MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – February 13 2009
HEADY THOUGHTS TAKE MUCH of the Town Crier’s time, these days. I’ve been thinking about my legacy. What will I leave behind when I go to the great beyond? Sure, my body of work in the field of journalism is unparalleled, but beyond that – how will I be remembered? Continue reading
CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM February 13, 2009
TRAVELING IS GOOD for the soul, albeit not so good for the wallet. But with a 
little imagination, you can visit some far off places sans your suitcase and credit cards.
Here are my fave five East Bay getaways:
1. Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve. It’s Ireland without the pubs. The undulating terrain formed by ever-shifting tectonic plates reminds me of the hills south of Dublin in County Wicklow. And while Sibley’s prominent feature is Round Top, the 10 million-year-old volcano, I’m more smitten with the bovine. Continue reading
MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – February 6, 2009
HERE IN THE HILLS, we do things differently. While the rest of the country counts on the groundhog to predict the 
arrival of spring, we look to the lady bug. Indeed, the gals have already gathered at their annual convention site in Redwood Park Girls Camp. One has to wonder if they pick this place to be gender specific, or for its dew-kissed, aphid rich soil. There’s also the matter of privacy, as the lady bugs are mating here and being ladies would prefer that the whole world weren’t watching. To this end, I would recommend that the Girls Camp trail be closed during lady bug mating season. The East Bay Regional Park District does this for newts in Tilden Park and newts aren’t nearly as cute.
CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM January 30, 2009
Ginny Prior and Steve Wozniak playing Segway polo
IN MINNEAPOLIS, a popular attraction for tourists is the Magical History Tour. It’s a clever reference to something old (the Beatles) and something new — seeing the city on Segways. (The name also reminds me of hippies flying through time on a psychedelic carpet, but that’s another story.)
I’ve been a fan of the Segway since my first encounter with the futuristic machines in Oakland’s Redwood Park. A local entrepreneur, Drew Foster, was taking folks on an off-road tour through the tall trees and the sight was —— quite frankly — something out of Twilight Zone.
Yet “humans on a stick,” as one company calls Segway riders, have the best of both worlds. They can cover more miles than a pedestrian and without the aching arches. It’s really one of the best ways I’ve found to see a city. Continue reading
MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – JANUARY 30, 2009
PARDON ME FOR feeling giddy. I’ve had an awakening, of sorts, since our last correspondence. I now realize that history is my destiny; that the secret to happiness is in knowledge — that can only be found on the History Channel.
Last week I shared with you the life-altering event that was my decision to sign up for satellite TV. Change indeed! In just one short week, I went from being a 10-channel loser to becoming an expert on the conspiracy to kill Martin Luther King, President Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald AND Hitler.
Suddenly I’m being invited to more cocktail parties than I can possibly attend. It seems everyone knows of my insatiable thirst for knowledge and my newfound ability to light up a room with my conversation. Continue reading
Who says it doesn’t snow in California? The Oakland Hills see snow every few years, as witnessed in this video from the winter of 2008/09.
MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – JANUARY 23 2009
IT’S BEEN AN HISTORIC week for my family and me. In fact, none of us ever thought we’d see the day when an event could have such an impact — on the country and the world.
Yet, it makes sense that something like this would send shockwaves across America , as it was decades in the making.
We finally signed up for cable TV.
MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – JANUARY 15 2009
IF “CHANGE” IS THE BUZZ WORD for 2009, then Montclair Village will have no trouble keeping up. Faster then the business association can print new maps, the list of shops keeps changing. Take the sudden closure of Jamba Juice, where even the sign outside was spirited away under cover of darkness. “Actually, we knew Jamba Juice was leaving,” said the head of the Montclair Business Association, Roger Vickery. “It’s how they did it which was surprising.” Continue reading
MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – JANUARY 9 2009
It’s the dead of winter. What else is there to say? There’s nothing exciting on the horizon, unless you’re a groundhog.
But perhaps we should look to the woodchuck for tips on handling post-holiday blues. Perhaps, like our furry friend, we should burrow and rest – before the pace picks up again in spring.
With this in mind, I made a reservation at the Whale Watch Inn in Gualala last weekend. A light rain was falling as I pulled up to the lodge, a forested retreat softly outlined in lights. Soothing music and a warm fire greeted me in the lobby, along with a glass of my favorite wine. Continue reading
THERE COMES A time in everyone’s life when serenity trumps the party scene. When following the crowd is no longer cool. When, as Huey Lewis put it, it’s hip to be square.
As a skier, I figured this out a few years back at Sugar Bowl. Carving my way down a popular run, a whistle stopped me dead in my tracks. Two hotshot patrollers were marking an obstacle. We’re the fashion police, one of them yelled. You’re under arrest! I blushed as it dawned on me that my hot pink ski pants might no longer be in vogue.
