheir 20s, Dillon often competesagainst men four or five yearsolder. The youngest division isthe under 19s and he has beenin that group for two years.
For the 2008 season,Hollinger increased the numberof events and continued toplace second or third in themajority. He won his first event,the Folsom International, inAugust 2008.
For Dillon, Mondays includea one-hour ride, a 50-minuterun and a 40-minute swim.Tuesdays is a track workout dayat Clayton Valley High or De LaSalle and lifting weights.Wednesdays are similar toMondays but on a stationarybike. Thursdays is an easy 15-minute ride, weights and a fairlyhard run. Fridays include a 50-minute swim and an hour bikeride.
On weekends, he does afour-hour bike ride with hisFord Motion Race Club team.With Ford, he and his father arepart of an elite group of 19cyclists.
On Sundays, he goes for a
90-minute run. He varies thetraining if he needs rest.
Dillon also manages a 3.6GPA at De La Salle. “I do myschool work before going out,and then come back and workon it again afterward.”
AIMING FOR FLORIDA
He has set a goal of qualify-ing for the Ironman 70.3 WorldChampionships in Clearwater,Fla., in November. Dillon mustearn one of three slots awardedat the Vineman half Ironman inJuly in Napa. That wine countryrace consists of a 1.2-mileswim, a 56-mile bicycle ride anda 13-mile run. He will have tocompete in the 20-24 age brack-et, because the Florida eventdoes not have an under 19 divi-sion.
Still, Dillon thinks he is upfor the task. “I feel like everypart of the three phases of theraces have been improving,” hesays.
He attributes most of that tohis work with coach MuddyWaters, who has been helpingDillon since January. Dillon hasalso made nutrition and dietchanges.
“It is something I reallyenjoy and the group of peopleracing and training with me aregreat,” he says.
Triathlon, from page 14
who supports the change.“Studies show that black andwhite does register in the con-sciousness as a police car.”
Black and white is the tra-ditional color for patrol cars,Lawrence noted. “Agenciesmoved to white cars after theRodney King incident in LosAngeles in an effort to softenthe image,” he said, “but theyare going back to black andwhite now.”
“We feel like it’s more apolice vehicle,” McEachinsaid. “It’s a morale booster.”
After some initial reluc-tance to give up the tradition-
al white, the City Councilvoted to grant the POArequest.
“It’s no secret that I likethe white cars,” said MayorJulie Pierce. “They are just asmuch a deterrent but have amore community-friendlyimage.”
“But,” she added, “I knowwhen to choose my battlesand go with the majority.”
“It’s a no-brainer,” saidCouncilman Joe Medrano.“Given the recent (Oakland)shootings’ effect on morale, ifthis is something the policewant, I say go ahead.”
Patrol Cars, from page 1
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Page 18 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 24, 2009
Church News
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He has played some others,such as Boundary Oaks inWalnut Creek, but the chal-lenges of Oakhurst are unique.And, he oversees the coursefrom his backyard.
“I like the Oakhurst coursebecause it’s a lot harder thanother courses and a better chal-lenge,” says Metz. He notedthat there are more hazardsand water shots and the dis-tance is farther – 6,283 yardsfor the black course he plays.
“I would rather play on ahard course, and it makes mebetter when I go to anothercourse to play,” he adds.
As a leftie, he considersholes 2, 5 and 18 as the tough-est. His best score to date is a92 and he usually shoots in themid-90s for 18 holes. He hasprobably had 10 birdies in hisgolfing career and one eagle.He struck the hole in one withhis 6 iron off the tee on the par3, 163-yard hole.
Metz was playing withfriends and Clayton Valleyteammates Joey Detmer andPierce Bartley. Metz said thehole is downhill from a tee,overlooking the green.
“I had no idea it was goingin,” he says of the shot. “I hit
it to the left of the pin, and theball began moving right andjust dropped in.”
He and his friends startingjumping up and down, causingsuch a commotion that ClaytonValley coach ChanceGernhardt came over to seewhat was going on.
“I was on the green belowand came over and saw a bigsmile on Tyler’s face and sawhim pumping his fist,” thecoach says. “It was a great feel-ing.”
“The next hole, I was shak-ing,” Metz recalls. “I was soexcited, it took me a few holesto steady my body.” He fin-ished nine holes that day with a46.
Gernhardt, who played onthe De La Salle golf team, is inhis third season at ClaytonValley. He expects the team tocontinue to improve and isexcited about developing a pro-gram.
“We had 10 kids come outtwo years ago, 15 last year andthis year we are up to 22,” hesays.
The coach has seen Metz’sdevelopment since last year.“He has come a long way andhas really straightened out hisdrive.”
Other Clayton golfers hav-ing an impact on the team arefreshmen Zach Brockett andDominic Mazza and seniorDonny Dewit.
Golf, from page 15
Deacons bring maternal and infanthealth care education to Sierra Leone
When Patricia Ross, a dea-con at Saint John’s EpiscopalChurch in Clayton, first traveledto Sierra Leone, she knew theWestern African nation waspoor. After all, residents hadbeen fighting an 11-year civilwar that ended in 2002. Theaverage life expectancy forwomen was 42.
However, she did not under-stand what being the poorestcountry on Earth meant. “Itmeant people were lying downon the side of the road anddying of malnutrition. It meansthat women were bleeding todeath on the side of the road inpremature labor.”
That first trip, in 2006, waswith the group Midwives onMissions of Service (MOMS).Ross now travels to SierraLeone with Chris McManus,another deacon at St. John’s, anda small team of volunteers sev-eral times a year. They workwith government officials, triballeaders and traditional birthattendants (TBAs) toward thegoal stated on MOMS’ Website:“To improve maternal andinfant health and maternity out-comes.”
Slowly but surely, theirefforts are succeeding. Prenatalcare, birthing techniques, post-
natal care and help with breast-feeding are all covered in TBAtrainings taught by Ross andMcManus. The TBAs then bringthese skills back to villages thatoften lack nearby medical clin-ics.
Ross teaches the women toask “why” questions, in aneffort to spot problems beforethey can reach crisis propor-tions. “The village has a highmortality rate – why? The
women are bleeding – why?They have malaria – why?”
MOMS then helps find solu-tions. In one village, they gave amicro-grant to plant a ground-nut garden to combat malnutri-tion. The garden provides pro-tein-rich food for the villagers.Excess nuts are then sold, withthe funds spent on more seedsto expand the garden.
“We find these simple, low-cost interventions that really
make a difference,” saidMcManus.
Not all issues are as simplysolved, however. Genital mutila-tion is a long-held tradition formany women in Sierra Leone.Although the president’s wife,Sia Nyama Koroma, recentlyspoke out against the practiceon a radio broadcast, UNICEFestimated that 90 percent ofwomen in Sierra Leone havebeen subjected to the procedurewhich is often performed by theTBAs. The practice, usually keptsecret from outsiders, can causeproblems during childbirth.
“We hit this very lightly,”McManus said. “We just basicallysay, ‘This is what happens. Youhave scar tissue, it doesn’t stretch,you have a prolonged labor.’ ”
However, their commentsgot the attention of the TBAcouncils – which pledged to dis-courage the practice. McManuswas told: “You told us it is bad.We’re not going to do it any-more.”
Ross hopes to expand theprograms to enable the currentTBAs to train the next genera-tion of workers. “We’re going tobegin the process of identifyingand training our replacements,”she said.
For information on MOMS,visit www.globalmidwives.org orcontact St. John’s at 672-8855.
THE BAHA’IS OF CLAYTON
All are invited to a talk and an evening of fellowship on Friday,May 1. The subject of the talk is “Spiritual Awakening” with speak-er Henry Miller.
Miller is a teacher of special education. He holds a master’s ineducation from SUNY Brockport, N.Y., and a master’s in transper-sonal counseling psychology from JFK University, Orinda.
