18
IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com August 6, 2010 925.672.0500 PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190 Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Community Calendar . . . . . . . .14 Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . .5 DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Movie Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Parenting Today . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Take a Hike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 What’s Inside HANK STRATFORD MAYOR’S CORNER Hoping to clarify some common questions For this column, I thought I would try to clear up some mis- conceptions or at least clarify some city-related issues. In case anyone is wondering, our City Council is not paid the same as the City Council of Bell. Unlike the city of Bell, our council members receive $390 per month. Once you consider the time spent preparing for and attending monthly meetings, the cost of travel to the meetings held outside of Clayton, and the time spent on email and other correspondence, you quickly realize that no one serves on the council for the money. Speaking of money, have you wondered what happens to the large sum of money you pay See Mayor , page 6 Old Bettencourt Ranch to be added to EBRPD Black Diamond Preserve About a mile off Clayton Road, on the Black Diamond trail where it turns to the left and begins to climb, the road splits to the right and hikers are stopped by a locked gate. Beyond the gate, the road disap- pears into the oak trees and a few grazing cattle work their way around the old, rotting fence posts that dot the terrain. The road leads into the 100- year-old Bettencourt Ranch – 462 acres of woods and grass- land that has been abandoned for years. The property, also known as the “Ang” property for an intervening owner, has been purchased by East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) and will be added to the growing land bank of Clayton and East County parcels preserved for open space. The old ranch is adjacent to the 360-acre Irish Canyon parcel TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer Photo credit: David Ogden, Save Mt. Diablo EBRPD HAS PURCHASED THE OLD BETTENCOURT RANCH IN CLAYTON FOR $2.76 MILLION. The 462-acre ranch, shown in the foreground, adjoins Irish Canyon which was recently acquired by Save Mt. Diablo and will also become part of EBRPD. This photo is taken in the springtime from the end of Peacock Creek Drive looking east into Irish Canyon. The gate to the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve is to the north. See Parkland, page 3 Officer Shaw takes pride in motorcycle patrols Grants make possible PD’s motorcycle overhaul After becoming an officer with the Clayton Police Department in 2006, I expressed an interest in riding a motorcycle on patrol. I passed dual-purpose Motor Officer School in 2009 and started rid- ing immediately. The department started an off-road, dual-purpose motorcy- cle program in 2002. Since then, the program has seen its highs and lows. The only other person currently qualified to ride is Sgt. Scott Dansie and, as a supervi- sor, he does not have time to ride the bike often. We have a 2000 Kawasaki KTM 650 and a Honda 250, as well as a Honda used for parts. However, the brutality of the off-road motor school damaged the Kawasaki and left it in need of repairs. Since this motorcycle was not part of a primary assign- ment or one of our daily operat- ed vehicles, we didn’t have the money to fix it. Dansie told me if I could find “free money,” I could do whatever I wanted to the bike. So, I started looking for grants. I discovered that State Farm Insurance strives to meet the needs of communities by giving out grants in three areas: Safe Neighbors (Public Safety), Strong Neighborhoods (Community Development) and Education Excellence. I submitted a grant request under Public Safety, because I knew that I could use the motor- cycle to patrol the 27 miles of trails and 515 acres of open space as well as to enforce traffic laws on the city’s paved roads. State Farm granted my request and donated $2,000 to overhaul the motorcycle. Due to a late start in sched- uling and marketing their sum- mer programs, the new opera- tors of the recreation program at Clayton Community Gym report they’ve had an up and down response to their initial camp and league offerings. All the while, the All Out Sports crew is learning from the experience and making plans for more programs – not only in recreation but also for educa- tional enrichment. “The support and encour- agement from the community has been outstanding,” All Out New program directors at Clayton gym learning from the community JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer JASON SHAW Special to the Pioneer Clayton resident comes home as new MDES principal Irene Keenan, the new prin- cipal at Mt. Diablo Elementary School, has lived in Clayton for nearly 20 years with her husband Jim, actively involved in their two sons’ swimming and school activities. After oldest boy Ned enrolled at Clayton Valley High School and younger brother Nick was at Diablo View Middle School, Irene went back into the workforce as a library media teacher at Mt. Diablo High School in 1999. She will begin her 12th year in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District this fall as the principal at Mt. Diablo Elementary. “Our boys got a good educa- tion at Mt Diablo, Diablo View and Clayton Valley and I’m very excited about making sure our students at Mt. Diablo receive that same opportunity,” she says. Keenan has been vice princi- pal at College Park High School in Pleasant Hill for three years and was summer school princi- pal this year at that campus. She was approved by the school board in late July and immediately began assimilating information on her new school while wrapping up summer school duties. She officially begins working at Mt. Diablo next week after a brief family vacation. BACK TO THE HIRING POOL In June, the school board had named Chris Nugent to replace MDES principal Bob Dodson. After Nugent’s appointment was announced, members of the public did their own online research and found that Nugent had encountered some profes- sional and personal legal prob- lems. Following a storm of protest and negative public - Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer OFFICER JASON SHAW FOUND ENOUGH “FREE MONEY” in the form of a State Farm grant to overhaul the department’s Kawasaki motorcycle, now used for open space and trail patrols. Irene Keenan JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer See Clayton Gym, page 10 See Patrols, page 10 See Principal , page 8

AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

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See Parkland , page 3 See Mayor , page 6 B ACKTOTHEHIRINGPOOL In June,the school board had named Chris Nugent to replace MDES principal Bob Dodson. After Nugent’s appointment was announced, members of the public did their own online research and found that Nugent had encountered some profes- sional and personal legal prob- lems. Following a storm of protest and negative public - See Patrols , page 10 See Principal , page 8 J ASON S HAW Special to the Pioneer PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190

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Page 1: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

IT’S YOUR PAPER

www.claytonpioneer.com August 6, 2010 925.672.0500

PR

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STA

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Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Church News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Community Calendar . . . . . . . .14

Directory of Advertisers . . . . . . . .5

DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Movie Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Parenting Today . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Take a Hike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

What’s Inside

HANK STRATFORD

MAYOR’S CORNER

Hoping to clarify somecommon questions

For this column, I thought Iwould try to clear up some mis-conceptions or at least clarifysome city-related issues.

In case anyone is wondering,our City Council is not paid thesame as the City Council of Bell.Unlike the city of Bell, ourcouncil members receive $390per month. Once you considerthe time spent preparing for andattending monthly meetings, thecost of travel to the meetingsheld outside of Clayton, and thetime spent on email and othercorrespondence, you quicklyrealize that no one serves on thecouncil for the money.

Speaking of money, haveyou wondered what happens tothe large sum of money you pay

See Mayor, page 6

Old Bettencourt Ranch to be addedto EBRPD Black Diamond Preserve

About a mile off ClaytonRoad, on the Black Diamondtrail where it turns to the leftand begins to climb, the roadsplits to the right and hikers arestopped by a locked gate.Beyond the gate, the road disap-pears into the oak trees and afew grazing cattle work theirway around the old, rottingfence posts that dot the terrain.

The road leads into the 100-year-old Bettencourt Ranch –462 acres of woods and grass-land that has been abandonedfor years. The property, alsoknown as the “Ang” propertyfor an intervening owner, hasbeen purchased by East BayRegional Park District (EBRPD)and will be added to the growingland bank of Clayton and EastCounty parcels preserved foropen space.

The old ranch is adjacent tothe 360-acre Irish Canyon parcel

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

Photo credit: David Ogden, Save Mt. Diablo

EBRPD HAS PURCHASED THE OLD BETTENCOURT RANCH IN CLAYTON FOR $2.76 MILLION. The 462-acre ranch, shown in theforeground, adjoins Irish Canyon which was recently acquired by Save Mt. Diablo and will also become part ofEBRPD. This photo is taken in the springtime from the end of Peacock Creek Drive looking east into Irish Canyon.The gate to the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve is to the north.

See Parkland, page 3

Officer Shaw takes pride in motorcycle patrolsGrants make possiblePD’s motorcycle overhaul

After becoming an officerwith the Clayton PoliceDepartment in 2006, Iexpressed an interest in riding amotorcycle on patrol. I passeddual-purpose Motor OfficerSchool in 2009 and started rid-ing immediately.

The department started anoff-road, dual-purpose motorcy-cle program in 2002. Since then,the program has seen its highs

and lows. The only other personcurrently qualified to ride is Sgt.Scott Dansie and, as a supervi-sor, he does not have time to ridethe bike often.

We have a 2000 KawasakiKTM 650 and a Honda 250, aswell as a Honda used for parts.However, the brutality of theoff-road motor school damagedthe Kawasaki and left it in needof repairs. Since this motorcyclewas not part of a primary assign-ment or one of our daily operat-ed vehicles, we didn’t have themoney to fix it.

Dansie told me if I couldfind “free money,” I could dowhatever I wanted to the bike.So, I started looking for grants. I

discovered that State FarmInsurance strives to meet theneeds of communities by givingout grants in three areas: SafeNeighbors (Public Safety),Strong Neighborhoods(Community Development) andEducation Excellence.

I submitted a grant requestunder Public Safety, because Iknew that I could use the motor-cycle to patrol the 27 miles oftrails and 515 acres of openspace as well as to enforce trafficlaws on the city’s paved roads.State Farm granted my requestand donated $2,000 to overhaulthe motorcycle.

Due to a late start in sched-uling and marketing their sum-mer programs, the new opera-tors of the recreation programat Clayton Community Gymreport they’ve had an up anddown response to their initialcamp and league offerings.

All the while, the All OutSports crew is learning from theexperience and making plans formore programs – not only inrecreation but also for educa-tional enrichment.

“The support and encour-agement from the communityhas been outstanding,” All Out

New programdirectors atClayton gymlearning fromthe community

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

JASON SHAW

Special to the Pioneer

Clayton resident comes home as new MDES principal

Irene Keenan, the new prin-cipal at Mt. Diablo ElementarySchool, has lived in Clayton fornearly 20 years with her husbandJim, actively involved in their twosons’ swimming and schoolactivities.

After oldest boy Nedenrolled at Clayton Valley HighSchool and younger brotherNick was at Diablo View Middle

School, Irene went back into theworkforce as a library mediateacher at Mt. Diablo HighSchool in 1999. She will beginher 12th year in the Mt. DiabloUnified School District this fallas the principal at Mt. DiabloElementary.

“Our boys got a good educa-tion at Mt Diablo, Diablo Viewand Clayton Valley and I’m veryexcited about making sure ourstudents at Mt. Diablo receivethat same opportunity,” she says.

Keenan has been vice princi-pal at College Park High Schoolin Pleasant Hill for three yearsand was summer school princi-pal this year at that campus.

She was approved by theschool board in late July andimmediately began assimilatinginformation on her new schoolwhile wrapping up summerschool duties. She officiallybegins working at Mt. Diablonext week after a brief familyvacation.

BACK TO THE HIRING POOL

In June, the school board hadnamed Chris Nugent to replaceMDES principal Bob Dodson.After Nugent’s appointment wasannounced, members of thepublic did their own onlineresearch and found that Nugenthad encountered some profes-sional and personal legal prob-lems. Following a storm ofprotest and negative public -

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

OFFICER JASON SHAW FOUND ENOUGH “FREE MONEY” in the formof a State Farm grant to overhaul the department’s Kawasakimotorcycle, now used for open space and trail patrols.

Irene Keenan

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton PioneerSee Clayton Gym, page 10

See Patrols, page 10

See Principal, page 8

Page 2: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

Page 2 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com August 6, 2010

What’s happeningAround Town?

Send your news of births,engagements weddings,anniversaries, celebrations, spe-cial recognitions, etc. [email protected].

Please attach your photosto the email as JPEG filesbetween between 3MB and6MB and include a caption toidentify people in your photos.

CCllaayyttoonn MMaarrkkeett UUppddaattee pprroovviiddeedd bbyy GGeeoorrggee VVuujjnnoovviicchh ooff BBeetttteerr HHoommeess RReeaallttyy

5126 Keller Ridge Drive ...........$435,000 . . . . .1493 . . . . .3/2.5 . . . .7/23/10

118 Forest Hill Drive.................$700,000 . . . . .3185 . . . . .5/3.1 . . . .7/16/10

31 Nottingham Cir ....................$525,000 . . . . .2017 . . . . .3/2 . . . . .7/11/10

3038 Windmill Canyon Dr ........$630,000 . . . . .2313 . . . . .4/2.5 . . . . .7/7/10

4004 Hummingbird Wy.............$555,000 . . . . .1816 . . . . .3/2 . . . . . .7/6/10

456 Obsidian Way ....................$710,000 . . . . .3008 . . . . .4/3 . . . . . .7/6/10

4948 Morgan Territory Rd ........$540,000 . . . . .1323 . . . . .3/2 . . . . .6/18/10

5002 Raven Way......................$695,000 . . . . .2854 . . . . .4/3 . . . . .6/18/10

937 Douglas Ct ........................$1,650,000 . . . .8200 . . . . .6/7.5 . . . .6/15/10

377 Mount Washington Wy ......$560,000 . . . . .2619 . . . . .5/2.5 . . . .6/15/10

15 Weatherly Dr .......................$655,000 . . . . .2324 . . . . .4/2.5 . . . . .6/4/10

315 Chardonnay Cir .................$665,000 . . . . .2116 . . . . .4/2.5 . . . . .6/2/10

ADDRESS PRICE SF BED/BATH SALE DATE ADDRESS PRICE SF BED/BATH SALE DATE

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GGEEOORRGGEE VVUUJJNNOOVVIICCHHBBrrookkeerr

Oakhurst Country Club! One of theBest Black Diamond Golf Course &Mt. Diablo view lots! Desirable Horseshoe

model tucked away on a quiet court with breathtaking

views! 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, approx. 1749sf, inside

laundry room & 2 car attached garage! Spacious living

room with fireplace. Separate dining area. Gourmet

corian kitchen with eating area & pantry. Master with

sweeping views! Large Patio backs to 12th fairway of

golf course with views! $450,000

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Oakhurst Country Club! PeacockCreek! Sensational “Legacy” model on a premium lot

backing to open space! 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, approx.

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private bath. Gourmet kitchen! Huge master with retreat,

fireplace & balcony with tranquil views of open space.

Gorgeous lot features sparkling pool with built-in spa &

waterfall feature, trellis covered BBQ island & tropical

themed landscape! $719,000

Beautiful “Manzanita” model!

3 Bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2 car garage & inside laundry!

Step down living room with two-way fireplace. Formal

dining area. Large kitchen with tile counters, oak cabi-

nets & newer appliances. Spacious master suite with

vaulted ceiling featuring a ceiling fan & 2 huge closets.

Cozy rear yard with deck! View of Golf course, hills &

Mt. Diablo.

$359,900

Contact Jennifer Stojanovich at

(925) 567-6170 or [email protected]

ConcordDesirable Pine Hollow on Concord/Clayton Border!

Spacious 4 bedroom, 3 bath, approx. 2187sf with

inside laundry & 2 car garage. Convenient 1st level

bedroom and full bath! Living and dining room.

Kitchen features tile counters & upgraded tile floors

with garden window offering wooded, hill & city views!

Large family room with dry bar & brick fireplace.

Spacious master suite offers great views. New paint

and neutral carpet throughout! Private lot features a

trellis covered deck and views! $494,900

Better Homes DRE#00933393

ClaytonOakhurst Country Club! Large“Serenade” model at the top ofFalcon Ridge on a prime view lot overlooking City,

valley & hills below! 3 bedrooms plus a Den, 3 baths,

approx. 3079sf, inside laundry & 3 car garage! Gourmet

kitchen opens to large family room. Spacious master

with magnificent views! $699,000

PENDING

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City crews dig it up

City Maintenance SupervisorJohn Johnston works to removethe landscaping in the mediansacross from the Oakhurst foun-tain. The old water-thirsty plantswill be replaced by permeablepavers like those seen in othernarrow medians around the city.

The islands at the Oakhurst

fountain were originallydesigned and planted by PresleyHomes, developers ofOakhurst, about 15 years ago.

The project was recom-mended by the Trails andLandscape Committee andapproved by the City Council inJune.

