The Clayton communitythrew a huge welcome homebash for Fire Station 11 at acelebration Jan. 31, completewith honored dignitaries, scouttroops, a community safety fairand, of course, a barbecue.

Luckily, there were plentyof firefighters on hand todouse any errant flames fromthe barbecue.

The station officiallyreopened Jan. 16, nearly twoyears after budget cuts shut-tered Clayton’s only fire sta-tion. It was one of seven sta-tions closed by the county

after a 2012 bond measure tohelp fund the Contra CostaConsolidated Fire ProtectionDistrict failed. During the pasttwo years, it was staffed part-time by firefighters from Sta-tion 22 in Crystyl Ranch.

Station 11 is the first toreopen after many Clayton res-idents, aided by SupervisorKaren Mitchoff ’s office, lob-bied that the area needed fireprotection services in townand with such close proximityto Mount Diablo. An improv-ing economy and a federalSAFER grant helped fund thereopening.

The grand celebration fea-tured a presentation and post-ing of colors by local GirlScout Troops 33195 and30905, Boy Scout Troop 484and the Firefighters of ContraCosta Honor Guard. Therewere remarks by CongressmanMark DeSaulnier, Mitchoff,CCCFPD Chief Jeff Carmen,International Association ofFirefighters 1230 PresidentVince Wells, as well as byMayor David Shuey and Clay-ton City Councilman Jim Diaz,who both helped lead theefforts to reopen the station.

The afternoon also fea-tured a safety fair with CPRtraining, child fingerprinting,bicycle safety presentations, anopen house, and a ladder artdisplay put together by stu-dents in Mt. Diablo Elemen-tary School teacher AlexandraPike’s second grade class.

Fire Station 11 is staffedwith three full-time firefighters— a captain, a fire engineerand a firefighter. It is a full-time ALS (advanced life sup-port) station with one memberbeing a paramedic. It is alsoequipped with a wild land

response unit for fires up onMount Diablo.

Jennifer Jay contributed to this article.

For the first time ever, a cor-ner of Mt. Diablo State Park willbe closed to the public for sixmonths so that peregrine falconscan nest in peace in the region.

Pine Canyon, which includesthe area known as “Castle Rock,”closed on Feb. 1 and will remainoff-limits until July 31 so that theterritorial and highly sensitive rap-tors, a “highly protected species,”will not be disturbed during theirimportant nesting season.

The main access to CastleRock is through Foothill RegionalPark, which prompted East BayRegional Parks to work with theState Parks system to bring aboutthe closure.

The peregrine falcons are not

History truly came alive lastSunday as The Clayton HistoricalSociety honored 10 local WorldWar II veterans at the 38th Annu-al Camellia Tea held at the Clay-ton Museum.

Attendees shared stories, rec-ollections and historic photo-graphs at the annual event.

Among the honored guestswas Rod Plaisted who was ayoung Photographer’s Mate Sec-ond Class in the U.S. Navy whenJoe Rosenthal took his famousphotograph of “Raising the Flagon Iwo Jima.” Plaisted processedthat photo and six others taken insequence.

“We knew right away it was anhistoric picture,” said Plaisted,who had one of the originalprints with him at the tea.

Although he was clearly partof that history making photo, henever met Rosenthal. In fact, heavoided him, fearing Rosenthalwould question him about thewar.

See Mayor, page 4

See Falcons, page 3

IT’S YOUR PAPER

www.claytonpioneer.com February 13, 2015 925.672.0500

JOHN T. MILLER

Correspondent

TAMARA STEINER

Clayton Pioneer

Busy season withGrove upgrades, newplanning commissioner

See Camellia Tea, page 3

DAVE SHUEY

MAYOR’S CORNER

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Photo Tamara Steiner

WWII VETERANS WERE THE HONORED GUESTS at the Clayton Historical Society’s Annual Camellia Tea last Sunday. From left:Martin Easton, U.S. Navy Flight Officer Trainee; Jauire Welsh, Navy Yoeman 2nd Class; Rob Plaisted U.S. Navy PhotographersMate, 2nd Class,; Bob Hoyer, U.S. Army Infantry Engineer; Warren Miller, U.S. Navy, Electrician Mate, 3rd Class.

You might think that withthe weather we are getting thelast couple of years that wedon’t have seasons anymore,but that is far from the truth.Why, as we speak, Coun-cilmember Howard Geller isworking hard to line up yetanother great spring and sum-mer season of Music in thePark. That is right, before youknow it, it will be May and wewill be hearing music down-town.

In that same vein, our citymaintenance staff is doing itsown gearing up. Signs are up toinform you of the closure ofThe Grove park playgroundfor replacement of theresilient play surface. We get somuch use for this playgroundthat it is just darn worn outand needs replacement. Workis scheduled to start on Mon-day, Feb. 9 with removal of thefloor panels on the play equip-ment and tear-out of the oldsurface. We are going to workas fast as possible, but the clo-sure of the playground mightlast through Friday, Feb. 27depending on the weather con-ditions, and frankly I think we

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Vets honored at Camellia Tea

pixshark.com

EVEN AFTER GIVING BIRTH TO THEIR YOUNG, called eyasses, theperegrine falcon is easily frightened. The parents can bescared off from the nest and may never return.

Jennifer Jay

THANKS TO A RECOVERING ECONOMY and an infusion ofmoney from a federal SAFER grant, the flag once againflies over Clayton’s Station 11, closed for two years forlack of money. The community turned out in force to cel-ebrate with a bang-up barbeque party on January 31.

Mt. Diablo closes park area where peregrine falcons nest

Station 11 reopens with grand celebration

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Town bids affectionate farewell to postal peepsDon Decoy retired from the

United States Postal Service inJanuary after 30 years of dedica-tion. He was a letter carrier inAntioch for a few monthsbefore spending the remainderof his career on the same route

in Clayton. Decoy says he hasfond memories of serving threegenerations of families andhelping Santa answer letters dur-ing the holidays. He plans tospend time with his wife, chil-dren and grandchildren andtravel. Judy Corbett, Claytonpostmaster, says, “The ClaytonPost Office won’t be the samewithout Don’s dedication,dependability, hard work, atten-tion to detail and sense ofhumor.”

Edwin Macasero retired onthe same day as Decoy.Macasero started in 2008 as acustodian at the Clayton PostOffice. Macasero is well knownfor his feathered hat, decoratedby feathers from customers whooften took his picture wearingthe treasures. Macasero looksforward to spending time withhis daughter and two sons, one

of whom lives in the Philip-pines. Corbett says, “Edwin wasan uplifting, good-natured, loyaland dependable part of ourpostal family.” She and her staffwish both men a healthy, happyretirement.

EDWIN MACASERO

DON DECOY

Clayton students honored by mayor for ‘Kindness’Seven extraordinary kids were

recognized by the Clayton CityCouncil at the January 20 meetingfor showing exceptional kindnessas part of the community-wideDo The Right Thing initiative.The students received kudos fromtheir teachers and were presentedwith a certificate by Mayor DaveShuey.

Mt. Diablo Elementarykindergartners Stella Thomas andBrett Simpkins were nominatedfor the honor by teacher Mrs.Coverdale.

“These students show kind-ness everyday in their words anddeeds,” she said.

“Brett shows compassion tothose who are hurting and alwayssays kind words about his sib-lings.”

She described Stella as “sweet-natured” and noted that all of theteachers “know her by name.”

From Diablo View MiddleSchool, 8th-graders Skye Avenand Brendan O’Reilly were nomi-nated by their teacher Mrs. Ploetz,who has both students in thesame class.

“Skye has never said anunkind word,” said Mrs. Ploetz,noting that middle school can bea difficult time and Skye “goesout of her way to make people

feel comfortable,”This was Brenden’s second

time on the podium. He was rec-ognized as a 5th grader for show-ing great courage.

Clayton Valley Charter HighSchool Dean of Students GregFister nominated Elisse Martinez,Roxana Benavidez and DestinySudo for their exceptional quali-ties of kindness and compassion.Elisse is a regular volunteer atWindsor Manor Rehab Centerand headed up a special sock drivefor the homeless.

Roxanna also volunteers atWindsor Manor and helpsother students in the school’s

multi-cultural club.Destiny is the first in the

group to have gone through ele-mentary and middle school in theDTRT program. Fister describesher as always respectful and a“cheerleader for her friends.”

The DTRT program beganin 2010 and was quicklyembraced by the city, the policedepartment and the schools as away to encourage character-building. The program empha-sizes six character traits –Courage, Kindness, Responsi-bility, Self-discipline, Respectand Integrity which rotatethroughout the year.

Shown with Mayor Dave Shuey are the seven students recog-nized for Kindness by the city council: Back: Skye Aven,Brendan O’Reilly from DVMS; Destiny Sudo, Roxana Benavidezand Elisse Martinez from CVCHS; Front: Stella Tomlinson andBrett Simpkins.

Oakhurst Princess partyfirst of new events planned

Photo Credit Spectrum Photography

Over 70 of the area’s littlest royals joined their favorite DisneyIce Princesses at the Oakhurst Country Club’s first CharacterBreakfast in January. The pint-sized princes and princessesattended with their parents for stories, singing and crafts. Thenext event will be a Jedi themed breakfast on March 15. Forinformation, call the Oakhurst events director at (925) 672-9737, ext 217.

Dancing Duoshines at

Country Dancecompetition

Clayton dancers Joan Lun-dahl and husband Craig Johnsontwo-stepped their way intoanother new year at the 2015Worlds Country Dance WorldChampionships in Florida lastmonth. The couple won firstplace in Showcase Crown SoloMedley.

February 13, 2015 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 3

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just important to our modern-dayecology. In antiquity, the falconrepresented the rising sun in Egypt.Egyptian gods, including RA, wereoften depicted with the head orbody of the falcon. The bird isknown to symbolize visionarypower, wisdom and guardianship.

The peregrine falcons havebeen nesting in the Castle Rockarea since the late 1800s, but by the1950s they were nowhere to befound and were listed as an endan-gered species. According to investi-gations by scientists, the pesticideknown as DDT nearly wiped outthe falcon population by affecting

the calcium in their eggs.In 1990, however, Save Mount

Diablo, the park district and theUniversity of California were ableto reintroduce the species by slip-ping some captive peregrine falconeggs into a prairie falcon nest onMt. Diablo. Their numbers haverebounded and they are now listedas a “highly protected species.”

Michael Marchiano, a volunteerwith the Mt. Diablo InterpretiveAssociation and an enthusiasticnaturalist and bird watching tourguide, is ecstatic over the closure.

“It’s not just the falcons thatwill benefit,” says Marchiano.

“Many other birds use the area tonest, including golden eagles, redtail hawks and red shoulder hawksin the high trees, cooper’s hawks,kestrels, barn owls, prairie falcons,swifts, cliff swallows, barn swal-lows and many other songbirdsnest in cavity spaces in the rocks.”

In the last five years, vandal-ism, spray paint, beer cans, brokenglass and garbage has increasedexponentially in the Castle Rockarea, Marchiano says. “Rockclimbers often crawl into the cavi-ties where the nests are, scaring offthe parents who may never return.Places like Sentinel Rock and RockCity provide much better rockclimbing opportunities on themountain.”

According to a National Geo-

graphic article, falcons can migrateup to 15,000 miles in a year — thename peregrine means wanderer— and some nesting sites havebeen used for hundreds of years bysuccessive generations of falcons.They are known as the fastest bird,reaching up to 200 miles an hourwhile diving for prey.

Often, part of the elaboratemating ritual is for the male toshow the nesting site to the female,who may base her decision on itsdesirability. Falcons mate for lifeand can live up to 17 years in thewild.

Signs and educational materialswill be placed in the area to adviseand inform users about the closure,said district officials. Violators willbe subject to fines.

Falcons, from page 1

Map courtesy Mt. Diablo State Park

THE CASTLE ROCK AREA IN MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK will be closedto visitors from Feb. 1 to July 31 to help protect the peregrinefalcons during their nesting season.

The second season of the newlyformed Clayton Bocce Federationwrapped up on Jan. 25 with last sea-son’s second place team from Ed’sMudville rolling to a first place finish.

The new league has been so suc-

cessful that the federation has maderoom for an additional 60 teams in2015. Sign-ups for the 2015 seasonswill be Sat. March 7 at 11 a.m. atSkipolini’s Pizza on Main Street.

Tentative dates for the spring sea-

son are March 29-July 12. For thesummer season, projected dates areJuly 19 – Oct. 25. Days of play will beSundays at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., Mon-day through Thursday at 6:30 p.m.,and Friday at 7 p.m. There will be atotal of 70 teams for each season; 140teams total.

The teams that played in the2014 summer league will be giventhe opportunity to renew for the

2015 season.A bocce team is at least six per-

sons and no more than 10. Thosesigning up as individuals and not partof a team will be placed on teams ona space available basis.

The March 7 sign-up day will bethe only day for public sign-ups forthe 2015 season. Complete

Information and forms are available atwww.claytoncbca.org.

Fall bocce season rolls to an end

FIRST PLACE: ED’S MUDVILLE GRILLFront: Aldo Ricetti, Julie Ghelfi, Carol Ricetti-Nolen, Linda Mullen; Back:Sam Savage, Mike Ghelfi, Larry Mullen, Ricky Nolen

SECOND PLACE: TEAM DEBOCCERY

Front: Shanan Tullis, KristaRunnings, Teena Hahn, Tim Tullis;Back: Cory Runnings, JenniferGiantvalley, Eric Giantvalley, Don Abitz

THIRD PLACE: BOCC-SLAP! Front: JillGrover, Kerry Baker, VickyGauthier; Back: Ben Grover, AaronBaker, Jim Gauthier

Photos: Tamara Steiner/Clayton Pioneer

“I was just 18. I knew nothing,” Plaistedrecalls. “We came ashore just 20 days after theMarines landed and I was afraid he would startasking me questions I couldn’t answer.”

Every year, the Historical Society chooses asmall group to honor. Pouring honors have fre-quently gone to members of Clayton’s pioneer-ing families or leaders. This year, the Veteranswere chosen as a prelude to the large WWIIexhibit that will open in May to honor VE Day.

“The veterans were all very excited to beremembered,” said CHS president JoAnn Cas-par. “It just seemed right.”

The Clayton Museum, the original home ofJoel Clayton, was decked out with an ornate sil-ver tea and coffee service presiding over a tableof picturesque goodies baked by CHS membersand bowls of the event’s signature camellias inshades of pink, white and red.

Also honored at the tea was a small contin-gent from Diamond Terrace that includedLucille Brown, Marie Sutton and Lloyd Huddle-ston. Sutton was part of the first class of NavyWAVES stationed in New York.

Others veterans honored at the tea includedClayton Johnson, Angelo Blasquez, JauireWelsh, Wil Wilcox, Dewey Dobson, Bob Hoyerand Martin Easton.

The Clayton Museum, 6101 Main St., Clayton, isopen Wednesdays and Sundays, 2-4 p.m. and by appoint-ment. For more info, go to www.claytonhistory.org.

Camellia Tea from pg 1

The Clayton HistoricalSociety is making sure that itsresidents not only know thelore and history of the pio-neering city, but that they canexperience it as they go abouttheir everyday lives.

The CHS is launching afundraising campaign to addtwo new historical markers tothose already dotting impor-tant locations in the city. Thetwo new ones will be added atThe Grove and over the pedes-trian bridge near Keller Ranch,by the Clayton Library.

The effort is being spear-headed by Dick Ellis and Bob

Hoyer, two self-proclaimed“old timers” and past presi-dents of the CHS.

“We want people — resi-dents and visitors alike — tonot only learn about Claytonthrough our great museum,but to see what locations heldappeal to earlier residents,”Ellis said.

The Grove for instance,was a community meeting spotfor local kids, who would“park their horses” beforegrabbing a bit of candy at alocal store. It was also used forgo-cart races, and the infa-mous “greased pole” andgreased pig chasing conteststhat enlivened early Fourth ofJuly celebrations.

The new monuments willjoin several others that havebeen installed, on stone withattractive brass plaques,throughout the city, includingat Mt. Diablo ElementarySchool, location of the town’sfirst two-room school house. Itwas installed in 1995. A plaquewas installed at Endeavor Hallin 2000. The one at the PostOffice commemorates all thepost office locations in townthroughout the years, wasinstalled in 2001. The ClaytonMuseum, former home of JoelClayton, had a marker installedin 2002. Also in 2002, a markerwas installed at the ClaytonClub. There is also one atMoresi’s Chophouse, installed

in 2003, and at the old Di Mar-tini Winery, now the city ofClayton offices, in 2004. Thelast one was installed nine yearsago at the trailhead on BlackDiamond Way.

The location of the plaqueat the Keller Ranch property isstill being worked on with thecity council, Ellis said.