The program starts at 7:30 p.m. with a period of interfaith devo-tions, followed by Miller’s presentation, at the Toloui home inClayton. For more information and directions, call 672-6686.
CLAYTON VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
“A Celestial Omnibus” begins 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 6. Thisseries is dedicated to short stories that concentrate on faith tradi-tions, read by local actors.
The first set of stories will be read by Shawn Robinson (“AFather’s Story” by Andre Dubus) and Debra Grainger (“FirstConfession” by Frank O’Connor).
The event is free but donations are welcome. The church is at1578 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton. For more information, call 672-4848.
DENISEN HARTLOVE
Clayton Pioneer
Chris McManus (center) and Trish Ross (right), shown herewith one of the women from their MOMS group, were honoredby the Sierra Leoneans with a gift of hand-woven garments
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April 24, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 19
EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT
In Clayton
April 25Clayton Cleans UpThe Clayton Pioneer is sponsoring this community effort to spiff upClayton’s trails and streets. Pick up trash bags at City Hall. Great event forkids and adults. 9 a.m.-noon. Call Christina at 672-0500.
April 25“A Little Pop, A Little Gospel and ALittle Broadway”Featuring renowned Southern California musi-cian Steven Applegate and friends. 7 p.m.,Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church, 1578Kirker Pass Road, Clayton. $12 donation.Seating may be limited, so RSVP at 672-4848.
May 3Tapestry“Sail Away! A Celebration of Water Music.”Includes the Canto Bello Handbell Ensemble ofClayton and the Heartsong women’s chorale group. 4 p.m., St. John’sEpiscopal Church, 5555 Clayton Road, Clayton. Gourmet dessert following.Freewill offering to benefit Water Aid America. Call Cindy at 672-7751.
May 16-17Clayton Valley Garden TourSelf-guided tour of a native garden, a Mediterranean drought style,California natural, a thrilling hillside and a beautiful backyard. 10 a.m.-4p.m. $25, or $30 at the door. A garden party at a sixth garden is $10. Gettickets at the Clayton Historical Museum, 6101 Main St., or R&M Pool, Patioand Gardens, 6780 Marsh Creek Road. 672-0240 or [email protected].
May 16-17Clayton Valley Garden Club Plant SaleFeaturing more than 500 plants. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Clayton HistoricalMuseum, 6101 Main St. Call Neal at 672-2624 or www.claytonvalleygar-denclub.org.
Close by
April 24-26“A Wicked Night of Cabaret”Members of the Teen Theatre Company present music from the Broadwayhit “Wicked.” 7 and 9 p.m. April 24, 2 and 7 p.m. April 26. ShadelandsAuditorium, 111 N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek. $12-$15. 943-5846.
April 24-May 3“MAD BAD” Dance and Film FestivalMoving Arts Dance and Motion Pictures San Francisco. Dances 8 p.m. April24-25 and May 1-2. Films 4 and 8 p.m. April 26 and May 3. 1281-CFranquette Ave., Concord. 825-8399 or www.movingartsdance.org ormotionpictures-sf.com.
Through April 26“On Golden Pond”The enduring relationship between a couple who’ve been together morethan 50 years. Willows Theatre, 1975 Diamond Blvd., Concord. 798-1300or www.willowstheatre.com.
Through April 26“Evita”Contra Costa MusicalTheatre’s biography ofArgentinean First Lady EvaPeron. Lesher Center forthe Arts, 1601 Civic Dr.,Walnut Creek.www.ccmt.org or call 943-SHOW.
April 30-May 3Spring Art Show and SaleFeaturing Civic Arts Education and the Clay Arts Guild. 5-9 p.m. April 30,10 a.m.-7 p.m. May 1-2, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 3. Jewelry, paintings, pho-tography and wearable art, 111 N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek. Pottery andceramics, 1313 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. 943-5846.
May 1Tapestry“Sail Away! A Celebration of Water Music” Includes the Canto BelloHandbell Ensemble of Clayton and the Heartsong women’s chorale group.7:30 p.m., Walnut Creek United Methodist Church, 1543 Sunnyvale Ave.Pie party to follow concert. Freewill offering for Water Aid America. CallCindy at 672-7751.
May 1-2“The Wizard of Oz”Featuring 12-year-old Kristina Schoell of Clayton as Dorothy. 10:30 a.m.and 7 p.m. May 1, 2 and 7 p.m. May 2, Civic Arts Education's JuniorTheatre, Del Valle Theatre, 1963 Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek. $15-17.943-SHOW.
Through May 3“The Great American Trailer Park Musical”A comic musical fable of the heartland. Willows Cabaret at the CampbellTheatre, 636 Ward St., Martinez. $22-$32. 798-1300 or www.willowsthe-atre.org
May 11-June 14“The Wedding Singer”The Willows Theatre Company presents the “The Wedding Singer”, a musi-cal filled with ’80s nostalgia at the Willows Theatre mainstage, 1975Diamond Blvd. (in the Willows Shopping Center). Tickets are $30-40 withdiscounts for seniors, students, and groups. Previews May 11-13, $27-$10.Opens May 15. Check box office or Website for show times: (925) 798-1300 or www.willowstheatre.org.
May 16Handbell ConcertFeaturing the Ringing Bells, LVs and handbell soloist Carol Smith ofClayton. 4 p.m., Walnut Creek United Methodist Church. 543 SunnyvaleAve. Free.
May 16-17Diablo Valley College Music DepartmentA program of choral music featuring the colleges combined choirs. 8 p.m.May 16 and 2 p.m. May 17, Diablo Valley College Performing Arts Center,321 Golf Club Road, Pleasant Hill. $20, or $25 at the door. 687-4445.
Through May 17“No Sex Please, We’re British”Diablo Actors Ensemble ends its season with the hysterical farce. $10-$25.1345 Locust St., Walnut Creek. www.diabloactors.com or 482-5110.
SCHOOLSApril 24CVHS Benefit Auction for TechnologyHors d’oeuvres, a dessert bar, auction items and more. Sponsored by theClayton Valley High School Parent Faculty Club. 6:30-9:30 p.m., CentreConcord, 5298 Clayton Road. $30. Contact Alison at 408-7457 or [email protected].
April 25CVHS E-Waste DriveDonate old computer parts, TVs, stereos, copiers, fax machines,DVD/CD/VHS players, cell phones, car batteries, cardboard, metal andpaper products. Proceeds benefit Grad Night. 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Clayton ValleyHigh School parking lot, 1101 Alberta Way, Concord. Call Pamela at 671-2201.
April 25CVHS Alumni CelebrationAlumni and residents are invited to celebrate Clayton Valley High School’s50th anniversary with a Spring Gala. 6 p.m., Centre Concord, 5298Clayton Road. $25. Call Ted at 690-8600 or www.cvhs50.com.
Through April 28Cinco de Mayo Mexican Grill Fundraiser for Grad NightOn Monday and Tuesdays, Cinco de Mayo Mexican Grill will donate 50percent of the amount you spend to Clayton Valley High School’s GradNight. Tell the clerk you are supporting the CVHS Grad Night fundraiser.5415 Clayton Road, Clayton. Call Pamela at 671-2201.
April 28Mt. Diablo Board of Education7:30 p.m., Dent Center, 1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord. 682-8000 orwww.mdusd.org.
AT THE LIBRARYThe Clayton Community Library is at 6125 Clayton Road. 673-0659 orwww.claytonlibrary.org.
Through May 21Picture Book TimeFor 3- to 5-year-olds. Child may attend without caregiver. 11 a.m.Thursdays.
Through May 26Patty CakesFor babies to 3-year-olds. Child attends with caregiver. 11 a.m. Tuesdays.
May 7Mother’s Day Stories and CraftsFor ages 3-6. Sign up in advance. 11 a.m.
May 9Reading FestivalAt 10:30 a.m., Susan Elya will present “Learn to Rhyme in English andSpanish with Eight Animals,” a poetry program for grades 1-3. At 1:30p.m., Dina Rasor will present a program about her most recent work,“Betraying our Troops.” [email protected].
