The Clayton PoliceDepartment is looking for a fewgood teenagers who are interest-ed in learning about – and expe-riencing – the day to day life ofbeing a police officer.

In 1991, Sgt. Richard Eneafounded the Clayton PoliceDepartment’s Explorer post,after starting others in CrescentCity and Belmont. Today, Enea’sson, Cpl. Rich Enea, is followingin his father’s footsteps.Formerly an Explorer himself,Enea acts as an advisor to thenew generation of Explorerrecruits.

Enea described the programas serving two purposes.“They’re doing community serv-ice for the place where they live,”he said. “But the main one is itdecides whether you want to be apolice officer or not.”

Explorers help the depart-ment at community events suchas the Art & Wine festival and

Oktoberfest, attend monthlytrainings in various aspects ofpolice work and ride along withofficers on patrol – usually afavorite activity.

Matt McLaughlin, 18, hasbeen with the program for threeyears. Recruited by Chief DanLawrence, McLaughlin recentlyachieved the rank of SergeantExplorer.

He described the atmospherein Clayton as like a family. “Youare like the little brother of thedepartment,” he said.“Everybody can really count onyou.”

McLaughlin’s favorite aspectof being an Explorer is learningskills from each of the officerson the force. “You’re able to puttogether different parts fromeach person. You can learneverything there is to knowabout police work,” he said.

McLaughlin is now studyingcriminal justice at Diablo ValleyJunior College. His experienceworking in varying aspects of thejob – community service, traffic

directing, watching officers con-duct traffic stops – cemented hislong-fostered desire to become apolice officer.

“Every day is different,” hesaid. “That’s what makes the jobto me really interesting. You goout there and don’t really knowwhat to expect.”

Katie Hill, 16, is another ofthe Clayton Police Explorers.She joined at the suggestion of aclassmate at Clayton Valley HighSchool.

“A lot of people don’t knowwho’s protecting their city. Iknow from experience Clayton isin good hands,” she said.

Enea said the Explorers learnappropriate behavior from theofficers. “I really think that all ofour officers really care about thecommunity. (The Explorers) aregoing to see that and not knowto treat people any differently.They’re not going to know howto do it the wrong way,” Eneasaid. “They’re going to have noproblem being professional,being courteous, being nice.”

“You learn how to haverespect for people. It teaches youhow to be a better person, howto respect different people fortheir differences,” saidMcLaughlin.

The experience isn’t specificto police work, and the lessonscan be valuable in all areas of theExplorers’ lives. “How to usecomputers, basically how to getalong with others, how to be a

respectful person, how to followrules, how to be a team player,”said Enea.

Applicants must be 14-21

City needsto cutlandscapewater 45percent

Starting May 1, the city mustcut its landscape water use by 45percent to comply with ContraCosta Water District’s mandato-ry rationing. In a report to theCity Council on May 5, mainte-nance supervisor Mark Janneyoutlined how the city plans tomake the cuts.

“We’re looking at policy andstrategy,” he explained. “Weplan to pool all of the city’swater and allocate to the highestpriority areas.” The newer land-scaping along Marsh CreekRoad and Oakhurst Boulevardwill take priority over lawns thatcan be more easily replaced.

Trimming and pruning,which encourages growth, willbe cut back to meet safety stan-dards. Most of the trees andshrubs that are well-established“may not look too good,” Janneysaid, “but they’ll survive.”

Meeting the stiff require-ments will mean letting much ofthe city’s median plantings andground covers die back in orderto save the turf in The Groveand on the playing fields, saysCity Manager Gary Napper.

The loss of the medianshrubs is not terrible. Thesemanzanita-like plants havereached the end of a lifespanthat began in poor soil, Napperexplains.

She may be new to theConcord/Clayton YMCA, butJennifer Beck has made greatstrides in the four months sinceshe took over as executive direc-tor and program developmentdirector.

“With basketball going gang-busters and getting great reviews,

the focus right now is gettingsummer programs in place,” shesaid.

“We have a fantastic full daycamp,” she added, noting thatthe 9 a.m.-4 p.m. camp also hasextended hours, with daycare 7-9a.m. and 4-6 p.m.

NEW TEEN PROGRAMS

For the first time, the Y isoffering teens a counselor-in-

training option to shadow thecamp counselor. “This givesthem the opportunity to seewhether they want to be a coun-selor with hands-on experience,”Beck said. “This program is nearand dear to my heart. It focuseson responsibility and they get toassume the lead for games orcraft activities and also give somerelief to the counselor.”

Then there are the teen trips

on weekends. “We get to go to aS.F. Giants game and then havedinner and arcade games at theMetreon,” Beck noted. Othertrips include Great America, Dayat the Bay, Alcatraz and a concertat the Sleep Train Pavilion inConcord.

The day camps and teen tripsstart June 24. The Y has already

IT’S YOUR PAPER

www.claytonpioneer.com May 22, 2009 925.672.0500

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

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

Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Deal With It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

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

DVMS Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Financial Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

For the Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Movie Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

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

Police Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Safety Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Sharing History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

School News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Student Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Time to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

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

What’s Inside

JULIE PIERCE

MAYOR’S CORNER

Time to tell state tohalt cash grab

As the deadlines approachfor every issue of the Pioneer, Istruggle with what to include inthis column. I thank all of youwho have said you enjoy it andlearn something from it. I try tokeep it somewhat light, positiveand informative, but this week itmay have to be just informativewith a couple local rays of sun-shine at the end.

You have no doubt heardthat the state of California is ina severe budget crisis. As I writethis, it’s five days before the spe-cial election and it looks like vot-ers will reject most if not all ofSacramento’s proposals.

In anticipation of that, andin acknowledgment of at least adoubling of the projecteddeficit, the governor has alreadyproposed that the state “bor-row” more money from thecities.

You will remember that youhelped pass Prop. 1A in 2004,saying that if the state borrowsfrom the cities in a time offinancial crisis, the “loan” mustbe repaid within three years withinterest. I’m betting they ignoreProp. 1A and simply “steal” themoney again – and tell the citiesand counties to find their ownmoney somewhere else.

See Mayor, page 14 See Landscape, page 18

See Explorer, page 15

New leadership, new programscome to the Clayton YMCA

André Gensburger/Clayton Pioneer

THE CONCORD/CLAYTON YMCA IS EXPECTING DEMAND FOR SUMMER RECREATION opportunities to be higher than ever becauseof the severe cuts to sports and enrichment programs in the schools. Under new leadership, the Y has a renewedemphasis on program development and is ramping up for a full summer of sports, classes, day camps and field trips.

ANDRÉ GENSBURGER

Clayton Pioneer

Denisen Hartlove/Clayton Pioneer

Police Explorer Advisor, Cpl. Rich Enea, center, is flanked by Explorers Matt McLaughlin and Katie Hill. Theprogram is designed for ‘teens who are considering a career in law enforcement.

Explorer program opens a window into police work

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

DENISEN HARTLOVE

Clayton Pioneer

See YMCA, page 13

2009 Concerts open toblockbuster crowd

Junior Girl Scout troop32554 of Clayton has earned aBronze Award by building nest-ing boxes to attract native birdsin the Mt Diablo area. The nest-ing boxes are installed on theCardinet Trail.

This industrious group offive girls pledged to “make theworld a better place” and sincethey are all “eco-aware,” thenesting boxes were a naturalchoice for them. After learningthat many nesting habitatshave been altered or removedby development, the girlsresearched ways to providesafe nesting cavities for ournative birds They hope toattract flickers, chickadees,bluebirds, finches, andPhoebes.

The Bronze Award is the

highest level of achievement forJunior Girl Scouts and requiresat least 15 hours of planning

and completing a communityservice project. The troop is ledby Rose Rad.

Page 2 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com May 22, 2009

What’s happening Around Town?Send your news of births, deaths, engagements weddings,

anniversaries, special recognitions, etc. to info@clayton-pioneer.com. There is no charge to publish these itemsin the Clayton Pioneer.

Please attach your photos to the email as JPEG filesbetween between 3MB and 6MB and include a caption toidentify people in your photos.

Around Town

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Clayton $639,980Oakhurst Ironwood – Views from prime lot w/blos-soming landscaping and gorgeous pool & spa. This5BD/2.5BA offers 2,532 s.f. & a downstairs B/B.Roomy updated eat-in kitchen & formal dining w/tilefloors. French door to yard. Private-backs to openspace. 3087WindmillCanyonDr.com

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Clayton Great PriceRegency Woods – 4BD/2.5BA single-story with 2,011s.f. is a welcoming home with beautifully landscapedyard -tropical in front and tender in back w/roses, grapevines & arbors. Deck, plush lawn, basketball court &RV/Boat Parking all appointed on over 1/3 of an acre.

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Clayton $610,000Regency Meadows – Putting green, pool & spa! 2,857s.f. 5BD/3BA incl. one full B/B downstairs. Vaultedceilings, w/w carpet & wood blinds throughout the mainliving areas. Family room w/fireplace & bar. Masterretreat w/views & fireplace. Roomy kitchen w/hard-wood floors & island. 250ElPuebloPlace.com

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Clayton welcomes Farmers Market back for second year

A warm May night, hot“Lava” and good friends – itwas obvious that Claytonianswere ready for summer as theyfilled the park last week for thefirst of the 2009 Concerts inThe Grove series.

“Is this pent-up demand orwhat,” laughed PlanningCommissioner Keith Haydon,surveying the lawn chairs andpicnic blankets that coveredevery square inch of the park“We’re so ready for this.”

For two hours, downtownrocked to Lava’s high-octane

Latin-salsa beat.On May 30, Houserockers, a

10-piece rock and soul band,brings swing, blues, 60s souland R & B that is guaranteed toget everyone up and dancing tothe music of the Rolling Stones,Springsteen and more.

The summer series is spon-sored by the city of Clayton, theCBCA and Allied Waste andruns every other weekendthrough Sept. 19.

See the insert in this issuefor a list of local eateries and acomplete concert schedule.

The Farmers Market is backthis year to cheers and raves.Starting and ending a hour earli-er to beat the heat, the marketwas elbow-to-elbow Claytonianson opening day, May 9 as ven-dors lined Diablo Street withtables laden with the season’searly fruits and vegetables.

“Gotta keep eatin’ healthy,”said Corinne Vasquez, pickingup a bag of oranges at JuanLujan’s booth, and the FarmersMarket is the cornerstone of hersummer eating plan.

Strawberries were on every-one’s list, but unless you gotthere early, you were out of luck.They were gone by 10:30. Butcherries, oranges and appleswere plentiful and tomato lovers

filled their bags with Early Girls.The market is every Saturday

morning, 8 ‘til noon, throughOct. 31(except July 4 and LaborDay weekend).

Cpl. RichEnea receivesthird MADD

award

On Apr. 18, Clayton’s Cpl.Rich Enea received his thirdconsecutive California HeroAward from Mothers AgainstDrunk Driving (MADD) at theSheraton Grand Hotel inSacramento. Enea’s parentsRichard and Beth also attendedthe ceremony.

He had 54 Driving Underthe Influence (DUI) arrests for2008, and 52 arrests for 2007.Thirteen of last year’s arrestshappened in December 2008.“Don’t drive drunk in Clayton,”Enea warns. - André Gensburger

CPL. RICH ENEA

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

CORINNE VASQUEZ OF CLAYTON and vendor Juan Lujan celebrate thefirst Farmers Market of the season. The market is open Saturdaymornings from 8 a.m. - noon through October 31.

Scouts build nesting boxes, hope for birds

LAURA RUSCITTI, ANNA RAD, MARIS DEGENER, EMILY MCCLUHAN, AND

CAITLIN ARANGO crafted nesting boxes to place along the CardinetTrail in hopes of attracting a variety of native birds.

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

It didn’t take long for the Latin beat of Lava to loosen up dancingfeet on opening night of the summer concert series in The Grove.

May 22, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 3

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TWO BRANCHES IN CONCORD

Clayton Valley Shopping Center5442 Ygnacio Valley Road, Suite 101257 Willow Pass RoadMon.-Fri. 10am-5:30pm, Sat. 10am-2pm

Concerts in The GroveSaturdays6-8 p.m.

May 16 through Sept. 19At the Gazebo in The Grove

May 30 HOUSEROCKERSRock and Soul

June 13 MamalukeClassic Rock

June 27 The Sun KingsBeatles

July 11 Mixed Nuts‘40s to present dance music

July 25 BECCACountry

August 8 In DisguiseJazz, R&B, Pop Hits

Aug 22 Diamond DaveOldies to today’s top hits

Aug 29 Replica80s rock tribute band

Sept 19 Harvey & The Wall BangersRock, R&B, Country and Oldies

Sponsored by the city of Clayton, CBCAand Allied Waste Services

FREE CONCERTSERIES

NEW ATTHE FAIR

Sat. May 30, 7:30pm

AeromythSalute to Aerosmith

Sat. May 30, 5:30pm

Gwen in DoubtSalute to No Doubt

Thurs. May 28,

6:30pm & 8:30pm

Rusty EvansSalute to Johnny Cash

Fri. May 29,

6:30pm & 8:30pm

Triple Rock ClassicSalute to John Fogerty,

Tom Petty & Bob Seger

Shark Exhibit

Farmyard Follies

Ag-venture Land

Buy Tickets Now and

SAVEGo to ccfair.org or

the Fair office

Ride the bus and SAVE $3Win tickets at

www.trideltatransit.com

5 & under FREEChildren 6-12 $5Adults 13-61 $8Seniors 62+ $5

Parking $5

Four Big Days of Family, Fun andEntertainment... Best Family

Value in Contra Costa County!

Check out a full schedule & greatsavings at www.ccfair.org

Sat. May 30, 9:30pm

Original Kiss ArmySalute to Kiss

Local Food To GoSupport your local businesses & Restaurants.

Takeout or dine in before or after the concert.

Moresi’s Chophouse 6115 Main St. 672 - 1333

Ed’s Mudville Grill 6200 Center St. 673 - 0333 *

La Veranda Cafe 6201 Center St. 524 - 0011

Skipolini’s Pizza 1035 Diablo St. 672 - 1111

Village Market 6104 Main St. 672 - 0188 *

Johnny’s Int’l Deli & Cafe’ 6101 Center St. 672-0188

Cup O’Jo 6054 Main St. 672-5105*

Community BBQ at Rodie’s

A real traffic stopperTraffic on Peacock Creek

Drive came to a standstill oneday early this month when alocal wild turkey with boundary

issues initiated a “standoff ” witha Honda Accord driven by SandiSeberras.

Around 2 p.m. on May 6, amilitant “attack turkey”adamantly and loudly defendedhis right of way causing a minortraffic jam. An adolescent maleexited his car and attempted tonegotiate a peaceful resolution,but the turkey would have noneof it and chased him back up thehill where he took cover in hisvehicle.-

Kahni Horton

Katie Grace Groebner, aClayton resident with pul-monary hypertension, has madegreat strides in her battle withthe disease. And she addedanother accolade to her listwhen she participated in a relayfundraiser touted as“California’s Longest Party” onMay 2-3.

Katie Grace was out sup-porting the run-ners, despitecomplicationsfrom her heartcatheter Broviacunit that causeda serious infec-tion just beforeChristmas. Itrequired theremoval of theline deliveringvital medica-tions that helpregulate her pul-monary pres-sures and extendher life.

Founded in1996, Organs‘R’ Us is a non-profit that pro-motes organ donations throughrunning and walking events.The Relay of 199 miles fromCalistoga to Santa Cruz symbol-izes organ donations throughthe passing of the baton fromrunner to runner or walker towalker.

Katie Grace cheered runnersat the finish line in a race thatwas in part dedicated to her. “Allthe racers thought they werethere for her, with her pictureon their van and a sign that said‘We Race for Katie Grace,’ ”said mom Kathy Groebner,

“but Katie Grace was reallythere for others.

“It was cold, wet and rainy,but the racers never stopped,”Kathy added. “Then she wentup to the road and said, ‘I wantto run across the finish line,too.’ So she held up her muddypants and gave it all she had.”

While crossing the line, aracer from the Danville group

F o r w a r dMotion recog-nized KatieGrace and thegroup took ap h o t o g r a p hwith her.

One of therunners askedKatie Gracewhen she willget her heart andlung transplants.“I think they willfind a cure forPH before thathappens,” saidKatie Grace.“I’m here for myPH friends whoalready gottheirs.”

According to Kathy, therunners kept coming all daylong. “We were there from 11a.m.-6 p.m. and the only reasonwe left was because we had tomix Katie Grace’s IV meds andcouldn’t stay any longer. Butthere were racers still coming inas we pulled out.”

For more information aboutOrgans ‘R’ Us visitwww.therelay.com.

Brave girl runs relay to help the cause

WEARING HER “I’M A LITTLES.O.B.” (short of breath) t-shirt,KATIE GRACE GROEBNER bravesthe rain and mud to cheer run-ners at the finish line in theOrgan’s R Us relay race on May2-3.

For more AroundTown turn to pg. 4

Bob and Sarah Rodenburg, (top left) owners of Rodie’s Feedand Country Store sent out a great big “thank you” to the com-munity last week when they hosted a free BBQ as part of their“Customer Appreciation Day.” Kamp’s Propane supplied the hotdogs, area breeders supplied the puppies and Rodie's threw theparty at their place on Marsh Creek Road.

Pictured top right, Clayton kids Karlie and Colton cuddle 8-week-old Yorkie puppies; Above, The Lenz family, Tom, George,Marianna and Debbie.

MAY 25MEMORIAL DAY

Clayton will once againremember all service men andwomen who have lost their lives

in the service of their country atthe annual Memorial DayServices on May 25. The twohour program begins at 10 a.m.at the VFW flagpole on Main

Street and will include distin-guished speakers and patrioticmusic by local choir, Yesterday’sKids and the middle schoolbands. There will be seating for400, many in the shade. Theannual commemoration is host-ed by the Lt. Jerry NovakovichVFW Post 1525 and the KoreanWar Veterans Assoc. Chap. 264.