The CHS is asking for $25donations for the new plaques,“which, if 100 people give, willgive us enough to install theplaques,” Ellis said. He said hehopes to be able to dedicatethe new plaque at the Grovebefore a summer concert byAugust of this year.

“We need the money upfront, as early as May, so thatwe can get the inscriptions andcastings made,” Ellis said.They are starting theirfundraising efforts not only byword-of-mouth and at theClayton City Council meetings,but with a letter writing cam-

paign that should go out with-in two weeks to museum mem-bers, donors, visitors and otherinterested parties, Ellis said.

“There’s a lot of historyhere, and we want to makesure people can really enjoy it,”he said.

would all be ok with a delaycaused by rain. Next up is theWater Play Feature upgradeproject, which is still projectedto start the week of Feb. 23, sowatch out for construction andbe happy that by summer wewill be back in full force withupgraded features downtown.

This last week the citycouncil appointed citizen PeterHellman to the vacated posi-tion on the Planning Commis-sion that resulted from KeithHaydon being elected to thecouncil. As far as I can tell, theonly disappointing thing aboutPeter is that he went to UC

Berkeley instead of Stanford,but given his 37 years in realestate development, his lovefor and desire to give back tothe community and his impec-cable credentials, I am willingto cut him some slack and sayWelcome, Peter!

The only downside of oursearch for a new commissionerwas the fact that we had topick one out of six awesomecandidates. If any of thesecandidates had applied andbeen the only one we wouldhave happily appointed them,but Peter shown brightest andwe are lucky to have him.

The Council would like tothank candidates Marc Ventu-ra, Eric Rehn, Scott DeVenney,Bruce Albert and Peter Clovenfor stepping up and puttingtheir hats in the ring. Look fortheir names in the future asthey have a lot to give to thiscommunity.

In closing, a wise man orwiser woman once said, “Ifyou do good, people willaccuse you of selfish ulteriormotives. Do good anyway.”On the lighter side, “Statisticsshow that the people who havethe most birthdays live thelongest.” Think about it….

Send email to the mayor atdshuey@ci.clayton.ca.us.

Page 4 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com February 13, 2015

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Please email questions to eventdirector@oakhurstcc.com

Mayor, from page 1

X Marks the Spot for Clayton historical sitesPEGGY SPEAR

Clayton Pioneer

HISTORICAL MARKERS, like this one at the Clayton Post Office,will soon be appearing at more spots in town as the ClaytonHistorical Society ramps up a fundraising effort to add theplaques at The Grove and the Keller House by summer.

A Celebration of Life washeld on Feb. 2 at Ouimet Funer-al Chapel in Concord for SteveHobbs, Sr., 53, who died unex-pectedly on January 13 in Clay-ton.

He was born on March 26,1961, in Salem, New Jersey toSue (Glover) Hobbs ofPennsville, NJ and DavidHobbs of Felton, DE.

Hobbs was a self-employedgeneral contractor with HobbsHome Improvement. His pas-sions were taking his kids onroad trips; they traveled toalmost every state in the UnitedStates over the years. He alsoloved to take his family on cruis-es. His favorite was watching thesunsets from Carmel, StinsonBeach and Gualala. He alsoenjoyed his time spent on theirhouseboat “Bada Bing” on LakeOroville.

His latest passion was hisnew Harley Davidson that hebought to ride with his son.

Steve could always be seenwatching the 49ers and going toSan Francisco Giants games andmaking improvements to theirhome.

Steve is survived by his wifeEileen Payne-Hobbs; his chil-dren Brittany and Stevie Hobbs,Heather (Ryan), and TommyPayne; father David Hobbs andmother Sue Hobbs; brothersDave (Dana) and RichardHobbs and many nieces andnephews.

Self-DisciplineDo the Right Thing

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

Dining and Entertainment

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

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Directory of Advertisers

P.O. Box 1246

6200 Center Street, Suite H, Clayton, CA 94517

TAMARA AND ROBERT STEINER, PublishersTAMARA STEINER, EditorPETE CRUZ, Graphic DesignPEGGY SPEAR, Copy Editor JAY BEDECARRÉ, Sports PAMELA WIESENDANGER, Administration, Calendar Editor

STAFF WRITERS: Peggy Spear, Pam Wiesendanger, John Jackson, Jay BedecarreWe remember Jill Bedecarré - Her spirit is our muse

PIONEER INFOCONTACT USTel: (925) 672-0500Fax: (925) 672-6580

Tamara Steinertamara@claytonpioneer.com

Send ads toads@claytonpioneer.comSend Sports News to

sports@claytonpioneer.comSend Club News to

clubnews@claytonpioneer.comSend School News to

schoolnews@claytonpioneer.com

CLASSIFIEDSClassified rates per insertion:$48 for first 30 words, 40 cents

each additional word Non-profit: $24 for first 30

words, 20 cents each additional word To place your classified ad over thephone, call the office at (925) 672-0500between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.All classifieds must be paid for inadvance by credit card (Master Card orVisa) We will not accept any ad thatdiscriminates on the basis of race,color, sex, religion, nationality, familystatus or disability. The Clayton Pio-neer reserves the right to reject anyadvertising we believe is unsuitable.

LET US KNOW Weddings, engagements, anniver-

saries, births and deaths all weavetogether as part of the fabric of ourcommunity. Please let us know of theseimportant events. We ask only that theannouncement be for a resident in ourhome delivery area. Submit on ourwebsite and be sure to attach a JPGphoto that is at least 3 MB but not big-ger than 6MB. You can also mail orbring your print to the office and wecan scan it for you.

Also on the website are forms for

calendar items, events & press releases.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORBoth Pioneer newspapers wel-

come letters from our readers. As ageneral rule, letters should be 250words or less and submitted at leastone week prior to publication date. Let-ters concerning current issues will havepriority. We may edit letters for lengthand clarity. All letters will be publishedat the editor’s discretion. Please includename, address and daytime telephonenumber. We will not print anonymousletters. E-mail your letter totamara@claytonpioneer.com.

Letters must be submitted via E-mail.

CIRCULATION as of Sept. 2014Total circulation of the Clayton

Pioneer is 5,500 to ZIP code 94517, alldelivered by US Mail to homes, busi-nesses and post office boxes. We can-not start or stop delivery to individ-ual addresses. This must be donedirectly through the Post Office

The Concord Pioneer is deliveredmonthly to 28,000 in Concord by carri-er. Papers are delivered once a monthon a Friday morning near the end ofthe month. To stop delivery for anyreason, call the office at (925) 672-0500or emailcirculation@claytonpioneer.com.

If you are NOT receiving the Pio-neer, please check the distribution mapon the website. If you live in the shad-ed area and are not receiving the paper,please call us or send an email to circu-lation@claytonpioneer.com. If you arenot in the shaded area, please bepatient. We will come to your neigh-borhood soon.

SUBSCRIPTIONSTo subscribe, call the office at

(925) 672-0500. Subscriptions are$35/year for each paper, $60/year forboth.

February 13, 2015 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 5

Obituaries

Evan Kirkwood ReynoldsFebruary 25, 1931 - January 23, 2015

Marian K. HaserotApril 30, 1943 – December 15, 2014

Obituaries

Rev. Otto W. Henn1913 – 2014

Steve T. Hobbs, Sr.March 26, 1961-January 13, 2015

Friends and family gatheredon Jan. 24 for a Celebration ofLife for Marian Knopp Haserot,71, of Clayton, who passedaway Dec. 15 following alengthy illness. Interment wasprivate in Sacramento ValleyNational Cemetery.

Haserot was born in LasAngeles on April 30, 1943, toRobert G. Knopp, Sr. and Mari-an (Youtes) Knopp, living inGlendale, Altadena, Arcadia andGlendora, Calif., prior to mov-ing to Northern California in1984 and settling in Clayton. Shewas married to her husband,Roger, for 47 years.

A graduate of Arcadia High

School, Marian attended SanDiego State University majoringin Art History, and transferredto the California College of theArts in Oakland.

Her work history includedserving as a Head Start teacherin Pasadena, an elementary sub-stitute teacher, school librarian,floral designer, and caregiver forEldercare Services of WalnutCreek. Her most fulfilling workcentered on raising her family.

A member of Clayton Com-munity Church, Marian partici-pated in WOW (Women of theWord), and also provided floraltable decorations. She was also amember of a small group Biblestudy that met weekly for morethan 10 years.

Marian is survived by herhusband Roger Haserot; daugh-ter Elizabeth Gnile (Wesley) andgranddaughters Shannon andKatelyn; daughter Melissa andgrandchildren Tristan Sears andSidney Duran; and son BrianHaserot (Sara) and grandsonsJack and Noah; a sister andbrother and 14 nieces andnephews.

The Rev. Otto W. Henn,Clayton Valley PresbyterianChurch pastor in 1968-78, diedDec. 28 near Seattle. He was101.

Henn was born in Heidel-berg, Germany, and attendedthe University of Heidelberg’sSchool of Theology. Hebecame engaged to HertaWerner, whom he’d starteddating in 1928. They marriedin 1938.

Under then-existing law,their marriage was illegal, sothey immigrated to the U.S.After settling with Herta’s sis-ter in Denver, Henn worked asa busboy at the Brown PalaceHotel. He received a scholar-ship to Yankton Seminary inSouth Dakota from the RussoGerman Conference. He grad-uated in 1939 with Bachelor ofArts and Theology degrees.Henn served German Con-gregational Churches inNebraska, and then spent ayear as a Ford V8 motor

assembler. He and Hertabecame members of the Unit-ed Presbyterian Church, USA.

Henn returned to ministryat Nebraska Presbyterianchurches. In 1945, the Hennsbecame naturalized citizens.He then served churches inWyoming, Montana, Daly Cityand San Francisco. He waspastor emeritus of the ClaytonValley church until his death.He preached his last sermon in2010.

In addition to preaching,teaching and theology, Hennwas an ardent photographer,auto mechanic, carpenter,plumber and electrician. Hewas respected by his innumer-able parishioners and fellowpastors, who also became hisfriends as he ministered to andcounseled them.

He’s survived by sons,Werner (Carol) of Issaquah,Wash., and Ralph of Min-neapolis; four grandchildrenand six great-grandchildren.Herta died in 2010 on their72nd wedding anniversary.

Interment will be at Belle-vue, Wash. PresbyterianChurch. A Celebration of hisLife is planned later. Memori-als may be made to the Rev.Otto W. Henn Memorial Fund,Clayton Valley PresbyterianChurch, 1578 Kirker PassRoad, Clayton 94517, or toProvidence Hospice, 425 Pon-tius Ave. No. #300, Seattle,WA, 98109.

Clayton resident EvanReynolds passed last monthafter a long illness with familysurrounding him.

The Salem, Oregon nativewas the only child of GeorgeWright Reynolds and LoisLapham Reynolds. He attendedthe University of Utah and Uni-versity of Southern California,where he got his Bachelor ofScience degree. Evan servedfour years in the United StatesAir Force during the KoreanWar and had a 33-year careerwith Chevron.

The family moved 14 timesin his positions with Chevronbefore settling in Dana Hillsduring the summer of 1985. Heenjoyed retired life in Claytonfishing, playing golf and travel-ing with wife Joan. His hobbiesincluded woodworking and his-tory and he was a car andmotorcycle enthusiast.

He is survived by his belovedwife of 61 years, Joan HansenReynolds. They met in highschool when Evan was 18 and

Joan 16. After knowing eachother for two weeks Evan askedJoan if she would marry him.About five years later they did!They have a son GeorgeReynolds MD (JoAnne) anddaughter Lisa Keerd (Mati). Heis also survived by grandchil-dren Matt, Kevin, Alex, Sarah,Shanley and Erin.

He was laid to rest at theSacramento Valley NationalCemetery in Dixon. As anexpression of sympathy, memo-rial contributions can be sent inhis name to the American Dia-betes Association atdiabetes.org.

GRAND JURY SEEKS

2015-16 APPLICATIONS

The Contra Costa SuperiorsCourt is accepting applicationsfor Civil Grand Jury service forthe 2015-2016 term.

The Civil Grand Jury is madeup of 19 mmbers who serve forone year, July through June, tomonitor, review and report oncity and county governments,special districts and school dis-tricts.

Every effort is made toensure that the Grand Juryreflects the makeup of the resi-dents of the county. Approxi-mately 75 candidates will beselected to be interviewed by theselection committee, which ismade up of Superior Courtjudges. After interviews, thejudges will nominate approxi-mately 30 candidates to form aGrand Jury pool from which thefinal panel of 19 will be chosenby random drawing. The drawingis scheduled to be held on Friday,June 12, 2015, with members ofthe new Gtand Jury officiallybeing sworn in on the same day.

For more information call925-957-5638.

GARDENS TOUR

The Clayton Historical Soci-ety’s 23rd Annual Clayton Gar-dens Tour is April 25 and 26from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This selfguided tour features gardens andlandscapes of five homes locatedin Clayton and Concord. Ticketsare on sale now at R & M Pool,Patio and Gardens or throughthe historical society. $30; rain orshine. All proceeds benefit theClayton Historical Society. Formore information, email muse-um@claytonhistory.org or call(925) 672-0240.

VOLUNTEER FOR

LITERACY COUNCIL

Volunteer to help adults read,write and speak English wellenough to function in society.

English need not be your firstlanguage. No teaching experiencerequired. Learn to be a tutor atworkshops Feb. 28 and March 7from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at theGood Shepherd LutheranChurch, 4000 Clayton Road,Concord. Volunteers must attendboth sessions and will be given anominal fee to cover training andmaterial costs. Volunteers giveone or two hours per week. Formore information, go to dvlc.tri-pod.com. To register, call (925)685-3881 or emaildvlc4esl@gmail.com.

SUMMER JOBS IN THE

REGIONAL PARKS

It is not too early to beginthinking about spring or summeremployment in the East BayRegional Park District. The dis-trict has about 370 seasonal full-time and part-time paid jobsavailable, ideal for students. Posi-tions include lifeguards, recre-ation leaders, park workers andinterpretive student aides. Spring

and summeremploymentoffers valuableexperience inskills such as

communicating with the public,managing time and setting priori-ties while making money for acollege education. For moreinformation, go towww.ebparks.org/jobs or call thepark district’s Human ResourcesDepartment at (888) 327-2757,ext. 2154.

Creekside Arts 2015The Clayton Community

Library Foundation is seekingartists, musicians, authors, poets,storytellers, environmentalgroups for its 12th annual Creek-side Arts Celebration March 27-29, as the library celebrates its20th anniversary. Join the libraryat this fundraising benefit andcreatively explore the arts, cultureand nature while supportingenvironmental education pro-grams in the library’s certifiedcreekside wildlife habitat. Art

sales and interactive entertain-ment are planned for all ages,including workshops in visualand performing arts, cultural per-formances, storytelling and poet-ry. Authors, illustrators, musiciansand environmental educationgroups attend. Guided nature,culture and art tours are sched-uled throughout Clayton. Artentries are juried by a notedpanel from local art businesses,gallery museums, writer’s clubs,and the Arts and Culture Com-mission of Contra Costa County.Awards, including a People’sChoice Award, are given.

The event is held throughoutthe inside of the library, Com-munity Room, adjoining outdoorcourtyard and interpretive area inthe certified wildlife habitat.

Entry forms available at theClayton Library or go to clayton-library.org. Fee for entries; dead-line is March 13. For more infor-mation, contact Arlene Kikkawa-Nielsen, event director, at 673-9777 or akiksen@aol.com.Admission is free.

MOUNT DIABLO ALTERNATIVE

EDUCATION FOUNDATION

FUNDRAISING EVENT ON

MARCH 1Take “A Stroll through New

Orleans” without leaving theEast Bay. The Mount DiabloAlternative Education Founda-tion invites the public to theirannual fundraiser from 2 to 4p.m. on Sunday, March 1, at theGardens at Heather Farm inWalnut Creek. This event raisesfunds for high school students inalternative programs in the Mt.Diablo Unified School District.

Clarinet Fusion will performa full range of harmony usingseven types of instruments rang-ing from the smallest piccoloclarinet on up. The Mount Dia-blo Alternative Education Foun-dation began in 2006 by a smallgroup of volunteers with experi-ence in alternative education.The foundation’s vision is “toexpand and strengthen the net-work of academic and social

support that empowers alterna-tive students as they becomeproductive, successful membersof our community.” The organi-zation has given out nearly$100,000 in scholarships to grad-uating seniors, in mini grants forteacher projects and in responseto particular school needs.

Heather Farm is at 1540 March-banks Drive, Walnut Creek. Ticketsare $25 or $20 for seniors and $10 forstudents when purchased in advance atwww.brownpapertickets.com. For moreinformation about the organization, goto mdaef.org.

