Helping in the kitchen

Some Los Altos retirees spend much of their golden years on the golf course or engrossed in a good book. Still others give back, to keep themselves as productive as they were during their working years.

Count Bill Boyrer, Bert Newcomb and Mel Russi in the latter category. For years, these residents have committed themselves to feeding the needy by volunteering at Martha’s Kitchen in San Jose. Not only do they regularly deliver and serve in the kitchen, but Boyrer and Russi also sit on the board of directors of the non-profit organization. Boyrer, involved in the kitchen since 1985, is currently vice president of the board. Russi is president.

Grand homecoming planned for local Marine

Roxy Montana has been waiting two years to throw a homecoming party for her 21-year-old son Ben Wetzel, who has been stationed in Iraq since Sept. 11, 2001, and moved to the front lines of the Iraq conflict this past year. The Los Altos High School graduate returned to the United States last week. He is scheduled to come home Saturday to a police escort, visits from the Los Altos and Mountain View mayors and an old-fashioned American block party with 100 of his closest friends and neighbors.

“You have no idea how much relief has come,” Montana said, calling the past few years a “knuckle-chewing” time.

Giffin-Fremont residents continue to oppose cell phone antenna

The prospect of an unsightly antenna could mean Verizon customers will have to wait a little longer for expanded cell phone coverage in Los Altos.

A group of Giffin Road and Fremont Avenue residents petitioned the Los Altos City Council last month to halt the installation of a 45-foot monopole planned for their neighborhood. The council was scheduled to review the neighborhood’s appeal Tuesday night. They will decide whether to proceed with the project’s design as approved by the planning commission or look at alternatives suggested by the neighbors. The neighbor’s proposal included moving the antenna to public land or requiring Verizon to install an optical repeater - a small antenna that mounts onto a telephone pole and is nearly invisible.

LAH planning commissioner sold sewer rights to former Winbigler-property owners

Just after the purchase of the Winbigler property by Pinewood School was made public, Joan Jensen, a Los Altos Hills resident, made a request during the public hearings at the July 1 city council meeting. She asked that before Pinewood’s construction plans are presented to the planning commission, councilmembers confirm that the commissioners are unbiased and have not profited financially from the property.

Jensen referred to the $75,000 private sale last March of four sewer connection rights by Bill Kerns, vice chairman of the planning commission, to Gordon Campbell and Maria Ligeti, former owners of the Winbigler property.

Cranston name among LAH council candidates

The Cranston family name could be back in the political arena this fall. The daughter-in-law of the deceased U.S. Senator and Los Altos Hills resident Alan Cranston is among the four newcomers who have taken out papers to run for city council.

Colette Cranston, a member of the public relations committee, took out candidate’s papers but had not filed them last week, according to City Clerk Karen Jost.

Mtn. lion sighting near Egan school confirmed by police

The mountain lion that was lurking in front of a Los Altos resident’s West Portola Avenue home Saturday morning hadn’t made any more appearances early this week, but Los Altos police said neighbors should remain on the lookout for the tan feline.

About 1,800 residents in the West Portola/Los Altos Avenue neighborhood received alerts about the mountain lion over the weekend through the city’s automated emergency phone system after a neighbor reported seeing a large tan cat about the size of a large dog running past his home in the middle of the street near Laverne Avenue at about 5:45 a.m. The cat was heading west in the direction of Adobe Creek, according to the resident. Police were unable to locate the cat.

Letters to the Editor

Map was far from perfect
Les Earnest
Los Altos Hills
Your cover article on pathways (July 21) is remarkable in one respect: of the nine statements you attribute to Toni Casey and three to Bob Fenwick, not one is true.
For example, you quote Casey as saying the 2002 path plan was not “riddled […]

Summer musings with a Lab

People who know me best know I am loony for my dog, Parker. Even Parker recognizes that my devotion and opposable thumbs are at his command, so he remains utterly loyal to me. But let’s face it, he’s a Lab. He will also sell his soul for a bite of your pizza, and drop you like a hot potato for the UPS guy carrying dog biscuits in his pocket.

But that’s what I love about Parker. He is never polite. He is true to himself and expresses exactly what he feels. When he wants your food, for example, he will sit and drool for it. He doesn’t wonder about proper etiquette vis-à-vis spit hanging off one’s jowls, nor does he care that he is completely ignoring me to stare at a morsel which - were he to eventually get his paws on it - he wouldn’t even bother to chew.

Learning to judge wine by color, bouquet and age

During the past month I have swirled, sniffed and sipped, trying to judge wine by color, bouquet and age. But more important, I have learned the lingo from my restaurant and supermarket friends and have figured out how to tell when a wine is full-figured, beautifully balanced and sensuous.

Visiting Draeger’s on a Saturday afternoon, I asked the clerk for a wine to take to a friend’s home.

