Benicia Magazine February 2016

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2 • Benicia Magazine

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4 • Benicia Magazine

Community Update For questions about Valero’s Crude by Rail project please email info@beniciaCBR.com or call (707) 654-9745

SUPPORT VALERO’S PROJECT TODAY! The Benicia Planning Commission will be considering approval of Valero’s Crude by Rail Project next week. Please visit our website at www.BeniciaCBR.com for more details or to RSVP to join us at the meeting.

This will be a final chance to voice your support for Valero’s CBR Project to the Benicia Planning Commission. A copy of the FEIR is available on the City of Benicia website.

Save the Dates!

Supporter Pre-Meeting Monday, February 8, 2016 Check- in 5:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

Benicia Veterans Memorial Hall 1150 1st Street, Benicia Benicia Planning Commission Hearing Monday, February 8, 2016 6:30 p.m.

Benicia City Hall Council Chambers 250 East L Street, Benicia

The city of Benicia and independent experts have spent nearly three years reviewing Valero’s proposed Crude by Rail Project. Their analyses show the project: Reduces global greenhouse gases by up to 225,000 metric tons per year by offsetting marine delivery of crude with delivery by rail.

Does not change refinery operations: “The project would not include, nor would it require, any changes to existing Refinery operations or process equipment, other than an installation and operation of the Project unloading rack and other Project components.” (FEIR, 1-2) Does not increase the type or amount of crude that can be processed: “The Project would not increase the amount of crude oil that can be processed at the refinery, or the amounts of petroleum products that can be produced.” (FEIR, 3-2) Does not increase emissions from processing crude oil or make changes to the emissions limits allowed by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District: “The Project would not result in any increases in emissions from crude oil processing.” (FEIR 4.1-17)

Safety First:

Fast Fact:

The Crude by Rail Project will operate under extensive additional rail safety regulations at the federal and state levels including enhanced tank car standards, a more accurate sampling and classification program for unrefined petroleum-based products, improved risk assessment of rail routing, and notification requirements.

In addition to comprehensive safety measures, the refinery has a state-certified industrial fire department that works with the Benicia Fire Department. These departments are a part of larger mutual aid agreements with nearby refineries that train together in spill prevention and emergency response exercises.

BeniciaMagazine.com • 5

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Celebrating our 11th Year

Benicia Editor Jeanne Steinmann

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Contributors Elizabeth d’Huart Adriene Rockwell Bruce Rockwell Sarah Rohrs Beth Steinmann Christina Strawbridge Sue Sumner-Moore

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6 • Benicia Magazine

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Benicia Magazine is published monthly by Polygon Publishing, LLC. Copyright © 2016, all rights reserved. Contents of Benicia Magazine cannot be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed in Benicia Magazine editorial or advertisements are those of the authors and advertisers, and may not reflect the opinion of Benicia Magazine’s management or publisher.

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Wine and chocolate tastings available at participating downtown merchants.

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 7

FEBRUARY

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 4

DEPARTMENTS 10 From the Editor 12 Currents

Love blooms in Benicia with annual poetry contest

FEATURES

16

Craft beer and Mare Island’s legacy on tap in Vallejo

18

Benicia’s social media presence & online resources

20

Growing an orchard in your own backyard Cover Photo: Benicia's waterfront, this page: Benicia Gazebo with tree blossoms,

by Jerry Bowles

8 • Benicia Magazine

New center opens for teens

14 Bio Sensei Rex Reade 14 Backwards Glance

Antique stitchery extols Washington’s values 22 Interview

Benicia Makerspace founder Nicci Nunes 24 Trends

Multi-agency partnership garners success for Benicia State Parks 26 Downtown Map 28 Calendar of Events

The best events in Benicia and around the Bay

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From the Editor February 2016

Photo by Michael Van Auken

Tweet, post or send your suggestions & ideas to: editor@beniciamagazine.com www.beniciamagazine.com Facebook.com/beniciamagazine @Jeannesteinmann beniciamagazine

Aside from an infusion of Valentine sweetness, I love the month of February. It’s Mike’s and my anniversary month—this year marks our 34th—and I particularly love the oddity of leap year, of which this is one. We get a whole extra day, for a total of 366, and it’s fun to contemplate the seeming imperfection of the earth not rotating precisely 365 days around the sun.

Leap year generally occurs every four years, but not always. There’s an algorithm that is followed to ensure our calendar matches up with the earth’s rotation. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity, as a nod to all of my “numbers geek” readers and friends, to find some quirky reason to engage those of you who enjoy this sort of thing. So here’s the algorithm, according to Wikipedia: If (year is not exactly divisible by 4) then (it is a common year) Else if (year is not exactly divisible by 100) then (it is a leap year) Else if (year is not exactly divisible by 400) then (it is a common year) Else (it is a leap year) I am betting (don’t let me down, Jerry Lipkin!) that I will receive emails outlining all the leap years for at least 50 years hence (no fair looking it up online).

As to the more passionate reasons for enjoying February, Benicia’s own tragic, 19th century love story between Nikolai Resanov and Concepción Argüello will tug at your heartstrings. Details can be found in our story about Benicia’s annual Love Poetry Contest on page 12. And for a dose of presidential birthdays, also known as the Tahoe snow sports weekend, check out our sweet, local historic tribute to George Washington.

This month’s feature stories are an eclectic assortment with something for everyone. Mike and I recently tapped into a newish local treasure—the Mare Island Brewing Company in the Vallejo Ferry Building. The taproom is a delightful combination of craft brews, Mare Island history and really good pub grub. On the social front, it turns out that Benicia has an enviable online presence that spans all the usual social media sites and then some, and for seasoned or neophyte gardeners, Bruce Rockwell explains how easy it is to create a backyard orchard.