Local Taiko drummers part of JapaneseSummer Festival Aug. 14-15

Photo courtesy of Kikkawa-Nielsen family

TAIKO DRUMMERS ANDREW KIKKAWA-NIELSEN and his sister Elenawill perform at the Japanese Festival on Aug 14 and 15.

Bryan and NicoleVicknair welcomed theirfirst child, Landon James, onJuly 2. The night before,they went to Skipolini’s forpizza.

Could Landon bedreaming of pepperoni andmushrooms?

Baby Landon James is first childfor the Vicknairs

Julie and Steve Pierce recent-ly drove to Montana for a fami-ly reunion, taking grandsonGavin along with them.

“Seeing Yellowstone throughthe eyes of a 4 year old is awhole new experience,” saysJulie.

The Pioneer rode shotgunand watched for bears.

Pioneer goes to Yellowstone

Jason Pfistergraduatesfrom SF

State

Jason Pfister, son of SuePfister of Clayton has beennamed to the Dean’s List at SanFrancisco State University. Thisis the second time that Jason hasmade the Dean’s List.

Jason will graduate in Augustof 2010 with a major in politicalscience and plans to attend lawschool. He is a 2002 graduate ofClayton Valley High School.

The 54th annual JapaneseSummer Festival is next week-end, Aug. 14 and 15, at theDiablo Japanese AmericanCultural Center in Concord.Clayton’s Andrew and ElenaKikkawa-Nielsen will be per-forming with Diablo Taiko, oneof four Taiko drum groups fea-tured at the festival.

The popular free eventincludes traditional and contem-porary aspects of the localJapanese American communityincluding Japanese floralarrangement and calligraphydemonstrations, bonsai treeshow, dance, judo and kendodemonstrations and music.Delicious food offerings includechicken and beef teriyaki, tem-pura, sushi, udon noodles andgyoza, along with American sta-bles.

The Festival is at 3165 TreatBlvd. from 1-9 p.m. on Saturdayand noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, visitwww.diablojaclub.com or call (925)682-5299.

Around Town

Page 3: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

August 6, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 3

Clayton Resident & Broker Owner

3030 Windmill Canyon Drive, Clayton $610,000Windmill Canyon – “Sunset” landscaping in graceful,serene backyard. Pristine 4BD/2.5BA offers mastersuite w/two closets & gorgeous kitchen w/island.3030WindmillCanyonDrive.com

1015 Feather Circle, Clayton $469,000Oak Hollow – 3BD/2.5BA in great neighborhoodoffers gourmet kitchen, wonderful light & two-way fire-place. Easy living – shows like new! A short walk to thecommunity pool.. FeatherCircle.com

5359 Paso Del Rio, Concord $515,000Pine Hollow – Excellent location close to parks &schools! Enjoy 4BD/2.5BA with updated kitchen, beau-tiful pool & paver patio with private rolling woods views.PasoDelRio.com

230 Mountaire Circle, Clayton $648,888Dana Hills – Upgrades & custom work galore in this4BD/2.5BA dream home including top of the linekitchen. Private yard w/resort-like pool/spa with water-fall. MountaireCircle.com

3957 Beechwood Drive, Concord $399,000Dana Estates – Sizeable 3BD/2.BA home has over2,000 s.f. Huge family room addition & master suite,dual panes & skylights, and lots of storage. Beautifulyard & curb appeal. 3957Beechwood.com

1957 Old Oak Drive, Walnut Creek $849,000Nearly Downtown – 4BD/2.5 BA in park-like settingoffers updated kitchen w/granite. Family room w/vaulted ceilings & access to deck. 3-car garage is a niceperk. OldOakDrive.com

53 El Portal Drive, Clayton $639,000Regency Meadows – Sought-after location at base ofMt. Diablo. 5BD/3BA w/ full BD/BA downstairs.Curved staircase to master suite w/fireplace & soakingtub. ElPortalDrive.com

1824 Princeton Court, Concord $499,000Down a Private Lane – Enjoy this wonderful3BD/2.5BA offering fabulous kitchen & flourishinggardens with a quiet creek passing through meanderingpaths & fruit trees. 1824PrincetonCourt.com

DRE# 01122025

JUST LISTED JUST LISTED

NEW PRICENEW PRICE

JUST LISTED NEW PRICE

purchased by Save Mt. Diablo (SMD) in2007. When SMD completes a plannedtransfer of Irish Canyon to the EBRPDthis fall this most recent addition to theBlack Diamond Preserve will top 820acres.

The open grasslands, thick woods,canyons and ridges and creek banks arevery “hiker friendly with many great pic-nic areas,” says EBRPD land managerNancy Winninger

But, she cautions, don’t plan on a pic-nic under the oaks anytime soon. It willtake several years to prepare a long termland management plan, build trail loopsand clean up the property for public use..

There is an old 1950s ranch housewith no historical significance and somedilapidated barns and out buildings on theranch that will be torn down.

In planning for public use of the prop-erty, says Winninger, providing a stagingarea with sufficient parking will be thebiggest challenge. Right now, there isparking for about eight cars at the trail-head on Clayton Road.

“We have some options,” saysWinninger. There are over 3000 acres inClayton and East County currently setaside for parkland – including ChaparralSprings and Clayton Ranch which are outMarsh Creek Road – with another 2000acres in acquisitions nearing completion.

A little more than half of the $2.76million purchase price was covered byMeasure WW park district bonds. Theother 45 percent was provided by a grantfrom East Contra Costa HabitatConservancy, a joint powers agency ofClayton and the East County cities (exceptAntioch) which preserves endangeredspecies habitat.

The Conservancy will also provide themoney to reimburse SMD their cost forIrish Canyon when SMD transfers thatpiece to EBRPD this fall.

SMD, a private non-profit dedicated tothe preservation of Mt. Diablo, acts as anintermediary in acquiring parcels for openspace preservation. The Irish Canyon pur-chase was funded in part by a grant fromthe Gordon and Betty Moore Foundationand in part by SMD.

The three-way partnership betweenEBRPD, SMD and the Conservancy

assures that valuable open space will beprotected, says Clayton’s mayor HankStratford.

Like everyone, the entities are feel-ing the pinch of a sluggish economy.While EBRPD has bond funds avail-able for acquisitions, park operationshave suffered from a lack of money.

“Frankly, we’re under stress rightnow,” says EBRPD’s Winninger.“Property tax revenues are off andwe’re down staff. Thanks to SMD andthe Conservancy, we can take advantageof acquisition opportunities, but wehave to hold them in the land bank.”

For more information on EBRPD go towww.ebparks.org. For Save Mt. Diablo,visit www.savemtdiablo.org; and to find outmore about the Habitat Conservancy, go to www.co.contra-costa.ca.us/depart/cd/water/hcp/

Parkland, from page 1

Photo credit: Tamara Steiner

THE GATE TO THE BETTENCOURT RANCH is about a mile in fromClayton Road at the end of the Clayton Open Space on theBlack Diamond fire road. The fire road runs across an ease-ment on private property to the top of the hill where it meetsthe gates to the Black Diamond Mines Preserve.

Map courtesy of Save Mt. Diablo

MAP SHOWS THE COMBINED BETTENCOURT RANCH (Ang Property) and Irish Canyon parcels to be added to EBRPDland bank this fall. The property will become part of the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve.

Aug. 14 Diamond DaveOldies to today’s top hits

Aug. 28 East Bay MuddSoul, Funk, R&B

Sept. 11 The Hit WavesAll the Greatest Hits

Local Food To GoSupport your local businesses & restau-

rants. Takeout or dine in before or after the

concert.

Moresi’s Chophouse 6115 Main St.,

672 - 1333

Ed’s Mudville Grill 6200 Center St.,

673-0333

La Veranda Cafe 6201 Center St.,

524 - 0011

Canesa’s Brooklyn Deli 6054 Main St.,

852 - 1650

Skipolini’s Pizza 1035 Diablo St.,

672 - 1111

Village Market 6104 Main St., 672 - 0188

Johnny’s Int’l Deli & Cafe’ 6101 Center

St., 672-1203

Cup O’Jo 6054 Main St., 672-5105

Saturdays 6 to 8:30 p.m.

At the Gazebo in The Grove

Sponsored by the city of Clayton,CBCA and Allied Waste Services

ConcertsGrovein The

Only 3 concerts left this season

Page 4: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

When State Senator MarkDeSaulnier met with con-stituents on a recent Saturdayafternoon at the Clayton publiclibrary, the subject of the state’sbudget woes came up again andagain.

Voters came from as far awayas Antioch and Walnut Creek,with issues ranging from com-plaints about cell phone towersin residential areas to a requestfor help in obtaining a job withthe state. But more than anyother, the topic turned to money.

Each person who had a con-

cern met briefly with one of thesenator’s assistants, beforeDeSaulnier sat down with them.He pinballed back and forthbetween two conference roomsto increase the number of peoplehe could meet with.

“Hi, I’m Mark,” said thecasually dressed senator, shakinghands before taking a seat at thetable.

Regardless of the subjectmatter or the attendee’s politicalaffiliation, DeSaulnier appearedto listen closely and seemedengaged in solving each problemor complaint. More than oneperson heard him ask, “What canI do for you?”

This was one in a continuingseries of outreach events thathave included one-on-one meet-ings and town hall-style gather-ings in Dublin, Lafayette, andPleasant Hill. DeSaulnier’s dis-trict stretches from Clayton outto Dublin and Kensington.

DeSaulnier described theimportance of having an aggres-sive outreach program.

“It’s good for me, both pro-fessionally and personally,because hearing people’s individ-ual stories, and oftentimes theirstruggles, keeps you groundedand keeps you less insular,” hesaid.

“It’s putting a human face onthings you’re dealing with.”

Mike Wells, a formerConcord police officer, sawmeeting with DeSaulnier as aresponsibility.

“That’s what citizens do,” hesaid. He met with the senator todiscuss the school funding crisis,as well as inefficiencies and over-spending by the Department ofCorrections.

“I don’t think we can affordany more cuts (to school budg-ets),” said the father and step-father of five adult children.“Education is really our future.”

More cuts may be coming,however. Senior congressionalleaders are currently laboringover where to make cuts to bal-ance the state budget, while legis-

lators remain on call to votewhen a proposed budget is ready.

The governor’s current budg-et proposal offers schools $48.4billion in combined general fundand property tax revenues, $2 bil-lion less than last year’s number.Democrat-controlled StateSenate and Assembly proposalsrange from $51.2 to $54 billion.

Edgar Cabral, a Senior Fiscaland Policy Analyst with the non-partisan Legislative AnalystOffice said that even thoughsome numbers look higher thanthose of last year, schools maystill feel a pinch.

“Part of what the state did totry to save money last year was topay the school districts late. And

some of the money they’re get-ting is to pay the school districtsthis year is for what they didn’tget paid last year,” he explained.

Meanwhile, legislators likeDeSaulnier and their staffsstopped receiving paychecks asof July 1until a state budget is inplace.

DeSaulnier continues to seekinput on governance of the statefrom his constituents.DeSaulnier will meet one on onewith constituents in Moraga onAug. 14, in Martinez on Aug. 28,in Brentwood on Sept. 11, and inConcord on Oct. 13. For timesand locations, go to the senator’swebsite at dist07.casen.govof-fice.com.

Page 4 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com August 6, 2010

Aug. 21CBCA Rib Cook-offGot ribs? Up to 15 contestants will heat up the grills and break

out their best rib recipes, special sauces and BBQ secrets in the firstCBCA sponsored Rib Cook-off. Grilling begins at 8 a.m. with judg-ing at 2 p.m. After the judging, the public is invited for a rib tasting.The Clayton Club will host the event. Contestant applications areavailable at claytoncbca.org and at the Clayton Club on Main Street.

Sept. 4Labor Day Derby and Car ShowDon’t miss this annual

event which has become aLabor Day tradition inClayton. Produced by theClayton CommunityChurch, kids from 7-14can race down MainStreet in classic soapbox-style cars provided by thesponsors. Pre-register byAug. 29 by [email protected] or call (925) 673-5337.

Classic and custom cars will be on display at the car show from9 a.m. to 1 p.m. To enter, register between 7 and 9 a.m. See ad onthis page for more details.

Upcoming Events

Budget woes top the list at DeSaulnier forumDENISEN HARTLOVE

Clayton Pioneer

Neighbors rally to save baby quailAngela Hakimi feared the

worst when she heard the dis-tress call of an adult male quail.

Angela and baby Ava wereout for walk near their DanaHills home on a hot Saturdaymorning in early July whenAngela encountered the quail.He was running back and forthacross the street from one grateto the other. The mother was a

little farther away in the busheswith several babies.

Angela discovered that fivebaby quail had fallen throughthe grate and were franticallysplashing for their lives in therunoff below. She described thebabies as “so tiny, about the sizeof a silver dollar, if that.”

A passing neighbor spottedAngela on her stomach in the

street and stopped to help.Soon, another neighborstopped, and then another – fivealtogether.

“It was such a team effort,”Angela said.

Everyone had a specific job.One held the umbrella to shadethe others from the hot sun.Angela ran home and found apiece of net and a dowel.

Another got the tools to removethe grate and another held babyAva as the three-hour rescueeffort progressed.

The team was able to savetwo of the babies, but the otherthree perished. The two surviv-ing birds reunited with the par-ents and siblings and immedi-ately started foraging, saidAngela.

As summer winds down, theLindsay Wildlife Museum is fea-turing “Pay What You MayDay” on Saturday, Aug. 21.

As the name suggests, visi-tors are encouraged to pay anadmission rate with which theyare comfortable.

The museum includes live,native California animalexhibits, a hands-on discoveryroom for children, a pet educa-tion section with domestic ani-mals, changing exhibits, educa-tional programs and a wildliferehabilitation hospital.

On Aug. 21, visitors canenjoy live animal presentationsthroughout the day, with pettingcircles at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.and 3:45 p.m. Feeding demon-strations will be held at 11 a.m.and 2 p.m. Patrons can see araptor up close at 1 p.m. and

hear a mammal presentation at3:15 p.m.

The museum is at 1931 FirstAve, Walnut Creek. Hours are 10a.m.-5 p.m. For more information,call 935-1978 or visit wildlife-muse-um.org.

Special admission day at wildlife museum

Page 5: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

August 6, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 5

Auto

Clayton Valley Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-3900

Mike's Auto Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-1739

Children’s Services

Kid’s Choice Jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457-9543

Kidz Planet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .825-3012

Churches

Clayton Community Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-9060

Construction and Trades

Belfast Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457-5423

Handyman Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .639-4209

LHI Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-9941

Smith & Bernal Roofing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0138

Tipperary Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-2679

Dentist

Children’s Dentistry of Walnut Creek . . . . . . . . . . .938-2392

Clayton Valley Orthodontics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6200

Ludwig, Stephen D.M.D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6200

Renner, Jason D.D.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-2800

Rissel, Richard D.M.D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-2800

Dining and Entertainment

Clayton Club Saloon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-0440

Diablo Theatre Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .943-7469

Willows Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .957-2500

Events

Pacific Coast Farmers Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .825-9090

Financial and Insurance Services

Benton, Mureleen - Ameriprise Financial . . . . . . . .685-4523

CD Federal Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .825-0900

Littorno, Richard - Attorney at Law . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6463

Van Wyck, Doug - State Farm Insurance . . . . . . . .672-2300

Funerals

Moore’s Mission Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-1100

Ouimet Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-4242

Home and Garden

Abbey Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .686-9901

Clear Splash Pool Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216-6245

Diablo Lawnscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381-3757

Floors to Go Danville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .820-8700

Nichols Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9955

Utopic Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0055

Mailing and Shipping

The UPS Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-6245

Pet Services

Is Dog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360-5811

Monte Vista Veterinary Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-1100

Peace of Mind Pet Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9781

Pet Suites Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .432-7387

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

Kavanaugh, Mike - RE/MAX Town & Country . . . .672-7800

Klock, Leigh - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212-5593

Laurence, Pete - RE/MAX Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .890-6004

Lopez, Stephanie - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . . . . . .932-7329

Mazzei, Matt -Mazzei Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693-0757

Robins Ranches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .550-2383

Van Fleet, Josie - J. Rockcliff Realtors . . . . . . . . . .280-6470

Vujnovich, George - Better Homes Realty . . . . . . .672-4433

Recreation

All Out Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4303

Castle Rock Arabians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .937-7661

Clayton Valley Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-4631

Oakhurst Country Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9737

Senior Services

Aegis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .692-5838

Diamond Terrace Senior Retirement Living . . . . . .524-5100

Services, Other

Air Cloud Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260-4119 x 2

Appliance Repairs by Bruce, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2700

Burkin Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212-3339

Computers USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9989

Net Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6029

Recycling Center & Transfer Station . . . . . . . . . . . .473-0180

Travel

Cruise Adventures Unlimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .935-7447

Directory of Advertisers

P.O. Box 12466200 Center Street, Suite H, Clayton, CA 94517

TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, EditorRANDY WENGER, Display Advertising PETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignBEV BRITTON, Copy Editor JAY BEDECARRÉ, Sports PAMELA WIESENDANGER, Administrative Assistant

STAFF WRITERS: Denisen Hartlove, Lou Fancher, NicciShipstead, Pam Wiesendanger, Mike Dunn

We remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse

PIONEER INFOCONTACT US

Tel: (925) 672-0500Fax: (925) 672-6580

Tamara [email protected]

Randy [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 EDITORThe Clayton Pioneer welcomes

letters from our readers. As a generalrule, letters should be 250 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.