Anniversary

Marti and Herb Deacon, 55 years
Marti and Herb Deacon of Los Altos are celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary.
The Deacons were married July 16, 1949, at Stanford University Memorial Church.
They are 47-year residents of Los Altos. Marti is active with the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park.
Herb is […]

Major sponsor adds spice, cooking fun to this year’s MacArthur Park Wine Festival

Residents will have the opportunity to sample fine wines and delicious food while contributing to a good cause at the 23rd annual MacArthur Park Wine Festival. This year’s event, benefiting the Palo Alto Area American Red Cross, is scheduled 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Aug. 14, at MacArthur Park Restaurant in Palo Alto.

Spicing up the proceedings for the second straight year is chief sponsor Morton & Bassett Spices. Morton & Bassett representatives will have a booth at the festival and will again hold their “Name That Spice” contest, an event that drew a long line of participants last year.

Los Altos enjoys cinematic history

Los Altans pursue kidnappers down Main Street! These alarming words actually appeared in print in a caption near the beginning of the silent film “Rebecca” (not to be confused with Hitchcock’s 1940 “Rebecca”). The movie was filmed here in 1919, and its opening scene showed children leaving Los Altos Grammar School for the day. Suddenly, a band of gypsies in a big touring car grabbed a little girl named Rebecca. School had been let out early for this filming, and the camera next panned to the kids chasing the kidnappers up Main Street. They were joined in this frantic pursuit, first by merchants and ultimately by virtually the entire village. Unfortunately, the kidnappers crossed the train tracks just ahead of the train, which stopped at the station, blocking the pursuers. (The timing had been worked out previously.)

“Rebecca” was conceived, written, produced and directed by Guy Shoup to benefit the Belgium Relief program set up at the end of World War I. For the equipment and technicians, he reportedly used the resources of the Southern Pacific Railroad, where he was chief attorney and his brother Paul was president.

LAH artist among women displaying work at Stanford

Yeung Ha of Los Altos Hills will be among a group of dynamic Bay Area artists from the local chapter of the national Women’s Caucus for Art displaying work in a “Women in Art” exhibition in Stanford University’s Tresidder Union next month.

Ha, a 30-year veteran of the arts scene, will offer “Its Infinite Contain,” a 37-by-29-inch monotype featuring a Rorschach inkblot symbol above an image of hands in twine playing what appears the child’s game of cat’s cradle.

Foundation looking for LEADers in Los Altos

The Los Altos Community Foundation is accepting applications for the 2004-2005 Leadership Education ADvancement series.

LEAD is a community involvement education course aimed at Los Altos-Los Altos Hills area residents interested in meeting the people and learning about the programs that create today’s local community, and how to become involved.

Los Altos Hills artist plans a ‘happening’ exhibition at her home

Los Altos Hills artist and psychologist Dr. Sheila Adams Hart invites residents to an exhibition of her artwork, along with the works of other artists and musicians. The event is scheduled for 3-7 p.m., Saturday, at her home, 24001 Oak Knoll Drive.

Hart plans to showcase 60 pieces of her painting, sculpture and photography. And, in the spirit of the 1960s-era happenings, she wants visitors to create something themselves.

Community Briefs

Assistance League localizes name
It’s official: The Assistance League has changed its affiliation from Santa Clara County to Los Altos. Joan DelCastillo of the league, which runs the Costume Bank on State Street, said league members changed the name to help residents better identify with the organization. The league was established more […]

Bullis Charter, LASD sign use agreement

After more than four months of negotiations, the Facilities Use Agreement for the camp school at Egan Junior High School has been formally accepted.

Peter Evans signed the agreement July 21 on behalf of the Bullis Charter School Board of Directors and in the presence of Los Altos School District Superintendent Marge Gratiot. On Monday, the district board met for the sole purpose of signing the agreement.

Schools Briefs

FHDA students need homes
Homestays are urgently needed for Foothill-De Anza College students for three months, beginning in August. Hosts will be paid $700 per month to provide room, board and TLC.
For more information, call Kristi Clarke at 949-3091, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Two MVLA seats to fill in […]

Constructive summer for MVLA high school district

Rich Fischer’s IBUs - those “identified but unfunded” projects on his facilities wish list - found approval but still no funding from the board of the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District, July 19.

Joe White, the associate superintendent for business services who oversees the district’s facilities, said, “We don’t have the money. The board is giving us the flexibility of getting all (these 15 projects) done.”

Wait till ‘08

Brooke Bishop wasn’t in the butterfly at the United States Olympic Swim Team Trials, but she did admit that the butterflies were in her.

“It was nerve-racking,” the Los Altos resident said. “There were so many people watching - about 10,000 - and I got nervous 10 minutes before I swam.”

Investor fears drive tumbling Dow below 10,000

The stock market’s easy slide into the summer doldrums has many investors wondering where it will end. It needs a catalyst, because Monday noon it was around 9,900.

The week ahead is loaded with economic data to absorb, but it’s going to be another tortuous week for investors. If more companies provide poor outlooks or miss their earnings, the market weakness will continue, because there is nowhere to focus.

‘Movies on Main’ premieres Friday

With a successful 2004 Arts & Wine Festival still in the air, the Los Altos Village Association (LAVA), which organizes the festival, has already scheduled another downtown attraction.