May 18How to Survive in Tough TimesConsultant Randall Shores will discuss how small businesses can surviveand prosper in a down economy. 7-9 p.m. Free. Register attinyurl.com/7phv8x.
FUND-RAISERSMay 3Paws on ParadeA one-mile fundraising walk to help save abandoned dogs and cats. 8:30-10 a.m. registration, walk at 10:30 a.m., Broadway Plaza. Walnut Creek.Create a Webpage at www.firstgiving.com/tlrarf or gather pledges inadvance.
May 3ARF’s Animals on BroadwayA free festival celebrating people and pets. Silly Pet Tricks and Best DressedDoggie contests, live music, K9 demonstrations and the ARF adoptionmobile. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek. www.arf.net.
Through May 7Contra Costa Blue Star Moms Care PackagesThe group is collecting items for canine care packages for our troops’ serv-ice dogs in Iraq and Afghanistan. Towels, Kong balls, sturdy tug toys,rawhides, chews, tennis balls, dog treats, portable water bowls and stain-less food/water pans. Drop off at 6078 Main St., Clayton. Call Sherry at672-2547.
May 9Stamp Out HungerLeave a donation of non-perishable food by your mailbox prior to your reg-ular mail delivery. Sponsored by the Food Bank and the NationalAssociation of Letter Carriers. www.bayareahunger.org or 800-870-3663.
Children’s Hospital Magnolia BranchThe group is looking for volunteers for the Rubber Ducky Race on Aug. 30at Waterworld. Meetings 7-9 p.m. the first Monday of the month inConcord. Contact Lori at 998-8844 or [email protected].
NATUREApril 26Nimitz Way Trail-Inspiration Point10:30 a.m. Paved trail is dog, stroller and child friendly. Sponsored by theEast Bay Casual Hiking Group. Heavy rain cancels. Contact John at 272-4321 or http://hiking.bondon.com.
April 29-May 2Four Days of DiabloTake in the 30-mile Diablo Trail from Walnut Creek to Brentwood with asmall group. Reservations required. www.savemountdiablo.org.
May 2-June 6Mt. Diablo Junior Ranger ProgramEach session includes presentations, hands-on activities and a hike. Forchildren 7-12, plus one accompanying parent. 1-4 p.m. Saturdays.Program is free, but park entrance required. Contact Steve at 362-8697 [email protected].
May 8Mangini Ranch Moonlight HikeLearn how you can help preserve this open space. Meet at 7:45 p.m. atGalindo Creek. Moderate, two-hour hike. Heavy rain cancels. ContactDave at [email protected] or www.savemountdiablo.org.
June 27Diablo Trail Endurance RideSave Mount Diablo offers its first recreational opportunity for equestrianson this 30-mile limited distance and 50-mile endurance ride that starts andfinishes at Castle Rock Park in Walnut Creek. www.savemountdiablo.org.
GOVERNMENTApril 28Clayton Planning Commission7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304 orwww.ci.clayton.ca.us.
May 5, 19Clayton City Council7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304 orwww.ci.clayton.ca.us.
CLUBSClayton Business and Community AssociationMeets 6:30 p.m. the last Thursday of the month, except holidays, OakhurstCountry Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Dr., Clayton. Call Sue at 672-2272.
Clayton Valley Garden ClubMeets 7 p.m. May 13, Diamond Terrace, 6401 Center St., Clayton. RoseLoveall of Morningsun Herb Farm will speak about medicinal herbs andhave plants for sale. Call Dorothy at 672-2526 or www.claytonvalleygar-denclub.org.
Clayton Valley Woman’s ClubMeets 9:30 a.m. for coffee, 10 a.m. meetings, second and fourth Tuesdaysof the month, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1090 Alberta Way, Concord.April 28 speaker is mystery writer Camille Minicho, author of “MiniatureMysteries” under the name Margaret Grace. Call Joyce at 672-3850.
Contra Costa Blue Star MomsMeets 6 p.m. the fourth Monday of the month, Concord Police StationCommunity Room, 1350 Galindo St. Members have sons and daughters inuniform. Visit ccbluestarmoms.org or call Becky at 286-1728.
Contra Costa Chess ClubMeets 7-9:30 p.m. Thursdays, Starbuck’s, 1536 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton.Players of all ages and skill levels welcome. Contact Mike at 639-1987 orwww.uschess.org.
Contra Costa Mineral and Gem SocietyMeets 7:30 p.m. second Monday of the month, Centre Concord, 5298Clayton Road. 779-0698 or http://ccmgs.org.
Creekside Artists GuildMeets 7-8:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month, Clayton LibraryStory Room, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton. All artforms and both emergingand experienced are welcome. Contact Arlene at 673-9777 or [email protected]. Or www.creeksideartists.org.
Diablo Valley Macintosh Users GroupMeets 6:30-9 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month. Bancroft ElementarySchool, 2700 Parish Dr., Walnut Creek. 689-1155 or www.dvmug.org.
Diablo Valley Democratic ClubMeets 7 p.m. May 20, Ygnacio Valley Library, 2661 Oak Grove Road,Walnut Creek. 946-0469 or www.dvdems.org.
Rotary Club of Clayton Valley/Concord SunriseMeets 7 a.m. Thursdays, Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Dr.,Clayton. Includes breakfast and a speaker. Contact Chuck at 689-7640 orwww.claytonvalleyrotary.org.
Scrabble ClubMeets 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. second and fourth Saturdays of the month, Carl’sJr. Restaurant, 1530 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton. All ages and skill levelswelcome. $3 fee. Call Mike at 639-1987 or www.scrabble-assoc.com.
Sons In Retirement (SIR)Meets 11:15 a.m. first Thursday of the month, Oakhurst Country Club,1001 Peacock Creek Dr., Clayton. 429-3777.
Widows/WidowersMeets for dinner, brunch, theater, etc. This is not a dating service nor is it agreiving class - just a way to meet other people. Contact Lori at 998-8844or [email protected].
Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. APR. 27 FOR THE MAY 8 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO [email protected]
Send your calendar announcements to [email protected]. Free listings must be from a non-profit, school,club or government agency. Business events are $25 for the firstevent and $10 for each additional. Call the office at (925) 672-0500 with your business event listings.
All events are at the Clayton YMCA, 700 Gym Court,unless otherwise noted. Visit mdrymca.org or call 889-1600.
Pee Wee Tennis Camp: Ages 4-6. 12:15-1 p.m. June 29-July 3 or Aug. 3-7. $65 per week.
Junior Tennis Camp: Entering first through thirdgrades. 9-10:30 a.m. June 29-July 3 or Aug. 3-7. $125 perweek.
Tennis Camp: Entering fourth through sixth grades.10:30 a.m.-noon June 29-July 3 or Aug. 3-7. $125 per week.
Super Sports Camp: Entering first through fifth grades.1- 4 p.m. Aug. 3-7. $165.
Skate Camp: Entering first through eighth grades. 9a.m.-1 p.m. July 27-31. $165.
Lego Camp/Pre-Engineering: Entering kindergartenthrough third grade. 9 a.m.-noon June 15-19 or July 20-24.$195 per week.
Lego Camp/Engineering Fundamentals: Enteringthird through sixth grades. 1-4 p.m. June 15-19 or July 20-24. $195 per week.
Princess Camp: Preschool through third grade. 1-4 p.m.June 22-26. $165.
Secret Agent Camp: Entering third through eighthgrades. 1-4 p.m. July 13-17. $195.
Wizard Camp: Entering third through eighth grades. 1-4 p.m. July 27-31. $195.
Basketball Camp: Entering first through sixth grades.1-4 p.m. June 22-26 or 9 a.m.-noon Aug. 10-14. $165 perweek.
Soccer Camp: Entering first through eighth grades. 1-4p.m. July 6-10. $165.
