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www.claytonpioneer.com January 9, 2009 925.672.0500

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

Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

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

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

Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . .15

Deal With It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

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

DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

From the Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Letter to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Movie Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

On the Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

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

Safety Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

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

Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Travel Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

What Really Matters . . . . . . . . . . .4

What’s Inside

JULIE PIERCE

MAYOR’S CORNER

Reflections on asuccessful ‘08

For Clayton residents, 2008 was amilestone year. We opened our newGrove Park on Jan. 12 and it’s beenbusy ever since. The park has fulfilledour dreams and become the heart ofour historic downtown.

It’s bringing families together askids meet their parents in the park afterschool. Warm summer nights foundhundreds of us eating and relaxing tomusic in The Grove. Skipolini’s Pizzaeven made deliveries to the park – awe-some!

Did any of you notice the mysteri-ously placed Santa hats on the childrenin the circle on Christmas Day? Fun.

At the Jan. 6 City Council meeting,we reviewed concerts plans for nextsummer. We operate on a lean budgetof just $20,000 for the entire summer,and the cost is shared equally by theClayton Business and CommunityAssociation and our economic devel-opment fund.

Also in 2008, Moresi’s Chophouseopened in our downtown and we wel-comed Sam Sandhu back after a longabsence at the rebuilt and updatedVillage Market. He’s actively lookingfor a ground floor retail tenant on theCenter Street side.

Flora Square is just about ready forthe economy to rebound and has ten-ants lined up for several spaces. Plansare in process for the new Rivulet proj-ect to be built across from EndeavorHall. The Royal Rooster on DiabloStreet is a great place to go when youneed a unique gift or card for anyone –even yourself ! Fulfill your new year’sresolution to get in shape at the new

Flag flies at half-staff for slain soldier

See Mayor, page 14

Clayton bids farewell to 2008 with free family event

The war in Iraq came bitterly closeto home last week when Pvt. BenjaminTollefson, husband of Natalie HartleyTollefson and son-in-law of Ed andCecelia Hartley was killed in action onNew Year’s Eve.

The soldier was assigned to theSpecial Troops Battalion, 2nd HeavyBrigade Company Team, 1st InfantryDivision when his unit was attacked byinsurgents in Ghazaliya. He was just 22and the father of 8-month old MacJames.

The community reacted with shockand sadness as word of the family’sloss quickly spread. A small groupgathered quietly in the fog on NewYear’s morning at the VFW flagpole onMain St. while the American flag waslowered by veterans to half-mast. Thescene was repeated the next morning atthe VFW hall in Concord. The gover-nor ordered the flags in the state capi-tol lowered and issued the followingstatement:

“Maria and I were deeply saddenedto learn of the passing of PrivateBenjamin Tollefson, who dedicated hislife to protecting the ideals of thiscountry. He was a true patriot and hisservice to our country will never beforgotten. On behalf of allCalifornians, we send our thoughts andprayers to Benjamin’s family, friendsand fellow soldiers as they mourn thisloss.”

By Friday afternoon, the networkswere beginning to call, eager for thedetails that were still unavailable.“Information just doesn’t flow overthere like it does here,” explained theMajor Desiree Soumoy, the Army’sCasualty Operations Officer. “And,they’re fighting a war.”

The family is well known in thecommunity. Natalie works downtownfor local insurance broker, JoeMedrano and was a student member ofthe city’s Community ServicesCommission. Ed Hartley is on thePlanning Commission.

Ben and Natalie, both 2005 gradu-ates of Berean Christian High School,were high school sweethearts. Theywere married Dec. 6, 2007.

Ben enlisted on Aug. 15, 2007 andwas stationed at Ft. Riley, Kan. “Hewanted to be in the Army for a longtime,” Hartley said. “He wanted to be asoldier. He was a good man.”

Ben was officially listed as a private,but was due to be promoted to PrivateFirst Class on Jan. 1.

He was deployed to Iraq in Octoberout of Ft. Riley, Kan. Natalie has beenliving with her parents since his deploy-ment and was planning to move to thebase in April to wait for his return.

Ben will arrive at Buchanan airportunder military escort on Thur., Jan. 8.There will be a viewing open to thepublic at Ouimet Bros. Funeral Chapel,4125 Clayton Rd., Concord on Fri., Jan9, from 5 - 9 p.m., with a brief serviceby the Veterans of Foreign Wars at 7.

A full military funeral will be Sat.,Jan 10, at Walnut Creek PresbyterianChurch, 80 Lacassie Ave., WalnutCreek. Burial will follow at GoldenGate National Cemetary, 1300 SneathLane in San Bruno.

A memorial fund for Ben and Natalie’sson, Mac James, has been set up at WellsFargo Bank, Kirker Pass Office, AccountNumber 5815378889.

See obituary on page 6.

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

A SMALL GROUP GATHERED AT THE FLAGPOLE DOWNTOWN on New Years Day as veterans of the VFW Post 1525lowered the flag to half-mast to honor Pvt. Ben Tollefson who was killed in Iraq on Dec. 31. In foreground,VFW Ming Hanson, Tollefson’s mother-in-law Cecelia Hartley, VFW Pete Laurence, father-in-law Ed Hartley.

If there’s one thing Clayton reallyknows how to do, it’s throw a party. Artand Wine, summer concerts, tree light-ing, July 4 Oktoberfest and, for the sixthyear, Clayton Counts Down on NewYear’s Eve all draw hundreds, sometimesthousands, from Clayton and beyond

The alcohol-free, family event start-ed at 6:30 and was jumpin’ by 6:40. Anestimated 1000 revelers chowed downon hamburgers and hot dogs, popcornand cookies donated by Clayton’sCookies by Design and slurped sodas,coffee and hot chocolate.

Dozens of kids did what everyonedoes when the karaoke machine is firedup – they got up and sang.

In the crafts room, table after tablesparkled and glittered with pipe cleaners,sequins, feathers and ribbons as young

hatmakers feverishly worked on theirtheir creations for the Crazy Hat con-test.

In a smaller room, a cut-throat gameof musical chairs was getting close tothe finish and in the big gym, kidsworked off their sugar-highs in thebounce house.

Finally, it was time for the Crazy Hatjudging. It was tough, said CouncilmanJoe Medrano, in his official capacity as ahat contest judge. “It’s not fair to makeus pick just one,” he laughed. “These areall great.”

Samuel Maytum, 7, walked away withfirst place in the Under 10 division.“We’ve been working for days, “ saidmom, Veronica. “We got up this morn-ing working on the hat.” With its com-plex arrangement of balloons and pipecleaners, Samuel’s hat looked like it

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

See Around Town, page 2

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

CITY MANAGER GARY NAPPER had as much fun as the kids during the karaokesing at Clayton Counts Down where he stood in as stage manager.

Page 2 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 9, 2009

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might go airborn at any minute.“Anything is Possible,” an

imaginative four-person hat bythe Moghbel and Schoell sisterswon first place in the Over 10division.

Ariana and Roxana Moghbeland their best friends, Kristinaand Melissa Schoell, each cameup with her own hat design. Itwas Ariana’s idea to tie the fourtogether with garland and enteras one. “We didn’t want anyoneto feel bad if they didn’t win,”she explained.

By 9:30, the excitement wasover and everyone except theclean-up crew had gone home.

Clayton Counts Down issponsored by the city ofClayton. The free event is fund-ed with donations from localbusinesses

Pictured clockwise from far left: 1. An imaginative four-person hat took theOver 10 division in the Crazy Hat Contest.Ariana Moghhel in “Bunny Ears,” KristinaSchoell in “Cat in the Hat,” RoxanaMoghbel in “Monkey Islands,” and MelissaSchoell in “Party Animal;” 2. PeggyBidondo and granddaughter Brooke workedtheir way down the crazy hat crafts table; 3.U10 Crazy Hat Contest winner, SamuelMaytum, 7; 4. Bob Steiner dishes up whileJoan Manniing and Craig Johnson stock thegrill; 5. The Wells siblings Cooper, 7, Abbey,12 and Katie, 10 and Scott Rodriquez, 7,put the finishing touches on their “crazyhats.”

Photos by Tamara Steiner and Steve Pierce.

Around Town

Cynthia Lynn West andKristofer Michael Kendrick haveannounced their engagement.They plan to be married on Aug.15 at Spindletop Hall inLexington, Ky.

The bride-to-be is an adminis-trative account assistant atPreston-Osborne and lives inLexington. The 2005 graduate ofClayton Valley High School wrotefor the Clayton Pioneer as a stu-dent. She graduated from theUniversity of Kentucky in 2008.

The groom-to-be is a gradu-ate student at ShenandoahUniversity and lives inWinchester, Va. He is a 2001graduate of Belfry High Schooland a 2007 graduate of theUniversity of Kentucky.

Cynthia’s parents, Debbie andNeal West, live in Foothill Ranch.Kristofer’s parents, Debbie andMitchell Kendrick, reside inLexington and Decherd, Tenn.

Cynthia West to marry Kristofer Kendrick

CYNTHIA WEST AND KRISTOFER KENDRICK

Clayton Counts Down for 2009 at family event

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January 9, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 3

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Around Town City employees honored at annual dinner

When Ed Bryce went to thecity of Clayton annual dinnerlast month, he knew he wouldbe receiving his 20 year servicepin. But, what he didn’t knowwas that the City Manager’sEmployee Achievement Awardand a standing ovation andwould follow.

Bryce joined the city ofClayton maintenance depart-ment in July 1988 and has beenworking on the city’s landscap-ing and infrastructure since.“He’s kind of like the ‘unsunghero’ of the city,” says CityManager Gary Napper. “Whenyou want something done withno complaints just go to Ed.”

When he isn’t installing, fix-ing, pruning or mowing some-thing, he oversees the workerssent to Clayton by the countysheriff ’s department under theWork Alternative Program. Hesees real value in the program.“They seem to have a little morerespect, more responsibilitywhen they leave us,” notesBryce, who plans on at leastanother six years with the city

before he retires.Also honored at the dinner

were several members of thepolice department with peer-voted recognitions. PoliceDepartment Coordinator LynnChrist was voted Employee ofthe Year. Last year, Christ receivedthe City Manager’s AchievementAward. She is probably bestknown for organizing and coordi-nating the city’s CommunityEmergency Response Training(CERT) program.

Richard McEachin wasnamed Officer of the Year, Russ

Eddy received Reserve Officerof the Year, Matt McLaughlinwas honored as Explorer of theYear.

The Volunteer of the Yearaward went to Jim Webb, whoprovides administrative supportto the department for severalhours a week. Webb is one ofthe original volunteers with theVolunteers in Police Service(VIPS) program which is goinginto its third year in Clayton.

“We’ve really become relianton him,” says Chief DanLawrence.

Photos by Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

ED BRYCE received the City Manager’s Employee Achievement Award

POLICE DEPARTMENT Employee ofthe year, Lynn Christ.

Police dispatchers servingboth Clayton and Concordmade a difference in the lives ofthe Groebner family of Claytonwith a Christmas gift to help thefamily through some difficulttimes.

Katie Grace Groebner, 6,suffers from pulmonary hyper-tension and had recently beenrushed to the hospital due to aninfection in the line feedingmedication directly to her heart.

Tracey Downing, the policedispatcher who spearheaded theeffort to raise money for theGroebner family for Christmasexplained their motivation. “Isaw the article on Claycord.comabout Kate Grace and I wasamazed by the story of KatieGrace, as well as what the peo-ple of Clayton were doing.”Downing explained that thepolice department usually workswith the city to adopt a family inneed over the holidays, howeverwith the Groebner family they

wanted to do more. “We alltalked about it together,”Downing added, “and decidedto do something for her.”

The “something” mentionedwas an envelope of gift cards to

different stores, one for KatieGrace, one for her sisterSavanha, and one for the familyas a whole.

“The girls got cards to theLimited Too stores,” KathyGroebner, Katie Grace’s moth-er, reported. “They love to playdress up. Tracey had contactedme while we were still in thehospital. That was so nice ofthem to do that. The girls werehappy.”

In addition to the gift cards,the girls also received new bicy-cles from the fire department,and had a visit from Santa Clauswhile still in the hospital.

Kathy Groebner is gratefulfor all the support given to herfamily from the community.“I’m glad that we were able todo this,” Downing said of thedispatcher’s gift. “Katie Gracewas the perfect person for it.”

Katie Grace was releasedfrom the hospital shortly beforeChristmas, although she had toreturn there Christmas Eve dueto a blockage in the temporarymedication line. She returns toStanford for a new Broviacmedication line Jan. 15 and thefamily hopes that the ongoingtreatments will keep KatieGrace’s pulmonary pressurelowered.

- André Gensburger

Police dispatchers’ act of generosity helpsmake a happy Christmas for local family

André Gensburger/Clayton Pioneer

TRACEY DOWNING is one of theClayton/Concord Police dis-patchers who spearheaded theeffort to give Katie GraceGroebner a special Christmas.

Photo courtesy of the Groebner family

THE GROEBNER FAMILY, John, Savanha, Katie Grace, and Kathy posefor a Christmas day photograph.

What’s happeningAround Town?

Send your news and photosof your births, engagementsweddings, special recognitions,etc. to info@claytonpioneer.com.

Page 4 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 9, 2009

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Park, Town Center, concerts take center stage in 2008January

The long awaited downtownpark opened. The one-acre par-cel at the corner of Main andMarsh Creek Roads was pur-chased with redevelopmentmoney in 1999 for $500,000, butit wasn’t until 2006 that Claytonvoters approved funding foroperation and maintenance.Described as “Clayton’s crownjewel,” the park is anchored by aredwood gazebo donated by theCBCA and features the “Circleof Freedom,” a life-sized statueof children playing Ring Aroundthe Rosy by Utah artist GaryPrice.

