20
Sandi Brooks remembers standing on her Morgan Territory Road property a week before the Mt. Diablo fire started, looking at the dry grass surrounding the area. “If this thing ever catches fire it’s going to go up like a torch,” she said at the time. She was right. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the fire burned a hair-raising 3,111 acres of land before the approxi- mately 1,000 personnel brought in from districts around the state fought it to extinction. That number, however, doesn’t include the scores of locals who It is no wives’ tale that forest fires and other disasters are just part of Mother Nature’s way of regulating itself and thus Mt. Diablo will return to its pre- Morgan Fire state over the next three to five years. Senior Environmental Scien- tist Cyndy Shafer, who has worked for California State Parks including Mt. Diablo since 1997, says that a wildflower dis- play like the area hasn’t seen since the aftermath of the 1977 Mt. Diablo fire will likely show next spring but that the chapar- ral shrubs on the mountain will not fully recover for decades. Shafer says the chaparral that burned this month was “consid- ered young” as it reestablished itself after the ‘77 fire. Cal Fire and State Parks crews were seen using bulldoz- ers and other equipment right after the fire. Shafer said that When disaster strikes, it’s easy to find villains and heroes. While a target shooter using ammunition inappropriately may face charges for starting the Sept. 8 Morgan Fire in the dry brush land of Mt. Diablo, the many heroes of the saga – firefighters, community resi- dents and even Mother Nature itself – are being credited with helping curb the inferno, which scorched 3,111 acres, saw 100 homes evacuated and ultimately caused $5.3 million in damage. HOT SEPTEMBER DAY Temperatures were rising to “seasonable” – at least for the East Bay – highs of more than 90 degrees early that Sunday afternoon. Most local residents were already finishing their morning activities in time, maybe to catch the 49ers season It’s been over two weeks since the major fire on Mt. Diablo was contained and controlled and we were all able to breathe a big sigh of relief. On behalf of all of the residents of Clayton and our sur- rounding rural areas impacted by the fire, I express our heartfelt gratitude to all of the dedicated firefighters and emergency responders who brought the fire safely to conclusion. It was a scary few days for all of us. Now that the flames are gone, it’s instructive to review the roles we each assume in response to a local emergency. My phone began to ring early Sunday afternoon as many saw the smoke billowing IT’S YOUR PAPER www.claytonpioneer.com September 27, 2013 Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Community Calendar . . . . .16 Concord Beat . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Design and Décor . . . . . . . . .7 Directory of Advertisers . . . . .5 Estate Planning . . . . . . . . . . .7 Fashion Over 50 . . . . . . . . . .8 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .17 Pioneer Photo Album . . . . . . .3 The Pocket Parent . . . . . . . .14 Police Report . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Sports Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Take a Hike . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Teen Reads . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 TeenSpeak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Voyage of the Eagle . . . . . . .9 Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . .8 What’s Inside JULIE PIERCE MAYOR’S CORNER See Mayor , page 10 See Inferno, page 10 See Cycles , page 11 See Heroes , page 11 DENISEN HARTLOVE Clayton Pioneer JAY BEDECARRÉ Clayton Pioneer PEGGY SPEAR & TAMARA STEINER Clayton Pioneer PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA 94517 PERMIT 190 Postal Customer ECRWSS ‘Like’ us on Facebook (925) 672-0500 Fire tested community response and resolve Photo Tamara Steiner NEIGHBORS WERE QUICK TO SHOW THEIR THANKS TO THE FIREFIGHTERS FOR SAVING THEIR PROPERTIES from the ferocious flames of the Morgan fire which burned 3,111 acres on Mt. Diablo Sept. 8 and 9. Don and Jan Van Laeken’s Morgan Territory home was directly in the path of the flames during a dangerous Monday night flare up. The next morning, this sign made by the couple’s 11-year-old grandson, joined several others posted by grateful neighbors along Morgan Territory and all over Clayton. Frightened community weathers 3,111 acre Mt. Diablo inferno Morgan Fire Perimeter Map Morgan Fire Operations Map courtesy of CalFire THE MORGAN FIRE STARTED AROUND 1 P .M. ON SUNDAY , SEPT . 8 BY A TARGET SHOOTER in the aban- doned mercury mines at Morgan Territory and Marsh Creek Roads. By Tuesday evening, the fire had charred 3,111 acres from the mines at the northeast corner of the perimeter, through Perkins Canyon, North Peak and up and around Mt. Diablo, stopping just short of the summit on the southwest end. The smoke could be seen from all over the Bay Area and the burned area is visible on both the west and east sides of the mountain. SANDI BROOKS TAKES A MOMENT WITH APRIL, one of the 15 horses boarded at her Brookside Ranch on Morgan Territory Road. A charred North Peak is in the background. Cycles of nature will help repair damage to Mt. Diablo As fire raged, community heroes helped their own

Sept 27 clayton pioneer 2013

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  • Sandi Brooks remembersstanding on her Morgan TerritoryRoad property a week before theMt. Diablo fire started, looking atthe dry grass surrounding the area.

    If this thing ever catches fireits going to go up like a torch, shesaid at the time.

    She was right. According to theCalifornia Department of Forestryand Fire Protection (Cal Fire), thefire burned a hair-raising 3,111acres of land before the approxi-mately 1,000 personnel brought infrom districts around the statefought it to extinction.

    That number, however, doesntinclude the scores of locals who

    It is no wives tale that forestfires and other disasters are justpart of Mother Natures way ofregulating itself and thus Mt.Diablo will return to its pre-Morgan Fire state over the nextthree to five years.

    Senior Environmental Scien-tist Cyndy Shafer, who hasworked for California StateParks including Mt. Diablo since1997, says that a wildflower dis-play like the area hasnt seensince the aftermath of the 1977Mt. Diablo fire will likely shownext spring but that the chapar-ral shrubs on the mountain will

    not fully recover for decades.Shafer says the chaparral thatburned this month was consid-ered young as it reestablisheditself after the 77 fire.

    Cal Fire and State Parkscrews were seen using bulldoz-ers and other equipment rightafter the fire. Shafer said that

    When disaster strikes, itseasy to find villains and heroes.While a target shooter usingammunition inappropriatelymay face charges for startingthe Sept. 8 Morgan Fire in thedry brush land of Mt. Diablo,the many heroes of the saga firefighters, community resi-dents and even Mother Natureitself are being credited withhelping curb the inferno, whichscorched 3,111 acres, saw 100homes evacuated and ultimatelycaused $5.3 million in damage.

    HOT SEPTEMBER DAYTemperatures were rising to

    seasonable at least for theEast Bay highs of more than90 degrees early that Sundayafternoon. Most local residentswere already finishing theirmorning activities in time,maybe to catch the 49ers season

    Its been over two weeks sincethe major fire on Mt. Diablo wascontained and controlled and wewere all able to breathe a big sighof relief. On behalf of all of theresidents of Clayton and our sur-rounding rural areas impacted bythe fire, I express our heartfeltgratitude to all of the dedicatedfirefighters and emergencyresponders who brought the firesafely to conclusion. It was a scaryfew days for all of us.

    Now that the flames are gone,its instructive to review the roleswe each assume in response to alocal emergency. My phone beganto ring early Sunday afternoon asmany saw the smoke billowing

    ITS YOUR PAPER

    www.claytonpioneer.com September 27, 2013

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

    Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .14

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

    Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

    Community Calendar . . . . .16

    Concord Beat . . . . . . . . . . . .6

    Design and Dcor . . . . . . . . .7

    Directory of Advertisers . . . . .5

    Estate Planning . . . . . . . . . . .7

    Fashion Over 50 . . . . . . . . . .8

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

    Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

    Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .17

    Pioneer Photo Album . . . . . . .3

    The Pocket Parent . . . . . . . .14

    Police Report . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

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

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

    Sports Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

    Take a Hike . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

    Tech Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

    Teen Reads . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

    TeenSpeak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

    Voyage of the Eagle . . . . . . .9

    Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . .8

    Whats Inside

    JULIE PIERCEMAYORS CORNER

    See Mayor, page 10 See Inferno, page 10

    See Cycles, page 11

    See Heroes, page 11

    DENISEN HARTLOVE

    Clayton Pioneer

    JAY BEDECARR

    Clayton Pioneer

    PEGGY SPEAR &

    TAMARA STEINER

    Clayton Pioneer

    PRSRTSTD

    US POSTAGE

    PAID

    CLAYTON, CA94517

    PERMIT190

    Postal Customer

    ECRWSS

    Likeus on Facebook

    (925) 672-0500

    Fire tested communityresponse and resolve

    Photo Tamara Steiner

    NEIGHBORS WERE QUICK TO SHOW THEIR THANKS TO THE FIREFIGHTERS FOR SAVING THEIR PROPERTIES from the ferocious flamesof the Morgan fire which burned 3,111 acres on Mt. Diablo Sept. 8 and 9. Don and Jan Van Laekens MorganTerritory home was directly in the path of the flames during a dangerous Monday night flare up. The next morning,this sign made by the couples 11-year-old grandson, joined several others posted by grateful neighbors alongMorgan Territory and all over Clayton.

