tues., 12/6 7:30 pm a halloween for everyone by dawn shalhoup€¦ · tues., 12/6 7:30 pm hvlt...

1 Deadline for the January Headlines: December 15th, 2011

HVCA Board Tues., 12/6 7:30 PM

HVLT Board Tues., 12/13 6:00 PM

CERT Committee 3rd Tues., as called

Sanitary Board Tues., 12/27, 7:30 PM

Tam Des Rvw Bd 1st/3rd Wed.,7:00 PM Log Cabin, Tam Vly

A. A. Meeting Saturdays, 10:00 AM

N. A. Meetings Thurs & Fri, 6:30 PM

Homestead Village Walking Group Fri., 1:15-3:15 PM

Puppy Training Gentle Touch Classes Thurs., 6:30 & 7:30 PM

Ali Weiss Music Thur., 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 and 3:30 & 4:30 PM

T’ai Chi Chuan Mondays, 6:00 &

7:00 PM

Group Meditation Wednesdays, 6:30 PM

Music Together Fridays 9:30, 10:30 &

11:30 AM

Mat Pilates Wednesdays., 9:00 AM

Chocolate Making Call for Schedule

Volume 56, Issue 12

HomesteadHomesteadHomesteadHomestead HeadlinesHeadlinesHeadlinesHeadlines December, 2011

Homestead Halloween…

A Halloween for Everyone By Dawn Shalhoup

Some do it for candy. Some do it for attention. Some do it to build community and still others do it because they like practical jokes (does anyone ever ‘treat’ any-more? What fun is that!). No matter the incentive, Halloween is certainly a holiday that people love to celebrate at any age.

Appealing to all sensibilities, this year the Homestead Valley Community Center offered a different kind of Halloween celebration by inviting a broader spectrum of our community to revel in all hallow’s eve. This time, the pre-dusk event offered entertainment by area favorite, Miss Kitty, and last-minute costume finishings by make-up artists Kim Straub, Monica Goncalves, and Lauren Pratt for some of the smaller (and not-so-small) humans requiring ‘character development.’ Arts and crafts were also provided.

One of the most interesting 2011 additions was the ‘Friendly Soup Competition.’ A group of talented, ‘non-candy-gathering’ Homestead residents (Nejat Degunes, Nancy Willard, Libby Pope, Maria Pratt, Marilyn Tregoning, Mike Cann and Tor Stahl) prepared a hearty number of nourishing and tasty soups for all to taste (read: DEVOUR). Seasonally appropriate flavors such as mushrooms, roasted butternut squash, pumpkin and mint pesto, stew and French onion wafted through the community center, drawing the curious into the kitchen for numerous bowls (and votes!) of each.

The center was bustling with characters, conversation and bulging anticipation for the evening ahead. It was a proper Homestead welcome to the holiday and the sea-son. Special thanks are also owed to Jim Derich (you make such a cute doggy pa-rade leader!), Les Lizama, David Ross, Burnett Tregoning (aka our community ‘Cornish Cousin’), Penny Alexandris, Orville and Letty Erringer, Kristin Cann, Dawn Shalhoup, and the Descending Spider for making the experience that much more festive.

Homestead Winter Holiday Celebration Saturday, December 10, 6:00—8:00 p.m.

Come join your neighbors and friends to make holiday ornaments and decorate the HVCA Holiday tree. Bring your special holiday snacks to share as we provide mulled wine, cider, and hot cocoa. Enjoy music and holidays carols by the fire, and there may even be a special appearance by Santa Claus himself! It’s one of the longest nights of the year. Come enjoy good cheer right here in Homestead!

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Homestead HeadlinesHomestead HeadlinesHomestead HeadlinesHomestead Headlines

Images of Early Homestead Valley By Chuck Oldenburg

HOMESTEAD VALLEY HISTORY Stolte Grove

In 1904, Lillian Ferguson bought property at the end of La Verne and Mont-ford, named it “Three Groves” and built a weekend retreat there. She owned a home in San Francisco and rented a room to 24-year old W. V. “Fred” Stolte. When he visited “Three Groves” as a guest of Mrs. Ferguson, he fell in love with the area and bought property across the street for his own re-treat. After the 1906 earthquake both he and Lillian Ferguson moved to their retreats. Later, Fred bought property east of the Ferguson house and planted a very successful rose garden. Mrs. Ferguson owned the redwood grove west of her house. They agreed to an exchange of the properties so that she owned the rose garden and he acquired the redwood grove which became known as Stolte Grove.

Fred built a barbeque, picnic tables and a tree house for his children, Vir-ginia and Frank. He also dammed up the creek to make a small lake. He was generous in sharing the grove with his work colleagues at the Examiner, the Mission Optimists and the Mill Valley Community Church.