In late January, the VillageMarket re-opened after beingseriously damaged by fire in

2004. The store was closed forfour years while owner SamSandhu sued Farmers Insurance,successfully settling the suitOctober 2005. Known locally as“The Blue Store,” the marketnow is tan in color in compli-ance with the Town Centerdesign requirements.

The city named UzomaNwakuche as the developer forthe two parcels on Oak Streetacross from Endeavor Hall.

Faced with possible changes increekside set-back requirementsthat could potentially render theland useless for development,Nwakuche and the city willexpedite the project in order toget the building permit issuedbefore July of 2009 when it’sexpected that the Regional WaterQuality Control Board will acton the changes. The two-storyproject will add more than15,000 square feet of retail spaceto the Town Center.

FebruaryThe City Council approved

changes to the Town CenterSpecific Plan, eliminating suchuses as meeting halls and the-aters and requiring new develop-ment to be two-story, ground-floor retail. The amendmentsparked controversy because of

Clayton Community Church’sstated plans to build a worshipcenter on the 1.66 acre parcelnext to their office on MainStreet. The church was relyingon the pre-amended TCSPwhich listed places of assemblyas an approved use of TownCenter land when they pur-chased the lot in 2007.

MarchStaff Sgt. David Bryant was

awarded the Bronze Star Medalfor heroism in combat andreturned home to Clayton after15 months of “boots on theground” duty in Iraq.

City Manager Gary Napperappointed David Woltering asCommunity Services Director,replacing Jeremy Graves wholeft on March 31 to take a cityplanner position for the city ofSausalito. Woltering came toClayton from the city of Cotati,where he was director of plan-ning for seven years.

AprilLenox Homes completed

Mitchell Creek Place behindEndeavor Hall. The “pedestrianfriendly,” nine-home develop-ment added to the changes at thewest end of town.

MayMay was a huge month for

downtown Clayton. The PacificCoast Farmers Market came totown in response to the promiseof increased business from thecrowds drawn downtown by thepark. And business boomed ascustomers filled every table atCup O’ Jo, shopped for gifts atThe Royal Rooster and lunchedat local eateries. The vendorbooths ran the length of DiabloStreet between Main and Centeron Saturday mornings throughOctober and plans to be back in2009.

On May 23, ThreeDimensions Plus One filled theair with the sounds of jazz andblues as the first of the summer

concert series opened in theGrove. Music lovers began togather early with baskets andbags stuffed with picnic fare.The series, co-sponsored by theCBCA and the city of Clayton,ran 14 Saturdays throughSeptember 20, with some of thesummer concerts drawing anestimated 1,800-2,000.

JuneClayton Community Park, on

the hill behind the gym, under-

went a major facelift with newplaygrounds, barbeques andshade covered picnic areas,including a covered group areathat seats 120. The $350,000project was completed in timefor the July 4 weekend.

JulyConstruction began on a

590-ft. stone retaining wall toreplace the crumbling wood wallalong Marsh Creek Road. Theproject was plagued with delays.The biggest hurdle was a hugetelecommunications cable run-ning parallel to the street. Whenthe contractor started digging,he discovered that the cable was-n’t exactly where he expected itto be, requiring a major redesignof the wall which was completedin November.

AugustAugust saw the beginnings

of an issue that would hit themajor networks the followingmonth. A vegetable stand, oper-ated by two young girls at thecorner of Pine Hollow andMitchell Canyon, was shut downby the city after a neighbor com-plained. The stand came underthe municipal code sectionwhich designated it a “commer-cial activity” and was in viola-tion of city law. Following acouple of spirited public hear-

ings, the veggie stand stayedclosed and the Council askedthe city staff to come up withsome recommendations foramending the municipal code todeal with neighborhood com-merce.

Eight candidates announcedtheir intentions to run for thethree open City Council seats.

Over $400,000 in Clayton’sRedevelopment Agency moneyfell victim to the state’s growing

budget deficit. The Council fearsmore loss to the state in 2009.

OctoberClayton Valley High School

celebrated its half century markwith an exhibit of memorabiliaat the museum, a float in theannual Homecoming Parade,and an alumni football game fol-lowed by a dinner were amongthe activities. The CVHS Hall ofFame inducted 16 athletes fromas early as 1961.

The Clayton BocceFederation asked theRedevelopment Agency to con-sider using public money to funda bocce park on the parcel nextto the city’s maintenance yard.The city is leasing the land to theFederation for $1 a year. Initialbids for building the boccecourts range from $580,000 to$1.6 million, much higher thanoriginally anticipated by theFederation. The issue was heldover for the new council’s con-sideration in January.

NovemberIncumbent Julie Pierce, Joe

Medrano and Howard Gellerwere elected to the City Council.Pierce took over the mayor’s seatfrom Gregg Manning who,along with Bill Walcutt, retiredfrom the council.

Clayton Community Churchmoved ahead with plans to builda church in the Town Center. Atan Open House in Novemberthe church presented a concep-tual design for a mixed usedproject which includes 14,000square feet of retail/commercialspace in addition to a 500-seatchurch. The project carries anestimated price tag of $6-$8 mil-lion. Shawn Robinson, CCC’spastor, expects to apply to thecity for a use permit sometime in2009. Approval will require anamendment to the TCSP to addmeeting halls back to the list ofapproved uses in the town cen-ter.

DecemberRetiring council members

Gregg Manning and Bill Walcuttwere honored at a “roast andtoast” party at Oakhurst on Dec.4. Manning served on the coun-cil for 22 years, Walcutt for 11.

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

Gordon Gekko, a characterfrom the movie “Wall Street,”preached that “Greed is good.”No, it’s not. In the movie, just asin real life, the avarice on WallStreet teaches a painful lesson.

We are now pointing a lot offingers at the corporate over-lords for getting us into thismess. But the truth is, many ofus have not shown muchrestraint either. We’ve been liv-ing dangerously high on the hogfor a long time.

Studies reveal the averageAmerican saves less than onepercent of his or her annualincome. Believe it or not, that isactually an improvement fromwhere we were in 2005 when,on average, we spent moremoney than we earned.

Compare that to the savingsrates of other industrializednations. The French andGermans save about 12 percent,the Japanese save 20 percentand the average wage-earner inChina socks away 24 percent ofeach year’s pay.

We were getting away with itfor awhile, with plenty of good-paying jobs, rising stock pricesand home values going through

the McMansion-sized roof. Noharm, no foul. But suddenly,poof! Millions of people havelost their jobs and can’t find newones, Wall Street has dropped6,000 points in a year – takingour 401Ks along for the ride –and, as for the price of ourhomes, it’s hard to even talkabout that.

Now, sadly, the chickens thatwe bought with our tapped-outcredit cards are coming home toroost. The endless pursuit ofmore stuff has left the averageAmerican household with ninecredit cards carrying $16,000 indebt. And there’s no federalbailout plan in the works to saveus.

There is an even darker sideto our bottomless appetite forconsumerism, which we sawdemonstrated so grotesquely at aWal-Mart in New York staterecently. An employee wascrushed to death by a stampedingherd of day-after-Thanksgivingshoppers rushing out of controlfor holiday bargains.

Across the country, therehave been a number of shoot-ings at malls, and retailers arebeing forced to beef-up security.A bad economy can bring outthe worst in people.

Not that we deserve any ofthis. But perhaps, if there is asilver lining to this financial dis-aster, it might refocus our prior-ities.

Living with less, perhapseven a degree of sacrifice, mightmake us stronger – individuallyand collectively. It did for theso-called “greatest generation”of Americans. They survived afar direr financial crisis in theGreat Depression. The men

went off to Europe to fight theNazis while the women tooktheir reins on the home front.Then together, they rebuilt thecountry after the war.

My grandmother used totalk about government collec-tions of anything families hadthat was made of metal, whichwas needed for the warmachine. She also told of grow-ing and raising their own foodand washing clothes by handwith lye soap they made them-selves on the farm.

Admittedly, times are goingto have to get a whole lottougher before I start makingmy own soap, but surely wecould find ways to tighten ourbelts and do with a little less.These are very difficult days inthis country, but we’ve hadmany that were far worse; theCivil War, Great Depressionand World War II are the obvi-ous ones. Americans had thegrit to survive those periods ofour history, and I believe we arecapable of measuring up to thesame standard for the crisis ofour time.

The austerity our falteringeconomy is forcing upon us mayultimately bring us dividendsthat, at the moment, are difficultto anticipate. So as we staredown this recession and the ris-ing anxiety it brings, let us try tokeep in mind that what reallymatters is what we stand for, thetime we spend with those wecare about and what we con-tribute – not what we own.

With a slowing economy, it’stime to take stock of values

DAN ASHLEY

WHAT REALLYMATTERS

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES runs from May through September

Photo by Sue Elliott

JANUARY: The Downtown Park opensFARMERS MARKET opens in May

Dan Ashley is an anchor atABC-7 News and can be seen week-nights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. on ABC-7 and at 9 p.m. on KOFY-TV20.

January 9, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 5

Tutor

My students love to learn! I teach through

positive reinforcement and establish an

excellent rapport with my students. I am

an experienced elementary classroom

teacher and tutor for grades 1-5, all sub-

jects. Please call me to discuss your

child’s needs. Mrs. Powell 925-876-2399

HELP WANTED

Real Estate Agents

Be Successful! Lynne French is expanding

and interviewing for a few agents. Call

her today (925) 672-8787.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED

Meals on Wheels Drivers

1 – 1 1/2 per week. Drivers and relief

drivers needed for delivery of Meals on

Wheels in East County. People are on the

waiting list due to lack of drivers. A small

amount of your time can make a big dif-

ference in someone’s life. If you can help,

please call Jim at 673-0300 or e-mail

hairbyjim@sbcglobal.net.

Pleasant Hill, CA– Make a Difference at

a Hospice Thrift Shoppe

Volunteer at one of the Hospice Thrift

Shoppes located in Alamo, Danville,

Walnut Creek, Concord and Antioch. You

will have the opportunity to help cus-

tomers, stock shelves and prepare mer-

chandise for sale. Thrift shops are an inex-

pensive way to find old treasures or vin-

tage clothing, but for the volunteers in our

thrift shops, it's a way to make a differ-

ence in a meaningful way."

Anna’s Attic Volunteers

Volunteers needed at the Hospice of the

East Bay thrift store. The address of the

store is 5350 Clayton Road. Call store

manager, Debbie at 674-9072 or Lamont

Campbell at (925) 766-5066.

Hospice of the East Bay

Anna's Program, (formerly Hospice and

Palliative Care of Contra Costa), is seek-

ing dedicated, caring volunteers to provide

home companionship and practical sup-

port for women with recurrent breast can-

cer. Women served reside in Central or

East Contra Costa. To apply for free train-

ing, call Hospice of the East Bay at (925)

887-5678 and ask for the Volunteer

Department, or email volunteers@hos-

piceeastbay.org. Anna's Program is gener-

ously supported by the Susan G. Komen

for the Cure, Anna's Attic Thrift Shop, and

other community donations.

Clayton Historical Society Museum

needs a greeter for two hours per month

from 2-4 p.m. Wednesdays or Sundays.

No experience or extensive knowledge of

Clayton history is necessary. All you need

is a cheerful smile and a "hello" as our

guests come through the door. You'll meet

interesting people and learn a lot about our

historic town. Call the museum at 672-

0240 and leave your name.

Clayton Community Library. We are

seeking to fill the following volunteer

positions: (All positions require a mini-

mum age of 13 years and a 6 month com-

mitment.) Lead Tutor - to help facilitate

the request for tutors in our volunteer

tutoring program. You will match the stu-

dents needs with a corresponding tutor.

Required good communication skills and a

desire to help students in the community.

Telephone and email work can mainly be

done from home. Graphic Displays and

Events Photographer - can be done by

one or two people.Take photos at our

many library events and put the photos on

display in the library before it is eventual-

ly placed in our library scrapbook. Choice

photos of library events can be used for

submitting to newspapers. Contact: Arlene

@ 673-9777 or email:

akikkawa@ccclib.org

Auto

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

Diablo Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288-0981

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

Construction and Trades

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

Insite Design and Build . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .980-0465

Granelli Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .858-3866

Michael Dwyer & Sons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-3980

S&K Nellis Painting, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .687-2233

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

Straight Line Imports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335-9801

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

Dining and Entertainment

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

La Veranda .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-0011

Financial and Insurance Services

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

Carol Keane and Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .937-5200

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

College Planning Specialists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .627-2648

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

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

Thomas J. Miller, CPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354-1385

Travis Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-877-8328

Fitness

Fit 2 the Core . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-888-542-CORE

Funerals

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

Home and Garden

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

Alise Interiors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .988-9990

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

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

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

Lamorinda Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .284-4440

Navlet’s Garden Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .681-0550

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

Pans on Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .600-7267

Son Bright Window Cleaning Service . . . . . . . . .674-9455

The Maids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-6243

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

Welcome Home House Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . 584-5980

Window Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-1930

Mailing and Shipping

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

Postal Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .524-9030

Medical Services

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

Personal Products and Services

Beautique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0405

Betsy’s Hair Affair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .689-3800

Quit Your Job & Work From Home . .877-336-8369 x 4712

Rosebud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-888-476-7328

The Healing Hut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .685-6710

Pet Services

Aussie Pet Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .800-738-6624

Cat Hospital of Clayton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2287

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

O’Brien Family Pet Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .899-7354

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

Rodie’s Feed and Country Store . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4600

Real Estate and Mortgage Services

Flannery, Patty - Diablo Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0541

French, Lynne - Windermere Real Estate . . . . . .672-8787

Laurence, Pete - RE/MAX Realty . . . . . . . . . . . .937-0150

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

Morucci, Kim - Intero Real Estate Services . . . . .280-8563

Rahimzadeh, Helen - Coldwell Banker . . . . . . . .932-7375

Village Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657-5065

Village Oaks Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .408-371-8770 x 19

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

Recreation

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

Diablo FC Soccer Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 798-GOAL

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

Senior Services

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

Services, Other

Concord Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .943-0180

Shopping

Cegielski Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .682-2855

Clayton Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-3325

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

Donna's Quilting Loft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-0401

Seasonal Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4425

Sonset Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .685-8200

The Royal Rooster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2025

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, EditorANDRÉ GENSBURGER, Reporter and Feature WriterJEANNA ROSS, Reporter and Feature WriterPETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignBEV BRITTON, Copy Editor RANDY ROWLAND, Sports WriterBETH NEUDELL, Sales and Administrative Support CHRISTINA SCARLOTT, Administrative Assistant

We remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse

PIONEER INFOCONTACT US

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

Tamara Steinertamara@claytonpioneer.com

André GensburgerAndre@claytonpioneer.com

Beth Neudellbeth@claytonpioneer.com

Send ads toads@claytonpioneer.com

Send Sports News tosports@claytonpioneer.com

Send Club News toclubnews@claytonpioneer.com

Send Church News tochurchnews@claytonpioneer.com

Send School News toschoolnews@claytonpioneer.com

CLASSIFIEDSClassified rates per insertion:Non-profit: $12 for first 30

words, $.20 each additionalword

Individual/non-commercial:$18 for first 30 words, $.30each additional word

Commercial: $48 for first 30words, $.40 each additionalword

To place your classified ad over thephone, call the office at (925) 672-0500 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.Mon.-Fri. Or, you may fax your type-written ad and credit card informa-tion to (925) 672-6580. All classifiedsmust be paid for in advance by creditcard (Master Card or Visa)

We will not accept any ad that dis-criminates on the basis of race, color,sex, religion, nationality, family statusor disability. The Clayton Pioneerreserves the right to reject any adver-tising we believe is unsuitable.

