Benicia Magazine January 2019

Indoor Garden

Adding houseplants for health and beauty

Home Composting

Easy ideas and low-key methods for improving garden soil

Tom Stanton

The roles and responsibilities of Bencia’s poet laureate

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January 2019

Contents Features Start the year off fresh with air-filtering houseplants 20 Carquinez Village offers a volunteer network of support for aging residents 24

Scene Benicia’s newest poet Laureate dis10 cusses his multifaceted role

Community

Annual Art of a Community exhibit opens Jan. 26 at Arts Benicia Gallery

Working with schools, Republic Services teaches kids how to properly recycle

12

Music 23

Composting veggie scraps and garden clippings for improved garden soil 15

Calendar 26

Fun Facts

Art Arata Gallery opens downtown with a grand opening celebration 28 16

Food & Drink

Solid food faves and a thoughtful wine list at The Loft Wine Bar and Restaurant

17

Specialty grocery stores worth the trek to Berkeley, Walnut Creek and Sonoma 18

Above: Scene on the Strait, 12”x16”, Rolando S. Barrero Cover Photo: Peace Lilly 6 • Benicia Magazine

From the Editor 8 14

The 411 on Benicia Main Street’s hugely popular wine walks

People

In Every Issue

Culture

Held by a Horse exhibit at Milinda Perry Gallery featuring artist Mary Aiu 29 Rolando S. Barrero is featured this month at Benicia Plein Air Gallery 29 Trends For those with bunions, footwear can still be stylish without high heels 30

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FROM THE EDITOR

January 2019

Lisa Duncan Photography

Tweet, post or send your suggestions & ideas to: Editor@beniciamagazine.com Beniciamagazine.com

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@Jeannesteinmann beniciamagazine

It’s hard to believe it’s January—we dispatched with 2018 so quickly my head is spinning. But here we are! I’m practicing quiet reflection, and ideas to jump-start the year by living a simpler life with a focus on sustainably in all its forms. At home, we are working with Anne Corcoran at Annie Fix It, banishing clutter in every room, including the garage. Indoor gardening is also on my mind.

We started with a few houseplants here and there, and loved how the greenery transformed our spaces. While the Bay Area was filled with smoke from recent fires, I added more—a lot more. Plants filter indoor air, and according to a NASA study done in the late 70s, in order to filter out toxins you need one small plant for every 100 square feet of space. I’ve at least doubled that amount, and with fires projected to continue in California, it seems like a good idea to start now. Some plants are more affective than others; check out the list on page 20.

In this issue you’ll find updates on what we can put in our recycle bins, on how the Carquinez Village is coming along, specialty grocery stores where we can access a wider variety of organic fruit and vegetables, home composting and a lot of art.

What does art have to do with sustainability? Many decades ago, Benicia forged its identity as an arts community—a bastion of creativity and haven for art and artists. This provides our town with economic benefits through cultural tourism, as well as a pride of place.

Tackling social and community issues along with many examples laid out in his statement, accessible online at Americansforthearts.org, Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, sums it up this way: “The transformative power of the arts as a means to help create solutions to a broad array of social and economic issues is a big part of the value of the arts in today’s American community.”

Reading his thoughts on Transforming America’s Communities Through the Arts Initiative provides me with all kinds of creative inspiration; a balm in the face of our current political reality.

All the best to our readers in 2019, and happy New Year everyone, —Jeanne Steinmann

8 • Benicia Magazine

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Scene People

Thomas Stanton’s Role as Benicia’s Poet Laureate A BENICIA POEM Six ducks One pheasant 301 gulls Seven quail On fishing trail A pair of kites One cormorant Three people One pleasantly lost in revery Epiphanic waters and landscape A breeding pair of white Ospreys Sea breeze Reaching across The Strait The coolest movie theatre in the world The library sunrise terra-cotta glows Welcoming Reservoir of history, art, learning Waters with history Brackish friends Loving fog Bracing wind Giant ships And You. —Tom Stanton, July 17, 2018 City Council Meeting

10 • Benicia Magazine

By Adriene Rockwell Benicia’s seventh Poet Laureate, Thomas Stanton, will honor the traditions passed down from those before him, but there has never been another poet like him in Benicia—or anywhere.

Born to a writer and an artist, Stanton grew up writing poetry and now he and his wife Christine own Bookshop Benicia, our city’s literary hub. “Clarity is not my strong suit,” he says, but as he opens up, a mystic emerges. In his company it’s not unusual to find yourself humming along to his poetry and opening your heart to his extraordinary way. Here’s what he has to say about his new role as lead poet.

events and public readings, and of course First Tuesday Poets, which features an open-mic every month at the Library. The Love Poetry Contest, the Joel Fallon Scholarship program and several integrated salons. I would like for poetry not to bore people to tears, or for it to be feared for its supposed structure requirements. To be erudite is probably a disease. There is no crime in attracting a popular audience. Poetry shouldn’t be overly easy or dumbed down, but it should be accessible.

AR: What experiences led you to becoming Benicia’s

AR: How would you describe yourself as a poet?

Poet Laureate?

TS: I have been involved with Benicia’s First Tuesday Poets

since 2004. I had been involved in creating poetry events and performing my own poems between my arrival here in town in 1993, and 1997, when that scene ran down. Joel Fallon, who had earlier taught my son chess, founded our Poet Laureate tradition, including The Love Poetry Contest in the early 2000s. Through the intervening years I have found myself filling in for the Poet Laureate, when they were ill or could not otherwise attend. I was over these twenty-odd years, always attending and happy to help out. Many events, in public spaces showcasing this town’s incredible talent, became my passion. Until recent years, I usually read in other cities and kept a low local profile. It was time for a change, and I am happy and have not looked back. I am known primarily for my eerie but unique ‘PoemSongs,’ and for performing the PoemSongs in public venues, bars, clubs, libraries and street performances.

