By Margaret Abe
Pictured (left |
A BEAUTY WITH BRAINS: Dr. Bernadine Chuck Fong and Herbert Fong’s famous 7-year-old dog, Fozzie Bear, son of the ninth Lassie and brother of the 10th Lassie-to-be, enjoyed all the holiday guests at home with the Fong family. Lassie is still the most famous dog in the world. The first Lassie (all of whom were males) was trained and owned by Rudd Weatherwax and his son, Bob. The movie “Lassie Come Home” was the first Lassie film. Why is the right Lassie so difficult to find? Lassie’s coloring is rare - he has a white line called a blaze running down his forehead along with a white fur collar and two white forelegs. Rudd and Bob said the male dogs look better on camera because they are bigger and have fuller coats and thus don’t shed as much. The Lassies know 90 hand signals and verbal commands, and they really act.
ABSOLUTELY SURPRISED: A very surprised Nobuko Saito Cleary cried and celebrated an important birthday at the Main Street Cafe & Books recently. More than 50 family and friends were hiding in the back to honor her. She was praised for her community work over the years. Dr. Dick Henning said, “You never say ‘no’ to Nobuko!” The cafe catered the party, the Community School of Music and Arts provided classical music and Zoom Video of San Jose showed “Nobuko’s Life Story.” All, especially the birthday girl, had a lovely time.
THE NOH THEATER: A performance of Noh, a Japanese form of classical theater that dates back to the 14th century, recently took place in the Tateuchi Concert Hall at the Community School of Music and Arts in Mountain View. The performance featured Master Junnosuke Watanabe and his troupe. With the help of the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco and Nobuko Saito Cleary’s connections in Japan, several top Noh performers traveled from Tokyo to Mountain View. “Noh” translates as “ability” and “skill,” and is usually a slow dance performance with three or four traditional musicians playing a shamisen (three-string instrument) and a chorus of six or eight people. The main actor wears a combination of masks and a very colorful, elaborate five-layer costume and uses a fan to represent objects or to express action. The performance was a combination of song, dialogue, music and dance. A reception took place after the Noh performance, with a sake-barrel-breaking ceremony called Kagamiwari. The event was co-sponsored by the Community School of Music and Arts, the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, the Japan Society of Northern California and All Nippon Airways (ANA).
CLEVER AND CREATIVE: Seven women spent most of a December day chatting, eating, creating, eating again and exchanging gifts. Former Los Altos resident Barbara Mardesich, who now lives in neighboring Cupertino, threw a party after her recent recovery from surgery to thank her friends.
“It was also because I wanted to do something to help relieve the holiday stress and get together a group of longtime friends who enjoy each other’s company,” Barbara said. The ladies decorated hats with purple, red and white flowers, crystals and feathers.
Contact Abe through the Town Crier, 948-9000, ext. 301.