LET US KNOWWeddings, engagements, anniver-

saries, births and deaths all weavetogether as part of the fabric of ourcommunity. Please let us know ofthese important events. We ask onlythat the announcement be for aClayton resident. You will find theappropriate form for your announce-ment on our Website. Attach yourphoto to the form. Make sure theimage size you are about to send is atleast 3 MB but not bigger than 6MB.The only format we accept is JPG. Youcan also mail or bring your print to theoffice and we can scan it for you.

Also on our Web site are formsfor submitting Community Calendaritems and press releases for yourorganization.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Clayton Pioneer welcomesletters from our readers. As a generalrule, letters should be 300 words orless and submitted at least one weekprior to publication date. Letters con-cerning current issues will have priori-ty. We may edit letters for length andclarity. All letters will be published atthe editor’s discretion.

Please include your name, addressand daytime telephone number. Wewill not print letters from “anony-mous.”

E-mail your letter in a Worddocument to tamara@clayton-pioneer.com. Letters MUST be sub-mitted via E-mail.

Classified

Bird grooming –

first Saturday each month.

Appointments or

walk-ins welcome

CanariesParrotletsCockatoosLorikeetsMacaws

AmazonsConuresEclectusGreysExotic Finches

FREE CANS of Merrick Five Star Dog Entrees

with the

purchase

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RENTALS

South Lake Tahoe Vacation Rental

Great location, sleeps 6 to 8 comfortably.

Pictures and home details can be found

at www.tahoehansenhouse.com. Still have

questions, call Debbie Hansen at

(925) 766-8961

House in Pleasant Hill

2Bd/2Bth, fireplace, AC, big yard with

patio, quiet, includes W/D and refrigerator.

No smokers, No pets. $1400/month. For

more information call Jeff 925-687-1213

SERVICES

Residential Design for House Plans

Plans for residential additions and remod-

els. Start your plans and permit process

now for spring of 2009. 30 Years experi-

ence, references. 925-672-1327

Not in favor ofCCC plans

I would like to expresssome thoughts on the ClaytonCommunity Church plans fordowntown. The design is verymuch in keeping with the ideaof Clayton’s western heritage.I do, however, have someconcerns.

First of all, I object to theproposed development on thegrounds that the plan willhave to have an amendmentpassed to the TCSP on thedevelopment. To me, this issaying that to go forward withthe CCC plan, we have tochange the rules to let themdo this.

Another thing that I amunsure about is the statedplan to “consider” selling offthe 11,000 sq. ft. of commer-cial building to help pay forthe remaining development.First of all, 11,000 sq. ft. is

not a great deal of retailspace. As I see it, the main500 seat building will be builtfirst and everything else willremain unbuilt, until fundsbecome available. In this eco-nomic climate, that could beyears from now. Meanwhile,Clayton would have an empty500 seat church, extremelycrowded parking situation,and little to no retail or com-mercial development. I donot know of too manychurches in NorthernCalifornia that can fill a 500seat auditorium. The (minis-cule) downtown that isClayton does NOT need thissize facility.

The plan, has accountedfor 74 parking spaces.Planning to use “public park-ing” for the remaining 96spaces is just NOT feasible.What about those existingbusinesses and their needs forparking?

-Rory Richmond

Letter to the Editor

Identity theft continues tobe the fastest growing crime ofthe 21st century. ID theft hasbecome a story of numbers:millions of victims and billions

of dollars lost nationwide.The Federal Trade

Commission (FTC) released areport earlier this year indicatingthat 8.3 million U.S. residentswere victims of ID theft in2005. During this past year, theClayton Police Departmentreceived 23 reports of ID theftsfrom Clayton residents.

Advancements in electroniccommunications make it easierfor thieves to do their job ofstealing personal informationfrom us. Because of this contin-uing and growing criminal phe-nomenon, I felt it was prudentto review ID theft in terms ofwhat it is and what we can do

about it.ID theft is simply the unlaw-

ful taking of personal informa-tion, including credit cardaccount numbers, SocialSecurity numbers, bank accountinformation or any other per-sonal information that can beused by the criminal to stealmoney, services, credit, goods,real property or anything ofvalue. The person who takesyour personal information isguilty of theft.

In order to prevent ID theft,all of us should do whatever ittakes to protect our personalinformation. These preventativemeasures include shredding allcredit applications, protectingyour mail, keeping an eye onyour credit card when paying fordinner, gas or anything else,requesting a freeze on yourcredit reports and asking toreview your credit report at leastonce a year.

Even the most cautious con-sumer can be affected by ahacked system, a burglarizedoffice or information acciden-tally exposed to outside agen-cies. Failing to receive creditcard statements, being deniedcredit or receiving credit cardsyou did not apply for could besigns of ID theft.

If you discover that yourpersonal information has beenstolen and you believe you are avictim of ID theft, there arefour recommended steps tohelp you recover from ID theft:

1. Victims should place afraud alert on their credit

reports by contacting one of thethree nationwide credit report-ing companies – Equifax, TransUnion or Experian. The compa-ny that is notified will alert theother two. They will also explainhow to request a free copy of avictim’s credit report.

2. Compromised accountsshould be closed immediately.Once the credit reports havebeen received, they should bereviewed for other accounts thatmight need to be closed.

3. The ID theft should bereported to the FTC atwww.ftc.gov/idtheft or by call-ing 1-877-ID-THEFT. Victimsshould bring a copy of the com-pleted, printed online complaintform to their local law enforce-ment agency.

4. A police report should befiled. Victims should ask theofficer to attach a copy of theFTC complaint form to thepolice report.

The process of recoveryfrom serious ID theft is not easyand can be lengthy. However, bytaking the time to accomplishthese easy steps, a victim of IDtheft will have the necessaryfoundation and information torecover.

If you have further ques-tions about ID theft, call theClayton Police Department at673-7350.

Page 6 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 9, 2009

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Don’t plan under old rulesSince 2001, Congress has passed at least one new tax law

every year. These laws have been filled with provisions that

phase in or out over several years and some that apply retroac-

tively or take effect at some distant future date. To do your tax

planning under the latest rules, call on us. We’re here to help.

Looking for a better Mailbox?Secure 24-hour access, plus it’s a real street addressfor all your deliveries.

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Notary, Packaging, Fax and Copy Services are available too!

Store Hours

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Not long ago, all the termsand conditions of a residentialpurchase agreement could fit eas-ily onto one piece of paper. Nowwe’re drowning in paperwork.

Unfortunately, this excessiveproliferation of paper has ledmany buyers to pay little atten-tion to it. It’s overwhelming,often incomprehensible, so whybother?

Some say we are headingtoward the paperless real estatetransaction. If so, we have a longway to go. In the meantime, it’swise to face reality and pay closeattention to the documents relat-ed to your home sale or purchase.

There are a few rules toremember in regard to the paper-work. First, you should receive acopy of every document that yousign during the course of yourreal estate transaction. If yourreal estate agent or loan agentfails to give you a copy of a doc-ument you’ve signed, be sure to

ask for it.Also, make sure you under-

stand what you’re signing. If youdon’t, ask your real estate agentor attorney for an explanation.

Many real estate agentsemploy transaction coordinatorsto help with paperwork. Someagents offer to provide you witha nicely organized copy of all thedocuments pertaining to thetransaction when your deal clos-es. However, don’t wait until clos-

ing to receive copies of pertinentdocuments. Make sure youreceive copies of documents atthe time they’re signed.

Real estate agreements needto be in writing in order to beenforceable. If you enter intoverbal negotiations during thecourse of your transaction, makesure to follow up and have anyagreement you reach put intowriting. If you have a dispute, thewritten agreement signed by bothbuyer and seller may be your onlydefense.

You will receive documents afew at a time throughout yourtransaction. It’s a good idea to setup a transaction file so that youcan store all of these in one place.

In addition, you should keepimportant transaction documentseven after the transaction closes.These documents will be neces-sary if you should have an after-closing dispute with the otherparty. If you are a buyer, some of

these documents may prove use-ful later when you sell the proper-ty.

At the least, you should keepcopies of the complete purchaseagreement (including any modifi-cations), disclosure documents,inspection reports, title policy,policy of title insurance, andwork-related invoices and per-mits, if there are any.

If you are buying a home,make sure you receive a copy ofthe recorded deed that trans-ferred title to the property fromthe seller to you. In our area, therecorded deed of trust will besent to you after closing. Look itover and check for any mistakesbefore filing it away.

Lynne French is the broker/owner ofWindermere Lynne French & Associatesand a Clayton resident. For any realestate needs or questions, contact her at672-8787, Lynne@LynneFrench.com orstop in at 6200 Center St. in Clayton.

LYNNE FRENCH

REAL ESTATE

The paperless society hasn’t arrived yet

Four key steps to recover from ID theft

DAN LAWRENCE

FROM THE CHIEF

Dan Lawrence is Clayton’s PoliceChief. Please send your questions,comments or topics you’d like to see covered to DanL@cpd.ci.concord.ca.us

Obituary

Benjamin Tollefson1986 – 2008

PFC Benjamin BryanTollefson of Concord, 22,beloved husband, father, son,brother and friend, died whileserving his country in Iraq. Hewas loved by all who knew himand leaves behind many, manyfriends and family.

Ben is survived by his wife,Natalie (Hartley), his eightmonth old son, Mac James, hisparents, Charles and MaryTollefson, sister Jaime Tollefson,brother Jeffrey Tollefson, grand-parents Jeff and NancyTollefson, and many aunts,uncles, cousins and friends.

Ben was born on Nov. 7,1986 in Pittsburg, Calif., theyoungest of three children. Hewas a 2005 graduate of BereanChristian High School in WalnutCreek. In August 2007, Benjoined the United States Army,fulfilling a dream and a passionhe had had for several years. He

married his high school sweet-heart on Dec. 6, 2007. Ben wasstationed at Fort Riley, Kansasand completed his training there.His son, Mac James, was bornon Apr. 28, 2008. Ben deployedto Iraq in Oct. 2008.

He leaves us with many won-derful memories of a sweet, lov-ing, little boy to a caring, com-passionate and very funny youngman. His dedication to his fam-ily and his country was com-mendable. He will be sorelymissed.

A memorial fund has beenestablished for his son, MacJames, at Wells Fargo Bank,Kirker Pass Branch, 5431Clayton Road, Clayton,California 94517. Account No.5815378889.

See front page of this issue ofthe Clayton Pioneer for funeralarrangements.

The holidays have takentheir toll; I notice that my pantsdo not fit so well after the festiv-ities leading up to the first time

I write the wrong year on acheck in 2009.

This was not entirely unex-pected. Having knocked back afew holiday truffles while con-vincing myself that one morecould not possibly do any fur-ther damage than those con-sumed just minutes before andhaving allowed myself the extraserving of ham, the generous

portions of freshly mashedpotatoes and the thick hotchocolate that somehow accom-panied the earlier eggnog, I nowfind the gravity of the new yearimpacting my lifestyle.

Many Americans resolve tolose weight after the holidays.Given the throngs attacking themalls for the post holiday sales,one would think it’s an excellent

time to kill two birds with theone stone. Not so. Mall foodkiosks detract from the successof that plan as effectively as thehalf-off signs destroy the shop-per’s resolve to spend no addi-tional money.

Don’t get me wrong; I likesales as much as the next per-son, but honestly, do you reallyneed to stock up a few hundredChristmas tree balls now? Arethey really that expensive andwill you be saving more thanyou will spend replacing theones that get smashed in thebustle of shoving Christmasdecorations into the attic crawlspace?

I feel heavy. Sure I can standstraight and puff up my chestand pretend that a slab of hamis not floating freely in theresomewhere, but the truth is thatI notice the weight; I do not feelas carefree as before I enduredthis celebration.

I had made a New Year res-olution in 2007 not to make anysubsequent resolutions, so Icould hardly break that resolu-tion simply to come up withanother. Nonetheless, I swore tothe god of food, once again,that I would never eat so richlyagain no matter the cause.

Watching the television orreading the papers, this one

January 9, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 7

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Got new gadgets forChristmas? Don’t know what todo with your old electronics?Get rid of that old TV, monitor,computer, microwave and otherelectronics at a free e-wasterecycling event. The communitye-waste disposal is a monthlyevent held the third Saturday ofevery month, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. atLos Medanos College inPittsburg. The next dates are Jan17 and Feb 21.