ClassifiedLOST

Men’s gold link bracelet 7/25/10 onLibrary Trail. $100 Reward. CallHelga: 672-4043.

RENTAL1BR inlaw unit on Morgan

Territory Rd. 900sq ft. All utilitiespaid. $875/month. Private entrance.Call Bob: 672-2390.

SERVICESGirl Gardening

Garden care for your roses, perennialsand ornamentals. Monthly pruningand fertilizing services. Plant sug-gestions and installation. If you wantmore flowers this year, call or emailNicole Hackett 673-1746, or [email protected].

WANTEDReal Estate Agents

Be Successful! Lynne French isexpanding and interviewing for a fewagents. Call her today (925) 672-8787.

VOLUNTEERSNEEDED

Help Fight Hunger

Anna Chan ~ AKA: The Lemon Ladyneeds your help!Volunteers are needed to haul donatedproduce from Farmers’ Markets tofood pantries throughout the area.Weekly commitment appreciated.Please contact Anna at 672-1988 [email protected].

Meals on Wheels Drivers

1 – 1 1/2 per week. Drivers and reliefdrivers needed for delivery of Mealson Wheels in East County. Call Jim at673-0300 or e-mail [email protected].

Volunteer at Anna’s Attic Thrift

Shoppe, located at 5350 ClaytonRoad. It’s a way to make a meaning-ful difference. You’ll have the oppor-tunity to help customers, stockshelves and prepare merchandise forsale. For information call (925) 674-9072. Funds raised by the HospiceThrift Shoppes benefit Hospice of theEast Bay. To learn more about volun-teering for Hospice of the East Bayplease contact (925) 887-5678, oremail [email protected].

Clayton Historical Society Museum

Greeter for two hours per month from2-4 p.m. Wednesdays or Sundays. Noexperience or extensive knowledge ofClayton history is necessary. Call themuseum at 672-0240 and leave yourname.

Clayton Community Library

Needs volunteers. Minimum age 13.Minimum commitment is 6 months.Some training provided. Shelver - toshelve and sensitize library materials.Various days/times. Tutors - no priorexperience necessary! You determinethe grade level and subjects you arecomfortable with and the days/times.Requires good communication skills,patience and a desire to help studentsin the community. Contact: Arlene @673-9777 or email:[email protected]

BOOTHS FOR RENT New Orlean’s Bourbon Street Houseof Beauty, 6026 Main St, Clayton.Two Hairdressers, $400/month.Two Manicurists, $300/month.Anrika: (707) 249-2551 [email protected]. Start ASAP.Flexible hours.

FOUND Watch and backpack found in DanaHills green belt area on July 19. Call360-5811 to claim.

Softball and baseball bats atClayton Community Park 7/26 after-noon. Call Shirley: 693-0909.

Free shuttle service for major repairs

Official smog check and repair station

SMOG Special$69.88

+ cert.

FREE RE-TESTMechanical repairs and computer diagnostics including 30K, 60K, 90K factory maintenance on all European,Imported and domestic vehicles.

LLUUBBEE,, OOIILL && FFIILLTTEERR20off$ 20off$

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Offers may not be combined and expire 8/19/2010

SSUUMMMMEERR SSPPEECCIIAALLSSCLAYTON VALLEY SHELL

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Page 6: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

Q I am shopping for a homefor my family. I would

guess that half the listings areoverpriced. Why would a sellerkeep their home on the marketwhen it is priced too high to sell?

ASome sellers want to test thewaters at a price that’s high-

er than the market will support.They usually believe that some-one will appreciate the addedvalue of things that they like intheir home and pay for more forit, but this is not usually thecase.

Buyers are concerned thathome prices could drop further,so they want to make sure theydon’t overpay. The sellers oftenend up negotiating with a legiti-mate buyer for a lesser price.

Many of the overpriced list-ings belong to sellers who willonly sell if they get a certainprice. They may not be able tosell for less because of the sizeof the mortgage. In some cases,the sellers bought at the peak ofthe market and then improvedthe property further. They can’tafford to take the loss theywould incur if they sold at mar-ket price. They don’t want to doa short sale so they won’t sellunless they get their price.

I seriously wonder why thesesellers keep their property listedin a declining market for solong, though.

Bridging the price gapbetween home buyers and sell-ers can be a challenge in today’s

market. Sellers, many of whomhave a hard time accepting thattheir home has lost value, oftenexpect to sell for more than abuyer is willing to pay. There isnot much you can do to con-vince an unrealistic seller that heshould accept your market-priced offer.

A lot of time and emotionalenergy goes into making anoffer (not to mention all thepaperwork). Before you makean offer on a listing that ispriced over market, try to findout as much as you can aboutthe seller’s motivation. Is thereany flexibility in the price? Dothey just want to sell or do theyneed to sell?

Q I need to sell my house.You always talk about stag-

ing the home for sale so it lookslike a model home. I don’t havethe time, money or energy to doall that this entails.

On the other hand, my homeshows terrible. I am almostembarrassed to have my neigh-bors walk through. What can Ido that is cheap and simple so Ican get top dollar for my home?I don’t have much equity, either.

A If you need top dollar, youneed it to be appealing to

buyers. It should show clean andwell-kept. For the most bang foryour buck, these are tips formaking a home appealing with-out spending a fortune. Youshould do as many as you canhandle.

1. Refinish or paint the frontdoor and replace the hardware.

2. Mow the lawn, edge thesidewalks, mulch all the bedsand put big planters at eitherside of the front door.

3. Paint or at least touch upthe paint on the walls.

4. Clean the carpets or ifthey are worn, cover them witharea rugs. Replace ceiling lightswith inexpensive but attractivefixtures.

5. Hire a plumber and anelectrician to fix anything that isloose or that leaks.

6. Polish up the kitchen. Addnew cabinet door handles,replace lighting and update thefaucet set. Give cabinets a freshcoat of paint if they look worn.

7. Tidy up the bath. Replace

the toilet seat. Clean up thefloor with vinyl tiles or sheetvinyl applied over the old floor.If the tub is dingy, add a newprefabricated tub and showersurround.

Page 6 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com August 6, 2010

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REAL ANSWERS

Send your question and look foryour answer in a future column.Email [email protected] is the broker/owner ofWindermere Lynne French &Associates and a Clayton resident.For any real estate needs or ques-tions, contact her at 672-878 7orstop in at 6200 Center St.,Clayton.

each year in property tax? Morethan 55 percent goes to the stateand 30 percent to the county.The city receives only 4.3 per-cent of the property taxes wepay.

In a similar fashion, the cityonly receives a small portion ofthe sales tax collected within ourcity limits. Of the 9.25 percentsales tax rate in Clayton, our cityreceives 0.75 percent. However,we receive some additional salestax dollars that are restricted forpolice services and street proj-ects.

Cities are non-profit publicentities that are restricted in theway they operate. Unlike a busi-ness, whose goal is to make aprofit, a city’s goal is to use pub-

lic money to serve its residents.Any unused revenue stays in thecity’s reserves for use in futureyears or for emergencies.

Part of the restrictions placedon a city is the way it spendspublic money. Cities are requiredto receive bids for public worksprojects more than $5,000. Andany contract labor used by thecity must be paid at “prevailingwages.” A city is not able to sim-ply negotiate the lowest pricewith a vendor of its choosing.

Our employees are not partof a union. However, the city isrequired to negotiate, in goodfaith, with our two employeeunits. Our police officers, withthe exception of the police chief,make up the Police Officers

Association and the other cityemployees make up what isreferred to as the MiscellaneousEmployees.

For the last two years, wehave negotiated single-yearagreements and our employeeshave been willing to take pay cutsand to pay for more of theirmedical benefits. We all hopethat brighter times are ahead.

A couple of years back, afamily in town was the victim ofa home burglary. As I was askingabout the case, I was remindedthat real-life police work is dif-ferent than what we see on TV.

But then I realized that mymain exposure to police work iswhat I have seen on TV. Eventhough I knew there was a differ-ence between real life and televi-sion, my perception was taintedby how the police operate on TV.

I have seen law enforcement

resolve many complex cases inan hour on TV. So when ourofficers began building a case,making sure to have sufficientevidence for a conviction, Ilearned that police work takestime and patience.

Occasionally I am asked,“What does the city do with themoney it makes with the Art andWine Festival and Oktoberfest?”These two events are not put onby the city. The Clayton Businessand Community Associationorganizes and sponsors themand proceeds go to the CBCA.The CBCA then uses this moneyto fund its charitable givingthroughout the community.

If there are any aspects of the cityof Clayton that you are unclear about,feel free to send me an email and I willtry to answer your questions. You canreach me [email protected].

Mayor, from page 1

It’s time to honorsenior volunteers

The Culture to CultureFoundation is accepting nomina-tions for its senior volunteerawards.

The awards recognize those55 and older who have providedextraordinary voluntary servicewithin Contra Costa County. Byspotlighting these seniors,Culture to Culture hopes toinspire others to share their timeand talents.

Each senior must be nomi-nated by another individual andthat nominator can submit onlyone senior. The nominator mustdescribe the volunteer activitiesin 500 words or less and mustinclude the nominee’s age, emailaddress, telephone number, con-tact information for three refer-

ences, nature of the nominationin terms of the length, hours, itssignificance and impact.

Send nominations to [email protected] or P.O. Box 1421, Alamo, CA94507. Entries must be receivedby Aug. 15.

The winners will each receive$250 at an awards ceremony 2-4p.m. Oct. 17 at the Kensington,1580 Geary Road, Walnut Creek.

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August 6, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 7

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CLAYTON VALLEY

WOMAN’S CLUB

The club is presenting “FinalSigning,” a murder mystery adapt-ed from “Murder in the Library”by Tom and Penny Warner.

The event will feature theatercritic Pat Craig, Joel and ChristyHarris of Clayton Books, clubpresident Kathy Hester, ConcordCity Councilwoman LauraHoffmeister, Chief DanLawrence of the Clayton PoliceDepartment, Clayton Pioneerreporter Nicci Shipstead andClayton Councilman Dave Shuey.

Guests will gather at 4:30 p.m.Sunday, Sept. 19, at OakhurstCounty Club. There will be a no-host bar and raffle. Tickets are$45, which includes dinner andthe mystery challenge. Proceedsbenefit the club’s communitycharities and scholarships forClayton Valley High School.

Reservation forms are avail-able at the Clayton CommunityLibrary and Walnut CreekYgnacio Valley Library, local busi-nesses, cast members and clubmembers. Reservation deadline is

Sept. 10.For more information, visit

claytonvalleywomansclub.org orcall 969-9885.

CLAYTON BUSINESS AND

COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

The CBCA has been busy thissummer. Members proudly car-ried the club banner in the ClaytonFourth of July parade. And, thegroup is planning its next two bigevents.

On Saturday, Aug. 21, theCBCA will host a Rib Cook-offand Membership Drive at theClayton Club. See UpcomingEvents (page 4) for more details.

The 7th annual ClaytonOktoberfest will be held Oct. 2-3downtown. There will be plenty offood, beverages, vendors, a carni-val and entertainment. This eventis a CBCA fund-raiser, just like theArt and Wine Festival, with profitsdonated to local charities, groupsand projects.

The CBCA holds monthlydinner meetings at OakhurstCountry Club on the lastThursday of each month. Visitorsare welcome.

Call 672-2272 for information.

MAPLight.org has launcheda public, Web-accessible contri-butions search tool that pro-vides detailed informationabout special-interest contribu-tions given to elected officials.

MAPLight is a nonpartisan,nonprofit research organiza-tion that illuminates the con-nection between money andpolitics. Its contributions datais provided by the Center forResponsive Politics.

“MAPLight.org’s connec-tions between money and voteshave always relied on detailedrecords of who gives howmuch to whom,” said executivedirector Daniel Newman.“Now, with MAPLight.org’snew contributions search tool,users can see specific detailsabout contributions from anycompany, industry or individ-ual to any member ofCongress.”

The search tool reveals indetail each campaign contribu-tion given to members ofCongress, broken down bycontributor, amount, legislatorand date. Users can search forcampaign finance data byindustry, interest group, com-pany, individual donor andmore. The search tool is locat-ed at maplight.org/us-con-gress/contributions.

The contributions searchtool is linked toMAPLight.org’s research thatshows which industries supportand oppose bills in Congress.

New searchtool detailsfunds givento Congress

Clayton Community Parkwas the scene of a bomb scarethe morning of July 25 aftersomeone spotted an item nearthe ball fields that looked like anexplosive device, police said.

Soccer games in progresswere halted and the fields andparking lots evacuated.

Clayton Police called in theWalnut Creek bomb squad andthe Alameda County bombdetection dogs. The item wasdestroyed by the bomb squad’s

water canon, said Sgt. TimMarchut of the Clayton PD. Itwas later determined not to bean explosive device.

Nonetheless, nerves wererattled. “It was the same sce-nario as Concord,” Marchutsaid, referring to explosivedevices recently found and det-onated in Newhall Park. “It cer-tainly sent up some red flags.”

Clayton police do not thinkthe Clayton device is connectedto the Newhall incidents.

Suspicious device destroyed in Community Park

Club News

In order to understand thebehavior of a child, parents,caregivers and educators mustrealize that children are very

curious. They are constantlyconducting experiments todetermine what works and whatdoes not work, who will allowthem to get away with certainbehaviors and who will not.

Many adults find this “test-ing” behavior frustrating. Aschallenging behaviors arise, par-ents must attempt to be onestep ahead of these little scien-tists. This is accomplishedthrough discipline.

Discipline is guidance andteaching children self-control. Itfocuses on emphasizing thepositive and highlighting what achild should do in a particularsituation. Children must learnhow to be in control of their

own behavior. Adults mustmodel appropriate behavior, setclear limits, have realistic expec-tations and teach children thatthere are consequences to theiractions.

Discipline differs from pun-ishment in that it should be apositive experience and be con-sidered a tool to help childrenlearn to respect others andthemselves and to create a lov-ing bond between themselvesand adults. In contrast, punish-ment does not promote bond-ing or respect and instead instillsfear and increases defiance andproblem behavior.

Discipline helps guidechildren in the right direction

EVA PORTLEY

WE CARE CENTER

PARENTING TODAY

See Parenting, page 18

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Page 8: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

reaction aimed at new MDUSDSuperintendent Steven Lawrenceand his staff for the lack of athorough background check,Nugent’s appointment was with-drawn and a new search wasstarted.

Among the first interested Mt.Diablo Elementary parents tolearn of the issues with Nugentwas school board member GaryEberhart, who had just ratified theslate of district principal appoint-ments which included Nugent.

“If this situation hadn’t aris-en, we wouldn’t have had theopportunity for Irene to becomeprincipal at Mt. Diablo,”Eberhart says. “She is the perfectperson for this position, so some-thing very good came out of abad situation.”