Long time Mill Valley resident Carol Budds recollects Stolte Grove: "My first memory of the Stolte family was when I was in the primary class at the Mill Valley Community Church and Virginia Stolte was a teacher in the Sunday School. We all celebrated her 18th birthday [in 1934]. In the quiet 1930's Mill Valley days that followed, an annual event was the church Sun-day School picnic in Stolte Grove. The teachers and mothers prepared the picnic lunch which was eaten at tables under the redwoods. Lunch was fol-lowed by games such as softball and tug of war. We could hardly wait for the time to pass (one hour after eating) until we could go swimming in the cold creek water that filled their ‘lake’.

"During those depression years and for many years thereafter, the Commu-nity Church had an active Men's Club. Fred Stolte, Virginia's father, and my father attended their monthly dinner meetings. Once a year it was an outdoor dinner at Stolte Grove prepared by [Mrs.] Ann Stolte and her committee of church ladies. Ann Stolte and my mother became bridge-playing friends. I recall being included at a large dinner party in Stolte Grove in 1946. The meat served at dinner was venison and I shall always remember the announcement after dinner that Fred had shot the deer from the bathroom window!"

Chuck’s articles are posted on www.millvalleyhistoricalsociety.org. Photos are clearer on line than in print. He can be emailed at [email protected].

Homestead Valley

Contact Info.

Community Center Main Office Les Lizama,

Executive Director (415) 388-0137

[email protected]

Programs Desk David Ross

(415) 388-0128 [email protected]

HVCA Fax Number (415) 388-0150

HVCA Board Pres. Devi Brown


HVCA Bd. Vice Pres. Bob Carreras


Land Trust Philip Moyer


Sanitary District Tom Roberts


Stolte Grove Rentals Sheila Neilsen

(415) 388-2162

E-Mail Center & Headlines

[email protected]

HVCA Web Site www.homesteadvalley.org

3


Homestead Valley’s

Winter Winter Winter Winter CelebrationCelebrationCelebrationCelebration

Saturday, December 10th 6:00 - 8:00

Holiday Decorating,

Caroling, Food, Drinks

and Fun!

Homestead Valley

Community Center

Presents…

Homestead Valley Community Center 315 Montford Ave. Mill Valley, CA 94941

www.homesteadvalley.org

4


Two Homestead Residents Receive Milley Awards By Helen Beck and Dawn Shalhoup

Milley Awards were presented to Homestead Valley residents Katy Butler and Eldon Beck at the October 23, 2011 Awards Dinner held at the Mill Valley Community Center. The Milley Awards, sponsored by the Mill Valley Art Commission, honor members of the community who, through their accomplishments in the arts, have brought honor to Mill Valley.

Katy Butler, an award winning journalist and essayist, received the Milley Award for Achievement in the Literary Arts. She has lived in Homestead for a decade, and has led writing workshops and meditation groups at the Center. Katy finds hiking on Mount Tamalpais and the pace of life in our valley an inspirational counterbalance to the intensity of writing.

Katy came to San Francisco from the East Coast with $300 in her pocket, learned to be an investigative reporter at the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and later joined the San Fran-cisco Chronicle, where she helped cover the AIDS epidemic and other important social issues. Since leaving the Chronicle to specialize in a form of "New Journalism" called narrative nonfiction, she has won numerous awards and contributed to Mother Jones, The Whole Earth Catalog, The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine.

A master at making complex material intimate, Katy combines investigative reporting with lyrical, heartfelt personal disclosures about her own life. In June 2010, The New York Times Magazine published her very personal article, "My Father's Broken Heart: How a Pacemaker Wrecked Our Family's Life." The essay won a 2011 "Science in Society" award from The National Asso-ciation of Science Writers. She is now writing her first book about the moral and medical choices we face close to the end of life in an era of technological medicine. Tentatively titled, "A Daughter's Journey Through Old Age and New Medicine," to be published in 2013. Katy has taught at Esalen Institute, The Nieman Foundation, Harvard Medical School and Book Passage.

Eldon Beck arrived in Homestead Valley in 1963 with his wife, Helen, and two children, Fred and Jean. As a family they hiked the many trails on Mt. Tam. Eldon credits Mt. Tam and Mill Valley for being his teacher of design. His thesis of personal and professional life has been that nature is the textbook of design, that the lessons are before us, awareness should be our greatest skill.

