Danville_Today_August_2015

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August 2015 Serving Danville th pm Eugene O’Neill’s Tao House Welcomes Artists in Residence National Night Out ~ August 4 , 6-9

By Jody Morgan

By Linda Summers Pirkle

There are many reasons the San Ramon Valley is a great place to live; top notch schools, the weather, proximity to San Francisco, and neighbors looking out for each other. Community spirit is evident in the popular Hot August Nights, the 4th of July parade, and National Night Out -- a yearly event promoting neighborhood spirit and police/community partnerships with block parties, visits from police and fire departments, flashlight walks, and youth programs.

Communities all over the country participate in National Night Out (NNO). In 1984, when nationwide crime was at its all time high, a businessman in Pennsylvania came up with an idea. His plan was simple, each porch light all across the nation would go on as a statement that people were going to watch out for each other and say “no” to crime in their neighborhoods. That simple idea has evolved into the NNO program which now in its 32nd year involves over 38.1 million participants. Founder, Matt Peskin says, “From humble beginnings, the National Night Out continues to have four goals: heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.”

Danville Police Chief Steve Simpkins, says, “National Night Out is the best of both worlds for us in regard to community outreach. First, it gives us a chance to meet residents without any type of emergency, just a simple meet and greet. Typically we only get to meet residents when there is a problem so NNO is an awesome way to meet our residents instead of a 911 call.

Secondly, it is also a great way for neighbors to meet each other, a critical part of making a neighborhood more defensible against crime. The more familiar a neighborhood is with itself, the more out of place the criminal element will appear. These two components make NNO a special night for us, a great way to meet our residents and help fight crime. We know that the only way to fight crime is to have the trust of our residents; that relationship is built in part by having as much interaction as possible in ways such as National Night Out.” The Diablo West neighborhood in Danville is made up of 251 homes, a 12 acre greenbelt, a clubhouse, two pools, and four tennis courts and is a model for a successful NNO program. This year on August 4th from 6PM to 9PM the neighborhood will be divided into sections of homes and at each station the Neighborhood Watch “Captains” will give out ice cream and cookies to neighbors as well as decals for either the house or car. Jim Saunders, organizer for the Diablo West NNO event for the past five years, notes, “The benefit of the evening is residents are given an opportunity to meet the police officers and various town officials, all of whom visit each station. The kids get exposure to the police in a friendly atmosphere. They also get to watch the handling of the K-9 officer.”

“When I turned 80,” Saunders says, “I decided to get involved in neighborhood activities. I felt the Neighborhood Watch program which sponsors the NNO evening would be a benefit to the residents and would allow me to meet a lot of my neighbors. Out of the 250 homes in Diablo Volume VI - Number 10 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, West I can now say I know who lives in over Alamo, CA 94507 100 of the them. I am now 86 and “cruise” the (925) 405-6397 neighborhood almost every day in my power Fax (925) 406-0547 wheelchair, picking up newspapers lying in Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher See O’Neill continued on page 7 driveways (a clue that people aren’t home) and editor@ staying alert to any unusual activity.” yourmonthlypaper.com PRSRT STD According to Peskin, 95% of police arrests U.S. Postage are the direct result of a citizen’s phone call. In The opinions expressed herein belong PAID the writers, and do not necessarily the last six months, the National Association of toreflect that of Danville Today News.

Permit 263 Danville Today News is not Town Watch has added a Dog Walker Watch Alamo CA for the content of any of program. Peskin says, “There are 75 million responsible the advertising herein, nor does ECRWSS publication imply endorsement.

In 2014, the Eugene O’Neill Foundation Tao House (EOF) announced a three-year pilot offering EOF had been hoping to launch since its founding forty years earlier. This spring, the Travis Bogard Artist-in-Residence Program, Tao House (AIR), welcomed the first two Tao House Fellows: David Palmer and Herman Farrell. A third, David Palmer, Tao House Fellow, and Mary Camezon, Tao House Adrienne Pender, arrives Librarian (photo courtesy of Christine Morgan in September to work on the Danville property where O’Neill completed his final, and many experts believe greatest, plays. All were chosen from a pool of highly qualified applicants by a panel of experts in the fields of scholarship and drama.

America’s only Nobel Prize winning playwright, O’Neill, along with his third wife Carlotta, purchased 158 acres and built the home they called ‘Tao House” where they resided from 1937-1944. Sited with unbroken views of Mount Diablo to the east and sheltered by the Las Trampas hills to the west, the retreat gave O’Neill the serene setting he required to transform tragic personal experiences into epic dramas. Carlotta honored her husband’s request for privacy by reinforcing the natural seclusion of Tao House with a stringent set of social prohibitions. During his Danville days, Eugene penned The Iceman Cometh, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Hughie, A Touch of the Poet and Long Day’s Journey into Night, the play for which he was posthumously awarded his fourth Pulitzer Prize.

“I cannot begin to express how pleased the committee is with the way AIR is working,” remarks Florence McAuley, Chair of the AIR Committee. “It is everything we wanted and more. The fellows have felt that Tao House is a special place and the atmosphere is conducive to the creative process.” Both Fellows working at Tao House this spring concurred that the experience exceeded their expectations.

David Palmer notes: “The Artist in Residence Program at Tao House is a unique opportunity to be in a place where an author did a significant body of work. By returning day after day at different times of day, I found broader ideas coming into focus.

In the evening at Tao House I sensed the The Trunk House in the Tao House courtyard has remoteness and loneliness that was part of been made into a cosy studio where Tao House Fellows can work in the shadow of O'Neill's study. what was driving O’Neill to complete the plays he wrote there.” (photo courtesy of Christine Morgan) Palmer, Massachusetts Maritime Academy Assistant Professor of Humanities and member of the Board of the Eugene O’Neill Society, came to Tao House to work on a section of his book tentatively titled Evolution, Ethics, and Tragedy: A Cognitive Studies Approach to the Plays of Arthur Miller and Eugene O’Neill.

Of his month-long sojourn he writes: “It allowed me the freedom to bring ideas

Local Postal Customer

See NNO continued on page 21

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Page 2 - August 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Boulevard View

By Alisa Corstorphine, Editor

When I was young I remember my father trying to teach us the concept of compounding money. Once he hypothetically offered us an extravagant allowance of either a $100 flat sum or, he said we could have a penny on the first day of the month, two cents on the second day, doubling to four cents on the third day, doubling again to eight cents on the fourth day, and doubling again each day for 30 days. As a little kid the $100 sounded like big bucks, and the thought of mere pennies doubling sounded crazy...until you do the math. The one penny that doubles over the course of 30 days would actually pay $5,368,709.12 on the thirtieth day. By that time you will the accumulated over $10,000,000 over those 30 days!

I started thinking of this math lesson when my daughter brought home seven baby kittens from two different feral mothers. The two sets of kittens were about three and five weeks old when they arrived. As a family we took on the challenge to care and nurture these babies until they are old enough to be fixed and then adopted.

There are many great animal care groups that help with domesticated pets.

However, at the height of kitten and puppy season many of them are swamped and lack the resources to help all of the animals in need. My daughter’s vision was to help get the animals cared for, socialized, and fixed. I agreed to sponsor this endeavor but with a key component being the trapping of the feral moms so they could be spayed and released to end this cycle You’ve heard the stats before. One un-fixed dog or cat will generate tens of thousands of offspring over a five year period. You may have asked yourself how that can possibly be so and the answer lies close to the simple math problem my father taught me years ago.

I will use kittens in my example but the math applies to puppies as well. At

Veterans of Foreign Wars

Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), Post 75, San Ramon Valley, meets every third Wednesday of the month at the Veterans Memorial Building, located at 400 Hartz Ave., Danville, on the corner at East Prospect Avenue and Hartz Avenue. Doors open at 7PM, and the meeting begins at 7:30PM. The next meeting will be held August 19th. For more information, contact Post Commander Ernie Petagara at (925) 362-9806. Find out more about the VFW and our Post at www.vfwpost75.org.

six months old a kitten is old enough to have her first litter and, being unspayed, is likely to have that litter with an average three kittens who survive. So half way through the first year we now have four cats. Six months later, at the end of the first year, the three offspring each have litters with three surviving kittens each.

So, now there is the original cat, her three surviving offspring, and their nine surviving offspring, for a total of 13 cats. And this goes on. And on. And on. And on.

By the end of the fourth year a conservative estimate is a total of 9,841 cats have been born and survived. Add 19,683 kittens half way through year five for a total of 29,524, then another 59,049 at the end of year five.

In just five years, one unfixed cat has resulted in 88,572 offspring. And that does not include the offspring generated by the original cat and her offspring in their second and later seasons. Because these numbers become overwhelming in a relatively short amount of time, many of these animals end up in shelters, and according to the Human Society of the United States about four million per year ultimately are euthanized.

I feel like Bob Barker on The Price is Right, who encouraged his audiences with the phrase, “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.” Having the seven kittens here makes me better understand his message and the reason behind it.

I don’t have some pie-in-the-sky notion that I can radically change the world, but I can make a difference. To that end, these seven kittens are available to adopt.

They have been loved and socialized, and their initial shots have begun. Adoption will come with a coupon to have them fixed by my vet when they are old enough for the procedure. If you are interested in bringing one (or two, or three!) of them into your life please email editor@yourmonthlypaper.com.

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Four Danville Girl Scouts from Troop #31818 knitted over 40 hats for cancer patients as part of their Bronze Award project. The hats were given to The Wig Source in Walnut Creek for distribution. Pictured above are Maya Martinez, Giselle Rouillard, and Katie Richards (not pictured: Katie Bauer).

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JARED HIGGINS TEAM Beds/ Danville Home Sales List Price Sales Price SqFt Baths $/SqFt DOM 430 ALISAL CT $1,320,000 $1,360,000 3369 5/3.5 $404 3 256 BELAIRE CT $1,098,000 $1,118,000 2880 4/3 $388 7 122 BRIAR PL $1,300,000 $1,293,000 3158 5/3 $409 15 600 BRIDGEWATER CIR $1,049,000 $1,100,000 2249 4/2 $489 7 403 BRIGHAM LN $2,199,000 $2,050,000 4714 5/4.5 $435 87 2 CAMBRIDGE CT $1,550,000 $1,721,500 2401 4/2.5 $717 6 180 CLYDESDALE DR $975,000 $1,057,875 1860 4/2 $569 8 1036 EL CAPITAN DR $1,099,000 $1,100,000 2423 4/3 $454 14 106 ESTATES DR $2,799,000 $2,799,000 3922 3/2 $714 14 20 FAIRMAYDEN LN $2,195,000 $2,218,000 4620 5/3.5 $480 12 540 FERNCROFT CT $968,000 $1,110,000 1938 3/2 $573 6 411 GLASGOW CIR $1,069,900 $1,095,000 2908 5/3 $377 8 635 GLASGOW CIR $989,000 $1,157,000 2528 4/3 $458 6 1020 GLASGOW PL $1,049,900 $1,075,000 2908 5/3 $370 7 348 HARPER LN $1,649,000 $1,585,000 3140 4/3 $505 44 754 HIGHBRIDGE LN $1,124,951 $1,225,000 2599 4/2.5 $471 5 799 KIRKCREST RD $1,595,000 $1,772,415 2498 4/3 $710 8 69 LA GONDA COURT $1,095,000 $1,170,750 2408 3/3 $486 0 34 LA GONDA CT $1,299,000 $1,277,000 2008 4/4 $636 26 255 LA PERA CIR $875,000 $875,000 1900 4/2.5 $461 7 67 MEESE CIR $1,229,000 $1,194,000 2308 4/2.5 $517 11 125 MERANO ST $1,189,000 $1,180,000 2924 5/3 $404 32 194 MOLITAS RD $1,175,000 $1,150,000 2689 4/3 $428 33 130 MONTAIR CT $2,450,000 $2,275,000 4600 5/4 $495 18 115 OAKCREST CT $958,000 $950,000 1865 3/2 $509 6 1048 OCHO RIOS DR $1,315,000 $1,315,000 2401 4/2 $548 7 300 RASSAI CT $1,599,800 $1,700,000 4652 5/3.5 $365 19 1611 SAINT DAVID DR $999,000 $995,000 1942 4/2 $512 18 1919 SAINT NORBERT DR $998,000 $980,000 2197 4/2.5 $446 30 453 SAINT REGIS DR $985,000 $1,050,000 1969 3/2.5 $533 7 32 SORRENTO COURT $1,365,000 $1,480,000 2300 4/2.5 $643 8 418 STARVIEW DR $2,900,000 $3,000,000 4690 5/4.5 $640 2 120 STARVIEW PL $1,499,000 $1,530,000 3525 4/2.5 $434 3 200 TIM CT $1,799,000 $1,850,000 3000 4/2.5 $617 2 463 VERONA AVE $1,250,000 $1,175,000 2088 3/2 $563 8 804 WAINGARTH CT $1,350,000 $1,350,000 3226 4/3 $418 7 1038 WESTRIDGE AVE $1,548,000 $1,701,000 2742 4/3 $620 11 Danville 94526 detached home sales per MLS 06/23/15-07/20/15. DOM=Days on Market.

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“Museum at 30” Exhibit and Quilts Museum of the San Ramon Valley

The Museum of the San Ramon Valley is hosting a new small exhibit called The Museum at 30, Celebrating Three Decades of Service which will run until November 8th.