Electronic waste, commonlyreferred to as e-waste, is a seri-ous environmental issue inCalifornia. Each year,Californians dispose of morethan 500,000 tons of e-wastesuch as TVs, monitors, comput-ers and other devices and gadg-

ets. Electronic items containhazardous materials such aslead, cadmium, barium and mer-cury. Improper disposal con-taminates our waterways, roads,and air and becomes harmful tohumans, pets and our environ-ment.

All e-waste items collectedare recycled by a state-approvedBay Area e-waste recycling com-

pany, where the items are bro-ken down to their primary com-ponents, such as metals, plastic,glass, etc. These componentsare then reused into makingproducts such as cars and otherelectronic equipment

For a complete list of itemsaccepted or for more event informa-tion,, go to www.NoEwaste.com orcall (866) 335-3373

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Phone: (866) 335-3373 (for event info)Website: http://www.noewaste.com/

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After the hardships of2008, Claytonians are opti-mistic that 2009 will bringsome hope.

Arseen and Jolene Solimanpondered the new year whileenjoying a sunny New Year’sEve afternoon at The Grovewith family. “I’m optimistic,”Arseen said. “I think changewas inevitable and …”

“Overdue,” Jolene added.“Definitely overdue. I think

the president has a huge job infront of him,” Arseen contin-ued, “and he’s probably thebest guy for it.”

“I don’t think it is going tobe immediate,” Jolene said. “Ithink it is going to take a longtime.”

Frank and Kerry Carsgall,also from Clayton, agreed thatchange was good. “Are you kid-ding me?” Frank asked. “Wecouldn’t have survived more ofthe same. I have no doubt thatthe economy will pick up, inpart because of the new leader-ship.”

Karylee Masone is worriedthat people will have an unreal-istic expectation of the incom-

ing president. “Things are notgood and I don’t know that oneman can fix it.”

She believes Barack Obamamade a good first impression,getting things in place with hisnew administration so as to notwaste any time.

Arseen hopes to see newdevelopment in the downtownarea. “The slump in the hous-ing market has hit Clayton aswell as the rest of the country,”he noted.

As for signs of recessionduring the recent holiday rush,many were uncertain.

“I did most of my shoppingonline this year,” Jolene said. “Idid notice that the deals werenot as abundant as they wereonline.”

“The crowds were still inthe stores,” Kerry said, “but Iheard on the TV that saleswere down. We know the econ-omy is not in good shape, but Ithink that things will get bet-ter.”

“It seems to be anothercycle,” Karylee said. “Didn’t wedo this before? The bad timesremind us about the good timesand vice versa. I’m not sure ifwe really learn anything sincethe cycle continues.”

Claytonians optimistic about 2008ANDRÉ GENSBURGER

Clayton Pioneer

André Gensburger/Clayton Pioneer

JOLENE AND ARSEEN SOLIMAN of Clayton enjoying the last day of 2008at The Grove

Dump your old electronics at twofree E-waste events in Pittsburg

Dealing with the weight of thenew year and the promise to come

ANDRÉ GENSBURGER

DEAL WITH IT

See Deal With It, page 16

Page 8 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 9, 2009

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1/16, Fri. 7pm . . . . .American Girls Club

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1/21, Wed.7pm . . . .Barbara Bentley, author of “A Dance with the Devil”

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Movie Review

In November, a Californiamajority voted to deny theirhomosexual neighbors theopportunity to marry. As “Milk”reminds us, the fight for gayrights has been a long and ardu-ous process, none of which hascome easily.

Director Gus Van Sant(“Good Will Hunting”) takes usback to 1970, when a young mancalled Harvey Milk was merely aworking stiff in New York City.The film follows the arcs ofMilk’s personal and political lifein San Francisco, beginning withthe simple act of opening a busi-ness in the Castro to beingspurred into political action bysystematic violence from the SanFrancisco police, a lack ofresponse to hate crimes and anationwide epidemic of anti-gaylaws.

Starring as Milk is the ridicu-lously versatile Sean Penn, whosetotal embodiment of the charac-

ter leaves no shadow of thesullen, angry personality whograced the pages of the 1990stabloids. Penn has taken greatacting risks in the last few years,but the vulnerability and sheerrange of emotion he covers asHarvey Milk is surely the peak ofhis illustrious career.

The supporting cast doesnothing to steal the limelightfrom Penn’s performance, butthey are truly the rock on whichhe leans. Closest is James Francoas Scotty Smith, Milk’s earliestlover and campaign manager.Their story provides thestrongest personal moments inthe film, from their initial subwaypickup to their final reconciliato-ry phone call. While their roman-tic ties eventually sever, watchthe joy in Penn’s face during thelater moments when he receivesSmith’s compliments.

Franco has been an interest-ing character to watch these lastfew years. After his rise to famein “Spider-Man,” it would havebeen simple to just ride the waveof his incredibly beautiful face,but he has balanced the pretty-boy films (“Annapolis”) withmeatier fare, like last year’s “TheValley of Elah.” He scores againwith “Milk.” Though there aremoments missing from the dra-matic arc and some motivationsseem unexplained, the problemis likely directorial.

Josh Brolin brings home his

second major performance ofthis awards season, this time asdespicable politician Dan White.He is surprisingly sympathetic asthe friendless, possibly closeted,

supervisor who is constantly atodds with Milk’s charismaticleadership.

For those who were aroundwhen this drama played out, hisactions won’t surprise. But VanSant’s gentle treatment of scenesthat could have otherwise beenhorrific allows everyone to retaintheir humanity and leaves ourmemories of Milk’s journeyunsullied.

The remaining cast, contain-ing the likes of Emile Hirsh(“Into the Wild”), Allison Pill(“Dan in Real Life”), VictorGarber (“Alias”), Stephen

Spinella (“24”) and DenisO’Hare (“Changeling”), formsstrong barriers on either side ofMilk, either as supporters oropponents. Much of Penn’s roleis reactionary, so their perform-ances are essential to expositorydelivery and character develop-ment. It is through their first-rateperformances that we see theforce of Milk’s influence and therise of his star.

“Milk” clocks in at 128 min-utes, but the plot is such a rollercoaster ride of emotion that itfeels like mere moments. Thereis laughter, of course, but thereare also tears – so many tears –of happiness, of elation, of grief,of frustration, of pride.

Filmed almost entirely in SanFrancisco, “Milk” is a pieceabout our home, our fight.Thousands of residents volun-teered as extras and entire sec-tions of the city were closeddown in order for this story to betold. We need to be remindedhow much people have alreadysacrificed before we dream ofallowing civil rights to be defeat-ed now. Amazing things can beaccomplished by one ordinaryperson with the guts to stand upand be heard.

Penn and cast carry heavy burden in ‘Milk’

JEANNA ROSS

AT THE MOVIES

Jeanna Ross is an Englishteacher at Clayton Valley HighSchool and a free lance writer. Sheregularly contributes to the Pioneer.Send comments to her atmovies@claytonpioneer.com.

With 2009 upon us, it’s timeto make sure your computer isready to combat the threats thatexist in cyberspace.

Although viruses and spy-ware lurk throughout theInternet, I’ve found several easyprograms that you can downloadto keep your data safe. Thoughno security program is perfect,these free programs are con-stantly on the lookout for the lat-est threats. In my experience,they perform comparably toNorton or MacAfee Antivirus.

I protect my computer withAvast Antivirus, available atAvast.com. Besides being free,Avast requires little maintenancebecause you don’t have to manu-ally check for new updates. Avastruns in the background all thetime and automatically down-loads virus updates. It will evenannounce, “Virus database hasbeen updated,” when it finishesgathering dossiers of the latestperpetrators.

Avast deploys digital shieldsover different parts of your com-puter. It can protect you againstdownloading viruses from yourMicrosoft Outlook account or

prevent harmful files fromsneaking in through an Internet-based email services like Yahooor Gmail. In addition, Avast willsnoop about Web pages, instantmessages and your network tostop intruders.

Scanning for viruses can bedone with just one click and willnot slow down your computer. Itworks with all versions ofWindows, including Vista, andalso runs on Macs.

When Avast finds something,it will make alarm sounds and tellyou that it caught a virus. Youcan choose to try to delete thevirus, ignore it (not a good idea)or quarantine it in Avast’s VirusChest. Files placed in the VirusChest are effectively frozen andwill not affect your system.

In addition to Avast, you maywant to consider downloadinganti-spyware programs. Spywareis software that secretly invadesyour computer and gathers infor-mation about you. While somekinds of spyware are harmless,the more malicious kinds arecapable of stealing your personalinformation.

When used together, two free

programs can combat this threat.Although they are not as efficientas Avast and require you to checkfor updates manually, both do agood job at detecting and remov-ing spyware.

The first program is Ad-Aware, available fromLavasoft.com. Ad-Aware canscan your computer for potentialspyware threats and neutralizethem. It’s especially effective atremoving tracking cookies,which are tiny files that followyour progress across the Internetand try to send you advertise-ments based on your search his-tory.

Unfortunately, Ad-Aware’sfree version is not sufficient tohandle all spyware threats. This iswhy I combine it with SpybotSearch and Destroy, which youcan get for free from safer-net-working.org. It uses powerfulscanning tools to search yourcomputer for software that canhijack your identity. When it runsa scan, Spybot cross-references adatabase of more than 358,000such files.

Spybot uses an “immuniza-tion” tool to prevent spyware

from entering your computer.With one click, you can plugholes in Mozilla Firefox orMicrosoft Internet Explorer thatmay otherwise be doorways forbad programs.

Although Avast, Ad-Awareand Spybot provide an effectivealliance against nasty software,their job can be made easier ifyou surf the Web with safety inmind. Be wary of adult Websitesor file-sharing programs, as theyoften contain viruses and spy-ware.

Now that you’re armed withthese programs, you can checkanother new year’s resolution offyour list and not have to pay anickel.

MARK FREEMAN

ON THE NET

Mark Freeman is a student atSt. Mary’s College in Moraga, study-ing economics and English. He enjoyscreative writing and is a reporter forthe school paper. Questions/com-ments can be sent to mfree-man543@gmail.com.

Beef up your Internet securitywith these free programs

SEAN PENN STARS IN “MILK”

January 9, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 9

Clayton residents Charlesand Michele (Micki McCabe)Walls enjoy the best of life.They are married and worktogether as veterinarians in amulti-office facility in Concord,catering exclusively to dogs andcats requiring specialized carefrom hip replacement to livershunts. They service more than400 small animal practicesacross the Bay Area – almost allas referrals.

“We actually were quite usedto working together from thebeginning,” Micki said. “Wemet as freshmen in vet school,got married two years later andworked as students, interns andresidents together for sevenyears.”

“We went to the AnimalMedical Center in New Yorkfor our internship,” addedCharles, who goes by Chuck.He came to Veterinary SurgicalAssociates in 1995, while Micki

worked at Encina Veterinary. In2004, she joined as a partnerwith him.

TWO TIMES THE SERVICE

What makes the couple so

interesting is the complexity oftheir business, which coversexpansive ground in the fieldwhile remaining relatively unas-suming. One facility is along theMonument corridor in

Concord, a two-story buildingthat does little to herald atten-tion. Two businesses operateunder one roof, VeterinarySurgical Associates (VSA) andVeterinary Medical Specialists(VMS). VSA focuses on thesurgical applications availabletoday in veterinary medicine,while VMS serves as a generalveterinary practice with a spe-cialty in internal medicine.

“At VMS/VSA, Chuck hasMondays off, home with thekids,” Micki explained, “and Ihave had a part-time position,allowing at least one of us to behome much of the week. It isalways a struggle to balancework and home life, because Ireally like to be involved withour kids’ activities. I teach aclass called PEP, ParentEducator Program, to the sixthgraders at the middle schooland referee soccer for MDSA.”

According to Chuck, it’s ademanding profession. At theConcord facility, they have fivesurgeons, three internists andan oncologist – all for the ani-mals they serve with specializedsurgeries from hip replace-ments to complex trauma treat-ment.

“Quite a few couples that

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Milkshake is a sweet andlively young dog who is hopingto find a new family that willtake her to training classes andbe able to provide her withplenty of opportunities formental and physical exercise.

The adoption fee for adultdogs is $225 and includes aseven-week training class.

Hip-Hop is a sweet fellowthat loves to get attention. Hemay only have three legs, but hegets around just fine. Hip-Hopmust be an indoor cat only.

The adoption fee for adultcats is $50.

Meet your forever friend atTony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation, 2890 MitchellDrive, Walnut Creek, duringadoption hours: 3 to 7 p.m.Thursday and Friday, Noon to4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.The primary caretaker must bepresent to adopt. ARF alsoencourages kids 16 and youngerand canine family members(dog adoptions only) to be pres-ent during the adoptionprocess.

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 Web site, www.arf.net, or call(925) 256-1ARF.

Milkshake and Hip Hop are ARF’s adoption stars

MILKSHAKE

HIP HOP

Clayton Resident. Licensed. Bonded. Insured. PSI member. References upon request.

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FREE ESTIMATE MANY REFERENCES

Est.

1991

Resolve to keep pets healthy in 2009The following first ran in the

January 13, 2006 issue of theClayton Pioneer. Dr. Rymer will beback with a new article in March.

As we start another year,many of us reassess ways toimprove our lives. While mak-ing those lists, make one foryour beloved family pet as well.

As you look at your own fig-ure, also look at Fido’s andKitty’s. Give them a BodyCondition Score (BCS) on ascale of 1 to 5. No. 1 is veryskinny and No. 5 is obese. No.3 is just right, with an hourglasswaistline and ribs that are easilyfelt.

