Magazine

Madison Ivy/Special to the Town Crier
Ernie Solomon, from left, Tom Sperow, Leah Frei and Ingrid Sperow partake in a passeggiata, or evening stroll, in July.

If you see a group of people on a leisurely after-dinner walk along the twists and turns of Los Altos Hills pathways, they might be on a passeggiata.

Thanks to the efforts of a few avid travelers, the Italian tradition of the evening stroll has made it to the area.

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
Marillie Rodriguez, at right in hat, dances with other festival regulars to lead singer Cynthia Larson, on stage, and Tsunami Band in Mountain View.

There’s a magnetic feeling to that moment when you let a song and an open stretch of grass or pavement pull you into the dance.

Behind the scenes, event organizers and musicians have planned for this moment, picking show times and set lists designed to invite you in and keep you moving. Your fellow dancers in Mountain View and Los Altos help, too - a few dozen public festival superfans in the area are known for logging hours in motion, starting the dance and seeing it through to the end. They’re the brightly dressed people with the quirky style that you’ll spot at special events up and down the Peninsula most every weekend.

A flurry of family-friendly events await local residents - from concerts to plays, trick-or-treating and holiday tree lightings. A list of what’s happening when and where follows.

Photo by Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
Los Altos residents Sally Meadows and Ian Massey transformed their yard by incorporating drought-tolerant plants.

The drought-tolerant garden at Sally Meadows and Ian Massey’s Los Altos home evokes crooner Jewel Akens’ oldie but goodie: "Let me tell ya 'bout the birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees."

When the couple moved into their home 15 years ago, it had a conventional front yard - notably a large lawn - shaded on one corner by a big oak. And because they like to garden, they planted flowers, shrubs and trees. Meadows even enjoys pulling weeds.

Courtesty of Tanya Kucak
Globe gilia, which offers both pollen and nectar, attracts honey bees, green sweat bees and mining bees.

Is your landscape a carbon source or a carbon sink, and why does it matter? Which gardening practices will help your landscape stay healthy and make your home and garden more comfortable as warmer summers and more unpredictable weather patterns continue? How can you help birds and pollinators as well?

Courtesy of Janet Guerriero
Design-build firms house architects and construction together to offer a more accurate cost estimate.

In these days of ever-increasing Bay Area real estate prices, homeowners ask me this question on a weekly basis: Should I move, remodel or build a new home?