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Keenan’s appointment waswelcomed by the local communi-ty. “We were involved in theinterview process for Ms.Keenan, but not for ChrisNugent,” notes YolandaKowalewski, co-president of theParent Faculty Club.

A former PFC president andcurrent member of the schoolsite council was involved, as weretwo teachers. “They were veryimpressed with Ms. Keenan’sinterview. And as a former MDEmom and member of our com-munity, she certainly brings aunique perspective and under-standing of the MDE communi-ty to the job,” Kowalewski says.

Kowalewski says Keenanoffers a wealth of knowledge and

experience. “She understands thechanging needs of educationtoday and is prepared to meetthem head on, even with theongoing budget cuts.”

Keenan takes over a schoolwith excellent test scores and astable faculty. She recognizesmany teachers from when hersons attended there. Keenan was“very involved” as a parent andran a chorus production withanother parent for four years atMt. Diablo.

Ned and Nick Keenan wereactive in swimming with theDana Hills Swim Team and Nedalso competed for the Terrapins.Nick was a water polo player atClayton Valley. Ned is currently astudent at San Francisco State,while Nick recently graduatedfrom Cal Poly SLO and is look-ing to begin a career.

FINDING GOOD MENTORS

The Keenans moved toCalifornia from the East Coast in1977 when Jim entered lawschool at McGeorge School ofLaw in Sacramento. Irene went tograd school at Sacramento Stateafter getting her undergraduatedegree at Temple University inPhiladelphia. She was a grantsadministrator before taking timeoff to raise her children.

She spent eight years at Mt.Diablo High. “I loved the school.I had a strong mentor in principalBev Hansen, who encouragedme to get into administration,”Keenan says. “Mt. Diablo was avery exciting place to work.”

At College Park, she workedwith another “wonderful” princi-pal in Barbara Oaks. “She wasvery good to me. The communi-ty there was outstanding.”

Keenan was excited when theopportunity came to apply tobecome a principal. “First therewas an interview with teachersand parents from Mt. Diablo,along with other district adminis-trators. Then I had a second

interview with Dr. Lawrence andthe chief administrators of thedistrict,” she reports.

She was officially appointedby the school board in a specialmeeting July 23. There was anopen house at Mt. Diablo fourdays later where Keenan met par-ents, faculty and staff.

TOUGH FINANCIAL TIMES

According to Kowalewski,the PFC has been “plugging theholes” left by state and districtbudget cuts. “We are incrediblyfortunate to have a very involvedand generous community thathas helped raise well over$100,000 each year,” she notes.“This money is used to help fundprograms and positions and toprovide supplies the school couldnot otherwise afford. For exam-ple, the PFC funds instructionalaides for each classroom, yardduty support, support staff andsupplies for the computer lab andlibrary, classroom supplies,recess/PE equipment, sciencefair and much more.”

She says the PFC is lookingforward to working with Keenan,the school site council and facul-ty and staff to develop a long-term vision for the school andPFC.

“This will allow us to contin-ue our support of critical pro-grams and help us prioritize anddevelop new opportunities forenrichment and educational sup-port,” Kowalewski concludes.

Keenan says she is ready forthe challenge of educating morethan 850 children in their forma-tive years in light of the fiscalchallenges and increased classsizes. She expects to benefit froma new mentoring and coachingprogram in the district for princi-pals.

Keenan will welcome her fac-ulty back on Aug. 20 and looksforward to 8 a.m. on the first dayof school Aug. 25. “I am veryexcited!”

Page 8 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com August 6, 2010

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Principal, from page 1

Leaving the Pioneer behind,but the writing goes on

As I write this, most of whatI own is in boxes waiting to beshipped across the country to mynew abode, Ithaca College.

I’ve said good-bye to my for-mer teachers, friends and familyin preparation for my move toIthaca, N.Y. Now it’s time for meto bid farewell to the ClaytonPioneer.

For the past year, I’ve thor-oughly enjoyed writing mymonthly column for the Pioneer.While it has presented me with afew late nights (due to my ownprocrastination), it has been analtogether fulfilling experience.

There’s something uniqueabout writing for a small townlike Clayton. This past year, I alsowrote for the Contra CostaTime’s LIP Board, but I foundthat writing my columns for thePioneer was more satisfying.Writing for the Pioneer was anexceptionally personal experi-ence, whether from the e-mails I

received in response to articles orbeing able to talk to neighborsand fellow Clayton residentsabout the articles.

Although not all of theresponses I received were posi-tive, the fact that people had readthe articles and cared enough torespond astounded me. Ireceived much less responsewhen writing for the Times.Although I may have been writ-ing for a larger audience in theTimes, I had a more personalinteraction with the Pioneerreaders.

Writing for the ClaytonPioneer has also opened my eyesto the fact that the written wordstill carries weight in our worldof television, blogs, the Internetand podcasts. It was a pleasantsurprise to discover that many ofmy peers, acquaintances andteachers read the ClaytonPioneer. It’s reassuring to knowthat individuals still enjoy picking

up newsprint and reading it inour technologically savvy age,especially since I will be majoringin journalism this fall.

I even have the Pioneer tothank for helping me choose mycollege major. Originally, I want-ed to pursue an English major;however, experience garneredfrom writing for the Pioneerproved to me that journalismdidn’t necessarily mean a careerwithin the narrow realm of con-ventional, “hard-hitting” newsjournalism.

The creative freedom that Iexperienced was a definite boon.Ultimately, I chose to write aboutwhat I knew or what interestedme, which, in turn, allowed me tokeep my writing ethical and sin-cere. Among other factors, mytime with the Pioneer confirmedthat I’d enjoy studying journal-ism.

I hope that my successor willhave just as much fun opining

for the Pioneer. It doesn’t haveto always be “hard-hitting” or“controversial” journalism. Itmerely needs to be a subjectfamiliar or intriguing enough forone to competently write an arti-cle to which readers can relate.

I’m incredibly grateful for theexperience that I’ve had this yearwith Teen Speak, and I willalways remember the encourage-ment and constructive criticismI’ve received during my year withthe Pioneer.

CADY LANG

TEEN SPEAK

The Pioneer congratulates Cadyon a job well done. We will miss herperspective and clear writing and wishher all the best as she pursues hermajor in journalism -- great choice!

Bright and early every morn-ing, I get together with my swimteam to practice. We spend hourspreparing and conditioning forbig swim competitions.

We constantly train to reachthe ultimate team goal, claimingvictory in the final City Meet.This meet is the pride of ourswim team.

However in swim, it’s morethan just a team effort – it’s indi-vidual effort as well. Each personworks hard to beat their besttimes and achieve personal goals.By aspiring to our own goals, weachieve as a team.

In swimming, the team is clas-

sified into two groups – A and B.The A team is composed ofswimmers with fast or very com-petitive times, while the B team isthe larger body of either begin-

ning or recreational swimmers.Although some look at the B

team as slower swimmers who arenot able to reach their goals, it’sjust the opposite. B swimmers arejust at a different pace.

In addition, because swim-mers are placed in age groups, itcan be tough to be competitivewhen you are at the younger age –or “down year.”

After being on a swim teamfor awhile, I have spent a lot oftime thinking about the A-B teamphilosophy. I’ve come to realizethat it takes every single person tomake a team. Think of a pyramid:If the foundation isn’t strong, the

top will tumble and fall.When people come together

for a sport, committee or staff,every willing person counts. It’smore than just the stars or mosttalented members that make theteam successful; it’s the effortgiven by everyone. It’s the positivecommitment by all.

Both A and B are importantto the success of the team andshould be valued. As a wiseproverb once stated: “The chainis only as strong as its weakestlink.”

There’s no ‘I’ in team, but there’s always a ‘B’

Robbie Parker is a eighth-grader at Diablo View. Send com-ments to [email protected]

ROBBIE PARKER

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As we head into August, thequestion I’ve heard repeatedlyfrom friends in the Clayton areais: “When will the hot summerweather arrive?”

The correct answer may be“next year,” if the trends of thelast few months continue.

Meteorologists usually look

at long-term weather records tomake statistical comparisons ofone month or season to another.Good statistical analysis involvescontinuous daily records thatextend 30 years or more.Unfortunately, long-term tem-perature data records are notavailable for Clayton, so we haveto review data from Concord tomake a judgment about howabnormal this summer has beenso far.

I have access to daily temper-ature data from Concord thatextends back to 1972. In the 39-

year period prior to 2010, theaverage temperature for thecombined months of May, Juneand July was 74 degrees F. Forthe same three months this sum-mer, the average temperaturewas 70 – four degrees below nor-mal.

The calculation of averagetemperatures uses daily maxi-mum and minimum tempera-tures. It turns out that maximumtemperatures were an average ofsix degrees cooler in May-July2010, averaging only 83.

Another way to judge thissummer against previous sum-mers is to evaluate the numberof hot days. Since 1972,Concord has recorded an aver-age of eight days with a maxi-mum temperature of 100 orgreater before the first ofAugust. This year, we have onlyhad one such day (June 27).Many remember the extremeheat wave of July 2006. In thatmonth alone, there were 10 dayswith 100 degree readings.

An unusual jet stream patternis the primary cause for the coolweather that has grippedCalifornia so far this summer. Aweak upper level low pressurecenter has persisted over theWest Coast for several months.This upper air pattern allows themarine layer of air over the west-ern Pacific Ocean to remainthick and results in strong seabreeze winds that carry the coollow level air mass into coastal

valleys like the Clayton Valley.At this point, it is unknown if

the upper low will continue to beanchored over us through sum-mer. If it does, the entire sum-mer may end up much coolerthan normal in the Clayton area.

However, it doesn’t takemuch of a change in jet streamdynamics for high pressure toreplace the low. If that happens,the question I’ll be hearing is:“Will this hot weather ever end?”

Even though long-termweather records for our area arescarce, there have been signifi-cant increases in the number ofweather stations collectinghourly temperature, wind andrainfall data. The local NationalWeather Service office makes thedata available to the public in realtime on a Web page calledmesonet observations(http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mtr/mesonet).

There are a variety of drop-down menus on that page thatwill let you customize the infor-mation presented on the map.One neat feature is that whenyou mouse over a station, thecurrent data are presented in atext box. Scroll down and a tableof recent hourly data for that siteare listed.

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Blazing heat may missClayton completely this year

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Set yourself free in the cloudsThere are ways to have office

productivity software, things likeword processing, spread sheets,power point presentations andmore, without investing muchmoney or time.

These applications provideword processing and the likewithout a small fortune chargedby software makers. They aren’tstripped-down applications fromsoftware companies you neverheard of; most are giants in thebusiness. These offerings arefrom the big guys with full-fea-tured word processing applica-tions, complex spread sheets,presentations with great graphicsand special effects, plus supportcrews second to none.

Google, Microsoft and Intuit(Quicken) are the top providerswith this clout. Because of com-petitive juices between thesebehemoths, each is trying to cap-ture the millions of users. Andyou, the user, benefits from theirefforts.

Google Docs was one of thefirst suites of applications to bedelivered in the cloud, followed

by Intuit and now by MicrosoftOffice Web Apps. Both areInternet-based – thus the“cloud,” which references acomputer or a bunch of com-puter or servers located some-where in the world to whichusers can connect.

These cloud computers hostapplications, like word process-ing or accounting and sales track-ing, for general use by the publicor a special group. According toWikipedia, “The term ‘cloud’ isused as a metaphor for theInternet, based on the cloud

drawing used in the past to rep-resent the telephone network,and later to depict the Internet incomputer network diagrams asan abstraction of the underlyinginfrastructure it represents …”

Most cloud applications aremodeled after programs whichyou’re familiar with or are alreadyusing. The primary differencesare the way you pay for them andhow they are delivered.

For example, you probablyhave taken a trip to the store topurchase an application likeWord or Quicken. After the pur-chase, you’ve taken it home andinstalled it on your computer.Each year or two, you repeat theprocess to keep your applicationscurrent.

Cloud is similar except notrip to the store and the updatesor current versions are availableto you each time you open yourbrowser and use the application.Instead of at the store, you shoponline, download a small applica-tion and login to a specialWebsite to use the software. Youpay a monthly fee based on the

number of computers accessingthe application.

During some “roll-outs” ortrial periods, applications may befree to register and use. The warbetween Google and Microsofthas created an environmentwhere word processing, spread-sheets and the like are likely to befree for a long time.

To sign up for MicrosoftOffice Web Apps, go tooffice.live.com/.

To sign up for Google Docs,open google.com. Move yourmouse over the top of the word“Google” and a ribbon willappear. Click on “more,” then“documents” to get started.

There are many other appli-cations in the cloud, like point ofsale (POS), self help or photog-raphy. To find out more, call alicensed professional or drop byyour local computer store andtalk to the experts.

WILL CLANEY

TECH TALK

Will Claney is the CEO ofComputers USA! in the ClaytonStation. Contact him at 925-672-9989.

Online votes could push ourFarmers Market to the top

The Clayton Farmers Marketis a contestant in the 2010America’s Favorite FarmersMarkets contest.

The online contest is a nation-wide challenge to see which ofAmerica’s farmers markets canrally the most support from theircommunities. The AmericanFarmland Trust has opened vot-ing at farmland.org/vote.

After the contest ends Aug.31, one large, medium, small andboutique farmers market will winthe title. The reward will be a pro-motional package including free

printing, design services andmore to support their role bring-ing farmers, food and the com-munity together.

Farmers markets are a vitallink between local farms andcommunities, providing fresh andhealthy food and an experiencethat cannot be matched anywhereelse. By partnering with farmersmarket managers, AmericanFarmland Trust is encouragingconsumers to consider theimportance of farmland and tosupport local farmers.

Page 10: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

Page 10 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com August 6, 2010

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Sports CEO Casey Copelandsaid. “We continually get feed-back from parents and kids.”

All Out Sports worked outan arrangement with the city ofClayton and Mt. Diablo UnifiedSchool District to take over therecreation programs abandonedwhen the Mt. Diablo YMCAleft the city and subsequentlydeclared bankruptcy. However,they were too late to adequatelymarket their summer camps andleagues. They didn’t get into thegym until the third week ofJune.

“We’ve had some very popu-lar programs, especially basket-ball and introduction to hip hopfor kids and co-ed volleyball andmen’s basketball for adults,”Copeland says. “On the otherhand, youth flag football andsoccer camps didn’t get enoughsignups to be held. Next sum-mer, we’ll be able to start sched-uling and promoting our pro-grams much earlier.”

ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD

All Out Sports is takingsignups for a fall basketballleague that will begin Sept. 18for boys and girls age 4-14.Based on the summer basketballsuccess, he expects a goodturnout. The league will practiceon Fridays and play games onSaturdays.

Besides online registration,which is always available, therewill be walk-in registration 6-8p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15, at theClayton gym.

Copeland spoke to thePioneer after concluding anevening of kickball in theAntioch/Brentwood area,where All Out Sports began acouple years ago. “We had 180adults out playing kickball thisevening. It’s another programwe want to bring to Clayton,” henotes.

Clayton City Manager GaryNapper has been pleased withthe efforts of Copeland’sgroup. “The quality of our

community-based recreationprograms has been raised to ahigher level by the presence ofAll Out Sports League nowoperating out of the ClaytonCommunity Gym, and Istrongly encourage parents andyouth of all ages to take advan-tage of having after-schoolenrichment and sports pro-grams now readily availablewithin our community,”Napper says. “You will bepleased by their friendliness,earnest interest and skill atoffering top-notch programsfor all to enjoy, and your sup-port and participation is key totheir success. Our city is fortu-nate to have AOSL step for-ward and fill this local recre-ation void.”

REACHING OUT TO

THE COMMUNITY

All Out Sports recently heldan Open House in the gym withNapper, assistant to the city

manager Laura Hoffmeister andCouncilman Howard Geller inattendance. Kids were shootingbaskets and playing in a bouncehouse. Then kids and adults gotan impromptu game of floorhockey going – played with ten-nis balls. It was spirited andcompetitive.

“Look at them, they lovethis,” says Copeland. “We’redefinitely going to offer it!”

