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When Mountain View author Susan Alice Bickford entered her family’s summer cottage in Vermont nearly seven years ago, she realized something was askew.

Photos courtesy of Rashee Rohatgi
Los Altos resident Rashee Rohatgi, bottom right, practices Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of healing, through integrating herbs and spices into her cooking. The dishes she makes include veggie poriyal, top center, and sevia, top right.

Earth, air, fire, water and ether. Los Altos resident Rashee Rohatgi weaves the five elements of life throughout her everyday routine, through the principles of Ayurveda.

Photos by Audrey Chang/Town Crier
In an effort to make their home more environmentally friendly, the Chang family of Los Altos shops with reusable bags, above, and often purchase clothes made from remnant textiles, below.

Anyone who walks into my house would probably notice the canvas totes by the front door, the multiple recycling bins and maybe even the drawer packed with plastic bags.

Sarah L. Morford/Special to the Town Crier
Taking youngsters to public places, like a grocery store, can be a challenge for parents.

It starts early. There is a point at which coming home from the hospital with a newborn with little more than a half-pack of diapers, a scheduled appointment with the pediatrician and a cotton striped hat feels like sheer madness.

Miranda Li

Learning to drive is a rite of passage for 16-year-olds in America; once teenagers receive the keys to a car - and their independence - they may never come back.

However, they must first prepare for the extremely long and tedious process of acquiring a driver license. As a recently licensed teen driver, here are my tips and tricks to surviving the journey.

Cara Askren/Town Crier
Children’s author and illustrator Jan Brett presents her work during a recent tour stop at Linden Tree Books.

Clad in red suede slippers with pink silk tassels, a tiger blazer and carrying a hedgehog purse, prolific author/illustrator Jan Brett looked the part when she came to town with a message of creativity to share this winter.

Los Altos-based Linden Tree Books hosted Brett earlier this winter in a talk geared particularly to children. Known for her detailed illustrations in books such as "The Mitten" and "The Hat," Brett shared pointers on how a drawing comes together with the audience. Using Prismacolor markers, she drew a tiger from start to finish as she spoke, describing both technical tricks and overarching insights into how to foster and feed the creative process.