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Page 6 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com February 13, 2015

After experiencing a wetmonth of December, it wouldhave been nice to report about arainy January in the Clayton area.However, no measureable precip-itation fell the entire month, andthe only moisture we observedwere the clouds overhead. So, let’stake a break from discussing rain,or lack of it, and talk aboutclouds.

Clouds are generally classifiedaccording to their height aboveground and appearance, or tex-ture, as observed from theground. An English scientist fromthe early 19th century, RobertHoward, is credited with creatingthe Latin-based cloud names weuse today.

Most cloud names are derivedfrom the following Latin roots.“Cirro” means “curl of hair,”“strato” means layered, “cumulo”means heaping, “alto” meansmid-level, and “nimbo” meansrain.

High-level cirrus clouds occurabove about 20,000 feet. Made ofice crystals, cirrus clouds have awispy or feathery appearance.When these clouds have a morewidespread veil-like appearancethey are designated as cirrostratus.

A third type of high cloud isreferred to as cirrocumulus.These clouds display some formof lumpiness due to verticalmotions in the upper tropo-sphere.

Clouds in the middle level ofthe troposphere, between 6,500and 20,000 feet, employ the prefix“alto.” Depending on altitude,and the vertical temperaturestructure of the troposphere,these clouds may be composed ofliquid water droplets, ice crystals,or a combination of the two. Thetwo main types of mid-levelclouds are altostratus and altocu-mulus.

Altostratus clouds possess aflat and uniform type texture.Altocumulus clouds exhibit verti-cal development (heap-like) char-acteristics. They may align inrows, where cloudiness resultsfrom localized areas of upwardmoving moist air, and clear zonesin areas of descending dry air.

Low clouds have bases below6,500 feet. They normally consistof liquid water droplets, exceptduring cold winter storms whenthe clouds are comprised of icecrystals and/or snow.

The two main types of lowclouds include stratus, whichdevelop horizontally, and cumu-lus, which develop vertically. Stra-tus clouds are uniform and flat.Appearing off-white to light gray,these layered of clouds occasion-ally produce periods of light pre-cipitation or drizzle. A stratuslayer located at the surface of theearth is more commonly know asfog.

Nimbostratus clouds, thickand dense low-level stratusclouds, are dark grey in color.Often accompanying passingweather fronts, they can produceepisodes of steady rain or snow.

There are several types oflow-level cumulus clouds. Stra-tocumulus clouds are cauliflowershaped with flat bases surroundedby pockets of clear dry air. Thesegenerally rain-free clouds appearfrequently in the atmosphere,often before or after a cold frontthat moves through the area.

A low-level based cumuluscloud that exhibits significant ver-tical development is called cumu-lus congestus, or towering cumu-lus. When fully developed, theseclouds become cumulonimbusclouds, capable of producingheavy rainfall, lightning, thunderand hail. They are most oftenspotted during summer seasonstorms that roll through centraland eastern portions of the U.S.

Identifying cloud typesbecomes easier with knowledgeof a few Latin word roots and arough estimate of the height ofthe cloud base. If we are lucky,during the remainder of this rainseason we’ll observe the nimbo-stratus clouds that were absentfrom our skies in January.

Latin roots help explain cloudy wordsffoorreessiigghhttooppttoommeettrryy..ccoommDr. Jeanette Hochstatter

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WEATHER WORDS

Letter tothe EditorCoyotes on the prowl;secure all trash cans

Last Saturday, my very pre-cious kitty was killed on theOakhurst Golf course at 1 p.m.in the afternoon by a coyote.There were people out walkingdogs and golfers on the course.

The police departmentadvised me that there have beena number of daytime sightings.

Of course I am devastated.I have always been so careful toget my animals in at dusk, andnot to let them out until latemorning.

I am concerned because Isee garbage cans from localbusiness that are not securedand are no doubt an invitationfor a hungry animal.

I spoke with the staff atLindsey Wildlife and they saidthat securing garbage cans is amust. Any food source left outis an invitation for trouble.

I would so appreciate it ifyou could alert the communityto this problem

Tina SimonsClayton Resident

Our bodies are con-stantly bombardedwith environmental

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When we are born, over 80percent of our body is madeup of water. When we die, itdrops to about 50 percent.

At any given time our brain

and heart are composed of75 to 80 percent water. Thereis no question about ourbody’s need for hydration.

Ionized alkaline water hasthe unique ability to providesuper hydration when itbecomes micro-clusteredthrough its ionization process.This makes water “wetter,”allowing our bodies to absorb60-80 percent more whichcan flush toxins from bodyalmost immediately.

Ionized alkaline water hasthe power to begin hydratingthe brain in 60 seconds — itactually crosses the bloodbrain barrier. And it can reach

every part of the skin within10 minutes.

An alkaline rich environ-ment may help prevent someof the most common, chronicand deadly diseases by seek-ing out free radicals and con-verting them into oxygen,which the body then uses forincreased energy productionand tissue oxygenation.

This water technology hasbeen used in the healthiestcountry in the world — Japan— for more than 40 years. Infact, one in five householdsown an ionizer. Ionized waterhas been used in Japanesehospitals for decades.

According to the WorldHealth Organization lifeexpectancy report, Japan is#1 in life expectancy. TheUnited States is #38.

By Elon Rosenthal, TapInto Health Water Store

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A rriving at your farm-ers’ market is the SirPrize avocado, a new

and distinct variety of avoca-do characterized by fruit simi-lar to the Hass industry stan-dard but earlier-maturingand more productive.Country Rhodes Farm and afew other farmers will havethem available now throughthe next few months.

The new variety, due to itsMexican genes, is more suit-able than Hass in coldergrowing areas such as North-ern California. Its season ofmaturity averages six-to-eightweeks earlier than Hass in anyone location and the overallfruit size is larger, makingearly-season maturity moreimportant.

It has a thinner skin thanthe familiar Haas, a smallerseed, and a larger overallsize. The flavor is more“green” and fruity than theHaas, less buttery, but deli-cious. The Sir Prize avocadoalso has one important char-acteristic for cooks—it doesn’tturn brown after cutting itopen. No more brown gua-camole!

The avocado in general is

one of the “good fats” that weshould be eating. Themonounsaturated fat isthought to be good for hearthealth. Though relatively highin calories, the avocado is onefruit that is worth it because ofthe nutritional value. They arehigh in fiber, vitamins K, C,B6, riboflavin, potassium andfolate.

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It’s an everyday activitythat mankind has beendoing since the dawn of

time, but you have to doenough of it to really stay inshape.

Doctors say that the magicnumber is about 10,000steps – which works out towalking about five miles. Andin a recent study, walking thatdistance proved critical toboth cardiovascular fitnessand blood sugar levels.

MMAAGGIICC NNUUMMBBEERRIn the recent study, other-

wise healthy people whodropped from walking10,000 steps to 1,000 stepsdaily had higher insulinresistance and weaker car-diovascular fitness after just 2weeks of cutting back. Prettyrapid decline!

SSTTAARRTT CCOOUUNNTTIINNGGSo 10,000 steps a day

might seem like a lot, but don’tworry: Every step counts.Walking around the yard,heading to the post office, ordropping in on a neighbor – itall adds up. Make your goaldoable – if it’s just a 10-minutewalk, fine

GGeett iinn yyoouurr ffaaccee.. The bestway to do something regularlyis to have constant remindersto do it. Have walking shoes athome and at work. Put a charton your fridge. Keep your goalin sight.

PPuutt iitt iinn wwrriittiinngg.. You canhave the best intentions in theworld, but a funny thing hap-pens as time passes. You don’twant to walk one morning, andthen at the end of that week,you’ve walked five timesinstead of six or seven, and youtell yourself that’s still prettygood. That’s why it’s vital towrite down your goals.

AAvvooiidd tteemmppttaattiioonn.. Whateveryour guiltiest habit is, geteverything related to it as farfrom yourself as possible.Removing temptation doesmake a difference.

RReeccooggnniizzee nneeggaattiivvee tthhiinnkkiinnggppaatttteerrnnss.. There are a millionvarieties, but they all comedown to the same issue: notexisting in the here and now.Anything you do happens onestep at a time, starting today.

AAiimm ffoorr 44 sslliipp--ffrreeee wweeeekkss..For the first month, try extrahard to stick to your goals. Ifnecessary, remind yourself thatyou will be allowed to deviateeventually. Sticking to some-thing with no slips for 4 weeksis doable; doing it for life withno slips isn’t.

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When Valentine’s Day comesaround, you either have a valen-tine, don’t have a valentine, orspend that lonely day gazing at theone you wish you could call yourvalentine. And for AJ McCreary,that statement could not be moretrue.

In “Thwonk” by Joan Bauer,AJ is secretly in love with PeterTerris, who has never acknowl-edged her existence. Also, shespends almost all of her timelooking for the perfect photoopportunity for the cover of theschool newspaper’s ValentinesDay edition. Due to this distrac-tion, her grades and social statusare rapidly dropping.

All of that changes the daycupid, Johnathon, shows up. He

deems that he can help her in onlyone of three ways: romantically,artistically or academically. With-out giving it any thought, AJchooses romance and makesPeter fall in love with her.

At first, it’s like a fairytale;

everything she has ever dreamedof. But as she starts to get reeledinto the popular crowd and deep-er into Peter’s life, she realizesshe’s made a huge mistake. Isthere any way she can escape outof the hole she dug for herselfand get her old, boy-less lifeback?

I loved this book, not becauseAJ thought and spoke like a nor-mal teenage girl, but also becauseit explains how peer pressure cansometimes make you do crazythings. Bauer did a great job atintertwining an amusing tale ofteenage life and a romantic holi-day.

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Education reform in Americais in full swing as schools every-where are transitioning to a newstandard – specifically the Com-mon Core State Standards(CCSS). Beginning in 2009, thedevelopment of the CCSS wasled by state governors and statesuperintendents/commissionersof education and informed by thebest state standards already inexistence; the collaboration ofteachers, content experts, andleading thinkers; and feedbackfrom the public. The new stan-dards were subsequently adoptedby 46 out of 50 states (the othersare embracing similar reform ini-

tiatives of their own creation).While the CCSS movement is cer-tainly still a work in progress withlots of potential bumps in theroad, the objectives that drove thereform are important. The over-arching intent was to create stan-dards that were:

Clear – so that teachers, stu-dents, and parents know thelearning expectations and are ableto effectively work towards them

Consistent – so that we havea shared understanding of what isimportant for all students to learnand the ability to analyze andcompare performance through-out the nation

Rigorous – so that studentscan be adequately prepared forthe expectations of college andcareer in a highly competitive andglobalized marketplace

Relevant – so that learning isengaging and meaningful for stu-dents in the 21st century

At Clayton Valley CharterHigh School, we have embracedthis change and made great stridesin the last two years. Our teachersare already ahead of the curve inimplementing CCSS in the class-room and the professional devel-opment and collaboration aroundthis effort is ongoing. You mayremember that the API scores forschools in California have beenfrozen since 2013 (CVCHS fin-ished the old system on a highnote achieving a 62 point jump toan all-time high score of 836).The API will return at the end ofthe 2015-16 school year for ourstate, this time based on the Com-mon Core State Standards andwith a completely new assessmentsystem in place. For Californiathis new test will not only bebased on new standards but willbe administered in a new way –on a computer. The CAASPP(California Assessment of Stu-

dent Performance and Progress)uses “smart” technology to adaptto the specific student taking thetest.

Those states that are fartheralong in their adoption processand have already seen scorescome in from the new CCSSbased test are seeing dramatic(almost alarming) drops in per-formance. What this tells us isthat the new tests are much hard-er and we have a lot of work to doto fully transition.

Again, the students at CVCHShave a great advantage in that ourteachers and staff are dedicated tomaking this transition as seamlessas possible and have worked veryhard to that end. For more infor-mation on the Common CoreState Standards visit the CVCHSwebsite at claytonvalley.org. Wehave a page dedicated to theCCSS (under the “Academic Pro-grams” tab). Click on the links,watch the videos, and ask yourstudents to take the sample test sothat they can get a feel for what iscoming. It is good to have anunderstanding of the CCSS as wenavigate this substantive changein the way we do public educa-tion. Most importantly, you cancount on CVCHS to help lead theway.

CVCHS leads in transitioningto Common Core standards

President’s Day is drawingnear. Many people don’t givemuch thought about President’sDay. For some, it’s just anotherday to get off of work, or school.However, President’s Day is a lit-tle more than just a day off.

It is a day to remember manyof America’s greatest presidents.The presidents who led usthrough wars, depressions andprotests. The United States ofAmerica is a place of freedomand without many of these presi-dents, and more, there would beno “America.”

George Washington, thenation first president, said “Truthwill ultimately prevail where thereis pain to bring it to light.” Wash-ington was telling us, truth is animportant value for any of us topossess.

Abraham Lincoln, the nation’s16th president, led us through theCivil War. He kept the UnitedStates united when others threat-ened to break us apart. “I do notthink much of a man who is notwiser today than he was yester-

day,” said Lincoln. To me, thisquote means to learn from yourmistakes. The southerners whofought for slavery could havelearned from their mistakes andbecome wiser.

Franklin D. Roosevelt led thecountry through the GreatDepression in the 1930s. TheDepression was a hard time formany people. The economycrashed and many people losttheir houses and jobs. Many peo-ple gave up hope. “The only limitto our realization of tomorrowwill be our doubts of today,” saidRoosevelt. If you only focus onhow bad today was, then you willnot be able to make tomorrowany better.

John F. Kennedy supportedthe Civil Rights movement. Hedid the right thing even when oth-ers were pushing him the wrongway. “Efforts and courage are notenough without purpose anddirection,” said Kennedy. I thinkthis quote really shows his deter-mination to end segregation.

Barak Obama says, “The

future rewards those who presson.” As I believe “never give up”are words to live by.

Many of these presidents ledAmerica through hard times. Sothis President’s Day, think aboutwhat John Quincy Adams said:“If your actions inspire others todream more, learn more, do moreand become more, you are aleader.”

President’s Day is not justanother day you get off of work.It is a little bit more.

Honoring presidentsisn’t just a vacation

An amusing, heartfelt Valentine’s tale

The Annual Clayton ValleyCharter High School Arts Expois April 23 from 6 to 9 p.m. inthe Multi-Use Room at ClaytonValley Charter High School. TheEagle Arts Expo is open to allstudents of Clayton ValleyCharter High School, Pine Hol-low Middle School and DiabloView Middle School.

This year’s expo theme is“Forever Young.” Entriesshould reflect youth culture andwhat it is like to be a teen in2015. It can be personal, com-munity or globally based. Cate-gories accepted are drawing,painting, sculpture, photogra-phy, video, digital/computer andmixed media.

Categories are limited tothree submissions and worksubmitted must be done by thestudent. All submitted piecesmust be original ideas of thestudent. Videos should not bemusic videos, as they are consid-ered plagiarized. Documentarywork can have a song as ambientnoise so long as it is not the fullsong. See one’s art teacher orMs. Nolan with questions and tosubmit entries.

The Eagle Arts Expo is spon-sored by CVCHS and the Michelan-gelo D’Onofrio Arts Foundation.Entries are due March 11. Cashprizes will be awarded in each of theseven categories. For more informa-tion, contact Katie.Nolan@claytonva-lley.org or Joanne McCluhan at jomc-cluhan@yahoo.com.

CVCHS ArtsExpo set forApril 23

David Linzey is executive directorof CVCHS. Contact himDavid.linzey@claytonvalley.org

DAVID LINZEY

VOYAGE OF THE EAGLE

Emily York is a sophomore atCVCHS.

EMILY YORK

TEEN READS

Natalie Pursche is in the sixthgrade at Diablo View Middle School.She is an avid reader, enjoys writing,and loves to spend time with herfriends and family. Send comments tonatalie@claytonpioneer.com.

NATALIE PURSCHE

DVMS CORRESPONDENT

Q. My wife and I are goingto get prequalified for a mort-gage to buy a home. Is therea benefit to putting a highamount as a down payment?

We have the ability to do thatbut we would like availablecash to fix up our new home.

A. Determining what sizemortgage is right for you is apersonal decision that youshould make based on your cur-rent and anticipated income,your overall investment strategy,and the property in question.One benefit of buying realestate is that you can use some-one else’s money to finance yourpurchase. Relative to the pur-chase price of a property, you tieup a small amount of your ownmoney. This is called leverage.The less money you put downthe more you can leverage yourmoney. If the price of the prop-erty goes up you earn apprecia-

tion on the entire asset — a per-centage of the total price of theproperty, not just a percentageof the money that you actuallyput down.