Also there was MarilynNicoletti, who enrolled her son,Alessandro, in the basketballcamp. Since it was his first time,she was uncertain whether hewould like it. “He loved it andhe learned so much. The campran from 9 till noon and the kidswere worked hard. They workedon skills and techniques andthen played a game every day,”Nicoletti says. “I thought hewould be exhausted, but he did-n’t want to leave.”

EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH

With school just around thecorner, Copeland’s wife, Tamila,is making plans to offer an after-school educational enrichment

program for middle school stu-dents. She had three successfulone-week science camps inAntioch this summer for stu-dents through eighth grade.

“I want to get kids excitedabout math and science andlearning,” she says.

The Copeland’s oldest child,Brooklyn, is 12 and they see thevalue in her being exposed tolearning opportunities in addi-tion to her regular school cur-riculum. Casey Copeland hashad conversations with DiabloView Middle School principalPatti Bannister and hopes towork with the school in settingup the after-school program,which would run every weekdayduring the school year.

“We would begin with 45minutes of homework/tutoring.The kids will do their regularassigned school homework dur-ing that time, then will we haveour daily lesson or activity in sci-ence, math, engineering or tech-nology,” Tamila says.

Besides the science andmath, All Out wants to helpchildren with life skills. “Middleschool students can already bedoing things that will start themthinking about and preparingfor college,” she says. “We’re soexcited about this opportunity.We have lots of ideas.”

Tamila wants the enrichmentprogram to be hands-on, funand enhance what they’realready doing in school. “Wecan take concepts in math, sci-ence and technology and makeconnections to real life. Let’s getall our kids excited about learn-ing,” she says enthusiastically.

At the invitation ofBannister, the Copelands willhave an informational table atthe Diablo View Middle SchoolBack to School Night. All OutSports is also hosting a parent-child golf tournament on Aug.22 at Hiddenbrooke Golf Clubin American Canyon.

For more information on pro-grams at the Clayton CommunityGym, call 374-1422 or visitalloutsportsleague-clayton.com.

CITY MANAGER GARY NAPPER (LEFT) WITH ALL OUT SPORTS LEAGUE

DIRECTOR CASEY COPELAND at the AOSL open house last month.The city of Clayton contracts with AOSL to offer sports andenrichment programs at the Clayton Community Gym, fillingthe void created by the collapse of the Clayton Valley YMCAearlier this year.

Clayton Gym, from page 1

We were able to replace all ofthe broken and worn parts andupgrade the emergency equip-ment to make it more efficientand safer to ride. Dansie and Idid all of the upgrade work our-selves, so we could invest thegrant money into the motorcy-cle instead of labor costs.

I now ride the motorcycle asoften as possible on my regularshift, about 20-25 hours a week,as well as during special eventslike Art and Wine andOktoberfest. Due to a shiftchange, Dansie also expects tobe using it to patrol more onweekends.

I have had the opportunityto speak with a lot of nice folkswalking the trails and to talkwith some not so happy folks Ihave caught committing haz-ardous traffic violations on theroadways. I enjoy the manyquestions and comments I getabout the motorcycle and ourtrail patrols from people on thestreet and on the trails.

I also appreciate the free-dom the motorcycle providesfor me to enter some of ourparks from unconventionaldirections. I’ve seen a few sur-prised looks from juveniles I’vecaught engaging in mischief.

And since a lot of peopleknow the “common” spotswhere Clayton officers watchfor traffic violations, I like tostop in unexpected spots.

My hope is to expand thisproject to add an additionalmotorcycle and get more offi-cers certified to ride. Thatwould mean more opportunitiesto have a motorcycle on thestreet and trails.

The next time you see meriding down the street, don’thesitate to flag me down if youhave a question. And please,don’t run that red light.

For more information on thedepartment’s motorcycle program, call673-7350.

Patrols, from page 1

OFFICER JASON SHAW

Page 11: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

Fourteen states, includingCalifornia, have laws prohibitinginhumane confinement of ani-mals in parked motor vehicles.

Under these laws, police, ani-mal control agents, peace offi-cers and others are authorizedto enter a car by whatevermeans to save the animal. A firstconviction carries a $100 fineper animal. If the animal suffersbodily harm, the fine may be upto $500 and six months in jail.

Overheating in a car canhappen any time of the year butparticularly during the summer.On a 70-degree day, tempera-tures in a car can rise 40 degreeswithin an hour. Cracking thewindows does little to improveventilation. California law con-siders it animal cruelty to leaveyour pet in a hot car to die anagonizing death.

Heat stroke, also called heatprostration or hyperthermia, is

when the body temperaturerises secondary to environmen-tal conditions. Normal cat anddog body temperature rangesfrom 101 to 102.5 degrees F. Asthe temperature rises above 105,serious shut down of the bodyoccurs.

Hot/humid days are themost dangerous. Overheatingcan occur if you leave your petin a hot yard without adequateshade or water, exercise it in theheat of the day or leave it in ahot, poorly ventilated enclosuresuch as a car or garage.

Dogs rely on panting to effi-ciently cool their bodies.Normal dogs pass air quicklyover their tongues, evaporatingsaliva – in turn cooling theblood in the tongue capillaries.This blood cools the body as itreturns to the heart. But heat,humidity and physical bodyconditions can overcome thisnatural air conditioning.

Dogs bred for colder climatesthat have thick double coats are atrisk, such as the Husky, St.Bernard and golden retriever.Although it’s less common, cats

also are susceptible – especiallylong, thick-coated Maine Coonsand the short-nosed Persian.Other contributing factors areobesity and old age.

At most risk are the brachy-cephalic (short-headed) breeds,which include the bulldog, boxer,pug, Boston terrier, Pekingeseand Shih Tzu. The bulldog wasbred with a compressed upperjaw to allow for a more powerfulbite to lock onto the neck of arunning bull. But in reducing thelength of the upper jaw, breederscompromised the upper respira-tory system – creating deformi-ties known as the BrachycephalicSyndrome.

An easily seen deformity isstenotic nares, or small nostrilopenings restricting air intake.Other changes require X-raysand anesthetic to fully assess.Because the nose is too short,the soft palate becomes elongat-ed, blocking air movement intothe trachea. Tracheal stenosis, ornarrowing of the trachea, mayalso be present.

These breeds also common-ly have averted laryngeal sac-

cules. The larynx or voice boxhas two small saccules on eitherside. With chronic stressedbreathing, these saccules turninside out – creating partial air-way blockage.

All of these deformities canbe surgically corrected. In bull-dogs, this is often done at ayoung age as means of preven-tion.

The first signs of heat strokeare excessive panting and agita-tion. There may be largeamounts of drool and nasal dis-charge. Your pet will struggle tobreathe and collapse. Gums willbe blue or bright red – signs ofinadequate oxygenation.

First, remove your pet to acooler environment. Cool thebody by placing cool, wet towelsover the back of the neck, in thearmpits and groin area. Use coolwater on the ears and paws. Thebreeze from a fan will cool byevaporating the water. If possi-ble, take a rectal temperature.Strive to reduce the body tem-perature from 105-plus to 102.5to 103 degrees.

Seek veterinary care immedi-ately. Once at the hospital, thedog will be given a sedative andbe started on IV fluids, oxygenand appropriate shock treat-ment. A referral to a veterinarysurgeon specialist for emer-gency surgery may be needed.

Do not use ice or cold water,because it actually slows downthe lowering of the core bodytemperature. Cold constricts theouter body blood vessels, form-ing an insulation that keeps theheat inside. Also, don’t put yourpet into a pool to cool down.He may be disoriented anddrown.

Do not assume your pet willbe safe for even a few minutesin the car. If you are delayed,you may return to a dead pet –and legal ramifications.

For more information, visitaspca.org.

Fernando Torres is fun,lively pup. He has no shortageof energy and would love tojoin you on adventures. Hisideal adopter will be able toprovide him with a variety ofmental and physical exercisedaily.

The adoption fee for adultdogs is $225 and includes 60percent off one 7-week dogtraining session.

Jeremiah is a gentle, sweetboy looking for a quiet forever

home. He may be a little shy atfirst, but once he is settled in,he will become your best littlebuddy.

The adoption fee for adultcats is $50.

Meet your forever friend atTony La Russa’s AnimalRescue Foundation, 2890Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek,during adoption hours: 3 to 7p.m. Thursday and Friday,Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday andSunday. The primary caretaker

must be present to adopt.ARF also encourages kids 16and younger and canine familymembers (dog adoptions only)to be present during the adop-tion 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.

Fernando and Jeremiah are ARF’s Adoption Stars

August 6, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 11

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Page 12: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

Page 12 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com August 6, 2010

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Diablo FC wins half the titles at Summer Classic

The local competitive soccerclub, Diablo FC, proved suc-cessful at its eighth annualSummer Classic by winning fourof the eight championshipgames and having five more ofits teams finish in second place.

A pair of boys and girlsDiablo FC teams was in thewinner’s circle. The four cham-pionships is one more thanDiablo FC teams won com-bined in the previous twoSummer Classics.

On the boys side, the under12 Diablo FC 98 and under 13Diablo FC 97 teams claimedchampionships. For the girls,Diablo FC 96 won the under 14age group and Diablo FC 95was the winner in U15.

VICTORY AT LAST

Probably no team was happi-er about finishing first thanDiablo FC 95 girls. The U15team had lost in the tournamentfinals the past two years and thiswas the last time they’d be ageeligible to play in the classic.This year’s final victory cameafter a hard-fought champi-onship match 1-0 over their sis-ter Diablo FC 95 Blue team.

Diablo FC defeated BeniciaArsenal 95 3-1, Dublin UnitedHurricanes 3-0 and LivermoreFusion Black 95 3-0 leading upto the finals. Excellent goalkeep-ing from Mikayla Wightman wason display over all four matches

for coach Sissi’s team.The other girls champ from

Diablo FC came in the U14 agegroup. Coach Marquis White’steam was Summer Classicchamps two years ago as well.The local team garnered threeconsecutive shutouts to reachthe championship game, defeat-ing East County United Synergy6-0, Ajax United premier 97 5-0and Mustang Dynamite 3-0.

In the finale, they surren-dered a goal to Ajax United EastBay and ended up tied 1-1 afterregulation play and overtime.Diablo FC 96 won a shootout toearn first-place honors.

SORROW IN SHOOTOUTS

In the two younger agegroups of the Summer Classic,Diablo FC teams were not sofortunate in championshipshootouts.

Diablo FC 97 girls nevergave up a goal in four U13games as defenders Izzy Reyes,Courtney Sheffield, KyraTrowbridge, Caleigh Silva andJade Rafallo front goalkeeperKaylie Collins. However, coachLewis Woodward’s team wasn’table to put even one shot in thegoal during a shootout to losethe finale to Heritage Dynamite.Diablo FC 97 was runner-uptwo years ago in the SummerClassic U11 age group.

The Diablo FC 98 U12 girlsof coach Sissi also fell in theshootout to Ajax United EastBay 99 after a scoreless champi-onship match. The team hadthree straight 0-0 games after

starting the tournament with a4-0 victory over LivermoreFusion 98 Black.

The U13 Diablo FC 97 boysalso endured a pair of runner-up finishes in the SummerClassic the past two years. Thistime they had shutout wins overHayward Charruas 2-0, BayOaks Roadrunners 4-0 andCastro Valley United 2-0. Theymatched up with Atletico SantaRosa United in the finals andcame away with a 2-1 win fornew coach Joel Cazarez.

AN ALL-CLUB FINAL

In the youngest age group,U12, Diablo FC had an embar-rassment of riches as Diablo FC98 met Diablo FC 99 I thefinals. The younger Diablo FC99 team was “playing up” an agegroup in the Summer Classic.The age group championDiablo FC 98 scored 21 goalsand gave up only two in winningfour games comfortably forcoach Mani Salimpour.

A few weeks earlier, DiabloFC 98 made it all the way to thefinals of the prestigious Cal Cupin Sacramento before droppinga 2-1 verdict to host San JuanSC Lightning 99 I the finals.

Although they were playingup an age group, Diablo FC 99scored 25 goals in its first threegames before coach SteveShott’s team was overmatchedby its clubmates in the finals. Itwas especially impressive per-formance because the team usu-ally plays in U11 age group,where the games are 9 vs. 9 as

opposed to the 11 vs. 11 formatin the Summer Classic.

The U14 Diablo FC 96 boysof coach Derricke Brown lost 2-1 in the finals to Atletico SantaRosa Santos despite a brilliantsecond-half goal by JaredAmodio that cut their halftimedeficit in half. They had earliermet the same team in round-robin play, losing 2-0. That losswas sandwiched between DiabloFC 96 victories over AjaxUnited Elite 97 4-1 with goalsby Jonathan Bellesorte, MarshallLyon, Amodio and Daniel

Garcia and Almaden ValleyUnited 96 Green 3-0 as MichaelClancy, Michael Samaniego andGarcia all scored in the secondhalf.

The only age group that didnot have a Diablo FC team inthe finals was U15 boys. Thenationally ranked Diablo FC 95boys were playing the same Julyweekend at the Surf Cup in SanDiego. After losing in the U14finals a year ago, Diablo FCagain made a deep run at SurfCup this year. They lost 1-0 inthe U15 semi-finals to the sev-

enth-ranked team in the UnitedStates, San Diego SurfAcademy, denying them achance to play for the title again.Diablo FC is ranked among thetop 20 U15 boys teams inAmerica.

Diablo FC is hosting itsannual Summer Challenge forunder 9 through under 11 teamsin Concord Aug. 21-22.

For more information and com-plete tournament results, visitdiablofc.org.

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Photo courtesy of Diablo FC

AFTER A PAIR OF RUNNER-UP FINISHES AT THE DIABLO FC SUMMER CLASSIC the under 15 Diablo FC 95girls made their third championship final the charm, winning the championship last month inConcord. The team coached by Sissi includes, front row from left, Lauren Bradley, TaylorMangini; middle row, Haley Cappa, Donna Baldetti, Desiree Martinez, Stephanie Macaluso,Hannah O’Campo, Hannah Harris, Mary Stammers; back row, Sarah Toelkes, BriannaGonzales, Mikayla Wightman, Kylee Smith, Francesca Panella, Kay Hays, Quianna Ashley-White and Megan Coppa.

Photo courtesy of Diablo FC

THE DIABLO FC 96 GIRLS go by the nickname Shockwaves and they were just that in winningtheir own Summer Classic U14 championship. The team includes, front row from left, JessViera-Ramirez, Phia Rumpf; middle row, Taryn Niederberger, Maggie Aires, Lizzie Chavez,Rachel Lindenauer, Kendall Marsh, Jacqueline Laird; back row, Rachel Lanfranchi, BrianneNewell, Jacky Scharff, Shelby Johnson, Kaitlyn Emigh, Michelle Li, Dominike Tambazidis andAle Gonzalez.

Kristian Ipsen won threetitles at the USA DivingJunior NationalChampionships in Tucson inlate July, bringing the careertotal to 16 Junior Nationalchampionships for the 17-year-old from Clayton.

That total would be evengreater had he competed in the2009 meet. Ipsen had justreturned from Rome last sum-mer – where he combined with

Troy Dumais to place secondat the FINA WorldChampionships in the 3-metersynchro competition – anddecided to take a break fromnational competitions after hisfirst major international seniormeet.

In Tucson, Ipsen won the 1-and 3-meter springboard for16-18 boys. His total in the 1Mwas 565.15 and in the 3M575.30. In the latter event, hewas 30.1 points ahead of run-ner-up Michael Hixon. Ipsenand Hixon of Amherst, Mass.,then combined to win the 14-

18 3M synchro event.Ipsen has been competing

in synchro since early last yearwith three-time OlympianDumais. “I expected it to be alittle more difficult,” Ipsen saidof pairing with Hixon. “We’veonly really practiced togetheronce, but everything clickedand it felt natural.”

Ipsen won his individualtitles on the opening two daysof the meet. “I hadn’t been to ajunior meet in a really longtime, so I actually was really

Ipsen racks up three moreJunior National titles

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

See Ipsen, page 13

Page 13: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

August 6, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 13

Clayton Sports HHeellpp tthhee PPiioonneeeerr ccoovveerr tthhee llooccaall ssppoorrttss sscceennee..Send competition results, story ideas, announcements,sports shorts, etc. to [email protected]. Pleaseattach a high-resolution photo whenever available.