Share your affection this month with Downtown Benicia shops, for unique Valentine gifts and some wonderful chocolate! You’ll find specialty bars at Bookshop Benicia, boxes of See’s Candy, a perennial favorite, at Benicia Main Street and an incredible array of flavors and styles at Studio 41, our own chocolate heaven.

As February gifts us the extra day, I’m contemplating a special way to celebrate. If you are likeminded send me an email, tweet or post your adventures on Facebook. We’d love to hear from you, and to show our appreciation, the first ten readers to respond will be treated to some excellent chocolate from local stores.

—Jeanne Steinmann

10 • Benicia Magazine

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 11

CURRENT S

Celebrating h

of love

Poetry. Is it the voice of the common person? Or is it elitist and, perhaps, a bit difficult?

By Sarah Rohrs An enthusiastic band of Benicia poets strongly choose the former, with an aim to bring this art form closer to home. One path for the First Tuesday Benicia Poetry Group is the annual Benicia Love Poetry Contest, cosponsored by the Benicia Poet Laureate program and the Benicia Public Library.

The event embodies several things unique to Benicia, such as its artists and history, plus a tragic love story stemming from California’s earliest days, according to contest chairwoman Johanna Ely. “It all culminates in a public reception for winners—a chance to spread the affection for poetry and Benicia’s history plus, perhaps, inspire others to write and share poems,” said Ely. It’s no coincidence the event happens in February, close to Valentine’s Day. This year’s 12th annual contest awards ceremony takes place 2 to 4pm Sunday, Feb. 7 at the Benicia Historical Museum. Winning poets read their work and an open mic is offered for other poets to read love poems, too. At its core, the event centers on love.

Poem submissions run the gamut, including love for a mate, a child, friend, a pet or love felt in grief. “Love is a universal feeling and we all celebrate that feeling. The contest is a way to bring in the community and to make the community more aware of the poets in our city,” Ely said.

12 • Benicia Magazine

Benicia’s first poet laureate, Joel Fallon, spearheaded the contest in 2004. The idea was to pay tribute to the early 19th Century romance between Nikolai Resanov and Concepción Argüello, the latter now buried in Benicia’s St. Dominic Cemetery. On a grander scale, Fallon’s vision was for Benicia to become a “Love Poetry Capitol.”

The story of the young Spanish woman and the adventurous Russian nobleman still fascinates and tugs at the heart. It’s inspired a Russian rock opera, an American chamber musical, a ballad, a book and countless poems, said Fallon.

As the story goes, Resanov, aged 42, met the 15-year-old Argüello, the daughter of the Presidio Commandante in Yuerba Buena (later San Francisco) in the early 1800s. After they fell in love, he left for Moscow to secure permission to marry her but he died en route after becoming ill and falling from his horse.

According to some accounts, Argüello never learned of his death, while others write that she got news of his passing about six years after his departure. In any event, Argüello never married, choosing to become a Dominican nun late in life. She taught school at St. Catherine’s in Benicia, and died in 1857.

A ceramic sidewalk tile depicting Argüello can be found on First Street between East I and East J streets, one of many tiles on the street by the late Benicia artist William Granizo.

Ely and others start promoting the love poetry contest in September, creating fliers, sending e-mails and posting an announcement on the library and Benicia First Tuesday Poet Group’s websites. Benicia and Bay Area poets can submit up to three unpublished poems for consideration.

Proceeds from entry fees go to produce a chapbook. Three judges, preferably poets who live outside Benicia, pick their top ten poems and first, second, and third place winners emerge. Other poets also win an honorable mention. Top winners get a cash award, a plaque, and their name on a perpetual trophy called the Loving Cup, which is displayed at the library. The awards ceremony is free. “Everyone is invited to come and listen to some wonderful poetry.

We hope people will want to come to celebrate and enjoy the poetry,” Ely said.

New poets are also welcome to the First Tuesday Benicia Poetry Group which meets 6:45 to 8:45pm the first Tuesday of every month in the Doña Benicia Room at the library, 150 East L St. Those who would like more information can go to benicialibrary. org/poet/events or beniciafirsttuesdaypoets. com.

Photos courtesy Peter Bray

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 13

CURRENTS

Teen Center Opens in Benicia

Barbara Gervase

By Sarah Rohrs Photos by Adrien Rockwell Benicia teens now have a place all their own. The recently opened Benicia Teen Center is a spot to socialize and get help from caring adults if they are feeling alone or troubled. It’s housed in a building behind Gateway Church on Military West, a block from Benicia High School and within walking distance or a short bus ride from Benicia Middle School.

With its theme of “Helping Youth Live a New Day,” the new center came from tragedy and loss, but is a gift to the community’s youth. It is dedicated to the memory of Benicia teen Kyle Hyland, who committed suicide in December of 2014. “We want the Teen Center to be a place where teens can socialize and support each other and have access to caring adults in the community so they don’t suffer from feeling alienated—so they can get help with problems they might be having,” said Kyle’s mother, Barbara Gervase, the center’s founder.

B IO

Sensei Rex Reade

By Adriene Rockwell Photo by Malcolm Slight When Rex Reade was a wiry kid growing up in Chicago, he had a knack for running fast and kicking high. He had seen martial artists in secret agent movies like the James Bond films, and at the age of twelve, decided to pursue Tae Kwon Do. He was so devoted that just three years later, at fifteen, he was asked to instruct kicks and blocks to a group of law enforcement officers on the weekends. “Try telling a Chicago cop he’s doing something wrong,” he laughs.

Now affectionately dubbed Sensei Rex, he’s been teaching ever since. Along the way he’s won many tournaments, including a prestigious sparring championship for the American Tae Kwon Do Federation when he was just seventeen, also the age he earned his first black belt. He now holds a 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and a 1st degree black belt in Karate, which he’s been teaching to young people for Benicia Parks & Community Services since 1988.

