Reaching Out

Visit the Danville Weekly and San Ramon Express blogs which I write each week at to inform the community of any non profit or community events

http://www.danvilleweekly.com/square/index.php?i=3&t=2598 &

http://www.sanramonexpress.com/square/index.php?i=3&d=&t=502

below is an example of the up coming events.

Asante Africa Foundation  

Asante Africa Foundation is proud to host one of our trusted advisors and Tanzanian partners, Dennis Lyamuya in the USA as he travels through 4 cities in 5 weeks. We are creating an opportunity for schools, communities, service organizations, and corporations to spend interactive time with him on topics of education, eco-travel and tourism, leadership values, life in Tanzania and many more. Dennis’s amazing story telling abilities are spell binding. Hear him tell tales of chasing cheetahs, watching storms on Mt. Kilimanjaro, and out-running elephants. Dennis Lyamuya works to create connections by examining our shared values through the tales he tells. Prepare to be enchanted by this marvelous story teller who reminds us of our common desires to work positively within a global community. Time will pass unnoticed as you are enlightened and informed by the wisdom of his narratives. For more information please contact Erna Grasz 925-292-0245 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              925-292-0245      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit the website http://www.asanteafrica.org/USAVisitor/

City of San Ramon Teen Council applications are now available!

The Teen Council is a City Council appointed committee which makes recommendations to the City of San Ramon staff, Parks and Community Services Commission and City Council on the delivery of teen programs, facilities, activities, services and policies. In addition the Teen Council advocates for teen issues, volunteers for numerous City events and plans special activities for teens.

The Teen Council application is available on the City website: http://www.sanramon.ca.gov/bcc/documents/TeenCouncil.pdf

The benefits of joining the Teen Council are endless. Please review the application and make sure to turn it into the City Clerk‘s office by March 4th at 5pm. No late applications will be accepted. Please feel free to contact Steve Cox, Recreation Coordinator at 925-973-3213 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              925-973-3213      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or scox@sanramon.ca.gov if you have any questions.

State of the Town Address

What is new in Danville? Join Mayor Karen Stepper at her State of the Town Address to find out. Mayor Stepper will be presenting information about what Danville is doing this year to help local businesses; how our Town is faring in the current economy and State budget crisis; describing projects and development slated for the upcoming year; and providing updates on safety, disaster preparedness, and community events. Thursday, March 3, 2011 at Crow Canyon Country Club. For more details visit http://www.danvilleareachamber.com/events/2011/mar/03/state-of-the-town-crow-canyon-country-club

The Holiday Season By Elaine Betts

 Christmas trees, snowmen, and Hanukah lights,

The holiday season brings many delights.

Wonderful gatherings of family and friends,

Reunions of loved ones we hope never ends.

Sleigh bells and carols and singing good cheer,

The parties and presents with those who are dear.

Some frosty mornings or roads filled with snow,

Children throw snowballs that makes their cheeks glow.

Warm cozy firesides and stockings are hung,

Santa is coming which delights the young.

Traditional cooking that goes back in time,

Each recipe tasty and sometimes with wine!

Glad tidings I wish you and filled with good cheer,

Bring prosper and health and a Happy New Year!!

Memories Live On

 This poem is dedicated to the Lights Of The Valley Celebration being held  Decemebr 7th  at the San Ramon Regional Hospital in support and on behalf of families and patients of the Hope Hospice and honoring our loved ones.

Memories Live On

by Elaine Betts

Share your favourite memory, with someone here today.

Was it staying with grand parents, and all the fun, and play

Can you tell of cozy dinners, lit by candlelight,

With someone who you cared for, and loved with all your might.

Remember when we did those things,

The memories that laughter brings,

Fun times, bad times, happy, glad.

Those memories that we’ve all had.

 

Our hearts are filled with days gone by, we cherish everyone.

So speak of them, and make it real, then their spirit can live on.

One life full of memory, is lit by candle light,

Lights of the valley, we cherish you tonight.

Each light is a heartbeat, that shimmers as it glows,

It pulses round the world tonight, so that everybody knows.

The glow reflects on faces, creating eyes that shine,

And lips move with meaning, and share of special time.

 

Talk of them, and laugh with them, their spirit is the flame.

Make it dance, with breath, so warm, their life will then remain.

A time that brings us comfort, and shared from within,

That raises up fond memories, and breaks out in a grin.

Memories so deep and true, they come from soul and heart,

This love we have that kindles flames, and never will they part.

Although we miss our loved ones, they live on from our talk,

So please, be sure to share tonight, on this celebration walk.