Sports ShortsATHLETIC BOOSTERS TOURNAMENT SEEKS GOLFERS

There are still openings for golfers and sponsors at the 19thannual Clayton Valley High School Athletic Boosters Club GolfTournament on Monday, Aug. 16, at Oakhurst Country Club. Thetournament benefits all sports teams at the high school.

The $175 entry fee includes green fee, golf cart, tee prize, golfshirt, course drinks, lunch and dinner.

For more information, contact tournament director Dave Looney at 285-9903 or visit cvhsboosters.org.

BRAZILIAN SUPERSTAR MARTA AT CONCORD SOCCER CLINIC

Girls and boys ages 7-14 are invited to the FC Gold PrideCommunity Clinic next Thursday, Aug. 12 at Boatwright SportsComplex in Concord. Four-time FIFA World Player of the YearMarta and other Pride players will be teaching the soccer clinic host-ed by Diablo FC. Registration for the clinic includes a ticket to anFC Gold Pride game. Register at fcgoldprideacademy.com or call(888) 541-3511.

FALL BASKETBALL LEAGUE AT CLAYTON COMMUNITY GYM

All Out Sports is offering a seven-week basketball league forboys and girls age 4-14 starting Sept. 18 at the Clayton CommunityGym. Walk-in registration will be accepted 6-8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15,at the gym.

For more information or to register, visit alloutsportsleague-clayton.com.

DIABLO FUTBOL PRE-SEASON AYSO SOCCER CAMP

Diablo Futbol Club professional coaches will present the firstMDSA Pre-season Camp 9 a.m.-noon Aug. 9-13 for AYSO playersin MDSA and other recreation programs.

The camp staff will concentrate on a single soccer skill each day.The camp is at the Boatwright Sports Complex in Concord.

For more information, visit diablofc.org.

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The numbers are remark-ably similar year after year:More than 900 swimmers rep-resenting nine recreation swimteams in Concord and Claytonwill descend on ConcordCommunity Pool Fridaythrough Sunday for the 44thannual Concord City Meet.

The swimmers age 4 up to18 combine for more than2,500 entries and 300 relays.The event is hosted by theSpringwood Swim Team andpart of the Concord Cup youthsports series.

For the Oakhurst Country

Club Orcas and Dana HillsSwim Team Otters, the meet isan opportunity for swimmersto measure themselves againstthe best of Concord’s rec teamswimmers in A and B divisioncompetition. Dana Hills hasespecially enjoyed the citymeet, with seven consecutive Ateam titles and 17 of the past18. Springwood won the 2002team title, interrupting DanaHills’ dominance.

Oakhurst coach JaneRobinson says the Orcas areexcited for the city meet. “Thisis the culminating meet of theseason for most of our swim-mers and we are expectingmany ‘Pop’ (personal best)

times.”The Orcas have 68 swim-

mers participating. “We hope tohave many swimmers qualifyfor the county swim meet,”Robinson adds. “A few of ourhopefuls include MeganMorimoto, Brianna Murray,Tyler Hanson, Sofia Earle,Henry Smith, Ryan Roo, NickFuentes and Clarice Roo. Theywould join Grace Smith andErika Wolfram at the countymeet.”

The team expects to havemany finalists in the A and Bdivisions. “We are also excitedto see the debut of 7-8 NolanDegener’s new dive,” the coachsays.

Dana Hills has more than30 county meet qualifiersbefore league and city meets,including swimmers who havemade county qualifying times inthree or more events each.These multi-event qualifiers areDerek Anderson, BekahPadilla, Sarah Hamilton, AshleyJennings, Josh Harmon,Michael Chiok, Nikki Palmer,Justine Trimble, Sara Abele,Melissa Schoell, Niklas Weigelt,Lily Stagner, Alina Weigelt,Anthony Vines and LoganSherman.

The city meet begins 6 p.m.Friday with individual medleytimed finals. Saturday andSunday competition runs allday from 8:30 a.m. at ConcordCommunity Pool. Admission isfree.

A cadre of more than 100Springwood Swim Team fami-lies plan and organize themeet. The other eight partici-pating teams provide volun-teers to time, score, marshal,judge and do other jobs on thepool deck.

The annual summer recre-ation swim season ends Aug.14-15 at the Contra CostaCounty Meet, this year atDiablo Valley College.

Rowing neophyte Kara Kohler takesWorld Championship gold in Belarus

Two weeks ago Sunday, thelights were on in the Claytonhome of Mike and Caryl Kohlerat 4 in the morning as they lis-tened to the live online feed of aboat race from Brest, Belarus,which is 10 hours ahead ofPacific time.

It wasn’t just the women’seight finals at the WorldRowing Under 23Championships. The Kohlerscheered on the USA boat withtheir youngest daughter Karajoining her American team-mates as they beat NewZealand and Canada to the fin-ish line for the gold medal andworld championship.

“It was pretty exciting. Wetalked to Kara a few hoursafter the race and she said theteam was thrilled to win,” MikeKohler says. “They had beenin the practice lake next to thecourse during the morningraces and kept hearing nation-al anthems played during thevarious medal ceremonies –which made them want thegold even more. She said shecouldn’t imagine a better wayto wrap up her first year in thesport.”

The American women’seight crew took home worldchampionship gold for the thirdtime in the last five years. In atight race, only 0.37 secondsseparated the top four crewsthrough the first 500 meters.The USA then surged ahead andtook a 1.50-second lead at themidway point. By the finish, theUnited States held more than afour-second advantage andcompleted the 2,000-metercourse in 6:31.97. New Zealandwas second in 6:36.48, followedby Canada.

BIG CAL TURNOUT

Kohler had never participat-ed in crew 12 months ago as sheprepared to begin her freshmanyear at Cal, after graduating

from Clayton Valley HighSchool in June 2009. She quick-ly adapted, earning a spot in thePac 10 champions No. 1 crewand was named conferenceNewcomer of the Year thisspring.

She was invited to try out forthe Under 23 national team andwent through an intensive evalu-ation and training period duringJune and July in SouthernCalifornia and on the EastCoast.

While making her debut withthe national team, Kohler wasjoined by Cal teammate MaryJeghers on the U.S. women’seight. Jeghers was a part of theU.S. eight that won world silverlast year. Additionally, theircoxswain was Ariel Frost ofWalnut Creek.

Cal rowers Nareg Guregian,Samuel Walker, Nick Lucey andZachary Vlahos teamed in themen’s eight that captured silverat the Under 23 Championships.

In Belarus, the Americancrews brought home sevenmedals, breaking the previousrecord of four won in 2002.The USA entered all 21 eventsat the World Championships.

DEDICATED ATHLETE

Kohler and the U23American team stayed at theSolnechny Health-ImprovingCenter, which her daddescribed as a Belarusianmountain spa. “The team hadthe entire place to themselves.Kara texted that she felt likethey were in the middle of anenchanted forest.”

The Kohlers are extremelyproud of Kara. “She hasworked hard and is so focusedwhen she puts her mind tosomething that it is nice to seeher achieve this level of suc-cess,” he dad adds. “Of course,a parent’s view of their child’ssuccess can be biased to someextent, so it is gratifying whenwe hear comments from hercoaches and teammates abouthow focused Kara is when shesets a goal. Kara’s Cal coach,Dave O’Neill, posted a link to aPioneer article on Cal Crewtwitter and he said, ‘Go KaraKohler. A terrific athlete andeven better person.’ Commentslike that mean more than herathletic success.”

One of Kohler’s Americancrew teammates, Felice Mueller

of Cleveland, wrote a blogthroughout the national teamtrials process. Mueller wrote ofKara: “I knew coming to campthat I would be training with thefastest collegiate girls in thecountry, but quite honestly, Iwasn’t prepared for this. Myroommate, Kara, who’s fromCal Berkeley, is a perfect speci-men of athleticism. She’s 6-2and her body is perfectly pro-portioned, toned muscle. AndKara was a freshman last year.You may be thinking, well she’sjust a freak of nature. But inactuality, all the girls here arejust like Kara. Tall, jacked andfast. I can tell you now beforeseat racing starts that it’s goingto be cut throat to make thisU23 eight.”

Kohler arrived home twodays after the finals with exactlyone month off before her soph-omore classes at Cal start. Thesame day she got home, she toldher parents that she is thinkingof meeting up with a coach atBriones Reservoir to do somesculling (two oars per person)because she has not done muchof that and would like to getbetter at it.

Nine teams vying for glory at 44thConcord swim meet this weekend

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Photo courtesy USRowing

CLAYTON’S KARA KOHLER (5th from left) on the gold medal stand with her American teammatesafter they won the women’s 8 at the World Rowing U23 Championships late last month inBrest, Belarus. The Clayton Valley High graduate capped a whirlwind rookie year in the sportwith the world championship gold medal.

nervous. I’m happy I stayedconsistent,” he said.

With those titles, he quali-fied to represent the USA Sept.1-6 back in Tucson for theWorld Junior Championships.“Junior Worlds is a really funmeet and I wanted to have achance to compete on as manyboards as possible,” added

Ipsen, who won the 1-meter atthe 2006 Junior Worlds.

The local diver has littletime to rest on his laurels ashe’s at Texas A&M for theAT&T NationalChampionships. He’ll be in the3M springboard and teamed upwith Dumais in the 3M syn-chro.

Then he returns to start hissenior year Aug. 18 at De LaSalle High School, getting acouple weeks of class in beforeheading to Arizona for theWorld Juniors.

Speaking of world champi-onships, the Junior Nationalsended July 27 – exactly twoyears to the day before the startof the 2012 London Olympics,where Ipsen hopes to be wear-ing the red, white and blue ofthe American team

Ipsen, from page 12

Page 14: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

Page 14 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com August 6, 2010

CLAYTON EVENTSSaturdays through OctoberFarmers Market8 a.m.-noon Saturdays, Diablo Street between Main and Center,downtown Clayton. No markets Sept. 4 and Oct. 2. pcfma.com or800-949-3276.

Aug. 14, 28Concerts in theGroveAug. 14: DiamondDave covers theclassics and thelatest hits. Aug. 28: East BayMudd is a 10-piececover dance band.6-8:30 p.m., GrovePark, downtownClayton.

Aug. 21CBCA Rib Cook-off/Membership DriveSponsored by the Clayton Community and Business Association. 7a.m.-7 p.m., Clayton Club, 6096 Main St. Judging completed by 2p.m., with public tastings after. Contestant applications at clayton-cbca.org and at the Clayton Club. 672-2272.

Through Sept. 15Classic Car Exhibit2-4 p.m. Sundays and Wednesdays, plus 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays tocoincide with the Main Street Car Show. Clayton Museum, 6101Main St. 672-0240 or claytonhistory.org.

EVENTS/ENTERTAINMENTThrough Aug. 7“Laughter on the 23rd Floor”Neil Simon’s salute to gifted writers and comedians. Diablo ActorsEnsemble, 1345 Locust St., Walnut Creek. $10-$25. 866-811-4111 or diabloactors.com.

Through Aug. 8“Footloose”With the Willows Theatre Youth Conservatory. AlhambraPerforming Arts Center, 350 E St., Martinez. $10-$15. 798-1300or willowstheatre.org.

Aug. 10Civic Arts Young Performers Orchestra/Diablo Regional Youth OrchestraA mix of “Pirates of the Caribbean” and classical music.Shadelands Auditorium, 1111 N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek. $10.943-5846.

Aug. 13-21Diablo Actors Ensemble One-Act FestivalFeaturing middle and high school students. 1345 Locust St.,Walnut Creek. diabloactors.com or 866-811-4111.

Aug. 14Lee Harvell Classic Car ShowFree barbecue, music and a water play area for kids. 5:30 p.m. tosunset, Crossroads Church, 5353 Concord Blvd., Concord. To reg-ister a car or motorcycle, crossroadschurchweb.org or 798-5905,ext. 204.

Aug. 16-Sept. 19“Six Women with Brain Death,or Expiring Minds Want to Know”A wacky musical satire from the Willows Theatre Company.Campbell Theatre, 626 Ward St., Martinez. $22-$30. willowsthe-atre.org or 798-1300.

Aug. 16Diablo Valley Masterworks Chorale Auditions6 p.m., Diablo Valley College Music Building, M-101, Pleasant Hill.228-3293 or masterworkschorale.net.

Aug. 19Big Band Summer Concert7:30 p.m., Civic Arts Education Shadelands Auditorium, 111 N.Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek. $10. 943-5846.

Sept. 2-Oct. 10“She Loves Me”Considered the most charming and romantic musical ever written.Center Repertory Company, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. $19-$45. Centerrep.org or 943-SHOW.

Through Sept. 16Music and Market SeriesConcerts 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, Todos Santos Plaza, downtownConcord. ci.concord.ca.us or 671-3464.

CLASS REUNIONAug. 21Clayton Valley High School Class of 1990Dinner, dancing and reminiscing. 6 p.m.-midnight, Wildwood AcresResort, Lafayette. For tickets, make a $100 check payable to“CVHS Class of 1990 20-Year Reunion” and deposit it to WellsFargo account 5713376928 or mail to Julie Moss, 120 ShorelineCircle, No. 441, San Ramon, CA 94582. Include your emailaddress in the memo field. Or contact Kim at 425-417-0320 [email protected].

FUNDRAISERSSept. 19Murder Mystery DinnerSponsored by the Clayton Valley Woman’s Club. 4:30 p.m.,Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Dr., Clayton. $45,includes dinner and the murder mystery with local celebrities. clay-tonvalleywomans-club.org or 969-9885.

Sept. 20Friends of Camp Concord Golf TournamentHosted by Dan Ashley at Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 PeacockCreek Dr., Clayton. friendsofcamp.com.

Through Sept. 30Collection of Locally Grown ProduceDonations benefit the Monument Crisis Center. Drop off 10 a.m.-2p.m. Mondays, Mt. Diablo Peace Center, 55 Eckley Lane, WalnutCreek. Or at the Crisis Center 9 a.m.-noon and 1:30-4 p.m.Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays or 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays,2350 Monument Blvd., Suite B, Concord. Contact Mary at 933-7850 or [email protected].

AT THE LIBRARYThe Clayton Library is at 6125 Clayton Road. Most programs arefree. 673-0659 or claytonlibrary.org.

Aug. 9 Clayton Library Book Club Sunny Solomon leads discussion of “The Pastures of Heaven” byJohn Steinbeck. 7 p.m.

Aug. 12 “Secrets to Tapping the Hidden Job Market”Learn how to find out about and get hired for jobs that aren’t list-ed. A free interactive workshop with Marilyn Ashlin of AshlinCareer Consulting Services. 1-3 p.m.

Tuesdays through Aug. 17Patty CakesStorytime for babies to 3 year olds. Child attends with caregiver.Drop in 11 a.m. Tuesdays.

Thursdays through Aug. 19Picture Book TimeStorytime for 3-5 year olds. Child may attend without caregiver.Drop in 11 a.m. Thursdays.

Aug. 25“Free and Low-Cost Job Training”Learn about job training programs in East Contra Costa County. Afree workshop by Opportunity Junction. 2 p.m.

MEETINGSAug. 10, 24Clayton Planning Commission7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304or ci.clayton.ca.us.

Aug. 11, 25Mt. Diablo Unified School District7:30 p.m., 1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord. mdusd.org.

CLUBSClayton Business and Community AssociationMeets 6:30 p.m. the last Thursday of the month, except holidays,Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 Peacock Creek Dr., Clayton. CallSue at 672-2272.

Clayton Valley Garden ClubMeets 6:30 p.m. Aug. 11, Clayton Valley Pumpkin Farm, 1060 PineLane. Sharon Osteen talks about vermicomposting with worms.Contact Nancy at 673-3522 or claytonvalleygardenclub.org.

Clayton Valley Woman’s ClubMeets 9:30 a.m. for coffee, 10 a.m. meetings, second and fourthTuesdays of the month, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1090 AlbertaWay, Concord. Meetings begin again in September. Call Joan at672-2471.