MAY 30HISTORY FAIR

9 A.M. – 1 P.M.“History-We’re Full of It,”

says the Clayton HistoricalSociety as they prepare to host aHistory Day in the city parkinglot next to the Clayton Museum.Come and take your fill of therich history of the area at the

booths set up by local historycenters, museums and East BayParks. See and touch old stuff,work the old coffee grinder,typewriter, and kitchen gadgets.Meet historians from the histor-ical societies of Martinez,Concord, Contra Costa, WalnutCreek, East Contra Costa, Black

Diamond Mines and Clayton.Exhibits, photos, demonstra-tions, and hands-on activitiesfor the whole family. The muse-um will be open during the fair.For more information, call 672-0240.

MAY 16CONCERT IN THE GROVE

The second of the free sum-mer concert series is May 30 inThe Grove. Bring lawn chairs ora blanket and plunk down onthe lawn with sandwiches, apizza or a fine takeout dinnerfrom Ed’s, Moresi’s Chophouseor La Veranda. Get ready torock and roll when the TheHouserockers. take the stage at6 p.m.

James Van Wyck ofClayton is the NorthernCalifornia Boys GymnasticsAssociation State All-AroundChampion for Level 8 (14-15year olds). The StateChampionships were inRancho Cordova in March.He is also state champ onrings, parallel bars and highbar and placed third on vault.He is a two- time USAGymnastics Academic All-American. A sophomore onthe track and field team, VanWyck competes in the pole

vault for De La Salle High.This weekend, Van Wyck

and 60 of his LibertyGymnastics teammates will beperforming each day at TodosSantos Plaza in downtownConcord at the 20th annualKidFest. Admission is $5 ($1off if you donate a can offood to Contra Costa FoodBank) with the event openfrom 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.,Memorial Day weekend, May23-25.

KidFest features hundreds ofactivities including face painting,

entertainment on three stages, carni-val games, sports, karaoke andphoto opportunities with Dora theExplorer. For more information,visit www.kidfestconcord.com.

Page 4 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com May 22, 2009

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Clayton Valley Garden Club members took their first field trip ofthe year on May 4, visiting the Sonoma Horticultural nursery inSebastopol, reveling in seven acres of shade loving plants.

“This place looked like a park,” says Garden Club memberNicole Hackett. “We brought a copy of the Clayton Pioneer to helpcapture this moment.”

Back row; Neal Richmond, Bob Beitler, Bob Frost, Barry Hart,Middle row; Dorothy Bradt, Linda Cruz, Marcia Hart, Tina Frost,Peggy Arundell, Nicole Hackett, Dianne Martinelli, Rosalie Zollars,Nancy Harvey, Front; Carin Kaplan and Linda Karp.

Pioneer gets a day in the shade

Clayton gymnastics champ to perform at KidFest

Brian and BarbaraO’Connor proudly welcomed anew grandson on February 1.Jack David Siegel signed in at 7lbs. 7 ozs. and is at home in SanDiego with his parents KristinO’Connor and Andrew Siegel.

New grandsonfor O’Connors

Around Town

JAMES VAN WYCK

JACK DAVID SIEGEL

Upcoming Events

May 22, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 5

Found: Parakeet. Found4/24 in Easley Estates. Call toidentify 765-3822

Found: I-Pod. Found May1st near Mt. Diablo Elementary.Call to identify 672-2814

SUMMER CHILDCARESummer Childcare offered atClayton Community School

Kindergarten – 5th grade,Monday – Friday 7 am to 6 pm.

Preschool offered Tuesdayand Thursday 9 am to 11:30pm. Contact (925) 672-0388

RENTALSOffice Space for Rent250 Sq. feet, fully furnished

office space in Concord. Call685-45223

South Lake TahoeVacation Rental. Great loca-tion, sleeps 6 to 8 comfortably.Pictures and home details canbe found at www.tahoehansen-house.com. Still have ques-tions, call Debbie Hansen at(925) 766-8961

Cabin Rental. Pinecrest –Rustic cabin, sleeps 11. Nearlake, stores, restaurant, postoffice and movie. Huge deck.$1000/wk. Available June, Julyand August. Call 925-837-2870

Clayton Home for Rent.$2450/month. Clean 3bed-room, 3 bath home on charm-ing Jalalon Place. Available July1st. See www.rentals.com listing#910456 for details. Please donot disturb occupants.

Call 925-285-7004

HELP WANTEDReal Estate Agents. Be

Successful! Lynne French isexpanding and interviewing fora few agents. Call her today(925) 672-8787.

VOLUNTEERS WANTEDMeals on Wheels Drivers

673-0300 or hairbyjim@sbcglob-al.net.Anna’s Attic Volunteers

Call 674-9072 or (925) 766-5066.Hospice of the East Bay

Call Volunteer Dept. at (925) 887-5678 or email volunteers@hos-piceeastbay.org. Clayton Historical Society

Museum

Call the museum at 672-0240. Clayton Community Library.

673-9777 or email:akikkawa@ccclib.org

Auto

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

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

Yamaha of Napa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .707-254-7432

Construction and Trades

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

Burkin Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2482

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

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

Olde World Mill & Cabinets . . . . . . . . . . . .1-707-558-0259

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

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

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

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

Dentist

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

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

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

Dining and Entertainment

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

Diablo Light Opera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .944-1565

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

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

Financial and Insurance Services

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

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

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

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

Ferrante Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .674-1755

Real Prosperity Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .472-6808

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

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

Fitness

Snap Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .693-0110

Traveling Trainers for Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .890-6931

Funerals

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

Home and Garden

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

Clayton Valley Frameworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-6066

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

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

Just Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .681-4747

Lewis & Lewis Carpets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .939-2145

Majestic Pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .676-1545

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

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

Persson’s Touch Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240-1711

Sparkle Pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260-5025

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

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

Waraner Tree Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250-0334

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

Mailing and Shipping

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

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

Personal Products and Services

Bella Mia Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .680-7792

Perfect Tan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-8261

Roberta Claire Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .625-1123

The Makeup Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .408-8010

The Tanning CO! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-2022

Pet Services

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

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

Doggie Doo Drain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286-5564

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

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

Rodies Feed and Country Store . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-4600

Preschool

Walnut Country Preschool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .798-9686

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

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

Recreation

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

Dana Hills Homeowners Assn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .381-2021

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

Senior Services

Aegis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .692-5853

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

Services, Other

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

Clean Cleaner Carpets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383-1253

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

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

The Cutting Edge Knife Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-7892

Shopping

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

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

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

Travel

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

Travel to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .672-9840

Worship

Clayton Community Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .673-9061

Directory of Advertisers

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

TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, EditorANDRÉ GENSBURGER, Reporter and Feature WriterPETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignBEV BRITTON, Copy Editor RANDY ROWLAND, Sports BETH NEUDELL, Advertising Sales CHRISTINA SCARLOTT, Administrative Assistant

We remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse

PIONEER INFOCONTACT US

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

Tamara 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

City of Clayton now accepting applications for

CLAYTON PLANNING COMMISSIONTERM: July 2009 thru June 2011

The Planning Commission is comprised of five members appointedby the City Council for two-year terms. The Planning Commissionadvises the City Council on land use matters, including general planamendments, zone changes, and proposed projects. The Commissionalso makes decisions on site plans, use permits, subdivisions, and vari-ances. Planning Commission meetings are open to the public and itsdecisions can be appealed to the City Council.

The Planning Commission meets on the second and fourth Tuesdayof each month, 7 p.m., in Hoyer Hall at the Clayton CommunityLibrary.

Planning Commissioners presently receive a monthly stipend of$120.

An applicant must be 18 years of age, registered voter and a resi-dent of Clayton.

Apply in person at Clayton City Hall, 6000 Heritage Trail. For anapplication, call City Hall at (925) 673-7300 or send email to ljack-son@ci.clayton.ca.us. Visit the city’s Website at www.ci.clayton.ca.us.

Deadline for application is 5 p.m., June 5, 2009.Interviews will be held in mid June and appointmentsannounced at the June 16 City Council meeting.

Corner of Clayton Road and Kirker Pass Road � 925 672-3900

Our professionals are here to serve you:

Amir, Jameson, Gary, Alex and Peter

Free shuttle service

for major repairsOfficial Smog Check and Repair Station

Mechanical repairs and computer diagnostics including 30K, 60K, 90K factory maintenanceon all European, Imported and domestic vehicles.

Clayton ValleyShell. May not

be combined withother offers.

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City of Clayton now accepting applications for

TRAILS AND LANDSCAPING COMMITTEETerm: July 2009-June 2011

The Trails and Landscaping Committee, comprised of up to 11members is appointed by the Clayton City Council. This citizens’committee advises the city council and city manager on mainte-nance, improvement and financial matters related to the 2007Citywide Landscape Maintenance District. The District has an annu-al budget to maintain the roadway and median public landscapedareas, public open space/hillsides of the city, annual weed abate-ment and fire break tasks, the Clayton fountain, and the trail sys-tem of the city.

For applications and more information:In person: Clayton City Hall, 6000 Heritage TrailBy mail: call City offices at 925-673-7300E-mail: contact ljackson@ci.clayton.ca.usCity’s web site: www.ci.clayton.ca.us

Please return a completed application to the city clerk by 5p.m. June 5, 2009. Interviews will be conducted the citycouncil, with appointment expected in late June.

LOST & FOUNDLost: Stroller. Bob Jogging

Stroller, navy blue. Lost May 4in the Vineyards shopping cen-ter. If found call 672-3287

TWO WEEKS ENDING

MAY 14

ACCIDENTS

May 12, 12:24 p.m., ClaytonRd. Hit and run, propertydamage

ARRESTS

May 2, 9:10 p.m., ClaytonRd., a Concord man, 27, wascontacted after a report of asuspicious person. He wasarrested for possession of acontrolled substance.

May 4, 5:41 p.m., YgnacioValley Rd., a Concord man, 41,was stopped for crossing thestreet illegally and arrested on

an outstanding warrant.May 6, 3:36 a.m., Malibu

Ct. and El Portal Dr., aConcord man, 30, was arrestedand charged with a DUI.

May 7, 8:51 p.m., CaufieldDr. and Atchinson Stage, aWalnut Creek youth, 17, and aWalnut Creek man, 18, wereissued citations for possessingalcohol after being contactedabout obstructing traffic. Theyouth was released afterobtaining permission from hismother.

May 9, 1:21 a.m., KelokDr., a Concord man, 18, wasissued a citation for possessionof a controlled substance.

May 13, 7:17 p.m., Mt. Dell

Dr., a Concord man, 22, and aClayton man, 25, were contact-ed after reports of a distur-bance with weapons present.The men were found to be inviolation of probation. TheConcord man was issued acitation and the Clayton manwas arrested.

BURGLARIES/THEFTS

May 1, 7:34 a.m., Tiffin Dr.Grand theft

May 2, 6:45 a.m.,Mountaire Pwky. Grand theft

May 6, 4:38 p.m., Shell Ln.Residential burglary

May 8, 6:05 a.m., BigelowSt. Vehicle burglary

May 8, 6:55 a.m., Mt.Trinity Ct. Vehicle burglary

May 8, 2:43 p.m., FeatherCr. Identity theft

May 8, 3:51 p.m., MarshCreek Rd. Grand theft

May 11, 6:15 a.m., MalibuCt. Grand theft

May 11, 11:30 a.m., Mt.Teton Pl. Identity theft

May 11, 2:31 p.m., ClaytonRd. Attempted burglary

May 13, 9:04 a.m., ClaytonRd. Identity theft

May 13, 12:49 p.m.,Silverado Ct. Grand theft

May 13, 11:16 a.m.,Cardinet Dr. Vehicle burglary

May 13, 4:56 p.m., IndianWells Wy. Petty theft

May 14, 3:44 p.m., BlackDiamond Tr. and Clayton Rd.Vehicle burglary

VANDALISM

May 6, 4:38 p.m., Shell Ln.May 14, 7:37 a.m.,

Mountaire Cr.

This year’s Contra CostaCounty Fair features severalnew exhibits, including the LiveShark Encounter, Farm YardFollies, Gascar Animal Races,Ag-Venture Land and the fasci-nating creatures of the Wildlifeof the World exhibit.

Visitors can also check outthe Astronaut Plasterman, thetrackless train, along with theever popular Wild WestCowboys, Flo the Clown, KidsTown America and a new sci-ence show for kids with interac-tive robots. And don’t forgetthe carnival rides, exhibits andfree entertainment.

The fair runs Thursday, May28, through Sunday, May 31, atthe fairgrounds, 1201 W. 10thSt., Antioch. Hours are noon-11 p.m. Thursday and Fridayand 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on the

weekend.Admission is $8 for adults,

$5 for seniors 62 and over and$5 for children 6-12. Children 6

and under are free. Parking is$5.

For more information, call 779-7916 or visit www.ccfair.org.

Page 6 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com May 22, 2009

Enjoy your closer commute in Walnut Creek and kids walk-ing to nationally recognized De La Salle and Carondelet privateschools!

This 1 year new Custom home of 3,612 square feet ofupgraded elegance filled with granite, travertine, hardwood &

stainless also is drapedand fully landscaped!

Enjoy entertaining onyour fantastic patio, gath-ering around the gasburning pit, BBQ-ing onyour stone outdoorkitchen, or swimming in

KNOWLEDGE � SERVICE � INTEGRITY � RESULTS

Pete Laurence, Broker, Realtor, GRI

2950 Buskirk Avenue, Ste. 140, Walnut Creek

Direct 940-2777 � Cell 890-6004 � Fax 937-0150

Now is the time to buy.

Walnut Creek Closeness!

your mountain style pool or just soakingin your built-in spa waterfalling into thepool! All done and ready to move intofor only

$1,370,000

925-408-8010

6064 Main Street, Clayton(Frontier Beauty Salon)

www.themakeupgirl.com

A Skin Care andMake-up Studio

Spring RefresherBook any facial and receive

a complimentary eyebrowor lip wax.

Gift certificatesavailable.

The Makeup Girl

Professional Makeup Artistry & Esthetics� Airbrush Makeup � Custom Facials � Waxing � Peels & more

The Contra Costa BalletFoundation is offering localdance students an opportunityto receive support for trainingthrough the Jo Tao MemorialScholarship.

The scholarship, namedafter a much-loved adult studentat the school, will be awarded tostudents between the ages of 13and 18. Class work and a solo

chosen by the applicant will bejudged in a competition on June14.

“It’s entirely based onmerit,” says Zolla Dishong, co-artistic director of the ballet.

For more information and toenter, call 935-7984 or emailNikki@ContraCostaBallet.org.

Sharks, clowns and robots –see it all at the County Fair

Contra Costa Balletoffers youth scholarship

Police Log

May 22, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 7

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Proper diligence can closethe deal, despite delays

Many of the reasons for adelayed closing can be avoidedif you know what to watch forin advance.

Closing delays often have todo with the buyer’s new homeloan. For example, lendersrequire that buyers have ahomeowner’s insurance policyin effect at closing. If this criti-cal item is overlooked, closingwill have to be postponed untilthe buyers have their insurancein place.

A closing could be late if thefunding check from the buyer’slender isn’t issued on time. Thiscan happen if you don’t signyour loan documents promptly– a situation over which youhave control.

Another circumstance overwhich you have a little control isa delay due to lender backlog.This will occur when there’s a

lot of refinancing and/or abuyer’s real estate market. If youknow the lender is busy, try toget all your loan-related paper-work in early.

Sometimes work on theproperty needs to be completedbefore closing. For example, ifthe lender requires that the ter-mite work be done and the workis delayed for some reason, yourclosing will have to be post-poned. If you’re buying newconstruction and the comple-tion date is held up, your closingwill be delayed.

Sometimes the lenderimposes last minute require-ments, such as review appraisalof the property or a furtherexplanation of a credit defect.When your loan is approved, besure to ask if there are any loanconditions that must be metbefore closing. If so, get theseresolved as soon as possible.

When two home sales areclosing concurrently, a delay inone can cause a delay in theother. This can happen if you’rebuying a home from a seller

who’s buying another home. Ifthe seller listed his home contin-gent upon a simultaneous closewith the home he’s purchasingand that closing is delayed, thenyour closing will also be delayed.

The closing can’t take placewithout the buyer’s money forthe down payment and closingcosts. Buyers often have moneywired from various accounts. Ifwire orders aren’t placed earlyenough or if wire routinginstructions aren’t correct, theclosing will be delayed.

The first thing to do whenyou hear that your closing isn’tgoing as scheduled is to staycalm. Be sure that your agentinforms all other partiesinvolved in the transaction thatthere is an unavoidable delay.Get a written extension of theclosing if it will be postponedfor longer than 24 hours.

The last thing you should do,no matter how frustrated youmay feel, is call the loan proces-sor directly to complain. Let yourloan agent handle the problem ifit’s related to your new loan.

Ideally, buyers shouldn’t takepossession of their new homesuntil the sale has closed.Whenever possible, postponethe move until the last-minuteproblem has been sorted out.

In busy real estate markets,it may not be possible toreschedule professional moverslate in the game. As a last resort,the buyer can ask the seller forpermission to occupy the prop-erty before the closing and, ifthe seller is agreeable, an adden-dum should be drawn up indi-cating the terms and conditionsunder which the buyer canmove in early. An interim occu-pancy agreement should also besigned by the buyer and seller,and the buyer’s personal prop-erty and liability insuranceshould be in effect as of thedate of occupancy.

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

Local cabinet maker marries old world qualitywith modern function in kitchen, bath design

Walk through the big roll updoors at Kevin Mancino’swaterfront cabinet shop onMare Island and sniff the air—what you smell is wood, realwood. And listen – what youhear are tools – not machines.And watch – what you see areunhurried craftsmen, notassembly lines.

What you don’t see inKevin’s shop are rows and rowsof prefabricated cabinetsstacked to the rafters. “At OldeWorld Mill and Cabinets, everycabinet is custom designed andcrafted for a particular place, aspecific purpose and a perfectfit,” Kevin says, running hishand along the corner of analder cabinet that will actuallyserve as a three way wallbetween kitchen, living roomand dining room in its Danvillehome.