Eldon, an internationally acclaimed Landscape Architect, received the Milley Award for Achievement in the Visual Arts. He has shaped the design of pedestrian oriented villages in five countries. He is considered among the worlds leading village designers. His projects include Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada, Village 1950 at the ski area of Les Arcs, France, village design work at Copper Mountain, Keystone, Snowmass, Vail, Colorado, and Whis-tler, B.C. Canada. Eldon prepared the master plan for Whistler Village in 1978 and for the past 33 years has guided village design work at Whistler. Whistler achieved international recognition as one of the locations of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Eldon graduated from Cal in 1953 and returned to Cal as Adjunct Professor of Landscape Architecture from 1978 to 1986. His broad portfolio includes projects for local, state and national parks and campus master plans for colleges and universities. His many years of design review services include the M.V. Architectural Advisory Board, Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), Sea Ranch, and the University of Colorado. He is past president of the Northern California Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

The Milley Awards, created in 1995, came from an idea in 1988 from Abby Wasserman, a Homestead Valley native. She was a member of the Art Commission who believed that because of the artistic legacy in Mill Valley and environs, we should be honoring artists. She continues her deep involvement with the Milleys as a member of the current Board.

Katy Butler

Eldon Beck

5


Land Trust Notes…

Kids Make Good Neighbors By Philip Moyer

The Homestead Valley Land Trust is always looking for ways to get kids involved in what we do. Last year some kids from Tam High spent time volunteering on trail and park maintenance for community credit and this year a conversation with the new head of Marin Hori-zon School, Dr. Luis A. Ottley, got the volunteer spirit rolling and MHS teacher, Chris Baker, joined with Maverick and a whole bunch of MHS kids to spread wood chips and move rocks on several different days at Volunteer Park and 3-Groves Park and the wonderful results are there for you to see. So big thanks to all MHS workers involved. Other volunteers, like scouts and brownie troupes are welcome too. Please contact us. Everybody should keep an eye out for Work Party Volunteer Days that the Land Trust sponsors periodi-cally and just show up with your clippers and gloves and have a lot of fun getting to know your neighbors and clearing up the parks and trails. Volunteerism is a great thing, letOs keep it alive.

We would like to ask you to keep the Land Trust in mind when you are reviewing your wills and trusts be-cause we could use your support for an endowment that would enhance our work in fire fuel reduction, parks and trails on a long term basis. Some special projects come to mind too, like a new bridge in 3-Groves. We are a 501c3 organization meaning your donations are tax deductible.

Before you get back to your new iPhones and iCloud please note we are still interested in people getting involved with our Adopt-A-Trail program. Maverick, [email protected] or myself, Philip Moyer, [email protected] Keep in touch. Thanks for the support!

Fire Safe Homestead… A Most Successful Chipper Day

By Helen Beck

Community response to the HVLT/HVCA sponsored Chipper Day held Sunday, November 6, showed that people around the Valley had been busy clearing vegetation around their homes. Although we had recently had rain, the sun was shining as people brought many truckloads of branches, and some smaller vegetation. It was clear that this was a lot easier than cutting things up to put in their green cans. Although the service wass free, donations were accepted to help defray the cost of Maverick spreading the chips. Most of the chips are used to keep our trails from getting muddy in the winter.

Volunteers Bob Hunn, Luis Ottley, Marin Horizon's new Head of School, Bob Westbrook, Burnett Tregoning, and Helen Beck helped with the unloading and re-corded resident's time spent cleaning up their property. Les Lizama provided the coffee and snacks and organized the parking lot for efficient unloading. Monday when the vegetation was chipped, Jerry Freedman, Burnett Tregoning, Dawn Shalhoup, Jim Derich, Phillip Moyer and Brian Spring assisted the Davey Tree Chipper crew and kept the lot swept up. Les provided much needed backup as al-ways.

As in past years, a grant was received from Fire Safe Marin to help offset some of the chipping costs. Many thanks to everyone for working together to make our Valley fire safe! The next Chipper Day will be in April. It will be announced in the March Homestead Headlines. Until then, keep cutting and call Mill Valley Refuse for pick up.

NOTE: The City of Mill Valley has a video "Creating a Defensible Space around Your Home" as well as links to other preparedness sites. www.cityof millvalley.org/ready.

6

2011 Winter Break Camp Tam at Homestead Valley!

…a Winter day camp in a beautiful setting at the Homestead Valley Community Center

Art, Skits, Games, Sports ,Quizzes, Puzzles, (outdoors if weather permits) and more fun in a small-group atmosphere!

For Children Entering grades K through 5 Four 1-day sessions (each with its own theme)

December 19-22 — Mon-Thurs 9:00AM — 4:00PM

$50.00 per day (Discount! - Three or Four Days —$45.00 Each Day!) Registration forms are available at www.homesteadvalley.org

click on Camp Tam - registration forms at the bottom of the page

(415) 388-0128 www.homesteadvalley.org


Come f

or one

day —

Come f

or the

m all!