Clutch Busters Square Dance ClubMeets 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Willow Pass Community Center Hall,2748 East Olivera Road, Concord. Contact Karen at 686-3774.

Concord Stompers Square Dance ClubMeets 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Willow Pass Community Center,2748 East Olivera Road, Concord. Call Jennie at 672-9676 orangelfire.com/id/stompers.

Contra Costa Chess ClubMeets 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursdays, Starbuck’s, 1536 Kirker PassRoad, Clayton. Players of all ages and skill levels welcome.Contact Mike at 639-1987 or uschess.org.

Contra Costa Mineral and Gem SocietyMeets 7:30 p.m. second Monday of the month, Centre Concord,5298 Clayton Road. 779-0698 or ccmgs.org.

Creekside Artists GuildMeets 7-8:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month, ClaytonLibrary Story Room, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton. All artforms andboth emerging and experienced artists welcome. Contact Arlene at673-9777 or [email protected]. Creeksideartists.org.

Diablo Valley Democratic ClubMeets 7-9 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month, Ygnacio ValleyLibrary, 2661 Oak Grove Road., Walnut Creek. 946-0469 ordvdems.org.

Diablo Valley Macintosh Users GroupMeets 6:30-9 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month. BancroftElementary School, 2700 Parish Dr., Walnut Creek. 689-1155 ordvmug.org.

East Bay Prospectors ClubMeets 7 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of the month, Gold PanCalifornia, 1021 Detroit Ave., Unit D, Concord. Clayton residentDoug Junghans is president. eastbaygpaa.webs.com or 672-1863.

Knights Of Columbus, Concord Council 6038Meets 7:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month, except holi-days, Cauchi Hall, St. Agnes Catholic Church, 3966 Chestnut St,Concord. Contact George at 685-9547 or visit kofc6038.org.

Rotary Club of Clayton Valley/Concord SunriseMeets 7 a.m. Thursdays, Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 PeacockCreek Dr., Clayton. Includes breakfast and a speaker. 566-8166 orclaytonvalleyrotary.org.

Scrabble ClubMeets 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. second and fourth Saturdays of themonth, Carl’s Jr. Restaurant, 1530 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton. Allages and skill levels welcome. $3 fee. Call Mike at 639-1987 or scrabble-assoc.com.

Sons In Retirement (SIRs)Meets 11:15 a.m. the first Thursday of the month, Crown PlazaHotel, 45 John Glenn Dr., Concord. The chapter no longer meetsat Oakhurst Country Club. 429-3777.

Soroptimist International of Diablo VistaMeets 12:15 p.m. the first, second and third Wednesdays of themonth, September-June, Sizzler, 1353 Willow Pass Road, Concord.Clayton resident Sue Manning is president. 672-2727.

Widows/WidowersMeets for dinner, brunch, theater, etc. This is not a dating servicenor is it a grieving class - just a way to meet other people. ContactLori at 998-8844 or [email protected].

Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. AUG. 9 FOR THE AUG. 20 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO [email protected]

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Page 15: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

If you’ve had the kids all summer, itmight be time for a laugh before you sendthem back to school.

The Willows Theatre Company is here tohelp, bringing back one of its funniest andmost popular musical shows – “Six Womenwith Brain Death, or Expiring Minds Wantto Know.”

“Six Women” is the supermarket tabloidscome to life. It’s a fast-paced, take-no-pris-oners satire of life and pop culture from anentirely feminine standpoint.

In a series of bizarre, hysterical songsand sketches, the show explores TV soaps,“genuine press-on nails,” Barbie and Ken’ssecret fantasy life, divas and a unique way ofrecycling – with an unforgettable detourthrough a forest where Bambi meets Rambo.

The Willows has assembled a talentedcast that includes Erica Richardson, Jujuana

Williams, Kristine Lowry, Denmo Ibrahimand Muraya Ranieri. Lowery was last at theWillows as the Baroness in “Hats: TheMusical.” Williams turned heads in “ForeverBroadway” earlier this year at the HerbstTheatre. Richardson was the feisty tune-bel-ter Dionne in the Willows production of“Hair.” Ibrahim is a seasoned Bay Area per-former, playwright and co-founder of thephysical theatre troupe Mugwumpin. Ranierihas been a band singer since the age of 13and also plays drums.

The production is directed by artisticdirector Richard Elliott, with musical direc-tion by Tim Hanson and choreography byNicole Helfer.

Clayton’s own Catherine Gloria playedLucy in the Willows production of You’re aGood Man, Charlie Brown.

“Six Women” plays Aug. 16-Sept. 19 at theCampbell Theatre, 626 Ward St., Martinez. Fortickets, visit willowstheatre.org or call 798-1300.

August 6, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 15

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Takes a snarky look

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Theatre

Wacky ‘Six Women’ anoutrageously audacious comedy

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Special to the Pioneer

Photo: David Faustina

“Six Women...” features (clockwise fromthe top), Jujuana Williams, EricaRichardson, Muraya Ranieri and KristineLowry.

Book Review

Following ‘Grace’ a worthy war adventure

After a spate of Hollywoodblockbusters about World War IIa few years ago, I decided I wasdone with the narrative of a man’swar, the killing, the heroism.

I know war is “real” and Iknow that it often happens forjustifiable reasons, but I hadenough. Then I discoveredanother version of that epicpiece of history: a woman’s ver-sion. I recently had the goodfortune to encounter “Days ofGrace” by Catherine Hall,whose point of view is a wel-

come change.The narrative of “Days of

Grace” runs on a parallel track.One line tells the story of ayoung girl from London,shipped off to the countrysidefor safety during the dark daysof World War II. The othertrack offers the progressiveslide of an old womanlooking back on a quicklyguttering life. The story’sconclusion meets some-where in the middle.

The story openswith 12-year-old NoraLynch as she is sepa-rated from her moth-er and shipped off tothe English country-side, where bombspresumably will not fall fromenemy planes. It is a strangeexperience for a city girl to leavethe regularity of an orderedexistence and be supplanted in abewildering country life.

Nora is placed with a surro-gate family belonging to the Rev.Rivers, his wife and their daugh-

ter, Grace. Nora falls easily intolife with the Rivers family. Moreimportantly, she finds in Grace aloving and resourceful sister,and, as passionate young girlscan be, Nora and Grace becomeinseparable.

When Nora is given thechance to return to London,

she chooses toremain with theRivers family. Itis an understand-able choice for agirl in her posi-tion. However,after five years inthe country, newsreaches Nora thather mother’s apart-ment has beendestroyed in aGerman bomb blast.

Full of remorse, she decides toreturn to London. Not a girl tobe left behind by her best pal,Grace tags dutifully along.

The second narrative of thenovel takes the perspective ofNora as an old woman near

death. Her story unravels back-ward, to the days when she andGrace arrived cold, hungry andscared in bomb-ravagedLondon. Having lived manyyears in the city, Nora wasstreet-wise, but Grace was acountry flower, easily swallowedup in the city grit.

Arriving in the city penni-less, the girls were befriended bya local thug who gave them aplace to live, ostensibly becausehe was such a swell guy. Gracewas overjoyed, but Nora couldsee what was coming. She had afront row seat to Grace’s slowdestruction, helpless to do any-thing but stand close to pick upthe pieces as best she could.

Let me just say that the endof “Days of Grace” is both sadand triumphant. It is a perfectsummer read.

CYNTHIA GREGORY

FOR THE BOOKS

Cynthia Gregory writes bookreviews, award-winning short storiesand a blog. Visit her at www.twogirlstakeonlove.com or write [email protected]

Toys really shine in third movie in classic seriesToys can hold memories of

the joyful, carefree times of ouryouth. Picking up an old favoritetoy sparks a hint of that beliefthat your toys were thinking,feeling, comforting creatures.

But toys can also be reallycreepy in the right lighting, and“Toy Story 3” brings both funand scary toys into the mix.

By the third movie in mostsequel chains, the story starts towear thin. This one faces thatfact head on rather than tryingto cover it up with bigger,shinier and louder gags.

The nostalgic story wantsyou to remember the family oftoy characters (voiced by TimAllen, Joan Cusack and others

from the previous films) fromthe original 1995 film and its1999 sequel just as you might acherished plaything from yourchildhood. But now the kidswho loved the first movie aregrown up and the parents whotook them are thinking aboutthe next phase of life – and thismovie caters to both groups.

Growing up and growingolder involve scary uncertaintiesand here those fears are embod-ied by evil toys and uncontrolledtots in the new environment ofSunnyside day-care center.

When the toys’ child Andy(voice of John Morris) getsready for college, his favorite toycowboy Woody (voiced by Tom

Hanks) and the other toys face“retirement” to the attic.Through a series of mishaps,they instead end up going to aday-care center that at firstseems an ideal place for a toybut becomes nightmarish whensome of the resident toys turnout to be ruthless dictators run-ning things like a prison camp.

Although it is rated G, someof the scenes at Sunnyside arefrightening. Remember that“lifelike” baby doll with the lazyeye staring at you in a darkroom? If you never had night-mares about it before, youmight after this movie.

But like most real-life fears,these obstacles can be overcomeand eventually everyone findstheir places and the movie finds

its warm and satisfying wrap-up.The toy characters may seem

antiquated when matched upagainst the electronic games andgadgets that today’s kids wantfor Christmas, but the writersreally know these toys and knowhow to make them both funnyand lifelike, without losing their“toyness.”

Within the first five minutes,I couldn’t help but smile as thecolorful hair of the troll dollsblew past in the windows of atrain. I don’t know why that’sfunny, it just is. And the writerwho thought to show what itlooks like from the inside ofBuzz Lightyear’s plastic helmetwhen a drooling child licks ittruly understood how to getinside that toy’s imaginary head.

“Toy Story 3” makes for agreat summer movie with itshumor and thoughtful nature, aswell as a few thrills and chills tokeep the story moving along.

DON PEDRO CRUZ

AT THE MOVIES

Don Pedro Cruz is a local free-lance writer and graphic designer.Send your comments [email protected]

������

Movie Review

Pixar Animation Studios/Disney Pictures

An exuberant toddler prepares to slobber all over BuzzLightyear’s helmet in “Toy Story 3.”

Page 16: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

One hundred and 50 yearsago, Thomas Bedford missed theboat.

Good thing, becauseBedford’s tardiness is one reasonConcord’s Tom Crews became aleading expert on the AmericanWest’s Pony Express.

Crews, a retired Army CorpsEngineer and avid photographer,got hooked on investigation andexploration in high school. AnEnglish teacher’s poetry assign-ment started the whole thing.

“Everyone hated her, but Iliked her,” Crews says. “I hatedpoetry though, so when sheassigned us to collect poems, Itried to think of one subject Icould stand. I chose transporta-tion.”

He didn’t learn to love poetry,but he did learn a lesson that

defines his life’s work.“I found out the narrower

and narrower you make a sub-ject, the more and more you canget out of it,” he says.

A LOVE OF RESEARCH

After graduating from theNaval Academy, Crews appliedthat same zoom-lens philosophyto engineering work on Navydestroyer ships. Nine years later,stepping off the deck inAlameda, he joined the ArmyCorps of Engineers. “My jobwas to provide reports for per-mits for anything that impactedthe wetlands or the coastline,” heexplains.

Investigating project propos-als satisfied the explorer inCrews. Sometimes, the researchtook only days; other times, itrequired years. Speaking of itnow, there’s no frustration in histone. He says the process of

looking closer, then closer again,was satisfying.

Eventually, he moved fromthe Army Corps to an environ-mental planning company in SanFrancisco. There, he followed anunusual path to his next subjectof study.

“I was a partner and therewas a seminar I wanted to goto,” he says. “It was in PuertoRico and I thought, ‘Well, that’skind of cool.’ I told the compa-ny I’d go to any seminar theyhad.”

For the trip, Crews pur-chased a camera and shot pho-tos. “The day I got those photosback, I went right to the camerastore and upgraded to a singlelens reflex camera,” he says.

Soon, he had joined theContra Costa Camera Club.“That’s when I really began,” hesays. “I had a dark room in myhouse. I even became presidentof the club after a bit.”

PERUSING PONY EXPRESS

ARCHIVES

Hobby grew to be profes-sion: Crews became a salesmanand instructor at Reed’s Camerasin Walnut Creek. In 1990, whileplanning the family’s annualsummer road trip, he noticed aPony Express Station on aNevada map.

“It triggered a memory I hadof a statue in Sacramento,” herecalls.

About the same time, afriend gave him a NationalGeographic magazine articleabout the Pony Express, andCrews was on a quest. “Withthat, not only did I have a story, Ihad a map. I started researching,”he says.

Pausing to clear his throat, hethen confides: “You know, I getinvolved in stuff and get tooverkill. By the time I got done, Ihad a foot-high pile of PonyExpress information.”

And, he’d found a fascinatingtidbit. The Express, which ranfrom St. Joseph, Mo., to

Sacramento,where mailwas sent toSan Franciscoby steamer,had comet h r o u g hContra CostaCounty 150years ago.

Although itcame through twice more in 1860and had a stop in Lafayette for aperiod of time, this was the first.

“It turns out the PonyExpress actually came throughhere because they missed theboat in Sacramento,” he says.

FACT BEFORE FICTION

In typical fashion, Crews dugdeeper. “The original articlesnever said how old the ContraCosta rider was,” Crews says,“but in a much later Beniciapaper, it said he was 13.”

The rider’s age, the youngestin Express history, became partof common folklore. Intrigued,Crews narrowed his focus again.

“I studied newspapers and an1860 census and found out thatThomas Bedford was actually 32.He wasn’t 13 – a reporter hadjust made it up.”

The allure of tantalizing his-torical discoveries has captivatedCrews. His Website, xphomesta-tion.com, offers historical facts,photos, quizzes, maps and linksto more information about thePony Express. He continues toshare his love of photographywith students at Walnut CreekCivic Arts Education and severalBay area camera stores.

And wherever he heads, youcan expect him to follow the trailto its end.

Crews will be speaking on thePony Express to the Benicia StateParks Association at 2 p.m. Sunday,Aug. 29, in the Commanding Officer’sQuarters of the Benicia Arsenal. TheCOQ was restored (again) and reded-icated in 2009. There is no charge forthe lecture.

Page 16 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com August 6, 2010

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Clayton Community Churchis celebrating a new award forspiritual growth.

The Bartlett L. Hess Awardwas delivered to the membershipon July 18 by Jeff Jeremiah, stat-ed clerk for the EvangelicalPresbyterian Church, for demon-strating the most innovativeapproach to church growth orrevitalization. The annual awardencourages positive, repro-ducible innovation with others inthe EPC denomination.

The EPC consists of morethan 260 churches and about85,000 members. According toJeremiah, EPC’s priority is shar-ing Jesus Christ and the gospelwith those who need healing andredemption. The Hess Awardrecognizes efforts to declareJesus’ praises in the communityand the world.

“A church that is healthy andvital will attract people who arelooking or need answers,”Jeremiah said.

“This award is not about(CCC Pastor) Shawn Robinson,this award is about you,”Jeremiah told the congregation.“Recognizing, cheering, pattingyou on the back for the work youare doing in your ministry.”

Hess was one of the found-ing fathers of the EPC. Praisedas a great leader and visionary, hepastored with skill and care. Heplanted daughter churches andrevitalized tired churches.

“Bart Hess was not that greata preacher or speaker,” Jeremiahadded.

“That’s why we won theaward?” Robinson interjected.

“Nooo,” Jeremiah retortedwith a laugh.

Hess believed that the people

of the church were the “livingstones” of 1 Peter 2:5. He count-ed his stones one by one. “If oneof the stones is missing, pastorand people need to know why.”

If you were absent fromHess’ congregation for threeSundays, you could expect hisrumbling voice on the phone onthe third Sunday afternoon. Ifyou were a first-time visitor inhis church, by Sunday eveningyou would have heard from him.By Monday morning, your name

would be on the evangelism pas-tor’s desk and, if you returnedthe next Sunday, Hess wouldgreet you by name.