Prefabricated or “cookie cut-ter” cabinets are pre-measuredand pre-cut. “They come closethen use filler for the rest,” heexplains. This results in lostspace. “With our cabinets, everyinch of your space is usable,filled with a custom cut cabinet,drawer or cubby.

Olde World uses only the

highest grade plywood in theircabinets. Kevin won’t use par-ticle board, which is heavierthan plywood and prone tochipping. “Particle board’s adisaster if it gets wet,” heexplains. “It swells up like asponge.” Plywood is lighter andmore easily repaired if it getsdamaged.

Drawers are all dovetail con-struction. With concealed glides,space in the drawer can be

increased sometimes an inch ormore, especially critical forsmaller kitchens.

With the recent downturn inthe real estate market, morehomeowners are opting to stayput and upgrade their homes.Kitchens and bathrooms aretypically the first rooms to getthe makeover and are usuallyaccount for the lion’s share ofany remodel budget, so qualityis critical when it comes time to

sell. Kitchens and baths willhistorically return 80 percent ormore of the investment, butonly if the workmanship andmaterials are quality.

For insurance executive JackFinegold, quality and value wereparamount in deciding on acontractor to remodel hisAlamo kitchen. Finegold wasimpressed with the millworkthat Kevin and his crew did onthe 1515 Restaurant and Loungein Walnut Creek. He was alsoimpressed with Kevin’s designand pricing. “You really get acustom, handmade job at pricesthat are comparable to ‘off-the-shelf ’ cabinets found in manyreseller’s shops,” he said.“Kevin’s very attentive,”Finegold continued. “Eventoday, if something needs to betouched up, Kevin’s all over it.You can’t get a better deal.” (Seethe Finegold kitchen in OldeWorld’s ad on this page.)

Kevin’s career originallystarted off on the east coast inthe food service industry. But,following an auto accident sixyears ago, Kevin took a year offto reevaluate. He met and mar-ried his wife, Karolina, who wason a student visa from Poland

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

KEVIN MANCINO, owner of Olde World Mill and Cabinets, takesfinal critical look at a cabinet door before finish is applied.

See Olde World, page 8

As the only formally educat-ed artist employed by a largeonline art retailer, Jan Weiss wasflooded with dark emotionsafter her sudden layoff inFebruary from her three-yearcareer as a merchandiser.

“I was so scared,” said Weiss.“But it wasn’t the end of theworld.”

Just two weeks later, a friendsuggested Jan use her experi-ence, education and knowledgeto create her own store.Enthusiastic to transfer herintensity to a positive focus, twomonths later Weiss launchedwww.Artprints-Online.com. Itoffers hand-chosen, trend-for-ward selections through a virtu-al art boutique.

“I think the intensity of thefeelings helped me processthem quickly,” Weiss explained.“I didn’t wallow in unemploy-ment.”

In September 2008, Weissmarried Clayton ValleyFrameworks owner and masterframer Craig Andersen. “Craigdidn’t worry. He supports every-

thing I do,” Weiss added.Using her outstanding rela-

tionships with vendors and pub-lishers of fine art prints, Weissoffers exclusive product, rareposters, limited-edition platesigned and some artist signedprints. Artaissance, a brandedcollection hard to find online,provides choice of paper or can-vas and selections are sized to fityour unique space. A collectionof open edition “green” prints,produced on 100 percent cotton,archival recycled paper usingVOC-free water-based inks, areoffered in exclusive sizes notpublished anywhere else.

Artprints-Online providesquality, customized framing by amaster framer with 30 yearsexperience. “It’s the perfect fitwith my experience framing andJan’s experience in art,” saidAndersen noting that other artretailers offer framing, but theirobjective is to keep their costdown by using inexperiencedframers and lower quality mate-rial.

Artprints-Online retailsabout 5,000 hand-chosen (notvendor dictated) items. “I don’tbother with museum art – I

can’t compete,” said Weiss. “Ihave the hottest new look. I liketo keep it fresh.”

With a fine art degree fromCal State Hayward, the pub-lished artist understands pricevs. quality in making sophisticat-ed selections. In regard tolaunching a business in a strug-gling economy, Weiss stated:“We always need art in our life.”

Using a Yahoo store tem-plate to start, Weiss stayed inbudget to make importantchanges. “I know how peopleshop online, with as few clicksas possible,” Weiss explained.

Artprints-Online donates apercentage of sales to Kiva.org,a charity providing independentbusiness loans to Third Worldcountries. Weiss learned aboutthese “micro-loans” from anewspaper article and has pro-vided loans to merchants sup-porting families in Asia, Africaand South America.

For more information, go towww.artprints-online.com or contactJan Weiss at jan@artprints-online.com or call Craig Andersen atClayton Valley Frameworks, 672-6066.

Page 8 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com May 22, 2009

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JAN WEISS OWNER OF ARTPRINTS-ONLINE works with husband and master framer Craig Andersenon location at Clayton Valley Frameworks in Concord.

Nightmare layoff turns intobusiness opportunity for Jan Weiss

NICCI SHIPSTEAD

Clayton Pioneer

and the couple moved to thewest coast to be nearer Kevin’sfamily. He went to work con-tracting for his brother-in-law.After working with him onseveral high-end projects,including Bing Crosby’s inRancho Mirage, Kevin knewthat fine cabinetry was his call-ing.

He hired Lloyd Crawfordwho brought a lifetime ofexperience in cabinet makingto Olde World and is still shop

foreman today. Together theyhave built long and solid rela-tionships with their trustedsuppliers.

Kevin and Karolina live inthe Clayton Valley Highlandsand await their first child due inNovember.

Step inside Olde World Milland Cabinets and you truly takea step into a place where akitchen drawer is a work of artand nothing gets out the dooruntil Kevin’s expert eye says

“it’s good.”“Nothing substitutes for a

good long look,” Kevin says,holding a cabinet door up tothe light. “It has to be perfectbefore you put the finish on it.Otherwise, cracks or scratcheswill show up.”

You can learn more aboutOlde World Mill and Cabinetson their Website at www.olde-worldcabinets.com. View cabi-net styles, doors, trims, drawersand finishes for ideas. Then callKevin at (925) 915-0822, andtogether you can plan thekitchen of your dreams at aprice you can afford.

Olde World, from page 7

May is National MovingMonth and millions ofAmerican families are expectedto relocate between now andLabor Day. Our pets are familymembers too and there aremany things we can do toensure their safety and comfortduring the big move.

In general, cats are morefocused on their surroundingsand don’t adapt to change asreadily as dogs. It’s important toh Help your cat learn to loveher travel carrier. Leave it outnear her favorite resting spotand place her favorite bed, toysand treats inside the carrier.

Dogs are often easier to trav-el with, but you may want topractice short car trips to thepark or practice confinementtraining in a travel crate.Positive associations will rein-force the pleasurable aspect ofcar rides and help decrease anx-iety.

On the day of the move,place your cats in their carriersand confine your dogs to oneroom. Once everything is out ofthe house, retrieve your animalsand place them in the car.

Dogs should be restrainedwith a safety harnesses, safetygates, or travel crate to ensurethe safety of both the driver andthe dog. During the first fewhours of your trip, you maywish to cover the cat carrierwith a sheet to help keep yourcat calm.

Once in the car, make sureyour pets have proper ventila-tion and never leave them unat-tended on very warm or verycold days.

Don’t forget to pack foodand water, a litter box for longtrips with a cat, a pet first aid kitand some extra towels. Placetemporary ID tags with yournew address and emergencyphone number on your pet’scollar. If you are crossing statelines, many states will require acurrent health certificate for

your pet.If you must stop for the

night, call ahead to a pet-friend-ly hotels and reserve a room foryourself and your pets. In thehotel room, check for open win-dows or holes in the wall, beforeletting your cat out of her carri-er or your dog off his leash.

When you reach your finaldestination, confine your pets toa single room while you make a

Lydia Lynch is a livelyyoung dog still getting used toall the new sights and soundsshe’s experiencing. She will needtime and patience while she getsmore confident. Attendingtraining classes will be a greatway for her to build confidence.

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

Sebastian is a sweet, affec-tionate fellow who is patientlywaiting for that special some-one. He loves to lounge aroundand enjoys a good scratchbehind the ears!

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 adoption process.

Would you like to be part of theheroic team that saves the lives of res-cued dogs and cats? Can you shareyour talents to connect people and ani-mals? ARF volunteers are making adifference! For more information seeour website, www.arf.net, or call925.256.1ARF.

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PAWS AND CLAWS

It was a “howl-y” birthday atthe Clayton Dog Park lastmonth when 9 very energeticLabrador littermates gatheredto celebrate their second birth-day. A tenth littermate was laidup with a leg injury and couldn’tattend.

Parents of the litter, Tankand Shakira and one of thepups, live in Pittsburg with theirowner, Mario Molina. The littergets together frequently for playdates at the Dog Park.

The dog park has a picnictable with a shade cover, whichmakes it an ideal place to holdcanine gatherings.

This summer, there will be“splash pool” parties during themonths of June, July andAugust. Watch for the noticesposted on the bulletin board atthe dog park.

The Clayton Dog Park islocated across from DiabloView Middle School on MarshCreek Road. Enter the parkfrom Regency Drive.

Pooches celebrate birthday at the dogpark and keep the family ties tight

See Pets page 14

Six is definitely a magic number forthe Clayton Valley High School boy’slacrosse team.

In its sixth year of existence, theEagles realized a couple firsts. CVHSwon the Diablo Valley Athletic Leaguechampionship with an undefeatedrecord. The team was awarded a placein the North Coast Section playoffsfor the first time and, by holding theirinitial NCS opponent to six goals,avenged a regular season defeat andwon their maiden playoff game 8-6over Las Lomas of Walnut Creek.

The team has come a long waysince lacrosse began at Clayton Valleyduring the 2003-’04 school year whenstudent Cody Clausen petitioned theadministration to add the sport.

Lacrosse has been described as acombination of basketball, soccer andhockey. It is considered America’s firstsport, born of the North AmericanIndian, christened by the French andadapted and raised by the Canadians.Modern lacrosse has been around theUnited States and BritishCommonwealth for more than a cen-tury and is now finding a place atAmerican high schools across thecountry.

Matt Hill answered an advertise-ment that first year and became CV’sjunior varsity coach. When head coachJim Burkin left, Hill stepped up tohandle the varsity and JV posts. He

had played club lacrosse on theMonterey Peninsula and always had agreat interest in the sport. Hill’syoungest son, Matt, was a sophomoreon JV that first season.

When Clayton Valley officialsgranted permission to start lacrosse, itcame with a caveat – there would beno school funding for uniforms, offi-cials, transportation and coaches.That’s when a small but dedicated

group of parents including the coach’swife, Michelle Hill, stepped up. Theself-described “No. 1 cheerleader” forClayton Valley lacrosse helped organ-ize fundraising to make the program areality.

You can imagine the pride and sat-isfaction for the Hills, varsity assis-tant/defensive coach Michael Barker,varsity assistant coach and CVHSLAX alumni Dan Gentry, JV coachesErnie Schwarz and Keith Whisten,Eagles alumni and parents when thevarsity took the Gonsalves Stadiumfield under the lights for the school’sfirst NCS game last Wednesdayevening.

STRONG SUPPORT

FROM SENIORS

Earlier this season, Las Lomasedged Clayton Valley 10-9 in a non-league game. But in the playoff, theEagles had a scoring burst on eitherside of the halftime break that pro-pelled them to their first post-seasonwin, earning them a NCS quarter-finalberth against De La Salle.

“I am just so proud of this wholegroup of guys,” Hill said after thegame.

That group includes six seniors –Dario Trento, Louis Jacobus, LoganDongallo, Louis Newacheck, JDDulude and Kyle Smith. Jacobus andTrento scored three goals each in theplayoff win, and Aaron Barker round-ed out the scoring with a pair of goals.

Juniors Jake Looney and ConradCarlson of Clayton are members of

the undefeated DVAL championshipsquad. Looney is a defensive middieand face off specialist, while Carlson isone of the team’s two goalies. Carlsonhad nine saves in the playoff win, the18th victory of the season for CVHS.When not in goal, Carlson is also adefensive middie.

Jacobus, the team’s scoring leader,will attend UC San Diego in the fall.His goals and assists this year totalmore than 100. He is a four-yearscholar athlete with a GPA above 4.0and is also part of the CVHS orches-tra, playing the violin.

Quickness and speed are two high-ly prized qualities in lacrosse.Demonstrating those traits this spring,Jacobus is doing double duty as amember of the 4x100 track relay team.He also played on the CVHS 2009NCS runner-up football team.

Dongallo is another busy Eagle –playing football, track and lacrosse thisyear.

MAINTAINING TEAM SPIRIT

Clayton Valley started with varsityand JV teams, a difficult task whenlaunching a program. When Hill tookover, he didn’t realize there was nofunding and the program was inalready in debt.

“We were able to fund our refereebills by hosting a car wash,” MichelleHill recalled. “Later we beganfundraising by working a concessionstand at 49er games.”

Clayton Valley lacrosse has provento be a Hill family effort. Sons Danny

and Sean still help out with the 49ergame fundraisers.

“This effort could not be complet-ed without the assistance of our par-ent volunteers,” Michelle added. “Thisis where the feeling of communitycomes in. We all work together tomake the program go.”

The annual budget for both teamsis at least $10,000, with referee fees at$4,000 this year. Coaches forego anypay to keep the program running.

The team makes an annual trip tocoach Hill’s old stomping ground,Carmel, where this year the teamdefeated Pacific Grove and Carmelhigh schools. The Hills encouragegraduated players to return each yearfor an alumni game. This year, the var-sity beat the alumni in the third annu-al alumni competition.

Many players have gone on to playlacrosse in college, including MattDini (St. Mary’s College), Jeff Smith(Chico State), Kevin Louchis (UCSanta Cruz) and Pat Schwarz (CalState Fullerton). Other alums, includ-ing Brian Prell and Chris Morrisey,have started a club team at DiabloValley College.

“It’s been a long, but fulfilling roadachieving this goal,” Michelle Hillnoted. “Our program has participatedin three different leagues since 2003-’04. Each league has brought its chal-lenges but has prepared us for theposition we are now in.”

For more information on the team, visitwww.cvlacrosse.com.

Page 10 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com May 22, 2009

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THE CVHS LACROSSE TEAM: Front row: Aaron Barker, Kurt Beranis, Nick Fabris, Austin Roderick, Horatio Urias, Logan Dongallo, Conner Lawson, Louis Newacheck, Tommy Eisner,Louie Jacobus, Kyle Smith and Shaun Duckworth. Back row, assistant coach Dan Gentry, Eagle mascot, Dario Trento, Keith Landesman, Cory Callahan, Conrad Carlson, JPDulude, Tommy Kohlmeyer, Cody Anderson, Jake Looney, Zach Bangert, Garrett Whisten , Dom Garaventa, Eagle mascot and head coach Matt Hill.

May 22, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer .com Page 11

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New coaching staff ’s first year sees stellar results for St. Bonnie’s track team

The St. Bonaventure CYOtrack and field team entered thisseason with a big void to fill.After 15 years in charge of theprogram, Joe Sullivan steppeddown as head coach after the2008 season.

New head coach DarrenNewell of Clayton ran the train-ing program last year andbrought more than 20 yearscoaching experience to his newpost this spring.

“I thought I had it figuredout. I had no idea how big a jobit was to try to run a team thissize,” Newell explained afterfinishing up his first year incharge of more than 120 boysand girls from second to eighthgrade.

The new coaching staff andvolunteers ran two full meets,along with managing the teamthrough four practice and threecompetitive meets.

“Our team did really well inevery meet,” Newell stated.“From what other teams had tosay about our program, the kidswere some of the best-behaved,well-mannered sportsmen atany event.”

One of the top performerswas Clayton seventh-graderMegan Coppa. She broke theOakland Diocese record for the400 meters with a time of 59.6and was also part of the sev-enth-grade girl’s 4x100 meterrelay team that took first with a54.6 clocking.

She finished off the season-ending meet by winning thehigh jump, missing the Dioceserecord by an inch with her win-ning jump of 4-11. She is cur-

rently home schooled but plansto go to Clayton Valley HighSchool, where she might bereunited with Newell as he hasbeen the Eagles’ jumping coachfor the past five years.

St. Bonnies was representedby more than 40 athletes at theOakland Diocese meet May 8-9at Diablo Valley College, mean-ing a third of the team qualifiedfor the ultimate event of theseason.

Parker Ewing took firstplace in the eighth-grade 100-meter dash and third place inthe 400 meters. The eighth-

grade relay of Ewing, RobertHines, Nathan Williams andDevaughn Cooper was secondin the 4x100. Cooper alsoplaced second in the 100 and200.

Noah Williams won thefourth-grade boys 100 and 200meter dashes and his 4x100relay team took first place. AlecMitchell, Brando Abon andCade Heremeston joinedWilliams on the winning relayquartet. Mitchell won the 50meters, while Abon took first inthe long jump and third in the200.

Third grade is the youngestto compete at Diocese, but twolocal second graders showedtheir prowess among the oldercompetitors. Zion Pullin wonthe third-grade 100 and 200meter dashes and was part ofthe sprint medley team thatplaced second. Kelly Kern, asecond-grade Clayton resident,took second in the third-gradegirl’s long jump.

Sisters Gabrielle and JessicaForester both brought homemedals. Gabrielle won thesixth-grade shot put, whileJessica took second in the sev-enth-grade 100 and 200 and waspart of the champion 4x100meter relay along with JordanJohnson, Kayla Dickerson andCoppa.

Cassandra Butler was theseventh-grade shot put champ.Brianne Newell took third inthe sixth-grade 400 and softballthrow.

Sixth-grader JonathanBellesorte won his second con-secutive Diocese high jumptitle. Coppa also took a secondstraight HJ crown.