    Frightened community weathers3,111 acre Mt. Diablo inferno

    Morgan Fire Perimeter Map

    Morgan Fire Operations Map courtesy of CalFire

    THE MORGAN FIRE STARTED AROUND 1 P.M. ON SUNDAY, SEPT. 8 BY A TARGET SHOOTER in the aban-doned mercury mines at Morgan Territory and Marsh Creek Roads. By Tuesday evening, the firehad charred 3,111 acres from the mines at the northeast corner of the perimeter, throughPerkins Canyon, North Peak and up and around Mt. Diablo, stopping just short of the summiton the southwest end. The smoke could be seen from all over the Bay Area and the burnedarea is visible on both the west and east sides of the mountain.

    SANDI BROOKS TAKES A MOMENT WITH APRIL, one of the 15horses boarded at her Brookside Ranch on Morgan TerritoryRoad. A charred North Peak is in the background.

    Cycles of nature will helprepair damage to Mt. Diablo

    As fire raged, communityheroes helped their own

  • Alicia Morrissey and ScottLundgren exchanged weddingvows under a majestic oak treeat the Oak Farm Vineyard inLodi on August 10.

    Both the bride and groomare Clayton Valley High Schoolalumni; Alicia in 2005 and Scottin 2004.

    Alicia is the daughter of Mattand Beth Morrissey of Concordand Kim and JR Yasey of Geor-gia. Scotts parents are Chris and

    Kendra Lundgren of Clayton.Alicia was attended by her

    sisters Melissa Morrissey, KristalRios and Victoria Barone.

    Brian Lundgren, Cole Cara-cappa and Dan Ritter served asgroomsmen.

    Following the ceremony,guests gathered in the Vine-yards restored barn for dinnerand dancing.

    The couple honeymooned inMaui and will live in Pittsburg.

    Dr. Jeanette Hochstatter ofForesight Optometry is partic-ipating in the World Sight DayChallenge through World SightDay, on Oct. 10. The challengebenefits an estimated 600 mil-lion people who are blind orvision impaired simply becausethey do not have access to aneye exam or glasses.

    The World Sight Day Chal-lenge is the largest annualglobal fundraising campaign toaddress avoidable blindnesscaused by uncorrected refrac-

    tive error- and is supported byeye care professionals aroundthe world. The campaign is runby global charity, OptometryGiving Sight.

    On World Sight Day, Dr.Hochstatter will make a dona-tion to raise awareness of theimportance of everyone beingable to get their eyes testedand have access to quality eyeand vision care.

    Anyone who appreciatesthe importance of good visioncan make a monthly or annual

    or one-time donation toOptometry Giving Sightbetween now and Oct. 10 atwww.givingsight.org or by vis-iting Foresight Optometry at5442 Ygnacio Valley Rd #180Concord, CA 94521.

    Around Town Page 2 Clayton Pioneer www.claytonpioneer.com September 27, 2013

    CCllaayyttoonn MMaarrkkeett UUppddaattee pprroovviiddeedd bbyy BBeetttteerr HHoommeess RReeaallttyy

    1270 Shell Circle .................$430,000 . . . .1709 . . . . .3/3 . . . . . . . .9/6/13

    6024 Golden Eagle Way......$685,000 . . . .2680 . . . . .4/3 . . . . . . .8/28/13

    160 Joscolo View.................$646,000 . . . .2053 . . . . .3/2 . . . . . . .8/28/13

    20 Long Creek Circle...........$300,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . .2/2 . . . . . . .8/27/13

    1855 Eagle Peak Ave ..........$599,000 . . . .1877 . . . . .3/2.5 . . . . . .8/27/13

    1445 Yosemite Circle ...........$632,500 . . . .2494 . . . . .3/2.5 . . . . . .8/27/13

    22 Clark Creek Cir ...............$275,000 . . . .1113 . . . . . .3/2 . . . . . . .8/26/13

    1723 Indian Wells Wy..........$525,000 . . . .1904 . . . . .3/2.5 . . . . . .8/23/13

    217 Round House Pl ...........$515,000 . . . .1749 . . . . .3/2.5 . . . . . .8/20/13

    542 Mount Dell Dr................$475,000 . . . .1658 . . . . .3/2 . . . . . . .8/19/13

    1505 Haviland Ct .................$440,000 . . . .1256 . . . . .2/2 . . . . . . .8/13/13

    18 Mount Eden Pl ................$630,000 . . . .2566 . . . . .5/3 . . . . . . . . .8/913

    608 Black Point Ct ...............$660,000 . . . .2193 . . . . .5/3 . . . . . . . .8/9/13

    47 El Portal Dr .....................$630,000 . . . .2857 . . . . .5/3 . . . . . . . .8/8/13

    HHeellppiinngg ffrriieennddss,, nneeiigghhbboorrss && nneewwccoommeerrss bbuuyy aanndd sseelllltthheeiirr hhoommeess ssiinnccee 11997799

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    Emily Howard Realtor-Associate

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    1904 Sofia Court Brentwood

    Palatial Home with Dream back yard featuringelaborate custom patio, pool & spa! 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths,

    bonus room, den & downstairs Jr. Master suite with retreat!

    Approx. 4790sf & 3 car garage. $699,000

    804 Chert Place, Clayton

    Popular Summit model on a private lot! 3bedrooms, 2.5 baths, approx. 1991sf, inside laundry &

    attached 2 car garage! New carpets! Views of Mt. Diablo!

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    1205 Buckeye Terrace Clayton

    Delightful Single Story San Antonio modelin Oak Hollow! 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, approx. 1343sf,inside laundry & 2 car attached garage. $459,000

    325 Mount Palomar Pl. Clayton

    Dana Hills Rancher with Rare Find CustomBuilders Option featuring a Separate In-Lawunit! 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, approx. 3211sf on a HUGEapprox. 27 acre lot with pool! Coming Soon: $679,000

    1230 Roanwood Way, Concord

    Desirable Dana Farms! 5 bedrooms, 2.5 baths,approx. 2,228sf on a HUGE approx. .30 acre lot! 1st floor

    master suite! $549,000

    PENDING PROPERTIESPENDING PROPERTIES

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    117 Mountaire Parkway Clayton Awesome Dana Hills Rancher! 4 bedrooms, 3full updated baths, approx. 2177sf. $669,000

    152 Joscolo View ClaytonFantastic Expanded Kirker model on aPremium View lot! overlooking golf course. 4 bed-rooms, 2.5 baths, approx. 2571sf. $719,000

    1723 Indian Wells Way Clayton Spectacular Pioneer model on a huge pri-vate lot! SOLD over list $525,000

    5327 Grasswood Circle Concord Extensively updated & upgraded Pine Hollow Duet! SOLD over list $398,000

    Alicia Morrissey and Scott Lundgren wed

    Local optometrist joins campaign for universal eye health

    Pioneer Travels

    We would like to thank the community

    for all theSupport, Help and Donations.

    Our dedicated staff, parents and friendsworked long and hard to help us reestablish

    Clayton Childrens Center.Our sincere thanks to all,Roger and Julie Gilchrist

    Pete and Carol Chrobak cel-ebrated their 50th weddinganniversary with a trip toEurope and we went along.Here we are in Prague beforecontinuing on to a romantic (forthem) few days in Paris. (Wetook a nap.)

  • Rotary Club of Concordmembers Parmod Kumar andKaren Simmons (standing) pres-ent Cambridge Friday Folders toteacher Joyce Densmore-Thomas and Principal JoseEspinoza. This is the sixth yearthe club provided folders toCambridge Elementary, Con-cord, students to carry home-work assignments.

    For more information, go toconcordcarotary.org.

    Pittsburg 130 Rancho Bernado Ct, $599,000San Marco 5BD/3BA has 3,329 sq. ft. and a hugekitchen & family room to enjoy. Master suite offers wetbar and fridge & spacious master bath & closets.Sizeable bedrooms plus a loft w/custom iron railing.Wide, private yard.