The Museum of the San Ramon Valley has served the community for 30 years, working to promote knowledge about the rich history and culture of the San Ramon Valley. Photographs, a video, and artifacts are shown in the exhibit.

Also, don’t miss the historical quilts on display and some special artifacts from the museum’s storage.

Featured are: • The “Miracle on the Hudson” quilt which features Sully Sullenberger’s remarkable landing on the Hudson River.

• Rose Ferreira’s family quilt (1981) which shows events in the life of Bettencourt Ranch located in Tassajara Valley.

• A History Quilt created by the Alamo-Danville Soroptimists International, designed by Helen Odegard and Mary Anne Iarussi, Sully Sullenberger and the Miracle on the Hudson quilt. stitched by members and quilted by the III Ward Relief Society of Oakland’s Church of Latter-day Saints in 1985.

• Cyndy Rymer’s Danville Sesquicentennial Quilt (2008) made up entirely of digital photographs of historic figures.

The Museum Summer Hours are: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-1pm and Sunday noon-3pm. Books and unique gift items are available at the museum store.

The Museum is located in the restored train depot located at 205 Railroad Avenue in the heart of downtown Danville.

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Gateway to Hope: 31st Annual Shepherd’s Gate Banquet September 17th at the Blackhawk Auto Museum

Shepherd’s Gate has helped more than 11,000 battered and homeless women and children since the non-profit was founded in 1984. Anyone in need is welcomed to the Livermore and Brentwood campuses regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, or veteran status.

Gateway to Hope, the organization’s 31st fundraising banquet promises an evening of excellent food, beautiful music, and inspiring testimonials recounting the rebuilding of lives and the restoration of dignity achieved by Shepherd’s Gate.

Hors d’oeuvres, a reception and a silent auction run from 6-7pm with dinner and program being held from 7-8:30pm at the Blackhawk Auto Museum, located at 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville. Scott’s Seafood will be catering the event. Attire is business casual. The suggested donation per ticket is $75. Reservations close on September 4th.

Silent auction donations are currently being gratefully accepted. To reserve space for yourself and your guests, offer silent auction contributions, or sponsor a table of ten, contact Shepherd’s Gate Development Director Krystin Higgins by calling 925-583-8109 or emailing khiggins@ shepherdsgate.org.

For more information about Shepherd’s Gate’s mission, visit www.shepherdsgate.org.

Alamo-Danville Newcomers Club

Are you new to the area, a long time resident, newly retired, or emptynester interested in making new friends and participating in various social activities? The Alamo-Danville Newcomers Club is a women’s organization whose purpose is to enrich the lives of all its members and their families in a social manner.

Check out all the club has to offer by visiting www.alamodanvillenewcomers. com. Our next new member coffee will be held August 25th from 10am to noon. RSVP to alamodanvillenewcomers@gmail.com.

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Page 4 - August 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Village Theatre Art Gallery Seeking Curatorial Committee Members

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The Town of Danville is in search of individuals who are interested in serving on the Curatorial Committee for the Village Theatre Art Gallery. Committee members work together to identify, review and select exhibits for the gallery. The Curatorial Committee will meet quarterly to provide guidance and direction to the gallery. Individuals with a professional background in the visual/cultural arts, arts education, municipal cultural arts programs and/or gallery, museum or curatorial experience, are encouraged to apply.

For more information or to apply, contact Marija Nelson Bleier at (925) 314-3460 or mbleier@danville.ca.gov.

Sons in Retirement ~ San Ramon Valley Branch 128

Looking for things to do in your retirement? Consider joining Sons in Retirement San Ramon Valley Branch 128. We have monthly luncheons with interesting speakers and good fellowship. Additionally, our members have lots of fun participating in a variety of activities such as golf, tennis, bowling, bocce ball, bridge, computers, and more. Many other activities such as travel, dine outs, excursions, baseball games, and holiday parties include spouses, friends, and guests.

Our next monthly luncheon is on Wednesday, August 19th at 11am. The $23 includes luncheon, speaker, and a great opportunity to socialize with at least 150 other retirees from the San Ramon Valley.

Our August guest speaker will be Jon Dwyer, a 45 year member of the oil and chemical industries.

Mr. Dwyer will present a balanced look at the pros and cons of “Fracking.”

To reserve a space, please email by Thursday, August 13th to info@sir128.com. The luncheon will be held at the San Ramon Golf Club located at 9430 Fircrest Lane, San Ramon.

For more information about our Retirement branch and activities, please visit www.SIR128.com.

Assistance League of Diablo Valley Prospective Member Coffee

Since 1967, Assistance League® of Diablo Valley, a nonprofit member volunteer organization, has improved lives in our community through hands on programs. You might have heard of its primary fundraiser, the Way Side Inn Thrift Shop, a well-known landmark which is located at 3521 Golden Gate Way, in Lafayette.

In response to a growing client base, we are actively pursuing prospective Town of Danville Expands Outreach members who would enjoy clothing elementary schoolchildren for a more successful educational experience, testing preschool children for vision issues, perNixle public safety, Periscope livestream apps introduced As part of the continuing effort to get information to the community, the forming educational puppet shows for school children, reading to second grade students, or helping in supplying emergency clothing, food and supplies to those Town of Danville has announced the inclusion of two new outreach programs.

The first new communication channel is Nixle. Nixle is primarily used in in crisis. Two recently formed philanthropic programs concern implementing art in the classroom and staffing the Listen Program which helps identified students law enforcement and education as an efficient means of outreach and commu- with verbal expression. Two other programs address the needs of our seniors. nication. Danville Police Department is using Nixle for a variety of purposes, A Prospective Member Coffee will be held Wednesday, August 12, at 9:30AM, at the from road closures to emergency notifications. Nixle subscribers can receive Community Resource Center, 2711 BuenaVistaAvenue,Walnut Creek. If you are interested messages either via text or e-mail. The Police Department can tailor the mes- in spending quality time and meeting energetic and upbeat people while helping those who are sage to the severity level, with high priority messages going out throughout vulnerable, call 925-934-0901. For more information, visit diablovalley.assistanceleague.org. the region.

“Nixle is a convenient and quick way for residents and businesses to be informed about emergency situations in their community,” said Danville Police Lt. Allan Shields. “All residents have to do is download the app and select the type of messages they’d like to receive, from emergencies only to community alerts.”

The other new form of outreach comes in the smartphone-based app Periscope. Periscope is a Twitter-based app which allows the Town of Danville the ability to provide live video-streaming of events, programs, and projects in Town. Residents can download Periscope from the Apple App Store or Google Play. When the Town begins a live-stream, users who follow the Town (@DanvilleINFO) will receive a notification of the broadcast and can log-in and watch. If they can’t see it live, a replay function is available for 24 hours afterwards. Periscope broadcasts are later uploaded to the Town’s YouTube channel and shared on social media.

So far, the Town has live-streamed from the annual July 4th Parade, the Law Enforcement Torch Run, Youth Summer Camps, Railroad Avenue ImproveServing Bay Area businesses and residents since 2001 ments Project, and North Hartz Avenue Beautification Project construction sites, and even a virtual tour of the Danville Hotel private redevelopment project.

COMMERCIAL MANAGED SERVICES: Servers • Office Moves • Remote “Periscope lets us show the community what’s happening in their Town,” Helpdesk COMPUTER SERVICES: PCs/Macs/ Tablets/Smartphones said Public Information Coordinator Geoff Gillette. “The live video aspect is • Upgrades • Maintenance • Networking • Data Recovery • Virus/ fun to watch and is intended to educate, inform, and also encourage residents Malware Removal • Back-up Solu�ons • Email/Hosted Exchange to participate in the Town’s programs and activities.”

Nixle and Periscope are now parts of the Town of Danville’s adopted social media mix, which includes Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These tools help connect the community with their town government.

For more information, contact Public Information Coordinator Geoff Gillette at (925) 314-3336 or ggillette@danville.ca.gov.

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Danville Today News ~ August 2015 - Page 5

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Rotary Donation to Discovery Counseling Center

“Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self,” and our support of the Discovery Counseling Center is a shining example of our mission and goal,” said Simpkins.

Funds Will Help Expand Service to the Community For more information about the community based, non-profit Discovery The Rotary Club of Danville has extended a helping hand to the Discovery Counseling Center visit www.discoveryctr.net.

Counseling Center by contributing $5,000.

The Rotary Club of Danville is the oldest Rotary Club in the San Ramon Valley.

The donation is a porMembers believe in sweat equity service projects as well as providing financial tion of the funds raised support for local and international service projects. All meetings are open to guests. at the annual Crab Feed For more information see www.danvillerotary.org. held earlier this year and is Diablo Choral Artists Broadway Music Sing-Along one example of the pledge Rotary Club of Danville Sing your heart out with famous Broadway tunes with Diablo Choral Artmakes annually to support ists and live piano accompaniment by Lynn Finegan. Words will be projected local organizations that on a large screen for you to join along. contribute to the well-being The event will be held Friday, July 31st at 7:30pm at the Mt. Diablo of the community.

Unitarian Universalist Church located at 55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek (off “The Discovery CounWalker). Dessert and beverages will be provided. seling Center, which was Tickets at the door are $10 for adults and $5 for children over 6. For more founded by Rotarians, information, visit www.vmschorus.org. has provided high quality, affordable mental health counseling services to our Discovery Counseling Center Board President Gary Riele donation from Rotary Club of Danville President community for almost 50 accepts Steve Simpkins, center, and Danville Rotary Foundation years ago.” said Steve Simp- Chairperson, Dave Chadbourne, far right. kins, president of Rotary Club of Danville. “Over the past four years, the number of clients the Center serves has increased by more than 50% and this donation will help expand services.”

The donation will be used to help convert underutilized office space at the Center into additional family therapy/play therapy rooms where therapists can work with entire families in safe and comfortable environments. “With this expansion, Discovery will have the capacity to ensure that families will continue to have access to critically important mental health services,” said Kathy Chiverton, Executive Director of the Center.

Discovery counselors help children deal with difficult issues, including the death or serious illness of a parent, divorce, parental drug or alcohol abuse, sexual or physical abuse, difficulty relating to other children, depression and anxiety. Research indicates that the earlier these children receive help, the better the chances MADISON Walnut Creek Broadway Plaza of building resiliency and achieving positive outcomes.

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Page 6 - August 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Totally Trains: Models and Memorabilia

The Museum of the San Ramon Valley once again proudly presents: Totally Trains-Models and Memorabilia. The exhibit will run through the Freight Room at the Depot through August 23.

The main layout of the exhibit has two elevations with four running trains and includes scenery, bridges, a trestle, tunnel, and a village with a replica of the Museum (the former Southern Pacific Depot).

A secondary layout features a number of working accessories including items from two private train collections and accessories from the early to mid-1900s.

Don’t forget to purchase our Totally Trains Family Pass! This family ticket is only $12 and allows for unlimited visits to the exhibit!

Special summer hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10AM to 1PM, Saturday from 10AM to 1PM, Sunday from 12PM to 3PM, and closed Mondays.

The Museum of the San Ramon Valley is located in the restored train depot on the corner of Railroad and Prospect Avenues in downtown Danville. Free parking is available.

For more information, call (925) 837-375, email srvmuseum@sbcglobal. net, or visit www.musemsrv.org.

An Evening with the Stars

By Jim Scala

Drive up Mt. Diablo on August 15th, and arrive at the lower summit parking lot by about 7PM for an inspiring evening with the stars. The program will begin at 7:30PM. You’ll see the universe as never before. Members of the Mt. Diablo Astronomical society (MDAS) will be standing by their telescopes to show you celestial objects. The views will capture your imagination, and the night sky will never be the same again. Every visitor says, “Wow!” many times during a viewing.

Astronomy is called the “gateway science” because many scientists, engineers, and medical doctors say their scientific curiosity was sparked and nurtured by looking through an amateur’s telescope. MDAS’s main mission is outreach. Any member will say, “We like to show everyone what’s out there.” The programs for 2015 are outstanding. They will inspire anyone and cause many young people to think about science.

By about 10PM you’ll leave on an escorted drive down the mountain with much to discuss. Return on one or all of the dates shown below for more inspiring evenings.

August 15, 7:30PM ~ Our Place in our Galaxy ~ Build a mental model of our Milky Way Galaxy – and our place in it. Find the center of our galaxy. Tour the telescopes through our galaxy.

September 19, 6:30PM ~ Moon: Earth’s Lost Rock ~ How would Earth be different without the Moon? How is our Earth like our Moon? Explore the surface of the Moon in telescopes. You’ll be ready for the eclipse of September 27th.

October 17, 6PM ~ Search for Alien Worlds ~ What will the first alien life we discover likely look like? Explore where weird life exists on Earth. What does that tell us about life elsewhere in the galaxy? Which stars have planets where life might exist?

For more information, visit www.mdas.net. Click on “Public Program” for a link to the 2015 Event Calendar and also a link for directions to Mt. Diablo and the Lower Summit Parking Lot. Plan to enter the park before sunset, and allow 30 minutes for the drive to the lower summit lot. Better yet, arrive early, bring a sandwich, and watch astronomers set up telescopes. Even that will be a learning experience.

