This past week, our valleys were the site of many aeronautical displays, mostly from attempts to contain wildfires.  However, not all aerial activities were driven through fire procedures.   In the early hours of August 17th, Scotts Valley residents may have witnessed the Water District’s newest project. According to David McNair, the Operations Manager, SVWD has been planning to renovate the Bethany Water Tank, “since late last year.”  After navigating many COVID concerns, the project has finally come to physical fruition, with a helicopter’s help.

      Summer is coming to an end. The school year is returning and children are back to virtual learning. It is highly important children include regular exercise, especially after hours of virtual stationary learning behind a computer screen all day. Children need at least 60 mins of exercise a day. Increased physical activity helps children build healthy bodies, self-esteem and prevent chronic disease.

 

On May 20, 2020, Facebook Messenger alerted me to a new note from my college sweetheart, Peter. He and I had met in Southern California circa 1991 at a collegiate Speech & Debate tournament (where I trounced him in the category of Speech to Entertain), and we have remained friends. Peter sent me a link to a stunning home that he had found on Zillow. “Is this in your neighborhood?” he asked. I responded in the affirmative, and asked how a guy living in Oceanside could happen upon a house for sale in Felton, of all places. He and his family were looking for an investment property in Northern California, he said, and this one caught his eye. Was it the stunning interior? The wrap-around deck? The stand-alone cottage that adorned the property? Nope. “There’s a picture of Bigfoot in the backyard, and that’s a first,” said Peter. Daniel Oster is the realtor who put the home on Hillside Drive on the market, and although the house featured five beds, three baths and plenty of room to roam, Oster felt it needed…a hook. Oster decided that this was the property where Bigfoot would make his debut, and sure enough, the hook worked. “We had over 800,000 views on Zillow...one of the top 3 in Zillow’s history,” Oster said. “Bigfoot was seen making the best of the shelter-in-place…reading, baking, exercising, gardening, working in the home shop…” In the end, the property had multiple offers and sold for $101,000 above list price (sorry, Peter). Read on to learn about Oster’s advantage with his innovative Sasquatch placement. Press Banner: When did you start using the Bigfoot costume in conjunction with your business?Daniel Oster: This was the first, and perhaps, the only time Bigfoot made an appearance at one of my listings. The response was overwhelming, so perhaps he'll show up again in the future. PB: How did you come up with the concept?DO: I was inspired by a listing that made the real estate news that featured an inflatable T-Rex... Bigfoot seemed more relevant to the house I was marketing at the time. It was set in a beautiful stand of redwood trees in Felton. PB: Are you in any way affiliated with the Bigfoot museum in Felton?DO: No affiliation, but they are certainly a landmark. PB: Do you hear directly from clients that you were selected as their realtor based upon that fun element of your business?DO:Bigfoot was a conversation starter, but people primarily value working with me for local expertise with a combination of responsiveness and creative problem solving. I did connect with quite a few new clients as a result of this going viral, but my business is almost entirely repeat and referral clients. I always try to have fun along the way, so the silliness factor of Bigfoot certainly resonated with my core group of clientele.  PB: What’s the best story you can share regarding your wearing of the costume?DO: We wanted to bring attention to the property, but we were also trying to bring a bit of levity to folks in the real estate market. The pandemic is stressful for all of us, and we are all trying to make the best of it. I received calls from people all over the country just to let me know that this made them smile. That was the best. PB: How do dogs react to you?DO: The seller's dog, Max, was a bit curious, but I was surprised he wasn't frightened by the costume. PB: What is the best lesson you've learned from your cross-over of Bigfoot and real estate sales?DO: This is really twofold: 1. No matter what is happening in the world, our community is bigger than we realize. Each of us has the ability to impact others in profound ways. 2. Take action. If you have an idea, or inspiration, act on it. We are surrounded by opportunity, but it takes action and follow-through.  PB: And the question we all want to ask you: Do you believe in Bigfoot?DO: I did not believe in Bigfoot before this, and now, I'm sure there's no real Bigfoot. I'm still cleaning hair from my car and office. If Bigfoot was real, there'd be hair all over the forest! 

