Sonoma Wine Country: Splendid in Autumn

Posted on by

HILLS NEWSPAPERS: November 11, 2011

When you think of autumn leaves, New England’s fiery maples and brilliant birch come to mind.

But here on the West Coast, we have our own fall color. It peaks more toward winter and is every bit as beautiful as Maine or Vermont. I’m talking about the Bay Area wine regions, where the leaves on the vines blush shades of burgundy and gold as they prepare to sleep silently until spring. The holidays are a cacophony of color for grape-growing regions such as Napa, Sonoma, Fairfield and Livermore. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but if pressed for an answer, I’ll say Sonoma. Continue reading →

Occupy Oakland: Time to break camp

Posted on by

MONTCLARION: November 11, 2011

The fall of frustration is turning into the winter of discontent as Oakland bumbles its way through the latest round of civil disobedience. We can’t get a break in this town.

I took a stroll through Occupy Oakland the other day — and was, quite frankly, disappointed. I expected to see a lenticular cloud of pot smoke above “Oscar Grant Plaza” but the air was still and the campers were quiet. I guess 3 p.m. is early when you’ve been up all night.

Still, I can’t help but wonder if the whole thing will fizzle out when the weather turns foul. I hope so. These folks need to break camp and figure out a plan that supports the 99 percent — not drives them away. Continue reading →

Football and Religion: The Connection is Real

Posted on by

My son on the big screen at the U of O Ducks game

MONTCLARION: November 4, 2011

I see why folks equate football with religion. I’m not talking Tim Tebow here, although his reverence before Bronco games has led to a new term for public prayer called “Tebowing.”

I’m talking about the unparalleled beauty of a ballpark in fall and the spirit that fills its fans. For the Cal Bears, this year, it’s AT&T Park — where the stadium is awash in blue and gold with a backdrop of ships on the sparkling Bay.

In Oregon, it’s Autzen Stadium, where I’m penning this piece right now. Continue reading →

Happy Wanderer: Florida Panhandle a seafood lover’s heaven

Posted on by

Photographer Elaine Warner captures five friendly dolphins following the fishermen

HILLS NEWSPAPERS: October 28, 2011

The oysterman’s face was ruddy — the color of Georgia clay or the leaves of an oak tree in autumn.

He motored up to our group and tied his boat to the dock.

“Y’all ready to go out?” he asked in a drawl thick as Tupelo honey. Captain Doug had four fishing rods and two long wooden poles that looked like giant chopsticks. They were for pulling up oysters.

We scrambled for a seat that didn’t have fish guts or oyster juice on it and braced ourselves for the bouncy 20-minute trip to the oyster bars in Apalachicola Bay. This part of the gulf has some of the richest, most productive fishing grounds in the country, and — despite what you may have heard — it wasn’t affected by the oil spill. Continue reading →

Town Crier: Ghosts are everywhere this time of year

Posted on by

MONTCLARION: October 28, 2011

The ratio of humans to ghosts in this world is unknown.

That’s probably a good thing, knowing how spirits can violate one’s personal space.

“Most of them are friendly,” a ghost hunter once told me, “but they do like to make mischief.”

In some cases, a gaggle of ghosts can team up like they do on the USS Hornet in Alameda. Having roamed the ship with two ghost experts, I’ve heard all the stories and seen how specters suck the heat out of that drafty old ship with their presence. Continue reading →

Posted on by

Photo by Karl Mondon

CONTRA COSTA TIMES: OCTOBER 28, 2011

Brother Michael Meister knows where all the bodies are buried — and at Halloween, that’s a good thing.

The Saint Mary’s College theology and religious studies professor has lived on the bucolic Moraga campus for 30 years and is known as the resident storyteller. Things that go bump in the night are his specialty at this time of year.

“I tell all the stories as though they’re God’s holy truth!” he says with a grin, adding that a little embellishment adds strength to the stories, all of which have threads of truth. The ghostly tours are for Saint Mary’s students only. Continue reading →

Saint Mary’s College professor inspired by Gandhi

Posted on by

SAINT MARY’S MAGAZINE: October, 2011

Kusum Singh sits in a sun-kissed corner of her kitchen with the warmth of a woman completely at peace. At 78 and newly-retired from a 27-year teaching career at Saint Mary’s College, she’s entering a stage where she can listen more clearly to her heart. “In every little thing, I find peace and joy,” said Singh, who spent much of her academic life studying the work of Gandhi. “I used to have to prepare so much for class. Now I just sit and enjoy my reading and writing.”  Continue reading →

Food and craft collective coming to Montclair

Posted on by

MONTCLARION: OCTOBER 21, 2011

Folks have long complained that Montclair needs a mini Berkeley Bowl – with sustainably raised fish, meat and poultry. “Why should we drive to Berkeley,” they ask, “when there are empty store-fronts right here?

Say hello to the Montclair Collective, scheduled to open Nov. 8 in the long-shuttered Score site in the Montclair mini-mall. Local photographer Reenie Raschke and her husband, Greg, are starting with locally made and packaged foods and crafts. By early 2012 they plan to add fish, meat and poultry to the collective. Continue reading →

Happy Wanderer: Experiencing Mt. Shasta’s magic a must

Posted on by

Lenticular cloud above Mt. Shasta

CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM: October 14, 2011

Last night I slept in a tree house. It was a sumptuous sleep on a bed of soft clouds at the base of a magical mountain.

Lest you assume it was “spirits” that somehow spawned my dreams, let me explain that the tree house was actually a spectacular cedar lodge called the Tree House in the town of Mt. Shasta.

Much has been written about the spiritual power of Mt. Shasta, which rises above the Cascade Range like a mythical god that can be seen for 100 miles. At the base of the second largest volcano in the continental U.S. is the postcard-like town of Mt. Shasta. It’s a town where crystal shops and healers can be found side-by-side with sporting goods outlets. The Native Americans believe Mt. Shasta has healing properties and people come here to worship at its feet. Continue reading →

Town Crier: Finding out about Oakland firestorm unforgettable

Posted on by

MONTCLARION: October 7, 2011

Like the Kennedy assassination and 9/11, most of us remember where we were when the Oakland hills fire broke out.

I was in Minneapolis covering the World Series, and watched reports of the blaze on a lone TV in the pressroom. I remember Oakland A’s Manager Tony LaRussa saying he might go back early, and that’s when I realized my home and family were in danger. Continue reading →