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He is very small, so you will have to look hard if you want to find him.

To be eligible send a letter telling us where you found him, along with your name and address, to: Lost Dog! ~ Danville Today News 3000F Danville Blvd #117 • Alamo, CA 94507

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Our CountyAgriculture Department Does a Lot

By Candace Andersen, Supervisor, Contra Costa County, District 2

I’m often asked, “What does the County do?” I always enjoy sharing the role County departments play in helping our community. Contra Costa County produces nearly $120 million of some of the finest fruits, nuts, and vegetables in the nation. Consumers know that when they purchase these products at a retail store or Farmer’s Market they will be clean, fresh, and delicious. That confidence is created through the Contra Costa County Department of Agriculture/Weights & Measures. Their fruits and vegetables program involves the enforcement of state laws and regulations pertaining to the packing, shipping and quality of these agricultural commodities.

The department is also responsible for the certification of Farmers Markets and the registration of organic farmers. County inspectors also enforce state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to eggs and egg products. These inspections ensure wholesome eggs as well as correct size and truthful labeling.

The Agriculture Department handles the protection of plants and crops through the Pesticide Use Enforcement program, which is responsible for the enforcement of state regulations as they apply to the safe and effective use of pesticides. This includes the issuance of restricted materials permits, the monitoring of pesticide applications, the auditing of pesticide dealers and advisors, and the inspection of government, grower, and pest control business equipment and facilities.

The Nursery Inspection program ensures that consumers are supplied with correctly labeled, pest-free plants for food production and ornamental use. It also assists nurserymen in finding proper methods of controlling insects, diseases, and other pests that would seriously affect nursery stock. Additionally, the department has a Seed Inspection and Certification Program for the inspection of seed package labels to be certain that they reflect California Seed Law for the correct percentage of germination, date of test, purity, and weed seed content.

The Agriculture Department also has a variety of approaches to control pests.

The Pest Exclusion and Quarantine Program helps eliminate exotic pests before they can harm home gardens and agriculture. If pests are bothering you at home, you can call the department (925-427-8610) to aid in identifying pests, monitoring populations, and determining control options. The department uses an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) method, which utilizes mechanical, cultural, biological, and chemical control techniques.

Also included within the Agriculture Department is the Contra Costa County Division of Weights and Measures, which promotes a fair and equitable marketplace by inspecting packages and commercial weighing and measuring devices for accuracy. This ensures that the sale of harvested crops, livestock, animal feed, vehicle fuel, and other commodities is based on an honest weight or measure. A variety of devices are tested. There are scales ranging from jeweler’s scales for tiny gemstones to scales that can weigh a loaded railroad car. Devices are inspected before they are put into commercial use and any adjustable parts that might affect performance are sealed. Each commercial scale that passes inspection has a visible county seal.

The 2014 Crop Report for Contra Costa County was recently published and shows continued strong demand for agricultural products. The total gross value of agricultural crops and products in 2014 was $119,829,000, a 23.8% increase from 2013. The top five leading crops of 2014 were cattle/calves, sweet corn, tomatoes, grapes, and beans, all of which surpassed $4.5 million in gross value.

The report also contains an important reminder regarding how we all can reduce our water use. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more than 25% of fresh water used for agriculture gets lost through food waste, which occurs in homes, restaurants, and supermarkets when products are thrown away. By purchasing only needed food, eating what is cooked and limiting waste, anyone can significantly aid in managing the ongoing drought. In addition, the Commission urges gardeners to grow native plants, which are more adapted to drought conditions and therefore require less maintenance.

As you can see, the County Department of Agriculture/Weights & Measures performs many services for our County, and its employees do a great job ensuring quality, fair, and equitable marketplaces, but also help keep pests away from our gardens.

My office is here to serve the residents of Contra Costa County District 2, which includes San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek, Saranap, Parkmead, Lafayette, Moraga, Canyon and Orinda. Please don't hesitate to contact us if we can provide you with additional information on this topic or on other County issues. I can be reached at SupervisorAndersen@bos.cccounty.us or 925-957-8860.

Thank you to summer interns Peter Hutchinson and Isabelle Yan for their contributions to this article.

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com O’Neill cont. from front page

Danville Today News ~ August 2015 - Page 7

7 Things You Must Know Before Putting Your Home Up for Sale

together in unexpected ways, and it made a significant difference in my understanding of O’Neill’s late plays and the concept of tragedy.”

Danville - A new report has just been released deadly mistakes that cost them literally thousands of Thrice selected as a playwright felwhich reveals 7 costly mistakes that most dollars. The good news is that each and every one of low at the Eugene O’Neill Center in these mistakes is entirely preventable. In answer to homeowners make when selling their home, and a 9 Waterford, Connecticut and familiar this issue, industry insiders have prepared a free with group dynamics at various artists’ Step System that can help you sell your home fast and for the most amount of money. special report entitled "The 9 Step System to Get colonies, Herman Farrell found the This industry report shows clearly how the Your Home Sold Fast and For Top Dollar". opportunity to write without the distraditional ways of selling homes have become To hear a brief recorded message about how to traction of interacting with colleagues refreshing. He explains, “Native increasingly less and less effective in today's market. order your FREE copy of this report call toll-free 1Americans referred to Mount Diablo The fact of the matter is that fully three quarters of 866-265-1682 and enter 2000. You can call any time, as ‘the point of Creation.’ The grounds homesellers don't get what they want for their homes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. are tranquil, providing a calming effect and become disillusioned and - worse - financially Get your free special report NOW to find out how as soon as you arrive on the site. But disadvantaged when they put their homes on the you can get the most money for your home. once you get to work, you can’t help market. but be infused with a certain creative As this report uncovers, most homesellers make 7 spirit that no doubt emanates from the Diablo mountain range. My hunch is This report is courtesy of J. Rockcliff Realtors CalBRE 01763819. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract. Copyright © 2015 that O’Neill felt that spirit, too.”

An award winning playwright and screenwriter, Farrell shares his expertise proposals for an artist-in-residence offering before endorsing the current plan. with students at the University of Kentucky as Associate Professor - Playwriting. McAuley is pleased to report, “With the support of the National Park Service, the Foundation Board of Directors and donors, we have finally made the long Thirty years after writing Dreams of the Son: A Life of Eugene O’Neill, which he characterizes as a melodrama reminiscent of the theatre of O’Neill’s father, pursued dream of an Artist in Residence Program a reality.”

Tao House Fellows are invited (according to their preference) to work on Farrell came to Tao House to pen a totally different play on the same subject that their approved projects for a period of one to four weeks. Meals and off-site “will more closely resemble the dance of memory that reconstructs a moment, not via whole cloth remembering but through chasing after fleeting moments and residence are provided. A small building in the courtyard (known as the Trunk House because it originally stored Carlotta’s Louis Vuitton luggage) has been dodging shadow-like images…”

Taking advantage of access to Carlotta and Eugene’s diaries in the archives remodeled as a workspace. Fellows have access to the house only during hours at Tao House, Farrell began his stay by absorbing their personal observations. when a Park Ranger is on duty, but can labor into the evening in the Trunk “O’Neill’s output during those years was amazing. Except for breaks due to poor House and wander the grounds at leisure. The extensive archives are available health or concerns about the war, he worked each and every day from 8:30 to for their use when librarian Mary Camezon is present. Both Palmer and Farrell 1:30 and then would eat lunch and swim or work in the garden.” Finding himself gratefully acknowledge her tireless attention to their requests as well as the driven by a kindred compulsion to create, Farrell completed the first draft of his support of Florence McAuley and AIR committee members Wendy Cooper, script in less than three weeks.

Linda Best and Carol Sherrill.

Organized to prevent the destruction of Tao House, EOF raised $70,000 as a Adrienne Earl Pender arrives from North Carolina in September to work on deposit and secured access to the site in 1975. The Foundation needed a partner a play about the life of her relative Charles Sidney Gilpin, the African-American with the financial capacity to complete the purchase, restore the structure and actor who starred in the premiere of Emperor Jones in 1920. The panel evaluatmaintain the property. In 1976, they finalized an agreement with the National ing her proposal noted: “A successful play about Gilpin would certainly have Park Service (NPS) whereby NPS funded and controlled physical ownership significance, as there appears to be very little known about the man who created and public interpretive tours of Tao House with EOF retaining responsibility for the title role in one of O’Neill’s most original, daring plays …” artistic programming.

See O’Neill continued on page 11 The late Travis Bogard, UC Berkeley Professor of Dramatic Arts and EOF’s first Artistic Director, immediately recognized the potential of O’Neill’s home Charlotte Wood Middle School for inspiring other artists. While EOF initiated many other projects including

By Christopher George, Principal staged readings of O’Neill’s work, productions of his plays in the Old Barn, We hope everyone out there is having a great sumworkshops for high school students and opportunities for professional artists to paint and photograph on site, the Foundation repeatedly reviewed and rejected mer. We know our students, teachers, staff, and their families deserve this great break we are afforded and hope they are all enjoying relaxing, traveling, and spending time with each other.

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Page 8 - August 2015 ~ Danville Today News

San Ramon Valley High School

By Ruth Steele, Principal

Summer is still in full swing, but at each of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District school sites we are busy getting ready for the upcoming school year. At the start of every school year all families have to register their students for school by using both the district and the individual schools’ online systems. These systems open on August 4th and parents need to complete both processes. Information for student parking spots on campus will also be available at this time.

At SRVHS we were lucky enough to pilot the “Togeda” online registration system last year and it made the whole process much smoother for everyone. This year we are continuing to utilize this technology for parents to sign their children up for school.

There are two dates for registration at SRVHS: August 20th and 24th. These were calendared as late as possible to make sure that families on vacation would still be able to attend registration before the first day of school on August 25th.

There are many updates on the school website, www.srvhs.net regarding registration and the beginning of school so please take a look and check there first if you have any questions.

As part of preparation for this coming school year, we have been working with the parents of incoming 9th and 10th graders to get them ready for the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) online program at SRVHS. Over 1,000 students - the entire 9th and 10th grade classes - will be utilizing 1:1 technology in all of their classrooms. Parents can purchase any Chromebook type device that runs Google Chrome as this is what teachers and students will be using in the classroom. Our school also has a program to loan devices to families for the school year if needed, and these can be checked out during registration.

Google Docs and the other associated programs have fantastic educational applications and during our freshman pilot this year. It was amazing to see the positive impact that this initiative had for both teaching and learning.

We are looking forward to continuing our journey into 21st century learning for all!

San Ramon Valley Christian Academy By Jamie Westgate, Principal

A school just isn’t a school when the kids are missing! SRVCA has been a quiet place without all the students, and I am eager to have them back. Our theme for the 2015-2016 school year will be Catching Fire: Igniting our Faith in God. Our school will be focusing on Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do.” Here at SRVCA students are reminded they have been created by God with a plan and purpose in mind. He has gifted each one with unique qualities and presented him/her with responsibilities to share God’s goodness to those around us. Even a kindergartner can comprehend the importance of modeling God’s love to those around him by words and actions. I look forward to the ongoing reminder this theme will bring to our campus as we strive to love God and love others as He has called us to do.

I am overjoyed to work closely with our staff members at SRVCA. New and returning, these individuals are deeply committed to serving the needs of our students and their families. We are excited about the expansion of our resource program at our school this year, as well as some improvements made to the technology infrastructure. It is important our kids are well equipped for their futures, and the building blocks in elementary school and Jr. High are essential to every child’s foundation. We are excited to see how God is bringing new individuals and resources to our school to protect and provide for the learning of our students.

For decades, SRVCA has maintained dual accreditation through ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) as well as WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) and boasts impressive standardized testing results through our annual spring assessments. Though I am very proud of our students for their academic achievement, I am most proud of the character I see developed in each one. Our teachers have excellent classroom management practices, and students are trained to respect instructional time while knowing how to have fun at recess. We use chapel time, Bible classes, and everyday learning opportunities to remind students of our responsibility as Christians to do the good works as described above in the book of Ephesians.

It has been a tremendous blessing to share my days with a wonderful school community, and I look forward to seeing you all for the new school year. In the meantime, enjoy those trips to our beautiful local parks, the lazy days at the pool, and some quality memory making opportunities with families and friends.

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St. Isidore School

By Maria Ward, Principal School is Almost Here!

We hope your summer has been memorable and that you enjoyed some downtime with the important people in your lives. During the summer months we are busy preparing for the coming school year. Our dedicated teachers have been in and out getting ready for their new classes of students. Summer faith camp, hosted by our parish, was a huge success. The theme was “Everest, Conquering Challenges with God’s Mighty Power.” We enjoyed seeing different students from our school and parish communities come together and share in their Catholic faith. Many of our middle school students volunteered and earned service hours towards their annual service hour goal. Our Pastor, Fr. Moran, also participated with daily visits in supporting our summer faith camp. He and his dog, Beauty, were on campus enjoying all of the festivities.

Danville’s annual Fourth of July Parade was awesome! Many students and parents were able to participate in the parade this year. We are blessed to be part of this community and thrilled to be a part of Danville’s annual parade.