 Famous for fox-hunting and polo, the Meadow Brook country club had also earned a place in golf history.            According to one account, the “old and exciting Scotch game” caught on in America in 1892, after a young lady brought a full set of clubs with her on a visit from the Old World and began teaching her hosts.  “Golf promises to become a formidable rival to lawn tennis and other outdoor sports in this country,” predicted the New York Sun.  From the earnestness with which the Long Islanders have taken hold of the game there is ground for belief that it will spread rapidly to other portions of the United States.”             The members of the Meadow Brook club laid out a course on their grounds in the spring of 1895.   One of the club’s first events was a competition between the women members for a silver powder puff, “beautifully engraved.”  That fall, the club was the scene of the first national women’s championship tournament.            When not practicing polo, Marion Hollins spent time on the Meadow Brook links.  Team captain Louise Hitchcock, who had been a spectator at the inaugural tournament, was also an expert golfer.  The nine-hole course was “of an undulating character,” featuring a wide variety of hazards—quite unlike the one Marion had practically grown up on.  Stretching over two miles of countryside, it favored golfers with strong tee shots—her specialty.            The Westbrook Country Club, also established in 1895, had been carved out of the private estates of a Wall Street banker and one of the Vanderbilt heirs.  “The ground is perfectly level,” noted one sports columnist, “and devoid of natural features favorable to golf, but it is nevertheless very picturesque.”             Marion’s parents, Harry B. and Evelina Knapp Hollins, were among the founding members of the Westbrook club.  When Thomas Hitchcock offered a silver chafing dish as a prize for the best score posted in October, Mr. Hollins finished a close second.            Golf was the favorite sport of the Hollins youngsters—four boys and Marion, the baby of the family.  The oldest son, Harry Jr., showed off considerable skills as a teenager.  Competing in an open competition in 1896, he bested a field of older rivals.  Among the losers was his father, “who protested that thereafter his identity was gone and he must resign himself to be known as the father of a golf player.”             Harry Jr. attended Harvard, where he continued to excel as a member of the college team.  Younger brothers Gerald Vanderbilt and McKim were also considered top-notch amateurs.  The fourth brother, however, preferred tennis.            In May 1912, Marion decided to try her hand at tournament play.  One of the most important events on the women’s golf calendar was the championship of the Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association, featuring several national champions.  Moving ahead in an elimination competition at a New Jersey country club, the “forceful young player” bested several veteran players.  In a hard-fought semi-final match, her clutch performance impressed observers.   “When Miss Hollins found it was do or die, she developed great steadiness and made the contest a seesaw affair till the home green was reached.  There she won by a carefulness and poise of play that greatly pleased her friends.”            Facing a local favorite in the finals, it became apparent the “Miss Hollins was not playing her usual brilliant game.”  Although her drives carried well, she had trouble sinking putts.  It turned out that she was suffering from a peculiar accident—a blade of grass had lodged in her throat, preventing her from sleeping.  Playing despite intense pain, “she showed flashes of her usual form, but she was beaten.”  In spite of the outcome it had been a successful debut and the sporting press predicted “a bright golf future for her.”(To be continued.)  

For years I dreaded cooking rice and when Uncle Ben produced instant rice in a plastic pouch, I was elated.  And then I met Maroque.

While many of us has sought out the bright side of this COVID storm by slowing down and taking a much-needed break, it seems like the San Lorenzo Valley Water District doesn’t know how to rest.  But, that’s the price of providing a vital resource constantly to every home, business, and building within our valley.  Over the past few months, SLVWD has made many improvements to their facilities. Rick Rogers, the District Manager, Nate Gillespie, the Water Treatment and Systems Supervisor, and Carly Blanchard, the Environmental Planner, were eager to reveal their newest acquisitions and accomplishments.  

On August 7th, the Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County (HRCSCC) announced that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has finally approved their Syringe Services Program application.  The decision has been long awaited, as authorization for the program was expected back in early March.  Understandably, with COVID-19, the CDPH had to delay the decision for several months.  For more background on their application process, check out my December 10th article, Homelessness and Syringe Use in Santa Cruz County on our website.