His students at all levels learn the basic tenets of courtesy, perseverance and self-control. Rex honors kindness, and employs the higher belt students to help the lower belts. Integrity is also at the core of his teaching. “If they are throwing blocks and get hit, students are expected to tell the truth, and call themselves out. When I trust them, that’s when I teach them things.”

14 • Benicia Magazine

BA CKWA RDS GLA NCE

The center opened Friday, January 22, and it’s a comfortable hangout space that includes large sofas and chairs, a big screen for movies, a coffee/cafe eating area, a ping-pong table and foosball, with the expectation of a pool table in the near future. It will be open 1-6pm every Friday until at least midFebruary. After the foundation secures background checks on all adult volunteers, more hours will be added. The intent is for the center to be open 3-7pm Monday-Thursday, 1-8pm Friday and 1-10pm Saturday.

As noted on the Kyle Hyland Foundation for Teen Support’s website, Kyle often complained, “There is nothing to do in this town!” A musician, Kyle played the piano and guitar and had been in various bands since the age of 13. Envisioned as a one-stop spot for youth aged 13-19, the Teen Center is a place where young people can play music, make art, watch movies, do homework, play games or just hang out in the lounge area.

Counseling, mentoring services and resources are available for both teens and parents. Gateway Church Rev. Jerry Pollard and his congregation donated the building as a way to serve young people. “We felt like we needed to see what else we could do,” Pollard said. The building currently serves the church’s youth ministry and has a kitchenette, TV, stage and sound system. Donations of games and furniture for the center have poured in. More than 60 people have signed up as volunteers.

More volunteers and donations are welcome. For more details go to www.kylehighland.com or to the Kyle Hyland Foundation for Teen Support on Facebook.

Devotion is key to building confidence in martial arts, and he likens it to his own experience of learning to play the guitar. “At first you learn slow, then you perfect it over time. Soon you get faster, and from there you can embellish and improvise.”

If there were black belts for playing the guitar, Rex would have earned one of those too. Since teaching himself to play in his 20s, he’s written dozens of folk/pop songs, even winning awards from the West Coast Song Writer’s Association. Every Thursday he jams with his fun-loving music quintet called The Relyks, and they perform at art and wine festivals and venues like our own Union Hotel, and at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley.

With a degree from the California College of Arts in Oakland, Rex worked as a graphic artist in the 1980s when his kids were young, but soon chose to be a stay-at-home dad while teaching Karate at night. He met his wife of 37 years, Jennifer, in high school and together they now have two adult children, Rex (third generation) and Katie. The family has endured some serious health problems, but Rex remains upbeat. “My wife and I like to say we are lucky in love.” He also believes you can be happy if you put your mind to it. “You just need to focus on all the good things you’ve got.”

Chief Virtues

By Elizabeth d’Huart Executive Director, Benicia Historical Museum Image courtesy Benicia Historical Museum February 15 is Presidents’ Day, a U.S. federal holiday, which honors (depending on individual state law) Washington and/or Lincoln’s birthday(s) and the office of the American presidency. The first federal holiday honoring George Washington was implemented by an Act of Congress in 1879 and was celebrated on Washington’s actual birthdate of February 22. George Washington, known as “The Father of his Country,” is revered for his leadership in the nation’s founding. He was the Electoral College’s unanimous choice to become the first President, and upheld as an example for future holders of the office. This 1932 handkerchief from our archives commemorates the 200th anniversary of his birth year and features the profiles of George and his wife Martha, rendered in cross-stich with a decorative narrative border that reads: “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen,” a phrase lifted from the eulogy written by Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee. Lee was a major general of the Continental Army, a member of the Continental Congress, governor of Virginia, and Washington’s close friend. He was also the father of the Civil War general Robert E. Lee. Extolling Washington’s virtues, this powerful statement concludes, “… he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life: pious, just, humane, temperate and sincere; uniform, dignified and commanding, his example was as edifying to all around him, as were the effects of that example lasting.” As I watch the nightly news and witness the comedic sparring of current applicants for the job, I wonder if we shouldn’t consider these criteria as essential to the position and, if so, where can we find another such individual? Step forward, please.

BeniciaMagazine.com • 15

Vallejo Brew Pub

Taps Into Proud Mare Island Hist

By Sarah Rohrs

he Mare Island Brewing Co had been open less than a week when owners Ryan Gibbons and Kent Fortner got a $1,000 tip on a $100 bill. They took it as a sign, a big sign, that they had hit on a winning recipe, namely wellcrafted beer with a big nod to the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard and its workers.

The Mare Island Brewing Co taproom operates inside the Vallejo Ferry Building with its bank of windows overlooking the shipyard’s historic coal sheds, cranes and dry docks. Nearly 18 months later, the brewery is still making a big splash, with waves spilling over into Benicia and the Bay Area. Some of its beers can be found at Benicia’s Lucca Bar and Grill, and the Benicia Veterans Memorial Hall.

16 • Benicia Magazine

With its nautical theme and shipyard artifacts, the taproom serves eight different beers named after Mare Island ships, workers and their customs. A menu of snacks, sandwiches and salads, plus T-shirts, hats and glasses compliment the offerings. As the New Year gets underway, Gibbons and Fortner are looking ahead. They are open one additional day each week, and plan to add live music. One big step will be brewing beer in a revamped Mare Island coal shed. They currently craft their beers in Sonoma County.

The partners are eager to contribute to a revitalized Mare Island, plus to them it’s no stretch that more craft beer brewers could set up shop there. The reception they’ve gotten indicates breweries are welcome in Vallejo.

tory

“We’re absolutely thrilled. You hope for it to be successful from the start, but we didn’t expect it to take off so quickly,” Gibbons said.