A larger mortgage can alsobe more risky. As real estateprices go up and down (thoughhistorically they go up), if youput only 5 percent down and themarket goes down 5 percent,you will lose your cash invest-ment until prices go up again.For many homeowners, having alarge mortgage is well worth therisk when tax relief is taken intoaccount. With some restrictions,the federal government allowshomeowners to write off inter-est (and property taxes) paid ontheir home mortgages. The

larger the mortgage the largerthe write off. Let’s say you are ina 28 percent tax bracket, you canwrite off 28 cents for each dol-lar of interest paid.

Another thing to consider isif you are putting less than 20percent down you may have topay mortgage insurance. Forinstance on an FHA (govern-ment insured) loan you can putas little as 3.5 percent down butall FHA loans have mortgageinsurance. FHA loans usuallyhave lower interest rates. Youwould have to do the calcula-tions with your mortgagebroker.

When deciding the amountof your down payment, makesure you have enough cashreserves to cover unexpectedexpenses, repairs and mainte-nance.

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What are benefits of lower mortgages?

Send your question and look for youranswer in a future column. EmailLynne@LynneFrench.com. French is thebroker/owner of Windermere LynneFrench & Associates. Contact her at672-878 7or stop in at 6200 CenterSt., Clayton.

Get money on track this yearThe tunes of Auld Lang

Syne have faded into the dis-tance and 2015 is here. Now is agreat time to start the year onthe right track. For most, thedesire for a better financial life isoften unrealized as individualsmay feel overwhelmed or justget distracted with life’s unpre-dictable happenings. As withany obstacle, the best bet is tostart one step at a time. In thismonth’s column, I’ll focus onsome general guidance forestablishing a monthly spendingplan and speak in terms of per-centage of one’s income. Inaddition, I’ll provide someresources that I have found tobe very helpful tools to establisha spending plan.

CREDIT, GOOD OR BADThere is nothing more

important to establishing aspending plan than understand-ing where one’s coming from.Most Americans have someform of debt. Whether it’s stu-dent loans, a home mortgage,equity line or credit card bal-ances, a spending plan needs toidentify the amount of debtbeing serviced each month.

If you are unsure about thedifferent lines of credit you mayhave, a free resource to viewyour credit report is availablet h r o u g hAnnua lCred i tRepor t . com.

Through this website, you canpull, for free, a credit reportfrom each of the 3 leading cred-it reporting bureaus. Creditscores are also available therefor a nominal fee, or you canview your score for free fromanother website such ascredit.com or creditkarma.com.Both credit score resources willoffer additional information fora nominal fee.

THE NUMBERS DON’T LIENow that any debt outstand-

ing has been identified, the nextstep is to set the framework forthe spending plan. When build-ing the plan, it’s best to catego-rize the areas where money isspent. Below is an example of alist of categories as well as anestimated percentage to bespent per category relative tomonthly gross income: Savings

(10 percent), food (10 percent),housing/utilities (30 percent),spending money/debt payments(15 percent), health care (7 per-cent), transportation (10 per-cent), personal insurance (13percent), education (5 percent).

Ultimately, the goal of thespending plan is to save money.Whether to save money for ashort-term goal, like a vacation,or a much longer-term goal, likeretirement, the hope is thatthrough the spending plan, one’sentire income is not spent comemonth-end.

HELPFUL TOOLSTo those a bit more tech

savvy, I’ve noted a few spendingplan apps I have found helpfulover the years: YNAB.com,mhrilley.com/spendingtracker,Mint.com, andMoneycenter.todlee.com. Inaddition, a helpful resource tocreate a plan to pay down debtcan be found on Powerpay.org.

As always, please be sure toconfirm the best spending strat-egy for you by speaking with afee-only financial advisor ormeet with a Certified FinancialPlanner professional to learnmore.

John Wenzel is an investmentadvisor with Archvest Wealth Advi-sors. Send questions and comments tojohn@archvestwa.com

JOHN WENZEL, CFPFINANCIAL SENSE

In a world filled with hightechnology gadgets, with applica-tion programs running on super-fast computers sporting advancedsoftware applications that aredesigned to keep your computerhealthy, safe and operational, whydo these gizmos keep gettinginfected so badly they breakdown? Why do these bad thingskeep happening?

Have you ever wondered whyyour computer gets infected? Is ita mystery to you? Do you believesomething must be wrong withthe defensive software you pur-chased, or some hardware wentbad? Do you believe that attach-ment you received and openedwas the source of your problem

because bad things started hap-pening shortly after? Perhaps itwas something you forgot to do?

Most likely your virus soft-ware is doing its job and yourcomputer is just fine. But you stillhave problems keeping bad thingsout of your computer. Was it thatattachment, a missed anti-virusupdate, perhaps you didn’t renewyour antivirus subscription?

You wouldn’t intentionallyinvite a virus or malware softwareprogram into your computer,would you? Surely not malware ora virus that could harm you, holdyour data ransom by encryptingthe data and requiring you tomake a payment to decode it? Or,worse, deleting your data alto-gether.

What I am about to say mayrattle you to the bone. In myexperience your antivirus andanti-malware software is workingto protect you. Attachments areusually screened by a decentantivirus program, the hardwarerarely dies and allowing your sub-scription to lapse aren’t big issues.I am not saying a lapsed antivirussubscription can’t do harm, I amsaying for the most part it isn’t anissue.

Think back, have you everexperienced a pop-up admonish-ing you to “scan” your computerbecause you have a virus, that infact the quick scan report fromthe pop-up window says you are asuspect? The truth is your virusscanner will only report it hasfound an issue and has fixed it.

The moral of the story: yourprotection software will protect.It won’t display something like“you may be infected.” Antivirusprotects, that’s its job, it doesn’tguess or speculate. If and when itfinds something mischievous itwill fix it and tell you so.

Perhaps you visited a websiteand a pop-up said something like,“To view this file you need toupgrade your Adobe Flash player,just click here.” This is such a sim-plistic come-on, isn’t it? So sim-ple, just click here.

Well, did you figure it out yet?The problem isn’t your computer,antivirus software, or a botchedattachment. The problem, myfriend, is you.

Your antivirus software isworking—but are you?

WILL CLANEY

TECH TALK

William Claney is an independenttech writer and former owner ofComputers USA in the ClaytonStation. Email questions or commentsto will@claytonpioneer.com.

Winter sports teams endtheir league seasons in the nextcouple of weeks with local highschools hoping to qualify teamsin soccer and basketball andindividuals in wrestling forNorth Coast Section competi-tion.

GIRLS SOCCER

Clayton Valley Charter hasbeen a regular NCS competitorand new coach Cristina Ballard’ssquad is hoping to get into the16-team Division I field againwith a late-season surge. TheEagles are currently in secondplace with three games duringthis final week, needing a strongshowing to get a NCS nod. Col-lege Park has been leading theDiablo Valley Athletic Leaguestandings this year with North-gate right behind the Eagles.

The Falcons host CVCHS inthe league finale Thursdayevening in Pleasant Hill.

After two uncharacteristicdown years when they failed tomake NCS, Carondelet of theEast Bay Athletic League is backin the mix as the Cougars hopeto claim a fifth section title, their

most recent coming in 2010.Consistently ranked among thetop girls soccer leagues in thecountry, EBAL schools havewon 31 of the 32 NCS champi-onships dating back to the firstin 1982.

Defending NCS championMonte Vista is top-ranked inCalifornia and undefeated head-ing towards the end of theEBAL season. Second-yearCarondelet head coach AmyApodaca, a Cougar alum, hasher team in a strong second-place position. Last week theMustangs rallied from a 1-0 half-time deficit with two goals andedged the Cougars 2-1 to solidi-fy their hold on first place withtheir 17th consecutive victory ofthe campaign.

Carondelet features a quartetof Clayton players in seniorAllie Macaulay and juniorsKaylie Collins, Jade Rafallo andKendall Christiansen. Collins(USC) and Rafallo (PortlandState) have already verballycommitted to college soccerprograms for 2016.

NCS play begins nextWednesday, Feb. 18, and runsthrough the end of the monthafter all league play concludes bythis Saturday.

BOYS SOCCER

If coach Guillermo Jara’sClayton Valley Charter teamcould play all its games atGonsalves Stadium they wouldbe headed for post-season playwith a glossy record. TheEagles have yet to win an awaygame this season while postinga fine 7-2 home mark.

Clayton Valley Charter hasfallen off the pace a bit the lastthree years after reaching deepinto NCS playoffs from 2010-12. Jara is in his second seasonat the helm of the local school.The former high school andcollegiate all-America playedfour years in Major LeagueSoccer.

De La Salle has been onquite a roll in boys soccer win-ning six NCS titles in a row,nine since 2001 and 12 overall.Since 2001 only two non-EBAL schools have taken sec-tion crowns. Coach DerrickeBrown’s Spartans have lost topowerhouses Livermore,Cathedral and Torrey Pines.“We have been playing betteras of late, but as always ourgoal is to be peaking in mid tolate February so we are closeto where we want to be [enter-ing playoffs], Brown explained.

As usual DLS features aslew (14) of players from thelocal Diablo Futbol Club.

The Spartans were tied withSan Ramon Valley before theteams met Tuesday in a gameapt to decide the EBAL title.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Clayton Valley Charter hadits 36-game DVAL winningstreak snapped last week byNorthgate 56-50 in WalnutCreek. The Eagles had defeat-ed the rival Broncos 81-42 lessthan a month earlier but coachDan Middleton’s team, in themidst of a down year byNorthgate standards, put up astout defensive effort to derailthe chances for a third consec-utive unbeaten league recordfor CVCHS girls hoops.

The Eagles will face once-beaten College Park in Pleas-ant Hill next Tuesday in agame likely to determine theleague champ. Clayton Valleywon the first meeting betweenthe two 62-58.

Clayton Valley Charter haslost the DII section title gamethree of the past four yearswhile advancing to the North-ern California Championshipplayoffs each time.

There was a major changingof the guard this season forCarondelet basketball. ElginLeslie is the new head coach,replacing Margaret Gartner,who retired after last seasonwith a 530-133 record in 22seasons. The Cougars won 10of the past 12 NCS Division IItitles including the past three.

Unbeaten Carondelet has athree-game lead in EBALstandings.

All league play ends by Feb.21 with NCS playoffs runningFeb. 24/25-Mar. 6/7. NorCalplayoffs are Mar. 11-21 withthe CIF State finals at CalBerkeley Mar. 27-28.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Clayton Valley is trailingleague leader College Parkheading into the final fewgames. The league finalebetween the two in Concordnext Tuesday has the Falconsvisiting Dan Della Gym.

De La Salle was a semi-finalNCS loser last year to MonteVista. The Mustangs went onto win section, NorCal andstate championships. Earlierthis year Monte Vista won adouble overtime game at DLSto grab the initiative in a three-

way EBAL battle that alsoincludes San Ramon Valley.The Concord school meetsboth Danville squads in itsfinal three league games.

DLS and MV each won 20of their first 22 games thisyear and figure to be majorplayers in NCS. De La Sallehas captured nine NCS titlessince 1999, the most recent in2012.

WRESTLING

Girls NCS tournament isthis weekend in Ukiah whilethe boys section tourney isFeb. 27-28 at James Logan inUnion City. The State Meet isMar. 6-7 in Bakersfield.

Ygnacio Valley is hostingthe boys dual meet tournamentis Feb. 13-14. DLS had wonfive straight dual titles beforelosing to James Logan last win-ter in the finals.

The Spartans also had astreak five team champi-onships broken while drop-ping to third in 2014. Theyhave been in top three at NCSannually since 2006. CoachMark Halvorson’s team isranked 14th in the latest stateratings, the only NCS school inthe top 30.

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Sports Page 10 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com February 13, 2015

League titles, North Coast Section playoff berths on the lineJAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

Photo courtesy Carondelet High School soccer

PLAYERS FROM CLAYTON AND CONCORD have been instrumental in a rebound year for Carondelet soccer as the Cougars eye areturn to the North Coast Section playoffs where they would be seeking the school’s fifth title. Among the local athletes are,front row from left, Jade Rafallo, Kylie Dodge and Chelsea Bailey; back row, Kendall Christiansen, Kaylie Collins, KatieGaraventa and Allie Macaulay. Christiansen, Collins, Macaulay and Rafallo hail from Clayton.

Photo courtesy Scott Anderson

SENIOR JON ALLEN (15) is backing up his outstanding juniorseason with another strong effort this year as he hopes to getClayton Valley Charter basketball back into the North CoastSection playoffs. The league MVP of 2013-14 is top scoreragain for the Eagles.

A large crowd of students,including many teammates ofthe two special guests, were inthe gymnasium bleachers lastWednesday at Clayton ValleyCharter High School for the cer-emonial signings of collegenational letters of intent by bas-ketball player Hailey Pascoe andfootballer Kahlil McKenzie. Inso many ways the two athletes’path to this point in their younglives couldn’t have been muchmore contrasting.

McKenzie formalized hiscommitment earlier that morn-ing to follow in the footsteps ofhis father and uncle to play forthe Tennessee Volunteers foot-ball team in the powerful South-eastern Conference. Pascoereportedly became the firstCVCHS girl basketball player tosign a NLI for a Division Ischool with Lehigh of Pennsyl-vania, a member of the PatriotLeague.

Five-star defensive tackleMcKenzie was the subject ofrecruiters from coast to coastwith seemingly every major pro-gram seeking his services for fallSaturdays. Alabama, Florida,Florida State, Notre Dame,Oklahoma, Texas, Ole Miss andvirtually every Pac-12 schoolwere wooing the 6-foot-3, 354-pound athlete, who did not playa single down of high schoolfootball last fall.

His dad, Oakland Raiders

general manager ReggieMcKenzie, had relocated thefamily from Wisconsin to theEast Bay prior to the 2013 fallseason. Kahlil McKenzieenrolled at De La Salle andplayed for the legendary Spar-tans his junior year when theteam lost the State Bowl Openchampionship game butMcKenzie became a prime col-lege prospect.

Prior to his senior seasonKahlil McKenzie and youngerbrother Jalen transferred fromDLS to CVCHS. A protractedappeal process through theNorth Coast Section and Cali-fornia Interscholastic Federa-tion eventually ruled KahlilMcKenzie ineligible for theentire 2014 season since thetransfer was deemed for “athlet-ic reasons.” His new team madeit to the State Division II titlegame last December before los-ing. The younger McKenzie,who is listed at 6-5, 288 pounds,was able to play as sophomorefor the Eagles.

McKenzie took part in theArmy All-American Bowl in lateDecember and was a standouton defense, justifying his rank-ing as one of the top 10 recruitsin the country. Clayton Valleycoach Tim Murphy laudedMcKenzie at the signing cere-mony for his “passion andunselfishness” during the seasonwhen he practiced every daywithout getting in a game. “Heturned a negative and made itinto a positive.

“It was pretty cool watchingKahlil work with his teammates.Always encouraging and teach-ing despite the frustration Iimagine he had to have,” Mur-phy said. The veteran coachcredited McKenzie’s parents,Reggie and June, for raising theirson the right way.

MCKENZIE 2013 PREVIEW

The head coach added thathe did get to see McKenzie playwhen De La Salle beat ClaytonValley Charter in the openinggame of the 2013 season wheneach Concord school was adefending NCS championshipteam, as they will be again thisfall. “Early in the game he[Kahlil] picked up our running-back with one arm and took himdown.”

Tennessee won the recruit-ing battle and that should comeas no surprise since KahlilMcKenzie’s dad and twin broth-er Raleigh both played for theVols and went on to NFLcareers. His grandfather Samuellives in Tennessee and hiscousin Raleigh Jr. (a soccer play-er!) goes there now. The Volun-teers, led by their No. 1 recruitfrom Clayton Valley, are rankedas having the fourth best incom-ing freshman class in the nationby some sources.

Unlike McKenzie, Pascoehas played a-plenty for Clayton

Valley. This is her fourth year onthe Eagles varsity basketballteam. Her head coach of thepast two seasons, Paul Kommer,recalled seeing Pascoe as a fresh-man “who thought she couldstill play like a fourth gradeCYO player.” Then the juniorvarsity coach, Kommer pointedout a mistake the naïve fresh-man made in a game. A weeklater the exact same situationarose and Pascoe had alreadytaken the advice and adjustedher game, much to the satisfac-tion of Kommer.

ALL-DVAL EACH YEAR

She was co-most valuableplayer of the Diablo Valley Ath-letic League as a junior after tak-ing first-team all-DVAL honorsas a sophomore and secondteam all-league her freshmanyear, playing on a team thatincluded Kommer’s daughterMolly.

Ironically, Clayton Valley wasupset the night before signingday by rival Northgate, ending a36-game league winning streakfor the Lady Eagles. CVCHSstill is in first place and a cinchto advance to the NCS playoffsonce again. “Hailey still has a lotof ball left in high school beforeI’ll get to watch her at Lehigh onESPN,” Kommer added. Heexplained that all of his seniorswant to “go out on a high note.”