Kaylie Collins won the fifth-grade long jump and was thirdin the 50. Lucy Marigold placedthird in the 800-meter run forfourth grade, and fellow dis-tance runner Michael Cox wassecond in the fourth-grade mile.Haley Pascoe was runner-up inthe sixth-grade mile, while BradMorucci was third in thefourth-grade 800 meters withhis best time of the year.

Newell was effusive in hispraise for his coaching and vol-unteer team. “We could neverhave done this without KathyEnemark, Kim Mitchell, MeganKommer and Kim Morucci,who were indispensable inkeeping everything from man-aging meets to organizing vol-unteers.”

Coaches were Ron Mitchell,Todd Enemark, AndrewJackman, Lee Marigold (headdistance coach), Bill Jaggers,Randy Bone, Craig Mizutani,Keith Muller and Gil Llacuna,who pulled double duty asparish coordinator and assistantcoach along with running thedata entry program for theentire section.

And Newell certainly hasn’tforgotten his beloved predeces-sor. “We really missed Joe. Butthe good news was, he was real-ly never more than a phone callor email away,” Newell said.

“At least for me,” the newcoach noted, “the biggestreward is running into thesekids at Clayton fests, school orthe grocery store and seeingtheir faces light up and say, ‘HiCoach, I can’t wait for next sea-son.’ ”

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Photo courtesy of CYO

ST. BONAVENTURE CYO TRACK TEAM’S LONG DISTANCE RUNNERS HAD A MEDAL HAUL AT THE OAKLANDDIOCESE MEET. From left, head distance coach Lee Marigold, Brad Morucci, Marcus Dickerson,Michael Cox, Lucy Marigold, Erin Wardle and coach Danny Sullivan.

Photo courtesy of CYO

MEGAN COPPA broke the Diocese 400-meter record witha time of 59.6. The Clayton seventh grader also cap-tured her second straight Diocese high jump title andthen joined three St. Bonaventure teammates to win the4 x 100 meter relay.

Page 12 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com May 22, 2009

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Moita brothers wrestle theworld’s best in Concord

You won’t be seeing doubleat the Greco Roman WorldDuals wrestling tournamentMay 30-31 in Concord when theMoita brothers of Clayton taketo the mat to compete againstelite level wrestlers fromGermany, Poland and aroundthe United States.

The local boys are part ofthe Community Youth Centerteam and they’ll be looking tohelp the hosts at this uniquemeet for junior wrestlers 19years and younger.

Vince Moita and youngerbrother Joey are making theirmark on the high school andcompetitive wrestling scene. Atthe 13th World Duals, they’ll becompeting in an elite field of100 wrestlers featuring eightnational champions and 30 All-Americans.

California state high schoolchamps Nick Pica of ConcordHigh and David Klingsheim ofLiberty Union will also be there.Another pair of brothers at themeet is Tyler and Luke Sheridanof De La Salle.

A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

The host Community YouthCenter has become a mecca fordeveloping wrestlers. “We tookour sons there for the first timeseveral years ago and couldn’tbelieve the level of coaching,”Jim Moita said. The seniorMoita has a wrestling back-ground, having competed forformer CYC coach Bill Martellat UC Berkeley.

“It’s not only wrestling. TheCYC gymnastics coach helpedour boys with better ways ofexercising,” he noted.

Under the direction of CYChead coach Mark Halvorson,the objective of the GrecoRoman World Duals is to host ahigh-level internationalwrestling tournament to helpelite wrestlers prepare fornational and international com-petition while promotingsportsmanship and camaraderie.CYC families host the Germanand Polish teams in their homes.

Halvorson has also beenmaking progress with the De LaSalle High School team, in nosmall part due to the efforts ofthe Moita and Sheridan broth-ers.

This winter, Vince took thirdat 105 pounds in the CIF statefinals, the highest ever DLS fin-ish. During the past high schoolseason, Vince wrestled at 112pounds so his younger brotherJoey, a freshman, could wrestle

at 105. “Their mom Julie tries tokeep them apart,” a smiling JimMoita explained.

When it came time forleague and section meets, Vincedropped back down to 105 andhad outstanding results. He’llenter his senior year at De LaSalle next fall with an eye oneven bigger success. He hasalready attracted interest from anumber of Ivy League collegeswith wrestling programs. At theWorld Duals, Vince will wrestleone weight class higher thanJoey.

Tyler is concluding his senioryear at De La Salle and will becompeting for ColumbiaUniversity next year. SophomoreLuke, at about 20 pounds heav-ier, is a defending World Dualschamp at 174 pounds and alsoNorthwest Region and GrecoState champion.

BUILDING CHARACTER

The Community YouthCenter is a non-profit organiza-tion founded by Ken H.Hofmann in 1995 to serve theathletic and academic needs oflocal youth. The CYC currentlyserves more than 1,300 kidsages 3 to 18 by providing pro-fessional training in boxing,

wrestling, taekwondo, judo,gymnastics, rhythmic gymnas-tics, dance, cheerleading, sportspecific conditioning and out-door activities.

Academics are also stronglyemphasized through the CYC’sacademic excellence center. Thegoal of the CYC is to teachyouth basic core values fordeveloping inner strength andconfidence to become goodpeople with high character.

The CYC program is nation-ally recognized under the guid-ance of Halvorson. Since hetook over the program in 1998,the CYC has produced twoUSA World Team members,one Junior Pan American cham-pion, 15 national champions, 61All-Americans, 35 regionalchampions and 108 state cham-pions. In addition, CYC haswon 29 age group team statechampionships.

The World Duals are May 30-31 at the Community Youth Center,2251 Galaxy Court, Concord.Wrestling starts at 9 a.m. both days,with the finals at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.Tickets are $10 a day or $15 for atwo-day pass. Youth 18 and underare free. For more information, visitwww.communityyouthcenter.org.

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

SportsShorts

MAY 31CLAYTON RESIDENT VIEWS

HIS FORMER TEAM WHEN

USA, IRELAND TANGLE

IN RUGBY

Clayton’s own MasMorimoto, a former Cal BearNational Champion and mem-ber of the Eagles, the UnitedStates men’s national team, willbe on hand May 31 at BuckShaw Stadium in Santa Clara forthe third annual SetantaChallenge Cup.

This kicks off the Eaglesinternational season as they facethe reigning RBS 6 Nations andGrand Slam Champions,Ireland. The Eagles are led bythe USA’s 2007 Rugby WorldCup props Mike MacDonald ofCal and Mate Moeakiola andex-Golden Bear Louis Stanfill.The showdown between theUSA and Ireland will begin at 1p.m. Tickets start at just $10 andare on sale at www.tickets.comor 1-800-225-2277.

JUNE 8CLAYTON CLASSIC GOLF

TOURNAMENT

Sponsored by the ClaytonBusiness and CommunityAssociation. 11 a.m. shotgunstart, Oakhurst Country Club,1001 Peacock Creek Dr. $150before May 29, or $175.

Call Joe at 673-2210 or Chanceat 693-9910 for information orsponsorship opportunities.

AUGUST 17CVHS ATHLETIC BOOSTERS

CLUB GOLF TOURNAMENT

The 18th annual ClaytonValley High School AthleticBoosters Club GolfTournament is scheduled forMon., Aug. 17 at OakhurstCountry Club. The tournamentis sponsored by Clayton ValleyHigh School and benefits thefootball and golf programs aswell as the Athletic BoostersClub.

Along with a special appear-ance by the Oakland Raiderettes,golfers will have lunch beforeteeing off and there are contestson the course – hole-in-one,longest drive and closest to thepin. Golf is followed by a din-ner banquet with raffle prizedrawing and silent auction.

Entry fee is $150 (if paid byAug. 1) or $175 (if paid after Aug.1) and includes green fees, golf cart,raffle ticket, golf shirt, lunch and din-ner. Banquet only tickets are $40.Entry forms and additional informa-tion can be found at www.cvhsboost-ers.org or by contacting theTournament Chairman Dave Looneyat 925-285-9903 or emailmmdclooney@comcast.net

Photo courtesy of Jim MoitaCLAYTON BROTHERS VINCE (LEFT) AND JOE MOITA CelebratedVince’s bronze medal at this year’s California State WrestlingChampionships in Bakersfield. The De La Salle High Spartanwrestlers will be competing for their club, Community YouthCenter, at the World Greco Duals May 30-31 in Concord.

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been getting calls and somefamilies have booked their kidsfor the full 10 weeks of daycamp.

While Beck acknowledges apublic perception that the Y lostits focus on organization andprogram fulfillment in therecent past, this year, she bringsa renewed commitment to pro-gram excellence. Her contagiousenthusiasm, coupled with a solidbackground working with youthprograms, has attracted bothnewcomers and regulars.

COPING WITH THE ECONOMY

Beck is not too concernedby the economy’s effect on theprograms. In fact, she has seenan opposite effect. “Thedemand has increased,” shesaid.

Although the city of Claytonoffers ideas about program-ming, all the funding is derivedfrom fees and fundraising. “Ourfunding comes from our Strong

Kids Campaign,” Beckexplained.

The campaign also raisesfunds for scholarships for fami-lies who cannot afford the fees.“No child is turned awaybecause of finances,” she added,emphasizing that 100 percent ofthe money raised goes to theprogram.

With the downturn of theeconomy, Beck sees a greaterneed for the activities and pro-grams offered by the StrongKids Campaign. With the daycamp priced at an affordable$115 week, Beck believes thatthe Y offers quality recreationwith field trips thrown in forless than standard area daycarerates.

AN EYE FOR BUSINESS

For the last three years, Becktaught high school U.S. historyand government in the CentralValley, along with coachingsports. She moved back to

Clayton to be closer to family –offering her an opportunity tomake a difference in a very com-munity-centered niche.

“I’ve always worked withkids,” she said. “Starting when Iwas 17, I was a lifeguard and aswim instructor.”

She also has a businessdegree and enjoys the opportu-nity to mix sports and businessinto the development of thenew YMCA attitude and effi-ciency. She hopes to get past theproblems that frustrated someClayton residents in previousseasons by stressing reliabilityand communication.

“I’ve brought more of abusiness-minded plan,” Becksaid, “and we look at budget andrevenue items, things not alwayslooked at in the past.”

With her experience workingfor the city of San Ramon’s teenprograms, Beck believes sheoffers the right amount of expe-rience and enthusiasm. Beckenjoys working with the boardof directors, a five-membergroup that includes Eric

Maldonado and Police ChiefDan Lawrence. She hopes toexpand the board to eight or tenmembers.

“If my name is tied to it,then I take it as a reflection ofmyself,” Beck said. “I take thatvery seriously and want peopleto be aware that this is aboutquality. We’ve taken the swimprogram to new heights and wehave had a lot of positiveresponses from our basketballprogram.”

Beck is looking to start aYouth and Government pro-gram geared for high schoolersthat includes a field trip toSacramento. For five days, theywould take over the capital –pitching bills they have devel-oped to other groups in the pro-gram from across the state.

As for her success, Beckbelieves that it is all about visi-bility. “I am publicly visible. Thepublic can see that interaction.That helps. That’s what weneed.”

For more information, contactJennifer Beck at 692-2364.

This three-part series examinesthe impact of the Internet and com-puter technology on senior citizens. Inpart one, we looked at the emergingmarket of the over-65 set in the fieldof technology. In part two, we explorethe role of computers in staying con-nected and in part three, we will lookat online tools and resources specifi-cally geared towards seniors.

Senior citizens are becominga major market force in thecomputer and Internet industry,flocking in droves to retailers tojoin in the party.

But for some, bridging thegap between old-fashioned penand ink correspondence and themore modern tools of email,Facebook and online shoppingcan be daunting.

While a study by the PewInternet and American LifeProject showed that 43 percentof people aged 55-59 have goneonline, only 23 percent aged 65-69 go online – with percent-ages going down as users age.

Barbara Fogerson ofClayton uses her computer reg-ularly, for email, writing lettersand catching up with news onher favorite television shows.But she’s not sure computersare the be-all, end-all of civi-lization.

“Computers are very useful.And they’re absolutelyrequired,” she said. “Youshould take advantage of all ofthe programs and adapt it forwhat you do. But it’s not neces-sary to do it just for the sake ofhaving a computer.”

Abby Stokes, author of twobooks on introducing seniors tocomputers, said there isn’t aclear answer to whether using acomputer is required to stay“connected.”

“I hate to say yes to thatquestion, because I don’t want

to make anybody who’s not onthe computer feel bad,” shesaid. “If you really want to stayconnected, to make it easy forthe people you want to stayconnected with, the answer isyes. It’s easier for them to emailyou or text message you than itis to get on the phone. Whetherthat’s right or wrong is up fordebate, but it just is.”

Will Claney, the 62-year-oldowner of ComputersUSA! inClayton, estimated that abouthalf of his clientele is over 50.He only sees an age divide inthat younger clients take morerisks. “The younger person will

just go ahead and break it – theydon’t care,” he said.

Fogerson agreed withClaney that some older adultsare held back by fear. “The firsttime you ever have a computer,you say, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s goingto break if I turn it on.’ I think

it’s just a matter of getting usedto it,” she said.

Nonetheless, Stokes saidcomputer manufacturers have along way to go. “There isn’tanybody who can’t learn it,” shesaid, “but shame on the peoplewho designed it. Usability onthe computer is ridiculous.”

Touch pad computer miceare one of Stokes’ pet peeves.For sufferers of Parkinson’sdisease or those with arthritis,the sometimes over-sensitivepads make learning to use acomputer considerably moredifficult.

She is nothing if not a prob-

lem solver, however, and meetsthis challenge with an indexcard to cover the touch pad andthe installation of a “regular”mouse.

Jakob Nielsen wrote a 146-page report detailing Websiteusability issues for seniors. The2002 study took into accountdifferences including eyesightand memory issues.

“Websites tend to be pro-duced by young designers, whooften assume that all users haveperfect vision and motor con-trol and know everything aboutthe Web. These assumptionsrarely hold, even when the usersare not seniors,” he wrote.

He recommends use of larg-er type and distinguishing clear-ly between links that have beenvisited and those that have not.

“Besides the business rea-soning, we all have a very per-sonal interest in increasingusability for seniors: It’s the oneuser category we’re all likely tojoin one day,” he wrote.

Claney often helps olderclients learn to use their com-puters with the games thatcome built in. This makes thembecome less hesitant using thekeyboard and mouse.

“That helps them learnmore about their computer,” hesaid. “And so when they go to aword processor or somethinglike that, they’re curious.They’re not as afraid to click onsomething.”

Claney strives to teach hisclients to be fearless. “It’s amatter of just taking those firstfew steps and not being afraid.It’s OK to make a mistake –we’ll fix it.”

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Seniors aren’t left out of the computer age

DENISEN HARTLOVE

Clayton Pioneer

Denisen Hartlove/Clayton Pioneer

BARBARA FOGERSON enjoys using her home computer for writ-ing letters and following up on her favorite television showsvia the Internet as well.

Page 14 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com May 22, 2009

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Beware of rattlesnakes on the trailsHundreds of years ago, our

country was an immense openspace. Over time, urbanizationrequired us to redefine ourspaces.

Today, public open space hasbecome more than a mere termit’s an important asset to ourcommunities. Clayton’sLandscape District contains 515acres of open space.

While we continually demar-cate living spaces, many of ourcreatures have survived the impo-sitions which urbanization hasplaced upon them. DuringColonial times, early settlers com-plained to Capt. John Smith andothers that they had seen serpentswith rattles inside their tails.Descendants of the rattlesnakesthat perplexed the early colonistschallenge communities likeClayton to this day.

Spring is widely known as rat-tlesnake season. Female snakesretain their eggs inside their bod-ies. Once they are laid, eggshatch, launching young, inde-pendent snakes. Subsequently,their mothers desert them.

Rattlesnakes are poisonousand have flat, triangular heads,elliptical eyes and rattle buttons atthe end of their tails. Gophersnakes, frequently confused withrattlers, have rounded heads,rounded eyes and are not poison-ous.

The infamous rattle soundindicates the snake is agitated andmay strike. The rattle is a series ofhollow beads consisting of modi-fied scales. Beads run along thetail’s tip. The first bead is called abutton. If the rattle absorbsenough moisture, the snake isable to strike without a rattle.

According to the Universityof California Rattlesnake

Management Guidelines, “Mostbites occur when inexperiencedpeople try to pick up or move asnake.”

About 8,000 Americans,including 4,000 children, are bit-ten by poisonous snakes eachyear. Of all snakes, rattlers are themost deadly. Baby rattlers are themost venomous.

If you or someone you knowis bitten, call 911. Victims shouldremain calm, minimize move-ment and keep the bitten arealower than the heart, if possible.

If a resident discovers a rat-tlesnake on their property, con-tact the Clayton Police.According to Chief DanLawrence, “An officer willrespond if a rattlesnake isinvolved.” The Clayton PoliceDepartment can evaluate the situ-ation and determine whether torefer it to Animal Control.

Here are some safety tips fortrails and open spaces:

Be in tune to your surround-ings and note that snakes blendinto theirs. Be aware of tall grass-es, shady hangouts like ledges andunderneath rocks and logs.

Wear socks, closed-toe

shoes/hiking boots and longpants.

Look carefully before reach-ing or sitting down.

Keep your distance fromsnakes. Allow them room toretreat.

Don’t poke snakes dens orburrows with sticks.

Keep pets leashed at all times

within Clayton city limits.Leashing pets may prevent themfrom provoking a snake.

Safety is also importantaround your home:

Survey moist, cool shelters inhot weather such as fishponds,spas and shady porches.

Keep the rodent populationunder control to discouragesnakes.

Seal cracks and openingsgreater than a quarter inch to pre-vent snakes from entering.

Avoid dead rattlers which caninject venom for one hour orlonger by reflex action.

Remember, we share ouropen space and trails with manycreatures. By being aware of oursurroundings and using commonsense, we can share them safely.