Mare Island’s 1996 closure dealt a big financial blow to Vallejo, but change is in the air. The former shipyard is undergoing a renaissance with new businesses, artists, homes, schools and other activity.

Not all customers can leave $1,000 tips, but appreciation flows regularly. “People come in and say, ‘Why hasn’t this been here all along?’ We’re giving locals something to be proud of again,” Fortner said. When anyone asks “Why Vallejo?” they can easily point out the taproom’s windows to Mare Island across the channel and the historic coal shed they will soon call home.

Mare Island has always been the key. The brewery taps into a proud, patriotic spirit that surrounds the island and lives within many former shipyard workers.

The business also helps bridge gaps between older and newer area residents. “We’re able to carry on that history through beer. We can help tell the story of why Mare Island was so important,” Fortner said.

In its 142 years, the base employed tens of thousands of people and made significant contributions to numerous war efforts and submarine development before closing in 1996. The base is also a major anchor to Vallejo’s history and identity.

Mare Island Brewing Co. patrons asking for a Saginaw Golden Ale will learn the ale is named after

the USS Saginaw, the first keel laid on Mare Island in 1857. The Farragut’s Farmhouse Ale is in honor of David G. Farragut, Mare Island’s first commander, famous for saying “Damn the torpedoes. Full steam ahead;” and the Hydraulic Sandwich IPA is a nod to the “liquid lunch” many yardbirds consumed.

In crafting beers, the pair strives to achieve balanced, classic light and dark ales, stouts and beers that will outlive fads. Formally trained in wine fermentation, the two met during a wine grape harvest in Napa County and became friends.

Gibbons moved to beer, working for the Lagunitas Brewing Company. Both have been home brewers and live in historic Mare Island houses.

Over the long haul, their aim is to build a tradition in the beer, and dedication to Mare Island. “Craft beer is definitely riding a big wave in general and there’s no doubt we’re riding that wave, but as Mare Island has endured, we really intend on being around for 100 years,” Fortner said.

The Mare Island Brewing Co. Taproom is open 4-10pm Monday-Friday, 11:30am-10pm Saturday, and 11am-9pm Sunday. For more details go to mareislandbrewingco.com.

Photos: Page 16, and upper right page 17, courtesy Mare Island Brewing Company; left and lower right, Jeanne Steinmann

BeniciaMagazine.com • 17

Where Does Benicia Stand in the

Digital Age?

By Beth Steinmann

18 • Benicia Magazine

My kids will always look at me in awe when I tell them I was born before the Internet. “It was a different world then,” I’ll say wistfully.

Instant global connectivity has certainly changed the face of our world, and like most change, it comes with mixed blessings. It’s evolved the way we relate to each other—perhaps making human interface less intimate in some ways, and more in others. The many facets of social media have become driving forces behind our interactions.

Thanks to the gradual introduction of the #hashtag into the social media current, a whole new way of cataloging, disseminating and receiving information has been born. Most popular social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Tumblr and Pinterest) are now “hashtag compatible,” and a search on any given platform for the hashtag topic of your choice will yield global, up-tothe-minute results for that topic. Hashtagging has been especially useful for natural disasters, activist movements, business marketing, social trends, and labeling geographic locations and specialized topics of interest.

Hashtag searches allow you to quickly sort through metadata and take the collective pulse on any given subject. Top results for a #benicia search on Twitter as of the writing of this article include job postings, weather reports, home sale listings, info about the new Benicia Teen Center and Valero’s crude by rail plan. An Instagram search for #benicia yields over 31,000 results; and on Facebook, over 89,000.

Benicia’s unique geographic location on the water between two bridges, vibrant arts community, family orientation, historic Main Street, many parks and relatively small population are all connectivityenhancing factors. This cohesion may also create a sense of pride in common identity.

How does social media extend and expand community connectivity? With platforms where content is co-created minute-

to-minute by its users, the possibilities are endless. Benicians can follow their favorite businesses and organizations on social media networks for up-to-date information and candid photos. Benicia also has a large handful of thriving sub-communities on Facebook, arguably the most widespread social media site. The Benicia Happenings Group has over 2400 members and says its “intended to be a one stop shop to for all of the things Benicia has to offer.”

There are also several companion groups for direct buying and selling (Benicia Happenings specifically excludes selling), including Benicia Only Bargains and Benicia Baby Bargains, both limited to Benicia residents only. A search on Meetup.com will yield a plethora of Benicia groups, including a coloring and coffee meetup.

The Benicia Police Department is encouraging community involvement and posts up-to-date info about current cases on their active Facebook page, regularly lauding Benicians for providing accurate information in 911 calls and witness reports, and asking for leads on wanted persons. Online collaboration allows for a more nuanced and creative relationship between the police department and citizens at large.

In the same vein of community awareness, Nextdoor is a networking site that allows you to post about and monitor activity in your own area. It includes over 84,000 neighborhoods and is a private online space for neighbors to discuss all things neighborly.

Benicia is divided up into several neighborhoods.

Regardless of your aims and desires in virtual reality, there are likely outlets, and if not, new groups can be easily created. The complexities of social dynamics within a community are both further diversified and simplified by online connectivity, and new ways of relating are invented every day by the people who make up that community.