AR: What are the roles and responsibilities of the Benicia Poet Laureate? And how long is your tenure?

TS: To represent the finest efforts of our writers and artists

to the greater outside world, while remaining active at the local level in the schools and workshops (see sidebar), working directly with people in Benicia. It’s a two-year term: 2018-2020.

AR: In this role, what special projects or initiatives do you have planned?

TS: My favorite project is a five-workshop series, three hours

each session, on making all kinds of poem-art. I’ve tailored the workshops to five basic ways that people learn. These are totally different approaches to the same problem: how to write a poem. This is in addition to Poetry Inside Out every first Sunday at Bookshop Benicia. Also regular ekphrastic

AR:

Who are your favorite poets?

TS: Romantic poetry by Charles Bukowski; Dreamsongs by John Berryman; Adrienne Rich; Michael Ford.

TS: I am totally a performance-based poet, involved with

spoken-word. And so, I do not typically write my poems down on paper until or ever, after the performance. Many times I will perform a poem live, publicly, over-and-over until I achieve a work of lasting and proven value. Only then do I write them down. I am rather unique as Poet Laureates go. I am one of a very few Poet Laureates in California who is almost entirely performance-based. I am not an academic, or a teaching poet. I believe poetry is a song, a single cycle word event that resonates as sound and the music of raw letter sounds and utterances from many different languages. I start with scatstructures and bring them into sense by forming sound-words within them.

AR: In these troubled times, how would you speak to the healing power of poetry?

TS:

I was asked to write a poem for the recent Benicia California Stands Against Hate: Nov 1, 2018. On November 1, Benicians gathered in solidarity against hate and violence, especially the recent killings in Pennsylvania. A message from the heart in a poetic form that comes from a place of knowledge can heal you. You realize you always had the voice, always had the way. Don’t feel overwhelmed because you’re not.

Feeling overwhelmed means you can feel, and you have not shut down. Be open to what you already know. It’s like when someone touches your body and you feel yourself starting to relax. That’s how a poem can work as a healing thing.

Poetry Workshops 1. Poetry & Collage (visual) 2. Poetry & Rhyme (as lyric) 3. Poetry & Form (as structure) 4. Poetry & Sonnets (a sonnet) 5. Poetry & Speaking in Tongues (sound)

BeniciaMagazine.com • 11

Scene Community

Arts Benicia Opens New Year with Community Art

By Beth Steinmann Benicia Angel Shop, Nikki Basch Davis Arts Benicia’s annual Exhibit, Art of a Community, opens January 26, and is a heartful way to begin the new year, as well as a unique opportunity for members to showcase their varied and diverse talents. Any member can submit one piece to the show for a small fee. Arts Benicia Development Associate, Jean Purnell, says, “You can become a new member and immediately qualify to enter. There is no jurroring.” This is the biggest show of the year, she says.

Last year, there were over 200 pieces, but this year it may be bigger, since membership has grown to over 550 people. The show will feature pieces in all different types of artistic media.

Jean’s favorite part about the exhibit is the reception, The Heart of a Community. “It’s the biggest number of people that come into the gallery. It’s such a fun party and way to get all the members together. This show brings back long-term members who always submit but may not submit to other shows.” The reception will take place January 26, 6-8pm.

There are two other events associated with this exhibit.

Family Art Day, which happens about six times each year, will take place February 3 from 1-3pm. Family Art Days are free, drop-in events for the whole family, including children and teens of all ages. Jean says, “It begins with a visit to the gallery.

The whole event is planned by volunteer docents who have a series of questions that enable young children to find the art 12 • Benicia Magazine

accessible—to see into each artwork a little more deeply. They provide education on how to view art, especially for people who don’t regularly view art.”

After the gallery tour, folks head to the classroom to make their art, which they get to take home. Sometimes there are group activities, and everything is meant to link the people to the exhibit and cultivate that connection in what they create.

Supplies vary based on the show, but may include paint, collage items, and wood and plastic scraps. And, Jean says, “the larger the group, the more fun it is!”

The final aspect of Art of a Community gets Benicia poets involved. After the First Tuesday Poetry Group (which meets monthly at the library and is open to all) visits the exhibit for inspiration, they write poems about the art. Poems will be read, with dramatic flare, the last day of the show, February 24, from 2-4pm.

For exhibit times or general information, visit Artsbenicia.org For information about Arts Benicia membership, visit Artsbenicia.org/member-artists-2018/.

The Art of a Community January 26 – February 24, 2019 Arts Benicia 991 Tyler Street #114, Benicia 707.747.0131 Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 12-5pm

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Scene Culture

Recyclables ready for transit, courtesy Republic Services Recycling facility, courtesy Republic Services

Changes Worldwide Affect Benicia Recycling

By Tomoka Red St. Johns At one time, Benicia-based Pacific Rim processed area recyclables and shipped used products overseas, where they became the base materials for new products.

Children toured the plant to see the importance of putting discarded items in the correct bins and used recycled items to make decorative keepsakes. But changes in the world market have impacted Benicia, said Marie Knutson, recycling coordinator for Republic Services, which handles Benicia’s garbage and recycling services. A little more than a year ago, China was the largest importer of cans, plastic bottles, cardboard and items that could be transformed into new items, and 40 percent of its imports came from the United States.

But China tightened its standards. Acceptable contamination levels, once about 3 percent, are now 0.5 percent, Knutson said.

Prices of recycled products have dropped dramatically, however the cost of slowing the conveyor belts and adding employees to remove contaminated items have increased. Plus, Pacific Rim has closed. Now recyclables go to Republic’s processing plant in Milpitas. Trash goes to the Keller Canyon landfill in Pittsburg.

Benicia’s civic clubs, schools and other organizations have been seeing Knutson’s presentations more frequently as she explains what residents need to put in their various bins as well as how to prepare those articles. Her mantra is “Empty, Clean, Dry.” Residents need to empty remaining food and liquids from cans and bottles and clean them with a light rinse to remove any remaining residue. Finally, they should shake out the rinse water and let the items air dry before putting them in a recycling bin.