Our school office will opened Monday, August 3rd. Our teachers officially begin their year on August 11th and students will be starting school on Wednesday, August 19th. We look forward to welcoming each and every one of them to this new school year. There are new teachers and staff members to welcome as well. The Back to School Mass will be held on Friday, August 21st at 8:10AM. Please join us for this celebration to begin our new school year. On Saturday, August 22nd our traditional Kindergarten picnic will be held at school. We enjoy getting to know our little ones and their families at this wonderful event. It is a good time for all.

There are a few openings for the 2015-2016 school year. St. Isidore School is the largest Catholic school in the Oakland Diocese with over 630 amazing students.

Our students learn the value of service by living the Gospel values. We have a community of remarkable teachers, staff, and parents that work together to create success in each child’s life. The development of the whole child and bringing out the best in each and every student is the heart of our philosophy. If you have any questions about enrollment or would like to take a tour, please call us at (925) 837-2977. We look forward to welcoming you to our school.

Danville Girls Chorus Audition for New Singers

The Danville Girls Chorus (DGC) is made up of 155 girls from 3rd to 8th grades from schools across the Tri-Valley area. The primary goal of DGC which is non-profit organization is music education. The students are introduced to a variety of musical styles, ranging from classical to contemporary, folk tunes, and pop music.

Do you know a girl in going into grades 3 to 8 who loves to sing? Encourage her to come to audition for the Danville Girls Chorus on August 5th at 2:45pm at San Ramon Valley High School. Please register for the audition through the DGC Online Store or email admin@danvillegirlschorus.org for more information.

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Danville Today News ~ August 2015 - Page 9

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Tao House

By Linda Summers Pirkle

On a recent visit to California, my friend, director and actor Rosario Tronnolone from Rome, Italy suggested we visit the home of Eugene O’Neill (18881953), the first American playwright to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. It has been years since I toured the home (also known as Tao House), where the famous playwright and father of the modern American play wrote what are considered his best works. Just a ten minute drive from downtown Danville nestled in the hills of the Las Trampas range, Tao House was built in 1937 and inspired by O’Neill’s interest in Eastern philosophy and his wife Carlotta Monterey O’Neill’s love of Oriental art and decor. They lived in Tao House from 1937 until 1944.

Our guide, Park Ranger and expert on Eugene O’Neill, Thaddeus Shay, mentioned with a voice that is deep, and full (perfect for reading the famous lines from the well known plays), “We get many visitors who enjoy this National Park site, yet have no idea who Eugene O’Neill is. We also get actors, directors, writers, and academia visiting the park, most of whom have an interest in Eugene O’Neill. Something I’ve heard from actors portraying a character in an O’Neill play is that it is one of the most challenging and satisfying things they have done because his plays usually cover some very emotional topics.”

Our small group visiting Tao House included Donald Mackay, an actor who grew up in the Bay Area whose impressive list of TV credits includes West Wing, The Good Wife, Weeds, Criminal Minds, and NCIS. Mackay has always been a Eugene O’Neill aficionado, he says, “I grew up in Walnut Creek and as a young actor devoured all things O’Neill and toured Tao House even before it was a National Park site.” He recently received news that he landed the coveted lead role in an Irish production of an Eugene O’Neill play.

Mackay was visiting the site for inspiration and reflection. “I feel incredibly fortunate to play a lead role of ‘James Tyrone’ in Eugene O’Neill’s final and great play A Moon for the Misbegotten, directed by Ben Barnes. I will

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be the only American in an all Irish cast of the O’Neill play, rehearsing and performing in Ireland and then touring the play to New York. I consider this to be the artistic highlight of my career as a professional actor.”

Rosario, my director friend had some eloquent things to say about Eugene O’Neill’s house. “Tao House strikes me with its geometric order and sense of beauty. Much of the surrounding nature is part of the house itself, with the huge windows letting the landscape in. The fog, so present in O’Neill’s work, is redolent in the grey walls of his most private rooms and by the dark colored mirrors, and yet, the house keeps the strange feeling of lack of warmth. O’Neill’s dying words (spoken in a hotel in Boston) were “I knew it, I knew it! Born in a hotel dying in a hotel.” You sense that he was forever living as a guest.

With a director’s perspective, Rosario commented on his favorite room of Tao House, “It is certainly the small room with the piano that looks like the most comfortable and peaceful room, with the beautiful view, the music sheets, and the records. Coming near the window, I could almost feel the presence of the artist sitting in the little veranda and looking at the serene valley.”

• Tours are available at 10AM and 2PM on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday by reservation. Saturday “without reservations” tours are held at 10:15AM, 12:15PM, and 2:15PM. Meet at the bus stop located in front of the San Ramon Valley Museum located at 205 Railroad Ave., Danville. Visits are by tour bus or on foot only. Entrance is free. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/euon or call 925-838-0249.

• Donald Mackay will be performing in A Moon for the Misbegotten at Theatre Royal in Waterford, Ireland March 6-12, 2016, at the Lyric Theater, in Belfast from March 15-19, 2016 and in New York from March 29-April 24, 2016.

Linda Summers Pirkle, travel consultant and long term Danville resident, has arranged and led tours for the Town of Danville for several years. Inspired by the many wonderful places to visit in the Bay Area, she organizes day trips, either for groups or for friends and family. “What a great place to live, so much to see, so much to do.” To share your “Quick Trips” ideas email Coverthemap@gmail.com.

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Page 10 - August 2015 ~ Danville Today News

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Lately I’ve been answering inquiries about the PGE electric rate changes that were recently approved by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC). Predictions are that the rate changes, when they go into effect in 2019, will ultimately impact more than 75% of California electricity subscribers. I’ll caveat that my opinion is based on the limited information published about the rate changes, and historical precedents set by previous PGE rate changes.

Calculations are that the rate changes will increase the cost of electricity for all but the highest tier users of electricity. The exact definition of “upper tier user” and “lower tier user” is not specifically defined. Currently, most PGE ratepayers are on a 4-tier billing method. Using more kilowatts will cost more per kilowatt. The utilities contended during CPUC rate change deliberations that upper tier users are “paying far more than their fair share” for electricity, and therefore are “subsidizing lower tier electric users” thus necessitating this rate change. The counter argument is that lower tier users will be penalized for being efficient. The CPUC’s and PGE’s retort to that argument is that lower tier electric costs are actually sold at a loss to the utility. The new tiers will have new pricing and there will only be two of them.

I dislike assumptions, but…I’m going to assume that the rate changes will generate more revenue, not less, for PGE. Indeed, the consensus from consumer advocacy groups is that the majority of ratepayers will face higher electric bills.

No surprise there. With a dearth of information from PGE, I’m going to go out on a limb and apply logic and historical precedent to try to answer the very obvious question posed to me by current and prospective solar customers: “How will these rate changes affect my investment in solar PV now and in the future”?

If you are a solar PV system owner now, California law protects your net metering rights until July 17, 2037. If you go solar after July 17, 2017, there will be new regulations for solar PV interaction with the grid. Also, if you’re a solar customer now or before July 17, 2017, if historical precedent is a guide, you’ll stay “grandfathered” into your current electric rate, and not be subject to these new rates unless you move or voluntarily switch rates.

If you go solar after the rate changes take effect, increased return on investment will occur for smaller solar PV projects because the lowest cost power will get more expensive with the new rates. A slightly lower return than current return on the solar investment may result for higher tier users because the highest tier cost may be lower than it is currently.

On a much closer horizon and of greater concern for prospective solar customers is the phase out of the 30% Federal Tax credit for solar PV. If you’re considering solar PV, consider it with much closer scrutiny while your solar contractor simply has the time to do the work before the expiration date. Next year will be banner business year for solar PV contractors. Choose your contractor sooner than later; your “first choice” contractor may not be available and you may have to settle for your second or third choice. The principles of Economics 101 state that once demand goes up, price often follows.

From a utility grid management standpoint: Ultimately, PGE risks putting more stress on the already tenuous utility grid unless they continue to incentivize solar PV by offering Time of Use rates. Essentially, commercial and residential solar PV systems are PGE subcontracted power plants. They help relieve the afternoon load when the grid is stressed. The relationship between solar PV and PGE has become one of mutual reliance. Power generation is shifting away from traditional power plants (by law, towards renewables) but power transport via the grid will remain with PGE. PGE must manage the demand of the grid and balance it with the advantages and mandates of California law. By 2030, the law says 50% of the grid must be powered by renewable or alternative energy sources.

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Enchanting Undiscovered Laos

Danville Today News ~ August 2015 - Page 11

By Audrey Combs, Alamo World Travel

Having traveled in South East Asia on three different trips for months at a time, I thought I had a pretty good handle on what the region had to offer.

From the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, to the food and culture of Thailand, to the beautiful karsts of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, there are too many wonders to list!

Then I went to Laos! Here you’ll find a few select very respectful foreigners enjoying a country full of some of the kindest, most generous, well-humored, wonderful people. I traveled in April and spent time at the cooler, higher, altitudes in the northern city of Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang was the 14th century capital of Laos and a major colonial city during the French colonization during the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. It is located at the confluence of two rivers, the mighty Mekong and the smaller Nam Khan. The backdrop of these two beautiful rivers, surrounded by Laotian mountains, was viewed from the deck of a perfectly restored French colonial porch. The fresh mango shakes and a chilled glass of sauvignon blanc they served was pure heaven.

Days start early in Luang Prabang. Our first day, I arose before the sun to observe the early morning alms given to the monks, also known as Tak Bat. Beautifully clad in tangerine robes and freshly shaven heads, more than 200 monks from all over Luang Prabang receive offerings of the highest-grade sticky rice, curries, and other foods from local Buddhist families bowing with respect from their hand woven straw mats along the main street, the Sisavangvong. Nearby is the early morning market where Hmong vendors come in from surrounding mountain villages to sell their wares of fresh herbs, bamboo shoots, fresh fish, and more kinds of eggplant, squash, and locally-harvested wild mushrooms than you could ever imagine!

As the sun rose, my next inclination was to cool off. I opted for a Mekong River cruise to visit the cave of 10,000 Buddhas. The site is where Laotian Buddhists have gone for hundreds of years to pay their respects to the spectacle of 10,000+ Buddhas tucked away in a beautiful karst cave overlooking the mountains and river below. On my return, sipping a cold beer, I decided to hire a smaller local boat to take me to a local craftsman village where the Hmong people are known for their skills.

Those around Luang Prabang are especially known for their beautiful silk textiles and weaving. Hmong women sit for hours cross-legged at their looms to hand spin raw silk into smooth silk thread. In the craftsman villages, you’re invited to watch and even try this elaborate process. Lao women spend days creating intricate wall hangings, traditional skirts, and beautiful scarves weaving their silk thread on huge wooden looms. The craftsmanship is incredible and I purchased beautiful keepsakes that will last a lifetime.

In the afternoon, I joined travelers from many points around the globe for our “Tamarind – Taste of Laos” cooking class. It began with a trip to the local market to pick out the freshest vegetables, spices, and meats and ended with everyone eating our wonderful Laotian creations of sticky rice lemongrass chicken and papaya salad. A cooking class in Laos is a must for all visitors.

A perfect ending to our trip was visiting the night market where Hmong people from all over the North come to sell their wares ranging from iPhone amplifiers made of bamboo, adorable clothes for children, a woven masterpiece worthy of framing, or simply hand-painted post cards to share some of the wonders of your trip. Bargaining is at its most pleasurable and is most often communicated with a calculator and a smile. After such an amazing experience in such a serene place, you will want to share your trip with anyone who will listen! Laos won’t be a secret destination for long. Its enchantment is too contagious.

Audrey Combs visited Cambodia and Laos during her spring break with cousin Dayna and Aunt Ilene Ferguson, owner of Alamo World Travel. Alamo World Travel has 34 years of planning individual and group travel. Let us help you plan your next great travel adventure, by land or sea, riverboat or sailing yacht. Visit us at www.alamoworld. com, call us at 925-837-8742 or stop by our office at 3201 Danville Blvd. # 255 in Alamo Advertorial (North of Ace Hardware).

O’Neill continued from page 7

More information is available on the Foundation’s website: www.eugeneoneill.org. Individuals and organizations interested in supporting the Travis Bogard Artist in Residence Program are encouraged to contact the AIR Committee, PO Box 402, Danville, CA 94526.

The annual Eugene O’Neill Festival, A Season of Desire, kicks off in August with free previews of the entertainment in store. Get the inside story from directors, designers, and actors and learn about the treatment of the theme of desire in the featured plays: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams and Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O’Neill. Danville Library: August 13 – 7pm; Lafayette Library: August 20 – 7pm; Pleasanton Library: August 22 – 2pm.

An all-inclusive Festival Package is available at a discount of 20% through August 24th at www. villagetheatreshows.com includes: • A Street Car Named Desire (choose a performance) at the Village Theatre 9/4-19 • Film: A Street car Named Desire 9/10 at the Village Theatre; 7:30pm • Lecture: “Eugene O’Neill: Evolution of an Artist – From Provincetown to Tao House” by Eric Fraisher Hayes, Artistic Director Role Players Ensemble 9/12 at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley; 2pm • Panel discussion: “100 Years of Desire” 9/19 at Tao House Barn; 2pm • Desire Under the Elms (choose a performance) 9/18-9/27 at Tao House Barn • Author event: Theatre critic John Lahr (son of Bert Lahr) talks about his new book Joyride and his awardwinning biography Tennessee Williams: A Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh 10/4 at Rakestraw Books, Danville; 2pm • A free hour-long walking tour, “The Secrets of O’Neill’s Danville,” begins at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley 9/12; 3pm.