    Clayton 474 Obsidian Way, $859,000Eagle Peak 4BD/3BA 3,008 sq. ft. home has every-thing you need! Exceptional master suite is updatedw/endless list of amenities inc. fireplace & stunningviews. Gorgeous landscaping w/fountains, walkways,outdoor kitchen & flourishing trees.

    Clayton 410 Meadow View,Morgan Territory Built in 1997 by student of FrankLloyd Wright, this 3BD/3BA home sits on 5 acre creek-side lot in the rolling foothills of Mt. Diablo. Fresh car-pet & paint. Great decks & walls of windows surroundyou in nature.

    Clayton 275 Mountaire Circle, $599,000Dana Hills Wonderful home with 4BD/2.5BA offersa classic floor plan, pool and spa with solar heat, and alovely gazebo. Wood deck off kitchen. Family roomw/fireplace, wet bar & bath and laundry, all on lowerlevel.

    Haviland Place, Clayton $399,000Westwood 2BD/2BA with nice backyard and redwood trees, patio and grassarea. Vaulted ceilings and fireplace infamily room, indoor laundry, openkitchen and nook. 2 Car garage.Community pool. HOA $90 a month

    Heather Gray, (925) 765-3822RealEstatebyHeather.com

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    AAssssiissttiinngg MMoorree BBuuyyeerrss && SSeelllleerrss tthhaann AAnnyyoonnee EEllssee***Statistics based on Clayton closed by sales volume (1/2012 12/2012). Data by Trendgraphix

    Clayton 107 Crow Place, $649,000Windmill Canyon Backing to 5th hole of OakhurstGolf Course this 3BD/2.5BA has great curb appeal,RV/boat access, and large garage. Fantastic kitchen andmaster suite w/all amenities! Solar heated pool and spato enjoy.

    "Like" us on - Windermere Clayton!

    Concord $549,000Dana Farms Beautifully maintained 4BD/2BA homew/entertainers backyard: pool, 2 decks, covered patio,sports area, firepit, RV & boat parking. Fantastic, light &bright kitchen has chef s island and 2 pantries.

    Clayton $399,000Westwood 4BD/3BA duet has 1,865 sq. ft. includingtwo master bedrooms. Living Room has fireplace. Eat inkitchen with island & breakfast bar. Enjoy fenced back-yard and hot tub. Close to shopping & restaurants.

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    PENDING PENDING!COMING SOON

    COMING SOON

    September 27, 2013 Clayton Pioneer www.claytonpioneer.com Page 3

    Keith E. Neuneker, alongtime resident of Concordand Clayton, passed away atthe age of 93 in Sonora, sur-rounded by family.

    He was born in Illinois toErnest and Ethel Neunekerand raised by his Aunt Nel-lie and Uncle John Wallickwhen his mother died short-ly after his birth.

    In 1939 he joined theU.S. Navy, rising to the rankof Lt. Commander beforehis retirement in 1959. Hissecond career was atBuchanan Airfield in Con-cord, where he retired asAirport Operations Supervi-sor in 1980.

    He obtained his privatepilots license in 1947 andhis commercial license (sin-gle-engine) in 1963. Heserved in the Civil Air Patrolfrom 1956 to 1973 and was amember of 184 Flying Clubfrom 1957 to 1974.

    His many interestsincluded carpentry, electron-ics, reading and photogra-phy. He was a member ofthe Concord Camera Clubfor 30 years and ownedKens Camera Repair for 10years. He was a 31-yearmember of Bethel BaptistChurch in Concord.

    In 1943, Keith marriedEthel Mathewson and theyraised three children. Shedied in 1983. They weremarried 40 years.

    In 1984, he married BettyMinster.

    Keith is survived by hiswife of 29 years, BettyNeuneker, his children RuthAnn (Paul Dettman, Jr.) ofColumbia, Calif., DonnaNeuneker (Stevan Grah) ofMoab, Utah, and JohnNeuneker (Julie) of Hous-ton, Texas; Bettys children,John and Debbie Minster, ofCottonwood, Calif. and Judiand Wally Imfeld III ofSelma, Calif.; and manygrandchildren, great-grand-children and great-greatgrandchildren.

    Donations in Keiths memorymay be made to Hospice of theSierra, 20100 Cedar Rd.,North Sonora, CA, 95370, orAplastic Anemia and MDSIntl Foundation, 100 ParkAve., Ste. 108, Rockville, MD20580.

    Obituary

    Keith E. NeunekerApr. 23, 1920 Aug. 31, 2013

    Clayton Historical Societys Chartered Caboose Ride and FundraiserClayton Historical Society

    members rode the rails in aSanta Fe caboose on the NilesCanyon Railway on Sept. 15.The event was a museumfundraiser and tribute to the150th anniversary of thegroundbreaking of the FirstTranscontinental Railroad inSacramento. The caboose trav-eled through Niles Canyon,which was the last leg of theFirst Transcontinental Railroadroute from Sacramento to theBay Area. Travelers enjoyedrefreshments while hearing anarrated history of the route

    and participated in a sing-a-longof railroad songs performed byRail Dust Randy and Jeff Cradyof Tone Pony.

    To learn more about the FirstTranscontinental Railroad, the effectsof railroads in American culture andlocal railroad history, please visit thecurrent exhibit, RAILROADS ofthe Clayton and Diablo Valleys, andbeyondat the Clayton HistoricalSociety Museum. The museum is openon Wednesdays and Sundays from 2p.m. to 4 p.m. at 6101 Main St. Formore information, go to claytonhistory.org.

    Pioneer Photo Album

    The Pioneer is proud tospotlight our readersphotos. Email your photoin a high-resolutionformat to [email protected] a description of thephoto, where and when itwas taken and a littleabout why you like it.Include your name andphone number. Then lookfor it in the next Pioneer.

    Steve Barton snapped this great shot of a red fox relaxing poolsideat his Jeffrey Ranch home. The fox listens intently as Cindy Bartontalks to him through the sliding glass door. The fox hung around theBartons backyard for most of the day.

    Club News

    THE ROTARY CLUB OFCONCORD GOES BACK TOSCHOOL WITH CAMBRIDGE

    ELEMENTARY

  • Autumn brings lots of won-derful fruits and vegetables tothe farmers market like wintersquash, root vegetables, apples,pears and more. But also arriv-ing are interesting little jujubes no, not the candy jujube, but theAsian fruit jujube.

    Crisp like an apple and sweetlike a date, jujubes are tree fruitthat resemble a fresh date withdeep brown/burgundy skin color,white flesh, and then wrinkledwhen the fruit is dried. They canbe found at the farmers market atmany vegetable producers stallsthis time of year.

    Originally from China, Indiaand some Middle Eastern coun-tries, this fruit is now widely culti-vated in California with manyvarieties available. Sometimescalled Chinese dates, the fruitripens to a reddish color on thetree with soft edible skin andcreamy white meat. The fruit thenshrivels on the tree into a date-likewrinkled fruit. Fresh ripe jujubeswill keep about a week in the

    refrigerator, but have the best fla-vor if eaten soon after purchase.They will not ripen further onceremoved from the tree, althoughthey can bruise. The fruit at thefarmers market is sold in the ripeor dried stage.

    Take home a bag for munch-ing or made into a traditionalcake. When dried, they can beused in any recipe calling forchopped dates.

    JUJUBE RICE PUDDING8 jujube fruits, peeled and diced2 cups jasmine rice2 cups 2 percent milk1 cup water1 Tbsp. honey1/3 cup sugar2 tsp. cinnamon

    Simmer jujubes in 1/2 cupwater for 15 minutes. In anoth-er pot, bring to boil milk, waterand jasmine rice. Reduce tosimmer. Add the softenedjujubes to the rice and milkand simmer for another 20minutes. Stir now and then,and watch the pudding for dry-ness. If you find that it startsto get too thick, add morewater. Add in honey, sugar,and cinnamon. Makes aboutsix servings and can be eatenwarm or cold. You can addnuts or raisins as a variation.

    See you at the farmersmarket on Morris Street indowntown Clayton.

    Page 4 Clayton Pioneer www.claytonpioneer.com September 27, 2013

    No SalesTax.

    Deep clean, scrub and recoat, or sand and refinish,The Floor Stores Hardwood Restoration Service will make your floors like new again or maybe even better.

    Plus four other locations in the Greater Bay Area.Go to www.floorstores.com for directions.