Some items may look recyclable, but are not, she said. This includes Aerosol cans, appliances, bubble wrap, strings of lights, coat hangers, electrical cords, garden hoses, syringes, razor blades, tires and wood. Single-use plastic utensils are trash, as most stuffed animals and plastic foam (Styrofoam) also go in the trash.

14 • Benicia Magazine

Knutson also speaks about items acceptable for composting.

Her tips can be surprising. Some things seem to be paper, but are hybrid plastics, such as apparent “paper” cups and so-called “Earth-friendly” tableware products. Just because they’re made of corn, potato or sugar cane, that doesn’t mean they’re as compostable as they seem, she said. They often contain petroleum-based plastic, creating a hybrid that can’t be recycled or accepted as green waste.

“Everything biodegrades eventually, but that could be 10,000 years in a landfill,” she said. “Any ‘Eco’ or ‘Earth-friendly’ hybrid plastics go into the trash. Only 100 percent plastic products can go into the recycling.”

Of many items labeled “biodegradable,” Knutson said only bamboo is really compostable.

Instead of trying to figure out which are the least harmful single-use products, a better alternative is using stainless flatware and actual dishware, she said.

Want to know which bin is for what item? Knutson suggested asking your child. Republic Services and Benicia Unified School District are partners in promoting recycling and composting in local school lunchrooms. “We’re working very hard with the schools,” she said.

Robert Semple Elementary first tested the program, and Joe Henderson Elementary soon joined. Pupils, led by trained “green teams,” learn the proper disposal of food waste, whether the leftover products are from purchased lunches or are those brought from home. Youngsters also are being told to ask their parents to pack them a “zero waste” lunch in a reusable lunchbox with food in washable containers instead of plastic bags, real utensils and a reusable cloth napkin or bandana.

Although the U.S. has an approximate 30% recycling rate, we still produce a shocking amount of waste: about 260 million tons annually. Let's help our kids change that.

Marilyn Bardet’s 3-stage composting bins, Lisa Duncan Photography

For Marilyn Bardet, Composting Starts with a couple of Bowls

By Tamoka Red St. Johns When it comes to being healthy, fresh garden produce is an important key. When it comes to growing garden vegetables, healthy soil is an important key. And when Benicia resident Marilyn Bardet strives to create healthy soil, she starts with a couple of bowls.

There’s nothing fancy or special about those bowls, Bardet said with a laugh. “They look like old stainless-steel salad bowls or mixing bowls,” she said. But for years, she’s put them to a different use entirely.

They’re where she puts kitchen vegetable scraps. “No meat—just veggies.”

That’s the beginning of a fairly easy process she uses to create compost she’ll use to enrich her garden soil. “In 1990, I built a three-bin composter using the Rodale method,” she said. The Rodale Institute in Kutztown, Pa., is a strong advocate in the organic movement, from the consumer level to research and farmer training, saying organic gardening and farming improve both the health of people as well as the planet.

She made her bin simply, of 2 by 12 fir lumber. “I was learning at the time,” she said. Some of her education came from surprising sources, such as at a Massachusetts open house given by members of the Rockefeller family who were showing off their environmental practices. Bardet learned she should set aside a cubic yard of space for a compost pile of both dried things, such as dead leaves and old garden clippings, and green things. “Most kitchen waste is green things, such as peelings,” Bardet said.

If the compost bin is high enough, the pile will have the air it needs for the materials to break down. Once the three-part bin was built, Bardet simply placed a thick plastic tarp over it and let nature handle the rest. “It heats up. I don’t do anything.

It composts up,” she said. She may wet down the materials if they’re too dry, but that’s about it.

“It’s a lazy way to get compost,” she said. “This is not anything new. I am sure there are a lot of people composting in their own way. I didn’t buy anything special. I just put a bowl out, and as I peel things and cut things, I take it out to the bin, pull the plastic cover, toss it in. That’s it!”

Her three-stage bin has portions for the beginning of the breakdown of fresh things. The second part continues the breakdown, and the third section contains the soft, crumbly finished product that enriches the soil. Although some composting can be done without bins, “I prefer to have mine contained,” Bardet said, explaining that bins can discourage animals from dining on those discarded kitchen scraps. And even if she doesn’t garden as much as she once did, she still uses the compost she makes.

Composting doesn’t even have to be as complex as Bardet’s simple method. “I have friends who build a pile of leaves.” They may add scraps to those piles or let the leaves gradually transform to soil food. The results will be considered organic, so long as the plant matter hadn’t been sprayed.

“You can make a pile of leaves and green and dry things, tarp it over and it’ll break down and you get nice humus,” she said.

“And everybody could be composting leaves in Benicia.”

…as I peel things and cut things, I take it out to the bin, pull the plastic cover, toss it in.

That’s it!”

BeniciaMagazine.com • 15

Scene Fun Facts

ut o b a w o n K ’t n Things You Did

s k l a W e n i Benicia W

Who puts on the Art Walks?

Benicia Main Street, led by Executive Director Nancy Martinez

What is it? A Downtown Benicia wine-tasting event, where participating merchants pour wine inside their shops for ticketholders. Most merchants also serve nibbles.

Where are they? On First Street, from K Street to the waterfront.

How many are there each year?

Four: Wine & Chocolate Walk (February), Spring Wine Walk (June), Fall Wine Walk (September), Wine Walk & Shop Small (November).

Average Number of Participating businesses: Up to 22 businesses pour wine inside their shops.

How much wine is poured during the event? Over 250 bottles, procured from Benicia’s Henry Wine Group

How many different types of wine are served? Three: red, white and sparkling, that come from local to international wineries.

How many volunteers help with the event? Ten.

How many people attend the wine walks?