Peewee Sports Camp: Preschool through enteringkindergarten. 10 a.m.-noon July 6-10. $125.
Clayton Community Recreation
Steven Applegate
Page 20 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 24, 2009
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Flawless skin not just for supermodels anymore
“I love brides,” says LanayMorrison, suppressing a grin asshe concentrates on the bride infront of her at her new estheti-cian studio – The Make Up Girlon Main Street in Clayton.
Morrison likes to learn abouteach bride, find their style anddiscover details of the weddingday. She takes it all into consid-eration to design makeup forthat day and for the photo-graphs that last generations.
“I was skeptical about get-ting air brush makeup done,”says bride StephanieCapodanno, who was gettingher pre-wedding trial makeup.“I was afraid it might look fake.Would it still look like me?
“In my engagement photos,although I had an excellent pho-tographer, blemishes and freck-les still show. I guess I wantedhigh-quality photos to turn meinto a flawless supermodel,” shejokes.
She saw Morrison’s portfolioon her Website and knew it waswhat she wanted.
Morrison assuredCapodanno that the airbrushmakeup will give her flawless-looking skin with sheer cover-age so she still looks like herself.“And it won’t come off even ifyou rest your cheek against theshoulder of a black tuxedo.”
Morrison has been a makeupartist more than 15 years and anesthetician for 10. Prior to herstudio, she worked on locationor at home with her clientele of
wedding parties, prom and spe-cial event participants, presen-ters and public speakers, cloth-ing designer Karen Neubergerand L’Oreal in Chicago.
She grew up in a salon envi-ronment, with her mother andgrandmother both professional
cosmetologists. She attendedWestmore Academy in LosAngeles and Paris Beauty inConcord.
“I was telling clients that Icould cover problem areas, butthat is a temporary solution,”Morrison explains. “I wanted to
teach women to take care oftheir skin. Makeup and skin carego hand in hand.”
With a 4-year-old and 5-month-old twins, Morrisondecided to establish a conven-ient, relaxing environment forbusy moms. “Set aside one hour,once a month for down timeevery mom deserves,” she urges.
“A monthly deep clean andexfoliation now means youwon’t be paying for costly plas-tic surgery later,” Morrisonadds. “My grandmother is 86years old. Her skin is incredible!A good regime pays off.”
Skin care is not just forwomen, though. Morrison pro-vides men with brow clean up,back wax and facials to helpwith pseudofolliculitis (razorbumps).
Skin care service includesanalysis, cleansing, exfoliation,extractions, masque, resurfacingskin peels and paraffin handtreatment. “The enzyme peel isnon-invasive. It does not causeinflammation and cleans impu-rities more gently (than micro-dermabrasion),” she notes.
Morrison recommends sun-screen that is chemical free andprovides broad spectrum UVAand UVB protection to helpprevent hyper pigmentationfrom aging and hormonalchanges. “Even when you’regardening, you need to wearsunscreen,” Morrison cautions.
The Make Up Girl is at 6064Main St., inside the Frontier Salon.Call 408-8010 for an appointmentor visit www.themakeupgirl.com.
NICCI SHIPSTEAD
Clayton Pioneer
Nicci Shipstead/Clayton Pioneer
THE MAKE UP GIRL, LANAY MORRISON, APPLIES MAKEUP TO BRIDE-TO-BE
STEPHANIE CAPODANNO. Air brushing provides sheer coverage of blem-ishes, freckles, and hyper pigmentation and “will not rub off on theshoulder of a black tuxedo,” said Morrison.
Phillips’ ‘Song’ carries a taleof love in the electronic age
How can a novel make youfeel old and nostalgically youngat the same time? Pick upArthur Phillips’ “The Song isYou” and you’ll see.
Of course, that’s probablyonly true if the reader is olderthan 50. For everyone else,Phillips has written a very mod-ern, bright, funny and complexstory of Julian Donahue, a NewYork producer of film and pho-tography (sexy television ads)who tries to make sense out ofa failed marriage, the death of achild and now his obsessionwith a young, beautiful singer.
There are echoes of “Lolita”as well as scenes right out of theMarx Brothers. Phillips writeswith unique insight, such aswhen the womanizing Julianfinds out his wife is pregnantand for the first time hebecomes a loving husband: “Hehad never expected to be an eld-erly philanderer. He had alwaysthought loyalty would win out,and when it did, with a smallblack and silver ultrasoundphoto, Julian looked at passingwomen with a feeling of grati-tude and a fond, regretlessfarewell.”
He believed his wife, Rachel,“never knew of his delayedarrival in the marriage.”
What binds the facets of
Julian’s life is music, beginningwith his father’s request to BillieHoliday for “I Cover theWaterfront.” The song was sungand his own voice captured onthe live recording, which
became a treasured item in hisfather’s life. Songs can nail us toa specific time in our lives, aspecific event and certainly aspecific person
Julian’s life is a mess, but likehis father, he finds solace inmusic: jazz, pop, rock and justabout everything else that canbe downloaded to his iPod.
One snowy, winter night,Julian wanders into a club wherehe hears Cait O’Dwyer, a localsinger, and her band. Julian feelsold among the youthfully
enthusiastic crowd but stays fora drink then buys a demo CDbefore going home. CaitO’Dwyer is Julian’s BillieHoliday.
So now we have the olderman besotted by an Irish lasswho “sang with her eyesclosed” just as Billie Holidaysang for his father. Julianbecomes obsessed with theyoung singer. He frequents theclub, always staying in the dark-est corner, not wanting to beseen, but with his producer’s eyenot missing anything aboutCait’s performance and herobvious potential.
One night he writes shortnotes about her performanceon bar coasters before leaving.The bartender gives the remarksto Cait.
I don’t want to give the plotaway, but Julian comes close tostalking the young singerthrough emails, Websites, blogsand even photographing herunaware, all the while down-loading every new song onto hisiPod. Cait playfully responds,subtly making contact withJulian by following his advice inher act, even writing a songbased on one of his notes. Shetoo, makes use of emails,phones and even a key underthe mat.
Julian pursues Cait fromNew York to Europe. Plans aresuggested, messages given andboth go to impossible extremesto meet. Phillips’ storytellingprowess was evident in the O.Henryian result of the last andfinal attempt of the lovers tomeet.
Julian’s obsession is subjectto the intrusion of his estrangedwife, his doting older brother,memories of his father and thenear haunting of his son,Carlton.
Read this book once for thepure fun of it and a second timefor its originality of style andinsight. If this book were asong, I’d buy an iPod, learn howto download, shuffle and listento “The Song is You” wheneverI wanted.
SUNNY SOLOMON
FOR THE BOOKS
Sunny Solomon holds a Master ofArts in English and Creative Writingfrom San Francisco State University.She is a poet and published author.Email her with questions or commentsat [email protected]
Toward the middle ofMarch, I came as close as I everhave to a panic attack. Mosthigh school students feelimmense pressure when Marchrolls around, due to the releaseof college admission decisions,but to say that I was feeling thepressure would be a total under-statement.
Unfortunately, most of myrejections, almost all four ofthem, came first. For a solid twoweeks, I was absolutely con-vinced that my aspirations forcollege would never come tofruition and I severely regrettedapplying to difficult universities.I’ve always been a worrier, andafter I was accepted to some ofmy top choice schools, itdawned on me that the hardestpart was yet to come: choosingone.
Whether we want to be 30miles away or across the coun-try, location is one of the mostimportant factors people con-sider. I love California and willalways call it my home, butwhen applying to colleges itnever occurred to me to contin-ue my education in the state.
I’ve always wanted to live ina busy city. Being in a large,urban place on the East Coast isoften more conducive to study-ing journalism, but there’s alsosomething alluring and auda-cious about venturing to a placethat is entirely new. The world
has so much to offer, let alonethe country.