Starting at 6 p.m., Friday evening, LAVA will introduce “Movies on Main,” their summer entertainment package for downtown Los Altos.

John’s Gospel written to counter Thomas’?

Elaine Pagels, Stanford graduate and professor of religion at Princeton University, is the author of “Beyond Belief” (Random House, 2003), in which she brings an academic’s perspective to the idea of so-called heretical texts popularized by “The Da Vinci Code.”

“Beyond Belief” examines the Gospel of Thomas, one of 50 texts found at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945, 1,600 years after being buried by monks who were unwilling to destroy them as ordered by Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, in 367 A.D.

Spur-of-the-moment safari unveils unexpected delights

In typical last-minute fashion, my children and I recently found ourselves in Pretoria, South Africa, for an impromptu family reunion. Being wildlife buffs, we knew the trip would be incomplete without a safari to Kruger National Park, South Africa’s flagship game reserve.

Since South African schools have their winter vacation in July, we found accommodations within Kruger fully booked. After our initial disappointment, things worked out well as we ended up discovering a wonderful game lodge about 45 minutes from Kruger.

Built to last

When Barbara Emerling walked in the front door of 52 Almond Ave., she said, “I’ll take it.”

“Don’t you want to see the rest of the house?” asked the Cornish & Carey real estate agent. Barbara didn’t need to because it had a workshop for her husband Marvin. That was August 1972, and the Emerlings still reside in the charming Spanish revival home.

Yes, you can grow lettuce

Between myself, my other half, and our two boys you’d think were grown enough to help out a bit more, our fridge always seems to need cleaning out.

Last Wednesday was opportune, so away went the two sips of now clotted milk, half a sandwich from who-knows-when and the entire gooey contents of the crisper drawer. Ironically, on Thursday night when Shaun and I got home late (around 10), there was literally almost nothing left in the house to eat. Shaun travels a lot (often five or six days a week) and is quite accustomed to five-star restaurants’ immediate service and multiple courses, while I don’t, and I’m not. I make whatever I feel like having, which is very influenced by on-hand ingredients. So dinner that night was to be the remains of a bottle of Justin syrah and some “discovered” pork loin. But no, we needed salad, too. “The fridge is empty (whine).” “The store is three blocks away (whine).” “We have a vegetable garden (utter confusion).”

Earth-tone your house with concrete staining

Acid staining is the hottest trend in the concrete industry today, especially when colorful earth tones are desired.

To provide that look, Carol and Jed Silver, 20-year Los Altos residents, founded Artistic Concrete Stain and Design; which they operate from their home. Acid staining has become popular because it provides a more affordable flooring option than wood, stone or tile and offers a unique character to flooring.

Home Koi ponds growing in popularity

Backyard swimming pools have been popular for decades, but a newer trend in water enhancements is slowly beginning to take shape. According to Ron Legnon, owner of Able Pool and Pond, artificial ponds are becoming an increasingly popular landscape feature in gardens around the Bay Area.

“The pond industry is just starting to flourish and become more organized,” Legnon said. “It’s becoming more mainstream.”

Seven steps to building your dream home

When my wife, Val, and I decided we wanted to build a new home in another state, we knew it would be a daunting project. We had some reservations about the how-to process and where to begin. After seeing a TV show on package homes, we decided to look a little deeper.

We had made a list of what we wanted in our dream home, but we needed some outside expertise on where to start. We connected with Harry Miller, who along with his wife, Charla, operates Executive Cedar Homes in Lafayette. Miller is one of 158 nationwide dealers for Lindal Cedar Homes. Miller immediately helped us develop a seven-point checklist for our dream home.

Low-interest loans for home repairs available for eligible homeowners

Since 1976, the city of Los Altos has provided home rehabilitation loans to Los Altos residents through its Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program. Funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant program, the Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program provides income-eligible homeowners with low-interest loans for home repairs to correct housing code violations, alleviate overcrowding, minimize potential fire hazards and improve health, safety, accessibility and home security conditions. Examples of eligible work include electrical and plumbing repairs, new flooring, heating and weatherization improvements, kitchen and bathroom remodels, painting, roof repair, room expansion or addition, structural reinforcement and repair of termite damage.

Program eligibility is based on federal income limits by household size. In order to qualify, a household’s annual income must not exceed 80 percent of the current median income in Santa Clara County, as determined by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. For example, a family of four must have an annual income no greater than $84,900; a two-person household may not exceed an annual income of $67,900.

Datebook

THEATER

“West Side Story.” Cast features 12- to 20-year-olds. Peninsula Youth Theatre. 1 and 7:30 p.m., Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday; and 2 p.m., Sunday. Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St. $6-$16. 903-6000 or logon to ww.pytnet.org.

Obituraries

HELEN KASSEN LUEHRS
Helen Kassen Luehrs went to meet Our Lord on Monday July 19, 2004. She was a resident of Los Altos for 43 years. Born in Springfield Ohio, April 16, 1922, she grew up in Dayton where she met her eternal partner and devoted husband Walter. They were inseparable and a loving […]