Town Crier: Talkin’ Turkey in the Oakland Hills

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MONTCLARION: June 4, 2010

     There’s nothing like a good gobble to get you going. I encountered a group of wild turkeys, today, and told them just what I thought of them blocking the road. Yes – I rolled down my window and gobbled – a guttural tongue-lashing that got the birds so worked up, they flared out their fans and sounded off  in unison.

     Why do I mention this? Because the wild turkey population is way up in the hills and humans are starting to complain. Not only are the birds aggressive, they peck people’s gardens – uprooting plants as they forage for food. Continue reading →

Town Crier: Moraga Winery Toasts Latest Offering

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 MONTCLARION: May21, 2010

     The Bay Area is blessed with some of the richest wine regions in the world. Napa. Sonoma. Moraga.

     Moraga? Yes, the oldest winery in Moraga is celebrating its new releases this month. Parkmon Vineyards has several impeccable offerings, including wines made with grapes from the owners’ Moraga vineyard. Continue reading →

Happy Wanderer: Ocracoke Island off North Carolina a hidden gem

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HILLS NEWSPAPERS: MAY 14, 2010

As we head toward Memorial Day and the advent of summer, it’s not too early to plan an island vacation. And while most Californians think San Diego or Hawaii, one of America’s best beach destinations is worth a trip east.

Ocracoke Island is a vacationer’s paradise – rich in history and mystery and natural wonders. Even a scoundrel like Blackbeard knew a good thing when he saw it.

Accessible only by ferry, Ocracoke is the southernmost tip of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In the 2008 movie Nights in Rodanthe, Richard Gere rides the Ocracoke ferry – wind whipping his peppered mane as he surveys the sand dunes and sun-splashed sea. Continue reading →

Town Crier: Of flying kids in S.F., flying cars in Montclair

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MONTCLARION: MAY 14, 2010

Oh, to be young again. Watching the dazzling production of Peter Pan in San Francisco this week made me feel like a child in a backyard fort. I fought pirates and encountered Indians and did it all without nary a parent in sight.

J.M. Barrie’s story is over 100 years old, yet this version soars to new heights – literally. Through the use of the world’s first 360-degree video projection for live theater, you feel as if you are flying, yourself, with Peter and Wendy and Tinker Bell. It couldn’t have been done in a traditional theater, so a unique outdoor pavilion had to be designed with a 100 foot high ceiling packed with ten tons of high-tech equipment. Continue reading →

Town Crier: What a Mother needs

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MONTCLARION- May 7, 2010

We’re coming up on Mother’s Day – the mother of all weekends for chocolate, flowers and spa treatments. Would it be too much to ask for all three?

In my dreams, I’m floating on a bed of chocolate and rose petals, being massaged. An hour goes by, then two – and two more – and I have achieved a state of Nirvana. Suddenly, I understand the meaning of life. My skin is like that of a Goddess and I radiate goodness and light… Continue reading →

Happy Wanderer: North Carolina’s Stormy Shores bring History Alive

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It was a dark and stormy night. No, really. The rain fell in punishing waves and the wind whipped the trees like a dungeon master. There were voices, too…shrill, torturous sounds coming from the sea that was thrashing about,  just yards from my bedroom window.

My mind was racing. 400 years of history were flashing before me as I lay in my bed on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Wind and weather forged this chain of four islands – spits of land surrounded by sea and constantly shifting sands.

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Oscar-nominated Sound Man Seeks Solice of Hills

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Nelson Stoll Nelson Stoll on the set of the TV showTrauma

MONTCLARION: April 23, 2010

It makes sense that a man who works with noise for a living would also seek out solitude. Nelson Stoll is an award-winning Hollywood sound engineer who’s worked on some of the industry’s biggest films, including the Oscar-nominated Total Recall in 1990. But when he’s not capturing sound on a Hollywood set, he’s in tune with the sweet sounds of nature at his idyllic retreat in the Oakland hills.

“One thing I like about Montclair is, it’s quiet,” Stoll says. “The house I have has about a dozen trees, and there’s a small creek running through the yard. That’s pretty special.” Continue reading →

HAPPY WANDERER: Hotels that Embrace Animals

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CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM: MARCH 5, 2010

We’ve all shared elevators with strangers. In my case, however, they’ve been stranger than most.

In hotels across America, I’ve ridden the lift with some unorthodox travelers.

A pot bellied pig got off on my floor at ski hostel in Colorado.

In Memphis I rode up to my room with a badling of ducks – the famed Peabody ducks, if we’re name-dropping.

I’ve seen cats and dogs and even a goose in elevators – all as mascots or guests of hotels. Continue reading →

One Woman’s Hallmark Moment

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MONTCLARION: March 5, 2010

Peace, love and joy. Who can argue with the powerful images these three words invoke?

I must confess, I have a weakness for uplifting messages – especially if they come in a handsome hardcover book or a glossy greeting card.

So when local artist Kay Kopit’s Art & Soul collection came to my house, I was immediately drawn to the eight little affirmations that fit in the palm of my hand.

Kay has spent two years on this collection of what she calls transformations. The colorful cards feature her original paintings and words of hope in the face of despair. No stranger to the hard edge of life, Kay, herself, has fought the demons of addiction and dysfunctional relationships. Her poignant documentary I survived is viewed by thousands each month on her website. Continue reading →