Money, of course, plays ahuge factor in choosing a col-lege as well. I began my collegesearch with the attitude that Iwouldn’t let money heavilyinfluence my decisions. Whenmy financial aid offers rolled in,however, the numbers staringback at me were impossible toignore. After four acceptances,four rejections and two waitlists, I had narrowed my deci-sion down to two universities. Iwound up choosing the one thatoffered me more aid becausethe offers were so dissimilar.Obviously money helped memake my decision, but I wouldnever let money be the ultimatedeciding factor either.
The majority of the schoolsto which I applied had goodcommunication programs, butmost of them happened to be
private as well. Sending a childto a private school would be ahuge fiscal strain on most fami-lies, and this includes mine aswell. I’ve accepted the fact thatdown the road I may have totake out student loans to coversome of the cost.
I have spent countless hourswondering if it’s financially wiseto go to a private undergraduateschool, but I finally came to theconclusion that I can’t let my lifebe dictated by money. Weshould follow our hearts andnot our wallets. After all, stu-dent loans can be paid back intime, but seldom can we getback lost opportunities.
My family and friends haveplayed an incredible role in mylife, but I have realized that col-lege can’t revolve around thedesires of others. Most of myfriends are going to Universityof California campuses and thethought of rooming with one ofthem sometimes seems tooexciting to pass up. However,
I’ve learned that people will nat-urally go different ways in life.Even though we have manythings in common, the schoolsthat are right for them may notnecessarily be right for me. Ihave reminded myself that myloved ones are merely a drive orplane ride away.
Over the past few months,I’ve done my very best to not letthe ancillary things distract me.Hanging out on the beach inSanta Barbara, skiing inVermont and shopping in NewYork all look absolutely delight-ful in the brochures, but the bestadvice I’ve been given is thatwhen you visit a college and setfoot on campus, you’ll know ifit feels right. My plane leaves forthe East Coast in nine hours,and I have a feeling that BostonUniversity is going to be theone.
April 24, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 21
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STUDENT REPORTER
Michelle Trosclair is a senior atCVHS. Send comments [email protected]
Most often accessibility tothe simplest activities is takenfor granted. People go abouttheir day never giving the use of
their legs or arms anotherthought. They play a sport, takea jog, or take part in an activity.However, lack of access cancreate a challenge for those whoare bound to a wheelchair. AtDiablo View Middle School,access for several students was astumbling block that needed tobe overcome.
Mrs. Kim Lewis, the SpecialEducation teacher at DVMS,heads the Diablo View studentgarden project. She and herstudents care for the plants andwork diligently to make DVMSbeautiful with its garden.Unfortunately, several studentsat DVMS face the challenge ofaccessibility to the gardenbecause they use a wheelchair.The spaces are tight betweenthe planter boxes. Paths aremade of gravel and dirt creat-ing difficulty for the wheel-chairs to pass easily through.The planter box beds are alsolow to the ground making ithard for the students to reach.Since she felt it is important forall of her students to be a partof the project, she had to find away to make the garden accessi-ble to all.
Seeing a need, Mrs. Lewisand several volunteers began towork on making the student
garden wheelchair friendly.They found a way to makeplanter boxes the height of stu-dent desks for easy access.These boxes will be nestledalong a path with flower beds,vegetables, and plants. At thesame time, Mrs. Lewis is alsoworking on creating a smoothpathway for easy wheelchairaccess.
Sometimes life can createdifficulties or present chal-lenges. However, Mrs. Lewis ishelping to teach individuals thatthere are always solutions. Mrs.Lewis, students, and volunteersfound a way to create accessibil-ity for the disabled. Now all stu-dents can make a difference bymaking DVMS beautiful andenjoy being a part of the stu-dent garden.
School gardens nowwheelchair accessible
ROBBIE PARKER
DVMS REPORTER
CONTRA COSTA MUSICAL THEATRE
Applications are being accepted for the $500 Matt PlambeckScholarship. Those eligible include graduating senior at ClaytonValley High School, students at Diablo Valley College transferring toa four-year school or graduating seniors from any local high schoolwho performed in or worked on the crew of a past CCMT produc-tion. Major must be theater, dance or music.
Applications must be received by May 8. Print an application atccmt.org or call 210-0268 for more information.
School News
Robbie Parker is a sixth-graderat Diablo View. Send comments [email protected]
Sorrell knew he wanted tobe an officer from the time hewas a kid. In games, he wouldplay the cop. And as time haspassed, his enthusiasm for therole has not diminished – evenamidst the recent tragedies inOakland and elsewhere in thecountry.
“My kids know that I knowwhat I am doing. They knowthat I always think of safety,” hesaid. “They may say somethinglike ‘Be careful tonight,’ and Itell them I will.”
A recent late night calldetained Sorrell from gettinghome. Knowing that his familywould worry, he sent off a textmessage explaining that he wasfine.
“My 13-year-old wants to bea cop,” he said. “My 11-year-oldwants nothing to do with policework. He wants to be a chef.”
Sorrell is looking forward tocommunity interactions and achance to use his philosophy
that you treat others how youwant to be treated. “Even injail,” he said, “if you spoke withthe inmates, talking and listen-ing, you would find a lot lessfighting.”
In addition to his connec-tion to Danzi, he remembersCpl. Rich Enea from when heworked at the jail in 1996. Eneawas a police explorer and Sorrellwatched as he matured into hiscurrent role.
“Clayton is a good city,”Sorrell said. “People are veryfortunate to live here.”
He considers parents proac-tive when it comes to control-ling their children and sees pos-itives signs for the future.“People were very receptive as Iwas riding around,” he said, not-ing that in other cities he hadseen a less positive reaction topolice presence.
“I’m happy to be here,”Sorrell said, heading out thedoor to continue his training.
Officer, from page 1
Black Diamond, from page 4
year, with various diversionsthrough genealogical researchand with added park historyfrom a variety of sources.
“Trying to get it organizedand edited so thatit was the story ofthe coal field wasthe challenge,”Terhune said,pointing out thatthe Arcadia bookshave a strict wordcount so they hadto choose descrip-tions with care.
“An archaeo-logical dig per-formed by UCBerkeley in the late1970s producedthousands of artifacts,” Parentnoted.
Accuracy was another moti-vation. As is often the case,misidentified images oftenrequire verification and, in somecases, correction.
“Joel Clayton was a miner atthe coal field at one point,”Parent said, noting the mine’sclose relationship to Clayton.“And Clayton’s well known Mrs.Gomez would bring tamales tothe miners,” she added.
Parent began her career in1977 as an intern at the pre-serve. In her current role, she isresponsible for maintaining his-toric artifacts, oral histories anddocumentation.
“We’re donating our royal-ties to the Black Diamond MineRegional Preserve,” Terhunesaid.
The money will go towardthe ongoingrestoration of thetombstones at theRose HillCemetery. “It’samazing what theyare doing inrestoring it,”Terhune added.
The book,released March 2,has received posi-tive reviews –especially amonghistory buffs anddescendents of
the coal field. “A lot of thedescendents are so happy to seeit,” Terhune said.
Clayton Books will be host-ing a book signing at 3 p.m. May24, and the pair will also appearat the Clayton Historical Day onMay 30 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.Clayton Books is located in theClayton Station ShoppingCenter.
The book is available throughArcadia Publishers. Local retail-ers and online book stores. Foradditional information visitwww.arcadiapublishing.com andenter the book title, or visitw w w. e b p a r k s . o r g / p a r k s /black_diamond.
On May 16, the third annualHospice of the East Bay’s A Walkto Remember will draw a largegroup of past and present volun-teers and families to celebrate thelives of their loved ones.
The fundraising walk will beheld at the Martinez RegionalShoreline Park. Among the partic-ipants this year will be Clayton’sDorine Dianda and Sue Fordon,both of whom have an associa-tion with Hospice. For Dorine, itwas caring for her 98-year-oldfather at home. Sue also willhonor her father, who died lastJanuary.