An average of 300 tickets are sold for each of the four events.

When is the next Wine Walk?

February 2019—check beniciamainstreet.org for details.

16 • Benicia Magazine

Number of years of annual wine walks: Seven.

Scene Food & Drink

Classic Flavors and European Hospitality at

The Loft

By Courtney Tait At the Loft Wine Bar & Restaurant in downtown Benicia, you can watch your server light a pan of kefalograviera cheese on fire, then devour the melted, gooey goodness in between sips of Smith Devereux chardonnay.

You won’t regret this. It’s a small thrill to see something flaming at your table, and the indulgence of fried cheese—a Greek dish called Saganaki—is worth it, especially on a winter evening with a chill in the air.

The Saganaki is a nod to the Greek heritage of Jason Diavatis, who opened The Loft in 2012. A Benicia native, Diavatis recalls trying wine for the first time at age 10 or 11 while spending a summer in Greece with relatives. As an adult, he started DJing, which led to work in event planning and design.

Eventually he became involved with the National Association of Catering Executives in San Francisco. “That gave me a different level of experience,” he says. “I got to travel all over the country experiencing food and wine. The best wine was here.”

The Loft features a full food menu, with Chef Eric Parada

creating an eclectic range of dishes using fresh, simple ingredients. You’ll find starters like the Saganaki and Baked Brie en Croute, and salads like Roasted Beet with goat cheese and candied pecans. The meatforward sandwich options include Tri Tip Sliders and BBQ Chicken Pita, while the flatbreads range from Prosciutto and Blue Cheese to a basic Margherita.

Pasta, too, is prominent, with six fettuccine dishes, including Shrimp Alfredo and Bolognese.

“Having excellent food is incredibly important,” says Diavatis, who points to entree dishes like The Beef Wellington and Roasted Lamp Chops as customer favorites. While the menu doesn’t stand out as particularly innovative, its classic flavors are comforting in their familiarity. The dishes offer a solid compliment to the thoughtfully-curated wine list, which focuses on hard-to-find wines from Napa and Sonoma.

For $20, you can sample a flight of five. (Try the bold, slightly spicy Scout’s Honor Red Blend, from Napa’s Venge Vineyards, if you get the chance.)

Hidden behind a black velvet curtain to the right of the bar is Diavitis’ more recent experiment: The Office Speakeasy & Piano

Lounge. With seating for 18, it’s a dark, intimate throwback to prohibition-era watering holes, complete with a 1902 player piano that bangs out ragtime jazz. “It’s about creating an experience,” says Diavatis.

“People feel like they’re going back in time.”

To meet the “cocktail attire” dress code at The Office, don’t hesitate to don a flapper dress, feathered headband, or suit and suspenders: you’ll fit right in. With the same food menu as The Loft, plus a vast selection of premium spirits—including four kinds of absinthe—and every cocktail you can imagine, this is a go-to spot for dates and group celebrations.

The Loft is open Wednesday through Sunday; The Office is open Friday and Saturday evenings (reservations encouraged) and for private events. “We have a European sense of hospitality,” says Diavatis. “People who come here are like guests in our home—we make them feel comfortable.”

The Loft Wine Bar & Restaurant The Office Speakeasy & Piano Lounge 707.745.4200 280 1st St, Benicia Theloftwinebar.com Pulled Tri Tip, Courtesy photo

BeniciaMagazine.com • 17

Scene Food and Drink

S

Y T L A PECI

y r e c o Gr s e r o t S

d n u o Ar y a B the

18 • Benicia Magazine

Scene Food & Drink

By Jeanne Steinmann For daily food items, I love shopping at the Southampton Raley’s. Visually and otherwise, it’s exceptional; especially with integrated and expanded organic choices. However, when I’m looking for something I can’t get locally, I head over to Berkeley, Walnut Creek or Sonoma.

LUNARDI’S WALNUT CREEK

In Walnut Creek, I like Lunardi’s at Geary & Pleasant Hill Road. The store has a large selection of European cheeses, which are more likely to be free of rBST—a genetically engineered hormone commonly used in the U.S. that boosts milk production. I also admire the store’s sustainable energy practices. The Walnut Creek and Burlingame locations have solar systems to reduce the energy drain from fluorescent lighting.

The Burlingame store also has a co-generation power system with a backup generator, eliminating PG&E costs. Additionally they provide discounted hot water to a retirement community adjacent to the shopping center. Started in 1953 by Alfredo Lunardi with the help of his two sons, the number of stores now totals eight.

Page 18 top, center right and above, Lunardi’s, Photos p. 18 & 19, Lisa Duncan Photography

Lunardi’s Walnut Creek 1600 Palos Verdes Mall, 925.939.6477 Daily 7am-9pm, Peet's Coffee open daily at 6am

MONTEREY MARKET

An incredible store focusing on all kinds of in-season produce, part open air, part traditional market, Monterey Market has been serving the North Berkeley community since 1961. At age 15, Japanese-born Tom Takumi Fujimoto followed his father to the U.S. where he met and married Mary Nobori Fujimoto and had three sons.

During WWII the entire family was taken to internment camps in Arizona and Utah. After resettling in the Bay Area and purchasing Monterey Foods on Hopkins Street in 1961, the Fujimoto’s changed the store’s name to Monterey Market in 1980. Since Tom and Mary passed away, their son Robert and his son, Scott, have run the store. The market is in good company, with a slew of other specialty food and small shops as neighbors. Mike and I have been shopping there for over 30 years for the sheer variety of beautiful produce, but the store also sells groceries, dairy, beer and wine, and sundries.