February 13, 2015 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 11

Sports

Lindsay Mondloch has been on and offthe soccer field since she began playing thesport in the seventh grade. She’s accom-

plished many things in this time from herfavorite position as a left midfielder. Dur-ing her freshman year at Clayton Valley shewas on junior varsity soccer and has spentthe last three years on varsity. This winterthe Eagles are making a late push to getinto the North Coast Section playoffs.Mondloch says her passion and love forsoccer is because “it’s fun to play teamsports and work as a team together. I alsolike being in shape, so it’s a fun sport.” She

led the team in assists last season. In herjunior year she also took up cross countryand won the CVCHS team’s most inspira-tional award. During her senior year she’sbeen a team captain for both cross countryand soccer. This spring Mondloch willconclude her high school sports careerwith a third season on the Eagles varsitytrack team, running the 800 meters and4x400 relay. When the busy student athleteisn’t playing sports, she spends her timeinvolved with extra-curricular activitiessuch as ASB Leadership and SeniorWomen. She is going to Cal Poly San LuisObispo in the fall.

CVCHS student journalist Celine Herreracontributed to this Spotlight.

The Clayton Pioneer congratulatesLindsay and thanks Athlete Spotlightsponsors Dr. Laura Lacey & Dr.Christopher Ruzicka who have beenserving the Clayton and Concord areafor 25 years at Family Vision CareOptometry. www.laceyandruzicka.com

Do you know a young athlete who should berecognized? Perhaps he or she has shown excep-tional sportsmanship, remarkable improvement orgreat heart for the sport. Send your nomination forthe Pioneer Athlete Spotlight today tosports@claytonpioneer.com.

AthleteSpotlightLindsayMondlochGrade: Senior

Sports: Cross Country,Soccer, Track

School: Clayton ValleyCharter High School

Clayton Valley Charter andDe La Salle high schools tookhome North Coast SectionDivision I and II football cham-pionships in December andplayers from the local schoolsalso received recognition on theall-North Coast Section teamsannounced by Prep2Prep.

Miles Harrison of CVCHSwas named NCS Senior of theYear after leading the Eagles tothe State Bowl game for the firsttime. A year ago Prep2Preptabbed Harrison as the NCSJunior of the Year. He ran for2,709 yards and 32 touchdownsas the wing-gun offense ofcoach Tim Murphy set numer-ous records.

Harrison nearly carried theteam to its first-ever state title byracking up 324 yards and scor-ing four TDs in the narrow loss34-33 to Redlands East Valley.

State champion De La Salleshowed its success this seasonshould be a precursor for moreof the same in 2015 with sever-al juniors taking laurels. Juniorrunning back Antione Custerbounced back from the disap-pointment of missing most ofthe 2013 State Bowl game losswith an injury to lead a two-

headed running attack withclassmate Andrew Hernandezthis season.

Custer amassed over 2,100yards and 26 TDs despite get-ting less than 10 touches in sixof the team’s 14 wins. Hecapped the year in the final vic-tory 63-42 against Centennial ofCorona with 273 yards and fourtouchdowns.

The all-NCS team featuredthree more Spartan juniors indefensive standouts Devin Asi-asi and Boss Tagaloa andCuster’s backfield mate Hernan-dez. Senior offensive linemenDrew Sullivan and MattMedeiros completed the DLSfirst-team honorees.

Clayton Valley’s Diablo Val-ley Athletic League defensiveplayer of the year Jax Carter wasall-NCS despite missing nearlyfive games due to injury.

On the second all-NCS teamwere CVCHS lineman JoeyLevine and DLS back JevariAnderson.

Honorable mention all-NCShonors went to local players:

Clayton Valley Charter:Rich Peralta, Sean Vaisima,Chandler Wakefield, ShimonRosenblatt

De La Salle: CameronLissarrague, Blake Ogburn,Adam Mayer.

Clayton Valley, DLSplayers on all-NCSfootball honor teams

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

McKenzie, Pascoe take different routes inmaking final commitments at CVCHS

JAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

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info@netsolutions-ca.comHAILEY PASCOE (seated middle) became the first Clayton ValleyCharter High School girls basketball player to sign a nationalletter of intent for a Division I college last week when shefirmed up her commitment to Lehigh University ofPennsylvania. The Eagles senior was flanked by her headcoach Paul Kommer and assistant Gina Pedroni in front of alarge contingent of teammates and other students. Familymembers on hand were, standing from left, her parents Krisand Dave Pascoe and brother Garrett Pascoe.

Photos by Jay Bedecarre

THE MCKENZIE FAMILY has deep roots in Tennessee and CVCHSsenior Kahlil McKenzie (seated right) followed that traditionwhen the highly-recruited senior signed a national letter ofintent last Wednesday to follow his dad and uncle onto theVolunteers football team. Oakland Raiders general managerand dad Reggie McKenzie (top left) and his twin brotherRaleigh both played for the Vols before embarking on NFLcareers. The youngest of four McKenzie children, Jalen (leftfront) is a sophomore at Clayton Valley.

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The Super Bowl is over andalready NFL football is missedby many. In order to fill the voidthat is the pro football offsea-son, here are some takes on the49ers and Raiders coachingchanges:

49ers – My oh my, what tosay about the 49ers coachingsituation? The team went fromhaving Jim Harbaugh as headcoach, Vic Fangio defensivecoordinator and Greg Romanoffensive coordinator to headcoach Jim Tomsula, defensivecoordinator Eric Mangini andoffensive coordinator GeepChryst.

The move by owner JedYork and general managerTrent Baalke to fire Jim Har-baugh was not a surprising one.Harbaugh never got along withupper management so Yorkfired him.

In York’s own words hewants to “win Super Bowls withclass.” Well Mr. York, Harbaughled the 49ers to three NFCchampionship games and oneSuper Bowl appearance, butapparently that isn’t goodenough to remain your headcoach. No, for Mr. York itappears Tomsula, not Har-baugh, is the man who will leadthe 49ers to that elusive sixthLombardi Super Bowl Trophy.

The entire fiasco with the49ers coaching situation is bothlaughable and depressing. TheNiners were on the upswing,considered one of the bestteams in the league over the pastfew years and now they are ledby Tomsula, Mangini andChryst.

The only way York andBaalke can justify firing Har-baugh is by winning the SuperBowl next year. It’s Super Bowlor bust, that is the precedentthat has been set by York. Andthey will have to do it in perhapsthe toughest division in theNFL, the Seahawks last secondslip up in the Super Bowlnotwithstanding.

Raiders- The Raiders havebeen struggling for over adecade and salvation finallyappears to be on the horizonwith the hiring of head coachJack Del Rio by team owner

Mark Davis and GM ReggieMcKenzie who was in Concordlast week as his oldest son Kahlilcommitted to play football nextyear at Tennessee. Del Rio is aHayward native and brings awealth of coaching experiencewith him, having been the headcoach of the JacksonvilleJaguars for nine years through2011.

Del Rio’s 68-71 record ashead coach of the Jaguars is notall that impressive, but he seemsconfident that the past threeyears he has spent as the Bron-cos defensive coordinator hasimproved him as a coach.

Del Rio is setting up anexperienced staff, one that canhelp mold the young talent onthe Raiders into winners. Hisfirst big hire was Mike Tice, anoffensive line coach who is heldin very high regard around theleague. Shortly after the hiringof Tice, Del Rio brought in BillMusgrave as the offensive coor-dinator.

Musgrave is not the bigname hire most Raider fanswere looking for but he doeshave the potential to succeed asthe OC. He was the quarter-backs coach for the PhiladelphiaEagles before being hired by theRaiders to help the growth anddevelopment of Derek Carr.Musgrave is also known for his

success in the running game,which should be helpful in get-ting Latavius Murray going nextseason.

Overview- The 49ers willultimately regret getting rid ofHarbaugh. Despite his brashpersonality, York and Baalke hadto find some way to work withhim. Maybe Tomsula will panout and become a great headcoach, but as it stand now, the49ers new coaching staff seemslike a severe downgrade fromwhat they had just a couplemonths ago.

The Raiders, on the otherhand, appear to have upgradedtheir staff rather nicely. There isa lot of experience on that staffnow, which is something thatthe young players on the Raidersdesperately need.

Only time will tell if the49ers and Raiders made theright coaching hires. As it standsnow, it appears the Raiders haveimproved their staff whereasthe 49ers have taken a majorstep backwards.

Page 12 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com February 13, 2015

Sports

Photo by Kelley Cox

Freshman men’s basketball player Patrick Marr of Claytonwas named Cal State East Bay’s male athlete of the weekduring mid-January. The De La Salle grad was the bestoffensive player for the Pioneers in a dramatic 55-53 winover Cal State Dominguez Hills when he scored a game-high 12 points, going 4-for-6 from three-point range,adding five rebounds and two assists. After another goodeffort that week against Cal State L.A., Marr finished theweekend shooting 55 percent from the field (6-for-11)and 71 percent from long distance (5-for-7), both ofwhich were tops on the team. In his freshman season, the6-7 Marr is second on the Pioneers in rebounds.

North Coast Section footballchampions Clayton Valley Char-ter and De La Salle high schoolsare putting the finishing toucheson their 2015 schedules andthey’ve added some “beef ” totheir respective non-league line-ups.

Clayton Valley Charter wentall the way to the State DivisionII Bowl championship gamebefore dropping a tough 34-33verdict to Redlands East Valleyin December. Coach Tim Mur-phy and his staff have to replacestar runningback Miles Harri-son, defensive MVP Jax Carter

and 13 other all-Diablo ValleyAthletic League players who willbe graduating this spring.

Despite that, the Eagles arejumping right into the fire open-ing their fall schedule at reigningState Division I champion Fol-som. The Bulldogs will be doingsome retooling of their ownafter quarterback Jake Browningtook his national record 91touchdown passes last season(229 in three years) to the Uni-versity of Washington thissemester.

Sacramento Bee prep sportsguru Joe Davidson says incom-ing senior Jake Jeffrey is “a verypromising young talent who canrun and pass. Folsom will open

as our Bee preseason No. 1team.” The Bulldogs are co-coached by former College ParkHigh star Kris Richardson andCal quarterback Troy Taylor.

Clayton Valley is currentlyprojected to be realigned to theBay Valley Athletic League in2016, a league of East Countyschools all playing Division I.Murphy has added DI games atTracy and home to perennialNCS power James Logan ofUnion City this fall. North Baystandouts Cardinal Newman ofSanta Rosa are also coming toGonsalves Stadium in 2015. Thefifth non-league game has yet tobe scheduled.

Justin Alumbaugh will have

the usual target on the back ofhis De La Salle team as well. TheState champs will be openingthe season in Texas against asan-yet-unnamed opponent. TheSpartans, who likely will beranked No. 1 in the nation inmost preseason polls with awealth of returning talent, havean aggressive schedule of gamesagainst Southern California,NCS and Sacramento-area foes.

DLS will play at annual Cen-tral Coast Section rival Serra ofSan Mateo, Granite Bay (“wonD-1 State Bowl in 2012 and isalways strong”) and JamesLogan.

The home schedule includesgames against SoCal teams

Orange Lutheran, Servite andLong Beach Poly. The Polygame will renew the legendary2001-2002 rivalry that gainednational headlines. San RamonValley and California are theonly East Bay Athlectic Leagueteams facing DLS this season.Del Oro will also come downfrom the Sacramento Valley and“will be very strong again with ahost of returning players back.Del Oro has been to two statebowls since 2012,” Davidsonsays.

A long-time observer ofprep sports around the StateCapitol, Davidson says, “It’sgreat that this region, by anymeasure a great one for high

school football, continues tohave a shot against De La Salle.The Spartans have an army ofschools from all over that wantto play them and De La Salle isconsistent in wanting to playelite-level programs that alsofield freshmen and JV teams - acomplete program experience.

“Can anyone in NorCal beatthe Spartans? Maybe in our life-time but it hasn’t happened inthe lifetime of any current play-ers. DLS hasn’t lost to a NorCalteam since 1992 and is unbeatenlifetime against this region. Butyou never know, and Del Oroand Granite Bay relish the greatchallenge.”

Section football champs setting tough 2015 schedulesJAY BEDECARRÉ

Clayton Pioneer

MDSA SPRING SOCCER SIGNUP DEADLINE MONDAYMt. Diablo Soccer Association will have its spring season on Sat-

urdays from Mar. 21-May 9. U5-U14 boys and girls teams will beassembled soon. The U16/U19 co-ed division is on a Sunday after-noon schedule starting at the end of February. Visit mdsoccer.orgfor more information and to register by Feb. 16.

SARAH NELSON NAMED PACWEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF

THE WEEK FOR 4TH TIME THIS SEASONDominican University of California senior Sarah Nelson has

been recently named PacWest women’s basketball defensive player ofthe week for the third and fourth times this season. Nelson contin-ues to dominate the paint for her fourth weekly defensive honor,averaging 14.0 points, 14.5 rebounds and 9.0 blocks per game. Sheblocked eight shots against Dixie State and then logged her secondtriple-double of the year with 20 points, 19 rebounds and 10 blocksagainst Fresno Pacific, albeit in a losing effort. The 10 blocksmatched a program record in the Division II era set by Nelson in herprevious triple-double in December at Holy Names. Nelson leadsthe nation in blocks (5.12 bpg) as the only player with more than fiveper game. The Clayton Valley High grad is also the only player withmultiple triple-doubles this season.

CVCHS BASEBALL HOSTS

3RD HOT STOVE DINNER FEB. 27Clayton Valley Charter High School baseball coach Casey Coak-

ley is hosting the program’s third annual Hot Stove Dinner on Fri-day, Feb. 27. The evening’s festivities will whet the appetite of base-ball fans, Clayton Valley alumni and current CVCHS families in thecold winter months before spring training starts again. There will belots of baseball talk with guest speakers Eric Valenzuela, St. Mary’sCollege head coach, and Sam Carter, an Eagle alum who played inthe San Diego Padres organization. Door prizes, raffles and dinnerall benefit CVCHS Baseball and its scholarship fund. The event isfrom 6-9:30 p.m. at Shadelands Civic Arts Center, 111 N. Wiget Ln.

at Ygnacio Valley Rd. in Walnut Creek. For more information and tobuy tickets at $40 each email coach Coakley atuglyeaglebaseball@gmail.com.

21ST CVCHS ATHLETIC BOOSTERS

CRAB FEED & AUCTION MAR. 14Clayton Valley Charter High School Athletic Boosters will hold

their 21st annual Crab Feed and Auction on Saturday, Mar. 14, atCentre Concord. Tickets are sold on a first come, first served basisand attendees must be 21 or older. For more info emailcvabcrabfeed@gmail.com or go to cvhsboosters.org to order ticketsonline for a night of food, drink, dancing, auctions and raffle prizes.Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with dinner served at 7.

YGNACIO VALLEY HIGH HOSTING

ALL-COMERS TRACK & FIELD MEET MAR. 7Ygnacio Valley High is hosting an all-comers track and field meet

on Saturday, Mar. 7, from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on the all-weathertrack at the school. There will be eight individual events and tworelays for boys and girls from preschool through high school andsenior classifications. YVHS is using the meet as a team fund raiserfor a finish line timing system. Contact coach George Francis atcoachfrancisyvhs@hotmail.com for details.

DIABLO FC RUNNING USSDA OPEN TRAINING

FOR 2001-2002 BOYS FEB. 21Diablo FC is hosting an open training for boys born in 2001 and

2002 who would like to be evaluated for a position on the Diablo FCUS Soccer Developmental Academy team. USSDA is the highestyouth soccer playing level in the country and the local competitiveclub is looking for players born in 2001 and 2002 to add to the ros-ter for the 2015-16 season. Serious soccer players interested in com-peting at the next level are invited to attend the free open trainingnext Saturday, Feb. 21, at 10 a.m. on the Ygnacio Valley High field inConcord. Visit diablofc.org for more info.

DANA HILLS SWIM TEAM REGISTRATION NIGHT FEB. 27Dana Hills Swim Team kicks off the 2015 summer swim season

with a Registration Night on Friday, Feb. 27, from 6-9 p.m. at Dana

Hills Cabana Club on Mountaire Parkway. Registration and swimseason volunteer job preferences will be taken. The DHST coachingstaff will meet attendees and discuss the Otter program. New mem-bers will also be given the option to sign up for the team on a free,one-week “trial” basis. Online registration opens Saturday, Feb. 28.For additional info please visit danahillsotters.com.