Social Media Resources for Benicians BENICIA HAPPENINGS facebook.com/groups/1506873452918323/ BENICIA ONLY BARGAINS facebook.com/groups/BeniciaOnlyBargains/ BENICIA BABY BARGAINS facebook.com/groups/beniciababybargains/ BENICIA’S BEAUTIFUL BEES facebook.com/groups/344996152255894/

BENICIA POLICE DEPARTMENT FACEBOOK PAGE facebook.com/Benicia-Police-Department189065628095238/?fref=ts NEXTDOOR PRIVATE NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORK nextdoor.com/ BENICIA & VALLEJO MOTIVATED YOUNG PEOPLE (AGES 21-30) MEETUP meetup.com/Motivated-Young-People-Vallejo-Benicia/ BENICIA AND BEYOND COLORING AND COFFEE MEETUP meetup.com/Benicia-and-Beyond-Coloring-and-CoffeeMeetup/ BENICIA MAKERSPACE MEETUP meetup.com/BeniciaMakerspace/ @BENICIAMAGAZINE ON TWITTER twitter.com/search?q=benicia%20magazine&src=typd BENICIA MAIN STREET ON PINTEREST pinterest.com/beniciamainst/beautiful-downtown-beniciabeyond/ For more resources, search #benicia on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest

BeniciaMagazine.com • 19

Backyard

Orchard Culture

By Bruce Rockwell Benicia is a natural mecca for fruit trees. Our hot growing season and cool winters are ideal for growing a wide variety of fruits, and the summer breezes keep many diseases to a minimum. A walk through most downtown alleyways will reveal an enticing array of citrus, apples, apricots, pears, peaches, figs, pomegranates, vineyards, and more. These plants are grown by local families not only for their delicious fruit, but also for their enchanting beauty, summer shade, and redolent blossoms.

Not long ago, fruit trees typically took many years to start bearing after planting, required significant yard space, and often bore daunting harvests that would go to waste. However, in recent decades, a quiet revolution has occurred in the way fruit trees are grown at home. “Backyard orchard culture� has turned thousands of years of farming practice on its head, and solves many common problems for those who want to grow fruit in suburban spaces.

20 • Benicia Magazine

The development of modern dwarfing rootstocks has been central to the emergence of backyard orchard culture. These rootstocks control the size of a mature tree to more manageable dimensions. Dwarf and semi-dwarf trees sold in local nurseries have root systems that are ideal for the heavy clay soil so common in Benicia. And happily, trees grown on these modern rootstocks usually begin bearing fruit within a couple years of planting.

Another common feature of backyard orchard culture is multigrafting: the practice of grafting more than one fruit variety onto the same tree. Instead of harvesting a large crop of one type of apple for instance, we can grow several different varieties on the same tree, each with different ripening seasons, and enjoy tree-ripe fruit continuously from July to January! Once considered a garden novelty, multi-graft trees are now a highly practical mainstay of the home orchard. They are widely available from nurseries, and

”

Orchards have traditionally been pruned during the winter dormant season. The tree senses a survival threat, and in response to the pruning it sends out new growth and an abundance of fruiting wood. For a commercial grower this is nearly always desirable, but for the backyard orchardist, summer is usually a better time for this chore. Working in good weather is more enjoyable, and summer pruning helps to manage tree size by curtailing the amount of energy stored in the root system over the winter.

In contrast to the limited and staid selections available in supermarkets, the home orchardist can choose among hundreds of different heirloom fruit varieties, which offer up an explosion of variety, flavor, and character. It certainly is possible to grow the familiar supermarket fruits at home. But the heirloom varieties invariably taste better, may be more suitable to local microclimates, and are often more disease resistant and easier to grow. Nurseries, such as Mid City Nursery and Navlet's, carry heirloom fruit trees, and a wide selection is available from treesofantiquity.com.

In addition to the antique or heirloom fruits, new varieties are continually being bred for the home grower—including the trendy “interspecifics,” which are actually genetic (non-GMO) hybrid crosses of familiar stone fruits. Going by names such as pluots, apriums and nectaplums, interspecific fruits are now widely available in nurseries, and their emphasis is all on flavor.

According to a recent major study, an average commercially grown apple travels over 1,500 miles before it reaches the supermarket, representing a significant carbon footprint for that crop. Grapes travel a whopping 2,100 miles! And especially if the California drought persists, concerns are mounting regarding some of the water intensive and environmentally damaging practices at commercial farms. There is perhaps no better way to help the environment and enhance quality of life than to bring the entire food production cycle to within a few steps of your own back door—whether that is an apartment balcony or a rangy rural lot. And with backyard orchard culture, it's now easier and more enjoyable than ever before.

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Backyard orchard culture abandons traditional guidelines for spacing trees far apart. In fact, planting three or four trees in the same hole is a common practice. The benefit is the same as with multi-grafts: fruit diversity from a compact space. Espalier is another technique to grow fruit in a narrow stretch such as a side yard, or against a garage or fence. And many dwarf trees can be grown in containers, yielding good crops year after year.

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Interview with

Nicci Nunes

By Sue Sumner Moore Photo by Malcolm Slight

Nicci proudly calls herself a nerd, but admits she doesn’t yet know how to operate all the equipment.

“Some of it’s intimidating, so I need to learn.”

Persistence has been a key characteristic in her life. She was on the verge of quitting her Ph.D. program when she decided instead to head in a different direction. In 1996, she earned her doctorate in chemistry along with a master’s degree in arts and teaching from Rice University in Texas.

Nicci, 46, began her teaching career at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School in the Hunter’s Point area of San Francisco. She later taught science to students who had difficulty with the subject at De La Salle High in Concord. After that, Nicci took a break from the classroom to launch a program at UC Berkeley to bring science, engineering and math majors into teaching.

She now teaches science part-time at Liberty High School and is the school’s tech mentor. She and her husband are raising two sons in Benicia.

Why did you choose the teaching positions you’ve held?

In the meantime, everyone was telling me that you can do chemistry or education, but you can’t do both. But I wanted to be a high school teacher. I always had that dream. I have a really strong head and a really strong heart. Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out which one will win.