Monterey Market 1550 Hopkins Street, Berkeley, 510.526.6042 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8:30am-6pm Sat & Sun Montereymarket.com

Page 18 center left and above, Monterey Market

BERKELEY BOWL MARKETPLACE

On some weekends, we head over to Berkeley for a traditional French-style breakfast at La Note, then to Berkeley Bowl for a veritable cornucopia of fresh fruit and vegetables, or we go shopping first and then have lunch at Picante, another long-time favorite. After many years of shopping here, we prefer the larger location, Berkeley Bowl West, on Heintz Ave. The full service grocery store, owned by Glenn and Diane Yasuda, opened in 1977 as a neighborhood market; BB West opened in 2009.

Our favorite thing to pick up from the Bowl is unquestionably the oysters, including old faves such as Fanny Bay and Kumamoto. BB West has large section of all kinds of chocolate from around the world. The fish counter is stocked full of fresh, wild options, and the adjacent meat counter is the best I’ve seen in the Bay with very high quality meats and poultry. But the produce! This location also has two large, separate sections of produce— one exclusively organic and one that’s a mix of organics and conventional offerings. Here you will find every fruit and vegetable imaginable, with exotic items and multiple varieties of the basics.

Berkeley Bowl West 920 Heinz Ave. Berkeley, 510.898.9555 Mon-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 10am-7pm,

Page 18 bottom and above, Berkeley Bowl

2020 Oregon St., Berkeley, 510.843.6929 Mon-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 10am-7pm Berkeleybowl.com

Notable: Nugget Market is a full service grocery where we sometimes stop to and from Tahoe. The Vacaville store offers pre-made comfort food and deli takeout offerings that are a cut above. The family-owned chain recently purchased Sonoma Market and Glen Ellen Village Market, bringing the total number of locations to 19. 130 Browns Valley Parkway, 707. 469.6900, Nuggetmarket.com.

BeniciaMagazine.com • 19

Filtering the Air,

By Jeanne Steinmann If recent fires in California are any indication of the future (and it is predicted that they will continue) we all need better air filtration in our homes. In addition to electronic air filters and wearing masks outdoors, houseplants are a good idea, doing double duty by adding beauty to your home.

With the Camp Fire still on our minds and victims still in our hearts, one positive thing we can do is be prepared for what may come next summer and fall. Over the course of a couple weeks, the smoke that took Bay Area air quality to unhealthy levels and closed schools and businesses also filtered into our homes, sending thousands fleeing to Tahoe or the Central Coast.

Air filtration units became scarce at local home improvement stores, and many of us who stayed in town flocked to plant nurseries to filter inside air naturally.

I looked at five stores that sell houseplants, including Mid City Nursery, Ace Hardware, which has less stock in the cold season, Sloat Garden Center in Pleasant Hill, Lowes and Home Depot. I was in search of specific plants on a list generated from a famous 1989 NASA study, “Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement.� What I found was that there was a run on spider plants, Dracaenas, snake plants and others that are particularly affective in filtering air.

Happily, I was able to cobble together several large plants on the list.

20 • Benicia Magazine

Toxic smoke from fires is not the only thing adding to decreased air quality around the Bay. With the recent population surge, auto and truck traffic has significantly increased, affecting air quality. In 1980, when I first moved to the Bay Area, the population of San Francisco (city and county) was 678,974.

In 2017 it had grown to 884,363, according to uspopulationreview.com.

Population has also grown around the Bay, especially the South Bay. In Solano County, the population has almost doubled since 1980, from 235,203 to 445,458 in 2017. According to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, those numbers will continue to swell in the Bay Area.

From 2020 to 2040, the Bay Area is projected to grow from 7,786,800 to 8,889,000—more than 1.1 million new residents, according to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).

What can we do to plan for poor indoor air quality? Here’s what the NASA study concluded: “Low-light-requiring houseplants … have demonstrated the potential for improving indoor air quality by removing trace organic pollutants from the air in energyefficient buildings.”

We don’t have to grow urban forests in our homes to achieve results; we can strategically use plants to help filter inside air. The NASA study recommends “15 to 18 plants in 6 to 8-inch diameter containers, to clean the air in an average 1,800 square foot house, or roughly one plant per 100 square feet of floor space.” However, the bigger the plant, the better the filtering. Although a few websites take exception to the NASA findings in terms of how much air is being filtered, suggesting the NASA study was done in a controlled environment for astronauts, the NASA study findings are generally accepted.

When our windows are closed due to unhealthy outdoor air, houseplants not only have the ability to help filter toxins, they have been shown to have a positive affect on mood and reduce stress. It’s a win-win.

NASA plant list, most of which can be found at local home improvement stores and plant nurseries.

Dwarf Date Palm Phoenix robelenii Kimberly Queen Fern Nephrolepis obliterata

Cornstalk Dracaena Draceana fragrans ‘Massangeana’

Weeping Fig Anturium andraeanum

Broad-leaf Lady Palm Rhapis excelsa Barberton Daisy Gerbera jamesonii

Spider Plant Chlorophytum comosum Devil’s Ivy Ficus benmamina

English Ivy Hedera Helix Varigated Snake Plant Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’

Chinese Evergreen Aglaonema modestum

Red-edged Dracaena Dracaena marginata

Flamingo Lilly Epipremnum aureum Boston Fern Nephrolepis exaltata Bamboo Palm Chamaedorea seifrizii Lilyturf Liriope spicata

Peace Lilly Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’ Florist’s Chrystanthemum Chrysanthemum morifolium

ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930073077.pdf

BeniciaMagazine.com • 21

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Jan. 11, 8pm Who’s Bad Michael Jackson Tribute Band $20 - $35, Ticket master or Box Office Jan. 26, 8pm JJ Grey & Mofro $35 - $50, Ticket master or Box Office Jan. 27, 8pm Rosanne Cash $50 - $70, Ticket master or Box Office

Lucca Beer Garden

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BeniciaMagazine.com • 23

Carquinez Village

Helps Residents Age in Place

If it takes a village to rear a child, it also takes a village to help aging residents remain in their homes and communities. Fortunately, Benicia and Vallejo has one— the Carquinez Village.