If your pet is a 4 or 5, it’stime to implement somechanges. First eliminate mostpeople food, especially thoseholiday sweets. Cut back on

dog treats, too. Raw carrotsand vegetables for dogs are lowin calories and help clean teeth.

Then, switch their food to alight or senior variety, whichwill have 20 to 25 percentfewer calories than a mainte-nance diet. If already using alight/senior diet, consult yourveterinarian. The vet may sug-gest blood work to check formetabolic diseases, such as dia-betes mellitus and hypothy-roidism, which may cause obe-sity.

Expending more calorieswith increased walks and activ-ities will help too, but be cau-tious not to push older, arthrit-ic or frail pets too far. Consultyour veterinarian regardingyour pet’s physical conditionand exercise.

February is National Pet

Dental Health Month. Manyveterinarians will have dentalpromotions and discounts atthis time of year. So lift upyour pet’s lip and examinethose teeth. If you see brownplaque, red, receding gums,loose teeth or smell a bad odor,call your vet for an appoint-ment to discuss dental proce-dures.

Make dental care a routine.Set aside time to brush yourpet’s teeth two to three times aweek with toothpaste formu-lated for pets. Also offer chewtoys or dental treats (in moder-ation – they have calories, too).Raw baby carrots can helpclean teeth and cut calories.

Scrutinize your pet’s coat.Are you able to keep up withyour Lhasa apso’s long hair, oris he covered in mats? Is it time

to consider a shorter, low-maintenance cut? Check withyour groomer about an easycare clip and how often itshould be done.

Set a routine time to brushnot only your dog but also yourcat. You will often find that

MARYBETH RYMER, DVM

PAWS AND CLAWS

Married vets enjoy the best of work and lifeSee Rymer, page 11

See Vets, page 13

ANDRÉ GENSBURGER

Clayton Pioneer

André Gensburger/Clayton Pioneer

MARRIED VETERINARIANS MICKI MCCABE WALLS AND CHARLES WALLS bal-ance work and life as they juggle two veterinary hospitals, two chil-dren, two dogs, two cats and two horses.

Page 10 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 9, 2009

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New president can’t promisegood weather for his big day

I feel fortunate that I willbe one of the millions in atten-dance at the historical inaugu-ration of Barack Obama inWashington, D.C., on Jan. 20.That opportunity presents mewith more than a curious inter-est in what the weather will belike on that day, so an exami-nation of previous inauguralweather conditions might pro-vide some insight.

Before researching thistopic, I realized that findingofficial weather records wouldbe difficult for events in thelate 18th and early 19th centu-ry since that era pre-dates offi-cial government weather col-lection efforts. It was quicklyapparent that even anecdotalinformation for mid-Januaryinaugurations would be impos-sible to retrieve for two rea-sons – the early inaugurationsweren’t in Washington, anduntil relatively recently, theyweren’t held in January.

George Washington’s firstinauguration was held in NewYork City on April 30, 1789.The following two ceremonieswere held in Philadelphia onMarch 4. That date, approxi-

mately four months after theelection, was proscribed by theoriginal Constitution to allowenough time for votes to becounted and the state electoralcolleges to meet to officiallydetermine the election winner.

In 1801, Thomas Jeffersonwas sworn into office in thenewly constructed nation’scapital of Washington, D.C.,and post-election inauguralceremonies have been heldthere ever since.

March 4 was used as theceremony date until 1937. The20th Amendment to theConstitution changed the dateto Jan. 20. Cold winter weath-er conditions are certainlymore likely in mid-Januarythan in early March. However,history also shows examples ofnasty weather conditions dur-ing the March inaugurations,some with tragic conse-quences.

William Henry Harrisonwas sworn in as president on acold blustery day in 1841.Apparently he did not wear ahat or overcoat and caught acold after appearing in the out-door ceremony and parade.

His cold developed into pneu-monia and he died in April.

Twelve years later, heavysnow fell during the outdoorceremony. Abigail Fillmore,wife of outgoing presidentMilliard Fillmore, developedpneumonia and died within afew weeks.

The more recent Januaryinaugurations have had a vari-ety of weather. Sleet, snow andalmost two inches of raindampened the FranklinRoosevelt inauguration in1937. Ronald Reagan’s 1985ceremony was performedindoors because wind chilltemperatures ranged from -10to -20 degrees. This was a starkcontrast to his first inaugura-tion in 1981, when the noontemperature was 55 degrees –the warmest of the Januaryevents.

Eight inches of snow wason the ground for the crowdsthat wanted to see JohnKennedy become president.Four years ago, there was oneinch of show on the ground,with near freezing tempera-tures and strong northwestwinds.

The Washington weatherservice office has issued statis-tics describing the likelihoodof specific weather events onJan. 20. The normal high tem-perature for the day is in thelow 40s, with a noontime read-ing of 37 degrees. There is aone in six chance it will rainand about a one in twentychance it will snow on inaugu-ration day, with a one in threechance snow will be on theground from a previous snow-storm. Cold winds will likelybe stirring since the averagenoon speed is 10 mph.

It is too early to tell exactlywhat conditions will be like forthe event. But I will be pre-pared for the worst, since mypriority will be to stay warmand dry and enjoy a first-handlook at history being made.

Extend your computer’s life with upgradesEveryone wants their com-

puter to run faster, do more incommunications and add morefeatures and applications. So it’snatural to consider spendingsome money on your computersystem or simply buying a newone.

The dilemma is whether topurchase a new computer anddeal with migration problemsfrom one computer to another,or upgrade your existing com-puter and get some more usefrom it.

If you have already investedthe money for a nice computerand the computer is just a fewyears old, why not extend thelife of your existing computerwith upgrades. This could bemore compelling than shoppingfor new.

You could buy a computerfor $399.95, but I wouldn’t.Consider your personal timemoving data, saving photos andfiles and setting up the comput-er the way you like it, only to befaced with reliability issues. It issimply a fact – too cheap meansunreliable.

The big-box stores carrymostly cheap computers. Delland HP have some cheap com-puters, but they have nice ones

too. You would be better offordering from a local builder orusing the Dell or HP onlineservices to order.

Let’s assume your software isworking well and you haven’tallowed your computer tobecome clogged with temp files,viruses, malware and hijacks. Ifit is clogged, clean it out beforeupgrading. When you’ve fin-ished removing junk files, thereis a big difference in the speedof your computer. Switch fromNorton to McAfee if youappreciate speed.

The first upgrade you shouldconsider for your old computerwould be RAM. This is thememory used to run your desk-top, launch programs, run your

antivirus and malware checkersand open things like yourBlackberry desktop. The mini-mum amount of RAM youshould have is 1 gigabyte (GB),while the maximum you shouldconsider is 3GB. More than thatwould not be used by 32-bitMicrosoft operating systems.

To check your RAM, selectControl Panel from the Startbutton, then find the Systemicon and open it (general tab).The amount of RAM will belisted.

The next upgrade to consid-er would be a new videoadapter. This is the engine ofthe video display. The fasteryour engine, the faster your dis-play will appear. The old saw,“you’re only as strong as theweakest link” applies to com-puters. If your video is slow,data bits back up waiting to dis-play – overall slowing your com-puter.

You need to know if yousupport AGP (brown slot) orPCI Express (black slot, short =1x, long = 16x).

Finally, consider adding anew hard drive. If your drive ismore than 70 percent full, yourcomputer speed will suffergreatly. To check it, click on My

Computer, find your local drive(main drive), then right click“properties” to view a pie chartdescribing the storage conditionof your drive. Having less than30 percent free space will slowyour computer. A new drive willgive you additional space andgenerally a faster computer.

There are two ways to utilizethe space. First, simply add thedrive and use it as a secondarydrive, meaning it is not the C:\drive. You could do this your-self. The better method is tomake your new drive the C:\(main) drive and clone your olddrive on to it.

Let’s say your old C:\ drivewas 40GB, and your new one is320GB, cloning to it wouldleave you with a much largerdrive, making your computerfaster. I recommend using aprofessional for this.

You could expect to spendabout $75 for RAM, plus instal-lation, and the same for video. Anew hard drive isn’t expensive at$125. Installation of the harddrive will depend on the existingfree space.

WOODY WHITLATCH

WEATHER WORDS

Woody Whitlatch is a meteorolo-gist with PG&E. Email your ques-tions or comments to clayton_909@yahoo.com

WILL CLANEY

TECH TALK

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

January 9, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 11

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your pet will learn to enjoy andanticipate this quality time.When I quietly say, “brush-brush,” my female cat, Newby,will bound into the room to sitfor a brushing – while purringin extreme pleasure.

Don’t forget to trim dognails every one to twomonths. Once the quick (thecenter of the nail which iscomposed of blood vesselsand nerves) grows too long,we are unable to shorten thenails. Walking on long,crocked nails is like walking ina bad pair of shoes and cancause paw problems.

Indoor kitties should havetheir nails trimmed every weekor two. Or consider applyingSoft Paws, small plastic nailcaps which come in colorsfrom clear to neon pink. Comeby and visit Dewey, our recep-tionist cat. He will model themfor you.

It’s also important to setaside bonding time with yourpet. Daily walks, hikes, balltossing or Frisbee flipping withyour dog will improve yourrelationship and, in turn, helpwith weight loss.

Find a special interactivetoy for your cat, whether it is a

store-bought mechanical ball,dangling stick toy or a simpleshoestring. Try to invent inter-active games, such as tossing asmall ball and encouragingyour cat to retrieve it. You mayfind that cats have their ownideas on how to play. Be sureto reward by allowing them tocapture the “prey” and givepositive verbal reinforcement.

Quiet times are special, too.As I write, Newby is cuddledon my lap. Use your TV orreading time to be close toyour cat or dog.

Last but not least, considerdonating time or money toyour favorite pet charity. Someof my favorite organizationsare:

American Society of

Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals, www.aspca.org

American VeterinaryMedical Foundation,www.avmf.org

Tony LaRussa’s AnimalRescue Foundation (ARF),www.arf.net

Best Friends AnimalSociety, www.bestfriends.org

Center for CompanionAnimal Health,www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ccah

Resolve this year toimprove your pet’s life, and Iam sure you will receive anabundance of love in return.

Marybeth Rymer, DVM, can bereached at Monte Vista VeterinaryHospital, Concord. 672-1100.

Rymer, from page 9

Warm tropical beaches withtall, swaying coconut palms lurelots of travelers this time ofyear. Little does the unsuspect-ing tourist know that more thana hundred people are killed byfalling coconuts each year.Nevertheless, those delectablefruits (seeds, not nuts, actually)make for some pretty fine eatingand many other uses.

The English word“coconut” was first used in themid-1500s. The name isderived from the Spanish cocoand the Portuguese coquo,which mean “monkey face.”European explorers encounter-ing coconuts thought the three“eyes” or round markings atthe base of a coconut resem-bled the animal.

Coconuts are quite buoyantbecause of their light, fibroushusk. They drift on ocean cur-rents easily, which may explaintheir prevalence throughoutthe South Pacific. Explorersand traders expanded thecoconut’s range to SouthAmerica, India, Africa theCaribbean and Florida.

Not only is the coconut treeprolific (a mature tree pro-duces more than 60 coconutseach year), it’s a true multi-tasker. The seed yields water,milk, meat, sugar and oil. Thehusk is used as a fuel and yieldsa fiber called “coir” that is usedin brushes, mats, fishnets andrope. The tree and bark have anumber of uses in buildings.

Coconuts have even beenused as currency. The peopleof the Nicobar Islands of theIndian Ocean traded coconutsfor goods up until the early20th century.

In addition to their use insoaps, medicines and cosmet-ics, coconuts are culinary pow-erhouses. Coconut oil extract-ed from dried coconut meat isused as a cooking oil. In fact, itwas the leading vegetable oiluntil the introduction of soy-bean oil in the 1960s.

Until fairly recently,coconut was only available inAmerican markets as dried,shredded and sweetened meat(think Almond Joy andcoconut cream pie). In thisform, coconut is rather chewy,giving some credence to aSinghalese proverb: “Eatcoconut while you have teeth.”

These days, coconut milk –a mainstay in Indian, Thai andother tropical cuisines – caneasily be found on most gro-cer’s shelves. I like the Thaibrand Chakoah.

One of my favorite soups isfrom Thailand. It’s redolent ofcoconut milk, lemongrass andgalangal – a rhizome similar toginger. The soup is great oncold evenings and hot summerdays alike.

THAI CHICKEN AND

GALANGAL SOUP

2 c. chicken stock or broth1 15 oz. can coconut milk

(not “light”)1 pinch salt1 tsp. palm sugar*2 stalks lemongrass2 shallots, peeled3 Thai green chili,* stems

removed10 slices galangal,* peeled3 kaffir lime leaves*½ lb. mushrooms (straw, oys-

ter or button), cut intobite-sized pieces

1 lb. boneless, skinless chick-en, cut into bite-sizedpieces

2 T. lime juice3 T. fish sauce*¼ c. cilantro leaves, chopped¼ c. green onions, thinly

slicedBring chicken broth,

coconut milk, salt and palmsugar to a boil, then reduce to asteady simmer. Bruise thelemongrass, shallots and chilies.Add to the soup base along withthe galangal and lime leaves.Simmer 20 minutes. Strain.

Return soup to the saucepanand add chicken and mush-rooms. Simmer until the chickenis cooked, 10-15 minutes. Addfish sauce and lime juice.Garnish with cilantro and greenonion.

*Note: These items can befound in Asian food stores, likeCountry Square Market inPleasant Hill. You can substitutelight brown sugar for the palmsugar, ginger for the galangaland Serrano chili peppers forthe hot Thai peppers.

Homemade granola is inex-pensive, nutritious and supereasy to prepare. Here’s a versionusing sweetened, shreddedcoconut that is available in thebaked goods aisle of your gro-cery store.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

1 c. old-fashioned or quick-cooking oatmeal (notinstant)

½ c. sweetened, shreddedcoconut

½ c. sliced or slivered al-monds, pecans or walnuts

3 T. vegetable oil2 T. honey

Preheat oven to 350. Tossthe oatmeal, coconut, nuts, oiland honey together in a largebowl until they are completelycombined.