For more information about rat-tlesnakes, go towww.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PEST-NOTES and click on rattlesnakes.Submit questions or comments tocityinfo@ci.clayton.ca.us.

CANDACE BASS

Special to the Pioneer

full inspection of the house.Check for open windows,chemicals, mousetraps, holes inthe fences or doors, and evendrapery cords, which are dan-gerous for cats because theycan get tangled in them.

When all of your boxes andfurniture have been moved inand all of the movers have left,you can let your animals out toexplore the home.

Placing familiar objects insimilar locations as in your pre-vious home and keeping yourpets on the same routine willhelp ease your animal’s anxiety.

It’s important for you toremain calm throughout themove. A lot of the stress thatyour animal feels comes fromyou. Your calm demeanor willhelp your pet feel comfortabletoo.

A little preparation andplanning will help the movingprocess go smoothly frombeginning to end.

Elena Bicker is the ExecutiveDirector of Tony La Russa’sAnimal Rescue Foundation. Shecan be reached at (925) 256-1ARF(1273)

Pets, from page 9

Despite the economy, out cityis in better shape than many agen-cies as we’ve been careful over theyears with our funds. And this isone time we’re fortunate thatwe’re not heavily dependent onsales taxes for our revenue. Ofcourse, it’s also why we’ve alwayshad to be thrifty.

Our largest source of taxincome is motor vehicle registra-tion fees, which were written intostate law as local revenue back inthe ’50s. Our next highest revenuecomes from property taxes,though only 4.2 percent of yourassessed valuation tax comes backto your city. (So, if your annualproperty taxes are $3,000, we get$126. The rest goes elsewhere, pri-marily to fund public education.)

Sales tax is our third highestrevenue source, at 6.2 percent ofour General Fund revenues. Butits annual total of $214,000 palesin comparison to many small busi-nesses.

So our revenues are down. But

by freezing controllable expenses,cutting staff costs and transfer-ring a bit from our healthyGeneral Fund reserve, we canmake next year’s budget balance.Unless, the state steals even moreas looks likely.

Their possible $2 billion hitwould mean another $130,000from our budget. That’s equiva-lent to the cost of a police officeror the annual operation of ourwonderful library.

Since they started raidingcities’ coffers in the early 1990s,the state has stolen more than $5.4million from the city of Claytonalone. The annual take-away isnow $497,298 – with no prospectof repayment. Think of all theservices we could provide withthat.

If we thought this would trulybe just a one-time theft or thatProp. 1A really guarantees we getpaid back, we could wince andborrow once from our reserve.But, if this is going to be yet

another chronic theft, it will createa structural deficit for us and we’llhave to consider further servicecuts. These will be painful.

That’s not a scare tactic, it’s thehard truth.

So here’s where you come in.Every government above us ispassing their deficits on to us inthe form of higher fees, contractprices or, in the case of the state,simply stealing our city funds. Idon’t expect you would vote “yes”to approve a new local tax toreplace those dollars, so I needyou to help us fight back.

I don’t believe Sacramento willstop here, despite what Prop. 1Asays. So I’m asking you to call,email or write our representativesin Sacramento and say: “Stopstealing city tax dollars.”

Here are the numbers to call.You will make a difference.

Governor’s Office: 916-445-2841.

Assemblyman Tom Torlakson:916-319-2011.

Sen. Mark DeSaulnier: 916-651-4007.

OK. Time to focus on what’sright in Clayton. Summer’s almost

here and that means it’s time forthe classic Clayton Fourth of JulyParade. I’m asking for volunteersto help out on the day of theparade. If you can help for a cou-ple hours, you’ll still have time toenjoy the Pancake Breakfast withyour family and most jobs allowyou to see the whole parade.

Please let me know if you canhelp us out. You’ll have a greattime.

Our Farmers Market is off toa great start on Saturday morningsfrom 8 a.m.-noon, and we hadgood weather for our first concertof the season. I hope to see you inThe Grove Park for our next con-cert with the Houserockers onMay 30. You’ll find an insert inthis paper with a complete sched-ule of the bands printed on oneside and some great concert nightspecials at our downtown restau-rants printed on the other side.Post it on your fridge or calendarso you won’t miss a thing. Helpyourself and your city by patroniz-ing our local eateries.

As always, you can contact me atJulie_Pierce@comcast.net with any feed-back, ideas or concerns.

Mayor, from page 1

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

THE NORTHERN PACIFIC RATTLESNAKE, California’s only venomoussnake, can be seen throughout Northern California and in theCoastal range of Orange County.

May 22, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 15

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Customer service may not bedead, but sure in bad shape

Customer service has taken anose dive over the past few years,a fact that surprises few people.

I do not like people who arerude, especially when I am thecustomer. I do not like it whencompanies claim that customerservice is their top priority andyet are not able to deliver even arudimentary level of service.

I particularly despise the gumchewing cashiers who ignore youin favor of maintaining a conver-sation with another cashier two

lanes over, with that cashier alsoignoring his customer.

In addition, I detest the bom-bardment of requests at check-out for charitable donations –whether it is for breast cancer orfor egg donations for the infer-tile, Viagra for old men unable toscore or the many other causesthat seem to crop up. My grocerystore has become an advocatefor everyone but the shopper.

Worse still is Safeway’s obtru-sive policy requiring the cashierto butcher my name each andevery time I pass throughbecause some genius in theirmarketing department considersthis a sign of respect.

“Thank you Mr.Gersenberger,” or “Thank you

Mr. Garzenbeeger.” There aremany variations, each said with astraight face and a disregard foraccuracy. I am tempted to get aSafeway card in the name of Mr.Watsurname just to experiencethat exit greeting with delightinstead of disdain.

Surveys are another irritant.Is this anything more than bla-tant marketing designed to thrusteven more unwanted products inmy face?

And then there are the specialdiscounts available to shopperswho apply for a store charge cardon the spot. “You can save 10percent off today’s purchase,”the gum chewer informs you,failing to add that your first inter-est payment of 22 percent woulddestroy any savings you mayhave gleaned while addicting youto make even more easy-to-charge purchases.

Similarly, it has become fash-ionable to offer terms like buynow with no payments and nointerest due for 14 months. Ofcourse, the interest accumulatesover that period; you just do notget charged until the end of theperiod. That doesn’t sound like agood plan to me.

In our desire to inject someinteraction into an otherwisedead customer service business,we forget that the problem liesless in the intention and more in

the lack of ability of many semi-literate employees to offer acoherent, let alone problem-solving sentence. As such, wehave come to expect nothing inthe way of service and yet stillfind ourselves disappointed.

I don’t like wrestling with myproduct packaging for an hourbefore slicing my finger trying toforce the plastic off, only to col-lapse exhausted and no longerenthralled with my purchase. Iunderstand that this has less todo with waste and more to dowith decreasing product returnsby destroying the packaging inwhich it came. Nonetheless, it is ascam and designed to annoy me.

It is never our fault, this messwe call employee/customer rela-tions. We cannot find good peo-ple, not that we want to pay goodwages, not that the recession hascreated an unhealthy environ-ment. We now prefer to spendon generic instead of brandnames while still retaining abrand name expectation and atti-tude. Customer service, shop-ping and advertising have allbecome unreasonable at best andwe should not have to deal withit.

ANDRÉ GENSBURGER

DEAL WITH IT

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

Annual exclusion gifts can bea powerful estate planning tool,and they’re doubly effective ifyou and your spouse elect to“split” gifts.

This year, the inflation-adjust-ed annual gift tax exclusion is$13,000, up from $12,000 in2008. But before you get out yourcheckbook, it pays to review yourgifting strategies with your estateplanning advisor.

The annual exclusion allowsyou to give up to $13,000 per yearto an unlimited number of peo-ple tax free without tapping anyof your $1 million lifetime gift taxexemption or $3.5 million estatetax exemption.

Let’s say you have two chil-dren and six grandchildren. Ifyou give all eight of them $13,000per year for five years, you cantransfer a total of $520,000 taxfree. If you elect to split the giftwith your spouse, that amountdoubles to $1.04 million.

By splitting gifts, you can dou-ble your lifetime gift tax exemp-tion, allowing you to make $2 mil-lion in tax-free gifts.

Say you want to give your son$25,000 in stocks that are yourseparate property. Your annual

exclusion shelters $13,000 fromgift tax, but the remaining$12,000 is taxable. If your spouseconsents to gift splitting, theentire gift is tax free.

There are three basic require-ments for splitting a gift:� You must be married at the

time you make the gift.� You and your spouse must be

U.S. citizens.� You must file a gift tax return

in which your spouse con-sents to gift splitting.If the amount of the gift

exceeds the $26,000 combinedannual exclusion, both you andyour spouse must file gift taxreturns. Also, you can’t split giftsto your spouse or gifts overwhich one spouse has a power ofappointment.

After you check the box onyour gift tax return and yourspouse signs the consent, itapplies to all gifts either of youmade during the year. So if you oryour spouse plans to use yourexclusions separately for certaingifts the following year, youshould think twice before electingto split gifts.

Making a gift that you incor-rectly assume is splittable can lead

to estate tax liability. The mostdangerous tax traps involve giftsto trusts.

Suppose you establish a fami-ly trust that gives the trusteeunlimited discretion to distributeincome and principal among yourspouse and children. The trustalso provides that when yourspouse dies, the assets will be dis-tributed to your kids.

In 2009, you make a $2 mil-lion gift to the trust from yourseparate property, and you andyour spouse elect to split the gift.In 2010, you receive a $435,000tax bill from the IRS – becausethe gift wasn’t splittable.

The $2 million gift benefitsboth your spouse and your chil-dren and, as previously noted,you can’t split a gift to yourspouse. Your children’s portion ofthe gift can be split to the extentit’s “ascertainable” at the time youmake the gift and severable fromyour spouse’s interest.

But in this case, your spouseand children may receive discre-tionary distributions from thetrustee, so their interests in thetrust aren’t ascertainable.

The bottom line: The giftcan’t be split, so you can use only

your own $1 million exemption.The remaining $1 million is sub-ject to gift tax.

You can avoid this result bydesigning the trust so the benefi-ciaries’ interests are ascertainable.For example, you might provideyour spouse with an annuity orlimit distributions to an “ascer-tainable standard,” such as health,education, maintenance or sup-port.

Even if you set up the trustthis way, only your children’s por-tion of the gift is splittable. Yourspouse’s portion will be at leastpartially taxable. And becauseyour spouse’s interest in the trustterminates on his or her death,the gift doesn’t qualify for themarital deduction.

RICHARD LITTORNO

FINANCIAL SENSE

Richard A. Littorno is an attor-ney specializing in estate planning.He has offices in Clayton andPittsburg. Send your questions toRichard@LittornoLaw.com.

years old and maintain a 2.5grade point average. Volunteersfill out an application, gothrough an interview and have abackground check.

“We’re very selective aboutwho we have in here,” saidEnea. “It takes a mature person.But if they show interest, we’rewilling to work with somebody,give them a chance.”

Hill is grateful for the

chance to contribute to – andlearn more about – her commu-nity. “Through the Explorerprogram, I get the opportunityto help those that are havingtrouble. I can just be there forthem,” she said.

For more information on joiningthe Clayton Police DepartmentExplorers Program, contact Sgt. TimMarchute at (925) 673-7350

Explorer, from page 1

When doing your estate planning,watch out for gift-splitting tax traps

Ecstasy is a potent, euphoricdrug. A common misconceptionis that ecstasy, or MDMA, is asex or energy drug that onlydominates the illicit rave scene.However, I have found it is com-mon at our local high school.

On May 2, Clayton ValleyHigh School held its senior ballin San Francisco. I had anabsolutely fantastic time and cansay that many of my peers did aswell. Unfortunately, a number ofmy classmates showed up underthe influence, particularly underthe influence of ecstasy.

When I arrived at the ball, mypriorities were typical – takingpictures, greeting my classmatesand enjoying the sight of every-one in formal attire. But some-thing just looked extraordinarilywrong. The abnormally rapidspeech and teeth grinding weredead giveaways. A completestranger approached me to tellme that he just loved my orange

shoes. I couldn’t help but noticethat his pupils were the size of adime.

As I proceeded to the dancefloor, I sadly realized that at least50 others were in similar states –and that is a conservative esti-mate.

Some people may believethat the students taking ecstasyare “troubled” or that their aca-demic performance is under-

whelming. But I overheard manyof the students in my advancedplacement classes talking abouttheir plans for the ball. I heardpeople asking who they shouldget the pills from, how muchthey were charging, how strongthe pills were, and I also heardthem contemplating how manythey should take. One of theseclassmates said that she wasplanning on getting six. Thesame student asked me if I was“popping” at ball. I shook myhead no.

The administration atClayton Valley claims to have astrict anti-drug policy, and thispolicy is supposed to apply toschool functions as well. I under-stand that it’s hard to police somany students at once, but thestate that some of these studentswere in was blatant. A hugenumber of my peers entered thedance wearing mammoth sun-glasses. Maybe it’s a “fashionstatement,” but I have a sneakingsuspicion that these students hadsomething to hide.

Prior to senior ball, theadministration emphasized theirdemand for appropriate dancing.When the senior class tested thelimits, the music was shut off forfive minutes. But while theadministration more or lessenforces the dancing policy, theyare far less strict about what typeof music gets played. One of thefavorites was Mac Dre’s “Thizzle

Dance” (thizz is slang for ecsta-sy). The lyrics go “First of all, Ihope you got you a juice a thiz-zle because it’s time to pop you afew.” They continue to say “Donot get oo-op by them foocops.” The grammar and lan-guage is atrocious, but I’m prettysure that the message is to takeecstasy and evade the police.

Still, I don’t think it’s entirelyfair to blame the administration.They certainly would not know-ingly allow drugs to be taken at aschool event, and I think that anage gap is largely at fault. Ecstasyis fairly new. My parents’ genera-tion explored drugs like marijua-na and LSD, but ecstasy is entire-ly different and many adults arenot familiar with it. One studenteven had the gall to brag abouttalking to an administrator whileon ecstasy without gettingcaught.

I’m not attempting to con-done drug use, but I think exper-imenting is one thing. I’m no“thizz virgin,” but many of myclassmates have taken it to anextreme level. Perhaps what Ifind most alarming is that ecsta-sy has woven its way into youthculture.

Forget the swine flu, a biggerepidemic has already hit Clayton– and hard.

Page 16 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com May 22, 2009

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MICHELLE TROSCLAIR

STUDENT REPORTER

Michelle Trosclair is a senior atCVHS. Send comments toMichelle@claytonpioneer.com

With today’s emphasis onprotecting Mother Earth, stu-dents at Diablo View MiddleSchool have found a way to be apart of the solution while hav-ing a great time building andcreating.

For about 10 years, SylviaChatagnier, eighth-grade sci-ence teacher and coach of theSolar Car Club, has taught stu-dents to utilize solar energy.When participating in this club,students are put in pairs andgiven several parts to build asolar powered race car. Theywork on it at home until theycompete against other schoolsfor the annual Junior SolarSprint Challenge at LawrenceHall of Science.

Students are not onlyencouraged to come up withcreative designs but also raiseawareness toward making prod-ucts that are energy efficient.

“It’s important for kids to beinvolved in this process,” saidstudent Monishaa Suresh. “Weneed to stop global warmingand use solar energy so wewon’t be using fossil fuels. Weneed to help kids learn at ayounger age, so when they areolder they can spread the ideas.I think we need to move peopleto think more energy efficient.”

Emma Hall became interest-ed in the competition becauseher brother had done it twoyears ago. “We live on Earthand we need to save the envi-ronment, educate people aboutsolar energy and make it a betterplace,” she noted.

Josh Rosen enjoyed theexperience. “It was a lot of funto build and race the cars,” saidJosh, who hopes to be an engi-neer. He is looking forward tonext year and wants to improvehis design and make his carfaster.

Sam Albertsen believes find-ing ways to produce renewableenergy is important. “We haveto stop global warming, havingtoo many emissions and helpthe environment.”

Students at DVMS under-stand the importance of pro-tecting the environment andfinding new ways of producingof renewable energy. All peoplecan work on improving theplanet by starting with things assimple as recycling, conservingwater and producing less pollu-tion. We can make Earth a bet-ter place for everyone.

DIABLO VIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL

The student body is offering a Community Discount Card toraise money for activities on campus. The card is good through theend of 2009 and may be used over and over (once per transaction).Cost is $10.

For more information, contact Jennifer Ruff at the school office at672-0898 or visit www.cdccard.com.

MT. DIABLO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The Parent Faculty Club presents the first Father/DaughterDance, 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, May 29, in the Multi-Use Room, 5880 Mt.Zion Dr., Clayton. Grandfathers and uncles also welcome; onlyMDES students allowed.

Admission is $25 per couple; each additional child is $10. Sign upat the school office. For more information, contact Heidi Celentano atjhcelentano@sbcglobal.net.

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ROBBIE PARKER

DVMS REPORTER

DVMSstudentswork for agreenerfuture

Graduation night agift from the parentsand the community

With the end of the schoolyear just around the corner,plans for the graduation nightparty are well underway.

“Parents put on this popularevent across the country to pro-vide a safe, fun and memorableevent for their graduating sen-iors on graduation night,” saidTammy Brown, one of the co-chairs for the Clayton ValleyParent Teacher StudentAssociation. “This has been atradition at CVHS for close to20 years.”

“It was first created byMothers Against DrunkDriving 20 years ago,” notedCV co-chair PamelaNewacheck.

That was a “lockdown”event where the graduateswould stay through the nightcutting down the incidence ofalcohol and driving that wasassociated with fatalities.

From its inception at

Clayton Valley in 1990 until2001, the event was held on theClayton Valley campus. “Parentswould take a week or two totransform the gymnasiums intoa fantasy world with entertain-ment and activities for the grad-uates,” Brown said.

In 2002, Clayton Valleyjoined forces with the parentsfrom College Park, ConcordHigh, Northgate and YgnacioValley High for an event atCentre Concord.