24 • Benicia Magazine

By Tomoka Red St. Johns Rather than a residential community, Carquinez Village is a membership organization—in the planning stage since 2015 and launched in 2017—as a network of volunteer community support to meet some of older residents’ needs.

Two Benicia residents in on the ground floor, Judie Donaldson and Lois Requist , realized that older residents who didn’t have family living nearby could stay here if only they could get a little help.

They sought guidance from Village to Village Network, in starting the local organization within the national “village” movement, that encourages volunteers to help older residents with simple tasks or transportation so they can remain living independently at home. The organization’s name, Carquinez Village (CV), shows that membership can come from beyond Benicia.

Donaldson said CV volunteers provide services that often fall through the cracks, but impact an older adult’s quality of life—replacing smoke alarm batteries, accompanying someone to a doctor’s office not

seniors, a field trip, a meditation group, mahjong, an interview of an interesting person, a potluck dinner and more.” Along the way, organizers learned what best appealed to members, and have customized those programs.

Carquinez Village’s monthly Senior Speakers series educates older adults about health-related topics, from how to talk to a doctor to dealing with sleeping problems and other subjects. These programs “are there to stimulate the mind, build connections and community and ward off isolation and loneliness,” Donaldson said.

“The other day, a member called to say that she wanted to register for our monthly potluck. It was her first time attending the potluck, but she said that it was important for her well-being to get out more,” she said.

Benicia Public Library lets CV use its Doña Benicia Room for meetings, and Heritage Presbyterian Church provides space for board meetings. At times, Northgate Christian Church lets the Village use its spaces with electronic equipment needed for certain programs, and Hamann Real Estate has given the

only to provide transport but as a listener, or calling someone on the first anniversary of a spouse’s death.”

“We have 95 members, 29 of them over 80,” Requist said. Some are active, able to provide help, while others have challenges volunteers can meet.

“Those who are active appear to have embraced a robust and positive view of aging,” Donaldson added.

The less mobile appreciate the available services, and some members joined merely to support the village.

Requist said 60 Village volunteers have passed background checks and have training to provide transportation, make minor repairs, undertake some housekeeping chores or help in the yard. “One of our volunteers is a 73-year-old woman who comes from a family with 15 children. She has the reputation of being able to fix anything,” she said.

For regular housekeeping or yard care, CV maintains a list of vendors that members might hire. But CV provides more than everyday services. Program Chairpersons Linda Barron and Alan Plutchok develop what Donaldson called “a robust monthly schedule of 15-plus activities that includes a movie of interest to

organization financial support.

“Creating this activity schedule out of the air symbolizes what we’ve accomplished,” Donaldson said. “By the way, we think that we have the best potluck in town!”

Membership in Carquinez Village, which has 502(C) (3) status, is $360 a year for individuals or $540 for a household. Its service phone line is staffed from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday, through which requests for services and messages to volunteers are taken.

Carquinezvillage.com info@carquinezvillage.org 707.297.2472 Photos page 24: left to right, Linda Barron and Alan Plutchok, Judie Donaldson and Lois Requist, Co-chairs and Founders of Carquinez Village, Lars Ekdahl and Karen Schlump; Above: Lois Requist, Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, Judie Donaldson; Photos courtesy Carquinez Village BeniciaMagazine.com • 25

Calendar

January 2019 EVENTS

Return to Freedom, Photographic Imagery by Mary Aiu

Melinda Perry Gallery Presents Held by a Horse

1/1-1/28 Melinda Perry Gallery 117 First Street, Benicia Mary Aiu is a Fine Art Photographer whose images have been featured in Lenswork publications, Black & White Magazine, and numerous exhibits within the U.S. This first solo show is a breathtaking exhibit of photographs that have an ethereal feel and a painterly quality of the splendor of the unbridled horse in motion.

Findyourfabulous.com 707.816.1655

Arata Gallery Grand Opening

1/12, 11-5pm 637 First Street, Benicia Arata Fine Art Gallery of San Francisco relocated to downtown Benicia in November.

Owners Geri and John Pruett invite everybody to the grand opening of the new gallery, which represents 25 selected artists from Benicia and the Greater Bay Area to show their stunning paintings, sculpture, photography and jewelry.

26 • Benicia Magazine

These 25 artists will have featured solo shows over the next two years. Visitors will be able to enjoy a “sneak-peek impact show” with one piece of art from each of the artists.

Aratafineartgallery.com 510.432.5167

New Exhibit at Benicia Plein Air Gallery

1/10-1/31 Thurs-Sun, 11am-5pm Benicia Plein Air Gallery 307 First Street, Benicia January’s featured artist at the Plein air Gallery is Rolando Barrero. The exhibit runs for the month of January. There will be an opening reception January 12, 3-6pm.”

Beniciapleinair.com 707.297.5903

Arts Benicia Presents The Art of a Community 1/26-2/24 Opening Reception 1/26, 6-8pm Arts Benicia 991 Tyler Street, Suite 114, Benicia Arts Benicia will open the new year with an

annual exhibition which showcases the diverse talents of artist members. Usually one of the largest exhibitions of the year, the coming show will feature all types of artistic media. Arts Benicia has over 550 active members.

Artsbenicia.org 707.747.0131

Public Demonstration of Food Forest Installation

1/12, 10am-4pm Vacaville (register for address) This is Day 1 of installation for “Monarch Rose” public demonstration food forest garden in Vacaville by Sustainable Solano. Break ground with friends and neighbors and learn how to use water wisely while creating an environment where life-supporting plants thrive. Each installation day includes a short lecture from a sustainable landscape expert and hands-on experience on how to build a food forest. Day 2 will be January 19: Learn to install a waterefficient in-line drip irrigation system and plants. Sponsored by Solano County Water Agency.