“I’ve always liked the work ofthe Hospice,” Dorine said, notingthat her father taught her torespect elders and celebrate theirlives. Dorine will be undertakingthe May walk for her father, whois at home under Hospice care.
Sue’s father worked withHospice while the family lived inFlorida. “I was exposed to whatthey were all about from an earlyage.”
Hospitalized before he died,Sue’s father was unable to benefitfrom Hospice at home. But thathas not diminished Sue’s enthusi-asm for the comfort Hospice pro-vides the family and those in need.
“It’s a peace and a dignity forthe patient with limited time left,”Sue said. “And it supports thefamily, allowing them that pre-cious time.”
Sue believes that the socialstigma of death and dying pre-
vents many families from takingadvantage of Hospice. “They feellike if they call, it means that thereis no hope and they are giving up,”Sue said. “Really, it is about mak-ing every minute count. It’s notalways the end for some patients.The comfort and the care is whatit is all about.”
All participants for the walkwill gather in the amphitheater atnoon for a reading of the names,followed by a memorial laparound the amphitheater. This is afamily-oriented event for all ages;strollers and wheelchairs are wel-come.
Participants are urged to bringwalking shoes and photos ofloved ones. “You can come forjust an hour or stay all day, butplease do come and celebrate withus,” said Robin Jones, media coor-dinator for Hospice of the East
Bay.There is no fee to register, but
each participating family agrees tocollect a minimum donation of$25.
Hospice of the East Bay is therespected leader in providing hos-pice care in Northern California.Care is offered in the comfort andprivacy of home. “Home” may bea patient’s residence, that of afriend or relative, or an assistedliving, residential care or skillednursing facility – or BrunsHospice House, the first free-standing adult hospice facility inthe East Bay.
Volunteers provide a widerange of practical assistance. Theneed for reliable, committed vol-unteers grows each year.
For more information, contactPeggy Hernandez at 887-5678 [email protected].
Page 22 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 24, 2009
Save Water NowLet’s work together to beat the drought this summer.
Lake Shasta, which stores water thateventually flows to the Delta, has below-normal water levels this year.Photo courtesy of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
TThhee CCoonnttrraa CCoossttaa WWaatteerr DDiissttrriicctt ooffffeerrss wwaatteerr ccoonnsseerrvvaattiioonnsseerrvviicceess aanndd iinncceennttiivveess,, iinncclluuddiinngg rreebbaatteess oonn wwaatteerr--ssaavviinngg ttooiilleettss aanndd ccllootthheess wwaasshheerrss..
Saving water is “green,” smart and necessary
Sponsored by the Contra Costa
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There has never been a better time to “go green” by saving water. Saving water this spring, summer and fall
will help your community stretch its water supply while California’s drought continues.
SSaving water benefits your household budget by controlling your waterand energy bills. While most people are familiar with the concept ofsaving water to reduce their water bills, many people don’t realize
that saving water also saves energy. In fact, heating water for homes andbusinesses is a major use of electricity and natural gas.
For Contra Costa Water District customers, saving water this year is moreimportant than ever. The District’s Board of Directors has approved aDrought Management Program that goes into effect May 1 and seeks 15-percent cuts in residential and commercial water use and 45-percent cutsin landscape and agricultural irrigation. These reductions are necessarybecause, despite the snow and rain that fell on the state over the winterand early spring, water levels in California’s key reservoirs continue to bewell below normal.
The District has mailed letters to all customers informing them of theirDrought Management Program water budgets for the next 12 months. Theprogram has two key elements that residential and irrigation customersshould keep in mind:
Customers whose average water use for a specific billing period is1,000 gallons per day or less are asked to stay within their water budget.Excess use charges apply only if they use more water than they have in thepast.
Customers whose average water use for a specific billing period is morethan 1,000 gallons per day must stay within their water budget in order toavoid excess use charges.
Excess use charges are four times the District existing charge for water.This is based on the fact that purchasing supplemental water at marketprices is about four times the District’s normal water cost.
The District’s program is designed to not raise rates, encourage reduc-tions in outdoor water use and minimize the impact of the drought on thelocal economy. If all customers stay within their water budgets, the Districtwill be able to reliably meet the health and safety needs of the commu-nities it serves until the drought ends.
The District is offering an array of water conservation services and incen-tives to help you save water. You can learn about these by visitingwww.ccwater.com. While there, you can also sign up for the ConservationE-Newsletter. It’s the easiest way to stay informed and ensure that all of thedrought-survival resources you need are at your fingertips.
ANDRÉ GENSBURGER
Clayton Pioneer
Hospice fundraiser isA Walk to Remember
CELEBRATING THE MEMORY OF LOVED ONES helped by Hospice, A Walk toRemember draws together a diverse group of walkers.
Hello! Ciao! Bonjour! Hallo!Hola!
Whatever language you prefer,a friendly hello is always appreci-ated when you are meeting some-one new.
Let me introduce myself. I ama 25-year resident of Clayton,newly retired, with a passion fortravel. Prior to moving to Clayton,I lived in Washington, D.C., for 10years – with an opportunity totravel the East Coast and acrossour beautiful country a couple oftimes.
The first time I traveled out-side the United States was in1997, when I joined a group on atwo-week trip to Israel. I wasimmediately bitten by the travelbug as I experienced a culture sodifferent from my own. That was
followed by trips to Asia, Austria,Germany, Holland, Spain,Portugal and multiple trips toMexico and Italy, from which mygrandparents emigrated in theearly 1900s, as well as cruises toAlaska, the Mexican Riviera andthe Caribbean.
In wanting to explore theseexciting destinations, I found oth-ers who felt as I did and whowanted to join me on the journey.Thus began a new hobby of put-ting groups of people together totravel with me – family, friendsand friends of friends. I haveadopted as my motto the wordsof St. Augustine: “The world is abook, and those who do not trav-el only read one page.” I plan toread the entire volume!
In future columns, I will sharehow our groups came together,choosing the destinations and thetour companies to work with,using Websites for research, plan-ning the pre- and post-trip parties,packing tips, security tips, generaltravel tips, travel photography tips
and more. I’ll be happy to sharesome Excel spreadsheets on suchtopics as planning a travelwardrobe and comparing touringcompanies. I’ll also talk to someClayton Pioneer advertisers whoare travel professionals and are awonderful resource when you areplanning a major trip and needsome advice.
Being given the opportunityto travel can change you in waysyou don’t even plan or realize.Someone once said it is like enter-ing a classroom without walls. It’snever too late to learn!
Because of these unusual eco-nomic times, the travel deals arenumerous – with two-for-onetrips, free airfare and complimen-tary door-to-door transportation.So whether you have a desire togo across the state, across thecountry or across the ocean, thetiming couldn’t be better.
Send your questions, commentsand column suggestions to Peggy [email protected].
PEGGY BIDONDO
TIME TO GO
New travel column willgive you some great ideas
Driving is a key to independ-ence from the moment we getour first license. Most of us wantto hold onto that for as long aswe safely can. Many older peopleare capable and have a lifetime ofvaluable driving experience.Decisions about a person’s abilityto drive should never be based onage alone. Changes in vision,physical fitness and reflexes maycause safety concerns. Peoplewho determine these changesaccurately can adjust their drivinghabits so that they stay safe onthe road, or choose other kindsof transportation.
Good vision is essential fordriving but, as people age theyexperience a decline in their
vision. To avoid driving difficul-ties, make sure you always wearyour glasses and that your pre-scription is current. If you lose orbreak your glasses, don’t rely onan old pair; replace them rightaway with your newest prescrip-tion. Avoid eyewear with sidepieces that may block your vision.Make sure you sit high enough inyour vehicle to allow you to see atleast ten feet in front of your car.If you are 60 or older, see an eyedoctor every year to check forcataracts, glaucoma and otherdiseases that may affect yourvision.