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND STAFF OF THE HOMESTEAD VALLEY COMMUNITY ASSOCIA-THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND STAFF OF THE HOMESTEAD VALLEY COMMUNITY ASSOCIA-THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND STAFF OF THE HOMESTEAD VALLEY COMMUNITY ASSOCIA-THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND STAFF OF THE HOMESTEAD VALLEY COMMUNITY ASSOCIA-TION WISH YOU AND YOURS A JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON AND A HAPPY, TION WISH YOU AND YOURS A JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON AND A HAPPY, TION WISH YOU AND YOURS A JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON AND A HAPPY, TION WISH YOU AND YOURS A JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON AND A HAPPY,

HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR. HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR. HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR. HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

Homestead’s Annual Meeting, January 21, 2012

Homestead’s Annual Meeting is planned for Saturday, January 21, 2012. All Homestead resi-dents are welcome and residents over age 18 are eligible to vote. The annual meeting is a wonder-ful time to meet and socialize with neighbors. The appetizer/beverage social begins at 5:00 and the meeting begins at 6:00 which will feature reports from the boards of the Community Asso-ciation, Land Trust, Sanitary District and CSA-14. Awards are traditionally given for neighborhood ser-vice. The annual meeting is a great way to find out what’s going on in Homestead and to ask questions or weigh in on items of concern to you. We’re also going to provide update on the Measure A capital improve-ments to the community center, pool, and grounds. We hope to see you there.

HVCA Board members are elected at the Annual Meeting. The Board meets the first Tuesday of each month to plan events and help our neighborhood. It’s a great, easy way to be involved and make a differ-ence in our community. Please call Board President Devi Brown, 383-0252, for more information.

Homestead Village High Tea & Holiday Arts Bazaar Friday, December 2, 2:00– 5:30 PM

Homestead Valley Community Center

Come join in a social celebration of the holiday season with Homestead Village. All items at the bazaar will be creations from Homestead Valley residents. There will be holiday treats served as you get a start on your holiday gift-giving ideas in true Village fashion. Come one, come all!

7

Homestead Headlines

Homestead Valley Classifieds LOCAL PLUMBER Residential plumbing repairs and small installations. Toilets, faucets, and garbage disposers carried in stock. Many excellent local references. Lic #287544. Stanley Searles, 388-8260. searlesplumbing.com ELVES, FAIRIES, EARTHWORMS, & BUTTERFLIES appreciate my work in the garden. I do maintenance gardening, weeding, and yard clean-up. Tree & shrub pruning. Garden and irrigation system design, installation and repair. Fences, non-toxic pest management, and handyman jobs. Gutters cleaned. Steve 389-0345. MATH TUTOR Retired JPL/NASA/ Boeing engineer, MS in Mathematics. Junior high through college-age. David Hilt, cell 415-342-5030, hm 415-380-8775. 300 Ridge-wood Ave., [email protected] FOUNDATION TO FINISH—Bicknell Construction Licensed Contractor—State Lic. #562860 James Bicknell (415) 461-5822 LOCAL REALTOR® Live in Homestead—Raised in Homestead. Caring. Professional. Kim Strub, Frank Howard Allen Realtors (415) 218-4255 HOUSECLEANING Reliable, hard-working, excellent references and experience, free estimates, reasonably priced, apartments/homes/offices. Alba Rivas 350-3368 DOMINGUEZ PLUMBING New water heater/copper piping, drain cleaning, all remodeling repairs. Installation of toilets, faucets & garbage disposals.. References. Miquel Dominguez (415) 990-2008 Lic. # 895436 PEREZ LANDSCAPING Pruning, Hauling, Tree Service, Retaining Walls & Fences, Irrigation, Garden and Clean-ing Services Free Estimates Arnulfo Perez 271.4412

ADVERTISING RATES: (Per monthly issue)

$50 FOR A DOUBLE BOX AD $25 FOR A LARGE BOX AD $6 FOR A SMALL 3 LINE AD ($1.50 for each additional line)

CALL 388-0137

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Receive the Homestead Headlines notifications via email and view the Headlines

as each issue is posted at www.homesteadvalley.org. Please contact our office and

provide your full name, mailing and email addresses at

[email protected] or call us at (415) 388-0137 and we’ll happily add you to our confidential

email distribution list.

Homesteadvalley.com is an interactive community website where neighbors can add free ads, news and photos. Find current Homestead listings and sales in the Real Estate section. Sponsored by Kat Ryan of Frank Howard Allen Realtors, 271-4994.