Sustainablesolano.org

Friends of the Library Book Sale

27th Annual Winter WINEland

1/19 & 20, 11am-4pm Various locations Northern Sonoma County Join wine enthusiasts for two glorious days along the Wine Road in Northern Sonoma County. The perfect winter escape…taste current vintages, multiple varietals grown in Sonoma County, and even try a few verticals. A great opportunity to meet winemakers, taste limited production wines, new releases or library wines. Ticket price includes wine tasting at all participating wineries. Not all wineries provide food. Please be sure to read the program to see what each winery will offer for the weekend.

Wineroad.com/events/winter-wineland

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1/12, 10am-4pm Benicia Public Library 150 East L Street, Benicia Join Benicia Friends of the Library for the monthly book sale that takes place every second Saturday downstairs at the library. Each month there are over 50,000 volumes of donated items to choose from including books, DVDs magazines, paperbacks and more.

Donations can be dropped off at the library during open hours.

Member preview nights take place the previous Thursdays. More volunteers are always needed to run the book sales.

Benicialibrary.org/friends 707.746.4343

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Passalacqua Funeral Chapel

Black Comix Art Festival

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1/19, 1-4pm; 1/20, 1-5pm; 1/21, 11am-6pm Various locations, San Francisco The Black & Brown Comix Arts Festival (BCAF) celebrates the creativity of people of color in the comic arts and popular visual culture and is dedicated to the notion that all audiences deserve to be subject in the culture in which we participate. The three-day event includes a grand expo, kids activities, film screenings, panels and conversations, cosplay events and much more.

Sfmlkday.org/bcafcon/

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Downtown Benicia Restaurant Week

1/19-26 Downtown Benicia Downtown celebrates California Restaurant Month with Restaurant Week in January. A dining passport offers a 15-20% discount at participating eateries (conditions may apply).

Beniciamainstreet.org 707.745.9791

Family Owned & Operated Since 1972 The 2018 Honda Accord

MLK Park Day

1/21, All day US National Parks In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, entry is free at Muir Woods National Monument and San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park on Free Entrance Days in the National Parks. Expect more people and less parking than usual.

Nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm

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800 Admiral Callaghan Lane, Vallejo, CA 94591 Exit Redwood Parkway 888-619-0063 • www.AveryGreeneHonda.com BeniciaMagazine.com • 27

Art

Arata Art Gallery Opens on First Street

By Donna Covey The public is invited to visit Benicia’s newest art gallery, the Arata Art Gallery, during the formal Grand Opening Celebration, and see the ‘sneak peek’ exhibit that shows one piece of work from each of the 25 artists who will be featured over the next two years. The celebration is scheduled for January 12, 11am-5pm at 637 First Street. Join owners Geri and John to see a wonderful art show in their new gallery, have a sip of wine, and taste complimentary savories and sweets.

Geri (Arata) and John Pruett fell in love with Benicia the first time they visited our special town. So much so, they immediately knew they wanted to make Benicia their “forever” home. A huge bonus attraction was that Benicia has such a thriving art community and a citizenry that supports the arts. Once moving here, Geri, a classically trained artist herself, wasted no time getting involved in Benicia’s art world.

In September, Geri noticed a for lease sign at 637 First Street in Benicia. She and John immediately inquired about the availability of the space, thinking it would be perfect for an art gallery. The prospect of joining the other fine galleries on First Street was exhilarating to them both.

After securing the lease, Geri and John busily began preparing the gallery space to create an optimal environment for showcasing beautiful art. The focus of the gallery is to represent both emerging and established artists from Benicia and the region in a variety of genres. All of the artists who will be represented have demonstrated excellence in portraiture, cityscape and landscape expressionism, pop art, contemporary fauve, abstract expressionism and more.

Ceramic sculpture, jewelry and photography artists, all of whom have exhibited superior skill in their medium and challenge the norm of their genre, will also exhibit at the new gallery. Local artists including Manon Jodoin, Terry Hughes, Jeffrey Tovar and Toby Tovar, are scheduled to have shows in the gallery along with regional artists Thalia Stratton, Barbara Fracchia, Bill Weber, and Richard Rico. Over twenty artists have been scheduled for 2019-20 to exhibit with an individual show. Some of the artists will experience having their very first solo show, and others have been featured many times in their careers.

Regular gallery hours will be Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 11am-5pm and Sundays 1-5pm.

Check out the list of scheduled artists and an image of their work at Aratafineartgallery.com.

Swords of Justice, Geraldine Arata, Benicia 28 • Benicia Magazine

By Donna Covey A Californian who grew up in Solano County, Mary Aiu now splits her time between homes on the Monterey Peninsula and her ranch with horses in Suisun Valley. Her solo show, Held by a Horse, at Milinda Perry Gallery January and February, is a breathtaking exhibit of photographs that have an ethereal feel and a painterly quality of the splendor of the unbridled horse in motion.

“Over the years I have watched horses disappear from our landscapes, and many people may never have had the experience to watch a horse run free; and I mean run!” says Mary Aiu, Fine Art Photographer. Mary holds a BFA from the California College of the Arts, and was an arts educator for 25 years.

She now enjoys pursuing beautiful horses from around the world to add to her impressive portfolio. Some have included the rare Marwari horse from India, the Merens from Southern France, to the beautiful and athletic Lusitano horses of Portugal.

“My imagery reflects my ideals about beauty and emotional connections, and horses are my favorite sources for inspiration. I grew up in a family of cattle ranchers with working horses on

the ranch, and I still own horses to this day,” said Mary. “However, it wasn’t until I began to photograph horses that I grew to understand the deeper connection within myself that they held for me. I have always felt if you are passionate about your subject it will show through in your work. It is my hope that people will feel that passion when they see my work, and come to admire a beauty about the horse that maybe they have not felt before.”

Many have come to admire the fine art photography of Mary Aiu and learn from her expertise. She is a member of the Image Makers of Monterey, has been a guest lecturer at the Monterey Museum of Art, and appeared as a TV Broadcast Panelist on West Coast Focus to discuss her work. Her images have been featured in Lenswork publications, Black & White Magazine, and numerous exhibits within the U.S., including the Triton Museum in Santa Clara, The Texas Photographic Society, and the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel.