    Y O U R B A Y A R E A F L O O R I N G A U T H O R I T Y

    C O N C O R D 1 4 6 0 C O N C O R D A V E N U E 9 2 5 . 9 6 9 . 9 8 9 0C O N C O R D 1 4 6 0 C O N C O R D A V E N U E 9 2 5 . 9 6 9 . 9 8 9 0 P I T T S B U R G 2 6 8 5 E A S T L E L A N D R D . 9 2 5 . 4 7 3 . 1 4 0 0 P I T T S B U R G 2 6 8 5 E A S T L E L A N D R D . 9 2 5 . 4 7 3 . 1 4 0 0

    Expert Hardwood Restoration.

    Monday October 7th Monday October 14th:Designer Carpet,

    Traditional & Exotic Hardwood, Imported Tile and Stone, All on Sale.

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    Exotic PorcelainJewel-like colors have made it the tile of royalty. Reg. $3.49

    Nylon CarpetThe original still gives you more style for your money. Reg. $3.99

    Multi-Colored SlateBeautiful colors created in the center of the earth. Reg. $2.99

    Walnut OakReal wood, acrylic-infused for twice the hardness. Reg. $6.99

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    Jumpin jujubes its fall!

    Clayton ReadsTHE SIXTH ANNUAL CLAYTON READS PROGRAMFEATURING FAHRENHEIT 451 BY RAY BRADBURY,OCT. 1 THROUGH NOV. 7.

    This classic book published 60 years ago still resonates with todays readers.Guy Montag is a fireman in a world where firemen start fires, instead of puttingthem out. His job is to destroy printed books, the most illegal commodity of all.Guy begins to question the society in which books and the leisure, thought, andtolerance necessary to enjoy them are no longer valued. Read this 1953 classic tofind out more about the regime and what happens to Guy and other people whokeep books alive.

    Clayton Reads is part of the Contra Costa Library systems One City, One Book program.It encourages community members to focus on reading one book and join related book discus-

    sions.Starting Oct. 1 and while supplies last, readers may pick up a free copy of the book at the Clayton

    Library. The Clayton Community Library Foundation, sponsor of the program, asks that readers passthe book along to another reader when finished. For more information, go to guides.ccclib.org/onebook.

  • Claytons gala Oktoberfestreturns for its tenth year of Bier,Wurst, and joyful Gemutlichkeit.The festivities take over MainStreet in downtown Clayton onSaturday, Oct. 5 from 11 a.m. to8p.m. and on Sunday, Oct. 6from 10a.m. to 6 p.m.

    Back for their tenth year, thefeatured entertainers will be TheInternationals, the biggest littleGerman band in the West.

    The Internationals are oneof the premier Oktoberfestbands in the U.S. and considerClaytons Oktoberfest as one oftheir favorites, says long-timeOktoberfestian Ed Hartley.

    Central to any Oktoberfestare the food and libations. Ger-man beer will flow, along withwine, and cider. Wiener schnitzel,sausages, hot pretzels, and ofcourse sauerkraut, will be avail-able at the Food Court, alongwith other ethnic delights. Newthis year, professional pourerswill fill the steins, assuring justthe right foam-to-beer ratio.

    Also new is The SardineFamily Circus, an acrobatictroupe who will perform at var-ious times on both days. Not tobe missed, says our informant.

    The many arts and craftsbooths will display early holidaygift ideas jewelry, beadedhandbags, childrens clothingand quirky items for the relativewho has everything.

    For the kids, its glitter tat-toos, face-painting, hot dogsand lemonade.

    Again this year, the PaulMaurer Show brings every-ones favorite carnival rides.The Carnival opens a day inadvance of Oktoberfest, Fri-day, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. Saturday,

    Oct. 5, rides go round from11a.m. to 10p.m., and on Sun-day, Oct. 6 from 11a.m. to theclose of Oktoberfest.

    Tickets for the carnival rideswill be presold at $10 for 20tickets and will be available atthe following downtown Clay-ton merchants: Eds MudvilleGrill, Hairs the Place, The RoyalRooster and Skipollinis Pizza.

    As always, Oktoberfest issponsored and overseen by theClayton Business and Commu-nity Association. Along with theArt & Wine Festival, Oktober-fest is CBCAs major fundraiser.This years co-chairs are MaryAnn Lawrence and MarilynSchmidt. Both have worked onthe event for many years.

    Without the help of hun-dreds of volunteers from allover the community, none ofthe fundraising events couldhappen, says Keith Haydon,CBCA president. Proceeds fromCBCA fundraisers go to sup-port local community projects.

    Its not just CBCA mem-bers volunteering, but peoplefrom throughout Clayton andConcord and elsewhere who putin the time and effort pouringwine or putting up tents, orwhatever needs to be done,Haydon says.

    Volunteers are always needed,Haydon points out. And he guar-antees that working on Oktober-fest is both rewarding and fun,even without the lederhosen.

    For information on gettinginvolved, or about Oktoberfest or theCarnival, call CBCA at 925-672-2272 or visit claytonoktoberfest.com.

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    GARDENINGFlower Gardening by Nicole

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    [email protected].

    FOR LEASEOffice and retail space for lease in

    Historic Clayton City Center:

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    Clayton. Call Nick Adamson at (408)

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    HELP WANTEDComputer Tech

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    Clayton Historical Society Museum

    needs a greeter for two hours per

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    Clayton Community Library

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    Directory of Advertisers

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

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    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) 672-0500 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. All classifieds must be paid for inadvance by credit card (Master Cardor Visa) 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 ofthese important events. We ask onlythat the announcement be for a resi-dent in our home delivery area. Sub-mit on our website and be sure toattach a JPG photo that is at least 3

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    Also on the website are forms forcalendar items, events & press releases.

    LETTERS TO THE EDITORThe Clayton Pioneer welcomes

    letters from our readers. As a generalrule, letters should be 250 words orless and submitted at least one weekprior to publication date. Letters con-cerning current issues will have prior-ity. We may edit letters for length andclarity. All letters will be published atthe editors discretion. Please includename, address and daytime telephonenumber. We will not print anonymousletters. E-mail your letter to [email protected]. LettersMUST be submitted via E-mail.

    CIRCULATIONTotal circulation of the Clayton

    Pioneer is 15,500. Papers are deliv-ered to households in ZIP codes94517, 94518 and 94521.

    In Clayton, all papers are deliv-ered Every Door Direct by the USPost Office. We cannot start or stopindividual addresses.

    All Concord delivery is by carrierand delivered twice a month on a Fri-day morning. To stop delivery for anyreason, call the office at (925) 672-0500 or email [email protected].

    If you are NOT receiving thePioneer, please check the distributionmap on the website. If you live in theshaded area and are not receiving thepaper, please call us or send an emailto [email protected] you are not in the shaded area,please be patient. We will come toyour neighborhood soon.

    SUBSCRIPTIONSTo subscribe, call the office at

    (925) 672-0500. Subscriptions are$50/year and are not pro-rated formid-year stops.

    September 27, 2013 Clayton Pioneer www.claytonpioneer.com Page 5

    Classified

    ResponsibilityDo the Right Thing

    Tenth Oktoberfestpours into Clayton

    GARY CARR

    Special to the Pioneer

  • It doesnt pay to puff indowntown Concord anymore.

    First passed unanimously bythe city council in 2011, theordinance to ban smokingencompasses the approximately17 blocks that are centeredaround Todos Santos Plaza.

    Urged on by downtown-areabusinesses and residents, thecouncil first passed the banbecause our major concern isfor the safety of all of our com-munity. This ordinance helps tomake a more healthy and wel-coming place for residents, cus-tomers and visitors.

    Since 2011, smokers havegenerally complied with the ban.The Concord police havenoticed a reduction in smokingin the prohibition area, and gaveout more than 400 warningsover the first six months of thenew ordinance to smokers inorder to educate the public priorto issuing citations. After thefirst six-month warning period,approximately 104 citationshave been given through March2013, with the citation trenddiminishing over time and ulti-mately becoming more self-policing.

    Downtown restaurants andproperty owners believe the banhas made the downtown moreattractive to the general public.However, a few of the business-es along Pacheco Street have

    expressed their concerns aboutthe impact of smokers congre-gating around their businessesand doorways in order to smokebecause they are located justoutside of the downtown no-smoking boundary. These busi-nesses asked that the city toexpand its smoking ban toinclude them, which the councildid at the end of May.