I wrote my undergrad adviser and told him I was thinking of quitting. He told me to go see his friend who was a professor at Rice. I did, and he said, “Come work for me.” …

I took the summer off, and I drove around the West, visited friends and thought about it all. I decided to change advisers— something you’re never supposed to do when you’re working on a Ph.D. I made a big shift: I went from experimental physics to theoretical chemistry. My new adviser supported me becoming a teacher. I wrote a computer program for his research while I was working on my teaching credential. He gave me the summer off to do student teaching.

In 2012, educator Nicci Nunes had a big idea: open a space in Benicia where people could tinker with technology, 3-D printers and other cool stuff. A place where ideas could become reality. She dubbed it Benicia Makerspace, after the growing maker movement.

The Kickstarter campaign failed.

The rented space didn’t work at all.

What did Nicci do? Same thing she’s done throughout her life when faced with obstacles: She tried again with a different approach.

“With that first try, I didn’t make Makerspace but I got the community together to make it happen. That failure got me the people we needed to get it going,” she says now.

Benicia Makerspace opened in July of 2015 in a warehouse on East Second Street. The 2,000-square foot workshop is full of equipment for 3-D printing, metal and wood working, welding, building with electronics, computer design software—even a one-ton hoist to lift the really big projects.

I felt like I wanted to go somewhere where it mattered that I was there, where people don’t normally get a lot of science education.

When I tell people I have a Ph.D. in chemistry, I usually get one of two responses: “You must be really smart” or “I hated chemistry.” I figured there must be a lot of bad chemistry teachers out there. I was always interested in widening the pipeline into chemistry, and I have a soft spot for the underdog.

My favorite movie is Rudy.

Why did you consider quitting your Ph.D. program?

Three years into grad school, I had an identity crisis. My computer in the lab got stolen, all my data was gone except what I’d printed out for winter break. …

22 • Benicia Magazine Interview

How has your persistence shaped your approach to life?

For me, it’s the idea that no matter how many times people say it can’t be done, you just need to find one way to show that it can be done.

You have to be willing to do the hard thing. I convinced science and math students at UC Berkeley that they should teach. Here at Liberty, if something doesn’t work, I try something else.

Sometimes it’s all about showing up and trying something new.

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What excites you more: teaching or making?

Both! Teaching people how to make things would be ideal.

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Twin Chapels Mortuary

What are you working on at Benicia Makerspace?

I’m working on an aquaponics project to grow plants and raise crayfish in a way that the crayfish are below and their water fertilizes the plants above. The project is started, but I’m not sure when it will be done. The system is going, it has no leaks or anything and it’s temperature controlled.

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What things have you seen created by others at Benicia Makerspace that excite you?

One of the guys made a life-size R2D2 there. He just made a BB8, but not there. I haven’t seen it, but I’m dying to see it. He may bring it to the Mini Maker Faire.

How can people get involved with Makerspace?

We have an open house every other Monday evening from 6 to 8 for people to come by.

We have Take-Apart Nights every Tuesday, also from 6 to 8.

We take apart and salvage equipment that is broken. We even save the plastic so we can melt it down for the 3D printer, though we have to learn exactly how to do that.

We also have Project Nights every Thursday from 6 to 8.

People can also learn more at the Mini Maker Faire. The next one will be April 16 at Benicia Middle School. Last year was our first faire and about 1,300 people came.

How do you manage to do it all?

Barely, I guess is the answer (shrugging as she laughs).

Planning, prioritizing, leaving some ideas for later, phasing in one new thing at a time. I’m phasing a biotech unit into bio this year. I’m always trying to make things more engaging, but I add things in bite-sized chunks.

What do you do to relax?

I read—I read a lot. I like memoirs. I read about education.

I play board games with my kids. … I like to pet my dog. That helps, too.

What’s next for you?

I’ve actually been pondering that. This year it’s been tougher to teach here than in the past—I’m not sure why. I still have more things I want to do here, but it’s asking a lot of me. I feel like we’ve been forgotten here in Benicia—people don’t want to acknowledge the problems like homelessness, mental health issues and drug use. We only have part-time counseling and a part-time psychologist (to address the issues).

How do you balance work with your personal life?

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 23

TRENDS

Important Successes for Benicia’s Two State Parks

By Christina Strawbridge Just a few years ago, 70 of the 280 California State Parks were slated to close due to California's budget deficit. Both the Benicia State Recreational Area (BSRA) and the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park, which includes the Fisher-Hanlon House and gardens (comprising the only two State Parks in Solano County), were on the hit list. The state was in the process of measuring the windows for plywood at the Capitol, taking inventory of the furnishings inside the Fisher Hanlon House and allowing the BSRA to be open only on a limited basis, while the paths and roadways became overgrown.

The future of our City and State's treasures looked bleak.

Thankfully, the City of Benicia and the Benicia State Parks Association united in a local effort to keep the two parks open.

It became a top priority of the current City Council in 2012 when determining its future strategic goals. The Council appointed myself and Mayor Patterson as council representatives, along with members of City staff, to take the lead in organizing a regional effort that also included Bob and Carol Berman of the Benicia State Parks Association, Mike Alvarez, Supervisor Linda Seifert, the City of Vallejo, California State Parks, Bay Area Ridge Trail’s Harry Englebright and San Francisco Bay Trail’s Maureen Gaffney.

The committee also had legislative aides representing Senator Lois Wolk and Assembly members Susan Bonilla and Jim Frazier attend the meetings. This multi-agency partnership called itself the Solano State Parks Committee. Its formation was a major accomplishment in bringing together several layers of government and non profits, and the group was committed to keeping the parks open and making them viable within the region.

The Benicia State Recreation Area encompasses 409 acres and includes three Regional trails, five miles of foot trails and straddles the waterfront cities of Vallejo and Benicia. In 2015, 10,000 visitors took advantage of the 270 acres of tidal marshland, the Forrest Deaner Native Plant Botanic Garden, picnic facilities and fantastic fishing.