Diminished strength and flex-ibility can have a major impact onyour ability to safely control your
car. If you have trouble lookingover your shoulder to changelanes, moving your foot from thegas to the brake pedal or turningthe steering wheel, you shouldsee your doctor for possibletreatment for these conditions.Stretching exercises and walkingcan often give you the addedmobility you are lacking.
Driving requires dividing yourattention between multiple tasks
Know your limits andstay safe on the road
KELLY FERRO
SENIOR MOMENTS
See Driving, page 23
I could never get my mom tobuy the red celery which Ithought looked cool. As it turnedout, the long strawberry redstalks weren’t celery at all butrhubarb, a vegetable that’s oftendisguised as a fruit – and a reallybitter one at that.
Botanically, rhubarb is a veg-etable related to the buckwheatfamily. Nevertheless, about 60years ago, a U.S. Customs Courtruled that it’s a fruit because ofits customary culinary usage.(This also reduced the importtaxes on rhubarb coming into thecountry.)
Its Latin name, Rheumrhabarbarum, gave rise to “bar-barians,” a word the Romansused to refer to people who aterhubarb. In the 1940s, rhubarbwas inexplicably adopted as aword for an argument betweenteam players and umpires in ballgames.
Domesticated as a crop incooler northern climes of Asiasome 5,000 to 6,000 years ago,rhubarb was originally a medici-nal herb used to treat a variety of
illnesses. Known for its stronglaxative and astringent character-istics, the dried root was so dearthat it reputedly sold for 10 timesthe price of cinnamon in Franceand twice the price of opium inEngland during the 16th and17th centuries.
It wasn’t until the 18th centu-ry that rhubarb was prepared infoods – mostly drinks and meatstews. Its exceedingly tart flavorprecluded wider application untilsugar was introduced to Europe.Rhubarb was elevated to the “pieplant,” deliciously suitable forpies, tarts and crumbles. EarlyAmerican colonists followed theEuropean model and made pies,sauces and jams from this easy-to-grow fruit/vegetable.
Today, about 75 percent ofthe U.S. crop is frozen for com-mercial and institutional use.Hothouse rhubarb is availableyear-round; it is lighter coloredwith a mild flavor and less fibroustexture. During spring, however,juicy field-grown rhubarbappears in our markets. Freshstalks are flat and not curled orlimp and the deep red stalks areconsidered sweeter.
Younger cooks and con-sumers may not even know aboutrhubarb because of the health-conscious trend away from heav-ily sweetened foods. But at 20calories a cup with Vitamin C,
calcium and potassium, rhubarbdeserves another look. Cookingit with sweet fruits like berries orraisins can reduce the amount ofsweetener needed, and honey andmaple syrup have good affinityfor rhubarb.
Preparing rhubarb is simple.Cut off and discard the leavesand roots; peeling the stems isoptional. Never eat the leaves orroots of the plant because theycontain oxalate and other toxinsthat can seriously damage thekidneys.
Cut the stalks into 1-inchpieces and simmer in water untiltender. Add sweetener to taste.Rhubarb is highly acidic andshould only be cooked in non-reactive (non-aluminum) pans.You might want to soak it inwater with a pinch of bakingsoda to lessen the acidic contentand bring out rhubarb’s naturalsweetness.
Chutney should be sweet andtangy. This is an excellent accom-paniment to sautéed or broiledpork chops.
RHUBARB CHUTNEY
½ c. raisins2 T. balsamic vinegarPinch of ground clovesPinch of ground nutmeg2 T. sugar½ c. hot water2 T. rice bran oil or other
vegetable oil1 medium onion, finely
chopped1½ c. fresh rhubarb, ½-inch
diceCombine the raisins, vinegar,
cloves, nutmeg and sugar withthe hot water in a small bowl.Set aside.
Heat a large skillet overmedium-high heat. Add the oiland onions, and cook, stirringoccasionally, until tender. Addthe raisin mixture and bring to aboil. Reduce to a simmer andstir in the rhubarb. Cover and letthe mixture cook for 5 minutes.
Remove the cover and stirthe mixture. Continue to cookuntil the rhubarb is tender,about 3 minutes. Add salt andpepper to taste.
For an elegant ice cream top-ping, try a compote.
RHUBARB-GINGER COMPOTE
2 c. rhubarb, chopped2 tsp. crumbled candied gin-
ger1/3 c. apple cider or juice ½ c. honey Grated zest of one lemon Combine all ingredients in a
non-reactive saucepan. Coverand bring the mixture to a boil.Reduce the heat to a simmerand cook, stirring occasionally,until the rhubarb is tender –about 8 minutes.
Serve warm or refrigerate upto a week.
Note to Readers: Danny fromOntario, Canada, points out an errorin the decorated egg column where Ireferred to Romania as a Slavic coun-try. Instead, he says that it is “aLatin island in a Slavic sea.”Thanks for the clarification!
April 24, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 23
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Clayton Pioneer
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Direct your suggestions or questionsto [email protected]
LINDA WYNER
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
photo by
Foodland Ontario
and reacting quickly when situa-tions arise without warning. Ifyou are feeling overwhelmed byall of the signs, signals, vehiclesand pedestrians or no longer feelconfident behind the wheel ofyour car, talk about these thingswith your doctor and loved ones.
Everyone wants to maintaintheir ability to go where theywant, when they want. Growingolder and having more leisuretime increases this desire for free-dom. Be aware of your limita-tions and listen to those who careabout you when they expressconcern. These are often difficult
things to take in but, for your wel-fare and others on the road, it isan absolute must.
Depending on where you live,there are often many ways of get-ting around town without drivingyourself. Family and friends canhelp and buses and taxis can beavailable almost any time of theday. Look into getting a scheduleto help you figure out the bestand safest mode of transporta-tion for you.
Self-awareness is the key.Knowing your own strengths andweakness behind the wheel andon the road is important not only
for your own safety but for otherson the road as well. Refresh yourknowledge of safe driving prac-tices by taking a mature driverclass offered by the DMV.Information and locations can befound on the DMV Website athttp://dmv.ca.gov/vehindus-t r y / o l / m a t u r e _ d r v r. h t m .Brushing up on new traffic con-trol and being aware of new road-way designs could be just whatyou need to stay safe on the road.Look beyond the windshield andhonestly assess your driving prac-tices. You’ll be glad you did.
Kelly Ferro is MarketingDirector for Aegis of Concord. Sendcomments or questions [email protected]
Driving, from page 22
Page 24 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com April 24, 2009
Clayton Market Update provided by
George Vujnovich of Better Homes Realty
Helping friends, neighbors and newcomers
buy and sell their homes since 1979
7025 Molluk Way $650,000 03/25/09 2680 5/32905 Coyote Circle $345,000 03/25/09 1252 2/2.53105 Coyote Circle $277,000 03/24/09 1026 2/2181 Brandywine Pl $775,000 03/16/09 3820 4/2.51550 OHara Court $412,000 03/10/09 1549 3/34307 Coyote Circle $399,000 02/27/09 1595 3/2.51417 Indianhead Way $424,000 02/26/09 1430 3/2.53027 Windmill Canyon Dr $620,000 02/10/09 2467 4/3420 Leon Court $1,122,500 1/29/09 5800 6/4.55012 Keller ridge Drive $475,000 1/23/09 1343 3/2129 Joscolo View $521,250 1/22/09 1877 3/2.5250 Jeffry Ranch Pl $564,500 1/14/09 2017 4/2.5260 Stranahan Cir $440,000 12/31/08 1663 3/2.5
ADDRESS PRICE SALE DATE SF BED/BATH
GEORGE VUJNOVICH,, BBrrookkeerr
Trust your home to
6160 Center Street, Suite E, Clayton 94517
Each Office Is IndependentlyOwned & Operated.
Bridlewood! Stunning Single Story! courtsetting with views of Mt. Diablo & hills! 3 bedrooms, 2.5baths, approx. 2,665sf, inside laundry & 2 car garage.Formal dining room. Gourmet slab granite kitchen.Oversized family room. Spacious master suite. Pebble-Tech” pool with waterfall feature $729,000
CLAYTON!