    Included in our downtownsmoking ban are e-cigarettes. Itwould be more difficult toenforce a smoking ban if theywould be allowed and there arestill safety concerns associatedwith the e-cigarettes. Althoughtobacco-less, with e-cigarettes,you are smoking nicotine. It ismisleading to promote e-ciga-rettes as safe and a harmlessalternative to cigarettes, as theycould potentially lead to a newgeneration of smokers more

    likely to become tobaccodependent.

    Over the past several years,the city has taken a number ofproactive steps to limit smokingin public areas, including cityparks, trails and open spaceareas. In these areas, regulationshave essentially been self-polic-ing and have resulted in reducedsmoking in city parks.

    The US Surgeon General hasdetermined that there is no safelevel of exposure to second-handsmoke, and outdoor exposure can

    be as toxic as indoor exposure.Second-hand smoke is a provenkiller, causing as many as 53,000deaths each year in the UnitedStates, approximately 6,000 ofwhich occur in California.

    The Concord City Council isworking hard to keep our citysafe for everyone.

    Ron Leone, a Concord city coun-cilman and former mayor, welcomescomments and questions. Call him at925-680-1776 or [email protected].

    Walnut Creek hosts therolling hills and tremendouscliffs the Northgate communityknows as Castlerock Park.Trails such as Borges Ranchand Rock City are traveled byall ages, yet such amazing natu-

    ral features include peril.Northgate High Senior

    Adham Habibi learned thiswhile trekking the area withsome friends last May, when hefell from a steep cliff. Now justsporting a brace, Habibi hadcasts on both arms for monthsand is dealing with back contu-sions to this day. Yet he remains

    upbeat, for this accident couldhave been fatal. One false stepsent the student into a plunge.

    On Friday, May 24, Habibiand four other friends finishedschool and headed over to thepark just a mile down the roadfrom Northgate. Near the endof their trip, the unthinkablehappened.

    I fell off a cliff, Habibisaid. I scaled a cliff withfriends and the rock below mecrumbled. Most of the guysquit after 15-20 feet but I keptgoing. At about 60 feet I wasfinally able to stand up and seeeverything around me.

    Friends took a few photosof Adham while atop the rockand he fell soon after.

    I fell forward and began tofreefall, Habibi said, All Iremember while in air wascalmly saying this is it.

    Habibi landed on his back,and shockingly got up immedi-ately.

    It was surreal, said seniorKyle Hearn, a witness to thescene. It was as if it hadnt

    happened.After the drop, Habibi

    found the strength to walkback to Castlerock Road wherehe would eventually bedropped at his mothers homebefore being rushed to theJohn Muir Hospital.

    The story became a hottopic around Northgate as it hithome to the many who walkalong those same trails every-day.

    Weve been there manytimes, everyone has, said sen-ior Alim Marigev, who was alsoat the scene. Thats why it wasinsane to see one of my bestfriends drop like that. I thoughtI lost him

    At the hospital, doctorsinformed Habibi of his injuries.

    I shattered my left wristand broke my right arm, hesaid. On my back was a line ofsevere bruising two inches frommy spine. If I had landed dif-ferently, I could have been par-alyzed. I just want to make itclear no substances wereinvolved in this. The worst part

    was telling my mom what hap-pened that felt worse than theinjuries.

    Not only is this a great con-versation-starter for Adham

    but a life lesson for all. Donttake anything or anyone forgranted. One misstep can takelife away from anyone.

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    The hundreds of residentsenjoying Concords Thursdaynight concert series and farm-ers market at Todos SantosPlaza this summer was a beauti-ful sight to civic leaders; whatwasnt so pretty was the tempo-rary barricades separating thepark from busy Willow PassRoad.

    Put up for safety reasons, thetemporary fence may have keptrevelers and many small chil-dren away from traffic. But itstill was not as safe or as aes-thetically pleasing as a perma-nent fence could be, said CityCouncilman Ron Leone.

    That will change for nextyear, Leone says, as the councilhas directed the citys designreview board to finalize a newfour-foot high iron fence forthat length of the plaza, com-

    plete with entry-way arches.Its not elaborate, but it will

    be very nice, Leone says.He points out that this struc-

    ture will not fence in TodosSantos Plaza, as some residentsfeared, but provide an attractivesecurity barrier at the busy

    downtown gathering spot.The cost of the new fence

    will be about $170,000, andcomes from a special fund setup to beautify and enhanceConcords quality of life, Leonesays.

    Its not coming from the

    citys General Fund, but from afund dedicated to this type ofproject, he says.

    Leone adds that the counciland the design review boardhave worked to keep the designsimple, to keep costs down, butstill something that reflects theplaza and the city.

    We will probably have aninscription over the archwaysaying, Welcome to Todos San-tos Plaza, or something likethat, with perhaps the city seal,Leone says. We sent the plansback to the design review boardto finalize the plans, and I amassured it will be quite aestheti-cally pleasing.

    Dont worry, there are nospirit poles, he says, referring tothe controversial art that used tograce downtown.

    The new fence should beinstalled in time for the 2014summer concert series.

    Scary fall teaches life lessons to Northgate studentsPage 6 Clayton Pioneer www.claytonpioneer.com September 27, 2013

    IVAR LAANEN

    Special to the Pioneer

    PEGGY SPEAR

    Clayton Pioneer

    RON LEONECONCORD BEAT

    Todos Santos to get new fence in 2014

    This photo was taken of Adham Habibi by his friends justmoments before he fell 65 feet. Although he suffered brokenbones and serious bruises, he says hes lucky to be alive.

    Residents are encouraged toattend the second communityworkshop on the DowntownConcord Specific Plan set forMonday, Oct. 7 from 6:30 to 8p.m. The workshop will be heldat Salvio Pacheco Square, 2151Salvio St., second floor, Suite201.

    Concords downtown is well-loved, with over 150,000 peoplevisiting Todos Santos Plaza everyyear for the summer music pro-grams, community events andfarmers markets. Businessesaround Todos Santos Plaza haveseen a resurgence over the last

    ten years. The Downtown Spe-cific Plan will present a vision forhow the area will develop overthe next 20 to 30 years. After thefirst workshop, held in May, theprojects steering committee hasbeen working to incorporatepublic input from attendees intoa draft vision statement and pro-posed plan for review at the Oct.7 workshop.

    Space is limited. Those wishing toattend are asked to RSVP to SeniorPlanner Joan Ryan, [email protected] or (925) 671-3370.

    THIS PROPOSED ARCHWAY will be part of the iron fence project atTodos Santos Park

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  • Can you imagine the troublewed all get into if we had bot-tomless home-improvementbudgets? I can see the possibili-ties now. Kitchens designed forthe Julia Child or Thomas Kellerwithin us all or glamorous masterbedroom suites with walk-in clos-ets approved by our best fictitiousgal pal Carrie Bradshaw. Yes, abottomless budget would be quiteexciting but until that lottery-win-ning day arrives, here are my topfive design upgrade categories toget your house looking like a mil-lion bucks.

    FINISH DETAILSWhat makes a living space

    truly unique and beautiful arethe finish details: high-gloss

    paint applied to door and win-dow casings, decorative hand-painted tile used for kitchenand bathroom backsplashes, orlow voltage lighting found underthe shelves of a grand bookcase,softly illuminating the booksand personal collectibles. Thesesmall details create a subtleambiance that may not jump outat you when you enter a livingspace, but the look as a wholewill capture your interest.

    ARCHITECTURAL DETAILSIf you live in a house where

    interesting architectural detailsare somewhat non-existent, thisis your chance to give your livingspace some design direction:

    Wood beams incorporatedinto a ceiling layout will alwaysadd character to an otherwise

    plain ceiling. When addingbeams to a ceiling, the key is tomake them look structural.

    Large windows are always agreat way to bring the light in, aswell as break up long, solid, bor-ing interior walls.

    Crown molding is a very ele-gant detail to add to the top ofyour walls, where the ceilingmeets. This molding is typicallyfinished in the same paint or stainas your door and window casings.

    The addition of new interiordoors is a great way to updateyour home. New doors come inmany different styles and can bepainted or stained to reflect yourdesign aesthetic.

    LIGHTINGLayer your lighting! Lighting

    is a very important design ele-

    ment for any living space. Everyliving space needs to have a cer-tain amount of general, accentand task lighting. General light-ing is used to illuminate theentire living space,. Accent light-ing is used to highlight certain

    Five easy ways to upgrade your space

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    Q. When I bought myhome I rented out my previ-ous home even though I hada negative cash flow. I could-nt sell it for what I owed atthat time. Since then I wasable to refinance to a lowerinterest rate. I now have apositive cash flow. I also haveequity since prices have goneup. Though I could now sellit for more than I owe, I likethe steady cash flow. Is thisan unusual situation?