20 Years as Homestead

Valley Specialist

JAMES P. NEVIN SR.JAMES P. NEVIN SR.JAMES P. NEVIN SR.JAMES P. NEVIN SR. Attorney At LawAttorney At LawAttorney At LawAttorney At Law

305 Holly St., Mill Valley, CA 94941 305 Holly St., Mill Valley, CA 94941 305 Holly St., Mill Valley, CA 94941 305 Holly St., Mill Valley, CA 94941 415415415415----389389389389----1777• [email protected]• [email protected]• [email protected]• [email protected]

Estate Planning Estate Planning Estate Planning Estate Planning ProbateProbateProbateProbate

Trust AdministrationTrust AdministrationTrust AdministrationTrust Administration

HOMESTEAD HOMESTEAD HOMESTEAD HOMESTEAD RESIDENTRESIDENTRESIDENTRESIDENT Since 1976Since 1976Since 1976Since 1976

Bound editions of Chuck Oldenburg’s History Articles—on sale now, $15.00.

Having a Party? The Homestead Valley Commu-nity Center and Pool are available to rent for parties, events, meet-ings, and more...check rates at

www.homesteadvalley.org or call Les Lizama at (415) 388-0137.

Mendez Carpentry & Painting

Interior/Exterior Carpentry & Painting General Remodel and Kitchen & Bath

Decks/Fences/Retaining Walls References Available/17 Years Experience

Free Estimates

415.637.3018 [email protected]

GRIEVING AS WELL AS POSSIBLE By Mardi Horowitz, MD

Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, UCSF Director: Survivor's Clinic, Langley Portor Institute

(415) 476-7500 or (415) 476- 5010 ________________________________________________ Recently available at Amazon * Kindle * Barnes & Noble

*Mill Valley Depot Bookstore * Corte Madera Book Passage ISBN#9781451508635

8


THIS NEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE HOMESTEAD VALLEY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION 315 Montford Avenue Mill Valley, CA 94941 VOLUME 56 ISSUE 12 December 2011

Editors: Les Lizama and David Ross


The mission of the Homestead Valley Community Association is to enhance community for theThe mission of the Homestead Valley Community Association is to enhance community for theThe mission of the Homestead Valley Community Association is to enhance community for theThe mission of the Homestead Valley Community Association is to enhance community for the Homestead Valley residents through cultural, educational and recreational activities, events and service.Homestead Valley residents through cultural, educational and recreational activities, events and service.Homestead Valley residents through cultural, educational and recreational activities, events and service.Homestead Valley residents through cultural, educational and recreational activities, events and service.

Non-profit Corp. POSTAGE

PAID Mill Valley, CA

94941 Permit #26

Return Service Requested

On the Calendar…

“The Village” Presents High Tea & Holiday Arts In The Afternoon Friday, December 2, 2:00-5:30 PM Homestead Valley Community Center

Winter Holiday Celebration Saturday, December 10, 6:00-8:00 PM Come join us at the Community Center for an evening of holiday fun.

Homestead Valley Community Association Annual Meeting Saturday, January 21, 2012 5:00 PM Appetizer Potluck—6:00 PM Meeting Awards, elections & fine food. All community mem-bers are welcome, those 18 years + may vote.

Next “Homestead Walkabout” Saturday, January 28, 2012, 9:00 AM Get acquainted with Homestead Valley's wonderful hiking trails, get some exercise, and meet some of your Homestead neighbors. Dr. Jerry Freedman will be leading a 1 1/2 to 2 hour leisurely paced walk. Dogs and children are welcome.

Just in Time for Winter...

Marin County Now Offers $600 for Home Energy Assessments!

A $600 rebate is available to Marin homeowners for getting a home energy efficiency assessment with a participating contractor through the Energy Upgrade California program. The rebate covers up to 100% of the cost of the assessment, so this is an excellent opportunity for homeowners to gain a valuable tool that provides comprehensive infor-mation about their homes. And, there is no obliga-tion to go forward with the work that’s recom-mended.

For single family homeowners that choose to go forward, there are also substantial rebates up to $8500 for completing home energy upgrade pro-jects. Now is a good time to upgrade and take ad-vantage of these exceptional rebates to make your home more comfortable, durable and energy effi-cient. For more information, visit www.co.marin.ca.us/energyupgrade, or call (415) 473-4197. Rebates are first come, first served, and funding is limited, so act now!

tues., 12/6 7:30 pm a halloween for everyone by dawn shalhoup€¦ · tues., 12/6 7:30 pm hvlt...

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