 

© Copyright 2010 to present Elaine Betts All rights reserved

Thanksgiving Wishes

Thanksgiving Wishes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ByElaine Betts Poet Laureate for the City of San Ramon Poet Laureate for BNI Worldwide     Here’s to our friends and the family we love,   Appreciate others, bring thanks from above. Raising a glass to those missing in action, Remembering others who’ve lived just a fraction. Give thanks to our neighbours, and comrades in arms, Acknowledging those who are working on farms. Those who bring harvest and fruits from the land, Along with the people who work hand in hand. Thanksgiving’s a time to appreciate life, Put food on our table, that’s harvest from knife. Cut down and brought to us, and cooked into fare, So we can have friends round a table and chair. Think of less fortune, be grateful, give back. Bring service to others, help bring them on track. Enjoy your day truly and reflect still the same, On those who can’t be there, and remember their name.   Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

 

A Thanksgiving Gift of Quote Actions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here is a gift for you  to receive Quote Actions. I have been inspired for several years now by Quote Actions that I receive each day. I would love to give you the gift of receiving them too at no cost to yourself. Quote Actions are short email messages containing an interesting or inspirational quote followed by a recommended action to help brighten your day. I love them and find they bring a focus to my day. Here is an example and appropriate for today; “My friends are my estate.”           Poet, Emily Dickinson   Your action for today is to call or write to a friend with whom you haven’t been in touch with as of late.   These messages contain no sales or other promotional materials. There is no charge. You can try them out and see how you like them. If you don’t like them, you can unsubscribe at any time. Please join me! Just click on the link below to opt-in. http://quoteactions.com/a/profile/107

Day 5 the Final Day

The final day. Today is the day, we take the written test and the test out on the water, our last day of class. I wasn’t expecting so many questions but very happy to pass the written test with flying colours, YES!

Part of the open water test is being able to do man overboard we pass that too. I am officially able to sail so it says on paper!

Now for some more fun, we get to sail and learn about using a spinnaker, this means more sheets to hold, anyone for knitting!

We move so fast with the spinnaker it’s great fun, I love it. The day seemed to go so fast and all too soon we are back washing the boat down and putting everything away until next week when someone else will be learning from Josh and the J World team. It was a lot of fun and I learned so much, now it is time to get out there and crew for whoever needs a willing body.

A great week, tiring physically and mentally and I would do it again in a heart beat.

Day 4

Today is all about man overboard, very important. It looks so simple on paper a nice figure of eight maneuver but you just know it’s not that simple. Do we have to get in the water? Oh I hope not!

It’s my turn to helm again and we are in the estuary, it’s slow progress getting out towards the Bay as again there is very little wind. I’m not so happy about the HUGE fully laden tanker that is looming up on us fast, Josh instructs me to keep very tight tacks and not to lose what little wind we do have. Talk about feel small, wow those things are big when they go past, I’m doing well though and I’m pointing into the tankers wake, the Bay is opening up before us and the wind is picking up fast, we are on the move just like that. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere a back wash wave from the tanker hits us and I’m catapulted across the tiller. Good job I have quick reflexes and I wrap my arm around the life line or I would have been the first victim of man overboard, hang on though we haven’t learned that properly yet!  

Oh boy do I ever pay attention to man overboard procedure after that incident. Josh throws out the life ring into the water. One of us keeps as pointer at all times while another helms the boat around in the figure of eight making sure that we are head to wind as crew 3 leans out to pick up the ring, well sometimes anyway, if we miss it around we go again.

Such a lovely day for sailing and being out in the Bay.

It’s funny how it takes the guys from J World until today to tell us how Hula Girl, their racing boat is only a year old and that their boat sank in the race last year because a whale hit it, they sank in 40 minutes. It was very reassuring to know though that they do maintain very good up date safety equipment. Is one experience I’ll just be happy to hear about rather than experience firsthand.

Day 3

More classroom work to start with in the morning but guess what, it’s not boring!! Some of the lectures make perfect sense and other things, well, we’ll see what happens when we get out on the water!!

Today we are learning all about maneuvering a sail boat at close quarters in other words, near piers,  in harbours, turning around in small spaces, coming into dock, you get the idea. It’s amazing what you can do and how much you can maneuver a sail boat with very little wind and in tight or close quarters. Today is a very different challenge from yesterday. Yesterday was all about not capsizing, staying alive it felt like, and being challenged or scarred witless because of the strength of the wind and maintaining control of the sailboat. Today’s challenge is not to put a hole in, or destroy this boat or wreck one of those very pretty yachts that I’d like to own one day!

The water is calm as we are not out in the main bay, we are going in and out of estuaries, keeping a watchful eye on the buoys and signals which indicate shallow water and learning about who has right of way.  Right of way by simple definition means, who can maneuver easier than the other vessel, do they have an engine or not.  I won’t bore you with the details!