Pour onto a sheet pan andbake, stirring occasionally with aspatula, until the mixture turnsan even golden brown, about 20minutes.

Remove the granola fromthe oven, loosen the granolawith a spatula and allow to cool,stirring once.

Try a granola parfait forbreakfast. Start with ¼ c. freshfruit, ¼ c. plain or vanilla yogurtand ¼ c. granola; repeat layerone more time.

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 lwyner@claytonpioneer.com

These days, it’s easy to go coco-nuts

Page 12 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 9, 2009

Clayton Sports Jeff Powers ready to play college ball in Denver

Clayton resident Jeff Powers, a sen-ior at De La Salle High School inConcord, has signed a letter of intentto play college basketball at theUniversity of Denver.

Powers is a second-year starter forthe perennially powerful De La SalleSpartans. He looks forward to a suc-cessful campaign this year before mov-ing on to the next level.

Powers comes from an athletic fami-ly with a strong tradition of basketball.His father Rob played at Las Lomas andDiablo Valley College, and sisters Aliciaand Monica were members of theCarondelet basketball team. Alicia playedPac 10 volleyball at Cal. Monica, a soph-omore at UCLA, is a member of thewater polo team that won the NCAADivision I championship last year.

AN EARLY AFFECTION

FOR BASKETBALL

With such an athletic family, Powerswas surrounded by the opportunity toplay sports. He began playing basket-ball around age 5, when he and hisfather played pick-up ball. He soonfound himself dribbling and shootingthe ball at every chance he got.

He played a season or two of soccerwith the Mt. Diablo Soccer Associationand a couple of seasons of baseballwith Clayton Valley Little League, butthere was no doubt basketball was king.As a student at St. Agnes, he beganplaying organized ball with St.Bonaventure’s CYO third-grade teamand continued with that program forsix years. He looks back at that experi-ence as “the great years of my life.”

“I really liked CYO basketball becauseof my teammates and playing with all thehometown Clayton kids,” Powers said.

MOVING TO THE HAWKS

As Powers starting growing, reach-ing 6-4 as a sixth-grader, it was evident

that his athletic career would be on thehard courts of the local gyms. Despitehis father’s initial reluctance, Powersjoined the Pleasant Hill Diablo HawksAAU team and began a year-aroundprogram. He had three successful sea-sons – including qualifying for theAAA national championships.

He was coached at AAA by BradLevesque, whose son Beau is a fellowstarter at DLS. “He has grown so muchas a player by working so hard,”Levesque noted. “Jeff is also very lik-able and a prankster.”

As a DLS freshman in 2005, Powerswas fortunate to be part of the lastSpartan team that became state champi-ons. As a junior varsity player that sea-son, Powers did enough to be moved upto varsity during the playoff run.

“I just played during scrub time,”Powers recalled, “but being a part ofthat team was memorable.”

MOVING UP AS A SOPHOMORE

By his sophomore season, Powershad grown to 6-6 and was the sixthman for varsity. He continued to playhis wing/shooter position and easilymade the transition from forward. Histeam was not expected to be a con-tender but ended up reaching the NorCal semi-finals and finishing with a 28-3 record, after winning NCS and plac-ing in the top eight teams in the state.They lost to eventual championMcClymond’s of Oakland.

Going into his junior year, Powerswas the starting wing/shooting for-ward. The team returned four startersand won NCS once again before fallingto eventual state champions and bud-ding rival McClymond’s. The team fin-ished 28-4 and Powers averaged 10points and four rebounds per game.

De La Salle has formed an AAUteam to compete in tournaments on thenational level, and Powers has beeninvolved with Green Line since hisfreshman year. Last summer, the team

went an incredible 95-3 in tournamentplay, including winning the prestigiousNike Invitational Double Pump tour-nament in Southern California.

A STRONG SENIOR SEASON

Going into his final season at DLS,Powers has high expectations for theSpartan team. Coach Frank Allocco hasscheduled a competitive non-leagueseason, including a rematch withMcClymond’s and a televised ESPN2game with Dominguez Hills Compton.With three returning starters and sevenoverall returners on varsity, De La Salleis again primed to dominate the NorCal high school preps.

Powers has developed a strongshooting game and considers himself astrong leaper. “The jumping part of mygame has probably improved themost,” he said, “and I consider jumpingand shooting to be my strengths.”

Allocco heaps praise on Powers andhis contributions to the De La Salle pro-gram. The coach notes his superior drib-bling, defending and shooting skills.

“Jeff has a great love of the gameand has meant a lot to our program,”he said. “He has talent and a desire tofulfill his potential and makes everyonearound him better.”

LOOKING FORWARD

Powers began receiving phone callsfrom colleges as a junior, but thingsheated up this summer and fall. Hereceived an offer from SacramentoState and Air Force showed interest,but after a recruiting visit to theUniversity of Denver from the SunbeltConference, Powers was sold.

“I fell in love with the place afterseeing the campus and meeting theplayers and the coach, Joe Scott,”Powers said.

He is not sure what he will study, orif he will play as a freshman. “I mayneed to get bigger and more physical toplay next year, but it will be up to thecoaches,” the athlete said.

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

DE LA SALLE SENIOR JEFF POWERS will play basketball for the University of Denver nextyear. Powers is a second-year starter for the Spartans.

RANDY ROWLAND

Clayton Pioneer

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Successful tournament weekend for two Diablo FC teams

Two local girls soccer teamshad winning tournaments onthe same weekend inNovember. The Diablo FCGalaxy U9 girls class I teamadvanced in the Nor Cal StateCup playoffs at Granite Park inSacramento and played in thechampionship game of the sil-ver division in Manteca.Meanwhile, the Mt. DiabloSoccer Association PiranhasU10 girls won the Area 2CTournament of Champions(TOC) in Pleasant Hill.

Galaxy is a new teamcoached by Brazilian star MarciaTaffarel (Tafa) and Clayton resi-dent Jack Boeger. The team wascomprised of 8- and 9-year-old

girls from Concord and Clayton.During the regular season,Galaxy advanced to qualify forthe Nor Cal playoffs.

REACHING FOR THE SILVER

In the playoffs Nov. 15-16,Galaxy played four games andhad two shutout wins. Theystarted with a 3-0 loss to eventu-al gold champions Placer UnitedGold and a 2-0 loss to FremontForce. They bounced back tobeat Menlo Park Blue 6-0 andPlacer Black 4-0 in a quarter-final elimination game toadvance to Manteca’s playoffsfor the silver division.

There, they beat SonomaCounty Alliance 3-1 beforedropping the championshipgame 1-0 to the San Juan Spirits.

“I think what the girls most

improved on was their position-ing and ball control,” Tafa saidof the season. “At the beginningof the year they were playingbunch ball, but by the Nor Caltournament the girls knew theirroles and where to play on thefield.”

She said the girls were com-mitted to the team. “I mostenjoyed the motivation of thegirls to come to practice andlearn,” she noted.

Kaleigh Finney of Clayton isa forward for the Galaxy. Shescored three goals in the tourna-ment. “It was fun to play in itand it was special this year toplay for Tafa, because she was aBrazilian World Cup star,” shesaid.

Finney enjoyed learning howto trap the ball out of the air

this year. She liked the Galaxyteam because of “all the newfriends I made on the team.”

Another Clayton girl, KellyLivingston, liked being theGalaxy goalkeeper. “I have to beaggressive,” she said, “andteams run into me.”

She enjoyed coach Tafabecause “she is really fun andhelps me learn.” She added:“Coach Jack helps me with play-ing goalie.”

Clayton’s Sophie Wheeler isa defender for the Galaxy. Thethird-grader at Mt. DiabloElementary liked playing clubsoccer this year. “The gameswere really hard and it is morefun to play against hard teams,”she said.

RANDY ROWLAND

Clayton Pioneer

Photo by Heather Weston

CLAYTON RESIDENT KALEIGH FINNEY plays in the Nor Cal championshipsat Granite Sports Park in Sacramento on Nov. 16.

See Soccer, page 13

formed at vet school wound upas interns together and ongoingrelationships,” he said. “Youhave hours in common as wellas your work.”

Within the company, Chuckknew of three other coupleswho started that way. “It usedto be unheard of that couplescould do their residencies andinternships together.”

“My biggest difficulty isprobably trying to get home at areasonable time in theevenings,” Micki noted. “Thisoften means bringing records

home to finish after dinner andfamily activities.”

FOUR LOCATIONS

The company consists offour locations: Concord,Campbell, Dublin and SanMateo. “The last 15 years hasseen an explosion nationally forthis type of facility,” saidChuck.

The Concord facility sports16,000 sq. ft. with state of theart equipment and a clean,modern feel. “Personally, I spe-cialize in advance orthopedics,”

he said, referring to the manytypes of joint deformities in thepatients they see.

The couple has lived inClayton since 1995, living inone home for five years beforemoving three houses down.They have two children,Mackenna and Delaney, as wellas two dogs, two cats and twohorses. “Our kids sometimeswill come to work and eitherhelp out or entertain the staffto some degree,” Micki said. “Atthis point, they both have aninterest in becoming veterinari-ans.”

“Go for it,” Chuck said. “Itis very challenging and reward-ing.”

One of the surprising direc-tions the couple takes is inacupuncture. “My main interestin it stemmed from seeing veryill patients for whom frequentlywe would get to the point wherethere were no more Westernmedicines or procedures thatwould help, or the medicationsor procedures were too expen-sive or invasive for a certain petto undergo,” Micki said.

She found herself using herinterest in herbal medications toaugment many Western medica-tions she had already beenusing. “Ideas that I used to real-ly shake my head at, I am find-ing to be more helpful than Ihad ever thought,” she added.

In this celebration year ofthe school’s 50th anniversary,the Clayton Valley Eagles foot-ball team completed the bestseason in the school’s history bygoing 12-0 before falling justshort in the NCS Division IIChampionship.

The Eagles had previouslyplayed for the NCSChampionship, but had nevergone into the game undefeated.This year they completed a mag-ical season by winning all oftheir non-league games, going 5-0 in the newly formed DVAL,and then steamrolling over CasaGrande of Petaluma and LasLomas in the playoffs. Theironly defeat came in their verylast game against CardinalNewman of Santa Rosa in whatamounted to a home game forthe Santa Rosa team, which alsocame into the finals undefeatedat 12-0. The final score of 17-7is not indicative of how closethe game really was, and takesnothing away from the finestcampaign in the Eagles half ofcentury of play.

End of season individualhonors were plentiful as well atthe football awards dinner.Clayton’s Joey Levine and DozieIwuagwu were named co-MVPs

for the 2008 season. Mostimproved player awards weregiven to Julian Thornton andLogan Dongallo. Most inspira-tional nods went to KevinArrendondo and Eddie De LaTorre. Clayton resident Steve

Stallone and Michael Bankswere named Eagle scholars. Co-outstanding linemen were JosseTejada and Chase Elsberry andClayton’s Nick Cole was giventhe Mr. Defense award.Additional honors went to Cole,

Levine, Elsberry, and VinceBuhagiar, who were named tothe San Francisco Chronicle AllMetro team. The Contra CostaTimes named Levine the defen-sive player of the year and Cole,Dan Valenzuela, and Tejadawere all East Bay.

Coach Herc Pardi attributesthe teams’ success this year tohard work, sacrifice and atten-tion to detail. “We knew we’dbe good,” Pardi said, “but as theseason unfolded everything fellinto place, and all the hard workled to an undefeated season.

Levine added “Most of ourseniors were part of a champi-onship team and we wanted toend on a good note. We didn’tknow we’d be in the NCSChampionship game, but it wasa memorable way to go out.”

Despite losing the nucleus ofthe team next year, Pardi is excit-ed that the JV team coached byRich Martinez, Dean Nakamura,and Clayton residents BobMazza and Jim Murphy finishedleague 7-3 and were co-DVALchampions. “With a solid coreof returners and a promisinggroup of JV’s, we are optimisticabout 2009,” Pardi said. For thisunforgettable season he adds“All forty plus players improvedsignificantly, and that carried usto a season we will rememberforever.”

January 9, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 13

Diablo Futbol Club is offer-ing its Winter SoccerAcademy for recreationalplayers interested intraining at a higher level.Learn the fundamentalskills of shooting, passing,dribbling, trapping, attack-ing and defending from ourrenowned Diablo FC professionalcoaching staff.

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The MDSA Piranhas wentinto the Area 2C TOC as theNo. 1 seed after advancing inthe MDSA playoffs the priorweekend. The Piranhas were 11-0 through the regular season. Inthe playoffs, they again won allof their games with a shutout, a3-1 and a 4-1 win.

At the TOC, 12 teams com-peted in the U10 girls division,and the Piranhas were drawnagainst the MDSA Bandits,PHMSA and Concord. The girlsplayed three games on Saturday

and those two wins and a tieadvanced the team to the semi-final round on Sunday. Thescores were 1-1 vs. MDSA, 2-1vs. PHMSA and 4-0 vs.Concord.

The Piranhas won theirsemi-final game against anotherMDSA team 3-0, advancingthem to the championshipagainst the PHMSA Tsunami.The game was a back and forthaffair. Jaclyn Aragon of thePiranhas scored the only goal ofthe game in the first quarter.The girls held on with strong

defense by Gianna Maurino atstopper, Lauren Depaschalisand Sydney Gois and goalkeep-er Lexi Oswald.

The Piranha also includedforwards Luci Marigold andDesiree Maurino, and AlliGilbert and Sofia Daly in themidfield. The team is coachedby Clayton resident Al Aragonand Tony Maurino.