“In our efforts to ‘be green’while promoting ‘re-use andrecycle,’ this seems an appropri-ate and financially smart solu-tion still today,” Brown said.

“You can be competitivewith these parents from othersports teams through the year,”Newacheck said, “and then putall that aside to work together tomake the grad night memorablefor our kids.”

The mission statement forgrad night is: “To provide a fun

ANDRÉ GENSBURGER

Clayton Pioneer

See Graduation, page 19

May 22, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 17

EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT

In ClaytonMay-OctoberClayton Farmers Market8 a.m.-noon Saturdays, Diablo Street in downtown Clayton.www.pcfma.com or 800-949-3276.

May 25Memorial Day CeremonySponsored by VFW Post 1525. 10 a.m.-noon, downtown Claytonflagpole, Main and Oak streets. Contact Ming at 672-4911 or Peteat 682-6533.

May 27, June 3, 10, 17, 24Classic Cars and Rock & RollClassic cars on display, plus a live DJ. 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Mainand Diablo streets.

May 30History FairTake your fill of the rich history of the area at booths set up bylocal history centers, museums and East Bay parks. Work the oldcoffee grinder, typewriter and kitchen gadgets. Meet historiansfrom area historical societies. Exhibits, photos, demonstrations andhands-on activities for the whole family. 9 a.m.-1 p.m., ClaytonMuseum, 6101 Main St. www.claytonhistory.org or 672- 0240.

May 30, June 13, 27Concerts in the GroveMay 30: Houserockers, rock/soul. June 13: Mamaluke, electric gui-tar rock. June 27: Sun Kings, Beatles cover band. Bring lawn chairsor a blanket. 6-8 p.m. The Grove Park in downtown Clayton.

June 7Mohandas Gandhi LectureCarol Anne Corlett will present “His Lifeand Powerful Non-Violent Movement.”11 a.m., Diamond Terrace, 6401 CenterSt., Clayton. Call Guity at 672-1095.

June 8Clayton Classic Golf TournamentSponsored by the Clayton Business andCommunity Association. 11 a.m. shot-gun start, Oakhurst Country Club, 1001Peacock Creek Dr. $150 before May 29,or $175. hhttp://claytoncbca.org/golftournament.aspx. Call Joe at673-2210 or Chance at 693-9910 for information or sponsorshipopportunities.

Close byThrough May 31“The Spitfire Grill”Contra Costa Christian Theatre show with country, bluegrass andBroadway pop ballads. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr.,Walnut Creek. $21-$28. 943-SHOW orwww.ccchristiantheatre.org.

May 29, 30“Swan Lake”A Contra Costa Ballet production. 8 p.m. May 29 and 2 p.m. May30, Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. 943-SHOW.

May 31Diablo Women’s Chorale“How Can I Keep from Singing?” 3 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church,2317 Buena Vista Ave., Walnut Creek. $10-$12. Reception in hallafter concert. www.angelfire.com/ca/dwchorale or 945-4305.

June 7Voices of Musica Sacra“Mostly Mendelssohn” concert, plus works by Brahms and Bruckner.3 p.m., St. Stephen Catholic Church, Walnut Creek. 944-5239 orwww.vmschorus.org.

June 7Contra Costa Wind Symphony“The Russian Connection.” 2 p.m., Lesher Center for the Arts,1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $12-$18. www.lesherartscenter.orgor 943-7469.

June 12Contractors ExpoSponsored by the Contra Costa Builder’s Exchange and theConcord Chamber of Commerce. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Heald ConferenceCenter, 5130 Commercial Circle, Concord. Free admission.Register for a booth at www.concordchamber.com or 685-1181.

Through June 14“The Wedding Singer”A musical filled with ’80s nostal-gia. Willows Theatre, 1975Diamond Blvd., Concord. $10-$40. 798-1300 or www.willow-stheatre.org.

Through June 21“Pageant”A beauty pageant musical satire. Willows Cabaret at the CampbellTheatre, 636 Ward St., Martinez. $22-$32. www.willowstheatre.orgor 798-1300.

Through June 27“Cabaret”Award Winning musical with great songs and killer dancing.Center REPertory Co, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $14.50-$41.CenterREP.org or 943-7469.

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

May 26Patty CakesFor babies to 3-year-olds. Child attends with caregiver. 11 a.m.

June 6Journaling for CaregiversWith B. Lynn Goodwin, author of “You Want Me to DoWhat?"/Journaling for Caregivers” and managing editor of theonline journal www.writeradvice.com. 1:30 p.m.

June 8-Aug. 17Summer Reading ProgramFor kids age 2 through 5th grade or 6th-12th graders. Includesprizes. Parents and caregivers of babies from birth to 2 years canearn prizes in the early literacy-building Baby Reading Program.Readers ages 18 and up can submit a book review online atccclib.org or at the Clayton library for a chance to win aBooklover’s Bag of goodies.

June 11Paper Airplane WorkshopFeaturing New York City artist and cartoonist Mark “Z-Man”Zieman. For ages 6 and up. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Registrationrequired.

FUNDRAISERSJune 6Contra Costa Blue Star MomsThe group is collecting items for care packages for a July 4 mailingto our troops overseas. 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Wal-Mart, 1021 ArnoldDr., Martinez. Donations most needed are small toys (yo-yos,hacky sacks, frisbees) and game books (Sudoku, crossword puz-zles). Checks for postage in the amount of $11.95 (per box) maybe made payable to Contra Costa Blue Star Moms, P.O. Box 6379 ,Concord CA 94524. www.ccbluestarmoms.org.

Children’s Hospital Magnolia BranchThe group is looking for volunteers for the Rubber Ducky Race onAug. 30 at Waterworld. Meetings 7-9 p.m. the first Monday of themonth in Concord. Contact Lori at 998-8844 orlori@lorihagge.com.

NATUREThrough June 6Mt. Diablo Junior Ranger ProgramEach session includes presentations, hands-on activities and ahike. For children 7-12, plus one accompanying parent. 1-4 p.m.Saturdays. Program is free, but park entrance required. ContactSteve at 362-8697 or SAE612@msn.com.

May 23Round Valley Wildlife/Spring Flower HikeWith wildlife biologists Jim Hale. Meet 8:45 a.m. at Round ValleyStaging Area on Marsh Creek Road. RSVP at 939-4304.

May 23Mt. Olympia Summit/Bruce Lee Spring Trail HikeWith leader Helene Crowley. Experienced hikers only. 9 a.m.-2:30p.m. Meet at the end of Regency Drive off Clayton Road. 415-974-2209 or crowh_8558@yahoo.com.

May 24Old Borges Ranch TourWith Ranger Dan Bylin. Meet at 2 p.m. under the windmill nearthe parking lot at Old Borges Ranch in Walnut Creek. 942-0225.

May 24Young Canyon HikeWith Save Mt. Diablo steward Burt Bogardus. Meet at 9 a.m. at theClayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. www.savemountdiablo.org.

May 30Chaparral Spring Heritage Trees HikeWith Save Mt. Diablo members Burt Bassler and Julie Seelen. Meetat 9:30 a.m. at the Three Springs Entry, 10030 Marsh Creek Road(2.2 miles east of Regency Drive), Clayton. 947-3535 orwww.savemountdiablo.org.

June 6Moonlight Hike on Joseph Galvin RanchWith leader Dave Sargent. Meet at 7:45 p.m. at the ClaytonLibrary, 6125 Clayton Road. 933-9402, earlyrider@earthlink.net orwww.savemountdiablo.org.

June 27Diablo Trail Endurance RideSave Mount Diablo offers its first recreational opportunity forequestrians on this 30-mile limited distance and 50-mileendurance ride that starts and finishes at Castle Rock Park inWalnut Creek. www.savemountdiablo.org.

MEETINGSJune 2, 16Clayton City Council7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304or www.ci.clayton.ca.us.

June 9, 23Clayton Planning Commission7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304or www.ci.clayton.ca.us.

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

Clayton Valley Garden ClubMeets 7 p.m. June 10, Diamond Terrace, 6401 Center St., Clayton.Ted Merriam will speak about “Gardening with Computers.” CallDorothy at 672-2526 or www.claytonvalleygardenclub.org.

Clayton Valley Woman’s ClubMeets 9:30 a.m. for coffee, 10 a.m. meetings, second and fourthTuesdays of the month, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1090 AlbertaWay, Concord. Call Joyce at 672-3850.

Contra Costa Blue Star MomsMeets 6 p.m. the fourth Monday of the month, Concord PoliceStation Community Room, 1350 Galindo St. Members have sonsand daughters in uniform. Visit ccbluestarmoms.org or call Beckyat 286-1728.

Contra Costa Chess ClubMeets 7-9:30 p.m. Thursdays, Starbuck’s, 1536 Kirker Pass Road,Clayton. Players of all ages and skill levels welcome. Contact Mikeat 639-1987 or www.uschess.org.

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

Creekside Artists GuildMeets 7-8:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month, ClaytonLibrary Story Room, 6125 Clayton Road, Clayton. All artforms andboth emerging and experienced are welcome. Contact Arlene at673-9777 or nielsenjanc@aol.com. Or www.creeksideartists.org.

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

Diablo Valley Democratic ClubMeets 7 p.m. June 17, Ygnacio Valley Library, 2661 Oak GroveRoad, Walnut Creek. “Saving the Delta/Protecting Our DrinkingWater” is the topic. 946-0469 or www.dvdems.org.

Rotary Club of Clayton Valley/Concord SunriseMeets 7 a.m. Thursdays, Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 PeacockCreek Dr., Clayton. Includes breakfast and a speaker. ContactChuck at 689-7640 or www.claytonvalleyrotary.org.

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

Sons In Retirement (SIR)Meets 11:15 a.m. first Thursday of the month, Oakhurst CountryClub, 1001 Peacock Creek Dr., Clayton. 429-3777.

Widows/WidowersMeets for dinner, brunch, theater, etc. This is not a dating servicenor is it a greiving class - just a way to meet other people. ContactLori at 998-8844 or lori@lorihagge.com.

Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. JUNE 1 FOR THE JUNE 12 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO calendar@claytonpioneer.com

YMCA DAY CAMPS begin June 15. For information ontrips, activities and a camp schedule, come to a Camp OpenHouse on June 2 at 6 p.m. at Skipolini’s Pizza, 1033 DiabloStreet. Summer Day Camp hours are 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., withextended care available 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. Camp Counselorswill be on hand to answer questions. Go to www. mdrymca.orgor call 889-1600 for more information and day camp schedule.

Children with special needs who can function success-fully in a group of 15-20 campers with two staff mem-bers are welcome to participate in any of the summercamp programs. Contact Jennifer Beck at 692-2364 priorto registration to ensure proper staffing and accommoda-tions.

Clayton Community Recreation

Looking for a way tocool off this summer?Dana Hills Homeowner’s Association is offeringSummer Family Memberships for $350!

We open May 2, every weekendand June 10 we open 7 days a week

Group & Private lessons for ages 2 & upLessons provided by experienced and certified lifeguards.

296 Mountaire Circle in Clayton

Please direct all inquiries to: Shauna Maffei(925) 381-2021 or shaunamaffei@gmail.com

6096 Main Street, Clayton, 673-0440

May 22, 23 . . . . . . . . .Crossman Connection

May 29, 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lotus Rush

June 5, 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bollinger Station

Karaoke Wed. nights �� Open Mic Thurs. nights

www.claytonclubsaloon.com

All entertainment from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Joe Swicegood, 82, is the firstone to admit that he is one“Uppity Okie.” Even the licenseplate on his car reads similar forall to know that he definitely isdriving his car, and his life, withspunk.

“I was born in Oklahoma andwe were incredibly poor. My par-ents had grandchildren by thetime I came along,” Joe shares.“And growing up we had littlefood, only hand-me downclothes and I carried buckets ofgarbage home from school to

feed the pigs. My parents werehard working and honest, but Inever even knew my dad withteeth. There were just no safetynets in the health systems, or foranything else.”

At 16, Joe left Oklahoma withhis parents’ hard-working valuesand a goal to individually changepeople’s strong negative viewsabout those from Oklahoma, or“Okies” as they were often calleddisapprovingly.

“I was determined to make adifference,” says Joe. “I thought,‘I am going to be in your faceCalifornia’ and headed out west.”

After being in the Navy andattending Pepperdine, Joe settledin the Bay Areaand becamechief appraiserfor ContraCosta County.

“I couldnever have pic-tured myselfdoing that kindof job. I hadthe photo onthe wall of mestanding in thehills ofOklahoma withthe reins of adonkey and toldthe people inthe office thatthose were theonly qualifica-tions I had,” Joesays with alaugh.

Joe was incharge ofassessing all personal property,including farm animals. “Here Iwas having to assess the value ofhorses for tax purposes. We hada lot of people complaining thatI was assessing some people’shorses and not others and I wastrying to figure out the size of

the problem all together,” Joesays. “I had no idea how to knowhow many horses were out thereon the ranches and all. But Iknew that I couldn’t go chasingyoung girls riding their horsesdown the street that I hadn’tassessed and asking them theirnames and where they lived. Iwould have been locked up thatsame day.”

Hoping that someone couldmake his job easier, Joe was toldto call Walnut Creek Saddle toget a count on the horse popula-tion. “I called and the womananswered the phone and whenshe heard what I was looking for,she said ‘Well, why don’t you just

call the chief assessor’s office,’ ”Joe recalls with humor. “I didn’tlet her know that I was thatoffice and just hung up.”

Joe eventually called onGeorge Cardinet, who was presi-dent of the Horse Association.Joe begged George to help

change the horse assessment.Joe’s determination paid offwhen it was passed inSacramento and he no longerhad to worry about that part of ajob that he ended up holding for36 years.

In 1978, Joe ran for countytax assessor. When asked by thepress what he thought aboutProp. 13, he answered that hewasn’t sure that it would workthe way it was written. Joebelieves he lost the race becauseof his stance on Prop. 13.

“But you know, you don’thave to win a race to be a suc-cess,” Joe says with a smile. “Youjust have to participate.”

Never-ending fortitude alsohas touched Joe through other’sdetermination, and he has writ-ten a book called “DesertRunner.” Joe becomes quitechoked up and teary eyed whenhe explains the strength andcourage of Glenn Cunningham,

who was burned and told hewould never walk but ended upsetting the world record for run-ning the mile.

“Like me, he also had the willto prove them wrong in life. AndI have included this story in mybook as it means so much tome,” Joe shares.

A widower, Joe has been mar-ried twice, and has lived inClayton for 47 years. He has sev-eral children and many grandchil-dren and great-grandchildren. Hechuckles as he tries to put acount on all of them. “Just putdown a whole bunch of peopleand that will cover it.”

Joe believes he has had manylucky breaks. “And living inClayton is definitely one ofthem,” he said.

“When preparation meetsopportunity, it can come alongfor people and be a good thing,”he concluded.

If you are a senior living in Clayton,or know of a senior that would like toshare their life story with the ClaytonPioneer readers, please contact ColleenElwy at colleensbyline@aol.com or call672-9565.

Page 18 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com May 22, 2009

“The well-being of mankind, its peace & security, are unattainableunless & until its_______________ is firmlyestablished.”

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Plants will be pulled out as theydie, “so it doesn’t look like adesert out there,” Janney said.

Last year, the LandscapeMaintenance District spent$169,000 for water. If use iscut by the required 45 percentfor the next 12 months, itcould save the district as muchas $76,000, less the cost ofreplacing dead or damagedplants.

WELL WATER AN OPTION

While the lawns in the cityparks that use metered waterwill die, Westwood and LydiaLane parks and the librarygrounds are irrigated by wellwater and should be unaffectedby the cutbacks.

Dan Richardson, who ledthe successful effort to renewthe city’s LandscapeMaintenance District in 2007,wants the city to look at morewells as water source.

“I’m disappointed we findourselves in this situation and Iappreciate the city’s leadership.But, I hope that, as a communi-ty, we can look at wells as analternative to metered water inthe future, he said.

Well water irrigation may bea solution to future water short-ages, but not in the short term,says Napper. The cost ofdrilling and hooking into theexisting mains makes it prohibi-tive for a city with a budget thesize of Clayton’s.

There is an unused wellbehind the post office, but thecost of bringing it online is“well into the six figures,” saysNapper. “And the gallon-per-minute yield just doesn’t warrantthe cost.”

In addition to the irrigationcuts, the city must reduce build-ing and facilities usage by 15percent. Since the city hasalready been using water savingdevices such as low-flow toiletsand auto shut off faucets, cut-ting another 15 percent willlargely depend on cooperationfrom the public.

After posting signs in publicbuildings asking for conserva-tion, if the goals aren’t beingmet, the city may be forced toshut off faucets. Or “as a finaldrastic measure,” Janney said,“close the public restrooms.”

GATEWAY RENOVATIONS

In other business, the coun-cil moved ahead withRedevelopment Agency plansfor the renovation of the city’sgateway at Marsh Creek andClayton Roads, awarding a con-tract for $199,167 to MaxicreteInc. for the hardscape. Projectplans include a stone-facedmonument sign on the hill anddirectional signage at the corner.

A vintage tractor at the gate-way and another in the Corral atBlack Diamond Plaza will honorClayton’s agricultural heritage.The Clayton Business andCommunity Association haspledged $60,000 for landscapingand $12,000 for the tractors.Any plantings will have to waituntil after rationing is lifted.

The total budget for theproject is estimated at $320,000.

Landscape, from page 1

‘Grab and go’ bag a good way to be prepared“All we can do is be pre-

pared” was the headline recentlyin a local newspaper relating tothe fires in the Santa Barbaraarea. On May 9, 30,000 hadbeen ordered to evacuate – withanother 23,000 warned to beready to flee.

If you were in the fire area,would you have been preparedto evacuate? Would you havehad the necessary items to sus-tain your needs for a week to 10days? Would you have had yourmedications? Have you estab-lished a meeting place for fami-ly members to meet if you werenot all together at the time ofevacuation? Would your chil-dren know where to meet youshould they be in school at thetime you were ordered to evacu-ate?