    A. Not at all. A new term,accidental investor, has beencoined recently. Your experienceis the definition of this. And Imust say congratulations forthings working out this way foryou.

    There is little research track-ing accidental investors com-

    pared to intentional investors,though there could be moreaccidental than intentionalinvestors these days. The reasonit is hard to track is becausethese investors dont consider

    themselves investors at all.Median home prices fell

    more than 28 percent between2006 and 2011. In the last twoyears they have rebounded morethan 20 percent. Many formerunderwater-home owners aretaking advantage of the chanceto sell them now. This is releas-ing much needed inventory intothe market. Others, like yourself,like the steady cash flow anddont mind being a landlord.

    Q. I am getting my homeready to sell. Before I list itcould you just give me adown and dirty list of themost important things to do?I have some money to puttoward getting it ready to sellbut I have a tight budget.

    A. In my experience, the topthree turnoffs to a buyer aredirt, odor and clutter.

    1. Make sure your home is inthe cleanest condition it has everbeen: windows, carpet, all wallsand surfaces. If carpet doesntclean up with professional treat-ment you might consider replac-ing it. You can also steam-cleantile and grout. What is impor-tant is how a buyer feels whenthey walk through the space.Remember to tidy the outside aswell.

    2. Before you start the deepcleaning though, remove per-sonal items and treasures. Thebuyer wants to picture theirthings in the home. The moreinteresting your things are, themore distracting they will be to abuyer.

    3. Odors are a huge turn off.Try not to cook fried, spicy foodor fish when it is on the market.The other rooms most prone tosmell in a house are the roomswhere there is a lot of fabric.Curtains and upholstery absorbodors. Get them cleaned. Takewhatever steps you must toeliminate pet odors. Dontsmoke in or near the house,please. These days people arevery sensitive to smoke and petsmells.

    4. Some of the least expen-sive things you can do to giveyour home an updated look isreplace old light fixtures. Alsodoor knobs and new cabinethardware dont cost much. If itis in your budget, a new garagedoor really updates the front.

    5. Two things that make a

    house look dated are acoustic(popcorn) ceilings and wallpa-per. In the 1960s and 1970spopcorn ceilings were consid-ered an upgrade. Now they datea home. And wallpaper is atotally personal taste. It wouldbe unusual for a buyer to havethe exact some taste as you. Ifyou can find the money in yourbudget, removing both theacoustic ceilings and the wallpa-per would be a huge plus.Remember to repaint the wallswith a neutral color.

    September 27, 2013 Clayton Pioneer www.claytonpioneer.com Page 7

    Economic upswing may make you an accidental investor

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

    LYNNE FRENCHREAL ANSWERS

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    TTrraavveell TToo GGoo,, IInncc.. Clayton StationShopping Center, 5439 Clayton RoadSuite FClayton, CA

    If your estate plan includesone or more trusts, its a goodidea to review them in light ofrecent tax changes. Higherincome taxes on individualsas well as trusts may lead youto rethink the way your trustsare structured.

    This year, several tax hikestook effect for high earners.They include:

    A top income tax rate of39.6% (up from 35%) for tax-able income above $400,000 forsingle filers ($450,000 for jointfilers),

    A 20 percent rate for long-term capital gains and qualifieddividends (up from 15%) fortaxpayers in the top bracket, and

    A new 3.8 percent tax on netinvestment income for taxpayerswith modified adjusted grossincome over $200,000 for singlefilers ($250,000 for joint filers).

    Trusts are also subject to allof these tax increases, but theincome threshold is only$11,950 in 2013.

    A trusts tax impact dependsin part on whether its struc-tured as a grantor or nongrantortrust. A grantor trust is designedso that youre treated as itsowner for income tax purposes,even though your contributionsare considered completedgifts for estate planning pur-poses. By paying the trustsincome taxes, you allow the trustto grow tax-free, leaving morefor your heirs. And you can sellassets to a grantor trust without

    tax consequences.Despite these advantages, if

    higher tax rates have become aburden, you might considerconverting a grantor trust to anongrantor trust to shift the taxliability to the trust. Keep inmind, though, that the trust willalso be subject to higher taxrates.

    You can reduce the tax biteon a nongrantor trust by 1)shifting trust assets into tax-exempt or tax-deferred invest-ments, or 2) distributing trustincome to beneficiaries in lowertax brackets (generally, trusts aretaxed only on undistributedincome). But you should weighpotential tax savings against thebenefits of keeping assets in thetrust including creditor pro-tection and wealth preservation.

    RICHARD LITTORNOESTATE PLANNING

    Richard A. Littorno is an attor-ney specializing in estate planning.Send your questions [email protected].

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    Have you reviewed your trusts this year?

    JENNIFER LEISCHERDESIGN & DCOR

    See Design, page 8

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    PPOOLLIICCEE AACCTTIIVVIITTYY FFOORR TTWWOO WWEEEEKKSSEENNDDIINNGG SSEEPPTT.. 1199,, 22001133

    AACCCCIIDDEENNTTSSSept. 19, 2:53 p.m. N. El

    Camino Drive.

    AARRRREESSTTSSSept. 11, 12:10 p.m.

    Lydia Ln./Clayton Rd. A 36-year-old Lafayette femalewas arrested for drivingwhile license suspended.

    Sept. 13, 11:06 a.m.5400 Clayton Rd. A 48-

    year-old Concord male wasarrested for disorderly con-duct: alcohol.

    Sept. 14, 11:32 p.m.Clayton Rd./Mitchell CanyonRd. A 60-year-old Claytonfemale was arrested for DUI.

    Sept. 17, 2:20 p.m. 5400Clayton Rd. A 35-year-oldConcord male was arrestedfor possession of a controlledsubstance; possess marijua-na 28.5 grams or less or withprior; possess controlled sub-stance paraphernalia.

    Sept. 18, 11:13 a.m.Main St./Marsh Creek Rd.A 30-year-old Concordmale was arrested for driv-ing while license suspend-ed.

    Sept. 18, 9:42 p.m.Marsh Creek Rd./Center St.A 19-year-old Concordmale was arrested for pos-sessing marijuana for sale;possession of a controlledsubstance. An 18-year-oldmale passenger from Clay-ton was also arrested.

    BBUURRGGLLAARRIIEESS//TTHHEEFFTTSSSept. 7, Bridlewood Ct.

    Burglary Vehicle. Sept. 12, 5400 Clayton

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    Police ActivityReport

    A few weeks ago Bay Arearesidents were treated to one ofMother Natures best visual dis-plays, a lightning storm.Hundreds of lightning strikes litup the skies during that event.

    Thunderstorms are relativelyrare in our area. During the dryseason, California weather tendsto be influenced by a strong areaof high pressure that keeps uswarm and dry.

    During the late summer

    months of August andSeptember, subtle changes in thejet stream can carry monsoonmoisture into the U.S. southwest.Monsoon-related summer thun-derstorms frequently develop inthe mountains of New Mexicoand Arizona.

    Occasionally, the summermonsoon moisture moves north-ward to the Bay Area. We firstnotice an increase in the muggi-ness of the air. Clouds tend toform late in the updrafts causedby surface heating. Under theright atmospheric conditionsthunderstorms develop.

    Lightning is produced whenliquid and ice particles collide andbuild up large electrical fields inthe clouds. Water droplets in thebottom part of the cloud arecaught in updrafts and lifted to analtitude of much colder air andbecome ice particles.

    Downdrafts in the stormcloud push ice and hail downfrom the top of the cloud. Thefalling ice particles collide with therising droplets. These collisionsstrip electrons from the ice anddroplet molecules, resulting in

    fields of positive and negativecharges.

    When these electric fieldsbecome large enough, a giantspark occurs. We call that sparklightning. The lightning spark canoccur inside a cloud, betweenclouds, or between the cloud andground.

    Cloud-to-ground lightningbolts can contain up to one billionvolts of electricity.

    In a fraction of a second,lightning heats the air around it totemperatures in excess of 50,000degrees.

    The heated air near a lightningbolt expands rapidly. This super-heated column of air cools rapid-ly and contracts. This creates acracking sound, which is immedi-ately followed by a rumblingsound as the column of airvibrates. We call that thunder.

    Light waves travel much fasterthan sound waves, so it is possibleto estimate how far an observer isfrom a lightning strike by count-ing the number of secondsbetween the flash and the sound.A five-second gap corresponds toabout one mile.