“It is a rare season to goundefeated 18-0-1 in anysport. It will be a season theteam will never forget,”Aragon said. “We saw someamazing improvement in eachone of these girls, but themain thing is that they cametogether as a team. These girls

were really focused and want-ed to learn.”

Clayton’s Daly said theyfaced tough competition at theTOC. “I think I played greatbecause I made a great save andI am really proud because wewon the game,” she said.

This was Daly’s third seasonplaying soccer and it was themost fun she has had. “The girlson the Piranhas were really funand they are all my friends.”

Jacyln Aragon of Claytonsays all her teammates had a bigpart in winning the champi-onship. “Practice makes perfectand if you really try hard, youmight achieve or reach yourdreams,” she said.

Soccer, from page 12

Vets, from page 9

CV football completes historic yearRANDY ROWLAND

Clayton Pioneer

Randy Rowland/Clayton Pioneer

QUARTERBACK LEVINE AND COACH LES GARAVENTA discuss a play duringthe Las Lomas playoff game.

Page 14 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 9, 2009

It’s been a banner year inClayton for the CommunityEmergency Response Team. Wenow have about 100 fullytrained CERT members andcounting. In our most recentClayton Community Citizen’sCorp Council (C-5) meeting, wediscussed all of the accomplish-ments during 2008 and how wemove forward into 2009 to trainand educate more within ourcommunity on disaster pre-paredness and emergencyresponse.

Some specific accomplish-ments include:

We conducted several drillsand FRS (two-way radio) testing.

We had a field exercise onJune 7 where we sized up andused FRS radios.

On Oct. 25, we conductedan earthquake scenario fieldexercise where we held incidentresponse, triage and FRS radiostesting/usage.

In 2008, we sent about 10Clayton CERT members to FRS

training classes.We held 10 C-5 meetings.We developed an Area

Coordinator’s Guide and postedit on the Clayton CERTWebsite.

We provided traffic controlat the Fourth of July Parade.

We had two CERT membersattend T3 training in 2008,which means that Clayton nowhas three official trainers.

The next time you see or talkto a CERT member, be sure tothank them for being a part ofthis valuable volunteer effortwithin our community.

We all know that our econo-my is tough and the state is suf-fering from some major budgetissues. In Clayton, we’re notimmune to budget cutbacks orthe woes of the state. Thismeans if there were ever amajor disaster, we as a commu-nity and individuals need to beprepared on what to do, what tohave, etc.

If you combine the budget

crisis with the fact that we live ina small community, it is animportant reminder that duringa major disaster, help or assis-tance from the police, fire orother agencies probably won’tcome for a week or longer.

The C-5 plans to conducttwo CERT trainings and varioussmall workshops in 2009 to giveour residents a chance to learnmore on how to deal with emer-gencies and disaster prepared-ness. We are hoping that theseadditional trainings and work-shops will help get our fullytrained CERT membership upto 150 or more individuals.

It’s nice to know that withour current 100 fully trainedCERT members, we are betterprepared than a lot of othercommunities. So for 2009, makea commitment to yourself, fam-ily and community and come toone of our workshops or sign

up for the CERT training. Atthe very least, you’ll learn howto be ready and you might evenmake some new friends alongthe way.

If you are interested inlearning how to be better pre-pared in the event of a majordisaster or emergency, visitwww.claytoncert.com or call673-7355.

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Snap Fitness gym downtown orat Butterfly Life in ClaytonStation.

It’s exciting to see couplesstrolling downtown after a nicedinner at one of our fine restau-rants. And our retail commercialexpert is diligently searching outnew businesses that will comple-ment those already in our down-town to fill some of those emptylots and help continue the rein-vigoration of our town.

It’s a tough economy, butthere are businesses ready toseize the opportunity to get inon the ground floor, so we’relooking forward to his report inlate January.

Councilman Howard Gellerwill propose a “Shop ClaytonFirst” program at the council

meeting on Jan. 20 or Feb. 3.The Clayton Bocce Federationwill be back at the Jan. 20 meet-ing to discuss funding optionsand plans for a bocce center intown.

A big shout out to one ofour regular trail walkers, BarbaraHalperin, who noticed anextraordinary amount of trashthat vandals had left along thetrail near the golf course. Shemade the contacts and organ-ized a cleanup of the area, col-lecting several bags of garbage.Thanks, Barbara!

Another good note: Claytonresidents are doing a better jobof recycling at home. The staterequires us to divert a minimumof 50 percent of our trash fromthe landfills by recycling. Clayton

averages about 48 percent, butwe finally topped out at 50.34percent in November. That’sgreat! We need to keep it up asthe state wants us to be at 60percent in the near future.

It’s time to start planning forthose summer activities for yourkids and the ClaytonCommunity Gym, run for us bythe YMCA, has some great sum-mer camps and spring activities.Call them at 889-1600.

We want to welcome JenniferBeck as the new director of pro-grams at the Clayton Gym. Shehas lots of experience and ener-gy to match with some greatplans for future programs for allour youth. Anyone have ideasfor senior programs we couldhave? Let me know and I’ll passthem along.

Finally, a big thanks to every-one who came out and enjoyed

our Clayton Counts Down NewYear’s Eve party at the ClaytonCommunity Gym. The weatherwas great and we all had a greattime.

Thanks to all our volunteers,including our City Councilmembers. Dave Shuey barbe-cued those dogs and burgers andHoward Geller found moredonations for this sponsor-fund-ed, free event. Thanks to JoeMedrano, who brought hisdaughter and worked theevening. Joe is now sharing theorganizing committee job withme. Former Mayor GreggManning and his wife Joan arealways a big help as are our greatcity and YMCA staffs, who vol-unteer their time to staff thisactivity for our families.

As always, you can contact me byemail at Julie_Pierce@comcast.net.Let me know what you think.

Mayor, from page 1

Students pitch in for food drive

Diablo View MiddleSchool’s Community OutreachClimate Committee held a

canned food drive inDecember to support those inneed of assistance.

The school wanted at least90 percent participation fromthe 682 students. DVMSexceeded that goal by collect-ing 1,210 cans of food. Afterthe results were recorded, itwas found that there was morethan 140 percent participationby the students.

Principal Patti Bannistersupported this cause byrewarding students with aschoolwide “No HomeworkNight” for their efforts.

“It felt awesome to helppeople in need,” noted BaileyRogers, a member of theCommunity Outreach ClimateCommittee.

Haley Rivera, anothermember, was happy the schoolsurpassed its goal. She wasexcited because everyoneworked so hard to makeposters and get the messageout about the food drive.

Diablo View Middle Schoolstudents understand the con-cept that one person can makea difference. With everyonecontributing a couple of cans,

the school was able to giveback to our community.

Bannister was pleased thatthe students united for animportant cause and quotedAnne Frank: “How wonderfulit is that nobody need wait asingle minute before startingto improve the world.”

This just shows that help-ing those in need can be assimple as donating a can offood.

Robbie Parker is a sixth-graderat Diablo View. Send comments toRobbie@claytonpioneer.com

ROBBIE PARKER

DVMS REPORTER

CERT moves into 2009 readyto train more volunteers

Harun Simbirdi is a member ofthe City of Clayton Citizen CorpCouncil, part of the CERT Team,and a resident of Clayton. He canbe reached at simbirdi@yahoo.comor call 570-1324.

HARUN SIMBIRDI

SAFETY ZONE

The Clayton CERT Website is www.claytoncert.org and thenational CERT site is www.citizencorps.gov/cert.

January 9, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 15

Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. JAN. 12 FOR THE JAN. 23 ISSUE.

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EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENTJan. 9-Feb. 7“Evil Dead: The Musical”This campy take on “slasher”horror films features seatingin “the Splatter Zone.” Noone under 13 admitted with-out a parent. WillowsCabaret, 636 Ward St.,Martinez. $20-$30.www.willowstheatre.org or798-1300.

Jan. 10Stars to the RescueA fund-raiser for Tony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation. Includes Graham Russell and RussellHitchcock from Air Supply, Tony Orlando, Billy BobThornton and the Boxmasters. 6:45 p.m., Lesher Centerfor the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $50-$300.943-SHOW or www.arf.net.

Jan. 23-Feb. 22“Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me”

This celebration oflife shows how anAmerican doctor,English academicand Irish journal-ist use humor tosurvive theirordeal in acramped Beirutcell. Diablo ActorsEnsemble, 1345Locust St., Walnut

Creek. $10-$25. 482-5110 or www.diabloactors.com.

Clayton BooksAll events at 5433 D Clayton Road, Clayton unless other-wise noted. 673-3325 or www.claytonbookshop.com.7 p.m. Jan. 14, Dr. Carl Alasko, “Emotional Bullshit: TheHidden Plague that is Threatening to Destroy YourRelationships and How to Stop It!”3 p.m. Jan. 18, Rand Richards, “Mud, Blood & Gold:San Francisco in 1849.”7 p.m. Jan. 21, Barbara Bentley, “A Dance with theDevil: A True Story of Marriage to a Psychopath.”4 p.m. Jan. 22, Scott Savage, “Farworld Book One:Water Keep.”5 p.m. Jan. 23, Scott Savage, “Farworld Book One:Water Keep.”2 p.m. Jan. 25, author event with Marc Paul Kaplan,“Over the Edge”; Alice Wilson-Fried, “Outside Child”;Laurel Anne Hill, “Heroes Arise”; Jon Cory, “A Plague ofScoundrels”; and Lee Doyle, “The Love We All Wait For.”7 p.m. Jan. 27, tea with Annie Barrows, “The GuernseyLiterary and Potato Peel Society.” Oakhurst Country Club;reservations required.

AT THE LIBRARYThe Clayton Community Library is at 6125 Clayton Road.673-0659 or www.claytonlibrary.org.

Jan. 12Dan Chan the Magic Man3 p.m. Chan weaves magic, comedy, juggling and dogtricks into a show for the whole family.

Through March 10Patty Cakes11 a.m. Tuesdays. Story time for babies to those 3 yearsold. Child attends with caregiver.

Through March 5Picture Book Time.11 a.m. Thursdays. Story time for 3-5 year olds. Childmay attend without caregiver.

CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS

Children's Hospital Magnolia BranchMeets 7-9 p.m. the first Monday of the month inConcord. New members welcome. Contact Lori at 998-8844 or lori@lorihagge.com.

Contra Costa Chess ClubMeets 7-9:30 p.m. Thursdays, Starbuck's, 1536 KirkerPass Road, Clayton. The club is an affiliate of the UnitedStates Chess Federation and players of all ages and skilllevels are welcome. Contact Mike at 639-1987 orwww.uschess.org.

Rotary Club of Clayton Valley/Concord SunriseMeets 7 a.m. Thursdays, Oakhurst Country Club, 1001Peacock Creek Dr., Clayton Meeting includes breakfastand a speaker. Contact Chuck at 689-7640 or www.claytonvalleyrotary.org.

Scrabble ClubMeets 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. the second and fourthSaturdays of the month, Carl’s Jr. Restaurant, 1530Kirker Pass Road, Clayton. Players of all ages and skilllevels welcome. $3 fee per player. Call Mike at 639-1987 or www.scrabble-assoc.com.

GOVERNMENT

Jan. 13, 20, 27County Board of Supervisors9:30 a.m., County Administration Building, 651 Pine St.,Room 107, Martinez. www.co.contra-costa.ca.us or 335-1900

Jan. 13, 27Clayton Planning Commission7 p.m., Clayton Library Meeting Room, 6125 ClaytonRoad. 673-7304 or www.ci.clayton.ca.us.

Jan. 20Clayton City Council7 p.m., Clayton Library Meeting Room, 6125 ClaytonRoad. 673-7304 or www.ci.clayton.ca.us.

SCHOOLSCVHS Crab Feed & Auction6 p.m.-1 a.m. Jan. 10. Sponsored by the Clayton ValleyHigh School Athletic Boosters Club. Centre Concord,5298 Clayton Road. $50. Tickets can be purchased at theschool office or at www.cvhsboosters.org.

Mt. Diablo Board of Education7:30 p.m. second and fourth Tuesdays, Board Room,Dent Center, 1936 Carlotta Dr., Concord. 682-8000.

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Men’s 5 on 5 Basketball: An eight-week season that meetsonce a week for a game. A playoff will be held for league win-ner. Call Jacob at 692-2362.

Co-Ed Adult Volleyball: An eight-week season that meetsonce a week for a game. A playoff will be held for league win-ner. Call Jacob at 692-2362.

Youth Basketball: Games are coached by parent volunteers

and refereed by YMCA staff. All practices and games are playedfor one hour on Saturdays at the Clayton Community Gym.Volunteer coaches needed. Jan. 17-March 8. $113 or $123 non-residents.

CPR/First Aid: Learn how to effectively respond to anemergency and provide the necessary care. Participants receivecertificates for Standard First Aid (valid for three years) andAdult, Infant and Child CPR (valid for one year). 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Jan. 10. $63 or $73 non-residents.

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Page 16 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 9, 2009

Clayton author MichaelYashar has had his second bookpublished – this one a children’stale with origins in Indian andPersian poetry and accompa-nied by colorful illustrations.

“It is a rhythmical story ofthe development of the chick

and its hatching process,”Yashar said.

Yashar provided the illustra-tions for “The ChickadeeStory,” part of his skillset fromalmost 40 years as an architectin the United States with largearchitectural ventures for com-panies like Genentech.

“My wife and I were baby-sitting in Seattle for our 3-year-

old grandson about a year agowhen I scribbled the text andthe pictures to entertain him,”Yashar explained. “When mydaughter, a child psychologist,came home in the evening shefound the scribblings and excit-edly announced, ‘Oh Dad, thiswould make an excellent chil-dren’s book.’ ”

His first novel, “Shah of

Isfahan,” was released early lastyear. That book traces a tale inthe period known as “ThePersian Camelot” to show ayoung king who unites a frag-mented nation establishing apeaceful period of good rela-tions and commerce with thekings and popes of Europe.While the book would appeal toolder children, it was meant foradults.

