MONTCLARION: April 8, 2011
Spring is busting out all over. Wildflowers are peaking out behind bushes and tall blades of grass, and calves are romping on the hillsides — albeit never more than a few steps from Mama.
Speaking of cattle, a good place to commune with cows is Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve just off Skyline Boulevard. Beef steaks on parade (as my dad calls them) are all over the hills once you go through the gate and walk several hundred yards to your left. Continue reading
OAKLAND TRIBUNE: April 8, 2011
Joe Salamack walks the halls of his high school like a father escorting his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. He’s proud of what he’s accomplished — yet the feeling of letting go is laced with sadness.
After six years of service, the popular principal of Bishop O’Dowd is moving back to New York, and the whole thing seems surreal. “I feel like a ghost,” he admits. Continue reading
ALAMEDA MAGAZINE: April/May 2011
Who: Lynne Orloff-Jones, freelance cooking instructor and food demos, Alameda
What: She’s an author of two cookbooks and created her own food and wine demonstration business. She’s also a three-time breast cancer survivor whose unsinkable spirit and self-deprecating humor make her an inspiration to others.
Continue reading
MONTCLARION: April 1, 2011
It’s been more than a decade since I started this column. My children were young, and I was still using Oil of Olay. Now I’m looking at collagen and college. Time flies.
Bottom line is — I’m taking a break. The Town Crier has been shouting from the rooftops long enough.
I know what you’re thinking — and it’s not you, it’s me. You’ve been great. In fact, I’ve been getting fat off the nuggets of news you’ve been feeding me. But it’s time to go back to my roots as a hard-news journalist. I can’t, in good conscience, keep turning out fluff when there’s serious news to be covered.
So join me, won’t you, in one last blast of powder puff fare. It’s been a great ride. Continue reading
Ed Abramson at home with his new book
HILLS NEWSPAPERS: April 1, 2011
Ed Abramson isn’t your everyday diet guru.
Yes, he writes books and gives lectures, talks and advice. But this Montclair psychologist is a regular guy — part couch potato, part gym rat. In fact, sometimes he even has a doughnut after Sunday morning walks with the guys.
What’s his secret to staying healthy? First of all, dump the diet. Continue reading
CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM: April 1, 2011
Showing affection on the dance floor isn’t really my style. I’ve seen couples sway in an ardent embrace as their feet move in sync to the beat. That’s not me. It hasn’t been me for a long time.
But on a dark coastal night when the surf seemed to surge through my veins, I have to admit I got amorous. Bodies bumping, arms akimbo, my husband and I danced like the ship was going down — in a bar on the coast of Pacifica. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: March 25, 2011
When life gives you water – find waterfalls. This week’s wet weather is spawning some of the most beautiful waterfalls in recent memory – and they’re splashing down in a park near you.
One of my favorite waterfall hikes is the six-mile Falls Trail up the back side of Mt. Diablo. It starts along a scenic stretch of Donner Creek (off Marsh Creek Rd. in Clayton) and ascends into the foothills on switchback trails that offer soul-stirring views of four waterfalls. Kids love this hike because you cross the creek in several places, either by puddle-jumping on rocks or balancing on logs. Be sure to wear good, waterproof hiking boots and plan for a rigorous five to six hour hike, with stops. Continue reading
HILLS NEWSPAPERS: March 25, 2011
You can learn a lot about trust on a rugby field. It may sound simplistic but it’s the foundation that forged Spencer Elrod Services, a new private investigation partnership in the hills.
Mike Spencer and Jeremy Elrod first met as teammates for the Walnut Creek Gaels in 2000. Elrod had just graduated from Piedmont High and Spencer was a private investigator — a field he got into after leaving the newspaper business for a job as a workers’ compensation investigator in 1994. It didn’t take much time for the two men to recognize that they had each others’ backs. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: March 18, 2011
My street is a dog walker’s dream. With wide lanes flanked by convenient bushes and brush, you see pooches parading with humans from dawn’s early light to the dead of night. I know most of the dogs by name. Pheiffer is my favorite — a fluffy-haired golden retriever who is always excited to see me. I swear that dog smiles when he’s happy — like a kid in an Apple Store with a $500 bill. But I do understand how dogs can make some people nervous — and the e-mails I’ve gotten on the subject punctuate my point. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: March 11, 2011
Rebecca Faiola wants to take a bite out of crime — canine crime. As a mother, musician and neighborhood activist, she’s pushing for tougher laws for dangerous dogs in the wake of a fatal pit bull attack on a pet in her neighborhood.
“We are committed to seeing this through,” says Faiola, “and helping to make all of our neighborhoods safe.” Faiola and others have been meeting with Councilwoman Jane Brunner and Animal Control Director Megan Webb to draft new legislation for Oakland. She says the “law” will be ready soon and they’ll come to dog owners for support. Continue reading
