Northstar California Resort holds its pond skimming event April 1 with a 1980s throwback theme and prizes for the top three pond crossings, best crash and best costume. (Northstar California Resort)
Mercurynews.com: March 28, 2017
Spring fever is breaking out at ski resorts across the country. In Northern California, record snowfall means epic snowmelt and a wacky tradition called pond skimming. Continue reading
East bay times.com: March 9, 2017
Mud and muck and who knows what. All this rain has tongues wagging about the condition of the many trails lacing our Oakland hills. Some trails are mud pits, some even closed, like part of the stream trail in Redwood Regional Park — Skyline Gate. Clearly, it’s more than our park employees can handle. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: February 24, 2017
In the dimly lit Oakland hills, with darkness as cover and crime as intent, a sedan slowly makes its rounds. Methodically, the car stops at each mailbox and what appears to be a woman emerges to jimmy each metal door. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: February 16, 2017
If someone offered to plant a tree in your yard at no cost, would you take it? Most of us would say yes. After all, trees enhance property. They absorb carbon dioxide, provide shade and a home for birds, squirrels and other wildlife. Continue reading
EASTBAYTIMES: February 16, 2017
Fire and water. Man has been captivated by these two basic elements since the beginning of time. It’s no wonder, then, that one of Yosemite National Park’s great illusions draws thousands to Horsetail Fall each February. Continue reading
A 96-year-old male driver sustained minor injuries Oct. 21 after his car crashed into the front of Someone’s in the Kitchen in Montclair Village, police said. (Harry Harris/Staff archives)
MONTCLARION: January 17, 2017
It must be something in the water. Montclair motorists can’t seem to keep their vehicles off the sidewalks. Continue reading
St. Helena’s Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer was named No. 47 on the Condé Nast Traveler list of the world’s top 50 hotels in 2016. (Courtesy of Paige Green)
EASTBAYTIMES: January 17, 2017
Winter in the Napa Valley: Locals call this Cabernet season — when new vintages age gracefully in their barrels and vines await the first buds of spring. There’s nothing to see here — or is there? My husband and I booked a night in St. Helena recently to find out. Continue reading
Sierra Club volunteers Jeremy Besmer and Robin Kutner plant a tree on Montclair’s Merced Avenue. (Ginny Prior/For Bay Area News Group)
Robin Kutner and Jeremy Besmer have been busy greening Montclair, one block at a time. I ran into the Sierra Club volunteers on Merced Avenue alongside Safeway recently. They were busting up some rock-hard soil to put in a tree that will “spruce up” the streetscape. It seemed like hard work, but Kutner said they were driven to do something meaningful. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: Jan 3, 2017
Montclair can seem like a small town wrapped in a big city. Here’s a little story to illustrate: It was just before Christmas, when shoppers were scurrying to get through their checklists. Reader Conrad Bassett was scurrying too. He’d just been to his bank and was checking a transaction online — when what to his wondering eyes should appear but nine unauthorized charges. Continue reading
Chef Candice Caris and co-owner Caroline Conner pose with the regal, handmade front door of Duchess restaurant in Rockridge, which recently opened for business. (Courtesy of Duchess Oakland)
EASTBAYTIMES.COM: December 29, 2016
In the dimly lit days of winter, we look to make human connections. Rockridge strikes me as a good place to do this. College Avenue has a harmonic energy. Shop owners feed off the pulse of folks eager to support homegrown business. Continue reading
Ginny Prior 