DIABLO FC U13-U14 COMPETITIVE SOCCER TRYOUTS

FOR U13-U14 TEAMS FEB. 15-21Diablo FC tryouts for under 13 and U14 boys and girls 2015

competitive teams begin this Sunday at Ygnacio Valley High Schoolin Concord and also on Feb. 18 and 21. There is no charge to try outand players can pre-register today at diablofc.org. For more informa-tion on the club and tryout times and locations contact director ofcoaching Brian Voltattorni at bvoltattorni@diablofc.org.

OAKHURST ORCAS TAKING SIGNUPS FOR SUMMER SEASONOakhurst head coach Jasmine Millan has announced that the

Orcas are accepting mail or drop off registrations to OakhurstCountry Club for the summer recreation swim season. Meet andgreet registration dates are coming in March and April. Early regis-tration discounts are available until mid-March. Visit oakhurstor-cas.com for more information or e-mail Millan atswimcoach@oakhurstcc.com.

SEVERAL SPRING PROGRAMS REGISTRATION OPEN AT

ALL OUT SPORTS LEAGUESSpring programs for youth basketball, youth volleyball and tee

ball plus adult volleyball and softball are now open for programs inClayton offered by All Out Sports Leagues. For complete informa-tion on All Out Sports programs, visit alloutsportsleague.com.

THE PIONEER WANTS TO PUBLISH YOUR SPORTS NEWSPlease let us know about your sports news, special events, fund

raisers, tryouts, signups and accomplishments. Youth leagues, clubs,schools and adult programs are all welcome to send us a rundownon what you’re doing. Include all the necessary details (too muchinformation is better than too little!) and your contact information.It’s as simple as sending an email to sports@concordpioneer.com.

Sports Shorts

TYLER LEHMAN

SPORTS TALK

Tyler Lehman is a junior at SanFrancisco State University and a2012 CVHS graduate. He is major-ing in print/online journalism andwants to be a sports writer. Emailyour comments or questions totyler@claytonpioneer.com.

Bay Area football’s coaching carousel Clayton’s Patrick MarrCSUEB athlete of the week

Read a newspaper lately, inhand or online? War, famine,global warming and now Ebola— it’s no wonder publishers arepublishing and readers are readinga near-glut of novels about theend of the world, or in more con-cise and even Biblical terms, allthings apocalyptic. If the story isabout what happens after theabove mentioned catastrophes,it’s called post-apocalyptic ordystopian. Are you with me? Sortof like “new math,” you’ll get thehang of it.

“Station Eleven” by Emily St.John Mandel (Alfred A. Knopf;September, 2014), marketed as apost-apocalyptic novel, is a pow-erful reminder that although theearth we live on may change, andchange drastically, humans donot. In fact, they are exactly (goodand bad) the same as before what-ever happened happened. Thereare false prophets, murder andmayhem coexisting with love, artand bravery. That’s what Mandel’snovel is all about. No matter howtough and bare bones thingsbecome, we still need to be boundto one another. What we value —objects, people, and relationships— is at the heart of “StationEleven.”

The story begins on a stage ina Toronto theater. The play is“King Lear,” in Act 4, and theactor playing Lear is about tostumble and fall against a pillar,clutching his chest and reciting hislines in a barely audible voice. Amedic in the first row orchestrasection, recognizing the actor isno longer acting, leaps to thestage to render whatever assis-tance he might. Things take offrapidly and by the time the actor,Arthur Leander, is declared dead,the curtain drops and the theaterempties, the reader has someunderstanding that if, as Shake-speare wrote, “All the world’s astage,” Arthur, dead or alive, is amajor player.

By the time Arthur dies of aheart attack, a Russian jetliner haslanded at the Toronto airport, itspassengers, carrying the Georgian

Flu, are already clogging localhospitals and infecting everyone.The author wastes no time inintroducing some key charactersbefore the world is decimatedbeyond recognition. We know ofArthur’s wives, his son, his lover,his friend, the medic and a childactress playing one of Lear’sdaughters as a child. Now we fast-forward to 20 years after the pan-demic to follow the TravelingSymphony, a company of actorsand musicians living in a horse-drawn caravan of old trucks,bringing music and Shakespeareto scattered, art-starved commu-nities.

The author skillfully goes backand forth in time, linking presentand past relationships, events andpossessions as we follow theTraveling Symphony, finding itsplace in a world with an unsure

future, both scary and hopeful.No spoilers, but hands-down,“Station Eleven” is one of my all-time favorites. You cannot read itand not look around yourself tosee what and who would fill thestory of your life. It is the tellingwhich unites our future and ourpast and Emily St. John Mandeltells one very good story.

Are you thinking about get-ting a dog? Bringing a new doginto your life is a major decision.

First, make sure you are readyfor a dog before you start theprocess. It is also essential thatyou understand the cost of dogownership. If you’ve decided thetime is right, now it’s time to fig-ure out what type of dog is rightfor you.

There are several factors toconsider in choosing a dog. Firstyou should look at your currentlifestyle and think about whatkind of adjustments you will needto make to bring a new dog intoyour home.

It’s important to look at the

needs of your family, especially ifyou have children or other pets.Think about the qualities youwould like in a dog. There aredogs that require little grooming ifyou don’t have time for that.There are dogs that make greatrunning partners if that’s whatyou’re looking for. And there aredogs that will happily sit on yourlap while you read or watch TV.

Always take a dog’s tempera-ment into consideration. Behaviorproblems can be frustrating, andsome families do not expect thattheir new dog will be difficult.The main reason a dog ends up ina shelter is that its owners felt likeit were more than they could han-dle.

Families who choose a dog onimpulse or who don’t realize thatthere are many different traitswithin each breed are not choos-ing the right dog carefully, andbringing home their new friend

can sadly backfire.Should you get a purebred or

a magical mix? Most shelters haveplenty of both. The only signifi-cant difference between the two isthat purebreds, because their par-ents and other ancestors are allmembers of the same breed aresimilar to specific “breed stan-dards.”

A breed standard doesn’talways tell you much about a dog’shealth or how he will behave. Itwill likely give you an idea of howbig he will get and other physicaltraits.

Of course the size, appear-ance and temperament of amixed breed dog can be predictedas well. After all, mixed breeddogs are simply combinations ofdifferent breeds. It’s good to visitwith a variety of dogs beforemaking a final decision.

You may be thinking aboutgetting a puppy, but bear in mind

that young dogs require muchmore training and supervisionthan adult dogs. If you lack thetime or patience to deal withproblems like jumping or chew-ing, an adult dog might be a betterfit for you.

Other things to take into con-sideration are: does the dogappear to be assertive or shy? Ishe good with kids? In general afriendly dog that likes to betouched and is not sensitive tohandling will thrive in a homewith children.

Keep in mind when choosingyour new dog that they deserve ahome for life. And that can likelybe for 10-15 years. There’s a dogout there waiting who would loveto be a part of your family.

February 13, 2015 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 13

6-year-old Hermes is thequintessential beagle. He is live-ly and fun with an adorable bayrather than a bark. He is, true tohis breed, quite the snoop,always sticking his nose intoeverything. He loves to get outand explore the world, but

please do it safely on leash or inenclosed spaces as he may justfollow his nose wherever itleads. We recommend that Her-mes take a Basic Manners classwhere he can learn polite waysof seeking creature comforts inlife. He currently weighs 27pounds.

The adoption fee for adultdogs is $225 and includes 50%off one 7-week dog training ses-sion.

5-year-old Diesel looks a bitrough around the edges, but heis a big love-muffin! He wasfound on a constuction site andquickly endeared himself to allthe workers there. He deserves awarm home where he can give

back alll the love that he gets-and more! He is suitable for afirst time cat guardian.

The adoption fee for adultcats is $50.

Meet your forever friend atTony La Russa’s Animal RescueFoundation, 2890 Mitchell

Drive, Walnut Creek, duringadoption hours: noon to 6 pmWednesday & Thursday, noonto 7 pm Friday, and noon to 6pm Saturday & Sunday. The pri-mary caretaker must be presentto adopt. ARF also encourageskids 16 and younger and caninefamily members (dog adoptionsonly) to be present during theadoption 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.

Hermes and Diesel are ARF’s Stars

HERMES DIESEL

Debbie DeMello is a dog trainerand owner of Who’s Training Whoin Walnut Creek. Contact her atdebdemello@aol.com

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Bone up on some facts beforebringing home that new dog

Book Review

SUNNY SOLOMON

FOR THE BOOKS Sunny Solomon is a freelancewriter and head of the Clayton BookClub. Visit her website at bookinwithsunny.com to ‘talk books.’

Apocalyptic drama inspires the human spirit

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Page 14 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com February 13, 2015

Clayton Community CalendarPLEASE SUBMIT YOUR CLAYTON COMMUNITY CALENDAR EVENTS BY 5 P.M. MARCH 4 FOR THE MARCH 13 ISSUE. ITEMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL TO calendar@claytonpioneer.com

IN CLAYTON

MMaarr.. 111155tthh AAnnnnuuaall CChhiillii CCoonntteessttat the Clayton ClubSaloon. Field is limited tothe first 20 contestantswho register. Top threechilis win cash prizes. Butthe big winner is the hun-gry gallery that gets tosample all the chilis afterthe judging. Judging startsat 11 a.m. Prizes awardedat 1 p.m. Bring your Beano. Clayton Club Saloon, 6096 MainSt., Clayton. claytonclubsaloon.com. 673-0440.

IN CONCORDTTuueessddaayyss FFaarrmmeerrss’’ MMaarrkkeettTuesdays year round. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Todos Santos Plaza,downtown Concord. cityofconcord.org.

33rrdd SSuunnddaayyss AAnnttiiqquuee FFaaiirreeAntiques, collectibles, handmade arts and crafts. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.Todos Santos Plaza, downtown Concord. Free admission. concor-dantiquefaire.com.

OOnn SSaallee NNoowwCCoonncceerrttssThe Concord Pavilion is located at 2000 Kirker Pass Road,Concord. theconcordpavilion.com. Concert schedule for 2015:

May 28, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, 7 p.m. July 21, 5 Seconds of Summer, 7 p.m. Aug. 7, Idina Menzel, 7 p.m. Aug. 26, Slipknot, 7 p.m.

FFeebb.. 2277HHeeaalltthh EExxppooAge Strong, Live Long Health Expo. Senior citizens and familymembers invited. Presentations, vendors, health screenings. 9a.m. – 2 p.m. Concord Senior Center, 2727 Parkside Circle,Concord. Free. cityofconcord.org/healthfair.

ON THE MOUNTAINMount Diablo Interpretive Association programs listed are freewith the exception of park entrance fee. Go to mdia.org and clickon Events Calendar for more information.

FFeebb.. 1155AAmmpphhiibbiiaannss ooff CCoonnttrraa CCoossttaa CCoouunnttyyLearn about amphibians of the county with an emphasis on localsalamanders and newts. Meet a salamander up close. 10 a.m. –2 p.m. Summit Audio Visual Room.

FFeebb.. 2222SSyyccaammoorree CCaannyyoonn HHiikkeeHike from Curry Canyon to Sycamore Canyon then over toKnobcone Point and back. Expansive views of Mount Diablo andMorgan Fire area. 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Meet at Curry PointTrailhead.

MMaarr.. 88EEaaggllee PPeeaakk HHiikkeeClimb past Mitchell Rock via Twin Peaks to Eagle Peak with itsmagnificent view. 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Meet at Mitchell CanyonTrailhead.

MMaarr.. 1155DDiiaabblloo FFaallllss HHiikkeeHike up Back Canyon to Murchio Gap, then descend to FallsTrail. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Meet at Mitchell Canyon Trailhead.

MMaarr.. 1155WWiillddfflloowweerrss ooff MMoouunntt DDiiaabbllooVisual presentation of an array of flowers that bloom fromFebruary through June. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Summit Audio VisualRoom.

EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENTTThhrruu FFeebb.. 1144““MMaammaa WWoonn’’tt FFllyy””A Jones Hope Wooten comedy. Onstage Theatre at MartinezCampbell Theater, 636 Ward St., Martinez. 518-3277.

TThhrruu FFeebb.. 1155““CCaannddiiddee””Eccentric characters journey around the world in search of themeaning of life performed by Lamplighters Music Theater. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $25-$54.lamplighters.org.

TThhrruu FFeebb.. 2222““GGooddssppeellll””Masterful retelling of the Gospel According to St. Matthew pre-sented by OMG I Love that Show Productions. Lesher Center forthe Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $35. lesherartscenter.org.943-7469.

TThhrruu FFeebb.. 2288““TThhee BBooookk CClluubb PPllaayy””A comedy about books and people who love them. Lesher Centerfor the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $33-$58.centerrep.org.

FFeebb.. 1144SSoonnggss iinn tthhee KKeeyy ooff LL..OO..VV..EE..Valentine’s Day musical tribute of love songs. 8 p.m. CaliforniaTheatre, 351 Railroad Ave., Pittsburg. $13-$17. pittsburgcalifor-niatheatre.com. 427-1611.

FFeebb.. 1155““BBuullll iinn aa CChhiinnaa SShhoopp””Madcap goings-on presented by Vagabond Players. 2 p.m. ElCampanil Theatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch. $10-$15. elcam-paniltheatre.com.

FFeebb.. 1155MMuussiiccaall IInntteerrlluuddeessIntimate recitals showcasing the talented players of the CaliforniaSymphony. 3 p.m. Steinway Piano Gallery, 1605 Bonanza St.,Walnut Creek. $60. 280-2490.

FFeebb.. 2200,, 2222““WWiillllyy WWoonnkkaa aanndd tthhee CChhooccoollaattee FFaaccttoorryy””Timeless story told by El Campanil Children’s Theatre. ElCampanil Theatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch. $8-$12. elcam-paniltheatre.com.

FFeebb.. 2211CCoommppaannyy SShhooww SShhoowwccaassee 22001155Presented by Dance Connection. 3 and 7:30 p.m. Lesher Centerfor the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $16-$25. lesherarts-center.org. 943-7469.

FFeebb.. 2211 HHoooorraayy ffoorr HHoollllyywwooooddPerformed by the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra. 2 p.m. ElCampanil Theatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch. $7-$15. elcam-paniltheatre.com.

FFeebb.. 2222 HHoooorraayy ffoorr HHoollllyywwooooddPerformed by the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra. 2 p.m.Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $10-$30. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

FFeebb.. 2277 –– MMaarr.. 88““IInnttoo tthhee WWooooddss””The Brothers Grimm fairytales collide in this epic tale. CaliforniaTheatre, 351 Railroad Ave., Pittsburg. $10-$25. pittsburgcalifor-niatheatre.com. 427-1611.

FFeebb.. 2288TThhee AAccoouussttiicc RReeuunniioonn CCoonncceerrttPresented by Randyn Seymon and Bill Younger. 6:15 p.m. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $13-$17.lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

FFeebb.. 2288TThhee SSuunn KKiinnggssSpot-on recreation of The Beatles. 8 p.m. El Campanil Theatre,602 W. Second St., Antioch. $25-$27. elcampaniltheatre.com.

FFeebb.. 2288 –– MMaarr.. 1155““MMrr.. BBuurrnnss””A.C.T. presents an outrageous and enthusiastically acclaimeddark comedy by Bay Area-born playwright Anne Washburn. TheGeary Theater, 415 Geary St., San Francisco. $20-$120. act-sf.org. (415) 749-2228.

MMaarr.. 33CCoonncceerrttPresented by Diablo Wind Symphony. 7:30 p.m. Lesher Centerfor the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $6-$10. lesherarts-center.org. 943-7469.

MMaarr.. 66 -- 88FFoorrbbiiddddeenn BBrrooaaddwwaayyOff-Broadway hit musical revue by Brentwood Theater Company.Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $25-$40. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

MMaarr.. 88FFrreenncchh IImmpprreessssiioonnssPresented by Contra Costa Wind Symphony. 7:30 p.m. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $18-$25.lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

MMaarr.. 1100WWaallnnuutt CCrreeeekk CCoonncceerrtt BBaannddPerforms band classics from Bach to Bernstein. 7:30 p.m. LesherCenter for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $14-$17.lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

MMaarr.. 1111IInn tthhee MMooooddFully staged tribute to big band greats. 2 p.m. El CampanilTheatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch. $34-$37. elcampanilthe-atre.com.

MMaarr.. 1122 –– 2299““MMyy MMootthheerr’’ss IIttaalliiaann,, MMyy FFaatthheerr’’ss JJeewwiisshh,, II’’mm iinn TThheerraappyy!!””Presented by Playhouse Productions. Del Valle Theater, 1963 TiceValley Blvd., Walnut Creek. $65. 943-7469.

MMaarr.. 1133SSccootttt CCaappuurrrrooComedy. 8 p.m. California Theatre, 351 Railroad Ave., Pittsburg.$17-$20. pittsburgcaliforniatheatre.com. 427-1611.