The BSRA is a regional asset with amazing potential to attract recreational tourism by linking the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the nine-county bay shorelines and ridgelines as part of the San Francisco Bay Trail.

Some important success stories that have occurred in the last few years include the AB 1478 Donor Agreement of 2013, where the 24 • Benicia Magazine Trends

State matched funds raised on behalf of the Benicia State Parks.

Solano County and the City of Benicia agreed to commit $10,000 each and $4,000 was received from the City of Vallejo, generating a match of $24,000 from the State. The Donor Agreement restored everyday operations at the BSRA through June 30, 2014 and has continued to the present with the park open from 8am to sunset.

Other projects included new informational signage and benches in the summer of 2015 and trail and road repaving. The City of Vallejo provided the equipment and staff needed to repave the Bay Trail/ Ridge Trail and portions of Dillon Point Road. Support for the project's design was given by State Parks and City of Benicia staff, using the State Park’s maintenance funds.

We are most fortunate to have the Benicia State Parks Association, which, from the beginning, has been the champion of both parks. The non-profit organization supports the Forrest Deaner Native Plant Botanic Garden, coordinates the coastal clean-up event and offers a weekend academy with Solano County Juvenile Probation.

Benicia Capitol State Historic Park is currently open Thursday through Sunday and during 2015, had 8,500 visitors. The Benicia State Parks Association offers regular interpretive programs and docent tours at the Capitol and Fisher Hanlon House. The organization has also funded and managed irrigation and upgrades to the Hanlon House as well as developed interpretive signage with help from Solano County and the California State Parks Foundation.

It also hosts the popular Capitol Speaker Series and special events during the holidays.

Currently the state is doing a Historic Structure Report to indentify the needs for both the Capitol building and the Fisher-Hanlon House. This important document will be the blueprint to restore the two buildings to their stately beauty. The Solano State Parks Committee will work with the State Parks Transformation Team and Partnership Committee to incorporate the recommendations from the Parks Forward Report.

The Solano State Parks Committee's mission for 2016 is to continue to build on the successes of the last few years in order to preserve the past for the next generation.

Photos by Jerry Bowles

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 25

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 27

February 2016 Events Skaggs Island Bird Tours

Skaggs Island Bird Tours Tuesdays in February: 2/2, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23; 12-3pm

Meet at the White Gate on Skaggs Island Road Skaggs Island is 4400 acres and part of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refugee. It supports deer, birds of prey, coyote, egrets, herons, and assorted other wildlife that use the various grasslands, shrub stands, ephemeral pools, old drainage channels, and nonnative eucalyptus trees as habitat. This tour will focus on the many raptors that winter on Skaggs Island.

Possible sightings could include: white-tailed kites, Northern harriers, rough-legged hawks, merlins, American kestrels, golden eagles, peregrine falcons, ferruginous hawks, and several species of owls. This is primarily a driving tour with little walking.

Will cancel in the event of rain.

RSVP: melisa_amato@fws.gov or (707) 769-4200 x 102 28 • Benicia Magazine Calendar

Diablo Ballet Presents Precision and Balance 2/5, 8pm; 2/6, 2pm & 8pm

Del Valle Theatre, 1963 Tice Valley Blvd, Walnut Creek Celebrate the New Year as Diablo Ballet presents the second program of their 22nd season celebrating the power of dance. The performance will open with the full production of George Balanchine’s masterpiece, Apollo, staged by Christopher Stowell, former San Francisco Ballet principal dancer who performed in almost every Balanchine production presented there during his 16 year tenure.

Diabloballet.com 925.943.1775

Benicia Community Gardens Speaker Series with John Valenzuela

“Discovering Fantastic Fruit for Our New Weirder Weather” 2/6, 10am

Heritage Presbyterian Church 1400 East Second Street, Benicia You can grow wonderful fruit in spite of our recent drought and warm winters. John Valenzuela will share simple and effective growing strategies and techniques, with water wisdom and microclimate magic. He will also discuss fantastic fruit species and varieties adapted to our ever-changing climate.

There will be fruits to sample.

Please bring some of your own home grown and foraged fruit to share!

Beniciacomminutygardens.org

Opening Reception: Radical Landscapes 2/6, 4-6pm di Rosa Preserve

5200 Carneros Hwy, Napa The natural environment serves as both medium and muse for the six artists in Radical Landscapes who reflect on a range of larger concerns including climate change, surveillance, and identity. Through photography, installation, drawing, painting, video and food, the artists in this exhibition upend familiar, anodyne approaches to landscape and instead present work that critically examines our relationship to the natural world.

Dirosaart.org 707.226.5991 x27

Downtown First Street, Benicia Stroll First Street with your sweetheart while tasting fine wine and a variety of delectable chocolate pairings inside downtown shops.

Beniciamainstreet.org 707.745.9791

last minute realization stays the Wazir hand and save him. The wild ride continues as the poet's daughter falls in love with the handsome Caliph, the poet falls in love with the Wazir’s wife, and everyone falls in love with the whirlwind of occurrences that could only happen on an Arabian Night!

Annual Love Poetry Celebration

Valley of the Moon Music Festival

Stone Hall Benicia Historical Museum 2060 Camel Road, Benicia The Museum hosts the Benicia Library’s annual Love Poetry Contest reading and award ceremony. The continuing theme is the love story of California’s Concepcion Arguello and Russia’s Nikolai Rezanov. Light refreshments will be served.

Beniciahistoricalmuseum.org 707.745.5435

Green Music Center Schroeder Hall 1801 East Cotati Ave, Cotati The Valley of the Moon Music Festival features some of the finest Bay Area musicians, performing 18th- and 19thcentury music on period instruments. Join the musical entertainment for Program III: Schubertiade.