Visit www.villagetheatreshows.com for details and to purchase tickets for the Festival Package or individual events.

Page 12 - August 2015 ~ Danville Today News

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Page 14 - August 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Life in the Danville Garden

Inviting Entries

By John Montgomery, ASLA, Landscape Architect

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Inviting entries are an essential element in the creation of a successful landscape design. An inviting entry or portal is your first impression of your home and garden. It creates the mood! The portal gives your garden drama, definition, direction, structure, and interest. It leads you through the garden, frames the views, defines the “rooms,” and adds structural interest.

A garden portal generally is an architectural element that is built such as an arbor, arch, gateway, fence, pergola, colonnade, or landscaped focal point.

Most typically seen is an arbor, either arched or squared-off. It creates the portal framework that makes a distinction that you, the participant within the garden, are entering into something. Think about how you might want someone to feel as they approach your garden and your front door? First, you want them to know where to find the entry to your home. Then, you wish to create a welcoming feeling that sets the tone for entry into your living space. Once you pass through the door into your home you egress from one Call for details space to another and in doing so have gone from one environment to another.

The garden portal essentially 925.939.8300 performs the same function solartechnologies.com in your garden.

Lic. #932914 Gates beckon to be opened. The drama unfolds as you pass through from one space to another.

What’s on the other side?

Gates advance the opportunity to create the drama by how they are designed and where they are positioned.

Fences provide an opportunity to frame an area of the garden as well as offer a portal to the next “garden” room. Fences give us security. They supply privacy so we can be ourselves. Fences add drama to expansive spaces that need to be brought into perspective. They create new rooms and therefore create new dramatic entries.

Pergolas and colonnades offer a dramatic portal to view from while enjoying protection from a hot Danville summer day. Sit in the shade and view the garden and relax. Pergolas and colonnades are the structural framework that creates a room and a portal simultaneously. We want to enter. Pergolas and colonnades can be built in many architectural styles that suit the theme of your home and garden style.

Landscaped focal points are an easy way to create a portal. Certain plants such as Buxus microphylla japonica ‘Winter Gem’ (Boxwood) and Ligustrum japonicum ‘Rotundifolium’ (Privet) provide a more formal structural plant that can be used to form a dramatic entry. Looser plant forms such as Alyogyne huegelii (Blue Hibiscus), Hibiscus syriacus ‘Collie Mullins’ (deciduous Hibiscus), or tree roses placed at either side of an opening through a hedge of Boxwood or Pittosporum tenuifolium “Varigata” (Variegated Pittosporum), give the effect of an entry to another room.

Garden portals lead the garden wanderer to the next surprise. Interest and curiosity lead them to the next portal that might be the vegetable garden where they can pause to pick strawberries or cherry tomatoes. The next portal may lead them down a colorfully planted “alley” or path where they can “stop and smell the roses.” Remember to have fun and be creative!

A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: New entries added to an existing home can give your home a completely new look and feeling without redoing your entire landscape.

Gardening Quote of the Month: “One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.” ~W.E. Johns If you would like me to write on any particular subject, email your ideas Advertorial to jmontgomery@jm-la.com or visit www.jm-la.com.

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Danville Today News ~ August 2015 - Page 15

Save Every Drop

By Cynthia Ruzzi, Sustainable Danville Area

I’m optimistic! The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has reported a 90% chance of El Niño lasting through the winter. I don’t want to appear insensitive to the hardship of severe weather, but a moderate to strong El Niño usually means a ‘wetter’ California. In case my ‘rain dance’ delivers, the National Weather Service says it’s best to be prepared, so I’m getting ready to save every drop!

I’m ready to catch that rain right out of the air, or at least off my roof. Previously, our small house had five downspouts funneling rainwater from the gutters away from our foundation and into pipes leading to the storm water drain at the end of our street.

No more! Over five years ago, I purchased a 75 gallon rain barrel. The simple installation included: 1. Choosing a downspout close to the area where I would use the collected water.

2. Placing the rain barrel where the overflow would be able to soak into the ground in my yard. Note: Working with the grading of your property will avoid drainage problems affecting your or your neighbor’s foundation.

3. Balancing the rain barrel on concrete blocks to give extra clearance for my bucket under the spigot and gravity to move water through a hose.

4. Preparing my downspout meant disconnecting the line where it leads to the storm drain and sawing above the top of the rain barrel. I left room for the elbow to be attached. The elbow is a flexible plastic or metal sleeve that goes over the metal of the remaining downspout directing water into the top of the barrel. A few screws or glue between the elbow and downspout and I was ready to put the barrel in place.

Please don’t drink the water from your rain barrel as it could have some contaminates from the roof. I use the collected water on flowers, trees, shrubs, and before I replaced my thirsty grass, that too.

A visit to Bend, Oregon was the inspiration for replacing the other downspouts at our house. Many homes in Bend have large chains hanging from their roof line. Instead of trying to hide ugly, noisy downspouts, these rain chains move water from the gutter to the ground in lovely cascading waterfalls. Some folks let the water fall into basins that trickle over pebbles, minimizing the splash and creating Zen-like sounds. Most homes had large, rustic chains, but others used copper cups that let the drops fall from one cup to another, creative an entertaining visual on a rainy day.

Back at home, I found more inspiration on Pinterest and Houzz, my go-to Internet sites for all things home décor.

Rain chains or Kusari doi’ have been used for hundreds of years in Japan to transfer rainwater to large barrels for household water usage. The philosophy of feng-shui implies that rain chains can bring a positive energy flow into your home by transporting the water element with a sense of tranquility. If this energy is the calmness I feel listening to the gentle sounds through my window, then I agree that rain chains are a wonderful way to add an outdoor ambiance to your home.

Rain chains are not only pleasing to the eye and ear, but they are also environmental friendly. Retaining water on your property helps to reduce soil erosion and water pollution and may even help reduce uneven house settling. Local clay soils are prone to ‘shrinkage’ due to lack of moisture. Dry spells, like the current drought, can cause soils to contract causing uneven settling of building infrastructure which leads to cracks in foundations and Business, Residential, PC, Mac, Servers, Networking walls. I wonder if this explains the hairline cracks in the newly ‘re-stucco-ed’ walls of our home? Either way, I’m saving every drop for a non-rainy day. What about you?

Join us at www.facebook.com/sustainabledanvillearea or www.sustainabledanville.com.

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Page 16 - August 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Pruning for Fire Safety

By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb

In the spring and early summer, the landscape grows lush and beautiful.

Our Mediterranean climate is blessed by sufficient winter rains to make plants grow, but our dry summers, and our even drier autumns, can make that new growth a fire hazard. In the greater Bay Area, we live surrounded by an ecosystem that has been shaped, over the last 10,000 years, by frequent wildfires. Because these woodland fires are inevitable, landscape trees, even healthy ones, require occasional pruning to prevent them from becoming fire ladders––bridges of flammable material that could carry flames from a woodland fire to your home.

The threat posed by fires in the greater Bay Area is real and significant.

The Oakland/Berkeley Hills fire of 1991 caused $1.7 billion in property damage, and it was the nation’s worst urban fire since the San Francisco fire of 1906. Failure to properly maintain landscape trees and shrubs played a significant role in allowing that fire to grow, intensify, and move. The Comprehensive Overview of the Berkeley/Oakland Hills Fire recommends that the risk of wildfire can be reduced by proper care of landscape plants: • Break up fire ladders.

• Limb trees back from structures.

• Reduce flammable biomass by thinning crowns.

• Remove dead trees and shrubs from the landscape.

• Remove deadwood from live trees and shrubs.

Breaking up fire ladders helps prevent a fire from moving easily from the woods, or from your neighbor’s property, to your house. To break up fire ladders, increase the space between plants, both vertically and horizontally.

In the 1991 fire, blowing brands of flammable material landed on ground plants and, if there was sufficient dry matter, caught the ground cover on fire.

The fire burned along the ground plants horizontally for as long as it found

Clip Notes

By Jody Morgan

Alex Livingston began collecting tomatoes at the age of ten – not to eat, not to grow, but just to put up on the mantel as objects of curiosity. According to his autobiography Livingston and the Tomato, the Ohio native was running down a lane bordered by high rail fences when he got his first glimpse of tomatoes. The red fruit growing by one of the fence posts caught his eye. He gathered a few and took them home. His mother was appalled at the sight. Livingston writes that she immediately shouted, “‘You must not eat them, my child. They must be poison, for even the hogs won’t eat them.’”

Mary Graham Livingston called her son’s discovery “Jerusalem apples,” but acknowledged that others referred to the toxic fruit as “love apples.” A possible reason why well-fed Ohio pigs had no appetite for tomatoes is suggested by Livingston’s description, “The wild tomatoes bore small, hollow, tough, sour, watery fruit.” Alex found purple and yellow specimens to add to his collection, never thinking that his life’s work would be breeding big, delicious, highly marketable tomatoes.

Were tomatoes delicious or disgusting, healthful or harmful? The latter questions were considered by the American Medical Association as late as 1896.

Andrew F. Smith’s extensive research presented in The Tomato in America: Early History, Culture, and Cookery reveals the reluctance with which much of the country accepted tomatoes as edible rather than poisonous and desirable rather than passably palatable. The extreme acidity of most of the fruit available in the 18th and early 19th century possibly accounts for the disdain with which it was received. A sample paragraph from Smith’s book reveals: Others did not like the appearance or the taste of the tomato. A gardener from Massachusetts stated that the first time he saw tomatoes was during the 1820s. They “appeared so disgusting that I thought I must be very hungry before I should be induced to taste them.” The look of the tomato was so disagreeable that many people supposed that it would “never receive a permanent place in our list of culinary

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material to burn. If it encountered trees with low branches, the fire would move vertically from the ground up into the crown of the tree. If those burning trees were close to a house, they would set the house on fire. If their crowns touched the crowns of other trees, the fire spread from crown to crown.

Landscape plants pose little fire hazard when they are properly maintained, and proper maintenance does not mean sacrificing a natural, woodland aesthetic. If the limbing up, dead-wooding, and crown thinning are done by a craftsman with a sensitivity to plant aesthetics, then the trees will look natural, even though they may have had 30% of their biomass removed. Knowing how to identify potential hazards is important, but it is also important to know how to reduce those hazards in a manner that keeps your property looking natural and which doesn’t sacrifice important screening plants. Brende & Lamb specializes in balancing the conflicting needs for privacy, fire safety, tree health, and landscape aesthetics. It is possible to improve the fire safety of your property while promoting the health and beauty of your plants.

Tree care is a craft requiring study and experience. Our trimmers are master craftsmen who understand that a well-pruned tree should not only be safer and healthier, it should look beautiful as well. At Brende and Lamb we take great pride in both the science and the art of pruning.

If your trees need a little TLC, please call 510-486-TREE (8733) or email us at bl@brendelamb.com for a free estimate. Additionally, go to our website www.brendelamb.com to see before and after pictures, client testimonials, and work in your neighborhood.

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To place an ad, share a story, or for more information about our papers, call 925.405.6397 or visit our website www.yourmonthlypaper.com vegetables.” In Pennsylvania during the late 1820s, J.B. Garber posited that “hardly two persons in a hundred, on first tasting it, thought that they would ever be induced to taste that sour trash a second time.

Nevertheless, a passion for ingesting tomatoes both raw and cooked did seize portions of the United States during the 1830s. Agricultural and horticultural societies offered premiums for specimens demonstrating consistent characteristics presented in groups of 10 or more. However, according to Cornelia Parkinson’s pamphlet Alex Livingston: The Tomato Man and His Times, when Livingston began breeding tomatoes about 1850 “there was not a tomato field in the entire world from which a single bushel of uniformly smooth fruits could be harvested.”

Canned tomatoes, peas, and corn fed Union soldiers during the Civil War. Confederate troops prized them as spoils of battle. By war’s end, tomatoes were in vogue throughout the country. The first transcontinental shipment of tomatoes traveled by rail from California to New York in July 1869. Timing was perfect for the introduction of a commercially viable product with succulent, smooth-skinned fruit.

Born in 1821, Livingston was almost 50 years old when he felt ready to release his ‘Paragon’ tomato to the public in 1870. The blood-red beauty yielded two crops per season. Continuing his experiments, Livingston bred tomatoes suitable for growing in different soil and climate conditions in all the colors he collected as a boy. Purple ‘Acme’ served as ancestor to many modern selections. ‘Livingston’s Golden Queen’ was reputed to be the besttasting tomato then in existence. ‘Livingston’s Perfection’ ripened over the course of several days making it excellent for long-distance shipping.

Livingston made his living selling seed. Quality control required constant monitoring of the crop. Farmers growing for A.W. Livingston delivered their harvest to the warehouse to be weighed. Payment was made by the ton. Tomatoes were ground. The mush was crushed and seeds strained. Left to ferment in a vat for a few days, the seeds went through a first wash to remove debris and floating seeds that would not germinate. After going through a wringer in cloth bags, the viable seeds were set on screens and dried by big fans.