MMaarr.. 1133 –– 1144UUnnttaammeedd:: TThhee WWiinntteerr DDaannccee SSeerriieessPresented by Smuin Ballet. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 CivicDr., Walnut Creek. $73. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

MMaarr.. 1133 –– 1155““PPiinnoocccchhiioo””Presented by Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble. Lesher Center forthe Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $14. lesherartscenter.org.943-7469.

MMaarr.. 114433..114411559922 eettcc..Presented by Ready or Not Improv. 8:15 p.m. Lesher Center forthe Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $15. lesherartscenter.org.943-7469.

MMaarr.. 1144MMaarriiaacchhii DDiivvaassSouth-of-the-border evening of cheerful music. 8 p.m. ElCampanil Theatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch. $25-$27. elcam-paniltheatre.com.

MMaarr.. 1177 –– 2211PPeerrccuussssiioonn DDiissccuussssiioonnPresented by Ken Bergmann. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601Civic Dr., Walnut Creek. $14. lesherartscenter.org. 943-7469.

SCHOOLSTThhrruu FFeebb.. 1155““TThhee TTaammiinngg ooff tthhee SShhrreeww””Shakespeare’s outrageous comedy. Diablo Valley College, 321Golf Club Road, Pleasant Hill. $16-$21. dvcdrama.net.

FFeebb.. 1188 –– 2211““LLiittttllee SShhoopp ooff HHoorrrroorrss””Musical comedy presented by Clayton Valley Charter HighSchool. 7 p.m. CVCHS Multi-Use Room, 1101 Alberta Way,Concord. $5 students; $10 general. Not recommended for smallchildren. For more information: elizabeth.emigh@claytonvalley-org or 682-7474, ext. 2678.

MMaarr.. 1133 –– 2299““PPiiccaassssoo aatt tthhee LLaappiinn AAggiillee””Absurdist comedy placing Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein in aParisian café in 1904. Diablo Valley College, 321 Golf ClubRoad, Pleasant Hill. $16-$21. dvcdrama.net.

CHURCHES AND RELIGIONFFeebb.. 1144CCoonncceerrttMichele Sharik performs a solo handbell concert. 7:30 p.m.Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church, 1578 Kirker Pass Road,Clayton. $15. cvpresby.org.

FFeebb.. 2288AAnnnnuuaall DDaaddddyy DDaauugghhtteerr DDaanncceeOpen to the public: girls and dads, uncles, granddads andfriends of all ages. Professional portrait, dessert and dancing.Disney’s “Frozen” theme. Sponsored by Clayton CommunityChurch. 6:30 – 9 p.m. Oakhurst Country Club, 1001 PeacockCreek Drive, Clayton. $25 per couple; $5 each additional guest.Register at claytoncc.com/#/event-registration. For more informa-tion, contact Carol Gaiser at cgaiser@pacbell.net or 890-5301.

FUNDRAISERS22nndd aanndd 44tthh SSuunnddaayyssPPaannccaakkee BBrreeaakkffaassttVeterans of Foreign Wars serve breakfast to the public: Eggs,pancakes, sausage, beverage. 8 – 11 a.m. VFW Post 1525,2290 Willow Pass Road, Concord. $5, $3 children under 12. vfw-post1525.org.

FFeebb.. 1144VVaalleennttiinnee’’ss DDiinnnneerr DDaanncceeDinner and dancing to live music. Benefits donations made by theConcord Moose Lodge. 6:30 p.m. 1805 Broadway St., Concord.$15. 798-0887.

FFeebb.. 2211PPaannccaakkeess aanndd PPoonniieessEnjoy breakfast, horses and Mount Diablo and get to know theConcord Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association. Benefits club’s horse-manship education programs. 9 a.m. Association clubhouse,1600 Trail Ride Road, Clayton. $8 adults; $5 children.cmdtra.org.

MMaarr.. 11AA SSttrroollll TThhrroouugghh NNeeww OOrrlleeaannssMusic and silent auction to benefit high school students in alter-native programs in Mt. Diablo Unified School District. Hosted byMount Diablo Alternative Education Foundation. 2 – 4 p.m.Heather Farm, 1540 Marchbanks Drive, Walnut Creek. $10-$25.brownpapertickets.com.

MMaarr.. 77DDeellttaa BBlluueess FFeessttiivvaall BBeenneeffiitt CCoonncceerrttAll profits benefit funding the next Delta Blues Festival. 7 p.m. ElCampanil Theatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch. $15-$40. elcam-paniltheatre.com.

MMaarr.. 1144CCrraabb FFeeeeddCrab feed, dancing, raffles and auction by Clayton Valley CharterHigh School Athletic Boosters Club. 5:30 p.m. Centre Concord,5298 Clayton Road, Concord. $50; $60 after Feb. 28. cvhs-boosters.org.

MMaarr.. 2211BBaannqquueettDinner, auction, raffle to benefit Ygnacio Valley High SchoolAthletic Boosters. 6:30 – 10:30 p.m. St. John Vianney Church,1650 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek. Adults only. $35 byMar. 1; $40 after. For more information: heidihastings@att.net or671-6861.

AT THE LIBRARYThe Clayton Library is at 6125 Clayton Road. Programs are freeunless otherwise noted. See full schedule of events at claytonli-brary.org or call 673-0659.

FFeebb.. 2255WWiinntteerr BBuussiinneessss SSeerriieessJanet Long of Elaine’s Toffee Company talks about the start andgrowth of the local Clayton business. 6:30 p.m.

MMaarr.. 99CCllaayyttoonn LLiibbrraarryy BBooookk CClluubbSunny Solomon leads the discussion of “Whistling Past theGraveyard” by Susan Crandall. Open to anyone who wants tojoin. 7 p.m.

The Concord Library is at 2900 Salvio St. Programs are free unlessotherwise noted. See full schedule of events at ccclib.org or 646-5455.

FFrriiddaayyss aanndd SSaattuurrddaayyss tthhrruu AApprr.. 1111FFrreeee TTaaxx AAssssiissttaanncceeThe library and AARP partner to provide free tax assistance tolow and middle income people. Call for appointment: 405-5135.

MMaarr.. 1122SSmmaallll CCllaaiimmss AAddvviissoorr WWoorrkksshhooppPresented by Contra Costa County Superior Court. 5:30 p.m.Registration required: smallclaims@contracosta.courts.ca.gov.

GOVERNMENT11sstt aanndd 33rrdd TTuueessddaayyssCCllaayyttoonn CCiittyy CCoouunncciill7 p.m. Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304 or ci.clayton.ca.us.

22nndd aanndd 44tthh TTuueessddaayyssCCllaayyttoonn PPllaannnniinngg CCoommmmiissssiioonn7 p.m., Hoyer Hall, Clayton Library, 6125 Clayton Road. 673-7304 or ci.clayton.ca.us.

American ConservatoryTheater (A.C.T.) will presentTony Award–winning composerJason Robert Brown’s power-ful and intimate musical, “TheLast Five Years,” for a specialconcert presentation on March

27 and 28.Starring Betsy Wolfe and

Adam Kantor, who both per-formed in the criticallyacclaimed 2013 off-Broadwayrevival at New York’s SecondStage Theatre, “The Last Five

Years” tells the powerful storyof two 20-something NewYorkers who dive headfirst intoa marriage fueled by the opti-mism that comes from finding“the one.”

But in a city where profes-sional and personal passionscollide and only the strongestrelationships survive, navigatingthe waters of love and matrimo-ny can sometimes prove to betoo much. Sung from their indi-vidual points of view, Cathy’sjourney is told from ending tobeginning and Jamie’s frombeginning to end. Funny, hon-est, and intimate, and with anexuberantly romantic score,“The Last Five Years” takes abold look at one young couple’shope that love endures the testof time.

For performance times and ticketinfo, go to www.act-sf.org, call 415-749-2228.

Pittsburg CommunityTheatre (PCT) will soon besinging in the woods andbeyond as it presents the popu-lar musical “Into the Woods,”Stephen Sondheim’s take onstorybook characters goneamuck.

Sondheim’s marvelous musiccombines characters from“Little Red Riding Hood,” “Jackand the Beanstalk” and manymore into an exciting tale ofwhat really happens after “hap-pily ever after.” PCT promisesto stay true to Sondheim’s darkhumor and faithful to his origi-nal Broadway score, includingseveral musical numbers that

were deleted from the recentmovie version featuring MerylStreep and Johnny Depp. “Intothe Woods” runs Feb. 27-28,Mar. 1, and Mar. 6-8 at the beau-tiful California Theatre, 351Railroad Ave., in Pittsburg. Call925-427-1611 for tickets.

PCT holds auditions for NeilSimon’s comedy classic“Barefoot in the Park” from 7to 9 p.m. Mar. 2 and 3 with call-backs on Mar. 4 at Hillview Jr.High School, 333 Yosemite, inPittsburg. Also made into amovie with Jane Fonda andRobert Redford in the lead roles,the show runs April 23 – 26. Formore information, go towww.pittsburgcommunitythe-atre.org and click on Auditions.

Brentwood TheaterCompany presents “ForbiddenBroadway” in two locations.The hit musical revue features aloving (and sometimes satirical)tribute to theater’s greatest stars.See all your favorite Broadwaymusicals at your choice of loca-tions. At 8 p.m. on Feb. 28 and 2p.m. Mar. 1, the show takesplace at Trilogy at the Vineyards,Mt. Diablo Event Center, 1700

Trilogy Parkway, in Brentwood.It then moves to Walnut Creek’sLesher Center for the Arts, 1601Civic Dr., for performances onat 8:15 p.m. Mar. 6-7 at 2:15p.m. and Mar. 8 For more infor-mation, call 925-513-3863.

Magic is in the air as theOnstage Theatre Companypresents illusionist TimothyJames at 2 p.m. on Feb. 28 at theMartinez Campbell Theater, 636Ward Street. James has wonnumerous awards for his sleightof hand and variety entertain-ment around the country. Fortickets to this family-friendlyshow, call 925-350-9770.

The Millennium Approachesas Lafayette’s Town HallTheatre presents the first part ofTony Kushner’s epic work“Angels in America” Feb. 7-28.Winner of the 1993 PulitzerPrize for Drama, the first part ofKushner’s masterpiece takesplace in Reagan-era New Yorkand various locales across thecountry as the AIDS epidemicawakens America. For tickets,call 925-283-1557 or go towww.townhalltheatre.com.

There’s still time to catch

several shows at the LesherCenter including Center Rep’s“The Book Club Play,” runningthrough Feb. 28. KarenZacarias’ clever comedy followsthe ups and downs of a localbook club chosen as the subjectof a film documentary.

Center Rep has also startedthe “First Look” program,which thanks U.S. Military per-sonnel and U.S. Veterans with$15 tickets to any preview per-formance. College students, fac-ulty, and staff with a school IDcan also purchase the $15 tick-ets. Limit of two tickets per per-son.

Also at the Lesher is OMG ILove That Show’s production of“Godspell,” which runs throughFeb. 22. This retelling of theGospel according to St.Matthew includes new orches-trations by Grammy and TonyAward winner Alex Lacamoire.

Then at 2 p.m. on Feb. 14and 15, the Lamplighters bring arousing production of LeonardBernstein’s musical “Candide”to the Lesher. Join youngCandide and a virtual clown carof eccentric characters on theirjourney around the world insearch of the meaning of life.For tickets to all the shows per-forming at the Lesher, call 925-943-SHOW or go towww.lesherartscenter.org.

Performing Arts

SALLY HOGARTY

STAGE STRUCK

Sally Hogarty is well knownaround the Bay Area as a newspapercolumnist, theatre critic and workingactress. She is also the editor of theOrinda News. Send comments tosallyhogarty@gmail.com

Local stages light up this Spring

Cinderella with her step family and a cast of mixed up fairy-tale characters head ‘Into the Woods’ at Pittsburg CommunityTheatre.

BETSY WOLFE ADAM KANTOR

Photo Tom Deans-Flegel

OMG’, I Love That Show’s ‘Godspell,’ the sixties, quirky retell of the Gospel of Matthew, is atthe Lesher Center through Feb. 22.

Illusionist Timothy James is atthe Campbell Theater oneday only on Feb. 28

February 13, 2015 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 15

925-672-20251028 Diablo St.,Clayton, CA

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Jennifer Ashworth as Cunegonde, Baker Peeples as Voltaire,Rick Williams as Pangloss, and Sam Faustine as Candide inthe Lamplighters production of the Leonard Bernstein musicalis at the Lesher Center Feb. 14 and 15.

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“Good nutrition brings good health, brings happiness. Thank you, Doorstep Farmers.”

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The landscapes throughoutClayton are quite confused thisFebruary. Many plants, shrubsand trees are presenting theirspring displays more than amonth early this year.

Perhaps you noticed thelarge, salmon pink colored flow-ers lining naked, upright stemsin front of the Easley Ranchproperty and along El Molinodrive. This deciduous shrub iscalled Flowering Quince.Flowering Quince is what werefer to as a quiet shrub. Youdon’t realize it’s there until itblooms, and then it instantlygrabs your attention. The familyof Flowering Quince is found innursery by the nameChaenomeles. It is an incrediblyhardy, deciduous shrub thatthrives in full sun, with very lit-tle water. Flowering Quince isavailable in many colors fromred, pink, orange and white.Flowering Quince would makean excellent introduction to aClayton hillside where ceanoth-us and rock rose are alreadyflourishing.

Another deciduous shrubblooming around town is theWestern Redbud. The WesternRedbud will eventually grow tobecome a small, multi trunktree, reaching 10- to 12-feet talland wide. Western Redbuds areeasy to spot in landscapes andopen spaces. Just look for thepurple haze of small two-lippedshaped flowers on thin nakedbranches. The Western Redbudis a California Native and thriveswith very little to no summerwater. Once the flower has

faded, small, greenish heartshaped leaves appear. Althoughthey may look delicate, theWestern Redbud is tough asnails. If you are looking for aWestern Redbud, its botanical

name is Cercis occidentalis.This year Hardenbergia and

Carolina jessamine vines areblooming at the same time. Inyears past, garden lovers are ableto enjoy the purple, lilac shaped

flower from their Hardenbergiavines for several weeks prior tothe yellow, trumpet shapedflower of their Carolina jes-samine. It is lovely to see thembloom together. Purple and yel-low go so well. Hardenbergia isa woody vine with lance shapedleaves and a February flowerdisplay. The woodiness of theHardenbergia makes it a water-wise vine consideration. TheCarolina jessamine can be foundin nurseries by the nameGelsemium sempervirens.Although the Carolina jessamineenjoys more water, it is still con-sidered quite hardy and water-wise.

We have to tend to ourplants as they project their needsthis year. You’ll fertilize earlier.It’s okay. You should do whatthey are asking for. Since plantsare starting to grow, give themnitrogen. The ones that areblooming, give them phospho-rous. Work gypsum around thebase of all the plants you value,it will help move out the salt andminerals that have been buildingup in the soil from our insignifi-cant rainfall. Don’t forget yourtrees. They will suffer from thesalt and mineral build up too.

Page 16 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com February 13, 2015

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Plants are springing forward ahead of schedule

THE FLOWERING QUINCE is blooming more than a month earlybecause of the unseasonably mild temperatures.

NICOLE HACKETT

GARDEN GIRL

Nicole is the Garden Girl at R&MPool, Patio, Gifts and Garden. Contacther with questions or comments atGardengirl@claytonpioneer.com

High up on Mt. Diablo is ahidden gem that few knowabout. The Concord Mt. DiabloTrail Ride Association on thenorth slope just outside Claytonis a playground for kids andfamilies who love the mountain.On Feb. 21, locals will have achance to discover this hiddengem for themselves at a Pancakeand Ponies play day andwalk/hike at the clubhouse tobenefit its HorsemanshipEducation programs.

The day begins with pan-cakes at 9 a.m. To register andfor directions to the clubhouse,go to cmdtra.org, click on thecalendar and choose the Feb. 21event called Pancakes andPonies. Deadline: Feb. 20. $8 foradults; $5 for children 12 yearsand under. For more informa-tion, contact Valerie Watase-Sterling, (925) 260-3173 orvwatase@aol.com.

VOLUNTEER JILL RAMSEY LEADS EMMA STERLING aboardPrincess Fiona while Emma practices sitting tall in the saddle.

CMDTRA hosts Pancakes and Ponies Clayton CommunityLibrary seeksvolunteer art exhibit liason

CBCA approves blossoms and bannersClub News

The ClaytonCommunity Library islooking for an art exhibitliaison. The liaison workswith the volunteer coor-dinator to solicit localartists’ work and displaythe artwork at the library.No experience and mini-mal hours are required.Contact Arlene Nielsen,library volunteer coordi-nator, atnielsenjanc@aol.com or(925) 673-9777.