Sensational Single Story! on a HUGE
approximately 17,200 sq. ft. lot! 4 bed-rooms, 2.5 baths, approx. 2041sf. The house for thecar enthusiast or hobbiest! Two 2 car garages plusextensive RV/side yard parking with dual gates.Updated kitchen. Large family room with brick fire-place. Separate formal dining room. Large master
suite. Walk to school & downtown. Fabulous lot offers privacy & mature landscape. $635,000
CLAYTON!
Westside! Stunning Single Story in a phe-
nomenal/peaceful wooded setting! on a HUGE .46
acre lot! 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, approx. 2,017sf, 3 car garage
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tom, too extensive to list! Slab granite kitchen. Spacious mas-
ter. Huge private lot boasts over 5000sf of custom paver
patios, rolling lawn & multiple water features. $1,099,000
ALAMO!
Oakhurst Country Club! Oak Hollow! Prime
Golf Course Location! Desirable “Santa Fe” model! 3
bedrooms, with loft, 2.5 baths, approx. 1,911sf, inside laundry &
2 car garage. Living & dining room with hardwood floors.
Kitchen features tile floors, counters & island. Family room
with marble fireplace. Spacious master overlooks golf course &
hills. Cozy patio backs to golf course with views! $479,000
CLAYTON!
Silvercreek! Beautifully Maintained!
spacious home in a quiet court setting with views ofMt. Diablo & surrounding hills! 5 bedrooms, 2.5baths, approx. 2,398sf, inside laundry & 2 carattached garage. Living & Formal dining room. Eat-in kitchen. Downstairs bedroom/den. Huge familyroom with fireplace. Backyard offers privacy & anin-ground pool, separate spa, workshop, plus a largeside yard! $649,000
CLAYTON!
The Absolute Best of Crystyl Ranch!
Highly Customized Palatial Tuscan Villa on a court back-ing to open space with tranquil & mesmerizing views! 4bedroom + bonus room & office, 4 baths, approx. 4,436sf.Prof. Chefs dream kitchen! Unbelievable Master suite &bath! Impeccably maintained .33 acre lot boasts a Grecianpool & spa with waterfall sconces, raised patio withTuscan pergola & endless views of open space-hills-ridge-line & city lights! $1,135,000
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PENDING
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Tel: (925) 672-4433
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COUNCIL MEETINGS ON TVDo you watch the Clayton
City Council meetings on TV?If so, thanks. If not, why not?If you’ve been frustrated bythe picture quality or that youcouldn’t see the exhibits andpresentations, I have goodnews. Using restricted fundsfrom our Public EducationGovernment Capital Grant
Fund, we will be replacing thecurrent security-grade camerasinstalled when we began tele-vising our council meetings in1999. The new cameras willgreatly enhance the quality ofthe picture and the new soundsystem will make it possible toactually hear what we have tosay. The meetings are broad-cast on Comcast TV channel
26 at 7 p.m. on the first andthird Wednesdays followingour council meetings andsometimes on weekends.
The equipment is beinginstalled and should be opera-tional by our May 5 meeting(broadcast on May 6), so checkus out.
LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS
April is Library Month andwe declared April 24 asLibrary Volunteers
Appreciation Day in Clayton. Iwant to thank the 99 in-libraryadult and student volunteerswho contributed 6,527 hoursand the Clayton CommunityLibrary Foundation volunteerswho contributed 2,298 hoursto the support and daily func-tioning of our library in 2008.The library foundation alsocontributed $37,929 for librarymaterials and furniture, pro-grams for adults, teens andchildren, the Creekside Arts
Celebration and for volunteersupport and recognition.
Indeed, our library is theenvy of many of my col-leagues around the countybecause of the tremendousvolunteer support we receive.Without their many hours ofservice and ongoing dedica-tion, we would have very limit-ed library service. Keep up thegreat work!
Just a couple quickreminders:
A new CommunityEmergency Response Training(CERT) class starts at 6 p.m.Monday, May 4. Space is avail-able; call 673-7350 to sign up.
Our Farmers Market startsagain on Saturday, May 9, 8:30a.m.-noon. Get some yummyfresh produce for yourMother’s Day brunch.
As always, you can reach me byemail at [email protected] me know what you think.
Bob and Eldora Hoyer havebeen the bearded iris authoritiesin Clayton for almost 50 years.Their passion for this perennialstarted out small – with a gift ofiris from a friend.
After moving to Clayton in1960, the Hoyers had a big newyard to plant. During thedrought of the late ’70s, Boband Eldora removed their lawnand added garden beds andpathways, with the desire toinstall more of their favoriteirises. They were hooked on thisshowy, simple perennial.
Irises are a constant eachspring in Clayton Valley land-scapes. We can count on themto provide a rainbow of color.Bearded iris is an early-bloomingperennial with sturdy, strap-likefoliage. The leaves grow in fan-shaped clumps that add a focusto the planted area.
The bloom swells from a
spike, moves up the length ofthe stem and bulges until theflower bursts. The blossom hassix petals. Three are the truepetals, called standards, thatstand erect. The three falsepetals, called falls, droop. Thefalls have a fuzzy strip that runsthe distance of the petal – this iswhere we get the name bearded.
YOU CAN BELIEVE THIS
BARNUM
Bob and Eldora haveenjoyed many different selec-tions of bearded iris throughoutthe years. Edith Walford and P.T.Barnum are favorites. Edith
Walford is a bi-color beardediris, with purple falls and yellowstandards. Edith is tall, reaching24-36 inches, and should beinstalled near the rear of theperennial border.
P.T. Barnum is another bi-color iris with deep goldenpetals flecked with mahogany asthe standards and dark russet-colored falls. P.T. Barnum wouldaccent a Mediterranean stylelandscape. The colors are per-fect when mixed with lavendersand leucandendron.
The Hoyers water infre-quently and fertilize only a cou-ple of times a year. They arefond of using a balanced fertil-izer such as 16-16-16 or 12-12-12, and it is always a granularapplication. Pests such as aphidsor mealy bugs are not a problemfor bearded iris. The only wor-ries have been gophers.
A SCENE-STEALER
Rare Quality is a bearded iristhat looks variegated. The maincolor on both the standards andthe falls is a crisp white, whilethe edges are painted navy blue.This selection is an eye-catcher.
Private Dancer is a lovely ruf-fled apricot-colored iris. Plant itnear your red-foliaged barberryand surround with Georgia Blue
veronica for a great combina-tion.
Ship Shape is one of theHoyers’ first bearded irises. Thisrobust blue is quite tall and has
survived decades in Claytonclay. Shaniko is a deep eggplantor almost black bearded iris.Skating Party is the largest,whitest selection that Bob has
ever enjoyed in his landscape.The Hoyers have always
been public servants to ourClayton community. They usedto donate their irises to theClayton Historical Museumeach year to be sold during theannual Clayton garden tour tobenefit the museum. Now theydonate them to the ClaytonValley Garden Club, which sellsplants during the garden tour.
This year, Bob has potted upand donated 60, 1-gallon cans oflabeled irises to sell. You willfind varieties such as PrivateDancer, Shell Pink, VelvetUnderground and SupremeSultan, just to name a few.
The Clayton Valley GardenTour is May 16-17, featuring fivelocal landscapes. The plant salewill take place during tourhours, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. both days,at the Clayton Museum on MainStreet.
Pick up one of the Hoyers’historic irises. It’s like having alittle piece of history.
Nicole is the Garden Girl atR&M Pool, Patio, Gifts andGarden Contact her with questions,comments or suggestions at [email protected]
NICOLE HACKETT
GARDEN GIRL
Longtime Clayton residents are iris fanatics
RARE QUALITY
PRIVATE DANCER
Mayor, from page 1