“I was born in Isfahan,”Yashar said. “I spent my child-hood there before moving toTeheran. I was always fascinatedby that chapter in the country’shistory when a king brought thecountry out of intolerance andinto a realm of freedom anddemocracy.”

He hopes that someday theprocess will once again restoreIran to a nation of religious tol-erance.

Yashar and his wife Feryhave two grown children andtwo grandsons. Fery is a potterand their Clayton hills home is abackdrop for her handiwork.

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ChurchNews

THE BAHA’IS

The group welcomes all to atalk and evening of fellowshipstarting at 7:30 p.m. Fri., Jan. 9.The subject of the talk is “TheMessage and Messenger ofGod – Promise of Unity afterChaos.”

The speaker is DennisPettyjohn, who holds a bache-lor’s in theology and a master’sin church administration. Hewas a Baptist minister for 10years in California and Arizona.He now lives in San MateoCounty.

The event is at the Tolouiresidence in Clayton. For moreinformation and directions, call672-6686.

Clayton author’s second book offers achildren’s story with rich cultural origins

ANDRÉ GENSBURGER

Clayton Pioneer

André Gensburger/Clayton Pioneer

MICHAEL AND FERY YASHAR reflect upon his experiences as architect in creating illustra-tions for his children’s book.

included, I have come to realizethat this affliction is suffered bymany people who subsequentlystart their new year with anenrollment in a gym or weightloss program. I see ads every-where. They all say somethinglike “There will never be a bet-ter time to …” or “Make yournew body starting today.” Doesthat mean I have to toss theleftovers from the 500-poundham or the 300 sweet potatoesthat did not get touched? Andwhat of the boxes of FerreroRocher or See’s chocolates thatpromise sweet joy and a trip tothe store to buy new pants?Should these be discarded aswell?

I have come to realize thatthe calendar is cyclic to allow usample time to forget the glut-tony of food and gift items thatthe holidays bring. By the timeit swings around again, I will bea few pounds lighter, still payingoff last year’s Christmas creditcards and there it will be, onJuly 1, the first Christmas adver-tising reminding me that Santais not on a weight loss programand remains happy.

I guess I’ll just have to dealwith it with a smile on my faceand a napkin in my hand.

André Gensburger is a staffreporter and feature writer for thePioneer. His email address isandre@claytonpioneer.com

Deal With It,from page 7

‘Septembers’ a compellingview into a different world

Since I have always lived onthe western-most edge of theUnited States, I don’t knowwhat it’s like to live in a cityunder occupation of hostileforces.

But we have neighbors andfriends who can understand thesoul-wrenching experience ofviolence and oppression. Likemy friend Richard, whose fami-ly escaped Nazi-occupiedAustria ala the family Von Trappwhen he was but a lad of 10.

Americans are lucky to haveavoided the experience of occu-pation here where we live andraise our families. Yet to reachfor a better understanding and adeeper level of compassion, wehave but to flick through thecable stations, drive to the localcinema or, to more fully immerseourselves, reach for a book.

“The Septembers of Shiraz”by Dalia Sofer is one such novel.Beautifully constructed, poeti-cally written and utterly lackingin hyperbole, Sofer’s noveldepicts the aftermath of theIranian revolution through theeyes of a particularly “normal”family.

One day out of the cracks ofeveryday routine, rare-gem deal-er Isaac Amin is arrested andaccused of being a spy. Terrified

by his disappearance, his familyreconciles itself to a nightmareof cruelty, chaos and the col-lapse of the world as they hadknown it.

As armchair travelers, wewitness the betrayal of theAmin family in a very personalway. Isaac is tossed in prison,interrogated, beaten, threatenedand denied any communicationwith his family. Farnaz can onlystand silently by as her husbandvanishes one day from hisoffice. Her home is searched

and ransacked, her housekeeperthreatens to turn her over to therevolutionaries and her hus-band’s employees loot his busi-ness.

Ten-year-old Shirin alonemaintains any sense of routine.She attends school just as shedid before – except now every-thing is different and she mustmake friends with the unlikablegirl whose father became prisonwarden after the revolution.

Like in many families, sonParviz is a bridge betweenworlds. Living in the UnitedStates and speaking English, heis unable to rescue his familyand unable to establish himself

clearly in one world or the other.Much of the terrible beauty

of “Septembers” is becauseSofer’s narrative is simple anddirect:

“Isaac doesn’t answer. Theblood of a Jew, or a Christian,or any non-Muslim, is not asvaluable as that of a Muslim –he knows that of course. Butwhat once seemed to him likeone of the many archaic, evenamusing, laws of his countrysuddenly terrifies him. Bloodmoney. An actual tariff placedon people’s blood. He looks atVartan, who is hugging hisknees, his torso limp and yield-ing. What the two of themshare, beyond any real or imag-ined personal history, is a mas-sacre of their forebears – theJews by the Germans, theArmenians by the Turks – andhe wonders if this membershipin the club of the slaughtereddoesn’t create a certain kinshipafter all.”

Narrated through the vari-ous perspectives of the Aminfamily, “The Septembers ofShiraz” artfully and poignantlyillustrates the beauty of thehuman condition under brutalcircumstances. That Sofer isIranian born and her family fledher country when she was 10lends a core of authenticity tothe book that never fails toengage the reader.

Cynthia Gregory is a local writerwho has won numerous awards forher short fiction. Her work hasappeared in Glimmer Train Press,the Red Rock Review, Writer’sDigest, The Sun, The Ear, SantaBarbara Review, Black RiverReview, Briarcliff Review, ChicagoTribune, Bon Appetit, and the HerbQuarterly. You can write her at ceegregory@aol.com.

CYNTHIA GREGORY

FOR THE BOOKS

Book Review

Photo credit - MarieClaire.com

January 9, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 17

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Vacation close tohome in Pacific Grove

Pacific Grove may not havea world famous name like itsneighbors Monterey, Carmel,and Pebble Beach, but as I dis-covered on our last visit, itsbeauty, hospitality and locationare every bit as world class asthe other three. With close to afourth of its beautifully main-tained structures designated ashistoric buildings, (almost1,300), the city provides an old-fashioned charm to both visi-tors and residents.

The San FranciscoMethodist Church founded thearea in 1875 as a summer campfor church retreats. Fourteenyears later the resort town wasincorporated and became theCity of Pacific Grove. It hasthrough the years been thehome of some very famous res-idents like John Steinbeck, DocRicketts and the MonarchButterflies.

The Monarch Butterflies arethe only insects known tomigrate. They can travel as far as2,000 miles. They arrive for the

winter in late October and leavein early March. The city has pro-vided a Monarch GroveSanctuary for the thousands ofbutterflies that cluster togetherin the pine and eucalyptus trees.Admission to the sanctuary isfree and the area is always open.The city has a $1,000 fine fordeliberately disturbing a butter-fly. The awesome beauty ofthousands of orange and black

butterflies hanging together likelarge pinecones is worth thetrip.

Pacific Grove has a 4-½ mileoceanside trail that extendsfrom Cannery Row and theMonterey Bay Aquarium on oneend, all the way to the gates ofPebble Beach. The stunningviews of rolling surf, quietcoves, and sandy beaches makethis a very enjoyable afternoonstroll or bike ride.

The more adventurous visi-tors can kayak among the play-

ful otters or take a boat ride outto see whales. The MontereyBay Whale Watch Co. located atFishermen’s Wharf has a greatreputation for providing a whalewatching experience you willlong remember. On the day wewent out we were treated to 4humpback whales playing nearour boat. More exciting thanthat was the trip back to thewharf. We came upon a school

of thousands of California sealions. We followed the sea lionsfor over two miles as they con-tinued south in their lane oftraffic. The experience wasimpressive and I personally rec-ommend it to all.

Pacific Grove has the dis-tinction of being home to oneof the largest collections of Bed& Breakfast Inns in California.With so many options, which isthe best? My enthusiastic rec-ommendation is the MartineInn. Its owner Don Martine hasmeticulously renovated this1890’s Mediterranean-stylemansion into a celebratedMonterey Bay ocean view bedand breakfast boutique hotel.As a guest of Don’s you will beprovided a window into thegolden age of the early 1900’s.From the furniture to the exten-sive collection of silver thehome is filled with museumquality items. Each of the 24rooms offers a private bath, andmost rooms include a fireplace.The Martine Inn provides alibrary, a conference room, anenclosed spa, and a game roomwith billiard table and a 1917nickelodeon. Don also has a col-lection of vintage M.G. autosthat he has restored. Some ofthem are on display at the Inn.

In the evening guests aretreated to sumptuous platters ofhot hors d’oeuvres, fresh fruit,antipasto and a wine selectionof both reds and white. It isserved overlooking the inn’smillion-dollar view of MontereyBay. After indulging ourselveswith the extensive spread ofhors d’oeuvres and wine, we leftfor a night of entertainment.That we found at the Inn atSpanish Bay listening to the jazzstandards of the DottieDodgion Trio.

Penny Cannon is a published authorand lifelong resident of Contra CostaCounty. Her most recent book, “SensoOware” chronicles the life of her fatherand his years as a POW during WWII.“Senso Oware” is now available atClayton Books.

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Page 18 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com January 9, 2009

Tel: (925) 672-4433

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Consider plants that thrive in the cold

During the winter months,it is good to know that thereare some Clayton Valley lovingshrubs that actually prefer thecold weather. Lilacs, peoniesand dogwood all need consis-tent cold nights to set the budsthat we all enjoy during thespring and summer.

These selections laugh inthe face of frost. As a matter offact, they welcome it.

Lilac is a sentimental shrubwith fragrant clusters of blos-soms of reds, pinks, lavendersand white. Through theyears, many ClaytonValley gardeners havedesired these shrubsand have been disap-pointed by the per-formance of theEastern United Statesselections that somenurseries sold.

Monrovia plantgrowers came out witha handful of varietiesthat thrive in our cli-mate, without havingthe recommended 500hours of chill less than 45degrees. Even though theselilacs do not need the consis-tent cold, they do not protestour spotty frosts.

LOOKS LIKE AN ANGEL

Angel White is a suburb,pure-white lilac. This shrub willreach 12 feet tall and about 10feet wide. It looks like a burst

of white fireworks when itblooms, with its many arms ofblossoms reaching in everydirection.

Angel White looks nice in atwilight garden. Surround withevergreens to provide winterinterest. Hebe plants are ever-green shrubs with summerblooming times. The twoshrubs planted within the samelandscape give extended inter-est.

Big Blue is a more erectlilac, reaching heights of 10feet and 6 feet wide. Big Bluewill make a big show in yourClayton Valley landscape. Thebloom is huge, and the bluish,lavender flowers are punchy.

Surround this springtimebloomer with white carpetroses and Mexican Sage. Theseplants combined will give you

almost year-round color.Charles Joly is a wine red

selection of lilac. The fragrantblooms reach 4-6 inches longand 2-3 inches wide. Charlesdoes not reach the heights ofthe other selections noted, soyou can expect eventually 8 feettall and 6 feet wide.

Install with other shrubslike the ivory bells correa or

golden sunset breath of heavento create a hardy, eventuallydrought-tolerant grouping.

DON’T FORGET THE

DOGWOOD

Dogwood trees are anotherEastern tree that you seldomsee in Clayton Valley land-scapes. This tree is an under-story selection that thrives inpart sun with fertile, well-drained soil. If you have estab-lished pine trees or oaks, thedogwood would fit nicely intothe landscape.

Dogwood trees are pyra-mid-shaped and bloom beforethe leaves come out. They willhave a brightly colored redberry in the autumn and greatfall color.

Indian Princess is a selec-tion of Dogwood with rose

pink blossoms, vibrantred berries and beautifulfall color. Use under tallpine trees to add interestto the trunks. Or sur-round with happy daysazalea. The double petalpurple blossoms willaccent the IndianPrincess nicely. Addsome hydrangea to carryyou blooms straightthrough summer.

Constellation is anexcellent variety ofwhite flowered dog-

wood. This tree blooms in theearly summer. Constellationcan be used as a high profileaccent tree. Use in a focal situ-ation. The profusion of bloomwill set off your twilight gar-den.

Constellation is easy to find.Look for this tree during theearly spring months, so it willbe planted in time for its early

summer bloom.

PRETTY AS A PEONY

Peony plants are highlyprized. Their enormous blos-som makes an awesome pres-ence in a cottage style or cutflower garden. Plant peonieswith your roses, Echinacea andbaby’s breath. They tolerate fullto half a day’s sun.

During mild winters, gar-deners have been known tocrack some ice and pile it on the

soil where the peony sleeps.Since our winter is beginning tobe a cooler one than usual, thisexercise will not be so com-mon.

Sarah Bernhardt is a familiarpeony. She has a delightful,double blossom which is thecolor of an apple blossom –pretty and pink. This cottagegarden favorite is fragrant andenjoyable on the shrub or in avase. Please capture the bloomsof your peony; they make any

level of photographer success-ful.

Sarah Bernhardt tends to bea bushy plant, reaching 2½ feettall and about 3 feet wide.Remove seeds when the bloomis finished so you can appreci-ate the fine foliage.

Blaze is a vivid red peonywith golden yellow stamens.This peony blooms mid to latespring. Its blossom has beenknown to reach 6 inches wide.Blaze is a heat tolerant selectionand can take full sun.

Plant Blaze in a bed withyellow daylilies and dark purpleverbena. These simple plantsgrouped together will make aremarkable garden statement.

Not all plants are frost ten-der. Most survive and somethrive. If your garden proves tobe colder than your neighbor’s,consider one of these choicesto make the most of yourmicroclimate.

Nicole is the Garden Girl atR&M Pool, Patio, Gifts andGarden Contact her with questions,comments or suggestions at gardengirl@claytonpioneer.com

NICOLE HACKETT

GARDEN GIRL

PEONY

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