The Clayton Business andProfessional Association hit2015 running at its Jan. 29 meet-ing at Oakhurst Country Club.The club approved donationrequests from the ClaytonGarden Club, the Fire ServicesAd Hoc Committee, and theClayton Fourth of JulyCommittee.

For the fourth year, CBCAdonated to the Garden Club’s“Blossoms for Barbara” event,in which live plants are distrib-uted among shut-ins, batteredwomen’s shelters, veterans’ cen-ters and nursing home residents,just a small reminder that peoplereally do care.

The club donated to the re-opening event for Fire StationNo. 11 to help supply bannersand decorations, as the commu-nity says, “Welcome Back!”

For more than 20 years,CBCA has donated to, and

helped organize, the annualFourth of July parade in down-town Clayton. This year will beno exception, and more than10,000 people will benefit frombanners, a sound technician, andpolice security. As usual, CBCAmembers will march in theparade.

Clayton Art & Wine Festivalco-chairs John Garrett andDebbie Bruno previewed someof the new attractions for thepopular event scheduled forMay 2 and 3. There will be anexpanded Premium WineBooth, thanks to a great recep-tion at last year’s event.Kiddieland will add video gamesand laser tag, and the food courtand music stage will move to thearea where it has been locatedfor Oktoberfest.

Club president GreggManning presented an apprecia-tion trophy to Ed and CeceliaHartley for their part in makingthe downtown bocce courts areality.

Hartley also added that the

security cameras are workingwell, catching youngsters throw-ing the balls around the courtafter hours. Another time, abocce club member caught

some unsupervised kids throw-ing the palinos into the creek.The volunteer retrieved three ofthe four balls and returned thekids to their parents.

SHARON FITZGERALD OF MEALS ON WHEELS (left) received flowerslast year from Sharon Osteen and Linda Manss Karp (at right)of the Clayton Valley Garden Club as part of the Blossoms forBarbara program.

GARY CARR

Special to the Pioneer

If you would like your generalclub information posted on the Pioneerwebsite, send a request to info@clay-tonpioneer.com. To see the full list ofClayton-area clubs with contact infor-mation, go to ClaytonPioneer.com andclick on “Links’

If you follow any sort ofblogs about the design industry,or flip though design magazineswhile standing in line at the gro-cery store, you may have comeacross the news that the colorMarsala has been declared thecolor of 2015 by Pantone.Pantone LLC is a world-renowned authority of colorand provider of color systems.

So, what color is Marsala?As Pantone thoughtfully anddeliciously describes: “A taste-ful hue that embodies the satis-fying richness of a fulfillingmeal; its grounding red-brownroots emanate a sophisticated,natural earthiness.”

Well, this is all fine and well,you say. Your living room con-sists of elegant yellow and blues.Your bedroom is a collection ofivory, tans and brown. And yourkitchen has white cabinetry withaccents of teal. Wanting to staycurrent with color trends, you’rea little perplexed as to where youwould fit Marsala into yourexisting color schemes. You’re

probably not going to reuphol-ster your living room sofa, orretile your master bathroomusing this new color, but thereare other ways to bring thisfresh new color into your designaesthetic.

RESTFUL, SOOTHING

AND LOVELY

If you want to be adventure-some with color, bring in theaccessories; pillows, drink coast-

ers, a table runner, servingbowls, silk flowers, paper nap-kins, bud vases, serving utensils… the list goes on. You actuallymight be surprised at how wellMarsala works with all sorts ofcool and warm colors. If we usethe example of the elegant yel-low and blue living room,Marsala works as a very rich andgrounding color, opposite thesefresh tones. If we use the exam-ple of the ivory, tan and brown

bedroom, Marsala is a restfuland soothing added color.Think of adding an extra longbolster pillow or a cashmerethrow at the end of the bed.And if we think of a white andteal kitchen, Marsala would bethis bold hit of wine-coloredloveliness. It’s a perfect pairing.

TRENDY, HIP AND

INTERACTIVE

Trendy…yes. An interactiveway to way to look atcolor…yes. Selected with muchthought and consideration as itspans the various design indus-tries…yes. So other than addingan accessory here and there toupdate your existing colorpalettes, what does this colorselection really mean to you?Should you care? Lose sleepover this choice?

Well, it’s more of somethingto be aware of visually. Whenyou’re out and about shoppingfor clothing, regardless ofwhich department you are in,you’ll probably see this color asa solid dress, a pair of pants ormore of an accent color foundwoven with other colors in ascarf or purse.

When you’re on the searchfor home accessories, this colormay pop up in solid coloredceramic pieces, table linens, pil-lows or accent colors in astripe, floral pattern or geomet-ric print. You may also find thispaint color on display in vari-ous paint manufacturer’s show-rooms, shown with comple-mentary colors for interior andexterior colors.

February 13, 2015 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com Page 17

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Mesmerizing Marsala is a must for 2015

REDDISH BROWN MARSALA is this year’s comtemporary color ofthe hour. The warm hue can be worked into almost any colorscheme.

All of this year’s nomineesfor the Academy Award for BestPicture were well-deserving.The exquisite “Boyhood” isRichard Linklater’s labor oflove, in which he filmed thesame group of actors for 1 weekeach year for 12 years. The char-acters literally grow up in frontof your eyes. There were alsoseveral fantastic biopics such as“Selma,” “The Imitation Game”and “The Theory ofEverything.” However, I give aslight nod to “American Sniper”as my favorite of the eight nom-inees.

Clint Eastwood’s directorialrésumé includes some of thefinest motion pictures of thelast twenty-five years. While“Unforgiven,” “Mystic River,”“Million Dollar Baby” and“Letters from Iwo Jima” are allexcellent films, “AmericanSniper” may be his most satisfy-ing.

The true story of Chris Kyle,“the greatest sharpshooter inAmerican history,” is a sad one.What he experienced in his fourtours of Iraq and in his subse-quent years suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder isheartbreaking. As Kyle, BradleyCooper steps into a career-defining role. Cooper exudes thegruff, Navy SEAL exterior thatKyle embodied both on thefront and at home.

Using a succinct amount offlashbacks near the beginning,we learn that Kyle’s dad wasvery tough on Kyle and hisyounger brother, Jeff. Theirfather instilled in them the needto become the “sheepdogs” toprotect the sheep from thewolves. When Kyle learns of9/11, he instinctively knows his

next move is to join the NavySEALS. Eastwood doesn’t holdback in his depiction of theSEAL boot camp. We see themen as they freeze in muddywater and nearly drown underpounding waves. Chris Kyle wasborn for this life.

Eastwood weaves in and outof Kyle’s four tours, capturingKyle’s declining home life in-between. Most of his wifeTaya’s (Sienna Miller) contactwith her husband consists ofphone calls during firefightsabroad and arguments with himat home. She is never clear whatexactly is going on in his head.Cooper does a marvelous jobconveying the demons withwhich Kyle wrestles.

The zenith of “AmericanSniper” is the scenes in Iraq.Kyle typically sets up on a rooftop to provide the “over watch”protection to the marines below.Things are dirty, dusty anddecrepit. Dogs bark, childrenrun, people talk on cell phones.Kyle has to be constantly awareof everything and every possiblethreat. Suspense builds duringthe successive tours as Kylebecomes enamored with chasingIraq’s most infamous sniper aswell as a high-ranking enemy

known as “The Butcher.” As hisown kill tally rises, Kylebecomes the stuff of legendamongst his brothers-in-arms.

Eastwood has never beenone to shy away from difficultsubject matter. With “AmericanSniper,” he tackles it with graceand respect, exposing us to atrue American hero. A

‘American Sniper’should score an Oscar

In ‘American Sniper,’ directed by Clint Eastwood, BradleyCooper plays Chris Kyle, a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper who is saidto have had the most confirmed kills in U.S. military history.‘American Sniper’ is nominated for six Academy Awards,including Best Picture.

JENNIFER LEISCHER

DESIGN & DÉCOR

Jennifer Leischer is the owner ofJ. Designs Interior Design based inClayton. Contact her with questions,comments and suggestions atjenna@j-designs.com.

Jeff Mellinger is a screen writerand film buff. He holds a BA inFilm Studies and an MFA in filmproduction. He lives in Concord.Email comments to editor@clayton-pioneer.com.

Movie Review

JEFF’S RANKINGOF BEST PICTURENOMINEES:

American SniperBoyhood (predictedOscar Winner)Grand Budapest HotelThe Theory of EverythingSelmaThe Imitation GameBirdmanWhiplash

JEFF MELLINGER

SCREEN SHOTS

Police Activity for twoweeks ending Feb. 5, 2015

ACCIDENTS:Jan. 27, Clayton Rd./El Camino Dr.

ARRESTS:Jan. 24, Clayton Rd./MitchellCanyon Rd. DUI: Alcohol. 41-year-old Concord male.

Jan. 24, 5400 Clayton Rd. DUI:Alcohol; DUI Alcohol/Over .08%. 37-year-old Modesto male.Jan. 24, 5400 Clayton Rd. PossessControlled Substance; PossessControlled Substance Paraphernalia;Probation Violation. 23-year-oldClayton male.Jan. 26, 5400 Clayton Rd. Warrant.47-year-old Bay Point female.

Jan. 31, Clayton Rd./N. Lydia Ln.Driving While License Suspended forDUI; Probation Violation. 29-year-oldConcord female.

BURGLARIES/THEFTS:Jan. 23, 5400 Clayton Rd. Burglary. Jan. 23, Coyote Cir. Petty Theft. Jan. 28, 6400 Clayton Rd. PettyTheft. Jan. 31, Keller Ridge Dr. Burglary –Vehicle. Feb. 5, Suisun Ct. Burglary –Vehicle.

VANDALISMS:Jan. 25, Caulfield Dr.

Page 18 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com February 13, 2015

* * Sample price is per person, based on double occupancy in a Club category room on select weeks at Ixtapa Pacific, Mexico; Sandpiper Bay, Florida; and Turkoise,

Turks & Caicos. Prices on other dates and/or at other resorts may vary. Blackout dates apply, including holidays and other dates. Offer requires a 3-night minimum

stay (7-night minimum for Columbus Isle). Available at select resorts. Does not include airfare. Valid for new individual bookings only for select travel dates through

August 21, 2015 and must be booked by March 3, 2015. Offer is subject to capacity control and may increase at any time. Children aged under 4 years stay for free

at our family destinations. ** In the event that more than 50% of the ski lifts in the domain are closed during a guest’s stay, Club Med will offer the guest a Future

Travel Certificate (FTC) for a value equal to 50% of the land portion for the days impacted. Bad weather, storms and heavy snow falls are excluded. Offer only applies

to travel between March 15, 2015 and resort closing dates. The snow guarantee is subject to change or withdrawal without notice. Future Travel Certificates for 50%

of the land value of the stay during which the village was impacted by ski lift closure (more than 50% closed), as reported on the official website of the ski resort.

Airfare, membership fees and extras are not covered by this guarantee. Future Travel Certificates must be used for travel completed within one year of the original

date of travel and may be subject to blackout dates and other restrictions. Certificates may be used at any Club Med village, except Buccaneer’s Creek, Martinique.†

Children aged 4-11 years stay at up to 60% off adult price at select family resorts. Children aged 12-15 years stay at up to 40% off adult price at select family resorts.

For flights that are booked through Club Med, tickets for children must be paid for by the client. Children who are eligible to stay for free must be lodged in the same

room as the adults who are paying for their stay, or in a connecting room. Blackout dates may apply. Costs associated with Baby & Petit Club Med are at full day rate

during entire stay booked. CST #2033054-40

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Find your happy place at Club Med,

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Caribbean, Florida, Mexico and beyond.

So said Mark Twain about thecauliflower, which is enjoying along season at your local grocers.

Domesticated thousands ofyears ago in Europe and West-ern Asia, the cauliflower is amember of the cabbage (broc-coli, kale, brussels sprouts, mus-tard) family. Unlike its immedi-ate relatives, the cauliflower is acompact head of undevelopedwhite flower buds. Surroundedby heavy green leaves, the flowerbuds are blocked from sunlightand do not develop chloro-phyll—the substance that turnsplants green.

Like most veggies, the cau-liflower is a nutritional power-house with a high amount ofVitamin C, folate and fiber. Butfolks with thyroid problemsshould avoid eating largeamounts of cauliflower since itinterferes with the body’sabsorption of iodine.

The edible white part of acauliflower goes by manynames: curd, heart or head.When purchased, it should becreamy white with no specklingor discoloration. A medium-sized head weighs about 2

pounds and will serve 4 to 6people.

Cauliflower can be servedraw, steamed, boiled and roast-ed. Steaming and microwavingbetter preserves its vitamin con-tent, but roasting will turn cauli-flower lusciously sweet, crispand caramel brown. Add a table-spoon of lemon juice or milk tothe water in a saucepan to keepcauliflower white. Whatever youdo, avoid using an aluminum pot(cauliflower turns an unattrac-tive yellow color) or a cast ironpan (which results in a brown orblue-green color).

I wouldn’t eat cauliflowergrowing up. I thought it was somesort of mutant thing because ithad no color or texture. Little didI know that it’s a canvas for culi-nary creativity. Here are tworecipes you might enjoy, each ofwhich takes a different approachwith cauliflower:

CAULIFLOWER PURÉE1 Yukon Gold or small

sweet potato (6 oz),peeled and cut intoeven chunks

¼ small head of cauli-flower, cut in little flo-rets

1 c shredded Cheddarcheese

2 to 4 Tbsp milk or half-and-half

Steam potatoes and cauli-flower until quite tender. Whilestill hot, transfer the vegetablesto a blender along with thecheese and 2 Tbsp of the milk.Blend to a smooth purée, addingmore milk as needed for consis-tency.

CAULIFLOWER HUMMUS(from Better Homes

and Gardens)1 medium head cauli-

flower, cored and cutinto florets

2 Tbsp tahini (sesameseed paste)

2 Tbsp olive oil2 tsp lemon zest1 Tbsp lemon juice4 cloves garlic½ tsp ground cumin¼ tsp cayenne pepper¼ tsp crushed red pepper¼ c chopped cilantroSalt to taste

Cook cauliflower florets ina small amount of boilingwater until tender. Drain andtransfer to an ice bath to stopthe cooking; then drain again.

Use a food processor tocombine the cooked cauli-flower, tahini, olive oil, 1 tea-spoon of the lemon zest, thelemon juice, garlic, cumin,cayenne and salt. Cover andprocess until mixture issmooth. Add the cilantro andprocess for 5 seconds. Transferhummus to a serving bowl.Cover and chill for at least 2hours or up to 8 hours.

Just before serving, stirtogether the remaining lemonzest and crushed red pepperand sprinkle over the hummus.

Serve with flatbread, crack-ers and/or vegetables.

LINDA WYNER

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Linda Wyner owns Pans on Fire, agourmet cookware store and cookingschool in Pleasanton. Send suggestions orquestions to lwyner@pansonfire.com

Station 11 Reopens, from page 1

Photos by Jennifer Jay

Community barbeque hosted by ConFire and the city of Clayton marked the reopening ofStation 11 after a two-year closure.

Top: Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier,Mayor Dave Shuey and councilmembers Julie Pierce and KeithHaydon; Right, kids get first hand feel for firefighters protective gear.

Left: a pole of welcome back signs created by local scouts and students. Right, youngster gets alesson in how to use the fire extinguisher at the firehouse celebration Jan. 31.

Where to go for LOCAL newsFor fast, on-the-spot coverage of the latest police action, traffic jams, emergency information

and chat, social media and local blogs, like CLAYCORD.com are often good sources of break-ing news. For more complete, in-depth coverage of local news, readers turn to their independ-ently owned community newspapers. With news that people care about – local politics, schools,sports, events and stories about their friends and neighbors, the community newspaper is socialmedia the old fashioned way. To find out what is happening in neighboring cities, check out theseContra Costa Community News Group newspapersClayton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Clayton Pioneer . . . . . .ccllaayyttoonnppiioonneeeerr..ccoommConcord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Concord Pioneer . . . . .ccoonnccoorrddppiioonneeeerr..ccoommPleasant Hill, Martinez, Walnut Creek . .Community Focus . . . . .oouurrccoommmmuunniittyyffooccuuss..ccoommLafayette, Orinda and Moraga . . . . . .Lamorinda Weekly . . . .llaammoorriinnddaawweeeekkllyy..ccoommSan Ramon, Danville, and Alamo . . . .Valley Sentinel . . . . . . .vvaalllleeyysseennttiinneell..ccoomm

The Contra Costa Community Newspaper Group is a consortium of independent, locally ownednewspapers with a combined circulation of more than 150,000. To advertise in all five papers withjust one phone call, go to cccommunitynewsgroup.com or call 844.457.7665

Police ActivityReport