Many in Clayton live nearopen space and have experi-enced fires on Mt Diablo, aswell as earthquakes, so we needto be prepared. We do not knowwhen the emergency will occur,

but we know it will happen.Some of us have a “grab

and go” bag containing thingsof value and importance suchas family pictures, medications,extra eye glasses, family photosfor identification purposes, alist of important phone num-bers, granola/energy bars andmoney. There are additionalitems that we should have inthe bag – copies of importantdocuments, birth certificates,driver’s license, passport,immunization records, bank

and credit card numbers.Do you have these items in

one location, so you can “graband go?”

On May 4, 31 Clayton resi-dents attended the first of sixsessions of the springCommunity EmergencyResponse Team class (CERT).There were 11 additional partic-ipants from Walnut Creek,Concord and Pittsburg for aclass enrollment of 42.

The May 4 meeting dealtwith emergency preparedness.The May 11 class covered firesafety to include the operationof a fire extinguisher and howto put out small fires. The May18 class addressed emergencymedical operations, with theclasses scheduled for June 1 and8 to cover additional emergencyskills and CERT procedures.The final evening of the trainingwill be a drill to practice the newskills learned in class. These areskills and information we needto put into practice so we are

prepared.We have already trained 118

residents in emergency pre-paredness. We will have anotherCERT class in the fall and hopefor another good turnout ofresidents who want to “be pre-pared.”

All residents should preparea “go bag,” establish a meetingplace, know who in your neigh-borhood may need assistance,such as a senior citizen, andstart collecting an inventory offood and water and store in asafe place. Access the CERTWebsite at www.claytoncert.orgfor information or feel free toemail me.

Also, when you go to theWebsite, complete the CERTapplication and enroll in ournext class!

Herb Yonge is a volunteer withthe Clayton Police Department and amember of the Clayton CitizenCorps Council. He can be reached at673-7355 or hlyonge@att.net.

HERB YONGE

SAFETY ZONE

In assessing his long life, this senior comes up smiling

COLLEEN ELWY

SHARING HISTORY

Photo courtesy of Joe Swicegood

This photo of Joe at 16, is one of the few photos he has of his early life.

Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

JOE SWICEGOOD in the frontyard of his Lydia Lane home

Celebrating 103 shows and50 years of presenting themusic and magic of Broadway,the Diablo Theatre Company,formerly DLOC (Diablo LightOpera Company), is mountinga glittering production of theclassic Broadway musical“Hello, Dolly!” The show runsJune 5 to June 28 for 14 per-formances at the Lesher Centerfor the Arts in Walnut Creek.

It will be the first time theaward-winning Jerry Hermanmusical has been presented inthe Lesher Center’s HofmannTheatre since it opened.

“We pride ourselves in re-imagining elements of our clas-sic musicals,” said Daren A.C.Carollo, Diablo Theatre

Company’s artistic director.“For ‘Hello, Dolly!’ our talent-ed set designer, MarkMendelson (‘Will RogersFollies’ and the upcoming Stars

2000 ‘Guys and Dolls’) is creat-ing 3-D buildings and sevenfull stage sets that fly, pivot,and spin. The audience will seethe most beautiful Harmonia

Gardens ever.”The cast includes Terry

Darcy D’Emidio, a 25 year vet-eran of East Bay theater, asDolly; Curt Denham, fromDLOC’s “La Cage Aux Folles”and “The King and I,” asHorace Vandergelder; RenaWilson, who starred as Marianthe Librarian, in “The MusicMan,” as Irene Malloy; WillGiammona as Cornelius Hackl;Andrew Willis-Woodward asBarnaby Tucker; Caleb HavenDraper as Ambrose Kemper;Meghan Ihle as Minnie Fay;Jessica Knudsen as Ermengard;and Mary Kidwell as Ernestina.

Tickets ($29-$41) are on sale atthe Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601Civic Drive, Walnut Creek (925)943-7469, or online at www.lesher-artscenter.org. For more informationgo to www.dloc.org.

May 22, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 19

Diablo Theatre Company celebrates 50thAnniversary with Broadway classic ‘Hello, Dolly!’

Audience membersplay judges anddetermine winners

Pageant is more than a musi-cal. It’s a real beauty pageantwith all the trappings that makeyou cringe and weep and gigglewith delight. The emcee is anoutrage, and the “girls” areeverything you’ve ever seen …and beyond. Pageant runs May25 – June 21 at the WillowsCabaret at the CampbellTheatre, 636 Ward Street inMartinez. The Willows produc-tion is directed and choreo-graphed by Steven Edlund, withmusical direction by KimVetterli.

Pageant could be one of thefunniest musicals to emergefrom Off-Broadway in manyyears. Six beauty queens, MissDeep South, Miss Bible Belt,Miss Industrial Northeast, Miss

Great Plains, Miss Texas, andMiss West Coast, compete tobecome the new MissGlamouresse. The judges arechosen from the audience, soevery night a different contest-ant is a potential winner.

Pageant celebrates every ele-ment that makes beauty pag-eants … well … what they are.The emcee is smarmy and over-the-top. Each contestant hasalready won a regional title, sothey each represent a differentpart of the country, competingwith each other in several differ-ent categories - swimsuit,evening gown, spokesmodel,and, of course, talent. The girlsare sniping, ambitious, vulnera-ble, and truly believe that a goodaccordion solo can bring aboutworld peace. If nothing else,they are sincere.

The Cast includes RandyNazarian, Ricardo Rust, BenWetzel, Anthony Jackson, SeanPatrick Murtaugh, DannyNoble, Matt Petromilli, andJonathan Spencer.

Performances areWednesdays and Thursdays at7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdaysat 8: p.m., with matineesWednesdays at 3:30 p.m.,Saturdays at 2 p.m., and Sundaysat 3 p.m.

To purchase tickets call (925)798-1300 or visit the Willows website at www.willowstheatre.org.

‘Pageant’ spoofs beauty queensat Willows Cabaret in Martinez

GARY CARR

Special to the Pioneer

Ricardo Rust, Randy Nazarianand Sean Patrick Murtaugh starin “Pageant” at the WillowsCabaret through June 21.

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and memorable experience forour graduating seniors in asecure environment that is freefrom drugs and alcohol. Toensure that our graduates aresafe on what is one of the mostmemorable nights of theiryoung lives.”

This year, the city ofConcord, who oversee CentreConcord, will user a breathalyz-er on every graduate prior toentry to ensure that no drinkinghad taken place.

Parents from all five schoolsgather in September to plan andpool their resources and deco-rating talents. “Recent transfor-mations have included jungles,beaches, underwater scenes,cruise ships,” Brown said. “Anincredible amount of coordina-tion is needed as sets are builtand designed separately at eachschool’s location and thenbrought into Centre Concordon the weekend before thegraduations began.”

Family and friends can pre-view the décor the Sundaybefore graduation. Seniors areforbidden in an effort to main-tain secrecy about the theme.

Following graduation, thestudents from that school aredropped off at Centre Concordand enter the gated area toenjoy the all-night activities,which include inflatable games,casino, karaoke, dancing, photoopportunities, T-shirt and bodyair-brushing, all you can eatfood and drink, prizes and cos-mic bowling.

“Over 130 volunteer posi-tions will be filled,” said Brown,“ensuring the safety of thegraduating class. The finalprizes are drawn by 5 a.m., theevent concludes and the stu-dents are then picked up bytheir parents.”

The center is then cleanedand readied for the next group.About 1,400 seniors will attendover the graduating week.

Clayton Valley’s Grad Nitecommittee budgeted close to$40,000 for the event this year.“The support of the Concordand Clayton community contin-ues to be overwhelming andvital to the success of the GradNite tradition,” Newachecksaid. “Because this event is par-ent-run, we truly appreciate thepositive feedback we receivethrough financial, food andservice donations. It allows usto create a magical memory andkeep the ticket price afford-able.”

Donations have also allowedfor scholarships so that all sen-iors could attend regardless offinancial ability.

The committee welcomes all vol-unteers to help make the evening asuccess. For more information, contactTrina Brandt at trina1010@com-cast.net or Veeve Detmer at freak-ing5@aol.com.

Graduation,from page 16

TERRY DARCY D'EMIDIO AS DOLLY GALLAGHER LEVI, Curt Denhamas Horace Vandergelder in Diablo Theatre Company’s HelloDolly opening June 5 at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek.

Slow economy couldlead to bargain travels

If the current economicwoes are causing you to frownand worry, remember that just aseverything that goes up mustcome down, we can also hopethat everything that came downwill go up again.

In the meantime, it’s a“buyer’s market” for the travelindustry. Deals abound for cruis-es, airfares, hotel stays and majorevents. If you are flexible andcan take advantage of lastminute travel deals, then sign upfor emails from Travelzoo(www.travelzoo.com). They haveup-to-the-minute bargains oncruises, airfares, hotel stays andcomplete vacations at greatlyreduced prices.

You will receive a weeklyemail with the Top 20 TravelDeals of the Week. I was writingthis column, I received aNewsflash from Travelzooannouncing one-way airfare onJetBlue from Oakland to NewYork for $79. Some date restric-tions do apply.

The other good news is that

the U.S. dollar is growingstronger against many foreigncurrencies. The Euro is tradingat $1.29 U.S. dollars comparedwith $1.59 at this time last year.For many years, you could get 10Mexican pesos to the dollar andnow it is 13 pesos to the dollar –with a high of 15 pesos asrecently as March 2009. While itused to cost you 2 U.S. dollars topurchase one British pound, therates are down to $1.45 for apound. By taking advantage ofthe favorable exchange rates,your travel dollar can go muchfurther.

The years 2009 and 2010 aresignificant in Europe and theworld. In France, they will becelebrating the 65th anniversaryof the D-Day landings. If youare Scottish, you may want to bethere for the nationwide“Homecoming of the Clans” asthey celebrate “Whiskey Month”and the 250th anniversary ofRobert Burns’ birth.

In 2010, the Soccer WorldCup will be held in South Africa,and in Germany, the centuriesold Oberammergau Passion Playwill be offered for the first timesince 2000. Performed for 102days every 10 years, the showattracts visitors from around the

world. The first performanceisn’t until May 2010, but ticketsgo on sale this month and sellout quickly. Some tour operatorshave already set up itinerariesthat include play tickets.

With each column, I plan toend with a travel tip that I hopewill be useful. My all-timefavorite: If you don’t like to usetravel underwear because it justdoesn’t fit right and you don’tlike disposable underwearbecause it is just too uncomfort-able, then save all your oldunderwear with the holes andthe stretched out elastic. Bringalong some brown paper lunchsacks and just toss them afterwearing. By the end of the trip,you will have created more roomin your suitcase for travel treas-ures. Be sure to use the lunchsack to dispose of them, other-wise the housekeeping staff mayfind them, have them launderedand return them to you the nextday!

PEGGY BIDONDO

TIME TO GO

Recently retired, Clayton residentPeggy Bidondo now has the time toindulge her passion in travel planningand writing.

Send your questions and columnideas to Peggy Bidondo at timetogo@claytonpioneer.com.

There may not be a perfectanswer for every question, butthere is a perfect question fortoday: What now?

It’s a timely question, amidsthigh school and college gradua-tions, summer’s advent, globaleconomic strife, job loss, homerenovations, diaper changes,funerals, winning the lotto andfinding the love of your life onFacebook.

It’s an ageless question,bursting forth from the mouthsof babes and grandfolks alike.And it’s the question AnnPatchett, New York Times best-selling author of “Bel Canto”and “Run,” has chosen toanswer.

“What Now?” is based on acommencement addressPatchett delivered at SarahLawrence College. Preserved inthis slim, portable edition, it’s isa 97-page packet of dynamite.

Lighting the fuse with witand humor, the words burnalong effortlessly, until, Blam!there’s a flash of insight, a reve-lation, an idea so pure and trueyou wonder why you didn’tthink of it yourself. This is themagic of Patchett: gently sifting,

calling little attention to herselfand all the while uncoveringgems amidst the ashes.

Lacing her message withintelligence andc o m p a s s i o n ,Patchett shares sto-ries of her lifebefore becoming acelebrated novelist.She learns thevalue of listeningfrom an encounterwith a HareKrishna inChicago’s O’Hareairport: “Once youdecide thatstrangers are more than justdangerous accidents waiting tohappen, you will find yourselfable to listen. How much sad-ness could be averted by takingthe time to notice all the peoplewe have come to ignore?”

She discovers purposefulstaring while washing dishesduring one of her many incar-nations as a waitress: “I hadnever stared as a way of solvinga problem … which is to say Ihad never just stayed still, beenquiet, and thought thingsthrough. In the end it was thestaring that got me the novelistjob I wanted.”

But it is Patchett’s dedication

to being last in line that is mostunusual. Humility, a trait shelearned in Catholic schools andrestaurants and not often pro-

moted at gradua-tion ceremonies,taught Patchettthat “… wisdomcomes in chipsrather than blocks.You have to bewilling to gatherthem constantly,and from sourcesyou never imag-ined to be proba-ble.”

A postscript tothe essay, describing the ardu-ous process of creating it,makes plain the most profoundlesson of “What Now?”Perseverance is how literaryworks are written, perseveranceis how cures for AIDS andother devastating diseases arediscovered, perseverance is howthe next generation is born, andperseverance is how today’sgraduates will go on to live ful-filling, rewarding lives.

There isn’t a person on thisplanet who has not thought,“What am I going to do now?”The first step may be to readPatchett’s answers to the perfectquestion.

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Central Contra CostaSanitary District

Page 20 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com May 22, 2009

Central Contra Costa Sanitary District

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility4797 Imhoff Place, Martinez

Tuesday thru Saturday—9 A.M. to 4 P.M.(business waste drop off by appointment only)

1-800-646-1431www.centralsan.org

Central Contra CostaSanitary District

Protecting Public Health and the Environment

Put Hazardous Waste In Its Place

According to the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency, you may have as much as100 pounds of household hazardous waste inyour home.

The technical definition of householdhazardous waste is “leftover or unneededhousehold products that contain corrosive,toxic, ignitable, reactive ingredients, or whichmight be ecologically harmful.”

Consider this:

� Most antibacterial soaps contain triclosan,a toxic chemical that is harmful to aquaticorganisms.

� All batteries contain metals and othertoxic or corrosive materials.

� Most non-digital fever thermometers andall fluorescent tubes/bulbs contain mer-cury, one of the most toxic substancesknown.

� Pesticides are poisons; even so-called“safer” choices may contain toxic ingredi-ents such as pyrethroids, pyrethrins orpermethrin.

� Wood preservatives may contain copper,dioxin or tributyltin, toxic compoundsthat are extremely hazardous to ecosys-tems.

� Paint and paint products may contain sol-vents and pigments that are known car-cinogens.

Other forms of household hazardouswaste include:� Household cleaning products such as

bleach, oven cleaners and furniture polish.� Personal care products such as fingernail

polish and hair color.

� Automotive products such as motor oil,gasoline and antifreeze.

� Garden products such as herbicides andfertilizers.

When discarded improperly, these andother forms of household hazardous wastecan threaten human health and the environ-ment. For this reason, it is illegal in Californiato dispose of household hazardous waste inthe trash or down any drain.

The Household Hazardous WasteCollection Facility in Martinez is a convenientand environmentally safe disposal solution.Hazardous wastes brought to the facility willnever reach waterways through sewers, stormdrains or landfills.

More than 18 million pounds of house-hold hazardous wastes have been brought tothe facility for recycling, reuse or safe dispos-al since it opened in 1997.

The facility is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdaythrough Saturday. There is no drop-off feeand no appointment necessary for residentsof central Contra Costa County. Small busi-nesses require an appointment and arecharged a nominal fee. State transportationregulations limit the amount of hazardouswaste you can bring to 15 gallons or 125pounds per visit.

The facility does not accept medicine,medical wastes (including needles and othersharps), electronic wastes, explosives or com-pressed gas cylinders. Propane tanks of fivegallons or less are OK.

For more information, call 1-800-646-1431 orvisit www.centralsan.org.

Dispose of hazardous house-hold waste in Martinez

‘Secret’ reveals a compelling character study

Do you have a few thingsthat, for whatever reason,you’ve never told another per-son? Well, Nora TrimbleHammond, the protagonist ofMary McGarry Morris’ latestnovel, “The Last Secret,” has abiggie.

Nora actually has twosecrets, both of which she’s rel-egated to the darkest recesses ofher subconscious. Luckily forthe reader, Nora’s first secret,the one about running away

from home at age 17 on adrunken spree with 23-year-oldEddie Hawkins, is described in aprequel chapter. But the readercan trust Morris; the telling ofthe first secret only serves to stirthe plot.

Morris is a master storyteller.She sets it up for us: young,rebellious teenager makes a bigmistake and becomes involvedin a violent incident in whichher boyfriend beats up astranger they’d met in a bar.Terrified and shamed by whathas occurred, Nora runs awayfrom both the scene of the vio-lence and Eddie.

Chapter one begins manyyears later with Nora all grownup, the mother of two teenagersand a pillar in her community.She’s now married to KenHammond, whose brother runs

the family-owned newspaper. Inaddition to her charitable work,she has begun work at the news-paper. Nora’s favorite charity, ahome for battered women, hasjust received national attentionin Newsweek magazine. A pic-ture of Nora accompanies thein-depth article.

Even before we get to thechapter where a much older andseedier Eddie Hawkins, clearacross the country, scansthrough the magazine and hap-pens upon and recognizes thepicture of the upright and high-ly esteemed Mrs. Hammond, wehave that sinking assurance thatNora’s secret is about to surface.

What makes this novel asharp cut above just anotherstory of one person’s past clos-ing in on an unsuspecting pro-tagonist is Morris’ skill in devel-

oping her characters as they playout their scenes with uncom-fortable realism. Morris has akeen sense of what makes ustick and she doesn’tpull any punches.