Benicia residents will be able to view Held by a Horse Jan. 1-Feb. 28 at Milinda Perry Gallery. An artist reception will be held Sat. Feb. 2nd, 5-7pm at 117 East F Street in Benicia.

By Rebecca Gulick Watercolor artist Rolando S. Barrero has a penchant for architecture.

Working in the en plein air tradition of outdoor painting that captures natural light, manmade structures are often prominent aspects of his creations.

"I don’t want to obscure the elements of architecture that are nice,” he explains.

Characterizing his work as between the traditional and impressionistic styles, "If I paint in the impressionistic style, those details would be lost.” Considering Rolando's professional background, this makes perfect sense. An architect by trade, he frequently produced architectural illustrations, starting with a wireframe and adding detail in watercolor. "I became more devoted to art when I retired from work about nine years ago,” he adds.

Rolando’s paintings capture the essence of a place through the natural light and atmosphere, and they convey his love of life. “When I paint a subject, I put life in it—people walking a dog, or birds flying. Those are ways to evoke a story in my art.” He enjoys sharing his paintings and has been known to pull a painting right off the wall to donate

to a raffle or bestow as a gift to friends old and new. “That’s how I share my art," he said. "I feel glad if people like my work.” And people do like his work.

He has garnered myriad awards in competitive plein air paintouts and juried shows, most recently, the 24th Annual Carmel Art Festival and the California Watercolor Association’s 48th Annual National Exhibition.

A founding member of Benicia Plein Air Gallery, Rolando conducts workshops in plein air painting. He is this month's featured artist at the 13-member co-op gallery, which showcases the artwork of several local artists and their paintings of outdoor Bay Area scenes, often centering on Benicia and the Carquinez Strait. Starting January 10 and continuing throughout the month of January, the gallery’s featured-artist wall will exhibit several of Rolando’s paintings. A reception for his show will be held January 12, 3-6pm.

Benicia Plein Air Gallery is located at 307 First Street, Benicia, beniciapleinair. com.

More information about Rolando’s work can be found online at rolandosbarrero.com.

Held by a Horse Exhibit

On the Run, Photographic Imagery

by Mary Aiu

The Elements of Perspective: Rolando S. Barrero Paints Life Outdoors

Benicia Annual Outrigger Regatta, 12”x16”, Rolando S. Barrero

BeniciaMagazine.com • 29

Trends

The really big shoe!

By Christina Strawbridge My fascination with high-heeled shoes probably started with my first Barbie doll in 1959. Barbie wore a stiletto sandal with everything from evening and picnic wear, to her black and white zebra print maillot swimsuit. Those tiny little heels always matched the outfit perfectly, and added to the glamour of this iconic 11.5" fashion doll that turns 60 this year.

High heels have also been the source of drama in fairytales (Cinderella and her glass slipper, Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City) and her Manolo Blahniks, and Dorothy's ruby red heels). Because of large bunions on both my feet, I was cursed with a family trait that prohibited a fairytale footwear outcome. Through the decades I have been relegated to flats and occasionally a wedge sole. Shoe shopping was always about fit and function, and less about fun, fashion and fantasy.

In June of this year, my left foot went under the knife to correct the problem that plagued my mother, her mother, my sister and our niece. It took years of procrastination, research and getting my courage up to finally agree to have the surgery performed.

There was always the hope that maybe with a new foot, I would graduate from wearing Sketchers to a red-soled Louboutin.

Besides removing the bunion and inserting screws and a plate to straighten the big toe, the second toe (hammer toe) had to be straightened by cutting ligaments and tendons and inserting a temporary pin through the top to keep it in place. Recovery

30 • Benicia Magazine

was as the Doctor had predicted. Ten days completely off the foot and then for the next 6 weeks, an orthopedic boot (in basic black) and a scooter (also in basic black) allowed me to function for some of my daily routines.

Scott was my prince charming, waiting on me hand and "foot" during the recovery. His patience was remarkable, most of the time.

He made sure I took my meds, didn't fall and was comforting, usually with a smile.

With the help of my great friend Patti Baron, I was able to attend the International Market in Las Vegas to buy for the store.

Using my trusted scooter and boot we were able to do five shows in three days at four hotels. On two occasions, we each rented motorized scooters to get around the exhibit halls. This provided entertainment in itself, as we raced through the mammoth halls of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, giggling all the way.

We have decided to make this a practice for the future since it saved time and energy, and fit perfectly into the Vegas scene.

It has been five months to the day that I had the surgery. My foot looks so different from the old one it's hard to recognize it. I am wearing shoes again, although they remain designed by Sketchers.

Barbie, Cinderella, Carrie and Dorothy are all about a shoe. The ever after of this fairy tale is that high stilettos were never my style. I love clothes that don't require a fiveinch heel to be fabulous. Trend News Flash!

Manolo Blahnik has an embellished flat in his 2019 collection and Stella McCartney has designed a platform sneaker. Never underestimate a fairy tale.

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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 35 years.

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

BeniciaMagazine.com • 31

Benicia's

Kitchen and Bath Experts

AFFORDABLE QUALITY Cabinets and Countertops

“Patient, creative and professional; it has truly been a pleasure to work with Trevor and Taylor from AQCC. We had a vision and they brought it to life. We couldn't be happier with our newly expanded, modern kitchen and entertaining space.”

Receive a $150 gi certificate to Romancing the Home with the purchase of a complete kitchen.

— Theresa and Scott Brown

Open Mon. - Fri. 9-5 weekends & evenings by appointment 4852 East 2nd Street, Benicia

707-745-2100 • aqchome.com 32 • Benicia Magazine

Owners Trevor Cotarelo and Taylor Kennedy