Weighing three pounds and measuring 10 inches in diameter, the world’s largest tomato is purported to be delicious. Burpee introduced it as ‘Steak House.’ British gardeners began cultivating it in 2015 as ‘Gigantomo.’

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Danville Today News ~ August 2015 - Page 17

Alamo’s 1st & Only Pediatric Dentist!

Alamo Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics Welcomes Dr. Allan Pang Dr. Pang completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, San Diego.

He earned his Doctorate of Dental Medicine at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. After Tufts he completed a General Practice Residency at University of California, Los Angeles. Thereafter, Dr. Pang practiced general dentistry in the community of Los Gatos, California for two years. It was during this time that he realized how much he enjoyed working with his pediatric patients and returned to school to specialize in Pediatric Dentistry.

His residency in Pediatric Dentistry at New York University-Bellevue Hospital in New York City allowed for him to have extensive training in treating the well child and those with special healthcare needs such as children with craniofacial disorders and developmental disabilities.

Dr. Pang has been in private practice since 2008.

He is a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist, a Diplomate with the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

(925) 831-8310

Page 18 - August 2015 ~ Danville Today News

The Law and Unintended Consequences

By Robert J. Silverman, Attorney at Law

The estate planning “game” is one every adult plays, but some play more actively and more intelligently than others.

The challenge lies in understanding how all the rules work, and thus the optimal way to play. It can be pretty tricky and difficult without expert professional advice.

Sadly, if you lose this game, your loved ones usually suffer. Despite people’s best intentions, unintended consequences happen all too frequently, as described in the hypothetical examples below.

Family #1: Judy has two adult children, John and Jane. Judy’s primary assets are a $1 million home, with no mortgage; and a $200,000 bank account.

Family #2: Bob has two adult children, Bill and Betty. Bob’s primary asset is his $1 million 401K. Relevant Facts: Judy and Bob each divorced their first spouses, have been happily married for 15 years and live in Judy’s home. They keep a small joint checking account for routine living expenses, but otherwise maintain separate assets.

Judy and Bob know that all responsible adults have a Will. Thinking they don’t need a lawyer, they download basic Will forms from the internet, and each sign one. Each Will states that on the death of the testator, all assets go to the testator’s children, in equal shares. It is simple and they are satisfied.

1) Judy takes out a home equity credit line on her home. In order to qualify, Bob’s income is needed. So Bob goes on title with Judy, as required by the lender. Their neighbor (who seems like a pretty smart guy) tells them that he and his wife hold title to their home as “joint tenants,” as do most married people. So, Judy and Bob tell their lender that they’ll take title as joint tenants.

2) In case anything ever happens suddenly to Judy, she wants one her children to have authority to access funds from her bank account. She thinks about adding both John and Jane to her account, but decides against that since the kids don’t get along well. So, Judy adds John as a signer.

3) Bob lists his children, Bill and Betty, as beneficiaries of his 401K so that they’ll receive the bulk of his assets.

Let’s explore the harsh unintended consequences on the death of Judy

Accumulated Expertise

By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO

Isn’t it amazing how fast we move through summer?

This year is no exception as we race toward autumn with several important projects for Portable CIO. As the year progresses you’re going to see some changes in our appearance as we modernize and update both our website and logo. We’re also refreshing our business plan because technology has evolved in the 14 years since our company was founded. The technology we use has changed, but the principles of safe and reliable computing upon which I founded this company have not changed one bit. As a result, we’re updating our look but not our adherence to the concepts which have made us successful.

You’ve probably heard the term, “Victim of your own success.” Sometimes I think it’s an apt description of what we have run into with some of our clients, because we often find ourselves in a Catch-22 as a result of performing our jobs so well. I’ll explain.

The original Portable CIO business plan I wrote predicted we would first serve residential clients, then businesses at home, then brick and mortar businesses, and then vertical markets. The last stage after creating vertical markets predicted I would be flying myself around the Western US giving technical seminars. I’m still working on that part!

As it worked out, we’ve tracked perfectly to the business plan. Owing to advertising in this paper, we’ve built a broad and loyal clientele in the Alamo, Danville, and Lafayette markets. Many people work from home, so serving the businesses at home was a natural next step. As a result of successfully serving both residential and home-based business clients, we were given the privilege of expanding our coverage into brick and mortar commercial enterprises. This accumulated experience was instrumental in our introduction to the medical community, our certification in HIPAA, and our success with electronic medical records system implementations.

When someone works with Portable CIO they benefit from the accumulated expertise of an entire IT department, not just the opinions of a single technician. As we are a managed service provider (MSP), our MSP clients pay a fraction of the amount it would cost to hire and maintain all the techni-

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and on the death of Bob: 1) Judy’s $1 million house. Joint tenancy carries with it the “right of survivorship” (RoS), which trumps a Will. This means that at the death of one joint tenant, title vests fully in the name of the surviving joint tenant. Since Judy added Bob as a joint tenant she took out a home equity line, the RoS feature results in Bob automatically becoming the sole legal owner of the house on Judy’s death. Even though John and Jane are in Judy’s Will to receive all of her assets, they receive no interest whatsoever in their mother’s house.

2) Judy’s $200,000 bank account. Judy didn’t understand that adding John as a signer meant that he would be the legal co-owner of this account.

She also didn’t know that she could have instead established a Power of Attorney to give him access to the account if she became incapacitated. Even though Judy’s Will provides that John and Jane are to share equally in all of Judy’s assets, the joint account acts the same as a joint tenancy – on Judy’s death, John becomes the sole account owner. Though Judy wants each of her children to receive $100,000 from the account, John is entitled to all $200,000. John dislikes his sister, so when he becomes the legal owner of the account, he doesn’t feel any obligation to share half or any of it with Jane.

3) Bob’s $1 million 401K. ERISA (federal law governing 401K plans) dictates that the spouse of a 401K owner has rights to it on the death of the plan participant, regardless of what the beneficiary designation states. If Judy had signed a written waiver, formally consenting to Bob designating his kids as the beneficiaries, Bill and Betty would each receive half of Bob’s 401K on his death, as he intended and as set forth on the beneficiary designation on file with the custodian. But no such waiver is on file so Judy is automatically entitled to 50% of it.

It would not have required a large investment nor been difficult for Judy and Bob to obtain legal advice from an experienced estate planning attorney. Had they done so, they would not have made the innocent, but damaging mistakes they made.

Upon request, I’ll be happy to provide you, on a complimentary basis, any or all of the following: i) an “Estate Planning Primer”; ii) a brochure on alternative methods of holding title to property; iii) an introductory meeting.

Mr. Silverman is an attorney with R. Silverman Law Group, 1855 Olympic Blvd., Suite 125, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 705-4474; rsilverman@rsilvermanlaw.com.

This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and should not be relied upon as legal, tax and/ or business advice. Readers should obtain specific advice from their own, qualified professional advisors.

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cal staff necessary to keep their systems running. Because our team works with a wide variety of technical situations, our technicians stay sharp and current. You benefit from working with a team that has skills ranging from a CIO down to a basic technician. Whereas an internal employee working for you may become technically stale, our team is quite the opposite. Most small businesses can’t afford to employ a team of experienced IT staff, but they can afford to pay a fractional share of an experienced team to keep things running. This model presents a very good return on investment by using our team instead of adding more full or part-staff to your firm, then caring for them with benefits, training, a place to sit, etc. This model works very well.

Everyone is happy when things run smoothly. Sometimes we find folks forget how bad things were running before we took over their systems. What many people forget is that systems don’t run smoothly by accident; it takes planning and execution to keep a fleet of computers and a network running properly, safely, and reliably.

Is everything running well for your network and systems? If yes, great! It means “Keep doing what you’re doing.” It definitely does not mean, “You’re done!” because computers and networks require constant care and feeding like children. Let’s be honest, IT is an expense, but it’s an expense that can be carefully managed and minimized by experienced professionals.

Getting back to the point I was making above, when things are going well, it’s not time to take your foot off the gas. Good IT management is a process, it’s not an event. When things are going well, it means you’re doing the right things, and you should keep up the momentum by continuing to do what you’re already doing. We pride ourselves on setting our clients up for success. But, even with the best planning there are things that will always go awry, so we still need to maintain our position with you to ensure your systems are available and problems are minimized and handled swiftly and effectively.

Who can we best help with this branch of our business? Companies with 10-300 PC or Mac computers as well as servers to manage, and who are looking for an upgrade, a fresh look, or a different approach to their IT situation, or folks who have large homes with big wireless network requirements and need to tie it all together.

Can we help you in your situation? We’ll never know until you call our helpdesk at 925-552-7953 or email us at info@theportablecio.com. We’re happy to discuss your situation and recommend a thoughtful course of action. Advertorial

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com

Variable Annuities

Danville Today News ~ August 2015 - Page 19

Another Retirement Savings Tool Presented by Christopher T. McClure

In conjunction with Lincoln Financial Advisors or Sagemark Consulting, a division of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation, a registered investment advisor

From time to time, we all take stock in our lives and resolve to make positive changes going forward. However, this personal evaluation doesn’t always include a hard look at our own retirement strategy. No matter how you envision your retirement years, one thing is certain – you’ll want to make sure that you have adequate savings and investments to enjoy your future.

Until recently, retirement planning experts estimated that approximately 60-75% of pre-retirement income was needed in order to retire comfortably.

That percentage, however, assumed that your lifestyle would stay the same after you retired. If your retirement plans include travel and recreation, you may actually spend more money in these years than while you were working. How can you make sure your savings and investments will be sufficient to cover your retirement plans?

Saving For Your Retirement Years

When it comes to retirement savings, the most common advice is also the simplest – start saving early, save as often as you can and take advantage of as many investing opportunities as you can. In the past, Social Security formed the cornerstone of most retirement plans. Today, many people plan to supplement their Social Security income by participating in employer sponsored retirement plans, such as 401(k)s and Simple IRAs, or by investing in traditional IRA or Roth IRA accounts. But what can you do once you’ve contributed the maximum amounts possible to these plans? You may want to consider the tax-deferred advantages of a variable annuity.

The Tax-Deferred Advantage of Variable Annuities

A variable annuity is a long-term investment vehicle designed for retirement purposes. In essence, a variable annuity is a contractual agreement in which payment(s) is/are made to an insurance company, which agrees to pay out an income or lump sum amount at a later date. There are contract limitations, fees and charges associated with variable annuities, which include, but are not limited to, mortality and expense risk charges, sales charges, administrative fees, and charges for optional benefits. Withdrawals reduce annuity contract benefits and values.

A variable annuity allows the owner to allocate contributions to several investment sub-accounts. Your contributions to an annuity contract are not tax deductible, but the earnings on your investment accumulate tax deferred until you withdraw your money. This means your investment has the potential to grow faster than with taxable investments earning the same rate of return. The benefit of tax-deferred compounding is just one of the features that make variable annuities an attractive retirement planning tool for many investors. Others include: • No contribution limits, • Ability to transfer money between investment options in the annuity without paying capital gains taxes, • A variety of withdrawal options, including, in many cases, guaranteed payments for as long as you live.

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Is a Variable Annuity Right for your Retirement Portfolio?

Your financial advisor can explain how variable annuities work and help you decide if you could benefit by investing in one. In general, you should consider a variable annuity if: • You are contributing the maximum amount to your company 401(k) and personal IRA plans, • You have money to invest that you will not need until after age 59 ½. Earnings withdrawals made prior to age 59 ½ are subject to ordinary income taxes and may be subject to a 10% premature withdrawal penalty. You should leave the money in the account for at least 15 years before starting to take withdrawals. This allows enough time for the benefits of tax-deferred accumulation to outweigh the additional expenses associated with an annuity. Also, time can help smooth out the impact of volatility, since a variable annuity’s value will fluctuate with market conditions. Note, when redeemed, a variable annuity may be worth more or less than the amount originally invested.

Variable annuities are offered by prospectus. An investor should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of a variable annuity and the underlying fund options before investing. A variable annuity prospectus has more complete information on the charges, expenses and risks and the investment objectives of the sub-accounts. Read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money. For further information to help you decide if a variable annuity will help your retirement plans, you should consult a financial advisor. Guarantees are based on the claims paying ability of the issuer.

Please contact Chris McClure to schedule a complimentary review of your financial situation. Call (925)659-0213 or email Chris.McClure@lfg.com.

Christopher T. McClure is a registered representative and investment advisor representative of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a broker dealer (member SIPC) and registered investment advisor, 3000 Executive Parkway, Suite 400, San Ramon, CA, offering insurance through Lincoln Marketing and Insurance Agency, LLC and Lincoln Associates Insurance Agency, Inc. and other fine companies. This information should not be construed as legal or tax advice. You may want to consult a tax advisor regarding this information as it relates to your personal circumstances. The content of this material was provided to you by Lincoln Financial Advisors for its representatives and their clients. CRN895251-040314

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Page 20 - August 2015 ~ Danville Today News

The Eye Opener

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By Gregory Kraskowsky, O.D., Alamo Optometry The Optic Nerve and Glaucoma

The clinical signs of glaucoma are something that is evaluated at every comprehensive eye exam. Since the diagnosis of glaucoma is not necessarily an easy one to make, there are several things that need to be tested. I will discuss the etiology of the disease and then what we can do to diagnose and treat this disease.

First of all, let’s talk about the definition of glaucoma.