It takes morethan Nora’s husbandadmitting an affairwith his high schoolsweetheart andEddie Hawkins’smarmy reappear-ance to really shakeNora. It isn’t untilshe confrontsHawkins at her ownhome and expressesher regret for whatever he’sgone through in the ensuingyears but reminds him that theact of violence had been his “…that’s what really happened.”

Hawkins’ reply is sadistically

revealing: “What really hap-pened was you split the f ’ersskull in two. And then you tookoff running. And who ends up

in shackles?”Eddie’s not

the only one inshackles. This is atale of a past, apresent and afuture, each, in itsown way, shack-led to the other.Morris is uncom-promising in pre-senting her char-acters with alltheir foibles. She

doesn’t ask that we actually likeall these people, but because shetreats her characters even-hand-edly and their behavior is oftenrecognized as more than a littlefamiliar, we care about them.

Nora’s tightly containedworld comes apart. She hasmore than one disturbing secret,her husband has his own litanyof events and the town itselfbecomes a microcosm of theway in which we manage to livealongside the unspoken. Morrisbrings her novel to a horrific cli-max and then back down toearth where resolution isachieved, sides taken and truthsbelieved or not. The resolutionis real, but not much changes.

Redemption, it seems, can bemost uncomfortable and ulti-mately arriving at a very highcost.

SUNNY SOLOMON

FOR THE BOOKS

Sunny Solomon holds a Master ofArts in English and Creative Writingfrom San Francisco State University.She is a poet and published author.Email her with questions or commentsat memorie3@yahoo.com

Patchett’s essay a powerful lessonLOU FANCHER

Special to the Pioneer

Get ready for the mighty AtomNotebook computers are

shrinking and the public isgoing wild over the prospects ofholding a computer in the palmof their hand. Small enough tobe lightweight, elegant, stylishand cute, but big enough whereone can type a letter, answeremail and surf the Web, thisnew venue is called a “netbook”computer.

Netbook computers are fill-ing a niche between notebookcomputers and Palm Pilots.They’re small enough to carryaround, about the size of apaperback book, but big enoughto get real work done withoutabusing you thumbs.

The netbook is poweredwith an Intel CPU called theAtom. This tiny, but mightypower plant provides plenty ofpep for large applications yetsips power and runs very cool.The typical battery life is three-four hours and recharging issnappy at about two hours.

According to Intel, “TheIntel Atom processor is Intel’ssmallest processor, built withthe world’s smallest transistorsand manufactured on Intel’sindustry-leading 45nm Hi-kMetal Gate technology. TheIntel Atom processor was pur-pose-built for simple, affordablenetbooks and nettops.”

It works like the Pentium 4

at 1.6GHz, so there is enoughpower to run demanding appli-cations and the full version ofWindows XP.

I reviewed an Acer AspireOne cobalt blue satin finishwith an 8-inch screen, a work-able keyboard and 120GB harddrive and found it remarkablyfun to use and lightweight at asmidge more than 2 pounds.The screen is clear, sharp andbright, albeit the type is a tadsmall so this ol’ guy had to usehis reading glasses. But it wasfun to use, sleek and well-built.We have models with 10-inchscreens as well.

Best of all, they are pricedless than $500 (including thegovernor’s new tax). EveryoneI’ve showed it to thought it wasas cute as a puppy.

The netbook has all the fea-tures of the bigger notebook,including WiFi wireless net-working, USB 2.0, replaceablehard drive, 1GB main RAM, fullcolor screen, etc. The oneexception is no CD drive. Theidea here is to bring lighterweight, smaller form and moreportability. Since it is a “net”computer, it is designed to workas a network device.

If you want to load a CDprogram like Microsoft Office,you could download the pro-gram from the Internet directly

to the netbook, load the pro-gram to a flash drive, or attachthe computer to a local networkthen share the drive from a larg-er computer. Alternatively, pur-chase a USB external CD drivefor loading purposes for about$60.

So, take your Atom netbook,hop on down to the localInternet Café and have somefun surfing the Internet. Whenyou’re done, go to the office, getemail on Outlook, write a briefwith Word and design your nextad in Adobe Illustrator, saveyour work to a flash drive orsimply email it to whoeverneeds it.

WILL CLANEY

TECH TALK

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

Round and red oroff-white with someweighing more than 100pounds, radishes have madetheir mark on global cuisine andeven popular culture.

The Peanuts comic strip inDenmark is renamed“Radishes.” On Christmas Eveis Oaxaca, Mexico, you mightfind yourself carving radishesinto animal shapes.

If you’re a fan of “TheFantasticks”, the longest run-ning play on Broadway, youmight recall the famous songheralding vegetables, part ofwhich goes:

Plant a radish/Get aradish/Never any doubt.

That’s why I love vegeta-bles;/You know what you’reabout!

It’s likely that radishes wereoriginally cultivated in China,

butit didn’t take long to find

them being grown in Egyptand Greece. Slow to move outof the Mediterranean, radishesmade their first appearance inEngland in the mid-1500s, butthey grew quickly in popularityand accompanied the coloniststo America.

They are popular for homevegetable gardens because theygrow rapidly and you can havemultiple harvests each garden-ing season.

The Pennsylvania Dutch ateradishes for breakfast, as do theJapanese and French today. Infact, a popular French breakfastconsists of toast spread withherb butter (dill, thyme ororegano go well) layered withthinly sliced radishes and apinch of salt.

The Egyptians harvested theoil from radish seeds beforethey were introduced to oliveoil. Today, it is a potential bio-

fuel. Thea n c i e n tGreeks sor e v e r e d

radishes thatgold replicas

were made. Thisview was not uni-formly shared.

Roman naturalistand philosopher Pliny

vilified radishes, claimingthem to be a “vulgar articleof the diet” due to their

“remarkable power to causeflatulence.”

Most of the radishes we arefamiliar with have a distinctivepeppery, sometimes bitter fla-vor. They are a root vegetablefrom the mustard family. Theirheat is in the skin, so the flavorcan be tamed by peeling.

In contrast, the Daikon andSatsuma radishes are very mild.Most of their energy goes intogrowth – up to 3 feet long andweighing up to 100 pounds.

Aside from the red globevariety (about 1 inch in diame-ter) with a solid, crisp flesh, it’snot too difficult to find icicleradishes. These are a white elon-gated variety with a milder fla-vor. Black radishes are begin-ning to appear in markets. Theyare almost as large as a turnipand have a pungent, drier interi-or flesh.

Radishes make good “diet”food because they have very fewcalories; their nutritional valueemphasizes ascorbic acid

(Vitamin C), folic acid andpotassium.

Americans consume about400 million pounds of radisheseach year, with the vast majorityeaten raw. Nevertheless, they arequite good in stir fries and theleafy tops (if fresh) can besteamed and eaten as a side dish.

Add sliced, diced or gratedradish into tuna, egg, potato orchicken salad. Sprinkle sliveredradishes on chowders, bisquesand other thick soups forcrunchy texture and spicy flavor.

Sauté radishes in a little oliveoil, or brush radish halves witholive oil and roast at 450 for 15minutes to serve as a uniqueside dish.

The following salad ofRussian derivation is adaptedfrom a Rachael Ray recipe. It’ssomething different to accom-pany a summer barbecue.

QUICK RADISH AND

WHITE BEAN SALAD

2 cans (15 oz.) cannellini orwhite beans, rinsed and drained

1 lb. radishes, trimmed andsliced thin (should yield about 3cups)

1-2 tomatoes, chopped8 Kalamata olives, pitted1 T. capers2 T. chopped parsley1 T. chopped fresh dill (or 1

tsp. dried)2 T. olive oil2-3 T. thick (Greek) yogurtZest and juice of one lemonSalt and pepper to taste

Combine the vegetables andherbs in a large salad bowl.Whisk together the olive oil,yogurt, lemon and salt and pep-per in a small bowl, then stirinto vegetable mixture.

worth the visit.)Sea days are quite different.

The orchestra doesn’t usuallystart work until late afternoon.During the day, we read, prac-tice, exercise, or maybe sleepuntil 3 or 4 (guilty). On the lastsea day of a voyage, the orches-tra plays a Dixieland set in thepub, getting the musicians outof bed before noon (the nerve!).

Our workday usually beginswith a rehearsal with that night’s

guest entertainer. It might be asinger, instrumentalist, comedi-an, juggler, magician or … gulp… all of the above. We rehearsetheir show that will be per-formed at 8:30 and again at10:45. The acts we back rangefrom brilliant to those who haveus wishing Simon Cowell wouldattend rehearsals.

I’m often asked, “Do youlike it?” Well, I get paid to playmusic and travel! It’s a dream

job. That said, I couldn’t do itforever. I don’t like the idea ofnot living anywhere, of travelingbut never getting to know aplace, of eating in the crewmess forever.

If people want to work onships, they absolutely should.The lifestyle is kind of like col-lege: you’re away from home formonths at a time, you live in acupboard with someone elseand you question the nutritionalvalue of your daily meals. Onships, though, room and boardare free.

Also like college, I thinkships should be a means – notthe end itself. It’s a great way tosave money, if you can refrainfrom buying ridiculous sou-venirs. (I bought a T-shirt thatsays “Ukraine: Original.”) But Idon’t think it’s a way to livelong-term, though people do it.

This month, I started on theQueen Victoria. I’m going tosave as much as I can, then lookfor my “end.” Hopefully, itwon’t involve seasickness.

Jim Briggs was a Pioneer moviereviewer until last year, when hejoined a cruise ship band. Homebetween gigs, we asked him to jotdown a few impressions of life aboarda cruise ship.

“So, how’s the ship?” That’sthe question I get asked mostoften.

I don’t understand why thequestion takes this form. I thinkthey’re asking how I’ve been,but it sounds like they’re inquir-ing about the current state ofthe ship. Hmmm.

I’m a professional musician.From August 13, 2008 untilJanuary 10 of this year, I workedas a guitarist in the Royal CourtTheatre Orchestra on Cunard’sQueen Victoria. During thattime, I traveled to 19 countrieson three continents.

Now, if you asked “What’s atypical day on the QV?” – that’san unambiguous question that’seasily answered. On port days, agroup of musicians, dancers,singers and techies will goashore, usually with two goals:food and Wi-Fi. It’s not thatwe’re dying to sample the localcuisine; we’d just prefer to avoidthe crew mess.

Usually an hour is spent onFacebook uploading pictures ofwhere we’ve been (this wouldcost a fortune onboard) andgloating about where we are,leaving smug messages like“Hello from Venice! We’re inAthens tomorrow, then Rome;”or “Just visited the pyra-mids…How’s the job searchcoming along btw?”

I guess the irony is thatwe’ve been to all these amazingplaces, but all we did was checkour email and eat grilled cheesesandwiches. (I speak for myself;kebabs aren’t really my thing.)

Obviously, there’s muchmore to do in most of theseplaces, and we always say we’llget around to it next time. Butin the meantime, Twitter’s notgoing update itself. (Althoughin Naples, the pizza alone is

May 22, 2009 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 21

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JIM BRIGGS

Special to the Pioneer

Photo courtesy of Jim Briggs

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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

The radish goes beyond small, red and round

LINDA WYNER

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

If you did not see “StarTrek” on its opening weekend,then you better beg Scotty tobeam you down to your localcinema, Warp Speed please.

J.J. Abrams (“Lost,”“Fringe”) directs a great castwith an equally great script toscience fiction perfection. I amnot a “Trekkie” – I’ve seen ahandful of episodes and noneof the films. But I believe that“Star Trek” represents what anysuccessful sci fi movie shouldhave: good acting, a great script

filled with humor and awesomespecial effects.

The opening scene startswith action, putting you in themiddle of a firefight. We laterfind out that this was a fightbetween Nero and George Kirk,the father of James T. Kirk. Thenext part of the film is devotedto portraying the growth fromchild into adulthood of JamesKirk and Spock. The two end upmeeting in a Starfleet trainingbase, with Kirk cheating on a testthat Spock created. This meetingescalates into a rivalry.

Quirky ‘Star Trek’ asci fi masterpiece

THOMAS VO

Pioneer Movie Reviewer

At the Movies

See Movies, page 22

Page 22 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com May 22, 2009

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Dahlias, phlox take on Clayton’s summer heat

The heat of the summer sea-son produces some sensationalstunners for our beds, bordersand containers. Install vibrant,bold colorful plants thatexplode in your landscapes – it’llcause you to forget all about thepastels of spring.

Outrageous orange, mellowyellow and cunning cabernetsare a few of the colors that youcould use to wow your gardenuntil fall cools the yard.

Mystic is a series of incredi-ble dahlias. These plants are anatural in Clayton Valley land-scapes. Mystic dahlias are avail-able in four thrilling colors:Illusions, Desire, Spirit andDreamer. The names are reflec-tive of the moods that thedahlias set in the garden.

The Mystic series of dahliaall possess dramatic, purplish-black foliage. The leaves are lacyand fragile looking. That’s as faras the fragile goes, though. Thisperennial can stand up to all ofour heat and powerful sun.

Each of the color selectionshas a simple 7-8 petal flower, cre-ating an easy star shape. The cen-ters of the blossoms are dark,mirroring the foliage below.

CREATING AN ILLUSION

Illusion is the clear, yellowselection of the Mystic dahlia.The color of this perennialseems out of place against thedark foliage. This plant con-trasts itself. When you add thedark eye of the blossom to the

mix, the results are fantastic.Illusion is so interesting it

can stand alone in a container,or join other perennial friends ina garden bed. Install Illusionwith hot colored or tropicalinspired plants such as cannalilies, leucandendron, abutilon,salvias or hibiscus.

If you are going to containergrow this selection, under plantwith parrot’s beak or sedum tri-color for additional contrast.

MY HEART’S DESIRE

Desire is my favorite Mysticdahlia. This selection has aglossy, bright orange simpleshaped flower. This is not thecolor of a pumpkin, but rather apersimmon dipped in a glaze.Keep in mind that all the serieshas dark foliage, and you can’thelp but be intrigued by thisoutrageous selection.

Adding Desire to your beds ofperennials is a great idea. Mix withechinacea Sundown, Moonshineyarrow and salvia Indigo Spiresfor a butterfly attracting, sensa-tional party of colors.

Container grown Desirecombined with tri-color gerani-um and scaevola New Wonderwould be a feast for the eyes.Consider pairing this perennialwith chartreuse feverfew anddiascia Salmon Supreme foranother thrilling containerfriendship.

Mystic Spirit is a touch moresubtle. The flower is a light apri-cot with a dark center. Spiritlends itself to purples and pinks.May Night sage and agastacheAcapulco pink will make goodcompanions.

TIME FOR SOME INTENSITY

Intensia phlox is a newerintroduction of short-livedperennial. This plant resemblesa wave petunia combined with

sweet William and is totally fabin containers, hanging basketsor garden borders. Intensiaphlox is available in six colors.

Throughout the growingseason, expect Intensia to reach10-12 inches tall and more than30 inches wide. This medium-growing plant is both useful andcolorful.

Intensia cabernet is a deepwine hued phlox, almost a red,yet kind of a purple. Install thecabernet with contrasting colors,like the golden yellow of theEarly Sunrise coreopsis or Stellad’Oro daylily. Trickle this selec-tion over a moss-rock retainingwall; the reflective heat is nomatch for Intensia cabernet.

Lavender Glow’s color willshine through the summer. Addto a spring planted hanging bas-ket when your pansies wear out.Combine with Gold Mariebidens and superbells white mil-lion bells for a dramatic combi-nation.

WHITE AND PINK PAIR

TOGETHER

Intensia pink is available forthe pink people. It too wouldcontrast with the Spanish laven-der, which is so readily plantedthroughout the Clayton Valleyin the spring.

If you grow Shasta daisies,plant Intensia pink phlox. Whiteand pink naturally go togetherin beds and borders. Since theIntensia phlox blooms longerthan the Shasta daisies, you willlengthen color in your gardenbed.

Starbright is a bi-colorIntensia phlox of pink withwhite margins. Plant this busierselection in a mass for more ofa garden statement.

White Intensia phlox is avail-able for the twilight gardeners.If you find you spend more

time in your yard during sum-mer evenings, than white is thecolor for you.

Both the Intensia phlox andMystic dahlias are productive

plants that will need a little helpto perform to their maximumabilities. Feed either selectionwith a liquid fertilizer every two-three weeks and water regularly.

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

But when Nero reappears,hell bent on destroying theVulcan planet, the two must joinforces in order to combat theircommon enemy.

The plot is filled with enoughtwists and turns to keep the criticinterested but is still straightfor-ward enough to keep casualwatchers in the loop. The timetravel concept was introducedeasily, without wasting too muchscreen time trying to explain it.

James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) isthe rebel of the story. He grew upwithout a much of a family andenlists in Starfleet after fightingsome cadets in a bar. Spock(Zachary Quinto) is the completeopposite. He is half Vulcan and

half human, and almost nevershows emotions. He turns downthe Vulcan academy to enlist inStarfleet. He is more experiencedand knowledgeable than Kirk.Both characters serve as a foil forthe traits of the other.

Other standout performancesinclude that of John Cho asHikaru Sulu, Simon Pegg asScotty and Anton Yelchin asPavel Chekov. They all providecomic relief and add nice touchesthe script. Plus Leonard Nimoyplays the part of future Spock, anice connection to the originalseries.

The special effects are incred-ibly well done; everything fromthe USS Enterprise to the sound

of lasers set to stun were believ-able and seamless. Cool littletouches, such as the occasionallybright light shining from behindan actor, really boosted the filmup and kept the action scenesfrom being stock sci fi footage.

“Star Trek” incorporates aperfect script, great acting andflawless special effects into a sci fimasterpiece. As Spock and Kirkdevelop their bromance, the audi-ence is able to develop connec-tions with the storyline and char-acters involved. With a film likethis, I sincerely hope that theseries will continue to “Live Longand Prosper.”

Thomas is a student at SaintMary’s College in Moraga, majoring inbusiness administration and creativewriting. He is a freelance photographerand musician.

Star Trek, from page 21

MYSTIC DAHLIA