    For the past few decades,meteorologists have been able totrack the number of lightningstrikes using an array of groundbased lightning detection sensors.Analyses of these data indicatethat nearly 80 percent of all light-ning bolts are cloud-to-cloudtypes, with the remaining 20 per-cent of the strikes reaching theground.

    Florida, with an average ofnearly 1.5 million ground strikesper year, leads all states in light-ning strike frequency. Californiarecords nearly 85,000 cloud-to-ground strikes per year, and themajority of those occur in thehigher elevations of the Sierras.

    September is typically a warmand dry month in the Claytonarea. It is also a month whenmonsoon moisture can sneak upfrom the south, trigger thunder-storm activity, and provide uswith an awesome display ofnatures fireworks.

    WOODY WHITLATCH

    WEATHER WORDS

    Woody Whitlatch, a retiredPG&E meteorologist, regularlywrites the Pioneers Weather Wordscolumn in addition to contributingfrequent travel articles.

    Striking facts on natures fireworks

    Shaving is never fun, but wedo it. We women are taught at ayoung age that its part of goodgrooming. Hence, we risk ourlives wobbling on one leg in theshower to shave our legs andsuffer the itch of the occasionalunderarm rash, all in the nameof looking our best.

    Here are some tips that canmake shaving look and feelsmoother:

    1) Dont shave right aftergetting out of bed. Skin is puffyin the morning (think aboutyour eyes), making stubble lessvisible.

    2) Be sure to moisten hair.Hair conditioner works betterthan shaving cream. Soap wonthold moisture long enough andtends to clog the razor.

    3) Use a fresh blade toreduce drag on your skin thatcan leave skin red, blotchy, andirritated. Old-time razors (theones with replaceable blades)have heavier handles, allowingfor a closer shave. Blades aregood for five uses.

    4) Shave opposite hairgrowth. It prevents hair fromcurling under the skin andbecoming ingrown.

    5) Use a light touch to avoidnicks and cuts.

    6) Always apply a moisturiz-er after shaving to prevent flakyskin.

    7) Bathe or shower beforeshaving. Hydrating hair withwarm water first swells and soft-ens stubble, producing and clos-er shave.

    8) If you shave your bikiniarea, dont stop when bathingsuit season ends. Discontinuingshaving the bikini line will causeit to become overly sensitive.You dont want to have to

    break it in again. (Hint: Abeard trimmer at the lowest set-ting works well for the bikini-line hairs. It leaves no unsightlyred bumps.) If you wax thisarea, first dust skin with babypowder. It helps wax adhere tohairs. If you have the waxingdone at a salon, try to find onethat uses natural French lowtemperature wax. It will be lesspainful.

    Live long and pester!

    Judith Marshall is the author ofHusbands May Come and Go butFriends are Forever. Send commentsto [email protected].

    Dont get in a latherabout shaving

    JUDITH MARSHALLFASHION OVER 50

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    areas or objects, and task is usedfor purposes such as reading orworking on your laptop. By cre-ating layers of lighting, you willend up with a living space thatglows with character.

    WINDOW TREATMENTSWindow treatments add a

    decorative and functional layerto your windows. Sun control,privacy and insulation are all

    benefits to window treatments,as well as the opportunity to adda decorative texture or patternwith the use of fabric or wovenwoods. Embellish your windowsand they will become decorativeaccents, and not just a hole in anexterior wall.

    FURNITUREA well-functioning furniture

    plan can make any living space

    look pulled together. If youhave lived with the same furni-ture plan for the last few years,take a chance and really mix itup. Consider editing your furni-ture by removing pieces that donothing for the space, andreplace with new pieces that addstyle and function.

    Jennifer Leischer is the owner of J.Designs Interior Design based inClayton. Contact her with questions,comments and suggestions [email protected].

    Design, from page 7

  • 6096 Main Street, Clayton, 673-0440

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    Entertainment from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

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    Karaoke Mon. & Wed. nights Open Mic Thur. nights, 8-11 pm

    As part of Clayton ValleyCharter High Schools ultimateplan to prepare students for col-lege and the real world, Ivebeen reasonably exposed to mostlocal and global current eventswithin my history classes. In fact,the first unit of my sophomoreworld history course was simply awhos who, and whats whatguide to our world today. While

    certain individuals may be innate-ly interested in such curriculum,lecturing a group of teenagers onthe impact of United Nationspolicies, or the most recent stimu-lus package, produced a collectivesigh of tedium. While the result-ing behavior of students is tosome extent understandable, theapathetic reaction toward onetopic in particular completely irri-tated me.

    The source of my exaspera-tion, one of the most prominentand explosive global conflictstoday, is the Syrian Civil War.

    After three years of unre-lenting rebellion against the Syr-ian government, the countrysdictator Bashar al-Assad, ismaking headlines after usingdeadly chemical weapons on hisown people.

    In response, Congress willdecide whether to attack Syria.In addition to Syrias promise tofollow the rules of engagement,the civil war is also igniting con-flict between the U.S and Russia,an ally of the Syrian govern-ment.

    The world could potentiallybe at the brink of a third worldwar, and future voters are rank-ing their level of concern along-

    side watching paint dry. In fact,a study from Harvard Universi-tys John F. Kennedy School ofGovernment discovered lessthan 40 percent of Americanteenagers paid any attention todaily news or current events.

    While the media deems thesepolitically listless teenagers asignorant, many have little reasonto care.

    It comes as no surprise theaverage teens apathy towardpolitics considering the carefreelifestyle many live today. Neverhave I, nor my peers, ever facedpaying taxes or refinancing ahome. The most challengingdaily obstacles we encounterinclude completing homework,arriving at practice on time, ormeeting this weeks trendingset of social expectations. Wecriticize and groan at our part-time odd jobs at the library, mallor local coffee shop let alonemanage a full time occupation.Living without a functioningWi-Fi signal, or sitting at homegrounded on Friday night is themost catastrophic tribulation wecan imagine. Keeping track ofdue dates and deadlines isalready a hassle, much less mon-itoring political negotiations.

    As an average Americanteenager of this generation, Imust admit, I am more thancapable of sufficiently living ablissfully ignorant lifestyle. I ammore than capable of living in asheltered bubble, deaf and blindto worldwide tragedies.

    Yet, my generation will beeligible to vote in the next pres-idential election.

    So when I frequently hearcaptious comments in schoolalong the lines of, Why doesthis even matter? or It doesntreally affect me, why should Icare? I become concerned forthe welfare of our political sys-tem. Some of the greatestchanges to everyday life,whether positive or negative, areenacted through political means.War and destruction cannot beresolved by government alone.

    As best summarized by thewords of President Franklin D.Roosevelt, We cannot alwaysbuild the future for our youth,but we can build our youth forthe future.

    Todays students are facedwith greater challenges than everbefore. What used to be a countryfull of jobs that required only lowto medium skills, where a studentwith a high school diploma had agood shot at a prosperous life andsomeone with a college degreewas nearly guaranteed success, haschanged dramatically over the lastthree to four decades. Todays stu-dents have to navigate a global-ized economy, an economic reces-sion, outrageous college tuitionand ever increasing academicstandards in the face of extremestudent competition. To the aver-age teenager without the propersupport network, life after highschool may look grim.

    Funny enough, many highschool students are still looking attheir prospective futures throughrose-colored glasses becausenobody has bothered to tell themhow stark reality is. According toa presentation Condoleezza Ricemade last year to business leadersfrom across the country, 70 per-cent of the youth in Americatoday will be ineligible for the mil-itary due to one or more of thesefactors: failed ASVAB (once adiagnostic, this standard militarytest is now an entrance exam thatis recalibrated every six months),high school dropout, health andobesity problems, or criminalrecord. The business leadersreactions were that if the youth oftoday are not eligible for the mili-tary, there is no way that they areready for entry level jobs in mid-dle-class America. The logicalconclusion is that if these individ-uals are not ready for entry leveljobs then they will likely remainunemployed or underemployed.It follows then that 70 percent ofthe youth in America today areheaded for some form of publicassistance (welfare, food stamps,etc.). Let that sink in for a minute.

    It used to be that if you could-nt get into a good school or landa good job you always had themilitary option. Today however,what was once the backup planis now not an option for 70 per-cent of our young population.

    Responsible educators aretackling this problem of raisingacademic skills and preparing ourstudents for the careers of the21st century. Certainly critical

    The novel The Fault in OurStars by John Green (DuttonBooks; January, 2012) is any-thing but your average lovestory. Hazel Lancaster is a 16-year-old girl with stage IV thy-roid cancer, and has been livingwith an oxygen tank by her sideever since she was first diag-nosed at age 12.