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that slowly kills your optic nerve and is a leading cause of blindness in the world. The typical age of onset is the late 60’s and later. Glaucoma affects about 4% of the population, however the actual number of people affected is higher because many cases are not diagnosed. The exact cause of glaucoma is not known at this time, but in the course of the disease, the optic nerve slowly dies. Therefore, the end-stage result of glaucoma is blindness, since the optic nerve is the wiring connection between your retina and brain.

Glaucoma usually develops when the pressure in the eye becomes elevated. This can usually happen when too much fluid is produced, the drainage channels in the eye do not drain the fluid properly, or a combination of both. However, a patient does not have to have high pressures to have glaucoma. The eye pressure is one of the pieces of the glaucoma puzzle; but simply saying that patients that have high pressures have glaucoma and those that have normal pressures do not have glaucoma is false. Unfortunately, the exact mechanism that causes optic nerve death still eludes us.

One of the big problems with glaucoma is that it is a “silent” killer. Symptoms don’t bring you into the optometry office. Glaucoma does not give you a headache, blur your vision, make your eye red, etc. I tell my patients that when you can start to appreciate some peripheral vision loss, you are already about 75% of the way to full progression of the disease. Therefore, annual exams are extremely important for early detection because we can only stretch out the course of the disease, not cure it.

To help find patients in the early course of the disease, three clinical tests are done at the annual examination. First is the peripheral vision screening. In addition to potentially finding many ocular diseases, it can be one of the first clinical findings of glaucoma. A screening test is done on every patient, and if there are suspicious findings, then a more thorough test is done. Next, the eye pressure is taken. This is done mainly in two ways -- via the “air puff” or using the yellow drop and the blue light. Both methods yield similar results for most of the population; however, since the blue light method is the standard of care, that is what we use in our office. The third evaluation is of the optic nerve. Since glaucoma directly attacks the optic nerve, careful consideration is taken in evaluating and monitoring any changes that are noted. If any of these are cause for concern, then a referral to a glaucoma specialist is ordered.

The difficulty with glaucoma is that the diagnosis is usually not definitive. Most patients I see are initially labeled as “glaucoma suspects,” pending further tests.

When the diagnosis is not evident, we try to elicit some personal and family history that can help sway the verdict one way or the other. Information such as age, ethnicity, a family history of glaucoma, personal history of diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease can be instrumental in assessing a patient’s likelihood of needing treatment.

Glaucoma is a disease that is difficult to diagnose and to treat because of the long-term care needed for the patient. I would much rather refer a patient to a specialist for an evaluation to determine that everything is fine, versus waiting several years to do so with the result of having irreparable damage done.

Dr. K. at Alamo Optometry is your hometown eye doctor for outstanding service, vision care, and designer eyewear. He can be reached at 820-6622 or visit his office at 3201 Danville Blvd., Suite 165 in Alamo. Visit our website at www.alamooptometry.com, and join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @Alamo Optometry. Advertorial

A Common Urologic Condition - Blood in Urine

By Dr. Jeremy Lieb, Pacific Urology

Is there blood in your urine? Blood in urine, known medically as hematuria, is a symptom that is often painless and can come and go. Because of this, many individuals delay making a doctors appointment. However, this symptom should be taken seriously as it may be a red flag that something is wrong in your urinary tract.

Hematuria is most often caused by kidney stones, bladder infections, or prostate problems. Symptoms often associated with kidney stones or bladder infections usually include a burning sensation when urinating and pain in the back, sides, lower abdomen or groin. Serious urinary tract infections usually cause pain, but sometimes patients do not have any discomfort and may only experience fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, or rash.

Enlarged prostate or chronic prostate infections usually have symptoms such as loss of urine control, difficulty passing urine, or frequent urination.

Some medications and foods can change the color of urine to pink, red, maroon, or even a dark smoky color. Rifampin, pyridium, phenolphthalein, some laxatives, and vitamins B and C can make urine red or orange. Beets, rhubarb, blackberries, and large amounts of red food coloring can turn urine red also.

Prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and kidney cancer are less common rea-

sons for blood in urine. Symptoms that typically accompany these conditions include unintentional weight loss, severe bone pain, and unusual fatigue. If kidney disease is the reason for blood in urine, the associated symptoms can include ankle, hand, or face swelling, sudden bloating or weight gain, new high blood pressure readings, and unusual headaches.

If you notice blood in your urine and you are not eating or taking medications that can change the color of urine, make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. It is important for you to have a medical evaluation that will determine the reason for hematuria so that treatment can begin.

Dr. Lieb is a Board Certified Urologist with Pacific Urology. He has extensive experience in treating all urologic conditions. Dr. Lieb has a special interest in treating pediatric urology, female urology and cancers of the prostate, bladder, and kidney. Pacific Urology has offices in Walnut Creek, Concord, San Ramon Brentwood, Livermore, Fremont, and Antioch.

925-937-7740 or visit www.PacificUrology.com.

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Call us at 925.405.6397 or email us at Editor@YourMonthlyPaper.com.

editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Melasma By Dr. Jerome Potozkin

Eight weeks ago I saw a distraught young woman who complained of dark pigment on her forehead, cheeks, and upper lip. She had noticed this problem six months ago after she started on the birth control pill. She initially sought treatment at a medspa where there was no physician supervision. She didn’t really know what the qualifications of the person she saw were but the person looked “official” as she had on a white coat. The person recommended that she receive treatment with a light based device known as Intense Pulsed Light (IPL). The pigment actually got worse after the treatment. This young lady shared her story with a friend who happened to be one of my patients and she was referred to me for evaluation.

The individual had a classic presentation of a skin condition known as Melasma.

Melasma translates to the “mask of pregnancy” as it is most commonly seen in women who are pregnant or are on birth control pills. What is happening is that the pigment producing cell known as the melanocyte is “working overtime” producing extra pigment. This is a dynamic process. It is different from brown spots that can be erased with laser or IPL. However, effective treatment exists. Some patients can be treated effectively while staying on the birth control pill, while others will need to discontinue the pill if they wish to see the pigment improve.

Melasma is rarely seen in men.

The cornerstone of treatment for Melasma is sun avoidance and topical skin lightening agents. I recommend using a broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30-50. As the sunscreen doesn’t completely block out the sun I also recommend wearing a wide brimmed hat to keep the sun off your face. Prescription creams containing hydroquinone are the most effective treatment for Melasma. Some people will benefit from superficial chemical peeling to help turn over the pigment.

Unfortunately, there is no laser or light based device that has been show to work reliably and consistently for all people. It is a little bit of a hit or miss game.

The individual mentioned above was initially treated by someone who really didn’t know what she was treating and never recommended any of the topical prescription creams that tend to work better than laser and light based devices. The creams are also far less costly than laser and light treatments. It is important that you know the qualification of the person treating you. Medspas with no physician supervision are settings that can be high risk for complications with laser and light based devices as well as for patients receiving injectable fillers.

Last week our previously distraught patient came back. This time she had a big smile on her face. She had been using a prescription cream that combines hydroquinone with tretinoin. She saw an 80% improvement and no longer felt that she had to apply heavy make up in order to go out socially. She will likely see continued improvement however, she will need to continue to be careful about sun exposure as one day out in the sun without protection could set her back. Continued use of sunscreen and sun avoidance will be critical to continued success. Some people have stubborn Melasma that doesn’t respond as quickly.

For those people we might try other topical agents, chemical peels, and possibly perform a test spot to see if there is any response to laser. If you or someone you know suffers from Melasma we would be happy to help them.

Dr. Potozkin is a board certified dermatologist who has been serving the local community since 1993. His fully accredited dermatological and laser facility is located at 600 San Ramon Valley Blvd, Suite 102 in Danville. He is accepting new patients. Please call (925) 838-4900 or visit Potozkin.com for more information. Advertorial

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Danville Today News ~ August 2015 - Page 21

New Hope for Glioblastoma Patients

By Christine Chung, MD

A couple of years ago I had a patient who was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain tumor. She was only 53 years old, and went through a full course of treatment to fight the cancer: surgery, radiation, and temozolomide chemotherapy. For nearly the first year after her treatment she did well, but then the tumor came back. Normally patients with recurrent glioblastoma receive chemotherapy, but she called me to ask if there were any other treatment options that she should consider.

Over 10,000 people in the US are diagnosed with glioblastoma every year.

The median survival for glioblastoma patients is 15 months, even with standard therapy. Many patients have a recurrence and are then confronted with similar options: more surgery, more radiation, and/or different chemotherapy. I was particularly interested in helping my patient quickly because people with recurrent glioblastoma have a poor prognosis, with a median survival of less than a year.

While it’s not a silver bullet, there is an interesting new treatment available for patients with recurrent glioblastoma called “Optune.” It does not involve surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, and instead relies on generating low-intensity electrical fields in the brain called Tumor Treating Fields (called TTF). The TTFs seem to disrupt the ability of the cancer cells to divide so that the tumor cannot grow. Patients getting TTF have to shave their hair and place electrical transducers (similar to EKG pads) on their scalp for at least 18 hours a day. These transducers are hooked up to a device that generates the electrical fields. This is a tradeoff – while patients can avoid some of the side effects of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, they have to be willing to wear an apparatus on their head and carry around a six pound device.

The FDA approved Optune in 2011 for patients with recurrent glioblastoma based on a study that showed comparable survival between patients treated with chemotherapy versus TTF. Patients in the TTF group reported fewer side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. The most common side effect was skin irritation on the scalp due to the transducer pads. Then last month, researchers presented an analysis of 700 newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients who were either assigned to one of two groups: (1) those who received TTF and temozolomide or (2) temozolomide alone. Patients treated with TTF had an improved median survival of 19.4 months, compared with 16.6 months for patients treated with temozolomide alone. The FDA is currently reviewing the data, but Optune may become a treatment for newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients in the future.

Optune shows promise as an alternative to conventional treatments, or as a potential supplement to them. It has different side effects that many patients may find more manageable, and may help to extend patients’ lives in the future.

Christine Chung, MD is a board certified Radiation Oncologist with Diablo Valley Oncology & Hematology Medical Group and practices in Pleasant Hill and Berkeley. Dr. Chung and her colleagues are certified providers of the Optune treatment therapy. For more information, please Advertorial call 925-677-5041 or visit www.dvohmg.com.

NNO continued from front page

dog walkers across the nation and in every community these people are out in the community at all times of the day, all days of the week, in all weather conditions.

Many walkers are often preoccupied with texting, emailing, and listening to music during their neighborhood walks.” Dog Walker Watch aims to train these individuals to effectively observe and report criminal activity. “The goal of the new training program,” Peskin says “is to teach people to serve as the ‘eyes and ears’ of local law enforcement.” The Dog Walker Watch program offers an hour long training class and teaches those who know the neighborhood best to become more aware and less hesitant to report suspicious activity.

Nextdoor, one of the sponsors of the NNO, is a free and private social network for neighborhoods that connects neighbors with neighbors. Nextdoor can be used to recruit new NNO volunteers and increase NNO attendance by promoting the event on the Nextdoor Events calendar. Their website is www.nextdoor.com/nnn.

The website for NNO is www.nationalnightout.org and their phone number is 800-NITE-OUT (800-648-3688). If you plan on organizing an event for next year it is best to contact the Danville Police Crime Prevention Specialist at 925-3143707 and order your starter kit in April or May, 2016.

To learn more about the new Dog Walker Watch program visit NATW.org/dog.

Page 22 - August 2015 ~ Danville Today News

Breast Cancer, Reconstructing Female Form

By Barbara Persons, MD, Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc.

After the initial shock of diagnosis, a woman recently diagnosed with breast cancer is understandably overcome with disbelief and fear. Suddenly, she is faced with the question of how to preserve the essence of herself as a female and at the same time treat her cancer.

Thankfully, advances in breast cancer treatments can often remove the cancer while preserving her shape. One option is reconstructive breast surgery, which can help maintain both personal and feminine identity, In many cases, breast reconstruction can be performed in conjunction with a mastectomy. Breast reconstruction rather than mastectomy alone can drastically improve a patient’s emotional and mental recovery. Many national studies support immediate reconstruction (done at the same time as the mastectomy) to preserve our sense of ourselves as women. Women who opt for immediate reconstruction can keep their physical form closer to what it was, never wake up without any breast form, and can feel more whole during their recovery. The challenges of possible chemotherapy or radiation are less daunting with breasts more intact. Based on the size and spread of the cancer, and patient’s intended therapy, a patient’s reconstructive surgery options vary widely.

Many women can have a lumpectomy alone or a lumpectomy with radiation and be essentially cured of breast cancer. For others, the best treatment and chance of remission is with bilateral mastectomies, removal of the breasts and reconstruction with implants or with tissue flaps. The breast cancer team can help you decide what is best for you. This usually means seeing a general surgeon, who frequently performs breast surgery. This surgeon will refer you to the other doctors as required to treat your cancer. These include the oncologist, the radiation oncologist, the genetic counsellor, the radiologist, and the plastic surgeon. The entire reconstructive process, if a mastectomy is needed, generally takes three to twelve months and three surgeries - one major and two minor procedures for implant placement and nipple reconstruction.

Your Personal Nutritionist Why am I not Losing Weight?