Clayton Community Church meetsat 9 and 10:45 a.m. Sundays in themulti-purpose room at Diablo ViewMiddle School. For more information,stop by the church office at 6055 MainSt., Clayton, call 673-9060 or visitclaytoncc.com. For more informationabout the Evangelical PresbyterianChurch or the Bart Hess Award, visitepc.org.

Clayton Community Church honoredwith Hess award for church growth

NICCI SHIPSTEAD

Clayton Pioneer

CCC’S SENIOR PASTOR SHAWN ROBINSON accepts the Bart HessAward, a sort of Spirit’s spirit-award for the EvangelicalPresbyterian Church denomination, from regional Stated ClerkJeff Jeremiah.

ChurchNews

CLAYTON VALLEY CHURCH

The church will host its sec-ond Back 2 School Giveway 10a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14.

While supplies last, thechurch will give away free schoolsupplies to help families in thecommunity get ready for school.

The church is at 5430Michigan Blvd., Concord. Formore information, call 672-3397.

High school poetry assignment sparkslocal historian’s Pony Express passion

LOU FANCHER

Clayton Pioneer

TOM CREWS

Page 17: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

August 6, 2010 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 17

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Rating: EasyTrailhead: Mitchell CanyonTrail Statistics: 4 miles total length. This walk

follows the Mitchell Canyon-Deer Flat-Back CreekLoop for the first two miles where the trail beginsclimbing by switchback up to Deer Flat. At thepoint where the climb begins, turn and retrace yourwalk.

Description: Take Mitchell Canyon Road intothe northern entrance of Mount Diablo State Parkand park at the Mitchell Canyon Staging Area. Thishike route is extremely popular in the spring andearly summer when wildflowers are abundant.There are ten identified stops following theMitchell Canyon Trail Guide that can be obtainedat the Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center in theStaging Area.

After parking, begin the hike by continuing onMitchell Canyon Road. The Mitchell Canyon Roadtrail follows Mitchell Creek as it winds its wayaround the side of the mountain. The route beginswithin an oak savanna woodland, a lightly forestedgrassland with oaks as the main species of tree,and then enters a riparian or creekside community.Riparian areas are the green and vegetated sectionsalonga rivers or streams. The shaded north expo-sures are alive with wildflowers in the spring.Watch for the California quail and butterflies alongthe hike as well. Once you have traveled about twomiles along the Mitchell Canyon Road trail the ele-vation will begin to rise as the trail climbs to meetDeer Flat Road trail. At this point you can turnaround and begin heading back towards theStaging Area for a 4 mile round trip.

You may alter a portion of your return by fol-lowing the Globe Lily Trail which offers a modestelevation gain and provides wider vistas. To reachthe Globe Lily Trail, after turning around onMitchell Canyon Road trail to head back, turn leftonto Red Road trail where Mitchell Canyon forks.Follow Red Road briefly until you reach Globe Lilytrail. Head right on Globe Lily trail which will endat Black Point Trail after a little less than half amile. Turn right on Black Point Trail then left backdown Mitchell Canyon Road to the Staging Area.

For information on more hikes visitwww.SaveMountDiablo.org and click on the HikeSchedule.

Mitchell Canyon Nature Trail

Take a hike

By Ali Van Otterloo and Beryl Anderson

Save Mount Diablo

Dear gardenia, why do youtrouble me so? I love your shinygreen leaves and your intensely fra-grant blossom, and yet you keeplosing your leaves, as their colorpales with yellow, and your flowershave become fewer in number.What can I do for you to makeyou happy again, gardenia? Pleasetell me the secret to succeeding withyou in my garden.

Gardenia bushes are hard tokeep happy in Clayton Valleylandscapes and gardens. Theyneed fertile, rich soil, substantialmorning sun, regular water andfertilizer, with the occasionaldose of iron. Satisfying theseneeds is easier said than done.

Most of the time, the garde-nia shrubs that I encounter areleggy, yellowish plants with ahandful of flowers that seem tostress the bush, rather thanaccessorize it.

Success begins with properinstallation for almost any shrubespecially gardenias. They arefamously picky plants, with moreneeds then our Clayton Valleysoils can naturally provide.Gardenia roots like to travel fornutrients, and our sticky, com-pacted clay soil holds them backand keeps them stagnant andunhappy.

MAKE THAT SUPER-SOIL

When installing a new garde-nia, you must amend the soil.Incorporate compost with yournative dirt. Ideally you makeyour own compost, but pur-chased compost can work well ifthe ingredients contain fir orcedar bark, earthworm casting,bat guano, chicken manure andbeneficial bacteria.

Work the compost into thenative soil, dug in and through.As you water the plants, thecompost breaks down and feedsthe soil. Resist the temptation touse compost or planting mixeswith fertilizer mixed into the bag.It is better to control what yourplants are getting and when.

Gardenia bushes like to befed often. They look forward toregular, monthly feedings of alight, acid fertilizer. Most acid-based granular fertilizers havenumbers less than 10 on the

labels. This is perfect, becausegardenias like small meals often,not a blast of heavy feeding dur-ing installing. That’s all you need,since that bag says “good forthree months.”

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE

If you have previouslyinstalled gardenias or have inher-ited them in your landscape, youcan still cultivate some compostnear the drip line. Adding nutri-ents naturally is desirable forthese finicky shrubs. Spread a 2-3 inch layer of compost underthe gardenias and water thor-oughly.

Depending on the compact-ness of the area, you’ll probably

need to use a liquid soil pene-trate to introduce the compostto the gardenia roots. Withoutusing one, all the good stuff maydrain away from your plant.

Perc-o-late Plus by MontereyGarden Supply is so good forClayton Valley landscapes that itshould be mentioned by name.This product will allow the soilto accept nutrients and wateragain, while boosting it with atouch of mild fertilizer.

BY THE NUMBERS

Now is the time to judgewhat type of fertilizer youshould apply to existing garde-nias. You’ll need two differentpotencies. If your gardenias havemany buds, use a food with alarger middle number and asmaller first number. The firstnumber on a fertilizer label is fornitrogen, and the use of nitrogenpromotes growth of stems. Thesecond number is geared for thebuds of your plant. If you havebuds, you don’t want to encour-age stems to grow because theywill cover up your buds and youwon’t get to enjoy the flower.

Now consider how your gar-denia is watered. If you water bydrip system, you will need to usewater-soluble fertilizer. If youwater with a sprinkler system,you have the luxury of usinggranular fertilizer.

Like people, gardenias needfood and vitamins. If you see thegardenia leaves turning yellow-ish, it is time for vitamins.Gardenias will need iron and sul-fur almost every quarter. I like touse different types of irondepending on the time of year.With my summer and fall feed-ings, I’ll use liquid iron; Dr. Ironis my product of choice. Winterand spring, while it’s still raining,F.S.T. is my favorite granularproduct.

Always follow the label direc-tions when applying fertilizer. Ifthe label says 2 tablespoons pergallon, resist the urge to usemore. We don’t want productrunoff it’s not responsible gar-

dening.

BEWARE OF GENERIC LABELS

Gardenia plant labels arenotoriously deceptive for ourClayton Valley. Growers do notchange out plant tags per nurserylocation, so you have to judgeeach plant for yourself.

If you choose a plant and thelabel says full sun, considerwhere we live. Our climate isnormally hot and dry in summer,with even dryer winds. Youwould never think that ourweather is the same as Berkeley,so why would we plant the sameplant in the same place?

Gardenia plants are shadelovers that can tolerate blasts ofsun. Morning sun is perfect for agardenia in the Clayton Valley. Acouple hours of late afternoonsun would do for a gardenia aswell.

Gardenias love to be plantednear the home or a fencebecause they appreciate the extrawarmth provided by the struc-tures during the winter.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

If you are planting or giftinga gardenia, choose some of theeasier to grow varieties – such asthe Gardenia jasminoides.Family members include Vecheiiand First Love. Both are fantas-tic, with smaller leaves that areeasier to keep green. You canexpect 3-4 feet of height andwidth from those selections.

Gardenia August Beauty willgrow taller and makes a nicepatio tree. Gardenia Mystery is alarge, leggy selection that is bet-ter grown on an espalier or tiedup a post, since it can reach 5-6feet tall and wide.

With time, you’ll see that thefragrance of the bloom from agardenia is worth all the workput into the shrub.

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

A little TLC and morning suncan tame the finicky gardenia

Page 18: AUG 06 Clayton Pioneer 2010.pdf

Page 18 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com August 6, 2010

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Yes, Virginia, there is a dayto celebrate s’mores – the classicAmerican treat of grahamcrackers, melted chocolate andtoasted marshmallow. So ear-mark Aug. 10 and stock thepantry to have some fun.

S’mores emerged as a camp-fire treat in the early 1900s aftercommercially prepared marsh-mallows became available. Thetraditional recipe was first pub-lished by the Girl Scouts as“Some Mores,” with the nameshortened some years later.

Although most of us gatheraround a campfire or BBQ tomake s’mores, some upscalerestaurants have started to placethem on the menu, served table-side with a personal grill so youcan toast your own.

Like most recipes, peoplehave been tinkering with theingredients to come up with dif-ferent combinations. The AkronBeacon Journal recently pub-lished a list of its top picks,including:

Baklava: Cinnamon grahamcrackers and toasted marshmal-

low, drizzled with honey andtopped with chopped walnuts.

Banana split: Graham crack-ers spread with strawberry jam,banana slices, milk chocolatebar and toasted marshmallow.

Berry delicious: Grahamcrackers spread with strawberryjam and a toasted strawberrymarshmallow.

Caramel apple: Cinnamongraham crackers spread withcaramel dip and peanut butter,slices of Granny Smith appleand toasted marshmallow.

Chantilly cream: Grahamcrackers spread with raspberryjam or preserves, white choco-late bar and toasted marshmal-low.

Choc-o-holic: Chocolatecookies or chocolate grahamcrackers, dark chocolate bar andtoasted chocolate marshmallow.

The Elvis: Cinnamon gra-ham crackers spread withpeanut butter, banana slices andtoasted marshmallow.

Raspberry truffle: Chocolatecookies or graham crackersspread with raspberry jam, darkchocolate bar and toasted straw-berry marshmallow.

Turtle: Graham crackersspread with caramel dip, milkchocolate bar, toasted marsh-mallow and chopped pecans.

Worth a mint: Chocolatecookies or chocolate grahamcrackers, creme de menthe can-dies and toasted chocolatemarshmallow.

If you’d like to make yourown homemade marshmallows,Alton Brown of the FoodNetwork has a foolproof recipe.

HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOWS

(Makes 1½ lbs.)

3 packets unflavored gelatin1 c. ice cold water, divided12 oz. granulated sugar

(about 1½ c.)1 c. light corn syrup¼ tsp. kosher salt1 tsp. vanilla extract¼ c. confectioner’s sugar¼ c. cornstarchNonstick spray

Place the gelatin into thebowl of a stand mixer along with1/2 c. water. Have the whiskattachment standing by.

In a small saucepan, combinethe remaining 1/2 c. water, gran-ulated sugar, corn syrup and salt.

Place over medium high heat,cover and allow to cook 3-4 min-utes. Uncover, clip a candy ther-mometer onto the side of thepan and continue to cook untilthe mixture reaches 240 degreesF, 7-8 minutes. Once the mixturereaches this temperature, imme-diately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speedand, while running, slowly pourthe sugar syrup down the side ofthe bowl into the gelatin mixture.Once you have added all of thesyrup, increase the speed to high.Continue to whip until the mix-ture becomes very thick and islukewarm, 12-15 minutes. Addthe vanilla during the last minuteof whipping.

While the mixture is whip-ping, combine the confectioner’ssugar and cornstarch in a smallbowl. Lightly spray a 13-by 9-inch metal baking pan with non-

stick cooking spray. Add thesugar and cornstarch mixtureand move around to coat thebottom and sides of the pan.Return the remaining mixture tothe bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the marsh-mallow mixture into the pre-pared pan, using a lightly oiledspatula to spread evenly. Dustthe top with enough of theremaining sugar/cornstarch mix-ture to lightly cover. Reserve therest for later. Allow the marsh-mallows to sit uncovered for atleast 4 hours and up toovernight.

Turn the marshmallows outonto a cutting board and cut into1-inch squares, using a pizzawheel dusted with the confec-tioner’s sugar mixture. Once cut,lightly dust all sides of eachmarshmallow with the remainingmixture. Store in an airtight con-tainer for up to 3 weeks.

My cooking school, Pans onFire, recently served 400 peopleduring a wine tasting evening. Weoffered a pork shoulder braisedin Coca Cola with a CarolinaBBQ sauce (hmm, that’s anothercolumn) and DeconstructedS’Mores, which were grahamcracker tidbits covered in ahomemade marshmallow creamand topped with shaved bitter-sweet chocolate. Oh, yeah!

LINDA WYNER

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Linda Wyner, a local attorney andfoodie, owns Pans on Fire, a gourmetcookware store and cooking school inPleasanton.

Direct your suggestions or questionsto [email protected]

These aren’t your

grandma’s s’mores

AAUW Tech camp inspiresDiablo View students

Three Diablo View Middle School studentsreturned from Tech Trek camp singing its praises.Megan Haley, Kelsie McNiff and Monishaa Sureshcalled it “wonderful,” “amazing” and “unforget-table.”

Diablo View teacher Cynthia Brewington recom-mended the three to attend Tech Trek, sponsored bythe American Association of University Women(AAUW). The students had to write an essay on howmath and science affects the world and were inter-viewed by a panel before being accepted.

At camp, the students explored math and scienceby doing hands-on experiments such as extracting

DNA from a cheek swab and meeting with womenin careers using the two fields. One guest was a solarengineer who worked on a project to transfer infor-mation from solar panels to computers. “I felt luckyto be able to talk to her since we are trying to bemore green,” Monishaa says.

The camp included core classes, with additionallabs allowing in-depth examination of topics. Fieldtrips to Safari West and kayaking in Tomales Bayemphasized that math and science are fun as well aseducational.

The campers stayed in the dorms at SonomaState and ate cafeteria food, having the full collegeexperience and making new friends – a network thatwill grow and support their future endeavors.

The girls used the word “cool” many times todescribe the experience, experiments and people. “Ihope to go back as a counselor in a couple of years,”Kelsie professes.

Monishaa and Kelsie attended the July ClaytonBusiness and Community Association meeting tothank the club for helping sponsor the camp andshare their experiences. Both girls plan to stay inmath and science studies throughout their educa-tions. Kelsie wants to be a pediatrician and Monishaawould like to be a marine biologist.

All three students will be speaking at theSeptember AAUW meeting. Kelsie is the eighth-grade Student Body president for this coming schoolyear at Diablo View and has been asked to do a pres-entation for sixth-graders to encourage them toapply for the program.

PAMELA WIESENDANGER

Clayton Pioneer

AFTER ATTENDING THE AAUW TECH TREK CAMP,Kelsie McNiff (foreground) plans to continuein math and science. She wants to become apediatrician.

Punishment is not a permanent solution to prob-lem behavior. It stops a behavior momentarily, whilediscipline focuses on how the child will conducthim/herself in the future.

To effectively communicate with a child, adultscan establish eye contact and get down to his or herlevel. Get their attention and be firm without yelling.Use simple and clear statements such as “No, thatwas not nice” or “Don’t do that.”

Try to avoid sending a child mixed messages,such as saying “Don’t do that” yet hugging the childafter reprimanding. This confuses the child and tellsthem that you are not serious about what you say. Italso increases the likelihood of the behavior occur-ring again.

If you utilize a time-out, it should be in a safe, lit,non-threatening area within view of the adult andshould be stimulus-free (without TV, radio, books,toys, people or pets). Time-out should not be usedfor a child to escape a non-preferred activity.Children should only be on time-out one minute peryear of age (i.e. 2 years, 2 minutes).

Being consistent and following through are thehardest parts of disciplining a child, but the hardwork eventually pays off. Reward and praise yourchild or student on a daily basis when he/she isdoing the right thing to help build confidence. Youwill notice how much more they will want to do theright things in order to please you and make youproud.

Portley is a child development specialist with We CareServices for Children. Contact her [email protected].

Parenting, from page 7


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