    One morning Hazels mom

    practically forces her to go to acancer support group, wherethere will be other teens whohave cancer just like Hazel.

    There, Hazel meets Augus-tus Waters, a 17-year-old whohappens to be missing a leg dueto osteosarcoma. The two hit itoff immediately. Both of thembond over Hazels favorite bookof all time An Imperial Afflic-tion by Peter Van Houten.The strange thing about VanHoutens book is that it doesnthave an ending; it stops in themiddle of a scene, causingHazel and Augustuss curiosityto soar. Even though Hazel haswritten her favorite authordozens of letters, Van Houtendoesnt reply to any of his fanmail.

    Hazel has given up on tryingto reach Van Houten, butAugustus hasnt. As strange asit sounds, one of Augustuss

    emails reaches Van Houten inhis secretive home in Amster-dam. Along with his replycomes an invitation for Augus-tus and Hazel to go to Amster-dam to meet and discuss thebook with him. Accepting therisky and once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity, Hazel and Augus-tus embark on a trip to Amster-dam. While there, the two notonly bond, but they create mem-ories that they will never forget.

    The events that happen toAugustus and Hazel during theirjourney will change their livesforever. This is a book thatcaught my attention on the firstpage and didnt let go until Ireached the back cover. Every-one I know has been talkingabout this novel and personally,I think its worth the buzz.

    Things will get a little loud inClayton on Sat., Oct. 12 as theClayton Valley Charter HighSchool performs its secondannual Music-A-Thon.

    CVCHS Music DirectorJoseph Scott will lead more than100 students and chaperones asthey march through Claytonneighborhoods. If it soundslouder than last year, its becauseof the increased enrollment inthe music department.

    The band will begin playingat the Farmers Market at 9:45a.m. From there the musicianswill parade to the ClaytonLibrary, then swing by DiamondTerrace, CVS and into EasleyEstates and Stanahan Circle,ending at the Clayton Park gaze-bo for a grand finale.

    Residents will receive wordof the Music-A-Thon via doorhangers about a week before theevent. Neighbors can request a

    Lawn Concert for a $25 dona-tion and have their own privateconcert performed in their ownfront yard. The band will alsoplay Happy Birthday to any-one requesting it.

    This is a big fundraiser forthe department but is also a wayto involve the students andreach out to the community. Itshowcases the CVCHS musicprogram and encourages incom-ing students to join in the fun.

    September 27, 2013 Clayton Pioneer www.claytonpioneer.com Page 9

    Emily York is a freshman atCVCHS.

    EMILY YORKTEEN READS

    DAVID LINZEYVOYAGE OF THE EAGLE

    Robbie Parker is a junior atClayton Valley Charter HighSchool. Send comments [email protected]

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    CVCHS BAND STUDENTS GATHER IN THE GROVE AT LAST YEARS MUSIC-A-THON. The event is a major fundraiserfor the music program. This years event is set for Oct. 12.

  • opener against Green Bay onTV that afternoon.

    Up on Mt. Diablo, the drywinter and harsh summer heathad the land primed for disas-ter, as the scrub brush thatlaces throughout the steep hillsand canyon is as flammable asgasoline this time of year.

    It was just after 1 p.m. whenJack Wessman called 911 toreport a fire on his property atthe abandoned mercury minesat Morgan Territory and MarshCreek Roads. A relative hadbeen target shooting, andsparked a brushfire.

    Knowing the threat, theCalifornia Department ofForestry Cal Fire respond-ed quickly, with six engines,two that arrived within min-utes, dispatched from the near-by Sunshine Station.

    The half-acre fire was extin-guished quickly, and by 1:30p.m., Cal Fire officials wereready to send their incomingengines back to the stationsthey came from including twofrom Contra Costa Fire Stations8 and 22 in Concord.

    Thats when Mother Naturegot wily.

    A burned pine tree explod-ed like a Roman Candle saidwitnesses, spraying itspinecones and embers up toabout 800 feet away. Unfortu-nately, one of those emberssparked a spot fire, and sudden-ly, the small grass fire took onnew life, racing off down thecanyon and up the mountain inmultiple directions.

    It was a firefightersnightmare.

    SMOKE BILLOWSAcross the bay, Cal Fire Bat-

    talion Chief Mike Marcucci wasenjoying a rare weekend off,taking in the Americas Cupraces in San Francisco, when hegot the call. He had taken theferry over from Larkspur. Sincehis truck was back in Marin, he

    was forced to take a bus backacross the Golden Gate Bridge with a superb view of thesmoke that was suddenly bil-lowing from Mt. Diablo.

    I knew then it wasnt goingto be good, said the third-gen-eration fireman.

    Indeed, once the smokebecame visible, residents onand around Mt. Diablo begancalling 911, and actively seekingout information about friendsand neighbors.

    In the first hour of the fire,evacuation orders for CurryCreek and Oak Hill Lane wereissued. As the fire raced north-wards up North Peak, moreevacuations began for thosewho would go. Residents ofRusselman Park Road, TrailRide Road, East Trail Road,Upper Trail Road and LowerTrail Road were also asked toevacuate or be ready to.

    But many folks who live onthe mountain dont want to beseparated from their land, andas the fire raged, Marcucci saidabout 100 percent of the resi-dents in some areas evacuated,while in other areas, only about40 percent did.

    Meanwhile, Cal Fire wasasking for help, ordering moreengines, bulldozers, air tankersand helicopters. In all, therewere 30 hand crews, 11 dozers,85 engines, three helicoptersand two large air tankers, flownin from the central valley.

    We were really lucky theywere there, Marcucci says.

    As the quick-moving fireraced up the mountain, localcivic leaders and the Red Crossset up an evacuation center atthe Clayton CommunityLibrary, and a command postfor the fire was set up at Station11.

    The Morgan Fire namedby Cal Fire for Morgan Territo-ry road near where the fire waslocated was taking off.

    FICKLE WINDSAs the fire raged, it was

    fueled by the ubiquitous scrubbrush and dried vegetation,curving into canyons and driedgullies, and creating a near-impossible situation for thehand crews battling on foot.On Sunday, more than 700 fire-fighters and inmates tried toprotect the homes and otherstructures in the fires path. Butfickle winds made it almostimpossible to track the route.

    Because Mt. Diablo isround, it throws off any windprojections, Marcucci says. Itcan change in an hour, whetherit is an on-shore breeze or com-ing from the east, it swirls

    around and makes it hard totrack.

    Further away, the eerie sightof flames licking over the topof the mountain stunned resi-dents throughout the East Bay.

    By Monday morning, 2,540acres had burned, and it wasonly 10 percent contained.Luckily, the light of daybrought out the helicopters andair tankers again, and firefight-ers worked tirelessly through-out the day to save PG&Etransmission lines, communica-tion towers and the historicalbuildings located at the summit.About 100 homes in the areawere also threatened.

    Roads closures were ineffect: Marsh Creek Road fromCamino Diablo to RegencyRoad in Clayton, and MorganTerritory Road from MarshCreek Road to Highland Roadin Alameda County. In EastCounty, Deer Valley Road wasclosed at Balfour Road, andevacuation orders were still ineffect.

    Firefighters were aided,however, by two DC-10s whodropped 24,000 gallons ofretardant on the mountainbefore being called to a biggerfire burning near Shasta.Thinking they were about toget the upper hand in the fire,Cal Fire decided to move thecommand station from Claytonto Camp Parks in Dublinbecause it needed a largerspace, and began the logisticalheadache of preparing to feedand lodge hundreds of tiredand hungry firefighters andprison inmates dispatched tohelp on the fire lines.

    MONDAY NIGHT SURPRISEUnfortunately, that evening

    found Mother Nature onceagain uncooperative, and dur-ing this evening transition thethe fire once again switcheddirections and moved towardthe more heavily populatedMorgan Territory.

    Ill be honest, it surprisedus, Marcucci said. It turnedand freight-trained down themountain.

    Because of the change incommand posts, there was adearth of information fromfirefighters. The CalFire Inci-dent Site had not been updatedall day, and local residents wereunsure of whether their homeswere going to be safe or not.

    With the lack of informa-tion came confusion and fear.People were left to rely on localblogs and social media for crit-ical information not alwaysaccurate. Reports that the firehad jumped Morgan TerritoryRoad and was heading towards

    the horse ranches on the Eastside, sent fearful horse ownersscrambling to evacuate theirlivestock. Some anxious resi-dents left their cars at the barri-cade on Marsh


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