By Linda Michaelis RD, MS

One of my favorite challenges is seeing a client who is apparently doing the right things - tracking calories, exercising, and eating better – yet still not losing weight.

When a new client calls me and says they are doing all the right things to lose weight and not making progress, a list of possible scenarios runs through my head.

You are eating back all of the calories you burn.

When you work out, you are burning extra calories. That is why exercise is so important in the weight-loss equation. However, a lot of people overestimate how much they burn -- and even use the “I exercised today” excuse to later overeat and drink. How many times have you faced a food temptation and thought, “Well, I worked out today, so it’s OK to splurge and eat something this time” or “I’ll have this now, but work out extra hard tomorrow.” If that sounds all-too-familiar, this is one major reason why you’re not losing weight. We overestimate how many calories we actually burn and underestimate how many calories we’re actually eating.

You’re relying on exercise alone to do the trick.

Yes, exercising can help you lose weight because it helps you create that calorie deficit needed to lose weight. The real truth is exercise alone will not help you lose weight. It takes a lot of time and effort to burn even a few calories. For many people a full hour of intense exercise may only burn 400-500 calories. On the flip side, it’s easy to eat hundreds or thousands of calories in even a few minutes, and it would take hours of exercise to offset those calories. If you are not changing your diet and reducing your calorie intake, exercise alone probably won’t help you lose weight.

You are not eating as healthy as you think.

Most people think they eat pretty well. However, the vast majority of people need to improve their diet. Often I see that those who exercise skimp on eating during the day after they exercise and eat heavier at night. It should be the

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If you do not need removal of the entire breast (mastectomy), lumpectomy, with or without radiation, may be used to treat your breast cancer. For larger lumpectomies, oncoplastic techniques are both therapeutic and breast-preserving.

These techniques involve removal of the lump followed by local tissue rearrangement to fill the defect.

For patients requiring mastectomy, it is the current standard of care to offer immediate initial reconstruction. This first stage reconstruction commonly involves placement of a special kind of breast implant, called a tissue expander, that can be expanded over time to create the look of a breast immediately following the breast removal. Unlike the final implant, this must be initially small in volume to protect the breast skin as it heals after the mastectomy. It can be expanded over a few months to the desired volume and changed out for a silicone gel implant in a minor surgery. If the nipple had to be removed, nipple reconstruction is the final stage of reconstruction, and this is performed as an outpatient surgery.

In certain circumstances, the use of an implant is not ideal. In these cases, a flap reconstruction offers an effective and aesthetically acceptable alternative.

Flaps utilize extra folds of muscle, muscle and skin, or fat and skin to create breast tissue post-therapeutic surgery. With this technique the breast can be created using a patient’s own tissue and with or without an implant. The lower abdominal wall, the back, the buttocks, and the hips are all viable donor sites for breast reconstruction.

I work with a team of local doctors and surgeons in treating breast cancer. Your general surgeon will remove the involved breast tissue. If they feel that you need a mastectomy or that removal of the breast cancer will leave a defect, they will refer you to a plastic surgeon. This may lead you to see me. I see many breast cancer patients each week and maintain a steadfast commitment to my patients physical and mental wellbeing before, during, and after surgery. My staff and I recognize that finding and picking your team of surgeons is an important step in your recovery process.

Barbara L. Persons, MD is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and owns Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc. located at 911 Moraga Rd, Suite 205 in Lafayette. She may be reached at 925.283.4012 or Advertorial drbarb@personsplasticsurgery.com. other way around. After you exercise your metabolism is sped up and calories are burned off at three times the rate compared to many hours later. We tend to eat late night meals because of our schedules which also can prevent weight loss. We enjoy our alcohol but those drinks consist of hundreds of calories.

Common diet pitfalls include eating items we learn include “healthy fats” such as cheese, nuts, olives, and avocados. The issue is we eat too much of them.

You are doing the wrong kinds of exercise.

There is a lot of confusion surrounding exercise. One day you hear that strength training is the best way to lose weight. The next day you’re told to focus on cardio. Many of my clients focus only on walking. I tell them they must step it up and do interval training that will shock the metabolism. Cardio is the key for weight loss and strength training is the key to not turning soft and keeping your muscles looking toned and feeling strong.

You are not being consistent enough.

When you’re struggling to lose those final 5-10 pounds or trying to overcome a plateau, consistent efforts are more important. If you try to eat “perfectly” and exercise “religiously” for a whole week, only to step on the scale that weekend to see that you haven’t lost an ounce, you think, “what is the point?” Often this is when individuals go on an all-out eating feast and skip the gym for a couple days. They then call me and say its an emergency.

It is my job to teach you how to enjoy your favorite things and lose the weight you want. You need a plan that includes your favorite foods and does not make you feel deprived, while receiving frequent advice and feedback.

Many studies say that eight weeks of counselling produce the best weight loss results. My eight week Royal Treatment Program is my most popular plan for successful weight loss. It includes a visit a week as well as coaching you by text, phone, or email and a visit to the supermarket of your choice.

Call me and I will tell you about the program and how it can work for you.

I am glad to inform you that most insurance companies such as Aetna, ABMG, Health Net, Hill, and Sutter Health cover nutritional counseling.

Please feel free to call me at (925) 855-0150 about your nutritional concerns or email me at Lifeweight1@gmail.com. Check out my website at wwwLindaRD.com for nutrition tips and past articles in my blog section. Advertorial

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Chiropractic Advice for Moms-to-Be

By Melissa Ko, DC, Sycamore Valley Chiropractic

As many new mothers can relate, the physical strains of pregnancy are very real and can be more than just a nuisance. The average weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds, combined with the increased stress placed on the body by the baby, may result in severe discomfort. Studies have found that about half of all expectant mothers develop low-back pain at some point during their pregnancies. This is especially true during late pregnancy when the baby’s head puts weight on the mother’s low back and pelvis, irritating muscles and nerves.

During pregnancy, a woman’s center of gravity shifts forward to the front of her pelvis. Although a woman’s sacrum, the posterior section of the pelvis, has enough depth to enable her to carry a baby, the displaced weight still increases the stress on these joints. As the baby grows, the woman’s weight shifts even farther forward. The curvature of her lower back is increased, placing extra stress on the spinal discs and muscles.

With these dramatic anatomical changes, pregnancy hormones help to relax the pelvic ligaments, loosening the joints for more movement. These natural changes are critical to accommodate a growing baby and for ease of childbirth; however, loose joints also cause postural imbalances and misalignments.

To prevent some of the aches and pains associated with pregnancy, the American Chiropractic Association recommends: 1. Exercise - Exercise during pregnancy help strengthen your muscles and prevent discomfort. Try exercising at least three times a week, gently stretching before and after. If you weren’t active before your pregnancy, check with your doctor before starting or continuing any exercise program.

Your heart rate should not exceed 140 beats per minute during exercise.

Strenuous activity should last no more than 15 minutes at a time. Stop your exercise immediately if you notice any unusual symptoms such as vaginal bleeding, dizziness, nausea, weakness, blurred vision, increased swelling, or heart palpitations.

Danville Today News ~ August 2015 - Page 23

Incorrect Correct 2. Chiropractic Care - Your Doctor of ChiroUpright Upright practic can detect imbalances in the pelvis, spine Posture Posture or body that contribute to pregnancy discomfort or possible problems after childbirth.

Many pregnant women have found that chiropractic adjustments provide relief from the low-back pain brought on by pregnancy. Chiropractic care is very safe for the pregnant woman and her baby, especially for those who are trying to avoid potentially harmful pain medications. The doctors at our office also offer nutrition, ergonomic, and exercise advice to help a woman enjoy a healthy pregnancy.

Chiropractic care can also help after childbirth.

In the eight weeks following labor and delivery, the loose ligaments during pregnancy begin to tighten. Ideally, joint problems brought on during pregnancy from improper lifting or reaching should be treated before the ligaments return to their pre-pregnancy state to prevent further muscle tension.

3. Pregnancy Ergonomics - Sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees to take pressure off your lower back. Lying on your left side allows unobstructed blood flow and helps your kidneys flush waste from your body. If you have to sit at a computer for long hours, make your workstation ergonomically correct (discuss safe pregnancy ergonomics with your Doctor of Chiropractic- they differ from ergonomics for non-pregnant individuals).

Take periodic breaks every 30 minutes with a quick walk around the office.

If you know anyone who is, or planning on becoming, pregnant please share this article with them so they can have the healthiest pregnancy for themselves and their future child!

Sycamore Valley Chiropractic is located at 565 Sycamore Valley Rd. West in Danville.

Please visit www.sycamorevalleychiropractic. com or call 925-837-5595 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Advertorial

Page 24 - August 2015 ~ Danville Today News

The Combs Team Professionals You Can Count On

Nancy

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Joe

Call the Combs Team

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Danville Rents as reDanville Jan 1-June 30, 2015 ported on the MLS service 2014 2015 % Change are advancing in lock- Homes Price $ 1,147,473 $ 1,213,240 6% step with the rest of the $/Sq. Ft. $ 431.08 $ 459.00 6.4% market. The average rent paid in 2014 was $3,563 $ 578,304 $ 491,292 -15% per month. In 2015 the Condo Price $/Sq. Ft. $ 393.37 $ 416.00 5.70% average has increased about 7.5% to $3,831 per month. The dollars paid Land Price $ 831,500 $ 963,333 1.58% per square feet held firm $/Sq. Ft. $ 11.36 $ 27.76 144% year-over-year at $1.83.

Unit volume declined a Rents Price $ 3,563 $ 3,831 7.55% bit from the low 50s to the $/Sq. Ft. $ 1.83 $ 1.83 0.00% middle 30s suggesting that this market may be reaching a top.

The data for the first six months of the year is compelling. The Danville Real Estate Market continues to be strong and there appears to be nothing on the horizon to push it back down. A flood of available inventory might slow it a bit, but where would it come from? Until, a yet to be identified market force comes into play, we can probably expect more of the same.

Nancy and I have more than 3,000 email subscribers who receive this article in advance of publication. You can add yourself to the list by sending me an email or signing up for it on our website www.thecombsteam.com. I assure you no spam will follow.

Trying to figure out your next move? Need numbers and answers to make your decisions? Nancy and I will be happy to provide you with a personal consultation to help you figure it out. No charge and no pressure, just our honest opinions.

Please call 925-989-6086 or send me an email at joecombs@thecombsteam.com.

Danville Real Estate: Market Continues to be Strong in 2015

At the six month point we have enough market data to consider the Danville Real Estate Market in its constituent parts. So, this month we will perform a simple review of Single Family Homes, Condos, Land, and Rents to see what is happening in the overall market. A quick glance at the included chart will show you what you need to know. The market is strong again this year.

Single Family Homes, the majority of the Danville Real Estate Market, have advanced 6% year-over-year in the first six months of 2015. Average price moved from $1,147,473 to $1,213,240, while dollars-paid-per-square-foot advanced a little bit more at 6.4%. Interesting to note is 13 more homes sold so far in 2015 than in 2014. That represents a 4.5% increase in unit sales. In the first half of 2014, Danville saw seven distressed property sales. In 2014 that number dropped to five and likely has had a slight positive price impact. Low interest rates, relatively low inventory, and pent-up demand in combination are the most likely reasons why prices are advancing strongly.

Townhome and Condo sales were an unimpressive 14 units so far in 2015.

The average condo/townhome is 15% less expensive in 2015 than it was in 2014.

Dollars-per-square-foot increased 5.7% from about $393 to $416. Danville is a very desirable place to live and as the early wave of retiring Baby Boomers enter retirement and begin the process of downsizing, we should expect condo prices to remain firm, if not continue to advance.

Land is always the last recovery point in a real estate turnaround. During the first six months of 2014 five Danville parcels sold. So far this year, three parcels have sold. The average purchase price for the land has advanced from $831,500 in 2014 to $963,333 in 2015. This represents an average increase of 1.58 % in average price, although dollars-paid-per-square-foot are up by a much more impressive 144%. Undeveloped parcels tend to be difficult to compare. What is most positive compared to last year is the average purchase price and the dollars-paid-per-squarefoot. Both these numbers are positive indicators of a market recovery for land.

Danville 4 Bedroom

Alamo New Construction Views!

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Nicely updated 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath in lovely Danville neighborhood. Community pool and tennis courts. Priced to sell $899,000.

Views of Mt. Diablo from nearly every room. 5 bedrooms, spacious open and bright, estate vineyard, pool and pool house. Priced to sell $4,125,000.

Executive Luxury Home

Alamo, Whitegate Single Story

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Mt. Diablo views from this casually elegant & completely luxurious Braddock Logan model home. 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath. Priced to sell $1,899,000

Alamo Single Story Ranch

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Stunning Mediterranean single story on nearly an acre. 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 2,946 square feet.

Price to sell $1,435,000.

Data presented in this column is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Contra Costa and Alameda MLS service and other quoted sources.

Joe Combs, Nancy Combs, The Combs Team, J. Rockcliff and the MLS service do not guarantee the accuracy of this information. DRE #0144125.

4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home on flat half acre.

Updated and ready to go. Priced to sell $1,275,000.

J. Rockcliff Realtors 15 Railroad Ave., Danville CA. 94526

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Danville Today News ~ August 2015 - Page 27

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