Gmc.sonoma.edu 800.955.6040

Wine & Chocolate Walk 2/6, 1-5pm

2/7, All day

Bay Area Stage Presents Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?

2/12-2/28; dates and times vary

Vallejo Naval Historical Museum 734 Marin Street, Vallejo After a faculty get-together, George and Martha invite their younger counterparts, Nick and Honey, over for a nightcap that quickly spirals into an evening of wicked psychological games.

The finest actors in the Bay Area take the stage in Edward Albee’s cultural landmark that has been riveting audiences for over 50 years and ruthlessly tears down the façade of the American family.

Bayareastage.org 707.649.1053

Spreckles Theatre Company Presents Kismet: An Arabian Night Musical 2/12 & 13, 2/19 & 20, 2/26 & 27 8pm; 2/14, 21 & 28 at 2pm

Spreckles Performing Art Center, 5409 Snyder Lane Rohnert Park A series of sticky circumstances have landed the quick-witted public poet in opulence. His rolling in gold is cut short when his maneuvering comes full circle, though, and he is forced in front of the Wazir who is set to chop off the poet's hand. A

2/13, 3-6pm

Pamper Me Week 2/20-2/26, all day

Downtown First Street, Benicia A week dedicated to discovering the number of ways to relax, rejuvenate and pamper yourself.

Beniciamainstreet.org 707.745.9791

Black Irish in Concert 2/20, 8pm; doors 7pm

Camel Barns Benicia Historical Museum 2060 Camel Road, Benicia Black Irish celebrates their new album containing ballads of the gold & silver mining regions of the American West in the style of Folk, Americana, and Celtic Pub-Rock.

Beniciahistoricalmuseum.org 707.745.5435

Trivia Bee XXV Goes Hollywood

Elementary Enrollment Beginning February 1st Enrollment for incoming Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten and new elementary students to BUSD begins February 1st Your child must turn five years old on or before September 1, 2016 to enroll in Kindergarten.

BUSD is also offering Transitional Kindergarten again this year for all Benicia students who turn five years old between September 2nd and December 2nd, 2016. Enrollment for this program is completed at each of our Elementary Schools starting the month of February.

Open Enrollment for all Elementary students desiring to attend a school outside of their school of residence will be held the month of March.

Forms can be picked up at any elementary site and information is on the BUSD website.

Please call any of our Elementary Schools for additional information and to schedule an appointment.

2/27; 6pm

Benicia Clocktower, 1189 Washington Street, Benicia Wear your finest clothes and come celebrate the 25th anniversary of the annual Library Trivia Bee, Academy Award style. Fun, food, great trivia, awesome costumes.

Tickets go on sale February 1st.

Team registration info available online.

Benicialibrary.org 707.746.4343

Benicia Unified School District 350 East K Street, Benicia, CA 707.747.8300 • www.beniciaunified.org

BeniciaMagazine.com • 29

Spring Open Enrollment Boys & Girls Age 6 -18 No Audition Policy Napa Valley Mon. Feb. 1st & Feb. 8th 4:00pm - 4:45pm Salvador Elementary School 1850 Salvador Ave Napa Benicia Tue. Feb. 2nd & Feb. 9th 3:30pm - 4:15pm Benicia Veterans Memorial Hall 1150 First Street Benicia Santa Rosa Wed. Feb. 3rd & Feb. 10th 4:00pm - 5:30pm Double Session Church of the Roses 2500 Patio Court Santa Rosa

707.751.1515 New members enroll online at VOENA.org or at practice Last date to enroll is February 12th, 2016

30 • Benicia Magazine

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We are passionate about Homeownership

PLUMBIN

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AMERICAN PACIFIC MORTGAGE

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“PEOPLE TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE...”

Alan M. Schwartzman Branch Manager

DRE 00681649/01215943 NMLS 238622/1850

ams@advancedmtg.com

Mitchell S. Chernock Trenchless Sewer Pipe Rehabilitation - Pipe Bursting Repair or Replace • Water - Gas - Sewer Garbage Disposal • Drain Cleaning • Water Heaters Video Camera • Slab Leaks • Free Estimates

Residential and Commercial Service 24/7

(707) 745-2930

Sales Manager

DRE 00583404/01215943 NMLS 236204/1850

mitchell@advancedmtg.com • Purchase/Refinance • Conventional, FHA, VA, 203 K Rehab • Reverse Mortgages for Seniors • Native American Home Loans

707. 746. 4920

www.BeniciaPlumbing.com CA Lic. #329632

Lic. by Dept. of Corp. under the CRMLA

Best of 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2103 & 2014

615 First Street Benicia, CA 94510

advancedmtg.com

Welcome to Tosch Dental

Feel at home—even in the dental chair!

Full-service dentistry | In-house lab, ensures perfect fit | Orthodontics | 50% off bleach with exam & cleaning | Relaxed and comfortable environment Proudly serving Benicia families for over 25 years.

Ronald J. Tosch, DDS l 118 West K St. 707.745.2130 l www.toschdental.com

BeniciaMagazine.com • 31

Celebrating 25 Years

Receive a $150 gift certificate to Romancing the Home, or a Nourot Vase, with the purchase of a complete kitchen.

AFFORDABLE QUALITY Cabinets and Countertops

Open Mon. - Fri. 9-5 weekends & evenings by appointment

4852 East 2nd Street, Benicia Contractor's License # 687979

"We very much appreciate the great attention to detail and quality that went into our remodeled kitchen. Susy’s feature ideas, layout suggestions and detailed plans for cabinets, and Mary Ann’s efforts in getting our countertops just right, made for an amazing kitchen. We are very pleased with how our ‘project of a lifetime’ turned out."

—Mike and Gita

707-745-2100 • aqc@aqchome.com